Disclaimer: See the Prologue


Chapter 18 – Portal


The train travelled through the dark tunnel, en-route towards NERV. Everyone sat around impatiently.

"So you guys," Shinji started, "What are we going to do once we get back to NERV?"

"I don't know," Gordon said, admitting that little fact, "He said he'd see us up ahead."

The train then stopped suddenly.

"What the hey?" Asuka begun.

Suddenly, lights flickered around them, brightening up the darkness. They found themselves outside a massive entryway. It had the Lambda symbol on it.

"I don't like the look of this!" Misato exclaimed.

Suddenly, the entryway opened and the train continued on it's way. Up ahead, there was a platform suspended above the darkness below.

'Just like Black Mesa,' Gordon thought, 'Final proof that NERV is connected to that godd#$# place."

The train stopped at the platform and the door opened. Greeting them was the G-Man, who was smiling.

Once they stepped off the train…

"Where the hell are we?" Misato dared to ask.

"We are at the original entrance into NERV," the G-Man replied, "This way leads into the EVA Cages and where Gordon will be able to head to Xen. The area is currently uninhabited for now."

Gordon nodded.

"Shall we move on?" the G-Man asked, not expecting an answer.

He led the group towards a metal door, where it opened for them. They stepped through, being greeted by another door. The sound of machinations was heard as this door opened and revealed the EVA Cages…and Unit-01.

"Whoa!" Asuka cried.

The whole place had been converted into an alien habitat, with all manner of Xenian vegetation growing on the walls and ceiling. Unit-01 was untouched by the alien matter, as if it was sacred to the alien hordes. There weren't any hostile life forms in the cages.

Gordon bent down to pick up an assault rifle lying in the hands of a dead NERV Guard.

"Pilot Ikari," the G-Man begun, "If you would be so good as to plug into the Evangelion."

Shinji nodded.

"As for the rest of you, I'll need you to follow me to control."

Misato nodded, drawing her gun. They followed the G-Man out of the cages, leaving Shinji and Gordon, who escorted Shinji to the plug of Unit-01.

Shinji opened the plug, and hopped in, but not before turning to Gordon.

"Gordon?"

"Yeah, Shinji?" Gordon said.

"I…I want to wish you good luck in your mission," Shinji said, hesitant at first.

Gordon smiled, "Likewise."

Shinji smiled back and disappeared into the plug. He then went through the usual routine, starting with the LCL filling up the plug and engulfing him.

'God,' Shinji thought, 'It smells like blood.'

In the control room, Misato and the G-Man approached the only terminal left in the room, followed by Asuka and Rei. The G-Man laid his suitcase out on the bench next to it.

Asuka wondered what the hell went on in the control room. Everything was destroyed, aside from that only remaining terminal. It was as if a grenade went off in there.

Misato looked at the G-Man, who clicked his briefcase open.

"What are you doing?" she asked, feeling her discontent of him disappear.

The briefcase opened to reveal two identical keys. The G-Man turned to her.

"In order to open the portal," the G-Man begun, "We must push Pilot Ikari's sync levels to the ultimate level. Say around…"

He smiled.

"1000 percent."

Misato and Asuka's eyes widened in horror.

"But…but…that'll kill him!" Asuka cried.

The G-Man turned to her, "And why do you care about Pilot Ikari, Second?"

Asuka looked at him, stunned at hearing those words.

"I…I…" she begun.

"Please do not raise your voice at me," the G-Man said, menacingly, "You have no concept of the situation at hand."

Asuka shut herself up, the question the G-Man asked still in her mind.

The G-Man turned to the terminal, where he lifted the keyboard, to reveal a glass cover over a red button, alongside it 2 keyholes. The G-Man took a key and handed it to Misato.

Misato looked at the key, then at the G-Man, discontent in her eyes.

"Shinji will not come to any harm?" she asked.

"He will not be in any danger," the G-Man said, smiling, "I guarantee it."

Misato nodded, before taking a key.

They both locked in and turned the keys simultaneously, the cover over the button opened, revealing the threatening sight of that red button.

On the button it said…

UNIT-01 DISPLACEMENT FIELD ACTIVATE.

The G-Man pressed it.

At the moment, in the plug of Unit-01, everything went dark around Shinji.

He looked around frantically, as if Unit-01 was shutting down, even though it wasn't activated yet.

Suddenly, he felt energy surge through his body. He gritted his teeth in pain, before…

"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed.

Suddenly, Unit-01 activated and roared, completely startling Gordon.

"Oh crap!" he cried.

The chest plating of Unit-01 opened to reveal the core, which was starting to generate power and glow. It reflected of Gordon's glasses as he stared at it.

Suddenly, above Unit-01, Alien Controllers began to appear. Gordon snapped to attention.

"SHIT!" he cried, raising his assault rifle and begun firing at them.

In the control room…

"Gordon is in peril!" Rei said, "We must assist him."

"NO SHIT WONDERGIRL!" Asuka cried.

She grabbed an assault rifle of the floor and tossed it to Rei.

"START FIRING!" Asuka yelled, grabbing one herself.

They begun firing at them from the control room observation window. Misato joined her as the girls covered Gordon, who was diving and swerving to avoid the Alien's mind shots.

Inside Unit-01…

"It hurts!" Shinji whimpered, pain spreading everywhere in his body as his sync level begun to rise tenfold.

In the control room, the G-Man watched the screen…

"400 percent, 450 percent!" he thought, smiling.

The core begun to change colour and it shifted to green. Unit-01 was roaring it's loudest…of pain.

'Come on, Shinji!' Gordon thought, firing at the ever-increasing number of Alien Controllers.

His clip was expended. He tossed aside his carbine and reached for his 9mm. He watched as the Alien Controllers fired shots into the control room.

"GET DOWN!" Misato cried.

They dove as the energy blasts flew over their heads and missing a still-standing G-Man, who was watching the terminal and Shinji's progress.

"850, 900," he said, still smiling, "The time has come!"

In Unit-01, Shinji cried out…

"MOTHER!"

Unit-01 simply roared, not just shaking the facility, but Tokyo-03 itself. The core erupted in pure energy and a displacement portal appeared.

Gordon wasted no time.

'It's do or die time!' he thought.

He then smiled…

"LET'S DO IT!" he cried.

He sprinted towards Unit-01 across the catwalk pointing at the EVA, where he leapt. He cried as he jumped into the core.

Green lightning enveloped him once again, following darkness.