The peace that had been Shinji's birthday was not to last as an unwelcome visitor had decided to arrive. An angel had been detected on the outskirts of the city in the early hours of the morning around 5am. Shinji, Misato, Asuka and Rei had been contacted and rushed towards Nerv the entire city had been evacuated however by this point the angel was now residing in the middle of the city. The angel had the form of a large humanoid, with thick armour plating with its core exposed at the centre of its chest, the angel however had no visible arms only stumps of red flesh and its head was almost comically small in comparison to the hulking frame that the angel possessed.
The group arrived and Shinji, Asuka and Rei rushed to the changing rooms and got into their plug suits and were now inside their Eva's awaiting orders. Meanwhile, Misato was in the command centre planning their next moves.
"What do we know about this thing Rit's?"
"Not much. It hasn't reacted to any stimuli, since it arrived in the city. The army fired a few volleys but it didn't flinch." Risurko showed waved Misato over, to show the footage that had been captured. The Angel walked through the barrage that could wipe out a small army as if it was being shot with pellets from an airsoft rifle
"It could be waiting for the Evas to appear just as it happened with the one that destroyed the base.
"It could be..." Rits grumbled only for a voice to break her out of her grumbling
"Hello, how's the strategising going?"
"Hello, Masura." Misato waved to Masura, who walked over, he was in his full military uniform and was nursing a coffee., which was almost hidden in his large hands.
"Well, this is going to be interesting. I've never seen an angel as close as this... it's like nothing I've ever seen" Masura muttered as he saw the Angel on the monitor taken aback by the sheer size and presence that the angel had.
"We should be fine, the kids have been through a lot of training, they just need to be careful," Misato reassures Masura, he was usually the confident one in stressful situations but in here, he was out of his depth.
"I think we should send the Evas up, we won't know anything till we get some sort of reaction. What do you think Misato?" Ritsuko asked
"Alright" Misato sighed as she walked over to the monitor and informed the kids that they were being sent up.
"Launch Eva!"
As the Evas were being sent up, Ritsuko decided to use the moment to ask Misato a question, who was standing silently her arms crossed as she, watched the Evas as they raced to the surface.
"Misato."
"Yes, Rit's what is it?"
"I was wondering. When we were at Shinji's Birthday, I didn't see you drink a beer. Have you cut back?"
"No... I've kicked the habit." Misato mumbled not wanting to make a big scene.
"No way!" Ritsuko gasped
"Shhhhhh, keep it on the down-low, I don't want to make a scene" Misato angrily whispered, look round the room to make sure no one else was listening in
"Yes, after the accident I decided I couldn't keep on drinking it, we only have one life and I don't want to waste it being drunk like I did when I was younger.
"Good on you Misato... I'm surprised that you didn't tell me though."
"I didn't want to make a big scene and I wanted to deal with this on my own, to see if I could do it...It hasn't been easy though haha" Misato chuckled trying to make light of the situation.
"It was a living hell, I drank to keep me away from dealing with what was really hurting me, I couldn't be like that if I had to protect Shinji and make sure he and the rest of the kids were safe," Misato told herself, she knew Rits would understand her reasoning given what she had seen over the many months of recuperation and drama that had made life more complex than it had been in a long time.
"They have arrived," Masura stated sternly as he saw the three Evas pop up from their deployment spots.
The Eva's grabbed their weapons from the armament depot, Asuka took a pallet rifle and hatchet while Shinji and Rei stuck to their pallet rifles.
"Has there been any signs of life" Ritsuko called through the group com link
"Nothing, the angel hasn't reacted to us," Rei stated,
"Surround the angel, if it makes any sort of moment you can fire upon it on all fronts" Misato ordered
"Alright" the Evas called as they slowly and methodically circled the angel. Keeping the sights of their rifles fixed on the angel waiting for any movements
Again nothing happened.
"What the hell is with this angel! I'm going to die of boredom if it doesn't do anything!" Asuka yelled, her patience being worn thin with every minute of inactivity that passed
"We don't want to be too hasty, it could be a trap," Shinji called back, trying his best to calm Asuka.
It didn't work.
"Shut up, it hasn't done anything...watch this!" Asuka growled as she fired a few shots into the angel and again it failed to react. The bullets bouncing off its AT Field.
"What now Rits" Misato asked
"We wait."
30 minutes pass and as time goes on Asuka's patience grew ever thinner.
"I'm done! if it won't react then I'm making it react!" Asuka yelled as she broke rank and rushed headlong towards the Angel, hatchet raised high,
"Get back Asuka! That's an order!" Misato yelled but Asuka ignored her
"That girl, her temperament will get her killed, she is so confident in her combat prowess, that she thinks she can steamroll everything! I'll have to deal with this when this is over." Masura mumbled, pissed that Asuka was being so brash.
As soon Asuka was within striking distance the angel reacted, firing one of its tendrils at Eva unit 02 stabbing into the Evas waist and latched on to the very musculature of the Eva which caused Asuka to scream in agony
"Asuka!" Shinji cried as he saw Eva unit 02 being swung like a ragdoll only to be tossed through several high rise buildings
"Shinji get out of the way" Rei warned Shinji who managed to just dodge the attack by combat rolling but was blindsided by a swift smack which sent Eva unit 01 flying.
Rei used the brief opportunity to rush to a rearming station and grabbed a pair of grenade launchers.
"Shinji, Asuka are you both alright" Misato called over com link
"I'm okay" Shinji grumbled, as he got his Eva back onto its feet, he had landed on several small apartments which were crushed beyond recognition
"I've been better, I won't let that bastard do that again" Asuka growled as she willed her Eva to rise and walk to a rearming station grabbing a large two-handed Warhammer which almost equalled the height of her Eva with a head as large as a small house.
Shinji meanwhile grabbed a new pallet rifle and a sword.
"We have to keep it occupied so one of us can land a decent shot," Shinji stated as he tried to find an opening but the Angel was turning and firing its arms to keep the Evas at a distance where their rifles would not be able to piece its AT field.
"Leave that to me" Rei stated as she charged the angel and reigned down a torrent of grenades which shook the ground with their explosions.
Shinji took the opportunity to circle the angel and attack it from behind by first weakening the AT field with his pallet rifle to then slash at the weak spot with his sword, causing red blood to leak from the wound.
"Nice one Shinji, keep it up!" Misato cried.
"If I can get a few more shots in I should be able to..." Shinji thought only to notice a familiar silhouette enter his view, as it bounded across the ruins of the high rise buildings.
"Get out of the way BAKA!" Asuka yelled as she raised used the moment to raise the hammer above her head and with a mighty swing she brought it down onto the angels weakened AT field sending a powerful shockwave which pushed her and the angel back covering the area in a thick layer of dust and debris. The shockwave also sent Eva unit 01 tumbling into the ruins of a shopping centre. While sending Eva unit 01 into the air, but Asuka managed to land the Eva on its feet
"Damn it Asuka" Masura stated at the gun hoe approach of his pupil.
"Asuka! Are you alright! Misato yelled, not being able to see the Evas due to the dust
"I'm fine, I can't see the angel. I must have got it." Asuka stated smirked as she waited to see her victim.
"Keep your guard up...AT Field engaged!" Ritsuko cautious statement turned to a fearful yell as she noticed a spike in energy as the angel reappeared, its skin cracked and chipped. The Angel fired it tendrils at Asuka again, using the smoke and dust to mask its attack as it thrust its arms straight through Eva unit 02s arm and head, knocking the Eva out of commission, with an agonised scream being the last thing heard on the coms
"ASUKA!" Shinji screamed as he tried to cut the angels arm with his sword, but it shattered on impact, only to be knocked back again this time into the mountainside, with enough force to embed Eva unit 01 into the mountain.
"She's alright. Shinji, her vitals are stables, the shock of the attack was too much for her nervous system and she passed out" Ritsuko explained resulting in a relieved sigh from Shinji
"Shinji, are you alright," Rei asked as she used the remaining ammunition for her grenade launcher to mask her movements to get close to Shinji.
"I'm okay...Damn it, I'm stuck."" Shinji answered, only to curse when he tried to get up, turning his head to realise that his Eva was embedded into the mountainside.
"I'll get you out Shinji" Eva unit 00 managed to get to Shinji's position and began diffing him out, as this happened Shinji checked his Eva's systems for any damage. Luckily other than a few notifications of minor damage to Eva unit 01s armour, it was otherwise intact until he got a warnWhat'sotification.
"Oh no"
"What is it Shinji? Whats wrong?" Rei worriedly asked.
"My umbilical cord has been damaged. I'm almost out of power" Shinji whimpered, the port for the cable had been jammed into the Evas port, making it next to impossible to remove in the heat of battle and his power level would only last forty seconds.
"I'll get you to a docking Ahhhhhh!" Rei's attempt to calm Shinji ended in a horrified scream as she looked down to see that her diversion had not been enough as the angel had thrust its whip-like arm, through her Eva's stomach and leg and pulled her away from Eva unit 01, Rei tried to tear the angel's arms our of her body, but the angel simply raised her above its head and pulled its arms through the Eva's body, severing the Eva's right leg and partially disembowelling her Eva. Knocking Rei unconscious.
"Rei!, get away from her you bastard!" Shinji hissed as the angel looked to him and rather than remove its last major threat, it decided to switch targets, turning to face the command centre, firing its arms at the buildings lower levels as it slowly trudged forward.
"It's heading straight for you Misato!" Shinji screamed as he tried to force his Eva from the mountainside,
"We have to evacuate." Misato cried as the room burst into a panic. the angel continued its assault moving its razor-like arms further up the building which was captured on security footage which was being directly shown to the command centre
"Get away from there you bastard!" Shinji roared as he tried with all his might to escape but his time was almost up
"get the portable comlink," Ritsuko said as she rushed over and grabbed the device, only to feel a hand on her shoulder
"I'll take it" Masura stated as he lifted the bulky device and placed it effortlessly onto his shoulder as he, Ritsuko and Misato made their way out of the facility.
"I have to get out or everyone will die...Misato will die! I can't let that happen..." Shinji growled
"I can't give up now! I have to keep fighting!"
The Angel continued its assault, tearing chunks of concrete and reinforced steel from the structure as if it was made of paper. The screams of staff evacuating were able to be heard despite the carnage.
"Damn It! I have to save her! Please let me save her!" Shinji screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his fists into his monitor as he saw his power drop to zero, Only to feel his body burning as if he was being covered in fire, his vision went black, except for a blue flame which slowly removed the darkness the blinded him and made the burning sensation change to something soft, almost soothing as if he was being held close by someone he trusted.
Meanwhile, Misato and the rest of the staff had managed to escape the command centre, which was on the verge of collapse. Most of the staff had gotten away with a few scrapes and bruises but a few had fell victim to falling debris. Misato by fate or luck had gotten away without a scratch and was not trying her best to establish contact with Shinji
"Shinji! Shinji! Damn it his coms must be down he's not responding..." Misato cursed only to hear a powerful roar echo through the ruined city.
"What was that," Masura asked. In all his years of service he had heard, the sounds of men dying and machines of war that put fear into the enemies hearts, but this sound like grinding steel and a guttural scream of pain sent a shudder down his spine.
"It's our salvation" Rirsuko mumbled as she and the rest of the staff witness Eva unit 01 burst out from the mountainside, and charge headlong at the angel, which had just turned to face its foe.
"Is Shinji okay?" Misato gasped in shock as she saw the animalistic movements that the Eva was using as the thought of her Shinji being trapped inside this beast raced through her head
"Shinji Syncrate is at 400%, buts he's his vitals are stable" Ritsuko gasped in disbelief. It had been deemed possible to reach such levels but she was witnessing it firsthand.
Eva unit 01 bounded towards the angel, dodging its volley of attacks, with its cat-like reflexes, only to grab one of the arms and pull the angel in close to deliver a powerful strike which removed its arm from its socket and send the angel back, its feet digging into the ground.
The angel howled in pain as it attempted to regenerate the damage, but Eva Unit01 swarmed it and began raining a flurry of powerful clawed strikes trying to claw through its AT field, but it was holding up to the attack.
"How long can Shinji keep this up, that's a lot of energy to be using up," Masura asked.
"That's not Shinji."
"What do you mean, Shinji piloting the Eva...
"He was piloting the Eva. But in times of need the Eva will take over, it usually requires extreme emotional and physical stress on the pilot to allow this to happen."
"I had no idea, it was like this...the Evas like a wild animal."
"In all your time Masura have you seen men break under pressure.
"Yes...
"The Eva is the physical manifestation of the piolet losing control. It will stop at nothing till the threat is gone."
As Ritsuko and Masura spoke the Eva raised its fist and focusing on its own AT field, covering its hand in a layer of orange energy which formed a clawed gauntlet. Unit 01 brought its enhanced clawed strike down but it was intercepted by a sudden strike by the angel, which managed to sever the Eva's arm, allowing the Angel the time to kick the Eva off, create some space."
The Eva did not scream in pain or cower in fear, but leaned down and grabbed its arm as well as what remained of the angel's arm and held it to the stump and in a matter of seconds, the arm was reattached leaving no seam or scar, at which point the Eva charged forward, catching the angel off guard, using this moment to grab the angels other arm and tore it from its socket using it to beat the angel down, before enhancing its fist with its AT Field to deliver the final blow which put down the Angel.
" The Angles down! He's done...it" the staff cheered only to gasp in horror as Eva began tearing the dead Angel apart, ripping its organs from its body and began devouring them, like a starving wolf.
"What the hell is it doing!" Misato cried only to get her answer from a shocked Ritsuko who was looking at her laptop which was monitoring all of the Evas
"That's not possible" Ritsuko muttered, he mouth dropping wide at the sight
What's not possible Rit's?"
"The Evas eating the Angels S2 drive, that's not possible...
"What!" Misato cried.
"by eating the S2 drive the Eva is, is evolving, it's becoming independent," Ritsuko explained
Independent?" Masura asked overhearing the conversation between Misato and Ritsuko
"Yes. We built the Evas so that they could not be powered without an umbilical cord. Their power is so great that having one that has an inbuilt power system like the Jet alone would make them a high-risk target, but Eva Unit 01 has broken those restrictions, it has ascended."
"How is that...What about Shinji!? Is he okay!? He's in that thing!" Misato screamed in worry, as Ritsuko tried to reassure her friend only for a stark revelation to emerge
"No, no, no, no this cannot happen," Ritsuko stated in a mix of shock and sadness as she looked at her monitor.
"Whats happened to Shinji!"
"He's...gone
"Gone! What do you mean gone?!"
"He has been absorded by Eva unit 01" Ritsuko mumbled her voiced laden with worry and sadness
"No..." Misato whispered so softly that it could not be heard, but her eyes showed all the pain she felt, as tears started to stream uncontrollably as her anger and agony boiled over
"Let him go you bastard...let my Shinji...go" Misato wept as she slammed her fist into the ground screaming at the Beast in front of her as it devoured its prey, not caring about the eyes that watched as it tore chunks of flesh and shovelled them into its mouth.
"Shinji...he's gone, I could have stopped him...Oh god, what have I done" Misato thought as she began replaying everything she had seen and learned about Shinji, from his beating at school and learning his past, to jump into the volcano to save Asuka. All those times she could have stopped them but she couldn't, and now she paid the ultimate price. As these thoughts played through her mind she placed her face in her hands hiding the horror that marked her face.
As this happened the Eva turned to gaze at Misato's location only to turn and howl into the air, blood dripping from its mouth with chunks of flesh stuck between its teeth. This went on for an hour before the Eva finally deactivated.