...Shall We Not Revenge?
- 1 -
Suddenly, without any prior warning, a klaxon blared, banks of emergency indicators flashing red on the main screen. Unit 01 stopped dead and doubled over in agony, clutching its head as it staggered away from Unit 03's prone, lifeless form.
"What's going on?" shouted Fuyuutsuki.
"We're not sure, sir! The program appears to be caught in some kind of feedback loop," called Hyuga.
"A bug in the system? Reset the dummy interface immediately!"
"No effect, sir," yelled Aoba. "The system is completely out of control!"
"Commander! This shouldn't even be possible, but... the negative feedback appears to originate from the dummy plug itself!" shouted Ritsuko. "It's rejecting all commands sent from the dummy program. Shall I reengage manual control?"
"Unacceptable," said Ikari. "Reload the dummy program from stage 2 and recommence attack!"
Ritsuko looked up at Fuyuutsuki, who nodded almost imperceptibly. She gave a short nod back and began typing frantically.
"Initiating root command override of all dummy functions - damn it, I'll erase the program if I have to."
"Stand down at once, Doctor," Ikari intoned.
"With respect, sir, I will do no such thing," said Ritsuko, her manner unsettlingly calm. She returned to the console.
"Hyuga, you should have complete system access now - force shutdown the dummy program and return control functions to manual. Prepare for emergency resynchronization!"
"R-right, ma'am," murmured Hyuga. "Forcing program termination and disengaging dummy system. Resetting program for manual control - preparing for emergency resync."
"I will not tell you again, Doctor Akagi!" shouted the Commander, rising from his seat.
Ritsuko ignored him and spoke into the intercom.
"Shinji, your control functions should be coming back online any second. Protect yourself, and try to subdue the Angel, but do your best to preserve the life of the pilot."
"...Y-yes, ma'am!" came Shinji's wavering voice.
"Monitors all coming back online now, ma'am," called Hyuga. "Control switching complete. Nerve connections reestablished... synchrograph is green. Unit One is back under the pilot's control."
"You cannot do this, Ritsuko!" yelled Ikari. "Damn you, I order you to-"
"You order me to do WHAT, Commander?" screamed Ritsuko with withering sarcasm, whirling around to face Ikari as the technicians surrounding her murmured in confusion.
"To let that child die a truly horrifying death simply because it suits YOUR grand purpose? Like you ORDERED me to put on a smiling mask in front of the Committee in order to protect YOUR dirty secrets? Or like the many, many times you led me to degrade and debase myself in the pathetic hope that you MIGHT, for ONCE, ACTUALLY NOTICE ME?!"
Ritsuko's voice cracked with emotion, and a mascara-stained tear ran down her cheek as she stepped away from her console. The assembled staff stared incredulously at her as she strode purposefully towards the Commander's dais.
"Well, Ikari, I'm no longer the lost and lonely young woman that you took advantage of all those years ago!" she yelled, ascending the steps and taking position immediately in front of the Commander.
"I am Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, Technical Director of Project E, Chief of Technical Division One, Lieutenant Commander of NERV, and the only daughter of Naoko Akagi!"
She screamed into his unflinching face.
"That's right, I KNOW what you did to her, just like I KNOW what you did to Maya, you BASTARD!"
Her fist smashed down into the console behind him, cracking the display and upsetting a half-full mug of coffee onto the floor.
"You are nothing more than a vampire, Ikari! You feed on innocent people, bleed them for everything they have, then discard them when they outlive their usefulness! You'll even commit murder to p-protect your w-worthless hide!"
Her voice caught, and she sobbed bitterly, clutching at her bleeding hand.
"Y-you are a twisted, h-hateful excuse for a man... and I-I p-pity you."
The Commander's lips twitched upward. "If you have quite finished-"
"Guards, place this man under arrest," rang out another voice.
- 2 -
Ikari turned to the one who had spoken. "You too, Fuyuutsuki?" he sighed, and turned his attention to the centre of the control room.
"You weak, small-minded individuals! You cannot even begin to comprehend the horrors that will be brought down upon us if you do not do exactly as I say!" he yelled as he cast his gaze over the technicians below.
His face contorted with rage, veins bulging on his neck as his voice rose to a furious scream. "THE FATE OF ALL HUMANITY BEGINS AND ENDS HERE, WITH US! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! YOU WILL FOLLOW MY ORDERS!!"
The technicians sat resolutely silent.
The Commander sighed. "Kouzou, my old friend," he murmured, addressing his co-commander. "I thought that you, at least, would understand."
"I understand all too well, old friend," glowered Commander Fuyuutsuki. "And while I have the utmost sympathy for your plight, I cannot permit this state of affairs to continue any longer."
He turned to address the detachment of armed officers arriving behind him. "I am executing General Directive N001."
He took a deep breath, and his calm voice boomed out through the intercom as the officers trained their weapons on Ikari.
"Commander Gendou Ikari stands accused of a catalogue of the most severe abuses of his power as NERV's CO. He has used the Angel threat and the Human Instrumentality Project as a smokescreen to conceal his true objectives - objectives that are fundamentally at odds with the safety and well-being of everyone in this organisation, and indeed of the whole planet."
Fuyuutsuki took another breath. Ritsuko looked at him with a faint smile as a technician bandaged the lacerations on her hand.
"Furthermore, in order to achieve his goals, he has perverted the prestige of his position, and used his power to influence events and manipulate innocent people to his own advantage."
The Commander closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.
"I am in possession of incontrovertible documentary evidence, directly implicating Ikari in misuse of command privileges, fraudulent fabrication of documents, flagrant violation of UN safety regulations, conspiracy to destroy evidence, and conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity. There is also significant circumstantial evidence linking him to the murder of Captain Maya Ibuki."
A gasp went up around the room as the Commander continued.
"I must count myself, by my previous inaction, at least partly complicit in his crimes. However, in light of this new evidence I am now compelled, by my duty as a senior officer of NERV, to act. Therefore, I hereby exercise my duly delegated authority under General Directive N001; and by the power granted me under that Directive, I order that Gendou Ikari be removed from his command and placed under immediate arrest."
He flicked a hand signal to the armed detachment. "Take Ikari-san into custody. If he resists, subdue him by whatever means you see fit."
"Damn you, you will not stop me, Fuyuutsuki!" yelled Ikari, his left eye twitching as two guards dragged him away, shackling his arms behind him. "I have come too far and achieved too much! I will not allow your irrational delusions of morality to interfere with MY WORK!"
With an enraged roar, he launched himself at Ritsuko and Fuyuutsuki, only to be brought up short by the chains holding him back. A guard struck him firmly with a nightstick to the base of the skull, and the former Commander's legs gave way under him as he slumped into unconsciousness.
Fuyuutsuki smiled. "Take him away."
As the guards carried Ikari's limp body out of the control room, Fuyuutsuki took the Commander's chair, and spoke in a firm, resonant tone.
"I hereby assume overall command of NERV and all its affiliated institutions as of this date. Formal handover of command will have to wait until another time."
The Commander turned to address the room as Ritsuko made her way back to her vacant console.
"Notify the Committee and all relevant government agencies of the command transfer immediately. Initiate an immediate asset freeze and level-one security audit on all subsidiary contractors and holding companies."
"Notifications have been sent and acknowledged. The asset freeze directive is under way, sir," said Aoba.
"Excellent," murmured Fuyuutsuki, then addressed Ritsuko, who was now back at her console.
"Doctor, place an immediate blackout on all communication lines in and out of this facility," he murmured. "Make it appear as though we are experiencing, ah, technical issues."
Ritsuko smiled. "Yes, Commander. Launching decoy program. Cutting external communication lines... severing all network links. This facility is now standalone."
"Thank you. We must assemble a team to head up a discreet investigation into the members of the SEELE organisation and its affairs, once the present situation has been dealt with. I feel that Kaji-san, in light of his recent extracurricular activities, would be ideally placed to lead such a team."
The assembled staff glanced nervously at each other. A low murmuring of voices rose up.
"Settle down, please. Despite these extraordinary circumstances, we still have a job to do."
He smiled down at Hyuga. "Lieutenant Hyuga, transfer all MAGI command codes to my jurisdiction, if you please."
"Y-yes, sir!" smiled Hyuga as his fingers clacked across the console. "Transfer complete. The MAGI system is now under the overall direction of Commander Kouzou Fuyuutsuki, subject to the overriding directives of Doctor Ritsuko Akagi."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," he smiled, turning to face the main screen.
Now we have to salvage what we can from this awful situation, he thought.
- 3 -
"Shinji," came Fuyuutsuki's calm voice over the intercom. "What's your status?"
"...C-Commander Fuyuutsuki? Wh-what happened... to m-my father?"
"He has been stripped of his command, Shinji. I'll explain further when you all return to HQ. Your status, please."
"Uh, r-right... um, I'm doing my best, sir... b-but I don't know... h-how much longer... I-I can hold it!" came Shinji's exhausted voice. Unit 01 had the bestial Unit 03 pinned against the nearby hillside, desperately forcing its face into the dirt as it struggled to break free.
"Damn, the Angel is regenerating more quickly than we anticipated," murmured the Commander. "Doctor, what's the status of Units Zero and Two? Are the pilots alright?"
"Unit Two has suffered light damage, and Asuka is shaken but uninjured. Unit Zero... has lost it's left arm, and Rei has suffered a severe feedback injury to her own arm as a result," said the Doctor.
She glanced back at the screen.
"Readouts coming in now... multiple fractures of the humerus and scapula... heavy bleeding from the brachial and subclavian arteries... avulsion of the biceps and triceps... what the-"
The Doctor gasped as a horrifying realization struck her.
"Oh my god... sir, Rei's left arm has been almost completely severed!"
A shocked silence descended upon the control room.
"Holy..." whispered Aoba. "Is the bond between an Eva and its pilot really that intimate?"
"Commander, we're administering pain relief and clotting factors through Rei's plugsuit, but it's only a temporary measure!" yelled Hyuga. "She needs immediate surgery!"
"Understood," replied Fuyuutsuki. "Asuka, Rei," he said softly. "Are you alright? Can you move?"
"...uhhhhnnn... yes, s-sir," Rei's weak voice stammered.
"...Yeah, I think so, Commander," responded Asuka.
"Good. Unit One has the Angel pinned down and needs your immediate support. Your primary objective is to destroy the target, but I expect you all to make every possible effort to rescue the pilot."
He spoke softly into the intercom. "Shinji - you must do your best to retrieve the entry plug without damaging it. Rei, Asuka - your task will be to restrain the target until the plug has been safely retrieved. Once this is done, you must destroy the target, without hesitation. Do you all understand your orders?"
"...Y-yeah... I got it," panted Shinji.
"...The pilot?" Asuka's voice was tinged with a faint glimmer of hope. "...Okay, roger that, moving out now!"
"... ughh... Understood. Proceeding... to target area," grunted Rei painfully.
The two damaged Evas lumbered to their feet and sprinted unsteadily toward the nearby hillside where the possessed Unit 03 was flailing its boneless arms wildly, trying to get a grip on the Eva holding it against the rock face.
"...Shinji, hold on... we're coming!" yelled Rei.
"...Rei, you take the right, I'll go for the left!" cried Asuka, driving Unit 02's armoured knee into the Angel's left shoulder.
"...Roger!" called Rei, pinning down the Angel's thrashing right arm beneath Unit 00's shins and smashing its flailing forearm into the dirt.
"...Shinji, we have it pinned down!" yelled Rei.
"...C'mon, we gotta get Touji outta there!" cried Asuka.
"T-Touji? The p-pilot is..." gasped Shinji incredulously.
"...Nnnggghhhh, hurry UP, you IDIOT! We can't hold it down forever!"
"R-right," he stammered, and began to carefully tear away the mass of pulsating tendrils covering the corrupted Eva's plug entry port. "I d-don't understand... Why didn't anybody tell me?"
"... I'm so sorry, Shinji... unnghh... we tried to tell you," murmured Rei as the monstrous creature bucked wildly under Unit 00.
"... Look, can we, like, not talk about this now, Rei? We've got bigger problems to deal with!" yelled Asuka as Unit 02 snapped the Angel's left forearm violently back.
As Unit 01 cleared away the last remnants of the obstruction, Unit 03's entry plug slowly slid out, its emergency venting system gushing jets of pressurised LCL to the points of the compass.
"It's out!" yelled Shinji as he carefully extracted the plug, setting it gingerly aside.
"Good work, Shinji!" yelled Fuyuutsuki. "Now, all of you, destroy the target!"
"...Roger!" yelled all three pilots in unison.
With that, they laid into the Angel, pulling it limb from helpless limb with terrifying fury, ripping gore-streaked armour plates from yielding flesh, snapping through bones and tearing away bloody, malformed organs. Unit 01's fist glanced off the back of the Angel's head, fracturing its skull with a sickening, wet crunch.
The fist drew back and descended again, this time smashing down vertically upon the damaged braincase, and in the control room, the technicians gasped in horror, some screaming and others looking away from the screen as the Angel's head burst, sending torrents of dark blood and brain matter gushing out a in a horrendous red wave.
After several minutes, the combined rage of the three Evas was finally spent, and when they stepped back from the hillside, little more remained of the former Evangelion Unit 03 than fragments of twisted armour and torn remnants of bloodied flesh, encircling a spreading lake of gore on the red-streaked ground.
"Recovery crews, move in now!" yelled Fuyuutsuki. "Secure Unit Three's entry plug and isolate the pilot!" He flicked on the intercom.
"Pilots, the mission is complete. Please return to the cage elevators for retrieval and debrief."
He smiled warmly.
"Shinji, Rei, Asuka - your efforts today may just have saved an innocent life from a truly horrific end. Well done, all three of you."
Shinji smiled. "...Roger! Unit One returning to retrieval point!"
"...Unit Zero... returning... to retrieval point," panted Rei.
"...Unit Two, returning to retrieval point!" said Asuka. "...Nice work, Third Child!"
"...You too, Asuka," laughed Shinji. "...And you too, Rei."
"...Thank you... Shinji... uuunnghh..."
Suddenly, Unit 00's knees buckled, and like a falling tree, it collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
- 4 -
"...Rei?" murmured Shinji. "...Rei, are you okay?"
"...Oh, my God, is she alright?" gasped Asuka.
"Damn," cursed Fuyuutsuki. "Aoba, get an extraction team out to Unit Zero, on the double!"
"Roger that, sir!"
"...Rei! P-please, answer me!" wailed Shinji's agonised voice.
"Hyuga, what's Rei's status?"
"She's unconscious, sir. Her monitors are in the green for the moment, but her heartbeat is weakening rapidly. Unit Zero is... damn it!" He punched the console in frustration. "It's not responding to the ejection signal, sir. We'll have to eject the plug manually."
"Understood. Dispatch medical teams and prepare for emergency extraction of Unit Zero's pilot. Units One and Two, please proceed to the elevators as ordered."
"...Roger, Commander," replied Asuka, turning to leave.
"...Shinji, c'mon, let's go," she said softly. "The retrieval guys can handle it from here."
"...Damn it! Rei, c'mon, talk to me! REI!!" Shinji cried.
"Shinji, this is an order. Please return to the elevator."
"...NO! You d-don't understand, Commander! I c-can't just leave her here! I can't... I-I've g-got to help her!"
Shinji's voice was pleading, close to tears.
"...P-please... I have to h-help... I-I can't run away from this! Please, let m-me stay!"
"...Commander?" piped up Asuka's voice. "...I know I'm probably outta line saying this, but Shinji, Rei and I are, uh... well, look, she's just really important to both of us, okay, and this big dummy would only blame himself if anything happened to her. Please... would you let us stay with her?"
Fuyuutski's expression softened. "I see. I understand, Asuka. You may both remain with Unit Zero until Rei is safely recovered. But then you must return immediately to HQ, is that understood?"
"...Y-yes... th-thank you, s-sir!" sobbed Shinji.
"... Don't worry, Shinji, she'll be fine," said Asuka cheerily. "...Rei's a lot tougher than she looks. She'll pull through this in no time, you'll see!"
"... Thank you... Asuka," sighed Shinji.
He glanced down at the collapsed Eva lying to the side of Unit 01. A medical detachment had arrived just after the extraction crew, who, with Unit 02's help, had begun the difficult process of manually ejecting Unit 00's entry plug. Another team was already on site, frantically working to open the battered plug retrieved from the former Unit 03.
All I can do is sit here, he thought. All I can do is wait for her.
I have to be there when they get her out.
- 5 -
The hospital gurney clattered rapidly down the pristinely-white corridor, accompanied by a retinue of doctors, nurses and a distraught Shinji and Asuka. Rei's left plugsuit arm had been sliced open from shoulder to elbow, and the gaping wound below her shoulder had been packed with medifoam in an attempt to stem the bleeding. A thin plastic tube from a saline drip ran to a cannula in her right wrist. Despite repeated gentle urging from the medical staff, Shinji refused to let go of her hand.
"What's the patient's status?" called a gowned surgeon as he ran down the corridor toward the group.
"Patient has suffered partial amputation of the left upper limb just below the shoulder, severe bleeding and hypovolemic shock. BP seventy over forty, heart rate ninety, administered IV morphine and pushing fluids at three-hundred-fifty millilitres per hour."
"Okay, let's get her into theatre. I need three units of cross-matched blood and two units of platelet infusion, stat!"
As the doctors discussed her condition, Rei's eyelids fluttered weakly open. "Sh... Shinji..."
Shinji smiled in relief. "Rei! Oh, my god, R-Rei, d-don't scare me like that!"
"Jeez, you gave us quite a fright, R-Rei!" cried Asuka.
"Asuka... I can't feel... my arm..."
"You hurt it p-pretty bad out there..." murmured Shinji. "But d-don't worry, you're in the hospital now! These doctors are g-gonna operate, they'll f-fix it r-right up."
Asuka rested her hand on top of Shinji's as her eyes overflowed wth tears. "Yeah, d-don't worry, Rei, you'll be g-good as n-new in a couple days!"
Rei smiled weakly. "You both stayed... with me?"
"Of c-course! We c-couldn't l-leave you, Rei, we h-had to b-be sure you were s-safe!" Shinji sobbed.
"Tha... thank you..." Her eyelids drooped lower. "If I don't... see you again... remember... Shinji... Asuka... I l-love..."
Her eyes closed again as she slipped back into unconsciousness.
A doctor tapped him on the shoulder. "We're going into theatre now, son, I'm afraid you'll both have to wait out here."
"Okay... y-you'll take g-good care of her, w-won't you?"
"Don't worry," smiled the doctor. "She's in good hands - the best." He signalled to another doctor. "Let's get her prepped for surgery."
"Goddammit, you'd better fix her up!" yelled Asuka. "Rei c-can't d-die..."
She began to sob as the doctors began to push the gurney away from them.
"Not now... I... l-love her... please, d-don't take her a-away f-from us!"
"Rei, I-I love you!" cried Shinji as the gurney and its retinue crashed through the swinging doors into the sterile theatre area.
The remaining two pilots looked at each other through a haze of tears.
"She'll p-pull through... r-right?" murmured Shinji.
"Y-yeah... she h-has to..." whispered Asuka.
She held Shinji tightly, and they both cried for a long moment. Presently Asuka wiped her eyes and looked into Shinji's.
"Sh-Shinji... whatever happens... don't ever forget, she l-loves you... a-and... I-I love you."
"I.. I love you too, Asuka," he murmured, and they held each other tightly in the deserted corridor, their fear and anguish written in the tracks of their tears.
- END -
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Things just seem to be getting worse and worse for everyone, don't they? Much like the original series, in fact.
Most of this chapter was written several months ago, before I had a clear idea where I was going to take the story. I knew by then that Gendou's treachery would somehow be exposed, but I didn't know exactly how. Now it all fits. Well, sort of, anyway.
As always, thanks for reading!