EVANGELION - CAESIUM
ACT 2 Chapter 3 (Chapter 11)
"If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war." - Leo Tolstoy
"Kaji, what did you say?" Misato asked into the walkie-talkie. She had set it down on the bed while she grabbed a second emergency duffle bag, and had heard him talk, but hadn't heard what he said.
"RPG!" Kaji screamed again, and Misato's heart stopped. Before she even had time to drop to the floor, a massive boom! shook the house. She was knocked off her feet by the tremor, and hit the floor with a loud thump. She stood to her feet as fast as she could, then grabbed her handgun from the bed and ran out into the living room. The kids had already flipped the dining room table over, and Shinji and Kensuke were sitting behind it, both of them armed. Asuka was keeping Kaworu's head down in the kitchen, and she noticed Misato first.
"Misato, are you alright?" she shouted. Misato ran over to her, and hugged her tight for a moment.
"I'm alright. Did anyone get hurt?" Misato said, talking as fast as she could while still being understandable.
"Kaworu got nicked by something, but he's alright." Asuka said, gesturing to Kaworu, who had a large bandaid on the left side of his face. As she was reaching down to check out the wound, a sudden cacophony of gunshots echoed around them. She tackled Kaworu and Asuka to the ground, as the space where they were standing was quickly filled with bullets. She heard a few shots ring out from behind them, and she turned to see Shinji and Kensuke returning fire. Another burst of bullets quickly forced them out from behind the table, and they darted into the kitchen with everyone else.
"How many are there?" Misato asked, as she drew her own weapon.
"There's… 8 left. Kensuke and I each got one." Shinji said, breathing heavily. Kensuke had a reassuring hand on his friend's back, trying to prevent him from having a panic attack. Misato looked around for options, but didn't find much. The kitchen and dining room only had one entrance, and it was being watched by the shooters. There was a window, but it led into a fenced-off backyard.
"Come on Kaji, we need you right now." Misato muttered, wondering what her boyfriend was up to.
The first Kimura gangster never saw him coming, as Kaji used his A.T. Field to soften his footsteps as he sprinted around the edge of the property. He tossed his rifle to the side a few meters behind the gangster, then drew his handgun. He slid past the man, shooting him in the head as he snatched the rifle from his hands. The shot alerted the other gangsters, and two of them turned around to attack the newcomer to the fray. Kaji popped out from behind the sedan just in time to watch the two focused on him hit the ground, and he managed to catch a glimpse of two people returning fire from inside the house.
Well, at least I know the kids are okay. Kaji thought, as he checked the rifle to make sure it was working. He pivoted to the other side of the sedan, and fired a few shots at the gangster with the rocket launcher. A shot to the leg brought the man down, and the rocket he had been trying to load into the launcher skittered to the ground at Kaji's feet. Grinning, Kaji deftly kicked the rocket back towards the man, then reached out with his A.T. Field to try and ignite it. He was quickly met with success, as a loud boom! consumed the sedan, and the gangster next to it, in a huge fireball. The remaining gangsters didn't take kindly to this, and began unloading their rifles on the vehicle.
"Misato!" Kaji yelled into his earbud, not getting a response. He crossed his fingers hoping that she wasn't hurt, and was just busy. "I've got them distracted! Take the kids and head for the hills." He heard a quick affirmative buzz, and he turned his attention back to the gangsters. Although the Philosopher's Stone magnified his A.T. Field, he still had to have the focus and discipline to control it. He might be able to block a few bullets, but stopping a wall of fully automatic fire was beyond even him.
"Flush him out!" one of the gangsters yelled, and Kaji grimaced as he heard them all fumbling for their grenades. Doing the only thing he could think to do, he quickly unfurled his A.T. Field, and then tried to fire without looking in the direction of the gangsters. It partially worked, as two of them went down with mortal injuries, but the other six were still perfectly capable of lobbing explosives his way. Kaji rolled to his right, and dove out of the way just as a few high-explosive grenades tore through what was left of the second sedan. He felt shrapnel raze his back in what would normally be a grievous wound, but luckily he was healing quickly. He crawled another few meters away, and propped himself up on his elbows while he waited for his legs to recover. He scanned back and forth, looking for the remaining gangsters, but couldn't see them. He laid down on the ground, trying to stay awake, but unconsciousness was inevitable. He clutched his pistol in his hand as the Philosopher's Stone drew him into sleep to help recover from his wounds.
I hope that was enough. Kaji thought, as he drifted off into the land of dreams.
Misato emerged from the tent, wiping the sweat from her brow. When they had found Kaji laying in the grass by the house, his back had been full of shrapnel from one of the explosions. The Stone had healed him, but it hadn't removed the scrap, instead healing all the skin around it. Kensuke, the only person in the group with a modicum of medical knowledge, had spent all morning plucking the steel and aluminum from Kaji's back. She had left Kensuke in charge of him, while she left to check on the other three. They were seated around the fire; Kaworu and Asuka looked miserable while they sat on a log together, while Shinji tried to keep a smile on his face while he stirred something in a pot over the fire.
"Is everyone okay?" Misato asked, only to be met by an angry glare from Asuka.
"I, for one, am tired of being shot at!" Asuka shouted. "If I'm not in my EVA, I'd prefer to not get shot!"
"Asuka, dear, please." Shinji said, clearly exasperated. "There's not much we can do about it."
Asuka huffed, but her expression seemed to soften a bit. Shinji turned back to the fire. He had been hearing Asuka complain all morning about last night, and although he loved her to death, he had to admit that it was starting to get on his nerves. Neither of them had been hurt during the fight, luckily, but the flight into the woods afterward had taken a lot out of them. The two of them had crashed the moment they had their tents set up, and had only awoken at about noon.
"Asuka, Kaworu, lunch is done." he said. The two teens quickly jumped at the opportunity, and Shinji left to go let the others know while they dug in. He made his way to Misato's tent, and opened the flap. Kaji was laying on the ground, wrapped in blankets, while Kensuke sat in a chair next to him. He looked up at Shinji, clearly exhausted.
"Hey, Ken, how are you holding up?" Shinji asked, as he pulled over the other chair and sat down next to his friend.
"I'm alright." Kensuke mumbled, then he turned to face Shinji. "Just a little exhausted."
"I know. Lunch is ready; if you'd like, I can stay here and watch Kaji for you." Shinji said, patting his friend on the shoulder.
Kensuke looked like he was about to refuse, but he stopped himself. "Thanks, Shinji. It means a lot."
"No problem." Shinji said with a smile, as Kensuke got up to leave. Shinji turned his chair to face Kaji, who was currently lying on his side, his torso wrapped up in gauze. He looked peaceful, his face given a soft golden glow by dim light the Philosopher's Stone was giving off. Shinji scooted a little closer, and held the Stone in the palm of his hand. The lanyard it had been hanging on was replaced a long time ago with a brass chain, but other than that it still looked the same it did a few months ago.
Shinji let the stone dangle around Kaji's neck again, and checked his forehead. His head was still warm, so Shinji turned around and dampened the rag. Turning back around, he saw Kaji's eyes flutter open.
"Where… are we?" Kaji asked.
"Um, we're up in the mountains about three miles away from Tokyo-2." Shinji answered. "You were in pretty bad shape, and even though you were healing, you had a bunch of metal stuck in you. Kensuke and Misato managed to get it all out though."
"I feel like my head went through a blender." Kaji muttered, as he sat up and shrugged off some of his blankets. The Stone was still dimly glowing around his neck. "At least I've got this thing."
"Yeah, that's true." Shinji said, as he grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to Kaji. The man took it and chugged the whole bottle in a few seconds, then set it down beside him. "Thirsty, huh?"
"You've no idea." Kaji said, as he reached for another bottle. This one he sipped however, as he sat up to face Shinji. "Where's everyone else?"
"Kaworu, Asuka, and Kensuke are eating lunch." Shinji said. "Not sure where Misato is."
"Some lunch sounds great right about now." Kaji said, as he got to his feets. He grabbed a shirt from a pile next to him, but Shinji reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Are you sure, Mr. Kaji?" Shinji asked. "Misato said you needed some bed rest, and I don't want her to get mad at me."
"I'll handle Katsuragi." Kaji said with a wink, as Shinji rolled his eyes and left the tent. Kaji slipped on a white t-shirt, and left the tent. The four kids were sitting at a picnic table by the fire, talking in hushed tones amongst themselves. Kaji reached out with his A.T. Field, and felt Misato a dozen meters away. He snuck behind her, as she was staring off out over the hills, and wrapped his arms around her.
"Hey, what are you… Kaji?" she said, as she looked back over her shoulder at Ryoji. "When did you shave?"
"What do you mean?" Kaji asked, as he reached up to grab his face, but the short beard he had been growing had disappeared, only to be replaced by the familiar stubble-covered chin. "Well that's new."
Misato didn't say anything, simply drawing him into a deep embrace. "Don't you ever put yourself in harm's way like that again, you hear me?"
"Misato, I'm fine." Kaji insisted. She didn't say anything, simply tightening her grip on the man she loved more than anything in the world.
Vladimir stumbled through the door, trailing behind a bloody handprint as tried to steady himself. His eyes darted around wildly, looking for a way out. Gunshots rang out in the hallways behind him, a familiar two-round burst signifying who it was that was chasing him. Moving as quickly as he could while injured, he fumbled with the handle of the doors to one of the servant's quarters, but managed to open it. He was only able to take a few more steps before his legs gave out, and he collapsed on the bed.
More shouts and gunfire echoed from down the hallway, as Vladimir drew his concealed pistol from within his jacket. "Nobody…" he muttered to himself, "gets the best of Vladimir Kaganovich." He pointed it at the door, waiting for someone to come running through. Suddenly, the din of gunshots ceased, and he let himself draw a wary breath. Could they have defeated him?
The silence was quickly interrupted by a quiet clattering sound, like plastic hitting the floor. Vladimir propped himself up on one elbow, still aiming his weapon at the empty doorway. His heartbeat quickened as he heard the quiet thud thud thud of boots on metal. After a few moments, a dark shape filled the doorway.
"Nice peashooter, Kaganovich." Kushiel said, as he looked down at the aging Russian. "Was this really the best you had?"
"Just kill me already and get it over with." Vladimir said, lowering his pistol.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Kushiel replied, walking into the room and standing over Vladimir. The man tried to move his arms, but felt himself being restrained by some invisible force, as the blonde-haired Angel let out a small chuckle.
"What are you doing?" Vladimir asked, as Kushiel pulled out a pair of handcuffs, handcuffing the man to the bed. The man walked over to the door, and turned around to look at the man who used to hide behind the label of SEELE-03.
"You're going to be stuck here. No way to get out, no food to eat, no water to drink." Kushiel said, his eyes flaring with anger. "You will spend every moment of the last few days of your life tormented by your sins. Good luck, Kaganovich." He left the room, picking up the empty magazine he had dropped in the hallway. He could still hear the man's screams echoing as he walked out into the cool air, head held high.
"They'll pay for what they've done, Mother Lilith." Kushiel said, as he took a deep breath. "They all will."
This chapter is really short compared to the rest, but I couldn't find a way to pack more into this without throwing the pacing for a loop. I'm also publishing this one early without being preread (Thanks to BluePoppet for doing all my pre reading for the other chapters btw!) as I've got some college stuff interfering with my schedule over the next few days, so I just wanted to get this one out while I had a chance. I'm also working fairly casually on another Evangelion fic that'll take precedence when this one is finished, but it shouldn't interfere with the publishing schedule too much. I'm hoping to have Caesium finished by the 26th of November (2020), but we'll see where it goes. Thanks to all the folks that have read Caesium, and those who have favorited and reviewed! :)