Disclaimer: See the Prologue


Chapter 21 – Agent of the Union


Gordon, Yui and Shinji made their way through the Vortigaunt encampment and into the hills. Apparently, they were on a very large plateau.

Along the way, Shinji told Yui of everything that had been happening to him that she wouldn't have seen from the EVA.

"…and that's why Misato took me in," Shinji finished talking about Misato.

"I'll have to thank her in person for taking care of you," Yui said, smiling.

All that time, Gordon pondered on one thing: Even though she's the mother of a 15-year old, she looks like she in her late twenties.

"Hey Yui?"

"Yes Gordon?" Yui asked.

"How come you look like you are twenty-seven?" Gordon asked, "You've been on Xen for more than 12 years, yet you haven't aged a day?"

Yui blushed at Gordon's comment, before explaining, "It's the rejuvenating waters here on Xen. They do more than heal you, they preserve and sustain you."

Gordon and Shinji looked at one another, impressed.

"I see," Gordon said, "I guess that water eliminates your need to eat, then?"

Yui nodded.

'Whoa! Complex,' Gordon thought.

He then had another query.

"Where did you get that Hazard Suit?"

Yui looked at him, almost sadly, "From one of the scientific expedition teams sent here from Black Mesa. It was from one of the later teams though, not the teams that were sent in a few days after I arrived here."

"What happened to them?" Shinji asked, "The first team, that is?"

"They were killed by the Union," Yui replied.

They soon found themselves in a canyon floor, which is very surprising for a fragmented world such as Xen.

"Careful," Gordon urged Yui and Shinji, "This can't be right!"

'It never is,' Shinji thought.

They began to walk cautiously through the canyon rock, Hive-Hands at the ready. It was some time before Gordon started thinking again.

'If there were any hostiles here,' he thought, noting on yet another clichéd scenario, 'Then they would have struck by now."

'I hope the Union hasn't chosen this time to land on Xen,' Yui thought.

Suddenly, they heard a distant rumbling sound, which made the canyon shake.

"What was that?" Shinji said.

They heard it again. It sounded like it was coming closer.

'Oh God,' Yui thought, looking up at the sky, 'It can't be!'

They then heard it again, before a shadow cast down over them. They then looked up slowly.

"Oh crap," Gordon exclaimed softly.

The thing that was looking down at them resembled a three-legged tripod, like described from the book Gordon once read: War of the Worlds. It looked like it had a cannon underneath it's body, followed by smaller machine-guns.

"It's a Strider!" Yui exclaimed.

It begun to charge it's cannon.

"RUN!" Yui cried.

They ran for it, before one energy explosion threw them a few feet in the air.

"Argh!" Shinji cried, landing on his chest.

He got up painfully, and saw Gordon was buried under some rocks.

"GORDON!" Shinji cried, "Mother! Help!"

They ran to Gordon aid and quickly moved the small rocks of him. They helped him up, barely aware of the walking menace approaching them.

"Can you walk?" Shinji asked.

Gordon grunted in pain, before saying, "Yeah."

"Run?" Yui added.

"Leave that to the morphine!" Gordon said, waiting for his suit to administer morphine and dull the pain of a possible broken rib.

A second later, his pain was gone.

"Let's go!" Yui cried.

They continued to run, till they stepped out of the canyon. They saw the Strider still walking over the canyon, blasting it.

"It's still looking for us in there," Shinji cried.

"That'll buy us some time," Gordon said, moving his neck around from pain that was still lingering.

Suddenly, 4 Alien Grunts appeared and begun firing at them.

"Take cover!" Gordon cried.

Shinji dove behind a rock as Gordon and Yui fired back at the Grunts. Gordon took out his pistol.

'One clip left,' Gordon thought, 'Better make it count.'

Gordon and Yui kept diving behind cover to avoid the Grunt's homing wasps. Gordon fired his 9mm at the nearest Grunt, making sure to hit flesh rather than armour. He managed to down one, before…

"ARGH!" he cried, feeling a Grunt lunge at him and pin him to the ground.

Gordon shoved his pistol into the creature's mouth and fired, blowing the creatures brains out. It rolled off him.

Yui meanwhile had killed the other two. All this time she had thought of only one person: Her son.

Shinji got up from where he was hiding.

"Are you alright?" Yui asked her son.

Shinji nodded, then called out, "Gordon?"

"I'm alive!" he cried, "Almost had a ton of alien crush me, but I'm alive."

Gordon got up and brushed his suit. Suddenly, he reached for his side as they all heard a cracking noise.

Gordon grunted in pain, before thinking, 'Thank God for the Hazard Suit.'

Yui said, "The suit's resetting your rib?"

Gordon nodded. Yui smiled.

"The HEV Suits were developed around the same time as the Evangelions themselves," Yui commented.

Gordon nodded, "I know. You're husband told me."

Yui face went blank, "You mean Gendo?"

Gordon nodded again.

Yui then thought, "Godd#$# you Gendo. For what you've done."

Gordon picked himself up from the ground, the pain of his once broken rib subsiding, "How far to the crystals?"

"Not far," Yui said.

They climbed up a hill, which from the top gave them a view of the entire plateau. Yui pointed at a crystal formation in the distance. They were of the colour green.

They begun to travel down the other side of the hill, past some caves.

"I've never seen this side of Xen before," Gordon said.

They then heard something behind them. Gordon turned his head slightly to Yui and Shinji. He indicated with his eyes of something sneaking up behind them.

"3…2…1," Gordon mouthed the words to Yui.

They spun around to confront the figure behind them.

Their eyes widened in complete shock and disbelief.

"Gendo!" Gordon cried.

The 'late' commander of NERV was standing there, devoid of his glasses and his clothes was slightly torn. He had a rather blank expression on his face.

"You should be dead!" Gordon cried.

"Should I?" Gendo replied, smiling, "I can never die, with the Union supporting me."

He then turned to Yui and Shinji, who was keeping behind his mother.

"Yui," Gendo said, his face that of joy.

"Gendo," Yui replied, unimpressed.

Gendo stepped forward, Gordon's Hive-Hand trained on him.

"Yui, I…AH!" Gendo cried, feeling Yui's slap against his face. He fell to the ground, holding his face.

'Whoa!' Gordon thought, impressed at Yui's sudden reaction at seeing her husband.

"You bastard!" Yui cried, tears welling in her eyes, "How could you do that?"

"Do what?" Gendo cried getting up, rubbing his face.

"How could you treat Shinji like that?" Yui demanded.

"What are you…?"

"I saw everything that you inflicted upon him from Xen!" Yui cried, "You forced him to pilot the EVA. You caused him pain and anguish, as well as everyone at NERV."

Gendo had that cold look on his face, "I did what I had to do. For Earth, for humanity…"

His face softened.

"For the both of us."

Yui wasn't content at Gendo's coldness towards the situation, especially towards their son.

"By allying yourself with our greatest enemy?" Yui yelled, "But becoming an Agent of the Union?"

"How do you know about the Union?" Gendo asked, firing off his own questions.

"They are responsible for the Earth's destruction," Yui said, "Yet you joined them."

"I had to!" Gendo cried, "They would have killed you."

Yui face was sullen, "That would have been a good thing. Anything to spare Shinji from what he had gone through."

Gendo's eyes softened at those words. Shinji was everything to Yui and it was obvious her love for him was long dead.

But he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"Is… is there anything I could do to redeem myself?" Gendo asked, "To get back your trust. A second chance, perhaps?"

Shinji stepped forward. It was time for him to take charge.

"There is, father," Shinji said.

"What is is, Third…er…Shinji?" Gendo said.

"Help us save the Vortigaunts," Shinji said.

Gendo nodded, "Anything."

Gordon looked at what was happening before him.

"Have you two gone…" he begun.

"Gordon," Yui interrupted him.

Gordon looked at her, before nodding and saying, "Alright. Let's go!"

Gendo smiled.

'Once I get you back again,' he thought, 'I'll dispose of both of Freeman and the Third Child.'

Gordon thought at the same time.

'If you ever harm a hair on Shinji or Yui,' he thought, 'I'll make you pay with your life!'