Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Evangelion or Godzilla and co. I am just a really big fan of both of them.
Chapter 5: Execution/Battle in Old Tokyo
Dedicated to Ishiro Honda, the man who brought Tanaka's dream to life.
"The plan's pretty simple," stated Misato, "If everything works, we won't need the Evas. A tanker aircraft is being filled as we speak with all the radioactive waste we can find. The waste will be processed into a liquid form which can be dispersed easily. When Godzilla surfaces, the aircraft will pass low over him and begin to release the waste in a contrail. Our hope is that Godzilla will follow the aircraft until he is close enough to Old Tokyo to sense the ambient radioactivity in the area. Then, he will probably take up residence in Old Tokyo until all of the radioactivity has been drained."
Misato was briefing the NERV staff on the plan. It had been about four weeks, since Ishiro had arrived and about a week after he had come up with the plan. Ishiro sat up front next to Asuka and Rei. Even though it was his plan, he was present as a pilot, not a commander.
"So what's the point of having us here?" inquired Asuka.
"If the plane fails to draw Godzilla away, or it is attacked and destroyed by Godzilla, the Evas will be required to move in and try to herd Godzilla towards Old Tokyo," replied Misato, "If that happens, then we will launch the Evas one at a time, starting with Unit 14."
"What?" demanded Asuka, "Why not me?!"
"It's not a matter of your piloting skills Asuka," said Misato, "Unit 14 can function uninhibited in a high radiation environment without suffering damage."
"Oh."
"Should that fail, then Unit 01 and Unit 02, in that order, will be launched to continue the process. They will be equipped with R2 equipment so that they can operate. Be warned that the R2 equipment will moderately hamper your Eva's maneuverability…"
"Major?" asked Rei.
"Yes?" Misato looked at Rei, startled by the normally silent girl's voice.
"Who will be piloting Unit 01?" she finished.
"You will Rei," replied Misato. The technicians, with Ritsuko's and Maya's help, were still working on the reconstruction of Unit 00. Something flashed across the girl's eyes. Was that fear? she wondered. "Are you alright with this Rei?"
"Y-yes ma'am," replied Rei.
She's definitely afraid, thought Misato, Why?
Ishiro turned to glance at Rei. Ayanami had actually begun to shake slightly. Her fear was plain to him. I have to stop her before Commander Ikari notices, he thought, Otherwise he would find out what Rei is trying to do for herself and stop it. Gently, he rested his hand on top of hers. Rei looked at him. She seemed to calm slightly as their eyes met.
"Uh, that's all I have to say," said Misato.
"We will begin at once," declared Gendo, "The mission will be ready to commence in two hours."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Wondergirl got scared," gloated Asuka. Memories of her own ordeal seemed to have been buried underneath her pride again.
"What's the matter Wondergirl," taunted Asuka as she looked into Rei's expressionless face, "Afraid you won't even be able to get Unit 01 to lift a finger?" She smiled maliciously. She opened mouth, another taunt loaded and ready.
"Enough Asuka," said Ishiro firmly, coming and standing next to Rei. Asuka's taunts and gloats died on her lips as she looked into the boy's eyes, "You shouldn't be so quick to gloat when you think about what happened to you not so long ago."
Asuka's jaw dropped. Tears formed in her eyes. Every part of your being cried out in shame. "How dare you?!" she growled, drawing out every syllable.
"You don't like having your own faults pointed out to you Asuka," replied Ishiro, his voice colder than liquid nitrogen, "So you have no right to be so quick to point out the faults of others." His voice was cold, but his eyes glowed red with the fires of his anger.
Asuka's mouth worked but no words came out. Finally, she turned on her heel and walked away down the hallway.
"Why are you afraid of Unit 01?" asked Ishiro gently, now that he and Rei were alone.
"I have been in Unit 01 before," replied Rei, "I felt its hate for me. I was not welcome."
"Why did it hate you?"
"Because, I was made from part of it." Rei looked away.
"I see," said Ishiro. He took her hand in both of his. "I promise right now Rei, that you will not have to get into Unit 01."
"How?" asked Rei, her anxiety making its way into her voice, "If your plan fails and you fail…"
"I will not fail," stated Ishiro firmly. He gave Rei's hand a gentle squeeze and let go. He turned and headed off towards the changing rooms.
Rei leaned against the wall, shaking. She shook not because of her anxiety over having to pilot Unit 01, but because of the fact that she had not only betrayed that fear, but felt it in the first place. What is happening to me?
Ishiro's voice haunted her conciousness. Learn what it is like to live life as a human, to feel joy, pain, anger, sadness, and love. She was slowly beginning to understand what she needed to do.
Shinji was practicing walking. His arm remained in a cast and sling and his neck in a brace, but he was able to hobble around like an old man, which was an improvement after the weeks when he couldn't walk at all. There was nowhere for him to go, so he simply walked in circles around his small hospital room.
He had no idea how many times he had been around the room, but Shinji had been at it for a while when somebody knocked on his door. He turned to face the door. "Come in," he said as clearly as he could.
The door hissed open and Asuka came in. Looking at her, Shinji could see that she had been crying. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.
"I-it's nothing," stammered Asuka, wiping her eyes. When she finished, she gave Shinji a look that told him not to press the issue.
"What brings you here?" he asked tentatively.
"Do I need a reason to come and see you?" she said tartly.
"Uh, no," said Shinji.
"I'm sorry Shinji. I just haven't been having the best of days right now," she said. She sat down on the chair that was set next to Shinji's bed. Shinji shambled over and took a seat on the mattress. There was a long silence. Finally, she looked up at him. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I'm feeling alright," replied Shinji, glancing down at his cast and the sling in which it hung.
"Does it still hurt?" Asuka inquired guiltily following his gaze.
"I wouldn't know," he said, "They give me enough painkillers that I don't think I'd feel it if my arm fell right off."
"I'm so sorry Shinji," said Asuka, looking to be on the verge of tears.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" He looked at her, confused.
"I'm sorry for everything, for the crappy way I treated you, for being such a bitch, for this…" she nodded towards his arm.
"But this isn't your fault," Shinji interrupted.
"I'm still sorry." Asuka dropped her gaze down.
Shinji gently reached over and cupped her chin with his good hand. Gently, he raised her head so that their eyes met. "Listen," he said firmly, "You have no reason to feel sorry for me Asuka. This isn't your fault..." he hesitated as he saw a tear run down her face. "Don't put yourself down Asuka. I hate it when you do this to yourself."
Asuka stopped. She reached up and took his hand in both of her own. She gave him a small smile. Shinji smiled back. Asuka let go of his hand and stood up. "I have to go," she announced, stepping out the door and closing it behind her.
"Be careful," whispered Shinji as he lay back down on his bed.
"I trust you can handle this Major," said Ishiro. Misato nodded.
"I will wait in Unit 14 then," stated Ishiro, leaving the command center.
"I said it before and I'll say it again," said Misato. Maya, Shigeru and Makoto all joined her in saying, "That boy creeps me out." Misato smiled as the others laughed. Misato's smile disappeared as she considered the reasons she had for feeling that something was just not right about Saegusa. He always seems to know more than he's letting on. He even seems to know things he hasn't been told yet.
Misato shrugged, deciding to leave the question for another time. An alarm sounded in the command center. Godzilla had surfaced in Tokyo 3 harbor. "Here we go," she said.
"Launch the aircraft," she ordered.
"Yes ma'am," came a reply from below. Misato shouted out orders and the various subordinates took them without question. The command staff of NERV worked together like a well oiled machine, getting the job done and doing it right.
"We have visual," announced Shigeru. An image, several stories tall, formed in the space in front of the main bridge. Godzilla stood in water up to his waste, staring at the shore of Japan. For the time being, he seemed content to let the humans make the first move. The batteries in the hills and along the roads were silent. The soldiers knew that the slightest shot could provoke an unstoppable advance. Godzilla looked at the silent machines and voiced a serious of curious growls and piercing cries. He was obviously confused by the fact that he had not yet been attacked.
"The plane is in position," reported Makoto.
"Begin the operation," announced Misato.
"Roger," replied Makoto, relaying the instructions to the pilot of the aircraft.
The large, ponderous tanker aircraft flew slowly by overhead, its low drone attracting Godzilla's attention. The kaiju growled with curiosity as he tilted his head upward to follow the flight of the strange machine.
"Begin releasing the payload," instructed Misato.
Per her instructions, the plane released a white contrail of processed nuclear waste. It was utterly useless for anything. It was radioactive however, and that was enough to get the attention of Godzilla's precisely tuned sense of smell. Godzilla gave off what sounded like a child's squeal of delight as he moved towards the slowly settling trail of white mist. As he did, his entire body flared with blue light where the mist made contact with his skin. Godzilla lumbered after the slowly retreating plane, heading towards Old Tokyo.
"It's working!" exclaimed Misato. Cheers echoed around the chamber.
"If we allow the kaiju to destroy Tokyo 3 and the Evas, Lilith will be defenseless," declared Seele 01. Seele was deep in conference and the various members were planning their next moves.
"Yes, but already they are leading him towards the Old City, where he will stay until he no longer is able to pose a threat."
"Indeed, it won't be long before NERV finds an effective way to fight Godzilla, then it will all be over."
"It is too simple though, all we need to do is destroy the plane."
"Yes, and one of our spies is in a position to seize control of the defensive installations."
"Let it be done then. Let us loose the creature on Tokyo 3 one final time."
Misato smiled, satisfied. Everything was going according to plan. Looking over at one of the other monitors, she saw Ishiro sitting in the entry plug of his Eva. He too monitored the events taking place outside. However, the look on his face was far from relieved or satisfied. He watched the proceedings with a frown, the kind of frown a person wears when they expect things to go horribly wrong.
Seconds later, Misato too had a reason to frown as alarms flared up across the width and breadth of the command center. "What's wrong?" she demanded.
"One of the missile silos has activated," announced Maya. She gasped in horror as she realized what was happening. "It's targeting the aircraft!"
"What!?" yelled Misato, shocked by the news.
"It appears that we have been betrayed," whispered Fuyutsuki as he and Ikari watched from the upper command deck.
"Indeed," agreed Gendo, "It must be someone from Seele."
"Stop him immediately!" ordered Misato frantically.
"We can't!" shouted Maya, "It's already too late!"
"Please no," murmured Misato as she watched the disaster begin.
A missile streaked out of one of the launchers concealed in the hills. It struck the unsuspecting plane in the midsection. The entire aircraft broke apart, raining its payload of radioactive debris on the sea below. Godzilla voiced a shriek of displeasure as he absorbed the energy from the debris. His displeasure was more from the presence of the missile than the destruction of the plane. Turning, the monster began heading for Tokyo 3 again.
"Oh God," Misato almost sobbed.
Shigeru put down the phone. "We've just received word that the traitor is now in custody. He won't say who he works for though."
"That's to be expected," said Ikari flatly.
"It was working." Misato was distraught.
"Major." Ishiro's voice came firmly over the comm. "Launch Unit 14 now!"
"Right," said Misato, regaining her composure, "Eva launch!"
Unit 14 shot up the launch track. Ishiro waited calmly while his Eva sped to the surface. He had not intention of actually fighting Godzilla. But one way or another, he would send Godzilla to Old Tokyo. Time was something desperately needed. Further more, he had every intention of keeping his promise to Rei until his last breath.
Unit 14 emerged not far from Tokyo 3. Quickly his Eva broke into a run for where Godzilla was last known to be. Up ahead, the sky was alight with explosions and filled with smoke as defensive batteries opened fire. Per Ishiro's instructions, only the batteries that were not between Godzilla and Tokyo 3 had opened fire as Godzilla tended to advance towards rather than retreat from the source of fire. However, Godzilla was ignoring the attacking installations, his mind obviously focused on reaching the reactors in Tokyo 3. The batteries fell silent as Unit 14 approached.
In two minutes, Unit 14 stood between Godzilla and Tokyo 3. The two giants faced one another. Godzilla snarled and growled. His eyes showed a sense of vague recognition of the thing in front of him. Opening his mouth, Godzilla roared a challenge.
Unit 14 remained silent. Inside, Ishiro began prepared to do what was needed. "Here we go," he muttered. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed and he began to concentrate as he had never concentrated before in his life.
The alarms in the command center reached a fever pitch as the latest round of bad news swept through the staff. "Ishiro's synch ratio just dropped to zero!" exclaimed Maya.
"What!?" gasped Misato, rushing to look over Maya's shoulder.
"Unit 14 has gone completely silent," announced Makoto, his voice betraying his distress, "All cockpit monitors are down. We can't get any readings on the pilot."
"What's going on?" demanded Ritsuko.
On the screen, Godzilla and Unit 14 faced each other. Surprisingly, despite Unit 14's apparent lifelessness, Godzilla made no move to attack. Instead, he appeared to have locked his gaze with that of the silent Eva, as if he were hypnotized.
"What on Earth?" marveled Misato.
Ishiro groaned with exertion. What his mother had said was indeed true. Godzilla's will was very strong. Ishiro was beginning to wonder if he could actually succeed.
You can't alone, whispered a voice. For a moment, Ishiro's concentration broke slightly as he tried to locate its source. Outside, Godzilla growled and hissed in confusion. Ishiro suddenly realized that the voice had come from within the Eva itself.
Who are you? he inquired.
I am that which gives the Eva life, answered the voice, I will aid you.
He could feel the presence behind the voice, the presence within the Eva itself, embracing him like a long lost relative. He felt strength filling him and he once again bent his mind to the task at hand. Outside the Eva, Godzilla went rigid as the battle of wills began again. This time however, Ishiro had every intention of winning.
"Ishiro's synch ratio just rose to 235%!" exclaimed Maya.
"Impossible!" snapped Misato, "First he goes to zero and now your telling me his synch ratio is even higher than before!"
"Unit 14 is still silent though," remarked Makoto, "I see no signs of reactivation."
"What in God's name is going on out there?" said Misato, voicing the question on the minds of everyone watching the exchange.
It wasn't easy. Even with his newfound ally, Ishiro was still having trouble. Godzilla's will was like a solid wall of bricks. However, under the assault of his strength, combined with his assistant, that wall began to crack. Finally, it gave way altogether under their combined assault.
Godzilla's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. Slowly, he turned around and actually began to head away from Tokyo 3. As he lumbered along, Godzilla voiced a weak roar, as if he were somehow confused. But his course was sure and he strode on without hesitation.
It worked! Ishiro was elated.
When we are together, there is nothing we cannot achieve, said the unknown voice sagely.
By the way, thought Ishiro, What name do you go by?
I am known by quite a few names. But please call me Erika.
Erika, he wondered, That's a nice name. It was his final thought before darkness overcame him.
"The circuits are reconnected," announced a relieved Makoto.
"How is he?" asked Misato frantically.
"Pilot Saegusa is unconscious," replied Makoto.
"What just happened?" asked Misato to no one in particular.
"I have no idea," said Ritsuko.
"Godzilla's course has changed," announced Maya, "He is now heading towards Old Tokyo."
"Begin recovery operations immediately," instructed Misato.
Both Asuka and Rei watched the proceedings from the pilots' waiting room. There was an enormous television monitor on the wall. Asuka was more than a little confused. Rei's face was impassive as always.
"I don't get it," muttered Asuka, "What exactly did he do?" Ishiro's harsh words earlier that day were forgotten as she watched Godzilla moving away from Unit 14, heading for Old Tokyo.
"I do not understand either," agreed Rei.
The door opened and Misato came in. Asuka looked hopefully at her. Misato only shrugged. "I have no idea what happened either. The only thing I can say is that right now, the mission appears to be successful."
"What is the status of Ishiro?" asked Rei, drawing a stunned look from both Asuka and Misato.
After a moment, Misato managed a response. "He's unconscious," she answered, "But we can't figure out what happened to him."
Rei nodded and turned to look back at the screen. Misato and Asuka exchanged confused looks again. Asuka merely shrugged and went out, mumbling something about visiting Shinji. Misato hesitated for a moment, and then took the chair that Asuka had occupied.
"Rei?" she asked softly.
"What is it?" the girl responded dully.
"Is something going on?" asked Misato quietly, "Something between you and Saegusa?"
"Ishiro suggested that I try to open myself up more in order to learn what it is to be human," said Rei, "When I heard that I was to pilot Unit 01, I was afraid." She shuddered. "I do not like Unit 01 and it does not like me."
"I see," said Misato, surprised by Rei's earnestness.
"Ishiro promised me that I would not have to pilot Unit 01. I worry about him."
Misato nodded, completely dumbfounded. She had thought for the longest time that Rei was completely incapable of this kind of interaction. Yet, here she was, explaining in the same way she talked about everything else, that she cared about someone other than Commander Ikari. She cares about Shinji too, thought Misato, But for other reasons.
Misato gave Rei one last confused look before heading to the infirmary to check on Ishiro's condition.
"From what we could find out," explained the doctor, "We determined that the cause of his current condition was fatigue."
"That's strange," remarked Misato, "When we last talked he seemed anything but tired."
"However," replied the doctor, "That was the only answer we could find."
Ishiro lay on the bed next to the doctor and Misato, out cold. He laid facing up, his eyes close. Heart monitors beeped steadily and his breathing was even. He seemed merely asleep. However, his somewhat jarring removal from the entry plug had proved that he was a bit more than asleep.
"Will he be alright?" asked Misato.
"He should be ready to return to duty in about five days," said the doctor, "However, in my opinion he should be in here for a little longer than that."
"I doubt Commander Ikari would allow that," said Misato, "Much less him." She glanced at Ishiro.
"I don't think that anyone would be that eager to get back in an Eva," remarked the doctor.
"It's not that," explained Misato, "He's leading the research on G-cells. He'll probably want to get back to work on that right away."
"Oh," said the surprised doctor, "A child prodigy then?"
"Yeah," said Misato, looking at Ishiro, "You could say that."
Asuka was visiting Shinji again. After leaving Misato and Rei, she had changed back into her regular clothes. She gave Shinji an account of the unusual events that had taken place. "I'm not so sure about this Saegusa person," she admitted, "He's just so darn complex."
Shinji nodded, "He seems alright though," he ventured.
"It's strange," said Asuka, "Some times he's kinder than I ever thought anyone could be. And other times he's even colder than the Commander." A slight tear leaked from her eye at the bitter and painfully fresh memory.
"Did something happen?" asked Shinji, concerned.
"Uh yeah," said Asuka sheepishly, blinking away tears, "They announced that they were going to put Wondergirl…"
"Rei," Shinji corrected.
"Whatever, they were going to put her in Unit 01 if the mission went wrong. For some reason she looked like she was afraid, so I teased her about it."
"Did you?" Shinji knew from experience that Asuka's brand of teasing could be very harsh and painful.
"Yeah, anyway, I was teasing her about it and Ishiro came along and reminded me of everything I had just been through." Asuka was close to tears again.
He wanted to let you know that you can't always act like you're so superior to everyone, Shinji thought. Shinji kept quiet about this though, realizing that mentioning this could collapse Asuka's already delicate self-confidence. Instead, he reached out and took her hand in his. "Will you be okay?" he asked.
Asuka sniffed. "I'm not sure," she confessed, "Things haven't been the same since I've woken up."
I'll say, thought Shinji.
"And I've been having nightmares. Two nights ago, I woke up screaming and couldn't get back to sleep. I had another nightmare last night. I didn't scream that time; I don't think I could've." Asuka's eyes had taken on a far away look.
Shinji looked at her, completely baffled. Asuka continued, "I'm afraid to sleep, afraid to even close my eyes. I'm just so scared Shinji." Shinji was taken aback by her sudden earnestness. It just wasn't like Asuka to talk so freely about her problems.
"What are these nightmares about?" he asked.
"I'm not ready to talk about that," said Asuka, looking away, "Not yet."
"I understand," said Shinji, A little bit of the old Asuka there. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Promise you'll tell me when you're ready."
"When I'm ready," said Asuka, squeezing his hand back, "You'll be the first person to know."
They talked for a little while longer. They talked about little things. Asuka told him about what was happening at school and how his friends were worried about him. After a while, Asuka left. At the door, Asuka hesitated turned around and looked back. "Oh by the way," she said, "Get well soon if you want to be ready before the class trip."
"Okay," said Shinji, cheering up considerably. Shinji's mind began to wander.
She's changed so much, he marveled, she's so different from the conceited girl she used to be. She's so much more sensitive and caring now. What happened to her must have changed her a lot. He frowned. Maybe it wasn't just that. Ishiro must be having an influence on her too. She's opened up a lot more. His frown became an amused smile at his next thought. And she hasn't used a tenth as much German as she used to. Not to mention that she hasn't called me baka, idiot, or any of those other names she has for me since she woke up. I also thought that she would be upset over the fact that they haven't used her yet.
Shinji decided to sleep on it. He was getting tired any way. He laid down, closed his eyes, and slipped away into dreamless oblivion.
Meanwhile, deep in the ocean, new shadows were stirring. Slowly, from the darkest shadows of the deepest ocean trench came something new. Its sinuous form slid effortlessly through the waters, skimming along the ocean's bottom. Its size was immense. Yet, despite its massive length, it moved with complete silence through the water. In fact, as it moved on, everything around it seemed to become smothered by an oppressive silence. It moved with silent purpose, heading for Tokyo 3.
In her room, back at Misato's apartment, Asuka tossed and turned in an uneasy sleep. Her body was covered in cold sweat as she mumbled undecipherable phrases under her breath, trying to dissuade the specters that stalked her every sleeping moment. As the night grew old, Asuka's struggles became even more frantic. At one point, she rolled over so hard, that she fell off her bed and landed on the floor with an audible thump.
The impact was enough to bring her back to the world of the awake. She gasped for breath, fear having robbed her of it some time ago. Asuka stared off into space as she considered the images she had been shown through her latest nightmare. Every time she awoke from one of these dreams, she awoke with the grim certainty that it would not be long before these ominous nightmares became grim reality.
Asuka hugged her pillow to her chest, afraid to try going back to sleep. "I wish Shinji were back," she muttered.
"How's it going?" asked Ritsuko as she walked into the office that commanded a view of the holding cage. Maya manned one of the many consoles to be found in the room. Visible through the large windows that dominated one whole wall of the office, was a holding cage containing a badly mangled and burnt body. It was late at night and Maya was the only other one there.
"Slowly," said Maya, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"It'll be a while before we can get Unit 00 back into anything remotely resembling an Eva, much less combat status," remarked Ritsuko as she looked out the window at the charred husk of the Eva; the remains of Rei's sacrifice.
"Why don't you go and get some rest?" suggested Ritsuko, resting a hand on Maya's shoulder, "I'll take over for now."
Maya rubbed her eyes again. "Thank you," she said softly. She got up and left.
Ritsuko took Maya's seat and began looking at the readouts. "Everything seems normal," she muttered. She leaned back and sighed. "This is going to take a long time."
The sun was just beginning to rise on the eastern horizon. Godzilla had long since reentered the ocean and was approaching Old Tokyo by sea. As he came nearer, he began to feel the radiation in the area. He sensed that his hunger would soon be sated. Godzilla roared eagerly and increased the speed with which he swam towards the island. As he did so, he was oblivious to the VTOL craft which followed his every movement from high above.
The pilot of the craft watched the proceedings with minimal interest. The only thing he really looked for was any sign that his craft had been spotted by the kaiju below. He had seen how accurately Godzilla could attack with that energy ray of his and had no wish to experience the results of that accuracy for himself.
A sudden movement below drew his attention. At first, his brain screamed a warning that he had been spotted and that he should get the hell out of there. But then, he noticed that the movement had not come from Godzilla. It had come from the waters in front of Godzilla. Godzilla had already reached the flooded portions of Old Tokyo. However, the water between the sunken skyscrapers was bubbling and frothing madly. Godzilla growled, conveying obvious curiosity.
The waters parted, revealing a forest of short (at least by kaiju standards) spikes. Godzilla stepped back as more of the unknown creature rose from the water. The water flowed through the spikes, tumbling off the gigantic shell of the new monster to the surface of the ocean below. The head of the new creature was ringed with spikes that rose straight out behind the skull then bent to point forward. The creature's nose was capped by a fearsome horn not unlike that of a rhinoceros. Behind the monster, an equally spiked tail rose and fell, beating the water into a thick foam. The kaiju rose on four legs, its mouth opening to reveal a row of razor sharp teeth. The creature roared with a strange barking honk that echoed for miles.
"I don't believe it," exclaimed the pilot, "I need to contact headquarters immediately."
"What!?" exclaimed Ritsuko, "Another kaiju!?"
"That's right," replied Makoto calmly, "Our observer stated that the creature apparently had already taken up residence in Old Tokyo and was there when Godzilla arrived." He had been working the graveyard shift this night.
"Get me a visual!" snapped Ritsuko, "Right now. Call everyone. We're going to combat status level 1!"
"Yes ma'am," said Makoto dutifully.
In the silence of Misato's room in her apartment, the phone began to ring. The blanket covered form on the futon on the floor next to the phone began to shift and move. Slowly, awkwardly, a hand reached out from under the sheets and groped blindly for the phone. After a few seconds of blind reaching, the fingers finally closed on the familiar shape of the telephone.
"Hello," said Misato, still in most respects asleep. She listened patiently, almost dozing off again as the voice of Makoto on the other side filled her in.
"Right," said Misato as he was finishing. Suddenly, the implications of his information hit her. "What!?" she bellowed, instantly awake, "You can't be serious."
She listened for another moment before nodding. "I'll get her up right away," said Misato. She hung up.
She headed for the second child's room. Misato felt sorry that she had to wake Asuka at such an early hour. She sighed and figured that she'd make it up to the redhead later.
"Asuka," she said as gently as she could, sliding the door open.
"Yes?" came a far too awake voice from within.
Misato slid the door open all the way and looked in the room. Asuka sat on the bed, her back against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. Asuka turned to look at her guardian. Misato stifled a gasp.
Asuka looked awful. There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. The eyes themselves were red and definitely looked tired. Yet, despite this, the second child looked very much awake and alert.
Misato regained her composure. "We're needed at NERV," she said, but she reconsidered, "But you can stay here if you want. You look tired."
"I'll go," said Asuka groggily, getting up to get dressed.
"Asuka, you really shouldn't go if you're this tired," Misato protested.
"I'm fine okay!" snapped Asuka, "I don't need you to baby me like that baka Shinji!"
Misato opened her mouth to protest again, but decided against it. "Alright then," she said, "We'll grab something on the way over. I hate the cafeteria stuff."
As she left she heard Asuka mumble, "As bad as the cafeteria food is, it can't hold a candle to your cooking Misato."
Misato's face assumed an "I'm going to get you for that" look. She sighed and started off down the hall to get dressed herself.
In Rei's apartment, the phone rang loudly in the prevalent silence. Rei picked up the phone. "Yes," she said blandly into the receiver. She listened to the voice on the other side. "I will do as ordered," Rei said blandly. As she moved to get dressed, Rei felt slightly ashamed that she was already returning to her old habits. I must try to understand what it means to be human, she though resolutely. Had she not been so drowsy from being woken up so early in the morning, she might have been able to stop herself from doing that.
Her thoughts turned to Ishiro. She felt so strange. She had never truly experienced any feelings with regard to anyone except for Shinji and the Commander. She had come to realize, thanks to the changes she was undergoing, the fact that the Commander was only using her for his own purposes. Rei was beginning to realize the truth in Asuka's accusations that she was a doll.
I am not a doll, thought Rei, Not anymore.
Shinji awoke to the sounds of blaring alarms. Looking around confusedly, Shinji wondered if they were under attack. Shinji got off his bed and walked as best he could towards the door. At his touch, the door slid open and Shinji flagged down a nurse who was rushing past. "What's going on?" he asked.
"We're at combat status level 1," replied the nurse hurriedly. She rushed off down the hall.
That doesn't explain much, thought Shinji, Though why should I care? He sighed and shut the door. Then he hobbled back to his bed and lay down again, trying not to listen to the incessant alarms.
Godzilla eyed the other creature warily. The new monster was obviously disturbed by this intrusion upon his territory. The quadruped roared again and waved his head back and forth, displaying his spikes in the most menacing fashion possible.
Godzilla was not going to back down from a fight, that much could be seen by anyone observing this confrontation. Godzilla roared out a challenge to the strange creature. Godzilla could sense the ambient radiation in the nearby area. It called to him like a siren. Nothing, not the humans, not this creature, was going to stand in his way.
The other creature appeared to share in Godzilla's determination. With a final barking honk, it surged forward on its four legs, plowing through the water that rose up to the level of its chest. It lowered its head and charged the much larger monster. Godzilla held his ground against the oncoming monster. He was thrown back by the force of the impact as the creature slammed into him. The other monster didn't hesitate to drive the horn on its nose deep into Godzilla's abdomen.
Godzilla howled in pain and beat his fists against the creature's back. His efforts only resulted in injuring himself on the razor sharp spines protruding from the shell. Godzilla's mouth opened as his spines flared with blue-white energy. An instant later, Godzilla's powerful heat beam streamed down to impact his opponent's back.
The force of the attack dislodged the monster's horn. The creature backed away, growling cautiously. Vaporized seawater streamed up from its back. However, it was completely unhurt by the attack. The beam had been repelled all too easily by the monster's hard shell. The monster roared again and charged a second time. This time, Godzilla charged forward as well, not waiting for the strange new monster to meet him.
The two monsters clashed a second time. This time, Godzilla began to force his adversary back, driving them up and onto dry land. His adversary reared up on his hind legs to sink his teeth into one of Godzilla's flailing arms. His fore claws pawed at Godzilla's chest, carving out deep chunks which were quickly replaced by Godzilla's regeneration. The two monsters continued to battle.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," said Ritsuko as calmly as she could. Before her on the bridge stood several members of NERV's higher ranked staff. All of them were in various states of half-wakefulness. All except Commander Ikari, of course. Ritsuko had to wonder if the man actually needed to sleep.
"What's happening?" asked Asuka, stifling a yawn while forcing down the breakfast she and Misato had bought on the way in. Ritsuko had to agree with Misato that the second child looked absolutely awful.
"About thirty minutes ago, Godzilla entered the boundaries of Old Tokyo. However, upon entering he was confronted by none other than another kaiju." Silence greeted this statement. An image appeared, hovering over the vast space in the command center. It showed a visual of Godzilla and the second kaiju, engaged in fierce battle.
"They have been fighting nonstop the whole time," stated Ritsuko.
"How does this concern us?" asked Misato, awake, but realizing that there was little danger. What frightened her was the fact that this kaiju had been right under our noses. I was in Old Tokyo for the Jet Alone test, she realized. What if the monster had attacked during the test? The result could have been disastrous for everyone involved.
"We do not know how this situation might conclude. If this new monster succeeds in driving Godzilla away, he might head back towards Tokyo 3," replied Ritsuko.
"Oh," was all that Misato could say. The implications of Ritsuko's statement hit home. We only have two people who can pilot, she thought. And Asuka would never do any good like that, she mentally added, looking at the exhausted and disheveled girl.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll kill each other," suggested Shigeru.
"That is a possibility," replied Ritsuko, "Though I wouldn't count on it." She sighed and returned her attention to the main screen. "The only thing we can do is watch this play out." And hope this isn't over before our resident 'kaijuologist' can figure out what the hell is going on here. Of course, that is assuming if he ever regains consciousness.
"In the meantime," said Misato, raising her hand like a timid schoolgirl, "Can we get some rest, we NERV personnel do need our beauty sleep you know?"
"Anyone who wants to may rest in quarters provided here in Central Dogma," replied Ritsuko, "You will be summoned if anything develops."
"By the way," said Misato, on her way out, "Has this other monster been given a name?"
"It has," replied Ritsuko, "We have decided to call it Anguirus
The two monsters grappled with one another, each battling fiercely. Back and forth they struggled, one gaining the advantage, only to lose it a moment later. The hollow shells of the few remaining buildings were crushed into dust as the monster slammed their bulks against them. Anguirus reared up and tried to clamp his fanged maw around Godzilla's throat. Godzilla retaliated by trying to smash his opponent's head down, only to gash his hand on the forward pointing spikes arranged around the creature's crown.
Then, to the surprise of those watching, Anguirus seemed to lose heart and back away from Godzilla. The creature scrambled backwards and honked at Godzilla from a respectable distance. Godzilla roared back. His spines flared and his jaws opened. With speed that belied his size, the other kaiju spun around and faced away from his adversary. Godzilla's radioactive fire was harmlessly dissipated by Anguirus's thick shell.
Anguirus turned his position into an opportunity to launch a counterattack. Anguirus launched himself backwards with a flying leap. His spiked back slammed into Godzilla's chest, knocking the monster backwards and badly goring him. Godzilla stumbled backwards, tripping and toppling onto another abandoned building, crushing it.
Not slowing down, Anguirus scrambled forward and clamped his jaws on Godzilla's thrashing tail. Anguirus tugged on the appendage and tried to drag Godzilla backwards. The monster retaliated by kicking out with his foot. His foot connected with the tip of Anguirus's snout, just missing slashing it on Anguirus's nasal horn.
Anguirus honked and released the tail of his opponent. He spun around and slammed his spiked tail into Godzilla's flank. Godzilla shrieked with pain, but rolled to his feet and attacked with another atomic ray. Once again it was turned aside by Anguirus's hard shell. Anguirus slammed his tail into Godzilla's ankles. Godzilla barely avoided being knocked off his feet a second time.
Godzilla roared and charged forward. Anguirus met his charge head on. The ground shook as the two creatures smashed their bulk together yet another time. Anguirus mustered his strength and knocked Godzilla off his feet again. Anguirus clambered on top of the fallen beast, his jaws seeking Godzilla's throat. A blast of blue light emanating from Godzilla's body culminated in a powerful explosion. The explosion severely burned Anguirus's soft and vulnerable underbelly while at the same time throwing the monster completely off him.
Anguirus was knocked airborne by the force of the nuclear pulse, his underbelly smoking from the intense heat. Godzilla got back onto his feet and roared. Anguirus landed on his spiked shell. The creature struggled madly to right himself, but to little avail. Godzilla approached. Stopping just short of Anguirus's madly lashing tail Godzilla unleashed the full force of his atomic ray onto Anguirus's stomach. Anguirus screamed with pain.
Anguirus writhed in agony under the searing ray of energy. When Godzilla ended his attack and closed his mouth, Anguirus remained still. Curious to see if he had really won, Godzilla leaned in to get a closer look at the turtle-like monster. As he moved closer and the smell of scorched flesh reached his nostrils, the monster's lips curled back in a snarl of curiosity. Then, Anguirus's tail sprang to life, whipping upwards with incredible speed and force, slamming its many spikes into Godzilla's chin in a brutal uppercut. Godzilla's head snapped back and the leviathan was thrown completely over onto his back by the impact.
Anguirus rolled over and got his feet back under him. Then he charged at Godzilla, this time, bypassing the bulk of Godzilla's body and going straight for the throat. Anguirus's jaws, lined with razor sharp teeth with an alligator-like grip, clamped down on Godzilla's exposed neck. Anguirus twisted mightily in an attempt to rip out his adversary's throat. Godzilla shrieked, or would have had not his windpipe been closed by the unbelievable pressure of Anguirus's mouth, possessing strength that could never have been matched by any Eva. Godzilla's spines flared and his mouth opened, but the few radioactive flames that made it through his constricted windpipe sputtered and died mere meters from his mouth. Godzilla tried again and met with the same result. In the meantime, he could feel Anguirus making headway in his battle to completely remove the passage altogether.
Desperate for release, but unable to summon the energy for another nuclear pulse, Godzilla took the only avenue open to him. Reaching with his forepaws, he wrapped his right one around Anguirus's snout and the other around his lower jaw. Using all the strength remaining in him, Godzilla struggled to pull the vice-like grip apart. For his part, Anguirus simply tried stubbornly to keep his mouth closed while continuing to attempt to remove Godzilla's throat. Then, slowly, Anguirus's jaws at last began to part. With a gasping roar of exultation and a final mighty wrench that nearly finished the work of Anguirus's jaws for him, the King of the Monsters ripped Anguirus's mouth off his neck.
Godzilla inhaled mightily, but did not release his hold on Anguirus's head, though the other monster thrashed madly to escape. Instead, Godzilla shifted his forepaws into his opponent's mouth for a better grip, ignoring the pain as razor sharp teeth dug into the pads of his forepaws. Then, Godzilla began to pull even harder, forcing Anguirus's yawning maw open even farther. Soon, the pressure began to strain the hinges of the armored creature's jaw.
However, Godzilla was not simply content to rip off Anguirus's jaw as Anguirus had nearly done with his throat. Using all his strength, Godzilla forced Anguirus's mouth in line with his own. Then, with spines flashing Godzilla unleashed the full force of the atomic beam that had been trapped within him by his throttling, straight down Anguirus's throat.
However, the attack soon seemed to be counterproductive. Instead of weakening under the onslaught, the pain seemed to drive Anguirus into an insane frenzy. His mighty spiked tail beat a furious tempo against Godzilla's flank, ripping out tremendous chunks of flesh with each blow. He threw his weight against his still sitting opponent, knocking him almost back to a laying position while smashing his forepaws against Godzilla's chest, which echoed with the muffled snapping of breaking ribs. Blood began to fleck the corners of Godzilla's mouth and his atomic ray nearly turned into an atomic gurgle as one of his lungs punctured, threatening to send a rush of blood up his throat instead of fire. But Godzilla continued his assault, poring every last ounce of energy he had into his atomic ray.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Anguirus's struggles began to weaken and his movements began to grow sluggish. Finally, the beast's eyes closed and his body went limp. The smell of cooked innards wafting out of every opening not currently plugged with plasma. Godzilla's ray sputtered and died and the King of the Monsters knew he had nothing left to give. But the battle was over and the creature known as Anguirus lay quite dead at his feet. Forcing himself to stand, Godzilla opened his jaws and voiced a mighty roar over the silent towers of Old Tokyo.
Maya finally uncovered her eyes to look at the gruesome scene being shone on screen in the command center. "That was awful," she moaned, holding back the rising bile in her throat.
"It wasn't a pretty way to go," agreed Ritsuko.
"That Anguirus creature sure put up one hell of a fight," commented Shigeru. The other's nodded. Even Godzilla's fantastic regenerative abilities had been pushed to their limits in the titanic battle. However, they were glad that Anguirus was gone from the world of the living as it gave them one less thing to worry about.
Even as the relieved techs at NERV watched the defeat of Anguirus, they failed to notice the menace that had arrived on their own shores. The waters of the harbor in the Tokyo 3 harbor were calm that day. There was no wind to ruffle the low waves that were simply a result of the world's tidal patterns, which remained unchanged, even by the violence of Second Impact.
The day was young, yet already the docks at the edge of the city were already bustling as men and women went about their tasks for that day. Fishers readied their boats to go trawling for the day's catch. Cargo ships loaded up the last of their shipments. Battleships, destroyers, carriers all prepared for another day of patrolling the high seas, looking for threats to their all-important homeland. But already, it was too little too late.
At the very entrance to the harbor, where it opened up into the Sea of Japan, the waters parted as the massive head of a traditional Asian dragon broke the surface. It was covered in dull grey scales and crowned by horns with a fringe of hair. Antenna-like tendrils extended from its nostrils. They waved around in the air, seeming to writhe and twist of their own volition.
The monster's head reared up on its long, serpentine neck to survey its surroundings. Confident that the humans had not yet seen it and in fact remained oblivious to its presence, it hissed with satisfaction and slipped beneath the waves again. Not even a ripple remained to mark its passing.
Author's note: This chapter is a little different from my original idea. Originally, I had wanted the battle to end with Anguirus being driven from Old Tokyo and into the sea; partly so that I could use him for later chapters and partly because I was sympathetic towards this particular monster who had always been one of my favorites. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was no way I could use Anguirus in my plans for the story past this point, so I had Anguirus go out in spectacular fashion, showcasing the same fighting spirit that endeared him to so many G-fans. This chapter pays homage to our favorite spiky quadruped of all time.