The Testament of EVE Chapter 17: Of Mannequins and Revelations, an evangelion fanfic

Author's Pre-chapter rant.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over Six Months have passed since I last updated this fic. I apologise profusely, and I am now where I want to be. This fic shall become epic by it's conclusion, and I will give no less to an endeavour such as this...

Had I written this chapter a month ago, It would not be what I wanted it to be. Now that both The Testament of EVE and The Requiem of Darkness are on their figurative feet, I can get back to this. I never promised a quick journey with this fic, and I now move to take it where I want to go. In the author's rant for this chapter six months ago (replaced by this one), I wrote that there are many directions this fic could take, and I concluded with the words:

"What to do… what to do?"

But now, my will has come to fruition. It will be done. As Ragnar Tornquist wrote, "A story is not simply told; it is lived, breathed, and can last, hours, weeks, months, years and even centuries in the telling"

Well, This seems to be a long conceived story. The real journey begins now, so come, gentles all. What better time than Christmas to make a fresh start and take the first steps on an exciting journey?!

Off we go.

Sano

Chapter 16: Of Mannequins and Revelations.

He knew that he was alive. That much could be told from the fluctuation of strong and hoarse breaths that were exhaled from his battered and parched lips. From the dull pounding of pain, he could tell that his nose had been broken, and from the feel of his skin, he knew that the blood that caked his face had long dried. How many hours, days… weeks, had he been here? He did not know. His body now woke up; it's punishment delaying it. He realized that he was on his knees, and that his were wrists bound in steel manacles, and he bore a metal collar around his neck. His legs ached, and his stomach protested it's empty state.

The man opened his eyes slowly, seeing nothing but a blur in front of him, which then gradually cleared to reveal a metal wall with a thick steel door set in it. The only thing significant about the door was the number 00 on it. His eyes widened as he realized that he was in the highest security cell in NERV. He had no memory of how he got here, or how he came to be in chains.

The next thing that went through his head was an image of a young man covered in a blood-like substance.

That… boy…

Why does he waste my time by plaguing my mind… How dare they lock me up in here…

I shall punish them, and then, I shall punish that boy…

He shook his head madly, as if trying to fight something… some intrusion.

No… that is not me… That was my hatred… Why now…

He looked in front of him, and saw a figure standing in front of him. It was wearing a full black suit with a Japanese tux collar, and glasses. His eyes widened.

"W…" he began, but realized that he couldn't speak, for his throat was so parched and damaged.

Damn it.…

The figure threw its head back and laughed long and hard. It then turned to regard him with mad eyes.

There is no need to speak… just listen. That boy shall be disposed of. Our mission is to destroy them, just as SEELE had nearly done before…not just the boy… The harlot and the puppet must die too…

I have enjoyed watching you play the fool, but NO MORE! I took you once, and I can take you again. Now… do my bidding.

He shook his head wildly at the apparition, desperate but unyielding.

You have no choice. Now, let our mission commence once again.

The Figure suddenly placed one hand on the man's shoulder, and thrust the other hand into his chest. A feral grin crossed the figures face.

Remember who you truly are… You are mine now…

Gendo Screamed.

Rei opened her eyes to find herself in darkness. She could not move, could not sense. It seemed that the only thing she could sense was herself, and the workings of her body. In a strange and out of place moment of curiosity, she wondered whether this was how the universe felt. Knowing that it's inner working were in harmony and functioning, but being alone in the dark, unable to move, see or hear and seemingly suspended by nothing; seemingly suspended over and under nothing.

She knew if she stayed here for more than an hour she would go mad. She thought that she, being the most reclusive person in all those she knew, may be comfortable in this plane of nonexistance... this emptiness. Yet she was being driven mad, and she could feel it in her very bones. A feeling of dread, fright and loneliness that rose and rose, accelerating faster then she could keep track of, soon to pass the threshold of her sanity, and break the doors that sealed her mind. She knew then that she wouldn't escape, and it would be too late. Maybe her seemingly incipient madness would make her want to stay in this emptiness. Like some Hermit, driven mad not by those who drove him to solitude, but by solitude itself.

Then, seemingly unbidden, an image burned through her mind. It was Shinji, holding her close after that magical kiss they had shared under the sunset of Tokyo-3; a single rose of love blooming in an otherwise destroyed garden. She felt a sudden jolt as her feet hit land, driving her to her very knees with the surprise. Her eyes were suddenly assaulted by burning rays of light, that didn't stop burning until she had both closed her eyes and covered them with her hands. A fierce wind blew through her hair, shivering her to the core, and rain hit her like a waterfall, sending her crashing face-first into the floor. After the burning in her eyes dissapated, she removed her hands and slowly opened her eyes. It was not bright, but the weather seemed foul, and the rain fell in torrents, washing the blood from the wounds that marred the delicate skin of her knuckles. She was on what seemed to be a pedestal, with a surface of around 3 metres in diameter. She looked at her form, and saw she was encased in a jet black plug suit. A closer inspection of her hand showed that her broken knuckles from her madness had healed, seemingly gone along with the shattering of her mask. However, the plug suit was still torn from her assault of the doors of the Rei Production chamber. She felt her palms through the material, and realised the burns she had recieved from her meeting with Lillith were still present.

She stood up, and went to the end of the platform. She could see another platform in the distance, and what she saw shocked her. The platforms seemed to be upside down cones, suspended on nothing but thin air, and she could not see the ground. She peered downwards, trying to see if she could see anything, but the wind rushed her hair in front of her eyes. After a minute of looking, she could see the ground, and noticed it seemed to be growing in size. She felt the wind blow her hair upwards, and it was then that she realised that the platform she was on was hurtling towards the ground at a tremendous speed. There was nothing she could do, no way to escape the death she was about to face, and tears fell from her eyes, mingling with the raindrops that dripped down her face. She accepted death, knowing that she could not escape it. The platform kept on plummeting, towards what she indentified as a castle of some sort. She kept looking down, determined to face her death and not wither like a weak flower presented with winter chill. The platform fell closer to the ground, and she could almost see the very lines between the granite blocks in the walls.

All went black, and the resounding crash that echoed through her mind was cut off short.

Misato walked purposefully down to the centre of NERV, her pace fast, and her face grim. She had been woken up by a hysterical Ritsuko, who had informed her that the Commander had been taken by some madness last night. Misato was furious that she had not been woken immediately, but Ritsuko told her that she needed rest after being struck as hard as Rei had punched her. She told Misato there was more to discuss when she returned, which was just as important, and handed her a medical file, which she had been perusing ever since she got it.

Everything about the commander's health seemed perfect as it could be for a man of his age. He could even complete the Section 2 obstacle course, a feat he had done in order to show them how incompetant those that failed were. He had nearly perfect sight, and his spectacles could have easily been neglected with no change to his daily duties or performance. It all read normal for several pages, and then Misato's eyes widened in horror at an entry that was added last night. The commander had gone into a rage down in Basement 666, heading towards Terminal Dogma. He had killed four agents with his submachinegun, and injuring a few more, emptying all 50 hollowpointed rounds into the men, before being knocked out by another agent who had come in after the first unfortunates. The report stated "Hallucination?" beside it, and also went on to say that he was screaming about them being mannequins and monsters, even murmering the words in his unconscious state. This is what Misato thought was the most important. Along with Rei's Mask emerging, it seemed all this was connected. Shinji's dream showed Mannequin's shaped like Rei hunting there likeness down, and now the commander murders four men, thinking them to be mannequins. Were they the same ones?

Misato heard a scream come from the hall she was walking down, and drew her new Desert Eagle, cocking the slide and smoothly loading a .357 round into the chamber. The scream had been filled with sorrow and loss, and went beyond the level of human volume and capability. Even as she drew her weapon, she could feel the very floor beneath her feet reverbate with the sound, and tiles fell from the ceiling. The lights in the hallway exploded, casting it's whole length into darkness. Misato broke into a run, and saw the men who were guarding the room unconscious on the floor, no injury marking their forms. Without slowing, she burst through the door and was greeted by the sight of Gendo, on his knees, bound and caked in blood, staring at her. His eyes showed none of the friendliness they had displayed in the last few months, and almost seemed to be filled with malice and a dark hate.

"Major Katsuragi," he said with a cruel smile comeing across his angry visage, "You are just in time. I am about to go and say hello to Pilot Ikari. Anything you'd like him to hear?"

Misato looked at him in confusion. He was obviously mad. He knew before her that Shinji was bound with some strange force. She looked inquiringly at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

Gendo grinned, which looked terrifying with his injuries and his liberal coating of blood, "I just wanted to know if there were any messages you wanted to pass on before I killed him..."

Misato drew her fist back, and wondered if this puch to the nose might kill him. Her first was halfway to his face, when her hand was grabbed from behind, and she was hurled from the room. She hit the wall with incredible force, sending some of the floortiles crashing down on her, and blood burst from her mouth. She fought to rise, and managed to sit on her knees, and looked at the doorway. The two guards stood outside, looking at her blankly, their skin peeling off to reveal the pale laminated wood underneath. Their eyes and faces had been crudely painted on, and they were a cruel and horrifying impersonation of Rei. Their blue hair was thin and stringy, and clumps fell to the ground, as if they were rotting. Tearing her eyes from the terrifying constructs, Misato looked past them and through the doorway at Gendo. His bore a rictus that shook her very soul, and his eyes glowed with malice.

"Hmm... you seem awfully exciteable, Major. The feeble Gendo you once knew went mad. He thought his son was dead, killed by the very mannequins that sought to guard and treasure his true self. But then, I'm man enough to admit I am only a pawn, but a well needed one. What a feeble man I had become, laughing and joking like the world wasn't about to end."

Misato's eyes widened in horror at his words. She spat a gobbet of blood on the floor and opened her mouth to speak.

"Misato," he interrupted in a very different voice.

She looked at him, and saw the Gendo she now considered to be Shinji's true Father. The man who laughed with him and planned surprise parties with him. She nodded for him to continue, and he returned it before speaking.

"Misato. We failed. Third Impact DID occur. These are our new lives, borne of the wishes of two individuals, Shinji and Asuka. It was not a selfish decision, and so we were reborn. I have very little time, but I will explain what happened, and what will happen."

Misato dared not approach, for fear of the harrowing sentinels at the door, but simply nodded again. Gendo continued.

"Rei was the Conduit for Third Impact, and she gave her life, disobeyed my old self in order to be closer to Shinji. It was her Selfless actions, the innocent affections she bore him that gave Shinji and Asuka the chance to make their decision, and not have it made for them. But now, my will is spent. I shall soon become what I fear most. If you have strange dreams you don't understand, then remember, they are memories fighting to be released. There will be a gap in your mind from when the MP EVAs attacked to when you woke up knowing Third Impact had "failed". My other will now take me to where Shinji and Asuka are, and he will kill them. God know what he will instigate here in NERV. Moreover, if my guesses are correct, God was the one who started this nightmare in the first place. You must..."

He stopped talking and his eyes went back, to be replaced with malicious ones.

"There is nothing you can do to stop us. Lillith is already on her way to slay the puppet, and the beast himself will deal with you, the Whore of Babylon..."

His eyes shifted once more as the other Gendo fought for control.

"Try talking to Tabris... Kaworu... he... Do whatever you wish. It shall all be for naught when the beast tears out your heart and devours it Major... Now, without further ado, I go to finish my darling "son" off."

Misato looked around desperately, and fumbled for her pistol. Finding it, she brought it up, only to be greeted by Gendo standing over her, his body covered in a black mass, as if he was constructed of shadow, with only his eyes glowing like two remote stars in the dark and infinite cosmos. He kicked the gun from her hands, and then disappeared.

Misato rose painfully, and saw that the mannequin guards now shambled towards her, their clothes discarded, and their bare bodies a mockery of humanity. She limped to her handgun, and brought up the high calibre weapon. She fired, hitting one of the Mannequins centre mass. Her shot was greeted by an explosion of wood and... blood? For no sooner had the high velocity round penetrated the figure, then dark crimson blood poured out of the wound, mixed with LCL and sawdust. The figure did not slow, and continued it's advance, even though it had a hole the size of a fist through it, and was streaming blood. Misato fired again, and again.

Both Mannequins heads exploded in a shower of blood and LCL, spraying all over the walls and dripping to the stainless steel floor. They both collapsed in useless heaps, and stirred no more. Misato sighed, and headed back towards the Medical Station. Ritsuko said what she had to say was important, but she was willing to bet quite a significant sum of money that it wouldn't be prioritised over the apocalypse. She turned another corner, and broke into a sprint when she heard a shuffling sound from ahead of her, ready to take on anything, knowing that she must take on anything, or it would all be for naught, and all would fail...

Takeshi walked along the corridor with his partner Hikari. He was wondering if the rumours of the chief's madness were correct, and whether or not he would ask Hikari out today. He always planned for it, and never did anything about it, being the nervous type. Hikari stopped, and he followed suit.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, noticing the way she looked around.

"Hmmm... thought I heard a shuffling, and that room's off limits." she said in return, "Cover the hall, and I'll check it out,OK?"

Takeshi nodded, and took up a defensive stance, his FiveseveN drawn. Hikari smiled, mentally kicking herself for being so attracted to him, and wondering if anything would ever happen between them. She then nodded and went into the room.

Takeshi heard her footsteps grow fainter, and then he lost sight of her. There was silence for a minute, and he heard her footfalls once more. She returned into his line of sight, and smiled.

"It was nothing, but... I want to ask you something since we're all alone..." she said in a nervous voice.

"Sure," he responded, "What is it Hikari-chan?"

She stepped closer to him, and slowly slid her arms around his neck, "Do you like me... as in do you ever think we could be more than just partners?"

He smiled, "Always have Hikari... always have."

Her smile was like the sun rising, and it seemed to split her face, "I'm so glad... lately all the news has been bad, but now I have something to smile about..."

He nodded mutely, and his lips recieved hers in a passionate kiss. His hands went through her hair, and his tongue entered her mouth, causing her to moan with pleasure, which further spurred him on. After no less then a full minute, he broke the kiss to look at her, wanting to enjoy and savour the happiest moment in his life.

A mannequin stared blankly back at him.

All went dark.

Misato burst into the medical station, and slammed a fresh magazine into her handgun, and holstered it. She walked up to Ritsuko, who was sitting at her desk smoking what looked to be her fifth packet of cigarettes. Misato sat opposite her after buying a beer from the machine and downing it. Ritsuko's looked seriously at her.

"Something really terrible happened." she said simply.

"What do you mean?" said Misato, "How do you know, Dr Psychic?"

"You only down beer in the morning or at mealtimes." she responded, "Or when bad things happen... and when I mean bad I mean fifth angel bad."

Misato nodded, "Gendo disappeared... and he looked exactly like Shinji did after the Mask situation, and NERV is full of bloodthirsty Mannequins hellbent on killing me. Where's Asuka, Shinji and Rei?"

Ritsuko nodded, "Asuka's sleeping here. She's exhausted. Shinji and Rei have disappeared. As in completely, without a trace. On top of that, many of the security monitors show strange shambling creatures. Those may be the mannequins you were speaking of, and, judging by how free you were with headshots, they seem nigh unkillable except for that weakpoint. What did Gendo say? Did he say anything about what may have happened to Rei and Shinji?"

Misato took a deep breath, " Shinji and Rei, gone... it's exactly as Gendo implied. He's gone to kill them, and he disappeared, which maked it logical now that you say Shinji and Rei have vanished. He also told me an interesting story. I'm going to need more beer."

She rose and bought 6 more cans from a nearby machine and downed one, before sitting opposite Ritsuko one more and smiling as if about to make an interesting, yet highly unnecessary comment about the weather, "Would you believe that we're in post Third Impact Tokyo-3?"

Ritsuko spilled her coffee and swore, jumping to her feet and tearing off her soaked and incredibly hot laboat.

She looked at Misato increduously before sighing, exhaustion denying her a more vehement reply, "I'm gonna need another pack of smokes to get through this one aren't I?"

Misato smiled sheepishly, "Maybe two..."

Her eyes opened slowly, revealing stone walls that surrounded her. It seemed blank, as if made by machines with no character. The bricks were layed perfectly, as if there was something unreal about the beings who constructed them. As if every brick was measured before being placed.

Rei slowly rose and examined the strange courtyard she seemed to be in. The rain fell like a torrent, and yet the wall seemed unmarred by any erosion at all. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, and realised that the platform she was on formed the centre of the courtyard, and fit perfectly into place, becoming perpendicular with the surrounding flagstones. The EVA pilot had never seen architecture like this before. It almost looked like the castles she had read about in legends as a child in her "Folklore for use in local superstition lessons" she was given as a child. But she knew for a fact that Second Impact had eroded the ruins beyond recognition in all but one or two countries on the Earth, and they were the opposite end of the planet from Japan...

She had no idea where she was and there was certainly no time as she plummeted to search for landmarks, as her top focus then was on her seemingly swift approaching death. The area only had one exit, and that exit was blocked by an incredibly large wood and metal portal. She moved to approach it, and then a roar echoed through the whole castle, followed by the cheers of a crowd of immense proportions. She looked confused, as the castle had been completely silent up till then, and she thought she was alone in this desolate place. She walked up to the door, and pushed it, but to no avail. She tried again and again, but yielded no better result. She pounded on the door in frustration, and turned to march off and further inspect the room she had arrived in.

A enormous grating sound could be heard behind her, and she turned to see the door opening as if answering her knocking. She sighed, realising the simplicityof her actions. It seemed etiquette was important here, if all their doors wieghed as much as a small tank. She walked into the room beyond, and was greeted by a rather unexpected figure.

"Rei... It's been a while since we last talked, and here you are... following Shinji to the Heights of Heaven and the Depths of Hell... I knew you were the one for him..."

Rei smiled her first genuine smile since entering this strange, miserable place, and her voice betrayed her happiness.

"Thank you very much for your kind words... Yes, it has quite a while... Ikari Yui-san..."

Asuka awoke, and found herself in a strange room. She seemed to know this place, but it eluded her. One minute ago, she was sleeping in NERV, the next, she was in this place, dark as a coal cellar, with only shapes and blurs revealed by the small amount of moonlight penetrating a tiny window revealing she was in some sort of office, lying on a desk. She rose and tried to find her flashlight she always kept on a keychain, but felt nothing but the familiar tightness of a pressurised plugsuit on her. She wondered when she changed, and couldn't ever recall entering the room she was in. She softly clmibed to her feet and searched the room for a lightswitch. She found it, and turned it on. Strangely, it did not turn on, but what appeared to be a flashlight on the desk did. She picked it up and looked around, surveying the area. She appeared to be in what resembled a shop's office, with the papers on the floor resembling shop records and shipping reciepts. She wished her japanese reading was more up to scratch, and remembered how she had once got annoyed of Shinji for not knowing German, and felt a flush of embarrasment enter her face and rise to her hairline.

She looked around the room for anything useful, but apart from a small bumbag(fannypack for americans), there was nothing else around. She strapped it to the emergency utility loops around the waist of her plugsuit, and searched inside, finding a few hundred Yen and a Leatherman tool. She wished she had her NERV card with her, as NERV credits were much more accessable to her then Yen. She went to the door of the office and reached out for the knob. However, before her hand even touched it, the door opened. She pointed the flashlight into the next room, and saw what seemed to be a shopfront. She touched the lightswitch on the torch, but nothing happened. She looked at it in confusion and then pressed the room's lightswitch. Though nothing connected them, it turned off the flashlight. She shook her head and let it go, thankful that the flashlight worked in the first place. Turning it on again, she left the room and walked into the store proper, surveying the area with her flashlight. She found that she was in her favourite clothes store in the Tokyo-3 mall, where her and Misato always went to shop. She remembered how they both secretly kissed in the changing room, not sure how the owners would view their lesbian relationship. The thought warmed her for a minute, but then went to bittersweet and onto cold, alone. Thinking of times with Misato or Shinji, even Rei, made her realise how truly alone she was in the world at the moment, in the store she loved, that looked as if it had not been occupied for over a year. Dust coated the floor, ad the clothes were torn and hung from broken metal show railings. The counter had just over a thousand yen, which she took as well, promising to give it back later, knowing she may need it in this empty world. She also found a monkey wrench, probably used to tighten the display rails around the store when they were loosened from overuse. She had many a time wished to be alone in this store, with no one bothering her so she could make her own choices, but this was taking it a little too literally in her opinion.

She left the wrench, not imagining any need for it, and walked up to the store entrance. The metal grilling was halfway down, allowing her to bend down and leave the store. she walked into the mall proper, and looked around, trying to think of her next course of action. She decided to wander to the mall exits, hoping that the steel security at the mall hadn't been closed, then she would head to NERV, which was a few blocks away. She hoped she could find some answers there.

As she ran through the mall, she saw some figures standing in the hall, and she stopped in fright, taking up a self defence stance. However, they never moved an inch. She raised her flashlight to inspect them, and saw that they were simply shop mannequins, standing there, as if placed there as a sick joke to scare her. She shook her head at her own stupidity, and ran past them to the mall doors ahead. As she had feared, they were locked and the security grills were not only down, but thoroughly locked and chained. She kicked them in frustration, and then started when she heard a scraping noise behind her. She spun around sharply and found herself face to face with a mannequin. She cried out and sent a wild punch that sent the mannequin's head flying, and the body collapsed in a heap. She then saw that the rest of the mannequins were in a semi circle around her, but they were completely stationary. Moreover she realised they were different from the last ones. Some had red eyes crudely painted on them, while others only had a fang filled mouth drawn on them as if by a child, while others had blue wigs that appeared to be falling off. She walked up to them and inspected them. She sidled carefully up to one that only had blue hair and a mouth and examined it's face closely.

Red eyes opened, and the mannequin stared at her. Asuka screamed and knocked it down before rushing past them and down another hallway. She heard shuffling sounds behind her, but when she looked all she saw was the mannequins, standing statonary, as if they were being lifted and moved closer and closer no matter how far or fast she ran. She looked at some of the open shops, hoping to hide in them, but saw that they either had security grates over them, or were blocked by a line of mannequins. It was as she was running for her life that something clicked in her mind.

These Mannequins look like REI! What part does she play in this... I remember that Misato said something about Shinji dreaming about these... but... what does she have to do with all this... and why did she go mad that night... does it have something to do with the mask? I have to get to NERV... fast!

She ran around a corner, and saw a door at the end of the corridor. She burst through the door and into the room beyond. It was what appeared to be a staff staircase to the different levels of the mall. She looked up the stairs and saw that the entire staircase above was filled with mannequins... there were at least a hundred of them, all with Rei's features crudely added to them. She ran down towards the basement, and reached a plain black door leading to the storage centre for the mall. She knew it would be dark, but she needed to get away... there may be another staircase out from the basement, and she needed to find it. She hesitated, and looked behind her. Sure enough, the mannequins were all lined up behind her, seemingly still following her, though they did not move at all. They stood there in silent unison, and she knew she could only move forward. She turned around again, and opened the door, passing into the room beyond.

The room was filled with boxes and other miscellanous trash. Asuka took a few steps into the room, and heard a voice whisper to her. It was Rei, but it sounded strange.

"Asuka... come find me... I'm ahead of you. Please hurry..."

Asuka looked in front of her, and saw that the corridor in front of her only led in one direction, with no twists and turns, and figured she was meant to do straight ahead. Regardless of the disembodied voice's need for rapidity, she navigated her way slowly through the room, carefully looking around. She turned to look behind her, and saw to her horror that the door had disappeared. However, it seemed that due to this fact, no mannequins could follow her here. She carried on down the corridor, and came across a open area. She saw a blurred object flashing, and pointed her flashlight at it. What she saw nearly made her drop it, for there, nailed to a cross, was a mannequin that had Rei's face drawn on it. However, that was not what frightened her. There was blood gushing out of the mannequin's side, and it fell into a giant goblet being held up by mannequins resembling Misato, Shinji and his father. There, in front of this grisly scene sat another Mannequin in Rei's image, idly stroking the very same doll her mother kept after she had gone insane. Seeing the doll brought a shiver up Asuka's spine, and many unpleasant memories to the forefront of her mind.

She remembered how her mother, in her insanity, thought the doll she carried was her own daughter, even though Asuka tried to beg and plead with her, crying out the fact she was her real daughter, not the doll... the toy she held. She remembered how she saw her mother hanging from the rafters in the ceiling, with the doll alongside her. Asuka had been both relieved and horrified hat her mother had thought the doll was her. Relieved that she did not share the doll's fate, but horrified with the fact that it could have been her. In her madness, her mother had chosen to end her life and the life of what she believed to be her daughter. That memory haunted her eve now... even after the revelation during the fight against the MP EVAs.

The Mannequin regarded Asuka silently as she took the whole scene in, before it's painted mouth opened to reveal inch long fangs that intensified the insanity of it's rictus. It gestured to a uncomfortaable looking metal chair that had been placed opposite it for the purpose of Asuka to join it in discussion.

"Sit, Asuka. Let us talk, for there is much for us to speak of., and very little time. This talk is but a comfort before I must complete my task, which does involve your prescence, I assure you."

Asuka took the chair and sat on it, using her flashlight to see the figure facing her. The mannequin seemed unfazed by the powerful beam shining in it's face, and acted like it didn't even exist. She looked curiously at her dubious host, trying to fathom what it was thinking, but no emotions were revealed on it's inorganic face. In a very real way, it was a doll... Now she knew what Shinji was talking about; even with Rei, small amounts of emotion could be revealed through her features and minue changes of expression, the most notable being that tiny millimetre smile she reserved only for Shinji. This being she faced was the embodiment of a doll, and was much more deserving of the title than Rei was. Asuka struggled with which of the many questions in her mind to ask first, but settled for the most simple one, in her opinion. How wrong she was.

"Where am I?"

The Mannequin's expression did not change, "You are in the opposite world. The world that contains all the horror's and things that frighten you and Shinji. After Third Impact was instigated by SEELE, yo..."

"What are you talking about?" Interrupted Asuka, "Third Impact was avoided. Everyone knows that. I fell unconscious, but Shinji was able to destroy the MP EVAs and save us all."

The figure laughed harder and harder, "The ingnorance of humans can still provide us with amusement it seems. No, you are wrong. Third Impact was NOT avoided. You, and everyone you know died. However, you and Shinji were reborn, chosen by Rei during her Selfless Sacrifice to be the ADAM and EVE of the next cycle."

"It can't be... but what of the life we have been living... Misato and I? Rei and Shinji? Shinji reunited with his father? How can all of it be a fabrication? Isn't this unreal world the falsity... the fabrication?"

The mannequin looked at her with a wry smile, "Normally, it would be a more realistic world, I assure you. Usually this world would have two or more additional aspects to it. However, your fears and those of Shinji's are almost exactly the same. You both fear being alone, and thus you denied it's existance in the new world. That is why your loneliness was cast into this world, making it the abandoned and desolate realm before you. Another deep seated fear that both of you share was the fear of mannequins... dolls... false beings."

Asuka looked at the mannequin in surprise, "How do you know about that?! Who are you really?"

The doll looked at her in a strange way, it's painted crimson eyes betraying none of the curiosity it's body language did.

"Does it matter?" said the mannequin, actually sounding nervous for a change.

"Yes." said Asuka firmly, "There must be a reason for you to know what you do."

The figure smiled enigmatically in return, "I am disguised now, because I thought it would make it easier for you. Very well. I shall shed my sheeps skin."

With that, the Mannequins eyecolour changed to blue, and its hair grew to shoulder length orange hair, held up by synch clips. It smiled softly at her, yet Asuka could feel the malice emanating from it's look.

"I am the memory of the Doll your mother had. I carried the doll's original form in my arms to give you a clue. You cast me like some useless thing into this abyss of emptiness. I do not hold that against you. Any being would have selfishly done that. Most of yours and Shinji's decisions were selfless, except the two I mentioned. Both the fears you discarded. Third Impact occured, and as Adam and Eve, you and Shinji both created two worlds within your seperate decisions were stored. The only way to truly bring humanity to it's knees is to come through the otherworld and influence the people of the real world. For example, Rei's Mask and her Insanity were all caused by my brethren bringing your fears to life. If Shinji had not stopped Rei, she would have eventually become the being you see crucified before you."

Asuka tried to take all this information in, but was startled and afraid by what it could mean. Shinji's experiences, Reis Mask... All the dreams of death Misato kept having. It all fit in perfectly now. She looked at the crucified Rei and thanked God that it never happened.

The figure sitting opposite her burst out laughing. It laughed and laughed, as if it's wooden sides would burst.

"You are thanking God? Why are you thanking the very being that caused this strife to occur? It was HE who is trials upon you with the Testament of EVE. Rei possessed it, but the tome given to her disappeared a while back... where could it be? Where was it last seen? No one knows... but one... Alive yet not alive, dead, yet not dead, with the Lance holding his tongue, yet being the only thing that allows him the words to speak. That is all you shall have from me. However, it shall be meaningless, as my task shall soon be done."

Asuka shivered at her tone, and asked her in a whisper, "What is your task?"

The figure grinned with all the cold malice a dead object could have, and spoke in unmistakeable tones, "The chalice bearers are missing one of their host. You. You shall never leave this place, and we shall conquer."

Asuka was about to rise from her chair and flee, when cold hands grabbed her arms and legs, her waist and torso, her breasts and hair, not letting her go. She used her wrist to flash the flashlight at the people holding her, and saw she was surrounded by at least a hundred Mannequins in the image of Rei. The figures seemed to flinch at the light and stopped moving. Asuka's eyes widened in realisation. That is why whenever she turned around while running the mannequins never moved. It was because the light was on them. It was an alien element to the world, brought by her will... it was her own light, shining in this dark and empty world. She kept the light facing back at the mannequins, but realised they were gripping her too tight for her to move, even though they were stationary. She looked ahead of her, keeping the flashlight pointed at the mannequins. The figure in front of her grinned and spoke.

"Shinji's fear of Rei being an empty mannequin is on the cross, and her blood is what created these children. Let's see her judgement of you... her supposed friend."

Asuka looked at the cross and saw that the figure of Rei nailed to the cross was not a mannequin, but Rei herself. It smiled softly at her and spoke.

"Asuka... you are my friend... why did you stop believing in me... you always called me a doll... and it was true... I was Gendos doll... but you and my love Shinji stopped me, by using your influence on Third Impact. You think the Rei full of emotions is real? No! It is I!"

"NO!" Asuka cried out, "Rei is not a doll, but a person! Let it go!"

"Let it go? It is you who won't let me go! It is because of you I am nailed to this cross and bleed, creating more and more dolls to haunt your dreams!" the Rei on the cross screamed, "I was going to let you join us, help Shinji and Misato and Gendo hold the chalice, even though you chained me here! What ungratefulness... I'll let my minions consume you, Body and Soul."

She looked towards where her right arm was, with the nail cruelly driven through her wrists. She reached out her fngers to a small object. Asuka had to strain her eyes to see it, and when she did, her eyes widened in horror. Tears poured down her cheeks and despair took over.

"NO!" She screamed madly at Rei on the cross, "Please don't! I beg you... all I want to do is live... "

Rei looked at her and smiled, "Beg! Beg More! I shall let you join me! We shall rule over the "real" world, and you shall become a mannequin, yet live! Look, Shinji and Misato are already here!"

Asuka looked at them holding the chalice, but knew what she had to say. There was no other choiceto make. How could she become a doll... If Rei had become the doll on this cross, then the other one would be free, her old self... So, if Asuka became one, a doll... she knew it would bring this... thing to the real world... She would not. She would never be a doll, and be hung from the rafters. She was Asuka, and a real person.She bellowed at the figure, "Maybe they are, maybe it's an illusion. But... if living means having to become a soul-less doll with a grudge, I'd rather die as the real Soryu Asuka Langely! I'D RATHER DIE!"

Rei on the cross looked disappointedly at Asuka sitting there, being held in place and surrounded by mannequins with tears pouring from those startlingly blue eyes, yet not giving in. She sighed, stretched her finger out again, and pressed the small light switch.

Asuka sobbed as the flashlight went out.

End: Of Mannequins and Revelations

And there you have it, the Sixteenth Chapter of the Testament of EVE. As you can see, it is starting to speed up, and is following the path laid out for it.

I know it's been a while, but I hope all of you can forgive me. I need the reviews, to see what people think of the direction I am taking, and for things you find generally great and things you find generally terrible. This chapter took a surprisingly short while to type, and one of the reasons as I previously mentioned was because I have come to realise what I truly want from this story. I have also linked many inconsistencies, and though this was planned from the start, I did not know when to reveal it. Now that the cat's out of the bag, it seems prudent for me to explain. The place where Shinji is and the Otherworld are different places. I will not yet reveal where Rei could be, as from reading over my writing, she could be in either alternate dimensions, or a totally different one, so it'll ruin a bit if I reveal which.

I apologise yet again, and do hope some of my old fans will read this and comment, as six months is way too long to spend away from such admirable and loyal readers. To all new readers, thank you for picking this up (figuratively speaking of course) and reading it. I do hope both old and news fans also decide to read my othe story, "The Requiem of Darkness". Both this fic and that one shall be my main projects for the next month, and although I go back to Switzerland for Uni in February, I shall continue to write whenever I have spare time!

I know it's along rant, and I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter!

Fare thee well till next time.

Next Chapter: The Journey (in the story) begins.