Disclaimer: The story is my only original idea, all characters belong to their respective owners and copyright holders and is not in anyway meant to be used for profit.
The sun rose over the Tokyo-3 skyline as its denizens went about their daily lives as always. The adults worked or hung out while the children and teenagers attended school, trying to maintain an air of normalcy under the looming threat of a possible Angel attack. But deep below the city, such an attack was only one of many things NERV headquarters staff had to worry about. Still attempting to shake off the soporific blanket of sleep with coffee, the technicians in the Command Center monitored the skies for any signs of Angel activity while ensuring that the Magi and everything else in NERV was running as it should.
First Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Another exciting day at NERV," he announced sarcastically, trying to break the silence of the morning slog.
No one bothered to respond; the most he got were half-hearted glares from First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga and First Lieutenant Maya Ibuki before they returned to their work. Shigeru did the same when he saw that no one was going to argue with him.
"Every morning, same old thing," he grumbled under his breath before returning to work.
The technicians, along with the gigantic monitor displaying security footage and other bits of data, all labored under the calculating gaze of Commander Gendo Ikari and Deputy Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki.
"It's been about a week since that orbital Angel attacked, hasn't it?" Kozo spoke up as Gendo's eyes shifted towards him.
Gendo nodded. "Yes, it has been a week, but why would you bring that up?"
Kozo sighed. "Because it seems too quiet, and it's troubling to think what new, horrific shape the next Angel will take," he replied.
"While I do agree with you, Fuyutsuki, I think you're letting the tension get to you. We've already been through ten Angel attacks; are you really going to let a moment of silence unnerve you?" Gendo asked, dryly, before turning his attention back to the screen.
"I guess you're right," Kozo muttered.
While Gendo and Kozo conversed, Maya's eyes widened as the radar picked up a large object, roughly twenty-two meters long, entering Tokyo-3's airspace. The security cameras confirmed this as they showed the large object speeding towards shore.
"We have an unknown object flying towards Tokyo-3, and it's coming in fast!" Maya shouted.
The rest of the technicians quickly began going through the various monitors and scanners within the system. Kozo looked down at Maya.
"Is it an Angel?" Kozo asked.
"We are still determining that, sir!" Maya replied.
Kozo nodded. "Contact Dr. Akagi and Chief Katsuragi and tell them to get down here as soon as possible," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," Maya said, picking up the phone.
Shinji Ikari gazed listlessly out the window in his classroom, as the teacher continued the history lecture. The teacher's words turned into white noise as his thoughts wandered elsewhere. He hoped the Angels wouldn't attack for at least another month. It was a silly thought and he knew it, but he was enjoying the time he got to spend away from fighting. Despite NERV, the routine training exercises, and synchronization tests serving as a constant reminder, he still tried not to think about it.
Shinji took a moment to look around and see what everyone else was doing. Rei Ayanami was quietly taking notes — as were Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, and Hikari Horaki. Asuka Langley Soryu was listening to the teacher, but she looked rather distracted, at least to Shinji's eyes. He wondered if it was because she was musing over the same things he had been thinking about earlier. He quickly pushed that thought aside and began thinking about what he might do after school as his attention drifted back to the window and the world outside.
The sky seemed peaceful as the clouds slowly shifted and moved around and over the sun. That was until Shinji spotted something flying in the distance, anyway. At first, he thought it might've been a bird or possibly a plane. But as it drew closer into view, a chill ran down his spine; he saw that the object was occasionally flapping what appeared to be a large set of wings. Shinji's heart began to throb in his chest as the monstrosity took on a more bat-like shape before flying over his school and emitting a piercing shriek, causing everyone to cover their ears until it passed.
"What the hell was that?" Toji shouted in a mixture of anger and fear.
"I think it was an Angel!" Kensuke shouted back.
Then, as if on cue, the loudspeaker crackled into life and gave a painful shriek. "All students and staff please evacuate the building in a calm and orderly fashion. This is not a drill. There are buses waiting outside that will transport everyone to the nearest civil defense shelter," it announced in calm tone, and everyone stood up and walked out of class.
Ritsuko stood in the middle of the Command Center as she watched the images on the huge screen with curiosity and a vague sense of terror, trying to process what exactly the beast before her was.
"Do we have a reading on its blood type?" she asked no one in particular.
"Yes, Doctor Akagi, it's orange," Maya replied.
"I see. And the Magi?" Ritsuko asked, her voice sounding distant.
"They can't seem to make anything of it but they're recommending we launch the EVA units just in case," Maya answered promptly.
Ritsuko simply nodded as she continued to study the screen. So not even you can make heads or tails of this, she thought to herself. She thought back to all the Angels they had encountered up to this point and, while some imitated the general shape of Earthly organisms, none of them matched terrestrial forms this perfectly. The creature was clearly a bat, with dark blue skin; tall, thin ears; red eyes; a nose with pointed nostrils; a mouth full of jagged teeth; and a mane of fur on top of its head that trailed down the back of its neck. The bat flew using two huge, membranous wings while its two feet dangled below, each equipped with three claws. But what really threw Ritsuko off, besides the fact the bat's skin shifted with its movements like most mammals, was the lack of any sign of a core.
Her train of thought was halted when Misato burst into the room, looking very serious.
"What's the status on the pilots?" she demanded as she looked up at the screen and saw the city was already starting lowering as citizens evacuated.
"Our agents have retrieved them and are on their way," Makoto responded.
"And the Angel? What's it doing now?" Misato fired back.
"It's flying on an undetermined course over Tokyo-3. It has not yet attacked or landed, ma'am," she answered.
"It must be planning something…" Misato muttered while she watched the screen.
"I'm not so sure we're dealing with an Angel…" Ritsuko spoke up.
"What? What do you mean?" Misato asked.
"Look at it, does that look anything like the Angels we've seen before?" Ritsuko demanded testily.
"No, but it could be a new form. And besides, even if it isn't we still can't be certain it won't attack," Misato countered.
"True," Ritsuko said before returning to her thoughts.
Makoto suddenly turned to Misato. "The Angel has changed course, it's landing!" he shouted.
The giant bat landed on top of the small building with a crash before it looked around. The few remaining people fled in terror, trying to seek shelter from the horrific beast. But as they ran, the bat let out a shriek at a much higher pitch than before, causing the people below to cover their ears in agony as the windows in cars and nearby buildings shattered before taking flight once more and swooping down to snatch up some of the tiny figures.