Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or Neon Genesis Evangelion and I make no money from this.
Chapter 3: Invader from Space
The monoliths of the SEELE council seemed to surround Gendo Ikari as he gave his report on the 'changes' observed in his son. Allegations flew thick and fast as the council believed that this was another of Gendo's schemes to wrest control of the human instrumentality project them. It was taking all of Gendo's abilities to convince them otherwise.
"I can supply you with the data that doctor Akagi has given me. It is incontrovertible. The third child has apparently 'evolved'"
"Be careful what you say Ikari. The instrumentality project is based on the fact that mankind has reached the end of its evolutionary progression. If mankind can evolve farther on its present evolutionary path then our plans are useless!"
Gendo smirked as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I am merely supplying the data that we have collected. It is your job to draw the necessary conclusions."
"Remember Ikari, if we fall you will fall with us."
"I understand." The monoliths vanished and Fuyutski stepped from the shadows beside Gendo.
"What do you think that they will do?"
"They will probably try to eliminate the anomaly. After all if the evidence is removed they can still justify their plans by passing this off as a mistake."
"Did you give them the data on his combat abilities?"
Gendo chuckled at this question. "No, it should be interesting to see what will happen when they make their move. Don't you agree Fuyutski?"
'You are an evil man Ikari,' the professor thought with a smirk on his face
X
Meanwhile the person in question, Shinji Ikari, was lounging in a tree on the school grounds when a pebble hit him in the side of the head. He lost his balance and fell from the tree. He hit the ground with a thump and looked up at the cause of his misfortune. Asuka Langley Soryu stood proudly in front of Shinji with a large smile on her face.
"What the hell was that for?" Shinji snapped at the redhead.
She smiled down at him. "That was for being lazy."
"Lets see you fight Gohan at five in the morning and then go the rest of the day without a nap."
"Aw, what happened to the 'strong warrior'?"
"I'll show you where he is if you don't stop annoying me Asuka!"
Although Asuka would never admit it she enjoyed the new Shinji. Before when they argued Shinji would apologize and get all red faced but now he would actually answer back. It was a refreshing change. While they argued their friends joined them. "Looks like they're at it again," Hikari stated with a sigh of exasperation.
Meanwhile, Toji looked satisfied. "Since Shinji came back he's standing up for himself more. It's a good thing in my opinion."
At the same time Kensuke was getting all of the action on film. "My sentiments exactly. He doesn't seem as fragile anymore, and he gives as good as he gets."
Even in the midst of her argument Asuka noticed that they were siding with Shinji. "Shut up you stooges! You should be honored that I let you spend time with me."
"Some honor." Toji muttered under his breath.
While they argued they had left the school grounds and began to walk to their respective homes. After about ten minutes they confronted by four men in black suits. Almost immediately Shinji became wary. The chances of four men in black suits waiting on the same route that the children walked home on were astronomical. After all Tokyo-3 was a big city and Shinji rarely believed in coincidence anymore.
He unconsciously assumed a ready stance. He wasn't overly aggressive but prepared to defend himself if needed. Suddenly one of the men spoke. "Are you Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji smirked before replying. "It depends on who's asking." Each of the men moved their hands under their coats. "Come with us."
Shinji's smirk grew and he assumed a combat stance. "If I refuse?" Now it was the suits turn to smirk. "I don't think you'll refuse."
With his words, Shinji heard the sound of guns cocking behind him. He turned and immediately cursed himself. While his senses had been focused on the men in front of him he failed to notice a second group that was sneaking up behind them. Each one of his friends had an arm across their throat and a gun pressed to their temple. Their faces were a curious mix. Asuka was predictably livid, furious that someone had the gall to threaten her. She was stopped from assaulting the man by the cold steel pressed to her head. Toji was trying to be strong, more to reassure the class rep than himself. Shinji saw the worry in his eyes however. Hikari was frightened. The look of fear on her face told Shinji all he needed to know. Kensuke's fear seemed to be deflected by the presence of the guns themselves. He turned his head to try and get a better look before the arm around his throat tightened and he stopped moving.
Shinji turned back to the first group. "Taking hostages is a cowardly action."
"Think of it as insurance. We have heard that your combat ability is considerable. This is necessary."
Shinji let out a low chuckle. "Then you won't mind if I do this." He seemed to wink out of existence for a second. When he reappeared the men in front of him were shocked. The hostage takers were slumped on the ground unconscious, their precious guns lying beside them. The look on the faces of the men in front of him was satisfying to say the least. A look that mixed fear and awe. They were outmatched, and they knew it too. They began to edge away. Shinji phased out again. When he reappeared the three men around the leader were unconscious.
The leader saw his fallen comrades and drew his own pistol and fired. Hikari screamed as the shot rang out and everyone looked away. When they looked back they expected to see Shinji with a hole in his chest and his lifeblood flowing onto the ground. The sight surprised them to say the least. Shinji had one arm stretched in front of him with a clenched fist. He slowly opened his fist. In the palm of his hand was the bullet that was just fired. He let it drop to the ground. "Tell whoever you work for that my friends and I are off limits to them, understand?" The remaining suit nodded his reply. Shinji phased out and reappeared behind him. With one swift blow the suit was out cold and slumped to the ground just like his comrades.
Shinji turned to his friends. Once again they stood in awe of the being that Shinji had become.
"Can you guys get home by your selves? I have someone to visit."
The others had barely nodded their heads when Shinji took to the sky.
X
Misato was bored. Nothing major had happened since Shinji's 'return' and, although she hated to admit it, she was almost eager for an angel to attack.
"Major Katsuragi. You might want to see this."
Misato got up from her seat and walked to Hyuga's station.
"So what is it?"
He hit a few controls on his console. "One of our high orbit radar satellites just picked up an object closing in from space."
"Is it an angel?"
"Unconfirmed, although it looks too small to be an angel. My readings show that its just two meters in diameter."
The door to the bridge elevator hissed open. Ritsuko and Gohan emerged from the open elevator and walked toward Misato who was leaning over Makoto's console.
"What's going on Misato?" Misato glanced at the blond scientist before turning her gaze back to the screen on Makoto's console.
"Our high orbit radar satellite picked up coming in from space. We're trying to find out if it's an angel. It seems too small but we're not taking any chances."
Makoto's fingers danced over his keyboard. "Major, its coming close to Echo-7. We can get a visual."
"Put it on screen."
As the image appeared on the main screen Gohan let out a gasp. "That's…that's a space pod."
Ritsuko turned to the young demi-saiyan. "A space pod?"
Gohan nodded. "It's a small one person space craft. Back in my dimension it was used mostly by people who worked for a changeling called Frieza. He was in the planet trade. He'd send some soldiers to a planet to eradicate its inhabitants, then he'd sell it to the highest bidder."
"Is he still alive?" Misato was looking a little fearful after Gohan's description of this Frieza.
Gohan smiled. "No. My father took care of him a long time ago. He defeated him on the planet Namek and left him broken. He wasn't killed until three years later though. He came to earth and was killed by another saiyan called Trunks. He's been dead for a long time."
"So who do you think is in that then?"
"I don't know but I don't think whoever it is came to chat. I better go warn Shinji, if he doesn't know already."
Gohan sprinted for the elevator and hit the button for the exit. After the door closed Misato turned to Ritsuko. "What have we gotten ourselves into Ritsuko?"
The blond doctor regarded her friend gravely. "Whatever it is, it's far beyond us. We just have to hope that Shinji is capable of dealing with it."
"Why do we have to use kids to fight for us?"
"In this case we have no choice. Unless you want to take it on? Shinji's had the training and he seems eager to do it, unlike his time as a pilot."
"I know, it just doesn't seem fair."
"No body said life was Misato."
Suddenly a voice boomed over the bridge. "Find the third child using the surveillance cameras. Any combat will center on him. I want a record of it."
Both women whirled around. Unknown to the both of them Commander Ikari had arrived on the bridge and had heard them. The techs scrambled to comply with his orders. The commander linked his hands together in front of his face. "Show me your new found power my son. Show me how much you have changed."
X
Shinji flew over the city, heading towards the nearest entrance to the geofront. He needed to have a 'talk' with his father. He was only back for a few days and his father was already trying to manipulate his life again. 'I wont let him get away with this. This time I am the one who is in the superior position. I wont let him push me around anymore.'
As Shinji landed he was surprised to see the gate to the geofront open. He was even more surprised when he saw the person who emerged. It was Rei Ayanami, dressed in her standard school uniform. The only reaction that she gave to his presence was a blink.
"Uh… Hi Rei."
She continued to regard Shinji levelly. "Good afternoon pilot Ikari."
Shinji let out a small chuckle. "I'm not a pilot anymore Rei."
She looked confused for a brief moment. "Then what should I refer to you as."
"My name is Shinji, Rei. Just call me Shinji."
"Very well, Shinji." Shinji let out a small smile. He was about to reply when the gate to the geofront opened again. Gohan came running out and immediately ran to Shinji.
"Shinji we got a problem." Gohan skidded to a stop in front of Shinji and Rei. "NERV just spotted an object coming in from deep space. It's a space pod."
Shinji immediately tensed up. He knew what space pods were from Gohan's stories. When they appeared it usually meant trouble for whatever planet they landed on. He looked toward the sky. Already the pod was entering the atmosphere leaving a long fiery trail behind it.
"Gohan get Rei out of here and get Misato to order an evacuation. I'm going to go and check it out when it lands." Gohan nodded and grabbed Reis arm.
"Come with me miss Ayanami. This isn't going to be the safest place once the fight starts." He began to lead her back into the geofront while Shinji took to the air. Judging by the angle of the pod it was going to land in the center of town. He began to fly in that direction. A few minutes later the angel attack siren sounded. Shinji could see people leaving the buildings and heading for the shelters. Silently Shinji reaffirmed his vows to protect the people of this world.
Less than five minutes later the pod landed. It left a large crater in the road. Slowly the pod began to open and a large figure climbed out. While Kole was obviously an alien, this guy could pass himself off as a human. He was about the right height and had the skin tone of a European. The only difference Shinji could spot was his eyes. Instead of a pupil and iris there was a black, cat-like vertical slit. He finished climbing out and looked around. To Shinji's surprise he pulled a scouter from his belt. Either this guy couldn't sense ki or he was just being lazy. If it was the former then it gave Shinji a huge advantage.
The alien proceeded to turn in a full circle, scanning all around him for power sources. Finally his gaze settled on Shinji. "You seem to be the strongest thing in this city. Tell me, are you the one who beat Kole?"
Shinji smirked and nodded.
"I see. You are the one I must beat." He assumed a fighting stance.
Shinji quickly followed suit. "At least tell me your name before we begin."
The large man nodded. "My name is Arik. I am your destruction."
"I seem to remember Kole spouting the same nonsense before I beat him."
Arik laughed. "You'll find that I am far different from Kole, boy."
With that, the fight was on.
X
Back in the geofront the fight was being recorded and displayed on the main monitor on the bridge. Everyone present was glued to the screen. Shinji was incredible, he was matching this guy blow for blow. Suddenly the elevator opened and Gohan and Rei got off. They immediately proceeded to Misato's side and watched the match on the screen. Less then five minutes later, the elevator opened again and Asuka got off.
The silence was overwhelming. On the monitor Shinji and Arik were trading blows in the now almost empty city. However every once in while the combatants would speed up and become invisible to normal human eyes. When this happened it was up to Gohan to provide the commentary. Suddenly Shinji connected with a punch that drove Arik into the ground. Within a second Arik was up and went on the offensive again.
Misato looked really worried. "Gohan, can Shinji beat this guy? He seems to be a lot stronger than Kole was."
Gohan's eyes never left the monitor. "This guy is strong but Shinji is stronger. He may have to take it to the next level though."
"The next level?" Everyone was looking at Gohan expectantly.
"Wait and see."
X
Out in the city the fight raged. While both fighters seemed to be evenly matched, Arik was slowly gaining an advantage. Shinji was having difficulty shrugging off Arik's hits. After a particularly hard hit both fighters backed off and landed on the ground. Arik wore a superior smirk that would have made Vegeta proud.
"You seem to be having trouble boy. Do you wish to give up?"
"Never!"
Arik spread his arms. "Come now boy. You see that you are no match for me. Why not give up and save yourself some pain."
This time Shinji was the one wearing the smirk. "I will admit that you are tougher than I first thought, but I'm not out of options yet. You haven't seen my full power yet."
Arik merely shrugged and drew out his scouter again. "Have it your way. Show me your 'full' power." He placed the scouter over his left ear and waited.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Shinji spread his feet and prepared to transform. Suddenly a gale picked up around Shinji. He let out a yell and begun to power up. Arik's scouter blinked and displayed a revised power level for Shinji. Arik was stunned. It was going up so fast.
"How…how are you doing this?"
"This is the power of the Kaioken." Suddenly Shinji's aura changed to red and his hair quickly followed suit. Arik's scouter exploded. Now the alien looked scared. Once the transformation was completed the old Shinji was gone and in his place was this red-eyed fighting machine.
Shinji assumed his fighting stance again. "Shall we continue?"
X
In the command center everyone was in awe. The new Shinji on the monitor was an incredible figure. With his crimson aura and hair he looked like a demon come from hell to annihilate his opponent. Gohan looked pleased, everyone else looked slightly scared.
"Gohan, is that really Shinji?" The question came from Misato.
"Yup, that's Shinji all right. This is his true power. A transformation called the Kaioken. Shinji is the first person in several millennia to master its true form. Now Arik doesn't a chance."
Misato looked back to the monitor. "I hope your right."
X
Arik wasn't cocky anymore. In fact he downright scared by the warrior in front of him. He caused the scouter to explode. He radiated power and confidence. Any advantage Arik may have had just melted away.
Suddenly the demon seemed to flicker for a moment. The next thing Arik knew a fist was planted in his face. He was thrown backward into an evacuated shop that promptly collapsed on him. As he pulled himself from the rubble, Shinji slowly walked toward him. Arik struggled to his feet.
Shinji stopped in front of him. "Do you wish to stop? I clearly outclass you now and you know it."
Arik didn't reply he merely assumed a fighting stance.
Shinji shrugged. "Fine have it your way."
The crimson aura surrounded Shinji again. Both combatants surged forward and the battle resumed. After a few minutes it was clear that Arik was outmatched in every area. Soon Arik was barely standing.
"This fight is over Arik. You can't fight anymore. I'll give you one chance to leave. Go now before I change my mind." Shinji turned and started to walk away. Arik was torn between two emotions. Relief, that Shinji had let him live, and fear, fears that he would suffer the same fate as Kole. He struggled to his feet once again and gathered his remaining power. Shinji felt this and turned again.
"What are you doing Arik."
Arik did not respond. He focused all of his power into one last attack. "I cannot lose. Do you hear me boy. I will not lose to the likes of you. For me failure is just as bad as death itself. My master doesn't look kindly on failure. TAKE THIS!"
Arik fired the beam. The deadly light streaked towards Shinji but the young warrior didn't even flinch. He merely raised his hands and caught the beam. "Arik, you are a fool!"
Shinji deflected the beam and it headed right back to its owner. Arik had no time to react as the beam hit his chest and continued through it until it hit a nearby building and exploded. The alien warrior covered the gaping wound in his chest with his hands and fell to his knees. Shinji let his transformation fade and moved quickly to the larger mans side.
"I gave you a chance to live. Why?" Shinji wasn't angry, just confused.
Arik drew in a shuddering breath. "Failure is not an option. If I had returned as a failure I would have suffered the same fate as Kole. After you let him live our master killed him. I would rather die as a warrior on the battlefield than begging at my masters feet."
"Who is your master?"
"His power is incredible, even your strength doesn't even begin to compare to his might. My master's name is lord Burna…"
With those last words the alien warrior named Arik died.
X
Several hours after the defeat of Arik everyone was gathered in one of NERV's briefing rooms. On the rooms screen was displayed a picture of Arik's space pod. Ritsuko was in the middle of a technical dissertation on the machine. Finally she stopped extolling the virtues of the ship and what it would do to improve the Earths space program.
"In the pod itself we found the last transmission that the pod received. It may give some clues to why Arik decided to fight to the death."
Ritsuko sat down and hit a button on the conference table. The view on the screen was replaced by a headshot of a blue skinned alien that looked a lot like Kole.
Arik, lord Burna has a new mission for you. You are to proceed to a planet called earth in this system." The screen split and the other half showed a star chart with an arrow pointing toward earth.
Arik's voice could then be heard. "Is it a purging mission?"
"Partly. The main mission is an assassination mission. There is a fighter powerful fighter on this planet that was strong enough to defeat Kole. In his report Kole stated that the fighter was, apparently, only using only a tenth of his true power. Personally I think that was a load of crap but our lord is not taking any chances. Go to this planet and kill this fighter."
"Should be an easy job. Kole was always a weakling."
The face on the screen smirked. "As an additional incentive our master has decreed that you watch this recording."
Suddenly the scene changed. On the screen was Kole, kneeling before a large throne cloaked in shadow. A voice could be heard coming from the shadows. "You have failed me Kole. I have no more use for you. If you lost once then you will lose again. Goodbye." Suddenly a red ki blast streaked towards Kole. The blue warrior never stood a chance. Within a second he was no more. The scene again switched to the original speaker.
"That's what happened to the last failure. Make sure you succeed or don't come back at all." The transmission abruptly ended.
Again Ritsuko stood up. Thanks to the light from that blast we were able to get a good view of what was sitting in that chair. Here is the enhanced view." She again hit a button and the screen displayed a picture of…
"Frieza!" Gohan had jumped out of his seat in shock. Even Piccolo was a looking a little shaken at the creature on the screen. It did indeed look like Frieza in his third form except where Frieza had purple highlights this one had red. Piccolo took a closer look at him.
"No not Frieza but its definitely part of the same species."
Misato raised her hand. "Isn't Frieza the one your father defeated on Namek?"
Gohan nodded. "Yeah. He was in the planet trade big time. I guess there are some constants no matter which dimension you're in."
Piccolo gestured to the screen. "He looks like he's in his third form. If that's as far as he can go then this should be easy enough but if he's managed to find a way to go beyond that then there could be a problem. There is a huge power boost between stages."
Asuka was the next to raise her hand. "But you guys can take him, right?"
Gohan frowned. "Maybe. If the changelings in this dimension are comparable to the ones in our dimension then maybe there won't be a problem. But they could be stronger or weaker. It could go either way."
Shinji cleared his throat. "Either way we have to be prepared. Another attack could come at any time."
Sub-Commander Fuyutski stood next. "We have placed all the high orbit radar satellites on alert. Should another pod come into range we will know about it immediately. The only concern is how long it will take the enemy to discover that their latest attempt has failed."
Shinji shook his head. "I didn't see Arik activate anything that could be a communications device. The scouter may have been transmitting but it would have cut off after I powered up. They'll probably wait some time before sending another probe."
Gohan nodded in agreement. "So we just have to be ready when it comes."
X
That's it for this chapter and we now know the name of the enemy. I need some advice. Do you think I should include the rest of the angel attacks or just cut them out all together? Put your suggestions in a review and let me know.