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Neon Genesis Evangelion: Therapy for a Psycho
"Diiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!"
Evangelion 02 swung its axe through the squishy white flesh of the Mass Production Evangelion number-whatever that had made the mistake of standing too close to her. Asuka smiled grimly as blood spurted out of the MP Eva, covering the last spot on Asuka's usually vibrant red Eva in blood. There was far more blood on the ground and on Asuka's Eva than there was in the MP Eva anymore. Asuka pulled on the controls and her axe came down again, smashing the rest of the MP Eva into pulp. There were still six more of the ugly white fuckers with their elongated heads that were reminiscent of a maggot given arms, legs and a smile that had been carved a little too wide into the mouth. Overall the effect was extremely creepy and disturbing but Asuka was more occupied by other matters.
The first matter was that she'd been fighting for seven hours straight. She'd be laughing at and berating herself for taking an hour per opponent if it wasn't for the second matter. The fuckers kept regenerating and apparently no weapon she had could kill them. With their twisted mouths they just stood back, taking turns taunting her with their immortality. They probably could have easily ended the fight hours ago simply by overpowering her with numbers. Asuka might pride herself on being the best Evangelion pilot there is, but these odds were hopeless. It's not like anyone was ever coming to save her after all.
"I'm sorry mama…" muttered Asuka, slumping back into her seat and releasing a sigh into the LCL fluid that surrounded, protected and nurtured her during combat. "If only I had noticed you were in Eva sooner. I'm a bad daughter…"
Maybe I should just stop this, thought Asuka. It's a waste of effort, mine and theirs. I could run away; I have infinite power with the S2 engine. They fly though, and I have to sleep sometime. I'm so tired… Maybe I should just fall asleep here? Would it really be that bad to die in my sleep, surrounded by mama?
As the thought came into Asuka's brain her body seemed to react immediately. Energy seemed to be sapped from her body, her arms going limp at the controls. Sensation started to leave her and she felt like she was floating away into the LCL. Her mind started to fade as her eyes closed, shrouding her in darkness from the horrible reality outside.
Suddenly an alarm went off in the Eva and Asuka's eyes snapped open instinctively and she saw the threat board going crazy. The threat wasn't from the MP Evas though. According to her instruments another Angel had appeared. "I thought you were all dead…" muttered Asuka, remembering watching Shinji shooting Kawou Nagisa, his boyfriend and the final angel, with Misato's gun as their mentor lay bleeding on the ground. Shinji had collapsed from shock after doing so and had been non-responsive since.
Evangelion 02's orange, hexagonal AT field sprang into being as something invisible tried to breach into the Eva. Asuka didn't move as a hole opened in the AT field and the invisible something came through the gap. She was briefly surprised as a similar orange AT field sprang into being just a few centimeters in front of her in the LCL fluid. But the AT field did nothing to protect her as the invisible being slid easily through it and straight through Asuka. She let out a gasp off surprise as her body went numb. Her mind felt ripped from her body and she watched from outside of herself as her body slumped lifelessly in the pilot seat of the Eva. Then, a second later she was ripped from reality, unable to even scream as it happened, and unable to care.
Asuka came to consciousness slowly, or at least she thought it was slow. Her sense of time was messed up and she felt like she might actually want one of Misato's beers. Opening her eyes only increased that longing. Or maybe she was already drunk. Honestly, she had no fucking clue what was going on. "Why the hell are there so fucking many of me," muttered Asuka.
All around her she saw an endless white expanse populated by large standing mirrors, each containing moving images of people who were clearly her, but also not. Some were older, some were younger, some were missing eyes or arms, some were actually fucking smiling, something she hadn't done in forever. Some were in combat, some of them against angels, some against MP Evas and some against the forces of NERV that she'd been used to working with, including Evangelion Units 00, 01, 03, and 04. It also wasn't uncommon for her to see one of the Asuka look-alikes holding hands with or kissing other people, including whiny Shinji, blue haired wonder girl Rei and some girl in pigtails, glasses and an unfamiliar uniform. She leaned in on that last one. "Who the hell is this?" she asked out loud.
"Mari Makinami," commented a voice calmly. Asuka turned around quickly to see a smug ass version of herself sitting on top of a golden throne. This Asuka looked several years older than she was currently, and was dressed in a large yellow ball gown, complete with ornate crown on her head.
"Who?" asked Asuka, her mind spinning.
"Mari is another Evangelion pilot, in other universes. You two get along as well as could be expected." The other Asuka laughed at her own comment, an audience of one to a joke only she got. Asuka just glared at her, deciding she didn't like her already and hoping the other would suddenly combust. The other Asuka pointed to herself. "Or if you meant who am I, then I think the answer is pretty obvious, don't you? I'm you, Asuka Langley Soryu." She smiled demurely. "Charmed, I'm sure."
"Not really," growled Asuka. She gestured around the white expanse. "Where is this?"
The other Asuka shrugged. "It would do no good trying to explain it to you."
"Try me."
"No, you misunderstand. The level of existence of this place is beyond what a human can understand. If I tried to tell you your mind would literally just scrub the knowledge from itself and we'd have to start over again as you keep asking and I keep explaining. If you really must know the simple version though, this is where all the entities known as "Asuka" are kept and contained. Everyone has a room such as this, you can only see this one though."
"Why the hell am I here then?!" yelled Asuka, her temper flaring. "If I can't understand, then why am I here?!"
The other Asuka studied her briefly before shrugging. "I brought you here because I was bored. Do I need a reason to entertain myself?"
"Fuck you!" yelled Asuka. She ran towards the other Asuka and swung at her face. Suddenly she was back where she'd started and heaving on the ground. "Ugh!"
The other Asuka wagged her finger. "Tut tut. I wouldn't try that if I were you. You just look like me, but you aren't me. Thus, you don't have the actual power to hurt me. So unless you want to keep getting hit with horrible bodily sensations every time I teleport you away from me, then I'd suggest you stop trying that."
Asuka just replied by sticking her own finger in the air and showing it to the other Asuka. The other apparently just found the gesture hilarious. "Haha! I've brought dozens of Asuka's here and I have to say that you've got the most attitude of any of them. It really is interesting how someone like us can differ so much from universe to universe while all still existing as "Asuka". Unique and common at the same time. Some of us are more unique than others though." The Other winked at her.
"I'd rather die than be your plaything," growled Asuka.
The other studied her. "You almost did you know. Die, that is. I pulled you here just moments before the demons ripped you to shreds. If I recall, you'd given up on living, hadn't you? Why not just enjoy yourself here?"
"Fuck you!"
"So eloquent!" laughed the Other. "Fine, if you won't play with me than I'll just ignore you and find someone else to play with." The Other waved her hand and one of the mirrors popped out of the ground and floated to the side so that its image was visible to them both. With another wave the mirror expanded to the size of a movie theater screen so Asuka was clearly able to see herself as a giant. Except the woman on the screen wasn't really her. This Asuka was older and was actually smiling, an action it looked like she did often. She was waiting outside an unfamiliar apartment for someone. The door opened and Asuka was surprised to see an older Rei walk out. She was completely floored when Rei smiled at the older Asuka and reached out for her hand. The other Asuka blushed at the touch but didn't recoil at it. Then hand in hand the happy couple walked down the stairs to do whatever date they clearly had planned.
Asuka's daze was broken as the Other suddenly spoke again. "Ah, an adorable love story. Two girls finding love together. I mean, they had to work hard for that. Averting the end of the world together isn't an easy thing to do. But now they're just your normal lovey-dovey couple."
The Other waved her hand and the screen shrunk and moved back to where it came from as a second enlarged and took its place. This time the screen featured the familiar room Asuka had stayed in at Misato's apartment. An Asuka, this one her age, was visible in the room. But this one also wasn't alone. Another stood over her, the ends of the ropes that were restraining her in his hands. Shinji tugged on the ropes and the tied up Asuka gave a gasp. Shinji released his hold on the ropes and knelt down to gently untie the ropes. He helped the untied Asuka to bed and set her head to rest on his lap. And then he bent down and whispered gentle, loving words into her ears. Despite his quite tone Asuka could still hear his words through the mirror and she felt herself crying along with the untied Asuka as they both heard words they'd wanted to hear for so long.
"An interesting relationship," commented the Other. "Two people bound together, sometimes literally. One gets to know what it's like to trust and the other gets to feel trusted. A symbiosis of a type. I wonder how it'll develop? Oh well, only time will tell and I guess I can check in later once they've grown up some more."
Another wave and another screen. This one featured the pigtail girl from before, Mari. Asuka couldn't tear her eyes as a slightly larger and stronger looking version of herself grappled for dominance with Mari. The two girls ripped off each other's clothes as they kissed passionately. They were tied together in the throes of lust and time seemed to just melt away at the display. But when they were done and the passion was spent the two still held each other in a tender embrace and love was clearly visible in their eyes.
"This world is even weirder," commented the Other. "People split into weird castes-"
Asuka cut her off with a scream. "Why are you showing me this!" she yelled, a swirl of emotions flowing through and attacking her. She felt like her mind was going to split from all the different sensations. "What's the point!?"
The Other just regarded her for a moment. "The point? I told you, I'm bored."
"Then let me go!"
"No. Your reactions are hilarious! And anyways, it's not like you actually have anything to do besides die. Maybe if you were actually living your life I'd allow you to get on with it. But no, you're about to die with a whimper. So, stop whining or toughen the fuck up!"
"Fuck you!" yelled Asuka, flipping off the Other again. "I'll live my life how I want and I'll live and die as I choose! No one gets to decide that. Not you, not NERV and definitely not the fucking Mass Produced Evangelion shit stains! Not even God!"
"Then show me!" yelled the Other. She waved her hand and Asuka was flung backwards through the white void, crashing through several mirrors before hitting the wall of the infinite void, stalling for a second and then flying through it.
"Good luck you little brat."
Asuka snapped back to consciousness in the cockpit of Eva 02, the warm feel of LCL fluid around her. Her displays were blaring as a large white fist came crashing into her, knocking her Eva to the ground. Hard. She grunted at the pain, her hands tightening around the Eva's controls. Standing above her she saw the grotesque features of three of the MP Eva standing over her, drool leaking out of their permanently grinning mouths. Asuka hated those faces.
"Stop smiling!" yelled Asuka, juking the controls. Eva 02 sprung to its feet right in front of one of the MP's. Her hands arms came up and forced their way into the monster's mouth. With a yell her fingers dug into both parts of the mouth and then tore the beast into uneven halves. Asuka threw the smaller half at a charging MP, stunning it, right before she swung the other half over her head and on top of the charging MP, crushing it.
The third MP swung an elongated arm at her but she rolled under the attack. When she came to her feet she had her dropped axe once more in her hands and a vicious smile on her face. "You'll never beat me! Let's tear them apart mama!"
Asuka was a whirlwind. Her axe swung effortlessly through the air, reducing the MP that had just swung at her into a pile of chunks of meat. As the second MP tried to get up from underneath the twitching remains of the one she'd ripped apart with her hands. Before it could though she fell upon it, ripping through both fallen MPs in one go.
With her renewed effort, three MP Eva had fallen in a matter of moments. But there were still four standing, keeping their distance. And the chunky remains of the three MP Eva's she'd chopped down were twitching and it was only a matter of time before they came back together and stood back up to fight her once again. Her Eva might be running on unlimited power but she was getting tired, despite her renewed determination. Eventually she'd get tired, slip up and the fight would be over. It was a war of attrition and one she was going to lose if she didn't do something and fast.
"I guess you and me will just have to figure something out mama," muttered Asuka, gripping the controls. She could feel the comforting presence of her mother residing in Eva 02, giving her strength and support. It was just the two of them alone against the world, just like had always been.
Asuka turned the controls and her Eva turned and leapt at one of the MP Eva to her right. She hit the thing feet first, slamming it to the ground. Her axe followed, splitting the monster's skull-neck-body-thing in half. She leapt back as one of the remaining three standing MP Eva jumped at her from the front. She managed to dodge its outstretched arms, but she was caught by the remaining two before she even managed to land. They gripped her in a weird parody of a group hug, one on either side. Asuka struggled helplessly in their grip, working the controls for all their worth but failing. "Let go of me!"
One of the MP Eva holding her opened its mouth and started to close it again around her arm. Through the sync with Eva-02 Asuka could feel the teeth of the monster closing around her, trying to rip her flesh from the bone. "Noooooo! Let! GO!"
Suddenly the head of the MP Eva that was trying to bite her exploded, brain and bone flying outwards. The force sheared the majority of the head off, leaving just the two halves of the jaw loosely around her arm. The grip of that MP also slackened around Eva 02, freeing her. A familiar voice rang through her comm. "Get yourself free! Now!"
Asuka didn't need to be told twice. She broke the sloppy grip of the still standing MP Eva and then delivered a vicious sidekick, knocking the monster away from her. Before the monster could stand, another shot rang through the air, this one blowing a large hole through its chest. Over the comm., Asuka heard a second voice she'd never thought she'd hear again. "I have you covered," said the emotionless voice, never one to mince words. Asuka usually hated how Rei spoke like that, but in her current circumstance she couldn't stop the smile that forced its way onto her face.
"Whatever you say First," replied Asuka, taking stock of the situation. Two MP Eva were down from Rei's sniping, and presumably she could manage to keep them down. The three MP Eva Asuka had chopped to bits prior were still trying to put themselves back together. One was still missing its legs which twitched on the ground in front of it. The second was on its knees trying to encourage its arms to reconnect. The third crawled on the ground, trying to recover its missing head which had found itself skewed in the shattered remains of a still standing tree trunk.
But there were still two standing, intact MP Eva and it was unlikely Rei could keep all seven in a state of disrepair. Soon they would all be standing again and Asuka would once again be overwhelmed. Rei had only bought her a little bit more time to live, not salvation.
The first voice range through the comm. again. "Asuka, hold on for a little bit longer, help is on the way. Rei, give her support. Keep those two on the ground."
"Copy," replied Rei simply. She fired another shot, this one blowing off the leg of the Eva whose head she'd exploded.
"What support do you even have left to give Misato?" asked Asuka, twirling her axe in her hand. She eyed the two standing MP Eva momentarily before deciding she'd rather not wait for them to come to her. So she charged, screaming her head off as she did so. The MP Eva she attacked dodged to the side, but was too slow for her follow-up swing and found both its arms flying into the air. "How are you not dead anyways?"
"Long story," replied Misato, her voice sounding pained. She might not be dead like Asuka thought, but she was apparently not too far from it either. "And I think you'll enjoy the surprise we've got planned."
Methodically, Rei fired again, blowing off one of the legs of the second MP Eva she'd downed prior, buying Asuka precious seconds. Asuka planned to use that time to exact some messy, messy revenge on the white bastards. Unless Misato's surprise was a nuclear holocaust of the MP Eva, she doubted it would be enough. Asuka decided she'd trust Rei to not mess up her one job too badly and focused instead on the armless MP in front of her. She chopped it's legs out from under it and before it fell completely to the ground split it in half, long ways. A satisfied smile grew on her face as she looked around for her next target. She saw the three MP Eva she'd chopped up before were now all back together and ready for round two.
So distracted, she barely caught a glimpse of the falling star before it crashed into the battlefield. The three MP Eva were disintegrated by the impact; round red orbs all that remained of them. The orbs continued to twitch though. At least, before the twin prongs of a massive red lance came slashing through all three, shattering them into tiny, still fragments. Asuka could hardly believe her eyes at the figure holding the lance in both hands.
"Shinji?!" said Asuka in surprise.
"Told you you'd be surprised," commented a smug Misato over the comm., groaning once more in pain.
Shinji's face appeared on her communication screen and he had an awkward smile on his face. "Uh, hey Asuka. How's it, uh, going?"
"Shitty, you moron," growled Asuka, although once again a smile was sprouting on her face, against her will and to her intense displeasure. What the hell is wrong with me, being happy that Rei and Shinji are coming to my rescue? wondered Asuka. But she was happy, despite herself. Their presence made the realities she'd been shown by the Other seem less like dreams and more like possibilities. Now if only the MP Eva's would just disappear already so that she could get on with life… "What took you anyways? And what's that you've got there?"
"The Lance of Longinus," replied Shinji. "Rei used it to kill the 15th angel while you were resting after getting injured saving Toji."
"I didn't save him," replied Asuka. "His pod just happened to survive as I ripped that asshole Eva-infecting angel to shreds."
"Sure," said Shinji with a bright smile. Suddenly that smile disappeared. "Asuka!" Asuka turned around and was face to face with the last standing MP Eva whose presence she'd forgotten about in the chaos of Shinji's arrival. Before the monster could reach her though, a shot rang out, blowing off one of the MP's legs. It started to topple to the ground right as Shinji tossed the Lance to her. She grabbed in deftly out of the air and swung it in an arc, destroying the MP Eva's core. The falling chunks of meat disintegrated into dust before even hitting the ground.
Smiling at the effectiveness of the weapon, Asuka eyed the bisected MP Eva at her feet. She stabbed down at the right half, right through its core. Another shot rang out, keeping one of the two remaining MP Eva down. Asuka turned around and threw the lance and the one Rei hadn't shot, taking it directly in the core. The lance imbedded itself deep into the ground due to the force she'd thrown it. Another shot rang out and more chunks flew out of the last remaining MP Eva. Asuka casually walked her Eva over to the lance as she opened up a channel to Rei. "Shinji and I each have three kills; you want this one? You've been working so hard to keep it on the ground after all, it's only fair."
"You may take pleasure for me," replied Rei, firing another, honestly useless shot into the MP Eva. She might be enjoying shooting holes into the monster a little too much…
Asuka wasn't going to complain though. She tugged the lance out of the ground. Walking over to the MP Eva she smiled ruthlessly down at it. "Enjoy hell you bastard!" she yelled, swinging the lance and destroying the monster's core. The monster disintegrated and Asuka found herself letting out a sigh of relief she hadn't known she was holding in. "Last one down…"
"Good job you three!" congratulated Misato. "Get back to NERV HQ on the double, we've got a lot of work to do still, but first you need to rest. It's been a long day."
"Whatever," commented Asuka, shrugging in her cockpit.
"Copy," replied Rei simply.
"Got it Misato," replied Shinji. The three Eva's started to walk back to the remains of the Geofront.
Asuka regarded Shinji and Rei through the comm. screens. "What took you two so long to get your asses here anyways? Fell asleep while I was fighting? Constipation? Masturbation?"
"Hey!" replied Shinji, turning red in embarrassment. "It's not like travelling to the moon to recover the lance was easy you know! I had to find a rocket then ride it up there. It's cold and dark there…"
"Ok, so you have an excuse. But what about you Wonder Girl?" asked Asuka, looking at Rei.
"I had other matters to attend to first," replied Rei. A small smile appeared on her lips. "You seemed like you were enjoying yourself out there anyway."
Asuka and Shinji both gaped at her. "Did you just crack a joke?" asked Asuka.
"Merely stating an observation," commented Rei. "But if you would like to hear a joke, have you heard the one about the clown?"
"Someone wake me up, I think I'm still dreaming," replied Asuka.
"I must have fallen asleep while masturbating…" muttered Shinji.
"Ha! I knew it!"
