VI.

The object was first spotted flying over the Pacific Ocean around dusk. Very quickly, MAGI ascertained it was an Angel.

Misato grumbled, "As if it could be anything else."

The bridge was a buzz with activity now that another Angel was on the approach. Misato was on the bridge early. Ritsuko was the next to appear.

The blond woman spoke, "Both Evangelion 01 and Evangelion unit 02 are on standby, awaiting the pilots."

Misato glanced at the clock to judge where Shinji and Rei would be in relation to their school schedules. With the evening casting long shadows they both should have been home by now. "And unit 00?"

Ritsuko looked at her. "No chance. It's still in bakelite from the accident. I need days to get it operational, unless you want to take risks."

Misato huffed a quiet note of irritation. "So it's down to the overworked pilot and the rookie."


Asuka's cell phone was the designated alert device used to summon her in response to an Angel Attack warning. She could have selected the special pager NERV had made for such a purpose, but since she had her phone with her anyway…

She hurried out the door and slammed it closed behind her. About to run for the stairs she hesitated, and looked down the row of doors to Shinji's apartment. Had he been given a pager? If he had, why wasn't he out here? Perhaps he was elsewhere?

He was new. He might not know.

…He wasn't her problem. In fact, the more distance she took, the better. To keep him safe.

She turned back towards the stairs but stopped. Would she be admonished by other people for not, at least, checking? Her mother might be happy she was a good little cog, but what of the rest of NERV?

And… she wanted his company.

Her fist banged on the heavy door. "Shinji?" When there was nothing she tried the doorbell. Still nothing.

"He must be ou-" Asuka started saying to herself when the door opened suddenly, making her jump.

Shinji was in house clothes, swallowing a mouthful of his dinner. "Swowy." He said, swallowed more, then asked, "What's happening? What are those sirens?"

In that instant Asuka became aware of how very unprepared Shinji was for all of this. Angels. Combat. Fighting. Mortality. It was going to become very real for him.

She exclaimed, "You've never been briefed!? An Angel is coming! We have to get to our Evas and prepare for battle!"

Panic flashed into Shinji's eyes. He was in a simple t-shirt and shorts with flip flops. "W-what do I do? Do I need to dress? Wait that's-"

Shinji had retreated into his unit to look for things to grab. Asuka followed him in, shouting at him, "get your key to get back here and have some decent shoes, we need to do a lot of running!"


In the end while Shinji changed, Asuka called the base to flag a transport from their location. It only occurred to her then how inconveniently placed the buildings were from the nearest base entry.

While they rode in the car, Asuka was trying to brief Shinji about what he was about to face. "Angels are giant monsters we fight with our Evas. Each angel has a core, which we must destroy in order to defeat the angel. Each angel comes with special abilities and attributes we need to overcome."

"O-okay." Shinji said, nodding along. Then he asked, "Why are they attacking?"

"What do you mean, why? They're big stupid monsters driven by instinct. You don't ask why Godzilla attacks a city."

"But… isn't it weird that they keep coming here? What draws them to this city?"

Asuka didn't know that answer either. it also occurred to her then that Evangelion development had coincided precisely with the arrival of the Angels. Were they connected?

She shook her head. "Right now I don't care, those things come here and threaten humanity and our home. We have to stop them."

Shinji was staring out the window of the car as it rode down to the geofront. "Yeah but," he said, "if we knew why they were attacking, maybe we wouldn't have to fight."


Misato wasn't facing the entrances to the bridge, but she still felt Kyoko Zeppelin enter. "Are the children here yet?" The redhead demanded.

Ritsuko answered for Misato. "No, but they're en route. Eta twelve minutes."

Kyoko grunted. "It would be a lot faster if they were quartered on the base."

Another pair of heels clipped onto the bridge, and the cool, poised woman in them came to a stop beside Misato. Yui Ikari asked, "Is the target confirmed as an Angel?"

Makoto answered, "MAGI estimates 96% probability. It's approaching the coastline now."

Misato asked, "Can we get a visual?"

The back wall screen flicked over to an image projected from coastal monitor cameras. The massive octahedron shone the light of the reflecting sun on its mirror surfaces as it advanced. Unlike the previous attackers on Tokyo-3, this one looked unnatural with its perfect angles.

Misato looked below the monitor at the hologram display, which showed the position of the angel in relation to the local topology. She asked, "is the JSSDF engaging?"

Aoba responded, "No ma'am, they report local defenses are exhausted."

Kyoko grunted, "The cowards just field excuses instead of doing their jobs."

Ritsuko replied, "Considering they intercepted both previous angels and intervened when unit 02 lost cohesion, perhaps we should be more understanding?"

Kyoko's head whirled. "Perhaps they should be working harder to preserve the strength of the last fortress of mankind? If we fall, it's game over."

Yui toned, "Ladies, please. We have an angel to kill." She looked at Misato.

Katsuragi was already studying the tactical situation and trying to figure out how to array her forces. On deck she had two Evangelions; one overworked, the other fresh with a zero experience rookie. They hadn't even had time to brief him, much to her quiet irritation.

Misato needed to choose which kid to put on the firing line.


On an elevator down to the cages, Asuka had said, "I'll change first. I can do it quicker and get to my Evangelion. Follow up when you can."

"O-ohkay." Shinji replied shakily.

Asuka caught his hesitancy. "Shinji, do you need my help?"

"N-no I can do it!"

Asuka sighed and turned to face him. "Shinji, this is important, and I want you to answer me honestly. Do. you. need. my. help?"

"Y-yes." The boy sighed.

"Okay." Asuka said, "I will help you." She turned back to the door.

Shinji lowered his head. "I-im sorry. I feel like I'm wasting everyone's time."

Not mine, Asuka thought, you're the only friend I have in this hellhole.

What she said instead was, "You've had zero training. The least I can do is help you so you don't repeat my mistakes when the time comes."

She wasn't facing Shinji, but she could hear his hesitance before he said, "I-i heard about what happened in your first battle."

Asuka turned her head. "What did they tell you?"

"T-that it didn't go well, at first." She said.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. Shinji started to take a step forward when Asuka stopped in the frame of the door and held a hand against the door to stop it.

"It didn't." Asuka said. "You asked me if Eva is safe to pilot. In some ways it is, in some ways it isn't. In the Evangelion you are a superhero, capable of punching buildings and running great distances without tiring. In exchange, you feel all the pain when you're injured or hurt."

Shinji had been listening, a serious look on his face. When Asuka had finished, he lowered his eyes to the ground, clenching his fists. "Okay." He said, "thank you."

"You're welcome." she replied. And the two teens ran for the lockers.


Asuka changed first, and on the way out reminded him, "Wrist trigger to close and activate the suit, A10 connectors in hair. Got it?"

Shinji nodded, and Asuka left him, running across the pavement of the cages then flying up the stairs to her unit. She was in her Evangelion within moments.

She was worried about Shinji. Specifically, what would become of him when the fighting started, and if the Angel would target him first. The humiliation was bad enough for her when she went through it. What would become of Shinji, who was thrown into all of this?

I might be the only one standing between him and getting hurt, she realized.

She gripped the control handles. I have to protect him.

I'm the only one who can.

Suddenly the English string came into being before her face. She read them.

I'm proud of you for being so valiant.

She gripped the handles tighter. Even if it was random phrases from some distant corner of the computer mainframe, somehow, that made her feel better. That she could use her machine for good.


The object was coming into visual range of the city just as both pilots reported ready. Kyoko grumbled, "took them long enough."

Misato took a look around the bridge. Kyoko was leaning over Maya's station. Ritsuko stood beside Aoba. Behind Misato on the center of level was Yui, studying the hologram readout beyond where Misato was standing.

Gendo and Fuyutsuki were absent.

Misato looked back at the map, then stepped forward. "Open a line to both pilots."

Windows came up. Shinji was, as expected, nervous looking. This was only his second time in the Evangelion. Asuka though, was looking unusually focused. This was not the hesitant little girl hounded by her mother.

Misato didn't dignify Kyoko with a glance then. She just winced and went on, "all right you two, this is it. Well be doing a bait and switch- one Eva will draw the thing's attention while the other goes for the kill."

Asuka spoke just then. "Major, I want to take point. I'll be the bait."

Misato looked at the portrait with sympathy. "Asuka, now is not the time to be looking for revenge."

"It's not that." Asuka said. She stared into Misato's eyes as she was speaking. Misato blinked, then realized…

She's taking the hit for Shinji.

"...okay." Misato said, "Asuka, close quarters engage. Shinji." She turned to stare at Shinji. The boy blinked and listened as she said, "i'm sorry we don't have a proper time to drill you. I'll walk you through what you need to do while Asuka engages, okay? Follow my instructions to the best of your ability."

Shinji hesitated with worry for Asuka, but he sighed with resignation. "Okay."

"Good." Misato said, then ordered, "Asuka to pad 22. Shinji, pad 15."


Asuka toggled through the available weapons she wanted to sortie with this time. She had a picture of the target at least; a giant floating octahedron, looking like it was made of crystal.

This time she skipped past her preferred weapons and chose a smash hammer. The two handed axe had rockets on the head that, when fired, added velocity to the impact. If the angel was a giant crystal, she wanted to crack it.

Best if all it was lightweight enough that she could still evade if she needed to.

The countdown ticked down and she grabbed the control handles. On a whim, she opened a sound only comm to Shinji.

"A-asuka?"

"Good luck Shinji. I'll do what I can to distract the thing."

She didn't leave him enough time to respond. The launch trigger fired, shooting unit 02 up the curving rails of the launch system.


What next happened too quickly for Asuka to process at the time.

As she was nearing the end of the line she was aware of Misato screaming something at her. She was staring to wonder if she heard it when the lift clanged to a stop.

She opened her mouth to ask Misato if she said something, when intense pain blossomed on her upper back. As an afterthought she tried to throw up her AT Field, but it didn't dull the pain any less.

She screamed as an intense drill bored into her left shoulder. Her left arm spasmed as nerve endings fired from the pain.

Her vision blurred. She was aware of her mother screaming at her. Again.

The English characters were starting to give her another message, but she blacked out before she could read them clearly.


Chatter was rapid fire across the bridge while Asuka was in thrall of the beam, her screams blasting over the speakers.

Misato barked, "Reduce nerve input now! Is her AT Field even up?"

Kyoko responded, "Belay reduction! Get Asuka moving, she needs the control!"

Misato shot a look of pure anger at Kyoko for interfering with her orders, and then looked to Yui. The woman was on a phone at the back of the room.

Misato spun to Makoto. "Blow floor retaining bolts on Pad 22, get her out of there! Cancel Shinji, immediately!"

Kyoko barked, "What are you doing? Unit 02 has barely engaged!"

Astonishment rippled through the bridge staff in earshot. Yui was still on her call.

Misato didn't acknowledge the woman. "Status, Unit 02?"

Ritsuko answered. "Massive damage to left arm musculature and back. I'm not reviving i/o from associated nerve clusters…. Asuka should be pulled as soon as she gets in."

"Do it." Misato commanded.

Kyoko, of course, interjected. "This is nonsense. Seal the wound with bakelite, then redeploy her. Use unit 01 as bait next time, Ikari isn't good for anything else."

Misato was seeing red. This woman was not only insisting on putting her daughter through the ringer apparently with no concern for her happiness (or life). Now she was infringing on tactical command and assessment- her job.

Before Misato could explode, Yui swept in. "Ladies, we must act. Akagi, begin immediate repairs to Evangelion 02. Zeppelin, see to the pilots condition and stability. Katsuragi, you and I need to begin serious tactical analysis of this enemy now."

The department heads scattered to their responsibilities. While Misato and Yui set to work, though, at the back of Misato's mind she noticed Kyoko wasn't admonished for her breach of authority.


When Asuka came to next she was aware of LCL rushing past her. A light was in her vision. Slowly she blinked and came back to awareness. "Asuka!"

It… it was Shinji!

Her entry plug had been opened by the emergency door and the boy had leaned in through the hatch.

Blinking, she asked, "Shin-ji?"

"You're all right!" The boy cried and started sobbing. Recovering, he said, "I.. I was afraid… it sounded like you were… were dying."

Her left arm tingled, and in the absence of that sheer, blinding pain it felt like the limb wasn't even there. But… she could still breathe.

She tried to move and was greeted by more tingling across her left shoulder and back. She gasped at the loss of sensation. Shinji picked up on it immediately. "You okay?"

"I-i just feel weird." She replied, and realized this was another moment between her and Shinji. Looking at his concerned face she smiled weakly. "Thank you for checking on me Shin-"

She had to stop there as, with a yelp, hands yanked Shinji out of the plug. The instant Shinji disappeared, she knew what was about to happen.

The plug top opened. Her mother shone a flashlight in her eyes to check for a response. She was lifted by the medical team and put in a stretcher. She caught sight of Shinji, standing alone and off to the side with worry crossing his features.

Though Asuka was resigned to her fate, as she always had, Shinji saw a distinct expression on her face. Her sadness and defeat reached out to him, and left an impression on him after she was gone.

Asuka then entered her mothers clutches once again.


A/N: I hope you all are finding this entertaining. 6 chapters in and I still haven't asked Asuka to fight back against her mom, which was the point of this fic. Groundwork needs to be laid first... and something needs to happen to give Asuka that final push to begin more active resistance. It's just taking me longer to get there than I anticipated at first.