Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][Draft][Eva] Exegesis of Genesis, Ch. 1
From: "Christopher D. Nichols" <chrisnicls@hotmail.com>
Date: 4/13/1999, 12:50 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

Hey.

WARNING: My fanfics may cause bleeding from the eyes, psychosomatic 
blindness, and spontanious brain aneurysms.  C&C wanted and needed 
anyhow.

* * * * *

Exegesis of Genesis (Chapter 1 - The Cradle of Our Youth / Engines of 
Injury)

A Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction
by Chris Nichols

DISCLAIMER:  All characters contained in this work are copyright 
Hideaki Anno, GAINAX, Project EVA, Movic, and any other company 
and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of 
Neon Genesis Evangelion.  A.D.Vision holds the copyrights to the 
translated version of Neon Genesis Evangelion.   Scripts provided by 
the Literal Translation Project were used as reference.   

At this time, these intellectual properties are used WITHOUT the 
permission of the aforementioned institutions.  Please don't sue.  
You can't get blood from a turnip, and you can't get money from me.

Exegesis of Genesis is copyright Chris Nichols, 1999.  The 
distribution of this work is subject to the approval of the author; 
please ask permission before distributing.

* * * * *

Opening theme:  Zankoku no tenshi no thesis

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION:  EXEGESIS OF GENESIS
CHAPTER 1 - THE CRADLE OF OUR YOUTH

* * * * *

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
~Genesis 1:1

* * * * *
Verse 1: THE CRADLE OF OUR YOUTH

[TWO YEARS AGO: 2013 AD]

     The train station was empty, save for a pair of serious looking 
men in black suits.  They looked like the type whose suits were 
tailored, not for a better fit, but to conceal bits of metal designed 
to leave huge holes in offending bits of anatomy.  Twenty years 
earlier, they might have been making people who saw UFOs disappear; 
these days, they worked for NERV.  Right now, this pair was just 
waiting.  For a train.

     For men whose jobs were to handle problems terminally, this was 
amazingly dull.

     Eventually, the train pulled up, settling with a hiss.  A 
government special, the train appeared to be empty.  Momentarily, the 
doors opened. A young boy, thin with brown hair, tentatively stepped 
forth from the train.  Shinji Ikari, the sole passenger, looked to be 
twelve or so years old.  A duffle bag was gripped tightly in his 
hands.  Advancing further on to the platform, the boy glanced about 
nervously.

     At that moment, the two men in black suits and dark glasses 
approached from his right.  One of the men spoke.  "Are you Shinji 
Ikari?"

     "...yes," said Shinji, his answer hardly audible in his 
apprehension.

     "We are NERV Security. Under Special Order 2352, we are here to 
take you to NERV Headquarters.  Do you understand?," said the man in 
black.

     "....."  Shinji nodded his head.

     The second NERV security officer spoke.  "Come with us please."

     With that, the agents ushered Shinji to a waiting car.  Shinji 
went placidly, a small expression of nervousness and unhappy 
expectation on his face.  The security agents opened the doors, and 
Shinji climbed into the car, a dark standard issue government sedan.  
Doors closed, keys rattled, and the engine rumbled to life.

     Shinji sat in the darkened back of the sedan as they left.  
Eight long years lay back beyond the trainyard; NERV lay ahead.

     A small cloud of dust was left behind as the dark sedan pulled 
away from the trainyard.

* * * * *
Verse 2: THIS IS WHO WE ARE

     The NERV agents guided Shinji down the hallway.  Like all the 
hallways of Central Dogma, this one was sterile and uniform, just 
another spot in a labyrinth of white and neutral plastic corridors.  
The NERV agents steered Shinji toward one of the nondescript doorways 
lining the hall.  The agents paused and nudged Shinji toward the 
entrance.  The door opened with a hissing whine of hydraulic noise.  
Shinji entered, and the security officers turned to flank the door.

     The room seemed to be designed for meetings, with a long black 
table and a selection of chairs occupying much of the room.  A row of 
video monitors encircled the room, embedded shoulder high in the 
walls.  At the far end of the room sat two women, a blond woman in a 
labcoat sitting at the head of the table and an attractive woman with 
purple hair on the left.  As the door behind him closed, the women 
stood.

     "Shinji Ikari?" asked the blonde, curtly.

     "...yes..."  His response was timid.

     "Good.  I am Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, and this is Captain Misato 
Katsuragi," stated Ritsuko, her tone strictly business.  Misato, 
however, smiled broadly.

     "Hi!"

     "Er...hello?"  Shinji wasn't entirely sure how to respond to the 
warmth in Misato's demeanor.

     Ritsuko resumed her businesslike tone.  "You have been selected 
by the Marduk Agency as the Third Children, the third qualified 
person to pilot the Evangelions." This apparently was supposed to be 
an explanation of something.  

     Shinji failed to be illuminated.  "Evangeli-what?"

     Ritsuko pushed a button on a remote control she produced from 
her labcoat.  One of the monitors lining the room snapped on.  It 
displayed a schematic depicting a robot, huge and humanoid, but 
gangly and misproportioned.  Ritsuko explained further, "The 
Artificial Humanoid Final Weapon Evangelion, mankind's defense 
against a repetition of the terror of the Second Impact.  This is 
your father's work.  Will you do this?"

     Shinji's quiet demeanor broke.  While loud, however, Shinji's 
outburst did not approach the vehemence it could have held.

     "How can I?  I've never seen or heard anything like this!"

     Misato spoke, her words trying to sooth the upset young boy.  
"You will be trained.  In time, this will be second nature."  
Surprise filled her thoughts.  <No one told him why he was called 
here?>

     "....."

     Shinji wanted to leave, to run away.  He wanted to run from this 
place and never come back, like he had before where the black stone 
markers were.  The memory of that day prompted a new thought.  <After 
last time, sensei said...>  Shinji picked up the words of wisdom, 
stoking them over and over like a prayer wheel.  The mantra was 
spoken over and over in his mind, <...I mustn't ran away, I mustn't 
run away...>

     "....."  Shinji marshaled the tattered forces of his courage.

     Finally, Shinji hung his head, his posture one radiating 
defeat.  "Yes.  I will do this," he said.

     <As the Commander predicted,> Ritsuko noted.  She spoke again to 
Shinji, and some of the coldness left her voice.  "Good.  The cage 
were your EVA is kept is this way."  Ritsuko briskly left the room, 
and Misato followed, motioning to Shinji.  Shinji trailed after them, 
slumping, still projecting a cloud of defeated gloom.  But still, he 
followed.

     Elsewhere, a sound feed played back the last moments of the 
conversation that had occurred far below.  Hands folded before his 
face, Gendo Ikari listened to his son's induction to NERV.  He 
smirked, releasing a measured sound of contempt.

     "Heh."

* * * * *
Verse 3: 407 IKARI

     That evening, Shinji lay on a bed in a dingy apartment.  The 
place was grey--grey walls, grey floor, grey furnishings.  The bed he 
lay on was grey as well, resembling a slightly unsanitary hospital 
bed, and laying there, Shinji stared at the ceiling, which was grey 
save for where mildew and water marks stained it.  The entire room 
looked unhealthy, a problem compounded by the unwelcome odors of dust 
and bleach that permeated the room.  This information was neither 
welcome nor wanted, so Shinji merely lay on a bed, listening to his 
SDAT.  He studiously ignored the dismal condition of his lodgings as 
well as the pile of unopened boxes containing his belongings.  
Instead, he sighed, returning to the day's events.

     <Father didn't want to see me today,> he thought.  An image 
flashed across his mind, a mental photograph of a crying child, 
himself when he was much younger, at the moment his father had left 
him alone.  The feeling of being that younger child again passed, and 
he returned to his train of thought.  <But, now I'm supposed to train 
to pilot that giant robot.  They called me the Third Children.>

     Shinji felt resentment that he was here with his father only 
because he had found a use for him.  He could pilot the Eva; surely, 
his father would respect him for that.  His father...  Shinji 
realized that he has no true idea what his father would do once he 
piloted Eva; whatever he would do, it would be better than before.  
Shinji returned to the day's events.  <They said that there is 
another pilot, Rei Ayanami, the First Children.  She lives in this 
building.  I wonder who she is...>

     He sighed again.  Staring up at the ceiling, a realization 
struck him.

     "I don't know this ceiling.  It's unfamiliar," said Shinji.

     Shinji lay there, listening to the music.  After some time, 
faintly, Shinji began to hear a counterpoint to the music of the 
SDAT.  Barely audible, the alien sound complimented his own music, 
rarely clashing.  Shutting off the disc player, Shinji listened to 
the clarified melody.  If he identified it correctly, it was a 
violin.  

     Shinji made a vaguely interrogative sound.  "Eh?"

     Curious, he sat up, looking about, trying to identify the source 
of the music.  It seemed to come from outside, beyond the hallway.  
As Shinji moved toward the front of the apartment, the music became 
increasingly distinct.  <Definitely a violin,> thought Shinji.  

     Shinji opened his door slowly, looking about nervously.  Seeing 
no one in the hall, Shinji followed the music, trying to locate its 
source.  Down the hall a little way, he stopped.  The song of the 
violin emanated from this apartment.  The nameplate next to the door 
read '402 Ayanami.'  Shinji examined it in surprise, his face 
expressing this more than his subdued words.

     "Oh...it's her."

* * * * *
Verse 4: 402 AYANAMI

     The next morning, Shinji woke to the sound of his NERV issued 
cellular phone ringing.  Answering it allowed a nasal-voiced operator 
to relay the fact that he was require to attend Tokyo-3 Middle 
School.  So, Shinji readied himself, and presently stood at the 
threshold of his apartment putting on his shoes.  A piece of toast 
dangled from his mouth.  At least someone from NERV had had the 
foresight to stock the fridge with basics before he moved in.

      Shinji finished his toast, and turned to leave.  Stepping into 
the hallway, Shinji turned to lock the door to his apartment.

     "Pilot Ikari."

     The voice, flat and whispery, came unexpected from behind 
Shinji.  Startled, Shinji spun around with a little vocalization, 
managing mostly to look rather foolish.  In the hallway behind him 
stood a girl about his age.  The first thing that struck him was that 
she was pale, her skin more pale than marble or snow.  Her hair, 
oddly was a blue that approached white, and her eyes, were a 
brilliant red, like blood and rubies.  Her gaze was flat and 
emotionless, though intense, as if she were analyzing a particularly 
complex puzzle box.  She wore a school uniform that appeared not to 
fit quite right, as though she hadn't particularly cared if it fit 
well when she picked in out.  She spoke again, in the same dry tone.  
It reminded Shinji of the rustling of dried leaves.  <This must be 
Ayanami,> he guessed.

     "I have been ordered to escort you to school today."

     Rei turned, heading to the stairs.  Shinji stood for a moment, 
uncertain, then, retrieving his key, followed.  They proceeded down 
the crumbling, echoing stairwell.  Shinji voiced a question through 
his nervousness.  

     "Um...ah, you're Ayanami, right?  The other EVA pilot."

     "Yes."

     Silence descended.  The children passed beyond the confines of 
their apartment block, and into the streets of the city.  Shinji grew 
increasingly nervous in the silence.  Eventually, he ventured another 
question.

     "Do you play the violin?  Ah...I thought I heard you playing 
last night."

     "Yes."

     "You're pretty talented."

     "....."

     The renewed silence further unnerved Shinji.  He flailed for a 
moment, desperately trying to find something to say.  "Uhm...you see, 
I, er...play cello," Shinji said, the confidence draining out of his 
voice with each word, "So...ah, I thought since we're sort of 
neighbors and all...we might...um...try practicing together, 
er...sometime?"  By the end, his voice was reduced to a unhappy 
mumble, the brief spark of confused courage that had allowed him to 
speak already ash.

     "....."

     Rei's response was less than encouraging.

     And with that, Shinji spent the rest of the trip to school in 
silence.

* * * * *
Verse 5: SURIKIZU

     "Ugh!"

     Shinji skidded across the blacktop, landing and sliding on his 
left arm.  The blacktop scraped his arm raw.  The new pain joined the 
blooming bruise on his right cheek and the pain in his ribs.  Shinji 
lay facedown on the blacktop, stunned.  He could hear the boys who 
had beaten him up.

     "Whatta wimp!"

     "Pathetic."

     "Didn't even have any money."

     "But at least knocking him around was fun!"

     The boys' mocking snickers faded as they left.

     Shinji lay dazed, his cheek pressing against the pavement.  He 
stared at nothing in particular, eyes unfocusing.  The thought of 
getting up and rejoining the other students was unpleasant.  They 
were all like the ones who had done this, like the ones at every 
other school he had been to.  A pair of sneakers entered Shinji's 
field of vision.  Shinji felt someone grab each of his arms, lifting 
him to his feet.  As Shinji began to focus, he found two boys helping 
him up.

     "Hey, new kid!  You OK?" said the boy holding up his right arm.  
He was tall and lanky, wearing a black and white jogging suit.

     "You got pretty messed up," offered the one on the left.  This 
boy had glasses and freckles, wearing his uniform sloppily, the shirt 
untucked.

     "...I'm alright," said Shinji in spite of the evidence.  He was 
wary.  These two seemed to be trying to be helpful.  This ran 
contrary to all his experience in schools; no one was ever helpful.  
The two boys glanced at Shinji's skinned left arm, which was now 
lightly oozing and speckled with blood.

     The tall boy spoke up.  "Come on, new kid.  Let's go down to the 
infirmary and get you cleaned up."

     "Um...OK.  Thanks."

     The trio turned to leave, the two boys leading Shinji across the 
exercise courts.  As they approached the school building, the 
bespectacled boy asked Shinji a question.  "By the way, what's your 
name?"

     "Shinji Ikari."

     "Well, I'm Kensuke, and this is Toji.  Nice to meet you."

     Shinji managed a smile which, while weak, was genuine.  <Maybe 
everyone isn't the same; maybe there are some good things under the 
sun.>

* * * * *

Verse 6: A TEMPORARY PLACE

     That evening Shinji sat at a small grey table, a NERV manual and 
a textbook open in front of him.  His elbows were up on the table and 
he looked distant.  His mind wandered back over the day's events.  
<School isn't so bad,> he thought.  <Toji and Kensuke seem OK.  
...But, Ayanami's so ...cold?>  He thought back on the walk to school 
that morning.  

     "Gah...what was I saying?"

     Shinji might have essayed a sigh, had the door buzzer not 
interrupted.

     "Huh?"

     Shinji went to the door, wonder who would bother to call on him. 
He depressed the speaker's button.

     "Who is it?"

     The speaker crackled.  "Ayanami."

     Shinji paused uncertainly before opening the door.  Outside 
stood Rei.  Her gaze was the same one from that morning, flat and 
unrevealing.  Shinji couldn't think of why she would come here.  Had 
someone from NERV, Captain Katsuragi or Doctor Akagi maybe, sent her 
to bring him to headquarters?

     "Yes?  Is something wrong?" he asked.

     "I am here to practice, as you requested."

     Shinji's observational skills finally returned from their 
hiatus, allowing him to see that Rei carried a battered violin case.  
This was the second pleasant surprise today.  

     With a vague smile, Shinji answered.  "OK."  And he invited her 
in, and they practiced their strings.

* * * * *
Verse 7: GNOSIS FAATUS

     Somewhere, there was a black space.  Within the black space 
stood a small forest of  monoliths.  Each monolith housed a voice and 
a mind.  The voices and minds belonged to men who had spent their 
lives, and more frequently, the lives of their pawns, pursuing the 
goal.  The minds gathered here, amongst the monoliths, were not the 
men behind the curtains.  They were the beyond the curtain; they were 
the puppeteers of puppeteers.  Beyond NERV, beyond dead Geihern, lay 
the soul, monolithic Seele.

     The holographic monoliths spoke.  The voices were wires of spun 
lead plucked under a lake of arsenic--bitter, deep, metallic, and 
poisonous.  

     "And we are certain that this is within the scenario's 
parameters?"

     "Yes."

     "No models were found to indicate that the advancement of this 
element will either delay or advance the timetable as a whole."

     The largest and centermost monolith spoke, in a voice more 
metallic than the rest.  The voice seemed to carry the weight of 
untold years.   "Good," stated the voice from the monolith.

     The other monoliths spoke again.  "Ikari has done this with out 
the organization's approval, however."

     "Yes, let us now watch him more closely."

     The chief monolith spoke once more saying, "A watchful eye then, 
that the day of our final work may come."

     And with that, the monoliths vanished, leaving only a black 
place.

* * * * *

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: EXEGESIS OF GENESIS
CHAPTER 1 - ENGINES OF INJURY

* * * * *
Verse 8: ENGINES OF INJURY

[TWO YEARS LATER: 2015 A.D.]

[NERV Headquarters -- Experiment Station 02]

     Shinji stared through the safety glass of the observation 
window.  Behind him, technicians manned control booths under the 
direction of Dr. Akagi.  His father and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki 
observed.  He looked uneasily out into the cage below.  A giant, 
orange and white, hulked in the white pit.  Heavy restraints pinned 
it to the wall, and its cyclopean eye seemed to stare redly at him.  
It didn't really, but the impression was the same; even after two 
years training at synchronization and combat skills, the Evas felt 
menacing.  Now, waiting for the activation of Unit-00, Shinji's 
thoughts turned toward the pilot.  <Rei never asked me to come.  But 
she's one of the few people I can consider a friend...>  He realized 
that even with training together and living in the same building for 
the past two years, he still knew very little about her.  Silently, 
he stared beyond his reflection into the cage.

     Reflexively, he stroked the rosary of his memories.  Beaded 
images turned on the string of his memory, as Shinji thought over 
walking to school, combat training, practicing strings, sync tests-
all the things she had been present for since he had come to the 
city.  True, these were marked mostly by silence, but still...

     "....."

     <Without knowing why, I am here.  Ayanami...good luck.>

     "...luck...," he subvocalized.  <Why'd I do that?> he wondered, 
then decided it really didn't matter.  He returned his attention to 
the Eva.

     Behind him, Shinji heard his father issue a sharp command.  
"Activate."

     Ritsuko and two of the senior technicians, Maya Ibuki and 
Shigeru Aoba, began calling out commands and technical jargon for the 
activation.  "Connect the main power supply and all circuits 
together."

     The drone of powerful generators kicked in in the background.  
"The main power supply connected.  Start the activation system."  The 
name plates on the orange robot's forearms lit up, reading 'Test-Type 
Unit-00.'

     "Voltage increasing to the critical point: 0.5, 0.2, rising!"

	"Start the second phase of the activation system."

	"The pilot has commenced the joining."

	"Start system phase two." 

     On the wall, a display of Unit-00's neural connections began 
switching steams of bars from disjointed red to linked green.  

     "Synapses inserted. Junction started."

	"Pulses transmitted."

     "All circuits are operational."

     The Gendo and Fuyutsuki stood quietly observing the activation.  
Their faces betrayed nothing readable.

	"The initial contact has no problems."

	"Power has been transmitted up to the brachial muscle in both 
arms.  There are no problems with the nerve links."

	"Checked. Up to 2550 on the list satisfied."

	"Arrange for the third connection." 

	As the nerve connections began linking, Shinji had drawn 
closer and closer to the window.  As the activation test's critical 
point approached, Shinji's hands came to rest on the safety glass.

	"Up to 2580 satisfied. Until the absolute borderline, 0.9, 
0.7, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3..."  As Maya called out this countdown, the 
connection display flickered at the absolute borderline point, then 
began cascading back.  Indicators disconnected, turning the screen 
red, as an alarm klaxon erupted.  "The pulses are flowing backward!" 
yelled Maya.  

     In the cage, Unit-00 began twisting in its restraints.  Shinji 
looked from the box of the experimental station.  Everything was 
wrong; the Eva--it might hurt Rei.  His friend was being hurt!

     "Ayanami!"

     For the moment, Shinji could only watch, transfixed with fear.  
Outside him, the technicians continued their babble.

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

     "Stop the contacts. Break the circuits up to 6th."

     "Negative.  The signal is not being received!"

     There was a massive sound of tearing metal, as the Evangelion 
tore its shackles from the wall.  The blocks of dark metal remained 
clamped to its arms, cables still dangling.  The Unit staggered 
drunkenly, raising a wordless howl.

	"Unit-00 is out of control!"

     Commander Ikari spoke, his words with an acidic edge, "Stop the 
experiment. Shut off the power supply."

     "Yes, sir."

     The rushing noise of the power cable's ejection jet came from 
the cage, followed by a crash of the cable striking the floor.  
Below, Unit-00 held its head in its hands, as if wracked with pain.  
Its warbling howl increased in intensity.

     "Unit-00's power supply has been switched to standby."

     Unit-00 turned, improbably fast for such a huge thing, lashing 
at the safety-glassed windows of the control box.  An immense fist 
slammed into the window and surrounding cage wall, bowing them 
inward.  Shinji scrambled away until he was pressed against the back 
wall of the room.

     "Thirty-five seconds until complete standstill."

     A second and a third punch smashed into the window.  Ritsuko 
cried out, "It's dangerous step back!," just before the berserk Eva's 
third punch released a spray of glass.  Most of the staff moved to 
the greater safety of the back of the room.  But, Shinji noted, his 
father did not move, even though the Eva's fist had landed right in 
front of him.  He was lucky enough to have not been struck by the 
flying glass.

	Maya spoke from the minor shelter of her console.  "Auto 
ejection system engaging..."

	Shinji turns, bearing for the entrance to the cage.  He knew 
what that meant.  That his friend would be launched with too much 
force, in too small a space; injury from the rampaging construct, 
from the shock of impact.  Running to the cage, Shinji shouted to the 
pilot.

	"Rei!"

     The white tube of the entry plug launched from the Eva's spine 
in a cloud of smoke and fire.  The fire of its ejection rockets 
slammed it into the ceiling, then sent it skidding crazily into a 
corner.  It hung there for a moment, suspended by strings of flame. 

     Only a second or so behind him, Shinji heard his father's shout 
and following footsteps.

	"Dammit!" 

     Running to the cage, the technicians' voices followed on the 
speakers.  "Time until the complete standstill: ten, nine, eight, 
seven..."

     Shinji reached the cage floor just as the entry plug fell to 
earth.  Avoiding the Eva, which now pounded mindlessly on the cage 
wall, Shinji ran to the entry plug's escape hatch.

     "Special Bakelite. Hurry up!" said the voice on the speakers.  
It was a minor miracle that the red resin that sprayed at Unit-00 did 
not strike Shinji as well.

     He reached the fallen plug's emergency hatch, the residual heat 
of the plug's engines prickling his skin.  He grasped the handles, 
and there was a sizzling noise and a burnt smell.  Shinji yelled at 
the pain, but pulled out and turned the handles in spite of it.  
Suddenly, there was an inarticulate noise, and rough hands shoved him 
to the side, spilling him onto the floor.  Unnoted, a pair of glasses 
fell as well.  Shinji fell heavily to the ground.  Looking up, Shinji 
saw his father where he had stood a second ago, turning the handle 
the final inches, growling at the burning heat.  Gendo called out to 
Rei as the technicians counted down to Unit-00's final shutdown.  
Then, the latches popped, the hatch falling open before a rushing 
wave of LCL, even as in the background Unit-00 ground to a halt.   
The wave of yellow fluid drenched Shinji.

	Gendo climbed quickly into the entry plug.  Rei was in the 
plug's seat, mangled piece of the plugs lining laying about her.  
Heavily bleeding cuts ran above and below her right eye.  The arms of 
her plug suit were shredded and there was blood underneath.  "Rei, 
are you all right?," asked Gendo.  "Rei!" 

     Rei nodded weakly in reply.

	"OK."  Gendo smiled at the girl.  Her eyes widened before 
closing again in pain.

	Just then, a crew of medics rushed up and began to remove Rei 
from the plug, checking her injuries.  Gendo turned to Shinji, who 
stood from the pool of LCL.  Shinji's father glared at him, a 
disapproving god.  Then, his father turned away, as though Shinji 
were not particularly worth his consideration, to watch Rei a the 
medics loaded her onto a stretcher.  Guilt, nameless and formless, 
pressed down on Shinji.  Reeling from everything that had happening 
in the last few minutes, Shinji's resolve buckled.  He turned, 
fleeing the cage, the people there, and the pointless shame he felt.

     Near by, unnoted, the tinted glasses of Gendo Ikari, cracked and 
buckled in the residual heat of the entry plug.

* * * * *
Verse 9: A VENGEFUL GOD

     Later, in the dark and cavernous office of Commander Gendo 
Ikari, a meeting took place.  Commander Ikari sat at his desk, his 
hand crossed before his face.  The office's dim light turned the 
lenses of his glasses into the glowing white eyes of some night 
animal.  To his side stood Vice Commander Fuyutsuki.

     Without preamble, Gendo spoke.  "The Third Children is to be 
relocated.  Starting tomorrow, he will be housed with his commanding 
officer.  Draw up the orders and inform the necessary parties."

     Fuyutsuki replied, "Yes.  However, I wonder whether this course 
of action is needed."

     "The continued proximity of the First and Third Children has 
developed into a situation that may, in time, jeopardize the 
scenario.  We must defuse this situation as expediently as possible," 
said Gendo.

     Fuyutsuki frowned, "I see.  Yes, of course the scenario must be 
preserved."

     Privately, Fuyutsuki turned doubt over in his mind.  Observing 
the Sephirothic System inscribed on the ceiling, he thought, <That 
this serves your personal interest is more than convenient as well.>  
Frankly, he suspected that no small element of jealousy had been 
exercised in this decision.  Not that he would express that opinion 
aloud; that wasn't his place.  Fuyutsuki's eyes traced the 
Sephirothic System, touching Binah, Tipheret, Yesod, and each of the 
other sephiroths in turn.

     "Indeed," was Commander Ikari's only reply.

* * * * *
Verse 10: STRANGE SONGS

     Somewhere, drifting from the window of a dingy apartment, a 
mournful melody played.    

     Within, Shinji blindly played, transforming his current mood 
into the sounds of the cello.   On the floor, a small pile of salve 
stained bandages lay, cast aside to expose the newly earned burns on 
his hands, black char and red raw still fresh and oozing; he had been 
unable to escape Central Dogma before a doctor cornered him to tend 
his burns.  Now, his burnt hands gripped the bow and pressed the 
strings tightly.  Shinji's grip pressed tightly enough that blood ran 
from his injuries.  The blood ran down the strings and dripped on to 
the polished wood; it would have to be wiped away before the night 
was done.

     Despite the attempted distraction of the music and the pain, the 
night's plague, doubt and recrimination, kept creeping back to taunt 
him.  Shinji saw how foolish he had been, how naive.  To think 
Ayanami was his friend, that he was wanted when no one had asked for 
him.  <No one would want me.  My own father did not want me until he 
had a use for me.  Even now, he speaks to me as little as possible.>  
In his mind's eye, Shinji stumbled through the images of his father's 
coldness, the images that spoke of his own worthlessness.

Shinji continued to play, bleeding into his music.

And, above him watched the mournful eye of the moon.

* * * * *

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very 
good.  And the evening and the morning were the sixth day"
~Genesis 1:31

* * * * *

Closing theme: Fly me to the moon (Episode 1 Variation)

* * * * *
Script Draft completed: 04/02/99
Draft 1.0 completed: 04/05/99
Draft 2.0 completed: 04/10/99
Draft to FFML: 04/13/99

Notes:  'Exegesis' is the examination and interpretation of a text, 
usually used in reference to biblical scholarship.

'Surikizu' is 'scrapes' in Japanese.

'Gnosis faatus' is 'false knowledge' in Latin, providing I didn't 
botch the translation.

Anyhow, thanks for reading.  It'll be a while before I finish the 
next piece.  Sadly, I write very slowly. 

Chris Nichols
"Oh God, if there is a God...save my soul, if I have a soul..." : 
pg76, pp1, ln1-9 : 09/13/00 : 50=22 : Kether, Chokhmah, Binah, 
Chesed, Gevurah, Tipheret, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malkut : Yureifune ni 
Uni no Dirac(1902-1984) : 1st&3rd : "The physical is corrupt; the 
spirit, pure.  Flesh is the prison of the soul." : R=R'=(R')'... 


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