Hey guys, I'm back. FAST update I know.
I probably won't update this quickly next time.
But for now, I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks to all the new readers and reviewers. I really do appreciate the feedback.
"Why we care about others? Why do we form bonds? Maybe because it's the least we tiny humans can do for each other. Everyone craves that. People like to be cared for. Everyone has to learn to stand on their own, but that doesn't mean you have to go it alone. A lot of people don't see that. Their pride, guilt, sorrow, or depression blinds them. Is it really that hard to see?"
-the broken man
"Spread out! The Angel could be anywhere inside the city."
Three Evangelions Units, 00, 02, and 03, tall as titans stalked through the city. They spread out like the salvage crew of a plane crash did, people fanning out and combing the area for anything important.
All three of them were equipped with extra battery packs, and those things had been a pain for the Nerv technician crews to install manually, but the men and women had gotten it done. The Evas had about 37 minutes of power. They had to be quick.
"It was chasing after Shinji, remember? Why do these stupid things have such a 'hard on' for my boy?" Mari said into comm.
The way she had spoken... Asuka could tell that Mari was actually losing her cool for once. She put on that tough edge to herself, that wild, uncaring, and no fear at all face that she showed to the world, but now Mari was worried. Asuka could hear that slight shake in her voice at the end.
It surprised Asuka. But then again, everyone is human.
"We do not understand the Angels. They attack and we defend. This conversation is pointless. Let us save Shinji," Rei called into the comm.
"Yeah, there's a good chance he made it to the surface. If he reached the city he could hide. He'd be like an ant to the Angel. There's no way it could find him," Mari said thinking things over.
"The surface of the city is more dangerous. The Angel has shown a willingness to destroy buildings and infrastructure to reach its prey," Rei said over the comm completely deadpan.
Mari scoffed saying, "well then he might have found a way deeper underground. Maybe he got deep enough so the Angel couldn't follow."
"Dangerous as well. The Angel was not afraid to destroy the tunnels as it moved. It could inadvertently trap Shinji underground, and with no power in the city, he would have no way of contacting anyone," Rei said somberly. The girl's voice came out quiet and stiff.
"Jeez, Rei... it's like you want him to be doomed! Excuse me for showing a bit optimism! And I thought you liked Shinji?!" Mari said angrily over the comm.
Damn, that hit a nerve, Asuka thought.
"I like Shinji. I do not want him to be doomed. I do not believe he is dead. I do not want to believe that," Rei said over the comm, she sounded almost hurt when she spoke.
"You have a funny way of showing it," Mari said into the comm coolly.
"For the sake of the mission, we must consider all possibilities. The Angel is a serious threat," Rei said.
"I know, I've killed an Angel before. I'm ready for it," Mari said into the comm.
The three Evas distanced themselves from each other as they spread out, each heading out as 'wings' of their search formation that would comb Tokyo-03 for the Angel and hopefully Shinji.
"Knock it off, both of you. Spread out and look for the Angel or Shinji. If we can we'll evacuate him while the others provide cover," Asuka said into the comm.
"Roger," Mari said, not ever bothering to bicker with Asuka. That more than anything showed Asuka how much Mari cared.
"Understood," Rei said into the comm.
"Sorry, Rei. Lost my cool. Won't happen again," Mari said to her Eva partner via the comm as they went their separate ways.
Eva Units 00 and 03 took off in opposite directions, Mari heading to the left, Rei to the right. Asuka headed straight down the middle with Unit 02 going for the center of Tokyo-03 itself.
Memories flashed through Asuka's mind no matter how hard she tried to stop them, the memory of Shinji saving her during the Mount Asama incident.
Eva Unit 01 disobeying orders and diving into the volcano, kicking the Abnormal Angel aside, and grabbing Asuka and her Eva before she fell into the magma. Shinji impaling his Eva's free hand into the volcano wall, and screaming into the comm as the strain of holding Asuka made it feel like his arm was being torn off.
Of the two of them climbing the volcano walls together. Of the Abnormal Angel latching onto her foot and Shinji refusing to let her go despite the added weight and pain. Of the N2 mine being dropped, of Shinji stopping it with the AT Field... of throwing her to safety knowing that it would release a monster on the world.
And memories of their fight.
"You're crazy," she had whispered to him.
Why had she whispered that to him? She knew that those words cut him deep. Far deeper than anything physical.
"He couldn't have gotten too far from the tunnel," Mari was rambling into the comm.
"We can't forget that the Angel was chasing him. Even if he got away, 'it' wouldn't be far behind," Asuka said trying to keep her cool.
"The best option is to kill the Angel first. Remove the threat as fast as possible and then search for Shinji," Rei said blankly. Always the most logical. But she seemed... 'empty' without Shinji. No emotion left in her, not the girl Asuka had seen following after the stupid boy all the time.
"Agreed," Asuka said into the comm.
Minutes later
"I'm at the tunnel where it found us."
Mari's voice erupted into the comm suddenly.
Unit 03 knelt down to inspect the broken tunnel. The Eva's floodlights were on, the twin bulbs on either side of the massive machine's head. Mari was slowly checking the inside, her hands shaking as she looked for blood. Look for signs that Shinji had been killed...
Mari breathed a sigh of relief when she found none. Whatever else, Shinji had survived that. He must have made it further down.
Now the question was, where was Shinji? Where was the Angel?
"I'm following the wreckage. I'll see if I can trace the Angel's movements from there," Mari called into comm.
Eva Unit 03 rose, getting to its feet. Mari switched off the floodlights and started moving.
…
"I have found the Angel's point of entry into the city. It seems to have come from the sea and made its way to shore. I will follow its path from here," Rei said into comm suddenly.
Eva Unit 00 investigated the wreckage. She and her Eva were almost on the opposite side of Mari's location. If something happened, it would take Rei time to back up her partner and vice versa.
…
In the middle of Mari and Rei's respective locations, Asuka moved carefully through the city. If something happened here, Mari and Rei could arrive as back up in minutes. And if something happened to Mari or Rei, then Asuka could back up either of them faster than the other. Good planning on Asuka's part, all three of them were able to search independently whilst still having reinforcements available.
Looks like the city lost power mid defensive procedure, Asuka thought.
Her Eva walked through the half-sunken buildings, the leftovers that hadn't been able to reach the safety of their bunkers. Some of the smaller buildings had been lucky, having made it in time. While the civilians inside of the less fortunate structures would have to hold out until the situation was over. It was too dangerous for them to leave and search for another shelter.
Should I try to send them a message? Let them know we're out here? With the power acting up I don't even know if they'd get the message, Asuka thought as she looked over the city.
"Shinji..." she muttered turning off her comm so the others wouldn't hear her.
Stupid Shinji. Who are 'you' to make me care about someone else! Someone... not me? She thought.
Asuka shook her head, turning the comm back on. She couldn't worry about something that stupid right now.
Eva Unit 02 moved through the city with as much stealth as an Evangelion could.
"Defensive pillars were deployed. Not all of them made it completely up. Jeez, what a terrible time for the city to lose power," Asuka muttered into the comm.
"Yeah. I see them too. How does something like that even happen?" Mari asked sounding pissed off.
"Focus on the mission. You only have so much power," Ritsuko's voice called into the comm.
"Roger that," all three girls said into the comm.
Asuka continued moving through the ghost town that was Tokyo-03 in the middle of its defensive deployment, searching for the Angel.
"Good news. We found Misato. She was stuck in an elevator, but we're getting a comm to her and she's on her way," Ritsuko called suddenly.
"Understood," Rei said from her end.
Asuka scowled. Some 'guardian' Misato was, out drinking when Shinji... when they had fought. Stuck in an elevator when they had needed the woman most.
…
"We got you!" the Nerv men said. They grunted, having to physically pull open the elevator doors.
Misato squeezed through the opening the men had made for her. Once she was through, the men let the doors slam shut. Someone was handing her a comm and Misato took it with a relieved sigh.
She started heading for the hangar with the others, putting the comm on as she did.
…
"Asuka? Can you hear me?" Misato called into the channel.
"I can hear you," Asuka said almost hissing at the older woman from the comm.
"I've been briefed. We can't give any real support out there without power. We're relying on you three to be our eyes and ears. Take out the Angel first. Then, I will personally help look for Shinji," Misato said. She'd almost had a panic attack when she'd heard Shinji was 'missing', but now she was in work mode.
"We already had the same plan," Asuka called back into the comm.
Misato had to fight the urge to snap at the girl. Now was not the time for attitude.
…
Six minutes later
Asuka glanced at her display, she getting wary about her ever declining power. Eva Unit 02 stepped through the mostly empty streets until suddenly stopping near the center of a tourist district.
A figure in the distance caught her eye.
"I spotted the Angel," Asuka called into the comm slowly. Almost whispering.
...
Misato heard the edge in Asuka's voice and she leaned into the railing, she'd made it to the hangar with the others, as Ritsuko and the others listened in.
Damn it, I wish there was more we could do! Misato thought.
She shared a glance with Ritsuko. Even the Magi supercomputers couldn't help, it may have had its own power source but it had limited use without data.
...
Asuka moved her Eva behind one of the half-sunken buildings, crouching low so as not to be seen by the strange spider-like Angel.
"The Angel... something's wrong with it," Asuka said slowly into the comm.
"Hey there princess, be careful. I'm on my way," Mari called into the comm.
"I am heading to your location," Rei called.
Asuka shook her head grateful to have reinforcements, not that she would ever admit it.
"Something wrong?" Misato's voice asked in the channel.
…
The Angel Matarael 'stood' with its long massive limbs having brought it to a hover a few feet off the surface of the city.
Shinji Ikari was gone. The boy had vanished without any of his fellow pilots having gotten there in time to help... without any of them having witnessed him at the tourist district.
Matarael leaned on its right limbs to 'hold' itself up. It slumped threatening to fall over but managed to keep itself standing. The Angel wobbled as it struggled to stand with its limbs, almost falling over a second time.
Slowly, Matarael moved raising itself higher into the air. It tilted its strange torso, suspended by its long limbs, and opened its mouth hidden under its 'eye'.
Nerv
"Tell us what you see."
Gendo had taken Ritsuko's comm from her to speak with Asuka. Ritsuko gave the man an annoyed spurned look but she said nothing, he was her boss after all.
"...sir?" Asuka asked slowly.
"Do not engage, child. You are our eyes and ears. This could be important, now report," Gendo called coldly.
Tokyo-03
Asuka hid Unit 02 behind the building, watching as the Angel struggled to walk.
Matarael walking along the empty street before stopping abruptly. It opened its strange mouth and a red-orange liquid fell from its mouth. Kneeling over, as it did so. An unnatural wail emanated from its mouth as it vomited. Like it was groaning... in pain.
"It's... The Angel is vomiting. It's... the Angel is vomiting blood."
Asuka spoke into the comm in a low voice, her voice shaking as she realized what she was seeing. She watched memorized by the alien behavior. The Angel wailing like a wounded whale.
"... repeat?" Misato asked.
Asuka shook her head not sure what to make of the sight. She watched silently as Matarael wailed and stumbled to stand properly.
"The Angel is 'vomiting' blood. It's like its wounded or sick," she answered slowly.
"We saw it shoot acid before. Are you sure it's blood? What if it's another weapon?" Mari called via the comm.
"It's not a weapon. The Angel is... hurt," Asuka said barely believing the scene before her eyes.
What on earth could hurt an Angel besides an Evangelion? Or an N2 mine? This doesn't make sense... Asuka thought. This... this was scary. The Unknown. Perhaps something even the Angels feared.
She shook her head. Asuka Langley Sohryu did not get scared! She was a child prodigy, one of the best Eva pilots, a college graduate, practically a grown woman, and she owed her Eva partner a rescue after all. Now was not the time to be afraid, not that she ever was.
"It's moving. I'm going to engage," Asuka said. Her expression one of grim determination.
The Angel was 'breathing' hard as it moving. Having vomited the last of its blood it seemed, as it moved.
It's heading for Nerv again, Asuka thought seeing it turn.
"We're on our way. Try not to kill it without us. I have a score to settle with that thing," Mari called into the comm. She sounded pissed.
"Hey, wait for back up. Don't go running off-" Misato started saying into the comm.
The Angel turned seeing Asuka's Eva just as she started moving out from behind the building.
"It saw me. Too late, I'm engaging!" Asuka shouted.
Eva Unit 02 reached for its Handgun, they hadn't had time to grab a pallet gun, and moved.
The Angel tried to move, to go on the offensive, but Asuka was quicker. She fired off four bullets and watched as three of them landed direct hits. The Angel twitched from the blows as the massive bullets slammed into its torso and limb, but at the last moment it threw up an AT Field.
A brilliantly bright 'field' of protective octagons emerged, shielding the Angel's from Asuka's last bullet. The Angel hid behind its shield as the last round was blocked.
Asuka fired twice more.
BANG.
BANG.
Only for both shots to be stopped by the AT Field.
Asuka slowed, Eva's Handgun raised as she moved walking closer to the weakened Angel.
The Angel dropped its AT Field and raised itself higher into the air via its long limbs, like a spider with legs ten times longer than normal in proportion to its body. It aimed its 'eye' at Asuka even as she fired two more shots.
It can shoot acid. Is that how it does it? Asuka thought.
Not wasting time, she swerved to the side.
Acid came shooting out of the Angel's eye, gushing outward and arcing for Eva Unit 02.
"Crap," Asuka muttered. She gritted her teeth and rolled her Eva to the side even. The acid arced past her, burning city elements along the way, leaving steam rising from the ground.
HSSSSSS.
Some of the acid reached her Eva Unit.
"Ahhh," Asuka hissed as the phantom sensations brought the pain of being burned to her arm.
She dropped the Handgun, the gun falling to the ground with a heavy thud, but she kept moving until she got her Eva behind another building for cover.
Asuka flexed her arm. Pain was only pain, nothing more nothing less.
"I'm here princess," Mari called into the comm suddenly.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Eva Unit 03 emerged onto the area from an empty street that Asuka couldn't see. Mari fired round after round into the Angel.
The Angel brought its AT Field up to protect itself. The shining lights absorbing most of the bullets, but Mari managed to score a hit on one of its limbs. The Angel stumbled but did not lower the AT Field.
"Rei. Where are you?" Asuka called into her comm.
"I am nearby. I heard the gunshots," Rei called into the comm.
Distantly, Asuka thought she could hear the heavy thuds of Eva Unit 00 running through the city.
"I lost my gun," Asuka called into the comm.
"I see it on the ground. It got burned by the acid, it's unless right now anyway," Mari called into the comm. The older girl moved Unit 03 behind a building, taking cover so the wild girl could reload.
Asuka tried to move out from under cover, poking her Eva out from the building.
The Angel spotted her and shot another 'burst' of acid her way. Asuka cursed and moved Unit 02 back under cover, the acid narrowly missed her.
"Careful. That stuff burns through anything," Mari called.
The two girls watched the street withering before their eyes. The side of the building Asuka was taking cover on got hit, and already she could see the acid burning through the walls.
Mari slipped out of her cover and fired off a few more rounds.
The Angel brought its AT Field up again.
CLANG.
CLANG.
The bullets met the shield.
Mari cursed as her shots were blocked.
Something's wrong with the Angel. It's hurt. We can use that! Have to find a way, Asuka thought. She watched as Mari went back into cover, and the Angel dropped the AT Field.
The monstrous spider-like creatures knelt down and vomited more blood. The Angel wailed as it did so, brought down by its illness.
It was disgusting. What the hell had happened to the monster before them?
Like a beached whale, the Angel wailed struggling to stand. Vomiting strange luminous blood as it did so. The monster shuddered as it recovered in time to stand up and bring forth its AT Field.
BANG.
BANG.
Mari fired two more rounds, both of which were stopped by the Angel's AT Field.
"Damn this thing. If I could get close I'd rip it apart with my bare hands," Mari hissed into the comm.
Asuka made to move out from cover, and was forced back as the Angel shot more acid her way. Eva Unit 02 ducked behind the building as acid came pouring down nearby. It missed but the Angel kept Asuka at bay.
Ranged won't work. Need to get close.
"Misato. You think an AT Field could block that acid?" Asuka called into the comm.
Nerv
Misato turned to speak with Ritsuko before replying, "as long as it was kept up, sure. But the acid will 'slide' down and given enough time it could pool at your feet if you're not careful."
"I got an idea," Asuka said into the comm.
"Asuka? … If you're thinking what I think you are, can you do it? I don't want you putting yourself in danger needlessly. Be sure you can," Misato said slowly and carefully.
Tokyo-03
Asuka shook her head, not that anyone could see, saying, "I can do this."
"I will be there in less than a minute," Rei called into the open comm channel.
"You got a plan?" Mari asked Asuka over the line.
"Meet me halfway. I can cover the both of us. Rei, when you get here shoot it as much as you can. Unload your clip, go all out," Asuka said thinking things over.
"Alright princess, we're counting on you," Mari called.
"Understood," Rei said.
Asuka poked her head out from cover. She saw the Angel wail as it was forced to drop its AT Field, it knelt over to vomit more blood.
"Now!" Asuka shouted into the comm.
Unit 02 ran out from cover and headed straight for the Angel. If Asuka had her Handgun she would have been firing away, but she'd dropped it earlier and the acid had damaged it beyond repair.
She could hear Mari and Unit 03 running out from cover behind her.
The Angel brought itself up again and shot a burst of acid at her, the strange burning solution 'weeping' from its 'eye'.
Asuka raised her hand putting everything she had into it, and her AT Field erupted into existence. The brilliantly bright lights of protective octagons formed into a wall in front of Eva Unit 02.
The acid landed atop the AT Field, but the shield held as Asuka ran forward. The acid slid down the field, but Asuka was careful as she ran. Mari was behind her, letting Asuka's AT Field cover the both of them as they ran together heading for the Angel.
Units 02 and 03 ran together, a mobile shield covering them.
"Badass," Mari called into the comm. Unit 03 raised its Handgun from behind the shield and fired two shots.
Both shots hit the Angel and it stumbled back. Before Mari could fire a third, the Angel brought its own AT Field up to protect itself.
"I am in sight," Rei called into the comm. Eva Unit 00 emerged some distance behind the Angel just as Asuka and Mari charged the monster down.
"We got it's attention! Wait for it!" Asuka called into the comm.
The Angel stirred trying to shoot at Rei, only to be distracted by Mari firing at it.
Got you! Asuka thought.
The Angel could not hold the AT Field up and shoot acid at the same time. The spider-like creature paused, caught in a trap and unable to process a solution where it did not get hit.
"Trying to run away!" Mari shouted into the comm. Then the Angel, knowing it was outnumbered and in danger of being cornered and overwhelmed, began moving as fast as its long legs could carry it. Heading away from them and the city.
Mari ran out from under Asuka's cover and fired another shot.
The Angel's AT Field blocked the shot.
Asuka came running around another building in her Eva, AT Field still raised. The Angel turned to her, putting its own AT Field in front of it for protection.
"Not this time," Asuka hissed into the comm. She slammed into the Angel's AT Field with her own.
The Eva and the Angel struggled, locked in a standstill. AT Field vs AT Field.
Brilliant purple lights, almost 'spark' like, erupted into existence from where the Angel's shield clashed with Asuka's. The two intersecting fields each strained the others, each trying to break apart the other.
"Rei!" Asuka shouted into the comm.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Rei fired four controlled shots. The pale girl may not have had the highest sync ratio, but she was the best shot out of all four Eva pilots.
That's the thing about AT Fields. They're like a 'wall' and they don't cover your entire body, Asuka thought smirking. Even back at Mount Asama, Shinji had only saved them by raising his AT Field above them so that the N2 mine wouldn't hit them. Stopping the bombing by creating a protective 'tarp' over them. Down here on the ground, Asuka knew an attack from three sides couldn't be stopped, not even by an AT Field.
Rei had shot the Angel in the back.
The Angel wailed as all four of Rei's shots hit the mark. It dropped its AT Field as it stumped over nearly falling.
Asuka dropped her AT Field, the strain starting to get to her. But then Mari was at her side in Eva Unit 03.
"Not so tough now!" Mari yelled punching the Angel across the torso.
The Angel wailed as Asuka joined in, Unit 02 punching it in the stomach and forcing its 'eye' upward. No way for it to aim its acid at them. Together, Asuka and Mari grabbed a hold of the Angel and held it up for Rei.
Rei unloaded the entire Handgun clip into the Angel's back. The bullets were surprisingly effective now that the Angel was weakened. It started bleeding the strange luminous Angel blood as it wailed, struggling to free itself from Units 02 and 03.
"I'm out," Rei called into the comm, holstering her Eva's Handgun and running for them.
The Angel roared using its long limbs to bring itself higher and higher before body-slamming itself on both 02 and 03.
SMACK.
Mari and Asuka were both brought to the ground in an earth-shattering thud.
"Don't let it get away!" Rei said into the comm as her Eva ran for them.
Before the Angel could make its escape, limping away from the Evas as fast it could, Mari was up and on her feet. Eva Unit 03 having recovered already. Mari was fast.
"No, you don't!" Mari shouted grabbing onto one of the Angel's long limbs and pulling it back even as it tried to run.
SNAP.
In a shower of Angel blood, Mari tore the Angel's limb completely off its torso. Then using it as a club, Mari brought the limb down on the Angel's head. Again and again, Mari used the creature's own flesh against it. Payback for what it had done to them back in the tunnel.
Asuka was at her side, Unit 02 grabbing another of its long spider-like limbs and pulling it back too. No escaping for the Angel.
Rei and Unit 00 emerged onto the scene again. Prog knife in hand, Rei back-stabbed the Angel where she shot it previously. The massive blade finally broke the armored plating and brought the Angel down to the ground.
The three Eva Units towered over the fallen Angel.
"Die!" Mari yelled. The girl was always up for a fight. Asuka smirked as the two of them planted their Eva's feet on the Angel's remaining limbs, with Rei forcing it down with her Eva's prog knife.
Mari and Asuka both equipped their Eva's prog knives and both stabbed down into the exposed flesh underneath the Angel's now broken armor. Neither knew the exact location of the Angel core, but with both their prog blades piercing deep within its torso they made contact. Both Mari and Asuka smirking, despite the situation, as they felt it.
The Angel core had been destroyed in the process, the monstrous thing died with a final wail before falling over on the empty street. Dead.
Asuka and Mari were panting, Rei only breathed softly in small controlled breathes.
"Angel has been destroyed," Asuka called into the comm, the De-facto leader of their hastily assembled Eva team.
The three Evangelion Units stood looming over the Angel corpse. They had done it, they had killed the Angel even with limited power and with a city that had been left powerless.
But something was odd. The Angel had been wounded, hurt, or sick.
That 'thing' was sloppy. Disoriented. And vomiting blood. Why was the Angel sick? Asuka thought looking at the corpse.
Rei saw on her display the ground beginning to darken. She and her Eva looked up to see clouds in the sky, it was getting late and it looked like it might rain.
"That's great news. Good job, all three of you," Misato's voice said into the comm. She sounded more tired than anything else, and she was worried about Shinji.
"Requesting permission to search for Shinji," Mari called seconds before Rei could.
Nerv
Misato was about to answer yes, absolutely yes, but she paused when Ritsuko put a hand on her shoulder.
What now?
Misto turned to see Gendo looking at her. Sub-commander Fuyutsuki was at the man's side.
"We need the Evas back here," Gendo said simply. His voice was cold and detached.
"They have limited power. Perhaps a small search, before returning?" Fuyutsuki proposed.
Gendo seemed to consider that for a moment.
Misato scowled.
He's your kid. Your son. You have to care. You have to, even a little.
"Ten minutes," Gendo said simply. Then the man walked away saying that he would be contacting the UN and the JSSDF for aid restoring power as quickly as possible.
Fuyutsuki nodded politely at the assembled people in the hangar, before following after Gendo. The two men rarely without the presence of the other.
…
"I'm sorry. Commander Ikari says you can search for ten minutes. Then it's back to base," Misato said over the comm. She sounded just as upset as the three pilots.
"Understood," Rei said in a flat empty voice.
"I... we should spread out again. Call for him from the eternal intercom. Phones are down, remember," Mari said a slight edge to her voice.
"Calm down. I... I'm sure stupid Shinji is just hiding somewhere," Asuka said without her usual bite.
"The city is big," Rei said blankly. Whether Rei was in denial about the dangers, Asuka didn't know. She just knew that without Shinji, Rei seemed to lose more and more of her emotion.
"Yeah. Let's split up. If we can't find him in time, we have to return to base," Asuka said under her breath. Why were her hands trembling? It was only stupid Shinji.
"We'll find him. Even if it takes all day. We're already working on getting power for the city. We'll have teams of people looking if that's what it comes to," Misato said firmly.
Oh, Shinji. Where are you?
Where was Shinji Ikari?
…
Elsewhere on the surface of Tokyo-3
A lone boy walked the empty streets in the powerless city. Blood trailed down his hollow empty eyes, a somber expression planted on his face, head hung low. He appeared to be weeping tears of blood.
His hands felt numb, his arms heavy, his legs carrying him forward as he eked out slow haggard breathes that made his lungs ache.
The Other Shinji forced one foot in front of the other. Forcing himself to walk despite the pain, to keep going.
Pain is a part of life. If you never learn to move past it, you will never accomplish anything, he thought to himself.
The hospital was two blocks away. He was almost there. Even without power, there would be medical staff who could help the boy. He had to reach it, or get close enough to be found. He had to make sure Shinji had help in case the boy couldn't recover.
Pushing things this far was dangerous, but he'd had no choice. The boy would have been killed without his stepping in.
Other wheezed as he stumbled forward, walking as if every step cost him.
With a groan, Other Shinji toppled over and fell to his knees on the empty street.
"... I have no tomorrow... but there's still hope for the future."
A prayer of sorts that the Other whispered to himself.
It had started to rain lightly. Droplets of water streamed down as the skies cried overhead.
"I've come so far. Done so much. Too much. No going back. I can't stop. Not now. It can't be for nothing... " Other Shinji whispered to himself.
He could see the reflection of Shinji's body in a puddle of rain before him. His expression soured at the sight of blood trailing down the boy's eyes like tears. That wouldn't do. No one could know.
With a groan, Other Shinji forced himself up to his feet. Deliberately, he ran forward and tripped on purpose. He sent the boy flying head first into the street.
WHACK.
Blood was on Shinji's forehead. A fresh cut and bruise. A wound to the head and eyes that would have to act as cover for what the Other had done.
Other forced himself to get up and keep walking. He was holding so much back, letting himself feel it so Shinji the boy did not have to. But he could not last for long. He had limits. And today he was pushing them. For both himself and Shinji. There were reasons he seldom took control.
"Ahhhh. I'm sorry, Shinji. I've taken you as far as I can. You need to do this part. All I can do is take the pain for you... even that isn't enough. It's too much, I can't take all of it from you," Other Shinji whispered as he fell to his knees again.
The hospital was so close. So close.
"Get to the hospital. Get help, boy... it's right there. Just run and the doctors will find you," the Other Shinji rasped on his knees.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
There was the sound of enormous footsteps nearby. The booming echo of an Eva Unit walking throughout the empty city.
"Ahhh," Shinji moaned coming back to himself.
The boy didn't know what had happened... he remembered the Angel coming for him... and then this.
Where was he? Had he lost time? That hadn't happened since... since when?
What? I- ah... gah... ah! Shinji thought as his head started hurting so much that he couldn't even scream. The sheer pain filled his lungs and ran through his body overwhelming his senses. An agony that spread out from underneath his skull to envelope his entire being.
How did he get there? He nearly fell over as his body started convulsing. He was on the edge of a seizure, lingering in that thin line between consciousness and unconsciousness. He was on the brink, an inch away from having a seizure.
Shinji didn't know how it had happened, but he knew that he was about to have another breakdown. It terrified him, terror flooded his mind and he tried to cling to the world around him. Anything but an incident, anything to avoid his illness at its worst.
He tried to look up... but then he was gone again.
The vision
Shinji re-appeared somewhere else. The deep dark void that for years he had called 'his madness.'
The boy wasn't alone.
The Woman in the Dark was looking at him. She smiled softly at him though he could not see her face. Her hair had grown long, her bangs covering her face as she smiled down at him from a distance. She reminded him so much of his mother.
You... you're... you're...
The Woman in the Dark held out her hand to him. An eerie ethereal figure amid the shadows.
"Mom," Shinji whispered his heart aching. A bond that had been severed, a phantom pain that cut deep till this day.
Then he was gone again.
...
He was somewhere else. Images flashed before his eyes. Things he could not explain and did not want to understand.
There was a Giant of Light looming over him in the dark. The size of an Evangelion, the Giant roared in agony falling to its knees just as Shinji had.
It hated him.
Shinji didn't know how, but he knew that the Giant of Light despised him. It wanted him dead. The fury of a thousand burning suns roared to life within the entity before him, all that rage direct at him in particular. Sheer unyielding hatred for Shinji Ikari.
YOU! WHO ARE YOU TO DO THIS?! The Giant seemed to shout despite not having a mouth.
The Giant roared, a strange inhuman sound that brought chills down to the boy's very bones, before the creature flailed to a sitting position and wailing.
WHAT ARE YOU?! Adam seemed to say.
Shinji did not understand. His head hurt too much, he didn't want to see this. He wanted to go away and forget it. Forget all this.
YOU DARE?! YOU WILL PAY! LITTLE THING. ABOMINATION! The Giant seemed to say looming over him, but never able to reach him. How it hated him.
The words made Shinji feel like his ears were bleeding.
"Ahhhhhh," the boy cried, his entire body rippling in agony.
YOU WILL SUFFER.
The reality around them distorted, twisting under the rage of the Giant. The being lashed out, reaching for the boy with its bare hands but never quite able to reach him. Held at bay by some unseen force that Shinji knew not.
"Stop... please... just stop," Shinji hissed through gritted teeth.
WHAT ARE YOU?! The Giant seemed to say, glaring at him with nonexistent eyes.
Look away Shinji. Look away. The thing in his head stirred.
The real world
Shinji was back on the surface of Tokyo-03. He was on his knees and it was raining. His head didn't stop hurting, it kept throbbing and he wanted to scream.
He forced himself into a sitting position in the rain and looked up in horror to see things that didn't make sense.
It was like his 'madness' was bleeding into the real world. Images of a ruined city merged into the Tokyo-03 of the present. Shinji fell to his knees again, having to use his hands to stop himself from falling over.
Only when he looked at his hands, they weren't his. His eyes showed him the hands of a much older man. And... and two of his fingers were missing.
He gasped not understanding.
Two conflicting worlds bled into each other. Two vastly different sets of imagery that his eyes were giving to his brain to process, but it could not differentiate which was 'real' and which was not.
It's not too late. Hear me.
Ahhhhhh... make it stop... please...
You haven't broken down yet. Hang on, you can save yourself.
It hurts... it hurts so much...
Ground yourself out Shinji. It's the only way. You know already what's real and what's not.
"I can't. It hurts," Shinji said hissing as he sat up holding his head and closing his eyes. It felt like his head was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to explode. The tissue underneath his skull felt like it heating up and thrashing around, fighting to break the confines of his scalp. Like tiny blades cutting through his brain tissue.
The boy felt it, he felt 'something' underneath his skull moving.
You are the strongest that you have ever been. No more tricks or excuses. You can do it. Ground yourself, the thing in his head stirred.
Shinji opened his eyes to see the madness was still merged with the real world around him. It wasn't real, it couldn't be. But his eyes showed him both as if they could no longer tell which from which.
It was scary, to see things he knew weren't real. To see things that were wrong. To not trust his own eyes and ears.
"Mari... " Shinji whimpered through the pain. She had always been the brave one during their years in the ward. The one to take him on adventures. The one who had held his hand telling him not to be scared.
Mari's not going to be there to hold your hand forever.
"Someone help. Misato... Rei... Mom... mom. Gah. I need my pills. Make it stop!" Shinji whimpered as he felt like his head was going to explode. He closed his eyes tight just wanting it to end.
No one is going to hold your hand through life. You have to learn to stand on your own. You can do it. You don't need your pills. Ground yourself. Focus on what's around you.
I can't.
You can. How do you know unless you try?
And so Shinji tried. He opened his eyes and forced himself to his feet. Focusing on what he 'knew' was real and holding the madness back. It was hard, but the images started to fade. He held his hands in front of him and saw the hands of a 14-year-old boy. His hands.
He had all his fingers again.
"Ahhh," Shinji panted as it stopped.
The madness went away. The images of a ruined city vanished. His eyes showed him only the Tokyo-03 of the present. He panted, wheezing hard haggard breathes that made his lungs throb as the world returned to 'normal' for him.
He had done it. He had fought off the 'madness'. Even the voice was gone... for now. Somehow he knew that the voice would come back, it always did.
Shinji felt drops of water on his face and realized that it had started to rain lightly. The tiny specs of water got his attention now that he was 'back'. He brought his hands up and wiped the blood from his face, using the light rain to wash it away.
He had come back from a breakdown without a seizure. He had pushed away from the madness for the first time in his entire life. Yet he felt no joy. He felt... empty and alone. Sad, even. Why?
THUD.
THUD.
"Shinji!" a voice called out from a speaker of some kind.
Shinji turned to see Eva Unit 03 walking carefully through the empty streets. Mari's voice projected itself out of the Eva's external intercom. The Evangelion having turned onto the street moments after he had driven the madness away.
Mari, he thought. He started walking towards the Eva in the rain, doing his best to wipe his dirt and blood filled face a second time.
THUD.
THUD.
Unit 03 was walking towards him. The Eva came to a stop in the rain, standing before Shinji in the middle of the street.
Shinji awkwardly waved as Unit 03 knelt down, and the entry plug was ejected. Moments later, Mari came jumping out and landed with a roll, not even bothering to wait for the ladder to deploy.
She ran after him in the rain. She was wearing her plugsuit and she looked so worried, Shinji had never seen her like that before.
Mari pressed the button on her comm as she ran.
"I found Shinji. Use my Eva's location to find us. I found him. I found him!"
Shinji could distinctly hear Ritsuko's voice on the comm answering Mari, saying, "roger that. Your Eva's low on power but some of Nerv is back online. We'll send for the two of you."
"We'll be waiting," Mari hurriedly said into the comm before turning it off.
He watched her running in the rain, still in shock as to what had just happened.
"Shinji!" Mari said nearly shouting as she ran into him. She collided into him, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking him over, her eyes wide.
"I'm okay. Mari, I'm fine," Shinji said slowly. He was still in shock really, but he felt remarkably calm about the whole thing. Mari was the one freaking out, which Shinji thought she wasn't even capable of.
"How are Rei and Asuka? Did they make it out? The Angel?" Shinji asked.
Mari shook her head at him saying, "here you are bleeding in the rain, and you're asking about the others? Oh Shinji, that's just so... you. Angel's dead. Asuka and Rei are fine, they're were heading back to base when I called this in."
Her voice was shaking and Shinji put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. He'd never seen her like this before.
Her hands were on his face, he could feel her warmth through the plugsuit, and she was looking at him worryingly. At the wound on his head.
"I... I remember falling onto the street when I was running. Stupid thing to do really. Everything is a blur, I thought I would have a panic attack," Shinji said. He was still getting over himself, he still remembered driving off the madness. And his entire body felt numb but he didn't know why.
He winced as Mari lightly ran her finger across his head injury. She caressed his face as if making sure he was really there.
"I'm okay, Mari. I am".
He put his hand atop her's and squeezed gently, Mari's hand never leaving Shinji's cheek. He smiled at her. He was happy to see her. She was okay. She wasn't hurt. Back in the tunnel, when the Angel had first attacked them Mari had wasted no time in trying to get Shinji back. She had tried to grab him and bring him back before the Angel had separated them.
Mari hugged him with so much strength that Shinji almost fell again. She was taller than him and together stumbled, but she kept them from falling.
"I was so worried about you, dummy," she whispered into his ear.
Her voice was shaking.
"It's alright. Don't be scared," Shinji said softly.
He hugged her back. His first friend, the one who had held his hand when he was a child and nervous, terrified, and lost in the world around him. The two embraced in the rain with the kneeling Eva towering over them.
Mari sniffed at that. Was she crying? Shinji thought Mari never cried. He didn't like that... he didn't want Mari to cry. When they were kids, he was the one who cried, never her. He was always the weaker of the two. But maybe everyone had their vulnerabilities. He hugged Mari tighter saying her words back to her, "don't be scared."
"That's my line, dummy," Mari said in a small shaky laugh. She let him go and took a step back to look him over again.
"You're that one taught me that. It's gotten me through a lot," Shinji said offering her a small smile despite the shock running through his veins, the wound on his head, and the rain over both of them.
Mari patted his chest affectionately, looking into his eyes with such affection and concern that Shinji felt unworthy of it. All this out of her? And for him of all people?
I'm not worth that much... Shinji thought his eyes downcast.
Almost like she could read his thoughts, Mari put a gloved hand on his cheek forcing him to look up at her. You are to me, Mari's eyes seem to say as she held him.
Then she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.
Shinji's eyes widened. His felt his hands trembling. This was... nice. Warm and gentle, he never realized how cold his body was until Mari had kissed him.
Time seemed to slow for him. He felt Mari's lips moving against his, uncertain and careful, but then Shinji moved his lips with hers. He didn't know what he was doing... he was probably terrible. 14 and he'd never even kissed a girl until now, but she brought things out of him. Mari had been his first friend in the world and she had been the one to bring him out of his shell. In the end, she had been the one to find him in the middle of all this mess.
Mari's hands were running through his hair, pulling him deeper into their kiss. Shinji tried to respond but Mari was a much better kisser than he was. Hesitantly, his trembling hand found its way to her hip.
He didn't know how it had happened.
Maybe this was always there between them and he was just too stupid to see it, it wouldn't be the first time he missed something completely obvious. Maybe it was all the shock, stress, and danger of the day, but it had happened. Shinji had been so emotionally lost in his life that he never even considered something like that. He... he had always thought he'd end up alone in one form or another. So he hadn't dwelt on it. He accepted it and had moved on with his life in both the ward and the outside world.
This was different... this made him 'feel' something he'd never felt before. Another thing Mari had brought out of him.
Uh... I'm running out of breath, Shinji thought awkwardly. Mari seemed to realize that and she pulled back laughing as he let out a small gasp. Breathing in the cold air.
His face was red from blushing so much. Mari was laughing with him in the rain as he ran a finger across his lips where she had kissed him. He was breathing softly, his heart was pounding pleasantly in his chest and he was grinning like an idiot. Why was he grinning?
"It's raining," Shinji said stupidly. He looked up realizing that everything that had happened between them had been in the middle of the rain with no shelter. Neither of them had cared or noticed until then.
Mari shook her head, her eyes beaming as she grinned at him running a finger along her lips just as Shinji had. She took his hand in hers saying, "come on, we can wait in the entry plug."
And so Shinji followed Mari back into the entry plug of Eva Unit 03, she brought them both inside her Eva. Her hand never leaving his.
Shinji was panting in shock from everything that had happened. He didn't know what to make of it. Distantly, he could hear Mari using the comm again. Telling Nerv that they were both inside the Eva, and Nerv responding that the military was coming to give them a ride.
Mari gave his hand another squeeze. Just like when they were kids and going an adventure within the confines of the ward. Maybe some bonds are so strong that they couldn't be shaken... these shared experiences that formed connections, these actions, and reactions that made people come together, that made them care for one another.
Later, Nerv HQ
Stupid Shinji. All that work I put in and it's the psycho who finds him? Eh, he's probably still mad at me, Asuka thought, shaking her head.
She was still in her plugsuit, waiting in the hangar with the others as Unit 03 was docked alongside the other Evas. Rei was standing beside her, the quiet girl never saying a word but her eyes staring unblinkingly at Unit 03 as the entry plug was released.
Misato, Ritsuko, and a few others were gathered around as well. Nerv had gotten most of its power back, Gendo had been working with the JSSDF and the UN to get power back to the whole city as well and things were moving quickly it seemed.
03's entry plug opened revealing Mari and Shinji huddled together inside. Mari's plugsuit stuck to her like a second skin due to the rain whilst Shinji was soaking wet with damp hair.
Misato came running after him, towel in hand. Asuka watched the scene from afar, watched as Mari helped him walk out and Misato wrapped Shinji in the towel telling him how worried she had been, about how she was getting ready to go out there and look for him herself.
Rei started walking over to him as well, almost smiling at him. Mari kept an arm around Shinji, protective and warm. The people in Shinji's life gathering around him as he returned.
She frowned at that. No one treated her like that- no. Asuka wasn't like stupid Shinji, she didn't need people fawning over her whenever she was hurt. She shook her head ignoring the feelings in her chest.
Asuka turned to Ritsuko saying "hey where's Kaji? I thought he'd be here too?"
"No idea. No one has been able to find him. To be honest, we haven't looked very hard. Everything is still a mess right now. He'll show up... he always does," Ritsuko said with a sigh.
...
"I am so... 'glad' to see you. I cannot explain it in words. Shinji... " Rei was saying. Struggling to say what she wanted.
"I know, Rei. It's fine, I'm okay," Shinji said putting a hand on her shoulder as Misato tried to pull him along to the infirmary.
"You are cold," Rei said frowning, she felt his skin through her plugsuit.
"I got him. It's okay," Mari said bringing herself closer to Shinji to help keep him warm.
Rei watched unblinkingly as a smile form on Shinji's face from their contact.
"He needs the infirmary. Everyone will get a chance to talk to him later," Misato was saying. Just as protective of Shinji as Mari was.
Misato pulled him away from the others. Shinji's hand trailing after Mari's as they were separated.
"We'll talk later. I promise," Mari called watching Shinji leaving with a sad coy smile. Misato 'insisted' on the medical staff providing a wheelchair when Shinji probably didn't need it.
When Shinji and Misato passed Asuka, the German girl only looked at him, their eyes meeting for a moment. Neither knew what to say to the other.
"Glad you're okay. I still owed you one for the volcano," Asuka said slowly, not wanting to meet his eyes.
"Yeah. I... thanks Asuka,'" Shinji said slowly.
No one is keeping score. This isn't a competition, we're just supposed to help each other, Shinji wanted to say. The words hung in the air between Asuka and him, before Misato and the medical staff moved him onward to the infirmary.
Still tension between them. Maybe one day there wouldn't be, but this was not that day
Chapter epilogue
Deeper into Nerv
"There is no way for this to happen naturally. Find me the whereabouts of Dr. Page during this incident," Gendo said as he and Fuyutsuki walked the halls of the 'hidden' floor.
When the power had gone out, this floor had sealed itself off. The card readers that opened the rooms locked by default with their small independent power sources that lasted for a minute at best, more than enough to lock anyone out.
"One person alone could not have done this," Fuyutsuki said.
"No, but the people she works for have much more at their disposal," Gendo said coldly.
"... you suspect SEELE?" Fuyutsuki asked in a low whisper.
Gendo nodded saying, "I can't prove it, and even if I could it would make no difference. The Angel was coincidence, there's no way they could have known the exact date. Not even with the second set of Dead Sea Scrolls."
"So, they are making plans for us 'just in case'. Precautions should we not follow 'their' plan. Testing our defenses," Fuyutsuki said gravely.
They rounded the corner and found the entrance to the secret lab down here. The lab where the Adam Sample was 'stored'. Fuyutsuki had been surprised and worried when Gendo had insisted they needed to make sure it was still there. The Nerv Commander suspecting that someone would try to steal it.
With a swipe of his personal Nerv keycard, Gendo opened the doors to the lab, the lights turning on as he did so. Power had been restored first to the 'hidden' locations before the primary ones throughout the Geofront.
Fuyutsuki stood back in shock at the sight that met them in the lab.
Adam lay imprisoned within the two layers of frozen dura-bakelite, but with a long single crack running diagonally across the material.
Gendo pressed his gloved hands to the dura-bakelite, inspecting the crack that ran along the Adam Sample's container. The crack had cut through two layers of the supposedly unbreakable material that could imprison an Evangelion...
Well, there you have it. Shinji can fight off the 'madness' but it's hard.
I liked writing the banter and teamwork of Asuka, Rei, and Mari. The Angel Matarael never really stood a chance, for more than one reason.
The next few Angels might not take up as much screen time.
I was a bit nervous writing this chapter. That scene. I didn't want it to be super romantic and fluffy because Shinji is not that kind of guy/kid. The boy is very much an observer at times but he's still a person and he's never felt that before. He likes it, he likes it a lot. He's very emotionally damaged. His relationship with Mari is complex, she is very important in his life, and he is very important in her life.
Thanks for Reading and please Review.