An Angelic Induced Interlude… (Part 2)

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 92915

Yukiko

"First let us get back to your newest sister," Astra smile slightly. "After that, I and Buffy then shall help you and your sisters with the individuals you wish to tie up pending loose ends before I depart back to the Here After."

"That . . .that would be rather nice actually," I find myself saying softly, looking away from the now time frozen Xander Harris and back to that image of . . .some spare sibling of mine that I had NO idea existed.

Startling enough the idea that Providence from on High (or whatever Powers that Be) should gift me with honest to God sisters by way of . . .parallel realities; realities which played out in different manners than my "home" reality with sisters who basically adopted me into the fold (along with the rest of my new family/clan).

. . .

That should be much more bizarre seeming to me—other versions of me coming to adopt me as their own sibling—than the idea that Commander Ikari somehow had an actual spare First Child.

Almost from day one it had been pounded into my mind by both the Commander and Dr. Akagi that the "artificial" soul that had been used to animate my body had been a freak accident; created in prototype version of the Magi System. A freak that had been deemed a failure for it’s original intended purpose (the creation of clone soldier to pilot the EVAs to spare the "real" human Children from such a dangerous task) but too valuable to just dispose of; I had been "good enough" (barely) to at least be the Pilot of the Prototype.

Yes! I admit freely that I had been lied to here about my true nature and purpose (and damn….uh, later). But even my new family had been under the same impression about my (and their nature) in that regard: there could only be ONE First Child at a time. The empty shells had no will of their own; no souls to animate them. Even Lilith—who originally had been the Second Angel (Lilith)—had been in a similar enough situation as me and my other siblings: only one First Child at a time.

"Basically, your unexpected sister/‘backup’ happens to be a closer match to your sister Lilith than anything," the red haired warrior angel explained slowly to me, glancing at the other sisters. "It was early on during early plans for the First Child program on just where the animating soul should come from. They opted for the ‘Plastic Soul’ , as you called it, from that had been created by the prototype living neuron computer network over because ultimately they felt that Yukiko’s soul would be more pliable. More controllable . . ."

"Got to hand it to that Gendo," Rei mutters softly to herself, shaking her head slowly in disgust. "He might have been the king of bastards but the bastard had been a bloody genius when it came to contengenies. Always planning and scheming. Almost virtious in that way, really..."

That odd comment alone almost makes me miss what sister Lilith has to say on this matter.

"Jeeze, " Lilith muttered to herself in frustration. "Show even a little bit of backbone and a desire for being an equal to a man and you get labeled forever."

Naturally, I was more than a bit curious at what Lilith meant by that complaint. While I had studied some of the Judeo-Christian mythology surrounding to understand my background and to at least get a sense of my place in the order of things in the world and the monsters I would eventually be called upon to fight. Indeed, it may have played a large part in . . .certain religious beliefs I have opted to follow. My sisters have similar reasons for their religious beliefs which frankly I fail to see any reason to go into right now with you. Religion is one of those contentious issues not lightly treaded upon in casual conversation; that and politics.

As stunted as I might have been (and still am) in certain social norms, I at least learned that even before being freed from my bonds. But that said let us just leave off’. Anyway, it shall be later I learn that was something of a pet peeve from sister Lilith. In her story (vice the "bad press" as she puts it) in at least in her reality she and Adam had been able to come to an understanding and . . .

But that is later. Right then I was distracted by what next.

"But whatever the real truth of the matter was," Buffy adds from the side, giving Lilith a look that . . .I am not sure how to read. "They did do a ‘Salvage’ operation on Yukiko’s version of you and kept it stored away as a contingency, in case Yukiko’s soul should have ever get beyond their grubby little paws…"

Further explaining revealed that with my unexpected deliverance by Setsuna’s hands earlier had counted as such an event, activating failsafe protocols within the Magi (the super computer which is not only the heart of NERV but of Tokyo 3 herself) and one of my empty clone sisters down in the bowels of NERV in that LCL filled tank you might have perhaps seen at least in the manga or anime (wonder how much it compares to my version?) was decanted. Decanted and with servos dragged into an awaiting imprinting chamber and (rather painfully as I recall MY trial) ensouled and memories imprinted into that blank mind.

Poor soul, to have to go through that! But before you think that on top of all that pain and anguish (why could not Akagi put a strong anesthesia into that damnable operation?) that my poor sister here is some kind of false mirror of me, brainwashed to believe she was me . . .

Well, it appears that "my" version of Lilith has gone down the something of a similar road as sister Lilith. That is she has done a few reincarnations as . . .Well, she has played the part of "Rei Ayanami" in past reiterations of her . . .my Evangelion reality so it isn’t like she was a person who had been reprogrammed into a copy of me.

. . .

Trust me when I tell you I am SO glad to hear that. I can tell you that I had the a long time dread (though I only now have the vocabulary to properly put it into words) of being a mere mockup of a person; a crude one at that.

Still, Astra gave me something to wonder about exactly what kind of life this poor girl had lead in those past lifetimes as the First Child. Said something about being almost deliriously happy after getting over the complete SHOCK of meeting a true angel in the metaphysical flesh (which seems to at least give SOME evidence of their being something more than the squalid existence I and my sisters had lived up to our chains being broken and our freedom).


Author’s Notes- Yes, there are always possibilities of other Rei and Lilith analog sisters having different belief systems out there but . . .alas the Doppleganger reaction would be too out of range for them to bond with these particular Rei clones. Rei and her sisters share close bonds that are the strongest to date between analogs, but have a much narrower margin for successful Doppleganger reactions (positive or negative) to happen.

Bottom line? All of them are Very similar people, these analogs; Kind of goes hand and glove with the fact that they share almost indistinguishable retinal patterns, vocal patterns, and even fingerprints. Only small differences in hair, eye (and wing) coloration lead to easily differentiating one from the other on sight.

Oh, and the occasional personality quirk and such...


Oh, but there was that one thing that has me a little apprehensive? Perhaps it has to do with a seemingly stray comment about how Tabitha (that is the new name hailing from the Old Testament if you must know which she chose for herself) had also been deliriously for another reason as well: better human memories than she’d ever had before, even IF they had originally belonged to me. That she was so GLAD to finally be given a small chance to be something more than a monster.

. . .

Do I really want to even know what kind of life that Tabitha lead in those previous incarnations of her? Should I?

Hellfire, will she even be able to tell me when and if I get time to ask her at a more opportune time? I mean we cannot do it NOW because of what Astra did for us to lessen the shock to the Quest Tabitha (a fully invested Champion of the Rules and Agents like me) had.

Basically for the brief time Tabitha existed as a Champion (probably on Betty Ragan's Earth being that's where at least SOME of NERV went) she gave proof the old phrase "too many cooks spoil the broth", I believe. Meaning that for whatever reason having that extra Champion being around, THIS time, meant the Quest had to be bumped up in difficulty just that bit more. Thus the problems we . . .I mean Rei and my other sisters had before I was scheduled to arrive, had back on "Holy Terra" of 40K.

Hm, and the Emperor seemed so reasonable and friendly once I arrived to....

. . .

Anyway, as for Tabitha: Her Validation Quest will be after mine is done with and not one moment before then can we join with her. And even then only I and my sisters are going to be allowed due to some arcane, unknowable squabbling the Offices did with each other before allowing Tabitha her Quest. Something to do with cities called Rapture, Narnia fun house mirrors, some creature only known as HIM, and something called Sinclair Solutions?

. . .

Do not have clue one at all what that entails. I shall ask one of my sisters later and see if it "rings a bell", what with them being much more worldly than I unfortunately am at this moment.

But as for my personal question I wanted to as Rei about as how to best approach Tabitha about (if at all) doesn’t go as planned at all.

Asking Rei for advise on the matter goes unanswered as the young sister in question appears before us

"Tabitha?" I blink as the young clone in question blinks back at me, her mannerisms strike me as . . .

  1. Do I actually act like that, the unblinking stare and such? As unkind as it may seem to say, If so then I REALLY need to work on such things. And I’ll help HER as well while I’m at it!!

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3/14/2011 12:04:27 AM

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