All characters, trademarks, song titles, etc. are from Neon Genesis: Evangelion, and are thereby properties of Gainax. That means I don't own them, because I am not cool enough to be in any way affiliated with Gainax or ADV or anything like that. So don't sue me, you greedy bastards.
This is my first attempt at writing a real fan fiction of any kind; in fact, at the time I started writing this story, I had only read nine or ten in my entire life, and only half of them were EVA-related (the other half being Star Wars). As a burgeoning EVA fanatic I found the idea intriguing and decided to give it a try.
Rating: PG-13 for totally awesome brutal mecha violence, mild profanity in English and German, and a brief scene involving Shinji and Asuka (no, it's not a lemon you perverts, put your pants back on :P). If you are really squeamish or have a problem with mecha violence and gore, then you may want to bump it up to an R rating for yourself, then decide whether or not to continue reading. Otherwise, here we go:
Next episode thingy to be inserted at the end of Episode 16 (Misato's voice):
"When the mysterious organization known as SEELE interferes with Commander Ikari's plans, NERV confronts an enemy from the past. While Shinji fights a battle for his own mind, his fellow pilots struggle against an opponent unlike anything they have faced before. It's the next episode, Specter of the Past."
Neon Genesis: Evangelion
Episode 16.25: Specter of the Past
(Takes place approximately between Episodes 16 and 17, though technically it would have to take place after Misato's interrogation by the Committee in the beginning of Episode 17. However, this scene could easily have been grafted onto the end of Episode 16, so it's almost a flashback as far as Episode 17 is concerned.)
Play intro; A Cruel Angel's Thesis
"I am concerned that Commander Ikari's goals may not be entirely in accordance with our own." SEELE Member Three's electronically distorted voice echoed briefly throughout the holographic council chamber, the only clue to his identity behind the "Sound Only" obelisk which concealed his appearance.
"Yes. Ikari is up something," SEELE Member Seven agreed. "It is imperative that we-"
SEELE Chairman Keel Lorenz cut him off, a bold move no other member of the council would dare attempt. The '01' on his obelisk glowed ominously as he spoke.
"Commander Ikari is the most qualified person available for the task. We have had no major problems with his performance thus far. As long as we keep careful watch over his operations it is most beneficial for us to proceed as planned, with Ikari as operational supervisor of NERV Japan Branch."
SEELE Member 3 remained unconvinced.
"What of the remains of the defeated Angels? Ikari and his research team seem quite interested in them. Perhaps they know something we do not."
"I believe that is simply a matter of curiosity. I see no immediate threat to us from NERV's studies of the Angels. However, neither do I foresee any real danger in moving them to a more secure location under the direct control of SEELE. It is therefore appropriate that a vote be taken by this council to determine the best course of action."
"Agreed," said SEELE Member Seven, betraying no hint of any animosity he may have felt toward the Chairman's previous disruption.
The vote was unanimously in favor of the proposal.
Lorenz's voice boomed throughout the chamber in his usual authoritative manner. "It is decided, then. In the interest of protecting our righteous goals, all remnants of defeated Angels housed in the NERV Japan Branch shall be moved to NERV Second Branch in the United States.
"Agreed," the others said in unison. One by one, their holographic obelisks faded to nothingness, until none but Lorenz remained.
"Ikari," he pondered aloud. "How will you respond to this?"
It was cold. So cold. Where was he? He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything.
It smelled of blood.
Where am I? He wondered. Who am I?
You are you, a voice said. It was soft and feminine, devoid of emotion yet not threatening.
Who said that? Who's there?
A shape appeared before his eyes. It was a young girl, dressed in the typical
Japanese schoolgirl uniform. She had pale skin, and short, icy blue hair. Her right arm was bound in a sling, and bandages covered her forehead, obscuring her right eye. The other eye glowed softly in a shade of deep red.
Rei.
Yes, the voice said. I am called Rei. I am the Rei that exists in the mind of Shinji Ikari.
Shinji Ikari. I am Shinji Ikari.
Yes, the voice said again. You are you. I am the Rei that exists within you.
Rei...
It seemed so familiar. All of it. Like he'd been here before.
I'm dreaming.
It all came back to him suddenly. The battle with Leliel, the 12th Angel. He had been absorbed into negative space, where the Angel had probed his mind as if trying to communicate.
But this was different; something wasn't right.
Rei...
For a moment, she looked just like his mother, Yui Ikari. It reminded him of a picture he had seen once. In the picture a young Shinji, Yui, and Gendou posed together as a family. They had all been smiling.
Father. For some reason he seemed focused on that word, as if something intangible was pushing him toward it. He felt an unspeakable rage boiling up within him.
Father, I HATE you!
Suddenly, Shinji was appalled at himself.
Where did that come from? he wondered. Sure, our relationship hasn't been the greatest, but that kind of hatred-
Father. The rage hit him again, and he fell to his knees. No! Go away!
He pulled his head up, forcing his eyes to look at Rei. The bandages were gone. She seethed with rage, even greater than his own. He had never seen her this way. Her fists were balled tightly at her sides, teeth were clenched; her face was contorted in a look of pure hate. Her red eyes blazed as if they were literally on fire.
Eyes. The rage left him as suddenly as it had appeared. Why? What was it about her eyes that made him feel so... so...
So... what? He wondered. What is this feeling? It seems so familiar...
Eyes. He looked back at Rei, still the epitome of hate. He looked into her eyes.
Fear. He understood what that feeling was, and with this understanding came the reality of that fear. Now he looked at Rei with the utmost terror.
Why? he thought. Why am I so afraid of her?
Shinji staggered backwards, falling to the ground.
Eyes. Fear. The image of Rei began to erode, tiny pieces falling away and crumbling into nothingness, as if she were a sand sculpture caught in a strong wind. Soon there was nothing left. Rei was gone.
Shinji lay curled up on the ground, trembling.
What just happened?
Slowly, shakily, he lifted himself off the ground. He was still shaking, almost imperceptibly, and his heart rate had not yet recovered. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
Eyes.
Reflected in her eyes he had seen something he could not describe. It was anger, hate, and disgust, but it was greater than them all.
It was the look of nothingness. Of death.
Shinji screamed. The fear, the absolute terror he had felt just moments before, came rushing into him all at once. He screamed like he had never screamed before, as if every instance of pain, terror, and hate that had ever occurred in his life had all just happened simultaneously. He screamed. And screamed. And screamed.
"Snap out of it, you pathetic little worm!" It was Asuka.
Shinji awoke, panting, drenched in cold sweat. His face hurt.
Asuka slapped him again. "Stop screaming like a little girl, you'll wake up the whole damn building!"
Misato came running in the room. "Shinji, are you all right?"
"He's fine," Asuka replied angrily. "The little sissy was just having a nightmare. Have you ever heard of a boy screaming like that? It's really pathetic."
Misato took a deep breath, then exhaled, slowly. "What a relief. The way you were screaming, I thought something was seriously wrong."
"I'm sorry, Misato. I didn't mean to wake both of you up."
"Well, you did. And I for one don't appreciate it," Asuka snapped.
"Asuka, why don't you go back to bed and try to get some sleep?" Misato asked.
"Fine. But try to keep sissy-boy here quiet. Give him a pacifier or something." With that, Asuka stormed out of the room.
"I'm really sorry, Misato," Shinji said.
"It's okay, Shinji," Misato replied, sitting down on the bed next to him. "I'm not upset. Asuka's just... well, you know, Asuka."
Shinji closed his eyes, trying to block out the images running through his mind. It wasn't working.
"That must've been some nightmare," Misato said. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm all right. You should try to get some sleep yourself."
Misato yawned. "Maybe you're right. But only if you're really okay..."
"I'm fine," Shinji said, trying to smile. It wasn't very convincing, but Misato decided to let it go. Shinji was embarrassed enough already.
"All right. But try to get some sleep, too."
"I will." He was lying, and they both knew it.
Misato got up and started to leave. She stopped at the door, and turned around.
"If you ever need to talk, I'm here, Shinji. Never forget that." That said, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Shinji to his thoughts.
Shinji looked at his clock. It was 4:30 in the morning.
He got up and walked out to the hallway, into the bathroom. Cupping his hands under the faucet, he splashed some cold water on his face, then stared at himself in the mirror.
What was that dream all about? He wondered.
A slight trickle of water rolled down his forehead into his eyes. He blinked, shaking it way. As his eyes flickered open again, the image of Rei from his dream flashed before him in the mirror, her eyes burning into his very soul.
He cried out, stumbling backwards and falling down. His head deflected off the cold tile floor, and he lay there, groaning in pain.
"Damn it," he sighed. "I really am pathetic."
Dim light filtered into Commander Gendou Ikari's office at NERV HQ, Japan Branch. It was fast approaching noon, and already the day promised to be a scorcher. Brushing aside a bead of sweat as it rolled down his forehead toward his right eye, Commander Ikari glanced up at the man walking across the immense holographic conference chamber that served as the link between Gendou and the shadowy organization known as SEELE.
"Good afternoon, Commander," said Kouzou Fuyutsuki, NERV's second-in-command.
"Fuyutsuki," Gendou acknowledged, nodding slightly. "It is becoming quite tepid today. Has any progress been made on repairing the air conditioning units?"
"Unfortunately, no, Commander. As you know, NERV's budget is stretched to the limit with repairs and maintenance to the EVAs alone, not to mention such secondary considerations as air conditioning."
Gendou sighed. "Yes, you're quite right, Fuyutsuki. What did you have to report?"
"We've received orders that all remains of defeated Angels under study at NERV HQ, Japan Branch are to be removed to secure storage at NERV Second Branch in the United States. The Pacific Fleet is already on station to escort the cargo ships to their destination.
"This isn't the kind of thing the Committee would decide on their own."
"SEELE, then?"
"Indeed, it would seem so."
"What are your orders?"
"It is strange that SEELE would try to interfere with matters such as this. Perhaps our recent work has not gone as unnoticed as we had previously believed." He paused, pushing his orange glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. "We are not yet in a suitable position to defy SEELE on such a trivial matter. Until we are ready, our true intentions must remain a secret. Send an affirmative response through normal channels, and begin operations in compliance with our orders."
"Yes, sir." Fuyutsuki turned crisply and walked out of the office.
Gendou adjusted his feet in the bucket of icy water and sighed.
"Quite tepid indeed."
Ritsuko Akagi watched angrily as technicians, bureaucrats, and other assorted laborers swarmed over the Angel remains kept within NERV's Geo Front. Disposing of defeated Angels was an expensive prospect. The location and immense open space within the Geo Front, as well as its position well out of view of the public eye, made it an ideal containment site for the Angelic refuse. Much of the material had been put into storage there, particularly that which held the most interest for scientific research.
"Damn it to hell!" she fumed. "These Angels were all defeated by EVAs from the Japanese Branch of NERV. We are the ones who fought them. We are the ones who continue to fight them. We should be the ones with access to study them. What right do they have to take them from us?"
"The orders came directly from the UN," said Maya Ibuki, Ritsuko's trusted assistant. "There's nothing we can do."
Ritsuko sighed. "I know. But why now? Why didn't they do anything like this before, with the first Angel in this wave of attacks?"
Maya sighed as well. She hated it when Ritsuko was stressed like this and there was nothing she could do to help. She looked out the viewport as dozens of heavy lifting machines worked together to move the remains of Samshel, the 4th and most posthumously intact Angel.
"And the way they're moving them- they're just throwing them together in a huge pile and stuffing them onto the biggest cargo vessels they could find. They act as if they're simply taking out garbage. There is so much we don't know about the Angels, so much data to collect, so many discoveries to be made... DAMNIT!" Ritsuko pounded her fist against the window.
Maya checked her watch. "The synchronization tests start tomorrow morning at 1100. Didn't you say you wanted to run some system diagnostics on the interface equipment before then? If we start now, maybe we won't have to stay late tonight."
Ritsuko sighed. "You're right. Let's go."
Looking once more at the workers, she turned to leave, muttering something about "meddling UN bastards." Maya was right behind her.
The Tokyo-3 dockyard was quiet in the evening. After a long day of intensive labor, work crews from the Pacific Fleet and the dockyard itself had managed to load all the Angel material onto the fleet's cargo vessels. Much of it fit onto the USS Fairweather, the largest transport ship available to the UN task force. The ship was ancient, but reliable; and above all else, it was massive: easily bigger than a supercarrier, and with more storage capacity. Plus, the interior was modular and easily customized to have hundreds of cargo bays or, as it had now, one enormous cargo bay. Contained within it were the majority of the Angel parts, including Samshel, all piled together in a mass grave of otherworldly monsters. A few other cargo vessels carried some larger pieces of various Angels that wouldn't quite fit in the Fairweather's hold. Security guards and night shift technicians stood scattered about, engaged in idle conversation or otherwise looking bored.
One security guard patrolled along the port side of the Fairweather. Idly, he shined his flashlight through a side hatch currently open for ventilation. The light reflected off the enormous corpse of Samshel, coated in an unknown slimy substance and various other Angel bits.
He whistled. "That is one ugly son of a bitch."
Shrugging, he turned and continued his patrol.
Behind him, in the bowels of the ship, something squirmed.
Shinji woke up screaming again, with Asuka doing her best to slap some sense into him. He could always tell she was angry when she let German slip into her speech patterns as she berated him.
"What the hell is wrong with you!"
Slap.
"That's two days in a row you've woke me up screaming like a baby at four o'clock in the morning!"
Slap.
"Verdammter mist, sie sind ein schmerz im esel!"
Slap.
"All right, all right, I'm sorry! Please stop hitting me!"
Slap.
"Grow some backbone, you spineless little worm! You're so infuriating!" With that, Asuka turned and stormed out of the room, passing by Misato on her way out.
"Are you all right, Shinji?" Misato asked, sitting down next to him on the bed.
"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. "I just had that dream again, that's all."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's just like it was with the last Angel, when it tried to talk to me. Except this time it's different. Everything is... wrong."
"Maybe it's just residual effects from the contact. We know so little about the Angels, especially what contact with one might do to a human mind. As far as we know, you're the only person ever to communicate with an Angel, if that is in fact what happened. All we can do is wait and see. If this keeps up, I can schedule you for a psych evaluation."
"Okay. But if this keeps happening, maybe I should sleep somewhere else. Away from Asuka."
Misato smiled. "Give it one more night, Shinji. If it isn't gone by then, I'll see about scheduling that appointment and getting you some temporary sleeping quarters. Try to get some sleep."
"Okay. I'll try," Shinji said.
Misato put her arm around his shoulders, giving him a quick, reassuring hug. He blushed.
"We put you through a lot, Shinji. And for that, I'm sorry."
Misato stood up, smiled at Shinji, and walked out of the room. Asuka could still be heard grumbling at the other end of the hall.
Shinji lay back down and stared at the ceiling.
What is wrong with me?
"Good work, Asuka. Synch ratio is at 74 percent; that's excellent." Ritsuko was in a slightly better mood than the day before. "All right Rei, beginning activation sequence."
"Affirmative." Rei sounded no more enthusiastic over the com than she did in person.
"Entry plug inserted," Maya reported. "LCL injected successfully into entry plug. Beginning systems activation."
The display began to light up.
"External power supply connected," another tech added. "A-10 nerve connection is operational. Harmonics level is 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.9... systems nominal."
"Good," Ritsuko said. "Rei, are you ready? "
"Yes, Dr, Akagi. I am ready to begin."
"Initiate the synchronization test now."
Rei put her EVA through simple motions, such as moving the fingers and turning the head. Simulations were useful, but nothing was more dependable than hard data directly from the pilot's direct connection with the EVA.
Processing data," the Maya reported. "Analysis complete. Synch ratio at 68.5 percent."
"Looks like Wondergirl is running a little slow today," Asuka said as she entered the observation center, still dressed in her plug suit.
"Yes," Ritsuko agreed. "It would seem that you have the highest synch ratio. Again."
"That's because I take my job as an EVA pilot seriously," Asuka bragged. "It takes skill and concentration to properly synchronize with the superior systems of a production model Evangelion like my Unit 02."
Misato arrived as well, looking rushed.
"You're late," Ritsuko noted.
Asuka snorted derisively.
"Some role model."
"I'm sorry," Misato said. "Traffic was awful, and I was already running late. It won't happen again."
Ritsuko suppressed a laugh..
"Well, it is just a synchronization and diagnostics test. I suppose you haven't missed anything too important. We are about to start testing on Unit 01." She turned her attention back to the technician. "Status."
"Plug depth fixed at 3.2. Preparing to inject LCL."
An error message appeared on the screen. An adjacent yellow warning light began flashing.
"What's wrong?" Misato asked, concerned.
Ritsuko studied the screen.
"Oh, it's nothing. Someone forgot to refill the LCL reservoir." She moved to the loudspeaker. "Unit 01's LCL supply is depleted; please refill it immediately."
The blue confirmation light on the systems monitor blinked affirmative.
Ritsuko switched back to the EVA com frequency. "Shinji, we need to replenish Unit 01's LCL supply. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes. We will begin the test after that."
"Okay. I understand."
Daytime activities at the Tokyo-3 dockyard were in full swing. The area was crawling with technicians, sailors, merchants, laborers, and other assorted personnel. The docking berths were filled, as always, with military vessels, cargo ships, and private vessels of all shapes and sizes. The Pacific Fleet was almost done refueling, and would be ready to leave port soon. Scattered military and civilian personnel maintained the standard security perimeter for the area.
They were completely unprepared for the chaos to come.
A small group of civilian technicians had just finished refueling the Fairweather. As they finished disengaging the fuel hose, the great vessel groaned loudly.
"Did you hear that?" one of the technicians asked.
"She's an old ship. She's probably just settling out," said another.
"Yeah, you're probably right," the first one admitted.
Suddenly, the ship creaked even more loudly. The metal plates forming the top deck of the ship groaned as they bulged outward, then violently burst. The great ship exploded like a piñata, spraying the surrounding area with shattered bits of armor and Angel matter. Everyone close to the ship was killed by the concussion, and dozens more were crushed by falling debris.
Out of the shattered hulk that had been the USS Fairweather came a beast unlike like anything NERV had ever faced, Angels included. Its frame vaguely resembled the Angel Samshel, and sticking out at odd angles from its sides were the electrowhips used by that particular Angel. But that was where the resemblance ended. Parts of the other Angels defeated by the EVAs stationed in Tokyo-3 were melded in seemingly random places along the creature's body, which was covered in what appeared to be scaly, organic armor plating. The left shoulder housed a great, fragmented shard of the diamond-shaped Ramiel, the 5th Angel, and sticking out of the thing's right "abdomen" were several black, spider-like "legs" and an acid-dripping sac reminiscent of the 5th Angel, Matariel. Two enormous tentacles sprouted from its spine, each ending a trio of large, crystalline spikes. It dripped with acid, slime, and other unidentifiable viscous substances.
Widespread panic shot through the nearby population in waves, fed by emergency sirens wailing throughout the area. The chaos was so severe that most military and security personnel were unable to get to their posts to put up even a feeble defense. A few Navy vessels managed to open fire, but were quickly pounded into scrap metal by powerful tentacles or cut to ribbons by flashing electrowhips. Scattered gunfire from handheld weapons bounced away ineffectively as the beast smashed its way out of the Fairweather's wrecked hull.
One brave group of defenders managed to organize themselves near some mounted defense turrets and opened fire. The center of their unit was crushed by an enormous tentacle, and the rest were enveloped in a spurt of acid from the creature's side. Most of them were dissolved instantly, but an unlucky few on the edges writhed in agony as their flesh slowly gave way to the corrosive fluid.
Many panicked bystanders were killed as well, dissolved by dripping acid or crushed beneath the beast's feet as it smashed through the facility's outer wall and plodded toward the city center and NERV HQ.
"We're almost done refilling the LCL tanks and will begin the test momentarily," Ritsuko's voice declared over Unit-01's com systems.
Shinji tried hard to concentrate on the controls of his EVA, as he'd tried to concentrate on so many things that day. He just couldn't get his mind off of the dream. He remembered it so vividly: the hate, the fear.
The eyes.
He shuddered. There was something about that image that shook him to the core. Something wrong. Something evil.
Ritsuko's voice came back over the com.
"LCL injection will begin in approximately 12 seconds."
Misato's voice was next. "Just do your best, Shinji."
Shinji opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. Something is wrong, he realized. But what is it?
He felt cold, invisible hands pushing against his temples. He jerked away, but his restraints held him in place. The phantom hands passed through into his mind, pervading every fiber of his being.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed. "Go awaaaaay!"
LCL began pouring into the entry plug, filling the cramped space with the scent of blood. Shinji felt an incredible pain, as if the Angel Ramiel were drilling into his skull just as it had done to NERV's armor plating. He grabbed his head, screaming.
Dim light filtered into Gendou Ikari's office. He sat at his desk listening to Fuyutsuki's report on the previous day's events, idly shifting his feet in the bucket of ice water. It would need refilled soon, he noted.
"...removal of the Angel material and related data was completed yesterday by 2100 hours," Fuyutsuki was saying. "All available resources were assigned to the project, and work was completed without incident."
"And what of our research?" Gendou inquired.
"Pertinent data was copied and transmitted to NERV Second Branch. The original data remains stored in the local Magi computer systems. Fortunately, the majority sensitive materials and samples were stored elsewhere and thus remain undetected. We should be able to continue research without disruption."
"What did we lose?"
Fuyutsuki slid a small piece of paper across the table with several things scribbled on it. Gendou picked up the note and scanned its contents.
"I see," he said, carefully tearing the note into pieces.
"The UN disposal team did little more than a cursory examination," Fuyutsuki went on. "It remains undetected."
"Good. Without proper chemical restructuring, the failsafe will activate in a few hours. Molecular integrity will begin to break down, and by the time the Pacific Fleet reaches its destination, there will be nothing left but dust. As long as SEELE remains in the dark as to our recent advances we can continue as planned," Gendou said, unconsciously rubbing the Angel embryo implanted beneath the glove of his right hand. "What of our own personnel?"
"Most of them know absolutely nothing, and the rest know only what we have told them."
"And Dr. Akagi?"
"She remains oblivious to the true meaning of her research. It is unlikely she will suspect anything until it is too late."
"I see."
Gendou's personal phone rang. The red light flashing on the receiver classified the call as "urgent." He answered it.
"Yes?"
There was a pause as he listened to the voice on the other end, his facial expression betraying nothing.
"Understood." He hung up the phone, then looked back at Fuyutsuki. "What is the status of the EVAs?"
"I believe they are currently engaged in a synchronization test," Fuyutsuki replied.
"Good. Have them prepped for combat and put on standby alert. There's been an incident."
"Shinji!" Misato cried, rushing over to the observation window. "Ritsuko, what's going on?"
In the launch bay Unit 01 shuddered and convulsed, struggling against the bonds that held it in place.
"I don't know," Ritsuko said, puzzled. "We haven't supplied any power to Unit 01 yet. It shouldn't even be able to move!"
"Berserk?" Misato asked.
"No. This is different. I don't know what's going on, but it's definitely not good."
Misato stared despairingly out at Unit 01. The others did, too. Even Asuka was unable to hide her concern.
Shinji is still in there, Misato thought desperately. I have to do something!
"What is Rei's status?" She asked suddenly, shifting into command mode.
Ritsuko checked her readouts. "She is in the prep room. Shall I call her back?"
"Yes. Get her and Unit 00 ready as soon as possible."
Ritsuko moved over to the com. "Rei, we need you back in Unit 00 as quickly as possible."
Rei had just begun to decompress the seals on her plug suit.
"Yes, Dr. Akagi," She said, retightening the seals. "I am on my way."
Unit 01 tore free of its right arm restraint, roaring in what seemed to be pain or rage. The left restraint quickly followed, and Unit 01 tore completely free of its bonds. The EVA fell to its knees, clawing at its temples, and unleashed an inhuman roar. The EVA thrashed, howling, for several more seconds before collapsing to the ground in a heap.
Then there was silence.
The com crackled on. It was Rei.
"I am in position, Dr. Akagi."
"Good," Ritsuko said. "Stand by for further orders."
She looked over at Misato.
"Now what, Major Katsuragi," she said, reminding Misato of her responsibilities.
Misato moved over to the com.
"Rei, I want you in position near Unit 01. We're going to send a rescue team to extract Shinji, and I want you there in case Unit 01 wakes up again."
"Affirmative, Major Katsuragi."
The technician pressed several buttons on the console, releasing Unit 00's restraints. Rei began moving into position.
Misato switched the com to the emergency channel.
"Get an extraction team to the cage. Unit 01 has collapsed with the pilot still inside. I want him out of there ASAP."
Without waiting for confirmation, she switched the com to a private channel linked directly to Commander Ikari's office.
Gendou answered on the other end.
"Ah, Major Katsuragi. I was just about to contact you. It seems an Angel has been spotted near the dockyard and is moving toward the downtown area. There is little doubt as to its intended destination."
"Sir, Unit 01 has just exhibited extremely erratic behavior and collapsed during synchronization tests," Misato said, careful to keep her tone calm and professional. "The pilot's status is currently unknown, aside from the fact he is trapped inside. Efforts are under way to extract him, but it is doubtful Unit 01 will be available for this operation."
"That is unfortunate. What is the status of the two remaining EVAs and their pilots?"
"Units 00 and 02 are fully operational. Rei is already in place, and Asuka can be ready in a matter of minutes," Misato said, suppressing her anger at Gendou's usual nonchalant attitude toward Shinji's condition. "All necessary personnel will be moved to the command center immediately to await further orders."
"Good. Major Katsuragi, I am placing you in command of this operation. Proceed at your discretion."
With that, Gendou severed the connection. Misato turned to order Asuka into unit 02, but she was already gone. She turned to the others instead.
"I want essential command and support staff in the command center now."
As the others filed out, Misato took one last look at the still form of Unit 01, and walked out the door toward the command center.
Upon arriving at the NERV command center, Misato was surprised to see Commander Ikari seated in his normal position, with Fuyutsuki at his side. It was not unusual for him to actively observe the operation under her command, but the way he had delegated the authority to her on the phone had suggested to her that he had more important things to do.
"You didn't tell me the air conditioning units were functioning in here, Fuyutsuki," Gendo said.
'Yes... well, that was a recent development," Fuyutsuki replied.
When Misato reached her station she discovered the others were already in place and waiting for her.
"What is the status of EVA Units 00 and 02?" she asked.
"Units 00 and 02 have been prepped for launch and are waiting in the cage." It was Makato Hyuga who answered her now.
"Good. What about the Angel, do we have visual yet?"
"It just passed into visual range," Shigeru Aoba replied. "External sensors are calibrating to provide maximum effective angle... completed. Projecting on-screen."
The reanimated Angel appeared on the monitor, and the entire command center went silent. Maya Ibuki shuddered and looked away. Gendou remained unaffected, as always.
Misato was the first to break the silence.
"Is that... the defeated Angels?"
"So it would seem," Ritsuko said, recovering as well.
"Scan that monster. We need to know what we're up against. And send a feed to Rei and Asuka. They should know, too." Misato's voice was firm.
The bridge crew sprang into action.
"Scans complete," Shigeru reported. "Data shows that it is exactly what it looks like: a conglomeration of parts from the Angels defeated by Tokyo-3 EVAs, formerly in storage in the Geo Front. Pattern: blue. It reads like an Angel."
"Have we found any flaws or weaknesses? Anything Rei and Asuka could take advantage of to bring this thing down?" Misato's mind was running in tactical overdrive.
"Analyzing... core detected," Hyagu said. "It is covered by the Angel's bio-organic armor in the upper chest region, but it is still there. Once through the outer armor, an EVA could penetrate it easily, preferably with a progressive knife. Also, its AT field is very weak. Heavy rifle rounds may be able to penetrate as well."
Misato switched on the com.
"Rei, Asuka, did you catch all that?"
"Yeah, we got it," Asuka said. "Crack it open and smash the core. Simple."
"Still, be careful. We don't know what this thing is capable of, so watch each other's backs."
"Affirmative," Rei said, enigmatic as always.
Misato walked in front of the central viewscreen, and turned to address the entire bridge crew.
"We've fought these things before. It's time to finish what we started. Launch Units 00 and 02 immediately."
It was cold. So cold. Where was he? He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything.
It smelled of blood.
Where am I? He wondered. Who am I?
You are you, a voice said.
Who said that? Who's there?
A shape appeared before his eyes. It was a girl, with light blue hair and red eyes. Rei.
Yes, the voice said. I am called Rei. I am the Rei that exists in the mind of Shinji Ikari.
No. Shinji knew this was wrong. I've been here before. It was wrong before.
My head hurts...
Shinji felt a sharp pain in his temples.
Pain. Somehow, the pain brought clarity. He remembered.
Specific pain. I couldn't feel it last time.
Why? Rei's voice.
Shinji stared at her. As he did so, she began to come into focus.
My thoughts. You can read my thoughts. When I think about Rei, she becomes clearer to me.
The image of Rei strode forward, until they were face to face. Shinji could make out every detail of her pale complexion. He could even smell her.
She leaned forward, slowly, and pressed her lips to his.
Shinji's eyes widened, and he tried to pull away, but she held on to him. He lost his balance and fell backward, pulling her down on top of him, straddling him.
What is wrong, Pilot Ikari? Is this not what you want? To become one with me?
Shinji felt the pain in his temples again, deeper, probing. His vision blurred, and he closed his eyes in a grimace of pain. When it cleared again, and he opened his eyes, it was Asuka on top of him, her uniform blouse hanging loosely from her chest, prominently displaying her cleavage. She licked his face, slowly, seductively, tracing a line up from his jawbone and over to his left ear. She stopped, playfully nibbling. The air felt cool against the moisture on his face.
What's the matter, Shinji? Don't you want me?
Yes! His body seemed to cry out. It took every ounce of strength he could muster to keep his mind focused on reality. This isn't real. She's toying with me, probing my mind.
She rubbed against him, grinding her hips against his. He trembled, feeling his body react to her touch.
No. This isn't right. Despite what his instincts told him, Shinji's mind rejected this false reality on a deeper level.
Why not? Asuka's voice asked him. I know you fantasize about me.
I do not.
Liar.
No! He tried to push Asuka away, but she was stronger than him. She forced his arms to his side and moved her face directly over his. For the first time, Shinji looked deep into her eyes. They were blue. An endless blue.
Eyes.
He felt pain again. His vision blurred, and it became harder to think. Soon, he couldn't think at all.
"Asuka, the target should be straight across from you, behind that large cluster of office buildings. Can you see it yet?"
Asuka looked toward the area Misato had indicated and walked forward, searching for any sign of the Angel. An occasional car or minivan crunched beneath feet of her Evangelion, but she paid them no heed. Property damage was a secondary consideration when it came to fighting the Angels.
Asuka leaped backward reflexively as bright purple electrowhips sliced cleanly through the base of the closest building. Two large, organic tentacles smashed the pieces aside as the Angel tore its way through.
"Yeah, I see it," Asuka reported, shifting Unit 02's rifle in line with the target.
"Good. Stay where you are and prepare to engage. Rei, move around to the left flank. I want you both to fire on the target simultaneously."
"Affirmative," Rei replied, moving into position.
Misato looked at the creature on the monitor.
How is this possible? Those Angels were defeated. Their cores were destroyed.
Rei's voice came over the com. "I am in position."
Misato took a deep breath. "Fire!"
Units 00 and 02 opened fire simultaneously. The Angel's AT field flashed, deflecting the initial volley, then collapsed under the combined barrage. Pieces of its outer armor began to chip away.
The Angel roared, then charged at Unit 02, the Evangelion directly in its line of sight. Asuka dived to the side, barely dodging electrowhips as they slashed through the air where her EVA had been only moments before. She dodged again as the glowing whips came back around, carving neatly through the barrel of her rifle.
Rei kept firing at the Angel's back, chipping away at its thick, organic casing. As it charged Unit 02, she shifted her aim to the base of the electrowhip on the creature's left side, where the Angel's shell was visibly weaker. Unit 00's last few rounds impacted against the weaker armor, breaking the electrowhip completely off at the base and coating the nearby cityscape in a thick, dark liquid. The severed limb crashed to the ground, cutting deep gouges into the streets below as the last of its energy faded away.
"The Angel's offensive capabilities on the left side have been severely damaged," Makato reported. "Unit 00's ammunition has been depleted as well."
The Angel roared, turned to face this new threat, and charged, completely ignoring Unit 02. Tossing away the empty weapon, Rei drew Unit 00's progressive knife and charged to meet the beast's advance. The city shook as the two behemoths came crashing together. Rei slashed across, the knife cutting deep into the Angel's abdomen, but it was simply not enough to counter the Angel's superior mass. Unit 00 was driven back, its feet ripping through the concrete as it slid backwards before being knocked over completely. The Angel stood triumphantly over the fallen EVA, dripping its corrosive acid onto Unit 00's torso armor. The remaining electrowhip jerked high into the air, in preparation for a strike that would bisect Unit 00 vertically.
"Rei!" Misato cried.
But Asuka was quicker. Taking full advantage of the opening left to her, she charged the Angel from behind, hacking off its remaining electrowhip at the base with Unit 02's progressive knife. The fearsome appendage bit into the ground just meters from Unit 00's head, thrashing around and slicing deep into the EVA's right leg before coming to a halt, the last of its energy expended
The Angel howled, turning toward Unit 02 once again. Asuka slashed twice more before it could turn around completely, then deftly leaped out of the way as it lashed out with its two remaining tentacles.
"What is Unit 00's status?" Misato demanded, concerned for Rei's safety.
"Unit 00 has sustained serious damage to the right leg and minor acid damage to the exterior armor, but it should still be operational," Shigeru said, quickly scanning his readouts.
The Angel ran forward, tentacles extended; Asuka stood her ground, waiting for the right moment. At the last second, she leapt straight up. The Angel, caught up in its own momentum, crashed head-on into a cluster of office buildings. Taking care to avoid becoming entangled in her own power supply cable, Asuka twisted Unit 02 around in mid-air to face the Angel's exposed flank. Unit 02 landed gracefully, then dashed forward.
If the Angel had turned around to the right, the battle may have ended there. But it didn't. Instead, the Angel turned to the left, bringing its great armored shoulder directly in line with Asuka's attack. The progressive knife's blade snapped off at the hilt as Unit 02 continued its forward motion, its arm and shoulder grinding along the jagged remnants of Ramiel. Off balance, the damaged EVA fell to one knee and skidded past the Angel, completely vulnerable. The Angel lashed out with its left tentacle, a powerful downward blow that cracked the red Evangelion's armored plates and quite literally smashed the EVA into the ground. Both tentacles took to the air again, jagged spikes pointing downward for a final strike.
Just before the Angel could land the killing blow, Unit 00 came rushing in, hitting the monster from the side in a diving shoulder tackle and driving it into the side of a nearby building. The Angel squirmed, trying desperately to bring its tentacles to bear on its assailant, but Rei was in too close. Again and again the EVA's powerful fists crashed into the creature's armored hide, cracking through the outer layers and exposing the squishy mass beneath. The Angel roared, helpless. Witnesses would almost swear they heard it wail in terror as Unit 00 pounded mercilessly into its exposed flesh.
For the second time that day, the entire bridge crew was completely silent. Not a word passed between them as they watched the grisly spectacle. Maya Ibuki turned her head away, looking ill.
Misato tried to swallow, but found her throat was completely dry.
"Berserk?" she asked quietly.
Ritsuko checked her readouts.
"No. Aside from the damage, Unit 00 appears to be functioning normally."
She looked again at the display in front of her, eyes scanning the streams of data.
"Wait. I'm detecting higher-than-normal heart rate and brain wave activity in the pilot."
Misato's eyes widened as she assimilated this new information.
"You mean... Rei?"
Ritsuko nodded.
Misato accessed the direct image feed from Unit 00's entry plug on her private console. Rei's face was twisted in a vicious snarl, her eyes burning with rage. Misato couldn't believe it. She had seen EVAs go berserk on a number of occasions, but Rei herself...
Unit 00 stopped its horrific assault, thrusting a hand into the pulpy mass. With a sickening crack not unlike the breaking of a lobster's shell, Unit 00 ripped a massive sheet of organic armor from the Angel's chest and tossed it aside. Beneath it the Angel's core sparkled, vulnerable.
"The core is exposed!" Makato exclaimed.
Without warning, another long, spiderlike appendage burst from the Angel's side, piercing straight through Unit 00's abdomen. The EVA roared, and Rei screamed in agony as the pain flowed through her neural link.
"Rei!"
Misato could only watch in horror as the Angel lifted the skewered EVA into the air and tossed it aside like child's toy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxEND OF CHAPTER xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Next Episode thingy (Misato's voice):
"With two EVAs incapacitated and Shinji trapped in a struggle within his own psyche, the human race stands on the brink of destruction. As NERV toils desperately to salvage the situation, a creature is born with power beyond anything humanity has ever seen before. It's the next episode, The Beast Within."
Well, that's the end of chapter one. Did you like it? I hope so, but let me know either way. Please? Come on now, don't make me beg...
Chapter two is much better (I think it is, anyway), and much longer, too, with plenty of twists and surprises to finish up the story. I felt like chapter one more closely resembled the style of the episodes (which is a great thing to emulate), but in a way shows a lack of originality on my part. Chapter two, on the other hand, is much more creative, which is perhaps why I wrote chapter one in around four days while chapter two took me well over a month to complete.
Also, some of you may have noticed that this episode shares its title with a Star Wars novel. I noticed that myself, but not until after I had already written the title, so I'm sticking with it because it rocks.
Okay, last thing, I swear: Thanks for reading. Seriously. An author is nothing without readers. Go you!
-K.G.