Babylon 5 and its characters with the exception of Epsilon Squad were created by J. Michael Straczynski and copyrights are held by Warner Bros. And TNT. The characters of Epsilon Squad, as well as the characters of Rei Ayanami-Miranami and Danielle Asuka Langley are my own creation. Please ask for my permission to use them in your own fics. Neon Genesis Evangelion was created by Project Eva and copyrights are held by Gainax in Japan and A.D. Vision in the U.S. Please let me know if there are any other copyright holders for either series I may have missed, as I'm not out to make any sort of material gain; I'm merely expressing my interest in both these series. In other words, please don't sue me. Author's Notes: This story takes place during Season 5 of Babylon 5, after #99 "Phoenix Rising" and before #103 "Darkness Ascending." To make this story work, I took the events in Evangelion and plopped them into the Babylon 5 universe at the same time as they actually occurred (2000-2015). The following events occurred in the B5 universe at the same time as in Eva: Episodes 1-24, followed by the events of the Rebirth and End of Evangelion movies. This story takes place in 2262. For purposes of this story, episodes 25 and 26 never happened. Previously on Babylon 5: It has been nearly 250 years since the Third Impact devastated Earth and wiped out 1/2 to 2/3 of its population. Commander Rei Ayanami-Miranami of the Earthforce Special Operations frigate Perry, currently assigned to Nerv, jumps into Sector 999 and comes upon a planet designated by Earthforce as M-235. Finding unusual energy readings Rei boarded a customized Thunderbolt and performs a closer investigation. She found evidence the Angels from 2015 have returned, and she alerts both Nerv and EarthDome of the situation. Earth Alliance President Susanna Luchenko took over jurisdiction of the Angel situation away from Nerv and its commander, the former Psi Cop known as Thirteen, and ordered the Perry to Babylon 5 to request the aid of the Interstellar Alliance in dealing with the Angels before they can strike at Earth and trigger a possible Fourth Impact. Well, enough of the preliminaries, let's get on with it! Babylon 5: Angels A Babylon 5 / Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover by Mark Craig Part 2 - Hostility Restrained How dare she go over my head like this, Thirteen fumed as she stalked down EarthDome's corridors. The Angels are Nerv jurisdiction. We're the only ones who are able to deal with them. She had just gotten word of President Luchenko's takeover of the Angel situation shortly after receiving the report from the Perry. This was simply unacceptable. Nerv dealt with the Angels in 2015, and it would do so this time. Now Luchenko's gotten all of Earthforce involved as well as the Interstellar Alliance. That's what really infuriated her; the fact that the Perry was en route to Babylon 5 meant that Nerv would have to give up exclusive control of its technological secrets like the AT Field to the Alliance because of the terms of the Declaration of Principles. Technology Nerv acquired to deal with the Angels. That and the fact a bunch of Outside worlds will involve themselves in what is plainly a problem for Earth alone. Damn Sheridan and his alliance of aliens. What was worse was she couldn't blame Commander Ayanami-Miranami for this either. Thirteen knew full well her standing orders were to report any Angel sightings to both Nerv and Earthforce. With the discovery on M-235, she had done just that. With the Interstellar Alliance's involvement, security of Nerv's secrets was going to be a problem no thanks to the Alliance's policy of sharing new technology with other races. She stalked into the presidential outer office. A few political and presidential aides milled about in hushed discussions over various irrelevant issues. Stalking across the office, she made it to the door to the President's inner office when she was stopped by presidential aide Kyle Reese. "I demand to see the President immediately," she said. "I'm sorry, Commander," Reese replied, "but the President is in high-level meetings with the Joint Chiefs and has been so all morning. She cannot be disturbed." "The hell she is," Thirteen replied, "Now you either stand aside or I will make you stand aside." "You know I can't do that. The President left explicit instructions she was not to be disturbed for anyone. Especially the commander of Nerv." "Those were her exact words?" "Yes, Commander." Thirteen initiated a telepathic scan to ensure Reese was telling the truth, just like back in her Psi Cop days. So she did give the order, did she not. Well, I'll show her that Nerv is not to be taken lightly. She shoved Reese aside and opened the door. "Hey, you can't go in there," Reese protested moving to try and stop her. Thirteen stepped into the office. Luchenko was there, sitting behind the desk presented to President Michelle Langley as a gift from the Centauri Emperor in 2197. Generals Smits and Foxworth from the Joint Chiefs were also there, as Reese had said. Luchenko gave her a rather disapproving frown as she regarded Thirteen with her sharp green eyes. "Madame President," Reese said apologetically, "my sincerest apologies. I tried to stop her." Luchenko stood and raised a hand dismissively, "It's all right," she said in a slightly Russian accent. "I figured she would come sooner or later. General Smits, General Foxworth, we'll continue this meeting at 1600 Earth Standard Time." The two generals stood and saluted Luchenko before turning on their heels and marching out the door. Luchenko inclined her head to Reese as a gesture of dismissal, and he left without another word. She sat back in her chair and offered Thirteen one of three chairs in front of the desk. "Madame President, I must protest your actions regarding the Angels," Thirteen began, preferring to stand. "When Nerv was reestablished in 2203, it did so with the express understanding that anything involving the Angels falls solely under Nerv's jurisdiction. The Earth Alliance agreed to this provision. It's too much of a security risk for others to know our operations and our technology, especially outsiders like Earthforce and the Interstellar Alliance." "Are you saying you even consider your own world to be outsiders?" Luchenko countered. "I would remind you Nerv has been using Earthforce Special Operations personnel since 2250. Those operatives are still a part of Earthforce; they wear the Earthforce uniform even though they are still considered to be working for whatever organization they are assigned to, be it Nerv, the Bio-Weapons Division, the Psi Corps, or whatever. EarthGov is entitled to know what missions those operatives are on and all information concerning those missions." "And I would remind you that Nerv's mission is the preservation of the human species against the Angels. The Angels are unlike any other enemy we have ever faced in our history. The Angels have the capacity to wipe out humanity, and in 2015 they very nearly did in the Impacts." "The Third Impact was caused by two factors: 1) Nerv's obsessions with keeping its technologies secret from everyone else, and 2) Seele's overzealousness in attempting to complete the Human Complement Program. That coupled with the Evangelion units combining caused the Third Impact. The Angels had nothing to do with it." "I'm not interested in a historical debate, Madame President," Thirteen bit back. "That was a different time." "Yes, but Nerv's paranoia lives on even to this day." "Is that why you took jurisdiction over the Angels away from us?" "My dear Commander," Luchenko said, leaning back on her chair, "you of all people should know me better than that. I took control of the Angel situation for the good of the human race, not to mention the rest of the galaxy." "That brings up another point," Thirteen interrupted. "How can you even think of letting Sheridan and his Interstellar Alliance outlaws into this? The last thing we need is a bunch of aliens using our own technology against us." "That sounds like the mentality of Clark's regime. I thought we rooted all that out when I took over. Commander, our forces are spread too thin." "That's not my problem." "If the Angels have truly returned, we may not be able to stop them from decimating the human race by ourselves. Sheridan and the Alliance may be our only hope for survival. They must be notified. I am sorry you feel as you do, but we need their help. This discussion is concluded." "You haven't heard the last of this, President," Thirteen growled. "Someday your kind will pay for what you have done to us." With that said, Thirteen turned and stalked off. "I do not take kindly to threats," Luchenko said as Thirteen reached the door, a slightly dangerous tone in her voice. "That was not a threat. It's a promise. Good day, Madame President." Striding into Command and Control, Captain Elizabeth Lochley tried not to show concern regarding Commander Ayanami-Miranami's impending arrival, now less than twelve hours away. The Griffin and the Missouri were en route as well, and they would arrive at about the same time as the Perry. She had briefed President Sheridan and he suggested the both of them plus Ambassador Delenn and Mr. Garibaldi would meet the Perry's command staff when they arrived at Babylon 5. Lochley would also personally meet the captains of the Griffin and Missouri as well. She knew of the Angels, of course; most Earthforce officers knew of them, and they all knew what the Impacts did to Earth and its population. The fact the Angels were found out on the Rim was more than enough to cause her concern. And Sheridan was right, of course. How could anyone think the Angels meant to attack only Earth? Any of the Alliance member worlds could be subject to a possible attack. Texts on many of those worlds, religious and otherwise, spoke of similar entities. "Lt. Corwin," she said from the command post, "anything scheduled before Commander Ayanami-Miranami's arrival?" "Just one more civilian ship arriving, Captain," said Lt. David Corwin. "Transport Soryu out of Proxima-3. It's due in..." He checked the station's chronometer on his console, "just about now." The jumpgate sequence activated and a modified Earth transport ship emerged from the gate, approaching the station. Lochley noticed it was over ten meters longer and five meters wider than the standard transports. Still, it was small enough for the station's docking bays. At the same time, the ship's pilot appeared on a monitor on Lochley's console. She was dressed in reddish-brown, with reddish-blond hair and blue-gray eyes. Lochley recognized her immediately as Danielle Asuka Langley, a former Starfury pilot under her command aboard the Damocles. She was one of the best pilots in Earthforce until the battle at Proxima-3. "Babylon Control, this is Transport Soryu," Danielle said, "requesting clearance to dock." "It's been a long time, Danielle." "Well, Captain Lochley, it is a small galaxy, isn't it?" Danielle said cheerfully. "I'm surprised you still remember me." "You were rather difficult to forget. Your exploits aboard the Damocles made it as far as the command staff. What brings you to Babylon 5?" "I'm on walkabout," Danielle said. "I get to see the galaxy, and all I have to do is haul anything anywhere. Right now I'm just passing through." "Just make sure you're not hauling anything illegal through the station," Lochley advised. "You're cleared to dock in Bay 2." "Roger that, Babylon Control," Danielle said. "I'm looking forward to my visit." "Mr. President," Londo Mollari said upon finding President John Sheridan stepping out of a transport tube on Green-2, "are the rumors I've been hearing true? Did your people find some other race out on the Rim?" "How did you find out about that?" Sheridan asked suspiciously. "When I get word that three Earthforce ships are en route here and I start hearing rumors in the Zocalo and the casino about your people finding something out on the Rim, well naturally my curiosity is aroused." Sheridan chuckled slightly as he started to walk off. "Londo, you shouldn't listen to rumors heard in the Zocalo or the casino. They very rarely are the truth." "So you deny these rumors," Londo concluded, jabbing a finger at him. "Londo, I cannot confirm or deny anything you heard secondhand until we get some solid evidence. When we have that evidence, you have my assurance we will let the Alliance know in the council chamber. Now if you will excuse me, Ambassador, I have other pressing matters which cannot remain unattended forever." As Sheridan walked away, Londo called out after him, "It's nice to know I can get a straight answer around here." Sheridan shook his head as he neared Ambassador Delenn's quarters. Some things never change. That's good, actually. It's nice to have some things stay the same in a constantly changing universe. He heard what he thought was singing up ahead of him on the other end of the corridor. As the sound drew closer, Sheridan noticed the "singing" was more like a "p-p-p-p-pu" repeated. Bouncing around the corner at the far end of the Green-2 main corridor was a marshmallow- shaped creature about a foot tall with ears similar to a rabbit's flopping up and down with each bounce. Its nose and arms were little more than nubs and its mouth seemed to be in a perpetual smile. A large red jewel adorned its forehead, glowing slightly. When the creature reached Sheridan it stopped, looked him up and down, then lifted up to face him eye-to-eye using its long ears for lift. "Pu-Pu!" it said excitedly, as it usually did upon seeing most humans, and took off bouncing down the corridor, resuming its little song. Sheridan shook his head in envy of the little creature which decided to call Babylon 5 home just after the Shadow War. Nobody had any idea as to where it came from, what it called itself, or even what race it was. How can any sentient being be so carefree? Sheridan wondered. Someday he'd find out who it was and where it came from. He would make it his personal mission. When Sheridan entered Ambassador Delenn's quarters, he found her sitting at her computer terminal studying the display intently, his thought of the marshmallow creature pushed to the back burner for now. He saw she was clad in the purple dress she usually wore, and she had a contemplating frown on her face. "What are you looking at?" Sheridan asked. "I'm studying your world's records on the Angels. When we first received word on the Angel situation from the Earth President, I felt it necessary to find out some of what they are. Very depressing, what happened in the Third Impact. It very nearly destroyed your people." "It was tragic," he admitted. "But by the time of the Third Impact, the Angels had already gone." "There's one thing I don't understand, John. Who are the Angels?" Sheridan sat on the nearby couch. "Nobody really knows. When Nerv Was reformed that was one of its tasks. Finding out who the Angels really were, where they came from, and where they went after Third Impact." "But how could Nerv justify using children back then to pilot the Evangelion units?" "According to Earthforce history, only those born within nine months of the Second Impact in 2000 could pilot an Eva unit. Nobody then or now really understood why. Some have said Adam was the reason for this, but I don't think Nerv or anyone else ever managed to figure that out before Third Impact which took place in 2015." "But according to this report, Units 5 through 12 had no pilots." "Seele mass-produced those units in their attempt to take over Nerv after the Angels had gone. Those units were equipped with dummy plugs as opposed to Units 00 through 04 which had the standard entry plugs." "A barbaric time," Delenn concluded. "Using children to fight. Very tragic. Maybe that's what Major Katsuragi meant when she revealed humanity was the 18th Angel. Humanity would cause the Third Impact." "Partly, yes. The mass-produced Evas combining with Unit 1 is what truly caused the Third Impact. But if Seele hadn't launched those units, the Third Impact may never have happened." "Why did Seele launch those units?" "Because of something called the Human Complement Program. What the true objectives of this program were remains a mystery to this day, but because of it Seele wanted Third Impact." "Tell me, John," she said after a moment, deftly changing the subject. "This Commander Ayanami-Miranami, have you ever met her?" "Long ago. She served a two-month tour aboard the Agamemnon as a cadet in Earthforce Academy. I've always thought of her as quiet and completely unemotional, though that was over ten years ago. I do know she was assigned to Special Ops after she graduated from the Academy. Apparently Nerv insisted on her assignment." "Do you trust Nerv?" Sheridan gave her a long look. "Not entirely," he admitted. "Nerv has been one of the more secret organizations within EarthGov. There are those who still believe Nerv was responsible for the Third Impact. There was a very hushed rumor a couple of years ago that Nerv absorbed Bureau 13, an organization which engaged in black projects and starchamber justice which was buried deep inside EarthGov, before the civil war. But my sources on Earth have never been able to confirm this. Plus Nerv uses Special Ops officers for all its missions requiring Earthforce support. They say it's for security reasons, but I have my doubts." "So you've never met anyone who's a part of Nerv." He shook his head. "No, not directly. They're too damned secretive." "So why would they send someone here now?" "I don't think Nerv had a choice. When President Luchenko contacted me and Captain Lochley, she had taken personal charge of the Angel situation. I understand that has Nerv annoyed to no end, and I've got Mr. Garibaldi looking into that. Obviously the Perry found something on the Rim, and it scared the hell out of the President." "I took the liberty of sending White Stars 26 and 30 to Sector 999 after we received the message from the Earth Alliance. I ordered them to not take any unnecessary risks, just to verify whatever it was the Perry saw." "Good," Sheridan nodded in approval. "We need to know as much as possible of exactly what we're dealing with. I get the feeling Nerv and Special Ops won't tell us everything, either. How soon before the White Stars arrive?" "Just under two hours. They were already out on the Rim patrolling Sector 930." Sheridan got up from the couch and went over to a bowl of oranges on the counter, where he picked one up. "I see you've picked up one of my habits." Delenn smiled, getting up from the terminal. "There are worse habits to have, John. Like leaving your wet socks in the shower." "Touche," Sheridan returned the smile. "Be sure to inform me when they find anything." "Already done, she assured him, gliding over to him. She clasped her arms around him in a light embrace. "Your place tonight?" He nodded. "Sure. I may be working late tonight, though. Captain Lochley tells me the Perry is due to arrive at 0900 tomorrow morning. The Griffin and the Missouri are due to arrive soon afterward." "The Griffin," Delenn repeated. "That's-" "Ivanova's ship, I know. I will confess it is somewhat strange. I thought they wouldn't complete their shakedown cruise until first of next year. The Warlock class has not been fully combat-tested yet. It's a fine ship, but..." "You're not certain of its combat effectiveness," she concluded. "It's not that," Sheridan said in protest. "When the time comes, I'm sure the Griffin will do a fine job. I just hope it doesn't come to that." Danielle Asuka Langley disembarked from her transport in Bay 2. Ah, it's good to have something solid beneath my feet once in a while, even if it is a space station. But what a station it is. She was awed by the sheer size of Babylon 5; it appeared even larger in real life than from all the vids she saw. Bay 2 was even larger than her home port on Proxima-3. Maybe I could set up a branch here. This place could be good for business. Her thought trailed off at that. She knew full well it wasn't business which brought her here. Halfway to the inner door leading to the customs area, she glanced back at the section of the ship where the Evangelion unit was kept. I had hoped I'd never have to use that, she thought somberly. But based on what I've heard out there in the last few hours, Unit 02 may be our only hope. "Angels, always with Angels will our struggles begin," she recited to herself. "With what Earthforce found on the Rim, I'm starting to understand what the Book of G'Qeth was trying to say. 'Six by three they would come and the universe would know a pain like no other.' So true." Picking up her backpack containing most of her worldly possessions, including her copy of the Book of G'Qeth, she shoved the morose thoughts out of her mind and headed for the customs area. When she got there, she saw the activity in customs was light; after all, it was after 2300 EST. She walked right up to a green-clad, brown- haired male security officer who looked like he was nearing the end of his shift. She took her identicard out of her worn red tunic and handed it to him. He ran the card through the scanner and he perked up when he saw who it was. "Danielle Asuka Langley. I know that name sounds familiar. Have we met somewhere before?" "You remember every woman you've ever met?" Danielle asked. He shrugged. "I try to." She shook her head. "I don't really think so. This is my first time on Babylon 5." Shrugging, he handed the identicard back to her. "Anything to declare?" "No. Not a thing." "Okay, everything checks out. Welcome to Babylon 5." "Thank you," she smiled. "I'll be here a couple of days. Where do I go to obtain temporary quarters?" "The Guest Requisition Office on Blue-14," he replied. "They'll take care of you." "Thank you again. I'm looking forward to my stay." As she walked to the nearest transport tube, she tried to recall where she had seen him before. Suddenly she remembered. Kensuke Adams. He was a security officer aboard the Damocles before the Battle of Proxima-3. She shuddered in remembrance. Thinking of her last days as an Earthforce officer always did that to her, because it always made what happened that day come right back to the forefront. She pitched her Starfury right into the firefight between the Earthforce ships and Sheridan's White Stars. She managed to target and destroy two enemy fighters before she had to juke underneath an approaching White Star. Damn, those things are fast! Danielle thought as she engaged a red-and-gold painted Starfury and Proxima-3 came rolling back into her view. This one proved to be elusive. He deftly avoided her fire with laughable ease. Then just as quickly, he twisted the red fighter around and returned fire. Danielle yanked on the controls to dodge, but one shot hit her upper right engine. The impact spun her out of control towards the Pollux's bow. "Aw, hell," she swore as she regained control and charged at the red Starfury. She went after him with a vengeance. Still, he proved to he too elusive for her. She chased him around all the White Stars and the Earthforce destroyers, including some death-defying chases around the Juno and the Herakles. "Stay still, you," she growled at the elusive fighter. Damn, this guy's good. The red fighter led her back to the Pollux, and he quickly veered off. Danielle saw a dying White Star on a collision course with the Pollux, and she was far too close. She pulled the controls downward but it wasn't fast enough. The White Star rammed the Pollux and exploded, destroying the ship's forward section. Too close too close I'm too close! Danielle's mind screamed as she flew through the explosion caused by the collision. Flames lapped around her fighter before being quashed by the vacuum of space. The explosion was huge and seemed to never end. She gritted her teeth as shrapnel and debris caromed off the skin of her fighter in a lethal rain. The debris cracked the canopy just to her right. Another trio of cracks blossomed from the center of the central part of the canopy. Human and Minbari bodies, or what was left of them, floated before the fires consumed them. The Pollux is next. I've got to get the hell out of here. Then in the fires of the explosion, she saw a shimmering light ahead of her. Without thinking she accelerated towards it and out of harm's way. Seconds later the Pollux exploded bow to stern behind her fighter. "Asuka." Who the hell was that? Danielle wondered to herself. It didn't come over any of the comm channels; she could still hear the crosstalk from the battle behind her. Plus the voice sounded young, very young, a male voice sounding no older than fourteen or fifteen years old. Looking out her cockpit windows, she saw the red Starfury had gone, probably to rejoin the fight she was getting progressively further away from. Her Starfury lurched a bit as the shock wave from the exploding Pollux reached her. The shimmering light ahead of her had grown larger and began to take a more definite form. Unconsciously she angled her fighter towards it, oblivious to what was going on behind her, the red Starfury now gone from her immediate memory. She could see the image of a disembodied head with light blue hair and clear red eyes. "Asuka," the voice said again, "do you know who I am? Do you know what I am?" Danielle realized the voice was speaking directly into her mind; the person addressing her had to be a telepath. No, that can't be. There's nobody around here except this illusion ahead of me. Then she realized it was the image that was speaking to her. The image smiled at her. "They are looking for you," he said. "Who? Who's looking for me?" Danielle asked aloud. "Those who are the same as I." "The same as you? Who are you?" "Search your feelings, Asuka, and you will know my true nature." "That's not my name." "That is not important. It is your nature. That alone is sufficient for them. For us." "I don't understand." "You will. Six by three we came before, and six by three we shall come again." "Six by three of what?" Danielle demanded, now getting a bit impatient. "All will be clear when the time is right for the return, for the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end. Let me show you." Danielle found herself in the cockpit of Eva-02. The forward monitors were activated showing a fourteen-year-old boy hovering with a slight glow around him. Beyond him was Eva-01, grappling with Unit 02. She could hear classical music all around her as the Evas along with the boy went down level after level towards the area known as the Terminal Dogma. She didn't know how she knew this, it just suddenly came to her mind. She winced in pain as Eva-01 hammered away on Eva-02. The boy was apparently speaking to Unit 01, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. The two Evas reached the Geofront, still locked in combat as the boy watched in between. She tried pulling on the controls but the Eva wouldn't respond. Wait a minute, she thought in alarm. This's the battle between Units 01 and 02 in the Geofront. That boy, he's the same one whose head appeared in front of the Starfury, he's Kaworu, the 17th Angel! The boy turned to face her. "So, you do remember me." "How can this be? You're supposed to be..." "Dead, yes. I died in the Terminal Dogma, right above the LCL pool and in the presence of Lillith. Sad, really, and also a relief. I thanked Shinji that day. My death was a liberation. September 13, 2000 I was born one of the six by three." "That was the day of Second Impact." "Yes. Humanity had reached a deadlock in evolution as was later discovered. The six of three were sent to break this deadlock so humanity could evolve to the next stage. That is why the Impacts occurred." "But who sent them? Who sent the Angels?" The two Evas reached the Terminal Dogma before Kaworu would say Anything more. At the bottom of the Geofront Danielle saw Eva-01 break the hold and reach its progressive knife. With one strike, it stabbed the head of Eva-02. Danielle screamed as the pain was like none she had ever felt before. She felt her own head splitting open in time with the Eva's. The monitors went black and Danielle continued screaming so loudly she didn't realize she was back in her Starfury until she heard the call from her squad leader. "Gamma 4, are you all right?" Danielle realized she was sweating profusely. What the hell's going on? How the hell did I get here, so far away from the battle? Why was I screaming like that? Was that a dream? She looked around and saw two of her squad mates flanking her. Gamma Leader and Gamma 3, what are they doing here? "Hey, Danielle, you all right?" Gamma 3 asked. "You were screaming bloody murder all over the comm channels." "And why are you so far from the battlefield?" Gamma Leader wanted to know. "I...I'm not sure. I was pursuing an enemy fighter and I got caught up in the explosion of the Pollux, and I ended up here." "Come on, it's over. We're pulling back to the Damocles." Over. Everything was over. She had tried explaining what she saw to Anyone who would listen. Nobody would believe her, though. Kaworu died over 200 years ago, so how could he appear in her mind now? Danielle had thought the same thing in the months following her psych discharge from Earthforce. Six by three they would come, indeed, Danielle thought. Why am I thinking of this now? Angels, always with Angels. She picked up her backpack and headed down the corridor to the nearest transport tube, still repeating in her mind, six by three they would come. Always with Angels will our struggles begin. Six by three they would come, always with Angels will our struggles begin... End part 2 Comments can be directed via private e-mail to mcanime@swbell.net. Constructive comments are welcome and will be read. Non-constructive Flames will be used for PPG target practice.