MARCH 31st, 2015
8:30pm:
Shinji found the jungle at night absolutely terrifying. There were so many creatures he had heard, and the tall trees blocked all stars from emitting light to the surface. But in return, they were invisible to the enemy.
Asuka, Rei and Shinji sprinted through the thick grass and bushes with ease. Without most of their heavy gear, they acted quicker on their feet. Their PASGT helmets would have definitely weighed their heads down, making a stealth run very difficult.
Asuka raised her right arm, her hand clenched into a fist. This signaled for Rei and Shinji to stop running to take a knee. They didn't want to catch the attention of any Angel potentially taking night watch.
Asuka pulled her binoculars out, trying to scope the situation. The camp was really just another torn-up, long abandoned neighborhood that was converted into a camp. Asuka was relieved, she thought it would've been more fortified.
The neighborhood was surrounded by cheap fences, they just needed a blindspot to rush into. 'That should be easy enough to cut through with my knife.' Asuka checked her watch; 27 minutes until the mission was a go.
"Ikari, I'm gonna keep watch over in the farther side. I'll speak to you through the earpieces, and I'll guide you to where you are least visible to them." She whispered.
Although it seemed like an excuse for her not to go in right away, he trusted her judgement when it came to battle. She was the Lieutenant, after all.
"Affirmative."
"Ayanami, you tag along with Ikari. I can't send just one of you out there, you need to back each other up here."
"Affirmative." Rei complied.
With that, Asuka rushed over to her position, leaving Shinji alone with the pale-skinned girl. The two waited patiently for the clock to turn to 2100 hours, they had about 25 minutes left. Shinji felt awkward about the silence between the two of them as they waited.
Of course, Rei didn't. To Shinji it seemed as if she didn't feel anything. He wondered if she also had a traumatic experience earlier on, like the one Toji had. Maybe this was why she was so spaced out and alone.
"Tell me, Ayanami..." He began whispering. She turned to face him with that same old blank expression.
"...I know this is a bit weird and- err, personal and all. But, are you... like, uh-" He stuttered and stumbled.
He couldn't even ask her the damn question. Yet again he was embarrassed.
"Do I intimidate you?" She asked. He was surprised by her question. Until then, it seemed like she had merely put up with his attempts at a conversation.
"I assume this because you always display discomfort around me in all of our interactions." He said as his face turned red again.
"Uh, n-no. It's not that at all. I'm just *ahem* awkward in general, I guess." He tried explaining. 'Oh boy, that was dumb.'
"What was your question, then?" Shinji gulped. He couldn't ask her about any possible trauma of hers, so he averted the question completely.
"Why do you fight?" He asked instead. "Because I am ordered to." She answered bluntly. "Well I mean, we're all ordered to fight. That's why we're all out here in the first place."
"Fighting is my sole purpose. I have nothing else." She said back to him. Shinji didn't understand what she had meant by this. "But, don't you hurt at all from doing this? Does this not affect you in any way?"
"No. That would be impractical. I do as I am told by the Commander because it is my purpose. I cannot let anything get in the way of my purpose." Shinji frowned. Yet again, his father had been brought up.
"He gives you direct commands?" He asked.
"Yes." Rei answered.
"So you know him personally?"
"Yes." She still spoke in her usual mono-tonal fashion.
'Talking to her almost feels like talking to a robot.'
"Ah, I see." Shinji said, finding this to be very upsetting. His own father rarely talked to him, yet he was giving this stranger direct commands? And she actually seemed to know him personally?
"You appear to be distraught." She said.
"Yeah, I am. I'm his son and he doesn't even give me direct orders, let alone try to bond with me." He explained. "He's no good to me, and I doubt he's done any good for others."
"Do you not have faith in the Commander?" Rei asked him. Shinji frowned again.
"No! He's awful. He abandoned me and he only uses me for his selfish needs. I hate him, I hate him so much." He said with anger in his voice.
It was then that Rei gave Shinji a very intimidating stare, the most expression he had ever seen from her.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean any-"
"The Commander is the only person I have faith in. His task is daunting and selfless. He is doing it to save humanity." Rei said to him.
"Save humanity? How?" He asked, feeling lost again.
To Shinji this was just like any other war, a conflict arising from two opposing philosophies. Just like Kensuke had told him; humans against artificial humans. This talk of saving humanity sounded dramatic.
"NERV is combating SEELE for the fate of the world. SEELE seeks to bring this world's end. Our task is to defeat SEELE, and my purpose lies within that greater task."
Day by day, hour by hour, things seemed to unravel to Shinji more and more.
"Well... what happens to you once SEELE is defeated?" He asked. She had no answer, she hadn't thought much about that possibility. Rei turned to face the camp again.
"Now is not the time for casual conversation. We have a task at hand." She said, to which Shinji sighed at. He knew their conversation was basically over.
"Y-yeah, you're right. Sorry..." Shinji felt like a weirdo all over again. 'Jesus, it's like I always pick the worst moments...' He thought.
He didn't know whether he just wasn't getting through to her, or if he really was just feeling 'strange' around her for hormonal reasons.
He refused to believe it was nothing, though. He would never even dare talk to a girl he thought was attractive, so this was entirely different. He would just have to focus on the risky mission for now.
2 minutes until the mission was a go, Asuka grew impatient. From her position, she could see most of the village. She'd be able to assist her fellow troops, but they'd have to be quick.
"Ikari, Ayanami. Begin your advance towards the village. Stay in the darker areas, I'll read you the heat signatures I pick up from there." She commanded.
"Affirmative" They both said in unison.
Asuka checked her watch's scanner, the surrounding area was filled with Angels. As for the package they needed to pick up, they had no idea where to start looking.
The Lieutenant was smart, though. She figured that the building with the most heat signature would probably be where it had been stored. Luckily, they weren't too far from their destination.
"I'm guessing that the grey building with the two blast holes on its back side might be what we're looking for. Clear the area in a quiet manner. Once you make it inside, alert me and I'll make my way there."
Once they stepped out from the treeline, the long stretch of grass in the field could easily expose them with nothing to cover them. Luckily the darkness of the night sky aided them.
Upon reaching the fence, they both pulled out their combat knives. They quickly and quietly cut the chains with relative ease, and made a hole big enough to get through.
"Good, remain in that position. Go any further and they might now a trespasser is nearby." Asuka communicated to them. She continued to observe the situation, trying to find any way to distract the watch guards.
"Ikari, do you see that streetlamp above their Jeep?" She asked Shinji, pointing at the street light.
"Yeah, I do." He replied.
"Shoot right above the glass casing, it should fall on the car and alert them to go check on it. See if there's an opportunity for you guys to sneak in."
"Affirmative." Shinji kept a low stance but got in a position to properly aim.
"And make sure your silencer is on right! You better be a good aim..."
Shinji said nothing as he fired around towards the streetlight, hitting his target perfectly.
Just as Asuka had predicted, the glass casing came loose and smashed the hood, damaging the car severely and letting out a huge shattering sound. 'He's got a steady aim for a newbie.'
Voices in the distance were heard.
"D'you hear that? Go search that area, that might've been NERV troops." One Angel said.
The door they were trying to gain access to was blocked off by three Angels, two of them headed to the area of the loud crash.
"Go go go! Take him out quickly and roll his body down the slope you're in!" Asuka ordered.
The two quickly ran up, almost inaudible to the Angel's ear. As the two approached him, he heard their running and quickly turned around.
Before he could fire at them or even alert the rest of his peers, Rei sent a bullet directly into his head. Right before he made impact with the ground, Rei managed to save his body from the fall and prevented him from hitting the floor, preventing an audible thud.
"Stay alert, I will dispose of the corpse." She said. Shinji stood in the shadows near the door, as to not expose him beneath the light directly above the doorway. Ayanami quickly placed him on the grass, pushed him with her foot, and down he went into the darkness.
She carried the Angel's automatic rifle with her, just in case they had to make a quick escape.
"Keep it strapped onto your back in case of an emergency." She said while handing Shinji the rifle.
Shinji turned the safety on as to not accidentally fire it off and alert the guards. He tightened the strap around his back. 'This feels too Hollywood.' He thought.
The two opened the door and entered quickly, locking it behind them and placing a chair under the knob. They still had to be quiet, not knowing if there was anyone inside.
The inside of the structure was trashed, broken lights and what seemed to be debris everywhere. It was dimly lit, making the inside of this place ominous. Shinji's heart began beating rapidly.
"We're inside." Whispered Ayanami to Asuka through their earpieces.
"Perfect." From Asuka's position, she too began to quietly storm the premises.
"The door is locked, we'll let you in through the window on the side."
"Got it." Asuka continued her quiet run through the field, eventually passing by the dead Angel's body.
"Fickfresse." She uttered bitterly. She made sure the coast was clear, and waved at Shinji behind the window.
He carefully opened it, and helped Asuka in. They quietly shut the window, and proceeded to search the structure.
"What's your heat scanner picking up?" Shinji asked Asuka. She checked her watch again.
"It looks as if it's downstairs, check for a stairwell." There was no stairwell in sight, maybe there was a hatch on the floor. Upon a further look, Asuka picked up heat signatures of what seemed to be Angels downstairs with their package.
"We might have some company downstairs, beware." She whispered. Footsteps were heard coming from the end of the hallway, the three quickly hid behind a bookshelf that was fallen over.
There were two Angels, they were both having a casual discussion about some book. The three overheard them go on and on about it as they approached them.
"Okay, yeah. He's a whiny asshole! But he makes a really compelling protagonist!" One Angel said to the other.
"That's what you think, man. I was more annoyed by him the whole time I read that book rather than intrigued like you had said I would be..."
'The fuck are they talking about?' Shinji, though willing to kill the enemy, couldn't help but see a bit of humanity within them at that moment. They were discussing a story they had read, and the Angel who defended the story seemed really passionate about it.
"Eh, whatever. Holden is said to be one of the most misunderstood characters in fiction, anyway. You just perpetuate that even further." One Angel said, to which the other laughed at.
"Yeah well the writer probably created this Holden guy out of some need to make a pretentious character out of his own grievances!"
Asuka tapped on Shinji and Rei's shoulders, signaling them to prepare for the kill. The two of them braced, Shinji becoming more nervous.
"Pretentious? What do you mean pretentious? I genuinely find his character to be very interesti-"
Asuka and Rei quickly stood up and fired at the two, both of them collapsing immediately.
Shinji was still ducking behind the bookshelf. Yet again, he couldn't find it in himself to kill a living thing. Asuka socked his arm, angry beyond belief that he didn't follow her order to fire.
"So you got good aim when it's a fucking streetlamp but it goes limp when there are Angels around?" She quietly scolded.
"I'm sorry, I'm still not sure how I feel about killing someone." Shinji said with a slight shake in his voice. Asuka then grabbed his ear and yanked it near her face.
"This is a fucking war, idiot. Killing is part of the deal, so quit being a pussy." She shoved him onto the floor. "And quit apologizing for everything..."
Unbeknownst to Asuka, Shinji's eyes began to water. As he rubbed his ear in pain, he tried not to cry in the middle of their mission. Rei watched as Shinji wiped his face and sniffled. She still looked unfazed.
They hid the bodies in a nearby room, stuffing them into a closet so no other Angels would find them. The hallway was clear again, but they knew they had to be attentive. There might've been more where they came from.
Asuka checked her heat scanner again, their level was clear. The only signs of heat came from downstairs.
'But where do we find this package Mr. Kaji wants?' She pondered.
They passed by the doorway the Angels had come from, when Rei stopped. She seemed to have found something.
"Lieutenant, over here." She noticed lines on the floor partially covered by a carpet. This could've been a secret hatch. Asuka raised the carpet and placed it elsewhere. They had to figure this floor hatch out. They made sure to close the entrance to the room they were in as not to have anyone walk in on them. The door had no lock, but it being closed would buy them time.
They searched nearly every inch of the room, being able to find nothing as of yet. The hatch suddenly shifted upwards, it was being opened. It was another Angel, just one this time.
He was quickly taken out by Asuka, and she carried his body out of the stairwell they had been looking for. "Ikari, hold the hatch open while I move this guy. We're going in."
The three walked down the stairs slowly, not wanting any of the steps to creak. Halfway down the stairwell, they saw light. They'd have to be quick, or this mission was a bust.
"Good news is-" Started Asuka. "-we can barge in there and kill all of them now. This is it." Asuka ran into the room, finding a few Angels and several unarmed scientists.
She quickly took out the Angels and held her firearm against one scientist while holding him in a chokehold. Shinji and Rei entered the room too and held their pistols up at the rest of the scientists.
"Hand it over! Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! Or it's his brains all over this fucking wall!" The scientists hesitated at first, not wanting to hand over what they had been working on for so long.
Shinji shot near one of the scientist's feet, causing him to jump. "Alright alright! P-Please! Just don't hurt any of us! We're being forced to do this! We want to go ho-"
"Hurry it up, lab rat!" She yelled.
The older man unlocked a tiny safe. He reached in and obtained a rectangular glass casing with the label 'Sample A-01' and handed it to Rei. It was orange, and it had what looked like a fetus inside. Rei placed it in her cargo pocket and closed it.
Asuka released the other scientist from her chokehold and kept her gun locked onto them.
"Don't alert anyone, we were never here. You want to live? Pretend you didn't see us." The three then quickly ran up the stairs. As they closed the hatch behind them, alarms outside went off. Asuka was furious.
"Fuck! Shoulda killed them when he had the chance!" They all had to get out of there, fast.
"We have the package, the entire camp has been alerted. Provide backup once we enter the treeline!" Asuka communicated to the rest of Unit-01.
"Affirmative, Lieutenant." Replied Hikari.
Deep in the treeline, Unit-01 hurried over to the scene. With the rest of the camp alerted, the three would need covering fire from the rest of the unit to stall the Angels. They would not be able to make it out alive otherwise. They rushed down the hall but came to a screeching halt when they heard the front door being kicked in.
"Take off your silencers! They slow the bullets down!" They all quickly unscrewed their silencers and opened fire.
There was nothing to take cover behind in that side of the room, so they just kept firing as much they could. Outside the door, only a few Angels were wounded. One of them had thrown a grenade at the doorstep.
The blast was disorienting, and it launched the three back. Their ears were ringing, but they had to get up quickly. They fired towards the cloud of dust blocking the Angels.
Just as the Angels were about to rush in, they were shot down by firepower coming from the treeline. Unit-01 had arrived. They saw their opportunity to escape and took it.
Running back into the darkness, the ground kept bursting from the Angel's attempts to shoot them down. They all rapidly crawled through the hole they had cut in the fence earlier, and they ran like the wind.
Shinji felt his adrenaline kick in. He was running faster than he had ever run before. The sweat on his face was cold from the speed at which he was going. He was still scared, but he felt more alive than ever.
"Once we make it in the treeline, Unit-01 pulls back! We have to go go go!" Yelled Asuka. Unit-01 ceased fire so the three wouldn't get struck by their own teammates.
In the treeline, Toji aimed his scope at the Angels and picked them off one by one.
*BANG* A direct hit on the chest.
"Oh!" He exclaimed.
*BANG* He took one out while they were reloading.
"Oooh!" He yelled louder this time.
*BANG* Headshot.
"OOOH!"
As the trio reached the treeline, they were able to make it in safe and sound. Asuka headed over to her chosen second-in-command, Hikari.
"Push them back far enough so we can make a quick retreat!" She ordered.
"Affirmative!" Hikari complied. Asuka, Rei and Shinji made their way back to the boat as the rest of the unit kept firing. The Angels began shooting out white flares towards the treeline to get a better view of their opponents.
"Shit! They're gonna see us! FALL BACK!" Unit-01 began retreating, bullets flying towards them faster and faster. As the flares came down, their brightness lit up the thick jungle, and they came down relatively quickly. From Unit-01's point of view, it resembled a chaotic light show.
The infantry of Angels made their way to the treeline to try to pick off Unit-01. Yet again they were outnumbered and making their escape. A loud pop followed by what sounded like a rocket ripped through everyone's ears. An RPG was fired.
It flew directly above Shinji's head and impacted a front of coconut trees. The explosion was massive, and the jungle caught fire instantly. Unit-01 were now even more visible than before.
The blast pushed a lot of troops off their feet, launching them a good distance. Shinji was thrown back and landed on a thick bush, cutting his skin and face up a bit. His canvas hat came off in the blast, there was no use for it now.
He heard a scream coming from behind the treeline, and he ran over to see who it was. He unwrapped the automatic rifle Rei had obtained from the Angel earlier and cocked it.
He ran over and saw Rei herself, her legs trapped under a thick and heavy tree branch. The fire kept spreading, and it would soon reach Rei. "Oh fuck!" He exclaimed as he ran over to her.
"Ikari!" She called for him, though not for help.
"Ayanami! I'll get you outta there!" Shinji yelled. Before he could do anything, he heard incoming fire from the Angel's side.
"Shit, they're close."
Most of Unit-01 had already advanced deeper into the jungle, headed for the parked patrol boat on the Seikatsu. Kensuke pulled his wireless switch, yelled "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" and detonated the claymores. Before all the Angels could approach the unit, most of them were obliterated.
The explosion sent dirt, twigs and rocks flying everywhere, landing in bits and pieces over everyone's head. With most of the Angels killed, Shinji resumed trying to help Rei. He put his rifle down and began trying to carry the thick branch off her legs.
"Don't worry about saving me Ikari, I can be replaced. Fall back with the rest of Unit-01." She stated as she opened her cargo pocket and handed Shinji the package.
"Take it, the package is what matters. Goodbye." She said.
Shinji didn't leave, and instead was made angry.
"No... don't say that." He said as he put the package down and resumed his pulling of the branch with his bare hands, the bare and sharp wood bits pressing and cutting into his skin.
It was extremely painful, yet he kept going. He managed to give her enough room to pull herself out of there. "GO! GO NOW!" She quickly removed her almost-numb legs and Shinji was finally able to drop it.
Blood ran down his hands, splinters in almost every inch of both his palms. He heard voices coming from the sight of the explosion. Leftover Angels. Shinji grabbed his rifle and carefully made his way to higher ground.
From there, he spotted two Angels trying to assist each other. They planned to retreat, and they didn't seem too wounded. Shinji's adrenaline levels were at an all-time high, and he pointed his rifle directly at them.
They didn't even see him, they just tried peacefully walking back to the camp. It was then that Shinji pulled the trigger, the automatic rifle sending lead bullet after lead bullet onto their bodies. They collapsed.
Shinji's first kills. They were alive in one moment, and dead in the next. Shinji stood in shock, but gradually regained his composure as he headed back down to Rei. She remained seated on the floor, her legs recovering from the pressure of the branch blocking her blood circulation.
Shinji dropped the rifle and sat himself down next to her. She was able to see the horror in his eyes, a feeling she never worried about herself. He handed the package back to her, the glass stained with his blood now.
The two sat for a while, trying to come down from the insanity of the battle as they watched the fire consume the very branch Rei had been trapped under. She looked at Shinji and noticed his tears, mixed with his own blood, dropping from his face.
"You're... crying again..." She began. "You were crying when the Lieutenant scolded you. Why are you so sad?"
Shinji wiped his face with his sleeve, looking absolutely spent.
"That's not it! I'm crying because I'm happy... happy that you're alive." He said. Rei didn't know how to feel about this.
"...Because you're happy? So you cry when you are happy too." She said as she looked away.
"I'm sorry, I... I'm not sure... what expression I should make... at a time like this. Even though I should be happy..."
Shinji smiled warmly.
"Well, if you're happy... you should smile."
Rei looked at him again. He was being very kind, she hadn't dealt with this sort of kindness before. Shinji offered his hand.
"Are you able to stand?" He asked. She grabbed his hand. As he helped her up, she gave him a faint smile. That feeling had returned, this time at its strongest. Shinji's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"What is it?" Rei asked, snapping Shinji out of it.
"Oh, uh... it's nothing. C'mon."
Shinji assisted Rei while they made their way back to the rest of the unit. Unit-01 had been looking for the two everywhere. Asuka was pacing back and forth. "Fuck fuck fuck, we better not have lost that package... They better have not fucking died out there!" She uttered.
"Yo! I see somethin'!" Yelled Toji. "Shinji and Rei! They're still with us!" They ran over to help the two, both of them looking injured. Rei limped, while Shinji's face was bloodied from the cuts he received in battle. Rei handed Asuka the package, and a massive weight dropped from her back.
"Danke Gott! Good job, Wondergirl. I'll give you this one." Rei simply nodded, and was assisted to the boat.
Toji and Kensuke went to check on Shinji, finding him in his cut-up condition.
"God damn, Shin! You okay? You look torn up!" Asked Kensuke.
"Yeah.. I'm al- I'm okayyy..." He replied. Shinji was wobbly, and he wasn't standing up straight.
"Woah... Shinji, man, you alright?" Toji asked. He kept trying to keep his balance until his body gave out and he collapsed. Toji managed to catch Shinji and tried laying him down carefully.
"Shinji! Shinji! Wake up, man! C'mon!"