Neon Genesis Evangelion - The New Age

A fanfic by Dark Shadow (baughj@rpi.edu)

Chapter Two: The Awakening

WARNING.  This fic deals with life after End of Evangelion, the movie. 
If you haven't seen it, the fic might not make sense, and you will
definitely spoil the movie.  Trust me, see the movie first...

Synopsis:  This fic focuses on the events following the Third Impact. 
Did humanity evolve? What was the outcome of the Instrumentality
Project?  What happened to all of Shinji's friends and loved ones...and
indeed, all of humanity?

* symbolizes thought and/or telepathy.
======================================================================


	*misatoweloveyoumisatoyou'reapartofusmisatomisatomisato*

	The fog slowly cleared from Katsuragi Misato's mind.  

	Misato slowly awakened.  All she could remember was getting shot,
kissing Shinji goodbye...and then sweet nothingness.  And then she felt
horrible pain, and heard so many people screaming....and then she saw
Shinji and tried to talk to him, but she was brought back to the
darkness...

	*Where am i?*

	*You are in the Collective.*

	*The...the..collective?*

	*Affirmative.*

	*Wh...wh..why am i here..*  Misato was overwhelmed by the perception of
nearly a billion people watching her.

	*You are a part of us, Misato.  Every one is a part of us....we have
been Unified.*

	*Unified.*

	*Yes.  Unified.  We think with one mind, we evolve as one being.*

	Misato screamed..."The Third Impact! Oh God, it really happened!!"

	Misato broke down and started to cry, falling to her knees.

	Kaji appeared, and kneeled next to her.

	"Kaji?? You're...you're..."

	"Misato...."  Kaji hugged her close, and Misato started to cry.

	"Kaji...you were..."

	"I know, Misato-kun.  I know..."

	"Then how...." Misato looked at Kaji, a look of pleading on her eyes. 
Misato desperately wanted to wake up from this horrible dream.

	"Misato.  Do you know where you are?"

	Out of the darkness, wraithlike figures started to approach.  As they
got closer, Misato could see that they resolved into individuals...
Gendo, Rei, Maya, Ritsuko...everyone that worked at NERV was walking
towards her.

	"You are a part of us now, Misato-kun..."

	Ritsuko ran up and kneeled next to Misato.  "I missed you so much,
Misato.."

	Misato turned around and looked at Gendo, who was standing with an arm
around Rei.

	"Even in death, you choose to ignore your son."

	Gendo gave her a level stare.  "Misato...there is much to talk about. 
You don't understand...because you haven't been Unified.  You died so
close to the Unification, that your soul hasn't become a part of us
yet."

	"Maybe I don't want it to."

	"I'm afraid that's not an option," said Gendo, with a hidden icy steel
in his voice.  His level stare now starting to give Misato goosebumps.

	"Misato, don't worry.  Everything is going to be okay," said Kaji.  "I
promise, okay...Misato-kun?"

	Misato stared at Kaji for a long time. Kaji looked at Gendo, and
nodded.  She turned around and looked around her, but all she could see
was black in all directions.  Except for a huge light which shone down
onto her, whose source wasn't apparent, but was brilliant in its
intensity.  *Much like a doctor's examination light...*  The image
scared her, reminding her of her fair share of visits in clinics after
the Second Impact, and she shivered again.

	Another figure approached.  It was her father.

	"Hello, Misato-chan..."

	"F...Father?" Misato mumbled.	

					***
	
	Lorenz stormed down the hill, murder in his eyes.  He was closing on
Shinji and Asuka, who were still crying and didn't see him coming. 
"DIE!!" he screamed, and leapt at Shinji.

	"What?! AHHHghgh!" yelled Shinji, as Lorenz crashed headfirst into him.
"DIE, fool!" bellowed Lorenz, as he began to choke the life from Shinji.

	"STOP!! STOP!" screamed Asuka, and leapt onto Lorenz, pulling his hair.

	"I'll deal with you in a second, bitch!"  Lorenz jumped to his feet and
literally _threw_ Asuka like a shotput.  Asuka collided with a nearby
rock and collapsed, blood flowing from the nasty gash on her head.

	Lorenz turned around and looked at Shinji, who had by this time gotten
to his feet.  What Lorenz saw scared even him, a man who had seen,
throughout the course of two thousand years, things that would make
normal men die of fright.

	What Lorenz saw was Shinji.  Only he was mad.  Very, very mad.  His
body was engulfed in flames, and he was moving towards Lorenz.  His
intent was very, very clear.  His eyes said it all.

	"You...you...you hurt ASUKA!!!" Shinji bellowed, and charged.

	Lorenz decided it would be a good idea to turn around and run.

					***

	"Gendo, I'm afraid it's happening," Rei whispered.

	"What is it, Rei-kun?"

	Rei stared at Gendo for a moment..."Rei.....kun??" Even though they had
always been close, Gendo had never addressed her like that.

	Gendo smiled.  "Well, why not?  There isn't any measure of respect when
you're inside everyone's head.  Besides..you always were like a daughter
to me.."

	Rei thought about that for a second, and decided they would have to
come back to that later.  *After we've saved humanity as we know it...*

	"Gendo....Lorenz has found Shinji."

	"WHAT!! Why didn't you say so?  Let's go, now!" 

	Rei stared at him, wondering how to best summarize the situation.

	"I think it would be best if we didn't approach him right now..."

	"Why? What's happened?"

	"Shinji...well, Shinji is a little....angry with Lorenz...for hurting
Asuka."  *The understatement of the century...* Rei thought to herself. 

	Gendo blanched.  "What...what did he do?"  The ramifications of what
Lorenz's fool actions could cause ran through his head.

	"He threw her into a rock.  Hard.  Shinji...is obviously agitated."

	"Even more the reason to stop him.  If he discovers his ultimate powers
through violence, we are in for one hell of a bad time.  And I'm not
talking about getting sucked into Eva-01 or transferring into another
body, or even getting hit head on by an N2 bomb.  I'm talking about
something much, much worse."  Gendo scowled.  *That fool causes us
trouble even after his exile.*

	"Gendo, you do realize that if Shinji should choose to...to hurt
us..for some reason..."  Rei's voice trembled as she thought of what
Shinji was truly capable of.

	"Yes, I realize that, Rei.  But we must stop him."

	"I suggest we send Misato...Shinji always did have feelings for her. 
And I'm not exactly sure if it was motherly instincts she felt,
either....But that is neither here nor there."

	"Indeed?  How curious.  Misato..having feelings for a boy half her
age?"

	"Don't knock it, you seemed to get along famously with Ritsuko."

	Gendo turned around and was about to fake backhand Rei when he noticed
something that was not quite right.

	Rei was laughing.  And it wasn't an unkind laugh....it was a lilting,
pleasant laugh.

	It reminded him of Yui.

	"Come on Gendo.  We must go," Rei whispered into Gendo's ear.

	And with that, they vanished from the collective.

				    ***

	Lorenz had not been having a good day.  First, his dreams of ruling the
world had been completely shattered.  Second, he had been exiled from
the collective, in a brutal, wrenching process, doomed to walk the
earth.  And perhaps most important, a flaming Shinji was now chasing
him, a Shinji that was quite intent on making him very, very dead.

	"YAAAAAAAA!!!" the flaming Shinji yelled, releasing blasts of fire
towards Lorenz.  The blasts carved deep holes into the already cratered
landscape.

	Lorenz just ran, and ran, and ran.  In a tragic turn of events for
Lorenz, however, Fate had decided that it wanted to put a rather large
rock in his way.  Lorenz hit the rock at full speed and toppled over
with a sickening crunch as he twisted his ankle out of its socket.

	"Damn! DAMN DAMN DAMN!" Lorenz yelled, as he tried desperately to get
away from Shinji.  The pain was overwhelming, and he gritted his teeth
as he drug himself along the ground.  *Why is it that NOTHING CAN GO
RIGHT? EVER?*  That thought repeated itself like a mantra in his head,
as he watched Shinji draw closer.  He had stopped his pyrotechnic
display, but Lorenz didn't exactly like the look in his eyes.

	"Don't....you....EVER....do that....EVER!!" Shinji trembled, his hands
balled into fists.  "NEVER!!" Shinji yelled at the top of his lungs.  He
slowly brought his hands to his sides, clearly resisting the impulse to
beat Lorenz to death with the rock he had tripped over.

	Lorenz decided it was a good idea to just shut the hell up, close his
eyes, and wait for it.  *Maybe death will be more fun than life...* he
thought.   And then, it didn't come.  *I...I'm still alive??* he
wondered.  He opened his eyes and looked at Shinji.

	Shinji, in his defense, had been doing a remarkable job of controlling
the emotions that were throbbing through his mind.  Unfortunately,
Shinji could no longer control the thought that was pounding through his
brain, and hefted the huge rock as if it were styrofoam.  He raised it
over his head, and lightning struck overhead, giving his face a eerie
glow.  

	Lorenz could do nothing but goggle at Shinji, mouth open.

	"Shinji...Shinji..." a voice whispered from afar.

	Misato Katsuragi slowly faded into being.

	"M...Misato!! Misato!!!" Shinji exclaimed, and dropped the rock. 
Unfortunately for Lorenz, it landed on his chest with a dull thud. 
"Mxhfhrghhh..." was all that Lorenz could manage.  Shinji ran over to
Misato and embraced her.  

	"Misato!  How are....why..." Shinji mumbled, rather distracted by
Misato's goodies being shoved into his face when he hugged her.

	Misato laughed.  "I'm so glad to see you, Shinji-kun," she whispered,
and hugged Shinji until he thought he was going to die of suffocation. 
*Not a bad way to go, though...* Shinji thought.

	"Mxhfghrhmhgnlt.." was all Lorenz could say.

	"Listen to me, Shinji.." Misato started, disengaging from the bear
hug.  She put her arms on his shoulders.  "We have a lot to talk
about.."

	Shinji just stared at Misato.  The initial shock of realizing that she
was here, in front of him, had not yet worn off.  Something, however,
was nagging at his consciousness.  He tried to remember what it
was...*Asuka!!!*

	"Misato!  We have to go help Asuka!  She...she's been hurt!  Come on!" 
Shinji grabbed a dumbfounded Misato and drug her towards Asuka's now
unmoving body.

	Shinji kneeled next to Asuka.  Blood was mixed with the normal fiery
red of her hair, giving it a crimson color.  "Asuka!  ASUKA!" he
screamed, as he slowly stroked her face.  "ASUKA!!!!"

	"This is an unexpected development."

	Shinji whirled around, as he recognized the voice he had loathed all
these years.

	Gendo Ikari was standing behind him.

	"Hello, Shinji."

	"F...Father??"  Shinji slowly stood up.  He didn't know whether he
wanted to hit him or hug him.  Shinji decided on the latter and ran over
to his father.

	Gendo saw what Shinji was thinking, and decided he'd have to just deal
with it.  Gendo and Shinji had never been close, and had become
increasingly estranged after his abandonment of Shinji to pursue his
goals at NERV.  Gendo, however, had his regrets, just like any human
being, and decided that what Shinji needed right now was a father.

	Shinji came to a stop as he looked at Gendo's face.  Gendo was clearly
lost in thought, and had a surreal detached look to him.  Gendo noticed
Shinji's scrutinization and grabbed him in a bearhug.

	"Maybe I should explain what's going on?" Gendo mumbled.  "First of
all, Asuka isn't dead.  We can help her."

	Shinji goggled at Gendo.  "H...how?  Do it!  Do it now!"

	"You will have to do it, Shinji."

	"But...but...how can I help Asuka?" Shinji stuttered.

	"Mxgfghxfrhnght..." mumbled Lorenz.

	"You're still alive?" muttered Gendo, and kicked Lorenz in the side,
causing another bout of mumbling.  "We'll get to you in a second."  

	Gendo turned around to face Shinji.  "Listen to me, Shinji..It's the
power you have, inside of you.  Already you can feel it awakening.  You
are destined for great things, Shinji.  All you need to do is imagine a
healthy, normal Asuka, and it  shall be done."

	"But..."

	"Shinji.  You can do it.  Just like you thought you couldn't pilot the
Eva, you think you can't do this, but you can," Misato said, smiling at
Shinji.

	*I musn't run away.  I musn't run away.*  Shinji's mantra repeated
itself endlessly in his consciousness.  Slowly he turned around and
kneeled next to Asuka.

	"What do I do.." he mumbled helplessly.  He was at a complete loss.

	"Simply imagine Asuka alive.  Imagine her enjoying life; simply living
it for the pleasure of living.  Think about the times you've spent with
her; how you've gotten to know her." replied Gendo.

	Shinji looked at Asuka's lifeless body, and all he could think about
was sadness.  He started to sob.  "Asuka..." he cried.

	"Listen to me, Shinji.  You have to ignore this.  You have to
concentrate on Asuka as she was.  Trust me," whispered Misato.

	Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated.   *Asuka...* Images
immediately flowed through his head.  Scenes from Asuka's life.  Her
mother's lifeless body, hanging from a rope.  Asuka's insistence that
she be the best at everything.  "I am the best!" said Asuka's voice. 
Shinji concentrated, and ripped through Asuka's outer AT field like it
was butter.  *Show your true self, Asuka.* he thought.  *Your confidence
is your shield...I want to see the Asuka I love.*  Sweat rippled down
Shinji's brow as he concentrated.  Immense sadness tore through him as
Asuka's consciousness threw up another AT field to stop Shinji's descent
towards Asuka's essence.  Shinji saw Asuka's mother, dead.  Shinji saw
Asuka sobbing and crying for her mother to come back to her.  Shinji saw
Asuka's father leaving her.  He felt himself starting to cry.  *NO! I
must not succumb.* he thought.  Shinji concentrated and thought of the
time he saved Asuka's life.  The time they had spent on the beach, right
after the Third Impact.  His thoughts obliterated Asuka's remaining
defense and with a flash, he felt Asuka's essence.  It was warm, and
pleasant, like lying on the beach.  *Shinji..kun...*  

	Shinji opened his eyes, and was shocked.  The blood pool underneath
Asuka was draining away, back into Asuka's body, and was gone.  Asuka
began to stir.  "Mama.."

	Shinji picked up Asuka and cradled her in his arms.  He could not bear
it anymore and began to sob.  It all came out at once.  Asuka's pain. 
His own pain at the loss of his mother.  The pain of millions of people
he didn't even know.  His body racked with heaving sobs.

	Gendo kneeled next to Shinji, and put his arm on his shoulder.  "Trust
me, it will get better.  You won't always feel like this."

	Shinji continued to cry.  Asuka slowly awakened, and opened her eyes. 
"Shinji..." Asuka whispered, and brought her hands to his face. 
"Shinji..."

	Shinji looked into Asuka's eyes, and suddenly felt her inside of his
consciousness.  *Yes...That's right, I can see into you as well..* Asuka
thought.  *Shinji...I..I love you..*

	Shinji stared at Asuka as if she had grown a third limb.  *That's the
first time anyone has ever said that to you, isn't it?* Asuka thought. 
*You can't remember your mother, and your father never said anything
remotely like that to you.*

	Shinji brought Asuka's face towards his and kissed her.  *We are alike
in so many ways, Shinji-kun...*

	*I know...I finally know..* thought Shinji.

	As they kissed, images flew through the mind of the other.  Asuka saw
Shinji crying at the train station, begging his father to come back. 
She saw Shinji at Yui's funeral, while Gendo watched stoically, a single
tear falling from his face.  Shinji saw Asuka's mother, asking her to
die with her.  Shinji's AT field finally dissolved under Asuka's
pressure, and Asuka felt Shinji's essence merge with hers, as his
memories and past flooded her consciousness.

	Gendo and Misato just watched the two teenagers, somewhat surprised. 
Gendo, because he thought his son wasn't capable of such emotion;
Misato, because she thought Asuka would never come to grips with her
past in order to get close enough to someone.

	Shinji slowly let go of Asuka, and she sat next to him.  She just
stared at Shinji, giving him a level stare, and he looked back into her
ocean-blue eyes.  Both of them were still shocked at what had just
happened.  *Wow..* they both thought simultaneously.  Both of them
laughed.
	"Misato.." started Asuka, but Misato interrupted her.
	
	"I died, but the Third Impact occured, unifying every human being ever
into a collective consciousness, so I'm alive again, and here before you
now."  Misato thought that summed it up nicely.

	Asuka thought about this for a second.

	"So...we failed." said Shinji.  "We failed to prevent the Third
Impact."

	"No, we did not fail.  We achieved the Constructive Third Impact - the
final evolution of mankind.  Lorenz, the man under this rock here, was
trying to achieve the Destructive Third Impact - which would have killed
every living being on the planet."  said Gendo.

	"Mgrghrhgmfnt!" grunted Lorenz.

	Shinji just stared at his father, dumbfounded.

	Gendo sighed.  This was proving more difficult than he had anticipated.

	"Look....son..."  Gendo stopped for a second, stumbling over the
unfamiliar word.  He had rarely addressed Shinji by anything other than
his name.  "You have to understand...you...well, you have power
unimagined by any other human being....ever."

	"W..what?"  Shinji stuttered.

	Gendo sighed.  "Listen to me, son.  You are capable of turning your
dreams into reality.  Anything you imagine becomes our reality.  Your
thoughts, your dreams, are linked to the will of the collective.  The
collective is able to turn your dreams into reality.  Whether you use
this power for good or bad is ultimately up to one person.  You."

	"Let me get this straight, you're saying that whatever Shinji imagines
becomes reality?" asked Asuka.

	"Yes.  He has the power to alter this entire planet." said Misato.

	"Anta baka?!  How can any one person have that kind of power?" said
Asuka, and scoffed.  *Shinji, I'd like to know what the hell is going
on, and I don't think it involves your father and Misato, either.*

	Shinji looked over at Asuka.  *Maybe what they're saying is right. 
After all it would explain what i've been feeling.  The sense that
millions of people are talking at the same time...the memories of other
people's lives..Maybe it is true.*

	Gendo scrutinized Shinji for a moment.  *Has he already been linked to
Asuka?* 

	"Yes," said Shinji.

	"You, you can read my mind?" whispered Gendo.

	"Mxmfgrmfmrgnt.." was all Lorenz had to say.

	"Yeeees....I guess I can.  If I concentrate I can see what you're
thinking, and some of your memories."

	"Impressive.  The collective said you wouldn't be able to read our
minds, that they would shield us.." said Misato.

	Gendo decided that focusing on Shinji's godlike power wasn't the right
approach, and attempted to change the subject.  

	"Shinji, I'd like for you to come with me."

	"What about him?"  Shinji pointed to Lorenz, now red in the face from
the exertion of trying to lift the rock off of him.

	"Fuck him," hissed Gendo.  "Leave him here to rot.  He tried to kill us
all, there shall be no mercy for him."  Gendo spoke with incredible
force, which surprised everyone present.  Shinji was especially taken
back by the emotion Gendo had shown in his voice.

	Lorenz stared at Gendo, his eyes clearly indicating that he wanted to
leap up and beat Gendo to death.  

	"Father..." Shinji started.  "Maybe we should...remove the.."

	"NO."  hissed Gendo, and whirled around to face Shinji.  "HE. WILL.
DIE. HERE."  Each word sounded like gunshots as Gendo shouted them.

	Shinji decided it wasn't a good idea to press the issue.  *I'll just
imagine him alive and okay sometime, and he'll come back to
life...right?  Didn't Father say that's how it works?*

	Misato took a hold of Shinji's hand and squeezed it.  "He is the enemy,
Shinji.  Just like the Angels were our enemy, only Lorenz is a greater
threat.  Trust me."

	"Shinji, it is time for us to travel to the collective.  You must help
us rebuild our future.  You...are the Architect."

	"The...architect?" asked Shinji.

	"All shall be made clear.  Are you ready....son?"

	Shinji got up and pulled Asuka to her feet.  "I..I think I am, Father."

	And with that, they vanished.

	For a while, if you listened very closely over the howling wind that
had picked up spontaneously, you could hear a faint mumbling.  The
mumbling turned to screams, hideous, terrifying screams, and the wind
intensified.  

	And then there was silence.

=End Ch 2=

Author's notes:
Well, after deciding I can't write Ranma fanfics to save my life, I
decided to go back to what I know :)

Seriously though, this represents nearly two months of writing.  Not
because it actually took me two months to write it, but because I had to
wait until I got all of the Eva episodes.  I watched them all again, and
my views changed once more.  I watched Air, Pure for my Heart, and my
views changed YET AGAIN.  Now I think I am on a solid track about my
interpretation of Evangelion and the events that occur post Third
Impact.

I welcome any and all criticism, private and public.  I have no qualms
about people ripping my fics apart in public - after all, how does one
improve if no one says anything but niceties?

Please send c&c to either the FFML or baughj@rpi.edu



Next: Ch 3 - One Mind, One Destiny

Shinji enters the Collective, and learns of their goals to rebuild and
return to normal society - but is that the will of the Collective, or
just a great deal of determined individuals?

There are those who don't ever want to have to live on their own, with
AT fields, ever again.  And they will do anything necessary to prevent
the collapse of the Collective.

Unfortunately, they have no choice but to go along with Shinji's
decision, since he is "The Architect".

Also, the scene with Misato's father will be depicted.  I know you're
saying "What the heck happened?" but there's a reason why I didn't cover
it in this chapter (mainly, that Misato isn't the focus of this
chapter).

-jdb

-- 
************************************
Justin D. Baugh - CompSci@RPI (2001)
email baughj at rpi dot edu
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it,
 is still there." - Philip K. Dick
"I am so hip I can't see over my pelvis." - Zaphod Beeblebrox