Rise of the Defender
by StraightedgeEpyon
Summary: Darkness falls upon the earth as the angels begin their attacks. But when there is darkness there is also light as a new Magna Defender rises to fight the darkness and protect the earth
I own nothing
Beta read by TOAT
Chapter twelve
(Katsuragi/Sohryu apartment in the morning)
"Hey, hey!" Asuka yelled, watching Misato cook their breakfast.
Or rather, attempted to cook their breakfast, as the eggs on the frying pan had completely blackened.
SIZZLE-SIZZLE!
"Not again! Am I ever gonna get this right?" Misato moaned, seeing her eggs well done.
"How is it that you have survived on your own so far, Misato?" Asuka asks from the couch.
"Mostly on beer and instant food, not exactly a balanced diet, but it's kept me alive," Misato replied.
"It's a miracle you and that penguin have lasted this long," Asuka snipped, the smell of burning eggs filling the room.
"Pen-Pen can survive off one fish a day and I've got a steady supply of fresh fish in the fridge."
"Well, how swell for the penguin. Ugh, the smell. If the Angels don't kill us, then that smell will!" Asuka groaned, covering her nose.
"It isn't that bad. Quit overreacting," Misato said, putting her roasted eggs on two plates and setting the table.
Asuka moved off the couch and took a seat at the table and began to eat her questionable meal as the lights suddenly began to flicker on and off. The two ate in silence, and the redhead started up a topic of conversation.
"So, what the hell is the deal with these bug creatures? Where did they come from?" Asuka asked her.
"That's…a very good question. The truth is we don't know. We don't know who created them. NERV has collected some of the remains of those bugs left from the docks for research, but Ritsuko hasn't made any headway yet." Misato replied, taking a bite of her darkened eggs.
"Maybe that Defender guy knows something. He seemed hell-bent on squashing that spider in the sewers." Asuka inputted.
"Maybe, if he were to cooperate with us. He seems to have this, what the Americans call a "lone ranger" thing going for him. If he has any answers, it's doubtful he'll give them up nicely." Misato munched.
"We could force him, he's just one guy, if he is a guy. NERV's got the Eva and an army of people-" Asuka started to say.
"He's a guy who can summon a giant robot bull at will. We still don't know how strong he is or what else he can do." Misato cut in. "But from a strategic standpoint, the Magna Defender's got that kind of muscle we could use."
Before any further conversation could be made, Misato's phone vibrated on the counter, and she reached over to grab it.
"Hello, Katsuragi here," Misato answered.
"…"
"I thought the shipment wouldn't be in until next week. Why the sudden change?"
"…"
"So, the Commander is being more cautious than usual. That's understandable."
"…"
"I get that, but we still need time to retrofit the weaponry for all three units, and Unit-00 is still undergoing repairs."
"…"
"So, we're using that alloy to speed up its restoration. That's a relief. Looks like we'll have a full-"
"…"
"We're taking far too many risks. In war, the tide could change in an instant." Misato retorted.
"…"
"I'll be there later to inspect them with Dr. Akagi. Bye."
With that, Misato hung up the phone, sighing heavily and picking up her beer while glancing at Asuka.
"What was-"
"We were getting a new shipment of ammunition. It was originally scheduled to come in next week, but the commander ordered it for tonight. He's not taking chances with these insect monsters running around." Misato answered, taking a sip of her beer.
"Well, they'd better be a good fit for my Unit-02," Asuka said.
"They're retro-fitted for ALL of the Evas' weaponry," her guardian corrected. "Preparation is key after all."
The two continue to eat in silence, and suddenly, the power begins to flicker on and off. Although this didn't distract from the pair's "meals", the purple-haired spared a glance outside and saw a large shadow mass passed by her patio.
BUZZZZ WHOOSH!
"Huh? What was that?" Misato whispered.
"What was what?" Asuka asked, having heard her.
Not answering, the captain went over to where she hung her firearm, grabbing it as she went over to the patio. Opening it, she stepped outside. All she saw was a lot of empty, blue skies. She looked down below her apartment complex, only to find nothing but clotheslines with clothing on them. Misato slumped her shoulders and sighed in embarrassment.
"Looks I got riled up over nothing," the purple-haired woman said.
"Have you, now?" a metallic voice spoke.
"Huh?"
Misato whirled around to see nothing. Had she stuck around, she would have noticed a cloaked figure standing on the ledge above her before vanishing. The pair finished their bad meal and headed out the door, heading towards the elevator.
"You don't have to give me a lift to school, Misato," Asuka said, walking alongside Misato to her car. "The last thing I need is every boy in school ogling you again."
"I just want to make sure you get there safely. And besides, it's on my way to pick up Ritsuko," Misato said jingling her keys.
"Right," the girl scoffed.
The pair quickly got in, and as Misato was pulling out of her spot, making her way out of the parking garage towards the street, she adjusted her rearview mirror and spotted a familiar, black-armored figure walking out from underneath the foliage behind her blue car. Without sparing a glance at Misato's car, the figure walked inside the garage.
"Huh?! What the hell?! It's him!" the captain gasped.
"Him?! You mean that Defender guy?" the German asked.
Getting out of the car, Misato rushed in after him. The Defender went to a far corner where power generators stood and knelt down with a small device in his hands.
Out of habit from her military training, she took her gun out and approached cautiously. However, Shinji, through his visor, glanced up and saw Misato's reflection on a piece of metal in front of him approaching him with a gun in hand.
"That wouldn't be smart," the Defender said, not moving from his position, causing her to stop and slightly raise her gun at the warrior.
Shinji stood up with his back turned while she lowered her gun slightly, not that her bullets would have any effect, anyway.
"But then again, you military types aren't all that smart, are you?" the warrior remarked, getting a glare from the woman.
"Ugh, damn, looks like another dead end. I thought I had them for sure."
"Had what? Does what you're doing have something to do with those creatures?" Misato asked.
"I call them Insectoids," answered Magna Defender, looking at the device.
"Insectoids?"
"Yes, and I've been tracking them for some time now, hoping to get them first before they attacked again, but they've gone underground, literally."
The Defender proceeded to walk past her while the captain took in the information. But quickly, she turned around, grabbing his cape.
"Do you know what created them, then?" asked Misato.
"It isn't a 'what', it's a 'who' that created them, and that's all you're getting," the Defender answered gruffly before yanking his cape.
Before she could chase after him, the Defender vanished in a flash.
"He's gone," Misato whispered before looking back at the spot he was at.
Misato walked over to the generators where the warrior was to inspect them and saw there were punctures in both generators.
"What in the hell happened here?" she uttered.
(Later that day Tokyo-3 Jr high)
The day had ended and Shinji was on clean-up duty with the rest of the class, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw it was a text from Kendrix. It read:
Come to the outpost, ASAP. You're not gonna believe it!
"I hope it's something on Deceptica," Shinji whispered, going back to mopping the floor.
' I tangled with Tarantulas, but I wonder how strong is Hornet. I got a feeling, I'll be running into him real soon.'
His thoughts were cut short when he saw Satoru below, surrounded by four upperclassmen. Narrowing his eyes, Shinji set the mop near the wall and took off.
"Shinji, where ya going?" Kensuke asked, wiping the desks.
Shinji kept walking, but he would be stopped by the class rep.
"Hold it, Ikari, you still need to sweep the floor and help with the desks," Hikari reprimanded, stepping right in front of him.
"There's something I need to see to," he explained.
"Everyone else is doing duty. No exceptions." Hikari stated.
Shinji raised an eyebrow at Asuka conversing with some other girls behind her.
"If that's the case, then why isn't Asuka helping out like the rest of us?" Shinji questioned.
"Asuka is clearing up some misconceptions about her country," Hikari explained.
"And that's more important than helping out the rest class because…"
"It's necessary to prevent any misinformation," Hikari said.
"I'll bet," Shinji said, walking past her.
"Hey!"
Shinji just power walked on, ignoring the calls from the class rep. Quickly with haste made to the outside were the upperclassmen surrounding the new kid. Cracking his neck, Shinji walked up to them.
"Is there a problem here?" asked Shinji, getting their attention.
"Look at what we have here, boys…hey, wait a minute, you're that kid, aren't you? You're the guy that beat Okubo," said student number one.
"I wouldn't say beat him. More like very much embarrassed him, which is exactly what I'm gonna do to you four if you don't back off," Shinji warned.
"Ha-ha, you got jokes, kid. You're gonna be in stitches when we get done with you," spoke student two.
"Taking out the kid who beat Okubo will make our rep," spoke the third student.
"You're outnumbered," said a fourth student, advancing on him with the other three.
"Yeah, I don't see this ending well," Shinji sighed.
"Glad we agree on something."
"For you," he finished.
With that, Shinji ducked a swing and grabbed the elbow of the fourth student, and hit an open palm strike to his side rib area, followed by a quick knee strike to the gut.
Then he tossed the fourth student into the third, leaving the other two. The first student grabbed Shinji from behind as the second began to rush him, only for Shinji to hit a double kick on him, then a back head-butt, then hit an arm drag, despite the student being twice his size.
The other two students got back up and saw their two classmates on the ground, then looked back at Shinji, who didn't look the least bit winded.
"Well, come on," the boy taunted, doing a "bring it on" motion.
"No way, man, I-I'm outta here," said student two, running away.
"Wait for me!" said the others, running as well.
"Uh, th-thanks again," Satoru stammered.
"Want to show thanks? Maybe you can put in a good a word for me with Mr. Kasshu about a job at the Fire Bird nest." Shinji replied.
"I'll talk to him, then."
"You care to tell me why they were harassing you?" Shinji said, walking inside the building with him.
"You know, it's the usual stuff. Because I'm from Tagara. We aren't all well-liked. I'm one of the lower-classmen. Even there, I'm looked down upon. "
"Ah, you came here hoping for a new start," Shinji guessed.
"Yes," answered Satoru.
"Maybe you can still get it. Don't lose hope." Shinji said.
"What's your story?" asked Satoru.
"Me? It's complicated. I was born in Tokyo, but when my mom died, my father abandoned me. Then, I was adopted by two Americans who I love very dearly, and I lived overseas for nearly ten years till I came back here, but not by choice." Shinji explained.
"You lived in America? Among those who, what's the word "cancel" other people for having different opinions?"
"Not in so many words, but, yeah, that's how it's getting over there now with the entertainment industry. And I disagree with those types who can't seem to leave out their personal politics. America has always encouraged the right to free speech, no matter how different. It's their number one thing. Why the sudden change?"
"Huh?"
"Ikari!" they both heard a voice.
The pair saw that it was the class rep, Hikari Horaki, marching toward the pair, not in a good mood.
"How dare you shirk your duties!" the class rep exclaimed.
"Class rep, it was my fault," Satoru interjected.
"I was taking out the garbage, I got lost, then I ran into those upperclassmen. Ikari helped me out."
"It's what I do."
"Regardless, you're going to be making up for it by delivering these to Ayanami," said Hikari, handing him a stack of papers.
"Well, if it gets you off my back, then fine," Shinji said, turning around. "Talk later, Iwata."
"Okay, thanks again," Satoru replied as Shinji walked away.
(At the outpost later on in the afternoon)
"Hey, Kendrix, sorry I'm late-" Shinji stopped too short as he walked inside the outpost.
"I don't believe it!" he gasped.
"Hello, Shinji, it's been a while. You've gotten bigger the last time I saw you," spoke a familiar, robotic almost masculine voice.
What Shinji was seeing was a very familiar robot. A young robot that was about four feet tall. He has a black and gold casing all over his body, a lightning bolt on his chest, his head was flying saucer-shaped and his "eyes" a red bar that flashes across its front. His arms had two golden caps on his elbows that limited his movement and big, clunky feet.
"Alpha Six! Boy, am I glad to see you, and you got a new voice!" Shinji exclaimed, happily hugging the robot.
"Kendrix contacted me regarding this new insect problem, a foe similar to Trakeena." Alpha Six replied, hugging back.
"Yeah, she's different from Trakeena. She's-" Shinji started to say.
"An AI that…somehow come to life… We've dealt with more than a few of those types over the years." Kendrix finished.
"So have Andros and the Space Rangers," Alpha inputted.
"How are Ashely and Andros, by the way?" asked Shinji.
"They are doing well, Shinji. When I last spoke to them, they were on the planet Onyx dealing with a rock worm monster released by Scorpina before she vanished again," the robot explained.
"Scorpina?! Rita Repulsa's Scorpina? I thought she was destroyed years ago by Zordon's energy wave." The boy said.
"Apparently, she was trapped in the dimension of the dreaded Lokar the Terrible at the time," Alpha informed, "So she was protected from Zordon's wave."
"That's a bummer. What about Scorpina herself?"
"She was sucked back into Lokar's dimension almost immediately after the monster was destroyed."
"That's good to hear," said Shinji.
"Indeed, but back to the matter at hand. Tell me more about Deceptica. How did she come to exist?" the robot asked.
Kendrix looked away, slightly almost guilty, something Alpha noticed. Before the former Pink Galaxy Ranger could answer, the alarms sounded and the console went off.
"Ai-Yi-Yi-Yi-Yi!" exclaimed Alpha. "What in the world is that?!"
Kendrix ran over to the console.
"One of Deceptica's monsters is on the move. Talk about a lucky break." Kendrix said, pulling the image feed up of the monitor.
"Where is it located?" Shinji asked looking at the map, seeing a very familiar area and familiar monster.
"Near…NERV HQ? Hey, it's Hornet, and he's attacking a NERV supply convoy." Kendrix said.
"A supply convoy?" Shinji asked.
"The commander put in an order for munitions for the Evas, and they were supposed to come next week, but he had the delivery date moved up."
"Well, I got no love for NERV, but I can't let a lead to Deceptica vanish. Magna Power, now!"
In a flash of green light, Shinji morphed and was teleported to the coordinates.
(Near NERV HQ)
"We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!" reported one of the drivers of the large military trucks that had been blasted and overturned. His passenger was unconscious but alive.
The man peered crawled out of the window and looked up to see a big bug metal monster attacking the cargo line of large trucks. The drivers got out and fired back with guns drawn, but they've proven to have no effect. If anything, it seemed to amuse the monster.
"SEND BACK UP RIGHT NOW!" he yelled.
"You've already got it," said a voice from out of nowhere.
The man glanced below the large truck to see a black, armored warrior appear.
The Magna Defender took out his blaster and rushed into the danger zone.
"Hornet!" He called out. "Pick on someone your own size."
"Ah, Magna Defender, I was hoping to get a chance to do battle with you. One on one." Hornet replied, lowering himself down to the ground.
"I'll squash you like I squashed Steelsting," replied Shinji.
"You'll find that I am much stronger than my brothers!" the monster declared.
With that he turned his arms into literal blades, Shinji switched his blaster back into sword mode and got into a Ko Gasumi stance.
"Let's dance."
Shinji charged forward and they clashed blades. Clashing left and right with the left and right blades lightly, Hornet powered backed, using unorthodox strikes, a series of double and vertical underhanded strikes, and Shinji blocked a strike with his left arm, then a side kick to the body.
"Gha," Hornet grunted, then activated and fired off his stingers as he took off into the air.
ZAP!
"Argh!" Shinji grunted, getting hit.
"Ha-ha-ha, nothing like a little air superiority," Hornet mocked, firing off more of his stinger blast.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
"Alright, two can play at that game. Blaster mode!"
Shinji switched to blaster mode and began firing wildly into the air, missing his target every time because he was moving too fast.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Shinji began running for cover as Hornet blasted back.
"Run, Defender run."
"I gotta figure a way to ground him," Shinji grunted, taking cover behind an overturned truck.
("Shinji, can you hear me? This is Alpha.") Alpha said over the communicator in his helmet.
"Little busy here, Alpha." Shinji responded, dodging laser fire.
("Kendrix showed me the weapon you took from Tarantulas.") Alpha said.
"It would -"
ZAP!
BOOM!
"Really come in handy right now, except I haven't begun working on modifying it yet."
("Don't worry, I took the liberty of working on it before you got to the outpost. I'm sending it to your coordinates.")
In a flash of light, the weapon appeared on the ground near Shinji. The weapon was midnight black. What was once a large arrowhead was now a medium-sized, horn-like spear hook. Picking it up, Shinji went back on the offensive.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
ZAP ZAP ! ZAP!
"I got to get in close," the Defender whispered.
"Here I come, Defender. Feel my sting!" Hornet declared, buzzing around, straightening his stingers.
Hornet spun around in a drilling motion and charged straight at Shinji, striking him quickly, multiple times.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
"Argh!" Shinji grunted in pain, rolling onto the ground.
"I got to bring him to my level."
Hornet circled around for another attack, and to his confusion, the Magna Defender sheathed his weapon, disarming himself. Instead, he stood his ground. But it mattered little to Hornet, as he prepared for another, and hopefully final, strike.
"You're doomed!" Hornet yelled, charging up and charging forth.
Shinji stood steadfast, spread his legs far apart and his right hand going for his new weapon, like a cowboy about to draw in a standoff.
"Wait…wait," he murmured, watching Hornet get closer.
As Hornet got within range, Shinji sidestepped out of the way and took out his grapple weapon took aim and fired.
(Insert Batman grapple SFX)
PING!
The hook latched onto the monster's back, causing him to stumble in midair.
"Gha!"
"Ugh!" The Defender grunted, pulling the cable hard enough to bring Hornet down.
CRASH!
"Thank you, Alpha you're the best!"
Shinji quickly unsheathed his sword and slashed off his two stingers before Hornet could get up.
"Hi-ya!"
SLASH!
"Hrgh!"
"What good is a Hornet with its stinger?"
"Grrr," Hornet growled furiously, getting back to his feet turning his arms into blades.
Without wasting a word, both combatants clashed blades once more. Shinji was using more quick strikes while Hornet matched him. Both warriors clashed blades until they were deadlocked. Shinji, flipping his sword in a reverse grip, trapped Hornet's left blade in between the horn and holding off his right blade.
"Grrr," Hornet grunted.
"Hmm," Shinji grunted back, pushing Hornet back.
Shinji hit a knee strike to the abdomen, followed by a few punches to his chest, and Hornet hit back with a double shot thrust, sending him back, creating a small, slow-motion shockwave.
"Argh!" Shinji grunted, being blasted into the ground again.
'Hornet, return at once!' Deceptica echoed in his head.
"Mistress, I can defeat the Magna Defender," her general responded back out loud.
'Not as you are. Return at once!' Deceptica commanded him.
To make her point, a sharp, electrical pain erupted inside Hornet's head.
"Arghh!" he screamed in pain, holding his head.
"What's happening to him?" Shinji wondered.
As quick as it came, the pain ceased, making him wobbly momentarily.
"This is not over, Magna Defender," Hornet growled, taking off into the air.
"I know," he whispered, getting up and surveying the destruction that Hornet caused before his arrival.
Ambulances were now headed towards this location to tend to wounded from one side. On the other side from NERV HQ, NERV personnel were to assess the damage to their supplies and see what was destroyed and what could be salvaged.
While Shinji didn't care much if NERV's weapon ammunitions were scrap iron, the one thing he could do is make sure that they couldn't get hold of any trace of the Insectoid he fought. Shinji picked up the stingers he cut off and tossed them into the sea.
("Shinji, it's Alpha, are you okay?") the robot asked over the communicator in his helmet.
"I'm fine, Alpha, but Hornet got away again. I failed." Shinji reported.
("What about the convoy?") asked Kendrix.
"Hornet did a ton of damage before I got here. A lot of their supplies are wrecked, but the good news is the men survived, but they're injured." the Defender said.
("That's victory in itself. Return to the Outpost. There's much we have to do.")
"Actually, there's something I need to take care of first, then I'll head there after I'm done."
He looked up in the distance and spotted a cloaked figure on one of the hilltops overlooking the highway, then it suddenly vanished.
"What was that?" Shinji whispered.
NERV's vehicles, as well as emergency vehicles, were on the scene to assess the damage to the area. Rather than stick around, he quickly teleported away.
(Tokyo-3 )
Shinji, still morphed, teleported to the top of an abandoned building. His objective: to deliver handouts to Ayanami, who missed school again today. But at the forefront of his mind was his fight with Hornet.
"He was definitely stronger than Steelsting and Tarantulas. I'll need to be extra careful next time." Shinji said, leaping down to a stairway.
"Huh?"
Before he could power down, he peered down below and heard some commotion. Getting a closer look, Shinji saw that it was Rei, presumably on her way home, and standing in front of her was a group of thugs comprised of delinquent boys and girls.
"Maybe I shouldn't power down just yet."
"Lookit what we got here, a Toyko-3 junior high runt," sneered one girl, who had light brown hair wearing a green hunter cap.
"What ya doing out here all by yourself?" asked a short boy with spiky, blue hair with an orange headband.
"Out for a midnight stroll?" spoke up a girl with long, blonde hair with piercings on her nose.
"Hey, Kisara, maybe she knows the kid that beat Okubo," said a husky boy with brown hair.
The girl named Kisara stepped forward, apparently the leader of this particular group, who towered over the albino girl a bit, while Rei, who unconsciously took a step back, kept her mask of passiveness.
"What do you want with Shinji?" asked Rei, using his first name.
"So, that's his name, huh? From what I understand, he goes by Mr. "I'm just a kid from Tokyo"." Kisara said. "Interesting."
"How about we call him the Tokyo Kid?" chuckled the headband kid.
"What do you want with him?" Rei asked again.
"We're from Tagara. Well…some of us, anyway. And the fact that kid took down, one of the toughest guys in Tokyo-3, speaks volumes. I'm eager to see what he's got."
"So…you…wish to fight him."
"Ding-ding, give the girl a prize," said Kisara, getting a laugh from the others.
At this, Rei stood her ground to Kisara, causing her a brief surprise.
"I…will…not let you harm him," Rei said, slowly getting a laugh from the taller girl.
Shinji, who had been listening intently was deeply surprised. His "reputation" had barely begun to spread throughout the city. Now, he had inadvertently placed a target on his back for embarrassing Okubo. Moreover, he was very surprised that Rei, of all people, would stand up to this gang on his behalf.
"What exactly are you gonna do, little girl? You gonna fight us?" mocked Kisara.
With that, the group started to close in on her, cutting off any chance of escape.
"You think a scrawny, little thing like you could contend with us?" the headband boy laughed.
"Maybe she can't," a voice said from above, startling everyone stopping them dead in their tracks.
The source of the voice dropped down to reveal a horned, black-armored, sword-wielding figure.
"It's him," Kisara whispered.
"Magna Defender? What's he doing here?" Rei muttered.
The Defender walked slowly, taking a defensive position in front of the blue-haired girl.
"I'm not in the mood tonight. So you all have one chance. Go home and don't ever come near this girl again." He growled, putting a palm on the top of the hilt of his sword to emphasize his point.
Kisara eyed him carefully. She saw him on TV fighting the monster, not to mention the word on the street was that the Magna Defender has been hitting other gangs and thugs, taking them all down single-handedly. Kisara gave the nod for her gang to back off.
"Tch, you got lucky tonight. You better watch your back, blue girl." Kisara warned, backing away with her crew following. her
"Um…t-thank you, Magna Defender," praised the First Child.
"You'd better head home, too. It's getting late," he replied simply.
The Defender walked away from the girl and fired his new grapnel weapon into a nearby building, lifting him off the ground and into the air, out of Rei's sight. She looked up to see any trace of him in the night sky, but couldn't see him anymore.
Rei sighed and headed back home, all the while Magna Defender watched from his hidden spot above and quickly powered down. Rei continued her trek back home.
"Hey, Rei!" a familiar voice called from behind.
"Shinji," she said, seeing the boy jog up from behind.
"The class rep wanted me to give you these assignments. I had a hard time finding where you live." He said.
"Oh, thank you," she replied simply. "My apartment is half a block away."
"How about I walk you the rest of the way, then?" offered Shinji.
"That is not…"
"It's no trouble. Besides, I need the exercise."
"The exercise? Are you not fit enough?" the First Child inquired.
"It's an American expression. It's good to keep in shape." the Third Child replied.
Rei looked down briefly before nodding.
"Very well."
'Maybe I should work with her on her vocabulary,' thought Shinji.
With that the pair set off, unaware that they were being watched by a cloaked figure. The pilots walked in near awkward silence.
Rei began to grow comfortable around her fellow pilot. He had a certain way about him that she glanced at him. Most of the staff referred to him as a maverick due to his unorthodox methods used against the last Angel, or Shinji was either just as skilled or more skilled than the Second Child.
But the difference was that he was more humble, nicer, and reserved than pilot Sohryu, and she started to like those qualities more and more.
'Am I starting to…like…him?" thought the blue-haired girl with a brief tint of pink in her cheeks.
"We're here."
The two made it to her apartment and Shinji looked up and nearly blanched in disgust at the decaying building.
'Those cheap bastards got her living here?!' Shinji thought with mild disgust.
The two walked up the stairs. Of course, in Shinji's case, he stepped carefully, thinking that the steps could give way with every step he took. The loud creaks were making him feel uneasy, so he stepped slowly and carefully while Rei just walked up the stairs like it was normal.
"Nice place," the Third Child murmured under his breath.
The pair made it to the top of the stairway. They merely walked to the door in silence. Some rats scurried past her door while the pair reached the door.
"Well…um, thank you for walking me to my door…Shinji," Rei praised, putting her hand on the knob.
"Don't mention it. I'll see you at school tomorrow," Shinji replied, stepping carefully on the stairway.
As Rei closed the door, the sounds of sirens filled the night air, causing Shinji to sigh.
"It's going to be a busy night after all," Shinji spoke aloud, heading somewhere to morph again.
(Deceptica's lair)
Hornet was grunting in pain in the repair bay as new stingers were welded painfully onto his back. But the pain he felt was nothing, compared to the immense anger coursing through his circuitry. He came close to besting the Magna Defender, but his mistress pulled him back.
He was stewing in anger as the repairs continued. Deceptica walked into the room, she could feel her general's anger towards her. But it mattered little, for she would direct Hornet's anger elsewhere.
"Mistress, why did you pull me from the battle? I had the Magna Defender dead to rights!"
"Of course, you had him right where he wanted you when he ripped off your wings and stingers!" Deceptica shot back.
"I would have gladly endured those pains if it meant defeating the Magna Defender," Hornet told her.
"I have little doubt of that, my general, but I have a task specifically set for you, and time is of the essence."
As a wing was being attached painfully onto his back, Hornet let his anger subside for the time being. Now wanting to take out his frustration on any poor human installation his Mistress sent him to.
"What is your command, my mistress?" Hornet asked.
"Better. You are going to an active facility in Angel Grove, California. I recently discovered something very interesting." Deceptica spoke.
The screens lit up to show the object or objects of Deceptica's interest.
"A-are those what I think they are?" Hornet asked her.
"Yes, my minion, we are reaching for the embers of the past, to light the fires of our future and burn this world," she stated.
"When do you want me to strike?"
"Immediately, they plan to move some delicate materials to place in Nevada. As you did the convoy, you must catch them off balance. In the meantime, I shall send my newest creations to deal with the Magna Defender. He may yet see it as a "blast from the past"."
As if on cue, two large footsteps were heard stomping into the room. The first figure coming in was a man-sized being, with samurai-like armor, carrying a large staff with a magnet at the end with a giant magnet for a head. The second was a large, roach-like monster with spikes all over its body.
"Taken from my recent, deep-corrupted files of Scorpius and Deviot's monsters, introducing Magnetox and Spikak, recreated from the remains of said monsters from Moldarch's laboratory."
"Incredible," Hornet remarked, the repairs were nearing completion.
Both monsters knelt before Deceptica and asked, "What is your command our creator?"
The insectoid robot woman looked deep in thought then turned to Spikak.
"Spikak, I want you to go Tokyo-2 and cause unimaginable terror to the humans at large. Magentox, I have a special task for you in due time."
"As you command, Mistress," Spikak said, leaving the room.
A signal sounded that the repairs to Hornet were completed, and he was released from the repair bay. He stretched out his limbs and newly-attached stingers.
"Where are Tarantulas and Moldararch?"
"I sent Tarantulas on another mission, to the NERV branch in Europe. It seems they have a new type of Eva that's in development. It may prove useful later on. And Moldarach is making further preparations."
On-screen through the eyes of her general, the trio looked at a building that was in the process of constructing a four-wheeled Eva.
"Humankind has no idea what lies ahead for them," Deceptica said.
(Undisclosed location somewhere up northern Siberia)
Two men were seen entering a large storage facility. Inside were housed, decommissioned, prototype walkers, cloth-covered American battle tanks, helicopter parts, mobile battle walkers, and a large assortment of steel crates containing firearms and other weaponry. The two men, one was an old man wearing a visor over his eyes the other was a man with glasses, were walking towards a specific center of the facility.
"Do you honestly believe this necessary, Keel?"
"We know that Gendo Ikari has his own agenda. We are unsure if the Magna Defender fits into his agenda, and we still know even less of these Insectoids. We mustn't take any chances, Bradford." Keel replied.
"But to release "him" again after these last five years, especially after what happened in Russia and in China," Bradford said.
"I am aware, but he wasn't as controllable as then, especially around Gullsky and Desand. But more time in cryostasis have hopefully dulled his mind." Keel said.
"There's no guarantee of that. The Dead Sea Scrolls never predicted this. Warriors from the stars, living insect machinery. It hearkens back to the era of the Power Rangers. It was such a chaotic time."
"Indeed, but remember the Second Impact caused more chaos and havoc on a scale never seen before."
The two walked in silence, among the crates and old console systems until they reached the center of the room. There was a red, flower-like pod with wires connected all around the bottom.
Both men stared at the pod, one expressionless due to the visor he was wearing, the other's face was full of apprehension and uncertainty. Keel inspected the pod closely, attempting to get a glimpse of the dormant figure inside. Suddenly, Bradford's phone started to ring in his pocket. Taking it out, he read the text that was on it.
"Keel, we are needed back at the council room. Something has happened under Ikari's watch yet again. But it may yet prove advantageous in removing him," said Bradford.
"Very well," murmured Keel, moving away from the pod.
Both men walked away, had Keel lingered any longer, he would notice a little bit of movement in the pod.
End chapter
End Notes: This literally took me weeks, mainly because I was handling RL personal business so there's that. Anyways how'd you all like the appearance of Alpha, he's still the same Alpha just with a different voice I wasn't a fan of his child-like voice in PRIS and in Lost Galaxy. Always preferred the OG the voice. Will more Ranger allies from the past appear or Rangers themselves? Only time will tell. The basis of Shinji and Rei's relationship is growing I hope to advance that in the next chapter. Next chapter, Shinji faces off against Spikak and another angel and the mysterious watcher makes his presence felt. More stories are up next thank you to TOAT. Read, Review provide suggestions and Stay Prime