The hot breeze brushed past the bluenette on her way home. Rei walked along the bustling streets of Tokyo-3, staggering from time to time. Her thoughts were a drift in her wired mind. She'd been up for a little over thirty hours now. Her body felt … heavy. But she trudged on regardless of her body's protest of movement. Sluggishly, the pale girl made it to the industrial section of the city. The heat beat down on her, causing beads of sweat to line her forehead. Pressing on, she finally made it … home? She entered the apartment with a sway of her body. The air-conditioner puttered, barely holding on. The smell of dirt and grime filled her nose, Rei didn't mind. You get used to the smell if you lived in it for most of your life. Everything was exactly the way she left it, nothing out of place. So, why did it feel like something was missing? She walked over to her bed and sat down. The springs groaned and creaked under the bluenette's weight. She flopped over, laying down completely. When her head hit the pillow, she blinked. A new scent trickled into her nose. The girl turned her head and took a deep inhale of the pillow. … Rain. It smelt like a cool spring rain. The coolness of the scent was welcoming in the dry heat of the endless summer. She began to spoon the pillow and hold it close to her body. The pillow itself felt cool, like an ice pack. Why? What was special about it now than any other day? Rei didn't know, her brain was to tired to think about that any longer.
Rei rolled onto her back and looked to the ceiling. She raise her hand and stared at it. "A heart beats in your chest, you are alive Rei". A familiar voice rang in her ears. "Being a clone doesn't change that. I still want to stand by your side and be able to call myself your friend." Rei blinked as she opened and closed her hand, it was as if she was feeling it for the first time. That boy … was a mystery to her. For some reason, Rei didn't like the fact that he wasn't here with her right now. Why was that? She did not know. Her eyes grew heavy, sleep was fast approaching. Before her world went dark, she thought of the boy's smile again and the welcoming warmth that seemed to follow him. She wanted him to succeed in his trial. It would be rather upsetting if he didn't return. In her finally moments of consciousness, she thought of her Commander.
"Commander, please don't make me hate you." She slurred before her eyes closed. A soft snore came from the now slumbering Rei. Her arms wrapped around the pillow protectively. Nuzzling it and pulling it closer to her. A ring of the phone sounded in her room, unfortunately falling on deaf ears.
Inside the Enter Plug, the boy hung his head and sighed. Of course, this is how this day would end. Welp, he didn't have a choice nor did he have the time to complain. So, he got his ass back in the robot. It was time to prove his salt. Hopefully he wasn't too rusty. The comms sounded over the alarms.
"Fourth Child, we're going to do something a little different. I want you to try moving Unit-00, alright? Activate the Eva and wait for further instructions." The good doctor's voice was stern, but also a little shaken. The boy didn't argue and within a moment, the Eva jerked to life. "Good. Please forgive me for rushing you, but we must act fast." She followed up.
"No problem Doc. Besides, I had a feeling the alarms weren't for me passing the test." His joke did little to help the Doctor's worry, but his calm attitude and attempt to sooth her were appreciated nonetheless. "Now, it's time for baby's first steps!"
Ritsuko smirked a little. "Alright. Think of the Evangelion as an extension of your body. It's like how you would normally move your limbs. Just focus on taking one step at a time."
The boy nodded his head. Truth be told, he already knew how to use an Evangelion with deadly efficiency, whether that was a good thing or bad thing, he didn't know. It made his job a lot easier though, which was a plus. With that, the boy began to hum.
"Put one foot in front of the other! And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor!" He sang to himself. Unit-00 sprung to life as it took a dopey cartoonish step forward. He pretended to clumsily stumble around as if he were getting used to it. "It's like a video game." He commented.
Ritsuko stared in awe. The Evangelion drunkenly stumbled a bit, but soon after, it righted itself like nothing happened. The doctor couldn't believe how quickly the boy was able to stabilize the Eva. In only a few steps, Unit-00 was walking normally.
"I think I'm getting the hang of it!" The boy voice sounded through the comms.
The woman sighed. "Your doing a lot more than that." She muttered to herself. Reaching forward, she clicked the button on her mic. "Excellent. Unfortunately, Unit-00 is contained in a different kind of cage then Unit-01, it is not held on a regular transport lift. So, you must make your way to the elevators by your …" She trailed off as she watched the Eva already making its way there, " … self."
The chair creaked under the woman's weight as she leaned back once more. She clapped her cheeks a few times and shook her head. She mustn't get distracted or flustered. The boy was good at this, so what? She had all the time in the world to ask how the hell he managed to control the Eva so quickly when she debriefed him, after he dealt with the angel. Wait … why was she so confident he could defeat it? This was literally his first ever time actually moving the damn thing, but he seemed to pick it up surprisingly fast. Maybe there was hope after all, Maybe …
Ritsuko's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door hissing. A certain woman with dark violet hair bolted in, panting. She ran over to the doctor.
"Rits, what the hell is going on!" She yelled.
Ritsuko only smirked. "Indeed, I wonder what." She replied, not bothering to hide her coyness.
"Rits!"
The faux blonde chuckled a little. "It seems we have an uninvited guest. An Angel has appeared in the lower levels of NERV, Captain."
The captain stomped her foot. "I'm well aware of that! But why now of all times? Wasn't the grand return of the Angels predicted to happen next month or something?" She questioned.
Ritsuko sighed, pulling out a cigarette. With a crackle and a spark, it ignited. She took a deep inhale of the rancid smoke, filling her lungs. As if there was a fire in her belly, the good doctor huffed the ashes from her nose. Like a tired dragon. "I guess there was a change of plans." She simply said with a shrug.
A light tapping of a boot echoed through the lab as the violenette stood in thought. "Has Rei been deployed?" She asked.
"The First Child, Rei … I'm actually not too sure where she is at the moment." Ritsuko replied.
The tapping grew louder as the pace quickened. "Not too sure where she is … " She reiterated with an eerily calm voice. "Then tell me, doc … WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITHOUT OUR ONLY PILOT!" The woman screamed, gripping at her hair in frustration.
Her screams earned a chuckle from the good doctor. "The Fourth Child has been dispatched to deal with the Angel." She said.
"Fourth Child … Fourth … FOURTH! When the hell did that happen? The First is no where to be found, the Second is in Germany, the Third isn't even here yet, and now we have a Fourth! Why didn't anybody tell me! It's not like it's my job or anything! … And why are you so calm, this is a disaster!" The woman ranted.
Again, she earned a chuckle from Ritsuko. "Yes we have a Fourth now. To answer your first question, he arrived around an hour ago. To be honest, I had no preconceived notion that we were going to recruit a Fourth either, but here we are." The doctor took a drag of her cigarette, in thought. If she was being honest with herself, she had no idea why she was so calm at the moment. There was something quenching her nerves, like pouring cool water over a blazing fire. A whisper in the back of her consciousness telling her that it was alright. Shaking those thoughts for the time being. "Panicking won't get us anywhere. The Fourth may still be green, but he's at least able to move an Eva. The least I can do is put my faith in him." A moment of thoughtful silence past, Ritsuko leaned over and tipped the mic towards the violenette. "Wanna speak to him?" She asked with a growing grin.
The woman hesitantly took the mic. "Hello, Fourth Child. This is your Captain speaking-"
The boy couldn't help but to smile at the all too familiar voice. It was like music to his ears. "Let me guess, please place any personal belongings under my seat or in the bagging area and fasten my seat belt before talking off? Then enjoy the rest of my flight, right?" his light raspy voice interjected.
Ritsuko looked to the violenette. The doctor was amused by the immediate confusion and uncertainty on the woman's face as she stood there blinking. A laugh could be heard through the comms. "Heh, heh. I'm just playing. Say what you need to say, I'm all ears cap'm!" He said. "Oh, and I've made it to the elevators, awaiting further instructions … that's what I'm supposed to do, right?"
The deep purple haired captain looked to the doctor beside her, seemingly unsure what to do about the situation she was thrust into. Ritsuko took a drag of her cigarette. "Say the word captain and we can begin the operation." She said with a steady calmness. To that, the violnette gave an affirmed nod and spoke into the mic once more.
"Deploy Unit-00!" She ordered.
Once on the elevator lift, the two massive towers adjusted themselves and clamped down on the Evangelion's shoulders. Holding it in place. The boy inside took notice of something. The clamps came down a lot farther then he remembered. Looking to his sides, he found he was lacking shoulder pylons. Which meant no Prog knives. His inventory going into this fight was bare to none. Welp, it wasn't like that was abnormal. Usually his first fight to start out with had him equipped with nothing more then his fists. His train of thought was derailed when a sudden buzzing alarm sounded off.
The floor beneath him shot open with a loud hiss. Air exploded outwards from the dramatic change of pressure. With another hiss that sounded like it came from a carnival ride, the Eva dropped. The boy lifted slightly off his seat as the lift descended, faster than a free fall. It felt like his tail bone was climbing up his spine. Dare he say, it was kinda fun. Unfortunately, the thought of his up coming confrontation dampened the experience. Well, might as well keep his arms and legs inside the ride and enjoy it while it lasted.
"Eva ETA fifteen seconds!" Maya announced.
Ritsuko nodded and looked to the captain. "Shall we continue this operation on the bridge?" she asked. The violet haired woman pondered for a moment.
"We don't have the time." She answered simply. "Maya, can you get us the camera feed of the lower levels? I fear that might be our only way to keep a visual."
"Roger that!" She exclaimed with a dopey salute.
With that, the first lieutenant tapped away on her computer with rapid speed. "I got it up! Oh, and with good timing too!" The women looked to the screen to see Unit-00 reach its destination with a loud clank and a hiss.
"Where's the Angel's location?" The Captain asked.
"It's down the corridor, approaching directly in front of Unit-00. Approximately five hundred meters away, ma'am." Maya reported. The Captain rubbed her chin and hummed.
"Has it tried to deviate from its path? There are plenty of maintenance tunnels and shafts for it to slip into. Depending on its size, of course." She asked.
"No, it's making a B-line straight down the main access tunnel!" Maya confirmed, watching the red dot steadily making its way straight towards the awaiting Evangelion.
The violet haired woman nodded and leaned over to the mic. "Listen up, Fourth! The Angel is dead ahead. Whatever you do, don't let it past you! Intercept it at the marked junction, we've sent the coordinates."
The boy looked to a projection of a map displayed in front of him. It looked like a large twisting maze with a straight line going right through the middle. A moving red dot was visible, it was approaching a large open area. The boy noticed the yellow flag next to the large box-like room.
"This area should give you enough room to engage the Angel."
There was a brief pause." … But, I don't have a ring." The boy responded.
Ritsuko couldn't help but to smile at his smart ass comment, while on the other hand, Maya tried to suppress a snicker. The violenette blinked, she wasn't expecting that at all. A joke coming from a kid who might just die, along with the rest of humanity, within the hour. The boy's raspy chuckled sounded through the comms.
"Don't worry. I think I know what to do now. Keep me posted if anything comes up … need to know that is. I don't think I need to know if you farted or something … But then again, I can't control what you share … Maya."
"What! It w-wasn't me!" She stammered, then proceeded to groan. "You're not even here right now. Honestly. How the hell did I even fall for that?"
"Because we're the same kind of stupid." The boy chortled. "Oh and by the way, my hearing is quite sensitive. Don't think you're out of the woods just yet, Miss Ibuki." A devilish grin appeared on the boy's face.
Maya groaned again. Ritsuko couldn't help herself but to laugh and join in. She waved a hand in front of her face mockingly, which earned her a whine. "Senpie! Your supposed to be on my side!"
"Sorry Maya, but you just make it so easy to tease you." Ritsuko giggled.
In the middle of all the childish tomfoolery, the captain stood with, yet another, confused expression. She looked back and forth between the two girls, then looked to the mic. Rits and the Fourth Child were laughing while Maya was complaining. The violenette shook her head, trying to clear it and make sense of the scene.
"As much as I like a good bit of toilet humor, now may not be the best time. The Angel is almost at the check point … so, could you … um … do something about that? Pretty please?" The captain laughed nervously as she watched the dot creep ever so closer.
The boy smiled to himself. "Like I said, don't worry so much. I got this."
All three girls gathered around the screen to see Unit-00 lower itself into a readying position. Its foot dug into the concrete. With an explosion of force, the Eva broke out into a full sprint down the corridor. The Umbilical Cable rattled on its line as it was pulled, similar to a fishing rod.
A gasp escaped Maya as she looked on in awe. Not even Rei was capable of that yet, but here this newbie was. Walking alone was a difficult hurdle to overcome, but for a complete beginner to run and at such a speed … It was nothing short of a miracle. The Eva's motions were fluid, like fish taking to water. It was almost scary how natural it looked. Almost like a living creature …
Ritsuko stared wide eyed at the screen. Unit-00 took off in a flash, racing down the tunnel. She blinked. Her cigarette hung loosely from her lip. This … this was impossible for a first timer … or at least it should've been. That boy got the "hang of it" in a such a short time frame. A fire lit in her belly as her scientific excitement grew as more and more questions filled her head. As she was nerding out, The good doctor remembered something about the synchronization test. The blip. Did that have something to do with this? Possibly, but there weren't any solid conclusions to that hypothesis. That being said, it could still be a likely link. It was something that was outstanding from Rei's test scores and everything else she understood about the Evangelions. Ritsuko subconsciously tapped her chin. She shook her head, the doctor could ask her questions after humanity wasn't in immediate danger of being wiped out. Looking back to the monitor, she unknowingly held her breath as Fourth child rapidly approached the blue pattern.
The purple haired woman looked at the screen, delightfully surprised by what she beheld. This kid seemed pretty good at this. Maybe her worrying was for nothing after all.
"Huh. Didn't see that coming … " She murmured.
She stood a bit more relaxed as her finger found its way up her nose, all the way to the second knuckle. "Sooo … the kid's got this then." She mused. The doctor looked to her captain and raised an eyebrow.
"It is unwise to assume victory before the battle has even begun, but … this is a very different scenario. Can't say I blame you for your confidence." Ritsuko trailed off. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Having said that, I have to wonder something. If your so confident that the battle is already won and you aren't thinking about a strategy … why is your brain so itchy?" She smirked. The captain blinked a few times confused.
"Eh?" She stopped digging for gold for a second. Her face heated up as she whipped her finger from her nostril and wiped it on her uniform.
"Eh, heh, Sorry about that." She apologized with a guilty smile. Clearing her throat, she continued. "So, uh, progress report on Unit-00's whereabouts?"
Maya sighed at her and shook her head. Turning to the monitor in front of her, she could feel her heart rate spike as the Eva started to decelerate.
"Unit-00 has reached its destination, a-about to make contact in ten seconds."
The violet haired girl threw back on her captain persona and leaned into the mic.
Inside the Entry Plug, the boy hummed carelessly as he ran. He wondered what this Angel was going to look like. Was it going to be mister lanky from all his previous lives or was it going to be something new? The boy shrugged, it didn't matter all too much. He was about to find out who was crawling around the bowls of NERV anyways. The static hiss of the comms grabbed his attention. Shaking him of of his thoughts.
"Fourth Child, listen closely. Be on guard and wait for my instructions, I will be guiding you through this operation. Understood?" The woman asked.
"Roger that Cap'm!" He shouted enthusiastically.
An audible sigh came through on the other end. The captain felt the weight of the situation now, it almost buckled her knees. The Fourth Child was still just that. A child. A kid. Taking on a threat that could potentially end the world. If he lost … that was it. No second chances. No do overs. … Nothing. The purple haired woman took a shaking breath and steeled her nerves. Swallowing down the bile creeping up her throat as she spoke again.
"Maya! Get as many cameras active in that area as you can! Rits, I want you to watch for anything funky with the Eva! If it lost control once …"
"It could do it again." The doctor finished. "I'm already triple checking the connections, synchronization, and harmonics as we speak. No errors yet." Her keyboard clacked away with a rapid pace, almost sounding like a hail storm. She turned to face the violenette and gave an affirmative nod.
"The cameras are up! We have visuals ma'am!" Maya Confirmed.
With a deep breath the captain spoke once more.
"This is it people! Be ready for anything!" She shouted.
An eerie silence past. Not even a gentle breeze disturbed it. Unit-00 stood motionless in the open arena, staring into the darkened pathway in font of it. The boy stifled a yawn as all three girls held their breaths in suspense. The boy blinked as his attention was drawn towards a soft tapping sound that echoed through the corridor. He squinted his eyes, straining to see past the wall of darkness.
"The Angel is right on top of him!" Maya Announced.
"Do we have a visual?" The captain responded.
"No, n-none so far."
That was … odd. Was it invisible? The readings said it was right in front of the Eva, if that were true, then where the hell was it?
"Could someone please get me a god damn visual!" The violenette ordered.
Inside the cockpit, the boy sighed. Arching his head up in an exaggerated fashion. Only to click his tongue. "Uh, Cap'm?"
The woman practically crushed the mic in her grip. "Yes?" She anxiously awaited his response.
He answered nonchalantly. "I think I have a visual."
Maya looked to the monitor and followed the upward gaze of Unit-00. Her faced paled when her eyes locked with something truly nightmarish. Above Unit-00, a massive black bodied creature hung, clutched to the ceiling. It was almost like a cross between a wyvern and a bat. Its bat-like wings, tipped with two pronged claws, aided it in hang from the concrete. A long robust tail snaked behind the abominable Angel, ending with a disgusting earwig-esque pincer. The head of the Angel was pale white and skeletal. Its structure was similar to that of a dragon, only lacking any visible eye sockets. Long and pointy teeth sprouted from its wide maw, sticking out every which way. Cluttering its mouth. Weird bone-like prostitution stuck out from the back of its head and continued downward.
The dark bat halted its movement. An echoing crackling sound escaped its jaws, sending out a powerful sound wave that even managed to vibrated the LCL inside Unit-00's Entry Plug. It hissed loudly and slammed its tail against the ceiling, causing debris and dust to fall. A rattle rang from its pincers, sounding like a grumpy snake. After its animalistic threat display, a shrill cackle echoed from its wide gape in final warning.
A wide smile spread across the boy's face, breaking his lips and causing a little blood to leak into the LCL. He had never seen an Angel quiet like this before. They were always so … alien, but big and fuggly over here was a lot more primitive than most of the others he remembered. The most notable thing was the precedence it set. This was different from all the other lives he lived. It showed him that, instead of the tedium of living the same depressing situations over and over, he was now entering unknown territory. Maybe some good can come out of this after all. Maybe all of his efforts weren't destined to fail. That all of this … wasn't a losing battle and a lose cause. An excited giggle came from the boy as Eva stepped forward and growled, accepting its challenger.
Another shriek came from the nightmarish beast as it spread its wings and launched itself towards its mechanical opponent. Its zygodactyl claws pierced the armored hide of the Eva, latching on and crushing Unit-00 shoulders like they were nothing more than tin cans. LCL liquid spat from between the broken plating as the Evangelion was pushed back from the impact, its feet digging into the ground.
The Angel's prehensile tail reared up like a snake and struck, its pincers clasped the Eva's neck. Squeezing tightly. An all to familiar feeling to the boy, indeed. Before its monstrous jaws could join the fun, Unit-00 shot its hand up and gripped on to the lower jaw of the Angel. Leaning back, Unit-00 cocked itself like a spring and within a moment, the Eva flung itself forward. Slamming the Angel into the ground with incredible force. Enough to rattle the surrounding walls. With a wheeze, the bat vomited out a purple ink-like ichor from its gawking maw. With a now loosened grip, Unit-00 stood up and garbed the pincers with both hands. A load sickening crack echoed throughout the room, the Eva effortlessly pulled apart the earwig-like pincer, hyper extending and shattering them. More purple liquid gushed out of the Angel. In anger, the Angel let out a gurgling hiss. Its whip-like tail ripped itself free from the cyclops' grip and swung around. The jagged bits remaining on its tip dug themselves deep into the Eva's knees, causing LCL to spray from the wound. Its leg buckled, causing the mechanical titan to falter and come crashing down.
Inside the lab. Maya squealed and tucked her head it her hands. She couldn't bare watching the brutality of the fight on full display. Unit-00 was essentially the kid's body and watching it get torn up and bloodied was too much for the techie. After a relatively short span of time, she'd grown quiet found of the goofy boy. Even if he had a lot of stupid jokes on stand by, ready to dish them at any given moment. Especially embarrassing ones at her expense. Besides all of the forgivable nonsense, he was unlike anyone she'd ever seen around NERV. He seemed more lively then most, even though he looked like he crawled out of a cemetery. And now he was battling a creature that could very well put him in one.
Her chest heaved as the dark thoughts clouded her mind. She could hear the horrific noises blaring through the monitor, adding to her anxiety. Hot tears began to blur her vision and roll down her cheeks. Was it wrong to be scared? Did that make her weak? She didn't know nor did she care. After a few minutes of weeping, Maya sniffed and wiped her eyes. No. now was not the time for that. She couldn't let fear take her heart. A realization carved its way through her clouded mind. There was only one thing she could offer the boy in support. She needed to watch over him and root for him. He needed her to … trust him. The woman turned her shaking body back to the screen with new found courage in her puffy red eyes.
The good doctor watched the fight unfold in front of her. Beads of sweat speckled her forehead as her lips quivered as she gritted her teeth. She found herself useless in stopping the carnage before her. The monstrous Angel got in a few good blows, but so did Unit-00. It reminded her of those old-school monster flicks she used to watch as a kid. Ritsuko's fists tightened and shook. She wanted to scream out to him. To yell and cheer him on to kick that thing's ugly ass, but she wasn't a cheerleader. She was a scientist. Her responsibilities overruled her vocal, childish, desires. She had to be on stand by if the Unit began to act up or a system failed … or worse. This was the first time the doctor bared witness to an Evangelion in actual combat against an Angel, with it, came a whole slew of unknown variables. Who knew what could happen, especially since there was only three people running the operation. The other two tech hands were getting a severe pay dock, if they all survived that is.
Ritsuko brain worked overtime, trying to figure out the best course of action. In the midst of her brain storm, she noticed something off about the angel. Wasn't it suppose to have an…
Unit-00's fist attempted to strike the dark bat, only to be blocked by a wall of flashing and rippling light.
"An A.T Field!" Ritsuko exclaimed. "So, it does have one after all." She murmured.
Stroking her chin, she watched the rest of the display. The A.T Field quickly dissipated as the Angel swiped its tail at the Eva, toppling it over again.
"Its A.T field didn't last as long as we anticipated. Interesting … "
The Violet haired woman looked to the mumbling doctor. " Rits, do you have something to share with the class?" She asked curtly.
"Possibly." She started, "have you noticed something odd about the Angel? Look at its head, neck, and tail. It's all protected by more natural means. Like an animal of this world."
"What's your point doc?" The Captain replied with fleeting patients.
"Well, if it has natural means of defending itself, and given the bone growths, a way of protecting and harming its attacker. Then why would it waste the energy in projecting an A.T field? Its tricks lie in its physicality, so why would it make its own adaptations obsolete?"
"So what you're saying is … "
"Its A.T Field might be weak in comparison to the Eva's. A means for a quick counter, nothing more. Given enough force, it could possibly give out. But once again, we know little about the Angels as it stands. A.T fields even more so." Ritsuko deduced with a frown. It was upsetting to only have a relatively vague guess. But they were dealing with an Angel. The closer the doctor got to understanding them, the more questions they spawned. Leaving only relatively vague answers in their wake.
The purple haired woman hummed. "Well, a guess is as good as gold right about now." She leaned into the mic. "Fourth, we have a hypothesis. We have reasons to suspect that the Angel's A.T field isn't as strong has we might think. Next time it activates, try breaking through it!"
Inside the cyclops, the boy smiled. They were quick on the uptake, not surprising, but it was still something to smile about. He already figured something was a bit screwy with this slippery bastard. When his fist collided with the A.T Field, it didn't bounce. Instead, it was like punching a wall of thick rubber. Absorbing the blow. To be honest, it kind of threw him off. So use he became being repulsed and redirected, it was a little jarring not being pushed back. The boy sighed and stood the Eva up, standing more straight. With a loud stomach churning crack and a popping click, the boy casually relocated the Eva's damaged knee. He could almost feel the three women grimace and gag at the ghastly sight. Poor girls, they had absolutely no idea what was in store for them.
The Eva sized up the monster bat, standing tall. Snorting a snort almost as ugly as itself, the Angel charged Unit-00 again. Its jaws snapped forward, hoping for a taste of the giant orange and white creamsicle. Only for the Eva to effortlessly side-step avoiding the creature's gnarly bite and slam its own weight into the bat. Pushing it back and hoisting it up. The Eva's fingers dug deep into the angelic flesh and tissue, crushing its ribs. A loud crunch sounded as the bat made ungodly wheezes and whines. More ink-like ooze leaked from the beasts fresh wounds. It struggled violently, thrashing about. Wriggling itself free the one-eyed titan's grip, it leaped back and soared around. Its mighty wings caused great winds to whirl around the enclosed space, putting even the power of a hurricane to shame. Within seconds, the Angel flew at the Eva and slammed into it. The Angel's winged claws punctured Unit-00's armored hide once more, once again tearing into and wreaking havoc on its already damaged shoulders. The beast's long tail snaked around and constricted the Eva's lower torso and legs. It's parrot-like feet gripped the metal body of the Eva firmly.
A hiss escaped the bat as its bottom jaw lowered, unhinging. The upper jaw followed suit, unnaturally opening into a wide, double unhinged, gape. The boy blinked. As if it was a clam opening, it reviled its crimson pearl. At the back of the creatures yawning maw, sat a red orb. The core. Above it was a truly odd sight. It almost looked like a … paper mask? The circular face had two black holes for eyes and a pointy spike for a nose. The face blinked a few times. Dare the boy say, it was kind of cute. The paper-like mask was in complete juxtaposition to the rest of the nasty he had to deal with. The boy took notice of the creature's continuous peculiar antics. From the roof and floor of its mouth, a large thin membrane began to unfold. Fanning out and connecting in the middle, circling the core. The new mouth structure looked like a giant satelite dish. Wait. This thing had bat attributes, right? So that means … crap.
Without warning, the boy's ears instantly began to ring. Blood exploded from him as his skin ripped, adding more red to the LCL. The entire Entry Plug shook and rattled violently. The rest of the Eva wasn't fairing much better, its armour cracking like glass as red ichor sprayed out. The crimson eye of Unit-00 began to crack all the same as its head was thrown back by the force. The walls shook as they too began to break like thin ice.
In the laboratory, the three girls covered their ears in pain as booming sound waves echoed throughout NERV.
"What the hell is that?" The violenette shrieked out.
"It has an oscillatory wave?" Ritsuko yelled in disbelief. She held her hand firmly to her ears. The good doctor saw her computer screen begin to crack from the sound waves.
"A What?" The purple haired woman shouted back.
Ritsuko gritted her teeth, trying hard to deal with the intense pain throughout her body. "Essentially, the Angel is weaponizing frequency and generating shock waves!" She answered to the best of her ability.
"What?" The captain looked to her in equal pain and confusion.
"Sound! Its creating shock waves with sound!" The doctor cried out.
Above the all the mayhem, the bastard king sat on his thrown. His hands clasp together, hiding his eyes behind the tint of his glasses. His lair rumbled with the siren of the Angel. A steady frown was held on his lips, it was time. Was this nameless boy going to succeed or were they all doomed? Gendo didn't really need to answer that, he already knew the battle was as good as won. That boy was something else alright. A rare tool indeed. In this game of chess, the boy turned out to be his queen. Maybe even replace his hand picked king, eventually. Gendo's lips began to stretch and parted into a wide mouth grin. If this were to keep up, he might not even need his so- Third Child to complete his dream. This game was getting a lot more interesting, indeed.
"This phantom brings fortune, hmm?"
Deep beneath the Geo-Front, below even the depths of NERV, a white bodied figure hung. Her hands were hurting after so many millennia of starting over and not moving. So many life times have past by, so much tragedy befell the worlds prior. That brought a different pain entirely. After so long, she grew tired of the pieces she was forcefully given in this game. So, she sought out her own piece. A rival king. Another alpha. An Apex. A challenger that shouldn't be trifled with. And … she picked a cute cracked lipped boy to even out the playing field. His once hard life and burdens were useless to the grand scheme of things and seemed to be more of a hindrance than anything else. So, she threw them out. Plain and simple. She may not have the power to wave a magic wand and set everything straight, but she could pull some strings here and there. As long as the person in question accepts her intervention, that is. As sad as it was, memories were just that. Memories. They could be rewritten and distorted with ease, no magic or voodoo needed. She wanted to keep some stuff intact, but it wasn't exactly a sound-science. His cute name seemed to have gone out with the rest of the spring cleaning. Oops. That was one was on her. However, the presence of the ever looming Adam spawn shook her from her train of thought. In the present moment, her little darling was in a fight for his life. And everybody else's for that matter. Yet, what could she do to stop it? It was frustrating to be helpless, a very relatable frustration in this world. She could feel her eyes begin to water. There was one thing she could offer her wounded knight in his time of need.
From the depths of her heart came a song. A soft hum escaped from behind her mounted mask. Her gentle voice carried its unidentifiable lyrics up from the depths, cutting through the booming sound. Touching the mind of the nameless child.
The boy felt his very bones rattle within him. His ribs cracked and popped out of place. Multiple fractures ripped their way through most of his skeleton. Blood vessels bursting as his heart seem to stop, causing him to cough more red fluid into the, already red, LCL. The boy clenched his teeth. He refused to die in such a stupid way. Being screamed at to death, are you kidding? There was still so much work to be done. Who was going to make fun of Maya if he died? Who was going to kick Gendo in the balls? … actually, that one was inevitable.
With one last ditch effort, the boy forced his Eva to move its head. Fling it forward to look the little paper mask-like face dead in its hollow eyes. Earning nothing more than a blink and a rise in volume. His captain and the good doctor were probably yelling at him through the comms, hell if he could hear them at this point. His ears were muffled and bleeding, that didn't seem healthy to the boy. But to his surprise, a faint whisper passed through the muffled ringing. Growing louder. A gentle feminine voiced filled his head, a song. He couldn't understand the words, but it flowed like some sort of lullaby. The world seemed to slow around him. A moment of calm amongst the storm. Unknowingly, the boy began to quietly hum the tune of the lullaby. It was confusing to say the least, but it manage to clear away his brain fog nonetheless. He had to focus and concentrate. Looking deep into Unit-00, he reach out.
"Naoko, I need your help. Please, lend me your strength … I made you a promise, after all." His calm rasp resonated within the Eva. A warm feeling wrapped around him, it was as if Unit-00 herself was embracing him. He could almost feel the warm of a smile tickle his mind.
Doing her best, Ritsuko fumbled around. She tried desperately to stop the systems from failing and keep the Eva operational. Unfortunately, there was little that could be done at this point. In the grapple, the Umbilical Cable had been forcefully removed. The boy had around four minutes to defeat the angel. The pressure of the situation grew exponentially. The horrendous noise coming from the deranged bat grated her eardrums, making it all the more difficult to focus. Ritsuko went into full-panic mode, trying to fix issues and desperately hoping for at least something to work. In her blind panic, her sore ears caught a particular sound through the wailing. A beep. The faux blonde's eyes darted over to the other screen. The boy's sync rate spiked. Ritsuko witnessed his 84% turn into a 89%, then to 97%, 102%, 120%, 134%, 159%. The number kept climbing. The good doctor's eyes widened in horror as she turned her attention to see if any connections were breaking. All connections … were stable. Nothing was out of place. Confusion struck the poor doctor. Whipping around, her attention was firmly planted on the video feed, her pupils dilated as her mouth was slightly ajar in awe. The lab shook as a new sound intercepted the Angels cry. A blaring train-sounding roar came from Unit-00.
Unit-00 sparked to life once more. Her shoe-like armour dug deep into the concrete as her muscles flexed. The damaged metallic hide stretched apart with ease, allowing the muscles to expand without restraint. The cracked eye of the cyclops met the real face of the Angel once more. It slowly blinked at her in return. Before the Angel could react, a powerful surge of force came from the Evangelion as it struggled free. A growl escaped from Unit-00 as it rammed her hand into the jaws of death, gripping the crimson pearl with great strength. The oscillatory wave ceased abruptly. Snorting and whining, the massive bat violently shook its head in a desperate attempt to loosen the Eva's death grip. The fleshy dish collapsed and folded around Unit-00's arm. Huffing like an angry steam engine, the Eva pulled and tugged at the core. A gross tearing sound gave Unit-00 all the conformation she needed that it was working.
The Angel shrieked in panic as it pathetically clawed at the orange and white monster. It tightened its membrane around the Eva's arm and attempted to pull it closer to its awaiting jaws. In its sneaky ploy to relieve Unit-00 of her hand privileges, it failed to notice the rather blatant revving coming from the Evangelion.
"A-A.T Field initializing, ma'am!" Maya called out.
"What? The Angel's trying that again?" The captain questioned.
"N-no, it's coming from … Unit-00. It's concentrating the A.T Field!" The lieutenant confirmed.
"Its doing what? How is that possible? It shouldn't be able to …" Ritsuko trailed off as she looked to the screen.
In a split second, a horrific scream came from the Angel as the membrane blew apart like confetti. Rippling light surrounded the forearm of the Evangelion as she continued her game of tug-of-war. Fed up, the bat thrashed around and turned sharply. Using its tail to its advantage, tripping the Eva. With a loud squeak, Unit-00's fingers slipped off of the glassy core and tumbled to the ground. Looking up from the rather comfortable concrete, The Eva glared at the monstrous bat dragon as it slammed it tail against the ground and hissed. Again, standing up, the Evangelion charged the Angel. Cocking her arm like a loaded gun, Unit-00 shot her first forward with great speed. Only for it to collide with the Angel's A.T Field. The beast snorted in delight as it readied its counter. Unfortunately, for the Angel, Unit-00's first followed through. Ripping through its A.T Field like tissue paper. In surprise, the bat fumbled backwards. The mecha titan's fist met its target, striking the Angel. reeling back, its bony protrusions undulated as the bat composed itself. Clawing its way back towards the Eva, it lunged its jaws forward. Unit-00 swiftly dodged and grabbed hold of one of bone-like structures along the beasts thick neck. The Angel lurched as all of its forward momentum was abruptly stopped and reversed. Introducing the concept of whiplash to Angle as it was thrown to the ground, disoriented. Seizing the opportunity, the Evangelion raised both tightly closed hands above her head. In a sudden bust of motion, the Eva's fists came crashing down on the Angels neck. Breaking the bone spikes. The bat cried out and showed Unit-00 away from it. Turing towards its aggressor, the dragon bat slammed its tail on the ground and rattled it.
In a vain attempt to threaten the barbaric metal titan, it hissed again. Only for it to revise a mighty blow to the cranium, cracking and splitting its bone-like armour. The wound gushed more purple fluid as the behemoth bat was sent skidding across the floor, crashing against the wall. Small pebbles and bits of debris annoying peppered the Angel as it groaned, raising to its feet.
A booming shrill cackle echoed from the Angels bloodied mouth. Spreading its wings it leaped into the air and began to circle the Eva, gaining speed. Unit-00 followed the bat as it flew, getting ready for the upcoming attack. The bat screeched as it turned towards the Evangelion, preparing to end the fight. Swooping down, it dived at Unit-00. Huffing steam, Unit-00 turned her body. In one fluid motion, the Evangelion delivered a round house kick. Crushing the Angel's head against the wall, spraying purple ichor and bone fragments. NERV shook from the force of the impacted. Whimpering, the Angel pealed itself from the wall and flopped to the ground. Its jaw was mangled, half wasn't even able to move properly.
Not satisfied with the damage done, Unit-00 stomped a heel down on the lower jaw, breaking more teeth and foundation. Gripping the upper jaw tightly, she pushed up with her entire body. Forcing its weaken maw apart. A sickening crack blared through the room as the Angel screamed. Its jaws snapped and broke. Its hinges and joints being completely destroyed. The little mask-like face blinked rapidly in clear panic as inky blood splattered over it. A purple lake filled the floor of the bat's mouth, spilling over like a water fall. With a whine, it pathetically attempted to craw away, dragging its head loosely along the ground. It spat out a cry as it was pulled back by Unit-00 and hoisted up. Forcing its mouth open, the Evangelion reached into the barrel of purple water to get her apple.
The Angel weakly struggled in protest. It couldn't even move its jaws anymore, its mouth just hung open, useless. Unit-00 gripped the crimson orb and pulled hard. A loud tearing sound came from the Angel as the core was ripped from it. In desperation, the bat gripped and clawed helplessly at the cyclops. A satisfying crunch sounded as the core submitted to the might of Unit-00, leaving five crushed indents in the core. Turning it from a brilliant crimson, to a murky black. The monster bat fell limp in the grasp of the Evangelion. Unit-00 huffed and tossed the bat to the side and watched it hit the ground, bathing in a pool of inky purple.
"Take that! You ugly fuck!" The first lieutenant screamed at the monitor, teary-eyed. Ritsuko and the violenette slowly turned in surprise at the, usually timid, girl. Maya's chest heaved as tears leaked from her eyes, her attention firmly glued to the screen in front of them.
Unit-00 reared up and roared like a freight train, victory was hers. Dropping the black marble to the floor, she turned and slowly made her way back to the elevator. With a final huff, the cyclops collapsed. Falling to the ground with a low rumble.
Ritsuko sighed a shaky breath. "Sh-shall we begin recovering the Fourth Child and Unit-00?" She ask, already knowing the answer. With a predictable nod, her captain proceeded.
"Yes. The sooner he gets back here, the better! After all of that, I'd say he'd earn a cold one or two … if he were allowed to drink that is!" The violet haired woman chuckled halfheartedly, trying hard to ease the room.
The good doctor rolled her eyes at the comment, too emotionally and mentally drained to deal with her friends half-witted humor. She took a moment to look around the room, they didn't even do anything and yet all three of them looked like they've been through hell. If this was how the operators had to deal with, she couldn't even imagine what the boy experienced. And soon, she wouldn't have too. Was every Angel encounter going to be like this? It was more a fight for survival than a strategic militant war that they were all preparing for. Or more accurately, told it was a war and were payed to treat it like one. But if this was their enemy … then the intentions of a "declaration of war " felt completely one sided.
Ritsuko wiped the sweat from her brow as an uneasy breath escaped her lips. She stood up from her chair, not even bothering with her clipboard, and headed for the door. Hesitating, the faux blonde looked back to her assistant. Well … in the doctor's eyes, her apprentice. She approached, the still shaken, Maya and place a delicate hand on her shoulder. The woman jolted at the soft touch, but slowly eased into it. Ritsuko helped the lieutenant to her feet, resting her hands on the the girl's shoulders. Using her thumb, Ritsuko wiped away the hot tears running done Maya's cheeks.
"Would you like to come with me to see him?" She asked with a voice softer than silk.
A silent nod was all she got in return. Forcing a smile, the doctor continued. "Now, now. Chin up and smile. I'm sure he wouldn't want us looking so dreary. After everything he's done for us, a warm welcome is the least we can do."
Maya let out a tiny breath as her lips curved slightly.
"If we don't … he may bombard us with jokes until we smile." She giggled passed her tears.
With that, they both made their way to the door. Before leaving, the doctor looked back to her purple haired friend.
"Do you wish to see him as well?" She asked.
All she got was an exasperated sigh. " I wish I could, but you know the drill. Paper work to do and morons to fire. I'll try to swing by later, keep me updated on his condition, kay?" She gave the faux blonde a tired wink.
Giving a sympathetic smile, Ritsuko left and made her way down to the docking bay. The halls were bustling with new life. Maintenance staff and the like scrambled around, working away on reeling in Unit-00 … where the hell was everyone during the attack? Only three people ran the operation against extinction. That was grossly irresponsible and pointlessly risky. Ritsuko growled under her breath.
"Unbelievable." she murmured.
Maya remained quiet with her head down, gripping the good doctors arm. Her heat thumped heavily in her chest. There was only one thing, well … someone, on her mind at the moment. Before she realized it, they were mere feet away from the elevator that would take them to the cyclops. Ritsuko tapped the button with her nail and walked in. Maya, however, stood idle as the older woman walked passed. The faux blonde gave the girl a concerned look.
"Maya?" She questioned.
The woman rubbed her arm. "I-I don't think I c-can do this, S-senpai." Her lip began to quiver. "After all of that … I know h-he's not alright. I … don't think I-I have the heart to see him like … to see h-him …" She couldn't even finish her sentence. A hiccup escaped her as she wrestled back her tears.
Ritsuko frowned at the display in front of her. Maya was an innocent sweetheart who never had to experience the darker sides of the world. The loss, the pain, … the regret. That was arguably for the better, she didn't need to go down that path. The doctor didn't want her protogé playing in the dirt and bloodying her hands … not like she had done. Just thinking about that made the good doctor's stomach turn. Ignoring her own stained hands, she approached Maya and gently pulled her closer.
"Hey now, it will be okay. If he's hurt, we'll just have to fix him up, yeah? Who will help him if we're not there? We were going to greet him with open arms, remember? If he falls, we'll catch him." She cooed in reassurance. She placed Maya's hands in her own. "Here, we'll just take one step at a time, okay?"
With that, Ritsuko slowly moved back towards the open elevator. Maya took a shaky step forward.
"Now, let's take another step." She pulled Maya along again.
In a few more steps, they both made it in the elevator. A ding rang out as it chugged, beginning its ascent. Ritsuko looked to her friend and rubbed her back, aiding in soothing her.
"Deep breaths." She said.
The floor numbers flew by on the ticker. In no time, the elevator jerked and opened its doors. Walking down the hallway. Ritsuko stepped through the sliding door and onto the metal grated pathway. The two women looked ahead of them to bare witness to a heavily damaged Unit-00. LCL still leaked from the cracks in its armour. The metallic smell already assaulted their nostrils. Unit-00's back panel exploded open with a burst of steam, spilling onto the walk way. With another hiss, the Entry Plug shot up. Maya squeaked and hid slightly behind the taller woman.
Pressing through the steam, Ritsuko crept closer. More noises came from the giant cigarette-looking plug. The handle groaned as it slowly turned. With a powerful force, the hatch was thrown open as LCL poured out like a dam broke. The doctor pondered this for a moment. The Eva, and the by extension, the Entry Plug, were so damaged that the LCL liquid couldn't drain correctly. That made the most sense to Ritsuko. An eerie silence passed before shuffling could be heard. A shadowy figure made itself known. With a heave, The boy dragged his sorry ass out of the Entry Plug and proceeded to fall limply. Bouncing off the side of the Eva and crashed against the grated pathway with a loud clang.
"Well … that sucked." He wheezed, his voice noticeable weaker then before.
Weird clicking and cracking sounds came from his body as he swayed to his feet, like a puppet on strings. He staggered in place, keeping his balance. Looking up, he quickly noticed the two women who stood before him. Ritsuko looked stoic as usual, albeit a little more pale. Maya had her hand clasped over her mouth. He smiled at them, but the reaction he got was the complete opposite from what he expected.
That smile … was heartbreaking. Ritsuko frowned in concern. The boy's smile was a shadow of its former self. Weakened and pained. He could barely keep himself standing, his shoulders were slumped and his arms hung limp. The hoodie he once worn was ripped apart, revealing his skin large open wounds were scattered around his body, still leaking away his oh-so-precious vital red fluid. The good doctor swallowed hard. 'Don't cry for strangers' repeated over and over in her head. But … he wasn't, was he. She already associated with him, hell, she already liked him. Ritsuko's stoic shield was put to the ultimate test. Her glazed eyes met his. The boy scrunched his nose as his smile fell lopsided, turning into more of an, uncharacteristically, weak frown. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a flow of red liquid gushed through his teeth. Spilling onto the grated platform with an audible splash. The good doctor's eyes widened in surprise. Wheezing heavily, the boy staggered on the spot. An odd ragged giggle came from the boy, disturbing Ritsuko.
"H-heh, heh, uh oh … I'm a tomato!" The boy chuckled, gurgling on his own blood.
Maya and Ritsuko glanced at each other in equal worry. The boy smile went crooked, getting a little annoyed that his jokes weren't landing. Did he mess up the punchline or did these girls just not get the joke? A raspy chortle escaped his mouth as more blood dribbled down his chin.
"You get it? Tomatoes are red and -" As he was explaining his terrible joke, he took a step forward. His leg cracked loudly and gave out, sending his dumbass to the ground. Violently smacking against the metal grates with a loud bang. Quicker than a heartbeat, Ritsuko was at his side. Followed by Maya. The boy struggled to get back up.
"Should've done … more push ups." He wheezed out.
His arms gave out, allowing him to collapse once more. Darkness began to eat away at his vision as he slowly succumbed to his injuries. Letting out one more raspy chuckle, the black void consumed him as he lost all consciousness.
Ritsuko pressed two fingers against his neck. Maya began to yell and babble incoherently in panic.
"IS HE … IS HE- " She slurred, unable to complete her sentence.
"No. He's breathing and has a pulse. Although, it's weakening." The doctor stated, her voice stoic and monotonal. "Maya, could you please prepare the medical bay for me?" Ritsuko didn't look away from the boy. Not even acknowledging Maya's 'Hai!' as she sped away.
Carefully, Ritsuko guided the boy into her arms. To her surprise, he was quite light. Cradling the fallen boy, the doctor 's eyes were fixed to his face. Images flashed in her mind, remembering what he was like before all of … this. The goofy smiles and humorous laughs, all gone … in a little over an hour. An all too familiar feeling weighed down her heart. Guilt. Pure and raw. Unfortunately … this wasn't the first time someone was hurt under her. She was so confident that he could win. Only for this to be the outcome. It could have been worse, granted. He could've not returned and she could've been wiped form the face of the earth, along with the rest of humanity. But, here the boy was. Safe … in her arms.
Her hands were soaked with his blood, adding more to her already dirtied red hands. Ritsuko's grip on him tightened. His body was in her arms, his life was in her hands. She wasn't going to fail him after everything he's done for them. Throughout the whirlwind of thoughts, her expression remained deadpan and stoic. To an outsider, she would have looked like a cold unfeeling robot of a woman, showing no falter or emotion. Her self-deprecating and guilty mind would have agreed with that assessment. It was … better this way, just a cold husk of a person. It made everything hurt a lot less. Quietly growling, the woman clenched her teeth and mentally smack herself. Purging that thought from her mind like a corrupted file.
Ritsuko stood up with careful caution, her movements were precise and fluid. Making sure not to rock the boy. With a quick pace, she marched with a newly lit determination to the medical bay. Clutching the boy close to her bosom.
"You fought for us and fell for us. You saved all of humanity … you saved me." Her voice came out as a soft whisper.
"Now, it's our turn … my turn … to save you."