Neon Genesis Evangelion-Adam and Eve: Chapter 4-Falling From Grace
		By Dr. Suekeichi Kaiton

"	"-Denotes speech
<	>-Thoughts
/	/-Actions or noises
---	=Scene change

Miles above the Earth, on the ashen surface of the moon, an immense spear of reddish brown metal rested in the dust on the surface.  Twelve sleek black magnalev recovery ships made their way from earth to recover this treasure.  Two colossal manipulating arms descended from the bottom of the ships and tightly grasped the shaft of twisted metal.  Applying two hundred pounds per square inch of pressure to ensure the grip, the magnalev ships proceeded back to Earth.  The sharp double prongs of the Lance of Longinus pointed towards the planet, a harbinger of death.

	In the SEELE chamber the holoscreen was descended from the ceiling, showing footage of the recovery mission.
SEELE 01:	The Lance of Longinus, the spear of destiny.
SEELE 02:	The instrument of our death or salvation.
SEELE 12:	The recovery teams report complete success.
SEELE 10:	Ikari will be expecting us this time, the news of the A-18 must have reached him by now.
SEELE 09:	Yes, we are taking an awful risk, he has been given time to prepare.
SEELE 01:	It makes no difference now, with the lance in our hands we will be unstoppable.  The operation begins in three days; I will expect you to be in Tokyo-3 within the day.	/Disappears/
SEELE 02:	Kihl is putting us all at risk. You were right.
SEELE 12:	I know, I have already played my part.
SEELE 11:	His plans would mean the death of us all.
SEELE 05:	Death is something that I welcome.
/All disappear/

---

	She grabbed onto Shinji's shoulders and lifted her body over his.  Impaling herself on his member she cried out in pain.  The pain was replaced quickly by pleasure as he began pumping into her, slow deep strokes.  She melted away at the sensations; soon an intense orgasm rocked her frame as Shinji emptied his heavy throbbing liquid inside her with rocking spasms.   "I love you Shinji."
	
	Rei awoke with a start, her face sticky with semi-dry tears.  Her remembrance of the first and last night with Shinji faded as she listened to Shinji and Asuka exchange vows.  Shivering, Rei slid her door open and walked into the kitchen.  The tile floor was cold on her feet as she walked to the windowsill over the sink.  A small round piece of metal lay in-between the screen and shutters.  She reached over and crushed the microphone "bug."

---

	Lt. Yagami winced as the bug was crushed.  A high-pitched squeal sounded from the earphones.  "Capt. Honturi?  The first child detected the bug."
	"It doesn't matter, we have the data we need.  Come, Commander Ikari wants us to report by 18:00:00."  Honturi opened the car door and started the engine, "Send for Lt. Iwata to stand watch."

---

	Shinji was beaming with pride; Asuka was literally glowing with happiness.  He gently slid the gold ring onto Asuka's finger; she slid the other onto his.  For awhile they held each other's hands, their heart beat, their warmth then kissed.  Shinji's lips gently caressed her rose ones and connected with startling electricity.  His tongue prodded against her lips until she opened her mouth a little, moaning into the kiss.  Their tongues clashed, each one feeling an enormous wave of pleasure surge over their bodies.  After about a minute they broke the kiss.
	"Are you hungry?"  He smiled a warm inviting smile.
	"Yeah..." She smiled back, and felt that she could completely trust him, even with her life.

	Shinji whipped up a decent dinner; his cooking skills had improved Asuka saw.  Aside from Rei the dinner was pleasant for Asuka, she felt like she was actually home, where she belonged.  She sat across from Shinji, like old times.  The young, indecisive boy had grown into the mature, caring, confidant man before her eyes. Rei's presence in the house put Asuka slightly on edge, a hint of the old competition, and she wondered why Misato had not mentioned the fact.  Halfway through her meal Asuka's mind flipped back to two years ago, how well would she synchronize with the Eva?

---

	The light fell upon the mask of SEELE; twelve shadows exit the council room in favor of a deserted parking lot.  Twelve stretch limousines waited outside, their engines idling as the chauffeurs opened their doors.  The twelve members of SEELE prepared to meet the end of the world head on, in Tokyo-3.  Lorenz Kihl entered the largest of the black limousines and ordered the driver to take him to the airport.  The first pulled out of the parking lot; its headlights a soft glow against the steel exterior of the buildings, and sped down the highway.  Inside, Lorenz Kihl took a minute to think about his path, would it take him to heaven or hell? 
	Behind the first, a line of eleven more limousines followed the first.  Later, each separated from the group, heading towards different airports.

---

	After dinner Asuka helped Shinji clean up.  Her mind was now filled with happy thoughts for the first time in two years.  Thoughts of a marriage, ceremony, and honeymoon flew through her mind.  Just taking the initiative to return was difficult, but she was glad she came back, back to Shinji.  Long buried feelings from two years before came flooding back, feelings of love and admiration for the man before her.
	Rei retreated to her room after dinner, leaving Asuka and Shinji free to lounge together on the sofa.  Whenever she was around Shinji her heart seemed to soar, when she was not, her world turned to despair.  Shinji seemed filled with a warmth he had never known , He looked down at his goddess, the light in his life and pulled her closer.

	Lt. Iwata watched in rapt attention as Asuka and Shinji's bodies began to emit a light yellow glow, enveloping them both.  The light caused a massive overload in the video camera.  He looked back in the window and thought he saw Shinji's body fade out, replaced by a mass of white light.

	Shinji closed his eyes, a numbing sensation assaulted his senses, a feeling that this body was not his own.  He gazed at Asuka and saw not the girl he loved but a pale eye-less woman.  Asuka felt the same sensations but saw Shinji as a mass of brilliant white light.  Three dark patches marked his body.  Both broke the embrace, checked their bodies and looked into each other's eyes.
	"W, what was that?  I, I didn't see you Shinji."  He embraced her again.
	"I, I...don't know."  This time there was no light.  "It's all right."

---

	"What is this?" Dr. Akagi slammed a data disk on Gendo's desk. "The way you've used these children is disgusting!"
	The light blue haze caused by the illuminated inscriptions on the floor and ceiling made Gendo's glasses seem black.  Dark shadows were cast across his face.
	"We both know that the children were selected for their usefulness and easy manipulation.  If NERV did not use children then our task would become...difficult." The callous way he spoke of these atrocities made Ritsuko's flesh crawl.
	"You've realized what you've done?  You did more than fuse their DNA, you rewrote it!  You have made these children into the progenitors of the human race!  You've forced their fate upon them."  Akagi still was not sure about the way Gendo had done it; he had altered his own son's DNA with that of a God! 
	"I simply set plans into motion that would facilitate the project."
	"The project, your plans! You alter these children's genetic structure and you talk about plans!?!" Ritsuko was very agitated from lack of sleep and now Gendo's arrogance.
	"Dr. Akagi I suggest you take control of yourself, such actions could detract from your performance, and I might be forced to find a replacement." The cold granite eyes pierced through her. Akagi knew what 'replaced' meant.
	"You'd do well to listen to him Dr. Akagi." Fuyutsuki crept out of the shadows.  It was obvious he found this kind of manipulation distasteful.
	Ritsuko turned and walked away, across the expanse of the room.  As she reached the set of double-doors, Gendo's voice rang out in the darkness.
	"Dr. Akagi? Schedule a synchronization test for the children." Ritsuko slammed the door.

---

	Eva-01's shoulder fins snapped off and golden wings sprouted from its back. She saw the Lance of Longinus break into the Eva's core, surely killing the pilot. Rust colored tendrils of metal snaked from the wound, engulfing the Eva's arms and legs in twisted metal.  Before long the Eva had transformed into a pointed-four lanced tree, it's roots descending to the Earth...

	Rei awoke with a start, the disturbing vestiges of the nightmare fading away. She looked at her surroundings; her room had not changed, and lifted herself out of bed.  The cold floor was a shock but she made her way to Shinji's room.
	Shinji and Asuka slept in each other's arms, slept as close as possible without hurting the other.  Asuka's mouth was slightly ajar and a thin line of drool was evident at the corner of her mouth. Soon, Rei wept.
	Rei was still weeping as she lay in bed next to him, his breath cool on her face, and as he slept, she kissed him tenderly on the lips.

---

	The next morning Misato woke up...
	next to Kaji... 
	naked with terrible hangovers...
	in a bathtub.  Neither knew why or how they had been naked in a bathtub, but both attributed it to the alcohol.  After showering, they went to NERV headquarters for breakfast.  Misato did not even notice that Asuka had not come back last night until Ritsuko told her that Asuka spent the night at Shinji's. She kicked herself for letting her go but also was happy to see the couples reunion.

	Meanwhile, Shinji, who had already woken up Rei and Asuka, was making breakfast.  Asuka hadn't had a home cooked meal for two years; she began to salivate with anticipation.  Shinji had decided to prepare miso soup, rice and grilled fish; but at the moment Asuka would have eaten anything.  The previous night's events replaced her depression with a slightly 'more-Asuka' disposition. Rei simply sat at the table, withdrawn into herself, Shinji set down the food and they ate their breakfast in silence. Shinji's mind began to fade back into introspection, would Asuka synch with her Eva? Would she be forced to go to school? How would she react to Hikari? These questions plagued his mind.  Suddenly the doorbell rang making all three teenagers jump.
	As Rei got out of her seat, the same questions filled her mind. The door slid open revealing Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke all standing with smiles on their faces. Soon there were hugs, pats on the back, lewd comments (all from Touji) and filming of the joyous occasion (courtesy of Kensuke).
	While Hikari and Asuka went into another room Shinji was approached by Touji and Kensuke.
	"Ikari! I hear you and Asuka spent the night together..." Touji's lecherous grin gave away the meaning.
	"Yeah, piped in Kensuke, "It's bad enough you popped Rei's cherry why Asuka's too." Kensuke had obviously gained some insight but no tact. No sooner had the words left his mouth than Asuka had punted him out the door. As Kensuke was tending to his wounds Touji was fleeing for his life.
	After Shinji and Hikari managed to pry Asuka off Touji, the conversation soon became what Asuka did during her two-year absence. Asuka told how lonely she felt and how she lived; carefully mentioning that she wanted to return, but not elaborating on the cause. Hikari already knew but Touji did not.
	The group talked for four hours about school, the city, and relationships; but soon the phone rang, a call that would change their lives.
	"Hello?"
	/ "Pilot Ikari, Shinji, would you, Rei and Asuka please come to NERV headquarters." /
	"Ritsuko? Why?"
	/ "The commander ordered immediate synch tests." /
	"But why? I haven't had a synch test in two years!"
	/ "Shinji just come here now!" / She hung up.

---

	Ritsuko did not like having to be so rude, especially to Shinji, but if she didn't perform her duties, God only knew what would happen to her. The office door opened and Misato walked in holding two cups of steaming coffee, the steam was visible to Ritsuko. She handed one to Ritsuko.
	"Here, you look like you need it."
 	"Thanks Misato, but it looks like you need it more than I." She pointed to Misato's unruly hair and the black bags under her eyes.
	"Shut your face!!!"
	Ritsuko giggled.

---

	Shinji, Rei and Asuka walked to NERV headquarters together, Shinji was unsure why his father wanted him, Asuka was afraid of failing again.
	The hallways were calm as usual, the staff and guards were pleasant as usual but something was wrong. An aura of uncertainty hung over the base, as if waiting for something to happen. Asuka instinctively grabbed hold of Shinji's hand as they walked into the Eva cages. The doors opened and the group broke up to go to their respective locker rooms.
	It had been two years since Shinji wore a plug suit, he was still an active pilot but synch tests had not been performed since Kaoru's death. Shinji walked into the empty locker room and opened the clear plastic package that held his plug suit. He ran his hands along the smooth rubber and plastic, it was slightly larger but the same color. An odd feeling of nostalgia struck him as he pulled the suit over his naked body. After closing the plastic clips he depressed the switch on his left wrist, vacuum sealing the suit. The feeling of dread had now crept into his mind as well.

	Rei and Asuka entered the woman's locker room together; Asuka had noticed that NERV now had separate locker rooms. Two plastic packages were laid down on the bench, one white, one red. Rei tore open the white bag and began to undress. Asuka's mind was in turmoil, she wished that they had not separated the sexes, right now she needed Shinji's help and comfort badly. Right now her mind was a jumble of thoughts. 
	"Pilot Sohryu?" Rei's usual blasˇ expression showed question.
	"W, what?"
	"Aren't you going to suit up?" She pointed to the suit.
	Asuka tore open the package and changed. The suit was made through a hologram taken as she entered NERV; the hologram was then used to measure the size of the suit. It fit like a glove, the thin rubber and plastic sealed against her skin. Together, Rei and Asuka left the changing room.

---

	A twisted mask of SEELE illuminated the darkened room.

/SEELE 01-12 appear/

SEELE 01:	The time has come, the time predicted in the scrolls, when the Evas will facilitate our return to wholeness.
SEELE 12:	Is this wise? The risks involved would be enormous.
SEELE 11: 	I agree.
SEELE 12:	Your overzealous pursuit of revenge against Ikari endangers the scenario. The plan could fail and the organization could be irreparably damaged.
SEELE 01:	The end is fast approaching, nothing within human power can stop it. Your pitiful whining has worn my patience thin; your usefulness has ended.

/The monolith of SEELE 12 splits down the middle, cracks splintering from the wound, and crumbles. Suddenly, the holographic representations of Gendo and Fuyutsuki appear highlighted with white light. /

Gendo:	Your scenario will not be realized I am afraid. /Ikari's hands were set before him on the surface of his desk. /
SEELE 01:	Do not try to intimidate us! Your plans are about to be crushed Ikari.
Fuyutsuki:	I'm afraid it is your plan that will be crushed, nothing can be gained from death.
Gendo:	Yes, with the Eva's transubstantiation the concept of death will be a moot point.
SEELE 05:	Death is the ultimate freedom.
SEELE 01:	And death is what has been granted to you. /SEELE 01-11 disappear/

Fuyutsuki:	The purpose of man was to bring Eva into this world. That is why she remained in the Eva. Kihl's taking a very immense risk to end his suffering.
Gendo:	It cannot be helped Fuyutsuki, now we must prepare for a type one offensive.
Fuyutsuki:	Type one?
Gendo:	Yes, reports have been coming that Kihl began to churn the waters against us. Capt. Honturi? /Capt. Tenma Honturi appears/

Honturi:	Yes sir!
Gendo:	Brief us on what had been happening since the vice-commander's return.
Honturi:	Sir! A formal request for the A-18 was given by Alexander Nachent a.k.a. SEELE member 12, and was unanimously passed after brief deliberation.
Fuyutsuki:	/Chuckles/ Yes, I'm sure Kihl made sure of that.
Honturi:	(Continues) the SEELE members were then observed leaving the senate building. At 21:00:52 hours, Alexander Nachent, Hans Haeber, Horace Livingstone, Sebastion Gravel and Chairman Lorenz Kihl were seen exiting the new Haneda airport in Tokyo-2. Reports of other SEELE members entering the country at this time are unconfirmed.
Gendo:	Very well, Capt. Honturi you are dismissed. 

/Capt. Honturi disappears only to reappear moments later. /

Honturi:	Correction sir, we have confirmation that SEELE members Gregory Dufresne and Lames Landry have entered the country. Our teams observed them disembarking in New Yokosuka.
Gendo:	Good work Capt. Begin preparations for a type one lock-down. I want all bulkheads, air shafts, and crawl spaces available to be filled with freon/bakelite on my command is that clear?
Honturi:	Yes sir! /The hologram disappears/
Gendo:	Fuyutsuki?
Fuyutsuki:	Yes?
Gendo:	Oversee the activation of Unit-02, then review the augmentations of the defense grid with Dr. Akagi. /Fuyutsuki disappears. / Yui, you will help me, won't you?

---

	"Asuka we're about to insert the entry plug, is everything alright in there?" Dr. Akagi's voice seemed distant as Asuka's thoughts were far away.
	"Yes." The past three hours had been synch test after synch test and physical exams. So far Shinji and Rei had been with her, however, now, being plugged into the Eva, she felt a slight apprehension. 
	The entry plug was secured tightly by the guiding clamps. The entry plug was then twisted tightly into the Eva's spine. Asuka could feel the revolutions in the entry plug, three turns. 
	As the entry plug filled with LCL, Asuka thought she smelled the faintest hint of blood. The thick viscous fluid filled her lungs, a heavy weight in her chest. The burning sensation in her throat increased with every breath, millions of tiny particles scraping the lining of her trachea. Several swallows of LCL slipped past her epiglottis and simmered in her stomach, making the situation all the more uncomfortable.
	"Asuka? We're about to start the activation test, anything out of the ordinary?"
	"No." Asuka took no notice in the fact that the LCL was slightly murky, and that there were larger particles floating around.
	"Alright, commence A-10 nerve connection."

---

	"Absolute borderline...crossed." Maya let out a sigh.
	"Were you as worried about this test as I was?" Misato entered the pribnow box. Ritsuko glanced back at her.
	"Misato...well, yes alright I admit it, I was worried." Ritsuko leaned on the control panel and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Fuyutsuki stood gazing out at the Eva, arms behind his back, a pensive look pasted on his face, completely unbecoming for his nature.
	"Dr. Akagi? How are the synch ratios?"
	"Well..." Ritsuko gestured towards the screen, "Asuka's ratio is slightly lower than Shinji's but it's .00003 higher than two years ago. I'm impressed that she's held up this well." The holographic display dispensed two graphs. "This one is from two years ago, and these are today's."
	"It doesn't seem that her ratio has dropped any...but the brain noise has increased," Maya chimed in. Ritsuko lifted a clipboard from its peg and jotted down a few notes.
	"I'm sure she'll be proud of that."
	"I'm not so sure..." Misato strode to the door, and with a wink to Ritsuko promptly disappeared into Central Dogma.
	Fuyutsuki turned on the intercom system.
	"Pilots? Your done, get changed and report to Maj. Katsuragi for debriefing." An aged finger flicked off the switch, it seemed he had aged twenty years in two days. Thinking about it, he attributed his condition to stress.
	"Commander Fuyutsuki?"
	"Yes Dr. Akagi?"
	"The test wasn't finished, why did you abort it so early?" Ritsuko's job was stressful enough without these kinds of interruptions.
	"Dr. Akagi, we need to go over the defense enhancements. Kindly come with me to the Battle Bridge." He turned on his heel and walked out with Ritsuko in tow.

---

	Fifteen minutes later Asuka and Rei changed and met with Shinji in the cafeteria. The test had been exhausting enough, not for the body but for the mind. Shinji found that he tended to be less receptive to  others after a synch test, his mind was simply moving too fast; it was the same kind of rush he got when piloting the Eva. Thus far Shinji's score had incomparably exceeded either Asuka or Rei. Asuka maintained a steady 66%, Rei at 52% and Shinji at 96%.
	Shinji was currently nursing a cup of coffee, it's gritty blackness matching that of his mind. Years ago he had accidentally drank a can of Misato's Yebisu beer, that morning he drank about seven cups of coffee, after that he was hooked.  Rei brought over a glass of water and sat across from Shinji, she was attired in jeans and a T-shirt. Shinji noticed that she had reverted back into her cold state of two years ago, no surprise, he knew how she felt about him. It was painful to lose someone, especially someone that you cared about. Rei sipped from the clear straw nonchalantly.
	He looked over at the cafˇ line and saw Asuka walking towards them with a soda, she promptly sat down next to Shinji. She looked downcast.
	"How did it feel Asuka? I mean the Eva." Shinji looked concerned and gently, loosely enwrapped her in his arms. Millions of questions sprang into his head, he knew that the Eva had not rejected her, but had it in some way twist her mind?
	"S, Shinji! It was so...so lonely!" She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as he began to gently rock her, as a father would for a daughter, or a husband for a wife. She began to die down, the sobs becoming less frequent. Slowly, slowly she stopped crying, pulling him closer.
	"If you do not open yourself to the Eva, it will not respond." Rei's calm clear voice rang out and pierced the silence. Overhead a train passed by.
	Shinji looked down at the broken girl; then at Rei, Rei's face softened.
	"You know Asuka, Rei's right. You have to open your heart to the Eva, or else it won't synch properly." Asuka pulled away slightly. Shinji flashed a shy smile, hoping that it would put her mind at ease.  Suddenly the emergency klaxons wailed, snapping the teens out of their thoughts.
	"An Angel attack? Now?"
						(to be continued...)
Author's Notes
	I know, don't you just hate me? The angel attack ending is a clichˇ I know, but I really didn't want to include the battles just yet.  Many things have happened in this chapter, things that will have serious repercussions in future chapters. The inclusion of EOE dialogue into the SEELE meeting was meant to tie together this fic, with the main storyline. I'd appreciate any comments on the names I gave to the SEELE members, I wanted Kihl to do something so I needed names; you just can't write about SEELE 12 said this when they are there in person, can you? I have given my original character Tenma Honturi a bigger role than I intended, but he will not have much more interference, I merely needed a name for Section 2's commander. Next up: "Storming the Gates of Jerusalem!"

The voting results have also come in:
	In total, 42 votes were received.
9 for a happy ending
5 for a sad ending
7 for a dark ending
8 for an ending that makes no sense
and
8 for a lemon ending.

	Thanks go to all that voted!
	
								Dr. Suekeichi Kaiton
								Kaiton@banet.net
								C&C + Flames are welcome!

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