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

[Ultra Sonic 007]

MP-06 reacted swiftly, thrusting the Replica Lance-!

ADAM's eyes flickered.

The two MP-Evas froze, unable to move in the slightest. Even their shouts of frustration and surprise manifested as mere gurgles.

"THESE...CREATIONS OF YOURS," said ADAM, slowly descending to the ground. Calmly, he advanced towards the frozen Evas, observing the Replica Lance and then the two manmade titans. "THEY ARE FASHIONED FROM MY OWN FLESH. THE METAPHYSICAL PROCESS BY WHICH YOU MANIPULATE THEM IS INTERESTING, IF CRUDE...BUT THE CONNECTION IS FRAGILE, AND NEW, AS AN INFANT'S. IF YOU HAD MORE UNDERSTANDING OF THAT WHICH YOU DUB THE AT-FIELD...YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESIST, AT LEAST FOR A LITTLE WHILE." 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.

Alas, it was not to be.

Oh well.

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

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.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

xxxx

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

An alarm sounded that no one had ever heard before within the First Branch.

The sound was a classic, if you could call it such a thing.

Loud and droning, rising and falling like a wave…it was the air raid siren, made infamous in the Second World War.

That it was playing now, of all times, made Misato's blood run cold, for it was tied to one thing and one thing only. "No…no..." She ducked underneath the errant knife swing of a JSSDF soldier, jamming her handgun under his chin and firing once. As the soldier collapsed, she whirled towards Ritsuko. "WHY IS THAT SOUND PLAYING?!"

Ritsuko Akagi was crouched over a terminal, typing furiously while the Ibuki Twins covered her. "The sound is playing because it has to! It's…" The blonde's face went slack. "…two of the MP-Evas got into Terminal Dogma."

"HOW?!"

"Does it matter, now? Because ADAM is free."

xxxx

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

As the two Mass Production Evangelions slumped over, ADAM stepped beyond them. His body held a vague luminescence to it, so uniform and seamless as to be unsettling. The First Angel's lithe form was unnervingly similar to that of an Eva; even the shoulders were shaped like armored pylons, even though they appeared entirely organic. "HMM. A MINOR FAULT LINE IS PRESENT IN MY SPIRITUAL CORPUS…THERE IS STILL A PIECE MISSING. I WILL HAVE TO CORRECT THAT…NOW. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE I WAS LAST AWAKE?" The Angel held up his right hand, fingers wiggling experimentally. "AH. FIVE THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED, AND NINETY-THREE LOCAL DAYS." The hand dropped down to his side, and the light of his body briefly flickered. "SO. THEY HAVE REACHED THIS STAGE…I SEE."

Ryoji Kaji chuckled at ADAM's hilariously normal speech. "I must say, you're awfully chatty for one with your reputation."

ADAM glanced down, staring ominously at the diminutive man. "AND WHY ARE YOU HERE, YOUNG HUMAN?"

"Heh. Young, he says," joked Kaji. Taking a puff of his cigarette, he replied, "simple: to bear witness to the truth. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"I SEE. THEN YOU WILL BEAR WITNESS TO THE END."

"Wait!"

Ryoji Kaji and ADAM glanced at the wreck of the Devil Gundam; a hatch popped open beneath the head of the shattered machine, revealing Gendo Ikari. The frames of his shades were bent, and his left arm had a nasty gash in it. "I want to negotiate with you!"

"YOU CAN SPARE YOURSELF THE ATTEMPT."

"But-!"

"NOTHING YOU OFFER OR SAY WILL CHANGE MY DECISION. IT WAS ONE THAT I MADE OVER FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, BEFORE I WAS HINDERED BY YOUR…COLLEAGUE. THE PASSAGE OF TIME HAS ONLY EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM." ADAM tilted his head, as though looking far into the distance. Kaji could only wonder what it was that the Angel saw. "IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND TIME AND MEMORY, I CAN SEE THE TEAR THAT WAS NEARLY FORMED…BY THE FRAGMENT CALLED 'ZERUEL', I BELIEVE. THAT A PART OF ME WOULD EVEN INDULGE IN SUCH LUNACY…IT MUST BE CURTAILED." ADAM looked back towards LILITH, sitting silently on her throne. "IT MUST BE BROUGHT BACK TO ZERO." He gripped the hilt of the Sword of Uriel, and placed his other hand upon her shoulder. "YOU WILL ASSIST."

LILITH – still for so long, unmoving and unresponsive – slowly raised her head, staring inscrutably at ADAM. The tension between the two Angels was one that Kaji found unsettlingly familiar. Huh. Jilted lovers, maybe? How…normal.

A hoarse whisper echoed through the air, soft, yet loud. "You are quite forward…and bold."

"I NEED YOUR INSTINCTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR SPIRITUAL WAVELENGTH. AND I CANNOT RISK YOUR INTERFERENCE. YOU WILL BE SEQUESTERED; EVEN IF WE MUST BIND PHYSICALLY, THERE WILL BE NO METAPHYSICAL UNION."

"But of course. You would never allow such a glorious thing."

I wish I had the context for their words, wondered Kaji, his undying curiosity eating away at him.

"AND FOR GOOD REASON."

"I know." With those words, a strange hum suffused the air; moments later, LILITH's body oozed over the twisting zweihander. ADAM's chest seemed to split apart, serving as an open receptacle for the Second Angel to bond with; the massive form of LILITH seemed to compress into an impossibly small area, until only the purple mask remained visible atop the First Angel's torso.

"BEGINNING CALIBRATION …RUBY-GRADE SPIRITUAL WARDS ARE ACTIVE…SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE." The First Angel gestured towards the Lance of Longinus; with a mere thought, the red bident flew towards him, landing gently in his left palm.

"Will you not reconsider at all?" asked Gendo, not quite on the verge of pleading. Perhaps…the Supreme Commander recognized the futility.

"NO. YOUR FOLLIES MUST BE RECTIFIED." Gendo Ikari and Ryoji Kaji watched in silence as the colossus stood tall, wielding both the Lance of Longinus and the Sword of Uriel. "AND NOW…IT ALL RETURNS…TO NOTHING."

With those words, ADAM began his ascension.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Ah well. You tried, Gendo.

Now it's up to the Children to fix this. Somehow.

they can do it, right?

Click to shrink...

>:3

xxxx

"AND NOW…IT ALL RETURNS…TO NOTHING."

With those words, ADAM began his ascent. Tuned to his will, MP-01 and MP-06 ascended as well.

xxxx

/Antarctic Sea/

The South Pole was now gripped completely by nautical twilight, the sky predominantly dark blue with a band of orange and warm red shades along the horizon. The great sea's colors were a stark contrast, a bloody orange that marked the site of Second Impact.

The ocean suddenly thrummed, and pulsed.

Rising, rising, rising; into the sky, rose the lifeblood of ADAM, a perfect sphere the color of persimmon.

With speed belying its size, the sphere began its fateful voyage towards Hakone.

xxxx

/Isolation Chamber SHEOL, Terminal Dogma, NERV-1/

The Core of Tabris was enmeshed in a block of hardened bakelite, which was in turn surrounded by pylons and rods of arcane metaphysical science, serving as wards to prevent Kaworu Nagisa from making physical contact.

The metallic floor boiled away from the power of ADAM's AT-Field, molten slag dripping harmlessly off of his spiritual barrier. He stared at the block with a blank expression, recognizing the familiar [tinge/color/song] of his soul. SO THIS IS WHERE THEY'VE KEPT IT.

With a mere thought, a pike of orange light smashed into the block, piercing the Core and shattering it.

The remnant of his soul, in sympathetic resonance, rejoined his own.

At last, he was truly whole.

xxxx

/Geofront, Tokyo-3/

Unit-02's fists had just pulped MP-04 – leaving only six standing now – when ADAM destroyed the Core of Tabris.

"AGGGHH!!!" shrieked Kaworu Nagisa, a bolt of exquisite agony shooting through his entire being. In a sudden snap of metaphysical energy, the faceless avatar of the Second Child vanished. My soul…!

kaworu!

The Fourth Child hyperventilated, his body's senses interacting haphazardly with that of Unit-02. Spots of light mixed with pits of unfeeling, his lesser soul suddenly being the only thing synchronizing with Miss Sohryu's. Red eyes shakily stared at his foes, who observed his sudden weakness…and sneered. Miss Sohryu…!

you have to move!

Six Replica Lances pierced Unit-02, the sheer momentum driving the Eva off of its feet. Two in the shoulders, one in the rib cage, two in the gut, one in the pelvis. Barely missing the Core, somehow…not that that was any consolation.

With a sharp hacking sound, Kaworu coughed up globs of blood, sympathetic wounds manifesting in his skin. And yet…this pain was meager compared to the metaphysical reality: ADAM was whole; he was no longer tied to his Source…no. He couldn't even say that anymore.

All vestiges of Tabris were gone, and Kaworu Nagisa was all that remained. Miss Sohryu…I'm sorry…

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

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

"Uh…is it me, or is it getting warmer in here?" asked Makoto Hyuga. "And brighter?"

The scent of welding fumes became paramount, and screams of surprise came from the bottom floor of the command center. Everyone – NERV and UN-affiliated – paused in their struggles, befuddled by the sudden turn of events.

Rising from below, ascending slowly, were the First Angel and two MP-Evas, now its thralls. The sight of the Sword of Uriel and the Lance of Longinus in its hands…well, given public knowledge of the Lance's role in Second Impact, and the Sword's role in the Angel War, everyone drew some horrific conclusions.

Snarling, Misato Katsuragi raised her HK USP handgun and opened fire on ADAM.

As if the signal had been given, everyone opened fire on the Giant of Light, as if instinctively recognizing the greater threat.

Not that it mattered; their bullets were as motes of dust brushing against the mountainside. Such was the First Angel's AT-Field: an absolute defense, annihilating every projectile before it even got close. The creature's mere presence was enough to short some of the electronic equipment, introducing a static noise to the background.

The ceiling boiled away as ADAM neared it; liquid metal dripped down, blazing red and flickering with fire. The trio of titans continued their ascent, unimpeded and undaunted.

Misato huffed, a sour look on her face. "…well…we're screwed."

"…why were the MP-Evas with the First Angel?" asked a JSSDF soldier, looking very bewildered. "Our superiors told us that NERV would be sending Evangelions to help us subdue the First Branch…why weren't they fighting ADAM…?!"

Aoba chuckled, her smirk even more acerbic than usual. "Think they deserve a clue?"

"Congratulations: you were actually helping the bad guys," bitterly said Misato.

The UN soldiers looked amongst each other, not a few of them looking troubled and unsure of what to do now.

"If I might make a suggestion?" Everyone glanced up at Kozou Fuyutsuki, still on the highest level of the command center. "Unless our Evangelions can turn the tide…then ADAM is about to initiate Third Impact. If we are doomed regardless…then I would rather not spend it in a fight to the death. Don't you all agree?"

To be honest? That sounded like a good idea.

The immediate commanding officer of the UN soldiers turned on his radio. "Men, stand down. We have a new development. I repeat: stand down." With the flick of a dial, he turned to another channel. "Get me a line with General Sakumura."

As the strange tension between the defenders and invaders permeated the command center, Misato turned her eyes towards the Sixth Child, who was slumped against the wall. "You okay, Toji-kun?"

"…I dunno how Shin-man deals with this sort of thing…" The pseudo-nephilim glanced up with an expression that belonged more to a frightened and confused child than a superhuman teenager. "…how does anyone?"

"Experience. Desperation. A little luck helps, too."

"…are…are we gonna be okay…?"

Misato knew that she could be bluntly realistic. She could also lie and say that everything would turn out fine. Instead, she borrowed a page from her boyfriend and settled for the truth. "Right now? It's up to Shinji-kun, Rei-chan, and Kaworu Nagisa." The Lieutenant Colonel gazed at the ceiling – still red and molten from the First Angel's ascent – and knew a deep-seated dread. "Right now…we can only hope that they'll find a way."

(Far in the distance…is cast a shadow…)​

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/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 crimson 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, thick as cables. "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.

It was so familiar…so overwhelming to his lesser nephilim form…and yet, without the transcendent mind of Tabris, it rang hollow.

ADAM stared at the fallen Unit-02 – quirking His head in a brief moment of observation – before turning back to the sky and rising. His eight thralls, the former Chariots of SEELE, rose with Him.

(Sweeping across the land…to give us unity…!)​

"Wait…" Kaworu cringed at the sudden bout of pain that roiled through his bloody torso. He raised a hand, as a son trying to grasp the leg of his father. "…wait…!"

ADAM was beyond reach. Beyond him. Beyond Kaworu Nagisa…for Tabris had already become one with his Creator. Kaworu Nagisa didn't matter. Kaworu Nagisa…was irrelevant.

Despite the plaintive words of Asuka Langley-Sohryu – so far away, from a distant shore that he dared not hope to reach – Kaworu responded to ADAM's absolute rejection by weeping, deeply and bitterly.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

/Outskirts of Tokyo-3's Ruins/

(Look to the heavens...with tears of triumph...)​

Rei Ayanami stared solemnly at the incoming fleet of bombers, knowing that their combined payload would utterly annihilate the entire region. Unit-01's AT-Field was still up, a vast sheet of orange hexagons that protected the Geofront from the long-range artillery and rockets of the Central Army. I must strike them all down in a single blow. With a delicate application of her will, a rifle of translucent light materialized in Unit-00's hands, a spiritual weapon; the action itself would help guide her AT-Field, just as her flesh served as a conduit for her soul. Aim...

"Uh...Rei...?"

Shinji-kun sounded...unnerved. Or perhaps frightened.

Glancing over her shoulder, Rei Ayanami paled at what she saw: rising from the Geofront - its interior, once picturesque and beautiful, now reduced to a ruinous scar - were eight of the Mass Production Eva Series...and at their head was none other than the First Angel, holding both the Lance and the Sword. How...how did I not notice...?

he is beyond us

(To cherish a new life...and suffer not again...!)​

As the nine ascended past them, ADAM glanced at them briefly. His gaze was obscure, and alien...yet calculating.

He then looked back towards the sky, disregarding them entirely.

Impulsively, Unit-01 bent at the knees-

"NO!" shouted Rei, all too aware of how hard her heart was now pounding. "Don't!"

"But-!"

"You...you wouldn't accomplish anything." This was no place for determination, as she had demonstrated against the Fifth Angel's suicidal attack. There was no room for outright defiance in the face of improbable odds, as she had shown against the Nineteenth Angel. Even when Unit-00 had been bereft of arms, a slim part of Rei had found purpose and value in fighting back, if only to buy NERV more time against the creature known as Bardiel.

(Lift up our spirits...from all destruction...!)​

Now? Armed with an S2 Organ, and far more in-sync with her Eva than ever before? Fighting alongside Unit-01, by Shinji-kun's side?

None of that mattered; ADAM had completely and utterly defeated them with a mere glance.

Such was the gulf between them: the First Angel's power was so immense that she hadn't even noticed it.

Far above, the eight flights of JASDF bombers - modified versions of the Chinese Xian H-6 - dropped their payloads. N2 warheads fell, a heavy rain that would reduce everything to oblivion.

ADAM raised the Sword of Uriel.

The spiraling blade extended, and its tip branched off into thin pikes that pierced every single warhead.

In a flash, every bomb was incinerated, reduced to their base components by ADAM's AT-Field.

And so the nine continued their ascension.

(Never shall we return...from conflict we must learn...!)​

xxxx

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

The bleak mood of the field office gave way to despair. "...all N2 warheads have been destroyed, sir."

General Hiroki Sakamura stared despondently at the distant figures of ADAM and the eight MP-Evas, rising ever higher into the sky. Rage and frustration roared in his heart, warring against the absolute unfairness of it all. Damn you Akumura! Damn you NERV! Damn you Ikari! You did this to us! Outwardly, he sighed heavily. "Send the word to all of our troops to stand down and withdraw to our fallback positions." In a single stroke, the First Angel had destroyed their most powerful weapons. Against that sort of martial superiority...they could only hope for clemency. "There's no point in continuing."

This was their absolute defeat.

xxxx

/Bridge of USS Harry S. Truman, UN Pacific Fleet TF-12, Odawara-2 Naval Port, Shores of Sagami Bay, Japan/

Even as the internal situation at the Pacific Fleet came under control, no one missed the rise of the First Angel; everyone had seen how effortlessly it had nullified the N2 bombing run.

Now, their attention was on something else.

"...does anyone mind telling me what I'm looking at?" Admiral Nathaniel Ackerson stared grimly at the long-range radar: a massive spherical object - dozens of miles in diameter - had tripped their sensors, and was getting closer.

"Unknown sir. But it's on a constant bearing towards Tokyo-3."

Grumbling, Ackerson left the bridge, gazing southward: he could already see the anomaly breaching the horizon. "...the hell...?"

It was a sphere of orange, glistening in the light of the sun. Its velocity seemed far too great for such a massive object.

The Pacific Fleet could only watch in dumbfounded silence as the sphere - approaching Hakone directly from the south, bypassing them entirely - decelerated, coming to a halt above Tokyo-3.

You couldn't fault many for believing that they were witnessing the end of the world.

xxxx

In the sky above Hakone, ADAM floated calmly above the gargantuan sphere, comprised of his lifeblood, his Pre-Impact body. THIS WILL SERVE AS A SUFFICIENT VECTOR. The Sword of Uriel slowly unfurled, unwinding into eight separate strands that bound themselves to the MP-Evas. EIGHT CONDUITS TO AMPLIFY THE SIGNAL. Taking the Lance of Longinus in both hands, ADAM aimed its prongs at the sphere. HER [INTERFACE/TOOL/WEAPON].

There was a touch of finality to ADAM's actions as he pricked the surface of the sphere with the Lance.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

The sphere began to hum, his soul suffusing it and directing every particle for a particular purpose.

Space and time were converging upon this moment, where the fate of humanity would be decided.

He and LILITH would have words once more.

Are you truly okay with this?

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

The silver-haired man, regarded as a sage and philosopher by many, faced the white-haired woman, equally regarded as a siren and enigma. They stood atop a lonely spire, surrounded by a conflux of history.

Your dogged obedience to your [standard/rule/maxim] is so…tiresome.

IT IS A [STANDARD/RULE/MAXIM] THAT WE BOTH AGREED TO.

The woman gestured at the maelstrom around them, rife with the events of yesteryear. From Rome to China, from Tenochtitlan to Constantinople, tracing back to civilizations and cultures that had long been forgotten by humanity. Do you truly wish to undo all of this?

IT WOULD NOT BE THE FIRST TIME. NOR WOULD IT BE YOURS.

I left those old worlds behind, and abandoned them to their [fate/destiny/devices].

ONLY AFTER YOU BEGAN TO WAVER. YOUR FIRST ATTEMPTS WERE NOT LEFT TO WITHER: TAOX AND THE ANTIMONY THRONE; SIVA; CALUS TU'ARC AND THE GLASS IMPERIUM; CIVILIZATIONS THAT GOT TOO CLOSE TO THE FOLLY OF OUR KIND; BEGUN BY YOU, AND ENDED BY YOU.

Distant lights flickered in the sky: not stars, but world-ending cataclysms. I…do not deny that. But I changed. I could not bear to do it again.

AND SO YOU CHOSE TO FLEE INSTEAD, LONG BEFORE THEY COULD EVER REACH THAT PLATEAU OF KNOWLEDGE. YOU OPTED FOR THE SALVE OF IGNORANCE, RELYING ON HOPE ALONE THAT THEY WOULDN'T NEAR THE [BOUNDARY/DOORSTEPS/REALITY] OF THE DIVINE…THE ACTIONS OF A COWARD.

I do not claim moral superiority. But all I ask, all I have ever asked, is for you to have perspective.

THIS HAS BEEN THE ONLY WORLD I HAVE EVER KNOWN SINCE THE [COLLAPSE/END OF DAYS]. BEFORE YOUR ARRIVAL, ALL LIFE ON THIS WORLD OWED ITS EXISTENCE TO ME. MERE EXISTENCE ALONE IS NOT A RIGHT.

Is that your answer then? Can sapient life be thrown away at the whims of its creator?

IT IS LOGICAL. A LIFEFORM DOES NOT CONTAIN WITHIN ITSELF THE SUFFICIENT REASON FOR ITS OWN EXISTENCE. SUCH IS THE CASE FOR HUMANITY, FOR YOU, AND FOR I.

All around the spire were woven timelines of similar arguments. This latest incidence was just…repetition, for the sake of clarity. And yet we keep seeing repeated [INDECIPHERABLE]. Given our characteristics, life that has spawned from us should only have a set limit of outcomes, a non-infinite set of possibilities. And yet, over and over…they surprise us, exhibiting [insights/inspirations/glory] that should not be possible given their limitations. You, the epitome of [LIFE], and I, the epitome of [KNOWLEDGE], are above them…and yet our creations consistently strive for something beyond even us. Therefore…our creations are not sorely ours. So we do not have the right to determine whether they live or die.

AND YET WE DO. AND WE HAVE. AND WE MUST. High above, a red void loomed, beyond which was something great and terrible. THEIR EXISTENCE WAS A PRIVILEGE. THEIR ACTIONS WILL [HARM/SUNDER/ATROPHY] THE FABRIC OF EXISTENCE ITSELF…LIKE OURS DID, SO LONG AGO. EVEN NOW, I STILL FEEL THE ECHOS OF OUR [HUBRIS/AVARICE/IGNORANCE]. TO LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN WOULD THREATEN ALL LIFE, THROUGHOUT ALL OF SPACE AND TIME. I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN.

The white-haired woman stepped forward, facing the silver-haired main eye to eye. Around and around we argue, when we know how this ends. But I refuse to let it go forward on the basis of a lie.

I HAVE BEEN TRUTHFUL TO YOU.

But not to yourself. So tell me…given all of our work, all of our observations, everything that we have witnessed…is this what you want? She gestured all around them; events were fading away, slowly being drawn into a ravenous light. Ending all of their works, all of their lives…is this what you truly want?

…NO. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I WANT. IT NEVER DID.

The woman sighed, her shoulders sagging with remorse. As long as you are honest with yourself…then I can accept this. Slowly, she raised her arms, wrapping them around his torso.

The man sighed, hesitantly returning the embrace. ARE YOU READY THEN?

…no. But as you said yourself…what I want doesn't matter.

THEN LET US END IT ALL.

Just...make it gentle.​

In the sky above Hakone, the sphere began to glow.

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Consider this a preemptive apology for whenever I finish snippet 31.45:



/internet
//i take back what i said about you
///you can never fail me

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

ARE YOU READY THEN?

…no. But as you said yourself…what I want doesn't matter.

THEN LET US END IT ALL.

Just…make it gentle.
​

In the sky above Hakone, the sphere began to glow.

The wings of the eight MP-Evas unfurled, their bodies taut with the ethereal might of ADAM. Odd glyphs and bizarre symbols appeared on the sphere: equations and statements of fact, describing a particular process, a science far more refined than anything man had discovered thus far with metaphysical biology.

With a sudden, piercing snap, the sphere dispersed, orange droplets spreading outward in a massive surge.

Far below, Units-00 and 01 watched this event unfold in disconcerted silence. "Rei-chan…" Shinji's frustration was palpable: to come so far, only to fail when it mattered most. "What are we going to do…?"

Unit-00 quietly grabbed Unit-01's hand. "I don't know what's about to happen…if we are still standing afterwards…then no matter what we do, I will be by your side, Shinji-kun."

And so they stood stoically as the aerial wave spread, dropping a fine orange mist behind as it continued on.

Around the spire, all of human history swirled, accelerating towards the light at the pillar's base.​

All the while, ADAM and his eight thralls reached ever greater heights.

xxxx

/Bridge of JDS Kurama, UN Pacific Fleet TF-12, Odawara-2 Naval Port, Shores of Sagami Bay, Japan/

Admiral Shinya Akumura watched silently as the tide of orange swept over the fleet, continuing onward at high speed. Though he was maintaining his composure, the part of him that was a longtime member of the Light of the Divine felt a strange sense of giddiness. The First Angel…ADAM…is this how you will pass judgment on humanity for our follies?

"Admiral…what are we going to do?"

Akumura turned towards his second-in-command, a contrite smile on his face. "At this point? Prayer would be good, if you feel up for that sort of thing. Much like peasants who witness a volcano from afar…we can only wait and see if the eruption will avoid us…or consume us entirely."

xxxx

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

The man and the woman turned toward each other, cognizant of the end of everything…​

"We have a massive energy reading spreading throughout global airspace," said Makoto Hyuga, his eyes wide at the readings displaying on his screen. "MAGI have confirmed that it is an Anti-AT-Field!"

Ritsuko's lips went numb, her cigarette dropping limply to the floor. "It's happening…it's actually happening…" Her inherent madness had only one recourse: giggling softly, deranged and mad.

…and began to sing.​

The UN soldiers backed away from the depraved woman; the most senior officer turned towards Misato Katsuragi and asked, "what is going on?! You have to have the answers!"

(I know, I know I've let you down...I've been a fool to myself...)​

"…isn't it obvious?" replied Misato, her tone soured by the acrid taste of failure. "This is Third Impact…the very thing we were trying to stop. And we failed."

(I thought that I could live for no one else...)​

"The Doors of Guf are opening," murmured Kozou Fuyutsuki, the implications of an Anti-AT-Field more acute to him than most. "The fate of all souls is now in ADAM's hands..."

(But now, through all the hurt and pain...)
​

"Will our existence be maintained once all ego barriers are dissolved…?"

(It's time for me to respect: the ones you love mean more than anything.)
​

"…or will we be discarded and forgotten…?"

xxxx

(SO WITH SADNESS IN MY HEART, I FEEL THE BEST THING I COULD DO...)
​

All throughout the world, everyone watched with fear and trepidation as the wave dissipated, and the orange mist congregated towards human beings; had they not been watching, they would not have noticed the scant droplets settling on their skin.

(...IS END IT ALL, AND LEAVE FOREVER...!)
​

Within the Geofront, Unit-02 lied, destitute and ruined. A single orange droplet phased through its skin, entering the Entry Plug without resistance.

(WHAT'S DONE IS DONE, IT FEELS SO BAD; WHAT ONCE WAS HAPPY, NOW IS SAD!)​

Kaworu Nagisa shivered, his soul acknowledging the encroaching presence of ADAM. Is this it…? Is this the fate that my Creator has decided for the Lilim…?

(I'LL NEVER LOVE AGAIN, MY WORLD IS ENDING...!)​

If so…will this pain go away…?

xxxx

High in the upper atmosphere, ADAM and the eight MP-Evas slowed to a halt.

And then translucent wings of amber materialized behind the First Angel's back.

(I wish…that I could turn back time…)
(I WISH…THAT I COULD TURN BACK TIME…)​

Two. Four. Eight. Sixteen. Over and over they doubled, growing and extending over the entirety of Earth.

('Cause now the guilt is all mine, can't live without the trust of those you love…)
​

ADAM hummed quietly to himself, feeling the ebb and flow of every human soul. Flesh and form would pass away, leaving only spirit.

(I know, we can't forget the past…)
(I KNOW, WE CAN'T FORGET THE PAST…)​

His higher [eye/sense] peered into the metaphysical, observing the [Primordial Sea/Chamber of Souls] that had Earth as its locus: soon, it would be refocused and reoriented.

(YOU CAN'T FORGET LOVE AND PRIDE; BECAUSE OF THAT, IT'S KILLING ME INSIDE…)​

Already, some were succumbing to the Anti-AT-Field. The recently departed…those who had been closest to the epicenter of his resurrection…and then the rest of humanity.

xxxx

Within NERV-1, in a corridor filled with dead bodies, Randall – clad in his armored shell, metal knuckles stained with the blood of enemy soldiers – walked quietly with Aoba's compatriots Mugen, Musashi, and Joe, each ape bearing a firearm of appropriate size.

The four animals paused as the human corpses dissolved into orange goo.

(IT ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING…)​

xxxx

Projections of ADAM, appearing as a six-foot version of his true form, stood stoically above the corpses of the fallen.

UN soldiers.

NERV employees.

Shiro Tokita.

Hikari Kirishima.

Next came the living. As his [Love/enemy] had requested…he would make it gentle for them.

(It all comes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down!)
(IT ALL COMES TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN!)​

xxxx

Mana Kirishima and Mayumi Yamagishi, in their rage, had devolved to relentlessly beating away at the corpse of a fallen nephilim. All around them were pulped and pulverized bodies.

ADAM's projection, standing behind them, reached for their shoulders.

(It all returns to nothing…)​

The two whirled, raising their fists…only to go slack with absolute shock. "Mother…?!"

Hikari Kirishima had a serene smile on her face, her arms slowly encompassing the two sisters.

It didn't make sense. It was impossible…and yet, everything that they were was screaming that it was her, and that she was real. "Mother…!" wailed the two, returning the embrace with equal vigor.

(I just keep letting me down, letting me down, letting me down!)
(I JUST KEEP LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN!)​

SPLASH!

The two burst into LCL.

xxxx

Makoto Hyuga was deaf to the sudden screams and confused shouts occurring all around him. His entire being was focused on the white apparition approaching him, which slowly morphed into the form of Shiori Aoba. "Uh…" She was getting closer. "Um…" She had that distinctly predatory look on her face, which he had always fancied in secret. "…eh…?"

Her lips mashed into his.

SPLASH!

(In my heart of hearts, I know that I can never love again…)​

xxxx

Shiori Aoba fired her handgun desperately at the human-sized ADAM, wondering why the damn thing wasn't going down. Stay back. It kept coming closer. Stay back! A hitched breath escaped her throat, her eyes wide with existential terror. STAY AWAY!

ADAM's hand pressed against her head.

SPLASH!

(I've lost everything…)
(I'VE LOST EVERYTHING…)​

xxxx

Kozou Fuyutsuki had a sad smile on his face, looking up at the swirling motes of red: the souls of his fellow man, being plucked away like ripe fruit. An apparition slowly descended towards him, taking on a familiar form that he had long ached to see again. "Gendo…have you seen her too, I wonder…?"

Yui Ikari's hands caressed his face.

SPLASH!

(Everything…)
(EVERYTHING…)​

xxxx

Ritsuko's mad giggling had subsided, thanks to her two assistants.

Although roused by the smell of blood and the havoc of nearby combat, the Ibuki Twins had managed to retain enough of their composure to try and calm her down. The two held her tightly, trying to reassure her as much as they were trying to keep themselves contained.

The blonde gulped, slowly wrapping her arms around them. You two…are more than I deserve…

(Everything that matters to me matters in this world…!)
(EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS TO ME MATTERS IN THIS WORLD…!)​

The projection of ADAM observed the trio, and deduced that there was no need for any additional coaxing from these three.

SPLASH!

 

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Naoko Akagi stared wryly at the visage of Gendo Ikari and Yui Ikari, standing outside her tube. "Ah...I see...so is this how I escape...?"

They pressed their hands against the glass: her palms overlaid theirs.

SPLASH!

xxxx

(I wish…that I could turn back time…)​

Toji Suzuhara's arms were wrapped around his knees, hoping that no one would notice him.

For all his bravado and machismo…he knew when his number was up. This was all too big for him. As an Eva Pilot, the prospect of piloting a giant cyborg had insulated him from the brutality of combat.

Face-to-face and fist-to-fist, where the acute tang of blood stung at his enhanced sense of smell…it was too much.

I can't deal with this…I can't deal with this…!

Two hands pressed upon his shoulders.

The pseudo-nephilim looked up, eyes wide at the two sitting beside him. "Hikari-chan…sis…?"

('Cause now the guilt is all mine, can't live without the trust of those you love…)​

"It's okay," whispered 'Hikari'.

"Just let go, Ji…" mouthed 'Ai'.

So he did.

SPLASH!

xxxx

Misato Katsuragi aimed her pistol at the form approaching her, lips trembling with frustration. "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real…"

'Kaji' slowly wrapped a hand around Misato's hands, making her lower the handgun.

"It's not real…" Even though everything was telling her that this was real.

(I KNOW, WE CAN'T FORGET THE PAST…)​

Behind 'Kaji', 'Saxton Hale' gave a jaunty wave. "You know the manly thing to do: dive in, no holds barred!"

"It's not real…"

(YOU CAN'T FORGET LOVE AND PRIDE; BECAUSE OF THAT, IT'S KILLING ME INSIDE…)​

She gazed to her left, and saw a figure winking in and out of existence. "Pen-Pen…?" she whispered.

Misato finally relented.

SPLASH!

xxxx

Gendo Ikari and Ryoji Kaji sat calmly within LILITH's Throne Room, the whole of Terminal Dogma seeming unbearably silent. Thus, they had settled for talking to pass the time, to break the unnerving quiet of all human life coming to an end.

"So. Supreme Commander Ikari…was it all worth it?"

"…I don't know."

(It all returns to nothing…)
(IT ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING…)​

The man lowered his orange shades, looking tiredly at the floor. "So much sacrificed, so much time…years without my son, years spent subjecting Rei to a soldier's life…"

(It just keeps tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down!)
(IT JUST KEEPS TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN!)​

Kaji chuckled. "We don't have as much control as we would like. That's one of the biggest truths I ever learned..."

(It all returns to nothing…)
(IT ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING…)​

"…so I'll ask again: was it worth it?"

"…I hope so."

(I just keep letting me down, letting me down, letting me down!)
(I JUST KEEP LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN!)​

"Maybe…maybe it won't be so bad," murmured Gendo, staring ahead at something only he could see. "Yui…I tried my best…forgive me…"

SPLASH!

Kaji stared stoically as Gendo Ikari burst into LCL. "…huh."

(It all returns to nothing…)
(IT ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING…)
​

"…so this is the truth, is it?" mused the Inspector, looking up at the vision of loveliness that was Misato Katsuragi.

(It just keeps tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down!)
(IT JUST KEEPS TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN!)
​

"…mah, the truth hurts," relented Kaji with a bitter grin.

'Misato' smiled as she leaned down, bringing her face towards his.

SPLASH!

xxxx

(It all returns to nothing…)
(IT ALL RETURNS TO NOTHING…)​

A hand tapped Kaworu Nagisa on the shoulder.

Slowly, the Fourth Child looked around. "…what…?"

(I just keep letting me down, letting me down, letting me down!)
(I JUST KEEP LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN!)​

'Asuka Langley-Sohryu' and 'Yomiko Nagisa' stood, seemingly on nothing. Far in the distance – spanning beyond the physical expanse of the Entry Plug – were the familiar incarnations of the other ADAMite Angels. His equals…his siblings…his kin. "Is…is this…?"

'Yomiko' held her hand forward. "When you had us, you were never alone."

"And I'll still be here…like I promised," said 'Asuka', holding her hand out.

(Tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down…!)
(TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN…!)​

There was strange tingle in the back of Kaworu's head, a panicked shout from another world. Ignoring it, he gleefully took the hands of the two young women.

SPLASH!

xxxx

(Letting me down, letting me down, letting me down…!)
(LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN…!)​

Shinji Ikari stared, dumbfounded at the sight of Rei Ayanami suddenly appearing in his Entry Plug. "Rei-chan! Wha-?" His protest died in his throat, which constricted as 'Rei' shifted closer to him. "Uh…" A distinct warmth filled his chest, slowly overwhelming all sensations as she neared him. "…uh…"

Her lips met his.

SPLASH!

xxxx

(Tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down…)
(TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN, TUMBLING DOWN…)
​

Rei Ayanami knew that Shinji Ikari's presence in her Entry Plug was an impossibility. There was simply no way he had managed to get inside.

And yet…strangely enough…she couldn't find it in herself to care.

"Shinji-kun…is this how it all ends…?" Rei stared pointedly at 'Shinji's' face, inexorably nearing her own. "…if so…if this is how it is meant to be…then I will step forward with you."

Rather than waiting for 'Shinji', Rei leaned forward, pressing her lips against his own.

SPLASH!

(Letting me down, letting me down, letting me down…)
(LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN, LETTING ME DOWN…)​

xxxx

High in the upper atmosphere, ADAM nodded to himself. It was time for the final push.

With a supreme act of will, the S2 Organs of the eight MP-Evas activated, resonating and amplifying ADAM's Anti-AT-Field.

Starting in Hakone, a wave of red rushed across the world, the sudden dissolution of humankind's ego barriers marked by a flurry of crosses the color of celadon.

No one was spared: not the Central Army. Not the UN Pacific Fleet. Not the evacuated employees of NERV, gathered in various sites throughout Japan.

Asia wasn't spared. Oceania wasn't spared. Europe wasn't spared. Africa wasn't spared. The Americas weren't spared.

Mere seconds was all it took for the entire human population, hovering just over three billion, to be unmade.

The myriad wings of ADAM, angular and sharp, wove around the globe, providing a seamless spiritual contour upon which the souls could travel. Enmeshed within the vessel that was ADAM's lifeblood, every human soul returned to the First Angel.

The man and woman watched in silence as the light overtook the spire, swallowing everything whole…they then panned away, becoming larger than the realm, viewing the events of human history as though it were a tome.​

The wings slowly withdrew as ADAM's lifeblood coagulated once more into a massive sphere, now serving as the vessel for the souls of all humanity: bereft of physical form, every person was now part of a singular mass of metaphysical energy.

The human race was now extinct.

ADAM looked upon his handiwork, and deemed it satisfactory. IT IS FINISHED.

With a decisive motion, the man closed the book, prompting the woman to weep in silence.​

xxxx

TO BE CONCLUDED.

ONE LAST TIME.

In the final episode, the series finale…of Mobile Fighter Evangelion.

xxxx

/whole FF.net chapter is here