Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related material is the property of Gainax.
"It has been confirmed then? The Wraith?"
"Yes Mr. President.
The American secretary of war delivered this message without a trace of emotion.
"What is its current location?"
"The target is about 100 miles outside of Sacramento."
"Damn it."
President John Foreman sat back in his chair. "California," he said to himself.
"Mr. President?"
"What are our options?"
"Well we have a massive payload of N^2 mines at our disposal, along with a sizable force of Gamma series Evangelions."
President Foreman sat forward again.
"Sean, we both know that N^2 weapons can't penetrate AT fields, and I highly doubt that the Gamma series would be able to hold out long against a creature like that."
Sean Jackson sighed.
"I know sir."
"So then what do you suggest?"
"Well sir, as you know, one of these creatures has never attacked outside of Japan before. I think it would be advisable to seek help from an outside source."
"Are you suggesting that we allow Japan, a nation to which I currently have a declaration of war to sign against, to bring its most powerful weapons directly onto American soil? I don't have to tell you what I think about that, Sean. The Japs could easily turn around after beating that thing and take this country by force. I will not throw away 200 years of heritage, along with international dominance, so idly. I will not be the president that destroys America. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, I do sir."
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"Commander Fuyutski?"
"Yes, Aoba go ahead."
"We have confirmed reports of a Wraith in the United States."
"Understood. I will be on the bridge momentarily."
Kozo Fuyutski hung up his phone. "A Wraith in America," he said to himself. He knew that could only mean one thing. All nine children were in Japan and accounted for. However, the location of only 2 of the 3 were confirmed.
"Kaji and Shinji are here, that means that Koaru is in America."
Fuyutski picked his telephone back up off of the receiver, quickly dialing Misato Katsuragi's home number from memory.
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"We are out of options, if we are to keep Japan away we have to use it," President John Foreman said.
Several moments of silence passed before the man on the other end of the line responded.
"Agreed. Japan must be kept at bay until we are prepared to make our assault. If we fail at retrieving the scrolls then all will be lost."
"What is the password?"
"It does not matter. Only I can open the chamber."
"I understand. I will have a jet sent for you shortly," President Foreman paused for a moment before adding, "I hope you know what you are doing, Keel."
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Toji Suzahara stepped out of his car. He found himself staring at the door at the end of the parking lot.
"Toji?"
The fourth child said nothing.
Hikari Horaki slowly stepped out of the vehicle.
"Toji? Are you alright?"
The fourth child all of a sudden felt as if his leg was burning.
"Yes."
"You really hate this place don't you?"
"Hikari, I don't want you to go through what I had to go through."
"Toji, it will be alright. Even if we do have to pilot Eva, at least we will have each other."
Toji Suzahara nodded, hugging the brown haired girl as he did so, however his mind drifted to another thought: "I know we have each other, but once this begins, who knows for how long?"
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Chairman Keel slowly made his way to the opposite side of the chamber. The room was massive, though there were only two things in it. Keel smiled to himself as he reached the far side. "So strange how something so small can change so much," he thought to himself.
He stood before two objects. They were long and round, in fact they looked almost exactly like entry plugs, but black. They were AE bombs. SEELE's last line of defence. These were the only two such weapons in existence. They had been created in case Gendo Ikari ever got it into his mind to try and assassinate the council. Luckily that had never taken place. Keel moved his hand slowly across the smooth black surface of the smaller weapon. AE stood for artificial evolution, and that is exactly what the bombs did. They separated the AT field from the body, any body, human, Evangelion, or angel. The disembodied souls would then presumably "go to heaven." Keel smiled at this thought as well.
There was a high price to pay for such power however, for the creation of a weapon of this caliber was not for the weak of mind. Both weapons contained a living human soul, much like an Evangelion. However these souls had been given through sacrifice; they had been willingly given away. Even at Keel's age the creation of the first of these weapons, the smaller weapon, saddened him. However Keel had cried his last tears long ago. The woman had been told her only son was terminally ill. She was told that a cure was possible, but that it needed to be tested on a live human being to be sure. They had told her that she would not survive the tests. The brave woman had still agreed. Keel read the inscription on the bomb shell: Diana Robinson. "What a small world," Keel thought. In truth it had been coincidence that her son had ended up being the seventh child. It was sad really, though he knew that motherless children made excellent pilots. Keel was fully prepared to use this weapon without regret; however, the second one caused him to falter ever so slightly. The larger bomb had enough power to instantly annihilate any person within its reach, and it had enough reach to overtake half of the planet. It had been designed with the specs of second impact in mind. Keel found himself praying that the first weapon functioned as expected. It was funny, that; how he still found himself praying. Keel shuddered slightly as he read the inscription engraved upon the larger weapon: Gendo Ikari.
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Koaru Nagisa quietly watched the television screen in the store window in front of him. He had set his groceries down, and was observing intently.
"So you have finally come for me," he said aloud. "Well Shinji I hope you have enjoyed these past three years. They may have been the most peaceful you will live to see. Can you hear me now Ikari? Does your mind not feel what you have long feared to come at last?"
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Asuka Langley Soryu slowly hung up the telephone receiver. She took a deep breath while she watched the birds outside the window.
"Shinji, that was Misato. She says that we are to report to NERV immediately…Shinji?"
Asuka turned around to find the third child zipping up a suitcase.
"Shinji, what are you doing."
"Pack your things, Asuka. I don't know if this place will still be here if we get the chance to return, so I would take anything you want to keep with you."
"What do you mean? Misato just asked us to come to NERV. That's all."
"No, Asuka, Misato just asked us to go to war."
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"Japan understands your situation. We can have four Evangelions in your country in no more than a few hours."
"Let me ask you something, Fuyutski, how stupid do you think I am?"
"Don't be a fool. If you do not allow us to help there is no telling how many U.S. citizens might die."
"Listen commander, any action Japan may take to enter this country will be regarded as an invasion of American soil, and thus an attack upon the American people. If you as much as come an inch into American airspace we will not hesitate to open fire."
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If there were any survivors from the AE bomb drop on Sacramento, they would have described a large object falling from the sky. They would have said that the weapon dropped for several seconds, before its computer chip located its target. The target in question was of course the fifth Wraith. Observers would have said that the beast turned to meet its assailant from the heavens; that it received its death with open arms. If somehow these people could have recalled further, they would have told you of a sudden flash, and then a burning sensation as the AT fields of over 1.5 million people living in the city and surrounding countryside of Sacramento were ripped from their bodies. However, there were no survivors.
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Shinji Ikari stepped through the final door, and found himself in front of his Evangelion. Asuka was beside him, and after a few more moments Damon and Rei emerged from a door on the opposite side of the chamber. The two girls slowly walked to the women's locker rooms, leaving the other two alone. Shinji nodded at Damon, and they entered the boy's locker room. After several minutes, both boys had changed into their respective plug suits, and were now sitting down facing each other.
"It's hard to believe that this is happening," Damon said.
"Yeah."
"I never really thought that I would be in a war like this."
Shinji nodded.
"Neither did I."
"Look, Shinji, whatever happens out there, remember the oath."
"I remember."
"And, we both have to do what we have to do. Don't hesitate. All is fair in love and war; you just never know what the other guy might try to do."
"Alls fair in love and war…I guess we have the misfortune of having to experience both."
"As long as we remember which one is more important to us…we will make it back alright."
Damon Robinson hoped to God that his words were true. If he lost Rei he wasn't sure what else he would have to live for. His mother had died when he was young, and his father… "No don't think like that," he told himself…his father lived in Sacramento.
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The souls of those purged from their bodies littered the city of Sacramento. Their AT fields swam through the air, mingling with those that at one time had constituted a Wraith. Heaven would have been the next step. However, these souls did not go to heaven. They simply lingered as the black moon swept slowly to the zenith of the sky overhead, and then suddenly, they rose. These souls would have seemed to have been trapped to the casual observer, had there been any, and soon the AT fields began to group together and convulse. The sky began to grow dark, and thunder sounded overhead. Moments later a new Wraith was born.
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Shinji Ikari found himself sitting in the cockpit of his Evangelion as he was transferred by plane towards California. He could see the vast oceans stretching all around him, and to his left, he could see Rei, Asuka, and Damon, ready to fight alongside him in battle. Then he heard the comm. crackle.
"You are currently entering U.S. airspace, please turn around or you will be fired upon."
Shinji then heard the pilot of his transport plane respond.
"I am sorry, but we cannot comply."
Suddenly Shinji could here the sound barrier being broken; the sound of fighter jets.
Shinji looked to his right to see Japan's own fleet of fighters parallel the transport ships.
"Here we go," Shinji said softly. He could now clearly see the coast line. Mere seconds later the fighters had engaged each other. Explosions began to blossom as the sky blazed with missiles and Vulcan fire. Shinji could feel his transport begin to make its descent, and then suddenly jerk to the right. He looked up in time to watch his transport take a missile directly to the bridge. Then Shinji's stomach began to turn as Unit-01 plummeted towards the ocean below. The third child let out a scream as he felt the contact with the water like a ton of bricks.
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"Asuka, Rei," Damon shouted into his comm..
"Yes," they responded in unison.
"I don't think that we are going to make it to the coast, we may have to jump."
"Affirmative," Rei said. The first child waited until an F-18 approached, and then leaped. She sliced the fighter in half, and then managed to hold on to the scrap as she felt the descent take hold.
Asuka and Damon soon followed suit, leaping as far forward as possible. Asuka did her best to breath as the sensation of falling took hold. To get her mind off of the feeling, she reached for her assault rifle and began to open fire on the swarming F-18's.
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Koaru Nagisa found that he was no longer in control of his body. He was disappointed. He had hoped that San Francisco would be safer than the more southern sections of the state.
People had now flooded the streets, and the fifth child found that it took all of his strength not to be trampled. From what he could tell, there were tanks everywhere, as well as missile batteries. The government was obviously fending off some sort of attack. Though from the looks of things the people of San Francisco were rather upset about this. They were tipping over cars and mobbing soldiers, even starting fires. The infantry men had opened up nearby fire hoses to control the crowd, but it didn't seem to be working very well.
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"Jackson!"
"Yes Mr. President."
"What are the results of the strike?"
"It was a failure sir. Another creature appears to have been formed from the remains of the first, coupled with the citizens of Sacramento."
"What of Japan?"
"They are currently just outside of San Francisco, but F-18's are no match for Evangelions sir. Once they hit the beach there is no point in fighting with conventional weapons."
"Understood. I want you to dispatch the closest Gamma regiment to deal with them."
"I'm not sure that's wise sir. There are currently large scale riots occurring throughout the state. Rioters are slowing down the military and bringing in Evangelions could lead to even more casualties."
"What! Why?"
"The likely reason would be about the attack on Sacramento."
"I know that you idiot! I mean why are they interfering with the military?"
" Well, sir it appears as if they want Japan to invade."
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After falling for what seemed like an eternity, the third child found himself submerged in the icy blue depths of the ocean. He was reminded briefly of his other underwater fighting experience, on the day he met Asuka. However at that time they were using outdated equipment. Now Unit 01 was fully equipped for submerged mobility. After several more moments Shinji finally felt ground under his feet again. It was sloping upward, towards the coast and Shinji began to run as quickly as he could. Though sound was muddled in the depths, it was still easy to hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire. Then, after Shinji had ran for about five minutes, he could once again see where the ocean ended and the sky began. Soon the head of Unit 01 was out of the water and Shinji was immediately greeted by an opening of tank fire. He let out a scream of pain as he clutched his forehead in his hands. Then, he got a grip of himself and extended his AT field to prevent further shots. It was a futile effort however, for once Shinji again emerged from the water the tanks had been over run by people; in fact the entire bridge was swarming. They were destroying the missile turrets, and knocking over the transport jeeps.
"They're…cheering?"
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"Shinji! Glad you could make it buddy!"
"Damon? Where are Asuka and Rei?"
"Rei's a little farther ahead," he said looking northward, "I didn't see Asuka land."
"Shinji! Damon! Anybody! Hello? All Unit series respond!"
It was Asuka's voice.
"Asuka! Where are you?"
"I'm downtown….um…by china town."
"Gotcha," Damon said, "We are on our way!"
"Hurry, I'm pinned down."
"Pinned down?" Shinji thought.
"Pinned down by what Asuka?"
"About 20 Evangelions."
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"Commander Fuyutski!"
"Yes. What is it?"
"They've made it out of San Francisco bay and are now heading into the city."
"Good. What about our air support?"
"We have a little more than half left sir."
"Alright. Order them to retreat, their job is done."
"Yes sir."
"What about the Wraith?"
"It's alive sir. In fact it is heading toward the San Francisco area as we speak. Also it seems to have just about doubled its energy output."
"What?"
"We're not quite sure what happened sir. All we know is that its energy reading disappeared entirely for about 5 minutes, and then reappeared about twice as strong as before."
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"Rei! Watch out!"
Asuka Langley Soryu shoved Rei Ayanami out of the way as several Gamma Evangelions opened fire with their rifles. Asuka crouched behind the nearest building as she attempted to reload her own rifle. She looked over at Rei and felt the slightest tinge of jealousy as the blue haired girl began to load shells into her weapon.
"Why does she get a shotgun and I don't?" Asuka thought, somewhat disgusted with her assignment to a some what outdated weapon.
"Ready?" Asuka shouted to Rei.
"Ready!"
Both pilots darted out of their cover and into the street, opening fire and their AT fields as they did so. Asuka swung the arc of her bullets horizontally to try and take down as many enemies as possible (they had foolishly bunched together). Rei simply moved her aim from one assailant to the next, her powerful gun easily felling the gamma series with one good shot to the chest.
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Shinji Ikari and Damon Robinson danced their twin blades from side to side; decapitating and maiming their swarming adversaries as they swept through the streets of the city. The third child watched as the grey and black mass produced models tried their best to pin him down. He closed in upon one that was firing at him. It tried to run, but found itself blocked by a building. When Shinji drew close it swung at his face with the butt of its rifle. Unit 01 ducked, and then rose again, allowing its blade to cleanly take the head off of its assailant. Shinji lingered briefly in the spray of LCL and then found himself moving again. Two more Gamma's were closing in on him, these ones were holding Lances. Shinji hesitated slightly as the memories of the Lance of Longinus came back to him. That was all it took. The first Gamma managed to put its Lance through Shinji's right shoulder. Shinji screamed as he swung back around to cut off both of its arms. In doing this however he had left himself exposed to the second Gamma. Shinji tried his best to move out of the way but the lance hit him in the side of the head, luckily, not with the sharp side. The third child felt himself hit the pavement; which only drove the first lance further into his arm. He let out another scream as he watched the Gamma approach him again. It lifted its lance over its head, but then found the inside of its chest upon a nearby building as Rei Ayanami let loose a blast from her shotgun.
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Shinji Ikari stood from his position on the ground and pulled the lance from his arm. He glanced around him. The city had suffered relatively minimal damage thus far, and he noted that his threat indicator had gone silent. He glanced to the right side of his screen and checked its data.
Shots received:187
Shots penetrated:12
Damage ratio: 19%
Enemies incapacitated: 7
Enemy casualties: 0
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Damon Robinson ducked back behind the closest building as he again heard his threat indicator go off. He motioned with his hand for Rei, Asuka, and Shinji to do the same. He slowly leaned around the corner, and what he saw made his blood run cold. A massive black creature was swiftly approaching the city. It looked a lot like an Evangelion, however, it was easily twice as tall. The creature was entirely black, except for long silver claws on its hands and feat, as well as a single glowing red jewel set in the middle of its face. The creature itself seemed to have a swarm of what looked like small red creatures following it closely behind. It took the seventh child several more seconds before he realized what they actually were.
"AT fields."