Chapter 9 - A Menace Sighted
6:30 P.M. May 16th, 2051.
Tokyo-3, Japan.
A strange ring awoke me from my turbulent slumber. As I sluggishly flailed my arms at the mysterious object, I realized the ringing came from my phone. Noticing the urgency, I raised myself up and ran over to my desk to pick up the phone. I answered the phone, gave out a large yawn, then spoke with a lazy tone.
"Hello?" I grumbled.
"Hi Misato, this is Ritsuko." She answered.
"Oh... Hi, Ritsuko." I paused to let out another yawn. "W-why are you calling at this hour?"
"Misato, it's 6:30 in the afternoon, what do you mean 'at this hour?' Where you sleeping?"
"I was just taking a little nap..."
"Sure you were… Have you been sleeping well lately?"
"It's on and off. It's been a little bit better since I found Shinji, but God knows how long it'll last. I've been taking care of him as best I can so he doesn't run away again, but keeping an eye on him is hard work. He's running me into the ground."
"That explains it. Anyways, that's not important right now. Get dressed and get yourself over here; we need you."
"Why? What's going on?"
"Something is approaching the coast; something big."
"Is it another Angel?"
"All of the Angels were supposed to be destroyed, but I've seen stranger things. Honestly, I don't know what it is at this point. What I do know is that we need you over here, now! The Commander is on his way back to HQ as we speak. He should be here any minute. Make sure you bring Shinji, too, just in case."
"Alright, I'm on my way. Thanks, Ritsuko." I said as I rose to go get dressed.
"Just hurry." Ritsuko hung up. I placed my phone back on the counter and approached my closet, opened the sliding door and taking out my Nerv uniform. I knew that Shinji would not be excited about the news. I had already promised he would never have to pilot Eva again, and I was determined to keep that promise.
Alone with his thoughts, Shinji was in his personal bedroom, protected by four ways around him. He had finished his chores for the day and just wanted to spend some time alone. Laying on his futon with his head caressed between his arms in complete silence, Shinji couldn't help but start thinking about Rei. He always had feelings for Rei since the moment he laid eyes on her on that fateful day in 2050, but he was spineless and unable to admit his feelings. Poor Shinji had gone through some of the worst experiences of his life during the past few years, but Rei was always there to put a smile on his face.
He had grown to love everything about her: her short, blue hair, her dazzling ruby eyes, her expressionless, pale face. He even enjoyed the matching pairs of clothes she wore every day, despite the fact they were dull and unfashionable. She was perfect and Shinji loved her just the way she was, only he never had the guts to ask if she had the same feelings for him.
Shinji couldn't help but remember the first day he set eyes on her elegance. Thoughts of her beautiful form bound by numerous bandages wrapped in medicinal tape, heavily wounded by previous attempts for her to sync with her Eva, just saddened him to his core. When Shinji realized how long ago that was, a little over a years to be exact, he couldn't help but realize how pathetic he looked. His eyes began to swell up as tears welled beneath them. He wanted to cry but he knew that wouldn't solve anything. He knew the only thing that could ease his aching heart was Rei, but he also knew his own self-doubt would keep him from her warm embrace.
Shinji was trapped by his own emotions, unable to break free, even for the woman he loved. He needed something to get his mind off of it, something to ease his pain. Just as he tried to empty his mind of his turbulent thoughts, Misato called.
"Shinji, get your shoes on, we have to go." I called out.
"Where are we going?" Shinji asked as he open his room's door to see what was going on.
"We have to go to Nerv. Ritsuko says they're having some issues over there and she wants us down there."
"What sort of issues?"
"I'll explain later. Right now you need to get ready. We're leaving in 5 minutes."
"O-okay..." Shinji was a little suspicious, but he seemed to trust me enough now to play along with my wishes. He closed the door to his room to get ready. While he was preparing himself, I myself was ensuring all my affairs were in order. I brushed my hair to get out the naughts from my little nap and reapplied makeup to my face to make sure I didn't look too disheveled. I'm sure Shinji could hear my hurried panic as I tried to get myself ready, but there wasn't enough time to concern myself with such minor details. While I was finishing dressing near the kitchen table, Shinji exited his room, ready for the outing. I was still buttoning my shirt. Shinji looked away as I messily tidied myself before him, trying not to look while I wasn't fully decent. This made me happy. He was a good kid; not one to stoop down to such low levels of perversions. When I finally got to the door, I was almost completely out of breath and just barely in passable attire.
"You're a mess sometimes, Misato." Shinji chuckled as he handed me my jacket and my purse.
"Don't rub it in." I replied as I took my belongings from Shinji, "Now, come on, we can't be late."
"I was the one waiting for you."Shinji opened the door for me. She paused right in front of him, midway through the doorway.
"You don't always have to be a smart-ass." I said in a humorous tone as I ruffling up Shinji's hair, "But thanks for caring." I exited the building and got out my keys from my purse. Shinji closed the door behind us and locked it. I was already at the elevator by that point. I pushed the down button several times, impatiently waiting for the elevator to reach our level. Shinji approached from behind as the elevator doors open and we both walked in. I pressed the button directing the elevator to the garage level. The doors closed and it was soon dead silent. I was tapping my foot against the floor, clearly anxious, but I could tell the silence in the elevator was a little awkward. I broke the silence by asking Shinji a question.
"How was school today?"
"It was alright."
"Is Toji back or is he still in rehab?"
"He's back now, but he's still a little sore."
"He doesn't blame you for what happened, does he?"
"I-I don't want to talk about it." I knew I had touched on a very sensitive topic for Shinji and thought it best if I stopped. There was a slight pause before someone spoke again. Shinji and I tried to say something at the exact same time, cutting each other off. I insisted that he go first.
"Why are we going to Nerv?" I did not want to answer the question, knowing it might alarm Shinji, but I had no means of deflecting the subject. Luckily, the doors of the elevator opened, giving me something to turn the subject on.
"Come on, let's go." Shinji seemed to know that I was avoiding the question, but he didn't bother to mention it until we entered the car. I jumped in before Shinji, who slowly took his seat beside me. We buckled up and I brought the car to life. Only then did Shinji speak again.
"You didn't answer my question, Misato. Why are we going to Nerv now?" As he spoke, I drove up to the gate. I took out my ID and showed it to the guard. He pressed a button and the barriers slowly raised themselves.
"Have a good day, Miss Katsuragi." The man said.
"You, too." I replied. With that, we were on the open road. Shinji persisted with his question, knowing there would be no more distractions.
"Misato, why are we going to Nerv?" I let out a large sigh.
"Alright, it's only fair that you know… Ritsuko said there is something approaching the bay that is large enough to concern Nerv."
"Do you mean... no, not another Angel! But, but they were all supposed to be destroyed? There can't be another one! Y-you said I would never have to pilot that damn thing again! Misato, you promised!"
"I know, I know, just hear me out. Ritsuko did not say it was an Angel. She actually said she doesn't know what it is. It could just be nothing, but she wants me there just in case, and she wanted me to bring you along as well."
"Why?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure it's nothing. Everything is going to be fine, Shinji. Trust me, I will protect you." I was a little unsure of what I had said, but I didn't want to alarm Shinji any further. The rest of the ride was mostly silent. I wanted to say something, but I thought better of it. When we reached Nerv, I took out my Nerv badge to show the security guard at the front gate. The man nodded his head and directed me to the private Nerv garage. I drove in and pulled into the car elevator. A mechanism clicked and soon we were lowered down to HQ in the underground bunker of the GeoFront. Shinji always thought the view was gorgeous as we traveled down, but today he didn't seem too impressed today. He looked like something was bothering him, and I couldn't blame him. When we reached Nerv HQ at the bottom of the GeoFront, the elevator came to a stop and I exited the vehicle. I patted my messy skirt as Shinji exited behind me.
"Alright, let's see what this is all about." I said as I swung my purse over my shoulder and walked towards the elevator to the center of Nerv. Shinji stood beside me, silent and trying to keep calm. The elevator quickly came and brought us up to the main floor where the command center resided at the end of the hall. I walked swiftly down the hall and Shinji picked up the pace to keep at my side. The sound of my boots clicking as they pressed down against the terrazzo floor echoed within the corridors. As we approached the command center, I could hear voices from beyond the doors. I pushed open the doors to reveal the massive command center beyond. Shinji was used to this sort of environment, as was I, but today it felt more ominous than usual. A thick red blip was flashing on the enormous radar screen, heading straight for our location.
"What are we dealing with here?" I asked as I climbed to the crow's nest.
"We're still not sure." Ritsuko replied.
"Is it an Angel?" I asked.
"Hard to say with our readings." Ritsuko continued.
"Have the Magi run a Blood Type scan." I ordered. Shinji followed close behind me, as he had been doing since we left the car. When he got to the top, he noticed that Rei was already present in her plug suit, as well as the usual cast of characters. The Commander—his father—was also present in his usual seat on the highest balcony with the Vice-Commander by his side. Shinji just kept his head down.
"Running Blood Type test..." First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga stated from his seat in the front of the crow's nest. There was a short silence as the data was computed.
"Blood Type confirmed... It-it-it doesn't have a Blood Type..." Lieutenant Makoto exclaimed with a great level of shock.
"What do you mean it doesn't have a Blood Type?" I snapped back.
"There is no other way to describe it... it-it's not an Angel." First Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba replied.
"Is-is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Shinji butted in.
"I don't know, Shinji, but everything is going to be okay, regardless of what it is. Everything is under control." I replied reassuringly.
"Well, if it's not an Angel, then what is it?" Ritsuko asked.
"There's no way of telling. It's an unknown entity." Lieutenant Shigeru stated.
"Can we at least get some dimensions on the thing, or perhaps a visual." I asked as I crossed my arms.
"Running diagnostics..." Lieutenant Makoto replied, "The Magi put it's size at 108.2 meters tall and 231.84 meters long."
"That's over 355 feet!" Ritsuko shouted.
"What's it's weight?" I asked impatiently.
"The Magi say it's over 90,000 metric tons." Lieutenant Makoto replied.
"That's enormous! How can it not be an Angel?" I exclaimed.
"We've checked and rechecked the data: the Magi insists that it is not an Angel." Lieutenant Shigeru replied.
"Ma'am, target is approaching shore. What should we do?" Lieutenant Maya asked.
"Do we have a visual?" I insisted.
"A visual has been obtained. Sending feed to the main screen." Lieutenant Shigeru stated. As he spoke, he typed furiously on his keyboard and, within moments, the visual feed was up on the mammoth screen. Massive blade-like structures jutted out from the surface of the water, cutting through the waves of the bay like stone knives through butter. Below these blades, a massive black form was moving forward in the surf. I could tell the form was massive, but the details were obscured by the turbulent waves the creature created with its very presence.
"If that thing makes landfall, it'll kill millions of people!" Ritsuko shouted, "We have to dispatch the Evas!"
"I agree. Even if this thing isn't an Angel, it must be stopped before it can wreak havoc on the countryside." I said.
"But, we don't know the intentions of this creature. What if it's peaceful?" Lieutenant Makoto suggested.
"We can't take that risk. Lives are at stake here." I replied, disclaiming what Makoto said.
"But, just to be fair, what does the Magi say about what we should do?"
"Running diagnostics." There was a long pause as the system computed, "That-that's not possible!" Lieutenant Makoto shouted.
"What? What did the Magi say?" Ritsuko asked in a worried tone.
"The Magi says we should avoid conflict at all costs, unanimously!" Lieutenant Makoto exclaimed, shocked by the results.
"What?! The Magi are never unanimous in their decision! Is that even possible? What is this thing?!" Ritsuko shouted, slightly horrified.
"Disregard the Magi's orders." The Commander broke in.
"What did you say, commander?" I asked.
"Disregard the Magi's orders. Dispatch the Evas immediately. Destroy the target." He stated blankly, his gaze refusing to waver from the mammoth screen.
"Should we call in the military for help?" I asked.
"Conventional weaponry won't have any effect. Besides, if it's truly him, they already know." The Commander replied, still motionless in his iconic posture.
"But, sir, it has no A.T. field. It's not an Angel, why wouldn't conventional weaponry have an affect? And wait, what do you mean by 'him?'" I asked, a little confused by the Commander's statement.
"Trust me, I know. It won't have any effect." He responded, disregarding my second question. As the Commander finished his statement, the phone beside him began to ring. Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki reach his hand out to take the call, but the Commander raised his own hand to intercept that of Fuyutsuki.
"Leave it." The Commander said. Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki seemed a bit confused, but he nodded, understanding his position, and returned to his vigil.
6:52 P.M. May 16th, 2051.
Kantei, Tokyo, Japan.
As the Prime Minister pondered to himself, wondering what the best plan of action to peruse next was, Kenjo pushed his way into the Prime Minister's office, a phone in hand. Prime Minister Yamamoto raised his head at the sound of the opening door, interest to hear what information his assistant had obtained.
"My apologies, Mr. Prime Minister, but I was unable to get in contact with someone at Nerv. They refuse to pick up." Prime Minister Yamamoto slammed his fist against his desk, nearly knocking over a photo of his daughter he had set at its edge.
"Dammit! Keel was right, Gendo is behind all of this, and he knows it, too! He's doing this on purpose, just to spite me!"
"Should I try contacting them again?" Kenjo asked.
"No, there is no purpose. Ikari is stubborn. If he's refusing to answer my calls, then he will be persistent with that decision. Forget it now; we'll manage him later. For now, I want to know what is happening with our target. Have all citizens been evacuated?
"The JSSDF is in the process of evacuating the region as we speak."
"Good. And what of my G-Forces? Has a perimeter been made?"
"Awaiting your orders, sir."
"Excellent. With any luck, perhaps we can drive him away before he causes too much damage. Damn, if only I knew what he's after."
Nerv HQ, Tokyo-3, Japan.
I was not pleased with the response I was given, but I knew questioning the Commander too much would only get me into trouble, so I accepted my answer and returned my attention to the dilemma at hand. I turned around and looked at Shinji.
"Shinji, I..."
"No, Misato, you promised! I'm not doing it!" Shinji cut me off.
"What is he talking about?" Ritsuko asked suspiciously.
"It's complicated..." I said, trying to avoid the question.
"He said 'you promised.' What does he mean by that?" Ritsuko persisted. There was a long pause as I searched for the words, realizing there was no way to avoid the inevitable.
"I-I told him he would never have to pilot Eva again..." I reluctantly replied.
"You did what?! How could you make such an ignorant promise?!" Ritsuko exclaimed.
"I had to! Shinji was in a mental breakdown! I had to give him a sense of security, a place where he could be safe! It was the only way to get him to come home..." I admitted.
"So, it was all just a lie?" Shinji asked, as if he had been tricked. I never intended for it to be a trick, but it became increasingly apparent that I did indeed promise him the impossible.
"No, Shinji, it was not a lie. I meant every word of what I said." I tried to comfort him.
"Be reasonable, Misato, you can't keep that promise. Shinji is going to have to pilot again. He has to, for the safety of Japan, for the safety of the world." Ritsuko broke it to me.
"I knew it… " As Shinji spoke, he ran out the door.
"No, Shinji, wait!" I cried as I tried to pursue him, but it was already too late. He was gone.
"Great, now we've lost two pilots… " Ritsuko snapped as she crossed her arms.
"Asuka's still in rehab?" I asked.
"Until further notice." Ritsuko irritatingly replied.
"So the only pilot we have is Rei?" I asked.
"Thanks to you." Ritsuko snorted.
"Do you really think he would have piloted anyways? After what happened with Kaworu?" I snapped back, irritated by Ritsuko's tone.
"I don't know, maybe." Ritsuko replied as if to an unimportant question.
"Oh, spare me. You know damn well that he wouldn't have!" I scowled.
"Well, there's always a possible, at least there's supposed to be. Now there's no chance of him piloting, now is there?" Ritsuko stated with a tone of annoyance in her voice. I let out a faint sigh before I responded again.
"I guess that'll have to do." I paused for a moment, "Rei, are you ready for insertion?"
"Yes." She responded blankly.
"Good. Is the new Eva Unit ready?" I asked.
"Affirmative. Evangelion Unit-05 is on standby." Lieutenant Maya answered.
"Has Rei been successful synced to her new Eva yet?" I asked.
"Affirmative. She's had three successful sync tests in the past few weeks. One on the 1st, another on the 8th, and finally one on the 12th." Lieutenant Maya continued.
"Excellent, then we shall proceed immediately. Rei, assume your position and await further instructions." I ordered.
"As you wish." Rei stated blankly as she turned towards the Evangelion storage room and walked off.
"How far is the target?" I demanded.
"Target is approaching shore. Estimated time of landfall is 12 minutes, 52 seconds." Lieutenant Shigeru declared.
"That's not a lot of time, but we can work with it." I started, pausing briefly, "Send out an evacuation warning. Make sure all inhabitants of Tokyo-3 report to the Civil Defense Shelters immediately."
"Yes, Major." Lieutenant Maya answered.
"God, I hope this works." I said to myself.
"It has to." Ritsuko interjected, "If it doesn't, who knows what could happen."
"The Magi's response is very concerning." I said.
"We've never gotten such a rash response. She must be very adamant about this decision, but that never happens. I fear we could finally be in over our heads." Ritsuko explained.
"Is that even possible?" I asked.
"There are some things in this world even we don't understand." Ritsuko paused for a moment, lowering her voice before continuing "I feel as if the commander is withholding information from us."
"I'm getting the same feeling." I replied.
"Well, if he is, there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just hope he's wrong, for all our sakes." Ritsuko chuckled slightly.
"Let's." I paused for a moment, "Is Unit-05 ready?"
"Cooling process completed." a male Nerv operator responded as the crimson binding agent surrounding the Eva's body was liquified and quickly drained.
"Cage now in position for docking." another male Nerv operator continued.
"Signal plug terminator now being ejected." Lieutenant Maya added.
"Roger. Inserting entry plug." the male Nerv operator responded. Two plates at the back of Eva Unit-05's neck hissed as they began to move, pulling away from each other, revealing a circular opening for the Entry Plug. The Entry Plug was mechanically placed within the opening, fitting snugly. Once secure, the safety equipment released control of the Entry Plug, which twisted into locking position within the opening. With the Entry Plug in place, the two plates returned to locking position, protecting the region in a thick layer of armor. "Insertion complete. Entry Plug locked in place."
"Connect to Unit-01." the other male operator stated. With the Entry Plug secured, it quickly began to fill with LCL liquid, consuming Rei's lungs with the blood-scented orange liquid. Rei seemed very calm and indifferent about the great responsibility that was placed on her shoulders with piloting, but that was not unusual for her.
"Connecting main power." the male operator stated.
"All circuits transmitting." the other male Nerv operator added.
"Roger." a female Nerv operator responded.
"Connecting secondary contact. Nerv connection normal." Lieutenant Maya added.
"All preliminary contacts established. Performance nominal." another female Nerv operator continued.
"Spy directional circuits are open." Lieutenant Maya stated.
"Synchronization rate?" I asked.
"Synchronization ratio at 53.6%." Lieutenant Maya responded.
"Good, very good." I stated.
"Harmonics seem to be normal. I see no disturbances." Lieutenant Maya added.
"Excellent, everything is going according to plan. It seems those sync tests were not a complete waste." Ritsuko stated.
"Are all systems operational?" I asked.
"Affirmative. All systems nominal. We are ready for launch." Lieutenant Maya replied.
"Good, Rei, are you ready?" I asked over the microphone.
"Yes." Rei replied in a monotone voice.
"Excellent. Begin launch sequence." I ordered.
"Beginning launch sequence." the male Nerv operator repeated, "Removing primary lock bolts."
"Removal confirm." the other male Nerv operator responded.
"Removing the umbilical bridge. Removing secondary lock bolts." the male operator continued.
"Removing primary restraint. Removing secondary restraint." the other male operator added.
"Releasing safety locks number 1-15." the final male operator stated.
"Internal battery fully charged." the male operator stated.
"External battery outlet closed." the other male operator stated.
"Roger." Lieutenant Maya responded, "Move Eva Unit-05 to the launch pad." The Eva was mechanically hauled over to the launch pad upon its docking unit. Once it reached the launch pad, it was secured, locked in place, and the security hatches began to unseal above it. "Launch path clear. All systems green."
"Evangelion Unit-05 is ready for launch." Ritsuko stated.
"Understood. Can we really do this, commander?" I asked one final time before launching.
"Unless we defeat this target, we have no future." The Commander responded, completely unfazed.
"You said the same thing when the first Angel attacked." The Vice-Commander interjected.
"And in both instances I meant what I said." Commander Ikari replied.
"Ikari, are you absolutely certain?" Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki once again asked. The only sign of acknowledgment from the Commander was a slight snicker that crept onto his face. I noted this and quickly gave out the orders.
"Eva launch!" I demanded.
Eva Unit-05 was dispatched to dispose of the approaching intruder at precisely 7:12 P.M. The inhabitants of the city were informed of the approaching intruder and evacuated to Civil Defense Shelters located around the city's perimeter where they would be safe while the Eva destroyed the target.
"Are you sure this is going to work? She hasn't gone up against an enemy in quite a while now and she could still be shaken up about what happened last time." Lieutenant Makoto asked, a little hesitant.
"Plus, the Magi's response is still very worrisome." Lieutenant Maya continued.
"Considering our lack of knowledge on the target, results can vary substantially." Lieutenant Shigeru added.
"It has to." was my only reply.
The Eva was thrusted upwards to the surface. The access gate's warning lights at the surface began to flash and its sealed doors opened. Two extendable robs rose from the open cavity to provide extra support for the docking unit. As the Eva rose to ground level near the center of Tokyo-3, its docking unit locked perfectly into place, providing a level floor for the Eva to exit upon. Once in position, the Eva roared to life as Rei took control of the massive creation of man. She began to maneuver the cybernetic creature, taking tentative steps at first. She was still not entirely used to moving her new unit. It was similar to her old Eva, but yet not the same. Her umbilical cable trailed her movements, providing life-sustaining energy to the cybernetic colossus. Once she obtained a firm grip on the controls, she set a course for the nearest weapons catch to arm herself before engagement.
6:29 P.M. May 16th, 2051.
Manazuru Coast, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
As per Prime Minister Yamamoto's orders, the JSSDF was deployed to evacuate civilians and set up a perimeter around the stretch of beach where the target was calculated to make landfall.
Type 73 APCs appeared on the scene first to deploy their battalions of troops, followed close behind by KV-107 II Helicopters and Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys. They set up orderly evacuation routes for civilians out of the danger zone and began to organize the movement of heavy artillery to the front lines. First of the combat artillery vehicles were the Type 96 APC Grenade Launchers, followed by Type 74 and Type 90 Tanks. Next came the M110A2 Self-Propelled Howitzer Tanks, Challenger 2 MBT Tanks, and T-80 Tanks, deployed alongside the Type 75 MSSR Missile Launchers, Type 88 SSM Missile Launchers, Ballistic Missile Launchers, Full Metal Missile Launchers, BM-30 Smerch Missile Launchers, M-270 MLRS Missile Launchers, and AMX-10 RC Tank Destroyers. Finally came the true heavy-hitters: the maser units. Hyper Laser Cannons, MBT-92 Maser Tanks, MBAW-93 Maser Tanks, and Type 90 Maser Cannons rolled in as the ultimate in mobile anti-Daikaiju military technology.
Above these lines of army forces, the air forces entered the scene. F-1 CCV Fighter Jets, F-16 Fighting Falcon Fighter Jets, F-7J Fighter Jets, Sukhoi Su-34 Strike Fighter Jets, and Yakovlev Yak-38 Fighter Jets shot across the sky, circling the coastline for any signs of the approaching target. Even ASTOL-MB93s, Jet Fighters equipped with maser technology, made an appearance on the scene. Following these were the helicopter units. UH-1B Hueys, AH-1 Cobras, AH-64 Apaches, and AH-1S Helicopters hovered just above the ground units, prepared to engage on order. Above all these came the Heavy Fighter Jet-VTOLs, the latest in aerial combat technology. Highly maneuverable through Vertical Take-Off and Landing technology, these gunships are unmatched in the skies in efficiency against foes of such a size.
Last to make an appearance were the the navy forces. DD-122 Hatsuyuki Class Destroyers and DDH-142 Haruna Class Destroyers filed into the bay to form a resistance wall. IJN Hatsuyuki Destroyers followed suit to strengthen the wall. Aircraft carriers filled with Sukhoi Su-33 Naval Fighter Jets were the last of the force to appear, strengthening both the naval and aerial support.
This was a full-scale military operation. It was well beyond clear that whatever was heading straight for the shore was no force to be taken lightly.
While the military forces were setting up, the civilian inhabitant were safely evacuated out of the line of fire. Behind all the lines of offensive infantry and military artillery, a lone G-Force Chopper landed near the Type 82 Command Vehicles stationed about a two clicks from the shoreline, far enough away to avoid direct conflict but still close enough to observe the action. Out of the chopper, General Osamu Hibiki stepped onto the unpaved soil, followed close behind by Lieutenant General Hayato Yuudai. They made their way towards the line of Command Vehicles, refusing to acknowledge as the G-Force Chopper proceeded to take off and leave the battlefield behind them. As they walked, Colonel Tsubasa Shota came running over to inform them of the situation.
"Sir, all lines of defenses are stationed and ready on your command." The Colonel stated, standing straight and saluting before his superior officer.
"Tank battalions are in place? Alongside the missile launchers and maser cannons?" General Hibiki asked.
"Affirmative, sir."
"And we have air support?" As he asked, a line of F-7J fighters streaked across the sky above him.
"Affirmative, sir."
"Good, and the naval forces are in position?"
"Ready on your orders, General."
"Excellent work." General Hibiki stated, "Now all we have to do is wait for that ugly bastard to rear his ungodly head."
"Godly might be a better way to describe him, sir." Lieutenant General Yuudai interjected.
"Don't remind me." General Hibiki retorted, "We are still tasked with sending him away, at any rate." The General made his way over to the hill he was situated on overlooking the lowlands just before the vast sea. All he could see before him were waves upon waves of military artillery, just as he wanted. While he marveled at the awe-inspiring force before him, all his to command, Major Shichirou Shouhei came running over to his position with a walking-talkie in hand.
"General, orders have come in from the Prime Minister. He says the creature has entered the bay and should be visible within moments."
"Hand me that walkie-talkie, Major." The General ordered.
"Yes, sir." The Major gladly relinquished his walkie-talkie to the General, who tuned it to the frequency of the head navy vessel. Aboard, the man to pick up was the Chief Admiral, Akiro Yuuta.
"Chief Admiral Yuuta?" General Hibiki stated over the comm.
"Are we prepared to commence, General?" Chief Admiral Yuuta asked.
"We have news from the Prime Minister. He says the target has entered the bay. Do you have a visual?" Chief Admiral Yuuta put down the walkie-talkie for a moment to see if visual was made.
"Captain Kaito, do we have a visual on the target?" He demanded.
"Negative, Admiral, target still has not surfaced." The Captain replied. Just as he finished, he ate his words. "No, wait, visual has been made! Target is surfacing!" He exclaimed. Chief Admiral Yuuta returned his attention to the General.
"Yes, a visual has been made. He's about 10 clicks out." As the Admiral spoke, the General turned his attention to the waters before him. He, too, could see the disturbance approaching. The massive girth of the beast was visible even from his distance with much clarity. The once calms waters of the bay soon became churned into violent waves as the monstrous beast approached shore. The creature's three rows of dorsal spines slashing through the surf.
"I see him. Hold your position, you are not to engage until he surfaces completely. I will give out the order."
"Yes, General." Chief Admiral Yuuta replied, changing the frequency of his walkie-talkie to speak to the rest of his naval forces, "Orders are in from General Hibiki. We are not to engage until he has completely surfaced. We only have one shot at this, so make it count." The Captains of each vessel acknowledged the orders and prepared for battle. While the Chief Admiral relayed orders to his fleet, General Hibiki gave out his orders to his own men. The troops were prepared, and anxious.
From the head navy vessel, one of the Lieutenants spoke up.
"Sir, the target is almost upon us. 2 clicks."
"Be ready, men!"
"Wait, the target seems to be diving." Another Lieutenant interjected.
"What?!" The Chief Admiral exclaimed. He headed for the window to observe the approaching beast himself. The blades that slashed through the surface were getting ever-closer, but as they approached, they began to shrink, disappearing below the surface. Within moments, they were gone. However, the wave of water created by the sheer girth of the beast continued where he didn't.
"Brace for impact, men!" The Chief Admiral yelled out. The men aboard braced as the wave crashed into the side of the destroyer. The massive vessel was struck hard, and it titled heavily as the water plowed into its starboard side. The men were hurled back and forth as the boat struggled to stabilize itself after the collision. When the vessel finally started to settle, the waters around it were calm and peaceful. This troubled the Chief Admiral.
"I don't like the look of this. Keep your eyes peeled, men, he could be anywhere." The silence was palpable, and very ominous. No one knew where the Leviathan was, but they all knew he was far from gone.
Then, without warning, the waters below one of the DD-122 Hatsuyuki Class Destroyers about midway through the naval wall began to rise and, before anyone had time to react, the ship split in two, detonating violently. The explosion sent a shockwave outwards which offset the naval fleet.
As the smoke from the explosion started to clear, the creature became exposed rising above the plume. The creature towered above the JSSDF's fleet. Water poured down from his thick, leathery charcoal hide. A distinctly saurian appearance was prevalent within the creature's frame. An upright posture allowed by strong, muscular legs gave the creature a sturdy, erect gate. His arms were just as brawny, and so were his square jaws, lined with rows of crooked, dagger-like teeth that extended from his flashing gums like railroad spikes. Smoke poured from the beast's nostrils. Chief Admiral Yuuta was astounded by the sheer size of the beast. It's girth was incredible. He was even bigger than he remembered. By far the most striking feature of the monstrosity standing before his fleet, however, was a myriad of pale, spiky structures jutting out of the creature's back like an infinity of jagged blades thrusting upwards in a deadly maze or conical spines.
"Fire!" General Hibiki shouted over the radio lines across all the forces he commanded over. Everyone began to unload. The tanks and missile launchers began to bombard the target from the coastline while the fleets below did the same. The vastness of the attack caused smoke to shroud the target, but the forces refused to stop their assault. The maser cannons joined in, as did the air forces above, and the assault was at full-strength. The target became completely enveloped in smoke as the assault continued. When General Hibiki finally had no visuals on the target, he demanded his troops to halt their attack.
"Cease fire!" He ordered. The armada followed orders to a T, ceasing their operations as soon as the order was given. General Hibiki squinched his eyes to see if he could get a better look as the smoke began to clear. The first feature of the beast to clear the smoke was his jagged dorsal spines, which began to crackle with a radiant blue aura. Next came his gaping maw, exposing leaping flames of nuclear energy from beyond his crooked teeth. The military forces became enveloped in a blue glow as the creature began to light up in retaliation.
"The assault was completely ineffect!" Lieutenant General Yuudai exclaimed.
"Hit him again!" General Hibiki demanded. The forces continued their assault, still to no avail. One of the army's Majors blasted the situation on the front lines to the General over the comm.
"Sir, our efforts are useless against hi—" before he could finish his statement, the beast unleashed his deadly halitosis against the army's battalion. Everything it touched was incinerated, both man and machine. The army's forces were almost completely obliterated in a single blow. Tanks, missile launchers, maser cannons, all were vaporized with a single blast from their unstoppable foe. The explosion caused as the beam collided with the coastline, gouging a hole in the very tectonic plate itself as it crossed the battlefield, was immense; blinding. When the titan ceased his unthinkable attack, another wave of bombardment plagued him. His jaws sealed, the last of his nuclear wrath seeping out from the back of his palate, but before he could continue his journey forward, a massive N² Mine collided with his forehead. From behind the battle lines, the massive non-nuclear explosives had been fired, upon direct orders from Prime Minister Yamamoto. More N² Mines crashed into the beast's body, the force of their collision crushing their fronts. The thrusters continued to force the collapsing missiles into the beast's body until the detonation was triggered. The battlefield was shattered as the explosion went off. What little remained of the army's battalions were launched away, completely destroyed. The navy was incinerated by the blast. General Hibiki raised his walkie-talkie to his mouth.
"Admiral Yuuta, do you copy? Admiral Yuuta!" He shouted over the lines, but no one was left to respond to his calls. All were incinerated by the blast… all but one. When the smoke finally began to break apart and reveal the remnants of the attack, only one form stood: that of the target. Steam sizzled from his rouged skin, but he was unfazed.
"He-he's unstoppable!" Lieutenant General Yuudai said, shuddering as he spoke. Tears began to well up in the General's eyes as he clenched his teeth. His fists tightened in a blind rage.
"All surviving forces, destroy the target!" He raged. With little but a few remaining jets and a battalion of Heavy Fighter Jet-VTOLs, the assault commenced. The fighters streaked across the sky, unloading what left they had of their missiles on the target. The Heavy Fighter Jet-VTOLs circled, giving their enemy everything they had. One of the valiant pilots pushed forward to engage the target head-on, but he flew much too close to his quarry. The beast lashed out at the lone Heavy Fighter Jet-VTOL, crushing the hull of the aircrash between his burly fingers. What little remained of the aircraft was thrown into the beast's jaws, which made short work of the alloy. Little but shrapnel remained as the beast lowered the smoldering pile of metal and tossed it away. However, the battalion was not yet destroyed. The rest of Heavy Fighter Jet-VTOLs continued their assault mercilessly. However, their efforts were futile; all they succeeded in was rousing the wrath of the King.
Cerulean nuclear energy again began to seep from the beast's jaws. As the air force drew closer, the beast unleashed his wrath upon them, incinerating everything before him in a wave of blue death. His beam sliced through what remained of the resistance force, rocketing past them and again colliding into the countryside, gouging out another massive chunk of rock in a huge explosion. All of General Hibiki's forces were completely obliterated before his eyes. He could no longer control his rage.
"I'll kill you, you damn lizard! You hear me? I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" He raged upwards towards his enemy. The titan before him did not even register the cries of the General as he lumbered forward.
"He's coming this way!" The Lieutenant General shouted, sprinting towards the Command Vehicles in an attempt to escape. The Colonel followed close behind, but the General held his position. As the monster approached, his massive foot collided with the earth mere meters from the General's location, crushing the line of Command Vehicles and all present as his sole tore through the soft soil. The beast continued forward, tearing through the countryside and destroying everything in his wake. The General was utterly humiliated, but he would not have to sulk in his worthlessness for long. As he sunk to his knees, screaming wildly at the sky, the ground below him began to give way as the hillside collapse back into the sea.
7:15 P.M. May 16th, 2051.
Tokyo-3, Japan.
Rei had grabbed a Gatling Gun from the weapons catch, slinging a Pallet Gun over her Eva's shoulder as a backup weapon. She also had her Progressive Knife if the situation required-close-quarters combat. She was prepared for anything this new target could throw at her… or so she thought. The sounds of the beast tearing through the countryside on its way to her location soon became audible, and they were terrifying. Rei began to doubt herself for a moment, but she shook the thought out of her mind; she knew that she had a responsibility to end this creature, whatever it may be, and that it was beyond her own feelings on the matter.
Rei stood poised to strike as the sounds drew closer. Soon, she could see massive skyscrapers on the far side of the city begin to tumble, overtaken by a plume of smoke and debris as her quarry approached. The smoke cloud grew larger as the beast continued its path of destruction through the heart of the city. Finally the beast was in view. Masked behind a massive skyscraper, Rei could not make out the creature's form, but she knew he was there. Before she could react, the titan crashed straight through the building, debris and smoke clouding his figure as the building collapsed upon him. Rei clenched the trigger between her Eva's fingers, prepared to unload on the beast. The smoke around the massive intruder masked her view, but as it began to clear, she saw her quarry for all he was. He was like nothing Rei had ever seen, nothing like anyone at Nerv had ever seen. None of them were old enough to know, with the exception of the Gendo and Kozo.
Nerv HQ, Tokyo-3, Japan.
"What on Earth is that?" I rhetorically asked in a terrified tone.
"I've never seen anything so massive." Ritsuko shouted out.
"Of course you haven't, none of you are old enough to understand." The Commander interjected.
"Pardon, commander?" I asked.
"I said none of you are old enough to understand." Commander Ikari repeated.
"You are all too young to have experienced the wrath of this ancient alpha predator. We hoped he would never returned after what happened in 2023, but apparently that was never meant to be." Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki added, explaining what the Commander was too stubborn to say.
"So, this thing, it's come before?" I asked, a little startled.
"Yes. This thing, as you call it, was awakened in 1954 by atomic testings conducted by the United States in the South Pacific. Bikini Atoll, to be exact. He is known by many names, most notably the King of the Monsters. He is an unstoppable force of nature who cannot be tamed by the likes of man."
"Indeed, he is a threat unlike any other. No one has been able to stop him completely, not man nor beast. His name is infamous, I'm sure you've heard of it."
"I have no idea who or what you're talking about." I stated, still very puzzled.
"We call him Gojira."