Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. Mmm'kay?
Authors's
Note: This is my first completed attempt at Eva fanfic writing. Let me know
what you think of it. By the by even allowing for 3 years of maturing, my representations
are probably OOC despite my best efforts. I just can't write pansies, bitches,
and Angel clones, not adept at living As Shinji would say, sorry.
2018-Three years after the Aborted
Third impact, of which there was disastrous results. The entire country of
Japan was wiped out except for three survivors: Asuka Langly Sohryu, Rei
Ayanami, and Shinji Ikari. The only people to even be alive in that wasteland.
Thankfully most of the Country's normal population was evacuated when the JSSDF
attacked.
*NERV Headquarters-Germany.
"Ma'am we
have a new contact in outer space."
"So? Its
not like we have any strike capabilities." She muttered. NERV's budget was so
low; they could barely afford to monitor the skies.
"But this
contact-it has a code color…"
"What?!"
Major Sohryu ran up to the monitor. "Blue? No, it's changing from black to
blue. And back again. Get me a visual!"
"Yes,
Ma'am."
"What is it
Second Child?" Major Ayanami asked from her post a few stations over.
"Mien Gott.
Call some army and have them blast at that thing. Good God. No. Its back Rei."
"Who?
What?" Don't say angels, don't say angels.
"Unit-01" That's
even worse. Rei thought. If it found a pilot it could become a god once
more. Specifically one pilot.
It still
shined metallic purple. The wings of pure energy fluttered gracefully. The
lance Longinous was still clenched in its fist. It seemingly swam through space
and cut through the atmosphere. As rockets and heavy artillery flew at it, it
sank and rose to avoid the shots. It sliced a large missile in two with the
lance. Nothing was stopping it. It slowed down as it neared Japan, but it still
looked as if it was going to crash with large amounts of force.
"Nobody…lives
there anymore, right?"
"On last
census of the country of Japan, the population was 1." Rei said not meeting
Asuka's eyes.
"You…don't
mean…that…"
"Our Ikari
is still in Japan."
* The remains of Tokyo-3
He wiped
his brow as he heaved the final block into place. Finding rubble was easy, but
finding decent scrap to make stuff out of, it was nigh impossible. The Angels,
The Evas, The Mass-production Evas, and the Third impact, they really made a
mess out of this place. Sitting down on an old park bench, he let himself a
small smile. He finally had built a decent shelter from the elements.
"Harder
than it first looked." He murmured. He wasn't used to talking, he hadn't a need
to do it in two years. It was just him, some books, and nothing.
The high
whistling sound was apparent, and he remembered that pitch exactly. He had
flown at it so many times before. He looked around and then he saw the crash in
one of the Ashino Lakes…number 3.
Steam
poured off the sides, and water glistened on the Artificial Human Evangelion.
The head turned, as if looking for something. And it did. It found Shinji
Ikari.
"Hello
Mother. Are you needed again?"
He held no
fear in his heart as the Eva walked to him, finally kneeling before him. Shinji
grabbed onto the Metal plates and began to climb to the base of the neck-and
the entry plug.
* A SR-71 blackbird over China.
"I can't
believe that Idiot went back to Japan. After all the people who died, after all
the suffering, he went back there."
"He left
because he felt bad enough about starting the Third impact."
"You
started the Third impact."
Rei waved a
hand. "Semantics. He felt responsible. For all he knew it was his fault, I
don't blame him. He lost a lot in that."
"He didn't
lose us. I mean its kind of selfish to just run off. How him."
"He copes
differently than you or I. He actually has emotions that could be something
other than cold bitchiness."
"Go to
hell."
"I'm on Earth,
isn't that good enough?"
Asuka
smiled. Though they used to be nemesis's the fact that they were the only
survivors of a horrible disaster made them share a kind of bond. Like the one
they still had with Shinji, even though he was never very close.
Rei opened
her laptop and began to read information off the screen. "I am getting bio-feed
data from Eva-01. Synch ratio is 100% steady. Pilot's nerve, pulse and,
circadian rhythm are nominal. Apparently he hasn't forgotten how to pilot."
Asuka
swore, the last thing they needed was That Eva back again. The museums all had
pictures of it being carried into the sky by the mass production Evas, moments
before the Third impact. "I thought we were done with that. I really did."
"Shinji
told us she would come back."
"But…Damn.
What disaster awaits the Invincible Shinji and his sidekicks now?"
"None are
reported in the Dead Sea Scrolls."
"Christ. If
we can get him out I want some answers."
"That is
the largest 'If ' I have ever heard."
"Yea, yea."
* Tokyo-3.
The Light
was blinding. The first thing they did was gather the remains of any Eva they
could find. The Skeletons under Terminal Dogma worked nicely too. What original
mass they couldn't find they got from broken buildings.
"Is this
going to be enough?"
It had better be
"Worst
case, what happens?"
We all
die, But since that's going to happen if we don't try…
"Gotcha."
Slowly Eva
Unit-01 made a pulsing light for a few minutes before things started to get too
bright to look at. Shinji saw the black shadows on his screen form around them.
Asuka and
Rei were having an even harder time looking into the light, but were more
concerned with the flying debris it was pulling in. "What the hell is he doing?
Self Detonating?"
"I don't
think so. Self-Detonating is an explosion-outward force. I think…Hell I don't
know!"
"You knew
him better!"
"I did
not!"
"He was
always staring at you!"
"That's
because he got to see you everyday! I was variety!"
"You always
knew he liked you, that's why His dad used you to get him to pilot the thing in
the first place!"
"I never
knew he existed before then!"
"Yea
right!"
"Ayanami!
Asuka! Knock it off! I can hear you all the way over here!"
They turned
their heads at the now vacant blinding light area. Almost in unison they let
out gasps, "My god…"/ "Ikari…"
Unit-01 was
on its knees, hunched over, like it was out of breath, Arranged around it were
Units-00, 02, and 03. All Shining in the early morning sun, The Prototype was
on one knee with hands resting on it. Unit 02 was sitting crossed legged the
head looking over in their direction. Unit 03 crouched low, as if hiding from
the sun.
"Our Evas."
"Including
the lost unit-03."
"How…what
does he expect to come of this?"
The Plug
exited unit-01, and Shinji stumbled out, just as tired as his Eva. He looked a
little paler than he should have, considering all the time in the sun he had.
His hair was wet from LCL, where it came from, who knows, but the most
interesting thing was that his clothes were also changed into a Plug suit that
closely resembled the armor of Unit-01.
He got off
the Eva, and sat against its foot, about ready to collapse. When Asuka and Rei
got over there, he was asleep. Asuka reached to slap him awake, but Rei stopped
her, "He is very tired, abusing him at this point is futile."
"I don't
abuse him, he deserves it."
"In all my
time with him, I have only found one time were it was necessary to slap Ikari,
and I know that I was wrong in that now."
"Fine, be
submissive, I bet he likes domineering women."
Rei
actually rolled her eyes, her favorite facial expression, "All right Second
Child."
Asuka
snorted at her designation and pulled out her cell phone, "I want a lock-down
on the entire country of Japan, I don't care how little anyone cares, they
will. No press, no satellite photos, and no boats, airplanes, or anything."
"Good
idea."
"I know.
It's why I'm in charge."
"You are in
charge because I choose not to be."
"Are you
just placing all your hopes on the idea he likes submissive women?"
"No. I just
like to avoid confrontation."
"Then you
picked the wrong friend."
"I learned
that upon meeting you."
"What? You
totally blew me off!"
"That was
Rei II, surely you can't hold me responsible for her actions." Rei said
innocently.
"That may
have worked back in the day, but I'm on to you."
"On to me?"
"The Victim
of horrible science thing, I bet it really scored points with Shinji."
"You were
the one who kissed him because you were bored, how's that for forward?"
"Like
you've ever done better."
Rei
considered that for a moment before looking at Shinji with a sorrowful (missed
opportunity?) look, "We skipped right to Second base."
"What?"
Asuka glared at the sleeping boy, "That's it, you are going to explain
something right now!"
"Hwah?
Ugh…I don't feel so good. Hello Ayanami, Asuka." Shinji promptly fell back into
unconsciousness.
"How come
he never calls you by your first name?"
"Respect.
Not that he doesn't respect you, but its different, you lived with him."
"You get
his feet, it's getting hot out here. We'll take him to the Plane."
*The SR-71
"From the
looks he is suffering from extreme exhaustion, dehydration, and a little
malnutrition. Oddly they seem to be recent symptoms rushing him all at once."
"How do you
know all this?"
"There are
Medical feedback sensors in his plug suit."
"It is
stylish."
"Heh. If we
make him eat and drink some before letting him go, he'll be fine."
"How long
do you think he'll be out?"
"It's
been…14 hours. My guess is anything after 18 but no more than 24."
Rei looked
out at the setting sun. They had gotten a few angry calls from the U.N., who
seemed upset at the sudden return of Eva's. They had brushed them off with,
when we know you will. It was a sort of stalemate. The U.N. hadn't forbidden
the Evangelions, but they just didn't give them enough money to rebuild them.
So, these Evas were perfectly legal, and private property.
"Rei, Ever
think that he was just afraid to choose between us?"
"This is
most we have ever talked about Ikari, in the shortest span of time. He is
obviously on your mind, but it keeps coming back to our little 'love triangle'.
In answer to your question though, I think that he cared about either of us to
much to choose, if he was to choose one, he would risk hurting the other, and
to him, that was unacceptable."
"I suppose.
I wonder why he didn't come back with us."
Rei had
been wondering that too, and to that question, she had no hypothesis. She could
only assume, and she hated doing that, "Ask him when he wakes."
He shook
his head groggily, how long had he been out? He remembered getting out of
Unit-01, but then he thought he saw Asuka and Rei in an argument-about him. In
his dreams alright… "Where am I? Ugh…"
He slowly sat up, and hit his head on a bunk. Biting back a swear,
Shinji pulled himself from the bunk, a sheet over something that might have
been considered a mattress. He looked at his Plug suit oddly, a gift from his
Eva, he supposed. Stumbling out into the main area, he walked right into a
familiar body.
As he tried
to sit back up, he felt extremely heavy. Then he realized that someone was
sitting on him. "Sorry."
"It was
just as my fault as it was yours. Don't worry about it Ikari. I'm pleased to
see you are up."
"Hello
Ayanami. Could you please get off of me—"
"You
couldn't just wait to get him alone could you? You had to jump his bones right
away? You perverts. Especially you."
"Asuka, I
just got up and I walked into Ayanami, its nothing."
Rei smiled,
"Or is he just saying that to get you to leave so that we may continue?"
"Ahh! Get
off of him so I can hit him!" She shook her fist threatingly.
Rei got off
of Shinji and helped him up. He stood for a few seconds, and then let out a
breath. "I got some…bad news."
"You want
to sleep with Asuka?"
"Uh…I'm not
going to answer that because either answer is wrong. No, I mean work related."
He gestured to the Eva's who still remained unmoved.
"We're the command
element, we aren't supposed to fight."
"I don't
care. I need three more pilots. This is big. Armageddon Big."
"The end of
the world?"
"Are you
joking?"
"Why else
would Mother come back?"
"Whatever
you do, please don't call that thing your mother again." Asuka shuddered.
"I'll call
her whatever I damn well please, Asuka, and don't presume to order me. I'm not
some NERV flunkey." He snapped. He didn't like being ordered around, not
anymore. Following orders got him in this mess.
"Ikari, why
do we need to pilot again?"
He sat
down, and took a very Commander Ikari like pose. "Since the third Impact is no
longer a viable option, the people in charge have deemed the human race to be
insignificant enough to warrant its destruction. So the Four Horsemen are to be
leashed upon the world. War. Famine. Plague. Death. Right out of revelations. I
was skeptical at first, after all there are things to happen before the
horsemen."
"Like?"
"From my
understanding (And that of the Author's) the horsemen were released from seals,
of which there are seven these are the start of the End of the world. The first
is a false Christ, or a false savior."
"Commander
Ikari?"
"My best
guess. Then follows War, Plague & Famine, and Death. Since we didn't really
stop my father, these are bound to happen. Next is the Martyred Remnant, but I
had trouble understanding that part, followed by Anarchy. This is the first in
a series of sevens, the rest including Trumpets, Bowls-or vials, dooms, and new
things. I'm not real sure as to our place in the rest of these events, or what
they actually pertain to, but I do know that The Four are coming, perhaps one
by one or perhaps in a line, and we get to stop them in a last ditch effort to
save the world."
"Your Eva
told you all of this?"
"And from
what I've read in the actual book. I'm serious; we don't practically kill
ourselves trying to reconstruct the Eva's out of good fun. They are going to be
needed."
Rei looked
at the Eva's, "I believe you. The Evangelions were designed to fight against
angels though. Do we have a chance?"
"Probably
not, but If you don't try, what is the point? We need to construct weapons
again. Swords, knives, staves, spears, lances-whatever."
Asuka stood
up, "This is nuts you realize. I don't doubt what you are saying, after all,
why would you lie? But this is not going to be easy to convince others. The
money we're going to need…"
"Ignore the
money, the Eva's can take care of themselves. All we need are weapons. If we
have to, we'll go fisticuffs, but I know that the Germany Facility and the
American plant used to have warehouses of Eva weapons."
"And you
reconstructed Eva-03. Do you think that Suzuahra will pilot it again?"
"I don't
know, but there is four of them, we need four of us, that way, somebody can die
in each battle, and we have a chance of making it through this."
"You're
serious?"
"Gravely.
I'd rather neither of you die, but you are the best Eva pilots in the world."
"The only."
"That makes
us the best Asuka."
Asuka
shuddered, "This time it's to really save the world, eh?"
"Yes."
"And you
can't just decide not to let it happen and stop it?"
"No."
"Here's to
making my life more difficult."
*New Tokyo-America.
The door
emitted an odd rapping noise. Like someone was unceasingly beating on it.
Which, of course, couldn't be right, There was no one left to care about him.
So the door must be for someone else. Satisfied with his conclusion, he put his
head back down on the pillow.
When the
noise didn't stop, and he began to hear yelling, Touji Suzuhara groaned and
stumbled to the door. Those damn neighbors of his, probably going to complain
about the smell again, like he knew where it came from…
Swinging
the door open, he noticed his 'visitors' had removed two of the hinges already,
"What? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep…Shinji? Ayanami? Satan?"
"Shut up.
Listen up." Asuka growled.
Shinji gave
an annoyed glance, "We need your help. Its dangerous, and it involves something
you probably hate"
"Sleeping
with Asuka?" Rei and Touji said at the same time.
"…No."
Shinji looked at Rei and Touji with a tired look, "I mean piloting an Eva
again."
"Oh, just
that. That might be more of a request if you had any Evas for me to pilot."
Shinji
pulled out a matte photo. "Meet Unit-03 Beta."
"Holy-what-the-fuck?"
"A
situation is going to happen and we need 4 Eva pilots."
"Last time
I did this…I was nearly killed."
Shinji
bowed his head, "I know. I'm pretty sure you won't be nearly killed this time."
"All or
nothing?"
"Yes."
He looked
Shinji right in the eye, "Are you doing this willingly?"
"Yes. This
is my idea."
"I'll do
it. If Shinji thinks its important enough to die over it probably is."
"You may
want to pack some stuff. We'll be on the run a lot though."
"Gotcha."
He hobbled
off into the recesses of his apartment, and Asuka whispered, "I thought he lost
a leg and an arm."
"He did. He
isn't stumbling around like that because he's drunk or anything. Artificial
limbs."
Satisfied with
that answer for now, Asuka wondered briefly as to the idiocy of the situation
she was getting herself in. If Shinji was right, which he probably was, then
this had a very good chance of ruining her career. But, that was a little
selfish when the fate of the world was at stake.
Since the
world didn't take the return of the Eva's very nicely, it would seem that
getting help was going to be difficult. They had hired two mass Carriers to
haul the Eva's to America, so that they could retrieve the weapons from the
NERV warehouse. The idea of being armed only with Prog knives and a holy lance
didn't sit well with them.
*Mass Carrier Reliquary
Shinji set
Eva-01 down in the hold of the ship. They were going to put 00 on the top of
the deck. And units 02 and 03 were going to take another ship. Shinji was glad
that NERV could spring for some transportation costs.
"The
problem is that one of these guys can appear all over the world at any time.
Without a method of fast deployment we might end up being to late to save
lives."
"Unit-01
can fly can't it?"
"I'm wary
to use her wings. They use up a lot of energy."
"Do you
have a guess as to what is first?"
"Famine
& Pestilence."
"Great."
"Have you
heard that people are already in outrage at our presence? Regardless of the
fact that we haven't done anything yet."
Rei shook
her head and began to check on the straps that kept the Prototype down, "People
are capable of judging only on what they know. And they know that Eva-01 was
responsible for the third impact. It killed the entire country of Japan. The
land was unlivable for a year afterwards."
"I know
that much."
Rei shook
her head. She wanted to be as isolated as Shinji for the first few months after
the impact, but for a different reason. The 18th angel was still
alive and kicking. She was a danger to others. Asuka slapped some sense into
her, that being the only way she knows how to make people understand, "Did you
fear being hated by other people?"
"I was, and
still am hated Ayanami. In that year before I came back to Japan I got 2,984
death threats from people who didn't even know me, but thought I was the source
of their problems. It sucked. People were blaming me for the third impact, even
though most educated people should know it was my father's stupid idea."
Rei looked
at Shinji oddly. He was not being logical, letting others whom he doesn't know
affect him like this, "I don't hate you Shinji. Asuka doesn't hate you. Touji
doesn't hate you and he has the most reason to. You heard about Hikari,
correct?"
"No. I
found out through…other means. I understand. I shouldn't be concerned about
what others think of me, I'm likely never to meet them."
"Good. We
see eye-to-eye then. Ikari? Why did you go back to Japan?"
He sighed
and looked at the water. He figured if he jumped, Unit-01 would bust out of the
hold and save him. Sigh, "I had nothing else."
Rei's eyes
narrowed, "Next thing I know you'll be saying Goodbye before you leave on a
mission. What about us? Did you even think about me and Asuka?"
He looked
right at her, "I didn't come to that conclusion easily, Ayanami. Japan was my
life. I was born there, I grew up there. All I know is Japan. With that gone
the only thing I could have is you and Asuka with me, but…you were ready to
move on. I wasn't. I needed to come to terms with myself. Asking you to wait is
selfish. I was alone. I had to learn to deal with that."
"You spent
all that time in Japan getting used to being lonely? Why?"
"Who else is
going to want to be next to me? I'm the guy who started the third impact. There
are about 6 countries that brought up War Criminal charges. The more I hung
around you two, the worse you looked. I left so that you might have a life one
day."
"You never
struck me as the sacrificing type."
"I managed
to surprise someone then. Why else would I go back to that Hell on Earth? The
stunning conversation? The amazing architecture?"
Rei looked
away, "Sorry. It's not my place to judge. I didn't know the full story."
He sighed,
"I understand if you are upset with me. I can handle that. It is acceptable to
be angry with me. Just don't hide it from me. That falseness is what hurts more
than the original emotion."
They stood
there for a few minutes longer, "Why don't you call me by my first name?"
"I never
knew you well enough, and you never seemed all that intent on getting to know
me. You were comfortable at Acquaintances. I was respecting that."
"Its okay.
I don't mind."
"The same
applies to you."
"I'm sure
it does."
*The Mass Carrier Ithaca
Touji
stared at Unit-03 in the hold. So evil looking. Which was understandable. An
angel possessed the unit. It must have wanted something that resembled its
desired form-a demon. But this unit hadn't been scarred like that. It was just
evil like that naturally. Was that his own darkness? He didn't know.
"Hey
Stumpy! What are you doing?"
"How many
times do I have to tell you I'm not selling my soul for a night of heated,
kinky, unbridled sex?"
"Jerk. I'm
not Satan."
He turned
around. Asuka was in her unit-02 plug suit, just like he was in his 03 one.
Neither of them had time to change, "And these aren't stumps. I'm just kidding
around. You have matured a lot from when I first met you."
"I just
stopped wearing dresses and a surprising amount of problems went away."
Touji smiled, "Ha. What have you been up to
anyway?"
"I control
NERV Germany. The only NERV scanning station left. We have two facilities. The
American Branch, which is basically a warehouse for all of our now useless
technology, and our under funded scanning station. It was amazing we even saw
Unit-01."
"Nice. How
did Ayanami take to German?"
"She
already knew it. Apparently she knows 6 languages."
"Why am I
not surprised?"
"Cause
she's wonder girl."
"That would
be it."
"What do
you do?"
"Collect
unemployment and Veteran pay."
"You don't
have to work?"
"Not only
am I refugee from the decimated country of Japan, I was also crippled in an
accident with The Evil Unit-01 and its pilot. I pull in enough to keep me
alive."
"People
believe that?"
"Hitler,
Stalin, Ikari." The top three most hated people in the world for attempts at
mass genocide according to TIME magazine."
"I didn't
know that."
"I was very
surprised to see him at my door. The only reason he would still be alive is by
going to where no one wants to go. Antarctica or Japan."
"Wow…that's…oh."
"You didn't
know?"
"We were
friends. I wasn't about to believe anything the Screen said about him. Besides
he didn't do most of that stuff. The worst of it is when he lost control in the
berserker rage or…the dummy plug."
"I was on a
TV show once. Very anti Evangelion. They claimed that he was in full and
complete control the entire time. With only us four the remaining NERV
branch-Japan personnel of which you three knew the most. I spent most of my
time in the hospital."
"No one
knows the truth…?"
"No. I have
a grasp, but really Ayanami is the only one who really knows."
"Damn. No
wonder he ran away."
"It didn't
surprise me any. Its nice to see he hasn't gotten self-centered or anything
while he was gone."
"He'll
never be self centered. He's to much of a coward."
"As
cowardly as a coward is, it is unwise to call a coward a coward."
"I know.
He's gotten better."
"So…what
are we going to do now?"
"I'll kick
your ass in any card game."
"Strip
Poker, winner's choice?"
"Plug suits
are only one piece of clothing."
"So use the
steps. Depressurize, loosen, to the waist, off."
"I won't
lose."
"That's
what you think."
*The Mass Carrier Reliquary.
"Got any
threes?"
"No. Go
fish."
Shinji drew
a card. Damn Jacks.
"Got any
threes?"
"No. Go
fish."
Rei drew a
card. Damn Sevens, "Shinji, I think its better if only one of us cheats."
"True." He
set down the cards they were only doing it to pass the time.
There was a
quiet knock on the door. Before opening it, Shinji asked, "Who is it?"
"Its First
Officer Blake. The Captain wants you two on the bridge."
"Right." He
looked at Rei who was getting up as well.
"I don't
think that this is good."
"Is it
ever?"
The bridge
was a mass of steel gray and blinking green lights. The Captain, an older man
named Gallagher, seemed to pine after the life of a pirate than a shipping
master.
"Yes?"
"You are
Shinji Ikari."
"What of
it?"
"Somebody
is trying to call you."
"I'm him."
He smiled.
Perhaps he won a bet. At least he didn't seem to be angry. "Won't that be a
hoot at the bar? I got to ferry around the most infamous human since Stalin."
"Nice." Shinji
walked over to the comm. Board. "This is Ikari. What?"
"This is
Robert Jung. I'm speaking for the president of the United States. We have a
creature."
"Can you
tell which one?"
"Disease.
Its approaching New York"
"One quick
thing though, can you drop the War criminal charges against me? It really
interferes with my work."
"I suppose we could do that in
return…"
"Right then. We'll be there ASAP."
He turned off the comm. Looking at the captain, "Hail the Ithaca. I need
to speak to the other pilots."
"Taking
over?" The captain said in an amused tone.
"I'm just
trying to do the right thing and not get my head cut off."
"This is
Asuka Langly Sohryu on the Ithaca. What is it Shinji?"
"Disease is
going on a rampage in America. Rei and I are departing immediately. Get there
as fast as you can."
"Right."
He turned
to the captain, "Though the trip is not complete, keep the amount paid."
"I can do
that."
Eva-01 was
climbing nimbly out of the hold. As they concentrated on the wings, unit-00
looked on from the water. When the
orange/yellow wings emerged from their back, they picked up Rei and her Eva,
and soared.
"One hour."
* The Ithaca.
Asuka
looked at the captain. "How much more to get us to America as fast as
possible?"
"Probably
more than you have."
"Damn."
Touji
frowned. "Could the Eva's swim?"
"To much
energy. We'd be to tired to fight."
"Can we
make wings like Unit-01?"
"Maybe.
Captain? I'm going to power up my Eva on the deck. There will be titling."
"If you
break it…"
"I bought
it." Asuka hoped she didn't break anything.
Duo, the
designation of her Eva's soul, was not to pleased with the idea Sure. In
theory I can create wings from energy, but it is going to be difficult to do.
We need a massive power surge.
"How about
a feed from Unit-03?"
That
has potential
"Touji! We
need a battery jump!"
"On it!"
Unit-03 poked its head up from the hold.
* New York, New York
It was thin
and gangly. Yellow skin clung to the bones like a plug suits clings to their
bodies. A horribly scarred and open soared face was holding a set of deep
sunken eyes the color of blood. The teeth were jagged and stained brown.
Each step
it made echoed with screams of people. They seemed to be in pain by his mere
presence.
Setting Rei
down, Shinji realized that she needed a weapon He gave her the Lance. In return
she gave him her prog knife and he drew his own. "Unfortunately, it would seem
that he is a serious eco hazard. I don't think we can risk simply killing him.
We need to sterilize it."
"We don't
have the equipment for that."
"The lance
might be able to. It has serious holy power."
"Perhaps,
but if the Horsemen are ordained by God, then it won't work."
Eva-01
slowly walked around the monster. What could it attack with? His question was
answered when the flare shot hit his AT field. Eva-01 snarled at it and ducked
in to slash at it. Its sickly thin gait leapt backwards, an agility unbecoming
its apparent lack of muscle, and backhanded Eva-01. The Eva fell hard onto the
ground. Shinji had enough of a mind to miss the buildings. He saw tanks firing
useless shots at Pestilence. It shrugged them off and released another flare.
The Red
Lance blocked it. Unit-00 stood in its way and it looked pissed. Poking at it
with the lance, the creature sidestepped and grabbed the middle of the lance.
Rei noticed the burning smoke that come from it touching it. They fought for
control of the weapon, but Unit-00 proved to be much stronger. Holding the
lance in one hand, Rei punched the Enemy right in the chest, and everyone saw
the bones give way.
Reeling
back in pain, the creature leapt back, new thoughts on whether the lance was
worth it. Unit-01 and Shinji were back up and decked it across the jaw. Using
the momentum it spun and backhanded unit-01 again. He didn't move this time,
and grabbed its wrist. Squeezing harshly he broke its arm.
Rei used
that moment to strike with the lance. The double prongs stabbed into its chest,
and it screamed in pain/terror.
Unit-01 let
go, the first thing Shinji would blame himself for later. As soon as its arm
was free it grabbed the lance and threw it across the city.
Shinji
swore and made a move to get it. Rei picked up a prog knife and tried to hack
at the thing. Shinji was two steps away when Rei screamed.
Pestilence
pressed its arms against Unit-00's chest. The veins of contamination were
evident from even their far off perspective. Blood began to seep from the
cracks in the head armor. The nose and mouth presumably. Rei's Eva fell to the
ground in a seizure.
Screaming
in furious rage The Purple Eva held its hand out and the lance landed in it.
Rushing the enemy it turned into the Single point lance. It turned to face him,
its hands glowing a sickly green. The Eva screamed in agony as it stabbed the
spear through the creature's foul heart, or the next best thing akin to it.
Lifting it up Pestilence slid down the lance writhing in its death throws.
Removing the lance Shinji arched it like a club and cleaved the creature's head
in two. Leaving it as it lay, He ran over to Unit-00 who was still writhing.
Gently grabbing the unit, they held it to their chest. Its head reared back in
feral rage one arm shaking threatingly at the sky.
Shinji left
Unit-01 and noticed it still held the dieing unit-00. "Rei!"
The Eva
nodded and ripped the plug cover off and slid out the Entry plug. Unit-00
slowed in its seizing, but seemed scared.
Shinji
ignored that horrible feeling as he opened the hatch. He had known this was a
possibility, but for them to lose Rei? Unacceptable.
She laid in
her entry plug bleeding out the nose and mouth. Her eyes seemed half closed and
mostly unaware.
"Rei!"
"Shinji…I'm
hurt."
"You're
going to be fine, Rei."
He carried
her out of the plug, and noticed some Paramedics were approaching slowly.
"Hurry Up! She's in trouble!"
An EMT who
wasn't afraid of the two Evas behind them was running up with a gurney.
*
Shinji
looked at the mess that was the hospital waiting room. There was a slew of
disease from Pestilences' appearance. Most were curable and some where not.
Shinji waited in an impatient fury. Thankfully most people were staying away
from him. His clothing's resemblance to Unit-01 helped a great deal. A couple
of people gave him angry glares and few were sorrowful as they looked at him.
A Doctor
approached him slowly. "Mister Ikari?"
He looked
up at his name. He knew enough English to get through the conversation.
"I have bad
news."
He nodded.
"H-how long?"
"I can't
really explain this well. You should talk to Miss Ayanami."
He nodded.
"Show me."
Rei was
sitting up in her bed, looking sullen. "Shinji." She gasped as she saw him come
in.
He gave a
last look at the doctor and walked up to Rei. She was not looking at him. She
looked at the Doctor and spoke in clear English, "Please. Can you leave us
alone?"
"Sure" The
Doctor left, that plagued look in his eyes.
Shinji
whispered, "I didn't know you spoke English."
"I speak
many languages. Shinji, when you killed Pestilence, Most of the cases died out
or went into remission. His presence was just causing a severe ruckus on
people's immune systems. What he did to me was different. I have cancer. It
will kill me in a few weeks." She
raised her arm from under the covers, and a black scarring mark was
sporadically placed. It seemed alive, yet…
"No…. Can
they cure it?"
"It
wouldn't appear so. The black mark has already appeared on the inside of my
body. To kill it I would have to sit in a Nuclear reactor for a few hours."
Shinji
didn't know what to do. He slowly pulled Rei into a hug. "I'm Sorry. I feel
responsible."
"I made my
decision. I have to live with the consequences, but Shinji…don't leave me."
"I won't run away."
