NEON GENESIS EVANGLION: TO THE VICTOR
Vol: 1 Dark Messenger
Prologue
Abyss
Monday August 24, 2015
228 kilometers off the cost of Delaware
2:43PM EST
Another whip-crack of thunder boomed across the sky as Lieutenant Junior Grade Eric "One Eye" Baker struggled to keep himself upright as the massive frame of the Zumwalt class destroyer U.S.S Robert A. Heinlein (DDGN-1007) clashed against the rough and choppy waves that had recently formed seemingly out of nowhere along with that strange lightning storm they were now in the middle of knocking it's tumblehome hull about as it moved ahead at full steam. Once the ship steadied he again took his position leaning against the sidewall just off from the main hanger door arms crossed while he waited impatiently for that group of civvie paramilitary contractors to finish mucking around with his baby, the SH-60H Advanced Capacity Seahawk anti-submarine helicopter that was stationed on board. He didn't like the unsavory rumors he has heard about this origination they were a part of and he liked this strange electrical storm they were moving through even less, there was hardly a cloud in the sky and all the weather charts showed clear skies for the next week and then BAM! This storm just came out of nowhere. And then there was that even stranger aurora like ribbon of undulating colors in the sky just over the horizon that all this lighting seemed to be concentrated around and to make matters worse that's what they were steaming right towards.
He shot a glance over to his Airborne Tactical Officer Ensign Jacob "Slasher" Cook which conveyed everything he wanted to say about this fuck all of a situation they were in but knew better to which Jacob smirked, lowered his head and shook it in response. Petty Officer Second Class Daniel "Capt'n" Morgan, his Aviation Warfare Systems Operator, however was the lucky bastard of the group not having to suffer though all this fun since his station was being taken over by one of those civvie A-holes.
This whole mess started for them just over two hours ago.
Eric and Jacob had just stat down at their spot for lunch in the officers mess (Daniel being a wiener had to keep to stick with the rest of the sub-humans in the enlisted-man's mess) when the call to action stations blared over the intercoms and the seven ship detachment of Destroyer Squadron EIGHTY-SIX (named such despite almost half of it's force being composed of Cruisers) transformed into battle configuration, the stealth covers hiding their rail cannons, laser turrets and point defense missile batteries lifted up and folded out of view while the all ships changed course at full steam kicking up massive rooster tales in their wakes. Twenty minutes later their Squadron met up with Destroyer Squadron SIXTY-FOUR and Cruiser Squadron EIGHTEEN followed shortly after by two full carrier battle groups and then finally by two Leviathan class battleships, the Tiamat and Kraken (BBGN-112 and BBGN-115 repetitively), assembling the largest fleet anyone had seen since the wars that followed that hellish September day Fifteen years ago when the Heavens collided with the Earth.
Then approximately thirty minuets ago THEY showed up.
Representatives of a private paramilitary organization chartered under the UN consisting of two heavy "suits", one taller then the other by a good two inches, whose casual killer eyes, complexions and accents gave them all the signs of being former Mossad agents who acted as the groups "spokesmen" and a couple of techs dressed up in orangeish-red jumpsuits were lead into the pilots ready room by the ships XO Lt crd. Frederick Bell who went on to explain that they would be in charge of leading an operation that all of them were going to be deployed on but of course not the why. After the XO's introduction the taller of the two suits stepped up with a folder in hand and promptly dismissed Daniel telling him he wouldn't be needed for this mission and after their AWSO had left the suit opened up the folder and proceeded to inform the two copter pilots with a dry, almost emotionless tone that everything about this mission was classified top-secret and that they could not speak to anyone with out the proper clearance and the consequences of them failing to head his warnings would included some rather serous jail time. You know, the usual BS. He then went on to explain that after the techs installed a new sensor package to the helicopters dipping sonar array they would fly them on a survey mission, the nature of which the suit wasn't at liberty to discuses, and with that he closed his folder, turned and nodded at the XO and motioned for the techs to follow him out of the rooms.
After that the two pilots decided to go top side to make sure their baby kept her chastity against those fowl civvies who wised to defile her and almost forty minutes of waiting later Jacob nudged Eric in the side to get his attention pointing towards their copter where one of the techs leaned part way out of it's side door and gave the suits the A-OK sign. Eric nodded and they both stretched the fatigue out just as the tall suit yelled for them to come over just as the sky lit up brilliantly followed by another bang of thunder, this one loud enough that it almost startled the pilots. They reluctantly made there way over and the taller suit gave them their marching orders, "Alright once again. I must stress everything that happens form this point must remain confidential do you two both understand?"
Before answering Eric noted how the suit seemed to be almost obvious to the phenomenon happening behind them that grew more intense as the ship drew closer though the tech standing next to him seemed to be doing his best to act like he didn't, his eyes twitching as he forced them not to glance up at the party in the sky. Whatever they were doing it was obviously going to be about that. He then gave the obligatory yes sir with just the right tone of discontent which was followed by the same from his co-pilot after which the suit continued either dismissive or oblivious of their obvious contempt of him, "Your orders are simple, you are to fly us to coordinates 37.48 by 72.24 and….."
"You mean over to that psychedelic light show in the sky." Eric cut him off, pointing back towards the phenomenon with his thumb and the suit shot him a displeased look before responding with, "Yes, you are to head over to the anomaly and hold station where we will man the AWSO and deploy the dipping sonar. You two are then to await further orders from us. Do the both of you understand?"
They both nodded yes despite not liking this set up on bit.
The suit nodded back then added, "For this mission you will be backed up by Seahawk HS-7-64 D from the U.S.S Michael Monsoor. Alright that is all."
And with that the two copter pilots sprung into action bordering their copter, they both quickly surveyed the damage that they had done to their baby noting that what appeared to be a new pressure guarded mangometer senor package had been added which puzzled them, they're sensor suit already incorporated the latest MAD gear. Eric then looked across over to the AWSO station which to his displeasure had been run through pretty roughly, panels were removed and wiring exposed with two laptops jerry rigged into it; this did not make him at all happy but regardless he hopped into the pilot seat to the right having little choice in his involvement with all this while his ATO took his place to his left as the tall suit and two techs hope on board, one taking up the AWSO while the other sat by one of the rigged laptops.
Eric then informed the civvies to plug their headsets into the copters intercom system since once the rotors went on good luck trying to yell over them and went over the preflight check list calling up his back up while doing so.
"Seahawk HS-7-64 Delta this is Seahawk HS-7-67 Fox Trot. Over." Eric transmitted.
"HS-7-67 Fox Trot this is HS-7-64 Delta, what's the biz One eye? Over." Came the reply.
"What's up Big Rollin', how are thing on your side? Over." Eric asked his wing man over the radio using code to ask him questions that he didn't want the suits know he was asking.
"Never been better! Got some new friends over here helping us out. Over." Was the reply. Translation: they're dealing with the same assholes.
"So how's the game? Over."
"The Cardinals are doing hot. Over." Translation: they were carrying live ordnance. Eric already didn't like how things were going but the fact what ever they may be investigating might have to be shot at just….. he didn't know; it just didn't seem like something that should be really happening, like this was all a movie but sadly this was all to real.
"Bah, the Cubs are going to take it this year, I can feel it. Over."
"You say the same shit every year, we've already been through one apocalypse and they still haven't brought home the pendant, it's going to be the Cardinals all the way. Over"
"Whatever. Alright; follow my lead and try not to look to much like an ass out there; we got civvies to impress! Over."
"Same to you, need I remind you of who it was that over shot the ship. Over."
"Asshole that was back in flight school, try bringing up some more recent history. This is One Eye over and Out."
He then double checked the current weather chart , for what they were worth with all this strange spontaneous weather happening, then got permission to launch and pulled back the yoke and the Seahawk was airborne giving them and even more impressive view of the… of what ever the hell it was. To his right out the corner of his eye he saw his wingman rise up from the deck of the Michael Monsoor.
As they drew closer to the anomaly a pit started to form in his stomach at the realization of what he had to fly into, the lighting flashes started to arc down all around them forcing him to take more and more of an erratic flight path slamming the pilots and their passengers around in the process as the distance between them and their destination grew smaller. He glanced up at the horizon noticed that the aurora seemed to be moving Eastbound towards the flooded district at about 68knots. Nothing about this made sense, what the hell was causing this? If this thing was air borne why did they need a anti-submarine helicopter, what the hell was a dipping sonar gonna find out? And to top it off just who were theses guys bossing them around? Why was a paramilitary origination investigating a weather phenomenon? But the thing that disturbed him the most was the fact his wing man was carrying live ordnance….
Something caught his eyes; it was his instruments, his altimeter, compass and other instruments were starting to given erratic results. "Shit!" he muttered to himself before calling over to his ARO, "Your instruments acting funny?"
"Yeah" Jacob shot back.
"No good, no good, I'm gonna call up Rollin' and let him know what's up."
Eric flipped on the radio and called up his wingman, "Seahawk HS-7 Delta this is Seahawk HS-7 Fox Trot this is One Eye again. Over."
"Seahawk HS-7 Fox Trot this is Big Rollin', what's the news.? Over."
"Be advised that this…. "storm" is giving off some kinda interference that's impeding instruments operations, I repeat the storm is impeding instruments operations. Over."
"Roger that, storm is impeding instruments operations, anything else I should be advised about. Over?"
"That's all for now, this is One Eye. Over and out."
Eric then called out to the civvies in the back, "Alright things might get a bit bumpy, the storms messing with my instruments panel so I got to eyeball this." as he flew into what appeared to be the densest part of this "storm" keeping his eyes open so he doesn't get caught off guard by a random bolt form the blue.
"What the hell is that?" Eric heard Jacob called out pointing down toward the ocean; following his ARO's lead he looked down at what he was pointing at to see something gliding maybe eighty feet under the waves, it looked like a biologic but was larger then any he ever seen before but was too small to be a submarine, long enough but far to thin. It was also moving faster then anything thing he's ever seen before going by his best guess at around 68knots….. 68knots!
Eric looked up and saw that the leading edge of the aurora was positioned right above whatever that thing was.
THIS had to be what they were looking for! But what was it? He glanced one more time at it noticing it looked almost….. humanoid before he informed the freeloaders, "Hey, we got a unidentified object moving at almost seventy knots underwater." He then pointed in the direction of the object, "That's what you guys are looking for?"
The suit leaned forward to get a better view the answered, "Correct, set a holding station as close as you can to it."
Eric ran down the math in his head taking in account how long it would take to for the sonar to be lowered to that things depth and how long it normally takes to get a good signal and figured 600ft in front of it should do it and he jerk his copter hard to the left just narrowly avoiding a lighting bolt while turning 40 degrees to the left to cut it off, it was fast but nowhere fast enough to out run his baby.
He then set his station hoping to God that another lighting bolt didn't suddenly decide this was a good spot to come down at while he heard the distinctive grinding noise that singled the lowering of the dipping sonar and he waited as he watched that… thing get closer with the aurora trailing after it while keeping an eye out for lighting.
"We're getting erratic singles, it's overloading everything!" Both pilots heard the tech manning the AWSO shout out over the intercom.
The two pilots were now starting to get impatient, just what the hell did we need to know about this thing? They already had a visual and if they were going to attack it…. but before he could finish his thought he heard a loud-piercing beep emanate overcoming even the deafening sound of the rotors followed by the tech relaying to the sits, "It's confirmed sir, pattern is blue!"
A second later the tall suit came over the intercom with, "Alright your mission is finished, return to your ship."
Those words were a million burdens off both of their chests, this whole things was just too weird and the sooner he could forget abut it the better and Eric replied, "Roger." then banked his copter back around while radioing his wingman to inform that he was retuning to his ship and as he headed back he watch from the corner of his eye Big Rollin's Seahawk pull up sharply as it dropped two parachute retarded torpedoes into the water, Marks 58's by the look of them.
Eric then watched them splash into the water followed the blast of bubbles as the two super-captivating torpedoes rockets kicked in sending the projectiles racing towards that bizarre underwater figure…