Evangelion Gear

Evangelion Gear
A Neon Genesis Evangelion/Metal Gear fusion
By Snafu the Great

Snafu's Disclaimer: Don't own Evangelion or Metal Gear. Anno and Kojima does.

Before you begin reading, here are the major changes I mentioned:

1. Snake does not have that pesky accelerated aging seen in MGS4, and he is cured of FOXDIE. Nor does Naomi have terminal cancer.
2. Vamp is permanently dead. Sorry Vamp fans.
3. No Gekko, no PMCs...well, I might throw in a PMC, but they will be on Seele's payroll.
4. Raiden is still human, and still with Rose. The couple have adopted Sunny shortly after the Manhattan fiasco. They still have their kid too.

Okay, that about covers it. The story takes place after Zeruel's assault on the Geofront. On with the story!

Prologue: The Story So Far...

The History of EVANGELION GEAR

About 4.5 billion years ago: The Giant of Light, codenamed ADAM (progenitor of the Angels), arrives on Earth in present-day Antarctica via the White Moon. An unknown period of time later, the second Seed of Life, codenamed Lilith (progenitor of humanity), arrives on Earth when her Black Moon crashes on Earth in present-day Japan, thus creating the Moon from the Earth's fragments. This event is called First Impact.

1909, August 12: David Oh, alias Major Zero, is born.

1922: The Boss (real name, unknown) is born.

1935: John Hayter alias, Naked Snake and later, Big Boss, is born.

1936, May 15: Tatyana, alias EVA, is born.

1944, D-Day: Adamska, alias Revolver Ocelot, is born to The Boss and The Sorrow in the midst of Omaha Beach in Normandy.

1947: The Dead Sea Scrolls are discovered in a cave near the Dead Sea in Israel. Within the scrolls is a hidden segment of the scrolls, which tells the coming of the Angels, the Evangelions, Third Impact and many more events to come. The mysterious entity known as Seele acquires the Secret Dead Sea Scrolls (also known as the War Scrolls), and plans on triggering Third Impact to evolve humanity further, as they believe that humanity is currently stagnating.

1955, April 9: Kouzou Fuyutsuki is born.

1960, May 22: Hideaki Anno is born.

1963, August 24: Hideo Kojima is born.

1964, August 24: Virtuous Mission. FOX (Force Operations X) operative codenamed Naked Snake is sent into the Soviet Union to rescue Soviet designer Nikolai Sokolov. The mission is a failure when Cobra Unit, led by The Boss, defects to the Soviet Union.

August 30 to September 2: Operation Snake Eater. Naked Snake is sent back into Russia. The mission is a success. The Cobra Unit, as well as The Boss and Red Army Colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin is killed. Naked Snake is awarded the title 'Big Boss.'

1967, April 29: Gendou Rokubungi is born.

1970: The Patriots are formed. Its original purpose is to reform the world as The Boss envisioned it – a world united. Its members include its founder, Major Zero, Ocelot, Para-Medic (Dr. Clark), Signt (Donald Anderson), and Big Boss. EVA will be the last person to join the organization at Big Boss' request. However, as time passes, Major Zero, Para-Medic, and Signt becomes corrupt with power.

1971: Big Boss establishes the Special Forces black-ops unit FOXHOUND, with himself as its commanding officer.

1973: Les Infant Terribles (The Terrible Infants) Project. Using genetic material from Big Boss, combined with the eggs of Dr. Clark's Japanese assistant (with EVA carrying the babies full-term), the 'sons' of Big Boss - Solid, Liquid, and Solidus Snake - are born. As a result of this betrayal, Big Boss leaves The Patriots and travels the world as a mercenary.

1977, March 30: Yui Ikari is born. Her father sits on the council of Seele.

Sometime in the 1980s, exact date unknown: Big Boss establishes Outer Heaven, a mercenary-state for soldiers. During this time, Big Boss also fights in several civil wars on the African continent as a mercenary.

1985, June 17: Ryouji Kaji is born.

November 21: Ritsuko Akagi is born.

1986, December 8: Misato Katsuragi is born.

1987, December 8: Meryl Silverburgh is born, the product of an affair between Roy Campbell (her uncle) and her mother.

1989: Big Boss resumes command of FOXHOUND.

1990: Solid Snake joins the U.S. Army, and is recruited into the Green Berets. He sees action in the Gulf War.

1995: Solid Snake is recruited into FOXHOUND. He does not know about his connection to his commanding officer, Big Boss.

Outer Heaven Incident. Big Boss makes his bid for power. Using Metal Gear, a walking battle tank with nuclear capabilities, he plans on overthrowing Zero and the Patriots. However, Zero and Signt (Donald Anderson) trick Solid Snake into infiltrating Outer Heaven. Snake is successful in his mission by defeating Big Boss and destroying Metal Gear.

1999: Christmas Eve – Zanzibarland Disturbance. Solid Snake is brought out of retirement in order to infiltrate Zanzibarland and rescue OLIX creator Dr. Kilo Marx. Marx dies in the rescue attempt, but Snake is successful in retrieving the OLIX schematics. He also puts a stop to Big Boss' intentions by defeating both Gray Fox and Big Boss. What Solid Snake (nor the Patriots) does not know is that the man thought to have been Big Boss is in fact a decoy. The real Big Boss is in fact, has been recovering in Japan since Outer Heaven. Solid Snake returns to Alaska.

Early 2000: Construction of the Patriots' neural AIs (codenamed GW,TJ, AL, TR, and JD) begins. Zero gives Signt (Donald Anderson) the order to construct the AIs, given his lack of trust in humanity.

Mid 2000: Katsuragi Research Expedition. Led by renowned scientist Hideaki Katsuragi, the expedition is in Antarctica to research ADAM, hidden under Mt. Markham. Among those present are Seele Chairman Keel Lorenz, researcher Gendou Rokubungi, and Doctor Katsuragi's 14-year-old daughter, Misato.

13 September 2000: The cataclysmic event known as Second Impact takes place. The official story is that a meteorite traveling at light speed crashed into the South Pole, thus melting the ice caps, triggering mega tsunamis that wipe out 2 billion people in the Southern Hemisphere. However, the truth is far worse. On Seele's orders, Gendou Rokubungi sabotaged Katsuragi's Contact Experiment with ADAM the previous day, and then departed for Japan. Out of the entire Katsuragi Expedition, only Dr. Katsuragi's daughter, Misato, survives. As a result of this catastrophe, the Earth's axis has shifted, reducing the seasons to a permanent summer. The ensuing wars claim an additional billion lives, bringing the death toll to three billion.

Kaworu Nagisa, codenamed Tabris, the Angel of Free Will, is born.

22 September 2000: Old Tokyo is destroyed by a nuclear bomb. Among the dead are Johnny Sasaki, and the leader of the Patriots, Major Zero.

14 February 2001: The Valentine Treaty is signed, ending the wars that erupted following Second Impact.

June 6: Shinji Ikari is born to Gendou (formerly Rokubungi) and Yui Ikari.

December 4: Asuka Langley Sohryuu is born to an American father and a Japanese-German mother.

2003: Constructions of the Evangelions begins.

The JSSDF (Japanese Straegic Self-Defense Force) is formed. The main excuse is that the JSSDF is formed in response of the Sino-Vietnamese War over ownership of the Nansha Islands. Several of the instructors are FOXHOUND, Outer Heaven, and Zanzibarland veterans.

Between 2004 and 2008, exact date unknown: Using the Les Enfant Terribles cloning process, Rei Ayanami is created by combining a minor amount of DNA from Yui Ikari with that of Lilith.

2004: In a 'contact experiment' with Evangelion Unit One, Gehirn researcher Yui Ikari is reported killed. In truth, her soul was simply absorbed into the Evangelion's core, her body dissolved into LCL. She is also privy to the information concerning her husband's role in Second Impact, having secretly found out about it shortly before the experiment. Shortly thereafter, Gendou Ikari abandons his son, Shinji Ikari, leaving him with a teacher.

2005, exact date unknown: Gehirn researcher Kyokou Zeppelin Sohryuu commits suicide following her own 'contact experiment,' as a portion of her soul is absorbed into Evangelion Unit Two.

February – Shadow Moses Incident. The nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island in Alaska is taken over by FOXHOUND and the Genome Army. Led by Liquid Snake, they also take hostages – one of which is DARPA executive (and Patriot member) Donald Anderson (Signt) and ArmsTech President Jim Baker. Solid Snake is once again brought out of retirement to combat the threat. Snake also discovers that the facility is also the testing grounds for Metal Gear REX. With the help of weapons designer Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich, Snake destroys REX; as well as eliminate the renegade FOXHOUND operatives, save for Revolver Ocelot, who escape. Solid Snake, Otacon and Meryl Silverburgh, the sole survivor of the Genome Army, escape the facility. FOXHOUND is disbanded as a result.

Construction of the fortress city known as Tokyo-3 begins. The city is built in the location of the pre-Impact city of Hakone.

2007: August 8 – Manhattan Tanker Incident. A Russian mercenary army seize control of the USS Discovery off the coast of Manhattan Island, where the US Marines are preparing to test their own Metal Gear, dubbed RAY. Solid Snake, now a part of the anti-Metal Gear group Philanthropy (along with Otacon), infiltrate the ship. The mission goes FUBAR when Sergei Gurlukovitch and Marine Commandant Scott Dolph are killed and Ocelot escapes with RAY. Solid Snake is framed by the Patriots for the tanker's sinking and goes underground.

2009: April 29 to April 30 – Big Shell Incident. The rouge special forces team codenamed Dead Cell, lead by Solidus Snake, take over the Big Shell facility, which is in fact, a front for Arsenal Gear. FOXHOUND operative Raiden is sent in to dispatch Dead Cell and Solidus Snake. Solid Snake comes out of hiding to stop Solidus' plans. Dead Cell is eliminated, while Solidus Snake is killed by Raiden. Emma Emmerich, Otacon's estranged stepsister is also killed.

2010: Gehirn researcher and creator of the MAGI supercomputer Naoko Akagi murders Rei Ayanami (the First) in a jealous rage before committing suicide upon finding out that Gendou Ikari is using her. She then commits suicide by throwing herself upon the MAGI. Gendou covers up the suicide. Officially, Naoko Akagi has died in a car accident. Her daughter, Ritsuko, does not know about her mother's affair with Gendou, nor the truth behind her mother's demise. Following this incident, Seele has Gehirn disbanded and reorganized into the anti-Angel agency, Nerv.

2011: Big Boss, along with Ocelot and EVA, destroy the Patriots' AI computers. The Patriots has now been reformed, this time with Big Boss as the leader, with EVA and Ocelot as his lieutenants. Big Boss recruits Naomi Hunter and his old friend Roy Campbell to his ranks, as well as Ryouji Kaji, whom both Big Boss and EVA rescued as a child following Second Impact. The Patriots acquire a copy of the Secret Dead Sea Scrolls and discovers Seele's intentions, as well as their role regarding Second Impact. After meeting with Kaji, who verified it, as well as Seele's plans for Third Impact, the Patriots decide to oppose Seele.

Through Big Boss, The Boss gains a posthumous pardon once certain events regarding the Virtuous Mission becomes known.

Solid Snake is also given a pardon, along with Hal Emmerich. Neither man does not know that Big Boss was responsible...yet.

Construction on the next-generation Metal Gear RAYs begin in secret on Shadow Moses Island. Despite the financial reserves of the Patriots, only three are constructed due to the time frame.

2013, August 27: EVA, Big Boss and Ocelot confront Solid Snake and Meryl Silverburgh somewhere in Eastern Europe. Big Boss and Solid Snake make their peace after Big Boss and Ocelot explain everything, from their history to Seele's intentions of unleashing a Third Impact. Meryl wants revenge, since Second Impact had killed her mother. Seele, seeing the reformed Patriots as a threat to their plans for Third Impact, attempts to eliminate the Patriots once and for all. A hit squad is sent to Eastern Europe, where the Patriots are located. EVA and former FOXHOUNND commanding officer Colonel Roy Campbell are killed in the attempt. Ocelot goes underground and Big Boss returns to Japan. Both men swear revenge.

2014: Solid Snake assumes control of FOXHOUND, with Meryl Silverburgh as his second-in-command, at the request of Big Boss. Hal Emmerich also works for the unit, as does Raiden and Mei Ling. Using a contact within the Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force (a vet who survived Outer Heaven); Big Boss works with the JSSDF as a combat trainer and analyst under the guise of a UN general.

2015, July: Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 to pilot Evangelion Unit One, just as Sachiel attacks Tokyo-3. The Angel Wars have begun.

***

Hidden Facility inside Mount Tarumae - Hokkaido, Japan

Present Day, A.D. 2015.

The massive mountain facility that was located underneath Mount Tarumae was originally designed to shelter Japanese civilians and its government in the case of nuclear war breaking out between the United States and the Soviet Union.

However, in the years following Second Impact, the facility has been given a new life...for a much darker purpose.

That purpose was to house the mass-produced Evangelions that Seele intended to use to unleash Third Impact once the Angels were destroyed. So far, nine of the massive behemoths were completed, each armed with a duplicate Lance of Longinus. Originally, there was supposed to be twelve mass-produced EVAs, but the facility had suffered some damage thanks to falling debris following the arrival of Sahaquiel some months earlier, destroying three of the half-built EVAs.

Seele had been hit pretty hard in the past couple of months. Two of their members – Seeles 02 and 05 – had been killed under mysterious circumstances, reducing the 12-member council to just ten. On top of that, the various locations in which the parts for the mass-produced EVAs were built had been wiped out in a series of tactical missile strikes all over the world.

And now, three members of Seele – two men and a woman – were there on a surprise inspection tour. The facility's head scientist, Dr. Itagaki, conducted the tour.

"We had some damage to the facility following the attack from the Tenth Angel," Itagaki reported as they stood on a walkway, watching the technicians and maintenance crews work on the massive weapons, passing guards armed with assault rifles. "I am sad to say that three of the EVAs will not be active when the time comes. Chairman Keel will have to settle for nine."

"Chairman Keel has already been notified of the incident," Seele 10 replied. "Are the EVAs designed to meet the Instrumentality Committee's standards?" he asked.

"Yes," Itagaki replied. "Each one is armed with a duplicate Lance of Longinus, as well as powered by a working S² Core, thus eliminating the need for internal batteries and power cords. They are also capable of flight, as you can see by the retractable wings on their backs. Of course, given the EVA's size and mass the wings are used in concert with AT Field-based levitation. Each EVA is controlled by a Dummy Plug, courtesy of Nerv. Unlike their Dummy System, we used Tabris' data, thus eliminating the human element from their actions."

"Speaking of Tabris, how is he?" Seele 11 – the only woman to ever sit on the council – asked.

"Tabris is at the moment, in the middle of a synch test," Itagaki replied. "I am heading there right now. Please follow me."

***

On the bridge which overlooked the entire facility, a video feed showed the inside of the Entry Plug. Its sole occupant was a pale-skinned teenage boy with white hair and red eyes, which were at the moment closed.

Born in the aftermath of the apocalyptic event known as Second Impact, Tabris - also known as Kaworu Nagisa - was reared by Seele, trained for this specific purpose. Upon his death at the hands of the EVAs under the control of Nerv, will Seele make their move against Nerv and its commander.

The Entry Plug was partially submerged in LCL, and was being monitored by technicians. Watching the synch test from the bridge, was Dr. Itagaki and the three Seele members.

"How is Tabris, Doctor Itagaki?" the man only known to the employees as Seele 11 asked.

"His synch tests are extraordinary," Itagaki replied. "His synch scores are at a stable 200.98 percent. Not even the three Children combined can touch his synch score."

The three Seele members exchanged glances. "I take it you haven't heard?" Seele 04 inquired. Off Itagaki's confused look, Seele 04 continued. "During the battle with Zeruel, the pilot of Unit One – the Third Child – has reached 400 percent, and was absorbed into the EVA's core. He remained there for 30 days before being released."

If anything, Itagaki was not impressed. "Am I to be worried? Those Children are nothing compared to Tabris."

"You really should not underestimate the power of the human spirit."

A image from inside the Entry Plug appeared on the monitor. Kaworu was listening in on the conversation. "We have guests, I see," he noted, looking at the three Seele members.

"You may come out, Tabris," Itagaki said. "The tests are now over."

***

Nine minutes later, Kaworu emerged onto the bridge, clean from the shower, dressed in a school uniform. Hands in his pockets, he was whistling 'Ode to Joy' as he approached Itagaki and the three Seele members.

"I take it you are from the old man?" Kaworu inquired.

Seele 04 nodded. "That we are," he replied. "Chairman Keel sends his regards, and wishes to see how you're doing."

"As you can see, Dr. Itagaki is taking care of me," Kaworu replied. "So tell me...who is this Third Child who managed to reach 400 percent and live to tell about it?"

Fortunately, Seele had files on all Nerv employees on file and it took Itagaki several seconds to punch in several keys on the console, causing the Third Child's profile to appear on a monitor.

Kaworu looked at the picture; a teenage Japanese boy with dark brown hair and cobalt eyes. From the look of things, he seemed ordinary.

"Shinji Ikari," Itagaki read. "Born 6 June 2001. Parents are Dr. Yui Ikari, who worked on Project E at Gehirn as a bioengineer, and Gendou Rokubungi, the current Commander of Nerv. Was sent to live with a teacher for ten years following an accident in which Dr. Ikari's soul was absorbed into Unit One during a contact experiment. Grandfather is Ryuji Ikari, also of Seele, who had unfortunately passed away following the failed experiment with Unit One. Was summoned to Tokyo-3 by his father to pilot Unit One against the Angels. So far, he has six solo kills to his name."

Kaworu studied the profile for a moment. "Shinji Ikari, huh? Sounds like an interesting person."

"Remember your mission, Tabris," Seele 11 warned. "You are to go to Tokyo-3 once the Sixteenth Angel is destroyed."

"No need to worry," the Angel of Choice replied. "I know my duty."

Before another word could be said, the entire facility shook violently. As if something big was trying to break into the hangar.

"What was that?" Seele 11 demanded.

"That was not us," Kaworu said.

That was when all Hell had broke loose.

KA-BOOM!

The massive blast doors – big enough for the mass-produced EVAs to step through, were literally blown open, the mangled metal doors flipping like giant shurikens, crushing several workers underneath.

Then they came stomping in, through the smoke and flames.

There were three of them, just as tall as the EVAs, amphibious in appearance.

Kaworu was facing the next-generation Metal Gear RAYs.

The armed guards began to open fire with their machine guns...and were brutally decimated by the leading RAY's return fire, riddling technician, scientist and guard alike with 20-millimeter rounds, fired from their flipper-like arms. The other two RAYs turned their attention to the nine EVAs. Launch silos opened on the RAYs' backs and on their knees, and the two Metal Gears launched their payload of missiles at the EVAs, demolishing them and catching numerous workers in the blast.

Back on the bridge, Itagaki turned to one of the technicians. "Get on the horn! We need help!"

"I can't reach anyone!" the tech replied. "The communication lines are down!"

Seele 11 then turned to Kaworu. "Tabris! Do something!"

As the RAYs launched their payload, Kaworu quickly responded.

One of the mass-produced EVAs sprang to life and activated its AT-field, shielding it from the destructive force of the missiles, which had all but destroyed the remaining EVAs where they stood, as they had not been outfitted with the Dummy System.

Gripping a duplicate Lance of Longinus, the remaining EVA turned to face the trio of RAYs.

The first RAY's mandible opened up, preparing to fire its primary weapon.

The EVA charged, preparing to impale the lead EVA.

Then the lead RAY fired.

Unlike the first-generation RAY, which used a water cutter for its primary weapon, the second-generation RAYs used the ultimate in advanced anti-EVA (most importantly, anti-AT field) technology.

The powerful ion beam penetrated the AT-barrier, striking the EVA in its S²-powered core, obliterating it, and sending it flying back, where it landed in front of the bridge in a heap.

Then the lead RAY took aim and fired off its own payload of missiles at the bridge. Kaworu was able to get his own AT-field up, but the blast rendered him unconscious, while Itagaki, the three Seele members, and the technicians were killed.

***

Kaworu slowly came to, and found himself the sole survivor of the destruction that had surrounded him. Grunting in pain from the shrapnel that had pierced his side, Kaworu shakily made it to his feet, holding his injury in order to stop the bleeding.

The mortally wounded Angel hybrid looked out at the shattered windows overlooking the hangar, and saw the extent of the damage. Bodies laid strewn all over the place, some crushed under debris. The nine mass-produced Evas were all destroyed.

A loud roar came from the hangar area, as Kaworu discovered that whatever had attacked the facility, was still there.

The massive, amphibious-like mecha which had single-handedly destroyed the facility rose from its hiding place. For one long moment, the Angel and the machine looked at each other, as if daring the other to make a move.

***

A few miles away, a lone figure watched the image of Kaworu being transferred to him onto a PDA. Within seconds, the computer had identified Kaworu.

TARGET: KAWORU NAGISA – CODENAMED TABRIS, ANGEL OF CHOICE.

TERMINATE? Y/N?

One gloved finger punched in Y .

***

Back inside the destroyed facility, the massive Metal Gear rose several more feet, so that Kaworu was looking at its chest area...

...which had popped open, revealing its deadly cargo.

Kaworu's eyes widened as he recognized the weapon within the Gear.

An N² Mine.

The RAY dropped the mine on the floor before making its retreat.

Kaworu simply closed his eyes and waited for the end. He didn't had to wait very long.

***

The Japanese night lit up with the power of a thousand suns as the force of the N² Mine had all but obliterated the hidden facility, as well as the final Angel in a deadly, concentrated blast.

The old man watched from a safe distance, the wind rustling his long white hair and trenchcoat, revealing the dual bandoleers – one slung over his shoulder, while the other was around his waist, each holster containing a Colt Single Action Army revolver. In any case, the man looked like (and was in fact) a gunslinger.

Revolver Ocelot turned from the spectacle, a smug grin on his wizened old face. The next-generation Metal Gear RAYs had done as it was advertised. Now it was time to leave the scene. His car was nearby, so it was just a short walk back to the vehicle.

'That will put a nice wrench into Seele's plans,' Ocelot thought as he entered the passenger side.

Behind the wheel, was Ryouji Kaji.

"So...is it done, Shalashaka?" Kaji asked.

Ocelot nodded. "The mass-produced EVAs are destroyed," he reported. "As well as Tabris."

"This will set Seele back indefinitely," Kaji said. "Knowing Keel, he will most probably focus on finding out who attacked the facility and killed Tabris. Those mass-produced EVAs were the key to unleashing Third Impact. He will not take this very lightly."

"And now, that key is gone," Ocelot said as Kaji drove away from the scene. "Your orders are to remain in Tokyo-3 for the time being. Keep an eye on things from within Nerv, as well as look after the boy. These orders come from the man himself."

Kaji nodded as he put the car into gear and sped away. "Understood."

As Ocelot and Kaji departed from the scene, rescue workers and several helicopters had arrived on the scene. But even they could see that it was no use. Whoever was inside or within the mountain facility was gone, as the N² Mine had triggered a massive eruption that would make the front page of the Shibun the following morning.

***

Location – unknown, the following day.

Once the news of the attack of the Tarumae Facility became known, the mysterious, Illuminati-like organization known as Seele was in a complete uproar. Decades of work, decades of planning to achieve Instrumentality was all but gone. Out of the twelve monoliths, only seven are present.

Finally, the monolith labeled SEELE 01 – SOUND ONLY called for silence. The remaining monoliths immediately obeyed. "Do we have any idea as to who was responsible for the attack on the Tarumae facility?" Keel asked.

A video image popped up, showing the attack on the hidden facility.

"We managed to get this video feed from the facility before it was destroyed in the N² blast," Seele 03 reported. "Whoever it was, they knew where and how to strike."

"What the hell is it?" Seele 07 asked, as the picture froze on the image of the RAY. "It it an EVA?"

"No," Seele 06 replied. "It's definitely not an EVA. Its weapons system is far more advanced."

"First, we lose both 02 and 05 to unknown circumstances," Keel began, "followed by various attacks on our facilities...and now, this...not only we lose three more of our members, but we lost the mass-produced EVAs and Tabris. There is more to it."

"Could it be Ikari?" Seele 09 asked. "Could he be capable of this?"

"Ikari is capable of many things, given what has at stake," Keel replied, "but not even he is capable of this. Nor did he know about the hidden facility. Someone else is responsible for this. Someone who wants to stop us from achieving Instrumentality."

"Our plans for Human Instrumentality were riding on the mass-produced EVAs to force Unit One to trigger Third Impact!" Seele 03 shouted. "All our planning was for nothing!"

"We can still use the forbidden union of ADAM and Lilith," Keel said. "But for now, I want an investigation into who was responsible for the attack in Tarumae. Instrumentality can wait for the moment. We must find these interlopers and eliminate them." The old man paused briefly. "Whoever this entity is...Number 03 is right. They know who we are, and where to attack with brutal precision. As for Ikari, we will watch him closely for the time being. Understood?"

Once the monoliths answered in the affirmative, they blinked out, Keel's monolith was the last to blink out of existence.