Chapter 35: Krieg
"-and the doctors are still trying to figure out just exactly why the nerve signals don't seem to be reaching Hikari's lower body," Amanda said. "It's strange, there's nothing wrong with the girl's spine but her brain seems to think it's been severed."
"Is there anything we can do for her?" Misato asked.
"Maybe," Amanda said thoughtfully. "Morgenroete's been working on some advanced neural therapy that might kick start her system again but we're sort of in uncharted territory."
The women, all three of them actually seeing as Madison was also present, were sitting about the command deck on the dais overlooking the room. Almost a week had passed since the incident with Unit 03 but Soren had yet to lower the alert level. No one was grumbling, yet, but Misato doubted the German man could keep this up for much longer without starting to fray some people's nerves.
"They might actually have more luck with her arm," Amanda said. "Some of the new prosthetics that are in development are really promising. It won't feel as natural as a person's original arm, but they offer near full range of motion."
"That's, incredible," Misato said honestly.
"Fraulein Horaki has already been signed on to receive one of the test models," Soren said from his own chair.
The acting-commander was seated at the head of the dias and had an array of paperwork scattered on the table before him so he was half participating in the conversation and half doing, well, work. Misato was also technically back on active duty but had been spending more time with Shinji and Asuka than actually clocking in the hours.
"Good," the operations head said. "She deserves our very best after what we put her through."
On that no one present disagreed, though unbeknownst to Misato a side conversation was also taking place about just what Hikari had gone through.
"This is getting inconsistent," Amanda said over the mental link. "We've seen multiple iterations of the Unit 03 scenario and in theory Hikari shouldn't have been this badly hurt."
"Actually there's nothing consistent about the scenario to begin with," Madison pointed out. "In one variation the pilot suffered an amputated leg and arm and another saw the pilot killed outright. Then we have an example where the pilot made a near full recovery. The details of why each outcome occurred were too minute for us to manipulate, we're just lucky Hikari survived."
"I don't like that at all," Amanda growled. "We're supposed to be trying to minimize casualties, not just shrug and accept it when we screw up."
"We are not just accepting it," Hayashima said from elsewhere in the base. "Hikari will recover and all of us will be there for her. Toji will be there for her. And she will be there for him. That by itself is an achievement over many of the other possible outcomes."
Amanda sighed internally. The doctor was right and she of all people would have the most right to be disgruntled about the outcome. But instead she approached the current situation with a frank attitude and worked with what was, not what she might have wanted. And ultimately Hayashima was right on some key points, Hikari was alive and her loved ones would be there for her. It should be enough. God Amanda hoped it would be enough.
Madison suddenly smirked, in both real life and in her mental projection. Misato gave the woman a curious look but knew the colonel well enough that random sounds from the woman were par for the course. Amanda on the other hand shot her an annoyed look, but physically and mentally.
"What is it four eyes?" the auditor asked mentally.
"Your protégé and mine just snuck Hikari's boyfriend into the medical wing," Madison answered the same way.
Amanda frowned and focused on Asuka. Madison was right, the redhead was leading Toji around the various patrols set up. Now how had she gotten him that deep to begin with? Ah, the ventilation shafts. Huh, she supposed they would need to actually think about securing those. If a 13 year old girl could use them to bypass NERV's security checkpoints than the JSSDF most definitely could do the same.
"Rather takes me back," Klinge said from halfway around the world.
"Wouldn't know," Amanda replied offhandedly. Her own experiences did not exactly align with the Generalmajor's after all.
"So has the committee decided when they'll appoint a new commander?" Misato asked Amanda.
"Kind of," the German woman replied. "They have a preferred candidate but it's taking a while to get all the approvals through."
"Is it Soren?"
Amanda snorted and Soren grunted.
"No," the auditor said. "I'm pretty sure he'd resign if they tried to make him the permanent CO for NERV."
"Oh? Why? He seems to be doing a pretty good job," Misato said as she regarded the man.
"I have no intention of doing this paperwork for any longer than I must," Soren said from his seat.
The major grinned. "Ah, well, comes with the job and the paycheck." She tilted her head. "By the way, how much do you get paid, Soren? With your Inspector-General gig that is."
"Approximately a hundred and thirty thousand marks a year," Soren said offhandedly.
Misato croaked.
"Yes I am aware that is more than you make, Misato," Soren added.
"Is there anyone that doesn't make more than me?" the major wondered with a huff.
"Well I know that Lieutenant Hyuga only gets about, six million yen a year," Amanda said. "Minus benefits of course."
"So the pilots basically get over double the pay while being on a lower rank grade," Misato said in amusement.
"Asuka's a first lieutenant now," Amanda reminded her friend, "but more or less yes."
"Well they deserve it." Misato frowned. "Is NERV going to be offering any financial support to Hikari?"
"She'll be getting a survivor's stipend for the rest of her life," Amanda said.
"Good."
The klaxons began blaring. Feet and chairs shuffled as the three women scrambled up. Soren simply calmly set aside the papers he was working on and looked down at the main projection.
"AT-field detected," Aoba announced. "Going to alert level one!"
"Preparing for ground-to-air intercept," Hyuga said.
"Do we have visual on the Angel?" Misato asked as she rode down to the main level.
"Yes ma'am," Aoba said. "Routing feed now."
The project flickered and a massive figure appeared. Misato frowned at the sight. The Angel did not look like much, its main body looking like it was wrapped in black bandages with a hint of the red core peeking through. Its head however looked like a ghoulish skull, giving it an ominous look.
"The Fourteenth Angel," Amanda said, "Zeruel, the Angel of Might."
Misato's eyes widened as she regarded her friend. Had Amanda not said that Zeruel might well be the most powerful physically?
"Status on the EVAs!" Misato called out.
"Units 00 and 04 are ready to deploy immediately," Maya said. "Units 01, 02, and 05 are waiting on the pilots."
"Unload everything we've got on that Angel," Misato ordered. "Delay it long enough for everyone to get prepped for launch."
"Aye ma'am!"
"Colonel Metz, could you please handle the evacuation?" Misato said.
"Roger," Madison said, grabbing a headset and plugging herself into the appropriate command net.
Above the city countless missiles and rounds slammed into the Angel, engulfing it in a crescendo of explosions. None seemed to have any effect however as the Angel floated over the lake and approached the city limits. Its own response was considerably more effective. The Angel's eyes flashed and an entire bank of missile batteries were vaporized.
"Colonel," Misato spun around to look up at Soren. "Permission to deploy the positron cannon against the Angel."
"Denied," Soren said, his own attention fixed on the personal display at his station. "Based off these preliminary numbers the MAGI gives the cannon only a 20% chance of penetrating. Based on the Angel's response thus far it will almost certainly destroy the cannon if we fire upon it. We cannot risk losing that weapon for no measurable gain."
"The Colonel's right," Maya interjected. "The MAGI's been getting solid reads on the Angel's AT-field and it is incredibly powerful, perhaps even more so than that of the Fifth and Tenth."
Misato grit her teeth but turned back to watch the display. This time a hillside and the artillery battery buried underneath it disappeared. Ritsuko chose that moment to enter the command center and immediately went over to Maya's station to offer her subordinate support.
"All EVAs ready to launch!" Hyuga reported.
"Put me through to the pilots," Misato ordered.
"Channel open."
"Asuka, remember that training scenario with the really tough AT-field?"
The girl looked at Misato incredulously. "That's actually happening!?"
"It's actually worse," Amanda said with a worried look. "The MAGI's calculations indicate that that field is almost twice as strong as what we used in the simulation. One EVA is almost certainly not enough to break through it."
The redhead let loose a string of German expletives. "Alright, change of plans, we're pairing up, Shinji, you're with Rei, Four-Eyes, with Maria, I'll go solo. We're charging through. Maria, follow Mari's lead."
"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself Asuka?" Misato asked.
"Hey, I've got an Angel riding shotgun with me," Asuka said with a grin.
Misato grimaced at the girl's nonchalant tone. True the Angel had not turned against the girl when she fought Unit 01 and destroyed Bardiel's core but it still felt unnatural relying on the thing.
The command center suddenly shook, rocked by another explosion.
"We felt it all the way down here?" Misato said.
"No time to waste, give the order!" Asuka cried.
The major nodded. "EVA, launch!"
Across the base five catapults released and sent their payloads shooting for the surface. Five EVAs at once, more than NERV had ever deployed for a single battle. Misato prayed it would be enough. The command center shook again and even more alarms began blaring.
"It took out all twenty-four layers of the armor in one shot," Hyuga said in disbelief.
More missiles and rounds nailed the Angel, again to no effect.
"The evacuation is still underway," Madison said. "The pilots are going to need to be careful where they end up fighting."
"Damn it," Misato muttered. "We can't even slow that thing down?"
"EVAs have reached the surface!"
"Here we go!" Asuka's voice sounded over the radio.
The red EVA tore through the streets, winding her way around the areas designated as still full of civilians. The others were right behind her, Shinji and Mari taking potshots with their rifles while Rei and Maria gripped melee weapons. Asuka carried an oversized pistol, peppering the Angel as she closed in. There it was, the first of an insanely multilayer AT-field. With a cry the redhead threw her EVA into it only to slam into a solid wall with a ringing dong.
"Come on!" the girl raged. "Break!"
Power surged through her EVA as it drew on the S2 organ. Her AT-field began physically manifesting, pressing against the Angel's own barrier. Unit 02 strained as it pushed, gaining ground ever so slowly. The boundary between the two fields began mixing before evaporating completely.
"Now!" Asuka shouted.
Shinji and Rei were next, the two unleashing the full might of their AT-fields as they crashed into the Angel's barrier. Again they seemed to be stymied but again their combined strength ate away at the Angel's field. All the meanwhile conventional weapons continued raining down upon the Angel, turning its position into charred rubble.
"Too slow!" Asuka shouted as she joined in Shinji and Rei's charge.
The added strength finally broke through another layer of the Angel's defenses and as the three EVAs toppled over Mari and Maria made their entry. The Angel however was not sitting idle. The wrappings around its body unfurrowed into strips with red fleshy undersides and a bony structure cradling the core.
"You think that's its battle mode?" Mari suggested.
"Not the time for jokes!" Asuka said, joining the other two pilots once more and once more helping tip the balance to break through another layer.
Two of the strips rolled up to create cylinder shaped nubs on the Angel's sides. It turned to face the pilots and suddenly launched thick tendrils at the EVAs.
"Watch it!" Asuka shouted.
The pilots dispersed, Maria just barely evading the tendrils as as they gored into the building behind her EVA.
"Not cool," the American girl snapped, swinging her axe down to slice at the extension.
The tendril suddenly stiffened and Maria's axe bounced off harmlessly.
"What?"
"Look out!"
Maria leapt aside instinctively just as the area where her EVA flattened into a crater.
"It's using its AT-field offensively!" Asuka shouted. "Stay on the move and stick with your partners!"
The Angel's eyes flashed again and Asuka felt a suddenly blistering heat envelope her EVA.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Asuka!"
Shinji opened up on the Angel again, hoping to draw its attention away from the red EVA. The Angel did not even bother glancing in his direction.
"Damn it, fight me you bastard!"
"Ikari-kun!"
Shinji looked up but it was too late. Another AT-field slammed down, smashing his EVA into the ground.
"GAAAAAAAHH!"
"This isn't working Princess," Mari said.
"No shit," Asuka said, wincing as she pulled her EVA back up, "but we don't have any other choice. We have to get through its AT-field if we're going to destroy its core, or at least wear it down enough for the cannon to make the kill."
"Oh I agree," Mari said, "but throwing ourselves at it isn't doing it fast enough. At this rate it'll squash us all and take apart HQ at its leisure."
"Not hearing any new ideas, Four-Eyes," Asuka retorted.
Mari chuckled before her face turned deadly serious. "Colonel Metz, permission to activate contingency measures."
Back in the command center Metz was suddenly the center of attention. She looked up before, covering her mic.
"Authorization granted."
And promptly went back to coordinating the evacuation. Quite a few others continued to regard her with confusion, even Ritsuko. Tellingly neither Amanda nor Soren seemed confused in the least, a fact not lost upon Misato.
"Alright, I'm going in," Mari said. "All of you watch my back, I'm gonna be a bit busy."
"Mari, what are you doing!?" Asuka demanded.
"Invert mode," Mari said instead of answering. "Backdoor code, the BEAST!"
As the others watched Unit 05 began contorting, the pylons on its shoulders cracking open and two green cylinders spinning out. More followed along the back and the EVA's joints seemed bend in unnatural ways until they took on a distinctly animalistic posture. The armor over the EVA's mouth cracked and rows of sharp pointed teeth flashed.
"Gott in Himmel," Asuka exclaimed. "What the hell is that!?"
"The limiters are being released!" Maya cried back down in the command center. "All telemetry is dropping outside tolerances! We're losing feedback from the plug interior, but…"
"The plug depth is likely in negative values," Ritsuko said with a grimace. "She's willingly entered the contamination zone."
"But that's insane sempai!" Maya protested.
Back inside Unit 05 Mari growled as her body was wracked by the strains of Unit 05's awakening.
"Hang in there, 05, and I'll hang in there with you," the girl muttered.
The EVA roared, following to all fours and crouching like a feline predator. Its tether popped off and the countdown began.
"Nothing ventured," Mari gritted out.
The EVA reared back.
"Nothing…gained!"
It leapt, smashing through Zeruel's AT-fields as if they were thin glass until finally just before the Angel a thick, solid barrier stopped Unit 05 cold with a loud dong. Asuka was the first to recover and immediately began dashing in.
"Everyone move in!" she shouted. "Support Mari!"
The other pilots shook themselves out of their shock and charged in, Shinji opening fire again while Maria picked up her partner's discarded rifle and joined in. Mari jumped off the AT-field holding her back, trying to get at the Angel. Another quickly manifested, blocking her once more. With a cry of defiance Unit 05 slammed its fist into the offending barrier, smashing through it seemingly without effort. At the same time Asuka swung her axe at the Angel's back only to have it bounce against another AT-field. A second swing cracked it however and a third cut clean through. Still she was unable to actually land a blow on the Angel as yet another field appeared. But this one fractured on the initial strike and collapsed completely on the second. The reason was obvious, much of the Angel's attention was on Unit 05 who was furiously smashing through every barrier the Angel erected even as it inched closer and closer to the Angel itself. The two barrels on the Angel's side swerved.
"Watch it!"
The warning might have reached Mari or it might not have but the girl reacted too slowly. Tendrils lashed out again, one aimed at Unit 05 and the other at Unit 02, the Angel apparently having determined they were the biggest threats. It was not wrong, but it had forgotten they were not alone. Maria had grabbed hold of the other girl's EVA and pulled out just far enough back to avoid being impaled. Asuka managed to momentarily block the attempt to stab her with her axe but the weapon cracked almost immediately. Rei however came to her rescue, swinging her own axe down to cut off the extrusion. The tendril stopped just short of Asuka as it hardened to absorb the blow.
"Someone plug Mari back in!" Asuka ordered as she pulled out her prog knife.
That someone ended up being Maria as she was closest to Mari and the girl hurried toward a tether station. Shinji was too busy unloading the last of his ammo at point blank range, for all the good it did against the Angel's immensely strong AT-field. Zeruel roared, spinning about and throwing its closest assailants back. The Angel reared up, curling up two more strips and lashing out with four tendrils now, seeking to keep its opponents separated and disorganized. For some reason Mari escaped its initial attention. The reason why became clear as the Angel's eyes glowed red before it bathed Unit 05 in a whirlwind of energy. Mari screamed.
"Four-Eyes! Shit, shit!"
Asuka deflected another tendril, feeling her blade sink in ever so slightly before it hardened. Instead of moving aside to let the Angel soften and then retract its appendage, Asuka grabbed hold of it and ground her knife along its edge as she closed in on the Angel. A second tendril shot out at Asuka but the girl neatly jumped over it. Asuka bashed into the AT-field, feeling it give way as she pushed her own against the barrier. The light receded in Zeruel's eyes as it found itself forced to divert energy to keep the inflamed redhead at bay, creating just the opening Maria needed to slam a plug into Unit 05's back.
"Lieutenant Hyuga, is the positron cannon targeted on the Angel's core?" Soren asked suddenly.
"N-no sir!"
"Please rectify that."
Misato looked back up. "Can we risk that with the EVAs engaged at such close range?"
"If the opportunity presents itself we should not waste it," Soren said, "but we will only fire if the opportunity arises."
Misato nodded curtly, turning her attention back to the battle. The Angel was not down, not by a long shot.
"Just DIE ALREADY!" Mari screamed, ripping through the remaining layers of the Angel's AT-field now that she could draw on the tether.
Finally, she was upon the Angel and the bony ribs clammed down to cover the core. The first punch by Unit 05 was accompanied by an audible crack. The Angel's last line of defense would not hold for long. Asuka joined Mari in assailing the Angel, slamming her knife down through one of the tendrils and pinning it to the ground. Rei went for the more drastic step of slicing right through another with her axe. Before Shinji and Maria could join in however the Angel roared, blasting Mari with another flare of energy and knocked Unit 05 back. It immediately went on the move, shredding the tendril Asuka had tried to pin and floated away from the EVAs as quickly as possible. Its intended destination was all too obvious.
"It's going for the hole!" Asuka yelled. "Stop it!"
Naturally Mari was the first to pounce, blowing through the two layers Zeruel erected with contemptuous ease and landing on the Angel just as it reached the hole. Both Angel and EVA fell, Unit 05's tether sliding after it before going taut as it ran out. A second later it snapped.
"After them!" Asuka cried.
"Asuka stop!" Misato shouted just as the girl was about to jump down herself.
That hesitation proved well timed as light erupted from the hole and Mari's screams echoed over the radio.
"MARI!"
"Get to the elevators!" Misato ordered. "Move it!"
The pilots needed no further urging and raced for their respective platforms. Even as the platforms went into freefall the Geofront shuddered as the broken heap that was Unit 05 tumbled out of the hole Zeruel had made. The Angel was not long in following.
"The Angel has breached the Geofront!" Hyuga shouted as even more alarms began to blare.
"Evacuate all non-essential personnel," Misato ordered. "Seal all entries into Terminal Dogma!"
The Angel landed and turned to gaze at the blue pyramid. One of its rips was noticeably broken off.
"Damn it, we don't have any defenses down here," Misato cursed. "We need something to slow it down!"
"Dr. Akagi, can the positron beam penetrate through the city into the Geofront?" Soren asked.
The others all looked at him in stunned surprise.
"Possibly," Ritsuko managed to get out, "but the beam strength will have been greatly attenuated by the time it got down here, it is highly unlikely to be able to penetrate the Angel's AT-field."
"It does not need to," Soren said, "we just need to slow it down enough for the EVAs to get down here."
"Hyuga, get me a targeting solution now!" Misato snapped.
"Yes ma'am!" A few tense seconds passed before the computer beeped. "Cannon is aligned!"
"What will the bean hit along the way down?" Misato asked, leaning over her subordinate's shoulder.
"Just a few train lines ma'am," the many replied, "none of the shelters are in the direct path."
"Good." Misato looked up at Soren. The man nodded, a motion Misato returned before looking back at the screen. "Fire!"
Outside the city limits a bright beam erupted and streaked down towards Tokyo-3. Explosions erupted as it came into contact with the ground, the matter-antimatter annihilation reaction generating pure energy and melting away everything in its path. One second passed, then two, then, three, before a bright light filled the Geofront itself. Zeruel must have detected the impending danger as it suddenly reared up. Half a dozen prismatic bowels appeared between it and the incoming beam but whether it was drained from the battle or the energy pouring out from the cannon was too great, the first barrier shattered. Then the second, the third, the fourth. The fifth began to crack but the beam was already losing its intensity, having spent much of its fury just getting down here. When it faded the fifth barrier remained intact while the sixth and last was utterly untouched. The Angel's attention fell back to the pyramid and its eyes began glowing.
"All personnel evacuate!" Misato screamed.
It was too late. Zeruel's eyes flashed and the outer walls of the pyramid melted away from the blast that erupted. The command center shook with such intensity that it was all they could do to not be tossed about the chamber much less remain standing. When the tremors stopped Misato found one of Amanda's arms wrapped around her, the woman having caught hold of her.
"Thanks," she said.
"We're not out of this yet," the German woman said. "I think we really pissed it off."
That Misato needed no reminding of. "Status on the pilots?"
"They're almost here," Hyuga said. "Unit 00 is deploying!"
"Rei wait!" Misato called over the radio. "You can't take that thing on alone!"
"I will delay it," the girl replied back, her tone flat yet still filled with tension.
The blue EVA stepped out into the Geofront and hefted its axe.
"Ayanami!"
"Hold on Rei!" Asuka cried. "Don't do anything stupid! We'll fight this thing together!"
Rei grimaced. Zeruel had already seen her and was rolling up more of its strips. Even if she wanted to fall back retreat was now no longer an option.
"I have faith that we will prevail," she said.
"Damn it Rei I'm supposed to be the hotheaded one that plays at hero!" Asuka yelled.
Those were the last words the girl managed to get out before Zeruel unleashed a barrage of tendrils at Rei. The girl blocked the first two before a third smashed apart her axe. A fourth nearly impaled her while a six landed a glancing blow, cracking her chest armor. Unit 00 retreated, trying to put some distance between itself and the unrelenting Angel. Zeruel however increased the intensity of its attacks, slamming an AT-field down like a hammer on Rei's position. The girl just barely evaded being squashed but the Angel had time the attack well. Two more tendrils awaited Rei and one sliced cleanly through the girl's shoulder. Rei screamed as her EVA's right arm went flying. The Angel moved in for the decapitating blow.
"Oh no you don't!"
Asuka barreled into the Angel, the single AT-field managing to hold her for a mere second before crumbling under the force of the girl's will. She thrust her knife at the opening Mari had torn in the Angel's ribcage, sliding the blade under but missing the core itself. The girl pulled the trigger and the knife began humming, grinding away. Zeruel roared in pain and rage, flaying its hardened tendrils around trying to knock Asuka away even as one softened to withdraw for another strike. Shinji and Maria however pounced upon it, landing atop the tendril and sinking their own blades into it. The appendage hardened to prevent further damage but now the Angel itself was stuck. More tendrils began withdrawing and Maria drew her second knife, slashing away to keep them from easily returning to the Angel's side.
"Ahah!" Asuka cried as she felt the distinct pressure of the core come into contact with her knife.
Another roar as Zeruel leaned forth, its mouth agape. The girl's instincts screamed at her to pull back and she obeyed, just barely missing having her head bitten off by the Angel. That retreat however allowed Zeruel to slip out from under her. All of the Angel's appendages went limp before snapping back to the main body, even as two were in tatters from the blades Shinji and Mari managed to plant in them. The Angel pushed itself away from the EVAs as if it was trying to retreat once more. No, it was not retreating, it was headed straight for the silent Unit 05.
"It's going after Mari!" Asuka shouted. "Stop it!"
The trio scrambled to halt the Angel's advance but it was Rei, in a badly battered Unit 00, that reached the Angel and knocked it away from her comrade's broken EVA. Denied its intended prey Zeruel settled for the one in reach. Its appendages wrapped around the blue EVA and drew it toward its mouth.
"Ayanami!"
"Rei!"
"Shut the A-10 connection now!" Misato shouted.
Maya's hands flew over the console. Zeruel's jaws sank in, cutting the EVA in two. As it pulled back, the entire upper body was gone. What remained of Unit 00 toppled over as the Angel released it.
"Ayanami!"
"You son of a bitch!" Asuka roared.
She charged the Angel, ready to tear it to shreds for what it had done, only to find herself running into another AT-field. Asuka threw a punch, expecting to blow right through, only to suddenly be thrown back.
"What?"
Zeruel's eyes fell upon the red EVA. They flashed and Asuka screamed as if her skin was alight with fire.
"Asuka!"
Shinji tried to ram the Angel only to find that he too was now held at bay by an immensely powerful AT-field. In fact this one felt even stronger than what he had tried to fight through up on the surface.
"Maria-san!" Shinji cried. "Help me!"
The silver EVA dashed forth toward the boy but suddenly a tendril shot out. Only its tip hardened, piercing right through Unit 01's armor and sinking into the EVA's flesh. Shinji cried out in pain, fighting to not clutch his chest. Instead he grabbed hold of the appendage and pulled, trying to tear it to pieces. Unnoticed by him the countdown on the batteries had begun to run. The Angel had managed to smash the plug the tether was attached to.
"Shinji!" Maria shouted. "Hang on!"
The Angel's head turned to regard Maria and the girl froze. She watched in horror as Zeruel's body began to change, reforming into a humanoid shape. A distinctly feminine humanoid shape.
"Oh my god," she uttered.
"This-this is impossible," Maya exclaimed. "The MAGI's sensors are detecting the Angel as Unit 00!"
"It's merged with the EVA," Ritsuko said in numb shock.
"That means it won't trigger the safeguards in Terminal Dogma!" Misato cried out.
"Lieutenant Hyuga," Soren said, his calm tone cutting through the panicked atmosphere. "Set the base self-destruct, ten minute countdown."
The others looked up at him in horror but their expressions quickly turned to grim determination.
"Yes sir," Hyuga said.
"All personnel begin evacuation of the base," Soren announced over the PA. "Self-destruct has been set for ten minutes, I repeat ten minutes." A pause. "It has been an honor serving with all of you. May we all live to meet on a new dawn."
Soren looked back down at the command center. "The evacuation order stands for all of you as well."
No one moved.
"I think I speak for all of us," Misato said, "when I say that I'm not giving up just yet."
Soren cracked a slight smile. "Very well colonel."
Outside it was apparent none of the pilots were about to give up either. Asuka had managed to pick herself back up and was circling about, trying to find some way to approach the Angel without getting impaled like Shinji. Maria had managed to find herself another weapon and was unloading on Zeruel but at this point no ranged weapon was going to penetrate the Angel's AT-field. Unit 01 had slumped over, Shinji having drained its power far too quickly in his desperate struggle to free himself. Two EVAs remained standing however and both prayed that they would be enough.
"You ready Maria?"
Maria grimaced. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Then let's send this thing to hell!"
Asuka charged and a beat later Maria leapt forth as well. The two EVAs approached from opposite directions to keep the Angel's attention divided. Zeruel however seemed unimpressed, lashing out with multiple tendrils at both girls. They ducked and weaved, getting closer with every step. However the closer they approached the Angel the harder it was to make further progress such was the intensity of Zeruel's response. The air burned from the bursts of energy the Angel fired at them and the ground shook as AT-field after AT-field slammed down. Still the two did not give up, pressing forward. But the girls were only human and the intensity of the battle had taken its toll. It was impossible to remain constantly alert without fatigue setting in and one was bound to make a mistake. In this case it was Maria, her relative lack of experience finally catching up to her. Prodigal genius or not, she was still a child and had not undergone the same battles as even Mari. She now paid for it as a single misstep saw the Angel cleave through her chest. The girl screamed in pain.
"Maria! Shit!"
Unit 02 twirled in the air, deftly avoiding a trio of tendrils even as she advanced another step. With her last comrade down however Zeruel could turn its full attention to Unit 02. It turned to face Asuka. The flaying appendages about its head all shot forth. There was no way Asuka could have avoided all of them. Three hit, slicing through the EVA's body and one impaling the girl's neck. The pain nearly overwhelmed the girl but she fought to hold onto consciousness.
"I…will…not…LOSE!"
Unit 02's eyes flashed and suddenly Zeruel was the one engulfed in a blast of energy. The Angel staggered and its onslaught slackened ever so slightly. But the relief was short-lived as it growled. It answered with a flare of its own and seared the red EVA. Asuka blacked out, the pain finally overcoming the girl.
Back in the command center the personnel watched in stunned horror as Unit 02 toppled. The Angel roared in triumph, and turned toward the pyramid once more.
"Lieutenant Hyuga, can the cannon fire yet?"
Hyuga looked down at his terminal. He shook his head bitterly. "I'm sorry sir."
Soren sighed. "I see. Then I suggest all personnel evacuate at once."
Again no one moved, perhaps because all saw Amanda taking the lift up and walking over to her husband. It was plain to all that Soren intended to see this until the end, to do his duty as NERV's acting-commander and ensure the base was destroyed to prevent the Angel from achieving its objective. It was equally obvious that Amanda had no intention of leaving her husband to his fate alone. And if she would not leave, how could they?
The room shook. Perhaps the choice had already been made for them. Soren pulled out his pistol, perhaps an instinctive action but one that everyone else found themselves emulating. Even Maya pulled out the gun at her station's drawer, scrambling to load its magazine. And then the wall shattered and the demonic skull-like visage of Zeruel gazed down upon them. Soren opened fire immediately and within seconds small arms fire lit up all over the chamber. It was absurd, such meager weapons had no chance whatsoever of penetrating the Angel's body much less its AT-field. Yet no one stopped firing, no one succumbed to despair. All stood and proclaimed their defiance. Even if this was the very end, they would die on their feet. Amongst it all, none noticed smiles emerging on the faces of a select few, save for those smiling themselves.
Another wall erupted and a dark mass slammed into Zeruel. The gunfire died down as the men and women present looked on in shock at the sight. Amidst all the dust was a pair of glowing white eyes. Glowing white eyes and the glint of purple armor.
"Unit 01!?" Misato said in disbelief.
The EVA seized Zeruel and hauled it through the hole it came through.
"Shinji-kun!"
Unit 01 continued pushing Zeruel back, landing a series of punches, kicks, and even head-butts on the seemingly disoriented Angel. Throughout it all it never raised its AT-field, as if unable to believe that the purple EVA was up once again. It soon found itself pressed against a wall and Unit 01 slammed into it, pinning it in place. Misato saw immediately what the EVA was trying to do, and knew then and there that Shinji was in control.
"Disengage the catapult locks!" she shouted.
Seconds later the locks snapped off and Unit 01 punched the manual launch button. Both Angel and EVA shot up, headed back up to the surface where this battle had begun.
"Lieutenant Aoba," Soren said, "deactivate the self-destruct. Lieutenant Hyuga, status on the positron cannon?"
The two men hurried to carry out Soren's orders.
"Still another five minutes before the cannon can fire again sir!" Hyuga cried back.
"Self-destruct deactivated," Aoba said in a more composed tone, though the relief in his voice was palatable.
"Unit 01 hasn't gone berserk right?" Misato said. "Shinji-kun's in control! Just what's going on!?"
"I have no idea," Ritsuko said, watching from a still functional display. "This, this is beyond anything we ever expected."
"Shinji's awakened Unit 01's power," Amanda suddenly said, "just like he did with Ramiel."
Ritsuko's eyes widened and she turned to look at the feed on Maya's terminal. "That sync rate!"
The others followed her gaze even as Maya gasped.
"It's, the system is claiming it's at 400%!" the young woman exclaimed. "The plug depth is over 180, if he goes any further he won't be able to disassociate from the EVA!"
"We have to stop him!" Ritsuko said.
"It's too late," Amanda said. "And even if it wasn't we can't stop him now. If he doesn't defeat Zeruel humanity dies."
Back on the surface the Angel seemed to have regained its senses and was fighting back furiously for all the good it did. It slammed itself into Unit 01's AT-field, blasting away with its eyes but succeeding only in creating a colorful light display against the EVA's barrier. Unit 01 raised its left arm and a blocky ring appeared around it. It closed its fist and the next instant Zeruel lay a distance away, the gash on the ground the only indication it had not simply been teleported away. The Angel rose, light flaring in its eyes again but it suddenly jerked back, its body sliced through the middle and the ribs cracking open to reveal the core. As Unit 01 approached the light in its own eyes dimmed from the bright glow they were just moments before. Once it reached the Angel one foot came crashing down, smashing Zeruel's face into a shattered pulp. The EVA reached down and grabbed hold of the Angel's core. It began to pull, eliciting pathetic moans from the beast it had laid low.
"What is he trying to do?" Misato barely even noticing the words leaving her mouth.
"He's trying to save Rei," Amanda answered.
Misato looked over at her friend. The brunette looked worried, in fact she looked very worried. The major looked up at Soren. Was he smiling? Why the two vastly different reactions? Misato gazed back at the tiny screen. What were they seeing that she was not?
The crack that sounded was far above on the surface yet it still reached them down in the Geofront. With a triumphant roar Unit 01 pulled out a much smaller core from the Angel's, shattering the creature's in the process. As Zeruel's body slumped down Unit 01 held up its prize and roared. The core dropped from its hand but hung suspended before the EVA. It suddenly burst, swirling about before reforming into a distinctly familiar form.
"Rei?" Misato said, her voice barely a whisper.
It indeed looked like Rei even as the form shone a bright scarlet. Slowly the body edged towards Unit 01 before seemingly flowing into the EVA. As it disappeared however a halo appeared over Unit 01's head.
"That's-that's," Ritsuko stuttered in horror. "It's ascending!"
Misato looked at her friend. "Ascending?"
"The EVA is returning to its original form, no longer constrained by the shackles of mankind. It is becoming like unto a god. A new lifeform that transcends all reason, born at the cost of all life that became before."
Misato's eyes widened. "Third Impact."
Out in the Geofront Asuka stirred, the memory of her pain causing the girl to flinch as she woke. The entry plug was dark but she could feel it, feel something great and powerful and strangely warm beyond the earthen walls.
"Baka," she muttered.
He is strong.
The girl sensed not just a statement of fact but also a tinge of fear in those words. A strength that frightened an Angel. What had Shinji done?
Mari had pulled herself out of her EVA and like Asuka could not see what was happening outside the Geofront. Also like the girl however she could sense it.
"Well isn't he the convenient fella," she said. "I wonder if it has something to do with how he smells?"
The girl sneezed.
Maria hugged herself, tears streaming out of her eyes and mixing with the LCL.
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, please don't let me die."
Back in the wrecked command center Ritsuko nodded solemnly to Misato's words.
"Yes," Ritsuko said in resignation. "We've failed."
"No, we haven't."
Before anyone could respond to Amanda's words a light streaked down and slammed into Unit 01. The EVA went limp, propped up by the spear that how cut through its chest.
"Shinji-kun!" Misato cried out.
Descending from the darkened sky was a sight both familiar and unfamiliar. It was obviously an EVA but the strange visor on its head was unlike anything those of Tokyo-3 had seen before.
"What is that?" Misato said aloud.
"The Mark. 06," Amanda said.
The woman grimaced. And now for the tricky part.
End of Chapter 35
Heh, oh it's going to be so personal when the time comes. And it's going to hurt.
Nearing 300k words in my master draft, though that includes a few scenes I have written for future chapters. I had not actually been expecting to basically fill an entire chapter with basically one battle. When was the last time that happened? Was it for Matarael? Ramiel? I can't remember at this point, it's all kind of a giant blur to me at this point. But since the battle basically took up most of this chapter, I don't think I'll need to spend more than a chapter on the salvage operation. There's plenty of stuff to pack into there since there are quite a few unresolved threads that I need to tie off next chapter. But overall I think I'm at a good place. We're quickly approaching endgame which I'm sure has lots of you excited.
As I've said many times in the past, I generally don't make arbitrary decisions when it comes to plot points. Hikari's injuries are no exception. Trying to use past precedent as a guide for what kind of injuries she should have suffered is not, productive, to say the least, seeing as they're all over the map in terms of what injuries get sustained by Unit 03's test pilots. What happened to Toji and Asuka has pretty much no relevance to what happened to Hikari, since I have an express purpose for the injuries inflicted upon her. It'll get explored more next chapter as there will have been more time for analysis of what happened to her and, less trying to fight for their lives so they have time to discuss it in more detail. That is somewhat the problem with serial works like this, there are lots of lingering questions at the end of each chapter.
There was a, kind of subtle clue dropped by Amanda about herself early in the chapter. See if you guys can figure out what it was and what it means.
I'll be switching back to A Cold Calculus for my next chapter so you'll have to live with the semi-cliffhanger for probably a week and a half. I'll be in NYC next week so won't really be in a position to write much. Considering how many chapters I've pounded out for both this fic and A Cold Calculus I think I deserve a break. Conversely if you enjoy reading my works in general I recommend you check out Calculus. It is replete with my usual multilayered plot elements and what I generally believe are my solid characterizations. Some of you may disagree, but then again if you do, not sure why you would have put up with 35 chapters plus prologue of it thus far.
Anyway, drop me a line with your thoughts, I do read all the feedback I receive.