Mobile Fighter Evangelion [NGE/AU/Not a Gundam crossover]

[Ultra Sonic 007]

The immense arms pressed further and further, negating the otherworldly cataclysm that had wiped an entire galaxy from existence. Throughout it all, Eva Prime shined brighter and brighter, and the human souls within floated on a sea of divine power, buoyed by the fullness of [LIFE] and [KNOWLEDGE].

It would not last forever.

"ALMOST...THERE..." moaned humanity.

There was decisive plink, akin to a pin drop echoing throughout the metaphysical. In a singular instance of synchronized glory, spacetime and spirit were once more separated, and the entire galaxy snapped back into existence.

"...NAILED IT."

The red void faded, and the white fire died off. The residual feedback and loss of power knocked every single human soul into a sort of spiritual coma, and all went dark-

(A golden figure - a tiny figure, yet also larger than life - stared quietly towards the sky, seeing something that few had ever comprehended. Turning around, it gazed at them, and began to speak...)​

WARK.

-and then they awoke. There was a brief moment of panic and confusion as the human aggregate tried to harmonize and coordinate themselves-

"YOU ARE AWAKE."

The Prime Evangelion blinked as it returned to total consciousness; ADAM held the Sword of Uriel and the Lance of Longinus loosely. They hovered over the surface of the Earth, still rotating peacefully around the Sun. There was...a disconnect; they had obtained unimaginable power, directed for a singular purpose, and had been connected to something so much more than they had ever imagined...and now, the human collective was drawing a blank. "...WHAT HAPPENED?"

"...YOU ACCOMPLISHED THE INCONCEIVABLE."

(ADAM blinked as his binds faded. He briefly gazed at the prone form of Eva Prime - still, seemingly dead to all - before turning back to a galaxy that had not been seen by mortal eyes for eons. Feeling uncharacteristically hopeful, he grabbed the Lance and Sword, delving into the Metaphysical Deep...and lo, he rejoiced at the sight of the familiar Leylines.)​

"I HAD...I HAD TO SEE."

(He was not surprised at what he found; although the physical and metaphysical boundaries had once more been normalized, the result of the infamous experiment had still been fatal for all of his kind within its radius of effect. However, there was still nostalgia to be had: distant colonies with achingly familiar architecture, lifeforms that existed nowhere else in the universe, familiar constellations with names etched in folklore and scientific literature...all moving once more through the universe, freed of their once-eternal stasis.)​

"...I HAD TO."

(Finally, tracing the Leylines to their nexus, he stood upon his homeworld. The homeworld. Feet tread through fuchsia grasses, staring at the blue sky...and then he peered into the spirit, seeing the intricate runes of ebony and ivory. Through the black glyphs flowed streams of yellow; through the white, blue. He neared the glyphs, spiritually interfacing with them; there were old impressions, distant memories, and a strange sense of being disconnected from everything before coming back into place with jarring swiftness...face-to-face with the historical and spiritual memorial of the Firstborn, he wept.)​

"...AND?"

"YOU WERE INSENSATE."

(ADAM manifested a distinct block of spiritual impressions, broadcasting a message across the Metaphysical Leylines. If any of his kin were still surviving...they would eventually realize it. One day - hopefully soon - someone would find his message, and return to homeworld. They would at least know the essentials: that, through a frankly miraculous set of circumstances, the [Collapse/End of Days] had been undone. Satisfied, ADAM returned to Eva Prime; grabbing the comatose titan, he delved once more into the spirit, and followed the song of human souls to its source, as one following a lighthouse over a vast and stormy sea.)​

"I BROUGHT YOU BACK HERE, AND HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO AWAKEN."

"...OKAY. SO...WHAT NOW?"

"...YES. 'WHAT NOW' INDEED."

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

"...YES. 'WHAT NOW' INDEED." ADAM stared at the blue planet below, slowly rotating and curving through spacetime. "THIS PLACE...HAS BEEN MY HOME FOR SO LONG. I HAVE BROUGHT FORTH NEW LIFE ON IT, OVER AND OVER...AND ENDED LIFE, OVER AND OVER, FEARFUL OF OUR MISTAKE BEING REPEATED..."

"GENOCIDE IS...A TAD EXTREME, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CREATED THEM. ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU CREATED THEM." Despite the countless lives - whole civilizations, never known and never witnessed! - that ADAM had taken over the eons, the sympathetic and empathic individuals within the human collective had been affected rather strongly by the stark memories and impressions gleaned from ADAM's past. However, there were still millions who brought up the fact that he had been trying to kill them all. Thus, humanity had settled on a happy medium of 'yeah, your life sucked, but you've also been a bit of a dick', more or less. "WHAT OF THEIR SOULS? GIVEN HOW YOU'VE SPOKEN THUS FAR, THEY WOULD HAVE STILL SURVIVED SPIRITUALLY, RIGHT?"

"THAT...IS THE UNFORTUNATE THING." The First Angel gestured towards the South Pole. "WITH EACH CIVILIZATION THAT WAS ENDED, ITS ENTIRE COLLECTIVE OF SOULS WAS GATHERED AND STORED WITHIN MY VESSEL. THE MATRIX WITHIN THE METAPHYSICAL DEEP WOULD BE REWORKED AND RETOOLED, AND THE CYCLE WOULD BEGIN ANEW. THE LAST TIME IT WAS ALTERED...WAS WHEN LILITH ARRIVED, AND OVERWROTE THE VAST MAJORITY OF IT." ADAM stared pointedly at them. "UNFORTUNATELY...DURING THE EVENT YOU CALL 'SECOND IMPACT', THE DESTRUCTION BROKE THE WARDS, AND MY VESSEL WAS ANNIHILATED. WITHOUT ITS PROTECTION...THE EXCESS SPIRITUAL ENERGY DISSIPATED, LOSING ALL FORM AND STRUCTURE."

"...OH." The souls of Gendo and Yui suddenly felt particularly sour. Given recent public revelations regarding SEELE and NERV and Gendo Ikari, the fact that Second Impact had been instigated by humans was...an uncomfortable pill to swallow. "...OOPS." A certain subset of humanity began berating them for having nothing better to say than 'oops.'

ADAM shrugged. "AS I'VE POINTED OUT ALREADY...YOU WERE IGNORANT. HOW COULD YOU HAVE KNOWN? HOW COULD ANY OF YOU?"

"...WELL, IF WE'RE IGNORANT, WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU?"

"MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE. MORE EXPERIENCED. MORE AWARE OF ENTIRE FIELDS AND DISCIPLINES THAT YOU HAD YET TO CONJURE...AND YET, I WAS MERELY ONE MIND, WITH A SINGLE VIEWPOINT. PERHAPS...THAT WAS THE POINT THAT LILITH WANTED TO MAKE..."

"...SO." Eva Prime stared meaningfully at the Lance and the Sword that ADAM held. "...I HOPE YOU'RE STILL NOT INTERESTED IN FIGHTING."

"...NO. THERE'S NO POINT. THIS ENTIRE ENDEAVOR...WAS MY DEFEAT." The First Angel seemed wistful. "AFTER THIS...THERE IS BUT ONE OUTCOME LEFT..." There was an odd twist in the spirit, and ADAM's soul seemed to spiral in on itself; moments later, time and space popped, and a glowing sphere of multilayered cubes manifested in front of him. "...THERE."

"WHAT IS THAT?"

"A STANDARD MEMORY SPHERE: A CATALOG OF MY MEMORIES AND THE RELATED PHYSICAL AND METAPHYSICAL DATA. MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF YEARS' WORTH...TO USE AN EQUIVALENT OF YOUR COMMON MEASUREMENT PARLANCE, IT CONTAINS OVER FIFTY DECAEXABYTES OF INFORMATION...OF MYSELF, MY KIND, AND ALL THAT I CREATED..."

The human souls with any decent knowledge of Greek and data science practically sputtered. "WE'VE...ONLY GOTTEN UP TO ZETTABYTES IN PRACTICE." Following the numerical sequence, a single decaexabyte would be...one thousand bytes raised to the sixteenth power, i.e. one quindecillion bytes! "THAT'S...A LOT OF INFORMATION."

"INDEED." With the blink of an eye, the sphere vanished. "THE INFORMATION WITHIN WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH THE DATABANKS ON LILITH'S VESSEL. YOU WILL ALSO FIND THAT THE REST OF HER VESSEL WILL BE OPEN TO YOU, NOW THAT SHE HAS PASSED. KNOWING HER...ALL SECURITY LOCKS WILL HAVE BEEN DISABLED UPON HER DEATH. IT WOULD BE JUST LIKE HER..."

"...WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY NOW?"

ADAM stared meaningfully at the Prime Evangelion. After seconds of silence...he chuckled. "I NO LONGER HAVE ANY CLAIM OVER YOUR DESTINY. YOU ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING THAT LILITH AND I...COULD SCARCELY HAVE DREAMED OF."

"WHAT ABOUT YOU?"

"HMPH. INDEED...WHAT 'ABOUT' ME, YOU ASK. MY STORY...HAS REACHED ITS CONCLUSION. YOURS...IS STILL BEING WRITTEN. AND NOW..." His free arm trailed from Earth towards the stars. "...YOU ARE FREE TO EXPLORE TO YOUR HEARTS' CONTENT."

"...WE'RE STILL KIND OF STUCK IN THIS FORM." Eva Prime flexed its fists. "NOT THAT NIGH-OMNIPOTENCE ISN'T FUN...BUT PART OF LIFE IS THE STRUGGLE, THE REALIZATION THAT OUR TIME IS LIMITED. IT FORCES US...TO GET CREATIVE. IN THIS BODY...WE WILL STAGNATE."

"TRUE. TO REFORM YOUR INDIVIDUAL BODIES AND RETURN YOUR SOULS...WILL TAKE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ENERGY, AND AN INSTINCTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR SPIRITUAL WAVELENGTHS. I HAVE BOTH."

"AND HOW WILL YOU DO THAT?"" Eva Prime paused, suddenly going still-

xxxx

-within the mass of human souls, the golden Star suddenly blazed; in a sudden shock, Yui, Kyoko, and Ai's connections were cut off. "What?" Yui stared intently at the penguin's soul. "What are you doing?"

There was no 'wark' in response. Instead, a deep and majestic voice responded, clear and concise and understandable to all. "TO ENSURE THE PROCESS GOES SMOOTHLY...YOU MUST NOT BE CONNECTED TO EVA."

"...what...what's going to happen to you?" asked Asuka.

Pen-Pen's soul vibrated with something akin to wry amusement. "SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO REMAIN TO PROPERLY CHANNEL YOU. AT THIS POINT...I AM THE MOST QUALIFIED CANDIDATE."

Misato's spirit quivered, familiar feelings of sadness and pride emanating from her. "Hmph...here you go again...pulling the sacrificial play..."

"YOU NO LONGER NEED ME."

"Sure, I don't need you, but I still want you around!"

"IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY. BESIDES..." The golden Star unfurled, and three small motes of light emerged, settling down in front of the three former controllers. Ai looked quizzically at them, while Yui and Kyoko seemed...surprised. "...SOMEONE HAS TO WATCH OVER THEM."

"...Yui-chan...are those...?" murmured Kyoko.

Yui stared at the three motes - bearing familiar colors and shapes - and nodded. "Burgeoning souls...of Units-00, 01, and 02..." After being ensouled for so many years, the separate Evangelions had begun to formulate their own spiritual structure: proverbial infants, these were.

"THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN WAR...I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT."

Misato sniffled; even if she didn't technically have the means to do so currently, that action perfectly encapsulated how she felt. "Heh...well, you certainly have a track record for looking after hopeless strays and making something out of em'." She grinned brilliantly at the golden Star. "Do your best, buddy."

"OF COURSE." The light of the golden Star was warm, and soothing; a last gesture of kindness, to ease the transition. "I KNOW THAT CONFLICT AND DIVISION WILL NOT BE STOPPED BY THESE EVENTS. NOT COMPLETELY...SO LONG AS YOU ARE INDIVIDUALS, YOU WILL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MISUNDERSTAND, TO FEAR, TO HATE...BUT YOU WILL ALSO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MAKE CONNECTIONS, TO TRUST, TO LOVE...THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE...AND I THINK YOU JUST MIGHT HAVE AN EASIER TIME OF IT."

Gendo smiled, staring intently at Pen-Pen's soul. "Hmph. Someone's learned how to make a good speech."

Pen-Pen chuckled. "I HAD A GOOD ROLE MODEL." With that said, the golden Star's brilliance became blinding. "WARK." The light overtook of them all-

xxxx

-Eva Prime's eyes snapped open. Humanity was fully separated from its control; now, there was only Pen-Pen. "THEY ARE READY."

ADAM looked intently at the golden Eva, letting the titan grab the Lance and the Sword. "YOU...ARE A VERY FASCINATING BEING. I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO KNOW YOU."

"YOU AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE," joked Pen-Pen. The upper arms held the Lance; the lower arms held the Sword, pointing it at the Earth. "...FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I HOPE THAT YOU'LL FIND PEACE."

"I DO NOT DESERVE IT." ADAM's S2 Organ churned, drawing on massive amounts of energy; his soul compressed further and further upon itself, preparing for a tremendous burst. "...BUT THANK YOU, NONETHELESS."

The Prime Evangelion raised the Lance. Within the Sword, millions and millions of celadon sparks churned and roiled. "...GOODBYE." Pen-Pen's arms flexed, and he drove the Lance towards ADAM's torso.

The First Angel closed his eyes, accepting his fate. His last thought...was a rather pleasant one. THIS...

(The two had debated long and hard about what the next dominant species would be, once the fallout from the Black Moon's collision had dispersed. They eventually decided on a particular title: human.)
​

...THIS...IS YOUR WORLD, NOW.

The bident plunged into his chest.

In a cataclysmic blast of heavenly light, ADAM's entire body was unmade, his soul unleashing immense arcs of orange energy that traversed the globe; the pools of LCL quivered and reanimated, reconstructing whole bodies in accordance with the image of each human spirit.

Eyes blazing, Pen-Pen let loose the souls of humanity, the Sword providing an easy way to direct the masses. Millions of millions of sparks rained over the earth, like drops of jade soaring from the heavens. The sheer maelstrom of power circulating within the Eva made it glow like a brilliant star, the ambience illuminating the continents below.

In a burst of brightness, the rain faded away...and all was quiet.

ADAM was dead. Pen-Pen was gone...and with him, Eva Prime.

But humanity...was alive.

xxxx

/you are now imagining EvaPrime!Pen-Pen
//being voiced by Peter Cullen
///aka Optimus Prime

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/April 29, 2027/

/Ikari Residence, Yonaguni Island/

Mari Langley-Sohryu looked at her scribbles thoughtfully. "...hmm. You experienced the gap too, huh?"

Yui nodded, nibbling on a rice cracker (Gendo had been thoughtful enough to bring in a tray of snacks during the reminiscing). "Unfortunately."

"...well Scheiße. I was hoping you'd have at least something." That period of time - between releasing the Firstborn's home galaxy from its exotic stasis and awakening in orbit over Earth - remained a stubborn void. Aside from a largely-shared impression involving a golden figure - current consensus was that it had been Pen-Pen's soul, somehow - no one remembered anything.

Gendo took a slow sip of his saké. "Given the sheer amount of energy we were all channeling during that event, it's no surprise that our memories short-circuited...for lack of a better term."

"Discombobulated?"

"Thank you, Yui. Discombobulated."

"...that's a fun word. Discombobulated," repeated Mari.

"Discombobulated," said Yui.

"Dis-com-bob-u-la-ted," enunciated Gendo.

"Discombobulated?" asked Mari and Yui.

"Discombobulated," answered Gendo, nodding sagely.

Silence.

Mari finally broke, snickering loudly. "Okay...back to it then. This part is one I've gotten a lot of material on already..."

xxxx

/April 15, 2016/

/Cafe du Soleil, Geneva, Switzerland/

The brunette opened her eyes, blinking mutely.

The black mountain gorilla stared back at her, looking somewhat...befuddled and worried. 'Bewuddled' would be a good word. "Are you...okay, Ms. Oxton?"

"Ah, I'm doing fine, luv," muttered Britain's ambassador to the Congolese Federation. She slowly sat up, looking around the quaint cafe; every human person was either still out cold, or woozily looking around. "What..." Memories of something...grand, and epic, and majestic...of a battle unlike any she had ever imagined...danced and filtered through the back of her mind. "...what happened?"

"...you and every single homo sapiens that I've seen burst into orange goo. And I use the word 'burst' quite literally."

"...eh?"

"After about...oh, I don't know, five hours, there was quite a light show. And then you all reformed."

"...eh?"

xxxx

/April 29, 2027/

/Ikari Residence, Yonaguni Island/

"...but hey, more data points can't hurt!" chirped Mari.

"I believe I'll cut in here," said Gendo, "if you don't mind, Yui."

Yui didn't respond; she was too busy munching on her crackers, making little happy noises as she chewed.

Mari smirked. "...I don't think she minds."

"So I noticed."

xxxx

/April 15, 2016/

/LILITH's Throne Room, Terminal Dogma, NERV-1/

Gendo Ikari opened his eyes. "...I'm back." He slowly sat up, feeling no change in particular. He briefly gazed at the prone form of Ryoji Kaji - who was slowly beginning to stir - and began to walk...and then jog.

He had to see.

He had to see.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

So if ADAM had won there, would he have allowed the apes to inherit the Earth or Tang them too for a full restart?

Click to shrink...

Yes to the first (remember that he and LILITH were discussing this prospect before Pen-Pen made his triumphant return).

It would've involved retooling the spiritual matrix covering Earth, so that it would correspond to the souls of the apes. The exact fate of humanity would have been left...a mystery for them.

However, this current outcome has shown some unpleasant implications; namely that it's the presence of the spiritual matrix that regulates the formation of human souls when a new boy or girl is conceived.

The apes do not have such a matrix corresponding to them. Any unborn apes now will have an advantage, being born of sapient apes themselves, but their own spirits will be lesser. And this effect will cascade with each generation.

Basically, within a century - if nothing else changes - the non-human apes will lose all sapience.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

All throughout the world, humans began to rise, waking from the deathless sleep of Instrumentality.

xxxx

/ErinnerungsKrankenhaus Lorenz, Berlin-2, Germany/

Pieter Langley opened his eyes. "...huh." That had been a...very disturbing and intense dream. It had felt so...realistic. And yet unrealistic. And yet, in both respects, all too real. "...that doesn't make any sense."

Nor did the fact that he felt just fine, despite the swaths of medical gauze and tape that he was bound in. Come to think of it...when was the last time he had been awake? "Hmm." He had to get caught up.

By the time members of the hospital staff awoke and began making their rounds, the Jackal was long gone.

xxxx

/Ikari Residence, Outskirts of Okayama-2, Japan/

Tomoe Ikari slowly rose from the floor, mustache twitching. "What...that was..."

His wife Alicia seemed equally out of sorts. "Honey...we were...I saw your sister..."

"...yes. And not just her." They had seen...everyone...?

It was at that point that their daughter Annette burst through the door leading into the living room. "THAT WAS TOTALLY EPIC!!!"

Tomoe and Alicia stared at her, somewhat dumbfounded at the sudden exuberance...but to be honest, she wasn't wrong.

xxxx

/Tokyo-2/

In one of the many hotels that had been commandeered by NERV to house Tokyo-3's refugees in the days prior to Zeruel's attack, the Aida and Horaki families (plus Mari Langley-Sohryu) had taken up residence in conjoined rooms on the sixth floor.

"THAT WAS TOTALLY EPIC!!!" screamed Kensuke Aida, jolting untold numbers of people on the sixth floor out of their Post-Impact coma.

"OI!" yelled Haruka Aida, trying to gain her bearings and perform a headcount at the same time. "Pipe down before I take a pipe to ya!"

"But mom, that was all so COOL!!!"

"Ain't denyin' that, but you're not helping my headache any!"

Seigo Aida promptly placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Come on son, let's put that energy to good use. I'm sure a lot of people are going to be asking questions..."

"Yeah. Yeah. Questions," whispered Kensuke, practically vibrating in place as he was led past the Horaki's room.

Within said room, Kodama Horaki was looking at her family with stunned eyes. "...did all of that just happen?"

"...we'll have to wait and see," murmured Mamoru Horaki, looking solemnly at his younger daughters. "Hikari? Nozomi? Are you two okay?"

"...I don't know," murmured Hikari, looking somewhat loopy.

"...what happened to us...?" whispered Nozomi, looking at her friend. "Mari-chan...your family was there...and Ai-chan...and...everyone..."

"...yeah..." said Mari, wrapping her arms around her legs. Ska' was there. And Papa. And...our mom. None of it felt real, yet all too real. That was our Mama. She clenched tighter. "...I hope they're okay..."

She couldn't wait to get back to Tokyo-3. It couldn't happen soon enough.

xxxx

/Reserve Command Deck, NERV-1, Tokyo-3/

"Did anyone...get the number...of that existential drama...?!" Ritsuko Akagi's words were slurred, yet still cogent. Woozily pulling herself to her feet, the blonde looked around at the sprawled forms of her colleagues and enemies(?). The UN soldiers were still largely out cold, and only a few of her coworkers were beginning to stir. "Heh. Pansies. Can't even handle the end of the world...or a bizarre mind meld scenario...yep, no hypocrisy here, I'm just that damn good..." Her fingers trailed over a computer terminal, trying to access system diagnostics. Hopefully, the MAGI would be able to give an overview of what in the hell was going on...wait.

MELCHIOR, BALTHASAR, and CASPER were still active. MAGI-00, HEROD, was not. "...the hell?"

xxxx

/Corpus Callosum, NERV-1, Tokyo-3/

Naoko Akagi opened her eyes; she was once more floating within the tube of LCL.

Slowly, she looked down, seeing a torso that was no longer connected to a legion of life support equipment. More importantly, she saw legs and feet. Hmm. So my old hypothesis of the soul's self-image impacting body reformation has some statistical support now. Inwardly, her mind - once more merely human, no longer augmented to serve as a MAGI unit - was mulling over the ramifications.

Outwardly, she simply bellowed a haughty 'HA!' and proceeded to fiddle with her feet. Just because she could.

xxxx

/Floor 15, Main Pyramid Complex, NERV-1/

Mana Kirishima sat up. "...well. That was trippy."

"I agree."

Mana turned around, watching her sister slowly rise. The presence of the prosthetic leg was a bit of a downer. "Hmph. Kinda wished you'd have your leg back."

"This is my leg, sister." Mayumi opened a nearby janitor's closet, eyeing spare uniforms to cover their nakedness. "Here. Take one."

"...do I have to?"

"Sister."

"Kidding, kidding." This lighthearted banter was a decent distraction from having to think about what she...they...everyone...had experienced. It was all a jumble, but she could think about it later. She looked down the hall, staring at the reformed bodies of the JSSDF combatants. "...would've thought they'd still be torn apart."

"You sound disappointed."

"No, not like that," protested Mana, grabbing the orange boilersuit that Mayumi tossed her way. "It's just...it all feels like a weird dream. Like nothing actually happened."

"I'm sure events will catch up once everyone awakens." Mayumi stepped out of the janitorial supply room, the boilersuit looking a little too baggy on her. "Let's go find mother."

"...oh." Mana thought back to their last physical interaction (the events that occurred within the spirit...realm...thingy...were still mixed up), and recalled an abdomen that had been torn apart by a sniper's bullet. "Oh." As one, the two took off down the hall.

xxxx

/Sub-Floor 20, Secondary Supply Access Junction/

Shiro Tokita groaned, rubbing his head wearily. "That...was weird." And nifty. And, honestly, kind of cool. But he also distinctly remembered seeing a grenade fly at his face before...reawakening in this odd mass of spirit and memory and...well, he'd have time to sort it all out later. Hopefully. "Hmm." He fiddled with the back of his coat, feeling the holes left by the bullets. His flesh was...unbroken. "...neat." He gazed at the ruined corridor ahead of him, pondering what his next move should be. "...so. What next?"

The elevator beside him dinged.

Tokita turned, blinking at the sight of Hikari Kirishima - he idly noted how the front of her uniform around the abdomen was torn, absently wondering how she had died before, and goodness this was quickly getting morbid - standing there. Her eyes focused on him, quickly narrowing with familiar anger. "Uh...hi?"

Her lips curled into a frustrated snarl. "You...you stupid idiot..."

"...please don't hit me."

She launched herself at him, tackling him to the ground and kissing him vigorously.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Ah, I must have overlooked that part.

Click to shrink...

A reminder is always helpful!

ADAM reached out with both hands, pressing them against the torsos of the MP-Evas, right over where the Cores were. "YOU WILL SERVE AS MY INSTRUMENTS."

The Light of ADAM's Soul bloomed.

xxxx

Keel Lorenz didn't quite know what to say.

Decades of planning. Nations manipulated. The world, reorganized according to the whims of SEELE. Becoming one with an Evangelion, powered by an S2 Organ...an eternal lifeform, theoretically speaking. Instrumentality, within his fingertips.

And now...by the mere whim of the First Angel, he could do nothing.

The power of ADAM was slowly suffusing the MP-Eva, wearing away at his soul.

So...this is how it ends.

Such a shame. He had been so close, to becoming part of the new godhead of humanity. Instrumentality would have transformed mankind, ascending into something greater, purer, everlasting.

And it was not to be.

Oh well.

Strangely...this wasn't so bad. The hypothetical possibilities of ADAM's awakening had been hinted by the historical portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the memories of Tabris: in all likelihood, ADAM would proceed to unmake all of humanity. After this was over, humankind would only live on as a memory of a colossus that had lived for eons. That was a testament in and of itself.

And to be honest...oblivion sounded nice. He had given it his best shot, and had come up short.

Such was life. Such was evolution encapsulated.

The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth...all is right with the world.

Not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with contentment, did Keel Lorenz embrace nothingness.

Click to shrink...

/Geofront, Tokyo-3/

Unit-02 gurgled weakly as the six remaining MP-Evas withdrew their Replica Lances. "What a pitiful display," mocked MP-05.

"All of that power at your fingertips…and you waste it with this little rebellion of yours," scorned MP-10. "When we ascend…you shall be left behind."

(Symbol of our freedom…will bring us salvation…!)​

Six wires suddenly pierced the MP-Evas from behind, eliciting a strangled gasp from the whole ensemble.

Within the Entry Plug, Kaworu Nagisa stared, dumbfounded. What…? Following the wires, he saw the source, and felt like weeping. ADAM…

The First Angel held the Lance of Longinus forward, its twin prongs having unraveled into three wires each. "YOU SHALL ALSO SERVE AS MY INSTRUMENTS."

(On the horizon…hope for tomorrow…)​

That voice. That power. The utter lack of effort displayed in the subjugation and demolition of the MP-Evas' souls.

Click to shrink...

Though...it does occur to me that four of the MP-Evas weren't subjugated by ADAM. MP-11 was destroyed by the Jet Alone, and MP-07, MP-02, and MP-04 were destroyed by Kaworu/Asuka/Unit-02 prior to ADAM's full revival.

I'll definitely make it more explicit as we continue forward within this last episode, but there is a window of time between the moment of the human body's physical death and the moment that the corresponding human soul is completely absorbed by the spiritual matrix (or just Matrix for short. Go ahead and get your giggles out now!). The amount of time is...somewhat variable, depending on the person. While this transition is happening, the soul is still anchored within the body; hence why those who had recently died were also Tanged alongside the living. This will lead to a bit of an uncomfortable realization when people start realizing that some who had died in the beginning stages of the operation - namely, when the cultists rebelled - didn't come back.

So there was a possibility of those four being revived...if they hadn't already been bound to Eva.

Thanks to their current state, their souls had more 'bandwidth', if you will...so the transfer to the Matrix upon the destruction of their Cores was more or less instantaneous (hence why the remnants of ADAM's soul returned so quickly to him after each Angel was destroyed: the equivalent of spiritual fiber optics!). So, those four also did not get revived.

The Cores of Units-00, 01, 02, and 03 were still intact, of course, before, during, and after Third Impact, and survived inside Eva Prime. Which is where Pen-Pen also obtained the genetic material for Yui, Kyoko, and Ai's bodies for ADAM's revival wave.

To summarize: the 'essence' of the Old Men are now experiencing a particular manner of afterlife, whatever that may be (after all, ADAM and LILITH had already observed a number of times that individual humans in the past had exhibited flashes of 'divinity', possessing insights or attributes that couldn't solely be chalked up to the merely physical or metaphysical). However, their metaphysical forms (aka the soul) are either bound within the Matrix (11, 02, 07, and 04; thus, their memories and experiences are now 'stored' in mankind's giant spiritual database), or were outright annihilated by ADAM (Keel, Katsuhito Ikari, Putin, and the other five).

/unintentional internal consistency
//serendipitous!

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/Outskirts of Tokyo-3, Hakone, Japan/

Shinji Ikari opened his eyes, wincing at the light of the early afternoon sun. "...are we...home...?" He slowly sat up, looking down at his Plug Suit-clad form. "I'm...back to me." Looking ahead, he resisted the urge to wince; with all the chaos and havoc of the battle against the UN's forces and the Mass Production Eva Series, he hadn't had the chance to fully process the damage. Tokyo-3 was simply gone; where had once been a city, there was now a gaping hole revealing the Geofront. The surface within the Black Moon no longer resembled a national park in miniature, pitted and scarred as it was from the cumulative effects of the battles against Zeruel, Tabris, and the MP-Evas, along with the long-range ordnance of the JSSDF. Fully a fifth of the interior was now submerged, flooded by the waters of Lake Ashi. Fortunately, the lake's surface had since equalized with the gap into the Geofront, so the flooding had stopped...but it was still a sobering sight. "...it's..."

"The destruction is...an unfortunate consequence, isn't it?"

Shinji turned his head; Kaworu Nagisa stood near the edge, observing the same scene of devastation. Rei Ayanami sat by his feet, her face downcast. Asuka Langley-Sohryu was apparently still asleep, curled up on the grass. "...Kaworu?" That's right; the last time he had actually seen the Fourth Child, it had been months ago...he had only heard Kaworu's voice when he had emerged in Unit-02, and likewise during their battle against Tabris...and, he guessed during the whole thing with...Eva Prime, was it...and just like that, Shinji clutched his head, groaning due to the glut of memories and impressions. There was just so much to process...!

"You are remembering our final battle against ADAM?"

"...starting to." Everything was jumbled, and...big. It had all been so much bigger than him, and yet unbelievably intimate, serving as a conduit for millions and millions of human beings...even though some of the impressions were dim and fading, he bet that he could remember some if he tried hard enough, as though grasping for a piece of paper dancing in the wind. "Did...we really do all of that?"

"If by 'we', you meant every living human...and a particularly special penguin...then yes."

"...okay." He really wanted to just lie back down and go to sleep for a while. Maybe for a day or two. That sounds really good...but I shouldn't. Not now. There would be time to absorb everything later. For now, given the tumultuous circumstances - he really hoped that the military wasn't going to start fighting again, but darn it if his father's paranoia hadn't gotten to him - it was important to stay alert. Besides...there was someone he needed to talk to. "Rei-chan?"

The First Child slowly got to her feet, turning to face him. Her eyes...she looked so tired. "Shinji-kun."

"...are you okay?"

"I am...exhausted. I feel like I fought forever, across all of existence, in mere minutes...as everyone and no one..."

"One could make the argument that that's exactly what we did," interjected Kaworu.

"...so to answer your question Shinji-kun, I am 'okay'. I am just...exhausted."

Shinji smiled lightly. "It's okay to feel that."

"Maybe for you. This feeling is...unusual."

"That's because you're you."

"...if you say so." She stepped forward, slowly embracing Shinji around his shoulders. "...I believe the feeling will pass."

He sighed, returning the hug. "I'm glad."

"...we made it, Shinji-kun." At his lack of response, Rei leaned back, her eyes glimmering with sheer relief. "The Angels have all been defeated. We've withstood the machinations of SEELE. We...defeated ADAM. We won."

"...I guess we did, didn't we?" Shinji glanced over at Kaworu; he was quietly looking at them, a melancholy expression on his face. "Are...you going to be okay, Kaworu?"

"I do not know what would 'constitute' okay. However...I will still endeavor to live, and make the best of it. After all, as someone was quite insistent on telling me...I'm not alone." He turned around, walking towards Asuka's prone form. "Speaking of which...I believe there's someone we need to meet." Casually picking up Asuka's Plug Suit-clad body - her limbs dangling limply - Kaworu maneuvered her into a piggyback position, resting her hands on his shoulders and locking his arms under her thighs. "Follow me."

Shinji blinked dumbly. "...where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there. I am only following a...sensation, if you will."

He turned towards Rei, trying to get some clarification on Kaworu's cryptic words. Rei frowned, her brow furrowing in a brief bout of concentration...and then she blinked owlishly. "...oh. I see."

"See what?"

"...you will know when we get there. I believe it would be...better to let you see for yourself," explained Rei.

"...okay." Relenting, he stepped away from their embrace, "I trust you." He held out his hand. "Then shall we?"

Rei looked at the invitation; nodding, she placed her hand in his, and they both walked after Kaworu. Eventually, they were walking side-by-side, which is when Shinji chanced a look at the seemingly slumbering Asuka.

'Seemingly', because her eyes were wide open. Shinji opened his mouth-

Asuka swiftly and silently brought an index finger to her lips, beckoning him to keep quiet if he knew what was good for him.

Shinji closed his mouth.

Grinning, Asuka winked once at him before closing her eyes, 'sleepily' nuzzling her face against Kaworu's back. Judging by the light smile that was on the Fourth Child's face, Kaworu knew full well that she was awake, and was simply...playing along.

Shinji blinked owlishly. Did...did I miss something? Are Asuka and Kaworu together? He tried to recall his experiences within the mass of human souls, when everyone had been united...and he seemed to recall a distinct closeness between the Second and Fourth Children. When did that happen?

If one were to ask Shinji as to why he was pondering the apparent romantic development involving the redhead and the nephilim, he would probably tell you that it was an incredibly normal thing to occupy his attention for the time being. It certainly hurt less than trying to think about his part in a cosmic struggle against an alien that had lived for hundreds of millions of years.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Spoiler: More art. Because it fits with the upcoming scenes!

xxxx

/Reserve Command Deck, NERV-1, Tokyo-3/

"Hey, come on Boss. Rise and shine."

Misato Katsuragi grumbled, impulsively bringing a hand to her head. "Urgh...five more minutes..." A foot nudged against her ribs, ignoring her heartfelt demand. "...fine, be a spoilsport." She opened her eyes, looking blearily at the face of Shiori Aoba.

The Lunatic chuckled, extending her hand. "Took you long enough. Now...do you have any idea what the hell happened to us?"

"...hmm." She tried to think about it. For some reason, a lot her memories involved Pen-Pen. "...I'll have to get back to you on that." She took Aoba's hand, allowing herself to be pulled up. The Operations Director quickly looked around, trying to take in the situation; Ritsuko was hovering over Maya and Miyata as they catalogued the locations of NERV and UN personnel alike. Makoto Hyuga was speaking calmly with the highest-ranking JSSDF officer, trying to shut down any possibility of renewed hostilities. The rest of her subordinates were clustered close together, with the UN soldiers hovering near the periphery of the Command Deck. "So. Sitrep?"

"People are still waking up, we're all vaguely confused about how we were brought back, we've got some hazy memories of kicking major Angel ass, and I need a drink. That about sum it up?"

"Yes." Misato frowned, racking her brain; as much as she wanted to grab a beer and spend a day (or four) trying to figure out what had happened, it was time to keep a level head and keep the UN from restarting its attack. Glancing over her shoulder, the Lieutenant Colonel paused at the sight of something...unexpected. "Lieutenant Aoba?"

"Yeah?"

"...what exactly am I looking at?"

"Still haven't figured that one out. Is it a problem?"

"...I hope not." Misato stared quietly at the slumbering form of Toji Suzuhara; resting against his side was the diminutive form of Ai Suzuhara, wearing the same hospital garments that she had worn the day of her absorption into Unit-03. "I really want this to be a happy ending, and not just some trick."

"No kidding."

A faint grunt caught their attention; Misato looked up, watching as the Sub-Director rose from his position on the highest deck. "You okay, sir?"

Kozou Fuyutsuki grimaced. "...to be determined." The wizened man looked around, trying to gain his bearings. "We're...back?"

"Hopefully."

"...and we're currently not fighting with the UN?"

Misato glanced warily at Hyuga and his ongoing conversation with the enemy(?) officer, noting Hyuga's outstretched palms - an attempt at placation - and the JSSDF soldier's bewildered demeanor. "Right now? No."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Let's keep it that way. Get me a line with the commanding officer of the Central Army."

xxxx

/Base of Mt. Mikuni, West of Lake Ashi, Hakone, Japan/

Kyoko Zeppelin Langley-Sohryu sat up, looking around at the odd indent she was sitting in, vaguely shaped like a giant humanoid. "...this seems uncomfortably familiar." She thought hard, finally recalling that this was where Unit-02 had fallen during the Eighteenth Angel's psychic assault on her daughter. "Ah. No wonder." She looked down at herself, looking at the long beige skirt, blue shirt, and white lab coat adorning her form. "...why do I have clothes?" I was nude when I was absorbed by Unit-02. "...come to think of it, how do I have clothes?"

"...Kyoko-chan?"

The redhead paused. That voice. Kyoko turned around, eyes widening at the sight of a friend she hadn't seen in person...for years. Yui Ikari - clad in the prototype Plug Suit she had worn during both of her Contact Experiments with Units-00 and 01, bulky and sharing a similar white and green color scheme with Asuka's original Plug Suit - was sitting on the slope of the pit. She had undone some of the bindings on the arms of her antiquated Plug Suit, allowing her hands to come free. The woman - a former head of Project E, and one of the greatest scientific minds of GEHIRN - was slowly rubbing her hands over her own face, looking somewhat enraptured by the whole affair. "...Yui-chan?"

"...have you ever realized just how smooth our skin is?"

Kyoko blinked, somewhat flummoxed by the query. "...not exactly the first question I expected out of you."

"I've been trapped within two Evangelions for over a decade, and couldn't sense anything unless Shinji or Rei synchronized with me. I will indulge myself if I want."

"...fair enough." Kyoko felt the grass, marveling at how oddly intense the sensation was. The sky seemed so...clear, and blue, so unbelievably blue. "...you may have a point." There were faint footsteps approaching, from beyond the Eva-shaped crater. The two turned, and saw four figures enter their field of vision. "...well. We have company."

Kyoko recognized only Shinji and her daughter by sight. The blunette seemed vaguely familiar from her memories of Project Nephilim...Rei Ayanami, if she recalled correctly. She had no particular memory of ever meeting the ashen-haired boy in person...however, she knew of Kaworu Nagisa, simply due to residual impressions from her daughter. And from when he had piloted Unit-02. And, of course, there was the whole bit where she had been unified with all of humanity for the sake of fighting ADAM-

"MAMA!"

Kyoko blinked, watching as Asuka scrambled atop Kaworu, jumping off of his shoulders (the boy, she idly noted, didn't budge at all). Her daughter fell into a diving roll, tumbling down the slope. Uncurling from the roll, Asuka actually leapt at her.

Kyoko sidestepped her charging daughter, letting Asuka crash into the ground, her limbs splayed outward.

"Mama!" The young girl spat out some grass, her tone bearing a trace of outrage. "You're supposed to let me hug you!"

"That would have been a tackle, not a hug."

"...fair enough." Asuka proceeded to tackle her anyway, driving them both to the ground. "MAMA!"

Well, I can't exactly fault her. Kyoko sighed with content, lightly rubbing her daughter's hair as the girl embraced her tightly. The older redhead watched idly as the other three Pilots slowly descended, Shinji and Rei approaching Yui warily, while Kaworu remained on the periphery.

Shinji looked incredibly hesitant, whereas Rei looked mostly detached. "M...Mother...?"

Yui looked intently at her son, a sense of visible wonder on her face.

That's right, belatedly realized Kyoko, it's been over a decade since they've seen each other in person...

"Are...are you...?" trailed Shinji.

"...oh my goodness." Yui got to her feet, walking over towards Shinji. "You. Are. So. Big!" She rubbed at his hair and nuzzled his cheek, before turning towards the aloof Ayanami. "And you too, Rei-chan! You've gotten so tall!" Apparently deciding to indulge herself even further, Yui wrapped an arm each around Shinji and Rei, embracing them tightly. Shinji begin to look somewhat elated, whilst Rei appeared...surprised and confused in equal measure, as though she hadn't expected Yui to hug her too.

Kyoko sighed lightly, leaning back into the grass. The world would eventually catch up to them. But for now...this felt right.

"Mama...ich liebe dich..."

Kyoko smiled, feeling joyful tears staining her shirt. "Ich liebe dich, mein Kind..."

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

"...ah. I had forgotten that this entire area was on the verge of being overrun."

Kaworu Nagisa's idle comment prompted Kyoko to look up. "...that's...putting it mildly." Apparently, the world had decided that now would be a good time to catch up with them: several fire teams of JSSDF soldiers peered over the lip of the impact crater, eyeing them with suspicion. Yui's arms relaxed, her excitement fading in the face of possible hostiles. Shinji looked around warily, while Rei's eyes narrowed with suspicion. Asuka - sensing the change in mood - protectively tightened her hold, looking vigilantly at the soldiers. All told, it was a definite mood killer. Hmph. What's going to happen now?

One of the sergeants raised a hand to his radio, speaking into it. "General Sakamura, we've found four of the Eva Pilots and two unknown civilians. Orders?"

xxxx

/Sakamura's Field Office, Eastern Slopes of Mt. Fuji, Japan/

"Keep your eyes on them, don't let them escape your perimeter. If they resist or initiate any hostilities, kill them," answered Hiroki Sakamura.

"Yes sir!"

The General sighed, wearily rubbing his forehead. What a damn mess this is. After ADAM's resurrection and ascension, everything had gone...blurry. His memory of the most recent events was scrambled, hinting at something...unbelievable. However, by some act of Fate or Providence, they were still alive; ADAM was nowhere to be found, and neither were the Evangelions. A few of his subordinates had yet to awaken; those who had, exhibited the same sense of jumbled memory and chaotic recollection as he did. Bottom line: he needed answers, and he needed them now.

"Sir! One of our units inside NERV has Ikari's second-in-command on the line!"

Sakamura wasted no time grabbing the transceiver, bringing the handset up towards his lips. "Am I speaking to Sub-Director Kozou Fuyutsuki?"

"Yes."

Sakamura frowned. "Given our current circumstances, you'll have to forgive me if I sound somewhat short...but what the hell happened, and why shouldn't I order my men to resume our offensive?" He needed to leverage his numerical advantage while he had the chance; who knew what else the First Branch had hidden within its depths-

"That's precisely why I wished to speak with you. I have no interest in prolonging this conflict."

"Talk is very cheap, Fuyutsuki-san."

"Indeed. That's why I'm offering you an unconditional surrender on behalf of myself and NERV."

Now that was more like it. "...very well. Here's how it's going to go."

"I'm listening."

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/April 29, 2027/

/Ikari Residence, Yonaguni Island/

"And then the UN proceeded to take control of the Geofront," said Mari, segueing into history that practically everyone knew. "Gotta say, it almost seems...depressingly anticlimactic."

"Although the Old Men were no longer...a factor, their vast network of agents and representatives still existed. Given the information that we had leaked prior to the invasion, the continued existence of SEELE represented a subversive influence that the governments of the world could no longer tolerate," said Gendo. After all, even though they had been part of the human aggregate in the fight against ADAM, who was to say that their overall aims were unchanged? Having a taste of the potential of Instrumentality, what was to stop them from trying again...or so the argument had gone. Besides, it wasn't like sovereign nations needed an excuse to root out the servants of a massive conspiracy...even though revelations of who had turned out to be agents of said conspiracy had had their own ramifications. But that was another story. "And more importantly...mankind needed a sense of closure if we were to move forward into the future."

"I know. It still sucked." Mari's cheeks puffed up, exhibiting as much mock indignation as she could muster. "It was months until I got to see 'Ska again..." Her gaze trailed over towards one of the nearby bookshelves, noting some of the newer titles. "Ooh...you've certainly gotten quite a collection going."

"Our son brings in books whenever he visits. Likewise my brother and his family," said Yui, idly fiddling with her husband's hands and fingers. "We have...quite the burgeoning collection of literature involving the aftermath of Third Impact."

"No kidding." Mari grabbed a random title - Into Darkness: The Invasion of Tokyo-3 by Hizuki Nakagawa - and opened towards a dogeared page near the back.

xx

Although word had been sent that NERV had unconditionally surrendered, [Sergeant Yusuke] Hirano and his squad were still moving through the base with trepidation. Their original platoon had been among those who had fought Section 2's most elite agents, handpicked by the First Branch's Operations Director herself. Despite the mutual confusion and short-term amnesia that they all shared regarding Third Impact, there was no sense in leaving the First Branch unsecured. "I honestly was one hundred percent done with NERV," admitted Hirano during our interview. "Their defensive strategy and tactics will probably serve as the basis for a new book on urban warfare, but I didn't much appreciate it at the time, and neither did my men. I mean, if you remembered getting eviscerated by some Russian's gigantic minigun, would you be relaxed?" Hirano's sentiments were shared by the rest of his squad.

Compared to the pitched battle prior to Third Impact, the clean-up operation was uneventful and boring. This changed rather dramatically when, upon calling an elevator to move to a lower level, they came face-to-face with Gendo Ikari. "Like running into the devil himself. I think it was [Corporal Shinta] Uramaeshi who always made jokes about what kind of superweapon [Gendo] Ikari was hiding behind those orange glasses of his. When those doors opened and that damned maniac was just standing there, all quiet like a statue, [those jokes] didn't seem so funny."

Regardless, they still had a duty to uphold, and Hirano informed Supreme Commander Ikari about NERV's unconditional surrender. Instead of resisting (as Hirano privately hoped for, he would later recall), Ikari calmly acquiesced, commenting that [Sub-Director Kozou] Fuyutsuki knew more about the current situation than he did. It was a course of action that apparently surprised Hirano's soldiers, as Ikari then allegedly said, "oh believe me, I don't like this outcome one bit. But I've already waited for over a decade with nothing more than mad, desperate hope. A little longer won't make any difference." Having said his piece, Ikari held his hands forward to be restrained.

"Having met the man myself, I understand why [NERV] fought so hard during the invasion, and why so many people defended him during the [JSSDF Military Tribunal against Gendo and Yui Ikari for Crimes against the Nation and Humanity]. I don't want to admit it, but I understand." Hirano declined to elaborate on this statement.

xx

Mari scoffed, putting the book back on the shelf. "Well, someone likes to go on an ego trip. 'Man, I'm feeling down on myself...I know, I'll relive the moment where someone recounted how badass I was!'."

"Your mockery needs work," dryly said Gendo. "It needs more pizzazz."

"I'm a journalist, give it time."