Chapter 7
After the Fall
"Commander.... Your report please."
Misato let out a sigh. 'Well, here goes nothing.'
She stood up and stood before the holograms of her peers.
"Two days ago, the MP Evas activated on their own and left Toyko-2." Misato watched as several of her fellow commanders stared at in shock. "Apparently, Dr. Taltamir on his own accord, restored and activated the dummy plugs, violating my orders. He has been placed under arrest."
"Where are the Evas now?" asked the commander of the 5th UN branch.
"We have been unable to locate the Evas through any means." replied Misato. "Its as if they left the planet." 'Well, that's kind of the truth.'
"This is unacceptable." said the commander of 2nd Branch. "To lose such valuable assets is just plan careless." Other commanders shared their outrage.
The C-in-C raised his hand for quiet. When the others had finally quieted down, he addressed Misato.
"What of this Darkness that now covers the earth?"
"Our scientists have no idea what it is or how to eliminate it." replied Misato.
The C-in-C nodded his head. "That's what our scientists have said as well. Commander, I have read your entire report, as well as the reports of your subordinates. While the loss of the Evas is not entirely your fault.....I would like to know how you intend to rectify the situation."
"Sir, At this time we have brought the last 4 MP Evas online. Should the others show up, we will have 4 to send against them."
"But the pilots were unable to defeat the dummy plugs before." said the Branch 2 commander. "What makes you think they'll be able to now?"
'I'm really starting to hate that guy' "At that time it was 9 vs. 1. This time it will be 5 vs. 4, slightly better odds."
"Let's hope so Commander, for your sake." replied the C-in-C. The holograms disappeared, leaving Misato alone in her office. She walked around to her desk and pressed a button.
"Send them in."
Her door opened and in walked Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Touji. Misato gave them a small smile.
"Well, its kind of what we expected." said Misato.
"You mean 'Go ahead but don't screw up'?" asked Asuka.
"Yep."
"So what do we do now?" asked Shinji.
"Keep training in the Evas," replied Misato. "At some point, we'll face the Evas again." Misato leaned over her desk and stared at each pilot. "I expect you all to survive the encounter."
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Loki sat in the SysOp chair, watching as the Demon hackers tried to gain access to Yggdrasil. Draco walked up to Loki.
"Have you found her?" asked Loki, still paying attention to the hackers.
"No my Lord." replied Draco. "It is starting to look as if Urd is no longer in the heavens."
Loki turned and looked at Draco. "It just isn't possible. She needs a monitor to travel out of heaven. All the monitors are in this building. She must still be here."
"What about a portal?"
"With Yggdrasil locked down, She can't create a portal. Why do you think I've been going from place to place with you present." Loki sighed. "You might be right, we should move to plan B." Loki turned back to the hackers. "Do you know the location of her sisters?"
Draco nodded. "Yes, they should still be in Tokyo-2."
"Send Macet, have them brought here."
Draco nodded and left to carry out his orders. Loki sighed and closed his eyes.
'I never wanted to bring you into this Belldandy, but it seems there is no other way.'
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Skuld waited patiently for the pilots in the waiting room outside of Misato's office. The door opened and the pilots began to exit. Skuld stood up and gave them a smile. The pilots all returned the smile.
"Skuld!" said Shinji, "It's good to see you up and about."
"Yeah," said Asuka, "Last time we saw you, you were still using walls to support yourself."
"Well, whatever took away my powers also sapped a lot of my strength." said Skuld. "Few days rest, and I'm ready to go."
"Well, we don't seem to be going anywhere just yet." said Touji. Skuld nodded, she then looked at Rei. Rei was very quiet and seemed to be rather distant.
"Rei? Are you alright?"
Rei shook her head. "I'm not sure...."
The other pilots looked at Rei curiously.
"What do you mean Rei?" asked Shinji.
Rei was quiet for a second before answering. "I feel....strange, like something is wrong."
Touji looked at Rei oddly, "What do you mean 'something's wrong?'"
"I just have this feeling like something bad is going to happen."
Skuld eyes widened. "Rei, concentrate on that a second...does anyone come to mind?"
The other pilots stared at Skuld.
"Skuld, what do you think...." started Asuka.
"Shhh!" Skuld walked up to Rei. "Concentrate Rei. Do you see anyone?"
Rei closed her eyes and did as she was told. As she concentrated, an image formed in her head. A group of people moved quickly up the street. All had markings on their faces. Demon markings.
"I see a group of Demons." Rei said quietly. The pilots just stared at her in shock. Skuld ignored the looks and continued talking to Rei.
"Where are they? Where are they going?"
Rei concentrated harder, "They heading towards your apartment."
"Why would they.....BELLDANDY!!" shouted Skuld. She ran out of the waiting room, the pilots trailing behind her.
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Belldandy sat at the kitchen table, a blank look on her face. The rings under her eyes showed that she had not been sleeping well. Keiichi placed a plate of food I in front of her. She took no notice of it.
"Come on Bell, you have to eat." said Keiichi quietly, "You haven't eaten in 2 days."
Belldandy continued to stare at the wall. Keiichi sighed and sat down facing her.
"Bell, I miss her too. But you've got to snap out of it. She wouldn't want you to be this way."
A loud crash from the living room caused Keiichi to jump. He ran to the doorway to see what had made the noise.
"What the......?"
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Skuld and the pilots arrived at the Apartment. As they approached the door, they could tell something was wrong. The front door had been kicked in. Skuld was about to enter, when Asuka put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hold on, I'll go." Asuka pulled out a hand gun and entered the apartment. She walked quietly into the living room, looking about constantly. No one was in sight. As she moved towards the kitchen, she had to step over stereo, which someone had knocked over, cds laying on the ground. A quick look in the kitchen showed no one to be there. A plate of food sat on the table. Asuka put her hand over it.
'Still warm.' Asuka moved down the hallway. She checked each room. Finding no one in the apartment, she went back to the others.
"There's no one here."
Skuld mumbled quietly as she entered the apartment. She took a quick look around before meeting the others in the living room.
"Nothing is out of place," she said, "Just the stereo."
"You think the Demons got them?" asked Asuka.
Skuld shook her head. "There would be signs of a struggle. Keiichi wouldn't just give up. He's even gone as far as to face off against Mara. No, they left before the Demons got here."
"But where would they go?" asked Shinji.
"I have an idea." said Rei.
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Twenty minutes later, the group entered a park on the edge of Tokyo-2. Touji looked about.
"What makes you think they'd be here?" he asked Rei.
"Sayoko told me that she went on several trips here with her mother and father after they returned." replied Rei. "It....just felt right."
The group moved farther into the park. Up ahead, a bench came into view. On the bench sat Keiichi and Belldandy. Skuld immediately ran up to her sister.
"Belldandy! Are you ok?" Belldandy continued to stare off into space.
"Sorry Skuld." said Keiichi, "She just won't snap out of it."
"Yeah, It's really irritating." came another voice. Skuld looked up to see Mara appearing next to Belldandy. Skuld took a step back, as did the pilots. Mara raised her hands.
"Hold on. I haven't done anything." said Mara. "Hell is all in an uproar. About a third of the Demons just left. We now come to find out that they've invaded the Heavens, and are now in control up there."
Skuld and the others stared at Mara in shock. "But....How?" asked Skuld.
"Someone killed the Doublet system."
Skuld's eyes widened in shock, "But....with out that, there's nothing to keep either side in check!"
"There's more," said Mara "I was running a check after we found out about Sayoko and...." Mara's voice trailed off. She turned towards and area of the woods. Her eyes widened and she turned and pushed Skuld towards the ground.
"HEY!! WHAT THE..." Skuld started to say until a force bolt shot right through the space where her head would have been. Mara flashed into her own battle outfit, basically similar to a goddess's but black. She turned towards the woods where a group of Demons now appeared. The leader of the group, Macet, stepped forward.
"Mara, 1st Class," said Macet, "We have been ordered to take Belldandy and Skuld to our Lord in the heavens. Kindly hand her over."
Mara took up a defensive stance, a sword appeared in her hands. "I only obey the orders of the true Lord of Hell, and his Queen. You can have these two over my dead body."
Macet smiled. "I think we can arrange that."
The Demons charged towards the group. Asuka pulled out her hand gun and began to fire at the demons. She hit several of them, but they acted as if nothing happened. Mara sent force bolts at 2 of the Demons, eliminating them. One of the Demons was just within reach of Belldandy when Keiichi and Touji dove at him. Both began to wrestle about with the Demon. Another got his hands on Skuld. Shinji ran to Skuld's aid. Asuka, seeing that see wasn't getting anywhere with shooting the Demons, ran at the Demon, sending it flying with a kick. Rei ran to her side as both began to pummel the Demon. Mara fought against 2 more Demons. She swiped at one with her sword, and sent another force bolt at Macet. Macet saw the force bolt coming towards him and ducked out of the way. The other Demon tried to slash at Mara. She was able to deflect it, but looked away from Macet. Macet rose from the ground and sent a force bolt at Mara. Mara was just turning back to Macet when the force bolt caught her in the shoulder. Mara was spun about, she howled in pain and grabbed her shoulder. The Demon with the sword smiled and also fired a force bolt at her. Mara was hit full in the chest, she flew backwards, slamming into a tree. She then crumpled to the ground. The Macet and the other Demon then moved next to Belldandy. She didn't even flinch as one held his sword near Belldandy's neck.
"Stop now or she dies!" shouted Macet. Everyone stopped fighting immediately. "Mortals....move over there." He said, pointing towards a line of shrubs. Keiichi and the Pilots moved over to the indicated spot. Skuld was held between 2 Demons.
"We have what we came here for." said Macet. "Let's go."
"Don't you want little old me?" came a female voice. The Demons turned to see Peorth about 30 feet away. She gave them a smile and waved.
"Hi there!" She quickly moved off into the trees. Macet turned to his men.
"You 2, go get her!" The two Demons ran off after Peorth. As the Demons disappeared from view, Macet turned to the other 5 Demons. "We'll wait for them. After all, why should they get all the rewards for finding and returning that SysOp."
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Peorth ran as fast as she could. Behind her, the Demons slowly began to catch up. Peorth soon found herself in a bricked-in area. She looked about quickly. The only way out was towards the Demons. She was trapped. The Demons entered the area slowly. They smiled as they saw Peorth's predicament.
"No where to run now Goddess." one said. "What will you do now?"
Peorth gave a small smile. "Well, I thought I'd duck for starters." She immediately dove for the ground. The Demons looked at each other confused, until one was hit by a force bolt. His body flew over Peorth's, slamming into the brick wall with a sickening crunching noise. The other watched his comrade's flight, before he turned to see where the shot came from. His eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.
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"Major?"
Maya looked up. "Yes Hyuga?"
"We're detecting multiple Type Black patterns, at least 7 or 8 of them. We also are detecting 2 Type Purples, and another pattern that the NORN cannot classify."
Maya blinked. "Wait....2 Type Purples? I thought that the Commander said the Goddesses had lost their powers?"
Hyuga shrugged, "NORN is 100% sure of the Type Purples."
Maya picked up the phone. "Commander, I think you'd better get down here."
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"Where the hell are they?" muttered Macet, "They shouldn't be taking this long."
Skuld just glared at Macet, recognizing him from the Demons attack on the city. Macet and another were guarding her and Belldandy The other 4 Demons watched the mortals. Asuka glared at the Demons, her eyes full of anger. Touji's eyes were also full of hate, which he directed towards the Demons. Shinji's right hand began to open and close on its own, a habit that Skuld had thought Shinji had gotten out of. Rei remained quiet, he face completely blank. She glanced over at Mara, who still lay unconscious on the ground.
"Dammit." muttered Macet. He turned to the others. "Alright, we're going leave."
"What about the mortals." asked one of the Demons.
"Leave them. It's not like they can do anything to us."
"No....But I can."
The Demons whirled about looking for who spoke, but no one could be seen. A small smile appeared on Skuld's face as she recognized the voice. A fluttering noise came from above, but when the demons looked up, they could not see anything.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" shouted Macet.
"Your worst nightmare....." A black and white blur slammed into one of the demons, carrying the demon off into the bushes. The sounds of the Demon yelling from the bushes could be heard. There was a bright green flash in the bushes, and the Demon went quiet. Macet and the remaining Demon looked about frantically. Another black and white blur moved past them. The Demons jumped and tried to track it, but it moved too quickly. The Demons continued to look about in shock. The Mortals also looked about. Keiichi had a pretty good idea who it was, he'd heard her voice enough in the past. Rei was confused at first, until she felt someone, someone very familiar. Her eyes went wide.
'But she's.....'
Rei's thoughts were interrupted by a command. Rei immediately grabbed those near her and shouted. "DUCK!!" She and the other mortals lay flat on the ground. Skuld grabbed Belldandy and also laid out on the ground. The wind began to pick up in the area. The wind continued to pick up speed. Leaves and debris whirled about the clearing, making it hard to see. Macet squinted through the cloud of debris, trying to see. A black and white blur appeared for an instant, a loud cry signaled that he had lost another demon. A bright green flash signaled the loss of another. Flames sprang into existence near him, another cry, another Demon gone. A flash and the sound of lightning signaled the demise of yet another. That left Macet and one other Demon.
"The hell with this." The Demon started running away.
"Where do you think you're going?" shouted Macet.
"Away from here!" The Demon was 20 yards away, when a black and white blur moved between the 2. Macet saw an Angel with black and white wings staring toward the retreating Demon. The Angel raised its hands and a fireball shot forth. The fireball slammed into the Demon. He let out one last shriek of terror before he vanished. The Angel then turned towards Macet. Skuld's smile got even bigger, she leaned towards Belldandy, who was still off in her own world.
"It's World of Elegance! That means Urd's here!" Belldandy continued to have a blank look on her face. Macet overheard Skuld. He quickly ran over and grabbed Skuld, placing a dagger at her neck.
"Alright Urd! Come on out!" Macet shouted, "Or you're going to have one less sister."
The wind quickly died down. Urd stepped out from the bushes in her battle outfit, a helmet with an eye visor covered her head. In her hands she held a staff. Her angel returned to her and vanished.
"Drop the staff." ordered Macet. Urd complied.
"Where's Peorth?" Macet asked. Urd remained quiet.
"I'll ask again." said Macet. "Where is Peorth?" He started top press the knife into Skuld's neck. She gave out a gasp of pain and a trickle of blood appeared on her neck.
"I'm right here." Macet glanced off to the side as Peorth stepped out. Just over her shoulder was an Angel. Skuld took another look at the Angel.
'But that's not La Rose Magnifique, that's......' Skuld's eyes lit up. 'That mean's....'
Macet moved so that both Urd, Peorth and the mortals remained in his view. He then looked back at Urd.
"Is there anyone else with you two?"
Peorth looked over to Urd. Urd nodded to Macet. "Yes, there is." Urd gave a sharp whistle. Morgan appeared next to Urd. Skuld's eyes widened when she saw the fairy.
'When did she show up?' Skuld wondered.
Macet gave a small smile. "Despite your efforts, I still win." He removed the knife and raised his hand. A force ball began to appear. "Good bye Urd....You've caused me enough trou..................." Macet and Skuld fell to the ground as another person crashed into them. Macet rose to face his new opponent, and he was surprised by what he saw. Before him was another Goddess in a battle outfit. She also had a helmet on with an eye visor so he was unable to identify her. One of her arms was heavily bandaged. She had a staff pointed directly at him. Despite the helmet, Macet could tell that the goddess was very mad.
"You hurt my Aunt." the goddess said. Skuld looked at the goddess from were she lay on the ground, a big smile on her face. The mortals reacted in shock. Finally, Asuka asked the question that was on all their minds.
"Sayoko?" Unnoticed by the others, Belldandy blinked.
"Sayoko?" Macet stared at the goddess before him. "Maybe we can make a deal? I can give you the guy that blasted you."
"No Deal." Sayoko blasted the Demon. Macet let out one final scream before he became an ice cube. Peorth walked up to the frozen Demon.
"Nice shot."
Sayoko collapsed her staff and reattached it to he earring. "Thanks."
"Sayoko!" Sayoko turned and saw her father coming towards her.
"Poppa!" Sayoko threw her arms around Keiichi. As they held each other tightly, another set of arms encircled them. Keiichi and Sayoko turned to see Belldandy hugging them tears in her eyes.
"Momma!" Sayoko moved an arm around Belldandy. Off to the side, the other watched the scene before them. Asuka finally turned and looked at Urd.
"Where did Sayoko come from? I saw her get blasted."
Urd pointed to Sayoko's bandaged arm. "She did. What happened after is best left up to Morgan."
Skuld looked at Morgan. "Yeah, What are you doing here?"
Morgan shrugged "I got a letter from Urd asking me to keep an eye on Sayoko. I arrived when she was getting chased by Loki." Skuld's face darkened.
"Loki did that to her?"
Morgan nodded. "I found her laying on the ground. I brought her back to a place I knew about from a while back. I don't have much in the way of healing powers, but I helped her as much as I could. I didn't detect any gods or goddesses nearby so I went to the heavens. That's when I saw Peorth and Urd facing a bunch of Demons."
Skuld looked back at Urd. "Heaven's been taken over?"
Urd nodded. "I locked out Yggdrasil and was able to throw a shield up around the door to Unit-01. But it's only a matter of time before they get in."
Skuld nodded. "We have the beginnings of a plan to take back the heavens, but there were minor setbacks."
Urd smiled. "You and Bell haven't got any powers do you?"
"How did you know?"
"I don't have any either." said Peorth, "All the Gods and Goddesses I saw didn't have any, except for Urd and Sayoko."
"Hey!" said Asuka, "How come you still have your powers anyway?"
Urd shrugged, "I haven't figured that out yet. Neither has Peorth."
"Is there a difference between you, Sayoko and other goddesses?" asked Rei quietly.
The goddesses turned and looked at Rei.
"Well, Sayoko is part mortal." said Skuld, "And Urd is part Demon."
"Speaking of Demons...." Urd turned and went over to where Mara still lay on the ground. Skuld and Peorth followed. Belldandy and Keiichi finally let go of Sayoko, but she wasn't able to go far as she was then swamped by the pilots, led by Rei. Belldandy and Keiichi watched their daughter for a second before going over to Morgan. Belldandy grabbed Morgan in a hug.
"Thank-you." She said quietly.
"I owed you, after what happened...." replied Morgan.
"You were forgiven a long time ago for that." said Belldandy.
"Ow...." Everyone looked over to the lone Demon, Mara. She was now sitting up, but holding her ribs. Urd helped her up. "Remind me to duck next time."
Urd smiled at her, "Sure."
Mara looked around. Her eyes stopped on Sayoko. "Hey! Where'd the squirt come from?"
"We'll tell you on the way back to the apartment." said Urd, "We've got a lot to talk about."
"What topic is that?"
"Retaking Heaven."
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After the Fall
"Commander.... Your report please."
Misato let out a sigh. 'Well, here goes nothing.'
She stood up and stood before the holograms of her peers.
"Two days ago, the MP Evas activated on their own and left Toyko-2." Misato watched as several of her fellow commanders stared at in shock. "Apparently, Dr. Taltamir on his own accord, restored and activated the dummy plugs, violating my orders. He has been placed under arrest."
"Where are the Evas now?" asked the commander of the 5th UN branch.
"We have been unable to locate the Evas through any means." replied Misato. "Its as if they left the planet." 'Well, that's kind of the truth.'
"This is unacceptable." said the commander of 2nd Branch. "To lose such valuable assets is just plan careless." Other commanders shared their outrage.
The C-in-C raised his hand for quiet. When the others had finally quieted down, he addressed Misato.
"What of this Darkness that now covers the earth?"
"Our scientists have no idea what it is or how to eliminate it." replied Misato.
The C-in-C nodded his head. "That's what our scientists have said as well. Commander, I have read your entire report, as well as the reports of your subordinates. While the loss of the Evas is not entirely your fault.....I would like to know how you intend to rectify the situation."
"Sir, At this time we have brought the last 4 MP Evas online. Should the others show up, we will have 4 to send against them."
"But the pilots were unable to defeat the dummy plugs before." said the Branch 2 commander. "What makes you think they'll be able to now?"
'I'm really starting to hate that guy' "At that time it was 9 vs. 1. This time it will be 5 vs. 4, slightly better odds."
"Let's hope so Commander, for your sake." replied the C-in-C. The holograms disappeared, leaving Misato alone in her office. She walked around to her desk and pressed a button.
"Send them in."
Her door opened and in walked Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Touji. Misato gave them a small smile.
"Well, its kind of what we expected." said Misato.
"You mean 'Go ahead but don't screw up'?" asked Asuka.
"Yep."
"So what do we do now?" asked Shinji.
"Keep training in the Evas," replied Misato. "At some point, we'll face the Evas again." Misato leaned over her desk and stared at each pilot. "I expect you all to survive the encounter."
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Loki sat in the SysOp chair, watching as the Demon hackers tried to gain access to Yggdrasil. Draco walked up to Loki.
"Have you found her?" asked Loki, still paying attention to the hackers.
"No my Lord." replied Draco. "It is starting to look as if Urd is no longer in the heavens."
Loki turned and looked at Draco. "It just isn't possible. She needs a monitor to travel out of heaven. All the monitors are in this building. She must still be here."
"What about a portal?"
"With Yggdrasil locked down, She can't create a portal. Why do you think I've been going from place to place with you present." Loki sighed. "You might be right, we should move to plan B." Loki turned back to the hackers. "Do you know the location of her sisters?"
Draco nodded. "Yes, they should still be in Tokyo-2."
"Send Macet, have them brought here."
Draco nodded and left to carry out his orders. Loki sighed and closed his eyes.
'I never wanted to bring you into this Belldandy, but it seems there is no other way.'
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Skuld waited patiently for the pilots in the waiting room outside of Misato's office. The door opened and the pilots began to exit. Skuld stood up and gave them a smile. The pilots all returned the smile.
"Skuld!" said Shinji, "It's good to see you up and about."
"Yeah," said Asuka, "Last time we saw you, you were still using walls to support yourself."
"Well, whatever took away my powers also sapped a lot of my strength." said Skuld. "Few days rest, and I'm ready to go."
"Well, we don't seem to be going anywhere just yet." said Touji. Skuld nodded, she then looked at Rei. Rei was very quiet and seemed to be rather distant.
"Rei? Are you alright?"
Rei shook her head. "I'm not sure...."
The other pilots looked at Rei curiously.
"What do you mean Rei?" asked Shinji.
Rei was quiet for a second before answering. "I feel....strange, like something is wrong."
Touji looked at Rei oddly, "What do you mean 'something's wrong?'"
"I just have this feeling like something bad is going to happen."
Skuld eyes widened. "Rei, concentrate on that a second...does anyone come to mind?"
The other pilots stared at Skuld.
"Skuld, what do you think...." started Asuka.
"Shhh!" Skuld walked up to Rei. "Concentrate Rei. Do you see anyone?"
Rei closed her eyes and did as she was told. As she concentrated, an image formed in her head. A group of people moved quickly up the street. All had markings on their faces. Demon markings.
"I see a group of Demons." Rei said quietly. The pilots just stared at her in shock. Skuld ignored the looks and continued talking to Rei.
"Where are they? Where are they going?"
Rei concentrated harder, "They heading towards your apartment."
"Why would they.....BELLDANDY!!" shouted Skuld. She ran out of the waiting room, the pilots trailing behind her.
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Belldandy sat at the kitchen table, a blank look on her face. The rings under her eyes showed that she had not been sleeping well. Keiichi placed a plate of food I in front of her. She took no notice of it.
"Come on Bell, you have to eat." said Keiichi quietly, "You haven't eaten in 2 days."
Belldandy continued to stare at the wall. Keiichi sighed and sat down facing her.
"Bell, I miss her too. But you've got to snap out of it. She wouldn't want you to be this way."
A loud crash from the living room caused Keiichi to jump. He ran to the doorway to see what had made the noise.
"What the......?"
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Skuld and the pilots arrived at the Apartment. As they approached the door, they could tell something was wrong. The front door had been kicked in. Skuld was about to enter, when Asuka put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hold on, I'll go." Asuka pulled out a hand gun and entered the apartment. She walked quietly into the living room, looking about constantly. No one was in sight. As she moved towards the kitchen, she had to step over stereo, which someone had knocked over, cds laying on the ground. A quick look in the kitchen showed no one to be there. A plate of food sat on the table. Asuka put her hand over it.
'Still warm.' Asuka moved down the hallway. She checked each room. Finding no one in the apartment, she went back to the others.
"There's no one here."
Skuld mumbled quietly as she entered the apartment. She took a quick look around before meeting the others in the living room.
"Nothing is out of place," she said, "Just the stereo."
"You think the Demons got them?" asked Asuka.
Skuld shook her head. "There would be signs of a struggle. Keiichi wouldn't just give up. He's even gone as far as to face off against Mara. No, they left before the Demons got here."
"But where would they go?" asked Shinji.
"I have an idea." said Rei.
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Twenty minutes later, the group entered a park on the edge of Tokyo-2. Touji looked about.
"What makes you think they'd be here?" he asked Rei.
"Sayoko told me that she went on several trips here with her mother and father after they returned." replied Rei. "It....just felt right."
The group moved farther into the park. Up ahead, a bench came into view. On the bench sat Keiichi and Belldandy. Skuld immediately ran up to her sister.
"Belldandy! Are you ok?" Belldandy continued to stare off into space.
"Sorry Skuld." said Keiichi, "She just won't snap out of it."
"Yeah, It's really irritating." came another voice. Skuld looked up to see Mara appearing next to Belldandy. Skuld took a step back, as did the pilots. Mara raised her hands.
"Hold on. I haven't done anything." said Mara. "Hell is all in an uproar. About a third of the Demons just left. We now come to find out that they've invaded the Heavens, and are now in control up there."
Skuld and the others stared at Mara in shock. "But....How?" asked Skuld.
"Someone killed the Doublet system."
Skuld's eyes widened in shock, "But....with out that, there's nothing to keep either side in check!"
"There's more," said Mara "I was running a check after we found out about Sayoko and...." Mara's voice trailed off. She turned towards and area of the woods. Her eyes widened and she turned and pushed Skuld towards the ground.
"HEY!! WHAT THE..." Skuld started to say until a force bolt shot right through the space where her head would have been. Mara flashed into her own battle outfit, basically similar to a goddess's but black. She turned towards the woods where a group of Demons now appeared. The leader of the group, Macet, stepped forward.
"Mara, 1st Class," said Macet, "We have been ordered to take Belldandy and Skuld to our Lord in the heavens. Kindly hand her over."
Mara took up a defensive stance, a sword appeared in her hands. "I only obey the orders of the true Lord of Hell, and his Queen. You can have these two over my dead body."
Macet smiled. "I think we can arrange that."
The Demons charged towards the group. Asuka pulled out her hand gun and began to fire at the demons. She hit several of them, but they acted as if nothing happened. Mara sent force bolts at 2 of the Demons, eliminating them. One of the Demons was just within reach of Belldandy when Keiichi and Touji dove at him. Both began to wrestle about with the Demon. Another got his hands on Skuld. Shinji ran to Skuld's aid. Asuka, seeing that see wasn't getting anywhere with shooting the Demons, ran at the Demon, sending it flying with a kick. Rei ran to her side as both began to pummel the Demon. Mara fought against 2 more Demons. She swiped at one with her sword, and sent another force bolt at Macet. Macet saw the force bolt coming towards him and ducked out of the way. The other Demon tried to slash at Mara. She was able to deflect it, but looked away from Macet. Macet rose from the ground and sent a force bolt at Mara. Mara was just turning back to Macet when the force bolt caught her in the shoulder. Mara was spun about, she howled in pain and grabbed her shoulder. The Demon with the sword smiled and also fired a force bolt at her. Mara was hit full in the chest, she flew backwards, slamming into a tree. She then crumpled to the ground. The Macet and the other Demon then moved next to Belldandy. She didn't even flinch as one held his sword near Belldandy's neck.
"Stop now or she dies!" shouted Macet. Everyone stopped fighting immediately. "Mortals....move over there." He said, pointing towards a line of shrubs. Keiichi and the Pilots moved over to the indicated spot. Skuld was held between 2 Demons.
"We have what we came here for." said Macet. "Let's go."
"Don't you want little old me?" came a female voice. The Demons turned to see Peorth about 30 feet away. She gave them a smile and waved.
"Hi there!" She quickly moved off into the trees. Macet turned to his men.
"You 2, go get her!" The two Demons ran off after Peorth. As the Demons disappeared from view, Macet turned to the other 5 Demons. "We'll wait for them. After all, why should they get all the rewards for finding and returning that SysOp."
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Peorth ran as fast as she could. Behind her, the Demons slowly began to catch up. Peorth soon found herself in a bricked-in area. She looked about quickly. The only way out was towards the Demons. She was trapped. The Demons entered the area slowly. They smiled as they saw Peorth's predicament.
"No where to run now Goddess." one said. "What will you do now?"
Peorth gave a small smile. "Well, I thought I'd duck for starters." She immediately dove for the ground. The Demons looked at each other confused, until one was hit by a force bolt. His body flew over Peorth's, slamming into the brick wall with a sickening crunching noise. The other watched his comrade's flight, before he turned to see where the shot came from. His eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.
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"Major?"
Maya looked up. "Yes Hyuga?"
"We're detecting multiple Type Black patterns, at least 7 or 8 of them. We also are detecting 2 Type Purples, and another pattern that the NORN cannot classify."
Maya blinked. "Wait....2 Type Purples? I thought that the Commander said the Goddesses had lost their powers?"
Hyuga shrugged, "NORN is 100% sure of the Type Purples."
Maya picked up the phone. "Commander, I think you'd better get down here."
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"Where the hell are they?" muttered Macet, "They shouldn't be taking this long."
Skuld just glared at Macet, recognizing him from the Demons attack on the city. Macet and another were guarding her and Belldandy The other 4 Demons watched the mortals. Asuka glared at the Demons, her eyes full of anger. Touji's eyes were also full of hate, which he directed towards the Demons. Shinji's right hand began to open and close on its own, a habit that Skuld had thought Shinji had gotten out of. Rei remained quiet, he face completely blank. She glanced over at Mara, who still lay unconscious on the ground.
"Dammit." muttered Macet. He turned to the others. "Alright, we're going leave."
"What about the mortals." asked one of the Demons.
"Leave them. It's not like they can do anything to us."
"No....But I can."
The Demons whirled about looking for who spoke, but no one could be seen. A small smile appeared on Skuld's face as she recognized the voice. A fluttering noise came from above, but when the demons looked up, they could not see anything.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" shouted Macet.
"Your worst nightmare....." A black and white blur slammed into one of the demons, carrying the demon off into the bushes. The sounds of the Demon yelling from the bushes could be heard. There was a bright green flash in the bushes, and the Demon went quiet. Macet and the remaining Demon looked about frantically. Another black and white blur moved past them. The Demons jumped and tried to track it, but it moved too quickly. The Demons continued to look about in shock. The Mortals also looked about. Keiichi had a pretty good idea who it was, he'd heard her voice enough in the past. Rei was confused at first, until she felt someone, someone very familiar. Her eyes went wide.
'But she's.....'
Rei's thoughts were interrupted by a command. Rei immediately grabbed those near her and shouted. "DUCK!!" She and the other mortals lay flat on the ground. Skuld grabbed Belldandy and also laid out on the ground. The wind began to pick up in the area. The wind continued to pick up speed. Leaves and debris whirled about the clearing, making it hard to see. Macet squinted through the cloud of debris, trying to see. A black and white blur appeared for an instant, a loud cry signaled that he had lost another demon. A bright green flash signaled the loss of another. Flames sprang into existence near him, another cry, another Demon gone. A flash and the sound of lightning signaled the demise of yet another. That left Macet and one other Demon.
"The hell with this." The Demon started running away.
"Where do you think you're going?" shouted Macet.
"Away from here!" The Demon was 20 yards away, when a black and white blur moved between the 2. Macet saw an Angel with black and white wings staring toward the retreating Demon. The Angel raised its hands and a fireball shot forth. The fireball slammed into the Demon. He let out one last shriek of terror before he vanished. The Angel then turned towards Macet. Skuld's smile got even bigger, she leaned towards Belldandy, who was still off in her own world.
"It's World of Elegance! That means Urd's here!" Belldandy continued to have a blank look on her face. Macet overheard Skuld. He quickly ran over and grabbed Skuld, placing a dagger at her neck.
"Alright Urd! Come on out!" Macet shouted, "Or you're going to have one less sister."
The wind quickly died down. Urd stepped out from the bushes in her battle outfit, a helmet with an eye visor covered her head. In her hands she held a staff. Her angel returned to her and vanished.
"Drop the staff." ordered Macet. Urd complied.
"Where's Peorth?" Macet asked. Urd remained quiet.
"I'll ask again." said Macet. "Where is Peorth?" He started top press the knife into Skuld's neck. She gave out a gasp of pain and a trickle of blood appeared on her neck.
"I'm right here." Macet glanced off to the side as Peorth stepped out. Just over her shoulder was an Angel. Skuld took another look at the Angel.
'But that's not La Rose Magnifique, that's......' Skuld's eyes lit up. 'That mean's....'
Macet moved so that both Urd, Peorth and the mortals remained in his view. He then looked back at Urd.
"Is there anyone else with you two?"
Peorth looked over to Urd. Urd nodded to Macet. "Yes, there is." Urd gave a sharp whistle. Morgan appeared next to Urd. Skuld's eyes widened when she saw the fairy.
'When did she show up?' Skuld wondered.
Macet gave a small smile. "Despite your efforts, I still win." He removed the knife and raised his hand. A force ball began to appear. "Good bye Urd....You've caused me enough trou..................." Macet and Skuld fell to the ground as another person crashed into them. Macet rose to face his new opponent, and he was surprised by what he saw. Before him was another Goddess in a battle outfit. She also had a helmet on with an eye visor so he was unable to identify her. One of her arms was heavily bandaged. She had a staff pointed directly at him. Despite the helmet, Macet could tell that the goddess was very mad.
"You hurt my Aunt." the goddess said. Skuld looked at the goddess from were she lay on the ground, a big smile on her face. The mortals reacted in shock. Finally, Asuka asked the question that was on all their minds.
"Sayoko?" Unnoticed by the others, Belldandy blinked.
"Sayoko?" Macet stared at the goddess before him. "Maybe we can make a deal? I can give you the guy that blasted you."
"No Deal." Sayoko blasted the Demon. Macet let out one final scream before he became an ice cube. Peorth walked up to the frozen Demon.
"Nice shot."
Sayoko collapsed her staff and reattached it to he earring. "Thanks."
"Sayoko!" Sayoko turned and saw her father coming towards her.
"Poppa!" Sayoko threw her arms around Keiichi. As they held each other tightly, another set of arms encircled them. Keiichi and Sayoko turned to see Belldandy hugging them tears in her eyes.
"Momma!" Sayoko moved an arm around Belldandy. Off to the side, the other watched the scene before them. Asuka finally turned and looked at Urd.
"Where did Sayoko come from? I saw her get blasted."
Urd pointed to Sayoko's bandaged arm. "She did. What happened after is best left up to Morgan."
Skuld looked at Morgan. "Yeah, What are you doing here?"
Morgan shrugged "I got a letter from Urd asking me to keep an eye on Sayoko. I arrived when she was getting chased by Loki." Skuld's face darkened.
"Loki did that to her?"
Morgan nodded. "I found her laying on the ground. I brought her back to a place I knew about from a while back. I don't have much in the way of healing powers, but I helped her as much as I could. I didn't detect any gods or goddesses nearby so I went to the heavens. That's when I saw Peorth and Urd facing a bunch of Demons."
Skuld looked back at Urd. "Heaven's been taken over?"
Urd nodded. "I locked out Yggdrasil and was able to throw a shield up around the door to Unit-01. But it's only a matter of time before they get in."
Skuld nodded. "We have the beginnings of a plan to take back the heavens, but there were minor setbacks."
Urd smiled. "You and Bell haven't got any powers do you?"
"How did you know?"
"I don't have any either." said Peorth, "All the Gods and Goddesses I saw didn't have any, except for Urd and Sayoko."
"Hey!" said Asuka, "How come you still have your powers anyway?"
Urd shrugged, "I haven't figured that out yet. Neither has Peorth."
"Is there a difference between you, Sayoko and other goddesses?" asked Rei quietly.
The goddesses turned and looked at Rei.
"Well, Sayoko is part mortal." said Skuld, "And Urd is part Demon."
"Speaking of Demons...." Urd turned and went over to where Mara still lay on the ground. Skuld and Peorth followed. Belldandy and Keiichi finally let go of Sayoko, but she wasn't able to go far as she was then swamped by the pilots, led by Rei. Belldandy and Keiichi watched their daughter for a second before going over to Morgan. Belldandy grabbed Morgan in a hug.
"Thank-you." She said quietly.
"I owed you, after what happened...." replied Morgan.
"You were forgiven a long time ago for that." said Belldandy.
"Ow...." Everyone looked over to the lone Demon, Mara. She was now sitting up, but holding her ribs. Urd helped her up. "Remind me to duck next time."
Urd smiled at her, "Sure."
Mara looked around. Her eyes stopped on Sayoko. "Hey! Where'd the squirt come from?"
"We'll tell you on the way back to the apartment." said Urd, "We've got a lot to talk about."
"What topic is that?"
"Retaking Heaven."
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