See part 1 for warnings and stuff. Authored by Godsend777 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I found her!" "Good, take her to the infirmary. The rest of you move on to Eva Unit 01! Go! GO!" --Neon Genesis Evangelion: Dead Children-- Part 2: Aftereffects NERV Command "Retrieval of Second Children confirmed." Maya states. "Moving on to Eva-01." "Good. Hyuuga, what is the status of the team searching for Commander Ikari?" "Now approaching Terminal Dogma. Communication states that Heaven's Gate is wide open." "I hope sempai's okay..." "What did you say Maya?" "Nothing, just thinking out loud." "Aoba, get me a reading on the the 17th angel." "Sorry, sir, since most of the Geofront's cameras were destroyed, I can't pinpoint his location. Also, he hasn't generated an ATField, so the sensors can't detect him." "I see." Fuuyutsuki says, then slumps back into Gendo's chair. "This situation is hell." He rests his arms beside him, trying to relax in this tense situation. "Tell the crews to shoot anyone not affiliated with NERV or the JSSDF. We can't take chances." "Yes, sir." "Sir! Terminal Dogma search team has found something!" "What is it, Hyuuga?" "It's Doctor Akagi, sir. She's dead." "WHAT!?" Maya screams. "Oh no, no, nonono..." she begins to break down and cry, sobbing heavily. "Aoba, take her out to the hall and get her to calm down. If she can't, take her to the infirmary and come back here." "Sempai..." she sobs. "I'm sorry, Maya." Fuuyutsuki says sincerely. He then goes back to his commanding tone. "Hyuuga, anything else?" "Yes sir, Gendo's clothes have been found. They're wet with what is apparently LCL." Hyuuga makes a curious face. He then opens a channel to the team. "Are you sure it's LCL? Yes, I know you've seen it in the entry plugs. A man from the Eva Maintenance Crew is with you? He confirms it. I see, thank you." He turns to Fuuyutsuki. "It is confirmed, it's LCL." "What does that mean?" "I don't know, it needs to be analyzed." "By who? We're practically the only science staff left, if you can call us that." Fuuyutsuki balls his hands up into fists and pounds them on the desk before him. "Damn! Damn it all to hell!" "Sir..." "Could we help?" A voice comes from the hall door. "Who? Commander, it's the angel!" Simultaneously, both Hyuuga and Fuuyutsuki draw their pistols. "That wouldn't help, now would it?" The boy scowls. "And I'm not an angel." "H-hi." Dr. Richter says from behind him. "Who are you? Where are Maya and Aoba?" Hyuuga yells, pointing his pistol at the boy's head. "Now, now, young man, that is hardly appropriate." As he waves his hand, the pistols are knocked out of their respective owners' grips. "And there was no one else in the hallway. Just a lot of dead people and us." "What do you want?" Fuuyutsuki asks. "To help. My name is Moru. At least, that's what I call myself. The man behind me used to work for SEELE in the German branch before an accident two weeks ago. His name is Justin Richter, and he unfortunately speaks almost no Japanese." "SEELE and angels aren't a good combination around here." Fuuyutsuki sneers. "I have information that can help you. I need to speak to a Doctor Akagi or Gendo Ikari, though." "They're dead. We just found out." Hyuuga says. He looks down at his gun. "Don't think about it." Hyuuga looks back up at him. "I came here in good will, and I don't need any more shit. Now be seated." With that, both Hyuuga and Fuuyustuki sit down. "You love that trick, don't you." "Shut up, Richter." "I took Maya to the infirmary. The only remaining nurse said she'd -" Aoba began as he walked in. Upon seeing Moru, he stops. "The Angel!" "I'm not an angel! Get over here and sit down!" Moru commands. Aoba obeys. "Look, I don't care if you trust me, but we are here to help. SEELE used us too, you know. And I'm not an angel, I'm more like Rei - a genetically engineered combination of Angel and Human DNA. Unlike Tabris, or Kaworu, or whatever, I don't hear the voice of God in my head. Is that acceptable?" "What are you talking about?" Aoba asks. "Rei..." Fuuyutsuki begins "Was cloned from Lillith and Commander Ikari's late wife, Yui." "What?" Hyuuga gasps. "There was a similar project in Germany using material from Adam and Yui. But in this case, instead of using clean DNA, they hatched it from one of her egg cells and accelerated its growth. Several 'Kaworus,' like the 'Reis' that were below us, were created for the dummy system." Fuuyutsuki wipes his brow, suddenly feeling very tired. "This must be one of the results. Or so I can guess." He looks at Moru. "Is this correct?" Moru pauses, unsure. "I-I guess that's about it... Actually, I couldn't have explained it better myself!" he smiles. "Now, will you let me help you?" "We don't have much choice..." Aoba mutters. "What should I do?" Richter asks. "Interpret these readings for me." Moru replies. For several hours, Fuuyutsuki, Aoba, Hyuuga, Moru, and Richter direct the remaining rescue teams and security squads on their respectful missions. Maya eventually calmed down enough to return back to her post, which gave Moru and Richter an oppurtunity to catch up on the events after the destruction of the 16th angel, up to and including the betrayal by the 17th angel. NERV was occupied and kept operational the next week by the Japanese government while the UN made its decision. All NERV staff who had survived were allowed to return to their posts. As security was now mostly staffed by the JSSDF, tension was tight in the complex. However, the remaining NERV staff were more wary of NERV's new "employee." NERV Command Center - A Week Later "What's this?" Moru asks, hovering over Hyuuga's shoulder. Moru is now wearing a NERV computer staff uniform. "Key NERV personnel and their status." "Oh? Can I see it?" "Sure." Hyuuga types in a few commands, displaying a small list of people, many of their names familiar to Moru's eyes. The list reads so: Commander Ikari Gendo: Deceased Sub-Commander Fuuyutsuki Kozou: Active, Acting as NERV commander Project E Chairman Dr. Akagi Ritsuko: Deceased Captain Katsuragi Misato: Deceased Special Operative Kaji Ryouji: Deceased Bridge Operator Hyuuga Makoto: Active Bridge Operator Shigeru Aoba: Active Bridge Operator Ibuki Maya: Active First Children Ayanami Rei: Deceased Second Children Soryuu Asuka: Incapacitated Third Children Ikari Shinji: *CLASSIFIED* Fourth Children Suzuhara Touji: Incapacitated Fifth Children Nagisa Kaworu: Deceased, Cross Reference 17th Angel "Thanks, Hyuuga. Also, thanks again for covering for me when the Prime Minister had his questions. Thank God that those files from Keel were still available." "You seem to be victim as much as the rest of us. Did they really run all of those experiments on you?" "Oh yeah. Those were VERY uncomfortable." He gives Hyuuga a friendly pat on the back, then proceeds to Maya's station. "How is the information I gave you working out?" "Huh? Oh, it's doing okay. With this, we know how to forsee anyone else trying to initiate another impact, as well being able to prevent it. But how did you know so much about the Dead Sea Scrolls?" "That's... a long story. Can I see the information on the Third Children?" "Yeah... As you see here," Maya points to a chart on the screen "his ego border is in a state of constant fluctuation." "So he can't return to his body yet." "It took a month last time until we got him out, and that was only because Captain Katsuragi was here. I don't think he'll come back this time, even with the data we have. It's like he has nothing left..." "No friends, relatives, or anything like that?" "Well, His mother and Commander Ikari are dead, so are Misato and Rei. And Asuka is still in a coma. His other friends are gone, and I don't think they'd help much, really. I just wish sempai was here to help out." "I'm sorry about Dr. Akagi. I didn't know her, but it's sad when people lose their loved ones." "Thank you." Maya silently mouths. "Oh, and thanks for loaning me the brown hair dye. I just need to get some contacts and a tanning bed, and I'm all set to go!" Moru jokes. Maya makes a slight chuckle, but nothing more. Seeing nothing more to do in the command center, Moru decides to search out Dr. Richter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I see..." Fuuyutsuki replies to the man over the vidphone. "Yes, NERV will remain open long enough to repair the remaining EVA series, as well as handle any loose ends SEELE may have left. They will then be disseminated into the UN or left to seek their own employment. As for you, Fuuyutsuki, I highly recommend retiring. Gendo Ikari's right-hand man is not going to be welcome anywhere. Until then, you are in charge of NERV." "For whom are the EVA series being repaired for?" "The UN, of course. There should be no more angels, so they can be used for peacekeeping missions." "Of course..." Fuuyutsuki replies sarcastically. "The dummy plugs still work, correct?" "We have to change the programming so that they don't try to kill us again, and the cores are strangely silent. In short, we can't tell." "Well, report on it ASAP. Good day, Fuuyutsuki." The prime minister hangs up with an audible click. "Good day to you too, bastard." ------------------------------------------------------------ Moru wanders through the halls of NERV trying to avoid the wary glances people give him. He finds himself in the medical ward, and decides to see firsthand the damage done to the Second Children. Rounding the corner to the hall, he notices a girl he's never seen before leave her room. "Excuse me, miss!" "Huh?" The girl turns to him, giving him a good view of herself. She seems to be around the age of his current body, sporting two short ponytails and an innocent-looking face replete with freckles. "She'd probably be cuter if she smiled..." Moru thinks. "Did you just come out of Miss Sohryuu's room?" "Y-yes. Is that okay? The nurses told me it was fine to see her..." She says, suddenly becoming nervous. "It's fine. I was just wondering how she was doing." "She just got back from surgery and she's still in a coma. The nurses didn't sound too hopeful about it. I hope she -- Wait, who are you?" "Oh, sorry. I'm...uh...Moru, a...replacement pilot, you could say." "Oh. I'm Horaki Hikari, a friend of Asuka's. Did you know her?" "Not personally. I just came to see if she was conscious, to...uh...get some tips or something. I guess that's pointless now." He glances through the door she left open to see the Second Children lying in a hospital bed with several tubes in her arms and nose. Covering her left eye are bloody bandages, and her entire right arm is in a cast. Other bandages are clearly visible all over her body. "She'll wake up!" Hikari suddenly cries out. "I know she will! She woke up to fight those big, white monsters, and she'll do it again!" Several tears have begun to find their way down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I stuck my foot in my mouth. Forgive me." "N-no, I'm just worried about her." Hikari says between her tears. Moru begins to reach out a hand to comfort her, but retracts it to keep from being too forward. "Hey! What are you doing to her!" A voice yells from behind him. Moru turns around to be greeted by an angry young man in a wheelchair. He wears sports gear, which is obviously tied up around his left arm and leg, and is glaring angrily at him. "Touji, it's not what you think." "Wait, you're Suzuhara Touji? The Fourth Children?" Moru asks. "Yeah, what of it?" "Touji, wait up!" Another young man calls. He runs around the corner, almost tripping and falling flat on his face. His glasses are slipping down his face due to his sweat, and his white school shirt is beginning to get soaked through the armpits. "You were the pilot of Eva-03, correct? Before it was destroyed, right?" Moru continues. "So? You got a problem with that!?" "That would mean," Moru turns to Hikari "that you're his girlfriend." Both Touji and Hikari blush while Kensuke holds back a chuckle. "That's none of your business." Touji mutters under his breath. "Hi, I'm Aida Kensuke. Wow, your eyes are the same color as Rei's!" "I'll take that as a compliment. I'm Moru, a replacement pilot." "Moru, huh? That's a weird name." Kensuke says. "It's definitely not Japanese..." "It's Latin. And before you ask, I have no family name." "Why?" "No family, no name. Simple, eh?" "Uh, I guess." "Well, it's nice that you two are getting along." Touji speaks up. "But I want to visit my little sister, and see if Shinji or anyone else is around." "Hey Hikari, how's Asuka?" Kensuke asks. "She's still in a coma. They don't know when she'll wake up." "Oh... so you're a replacement pilot? Is that how you knew all that stuff about Touji and Hikari?" Kensuke asks as he scratches his head. "Yeah, there are some pretty detailed files about the pilots." "Sheesh. Hey, do you know where Shinji is?" "Shinji is...ah..." "He's not dead, is he?" Hikari asks worriedly. "It's classified. I'm sorry." "What about Misato?" Touji quickly asks. "She died. As well as Rei and a few others. Again, I'm sorry." An awkward silence engulfs the four children. They stand this way for several minutes, before Moru offers a suggestion. "There's not much around here for me to do. I can tell you a lot of things if you need to know about them. A lot of NERV stuff is being de-classified. I think it's being disbanded." Again, it is a few minutes before anyone speaks. "That... would be great." Hikari finally speaks up. "Good. I haven't met anyone my... age here yet, and it would be...nice to...hang out. Also, I might have heard an interesting proposition for Suzuhara here." "Really? What is it?" "Let's go to the cafeteria first. Then I'll tell you." As the four begin to proceed down the hall, no one notices a slight spike on Asuka's brainwave monitor, or her mouthing the name 'Shinji.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "They're sending WHAT here?" Dr. Richter screams. "Calm down, sir! If you start speaking too fast, I won't be able to translate well." says a young man standing next to him. "I don't care! They should destroy those things! Man was not meant to create such - such ABOMINATIONS!" "Sir, I'm sorry, but they'll arrive today." "WHAT!? SHIT! Who else knows?" "What's he saying?" Maya asks. "He's not happy with the...uh...'delivery' that's being made today." The translator responds. "Who else knows!? Translate for me, Dammit!" "He's asking who else knows, ma'am." Maya thumbs a sheet of paper over on her notepad. "Well, just me, Fuuyutsuki, Aoba, and Hyuuga. And the teams that will install them into the replacement tanks downstairs." "Just the top four and a team of technicians, sir." The translator says. "Shit. Find me Moru, I need to speak with him immediately." Richter commands. The translator speaks to Maya, who then sits back down at her console. Richter watches this with a feeling of unease, before he walks out the door. He turns the corner and lights up a cigarette, hoping no one catches him. 'If those things are disturbed during their shipment...' He thinks to himself. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wow! So they'll offer to fix me up?" Touji cries out happily. "Your sister, too. Now I'm not sure about this, but since the UN took control they're trying to 'make amends' with people in an attempt to win back public trust. No one was too happy when everything made front page four days ago." Moru says while sipping on a soda. "Marie, too? Wow!" "But wait 'til you hear from them. I'm not sure about everything, so don't take my word for it." "I'll be back to normal again, guys!" "You weren't listening well, were you?" "He's just excited." Kensuke states. "Fine." Moru turns his attention to Hikari. "You've been quiet, Miss Horaki." "Sorry, Mr. Moru, it's just I can't help but feel sad about everyone." "Moru, isn't there anything you can tell us about Shinji?" Kensuke asks. Moru sighs and folds his arms in front of him. "Look...don't hold your breath. There's a good chance he might not make it. That's all I can tell you." He pauses. "Again, I'm sorry." "But-" Touji tries to begin. Moru just glances at him again in a way that screams 'don't ask.' "I can't say any more. I want to, but I'm on thin ice here." He begins to get up. "People are...suspicious of me because I was sent directly from Germany AFTER everything happened. It's not something I can help, though." He picks up his soda and turns around. "Maybe I'll see you guys around. It's been fun hanging out with you three, even if only for a little bit." "MORU. PLEASE REPORT TO NERV COMMAND. REPEAT: WILL MORU PLEASE REPORT TO NERV COMMAND." blurts out the nearest loudspeaker. "Better get going. Take care, you three." He waves his hand, then rushes out of the cafeteria. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NERV Meeting Room "It's about time you got here." "Sorry, Commander Fuuyutsuki. What's the problem?" "Maya, if you would." "Yes, Commander. At 12:35 today, the Kaworu dummy plug bodies arrived at NERV headquarters. They are currently sitting in a loading bay, awaiting further movement." Maya flips a piece of paper on her clipboard, then pulls out a pen. "Dr. Richter has asked us not to disturb these 'extras' until we spoke with you." "Well, Mr. Moru, what do we need to know?" Moru crosses his arms and closes his eyes. "Since Richter's translator is not present, I guess I'll have to relate the story." He lets out a sigh, thinking about where to start. "As you all know, Dr. Richter was Germany's 'Dr. Akagi,' so to speak. He was the one in charge of their dummy project, the one using Kaworu as its base. They tried to recreate the process of manufacturing a soul on several of the bodies, like they did with Rei. It failed. Seeing my chance, I 'inhabited' one of the bodies and pretended to be their success." "Inhabited?" Fuuyutsuki's eyebrow raises. "What do you mean?" "I'm a free-floating entity. I possess the bodies of others in order to live." Everyone, save Richter, gasps at the revelation. "So you ARE an angel!" Aoba yells as he goes for his gun. Upon touching it, it crumples into a wad of metal. "Don't. And stop calling me an angel. I'm simply someone who has lost their 'ego border.' Like Commander Ikari, or Shinji." "I...don't know how to take something like that." Fuuyutsuki says as he wipes his brow. "But what does it have to do with the other 'extras?' And why did you lie to us?" "I lied so as not to cause trouble. As for the 'extras,' they...might have been infected by a type of mental contamination from the Eva-05 series." "Like what?" "Let me confer with Richter for a moment." Moru and Richter walk away to speak for a moment. The remaining NERV staffers take a moment to collect their thoughts. "When this meeting is over," Fuuyutsuki whispers to his subordinates, "I want you all to stay behind." "Yes, sir." All three whisper back. By this time, Richter and Moru walk back to the meeting grid. "Okay, I've got the technical terms all worked out with Richter here." He takes a breath, and begins to speak again. "When the dummy plugs were being initialized, Tabris was linked with nine other 'extras.' An accidental electrical discharge created a feedback from the Eva series and looped through the nine 'extras.' Kaworu had been disconnected by that time, so he escaped it. The 'extras,' however, proceeded to awaken. Nerve gas was poured into their chambers, and they were knocked out. They were supposed to be dissected, but the Eva project had now gone full swing. So they were dumped into special tanks for later usage and analysis. With SEELE gone, they are now your problem. But as long as they stay in the tanks, they'll be fine." "How would we remedy this solution?" "I recommend immediate destruction of the 'extras.'" Hyuuga says. "I second." states Aoba. "That's what I had in mind." Moru says. "Maya?" "I don't know Commander. I guess it's for the best." "Very well. How would we destroy them, Mr. Moru?" "We raise the temperature of the LCL to disentagrate the bodies. It must all be done at the same time, though." "Why?" "Their minds are a type of collective. What one feels, the other feels. Like if nine humans were sychronized fully, body and soul." "Then at 2:00 today, Hyuuga will instruct the maintenance crew on what to do. Dr. Richter, you are excused. Mr. Moru, I want you in my office in three hours. Any attempt to leave this facility until then will result in your termination." "Very well." "We can go?" Dr. Richter asks. "Yeah. Learn Japanese quicker, will you? I need help during these things." "Piss off." Having made their statements, Richter and Moru exit the room. After they leave, Fuuyutsuki speaks up. "Maya, do you have the file on our 'friend?'" "Yes, Commander. All DNA tests show that he has the same body composition as Tabris, down to the tiniest DNA strand." "And that means?" "He said there was more human DNA than Adam, and that he didn't hear the voice of God in his head. If he has the same body type, than it's conceivable that he could be an angel." "What about the 'free-floating entity' remark?" "I don't know, sir." "Actually," Hyuuga breaks in, "I could 'accidently' download the still-classified information from the databanks, and see if I can find out more about him." "Then do it. Any questions?" "Why are we letting him roam around NERV headquarters?" Aoba asks. "He in all likeliness is an angel of some sort." "Well, what can we do about it? Lillith is dead, and Adam seems to have disappeared with Commander Ikari. He can't destroy humanity completely without them, and we can't touch him. Also, he's doing no harm to us." "He is a nice person..." Maya suggests. Aoba, Hyuuga, and Fuuyutsuki just stare at her. Fuuyutsuki finally breaks the silence. "Go back to your stations. Dismissed!" "Yes, sir!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Something wrong, Kensuke?" "Yeah...what kind of name is Moru?" "He said it was Latin." "Don't be dumb, Touji. Every name means something. I just wonder what his means." "It seems like more of a nickname than a real name. Why don't we just ask him next time?" "Hikari's right, Kensuke. Besides, you shouldn't think about stuff that doesn't matter." "But what if he had something to do with the attack on NERV? What if he was a pilot of one of those things? He might have tried to kill Shinji and Asuka!" Hikari and Touji think for a second. Hikari sighs, while Touji scratches his head. "You didn't seem to mind when we were talking with him earlier." Touji says. "I was just thinking about it now." "Well, I don't want to think about now. I just want to go see my sister, and tell her the good news." "Don't get her hopes up, Touji." "Don't worry, Hikari! If they refuse now, I'll beat'em to a pulp!" All three share a chuckle, then proceed down the hall to the little girl's room. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NERV Warehouse and Loading Bay In the center of a warehouse sits a large, rectangular box. Adorned with signs of 'Do Not Touch' and 'Fragile', with more than enough Biohazard symbols for careful measure, it remains undisturbed. No worker will go near it. Without direct orders from above, no one will touch a possible biohazard. So it sits in the warehouse, untouched. To the staff of NERV, this could be a shame. For if someone had gone near it, they would have noticed the yellow-orange liquid seeping out the bottom. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Up: The fate of NERV is still up in the air. Will a tragedy more serious than either the angels or second impact keep NERV alive? And just what is a 'free-floating entity'? And what does it have to do with the nine 'extras' currently sitting in the NERV loading bay? The fate of NERV is resolved next episode! (Our plot, however, isn't) Wait for it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: There's part two of Dead Children. I actually wanted to end on a more action-filled note, but this ending seems to work as well. E-mail with responses! I want to know if anyone wants to see this continue. Seeya!