supposedly this is where the disclaimer's supposed to go... yeah...disclaimer. Let's put it this way, you know that I know that you know that I know that I know I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, so... there is no need for me to ever, and I stress EVER have to point out this fact again. So I won't. Oh and props out to Anno and those crazy cats at Studio Gainax by the way. Just had to get that out...
but whatever, right?
/The Last Exodus/
- Lawless Priest -
The realms of Death
To say the town was quiet was an understatement. It was deathly quiet. The type of quiet that has never known sound. An empty soul like quiet that only a graveyard can have. And of course that was exactly what the Town of Markir was now. A graveyard, and a fairly new one at that. Only a few hours old, yet already filled to capacity with its previous occupants. The scent of death and decay lay heavy in the air, but not just from the bodies that littered the grounds of this once peaceful place. There were demons here, and if Shinji Ikari had anything to do with it, they would soon be dead as well.
"Man, this place is a dump. Not a decent ramen shop in town." a voice crackled through his ear peace.
"That's because they're all a pile rubble now, you Baka!" another shot back.
"Hey I know that! You don't have to ..."
Blocking out his teammate's chattering, Shinji moved about the wreckage and debris. 'Once again those idiots are at it again. No wonder people call them stooges.' he thought to himself. "Will you two quiet down. We're on a mission here. Focus on the job."
"Sorry, man. Just trying to lighten up the mood. These jobs just keep getting more and more depressing." Touji replied soberly.
"Touji's got a point. Every time the Major sends us out on one of these, we always find the same thing, nothing but the dead." Kensuke added.
"It can't be helped. We don't have enough resources or man power to patrol all of the Outer Rim settlements, so things like this are bound to happen." Even though he hated to say it, Shinji knew he was right. Without more resources there was no way they would be able to protect all of the settlements.
"And what, we're just supposed to sit around and pick up the pieces every time those bastards decide to have a little fun, Ikari!" his friend's answering shot cut right through Shinji, but he said nothing, keeping those thoughts to himself for the moment as he snuck through the ruined buildings in search any survivors, focusing back on the job at hand.
Considering the amount of damage around him, his hopes weren't all that high. No life signs showed on his Xeno-Plug Suit's scanners. It could have been a glitch in the scanner system though, these being the new prototype battle plug suits, but Dr. Ibuki had assured him that most of the bugs had been dealt with. Shinji trusted her skills, but that still didn't give him much confidence even with the fact that they had been using the new models for awhile now. At least Suzuhara and Aida's positions showed up, but you never knew what might happen on the field.
Sure it looked cool, with it's similar form fitting, seemingly weightless texture wrapping around his toned frame. Yet this model featured new body armor similar to his Eva's near indestructible living armor and enhanced with the built in N2 Power Cores giving it an immense, yet limited power supply. Plus with the new advanced neural interfaces built into his targeting visors Shinji could use the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, the AT field, or Anti Terror Field. He could never figure out why the weapon would be called such. Dr Ibuki had explained it to him once, but he hadn't been paying attention. If it was anything like the version used in his Eva then it would be invaluable in battle. And to Shinji Ikari that was all that matter.
All and all these were strange thoughts coming from his mind considering who he had been. The small, easily frightened little boy, abandoned by his father and left to fend for his own all those years ago was long dead. The 17 year old had seen much death in his years that easily surpassed the horrors seen here. Yet as he passed by the bodies of these recent victims, he couldn't help but think of how far he had come and how many people he had seen in similar positions, with their life blood flowing in pools around them, staining their clothes and the ground, giving testament to their tortured state.
No matter where he went the scars of the Hellspawn War were visible. No matter how many he killed, no matter how many people he saved, those scars never seemed to heal.
'How many more mother? How many more will have to die before this war ends?'
There was no answer, there never was. As far as he was concerned she had been the first casualty. He had barely been six when she was killed, and his sister was taken from him. The war had been old even then, seven years after Second Impact and the opening of the celestial gates. She had been working on the a weapon that would be able to counteract the monstrous forms of the creatures know as the Angels. Of course they were as much angels as demons were human. It was all propaganda. No one knew what they were or what they wanted, only that in one day they had destroyed nearly half of the worlds population and no weapon known to man could stop them.
Thus the Eva series had been created. They weren't even finished with the prototype and test models when the lab had been attacked. It was a day Shinji had tried to forget for many years and for a while he had succeed, yet those days were past and nearly every night the memories resurfaced with vivid detail.
The ground quaked as the Angel tried to blast its way to the underground base. Men and women were running for their lives as demons struck them down without mercy, but none of it mattered. Rei was gone. One of the creatures had taken her and was getting away. It was too fast for Shinji's six year old feet to catch. He couldn't do anything. Mother and Farther were attempting to activate the Test Type Eva, but it wasn't enough. Nothing they did would have mattered. Nothing at all.
"No mother don't do it! You said it wasn't ready!" tears streaming form his eyes, the boy cried out.
"I'm sorry Shinji-kun. I have no choice!"
His instincts saved him. Dodging behind a broken wall Shinji barely evaded the blasts of Hellfire erupting from the enemy guns, effectively bringing him back to the present.
'Good job Ikari, you almost ended up like mother.' he ranted to himself.
Shots flew by his head spattering into the walls around him, scorching their surfaces and taking large chunks out of the already damaged structures, and basically making it an uncomfortable place to be, but Shinji wasn't concerned. He didn't have time to worry about these brief unsuccessful attempts on his life. Worrying about what would have happened or what could, would be a sure way to the grave just as if he had signed his own death warrant.
He took a few pot shots, trying to get a handle on their numbers. 'Too many, they'll try to swarm me soon. Nothing new, I've been through worst before.'
Situations like this were a normal occurrence in his line of work, an issue that he dealt with like a day to day chore as a farmer would slaughtering pigs. But for him, the pigs just happened to be man sized with distorted bodies that were bent and fashioned in the eternal fires of the hell realms. But like a good pig farmer was at his trade, so was Shinji Ikari, and he did his job with near fanatical devotion. One could say it was all he cared about and they wouldn't be far off.
Taking aim he let fly his own packaged hell at their numbers, taking down the aggressors with a gentle fury as his activating his AT field and let the shots that would have taken him out be deflected back at their owners.
'So far no, AT Fields, good. I don't feel like dealing with a deamon right about now.'
It was a deamon that took his sister, it was deamons that destroyed his home and it was a deamon that had set him on the path he now took. They were the bane of his existence. And he fully intended to repay them for his past anguish.
But dwelling on that would distract him from his goal and he couldn't have that. No, of course not. The mission was all, it came before all, and would end before all if he had anything to say about it. These few words were one of his mantras and Shinji Ikari had many mantras. Like little hymns he would sing to himself in the heat of battle, swaying him along to their swirling cadence, beating in time to his pounding heart, much like now. Before it had been 'I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away', but he had traded it in for a new one somewhere along the dark paths and blood spilt halls and scorched fields the Angels and demons had made of his world.
His new hymn was written in a book of death. Death like sweet nectar pulsing in his veins, flowing into his hands and out his guns as the enemy danced to the tempo of death's call and fell to its song.
That was the way it was supposed to be. Sending demons back to their devilish masters in pieces. Keeping them away from the innocents and helpless inhabitants who populated this area and its outlining cities.
It was his purpose, his goal, his life and his curse.
Dodging a few shots and taking a quick count of his remaining foes, the young soldier prepared himself for close combat.
'Twelve, maybe thirteen. Can't be sure, I'm sure I saw one trying to snipe me, so I have to be prepared. They're way too close now... so.'
Before he could finish his thoughts one of the afore mention demons jumped around his meager cover and attempted to end the confrontation there. Attempt being the operative word. Ducking under its heavy blade and firing a few well place shots into the creature's snout Shinji was able to deflect the assault.
Of course in the time it took to do this the dead demon's companions had found the time to surround his position and charge him as he attempted to regain a more defensive stance. Once again attempt being the operative word. No sooner than he was on his feet did a Ranfar demon try to dissect him above the waist with its forearm scalpel like blades that snapped out at him like a switchblade. He barely dodge the attack while bringing up his progressive knife.
The Ranfar crept forward readying itself for another attack, while his comrades did the same, but they wouldn't shoot now. They were too close and they learned quick. The first few to fire at him at the start of this were just as quickly blasted by their own hell fire. Shinji's AT field, that orange hexagonal force field came to life spreading it around him and easily deflected their shots. With their current positions they would be efficiently slaughtering themselves. Too bad the Plug suits AT Field didn't work like the Eva's, for if it did even the Ranfar's blades wouldm't have passed through, making it a whole lot more easier to deal with these animals.
But that wasn't the case... so when the Ranfar and the Banki demon, with its short sword leapt forward, their blades held in a skewering technique, their bodies came through where the AT Field would have been and right into the waiting maws of the high speed, vibrating death known as the progressive knife.
There was once a time when Shinji would have revolted at the thought of killing someone. Much like the seasons, these thoughts had passed. Now he moved with practiced efficiency, and with secret joy, extending the knife's blade. In a matter seconds, mainly the time it took for the Ranfar to make its first step and leap the small vibrating katana like knife became a long vibrating katana like sword, extending right through the jumping demons chest, blocking Shinji's body and forcing the Banki to find a new method of attack.
As for its companion... to be honest, this wasn't a good situation for the demon and any sensible creature with a few inches of hot metal sticking through them would try to find a quick and painless way to extract itself.
So when the Ranfar jerked itself to its enemies right it had this principle in mind. Unfortunately Ranfar are not known for their intelligence and in doing so it had forgotten about the painless element of the solution, therefore scattering its entrails along the floor.
Shinji being the son of a Genius didn't wait to take advantage of the circumstances. While using its body as a shield, he fired into the masses. The distraction of their teammates death, costing many of them their lives.
Now there only stood four enemies left and they didn't look all too happy at how things were turning out. Still, there were four of them and only one of him, so the odds were nevertheless in their favor. They all ignored the fact that they had three times there number when they started this and continued to press the attack. The human would die like all of its kin had before it.
Shinji backed up a bit on the uneven ground and readied himself for another attack. They came at him in pairs. Dodging the first attack, he was able to make a quick hit on one of the retreating opponents then blocked the last two attacks. Taking a step forward to press his own attack, nearly cost him his own life as a loose stone sent him to the ground. Rolling up Shinji only had time to block before he was pushed back until the wall of what had once been some building or another with his own blade inches away from his face, barely holding the opposing demon's weapon.
'I can't die here, I won't die here, I won't, I refuse, I CAN'T DIE YET!' His eyes burning a intense blue the young Ikari screamed in defiance to fate as the world faded from his vision.
but whatever, right?
/The Last Exodus/
- Lawless Priest -
The realms of Death
To say the town was quiet was an understatement. It was deathly quiet. The type of quiet that has never known sound. An empty soul like quiet that only a graveyard can have. And of course that was exactly what the Town of Markir was now. A graveyard, and a fairly new one at that. Only a few hours old, yet already filled to capacity with its previous occupants. The scent of death and decay lay heavy in the air, but not just from the bodies that littered the grounds of this once peaceful place. There were demons here, and if Shinji Ikari had anything to do with it, they would soon be dead as well.
"Man, this place is a dump. Not a decent ramen shop in town." a voice crackled through his ear peace.
"That's because they're all a pile rubble now, you Baka!" another shot back.
"Hey I know that! You don't have to ..."
Blocking out his teammate's chattering, Shinji moved about the wreckage and debris. 'Once again those idiots are at it again. No wonder people call them stooges.' he thought to himself. "Will you two quiet down. We're on a mission here. Focus on the job."
"Sorry, man. Just trying to lighten up the mood. These jobs just keep getting more and more depressing." Touji replied soberly.
"Touji's got a point. Every time the Major sends us out on one of these, we always find the same thing, nothing but the dead." Kensuke added.
"It can't be helped. We don't have enough resources or man power to patrol all of the Outer Rim settlements, so things like this are bound to happen." Even though he hated to say it, Shinji knew he was right. Without more resources there was no way they would be able to protect all of the settlements.
"And what, we're just supposed to sit around and pick up the pieces every time those bastards decide to have a little fun, Ikari!" his friend's answering shot cut right through Shinji, but he said nothing, keeping those thoughts to himself for the moment as he snuck through the ruined buildings in search any survivors, focusing back on the job at hand.
Considering the amount of damage around him, his hopes weren't all that high. No life signs showed on his Xeno-Plug Suit's scanners. It could have been a glitch in the scanner system though, these being the new prototype battle plug suits, but Dr. Ibuki had assured him that most of the bugs had been dealt with. Shinji trusted her skills, but that still didn't give him much confidence even with the fact that they had been using the new models for awhile now. At least Suzuhara and Aida's positions showed up, but you never knew what might happen on the field.
Sure it looked cool, with it's similar form fitting, seemingly weightless texture wrapping around his toned frame. Yet this model featured new body armor similar to his Eva's near indestructible living armor and enhanced with the built in N2 Power Cores giving it an immense, yet limited power supply. Plus with the new advanced neural interfaces built into his targeting visors Shinji could use the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, the AT field, or Anti Terror Field. He could never figure out why the weapon would be called such. Dr Ibuki had explained it to him once, but he hadn't been paying attention. If it was anything like the version used in his Eva then it would be invaluable in battle. And to Shinji Ikari that was all that matter.
All and all these were strange thoughts coming from his mind considering who he had been. The small, easily frightened little boy, abandoned by his father and left to fend for his own all those years ago was long dead. The 17 year old had seen much death in his years that easily surpassed the horrors seen here. Yet as he passed by the bodies of these recent victims, he couldn't help but think of how far he had come and how many people he had seen in similar positions, with their life blood flowing in pools around them, staining their clothes and the ground, giving testament to their tortured state.
No matter where he went the scars of the Hellspawn War were visible. No matter how many he killed, no matter how many people he saved, those scars never seemed to heal.
'How many more mother? How many more will have to die before this war ends?'
There was no answer, there never was. As far as he was concerned she had been the first casualty. He had barely been six when she was killed, and his sister was taken from him. The war had been old even then, seven years after Second Impact and the opening of the celestial gates. She had been working on the a weapon that would be able to counteract the monstrous forms of the creatures know as the Angels. Of course they were as much angels as demons were human. It was all propaganda. No one knew what they were or what they wanted, only that in one day they had destroyed nearly half of the worlds population and no weapon known to man could stop them.
Thus the Eva series had been created. They weren't even finished with the prototype and test models when the lab had been attacked. It was a day Shinji had tried to forget for many years and for a while he had succeed, yet those days were past and nearly every night the memories resurfaced with vivid detail.
The ground quaked as the Angel tried to blast its way to the underground base. Men and women were running for their lives as demons struck them down without mercy, but none of it mattered. Rei was gone. One of the creatures had taken her and was getting away. It was too fast for Shinji's six year old feet to catch. He couldn't do anything. Mother and Farther were attempting to activate the Test Type Eva, but it wasn't enough. Nothing they did would have mattered. Nothing at all.
"No mother don't do it! You said it wasn't ready!" tears streaming form his eyes, the boy cried out.
"I'm sorry Shinji-kun. I have no choice!"
His instincts saved him. Dodging behind a broken wall Shinji barely evaded the blasts of Hellfire erupting from the enemy guns, effectively bringing him back to the present.
'Good job Ikari, you almost ended up like mother.' he ranted to himself.
Shots flew by his head spattering into the walls around him, scorching their surfaces and taking large chunks out of the already damaged structures, and basically making it an uncomfortable place to be, but Shinji wasn't concerned. He didn't have time to worry about these brief unsuccessful attempts on his life. Worrying about what would have happened or what could, would be a sure way to the grave just as if he had signed his own death warrant.
He took a few pot shots, trying to get a handle on their numbers. 'Too many, they'll try to swarm me soon. Nothing new, I've been through worst before.'
Situations like this were a normal occurrence in his line of work, an issue that he dealt with like a day to day chore as a farmer would slaughtering pigs. But for him, the pigs just happened to be man sized with distorted bodies that were bent and fashioned in the eternal fires of the hell realms. But like a good pig farmer was at his trade, so was Shinji Ikari, and he did his job with near fanatical devotion. One could say it was all he cared about and they wouldn't be far off.
Taking aim he let fly his own packaged hell at their numbers, taking down the aggressors with a gentle fury as his activating his AT field and let the shots that would have taken him out be deflected back at their owners.
'So far no, AT Fields, good. I don't feel like dealing with a deamon right about now.'
It was a deamon that took his sister, it was deamons that destroyed his home and it was a deamon that had set him on the path he now took. They were the bane of his existence. And he fully intended to repay them for his past anguish.
But dwelling on that would distract him from his goal and he couldn't have that. No, of course not. The mission was all, it came before all, and would end before all if he had anything to say about it. These few words were one of his mantras and Shinji Ikari had many mantras. Like little hymns he would sing to himself in the heat of battle, swaying him along to their swirling cadence, beating in time to his pounding heart, much like now. Before it had been 'I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away', but he had traded it in for a new one somewhere along the dark paths and blood spilt halls and scorched fields the Angels and demons had made of his world.
His new hymn was written in a book of death. Death like sweet nectar pulsing in his veins, flowing into his hands and out his guns as the enemy danced to the tempo of death's call and fell to its song.
That was the way it was supposed to be. Sending demons back to their devilish masters in pieces. Keeping them away from the innocents and helpless inhabitants who populated this area and its outlining cities.
It was his purpose, his goal, his life and his curse.
Dodging a few shots and taking a quick count of his remaining foes, the young soldier prepared himself for close combat.
'Twelve, maybe thirteen. Can't be sure, I'm sure I saw one trying to snipe me, so I have to be prepared. They're way too close now... so.'
Before he could finish his thoughts one of the afore mention demons jumped around his meager cover and attempted to end the confrontation there. Attempt being the operative word. Ducking under its heavy blade and firing a few well place shots into the creature's snout Shinji was able to deflect the assault.
Of course in the time it took to do this the dead demon's companions had found the time to surround his position and charge him as he attempted to regain a more defensive stance. Once again attempt being the operative word. No sooner than he was on his feet did a Ranfar demon try to dissect him above the waist with its forearm scalpel like blades that snapped out at him like a switchblade. He barely dodge the attack while bringing up his progressive knife.
The Ranfar crept forward readying itself for another attack, while his comrades did the same, but they wouldn't shoot now. They were too close and they learned quick. The first few to fire at him at the start of this were just as quickly blasted by their own hell fire. Shinji's AT field, that orange hexagonal force field came to life spreading it around him and easily deflected their shots. With their current positions they would be efficiently slaughtering themselves. Too bad the Plug suits AT Field didn't work like the Eva's, for if it did even the Ranfar's blades wouldm't have passed through, making it a whole lot more easier to deal with these animals.
But that wasn't the case... so when the Ranfar and the Banki demon, with its short sword leapt forward, their blades held in a skewering technique, their bodies came through where the AT Field would have been and right into the waiting maws of the high speed, vibrating death known as the progressive knife.
There was once a time when Shinji would have revolted at the thought of killing someone. Much like the seasons, these thoughts had passed. Now he moved with practiced efficiency, and with secret joy, extending the knife's blade. In a matter seconds, mainly the time it took for the Ranfar to make its first step and leap the small vibrating katana like knife became a long vibrating katana like sword, extending right through the jumping demons chest, blocking Shinji's body and forcing the Banki to find a new method of attack.
As for its companion... to be honest, this wasn't a good situation for the demon and any sensible creature with a few inches of hot metal sticking through them would try to find a quick and painless way to extract itself.
So when the Ranfar jerked itself to its enemies right it had this principle in mind. Unfortunately Ranfar are not known for their intelligence and in doing so it had forgotten about the painless element of the solution, therefore scattering its entrails along the floor.
Shinji being the son of a Genius didn't wait to take advantage of the circumstances. While using its body as a shield, he fired into the masses. The distraction of their teammates death, costing many of them their lives.
Now there only stood four enemies left and they didn't look all too happy at how things were turning out. Still, there were four of them and only one of him, so the odds were nevertheless in their favor. They all ignored the fact that they had three times there number when they started this and continued to press the attack. The human would die like all of its kin had before it.
Shinji backed up a bit on the uneven ground and readied himself for another attack. They came at him in pairs. Dodging the first attack, he was able to make a quick hit on one of the retreating opponents then blocked the last two attacks. Taking a step forward to press his own attack, nearly cost him his own life as a loose stone sent him to the ground. Rolling up Shinji only had time to block before he was pushed back until the wall of what had once been some building or another with his own blade inches away from his face, barely holding the opposing demon's weapon.
'I can't die here, I won't die here, I won't, I refuse, I CAN'T DIE YET!' His eyes burning a intense blue the young Ikari screamed in defiance to fate as the world faded from his vision.