I do not own Mass Effect 2 or Evangelion.
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Thanks to Rusty Knight and Psudocode Samurai for reviewing.
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On wings of light
Chapter 2. Re-Birth
"Launch"The word reverberated out from the hangar momentarily distracting Shepard and the Quarian marines. A few of them turned to see who or what had spoken.
"What was?-" One of the Marines started saying before being knocked to the ground by Jacob. A particle beam sliced the air where the marine had been standing moments before.
"Damn!" Asuka screeched as the collector force that had been approaching steadily suddenly lurched into skittering motion advancing at twice their previous rate and began firing wildly at their position.
"Fire!" Shepard shouted and began to aim at the heavy units. If we can out take out the smaller ones maybe we can hide in the hangar until the Normandy can reinforce us. "Take out the small ones! The Normandy will be here soon!" Even as he said the words he knew they were a lie. Odds were those two giant assault units could survive even the Normandy's fire power long enough to kill them.
A shot glanced off his pauldron and ricocheted up and away to fall into the mouth of the hangar. An involuntary twitch caused him to trace its path into the hangar.
The pinpoint of light stopped abruptly.
Motionless it hung in the air. A tiny metal star.
Boom. A small tremor resonated through the ground and up through his boots.
The shots striking around them intensified distracting Shepard from the strange anomaly. Shouldering his weapon he once again concentrated on taking down the Collector drones and Heavies.
Boom. Another tremor rippled through the ground.
Screams of all kinds tore the air as both sides hammered away at each other. Aside from pausing to reload Shepard's entire focus was narrowed down to the narrow view provided by the sights of his weapon.
Boom. The tremors seemed to be getting closer as the Collector's advanced.
Explosions rippled along the left flank throwing Asuka and a marine to the ground in a shower of rocks and earth. Breathing steadily Shepard continued taking out his targets with steady metronome precision
Boom
"Commander!" A voice pierced his consciousness. Dimly he noticed that the rate of incoming fire had slackened. Raising his head he looked around. Amazingly the battlefield had gone totally silent. Ahead of him the collector force stood silently. Around him the battered defenders shared equally baffled looks.
Boom
"Why did they stop." Jacob whispered as he kept his weapon trained on the enemy force. Next to his gun mount a pebble shuddered and fell to one side. He waited to hear it hit the ground. The sound never came. Glancing down he felt his breath catch in his throat.
Boom
"Keela" Tali spoke in a tone of profound awe. All around her rocks and small stones were rising into the sky. Around her the Quarian Marines stopped what they were doing. A few reached out hesitantly, gently, and touched some of the flying pieces of rock. Reaching down Tali picked up a rock the size of her fist, raising it to eye level she dropped it.
It floated gently. A small asteroid.
Boom The pervasive tremors that he had been feeling seemed to be coming from right behind him now. But right now didn't seem to be the best time to deal with it.
A flicker of light from the battlefield caught Shepard's eye. The two giant assault units had raised their arms, bolts of blue and red energy ran down their lengths brightening as it gathered in their palms which now resembled elongated gun barrels. They're going to fire! "Get DOWN!" He shouted and threw himself and the closest marine to the ground. Closing his eyes he waited for the end to come.
Light.
Light so bright it bleached the world around him. Blinding him. Blinding him through his visor. Through his closed eyelids.
Then the shock wave hit. It picked him up off the ground and threw him through the air like a child's toy. It bounced him off rocks and earth until it smashed him flat against an unyielding force. A single bright sharp flash of pain hit his mind before his armors auto-doc started pumping him full of pain killers and anti shock treatments. It did nothing for the earth shattering waves of sound that battered him like the drums of some ancient god of war. Sound so loud his mind couldn't process it and he blacked out.
But all things must eventually come to an end and soon enough the explosions did so. The sound eventually receding to a point his mind could handle.
Cracking open his eyes his mind tried desperately to make sense of its surroundings. On his cracked visor information started to scroll. Words and numbers that would moments ago have instantly told him all he needed to know about his squad became riddles that taunted him with knowledge he couldn't process. Every time he tried to isolate one patch of information from another it slid away before he could grasp it. His ears rang as his hearing painfully returned.
With a herculean effort he finally managed to get his eyes to focus past his visor. At first all he could see was dust. But then it parted and light once more filled his vision. Beyond it fire licked hungrily at the sky. Trying harder he managed to make some sense of it. A shape, a concept floated to the top of his mind. Shield.
It was a shield made of light.
Focusing on it seemed to clear his mind a bit. And with that clarity pain came flooding back into his consciousness. Amazingly it helped his mind recover even further. Tracking his head from left to right he spotted the still shapes of his squad and the quarian marines lying around him. Amazingly from each still form life signs life signs were coming in from each still form. A few of them were right on the ragged edge of life but.
They were all alive.
And that was when a foot descended from the sky and landed next to him.
Boom, it sent a tremor through the ground. It was attached to an armored form that loomed just out of sight. It stayed there for a moment and then pushed on through the smoke and dust. In a slightly bemused state he noticed that small rocks and pebbles were rising into the air around the leg. He only caught the most fleeting of glimpses of its shape before it was out of sight. But a few things stood out in his mind.
One. It was huge and man shaped
Two. Atop massive shoulders huge pillars reached up into the sky.
Three. It was warm. Like the sun given flesh.
and one last thing.
Wings.
It had wings.
And then the darkness he had been holding back swarmed up to the front of his mind and he knew no more.
oOo
"Dr Akagi." EDI's mellow voice was admonishing. "Please refrain from smoking in the sick bay."
Ritsuko hit the mute switch on the intercom casually as she looked over the charts she held negligently in the other. She wandered down the long aisle of the Normandy's med bay checking each still form as she walked by. At the far end of the bay a tall figure sat between two of the beds.
"Garrus what are you doing out of bed?" She asked exasperatedly.
"Sitting." Garrus replied a twisted smile stretching across his scaled face.
"Funny Garrus. Your still badly injured. So Bed. Now."
"Doctor. Two of my best friends are lying right here." He indicated Shepard and Tali lying on either side of him. "When you rescued me on Omega you and Shepard were there for me when I awoke. Can I do any less?" He shifted his broken arm unconsciously.
"All Right Garrus." She reached over and gently examined the various bandages on his face arms and body. "Ensign Ibuki!" She called out startling the brown haired girl that was busy typing into a terminal at the far end of the Med bay.
"Yes!" The brown eyed girl squeaked out as she rushed over to the doctor. Ensign Ibuki had been dragooned into helping her with the influx of patients they had picked up. Slender with her brown hair cut short she looked years younger than her actual age. It still amused Dr. Akagi that someone like the gentle girl had joined the notoriously violent Cerberus Organization.
"Ibuki change Garrus's bandages and do a check on the integrity of the Quarian Isolation Chambers. I'm going to check on our other patient." She turned and began making her way towards the exit barely aware of the shrill Yes ma'am that followed her out.
"Doctor." Garrus steady voice cut across the room stopping her in her tracks. "Be very careful around that boy."
"What are you talking about Garrus?" She asked curiously.
"Did you see the images from the battlefield?" He asked seriously his eyes locked onto hers.
"Yes. I'll admit they were fairly disturbing. But for you and Shepard isn't that just a slow Tuesday?" Ritsuko asked with an impish grin.
"No doctor. I'll admit me and Shepard tend to go... a bit over board at times. But what happened on that planet wasn't just violence Doctor." His quiet emotionless tone sent a small shiver down her spine.
"It was savagery Ritsuko."
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"Very interesting. Very interesting. Interesting indeed. Mass effect weaponry? No older? More advanced. Perhaps. Molecular armor, yes yes. Self repairing capabilities? Yes initial estimates seem to concur." Mordin muttered to himself as he examined the scans of the artifact machine.
"Doctor what do you make of this liquid." Gendo asked as he slid a microscope over to Mordin's side. He had changed into one of Mordin's spare coats and was now helping the rather eccentric doctor examine the data they had collected.
"Lets see. Ah yes. It looks organic but the composition is synthetic, crystalic. It seems to be composed of multi-cellular structures suspended in a liquid matrix. Hmm." The two professors continued their conversation speaking back and forth too quickly for most people to understand.
The door to the lab hissed open revealing the white clad form of Dr. Akagi. "Ah Doctors Ikari. I came to check on Shinji." She crossed the room only pausing to lay a comforting hand on Yui's shoulder. She stopped at the medical sarcophagus set in the corner of the lab. Inside floated the still form of a young man. A breathing mask pumped oxygen into his lungs. Red streaks flowed freely from his fingertips staining the blue amniotic liquid purple in streaks. All but one of his fingernails had been torn away. Presumably from trying to escape the artifact machine.
"Doctor how is he?" Yui asked her voice heavy with emotion.
"Give me a moment Mrs. Ikari." She and Mordin compared notes for nearly a half hour, chatting quietly. It was with a serious face that Ritsuko finally turned to speak with Yui.
"His physical injuries are minor. It is his internal condition that has me worried." Ritsuko settled into her 'professional' tone of voice.
"What do you mean?"
"His immersion in the interior of the artifact machine has effectively destroyed his immune system."
"Explain Doctor." Gendo looked up for the first time since Ritsuko had entered the room.
"Mordin do you want to explain." Ritsuko motioned to the Salarian.
"Yes. The Liquid Crystal lifeforms have created a brand new organ inside of the boy."
"Shinji." Yui interjected.
"Yes Shinji." Mordin continued with barely a pause. "This new organ is connected directly to his heart and spine. In itself it seems to do nothing except create more of the LCL's and provide some kind of link to the artifact machine. Shinji is transmitting passively on certain subspace frequencies."
Gendo stared impassively at Mordin, Yui on the other hand was much less composed but kept her silence.
Ritsuko picked up where Mordin left off. "The problem with the LCL's is that they defend themselves when Shinji's white blood cells try to expel them. Because of their saturation in his blood and muscle tissue they are destroying his white blood cells faster than Shinji can produce them." A shrill beeping interrupted her.
"Oh no." Inside the Sarcophagi Shinji had begun to thrash. A stream of bubbles suddenly erupted from his mask and the muscles in his neck were corded with strain. When Yui put her hand on the glass it vibrated from within. "He's screaming." She shouted at the room in general. Above his breathing mask his eyes were wide and unseeing.
"Doctor what's happening." Yui asked frantically.
"He's waking up. I think." Fingers flying over the keyboard Ritsuko monitored Shinji's wildly fluctuating vitals. "Were getting some kind of interference."
"Interesting. Sub space signals between Shinji and the artifact Machine are increasing exponentially. Analyzing Impossible. Data flow speed and transfer too fast to track. Multi-Tiered data in load and ex load. Similar to fleets data sharing system. Smaller more compact." Mordin commented from his station. "Hmm Data transfer speed is increasing."
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Water he was in water. The thought sent shockwaves of panic resonating throughout his body. NO NO not again. Let me out! Let ME OUT! Blue light filled his vision, dimly through the liquid he could spot shapes moving in the distance.
He hammered his fists into the walls surrounding him, screaming as he did so. NO NO NO NO. The claustrophobic confines sent dark whispers slithering into his mind. Memories from long ago tried to push their way into the forefront of his mind.
No not again. His vision was starting to double, warp, split, between two sets of images. One moment he was walking along a dark tunnel the next he was drowning in blue liquid. He couldn't process it.
Why? The images began to flicker back and forth faster and faster until he could no longer distinguish one from the other. In a final flash of color and light his sight cleared.
He was walking out of the hangar. On Haestrom?
Yes. He knew. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. There was no uncertainty in his mind. It was a strange sensation.
Mind Impulse Link... sync ratio climbing... 10%
Anti-Gravity propulsion system... Power feed initiated...
Pushing past doubt he continued to make his way out of the hangar doors, his feet sending tremors through the ground. Wait the dimensions were wrong? No they weren't. He was.
His thoughts were abruptly sidelined as he took a final step into the mid-morning light of Haestrom's surface.
Mind Impulse Link... sync ratio climbing... 20%
First stage mental partition lowering
Enemy. The words was sharp and jagged in his mind. He examined his enemy quickly.
2 Assault units. Undamaged. Charging Main Batteries. Classification Angel. Threat level... High. Initiating Countermeasures.
8 heavy support. 3 destroyed. 2 minor damage. 3 Undamaged. Classification Praetorian. Threat level... Low. Arming Secondary weapons.
32. Infantry. 7 Destroyed. 13 minor damage. 12 undamaged. Classification Drone. Threat level... None. Anti personnel weaponry set to automatic.
Mind Impulse Link... sync ratio climbing... 28%
Second stage mental partition lowering
A slow heat began to burn inside of him. Anger. Rage. An emotion that was only partly from him. A scrap of chatter diverted him.
He glanced down.
Tali. Kal. He counted them in the space of an instant. 11 effective's counting her friend Shepard and Co.
Mind Impulse Link... sync ratio climbing... 36%
Secondary nerve connections active...
He raised his shield at the same moment the Assault Units fired, his face twisted into a grimace by the emotions that were pounding through his mind.
The glowing shield he raised in front of his friends held firm in the face of the assault. Somehow he knew that some of the energy was being transferred to him. As the barrage intensified stray bolts of energy shot past him into and around the hangar entrance throwing up huge clouds of dust.
And then it was over. The streaking bolts of energy no longer hammered against his defenses.
Enemy weapons recharging...
Weapons online...
Anti-Gravity propulsion online...
Mind Impulse Link... sync ratio climbing... 41%
Minimum Synch ratio threshold reached...
Final partition lowered...
and the yammering that had been tickling the back of his mind erupted forth into the forefront of his mind in a rush of emotion and need.
oOo
"Assuming Direct Control" One of the collector's drones spat out as it was abruptly taken over. "All forces attack." He chittered to the horde as he led the way forward. "Recover the-"
A bolt of plasma shot out from the cloud of dust surrounding the underground hangar and cut him off. Literally, as his torso hit the ground sans legs. The beam continued tracking the assembled drones and praetorian's turning many to ash and disabling more.
And then like a wraith shrouded in smoke and dust IT erupted out of the dust and plowed towards them, held aloft by glowing wings. Before the light faded from his eyes the general choked out one last word his voice distorted by anger and fear. "Evangelion."
oOo
Unit one crashed into the center of the shattered Collector formation its armored feet smashing several drones into paste. Its wings flickered once and disappeared. Reaching out with its hands it lurched to its feet and grabbed the arm of the nearest Angel Class enemy and yanked it down savagely, breaking the limb and impaling the Angel on its horn. Its other arm flickered forward and buried itself to the elbow in its chest shattering the orb set there in a shower of sparks.
The Angel threw back its head and screeched soundlessly. Organic looking ooze fountain-ed out of its wounds and splashed onto gleaming purple armor. Sawing its head back and forth Unit One drove its horn down and out tearing it loose with a crunch as it tore through the angels armor.
Tossing the dead angel to one side Unit One casually picked up a squirming praetorian and crushed it in one armored hand. Tossing the shattered shell aside Unit One turned its baleful gaze towards the remaining Angel. It's eyes glowing with a soft white light as it stared.
White eyes stared back into glowing blue eyes as the two titans squared off. Growling gutturally Unit One charged forward armored feet tearing divots out of the rocky earth.
The angel crossed its arms in front of its chest causing the shields that rippled across its body to flare up into a glowing blue energy shield that Unit One smashed into and rebounded off of in a shower of sparks.
Rolling once Unit One levered up itself onto one knee and glared at the angel. Getting up it charged once more, fists smashing ineffectively into the energy shield. Sidestepping quickly Unit One tried to get around the shield but the angel kept the shield interposed between itself and its enemy.
Growling Unit One took a step back and tilted its head quizzically as it examined the shield. Eyes narrowing its growling took on a new pitch as smoke began to wisp gently around its armored fingers.
Slowly at first then faster and faster the alien ichor on Unit One's hands began to steam, it's hands beginning to glow with internal energy. Purple armor turned to red then white as energy began to crackle around armored fingers, the heat warping the air as the light intensified.
Slowly it approached the shield once more glowing hands held out stretched as it rammed the shield once more. This time its energy sheathed fingers gouged into the energy shield instead of bouncing off. Armored shoulders shaking and seeming to bulge Unit One began to slowly exert pressure. Bolts of energy arced out in every direction as the shield began to change color and distort. Bit by bit a tear began to form in its iridescent surface.
With a final massive effort Unit One pulled its arms apart shattering the shield explosively. The shock wave incinerating everything within a large radius, the dancing crackling touched the remaining Collector drones and Praetorian's only for the barest of seconds before they were simply ash and charred shells.
With a guttural howl of victory Unit One's hands lashed out. The fingers of its right hand were held in a V as it punched its burning hand through the eye sockets of the Angel's skull mask. Burning its way through with ease until it exploded out the back with a crack in a spray of burning fluid and armor, before pulling back and digging its fingers in. It's left hand came up and dug into the angels shoulder its hand burning through the armor and synthetic muscle until it hit the internal skeletal structure and stopped.
Twisting its arms Unit one tore the arm off at the joint spraying alien gore and bits of burning metal into the air. Roaring in savage joy it shook the now limp body off its right hand sending the now diminished but still massive Angel crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Straddling the prone angel Unit One's hands began to tear into the angel. Metallic cracks and snaps were heard as armor was twisted torn and ripped out. Smoke began to rise into the sky as organic matter began to burn. Great sheets of metal and gobs of gray flesh continued to fly in the to the sky as Unit One continued its savage work.
After what seemed like an eternity Unit One finally began to slow before finally slumping to a stop above the now unidentifiable mass of twisted and burning Angel. Finally motionless after the carnage that it had wrought.
oOo
"And there!" Ritsuko exclaimed with a flourish. She had finally managed to get a sedative to take effect finally ending the nerve wracking stand off in the lab. And now Shinji had finally been stabilized. He slumped forward in his tank his breathing finally steadying after beating both erratically and frantically for several long minutes. "Looks like his brainwaves finally steadied as well." She sighed in relief. "He'll be Okay Dr. Ikari." She turned to address Gendo and Yui but found only Shinji's mother staring back at her. She blinked a few times in surprise.
"My husband said he couldn't watch anymore and left." Yui explained answering her unspoken question. "Thank you doctor" Her voice brimming with gratitude and relief.
Ritsuko nodded back in silent acknowledgment.
oOo
Elsewhere on the Normandy Gendo Ikari walked purposefully and surely towards the communications room. Stepping into the HyperCom chamber he spoke quietly. "Computer Acknowledge and execute. Code Cerberus Alpha Sigma 23U8GM34DD, Connect to User 1-A."
"Acknowledged." EDI's voice switched over to a genderless and robotic tone. "Sealing room. Link established."
The Hyper-Com's interactive holographic interface came to life. The Illusive man looked up from his desk and acknowledged Gendo with a curt nod. "What did you find?"
"It is as we hoped." Gendo replied with the barest of hint of a smile. He went on to briefly summarize the events on Haestrom and the data they had acquired.
"And your son?" The Illusive Man asked curiously.
"Irrelevant, if he can not be controlled he can be replaced." Gendo replied callously adjusting his orange glasses with one hand.
In front of him the Illusive man stood up and examined the star that was projected behind his seat. His posture betrayed nothing except perhaps anticipation and barely suppressed delight.
"This is it my old friend. A new Genesis for Man-Kind has begun."
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AN: Thanks to my Beta's Whitedragon17 and Psudocode Samurai who as always provide me with unparalleled help and support. Both are amazing authors and I highly recommend All of their fics. And thanks to all my reviewers.
AAN: If you think I made a mistake or have a suggestion or an idea, Please PM me or leave it in a review.