Shin Tenkei Evangelion (Neon Revelation Evangelion) by Jurai Knight (jurai-knight@home.com) SPOILER WARNING! Some of the scenes reveal information that may spoil the surprises in the later episodes. Copyright Notice: None of these characters are mine. They all belong to Gainax (and AD Vision here in North America). I only borrow them for the purpose of this fanfic. Author Notes: Thoughts will be captioned by * on each end. I tried to use dates as given in the Evangelion FAQ. If they weren�t given, I made a guess as to time. The Evangelion FAQ is at: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Lair/6195/part.htm I had this idea strike me a few days ago, and I decided to try writing it. I hope you enjoy it. Revelation 0:0 - Sailor on the Sea of Dirac For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 *** JUNE 6, 2001 Yui Ikari cuddles her newborn son to her chest. She feels tired, yet content now that her struggles are complete. His birth had not been easy, but the result was well worth it. The nurse leaves the new parents alone for a short while. Yui brushes some hair back from her face and smiles down at her son. Gendou Ikari looks down on the mother and child, and feels a strange sense of accomplishment at the birth of his son. So much death had taken place at Second Impact. He is unaccustomed to smiling, but a small smile appears at the corner of his mouth. He leans over to touch the infant. �Your name will be Shinji, my son.� *** NOVEMBER 1, 2001 �It is time,� intones Gendou Ikari solemnly. �Prepare to open the chamber.� �Are you sure about this, Gendou,� an equally solemn Yui asks. �The Project may be a mistake. I know you believe in it, especially after what happened at Second Impact, but....� �But what, Yui?� Gendou does not take his eyes from the glass cylinder in front of them. �I just worry. She is almost a daughter to me after all.� Yui glances at the basket behind her where Shinji sleeps quietly. �She does have some of your genetic material in her, but it is much less than half of her coding. Other people have contributed to this effort, along with samples of what we found in Antarctica. She is designed to be a tool for the uplifting of Mankind, nothing more.� Gendou�s voice is solemn as he turns to face her, but his look verges on a smile. �At least that is what SEELE would have me say. However, since you were a major contributor to her genetic code, perhaps she could be considered your daughter in a way. That was why I decided to use the name you picked if Shinji had been born a girl. Perhaps she will even grow to look like you.� Yui leans against the warm glass of the cylinder. She spreads her hand against the glass as she watches the tiny figure floating within. �Your name is Rei, little one.� Yui gazes at the small life and smiles. *** OCTOBER 18, 2004 �Are you sure you feel up to doing this, Yui,� asks a worried Gendou. He hadn�t slept well the night before, and it shows on his face. Gehirn had been pressuring for live pilot synchronization test results, and Yui had volunteered. He loved her more than he wanted to admit to himself sometimes, and it made him feel protective of her. He couldn�t imagine what life would be like without her, which challenged the lone-wolf image he had always painted of himself. �I�ll be fine, Rokubungi-kun,� replies Yui with a smile. Gendou winces. "I�ve asked you not to call me that anymore. I already took on your family name. You know my old name always bothers me." �It is one of the few ways I have left to tease you, dear heart. You just give me that serious look to most other ways that I try. At least that one gives me more of a reaction.� Yui smiles as she presses the button on the wrist of her plugsuit to activate it, causing it to shrink to fit her slim body. Yui kneels down and touches Shinji�s face with her gloved hand. He doesn�t awake, since he tended to sleep as soundly as his father does. She kisses him on the forehead as he scrunches his face up a little. Gendou stands over them, a proud look on his face. Along with his dedication to his work, his wife and son were his world. Yui always laughed whenever he told her that. She was even here at his request after all. He mentally voices a prayer to whatever God was listening that nothing would ever harm his family. Doctor Naoko Akagi watched this touching little family scene with a mental sneer. Since joining the Project she had developed more than a passing attraction to the solemn Gendou Ikari. Her subtle attempts at attracting his attention had elicited nothing from him. She turns away and busies herself at her console. Yui stands up from her son and heads toward the hatchway to the synchro test chamber. She gives Gendou a reassuring smile as the hatch closes. He struggles to feel reassured, but he would be strong for her. The research had to go on, and this was the next hurdle to go through. He confers with Doctor Kouzou Fuyutsuki as Yui enters the Entry Plug. �Don�t worry so much, Gendou,� Kouzou says. �We will monitor everything closely.� Everything had proceeded well through first stage synchronization. Yui had been smiling as she reported her impressions of the physical sensations. "The first stage of synchronization is successful," declares Naoko. "Well done, Doctor Akagi," Gendou acknowledges. "How are your readings, Doctor Fuyutsuki?" "We appear to be holding at acceptable levels of contamination," replies Kouzou. "We are still within safety margins. Shall we proceed to second stage?� �Yes,� replies Gendou. His concerns were evaporating. He folds his hands in front of his chin as he studies his own readouts. �Beginning second stage of synchronization,� declares Naoko. Gendou and Kouzou were concentrating on their consoles, so they don�t notice the surprised look that crosses Yui�s face. Naoko notices, but says nothing. Her console still gives readings within safety parameters. �How are you doing, Yui,� asks Gendou as he looks up from his console. �Things feel a little strange, �Yui smiles weakly in reply, �but it�s nothing I can�t handle.� �Second stage of synchronization is achieved,� declares Naoko. �We are ready to proceed to third stage at your orders, Gendou-kun.� Gendou takes his eyes off Yui�s face on the screen to glare at Doctor Akagi. Kouzou notices a spike on his contamination levels, and turns to face him. �Gendou! I�m getting a surge in contamination levels! Perhaps we should abort the test.� Doctor Fuyutsuki prepares to abort. "Abort now?� Naoko locks eyes with Gendou. �Don�t be ridiculous! We don't have enough data yet, and we are still within the established safety parameters. Yui can take more, and we need this research!" Gendou is about to give the order to abort when alarms begin blaring from all the consoles. In mounting horror, he stabs at the Emergency Pilot Eject button on his console. Nothing happens. �Contamination levels are climbing!� Doctor Fuyutsuki struggles to shut down the test from his console, but all commands are being ignored. �We�re losing her!� In those brief moments, Gendou could only stare at the image from the Entry Plug in a sort of fascination. Yui had fainted, her few screams long since past. Before losing consciousness, she gave one last struggle to move, lifting a hand to the camera as if to ask for help. A moment later she was gone. Her empty plug suit floated in the LCL. They tried to bring her back. All attempts ended in failure. Gendou Ikari was never the same after that day. His work became his obsession. His normally reserved demeanor deepened into a coldness. His young son Shinji, frightened and confused at the loss of his mother, ran away for a short time. Angered by what he saw as Shinji�s weakness, Gendou sent Shinji away to foster care. The times that they would see each other over the coming years were few. *** NOVEMBER 20, 2015 Leriel, the Twelfth Angel had consumed Unit-01 in a Sea of Dirac. Shinji floated in a quiet darkness. They had attempted to reel him back in using his power cable, but that attempt had failed. The power cable had broken free of Unit-01, and his battery backup had been forced to kick in. Unable to break free, he had settled in to wait to be rescued. It was proving to be a long wait. The LCL was getting harder to breathe. *Asuka wanted to prove herself the best. Now I guess she�ll get her chance. They never needed me in the first place. She and Rei were trained for this. I... I was just convenient for my father.* His eyes were beginning to play tricks on him in the darkness. He saw brief flickers of color and light. It almost looked like faint fireflies zooming back and forth in the darkness. *Oh, God... I wish...* �Wish what?� A soft voice spoke to him from out of the darkness. Shinji blinked. *Great. Now I�m hearing things.* The weight of the stagnant LCL was like a blanket covering him. He couldn�t talk, but his hallucination seemed to hear his thoughts fine. �What do you wish, Shinji Ikari?� That same still, small voice spoke to him from out of the darkness. *What do I wish? I wish my mother hadn�t died. I wish my father hadn�t abandoned me.* �That would make you happy?� The voice seemed to be coming from next to his right shoulder. *I guess....* He had always assumed that would be what would make him happy. To have had a normal family life growing up, and a father who cared about him. The LCL was getting really foul. He started to feel sleepy. �If you could grant that wish to Shinji Ikari at the cost of this life, would you?� The voice had switched to his other shoulder. *What are you talking about? Who are you?* �Answer the question, Shinji Ikari. Would you grant the life you wish for to Shinji Ikari at the cost of this life?� *I don�t understand. _I�m_ Shinji Ikari. How can I grant a wish to myself?* �It can be done. I offer a way, but only if you wish it.� *YES! All right?! I would give anything to have had a different life growing up! Are you happy now?* The fireflies had begun to multiply. Shinji felt like he was dying; it was so hard to breathe now. It was so hard to keep his eyes open. Outside, the Sea of Dirac ripples for several moments. It begins to shrink. �I�m getting some sort of reading!� Ritsuko Akagi tries to make sense of her scans. �Something�s happening to the Angel!� �Be more specific, Doctor Akagi,� intones a solemn Gendou. �There�s some form of quantum level reaction going on in the Sea of Dirac. It�s beginning to throw off quantum gravity surges.� Ritsuko couldn�t believe her results. They made no sense. The Sea of Dirac suddenly implodes. A flash of light washes across Tokyo-3, and out across the Earth. This branch of probability collapses back into the quantum foam. The world changes. *** OCTOBER 18, 2004 �Second stage of synchronization is achieved,� declares Naoko. �We are ready to proceed to third stage at your orders, Gendou-kun.� Gendou takes his eyes off Yui�s face on the screen to glare at Doctor Akagi. Kouzou notices a spike on his contamination levels, and turns to face him. �Gendou! I�m getting a surge in contamination levels! Perhaps we should abort the test.� Doctor Fuyutsuki prepares to abort. "Abort now?� Naoko locks eyes with Gendou. �Don�t be ridiculous! We don't have enough data yet, and we are still within the established safety parameters. Yui can take more, and we need this research!" Gendou is about to give the order to abort when alarms begin blaring from all the consoles. In mounting horror, he stabs at the Emergency Pilot Eject button on his console. Nothing happens. �Contamination levels are climbing!� Doctor Fuyutsuki struggles to shut down the test from his console, but all commands are being ignored. �We�re losing her!� In those brief moments, Gendou could only stare at the image from the Entry Plug in a sort of fascination. Yui had fainted, her few screams long since past. Before losing consciousness, she gave one last struggle to move, lifting a hand to the camera as if to ask for help. Then, a miracle happens. �Wait a moment!� Doctor Fuyutsuki stares at his instruments. �The contamination levels are dropping. Things are moving back into acceptable safety limits.� Gendou forces himself to sit back down. He folds his hands in front of his chin and tries to remain calm. Next to him, Shinji begins to cry in a sniffling way. Gendou ignores him. �What is Yui�s.... What is the status of the pilot?� He has regained full control of his emotions again. �Her patterns are stabilizing.� Naoko kept her voice professional. Inside, she had experienced a brief hope that Yui would die. That hope was dashed. �Brainwaves are nominal. The danger appears to be over.� �De-synchronization is complete,� intones a grateful Doctor Fuyutsuki. �We have regained full control of all systems. Now ejecting Entry Plug.� Gendou was the first one through the hatchway. The others were not too far behind. The steam was still rising off of the Entry Plug. Ignoring the heat burning his hands, he manually opens the Plug. Yui�s unconscious body tumbles into his arms. She coughs weakly a few moments before opening her eyes. �I thought I�d lost you,� Gendou tries hard to keep his voice calm. �I think you almost did,� Yui replies in a weak voice. �I felt like I was... fading somehow, at the end. I don�t know what happened, but it felt like something... shoved me back.� Gendou hugs her, and a few tears escape his control. Behind them, Doctor Fuyutsuki smiles, but Doctor Akagi has a slight frown on her face. Forgotten in the excitement, young Shinji sniffles some more. Something important had happened, but right now he just wanted his mother. To be continued� Author Endnote: When I first saw the episode with the 12th Angel, I was curious as to what a �Sea of Dirac� could refer to. Doing some research, I discovered that Paul Dirac shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in physics for his work in quantum mechanics. Some of his work points to the possibility of sending a signal back through time. That concept gave me a starting point for this story.