Galaxy Shuttle hovered over the dark side of the Moon. Inside the Autobots were shocked. They thought that no one had been to Earth before. And now one of the crew told them that wasn't true.
"You'd been this planet before?" Blacker asked.
"Righto sir." Highflyer said "Still got the Alt form I gained there."
"So that's where he got that." Slingshot muttered. Silverbolt shot Slingshot a look to be quiet.
"And how come none of us knew about it?" Blacker asked.
"It was a hush hush black ops mission." Highflyer said "I'm not even sure if Optimus Prime got the report."
Starsaber wondered who did know about the mission then. Optimus would have avoided the planet if he knew it was inhabited. The Ark was on an energy finding mission given their reserves on Cybertron were running dangerously low. Though using geothermal and solar energy collection would work, that usually drew in the Decepticons and they tended to enjoy slaughtering local life forms and if they had to, blow up the planet to deny the resources of it to the Autobots.
And there was of course the mess on Nebulos...
"One of the Ark's shuttles has taken off." Highbeam said "The course it's taken suggests it's heading for the Pacific Ocean."
"Highflyer you come with me." Starsaber said "The two of us are going to meet with the shuttle."
"You're not going directly to the Ark?" Silverbolt asked sounding confused.
"As much as I'd like to." Starsaber said "I think we need to keep Gendo Ikari out of the loop as much as possible on our numbers and were we are. He reminds me way too much of Megatron and Starscream."
"Plus the fact there isn't a space port for Galaxy Shuttle in Autobot City." Blacker said.
"And there's something there those Angels want." Starsaber said "And I'm sure I won't be happy when I found out what it is."
-
In the Detroit offices of Biotech Unbound the CEO Prometheus Black wondered how he could get his hands on the Evangelions. Their biotech would be very useful for his projects. Though getting his hands on Transformer tech was a lot easier then the Evas.
He was driven from his musings by a specific light on his desk blinking.
"Well this is interesting Agent Black." a modulated computerized voice said.
"The Transformers technology has helped my bioenchancement programs" Prometheus Black said.
"And the subjects?"
"They are all showing unique abilities." Black said "Though we had to make a special suit for one of them. Glad I picked someone else to do that test. I nearly became a sentient pool of acid."
"Yes that would have been...tragic."
Black could tell his 'boss' didn't hold much value for his life but even he felt that was cold. It also gave another reason to get out from under the thumb of Machination. Now the only question was to find a group besides the Autobots they had their spies in.
-
"So we're stuck a boat, in the middle of the ocean." Huffer said "Primus the only thing that would be worse then this is trying to build a Space Elevator with current human technology."
Brawn snorted. Still if Huffer wasn't complaining he was recharging or in stasis lock.
Shinji along with his buddies Kensuke and Touji, and Misato Katsuragi were waiting for the Second to appear. Shinji figured this was the best time to tell his friends about Asuka's personality was informing them about her. The Second Child was easy for Shinji to explain.
"Now remember." Shinji said "She's even more arrogant then Grimlock."
Kensuke made a face at any sentient being in the universe other then Starscream being more arrogant them the hard edged and brutal Dinobot Commander.
"But less then Starscream." He added.
"Yeah, yeah, we heard ya the first time, Shin-man." Touji muttered. He didn't know how to take him. On the one hand, his inaction had lead Touji's sister to be hurt, but on the other, Shinji's Autobot friends had fixed her injuries up good as new. And there was the fact his SDAT turned into a tank.
And that the Autobots gave Ken his own house. Which Touji still considered completely insane.
"And glad you put your hat back in the shuttle." Shinji said "Given we'd never hear the end of it if that ended up in a jet fighter."
"Yeah. It's a new one and everything."
"And no if that hat ended up in the afterburners of a Seeker it won't do anything." Shinji said.
"Pity..." he sighed.
"Good thing Ramhorn doesn't mind you holding him Kensuke." Shinji said.
Kensuke favoured Shinji with a beatific smile. "Shinji. I would have walked on red-hot coals for a chance like this..."
"You put with Huffer on the way here." Ramhorn noted "That's a huge feat."
"He's not such a bad guy, once you listen to his war stories." Kensuke commented.
Everyone looked at Kensuke oddly for a moment. That didn't sound like Huffer at all. They shrugged and figured Kensuke mistook which Transformer was which on their flight from Tokyo-3 to the middle of the ocean.
"Shove it up your slagging waste disposal unit Ramhorn!" Huffer said.
"Oh yeah." Shinji said "You tuned out Huffer to listen to Ironhide."
"Huffer was the one complaining about _everything_" Touji said. It made Touji glad he had an IPod and could tune out the whiny Autobot Engineer. Of course nearly any series of loud noises would have been taken to listen to instead of Huffer.
Even a Micheal Bay movie would gladly been taken over listening to Huffer.
"Oh... My bad." Kensuke said while having one hand on the back of his head.
"Great I get compared to Kup." Huffer said "Do I look like some old bot that needs a RAM upgrade and everything reminds him of everything else?!"
Misato whistled. "Focus, people, she's coming."
"You're over 6 million years old Huffer." Shinji said "You're older then our entire civilization."
It was then they saw Asuka. The red head was wearing a yellow sundress and had a carefree expression on her face. Yet the Autobots and Shinji had read about her and knew she was willing to explode like Snarl. Shinji wondered why she hadn't had therapy for her issues. Your mother going to mental hospital and finding her after she hung herself had to mess someone.
"I see her." Ramhorn said "Why is she wearing a sundress on an aircraft carrier?"
"Beats me." Brawn said. He frankly had trouble figuring out half the things humans did.
A wind whipped across the deck, which would have blown Touji's hat off, if he'd been wearing it. All three boys averted their eyes. Though Touji wondered from what he'd been told if Asuka was like Medusa and looking directly at her would turn them to stone.
"I think because she needs it to attract a mate." Huffer said.
It was then a burst of wind pulled Asuka's dress up. Anyone that would have wanted to see it was looking in other directions.
"Primus I can see her sexual organs." Huffer said "There's something I could have gone without seeing."
Brawn snorted. He knew Huffer was exaggerating things a bit but he had to agree that he didn't want see that.
A chuckle met their ears. "Well well. Misato, you're a sight for sore eyes..."
"Kaji" Misato said "Should have expected you to crawl out from under a rock."
"You wound me, Misato..." the unshaven spy said dramatically.
"Ironhide won't let me use his gun." Misato said "I'm sure some liquid nitrogen would cool you off."
"KAJI-KUN...!" a voice cried out gleefully, as Asuka Langley Sorhyu, the Second Child, practically welded herself to his arm.
"Oh god."Huffer said "If they start mating or making out I'm going to regurgitate my energon."
"This is why we're glad you ignored Huffer." Shinji said.
Kensuke was green now.
Ramhorn flew out of Kensuke's hand and transformed into a human sized rhino. At his back hips were two missile launchers. Kaji had a shocked expression at Ramhorn transforming. He had heard about it, even seen it on the news but it was something else to see it right before your eyes. Asuka took it in stride.
"What's up?" Misato asked.
"Besides us having to haul Eva 02 to Wheeljack's shop for the much needed upgrading." Shinji said. Asuka gave Shinji a dirty look for that comment.
"Well, that's a given, isn't it?" Brawn commented "The Decepticreeps would use it for target practice."
"Of course I wonder why her and her Eva was on the other side of the planet when they were needed." Shinji asked looking at Misato for answers.
"Something about final testing, that's what NERV Germany told me." Misato said.
"So Commander Ikari didn't want another Eva try to kick his ass?" Shinji asked. The first activation test of Eva 00 was something that Shinji and the Autobot studied and talked about often for various reasons.
"Berlin-2 didn't really say much." she shrugged.
"Too bad it didn't finish the job." Huffer said.
"Hear hear..." Misato whispered to herself. Brawn, Huffer and Ramhorn heard her and smiled.
"So was there a purpose of this meet and greet?" Shinji asked "And for Rei to be left out?"
"If an Angel shows up at Tokyo-3, she'll take care of it." Misato said.
"No if an Angel shows up there the Autobots will handle it." Shinji and Huffer remarked at the same time.
"What they said." Brawn commented.
"Well, who knows then." she shrugged.
"Well they couldn't deal with the last Angel." Asuka said inserting herself into the conversation. Brawn didn't look impressed with her.
"And you could do better?" Brawn asked.
"Of course I can. I am a fully trained pilot and have a production model Eva." Asuka said proudly.
"That honestly doesn't mean much after stuff Wheeljack has done to the Evangelions." Kensuke commented. Asuka glared at him.
"And they made Eva 02 a prototype to see if we can copy what Wheeljack had done to Eva 01 and 00." Misato said. Asuka glowered at Misato for reminding her of that.
"I mean for Primus's sake none of you figured out compressed air or lasers would go through an AT Field." Huffer ranted "Wasting your time with solid projectiles and nuclear weapons."
"Well, that's all that the Committee would ever budget us for... That and the Prog blades." Misato said annoyed. She was displeased with the committee and their crap. You'd think saving the world was more important then any of the BS they pulled.
"Political slag." Huffer said.
"Hey, has anyone seen Shinji?" Kensuke asked.
They turned and saw Shinji was going back to the shuttle that took them to the Over the Rainbow. He wanted to get away from Asuka and stay as far away from her as he could. Shinji looked like a kid who had his hand caught in the cookie jar.
"What?" Shinji said almost to the Autobot Shuttle "I figured I'd hang out with Ironhide and Sideswipe instead of this."
"Oh, right. I thought you'd vanished into thin air or something." Misato commented.
"That's Mirage's bit." Shinji said with a smile.
"Given he turns into a formula one racer he kind of has to be able to." Huffer said.
"Hey, Third!" Asuka said, grabbing his arm and dragging him off. "Come with me!"
"I said don't mate in front of me." Huffer said.
Asuka just yelled something rude at him in German. The various Autobots easily were able to translate that. Huffer looked extremely annoyed at what she said.
"Slag you too!" Huffer yelled back.
Touji chuckled. "Can't you just feel the love in the air?" he joked.
"No just the salt." Ramhorn deadpanned.
Kensuke raised two cards in the air. A 7.5 for Touji, and an 8 for Ramhorn.
"Will you leave me alone if I say no?" Shinji asked.
She ignored the question, and harangued the use of a boat to get over to the transport ship. Shinji rolled his eyes as he was dragged along by the Second Child.
"Well this explains why you don't have a boyfriend." Shinji said.
"And how could any loser, even a fellow pilot like you, compare to me, the great Asuka Langley Sohryu?" she asked pompously.
"I don't have an ego as big as Cybertron." Shinji commented dryly.
She poked her tongue out at him, as they arrived at the transport ship. "Behold!"
Shinji looked at the red Eva and noticed something that was monumentally stupid. He couldn't believe anyone would think it was a good idea, yet it happened. The Seacons being around were enough to make sure the water friendly gear was on the Eva.
"Wow....what moron put the D Equipment on your Eva?" Shinji asked "Given if an Angel shows up or the Seacons we're screwed."
"And what dummkophf would try and attack here?" she said. Shinji knew she was tempting fate.
"You just hit Murphy in the balls." Shinji said.
Then as if to prove Shinji's point the tanker started to quake. The attack also had the Over the Rainbow shaking.
"We're under attack!" Misato shouted.
"No slag." Huffer said "Anything else you want to tell me I already know?"
"How about that?" she pointed, where what looked like, of all things, a Spitfire, was strafing the Angel as it moved through the water.
"Well given the symbols on his wings that's one of ours." Huffer said.
Then suddenly a sword flew through the air and hit the Angel. The 6th Angel screamed in pain as the blade went through the angel and back into the hand of its owner.
"By the Matrix that's...." Ramhorn exclaimed.
"Starsaber?! What's he doing out here?" Huffer said "And how the pit did he find us?!"
It was then Misato and the others saw a very Optimus Prime looking Autobot that clearly had a jet form of some kind. His shoulders opened up and he unleashed a barrage of missiles at the Sixth Angel. The monster screamed out in pain.
"What in Primus's name is that thing?" Starsaber asked as he flew over Over the Rainbow.
"The Sixth Angel!" Misato shouted.
Back on the tanker Shinji looked at Asuka. In her hands was one of her red plugsuits.
"No." Shinji said "There is no way I am wearing one of your plugsuits."
"Either that or get munched." she said. "Out of my way." she shoved him aside.
Shinji pressed a button on his watch. In a blinding flash of light he was suddenly in his plugsuit/battle armor. It was mostly black with white armor on the knees, arms, and chest. On the chest piece of armor was the Autobot symbol. It also had a white helmet with a black visor.
"This is what I wear." Shinji said with pride.
Asuka gaped for a moment. And she felt a bit jealous at all the wonderful toys the Third Child had.
"Wheeljack was feeling fancy when he made the light show." Shinji said.
"Whatever." she said, getting her own plugsuit on and heading for the entry plug.
"And I better get one of those for myself," she demanded forcefully.
"Plus I don't have to breath that crap anymore." Shinji said easily keeping up.
"Shut up, you annoying brat..." she muttered.
"Who is close personal friends with several aliens from outer space." Shinji said" Always wanted a robot as a friend now I have several of them."
Asuka looked ready to blow a fuse.
"I don't want you mucking up my perfect Eva with your alien toys." Asuka snarled.
"Oh we got help." Shinji said "It seems their greatest swordsman has shown up to help."
"And what can a sword do an angel?" Asuka snapped.
"A lot it seems." Shinji replied.
And meantime the Spitfire transformed and hovered over the tanker. "What ho there?" he called down, in a Bertie Wooster-esque fashion.
"Just an Evangelion" Shinji said over his built in comm link.
"Righto. Name's Highflyer. Care for a lift to the carrier, either of you?" he asked.
"Sure." Shinji said.
"Hop on." Highflyer said, transforming back into a spitfire and opening his canopy.
Shinji waved at Asuka and got into Highflyer. Asuka oddly enough had enough restraint to keep from flipping him off as he left.
"Said I was mucking up her Eva anyway." Shinji said.
"No pleasing some people, I suppose." Highflyer said, as he winged his way back to the carrier.
"Devil Girl is ready to rock, repeat Devil Girl is ready to rock." Shinji said over the comm.
Eva 02 awakened like a forgotten warrior and jumped onto ships to get to the carrier.
"Primus is that thing ugly." Starsaber said.
"You said it, skipper." Highflyer said, as Shinji got onto the carrier. He was glad Asuka didn't hear the Autobots comments on her Eva, or she'd likely start fighting them instead of the Angel.
Shinji linked his scanners with the ones on the Shuttle and scanned the Angel. It was an amazing feeling to him to be able to do that. It also nearly gave him information overload.
"It's using the AT field to reinforce its hide." Shinji said.
Shinji also noted several gashes in the Angel's hide. It seemed that what it was doing wasn't enough to reinforce it against Starsaber's sword. And this Angel didn't come with a healing factor.
Then the 6th Angel dove as fast as it could. Starsaber was slammed into the water and lost track of the Angel. The Autobots tried to scan for it and the massive Angel leaped into the air and crushed one of the ships of the fleet.
"I'm going to need a bigger spear." Asuka muttered.
Huffer's torso opened up and he unleashed a barrage of missiles at Gaghiel. The Angel cried out in pain and got back into the depths of ocean. Asuka blinked for a moment. She couldn't believe that annoying robot was so heavily armed.
"And where do you think you're going?" Brawn said to Kaji.
The triple agent found his way to a jet blocked. He then saw that the runway was blocked by the Autobot Shuttle. He knew he had to get away but was sure any excuse he had to give would not fly with the Autobots.
"You know you can't really stop me." Kaji said.
"Ask me if I care." Brawn commented.
"Autobots get off the runway." Sideswipe heard on the radio.
"Fine by me." Sideswipe said as he took off and the shuttle strafed the 6th Angel.
The 6th Angel went as fast as it could and tried to collide with the Autobot Shuttle and Sideswipe managed to swerve out of the way of it. The massive belly flop of the Angel covered the decks of all the ships in water.
Kaji had a death grip on his suitcase and was glad that Brawn kept him from falling off the side of the deck. Causing 3rd Impact was something he definitely didn't want to do.
"That thing better be slagging important." Huffer said.
"The suitcase or Kaji?" Misato asked.
"Either."
Misato was tempted to tell Brawn to throw Kaji back. So very tempted. Kaji groaned when he saw the look on Misato's face. Or Brawn's smirk.
Starsaber fired his head mounted laser machine guns at the 6th Angel. The Angel screamed as one of them hit his eye. Ironhide and Sideswipe got a good look inside the mouth of the Angel.
Misato shouted, "Where's the core?!"
"Ironhide says it's in....its mouth?!" Shinji said.
"So, make it say ahh, then feed it a pain sandwich. Gotcha." Brawn said.
Brawn transformed into hummer SUV mode. He revved up his engine and was ready for what he had to do.
Starsaber drove his sword deep into the Angel's back and it screamed in pain. Dark grey blood flowed out of the wound. Starsaber hit a major artery with his Saberblade.
Brawn gunned it into the open mouth. When he passed the lips he transformed back to robot mode. Inside the creature's mouth he hammered on the core. He kept on hitting it until it was completely shattered.
"Anyone got a net?" he called.
"Well time to head back to the barn Devil Girl." Shinji said hacking into the Eva comm system.
A stream of foul German was his response. Shinji's eyes widened as he got a translation of that displayed as a HUD.
"You actually kiss people with that mouth?" Shinji asked.
Asuka glared at him from within her Evangelion. She was really starting to dislike Shinji. He wasn't quite as bad as she imagined him to be but he made her want to use her prong knife on him.
Misato groaned. "Damn... She needs a chill pill."
"Agreed." Shinji said "Or at least a boyfriend."
"I don't care what you do as long as I don't have to watch." Huffer said.
"Are you volunteering?" she asked.
Shinji said "I can't stand her and I'll move into the Ark if I have to deal with her on a daily basis."
"Brawn will help you move your stuff." Ramhorn said "As would I if I had hands."
"I don't think the Sub-Commander will allow that to happen." she smiled.
"Plus I have a place at Kensuke's house." Shinji said "Plus the Autobots consider me one of them."
"I mean that, as much as you're one of them, you're still officially on the books at NERV, and he won't allow Asuka to bully you." Misato said.
"It's not so much bullying as dealing with her on a daily basis would wind up with me kicking her ass." Shinji said.
"Ah... Fair enough then." she said.
"I'd rather just not deal with her." Shinji said "At all frankly. But I can put up with her if I can keep it just at work."
"I'll talk with him, and see what we can do." she said.
"Aren't you going to have to deal with her at school?" Brawn asked.
"I forgot about that." Shinji groaned.
"Always tell her you got a girlfriend already." Brawn said "I'm sure Rei won't mind helping you with that."
"She's not my..." Shinji groaned "Why does everyone think that?"
"Why not?" Brawn said.
Shinji groaned and then noticed Kaji making his way to one of the jets. He wondered why he was trying to leave and what was in that briefcase.
"Hey Kaji." Shinji asked "You going somewhere in a hurry?"
"Yeah... Kinda a long story, but your dad wants some papers I got in here." he said, tapping his case. "I gotta get going."
"Righttttt." Shinji said.
"These are important papers that people would kill me for." Kaji said.
"Then how come there's a living being in there going by my sensors?" Starsaber asked. Kaji gulped. He thought the briefcase was shielded against Transformers.
"Hand it over." Shinji insisted.
"I really can't." Kaji said "Commander's orders."
"Well I'm a Commander." Starsaber said "And I think you should hand it over."
"Or we can call General Toru and I'm sure he'll back us on this." Misato commented.
"They don't have the rank for this secret."Kaji said smoothly. Though inside he felt his chances of working with the Autobots slip away.
"Kaji do you think the greatest swordsman in the galaxy gives a slag about that?" Huffer asked. "Or any of us."
"Or that any ship here can outrun the Autobots?" Misato stated.
"And they so want to start a war with all of humanity while fighting the Decepticons?" Kaji said.
"Grimlock would in a nanosecond." Starsaber stated "Be glad I'm not him."
Kaji was very glad that he wasn't dealing with Grimlock. Kaji felt all their eyes on him as he boarded his plane. He knew that the Autobots would watch him like a hawk, and get MAGI to help them in that.
Inwardly Kaji cursed Gendo Ikari for the position he put him into. He couldn't show them Adam without the fall out being so dangerous that the world might be destroyed but now they were onto him and wondering what living being was in the briefcase.
Kaji wondered how big of a hit Asuka's ego was going to take because of her lack of a role in defeating the 6th Angel. And to make it worse Shinji or Rei weren't even directly involved. It was all the Autobots.
If anything got Asuka's goat these days was that the Transformers were what everyone was talking about. Even the Evangelions got linked more to the Transformers now as Wheeljack provided quantum leaps to them with the energon reactors and a host of other internal improvements and some very interesting melee weapons.
And the compressed air guns that were based off the compressed air jets that were strong enough to keep one of the smaller Autobots airborne.
Kaji was going hand Asuka back to Misato and hope his apartment would be on the other side of town. The warpath Asuka would go on would be ugly. And from rumors Sideswipe was a prankster and Shinji's best friend. Worlds would collide and not in a good way.
-
Sixknight came out of transwarp into the Solar System. He knew in his spark those he wished to fight were in this backwater system. He could almost taste his excitement at proving himself against some of the greatest Transformers ever known.