A/N: this chapter is dedicated to BrokenChosenofEva.
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On a beautiful cloudless day, a helicopter soared over the calm coastline of was once considered the inland region of Japan, over the course of a decade rebuilt where feasible and left for nature where it wasn't. Not many people lived there anymore; having the ocean suddenly deciding to relocate put a healthy amount of trepidation into the survivors, as well as serving as a cautionary tale to those who sought to make the land their home.
The chopper, a transport model marked with UN initials and painted beige, flew over the coastline and out to sea. It's destination was the fleet of warships cruising closer and closer to Japan, but in addition to cargo, it carried passengers. Four, to be precise. The task could be considered frivolous, but few could cross NERV and get away with it for long.
"Man this is so cool! I never thought I'd ever actually ever be able to ride in one of these babies" Kensuke all but shrieked. His friends, one old and one new, had trouble keeping his infectious enthusiasm at bay. In his hands was his valued camera, carefully repaired after NERV's rough 'cleaning' job.
"Hey thanks for letting us tag along" Touji said to Shinji, absently adjusting his new cap. The subject in question shrugged sheepishly.
"It looked like you were getting some cabin fever. A ride out to sea sounded perfect" Misato said, letting some of the glasses wearing boy's exuberance latch on.
"If you say so" he replied, not entirely certain. The new pilot-
Pilots, plural, he mentally corrected himself. They were coming to Tokyo-3 anyway, so what was the point of going out to see them? Though a small part of him was excited at the prospect of meeting new pilots, new people to help carry the burden of fighting. Another small part was sharing Kensuke's enthusiasm. It wasn't everyday a civilian got to see one of the most iconic symbols of the UN's might in person.
Wait, am I a civilian? he wondered.
"Besides, it wouldn't be much of a date if it was just me eh?" she said suggestively, with a sultry smirk aimed at Touji to boot.
"Wha-me?" The target processed the information in a second, and sputtering in embarrassment and dumbfounded amazement at being on what could be considered a date with one of the hottest women he knew of in the next. She winked, and the boy lost it.
"Huh, what?" Kensuke asked confusedly, swinging his camera around. Shinji sighed.
"Nothing" he muttered, mostly drowned out by the chopper's engine.
Once at sea, time seemed to pass quickly. Soon, the shrunken coastline faded from view entirely, and the passengers were out into the ocean proper. Their location was still within Japanese territory, but without a look at the onboard GPS, one would never know it. Sometime into the trip, it occurred to the young pilot that he was further away from home than he'd ever been before in the fourteen years of his life.
Home, he mouthed. Not for the first time he pondered it's meaning. An exited cry quickly dragged him out of his short contemplation and back to the moment. Whatever deep philosophical treatise on the metaphysical nature of his turbulent life stopped in it's tracks as he heard Kensuke cry out like a fangirl. Both of his friends crowded the window, and when he looked out himself he saw why. Shinji couldn't blame him.
"I can die happy" Kensuke all but squealed. It was a military otaku's wet dream. Misato smirked.
"The Pacific Fleet" she announced.
Below was a plethora of warships, haling from a dozen countries and sailing under the flag of the UN. Frigates, cruisers, destroyers (helpfully identified by Misato) moved in a loose formation, with an enormous carrier in the center. That one dominated Shinji's attention, for it was the largest ship in the entire fleet. The smaller ships seemed to be just tagging along, acting as little more than an entourage.
"Thats a big ship" Touji said amazedly.
"Over the Rainbow" Kensuke said breathlessly. He broke his concentration long enough to register his friends looking at him strangely.
"What? Thats the name of the ship" he said defensively.
"Its a super-carrier. Flagship and pride of the fleet" Misato explained.
"The ships an older model, built just before Second Impact. They don't build ships like that anymore" he said wistfully, earning another strange look.
Shinji noted three distinct ships that looked like cargo movers sailing nearby to the oversized warship. Large tarps covered the decks, hiding something beneath. He could make a good guess as to what they were, but before he could ask the chopper started bouncing in the turbulence. He sat back down and fumbled with the seatbelt for a moment. He just managed to get it latched as the chopper unsteadily bounced and stopped moving. He groaned and began the overly complicated task of undoing the accursed thing. Because of that, he was the last one off, excluding the helicopter pilot.
The figure watched the chopper land and smiled.
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Ritsuko impatiently tapped her foot. The elevator seemed to be taking longer than normal, taking more and more time out of her eternally busy day. When it finally chimed open, she strolled out before it was fully retracted. Her impatience and general annoyance was tempered by who, or rather what had called her down here. The scowling guard didn't ask for her ID this time; he apparently had enough brains to recognize a regular visitor.
The former interrogation room had seen a marked improvement. Much of the surrounding walls were broken and expanded, accommodating a number of additions. Homelier ones. The gurney was long replaced by an actual bed, and a basic kitchen was set up. A functional if spartan bathroom was constructed as well, along with dividers put up as walls. They gave the illusion of more space while subtracting from it.
All of it was necessary when it was discovered that their "guest" had not only the body of a human, but the needs of one too. Food, waste, and simple hygiene were hastily taught. It learned quickly, and at this point it could take care of most of the matters itself. It's newest intrerest was, oddly enough, learning how to cook. Something that it wasn't allowed to do unsupervised.
It wouldn't do for it to blow up the room. Accidentally or otherwise.
She, It, stood next to the two way mirror, looking pensive. Ritsuko calmly clicked the intercom on and began speaking. She could've gone in, but she had neither the time or the patience to talk face to face. Not to mention the guard got antsy whenever she did that without informing him first.
"Yes Shaori, what is it?" Ritsuko asked as patiently as she could. She wasn't sure of when, but the Sub-commander's code name had stuck, and it was constantly referred to as that. Likely because it was easier to say than it's true name.
Angel of birds, she idly thought.
The trans-dimensional being turned pseudo-human teenager gulped nervously. She wondered where she picked that up from.
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Shinji wasn't sure if it was him or not, but the sunshine on the deck of the oversized warship seemed more powerful than what he was used to. Without clouds, buildings, or anything really, there was nothing to filter the light. That applied to sounds as well. The cranks and roars of the machinery completed with the chatter of the army of sailors that went upon their business, mostly heedless of the new arrivals.
"Cool cool coolcoolcoolcool!" Kensuke shrieked excitedly, running from one bit of military hardware to the next and waving his camera around.
"Well, should've saw that coming" Shinji commented.
"No kidding" Touji agreed.
"This is a- wait, thats a- and thats-" he said happily, unable to finish his sentences. The three other passengers followed him, all with a tiny fraction of his enthusiasm.
The sailors toke the otaku's presence well, smiling and waving into the camera. Some even posed with equipment in hand. Between the two boys Misato sighed, turning a shade of green.
"First time I've been out to sea in a long time. Now I remember why" she said weakly to herself.
A strong breeze blew, slyly taking Touji's cap. It took the boy a second to realize it; he took off after it, moving too frantically than what it was worth. The wind died down for a second, long enough for him to grab it. Before he managed to do so however, a red shoe stomped down hard on top of it. He was bewildered at the unexpected action until it occurred to him that the foot had an owner.
"Well hallo Misato, how have you been?" a smooth and slightly accented female voice greeted friendly.
"Great. My my, you've grown" Misato greeted warmly.
"Is this who I think it is?" Shinji asked.
"Let me introduce you, Asuka Langely Soryu" Misato introduced. Kensuke registered the importance, and ended the happiest moment his life thus far.
The girl smirked. She was obviously foreign, though some of her features showed asian ancestry. Bright red hair spilled down her back, similar to Kaede's but far lighter. Two red clips that could only be A10 nerve connecters cut furrows into the red mane, something Shinji was sure he would get in a lot of trouble if he did it himself. She wore a light yellow sundress that actually looked quite pretty on her.
"Um, forgive me if this sounds rude, but why are you wearing a dress?" Shinji asked her. Touji was trying to retrieve his hat, but to no avail. She was obviously much stronger than she looked.
"Its a beautiful day, why not?" the redhead loftily replied. Her tone, her movements, everything radiated calm confidence. Someone who could look certain doom in the eye and poke it's eye out while punching it in the scrotum.
"Well, the reason I ask is because-" he began. Fate finished his sentence for him, in the way it liked best, via Action.
A timely breeze came up, just strong enough and placed just at the right location. All in the perfect configuration to lift the bottom of her dress up, exposing her underwear to everyone in front of her. Touji could only stare in mute shock.
Her face was confused for a moment, before the impact hit. Metaphorically in her crying out and quickly bunching the dress down to hide her modesty. Literally in the way of a dropkick to the nearest victim.
"Is because of the wind" Shinji finished lamely.
Touji came back up from the asphalt, a foot shaped impression on his face and murder in his eyes.
"Why you" he growled.
"That was the viewing fee. Hell of a deal" Asuka taunted.
"This day went downhill fast" Kensuke mumbled.
"The viewing feee eh? Well heres your change-" Touji began, looping his thumbs into the waistband of his pants. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, belonging to Shinji.
"Drop it" he whispered, as quietly as could be managed.
"I plan to" Touji replied threateningly.
"Seriously, don't" shinji said forcefully.
"Why? You saw what she did" Touji said back.
"Yeah, I did. And frankly, I could do without the image of your 'change' in my head" he answered. Touji huffed, but he removed his thumbs.
"Fine. But you better promise me you'll get her back" he said.
"No guarantees" Shinji answered back.
"Well, that was a rough start. Still, it went better than I thought it would" Misato thought out loud.
"Agreed" Kensuke agreed.
Satisfied at the small victory, the red-head moved in what would only could he described as sauntering to the apparent ringleader, examining everything with a critical and disapproving eye.
"So, this is him?" she said.
"Thats right. Shinji Ikari, the Third child" Misato answered. Asuka crossed her arms.
"He doesn't look like much" she commented.
"Looks can be deceiving" Misato said coyly.
"Hmm, emphasis on can" she said back. She and the boy glared at each other, for their own reasons. He gave up first, letting his eyes drop and releasing an annoyed sigh.
"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. Like it or not, we're going to be working together from now on. If nothing else we need to be on good terms" he said.
Asuka huffed and turned away.
"Fine. Just don't get in my way" she said dangerously. Shinji scowled, his opinion of her lowering a few notches.
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Not far away, the other chuckled at their exchange.
"Bold moves kid. Quite reasonable on your part. But sometimes, there is no substitute for force. Someone like her is going to be needed in the times to come if you want to survive" he said to himself, his hands in his pockets.
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The Admiral of the UN Pacific fleet was an imposing man. Native to Canada, he won out over the long list of potential candidates for commander for such an important force not by politics, as so many others did, but by action. During the Impact wars, he gained a reputation for bravery and perseverance, with his shining moment being part of the force that ended the siege of under the legendary General 'Lord' Ursarkar E. Creed.
Needless to say, he did not approve of a NERV captain telling him what to do. At least she had the decency to be polite about it.
"Thank you for helping us Admiral" Misato said, with as much respect as she could squeeze out. Her impromptu retinue watched intently, with one exception.
"Thank you captain" he said gratefully.
She relaxed slightly before he said:
"Thank you for giving me more kids to baby-sit", reversing the process. Misato just breathed softly before she spoke again, maintaining the façade of ease. A quick glare from both of them stopped Kensuke in his tracks.
"Thank you for the transportation of Units 02, 03, and 04. Now" she opened a small manila folder and ruffled out some papers, which she offered to him.
"Here are the specs of the emergency power socket for Unit 02" she continued. The Admiral briefly scanned the paper before handing them over to his aide.
"Firstly, there is no chance that I would approve activating that toy here" he declared. Her response was quick.
"Think of it as being prepared, as only a sailor could be" she said.
"Thats why the fleets here. When did the UN turn us into a moving service?" He asked rhetorically. His aide, silent until now, answered unnecessarily.
"I believe it was soon after a certain organization was established" he said. The Admiral huffed in indignation.
"Guarding toys. The entire fleet" he bemoaned angrily. Misato smiled coyly.
"Considering their importance, the whole fleet isn't enough for one, let alone three" she said. She reached into her folder again and withdrew another paper.
"Would you sign this please?" she asked, trying to be nice.
"No" he answered. Her face transformed to wracked in milliseconds, and to Shinji's worry her brow began twitching.
"What" she said through gritted teeth.
"The Evas were entrusted to our care. I don't like them one bit, but I was ordered to get them to New Yokosuka. And come hell or high water, thats what I'm going to do" he said gruffly.
"Then, when are you going to sign them over?" she demanded. As politely as her patience could manage.
"When we get there. While we are at sea, you will follow our orders" he answered.
Misato calmed herself, and schooled her features back to calm deference. She still had one more card to play.
"I understand. I feel I should remind you that in the event of an emergency NERV's authority overrides yours" she said, sweetly and venomously.
"Duly noted" he said irritably.
"Well, it seems higher authority is still your bane" commented a smooth man to their left.
Asuka's face immediately lit up, showing real happiness instead of her smugness. Misato on the other hand widened her eyes in surprise, rotating her head and unbelieving features towards the speaker. It was the trio of boys' turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Kaji?" both women said, in entirely separate tones.
The man that caused the reaction leaned against the doorframe, looking all the world like a easy going bum. He was japanese himself, and wore what was likely a business suit, minus the coat. Considering the heat it wasn't surprising, but everything else was sloppy beyond excuse, from the beard stubble to the ponytail. He took one look at Misato and smiled.
"Whats the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he asked coyly.
"Mr. Kaji, I insist that you don't invite yourself onto the bridge" the Admiral protested exasperatedly.
Misato's face sank from dumbfounded to despairing in record time.
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Shinji sniffed the piece of unidentifiable matter on the fork, uncertain as to its identity. As far as he could tell it was some kind of meat, but that was all. For perhaps the first time since he arrived, he wished he was back in Tokyo-3. At least he could tell what the food there was.
He, Asuka, and Kaji sat on one side of the table; Kensuke, Touji, and Misato were on the other. The lunch area they were in was surprisingly nice, considering it was a frontline warship tasked with maintaing the peace for a quarter of the globe.
"So, got a boyfriend?" Kaji asked Misato conversationally. Since arriving at the cafeteria he had done nothing but hit on her in the most unsubtle way possible.
"That's none of your business" she muttered back. At first Shinji thought she didn't like him on principle, but after listening to the conversation it was obvious the two had history.
"How can you be so mean?" he lamented easily, leaning back in mock hurt. In one fluid motion he leaned forward and asked him:
"So, you're living with Katsuragi?" Shinji nodded back. He grinned.
"Tell, me, is she still wild in bed?" he asked lecherously.
A complementary round of blanching went around the assembled victims.
"Wha-what are you saying!?" Mistao demanded, slamming her hands on the table. Her beat red face was similar to Shinji's after he woke up from the last battle.
Karma really does work, Shinji idly thought.
"Where are the other pilots?" he asked quickly, switching gears.
Kaji leaned back onto his chair, maintaing the easygoing attitude, but a shadow passed over his features.
"About that" he said quietly. Asuka, quiet until now, broke in.
"One of the pilots is still in America. Didn't make the cut" she said derisively.
"Really? I always wanted to meet an American" Touji said. His tactic worked; Misato sat back down and much of the redness died down.
"Who cares about them? I wanna meet a Russian" Kensuke put in his two cents.
"Nah. I've met the kid. He's more than capable, but politics" he said, waving his arm.
"Whats his name?" Shinji asked.
"Something Freeman. Howard, Huey, something like that" Asuka answered dismissively. Misato calmed down down enough to ask her own question.
"So three Evas' and two pilots. Ones here, where's the other?"
"No idea. Haven't seen him the entire trip" Kaji said with a shrug.
Whatever else that was going to be said was drowned out by the loudspeaker suddenly blaring:
"Capatain Katsuragi, report to the bridge immediately" it commnaded.
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"So, changed your mind?" she asked. The boys were left with Kaji. She didn't like the idea of them being anywhere near him, especially Shinji, but whatever was important enough to be personally summoned to the bridge had to be bad.
"No. We have a problem" he shot back.
"And what would that be?" she asked.
Instead of answering, he gestured to a computer readout.
"Thats your business" he said.
The biting retort she had planned died on her tongue when she saw the paper. Technical reports was not her purview, but she had enough working knowledge to recognize a blood type pattern when she saw one.
"When did you detect this?" she asked breathlessly.
"Five minutes ago. The location was from the mainland. Its been closing in on us for that much time. Now, is this one of those 'Angels'?" he asked.
"Yes, sh-wait" she muttered, peering close. At first glance it was easy to mix up, but upon closer examination...
The ice in her stomach didn't vanish, it merely changed.
"I am going to wring their necks, starting with hers" she growled through gritted teeth.
"Sir, we're receiving a transmission" an ensign reported.
"Location?" the admiral said.
"Its...from the pattern" he said, unsure.
"Put it on" he ordered. The moment he did he instantly regretted it.
"-e play among the stars! Let me see what spring is like ona, jupiter and mars!" the speaker sang, enthusiastically if off tune. Misato groaned and slapped her hand against her forehead.
"What the hell?" rippled throughout the bridge. She extended a free palm and twitched it. The sailor at the comm didn't protest. Hand still pressed against her face, she clicked the mike.
"Kaede? What are you doing?" she said flatly.
"Oh its you Misato. Hello!" she greeted.
"Kaede"
"Right. Well, the doc is worried about something, so she convinced you-know-who to get me out here. Said something like 'insurance' or whatever" she answered offhandedly.
"And now you're going to attack the fleet" she said dully. The migraine between her temples was growing by the second.
"What? No. I mean, I borrowed one of Rei's-or is it Shinji's? Whatever. I borrowed a toy from the armory. Believe me, I wanna fire this bad boy, but I'm not gonna use the ships as paper targets. Unless its okay-"
"No" she interrupted. Kaede sighed in disappointment.
"Another day" she moaned.
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"Dude, check it out!" Kensuke said excitedly. He shook his friend's shoulder and pointed towards the sky. Their accompanying adult followed his finger. Touji looked, and was awed. He and most of the sailors on the deck. Touji had the sickly feeling the beast's yellow eyes were trained on him as it flew over.
Seeing the avian-like Evangelion on the ground from a good distance away was one thing, seeing the dark green form swoop in over the carrier was quite another. The wingspan casted an ominous shadow over the ship and the water, filing many of the personnel with a sense of dread. It was made worse by seeing what it was holding; a warship grade cannon adapted into a rifle. A simple mind might've put it as "thats a lot of dakka".
"Well, I'll be damned. They were right" Kaji murmured.
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By the whims of evil powers and the obstinate german, Shinji missed Alpha's fly by. Instead, he found himself on board one of the trailing ships he noticed when they were flying in. Against the odds, he discovered he was impressed at one of the fleet's trio of important cargo.
"Its red? Thats different" he said. Asuka smirked.
"Thats not all thats different" she said back.
She climbed down into the hold, gesturing for him to do the same. As he he climbed down after her, he saw that the thing was submerged in reddish fluid. LCL if the smell was anything to go by. A narrow path of barrels and planks crossed the miniature lake to what must have been the plug. It had the ramshackle look of being jury rigged. Fearlessly, she climbed the beast.
"Unit 00 and Unit 01 was the prototype and the test type respectively" Asuka said, sounding like a parroted story "The fact that the test type synced with you, an untrained pilot, is proof of that" she said. He bristled in indignation.
"This? This was created with actual combat conditions. This, this is a true Evangelion" she said boastfully, standing on top of the machine.
"Hence why I have two Angel kills in the obsolete model" he replied sharply.
Her head snapped directly at him, and she leveled a withering gaze of anger focused on only him.
"You wanna run that by me again?" she threatened.
The liquid suddenly began shaking, and the entire ship rocked. Shinji almost lost his balance, narrowly avoiding falling into the LCL.
"The hell?" he muttered.
"Undersea shockwave" Asuka called out, worry seeping into her tone.
She scrambled down in record time, stumbled over the makeshift bridge and ran back to the main deck. How she managed to stay on and not fall into the cushioning liquid, he would never know. He followed her out, seeing no alternative. Looking out over the fleet, he saw that something was very, very wrong.
"Is that...?" Asuka asked fearfully, the most amount that he'd ever heard from her. Likely the most that anyone ever heard.
One of the ships, a destroyer if he remembered right, suddenly exploded. The fireball and smoke was awe inspiring, and all the more terrifying from what it was. A plume of water shot up from the murdered vessel, and moving at a speed that simply wasn't natural shot towards a nearby ship. It suffered the same fate.
Shinji gulped in fear.
"An Angel" he murmured.
An impossibly loud boom shot off, and Shinji quickly covered his ears and cringed from the noise. Another plume, the kind that could only be made by human ordinance, bloomed in front of the path of the seaborne monster. His eyes tracked to the source. It's wings flapped at tremendous speed, buffeting the nearby ships with powerful winds. It raised the smoking barrel of the cannon and took aim, flying upright.
"What is that?" Asuka asked in shock.
"Unit Alpha? What is it doing here?" Shinji said in confusion.
"Another Eva" Asuka said, too quiet to hear.
"Its too dangerous here. We need to get balk to Misato" Shinji said determinably. Beside him, Asuka smirked dangerously.
"You know what they say" she said lowly.
"What?" he demanded worriedly.
"The best defense...
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"...Is a good offense" the Admiral declared. Missiles streaked from the warships, following the plume of water that brought death. Though no communication was made, they and the new arrival managed to time their attacks so that they wouldn't hit at the same time, canceling each other out. For what good it did.
Misato scowled at the fools, her hastily reunited entourage watching in abject terror.
"Idiots" Kensuke muttered. He glanced over and saw both of them staring at him incredulously.
"An N2 mine is like a nuke on steroids. If that couldn't kill the first, then how is this puny stuff going to even hurt this one?" he said.
"Point" Misato said. She pushed both of them aside and marched her way to the Admiral. Insistently she tapped on his shoulder.
"You again? Everything was fine until your little thing showed up-" he began to rage. Another boom announced their resident pilot opening fire.
"Can it. In case of an emergency NERV's authority overrisdes yours. This looks like an emergency to me" she barked.
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Outside, Kaji watched the valiant but futile attacks of the warships against the Angel.
"Huh. These guys should know better than to shoot at something with an AT field. All's you're going to do is piss it off" he said, a hint of sadness in his tone at the wasted effort.
Nearby, a boy smiled in anticipation.
"I'd say this qualifies as an emergency" he said to himself, getting ready.
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"Oh this is utter bull-" Shinji muttered.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Asuka demanded impatiently.
"For a different outfit" he answered snarkily.
"Quit crying and get in" she barked.
He sighed irritably. Fashion wise, red wasn't his style. He preferred blue out of anything, it fit him better. The color was largely irrelevant however, by the fact that the accursed suit was A. a female plug suit, B. one of Asuka's spares, and C. a female plug suit. The alternative was simple: stay and die, or go and suffer.
He reluctantly chose the latter.
"Wait, who's doing the control on this thing?" he demanded as it filled with LCL.
"Me" she answered.
The plug walls did their routine seizure inducing show, something that it and Unit 01 shared in common. When it blinked to transparent, she spoke...something. He hardly recognized a word.
"What?" he said confusedly. She grumbled.
"Dumpköff, don't you know any german?" she said irritably.
"Why the hell would I know any german? I'm Japanese" he shot back.
She huffed in exasperation.
"Fine. Set language to japanese" she ordered.
The light prickle of the ionization ran through is skin, and he tightened his grip on the back of the seat.
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"Sir! Unit 02 is activating!" a terrified ensign reported.
"I did not give authorization for that! Deacti-" he tried to order into the mike.
Misato slapped it out of his hands and took it, an enormous grin on her face.
"Belay that! Alpha, give covering fire! Unit 02, launch!" she ordered joyously.
As commanded, it rose. The tarp that covered most of the small vessels deck stretched and tore, lifting free of its anchors. It formed into a kind of cloak, obscuring all but its legs. She bunched it close, giving the ilkusion of hiding from the wind. It was awe-inspiring.
"Kewl" Kaede commented.
"What's the game plan?" asked a familiar boy. Misato blinked in surprise.
"Shinji? Are you in with her?" she asked sin surprise.
"No, I'm in Okinawa" he answered sarcastically.
"Shut up and sit down!" Asuka barked.
"We're screwed" an ensign whimpered.
"Sir! Another contact!" the same ensign called out again.
"Oh what now?!" he declared exasperatedly.
"Its from one of the transports!" the ensign called out.
Silence descended across the bridge for a solid ten seconds, broken by the noise of battle outside and the whimpering of the overstressed Admiral. Touji broke it by nodding and saying:
"Mr. Kaji did say there was a second pilot" thoughtfully.
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Movement drew Shinji's eye off of his certain death and to the sister of their ship. Asuka looked like she was going to yell some more, but she held her tongue when she saw his stupefied expression. She followed it, and gained her own.
Rising from the other cargo ship was a massive form, in an all too familiar shape. The tarp broke free, hiding what was underneath it. It grew and grew, until it was the size of Unit 02. It wasn't large enough to cover the entire machine, so all they could see was the bottom of its legs. They were dark blue, bordering on black.
"What the..." they mumbled in unison.
A glowing object pierced the cloak where they nose was supposed to be. A solid object, glowing with hellfire and a low hum that vibrated teeth. A progressive blade. It slashed downwards, neatly bisecting the cloak. It sank to its knees as it was doing it, hiding itself from view. When it stood up again...
"What the hell is that thing?" Shinji said incredulously.
It was an Evangelion, that much was for certain. The smooth armor, the lithe form, and the demonic face was unmistakable. Its face was much like Unit 01's, with the addition of a red visor for eyes and a two prong horn on its forehead. Its shoulder pylons were similar, but noticeably wider in comparison. The Unit was painted a dark blue, with yellow trim around the same parts as Unit 01.
"This is Evangelion Unit 06, reporting for duty" said a young and unnaturally calm male voice.
"Six?" Shinji and many others muttered in confusion.
"You picked a bad day to show up" Kaede proclaimed with a chuckle.
"I did not authorize that either!" the Admiral screamed.
"Ignore that noise. Both of you, get ready" she ordered.
"What are we doing?" the unknown pilot asked.
"Part of the plan. Kaede, you fire on that thing. Draw its attention away from them, stat!" she commanded.
"Yeeaahh, I'll get on that" Kaede muttered, firing the cannon again and flying away. It worked, and the undersea monster sped off after it.
"Now, both of you get to the Over the Rainbow, quickly!" she commanded.
"How are we going to-oh" Shinji stopped when he felt Unit 02 crouch.
"Ever jump over puddles?" Asuka asked deviously.
"Wha-" was all he got out before the machine leaped.
The ship bent and screeched at the sudden stress that it was never meant to deal with. In seconds it was over, and the Evangelion was flying. Until gravity took hold and they fell back to the ocean surface. However, she was far better at judging force than he thought. While up in the sky it looked like the Eva was going to miss, when they were closer it was all but on target. In mid air she gripped a corner of the abused covering and yanked it away, exposing the bright red Eva to all who could see.
The second ship buckled under the weight, but only for a few seconds before she was off again. And again. Each jump used just enough force to propel it to the next vessel, landing in the center every time. He would've thought highly of it if he wasn't experiencing it in person.
The stranger was no slouch in his own right. He managed the same leaps while looking like he was using half the effort. While Asuka moved like an olympic competitor, force and control in perfect sync, he moved with grace, almost without trying. How he was doing it was a complete mystery.
A dozen wrecked and torn-up ships later, and Unit 02 took a final leap towards the carrier. The carrier rocked in way sit was never meant to deal with and remain seaworthy. A half dozen aircraft fell into the ocean by the force of the landing. The Eva wavered for a moment before it found it's balance.
Unfortunately for the poor humans on the ship, Unit 06 made the same leap seconds afterward. Another few planes fell in, and the flight deck was wrecked. The shaking was worse; Asuka and Shinji nearly fell in, but were saved only by Asuka's skill and a misplaced jet that acted as a convenient grip.
At the hatch on the tower, Kaji raised an eyebrow at his luck.
"Mein gott, at least give me some warning" she snarled.
"My Apologies" he said genially. He didnt even sound out of breath.
"My ship" the Admiral whimpered.
"Such a waste" Kensuke whimpered as well.
"That was awesome" Kaede whimpered in amazement. Jsut off the carrier she banked and hovered as much as she could.
"Did it work? Is the Angel distracted?" Misato demanded.
"Yeeaah, about that..." she said nervously.
The plume of water shot up once more, leading a line directly to the carrier's bow.
"Um, orders?" Shinji asked nervously.
"Alright. Kaede, how much ammo do you got left?" Misato demanded.
"Um, three. No, two. I think" she answered uncertainly.
"Okay, have to make it count. Unit 02, plug in. 06, how much power do ypu got left?" she continued.
"Three minutes as of now" he said as Unit 02 attached the cable to it's back. In all the 'excitement', Shinji had completely forgotten about it. It stood at under a minute.
"Kay. Heres what we're gonna do. Kaede, wait until its just off us, then shoot in front of it. Get it out of the water. When it does, both 02 and 06 get ahold of it, prog knives and all. Cut it open as fast as possible, and rip that monster's heart out. Any questions?" Misato outlined.
"What if it goes under?" Shinji shot in, earning a glare from the pilot.
"Unit 06 is equipped with C-type armor" the stranger offered.
"Which means?" Kaede asked, flapping her wings to keep as still as possible and readying the cannon.
"Water capable. That's the back up then. Get ready" she ordered.
Shinji began counting. One second. Two seconds. Three. The tide kept approaching. A white object broke the surface, bearing a resemblance to a fin. Only it was easily two stories tall.
"Now!" Misato yeeled.
Kaede fired, exploding the water immediately in front of the warship. And the Angel jumped out of the water. Phase one was a success. Phase two was not. For one, the Angel was much, much larger than they thought. Alpha barely made it out of the way.
At a glance it resembled a bleached whale, with a similar mask to the third's on top of it's head. On top of his very large jaws. It landed with a mighty wham on the deck of the carrier, sinking it ever closer to the sea.
"Not as planned" Kaede muttered.
"Lets do it!" Asuka yelled enthusiastically.
In unison the two Evas drew their glowing blades and sank them into the creature's flesh. It let out an unholy screech, deafening the unprotected. Asuka stabbed and stabbed, realizing too late it wast having an effect. With a heave the monster squirmed and fell back into the water, dragging Unit 02 down with it.
"Asuka! Shinji!" Misato yelled frantically.
"You" Asuka growled menacingly at the retreating Angel.
She moved her arm to swin, but nothing happened.
"This thing isn't water rated is it?" Shinji asked sardonically.
"Shut up. I'll get us out of here, just-" she began. A powerful tug on the power cable interrupted her.
"This is twice I've saved you" Kaede shot.
It became obvious they were being pulled up. When they broke the surface, the arms began working again. She lopped an arm up, intending to grab a handhold on the ship. Instead, she found an awaiting hand. The hand heaved and yanked the red Eva out of the water.
Its savior was Unit 06, working with Unit Alpha.
"Thanks" Shinji said.
"You dying now would be counterproductive" he said calmly.
Awkward silence came over the pilots.
"Your welcome" Kaede said for him.
"Okay, plan B" Misato said.
"Whats plan B?" Shinji asked.
"Im working on it" she said frantically.
"If I may, I believe I spotted the Angel's core during the attack" Unit 06 said politely.
"Let me guess, its in its mouth" Asuka said offhandedly. It nodded.
Shinji sighed.
"It never gets any easier" he mumbled.
"Thats it!" Misato declared. Three demonic faves turned towards the bridge.
"Same thing, except this time you yank its mouth open and-"
She never got to finish her sentence.
The Angel breached again, unnoticed in the debate. It executed a near perfect flip, missing the carrier by meters. The ship wasn't its target. The red Eva was. In one smooth motion, it snatched Unit 02 in its massive jaws and sank below the waves.
"Shit" seven people said at once.
"Grab the cable! Hurry!" Misato yelled. Both remaining Eva's leaped to grab the cable spool, trying to garb it before it ran out and broke, dooming the two pilots. Just as they grabbed a side, it suddenly went slack.
"Huh?" Kaede mumbled in confusion.
Misato tentatively clicked the mike on.
"Asuka? Shinji?" she said quietly.
"Whaddya know, it worked" Asuka said, verbally scratching her had.
Misato nearly collapsed in relief.
"Oh god, for a second I thought I lost you guys" she said tearfully.
"Me too. Tell that pilot he was right. It was just sitting there. I think a battleship cannon could've broke it if they got a clear shot" Shinji explained.
"That I will" she said confidently, putting her composure back in place. A hand gripped her shoulder. It was the Admiral.
"You want those papers signed? Fine. Just get yourself and those little psychopaths the hell off of my fleet" he threatened.
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"Wait, you fought the entire battle, in that?!" Touji exclaimed. Kensuke lost it the moment when he exited the plug, and hadn't got it back since. His breathing was becoming ragged from all the laughing.
Seconds after they declared the Angel dead, Unit 06 slumped down, its power reserves spent. Leaving a muttering Alpha to pull the duo out. At first Shinji couldn't wait to get out, but after seeing his friends reactions he wondered if he should've stayed in.
"You're never gonna let me live this down will you" he said dully.
"Notta chance" Kensuke sputtered between laughter.
"Talk about priceless" Kaede boomed. She hadn't left her Eva, citing their destination.
"Hey, thats a good fit for you" Misato teased. He buried his face in his palms and gumbled chice fomments.
"Well, not all of us look good in these" Asuka proclaimed. Unlike him, she had no computations against wearing a suit around others. She didn't realize the camera in Kensuke's hands.
"You performed well" siad the unknown boy. As a group the six people looked up (and one over) to the freshly ejected entry plug of Unit 06. The pilot stood pridefully on top of his Eva, looking completely at peace.
"Whats your name again?" Kaede asked. He smirked. His ash grey hair rustled in the breeze.
"Kaworu Nagisa, the Fourth child. Pleasure to meet you"
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