Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Evangelion: OMEGA ❯ Reunion/ The Angels Return! ( Chapter 1 )

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

Legal Stuff: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion. Anyone and anything you recognize from that series belongs to the folks at Gainax and the genius Hideaki Anno. Anyone and anything you *didn't* see in EVA belongs to me. Please don't sue. I'm not making any money from this, trust me.
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Dedication: This story is dedicated to my sister, who put up with my constant whining whenever I got writer's block; and who will, no doubt, put up with a lot more of my bitching before I am finished with this story. Thanks Ris.
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Author's Note: This series is a sequel/alternate ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion. It ignores both the TV ending and the End of Evangelion movie. For the purpose of this story, we will assume that only the first 24 episodes of the TV series (the "DEATH" segment of the movie) actually happened. That said, please enjoy.
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Another Note from the Author: The complete story I am writing is rated 'R' for language and intense, graphic violence. However, the first chapter contains neither of these things. If you are offended by violence or language, be advised that future chapters will contain both in abundance. Okay thats the last note, I promise. On with the show.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion: OMEGA

Chapter 01: Reunion/ The Angels Return!

October 17, 2040
Myojin Home for Orphans, Tokyo 2
3:47 A.M.

Michiru Ikari couldn't sleep. For six weeks, the same dream had plagued her every single night. It was less a coherent dream than a series of nightmarish images that flooded through her mind. Most nights she had visions of giant creatures locked in battle, the kind of thing she saw in old monster movies. But while the many incarnations of Godzilla and his kin were, at best, laughable; the monsters in her dream never failed to terrify Michiru and drive all thoughts of sleep from her mind. But tonight it was not the nightmares that kept her awake.

Sitting up in bed, Michiru looked around the dormitory that had been her home for the past eight years. The large room was eerily silent in the predawn hours. The only sounds were the occasional car going by on the street below. She looked at the nine other girls who shared the dorm with her. They were all sleeping soundly, not troubled by nightmares of giant beasts.

*Am I just nervous about tomorrow?*, Michiru wondered. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to her bed; 3:47,*Make that Today* she thought,*Is that why I can't sleep?* Today was her eighteenth birthday. Today she would leave this place, probably forever. She had grown up with these girls. They had learned, played, eaten, and slept together for as long as Michiru could remember. They were the only family she had ever known. But after today, she might never see them again.

Trying to clear her head of such thoughts, Michiru picked up the glass of water from her nightstand. Seeing that the glass was empty she quietly got out of bed and tiptoed down the aisle in the center of the dorm to the bathroom at the far end. Filling the glass with water, she carefully tiptoed back to her bed. As she set the glass back down on the nightstand, something caught her eye. Even in the meager light that filtered in through the window she recognized the object instantly. To anyone else it was just an old, worn out photograph, but for Michiru it held special meaning. It was the only picture she had of her parents; the only proof she had that they ever even existed.

Michiru didn't need the moonlight to see the picture. She had long ago committed every detail of the ancient photograph to memory just in case anything ever happened to it. It was a group picture of seven people; taken, according to the a handwritten date in the bottom-right corner, on March 17th, 2022, roughly eight months before she was born. On the far left, a skinny man with light brown hair and glasses flashed a big grin at the camera. Standing next to him, tall, thin woman with dark blue, almost purple, hair seemed to be waving at Michiru. The far right side of the photo was occupied by a big guy with black hair and a prominent scar running across his face. He had his right arm around a petite young woman with dark brown hair and freckles on her face. The man's left arm hung at an unnatural angle that had puzzled Michiru for years until she realized one day that the arm was fake. Obviously this man had been through some bad times, yet he and his....girlfriend? wife? both smiled as if they were having the time of their lives. The only person in the picture who didn't seem to be enjoying herself was the small, blue-haired woman who stood on the big guy's left side. She was smiling like the rest of them, but the smile seemed forced, as if it was something she wasn't used to doing. Every time Michiru looked at the old picture, however, her attention was immediately drawn to the center, as it had been when she first received the picture, eight years earlier.

* * * * *

She remembered it like it was yesterday. Her tenth birthday had gone by basically like every other birthday she had known. Some of her friends had bought or made gifts, and everyone she knew made some comment or birthday greeting, if only out of politeness. And of course there had been the excitement of moving out of the juvenile dormitories into a somewhat more private adolescent dorm. But in most respects, it was a day just like any other. That all changed at supper when she received mail.

Mail of any kind was a bit of a novelty at the Myojin Home. The place was an orphanage after all; if the residents had family or close friends to send them mail, they wouldn't have been there to begin with. The thin envelope that was placed in front of her at supper that night was the first and only piece of mail Michiru had received in her entire life. There was no return address and no other clue as to where the mysterious package had come from. Her name and student number were handwritten in the envelope's center. The only other marking on the envelope was a logo stamped on in bright crimson ink. The logo consisted of some kind of leaf cut in half down the center and one word, NERV, where the other half of the leaf should have been. There was also some phrase written in tiny letters arranged in a semicircle below the leaf, but the letters were too small to make out.

Michiru had pondered the mysterious insignia for several minutes before noticing that her entire table had grown silent. Everyone at the table was looking at Michiru expectantly. "Aren't you going to open it?", someone finally asked. Hands trembling with excitement, Michiru carefully opened the envelope and pulled out its contents. Michiru couldn't clearly remember what she had expected to pull out of that envelope. As a ten-year-old girl growing up without parents, she had probably dreamed of a letter from some long-lost relative who would be arriving presently to take her home. But Michiru had always been a practical and realistic girl. Even at ten years old, she knew that such thoughts were simply fantasies. The truth was, she had no idea what to expect. Even so, she was a little disappointed when she pulled out a Recruitment Packet.

Occasionally, the older boys and girls received such packets from the various branches of the military. This was the same kind of packet. The front cover showed a young man and woman in uniform working at a computer terminal and smiling enthusiastically. "Your Future With NERV" was written in big letters just below them. And under that, was the same logo she had seen on the envelope. She was about to set the packet aside and continue eating when she noticed something sticking out from between the pages. Curious, she grabbed the corner sticking out of the booklet and pulled out an old, faded photograph.

Michiru's heart began to race as she looked over the the photo. Her eyes were drawn, almost magnetically, the the two figures in the center of the picture, and she knew immediately, without knowing how, exactly who they were. The words someone had written on the picture only confirmed what she already knew in her heart. Two names were written in black ink on the picture: "Shinji Ikari" with an arrow pointing to a thin man of medium height, and "Asuka Langley Soryu Ikari" with an arrow that pointed to a woman leaning against the man named Shinji. Both were smiling, obviously very happy.

Any doubt she had about who they were was erased when she saw a third arrow in blue ink, almost as an afterthought. The arrow pointed to the woman, Asuka's midsection. At the other end of the arrow was written the name "Michiru Ikari".

Later that night, when everyone else was asleep, Michiru had studied the people in the photo for hours; especially her parents. She recognized herself in both of them. Her mother seemed more European than Japanese; with big, blue eyes, fair skin, and thick auburn hair. Her father, in contrast, was entirely Japanese. He had dark brown hair and eyes that were dark grey, almost black. She had fallen asleep that night, and many since, wondering what kind of people her parents had been and whether she would ever find out for sure.

* * * * *

Now, eight years to the day later, Michiru reflected glumly that she didn't know that much more about her parents now than she had then. The administration of the orphanage had been slightly reluctant to let her look through their files when, shortly after her fourteenth birthday, she became positively obsessed with learning all she could about where she came from. But when it became apparent to them that nothing would dissuade her, they eventually agreed to let her examine her records under close supervision. However, after hours of searching through every computer file she could find, she was disappointed and slightly concerned to find only the most insignificant information about either of her parents. What disturbed her was that in most cases, information was not absent, but rather, restricted. For example:

Name: Shinji Ikari
Born: June 6, 2000
Occupation: Restricted*
Rank: Restricted*
Residence: Restricted*
Died: February 10, 2023
Cause of Death: Injuries resulting from Earthquake

* - Information Classified *Above Top Secret*

The files she had found on her mother were nearly identical. Any important information she might have found about who her parents were and what they did was classified "above top secret". All she knew were their names, and the fact that they both died in an earthquake mere months after she was born. She supposed it was the best she could hope for. But she still wondered why so much about her parents was kept secret, when they looked like such normal, happy people. And she wondered at the strange twist of fate that let two healthy, young adults die in an earthquake, while their four-month-old infant survived without a scratch. And what of all their friends from the picture? Why hadn't she ever met any of them? Had they all perished in the same earthquake that took her parents? If that was the case, then who had sent her this picture?

There were so many questions to which she would probably never have answers that it made Michiru want to scream some days, and to cry others. Tonight, it simply left a dull, aching loneliness deep inside her. She wasn't really unhappy living in the orphanage. The teachers and caretakers were all friendly and seemed to care deeply for their wards. And her friends were wonderful. But on nights like this, she was given to wonder what her life might have been like if her parents had survived. The dreams she had been having lately only made her wonder even more about the life she might have known. If she'd had a mother to tuck her in at night, a father to check under the bed for bogeymen, would she still, at eighteen years old, be awakened in the night by dreams of giant monsters?

* * * * *

Michiru barely had any time to savor her eighteenth birthday the way she felt a girl should. Her entire morning was spent signing a never-ending series of legal documents releasing her from government care and setting her up with a job and place to live once she left the orphanage. She was in the middle of signing a security waiver for a cheap apartment when there was a knock on the door. An intern, not that much older than Michiru herself, stepped into the conference room. "Miss Ikari?" she asked.

"Yes.", Michiru replied.

"Do you have a minute?"

Michiru practically leaped out of her seat, eager to be free of this tedious work, even if only for a little while. "I have more minutes than you can possibly imagine.", she enthusiastically assured the young woman. "What can I do for you?"

"You've got visitors.", the reply surprised Michiru more than a little.

"Who would be visiting me?", Michiru wondered out loud.

"I don't know.", the intern shrugged and pointed down the hall. "Room Four."

Two people, a man and a woman, were waiting for her in Room Four. Michiru knew she had never met these people before, yet something about them seemed familiar. They seemed to be taken by surprise when she entered the room. One of them, a tall man leaning against a large filing cabinet finally spoke up. "Michiru Ikari?" he asked.

"Yes?", now Michiru was really confused. If these people came to see her, shouldn't they know who she was? After she answered the man's question, an awkward silence seemed to settle over the room. For a long moment, the two of them simply stared at Michiru, as if in awe. It was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. Finally she got fed up an spoke to them in the most annoyed voice she could muster. "Look; do you guys want something or can I go back to the boring, repetitive work I was doing before you showed up?", she snapped.

She was about to storm out of the room when she saw a change come over both of their faces. The man's eyebrows rose slightly and he even cracked a slight grin. His companion, a strangely familiar woman, actually seemed to be holding in a fit of laughter.

"Something funny?", Michiru demanded, turning her annoyance and pent up frustration on the woman.

"Sorry." her visitor replied, still grinning, "You just reminded me of your mother just then. Sorry about the staring too; its just that.......wow......you've grown up."

Michiru's felt her heart drop into her stomach at the word 'mother'. A lump welled up in her throat making it difficult to breathe. Suddenly she realized exactly where she had seen her visitors before. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the old photograph that had, until one minute ago, been her only link to her past. There they both were. The woman with dark purple hair, smiling and waving at whoever was holding the camera; and the big man with his one arm and prominent facial scar; how had she not noticed it when she first saw them?

Of course they had obviously both aged since that picture was taken. Oddly the man now appeared older than the woman, where, in the picture she had seemed to be the eldest of the group. That must have been what had thrown her off, Michiru decided. The woman didn't look that much older than she had in the picture. The big guy, on the other hand, had aged quite a lot....and rather poorly.

At first Michiru couldn't speak. There were so many questions she wanted to ask them, so many things she needed to know, but she couldn't make the words come out. "You...you knew my mother?" she finally managed.

"That's right.", the woman nodded, "Your dad too. You need to sit down?", she gestured to a chair across the table from her. Michiru could only nod gratefully; she felt her knees about to give out at any second. She quickly slid into the chair the woman offered.

Michiru was still having difficulty arranging her thoughts into coherent sentences but somehow she managed to blurt out the first question that came to her. "Who are you?" she asked.

The woman smiled. "My name is Misato Katsuragi.", she said, "I am....", she paused a moment, apparently searching for the right words, "I was a friend of your parents." Misato gestured toward her companion,"And this is Toji Suzahara. Another friend of the family."

For a while Misato lapsed back into silence. "I'm sorry." she finally said, "I've spent years thinking about what I would to say to you today; and now that you're actually here I.......I can't find the right words. I know you have a lot of work to do; I know they're setting you up with a job and apartment and all that but....um", Misato seemed to falter, trying to hold back her emotions long enough to tell Michiru whatever she had come to say, "If you can....I mean, if you want to.........we want..........uh, we're willing to.........." On the verge of tears, she threw a desperate look at Toji; almost a call for help. Picking up the cue, he smiled warmly at Michiru.

"I think what Misato is trying to say is that we're here to offer you a second option. We would like for you to come with us."

"With you?", was all Michiru could ask.

Toji smiled again. "To Tokyo 3. We're setting up an apartment there for you if you want it.", he hesitated and a shadow seemed to come over his face, "And...we have a job for you, in NERV. I won't lie to you Michiru. This isn't an easy job; in fact, its potentially very dangerous. I wouldn't ask it of anyone, especially not you, but.......you may be the only person in the world qualified to do it."

Michiru had been in a state of shock from meeting two people who had known her parents. Now some of that shock was replaced with curiosity. What about her could possibly be so special as to make her the only person able to do this job? "Why me?", she asked.

"Because of who you are.", Misato seemed to have finally regained her composure enough to speak, "And because of who your parents were." She smiled, "You could say we want you to take up the family business." A scowl seemed to come over Toji's face at that remark but he shook it off.

"What if I say no?" Michiru asked quietly.

Misato frowned. She was about to answer Michiru but Toji got there first. "If you say no, then we'll go back to where we came from and you can go on with your life. We're not here to force you into doing anything."

"That's right." Misato added, "Although if you do choose that, I hope you'll at least keep in touch. Maybe even visit once in a while. I'm sure you must have a ton of questions about your parents and I'd love to help you find some answers."

"You'd do that for me?" Michiru asked, "Really? Even if I decided not to do this job for you?"

"Well of course I would.", Misato seemed genuinely surprised, as if the thought of doing otherwise had never even occurred to her, "You deserve to know the truth. I owe you that at least."

"All right then." Michiru didn't know why Misato should feel she owed her anything, but she appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. She pushed her chair back and stood up. "When do we leave?"

"You mean you will?" Misato asked excitedly.

For the first time since Misato had mentioned her mother, a smile crossed Michiru's face. "Are you kidding?", she asked, "You think I want to be a waitress in Tokyo 2 for the rest of my life?"

"Well then," Misato said, smiling more warmly than ever, "you had better start packing. Our train leaves in three hours."

"But what about all that stuff I have to sign?" Michiru asked.

Misato handed her an official document emblazoned with the NERV logo and a pen. "Just sign here." she said, pointing to a line near the bottom of the page. Michiru took the pen and quickly signed her name on the line Misato indicated. When she was done, Misato took back the paper and stood up. "Okay." she said, "You are now an official recruit of NERV. The rest of your release will be processed by NERV's legal office." She smiled, "Now hurry up and get your things. You don't want to miss the train."

* * * * *

Michiru felt as if she was walking on air as she made her way back to the dormitory. She was still trying to reconcile what had just happened in her mind. After eighteen years of wondering, she was finally going to know who her parents were. The very idea was almost too big for her to grasp. Part of her was afraid that at any moment she might awaken in her bed to find that the entire meeting had been nothing more than a dream.

Michiru would have liked to be able to see her friends one more time before she left, but there was no one in the dorm as she picked up the single suitcase that held everything she owned. Taking one last look around the room where she had spent most of the past eight years, she left quietly, closing the door behind her.

* * * * *

A black car with the NERV logo stenciled on it was waiting for Michiru at the front gate. For the first time in her life, Michiru was able to make out the letters written along the bottom of the logo. Also for the first time in her life, Michiru was glad that everyone at the orphanage had been required to study English. "God's in his Heaven. All's right with the world.", Michiru read the writing to herself. *What a weird thing for someone to put on their logo! What kind of agency is this?*, she wondered after she had translated the writing. Michiru had been so intent on translating the English words, she had failed to notice Misato standing behind her.

"Something interesting?", Michiru jumped slightly, startled by Misato's sudden question.

"I was just reading.......this.", Michiru wasn't even sure how to describe the cryptic phrase she had just read.

"Oh that.", Misato laughed, "Don't ask me who thought that up. Its been like that since before I joined NERV. We mostly just keep it that way for old times' sake. Ready to go?", she asked, "Major Suzahara is already waiting for us at the station."

Misato's perky attitude was infectious, Michiru found herself smiling despite her sadness about leaving behind her friends. "Umm......I didn't get a chance to thank you for doing all this Miss Katsuragi." she lifted her eyes to meet Misato's. "Thank you."

Misato smiled. "You're welcome." she said, "But you can drop the 'Miss Katsuragi' bit. Its just 'Misato' when we're off duty."

"And when we're on duty?", Michiru asked.

Misato seemed to consider her answer for a moment. "Well," she finally said, "'Supremely Wise and Powerful Leader' has a nice ring to it. But 'Commander' will do in a pinch." Misato was obviously trying to cheer her up, and Michiru had to admit that, so far, it was working. She felt better already.

* * * * *

Sitting across from Michiru on the train ride back to Tokyo 3, Toji Suzahara couldn't help but stare in wonder at the girl in front of him. People often spoke of children as looking like a mixture of their parents' best attributes. Michiru Ikari was the perfect embodiment of that principle. Most of her features had come from her mother, Asuka. In fact, she might very well have been a copy of Asuka, but for a few places where her father's genes clearly held sway. Her hair, for one thing, was the same dark brown as Shinji's, and her overall facial features were more Japanese than German, except for her eyes, which were just like Asuka's, though perhaps a slightly darker shade of blue. Toji sighed sadly, he wished Shinji and Asuka could have seen what a beautiful young woman their daughter grew up to be.

Michiru must have noticed his sigh, because she turned away from the widow she had been staring out of and toward him. "Are you all right Major Suzahara?", she asked.

Toji forced a smile and shifted in his seat. "I'm all right." he said, "And you can call me Toji." He noticed a peculiar look come over Michiru's face, she seemed to be staring at his left arm. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry." she said, "I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that........I have this picture......and your arm; I mean, in the picture, its.......it wasn't there...I mean, it wasn't real....." she trailed off, obviously very embarrassed.

Toji smiled. Her shyness reminded him of how her father had been when they first met. He held up his left arm and pulled off his uniform glove, revealing a shiny metal construct in the form of a human hand. "State-of-the-art cybernetics." he said; and then in a barely audible whisper he added, "Almost as good as the real thing." But Michiru didn't seem to hear him. Apparently she was still embarrassed about her perceived impoliteness, as she spent the rest of the trip staring out of the window, watching the countryside roll by.

* * * * *

The train rolled into Tokyo 3 late in the afternoon. Another NERV car was waiting for them when they got off the train. As the car drove through the streets of Tokyo 3 Michiru felt like a tourist, craning her neck to take in everything around her. She had read about Tokyo 3 in books and magazines for years. The city was called "a technological miracle" by one writer, and "the eighth wonder of the world" by another. Looking around, Michiru found it hard to disagree. The city was absolutely beautiful, not at all like the dingy urban sprawl of Tokyo 2. The streets were lined with potted trees and the occasional bush or flower bed. The massive skyscrapers shone like polished jewels in the light from the setting sun. Everywhere Michiru looked, something new caught her attention.

The more she looked at the city, however, the more something seemed odd about it. Michiru quickly put her finger on the problem. Tokyo 3 was built like a fortress. The buildings looked normal at first glance, but closer inspection revealed reinforced metal foundations, probably titanium, and masonry that looked as though it could withstand heavy artillery fire. Some of the buildings even seemed to have tracks going up the sides, reminding Michiru of a rumor she had heard once; that many of the buildings in Tokyo 3 could actually be lowered into underground bunkers in the event of an attack. At the time she had dismissed the story as nothing more than an urban legend but now she wasn't so sure. Moreover, nearly every part of the city bore some kind of safety alert or warning message, but these were unlike any safety warnings Michiru had ever seen. A huge pair of doors set into street bore the message:

Caution!
EVA Lift
No Parking! Keep Doors Clear!

*What the heck is an EVA Lift?*, Michiru wondered. She saw another message painted in huge red letters on the side of a tall building.

Emergency Re-Supply Station
B-127

The militaristic design of the city was strange, no doubt about it. But Michiru was having far too good a time to worry about it for very long. She had always wanted to visit Tokyo 3, but never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she would one day live here. Now that she was here, she wasn't about to let a few architectural idiosyncrasies spoil it for her.

The NERV car pulled up next to a plain grey stone apartment building. "This is where we get off." Misato said cheerfully. A young NERV officer came around to the the back of the car and opened the door for them. Misato got out and beckoned for Michiru to follow her. As they slid out of the car Toji leaned over and spoke to Misato. "I have some things to take care of back at the lab, Commander."

"Ok." Misato replied cheerfully, "Say hi to Machiko for me."

"Will do." Toji said smiling. Turning to Michiru he said, "It was nice meeting you, Michiru. I'll see you tomorrow." Michiru, still feeling shy around the Major, found herself able only to nod and return Toji's friendly smile.

"Well," Misato said as the car pulled away, "Let's go see your new place."

It was in the lobby of her new apartment building that the first and only dark spot on Michiru's day occurred. When they tried to check in and pick up the keys to Michiru's apartment, the man behind the desk informed them that the apartment was not ready for Michiru to move in.

"What's wrong with it?" Misato demanded.

"All the apartments on that floor are being repainted this week. It should be ready the day after tomorrow." he replied, "If you'd like, I can arrange for the young lady to stay at a hotel until then."

Misato walked over to where Michiru was waiting with her suitcase. "Ok." she said, "He's willing to get you a hotel room to stay in until your apartment is ready. You want to go ahead and do that?"

Michiru didn't much care where she slept as long as she woke up still in Tokyo 3, not back at the Orphanage. She nodded, "That sounds fine to me." she said.

Misato started to walk back to the counter, then suddenly she stopped and spun around to face Michiru. "I just had a better idea." she said excitedly, "Why don't you stay at my place until yours is ready?"

Misato's question caught Michiru off guard. "Your place?" she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Misato said, really getting into the idea, "It'll be fun!"

"Well......alright.....I guess", Michiru finally agreed.

* * * * *

Misato's apartment was on the other side of Tokyo 3, but Michiru didn't mind the walk. It gave her a chance to appreciate the city up close. Most of Tokyo 3 ran on solar power from giant collectors on the outskirts of the city. As a result, the air here was much cleaner than in Tokyo 2 and the sky was not obscured by smog. Michiru breathed in the fresh, crisp fall air and gazed up at the most beautiful stars she had ever seen. She had been in Tokyo 3 less than two hours and she loved it already.

They stopped for dinner at a ramen stand near Misato's apartment. The night had turned quite chilly, and the hot ramen was the perfect meal to take the edge off the cold. As they ate, Michiru studied the woman seated next to her. She did look older than in Michiru's picture; not eighteen years older, but older nonetheless. In the picture Misato was a pretty young woman, she looked happy, carefree, even innocent in a way. The woman seated next to Michiru, though still quite stunning physically, seemed to have lost some of the joy her picture portrayed. It was as if some unknown weight had settled on her soul. She still had the same gleam in her eyes though, and the same friendly, engaging smile.

* * * * *

Misato's place was a dump. Michiru tried desperately to find some other way of describing the apartment but there wasn't one. The building was in a good part of town, and the apartment itself seemed fairly nice. It was the 'decor' that made the place a dump. Every flat surface Michiru could see was littered with dirty plates, empty cups of instant ramen, and a record-worthy collection of empty beer cans.

"Sorry about the mess." Misato apologized as Michiru surveyed the disaster area that was supposed to be a kitchenette, "I wasn't expecting visitors or I would have cleaned the place up."

"Oh, I don't mind." Michiru said truthfully. She didn't really care how Misato chose to keep her own apartment. Not that *she* could imagine living like this for long.

"Okay." Misato said cheerfully. Michiru's acceptance of her living conditions seemed to put her at ease. "Let's get you settled in." She led Michiru to a small bedroom that seemed to be the only clean room in the house. In fact it looked as if no one had been in the room for a very long time. "This used to be your dad's room," Misato's voice took on a far away, nostalgic tone, "....a long time ago."

"My father lived with you?" Michiru asked.

Misato nodded. "So did your mother. They both lived here until about a month before their wedding." she said, "Your mom stayed in the next room over." She winked mischievously. "Well, most of the time."

Michiru blushed slightly at the very obvious innuendo. She looked over the entire room for some sign that her father had once lived here. But the room was completely barren. That didn't really surprise her of course. Misato had just said that they moved out before they were married, naturally they would have taken their belongings with them. She sat down on the small futon somewhat dejectedly. She shouldn't have expected to find any physical evidence that this had been her father's bedroom. But she had, never the less, hoped to find some clue about what kind of person he was. That was when it occurred to Michiru that she could always just ask....

"What were they like?" Misato had been turning to go, evidently intending to give her some time alone. When Michiru spoke to her, she turned again, came back into the room and sat down next to Michiru.

"Well." she said, trying to decide how to begin. "They were very........different. You know how people say that opposites attract?" Michiru nodded. "Well your parents were definitely proof of that. Shinji was very quite; kind of shy. But he was very brave in his own way, and a lot stronger than he gave himself credit for."

"What about my mother?" Michiru asked.

"Asuka?", Misato smiled, "She was..........well she was a lot like you; strong, independent, very smart."

"I wish I could have known them." Michiru said sadly.

"So do I." Misato replied, standing up and heading to the door. "They would have been so proud of you." Michiru smiled at Misato's compliment. "Now you should try to get some sleep." Misato said. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Michiru was sure she would be unable to sleep with everything that had happened today still fresh in her mind. Nevertheless, she nodded and stretched out on the surprisingly comfortable futon. She had intended to get back up and change out of her school uniform once Misato left the room, but seconds after her head hit the pillow, exhaustion, both physical and emotional, overwhelmed her and she fell into a deep, and blissfully dreamless slumber.

* * * * *

While Michiru Ikari was sleeping peacefully, something was moving silently through the dark, still waters at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. It had lain dormant for eons at the bottom of the sea, hibernating in a protective chrysalis that none of the ocean's predators dared approach. For ages, it had simply sat there, slowly developing. Then, some time ago, it felt a compulsion, an irresistible pull toward a place it had never seen. The call accelerated the creature's growth and within a few weeks, it was ready to emerge from its protective cocoon. Now it was steadily heading toward land.

The creature didn't think about the force that drew it out of the sea. Its mind wasn't designed that way. Its only thoughts were of reaching its destination; it neither wondered nor cared what it would find there. The summons that called it was more than a mental or physical instinct. It was a powerful call from a source far beyond the creature's scope of comprehension. Slowly, implacable, it rose through the cold seawater toward its destiny.

* * * * *

Michiru was awakened the next morning by the smell of something burning. She traced the scent to the kitchen where she found Misato trying desperately to wave a huge plume of foul-smelling smoke away from what Michiru assumed was supposed to be breakfast. After a minute or so of unsuccessfully batting at the smoke, Misato finally gave up and dumped the smoking pan into the sink. She turned the cold water on, sending steam cascading out of the sink and causing the hot pan to hiss violently. Finally, satisfied that she had averted a disastrous fire, Misato shut off the water.

Michiru couldn't stop herself from giggling at the helpless look on Misato's face when she turned around and noticed Michiru watching her. Misato grinned sheepishly.

"Well I was trying to make some eggs but there seem to be a few kinks in the system." she said cheerfully. Michiru decided that she really liked this woman. Misato just seemed to be so laid back about everything, it was impossible not to feel at ease around her. "Can I tempt you with some toast?" she asked, offering Michiru a plate with several slices of toast in varying shades of darkness.

Michiru smiled and politely took a piece. She was hungry enough that even burnt toast was semi-appetizing. "So what's on the agenda today?" she asked between bites.

"Today's gonna be busy." Misato said, "It's your orientation at NERV Headquarters."

"Orientation?" Michiru asked.

"Yeah." Misato picked up a handwritten schedule from the table. "Let's see.........we have to get you security clearance, have an ID card made, then there should be time for a quick tour of the facility. Oh, I almost forgot; we have to get you fitted for uniforms, that could take a while."

"Um...what exactly am I going to be doing for NERV?" Michiru asked.

Misato frowned "Well that's classified, I can't say until you get security clearance. Sorry."

"It's ok," Michiru said, "I was just curious."

"Here." Misato handed Michiru a small booklet sealed with a thin strip of plastic that bore the message 'For your eyes only'. "You should probably read this before work today." Michiru looked at the book. 'Welcome to NERV.' was written on the cover. Michiru slid off the plastic seal and began looking through the book. Misato glanced at her watch and spoke. "Actually, you should probably get ready to go now, we have to leave soon." she said "You can read that on the way."

* * * * *

Michiru took a quick shower in the small bathroom and changed into the only non-uniform outfit she owned; a light blue sun dress that she had been given for the many job interviews she had gone to in her last few months at the orphanage. She had loved the dress, mostly because it was a switch from wearing a school uniform every day. Wearing it, she had been able to pretend she was just a normal teenager, instead of an orphan. Now she couldn't imagine wearing a school uniform from the orphanage to the first day of her new life; but the sun dress seemed exactly right.

* * * * *

As they drove along the crowded streets of Tokyo 3, Michiru read through the book Misato had given her. According to the book, NERV was a special peacekeeping force controlled by the United Nations. NERV had branches in every major country and provided security forces and weapons research to many world governments.

Michiru was so intent on the book that she almost didn't notice when Misato drove the car into a small garage. She did notice when a heavy door slammed behind them and the car began moving sideways down a long, dark tunnel. She also noticed her ears popping. In addition to moving sideways, the car was also moving down.

Suddenly, they burst out of the darkness. Michiru saw that the car was actually sitting on a train whose tracks seemed to be suspended hundreds of feet in the air. Below her, Michiru saw a lush forest bordering a large lake. Michiru's first thought was that they were outside. Looking up, she realized they were actually underground. The forest lay on the floor of a gigantic cave, almost as big as the entire city of Tokyo 3. In fact, looking up at the top of the cave, Michiru saw a group of large square doors. She knew immediately what those were for. Evidently that rumor about the buildings in Tokyo 3 being lowered into the ground was true after all.

"What is this?" Michiru asked.

"This is the Geofront." Misato replied. "And that," she pointed to several buildings in the middle of the forest, dominated by a huge pyramid, "is where you'll be working. NERV Headquarters."

Michiru was speechless. In her wildest dreams, she would never have imagined that something like this could exist. She felt like Alice, falling through a rabbit-hole into Wonderland.

* * * * *

The sonar operator on the American submarine Dallas was the first to notice a problem. She checked and double checked her instruments, but every time, she received the same reading. "Captain," she called out, "we have an unidentified object passing underneath us at 18 knots."

"What's its heading?" the Captain asked.

The young officer at the sonar station checked her screens again before replying. "Heading: 92 degrees. It's headed straight for Tokyo 3."

"Do we have visual confirmation of the object?" the Captain asked.

"Negative Sir. It's still too deep."

The Captain seemed to take a moment to consider his options. Finally he spoke. "All right. Comm, alert the Japanese government, describe the situation and offer our assistance. Helm."

"Sir?"

"Come about to 92 degrees and follow that thing. But keep your distance. Whatever it is, we probably don't want it to know we're back here."

"Aye sir."

* * * * *

Michiru's first hour at NERV headquarters had consisted of her receiving a thorough security breifing and signing several Non-Disclosure agreements in which she promised never to release classified information to unauthorized personnel. After signing the forms, she was given a temporary security card and allowed to enter the base itself. Misato was waiting for her inside, smiling as always.

"Ready for your tour?" Misato asked cheerfully.

Michiru laughed. "If it'll give me a chance to stretch my legs." she replied.

Misato led her through the labyrinthine halls of NERV headquarters, occasionally stopping to point out various points of interest like research labs and control centers. Michiru wasn't really very interested in the control room for, say, the climate control system, but she feigned interest for Misato's sake. In fact, all she could think about was the mysterious job that Misato had been unable to tell her before she received security access.

The further Misato led her into the NERV base, the more curious Michiru became about what kind of job NERV wanted her to do. At first she had assumed that she was simply going to be some kind of secretary or research assistant, after all, she didn't have much in the way of practical experience in peacekeeping or weapons development. But then she remembered what Major Suzahara had said. This job was "potentially very dangerous" and she was the only person who could do it. She couldn't contain her curiosity anymore.

"Where are we going Misato?" Misato turned around at the sound of her voice. "I've got clearance now, so please tell me. What did you bring me here to do?"

Misato smiled. "Just a little further." she said, pointing to a heavy door at the end of the hallway, "It's right through there."

Michiru followed Misato into a small control room overlooking a huge hangar of some kind. The floor of the chamber was flooded with a red liquid Michiru couldn't readily identify. What caught her attention and held it, however was what was in the middle of the chamber.

Michiru's first impression was of a huge head sticking out of the red liquid. But not a human head. More than anything, the head looked like it belonged to a beetle or some other insect. A single horn stuck up from a large, sloping forehead. Below that, an enormous chin jutted out from a skeletal jaw. The eyes. The eyes were the only part of the head that looked human, but they didn't belong to any human being who had ever lived. These eyes reflected intelligence, but it was a cold, animalistic intellect; not the warmth or compassion of human eyes. With the exeption of the jaw and a few green highlights, the entire head was a dark, metallic purple. Michiru suddenly realized that what she had thought of as a head was actually some kind of armored helmet.

"What.....was is this?" Michiru finally managed to ask.

Misato put a hand on her shoulder. "This is NERVs primary weapon. Evangelion Unit 01."

"Evangelion?" Michiru repeated, rolling the strange word around in her head. She remembered something Misato had said the day before about 'the family business'. "My parents....?" she asked.

Misato nodded. "They were EVA pilots as well." she said. "Unit 01 here was piloted by Shinji, your father. Your mother was the pilot of EVA Unit 02."

"What is it?" Michiru asked, still unable to draw her gaze away from Unit 01.

"It's a synthetic life form. Part living, part machine." Misato told her. "It hasn't been used in almost twenty-five years. But we began preparing it for your arrival a few weeks ago."

"Why?" was all Michiru could think to ask.

"Because we suspect that we will be needing it again very soon. That is why we brought you here. We think.....We hope, you will be able to pilot it."

Michiru wanted to ask more about the Evangelion, but at that moment Misato's cell phone rang. Misato unfolded the small phone and spoke into it. "Katsuragi............WHAT?............are they sure?........no don't do anything yet, I'm coming to you!" She slammed the phone shut and turned to Michiru. "We have a problem." she said, "Come with me." She grabbed Michiru's hand and practically dragged her back out into the hallway and toward the elevators.

* * * * *

The elevators took them to the largest room Michiru had seen yet. Most of the room was taken up by a holographic map depicting Tokyo 3 and the Geofront, along with a sizeable portion of the surrounding countryside. When the stepped off the elevator, everyone's attention was focused on a red dot that was moving steadily toward Tokyo 3.

"When did it hit land?" Misato demanded.

"Three minutes ago." a young officer working at a computer terminal replied, "An American submarine notified the government about an hour ago."

"And we weren't told until now?" Misato yelled. A change had come over her. No longer the laid-back woman Michiru had met yesterday; Misato now looked ready to spit nails. From the way everyone in the room turned in surprise, Michiru could tell that Misato's subordinates were also not used to seeing her like this.

"The UN wanted visual confirmation before they notified us." another officer said.

Misato seemed to calm down a little. Her moment of rage was past, but the look on her face was still all business. "All right." she began to speak very fast, "Go to first stage alert, notify the UN forces to be on standby, start getting people evacuated to their shelters, and begin accommodation of the central block. We're going to the cage." as she spoke, technical officers all over the control area began typing furiously at various consoles. Misato evidently trusted her people to get the job done. As soon as she finished giving the orders she motioned for Michiru to follow her and headed for a small elevator across from the one they had just come from.

As soon as Misato pressed the single button on the elevator's control panel, it shot downward so fast that Michiru once again felt her ears popping from the pressure change. As the elevator descended, Misato pulled out her cell phone and punched in a speed dial combination. After a second, she spoke into the phone. "Toji, begin launch preparations......." she frowned, obviously not liking Toji's response, "I know," she said, "but there's no other way. Alert Maya and Kensuke. Were coming to you."

"What's going on?" Michiru asked when Misato had put the phone away.

Misato turned to her, trying to decide how best to respond. "Were being attacked." she finally said, "Your going to have to pilot Unit 01 now."

Michiru felt her blood turn to ice. "Pilot it?" she asked in a fearful whisper, "But Misato, I don't know how to pilot that thing!"

"I know." Misato said, "And I'm sorry. I had hoped we would be able to train you first, but we've run out of time."

"But how can I.......?"

"Don't worry." Misato smiled reassuringly, "If were right about you, you'll know what to do once you're inside."

Before Michiru could reply, the elevator hit the ground floor and the doors opened. Standing before them were Major Suzahara and two people Misato hadn't met before. One of them she recognized instantly, the thin man standing on Toji's right side. Of all the people in her picture, this man had changed the least, he still had the same light brown hair, the same skinny frame, and the same huge eyeglasses. The woman on Toji's right wasn't in her picture; yet she must have been a friend of Michiru's parents because, like the skinny man, she was staring at Michiru with the same look of wonder that Toji and Misato had given her the day before. Michiru couldn't help but blush self-consciously, she didn't think she would ever get used to this kind of attention from complete strangers.

Misato stepped out of the elevator and gestured for Michiru to follow her. "Michiru Ikari," she said, "meet Captain Kensuke Aida and Dr. Maya Ibuki. They'll be getting you ready to pilot." She smiled exasperatedly. "Come on you two; snap out of it!" she said, "There'll be time for that later!"

Captain Aida was the first to break his trance, followed closely by Dr. Ibuki. They rushed over to her led her toward a small locker room across from the elevator. Before she was out of earshot, she could here Misato arguing with Toji.

"I just want to say again that I'm strongly opposed to this course of action, Commander." Toji said, obviously upset.

"I'm no happier about this than you are." Misato replied "But what choice do we have?"

* * * * *

Captain Aida led Michiru into a small locker room. "I'm afraid we don't have an actual entry plug suit made for you yet." he apologized. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a set of what looked like huge white hair clips. "Here." he said, "Put these on."

Michiru did as she was told. The clips felt heavy on her head, and she suspected that they contained some heavy-duty electronics underneath their plastic exterior. Her guides led her out of the locker room through a different door than the one they had entered through. She would have been surprised to find herself looking up at the face of Unit 01, but the way today had been going, nothing could surprise her. The red fluid was rapidly draining out of the chamber and, looking down, Michiru saw that Unit 01 had a roughly humanoid body; though said body was encased in the same metallic purple armor as the head. The Evangelion's head was tilted down and Michiru could see where part of the armor on its back had been opened up. A large cylinder stuck out of the exposed section.

Dr. Ibuki turned and spoke to her. "OK Michiru," she said, "Misato and I will be talking you through this so don't worry. You're going to do fine." She smiled reassuringly and led Michiru to a large seat hanging from a crane next to the exposed section of Unit 01. She gestured for Michiru to sit down. The seat was surprisingly comfortable. As soon as Michiru sat down, the crane began to move. It lifted the seat and set it down in the cylinder sticking out of Unit 01's back. As soon as the seat was locked in place, the crane receded and the door above her head slid shut. Michiru was plunged into darkness for a moment. Then a light came on above her and she got her first good look at Unit 01's cockpit. It certainly didn't look like any cockpit she had ever seen before. The only controls she could see were two handles in front of her. Each handle had a button on the top and a trigger underneath; but as far as Michiru could tell, there were no other controls. She would have thought a machine like the Evangelion would have much more complex controls than this.

While Michiru was pondering the odd control scheme, Misato's voice rang out in the cockpit. "Can you hear me Michiru?" she asked.

"Uh...yes ma'am." Michiru replied.

"We're going to fill the entry plug with LCL now." Misato said. "Just stay calm and breathe normally."

"Um...Alright." Michiru heard a bubbling sound beneath her. Looking down, she saw a thick, yellowish liquid slowly rising toward her. Despite Misato's instructions, Michiru found herself holding her breath out of reflex as the slimy liquid rose above her head.

"Relax." Misato repeated, "Just breath normally. The LCL will provide oxygen to your blood just like air."

Michiru pushed back every instinct in her body and breathed in, filling her lungs with the LCL. She fought the urge to gag as the LCL invaded her mouth. When she was seven years old, Michiru had tried to slide down a stairway on a banister like she had seen in a movie. She did make it to the bottom of the stairs, but she ended up landing on her face instead of her feet as she had intended. The force of the impact had knocked out two of her baby teeth. She would never forget the taste that followed. "Um.....Misato?" she asked, not quite sure how she could talk with her lungs full of LCL, "Is this stuff *supposed* to taste like blood?"

"Well I don't know if it's supposed to." Misato replied, "But it always has. Now listen. Evangelion operates on nerve impulses. If you want the EVA to walk, just walk like you normally would. The same goes for other motions. Understand?"

"I guess so." Michiru replied, not at all sure she understood.

Misato must have sensed Michiru's lack of confidence. "Don't worry." she said, "You'll get used to it." Her next words were spoken to someone else in the control room. "How's she doing?"

"Everything looks good." Michiru heard Dr. Ibuki reply to Misato, "I think we can activate."

"Begin activation." Misato ordered. Lights lit up all around Michiru. Bands of color flashed along the walls of the entry plug in rapid succession. Suddenly the walls seemed to open up and Michiru could see the hangar that housed Unit 01. At the same time, the LCL lost its yellow tint and became clear like water. Michiru could see that the chamber had been completely emptied of the mysterious red liquid and the restraints that had been holding the Evangelion in place had been removed. Across from her, she could see Misato and Dr. Ibuki in the control room.

Without warning, Michiru's body began to feel numb, but not in a bad way. She felt warm and relaxed, like she was taking a hot bath. She heard Dr. Ibuki speak again. "Amazing...." she said. "Synch Ratio 33.75%. Nerve pulses appear normal. Signal Graph looks good. Pilot life signs are all in the green. We're ready to launch."

"Michiru." Misato addressed her. "That thing out there is what we call an Angel. You can't let it invade the Geofront. We're going to send you a rifle once we launch Unit 01. I'll tell you what to do after that. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm ever going to be." Michiru replied, trying not to let Misato see how scared she was.

Misato nodded. "Move Unit 01 to the launch pad." she ordered. Michiru felt a jolt as Unit 01 began to move backwards. She twisted around in her seat, trying to see where she was going, but the back of the seat blocked her view. The EVA shook again and came to a sudden stop. Looking up, Michiru saw a series of doors opening above her, revealing a long tunnel leading up so far, she couldn't see where it ended.

"Unit 01 is in position." Dr. Ibuki said, "The launch tube is clear."

"Good luck kid." Misato whispered so that only Michiru heard her. Then, in a loud, commanding voice, she gave the order.

"Launch EVA!"

To Be Continued.........

Next Chapter: Michiru finds herself battling for her life in Unit 01. She destroys the invading Angel, but a greater challenge awaits on her first day of class at Tokyo University. How will she deal with the mostly unwanted attention of the university's entire male population? It's the next chapter, *Michiru's Victory/"Who is she?"* Don't miss it!