Chapter 3
Two Years Previously - NERV Japan Synchronisation Test Chamber
The darkness lifted as the Evangelion began to power up. Shinji fidgeted in the pilot's seat, his outfit the plugsuit felt strange. Whilst not entirely uncomfortable, it was made of an odd material that fitted close to his skin, and he felt practically naked in it. And the odd feeling was about to get worse.
"Filling the plug with LCL," he heard a young woman's voice announced, and in response, thick, orange liquid began to fill the small cylindrical space rapidly.
Shinji could only stare in mute surprise as it crept up his body, but as it rose up to his chest, he began to panic.
"Relax," a no-nonsense voice sounded over the internal speakers. He vaguely recognised it as belonging to the stern blonde scientist he'd been introduced to. "It's oxygenated, meaning you can breathe it just like air. Relax and let it fill your lungs."
Shinji thought that was easier said than done. It was incredibly difficult to convince his body not to fight against imminent drowning. The liquid was thick and sticky, not at all like air in his opinion, and hard to breathe through. It filled his mouth, tasting extremely odd, familiar yet not, and stung his nostrils. With a gasp, the last of the air in his lungs rushed out of his mouth and nose, leaving him feeling like he'd coughed lemonade through them.
He groaned, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable. "I...is this really necessary?" he asked, surprised at how easy it was to speak.
"Absolutely," the scientist, Akagi he thought, replied. "Not only does it facilitate easier synchronisation, it acts as a shock absorber to keep you safe. It is also very good for your body, and facilitates faster recovery should you be injured."
"I-in-injured?" Shinji stammered.
"Relax!" Akagi said again, this time a lot more forcefully and, Shinji thought, a lot less helpfully.
He tried his best to follow her orders though, attempting to focus on the plug's interior rather than that of his lungs. The seat was comfortable, and seemed to mold itself to his body, holding him securely. A smooth console sat between his legs, flanked by a pair of butterfly controls. A number of buttons of unknown purpose dotted surface of the console, but it didn't seem enough in his mind to control the huge cyborg.
The plug was otherwise empty, and surprisingly roomy. It had at first seemed tiny and claustrophobic when he had entered, especially next to the Evangelion, but then most things would. As his eyes scanned over the smooth, featureless walls, they suddenly erupted into a dizzying array of colour. It was like sitting inside of a kaleidoscope.
He realised the control room was now filled with voices, barely heard over the comms, reporting back on connections and synchro-graphs and a whole bunch of stuff Shinji barely understood. Every now and then he would hear Doctor Akagi give a command, but he was too transfixed by the rushing colours to pay her much mind. The more he watched, the more it was as if the colours were deepening, more and more reds and blacks mixed in as they began to rush past him. A voice in the back of his mind was panicking, feeding off of the alarm of those in the control room, their voices now a distant murmur as if from the far end of a long corridor.
A huge wave of vertigo hit him and suddenly it was if he was simultaneously falling and still in his seat. He felt as if he was being dragged down a pipe full of rushing water, somehow aware he was thrashing around in blind panic. The bottom of the plug, close yet far appeared for all world like a huge, gaping maw of ancient, boundless hunger. It roared at him, a sound that split his skull and set the liquid surrounding him to boiling.
It wanted him, he knew, it needed to consume him, every last fibre of his being to be torn apart and devoured by the ravenous beast whose realm he had trespassed within. Clawed hands in their hundreds reached up for him, grabbing and ripping at his flesh. He tried to fight, tried to swim against the current, but it was futile, and every second the pain grew and more and more of him was torn away and...
Light.
He opened his eyes to blinding light. The beast was gone, and the silence was deafening for its absence. He was floating now, floating weightlessly in crystal-clear water, the surface impossibly smooth, unmarred by ripple or wave.
The sky above was a pale blue, not a cloud in sight, and as he watched the Earth floated into view. Not the Earth as he knew it, with its red seas and blighted southern pole, but pristine, with deep blue ocean and clean white ice caps. The Moon drifted around it lazily, beautiful in its silver-grey desolation.
Without even looking, he could tell he was naked, but for once he was not bothered by it, unconcerned at being exposed to the world or where his plugsuit might be.
He floated there for what seemed like an eternity, utterly at peace, completely safe. When arms reached for him again, he relaxed into them, and they wrapped around his chest from behind, tight and comforting and warm. He heard a voice singing to him soothingly, a voice half-forgotten.
Shinji allowed himself to fall into that lullaby, and his eyes drooped as he let out a contented sigh...
"Synchronisation established, all systems stable..." he heard the technician say with no small amount of confusion and relief.
He opened his eyes, and the now calm kaleidoscope flashed white, revealing him to be stood within a huge room. A small window across from him was filled with tiny people working at computers, and a number of gantries surrounded his body... his giant, purple-armoured body. A huge hand was held up in front of his eyes, the shredded remains of thick reinforced steel restraints dangling from his wrist. Past it, he could see a fist shaped dent in the bulkhead, only meters from the window at the people beyond it.
Within sudden awareness he realised he was seeing Unit-01's body, not just his own. He could see through both the cyborg's eyes and the displays within the plug. See that in his panic he'd somehow commanded the Evangelion to lash out, tearing free of its bonds.
Without really understanding how he did it, he lowered his... the Eva's hand, and glanced at the window, now recognising Misato and Doctor Akagi on the other side. The scientist was conferring with several of the technicians whilst Misato looked on apprehensively, but after a few moments stepped forward and grabbed a microphone and cleared her throat.
"Well done, Shinji, you've successfully synchronised with the Evangelion. How are you feeling?"
"I-I… good, Miss Katsuragi. I'm ok." Shinji replied after a long pause. He meant it as well, for the first time in forever he felt inexplicably comfortable and safe.
"Glad to hear it," the Major said, relief plain in her voice. "Now, just hold tight, we're going to run a few diagnostics and then get practicing movement, ok?"
"Y-yeah. Ok."
"Let's begin, then…"
Later that night, exhausted both physically and mentally from having to relearn even basic motor-functions, for the first time in ten years Shinji dreamed. He dreamed, of Yui Ikari, he dreamed of his mother.
/o\
\o/
Sergeant Jushiro Asari had always been a simple man. He'd served his country throughout the strife following Second Impact, witnessing some of the worst atrocities mankind had to offer. He'd never let it get to him however, always remaining down to earth, always able to see the good in people.
To many under his command, he was father figure. So somewhere along the line picked up the moniker, 'Uncle Ju', much to the sergeant's dismay, being only in his late thirties.
When NERV had decided that it would rather rely on its own armed forces rather than the JSSDF's, Jushiro had been handpicked by Major Katsuragi. The younger woman had remembered him from her own training days, and chosen him for his leadership and team-building abilities. Despite Tokyo-3's status as a fortress-city designed to repel gigantic alien invaders, Jushiro had jumped at the opportunity to move his family into Japan's second city and its better quality of life.
Since then, he had worked closely alongside Katsuragi to develop and train a close-knit group of commandos. The unit's role was mainly to provide heavy-duty security for high-ranking NERV staff when Section 2 wouldn't be enough. Unofficially, they were NERV's frontline defence against ground-level threats, something Misato had thought the organisation sorely lacked.
Both of them never hoped it would be necessary.
After Shinji Ikari's arrival, the sergeant had gained a new job; training the young pilot to fight. The boy had been a mess when he arrived, small, shy and lost. Seeing how alone he was, 'Uncle Ju' had quickly taken him under his wing trying to encourage Shinji to open up as well as teaching the teenager how to defend himself.
Now he was seeing the fruits of his labours.
The sergeant had seen the footage of both fights. The sheer power the Evangelion wielded as it traded blows with the monstrous Angels made it all too easy to forget that it was the gentle and modest Shinji Ikari at the controls. He'd heard the boy's screams of pain and fear during each fight and it horrified him to have been part of the pilot's training. Child soldiers had been common during the post-Impact wars, but now?
Like Misato, Jushiro had trouble seeing the young Ikari as the adult he was fast becoming, the boy ever fourteen in his eyes. It pained the soldier to see him sent off to fight, knowing it was impossible for him to take the pilot's place and spare the young such hardship.
Seeing the fallen form of the Fifth Angel made him wonder if he would've been able to fight in Shinji's place however. He'd seen the Evangelion hundreds of times, but seeing the sheer mass of the dead Angel's corpse awed him. The devastation caused by the two titans fighting was unimaginable; it looked like a full military operation had rolled through town.
It took the sergeant a few moments to realise he was staring before he closed his mouth. Adjusting his helmet, he walked over to join the rest of his squad. They had been sent to protect the technicians recovering the pilot's plug from the now inactive Eva and then escort the boy back to headquarters. They saluted as he approached.
"Quite the sight, eh Sarge?" One of the men, a Corporal Tsuramaki said as he approached.
"It's something…" Jushiro allowed.
He looked up to where Unit-01 was stood. Despite being slumped down due to the loss of power, it appeared to still be glaring at the Angel. Against the dwindling light of the setting sun, it looked disturbing. Why they'd had to make it look like a demon he would never understand.
At least he wouldn't have to be here for long, the plug had already ejected from the Eva's back. Above it, a VTOL transport was hovering, trailing heavy cables. Men in hazard suits were crawling over the Eva and attaching the lines so the plug could be lifted to safety.
As they waited, Jushiro had his men form a defensive perimeter around the drop zone. Eventually, the plug was lowered into their midst and technicians ran over to open and drain it.
Shinji Ikari exited the plug coughing and spluttering. He took two shaky steps to the side and promptly threw up, LCL splashing onto the concrete. One of the technicians handed the pilot a towel and a bottle, and he quickly wiped his face and hair.
Jushiro walked over just as Shinji was gargling water from the bottle.
"Still tastes like crap I take it?" He said kindly.
Shinji gave him a wry look. "Yes sir."
"So you still haven't asked Dr. Akagi about flavouring?"
"She'd drown me in it." The pilot looked horrified at the thought. He found the scientist difficult to talk to.
Jushiro handed him a jacket, knowing that the plugsuit not only lacked dignity, but left much to be desired in the keeping warm department. Shinji thanked him gratefully. Satisfied the boy was alright, or as much as he could be, Jushiro pointed at his waiting 4x4.
"Come on, kid. Let's get you back to HQ."
/o\
\o/
Following the excitement of the Angel's attack, Central Dogma was much more subdued. The senior staff and most of technicians had left, their jobs finished. The small army had been reduced to a small skeleton crew, leaving only those necessary to compile the combat data and coordinate the cleanup efforts.
Even Maya had gone, dragged off by an excitable Dr. Akagi. The recovery of an intact Angel specimen had the scientist practically foaming at the mouth. Ibuki's departure with her 'senpai'' had left Makoto and Shigeru alone on the upper bridge.
"We have retrieved the Second Child. Returning to base."
"Roger that, sergeant," Shigeru replied.
The technician was bored, simply waiting for his station to finish compiling and saving the communications records. He could've helped Makoto with the data analysis concerning the Angel, but the other man was oddly protective of his work, and Shigeru didn't want to get in his way. Sighing, he raised his arms in front of him, as if holding an imaginary guitar, and 'played' a few notes.
He got so into his imaginary song that when the alarms started blaring, he almost fell out of his chair.
"What's going on?" he shouted.
Makoto was typing furiously. "It's… Impossible, Pattern Blue re-emerging! It's not dead!"
/o\
\o/
A low keening wail split the air, a sound inhuman and angry. Shinji bolted upright from where he was slouching tiredly in the back of Sergeant Asari's 4x4, his exhaustion quickly forgotten. He looked around frantically, grabbing at the seat in front of him.
"W-What was that?" he yelped.
Jushiro turned, frowning. He gave the pilot a look before turning to the driver.
"Tsurumaki, slow down," he ordered.
With a grunt of affirmation, the corporal ground the 4x4 down to a crawl, before stopping completely. Jushiro stood up in his seat, gripping the vehicle's roll-cage, as he peered back down the street. He watched carefully, examining the deserted roads for any signs of a disturbance or sudden attack, but could see nothing. Only Unit-01's head and shoulders looming above the rooftops looked out of place.
He blinked, confused but wary. After a moment, he looked back down at Shinji and shrugged.
"Probably some malfunctioning alarm in one of the destroyed buildings," he guessed, sounding unconvinced.
A huge explosion lit up the evening sky. Smoke and fire appeared in the distance, billowing out from the behind the building near the Evangelion. Seconds later, sporadic gunfire and shouting could be heard from the recovery site. The three looked at each other in alarm.
"What on earth…" Jushiro began, then grabbed his radio, shouting. "What the hell is going on? Report!"
His radio squealed and crackled. "Sergeant… The Angel, it's…" The transmission was cut off as the man on the other end screamed in agony.
"Corporal? Yamashita… respond!" Jushiro cried again. The radio only crackled in response. "Fuck!"
Shinji began to shake, looking scared as he stared at the smoke. He flinched at every scream, feeling utterly defenceless outside of his Eva. Jushiro reached over to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. He felt just as scared, not knowing what was going on and fearing for the lives of his men. Beside him, Tsurumaki was checking his rifle was ready and in easy reach, the other man looked grim. Nodding to acknowledge the soldier's preparedness, he took a deep breath and tried his radio again.
"Central Dogma, come in. This is Sergeant Jushiro Asari. What's the situation?"
/o\
\o/
Central Dogma had once more become a hive of motion and sound, technicians scrambling to gather information and call back everyone normally around during an Angel attack. In retrospect, it would be deemed an unacceptable display; that mankind's first and only defence had relaxed simply because the Angel lay dead.
Misato came sprinting in minutes after the alert had sounded, soon followed by Ritsuko and Maya. She ran right up behind Makoto.
"What's happening?" She asked frantically, staring in disbelief at the various displays.
"Pattern Blue has re-emerged from the Angel's corpse," Makoto replied. "It's assaulting our teams on the ground. We're struggling to get any more information."
"Impossible…" She frowned. "Get a drone in the air, I want visuals."
"Already on it."
"Shinji?"
"Sergeant Jushiro has him. They're on standby roughly 700 metres from the disturbance," Shigeru replied. "Reporting gunfire and loss of contact with the rest of the team."
"If there was an Angel, he'd see it. They aren't exactly small." She looked around at Ritsuko, who was already typing furiously at the next station, Maya at her side. "Right?"
"There's definitely an AT-Field present. It's interfering with our instruments," the scientist replied.
"Blood pattern seems altered somehow, but it's still a match for the Fifth," Maya added.
"I don't care what it is, just prioritise recovery of Unit-01 and its pilot," Gendo barked as he arrived, Fuyutsuki in tow. "Use whatever means necessary until we can regroup."
"JSSDF is demanding to know the situation," Shigeru reported.
"They'll have to wait, this is still under NERV's jurisdiction," Gendo snapped. "Katsuragi, you've got command."
"Yessir. Tell the JSSDF to standby," Misato replied. "Have the rest of our commando units rendezvous with Sergeant Asari. Send a chopper for Shinji, I want him out of there ASAP."
"Drone is in position," Makoto relayed, sending the video up to the main screen. "Link is active."
The image showed them the scene, a ruined portion of the city with Unit-01 stood over Shamshel's corpse, it's plug on the ground. The Angel's core was shattered, leaving just a hollow crystalline shell dripping some sort of viscous fluid. All around the area, equipment lay scattered and forgotten as technicians fled the area in panic.
NERV soldiers were scattered around, firing their weapons almost non-stop at something hidden behind the Evangelion's shadow. One commando came sprinting out from behind it, only to be caught from behind by something. It killed the man instantly, cutting him two from shoulder to the opposite hip.
"What the fuck is that?" Misato cried.
/o\
\o/
A final scream signalled the return of silence, leaving only echoes of the short battle that had taken place. At the 4x4, both soldiers shifted uncomfortably, shouldering their rifles to aim back down the street. They'd gotten restless in waiting for the helicopter, so Sergeant Asari had gotten out the vehicle and walked back down the road a few paces. He itched to return, to fight alongside his men, but he had to remain with Shinji and do his job.
Jushiro looked over at the boy, still sat in the back of the 4x4. He'd given the pilot his sidearm, to use in case of an emergency. Shinji had had some basic firearms training, it had been necessary as a pilot, but Asari doubted the boy's ability to actually use it against an attacker without the Evangelion as a buffer. Still, Shinji had calmed down now, even if he remained tense and apprehensive. Jushiro's heart went out to the boy, he understood full well what the teenager was feeling.
His ears pricked up as he heard the 4x4's radio garble something, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to give Tsurumaki a quizzical look.
The other soldier grabbed the radio. "Command, could you repeat that?"
There was a long burst of static. "…Angel heading your way. I repeat, evacuate the area. The Angel is heading your way."
Jushiro looked around in alarm. "What?"
The same wail split the air, much closer this time. Shinji yelped again, raising his gun shakily.
Start the car!" Jushiro ordered, backing closer to the vehicle. Tsurumaki fumbled for a moment, and the engine came to life with a roar.
There was a loud crash and the front of a building part way down the street exploded outwards, a huge form barrelling through the debris. Something that could vaguely be compared to a praying mantis slid to a stop in the centre of the street, twitching as it noticed them. The creature quirked its head to the side, and despite the blank eye holes of its angel mask, it was undeniably staring directly at Shinji. It took a step forward, then it reared and screamed at them, mandibles beneath the mask opening wide to reveal wickedly sharp fangs. It was the same unnerving wail they'd heard earlier, dripping with animalistic rage.
The Angel charged, rapidly scuttling towards them on eight skeletal legs. They were already moving though, and with its wheels spinning, the 4x4 shot forward, Jushiro running behind it. With a desperate leap, the soldier dived into the back where he landed heavily beside Shinji. The man twisted about to bring his rifle to bear and opened fire wildly. His shots were ill aimed, sailing through the air or bouncing off of the tarmac, but several shots hit home, ricocheting harmlessly off of the creature's chitin armour.
"Sergeant, it's hurt," Shinji shouted, pointing.
The Angel was visibly wounded, its upper torso bleeding heavily from a huge tear that had almost removed its arm. It was slowly regenerating, but the wound was obviously slowing it down. The rest of its body was covered with bullet wounds, the handiwork of NERV's soldiers.
Proud of his men for doing their best to hold of the Angel's attack, the sergeant aimed again. His next burst was more deliberate, the bullets tearing into the Angel's flank above its legs. It cried out and stumbled, but did not relent. When he fired again, the Angel leaped to avoid it. It landed on the wall of a building and continued running horizontally like a spider. Jushiro fired again, but only succeeded in shattering windows before the Angel pounced at them.
"Tsurumaki!" he yelled.
The driver swerved the vehicle just in time, the Angel's claws narrowly missing its target. With a screech of frustration, the stunted wing-like growths on it's back split, and a pair of energy whips shot out. Jushiro and Shinji ducked as the tendrils swung at their heads, and they cut through the vehicle's roll cage.
It swung again, but Tsurumaki threw the vehicle around the next corner to avoid the attack. The Angel was taken by surprise at the sudden change in direction, careening into a wall and giving them valuable breathing space.
Jushiro grabbed the radio. "Command, we're gonna need some backup here."
/o\
\o/
"I want air-support to their location right now. Have our men set up a killzone in District 2," Misato ordered, then she turned and grabbed the microphone. "Sergeant, get up onto the overpass and swing back around, lead that thing right to us."
"Yes, ma'am," the sergeant replied, shouting to be heard.
The main screen was showing a live feed of the chase, Makoto doing his best to keep the drone in range. There had been several close calls already, Asari's gun and Tsurumaki expert driving being the only things keeping them alive.
"It won't be enough." Gendo said, unheard by anyone but Fuyutsuki.
"Ikari?"
"It's tougher than it looks. Just because we can hurt it doesn't mean we can kill it."
The old man raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you propose?"
Gendo said nothing and continued frowning at the video feed, focusing on the huddled form of his son. Before Fuyutsuki could push the man for an answer, he stood up abruptly.
"I'll leave this to you," he said, walking towards the lift.
"Ikari. What are you doing?" Fuyutsuki demanded, but Gendo only gave him an unreadable look as the lift carried him out of sight. "That man…"
He turned back, watching as the Angel pounced at the beleaguered humans again, cutting a chunk out the vehicle's bodywork. The sergeant's rifle blew a sizable hole in its torso, and it fell back, but the wound quickly stopped bleeding, scarring over within seconds.
/o\
\o/
The 4x4 bounced as it hit the access ramp, thoroughly jolting its passengers. It careened into the guardrail, kicking up sparks in its wake. Clinging for dear life, Jushiro fumbled with his rifle, barely keeping his grip.
"Bloody hell, corporal," he yelled.
"I'm doing my best here!" Tsurumaki shouted back.
The Angel was still chasing them, every attack coming closer and closer to killing them all. The back of the vehicle had been rendered into scrap metal by the energy whips, whole chunks of panelling missing. Jushiro had thrown Shinji into the front seat for his own safety. Despite the damage he was doing to their pursuer, his rifle blowing chunks out of its flesh, the creature kept on coming. It shrieked at every wound, but barely faltered. Growling, the sergeant grabbed a grenade off of his belt and pulled the pin.
"1…2…3…"
He threw the small explosive directly at the thing's face. It hit almost dead on, detonating with a loud crack. The Angel screamed, stumbling and thrashing about. The grenade had blown a chunk out of its chest, right through the exoskeleton. A fracture could be seen, splitting its 'face' from the mouth to eye, and one mandible had been blown off. But it still did not relent, despite the horrific wounds, despite the small fires still licking at its body, the Angel did not stop.
"How do you fucking kill these things?" Jushiro exclaimed.
"The core, smash the core," Shinji cried back.
"I don't see no damn core!"
Shinji winced. "It's usually in the chest…"
Jushiro grit his teeth and fired another burst with his rifle, the Angel skittering aside to avoid them. He threw another grenade, but it had wised to his tricks, and an energy whip batted it aside before it could explode.
It got closer and closer. Tsurumaki was pushing the vehicle to its limits, free to accelerate on a flat stretch of road, but the Angel was still gaining. It pounced again, the leap carrying it right alongside the 4x4. A claw lashed out, scoring deep cuts into the door and shattering the window. Shinji screamed.
"Shoot!" Tsurumaki bellowed, swinging about and firing on full auto himself.
The teenager kept on screaming, but lifted the pistol and fired wildly at the Angel. Bullets tore into the creature, and it screeched in anger. The energy whips whipped back, ready to impale them, but Tsurumaki wrenched at the steering wheel, throwing the 4x4 into the Angel. The impact lifted the creature of its feet and crushed it against the guardrail.
Tsurumaki pulled them away, then smashed into it again. The Angel wailed in agony, the friction and crushing force of the 4x4 tearing it's body to shreds. It thrashed, succeeding only in throwing itself beneath the wheels. The 4x4 bounced over its body, collided with the guardrail and skidded dangerously. The soldier fought with it, trying to keep them on the road, but somewhere a tire had blown. The vehicle spun hard to the right and ploughed right through the concrete barrier.
"Hold on!" Tsurumaki yelled, and the three braced themselves as they fell towards the street below.
They landed hard, the vehicle crushing itself into the street below, as the suspension tore apart in an effort to absorb the impact. Jushiro was thrown off, and he hit the tarmac rolling. The 4x4 continued bouncing forward, carried by its momentum, where it smashed through a shop front, spraying glass and stone everywhere.
/o\
\o/
Jushiro awoke to a loud roar. Every inch of his body hurt, but he managed to lift his head enough to see a VTOL gunship hovering above. Its guns were firing at something out of sight, tracking side to side wildly. Loud and angry screeches emanating from above told him all he needed to know.
He looked over towards the 4x4, where it lay buried in a clothing store, engine ticking over as it finally gave in to the stresses of the chase. He could just about see the heads of both Shinji and Corporal Tsurumaki, slumped down and unmoving. Hoping they were merely unconscious, the soldier began to crawl groggily towards the vehicle.
Another screech sounded out, louder and closer than before. Jushiro rolled over in time to see the Angel, its body bleeding from dozens of large calibre bullet wounds, leap from the bridge at the gunship. The pilot reacted quickly, pulling up and away, but a tendril flashed out and got hold of the machine. The Angel swung, and pulled itself up, using its claws to latch onto the side of the gunship. The pilot juked the gunship around, trying to shake it off, but it was all for nothing. The Angel's tendrils drew back and stabbed straight through the cockpit.
It let go, dropping down to the street. The gunship span out of control, clipping the side of the highway as it plummeted down to the ground. It crashed into the tarmac, ripping the road apart as it rolled, pieces flying off. Finally, it exploded, and Jushiro curled up, covering his head as debris shot everywhere.
The skittering sound of the Angel moving again had him look up. It was heading straight for the crashed 4x4 and Shinji. Jushiro looked around desperately, spotting his rifle just a few paces away. With immense effort, the battered soldier threw himself towards the weapon.
"Hey, ugly," he growled loudly, and opened fire.
The Angel screamed at him, backing away as the bullets tore into the still-healing wounds it had sustained from the gunship. The sergeant pressed forward, firing burst after burst at the creature, forcing it back away from the 4x4. He knew it couldn't kill it, only that he had to hold it off long enough for backup to arrive.
The rifle clicked empty.
"Shit…" Jushiro reached for a new magazine, only to find his pockets empty, he'd used them all during the chase. His sidearm was gone, still in the 4x4 with Shinji. Panicking, he started to drop back, grabbing his last grenade with one hand, his combat knife in the other.
An energy tendril plunged through his gut.
He choked, and lost the grip on his knife as his body was wracked with sheer agony. With a roar of defiance, he raised the grenade to pull its pin.
The Angel's second tendril took off his hand.
It stared at him for a second, unnerving with its blank stare. Then it flung him aside almost dismissively, and he landed heavily against a telegraph pole. The soldier slumped down, suddenly weak, fire burning in his gut and his wrist. He could feel his strength ebbing away with every heartbeat, his vision hazing over. He watched helplessly as the Angel turned back towards its prey.
A hand lightly touched his shoulder. He coughed and tried to look up, seeing a figure clad in black walk lithely past him. He couldn't make out any features with his blurry vision, but he could see that the person was wearing an enclosed helmet and body armour, all in black with a white patch on the shoulder and a white streak on the helmet. Two more figures joined the first, passing him on either side. They only differed in their patch colours, one orange, one a pale blue.
The Angel also took notice, and skittered about, its tendrils flicking back and forth in an agitated fashion. It seemed wary.
Without warning, the three charged forwards. Two moved to flank it, whilst the third ran directly at the Angel. It slid lightly under the an energy whip, flipping gracefully over the second. Inside the Angel's defences, they ducked and rolled beneath its legs. The move was enough distract the creature, and Orange came in from the side with a seemingly impossible leap. They delivered a powerful punch right to the mask, chips of bone flying from the blow. Reeling the Angel lashed out, a swipe of razor sharp claws batting Orange aside, drawing blood from their flank and exposing pale flesh..
Orange landed running, and darted away, only to be replaced by Blue. This time, the Angel's tendril managed to a line across its attacker's back, but they jumped up, using the Angel's own body as a support to climb up and onto its shoulders. The Angel bucked, trying to dislodge it's attacker, tendrils flailing dangerously. Blue ducked and weaved, pounding at the Angel's head with their fists, but was forced to leap aside.
White appeared again, cutting into one of the deadly appendages with a knife. The energy suffusing the tendril dissipated, leaving only grey flesh behind that twitched feebly. They spun away as the second slashed through the tarmac where they had stood.
Then Orange somersaulted in from behind the Angel, gracefully flipping through the air to land on its back. They plunged their own knife into the Angel's spine, causing it to shriek and convulse, rearing up. Calmly, Orange gripped either side of the creature's head. With the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bones, the Angel's head was torn clean off. Its body instantly tensed in shock for a moment, before flailing around in its death throes and forcing its killer to jump down. The three watched dispassionately, surrounding it as the Angel's body slowly dropped to the ground twitching. All the while, Orange continued to hold the severed head like a trophy.
Jushiro's last sight before the blackness claimed him was the three mysterious warriors turn to walk away.
/o\
\o/
AN:
So here we see something a little different; the creature I dub, the Shamshelim. The idea behind it was to represent a lifeform if Shamshel was the progenitor, what life on Earth would look like if this Angel was the one to enact Impact. It is alien, but has the tools to be dominant. As to where it came from, it simply hatched from the core after Shinji killed Shamshel. Sachiel before it could not do the same because it chose the kamikaze option, obliterating its core in the process.
This chapter also contained Shinji's first activation of Evangelion Unit-01, as shown in a flashback. The scene itself is actually newer than the rest of the chapter, being written a couple of years afterwards, but works to bridge the end of last chapter into this one, whilst fulfilling the need to show a little of what happened to bring us to now.
Finally, we see the mysterious armoured figures. In the original version of this fic, it had been only one who showed up to save Jushiro, but here I have changed it to three, as it fits better with what I am planning for later in the fic.
Anyway, that's all for now. Please, it you enjoyed this, take a moment or two to drop a review. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts, and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks!