Author's Note: while most everything that was written in the first version still exists, a few minor chances and add-ons were put in, as well a the new scenes, which lengthen the original draft by about fifty percent. So if you get bored reading the old stuff, skip down.

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Impact: a Piece of Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfiction
    By Jonathan Wang

Prologue: Aftermath



"Thank you, all."



The reflection was as blankly expressed as Shinji Ikari himself was as he stared into the mirror.  Its eyes were pallid and empty, as if any flowing life within them had dried out.  Glancing lower into the reflexive window, Shinji noticed its mouth was but a single line, the lips devoid of color.  Quickly, he smacked his own lips in an effort wrench out the dry desert that was his throat.  Throwing a broad look over at his expression overall, he tried his best to smile, but only to have it come out looking like an obligatory smile, since indeed that is what it was.
    Today should be a good day.  And the world, Shinji reminded himself, was not a bad place.  The world was his world, and vice versa.  Over and over the troubled young man ran this thought through his mind. Then, with the thought firmly embedded in his mind Shinji put more effort into the task at hand - trying to fit into the formal suit Misato had bought him, the one he would where to the press meeting in less than two hours.
    I am no more or less than myself, Shinji thought to himself.  It's worth living here.  His smile, though no more intense than before, was now free, and he received the same rush of joy in his body that he had felt before.  I have a future.
     Moments later, he stepped out of Misato's bedroom and headed directly for the bathroom.  It wasn't often that Shinji Ikari cried out of joy, but tears were tears, and he certainly could not present himself to the important people he would meet with a stained face.



A short distance away was Asuka Soryu Langley, who had already finished putting on her formal attire for the evening.  Also staring at her own mirror, she sat on the chair by her desk, her chin resting in the palm of her hands, her elbows on her knees, her being in an overall state of musing. Unlike Misato's room, which would be lit so that Shinji, who had probably never worn anything other than a school uniform before, would have an easier time dressing up, Asuka's room was infested with shadows.  She had left it this way as she had gotten ready for the upcoming assembly.
    With a calm grace, the child dropped her eyes to the floor, and focused her thinking upon the wired ring that had been carelessly dropped on the floor.  It was her headset, and under the shadow of the desk, it had lost the bright red color that had once been a constant boast of its bearer's pride.
    Asuka shut her eyes, and in the process let loose a few hanging tears.  Taking a deep breath, she stood up firmly, and stepped out the door towards the restroom.  Left behind were the cracked remains of what had once been of the most valuable symbol she had ever owned.



In the middle the two Children met.  Shinji had stepped out of the washroom, and Asuka could notice that half his face was stained with a red tint which contrasted the pale whiteness of the other half.  The Third Child immediately turned away before bringing his eyes around to meet the Second's.  It was another second before the two went their separate ways.



Misato Katsuragi, on the other hand, had not only finished preparing herself for the upcoming meeting, but was also waiting at the dining table, where she watched the interaction of her charges take place.
    "Shinji-kun," she called to the oncoming boy.  He responded by altering his course slightly from aiming towards the couch to heading for the table.
    "I just want to say two things," Misato began, smiling in what was most likely the most motherly smile she had ever given.  Shinji looked up with eyes that responded accordingly.  "Although we've been over this whole mess with the ... Project, I just want to say again that I'm very proud of you, that I've never been more proud of you than I am tonight as you sit here with me.  Do you understand?"
    Obedient silence.  And then "A-arigato, Misato-san."  Shinji found himself afraid that he would begin to cry again somehow.  Misato's smile grew slightly wider, and she reached over, holding the boy's cheeks in her hands.
"I've gotten the joy of watching you grow, Shinji-kun."
    Dead silence reigned.
    Finally, "Oh, and second: if a babe comes up to you tonight with a smile, you'd better smile back, or I'll see to it that you regret it."  Shinji blinked.  Misato grinned.
    Slightly flustered, Shinji began to smile (albeit sheepishly) as well.

...

They sit on the plane (if you can call a floating fortress a mere plane) in calm and light spirits.  That is, at least, how things seem.
    Asuka Langley sits at a window seat, her chin resting on a hand while her eyes stare blankly (or dreamily?) out the window.  She is certainly ready to head back where she came from - a place where only she herself brought out her troubles in life.  In other words, Asuka Langley promised, it would be the perfect place to start over.
    Behind the Second Child rests Misato, and next to her rests a half-empty cup of alcohol, and next to that rest two bottles of wine.  The major is completely depressed now, and she inwardly feared that whenever she saw anything that would remind her of the man named Ryoji Kaji (this place being one of those things), she would do this to herself.
    "Shit," she whispered, "damn you."  And with that, Misato Katsuragi fell deeper into her stupor into an uneasy slumber.



Shinji stood in the onboard restroom.  His arms forcing his weight up against the sink, he stared into the mirror.  For some reason, funny thoughts had been entering his head for the duration of this entire flight thus far.  One of these thoughts was of the First Child, dressed more elegantly than himself (Shinji's "formal" attire could be defined as anything remotely more stylish than his routine school uniform), and somehow displaying more life within by appearance alone than he himself might muster through any action.  Another funny thought would be how he would apologize to her for his previous aloof behavior while she stood there without expression, his words empty and meaningless to her understanding.
    The only comforting thought in the midst of this haze of worry and doubt was the hope that Rei would have come out of ... "complementation" more balanced as everyone else had.  This last thought, presenting itself more humorous than the rest, finally set Shinji in a fit of gusts of laughter.
    A moment later Shinji Ikari exited the bathroom and took his seat, but realized his wandering had solved nothing.  Secretly, Shinji was flushed with relief when Misato had told him that Ayanami Rei had already landed in America with the commander.
    At least the clouds below were beautiful as they shone a blue and violet tinge upon the white body.  Before closing his eyes and becoming drowsy, Shinji whispered under his breath, "Just like me."
    It was early afternoon when from the great aircraft three VTOL craft detached themselves and descended towards a great fleet of naval craft.

...

A luxury cruise ship.  Not one member of the dropping party had ever been on one before.
    Shinji spent the four hours of free time he had wandering throughout the ship, simply for lack of anything better to do.  Finally, after nearly an hour and a half of straddling aimlessly, he had stopped his desultory wandering and now stood firmly.
    Realizing that he was in the dining room of the Margo, Shinji decided to take a window seat and sat down.  Watching the scintillating blue waves outside sift by, Shinji realized the ship's droning rhythm of bobbing up and down.  This, coupled with the fact that Shinji had slept the least of the Katsuragi household, led Shinji deeper and deeper into a peaceful slumber.  That is, it would have been a peaceful slumber, if not for a single, soft, calm, but ultimately cutting sound.
    "Ikari-kun."



"Commander."
    The nondescript room, Major Katsuragi saw, contained the most important people this world had probably ever known in it.  It was a simple small cabin, but somehow standing comfortably were the commander of NERV, the sub-commander of NERV, the head scientist of NERV ... as for everyone else, Misato did not recognize, but the four of them had to be important, she knew.
    Commander Gendo Ikari turned from the cabin window, put his hands behind his back, and fittingly, the major saw, the light from outside the window hid her superior's eyes neatly.  Wearing a simple expression of calm and seriousness, he waited.
    "Reporting as ordered, sir," Misato finished, standing a bit taller than before.  Ritsuko Akagi, the aforementioned scientist, noted the slight shift in the major's stance with the raising of her eyebrows.
    "Major Katsuragi," Gendo began, "here are the leaders of both America and Germany and their wives.  They would like to personally thank you for your excellent performance."  That said, the dark man stepped aside, though it almost seemed as if he had not moved at all.
    "Major," the American one began, "You know by now that the organization NERV will be disbanded."  The received reply was a blink by the beautiful woman before him.  "What I am here to do, then, aside from giving you praise and gratitude, is to offer you a position in the American forces."
    The tone with which the tall and aging man spoke was one of respect, fatherly appeal, and most importantly, fluent English.  Misato blinked a few more times before she began to grin in embarrassment.  "Ah..."
    "The president of the United States would like to thank you for your performance and offer you a position in the American army," Ritsuko translated.  Misato visibly calmed down and thought to herself.
    It may have been a step up from the career-wise perspective, but now Misato realized that accepting this offer would mean too many things.
Misato spoke in a soft and almost sorrowful voice.  There was no mistaking the seriousness in her speech, however.  "Please tell him that ... that ... I have two children to take care of, that I can't speak English very well, that ... and that I must decline."
    Strangely, enough, Ritsuko did nothing other than chuckle with her mouth in her hand.
    "Katsuragi-ichi," The president said in stumbling Japanese, "It only took me a little over a year to learn your language, and I find it a beautiful one.  Now, if someone twenty-five years older than you yourself can learn a language, then I'm sure you can learn mine.  I think you will also find my language a beautiful one, too."
    Misato listened and watched as this balding man struggled to get his ideas across as both he and his wife smiled.  She found that she was either beginning to like and admire this man or become annoyed and get the feeling that he was mocking her.  Still, Misato had to smile at his effort.
    "Sir," Misato finally stated," I will think about your offer."
Bowing slightly and stepping aside, Misato spoke to the German leader.  The conversation was a familiar one, since the two of them were familiar people.
When Misato exited the cabin a few hours later, she was accompanied by the rest of the cabin's occupants.
    Now if only the leader of the organization that she currently worked for was this amicable.



    "Ayanami ... Rei..." Shinji managed to stumble out to himself.
The thoughts were returning to him.  This was Ayanami Rei, who was not a real person, who he did not know as he had the clone - a mere clone - before the one standing in front of him now.  He hated her because she was not the same person who had saved his life, whose life he had saved.  She was living proof that any relative feeling he had to the identity - no, entity - Ayanami Rei was false and void of reason.  She was ... not human, and she - it - was wrong.
    She was, Shinji finally noted in surprise, wearing her school clothes, plain, and somehow fitting.  In the midst of this curious state, bolted away from his previous thoughts of anger towards the being before him, he remembered what he had established before after many an hour of thought.  He needed to apologize to her.

...

"I think," Ayanami Rei stated flatly, "I am the third."
    Somewhere in that statement, Shinji Ikari realized that this was not Rei, the pale girl who had begun to note him and other people with acknowledgement of their existence and actions.
    Ayanami Rei was dead, he had decided an evening later, and when he and Misato left Ritsuko at her apartment that night, he believed that whatever the Ayanami was that he saw before was a mockery, and that somehow, it mocked him personally.

...

Quickly shutting his eyes tightly, he gathered his thoughts.  No, he could not say what he had to with his eyes turned away.  He had to face the thing -- Rei -- that stood before him now and firmly take a stand, any stand.
    "I am sorry," Rei III said.

...

I want to forget, thought Asuka.  Please, just let me forget.  She sat in the library, her face buried in her arms, resting on a desk in still motion. The myriad of people walking through this large three story storage room of text probably believed she was sleeping.  Those who did not told themselves she was, and then moved on.
    "What about EVA?"
    Can't I just leave it behind?  Please, let me forget.  Please.
    "So, you are just like him."
    Like him?  Shinji?  No, I am not.
    "You are not?"
    I am not weak like he is.  I am not a coward.
    "But he conquered EVA."  At this, the red-haired girl at the wooden desk tightened her fists until they shook violently.  "No, you are not like him at all."
    Shut up.  Shut up.  Shut up...
    "He is happier than you are."
    "Shut up.  Shut up.  Shut up..."  Her breathing became heavier.  The shaking had not increased, but she began to tremble within rapidly.  Asuka found that she was beginning to perspire with frustration.
    "Live on."
    And at that, she stopped.  Asuka looked up and around.  No one gave her any heed.  The library had remained in its silent reverie.
    Standing up suddenly, she strode over to the exit and left the place.  Her watch began to beep, alarming her of the time for dinner.  Her breathing back to its normal rate, she quickly straightened her dress and changed the direction of her stride towards the dining area.



Misato sat sternly in her seat, eager to hear of future plans for the Evangelions, NERV, and, most importantly, the Children.  Shinji sat calmly beside her, and the side effect of that was that he made his superior officer look less professional than he himself appeared.  Asuka lay back in her seat almost nonchalantly, and glanced with a lazy eye in the general direction of the current speaker, who at this time happened to be the old bastard Commander Ikari at the moment.  Ayanami Rei sat on the left of Misato, sitting as she would have were she at attention in a classroom.  They were off to the side of the podium, and in front of them was an immediate trio of intimidating NERV security agents placed there specifically to discourage too many photos to be taken of the most important children in the world.  It wasn't working.
    Eventually, the commander's interrogation had ended, and he took his seat between Rei and Doctor Ritsuko Akagi.
    Strange, Misato thought.  He looks like he's tired of this presentation, too.  She resumed her attention towards the podium when the president of the United States took his turn to speak.
    When the speeches and questions ended an hour or so later, everyone stood, gave their applause, and went about the reception in a perfunctory manner.  None of the NERV officers or employees stayed.



Gendo Ikari stood tall, facing who were currently the two most important women in his existence.  Ritsuko Akagi wore a condescending smile as she leaned against one side of her weight, her arms crossed in a bored fashion.  It would not take many guesses to figure out what two things he could possibly want to discuss right now.  Ayanami Rei, still in her school uniform, stood motionlessly, waiting.
    "Doctor Akagi, he began.
    Ah, so he was going to lock her up again, was he?  He had referred to her be professional rank, rather than be personal name.  Perhaps he would have her executed, given all the truths she retained in her memory?
    "I am leaving Tokyo-3 as soon as my business here has been taken care of."  Ritsuko was visibly confused.  Ayanami Rei remained expressionless.

...

Few words were exchanged between Misato, Asuka, and Shinji during the trip back to Tokyo-3.  That is not to say, however, that no words were exchanged at all.
    Misato unlocked the door to her car in a half-conscious manner.  The garage was nearly devoid of people, and thus a hushed silence emerged when Misato looked up to see Asuka keeping a distance from the vehicle, looking slowly about.  She kept her hands clasped together in front of her with feeble strength.  Perhaps she was tired from the meeting.
    "What's wrong?" Misato asked, blinking.
    Asuka did not answer for a second.  She then brought her eyes to meet Misato's in a manner that would scare her had she been looking into a mirror.  "Where is Shinji?"
    Her expression was that of Ayanami Rei's, of Wondergirl's, of a doll's.



The spoken of girl slowed her stride to a stop before she glanced over her shoulder.  The person she had heard running towards her was the Third Child. He stopped a mild distance from her, and neither of them made any action for a moment while the two of them stood beside either end of a streetlight's glow on the sidewalk.
    "Well..." Shinji began, "is it okay if I walk with you?"  He brought his eyes to meet hers briefly as he finished his sentence.
    She answered when she was sure he had finished his question.  "Why."
    This time, he returned her gaze equally, though he found himself falling forward with the effort.  "I want to talk to you."  She did not answer, and the silence threatened to drive Shinji mad to the point he was afraid he would fall over from the pressure of the situation.  Therefore, he walked up in a robotic and forced motion to her side.
    At this propinquity, the third Ayanami Rei's stare felt stronger.  Stuttering, Shinji faced forward quickly.  "L-let's go."
    And they walked.

...

A figure walked in the open field.  At the horizon one would notice a pond - no, a lake.  It was a peaceful lake, calm, and unmoving (perhaps it really was a pond after all?).  It stalked about the tall grasses until a bridge was reached.  Standing still, it gazed over the lake.  People passing by would give curious glances, and notice a case of some sort was being held.  But it, the figure, looked so forlorn that out of respect no one would stare too long before they moved on.  A bird flew overhead, chirping away, the call ringing out a dream-like stupor about the place.



Author's note: Yes, the pace has been decided to become slower, and thus I decided to leave things open-ended here in the prologue.  Note:  Tom Clancy still has a great influence over the plot of the story, but as to specific actions, I'm leaning towards trying to introduce as few new characters as possible, although it looks as if at least one may have to be implemented.  However, I'm convinced that with a little thinking, I can side step that pit and bring the story about even smoother.

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