The specter of the young Suzuhara, her form ghostly and fragile, grimaced at the strange feelings rippling through her. None of her senses were working right: she was seeing music (
all the distant lights formed a strange cacophony), hearing colors (
the world was blaring a quiet blue)...it was a strange, all-encompassing set of sensations, and yet it was all understandable, in a strange way.
If she were to think about it too hard, she might start wondering about how she was moving through walls, and phasing through floors and ceilings with no difficulty.
But she didn't. It was a matter of will: she wanted to follow the strangely familiar spark, and so she did.
Finally, she emerged into the open air above the Geofront, and she beheld the two Lights in all their terrible majesty. The black Fire, despite being surrounded by the white Fire, was still perfectly visible; the impossibility of this didn't occur to the young girl. The Lights hovered beside the three lesser flames, illuminating them with an overpowering radiance. "
...what...?" The golden ember flickered haphazardly in front of her, smelling of impatience and caution. "
...okay. I'll hold up...whoever you are." Why was it so familiar? It wasn't even a feeling of knowing someone intimately, as she would a good friend...but the familiarity was one of distinction, of uniqueness.
Finally, the two Lights hovered away from the three flames, moving towards the great sphere of celadon. Eight tiny lights - a shade of something greater, once roaring fires that had become mere smolders - descended from around the sphere, congregating around the twin Lights. "
...what in the world are those...?"
xxxx
In the waking world, in the physical realm, ADAM moved away from the three prone bodies of Units-00, 01, and 02, laid side-by-side on the rim of the great hole leading into the Black Moon. They would be the subject of further study once he had a deeper understanding of their physical construction; the violet one bore the [mark/form/essence] of LILITH, while the blue and red ones bore his in turn. Their relative uniqueness was a reason to hold off any in-depth research. That, and the souls within the [creatures/constructs/entities] still persisted, protected from the ravages of his Anti-AT-Field.
Fortunately, there were others available for testing.
Thus did ADAM, now surrounded by the dull forms of the eight remaining Mass Production Evangelions, raise the true Lance and the true Sword. Per his will, the Lance and the Sword extended, piercing into MP-01 and MP-06. Seamlessly, metal and flesh split into fine pieces and segments, dozens upon dozens of chunks pierced by winding strands of red and blue. Information bled through the tiny blades, feeding into ADAM's body for further analysis.
HMM. INTERESTING.
They even artificially engineered a way to tap into the Metaphysical Deep.
BY USING A [FRAGMENT/SHADOW] OF MY BEING AS A BASELINE.
And they still managed to create a working model in a relatively short amount of time.
A FAIR POINT.
Have you given any thought as to what species to turn our observations towards?
THE NON-HUMAN MEMBERS OF THE HOMINIDAE FAMILY APPEAR TO BE THE MOST SAPIENT LIFEFORMS REMAINING.
Their mental and spiritual development took quite a leap after your...temporary [demise/hibernation].
I SEE.
Intentionally playing dumb?
...NO.
Yes you are.
NO I'M NOT.
As ADAM continued his dispassionate analysis of the physical forms of the Evangelions, he and LILITH maintained their relatively lighthearted telepathic banter. It was...a welcome distraction, from the recent unmaking of humankind.
However, a distraction was still a distraction.
xxxx
/Primordial Sea/
Ai Suzuhara hovered beside the small bonfire, bounded within the shadowy form of Evangelion Unit-02. The young girl gingerly reached for the dreamlike flames, feeling that strange sense of familiarity again.
"...show some fighting spirit! Stur wie ein Bock sein!"
There was definitely a sense of distinctness.
"...if I was cheerful, then it made their lives better. So why not be cheerful? It makes sense, doesn't it?"
And yet...this was someone she knew.
"What good is being an Eva Pilot if I can't protect one of the most important people in my life?!"
"…I give you everything that is mine to give…don't hesitate…take. It. ALL."
Ai's hand disappeared into the fire. "
...hello?"
...hello?
That
voice. "
You're...you're Mari-chan's sister..."
...I am?
The fire pulsed, flickering red.
...I am...you're Mari's friend...and Mari is my sister...then that means...I'm Asuka.
The warmth of the flames took on a giddy color.
I'm the Second Child. I'm the daughter of Pieter Langley and Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu...and the Pilot of Evangelion Unit-02...I'm Asuka Langley-Sohryu!
A feminine hand gripped Ai's from within the bonfire. Impulsively, the young girl pulled.
