Sorry I took so long to get this started... I really wanted to start it soon. Summer break is coming so I will definitely pump out some more eva goodness. So were did we leave off? Ah yes... Shinji and the group had just been thrown into the for-front, putting a never before used Neo-01 back into commission.

In the great words of D.J. MacHale,

Hobey Ho, Let's go.

EVANGELION: KAOS RISING

Chapter 5.

As if a holy beacon of undoing, the Neo Unit 01 rose out of the ground to reflect devastation upon the unsuspecting Kaos.

"Shinji!" Misato Crackled over the radio. "How does it feel?"

Shinji had honestly no way of answering her. In the recent weeks of the research done by nerve they found that a device had been rooted into the Eva's cockpit. It was a dull green dome about twice the size of a human head, there were holes around the rim that somehow looked menacing. They placed a manakin in place of shinji and found a startling discovery. Upon activation, the computer screen in HQ showing 01's stats became blue and hazy, then the fuzzy haze was replaced by a Percent Bar and a reading that said MERGING. As the Bar reached 4, the dome device came to life. A bio mechanical arm extended with the Dome on the end. It was obvious it had Ruptured through the Plug. The Dome immediately lowered onto the manakin's head. Spiny arms shot out of the holes and dug nearly an inch into the manakin's head. Nerv watched in horror as shortly after doing so, the arms receded and an error message showed, as the unit immediately shut down.

So let's see, how did Shinji feel? He was terrified.

"Ill begin the merging sequence on your mark." continued Misato.

Shinji took a deep breath. This was it. Now or never. "Do it," he said.

He immediately wished he hadn't. He felt sick as the dome came over his head, blocking out his eyes. He felt enclosed, and above all, disturbingly trapped. He heard a loud clinking sound as ten spiny arms protruded from the dome. His mind reeled as to what the sound was.

Then the arms shot into his head.

He let out a wretched scream as he threw his head back in agony.

Merging at 10 Percent...

His skin crawled as he felt thousands of tiny bug like creatures cover his body and centered around twenty-four main points on his arms and legs, then they bit down. Opening inch-wide holes in his skin.

Merging at 26 Percent...

This chorus of insects was accompanied by twenty-four Wires that attached themselves to the holes, sealing off any blood. Shinji cried out in pain.

Merging at 43 Percent...

Spikes shot out of his seat all down his spine and he arched his back, his screams not subsiding.

Merging at 60 Percent... Beginning Synch ratio testing...

The spines in his head drilled further and all at once, he lie silent.

Tears ran down Misato's face as she watched from the control room. Hang in there Shinji-kun... You're almost there...

All at once it was over. Neo-01's eyes flickered on as it gave a loud guttural moan.

Merging at 100 Percent. Merging complete. Successful mind transition.

Shinji was in a world of hurt.

But all it once, it stopped. All at once the pain receded and he opened his eyes. What he saw was the skyline of the diminished Neo-Tokyo. This doesn't make sense, Im in the cockpit. True, the cockpit projected these images all around him normally, he didn't feel at all like he was sitting in the reclined position the plug offered. No, he was certain.

He was standing.

He lifted his arm and looked down at it. It was the arm of the chaos unit. It was then that the realization hit him. He wasn't just piloting Neo-01, He now was Neo-01. The sensation was so flawless, he was amazed at how normal it felt. He had just begun stretching his legs when an impact impaled him into the ground.

It was go time.

He scurried to his feet as 02 and The Kaos unit took cover. Then he saw it. His instincts as a fighter in the recent weeks took over. A Kaos unit leaped high in the air, headed straight for Shinji. The boy extended his arm and immediately, the wrist-blade swung into position. He side stepped the Kaos, reached out and grabbed it's foot. He swung around and with one swipe, severed the beasts leg. It retaliated, but he was ready. after a quick head dodge, Shinji impaled it through and through right in the chest with that spiny clawed hand. He then sensed another one behind him. He immediately swung around with the other hand and crushed the second Kaos's skull. Then he threw it over his shoulder, slamming it into a third. In a matter of seconds he had disposed of three of the ten targets. It was a strange serge of power, like an adrenaline rush that didn't quit. Shinji associated it to a stimulant drug of some kind.

His mind had cleared all other thoughts, and he was in his battle stance. He did a quick scan and without realizing it, had initiated his infrared vision. He saw there were four targets left. He re-calibrated and charged towards the next target.

He saw a flicker as polygonal shields rippled over the four instantaneously. The AT-Fields. This was about to get a lot harder.

He rammed an AT-Field and clawed at it's weak point, but the beast was too fast, and kneed him in the gut. He grabbed it and doubled over in pain. The creature dug a deep gash into the unit's back plating, and Shinji howled in pain. He rolled over in place and kicked the Kaos off of him, stabbing it in the face with his progressive knife. He glanced over as Asuka also successfully brought down one of the targets.

Two left.

As Shinji glanced back, he had a jolt of realization. There weren't two. There were three. He hadn't seen it before, and by the time he saw, it was inside the caved in Geo-front and within 200 yards of NERV.

Shinji bolted. It was closing in, but he was faster. He pumped the unit's legs harder than ever before.

You're not going to make it.

Shinji had no time to argue with his subconscious.

Through the eyes of Neo-01, Shinji could see the impending situation before him. Between him and the barreling Kaos was a grave thing. Distance. A quick mental calculation told him he wouldn't make it in time. He was 75 yards away from the beast, and it was 50 yards away from NERV. In a few fleeting seconds Shinji had a faint spark of hope. It cant possibly do that much damage in the second it will take me to reach HQ. He was sure he could stop it. Sure as he could be... that is until he saw four small iridescent lights along the Kaos' spine Click from blue... to red.

Red... The color of blood.

Time slowed down as Shinji watched the creature dive into the north wall of the complex. In one split second, all hopes Shinji had at maintaining NERV shattered. Along with his dreams of a peaceful future.

With a large earsplitting ringing, the creature exploded.

Shinji watched unbelievingly as a quarter mile blast radius engulfed NERV HQ.

"Shinji!" crackled the radio. It was Raid. "Final target status?"

Silence. "I repeat, did you neutralize the target?"

Shinji, the eyes of Neo 01 quivering, spoke. "T-t-t-target is n-neutralized..."

The target may have been silenced, but at the cost of humanity's last hope. In the 2 mile high column of smoke and blue flame, Shinji's tantalizing failure became starkly apparent.

To Be Continued...