The End, Or the Beginning?
Chapter 6: Celestial Return
Disclaimer: Ok I shouldn't have to say it by now!!!!
"Status report," to say that Misato Katsuragi lived at NERV would be a gross understatement. She was there twenty-four-seven over the last three weeks and had barley slept. She only slept out of the necessity for rest to keep going on her investigations into NERV and Second Impact. It had become her obsession to find the secrets behind the military organization. So far she knew as bout as much as Kaji knew before he died, but there was something else.
Misatos appearance reflected her lack of sleep; she had large black circles under her eyes. Her hair was more black then violet, mostly from not being washed in days. She could barley even think straight, her ears rung as one of the techs gave her a report.
"Pattern is blue Angel confirmed" Makoto yelled over the loud buzzing of sirens. "Major Unit-01 and 06 have been activated!" He was surprised; the whole bridge crew were surprised. No one knew that the third and sixth children were anywhere near NERV HQ.
With her brain snapping correctly in place Misato started barraging the crew with orders. "Bring Eva unit-01 and 06 to launch bays two and three. Makoto give me a full analysis of that Angel. Maya I want a visual now!" Her voice was stern and no longer groggy allowing her to command better.
Her orders were obeyed within seconds of being issued. Maya reported that the Evas were in the cage and awaiting launch orders. Makoto mentioned something about having difficulty gaining info on the target. Misato gasped as an image of the massive Angel appeared on the command screen.
The image was showing what looked to be a giant spider like Angel. Its body was of medium mass and in an octagonal shape. On each side of the octagon carapaces was a long, thick, triple jointed hairy leg. Its black body drowned any light coming near it as if sucking it up. The claws were a blood red like it was anticipating its victory over the Lilim.
"Shinji, Lena" Misato punched a button on a Makotos consol bringing up two small images of the pilots. Shinji snapped his head around and nodded ready to fight, Misato smiled weakly at him "watch out this thing has a lot of legs, start with a long range attack and see how it reacts. Shinji you have point, Lena due to your lower test scores you will play backup. Do you understand?"
"Right" both pilots nodded in unison.
Misato smiled at the pilots and turned her voice to the concerned version she always used with Shinji "be careful…Eva LAUNCH!!!!"
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The giant purple Mecha blasted out of the ground at full speed, the holding restraints gave way as Shinjis Eva launched itself into the air. The two large purple feet landed on the ground meters away from the launching bay giving him a minute's head start on the dark green Eva that preceded him. Shinji gazed at the angel its giant black body spread over half the lake caused by unit-00s destruction. Shinji examined the Angel as it noticed the Eva and turned its small white head. It was hideous; it had what Shinji could only describe as drool excreting from its mouth.
Ignoring the Evas the Angel lifted two of its eight claws into the air and rammed them into the ground. After piercing the ground beneath it the Angel repeated the motion. "It's going for the Geo-Front!" Lena yelled over the comm, "We have to stop it."
Shinji turned around as four VTOLs flew up behind him; they were attached to long cables dangling something heavy in the air. He smiled as he remembered that all the weapon storage buildings had been destroyed during the second last fight. The VTOLs dropped their cargo and made a hasty retreat. Shinji willed his Eva over to the Pallet Rifle and picked it up. His finger settled over the trigger of his controls 'this is it. Kaoru, I have the will to live!'
Unit-01 spun around and unleashed a hailstorm of Pallet-fire on the target. The yellow bolts shot through the air like rain in a thunderstorm. Millions of tiny explosions impacted the Angel causing great billows of smoke to rise up into the sky covering the Angels head from view.
The loud cracking sound of metal being punctured did not stop; the Angel had reached the second defensive barrier. "It's AT field is too strong!" Lena cried as she two willed her Eva to engage in the fight. The Green mecha launched forward and broke out into a high speed sprint.
"Lena no, what are you doing?" Shinji yelled over the comm, he was worried when she didn't answer. He kept his eyes trained on the Green Eva and launched forward into a run himself. His Eva sprinted across the crater-lake splashing gallons of water into the air at the impact of the Mechas feet.
Lena willed her Eva to leap into the air a few short steps from the target; in mid air her left hand pulled a Progressive Knife from her right shoulder holster. With a loud battle cry she brought the knife to bear on the Angels body. She was stunned by an overwhelming sense of pain as one of the Angels unoccupied legs smashed her Eva sending it flying back.
Lena knew she would impact on the ground and she braced for the pain she would feel in her spine. Though she waited the pain never came. Her eyes shot open, her Eva looked around. She was still suspended in the air but her Eva was being held up by something. She was looking frantically around "oh shit the Angel has me!" She cried in terror.
"Calm down, calm down," Shinjis image appeared in the bottom right of Lenas HUD. "The Angel hasn't got you" he smiled "I do." Lena turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse of a purple hand holding her Green Eva.
Shinji jumped back to avoid a swiping claw before it impacted on his torso. "So you want to play rough huh?" Shinji had long since abandoned his Pallet Rifle and switched to Melee combat. The S2 unit he had absorbed began to flare its powerful energy swept throughout his Eva, he could fight forever. And he would.
Unit-01 made a hasty retreat only for a minute; long enough to get Lena back onto her feet and ready to fight. Shinji brought out his Prog-Knife and activated the reverberating blade. "Let's go for it!" He said into the comm, "Go for the legs, then find the core." With his orders issued he charged towards the Angel giving no warning to his comrade. Lena shrugged and followed suit as she headed for one of the Angels legs.
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"Angel attack!" Asuka shouted in disbelief, her attention was brought to the loud whaling of the sirens. The sound of sirens was soon silenced and replaced by an audio feed from the battle. She was shocked at how Shinji was acting, he wasn't his normal self. He was acting….like her! "Shinji…we've got to help Shinji!"
Rei looked at the second child questioningly "how do you plan to aid Ikari?" Her question was asked in her typical monotone voice, she stood straight up like always. The two had stopped just before the cages when they heard the sirens and announcements over the loud speaker.
Asuka glared at Rei her eyes were full of anger and hatred towards the first child, "we can't just sit here!" Her voice was a mixture of rage and concern, rage on the count of the blue haired girl, and concern towards the Third Child. "We have to do SOMETHING!"
Rei looked at Asuka once more in a questioning gesture "what do you plan to do?" Her voice was cold, though she too was overwhelmed with the urge to help.
"Just give me MY unit-02 and I will kick the shit out of that Angel!!" Asuka waved her clenched fists at the stoic girl. 'But can I get it to move?' She thought to herself, 'I will make it move!'
"What will be the point?" Rei asked, she looked away before adding, "You can no longer synch with Eva. You cannot help." Rei knew his to be true, the redhead in front of her had shut her mind off from Eva. And Rei herself could not synch with Unit-02 for unknown reasons. She recalled the day of her failed activation tests everything had been going well. Until her thoughts wandered, they wandered over the subject of pilot Ikari, and then all hell broke loose. Her memories tried to pull something into light, a sound, a voice saying something to her.
"Come on wonder girl! We are going to save my Shinji" Asuka clamped her mouth shut, 'did I just say that…MY Shinji?' She looked at Rei who was now staring at her with a weird face. 'Good one! Think quick Asuka' "Ahhh…it's his turn to do the washing and cooking. And he aint getting out of it that easily" she smirked at her good recovery.
Rei knew that the Second Childs story was just that, a story. She was as equally worried about Shinji as herself. Ikari, 'what do you mean to the Second, what do you mean to me?' "We will find a way to assist Ikari"
Asuka stared blankly at the blue haired girl before answering, "Uh…yeah, let's get going!" The First and Second children headed towards the cage that held unit-02 'please let me help him' Asuka thought. A lone tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek "hold on Shinji…" she whispered.
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Shinji Ikari gasped in pain as he was flung back from the fight by another unoccupied claw that seemed to be just waiting for him. 'It has too many, there's no way to beet it' during the fight Shinji had noticed a red glint. Under the belly of the Angel was the real target, the core. He had been trying to weasel his way under there to rip the core to shreds but every attempt he and Lena made were pointless.
Lena dodged yet another spike like claw, before another rammed into her torso. She may have been fast but the Angel had them both outnumbered. The odds were stacked against them, two to eight in favor of the Angel. "Angels, more like demons" the blond grumbled to herself before trying another futile lunge. After landing back on her feet Lena observed another attack instigated by Unit-01. Her eyes went wide, "SHINJI!!!!!!!"
Shinji had found himself knocked to the ground; he started to lift himself up but was smashed into the ground again. His eyes widened as the Angels leg lifted up into the air, it took a moment before it moved again. When it did it was something he had not wanted to see. The last segment that formed the pointed tip split down the middle and opened up, revealing a four fingered claw. He tried once again to stand but the Angel brought its new four fingered claw down on top of him. It then closed its pincers tight holding Unit-01 firmly in place while trying to squash it like a pimple.
"AHHHHHH" his voice was filled with agony; it reigned over the loud speakers as the most dominant sound. "Misato, help ME!!!" he cried again, he began crying out peoples names in a desperate plea for help. His mind screamed for help from his friends and his body screamed for the release from pain. Neither his body nor mind were silenced. His loud scream pierced the comm once more as Unit-01s left arm was severed.
Misato cringed. The sound of Shinji screaming cut through her heart worse then the death of her beloved Kaji. He was like a son to her, and her son was in pain. "Shinji!" her cry was filled with her own pain, the pain of being helpless. "Lena get Shinji out of there NOW."
Lena shifted her Eva to interject with the Angel claw that was slowly crushing Unit-01. Her efforts were halted by another two claws that seemed to form a cage around her target. "Shinji! I can't get to him" she yelled her Eva tried again but to no avail, he was trapped.
Then, there was silence.
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"Work!! Verdamment Dich!" (Trans: Damn you) Asuka hissed. Her lungs were full of LCL and her head was throbbing with pain, the pain of helplessness. Her hands trembled as they clenched tightly to the butterfly controls of the Entry-plug. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, yet she refused to let them through. 'I will not cry. I will be strong! I will kill that damn angel and save that Baka. MY Baka. My Baka Shinji.'
A blood curdling cry echoed over the loud speakers followed by a report, "Unit-01 has lost its left arm and Progressive knife." Asuka gasped as the painful, desperate cries of Shinji rang over the comm. Shinji was in pain. She was in pain.
"Shinji! Shinji…Mamma, help me!" she whispered into the LCL, still unaware how close her mother really was.
"Why do you call me?"
"What, who are you?"
"You do not recognize me?"
"No…wait…Ma…MAMMA"
"Yes, my child"
"Mamma where are you?"
"I am here with you, I have always been"
"You're, you're here?"
"Yes, now why do you call?"
"Shinji! Shinji needs me…I need to help him!"
"Do you need to help him, or do you need him?"
"I…"
"What will you do when he is safe? Push him away?"
"NO…I"
"What will you do? Will you tell him that you care?"
"I…I…will do more then that!"
"What?"
"I…I'll tell him I need him! I'll tell him…I'll tell him that I love him!"
"My little girl has finally grown up. I will help you my Asuka"
The tears fell, and were absorbed into the Eva.
White filled Unit-02s eyes. She was awake.
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"MAJOR," Makotos voice pulled Misato out of her crying fit. He looked surprised he cleared his throat, "Unit-02…has activated!" Half of the bridge crew gasped from shock especially Ritsuko and Maya who had witnessed the failed activation tests.
Misato stopped crying and wiped tears from her eyes, "the pilot?"
"Patching through now" Maya joined in, she to wanted to know the pilot. Her eyes widened at what she saw, it was impossible. The second Child was unable to Synch with her Eva for months and now…"It's Asuka! And her Synch ratio is above 85%."
"Major" Makoto began again, "R&D are reporting the Advanced Positron Rifle was just stolen! By Unit-02!"
"Asuka!" Misato once again filled with hope punched through a channel to the newly risen Unit-02. "Asuka if you can hear me you have to flip it over. If you flip it and Expose the core Lena can kill it!" no image of Asuka appeared, she hoped that at least her message got through.
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Asuka punched her fists into the wall of the vertical shaft, using the dents as foot holes to climb. Her mind was racing through possible scenarios she knew that the Angels AT field was to strong to penetrate with long range weapons. That's why she 'borrowed' the APR (Advanced Positron Rifle) from R&D. If she cold get a few good shots in she might be able to neutralize it. She checked behind her Evas back to make sure the oversized weapon was still there. Sure it was there she continued her ascent.
A scrambled message came over the comm, Asuka could barely make it out "Asuka…you……flip…….Lena….Kill it." 'Misato! But why are communications so garbled?' she thought to herself the meaning of the message. By the time she came up with the answer she had reached the launch bay doors. "Out of my way!!" Unit-02s fist punched the doors repeatedly until they finally buckled and gave way. Allowing her access to the surface, to the Angel, to Shinji.
Her Eva flipped up to the surface bringing her mind an image to the devastation she had heard before. She could see Lena in her green mecha making desperate attempts to attack a single leg. Asuka zoomed her vision in as far as they would go, she saw it. A purple arm being held under the weight of the Angel. A million thoughts and emotions raced through her at the single sight one struck her like a ton of bricks "GET OFF HIM!!!!"
The APR was already swung around and in her hands. The Eva had to use both arms to steady the weapon while resting the butt on her shoulder. "Now how to…I know. Flip it!" Asuka adjusted her aim bringing the rifle to bare on the ground just under the Angel. She pulled tightly on the trigger sending a pulse of blue energy streaming to the target. A bright white light emanated from the ground and the Angel was sent to its side, exposing the prize. "Lena NOW!"
Lena nodded and her Eva jumped into Action, due to her constant retreating it would take her a few seconds to even reach the Angel. Her sprint was cut short as the Angel began to stir. It pushed with its free legs and was now falling back to its original position. "NO!!"
The Angel looked at the Green mecha and slashed at it with another four-claw sending Lena flying through the air and into a heap on the ground. Asuka stared in disbelief she saw one thing was missing and feared the worst "Unit-01….Shinji!" Her eyes had lost sight of the purple mecha, 'no was he…did I…NO.'
The Angel turned towards Asuka and it set its sight on her Eva it began to slowly walk towards her. After two short steps it stopped. It stood there staring blankly at its enemies before falling down onto the ground. "Target has gone silent!" Makoto called over the comm which was now working properly.
Asuka stared at the mass of the Angel "how, we didn't do anything." Just then she saw what she hoped never to see again. Something she hadn't seen since the 12th Angel. A blood red hand sticking out of the centre of the Angels body. It clenched then another ripped through. Both arms covered in blood began to tear a hole in the carapace of the Angels corpse. A second later a head burst through the opening followed by a torso then legs.
Unit-01 leaped into the air, blood dripped off of its body as it landed on both feet a few meters away from its victim. Eyes glowing bright yellow, mouth opened once again. The Berserker was once again awakened. Unit-01 Roared a blood curdling sound into the air then it fell to the ground…silent.
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"Shinji!" he heard it, a voice. Someone he thought he would never hear call him again. It wasn't who he expected to be there, his eyes opened slowly. The light of the outside world was stinging his vision. But he could see her, her long hair, and when he squinted enough her blue eyes. "Asuka…" his voice was weak, barley able to finish even one word.
Asuka collapsed on the boy, her hair flung over his chest as she began to sob "Shinji…I thought you…you…" her sobbing became slower and she allowed her self a look at the boy. For once she was the first person he saw, instead of Misato or Rei, it was her. "Shinji…I…I…lo…SHINJI!!" his eyes dropped.
Then there was darkness once again……
To be continued…..
A/N: FINALLY I sat down to do this almost three days ago and I only just finished it now! Phew, I HATE writers block. It always comes at the worst times ^_^ but I got it done. I hope yas all like it cause it took me ages and about a million gallons of tea to make (Yes I drink TEA got a problem with that…I didn't think so!). Well that was fun to write always did like Action, my two favorite genres Romance and Action, they make the best mix. Well now I think you all guessed by now it is an A/S paring (wouldn't have it any other way ^_^).
I'd like to thank, once again, Steve Vader for his magnificent Angel design, it may not have come out completely as planned but I like the result, so I'm happy. I'd also like to thank him for boosting my confidence to try out some action, thanks mate u were a big help.
That was the end of Chapter 6: Celestial Return, in da next chap what will happen to Shinji? Will Asuka get her chance to tell him that she loves him? Will Lena try to interfere? How will Rei react?
Misato: "How about will I get to be in this fic more?"
Bucky: "Maybe"
Misato: "I better! You dumb ass"
Bucky: "What me a dumb ass, you know you really shouldn't argue wit the author"
Misato: "Up yours"
A man from section two walks into the room and unloads two clips into Major Katsuragis chest.
Bucky: "Mwa hahahahahahahahaha, told you so! Anyone else wanna mess wit me!"
Seya on da other side!