Once everything was ready to go, Unit-02 was lowered into the Earth's gaping, molten wound.
"Woah, talk about hot. I'm not even fully in there yet, and I'm starting to sweat!" Asuka sounded calm over the radio, which was good. Everyone was now inside the mobile command center, huddled around the monitors, waiting with breath held for the Eva unit to sink to the depth the Angel was projected to be sleeping at. Before Unit-02 hit the surface of the lava, it's legs spread out in a strange, scissor-esque manner. "Look, Shinji! I can do a scissor dive!"
He didn't respond, at least not loud enough for the radio to pick him up, but I'm sure he was as bemused as I was. I guess if she was well enough to go cracking jokes, then the pressure mustn't be getting to her at all.
Or maybe she was just trying to lighten the mood for her own sake. In either case, the giant, encased in the bulky D-Type equipment, pierced the surface and began its slow descent into the thick magma flow.
"Present depth is 170, speed of descent… 20. All systems green. Visibility is a fat 0 though, switching to CT monitors…. It's hard to see anything with that either, but it's better than nothing." As Asuka spoke, Maya relayed the depths as they were reached.
Eventually, Unit-02 hit the predicted target depth. "Tell me what you see, Asuka." Misato had her arms crossed, giving the monitors her undivided attention.
"Yeah, I'm picking up a whole lotta nothing here. Did it run off or something?" A tinge of worry spread itself across her voice. In her position right now, she was past the safety depth of the D-Type's pressure regulation. If she were to be attacked right now, she'd be a sitting duck. I began biting the tip of my thumb nervously.
Dr. Akagi scratched her chin. "Did we misread the lava flow speed?"
"Well, we'll just have to recalculate the projected depth again to make sure we get it right. The operation continues, that okay with you, Asuka?" Misato called across the room.
"Of course. I'm not just going to leave an Angel down here. That'd be like… giving myself a technical knock-out. Unacceptable!" I kept quiet. I was worrying about her attitude, sure, but she was right. The Angel not being at the projected depth was too troubling a matter indeed. We couldn't just leave things as they were.
The descent continued.
She was well past the safety depth now, and as we expected, cracks began occurring in the coolant pipes. They're rated for some damage, but the deeper she goes, the more risk that brings to the entire Type-D equipment's structure. The mixture of heat and pressure can only be staved off for so long, regardless of the materials. That was just mother nature's way.
After another few minutes of descent, Maya relayed a critical message. "We've exceeded the maximum allowed depth." Annoyed, Misato began tapping her foot on the floor repeatedly, trying to piece together a plan in her head. I can only imagine how she feels. This was an extremely tense situation, and no easy solution either. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack with the grim reaper breathing down your neck.
"We still haven't made contact with the Angel yet! We can't turn around yet, so the descent will continue until it's absolutely necessary for it to stop! How's the equipment holding up on your end, Asuka?"
It took a few seconds for Asuka to respond. "Everything's good on my end, for now, so I can keep going. Sorry, Lieutenant, but I feel like I'll need to drain all your water to shower this sweat off of me afterwards!" She didn't sound sorry at all.
"You realize that's not just my water, right?" I responded dryly. Asuka let out a weak giggle. She was holding up on the surface, but I could tell this was draining her. Not even her scalding enthusiasm was going to make a difference to the escalating oppressive environment at this rate. I was honestly beside myself with worry.
A break in the tension. Misato let out a small laugh. "Listen, you finish up the job, and I'll take you to a nice little hot spring in the city I heard about."
Further and further, the descent continued.
"Unit-02 has lost its progressive knife!" Maya exclaimed. The band that had once kept the knife attached to the Eva's thigh for easy access had disintegrated due to the heat. One of the other technicians, Makoto, turned in his seat to Misato, his face covered in deep worry.
"Commander Katsuragi, please take into consideration that there's a human being inside the Evangelion! This is too much."
Misato looked at me. "Well, Matsuo, what do you think? Can Asuka handle this?"
I was surprised to be asked something like that now, of all times, but, of course, when Asuka is involved, my input is valued in situations like these. "...even if she says she can, I'd still be worried, you know? But with how much is on the line right now, and with no sign of the Angel, I'm torn. Retreating is dangerous, progressing is dangerous." I met Misato's eyes. "So, the only thing I feel I can do is rely on Asuka's judgement. I trust her abilities."
Misato stared back at me for a short time before turning back to the large monitors on the wall. "Then I'll rely on your judgement. No matter what happens, I'll still take responsibility, that's my job as commander. I just wanted to make sure you and I were on the same page." Makoto rubbed his temple in anguish and turned his seat back towards his own monitor, defeated.
Asuka scoffed on the other end of the radio. "Damn right! You should know by now that I'm not gonna get scared away by a toasty bath like this! I'm in this until we find that slippery arschloch!" I knew she wasn't going to back down, even if deep down I wanted her to. With how badly she wanted this mission to end in a win, even the grim reaper might not be able to stop her.
The descent was coming upon the newly calculated target position. There was complete silence as we awaited Asuka's update.
"...the target is in sight."
Everyone tensed up. Dr. Agaki spoke through the microphone with instruction. "With the convection current moving both you and the target, it's unlikely you'll get more than a single chance at capturing it."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't worry about a thing!"
Seconds later, Unit-02 had moved above the Angel's cocoon, rotating the capture device to match it's axis. The field closed around it.
"The electromagnetic cage has enclosed the target. All signals green. Target secured!"
Mission success.
The release of tension in the room was palpable, as everyone released the breaths they had been holding, even Asuka. "Way to go!" Misato offered her a congratulatory statement.
"You did a great job, Asuka!" I added.
"Hee hee, thanks! I'm beginning my ascent. Finally I can get out of this stinky prison!" The cables hoisting Unit-02 started to retract, dragging it upwards through the molten slurry with it's prize. Noticing the reverse movement, Shinji entered the radio chat.
"Did you capture the Angel, Asuka?"
"Ha, of course! You know what they say: the only thing to fear is fear itself! This was a simple mission, hardly anything for someone like me to get overwhelmed by!" Her confidence was brimming. I found it hard to hold back a smile. I was proud of her, she kept her cool and succeeded.
Misato and Dr. Akagi exchanged some words beside me, but as I turned to join them in conversation, something on the monitor caught my eye. I kept my sight glued to it for a moment, to try and catch it again. Maybe it was just my imagination, or some sort of heat-based error in the displays, but for a second it looked like the Angel's cocoon had…
"WHAT THE HELL!? THIS THING'S GOING BALLISTIC ALL OF A SUDDEN!"
Every alarm inside the mobile base began sounding at once. The cocoon had begun rapidly shaking inside the enclosure, expanding to nearly double its size in an instant.
"Damn it! It's hatching sooner than we predicted! The capture device must've disturbed it!" Dr. Akagi yelled. Misato began barking orders through the microphone to Asuka.
"JETTISON THE CAGE, THERE'S NO WAY IT'LL HOLD! QUICK!" Asuka cursed under her breath in German and detached the electromagnetic cage back into the lava. "THE MISSION HAS CHANGED! UNIT-02, PREPARE FOR COMBAT! WE CAN'T LET THIS THING LEAVE HERE ALIVE!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" The following moments of silence brought the tension to a head once again as we helplessly awaited a development. "Scheiße! I forgot, the damned progressive knife is gone! I'M RELEASING THE HOLSTER!" Unit-02's stabilization ballasts detached, falling into the abyss below, but it allowed the Eva to maneuver a small amount, which would have to be enough. The Angel effortlessly tore its way through the enclosure, darting towards her. The added maneuverability being just enough to avoid a direct hit. "Ugh, this thing is so damn fast! It's already out of my monitor range, and to make matters worse I can hardly see anything with this muddy monitor, and I can hardly concentrate with my suit being filled with sweat! Ich bin fast an meiner grenze!"
Running to the microphone, I called out to her. "Asuka, calm down! If you get too worked up, y-"
"I KNOW! YOU DON'T NEED TO LECTURE ME NOW!"
In the chaos, Mistao signaled to Shinji to drop his own progressive knife into the lava. She pushed me to the side to contact Asuka herself. "Hey, Unit-01's knife is coming your way! Make sure you get it!"
"JUST TELL SHINJI TO HURRY THE HELL UP THEN!"
Makoto called out the target's approach on his radar. "It's rapidly approaching the Eva!"
Asuka squealed in terror. "NO! Stay away from me! FALL FASTER YOU STUPID KNIFE!" The Evangelion's arms flailed upwards, desperately grasping for the descending weapon. With a stroke of luck, the knife's grip connected with the D-Type equipment's hand, releasing the blade in a single motion, just in time to catch the Angel's extended paw, cutting through with some force. It's opposite arm wrapped around Unit-02's leg, crushing it with immense pressure exertion, and then it's mouth opened, clasping tightly over the protective head covering of the equipment with its powerful maw.
I felt powerless, watching her like this. I knew I had to trust in her, but it was becoming too much. I could barely force myself to look at the screen, terrified of what I might end up seeing. Dr. Akagi was shocked by the view as well. "How can it… open its mouth in lava? Just what kind of monsters are we dealing with here?" I prayed that she could stay strong.
"DIE, DAMN YOU! DIE, DIE, DIE!" Shrieking in desperation, with one leg missing and the head in the process of being devoured, Asuka slammed the knife repeatedly into the Angel's body, but the blade refused to cut through, glancing off the seemingly impenetrable skin.
"It's no use! The heat has distended the molecular structure of its body! There's no cutting through it now!" Dr. Akagi words caused Asuka to scream in anguish.
Out of nowhere, Shinji's voice sounded through the radio. "Wait! If you can't cut it like this, then what if you use physics!?"
"Thermal expansion! Of course!" With a plan forming in her head, Asuka quickly cut the hose connecting the coolant tanks above to her suit, crudely shoving the open end into the Angel's flesh. "HURRY, DAMN IT! PUSH ALL THE COOLANT IN THE SYSTEM THROUGH LINE #3! DO IT NOW!" The rush of supercooled liquid flooded into the creature's body, forcing its molecular structure to shrivel up and weaken against the harsh heat and pressure of the depths. With one final strike, the blade entered its body, this time successfully reaching the core. However, the Angel had a final strike of its own, using it's one intact arm to slash at coolant cables keeping Unit-02 suspended.
The radar blipped a final time, then silence. The alarms stopped. The Angel had been defeated.
However, the severing of the cables caused a massive pressure differential inside the D-Type equipment, and thus it began compressing upon itself.
Asuka's voice came back across the radio, out of energy, and out of breath.
"I won… b-but, I don't think… I..."
As Unit-02 began to sink, it was grabbed suddenly from above.
Unit-01 had scaled down the hoses, just in time to grab the remnants of the coolant system on the other machine's back.
"I have you, Asuka! Just hold on!"
"...I knew you were a show-off, stupid Shinji…"
"Really, even now?"
Asuka paused for a bit before speaking again. "...fine, I'm too tired to argue anyway."
I fell back into my seat, laying my hands over my face. That girl's going to be the death of me yet. If it wasn't for Shinji's quick thinking, then… I shuddered thinking of the alternative. She had only been in my life for a relatively short while, but without her, I'd…
Misato laid a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, chin up. She did it. It was close, but we put our trust in her and she didn't let us down. So, let's go up there and wait to greet them."
"...thanks, Misato."
She offered a small, sly smile. "It still sounds weird that you can call me that so easily now. A few months ago I would've never expected it." I stood up and followed her out the door. Being as close as we were to the lava flow, it was hot as hell, but the fresh air was still a welcome feeling. Misato stretched and continued talking. "I guess Asuka's been a good influence on you?"
I nodded. "She's helped me a lot. I'm sure Shinji has been the same way for you." She chuckled.
"Oh, absolutely! I finally have someone to pick up groceries, and put the garbage downstairs! Such a big help he is!" Noting the dissonance between how we view our wards, even if she may've been joking, I let out a chuckle of my own.
After the two Evangelion units were cooled and stabilized, the entry plugs ejected, and the two pilots entered the hastily set up decontamination station. Before long, the two were back in their regular clothing, albeit both drenched in sweat. Asuka looked somewhat bashful as she approached where Misato and I stood.
"I know I stink. You don't have to let me know. Just take me to that hot spring you mentioned, and I'll be right as rain." She took a long sip of the water bottle that was left for each of them inside. I reached out to pat her head for a job well done, but she reflexively dodged backwards, eying me. "W-Wait until after I've bathed, idiot! My hair's in no state to be touched right now!"
Misato and Shinji stared at her until her face turned red (I'm sure mine was as well). Angrily, Asuka proceeded to shoo us all along until we could finally get a move on from the site, to head to her reward.
I hadn't been to a hot spring since I was a child.
However, stepping into the relaxing warmth of its water gave me an instant feeling of nostalgia. The sun had just started setting, the stars barely peeking through the dusk's violet sky. Laying against the siding of the spring with my towel laid upon my head, I calmly breathed the steam whilst gazing at this beautiful view, letting the exhaustion of the last 15 years of my life finally get washed away.
"Hey, Lieutenant Hatsuyuki?" Shinji's voice softly entered my ear. It had slightly startled me, as for a moment, I had felt like I was drifting in this water alone. The power of the hot spring's serene aura, for sure.
"Yeah, Shinji?"
"...I was just wondering. Um, did something… change with you?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Change? How do you mean?"
He began to look a little flustered. "U-Uh, nothing in particular, I guess. You just seem a little different. It's hard to explain."
I looked out at the sky again, the view continuing to revitalize my body with the help of these waters. Open air hot springs really were the best.
"...Shinji." He looked at me expectantly. "I think… I feel like I've been awake for the first time in years." The expectant look changed to one of slight confusion.
"...I don't think I understand…"
I laughed. "Listen, I don't think I fully understand either. It's just been how it feels. I've finally dealt with things that have been piled up on my back for too long, and now I just want to live my life the way I want to. That's all I can say for sure."
He looked down at the water and said something softly to himself. His gaze falling back to me, he spoke a bit louder. "Is it because of Asuka?"
We looked at each for a little while.
"...she's helped me more than she probably realizes." I shook my head. "It all comes in time, Shinji. No matter what rut you feel like you're in, there'll always be a chance to step out of it. You just need to take the initiative yourself." He stared at me for another moment before looking up at the sky.
"...I'll try to keep that in mind, Lieutenant Hatsuyuki."
I sighed. "Hearing you call me that really makes me sound old."
"...oh, you think so? You sound like Misato..."
"I mean, I'm only 22…" I scratched the back of my head, happening to catch a glimpse of my reflection in the water. Thoughtfully, I stared at my own eyes and smiled. "Maybe she has the right idea, letting everyone call her by her first name…"
We both lay there, soaking in the spring, just enjoying the tranquility. A bit of time passed before I spoke again, however this time it was under my breath, so he didn't end up hearing me.
"Thank you for saving her, Shinji."
After a sufficient amount of time had passed, we exited our side of the spring and dressed. Coming out into the main hall, we sat and waited for our companions to join us.
We waited for a good 20 minutes before the two ladies exited their side, with satisfied, relaxed looks plastered across their faces. Gathering our things, we exited the building together. We had walked here from the apartment, so we all strolled in the brisk evening air, cooling our warmed bodies to accentuate the physical repose that had been experienced. The other three had ended up walking ahead of me a bit as I peered out at the sights of this part of the city, a part I don't usually come by often.
Eventually, Asuka fell back to my side, putting about 15 feet of distance between us and the other group.
"So, hey, what'd you and the doofus talk about?" The bluntness of the question caught me off guard for a second.
"Huh? Oh, nothing in particular, really." She gave me a judgmental look, but stayed silent as we walked a bit further. "So how was the hot spring?"
Perking up, she put her hands behind her head. "It was actually fantastic! I didn't realize how refreshing something like that could be! It may've been a public area, but all the stress and sweat of today just melted off, like it had never been there to begin with!" She smiled joyfully as we continued our trek.
I cleared my throat. "Hey, uh… I have a question."
Asuka's head stayed looking forward. "Shoot."
I scratched my chin nervously. "...if I told you to call me Matsuo instead of Lieutenant, how would you... feel?"
Her face screwed up as she looked up at me in astonishment. "How would I feel? Sheesh, the Japanese are so weird about stuff like that." She thought about her answer for a few steps. "I don't know. I feel like it'd be weird to just start calling you by name. You're just… the Lieutenant to me. If you really want me to stop calling you by rank, I can, but it'll feel strange for a bit."
"...you don't have any problems with calling Misato by her name."
"Well, duh! She's Misato. I sometimes have a hard time believing she holds a rank at all…"
We shared a hearty laugh. What a very Asuka answer that was. I should've expected as much, honestly.
I laid my hand on the top of her head. "Well, we can worry about names another day. For today though, you did a great job, Asuka. I was worried about you, but... I knew you were confident in knowing your limits."
She turned her face away from me. "It was nothing! A simple mission, no problems at all, even if stupid Shinji had to try and take my spotlight away at the end." I laughed again, softly, at her musings.
Suddenly, she stopped walking and turned back towards me, her cheeks a soft pink coupled with the smug smile painted on her face, illuminated by the streetlights.
"I think... you did a pretty good job today too, for just being my support. You put your trust in me, so I'll be expecting the same for the next battle too, okay?"
Nodding, I put my hands into my pocket. "Of course."
The two of us walked side by side, back to the complex.
Author's Note: Thank you all for the support thus far. It really means a lot! I have a ton more planned, but we're just passing the 1/4th mark, roughly. I hope you all continue to enjoy the adventures of Asuka and her Lieutenant.