hello everyone, here it is, EPISODE 4!
Its been like 6 months since the last time I uploaded, and I have to give my props to you all for reading this story despite its long wait, it may look dead but I won't make it dead in my best capability as possible, besides, we are still at the beginning.
I have been very busy due to my part-time job and still at school at the same time, so it was difficult for me to create it for those specific reasons, but now I managed to cope with my free time.
it was created like slow progress and rechecking everything.
I realized that... I made this episode 10 from the OG first before episode 9, so there's gonna be a bit of confusion why the magma episode came first over the synch episode...
However...
With this thinking, I decided to swap out the two in different orders (So it will be ep. 10 ep. 11 ep. 09).
The reason why for that is the synch episode's ending, I already have something in mind so that's why it was already swapped out so please bear out with me on this.
In this episode, Shinji & Asuka didn't go on their school trip due to Nerv needing them to protect them from the angel... which did happen conveniently inside a volcano.
Please give a review and follow, you have my big thanks and I appreciated it.
Also, please tell me which is better for the overall episode- one whole thing (which is this one) or the few separated parts of an episode (like the previous episodes) so that I'll be able to know for a better reading experience in the future.
Without any further to do- TO THE EPISODEEEE
(Disclaimer: Both Evangelion and Transformers were not owned by me, Evangelion was owned by Hideaki Onno and Gainax while Transformers is owned by HASBRO, I only created this specific story for fun)
In the evening...
Shinji was drinking his tea as he was just watching the events on fold from Misato's announcement while contemplating the past week as he tried to make friends with Asuka, the new pilot/coworker from the German branch...
"EHHHHH? WE CAN'T GO ON THE SCHOOL TRIP?!" Asuka shouted as she was hoping that Misato's announcement was a joke.
Misato just sighed and looked up with an unapologetic look "nope"
"Why not?!" Asuka questioned.
Misato just smiled "you have to be on standby."
"Nobody said anything about that!"
"I just did it"
"Who made that decision?!"
"I did, as your operations director"
Well, "Tried" was the word. Shinji found Asuka... Eccentric, Confident, and Strong, that's what he liked about her... and her negatives overshadowed the positives- Stubborn, Arrogant, Boastful, Brash.
Sure he finds her beautiful due to her exotic appeal, but the minute she began to berate him, it diminishes the appeal side.
"You! Stop sipping that tea and stand up for us!" Asuka yapped as she kept on continuing with the insult at him "be a man! Damn it!"
Shinji smiled "Actually, I figured that something like this would probably happen"
It did make sense that without the pilots, the angels could attack anytime, making it easy for them.
It didn't stop for Asuka as she isn't fazed by his answer "Meaning you had already written it off?"
Shinji just nods as she shrugged off, not too happy with the answer "You're so pathetic. There's nothing worse than a domesticated man!"
"Come on, don't put it like that"
Misato could see it through as she puts down her BOA beer while Pen-pen raffled off his feathers from the shower.
"I can Sympathize, Asuka..." Misato exclaimed as she kept on continuing "But this is out of our hands. There might be an Angel attack while you're away on your trip, right?"
"Day after day, it's always the SAME! Standby, standby, standby, standby!" Asuka ranted and kept it going "We're always on the defensive end against an enemy that could attack at any time! Why don't we figure out where they are and take the fight to them for once!"
Asuka made a fair point about it since going at the offensive meant they can easily find the angel but it had a fatal con- which is that if they were that planned.
"...Trust me, we would have if we could" Misato commented.
Her nervous demeanor switched to a happy one "besides, both of you should think of this as a great opportunity as you'll be able to focus on your studies while your classmates are away, right?"
'Eh?' Both pilots thought.
Misato smirked at their confusion "Did you think I didn't know?" she continued as she revealed in her hands the grade cards of each pilot.
Shinji got nervous while Asuka remained unfazed.
"Did you think you could hide your test results from me? I can easily find out EVERY last score you got on your tests at school" Misato concluded.
It still didn't discourage Asuka thou as she shrugged again "They're so idiotic. Test scores, and grades don't mean anything!" she put her hands on her hips with a frowned expression "A system that penalizes errors instead of rewarding brains is so unenlightened!"
Misato just smiled "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" both paused for a second "please, try to get adjusted to school life in Japan"
Asuka gritted her teeth, not too happy with the results of the conversation, and started to yell in German words that both Shinji and Misato can't understand.
Asuka, overall, had too many negatives than positives.
That didn't stop him from trying to be friends with Asuka, because he noticed one time when she was asleep in front of him by accident.
Flashback...
Shinji was asleep with his earbuds on as his SDAT player was playing and stirred a little. It was challenging for him over the past few days, ever since that battle alongside her against that angel. as the two were not cooperating, and not in sync due to her stubbornness and his safety precautions.
As a result- they were assigned to be in perfect sync together to learn teamwork before the rematch against the same angel, and how did that do both pilots progress so far?
It was a horrific experience due to their polarizing personalities as both were not having good progress at all. Shinji was hoping that he will try his best to cooperate with her.
Soon, a small thud was heard as Shinji was slowly opening his eyes... and his eyes grew saucers, and blush while accidentally pressing the forward button on the SDAT player as he saw right in front of him... Asuka, with her shirt unorganized, was asleep.
He didn't know why she was in front of him, but most importantly- why she came into his room.
'What d-do I do in this s-situation?' he thought as he was blinking his eyes several times to see if this was a dream or not as he looked down.
It didn't help that he was gawking at her chest in her vulnerable state as if it wasn't a dream. Asuka stirred a little and scooped a bit closer to him as he felt her breath on his face.
Shinji, unknowingly, was leaning in closer to her face, trying to kiss her... wondering how it felt like, especially with her small yet warm lips, as he never felt loved by everyone excluding Misato, Pen-Pen, and his friends, despite that he knows it was a sinful thing to do, Shinji wants to try.
As he was about to get closer while sweating at the same time, what he was about to witness may change his perspective on Asuka as he soon noticed... she was crying in her sleep, and only said one word.
"Momma..." she mourned.
Shinji got confused about the current events at hand as he managed to switch sides, further away from her, and soon realized one thing...
"You were just like me..." He whispered before he covered the blanket all over him to sleep.
Back to the present time...
Shinji was still in the conversation about them not going on the school trip.
"Misato-san." He called as Misato faced him with a smile
"Do you think our saviors will be able to appear again?" He asked.
Asuka stopped for a second and got confused about what the third was talking about, Saviors? What does he mean?
"We don't know, probably there's a small chance that those saviors would show up" Misato commented.
"Huh?! Saviors? Third, are you that high?! What was this all about?" Asuka interrogated.
"Ehm... me and Ayanami-san were fighting against the 5th angel, w-we almost lost the battle and our lives... if it wasn't for those saviors" Shinji explained.
Asuka got annoyed as she turned her head to Misato to tell if he was joking or not. Misato shook her head.
"Asuka, he wasn't lying about this, I have witnessed this as well... I WAS there against the 5th angel and we almost lost the battle... if it wasn't for those 'saviors' that saved us in a blink of time." Misato explained, validating that Shinji wasn't lying.
Asuka frowned upon this statement "w-wait, how you can even tell? Did you even see or know what they looked like?"
"Unfortunately not... All I can remember was orange blasters firing in all kinds of directions since the 5th angel was battling against...them, and we were at a far distance." Shinji responded.
"We wished we could see those saviors... and thank them to say the very least, but I guess they might have lurked into the shadows, waiting for the next opportunity" Misato clarified.
"Hmph... well you got me interested in that, I'll give credit for that, but I still don't believe it until I see them in full scale! Caught in camera!" Asuka concluded.
Both Misato and Shinji sighed and decided not to pry more as it was a long day for them.
The next day...
Shinji was working on his laptop, trying to focus on finishing his homework but struggled with science since he doesn't seem to get the correct solution.
Rei, in her white one-piece swimsuit, was practicing her swimming skills, indicating that she had finished her homework.
Shinji was hoping that a miracle would happen with his homework.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't look up as he explained to his co-pilot "Studying for science class"
"Geez... you're such a goody-two-shoes."
His eyebrows frowned at the comment, losing his focus on the schoolwork given "Make fun of me if you want, but I need to do this."
He looked up and got his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.
Asuka, In her two-piece swimsuit with red, and white stripes, and her sunglasses on the top of her hair.
"Ta-Dah! Since I can't scuba dive in Okinawa, I'm going to dive right here!" she stated.
"Um... Okay..." Shinji said nervously, didn't know what to say.
'That did make sense, after all, we are in the swimming pool...' he thought.
Asuka leaned into the laptop to see the work "So, what are you reviewing? Let me have a look"
Shinji blushed at how close her chest was to his face, and she wasn't well aware of it.
"What, you can't solve an easy equation like this?" She teased as she was scrimmaging his laptop to answer "There! All done. It's simple!"
Shinji was still blushing, trying to remove any indecent thoughts, and got curious about the subject "How come you can do this tough stuff, but you flunk our tests at school?"
She leaned back as she faced him with a nervous smile "I... couldn't figure out what the test sheets said."
Shinji forgot that she was half-Japanese... and came from Germany
"So...that means you couldn't read the questions that were written in Japanese?" He asked rhetorically.
"Yep, I haven't learned all of your kanji characters yet." she replied as she continued "I didn't learn them back in college"
He blinked "College?"
"Yeah, I graduated last year." she replied again and looked at the laptop "So, what does this one say?"
"It's about thermal expansion."
"Thermal expansion? Wow, you're reviewing elementary stuff." She said with confidence.
"Long story short, stuff expands when it gets hot, and it shrinks when it gets cold."
She got a good explanation, it was simple and quick.
"Yeah... I suppose so..." Shinji remarked.
Asuka turned around as she was holding her breasts "I wonder if my boobs would get bigger if I warmed them up..."
Shinji blushed hard and turned his head away, feeling embarrassed "Don't ask me! How should I know?"
Asuka was bemused, not liking his reaction "You are seriously one boring guy..." and walked away to the pool.
Shinji took a glance and saw her butt facing towards him far away, turning his head away... but soon heard a splashing sound to see Rei, drying herself up with a bath towel to head into the shower room.
"Hey, Shinji! Check this out!"
He soon turned his head to Asuka.
"Back-roll entry!" Asuka exlaimed as she dived into the pool.
He sighed as the scene unfolded.
In the base...
Lt. Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko, Maya, and Shigeru were observing on the screen assistant, Magi, from the aerial team as they were looking for the next angel to hunt down, what they got were orange imprints of a silhouette inside Mt. Asama.
"It's impossible to make anything out," Fuyutsuki responded.
"But I concur with the Mt. Asama Earthquake Research Institute, This shadow is troubling," Shigeru replied.
"We cannot dismiss it, of course," Fuyutsuki exclaimed.
"What was the Magi's assessment?" Ritsuko asked.
"Fifty-fifty, ma'am," Maya answered.
"Is anyone on-site?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"Capt. Katsuragi is already there." Shigeru remarked.
Meanwhile...
Misato, alongside Makoto, and a few crew members, were exploring deep into the pit of Mt. Asuma to see if there was an angel inside of it.
"Commander! We're at our limit!"
Misato, not wanting to give up on the mission, rejected the notion "No, give me another 500."
The crew obeyed her command, as they all went deeper into the pit.
A cracked glass and alarm sound was heard "Depth, 1,200. Cracks appearing in pressure bulkhead."
"Ms. Katsuragi!"
"If it breaks, we'll reimburse you. Give me another 200." She rebuked and continued.
"Sensor readings!" Makoto shouted.
They were still going deep but found a clue about where the potential angel could be.
"Begin analysis."
"Yes, ma'am."
He pressed the button to start analyzing, as the ship, due to its extreme heat and made of metal, started to shrink slowly while going deeper.
"Probe has imploded due to pressure."
Misato knew the risk they were in as she leaned forward and asked "Did you finish?"
"Just barely. It's Pattern Blue." Makoto replied
Bingo, this would mean one thing for sure as Misato exclaimed "Then we know for sure. It's an Angel."
The graph shows what appeared to be a small embryo resembling that of a lizard with a human-like figure.
She stood up as she announced a new plan "This facility is hereby sequestered! It is now under Nerv's jurisdiction!"
"No one is allowed in or out, and all information about the last six hours were now top secret!"
The graph changed from the said embryo to now TOP SECRET
After a while later...
"Request approval for an A-17 from Cdr. Ikari! On the double!" She commanded
"Be careful, ma'am. This line is not secure." Shigeru warned.
"I know that!"
"Hurry up and switch me over to a secure line!" She ordered.
Somewhere in a dark room...
"A-17?! We're going on the offensive?"
"Correct," Gendo replied
"It's too dangerous. Don't pretend you've forgotten what happened 15 years ago." one of the judges rationalized.
"This is a golden opportunity." Gendo logically replied as he resumed.
"We can finally take the fight to them, rather than remain on the defensive."
"The risk is too great." An optic eye gear judge named Keel Lorenz remarked as he persisted.
"This is a living Angel specimen. I needn't stress the significance of that."
After a small silence, all begrudgingly approved but not before he made some few words to emphasize the mission.
"Failure will not be tolerated." Keel barked.
Everyone except Gendo glows out as if pertaining they were dismissed.
"Failure? Failure would mean the extinction of humanity." Fuyutsuki remarked.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Fuyutsuki asked as he looked at Gendo, who just stared blankly, grinning under his folded hands, indicating that this is the only way to save the earth.
Back to the base...
The trio arrived at the base as they were confused about what they were looking at on the graph screen that they will charge into.
"That's an Angel?" Shinji asked.
"Yes." Ritsuko answered, "It seems to be in a pupal stage, an undeveloped state prior to its maturity."
'So... I wonder why we are needed for this mission.' He thought
"The top priority of this mission is to capture this Angel. You are to recover it alive, with as little damage as possible." Ritsuko explained the mission they will be doing.
"And if we can't?" Asuka asked.
"Immediate destruction. Understood?" Ritsuko immediately answered with the backup plan.
"Yes, ma'am." the trio understood.
Ritsuko continued "This operation's pilot will be-"
"Me, me! I'll do the dive!" Asuka volunteered to be the diver.
'I'll probably get stuck doing it again anyway.' Shinji thought
"Asuka. Carry out the operation in Unit 02." Ritsuko granted her request.
"Yes, ma'am!" Asuka obliged cheerfully as she continued to boast "This will be a piece of cake!"
"What about me?" Rei asked monotonously.
"Unit 00 is a prototype, so it's incompatible with special equipment," Maya informed.
"Rei, you and Unit 00 will stay at HQ on standby," Ritsuko ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Rei complied.
Asuka turned with a smug face showing "Gee, that's too bad! You won't be able to go to the hot springs with us!"
Rei didn't budge for a while, not caring about what Asuka had just said.
"The A-17 is already in effect, so we need to get to work right away," Ritsuko informed them that their robots were ready.
"Go suit up." Ritsuko finished her mission briefing
"Yes, ma'am." The trio obliged.
In the locker room...
Asuka clicked her left wrist to tighten her plug suit to her fit, but soon noticed as she turned around to see any difference in the upgrade.
"This is supposed to be heat resistant, but it doesn't seem any different."
Ritsuko was reading her clipboard as she raised her right arm with a pen "Push the button on the right cuff."
Asuka clicked it...and started to get expanded like a balloon as she screamed.
Now she was stuck in between the walls with her hands both sides clinging.
"What the heck is this?!" She complained.
Ritsuko, who stared at her unfazed, explained "Unit 02 is suited up, too."
Asuka screamed, and all around the base can be heard.
Soon...
"What is it wearing?!" She shouted while being stuck in the doorway.
Ritsuko stands behind Unit-02, all wearing what appears to be a heat-resistant suit all over it.
"Gear that protects against heat, pressure, and radiation. Type D configuration, meant for localized warfare." Ritsuko explained the upgrade.
Asuka blinked with confusion... she was hoping that this was a prank, besides, she didn't wanna go out to battle in style.
"That's my... That's my Unit 02?"
The silence confirmed that this is the way to retrieve it. She turned around to her co-pilots with hands on her hips.
"No way! I'm out! I can't be seen in public like this!" She berated as she pointed at Shinji.
"Embarrassment is Shinji's thing, so let him do it!" She whined to let Shinji do it.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Everybody turned to see Kaji, standing on the rail, overseeing the amusing argument.
"I was hoping to see you in action, Asuka." Kaji teased.
Asuka, who liked Kaji, was too mortified.
"No!" Asuka runs to the doorway and hides in a bit as she poked out "I don't have the guts to let you see me dressed like this, Mr. Kaji!" she shrieked.
"This is a problem," Ritsuko commented.
"It certainly is." Maya agreed.
Shinji, who just standing there, can't take the situation at hand anymore.
"Um, I'll-" Shinji soon got interrupted by Rei, who volunteered.
"I'll go into Unit 02."
Asuka, who heard what Rei just said, was livid as she knew that she will take her spotlight, slapped her hand away "I don't want you laying a finger on my Unit 02! Sorry, girl!"
She turned to Ritsuko with a changed mindset "If it means stopping the First, I'll go."
Ritsuko got no comment but approved.
Asuka glimpsed sadly at her Unit 02, scrutinizing like a fool.
"I know you look terrible, but hang in there, okay?" She said as if she was taking care of her baby.
After some time...
Both units were being carried by two giant jets in the sky to drop them into the volcano to retrieve the angel embryo.
"Eva-01 and 02 have arrived. Stand by for further instructions." Misato commanded as she observed the monitors on standby for the mission
"Expedite the laser firing and the crane preparations," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am."
On the giant crater, each side was guided by a giant web-like rope to guide the robot down vertically.
"Hey, where's Mr. Kaji?" Asuka asked as she kept turning her head to see if he was in the crowd. Misato suddenly emerged on Asuka's screen "That idiot won't be here. There's nothing for him to do." and soon dismissed.
Asuka was disappointed, to say the least, "Crud, and here I was hoping to show off in front of him."
Not far off... Kaji was with an older lady on the rope railway, witnessing the natural beauty of the volcano while also in some capacity, the pilot's mission
"An A-17 declaration, huh?... That allows for the freezing of available assets."
"That will ruffle the feathers of a lot of people, I think," Kaji commented.
"Why didn't you stop them?"
"There was no reason to. The order was issued legitimately."
"Failure on Nerv's part will spell the destruction of the world."
"They're not that arrogant."
Back to the evacuation site...
Shinji was on standby mode if ever Asuka was in danger or needed backup on the mission, he noticed a bunch of planes.
"What are those planes?" he asked.
Maya was quick to answer "The UN Air Force is on standby alert above us. Until this operation ends."
"They're here to help?" Asuka asked.
"No, to clean up the mess," Maya responded.
"...If we fail, that is." Ritsuko budged in.
Asuka was now confused and mad at the answer "Meaning what, exactly?"
"They'll incinerate the Angel using N2 mines. And us along with it." Ritsuko nonchalantly answered.
"That's horrible!" Asuka yelled.
Shinji, who wasn't too happy with that statement made by Ritsuko, agreed "Who would give an order like that?"
"Commander Ikari," Ritsuko revealed.
Shinji was shocked that his father, was the one who demanded that suicide backup plan if all goes to fail, he doesn't even care all about the ones getting killed, he wanted to be sure that the angel was dead.
'Father... he... he doesn't care if we all die.' he thought as he looked down with frustration 'I wished someone out there or a group that does care about us...'
The laser rail proceeded to the center and fire a missile as the lava didn't budge one bit "Laser firing complete. Ingress route clear." the laser went to the other side.
"Type D gear is good to go."
Asuka was already on the center of the rail with a crane attached to her back.
"Unit 02 is in the launch position."
"Roger that." Misato confirmed as she looked at the screen "Asuka, are you ready?"
Asuka, who was so ready for the mission, complied with smugness on her face "Ready whenever you are."
"Launch!"
The crane soon slowly descended and Asuka was amazed and scared at the magma she was witnessing.
"Wow… that looks hot!"
As it goes lower...
"Unit 02 is about to enter magma."
Asuka smiled "Hey, check this out, Shinji!" Shinji soon noticed via his side screen, Right leg was forward, and her left leg was backward.
"Giant strong entry!" she shouted with a pose as she just entered the magma crater.
Shinji just sigh.
Asuka was just descending and descending...
"Depth, 170. Rate of descent, 20. All systems show green."
Asuka had no luck as she can't see the objective embryo she was looking for "Visibility, zero. I can't make anything out. Switching to CT monitor."
Her screen turned into night vision mode, but...
"Even with this, visibility is still only 120." She whispered with no luck...
Back at the evacuation site...
Everyone was looking at their screen to see the mission progress.
"Depth, 400. Four hundred and fifty."
"Five hundred. Five hundred and fifty."
"Six hundred. Six hundred and fifty."
"Nine hundred. Nine hundred and fifty."
"One thousand. One thousand and twenty."
"Exceeding design depth!"
"Depth, 1,300. Now at the predicted target location." Misato felt that something was wrong, this was the depth where they found the angel embryo, and it wasn't showing up.
Misato decided to double check "Asuka, can you see anything?"
"I'm not reading anything. It's not here." Asuka radioed.
"The convection current must be stronger than expected," Ritsuko exclaimed.
"There's a deviation in the target's movement speed." Makoto noticed with confusion.
"Recalculate it ASAP." Misato ordered as she continued "Continue operation. Resume descent, please."
Makoto turned to his commander with a skeptical look.
Back to Asuka...
"Depth, 1,350. Fourteen hundred."
Soon, a shattered glass was heard as Asuka was gritting her teeth.
"Cracks appearing in conduit pipe no. 2."
"Depth, 1,480!"
"We've exceeded operating depth!" Maya shouted.
"We still haven't made contact with the target." Misato's voice wavered for a bit "Keep going."
"What's your status, Asuka?" She asked on the radio.
"Still good...for now," Asuka replied and continued "I want to wrap this up and hit the showers!" She joked.
Misato smiled "I know a good hot spring near here. Let's go there after we're done. Keep at it just a little more." Asuka appreciated that offer.
Another glass was cracked and Asuka widen her eyes in shock.
"Operating depth +120!"
Soon, a holster got cracked on the sides of the Eva-02, and Asuka gasped in her front, noticing her knife falling off.
"Eva-02 has lost Prog Knife."
'GREAT! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEFEND MYSELF IN THIS SITUATION?' She thought.
"Operating depth +200!"
Makoto soon turned to his commander "Ms. Katsuragi, we can't keep this up!" he questioned as the plan was going south "This isn't an unmanned probe!"
Misato was unfazed and kept her eyes glued on the monitor "I'm in command of this operation. Please keep going."
Asuka chimed in "Misato is right. Don't worry, I'm still good to go." she reassured.
As she kept descending, a beep alarm.
"Depth, 1,780. Now at the revised estimated target position."
Asuka was staring at her screen to find the objective but felt uncomfortable for some reason... and it wasn't just some heat from the volcano... it was something else.
"Misato, I wanted to double-check but I felt uncomfortable..." She contacted Misato.
Misato chuckled at the joke she made "Of course, that's because boys at your age think your hot, right?"
Asuka just frowned, and for once, she wished she laughed "...No... I can't see it but it was very... nauseating... and mind nerving... even had that lingering effect as if I was infected..."
Misato became serious "are you sure that you can continue this mission?"
Asuka chuckled a bit "Y-yeah, I think I can handle this... besides..." she soon found something "There it is!"
"We have visual confirmation of the target," Makoto informed.
"Prepare for capture." Misato went on the fences.
The pole that Asuka was carrying extended to a larger scale.
Ritsuko leaned forward to stress the objective mission "You're both being swept along by convection currents, so you'll only have one shot at this."
Asuka smiled, knowing that she WILL accomplish this mission "I know. Leave it to me."
"T minus 30 to target contact!"
Asuka's night-vision lenses were intact as she was approaching the embryo.
"The relative speed, 2.2. Our trajectories are matched."
Soon, the pole turned into an energy cage and wrapped the embryo around.
"Super EM photon screen engaged. Systems green."
"Target captured!"
Everybody sighed happily.
"Nice one, Asuka!" Misato commented.
Asuka sighed happily.
Everyone was relieved that they had the embryo safely, it was only a matter of time before the next objective- ascending Asuka to the surface with the embryo.
"Capture operation complete. Will now begin the ascent." Asuka informed.
The crane rope soon rotated to ascend her.
"Asuka, are you okay?" Shinji asked.
"Of course I am!" Asuka said confidently as she continued "As they say,
"The fear is greater than the danger." Didn't I say this would be easy?"
Shinji smiled for a moment before growing worried about that lingering feeling she had mentioned.
"What about that lingering feeling a while ago?" He asked.
'About that...' She pondered for a moment before replying "Ehm... I'm alright with that for now..."
"Thank goodness..." Shinji said.
"Damn, this is more like a sauna suit than a plug suit!" She whined as she looked up at her ceiling "I want to jump into a hot spring so bad."
Ritsuko gave her quips about that ordeal "She sure got over her case of nerves quickly."
"Oh?" Misato grew curious.
"This operation also had you worried."
"A little." Misato confessed on their mission as she kept on continuing "If we had failed, we would have had another one on our hands."
"You're right... Another Second Impact." Ritsuko remarked and turned her head "One was more than enough."
Soon, it was alarmed.
"What's it doing?!" Asuka screeched as she was witnessing the embryo...forming.
Everyone got alarmed and soon tried to hatch a plan quickly "Oh, no! It's starting to hatch! This is sooner than we predicted!"
The screen showed the embryo developing into a manta-ray angel, Misato leaned forward to Makoto for some diagnosis.
"What about the cage?"
"It won't hold!"
The angel soon grew its legs out of the energy cage. Time for their plan B.
"Abort the capture! Drop the cage!"
Asuka gritted her teeth, having no other options, she clicked the button as it dropped.
"Change operation! Top priority is now the destruction of the Angel!" Misato calculated as she turned to the screen to warn Asuka of her next move "Unit 02, prepare for combat and be ready for withdrawal!"
Asuka smirked, finally having an opportunity to fight once again and prove that she was the best "Music to my ears!"
She was facing off against the same angel, now fully grown into a manta ray-like creature, as she would love to tear its pieces apart.
She reached out to her side hip for her weapon, only for it to be empty-handed "I forgot! I dropped my knife!" She realized that she dropped her knife a while ago, how will she go to fight back without any source of defending herself? it beeped.
"It's coming at me!" she shouted.
The angel's speed came too fast to lunge at her, she had no other options.
"Releasing ballast!" Her chain from her stomach dispatched as she hovered up and evaded, she turned her head back "it is fast!"
As the angel goes at high speed into the depths to hide once again.
"This is bad news... I've lost the target. Plus, visibility is bad." She asserts her problems against the angel as she kept rambling nonsense "It's damn hot in here, and my sweat is making this suit all clingy and gross! Can this get any worse?" She soon got a response from Misato on the line.
"Asuka! Unit 01 is going to toss its knife at you! Catch it!"
"Roger!" Asuka obliged 'FINALLY, SOMETHING ELSE TO KILL THIS THING!'
Soon, the beep alarmed, signifying that the angel was detected and ready to attack "Oh, crap! Where's that knife, Shinji?!"
At the surface, Shinji, in his Eva Unit 01, raised his arm back with the knife in his hand, and suddenly throws it into the lava for Asuka to use as it descended.
"Knife arrival in 40."
The angel was now visible but no knife at the moment "Angel is closing in fast!"
"No! Stay away!" Asuka cried as she skimmed up at her ceiling as if she was lingering for a response "Hurry up, damn it! It's taking too long!" She was extending her right arm in hopes of seeing the knife but no sign so far.
Soon, the tentacles of the angel sprouted out and aimed at Asuka, who in the nick of time, got the knife as it protrude out when she touched it, resulting in both clashed.
Much to her shock, it didn't achieve greatly as it got enveloped all around her "DAMN IT!"
The crew was very much shocked as they witness, via Asuka's screen, the angel's mouth open and sucking in Asuka's head.
"I can't believe it! It opened its mouth down there!"
"Its physiology is incredible."
While the battle was still ongoing, her left leg exploded from the heat resistance as Asuka gritted her teeth, trying to fend off the creature with such ferocity.
"Damage to the left leg!"
"Isolating heat intrusion!" Her crushed left leg sleeve dropped off, resulting in her actual unit leg being visible.
"DAMN YOU TO HELL!" She roared as she tried for the eyes... only for it to be futile as the creature stood durable in every part of it.
'W-What? It's NOT WORKING?' she thought.
"It's adapted to this high-heat and high-pressure environment," Ritsuko advised.
"That Prog Knife is useless."
"What can we do, then?!" Makoto cried.
While the battle was going on, she remembers Shinji's homework on science, wait... They were in a heat-infested environment... the angel looks like a balloon... if the thermometer was exposed to the heat... that means... Bingo!
"I've got it! That science problem!"
She changed her position "Chew on this!" as she slashed the tentacles and soon inserts her left arm into the angel's wound.
"I see what she's doing! Thermal expansion!" Ritsuko liked that method.
"Divert all coolant pressure to conduit no. 3! Hurry!" She shouted as Ritsuko pushed the button to fully erode the angel as it counted down from 3.
Asuka tried to swing her knife at the eye once again and gritted her teeth as hard as she could.
The angel, who tried to fight back, soon felt something inside... dangerously, and it was affecting it negatively.
Asuka witnessed the angel radiating inside... purple, and it was flickering too fast as it was also affecting her.
'Damn it... it's this nauseating sensation again...' Asuka felt as it got worse, driving her drowsy, but kept on pushing hard to kill the angel.
The angel, having to succumb to the unidentified source, got the last fight by eradicating the mounting rails beside a single pipe of Asuka as it propelled off of her, finally annihilated and fading out into existence.
Asuka peeked up at her mounting rails as her heat-resistant suit began to shrink and pipes leaked, feeling worried.
"No fair, I killed the thing..." She whispered.
"This sucks. Is this the end of the line?" She whispered again.
The line splintered off, making her eyes go wide like saucers, as she slowly descend into the core where she would meet her death...
...as faith would have it, a single arm reached out and catch her in time.
Asuka glimpsed up to see Shinji, who was using his left arm to maintain the lodge on the edge, endeavoring mightily to carry her as she realized...
He saved her...
"Shinji?" She said softly.
He wasn't responding to her call as he was doing his best to carry her.
She smiled... appreciating him for once... "Dummy. You're pressing your luck."
'I wonder what that purple glow thing was about... I felt like it wasn't safe not just for me... but also for the angel itself, what's going on in this place?' Asuka wondered.
In Oumiya...
It shows a building that appears to be a spa with a small truck delivery outside.
"Hello? Is there anybody from Nerv here?"
"Coming!" Shinji's voice can be heard as he soon saw a Cold sign box from the mailman, wondering who sent it.
"Sign here, please." The mailman asked as Shinji signed the papers to get his package.
"Here you go. Thanks!" The mailman left.
"It's from Mr. Kaji? I wonder what it is." He got curious as he opened the package... only for it to reveal Pen-Pen.
Shinji was surprised for a second as Pen-Pen was flailing its wings while looking left and right.
Shinji understood already his intention, and just smiled "The bath is down the hall, on the left."
A few seconds later...
Both Shinji & Pen-Pen were happily relaxing after the long battle that he & Asuka faced, Pen-Pen was swimming along while Shinji, who has a towel on his head, relax in the blissful spa with a blush.
"I'm in Heaven..." He remarked happily.
'I never knew a bath could feel this great.' he thought.
"Shinji? Can you hear me?" Misato's voice startled Shinji out of his bliss as he got upright.
"Yes, ma'am?"
On the Otherside of the spa was the female section of the spa, where Misato and Asuka were relaxing at.
"Could you toss us your body shampoo?"
"We ran out over here!"
He saw the shampoo on the side "S-Sure!"
Shinji walked over to the wall with the shampoo in his hand "Here it comes!" he blurted.
"Ready!" Asuka answered.
Shinji did a soft underhand pass over the bamboo barrier as it already reached the other side with a splash but...
"Ow! Idiot! Watch where you're aiming, you klutz!" Asuka groaned.
Shinji got perplexed but felt guilty "Sorry."
"I can't believe he hit me there!" Asuka grumbled.
"Huh? Where?" Misato asked.
"Wow, Asuka! Your skin is so soft and supple!"
Shinji darted down awkwardly with a blush on his face as he doesn't know what they were doing... but the implications and what they were saying were... fascinating to say the least.
"Hey, don't! I'm ticklish there!"
"Oh? How about here?"
"Hey, don't touch me there!"
"Oh, don't be such a baby!"
While the two were having a fun time, Shinji took a small glimpse to see Pen-Pen, in a shocked and confused state, looking down at his crotch.
Shinji covered it up down quickly into the water with his head above as he felt embarrassed "I expanded down there... Talk about embarrassing."
While the two girls were looking at the sunset, Asuka glanced at Misato, and noticed a large scar on her chest, she got curious.
'How did she get this scar on her chest...' She thought as Misato looked at Asuka and noticed her curiosity about the scar.
"Oh, this? I got hurt during the Second Impact." Misato answered.
'Oh...' Asuka thought as she looked at the sunset in silence for a while.
"...You know, don't you? All about me." Asuka asked.
"Well, it's my job," Misato remarked as she looked back at sunset again.
"That's ancient history. Don't let it bother you." Misato concluded.
'Hmmm... If I wish that I could...' Asuka thought.
In an unknown area...
It was a very dark site where all that can be seen were the screens, the first screen showed a pinpoint in which it was the volcano where Asuka faced the angel, the Second screen exhibited Asuka's battle with the same angel in the volcano, the third screen displayed Shinji's combat against the man-made robot, the fourth screen demonstrating Rei shielding Shinji against Ramuel, and the fifth screen revealed the three pilot's profile information.
A red visor with a mouth plate and a right-mounted shoulder gun was examined over at the screens to identify its data. Heavy feet steps were reaching its course.
"My lord, we have located a new discovery of a powerful source in the volcano, as well as gathering data about the earth's saviors" a robotic monotone voice clarified as the one behind him was nodding.
"It must be the Dark Energon that we were looking for..." a sinister-toned voice ensured.
"Affirmative, these three pilots were heavily safeguarded by their affiliation, Nerv, they never knew about us that much"
"Of course, my lieutenant, we were hiding in plain sight, they think that they... THEY can outsmart us!" He explained as he continued
"I am tired of all the wait since we arrived on earth... millions of years ago. Hiding in plain sight, with no signs of the Autobots... especially my mortal enemy...such perfect timing!"
"We have also confirmed that an upcoming angel was coming, it was more of an acidic one, very intoxicated."
"...Can you hack the Nerv's base?"
While this soldier was typing over, he got a beep and the sixth screen soon revealed Nerv's logo.
The robot... smiled evilly.
"Nerv's base can be hacked using the data I have gathered to corrupt their power core station."
"Excellent... time to initiate this operation."
"What is your command, my liege?"
He puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Disrupt the power station of that base, let the angel destroy it, and..."
His eyes glowed up.
"Send the vehicons... to extinguish the three unarmed pilots."
"As you command, my lord."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Uh oh...
A new group soon emerged out of the dark as we wrapped up today's episode.
The next Episode is going to be like episode 11 where Shinji, Asuka, & Rei were trying their way into the base without electricity.
However... there's going to be a SMALL domino in that episode with a LARGE impact for the result for two worlds will collide.
I cannot say a specific date on when will the next episode be uploaded, but I will do my best to create it as much as possible (So expect an unannounced upload)
Thank you all once again and I will see you all next time.