Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ascension
By Crooky Crookerson
Disclaimer: If you think I own Evangelion, you are r...........ong. See, I had you thinking I was about to say right, didn't I? But, see, even without the W, it's still pronounced RONG, so it sounds the same. See, it's funny! HAHAHAHA!
Chapter Three: The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak
***
Misato, Kensuke, Touji, Asuka, and he were standing on the deck of the UN super carrier 'Over the Rainbow.' Asuka walked past Touji, whose cheek was throbbing from two slaps to the face, "So, which one is the famous Third Child?"
She glanced at Touji and made a disappointed face, "Ach, nein."
"Don't worry Asuka," Misato told her. She tilted her head towards the quiet, unassuming boy standing to her left. "It's him."
Asuka leaned forward to scrutinize the young boy, and gave him a short stare. She slumped her shoulders slightly. "Hmmm... Not much to look at."
Shinji's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, "I could say the same for you. We wanted a pilot and they sent us a bitchy little girl."
"What?" Asuka exclaimed, her features turning furiously red. "Care to repeat that, Third Child?"
"Sure, I said you're an inept, spoiled bitch. Why don't you go crying back to your mother in Germany, because nobody wants you around here," Shinji paused and grinned evilly. "Wait, I forgot, she's dead! Of course, it's not like she'd want you any more than we do, considering that she thought a doll was better than her real daughter!"
Everyone on the deck was stunned to silence. Tears began to well up in Asuka's eyes, and she raised a hand to slap the boy. Shinji was much quicker, and he viciously backhanded her across the face, causing her collapse to the deck.
"How disgusting," Shinji sneered as he walked passed the sobbing Second Child, frowning disdainfully.
***
Shinji stood in an infinite expanse of nothingness as he watched the familiar scene unfold before him once again. Even when he shut his eyes tightly, he could still see Asuka weeping pitifully on the deck of the massive carrier. He was vaguely aware that he was dreaming, but that knowledge didn't banish the sick feeling that he had in his stomach from the sight of the horrible scene, nor did it grant him any measure of control over the nightmare.
"Stop it," Shinji cried pathetically. "I don't want to see this again. Please make it stop!"
But you do want to see this.
"No, that's not true! Stop it, stop it, stop it!"
You want to see her in pain. You want to see them all suffer. You want to use your power to crush them.
"No I don't!" the Third Child whimpered and curled into a ball, trying to become as small as possible. He shut his eyes even tighter, but could still see the horrible scene as it replayed over and over, faster and faster. "I don't want to hurt anyone!"
Suddenly, his surroundings shifted. Shinji slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. His vision, slightly blurry from being shut so tightly, cleared little by little until he realized he was surrounded by people he recognized. Asuka, Misato, Rei, Touji, Kensuke, Hikari... they were all here. Everyone he had ever met was standing around him, even those people he could only barely recall.
They all looked very angry.
"We hate you, Shinji," Misato told him.
"We hate you, Pilot Ikari," Rei told him.
"We all hate you, Third Child," Asuka told him.
More and more of the surrounding people began to take up the chant. With each person that spoke up, the voices became louder, until each individual was screaming as loud as possible, trying to drown out the others in their declarations of hatred. Shinji could only stare in mute horror as the mob worked themselves into a frenzy.
Then, Shinji was hit in the back of the head by a hard object.
He doubled over in pain, and, through the tears in his eyes, saw that the crowd was beginning to throw stones at him. More of the projectiles struck him, and he instinctively curled into a protective ball. Unbelievable pain shot up and down his abused body, and Shinji swore he could hear bones cracking under the constant impacts.
"Stop it!" Shinji cried, though he could barely hear his own voice over the shouting crowd. "Stop it, please stop! Don't hurt me anymore!"
You have the power.
Shinji could hardly register the voice in his mind anymore. The pain was overcoming his senses, and his vision was slowly turning to complete blackness. Shinji was sure that he was dying. Everyone he knew hated him so much that they wanted him dead.
Feel the power within yourself.
"Stop it, please!" Shinji begged yet again, but the unforgiving mass of people weren't listening to his pleas.
Open yourself to the power.
"I want the power!" Shinji cried suddenly, his desperation reaching its limit. "Give it to me!"
The battered Third Child didn't know exactly what happened next. There was a blinding flash of light, and he had to tightly shut his eyes to block out the radiance. There was agonized screaming. The rocks weren't being thrown anymore. Slowly, the screams of pain died down and turned to pitiful whimpers.
Shinji slowly opened his eyes.
All around him were twisted bodies of the people he had known. Their blood drenched the floor, flowing freely from countless horrific wounds. Shinji spotted a mass of tangled red hair among the gore, and immediately ran to the familiar girl's side. He knelt down and cradled Asuka's form in his lap.
The Second Child slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at Shinji with saddened eyes, and opened her mouth to speak. Blood and spittle came out between words. "Why... Shinji?"
Tears began to form in the boy's eyes. "Asuka... I'm sorry... I don't know what happened... I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..." Shinji's voice died away when he noticed that Asuka was no longer looking at him. Her eyes were vacant, staring sightlessly at the endless sky above.
All you can do is cause pain.
"Noooooooo!!"
***
Shinji suddenly awoke to find himself laying in bed at home, still in his school uniform and tightly tucked in under the blankets. It was night time and the moon was out, casting a faint glow through his blinds and onto his face. Though his door was shut, Shinji could hear the unmistakable sounds of late-night television coming from down the hall in the living room.
Slowly sitting up in bed, though he had to pause when he began to feel light-headed, Shinji tossed the covers aside and planted his feet firmly on the floor. He stood up on wobbly legs, nearly falling on several occasions as his knees threatened to give way under him. He was about to call out to see who was home, when he discovered that his voice was weak and rasping. Cringing as his throat painfully admonished him for trying to speak,
Now fully awake, Shinji noticed a dull throbbing in his chest. Absently, he reached out a hand and rubbed the sore spot, but the light touch caused a spark of pain to shoot through his body. Shinji unbuttoned his shirt and gazed down at the spot on his chest. It was swollen and slightly bloated, with tiny of red veins trailing outward from the area. Tiny drops of blood were forming and dripping down his torso.
"How did this.?" Shinji muttered quietly. "From the fight?" Still too dazed to think straight, he left his bedroom and moved into the bathroom. Grabbing the first aid kit from under the sink, Shinji set about cleaning and dressing the wound. Due to that nature of their jobs, all Evangelion pilots were required to take basic medical and he did a fairly good job bandaging himself, though pain would still flare up whenever he even barely touched his chest.
Sighing to himself, Shinji left the bathroom and walked into the living room. Asuka sat on the floor in her casual clothes and staring at the television. She didn't bother to acknowledge the boy as he entered the room and planted himself firmly on the couch.
Neither of the children spoke for many moments, and the only sound in the apartment was the melodramatic dialogue of the actors on the TV. However, even from his spot behind her, the Third Child could tell that Asuka wasn't really paying attention to the show.
"H-hey Asuka..." Shinji began hesitantly. "Ummm... how are you?"
Asuka hissed a reply, but Shinji couldn't hear it over the noise from the TV. "What did you say, Asuka?" Shinji asked. "I missed that."
"I said," Asuka began. She turned and glared at him fiercely. "Shut up, Third Child. Just because I'm back doesn't mean that I want to talk to you." Having made her point, she went back to watching the TV.
"Oh," Shinji said, disheartened. "Sorry."
"I said shut up, damnit!" Asuka yelled. Shinji flinched and, after moment's consideration, decided that the kitchen was far safer than the living room. Besides, he was really hungry. He left the company of the fiery redhead and soundlessly made his way towards the fridge, being careful to avoid annoying Asuka in any way.
Shinji wasn't surprised to find that the fridge and all the cupboards were empty. He clearly remembered the incident from that morning, and really hadn't expected Misato to go shopping. There was a wad of cash on the table, as well as a note that mentioned Misato wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning at the earliest. It also said that Misato wanted to speak with Shinji. He already knew what about.
With nothing else to occupy his interest, Shinji flopped down on a chair and began a staring contest with the wall clock.
Exactly four minutes and fifty six seconds passed before Asuka made her way into the kitchen and sat down across from Shinji. Whatever had been on the television had not been interesting enough to hold her interested. She crossed her arms over the table, rested her head on them, and began staring at the wall.
"I'm hungry," she mentioned offhandedly.
"There's no food left," Shinji replied hesitantly. "Misato left cash, so we can go out and grab something... if you want, that is."
"I know," Asuka replied. There was a long pause before sat up and looked at the Third Child. "Why'd you do that, Shinji? To Takako, I mean."
Shinji flinched at the mention of the girl he had scorned and lowered his gaze to stare at the floor. "I... I don't know... When I think about it now, it's like I'm watching from a distance... Like it's not really me saying those things... I don't..."
Asuka paused as she digested the information. She sighed and grabbed the money from the table. "Let's go get something to eat."
***
Both of the teens were silent as they left the apartment building. To be honest, neither really wanted to be around the other, but walking around the city alone at this hour was downright foolish, even with Section 2 watching their every move. Shinji had already proven that their ubiquitous bodyguards could be outwitted.
Though they had both changed into warmer outfits before leaving, the night air easily penetrated through their layered clothing. Shinji noticed that his companion was shivering.
"Do you want my jacket?" Shinji asked. Her reply was a quick shake of head. Despite her protest, Shinji slipped off his coat and put it around her shoulders.
"Bold move, Third Child," Asuka told him. Shinji blushed.
The pair continued walking, and turned into a park to cut a few minutes off their travel time. Neither realized that they were being followed.
***
Rebecca Klein, Righteous Sword of the Heavenly Father, followed the Second and Third Children as they turned into the shadowy park. She pitied them, these innocent, unwitting fools. They were little more than dolls that were being played with by a far more sinister corporation, and, because of this, had to be laid to rest. Luckily, for their sake, they were allowed a quick death.
Rebecca, her black overcoat blending perfectly with the darkness, moved into a light covering of bushes and opened the briefcase she was carrying. She removed the handgun and attached the silencer and a small targeting scope, inserted the consecrated silver bullets and whispered a prayer of forgiveness.
She waited until the Second Child was directly in her line of sight, and then pulled the trigger.
***
Shinji wasn't sure exactly what happened. He heard a quick snapping noise, and saw a dull flash out of the corner of his eye. Instinct took over, and everything seemed to slow to a crawl. Without a moment to spare, he shoved Asuka out of the way and suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his back.
Both he and the redhead toppled to the ground, Shinji on top of the cursing girl.
"What the hell's your problem, Third Child?" Asuka screamed at him. Then she noticed that he wasn't moving, and there was dark red stain blossoming on his back. "Shinji? Shinji!!"
Shinji couldn't hear her.
***
Rebecca cursed as the Third Child oriented himself in front of the sanctified bullet. She had known that the Third one was different than the others, his demon engine more savage and powerful than the rest, but she had no idea that he could move faster than a bullet.
He must be a demon incarnate.
Reciting litanies of hatred passed down through her order for hundreds of years, Rebecca drew her silver cross and stepped out of the bushes. Her face set as a resolute mask, the assassin stepped onto the trail and walked over to the two teens and raised the holy weapon.
Asuka looked up at the stranger, who had seemingly appeared from nowhere. "Don't just stand there, stupid! Help me! He's hurt!"
"Oh, heavenly father," she began, blocking out the redhead's demands for help. "Please forgive these children for their transgressions against your messengers, and please bless their souls on their journeys to the hereafter."
"What the hell are-" Asuka shouted, but was cut off when the black-clad woman plunged her weapon into Shinji's back. For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then Shinji stood up.
"Demon!" the assassin hissed, then pulled her weapon out of the boy's back. Shinji, blood pouring from both wounds in his back, turned to the woman. His eyes were hollow and his movements were somewhat unsteady, yet unbelievable power propelled him forward.
His eyes flashed dimly, and he leapt at the woman. She slashed her sharpened holy icon across his chest, but that only drove him onward. The pair grappled as Asuka looked on, stunned to silence.
Shinji was clearly stronger, and quickly gained the upper hand. He kicked out, stunning Rebecca and sending her tumbling to the ground a few feet away. In the blink of an eye, the Third Child had crossed the short distance, and grabbed Rebecca's arm. He twisted fiercely, and series of snaps echoed through the night air.
Rebecca cried out in pain as Shinji tore off her arm at the shoulder. Blood spattered on the ground, and she clutched at her ghastly wound. The Third Child casually tossed the appendage aside and lifted the woman into the air with a single arm.
The two paused for a long moment as they looked into each others' eyes.
"D-der Geist ist willig... aber das Fleisch... ist schwach," the woman managed to utter, clenching her teeth from the pain. Her pain was mercifully ended when her neck was snapped, and Shinji let the body fall to the ground. Then, he simply stood still, not moving and barely breathing.
There was a long pause before Asuka recovered from her astonishment. She hesitantly called out to the silent boy. "Shinji?"
Shinji turned around slowly and, when he saw Asuka, the hollow look left his eyes. He took a step forward, but stumbled and collapsed to the ground. The Second Child stood up and ran over to him. He was unconscious and bleeding badly. She quickly pulled out her cellular phone and dialed Misato's number.
***
Misato arrived only minutes later, bringing a whole NERV medical team with her. They followed behind the ambulance in Misato's Renault, though it seemed like the speeding Major would overtake the ambulance at any moment. Asuka was relating what happened to her too-quiet guardian.
"...and then he collapsed and I called you," Asuka finished.
"You were attacked by a foreign woman," Misato muttered quietly. She glanced at the redhead. "Asuka, Touji Suzuhara was found dead yesterday. He was killed in the hospital. I think it's now pretty obvious someone is after you pilots."
"Mein Gott, why didn't you tell us?!" Asuka snapped. "We could have been killed! Shinji's probably as good as dead!"
"I didn't want to upset you," Misato replied, fear and remorse turning her voice into a pathetic croak. "I didn't know about Suzuhara until a few hours ago and, with the mess that brought up, all I could do until I got off work was to ask Section 2 to post more agents around the apartment." Misato turned off the car as it pulled onto an elevator heading down into the Geofront. "But... this woman... she avoided or disabled all the agents."
"Misato," Asuka interrupted. "About the woman. She said something strange before Shinji ki... before she died. She said, 'The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"
Misato paused as she considered the words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not sure," Asuka replied. Both occupants of the car lapsed into silence as the elevator continued its steady descent through the Geofront.
***
Hours later, Misato and Asuka waited patiently outside Shinji's room in the NERV infirmary. The operation to remove the bullet from Shinji's back had taken well over two hours, since it was located between a lung and an artery. Looking through the window, they could see that they had Shinji hooked up to all manner of life support devices. The doctor who had been examining the Third Child stepped out of the room and walked over to the pair.
"Major Katsuragi?" the Doctor asked. When Misato nodded, he handed her a small clipboard. "I'm Doctor Fukamachi. These are the Third Child's vitals. If you compare them to the readout we took only a few days ago, you should notice some discrepancies; most notably a further increase in muscle mass."
Misato opened her mouth to say something, but the redheaded girl beat her to the punch. "Will he live?"
Doctor Fukamachi sighed before answering. "Yes... but that isn't what concerns me. If you look at the Third Child's x-rays, you'll notice that several of his ribs are broken. Under the circumstances, that isn't wholly unimaginable. However, the break pattern is reversed."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Misato asked.
"Meaning," the Doctor replied. "That something inside of his chest is forcing its way outwards."
"What?" Misato asked, startled. "What is it?"
"We did every test we could think of," the Doctor answered. "But in all our visual readouts, the umm... thing... only appears as a large black blotch."
"Then why don't you get it out?" Asuka yelled. "Get to surgery! Operate on him already!"
"It's not that simple," Doctor Fukamachi continued. "While it may be hurting him, it's also somehow connected to all of his major organs. It's keeping him alive. The stab and gunshot wounds should have killed him, but that thing, whatever it is, is sustaining his body."
Misato handed back the clipboard and thanked the doctor, who was paged over the intercom moments later. He took a moment to assure them that Shinji would be fine, and then left for the front desk. Misato and Asuka stood outside of Shinji's room for a few more moments before leaving the hospital.
***
Far from Tokyo-3, in a mansion hidden on the northernmost tip of Japan, two men stood looking out the window at the rising sun. Both were dressed in the crisp suits of businessmen and wore ornate silver crosses around their necks.
The taller of the pair turned to his companion. "Has our agent accomplished her mission yet?"
"No, Mr. Makashima, she has failed," the shorter one replied. "I fear that it was a mistake bringing in a foreigner. I submit myself to whatever punishment you feel is necessary."
"Don't be preposterous, Tsukasa," Makashima replied, waving a hand dismissively to accentuate his point. "You only did what you thought would expedite the cause. No one can punish you for that." He paused in thought. "Still, this failure may put our secrecy at risk. We will have to advance the schedule slightly, if we are to meet the proper requirements. Have our operatives in Tokyo-3 contacted us yet?"
"No, sir," Tsukasa replied.
Makashima smiled a toothy grin like that of a hunting cat about to strike. "Good. Tell them to go ahead with the harvest, and that I will be joining them in Tokyo-3 by week's end."
Tsukasa was about to reply, when he was interrupted by the beeping from his cellular phone. He smiled at Makashima. "That would be them now." The short man answered his phone. "Put them through."
Makashima grinned as Tsukasa relayed the orders. Nothing could stand in his way now, and the time of awakening was fast approaching.
***
Minutes later, in a run down apartment in Tokyo-3, Rei Ayanami was lying awake in bed, naked as usual, and considering the events of only a few hours previous. Pilot Ikari was injured, nearly killed. This gave her an uncomfortable feeling, one she didn't like at all.
"I do not want Pilot Ikari hurt." Rei pondered. "Do I... Do I love him? Is this love?"
Rei's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. Of course, since Rei never answered her door, she didn't bother to move from her spot on the bed. A few seconds passed, and suddenly the door was broken down. Masked forms rushed through the shattered portal and, before Rei could even blink, were surrounding her and holding her down.
Another man entered through the door, dressed in the robes of a priest and holding a brown box. He moved to stand right beside Rei, and put the box down on the bed. "Hello, child."
"What do you want?" Rei asked, calmly assessing the situation. Section 2 would be rushing in through the door any moment to remove these intruders. Her eyes calmly watched the robed man open the box and remove a syringe filled with a clear substance.
"Fear not, child," the robed man said, and stuck the syringe into her neck. There was a slight sting as he injected the contents. "This will help you sleep. You won't feel a thing."
True to his words, Rei felt her eyes growing heavy. Blackness played at the edges of her vision. The last thing she saw was the robed man leaning over her, holding a scalpel.
To be continued...
***
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Thus ends the third chapter of Ascension. Not much to say about Ascension this time, but I do love to talk so I'll think of something. Well, the plot is starting to emerge. Who exactly is this shadowy group that has some sort of vendetta against the pilots? Exactly what ends are they working towards? Did I just kill off Rei? These, and less important answers in the next chapter of Ascension!
Buh-bye!
By Crooky Crookerson
Disclaimer: If you think I own Evangelion, you are r...........ong. See, I had you thinking I was about to say right, didn't I? But, see, even without the W, it's still pronounced RONG, so it sounds the same. See, it's funny! HAHAHAHA!
Chapter Three: The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak
***
Misato, Kensuke, Touji, Asuka, and he were standing on the deck of the UN super carrier 'Over the Rainbow.' Asuka walked past Touji, whose cheek was throbbing from two slaps to the face, "So, which one is the famous Third Child?"
She glanced at Touji and made a disappointed face, "Ach, nein."
"Don't worry Asuka," Misato told her. She tilted her head towards the quiet, unassuming boy standing to her left. "It's him."
Asuka leaned forward to scrutinize the young boy, and gave him a short stare. She slumped her shoulders slightly. "Hmmm... Not much to look at."
Shinji's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, "I could say the same for you. We wanted a pilot and they sent us a bitchy little girl."
"What?" Asuka exclaimed, her features turning furiously red. "Care to repeat that, Third Child?"
"Sure, I said you're an inept, spoiled bitch. Why don't you go crying back to your mother in Germany, because nobody wants you around here," Shinji paused and grinned evilly. "Wait, I forgot, she's dead! Of course, it's not like she'd want you any more than we do, considering that she thought a doll was better than her real daughter!"
Everyone on the deck was stunned to silence. Tears began to well up in Asuka's eyes, and she raised a hand to slap the boy. Shinji was much quicker, and he viciously backhanded her across the face, causing her collapse to the deck.
"How disgusting," Shinji sneered as he walked passed the sobbing Second Child, frowning disdainfully.
***
Shinji stood in an infinite expanse of nothingness as he watched the familiar scene unfold before him once again. Even when he shut his eyes tightly, he could still see Asuka weeping pitifully on the deck of the massive carrier. He was vaguely aware that he was dreaming, but that knowledge didn't banish the sick feeling that he had in his stomach from the sight of the horrible scene, nor did it grant him any measure of control over the nightmare.
"Stop it," Shinji cried pathetically. "I don't want to see this again. Please make it stop!"
But you do want to see this.
"No, that's not true! Stop it, stop it, stop it!"
You want to see her in pain. You want to see them all suffer. You want to use your power to crush them.
"No I don't!" the Third Child whimpered and curled into a ball, trying to become as small as possible. He shut his eyes even tighter, but could still see the horrible scene as it replayed over and over, faster and faster. "I don't want to hurt anyone!"
Suddenly, his surroundings shifted. Shinji slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. His vision, slightly blurry from being shut so tightly, cleared little by little until he realized he was surrounded by people he recognized. Asuka, Misato, Rei, Touji, Kensuke, Hikari... they were all here. Everyone he had ever met was standing around him, even those people he could only barely recall.
They all looked very angry.
"We hate you, Shinji," Misato told him.
"We hate you, Pilot Ikari," Rei told him.
"We all hate you, Third Child," Asuka told him.
More and more of the surrounding people began to take up the chant. With each person that spoke up, the voices became louder, until each individual was screaming as loud as possible, trying to drown out the others in their declarations of hatred. Shinji could only stare in mute horror as the mob worked themselves into a frenzy.
Then, Shinji was hit in the back of the head by a hard object.
He doubled over in pain, and, through the tears in his eyes, saw that the crowd was beginning to throw stones at him. More of the projectiles struck him, and he instinctively curled into a protective ball. Unbelievable pain shot up and down his abused body, and Shinji swore he could hear bones cracking under the constant impacts.
"Stop it!" Shinji cried, though he could barely hear his own voice over the shouting crowd. "Stop it, please stop! Don't hurt me anymore!"
You have the power.
Shinji could hardly register the voice in his mind anymore. The pain was overcoming his senses, and his vision was slowly turning to complete blackness. Shinji was sure that he was dying. Everyone he knew hated him so much that they wanted him dead.
Feel the power within yourself.
"Stop it, please!" Shinji begged yet again, but the unforgiving mass of people weren't listening to his pleas.
Open yourself to the power.
"I want the power!" Shinji cried suddenly, his desperation reaching its limit. "Give it to me!"
The battered Third Child didn't know exactly what happened next. There was a blinding flash of light, and he had to tightly shut his eyes to block out the radiance. There was agonized screaming. The rocks weren't being thrown anymore. Slowly, the screams of pain died down and turned to pitiful whimpers.
Shinji slowly opened his eyes.
All around him were twisted bodies of the people he had known. Their blood drenched the floor, flowing freely from countless horrific wounds. Shinji spotted a mass of tangled red hair among the gore, and immediately ran to the familiar girl's side. He knelt down and cradled Asuka's form in his lap.
The Second Child slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at Shinji with saddened eyes, and opened her mouth to speak. Blood and spittle came out between words. "Why... Shinji?"
Tears began to form in the boy's eyes. "Asuka... I'm sorry... I don't know what happened... I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..." Shinji's voice died away when he noticed that Asuka was no longer looking at him. Her eyes were vacant, staring sightlessly at the endless sky above.
All you can do is cause pain.
"Noooooooo!!"
***
Shinji suddenly awoke to find himself laying in bed at home, still in his school uniform and tightly tucked in under the blankets. It was night time and the moon was out, casting a faint glow through his blinds and onto his face. Though his door was shut, Shinji could hear the unmistakable sounds of late-night television coming from down the hall in the living room.
Slowly sitting up in bed, though he had to pause when he began to feel light-headed, Shinji tossed the covers aside and planted his feet firmly on the floor. He stood up on wobbly legs, nearly falling on several occasions as his knees threatened to give way under him. He was about to call out to see who was home, when he discovered that his voice was weak and rasping. Cringing as his throat painfully admonished him for trying to speak,
Now fully awake, Shinji noticed a dull throbbing in his chest. Absently, he reached out a hand and rubbed the sore spot, but the light touch caused a spark of pain to shoot through his body. Shinji unbuttoned his shirt and gazed down at the spot on his chest. It was swollen and slightly bloated, with tiny of red veins trailing outward from the area. Tiny drops of blood were forming and dripping down his torso.
"How did this.?" Shinji muttered quietly. "From the fight?" Still too dazed to think straight, he left his bedroom and moved into the bathroom. Grabbing the first aid kit from under the sink, Shinji set about cleaning and dressing the wound. Due to that nature of their jobs, all Evangelion pilots were required to take basic medical and he did a fairly good job bandaging himself, though pain would still flare up whenever he even barely touched his chest.
Sighing to himself, Shinji left the bathroom and walked into the living room. Asuka sat on the floor in her casual clothes and staring at the television. She didn't bother to acknowledge the boy as he entered the room and planted himself firmly on the couch.
Neither of the children spoke for many moments, and the only sound in the apartment was the melodramatic dialogue of the actors on the TV. However, even from his spot behind her, the Third Child could tell that Asuka wasn't really paying attention to the show.
"H-hey Asuka..." Shinji began hesitantly. "Ummm... how are you?"
Asuka hissed a reply, but Shinji couldn't hear it over the noise from the TV. "What did you say, Asuka?" Shinji asked. "I missed that."
"I said," Asuka began. She turned and glared at him fiercely. "Shut up, Third Child. Just because I'm back doesn't mean that I want to talk to you." Having made her point, she went back to watching the TV.
"Oh," Shinji said, disheartened. "Sorry."
"I said shut up, damnit!" Asuka yelled. Shinji flinched and, after moment's consideration, decided that the kitchen was far safer than the living room. Besides, he was really hungry. He left the company of the fiery redhead and soundlessly made his way towards the fridge, being careful to avoid annoying Asuka in any way.
Shinji wasn't surprised to find that the fridge and all the cupboards were empty. He clearly remembered the incident from that morning, and really hadn't expected Misato to go shopping. There was a wad of cash on the table, as well as a note that mentioned Misato wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning at the earliest. It also said that Misato wanted to speak with Shinji. He already knew what about.
With nothing else to occupy his interest, Shinji flopped down on a chair and began a staring contest with the wall clock.
Exactly four minutes and fifty six seconds passed before Asuka made her way into the kitchen and sat down across from Shinji. Whatever had been on the television had not been interesting enough to hold her interested. She crossed her arms over the table, rested her head on them, and began staring at the wall.
"I'm hungry," she mentioned offhandedly.
"There's no food left," Shinji replied hesitantly. "Misato left cash, so we can go out and grab something... if you want, that is."
"I know," Asuka replied. There was a long pause before sat up and looked at the Third Child. "Why'd you do that, Shinji? To Takako, I mean."
Shinji flinched at the mention of the girl he had scorned and lowered his gaze to stare at the floor. "I... I don't know... When I think about it now, it's like I'm watching from a distance... Like it's not really me saying those things... I don't..."
Asuka paused as she digested the information. She sighed and grabbed the money from the table. "Let's go get something to eat."
***
Both of the teens were silent as they left the apartment building. To be honest, neither really wanted to be around the other, but walking around the city alone at this hour was downright foolish, even with Section 2 watching their every move. Shinji had already proven that their ubiquitous bodyguards could be outwitted.
Though they had both changed into warmer outfits before leaving, the night air easily penetrated through their layered clothing. Shinji noticed that his companion was shivering.
"Do you want my jacket?" Shinji asked. Her reply was a quick shake of head. Despite her protest, Shinji slipped off his coat and put it around her shoulders.
"Bold move, Third Child," Asuka told him. Shinji blushed.
The pair continued walking, and turned into a park to cut a few minutes off their travel time. Neither realized that they were being followed.
***
Rebecca Klein, Righteous Sword of the Heavenly Father, followed the Second and Third Children as they turned into the shadowy park. She pitied them, these innocent, unwitting fools. They were little more than dolls that were being played with by a far more sinister corporation, and, because of this, had to be laid to rest. Luckily, for their sake, they were allowed a quick death.
Rebecca, her black overcoat blending perfectly with the darkness, moved into a light covering of bushes and opened the briefcase she was carrying. She removed the handgun and attached the silencer and a small targeting scope, inserted the consecrated silver bullets and whispered a prayer of forgiveness.
She waited until the Second Child was directly in her line of sight, and then pulled the trigger.
***
Shinji wasn't sure exactly what happened. He heard a quick snapping noise, and saw a dull flash out of the corner of his eye. Instinct took over, and everything seemed to slow to a crawl. Without a moment to spare, he shoved Asuka out of the way and suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his back.
Both he and the redhead toppled to the ground, Shinji on top of the cursing girl.
"What the hell's your problem, Third Child?" Asuka screamed at him. Then she noticed that he wasn't moving, and there was dark red stain blossoming on his back. "Shinji? Shinji!!"
Shinji couldn't hear her.
***
Rebecca cursed as the Third Child oriented himself in front of the sanctified bullet. She had known that the Third one was different than the others, his demon engine more savage and powerful than the rest, but she had no idea that he could move faster than a bullet.
He must be a demon incarnate.
Reciting litanies of hatred passed down through her order for hundreds of years, Rebecca drew her silver cross and stepped out of the bushes. Her face set as a resolute mask, the assassin stepped onto the trail and walked over to the two teens and raised the holy weapon.
Asuka looked up at the stranger, who had seemingly appeared from nowhere. "Don't just stand there, stupid! Help me! He's hurt!"
"Oh, heavenly father," she began, blocking out the redhead's demands for help. "Please forgive these children for their transgressions against your messengers, and please bless their souls on their journeys to the hereafter."
"What the hell are-" Asuka shouted, but was cut off when the black-clad woman plunged her weapon into Shinji's back. For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then Shinji stood up.
"Demon!" the assassin hissed, then pulled her weapon out of the boy's back. Shinji, blood pouring from both wounds in his back, turned to the woman. His eyes were hollow and his movements were somewhat unsteady, yet unbelievable power propelled him forward.
His eyes flashed dimly, and he leapt at the woman. She slashed her sharpened holy icon across his chest, but that only drove him onward. The pair grappled as Asuka looked on, stunned to silence.
Shinji was clearly stronger, and quickly gained the upper hand. He kicked out, stunning Rebecca and sending her tumbling to the ground a few feet away. In the blink of an eye, the Third Child had crossed the short distance, and grabbed Rebecca's arm. He twisted fiercely, and series of snaps echoed through the night air.
Rebecca cried out in pain as Shinji tore off her arm at the shoulder. Blood spattered on the ground, and she clutched at her ghastly wound. The Third Child casually tossed the appendage aside and lifted the woman into the air with a single arm.
The two paused for a long moment as they looked into each others' eyes.
"D-der Geist ist willig... aber das Fleisch... ist schwach," the woman managed to utter, clenching her teeth from the pain. Her pain was mercifully ended when her neck was snapped, and Shinji let the body fall to the ground. Then, he simply stood still, not moving and barely breathing.
There was a long pause before Asuka recovered from her astonishment. She hesitantly called out to the silent boy. "Shinji?"
Shinji turned around slowly and, when he saw Asuka, the hollow look left his eyes. He took a step forward, but stumbled and collapsed to the ground. The Second Child stood up and ran over to him. He was unconscious and bleeding badly. She quickly pulled out her cellular phone and dialed Misato's number.
***
Misato arrived only minutes later, bringing a whole NERV medical team with her. They followed behind the ambulance in Misato's Renault, though it seemed like the speeding Major would overtake the ambulance at any moment. Asuka was relating what happened to her too-quiet guardian.
"...and then he collapsed and I called you," Asuka finished.
"You were attacked by a foreign woman," Misato muttered quietly. She glanced at the redhead. "Asuka, Touji Suzuhara was found dead yesterday. He was killed in the hospital. I think it's now pretty obvious someone is after you pilots."
"Mein Gott, why didn't you tell us?!" Asuka snapped. "We could have been killed! Shinji's probably as good as dead!"
"I didn't want to upset you," Misato replied, fear and remorse turning her voice into a pathetic croak. "I didn't know about Suzuhara until a few hours ago and, with the mess that brought up, all I could do until I got off work was to ask Section 2 to post more agents around the apartment." Misato turned off the car as it pulled onto an elevator heading down into the Geofront. "But... this woman... she avoided or disabled all the agents."
"Misato," Asuka interrupted. "About the woman. She said something strange before Shinji ki... before she died. She said, 'The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"
Misato paused as she considered the words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not sure," Asuka replied. Both occupants of the car lapsed into silence as the elevator continued its steady descent through the Geofront.
***
Hours later, Misato and Asuka waited patiently outside Shinji's room in the NERV infirmary. The operation to remove the bullet from Shinji's back had taken well over two hours, since it was located between a lung and an artery. Looking through the window, they could see that they had Shinji hooked up to all manner of life support devices. The doctor who had been examining the Third Child stepped out of the room and walked over to the pair.
"Major Katsuragi?" the Doctor asked. When Misato nodded, he handed her a small clipboard. "I'm Doctor Fukamachi. These are the Third Child's vitals. If you compare them to the readout we took only a few days ago, you should notice some discrepancies; most notably a further increase in muscle mass."
Misato opened her mouth to say something, but the redheaded girl beat her to the punch. "Will he live?"
Doctor Fukamachi sighed before answering. "Yes... but that isn't what concerns me. If you look at the Third Child's x-rays, you'll notice that several of his ribs are broken. Under the circumstances, that isn't wholly unimaginable. However, the break pattern is reversed."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Misato asked.
"Meaning," the Doctor replied. "That something inside of his chest is forcing its way outwards."
"What?" Misato asked, startled. "What is it?"
"We did every test we could think of," the Doctor answered. "But in all our visual readouts, the umm... thing... only appears as a large black blotch."
"Then why don't you get it out?" Asuka yelled. "Get to surgery! Operate on him already!"
"It's not that simple," Doctor Fukamachi continued. "While it may be hurting him, it's also somehow connected to all of his major organs. It's keeping him alive. The stab and gunshot wounds should have killed him, but that thing, whatever it is, is sustaining his body."
Misato handed back the clipboard and thanked the doctor, who was paged over the intercom moments later. He took a moment to assure them that Shinji would be fine, and then left for the front desk. Misato and Asuka stood outside of Shinji's room for a few more moments before leaving the hospital.
***
Far from Tokyo-3, in a mansion hidden on the northernmost tip of Japan, two men stood looking out the window at the rising sun. Both were dressed in the crisp suits of businessmen and wore ornate silver crosses around their necks.
The taller of the pair turned to his companion. "Has our agent accomplished her mission yet?"
"No, Mr. Makashima, she has failed," the shorter one replied. "I fear that it was a mistake bringing in a foreigner. I submit myself to whatever punishment you feel is necessary."
"Don't be preposterous, Tsukasa," Makashima replied, waving a hand dismissively to accentuate his point. "You only did what you thought would expedite the cause. No one can punish you for that." He paused in thought. "Still, this failure may put our secrecy at risk. We will have to advance the schedule slightly, if we are to meet the proper requirements. Have our operatives in Tokyo-3 contacted us yet?"
"No, sir," Tsukasa replied.
Makashima smiled a toothy grin like that of a hunting cat about to strike. "Good. Tell them to go ahead with the harvest, and that I will be joining them in Tokyo-3 by week's end."
Tsukasa was about to reply, when he was interrupted by the beeping from his cellular phone. He smiled at Makashima. "That would be them now." The short man answered his phone. "Put them through."
Makashima grinned as Tsukasa relayed the orders. Nothing could stand in his way now, and the time of awakening was fast approaching.
***
Minutes later, in a run down apartment in Tokyo-3, Rei Ayanami was lying awake in bed, naked as usual, and considering the events of only a few hours previous. Pilot Ikari was injured, nearly killed. This gave her an uncomfortable feeling, one she didn't like at all.
"I do not want Pilot Ikari hurt." Rei pondered. "Do I... Do I love him? Is this love?"
Rei's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. Of course, since Rei never answered her door, she didn't bother to move from her spot on the bed. A few seconds passed, and suddenly the door was broken down. Masked forms rushed through the shattered portal and, before Rei could even blink, were surrounding her and holding her down.
Another man entered through the door, dressed in the robes of a priest and holding a brown box. He moved to stand right beside Rei, and put the box down on the bed. "Hello, child."
"What do you want?" Rei asked, calmly assessing the situation. Section 2 would be rushing in through the door any moment to remove these intruders. Her eyes calmly watched the robed man open the box and remove a syringe filled with a clear substance.
"Fear not, child," the robed man said, and stuck the syringe into her neck. There was a slight sting as he injected the contents. "This will help you sleep. You won't feel a thing."
True to his words, Rei felt her eyes growing heavy. Blackness played at the edges of her vision. The last thing she saw was the robed man leaning over her, holding a scalpel.
To be continued...
***
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Thus ends the third chapter of Ascension. Not much to say about Ascension this time, but I do love to talk so I'll think of something. Well, the plot is starting to emerge. Who exactly is this shadowy group that has some sort of vendetta against the pilots? Exactly what ends are they working towards? Did I just kill off Rei? These, and less important answers in the next chapter of Ascension!
Buh-bye!