Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Heaven and Hell ❯ Standing Up From the Rubble of Man ( Chapter 3 )

Manga - Addicts Presents:
Heaven and Hell
Revelations 0:3 - Standing Up from the Rubble of Man's Ruin
HTML version 09 May 2008

Neon Genesis Evangelion created by, registered, and copyrighted to GAINAX, Project EVA, Movic, and any other company and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A.D.Vision holds the copyrights to the English version of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This work of fiction is not intended for any commercial purposes but was created for the entertainment of the Author and Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

No copyright infringement was in any way intended.

Heaven and Hell written by Jino Turtlegod

M Rating. For mature readers only. Some scenes, themes, language, and situations are not suitable for younger readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Revelations 0:3 - Standing Up from the Rubble of Man's Ruin

Location: Unknown

The light streamed in from somewhere in the high vaulted ceiling and gave everything within the room an ethereal glow as it reflected off the white marble of the walls, roman columns, and floor. In the middle of the room, at a table covered by white silk sat a man in a white suit flanked on either side by six men and women who wore the blue officer uniform of the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces. They are the United Nations General Committee for Security, the hand that held NERV - the flaming sword that guarded paradise.

Before the assembly, a man stood at attention, his black garb a glaring contrast to the heavenly purity of the white room. His short hair slicked back, his battle worn features unreadable, his bearing impeccable, his eyes devoid of any emotions. He is the commander of NERV First Branch, Tokyo-3. And he had been called before them for censure.

"An A-17? Who do you think you are?" the woman at the far right.

"Who authorized you to activate all nine EVAs?" a general with a moustache.

"Since when did you outrank this committee's authority?" another man, on the left of the central figure.

"Or are you just testing our patience for some personal agenda?" the woman on the right of the man in white.

Commander Crisostomo Santiago ignored them all and focused on the man in white who had thus far remained silent. Santiago resisted the urge to laugh as the image of the Last Supper came into mind. The Messiah and the Apostles. He briefly wondered who amongst the generals was Judas.

The man in white is the UN Secretary General, Erik Reinholt, a gaunt man who had the air of an ever-suffering saint. Reinholt's thin hand rose with measured majesty in a placating gesture and the generals fell respectfully silent at the request of the world's savior.

"Peace, everyone. Please, explain yourself Commander," Reinholt's voice was aged yet strong, sure in his righteousness. "You know that authority to activate more than four EVAs at a time can only come from the General Committee for Security."

"Sir," Santiago answered, his voice did not waver, lies were his livelihood after all - that and he knew that truth was with him. "It was an unfortunate crisis that could only be remedied by the deployment of Tokyo-3's entire fleet."

"Yet the MAGI13 had calculated that one EVA was sufficient. And as I read it, one EVA did defeat the Angel."

"Sir, the MAGI13 used data that was obsolete, since we were not able to transfer all the data to the newly activated MAGI13 system from the old MAGI system which were destroyed in the Eighteenth Incident two years ago. The EVA that MAGI13 refers to had been frozen and the only pilot that it will allow has left NERV's services. Unit 02 and its pilot had never before shown such capability as the EVA and pilot that the MAGI were referring to. MAGI has also determined that Unit 02 only has a 0.0000000001 percent chance of repeating such impressive capabilities."

"Hmm. Very well. The Committee accepts your rationale. However, you do know that some could misconstrue what you did as rebellion. We have had enough problems with dissidents calling us cruel and oppressive. I do not want this incident to arouse rumors that the UN cannot control its Branch Commanders." Santiago stayed silently at attention. Reinholt gave a tired sigh, "Do you have anything else to discuss with us?"

"Sir, my fleet is now short-handed by one pilot and one EVA. Since the Angels' return, I submit that Tokyo-3 be allowed priority in re-supply. I am also requesting that more pilots and Evangelions be transferred to Tokyo-3 from the other branches." Santiago already knew the answer, his role in this play fulfilled.

"I am sorry Commander, but we cannot pull out any pilots and EVAs from the other branches," Reinholt smiled paternally, "However, this pilot that you were talking about..."

000

Tokyo-3
Two days later

Asuka grumbled to herself as she sat in the train towards downtown Tokyo-3. She radiated enough bad vibes to make the people in the train car stay as far as they could from her.

`Why did Misato choose today to be totally hung-over?' Asuka glared at absently to her front which made the person who sat across her sweat bullets. `Stupid victory drinking binge.'

She thought of a very drunk Misato being dropped off by an apologetic bridge crew earlier that morning. The woman smelled as if she had swam in beer. By all indications she would be asleep till the next day.

`And Rei! How could she go off on a date when I needed a shopping partner! She knew Hikari had stand-by duty today! Damn it! All I wanted was a Girl's Day Out! How inconsiderate can you ---` the redhead blinked as that morning's conversation with Rei came back to mind.

000

"Do I look nice?" Rei asked as she made a slow turn to show off her outfit to her roommate.

Asuka looked at the girl, she noted that Rei looked stunning in the black skirt, white blouse, tan knitted shawl, and black calf-high boots. The girl had even pinned her unruly hair back. Asuka gave her heartfelt assessment, "eh."

Rei smiled as she picked up her handbag and slipped her gun inside. Asuka stripped off her shirt that Misato had accidentally vomited on. "Remember Rei, the next time it's your turn to tuck Misato in."

"Yes," Rei replied absently as she took a last look at the mirror. She practiced her smile.

"By the way, why are you dressed up?" Asuka took her bath pail from her closet.

"I have a date."

"But the A-3 Sale is today!" Asuka cried out.

"Sorry. I will make it up to you." She bowed in apology.

Asuka grumbled and stalked out of their room. Vomited on and left behind. The story of her life...

000

Asuka sighed sadly. Two years ago, if anyone asked her how she felt about Rei she would have answered that she didn't care about the freak girl. The girl had been competition for the attention and praise that Asuka craved so much. But the past two years had seen a great change in their relationship. Two years of living together had given her an insight into Rei's life.

Rei's life was so empty. All she had was EVA. Asuka felt pity - no, it was deeper than that. What Asuka felt for the blue-headed girl was empathy. They were so similar; they both devoted their lives for a cause that turned out to be a lie. They both appreciated the things they had too late for it to matter.

Asuka gazed out the window at the skyscrapers that flashed by.

She felt envious of Rei. The girl had recovered from her loss and had moved on with her life.

But what about her - the Great Asuka Langley Soryu? Still in a rut. Still pining for a boy that left her behind. For the umpteenth time she wondered if she should ask Misato where he lived.

"Hope he's not a bastard," was all she could say about Rei's date as she sank into the abyss of self-pity.

000

`A splash of red, mix in some yellow, there! A nice orange tint.'

Henri took a step away from the easel and the unfinished painting. Tokyo-3 and the Lake at Dawn as Seen from the Rooftop of the Artist's Apartment Complex. He smiled to himself, he should think of a better title for it. As it was, two more weeks and he would be done.

"Nice, fucking nice," Juno said as she walked up to him with two mugs, one of coffee and the other had chocolate. She handed him the chocolate. "So, thought up a better title yet for the li'l bugger?"

"Nope," Henri cheerfully replied as he gave a final stroke before he stopped for the day since it was technically no longer dawn.

"You do know that you could take a camera and take a picture of the damned sunrise and then just paint off the fucker."

Henri wasn't visibly bothered by the girl's coarse language. Sure it was hard to understand her Japanese due to her English accent but he thought it was cute. "It wouldn't be the same."

Juno just gave a derisive snort as Henri packed his tools.

"Where's Allen?" Henri said in between blowing into his mug to cool it down.

"Probably still asleep."

"Ah, he never was a morning person." Henri said with a smile as he closed his case of paints with a free hand.

000

A fourteen-year old boy with long unkempt brown hair lay tangled in his bed sheets as he stared at the white expanse of the ceiling. He was alone once again...

His eyebrows met in a frown and a burning rage seethed in his eyes. His breathing came fast and hard as his fingers clutched at the sheets with enough force to rip them.

It would be almost two years since he lost everything. When the Eighteenth Incident destroyed his childhood. He remembered the pain, the restless nights of tears, the emptiness of the heart. When the men in black came to the orphanage to take him he didn't even resist. When they had told him what they wanted he agreed without any complaints. They just thought that he was broken by his mother's death. They were wrong, because by that time he had already planned his destiny.

All he had to do was control his anger, not to allow it to unmask his true intentions until it was too late. Then... then they would all pay.

He shook his head as he sat up. He had to find his friends. He can wait for justice, he's just fourteen, still young enough to be patient. He grinned.

000

Maya Ibuki, Project-E Director, slowly brushed her shoulder-length hair back with one hand. She glared at the monitors before her with blood-shot eyes. With a huff she leaned back on her high-backed chair and closed her eyes. It was nice to have her own office, she could sleep without anyone walking in on her.

She thought back on the past few days she had worked over-time to make up for her absence from the control theater during the attack. Her family had evacuated to a nearby shelter after the defense guns went off since her husband didn't want to risk getting hit by friendly fire.

Thankfully her backlog of work was finally done and the various reports and papers had been passed on to the concerned departments. She had forgotten how much paperwork the base generated after an Incident. At least she has a few hours to herself before she had to start on the next project. "Damn." She whispered as she pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve the tension.

She gave a yelp as someone tilted her chair back.

"Makoto!?" she looked up at the familiar bespectacled face looming above her own.

"Hi. I thought you might need something," Makoto smiled at her as he placed a sleeping baby in her arms. "Her nanny spends more time with her than her mother."

"I could say the same thing about her father," she retorted as she cradled her baby.

"I don't spend that much time with her nanny."

Maya glared at her husband. After a few more moments they finally broke into soft laughter.

"So, did the Commander rip your head off yet?" Maya asked as she rubbed her daughter's nose. The baby sleepily shrugged off the offending finger, an action that made the mother smile.

Colonel Makoto Hyuga, First Branch Vice-Commander, made his way to the coffee maker and poured some into a mug. "Actually, I found it weird that all he said was not to do it again."

They shared a silent moment as Maya slowly ran her finger over her daughter's face.

"Rit-chan," she whispered the baby's name. She already had a picture in her mind of their daughter all grown up. How she would show off her grades, pick out a prom dress together, tell her mother of her love interests. They would do all the things a mother and daughter would do.

But.

The world was so unforgiving. She worked for an organization which performed a necessary evil. To prevent the Angels from performing their task. The Angels have returned for one of their own. And to render justice on a sinful world.

Makoto didn't need to ask as his wife's tears fell on their sleeping daughter.

000

A basket of flowers sat on a table where Yuriko Suzuhara had laid her chin on her crossed arms. Her eyes stared at the light that played off the delicate petals. Admittedly, she had little appreciation for the feminine arts since she had lived with men all of her life as her mother had died when she was young.

She was really bored. She looked over where her brother lay asleep in a coma. She knew she should be thankful that he passed out, since it saved him from being corrupted by the Angel. What she wasn't thankful for was the fact that she had to go visit him since she hated hospitals with a vengeance.

She glanced over where Kensuke was busy with his laptop and a phone jack. She blinked. "Hey, are you going to hack into MAGI again?"

Kensuke grinned mischievously at her. "Would I do something illegal?"

Yuri thought that that didn't need a reply and she left him alone as the lights on the flower petals once more absorbed her. The clicks of the laptop's keys served as counterpoint to the beeps of the life monitors.

Time passed and Kensuke paused after he opened a file. He read the file once more and a quirky smile came onto his face. He glanced up as he heard the even, heavy breathing of the girl slumped at the bedside table.

He made his way to the foot of Toji's bed and leaned on the bars. "Hey, guess what I found out."

000

Asuka wearily sat on a bench and placed her bags on either side of her. She draped her arms over the backrest and glared with a grumpy pout on her face at the couples that walked past her. Some people even had the audacity to look back at her as if to ask her what her problem was.

She knew exactly what was wrong: they were happy and she was not. It was a free world! She fought for the right to act grumpy and unhappy, goddamnit! Now, bug off!

She exhaled in frustration. She thought shopping would've taken the edge off, but instead the depression cut deeper since she didn't have a friend nearby. She looked up at the lake that sparkled with sunlight.

`in my heart of hearts I know that I could never love again,' Asuka paused as she finally heard what she was singing.

` Great. I'm singing sappy songs...'

000

Henri, Juno, and Allen sat at a food cart in the park. The smell of noodles and dimsum permeated the air around the Children. Conversation was non-existent as the friends busied themselves with their lunch.

A flash of red. Henri looked up and gazed past the vendor who was too busy polishing his cart with a damp rag.

"Er, isn't that the Chief Pilot?" Henri pointed to the teenager who sat on a bench with a faraway look in her eyes, the girl's lips moved as she sang softly to herself.

"Oh, God. It's the Bitch." Allen muttered under his breath. His chopsticks broke in his grip as he tried to control his anger. Of all the parks that surrounded the Fourth Ashino Lake, she had to choose the one the rookies always went to.

"She looks lonely," Henri said softly as he decided to let it go at that. He remembered that Allen's mother died during the Eighteenth Incident.

Juno slurped up a mouthful of noodles and chewed it while she looked at their Chief. She cocked an eyebrow as she remembered the things she heard around the base and the name on the locker Asuka was using. "Eh, the Bitch probably misses someone."

"Someone?" both boys wondered out aloud, one thought it impossible for the girl to actually have a heart to love with, the other was innocently curious as to what kind of person could capture the heart of such a ... mercurial girl.

"Well," Juno dropped her voice to a whisper, and both boys leaned in closer to hear. "They say that the guy left her two fucking years ago without even saying goodbye. It was some sort of bloody love-hate relationship especially near the end. She and the boy had been living together, see, and sometimes the boy goes to class with bruises."

"S&M or is she into battering her boyfriend?" Allen remarked dryly as he picked at his noodles.

"Probably battery. It is her Royal Bitch Queen we're talking about," Juno grinned at the alias she had often heard muttered around the base. "Anyway, the weird fact was that they weren't really into an official fucking relationship."

Henri scratched his head. "Living together? Wait, doesn't the Chief live with--"

Allen and Juno looked at Henri whose face had turned pale and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Henri's eyes shot wide open in horror. He screamed as he fell from his seat onto the paved walkways, he clutched his head as if it would stop the pain that pounded in his head. He closed his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks as his body began to convulse. Allen and Juno quickly stood up from the bench in front of the cart and knelt by their friend in helplessness. The noodle vendor was already screamed for someone to call the paramedics while a crowd began to gather around the disturbance.

"Henri! What's wrong?! Fuck it! Answer me!" Juno screamed hysterically as she shook her friend by the shoulder. Allen just bit his lower lip, his hands clenched into fists, his nails drew blood from his palms.

Behind his tightly closed eyelids, Henri's dark eyes turned the color of blood.

A man, a woman, a young girl. His family. Father. Mother. Sister. Who are they?

LIE

A ruin. A church. Birds flying. A two-story house with shingled roof. His hometown?

LIE

A dark haired boy. Sadness. Embarrassment. Empathy?

TRUTH

An EVA crucified on a red cross. White. Naked. No. Not EVA. Angel?

TRUTH

A demon the color of purple.

Henri screamed as his eyes turned back to dark.

"Hold him down." Juno and Allen looked up at the self-proclaimed goddess of EVA, Asuka Langley Soryu.

"Don't just sit there!" Asuka screamed in annoyance at Juno and Allen who immediately snapped to action. Juno straddled the boy's chest and pinned down Henri's shoulders with her knees while Allen held down his legs. Henri screamed in pain and his eyes shot open once more. Juno wedged the side of her forearm into his mouth to keep him from choking on his tongue. She clenched her teeth in pain as he bit down on her flesh.

Asuka nodded approval to their actions, quickly knelt beside them, and unzipped a small bag on Henri's belt. She took out a syringe and a small vial of clear liquid. Allen and Juno just watched in wonder as Asuka applied the medication to their friend.

Henri's eyes slowly glazed over and his convulsions gradually stopped. He felt relief as darkness engulfed him.

A little while later Asuka sat at the cart with Juno and Allen while the paramedics checked Henri who tried to convince them that he was fine. Juno's arm was bandaged, and she wryly thought that she would feel the pain for days to come.

"You two are his friends, right?" Asuka stated in her "I'm-going-to-point-out-how-stupid-you-are" voice. The two just nodded guiltily since they felt it was their fault for not bothering about Henri's health. Asuka who wasn't even their friend had actually bothered to check up Henri's medical records. Sure it was because it was part of her responsibility as the team leader, but it still stung that she knew how to handle a situation Henri's friends didn't.

"Hey, mister, one glass of sake," Asuka said to the noodle vendor and flashed her ID. The vendor saw the NERV logo and gave her what she ordered. Allen and Juno watched as Asuka gulped down the alcohol.

"Phaaaaaah Kwaaaaaah!!" Asuka gave a more demure Misato-after-beer scream. She had a smug expression on her face, content with the afterglow of the alcohol.

The two Children just stared at her in disbelief, their mouths agape. The noodle vendor chose to ignore that display and devoted his attention to his noodle bowls. It was a widely accepted policy to leave the NERV personnel to their eccentricities.

"Not bad," Asuka noted as she lay down some money on the cart's surface.

Henri finally joined them after thanking the paramedics for their trouble.

"Hey, you three," Asuka said as she stood up and took her packages. Allen, Henri, and Juno looked attentively at her. She had a sad look in her eyes as she returned their gaze, her face still flushed from the alcohol. "Friendship's an important thing, don't go and waste it."

"Not like I did," she said more quietly to herself. She felt sad and lonely. "Well, that's all. See you." Asuka turned away and flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Um, Ms. Asuka, would you like to join us for dinner? I'd like to thank you for helping me." Asuka turned back to see Henri bow to her. Juno and Allen exchanged a quick look then also bowed.

Asuka thought it was touching.

000

Hikari watched the beams of sunlight that streamed into the geofront from the skylights. She stood by a picture window in the empty lounge, her arm crossed under her breasts. She wore the female pilot uniform of white sleeveless collared shirt, black mid-thigh skirt, white leggings, and black ankle boots. Her red jacket was draped on a nearby chair.

She could feel the weight of her gun on her thigh from where it hung from her belt. How she hated that feeling.

She could think of a hundred lives she could have outside EVA. A doctor, a teacher, Hell, even a housewife. But she had to fall for one of the Children. She had to follow him even after he demanded that she didn't, after he threatened to break up with her if she did. She persevered; she overcame everything to be with him.

She even killed to be with him.

Her body shook with repressed emotions. She loved him so much. And yet the price she had to pay... She could count the nights she didn't have nightmares. She could handle the cost whenever he was with her but now...

She almost lost him again. She felt her heart being wrenched by his screams. This was too much. They were just children. No one was supposed to feel this much pain. She wanted to be with him, to feel his arms comfort her.

But even now she had to pay the price to be with him.

000

Yuri woke up on the couch, a jacket was draped over her body. She could hear the rhythmic beeps of the life monitors over the chirps of the cicadas. She sat up and Kensuke's jacket fell to the floor.

She blinked in the light of the afternoon sun.

Kensuke stood by the window as he gazed out at the expanse of Tokyo-3. He had a wistful smile on his face. He turned towards her, the smile still there. Yuri was taken back a bit. It had been too long since she last saw Kensuke give a genuine smile of happiness.

"Visiting hours are over," he said as he came over to take his jacket.

She just nodded as she stood up and bowed good-bye to her brother.

As they walked down the corridors she can't help but notice that Kensuke still seemed happy even if he no longer smiled. "Um. Sir?"

"Eh, Yuri?"

"You seem happy, Sir."

She flinched as he mussed her hair. He grinned at her reaction. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Why?"

"I was thinking of an old friend."

They walked in silence as Kensuke refrained from speaking anymore, the smile had returned to his face.

000

Misato strode through Heaven's Gate which guarded Terminal Dogma. Tanks and armored personnel carriers guarded the opened blast doors. There was no longer any need for secrecy and the utmost need for security as the facility's existence was already known.

Misato placed her hands on her hips and scanned the armored cavern. The ceiling was more than several hundred meters above her, and below the catwalk where she stood was a sea of LCL. On the far end of the catwalk was an enormous mountain of Carbon Bakelite, parts of what looked like a huge red cross were visibly sticking out of it.

Scaffolding was being erected around the mass of crystalline matter for the rescue of Unit 01. Drilling and excavation machinery were being moved into position. On one of the scaffolding levels she found the person she was looking for, Dr. Maya Ibuki.

The clanging of the technicians became louder as Misato neared Maya. She noticed that Maya's eyes had dark rings from lack of sleep and were puffy from crying. Misato's heart cried out for the younger woman. She knew that the woman had been put to a lot of strain lately and that she was somehow guilty of adding to that strain.

"So they're going to reactivate it, aren't they?" Misato said conversationally as she joined Maya. She did not want to intimidate Maya by voicing out her objections immediately. Misato followed Maya's gaze into the opaque mass. She could make out the two figures within, NERV's crucified ward, the first Angel: Adam. And the second figure: its attacker, a purple and blue beast of Hell; Unit 01. Misato focused on the beast, as did Maya.

Evangelion Unit 01 had been responsible for the destruction of most of the Angels of the "First Wave", as they were now being called. During the Eighteenth Incident, it had entered Terminal Dogma and had tried to do what the Angels had failed to do: initiate Third Impact.

Misato looked at Unit 01 with horror and gratitude. She felt gratitude because of the number of times it had saved her life and the whole human race. She thought of the only person that Unit 01 would allow to board her, a sensitive boy who had captured the hearts of his co-workers.

"Do you think he'll pilot it again?" Maya inquired. Part of her was hoping that he would save the world again, and part of her sad that she would want to cause the young boy so much pain.

"No." Misato said, sadness coming to her eyes at the memory of the boy. "I hope not. He's been hurt enough."

000

The girl turned off the rental car's engine and walked down the long path towards the farmhouse. She could hear the sorrowful notes of a cello waft in the afternoon breeze. The smell of freshly watered earth surrounded her as she walked through the rows of vegetables and flowers. Near the house was a lovingly tended patch of watermelons and on the porch, and sitting on a wicker chair was the person she had came to visit.

The young man was about her age. Strands of his black hair waved gently in the breeze as he concentrated on the piece he played. His eyes were closed and his face was composed in peaceful sadness.

The young man finished his piece and was surprised to hear someone clapping. He opened his midnight blue eyes to see a girl who smiled at him, the waning sunlight streamed from behind her giving her an ethereal aura. His heart leapt in joy before he remembered. She wasn't the one he had loved, that girl had died to save him. He turned away as the happiness in his heart died.

The girl felt sad that she couldn't be whom he wanted her to be. Another girl with her face. Another girl with her name. Another girl who was also called Rei.

To Be Continued

In the Next Episode of Heaven and Hell:
Misato (shouting): Rei's WHAT?! She's eloping?! AAARGH!! And I can't believe I'm still single!! Then past Heaven's Gate into Terminal Dogma for the awakening of the Beast! Heaven and Hell 0:4 A Prodigal Son! Asuka! Get me a beer!

Original Author's Notes:

'Kuso. After reading the reviews I really got to thinking. Why the Hell do I care about my reviewers and readers enough to keep editing this piece? I mean I did write this almost three years ago. I just did this for fun.

Sadly enough, I do care. I appreciate the people who actually go to the trouble of trying to help weekend writers like me develop the Art. As to why I do care? Does it really matter?

So, instead of just editing my original work I decided to base the following chapters on them and shelve the originals. Starting from scratch is hard, but I do enjoy writing - so what the Hell, as long as it's going to make me a better writer. Language barrier be damned.

For this chapter I'm brought out my chainsaw and rearranged this little episode into something better (or so I hope).

Wish me luck.

BTW The sound I'll be using for Misato's trademark cheer is from Literal Translations (www.yk.rim.or.jp/wadakun/trans/). I like their transcription of it the best.

Thanks to all the authors. Till next time to the readers. And to all the reviewers, congratulations.

EoAN