Hey guys, back again.
I debated on whether or not to update the story yet. We're in the middle of a global pandemic and it felt strange to be drafting and editing my little fanfic. We're in a 'dark' part of the story and I wasn't sure if that's what readers needed right now. Ultimately, I decided that story-telling is a form of escapism and good or ill, it takes us away from our own lives and troubles.
So I decided to post after all. This chapter was split into two due to the sheer amount of events and to allow better pacing. This helps add the needed weight for upcoming events.
Here's chapter 46: Wrath - Part 1.
"We tried to save as many as we could. We did this because we knew that we were all pawns caught in the crossfire of a war that was not our own.
It was madness. Violence laid bare. Schemes and secrets a thing of the past."
- The Broken Man.
A glimpse of what is to come.
Sometime after the Assault on Nerv.
The sky was grey. Filled with smoke and ash, casting the world in a weary bleak haze. A smog that stretched on for miles.
The grounds of the Geofront lay unrecognizable, scorch marks and craters littered the once green fields, followed by the debris of steel and concrete. Fires lay scattered about, crackling amid the ruins.
Ghost white figures knelt where they had been slain, massive titans of an unnatural visage. The Mass Production Evangelion Units. Tall automatons, with armored skin, no eyes, and razor-sharp teeth, disfigured and gross desecrations of life. Corpses, all the same.
Military trucks lay beyond. The vehicles crushed and scattered, completely rolled over by a force they could not match.
The Geofront itself was left scarred by a battle that had been carried out in waves, each worse than the last.
The compound regarded as Nerv HQ lay in rubbles, torn open as if from the inside. Within the building itself, the halls of Nerv that started on the surface and led underground were littered with remnants of the firefighting.
Bodies, some JSSDF, some Section 2 security forces, lay where they had fallen. Others, Nerv technicians, scientists, engineers, maintenance and sanitation workers, lay among the dead… caught in the crossfire as the battle waged.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Ritsuko Akagi awoke to the sound of trickling water. She gasped, stumbling into consciousness in a whirl of senses.
The scientist groaned and slowly rose to her feet in the dark. She stumbled as her knees ached and somewhere nearby a light flickered.
She felt lightheaded and had to lean on a wall to stand.
"Ah… Misato… Misato," she rasped.
Her hair was covered in dirt and ashes that draped her face and clothes. She put a hand to her face and felt something wet.
Ritsuko gasped and stepped out of the darkened corner she'd woken in, and into the flickering of the light.
Blood… I'm bleeding…
Ritsuko observed the blood on her fingers clinically, detached. Her head… she must have been hit during the… during the…
What in the world had 'that' been?
She groaned and nearly fell on shaky legs… legs that were bruised and purple.
"Misato!"
Her voice rang around her in the dimly lit hall. Breathing hard, she limped forward using the wall for support and found a door.
Carefully, she opened it and caught her breath as the sight of the bodies came into view.
JSSDF and Section 2 security forces.
She closed her eyes, steeling herself up and pressed forward. She reached for her weapon and found that it was gone. She must have dropped it whenever… whenever 'it' had happened and shook the world.
Gun… I need a gun.
She knelt down taking a pistol from the corpse of a JSSDF soldier and moved on, newfound weapon raised.
"Misato!" she called again.
"Here…" a voice croaked suddenly.
Ritsuko whirled and called out again. Again, a response came. She followed the voice down the halls of Nerv, noticing the cracked and torn walls and ceilings along the way.
Misato lay pinned to the ground with a small chunk of concrete laying atop her leg.
"I can't move it," Misato stammered. The woman was covered in dirt and ash, pale-faced and shaken, visibly in shock.
Together, they shoved the debris from her leg and Misato hissed as her leg came free. They held onto one and other, limping along through the ruins of what had once been Nerv.
Entire walls had been torn down or else remained with gaping holes, bullets and corpses littered the corridors, scars of the carnage from before. Most of the compound lay in darkness, with only the emergency lights flickering here and there. It cast the area into a nightmarish war zone, long shadows that made them jumpy, the creeks and sounds of distant fires and crumpling concrete kept them on edge.
The main power is out. Did the fighting stop?
Neither woman had answers. They trudged along clutching their sole pistol tight.
They came to a stop as they reached a pair of double doors. Opening the doors, they nearly fell over…
The sight that met their eyes stopped both of them in their tracks. It was almost inconceivable, a vision from a hellscape not from this world.
It was torn open. Entire sections of Nerv were gone… nothing left but piles of debris and scattered foundation. The path ahead of them had been utterly destroyed, unreachable by normal means.
The damage covered more than a third of the entire facility. A multi-story compound that spanned the surface and deep into the underground lay severed in two.
A crater almost the size of the hangar itself separated them from the other end of the existing halls. A gaping hole that reached down and down into the lowest level of Nerv itself, a place forbidden to all except for the Director himself.
And above… above… the same crater lay above. A gaping hole into the ash-filled skies. The path of destruction, the skyward tunnel, ran through every floor and roof of the compound. The entire building was torn open from within. As if there had been an explosion within the headquarters itself that rose upward.
Misato gaped, face bloodied and bruised, eyes wide and following the path into the sky above. The ruins of layers upon layers of a building designed to withstand Angel attacks, engineering that had been graded to survive thermonuclear assaults.
There were no words… how many had died from the shattering of Nerv? From the eruption of whatever had caused it.
Another step and they would have fallen into the pit below, they were stranded on this side of the compound.
Ritsuko stared up at the sky, and retraced the craters, all of them, back to the gaping hole before her eyes, larger even than an Evangelion, and running down deep into the lowest levels of Nerv itself. Down to the prison below.
"… Lilith."
The words left her mouth in a croak. A mad little whisper that sent chills down her spine.
The gun nearly fell from her hand and Misato clutched her wrist tight.
FLAK.
FLAK.
They winced as the distant sound of gunfire rang through the exposed air. Shouting followed. And then it began again. Shots rang out.
"The fighting isn't over. We can't stay here," Misato said, blinking rapidly. The early stages of shock were pushed away, old reflexes and training kicked in.
"Give me that," she said.
Ritsuko handed her the pistol.
We need… we need to stop the fighting…
Together, the two limped back the way they came. Stranded in a compound torn asunder and still locked in a war zone.
Several hours previously.
Before the Assault on Nerv.
JSSDF Military base.
The meeting room began to crowd as the men and women piled in.
Lieutenant Colonel Hashi, known by his men as 'the Boss' took center stage. He was known for being efficient and orderly, able to push his battalion to the edges of their capability and complete operations.
He stood there with the eyes of the JSSDF upon him and began the debriefing.
"No doubt you are wondering why we were discretely encamped within the city. I'm sorry to say that our operation today is inside the city itself," Hashi began.
He let the news settle like a wave across the room and his officers, letting them process the reality of operating on Japanese soil. There were murmurs, quick and quiet, before Hashi spoke again.
"Orders from up high have come in. Intel has confirmed that the Nerv Organization has betrayed Mankind. Director Ikari has been planning a genocidal mission of his own, an attempt to recreate the Second Impact and bring about the end of the human race."
Hashi's face grew cold as he said the words. To think of all the times that he had personally met with Mr. Gendo Ikari and the rest of the city council. Never knowing the man's true intentions. Never realizing that the Evangelion Program was in the hands of a madman.
"There are reports that Director Ikari is in possession of samples from both the First and Second Angels. He plans to trigger another Impact. We're being sent in to prevent that," Hashi explained.
He entered commands into his computer and the wall behind him began to project images as he spoke.
A map appeared on the wall, alongside satellite imagery of Nerv HQ.
"They're prepared. The Director has his own private security force. And the Geofront itself is built like a fortress. Designed to withstand Angel attacks and capable of surviving N2 weaponry. An underground network of tunnels also connects it to parts of the city. They have control of them, and they're not made for ferrying an army. We're in the process of blocking them. There will be no escape for them, but we can't use their tunnels against them either. We're doing this above ground. Invasion."
Hashi gestured to the satellite imagery of the Geofront, pointing to the launchpads.
"They have at least three Evangelion Units."
Men and women grimaced. Whatever doubts the officers had, they kept it cool and calm, professionals.
"Of those three, we've received Intel that only one is currently operational. Evangelion Unit 02."
The projector switched to an image of the red Eva Unit. Tall, heavily armored, and with a combat record that spoke for itself.
"Director Ikari will no doubt deploy it for the defense of Nerv. Our main force will remain behind. The Eva cannot be engaged with ground forces. We will neutralize it with a mix of our air force and artillery."
Entering more commands into the computer, Hashi changed the projected screen again. A basic map of the compound was displayed, incomplete, with entire floors missing in the underground sections.
"Once Eva Unit 02 has been dealt with, we will launch our breach of Nerv itself. It will be a hard fight. Director Ikari has had over a year to prepare for us. The facility will have to be taken and cleared floor by floor and Intel is low on the underground sections," Hashi continued.
The images on the projected screen shifted once more. A series of photos highlighted in red.
Hashi gestured to the people photographed on screen.
"These are high-priority targets. Kill on sight."
Hashi took a deep breath, he had personally met with and spoken to every single one of the targets on multiple occasions. War was a grim game indeed.
"From left to right. Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, Captain Misato Katsuragi, and Sub-Commander of Nerv: Kozo Fuyutsuki."
The officers in the room studied the targets, remembering their names and faces.
Hashi nodded and then continued the debriefing, changing screens again. A lone photo took up the entire screen. Another photograph highlighted in blue.
A picture of Gendo Ikari himself. A cold man with a stone-like face and eyes framed by tinted glasses.
"Our primary objective. The Director of Nerv is to be taken alive. The General has been very specific on the matter. Gendo Ikari will be taken into custody and placed on trial for crimes against humanity."
What a waste of manpower. 'Alive'? That man doesn't deserve the air he breathes.
Pushing his thoughts and distaste for the man aside, Hashi 'the Boss' continued on.
The doors to the meeting room opened and suddenly a new group of men entered. They wore plain black military gear, distinct even from the JSSDF uniform, unmarked and unlabeled with insignia, black ops.
Hashi nodded at them.
"The objectives of the mission are as follows:
1. The taking and holding of the Geofront and Nerv.
2. The elimination of all high-priority targets.
3. The capture and arrest of Director Ikari.
The rules of engagement are to kill on sight. Security forces, engineers, it doesn't matter. The Japanese Nerv Branch and all of its employees have been classified as hostiles."
Seeing the look on his men's faces, Hashi let them process the orders. They were all veterans, they'd seen combat, some had had to kill civilians before. People handled it differently.
"Sir," one of the officers spoke up.
Hashi turned to the man nodding for him to ask his question.
"Sir, the Eva Pilots. They're just kids… teenagers. Upon securing the base and eliminating the high-priority targets… what do we do with them?"
Inwardly, Hashi winced. The Eva Program was always a mess. Child Soldiers? In a modern country within the 21st century?
On the outside, he was cool and collected. He was in command and his orders came from the General. His battalion needed him.
"The rules of engagement are to kill on sight," Hashi repeated, his face grim.
The officer who spoke before nodded slowly. No one liked it, but it was reality. Nerv had allowed children to pilot some of the deadliest weapons ever created, and this was where it had brought them.
Hashi gestured to the new arrivals.
"In addition, a complementary force is being deployed jointly with us. They are to assist in the arrest of Gendo Ikari. That is their primary objective. They also have their own classified orders. We are expected to assist them with no questions asked."
Hashi shared a glance with his officers before he spoke again.
"And in return, they are expected to cooperate with command in this joint mission."
There was tension in the room. Veterans that had seen enough of black ops forces to know the type.
Two squads, given classified orders and deployed along with the JSSDF.
The black-ops commander spoke up meeting Hashi's gaze directly.
"Understood. We'll do our part, you do yours," the commander said slyly.
Hashi stared the man down. He didn't like these secretive squads being placed alongside his battalion. It left leadership awkward and less effective, having a separate force inside his own. But orders were orders. The General had their own bosses.
We're all grunts to them. Whatever's really going on here… it has to do with black ops and their mission. The secrets they keep from us.
Hashi let the matter drop and turned back to his men.
"We deploy within the hour. Get ready."
The First Wave
Nerv.
The compound was bustling with activity. Section 2 security forces were taking up positions, defenses around the entire building were being deployed, the underground sections of Nerv were fortified, and the tunnel system was locked off and sealed to prevent any military forces from smuggling themselves in via smaller squads. Networked systems were running wild after a recent cyber attack had failed to overwhelm the Magi-supercomputers' defenses.
Gendo Ikari walked the halls of his compound. The alien flesh surgically implanted into his hand stirred, moving underneath the glove that concealed it. The Adam Sample was active.
We're so close to the end. Nerv cannot be held. That is a fact. And it doesn't need to be. It only needs to buy time for the ritual.
Those are the thoughts that drove him forward as he walked with Fuyutsuki. Shinji was dead… the boy had died a long time ago in truth. Only the abomination that wore his face had lingered all these years. Now, that too was gone.
He would have to apologize to Yui when they were reunited. He would have a lot of explaining to do.
Gendo opened the commlink and began issuing orders.
"Dr. Akagi," he said, switching to the private comm channel.
"Sir," Ritsuko answered back.
"Declare a state of emergency. Brace for an attack. I will lead the ritual personally. I entrust Fuyutsuki and yourself to see to the defense of Nerv."
"… how long do we have… sir?" Ritsuko asked.
No more than a day. Keel will know. It was always going to come to this.
"I cannot say. Minutes? An hour? SEELE will come for us. Keel will know that we are moving," Gendo said.
"Understood," Ritsuko answered.
He ended the call and turned to Fuyutsuki, the pale old man who had begun to crack under all the pressure at long last. Regardless, he had been Gendo's only companion and true partner since the disappearance of his wife.
"Coordinate with Dr. Akagi. See to the defense. The end is nigh," Gendo said.
Fuyutsuki's lip twitched as he took in the words. The old man nodded and Gendo took his leave of him. He had a ritual to prepare. That was it, all the goodbyes they would say. Perhaps in the new world, they would speak on better terms.
…
Main Command Center.
Ritsuko Akagi stared at the station in the upper levels of the hangar. It was a station reserved for the Director of Nerv and his Sub-Commander. Today, it belonged to Fuyutsuki and herself. A reward in Gendo's eyes for her many 'services' to the man.
It made her want to vomit.
Everything that she had done for Gendo Ikari… the horrors she had witnessed and played a part in creating, it all flashed through her mind. It was almost time. The plan would move forward. Shinji was believed to be dead. That was good.
Fuyutsuki entered the room and the two exchanged a glance. Her 'partner' from the nightmare that had been the purging of the Rei iterations.
Wordlessly they took their positions in the empty room and watched over the incoming data. It was more than she had ever had access to. More than even when she'd been working with Misato and overseeing the Eva Pilots.
"There's movement at the edges of the Geofront," Fuyutsuki said breaking the silence.
With the press of a button, the security camera feed took hold of the screen and the invading forces came to life. A trickle of military convoys with hundreds of soldiers on their way.
The JSSDF was launching its assault on Nerv.
Ritsuko opened a comm channel to Misato and her old science team overseeing Eva Unit 02.
"They're here. Grid sections 54 through 58."
"I see them," Misato called back icily.
Ritsuko bit her lip. She glanced away thinking about the station two levels below them, the room where she had worked with Misato and her science team to oversee Evangelion Operations. She could picture Misato in her usual place, arms crossed and giving orders to the Eva Pilots.
A part of her wanted to be there too. To explain and reassure.
She pushed those thoughts aside. She had her role to play, and her place was here with Fuyutsuki this day.
…
Evangelion Command Center.
Misato displayed the security footage onto the main screen. She stood in the command room overseeing Evangelion operations alongside Ritsuko's science team.
It was strange not having Ritsuko herself with them, but then there were lots of things strange these days.
They had lost the JSSDF support, and the military was sending an invasion force for Nerv itself. No warning or explanation.
Only orders from Gendo and the apparently promoted Ritsuko to defend the Geofront and hold Nerv at all cost.
What in the hell is going on?! Shinji… first Shinji… and now this. Our own military coming after us? What for?!
Her bullshit detector was going through the roof. Shinji had been declared the Final Angel. Kaji was missing and had been for some time. Then there were the three... Gendo, Ritsuko, and Fuyutsuki. Those three had been keeping secrets from everyone. And now here they were, trying to hold off an invasion. Hold off for what? For how long?
Misato watched and felt a chill run down her spine as the footage revealed the military forces growing closer and closer.
Asuka… oh god… Asuka… it wasn't supposed to be this way. The Evas were made to fight Angels… not men. This world is cruel.
With a heavy heart, Misato gave the order.
"Launch."
Beyond the Observation Window, Eva Unit 02 shot up in a shower of sparks. The manmade titan flew along the pre-paved path of the launchpad and disappeared in less than a second.
She heard Maya gasp as the realization of what they were doing hit her. Hyuga gripped his computer terminal so tight that the keys clattered. Aoba only watched stiff and pale-faced.
They were sending a teenager out against an army. They were sending a child to kill men…
Misato only stared straight ahead of the main display. She couldn't allow herself to lose focus, not with so much on the line. She hadn't been a good mentor for Asuka. She wished that she had gotten closer to the girl.
The surface of the Geofront.
Asuka kept a tight grip on the controls of her Entry Plug. Eva Unit 02 responded in kind, almost alive, it stood weary at her apprehension. She felt it, she couldn't explain how or even why, only that the red titan was more in sync with her than it had been in the past.
She was almost at her old sync records, but this was deeper. More than a sync rate.
"Goddamn adults… never telling us anything," Asuka seethed quietly to herself.
Ritsuko's last orders to her rang in her ear. It's not Shinji. We're being attacked.
Attacked by who? What happened to Shinji? And why can't we trust Nerv anymore?
So many thoughts ran through her head. It left her unsure and unsteady. Was she even doing the right thing? Did she even have a choice but to follow orders?
"Asuka. Hey, can you hear me?" Misato's voice suddenly called into her ear.
She pressed a button on her comm unit and answered back.
"I hear you. What's the target? What's attacking?"
Misato. She's why I'm here. I trust her, Asuka thought. She was surprised to discover that about herself. She had never been particularly close to the older woman, and if she was honest with herself, she had been annoyed and even jealous of her playing favorites with Shinji for so long.
But Misato had never let her down. The woman had always tried to help her and Shinji and to do what she thought was best for them.
"Asuka… it's the JSSDF."
Asuka froze, her hands slipping momentarily on the controls. The Eva loosened its grip on the rifle. It took her half a second to recover.
"The military is attacking us," she said slowly. The words came reluctantly as if by slowing them she could deny its existence.
She heard Misato take a heavy breath on the other end of the comm channel.
"I don't know any more than you do. They haven't told me shit. But I'm right here. With you. We need you to hold them back and defend Nerv. Whatever's going on, those men are going to kill people. You can stop that," Misato said.
Asuka turned her Eva's head and watched the display. She could see figures closing in on the far distance, edging their way to the outskirts of the Geofront.
Those are people… human beings… she thought, face blank as stone.
Military trucks and convoys were approaching from the distance. Her heart started pounding in her chest as the size of the attacking force hit her. Hundreds if not thousands of soldiers or more.
"We're playing defense. You need to raise a-" Misato began.
BOOM.
Whatever Misato had begun to say was drowned out as the world suddenly shook, her Eva stumbled back, the Entry Plug rocked, and Asuka hissed as she was nearly thrown from her cockpit. The safety harness held her in place.
"What-" she stammered.
BOOM.
Her world shook again. She bit her own tongue and fought the urge to scream.
Evangelion Unit 02 fell to its knees. Craters formed on the grounds nearby. Smoke filled the area. The heavy plate armor protected both the machine and its pilot, but the kinetic force was like a wrecking ball slamming into her. The sheer blunt force rocked her bones.
It felt like hammers slammed into her upper body, landing solid blows against her shoulders and chest. The phantom sensations burned her face as if she'd been hit by firecrackers.
Whirling, Asuka raised an AT Field all the while kneeling on the grounds of the Geofront.
BOOM.
The explosion went off on her shield, the destructive force bouncing off and dispersing around her.
On and on. Three blasts that left her ears ringing, explosions that threw debris into the air, and that could not penetrate the AT Field.
…
Misato stared at the footage available to her. Grim-faced, she watched with the others as the blasts rocked Eva Unit 02.
"Artillery," she hissed.
An instant later, Nerv HQ itself shook.
BOOM.
Rocket Artillery slammed into the surface levels. The blast landed squarely on the compound itself. It wouldn't penetrate, the base was designed as a fortress.
They're keeping the artillery back where we can't see them… damn.
Misato hated this. With the JSSDF turning against them, Nerv had lost access to satellite imagery whilst they still had theirs. They were severely lacking in Intel, and it was costing Asuka.
"Asuka! Asuka, talk to me."
…
Asuka watched through the barely visible fog of smoke on her display. The blasts had seemed to stop.
Moving slowly, she brought Unit 02 back to its feet rifle raised with one hand, the shield raised with the other. The brilliantly bright purple light cast a strange silhouette in the smoky remains of the artillery fire.
"I'm here. The… the artillery can't stop the Eva," she called into the comm.
Even as she spoke, another blast came hurling over.
BOOM.
The explosion came not for her but for Nerv again.
Asuka whirled, still keeping her shield up, and watched as the fireballs ran across Nerv itself. Explosions reverberated through the facility's surface levels. Multiple floors rumbled. Cracks in the fortified building formed and what looked like fires began to form.
"I need to cover the base and-"
"NO." Misato cut in.
"But-"
"It's a ploy. They want you to expose the power cable. Stay there. Keep your shield up," Misato said speaking quickly.
"I… roger," Asuka responded.
Misato sounded worried. She could imagine Misato running a hand down her face as they tried to come up with a plan.
Asuka flinched as another blast rocked her world and another artillery strike hit the AT Field.
I can't even see them… whatever's hitting me. Rockets? Missiles? It's too fast. I can only block it.
…
Misato stared at the display screen. She thought fast, trying to figure out what was happening. What could they do?
"Incoming. Base sensors have detected air traffic fast approaching," Aoba suddenly called.
Maya looked from her screen, the stream of reports on Unit 02's status momentarily forgotten.
Air force… Misato realized; eyes wide.
It came to her. The JSSDF couldn't send their main force out with the Eva still standing. They couldn't invade until the path was clear. They knew they couldn't destroy Unit 02. Not without significant N2 strikes. But they didn't have to destroy it, only disable it.
"Asuka! They're coming in for airstrikes. You need to stop them," Misato called.
…
Eva Unit 02 stood on unsteady feet, rifle, and shield raised. A red titan amid the growing ruins of the Geofront, covered in ash and dirt, blackened from the debris.
Asuka looked ahead to the main force of military trucks and convoys, they were keeping their distance. She didn't even think they were in the range of her rifle.
She had to stop herself there. 'In range of her rifle'. Was she actually thinking about shooting an Evangelion rifle at living human beings?
… What are they trying to do? What the hell is this?! They can't take down the Eva!
"I see them," Asuka called back to Misato, her voice shaky.
Above the main force and from the sky itself came a collection of distant figures swarming through the Geofront. They came racing towards her and her Eva, moving at a speed that reminded her of an Angel. A collection of aircraft, a mixture of Heavy and Light Fighter Jets. Aerial Gunships.
"Asuka… you need to go on the attack. Force them back. Engage the main force," Misato said suddenly.
She felt her lips tremble at the order.
"Hurry! They came for your power cable. You need to stop them!" Misato called again.
Asuka felt her fingers shaking as the air force came closer and closer. The Fighter Jets diverted, spreading out in a wide formation as she raised her rifle. Their shadows swept the grounds, racing ever closer for her and Unit 02.
She pulled the trigger, firing off a short burst well below the on-coming squad of Fighter Jets. A warning shot.
The air force kept coming, spreading out further and further, no doubt expecting to lose men in the strike against her Eva.
She heard herself breathing hard. Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it would burst from her chest.
ZOOM.
The sound rang in her ears, the Eva's and her own, as the Fighter Jets came for her. A low roar that carried a threat of violence.
"Asuka! Please… I know it's hard. Defend yourself! Please!" Misato cried into her ear.
"I… I can't… Those are… those are people," she stammered.
Blinking back a tear, she raised the rifle and fired another warning burst. Bullets larger than trucks went flying through the air, all went wide deliberately missing the aircraft as they drew near.
The comm channel was overridden and suddenly a new voice filled her ear. The voice of the Sub-Commander himself.
"Pilot Sohryu, this is a direct order. Engage the enemy. Defend Nerv," Fuyutsuki said. The old man's voice was grim and stern, shaky although he tried to hide it.
Asuka raised her shield once more as the squadrons of Fighter Jets swarmed Eva Unit 02. They circled around her Eva, more than a dozen figures in the air. Manmade fireflies that whizzed rings around the red titan, each carrying a soul.
Missiles launched. Bullets fired.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Sparks flew as Fighter Jets fired and rounds slammed into the Eva's plate armor.
BOOM.
Missiles struck the AT Field and exploded harmlessly upon its surface, unable to break through the shield.
She could have swatted them away… the closest ones… the brave souls who dared to take on an Evangelion head-on. She could have brought the AT Field on them like a battering ram, could have ripped the steel to pieces, she could have brought the rifle on them like a club.
Instead, she stumbled backward maneuvering the shield to block their attacks.
Memories flashed by her mind as she stood against the Fighter Jets. Memories of her training, of her commitment to becoming an Eva Pilot. Of her first sync test and her first piloting run.
Fight the Angels. Defend Mankind.
That had been the slogan. What she had agreed to do, what she had clamored to do.
Be a prodigy. Be strong.
That had been the truth underneath it all. What she had known deep down. And yet she found herself questioning everything.
It was one thing to kill an Angel. It was another to kill a man.
BOOM.
She blocked missiles with her AT Field. Bullets clambered harmlessly against her plate armor, feeling like little more than ant bites from the phantom sensations.
BOOM.
Blinking back tears, Asuka let out an agonized shout and swatted her Eva's arm wide. The titan's arm cleaved through the air with countless tons of weight behind it. Fighter Jets were struck and the air was filled with fire and smoke, blood and steel rain from the debris.
Two. She had taken two of them down.
I… I just killed people…
She felt numb and wrong down to her core.
The remaining aircraft whizzed around her spreading out once more. Widening their formation and firing all around her.
A warning flashed on her display: POWER CABLE HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED.
With a start, Asuka realized what had happened. The brave souls, those few that had charged head on to meet her had been a distraction. Human pawns to be thrown away if needed… the other pilots… they had shot for her power cable.
She whirled and saw the burnt and damaged remains of her power cable. It was severed several hundred feet from where she and her Eva stood. The JSSDF had scored multiple direct hits upon getting within range. They had expected to lose men in the charge and yet they'd done it anyway.
Asuka's eyes widened. She was in a whole other game now.
"Asuka! We'll send you another cable. Please… protect yourself!" Misato cried into her ear.
Fuyutsuki was speaking as well, giving out orders in the comm channel.
But before she could respond her world went dark. The computer terminal inside the cockpit of her Entry Plug went blank and all the lights shut off.
Her comm was disconnected. Eva Unit 02 fell to a kneeling position on the grounds of the Geofront. She was out of power.
JSSDF Mobile Command Center.
Lieutenant Colonel Hashi stood at attention inside of his fortified armored truck. A mobile command center that could be deployed at a safe distance alongside its forces. Screens displayed real-time Intel for him and a select few of the command staff.
Satellite imagery gave him an overview of the first wave and he saw in real-time as Evangelion Unit 02 was brought to its knees.
"Report in," Hashi said into his military comms unit.
There was a moment of delay, people working behind the scenes as the pilots continued to circle the Eva. The Fighter Jets continued their assault on the massive titan of human engineering, they swarmed it on its knees, firing missiles and bullets, showering the giant in fireballs, all the while keeping their formation spread out.
The smoke cleared and still, Unit 02 knelt where it had fallen. A colossus covered in ash and smog, unbroken but also unmoving.
"Sir. The Eva is down. No power readings. No responses from continuous bombardment," a voice called back to him.
Hashi nodded, thinking it over.
They're designed to have five minutes of emergency power. A reserve for the loss of a cable, Hashi thought.
A ploy or trick? He didn't think so. Perhaps they had gotten lucky and damaged the Eva more significantly then they'd realized. It was a gamble, engaging an Evangelion Unit was never going to be easy, and luck had seldom been in his favor.
Hashi stared at the live feed from the satellite, watching as the aircraft continued to circle the Eva.
"Call the birds back. Retreat," he ordered suddenly.
"Roger that. Recalling the Air Force," a voice responded.
He knew the black ops squads were waiting. He could feel those cold, cold, men within the ranks of his own soldiers eying the Geofront. He watched as the surviving Fighter Jets flew back, leaving the Eva standing vigil, a lone statue amid the battlefield, covered in dirt and blackened ashes. Two casualties. That was what it had cost to disable Eva Unit 02. The first of the day, and not the last.
Hashi took a deep breath. Part of being a leader was to accept death. His men would die no matter what he did. He did his best to avoid and minimize it. But war is war, and there comes a time when playing it safe is no longer an option. For war is soulless and bloody.
He turned to his fellow command staff and officers in the mobile command center and gave the order.
"Eva Unit 02 has been disabled. Launch the invasion. Send in the Second Wave."
The Second Wave.
Misato stared at the screens, her face pale.
"Asuka! Asuka!" she called into the comm.
Silence was her answer.
She whirled to Maya and the others. The scientists poured over the data and slowly, Maya spoke up first.
"Unit 02 is down… the comms are down. Asuka's health vitals are reading clear. But there's no power at all. She's stuck in there," Maya said slowly.
"What happened to the emergency power?!" Misato asked.
Maya flinched, her face a deep frown. Aoba spoke up for her saying, "we don't know."
We don't know... just like everything else lately, she thought bitterly.
Misato shifted on unsteady feet, glancing back at the limited video feed from the outside. Eva Unit 02 was down…
Asuka… please be okay.
…
The surface of the Geofront.
The JSSDF ground forces rolled through the blackened and scorched lands that had been the grounds of Nerv. Military vehicles filled to the brim with soldiers drove ahead and swerved around the craters that littered the surface.
Eva Unit 02 knelt, an unmoving figure that loomed over them as they passed. Above them all the air force was retreating, their role in the operation was played out. Now it was the infantry's turn.
Dozens and dozens of green and black armored vehicles began to converge on the entrance to Nerv. All the compound's entrances had been sealed with retractable walls the moment the compound went into lockdown, thick steel that would only slow the invaders down.
The Third Breach of Nerv was minutes away.
…
Asuka slammed her fists into the controls of her cockpit.
"Move! Move! Move!" she sobbed.
Why wasn't it working?! She was supposed to have five minutes of emergency power.
She sank into her seat and hung her head low, a lone girl in the cramped confines of the Entry Plug. Cast in the red glow of the emergency lights. Completely out of power. Unable to form even the smallest sync rate, unable to operate the Eva at all.
Nothing more than a teenager sitting in a sealed metal tube whilst men came to kill her friends and co-workers.
She herself had killed people. A single swing of her arm and Unit 02 had downed two of the Fighter Jets.
This wasn't what she had signed up for. It was wrong. It was all wrong…
She hiccupped in the silence of the dimly lit cockpit. Suddenly, a new light emerged as the terminal screen flickered to life once again.
Asuka rose to her feet rushing to the terminal.
Misato, she thought. She had to save the woman. She had to pilot the Eva and fight.
The terminal displayed a series of text on a blank screen. None of the former options remained, only the string of text.
Asuka. Stay here. Do not leave the Eva under any circumstance. There's more going on than you know. You will be safe here.
I will need you to pilot again before this is over. Unit 02 still has emergency power. I have delayed its activation for the time being.
When this is over, I promise I will explain everything. But I need you. We need you. Remain in your Eva. You will have to pilot again. And you'll have backup.
- Ritsuko Akagi.
Nerv Main Command Center.
Fuyutsuki stared at the security camera feeds with a stern nearly defeated face. The JSSDF was cutting through the sealed doors and entrances, using C4 to blast their way past walls too thick or too time-consuming to deal with.
Soldiers were forcing their way inside and there was nothing that could stop them from getting in. War would fill the halls within minutes.
Ritsuko triggered the emergency alarm and the siren blared overhead, it radiated throughout most of Nerv as Section-2 security forces began to rally at their fortified positions.
She took a breath to calm herself and reached into her coat.
Fuyutsuki began to speak, shaky but direct. "They'll have to fight their way through every floor. We should coordinate with the other-"
The old man froze as he felt a metallic object rest against the back of his head. A single cold chill spread to his chest and limbs. He gagged as the memories of dark rooms and holograms, of being bound to a chair for hours, came flooding to him.
"Don't scream," Ritsuko said carefully.
"… You… you're one of them too?" Fuyutsuki said, his voice trembling in utter disbelief.
Ritsuko ignored his question and kept the pistol to his head.
"Turn around slowly," Ritsuko ordered, sounding much more confident than she felt.
She was shaken by the invasion herself, weary and scared, and yet she found a firmness in herself within that moment. These people, Gendo, Fuyutsuki, and SEELE, they had used everyone. They had planned the end of mankind for their own selfish goals and their alliance had been a fragile one at best.
Her life's work and her mother's legacy had been twisted to their vile needs. She had done unspeakable acts in their name. Now, just as the Broken Man had promised, this was her chance to make it right.
Fuyutsuki gasped at the sight of her gun.
"Hand over your phone, your id card, and your comm unit," Ritsuko said, forcing her voice to be steady.
The old man placed them all one by one, with unsteady terrified hands, on the console nearby. He looked so frail at that moment. His appearance didn't matter to Ritsuko, for no matter how weak he seemed, Fuyutsuki had chosen to follow Gendo in his madness and she found no pity for him. Just as she had no pity for her own past.
Keeping the gun to his head, she pulled her own comm unit free and held it close for him to speak.
"Now you're going to give an order. Authorized by the Director of Nerv himself," Ritsuko told him with a gun to his head.
…
Misato cursed as she tried her comm unit again and again. It was useless, she could only hope that Asuka would remain in her Entry Plug until this was over. If this would be over. She didn't allow herself to think of the alternative. It wouldn't come to that.
She prayed that the JSSDF continued on their path and left the disabled Evangelion Unit for later.
Asuka… stay safe… Misato pleaded. She had always had a distant relationship with religion, what little that she did have was because of her father, but at that moment she prayed to any God and to the universe itself. She clutched the cross pendant around her neck, the only remaining link to her dad, and prayed that no harm would come to the German teenager.
The sirens blaring overhead stopped momentarily only to be replaced by the Sub-Commander's voice once again. Kozo Fuyutsuki spoke over the intercom.
"Attention all… all non-combat staff. This is a direct order from the Director of Nerv. There are a series of classified labs on the 11th floor of the lower levels of the compound. Deep underground. They can be reached by any stairwell. Elevators are shut down for the safety of the compound. Any and all access doors leading to the labs will now be unlocked and made open to all. You have 15 minutes to retreat to the labs… and then they will close once again. You are to remain sealed inside for the duration of the… the invasion. You will be safe there. A bunker to wait out the battle. Proceed quickly and calmly, all Section 2 security forces are hereby ordered to allow you to pass."
What? Misato thought awe-struck.
Fuyutsuki continued onward saying, "this includes Captain Katsuragi and the science teams as well as all maintenance staff and technicians."
Maya, Aoba, and Hyuga all rose to their feet in disbelief. Ritsuko's science team, co-workers and assistants to the Eva Pilots since the beginning.
"But what about Ritsuko? She can't… she can't be staying? She… has to go hide with the rest of us," Maya stammered suddenly.
"I… I'm sure they have a plan. Ritsuko knows what to do. She always does," Hyuga said, his voice uneven as he spoke.
Aoba only stared overhead before making up his mind. "Misato, come on. We need to go. That 15-minute window will close sooner than you think," the man said.
Misato only crossed her arms thinking over Fuyutsuki's sudden message, orders from the Director himself.
"Misato," Aoba called again.
The science team was looking at her. Maya reached over to tug on her arm, but Misato pulled away. She made up her mind.
"You three go on ahead. I'll meet you there in the labs to bunker down later," she said calmly.
"What? No, they ordered us to go to safety-" Maya stammered.
"I'll meet you there. Now go. You have your orders. Be safe, don't get in Section 2's way they have a war to fight," Misato interrupted.
They didn't want to leave her, but she forced them to go on without her.
Misato parted ways with them and hoped that they made it in time. The siren was still blaring, and people were rushing to the stairwells looking for ways to reach the 11th floor underground, bypassing several doors that had once been locked and guarded.
Misato passed worried looking men and women, Section 2 security forces taking up position and fully armed, all in an eerie certainty. She reached into her own jacket and pulled free her pistol.
It was time she got some goddamn answers.
…
Ritsuko led the Sub-Commander of Nerv away from the crowds of people on their way to the safety of the classified labs. She walked him at gunpoint down halls and around corners making sure no one saw them.
The old man put up no resistance and held his hands raised meekly in the face of a gun barrel pointed between his eyes.
She led him to one of the Eva Piloting simulation chambers. The place where the pilots had used the test entry plugs to safely experiment and train without risking any physical incidents with the Evas themselves.
"Get in," Ritsuko ordered, opening a testing plug.
"… what?" Fuyutsuki gasped, utterly confused.
Ritsuko gestured with the gun and the old man began to sweat, he walked slowly into the test plug, an elderly man squeezed into a mock cockpit for an Evangelion's Entry Plug.
"You'll be safe here until the battle is over. Don't panic and don't scream. You don't want the JSSDF to find you, trust me on that," Ritsuko said.
Fuyutsuki only stared at her even more confused than ever.
She locked him inside the test entry plug. The metal tube sealed with the old man still inside. Hidden from the rest of the world, his location unknown to all but one.
Ritsuko sighed once Fuyutsuki had safely been hidden. She reached into her coat and pulled free the man's Nerv id card. It would grant access to every system in the compound, it was to hold authority within her hands that was second only to Gendo Ikari himself.
Later.
The massacre at Nerv.
Doors and walls were cut down, blown open, and then steamrolled through. JSSDF soldiers filled into the halls making their way through with military efficiency.
Gunfire erupted on the first level of the surface portion of the compound. Bullets flew between the attackers and the defenders.
Section 2 security forces met the invaders with everything they had. They took defensive positions and used fortified sections of the first floor to cut away at the attacking force.
It wasn't enough.
Explosions rocked the base as RPGs were launched. The booms and crackles of blasts after blasts tore through entire walls and sent debris flying. Flamethrowers were deployed and the screams that followed were terrifying to behold.
All the while, the siren blared overhead. An overbearing sound that mixed with the roar of gunfire and explosions to create a nightmarish storm of violence.
The JSSDF push their way through the first three floors in minutes. Losing few but crushing past Nerv's internal defensives. Fully trained and equipped armed troops utterly decimating the security force that Gendo Ikari had created and funded.
The security forces found themselves losing more and more ground, forced to retreat as they lost more and more men. Entire floors being cleared one level at a time.
Nerv's non-combat staff, all manner of technician, engineer, and workers had scrambled for the safety promised to them within a 15-minute window. Not all of them made it.
Men and women who knew nothing of war were caught in the crossfire and found themselves too late to reach the safety of the now sealed classified labs.
"Please…"
"No don't-"
Those were the cries of the non-combatants, little more than civilians, as they were gunned down. For the JSSDF, the rules of engagement had been made clear. Kill on sight.
The soldiers themselves reacted to it differently. All veterans. Some did their duty with a cool detachment, continuing the operation calmly and efficiently. Others paused with disgust in the brief moments of respite between battles. All of them pushed forward, the mission was more important. Stopping another Impact Event and saving mankind was all that mattered.
And within that controlled chaos of battle, two squads of black-ops soldiers moved like ghosts throughout the compound. Hunting for Gendo Ikari. And conducting a mission that was theirs alone. Separate from the JSSDF.
Elsewhere.
Underground tunnels.
The train car sped along its track with a whirl. It moved faster than a car could ever dream of, and yet it still seemed too slow.
Shinji Ikari sat anxiously in his seat. The stolen gun held in his hand and watching the windows carefully, watching as they moved through the dark. The lone passenger smuggling himself back into Nerv.
Before faking his own death, Shinji had parted ways with Kaji and headed for one of the service tunnels Nerv used to send supplies to the Evas during combat. The process of sending an Eva Unit resupply had required a herculean amount of infrastructure.
Infrastructure that had needed maintenance and a supply line of its own. An entire network of tunnels that led back to the Geofront, all part of Tokyo-03's defenses and the Eva Programs.
He had found the automated depot and using rigged id cards that Ritsuko had created for him, he had gone inside and found the one remaining active train car in all of Nerv. All others had been disabled by the order of Director Ikari himself. Except that Ritsuko had managed to leave one left unsealed just for him.
As for Kaji, the spy had played his role and 'killed' Shinji Ikari. Presenting the fake corpse to Nerv and convincing Gendo to move forward and thus, convincing SEELE to move forward too.
It was all going according to plan. The JSSDF would eventually find the depot and the missing train car, but by then it would be too late. With the military only guarding the tunnel to ensure that no one escaped by smuggling themselves out. The tunnels were built for small teams of engineers, not to ferry an army.
Today, the train car carried a single passenger.
He felt a tinge of pain and grunted softly. Instinctively, he reached a hand to his chest.
Don't touch it.
Shinji looked up and found the mental projection of the Broken Man sitting across from him. A haunted older reflection of himself dressed in rags.
"I know. There's still a bullet in there," he found himself saying.
The Broken Man nodded. "When this is over, you're going to need proper medical treatment. Probably surgery. Don't push it. You need to play it safe."
"Yeah," Shinji rasped.
He felt the box inside, the pain he had locked away within him, stir but he held it back.
Mari… oh, Mari…
Kaji had been right. He knew why he was doing this. Why he had chosen to help the Broken Man. No matter how much he was torn up inside, however much his girlfriend's betrayal had broken him, he had people to save. That gave him not just a strength, but a determination to see things through.
He saw all their faces flash by him in his mind's eye. He wasn't even the same person he had been when he'd arrived in Tokyo-03. So much had happened, and yet it felt so fast.
The train car began to slow.
Shinji looked up and found their destination approaching. The end of the track in one of the underground levels of Nerv.
"Let's go."
Together, the Shinji(s) rose to their feet just as the train car pulled to a stop. The doors opened with a soft whine and they stepped onto the small train station on the 8th floor of the underground levels.
The platform was dimly lit and empty. Devoid of any workers or staff. The entrance to the rest of the compound, the rest of the underground levels of Nerv, was sealed. Thick steel doors had retracted to block any intruders from getting in. A precaution ordered by Director Ikari himself.
Shinji stood barely a foot away from the steel barrier and waited.
Suddenly, the grinding of metal upon metal erupted onto the platform and echoed across the underground space.
She made it, he thought. He felt a small wave of relief wash over him.
The barrier began to retract, sliding upward and disappearing from sight, revealing a series of stairs and another retracting barrier. Two layers of security.
Shinji walked past them both and found his partner waiting for him anxiously.
Ritsuko Akagi stood in the hallway leading to the rest of Nerv. She had a gun in one hand, and Kozo Fuyutsuki's id card in the other. She had used the Sub-Commander's authorization to override the security doors and smuggle Shinji back inside.
She breathed a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of him.
The doors began to whir behind him, the retractable thick steel walls resealing and locking the station down once more. The process left an audible thud.
"Your eyes… you're not wearing your contacts anymore?" Ritsuko asked him.
"It's a long story. Mari is working with SEELE. I had to ditch them," Shinji said flatly. He was getting better at talking about it. The box inside him held firm.
Ritsuko blinked back in surprise, trying to think of something to say.
"Did you get the non-combatants to safety?" the Broken Man asked.
Ritsuko got ahold of herself and nodded. "I did. Fuyutsuki's orders and all. The JSSDF is moving quickly though, they've already reached the fourth-floor underground."
Thank god. All those people… have to save as many as we can, Shinji thought.
"Then the Third Wave is almost here. It's only a matter of time before Keel releases them. I can sense them. There's… there's more of them this time," the Broken Man said.
"Right," Ritsuko said, feeling a tightness in her chest. She was running on pure adrenaline, it was nerve-racking, doing all she did, but she was here. She was helping.
She handed him Fuyutsuki's id card, and with it, he could bypass any doors that stood in his path.
The Shinji(s) took her hand as she handed them the id card.
"The old man is going to need your help out there. Be safe, keep a low profile," Shinji told her.
His eyes shifted, turning hollow and tired, and then the Broken Man spoke softly.
"You've been very brave. And you will need to be brave one more time before this is over. For what it's worth, you have a kind soul."
Ritsuko watched breathlessly as the Broken Man squeezed her hand gently.
"This day, the two of us will right our wrongs. Thank you, Ritsuko."
Something shifted in the Broken Man's expression, a lightness that she had never seen in the old man before. Relief? Something almost like the ghost of joy? She couldn't say.
Ritsuko smiled at him, the both of them. She smiled for the Other who no longer could.
"You're the brave ones. Not me. Now go. I've slowed you down enough," she said.
The Shinji(s) released her hand and started forward only to stop suddenly. They gripped their gun tight as footsteps approached quietly.
"Someone's here. Get ready," the Broken Man said, his voice low.
Ritsuko raised her gun and the Shinji(s) did the same as a figure came bounding around the corner with a gun of her own.
...
Misato emerged onto the platform.
The look she gave the two of them was utterly dumbfounded.
Shinji lowered his gun and then raised a hand to lower Ritsuko's as well. They all stood frozen for a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity. Misato staring at the two in complete shock.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be bunkering down with the others?" Ritsuko said, holding up a hand calmly.
Misato lowered her own gun.
"I followed you… I saw you leaving the old testing rooms… without Fuyutsuki," Misato said, her eyes never leaving Shinji.
She's… she's scared of me, Shinji realized slowly. There was a tension in her shoulders that left her stiff.
"You're alive," Misato whispered at him, a low little thing that escaped her lips.
She looked on the verge of tears, and the gun shook in her hands.
"Misato-" he began.
"There's an infection inside you. Foreign DNA. Gendo told me everything. Oh, Shinji, why did you hide the voice from me? Are you even there? Is that you?" Misato continued, her tone hurt and lost.
"Gendo doesn't know everything-" Ritsuko began, taking a step forward.
"I wasn't talking to you," Misato interrupted coldly. The gun in her hand shifted and Ritsuko took a step back.
There's so much you don't know. Oh, Misato.
He could feel the Broken Man shifting inside him. The old man was somber and sad at the sight of Misato. He hadn't wanted her involved at all.
"Yes, I'm still in here. It's me. It's always been me," Shinji said softly.
"… come with me. We'll sort this out and we can… we can find a doctor or someone. We'll find a way to cut it out of your head forever," Misato said suddenly. Her eyes were desperate.
He saw the love in her eyes, the maternal instinct that she had grown for him. It warmed his heart.
"Misato. We're in a war zone. I can't go with you. Not until we've stopped the fighting," Shinji said, his voice soft but firm.
He walked over to her and smiled. Even now, believing him to be the Final Angel, she wanted to help him. She wanted to save him. She was still looking out for him. It nearly brought him to tears. She really was the closest thing to a mother that he ever had.
Misato shook taking a step back, but Shinji pressed forward. He grabbed her hand and brought the gun to his own head.
She gasped, keeping her finger far from the trigger.
"Gendo has been lying to you. He's a madman and he's planning another Impact Event. That's why the JSSDF is invading. But they are only pawns in another game," the Broken Man said, voice weary and filled with regret. It hurt him, to see her standing here. What he wouldn't have given for things to be different.
Misato's eyes widened as the Other spoke. She finally saw it. The thing inside the boy's head.
"You weren't supposed to be here… there's a bigger story. Players that remained hidden. The truth about the Eva Program."
The Broken Man lowered his eyes, somber and remorseful as he held Misato's hand.
Shinji the boy looked up to meet her eyes.
"But you know me. I am not the Final Angel. I'm working to stop my father. You've seen what he is. He's a monster. He's hurt Rei. He sent Asuka out to fight an army. And he planned my death for years. Please, Misato… you know me. I'm not what they say," Shinji said, pleading gently.
Misato lowered the gun, nearly dropping it.
"I promise you, I'm still me," the boy said firmly.
She closed her eyes tight, almost tearing up before taking a deep breath.
"You… the both of you… no the three of you have been up to this. Scheming away with your secrets. Kaji, Ritsuko… and you Shinji," Misato stammered.
She shook her head continuing, "Kaji left me a message before he disappeared, and he sounded… he sounded like he was going to die… but then something changed. He went missing and you changed too."
Misato turned to Ritsuko accusingly.
"You're right. Kaji and I, we were working with Shinji to stop Gendo. You've seen how he is. He's abandoned everything and now the JSSDF is after us," Ritsuko said stepping forward once again.
"And Kaji? He's a spy, isn't he? He got me released when Fuyutsuki was kidnapped. Never said how. Is… is he dead?" Misato asked, a slight tremor in her voice.
"He's alive. I wouldn't be here without him. He kept me safe when this all started," Shinji answered.
"... Oh, Shinji, what did they get you into?" Misato said quietly, glancing back to her old friend.
"I chose to get involved," Shinji said firmly.
She put a hand to his face, cupping his cheek in a somber show of affection.
"You should have told me," she said slowly.
"We only wanted to keep you safe," he countered softly.
"It's supposed to be the other way around," Misato said, hints of bitterness working their way into her voice. Bitterness at the state of the world. At where they were standing and what they were doing.
"What is it? The thing in your head?" Misato asked, bits of fear and apprehension, concern and pity, all mixing into her voice.
"It's a story that I don't have time to explain. I know it's a lot to take in, there are gaps, things that we kept from you. Ask yourself, who do you trust? Gendo Ikari, or me?" Shinji said, feeling so much older than he really was at that moment.
"… you," she answered simply. Misato had seen how the Director of Nerv had been. Secretive and scheming, ordering Asuka to first kill Shinji if necessary, and then to defend Nerv as the JSSDF came for them.
She had joined Nerv to get revenge, to fight the Angels, and to stop another Impact Event from ever happening again. This… a war zone inside the compound itself… sending a teenager against the military… keeping everyone out of the loop… it was too much.
This was a leap of faith. One she took knowing that the boy that she knew as Shinji Ikari was no monster, he was no abomination. She had seen him grow so much and so fast from that lonely child she had met in the city months ago.
Gendo could go to hell.
Shinji lowered her hand gently, removing it from his cheek.
"I have to go now. I need to save Rei," he said.
"Rei?" Misato asked with a frown.
"She's the key to all of this," Ritsuko said, a regretful look on her face. The scientist shifted uncomfortably from where she stood.
"If we save Rei then we save the world. I promised that I would find her," Shinji said, firm and filled with an unyielding intent.
"Then we'll go with you," Misato said, glancing at Ritsuko.
"No."
"Shinji. I can't let you go alone-"
"Yes, you can. You want to help? Keep Ritsuko safe. Asuka will need you, both of you. This isn't over, and she's still out there. Alone." Shinji said.
Misato made to protest but Shinji shook his head. She looked to Ritsuko for support, but her old friend agreed with the boy. No, not the boy. The young man.
"… okay," Misato said reluctantly. It was all so much to take in, so many revelations to absorb.
He hugged her, once and briefly, before heading out on his own with a gun in hand.
Misato watched him go standing beside Ritsuko.
"Come on, we need to prepare for the Third Wave," Ritsuko said as Shinji disappeared amid the halls of Nerv's lower levels.
Misato turned to her, "Third Wave huh?"
The old friends acknowledged each other. There had been tension between them, secrets that had strained their relationship, now things were slowly mending. Shinji was alive, Ritsuko and Kaji had been helping him, and that changed everything.
Ritsuko nodded and the two of them headed off together with the scientist taking the lead. For better or worse, Misato was involved now.
Misato double-checked her gun and followed after her old friend, the woman who had betrayed Gendo and worked with a spy and a teenager to undermine him.
Shinji stalked through the halls as quietly as he could. The Broken Man with him for every step he took in the underground.
Above, he could hear the faint sounds of gunfire. The JSSDF still had several floors to fight through before they reached him.
The Shinji(s) reached out with their Angel senses, glimpsing the network that bonded all of their kind. The multi-colored threads that were invisible and immaterial to human eyes. He looked and looked within the mass of empty spaces, voids were the once-mighty Children of Adam had been, and then he found a single red connection.
A thin and battered presence in the network. A lone thread.
Rei… I'm coming for you.
Through the underground levels of Nerv, the JSSDF pushed onward. Soldiers storming through the compound floor by floor, leaving corpses in their wake as Section-2 security forces fell again and again.
Bullets rang in a bitter harsh chorus. Explosions rocked the walls and sent debris and ash flying. Smoke filled long and wide corridors and halls.
Down below even further, a pale girl sat locked in her cell under guard. Red eyes framed by silver-blue hair.
Below even that was a madman preparing a ritual to abandon the world in its entirety, leaving it behind for a new better one. A world of his own creation, a false dream that he would live in for an eternity. And within Gendo Ikari's own hand, woven inside the flesh itself, the First Angel stirred. Adam was recovering.
Further down, at the very bottom of Nerv itself lay a prison with one lone occupant.
The Second Angel lay imprisoned to her cross. Little more than half a torso, Lilith lay mutilated and scarred, crucified and left weakened for years. Gargantuan red eyes stirred behind the titan's faceplate.
I played around with 'time' for this two-parter. We jump ahead to the aftermath, and now we're working our way back to that moment.
I hope that wasn't too bad of a cut off point. I tried to make it set up the next part of Wrath.
This chapter ends right where Shinji is smuggled back into Nerv. After not appearing for quite some time, Shinji is back and he's coming to save Rei!
Misato is now involved, she was too stubborn to go hide with the others.
Lilith is imprisoned but awake, and we know that something is gonna happen later. Cue dramatic music.
What did you think of Ritsuko? She's had to do a lot 'off-screen' and has been biding her time.
What did you think of the JSSDF attacking Nerv? It's a dark part of the story and I didn't want to shy away from that. I know people might be surprised at Asuka's reaction to the invasion, but this is something I feel the original series and film did not explore very well. Asuka is fighting real human people, she's only a teenager and has never killed a human before. I really wanted to emphasize that.
I have a good portion of Chapter 47: Wrath part 2 drafted and I hope to update soon.
Thanks for Reading and please Review!
Stay safe everyone.