Disclaimer: See the Prologue
A/N: And here's the other half…with special guest beta reader RealRemaider. I hope I can get back in touch with you soon, Knightlance12.
(SSJNYH)
Chapter 3 - Maternal
(SSJNYH)
Kaji awoke to the feeling of the circulation to his left foot being cut off and the sensation of being roughly dragged along a metal floor, alarms blaring in his ears. He groaned and looked up to see the back of the Predator Huntress lugging him behind him.
Don't tell me she's going where I THINK she's going.
"Ahhhh...crap…" he groaned. "You're…here for it, right?"
Surprisingly what he got for a response was a grunt, indicating that she understood him, and was annoyed by him. He was dragged through another doorway and sure enough he recognised where they were: The formerly secured hold of the aircraft carrier, reserved for the most important of cargo.
"Hey…what…FUCK ME!"
"SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"
Kaji heard what sounded like two guards crying out, followed his left leg being dropped on the floor. Opening his eyes he sat up to see the Huntress rapidly approach the two guards and disarm them with quick hand-to-hand before knocking them each unconscious with a smack to the side of their heads. This piqued Kaji's interest…
Well, she's feeling merciful today.
The Huntress then spun around, and Kaji cringed as he felt like they were making eye contact. She then stomped over to him, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and resumed dragging him.
"HEY…HEY…LEMME' GO!" Kaji cried, before sounding a lot calmer as he continued with a nervous smile. "You know if you really, really want what I think you want all you have to do is as...!"
THWACK!
And he was out cold again.
(SSJNYH)
I think I know firsthand what Curved Blade has to deal with. Just LOOKING at him annoys me.
Gaun retracted her fist and gave it a light shake, not used to rendering opposition unconscious instead of just skewering them with her wristblades, but not wanting to make life harder for her son she opted not to kill them and the resulting heat bearing down on Curved Blade as a proxy. Her vision mode still on thermal she made her way through the hold towards her fetal-looking target. She stepped just as she stood above it, outlines of a hexagonal-containment device before her, her prize within it and situated beneath the floor.
Adjusting her vision mode so that she could clearly see the containment device complete with hand-print identification and retina scanner. She considered blasting the thing apart, reaching and grabbing whatever contained the fetus. She paused, and stared down at whom referred to himself as 'Kaji'.
Hmm…?
She grabbed his left hand and placed it against the handprint identifier, a positive sounding beep her response. Gaun then lifted him up by the back of his shirt, peeled his eyelids back and forced him before the retina scanner.
Identification approved.
Switching her mask to her thermal vision she saw the fetus being lifted up the length of the containment device, presumably on some kind of elevator. The sound of air being released was heard before the top of the device opened to reveal…a silvery case labelled 'Hazardous Material' complete with the nuclear insignia. And the fetus within in, unmoving and somehow is still alive.
Gaun gripped the case, uncaring about the alarms still going off and possibly a legion of ooman soldiers coming down to meet her soon enough. She gripped tightly, as if about to smash it apart and get at it's contents.
I should just…kill whatever paya abomination this is, stop oomans from trying to kill this planet like they almost did a decade ago.
I know, I was there; watching them drive the Lance into the light paya as I waited for the Sinister Eye slavers to strike, no doubt sent by the Zaibatsu for another seed raid…
… Yui would have been about 23 cycles old, young womanhood. Merl'we is still in her young womanhood. Now, Straight Blade would be middle aged, before me.
A blessing she's dead, maybe. Time would have claimed her long before me.
…and the Black Warrior – Death - will take Shinji as well.
She sighed painfully as she reached forward and grabbed the case by it's convenient handle.
That was then the lights suddenly went out. At first it was unnoticed by Gaun, until suddenly the floor vibrated as all the other large crates in the room suddenly begun to retract into the ground, leaving the Huntress standing in an empty hold. Going through her vision modes she realised her predicament.
She growled…
I expectedthey knew I was coming.
Who are They, anyway? Time to see who our enemies really are.
Look up, trespasser.
One who has violated sacred ground!
Gaun looked up, current vision mode about to make out the outlines of about 12 floating Monoliths. A blinding white light shone down on her, causing her to quickly change her vision mode to something with less glare.
You did not think that we wouldn't know you would come here, xeno! the monolith with SEELE-07 stated.
We must make contact with you at our earliest convenience. However, what is that stands before us? the Monolith with SEELE-01 inscribed upon it stated to near deafening levels, luckily not fazing the Huntress. A Monster…
A beast! The monolith with SEELE-02 exclaimed. A demon!
A stealer of children! A mentor of violence! SEELE-05 cried. One who could not have children of her own, and must impart her dark wisdom upon the young and indoctrinated!
Realising that the Monoliths couldn't see her glaring back through her mask, she opted to ball her hands in her fists and arch her back, the atypical Yautja way of showing aggression. She read the letters on each of the Monoliths…
SEELE. Our enemies have a name!
A bunch of egotistical elderly sounding ooman males!
"You not know me, oomans!" Gaun exclaimed in broken Japanese.
We know enough, invader, SEELE-01 replied, smugly. Like Yui, for instance. Like how you abandoned her. You may have stripped her of her technology when you left her, but not everything else.
Yui?
Gaun tensed up, and growled lightly.
So you monsters do feel after all? SEELE-06 boomed. Not that it will absolve your species' cursed existence…
…For when Humanity finally ascends, SEELE-03 continued. This world will no longer be your game preserve!
Gaun became silent, staring up the Monoliths; her body language that of defiance.
"You killed planet!" Gaun exclaimed
That is the reason why you came here, is it not? To save humanity? SEELE-01 asked. You cannot mask your true intentions. You wish to continue victimising humanity; to teach your latest pup how to treat his own species as if they were game!
He is but a tool to be discarded when the time comes, SEELE-08 said. We have you to thank for bringing back for our use!
"You not speak of Shinji!" Gaun exclaimed, gripping the case tightly when suddenly she feared for Shinji. She then looked down at it, her tri-targeting system locking onto it and her plasmacaster aiming itself at it. "I warn you!"
"…" the Monoliths were silent.
"You not kill humanity. Not today!" Gaun stated with finality. "I leave. You try another day or…"
She indicated the case.
"…not at all!"
SEELE-01 hovered a bit closer towards Gaun, So...the non-human does have a heart after all. It would make you elate you to know that your precious Yui still has a place among the living…
Gaun mind suddenly went blank for a second before processing that little revelation.
Yui…
She felt hope.
"Where she?"
What was that? SEELE-01 asked quietly in a mocking tone. We cannot understand you.
Which was replaced with anger as she wailed angrily and extended her dual wristblades, in her rage not noticing that Kaji still lying at her feet and was coming to. And not noticing that the temperature was slowly beginning to drop.
"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!" she screamed up at the monoliths in Yautja. "WHERE IS SHE?!"
The Monoliths then slowly begun to fade. SEELE-01, however, had one final word.
Contain her.
Recovering from her rage, she realised that the enemy had prepared for her in more ways than to set up an elaborate conference than with the masterminds behind the insanity that begun nearly fourteen years ago. She looked up to see what appeared to be artificial snow makers installed on the ceiling that quickly begun creating blinding white frost that blanketed the area screwed with her vision modes.
Tch…the same trick twice. First tried on the Stone Carvers Clan many years ago.
I expected better.
She heard a sharp bap that pierced through the air and she quickly rolled to the side, just missing a dart that bounced off her mask, creating masks; quickly going through her vision modes and expecting to see the light from their torches.
She got nothing. Adjusting her vision mode further she made about a dozen men wearing green light-producing goggles.
They've learned. I'll give them that.
"Tight formation, quickly!" one of her attackers cried. "Make sure she can't get out, then hit her with the darts."
She quickly looked around, to her frustration she could see no way of running through them without taking fire.
Trapped. Expected.
Have to get as far as I can with this thing I'm carrying.
And it's been ten minutes…
A brief humming sound could be heard, then suddenly the snowmakers were shut off, as did the soldiers night-vision goggles; and as well as every single system on board the carrier as the device Gaun had installed on top of the control tower detonated, releasing an electromagnetic pulse that knocked out every electronic device within the UN Fleet…
"Oh shit! I'm seeing black here!"
"TRANQ IT! DON'T LET IT GET…ACH…!"
One of the soldiers were cut short as Gaun charged and punched him the hell out.
(SSJNYH)
"WHAT THE HELL?" the Admiral cried as every electronic system within the tower suddenly deactivated. "REPORT?!"
"System malfunction, sir!" one of the naval bridge tech reported, anxiously. "We've lost power, communications, security has been compromised!"
Suddenly the entire carrier could hear Gaun's tormented wail. On the flight deck, everyone almost jumped. Except Rei, who quietly and serenely turned her head towards where the cry came from, before looking down at her watch to see that it had stopped working.
And Shinji, whose ears perked when he recognised whom it belonged to.
"Mother!" he exclaimed.
He noticed that Holmes at turned away at the sound of the wail…
"Hey, did you guys here tha…?"
…giving Shinji a window to charge. Misato stopped herself from restraining or crying out as to not alert the PMC, however realising he had taken his eyes off the deadliest adolescent in Japan he turned back and saw him about to leap at him. He levelled his pulse rifle, Shinji extended his wristblade, swinging it and knocking the weapon to the side as he pulled the trigger, the rounds going into the deck and startling everyone.
"SCCCRRYY!"
"OH SHIT…!"
CRUNCH!
Shinji swung a right hook that smashed into Holmes' masked face, causing him to drop his pulse rifle and stagger back, clutching his broken nose. Beside Misato, Asuka watched, eyes widened in amazement.
W-wow…
She felt a smile tug the corner of her lips as Shinji quickly reached for the man's sidearm, yanking it out of the holster and tossing it towards Misato, who caught it in her hands. He then grabbed the pulse rifle and aimed it at Holmes.
"Shinji, STOP!" Misato exclaimed. "Don't kill him!"
"Y-yeah, listen to her, will ya'?" Holmes uttered in pain, voice slightly muffled. "We're just doing our jobs here...ow…"
Shinji glowered, yanking the pulse rifle's magazine out and tossing it away.
"Don't follow me," he simply said with barely any emotion.
He then ran away towards the carrier's tower and staircase that would take him down, tossing the rifle over the edge of the deck, running past Toji, Kesuke and Rei.
"Shin-man!" Toji cried, flabbergasted. "The hell are you…?"
"Stay here!" Shinji ordered as he brushed past them, causing them to tense up and freeze in place.
All the while Misato, Asuka, and several dozen other naval personnel just watched, and did nothing. Asuka was the first to break out of this sense of inaction; and admiration towards the Third Child.
"Aren't you gonna go after…?" Asuka redirected another rant towards a panicked, desperate Misato just as the older woman suddenly took off after Shinji.
"SHINJI!" she cried. "WAIT FOR ME, DAMMIT!"
Asuka watched her run after Shinji, feelings of wonder and peculiarity plaguing her.
"Misato?"
Why's that psycho so important to you?
(SSJNYH)
Moving in formation that had them sticking close to the walls, the TRIDENT team suddenly found the lights in the hallway leading to the hold were shut off as the Predator EMP bomb detonated.
"Holmes," Schaefer tapped his headset. "Come…in? Com's out."
"EMP, sir?" one of the PMCs asked, his voice a distinct Danish accent.
"Pop a flare, Mikkelsen."
Mikkelsen, the resident mercenary tech expert, did as he was ordered, popping a flare that produced a reddish-pink light that flooded the hallway and the security door. Schaefer stared at it, arching an eyebrow.
"What am I looking at? Shouldn't backup power be on right now?" Schaefer asked, gripping his pulse rifle tightly.
"The electro-magnetic pulse must have knocked that out as well," Mikkelsen replied. "The Manual open panel should be right beside…"
The door suddenly exploded outward, sending a burst of flame that almost knocked the PMCs save for two of them off their feet. Training their pulse rifles on the now destroyed security door they expected something inhuman to suddenly charge at them. However they didn't expect said inhuman with darts sticking out of it's arms and back to be holding a thermally-insulated soldier as a human shield slash battering ram with her left hand, her right hand grasping the handle of a case with the nuclear insignia on it
"Holy…" one of the PMCs shouted before he was knocked down over by the Huntress, who ploughed right through the PMCs, knocking them all down.
She then tossed her shield Schaefer's way, knocking him down, before carrying on through the hallway towards the staircase leading upstairs. Schaefer instinctively tapped his headset, realising that it still wasn't' working, leaving the Huntress to get as far as she could.
"Hey…!"
The insulated soldier groaned as Schaefer pushed him off himself, sitting up to see a near concussed Kaji stumbling out through the door, left hand nursing a nasty bruise on his head .
"D-don't worry about me…" Kaji called out, barely able to stand. "You can't let her get away!"
The TRIDENT PMCs recovered and quickly went after the Huntress…leaving Kaji standing there barely conscious. He fell down one knee, propping himself up with his left hand on the ground.
"Yeah…don't worry about me," he muttered cynically. "Shit…I think she almost brained me."
(SSJNYH)
Tearing the darts out of her, Gaun retraced her steps throughout the carrier. Instead of stealth just opted to just run, knocking over any and every naval personnel in her way, guns, torches and flares falling out of each of their hands. She gripped the case handle tightly as she made her way back upwards to the flight deck.
She paused however when she found herself standing before…
"Mother?"
…her son, Shinji; who stared up at her, confused and with a torch in his hand.
"Shinji," Gaun greeted him casually, as if there were nothing wrong at the moment.
Her head shot up as she anticipated Misato turning the corner, her own torch in hand. The woman managed to restrain a cry of surprise upon seeing the dark-skinned Huntress again.
"Gaun!" Misato exclaimed, saying her name for the first name.
"Mi-Sa-To," Gaun pronounced her name slowly.
Both Shinji and Misato looked down at the dangerous-looking case she was carrying.
"Sooooo…what's in the case?" Misato asked, awkwardly.
A moment of silence.
"Death," Gaun replied in Japanese, taking Misato back some.
She then felt the darts take effect and she felt woozy on her feet.
"MOTHER!" Shinji and Misato were at her side immediately, helping her stand up.
"No…" Gaun said, voice becoming slurred, both hands making Shinji and Misato step away from her. "Have to keep…clan will be…"
"Clan?" Shinji cried. "What about the Clan?"
Not understanding them, Misato frustratingly interjected, "What are you guys saying?"
They heard shouts and footsteps coming from behind Gaun, and the Huntress took off running again. The TRIDENT PMCs came barrelling towards them and Shinji felt the impulse to block their way. They weren't having it, however, and the PMC in front knocked him to the side against the wall where he slid down. Misato ducked out of the way and was immediately at Shinji's side.
"I'm fine," Shinji rubbed the back of his head. "Mother…"
"Right," Misato nodded, then followed after the PMCs.
I get the feeling she hasn't killed anyone today.
Have to keep it that way.
(SSJNYH)
Gaun finally felt the sunlight upon her as she reached the flight deck, and right up behind Toji, Kensuke, Asuka and Rei. The blue-haired albino was the first to notice her, the other following suit when they noticed her looking behind herself.
"Hey, what's up Ayan…AHHHHH!"
Both Toji, Asuka and Kensuke recoiled, cringing painfully and backing away; blushing lightly at the fact that it was Predator Huntress whose light-armoured attire complete with wrist-technology similar to Kasumi's and fishnet left nothing to the imagination. Gaun snorted at this, then turned to Asuka.
They're really real!
W-what it said on the Third's profile. It's not scheiße!
The redhead shook a bit as she felt Gaun's eyes bore into her. The Huntress then turned on Rei, who was now deliberately standing between her and the deck. The Huntress growled at her, her wristblade extended now.
"Step…away…" she growled in Japanese at this affront to Straight Blade's memory.
Rei just stood there, staring up at her.
"I cannot," Rei simply said. "The Commander requires Adam."
Gaun shrieked and straight jabbed her wristblade towards Rei's head, drawing cries of alarm.
"REI!" Toji cried, ready to throw himself between the Huntress and Rei and the take the blow.
He paused, though, as Gaun's now quivering blade was inches from Rei's eyes, the girl still standing her ground and staring back as blank as ever. Toji and Kensuke swore they heard quiet sobbing coming from behind the Huntress' mask. And Gaun was blinking tears away from her eyes as she failed to prevent memories and voices from surfacing within her mind.
"Mother…"
"Why do I look different that everyone else? How come they say I'm not your daughter?"
"In case I ever…disappear…for some reason or something, will you remember me if I'm gone?"
Gaun blinked, and instead of the blue-haired albino in a school dress, there was a braided brown-haired, green eyed ooman adolescent in light armour with wrist-comps attached to her arms and her tsurugi in it's scabbard strapped her to back, smiling confidently at her. She looked exactly the day they parted for the final time, unaware that it was her own fevered mind painting the picture she was looking at.
Then she said her final, smirking words to her, "I'll try and leave some for you and Nam, Mother."
Gaun gasped, then looked up to see a TRIDENT PMC, Holmes, tearing an assault rifle from the hands of one of the sailors and kicking him down before aiming in her direction.
And in the direction of Yui.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
There was no hesitation, her pup was in danger. No amount of tranquiliser could prevent Yui from charging at the PMC, and no amount of lead that ricocheted of her mask and shoulder plating and embedded themselves in her arms and legs with one passing through her right shoulder could stop her. The PMC gagged as Gaun lifted up in the by the throat, wristblade poised to strike when suddenly lost strength in her arms and legs and she fell onto her knees, blood running from her wounds and pooling on the ground. Holmes fell back down onto his back and scrambled away.
"HEY…GET YOUR FUCKING ASSES UP HERE NOW!" he screamed out loud into his still offline headset communicator.
Shinji and Misato reached the flight deck, the woman immediately restraining Shinji from running ahead as they saw armed naval personnel surround the fallen Huntress.
"LET ME GO, MISATO!" Shinji shouted, before Misato…
"NO, SHINJI!"
"NO! NO! GET OFF ME!"
…tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. Shinji panicked and forced himself not to reflexively throw Misato off himself. The woman allowed Shinji to sit up on his knees and holding him tightly from behind, Shinji growing more desperate and unhinged. "GET OFF…MOTHER! MOTHER!"
"I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed, you hear me?" Misato cried, sounding both stern and desperate. "PLEASE, Shinji!"
Asuka kept double-taking between Shinji and the Huntress, eyes widened. More from hearing Shinji refer to the Huntress by that word, however, and not because of the Huntress herself.
Mama?
She focused on Gaun, who was struggling to stay upright on one knee.
T-that monster is his Mama?
The TRIDENT PMCs ran past Shinji and Misato onto the deck, followed by a stumbling Kaji; who stopped to approach Shinji and Misato.
Misato looked behind her, still clutching Shinji, alarmed to see the state of Kaji. "What happened to you?!"
"Disagreement," Kaji's voice now lacked any kind of warmth or jibe. "She's got something of mine?"
Shinji stopped trying to struggle in Misato's arms when he heard that. He then looked up at the sky to see gigantic translucent mass descending towards the aircraft carrier. Asuka noticed Shinji looking up at the sky and followed suit.
Alarmed, she cried out, "What the h…? KAJI, MISATO!"
(SSJNYH)
Gaun felt her vision start to become spotted as darkness crept around the corners of her eyes.
She ain't going anywhere. Finish her off! she heard the distorted voice of the reactivated P.A. order angrily.
Electromagnetics starting to dissipate. This is not good!
"No! We got orders to take her in alive!"
Fuck that, colonel! She bricked our entire fleet and she's gonna pay for it!
She looked up at the sky, to see a massive shape descending towards them.
Hey, what…? INCOMING!
All guns pointed upward to see the Clan Huntship materialise above the still stricken UN Fleet, particularly the aircraft carrier where both inactive Evangelions were currently standing upon. If the fleet's weapons hadn't been disabled by the EMP bomb Gaun had planted earlier, the sleek, deadly yet archaic, deadly looking vessel would have been blown out of the sky or at the least heavily damaged.
Gaun forced herself on both feet as the huntship descended, blocking the sun and bathing the flight deck in shadow. A port located in the side of the ship opened and out hung, much to Shinji's alarm…
"DAGGER STRIKE!"
(SSHNYH)
…the tall, brownish-red haired adolescent and very ooman apprentice Huntress also known as Mana; mask covering her face and a speargun in her right hand as she gripped a support with her left. Merl'we came close to despairing as she saw her mentor bleed out several feet below her, but sucked it up and raised her speargun as Gaun used the last of her strength to resume running, this time towards the edge of the flight deck.
Mana growled, took aim with her speargun and fired at the PMCs and navy personnel whose guns resumed pointing at Gaun…
Don't kill them, Gaun's exact words. Don't make life harder for Blade-kun.
Like I would.
...and putting a speartip through each of their hands and feet and downing each of them, the one TRIDENT PMC cursing out loud as he reflexively pulled the speartip out of his leg as he laid out sprawled on the ground. Mana zoomed in on Asuka, seeing the German girl glared back up at her.
Ah…what the hell?
Dagger Strike smirked, aimed her speargun down at her…
Musashi would've loved this!
…and pulled the trigger.
Loved embarrassing other fools!
Once she sensed that the ship was going to turn itself around, she quickly disappeared back into the side passage and begun running down the length of the ship, hoping to reach the rear staging area where Nam was in time to receive…
The so-called first human.
(SSJNYH)
Asuka gasped when she saw the spear fly straight down at her, and shot her left A-10 Connector off her head, dishevelling her hair. She looked up at the fishnet-wearing, barely dressed red-haired masked teenage human girl hunter who became less visible as the ship turned itself around until she disappeared from sight. The Huntship then had what looked like it's open, visible bay pointed at the supercarrier.
Gaun zoomed up at the ship's rear to see the giant, burly Predator known as Nam standing there, decked out in full heavy armour, his shoulder plating reminiscent of the pauldrons off the armour of a Samurai. It was his size and stature that defined him as the largest male in the entire clan, grand a head taller than all the females whom were atypically larger than the males.
The Huntship descended until the rear staging area was level with the carrier, prompting Gaun to grip the case's hand with both hands and, with a might swing, hurled it towards Nam. Kaji gritted his teeth…
"Shit!"
…just as the larger Hunter standing on the edge of the alien ship caught the case. He was then joined by what appeared to be another teenaged human.
(SSJNYH)
"NAM!" Mana breathlessly cried as she finally reached the Huntship'ss primary staging area, having ran the entire length of the ship past dozens of other Yautja suiting up and prepping for battle.
Now for nyaka-de!
"We have it," Nam sounded smirking behind his mask. "Now we wait for the Elder's word on what we do next?"
"We have to get Gaun-sama and Shinji-dono now!" Mana exclaimed, hopefully. "We can take down everyone down there and…"
"No."
Mana paused, then asked quietly, "What?"
She then felt the ship beginning to ascend, the supercarrier's deck no longer level with the Huntship. She gasped when she caught one last glimpse of a still bleeding Gaun collapsing back on the deck and Shinji being held by his designated mate. In short, two of her most important people about to be left alone. Before she had any chance to react she felt Nam grab her by the left arm.
Though he was wearing his mask, his body language suggested he looked stern, "Don't even think about…"
Mana angrily swung her left knee, intending to nail him between the legs. Anticipating this he blocked his extremities using the case, Mana immediately feeling an intense burst of pain shoot up through her knee, as if she had just shattered.
"WE CAN'T LEAVE THEM!" Mana subsequent pained shout was muffled by her mask, the thought of leaving the two of them amongst oomans seeking to destroy themselves, leaving Shinji with that woman, the albino and now some red-head that she had just issued a challenge to...
A-am I jealous?
"WE CAN'T…"
"We can," Nam said calmly as the Huntship ascended until they saw nothing but blue sky and clouds, prompting the giant Predator to let go of Mana and she fell to the ground nursing her bruised knee. "Gaun didn't tell you the last part of her plan, didn't she?"
"W-what?" Mana looked up, her body language indicating that tears of pain, sadness and frustration. "S-she asked me to provide cover fire long enough for her to get the paya-spawn away from the oomans.
…does Shinji-kun know about the paya-spawn? How much is Gaun-sama keeping from him anyway?
That isn't fair.
"Yeah…and to get herself taken to wherever they are keeping…" he paused only to growl. "It!"
"It?" Mana asked. "Then what?"
"Whatever Gaun deems…an appropriate fate for these Paya Amedha."
God Prey?
If Mana could she would have the wiped the tears from her eyes.
Why do we Predators seek their end so badly?
(SSJNYH)
One could be forgiven if they heard a collective sight of breath from all the naval personnel present as they watched the Huntship cloak and disappeared into the sky. They then remembered that they had a wounded, badly bleeding and hallucinating Huntress struggling to keep herself up one knee near the edge of the supercarrier. Armed naval personnel and the TRIDENT PMCs converged on the Huntress, who forced herself to stand back and faced a couple dozen assault rifles and pulse rifles trained on her.
"STAND DOWN!" she heard Misato call out, trying to sound imposing. "THIS IS STILL A NERV OPERATION AND WE'RE TAKING CUSTODY OF THE ALIEN!"
"Lady, step the fuck ba…" one of the naval armsmen cried angrily, before noticing his rifle had been torn out of his hand, then felt the butt of it strike him the side of the head and down him.
Some of the rifles turned to Shinji just as he tossed the rifle away.
STAND DOWN! the UN Admiral's voice ordered. LET NERV CLEAN THIS MESS UP! KATSURAGI, GET THAT…THING AND YOURSELVES OFF MY DAMN CARRIER NOW!"
Shinji ignored the frowns and angry gnashes from the other naval armsmen, especially the two that were helping the armsman he had just decked, as he ran up towards Gaun, hand immediately opening his right wrist-comp display and begun pushing buttons.
Gaun rolled over onto her back, eyes rolling towards where she had left Yui. Instead of her cocky, brown-haired pup in light armour, there was the albino, red-eyed pretender in her school dress. She closed her eyes tightly and stifled a sad, angry growl as she realised it had been what was in the tranquilisers that caused her to be seeing things.
"Mother?"
She rolled her head to see her other pup, Curved Blade, kneeling beside her as he engaged the medicomp unit in the wrist tech running up his right forearm.
"Curved Blade?" she blinked a few times, and sure enough he really was there beside her. "You…you're here?"
"Y-you could've escaped," Shinji cried, a mixture of frustration, anger and hurt in his voice as he went about dressing his mother's wounds. He paused and looked her in the eyes, his own orbs wavering, "Why?"
Gaun smiled painfully, "It…it's about time your sire and I shared words."
Shinji swallowed, "What?"
"KASUMI!"
Shinji's head shot up and turned to see Kaji approach him, appearing irked. Shinji stood up, and keeping himself in between Gaun and the older man, back turned to him as he face darkened.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Kaji exclaimed. "Commander Ikari was expecting whatever was in that case!"
He sighed into his palm, afraid of the chain of events that were going to spring forth from this, and not what Ikari and his bosses expected.
"So we're not just here for Asuka, then?" Kaji flinched as Misato deadpanned from behind, still gripping her pistol.
"What was in the case then if it's so important?" Shinji asked, heatedly.
He then glimpsed at Schaefer and the TRIDENT PMCs
"…and Weyland, anyway?"
'That's what a lot of us want to know,' Schaefer thought. 'Sweat him, kid.'
"That's not for you to know!" Kaji lowered his palm and snarled, no longer bothering to keep up his pretence and instead was starting to feel angry towards this…this little son of an green-blooded alien bitch threw a curveball at him and his plans to attach himself to NERV and figure what the hell was going on. Giants robots, aliens, conspiracies…and was finding himself in the thick of it all.
"It's for me to know, however," Misato said. "Do you know about any of this, Shinji?"
Shinji shook his head, back still turned as he instead looked down at Gaun, "I…I wasn't expecting to see Mother anytime soon. I don't know why she stole that case."
"Yeah," Misato said.
What game are those aliens, including my would-be Mother-in-Law, playing?
"You believe him?!" Asuka exclaimed, just as Shinji finally turned to face him.
The redhead was silenced when Misato glared at her, then said as she slowly turned her towards Kaji, "Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Kaji-san? Whatever was in that very secured, important looking case, was it that valuable to NERV?"
Misato narrowed her eyes, and Kaji felt a bead a sweat beginning to form near his hairline.
"NERV? Weyland ? And I got a strange feeling it was important to the Angels as well? Tell me I'm wrong."
Unless it was really just because of EVA-02, why else would they attack the Pacific Fleet?
Kaji appeared apprehensive towards Misato, then sighed and replied, "I really, really don't have anything to say."
"That didn't answer my question," Misato replied, heated.
"Hey, didn't you just hear Mr. Kaji?" Asuka cried. "I…HEY!"
Shinji stepped closer towards Kaji. Asuka angrily got in between them.
"What do you think you're…?!"
She then felt Shinji grab her by the right shoulder and gently pushed her out of the way. Asuka was briefly red in the face from the contact before realising that Shinji had essentially brushed her aside, as if she were NOTHING. Kaji, however, was taken back when the muscled, scarred adolescent was staring up at him in the eye, and from the look of his eyes he looked ready to kill.
"What was in the case, Kaji?" Shinji asked. "It's dangerous enough to draw a Paya Amedha on us."
One of the TRIDENT PMCs stepped forward, levelling his pulse rifle but was stopped mid-action by Schaefer, staring him hard back into line. Noticing that the PMCs were going to come to his aid, Kaji felt his right hand that held his Taurus twitch; which Misato didn't fail to notice.
"That's something only for the grown-ups to know…" Kaji said, warningly.
"Me, Rei, Sohryu. We're piloting giant God Machines fighting these things," Shinji said through clenched teeth, not enjoying being patronised any longer. "I don't think stuff like this should be kept from us."
'God Machines? Is that what he calls them?' Kaji thought. He then replied sullenly, "Why do you care, anyway?"
Shinji appeared bleak, "What?"
"Kaji!" Misato exclaimed. Noticing that Shinji was starting to become agitated once again, she then ordered, "Shinji, just back off!"
"You're here to kill people, not save them," Kaji went on, embittered and unabashed. "You and the rest of those monsters you call 'family'. Those crab-faces screwed humanity over dozens of times and now they're using you to do it for them…"
Kaji felt himself silenced when Shinji suddenly grabbed him by his wrists and before he had time to react Shinji snarled then brought his back before slamming his forehead directly into the older man's face, causing him to drop his gun. His eyes rolled back into his skull as the sound of his nose breaking and blood spurting was heard by everyone present. Misato's jaw just dropped, Toji and Kensuke cringed, and before anyone else could react Shinji swung a left hook that knocked Kaji off his feet, where he landed hard on the deck.
W-what?
Did he just…?
Schaefer hissed, "Painful."
Kaji groaned in pain as both hands covered his shattered nose as he laid flat on his back. As Shinji stood over him, Asuka felt the impulse to suddenly, bend over, grab Kaji's gun off the ground and point it at Shinji. However she paused as she went to make a move by Rei…
"Wha…?!"
…who put a hand on her shoulder. She then appeared stern, shaking her head.
"You will not survive," Rei stated, bluntly.
Asuka was going to pull away from Rei, when her words struck a chord within her and she froze and stared dumbly at the albino. Kaji's groaning drew her attention, seeing Shinji stand above him, glowering at the older man. Kaji opened his eyes to see Shinji staring down at him, his head obscuring the sun behind him, the glare from behind him giving him a threatening, darkened appearance. He chuckled painfully.
"I guess I'm wrong about that. You're not here to kill just any kind of people, just the dangerous ones," Kaji asked. "You Predators got some code of honour, right?"
Shinji nodded, his head standing to ache painfully, "And don't question it again, tetch'na."
Kaji stood back up, now rubbing his bruised jaw with his right hand while pinching his nose shut with the fingers on his left hand.
"Sure. Ow…shit. Got me good, Shinji," Kaji said, then appeared serious as Shinji continued to glare at him. "Commander Ikari was expecting what was in that case. He's not gonna let this slide."
"Why not?" Misato asked. "What was in that case that was worth having two bloodthirsty aliens drop in?"
"You'll…have to ask him," Kaji said, voice muffled a bit as he took out a handkerchief and pinched it close to his nose.
"I will," Shinji said.
"You might wanna try after he is done questioning…" he gestured towards Gaun. "I'll call NERV and have them send a medievac for your mum…"
"I'LL do it," Misato said, tiredly as she gripped her cellphone. "Just…go do what you need to do."
Kaji limped over towards the TRIDENT PMCs. Asuka ran up to him, desperate to lend him aid and to get him as far away from that psychotic, Rastafarian wannabe Third Child and his…mama.
"I'll be fine, Asuka," Kaji smiled painfully at her. "Stick with Misato, 'kay?"
"But…!" Asuka cried.
"Still giving me a ride?" he then asked the colonel.
Schaefer gestured towards the VTOL, and Kaji climbed aboard. All the while Asuka watched, shell-shocked by what she had just seen. She then glinted murderously at Shinji, her face full of rage and hatred for the violent, short-tempered, over muscled feral teen that, in a period of under an hour, had just out staged her as an EVA pilot and assaulted the man she had feelings for her.
She wanted to just walk up to him throttle him…but common sense put that off. That and Misato being the first to step up to him.
"Shinji," Misato said, sounding disappointed. "I told you to back off."
The Boy Predator's expression softened, and he nodded, almost solemnly, "I know."
"KASUMI!"
Both Shinji and Misato turned to see Asuka shout over at him. She then stepped up to him; hand rose as if ready to slap him, which Shinji prepared himself for. Misato felt her warning bells go off again.
Normally I'd tolerate Asuka shooting her mouth off people…her self-confidence and Freudian excuse in mind.
But right now the idiot's gonna get her hand taken off!
To her relief, however, Asuka suddenly pointed her finger at Shinji between the eyes in a dramatic fashion; gritting her teeth in rage and breathing hard, barely able to contain it.
"From this day forward, Third," Asuka growled,venomously. "We're rivals! You hear me you bastard Meathead?! RIVALS! You and that bitte that shot at me!"
"Asuka…" Misato cried.
This is bad!
"Your primitive little brain knows what that word means, right?"
"Yes," Shinji narrowed his eyes. "If you knew what it meant to be challenging a Blooded Predator you'd be sorry."
She felt like taking back what she just said, but her pride got in the way. She turned to Misato.
"I'm hitching a ride with Mr. Kaji and godfather instead of sticking around with you losers!" she shouted at the Boy Predator, the Jock and the Otaku. "EVA-02 better be at NERV when I get there, Katsuragi!"
Knowing there was no way she able to change Asuka's mood now, Misato just nodded in resignation, "It will be."
Did I say 'bad'?
I meant 'Really, Really Bad'!
(SSJNYH)
A minute later Misato, Toji, Kensuke and Rei watched as the TRIDENT VTOL took off, the PMCs with Kaji and Asuka tagging along. Shinji was still at Gaun's side tending to her wounds, under heavy guard by armed navy personnel who looked upon him and his mother with contempt; something Shinji's friends couldn't miss.
Rei was the first to speak, "If what Kaji-san said is true, then we face reprimand for letting a critical NERV resource fall into unknown hands."
"Yeah, I don't think Ikari is going to let this slide," Misato said. She then turned towrds Shinji directly, sadly. "The Commander is going to call discipline on him and I'm probably going to have to be the one to slap the cuffs on."
Toji and Kensuke looked to Shinji, alarmed.
Kensuke sounded worried. "You think…that wouldn't bother him, right?"
Misato shook her head.
He'll probably start with Gaun first.
(SSJNYH)
Schaefer sat in front next to the pilot, headset on. He looked behind him in the cabin where Kaji sat and was currently being treated by the medic, his goddaughter hanging off his right arm worriedly. The door into the cabin closed itself as he as he tapped the headset.
Schaefer, report, a familiar British voice ordered.
"Mission…accomplished, Mr. Weyland," Schaefer stated, unenthused. "The aliens got away with the package. We didn't even need to butt in."
Thank you, Weyland. So this alien…Gaun as the Third Child refers to…where is she now?
"She's being prepped to be taken to NERV," Schaefer replied, embittered. "It took a lot to take her down."
Hmm…no doubt this is part of the plan.
"What plan?"
His plan. She won't be captive for long, not if her clan mates have anything to say about it.
Schaefer smiled lightly, "I'm kind of looking forward to that."
You still plan on having a rematch with these…Predators.
"You know it…sir."
(SSJNYH)
Commander Gendo Ikari of NERV Japan put the phone's receiver back down on the hook, the scar on the left side of his face feeling like it was starting to ache upon hearing that the 'mother' of the Third Child, his son, had just dealt the first real blow to the Human Instrumentality Project, and to his Scenario. It wouldn't take long before forces that think themselves greater than he would hold him responsible.
The resourceful man that he is, however, he still had another card to play. To anyone who was looking at him right now, namely Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki who stood beside him and Head of NERV's science division Ritsuko Akagi who stood before his desk and holding a tablet; he appeared to be sitting down and stewing in anger, evident by his grim face and the fact he was gripping the phone receiver tightly as if trying to crush it.
Ritsuko cleared her throat, "Commander Ikari?"
Gendo was silent for a few more moments before asking, his voice sounding faintly dark and that was enough to put Ritsuko on edge, "Has it been prepared?"
Ritsuko looked at her tablet, bringing up a 3D wireframe image of an intricately designed choker necklace, "The Emergency Shutdown System Choker has been configured."
She then narrowed her eyes, feeling a sense of satisfaction over two weeks of research, construction and configuration and the likelihood of seeing it pay off, especially if it means finally putting him literally on a leash. Kozo appeared uneasy throughout, though, especially with what Ritsuko said next.
"All we need to do now is find some way to render the Third Child unconscious long enough to…"
"No," Gendo interrupted, finally letting go of the phone and crossing his fingers together in it's usual pose. "I was not thinking about him."
"Who, then?" Kozo asked. His eyes widened, "You don't mean?"
"Her."
Kozo downcast his eyes, embittered.
Yui.
It would appear he is finally retaliating against Shinji.
(OMAKE)
(A/N: I really gotta keep this a regular thing.)
Deleted Scene #1
"So Shinji? I hear you're living with Katsuragi now?" Kaji asked, smiling.
"Yeah," the Boy Predator nodded.
"I have to ask," Kaji was now pointing at Misato, still smiling. "Is she still good in bed?"
The second that last word came out Kaji noticed everyone at the table, sans Asuka, was stepping away in a very nervous manner. Even Rei quietly got of her seat and stepped away from the table. Kaji's smile faded when he faced Shinji, still sitting down. Only that his head was bowed low, his hair hiding his eyes and giving him a darkened look. Asuka swallowed nervously, noticing that everyone in the commissary was now quiet, the only sounds were a cricket chirping…and Shinji increasingly loud breathing.
"Uh…Shinji?" Kaji begun. "Are you…?"
Shinji looked up, revealing red coloured eyes as he once again grabbed Kensuke's knife…
Disclaimer: Due to Fan Fiction Dot Net not supporting the MA or NC-17 rating, the following scene had to be cut short. We apologise for the inconvenience. Needless to say, Ryoji Kaji's horrific reckoning involved a knife, a chair, a deep fryer and a jet engine.
…and with one loud cry of exertion Shinji tossed the garbage bag over the side of the aircraft carrier.
(SSJNYH)
Yeah, comedy's not really my strong suit either (the first being romance but I'm trying). That was my attempt at BLACK comedy.
If anyone want to submit Omake pieces relating to SSJNYH, PM them to me and I'll put them up and credit you. They can be comedy sketches, slices of life between chapters or AU pieces. They have to Safe For Work though (as in, nothing sexuallyexplicit). What do you say?
Back to this chapter. Yeah, big ominous cliff hanger. I had a bit of trouble with the ending. I couldn't decide whether to have Gaun escape by either diving into the sea (her survival wouldn't have been plausible) or escaping on the Huntship (despite her injuries). I just opted to have her captured and handed over to NERV, which should make the next chapter or two interesting, as I plan to have her and Gendo, as well as other NERV personnel, meet.
As one reviewer pointed out back in the first story, Shinji has a bad habit of antagonising people, one of his biggest flaws. With Asuka it was predictable. With Kaji he sensed that he was playing with him, and by the end Shinji reacted accordingly when Kaji decided to stop 'playing' and question his morality.
I found out that the name 'Ikari' means both "anchor" and "rage". Fitting as how he flies into rages when that name is heard, yet at the same time – and most of the time – he manages to keep an anchor on said rage.
I know this may seem a bit trivial, but honestly whenever I (or better yet Shinji) imagine the Predators speaking, I hear them speaking English instead of clicks/growls. Like you know they start off sounding like proper Yautja then reverts to English "Valkyrie" style (you know the opening where Tom Cruise is speaking German then it turns to English). Here are voice actors I imagine they would sound like:
Gaun – Alfre Woodard
Merl'we – Merle Dandridge
Nam – David Lodge
I'd list Japanese voices, but I can't think of any. Also, I can imagine Shinji' s voice actor (English and Japanese) speaking with a slight deep, hoarse tone – which comes from all the screaming, and overall sounding like a vicious little bastard.
Continuing with trivial things, how I imagine the art style: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (original NGE character designer and artist/writer) taking cues from Tetsuo Hara (artist of Fist of the North Star) and Kentaro Miura (Berserk) and injecting testosterone and badass into his art style. I'll let you picture it yourselves...heh.
Yeah, just imagining how SSJNYH how would look and sound helps me to write and gradually I think helps me describe the characters, the scenery and the action a lot better.
So until next chapter…Au Revoir.
