Chapter 4
A Prophecy / Secret revealed
2 days have past since the Balrog attacked Tokyo-2
Loki sat quietly watching as Saturn continued to address the council.
"We have not yet completed our investigation." shouted Saturn. "We still believe Urd to be the culprit based on the evidence."
"Hang your evidence!" shouted Thor. "I still say Urd is innocent and that you are a fool!"
Mars stood up, "How dare you insult him!! I ought to take that stick you call a War hammer and ....." Mars said something that caused most of the gods present to blush. Loki raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"WHAT!!" Thor stood up. "You take that back!!"
"Make me Hammer boy!"
Thor jumped at Mars. The 2 proceeded to wrestle about in the council chamber. Kami-sama stared as 2 of his Class 0 Gods acted like children.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!!!" shouted Kami-sama. 2 thunder bolts slammed into Mars and Thor, knocking them back away from each other. Though apart, both glared at each other.
"We are here to discuss the situation surrounding the reactivated Evas and the events that have followed. Anything else DOES NOT BELONG HERE!" Kami-sama glared about the table. "Now....does anyone have anything to say that is CONSTRUCTIVE?"
"Sir."
Kami-sama turned and looked at Loki, "What?"
Loki stood and addressed the council. "I have said this before, but I will say it again. While there is evidence that Urd is guilty, it is still not damning. As a result of, other events, namely the unfortunate death of Goddess Rachel, and more recently the release of the Balrog upon the earth, I believe that Urd should be released. If she is working with Demons, they will surely try to contact her. Thus we should have her watched as closely as possible, without making it obvious."
"You would have her return to Yggdrasil as SysOp?" asked Anubis.
"Perhaps, but it might be better to send her down to the surface with her sisters. For they could watch her more closely then us."
Saturn frowned. "They believe her to be innocent. They will only see their sister, not a suspect. She should remain here!"
"I agree." said Athena.
Kami-sama sat back. "Goddess Urd will remain under house arrest."
Loki nodded and sat back down.
"Now....is there any other constructive comments?"
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A while later.
Kami-sama sat in his office. A giant book lay open on his desk. Peorth stepped inside.
"Not going well is it?" asked Peorth.
Kami-sama waved his hand.
"It will pass, it always does. It just takes a decade or so."
Peorth nodded, then glanced at the book.
"The Book of Ages? Why did you bring that out?"
Kami-sama turned and looked at Peorth.
"Not everything can be found in Yggdrasil. Sometimes you must look for things the hard way."
"But why the book?"
"It contains prophecies written by a God from long ago. Something about the events of this week reminded me of something I read once." Kami-sama scanned the pages for the next hour before he finally sat back.
"Peorth, read this passage."
Peorth walked over and read the lines.
"....And there will come a time when the past is questioned and the present falls into despair. The Heavens shall fall from grace and enter a time of darkness. But the future remains hopeful, for from the ashes of angels shall arise the guardians of heaven, who shall restore all to their rightful place."
Peorth looked at Kami-sama. "What does that all mean?"
"Prophecies never say what they mean directly, they must be interpreted."
"Meaning?"
Kami-sama just smiled, "We'll find out in time."
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"Doctor, the plug has been inserted."
Taltamir turned and looked at his assistant, "Very well, prepare for activation."
"Yes sir."
Inside the Test Cage, Unit 05 stood heavily locked down against the far wall.
"Board is clear, prepare to activate."
"Ready."
"Activate."
A loud hum filled the air. The Eva stood up straighter and looked much more alive. A voice came over the speakers.
"Unit 05, ready for orders."
Taltamir leaned towards a microphone. "Unit 05, raise your right arm."
The right arm on the Eva moved upward. "Requesting further instruction."
Taltamir turned and looked at his assistant.
"A little more work, and I think we have it."
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Sayoko walked along the street next to Rei.
"It feels good to be out!" said a very happy Sayoko.
"Was it really that bad?" asked Rei.
Sayoko glanced over at Rei. "Mom was hovering over me constantly. I couldn't lift a finger without her worrying about me. Enough of my Mom, I want to talk about that guy that was talking to you."
"I don't."
"Come on Rei, He was hitting on you!"
Rei blushed, "I...am not looking for a relationship right now."
"But he's so cute. And he's from Sweden! Unless you don't think he's good looking?"
Rei's blush got darker, "I....do not find him ...unattractive. Could we, move to another subject."
Sayoko gave Rei a huge smile and looked back up the street. She stopped in mid stride and her smile disappeared. Rei, who had continued walking looked back.
"What's wrong?"
Sayoko continued to watch the figure walking towards them. He made a turn and went into the train station. Sayoko moved quickly to follow. Rei ran after her. Sayoko arrived at the station and saw the man waiting for the train. Rei finally caught up to Sayoko out of breathe.
"What's....going....on?"
Sayoko pointed, "Look at that man."
Rei glanced at the man as he turned to look for the train. He had red markings on his face.
"A Demon?"
Sayoko nodded. The train started to pull into the station by then. Sayoko turned and looked at Rei.
"Go tell my Mother and my Aunt. I'm going to get on that train."
Rei shook her head. "No don't, its too dangerous. Besides, can't you talk to them from here?"
"I don't want to alert the Demon. Besides, I owe them." Sayoko quickly moved through the turnstiles and got on the train in the car just behind the Demons. The train quickly left leaving a very worried Rei.
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Sayoko watched the Demon from her car. There were many people between him and her, so he would be unable to see her. Plus all the people around her would make her harder to detect, while his evil aura acted like a homing beacon. After riding around for 15 minutes, the Demon stepped off at a stop that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The Demon walked out among the forested hills. Sayoko followed silently. He finally stopped in a clearing. Sayoko moved behind a bush and waited. The Demon looked about and then glanced at the sun, muttering quietly to himself. It was then Sayoko noticed a second person. A hooded figure stepped out into the clearing and walked towards the Demon.
"Draco."
"My Lord," said Draco, bowing slightly. "Why are we meeting out here?"
"It is far from civilization. Having a giant demon attack a city will make people jumpy. I trust your compatriots enjoyed the data I provided."
"Forgive me for doubting you. As we speak, 200 Demons are arming themselves. But.....they are still worried concerning the..."
"All will be ready at the appointed time. I have one more thing yet to accomplish before we can be ready to move."
"The Evas." Draco said quietly.
"Yes, I must leave and see to them." The robed figure started to turn away.
"My Lord, I must ask. Who are you truly, and why do you do this?"
"I do this for a friend of long ago. As to who I am....." the figure pulled back his hood revealing his face.
Sayoko let out an audible gasp of shock. Both figures turned and looked at the bush.
"Someone is here!"
Sayoko flashed into her battle outfit and jumped into the clearing. She looked at the robed man.
"How could you! We trusted you!"
She immediately turned and flew skyward.
Draco started to fly after her, but was stopped by the other.
"I will deal with her."
He pulled his hood back over his head and flew off in pursuit.
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'How could he? How could he? I trusted him! We all trusted him!" thought Sayoko over and over.
* MOTHER!! * she called out.
* She cannot hear you. I have blocked out all others. Please Sayoko, listen to what I must say. *
Sayoko glanced behind her and saw the man in pursuit. * NO!! I won't TRAITOR! *
* I am truly sorry then for what I must do. *
Sayoko looked back just in time to see the force bolt heading towards her. She just barely avoided it.
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Misato and Asuka sat in the Command room testing out new Eva strategies with Aoba and Hyuga, when an alarm went off.
"We have 2 inbound targets coming in from the north at high speed!" shouted Aoba.
"NORN identifies 2, I repeat 2 Type Purple patterns" said Hyuga. Asuka and Misato glanced at each other.
"Are they in camera range?" asked Misato.
" I think observatory 3 is within range." Aoba began to flip switches. On the screen, the view changed from radar to a camera shot of the 2 targets. Small flashes of light could be seen flying at the first object.
"What the hell?" asked Asuka. "Can you zoom in?"
"I'll try." said Aoba. The picture moved in until the colors of the first target could be seen.
"It's Sayoko!" shouted Asuka.
"What about the second target?" asked Misato. The view changed to reveal a figure in a dark robe, the face could not be seen. The figure raised his hands and sent another ball of light towards Sayoko. The camera panned, following the shot. It just barely missed Sayoko.
"Do we have any AA weapons nearby?" asked Misato.
"They'll be in range in about 2 minutes!" said Hyuga.
"Have them lock onto the second target."
"Yes Ma'am."
Misato glanced over at Asuka who was heading towards the nearest phone. She quickly dialed a number. Misato turned back to the screen.
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Sayoko kept trying to evade the attacks, but she was quickly running out of options. She needed to get her Mother's attention as well as her Aunt's. Sayoko looked about, trying to find something to distract the man so she could get away.
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"One minute to Lock On." shouted Aoba.
Misato stared at the screen as Asuka joined her.
'Come on Sayoko. Just a bit farther...'
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'Enough of this playing' thought the robed figure. He concentrated all his energy and sent a brightly lit force ball hurtling at the fleeing Goddess.
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Sayoko could feel something powerful coming her way. She hazarded a glance back to see where it was. Her eyes widened in horror.
'Momma...forgive me...'
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Rei was still running towards the Goddess's apartment went she felt something, like something had been ripped from her. Rei stumbled and fell to the sidewalk.
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Misato and Asuka watched in horror as the glowing ball intercepted Sayoko. A small flash of blue appeared as Sayoko tried to block it. An explosion lit up the screen, blanking it out for a second. When the screen came back up, a massive fireball was seen in the sky. An object fell from the fireball, trailing smoke as it tumbled towards the ground.
Hyuga stared at his display before reporting, "NORN can only detect one Type Purple source. The other has gone silent."
"SECOND TARGET IN RANGE!!" shouted Aoba.
"Fire....everything we got." said Misato, sounding very angry. "Take that basterd down!"
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The robed figure watched as the fireball dissipated. He no longer felt the prescience of his quarry.
'I am sorry. I hope you will forgive me.' The figure turned to leave when he saw bright flashes coming from below.
'Foolish mortals.' The figure thought before vanishing.
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"Target has vanished." reported Hyuga.
Misato stared at the screen, a dark smudge still floated in the sky. Asuka fought back tears.
"Did....did you track....." Asuka could not finish her sentence.
Aoba handed her a piece of paper. "Here are the coordinates." He said quietly.
Asuka took the paper and immediately left the room. Misato stared at the screen a bit longer before following.
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Rei saw a fireball in the distance. She had a feeling of dread as she continued to watch it. It was then someone called out to her.
"REI!"
Rei looked over to see Skuld running towards her. Rei tried to stand up, but her knee lit up in pain. She glanced down to see that she had badly scraped it along the cement. Skuld was next to her in a second.
"Skuld...Sayoko needs...." started Rei. Skuld stopped her.
"Asuka called. Sayoko is being chased by a Demon. We're heading to UN Headquarters right now."
Rei tried to stand up, but fell back down. Skuld quickly helped Rei up.
"Hold on." Skuld leaped into a near by puddle, taking Rei with her. They reappeared near UN Headquarters. Skuld helped a limping Rei towards the front door when Asuka burst out, heading toward a nearby VTOL pad.
"Asuka!" Asuka stopped and looked at Skuld. Asuka was on the verge of tears.
"Asuka, What's happened?" asked Skuld. Asuka was unable to answer. She turned and ran to the VTOL. Misato came out followed by Ritsuko, Belldandy and Keiichi. Belldandy had a haunted look on her face as she hung onto Keiichi. Skuld started to get worried.
"Sis?
Belldandy didn't say a word. Wings sprouted out of her back and she took off toward the coordinates. Skuld watched surprised. Keiichi immediately looked at Skuld.
"Skuld, go with her." Skuld nodded and sprouted her wings. She took off in hot pursuit of Belldandy.
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After several minutes the VTOL landed near the coordinates. Everyone on board exited and headed to the site. Upon arriving, the mortals stared in shock as Blessed Bell flew about over the area. Next to her, Noble Scarlet also flew about. Belldandy sat on a rock, watching the Angels flutter about quietly. Skuld was nowhere to be seen. Misato turned to Ritsuko, Asuka and Rei.
"Look around carefully. If you see anything......" The sound of rustling in the bushes stopped her from talking. Skuld stepped out. Belldandy stared at Skuld as she approached her. Skuld shook her head.
"I haven't found anything." She said quietly. A soft fluttering noise distracted her. She looked over to see Noble Scarlet. The Angel was very unhappy.
"What is it?" asked Skuld. Scarlet floated down in front of Belldandy. The Angel took Belldandy's hand and placed something in it. The Angel then flew back to Skuld and vanished. Belldandy stared long and hard at the object.
"No." She said quietly. Tears began to fall from her eyes as Belldandy fell from the rock and onto the ground sobbing.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" she screamed. Keiichi bent down next to her to see what was in her hand.
Clutched tightly in her hand was a scorched chain, at the end of the chain was the ring he had given Belldandy that first Christmas. The last time he had seen it, it was around his Daughter's neck.
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A Prophecy / Secret revealed
2 days have past since the Balrog attacked Tokyo-2
Loki sat quietly watching as Saturn continued to address the council.
"We have not yet completed our investigation." shouted Saturn. "We still believe Urd to be the culprit based on the evidence."
"Hang your evidence!" shouted Thor. "I still say Urd is innocent and that you are a fool!"
Mars stood up, "How dare you insult him!! I ought to take that stick you call a War hammer and ....." Mars said something that caused most of the gods present to blush. Loki raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"WHAT!!" Thor stood up. "You take that back!!"
"Make me Hammer boy!"
Thor jumped at Mars. The 2 proceeded to wrestle about in the council chamber. Kami-sama stared as 2 of his Class 0 Gods acted like children.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!!!" shouted Kami-sama. 2 thunder bolts slammed into Mars and Thor, knocking them back away from each other. Though apart, both glared at each other.
"We are here to discuss the situation surrounding the reactivated Evas and the events that have followed. Anything else DOES NOT BELONG HERE!" Kami-sama glared about the table. "Now....does anyone have anything to say that is CONSTRUCTIVE?"
"Sir."
Kami-sama turned and looked at Loki, "What?"
Loki stood and addressed the council. "I have said this before, but I will say it again. While there is evidence that Urd is guilty, it is still not damning. As a result of, other events, namely the unfortunate death of Goddess Rachel, and more recently the release of the Balrog upon the earth, I believe that Urd should be released. If she is working with Demons, they will surely try to contact her. Thus we should have her watched as closely as possible, without making it obvious."
"You would have her return to Yggdrasil as SysOp?" asked Anubis.
"Perhaps, but it might be better to send her down to the surface with her sisters. For they could watch her more closely then us."
Saturn frowned. "They believe her to be innocent. They will only see their sister, not a suspect. She should remain here!"
"I agree." said Athena.
Kami-sama sat back. "Goddess Urd will remain under house arrest."
Loki nodded and sat back down.
"Now....is there any other constructive comments?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A while later.
Kami-sama sat in his office. A giant book lay open on his desk. Peorth stepped inside.
"Not going well is it?" asked Peorth.
Kami-sama waved his hand.
"It will pass, it always does. It just takes a decade or so."
Peorth nodded, then glanced at the book.
"The Book of Ages? Why did you bring that out?"
Kami-sama turned and looked at Peorth.
"Not everything can be found in Yggdrasil. Sometimes you must look for things the hard way."
"But why the book?"
"It contains prophecies written by a God from long ago. Something about the events of this week reminded me of something I read once." Kami-sama scanned the pages for the next hour before he finally sat back.
"Peorth, read this passage."
Peorth walked over and read the lines.
"....And there will come a time when the past is questioned and the present falls into despair. The Heavens shall fall from grace and enter a time of darkness. But the future remains hopeful, for from the ashes of angels shall arise the guardians of heaven, who shall restore all to their rightful place."
Peorth looked at Kami-sama. "What does that all mean?"
"Prophecies never say what they mean directly, they must be interpreted."
"Meaning?"
Kami-sama just smiled, "We'll find out in time."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Doctor, the plug has been inserted."
Taltamir turned and looked at his assistant, "Very well, prepare for activation."
"Yes sir."
Inside the Test Cage, Unit 05 stood heavily locked down against the far wall.
"Board is clear, prepare to activate."
"Ready."
"Activate."
A loud hum filled the air. The Eva stood up straighter and looked much more alive. A voice came over the speakers.
"Unit 05, ready for orders."
Taltamir leaned towards a microphone. "Unit 05, raise your right arm."
The right arm on the Eva moved upward. "Requesting further instruction."
Taltamir turned and looked at his assistant.
"A little more work, and I think we have it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sayoko walked along the street next to Rei.
"It feels good to be out!" said a very happy Sayoko.
"Was it really that bad?" asked Rei.
Sayoko glanced over at Rei. "Mom was hovering over me constantly. I couldn't lift a finger without her worrying about me. Enough of my Mom, I want to talk about that guy that was talking to you."
"I don't."
"Come on Rei, He was hitting on you!"
Rei blushed, "I...am not looking for a relationship right now."
"But he's so cute. And he's from Sweden! Unless you don't think he's good looking?"
Rei's blush got darker, "I....do not find him ...unattractive. Could we, move to another subject."
Sayoko gave Rei a huge smile and looked back up the street. She stopped in mid stride and her smile disappeared. Rei, who had continued walking looked back.
"What's wrong?"
Sayoko continued to watch the figure walking towards them. He made a turn and went into the train station. Sayoko moved quickly to follow. Rei ran after her. Sayoko arrived at the station and saw the man waiting for the train. Rei finally caught up to Sayoko out of breathe.
"What's....going....on?"
Sayoko pointed, "Look at that man."
Rei glanced at the man as he turned to look for the train. He had red markings on his face.
"A Demon?"
Sayoko nodded. The train started to pull into the station by then. Sayoko turned and looked at Rei.
"Go tell my Mother and my Aunt. I'm going to get on that train."
Rei shook her head. "No don't, its too dangerous. Besides, can't you talk to them from here?"
"I don't want to alert the Demon. Besides, I owe them." Sayoko quickly moved through the turnstiles and got on the train in the car just behind the Demons. The train quickly left leaving a very worried Rei.
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Sayoko watched the Demon from her car. There were many people between him and her, so he would be unable to see her. Plus all the people around her would make her harder to detect, while his evil aura acted like a homing beacon. After riding around for 15 minutes, the Demon stepped off at a stop that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The Demon walked out among the forested hills. Sayoko followed silently. He finally stopped in a clearing. Sayoko moved behind a bush and waited. The Demon looked about and then glanced at the sun, muttering quietly to himself. It was then Sayoko noticed a second person. A hooded figure stepped out into the clearing and walked towards the Demon.
"Draco."
"My Lord," said Draco, bowing slightly. "Why are we meeting out here?"
"It is far from civilization. Having a giant demon attack a city will make people jumpy. I trust your compatriots enjoyed the data I provided."
"Forgive me for doubting you. As we speak, 200 Demons are arming themselves. But.....they are still worried concerning the..."
"All will be ready at the appointed time. I have one more thing yet to accomplish before we can be ready to move."
"The Evas." Draco said quietly.
"Yes, I must leave and see to them." The robed figure started to turn away.
"My Lord, I must ask. Who are you truly, and why do you do this?"
"I do this for a friend of long ago. As to who I am....." the figure pulled back his hood revealing his face.
Sayoko let out an audible gasp of shock. Both figures turned and looked at the bush.
"Someone is here!"
Sayoko flashed into her battle outfit and jumped into the clearing. She looked at the robed man.
"How could you! We trusted you!"
She immediately turned and flew skyward.
Draco started to fly after her, but was stopped by the other.
"I will deal with her."
He pulled his hood back over his head and flew off in pursuit.
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'How could he? How could he? I trusted him! We all trusted him!" thought Sayoko over and over.
* MOTHER!! * she called out.
* She cannot hear you. I have blocked out all others. Please Sayoko, listen to what I must say. *
Sayoko glanced behind her and saw the man in pursuit. * NO!! I won't TRAITOR! *
* I am truly sorry then for what I must do. *
Sayoko looked back just in time to see the force bolt heading towards her. She just barely avoided it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misato and Asuka sat in the Command room testing out new Eva strategies with Aoba and Hyuga, when an alarm went off.
"We have 2 inbound targets coming in from the north at high speed!" shouted Aoba.
"NORN identifies 2, I repeat 2 Type Purple patterns" said Hyuga. Asuka and Misato glanced at each other.
"Are they in camera range?" asked Misato.
" I think observatory 3 is within range." Aoba began to flip switches. On the screen, the view changed from radar to a camera shot of the 2 targets. Small flashes of light could be seen flying at the first object.
"What the hell?" asked Asuka. "Can you zoom in?"
"I'll try." said Aoba. The picture moved in until the colors of the first target could be seen.
"It's Sayoko!" shouted Asuka.
"What about the second target?" asked Misato. The view changed to reveal a figure in a dark robe, the face could not be seen. The figure raised his hands and sent another ball of light towards Sayoko. The camera panned, following the shot. It just barely missed Sayoko.
"Do we have any AA weapons nearby?" asked Misato.
"They'll be in range in about 2 minutes!" said Hyuga.
"Have them lock onto the second target."
"Yes Ma'am."
Misato glanced over at Asuka who was heading towards the nearest phone. She quickly dialed a number. Misato turned back to the screen.
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Sayoko kept trying to evade the attacks, but she was quickly running out of options. She needed to get her Mother's attention as well as her Aunt's. Sayoko looked about, trying to find something to distract the man so she could get away.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One minute to Lock On." shouted Aoba.
Misato stared at the screen as Asuka joined her.
'Come on Sayoko. Just a bit farther...'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Enough of this playing' thought the robed figure. He concentrated all his energy and sent a brightly lit force ball hurtling at the fleeing Goddess.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sayoko could feel something powerful coming her way. She hazarded a glance back to see where it was. Her eyes widened in horror.
'Momma...forgive me...'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei was still running towards the Goddess's apartment went she felt something, like something had been ripped from her. Rei stumbled and fell to the sidewalk.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misato and Asuka watched in horror as the glowing ball intercepted Sayoko. A small flash of blue appeared as Sayoko tried to block it. An explosion lit up the screen, blanking it out for a second. When the screen came back up, a massive fireball was seen in the sky. An object fell from the fireball, trailing smoke as it tumbled towards the ground.
Hyuga stared at his display before reporting, "NORN can only detect one Type Purple source. The other has gone silent."
"SECOND TARGET IN RANGE!!" shouted Aoba.
"Fire....everything we got." said Misato, sounding very angry. "Take that basterd down!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The robed figure watched as the fireball dissipated. He no longer felt the prescience of his quarry.
'I am sorry. I hope you will forgive me.' The figure turned to leave when he saw bright flashes coming from below.
'Foolish mortals.' The figure thought before vanishing.
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"Target has vanished." reported Hyuga.
Misato stared at the screen, a dark smudge still floated in the sky. Asuka fought back tears.
"Did....did you track....." Asuka could not finish her sentence.
Aoba handed her a piece of paper. "Here are the coordinates." He said quietly.
Asuka took the paper and immediately left the room. Misato stared at the screen a bit longer before following.
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Rei saw a fireball in the distance. She had a feeling of dread as she continued to watch it. It was then someone called out to her.
"REI!"
Rei looked over to see Skuld running towards her. Rei tried to stand up, but her knee lit up in pain. She glanced down to see that she had badly scraped it along the cement. Skuld was next to her in a second.
"Skuld...Sayoko needs...." started Rei. Skuld stopped her.
"Asuka called. Sayoko is being chased by a Demon. We're heading to UN Headquarters right now."
Rei tried to stand up, but fell back down. Skuld quickly helped Rei up.
"Hold on." Skuld leaped into a near by puddle, taking Rei with her. They reappeared near UN Headquarters. Skuld helped a limping Rei towards the front door when Asuka burst out, heading toward a nearby VTOL pad.
"Asuka!" Asuka stopped and looked at Skuld. Asuka was on the verge of tears.
"Asuka, What's happened?" asked Skuld. Asuka was unable to answer. She turned and ran to the VTOL. Misato came out followed by Ritsuko, Belldandy and Keiichi. Belldandy had a haunted look on her face as she hung onto Keiichi. Skuld started to get worried.
"Sis?
Belldandy didn't say a word. Wings sprouted out of her back and she took off toward the coordinates. Skuld watched surprised. Keiichi immediately looked at Skuld.
"Skuld, go with her." Skuld nodded and sprouted her wings. She took off in hot pursuit of Belldandy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After several minutes the VTOL landed near the coordinates. Everyone on board exited and headed to the site. Upon arriving, the mortals stared in shock as Blessed Bell flew about over the area. Next to her, Noble Scarlet also flew about. Belldandy sat on a rock, watching the Angels flutter about quietly. Skuld was nowhere to be seen. Misato turned to Ritsuko, Asuka and Rei.
"Look around carefully. If you see anything......" The sound of rustling in the bushes stopped her from talking. Skuld stepped out. Belldandy stared at Skuld as she approached her. Skuld shook her head.
"I haven't found anything." She said quietly. A soft fluttering noise distracted her. She looked over to see Noble Scarlet. The Angel was very unhappy.
"What is it?" asked Skuld. Scarlet floated down in front of Belldandy. The Angel took Belldandy's hand and placed something in it. The Angel then flew back to Skuld and vanished. Belldandy stared long and hard at the object.
"No." She said quietly. Tears began to fall from her eyes as Belldandy fell from the rock and onto the ground sobbing.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" she screamed. Keiichi bent down next to her to see what was in her hand.
Clutched tightly in her hand was a scorched chain, at the end of the chain was the ring he had given Belldandy that first Christmas. The last time he had seen it, it was around his Daughter's neck.
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