Retribution

Meanwhile, in NERV, JSSFD commandos went systemathically through halls and rooms, executing anybody who had the bad fortune to meet them. In a side hall, next to a lift, a commando examined the still body of Major Misato Katsuragi.

"Bah! What a waste." He dropped Misato´s arm to the floor, she had no pulse, and the body rested in a big pool of blood.

One of his team-mates was putting explosive charges on the lift door, they had seen the Major push one of the pilots in.

Before he could put the electronic fuse, a bubbling wheeze got their attention. It came from the body of the unlucky Operations Chief. The three commandos felt a chill, seeing the dead hands tremble. The body started to rise, spasmodically, head and arms hung limply from the torso, and the feet almost slid on the blood.

With a wet snap, Misato´s neck straightened, a gurgling came from the throat, and half clotted drops of blood spattered on the floor. It seemed as if the cadaver was trying to speak.

At last, the commandos reacted, they emptied their weapons on the reanimated body. Pieces of flesh and bone fell from the body. The cadaver still rose, among grotesque snaps.

It stood. Dark blood flowed from its wounds. It wheezed, dragging a word, "...Mmuurrrrrr... ...derrrrrr... ...errrssssssss..."

The soldiers were paralyzed, they kept pulling the triggers long after their magazines were empty.

The clicks from their weapons and the snaps from the bones sounded alike, while the animated body rose in the air, floating like a marionette. The bloodied clothes changed shape and color, the hair grew longer and longer, floating around the head like a slice of night; the face went paler and paler, and the eyes were two black wells of emptyness.

The apparition´s white and green kimono moved as if underwater.

"MONSTERS!" the woman´s voice chilled the blood in the soldiers´ veins. One tried to run away, but the Onryö´s hair caught him in an instant, wrapping his body like a fly in a spider´s web.

The prey wriggled weakly, trying to escape. A lone strand of hair moved close to his neck, moving like a snake. Suddenly, so fast nobody saw it, the hair cut the air with a whistling sound.

Horrified, the commandos that minutes before had walked into the deepest of NERV; killing unarmed civilians on the way, their deaths merely a score to brag about later; saw the head of their mate fall to the floor, in a rain of blood.

The Onryö dropped her victim. Her gaze rested on the commando who put the explosives on the lift´s door. A single movement of her hand, and the explosive charges jumped from the door, sticking to his body. Screaming, the man tried to rip his clothes off.

It was useless. A movement from the ghost sent him flying down to the lower floors. The explosions was deafening. Blood and gore rained over the last two occupants of the level. The white kimono was soaked in so much blood it seemed to be crimson. The Onryö straightened her neck, and the blood disappeared gradually flom her clothes, among suction noises.

The last commando soiled himself.

A bloodthirsty laugh from the Onryö was the last thing he heard. Her poisonous smile the last thing he saw.

Back in the cages, Shinji Ikari screamed. Unit-01, the only way he could fight, was frozen in bakelite.

"Move, damn it! Do something!"

Through the comms, he could hear Asuka Langley Soryu fighting. She was alone, against the nine MP Evangelions. Asuka was good, but in such disadvantage, she was doomed.

Defeated, the boy howled his anguish and desperation. Begging for help.

Somebody heard him.

A platoon was about to break into Central Dogma. Everybody there knew they only had a few minutes left. Makoto tried to convince Maya to use a gun, but the Lieutenant was completely dominated by her fear.

The door exploded, and a cloud of black smoke entered the room. From both sides of the door, shots boomed.

The JSSDF commandos were shooting as they entered. The NERV techs tried to hide behind the furniture, and sell their lifes dearly.

The smoke would take only a few moments to clear.

Suddenly, the dense smoke stopped its movement, and went back to the door. The commandos were so focused on killing NERV´s personnel they didn´t notice as the smoke covered them, blinding them for a moment. Screams of fear and pain were heard, and a rain of bullets came out the cloud. All fell to the floor before touching anybody.

When the smoke cleared, the soldiers lay on the floor. Dead.

Shigeru Aoba was the closest to the fallen. He gathered his courage, and his eyes locked into Makoto´s. Both nodded, and Shigeru crawled carefully to the closest commando, while Makoto covered him with his own gun. Shigeru took the machine gun from the man´s hands. He poked the man´s ribs with his gun. The metal went into to the body, without any resistance. The man turned into dust in a few seconds, Shigeru uncovered the face, finding a backened skull, barely covered by a few strands of disintegrating flesh. Silently, Shigeru murmured thanks, that whatever had happened, it had happened behind the smoke.

It was a fast and horrible death. Shigeru never knew that, had not been for a kid´s screams, it would had been a slow, and much more horrible death.

All the soldiers that had invaded NERV had suffered the same fate.

Above, Unit-02 red armor was covered in blood. The blood of her enemies. Finally, without any shadow of doubt, Asuka had proved who was the top Evangelion pilot.

Around her, lay the broken pieces of the nine white Evangelions. She only had a few seconds of power, but it did not matter. She had won. She allowed herself a smile, satisfied of her victory, knowing her mother was with her.

To her horror, the pieces moved by themselves, regenerating the mutilated bodies.

Down in the cages, Shinji was still screaming, he didn´t notice another presence in the huge room. Nor that the bakelite was liquefying around Unit-01.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Resigned to his fate, he tiredly closed his eyes; waiting for the bullet that would end his life.

The smell of lavender surrounded him. It was Misato´s favorite. A tear rolled down his cheek, as he remembered his guardian. He wondered if he would see her again, at the other side.

"Get up, Shinji. Asuka needs you."

He turned around, looking for the person who had spoken. It was an strange sight, a woman with the face covered with a cracked porcelain mask, dressed with a white and green kimono.

The mask smiled tenderly, despite the blood tear painted on it. "Unit-01 is free. Go. Help Asuka."

Disbelieving, Shinji looked at the cage. The purple Evangelion really was free. Its huge hand extended next to him, inviting him to get on it. The boy was full with purpose once again. He would not run away anymore.

He jumped on the giant´s hand, and as he entered the plug, he looked for the strange woman. She wasn´t there anymore.

The white evangelions surrounded Unit-02 like vultures. Deciding it was time to attack, one of then threw the strange sword he carried at the red Eva. Reacting immediately, Asuke raised her A-T Field. The sword stopped in the air, just for a moment. It twisted impossibly, becoming a two pronged lance. It was a copy of the Lance of Longinus, capable of piercing an A-T Field like it was air. The lance continued its flight, right at the upper left eye of Eva-02. Asuka was paralyzed by incredulity, seeing the sharp point of the lance getting closer to her own face.

The prong never hit its target.

A purple hand got in the way, and was pierced through. Stopping the weapon at the point it bifurcated. The lance was a few millimeters away from making contact with Unit-02´s eye. For an eternal moment, lance and Evangelions stood still. Until Unit-01 grabbed the lance, extrating it carefully from its partner´s A-T Field.

Unit-02 was out of power, and the A-T Field collapsed. The only power left was in the plug. Life support and comms. A comm window oppened, "Are you OK, Asuka?"

Baka-Shinji. She had never been so glad to hear his whiny voice. "It was about time you got here, you Baka! Why did it take you so long?"

"S-sorry... Unit-01 was frozen in bakelite. I came as soon as I could." He almost choked a sob. "...but... Misato... ...I th-think she´s... dead, Asuka..." His eyes burned with sadness and fury.

Asuka had no answer for that. So she changed subject immediately, back to the current problem. "These things regenerate! I broke them to pieces and they are back up again. I lost my umbilical cable and I´m out of power."

Finally, the white Evangelions reacted, and attacked again. Unit-02 didn´t exist for them anymore. The arrival of Unit-01 had changed their priorities.

Armed with a Lance of Longinus, Shinji attacked too. After his desperation, having the chance to act, he was furious. All his life he had been stepped on and humilliated. Now he had the chance and the will to release all that pent-up anger on targets that actually deserved it.

Those who had witnessed the berserker fury of Unit-01 feared those episodes. The Angels Sachiel, Leliel, and Zeruel had been destroyed by that fury. Unit-01 went berzerk when Yui Ikari´s soul protected her son; and her anger fused with Unit-01 own fury. In that way, they were able to erase mountains from existence.

This time, the berserk was very human.

Shinji would protect the woman he loved at all costs. His fury was even greater and more destructive than her mother and Unit-01´s combined.

And, unlike Unit-02, he had no need for an umbilical cable.

Down, at Terminal Dogma, a gun had been fired. The body of Doctor Ritsuko Akagi lay on the cold metal floor.

Commander Gendo Ikari was not in the mood for more delays. His Escenario was about to finish. At his side, Rei Ayanami was torn by doubts, not knowing what to do when the time came.

Those doubts were to remain unaswered.

The lights went off. A cold will blowed around them. Incorporeal whisperings invaded the place. So weak that no words could be understood. A cold, greenish light illuminated the place.

Doctor Akagi sat up. Like a puppet. The blood stain that stained her chest was shrinking, as her blood returned to the wound that had killed her. The woman´s eyes were white, and from them, flowed two thins streams of white smoke.

Rei was paralyzed. Gendo reacted, shooting twice. The bullets stopped in the air, a few centimeters from Ritsuko´s head. Ritsuko spoke with a strange voice, while another stream of white smoke blowed from her mouth. "Wait for your turn, Commander." The bullets clattered on the floor.

Ikari pulled Rei by the hand, he was about to run when he heard a gurgling noise. Akagi was kneeling on the floor, shaking convulsively, vomiting a black, fibrous mass. The smoke from her eyes and mouth dissipated. She raised her head, looked at Rei, and whispered with her own voice, "...Forgive me..."

Anguished, Rei nodded. Akagi dropped limply to the floor, breathing deep.

Again, Ikari pulled Rei´s hand. They had to get to Lilith to start Third Impact. After one single step, he almost crashed onto a strange woman. The porcelain mask on her face looked angry with disapproval. Ikari would not tolerate any more delays, and shot twice at the intruder´s face. The mask exploded in tiny pieces.

There was nothing behind it. Only a mass of black hair.

The porcelain bits stopped, and went back into their places. Now, the mask looked severe. "It´s over, Comander. You won´t do any more harm. To anyone. Ever."

That voice, it was strangely familiar.

The Onryö´s hair came to life. In an instant, Commander Ikari was wrapped by it, raised on the air. The Onryö looked at Rei. "It will be better for you to go back up. Back to Central Dogma. Help Ritsuko. I have some matters to discuss with... Commander Ikari."

Rei obeyed, the young bluenette helped the scientist to her feet. She seemed to be in shock, but unharmed. Both went to the lift. Once the doors closed, the Onryö´s empty eyes stared into the terrified eyes of Gendo Ikari. "Now, Sir. You will explain everything to me. Let´s start with..." Deep in thought, the Onryö tapped the point of one claw on the mask that was her face. "...Shinji."

Two streams of smoke rose from the mask´s eyes, and like snakes, they moved to Gendo Ikari´s eyes.

There was a single scream. It lasted for way too long for a human throat.