Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated materials are the property of Gainax.
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Ezekiel 25:17
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
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"This is the single greatest threat to mankind's survival that we have ever faced. If we are not victorious tonight, tomorrow will never come. I won't lie to you. We are outnumbered, outgunned, outmatched, and completely strategically overpowered. Remember your families. Remember your friends. You all experienced the third impact. You all should know that we are not dealing with the forces of mankind alone in this battle. The very fabric of space and time can come into play. We don't know what might happen so be ready for anything."
Commander Fuyutski paused and glanced at Asuka.
"That means anything…including total brutality."
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Is it done?"
"Yes," Keel said sounding slightly annoyed, "the coordinates are set for the bay just east of Tokyo 3. As soon as we manage to push back the Japanese forces Nagisa and Kaji will be taken their on the carrier."
"By air-drop?" Cain asked.
"Yes."
"What if something goes wrong and we cannot reach that position?"
"In the event of some sort of emergency the bomb can be repositioned. To do so you will have to re-input the coordinates into the computer."
"Alright."
Chairman Keel poured sake into two cups, handing one to Cain.
"A toast. To peace at last."
"To the end of all things."
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"You ever seen anything quite like that?" Kensuke Aida asked.
"Can't say I have. If I had to warrant a guess though, I'd say the world was coming to an end," said Damon Robinson in response.
In the cock pit of Unit-01, Shinji Ikari smiled.
"Wouldn't be the first time."
From where the eight pilots stood upon their hill, the beach seemed to stretch out forever. And, with it, the American Gamma Evangelions slow approach up the beach. Shinji watched as the first volley of defensive missiles was launched at the invaders. He knew that standard military equipment would not be enough to stop them, but he admired the military for trying.
"Alright," he said, "let's get ready.
Damon drew his sword. Rei loaded her shotgun. Asuka inserted the clips on both of her pallet rifles. Nishka pulled both of her progressive knives from their sheaths. Kensuke produced a progressive knife in one hand and a rifle in the other. Hikari and Toji shouldered their sniper rifles and crouched down, lining up their eyes with the scopes. Shinji's mind rushed to thoughts of Asuka, and he summoned his AT blade.
"Here we go."
The clouds grew dark, and the downpour that had started so many years ago began anew.
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"Sir we can see them. They're at the top of the hill. It's the unit series."
Cain's voice came grating through the Gamma radios with his response.
"Engage."
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Shinji could feel his blade penetrate the armor of his first kill. He watched as the blood sprayed outwards onto unit-01. The other gamma's paused for a second as if the fall of their comrade discouraged them, but, one after another, they continued their slow march of duty. They fell easily to his weapon, but for every felled eva more only seemed to emerge until they seemed to be bearing down upon him from all sides; a cascading waterfall of blood and death. He slashed. And again. And again. But it was no use. They were covering him, engulfing him. As he hit the ground he glanced upward through the rain to see the black moon. It seemed larger than before, as if it was swallowing the very planet whole.
Bang.
Bang.
Gun shots. He watched as heads began to explode.
"Shinji move!" Toji yelled over the comm..
The third child shook swung his blade in a circular arc, spilling the intestines of the Evas around him and began to run back towards the hill where Toji and Hikari were perched.
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Slice. Another head rolled at the feet of Unit-X. Another gamma came. Another pair of arms fell to the ground.
"Behind you."
"What?"
"Duck!"
Damon Robinson hit the ground as Rei Ayanami cocked her shotgun and blasted the rib cage of a Gamma to pieces.
"Thanks."
"There's too many of them."
"I know."
Damon stood from the ground and stepped backwards toward Rei.
"What should we do?" he asked.
"I think it's a little bit late to be asking that question."
"Damon! Rei!" It was Nishka on the comm..
"We copy."
"We need to fall back and regroup. We can't keep this up."
"Agreed. Fall back to the hill."
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"Kensuke come on!"
"No way."
"Please."
"I can't retreat. I won't do it."
"And I can't leave you behind."
"Well then it looks like we stay and fight."
"That's suicide."
"Do you really think that retreating to the hill is gonna win this battle?"
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"Asuka!"
Shinji scanned the battlefield while he did his best to keep the invaders away from Toji and Hikari.
"I'm here," she said as she emerged from behind several fallen gammas.
"You're hurt."
"I'll live."
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"Keel. We have secured the bay and Nagisa and Kaji are on the carrier."
"Good. Stop the assault. Contact Ikari immediately."
Cain nodded and activated the large radio console on the deck of the aircraft carrier the invasion was calling home base. He lifted the receiver and held the button down.
"Shinji. Shinji come in. I think you know who this is."
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"Goddamnit."
"Shinji…answer it," Asuka said.
"I won't give up like this. I won't let it end this way."
"Shinji. Fuck your pride. We can't win this way. Answer it."
"Damnit."
"Ikari are you there?" Cain snarled through the radio.
"Yes I'm here."
"I think we both know that this isn't how it's supposed to end. Tell your friends to drop their weapons and run. They will not be followed."
"I can't do that."
"Fine will compromise. If you give yourself up right now they can come and watch what happens next."
"There's no way I can trust you."
"You don't have too. But if you don't Kaji and Nagisa will be killed in 1 hour. Can you kill them Shinji?"
Shinji turned off the radio and motioned for the other pilots to drop their weapons.
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Kowaru Nagisa heard the sound of a door opening and then felt the rush of cold as the rain hit his body. He could hear the guards speak.
"He said to take the blindfolds off."
Suddenly Kowaru Nagisa received the full view of his surroundings. He sat upon the long black runway of an aircraft carrier. Rain was falling in sheets and the ship was rocking from the storming ocean that surrounded it. He could see Tokyo-3 off in the distance, and the pilots of the unit series sitting on the other side of the massive carrier.
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"They're all here," Cain said.
"Finally…the impact will end. Perfection at last"
Keel turned and picked up the telephone receiver and began to order the launch. Cain drew his sword.
"What are you doing? This is it. All of the III are here! If they all die nothing can stop the Wraiths from completing the impact!"
"I'm sorry. But unfortunately I believe our opinions on perfection differ."
With one clean swing Cain relieved the former SEELEE chairman Keel's neck of the burden of supporting his head. Cain replaced his sword and picked up the dangling telephone receiver.
"Hello? Commander?"
"No this is Sub-commander Cain."
"Yes sir."
"What are the current launch coordinates?"
"The missile is to be fired directly at the hull of the super carrier independence sir."
"There's been a change of plans. I need you to reprogram the coordinates for the missile launch."
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"So what happens now?" Kensuke asked.
"I don't know. I suppose the Americans will either kill us or take us prisoner," Shinji said.
"Hello Iesous."
Cain emerged from a door to the side of where Shinji and the other sat on the runway."
"I should have known," Shinji said, "you were behind this from the beginning weren't you?"
Cain smiled.
"Well I wouldn't say from the beginning exactly…But for the parts that mattered."
"So what now. Kill Kowaru, Kaji and I?" Shinji said.
Cain seemed ignored Shinji's question, instead walking over to wear Asuka sat. Asuka lifter her head and stared into his eyes. Cain smiled again.
"It was fun while it lasted."
He broke his stare from Asuka and returned it to Shinji.
"No Shinji I'm not going to kill you III. You see, that would bring about the third impact. You see, what we are here to decide tonight is which part of you gets to possess this world. Me or you. There can only be one God. So we decide tonight."
"And you want us to kill the rest of the Wraiths."
"Wrong again my schizophrenic friend. It isn't your help I need, rather, its father's."
"What?"
"You heard me. Gendo gets to kill the third impact tonight."
"Your insane."
"Fraid' not. Remember that bomb that blew up Sacramento? Those bombs are made out of souls, human souls. Just like an eva. The one that blew up in California was constructed out of your friend Damon here's mother's soul."
Cain brought his face close to Damon Robinson's.
"Sorry about that. I'm sure she was a wonderful woman."
"You're gonna burn in hell you bastard."
Cain laughed.
"No, I don't think so. Turns out there is no such thing as hell…or heaven either for that matter. Yep, in fact the only peace that will ever be able to satisfy a creature so blatantly corrupt and disturbed as the human being is, well, death. Nothingness. Only in giving up all thought and feeling can we be at peace. A world of the dead. This is the world that I will rule."
Cain walked back towards Shinji.
"And in order to do that I have to kill the wraiths, and then of course I have to kill Shinji here. Oh, and I'm afraid that your friends will have to die along with you as well, though I wont be the one who is going to do that. No, that task is reserved for Yui. When the black moon goes she comes back, or rather, the true Unit-01 comes back."
Cain turned on his radio.
"Alright come out and untie them."
In seconds a group of soldiers emerged from the door.
"Good. Untie them all except the Japanese one with the scars. He stays here. Take the other ones back to their Evangelions."
"You're giving us our Eva's back?" Asuka asked with shock in her tone.
"But of course. I think it would be a little difficult to fight Unit-01 on your own don't you?"
"You bastard," Shinji said.
Cain glanced at his watch.
"Ten minutes until launch. Hurry it up."
"Yes sir," The guards said, the speed of their task visibly increasing.
Cain then pointed to the other end of the runway.
"The two on the other side. I want them loaded into Unit-04."
"Your unit sir?"
"That's correct."
Within moments the rest of the pilots were being shoved back through the door from where Cain had come. Asuka looked back toward the deck before the door closed.
"I love you."
Shinji nodded.
"Don't worry Asuka. We'll see each other again before the end."
She nodded back and the door slammed shut.
The wind howled and the rain seemed to intensify as it came crashing down on the nearly deserted runway.
"Looking for this?" Cain asked, opening his coat and revealing Shinji's sword. He tossed it to the third child. He then opened the other side of his coat and produced a long box. He opened it and carefully removed its content, grasping the Lance of Longinus in his right hand. The lance immediately extended itself to match the size of its user. Cain glanced at his pocket watch.
"There's still 2 minutes until launch. Think you can kill me before then?"
Shinji charged, swing his sword horizontally at Cain's face. He dodged, rolling to the right and jabbing at Shinji with his Lance. Shinji dove forward, sliding under Cain's legs. The two combatants now stood 10 feet from the other, their positions switched and their backs turned.
"One minute."
At the same moment both turned, swung, and locked their weapons together, Shinji's sword held fast between the middle and right prongs of the lance of Longinus. Suddenly Shinji noticed that a swarm of AT fields seemed to be approaching from the distance.
"You were smart to let all those American soldiers die before you stopped toying with everyone one," Shinji said with sarcasm and venom running through his words.
Cain smiled.
"You know me to well."
Shinji pulled back and the stalemate broke, sending both weapons into the right arms of their opponents.
"Ahh!" both yelled in unison as they fell to a knee holding their wounds. Shinji ignited his AT field around his body as the screaming hordes of disembodied souls rushed at his body.
"15 seconds."
"Goddamn you Cain."
"That's going to be a bit tough if both of us are already right here," he said, smiling as he cradled his arm wound. Suddenly a sound issued from the tanker so loud that Shinji thought his ear drums were about to burst. There were flames in the sky, and Shinji watched as the gigantic missile broke the atmosphere and plunged directly into the black moon.