Creation began on 10-25-18

Creation ended on 11-21-22

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Digital Redemption: Fight Back

Everything was happening so fast that Shinji felt like he was watching five different television sets at the same time…and still couldn't keep up. He saw Tai's Agumon become WarGreymon to fight Machinedramon, Joe's Gomamon become Zudomon, Mimi's Palmon become Lillymon and T.K.'s Palmon become Angemon, respectively to face the three Mekanorimon, Andromon fighting WaruMonzemon, these disgusting Numemon that just appeared out of the shadows of the sewer…and becoming bathed in this light emanating from Tai's sister, Kari, before they crawled over WaruMonzemon, and then there was his own Evamon defending him against a Tankmon that managed to get into the sewer.

"…Shinji, use your Digivice!" Evamon told him.

Stomp! Machinedramon, taking aim at Shinji, despite the fact that WarGreymon was in the way, intended to carry out his objective.

"Giga Cannon!" He called out, and the two cannons on his back went off, firing two beams of energy at Shinji.

"Soul Barrier!" Evamon called out, and an AT-Field-like shield was erected in front of herself and Shinji.

The beams collided with the shield, resulting in a blinding light that lasted for four seconds, but pushed the pair backwards against a wall.

"Aaurgh!" They both groaned.

"That…didn't go…at all like…I thought it would," Evamon stated.

"You don't say," went Shinji. "What was that you did?"

"Soul Barrier. I erected a wall of light-based energy to defend against external attacks. I tried to protect you from Machinedramon. Not entirely effective, I'm afraid."

"She will protect you," Andromon's words about Evamon echoed in Shinji's conscious. "She believes in you."

"Thank you," he decided to say to her. "You did save me…and you're still here."

"That's why I'm here," she told him, "to protect you."

"Aaah! No!" They heard WaruMonzemon yell in pain, sent flying backwards by Angemon's Hand of Fate attack, landing at Machinedramon's legs.

"Failure is inexcusable," Machinedramon told him, raising his left claw up. "The penalty is elimination. WaruMonzemon…you are relieved of your duty."

Slash! Machinedramon brought his arm down on WaruMonzemon, tearing him to pieces as he atomized right in front of them all.

"Gah!" Shinji gasped; the worst he had expected was one of the enemies getting sent away, not killed. "But…didn't he work for you?"

"Failure is inexcusable," Machinedramon reiterated, most likely due to his inability to deviate from his orders or…programming…or whatever it was that made him what he was.

-x-

"…While the strange serpent flew away from the strange light," a female news anchor said on television, informing the public about the phenomenon in Tokyo-3, "the second arrival, this strange, puppet or puppeteer, has been reported manipulating several police officers into maiming each other before taking off into the air."

Misato, unsure if this was truly due to the destruction of the Twelfth Angel or just the result of NERV's own actions in destroying it, pondered how NERV was to face these two threats when they were different from the Angels in many ways. The larger creature, the armored serpent, was capable of speech and intelligence, and both it and this other creature, this…living puppet that seemed to behave similar to a psychotic child with a tantrum… They both seemed to be completely different from the Angels, unrelated to them altogether.

Ring-ring-ring! Her cell phone rang, and she answered.

"Katsuragi, go," she greeted.

"It's Hyuga," the caller on the other end responded. "Doctor Akagi needs you and the Second Child back at NERV HQ."

"Didn't NERV's Nevada branch try to attack the serpent and failed?" She asked him.

"Not with an Eva that was functional."

"Yeah, that's why I'm not confident in anything NERV does to try and harm these two creatures. Even the military forces can't hurt the serpent."

Of course, Misato had little faith in NERV's capabilities due to the loss of the Third Child; it had been three days since the Twelfth Angel incident and this strange phenomenon that was plaguing their world with these two creatures that were attacking other parts of the world wherever they chose, with practically nothing people did to retaliate against them doing anything to impede their movements.

"Even the MAGI have nothing to say about these creatures…only that it's likely more are coming," Hyuga stated to Misato.

"More are coming?!" She gasped. "You gotta be kidding me!"

-x-

The Numemon tried their best to overpower Machinedramon after he knocked aside WarGreymon and disarmed Zudomon of his hammer, but even their numbers were insufficient against the soulless machine of a monster.

"Wretched organics," Machinedramon hissed, raising his right arm up. "Infinite Hand!"

Shinji saw him unleash an attack from his hand…and atomize the Numemon!

"Aaaaurgh!" They yelled in agony as they disappeared.

"DigiDestined and their Digimon are a secondary concern in the operational design," Machinedramon uttered, looking at Shinji and Evamon. "Boy is primary target and will be destroyed. Once eliminated, DigiDestined will be joining him in the garbage heap."

"Why do you see Shinji as a major problem to you Dark Masters?!" Mimi questioned. "He hasn't done anything to any of you! Why do you want to get rid of him over the rest of us?! We're right here! We're facing you!"

"And you will be disposed of…after he has been liquidated."

Machinedramon made no point to hide or reprioritize his order to kill Shinji, seeing him as the greater threat to the Dark Masters. If Piedmon insisted that he was a priority, then Machinedramon accepted that Shinji was a priority. He wouldn't deviate, even when the majority of their enemies were right in front of him.

"You can run while I destroy him," he then offered the other children.

"What?!" Tai demanded as Zudomon reclaimed his hammer from the rubble.

"You wouldn't get far. It will take less than three seconds to eliminate the boy, followed by the secondary directive to destroy the DigiDestined. And why try to protect him? He has no connection to any of you outside of being a chosen outcast. He has no allegiance to you, a stranger in a strange world. You may as well let me have him to dispose of him."

"We can't do that!" T.K. responded. "That's wrong!"

"What's more," added Evamon, "we're not like you, Machinedramon. We're not soulless automatons that can only follow programs like the full-metal nightmare you are."

Shinji, looking at what remained of the atomizing Numemon, turned to face Machinedramon and then at Evamon.

"If failure is inexcusable for you," he spoke up, angry at how this monster was willing to kill the Digimon that it helped to enslave, just to try and get rid of him, "then you're going to fail yourself, Machinedramon. Now, it's your turn to bite the dust."

Evamon could feel Shinji's rage being directed towards Machinedramon, his sorrow for the fallen Numemon, and his desperation to see the suffering end. This was motivation to drive him to cease his attempts to run and hide and to stand and fight. His Digivice started to shine brightly as Evamon resonated with his emotional need to end this madness.

Machinedramon started to feel something that went against his programming; it was a strange feeling that seemed to override whatever malice he had hardwired into his core being by Piedmon…and was the equivalent of what humans would refer to as…shaking in one's boots.

Then…Evamon glowed brightly as a sphere of energy enveloped her.

"Time to fight back," Shinji uttered.

To be continued…

A/N: This chapter was long overdue. I apologize for the delay. Also, I wanted to make sure the next chapter will eventually become a display of righteous anger and relief on the way…if I ever get to it, that is. I hope those that read this will continue to have patience for the next chapter. Until then, see ya around.