Be advised, loyal readers, if you haven't read EVA-Life yet (and you should have), this may contain spoilers.
Another thing…I haven't watched Evangelion for a long time. An unknown assassin in the shot Kaji, and they didn't find his corpse. And some people have assumed he didn't die at all.
That is correct, right?
- GamerJay
File #10 – Ibuki's Survival
NERV Japan was the largest and the most technologically superior of all the branches sanctioned by SEELE, in turn sanctioned by the United Nations and influenced by the entity known as the G-Man. It was formed after the split of GEHIRN and the activation of Evangelion Unit-01 during Project E.
Located in Tokyo-03 almost a mile underground, it was the second-best secured and defended facility next to the Black Mesa Research Facility, which was also connected to; the latter providing technological support through materials created there. One piece of technology was the dummy plug artificial pilot system.
Men and women of great intellect and technology experience was handpicked all over Japan to staff NERV. Among these were Maya Ibuki, 24 year old Masters graduate from, ironically, the Kyoko University, where technicians Makato Hyuga and Shigeru Aoba also attended. She was a bright young woman who made operating a computer and keeping the MAGI system in NERV intact her biggest priority.
After the Lambda Incident in Black Mesa in the new timeline created by the G-Man, by reversing Third Impact, which hit the Earth while Gordon Freeman was at Xen; the Supreme Commander of SEELE authorised NERV's final experiment: The re-activation of Evangelion Unit-01's teleportation devices embedded within it. Unit-01 had blasted Yui Ikari, Gendo Ikari's wife, to Xen during Project E.
The experiment, handled by none other than Gordon Freeman, caused what is now known as the NERV Incident, opened another gateway into Xen which it's creatures, driven by the instinct to kill and to populate, flooded the NERV complex, bringing with it slow, agonising death. The security personnel were quickly taken off guard and it's civilian staff were set upon and killed.
To make matters worse the G-Man, wanting to distract Gendo Ikari from starting Third Impact alongside the alien invasion, ordered the Prime Minister of Japan to deploy the Japanese Strategic Self-Defence Force to purge the site. He neglected to inform the JSSDF of an alien invasion and they in turn were soon overwhelmed.
Maya Ibuki and her colleagues had volunteered to stay in the NERV main control room to continue monitoring the facility and working whatever was left of the security system. Alien Grunts had smashed into control and begun killing all the technicians within it. Makato had a grenade and detonated it, the blast throwing Maya from control.
She was only knocked unconscious, not killed…
All was silent in the stricken NERV facility. The blood on the walls begun to dry and the corpses lay silent and undisturbed, until any wandering Headcrab fancied taking it over. The creatures had now retreated to the lower depths of the facility, licking their wounds and preparing to strike once again.
Most of the fighting was now restricted to the surface; as a bespectacled man in a Hazard Suit, a violet-haired NERV official, a timid teenage boy, a redhead and her berserk Evangelion tore into the military.
Lying outside the blackened control room was a black-haired young woman, with someone else's blood splattered on her uniform. A small gash was on her forehead and her face slightly peaceful, as she was completely inactive.
Suddenly, her eyes shot open…
"ARGHHHHHH!"
She quickly backed up against the wall, holding herself tightly, remembering how she got in this situation. Tears begun to well in her eyes, remembering that her friends were now dead, practically torn to pieces by the alien invaders that came from the core of Evangelion Unit-01.
'Makato, Shigeru, Sempai,' she thought, that last bit about her superior Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, 'I'm so sorry!'
She tried standing up, but the pain of being from an explosion brought her down. She gritted her teeth as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt like she was going to vomit, seeing the gore-splattered walls before her…and a headcrab.
Her eyes widened as she saw the crab make it's way towards her. She begun to back away from it, reaching for anything to defend herself with. Her hand came across a 9mm Pistol.
She grabbed it and aimed at the alien, before pulling the trigger. The bullet hit the crab and stunned it, but it still walked up to her. It then leapt at her…
Maya fired again…and it's lifeless form smacked against hr body. She grunted slightly, before standing up, bearing the pain. She held her gun in one hand as her other was up on the way, keeping her balanced.
She slowly made her through the hallway leading from control, animal like growls echoing around the hallway. She knew they were coming for her and the sooner she takes some painkillers, the more chance she'll get of surviving.
Soon, she reached the infirmary…and practically fell through it's blown out door.
"Oh God help me," she moaned.
She quickly reached for the medicine cabinet and grabbed a small case full of syringes. She made out the label…
PAIN SUPRESSANTS – TAKE ONLY IF NEEDED
She smiled and opened it, producing a threatening looking hypodermic needle. It was already filled with serum and she aimed it at her leg. She closed her eyes and thought of something nice as she drove it into her leg.
She gritted her teeth as she injected it's contents into herself. About a few seconds later, she pulled out…and passed out.
Meanwhile, a lone JSSDF Soldier tore through the hallways of NERV, submachine-gun in hand.
"GET BACK YOU FREAK!" he screamed, firing at the HoundEyes after him.
He reloaded his gun and continued firing, knocking off the Xenian dogs. He felt his side, it being moist.
"F#$#!" he cursed, remembering he got hit by a rebounding bullet in that firefight in the EVA Cages, then suddenly remembering there's a infirmary nearby.
Lying on the floor in the infirmary, Maya willed herself back to consciousness. She felt incredibly high…
'Must be the drugs,' she thought, not feeling anything from about 5 minutes ago.
She picked up her gun from the floor and, remembering her time at the target range, cocked it. She got up, using the wall as leverage. Suddenly, the infirmary door opened to reveal a JSSDF Soldier.
Maya's eyes widened. These guys were meant to back up NERV at time of trouble, now they were here to kill them. She raised her gun…
"HEY!" the Soldier cried, panicked at seeing a NERV Tech with a gun, "DON'T SHOOT!"
She didn't listen, seeing that these people have already killed her colleagues. She fired, hitting him in the forehead. He fell backwards, his brains splattered on the wall.
Maya suddenly felt cold. She had just shot a human being.
'It was either him or me,' she thought, 'It was either him or me!'
Panic swept over her as she thought that phrase over and over again, reassuring herself. She stepped out of the infirmary and cautiously over the dead Grunt's corpse. She felt horrible, being in a place like this.
And not to mention alone as well, her only company is the corpses of both NERV and JSSDF personnel scattered everywhere. She felt like she was going to throw up, but she fought to keep it down.
Keeping her finger on the trigger, Maya walked through the hallways slowly.
'The emergency elevator,' she thought, 'It's my only chance!'
She turned a corner, when suddenly there was one of those bipedal lizard creatures. The ones that killed Shigeru.
It cried at her, before charging up. Maya dove back around the corner, avoiding the energy blast. She then dove from hiding and fired at the creature, hitting it square in the eyes. It squealed and died, but Maya still shot at it until she went through the clip.
'Real smart, Maya,' she thought, 'You just wasted your bullets.'
She then heard loud hollering behind her.
'Oh God,' she thought.
She then ran for it, not caring where she was going, but to get away from the source of those horrific sounds as possible.
She then saw another NERV Guard, armed with an assault rifle. He was standing near a door, gun trained on her.
"DON'T MOVE!" he cried.
Maya recognised the guard, covered in blood.
"Kenji!" she cried, "It's me."
Kenji lowered his rifle.
"God, Maya," he gasped, "I thought you were dead."
He then saw several HoundEyes barrelling down behind her.
"GET DOWN!" he cried.
He then fired at the aliens, his bullets tearing through what appeared to be their eyes, killing them and splattering yellow, which mixed with the red already on the floor and walls.
"That was close," he said, wiping his forehead.
Kenji then bent down and helped Maya onto her feet.
"We have to get out of here," Maya cried, "We have to get out of this facility!"
"The service lift is just behind this door," he replied, "I've picked up radio transmission that Dr. Freeman has taken on the entire JSSDF. We can escape while they're occupied with that one-man army!"
Maya nodded.
"Lets go!" Kenji said, pushing a button and opening the door.
Where right behind it was a bipedal one-eyed greenish insect-like creature with about 4 arms and was carrying what appeared to be a blue cockroach as a gun.
"WHAT THE…!"
Suddenly the Shock Trooper dove forward and grabbed Kenji.
"F#$#! NO!" he cried, "ARGHHHH!"
The Shock Trooper was then covered in a flash of green light, sending Maya hurling backwards. When she opened her eyes, Kenji and the Shock Trooper were gone.
"No," she said softly.
She got up, not feeling any pain from the drugs she took. She then looked around, as if in a daze.
'God,' she thought, palm on her forehead, 'I must be delirious…'
She then begun running again…
Meanwhile not far from Maya's position, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi ran through the hallways, Uzi in hand.
'Gendo must be stopped,' she thought, 'Can't let him start Third Impact.'
Suddenly a horde of zombies smashed their way through the doors down the passage. She raised her Uzi and fired at the Xenian undead, scattering small pieces of them everywhere.
'These godd#$# things!' she cursed in her mind, 'They're parasites!'
Ritsuko then high-tailed it as fast as she could. She was glad she kept that Uzi 9mm in her drawer, along with 2 other clips. She had already gone through half her ammo and she was counting on saving the rest of it for one person.
Suddenly, she heard someone else shooting from up ahead. She hoped to God that it was another NERV employee.
And it was.
"Ibuki?" Ritsuko cried in surprise.
The young woman smiled and cried, "SEMPAI!"
Suddenly, a Vortigaunt hovered behind her. Ritsuko primed her and fired, the bullets sailing past Maya's ear and into the Vortigaunt. Maya spun around to see Ritsuko's handiwork, before looking back at her superior.
"Ibuki," Ritsuko begun, "I thought you escaped already."
Maya shook her head.
"Where are the others?"
"They're dead," Maya explained, almost tearfully, "They're all dead."
Then suddenly she embraced Ritsuko. The blond-haired woman was taken back slightly, then relaxed into holding the near traumatised girl.
"We…have to get out of here!" Maya exclaimed, pulling back.
Ritsuko nodded, before saying, "Follow me."
They continued running through the hallways of NERV.
"Sempai," Maya said, gasping for breath, "Where are we going?"
"To Gendo's office," Ritsuko replied, "We have to stop him from starting Third Impact."
Maya was confused nonetheless, but agreed. Anything to stay with her superior. They continued to run through the hallways.
Suddenly, more zombies bursted out of the floor.
"Get back!" Ritsuko cried to Maya.
The head of the NERV science team begun firing at the zombies, killing them before they can crawl out of their hole. Suddenly, something leapt out of it and stood, staring down at both Ritsuko and Maya.
"Oh God…" Ritsuko said softly.
It was another zombie, but this one was bigger and uglier, and it roared at them. It then pulled something out of it's mouth and threw it at them. They both ducked out of the way of the acid pellet, allowing the Genome zombie to charge at them, hands stretched forward.
Ritsuko opened fired…and got knocked down by the zombie. Her Uzi skidded on the floor towards Maya, who instantly picked it up and fired at the zombie.
"DIE!" she cried, "GET AWAY FROM SEMPAI!"
The zombie then charged at Maya, before swatting at her. She swerved to avoid it's slashes, before sticking the Uzi in it's 'mouth' and firing. The zombie then toppled backwards, finally taking the hint and dying.
Maya then ran over to Ritsuko and helped her up.
"Sempai," she begun, almost tearfully, "Are you ok?"
Ritsuko nodded and smiled, before taking back her Uzi.
"Let's go," Ritsuko said, before they begun running for their lives again.
Near the Commander's office, they heard gunshots.
'.50 Desert Eagle,' Ritsuko thought, 'Gendo's gun.'
Sure enough, they saw Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki sliding down to the floor, holding his side, while the door into the office closed. Blood begun to ooze from Kouzou's wounds.
"KOUZOU!" Ritsuko cried.
Maya was right behind Ritsuko as she ran up to Kouzou, crouching down towards him.
"Dr. Akagi!" he gasped, "Ikari's going to initialise Instrumentality. You have to stop him before he gets the chance."
Ritsuko nodded, "I have to help you first. Maya…"
She turned to the tech.
"Help me with him."
Maya nodded, but…
"There's no time," Kouzou argued, "I'll be alright. You have to get down there now."
Ritsuko nodded, then turned to Maya.
"Ibuki," she begun, firmly.
"Sempai," Maya replied, then felt being handed Ritsuko's Uzi.
"Stay here and look after Fuyutsuki," she ordered, "If anything comes this way, kill it!"
"But Sempai…"
Ritsuko then looked at her softly.
"Please, Maya," Ritsuko said, "I'll be back soon."
Maya hesitated for a few seconds, before nodding slowly. Ritsuko smiled and got up.
"Don't die, Kouzou," Ritsuko said to the Sub-Commander.
He smiled painfully, before saying, "I'll do my best."
She then walked through the door into Gendo's office, leaving both the tech and the Sub-Commander in the hallway.
Maya looked down at Kouzou, seeing how he was slowly bleeding out.
"Sir," she begun, "Is there something I can do?"
"There is, lieutenant," Kouzou said, "Leave me here and escape."
Maya's eyes widened, "What?"
"Listen to me," Kouzou said, "There is nothing more you can do here. I am a dead man anyway if I escape, and Dr. Akagi's ratio of survival is very low. The only thing left is for everyone who has escaped death here is to escape."
"But sir…"
"Do not argue with me," Kouzou said, then grunted from the pain, "Head for the service lift right now. And don't look back."
Suddenly, they heard an explosion not far off.
"GO NOW!" Kouzou cried, fearing that was the JSSDF.
Maya, not wanting to defy the Sub-Commander, ran for it, tears welling in her eyes. She was abandoning her superiors here, but somehow she knew that there was nothing else she could do.
'I'm sorry, Sempai,' she thought.
Uzi in hand, she ran through the hallways of NERV, sensing that the aliens were coming out of hiding to get her.
All this time, Maya had felt very disoriented and couldn't think straight, possibly from the pain suppressant she injected into herself. Sure, she felt like she was on fire from being from the control room explosion.
That would explain she was running aimlessly through the hallway and smashed into something. She fell to the floor, before looking up at whatever she ran into.
It was another one of those bug creatures. A Shock Trooper.
Her eyes widened with fright, before reaching for her Uzi next to her. The Shock Trooper then put a foot out and onto her head.
She was sent hurtling through unconsciousness, feeling pain circulate through her entire system, as if the painkillers had worn off. Soon she was opening her eyes to reveal where she was…
'Oh God help me,' she thought.
She was lying amongst a pile of bodies in what appeared to be an alien habitat. There were headcrabs everywhere, infesting the corpses. Some of them noticed her and begun moving towards here.
Maya backed up against the wall, before resigning to her fate.
'This is it,' she thought, 'No hope now. All is lost.'
She then sank down and wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes tight. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of Carbine fire and she couldn't help but open her eyes.
There were several masked men in the room, firing at all the headcrabs in the room. One of the men swatted the crab that dived at him, before put his foot out and stamping on it.
"Dammit Williams," one of them said to another, "You led us into a breeding area. You were suppose to be leading us to the core of engineering."
"Sorry," the assassin known as Williams said, "NERV Japan's schematics are different than the other NERVs.".
"Hey!" another assassin cried, "We got a live one here…"
4 of them walked over to Maya, where they looked down at her.
"Want me to kill her, sir," one of them said to another.
"WAIT!" the one known as Williams cried, "I recognise her."
He then crouched down to her. Maya saw his eyes widened.
"M…Maya?" he said softly, as if stunned to see her.
Maya's eyes in turn widened, recognising that voice from so long ago…
"J.J.?" she said softly.
"Maya," the Black Op replied.
