Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.
Chapter 35: John I
"Major!" The urgency in Maya's voice made Misato drop her mug of coffee, causing it shatter on the steel floor of the Bridge. "We've just lost contact with the NERV Hospital!"
"What?" The Major said in shock. Hyuga turned from his own console and directed his attention to his superior officer.
"There's more--we've detected an AT Field!" At that, the violet-haired woman's face got almost deathly pale.
"...I want confirmation--Immediately!"
"No mistaking it, Major-- Pattern Blue!"
So, he's finally showing himself, Misato thought with a degree of satisfaction, but there was no time to be congratulating herself now.
"Where is it?" Misato shouted over the blaring of the klaxons alerting the rest of NERV to the arrival of the new Angel.
"It's coming from the direction of the hospital-- 124.38 Kilometers away and closing!"
"What! It's INSIDE the Geo-Front?" Misato grit her teeth at the severity of the situation, but being unprepared would not prevent her from taking action. "Send out Units-01 and 02 to intercept! Aoba! Make sure the Evas are equipped for medium-range fire!"
Within minutes the railcage for Unit-01 reached the Geo-Front's surface in an area shielded from view by a thick forest, while the crimson Unit-02 came up a few dozen kilometers closer to NERV Headquarters. Shinji used his Eva to grab the pellet gun locked in place near the lift and headed out into the foliage for cover.
"Misato-- where's the Angel coming from!" Asuka barked into the intercom, her fury evident.
"...The hospital's to the west. It should be here within about a minute." Shinji swallowed as he looked in the specified direction and saw thick black smoke billowing beyond the trees.
Rei...What if she's...
Misato had told both of them that the hospital where Rei and Kaworu were was destroyed moments ago by the Angel. When Shinji demanded to know if Rei was all right, the Major had only said there were no confirmed fatalities yet and the most important issue at hand was to stop the being from getting any closer to NERV. Asuka had not spoken for the entire duration of the briefing, but her next words derailed the boy's train of thought.
"Shinji."
The boy said nothing, but the redhead knew he was listening.
"...This one's mine."
Asuka had maneuvered Unit-02 into a crouching position, leaning on its left leg as it lifted the massive Sniper rifle from the ground nearby and let it rest in the crook of the behemoth's arm. She had tried to sound calm on the intercom, but her fear and anger were evident to all who had heard her.
Kaworu...Please don't be dead...
All she wanted right now was for the Angel to show up. After so long outside the cockpit, she'd enjoy killing this one. Suddenly off in the distance, she saw a speck of light moving closer. Asuka channeled her thoughts to the Eva, raising the rifle and bringing down the computer-assisted sight.
I swear to God...I won't let you live for this you--
The redhead paused, uncertain that what she was seeing was real.
"The Angel's entered visual range-- putting image onscreen!"
Aoba set the gigantic monitor in the bridge to display the feed from short-range monitor #37. Within moments the entire bridge gasped collectively. Misato stared at the screen as in disbelief.
No...It-it can't be...
Shinji sat paralyzed in the Entry Plug as Rei floated into sight. Her body was clad in a simple hospital gown, which ebbed and flowed in the wind and made the bioluminesence she was exhibiting all the more blinding. Her crimson eyes were half-shut and she had a peaceful smile on her face, almost making it seem like she was sleepwalking. As Rei steadily moved toward NERV, all Shinji could do was stare.
No... Please God, no...
Rei paid him no mind as she paused in midair, still miles away from his and Asuka's position, and gazed at the NERV pyramid.
Suddenly the crystal clear image of Rei staring directly at the camera disappeared, replaced by static.
"Major, we've lost visual!"
"Surveillance isn't working!" Maya chimed in.
Misato yelled into her voice reciever at the two Pilots. "Asuka, Shinji? Shinji, can you read me!"
"It's no good! Contact between us and Units-01 and 02 has been cut off!" Misato snapped her flimsy microphone in frustrated anger.
"GODDAMNIT!"
Is the Angel doing this on purpose?
"Do we still have tracking?" she demanded. Fortunately, Maya gave an affirmative nod, though she clearly looked shaken from what she had seen.
"...Yes, ma'am. Sh...she's still holding position about 67 kilometers from our current location."
"Good. Keep her movements under observation-- I want to know the MINUTE she moves, understood?"
"Major..." Misato turned her head to Hyuga, who looked as worried as she felt. "What are we going to do about Rei?" Misato looked at the technician sadly, trying to hold back confused tears and barely succeeding. It was clear when she spoke next that her orders were the last ones she ever wanted to give.
"...Just focus on trying to re-establish contact with the Evas. A...at this moment, Pilot Rei Ayanami...i-is to be reclassified as the Twelfth Angel."
Meanwhile, directly above her, Fuyutsuki leaned down to the Commander of NERV. "Ikari... what does this mean? This is NOT the form the last Angel was to supposed to take..." When he was met with silence, he turned his head to get a better look at his former pupil. "...Commander?"
To his surprise, Gendo was staring at the crackling monitor with an unmistakable, but completely unexpected, look of fear in his eyes.
"Misato? Misato!" Shinji called into the intercom desperately, but no response came, save the hiss of static.
...What do I do?
Asuka stared at the floating Rei for nearly a minute before she came back to her senses. She could tell from Shinji's desperate yelling that they'd lost contact with NERV-- leaving them effectively in limbo. But Asuka was not one to wait for an order to attack when the enemy was banging down the gates. What made her current position particularly unnerving was that Rei was essentially staring right at her, wearing what seemed like a mocking smile. Asuka glared at the girl she had once piloted alongside...Who she had fought and argued with... Who she had tried to befriend... Who had taken Shinji away...And now had betrayed them, killing in the process the only person who had shown her any degree of real kindness.
This is for the best, Asuka convinced herself as she took aim at her target, waiting with bated breath as the computer started to correct for error. Within seconds, the monitor beeped rapidly as the twin crosshairs combined and flashed onscreen. As she pulled the trigger, she was almost aware of a twisted satisfaction stirring deep within her.
"Asuka, WAIT!"
She heard the voice, but didn't register it until something hit Unit-02 from the right and forced it to the ground. The sudden movement was just enough to throw her aim off, sending a Greyhound-sized explosive bullet screaming just past Rei and into the far wall of the Geo-Front. The ground shook as the force of the multi-ton blast sent fire-laced shrapnel into the surrounding buildings and foliage. Asuka rubbed her head in pain and looked up.
Did I get her...?
But Rei was still alive, now steadily moving towards NERV as though nothing had happened.
What? How the hell...
She forced her Eva to shift under its pinnings and saw Unit-01 holding her down, the Sniper rifle knocked from her hands and into the ground, making cracks where it had landed. Asuka stared at the purple-hued monster in shock before fury overwhelmed her.
"...Shinji! What the hell are you doing!" She couldn't see his face, but his voice came through as clearly as if he was standing right beside her.
"Asuka, we can't kill her! She's our friend..."
"It doesn't matter! She betrayed us! She's a goddamned Angel, Shinji!"
"I KNOW, ASUKA! ...But...but there has to be something we can do, she's not herself!"
Asuka couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here his precious Rei had already destroyed a hospital full of people... and yet he still... He still...
Without warning, Asuka's wrath overwhelmed her, giving her the strength to force Unit-01 off of her. Shinji let out a groan as his Eva flipped and slammed backside up into the grass, the movements nearly snapping his neck. He looked up to see Unit-02 scrambling for the rifle half-buried in the ground, pulling it up so quickly that chucks of the earth around it flew into the air and smashed into some of the surrounding trees. Not bothering to lock on, Asuka simply decided to aim blindly, firing in Rei's direction but hitting the area around the dome instead.
I think you've done enough damage, Asuka.
The girl blinked as she realized that the voice she had just heard had come from Rei. She was far enough away that no noise she made should have been intelligible, yet it came directly through Unit-02's recievers. Rei continued to smile at her, which made the redhead angrier.
"SHUT UP, YOU BITCH!" she screamed at her, not sure if Rei could even hear her. But before Asuka could fire another round, the rifle exploded in the Eva's hands, forcing it back. Rei then ignored Unit-02 again, moving slowly toward Headquarters. Asuka reached out in a vain attempt to stop Rei, but Unit-01 caught its wrists.
"Asuka, NO! I...I might be able to help her, just hold o--"
Again Asuka overpowered Shinji, but this time she didn't content herself with forcing him down. She pushed Unit-01's arms back, giving her time to wrap Unit-02's hands around the other Eva's throat. Shinji stared at Unit-02 in shock, desperately trying to breathe as Unit-01's pain began to affect him.
"A...Asuka...s-stop..."
"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS, DIDN'T YOU! YOU KNEW SHE WAS AN ANGEL, I KNOW YOU DID! AND YOU LET THAT BITCH KILL HIM! YOU PROBABLY HELPED HER DO IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Asuka tightened her grip as her emotions overwhelmed her, completely forgetting about the Angel that had come to a stop in front of NERV Headquarters.