hi again thx for the reviews, i found them rather helpful...
yeah anyways this is chp 5...enjoy
Chp. 5 Exodus
Another thunderous BOOM echoed through the massive Tactics Room. Takeda rushed to the side of the platform and yelled to the last technicians on one of the lower control platforms to evacuate.
"But what about you sir?"
"I'll follow later! Just go!"
They echoed obediently, "Yes sir!" and ran off through the exit.
Takeda walked back to a console and sat in the chair. He was now alone in the darkened room. He typed in a series of commands and brought up lists of statistics. His heart fell as he scanned the list of casualties. The SEELE forces had taken heavy casualties as well, but they were always receiving reinforcements. Already, there were an estimated 40 SEELE units above the base.
Damn, if they had this many forces, then why did they have so much trouble with the Angels??? Must have been that damn terror field Kotone was talking about.
The Vanguard forces, on the other hand, were alone an outnumbered. Takeda scrolled down the list to the total. He sighed. The computer began reading out the totals.
"MCV units total only 50 percent of original strength."
"Fighter squadron strength at 20 percent."
"AAS forces and turret defense system have been obliterated."
He sighed again. The fortunes of war…
"Computer! Are all personnel evacuated?"
"Yes."
"Have the subs begin retreat."
"Message sent."
Suddenly, alarms went off around him.
"SEELE ground forces have entered complex. Preparing automated defense systems."
Holograms popped up, showing SEELE shock troops entering through holes blown into the Vanguard base.
"Computer. Initialize self-destruct sequence of nuclear reactors. Set at thirty minutes. We'll give SEELE some end-show fireworks."
"Sequence initialized."
Takeda then took out a data disk and inserted it into a slot beneath the console.
"Computer, download yourself into the disk."
"Downloading…"
A second later, the disk popped out. And he put it into a case and pocketed it.
I guess it's my turn to leave…
He got up and walked to the doors. Before he left though, he turned to take one last look at what he had helped create with his own hands. His eyes fell upon the 3-D operations projector in the middle, then all of the consoles and screens where all of the technicians had done their jobs. Then he quickly strode out of the room.
In the darkened meeting room, the members of the Committee of Human Instrumentality met, and theydiscussed the outcome of the battle over TerroristVanguardOperations Base T-08.
"We has annihilated all organized defense in the base…we are cleaning the facilities of the pockets of resistance."
"Good…very good…"
The pieces are coming together...first...the defeat of theAncients past Angels ensure Humanity's survival...then...Humanity...the true 18th Angel...will finally blossom to its potential...with SEELE at its head...
"Sir, that rebel pilot...is his mech really that powerful?"
"That is out of place..."
"I'm, sorry sir." the aide left the room.
"That pilot was just giving uscombat datathat we require for the Evas...he was just playing his part...without his consent..."
"No one can truly stand against the might of Evangelion...now we only require the Children..."
"As you can see, these G-suits may pose a threat...though as we ordered the Units to provide only token resistance, the suit managed to penetrate the AT field with conventional weapons...this is...highly unusual...but if we wanted to...we could have taken over the Vanguard base without much trouble...but the UN members are already getting rowdy over this matter...they're afraid we will use the Evas to gain complete control..."
"..How many Units were lost?"
"I believe three...they can be replaced...but at a cost..."
"No matter...the agenda will make the time table..."
"Has the boy been sent yet?"
"...Yes..."
"Then what do we have to worry about? Absolutely nothing..."
Tai soared around through the one-sided battle, giving assistance to all of the units remaining. He gritted his teeth as a barrage of missiles hammered at him. Shit my suits going to pieces. Damn S2 Engine always has to go nuclear…
"G-suit has taken severe damage. Continued use of brain wave synchronization system is not advised. Could result in damage to mental stability and brain tissue damage."
Shit…
"Computer, begin mind wave transfer. Begin switch back to manual operation. Turn on autopilot."
"Initiating."
Suddenly, the battle surrounding him disappeared, and Tai saw stars and vibrant colors surrounding him. He then felt a familiar tug somewhere behind his navel, like that on a roller coaster.
A moment later, he was back in the cockpit, with the synch dome covering, rising from over his head to reveal yet again the surrounding scenes of combat. His body felt as if it had been hit with everything his G-suit was hit with. Humorous...so this is what the kids had to go through…I feel like I've been cut to ribbons. He looked around and saw that the Vanguard forces were losing, as they were now nearly outnumbered thirty-to-one. If we continue this, we're all going to die…might as well live to fight another day, as we have a choice in this situation.
"This is Commander Kotone, I am ordering a retreat. We cannot win this fight. Use your cloaking shields so that we can't be followed."
On all of his screens, Vanguard forces began blinking out of sight as they activated their cloaking shields. The last to disappear was the giant Battlecruiser, which was the only help that they had received from the Command Wing, or so they thought. The SEELE forces were once again left to fathom what had just happened.
Once the survivors of the Vanguard outpost had retreated a safe distance, Tai checked his sensors, hoping to see the submarines which would supposedlybe carrying the evacuees underneath them. But to his surprise, they weren't there.
Takeda strode briskly down the darkened halls of the base. He was walking with his gun drawn, to deal with unwanted intruders. He took a left at an intersection, reaching the naval hangar underground. The cavernous hangar contained four giant subs being prepped for evacuation, though they were just about done.
"Hey, Commander, over here!" yelled a Vanguard officer, waving to Takeda and motioning for him to get into the sub. He shook his head.
"Not until everyone else is evacuated!"
Ten minutes later, Takeda was standing on the bridge of the Penetrator, which was the largest of the four submarines that they had. Submarines were quite valuable, now that only three-quarters of the Earth's original land area was left after being swamped in the Second Impact.
"All right! Launch the subs!" called out Takeda. The subs left in two pairs of two. As they moved out, more, larger explosions shook the cavern and chunks of the ceiling fell down, splashing around the subs. A large rock clanged off the armor covering of the Bridge, causing everyone to wince.
When they were finally in the open waters, Takeda had all of them dive to the deepest depth to avoid the SEELE forces still flying around the island. Then he had them head toward a signal provided by a tracker which Takeda had before taken the liberty of attaching to Tai's G-suit.
Takeda paced around the bridge. He stopped and looked at his watch. Hmm…two minutes and the fireworks begin.
Maya walked from station to station on the three-floored bridge of the Penetrator, attracted to the all the new, sophisticated technology that she saw. A technician waved her over to his station. He looked about her age, with short brown hair and curious blue eyes. He looked at her, examining her closely. Maya blushed and looked at her feet when she noticed this.
"Hmmm…I've never seen you before. Are you new here?"
Maya flushed, not knowing how to respond, "Umm…well…ummm…well I don't, umm, work here, if that's what you mean."
"You don't work here? Then you must be one of the NERV people that arrived a week ago. Correct?" He smiled.
"Um, yes, I am."
"Really? That's amazing! I'm sorry about what happened…"
"That's okay… Um, what do you do here?" she glanced at the glowing console in front of him.
"Oh, I'm in charge of the sonar. My friend Rob, he's two stations to the left of here, he's in charge of the navigation and propulsion."
He went on, enthusiastically giving an overview of his station, his work, and each part of the system. Maya listened intently, taking in every bit of information, nodding here and then.
She liked living in the Twenty-first Century with Twenty-first Century technology, and had always been fascinated by electronics since she was a child. She created her first program at the age of eight, could build and disassemble a laptop at ten, and had mastered Java and C, among others, at twelve. She was a prodigy and picked out of thousands for her ability to cope with technology. She was also adept at all kinds of Physics. She had passed the International Technology Standards Exam at thirteen, which caught the attention of many organizations. She had then outshone all the other technicians and operators at NERV, and was considered to be Ritsuko's unofficial protégée. Maya, the bright child she was, had a knack which for analyzing data by just watching things (not to mention she enjoyed experimenting with technology), so you was a very fast learner
"See this hologram," he pointed to a 3D almost transparent globe projected on the top of his station, with what appeared to be the miniature outline of the Penetrator in its center. Next to the Penetrator, there were three, long sub-like shapes which Maya presumed to be the other subs. Around the subs, the surrounding environment was apparently mapped out through 3D imagin.
"This is the sonar projection field. If the sonar picks anything up, an outline of the object will show on the hologram. As you can see, the otherthree subs are shown on there."
At that moment, Ritsuko came over to Maya and said, "Maya, have you seen Kaji or Misato? I need to talk with them."
"Uh, no, sorry ma'am."
"Oh, oh well. I see you're making some friends." She smiled at the technician, who gaped at her.
"Oh my god! You're the Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, aren't you? I've read all about your theories about quantum physics and your observations about the Angels." he stood up, "Wow, it's a honor to meet you. I'm really sorry about what happened at Tokyo-3!"
"Oh, um, thank you." She flushed as well, caught off guard by this unexpected outburst, "Yes, um, Maya, could you please accompany me?"
"Yes ma'am."
Once they were a good distance away and climbing the stairs to the middle deck, Ritsuko, turned to Maya and said, "Well, as you can probably guess, NERV is done for. Gone. Demolished. I was wondering how you were feeling about this...Well, I mean, that do you have any plans for the future, your career I mean?"
"Um, not now, well, I haven't really given any thought to it. What about you?"
"I might attempt to go on my own as a scientist…maybe start my own laboratory." They walked past Takeda standing on the observation deck.
"Oh…I was wondering…if, I could maybe come with you?"
"I was hoping that you would ask that. I would like you to become my actual protégée."
"I'd love to!"
"Really? Well then, I guess that's settled," she smiled at Maya, "I'm just not sure about the starting the laboratory. I'm, like the rest of us, dead broke."
"Ibuki! Dr. Akagi!"
Maya and Ritsuko turned around, to see a waving Aoba and Hyuga running towards them.
"Dr. Akagi! Maya! Thank god you're alive!" shouted Hyuga as he neared them.
"We thought that you were dead." Laughed Hyuga smiling at them.
Maya, overjoyed to see that another one of her co-workers had survived, nearly jumped on Aoba, crying with relief.
"Oh my god! I thought that you two had died," She let go, skipping back a step.
Ritsuko grinned at Maya, who blushed, and then also hugged both Hyuga and Aoba.
"Well, it is good to see some other friendly faces."
Storm ran though the dense forest in his Thunder Hawk. At least we managed to destroy the factory…just too many casualties…a very costly victory. He shook his head. Around him ran the surviving force of Vanguard AAS's. What was that old military saying? Oh yes…"To the bold goes the victory, to the dead go the glory."…
All of the AAS's with him were damaged in some way. The laser on the Titan next to him looked like something salvaged from the scrap heap. So far, he had counted only 12 AAS's left in his command. That was less than afourth of what the total assault force had been. After dodging trees for several minutes, he saw light from the clearing ahead.
"He turned on his intercom, "Okay boys, we're almost home free
He breathed a sigh of relief. As they broke out into the clearing, they saw a sight which immediately stopped all of the AAS's in mid stride. Smoke billowed from dozens of wreckages scattered around the clearing. The rear guard AASsquad was nowhere to be seen. The wrecks, as far as he could see, were mostly dropships.
A sudden thought hit him. He checked his radar and to his dismay, he saw that there were no Vanguard aircraft within the vicinity. He hurriedly switched his intercom channel to their air support and tried to hail them. He heard static. That meant one of three things: they had all turned off their communication systems, they had landed, or they were all dead. Only one was an acceptable cause. Sweat dripped down his brow as he scanned the view of the field in front of him. NO, IMPOSSIBLE, NO ONE KNEW OF THIS…EVEN SOME IN COMMAND WING DIDN'T KNOW!!!
Suddenly the ground beneath him and around him erupted as timed mines exploded. Struggling to keep his AAS on its feet, he saw lasers and shells strike the ground in front of him, throwing up dirt and rock. Looking up, he saw MCV's and SEELE aircraft hovering above the clearing. He wanted to scream, to curse SEELE. It was impossible. Only the top leaders and those planning the attack knew about this. The planning had taken a year or so to gather information on the location of the Evangelion manufacturing plant.
A voice then blared out from the communicator in his communicator.
"This is the SEELE Global Air and Space Ultima Squadron. Power down and come out of your cockpit with your hands behind your head. You terrorists have intruded on SEELE property and have intended willful destruction upon it. Surrender or you will be fired upon."
Storm knew that he and his men were out numbered nearly 4 to 1, and they were facing the best of the SEELE force. But he also knew that they would be killed even if they surrendered, probably tortured for information first though. The hell…Ultima Squadron? Never heard of them…
Without hesitating, he roared his final command, "OKAY, BOYS IF WE'RE GOING DOWN, THEN WE'RE TAKIN' THEM WITH US. LET'S WASTE SOME AMMO! TO THE LAST MAN!!!"
His men roared at the opposing forces in defiance and fired all of their weapons at the opposing forces. The MCV streaked apart as weapons fire rose up from the forest. The clearing immediately exploded with bright flashes and explosions. Storm, in the excitement of it all, was lost in the bliss of true battle.
Rei walked into the classroom alone. They had decided as a group that it was better to walk in at different times, as not to draw attention. She took her seat next to the window, just as Toji, Shinji, followed by Aida, walked in. She waved to Shinji, who waved back, in a strangely odd way. He smiled at her. She noticed this as Asuka walked in with Hikari by her side. They were chatting rather animatedly, as if nothing unusual had happened. Asuka took her seat by Shinji, who unexpectedly began chatting with her. Shinji seems unusually social today…
"All right kids, quiet down now. We have a new student. A foreign exchange student from England."
The teacher walked in the door, followed by a boy. He had dark-brown hair and deep blue eyes. She guessed he was what girls would call "cute", as several girls gasped and started whispering to one another and giggling. Rei still didn't understand why. Suddenly, he turned and looked at Rei and smiled politely in her direction. She looked back at him, emotionless.
"Okay kids, listen up. He's going to introduce himself."
The boy wrote his name on the board, and then turned around smiling. Rei could see the two girls in front of her whispering and giggling, all the while pointing a finger at the new student. Frowning, Rei read on the black board, "John Travis" in English
"Hi, my name is John Travis. I'm from Greenwich, England. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
His Japanese was quite fluent, apparently.
The class then said together, "Hi!"
Later, Rei, Shinji, Asuka, Toji, and Aida were eating lunch together on the rooftop.
Biting into his burger, Shinji, swallowed and said, "You know, what if SEELE comes for us and tries to make us pilot the Evangelion for them?"
"You mean what's left of the Evas."
"Unit-01 wasn't in too bad a shape…though I don't know where it is right now…"
"Well what about ours, Shinji?"
"What about them?"
"They've been scrapped idiot!"
"Oh." A look of realization swept over his face.
Rei sat there, sipping her soda, gazing wistfully out to the horizon. That new boy…seems so familiar… That boy kept on appearing in her thought. She sat, mystified. She stood up.
"I'm going to use the bathroom, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
Shinji stared after Rei, who quickly disappeared down the staircase. She seems to have something on her mind...but what?
Tai and what remained of his force had finally met up with the submarines about an hour later. They had then loaded their MCVs into the subs and traveled to a location off the shore of Japan. Walking away from the docking bay, he went alone, passing by groups of personnel who were quick to salute him. He quickly returned the salutes
As he strode down an empty corridor and took a turn, he bumped roughly into a woman with long, dark hair. As his sunglasses flew off, he quickly grabbed the other person by the arm and yanked her to back on her feet before she hit the ground. His already cracked glasses hit the floor and shattered completely, sending tinted glass flying across the floor.
"Oh Commander, sorry…"
"That's okay, they were getting old."
It was Li-Chan. She looked rather exhausted and looked rather bedraggled. She smiled in an embarrassed sort of way, brushing hair out of her face. They both bent down to pick up the shattered remains of Tai's glasses at the same time, bonking heads together.
"Owww…" they both cried out, rubbing their heads.
They then both sputtered out, "S-Sorry."
"No that's…I mean…"
There was an awkward sort of silence then.
"Well…I guess that's this is the end of the Vanguard, I guess."
"I…we just got news that though our Mech force had managed to destroy the SEELE facility, but was ambushed on the return trip. Apparently, SEELE knew about this beforehand. They, Storm…fought down to the last…man." Her voice trailed off.
Tai stood there, not really accepting this fact. Storm is dead…our headquarters has been destroyed…our forces decimated…what is there left?
Li-Chan was apparently thinking the same thing, as she leaned against the wall with a kind of this-is-the-end sigh. Tai looked at her. He noticed she was shivering a bit and hugging her arms tightly to her sides. When was the last time we actually got some sleep? I haven't slept for two days…Li-Chan probably hasn't for three…curses…we all need some rest…
He took off his coat and draped it around her shoulder.
"Thank you."
"Li…you should probably go and get some rest." He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "You're working too hard. What has happened has happened…don't worry. We'll rebuild…somehow."
She looked up and nodded. Tai saw that she seemed rather forlorn. But then she abruptly smiled and said, "You're a really good friend, Tai. Thanks again."
She then swiftly kissed him on the cheek and ran away.
Tai was left standing alone in the hallway. Did she just…did she…? He could feel his face burning. But as he thought about it, it wasn't that bad. He had known her for four years…she were good friends…possibly closer than either of them would like to admit. He quickly pushed that thought out of his head.
…I'm hungry…must…have…lunch…To the MESS HALL!
He turned around and met a broadly grinning Hogan. He leapt back in shock.
Oh crap…
"D-Don't…say…a word. O-Or else I-I'll…"
Hogan burst out laughing and collapsed to the floor.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
I could just cry…okay…that's it…you're dead
Tai walked past some personnel carrying carboard boxes. They nodded to them as they passed, and they saluted him (well, half of them just said "sir", as their hands were full).
He came to an intersection with three other routes. Should I head to the bridge? or the mess hall?
He looked down at his dustycoat. I smell like crap. Think I'll take a shower instead...
He took the left route towards his cabin.
"Hey, Hogan, what's wrong with you're face? You looked like someone beat the crap out of you."
"Uh, nothing, I just, uh…tripped…by accident." Hogan grinned at him, giving the technician the impression that some sort of purple-reddish alien with a head like that of a squashed watermelon was staring at him. The technician blanched visibly at the stomach-churning sight.
"Oh, okay."
When the technician went away, Hogan burst out laughing again. Matt stared.
"Um, Hogan, you're starting to scare us. What have you been drinking…or smoking…or both…? Lemme guess...bar fight? No just kidding...no bar fight on the sub...but if you got drunk..."
Matt continued to work at his console, reprogramming the various circuits in his G-suits right arm while technicians replaced or repaired the armor on the back, as it had been shredded in the last battle. Hogan looked at him, opened his mouth to say something, then collapsed onto the floor in a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny, or is it just your mind has finally cracked? You're very drunk aren't you? I know we've just lost our battle with SEELE…not to mention half our forces and…" he proceeded to list all or their shortcomings and pet peeves absentmindedly, ending with "And we've got a buncha dumbasses back at CW…but we'll live…recover…yeah…"
"Sorry, can't tell. Made a promise." He grinned at Matt, and then went back to his console, checking the weapons systems. He continued grinning though. He he…Tai and Li-Chan…who'd 've thought.
"Huh?"
"Uh…nothing…nothing!" He proceeded to burst out laughing again. Matt looked as though he wanted to take the wrench in his hand and punch it through Hogan's face, but he controlled himself, to some extent at least.
About twenty seconds later, Hogan staggered away with several more bruises and bumps. Pain…fear…ow! Too much pain…must share…the pain!
Tai went into his cabin and slumped down on the bed. …Ugh…so sweaty, I really should take a bath…
Kaji and Misato walked around the corridors of the submarine. Kaji looked at his data pad.
"According to his instructions, his cabin should be this one."
They stopped at the door of cabin 213.
"And who is he?"
"Tai Kotone of course."
"You should stop kidding. Tai…died years ago…that's not funny Kaji. I thought you two were best friends."
"I assure you, I am not being funny. And Tai and I still are best friends…"
He slid his ID down a slot and typed in a code on the panel beside.
"You know Kaji…Uh, maybe we should knock before entering? Yes?"
"Oh nonsense. I'm sure Tai'll love to see you again. Literally." He grinned bemusedly.
The door slid open. Kaji walked, and Misato followed hesitantly. The room was dark.
"Where's the goddamn light?"
Tai walked out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel and wrapping another around his waist.
Well, that was refreshing…better get back to the bridge…or maybe the mess hall? Yes…the mess hall would be nice…a cup of coffee for lunch…
Still drying his hair, Tai heard the door open with a faint hiss. When he took the towel away from his face, he saw two dark figures standing in his room and talking. Tai grabbed his Magnum from the drawer beside him and cocked it at the pair.
Kaji and Misato stared as Tai, in only a bath towel, aimed a menacing gun at them. Not good.
"TAI PUT THE DAMN GUN DOWN!!! IT'S ME, KAJI!"
They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, uncomprehendingly.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!!!!!!"
"Ah Tai, I can explain."
"MISATO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM? KAJI YOU JACKASS!!!!!!!"
After five more furious minutes of yelling, Tai finally got changed and they sat on his bed, chatting.
"Misato, Misato, Misato...after ten confused years or living in hell, you are still asbeautiful as ever..."
Kaji proceeded to cough loudly. Misato ignored both opinions.
"Tai…I had a heart attack when I heard you were killed in a car accident. That was a really mean stunt to pull off."
"It was funny though. I never thought you cared that much for me. But then I saw you at the funeral and you were crying your eyes out…(wait…what was that about a car accident?)"
"You what!?"
"I was the guy in the hat and shades." He ran his hand through his hair. "I wasn't supposed to be killed in a car accident...I was killed by some SEELE security guards...actually I killed them when they tried to dispose of my body, heh. ironically I had to dispose of theirs..."
Kaji grinned, "Really? You look pretty good with a ponytail."
Misato just kept on looking at Tai with misty eyes. Tai stared back quizzically.
"Kat…stop it …you're scaring me."
"I…thought you were actually dead. The only other time I felt that bad was when Kaji and I parted." At that point she threw her arms around Tai neck, crying, and hugged him. They tumbled off the bed. Kaji eyed the two with amusement. Why does this look so familiar…?
"Oww oww…Kat, you're choking me…"
"Oh sniff, sorry." She released Tai from her stranglehold of steel and sat on the floor.
Rubbing his neck, Tai said, "Well, it's good to see you again."
"How did you find us though?"
"Kaji told me."
"How did you find me?" Interjected Kaji.
"I was stalking the guy who was supposed to kill you."
"Interesting."
Misato then asked, "What were you doing all these years?"
"I was already part of the GLA before I enrolled at your college. The car accident (they really said I died in the car accident? …Makes me look like a drunk…) was just to make people think I was dead. I went and enrolled in three different other colleges after that. I did some other miscellaneous stuff between the years…acquired some new skills. Yeah it was amusing though."
Misato just sat there in some kind of stupor. Her hand reached up to her cross to play with it, except it wasn't there. She jerked out of her stupor and said, "My cross! I…I've lost it."
They looked at her. Tai scratched his head.
"I don't think it was with you when I fished you out of the water at NERV…"
Kaji then said soothingly, "Don't worry, I'm sure we can get another one."
"No…the one I lost, was given to me by my…my father…"
"The leader of the Katsuragi Expedition, ja?"
"…Yes…"
Rei walked down the street. I thought I had seen him go by here…
A voice came from behind her, "Rei Ayanami…is that correct?"
Rei wheeled around in alarm. The boy at class was standing there, with his arms crossed. Rei didn't say anything. He had a relaxed front, and was leaning against a street light. A smile covered his face
"Come now, how 'bout a greeting or introduction of sorts. Why so cold?"
"I believe someone sent you from SEELE, correct?"
"…Yes, I'm here from SEELE. You're quite the observant one…no less than what I'd expect of the First, eh? They wish to know whether or not you and the other pilots are willing to cooperate…"
SEELE again?
Ignoring this, Rei asked, "Where have we met before? I've seen your face some where…"
"We met in the lab thirteen years ago. You also saw me briefly at the construction of the NERV HQ. Heh, not really a meeting, as we were both still in diapers."
"So you are not human either…"
"No, I was just brought to the lab they held you in by my father. But don't worry, you're just as human as I am."
Rei frowned at him. "Is that so? …I guess that means you're only part human then, as I am…"
"Why yes, and no…would you care to join me for a walk?"
"No."
She turned and continued walking. She didn't dare look back, as though afraid to see what he would do.
John Travis stood at the top of the hill on the sidewalk, watching Rei disappear into the depth of the city. Interesting girl…that Rei Ayanami…it'll be a pleasure to work with her. Now about the others…
He turned and walked back to the school. But then, he stopped.
But…if the rumors are true…then I should be able to awaken her, capabilities…now.
About a hundred miles away, on the coast, the escapee subs were traveling up alongside Japan.
In the mess hall, several of the Vanguard leaders (apart from Takeda, who was still on the bridge) had gathered at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria. Col. Rick O' Neele, Maj. Kairi Megumi, Capt. Shaun Blackshire, and Flight leader Sai Kurama (the other G-suit pilots and officers) were sipping coffee and hot chocolate while discussing the past and present. Hogan and Matt were digging into plates of bacon and eggs, the others, with the exception of Tai, were conversing rapidly, discussing what they would do after the reached the nearest GLA base. Tai was sleeping with his head on his arm, with a mug of hot chocolate in front of him. Li-Chan was trying to stay awake, but kept on nodding off here and there when the conversation moved away from her.
"The Vanguard has been decimated. GLA will probably divide what remains of our section to the other divisions." Stated Kairi, in a hollow monotone voice.
"They wouldn't dare, we're their top unit."
"Not any more…"
"I wonder how command wing will react to our defeat and the destruction of Vanguard HQ," mused Shaun. "They ought to get a kick out of it…those geezers…"
"Bu' ill', e-"
"Hogan! Talk with your mouth full!"
"Ah 'em"
"I mean, not with your mouth full! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!DAMMIT I NEED TO GET SOMESLEEP!!!"
"Try getting a life first." this remark by Rick drew a laugh form the others. "Oh yeah, and what happened to your face, Hogan?"
Hogan swallowed, and said, "I tripped...anyways, we have enough of a force to be considered one group…division…or battalion at least…don't we?"
Li-Chan said with her face still in her arms, "We're as good as gone. We have 22 MCV's, 14 superiority fighters, not including Hogan's and the Shadow Squadron, no MAS, and no base of operations. The GLA will probably call us officers together again to reform the Shadow Hunter assassin group with the other operatives. We still have 6 Gear fighters though."
"We lost a lot of men though..."
Matt looked at a sleepy Li-Chan across from his plate and asked, sporting a roguish grin, "When Tai told you to go to sleep, did you actually listen?"
Beside him, Tai jerked awake, spilling his hot chocolate. Everyone looked at him in alarm.
"What do you mean I told her to get some sleep!?"
"Yesterday, remember? It was right before she ki-"
Crack! Everyone at the tables groaned, "Owww…" as Tai proceeded to whack Matt with a blunt object: his hot chocolate mug. After knocking Matt out, Tai glared at Hogan, who grinned sheepishly and shook his head, mouthing the words, "It wasn't me."
Tai's eyes appeared to have gone out of focus, as he was swaying as if he was drunk.
"Okay, everyone please continue their conversation, and wa-"
He slumped forward unto the table in mid-sentence.
Rick, another G-suit pilot, tapped Tai gingerly on the head.
"I think he fell asleep again. Out of everything he faces, he succumbs to "
Hogan, at that moment, started laughing again. By now, half of the mess hall was eyeing them with amusement.
Kurama sipped at his coffee studying Li-Chan and Tai benignly.
"Tsk Tsk…we are the tired."
Kairi then slumped forward, as if knocked out by an invisible hammer.
Shaun ventured, "I think she's asleep too," as he prodded her with his spoon.
Rick snorted loudly in his bowl of cereal.
"Stop that. Let her sleep."
"Of course…(mister mom!)"
"Die faggot!"
"Bite me! …ARGHH HE BIT ME!!!"
"I'm sitting on the other side of the table, retard! It wasn't me!"
Shinji sat in class. November and it's still so hot…He looked around the room. Toji was reading a magazine under his desk. Asuka was checking her e-mail. Aida was also checking his e-mail. At least it looked like it. Shinji craned his neck to the side. No…Aida was not checking his e-mail. It looked as though he was hacking into his dad's files again…interesting. He then looked at Rei, except that she wasn't there. Huh?
"Mr. Ikari, could you please read your essay's introduction on nuclear fission.?"
"What? Oh yeah, sure."
Rei walked along the shoreline of the ocean. The wind blew a blue strand of hair into her. Brushing it back, she stared at the horizon, as though expecting something…
Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable, as though some one was watching her.
"Why are you following me?"
"I'm just interested in you, that's all."
John Travis walked to her side.
"Are you willing to assist SEELE?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"SEELE, is an evil organization."
"Didn't think you'd to be so melodramatic."
"I was being frank."
She heard a click, and the next thing she knew, Travis was holding a gun to her head.
"Know this, Rei, if you join SEELE, you will be doing a great thing to the world. As an Eva pilot, such as myself, you will help restore peace to the remnants of humanity. But if you insist on turning me down, I have orders to kill you and the other pilots who don't agree. I wouldn't want to be the cause of the death of such a beautiful girl as you…or your…eh, how should we put it…your friends maybe?"
No…I don't want any part of this…this…is too much…what if one of us actually dies…we can't die any more!? Something was building up inside of her, NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!
Suddenly, a wave of anger and confusion shattered something inside of Rei, a restraint, a wall, untouched for years…without her thinking, her arm involuntarily snapped up and wrenched the pistol upward and twisted, making Travis dropped the pistol. Travis, instead of looking surprised, looked as though his birthday had came early. As Reikicked aside the gun, he brought up his leg in a sweep to knock her off her feet. But Rei instinctively leapt up, planted a hand on Travis's shoulder,and flipped over his head.
What am I doing…
John swerved around and fired off a series of rapid kicks. Rei moved in a smooth, fluid motion, avoiding all the kicks and spinningup beside Travis.
How am I doing this…
Her fist rocketed into Travis' stomach, causing him to grunt in pain, just as she brought her foot up and kicked him viciously in the jaw. He recovered fast though, and spun around, bringing up his right foot in a roundhouse kick, which Rei narrowly avoided byjerking backwards. But this was what Travis had waited for, as he used the momentum of his kick to bring his left foot about and drove it into Rei's stomach, sending her tumbling backward, landing in the middle of the deserted road.
She instinctively threw herself up by thrusting her legs quickly into the air and launching herself up. Back on her feet, Rei intuitively adopted a fighting stance which was completely unknown to her before. It's all...how do I?… It was like a wall in her mind and cracked, and some of the secrets it was imprisoning had leaked out. How do I know this?…It's coming naturally yet I don't remember anything about studying martial arts…
Travis ran up to her and feinted and jab to the left of her head, expecting her to block, but Rei threw her left foot out and spun neatly under the feint and upon coming back up, she grabbed his outstretched hand and attempted to flip him off his feet forward onto his back. Travis, acting swiftly, went along with the grapple and landed on his feet. He then reversed the grapple and flipped Rei sideways and thrust the palm of both hands into Rei's side, while she was still in the air.
Rei flew back several feet, to land painfully on the street pavement. She could feel her blood dripping down her arm from a gash, but instead of feeling pain, she felt another wave of anger.Travis rushed at her and leapt into a jump kick. Rei yanked her head to the side and grabbed his ankle. She then spun him around twice and hurled him at a nearby bench. In midair, Travis flipped around and placed a hand on the bench and landed behind it on his feet. Rei stared at him hands shaking. H-how…did I do that…? How did I know all that? Who…am I…really…?.
"Well, that was certainly amusing. I bow to your skills, Rei Ayanami. They really did train you well. Pity they made you an Evangelion pilot instead. I look forward to our next duel."
And with that, he left. Rei fell to her knees, her arms hanging limply beside her. What's wrong with me?
Asuka sat on the couch watching TV, absentmindedly-stroking Pen-Pen (he's a penguin which Misato had kept for a pet. Not just your average pet though). She wasn't really paying much attention to the TV though.
"Hey Shinji, how much longer to dinner?"
"It'll be done when it's done!!"
Shinji, meanwhile, was slaving away in the kitchen. Why doesn't she help me cook? She's the girl here, thought Shinji, as he furiously chopped up some potatoes,…at least Misato did some cooking…though her cooking nearly killed me 'n Pen-Pen…
He smiled, as he remembered cleaning rust off a knife with Misato's curry. Ritsuko had found it frankly amusing and had asked what Misato had used for ingredients. But then he felt cold, remembering that they were both dead.
He then called out, "Hey Rei, could you give me a hand?"
He heard Asuka answer, "Shinji you idiot, she hasn't returned yet. That was like the first time she played hooky in class."
Shinji dropped the knife, which clattered on the counter.
"What!? She hasn't returned yet…?"
At that moment, the door opened, and Rei walked into the living room.
"Wow Rei, thanks for knocking. Where the hell were you!?"
Rei ignored Asuka and headed straight for her (formerly Shinji's) room.
Shinji walked out of the kitchen, still wearing an apron.
"Huh? Rei? Where are you going? (why are your clothes so dirty?)"
She turned to him and answered in a monotone whisper, "I'm sorry, I don't feel well right now…" And with that, she disappeared into the room, leaving Shinji and Asuka to wonder what was happening.
Shinji quietly opened the door to his room. It was about midnight. He squinted his eyes, unaccustomed to the darkness. He saw Rei sitting by the wall. She was hugging her legs to herself and waslying her head on her knees. Shinji quietly crept over to her. He looked at her face, which was obscured by several strands of her blue-tinged hair. As Shinji looked on, a single sparkling tear slid down her face and landed on he knee. Wha…? She's crying in her sleep…I've only seen Asuka do that…
He moved silently to her side and knelt down. He hesitantlygrabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently.
"Rei…hey…Rei, wake up…"
She lifted her head and looked at Shinji. Her eyes seemed unfocused, though it was hard to tell in the darkness of the room.
"Ikari?"
"Rei, why were you gone this afternoon? You scared the heck out of us back there…"
She looked at him with her eyes. "I have my…reasons. I…needed some time alone…"
Shinji sat down next to her against the wall. "Rei…we're your friends. We'd like to know what's going on."
"Shinji, you do what I am right? By now, someone must have told you, or you should have figured it out by now…"
"Yes, you're a good friend...and the First Child." Did she just call me by my first name?
"No…I mean, I-I'm…n-not…e-en-entirely" she started stammering and her voice became a hoarse whisper, "human…I'm…what we had been fighting against…the enemy…" She said this as if it was a crime. Several teardrops ran down her face. Shinji began panicking. S-she's crying!!! What do I do? Ahhh...darn this is like the first time I've seen her cry!!!
Shinji looked at her, thinking back to when Ritsuko had shown him and Misato, and destroyed shortly afterwards, all of the Rei clones. He shivered at that thought, which had brought him many a sleepless night. He had been struggling with that fact as well and hadn't told Asuka or the others. Now, come to think of it, how did Rei come out of the Third Impact alive, if all of her…clones were…killed. Was there really the Third Impact? There was a huge explosion...
Shinji looked at her. She had literally been "killed" two times. She knew how it felt do die, and at that, painfully. A sudden wave of sorrow and compassion towards Rei enveloped him. He had felt this before, shortly before they tackled the5th Angel together. They had been pouring out their views on life, as well as feelings about their own personallives.
"Rei…I don't believe that you are not human. Though your body, isn't your…original one, your mind, soul, and heart still are." He smiled at her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "But I respect and lo-, I-I mean, like you for who you are." His heart had practically jumped into his throat when he almost said the "L" word. He felt hotblood rushing to his head as his face began to burn with embarrassment.
"Ikari-kun, what I...meant was…well… that…I am not…human…entirely. I mean, not just that I am…"
Shinji looked at Rei blankly for a couple of seconds, his brain trying to work out what he had just heard. Then it hit him. He thought back to the time when he had tried to look up Rei's background on the NERV database, but, all he found, was practically a dead end to begin with. He then remembered about over hearing something about Rei being created, or brought into existence, and her connection to his deceased mother (which was the reason for her link to his father)and the Instrumentality Project.
She was part Angel. He stared at her for a moment, his mouthing opening, but not making a sound. Rei avoided his eyesight and looked at the floor beside her. Shinji realized, that she had faced the aspect of fighting what was part of her, which was quite mind racking for the average fourteen-year old to think about. He felt even worse, for not having spotted it earlier.
"Rei…so…you are…well, or have the genes of an Angel?"
She nodded weakly.
"I'm sorry…Ikari-kun…"
Without thinking, Shinji just opened his mouth and poured out his mind once more.
"What's there to be sorry for? It wasn't your fault. Human or not, you're still my friend…and nothing will change that. A friend will like you for who you are, not what you are. Anyways, I think it's pretty cool, that you have the genes of an Angel. That's why you have blue hair and red eyes, right? Well…I think your eyes, are, well…um…quite beautiful." He said the last word in a rather embarrassed sort of way. Dang…just a little too much. He could feel his cheeks burning.
She looked at him, her somber, crimson eyes searching him. Shinji felt as though they were actually looking into his soul, searching him. Those piercing-red eyes had before given him nightmares, but now, they were friendly and trusting.
Darn…that last comment was a little too far…
"Ah maybe I sounded kinda' strange…right?" he ventured sheepishly.
To his surprise, she smiled at him and whispered, almost inaudibly, "Arigato gonzaimasu, Ikari-kun." But Shinji heard it loud and clear. Her face shone visibly with happiness. Wow...she really has changed...
She put her hand over his hand. It was Shinji's turn to stare. Rei's face now seemed even more ethereal in the dim light from the hallway. She's really…cute…especially…when she…smiles..., thought Shinji (very relieved that no one could read his mind), now smiling back and again blushing furiously, and hoping she wouldn't notice in the darkened room. He then felt something wet dripping onto his shirt sleeve. He looked down, and could easily make out, even in the darkened room, a spot of rapidly expanding red. Only then did he notice the carpet between them was stained ruby-red with blood. His eyes widened in alarm, and looked at the source: there was a steady line of blood trickling down from Rei's arm.
"Rei! You're bleeding!"
She looked drowsily at him. Her eyes suddenly seemed to be glazed over again, unfocused. She was suffering from the ill effects of blood loss. Why the hell...?
"It's…only a scratch..."
"No it's not! How long have you been like this!?"
Oh god.
He gingerly took her hand and pulled her arm into the light.
"You call that a scratch? It looks like someonegashed open your arm with a iron hook"
"It doesn't hurt…much…you need not concern yourself."
Shinji quickly got up and said, "I don't think so. Stay right here, I'll go get some bandages."
"Okay..."
She's probably going to pass out from blood loss, he thought, as he took another glance at the eerie puddle of blood which had formed on the carpet floor. Gotta hurry!
End chp. 5
After the Show 5 !!
The curtains close. Shinji and Rei walk on stage to the cheers of many.
Shinji: Thanks for all your support!!
Rei: Yes...and please come back for the next chapter in Neon Genesis Evangelion: Revelations...
Shinji: Actually, any comments? Questions?
"You two are a great couple!!!"
"Yeah!"
Shinji tugs uncomfortably on his collar. Rei is unaffected.
Shinji: Yeah...okay (he quickly sneaks a glance at Rei). Uh moving on...anything else?
"Yeah...why didn't you kiss her?"
Shinji: Uh...(blushes furiously)
Toji walks onto the stage and places a hand on Shinji's shoulder.
Toji: 'Cus he's probably gonna hit on her anyways later...really hard (winks at Shinji)
Shinji: WHAA!!!?? (Shinji is still changing colors)
Rei is still impassive. But then suddenly she smiles slightly, drawing a roar from the male half of the audience.
FireDragonBL walks onto the stage nursing a broken arm.
BL: Hello people! I'm back, after some daring exploits in the US and Franceand a brush with death.
Someone behind the curtains coughs loudly.
BL: Yeah anyways...thanks for reading
Shinji stares at BL.
Shinji: I-I thought I killed you!?
BL: Oh, so you didused Unit-01 to kill my clone? (he grins) Interesting! Misato must have put you up to it though...
Distant booming is heard.
Kaji jumps on stage and walks over to BL. He whispers something in his ear.
BL: SHE WHAT!!!!?
Kaji: Uh...people show is over because Misato hit the bar kinda hard...and I wouldn't want to endanger your lives any further. So goodnight!!
"Wait!!! We want to see Shinji kiss Rei!!!!"
Shinji turns from pink to crimson red.
Rei: I apologize, but we are out of time today. Please come back again. (Rei walks off stage, soon followed by a blushing Shinji and a hysterically-laughing Toji). BL exits through the opposite side
Audience wincestogetheras another loud explosion is heard.
Tai jumps on stage. He has a bandage over one of his eyes.
Tai: Bye people...Misato's about a hundred yards away and is currently blowing up vending machines with a shotgun. She will be here in about twenty seconds.
audience jumps up and mobs the exits.
The recently repaired wall is once again blown open by a drunken Misato. She is toting an empty bottle along with a smokingmini-missile rack.
Kaji looks at Tai.
Kaji: A shotgun, eh?
Tai: That was what I last saw her with...that'a irrelevant let's get out of here before she tries to shoot you again.
Kaji: Sounds good.
The two of them run off the stage.
"Are they gone yet?"
Misato: Yeah.
Ritsuko emerges from the missile-made entrance.
Ritsuko: Good...Okay girls, area is cleared!!!
A mob of girls storm through the hole in the wall acrrying portable refrigerators, huge amps, a DJ set up, and dance lights.
"PARTY!!!"
-meanwhile, outside the theater.
Tai: I don't don't hear anymore explosions...do you?
BL: No... (starts eating a burger he conjured into existence)
Tai: please stop that...it's just so unfair...
Kaji: Wait! I hear music!
The three stand at the mouth of the entrance and place their ears on the door.
Kaji: Yeah...definitely music...sounds kinda like Dance Dance Revolutions doesn't it?
BL: I love DDR!!!
Tai: Is that Maya and Li-Chan?
He points at thetwo girls. The girls enter the side of the alley.
Tai:...?
BL: ...?
Kaji:...?
The three follow Maya and Li-Chan, hiding behind dumpsters and garbage bins. the two girls enter through the hole in the wall Misato had made. The three guys quickly move to the edge of the hole and peer over the side.
Kaji: Ohmigod...
BL: TH3R3'5 B33R 1N H3R3!!!!
Tai:...interesting...never thought Maya was the party type...but I was right about her not drinking...
Kaji: Wow she really does have friends...
Tai coughs and jabs an elbow into Kaji's ribs.
Kaji: OW!! I meant Misato retard!!
BL: OH CRAP THEY'VE SEEN US!!
Kaji: RUN FOR IT!!!
BL and Kaji streak out of the alley and into the night screaming.
"ARGH THEY GOT TAI!!!"
"JUST KEEP RUNNING!!!"
Tai finds himself at a huge party. Dance music is echoing through the theater. Ritsuko walks over to him
Ritusko: So Tai, you want a drink?
Tai: Sure, soda please... (she hands him a soda out of a portable refrigerator) thanks...
Misato: Ritsuko, why didn't you tell me you invited Tai?
Ritsuko: I didn't...he just appeared outside the hole you 've been worse...Kaji might'vecome along with that BL guy. From what I heard, he can make things appear randomly...I also heard that you had Shinji step on him with Unit-01...
End ATS 5