*****************
Shinji was inside a car, one of the Transformers whose name he had forgotten in his period of rage. This rage though was that kind that smouldered and bubbled and when the time was right it erupted in a great geyser of emotion and possible violence. Shinji arrived at the Nerv gates and demanded to be let in; the guards, not wanting to mess with the Transformers or for some reason the boy himself, let him in.
"Thank you" Shinji said flatly
He made his way to the medical wing: he knew his way to that place off by heart since he'd been in it enough times. He stopped at the nurse's desk and asked where his father was: she told him what room Gendo was staying in and Shinji thanked her in a monotone voice and continued on his way. As his rage grew, more symbols began appearing on his body, most of them were covered by his plug suit but the ones around his head and neck were clearly visible.
"So here you are" Shinji said as he entered the room; it was dark but Gendo was awake, Shinji knew he was
"Who's there?" Gendo asked
"You don't recognise me, strangely fitting really, you never wanted to know me anyway so it stands to reason over time you'd forget me" Shinji's glowing third eye symbol appeared and it was the only thing Gendo could see
"I don't know what you're talking about" Gendo was pressing the nurse call button
Shinji squinted at it and made is spark and smoke. Gendo was now very afraid of this person who he didn't seem to recognise. Shinji got right into Gendo's face and this time he spoke in a calmer, although more dangerous voice and slower too, so as to allow Gendo time to absorb every word.
"You set a trap, this trap killed an innocent 14 year old girl, someone I loved: her name was Rei Ayanami, and you, murdered her" Shinji spat
Shinji scanned Gendo's surface thoughts and one thing kept coming up at regular intervals: Dummy Plug. With his mind working sharper than ever, Shinji delved deeper into his father's thoughts and he found the one major function of the Dummy Plug; its ability to revive Rei in the course of an fatal accident. Spurred to a thinking halt he withdrew and pondered the ideas forming in his head. Without warning Ritsuko, Misato and Rumble and Frenzy burst through the door as Shinji went back to work
"Shinji, stop this now" Misato pleaded, knowing if Shinji was capable of killing an Angel with his thoughts, killing Gendo would be like swatting a fly
"I must find out more about this Dummy System" he said
"Shinji, I know how the Dummy System works; we can revive Rei no problem just leave your father alone" Ritsuko may hate the man but what Shinji was liable to do to him was subhuman
"It won't work without my password" Gendo muttered, finally he recognised his son
"You won't even have her back" Gendo tried to nail the lid shut on Shinji
"The you will tell us this password or else" Shinji threatened
"What, what can you do to me?" Gendo mocked
"I will enter your head and take the password from you by force and leave you a vegetable capable of nothing other than drooling on a bib" Shinji gave his father a quick mental jolt to make sure the man knew he wasn't kidding
"You don't have the stoma-AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH" Gendo's pain filled wail filled the room as Shinji basically ripped through his synapses to find the information
"Tell me the password, now, all of it" Shinji hissed and increased his mental assault
[Shinji, stop] a gentle voice filled his ears
"What, who said that?" Shinji asked
Then the last part of his powers came into play: Second Sight is the ability to see things that others can't; this can include lost or wondering souls. And since Rei Ayanami was drawn to this place when she was dead, she was able to appear in front of Shinji. Shinji could see her; she seemed as real as the bed beside him.
"Rei?" Shinji asked, although it appeared he was talking to nothing
[No, I am her soul made manifest in this place; please stop this] she asked
"Why, he planned your murder and is responsible for the murder of god knows how many others" Shinji's concentration however was divided so Gendo was granted some small reprieve
[Indeed he did, but you are better than he is Shinji, please, do not reduce yourself to being like him to get revenge for the death of a loved one: that is what he chose to do] Rei paused and looked at the pitiful figure of Gendo, although he could not see her
[Look where it has brought him, to ruin and nothingness. You stand at the same crossroads as he did, don't walk the same path as him. Release him] Rei pleaded her case
Rei would probably never know how much of an effect she had on Shinji: right now he stood on the very brink of either falling into darkness like his father before him or going a different path. Rei's soul moved behind him and she gently took hold of the hand he was using to demonstrate what he was doing to his father and she gently pried it open
[Come on, come back now; he's not worth it, he's not worth anything] Rei said and finally Shinji let go, and his father fell back to normal and would suffer nothing more than a headache and some nightmares
Shinji looked at his father and for reasons unknown to all but two people, Shinji broke down and cried because he also realised that he nearly became what he beheld and abused the powers Dark Prime gave him so that he could help himself and his friends in the time ahead. Rumble and Frenzy came and got Shinji and took him back to the Stronghold: he needed to recover.
"You know, for a brief second there, I almost feel sorry from him after what Shinji just did" Misato said
"But?" Ritsuko asked
"I remembered that Shinji was right, Gendo didn't just get Rei killed through callous actions; he set a trap to murder her in front of us all, he planned it. That's when my pity disappears" Misato said
"Come on; let's see about reviving Rei, if I'm right then without her Shinji is a powder keg about to go boom" Ritsuko sighed and led Misato to the depths of Nerv
They walked through corridor after corridor and down a long lift shaft: finally they entered the area known as Terminal Dogma, Ritsuko turned to Misato before opening the area. She warned her of terrible things lying behind this door, things that would possibly haunt her for the rest of her life
"We've seen too much already, any more is just redundant" Misato said and prompted her to open the door
Little did either of them know that Death Strike and Raid had followed them: Rei was their ward and when they found out she could be revived; they stuck to Ritsuko and Misato like white on rice. So far they'd seen nothing of note. But as they continued to follow the pair through the organisation's depths, their optics began to see things that he thought only existed in the darkest of minds or the deepest dungeons of tyrants. When they arrived at the room of Gauf, they were horrified
"By Primus what devil made these?" Raid asked
"Ritsuko, what is this place?" Misato asked
"The most shameful of Nerv's secrets Misato, the most shameful of its secrets" was her only reply
Death Strike fired up his biological scanners and made a DNA scan of every clone in the tanks surrounding the room: over 100 of them were in there; to his relief, every one of them checked out to Dark Prime's specifications: 50% Angel and 50% synthetic mass. Still, this place wasn't just shameful it was unholy. Growling, he and Raid deactivated their camouflage and became visible
"What kind of people are you; that you would simply try and create life as if you were God?" Death Strike asked
"Foolish ones, Death Strike we are foolish ones" Misato muttered
"How long until Rei is revived?" Raid asked
"A few seconds: here we go" Ritsuko entered the password Gendo thought only he knew and the computer came up with a prompt
'Do you wish to dump all memory for current unit? Y/N
N'
Ritsuko tried to keep as much of Rei's memory intact as she could; but she lost a bit of it, most of it was before they went to Yoko Beach so it wasn't a great loss; the memories from the last 2 days however were a total black to the girl. Ritsuko made sure the new Rei was ready and let her out of the tank, quickly covering her with her ankle length lab coat.
"Dr. Akagi, where is Shinji, I have to stop him from doing something foolish" evidently Rei had something to do with Shinji's surrender at Gendo's bedside
"Shinji's gone now, he's back at the Stronghold by now, no doubt Raid and Death Strike will take you there" she said, soothing the girl's fears
"Raid: you will escort Rei and our other two friends back to the Stronghold: I have arranged for Ultra Magnus to meet you top side to get you out of the city" Death Strike said
"And what are you doing?" Raid asked
Death Strike declined to reply and drew his weapon and primed it. Raid knew exactly what was going to happen and made sure Rei and the others were well out of that room before Death Strike started his little temper. Now alone in the eerie orange glow of the Gauf chamber, Death Strike fired his weapon first at the Dummy Plug device, one hit from his plasma rifle enough to nearly melt it. Then he turned his attention to the clones: he placed his weapon away and got a small Energon grenade out.
"Primus take these poor husks with you into the next life and give their souls should they have any everlasting peace" he uttered a small prayer and punched a hole in the top part of the tank, pulled the pin and shoved the grenade in and high tailed it out of the Room of Gauf
********************
Asuka was in her quarters, with Starscream. For the past hour she had done everything from scream at him to hug him. Starscream knew that Asuka was in turmoil so he took what came in his stride, although without the aid of his Cybertanium body taking any physical blow was a bit more painful than he would like. Fortunately the synthetic that Wheeljack had made his body from was a material like Cybertanium only somewhat more flexible and soft. They were sitting on Asuka's bed at the moment
"So, how did they do this?" Asuka finally asked
"They build a totally machine like skeleton; my spark is placed inside it and then I am given synthetic organs, blood and skin" he explained the basics
"How to you feel things like hot and cold?" Asuka's curiosity was deepening
"Nanobots in my skeletal structure create all the nerve endings to my CPU and AI so I can feel pain, pleasure, hot cold that sort of thing" he revealed some of the more advanced technology in his body
Asuka reached out and felt Starscream's cheek; it was warm and smooth, like any other human she'd met. Again Asuka's eyes went moist with tears and she embraced Starscream with a grip that would not lessen till the sun itself would grow cold. Asuka let the defences fall; she didn't care anymore because she had him back.
"I missed you" she sobbed
"I missed you too" Starscream replied, and then with as much courage as he dared, kissed the top of Asuka's head
[Did, Starscream just kiss me?] Asuka wondered and looked up at him; her big blue doe eyes melted him on the spot
"Sorry, I just-" Starscream was suddenly pinned to the bed by Asuka and could no longer speak due to the soft pair of lips over his own
Asuka soon fell asleep in Starscream's arms; she was tired and worn out and hadn't had a good night's sleep in 3 days. Starscream was still awake; he smiled at Asuka's sleeping form and stroked her hair softly. Sighing he pulled a light sheet over them both and went into hibernation mode: Wheeljack hadn't him any old body: advanced sensors, strength akin to his old form and unnatural speed and reflexes. Anything came through that door uninvited was going to leave feet first.
******************
Shinji woke up in his quarters a few hours later feeling the sickest he'd ever felt in his short life. His head throbbed and his stomach was empty so he felt like throwing up. Groaning like an old car he tried to get up but a soft hand forced him back down, in his condition though it wasn't very difficult.
"You should rest; your body has been under great strain, to say nothing of you mind" a soft and familiar voice whispered
"Rei, is that you?" Shinji asked, trying to touch her to prove he wasn't dreaming
"Yes it's me, now please rest now: you will need your strength" Rei smiled but spoke firmly
"Okay" Shinji relented and lay back down
Rei got up and left the room; outside were Misato and Ritsuko. Rei asked what was going to happen to Shinji in light of his actions a few hours ago. Misato said that there wasn't much they could do about since Shinji was thinking so far removed from normal that they'd sooner just forget about it and just hope Shinji didn't fall into a depressive state.
"Death Strike; I want you to take me to Nerv" Rei said to the smaller Dinobot
"Okay" Death Strike transformed into his Velociraptor form; Rei climbed on top of him and settled on his back
"Why are you going to Nerv?" Ritsuko asked
"Some unfinished business" Rei answered as Death Strike bolted down the hallway
"What do you think she's going to do?" Misato asked
"I'm not sure; but there really isn't much we can do about it" Ritsuko checked her watch
"Got a hot date?" Misato asked
"You could say that; I'm meeting Kouzou for dinner in an hour; you?" Ritsuko returned
"I don't know; Kaji said something about making me dinner at his place, I'm a bit worried though" Misato said
"His cooking can't be any worse than yours" Ritsuko took her parting shot as she trundled to her room for a quick shower and to get changed
"Hardly" Misato said sarcastically and gave Ritsuko a raspberry
******************
Rei enjoyed riding on Death Strike's back; it was fun and made her feel alive. The people of Tokyo 3 long used to peculiar sights and events still looked twice if they saw them, but figured that it was best not to ask or intervene. Rei dismounted from her 'steed' and demanded to be let in. At first the guards refused but Death Strike merely snarled at him: it was incentive enough for them to open the doors.
"Thank you; come on Death Strike" Rei instructed
"As you wish" Death Strike took on a rather nightly pose and followed Rei as if she were a queen and he her bodyguard: which wasn't far from the truth
[What is she planning?] Death Strike wondered as they transverse the corridors to the hospital wing.
"Commander Gendo Ikari's room" Rei demanded
The nurse would have argued, but the 7 foot, gun carrying metal company with the girl wasn't worth the probable pain he'd receive from a refusal. So trusting on God or the Great Pumpkin King he directed Rei to Gendo's room. With a curt nod from here and slightly mad grin from the robot, the pair departed in the right direction. Rei entered the room and saw Gendo was in better shape than she thought he would be.
"Rei, how did you, never mind. Are you okay?" he asked
"Yes" Rei decided to play along a little
"Good; don't worry, I still have influence in Nerv and shall be back in control soon" he reassured her
"Good" she nearly choked on the words
"Your purpose will soon be fulfilled; then you shall know peace" Gendo was either leading her on, or had grown severely stupid
"I already know peace: it exists in your son's arms" Rei decided to drop the act of compliance
"What?" Gendo wasn't sure he heard right
"You've failed: you're scenario is defeated, Commander Ikari" Rei said and got up to leave
Gendo grabbed Rei's arm, the surprise was such that she uttered a screech and although she hadn't meant to, caused Death Strike to burst in, weapon drawn and primed for firing. Gendo froze as he realised what was point at him. A small blue dot appeared on his head.
"That little light is where this large bolt of plasma will end up if you don't let her go" Death Strike said grimly
Gendo let Rei go very slowly and carefully. But he still yelled at her that she was his creation, his puppet: his doll. That last word hit Rei like a slap in the face, so in a rage totally uncharacteristic of the girl, she decided to reciprocate the gesture and slapped Gendo Ikari hard across the face.
"I am NOT a doll, least of all, YOUR doll" she hissed and walked out: Gendo reached for something
"Do it mother fucker, give me the excuse I need to waste your ass" Death Strike said
"I thought you didn't kill humans" Gendo taunted
"You'd be surprised what you're able to live through" the robot said
Death Strike made a quick adjustment to the rifle's settings and moved the targeting sight down to just below Gendo's left bicep and squeezed the trigger. The adjustment was a narrowing of the rifle's output beam so instead of a massive bolt that could of blown up half the room, it was a fine beam that cut through Gendo's arm like a knife does butter; Death Strike walked up to Gendo and handed over the severed appendage to the man, who was going into shock.
"You may need a hand with this problem" he quipped and left the man to his pain; Rei asked him a question as he passed her
"What is wrong with commander Ikari now?" she asked
"Sore arm" Death Strike replied with a smirk
**********************
Optimus Prime sat in his office: he had spent the last few hours coming do a difficult decision but it had to be made: with a grim sigh he called a meeting of all top level personnel. He walked slowly to the council chambers deep inside Fortress Maximus and by the time he arrived from the central spire; all the people he asked for were here: including Kensuke, Hikari and Toji. Optimus sat and began to speak
"The Angels are nearly defeated, of this we are sure. However, another great evil shall soon be upon us" he began
"What are you talking about?" Fuyutski asked
"The Angels have been more powerful than they should have been the past 4 attacks: the reason behind this was known to 5 people, possibly 6. Unicron is coming" Optimus dropped the bombshell
"Who is Unicron?" Misato enquired
"Unicron is a planet sized Transformer who was created at the beginning of their history; his power is nearly infinite and his size unimaginable. He is able to devour whole planets as his energy source" Shinji told them this, confirming Optimus's theory on Dark Prime telling him about it
"What, how can such a beast exist?" Hikari cried
"We don't know: all we know is that he will be coming here; we are prepared as best we can for him: he fears one thing; and one thing alone" Megatron added
"What is that thing?" Asuka demanded
"Show them" Magnus said
Optimus Prime opened his chest compartment: in the centre they saw another panel that clearly covered something important within the leader's body. The panel flipped up and bathed the room in light, a soft blue light. Optimus removed the item: it was a crystal looking solid within a gold circular case with long handles on either side; clearly it was meant to be opened.
"This is the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, a mantle of power, responsibility and wisdom among my kind: it is a source of pure good energy, in contra to the pure evil that is Unicron" Optimus explained and replaced the Matrix
"Is that the only thing able to defeat him?" Shinji asked
"A long time ago I would have said yes, but now a different method is required: there is an ancient prophecy on our world that said if we did not protect the humans from the Angels, both they and us would die out" Optimus began recounting the legend
"To defeat him this time, we need 4 things: the body, the soul, the power, the blade. We have the power, as of yet I am unable to identify the other three, but rest assured I will" Optimus was lying though
He allowed this information to sink in before telling everyone to take their leave and do what they thought needed to be done; for war would soon be upon them and it would be a fight to the death, whether they wanted it or not. Before he left, Optimus stopped Shinji and asked to speak with him in private.
"I was lying before: I do think I have identified the other pieces of this puzzle, one of them at least" Optimus said
"Oh, why didn't you mention it?" he asked
"Because I wasn't sure of it till I saw how you defeated that Angel: the soul part of this prophecy is standing in front of me" Optimus explained
"ME!" Shinji cried in disbelief; then he remembered a conversation he had with Dark Prime, while inside Dark Eva
**********Flashback*************
"Unicron, what in gods name is that?" Shinji asked
"A planet that transforms into a robot. His power is nearly infinite and he fears one thing" Dark Prime told Shinji of Unicron
"What does he fear?" Shinji imagined a giant robot of great power
"Technically speaking, he fears you" Dark Prime wished he had a camera to record the look on Shinji's face at that moment
********End Flashback************
"Wait, I get it now" Shinji said
"Get what?" Optimus was confused
"The power is the Matrix, as you said I am the soul and the body is Dark Eva, but what's the blade?" Shinji explained
"I think I know that part" Optimus grinned and whispered something to Shinji
Within minutes Shinji was inside Dark Eva and Prime was in the control bay: in one hand Shinji held Dark Prime's sword and in the other he held the Lance of Longinus, since returned by the forces in space. Shinji looked at them both for a minute and then on Optimus's advice, pressed the bottom of the spear into the tip of the sword
[Here goes nothing] Shinji though as the two weapons made contact
At first there was no reaction but a blinding flash of light and a small explosion of energy proved them right. The Lance shrunk into the sword blade which now was more of a European design than its previous Samurai shape. A two handed weapon it was, almost as tall as Dark Eva. Although the blade did still curve and was solid in the cutting side; the back of it resembled the two pronged Lance with which it bonded: ¾ of the way up the blade split into two halves, one was the sword blade the other a Lance tip. Shinji held the weapon aloft and it gleamed like a light in darkness
"Shinji, I do believe we have identified the Blade" Optimus said
"Optimus Prime, we've detected 9 large transport planes heading towards Tokyo 3" Blaster said over the radio
"What are they carrying" Optimus asked
"The Mass Production Evangelions" he replied