Disclaimer: I do not own anything of AMG or NGE. So please so don't hurt me for this.
Chapter 18: Shadows Rise
Sitting in the holding cell that's become her room, Natsuki readies her self for her time to awaken fully. Two weeks of being poked and prodded, scanned, tested on has finally come to this. Her chance to escape.
"Shadows of this world rise come forth, and clime this realm as your own." Natsuki chants, "Rise.. Grow on the hate of this world; grow off the despair, the pain and loneness."
Across town The Morisato sisters sat in their boring class, sure there was the entinment of watching Asuka and Shinji but the couple needed their time. Thing's simply wasn't going to happen over night, but that spark that was there before was a full grown flame. Asuka sat behind Shinji and that wasn't the strange thing that was bothering the others in the class, it was the fact that they weren't fighting.
"Pissst… Hay Morisato?" Toji whispered to Fiona. "What's the deal with those two?"
Fiona looked over at the clueless jock. "They found each other." She whispered back.
"Found each other….." He said back to him self. "I don't get it."
Fiona giggled, and then she glanced over at Anata. All morning Fiona thought that there was something on her sister's mind but couldn't place it she seemed distant, withdrawn, not all there.
'Lunch is coming up here soon I'll just need to ask her straight up what's wrong.' Fiona thought to her self.
Sitting at her desk, Anata looked in the direction of every little sound she heard. She looked out the window. 'Something's not right… it's like some things bad going to happen.'
Elsewhere, the mountains that out lined the city of Tokyo three, the shadows started to bubble and come to life a hand, about the same size of an Evangelions hand raises from the shadows and reaches for the sky.
IT STARTS…
"So Shinji what did you make today for lunch?" Asuka asked as she took her seat in front of Shinji after getting their lunches from the lockers.
"Well you're just going have to open it." Shinji answered as he opened his own box lunch.
"Open it… Shinji I hope for your sake that it's something not Japanese…." Opening the box Asuka shut up vary quickly. Her lunch was simple, ham and cheese sandwich a can of soda, and a bag of chips. "Normal lunch….."
"You're welcome." Shinji said just before he was about to take a drink.
Before Asuka could say any more a shadow came over them, looking to see who it was. They had found Rei looking like she was a little out of breath.
"What is it Rei?" Shinji asked.
"The target is growing in mass and energy! It's estimated to reach its full power in fifteen minutes!" Huga yelled over his shoulder to the sub commander.
"I understand, what is the status of the pilots!" Fuyutsuki shouted over the alarms to Maya.
"The Major just called she said she'll have the children in five minutes and have them here in eight!"
Fuyutsuki looked over at Gendo. "That's cutting it close."
"Indeed…." Gendo said. "Let's see what she can really do."
"Ikari, are you sure it's wise to use… her?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"She can sync with an Evangelion that's good enough for me." Gendo stated then he picked up the phone that's kept in side his desk. "Doctor gets her ready…. Use unit 00….. I'll tell her that it's top secret…. Just do it."
In her office Ritsuko looked over at Natsuki. "This is the real thing, you ready?"
Natsuki opened her eyes, letting them flash for a second. "I thirst for it."
Ritsuko sighed. 'This is going to end badly.' "Okay come on."
Driving like a bat out of hell, Misato tried to do too many things at once. Driving, talking on the phone and trying to keep an eye on traffic and the 'Angle'.
"…. Yeah I'm just about there… okay have a car ready to take us directly to the cage…. Okay, bye." Hanging up her cell phone, Misato looked over at the pilots. "Okay, this is what's going on. The target has not been IDed as an angle yet, but it's looking like it might be one. We have a little over five minutes to get you guys suited up and in your Eva's."
"Misato… I've got a bad feeling about this." Shinji said.
"Me too, something's just not setting right." Asuka added.
"I know this thing's not looking too good. It's already absorbed the missile batteries along the edge of the city, along with several tanks, airplanes and other things." Misato said as she down shifted to take a turn.
"It's not that… it's something else." Shinji said a little unsure.
At the schools shelter, Anata knew that something was wrong, vary wrong. She sat there on the floor with her knees hugged tight to her chest and rocking back and forth.
"Are you alright sis?" Asked Fiona.
"This isn't right. This isn't right. This isn't right…. She can't be here."
Fiona just shook her head. "Who? Who can't be here?" Fiona asked. "You're not making any since."
"Natsuki! She's dead, Died in the Evangelion empresses castle." Anata looked at her sister then grabbed her shoulders. "She can't be here."
"I know I saw the place come down my self. Nothing could survive that." Fiona said insuring her sister.
"There is shadow here too…."
Fiona rolled her eyes. "Sure we fought one but that doesn't mean that they are still here."
Anata's eyes darted back and forth, like she was looking for an answer. "I've got to go out side."
"What? No I'm drawling the line now. Shinji, Asuka and Rei can handle this…. No wait Anata!" Getting Fiona followed her sister to the exit to the shelter where they came across Toji.
"Sorry class rep's orders, I can't let anyone out not even to use the bathroom."
Anata didn't even look up. "Let me by…" she said to the jock with a small voice.
"Hay Morisato can you tell your sister that I can't… Come on help me out here." Toji whined.
"Come on sis…."
Fiona was about to take Anata by the shoulders and lead her back to where they where, but Anata had something else on her mind.
"Listen here Toji…" Anata said as she pushed the boy against the wall. "… If you value your life you're going to let me get by here. If not so help me Kemi-sama him self won't be able to help you."
"Anata!" Fiona cried.
"Alright! Alright!" Toji shouted. "Go on, but I'm telling you from experience that it's a bad idea going out there."
Toji's warning went unheard from Anata, But Fiona heard it. "How bad can it get?"
"Bad… just stay way out of the way."
Nodding, Fiona chased after her sister. "Hay Anata wait up!"
Climbing into the entry plug of Unit 00, Natsuki listened to her orders from the commander. "Just like in he simulator, destroy the target. Show no weaknesses."
Feeling the eva's systems link in to her own nervous system, Natsuki nods. "Yes commander, there will be nothing left."
"And Natsuki there will be no communitions until the mission is complete and you are back in the cage." Gendo said over the radio.
"Yes sir…." She answered then she shut off the radio. 'If the great commander Ikari wants a show, I shall give him own…' Natsuki thought to her self as she waited for the LCL to flood the entry plug. Closing her eyes as the plug filled with the liquid oxygen; when it covered her head she took in a deep breath and opened her eyes back up. 'Now sister see what I can truly do with power such as this.'
"Activation of Evangelion unit 00 complete!" Ritsuko announced over at PA system. "Sync ratio is leveling off at sixty four point eight five percent."
"Vary well. Launch Evangelion unit 00!" Commander Ikari ordered.
Up on the surface, Fiona and Anata landed on the highest point they could find in the city to watch the fight.
"It should be coming over that ridge any minute…." Anata said pointing out at the far east end of the city.
Then sure enough a blackened monster started to climb over the ridge. No detail could be made out of the beast, but the things it took in to itself where clearly identifiable. The building missile batteries stuck out of its chest, the wings of the planes stuck out of its back making something that looked like a back bone.
Hearing the sound of the launch elevator opening up not to far away, Anata and Fiona looked to see who of their friends where going to meet the monster first.
"Look…" Fiona said pointing at the Evangelion. "…I think that one is Rei's." then Fiona took a closer look at it. "…. No wait, I feel it… Evil."
"Natsuki…"
Back in NERV command, Aoba turned to Commander Ikari. "Sir! Eva unit 00 has reached the surface, and the Major has just entered the compound."
"Tell Major Katsuragi, to have the pilots to units 01 and 02 on stand by in their Evangelion, but I want the first child to report to me." Gendo Ikari said.
"Yes sir!"
Parked in the freight elevator Misato listened to the ordered given by the Commander. "Yes I understand… thank you." Hanging up the phone Misato looked over at the children. "Okay… here's the deal; Shinji, Asuka. You two are to suit up and get in to your Eva's and remain on stand by, Rei the commander wants you to report to him."
"But the angle? Who's going to fight it?" Asuka asked. "Are we just going to let it trash the city?"
"Unit 00 is just about to engage the angle." Misato answered.
The three children looked at each other more then a little confused. "Major, then who is piloting unit 00?" Rei asked.
Misato shrugged her shoulders. "Commander deemed that information top secret, I have no idea."
Asuka and Shinji glanced at each other, and then nodded. "You don't know or you really have any idea?" Asuka asked again for Rei. "It is her Eva after all she should have the right to know."
"Trust me you guys if I knew I would tell you." Misato said feeling a little hurt. "We're just about there… You guys know what to do."
At the surface Unit 00, piloted by a creation of pure evil made its way to its target. Even armed with a machine gun and a progressive knife, it raised none of these weapons. Natsuki stopped just short of a mile of the Shadow.
"This thing has five minutes of power with out the cable… All I need is three." Natsuki said to her self. Then a sinister grin came across her face as she imputed the commands to disconnect the cable; letting it drop to the ground. "I don't need these worthless weapons either…"
Natsuki watched as the shadow she created raised its arm and pointed it at her. Then the missiles that where inside the missile battery buildings fired from it's hand. But where stopped by the strange new display of an AT field, instead of the normal orange glow, there was a strange blue glow.
Still up on the power pole, Fiona and Anata watched as all this took place.
"My god it's a force bubble…." Fiona whispered.
Then they watched the Evangelion charge at the monster and the two where locked in combat. Anata stood by and watched. She then noticed something about the style of fighting. It was close and personal. Just like Natsuki would fight.
"We got to stop them…. Both of them." Anta said looking over at her sister.
Getting ready to fly to the heart of the battle, Anata felt Fiona grab her shoulder. "We wait for Raziel and Kou."
Looking back at her sister, Anata didn't like that idea of having to stand by and watch the city get trashed by the vary thing she swore to destroy. "They could be stuck in some shelter… they might not be able to make it."
"Then if that's the case we'll do something if something goes wrong." Fiona said. "And we find out what's going on by Shinji, Asuka and Rei. If anything they will know who the pilot is."
Then the two turned again to watch the battle unfold. Unit 00 still fought the beast with its bare hands. Then it was knocked back.
Inside, Natsuki smiled at the monster she saw on her view screen. "Well my sweet, you've sure put on a good show… but we end this… " Controlling the Eva's right hand to rise, she focused her own energy to form a force bolt; bigger then any created by anyone.
Bring the arm back, unit 00 charged once again to the shadow. Driving the force bolt in to the chest of the best. Then lifting it over her Eva's head, Natsuki threw the shadow in to the side of a near by building, as the shadow tried to get back up Natsuki piloted unit 00 over to where her enemy had landed.
"My friend it's time for you to rejoin the others…" She said as she controlled the hands of the Eva over to the mouth of her the shadow and proceeded to rip the head away from the jaw.
Watching the disgusting sight, Fiona shielded her eyes as Anata watched on in shear fear; wanting to look away but at the same time she watched on as the beast's blood sprayed all over that end of the city. Over buildings, the streets, parked cars.
"Oh Shit…. She's doing that to one of her own…." Anata said then she forced her self to look away.
At NERV everyone watched as the upper half of the monsters head was finally ripped off and Unit 00 held it high in the shy letting out a loud roar before tossing it aside. Gendo stood up from his desk and walked over to the vary edge of the platform he overlooked things in the control room unaware that Rei had just arrived and had seen the closing moments of the horrific battle.
"Commander Ikari you requested my presence?" Rei asked making both the commander and the sub-commander turn around.
'This should be good.' Fuyutsuki thought to him self.
"Sir Unit 00 is returning to the cage using recovery point three, three two."
"Vary good!" Gendo yelled over his shoulder, and then he looked back at Rei. "Rei I want you to know that doing this doesn't mean that I have no faith in your piloting abilities."
Rei closed her eyes and nodded. "I understand, but may I ask who was the pilot of unit 00?"
"That information is classified." Replied Gendo then he turned around to look out over the main control room of NERV. "Report to the debriefing room with the second child and the third child."
"Yes sir."
Fuyutsuki waited for Rei to leave the deck they he and the commander was on, then he turned to Ikari. "Couldn't tell her could you Ikari?"
"None of the pilots are to know who the pilot was of this mission." He replied. "See to it that Dr. Akagi escorts her to her quarters…. Have the clean up crews get that mess cleaned up!"
Just finishing up starting up their Eva's systems, Shinji and Asuka got the word that the mission was over and to report for debriefing. Both knew that something was wrong now.
"… Report for debriefing? We didn't do anything." Shinji said to himself unaware that the radio was still on.
"Well if there is a debriefing that means that new pilot is going to be there… and I wanna who they are." Asuka said.
Up on the surface, Fiona opened her eyes after the sounds of the slaughter was over. "Come on sis lets find Kou, then we'll get hold of Shinji and the others."
Nodding, Anata let Fiona guide her back to the ground. Once they where on the ground Fiona took her sister to Kou. 'This isn't good… Anata maybe right and things are about to get really bad.'
Back at NERV, the three pilots sat in the debriefing room waiting for Misato to tell them what she could about the latest attack.
"… What about you Rei?" Asuka asked. "Aren't you wondering who that pilot was in the slightest?"
Rei shook her head. "No, commander Ikari had said that it was classified."
Asuka sighed, "And you're happy with that? Some one piloted your Eva, doesn't that make you mad? I know if someone piloted mine it would piss me the hell off!"
"Asuka…." Shinji said, his tone telling the redhead that she should stop.
So letting out a huff she sat back down in her seat just as Misato walked in to the room. "Okay you guys go ahead and get changed we're going home."
"WHAT!" Both Shinji and Asuka yelled. "We sat here for nothing?"
"Sorry Asuka, but I've got nothing." Misato replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Why don't you guys meet me at my car and we'll just go home. Maybe pick up something to eat along the way?"
Asuka just stormed out of the room. Leaving Shinji, Rei and Misato. "Umm.. Misato can we have some friends over too, I really owe them." Shinji asked.
"Sure Rei can come too." Misato said looking over at the girl.
Shinji laughed nervously. "There's a couple more then just Rei."
Arriving back at the small apartment, Fiona and Anata look for something to eat. Payday hasn't come yet and funds where running thin and so that meant that the fridge was lacking in food.
"Man…. I'm so hungry." Anata whined. "Can you find anything sis?"
"Ho can you even think about eating after seeing that just earlier?" Fiona asked. "I think I just about lost my lunch."
Anata mad a face at her sister. Just then the prepaid cell phone that Kou had gotten, rung.
"Hello Morisato residence…" Fiona greeted. "Really… Yeah one second…. Say Sis it's Shinji he's asking if we can all come over for dinner. Something about repaying….us."
Anata smiled. "Tell him that we'll be welcome to join him for dinner."
"Yeah we'll be there as soon as Raziel and Kou get back home." Fiona answered. "Okay bye…"
About an hour later at NERV, Natsuki looks over at the door to her quarters when she heard the door opening.
"If you wish you may walk around the compound at the lower levels." Gendo said from the door. "I've had the guards and other personal moved to other sections so that will not see you."
"Thank you commander Ikari."
Hearing the door close, Natsuki stands back up and looks at her self in the mirror. Taking a close look at the different body she obtained. 'This may be the body of another, but it will work just fine. Sister soon we will meet again and you and I will end this.'
Leaving her room, Natsuki knew where she wanted to go. The key to her plans where kept at. Walking through the vast halls of NERV she found that the compound was much bigger the she ad first thought and would need more help then what the main peace of her plan.
At Misato's apartment the party was well underway.
"CHEERS!"
Sitting across from Rei, Raziel still couldn't believe that the girl was still not having any fun. "Say Rei what's the matter?" He asked.
"Oh that's just how wonder girl is." Asuka stated, "Here Shinji lets pick out some music."
Rei looked up over at Raziel. "Sorry, but I do not know how to act…"
"Well come on.. Let's find some good music too." Raziel said, getting up from the table. Then he offered his hand to the girl.
Misato smiled then looked over at Anata and Kou. "So what the story with you two?"
Kou took a drink of his water. "We enjoy more simple pleasures."
Fiona then noticed the strange look Misato gave her sister and Kou and quickly said something. "… Uh it's best that you don't ask."
Anata and Kou blushed.
Meanwhile back at NERV, Natsuki stood in front of Eva unit 00, on the cat walk.
"Rise my friend; bring forth those things that we desire above all…" Natsuki said as she raised her hands above her. "… Fire, death, pain; are our true expressions, what our souls truly seek."
Just then the back to Unit 00 closed shut and started to activate, its arms started to move like it was waking up from its slumber.
"Come! Rise! You are the tool that I will use to bring the Shadow's Realm here!"
Its eyes light up, then the arm move to the catwalk, pushing it to the side like it was nothing.
At the party, Misato was working on her fifth… maybe her sixth beer when she had got the call from NERV HQ. She dropped the phone.
"SHINJI! ASUKA! REI! MY CAR NOW!"
Looking over from the game of twister they where about to play Shinji asked. "What's going on Misato?"
"Just does it, I'll explain along the way back to NERV."
The Gods and Goddesses looked t each other. Something was wrong and they could tell it was something really bad.
"Sorry guys that we got to call this thing short." Asuka said as she rushed about the apartment looking for her plug suit.
"Asuka!" Fiona called out. "If you guys need any help, just wish we where there and we'll get to you guys."
Asuka nodded.
"Come on Asuka!" Misato yelled. "Uh sorry guys mind just staying here? It's as safe as your going to get."
Kou nodded. "We will stay here."
TBC