Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion/Shin Seiki Evangelion, Girlfriend of Steel, and all related concepts and characters are the property of Gainax, Project EVA, Movic, AD Vision, Manga Entertainment, and other copyright owners and are used without permission. The author does not intend to profit from this work of fiction – if he did, he'd probably update a hell of a lot faster.
Promises
Chapter Five: Flames of Love, Flames of War
Icy, bone-numbing cold crept up Mana's legs as Unit 03 slowly sank into the empty void of the Angel's body. She tried to move her humanoid machine to the distant edge of the yawning emptiness surrounding her, but her struggles only made it sink faster. The gigantic zebra-striped orb she had fired at a moment before silently winked back into existence above her, mocking her with its appearance.
Mana pointed the Eva's pistol downward and fired blindly, emptying the weapon's clip into the inkiness that had now risen to the machine's waist, but the void swallowed up the armor-piercing bullets without so much as a ripple on its featureless surface.
"Sohryu! Ayanami! Help!" she called as the titan began to sink faster. Unit 03 clutched at the prog knife still in its shoulder mount, but the handle slipped out of its grasp as the chill spread to Mana's fingers. The glowing blade tumbled end over end for an instant before it, too, disappeared.
The comm channel remained eerily silent.
She managed one last, desperate scream before the shadows completely engulfed her.
"Shinji!"
Her stomach somersaulted as her descent came to a sharp halt and her entry plug was plunged into blackness. Mana struggled in her seat, reaching for controls that were no longer there, until a voice suddenly called out to her from out of the darkness, a familiar voice that uttered two simple words:
"We're here."
Mana's eyes flew open. She looked around, disoriented, until she found herself in the Spartan interior of a UN transport. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the young man sitting next to her, "I must have dozed off."
Shinji smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry about it."
"But I… We…" The brunette turned her gaze out the window and stared sullenly at the flight crew working just outside. "I asked you to come with me so we could spend some together," she said with a disappointed sigh.
Shinji placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take whatever time we have. You never know what might—"
"Don't say it," Mana interrupted sharply.
"Sorry," Shinji replied hastily, jerking his hand away in surprise. After a moment he looked uncertainly toward the cockpit and unbuckled his seatbelt. "They're not going to wait for us forever," he said.
At that point Mana would have wanted everyone else to do just that—or at least give the two of them a few more precious moments alone together. Especially since…
Get a grip, she told herself. She couldn't let a nightmare rattle her, now that she was at the brink of realizing her dream. After today she would be an Evangelion pilot, ready to protect all of humanity from the Angels with Shinji at her side.
Father would have been proud.
She couldn't wait to tell—
"We should go."
Mana blinked and saw Shinji holding his hand out to her. With a reluctant nod she grasped it and let him lead her through the aircraft's hatch.
Perhaps it was the faint trembling in her fingers, the slight dampness of her palm, or the extra little squeeze she gave his hand as the two pilots stepped out onto the tarmac that made Shinji aware that something wasn't quite right. "Nervous?" he asked.
"A little."
"Me too."
"I wish you didn't have to go back," she grumbled.
"I know," Shinji replied. "I don't like it either, but I have to be on standby at headquarters." Just in case something goes wrong, he added silently.
Mana pouted. "It's not fair."
He paused for a moment before, with a shy smile, he clumsily pulled a small rectangular box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Maybe this will help."
"What's this?" Mana asked as she took the package from him and peered at it curiously.
Shinji's cheeks reddened slightly. "Open it," he urged.
Mana gave Shinji a bemused glance before she opened the lid. Her eyes widened as she gingerly pulled out a polished, teardrop shaped green crystal dangling from a glittering silver chain. "Shinji!" Mana gasped as she stared at the early morning light dancing off the stone. "It's… it's…"
"It's yours," Shinji replied softly. "For luck."
"It's beautiful," Mana murmured before she looked back at Shinji with a smile.
The two teens stared at each other before Shinji broke the silence.
"Can I put it on you?" he asked, his voice shaking.
Mana nodded and turned around.
After a gulp and a lot of nervous fumbling, Shinji was finally able to slip the chain around her neck and fasten the clasp. Mana looked down and admired the pendant now nestled against her chest before she noticed that Shinji had come around in front of her and was looking at it as well.
"Asuka's right, you are a pervert," she chided
Shinji suddenly realized that his gaze was lingering uncomfortably close to something else on Mana's chest. He averted his eyes and blushed furiously. The brunette laughed and wrapped the flustered boy in a hug before he had a chance to stammer an apology. "Thank you," she whispered before kissing him fondly on the cheek.
"I can't leave you two alone for a minute, can I?" called a voice from behind her.
Both pilots looked to see that Misato had somehow managed to park a jeep unnoticed nearby and was now climbing out it with a wide grin on her face. The two pilots awkwardly broke their embrace.
"I… I guess I'd better go," murmured Mana.
"Yeah."
Mana reluctantly took a step back and smiled weakly while Shinji ducked back through the hatch. A moment later the exhaust from the aircraft's engines whipped around her, making her short chestnut hair dance in the hot air. She shielded her eyes from the swirling dust and watched as the transport lifted off and began its journey back to Tokyo-3.
"You ready?" Misato asked her with an almost apologetic look on her face.
The question fell upon deaf ears as Mana stared at the aircraft's shrinking silhouette.
Misato followed Mana's gaze for a moment before she wrapped her arm around the young pilot's shoulders and steered her to the entrance of the base. "Oh cheer up," she said encouragingly. "Pretty soon this'll be all over. There'll be plenty of time for you two to be together later."
Mana quietly nodded before she looked back over her shoulder just in time to see the retreating aircraft disappear back into the clouds.
- - - - -
The Matsushiro proving ground was small compared to NERV's other facilities. With most of the research and activity happening at the main branch—Matsushiro was used mostly for testing new equipment for Project-E—it was usually quiet on any given day.
Today, however, was anything but a normal day. The command center was a beehive of activity as technicians scurried everywhere, monitoring countless graphs, monitors, and printouts. Despite all of the commotion, Misato and Ritsuko stood in the middle of it all, two islands of calm in a sea of chaos.
Misato kept her attention focused on a screen showing the face of a young woman wearing a dark blue plug suit. "How are you doing in there, Mana?" she asked.
The Fourth Child nervously looked back at her. "Just fine, Misato." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "But I still can't stand the taste of this stuff."
"We'll have the research division come up with a bubble gum flavor for you."
Misato's quip seemed to relax Mana a little, and even made the corner of the pilot's mouth twitch with a hint of a smile. "Thanks, but I prefer cherry."
"I'll see what I can do," Misato chuckled. "Now take it easy and we'll get started. You'll be out of there before you know it."
The girl nodded and closed her eyes.
Ritsuko glanced at a monitor, scribbled on her clipboard, and gave a satisfied nod. "Well, that got her calmed down a little. Thanks."
Misato switched off her mic feed to Mana's entry plug. "Don't mention it," she replied tersely, her cheerful façade now gone.
The blonde appraised her friend critically for a moment. "You're awfully uptight. Don't tell me you're hung over again."
"Very funny. I just don't want another mishap."
Ritsuko's face darkened. "You're telling me. The last thing anyone wants is another Nevada incident."
"Well, especially seeing as we're right at ground zero…"
"Thank you very much for that observation," Ritsuko snarled.
For a heartbeat there was an awkward pause between the two women until Ritsuko shook her head slightly with a faint smile. "Sorry, I guess you're not the only one who's tense."
"Apology accepted," Misato deadpanned. "You're buying lunch this time."
"It'll have to wait till payday." Ritsuko casually tucked the clipboard under her arm and stuck her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "Just think—Unit 03 will be placed under your command after today's tests. You could literally take on the world with four Evas at your disposal."
"I'd love to trade it all in for a vacation right now," Misato replied with a humorless laugh.
"If you say so." Ritsuko glanced at a clock on the wall. "It's time. All set?"
"I'm about as ready as I'll ever be."
Ritsuko nodded before she looked to the ceiling for a moment and exhaled sharply. "All stations stand by," she ordered.
A chorus of affirmatives flooded the comm channel.
"All right then, let's do it. Shift the operation to phase two."
The two women watched the monitors as row after row of nerve connection indicators switched from red to green.
"We're now exceeding the absolute border," said an anxious voice that was barely audible over the chatter in the background. "Approaching activation threshold..."
Misato bit her lower lip and worriedly watched Mana's face while Ritsuko continued to keep her eye on the status board. The final bank of indicators suddenly flickered, then changed color.
"Activation!" someone shouted.
Unit 03's eyes blazed with a hellish light. The lights in the control center glowed crimson as alerts flashed on the screens and sirens blared. The Fourth Child's image on the monitor disappeared, hidden behind the curtain of hissing static that suddenly filled the screen.
"Mana!" Misato cried.
Ritsuko lunged for the main control console. "Abort!" she barked. "Break the circuit! Repeat, abort the test!"
As Ritsuko's fist smashed the glass cover over the emergency switch, a terrifying roar erupted from the monstrosity held inside the test chamber below. Misato barely had time to flinch and throw her arms up in front of her face before the world exploded.
- - - - -
Kouzou Fuyutsuki grimaced inwardly and stared at the static-filled display above him. An image of Evangelion Unit 03, securely restrained in its test chamber miles away, had filled the holographic screen until a moment ago. Then there was a blinding flash, Doctor Akagi's order to abort, then… nothing.
To say that he had a bad feeling about everything was a definite understatement.
"Go to stage one alert," he commanded. Almost instantly, a topographical image of the region replaced the static on the screen. A meager scattering of amber dots, the pitiful remnants of NERV's automated anti-Angel defences, littered the map.
I wonder how the Old Men will like this little turn of events, he mused.
"Cautious, aren't we?" asked a sardonic voice beside him.
Fuyutsuki glanced down at the younger man sitting by his side. "Men don't last long in positions like ours by being complacent, Ikari," he replied with a tight-lipped smile.
NERV's commander grunted. "Agreed," he replied. "We—"
Gendo's comment was interrupted by Makoto Hyuga's urgent voice from below. "Sir," the technician announced, "we're detecting movement and a huge power spike from the area."
Fuyutsuki shot Gendo a level glance before turning his attention to the main display. "Patch the video feed to the main display," he ordered. "Maximum magnification."
He would have preferred the static to what appeared on the display a second later. The devastation at what was once the site of the Matsushiro facility was clearly visible on the screen despite the graininess of the digitally enlarged image. Twisted metal, shattered chunks of concrete, and objects which may have been bodies littered the warped tarmac while flames and ropy columns of oily black smoke billowed out of what was left of the main building. Other than that, everything else was deathly still.
At least there's something left, the grey-haired man thought.
A chorus of gasps suddenly filled the air as the gaunt form of an Evangelion strode out of the wreckage.
Fuyutsuki's face darkened. "Just as I thought," he muttered.
Gendo ignored his assistant's comment. "Status of the pilot?" he enquired.
"Unknown," came Hyuga's strained reply. "We can't read any brainwave activity through the interference. She's breathing and we're still getting a pulse, but…." His voice trailed off uncertainly.
"Understood. Eject the entry plug and override the controls."
An armor plate blew away from Unit 03's back in a puff of smoke. "It's no use!" Maya exclaimed a second later. "The plug's still in place! It's rejecting the abort signal!"
"Very well," the commander replied without hesitation. "Designate the target as the Thirteenth Angel. Deploy ground forces and all three Evangelion units to intercept the target at Mount Nobe as planned."
"Ikari?" Fuyutsuki stared evenly at the man seated in front of him as shocked murmurs wafted up from below. "What about…?"
Gendo avoided the older man's gaze. "Mankind's survival takes priority over the pilot's safety."
"It's like that, is it?" Fuyutsuki paused for a moment and shifted his gaze slightly to watch the technicians frantically scurrying about beneath him. "So, Ikari," he said cooly, "what do we do now?"
Gendo's eyes never left the dot on the display above him as it inexorably moved toward the city. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the console in front of him before he clasped his hands in front of his face.
"We wait."
- - - - -
The sun inched closer to the western horizon, bathing the landscape in hues of orange and amber. The trees covering a hill near the base of Mount Nobe stretched their lengthening shadows over the blue and white titan crouched out of sight behind it. The colossus silently clutched a massive sniper rifle and sat motionless, a slumbering giant slowly being swallowed by darkness. A songbird flitted onto the end of the rifle's barrel and began preening, blissfully oblivious to the nature of its new perch.
Rei patiently watched the Angel's steady advance across her display as it inched toward the blue dot that represented Unit 00. She glanced at the chronometer in a corner of the screen. Unless it changed its course, it would still be some time before the target would be within range.
There was nothing left to do but wait.
The bird perched on her rifle flew away with a panicked twitter an instant before a faint tremor shook the ground. The jolt was quickly followed by another, then more, each one slightly more powerful than the last. A rhythmic crashing sound soon accompanied them with the same steady tempo, growing louder and louder in a deafening crescendo until it seemed to drown out the rest of the world as the gaunt figure of Unit 03 lurched around the hill and passed by her hiding place.
Rei carefully set the rifle's bipod down on the hilltop in front of her Eva. Her mouth pressed into a thin line as she took aim at her target's back.
The midnight blue giant paused, as if it suddenly felt her eyes on it.
The targeting computer's beeping abruptly became a shrill, steady tone. The crosshairs on Rei's display blinked as they flashed to confirm a solid lock on an object between Unit 03's shoulders – the rounded end of a white cylinder jutting out from under a mass of webbing.
Kirishima's entry plug.
For a split second Rei's mind went back to the incident in the classroom the week before. If the Third Child had seemed so miserable over a simple misunderstanding, Rei couldn't imagine how devastated he would be if something were to happen to the Fourth Child. At the same time another part of her mind, one fuelled by pragmatism, practicality, and cold, hard logic, reminded her that the survival of humanity far outweighed the loss of one life. She could almost hear the Commander urging her to pull the trigger, to follow her orders and destroy the Angel looming before her while she had the chance.
Her finger hovered over the firing switch—and paused.
"No," she whispered.
It was all the Angel needed.
Unit 03 suddenly launched itself into the air with a quickness that seemed impossible for anything so massive. Unable to move because of her Eva's cramped position and too slow to bring her rifle to bear in time, Rei could only watch helplessly as the possessed goliath somersaulted overhead and pinned her to the ground with an earth-shattering crash.
- - - - -
"Ayanami!"
A yawning gulf opened under Shinji's stomach as Rei's agonized scream ended abruptly in a burst of static. Without thinking, he reached for his controls and willed his Eva to take a step in the stricken pilot's direction.
"Hold your position!"
Unit 01 froze mid-step at the sound of Gendo's voice. "But," Shinji protested, "Ayanami—"
"She is safe," Gendo interrupted curtly. "A recovery team is being dispatched."
The commander's words did little to comfort Shinji as the pilot watched Unit 03's icon begin moving again on his tactical display. "And Mana…?"
"Her condition is none of your concern," Gendo replied evenly, as if chastising a small child. "The target will be within firing range in five minutes. Do your job and let the crews do theirs."
Shinji bristled for an instant at his father's callous tone, but the anger welling up inside him was quickly doused as he realized that worrying about Mana's safety wouldn't solve anything. If she was in trouble, the best way he could help her was to deal with the Angel. If she was safe, there wouldn't be anything to worry about anyway.
If it was too late…
Shinji turned his attention to his viewscreen and squinted against the glare of the setting sun as he tried to push that thought out of his mind.
- - - - -
Mana frantically gulped a lungful of LCL through her mouth, ignoring the sickening, bloody taste of the viscous liquid as she fought back another wave of panic. Her hands tightly gripped the hard plastic handles of her control switches while a chill crawled up her spine to settle in the pit of her stomach.
The rhythmic lurching of Unit 03 beneath her and the ceaseless hissing over the speakers told her that something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
One hand drifted up to reach for the small hard bulge lying under the material of her plug suit. She could almost feel her heart racing beneath her trembling fingertips as they brushed against the pendant. Desperately, she tried to keep her growing fear at bay by focusing on one thought as it ran through her mind again and again.
Shinji will keep me safe. He promised.
- - - - -
Shinji's heart caught in his throat as he watched clouds of smoke and debris suddenly erupt around the Angel and obscure it from sight. At that range Shinji couldn't tell if it was explosions from missiles, mines, or high-explosive rounds, but it didn't matter—it strode through the firestorm without breaking its stride, the dark armor plates still pristine despite the deadly barrage. Shinji felt his insides churn in fear, but it wasn't for himself.
He grimly kept the crosshairs centered on Unit 03's hulking form. The ominous crash of the approaching Angel's footsteps pounded out a slow, steady rhythm as it relentlessly advanced on his position. It moved deliberately, almost leisurely, until it finally came to a halt a block away.
The rest of the world came to a standstill as the two behemoths faced each other in the fading daylight. Unit 03 hunched down on all fours, its arms and legs widely splayed as if ready to pounce. A sickening gray tongue lolled out of its mouth and dripped viscous fluid onto the pavement below while its head bobbed back and forth. A low growl sounded from its throat as it sized up its prey.
The crosshairs on Shinji's display flickered. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep his pallet rifle trained on the target but the controls seemed sluggish and uncoordinated. The anxiety gnawing at his thoughts made it almost impossible to concentrate on breathing, let alone on controlling a hundred-foot tall war machine.
Out of the billions of lives that were at stake, the only one that mattered to him at that moment was the one in the biomechanical giant a few hundred yards away.
He didn't want to fight for fear of hurting Mana—if she was still all right. Maybe, just maybe, his father or the command crew could find a way to get her out. Maybe all they needed was a little more time…
When Unit 03 suddenly snarled and whipped an impossibly long arm toward Unit 01's throat, Shinji knew that time was the one thing that he was out of.
He held his breath and pulled the trigger.
- - - - -
To be continued…
- - - - -
Author's Notes (4-11-2006)
Yes, that's right. It's taken me over a year to churn out this chapter. The past twelve months have been, well… crazy doesn't come near it, but it's the closest thing I can come up with now. To give you some idea, I'm writing this note from the departure lounge at the airport while waiting to leave for a business trip.
Still, it's amazing how much work it can be to shake off the rust and put virtual pen to virtual paper again. I was sure that this fic was buried so deep in the depths of archives that no one would ever stumble across it until I updated it and brought it back out of obscurity for a few weeks. Strangely enough, it was not long after I got everything back on track when reviews started coming in again. I thought that was rather peculiar, but in a good way. I did notice that each one of those emails had a common theme: to put it bluntly, 'it's good, now get off your butt and update'.
Okay, maybe my interpretation is too blunt, but you get the picture.
I'm trying to devote more time to writing so you won't have to wait nearly as long for the next chapter (funny, I thought I said that last chapter too). Besides, I don't have the heart to leave all of you sitting at a cliffhanger for that long!
Now, about the chapter. The necklace that Shinji gives Mana is a nod at the original game, although in the game it's Mana who gives Shinji the pendant. I won't say anything else in case I spoil the game for you. Speaking of the game, I was putting the finishing touches on this chapter when I found out that Gainax is remaking Girlfriend of Steel for the PS2, and it should be on the shelves in Japan by the time you read this. Coincidence, perhaps?
Maybe it's because I'm probably my own worst critic, but I feel that this chapter's been all fluff and little plot. Oh, well. At least next chapter should have a lot more action in it. It had better, considering what's happening, right?
Prereading kudos go out this time to Ayanami-chan and everyone else at the Tales of Apartment 402. Thanks, guys:D
As usual, I appreciate all of you who took the time to read this fic, and especially those of you who have gently (or not so gently) urged me to keep at this. You know who you are.
Reviews and constructive comments are always welcome. If you don't feel like leaving a review here, drop me a line at akodo(underscore)tim1(at)yahoo(dot)com. Hopefully I'll be able to respond to them, too!
See you next chapter!
- - - - -
Dedication:
In memory of Azurewind (19xx-2005). I don't know if you ever read this fic or not, but this seems appropriate anyway. Apartment 402 won't be the same without you.
