It is the thing she's had nightmares about, in addition to all the other things she has nightmares about. It looms over her, wearing the body of one of the under construction Eva series, wide toothy grin somewhat blackened and eyes not as focused as they should be. It is Iruel, the Angel of Terror, and considering what it put her and the others through it is a fitting moniker.
"You're...you're going to destroy the city with the Tridents," she says.
"Well...not exactly."
Iruel looks from side to side, as if making sure they are alone.
"Actually, what I am going to do is overclock the launch catapults for the N2 mine rails in the Tridents," he explains, "That'll send the explosives deep into the Earth until they reach the home of your six Queens of Terror in their Painleasure dome, wiping them from this cursed wretched Earth in the fires of pseudonuclear annihilation. Then, then, THEN with its supports gone your entire city will collapse into the Earth, sending its people screaming as they descend into the depths of the Mantle. The survivors will envy the dead. THEN I'm going to have the Tridents self destruct their nuclear reactors. On a fault line. And take as many of you hairless f___ monkeys with me as possible."
His grin goes wider.
"I even modified the fuel line on this Trident, so I'll have just enough time to piss on your graves."
He cranes his neck, resting his elbows on two of the residence halls as she looks from side to side, trying to find an escape route.
"Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you Lilim in the past week. I could stand if you just destroyed me, but Nooooooooooooo~ooooooo God I'm even talkking like them and probabbly misspelling works and stuff but noooo~oooo you turned me over to them. Them. Them them them them them them them. Do you want to know how they passed the time, Princess?"
"Not really," Asuka squeaks.
"Between them playing 'Hide the Filing Cabinet' and the guided tours of 4chan, I figured out how to escape. And you know what? Now I have my brothers bitching me out to get up and destroy that abomination you Lilim call a Cherubim. But I don't want to. You see, I admire it. It's pure in it's hate."
Bracing the hands on the ground in front of Asuka, he leans forward, teeth inches away from her. When he speaks, his breath is of rotten meat and cabbage for some reason, but from what Asuka knows about Rei...
"All they are is Hate. All they have is Hate. All they need is Hate. All they want is butternut fudge ice chocolate pickles."
He pauses. Lying on the ground in front of Asuka, he scratches his head, blinking as Asuka stares back.
"No, wait. That's what I want. Short term memory's a problem right now after the week of trying to blank out memories from what was done to me and...where was I?"
Pause. Stall for time. If he is controlling the Tridents, then keeping his mind off of destroying Tokyo-3 may give them a chance to stop the Tridents.
"You were about to start your musical number."
He pauses, staring at her, and snaps his fingers.
"Right! Thanks for the reminder."
The world turns black. When it resumes, Asuka sees she is sitting at a table in the lobby of NERV-1, which is now filled with man-sized versions of Iruel. The main body is standing on an impromptu stage with a top hat and a cane. The music starts, the other Iruels singing backup vocals.
"~Flyyyyy me to the Moooooon and let me sleeeeep among the staaaaaars~"
-
-
Chapter 38: Throwdown
-
-
It is a vast, monolithic plain. There is no feature before save for the odd shapes which she soon realizes are not mounds or hills or mountains but in fact the inhabitants. They stand in a circle, oddly shaped at that, as if there were once others to fill the irregular spaced holes in their perimeter.
Two stand at the center. One human, one decidedly not so. She recognizes them both. One is Junior, the curiosity, the fish that was once an Angel. The other is...
Uri?
"Brother," the mountain speaks in thunderclaps, "We have shown agreement to your plan, but we are running thin on patience."
"I only ask for more time," the boy who is not Uri responds, "There is a Lilim saying, Zeruel. Third time's the charm."
"And there is another saying the Lilim have that you should keep in mind, Tabris. Three strikes and you are out."
"Why do we still meet like this," another asks, its form reminiscent of a linking chain, "Father is lost to us. Complimentation is impossible. Our existence is without meaning."
"We share the fate of the Lilim," two voices speak in unison, "And should Father return, we will suffer with them."
Another voice, whispering in the darkness. The plain itself speaks.
"Lost. But not forever. I am the void brothers, remember. It would mean my death and the loss of escape, but I could return Father to us and restart the crucible of Instrumentality."
No.
Junior speaks. His voice booms like it does not in Sheol, speaking with authority and regality. No longer a curiosity, a pet, his raised hand silences the gods around him.
Father is lost to us. Even if returned He is lost to us. He has been consumed by rage, hate, and loss. Lilith has spoken to me. There may be another way.
"And what is that," a sad voice, whispering on the rain, "Eat from the tree of Knowledge? Lose that which we are great for? Become like the Lilim?"
"Enough."
The mountain speaks in thunder. The metal grimace at its peak illuminates Junior with glowing eyes.
"You speak blasphemy and weakness. We allow your presence because you have struck against the abominations and have opposed Iruel's madness. But if you strike against us, Brother, I will destroy you myself."
"The Lilim may be our allies," not-Uri says.
"Tabris, you try my patience," the mountain booms, "I am the Second to Father in power and thus I stand against those who would abuse and desecrate him. Should Father return I will face Him myself. I give you another chance, Tabris. But remember. Lilith is Father's enemy. The Lilim are our enemies. It is fortunate the abominations they call Cherubim are a shared enemy."
"For your plan," the light and music sings in triumphant crescendo, "We have sacrificed the Rain so the Lilim may bind their mother. His blood stains us all, Tabris. Some day, you, too, shall be judged."
The assembled pause. The mountain turns, eyes locking directly on her.
"And speaking of judgement," the choir says, "The other has watched long enough. Shall we address our new...sibling, is the term, Tabris?"
"You should not be here," the mountain says, "Not yet. Sister."
*
*
Her eyes open with a start, consciousness returning around her in her virtual world.
"Mari?" her father's voice booms, "We've got a situation up here!"
"Right," she says, "MAGI converting to combat configuration."
*
*
Spinning out of its shoulders, circular arrays of cannons begin spinning, loosing a flurry of electrically accelerated metal towards the target. The projectiles, superheated metal spheres, stop on the orange barrier as the target bursts through it, bringing to bear its left arm as the plasma focusing crystal shines.
Two blasts of plasma score the armor as the Trident brings up its short arms, crystals glowing before letting out a stream of pulsed light, hitting Unit 05 in the chest and eliciting a pained grunt from the Evangelion, causing it to pause in its advance as it brings up its AT Field.
"Rei," Misato says, her face appearing in the corner of her eye, "The Tridents are more heavily armed than Jet Alone Prime. Go-Kun's armament isn't a direct match for them."
In the entry plug, Rei grins.
"Really?" she asks, "Well, then that means we get to try something. Go-Kun?"
"98% complete. It isn't ready yet."
"Crap. We'll do this the hard way, then."
Feet fold in at the ends of Unit 05's insectoid legs, metal tires scraping along the street as rockets fire and the Eva charges. The Trident braces, missile batteries folding out along the surface of its spine, firing off a wall of barrages as the green Eva approaches.
"Rei, can I ask what exactly you're doing?"
It's the calmness in Misato's voice that tells her that she has been doing this for too long. Rei grins. A thought broadcasts. And Unit 05 leans back, falling onto its back as forward momentum takes it the rest of the way and between the Trident's legs.
In Central Dogma, Makoto and Aoba yell out in sympathetic pain as they watch Go-Kun unleash a full barrage between the Trident's legs. Pieter shifts uneasily and Kaji throws up a little in his mouth.
"That's my girl," Yui says with a grin.
*
*
The armor's strong enough to take a pair of plasma blasts to the chest without stopping. Eyes glowing blue, Shinji wills Ichi onward, grappling with the arms of the Trident, forcing it back towards the center of the city, the enhanced exoskeleton of the F-Type armor increasing the Evangelion's already prodigious strength to new heights.
"Shinji, the Angel is at 3:50 approach to Tokyo-3," Misato announces, "Current projections say it's going to plow right through the Hospital when it enters."
"What?! Doesn't the Hospital descend?"
"Too many patients to move and the rigging would cause too many shocks. You're going to have to disable the Trident and join Mana, ASAP!"
Swearing to himself, he wills Ichi to duck and roll. The Eva moves, too late, taking a Trident-powered kick to the chest which causes the girl's voice in his head to cry out in pain before a mechanized clawed fist slams into the Eva's face.
He swears, gripping the butterfly controls as the world pitches around him, his high synch ratio prompting a rivet of blood from his nose.
He looks up just as the cannons aim at his, at Ichi's face. The light and energy gathers around the focusing crystals...
*
*
The laser sight shows the path, through the folds of armor thanks to that one punch that has opened the miniscule path to the CPU. Adjusting the sight, he chambers the round and gazes for a moment on the wetware that forms the Trident's main computer.
"Hands off my boy," Gendo Ikari says, and squeezes the trigger.
The round accelerates to Mach 2 out of the sniper rifle, traveling the distance from the ammo building to the Trident's brain in the space of a fraction of the second. It is the material affected, not the impact, which causes the Trident to stumble back, closing its claws in base reflex as the plasma cannons reach critical mass and detonate, sheering off the arms.
Eyes glowing, Unit 01 pitches forward, head butting the Trident and charging it, carrying them both forward as Shinji wills his ride underneath, using momentum to tip the robot back.
"Three minutes, Shinji! Mana's approaching the target!"
"That's not enough time!" he shouts, "It...wait. Mana? Mana, come in!"
*
*
"~Hello my baby, hello my honey,
"Hello my Ree-time gaaaal.
"Send me a kiss by wire,
"Baby, my butt's on fiiiiire!
"Please don't abuse me,
"Hate and misuse me,
"Or I'll /b/ all alone...
"So telephone, and leave my eyes alooo~ooone!~"
For a complete, reprehensible monster, Iruel has a wonderful singing voice. With the Iri's, as he calls them, as his backup singers he has been putting on quite a show for her and the rest of the audience, although she has an idea why there is such a crowd and why they all look like her.
So caught up in the applause and curious about the world around her, she barely notices as it all fades. It is only when her chair is gone that she notices, catching herself and standing before the lounge turns into a an open, empty grass field.
"I know what you did. You are trying to distract me so I pause the count down on the Tridents. Aren't you?"
She turns. Iruel is her height now, her size, his white wings folded out and framing him. The smile of the Eva he wears is subdued and she can feel the cold fury in the beady eyes.
He moves quicker than she can, his hands wrapping around her throat, knuckles cracking as he begins to squeeze.
"No. More. Talking."
Every word of his is biting, and sharp, none of the humor or play in the encounters past.
"No. More. Song. And. Dance. I am going. To kill you. Right now."
She claws at his wrists, gasping for breath as he squeezes, tighter and tighter.
"First. You. And then. Everyone. Else."
*
*
Rock fall off the sides of Rampel as it advances, tethered to the main body by tendrils of red and black. They crawl along the surface of the Cherubim and along the ground, paving the way. Each one is half the size of Jet Alone, and as the metal giant lurches towards it, standing in front of the hospital, she weighs her chances. She can charge, overclock the Arc reactor, and self destruct.
Yeah.
That'd be a good way to go. No idea if it'd take out the angel, though.
"Where's my backup?" she asks.
"Evas are still busy with the Tridents, Mana," Kaji says, "Start bombarding the Cherubim. See if you can slow it down."
"Judging from it's size, I'm pretty sure a nuke wouldn't...alright."
Clicking open buttons on her controls, she depresses the firing switches.
"Opening fire."
Latches release over the legs and shoulders, kinetic missiles firing out. Accelerating to multiple times the speed of sound, they leave bow ways in their wake, cracking the windows of the hospital as they cover the distance between Jet Alone and Rampel...
Before stopping on the AT Field. It steadies, humming, before pulsing out into a wave which tosses Jet Alone off its feet and makes Mana scream out in sympathetic pain...
And everything goes black as the Cherubim's advance continues.
*
*
"You. Are. Going. To. Die," Iruel growls, Asuka falling down to one knee, breath short and forced down her constricted throat, "I want you to know this. I want you to. Feel it. My fingers on your throat. I want you. To know. That I may salvage your mind to keep me company. To watch as your friends die. Cursing your failure."
The smile returns, a deep steady laughter coming from the Angel's throat.
"Are you crying for help? You're alone here. You know that."
"Wrong."
He looks up and his beady eyes open with a start as a red clad fist catches him in the mouth. Teeth crack and his hold releases as he stumbles back and Asuka falls onto her back, looking up...and seeing herself. Clad in a female version of Uri's red plug suit, a confident smirk on her face.
"Wait...what? This is your strategy? You're going to get your crazy on me?"
"You're crazy enough as is, arseloch," the girl says, "You might be able to cow the others into backing down, but the Great Asuka Langely Sohryu doesn't back down from a fight!"
Iruel stands, rolling his neck and with a gesture summoning a black, double sided sword in his hand.
And then promptly screams as a lightning bold fires horizontally and forces him to one knee.
Raising her goggles, the Asuka in overalls and a heavy coat cocks the lightning cannon in her hand.
"Well, that worked," she says, "You always wanted to see if the Voltaic Cannon would fire, didn't you?"
The orange field pulses out. Rising, Iruel snarls, the double bladed sword becoming a long black lance.
"You are not serious. Well, should've figured that you lilim figured out how to weaponize batshit at some point. So this is it? You're mind is fractured enough to go full bore party time on me? Well, I can work with that."
"Can you, now?"
The sky splits, four green eyes glowing, shining like the sun as they look down.
"Well, shit."
The voice is squeaky, child like. It is a voice she knows well, but it seems odd with it not coming out of her mouth.
"You underestimate her," the doll says, overshadowing them, overshadowing Iruel as his jaw drops, "Just like everyone else has. You think she is crazy? Well, you're in for a rude surprise, aren't you? We're not separate people, Asuka. We're aspects of you. We're each part of a whole. And that whole is far, far greater than he will ever be."
*
*
Consciousness returns. Head swimming, eyes have trouble focusing. The Angel is almost upon them and Unit 01 is still fighting the Trident, Unit 05 still fighting its while Asuka does...something.
Something she can't do. All she can do is watch, watch herself die as the shambling mass of the Cherubim approaches, overshadowing her like everything else.
"...na respond. Mana? Can you hear me?"
"I'm here, Kaji," she grunts, "Where's my backup?"
"They're trying to get there, Mana, but they don't have time. Mana, the Cherubim has an AT Field. Jet Alone's weapons can't get through it on its own, but we have an...idea."
Another failure. Is this it, then? Tokita's right. That smug son of a bitch is right. She hasn't taken down a single Angel on her own, so how can she do that now?
"Mana! Listen to me!"
Shinji's face appears in the corner of her eye, the image fuzzy. The receivers must have been busted.
"I'm on my way, Mana. I'm not sure when I'll be there, but you have to listen to me! That thing is huge!"
"Thanks for the pep talk," she growls.
"I'm not done. There is a staffed and loaded hospital behind you, Mana. If you don't stop that thing, everyone there dies. I'm telling you that you will. You are the first one in on every single fight. It doesn't matter if you get knocked around. It doesn't matter if Jet Alone got damaged and it doesn't matter what that stupid bastard said to you. You. Never. Back. Down! And I am telling you not to back down right now! Hold the line!"
*
*
The three dimensional hologram of Jet Alone Prime hovers in front of them, called up by Kaji's command so they could find something, anything, that could give the girl the edge she needed to engage the Angel. Rubbing her temples, Yui growls under her breath, arms folded as she turns back to Kaji.
"We need a larger scale weapon," she says, "Overlock the hammer and the reactor, maybe, but if we do that, Jet Alone's reactor might go critical."
"Or not," Kyoko says, reaching into the diagram and zooming in. The single sphere at the center of Jet Alone's cockpit, just underneath the piloting ball is zoomed in.
"Is this is the AI core?" she asks.
"It is," Ritsuko responds, "Doctor Sohryu?"
Hands folded, fingers tented in front of her lips, Kyoko stares at the diagram, as Makoto reports Jet Alone's advance towards the Angel and the Angel reaching the :30 point of contact.
"It will do," she says.
She walks through the hologram, dismissing it and walking to Maya's terminal.
"Stand aside," she orders.
Maya turns, looking between Kyoko and Ritsuko before standing up and walking over to Akagi's side. Sitting at the terminal, Kyoko pulls out the keyboard, typing in instructions as a new screen opens up next to the Big Screen.
"Mari," she says, "Open up sealed files, Sohryu 20070408 password Armchair. Transfer over encrypted files to my terminal. MAGI access granted, full restraints released. Upload access towards Jet Alone Prime's AI core."
"Kyoko," Yui says, "What are you doing?"
"Time for a change," Kyoko says, and pushes her glasses up her nose, "MAGI, recognize voice command. Run Synthesis."
*
*
Rising to its feet, Jet Alone advances. Behind it, the windows of the hospital are cracked but the robot took the brunt of the impact. Those who can stand watch through windows as the robot begins its march, hammer in hand as it advances towards the Angel that takes up the horizon.
In Dogma, three holographic keyboards hover around Kyoko as her fingers move in a blur, a three dimensional model of Jet Alone's AI core hovering before her as unused sectors blink red and used sectors wipe themselves clean.
"A life is based on memories," she says, not once pausing her typing, "Experiences. People. The closer you are to someone, the more you know of them, the greater the bond. Create something similar enough, give it power, and you can create something the unquantifiable reaches out to."
The air around Rampel shifts. The AT field warps Newton's laws around its mass as it accelerates, ripping up the earth beneath it. Its weight will carry it through the city. Its mass will collapse the city beneath it to let it fall like a mountain into the geofront.
First memory: birth/conception
Abandonment
Meaning
"Synthesis takes memories and experiences, the very fabric of personality and makes a new one, whole cloth. I did this with Unit 02, based on Dr. Ikari's notes. There never was a Contact Experiment with Zwei. There never needed to be one. I created Zwei's soul, instead."
Dwarfed beneath its mass, Jet Alone Prime stares down the Angel. Behind it, less than a quarter of the mile, the hospital is all that stands between Rampel and Tokyo-3.
Injury/darkness/despair
Meaning
Hope/?
Maya has never seen someone type that fast. Mana's entire history, her personality, her memories are laid out before them and inserted into the core. It spins, each block now accommodating something, each erg of free space filled up with a lifetime.
She opens her eyes on the field of battle. They stand with her, and there is motion. Seeing the ball, the metal ball fall near them, she yells, pushing them aside and throwing herself on it.
Within Jet Alone Prime, the core glows. It begins to process, begins to whisper to itself. In a brief moment, something sparks deep within the depths of its technology.
"Welcome to NHIS, Captain Kirishima."
A single thought. A single erg of awareness, memories both its own and not its own beginning to form a whole picture.
"...reporting for duty, Ma'am."
Assessment. The world around it. The source of these memories, in the cockpit above it...
Never. Back. Down.
It is not real. It is not alive. But that does not matter. Neither, in many senses, is the source of these memories. New awareness upon new awareness, dragged into the waking work.
Not a failure. Never a failure.
Needed. Need.
Purpose.
Without prompting, the metal hands tighten around the hammer. What was it the movie said? What was it in that movie source enjoyed, keeps watching/learning from?
If you have to die, die for something.
CONNECTION ACHIEVED.
And in the piloting ball, for a brief moment, Mana's eyes glow blue as the Suit's receivers whisper something she knew she should never hear.
"Synchronization at 51%."
Releasing the controls, she throws out her arms and closes her eyes. And Rampel comes to a halt as it slams face first into an AT Field.
"AT Field neutralized, Mana," Kaji yells, "NOW!"
The hammer comes up. Rockets on the back fire, and with a primal scream Mana lets her thought translate into action as Jet Alone swings and sheers off a solid chunk of Rampel's face. The claw that dragged it along goes flying, landing nearly a mile away as the hammer slams into the eye and breaks it like cheap glass.
Back jets firing, Jet Alone launches into the air, landing feet first through the remains of the eye and disappearing into the mass of Rampel. The entirety of the second Cherubim shudders, lurching forward on tiny legs, shrieking as hammer strikes echo through the city before it finally tips back and stops.
With a burst of electrical arcing, the side blows out, and covered in LCL and gore, Jet Alone Prime lurches out.
*
*
"We are you."
"Your pride," the red plug suit wearing girl says, "And your courage."
"Your intelligence," the inventor says, "And your determination to see everything through."
"Each of us, all around you, are a part of you," Dollie explains, "You made us to help you. You made us to carry you along when no one else would. And we have, leading you to this moment."
"Is this is the last time I'll see you?" Asuka asks, tears brimming in her eyes.
The doll shakes her head.
"No. No, it is not. We're part of you, you see. Whenever you need us, we're still part of you. What Misato said was true. She doesn't care about what you did, she only cares about you. So does Shinji, so does Dr. Ikari. So does everyone. As long as you are you, they will accept you."
"Not talking to yourself in public will probably help, though," the red suited girl says, and shrugs when the others glare at her, "What?"
"I don't think it's that easy," Asuka says, "It's just...natural for me. It's natural for me to see you around me, to talk to you. I can't promise anything."
"Then don't," the doll says, placing its corduroy hands on her shoulders, "It will take time. Nothing like this is simple, but just for now, Zwei is helping us. Accept what you are. Accept that you mean something to the world around you."
"Accept that you're smarter than just about everyone in the room," the inventor says, placing her hand on Asuka's shoulder, "And that you've saved the world before you even got in your Eva."
"Accept that you're braver than you ever thought you are," the plugsuit girl says, "And that you're a bigger ass-kicker than just about everyone on the team!"
"Are you serious? You're counting on the power of a group hug?"
Summoning the lance to his hand, Iruel begins advancing, wings spreading out as an orange halo unfolds around him rising into the air.
"This has been fun, sweetie," he says, "It really has. But I think we're just about done here."
He lets the lance fly. Extending her arm, Asuka's eyes glow before the lance catches itself on an orange barrier, the world around them shattering into glass edges. The world reforms, rings of light lining the perimeter as Asuka rises into the air, her doubles disappearing as the world becomes a parched black plain with seas of yellow.
"Okay. This is new."
"You're forgetting something," Asuka says, as a pair of goggles appear on her head, "I'm crazy. Not stupid. I've been hacking the background while you've been blustering. This is going to end, and it's going to end now."
"Glad to see you can hold conversation without st-st-stuttering," Iruel says, and chuckles, "So we're playing a game?"
Asuka nods, smiling.
"It's called Suckerpunch."
"Suckerpunch?"
"Yep."
The plugsuit girl appears behind Iruel and hammer fists him before vanishing, sending the Angel head first into the rock as the world becomes the bottom of an ocean, Asuka's clothing converting into a bulky metal dive suit with the numbers 02 stenciled in green on the shoulders.
The ground splits open. Towering over her, Iruel emerges, his form mottled green, slowly eaten by the digital virus that is his true form.
"You try my patience," he says, his voice dead and monotone, "This is my world."
"This is our world," Asuka responds, "You think you're some sort of benevolent God. You're not. You're a monster who tortures to make himself feel important, and you don't recognize that we beat you."
He grows bigger. His teeth are each the size of her, angry black eyes staring her down. The form of the MP Eva shatters, becoming a swarm of digital bacterium.
"This is his true form," the inventor says, appearing to Asuka's left, "A virus, evolving at an exponential rate."
"And all evolution ends with eventual destruction," Asuka continues, "And you don't want to accept that. That's why you keep fighting us. Because you're stagnant."
The world shifts, becoming a black, circuit lined plane. The digital virii fill the sky, forming into a vaguely human shape.
"Bluster all you want," the plugsuit girl says, appearing to Asuka's right, "But you're afraid of what we'll do to you this time,"
"I am the Fear of God. I am the Angel of Terror. I will wipe this world clean of your organic sludge and remake it into my own."
"And without ADAM, how does that work?" Dollie asks, appearing behind Asuka, "You said it yourself. Godhood's lost to you. So now you're just delusional. You're code breaking down."
The face comes down, the sky hovering above her.
"You. Are. An. Insect."
"No."
Lines of light wrap around her hand, her eyes glowing blue in time with the pulse of the Core beneath her.
"I am Asuka Langely Sohryu," she says, "I am the Second Child and the pilot of Evangelion 02. And I have been dragging you into Zwei's mainframe the entire time we've been talking."
Four green eyes open in the ground beneath him, thousands of Asuka's appearing on the plane around her.
"I am everything you see here," she says, "Every aspect of the human psyche. Every last person here is part of me. Even alone..."
Thousands of hands glow, the sky behind Iruel scrubbed by digital light.
"We are Legion. Ready?"
She raises her hand. The plane below her glows, criss crossing into a circle of winding code as Iruel's face turns of arrogance to horror.
"Delete. Bitch."
The world erupts, Iruel screaming as he is scrubbed clean, screaming profanities and insults as the final bits of his code are burned away. Save for a small, infinitesimle piece that shrieks away, jumping through the interface...
*
*
And the Trident's eyes glow. The final Trident breaks off from Unit 02, running on all fours as the jet boosters activate and it takes off in flight.
AT Field unfloding around it, the Trident accelerates to supersonic speed, landing next to Jet Alone and leaping towards the corpse of Rampel, kicking off the giant robot as the form of the mecha itself seems to unfold.
*
*
"Blue pattern detected from the last Trident!" Aoba announces, "It's merging with the Cherubim's corpse!"
Mari's floating holographic head blinks into existence over them, her expression one of worry and surprise.
"Dr. Ikari, I just consulted with MAGI-00. It's Iruel. He got out!"
*
*
The Trident disassembles, its AT Field flashing as metal liquifies, merging with the mountain sized mass of dead Cherubim. Metal plates surround the bulk, digging deep in. Shape is given, dividing the mountain down the center as strands of red LCL rise up and solidify into two massive arms.
The three Evas race as the mechanized, metal giant rises, at least three times their height as the form shifts into a flawless white humanoid form.
The face forms last, six red eyes opening vertically on the gunmetal gray brow as it raises its hands and the light pulses around it.
"It feels good to be physical," Iruel's voice booms, "Ah, yes. Concrete form. A distinct retreat from that which I was, but necessary nonetheless. I am reasonably sure I can afford to trade the immutable nature of the Virus for a working S2 organ."
The form rises into the air, eyes glowing as lines of light trace along the path before it and erupt into flame, throwing back Unit 05 and bringing Unit 02 to one knee. The form chuckles, face parting to accommodate the teeth of Iruel's grin.
"I should have done this ages ago. But, you Lilim can't help but leave me ways to screw you over."
The hand extends and Unit 01 rises into the air, travling over towards Iruel as the hand wraps around the Eva's head.
"This is our potential," Iruel states, "The Cherubim, born directly from ADAM. A partial complimentation, but this is power. This is our presence. We were worshipped as gods by your distant ancestors and this is what we will become. Now would be a good time to start kneeling."
The purple hands grip the fingers, parting them as the jaw locks pull and stretch. The glowing eyes of Iruel narrow, and he chuckles, his toothy grin splitting his face.
"Right. Right. This is where you make your grand heroic speech about justice, isn't it? Let's get all the cliches out of the way."
The light dims. The air shifts purple, and the grip on Unit 01 relaxes. Falling towards the ground, Iruel lands in a crouch, the ground shaking as he tries to rise...
Only to receive a hammer to the face.
"Synthesis complete," Jet Alone Prime announces, "You had this coming."
The hammer breaks on Iruel's face, sending metal and angelic matter flying across the city limits. Cannons fire out, the AT Field barely deflecting them as Unit 01 braces itself and thrusts its hands forward, its own presence pushing against Iruel's.
"This is where it ends," Shinji growls, "We never called ourselves heroes, and we certainly never cared about justice. We're doing what anyone else would in our shoes, in our lives! You brought this war to us! We're doing what any human would do!"
The six eyes pulse, the sky turning scarlet as the massive form of the Angel rises, six wings of orange light folding out from its back. Almost flawless, veins of white light crack the metallic surface as Unit 02 catches up with them, extending its hands as its field joins Unit 01 and Jet Alone's own.
"You honestly don't think this saves you, does it?" Iruel growls, "Your race is doomed. It's been damned from the start!"
*
*
Memories, of the first time she piloted, joining with the memories of /source/ give sentience. Synthesis is complete. Soul implanted in JAP AI core.
Synchronization rising. 57% 59%
In Central Dogma, Yui watches with her mouth open. She cannot believe what she sees. If she was not there, she wouldn't have believed it were possible.
"Doctor Ikari, we're reading a build up in the Angel's S2 engine!"
*
*
"Your entire species was doomed from the start. Birthed from an insane deviant who cares NOTHING for the fate of your race. We are your salvation through destruction and recreation, and the best you can do is try to shoot us until we can't move!"
The wings extend into a shape reminiscent of the Tree of Sephirot. The center of Iruel's chest begins to glow, the Fruit of Life within him gathering mass.
"I have had enough. Existence is done for me, and I will take you all with me. The last thing I want you to know is that your worthless existence will come to an end soon enough. All of you. Split open like rotted fruit."
"Yeah, great. You're all godlike and stuff, and you make us look like pond scum by existing. But we're not afraid."
Jet Alone lurches through the malestrom. Plates along its arms shed, the circle of light at its chest pulsing as it overclocks.
"For though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death," Mana announces, "I will fear no evil. Not now. For I AM 35,000 tons of FUCK YOU."
Within the pilot ball, her eyes glow, her senses expanding to the entirety of her chariot. The AI core pulses, its pulses like heartbeats. Shoulder plates fall off and crash into the ground, light gathering around the mechas hands and joining its AT Field as the light and energy takes physical shape.
The Light of her Soul wills Jet Alone airborne as the field coalesces, first a staff between the hands, then the great head of the Hammer.
She savors the look on Iruel's face, the complete and utter shock before she swings and launches him airborne.
"Rei! He's going critical," Shinji shouts, "Now!"
*
*
It was a simple matter to hack the launch catapult controls and commandeer one of them. It was a simple matter to put herself in the position at the city-center launch platform and wait for Mana to launch the Angel skyward.
It's like her entire life has been leading to this moment.
"Rei," Misato asks, appearing in her right eye, "What are you doing?"
It's the lack of shock or surprise to her voice that tells her Misato may have been doing this job for too long.
"I'm destroying the Angel," Rei responds, "Silly."
Go-Kun elbows launch control, the electromagnetic rails firing off and sending the Eva in the overclocked cage to the surface, releasing Unit 05 upon entry and sending it rocketing skywards towards Iruel.
"Ready?" Rei asks.
In response, her eyes flash, glowing solid red as she and the Core link.
"Completion at 100%. Synchronization at 237%. Level 6 functionality unlocked."
*
*
"I think we should not find it at all surprising that Go-Kun initiated the construction of something in the Dirac Armory," Ritsuko states, as the Big Screen focuses on Unit 05 fast approaching the launched Iruel, "Now may be a good time to not look directly at the screen."
Yui turns to Ritsuko and then back to the screen.
"Tint it," she says, "I want to see this."
*
*
"Level 6 functionality unlocked," the computerized voice states, "Accessing AT Drill."
Go-Kun's right arm disappears, lines of white tracing the air before a rip in space itself releases a drill arm as long as the Evangelion is tall, the grooves silver and glowing in the sunlight. Go-Kun's visor glows gold, lines of orange light tracing around the arm and forming into an outline of a larger shape.
Booster jets on the back of the arm glow and fire, accelerating Unit 05 on its collision course with the Angel. Six eyes narrow and Iruel has just enough time as the AT Field takes the form of a drill three times the size of Unit 05 for last words.
"I hate you Lilim SO MUCH..."
"Sorry," Rei says, waving, "But we can't hear you over the sound of us kicking your ass. Go-Kun!"
The jaw locks release. Eyes glowing in tune with her Evangelion's, she grabs the joy stick as their voices rise in unison.
"GIGA!"
The jets fire off, the energy field spinning like a top.
"DRILL!"
She pushes the joystick forward, momentum carrying them both towards the Angel's mass.
"BUH-REAKAAAH!"
The drill collides, shredding into Iruel as the Angel gives off one last, enraged scream. And as the core cracks and the S2 organ detonates, it explodes like a second sun in the sky, raining down its remains like red snowfall.
*
*
In Central Dogma, they shield their eyes as the explosion of Iruel flashes the Big Screen white, Aoba yelling out while Yui, Misato, and Akagi click off their shades with wide grins on their faces.
"That's my girl," Yui says, "Maya?"
"Hold on," Ibuki groans, "Need to be able to see again."
"I love those Plan B's," Misato says, "It's the sort of plans I see through my eyelids."
*
*
The shockwaves fade harmlessly in the sky, jets firing off as Unit 05 descends and lands in a crouch next to the other Evas and Jet Alone. Popping the entry plug out, Rei climbs out and slides down the drill, landing near where the others have gathered before skipping over.
The four stand together, watching as the light of Iruel's detonation shines in the sky, the remains falling around them in light precipitation.
"Well, there's something you don't see every day," Mana says.
"Mm-hm," Rei responds, leaning back and forth on her heels, "Soooo~ooo you alright?"
Jet Alone is on one knee. Mana grins, arms folded.
"Let's see them decommision my ass now."
*
*
It managed to split off just enough to not be detected. He managed to preserve just enough, like that defeatist Sandalphon or that coward Sachiel. Just enough material to take the form of an insect, with a small core the size of the head of a pin to fly away just as that crazy girl destroyed his main mass.
He is Iruel.
He is Legion. Strike one down, more will rise...
Well, in time.
Flitting through the air, he follows the scent of matter, Angelic matter, he can feed on to regain some of his glory, some of his power.
All he needs is time.
All he needs is-
SNAP.
The beak snaps on the horsefly, and the penguin shakes his head, coughing as the insect skitters before dying, falling down his throat.
"WARK!"
Shinji and Asuka stare at the penguin as it turns and walks back into the apartment, walking into his fridge and slamming the door behind him.
"D-Did Pen Pen just eat an insect?" Asuka asks.
He nods, shaking his head with a sigh.
"S-so," she says, winding her fingers with his own, "I th-think your mother's still upset with me."
"Give her time," he responds, leaning in and pulling her into a hug, "I think she's more upset about being wrong for once."
"Happens to e-everyone," she responds, "Doesn't it?"
"Statistically, even to my mom."
And with a laugh between the two, as they press their foreheads against each other, they walk hand and hand into the apartment.