Well, Chapter two. Took advice given in a review, so hopefully I'll get some construtive critism now.
This is set just after the series, make up your own ending for the final few battles, as there are so many alternate fics I didn't want to jump on the band wagon.
Disclaimer: Same as before, see chapter one for details.
Asuka looked quietly at the Angel-Wing. The giant robot had been put in the Cage next to Unit-01. It's eyes still shone with a dull red. Asuka didn't know why, but, the robot scared her.
"Why am I so scared of it?" she said to herself, "It's just a robot." she said, staring into the red eyes.
Asuka frowned and stared harder. After a few seconds the eyes on the robot blinked.
"HAHA! Yes! No beats me at…a…staring…cont…" Asuka suddenly realised what happened.
Asuka's eyes drifted back towards the robots. They still shone with a dull glow.
"No…Way…" she said backing up against the wall. The red eyes still fixed on her.
Asuka stepped forwards. "Y…Your deactivated…Right?" she said.
Asuka swore she saw the robots head cock slightly to the left.
---
In the infirmary, Shinji, Rei, Misato, Ritsuko and Maya stood opposite Jessie and the person who had been in the robot with her, who Jessie had introduced as her mother. Her name was Rachel. Her hair was just a bit longer than Rei's, coming down a few inches over her the collar on her jacket.
Jessie and Rachel looked nearly identical to each other. Same colour hair, same Ice-blue eyes, There where obvious differences, like Jessie's hair was longer than her mothers, and that Rachel had a slimmer jaw-line, but overall, not a lot was different.
The first thing that the NERV group noticed was that both were extremely pale, almost white, like Rei, and deep black bags under the eyes gave their heads the appearance of a skull.
"Right," said Ritsuko, "Welcome to NERV. My name is Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, This is my assistant Maya Ibuki. This Major Misato Katsuragi, and Pilots Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami."
Shinji and Misato said "Hi.", Rei nodded and Maya smiled. Jessie smiled.
"Hey." she said back, lazily waving a hand.
Rachel, on the other hand was really cheerful.
"Hi! How are you?" she said shaking everyone's hand. She moved to Rei, "Hello." she said holding out her hand.
Rei looked up "Hello." she said shaking her hand. Everyone in room apart from, aside from Jessie, Rachel and Rei, stood wide-eyed. Jessie was the first to react
"Hey, she only said 'hello', I doubt it'll cause the end of the world." she said.
Ritsuko shook her head.
"Oh, its nothing…er…I have to take some blood tests, so could you take of your jacket?"
Rachel shifted.
"Are you okay?" said Shinji.
Rachel sighed, "Yeah I just, I'm afraid of needles, that's all." she said. Ritsuko smiled
"Don't worry it'll only take a sec…" Rachel looked at a wall cabinet that had suddenly become very interesting. She felt a jab as the needle entered her arm, and then there was nothing.
"There it wasn't so bad was it?" asked Ritsuko labelling the container. Rachel started to sway, whatever energy was in her had seemed to have been taken in the blood test.
"I think I'll have a lie down." she said, turning laying on the bed. Ritsuko turned to Jessie.
"Okay, your turn." she said.
Jessie pushed the hair away that had fallen across her face. Then she took her jacket off. Everyone in the room, except Rachel, let out a gasp when they saw Jessie's arms.
They was covered in scars.
Shinji noticed Maya go very pale, nearly as pale as Jessie was. He followed her eyes and noticed two scars on Jessie's wrists, two on each one. They weren't clean cuts, but ragged.
Jessie looked up. "What? Oh them…" she said casually looking down at her wrists.
"W…What's…that from?" asked Shinji. Reaper looked down.
"That's from trying to save a friend, a piece of door kept opening and closing. Guess I got too close, and the perfect lines are from something we call a 'Shredder'." she said.
Maya looked up, "Shredder?" she said. Jessie looked at her,
"Yeah it's a…" she started, but trailed off.
"Tell them…" said Rachel.
"Ok…" sighed Jessie, "A Shredder is a enemy soldier like that Wrecker outside. Basically, They use it for clearing bunkers that only have one exit. Hydrad's don't have a problem with any humans they kill, any. Men, Women Children…I've seen a Shredder let loose in a refugee bunker…and…" Jessie swallowed.
"Hydrads?" asked Misato, but her question went unheard.
"As the name says, It 'shreds' anything it considers an enemy. Everyone's got scars, from the fight we had with one. No-got it as bad as Kelly did though…" she said trailing off again.
Maya glanced in Rachel's direction. She looked at the floor remembering something, and she started to rub her hands. She turned back to Jessie.
"Kelly?" she said.
"Yeah, she's a pilot in my squad. When the Shredder came through the floor, we all took cover, she didn't make it…"
"Did she….die?" said Shinji
Jessie looked towards Shinji,
"…To cover," she said finishing her sentence.
"To answer your question. No, thanks to her," she pointed at Rachel, "But we realised why we call it a 'Shredder'." she said
"Why?" said Rei. Shinji looked at Jessie's face, she looked down with a smirk,
"Ever seen what happens when you get your arm caught in a wood chipper?" she asked, the looks she got answered his question, "You know what a wood chipper is right?" she got the same look.
"That's why." she said. Maya moved uneasily.
"Hey, What's that? A tattoo?" asked Misato pointing at what seemed like numbers tattooed on Jessie's left forearm. Misato moved to grab her arm.
"Its nothing" said Jessie.
"Oh, C'mon," said Misato playfully, "I don't bite" she said, a very flirtatious look on her face. Ritsuko rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Hey! I was just kiddin'!" said Misato, laughing it off.
The look of horror and disbelief on Jessie's face (and Shinji's) was suddenly replaced with a look of confusion as she felt someone gently grab her arm. He looked down and saw Maya holding it.
"0-8-7-6-6-4." she read out-loud, "What does that mean?" she asked.
"I'll…tell you all later…" said Jessie, cracking the knuckles in her left hand.
"Right, anyway" said Ritsuko, about to take the blood test.
"Wait, what is this?" she said looking a scar on Jessie's arm, exactly where she had to take the blood test. Ritsuko would have past it off as another blood test scar, but the mark was black underneath the skin, with what seemed like tendrils branching off it. Ritsuko let it go and went to get something to try and clean the mark.
Jessie looked at the mark then over to Rachel, with a slight glare. Rachel arched her eyebrows and smiled, and looked almost sorry. Jessie's head tiled to the side.
Suddenly Jessie's left arm tensed, Maya saw Rachel move back, almost in fear. Jessie clenched her fist and her arm relaxed. Maya realised that she was the only person that noticed.
"It's not as if I haven't had a blood test before" she said, with a sarcastic smirk. Ritsuko frowned.
"That's a piece of the Shredder, We managed to snap the claw off before it sliced my arm in two" said Jessie.
"Okay," she said taking the blood test in his right arm instead, she didn't want to touch the black mark, that had seemed to start slowly pulsating.
When she had finished, a voice came from the speakers.
"Captain O'Connell, Report to Commander Ikari's office, Repeat, Captain O'Con…"
Jessie cracker her neck and put her jacket back on. "Guess I'll be seeing you later." said Jessie walking out the door. Misato walked out followed by Shinji and Rei.
"Guess we'll see you later as well, Bye." said Misato walking out. Ritsuko waved a hand.
Ritsuko put a drop of blood on a microscope plate and started to look at it. She looked over at Rachel who was sitting on the bed holding her stomach. She turned to Maya "Do you think…" she said.
"That she did those scars herself? No, she doesn't seem the type" said Maya, looking at the door. Ritsuko smiled. Maya shuddered
"What's the matter?" asked Ritsuko
"Nothing I was just thinking of that 'Shredder' thing, it must have been horrible"
"It was," Rachel's voice came from behind them. "Take a seat, I'll tell you about it."
---
Rachel walked though the base that had been put up in the city near the front line. There was a low fog on the floor, made grey by the dark sky. As she walked she pulled her combat jacket tighter around her. She noticed some of the new recruits, move out of her way, due to the fact that she was extremely pale. No-one could see that though, due to the gasmask all troops had to wear for protection against the climate. That was a false story, the climate was fine. Most wore the gasmask to keep themselves warm. The new recruits snapped to attention, seeing the Colonel insignia on Rachel's jacket collar.
These 'glory boys' as she called them, had just come off the orbiting space stations, where they had fresh water, warmth, and sunlight. The arrival to terra firma must have been on hell of a culture shock. Rachel glanced up at the recruits and returned the salute. Rachel wondered if they thought they made the right choice joining the army.
The ground was black, mostly from the dust of the pulverised city that surrounded them. The roads where cracked and leafless charred trees stood in various locations, branches reaching out like gnarled hands. Most buildings still stood, but where reduced to ruins. Twisted re-bar jutted out of the blackened walls. Some one had raised a U.H.N flag in one of the buildings, and Rachel came to the conclusion that the building was the Command Post for the area.
Someone had scrawled 'Humanity will Prevail!' on a wall, and Rachel shook her head as she read it. That had been the overall thought at the beginning of the war, but it had become so drawn out and bloody that no-one listened to the motivational speeches from the President safe in his space station above anymore.
Rachel continued walking and looked over to the Med-tent, and frowned. She recognized the people, standing, sitting, and laying outside it. She started running.
When she reached she froze, looking at the people outside. "Oh my God!" she said,
"What happened!" her daughter, Sara, limped over to her, her leg was bandaged, and her forearm was covered in blood. As well as a large part of her jacket.
"Sara!" said Rachel reaching for the blood.
"Don't worry, it's not mine." said Sara, "A Shredder got in to the room we were in, When we were at the front."
"Why weren't you in your titans?" asked Rachel. Sara laughed.
"Taking back what's left of the capital?" she said, "Using Titans? Are you mad?" she said. Rachel chuckled.
"Ok, Ok…" she said. Sara sighed.
"Apparently it would have been a blow to morale if we waded in and began destroying everything," said Sara. "But…The Hydrads sent in Wreckers and Brutes. They tore the place apart."
"So there was nothing to save?" asked Rachel. Sara shook her head.
"I'd rather of Skyfired the whole place. So there'd be nothing left to die over anymore." she said. Rachel nodded.
Rachel looked around and saw Linda holding her leg. She walked over and knelt next to her. The brown haired girl looked towards her,
"Hi, Ms O'Connell." she said weakly, leaning back while Rachel pulled the bandage of her leg. Rachel saw a perfect line across her shin, as well as through the bone, she sighed, "God…".
Linda laughed, "Don't worry we're not that bad."
Rachel looked around.
"Hey where's Kelly?" she asked, suddenly a bone-chilling scream came for the tent. Linda flicked some hair that had fallen across her face "In there, she got the worst." she said as a tear formed in her eye. "Where's Skylar? She's your Medic." said Rachel. Linda looked to her left.
"She's over there, she's worked her-self out." Rachel looked at Skylar, she had her forearms bandaged, she had taken off her gasmask and blood was running down the left side of her face. Her eyes had a glazed look on them like she was in shell-shock.
"How'd you survive?" asked Rachel.
"We managed to shoot the thing in the legs. Then basically, we piled out of the room, then threw as many grenades as we had back in."
Rachel swallowed.
"So it's dead?"
"Well, being in about seventy pieces, give or take, I assume so." said Linda.
Suddenly the doctor walked out of the tent, everyone looked up, towards or at him.
"Well?" said Kate, Rachel's younger daughter and Sara's twin sister. The Doctor was to laid back for his own good.
"She's not gonna make it, shes losing to much blood." he said.
"Your giving up!?" shouted Sara, frowning.
"Yes." he said, scratching the back of his head, "There's no-way she'll survive, it's kind of a mercy, for these kids, she'll bleed o…" He was cut off as Rachel punched him to the floor.
"Mom?" said Kate. Rachel was breathing heavily. She ripped her Gas-mask off her face and reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it, looking at the sky.
"Mom!" screamed Sara "You smoke?!" Rachel opened her eyes
"Only at times like this." she said. Sara nodded,
"Okay, But don't make a habit of it." she said
"I won't."
They all waited for about five minutes while Rachel checked their wounds. Even the sedated ones, Jessie, Lydia, James, Alex, Rebecca.
"Why are they sedated?" asked Rachel.
"It's the only way I could stop them from trying to see Kelly." said Skylar.
Then another scream came for the tent, Rachel stood up.
"Shit!" she said throwing her cigarette to the floor, and walking to the tent door. When she opened it, she went even more pale than she was, turned round and threw up. She dropped to her knees and held her stomach, her eyes widened in horror. "Mom? You okay?" said Kate,
"Yeah…Jeez…" she said she stood back up, took a breath and walked into the tent.
Rachel had seen refugee bunkers turned into abattoirs, Soldiers torn in two by Berserkers and the aftermath of a Crawler attack, but when she looked down at Kelly lying on the table, something was different. The green cloth on the table had turned red. Rachel walked over to the table, she heard a plat sound when she got closer, she looked down and saw that the floor was a mix of blood and mud. She moved to Kelly's face and looked down. Kelly's fringe, that she had grown long on her left side of her face, clung to it with blood. Rachel gently moved it with her hand, Kelly's green eyes moved slowly to Rachel's face, "M…Ms….Ms O'Con…nell?" she said weakly.
"Yeah, Kel, it's me." she said. She looked up at the medic and two nurses in the tent with her. She rolled her sleeves up and put on a pair of surgical gloves.
"Can you sedate her?" Rachel asked
"No…she's too weak, It'd probably finish her off." said the Nurse
Rachel jerked back against the table behind her. "You…can't?" Rachel suddenly felt afraid, she'd have to operate with Kelly awake.
"Okay." she whispered. She looked down at Kelly's wounds, her left forearm had six perfect lines across it, and a mark that looked like and 'X', there was a shallow cut on her forehead. She looked at Kelly's body, there was a long cut across her collar-bone, Rachel moved her eyes down to her stomach, she saw a bandage wrapped round it, stained red. She didn't want to remove it, but knew she'd have to. Kelly's right forearm was worse than her left.
Rachel knew there was something she had access to, that would stop the pain while she operated, and give Kelly a fighting chance.
Except it was her attempt at playing God, and she swore she'd never use it again. "Kate!" she called Kate's head poked though the door on the tent. "Ye...?" she stopped when she saw Kelly.
"Kate!" shouted Rachel.
"Muh...y...yeah?" Kate muttered. Rachel swallowed.
"You know the code for the secure safe, right?" asked Rachel
"Yeah, why...Oh my God. Mom, you can't be serious!"
"I'm as serious as a heart attack, go and get it." said Rachel, grimly.
"But!" pleaded Kate.
"Corporal O'Connell! This is a direct order! Go and get a vial containing V-26 from the secure locker!"
Kate held a hand up to protest, but walked out of the tent.
Rachel heard her talking to the others and "What! She can't!" from Sara.
"I can't believe I'm gonna do this" she groaned "Sorry Kel'."
She looked down, Kelly's eye's had shut. "Kelly? Kelly!" she looked at the chest, it wasn't moving.
"NO! Kelly! Don't!" Rachel started to frantically perform CPR on her.
---
"I thought Jessie said she survived?" said Ritsuko.
"I didn't tell her that she died. Kelly did survive, but she was dead for about 4 minutes, how she came back I have no idea, but she was gone long enough to be classified as K.I.A." said Rachel.
"K.I.A?" said Maya
"Killed In Action." said Rachel, "She got the nick-name of 'Angel of Death' now."
Ritsuko had to ask Rachel the next question, She'd been wanting to ever since Jessie had removed her jacket. "Er…Ms O'Connell…"
"Call me Rachel." she said smiling.
"Okay…Well, Er…What was that thing in the back of, Jessie's neck? The plug thing at the base of her skull." she asked.
Rachel chuckled, "That's what makes her able to pilot the Angel-Wing. It's a direct link to her brain and nervous system that completes the connection between her and the mind of the titan. She's directly linked to it, so in a way, I suppose she is the Angel-Wing..."
Maya noticed that Rachel finished slightly uneasy.
"What's wrong?" she said. Rachel sighed.
"The Angel-Wing has a mind of it's own. All the Titans where we're from have one. The…A.I. system is very intelligent, and it can take over the pilots mind, effectively killing the pilot and then taking over the human body. It's…quite interesting process." she scratched the back of her neck. "Sometimes the titan's A.I. will drive the pilots…for lack of a better word, insane. They'll try to kill anyone who gets in their way until they pass out or the titan is crippled enough for it to shut itself down. Kate, Jessie's sister, does it a lot. But none of them were as bad as Kelly…but she's only gone 'berserk' once." said Rachel.
"How bad was she?" asked Maya
"Put it this way, she took down an entire titan squad and two units of Hydrad bio-titans."
"What exactly are the 'Hydrads'?" asked Ritsuko, Rachel chuckled.
"I guess I'll tell you about them as well…"
---
Jessie walked down the corridor to Gendo Ikari's office. Eventually she had to ask for directions as she hadn't a clue where she was.
As soon as no-one was in sight, and Jessie was sure she was alone, she looked at her arm. The skin had gone slightly grey, but was fading back to it's original white. Jessie sighed.
'A piece of Shredder'? Very good cover… came a voice in Jessie's mind.
Could you think of anything better? thought Jessie.
I doubt it…But are you thinking of setting her lose?
Jessie started walking again.
No, why would I?
'Cause you need to.
Angel, shut up.
Jessie heard her Titan chuckle in her mind.
You know, this Redhead is starting to get on my nerves.
What'd you want me to do about it?
Nothing, I just like frightening her. There's a limit to my patience though…
Don't even think about it.
Heh, there she goes. You could of picked a better place to dump me, by the way.
What do you mean?
Next to this purple….thing.
Unit-01? I'm not in-charge, get used to it.
Well, I feel kinda insulted, I'm a lot more superior than an Eva.
Being part Hydrad, I guess you would.
Part Hydrad?
Alright, BEING a Hydrad, You are.
Look, we both know how dangerous this thing is. I just don't feel like being torn apart. Then eaten.
You been in the computer system?
Of course, what else am I supposed to do?
Mind your own business? How'd you get into the system anyway?
Hah! From the looks of things, I'm currently the most powerful thing on the planet, and I'm stuck in the basement. Some of the stuff I found in the system though…It makes Hydrad Crawlers look like your human 'Saints'.
Jessie came to a stop in front of two large doors
This whole place freaks me out, I could always just Sky-Fire the place I suppose.
Or you could let our dear friend out to play.
Don't you start that crap. It's bad enough those Hydrads doing it.
You know why. You carry our…
I'm not your Queen!
Jessie heard Angel chuckle.
After walking some more, and asking for directions once again, Jessie came to a stop in front of two large doors. They opened, and Jessie walked inside. When the doors closed she walked up to the desk at the far end of the room and stood in front of it. Jessie glanced down at the person sitting at it who was flicking though some papers.
"Ah, Captain, 'Jessie' was it?" asked Gendo.
Jessie stood at ease before the desk, "Yes, Commander."
"I hope you didn't mind us looking at your…robot" he said
"No, not really." said Jessie.
I did though…
Gendo raised his head, his eyes staring at the twenty year-old in front of him
"I out-rank you. You know I'm…"
"Gendo Ikari. The commander of NERV." said Jessie.
Gendo folded his hands in-front of his face. "So, you heard of me." he said
"Where I'm from everyone's heard of you."
Gendo didn't move, he just stared at the pale girl.
"Anyway, Introductions aside, I'd like to know the full armament of that…Beast. So, please." said Gendo, a smirk rising in the corner of his mouth.
Beast?!
Hey, he's close.
I prefer 'Alien Life form'.
Jessie raised an eye-brow at her titans comment and sighed.
"WT-02 Angel-Wing, Primary weapons - M-34 Burst Rifle, Type-II Reality-Renders, Shoulder mounted Gattling Cannons, the sword." Jessie paused, watching Gendo's eyebrows raise,
"And the 'Sky-Fire' WSMD" said Jessie.
"WSMD?" asked the old man next to Gendo.
"Weapons System of Mass Destruction" said Jessie.
"Really?" asked Gendo, sarcastically.
"Yeah. Now why do you want me?" asked Jessie.
Gendo smiled and leant back on his chair "I have proposition for you…"
"Don't ask, I won't do it" said Jessie.
Gendo's mouth twitched and he leant back on the table, "Why?"
Jessie leant forwards and started at Gendo though his tinted glasses.
"Your not my commanding officer." she said.
Gendo shifted. "I could just have you and that woman locked in a cell until you decide to cooperate…"
Jessie's nails scraped along the desk. Gendo smirked, he'd found a chink in the armour
Ohh, He's asking for it now…
Jessie had shut her eyes, when she opened them, Gendo moved back a few inches due to the fact that it was so sudden.
"I'll only answer to 'that woman'" said Jessie.
Jessie stood up straight and walked out, holding her arm.
"Quite the character, isn't she?" asked Fuyutsuki
Gendo didn't answer, but he did smile a little. "Quite."
"Do you have somewhere to stay?" he called after Jessie.
"No, Not at the moment…" said Jessie
"It will be arranged." said Gendo.
Well, There you go. The whole 'Hydrad' thing will get explained in the next chapter, so don't worry about if it looks as if nothing is going to be explained.
Reviews welcome, and thanks for reading!