Allegiances
"The next World War will be fought with stones,"- Albert Einstein
Chapter 2: ReDeploy
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All systems were green.
All of the engines were lit and glowing, the Evangelion was locked into its mount, and the pilots had just finished with their final checks. The control tower gave them permission to launch. The carrier, the same one that had carried Evangelion 03 across the ocean so many months before, began trundling down the runway.
Its precious cargo, a fully battle prepared Evangelion, was fused to the carrier at the shoulder pylons with Bakelite. It would not fall away during the flight, but neither would its pilot be able to free the monstrosity in any sort of an emergency.
But it wasn't like she had anything to worry about. After all, NERV was a universally feared and respected organization. No one would dare attack a NERV craft. Even more unlikely was an attack on a NERV craft carrying her Evangelion. Anyone would know that was suicide. Unless they knew that she couldn't pilot…
But if anyone was that stupid then the 40 VTOL escorts would be more then enough to protect her. It would be a safe trip from the insides of her Evangelion Unit 02. All she had to do was sit and wait for NERV 03 to contact her and begin her briefing.
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Shinji burst through the doorway at nearly full tilt, barely slowing to push the door open. Once through the doorway he stopped and looked around. The sun blared down on him from its lofty perch. Shinji barely felt the heat, it was more the concentrate of light that made him stop and examine the surrounding area.
The doors behind him were already closed, covering the steps that he had taken from the elevator. The runway was a different matter entirely. It stretched out in front of Shinji, going off to both his left and his right. He could barely see buildings across the runway from him. Closer, buildings and a control tower sat nestled next to the building Shinji had just come out of. It was a nest of military and civilian activities, all catering to the wills of NERV. Ignoring the lights and the sun Shinji turned to his left to see what had been on the runway only moments before.
'I'm too late,' Shinji thought as he watched the great fleet of VTOLs follow the Evangelion laden carrier away from the setting sun. Asuka was gone now, off to Germany to face the Angel that Shinji had only heard of minutes ago. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.
When he had heard about the Angel, and the fact that Asuka would be leaving Japan to go face it, he'd begun his sprint for the runway. He'd long since decided he needed to talk to her, but hadn't had the chance yet. She'd been so moody lately that he hadn't dared to try to communicate with her.
But when he had been told that she would be leaving he'd decided it was either now or never. Maybe if the elevator had been a little faster he could've made it.
He watched the dimly lit form of Evangelion Unit 02 shrink out of sight. Finally, when he couldn't even see a dot on the horizon, he turned and reentered the building he had come out of. While he had taken the stairs three at a time on the way out, he only took them one at a time now. There was no point in hurrying this trip; all he'd do once he got home was avoid Misato in his room. That was nothing to race back to.
It took him nearly two minutes to ascend the thirty stairs and make it to the elevator. All he could do now was wait for the elevator to arrive so that he could return to the geofront. It was much simpler to go into the geofront and then ascend then it was to walk all of the way around the Third Kyoto Lake.
The elevator doors opened to reveal someone that Shinji had not expected to meet here.
"Rei?" he asked, slightly confused as to why she had come to the runway. "Did you come to see Asuka off?" he continued as he entered the elevator.
Rei gave a small nod. "Pilot Soryu has already left?" she said in her usual monotone.
Shinji tapped his button on the elevator board and took up his position towards the back of the elevator. He leaned against the left side and said, "Yeah."
"I see," Rei said. She stood facing the only entrance and exit to the elevator. Her face was aimed straight ahead, not turned in any direction but forward.
The silence descended with the elevator. It continued for several minutes.
"How many more Angels do you think their will be?" Shinji said quietly. He'd found the silent ride uncomfortable. So, to fill the gaps he asked the one question that he wanted an answer to above all else.
"Just the eighteenth," Rei reported calmly.
"How do you know?" Shinji asked.
"I just do."
Shinji nodded calmly. Agreeing wouldn't hurt his nerves, disagreeing and worrying would. All he could do now was hope that Rei was right. And pray that Asuka was up to fighting that horrific Angel all alone.
Shinji didn't notice when Rei shivered despite the relative warmth of the elevator.
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BEEP
The body was nearly healed completely now. It had survived both of the amputations with surprising strength. That such a young human could survive such great damage was a testament to the entire race.
BEEP
The mind was recovering equally as well; already it surfaced for hours on end. It could even remember its past, although pieces of the event that had left it here still eluded it. All that was left for it to do was to make the decision to rejoin with the body. Once it decided on this, it would be ready for the physical therapy sessions and the eventually learning of how to live without the two limbs. What to do after the healing would be up to the mind as well.
BEEP
But it was not happening now. At this moment the mind slept and the body snored. Both were despondent to everything besides the strongest of needs.
BEEP
Eventually the mind and body would awaken and decide to begin the path to freedom. Then they would be made ready for their future trials. It was only a matter of time before Touji Suzuhara was freed from his mechanical womb and returned to the active life he had once had. It was only a matter of time.
BEEP
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"Roger that Delta," said the control tower, "You are clear to land on runway 23 in twenty-five minutes."
Onboard the Evangelion transport carrier Asuka sat in Unit 02's entry plug listening to the communications chatter. She had her legs pulled in and her arms wrapped around them so that they were pressed against her chest. Her forehead rested on her knees. Her eyes were small slits, just barely open enough to see all of the LCL surrounding her.
Her mind had long since exhausted all normal means of entertainment for the long trip. Shortly after they'd crossed out of the US she'd begun solving advanced Physics and Calculus problems. Since then she'd run out of questions to ask herself.
For the past two hours, as she crossed over her homeland of Germany, she'd been waiting for the predicted briefing from NERV 03 to begin. So far she had waited in vain.
Asuka's eyes had begun to itch from the LCL pressing into them and she felt like her hair would need a few hours of washing and conditioning to get all of the foul liquid out. Despite the fact that she had been around it for the majority of her life she'd never been inside of Unit 02 for this long before. She was beginning to get sick of it.
Although it had been a long trip she had managed to keep some of her unwanted thoughts buried. For the most part her thoughts about her inability to pilot and this newest Angel had been left alone.
She lifted her head up slightly and, reaching out for the controls, pulled the trigger button. The plug sprang to life and she found herself looking out into the city of Berlin. It was still quite a distance off, but she could see the lights with ease.
"What am I doing here?" she asked herself quietly, "Why have I come here…alone?"
The plug gave no answers to her.
'I can't beat an angel alone,' Asuka thought, 'I'm worthless. I can't even make Unit 02 move!' She returned her head to its former position, resting on her knees. She closed her eyes as well.
"I hate everyone," she whispered into the plug, "but most of all I hate myself."
Now they came.
The tears, being only slightly denser then the LCL, sunk to the bottom of the entry plug slowly. Her arms grasped her legs tighter, her fingers leaving claw marks in her plug suite. She let out a chocked sob as she cried.
'Why are you crying?'
Asuka's mind blocked it out, thinking it was an unwanted memory.
But it wasn't. 'You said you would not cry any more.'
Asuka opened her eyes and gasped. She looked up and found a light shining down onto her. The same sort of light that that Angel had aimed down on to her. All high and mighty, it had come down and attacked her mind.
'Not again!' her thoughts rushed, 'Don't enter into me again!' Instinctively, she pulled up her arms to protect her head. She opened her mouth and screamed.
But in the entry plug, with all the communication channels closed, no one could hear her scream. No one continued to hear her whimper as the transport plane came in for a landing at the NERV airport facility. Even after the Bakelite was melted down so that Unit 02 could be freed, no one heard her scream.
Then the entry plug was ejected…
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Thanks to all reviewers. You're starting this fic off on the right foot.
To anyone not reviewing this: You write me something and I'll write you two things. Another chapter and a reply to the review. I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability. Also, if anyone spots any problems with the storyline let me know. Your input will only make this better.
I know, this is just more building, but the real story will take off next chapter. It should be out sometime next weekend.