Shinji Ikari stood before judgment. Before the judgment of the council of instrumentality,such judgment would make many lesser man than him crumble and weaken,but he had been prepared for this day for years. Even if he had hopped it would not arrive.
"Ikari Shinji." One began.
"That is my name."
"Silence!"One bellowed. "You will speak when spoken to!"
"Understood."The boy replied, though it was clear that he hadn't been all that bothered by the council's sudden outburst.
"Answer this question Ikari Shinji,is it not true that the angel attempted to enter into communication with you?"One of the men asked.
"I do not believe so sir."Shinji answered.
"You do not believe so?"One of them asked. "We do not need you to believe Ikari Shinji,we need certainty!"
"My apologies."Shinji said,dishonestly,not that they knew,or cared.
"Do you believe,Ikari Shinji,that the angel could have been interested in the human spirit,in it's mind?"They asked.
"There is no proof that such concepts are understood by the angels. To assume so is to take a shot in the dark and nothing more." Shinji said.
"And yet Eva has proven to have tampered with the human mind,by your own admission Ikari Shinji." Another one said,Shinji's eyes narrowed.
"While I hold no special connection to she who resides inside Eva,i would believe comparing her to an Angel to be quite unscientific." Shinji said.
"No special connection?"One asked,incredulous,followed by a laugh. "That only proves that you are mistaken about who resides inside Eva,did your father not inform you of this?"
"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,that is all I will say."Shinji replied.
"Words only an Ikari could say."Silence and then."You,Ikari Shinji deserve death."
"In time it will come for us all."
And then,they were gone. Ikari Shinji grinned.
"All goes according to the scenario."His father said as his form was suddenly lit behind him, Shinji nodded.
The suburbs of Tokyo-3 were not a happy place,they were certainly not the same miserable and barely functioning place that were many post impact cities,but they were also certainly not a happy place.
Kensuke Aida closed the door to the house behind him as he advanced. Kensuke Aida did not have any family,not really at least, his father was a man far too busy with work to be much of a father and his mother had long become nothing more than bones and ashes.
So Kensuke Aida was alone. Some would think this was good,some would say that the untethered freedom granted to him was exactly they had in their wildest dreams. For Kensuke Aida however,this freedom was far from liberating,all it did was remind him of his own loneliness.
Today it was a sunny day, days that were not sunny in Tokyo-3 were rare and even in those rare few days where it did rain the heat did not go away. Always the same summer,always the same sun,for 15 years. I hate it.
Kensuke Aida walked into the train,the same train he took every day,with the same commuters he saw every day,going to the same places they went everyday. Like clockwork, he supposed,like cogs in a machine. Like himself.
Kensuke Aida walked out of the train as he did everyday,blocking the sun with his arm as he did everyday and walked down to see Touji Suzuhara waiting for him like he did everyday.
"Good morning." He said,like he said everyday. In the tone he used everyday,the false tone that Touji was too dense to notice. Shinji did,but Shinji and Kensuke couldn't be called friends,not really,not anymore.
Why?Because Kensuke Aida had attempted to break out of the machine,to be more than a cog,to be someone,to be himself. And Shinji had denied him, like Shinji had always denied him, because Shinji wanted the comfort of the status quo,no matter how hypocritical it was of him.
"Mornin' man,how are ya?"Bad, Kensuke wanted to a say,he wanted to say he'd considered just locking himself in his room and never,ever, leave, just so he could be more than a cog in a machine, at least in death. But then what? Then what would happen,what would he win beside a hollow victory once his body was carted out of the room by his crying father,who would then no doubt relapse into alcoholism and no doubt crash the car again,this time loosing more than just a finger.
So he lied.
"I'm good."He replied, he was not one for long answers, not one for speaking about his feelings, so Touji accepted the lie for the truth and they kept moving, it was easier that way,living a lie is easier when others don't try to break your self imposed exile from reality.
"Gotcha, well, vacation's coming up soon."Touji commented. And so what?What if vacation would be coming up soon?All it would lead into would be another year and once that one ended the year after that,and after that it would only be a matter of time until eventually he was forced to get a job,some soul crushing, joyless job like his father's.
Ironic,considering I would give an arm and leg to get father's job. Kensuke commented inside the bitter confines of his inner reality.
"Yeah,that's good."Kensuke said a large,wide,and equally fake smile spreading itself across his face, Touji smiled back with a nod. Too dense to understand, not stupid, no Touji had the street smarts of someone who'd been through a lot,but when it came to people at least,he was dense.
"Shinji's not here today."Kensuke commented as he walked into the classroom, neither Shinji nor any of the other pilots were there..good,Kensuke despised Shinji. Ever since he'd made the decision to reject him the other day he despised him.
Who the hell was he anyway?Why did he deserve to be a pilot?Why did he deserve get all the chicks while Kensuke got the short end of the stick? Why the hell did he seem to think that piloting Eva was bad?It infuriated Kensuke to no end,how ungrateful of a brat Shinji was.
He had everything,the chicks,the giant robot,the fame and the family. Kensuke had none of those, not a single one. Because he wasn't a pilot,because he wasn't born right. Nepotism,that was what it was, the commander giving his son all the good things in the world just because he'd been born.
His fist tightened.
"You can't say mad at him forever."Touji said. Kensuke glared at him, of course he could, why shouldn't he? What had Ikari Shinji ever done for him besides bring him pain and reject him,besides thinking he was better than him just because he piloted Eva while Kensuke could not?
"Yeah..."But Kensuke was a coward,he couldn't say those words because he knew Touji would dislike him,so he kept his mouth shut, maybe he was meant to be nothing more than a cog in the machine. The idea nearly brought bile to his mouth.
After that Touji didn't bring up anything to talk about until they sat down at their respective tables. Rise,Bow,sit. Like everyday the class begun and like everyday Kensuke zoned out nearly immediately.
A silvery unit stood at the center of a containment cage,deactivated and immobile, yet it's presence was surely not lost on those who stood before it in the observation room directly opposing it.
The silence was broken by the sound of voices, the preparations for the activation of the silvery titan that stood in the cage.
"Beginning first phase of activation, LCL insertion is underway."
"All synapse connections check out okay,voltage is reaching critical level. Moving on to phase two of activation"
The titan stood utterly still,the only change being the glow in it's eyes as it activated.
"Starting up S2 organ activation for autonomous power. No issues noted,proceeding."
Had the titan of silver and flesh been capable of doing so it would have smiled.
"Proceeding onward to third phase of activation, Evangelion unit-04 is active."
And so it began. As if punishing mankind for it's foolishness the titan broke it's restraints with effortless ease. The bolts that held it's mouth shut shattered.
"Pulses are flowing backwards,power generation is 7000% higher than expected!"
"RUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
It's AT field pulsed,the window of the control room was blasted aside as an halo grew over the head of the silver titan.
"Apotheosis is reaching 70,80,90%!"
Then,in a single blindingly white flash of light the entire base was blasted away by a wave of power,the Evangelion rose from it's position, the heavens went pure red as wings of light spread from it's back,an all consuming roar filled the heavens.
Heaven and heart spun around the power of an awakened god as the skies and the ground below them became pure red,a vortex of energy surrounding the white unit,no longer the silver of it's armor could be seen as it's body became pure white,ridding itself of the worthless armor that bound it.
"RUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Another roar to split apart the heavens,but there would be no victory for the white unit,the heavens split and a lance descended from them.
And then,just as the ascension of the white titan began,it was interrupted.
"Apologies for the inconvenience..." A cold and inhuman voice spoke.
The bridge was a mess.
"The headquarter' Okay,Evangelion's haven't moved in their cages!"Hyuga said over the phone. "Yes,yes...wait,Maya Status on terminal dogma!"
"Heaven's gates are closed,everything is normal!"She replied from her post.
"Heaven's gates are closed, we're all okay here,what about the first branch?"Hyuga asked. "The second branch is also unaffected? Good,so it was only sub-branch Nevada."
"It ascended?!"Fuyutsuki asked in disbelief. "The second sub-branch was destroyed?"
"Yes,sir. It's been confirmed."
"What about the Unit,where the hell is it now if it was interrupted?"
"We do not know yet sir,satellites can't pick anything within a 89 km radius,the last image we have is of the waves of complementarity dispersing."
"Dear god.."Misato commented as the words 'DESTROYED' flashed on screen.
"The administrative and investigative sections are growing crazy,even general affairs don't know what to do."Hyuga commented.
"What happened?"Misato asked,afraid to know the answer.
"As far as we are aware, Unit-04 is the cause of this incident. Play back the footage if you please Maya." Ritsuko asked.
The footage played back,Maya counting down as things looked normal until she reached 0. Then,the entire base was blown away by an unimaginable blast of energy,the image of unit-04 moving upward being scene before it was obscured by a wall of red light.
"Stop footage."Ritsuko ordered, to which Maya obliged. "The current theory is that the S2 engine interfaced with the unit in an unexpected manner and caused what we are dubbing a 'Proto-impact' event. This is corroborated with the fact that everything within a 89 kilometer radius was stripped of life onto the cellular level,much like in Antarctica."
Misato's eyes widened as she looked at Ritsuko. "You mean to say..."
"Exactly, the Evangelion was attempting to do the same thing that occurred 15 years ago. It was attempting to start a third impact." Ritsuko said, Misato's brought a hand to her forehead.
"That's...Rits." Misato began.
"If your worries are that our units will act much the same way then there is no need,the reason for this attempted ascension was the S2 engine's activation,we don't need to worry."Ritsuko said.
"The fact that all it takes is an S2 engine to do something like this is what worries me!"Misato said. "What the hell even happened to the unit?"
"Vanished,after the proto-impact was averted it simply seemed to disappear,almost as if it wasn't there in the first place."Ritsuko said. "The last image we have is of the impact being interrupted."
"Being interrupted...so that means that..."Misato began.
"Indeed,something or someone is to thank for interrupting the proto-impact,if not all of western America would face the same fate that the Sub-branch did." Ritsuko said.
"...this kind of thing,it's happening because we're being forced to deal with things we don't understand."Misato said.
No Misato,this is happening because the hubris of man makes it think that a god will bend it's knee to mankind simply because man created it. Ritsuko thought.
Going down the escalator neither Misato nor Ritsuko spoke much.
"What's going to happen with 03?" Misato asked.
"They're foisting it off to us." Ritsuko said. "They're afraid they might loose the branch in Massachusetts like they lost the sub-branch in Nevada."
"So they beg for the rights to build the units and when things go south they demand we take them in,typical." Misato said,crossing her arms.
"Indeed."Ritsuko said. "The Russians are also sending in unit-08 at the same time."
"Two units and we only have one free pilot..who's supposed to not even exist, since the dummy plug system's defunct what are you gonna do?"Misato asked.
"I don't know,not yet at least."Ritsuko said,Misato nodded.
Both Ritsuko Akagi and Gendo Ikari stood before a cylindrical frame-work suspended in the sky.
"The dummy enhancement system,unlike the dummy plug system it doesn't seek to overthrow the pilot's natural piloting abilities but enhance them,feeding the pilots data from the Magi and feeding it directly into their minds,a combat efficiency increase of 20% can be expected just from the first model." She said.
"An increase to the natural piloting abilities of our pilots,closing the gap between machine and man."Gendo commented. "Very well,make the addition to the plugs of units-01 and 02."
"Sir,there are still problems."Ritsuko commented. "The limiters aren't properly in place,they might cause an information overflow that could harm the pilots. Or exacerbate their mental sate."
"That is irrelevant,as long as they live."Gendo said, Ritsuko nodded. "Install it into units 1 and 2."
"May I ask why it is that you do not want the system within unit-00?" Ritsuko asked.
"Temperamental."Was Gendo's only response. Ritsuko understood well enough not to push it any further than that. "The third unit will require a pilot."
"A core was destroyed, Suzuhara's if I'm not mistaken,but another is available." Ritsuko said. Gendo nodded.
"Activate it,it will have to make do."
Submerged in liquid,Rei felt comfortable in such a state. It was...peaceful. There was no purpose to it anymore, just to monitor her mental state and because it made her feel comfortable, the dummy plug system had been canceled after all. Even so,she could feel the fake hers in the back of her mind,a tingling sensation of wrongness that she could never shake off for as long as she was there.
He thoughts were suddenly focused on a person. Such a person was not such an uncommon sight within the confines of Rei's mind as of late. Mari... Her eyes were..beautiful,blue,like peace,not red like Rei's own. She hated red.
Mari...? Rei questioned. When did I begin referring to pilot Makinami as...Mari? Even so..she had to admit...it sounded,nice. Mari...I believe...i believe I will attempt to call pilot Makinami this from now on.
Ritsuko Akagi looked unusually tense. Misato looked at her, sighing as she spoke up.
"Just spit it out,i can tell something's bothering you."Misato said, the doctor frowned.
"It's just unit-03's activation test."Ritsuko said,Misato's eyebrow rose.
"What about it?"The major asked.
"It's about who was chosen as the fourth child."Ritsuko said.
"The fourth child?"Misato asked. "I didn't get the Marduk institute's report."
"It's coming tomorrow,he's just been chosen. It's natural that it would be sudden after the last fourth died" Ritsuko commented.
"Ah yes. Anastasia, poor girl." Misato commented sadly. The doctor nodded.
"It's the sad nature of the curse of Eva."Misato commented. "All those who are bound to Eva will live a life of suffering."
"Well..who is the fourth?"A click,and then a face. Misato frowned. "It's...him."
"Well...sadly, it's because they were gathered together for protection..."Ritsuko sighed. "Shinji won't be happy about this."
"Yeah,he wont take it well,even if his mental state's been better." Misato said. "Should I tell him?"
"I'll do it."Ritsuko said. "I owe him as much."
Misato nodded. "Thanks."
Shinji was interrupted while on his way to the pilot's quarters. "Hey Shinji,do you have a second'"
"Ritsuko?"He asked as he turned around."...what's the matter?"
Ritsuko walked up to him and sat down by a bench,patting the location next to her. "You might want to sit down."
He did so but not without a comment. "I'm not one to fall over from shock."
"You might just."Ritsuko said with a soft smile,a false smile he could tell,but the fact she even pretended meant she cared.
"Well..did someone die?"Shinji asked,he was serious.
"No one died..but,you're aware that the third unit is being sent over?"Ritsuko asked.
"After the accident at America they wont want an Evangelion there for the next half decade. Yeah,i know that. Why?" Shinji asked.
"The core's been chosen already." Ritsuko said,Shinji breathed In and looked down. "From that place you know."
"Of course it was..."He said,a bitter sadness to his voice. "Who..."
"Core 19."She said,Shinji's fist tightening
"Him uh..."Shinji thought,Ritsuko nodded.
"It is,I'm sorry. It was the only one available in such short notice." Ritsuko commented.
Shinji looked down and sighed. "I understand..well,maybe it is for the best. He's always wanted this."
"I'm sorry Shinji,i really am."Ritsuko said, Shinji nodded.
A train, the sun fading in the horizon, Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki Gendo share it as they speak.
"This city,a paradise built by mankind." Fuyutsuki said.
"It is only natural,when mankind was driven from paradise that they would,in the edge of death,create their own paradise to escape it."Gendo said.
"In the end all of mankind's creations are driven by that very same base desire are they not?"Fuyutsuki asked. "To escape death."
Gendo hummed. "This city is built to escape death,a fortified heaven to protect ourselves from the cold of the outside world,a paradise from and to ourselves."
"A heaven. In some ways that can be taken to mean nothing more than a hiding place."Fuyutsuki said with a hint of humor. "It's thankful then,that cowards live longer."
"The Third New-Tokyo." Fuyutsuki continued. "It's delayed seventh construction phase will soon be finished,just in time for the final tribulation."
Gendo nodded.
"How will you report the incident to the council?"The vice-commander asked,Gendo shrugged.
"With the truth."He said.
"That the Eva attempted to become god?" Fuyutsuki askeed. Gendo nodded.
"Yes. Earlier you said that all of man's creations are to escape death,but not Eva." The commander said.
"How so? It's purpose is to defend us from the angels,and thus escape death."Fuyutsuki said.
"Eva is not an attempt to escape death. It is a weapon against it." Gendo looked out of the window to the geofront that now appeared before them. "Soon the need to hide like sewer rats beneath this paradise will no longer be,the time for man to face it's demons rather than it's angels will arrive soon enough."
"That is..if our plans succeed." Fuyutsuki said. The other man nodded.
"Whatever comes of it..Seele's defeat is already guaranteed." Gendo said. "Because this event alone proves their dogma wrong."
Fuyutsuki nodded. "The dead sea scrolls do not show the truth in the end. That a tool of man can truly attempt,even in failure,to ascend to godhood shows as much."
"It will teach them a lesson,those old men will learn not to rely so much on scripture older than our species."
"The Interception system is finished and there's not even going to be a party, Nerv really is an inflexible organization." Ryoji Kaji commented as he threw an empty can at an already overflowing trash can.
"Well,it's because of commander Ikari." Maya said.
"And are you a prude as well?"Kaji commented seductively as he approached the tech assistant.
"Are you serious Kaji-san?" Maya asked. "I'll tell Katsuragi-san and Akagi-sempai."
"Ah,how boring." Kaji complained as a throat was cleared nearby, Kaji looked up to notice none other than Misato Katsuragi.
Maya took this chance to run away as Misato walked up next to him. "Far be it for me to make judgments on your personal life,but should you really be making those sorts of moves inside this organization?"She asked.
"Ah,i don't know what you're talking about."Kaji said unconvincingly,at least so for someone who knew him as well as Misato did.
"Don't play dumb."Misato said. "You know the secrets,about the Evas,Adam,the Marduk institute."
"You're normally not one to ask for help."Kaji commented.
"Well that's true but as it stands I'm not feeling very reserved."Misato said. "It's very convenient for the fourth child to have been replaced just before the next Eva arrived."
"Well, i'll tell you one thing." He began in his usual,flirtatious tone before moving closer to her and speaking more seriously. "The Marduk institute doesn't exist,Nerv's pulling the strings along with the committee."
"The Committee..and Nerv itself?"Misato asked with wide eyes.
"Check code 707." Was all Kaji said.
"Shinji's school..."Misato said in a breathless whisper.
As if on cue,the boy in question walked in. "Misato."
"Yes Shinji-kun?"She asked in her most casual tone.
"Rits needs you for the discussions on the retrieval of 03 tomorrow." Shinji said.
"Ah,got it. I'll be heading over."
As she walked out Shinji looked at Kaji. "You're walking a dangerous rope."
"I know as much. Can I buy you a drink,a cup of coffee?"He asked.
"Sure thing,but I'm a taken man." Shinji replied.
"Watermelons?"Shinji asked as he leaned down before them.
"Aye,aren't they cute? It's my hobby."The man then brought a finger up to his lips. "Keep it a secret."
"But..why?"Shinji asked.
"Growing,making something. It's really great. One can learn a lot of things from it and it can bring great pleasure."
"But also pain...they're opposites yet so closer to each-other all the same."Shinji said,Kaji nodded.
"Aye,are you afraid of pain?"He asked.
"Yes...I'm afraid, I don't want to be hurt."Shinji replied.
"But you open yourself to others."Kaji said.
"I don't want them to be hurt too."Shinji replied.
"With that sort of philosophy you're sure to suffer...well,it ain't too bad though, kindness isn't a weakness." Kaji said.
"In a battlefield kindness is the last thing you need." Shinji replied.
"I suppose that makes sense, a solider at heart aren't you?"Kaji asked,Shinji was silent as he grabbed a handful of dirt and brought it up to his nose.
"The smell of nature really is refreshing."He said, and that was his only response.
The next day Kensuke Aida's spot in class was empty. "Why's the other stooge not here?"
Shinji shrugged. "I Don't know, he and I aren't on really friendly terms lately so I really have no idea."
"I Bet it's just something stupid, like him going chasing after some big ship again." Asuka joked, Shinji nodded.
"Yeah,it must be something stupid..." Then it hit him. Right...it's tomorrow. He must have wanted to stay home to prepare.
"Well anyway, did you bring me lunch?"Asuka asked,suddenly Shinji went pale.
"Well..you see,about that." Shinji said.
"Did you really forget about something like that?!"She shouted, Shinji gave a weak laugh.
"I'm sorry?"
"Oh,is the married couple having another squabble?" Touji commented from his own seat. "I'd like to say that's new but it's been pretty much everyday lately."
"S-Shut up!"They both replied in sync and with equally red faces.
The class laughed.
The rooftop, a soft breeze, Rei Ayanami fit in with such serene scene, Kensuke Aida did not.
"Why are you here?" He asked, the bitterness in his voice not lost even in the supposedly emotionless girl.
"Because you've been chosen."Rei said,Kensuke looked down.
"I suppose it must be, so you know as well...does he?" Kensuke asked. She nodded. "Well,he'll see."
"Pilot Ikari cares about you Aida Kensuke." Rei said.
"If he did things wouldn't have become like this. I've had to wait this long because of him." Kensuke said.
"Pilot Ikari knows the pain of Evangelion."Rei said.
"So what?!"He shouted. "So what if there's pain,so what if I die?! I'd rather die tomorrow than live a miserable life!"
"I see.."Rei said. "Good luck pilot Aida."
He looked away,the rage in his eyes disappearing. "..."
The soft glow of fading sunlight lit the city of Tokyo-3 in a beautiful Orange hue, two girls of 13 and 14 years of age walked along a sidewalk as they advanced through the street,the elder of which smiled as she grasped at the necklace hanging from her neck,today reminded her of that day.
"Say Asuka..."Hikari began. "Who's the lucky guy?"
"uh?"Asuka asked as she focused back on reality.
"Don't think I haven't noticed,that necklace,the smiles you've been throwing out,you're totally in love Asuka-chan."Hikari said in a joking tone when,much to her surprise,Asuka nodded. "Wahh?! Really,i was totally joking,is it really true?"
"Yes,he gave this to me."Asuka said,bringing up her necklace slightly.
"ohh,how romantic."Hikari commented. "Who is it, wait,let me guess. It's that guy you went on a date with?"
Asuka shook her head. "No,actually,i dumped that guy in the park."
"Really..so is it Saji from class 1-A?"Asuka rose an eyebrow.
"I don't even know who that guy is."Asuka admitted.
"He's one of your admirers."Hikari said. "Well, is it someone from our class?"
A nod.
"ohh...is it Minato?"Asuka shook her head.
"It's someone you know,someone you call a friend." Hikari had really no idea who it was it seemed,and then it was as if realization hit her.
"Oh my..is it...Suzuhara?"She seemed almost fearful to suggest it, Asuka's eyes twitched.
"what kind of person do you think I am?!" Asuka asked with an indignant crossing of the arms, Hikari sighed in relief. Geez,way to make it obvious Hikari.
"Well..i'm stumped."She admited defeat,Asuka shaking her head.
"It's Baka-Shinji."Asuka said, Hikari looked at her for a few seconds,as if in shock,before laughing her ass off. "Hey,what are you laughing at?!"
"Sorry,sorry. I just..it's just that I had thought you were being serious about being in love Asuka-chan."She said,wiping her tears of laughter away.
"I was."Asuka said,thought from her friend's expression she could tell she wouldn't go far with assuring her of that fact. "Well,anyway,what about you and Suzuhara?"
"M-me and Suzuhara-kun?"She asked with a deep red blush. "W-what about us?"
"Come on,don't pretend to be dense."Asuka said. "Everyone in school knows."
"E-even..?"She asked, Asuka shook her head.
"Everyone besides Suzuhara." Asuka clarified,much to Hikari's relief.
"Oh,thank god." She said.
"You should tell him."Asuka said.
"W-why,he w-wont like the type of girl I am at all." She said with a slight stutter.
"You might never know...besides,better to know it now than to regret not doing it forever,no?"Asuka asked. Hikari seemed to ponder this.
"Yeah..i guess you're right."
Night-time,their bed. Shinji and Asuka lay with their backs facing each-other
"Shinji."She spoke up.
"Yeah?"He asked.
"Tomorrow is the test for unit-03,if it goes wrong. Like the one with 04,i want you to know I love you."She said.
"Whatever happens...I'll make sure that doesn't happen,I'll protect you no matter the cost."Shinji said,assured in his own words.
"Baka..that's not the kind of thing you can promise."
"I love you as well,Asuka."
Mari Makinami was not an early riser, she was the kind of person who would gladly sleep until the afternoon and more if she was allowed. Even so,for that day at least,she was being forced to wake up early.
"And I won't even get to pilot,what a bother." She complained as she put on her clothes. Having to wake up early only to serve as a backup. Well,she supposed it was better than not having been given the chance to ever pilot.
As she opened her door with a yawn she was suddenly face to face with familiar red eyes and a blue hair,the girl named Ayanami Rei. The girl that Mari felt incredibly guilty for being next to at all times,the girl that she knew was replacing Anastasia's place in her heart.
She looked,almost hesitant.
"P-...Mari." Mari her name,her first name, Rei didn't do first names. Was it because she was going on a mission? No,that would have meant she would have called her Mari before their battle against the eleventh angel,which she had not.
One thing she did know,she liked it. "Icicle."
And yet she still couldn't call her by her name,because despite her best efforts she was a coward. Rei presented forward the box in her hand.
"I made...lunch,i had assumed that you might want to have..some." She said,a blush visible on her pale face. Mari blinked as she grabbed a hold of it.
"You made this...just for me?"She asked,curious.
"I have..Mari." Rei said,seeming to have difficulty with saying her name as she blushed a deeper shade of red. Mari smiled, this was...an oddly thoughtful gesture,especially coming out of someone like Rei.
"Thanks,I'm sure I'll enjoy it."Mari said,taking notice of the band aids wrapped around Rei's fingers, there were a lot. That...she went through that much effort..for me? She asked herself, a smile spreading itself across her face. "Yeah...I'll enjoy it for sure."
Misato stood wait near one of Nerv's government mandated trucks as she waited for the section two car that was escorting Kensuke Aida to arrive.
"Damn it,this wait is just bothersome." Misato said as she leaned back into the truck's outer frame, trying unsuccessfully to cool herself down with her hand. "Why's it gotta be so hot today anyways?"
"It'll be the start of winter soon,it's autumn saying it's last goodbyes in it's usual fashion." Ritsuko commented from inside the truck.
"I much preferred it when autumn said goodbye with ungodly amounts of rain."Misato commented.
"You and me both,but this is the world in which we live now." The doctor said, cursing whoever had designed the trucks to not have an AC.
After a few more minutes' wait a black SUV arrived, leaving it was Kensuke Aida in a suit that was much too unfitting for this sort of weather and a couple of section two agents, as the boy approached he saluted.
"Major Katsuragi." He said,a cold and formal tone in his voice.
Misato laughed a little. "There's no need to refer to me by such terms,or to salute,you're not technically part of the military."
Reminds me of Shinji when we first met. She commented inside the confines of her mind.
"I see..thank you for this opportunity then Katsuragi-san."He said,giving a deep bow as he did. Misato smiled.
"No need to thank me at all,in fact, I'm the one who should be thanking you, you'll be saving our asses from now onward." Misato said. "Well,I'll be counting on you."
"I'll do my best!"
The unit was being prepared, Ritsuko and Misato stood side by side in the command room as they watched information and clearance orders be put on screen.
"Both units 03 and 08 are ready for combat operations now,it's as expected."Ritsuko said,Misato sighed.
"well,that's good I suppose." She said in a downtrodden tone. Ritsuko looked at her.
"I don't see why you're so down,in the end of the day you'll have 2 more evas under your direct control." Ritsuko said, Misato hummed in agreement.
"5 Evas..with that kind of power we could destroy the world."She commented. Ritsuko nodded.
"Indeed, the UN is very worried we might let the power get to our head." Ritsuko said,Misato looked away.
"I wonder if we will."
Shinji watched from a distance as Hikari made the request for Touji to eat food with her,some excuse about how she'd cooked too much and that Kodama would be eating with her boyfriend, it really didn't make much sense but Touji was gullible enough to buy it.
"Ah,what I would give to be young and in love again."Shinji said jokingly, his girlfriend giving him a questioning glare.
"You are baka,or at least I damn hope you are!"Asuka said, Shinji smiled.
"Of course I am, my love."He said in a flirtatious tone he'd stolen straight from Kaji. Making her blush, a color much akin to that of her hair.
"D-don't make me blush idiot!"She commanded. He didn't quite feel like doing that though,she was cute when she blushed.
The titanic black form of unit-03 could be seen as it prepared for it's first test, it's red mask was much akin to a demon in some ways and it's black armor only seemed to solidify that image, the entry plug was lowered into the machine.
"Entry plug repairs complete. Initiating first connection "
"Transmitting pulses. Graph readout is normal."
"All checklists up to 1350 have been cleared."
"No problems found in initial contact phase."
"Switch over to contact phase two. Connect the nerve links."Akagi ordered.
"All Nerv links are normal,checklist up to 2550. Harmonics are stable. We are now exceeding the absolute borderline."
Then,as the pointer marking the clearance of the absolute borderline was reached alarms rang out as the pulses went irregularly,nothing too bad.
"Abort the test! Break the umbilical connection!"Ritsuko ordered. "It's just like unit-00"
"Failure,high energy readings detected inside the body,it's generating it's own power!" One of the techs reported.
"It's own power?"Ritsuko asked. "No..."
The Eva turned Angel broke away it's restraints, it's mouth clamps coming undone with a low guttural growl. Energy built up and then it was released.
For miles the sight of what might have looked to others like an N2 mine explosion could be seen.
"An explosion has been detected at the Matsushiro test-site!"Hyuga reported.
"Damage amount is unknown!"Another tech reported.
"Send in the rescue squads and the special operational units,make sure to deal with that before the SSDF gets involved!"Fuyutsuki declared from above.
"Roger!"Multiple voices rang out at once.
"Movement of an unidentified object detected at the site!"Aoba said.
"Wavelength pattern checks out orange,not confirmed as an angelic entity!"Hyuga added.
"All personnel go into immediate first stage alert."Gendo Ikari ordered as he sat at his place on the bridge,his eyes narrowing. This will affect Shinji greatly.
"Launch the Evas!"Maya gave the order for the first time in her life, wondering about how her Sempai was doing as she did.
Something had gone wrong at the test site,Shinji knew it,he just knew it,when the confirmation arrived he had not been surprised at all. "Damn it...are Ritsuko and Misato okay?"
"We're not sure."Maya said. "We've yet to reestablish contact,the explosion was bad,for now we can only hope."
Shinji nodded. "Okay but...without Misato..what will we do?"
His father's face appeared in front of him. "Shinji Ikari. You're in charge of this operation."
He pointed at himself. "M-me?"
"This has nothing to do with nepotism if such are your questions,it is simply the most logical decision given your quick thinking skills and combat experience."
His father faded from view.
"ugh,this is so unfair,why do you get to lord over all of us as if you're some kind of god."Asuka complained. Shinji shook his head.
"It's nothing like that Asuka. Rei,how are things on your end?"
"Good." A lie, he could tell,he could tell from the way her grip on the control sticks was stronger and the way her eyes were narrowed with visible rage, visible rage,in Rei Ayanami. Makinami was in the test site...that must be why..
"Roger that,Asuka you're our first line of defense,Rei support her from a distance, I'll be staying at the back in case things go wrong." Shinji said,ignoring Asuka's comment on how he was being lazy for staying at the back.
"Target is now on-screen."Hyuga commented as the demonic face of the ironically angel possessed unit-03 appeared in front of them.
"It is as we suspected."Fuyutsuki said.
"Send in the abort signal,activate the ejection system for the plug."Gendo ordered.
"Codes went through,no visible effect, it's blocking the entry plug physically!" Maya said
"Status on the pilot?" Gendo asked.
"He's still breathing and his heart appears to be beating as well but..."Hyuga said.
"No matter."Gendo interrupted. "Abandon Evangelion unit-03 at this time and list it as the 14th Angel."
"But.."Hyuga began.
"Disperse the battle line at as planned. Destroy the target,disregard damage to the unit."Gendo ordered.
"Target is approaching." Hyuga's voice could be heard through the radio,Shinji's eyes turned toward the screen and immediately widened.
"That...is that the..is that the target?"Shinji asked, clear horror in his voice.
"How could have it been possessed by an Angel?" Asuka asked. Rei remained silent.
"That's..the pilot is..." Human...no,not human...Kensuke.
"Baka,what are you doing get a gr-"And then her feed went dead.
"Asuka...asuka,Asuka?!"Shinji shouted as she screamed.
"Eva 02 has gone silent,it's pilot has ejected!"Hyuga reported.
"Father..father,how's Asuka?!"Shinji asked with clear desperation in his voice.
"The pilot is alive and uninjured."Gendo assured,though his tone was cold and detached.
"The target is approaching unit-00!"Maya reported.
"Rei,avoid close range combat,engage with your rifle."Gendo ordered.
"Yes.."Was her short and curt reply.
Rei lifted her rifle,this was the unit that had injured,perhaps killed, pilot Makinami. This was the unit that had injured,perhaps killed, .
Two people in her life that mattered to her,those two people in her life mattered a lot,they were one of the few people who cared,truly cared,for her. Rage was an emotion she had been acquainted with before,briefly.
But fury,fury was new,it was exhilarating. And there was a sweet,sweet,almost child-like voice in her mind that seemed to edge on that fury,that seemed to tell her. 'Would it be so wrong to kill it? Would it be so wrong to rip apart this thing limb from limb from limb until it bled and it paid?'
She pulled the trigger,bullets were let loose and struck the angel,or rather they would have. A back-flip was all that was need and the angel managed to avoid the incoming storm of lead. Her head was thrown against the ground,the angel ramming it against it with all of it's ungodly strength.
Then,it began to spread into her arm,her veins felt as if on the verge of bulging out of her skin,her mind went blank with pain,but even so...even so,she had to do something. She couldn't fail,couldn't fail like she had against Iruel,she couldn't fail,couldn't..couldn't...why was it going dark? And why did her arm hurt?
"Connection with unit-00 terminated! The Angel seems to be moving on once the arm was discard,the pilot is unconscious!" Hyuga reported, to which Gendo gave a nod.
"It is now up to your son to defeat the enemy."Fuyutsuki said, Gendo nodded.
"He will not fail us."
Shinji was frozen in inaction,this much was new. Frozen rather than terrified, he couldn't move,it wasn't as if he didn't want to. He wanted to,with all his heart he really,really wanted to move,but he couldn't.
Memories of one of his first friends flashed in his mind. The times they'd spent with Ichijo. The years they had been friends,they all flashed through his mind.
What was he supposed to do when it came to this?Was he supposed to harm,possibly kill or maim his first friend in the entire world? Was he supposed to willingly bring down the wrath of his Eva on that which belonged to his friend?
Kensuke resented him as of late,he knew that much,he resented him because he didn't understand Evangelion, Kensuke thought it was all rainbows and sunshine. Get in the robot,save the world,get the girl,get out. But that wasn't what really happened, Kensuke had a hard life,yes. But...there was a hard life and there was the life of those who chose to pilot Eva.
He wanted to be part of something bigger,sure, but he didn't want to have PTSD,he didn't want to have the dreams and the screaming. He knew Kensuke didn't' want those things,he knew Kensuke would regret it,in ten years,when he accidentally woke up and had fit and hurt someone as memories flashed into his mind..like i hurt Asuka.
Shinji was sure,utterly positive, that his friend didn't want that. But Kensuke never saw things that way,the pastures always look greener on the other side as they say,and while for Kensuke Shinji's pastures might look green they were,in truth, red. Red with blood, blood shed for others and blood shed by the enemies of man.
But now?Now Kensuke was in that pasture as well,now Kensuke would become aware of the curse of Evangelion. The absolute rule of reality of all those who piloted a machine meant to challenge god. Misery and pain are all that await you,my friend.
The black unit's hands extended,unnaturally long even for an Eva,as they reached Shinji's throat and squeezed,then in a moment he was up against a mountain,the air failing to reach his lungs as he heard the hurried cries of the bridge.
"Shinji.."His father's voice broke through all the chatter. "If you do not do this,I will not resent you. But if do nothing,everyone will die."
The Angel continued it's stranglehold on Shinji's unit, the boy beginning to fade into unconsciousness as the marks on his neck became more and more clear.
"Everyone will die...Sohryu will die,Ayanami will die, you will die." A voice in his mind but not his own,and then he was floating.
"Mother?"
"No."
Then,he was before the form of the unit,his unit, Evangelion 01,armor-less and with tubes connected to it's back. A gruesome sight.
"Eva...01?"He asked in clear confusion and terror.
"In a way. I am the one who gave you a gift." Shinji's eyes widened.
"You're..the last Angel." Shinji said.
"Again,in a way. I cannot be said to be the last Angel any more than I be said to be Evangelion-01, I am a complemented entity."
"I..i don't know what to do..I'm afraid."
"I can aid you. I can lend you the true power of the bound Evangelion."
"I don't want to hurt Kensuke."
"I am not the one inside the Eva,i am Eva. I am the one who is controlled by man,not the soul of man that controls that which is controlled by man through a child. If you do not wish to harm him then simply command me so."
"What will it take,for you to help me?"
"You do not understand,there is nothing to be owed, I am the one who is controlled by man. It is my purpose."
"Then..this is my order..lend me your strength!"
"Pilot has gone unconscious!"Aoba reported.
"His synchronization ratio is falling fast,the neck armor is giving in!"Maya reported as the black Eva continued to press down on the Evangelion below it.
Then,as if by magic,the Unit 1's arms suddenly went up and grabbed those of the angel.
"W-what?!"Maya asked. "The dummy enhancement system has just turned on!"
"Pilot is back in control,sync readouts are out of the scale!"
Shinji's eyes were bluer than normal.
"AGHHHHHHHH!"He shouted as he willed the two gigantic arms of the infected Eva out of his neck,pressing on them with enough strength to break them,causing them to go limp. Then he gave the Angel a kick to it's chest,sending it flying into a nearby hill.
"You...bastard...give me..back...my...friend!"
The black Eva attempted to rise from it's position on the ground,a fist to the face quickly answered such attempts as Evangelion unit-01 put itself atop it. Then,the sound of flesh ripping apart and the pained screams of the Evangelion as he ripped out it's shoulder pylons,sending their still blood-soaked forms flying through the air before they fell on a hill.
Another roar left the Eva's mouth, Shinji's rage only grew at this.
"SHUT UP,SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" He rammed his fist into the black Eva's face,armor giving away and it's jaw breaking apart,but he didn't stop,he couldn't. Another fist hit the unit's face and then another,blood squirted out as it's eyes were crushed under the Evangelion's fist.
The now blood-soaked unit-01 did not stop,it grabbed at the Eva's main chest plates,ripping them both off in a shower of blood,the reddened black plates flying several hundred meters and crushing residences underneath them as they were thrown by the titanic form of unit-01
"DIE,DIE,DIE,DIE,DIE!" Shinji rose his fist to strike at the core of the Angel,no,of the unit,only for the arm of the black Eva to stop him from doing so. And thought such attempts were meek and worthless they still brought rage to Shinji's heart.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" With that he ripped of the arm that had attempted to stop him,blood flowing from it as it was thrown into the river with a splash. His assault on the core continued until it shattered and broke,but the Evangelion was still active,the Angel was still there.
He reached into the bloody insides of the Eva's chest until he felt something other than flesh and he ripped it out,bones following along with the blood-soaked entry plug,then he removed his knife.
"SHINJI,DON'T!"Maya cried out in sheer desperation,fearing for the worse as the progressive knife dove toward the plug, but thankfully it was not the plug but the cancerous mass that surrounded that it struck.
The growth was ripped apart,falling to the ground where it's red core became apparent for a second before the Evangelion stepped on it. The worse part was how human it felt,nothing like the bestial rage that the Evangelion had shown against the spherical angel,no,it felt human,like how someone would crush a bug,it reminded them of the fact that this time,Shinji was in control. The Evangelion grabbed the plug and threw it a fair distance away.
"Angel has been neutralized."Hyuga confirmed.
The purple unit,however, did not stop,ripping apart the armor of the black Evangelion, raising it's knife high above it as it stabbed it again and again and again and again. Maya looked away in disgust,trying not to puke as blood and guts flew out of the wounded form of the black Eva.
"DIE,DIE,DIE,DIE,DIE..die...die..d-die."Shinji broke down into tears as he continued to mindlessly stab at the now utterly dead unit-03. His once purple Eva now marred with splatters of blood all over it's armor.
"Stop synchronization, increase plug pressure until the pilot falls unconscious if necessary." Gendo said.
"Roger that sir."Aoba said.
A white light,a cold room without comfort.
"An unfamiliar ceiling...i hate it."
AN:Well,that's it for today's chapter,at first I had planned for it to end in much less depressing fashion with Asuka consoling Shinji but I felt that the final scene in this version is much more appropriate,especially as we reach the conclusion of act 2.