Rei-Shinji.cjb.net presents
A Studio 402 Production
A. Amishi, Akodo Tim, Dennisud, Fenrir, and Rei_Ikari
The Courage to Live On
Book One
Chapter One: The Candle That Burns Brightest...
By Akodo Tim
"Despite the declassification of all relevant documents in 2025 under the
Freedom of Information Act, the real motive behind the Japanese Strategic Self-Defence
Force's attack on NERV's Third Branch in early 2016 still remains hidden amid
countless layers of propaganda, accusations, and bureaucratic red tape. The
conflicting evidence and testimony given during former NERV sub-commander Kouzou
Fuyutsuki's trial in 2019 has done little to shed light on the matter.
What remains undisputed is the fact that the JSSDF forces, including three battalions of the JSSDF's First Army Division and three air support squadrons from Mishima, suffered heavy casualties in the attack. NERV casualties were in the neighborhood of 75 to 80 percent, with a large number of them being technicians and non-combatants. In addition, all eleven surviving models of NERV's top-secret Evangelion humanoid weapon series were lost and presumed destroyed in the battle.
Perhaps historians will never truly understand what happened within the Geo Front that day, as the individuals who played key roles in that incident are either dead, imprisoned, or are refusing to talk..."
- Aida, K., 2028. The Political Aftermath of the Angel War and the Restructuring of the Japanese Strategic Self-Defence Forces. Ph.D. thesis dissertation, Kyoto University.
* * *
The Second Child could only stare in morbid fascination as the pale shaft of light from the open doorway cut through the darkened room to fall upon the figure peacefully hanging from the ceiling. The body's bare feet dangled inches above the floor just above the broken remains of a discarded rag doll. The room was deathly silent; other than the pounding of her heart in her chest and the gentle whir of the air conditioning system, she heard nothing.
Then the body moved.
As Asuka watched, it slowly twirled around in a dance of death until she was looking at the blissful, contented features of her own face. She gasped as her double's eyes suddenly opened and fixed upon her. A sly grin spread across its face as the tattered hospital gown it had been wearing transformed into the bright yellow sundress she wore on the day she first met the Third Child.
"Do you want to be noticed?" it asked in a cruel, mocking whisper. "Do you wish to finally fulfil your destiny?"
The auburn-haired pilot could only nod dumbly in response.
"This is your chance," it said. Its smile grew wider before everything disappeared in a blinding white glare.
* * *
Asuka squinted slightly as sunlight poured through the newly formed hole that gaped over the remains of the Geo Front and washed over her face as she was rushed past the infirmary's shattered windows. The faint quiver in her eyelids went unnoticed by the two figures pushing her along.
The swinging doors in the hospital corridor flew open one by one. The jarring impact of the gurney as it hit each one chipped away at the dark edges of her unconsciousness. Footsteps pounded a steady rhythm that echoed though the empty hallway as she was sped along. Her face showed no expression whatsoever as she lay on the gurney being pushed through the ward; her head rested peacefully on the pillow, nestled in the copper halo of her hair. Once in a while the thin, blue fabric of her gown rustled in the breeze of an air conditioning vent as they rushed by.
A bell chimed softly in the distance shortly after she felt the bed come to an abrupt stop. A pair of strong, gentle arms slid underneath her and gingerly lifted her off the mattress. Her nose caught the rich, oily aroma of leather mixed with the smell of makeup and the sweet, musky fragrance of perfume.
A woman was carrying her.
"Mama?" she murmured groggily.
The arms underneath her stiffened briefly. Asuka's eyes trembled again, then slowly opened.
The feeble ruddy glow of emergency lights illuminated the cramped, Spartan interior of a service elevator. A young man wearing the tan uniform and red beret of a UN soldier stood with his back to her and faced the doors with an assault rifle in his hands. After another moment the redhead blinked and looked up into a pair of brown eyes on a lovely, careworn face. It took her a second to recognize the woman holding her.
"M-Misato...?" she whispered.
The indigo-haired woman looked down at the teenager in her arms. The glint in her eyes clearly showed her concern despite the warmth of her smile. "Hello, Asuka," she said soothingly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Where am I?"
A serious, stony look of determination quickly replaced Misato's grin. "We're on our way to the cages to get you into Unit 02," she replied tersely.
"What?" Asuka's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why?"
"We're under attack."
The redhead's eyes widened briefly before she lowered her gaze to the floor. An uneasy silence filled the elevator car.
"Do you mind if I put you down now?" Misato finally asked.
"Don't try and change the subject," Asuka grumbled. Still, she unhooked her knees from Misato's arm and allowed her guardian to set her down. The pilot flinched involuntarily and let out a small gasp as her bare feet touched the cold floor; she then took an uneasy step to the wall and sank to the floor against it.
The elevator came to a stop again after about a minute. The guard stepped out into the dimly lit passage, warily looked around, and quietly beckoned the two women to follow. Misato offered her hand to Asuka to help pull her to her feet.
"I don't need your help," Asuka muttered as she scowled and waved the proffered hand away. She slowly stood up, walked out of the lift, and took three steps before her legs wobbled and buckled underneath her. Misato caught her just before she collapsed to the floor. The redhead reluctantly wrapped her right arm behind her guardian's neck and leaned on her shoulder as they slowly made their way down the corridor under the guard's watchful eye.
"So," Asuka snarled, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her voice, "why didn't you just send Shinji instead? I'm sure he can handle anything the Angel can throw at us."
Misato shook her head. "It's not an Angel attacking--it's the JSSDF."
The redhead stopped in her tracks and stared at her guardian in disbelief. "Let me get this straight--the Japanese are attacking us?" She rolled her eyes and threw her left arm up in the air. "What is with you people? Is there something in the water that makes you Japanese go nuts or something?"
Her ranting stopped abruptly as she realized something wasn't quite adding up. "Wait a second--what are you doing here if we're under attack?" she asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't you be at the command center?"
"I should be, but something more important needed my attention first."
"What on earth is so important to make you leave your post while..." Asuka's voice trailed off and her eyes grew wide as she realized what Misato was saying. She let her arm slide down from Misato's neck, then staggered to the wall and slid against it to the floor. Her head drooped in misery. "This is insane," she muttered as she stared at a spot between her bare feet. Her hair cascaded around her face, obscuring her electric blue eyes behind an auburn curtain. "I don't deserve it," she whimpered softly.
"Yes, you do."
"No I don't. What good is a pilot who can't synch with her own Eva? I'm nothing. I'm just a worthless piece of trash. You don't need me; you need Shinji. Hell, even Wondergirl-"
"Stop it! That's enough!" Misato cut in sharply. "Look at me!" When Asuka refused to meet her gaze, Misato knelt down, reached under the teen's chin with one hand, and tilted the redhead's face upward. "Look... at... me," she repeated firmly.
Asuka kept her eyes on the floor.
Misato sighed. "What would your Kaji-san say if he saw you like this?"
Asuka's breath caught in her throat when she heard Kaji's name. She blinked once, twice, then finally raised her eyes and looked at her guardian's scowling face.
"What are you going to do?" Misato asked sternly. "Are you going to sit there, do nothing, and regret it for the rest of your life, or are you going to go to Unit 02 where it's safe... and have a chance at making a difference for all of Mankind like you've always wanted?"
The young pilot thought silently for a moment. "I don't know... things are different now," she replied dejectedly. "I've changed. Everything's changed."
"Have they?" Misato raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any idea why I personally came to get you instead of sending a squad over?"
Asuka sullenly shook her head.
"I'm here because I know that somewhere in there," she said as she poked the redhead in the chest, "is the Asuka who dove into an active volcano; the same girl who took on an Angel the size of an aircraft carrier. I'm so sure of it that I'm willing to risk my life on it." Anger and frustration flashed in Misato's eyes as she paused for a second. "I have faith in you. Kaji believed in you too. So does everyone in this whole stinking organization. Are you going to betray our trust and throw our lives away by just giving up?" She snorted derisively. "You know, if I felt you were really like that, I would have sent you back to Germany a long time ago."
Asuka's eyes lowered again as she thoughtfully chewed her lower lip.
The guard fidgeted and nervously cleared his throat. "Major?" he said softly. "We-"
Misato raised her index finger at him and nodded, but she never took her eyes off her charge. The steely glint in her eyes faded as her expression softened. "I know how hard your life's been," she continued softly, "especially lately... but life's all about falling down." Her hand gently moved up from Asuka's chin and cupped her cheek. "You have to realize that what's important is that no matter how hard you land you have to get back up, learn from your mistakes, and keep going."
"Why? What's the point?"
"I can't answer that for you. You'll have to find that out for yourself. And I'll be damned if I let those bastards kill you before you can find out."
The beeping from the radio clipped to Misato's belt interrupted her; worry flashed in her eyes as she stood up, grabbed it, and brought it up to her lips. "Katsuragi," she announced briskly.
"Major!" shouted a slightly distorted voice that was barely audible over the sounds of gunfire in the background. "This is Nakamura. We found him!"
"Shinji-kun!" she breathed in relief. "Is he all right? What's your situation?"
"We're in the east parkade, visitor level 4C, section 664. He's okay for now, but we're pinned down and Route 47 has been destroyed! We need backup or none of us are getting out of here!"
"Roger. Help's on the way." Frowning, Misato returned the radio to her belt. She brought out her pistol from inside her jacket and turned to the pilot still sitting on the floor. "Look," she said firmly, "there's no time to argue. You are going to the cages, and you're going to get inside your Eva whether you like it or not." She re-checked her ammunition clip and cocked her gun. "I'm sorry, Asuka. When this is all over, I'll to take you guys out for that steak dinner like I promised-"
The redhead cut her guardian off with a wave of her hand. "Will you get going?" she snapped. "You're wasting time."
"Right." Misato looked at the guard. "Make sure she gets to the cages in one piece." She spun on her heel and started down the passage when the guard nodded his acknowledgement.
"Misato!"
She stopped in her tracks and looked behind her. Asuka glared back at her, her arms folded in front of her chest. "If you let anything happen to you or Shinji," the redhead growled menacingly, "I'll never forgive you."
Misato paused for a second, then grinned back at her. "Thanks," she said dryly, "I love you too."
The darkness swallowed the violet-haired woman as she ran off down the dimly lit corridor; the rapid echoes of her footsteps faded away a few seconds later. Asuka watched her go with a troubled look on her face.
"Pilot Sohryu?"
Asuka turned her head toward the guard. His hazel eyes flicked about nervously, belying the grim, determined expression on his youthful face. He reached a gloved hand out to her. "Let's go," he said urgently. "There isn't much time."
After a moment's thought, Asuka quietly nodded and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
* * *
An acrid cloud hung in the still air and stung Asuka's eyes as the pair moved
slowly through the corridor. Cables dangled limply from exposed ceiling panels
while the few lights that were still intact weakly flickered overhead, barely
illuminating the scorched, pockmarked walls. Still, lifeless bodies, most of
them wearing the khaki and white uniforms of NERV personnel, lay scattered on
the floor in widening pools of blood. The redhead gagged at the sickening stench
of smoke and burnt flesh and tried not to look at the mutilated bodies as they
passed. For the hundredth time she was glad for the fact that she had nothing
left in her stomach to purge.
"You and your damn shortcuts," she muttered darkly to the man beside
her as she leaned on his shoulder for support.
"It's not my fault the main passages on this level were sealed with bakelite."
Asuka snorted, then quickly averted her eyes from the floor as they passed another
corpse; her gaze briefly moved to the gore-splattered wall above it before she
screwed her eyes shut against the ghastly image. She nearly slipped as her bare
foot landed in a warm, sticky puddle. Gulping, she shuddered and fought back
another wave of nausea as she felt the tacky wetness and shapeless bits of something
ooze between her toes.
"Are we there yet?" she asked in a weak, quavering voice.
"Almost."
"That's what you said ten minutes ago."
"The elevator isn't far." The guard nodded at the passage ahead of them as they came up to a junction. "Just down this hallway, around the corner, and we're there."
"Well, finally! I was beginning to-"
Asuka shrieked as the chatter of automatic weapons fire and the sharp ping of ricocheting bullets interrupted her. Muzzle flashes winked brightly from the shadows of the darkened hallway to their right as the pair dashed through the intersection and landed in a tangled heap on the other side. Her breath exploded out of her body as the guard collapsed on top of her. He quickly rolled off the redhead, scrambled to a sitting position, and aimed his gun back down the passageway. A black-clad figure darted out from around the corner a second later only to crumple to the floor, twitching, as the guard snapped off a burst from his rifle.
Asuka shakily got to her feet and tugged at the guard's shoulder. He breathed inward sharply and emphatically shook his head.
"Come on!" she growled. "What's wrong with you? We've got to..." The words died on her lips when she saw why he wasn't getting up. Two dark splotches--one just below the guard's ribcage, the other on his shoulder inches away from her hand--gleamed wetly in the dim light.
"I'm not going anywhere," he hissed. "Go. Get to your Eva. I'll hold them off."
Asuka stared, unable to tear her eyes away from the growing stains on the tan uniform. "But-"
"MOVE!" he shouted. He roughly shook the young pilot's hand from his bloody shoulder and pushed her away with his elbow. After a moment's hesitation, she turned and ran down the passage as quickly as her trembling legs could carry her, leaving a fading trail of red smudges on the floor behind her. Gunfire echoed from the hallway again by the time she reached the elevator and desperately jabbed at the call button.
"Come on," Asuka whispered. "Come on..."
Deafening silence suddenly filled the corridor behind her as the shooting stopped. The doors slid open a moment later; she staggered into the lift and pressed the button for the cage level.
"THERE!" yelled a man's voice as the doors closed.
Instinct took over as Asuka huddled in the corner of the elevator car and threw her arms around her head. The thunder of gunfire drowned out her screams while a spray of bullets ripped through the doors of the descending lift. She squeezed herself into a little ball, trying to make herself as small as possible as jagged shards of shrapnel flew around her. Seconds later, the deadly storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
Asuka sat on the floor, sobbing and shaking, as the adrenaline slowly drained out of her system. She hesitantly uncurled her body and opened her eyes--and froze when she saw her hand.
It was sticky with drying blood.
The redhead gasped and frantically checked herself to see if she had been hit.
She breathed a shuddering sigh of relief when she realized that she wasn't hurt,
but it caught in her throat when she remembered whose blood it was. She gulped
as her mouth went dry.
"If I'm worthless," she whispered to herself as her shell-shocked
mind tried to comprehend what had happened, "then why did a complete stranger
just die to save me?"
The faint whine of the elevator's motor and the floor indicator's steady clicking were Asuka's only answers as she silently sat on the floor and stared at the darkening crimson stains on her fingers.
* * *
A low, steady rumble shook the massive form of Evangelion Unit 02 as the hydraulic lift underneath its feet guided it to the launch catapult. Inside the cramped confines of the entry plug, Asuka's copper hair swirled lazily about her head in the LCL while the familiar snugness of her red and black plug suit hugged her body. "Okay," she muttered uneasily, "I'm here. Now what?"
A window opened on her entry plug's holographic screen in response; Hyuga's spectacled face looked back at her. "The original plan was to launch you through Route 8," he replied.
The redhead frowned. "That's under the lake."
Hyuga managed to look a little sheepish despite the situation. "That's right. Considering your past... er, challenges, we figured the best thing for you to do is to go there and sit tight until it's safe again."
Asuka looked at the bloody hand that was now covered by the elastic second skin of her plug suit. For an instant, she saw the guard's pain-filled hazel eyes as he shoved her away before turning back to face the advancing troops. She slowly clenched it and felt her nails bite into her palm as she closed her eyes and tried to shake the image from her mind.
"Like hell I am," she growled. She relaxed her hand and opened her eyes again. "Hyuga-san, there's been a change of plan. Deploy me in front of Headquarters."
"Asuka," Hyuga protested, "are you sure about this?"
"How many people have we lost today?"
The technician blinked behind his glasses, taken aback by the unexpected question. "I don't know. They've taken the first four levels and are still advancing. The casualty reports are still coming in."
"Then guess!"
Hyuga's brow furrowed for a moment as he looked at something off-screen. "I'd say close to a thousand."
"In other words, a thousand people have already given their lives to protect us." The redhead gritted her teeth. "I won't be able to live with myself if I sit here and do nothing while everyone else dies trying to save me."
"But what if your idea doesn't work? What if you can't synchronize?"
The pilot dismissed Hyuga's questions with a shake of her head before she had a chance to dwell on them. "We won't know unless we try, so don't bother me with details. Any word on Shinji yet?"
"Nothing yet."
"And Wondergirl?"
"There's been no sign of Rei anywhere."
Asuka gave a grave, tight-lipped smile. "Then I'm your only choice. Are you going to give me a chance to save everyone or not?"
Uncertainty briefly flickered across Hyuga's face as he weighed the options. His eyes closed for a moment; when he opened them again, a glint of determination shone behind the lenses of his glasses. "Give me a second to reprogram your launch route."
The young pilot nodded in response. "I hope your trust in me wasn't misplaced, Misato," she murmured to herself.
"What was that?" asked Hyuga.
"Nothing," she replied quickly. "Let's do it."
Hyuga's image grimly nodded, then winked out.
Asuka took a deep breath and let it out slowly, causing the LCL in front of her face to ripple as she exhaled. Her heart hammered a rapid, staccato rhythm in her chest. She tried to ignore the fluttering in the pit of her stomach while her shaking hands clutched the Eva's controls. "Evangelion Unit 02," she announced in a slightly trembling voice, "launch!"
* * *
A deep rumbling from deep within the ground quickly rose to an earthshaking crescendo as Unit 02 shot up from the launch tube and came to a bone-jarring halt in front of the shattered pyramid of NERV's headquarters. The crimson machine slouched slightly as the guide rails detached themselves from its shoulders and retracted back into the shaft.
Asuka watched the column of tanks and self-propelled missile launchers lined up along the far side of the lake aim their weapons at her while two squadrons of attack gunships moved toward her position and hovered just outside of their weapons range. The troops held their fire, waiting for her to make the first move.
"Well, if that's the way you want it..." she muttered. Asuka clenched her teeth and shoved the control levers forward.
"GO!" she shouted.
Nothing happened.
The redhead blinked in alarm and moved the controls again.
"I said, go!"
Unit 02 stood gleaming in the sunlight and ignored her command. Asuka's breath quickened and her eyes slowly widened as fear clutched at her heart in a chill embrace. "No..." she whispered. "Not again... not now!" The redhead worked her controls furiously. "Damn it," she cried, "don't do this to me now!"
Asuka felt cold beads of sweat form on her forehead even as they dissolved into the amber liquid surrounding her. She briefly considered retreating, but she quickly pushed the thought from her mind. There was too much at stake here. She had to keep trying, or else Misato, Hyuga, and everyone else would be killed, and everyone who had sacrificed themselves would have died for nothing. After all that had happened, that was one burden she did not wish to carry.
She looked back up at her display--and noticed with some surprise that the gunships that had been hovering warily nearby were flying away. Her puzzlement lasted for a few seconds until she remembered something: it was standard procedure for troops to retreat from something that had been targeted by heavy ordnance such as...
Asuka frantically scanned the sky above her, looking for contrails or the telltale silhouette of a heavy bomber that would herald the dropping of another N2 mine. Worry gnawed at her; although her Eva could survive a direct hit from one, it still didn't make for a pleasant experience.
A shrill beeping from her console caught her attention. She glanced at the warning message flashing on her display and saw the reason for the gunships' retreat. Three missiles, each of them easily twice as long as her Evangelion was tall, streaked toward her from the eastern edge of the crater above the Geo Front.
"Oh man, this is going to hurt," she muttered. "Move!" she urged, pulling at her command chair's butterfly switches again.
Unit 02 stubbornly defied her. The missiles grew closer, their thrusters giving them more momentum with every kilometer they covered.
"I'm sorry if I called you a doll before," she cried. "Just move, please!"
The Eva beneath her ignored her plea. Asuka kept pulling at the controls. "Come on, move!" she growled. "Move! MOVE!"
Unit 02 staggered back a few steps as one of the missiles crushed itself against its chest. The second one found its mark a split-second later and struck the Eva's midsection while the third smashed against the crimson giant's face. A tremendous explosion engulfed the Eva in billowing flames as all three missiles detonated simultaneously. The force of the blast sent it sprawling onto its back with an earth-shattering crash.
Stars exploded in front of Asuka's eyes as she was thrown back into her seat. She moaned and tried to shake the cobwebs out of her head; the ringing in her ears nearly drowned out the blaring of the warning claxons. "That's not what I meant," she groaned. She reached for her controls again and pulled on the switches. "Come on, get up."
Unit 02 silently lay on the ground.
"I said get up!"
Nothing.
"Stupid... lousy... piece... of... rotten... junk!" she spat; her fist pounded against the unyielding metal console in front of her with each word until she finally threw herself back into her seat, her anger and frustration spent. She closed her eyes and rubbed her aching hand, sighing wearily.
"No, it's not my Unit 02's fault," the redhead moaned brokenly to herself. "It's mine. I'm the junk here. Just like before." She took a deep, shuddering breath.
The Second Child had stared Death in the face before, during her brief, heart-stopping plunge back down into the depths of Mount Asama. Back then, she was prepared to calmly resign herself to her fate. This time was different; there would be no sense of accomplishment in her final moments this time, no victory--only empty, bitter failure before a hopefully quick death. There was no hope for glory when the soldiers out there would finally come, cut open her precious Eva like some overgrown lobster, drag her out, and shoot her like a dog... if she was lucky.
Asuka squeezed her eyes tighter. "I'm sorry, Misato," she choked, her voice falling to a whisper. "I tried."
Images of the carnage she saw in the twisted corridors came back to her again. Among the bodies lying in the passages this time was the slim form of a once attractive young woman, her blood barely noticeable against the remains of her form-fitting scarlet suit. Her face was frozen in an expression of pain and horror; her mouth gaped in a silent scream as her glazed, unseeing eyes stared off into the distance.
She would die alone and forgotten. A failure. The thought of that was far, far worse than the mere prospect of dying. Slowly, Asuka curled up into a ball and clutched her knees. "It's not supposed to end like this," she whimpered. "I don't want to die..."
She heard a voice from somewhere in the back of her consciousness, an unbidden memory from weeks before. The words echoed through her mind, much the same way as the soft, almost monotonous voice of the First Child echoed through the elevator the first time she had heard them:
"If you do not open your mind to her, your Eva will not move."
Asuka tried to ignore it. "I don't want to die," she repeated.
A gentle, sibilant whisper came from around her in response. "I won't let you die," it replied.
"Your Eva will not move..."
"I don't want to die..."
"Live honest, live strong," answered the whisper.
"If you do not open your mind..." repeated Rei's voice.
"I don't want to die..."
"Your Eva will not move..."
The First Child's voice was gone now, replaced by the soft, seductive words that now came from within her mind.
"I won't let you die..."
"Open your mind..."
"Live honest, live strong..."
Asuka clutched her head and screamed as the voice grew louder.
"Open your mind..."
"I don't want to die!"
"I won't let you die..."
"Open your mind; I won't let you die."
Depression and doubt were blasted away by sudden understanding as the words
fell upon Asuka like a hammer. In her mind's eye, she saw a hauntingly beautiful
apparition in front of her, slowly reaching out toward her with a glowing hand.
It tenderly ran its fingers through her hair and down the side of her face to
lovingly caress her cheek. The radiance dimmed slightly; as it did, Asuka saw
a gentle, smiling face surrounded by a halo of auburn hair. Her heart leapt
in recognition.
"Mama!!" she cried joyfully.
Asuka's crystal blue eyes snapped open. The ghostly figure vanished from her sight, but it didn't matter; she could still feel it--her heart knew it was still there. She felt reborn, as if a tremendous weight had been removed from her very soul. For the first time in an eternity, she smiled with pure, genuine happiness.
The Eva's four eyes suddenly blazed with incandescent white fire. A blinding aura flashed around the fallen giant and erupted skyward in a cross-shaped explosion that rivalled the brilliance of the midday sun. The humanoid machine nimbly picked itself up from the ground and stood in all its terrifying glory, then turned toward the attacking troops and advanced on their position with a deep, primal howl.
The vehicles lined up along the lakeshore opened fire at the scarlet giant moving relentlessly toward them. Armor-piercing shells bounced harmlessly off the Eva's bindings while missile after howling missile streaked toward it and erupted in an impressive display of light and noise. Unit 02 calmly strode through the blossoming firestorm as if it was nothing more than a summer breeze.
A barrage of artillery shells flew wide of Asuka's Eva and exploded around the small concrete building that housed its umbilical cable connection; blue-white sparks flew into the air as the structure was reduced to smouldering rubble. A loud, piercing tone sounded in Asuka's ears while the power timer flashed urgently and began its countdown.
"Shit!" she growled.
Unit 02 reached around behind it and grabbed the cable's power coupling. It separated from its port with a puff of smoke as the explosive bolts that were holding it in place detonated.
"You think that's going to stop me, you assholes?"
The severed cable whistled through the air as the Eva whipped it around in a deadly arc. It sheared through a gunship before Asuka let go to send it flying into the lake.
"Even without the umbilical cable, I still have my AT Field!"
A flickering golden wall suddenly appeared in front of Unit 02; one aircraft exploded as it was sliced neatly in two while another slammed into the barrier before its pilot had a chance to change its course.
"Mama will protect me!"
Another gunship strafed the scarlet giant with a salvo of rockets, then peeled off to line itself up for another pass.
"I am not..."
It wasn't fast enough; the Eva lunged for the retreating craft and grabbed it by the tail. The gunship's engines screamed in protest as it tried to break free.
"Going..."
The crimson titan swung the helpless aircraft at another one; the tail section broke off in its hands as both vehicles exploded in balls of flaming debris.
"To surrender..."
The severed tail section went hurtling through the air and smashed into a pair of armored personnel carriers.
"To the likes..."
Another gunship fired a volley of rockets into Unit 02's back; the Eva's leg swung around in a roundhouse kick that sent the craft spiralling down to the ground.
"Of..."
The humanoid machine yanked a tree out of the ground and hurled it at the last gunship; the aircraft erupted in a blinding orange fireball a split-second after the tree speared it.
"YOU!!"
The remaining soldiers retreated as Unit 02 stood in the middle of the billowing clouds of smoke and flames like a demon from the depths of Hell. Asuka watched them go with a triumphant smile on her face.
"Yes!" she breathed in relief and jubilation. "I did it!" She closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sky. The brilliant rays of the afternoon sun touched her face and filled her vision with a warm, reddish glow. "I did it! We did it!" The ecstatic pilot opened her eyes. "We did it, Mama! We..."
Asuka's voice trailed off as the nine snow-white winged figures silhouetted against the azure sky overhead grabbed her attention. She stared at them, her celebration forgotten, as they lazily drifted down to the blasted remains of the Geo Front.
"The Eva series?" she whispered, awestruck. "They've been completed?"
The faint crackle of static and the sound of a familiar voice through the comm channel brought her thoughts back to earth.
"Asuka!" called Misato. "How are things going up there?"
The redhead smirked. "Just finished cleaning out the attic." She glanced back up at the circling machines overhead. "Why was the rest of the Eva series deployed? We've got them on the run!"
Misato's voice tensed with urgency. "There's no time to explain. Listen to me--you have to destroy all of the Evas without any mistakes. I'll be sending Shinji-kun to help you soon."
"What!?" Asuka shrieked in surprise. "All nine of them? With no mistakes?" she repeated. "That's easier said than done, Misato. Have you forgotten you're talking to a convalescent here?"
"Sorry. It's not like we have a choice."
"Yeah, well, just make sure Shinji gets off his can, into his bigger can, and gets up here."
"I will. Good luck."
The comm went silent. Asuka watched as the behemoths gracefully touched down with thunderous claps of their feathered wings. Dust and debris rose from the ground in choking, billowing clouds while trees, rubble, and retreating soldiers alike were crushed beneath their feet.
She looked at the timer and shook her head. "Twenty seconds apiece," she muttered under her breath. "I always said that a fight should be clean, elegant, and without waste, but this is ridiculous."
The angelic wings retracted into the Evas' bodies as they formed a circle around Unit 02; their massive, double-edged blades glinted in the sunlight while jagged, feral grins appeared on eyeless faces. Asuka's lips curled into a sneer as they slowly advanced on her.
"Looks like it's just you and me against the world, eh Mama?"
The thrum reverberating through the entry plug intensified as if in eager anticipation. A wicked gleam shone in the Second Child's eyes.
"Bring it on," she snarled.
Asuka charged at the closest Eva with an inarticulate scream of fury.
* * *
Author's Notes: (2004-01-03)
It's hard for me to find the words to express my feelings about working with
everyone on this project. I've only been reading fanfiction for four months
(and writing for three), so the feeling I got when I signed up for a chance
to be working with a group of such talented writers is... well, indescribable.
I hope I don't disappoint. ^_^
With regards to Ayanami-chan's little note at the end of the Prologue: she's
definitely not as innocent a bystander in all this as she would like you to
believe. Frankly, I don't think it would have come together at all without her.
Not only has she put all the hard work into her site and in the forum, but she's
also done a bang-up job on the final editing, especially in keeping us straight
on the honorifics. She's also given us valuable input in helping us hammer out
a workable storyline. So... thanks.
Anyway, about the story: the chapter's title comes from the old adage, 'the candle that burns brightest burns shortest'. Kind of fitting considering what happens to Asuka, isn't it?
In case you were wondering about the switch in the writing style, we decided to have the Prologue and Epilogue written in the first person, with the rest of the fic written in the third. So don't worry; we won't do it again for quite a while if we can help it.
As some of you may have guessed, "Courage" is going to be written round-robin with each of us taking one of the characters and writing a chapter from their point of view. As you can see, I got Asuka and got to write the first chapter since it seemed to be the most logical choice plotwise.
Now I'm going to step aside and give the spotlight to Fenrir, who will... well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it? ^_^
Anyway, that's enough rambling from me this time around. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in a few chapters!
~ Akodo Tim