a neon genesis evangelion fanfic
by materia-blade
-rapture-
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part one - death talks
Shinji idly fingered the 'stop' tab on his SDAT player, while staring up at the uncluttered ceiling of his room. Scattered about the ceiling were small white plaster 'bumps' that could easily be rubbed off if one simply ran their hand across it, causing bits and pieces of that strange ceiling matter to fall across whatever lay below. Shinji thought about doing just that, not for any real reason, but because the strange tile felt soothing on his fingers, much like the music drifting almost casually through his ears.
He gave a loud yawn and looked over to his clock. Five twenty seven. Despite the early hour, he had already been awake for quite some time. Asuka's night terrors had forced his sleepy mind to waken almost an hour beforehand, and he was almost angry about it. What right did she have to complain about them being late to school in the mornings when her yelps and nightmares kept him up all night! Not that she would ever actually talk about her nightmares. Nor even admit she had them…
He realized he had every reason to be truly angry with the second children… but he wasn't. She was Asuka. Miss 'hide-your-pain' herself. That was just her way, and he couldn't be mad at her for simply being the way she was. That and his attraction for her was something to be marveled at. He'd never admit it of course but he liked the second children. Hell, he barely was able to subconsciously acknowledge it, but if he didn't like her at least somewhat, he assumed he would probably act like Touji did to the girl.
He stabbed a foot into the air and created a small tent with his blanket, pulling the cloth slightly off himself as it lifted. He dabbed at the ceiling lightly, too lazy to stand and do it with his fingers, causing a few of the dimpled ceiling bits to fall on him. For a few moments he wondered why they made ceilings like this. It was so easy to mess the things up entirely. A light touch and the ceiling would liter all over the floor and look terrible at the same time. So why did—!
His leg jerked into a tight crunch and he gasped, as a wracking pain burst within his chest. But, as quickly as it had come, it faded, leaving the boy lying on his back in somewhat of a cold sweat, slowly lowering his leg back to the bed.
'What the hell?' He thought, only now realizing his hand was resting on his chest where the intense pain had erupted. He waited for a moment, his hand sifting around on his chest right in the middle with care, hoping to assuage whatever was hurting him beneath his skin. Probably just bad heartburn. They'd had instant spaghetti last night. Even so… wasn't he a bit young to be getting heartburn? Oh well.
Forgetting the incident, he let out another yawn and he decided to rise. It wouldn't be too terribly long before Asuka would wake up, followed shortly by a disheveled Misato. Both women had a strange tendency to hate mornings, which had always puzzled him. He loved mornings for the most part. Still, he didn't question it. Both disliked them, and therefore, liked a coffee, or beer depending on which girl of course, to be ready for them. Shinji never minded that. He actually quite liked it, really. It felt good to rise in the morning and cook, even though he rarely got the appreciation he felt he deserved. It wasn't as if he would ever say that out loud.
"No! I… I don't want…!" Came a muffled squeal, biting in over the music his SDAT player exuded.
He stiffened, but then quickly relaxed, fingering the volume knob up a few notches. Asuka again. It wasn't as if he could do anything for her anyway. He'd just end up getting kicked again. But…. How he wished he could. Every other night the poor girl had a nightmare. But if he tried to ask her about it she either changed the subject, –violently- ignored him, or started complaining about Shinji's stooge-like tendencies.
He always felt afraid of Asuka's dreams. To himself at least, he admitted he admired the second children. She was always so proud. Perhaps a bit arrogant, but still that arrogance was backed by a strength and confidence that he yearned for. Yearned for even half of what she had. The red princess who rushed into battle with the fury of an angel, and skill to match!
So…?
What could terrify Asuka like this? Why were her dreams always so... He didn't know how to describe them. But on the few instances he'd seen the girl sleeping, she'd seemed… terrified. And always something about her mother.
He put that train of thought away and began thumbing the 'stop' tab again. Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he stood and stretched himself preparing his achy limbs for what was sure to be another irritatingly uncomfortable day. A sync test was scheduled for One Thirty in the afternoon. It got him out of school, he supposed, but school was better then sitting in that disgusting orange fluid for two hours or longer.
He gave a sigh as he stood, kicking off his pajamas and wormed his way into one of his clean school uniforms. Stepping into the kitchen, he found Pen Pen staring in dismay at the refrigerator, and chuckled.
"Waargh…" The penguin warbled, pointing with a blunt fin.
Giving a small smile at the foolish, but always entertaining antics of the penguin, Shinji opened the refrigerator and handed the penguin a beer and a can of tuna, opening them as he did so. Gleefully, the penguin took the items and dashed back to its own refrigerator, content with the assistance Shinji had provided.
The third children gave a laugh as he turned to the coffee-maker. He liked the penguin, despite his rather unfriendly attitude most of the time.
"M-Mama!" Came another cry, though this one was only barely audible through three thin walls instead of just one. Shinji gave a loud sigh as he stared off through the hallway towards Asuka's room. Wishing to help. How he wished he could. He'd admitted to himself after the tenth angel that the girl meant something special to him. Hell… after the seventh! The damn girl annoyed him more then he could believe but somehow she'd wormed her way under his skin. The girl could likely ask, well… tell him to almost anything and he would without a second thought. If she actually asked… admittedly he'd likely have a heart attack.
Without warning, he felt another blaring wave of pain in his chest, this one even worse than before. He let out a hiss of pain and almost sunk to his knees, but then it was gone; as if someone had stabbed a needle directly into his voodoo doll's chest and then withdrawn it, all in one swift stroke. Still, he rubbed it hoping to sooth the strange inner burn.
"Baka-Shinji." He murmured to himself aloud as he stood, only just realizing that the pain had made him hunch himself. He let his hand fall away from his chest once more, irritated at himself. 'No more spaghetti for us for a while.'
He set about cooking breakfast. Steamed rice and miso as usual. He could have made something better but he felt like making simple breakfast this morning. Simultaneously, he began preparing Asuka's lunch along with his own. Asuka had strange tastes but he had to agree that much of the American and German food she generally liked to eat was pretty good. But eating it every day? It got quite old, in his opinion. Nothing like rice.
A sharp gasp echoing lightly from Asuka's room was his signal that she had likely woken up. Probably jolted upright even. This was one of her worse dreams. Usually they were much lighter than this. Usually, he could barely hear her. Last night had been… difficult to say the least. Listening to the girl cry in her sleep was not a fun way to spend the night.
For a moment, the boy glared jealously at Misato's room, two or three walls away from Asuka's. He felt terrible thinking that way, knowing that something was plaguing his co-eva-pilot, but frankly, night after night, the whimpers got old, especially when the girl wouldn't even acknowledge that she had dreams when she was awake, let alone nightmares. Misato didn't hear a peep!
Despite his misgivings, he gave a small smile as he thought of Misato-san. Sometimes she was one of the most irritating people he had ever met! Her messy lifestyle, her unorthodox drinking habit and that strange ability she seemed to have that could look right through his mind and know exactly what he was thinking. She was middle-aged chaos incarnate! And yet… sometimes… sometimes he thought he knew what it was like to have a mother with her around.
Jerking he stared down in shock and instantly began stirring as he realized he'd let the rice sit a bit too long. Luckily, it seemed to be okay. Just a bit crisp. Misato would never notice and Asuka… well… her comments wouldn't likely change if it were five star rice. Nothing to worry about.
It was five or ten minutes later when he heard the door to Asuka's room slide open slowly. She slumbered out into the hallway, wearing her usual pajamas and heading right for the shower. Shinji normally preferred to shower at night; arguments didn't spring up over who got the bathroom first that way and it was incredibly helpful to wake up and not have to spend twenty minutes running a bath. Not to mention being accused, or teased, or both, for being a pervert due to utter accidents. Despite his new cleaning schedule the accidents were still fairly common anyway.
"Ack!" Came a sudden shout, also from Asuka. But this was different. She was awake now. Shinji stiffened for the second time that morning and dashed into the hallway to see the girl, slumped onto her knees, one hand desperately grabbing her chest right above her heart, the other holding the wall for balance. The girl was breathing heavily, staring down at her folded knees in shock.
"A-Asuka? Are you okay?" Shinji asked heatedly, worry and concern showing blatantly across his face as he knelt down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady the girl. It seemed she didn't even realize she was still wobbling.
For a moment she just sat there breathing heavily. Then, she shook herself, her eyes jolting to meet his, their usual spark igniting as he almost instantly backed off. "Of course I'm alright! Baka! It was probably just that stupid spaghetti from last night! I told you something was wrong!" She always told him something was wrong.
Shinji blinked. Hmm. Must actually have been the spaghetti if it was hitting her too… "Y-yeah. You're probably right; the same thing happened to me a little while ago. I won't cook it anymore. G-gomen."
Usually that would start yet another tirade, but Asuka didn't seem to be in the mood. She looked like she'd had a very restless night, and that, mixed with the rage she had from whatever ailed her involving the spaghetti, had made him a prime target for her to let out the stress on. Knowing full well these facts, the third children couldn't help but notice her unusual appearance; unusual due to the fact that he rarely ever saw the girl looking so… tired. Dressed in blue pajama pants and shirt, she looked quite beautiful if one could disregard her disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, and morning breath. Oh. And the anger. Can't forget the anger.
But even that was muffled a bit by the girl's obvious weariness. If only she would just open up and talk to him for once!
Throwing Shinji's arm away, Asuka stood and shoved past him as she made her way the final few steps into the bathroom and shut the door heavily. "Go cook, baka! And none of that miso crap!" She exclaimed, through the thin door, prompting another harrowing sigh from Shinji.
"Gomen…" He murmured as he gave one last look at the closed door. Well, he couldn't exactly stop cooking the miso now. Hmm… Toast and eggs were quick. That would have to do.
He blinked. The miso! "Shimatta!" He cursed, dashing through the hall back to the kitchen where he found that he was still able to save his concoction.
Barely.
As he laid out the plates for breakfast and filled them accordingly, some ten or fifteen minutes later; idly going about his task, he wished that burned meals and Asuka's temper were the worst things he had to deal with. And that line of thought always brought him back…
Evangelion.
His bane. His strongest fear, while perhaps being his anima at the same time. He'd watched the videos of the things he had done… the power he'd exuded that he didn't even remember. Was that who he was? Was that rage what he contained? It had to be. Eva was just a big robot… 'Right.' He thought sarcastically. 'And I'm a manipulative bastard.'
He had no idea what it was that was hiding within the Eva, but whatever it was, it was no robot. A feeling. A sensation. A mind numbing… presence resided there, and he did not understand it. Sometimes, he felt as if he could… sense someone there. Sense… a conscious mind. But no. That was insane… No creature was that big… well, except the angels of course.
"Itedaikimasu!" He said lightly, more to himself then anyone else, now finally sitting down to eat. Asuka's and Misato's food already lay on the table and without warning Asuka suddenly appeared around the corner of the door, her hair still wet dressed in her usual school attire, beauty radiating from her person to saturate his eyes, just in time to chime in with him.
"Itedaikimasu…" She wearily added. Obviously her look were currently not parallel to the way she felt. Her bath, it seemed, had not refreshed her as much as he'd hoped. Luckily, the girl's eyes trailed down to her meal and, to Shinji's satisfaction, they lit somewhat. Of course, that was almost instantly replaced with an irritated glare, aimed at him.
"Not bad… ante baka."
Shinji sighed. Asuka. Was it impossible for her to even acknowledge that he had gone out of his way for her? No, he decided. No, that was probably too much to ask of the girl. Compliments that were given were always given with a derisive quip that was parallel to or stronger then the compliment she began with. He just had to deal with it, he supposed.
A deep and grotesque moan suddenly drifted across their ears as Misato, dressed in nothing more than the scandalously revealing shorts and t-shirt she usually slept in, made her way across the hallway and into the bathroom.
Asuka snorted. "If you wouldn't drink so much, Misato, then things like this wouldn't happen!" She echoed to the house matriarch crudely, that usual superior smirk gracing her lips as she stabbed into her eggs with vigor, though still somewhat subdued. Apparently she was a bit sick from her nightmares… or perhaps that spaghetti last night as well, but the eggs seemed to be rejuvenating her. She sure seemed like she appreciated them.
For the most part they ate in silence, Shinji quietly enjoying his miso soup and rice, while Asuka gladly finished off her sunny-side-up eggs and mauled the toast, until suddenly a loud roar burst in from the kitchen.
"Yeeekaaa!" Misato screeched in her usual, irritating way, having just downed an entire beer in one devastating gulp. Honestly! The woman must have inherited the liver of a gorilla to be able to do things like this! Shinji and Asuka for the most part ignored her morning habits as they were commonplace these days. Though it was a very strange thing to get used to, it seemed that human nature to adapt to new conditions was able to cover just about anything.
Shinji Ikari…!
"Wh-what!" Shinji gasped, shocked by the sudden words. A woman's voice. And familiar.
His eyes darted to the north, where Nerv lay, and noticed Asuka staring at him strangely. She followed his gaze across the room and, finding nothing of note, turned her attention back on Shinji. "What's with you, third?" She asked in that weird voice of hers that could show concern while being completely uncaring at the same time, a slice of toast hanging from her mouth in the meanwhile.
Still staring at the wall, Shinji shivered. "I… I thought I heard something." He sighed. "Must be my imagina—!"
Shinji!
A shout this time to his ears, Shinji jerked his head once again to the wall from where the shout had come. Nothing. His heart was picking up speed. What was going on!?
Asuka was looking at Shinji with some small measure of… worry now. "Ante baka…! What are you—!"
Suddenly, she too, jerked her head to where he had first looked, her eyes staring blankly at that same wall, morning light spilling in through the curtains.
"I… think that—!"
Instantly, the alarm sounded across the city. An angel. Shinji and Asuka turned to each other, and nodded simultaneously, as Misato appeared from the kitchen, her happy morning utterly ruined and any indication that she had been drinking mysteriously gone.
"We have to go." The house matriarch stated quickly. Any indication that she was the complete slob she had been not mere minutes ago had been completely erased by the call of the city's alarms.
The children and their guardian were out in the car, fully dressed and blasting towards the Geofront faster then they had ever before been, determination etched across all of their faces. The car whirled crazily as they drove by, watching hundreds of people quickly filtering their way into the shelters. They watched as the city began sinking into the ground, buildings delving back into their fake underworld and the safety of the faux skylight beneath.
Asuka glared almost hatefully at the boy sitting behind her in the back seat as Misato's jostling drive sent them sprawling… or would have had they not been so experienced in making sure Misato didn't kill them with her driving, with seat belts on and hands firmly on all available handles. 'I'll prove that I'm better than him! I'll prove it!' The fire-haired pilot groused to herself. She turned her eyes forward to the sky and saw the angel, a baring, determined smile glistening on her face. She was no fool as to think it would be easy. No angel had been alike so far, and there had been too many close calls for her to believe that killing any of these… monsters would be easy. And they were getting… stronger…
But… She had to win. She had to be the best! She was Asuka Langley Sohryu. She would show them who the best pilot was. She would show the world.
Still, she couldn't help the small quelling of fear that bubbled in her as she stared up that the enormous black sphere hovering between the buildings. She remembered when she'd first felt that small fear. She'd taken Shinji with her. Her first kill on that boat but… she'd wanted him there with her. He'd done it before. He'd… stopped these things before. Then, she'd brought him because… she wanted that reassurance. Now she was a veteran. Now she had killed these monsters herself. Now, that small quelling of fear was repelled by a wave of excitement. Being the best! Making sure she was able to stop these angels.
Saving Tokyo. She could do it now! She could do it. She was sure.
Asuka! Come to me!
Her head jerked instantly to where the voice had come. Nothing was there. Of course nothing was there… she was just hearing things. But… It kept calling her. It had been calling her all morning, from the moment she'd awoken. Maybe even before… spawning her nightmares. Spurring her dreams. Her name… over and over again the voice repeated it. She'd tried to ignore it but still it was there. Still it called her. Warning her, demanding her attention… But she ignored it. Just… just nightmares. That was all it was. She wasn't actually hearing her mother's voice… just nightmares… just—!
ASUKA!
'Shut up!' She barked violently in her mind and was surprised to find the strange… voice… presence leave her. In an almost joyous relief she sighed, but shivered once again. Was she going insane? Wh-what would they do if they knew? If they knew that their best pilot was hearing voices…? Not just any voices… hearing the voice of her long dead mother? Worse still, what if they found out how long she'd been hearing them? It was likely she would never see the light of day, thinking she'd gone as crazy as…
As her mother.
The vehicle slid into the Geofront's car entrance, made specifically for the pilots, causing Asuka's stomach to lift as they barreled down the steep slope into the depths of Nerv Headquarters, Main Branch. More determined then ever, Asuka swore stared down into the dark hall of the down hill ramp, listing to the fading sirens in the upper world behind her.
"I'll be the best. This time I'll… I'll make them all see…" She whispered to herself. "I'll show them… I'm not crazy…"
You never were…
Asuka's eyes jerked directly forward. Nothing was there. The window, the endless hallway. Misato driving, not so crazily now that they were on a steep incline, and baka Shinji sitting in the backseat. No one else.
'Please, just leave me alone! I don't want to lose my mind!' She screamed in her head, jamming her eyes closed.
The voice… whatever it was, did not grace her with an answer. Whether it was obliging her, or simply toying with her, Asuka didn't know. But she felt afraid. Ever since she'd come to Japan she'd felt… strange. Even before. Ever since the first battle with the sixth angel. The first time she truly… fought! That was when they had first come. Murmurs, intangible syllables that meant nothing to her. Mixes of German and American and Japanese all thrown into one harrowing sea of mindless drull. But the voice had grown smarter. It sorted its words. Over time, the more she piloted, the clearer she could hear them.
Shaking her head, she smirked. Whether it was in satisfaction that she had shown the voice in her mind who was the boss, or in pure relief that it had deemed her demand worthy of note, she didn't know. All she knew was that, without it shouting at her… scaring her out of her wits. Without it… talking to her… she could be normal. She could feel safe.
The car screeched, and pulled to a rubber-burning halt, allowing the pilots to exit immediately. With a quick, 'see you on the bridge!' Misato was gone, the underground road screaming its dissatisfaction with the rough tread of tires.
Shinji and Asuka were in the change room almost instantly, each segregated into their own bath momentarily, and out on the other side dressed in their plug suits faster then they could ever before recall. Not surprisingly, Rei stood waiting for them. Dressed in her plug suit as if she already had been before the angel had attacked.
'Knowing Wondergirl, it's likely she was already dressed in it before the alarm even went off! Creepy doll!' Asuka thought inwardly, as she idly looked over Rei. Nothing different. No personality in that cold face. No passion in those heated eyes. Their fiery red color, an irony in comparison to the girl's apathetic nature. The purity of her unblemished white plug suit was an equal irony when Asuka thought of the disheveled state of the girl's room and school clothes. It was as if the girl had nothing but eva. Lived for… nothing but eva. 'We… aren't so different in that regard… are we?' The red-head thought grimly, as she awaited briefing in the bridge's control room.
Oh sure, Asuka tried to pretend like there were other things she cared about. Other things she liked or needed or wanted to do. It was a lie. Her college education? A lie. She'd passed the classes, with top marks. Studied hard, but never truly cared about what it was she studied. It was all to be the best… for the eva. Her major in college. Physics with a minor in combustion engines and heavy dabbling in computer programming were all for eva. All to pilot eva… better. Her friends… weren't truly friends. Adalia. Rikkert, Kari? She'd called them friends when she'd been in college… but the truth was she'd used them. They were the best in every field Asuka had studied. She'd used them. Had them teach her and learned from them, all the while keeping up the pretense that she actually believed these twenty four and twenty five year old students actually cared about her.
No.
She'd not spoken with any of them since leaving the college. They used her for her brains just as she'd used them. Beyond that, there was nothing. No friendship. No bond. All just mutual brain picking.
Admittedly, they'd gotten the better end of the stick. After all, they had been allowed the privilege of learning from the great Asuka Langley Sohryu, in her specialty. The thought seemed bitter in her mind. Mere months ago she would have felt fine thinking this. Believed it as she would believe the sun hung in the sky and LCL smelled like blood. Things everyone who was anyone simply knew. Now… now those three students had had the privilege of learning, not from 'the great Asuka Sohryu,' but from a… a mad fourteen year old girl with her dead mother's voice in her mind.
You are not mad, Asuka!
'Leave me alone!' She thought at the voice desperately. Outwardly, she glared at Shinji. That always calmed her down. Baka-Shinji would flinch and jump as if he'd done something wrong and then go about trying to fix whatever he'd done. That always cheered her up!
Please listen!
Asuka ignored it, preferring to focus on Shinji's stuttering features. Every now and then the boy actually had the gall to glare back! That was always fun. It appeared, however, that today was no such day. The sullen boy seemed surprised at the glare, but not particularly so. He'd beaten her sync score recently so to him this was likely just lingering anger. He sighed and turned the other way much to Asuka's disappointment. Despite beating her at the one thing she'd given her all to be the best at, Asuka wasn't as angry at him as she could have been. If it had been anyone else, say the first, for instance, she would have destroyed her.
But… there was something about the third children… something that made the evangelion just a bit less… important. Just a bit.
"Okay… here's what we have so far." Came Misato's sharp voice, so different from this very morning where the woman had done her best to imitate a destitute slob, bent on conquering all the liquor on the planet. Now, the woman strode with purpose and intent that seemed to fill the dark chamber with as much pungent confidence as the flashing lights exuded by the hologram now decorating the middle of the room did.
Asuka listened as intently as she could while trying to forget the voice of her mother, now silent in her mind. But for how long? She didn't know. But she knew she had to pay attention. She had to be the best! It was… it was what her mother would want.
You're killing yourself, Asuka.
Asuka gulped but showed nothing. A voice. Nothing more. Nothing less. A simple voice plaguing her. Something that therapy would likely rid her of. Perhaps… no… if she told anyone… anyone… they would take away her eva. Take away her… reason to be. She could not allow that. She could not allow that, no matter the cost. She would go raving mad before she would give up eva!
She would die before she would give up eva.
She thought about speaking but she found herself lacking the proper mood for it. Her usual boasting seemed to lack the usual luster it brought to her confidence. Misato had ordered Shinji as the point and had regulated Rei and her to backup. It figured. Baka Shinji. He'd beaten her sync scores now… he was the better pilot. For now…
Before she knew it she found herself in her plug, LCL filling her dark room. The screens affront her came to life as vision greeted her previously dark cockpit. Letting the LCL into her lungs, she relaxed. Another Angel. Another chance to prove herself. This time she would not fail. And she would not be regulated to backseat either. So what if Shinji was point? He'd be the first to screw up… and then she would show them how fighting angels was done!
"Connecting main power!"
"All circuits transmitting!"
"Roger!"
"A-10 nerve connections: normal!"
"Language Japanese: confirmed!
"All preliminary contacts established!"
"Performance: nominal!"
The buzz and thrum of the technicians voices beat in Asuka's ears as she prepared herself. She felt herself attach to the eva. To her evangelion. Unit 02. Life blared within her as she became… not Asuka. No. She became more in eva. So much more. Her eyes grew to the size of cars and her height became stories and stories tall as she felt through the eva, stretching her mind.
I feel you, my soul. Burn. Make me live!
Another shiver splashed through Asuka; her concentration and self preparation was shattered even as she felt a roar burst from her evangelion, its eyes blaring to life. She shook her head furiously but she couldn't shake the feeling that the owner of the voice… her mother, was still there, lurking within her mind. Even so, she was able to force herself to open her mind, to let Unit 02 see within her as she became one with the four-eyed beast.
"Eva Launch!" Came Misato's distinct cry, blasting through all communication frequencies. A slight jolt in her stomach cured Asuka of her short bout with the voice. She was ready. She could do this! It didn't matter that there was a voice in her head! The eva slammed to a halt as she reached the surface, and stared across to see Shinji's Unit 01 already barreling for the point position, its cable trailing endlessly behind it. Unit 00 stood just now exiting the launch shaft in almost perfect tandem with her own exit.
As the others did, she wordlessly tried to make her eva move as silently as possible. Idly, she wondered at the comedy of an outside viewer watching a fifty story tall machine attempting to move quietly, but inwardly she kept the idea from reaching her facial expression. This was no place for idle fancies, whether they were funny or not. After. When this angel was dead. Yes. After.
"Asuka, Rei, are you in position?" She heard the third child's whisper through the coms. Really. Why in god's name was the idiot whispering? If the Angel had trouble hearing the footsteps of an eva frankly a whisper wasn't gonna do a damn thing! Mein Gott!
"Not yet." Came Rei's stoic response.
In an irritated voice Asuka gave her answer accordingly as she eased her eva into position, bringing it up on the northeast side of the city, hidden from view by a series of large buildings. Bringing up a com screen to both Rei and Shinji simultaneously she echoed loudly, as if to mock his whisper, "Of course I'm here. Ante Baka! What's taking you so long, Wondergirl?"
Her voice had an edge but she left off as soon as she saw that there was something… wrong with Rei. The blue haired girl sat in her cockpit as she normally would but… sweat trailed down her cheeks before melding with the LCL and her hand grasped her heart like a lifeline.
"Gomen nasai." The blue haired girl responded quickly. "There is a problem… my chest is in pain."
The technicians buzzed in almost instantly. "All readouts on the first child are nominal. Heart-rate: normal. No problems. Are you sure something is wrong Rei?" Asuka heard a male voice ask though she couldn't place who the voice was and he had given no visual. It sounded like Shigeru.
Asuka couldn't keep the small bit of concern out of her own eyes as she stared into the girl's screen. As Asuka watched the blue haired girl let her hand fall back to her control, and gingerly let her fingers curl around the handles, the pain in her eyes receding as if it had never been.
"Are you okay, Ayanami-san?" Asuka heard Shinji's concerned voice ask.
"I… will be fine." Rei replied sharply. "It was nothing… I'm alright now."
The eva began moving in the background and Asuka couldn't help but feel a small bit of… pride shining through for the other pilot. "Glad you're still with us, Wondergirl!" She berated sarcastically… though not entirely. Suddenly, something odd struck Asuka. 'Wait a minute… chest pain?' Just this very morning she'd felt an immense burst of chest pain, that had faded almost instantly. She remembered blaming the pain on that terrible Italian food Shinji had attempted the night before… but… He'd said that had happened to him as well… hadn't he?
Asuka shook herself of the strange notion. Chest pains happened to everyone. Mere coincidence. That was all.
"Are you ready, Asuka?" Shinji asked, with a bit of point to his voice.
Are you ready, Asuka?
For a split second, Asuka did not answer. Forcing herself to let out the involuntary breath she had taken, she stared Shinji's image down and fixed her eyes. 'Ignore the voice… ignore her! She's just a figment of your imagination! She's not your mother!'
I'll always protect you.
"R-ready when you are, third!" The German pilot exclaimed heatedly, her voice cracking. Inwardly she hoped to god that Shinji didn't notice. That no one noticed. An odd look. That was all he gave her, before his determined face became a mixture of apprehension and… was it eagerness?
"Go!" The third children exclaimed.
As one, the three evangelion units sprang from behind their various buildings. Unit 01 stood almost directly beneath the white and black sphere firing bullet after bullet from the gigantic seven round pistol he carried. On the other side of the angel, perhaps forty meters away a red Unit 02 took aim with the new shotgun specially developed for medium distance fighting. Far above standing behind a building set far above the others, Rei Ayanami pulled the trigger to fire one ballistic sniper bullet to attempt to destroy the angel from a distance.
A moment before the first shot would have pierced and destroyed the sphere, it vanished.
"Wh-what the!?" Shinji screamed, as suddenly, the ground beneath him became as mud. He felt his Eva sinking into a vast black shadow that consumed the entire street, and fear began to take him. "Wh-what's happening! Mi-Misato I'm—!"
Before Shinji could even realize exactly what was happening, he was already waist deep in the shadowy mire. "Help! Asuka, Rei! Help!" The boy shouted in desperation.
Asuka was already on the move when Misato's order to help the third came in heatedly over the com. Her eva leapt over buildings and around vehicles with an animalistic grace as she pulled out her progressive knife and a heavy prismatic axe, one of the new Nerv weapons that had recently become available. Turning just one more road that seemed little more then a thin hallway to her, she saw Shinji, battling to keep himself above ground, all but his arms and head completely obscured from view.
"Ante Baka! What's the point of beating me on some stupid test!" She exclaimed as she dashed over to him, jumping over the shadow to hang over the evangelion from one of the numerous buildings. She reached out her hand and was surprised to find it gripped almost as soon as she extended it.
"Asuka!" The boy exclaimed, holding on for dear life as a bit of his eva withdrew from the shadow covered ground.
"Payback for the eighth, third children! We're… dammit you're heavy! We're even!" Asuka gasped under the strain of keeping herself attached to the building, while simultaneously lifting the entire weight of the purple evangelion.
Pulled closer to the building, Shinji grasped the stone wall, burying his fingers within the hard concrete for his own handhold. Then, the building shook. Shock enveloped Shinji as he realized something was wrong. "I-is the wall collapsing!?" He asked, letting go of Unit 02's hand to bury his other hand deep into the wall, only to feel the quivering building, jerk once again.
Then he saw it. The shadow, spread far from where it had first started beneath his feet, and he felt himself sinking into it once again. The entire building on which they clung began sinking. Panic circled Asuka as her feet became incased in the darkness. Shinji felt his waist slip back in once again, a cold rush sliding through him as if walking into swampy water when dry. "Asuka! G-Get out of here!" Shinji cried, as he buried his hand in a further up point on the wall and attempted to climb out.
"Dammit, baka! I'm not just going to leave you, no matter how stupid you are!" She exclaimed, as she buried her knife into the wall to make a hand hold. Reaching back, she grabbed Shinji's arm once again and, with an incredible display of determination, hauled him once again, further out of the shadow pit. The building still sinking, she lay her foot on the knife and pushed herself up. Climbing, climbing, up.
"Get the hell out of there you two! Withdraw!" Misato's angered voice came in over the com screen. "You too Rei!"
For a moment, Asuka could swear she saw the first children grit her teeth, as she gave her usual, 'understood' but the red-head had no time to worry about that.
A short creaking was the only warning she received. The wall they both stood on, gave one hollow creak before the entire building surged off it's foundation. Fear entangled her heart and the German girl only had a sparse second of falling to curse before she and Shinji were crushed into the shadow beneath the crashing building and uplifted concrete. Swallowed whole.
"Asuka! Shinji!!" Misato's voice was the last thing either of them heard before they were surrounded in utter darkness.
"Let me out dammit!" Asuka screamed once again, waving her fists wildly, the Eva echoing in tandem. The great beast roared hatred into the darkness but nothing responded. Nothing, nothing.
The five minute timer expired and the evangelion shut down with a resounding echo. Asuka could do little but curl herself into a ball and bite her knees. "Dammit… Baka-Shinji… I won't die. Not like this!"
Shinji heard the faint whispers of a roar from far away within the darkness. Endless darkness surrounded him in all directions. For the few minutes he had been able to sync with the eva after he had been brought into this dank place he had felt as if he were swimming in a pool of swampy mud. The dark had seemed endless and, try as he might, he could do little more than try and find an edge. A wall alongside this darkness that he could rip through to bring him back…
He found nothing. His evangelion ran out of power, leaving him stranded in this vast darkness, listening to Asuka trudge with the bit more power she had been left with when their cables were disconnected.
Without warning, a com screen opened in front of him. "Damn you third! If it weren't for your sorry ass I wouldn't be in this mess right now! Now help me figure out a way to get out of here!" The second children screamed across the main screen. "What's the point of beating me on a sync test if you're gonna get us both killed?"
Shinji's shaded his eyes within his hair. "G-gomen… but we aren't dead yet. They'll think of something." He hoped they would. He listened as her evangelion's back up power spurred to life, the dim grey light filtering in through the darkness of her injection plug.
Asuka shivered, staring at him for a moment. Then, she nodded. They were still in battle, whether they were stuck without power or not. Asuka had no time for games. She had to think. She had to think of… something. "Tell me if something happens." She stated hardly.
With that, her screen blanked out leaving him alone in the dim light once again. Sighing, Shinji laid his hands across the control panels and breathed, trying desperately to come up with some sort of plan. "It's cold…" He murmured.
"Are you insane!? Maybe it would be a worthwhile plan if it were just one evangelion in there, but destroying two? You might as well have humanity commit mass suicide! There's no way Rei will be able to handle the remaining angels on her own!" Misato exclaimed doing her best to put rational reasons behind the madness creeping into her skull. Shinji and Asuka. She… without Shinji and Asuka she would…! She'd grown too attached. She knew that now. She'd invested real heart in her two charges and if they died it would rip a hole into her that she knew would never heal. She couldn't let them die! She couldn't!
"Well, Misato, If you've got a better plan I'd love to hear it!" Ritsuko shouted, irritability clearly seeping into her tone. She looked stressed. Her eyes drooped and her hair was frazzled beyond belief. It was likely the woman was still recovering from the incident with the eleventh. She'd stayed awake for days repairing the damage that had been wrought upon the magi by the miniscule angel, living on nothing but coffee and cigarettes.
Still, the scientist's disheveled disposition didn't make her any less Misato's enemy at the moment. She had to win. She wracked her brain furiously for a plan but nothing came up. Nothing. The only possible alternative was to send Rei in on a recovery mission, but that really could doom the world. With Shinji and Asuka captive, or worse dead inside that… dirac sea?... Sending Rei in to find little more then the remains of already destroyed evangelions could lead to the same fate for her.
Dropping in a line? Worthless, the only chance for that to do anything is if one of them went berserk and even if they did, they would be more likely to rip the line to shreds then hang on to it. Shinji's first battle came to mind and Misato shivered violently.
The truth was there was… nothing she could do. Nothing in her arsenal that could destroy this beast. Nothing, nothing. Eva could survive an N2 mine… but could it survive hundreds of them? God willing she hoped it could. Her eyes leaking a depressed sigh, she stared into the eyes of her old friend. "Okay… drop a hundred. We've seen what an N2 can do if the AT field is brought down. Using even half of them would be idiotic. Maybe… maybe if we're lucky, they'll survive."
Ritsuko turned her eyes to stare out into the screens showing the angel from all angles making it look like she was in a building instead of deep underground. Misato couldn't help but notice the blonde scientist had… crossed her fingers. At a time like this… it almost made her chuckle. She had crossed hers too. "Please be alright… Asuka… Shinji…"
"Shinji… do you remember when we first met?" Asuka asked with an irritable smile on her face, staring at the boy. The communications were down between everyone but she and him. Nothing else worked. There was no one else to contact, as if she and Shinji had gone to a completely different world.
Shinji gave her a smile back, and nodded. "Yeah… heh… you slapped me. A viewing fee, you said." He chuckled, wryly and the girl couldn't help but grin in response.
Memories. Dreams. Asuka had time to calm herself down, and now that she had, not to mention the fact that Asuka had no way to strike Shinji across the head or any way to vent her anger on him, they had been talking for… hours it seemed.
"You deserved it too!" The girl exclaimed, sliding back into her Eva's cockpit, leaning her hands behind the back of her neck lazily. Throwing a single leg over the other, she tapped her foot in the air idly. "Hah hah! Well… maybe not. Considering how embarrassing it must have been for you wearing that plug suit of mine!" The girl smirked at him, and then added, "You looked pretty good in it, I think."
Shinji had no choice but to blush as the memory came up in his mind, but he settled for indignant. "I did not! And I'm never doing that again!" He exclaimed heatedly, staring the at the girl as she laughed inwardly. Well, not so inwardly.
"Kawaii, Shinji-kun!" The girl exclaimed, laughingly serving only to make Shinji more indignant until he sniffed and turned his head.
A moment of comfortable silence passed, and sooner or later Shinji turned a sideways eye back on the screen and smiled at the girl viewed within. He gave a chuckle, finding the girl making a rather dumb face at him.
Joining her in lazing, he laid himself back, using his arms as a pillow as she was. "Asuka… what do you want to do… you know… after the angels are gone? After Eva?" He asked on a whim, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Asuka gave a puzzled look, and then a frown. "I... after eva…" She tumbled the words around on her tongue as if they were from a foreign language. "I… I don't think I've ever thought about it. I've been piloting eva for so long that… I… I guess I don't know. Maybe I'll be a model or something!" She exclaimed, joyous at her first idea.
Shinji raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "I could never picture you as one." He said offhandedly, turning his view to one of the side windows and stare into the darkness far off. Then, what he'd just said actually hit him.
Turning back to the girl he lifted his hands in wild protest! "I… That's not to say I—!"
The girl's eye was twitching so hard he thought that, even two evangelion armors and an angel's interior away from her, he still thought he felt the heat from her unbearable anger. "How… dare you third children! You don't think I could do it!? What? Am I not pretty enough? Is that it!? I—!"
"That's not what I meant!" Shinji interrupted in a surprisingly fierce tone. "What I meant was that I couldn't picture you putting yourself on display like that! You know… just… You seem a bit more private than that!"
Asuka weighed his words carefully, her mouth curled in a scowl. With a sharp, 'hmph,' she turned away from the boy, but luckily, she didn't close the channel. "I'm still mad a you. But… I guess you're probably right. Having stooges like you staring at me all the time would be a pain." She emphasized enthusiastically. And then, as if she had not even been offended, she barreled in, "What do you want to do? After Eva?"
Shinji's answer came quickly. "I don't know. I've… never been all that good in school but… I guess I'd probably better finish that off first. Maybe… get a job somewhere. I guess."
Asuka's scowl returned. "You're so boring!" She bellowed. "Big surprise! The invincible Shinji wants a regular job… a regular life… mein gott! How do you live with yourself?"
He could be so much more. You know that don't you?
A chill ran down Asuka's spine, and she shook herself, sitting up abruptly, letting her fingers rest on the controls. 'Baka-third? He's one of the three stooges! A nobody! The only thing he has going for him is some decent piloting skills and that's all luck anyway!' Asuka told herself, only a second before realizing that she had just acknowledged the voice even mentally. Responded to it even.
"Asuka…?" Shinji questioned, realizing that something was wrong with the girl, even though he had no idea what it was.
'He's sweet…' The thought crossed the girls mind before she could stop it, and a scowl crossed her face even faster. "I… I'll talk to you later, third." Reaching for the controls, Asuka turned off the com system watching as the screen flashed away, leaving her alone once again, bathed in that strange greenish glow exuded by the inside of the angel and the cockpits own dim lights.
He is. He would be good for you.
Asuka's glared in hatred, but she had no target for her rage visually. "Get out of my head!" she shouted vainly, but the presence of her mother did not leave her. She could still feel it. Ever since she'd gotten into eva she had felt it, and it was only becoming stronger by the minute.
You're afraid of yourself, lillim. Afraid of the emotions you have been given. Why do you close your heart away?
Fear surrounded Asuka in seconds as surely as she was surrounded by LCL. That had not been her mother. A… genderless voice, echoing in her mind, and decorating it with fear, searching her… gnawing at her innermost thoughts. Somehow, she felt it, only now, clawing into her. It felt… cold.
"What I do is my own business!" She shouted.
Your own. You hide your heart from pain. You want others to reach in. To take your heart as their own, so you don't have to go through the pain of giving it.
"Wh-what? I don't understand?" She murmured to the room. "I don't want anyone! I don't need anyone!"
The way of the lillim is to seek others. The way of the lilim is to join together. Friends. Family. Lovers. You are exempt? I see no difference in you lillim. You are not special.
"Get away from me…" She murmured, feeling as if something were holding a fist around her heart and squeezing even as it beat within her. "I don't want you near me! Get away from me!"
And… without reason or any more words, the visage… ghostly and grim hovering within her very soul, vanished. Asuka realized after a time, that her hands hovered over her heart. Her eyes were wet with tears that slowly dissolved into the LCL as they always had, and sweat was pouring down her face, also dissolving.
'Shinji!' She thought worriedly, and her hand dashed for the controls.
"Asuka!" Came his voice, his eyes staring back at her in concern, tears seemed to be trailing down his cheeks in rivers compared to herself. "Asuka you're okay! I'd thought… I'd thought something… Oh Asuka!" Relief spread across him like never before as he stared at her.
Asuka blinked, the tears and fear now almost completely evaporated from her. "I… what do you…."
"What happened, Asuka? You… your com was shut down… for hours! I… Couldn't reach you… I couldn't…"
Don't worry Asuka. I'm… here.
Asuka shivered. The voice… the voice in her mind… sounded tired. "Dammit Misato…" She cursed, letting her face sag into her hands. Small tears began to crawl down her cheeks. "Get us out of here…"
"Asuka…" Shinji breathed. "It'll… It'll be alri—!"
Without warning, Shinji's com screen disappeared.
You are safe. All will be well.
Asuka curled herself into a ball, covering her ears with her hands in mute rage. 'Shut up!' She screamed. 'Shut up! Leave me alone!'
She pushed the button that should open a com screen to Unit 01 for what seemed the millionth time. Nothing. Again. Nothing! "Dammit Shinji… please… I'm begging you… be okay…" She wept into the controls. Again she pressed the button. Nothing. "I'm going insane…" She whispered finally.
Just before the com had gone out, nearly four hours ago, had been the last time Asuka had spoken with Shinji… with anyone, save the voice in her mind. Soon after that, she had found that something had changed during the four hours or so that had simply disappeared with the angel's words.
It was cold. Very cold. Encasing herself in a ball, and rubbing her hands and feet together, creating friction within the formula seemed to be the only way to keep her fingers from going numb from the unbearable frozen liquid that now seemed to be seeping into her lungs and turning her mind to ice.
All will be well. Asuka.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She bellowed into the darkness but the presence did not leave. She felt it, lingering all around her. Encasing her. It seeped within her plug suit to caress her skin making her shiver in false delight, that left just as quickly, leaving her once more in the freezing cold of reality. Her breath quickened as she felt imaginary soothing touches and caresses that she could have sworn were really and truly her mother wrapping her arms around her.
But it wasn't her mother. It was madness. Madness!
'But it's warm…' Her traitorous mind thought. 'If… If I'm insane… I won't feel cold. Would it be so bad to just… just let her… hold me?'
Trust me.
Asuka shook her head furiously. Spreading her legs back into the cockpit she slammed her hand down on the controls. She had to talk! To someone. Anyone! She had to talk to push out this voice! She wouldn't let insanity take her… she wouldn't become like her mother! She wouldn't!
Her fist smashed onto the com button and, without any reason, instantly… finally… a screen appeared showing Shinji, curled up to keep from freezing, just as she had been.
"Asuka?" He stuttered, as if… as if waking from a dream. His lips were blue and he looked as cold as she felt, staring at her through the darkness that seemed to be growing darker with each passing minute.
But there was light still.
"Shinji! Oh god, Shinji! You're… you're alright!" She exhaled in thankful, undeniable joy. She didn't care how she looked. She didn't care about anything… only that… that someone was here! That she… wasn't alone. "I'm… I thought you might've…"
"Asuka… what's…? K-Kami-sama…" The boy stuttered, as his hands drifted around himself to ward off the biting chill. "What happened?"
"It… it happened to me too. It talked to you… d-didn't it? The angel?" Asuka asked, her voice cracking.
"Asuka I…" The boy began, realizing what happened. Why Asuka was acting so… different. It was the same for him. He'd disappeared from her com screen for hours. Nothing worked. His mind returned to the angel… that terrifying voice… prying into him. Gripping his heart, burrowing into his mind. "I… I'm sorry, Asuka."
Asuka tried… really tried to bring up the usual anger his irritating apologies normally brought on. She couldn't do it. How many hours had passed? How much longer until the LCL began to crystallize within their lungs? How much longer? How could she be angry when… when her life could end in a matter of hours? "I… you… baka!" She exclaimed, but it had no malice. Not a drop. Only joy… and madness.
You are safe, mein engel.
Tears began spilling out of Asuka's eyes. "Stop telling me that!" She screamed. "Get out of my head!" Curling herself into a ball as pitiable as Shinji's she buried her head in her knees and squeezed her head with her hands, apparently not hearing the cracks of her A10-Nerve clips.
"Asuka…?" Shinji asked warily. He'd never seen Asuka like this. Always, she'd been a pillar of strength. Always her! She'd always been the one to put him down, the brave one, the smart one! The pilot he looked up to. To see her like this… it was like seeing the flaws in a childhood hero, now watching with an older, more critical eye. He did not like it, and now more than every before, he wished he could talk to her.
"Get out of my head… get out of my head…" Shinji heard the girl murmuring. "You're not real! Please…" It was barely more than a whisper but Shinji could make the words out. "
"Asuka… are you okay?" Foolish question, Shinji knew… but… how else could he ask? Suddenly it struck him. "I… will you… talk to me? Tell me about your nightmares? I… don't know how much it'll help but… I want to help you Asuka." 'If we're going to die, I want to be with you…'
Asuka's eyes trailed up to stare at Shinji. 'Why do you close your heart away?' The angel had asked. Why? She hated having to depend on anyone, that was why. She hated being weak. Being… vulnerable. But… 'I don't want to die with no one knowing me…' She thought grimly. 'I don't want to die insane.'
"Sh-Shinji…" She said, bringing up courage she'd never known she'd had. "I… When I was… When I was little… about seven or so, maybe younger, I don't really remember, I… My mom… She went mad."
Shinji's eyes stared raptly at his screen and he listened as Asuka's story spilled from her own mouth for the first time. Her mother's insanity, the doll, so strangely symbolic of her life. Her anger and desire to be the best, all a wall to defend her true self. To keep anyone and everyone away.
As he listened, he knew, that if somehow… someway, they got out of this, he would never be able to look at the pilot of Unit 02 the same way again.
Somehow, Asuka was smiling. Somehow… she was… happy. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but that was such a mundane descriptive. It was as if she had been dragging the full weight of a thousand suns, and had only just realized that she could… let someone else carry a few for her. Shinji… baka Shinji… now he knew. Now he… knew her… her deepest fears. Her… secrets… It made her feel so unbearably weak but at the same time… strong.
It had not taken long to pull the conversation to his own nightmares. His own fears. "You're… just like me." She murmured, as she stared at him. Calm had come over her. If… if this was how she was to die… well… she could think of many better ways, but this… this was enough. It was far better then dying alone, with only voices to plague her.
She did not tell him of the voice of her dead mother in her mind. She could not tell him that… no one could know of that… but… somehow… that voice had disappeared. As she spoke to Shinji, she heard it's pleas to trust her less and less. As if… as if her mother felt she was leaving her in safe hands.
'No,' she told herself firmly. 'More like I'm receiving therapy for insanity.' Either way, she felt better then… better then she had ever felt, bar the fact that her life going to end in less than an hour. She could feel it in her bones. Soon… very soon, the energy expended to keep the LCL in fluid form would run out… The LCL would crystallize and her lungs and heart would collapse.
"Maybe I am…" Shinji replied. "We… just went opposite ways. You push everyone away by beating them at everything… while I…"
Asuka smirked but it had no real fire. She was going to die… there was no room for anger among people she had trusted with everything. "You hide away behind that stupid SDAT player."
Shinji grinned, now seeing the barb for what it was. Seeing… her for who she was for the first time.
Asuka felt similar, staring back at him.
'Maybe… the angel was right?' She thought, as another shiver ran down her back. 'We… need others. Maybe… we weren't meant to be alone. None of us.' What had the angels ever done? Had they intended to cause the second impact all those years ago? Had that been their intent? Or had that been human… lillim stupidity? What did they even want now? To cause third impact… or so she was told. Did they truly want humanity to die? Was that what they wanted?
Asuka… she was alive now. The angel could kill them at any time it wished… but it didn't. And she… felt it. The angel was still there… watching… perhaps listening to them talk.
Asuka shook herself… all of this was irrelevant… she… was going to die soon.
Suddenly, she felt it. Within her, sudden lack of breath. A hardness… developing in her…
She looked over to Shinji and he stared back at her. His hand shot to his heart, but he managed to keep a smile… for her. "I guess this is goodbye… Asuka…" he manage to get out, as he felt his lungs beginning to collapse.
Asuka felt similar, her own eva's power deteriorating to nothing. "Y-yeah. H-heh heh. Hey baka…" She gulped, the words becoming strained. "D-did… I ever tell you…? I like you…?" She asked. Not bad last words… not bad…
"I… guess… you just did… Asu… ka."
Asuka closed her eyes as her breath became labored. There was pain. She knew there would be pain… but… she could imagine worse pain. The fire from the eighth burning through her D-Type armor had hurt worse. She was strong…
Suddenly, something touched her cheek… straining, Asuka manage to open her eyes.
"Mother?" She asked.
Dimly, she thought she heard Shinji murmur the same thing.
Then, all was dark.
A hand sliced out through the shell of the twelfth angel's shadow, to Misato's surprise and Ritsuko's complete shock. Blood spewed everywhere, as a roar that could teach rocks to fear shattered the silence of the city.
"That's not possible!" The blonde doctor exclaimed as she stared in horror. A leg sliced through the shadowy sphere, this one red with both paint and blood. Another arm burst out from the other side holding a progressive knife in rage.
Staring through the hole in the side of the sphere, a pair of white eyes glowed brightly in the dim light of the fading afternoon. All at once, the angel seemed to explode, and two horrendous crashes resounded throughout the city. They roared into the sky, the two demonic evangelions, both painted red in the blood of their foe, bellowing a challenge that could shake heaven's gates.
Rei, standing nearby, who had been attempting to neutralize the angel's AT field, stared placidly. Even so, she couldn't help a small spike of fear pinning into her back as she turned away.
"My God… what did we copy it from? What!?" Ritsuko exclaimed, and Misato couldn't help but silently rehash the question.
"Eject the pilots…! Make sure their okay! Immediately!" Misato exclaimed, still staring in horror.
end part one
author's notes:
Hey eva fans. I hope this gets a good response. I think I've got a pretty darned original fic planned out here. Reviews are greatly appreciated.
Till Next!
MB