Subject: [FFML][EVA][Fanfic][Draft] NGE: Other Paths - Prologue
From: James Grabowski
Date: 8/15/1998, 10:48 AM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

This is the FFML & AnimeNet release of my fanfic series:
"Neon Genesis Evangelion: Other Paths"
    - Prologue
(it's shortened in the subject line)

All the information you need to know is in the fanfiction itself.
The genre of the series overall will be Action/Drama/Humour/Romance
(just like Evangelion), but for the Prologue, it's just be Action/Drama.
(and Romance won't be for a while, that'll take a LONG time to fit in for
anybody)  I am really looking for comments and/or suggestions, so that I
can make a final release for the RAAC.  I'm not sure if that release
should be put on the FFML too though.  I'm afraid to repost it twice
within a short time frame.  I'll leave that for now though.  Enjoy!

================CUT-THIS-LINE-AND-EVERYTHING-ABOVE========================


==========================================================================

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: OTHER PATHS
- Prologue

Written By: James Grabowski
Revision: 0.95 Pre-Release Distribution - FFML & ANIMENET VERSION
Date: August 13, 1998
Time: 8:58:15 PM (EDT)

==========================================================================

 * See the end of this document for the Author's Notes *

 ***SPOLIER-WARNING***:  This fanfiction will weigh in HEAVILY on
                         Evangelion storyline.  This is in a sense a
                         replacement for the series, so if you haven't
                         seen it yet and wanted to, do it now.  Otherwise,
                         continue.

==========================================================================

LEGAL INFORMATION:

All characters contained in this fanfiction are copyright GAINAX,
Project EVA, and any other company and/or division associated with the
creation and/or production of Neon Genesis Evangelion.  At this time, they
are used WITHOUT the permission of the aforementioned institutions.

This fanfiction is a production of James Grabowski, and may not be used in
any way, shape, or form without prior permission of the author.
Distribution is subject to prior approval by the author. (i.e.: ASK before
putting it on a web page if you wish to do so, no posting on a newsgroup
w/o permission, etc. etc. etc.)

==========================================================================
==========================================================================

 Neon Genesis Evangelion: Other Paths
 - Prologue


        Deep underground in a secret facility, a seemingly elderly man
 dressed in a brown uniform silently made his way towards his goal;
 information.  Despite his 58 years, he was younger than he appeared to
 be, but even his appearance didn't give way to old age.  He looked much
 as he had just 15 years ago... perhaps his hair had become whiter than
 it used to be.  Reaching his destination, he pulled open the door handle
 and entered the massive room.

        "Ikari."

        "What is it Fuyutsuki?"

        Kouzou Fuyutsuki made his way across the large room which could
 house a few hundred people with plenty of room for a few hundred more.
 Ironically enough, it was an office, rather than a social gathering
 place.  On the ceiling was a hand crafted design, the Sephirotic System
 of the Kaballah.  A painstakinginly detailed, crafted image, explaining
 their beliefs, and the reason such a large room was needed..  Kouzou
 walked the familiar long strides he was used to walking after so many
 years, up to the Commander's desk.

        "I need to talk to you," he said, as he made the trek.

        "Go ahead."

        Kouzou regarded his friend Gendou Ikari for a moment.  He'd known
 this man for 16 years, and he hadn't changed all that much, in attitude
 anyway.  In appearance his skin had become lighter in colour, and a beard
 which encircled the perimeter of his face had grown where once there was
 none, but his ideas and dreams hadn't seemed to change after all this
 time.  Only 10 years of life separated the two, but in spirit, it seemed
 like much less.  Despite his dress, status, and serious demeanor, the
 brown-haired and dark-eyed Gendou Ikari tended to leave his jacket
 undone, the only thing that could be considered "casual" about him.

        "You know that today is Unit Zero's reactivation test, don't you?"

        "Yes."

        "Have you spoken to Rei?"

        "Yes.  She will be there as scheduled."

        "Sometimes I wonder Gendou..."

        "About what?"

        "What you see more of in Rei.  Which of them is it?"

        "Now is not the time for such discussions."

        "A cold man..." Kouzou thought to himself.

        "Are the preparations for the reactivation complete?"

        "Yes.  Akagi is waiting for you.  She said you wanted to be in
 control for this experiment."

        "That's correct."

        "..."

        Gendou turned his attention to the intercom device on his desk.
 Leaving the receiver as it was, he tapped a few numbers on its keypad.
 A soft female voice could be heard on the other end.

        "Commander?"

        "Ibuki.  Tell Dr. Akagi that we're on our way down."

        "Yes sir."

        Gendou pressed another button on the device, severing the
 connection to the control center of Experimental Station 2.  He looked up
 at his friend through his gold rimmed glasses.  Grunting, he slowly rose
 up from his seat and walked around to the other side of the desk.

        "Let's go."

                   ------------------------------------

        Kouzou reflected on the situation at hand.  The reactivation of
 Unit Zero...  It stopped functioning shortly after the pilot was finally
 able to synchronize with it.  There was no explainable reason why it had
 stopped.  The explanation given by Akagi had to do with defective wiring
 and frayed nerve impulse relays.  It had been a long time since it had
 been first constructed... what had it been, 10 years?  More perhaps.  But
 Kouzou didn't believe her.  He knew Akagi wasn't telling the complete
 truth, and he knew Gendou held the same suspicions.  It mustn't have been
 important if Gendou hadn't bothered to follow up on it.  Still, something
 in the back of his mind told him he should've investigated the occurence,
 but he simply let that thought dissipate.  There were more important
 matters at hand.

        "Kouzou."

        "Hmmm?  I'm sorry.  I must be getting on in my years..."

        "Heh.  You wouldn't expect me to believe that now, would you?"

        Smiling, Kouzou softly replied, "I guess not."  It wasn't often
 that something resembling a grin would appear on Gendou's face.  He
 missed the days when Gendou's moods were of a lighter humour.  But of
 course, that didn't last very long.  He saw the man slowly observe his
 surroundings from the tram before he phrased his next question.

        "Have their been any reports from the Marduk Institute about the
 Third Children?"

        "Yes, there has actually.  A candidate has been found.  He comes
 from outside the normal cadidate area, but then again, so did the
 Second."

        "And?"

        "It seems that he would be an ideal choice.  His mother is dead,
 and he doesn't know the majority of his family.  There is one
 exception... but that isn't of importantance.  He's located a fair
 distance outside of Tokyo-3, placing him near the Atsugi district.
 According to the report, he would be exceptional as one of the Children.
 He's ranked far higher then any of the local candidates."

        "I'm not surprised."

        "I find it strange that you requested him to be added to the
 list, especially considering his situation..."
 
        "It relates to that time.  It would be fitting, and I've had
 suspicions for some time now.  If Unit One can be used, then the project
 can come to fruition.  And if this will be our only chance, so be it."

        "Is that the only reason why you inquired about him?"

        "..."

        "I see."

        "We've arrived Kouzou."

                   ------------------------------------

        The pair entered the control center of the 2nd Experimental
 Station of the primary branch of NERV.  The room seemed to be somewhat
 lacking in activity, despite the event which was about to occur.  A few
 of the higher ranked bridge operators were present for the experiment.
 A young woman with short brown hair walked up to them with a clipboard in
 her hand.

        "Commander.  Sub-Commander."

        "Ibuki, where is Dr. Akagi?" asked Gendou.

        "She's in the test area with Hyuuga doing a manual check of the
 connections to Unit Zero.  The two of them should be finishing just about
 now."
        
        "I see."

        Maya Ibuki returned to conducting checks in the control room,
 making sure nothing was misconfigured or not ready.  She knew that this
 experiment was of the upmost importance.  All other projects had
 practically been on suspension because of it.  Not officially, but so
 much time was being spent on getting Unit Zero in working order that no
 one had had the time to do anything else.  She silently laughed at the
 Commander, thinking how he must be paranoid to the events of 15 years
 earlier, as if anything like that would happen again.  But she concluded
 that if the Sub-Commander and her sempai truly believed in their
 necessity, then she would do what she could to aid in the project.

        Kouzou walked over to a long-haired man near a control panel by
 the window facing the testing area. "What is our present status Aoba?"

        "We are ready to begin on the Commander's orders."

        Shigeru Aoba thought to himself about the lack of awareness in the
 Sub-Commander's tone as he waited patiently for Hyuuga and Dr. Akagi to
 finish with Unit Zero.  Fuyutsuki was normally a hard working man.  He
 should've scolded him already for not doing anything during such an
 important event.  But today he seemed somewhat distracted... as if he
 had more important things on his mind.  He quickly turned his attention
 to the controls in front of him in the case that the Sub-Commander
 changed his attitude.

        Kouzou looked out the windows into the testing area.  He began to
 mumble his thoughts out loud without realizing it, but softly enough that
 nobody else heard.

        "This man-made creation, the Evangelion Unit Zero.  The Prototype.
 Orange in colour, immense size rivaling that of taller buildings...
 human-like in form, created by us.  Why did we create it?  Why did I help
 to create it?"

        A large red eye blankly stared forth from its head.  It seemed as
 if it was staring into the souls of everyone in the room, but especially
 Kouzou.  Thoughts on how he had become involved in this entire operation
 briefly caught aflame in his mind, but they were soon extinguished by the
 sounds of reality, the voice of Gendou Ikari breaking his concentration.
 
        "Dr. Akagi.  How's Rei?"

        Dr. Ritsuko Akagi looked up from the clipboard she had in her hand
 as she entered the control centre, letting her blonde hair flip behind
 her head, only to return to its normal position.  The bridge operator
 Makoto Hyuuga took a position in front of a control panel near the center
 of the room.

        "She's already in the entry plug, and we've already loaded it
 into the Eva.  We are ready to begin the reactivation process."

        Makoto looked on as the Project Chairperson and the Commander
 discussed procedure for the event.  He found it funny how she was one
 of the few people who could actually talk to the Commander without
 looking as if she wanted to be anywhere else.  Was it because she had
 known him since... that thought left his mind quickly.  The Second Impact
 was one of the last things he wanted to think about at a time like this.
 He didn't know what the result of the experiment would be.  Everything
 had checked out alright at the Evangelion itself, and the pilot seemed to
 be prepared for the experiment, but... once more he pushed the thoughts
 out of his mind.  He decided it would be best to go through with the
 experiment, get off his shift, and read some of the manga he kept in his
 desk elsewhere in the facility.  It would be a miracle if the Eva would
 even activate at all...

        "Very well."

        Gendou walked up to the window facing the control panel, his firm
 expression seemingly set in stone.  Kouzou stood a few paces behind him,
 pondering the impending outcome of the experiment.  The same thoughts ran
 through the minds of everyone in the room.  Gendou's voice was crystal
 clear as it sounded through the room, silencing any idle chatter there
 may have been.

        "Begin the activation sequence."  He adjusted his glasses.  There
 isn't any more room for failure, he thought to himself.

        Ritsuko began to direct the available staff of the experiment.

        "Connect the main power supply and all circuits together.

        A green panel on the top of the Eva's head lit up.

        "The main power supply has been connected.  Starting the
 activation system," replied Maya.  "Voltage increasing to the critical
 point: 0.5, 0.2, rising!"

        Once more, the voice of Ritsuko Akagi was heard. "Start the second
 phase of the activation system."

        Shigeru began to work at his control panel.  "The pilot link-up
 has been completed."

        "Starting System Phase II." called Ibuki.

        Ristsuko nodded and looked to Aoba. "What is the status of Unit
 Zero's neuron impulses?"

        "The synapses have been inserted.  The junction has been started.
 No problems detected."

        "Ibuki?"

        "The pulses are being transmitted." 

        "Hyuuga?"

        "All circuits are operational."

        "The initial contact has been made, no problems detected,"
 announced Maya.

        Shigeru looked up from his control panel.  "Power is now being
 transmitted.  Currently, power is available up to the brachial muscles in
 both arms.  There are no problems with the nerve links."

        "Nerve links completed up to 2500, 2530, 2550."

        "Understood.  Arrange for the third connection."

        "Understood.  Up to 2580 have been completed.  0.9 until absolute
 border line."

        Kouzou reflected on the situation quietly.  It had been 15 years
 since the last time an Eva had been needed, but at that time the Evas
 hadn't even been created.  Was the future truly set in stone?  Are the
 events that were written so long ago determined to act themselves out?

        Maya stared at the display in front of her.  They were almost
 there.  Just a little further, and everyone could celebrate at finally
 achieving what they had set out to do, albeit secretly.

        Makoto kept his eyes locked on the Eva.  He prayed silently that
 this would work.  The last anything anyone needed was more problems.

        Shigeru took a silent, deep breath and held it.  Either it was
 going to activate, or it would just shut down.  He was getting tired of
 working on Unit Zero.

        Gendou continued to stare at the Eva with his set expression.  He
 wondered if the pilot was alright.  She was of importantance to him.

        "... 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, ...it's..."

        An alarm began to sound, and was shortly cut off.  The wails of
 the Eva could be heard throughout the room.

        "Damnit!  The pulses are beginning to flow backwards!  The
 connection was reversed!"

        "Problems encountered on the third stage.  Rejection is setting in
 on the nerve center elements!"

        One thought unanimously struck everyone in the room.  Damnit.

        Ritsuko suddenly grew very serious.  This had to be stopped now.
 "Stop the contacts.  Break the circuits up to 6th."

        "Negative.  The signal's not being received!  Unit Zero has gone
 completely out of control!"  To herself, she continued to curse.  Why
 wouldn't it work?  Why were there always problems?  And why had the Eva
 suddenly taken on a mind of it s own?

        The wails of the Eva inside the testing area grew louder.  It
 bellowed furiously, and proceeded to rip the arm restraints keeping it
 bonded to the wall off the wall.  It did the same for its legs.  It
 howled once more, clutching its head in pain.  The murmurs of the
 non-essentials were drowned out in the back of the room.  The Commander
 finally spoke up.

        "Abort the experiment immediately.  Cut off the power supply."

        "Yes sir!"  Ritsuko quickly complied by smashing a glass case with
 her hand, and pulling the handle underneath.  A long cord that had been
 attached to the Eva's back ejected itself and landed on the floor with a
 satisfying crash.

        "Unit Zero's power supply has been switched to its internal
 battery."

        "35 seconds until complete standstill."

        Ritsuko's angry voice suddenly became louder than the Eva.  "35
 seconds?!  Damnit, why wasn't the battery drained for this?"

        She took a deep breath.  "Who's incompetence let that slip
 through..." she muttered angrily under her breath.

        The Eva suddenly straightened and began to punch the glass window
 directly in front of Gendou.  Aoba sprang from his seat to where Hyuuga
 was to monitor the situation from there.  The both of them were trying
 to keep under control.  Commander Ikari remained completely motionless...
 until the Eva shattered the window and sent glass flying.  Shards of
 jagged glass grazed his face, just missing him.  He looked behind him
 with an expression almost resembling concern, to see what officers who
 weren't directly involved in the experiment fleeing the room.  Those who
 were involved crowded around Hyuuga's workstation to monitor the crisis
 from a safe distance.

        He heard a cry of agony from Kouzou, to see him holding his left
 arm in pain.  The glass that had missed himself had cleanly sliced the
 upper portion of Kouzou's arm.  He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
 That should've been him.

        "It's dangerous--step back!"

        "For the love of god Akagi, that's more than obvious!" growled
 the injured Kouzou.  Blood was seeping through his uniform.  That woman
 could be an idiot sometimes, he thought to himself.  Needless to say, he
 wasn't in a good mood.

        "Fuyutsuki!"

        "I'm fine Ikari.  It can wait..."

        The life and death drama was interrupted by Maya's voice.

        "Auto ejection system engaging..."

        "Damnit!" yelled Gendou.  Everything was going wrong.  He began to
 curse silently.

        The back of Unit Zero erupted suddenly, and a long white tube was
 shot out from it.  It rumbled and flew its way into one of the higher
 corners of the testing area.

        "Time until complete standstill: 10, 9, 8, 7..."

        "Enable the emergency coolant.  Hurry up!" yelled Ritsuko.  She
 began to think about the situation.  Why did any of this happen damnit?!
 Why did it go beserk like this?  Is it the pilot's will, or is it
 something else?  Could it be after someone?

        A thick red liquid began to cover the Eva.  It seemed to slow it
 down as it continued to punch the wall, but it didn't help very much.
 Suddenly, the engines of the entry plug, still containing the pilot, gave
 out, and it crashed to the floor with a loud clank.  A yellow-orangish
 liquid began to spray itself from the entry plug.

        "Rei!"  He didn't know if she could've survived that kind of drop.
 The entry plug may have been designed to keep a pilot as safe as possible
 for piloting the Evangelion, but without the Eva to absorb any of the
 shock from such a fall...

        "..4, 3, 2, 1, 0."  Maya prayed that it was over, but she knew
 that just wasn't the case.  There was the aftermath to deal with.

        Evangelion Unit Zero finally came to a halt, a fist still embedded
 in the wall.  The liquid continued to spray the Eva.

        Gendou's shout echoed through the silent room, "I'm going down
 there!"

        "Ikari!  Wait!"

        Seeing that the walkway was now in shambles, Gendou rushed to a
 lift in the corner of the room and banged the controls.  It activated,
 but not before Kouzou had joined him.  It rushed downwards at a high
 speed, until it had reached the bottom level of the testing area.  Gendou
 rushed through the small corridor and flew open the door at the end,
 leading into the testing area.  Kouzou followed him, but at a slower
 pace, still clutching his bleeding arm.

        Gendou ran towards the entry plug that had formerly inhabited
 Unit Zero.  He couldn't believe the outcome of all this.  First Kouzou,
 now Rei... he reached for the emergency release handle of the escape
 hatch.

        "AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!!!"

        He pulled his hands back, feeling the palms of his hands seering
 with heat and pain.  His glasses flew from his head and landed in the
 liquid that had drained itself from the entry plug.  His expression grew
 fierce, anger boiling up inside him.  This had been nothing but one
 disaster after another, and he couldn't let anything else happen.  The
 entire project had been endangered, and so had everyone's lives.  For a
 brief moment, the lives became more important to him then the entire
 project.  He reached again for the release handle.  Despite the pain,
 he did not let go this time.

        "Aaaaagghhh..... urrrrr..... turn damnit... TURN!!!"

        Ritsuko looked down from above.  This had been a complete
 disaster.  All she wanted to do was just destroy any records of what just
 happened.  She'd be credited with failing, and she couldn't stand being a
 failure.  She couldn't believe that any one of them could've lost their
 lives, and that perhaps someone already did.  She couldn't believe that
 such careless precautions had been taken.  She couldn't believe that any
 of this had even happened.  It shouldn't have...

        At last the handle turned.  Both of Gendou's hands had been
 severely burned.  He yanked open the hatch and looked inside.

        "Rei!  Are you all right?  Rei!"  Then he saw her.

        A young girl dressed in a skin-tight white suit, with blue hair
 and pail skin slowly looked up at him.  Her red eyes were half open, the
 right one slightly bleeding.  There was a gash running halfway across her
 forehead.  Her right arm appeared to be slightly dislocated, and there
 was another gash running from her left shoulder to her chest.  Both her
 legs were slashed around the thighs, and her lower right leg also
 appeared to be cut.  None of the wounds appeared to be very deep, but the
 metallic debris that had broken from the entry plug and had caused them
 rested by her right leg, and seemed to suggest otherwise.  She looked at
 him for a moment and slowly nodded.

        "I see."

        The glasses which had fallen from Gendou's visage slowly bent
 over, and the lenses cracked.

        The girl passed out, her injuries too much for her.

        "Damnit..."

        Gendou exited the hatch and began yelling orders to those in the
 control center.  He was in a dark mood.

        "I want a medical team in here immediately!  We have a pilot
 suffering from multiple serious injuries, potentially fatal."  He looked
 at Kouzou.  "And there's also an officer in need of immediate medical
 assistance.  Move!"

        Kouzou couldn't help but grin slightly at the concern Gendou was
 showing for the both of them.  It was a rare occasion to see Gendou in
 this manner.  For a moment, he wondered how Rei was, but he knew it was
 pointless to think about that.

        Gendou left Rei and ran over to Kouzou.

        "Are you alright?"

        "It's just a scratch."

        "I doubt that."

        "Heh.  I can't lie to you, can I?  I guess you're going to need
 some new glasses now."

        Gendou chuckled at the remark.  Kouzou once more pondered his
 friend's actions.

        The medical team arrived with a stretcher.  Half of them went to
 attend to Rei, while the other half went to see Kouzou.

        "I'm fine you fools.  I can walk.  My arm's injured, not my leg."

        Gendou walked over to Kouzou, "I need to see you in my office
 after you've been attended to."

        "I understand Commander.  I'll come as soon as I can."

        Gendou nodded his head in agreement, and returned to check on Rei.

        Kouzou began to think to himself once more, which of the two it
 was that Ikari saw more of in Rei.  Briefly, he wondered if he saw
 anything at all...

        He couldn't help but begin to laugh when he saw one of the medical
 team leading Gendou away to treat his hands.  Gendou didn't seem to be
 very happy about it.

                   ------------------------------------

        "You wanted to see me Commander?"

        Kouzou's injury had already been bandaged up, and he had already
 changed into a new uniform.  It was impossible to tell that he had been
 injured before, except that his arm appeared to be somewhat stiff.
 Expectable, considering the injury.  He noticed that Gendou was wearing
 a set of white gloves now.  Another set of glasses adourned his face,
 heavily tinted, though the eyes could still be seen underneath.  It
 seemed to bring a darker atmosphere around the already shrouded man.

        "Yes, I did."

        "How's Rei?"

        "...not in the best of conditions, but not in the worst either.
 Her injuries appeared much worse then they were.  The medical division
 estimated about 2 weeks until she's fully recovered.  Nonetheless, she
 seems to be acting normally."

        If you could call her actions normal, Fuyutsuki thought to
 himself.

        "Fuyutsuki, I want you to contact the President of the Marduk
 Institute."

        "..."

        "Tell him that we accept the recomendation for the Third Children,
 and to begin the search for the Fourth."

        "...I believe the President already knows."  His voice lost
 some of its serious tone, adopting one of concern.  "So... you're going
 to send for him?  When do you plan to?"

        "Now.  I want him here by tomorrow.  The failure of the Unit Zero
 reactivation experiment has made it imperative to find a new pilot.
 Unit Two and the Second are unusable as they are still located in
 Germany.  It's time to reactivate Unit One."

        "Immediately?"

	"If it's a possibility, yes."

        Kouzou suddenly became angry with his friend.  After what had just
 happened, he'd so readily be willing to attempt another reactivation?
 And on Unit One?  And immediately?  And above all, with him?  He kept his
 anger in check, never betraying it in his voice.

	"How do you know he'll come?"

        "He will.  It's how he is."

        ".. Do you think what you're doing is right?  After so long?"

        ".. My first responsibility is to NERV."

        "And how do you think she would feel about it?"

        "..."

        Kouzou sighed discontentedly.  "I see.  I can't say I'm pleased
 with your decision, but this isn't any of my business.  I'll speak to the
 communications division.  They'll have a message delivered to him within
 the hour.  Is there anything in particular you want it to say?"

        "Yes.  Come.  Sign it with my name.  Send a second message to his
 Sensei with instructions for him once he reaches the city.  Arrange for
 him to take a government train into the city.  Please look into finding
 an escort for him as well."

        "I understand."

        "And Fuyutsuki?"

        "Yes?"

        "Feel free to take a break after this.  You've had a rough day."

        "Heh."

        Kouzou departed from the room to leave Commander Ikari alone with
 his thoughts.  On his way to the communications division, he wondered how
 the Commander could do such things.  How had he become so cold?  These
 and other questions racked his mind, but he didn't have the time to think
 about them.  He had a job to do.  In truth, he just wanted to forget
 about the events of today.  He suspected that everyone involved in the
 experiment did.

                   ------------------------------------

        A few hours later, in a small house, a printed message had come
 through for a young man of 14 years living at that home.  With the young
 man deep in his studies, his Sensei read over the note himself.  It
 seemed there was another one too, addressed to him, for his pupil.
 Somewhat angered at the "request" on the note, he went to speak with his
 pupil.  He showed him the first note.  The young man promptly stopped
 breathing.

        "..."

        "..."

        "...Father..."

        "...It is your choice.  We shall discuss it over dinner."

        After a deep discussion with his Sensei, they came to an agreement
 that it may be a good idea for the young man to go.  Perhaps after all
 this time, things could change.  Early morning the following day, the
 young man said goodbye to his Sensei and walked to the train station, the
 instructions given to him by his Sensei still fresh in his mind, and
 boarded the government train for Tokyo-3.  He noticed that he seemed to
 be alone.  As the young man slipped a set of headphones into his ears to
 listen to his miniature portable tape player during the ride, a thought
 entered his mind.

        "... Why is father... calling for me?"

        The young man sighed to himself, troubled by the situation.  After
 a few moments of troubled contemplation, Shinji Ikari pressed the play
 button on the tape player, and let the music lull him into a state of
 relaxation.  He didn't know if he would ever be able to relax again after
 this time.  Meeting his father didn't build his confidence, to say the
 least.


 TO BE CONTINUED...

==========================================================================
==========================================================================

 AUTHOR'S NOTES:

        Well, that takes care of the first installment of this series.
 Basically to set the mood.
        
        My goal is recreate Neon Genesis Evangelion.  Somewhat of an
 "Alternate Universe" type, but not the MAJOR "Alternate Universe" type.
 Simply put, I wish to keep the same characters from Evangelion and the
 same plot, but I want to be able to focus more on the characters rather
 than constant Angel battles.  I want to develop the Evangelion world
 further.

        In my opinion, Neon Genesis Evangelion is, and probably will be
 for a long time, one of the best anime ever created, both for animation,
 style, and content.  However, the problem with NGE, is that it was too
 short.  Because of this, there was little character development (yes,
 I'm aware of what has happened in the series).  In comparison to the
 general theme of Evangelion, there wasn't a high amount of character
 interaction, so many of the characters attitudes remained the same.  In
 real life, people change over time.  It is difficult to believe that
 considering the time span of Eva, that there wasn't much change.  If
 there had been more "life" in Evangelion, then perhaps there would have
 been a very different turn out to it, a different ending.  The only
 thing that is truly set in stone is the appearance of the Angel's (the
 Dead Sea Scrolls have ensured that), but characters like Rei and Asuka
 can devlop if others take the initiative.  This doesn't mean I plan to
 turn everyone into a bunch of ridiculously positive people that you just
 want to see dead!  I'm just saying that the characters deserve a chance
 to develop, and I intend to bring that in.  This series doesn't end until
 a Third Impact is completed or stopped.  Until then, a lot of things can
 happen which can change the flow of the story.  Whenever characters are
 introduced, they will be their "normal" selves: I don't intend to rewrite
 the past.  My purpose is not to determine the past of Evangelion, but the
 future of that world.  I find this very difficult to explain.  I hope you
 understand what I mean.  If you don't, then keep reading the series.  You
 will soon enough.

        For all of you Evangelion enthusiasts out there, you've noticed by
 now that the flashback from Episode 5 was in here (albeit with extra
 description).  The reason for this was to establish a solid background
 for what happened prior to Shinji's arrival.  This will be important
 later on of course.  Note that because the timeline of the original
 Evangelion was somewhat compact (i.e.: The experiment falshback was 22
 days earlier, the 4th angel attacked 3 weeks / 21 days after the 3rd,
 Rei was to return to "status" in 20 days, meaning Shinji would have to
 have come the day after the experiment, etc.), I'm probably be making
 some modifications to avoid any other situations (i.e.: Although Shinji
 is arriving the day after Rei's accident, Rei will be returned to pilot
 status about a week earlier then in the series).  This can also help
 with development, but I think you get the picture.  Similarity, but
 difference.  At any rate, a lot can happen between the times of Angel
 attacks.  And different things can happen when compared to the series.
 The future is not set in stone, and the results are endless.  That is the
 truth behind fanfiction, Evangelion, and life in general.

        Well, that's all I have to say.  If you have any comments and/or
 suggestions on this, let me know ASAP.  The next installment will bring
 Shinji into the plot.  This was just the Prologue after all.  Comments
 are welcome, but flames will be put out with the electronic equivalent
 of water.  Ja na!

==========================================================================

James Grabowski
    - sephirius@japan.crosswinds.net

For The Most Recent Versions:
    - http://www.crosswinds.net/japan/~sephirius
          - Click on "Anime Fanfiction" to get to the latest releases of:
            Neon Genesis Evangelion: Other Paths
            (becomes available with an RAAC release)

------------------------------------

"Man is descended from one alone.
 One way or another, we're all related.
 With this knowledge, the wall blocking the "truth" is destroyed,
 Leaving an oppurtunity that can be used to a positive advantage.
 One that can change man's perception forever,
 And consequently, prove the theorum wrong..."

"And now it becomes a reality."