Quick introduction:
Hey there, it's me, Corbak! I said that I would upload a new chapter a few days after the release of the first one. So now that it's been a few weeks I can finally introduce you to the rest of the story!
... sorry for being such a lazy writer...
In this chapter, Asuka will have to face a formidable opponent! Will she succeed? Will this foe realise his mistakes and join her in a journey to defeat the Demon King after learning about the fabulous power of friendship?
All the answers, and more, are coming right now!
Good reading!
"Asuka, can you hear me ?"
Only 5 minutes had passed, and Asuka was now sitting in the comfortable entry plug of Unit-02. 5 minutes during which she had rushed to the changing room, put on her old red plugsuit and installed herself comfortably for the upcoming battle. This whole process had been perfectly executed, which was no surprise coming from the experimented pilot she was. Before she even had to realize it, she was in command and the walls of the plug showed the familiar patterns of the starting procedure. Different waves of colors, lights and shades surrounded her in a quiet electronic whisper, until finally being replaced by a clear view of the world around her Eva. She was in.
From there she evaluated her position. The red behemoth was laying on the bridge of the Over the Rainbow, covered by a large piece of tarpaulin. Around her, the remaining crew members were evacuating in prevision of the upcoming battle. All over the ship, the red ocean was visible to the edge of the horizon. Here and there, surviving warships sprinkled the surroundings, Some of them looking severely damaged. At approximately two kilometers from her location, an old Kirov-class battle cruiser with what appeared to be lacerations on his hull, was sinking slowly on a huge cloud of smoke. There was fire on board. Rescue ships were revolving around, trying to secure as many victims as possible.
"I can hear you, I'm not deaf you know." Answered Asuka with anger.
The situation was bad, she instantly knew it. And from what she understood it was only going to get worst.
"Unit-02 successfully activated. I'm in control. How am I doing from your position ?"
"You seems to be doing great." Reassured Misato. "Harmonics are stable, you synch is holding steady at a depth of ten meters above maximal threshold. Try to keep it this way and everything will be fine. It looks like your little nap didn't impacted your performances at all."
It's true she thought. When I climbed into the plug, I was worried the Eva would reject me. But now I can feel it perfectly over my mind, it's synchronizing like butter.
She felt every bit of the giant creature connecting with her body. The feeling of a warm embrace spread around her, filling her with confidence. It was almost like she was reuniting with an old friend.
"I guess It's what you expect when you hires a top-ranked pilot like me." She pointed with a faked assurance. "So, what's the next part of the plan, Commander?"
"We are currently tracing the Angel's position in the radar. It passed through our barrage and sunk two of our escort-class. His first bite was for the Lazarev. It's the big ship you see sinking at the horizon. But it was just a bait to lure it away from the Rainbow. His next target will be us without doubt."
"How can you be so sure about that ? There are plenty of other fishes in the sea right now." Pointed Asuka while feeling a chill of nervousness climbing in her back.
"It is not looking for any ships, Asuka. It's looking for the carriers. The one susceptible to contain an Eva." Misato explained. "It is looking for your unit."
"Well that's good news"Asuka muttered to herself watching the flows of unfortunate crew members jumping in the sea to escape the flames of the Lazarev. The fire was raging on the bridge, water had already invaded half of the sinking ship. She knew a lot of them wouldn't simply make it. The battle had been engaged long before she was awake. Who knew how many other soldiers had died just to give her the time to wake up?
All these thoughts were fuel for her rage. No matter what the enemy would be, someone would have to pay for these lives.
Almost unconsciously, she felt Unit-02's right arm come closer to the weapon holster on the left shoulder. In one gracious move, she removed the big cutter-like prog-knife from his sheath and adopted a fighting posture, both hands stretched forward in a form of taunting.
"All right you greedy son of a bitch!" She roared through the loud speaker in an attempt to get the attention of her mysterious opponent. "You want some ? Come get some !"
It seemed to produce the expected results, as a communication line instantly opened on her right. A voice went through, that she instantly recognized. It was Maya, the young strategic officer, and she sounded panicked.
"Target changed its path! It's now approaching our position at a speed of 60 meters per second ! Time remaining before contact : 23 seconds !"
Why in such a hurry? Do you want to die so bad ? Quipped Asuka in an internal attempt to mock the Angel. But she lost her confidence when she realized she could say the same about herself. They didn't had too much trouble putting me back inside this machine. This could very well be my last fight.
"Asuka, the target is coming straight at you. You are its only interest so the chances are high it will try to climb on board to get you. Be careful not to let it grab you, I remind you that your Eva isn't made for an underwater fight. If you fall on the water, you will sink and it will have the upper hand. Take advantage of the moment it will be out of the water to locate the core and destroy it, it's your best chance!"
"It's okay Misato. I know what I have to do!" Shouted Asuka with nervousness. Emptying her mind, she muttered to herself Now is not the time to think about this. I need all my skills.
"5 seconds before contact !"
As the target got close, Asuka attempted to get a look at what her opponent was like. At only a few hundred meters from the ship, a huge wave had started to form. This angel was undoubtedly some kind of swimming monster, considering the flow it was generating on its wake and the shadow it projected on the surface. This thing is huge, and fast. She noted. This will be hard.
"3… 2… 1… Contact !"
"Brace yourselves!" Ordered Misato to the rest of the crew.
Instantly after, a huge shock rocked the entire ship, making the Eva almost fell to its knees! Huge splashes of red water gushed on the bridge, sweeping planes and crates like toys. Asuka reaffirmed her position and held her breath, waiting for the first attack!
... but nothing happened.
"What?" She asked on the com. "Where did it go?"
Confused, she examined the ravaged bridge. All traces of the Angel were gone. Did it retreated?
"Misato, do you have a visual? I lost..."
"It dived beneath us!" Maia suddenly screamed. "It's coming fast! Raise for impact!"
A new geyser of red gushed in front of the ship.
She saw it.
An enormous mass of white flesh graciously jumped out of the waves, covering half of the bridge with his shadow. It looks like a bird, a swimming birdShe observed with a mix of marvel and horror.
And the next thing she saw was the gigantic mouth full of teeth opening in her direction.
Asuka felt petrified by this horrific vision. Nothing but the very Leviathan had invited himself aboard, spreading in the mind of mankind the nightmarish vision of cosmic horror. This mouth was about to grab her, she knew it, and she also knew she would not escape it if it succeeded.
Thankfully, her Eva moved by instinct. She quickly jumped to her left and, as the angel heavily fell on the bridge and crushed the place where she was standing a fraction of seconds ago, she punched violently the first thing she saw on the mass of flesh, which happened to be the eye of the creature.
"KKHRRRIIIIIIIIIIUUUUUUWUUWUWUUWU !"
The angel shrieked in pain.
"That's what you get for stalking me, you freak !" She shouted in a rush of adrenaline. And then, in one big laceration from her other arm, she cut a large chunk of the cheek. "And that's what you get for trying to eat me !"
Now completely stuck on the bridge, unable to get back in the water, the Angel had no other choice but to fight in the open. Misato finally saw the opportunity she was craving for. Time for a proper counter-attack!
"All remaining ships, point your turrets in the direction of the Rainbow !" She yelled on the intercom. "Target the wings and queue of the Angel, don't let it go back in water, do NOT hit Unit-02 !"
A short moment after. the sound of cannons firing exploded all around the Rainbow, covering the Angel's body with explosions. Shells, rockets, missiles of all kind began to fall in a rain of fire!
...only to be reverted by what seemed to be glowing polygons.
AT-Field
"That bastard isn't even getting a scratch!" Complained a man in the intercom. "Our weapons are useless against it!"
"Asuka, deploy your AT-Field at full power and neutralize it! Or we will never be able to hit that thing!"
"Roger !" She shouted "AT-Field, deploying !"
Air began to vibrate intensely as a wave of pure energy emerged from her Eva and quickly made contact with the enemy's AT-Field. Like two opposites, the shields of energy quickly canceled each others, leaving the two colossus completely vulnerable.
"Enemy's AT-Field is down !" Yelled Misato. "Intensify fire, now !"
Explosions once again resonated on the Angel's skin. But now each one was hitting its target, pouring blood all over the bridge and tearing huge chunks of the Angel's flesh. That thing was getting annihilated without mercy!
"Target is damaged at 60 % and regenerating !"
"Asuka, now is your chance ! Locate the core and destroy it for good !"
"That's easy for you to say ! I can't see a thing !" Complained Asuka. So much blood was covering the bridge she almost slipped on the newly-formed puddle of red.
"It must be hidden somewhere." Insisted Misato. "Cut the target open and take a look inside if you have to!"
Struggling between the continuous rain of projectiles and the shrieking angel, Asuka painfully positioned her Eva in an attack position, her prog knife pointed towards the Angel's flanks.
I can't let it fly away. She thought to herself. If it escapes now, it won't make the same mistake twice. It will sink the ship first, and then pick me to finish me in the depths.
The very thought of this monster devouring her Eva at the bottom of the ocean made her shivers. She had a fear of depths since childhood, since the day she had nearly drowned in a swimming pool during one particularly tough training. She knew if things had to get this bad, she would be truly alone in her last moments.
The Angel appeared severely damaged now. Its skin was burned, at some places its lacking flesh allowed to catch a glimpse of its skeleton. Strangely, its bones seemed completely unaffected by the shots he was taking.
He is a tough one.
"Asuka, go for the head ! It shouldn't be able to move much by now."
Asuka got closer to the Angel's head. Misato was right, the Angel was completely passive now, as if the contact with air had rendered him unable to move. Now is the time to attack! She thought while aiming for the neck. But, instead of rushing recklessly to the head, like she knew she would have done before, she slowed to reconsider her move. Maybe it was the sight of this terrifying mouth ready to bite her that made her less brave, or maybe it was her pilot's instinct. But she sensed the trap.
"Misato, wait… I don't feel like… "
"Now is not the time to be afraid, Asuka !"
"That's not what I meant!" She returned with protest. "I just... I have a bad feeling about th..."
Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped up, the head of the Angel jerked forward, wide open in her direction. She was right, that thing had been playing passive from the start!
"AAAAAGH ! NO, LET GO OFF ME, YOU IDIOT !"
In an ultimate reflex of protection, she had lifted her arms up and managed to intercept the top portion of the Angel's jaw, saving her from getting crushed entirely. But under the colossal pressure of her opponent, she had been forced to move back and was now trapped between his wide-opened mouth filled with razor-shaped teeth and the citadel of the carrier. She positioned her feet against the wall and pushed with all her might in an attempt to push the Angel off of her body.
"Asuka, report ! What is your situation !"
"It's okay, it's okay !" She shouted with a tone way too high to be confident. "I'm stuck, I can't move ! Get it off of me!"
"Misato, did you see that !?"
This time the voice was different. Asuka unconsciously recognized it, it was Ritsuko discussing in the background.
"I see it, Ritsu… This isn't going to be easy" Acknowledged Misato. "Asuka, do you read me ?"
"I do ! I can't move, you need to push it off, quick ! Before he gets me !"
"Negative, your position is perfect. We just found the core."
"What ?!" Screamed Asuka with anguish. "Don't kid me now, I need to get out of here!"
"It's located inside the mouth, at the entry of the throat." Exposed Misato while ignoring her complaint. "Arrange yourself to get inside its mouth and destroy it with your prog-knife."
Asuka felt her mouth becoming dry. "You have to be kidding, right ?" She stated with a voice tainted with fear. "I don't really have to let it eat me, right ? Did you see those teeth? And... And what if it drags me to the bottom of the sea?"
"You don't have a choice." Imposed Misato. "Hurry, before it regenerates completely."
"But I…"
"Do it, Asuka ! What are you, a wimp?!"
WIMP
Misato aimed right. Asuka instantly felt adrenaline flows back into her body. With a violent kick, she pushed the lower jaw to the ground and gripped the inner jaw up with her arms.
"Don't you dare treat me like that ! That's my quote !" She shouted in fury, before addressing the Angel one more time through the loudspeaker. "Hey, you! I'm gonna dive straight to your fucking throat and finish you !" She shrieked in the com, expelling her anger. And when I'm done with you, I'm gonna go kick the other pilot's ass for letting me deal with you on my own !
With theses words, she jumped directly inside the throat, avoiding the teeth. The mouth closed right after with a disgusting sound of suction, trapping the Eva completely at the exception of her feet. She couldn't retreat, now. She was trapped for good.
Inside the citadel, in every surrounding ship, everyone observed in shock as Unit-02 completely disappeared inside the Angel's mouth. Cannons stopped firing, rockets stopped launching. Everyone on board felt the sudden urge to pray all possible gods they knew about, commonly hoping with all their faith that what they witnessed, their red savior being gulped down by a huge white fish, was all part of a plan.
Inside the mouth, Asuka squirmed her Eva in an attempt to progress further. Speaking of stupid, I could use some help from Shinji right now. Where the hell is that idiot when you need him? The last time we met...
She instantly felt weird. What was she thinking? What exactly happened the last time ?
In a final effort, Asuka finally glimpsed the core. A red orb stuck in the middle of the Angel's throat like a grotesque ganglion.
Here you are, you little… Let's get this over with.
Following her mind, the red Eva pushed his arms deeper in the angel's throat, only to rip the surface of the orb. Missed.
It's too far. Gotta go deeper. Come on Asuka, this is no time to be shaky.
Using the knife as a grappling, she managed to crawl about ten meters further. The core seemed so close now !
Come on... Come on, come on, come on... Almost there...
...And then the blade broke.
Fffffuck
"Asuka, can you hear me ?!"
Fuck Fuck Fuck
"The Angel is rolling on its side. It's going back to the water!"
Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck
Indeed, she was feeling it. The slow rotation, almost like if her Eva was doing a belly roll, except she wasn't because she was trapped and about to dive straight into an ocean of blood and be eaten by a horrible monster, kilometers deep, alone in her entry plug, crushed to death by gruesome teeth.
No, no no no please don't do that, please, I just awakened from comatose, please, I don't want to die yet, please !
Asuka felt panic spreading through her body. This can't be happening. This is a nightmare. I must be still unconscious. It can't be real!
A huge splash followed by a series of undulations resonated inside her cockpit, confirming her fears. It was real, she was now trapped underwater, inside a swimming Angel! She knew what was about to happen. Her Eva would be dragged to the Ocean floor, and then the creature would fed on her powerless body. She was going to die, alone, below thousands of tons of water.
Oh no, oh God please, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die…
"Asuka !" The com-link opened loudly on her side, bringing her back to her senses. "Asuka, the Angel has regained the water. We lost eye contact with your Eva but you are still connected to the ship via your umbilical cable. You have an unlimited amount of power available so don't worry too much about your batteries, just focus on the core. Okay ? We'll bring you back to the surface later by rewinding the cable."
I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I DON'T WANT TO DIE !
"Asuka, do you read me ?"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE I DON'T WANT TO DIE I DON'T WANT TO DIE ! FUCK…. YOUUUUU !"
It was as if suddenly all her fear had turned into rage. It was the hatred for her weakness, mixed with the energy of despair. Almost unconsciously, she ordered her unit to grip the Angel's insides with its bare hands, letting her now useless knife falling on her side. She pushed herself deeper, using her mouth and her claws to dig her way, ravaging the Angel's inside. Blood poured from everywhere, immediately mixing with the surrounding water. Soon, her vision was completely fogged by the thick substance emanating from the wounds she created. But she could feel the presence of the core, through this thick mixture. Her Eva couldn't see it, but SHE could, through the cockpit, through the blood, she was seeing it as clear as if it was hided in a crystal box. Glowing in an ocean of red, a blue orb surrounded by white flashes. It was here! Only a few meters now! One last push, she had reached it! She felt the red orb between her arms, she felt the tip of her jaw rip the surface. She knew what she was about to do, she wanted it for herself. Or maybe her unit did?
FUCK YOU ! FUCK YOU ! FUCK YOU ! FUCK…
And it did.
YOU!
"Umbilical cable rewound at 87 %."
"Roger ! Unit-02 has reached the surface. Emergency rescue teams deployed."
"Physical condition of the pilot is stable. Communications are still silent, psychological condition is unknown."
"This is Commander-in-second Ritsuko to the rescue teams. The condition of the pilot is our priority. Take all necessary precautions during the retrieval."
"Roger ! We have reached the unit's insertion zone. Manual ejection initiated."
Watching three small team of technicians exiting their dinghy to accost the now floating on her belly Evangelion, Ritsuko felt a burst of relief spreading through her body. The harder part was done, the rest was a standard recovery procedure.
"Maya, can you give me a damage report on Unit-02 ?" She addressed to her young favorite assistant.
"It's still in progress, Sempai." Returned Maya while keeping a serious glance on her screen. "The first analysis shows minor damage to the legs and hands, but it seems it only pierced the upper layers of the armor. Unit-02 is still intact and fully operational."
Then so is the pilot. Thought Ritsuko with another burst of relief. My God, I'm too old for this stress.
She allowed herself to stretch a little and considered leaving to grab a cup of coffee, when a communication link suddenly opened on her screen.
"This is rescue teams, reporting in..." The man sounded funny, like he was trying to remain serious after being kicked in the nuts. "The... Pilot... has been reached. Her condition seems... good, but she has displayed a lot of... er... noncooperation and aggressiveness. I ask for permission to use the restraints."
Ritsuko lifted an eyebrow, feeling half concerned and half about to burst out laughing. She quickly recomposed herself a professional attitude to give the change. "Negative. Just charge her on board and bring her back to the Rainbow with minimum constraint. Avoid any possible conflicts, even if she provokes you..."
"Ma'am?..."
"Well, especially if she provokes you."
"Easier said than done..." Complained the poor man.
"Good luck, team. You can do it." Returned Ritsuko with sarcasm before shutting off the comlink.
Misato watched from the command center as the small shuttle of the rescue team transferred from the Eva's shoulders to the large aircraft carrier. Among the rescuers was a small, red silhouette, that seemed in a real anger. She was gesticulating, pushing violently anything that came her way, apparently unable to recover any form of self-control.
"You sure you don't want to at least sedate her ?" said Ritsuko in a tired voice. "She seems in a very unstable state."
"It's okay, Ritsu." returned Misato. "She risked her life to save us all. She has a right to be angry."
Misato felt a repressed wave of guilt gain her stomach as the tension lowered from her shoulders. During a short amount of time, Ritsuko felt as if the armor of the implacable commander was fading to reveal a version of Misato she thought she would never see again. The version of an old friend, and a sad and tired woman.
"You are not having regret now, are you ?" Said Ritsuko with an accusative tone.
Misato sighed.
"I didn't had the luxury to feel regret for a long time." Dropped Misato in a whisper. "With this Angel defeated, we all gained some time. Enough of it for me to think about what I've done..."
A silence made out of exhaustion fell between the two women. In a tacit agreement none of them talked. The calm was a rare commodity that deserved to be coddled.
"I'm going to the bridge to greet Asuka, can you handle the rest ?" Misato finally broke.
And, without even waiting for an answer, she quietly leaved the still smoky and boiling command center. She didn't use the elevator, taking the stairs instead. She wasn't really in a hurry to meet Asuka in the eye.
Afraid of the look of a teenager, huh ? She thought with irony. How the mighty commander has fallen.
But then she felt a slice of regret intruding her thoughts.
It's not that. She brooded bitterly. I never had any time to regret my decisions during the last two months. I was the last person in command, everybody was following my orders and counting on me. Nobody dared questioning my self. Now is the time I get judged for my actions. She added with a sad smile.
A she went down the stairs, she heard clamors resonating from the bridge. A loud, shrieking voice could be heard, followed by annoyed or complaining voices. Eventually, the shrieking ended up taking the upper hands on all the others, leaving sounds of splutters and half apologies.
"What the hell do you want from me, now ?! Jerk off, you punk !"
Despite her bitterness and regret, Misato couldn't help but smile. Apparently the girl was still in good shape.
"Relax, Ma'am. I just want to inject you some painkillers. Your body is injured, it will help you feel better."
"Don't even come near me with that stuff ! I swear you are trying to drug me or something !"
"I don't ! Look, as we are trying to tell you, we received direct orders not to restrain you. We are only trying to hel…"
"I said jerk off ! I swear if any of you touches me I'll kill him !"
Misato finally reached the bridge, which was still greatly damaged by the previous battle. Puddles of water and blood were scattered there and there, as well as chunks of flesh and impacts where the two titans had come to a hand-to-mouth fight. Cleaning teams were at work everywhere, trying to return the ship to a sense of functionality. And in the right side of this bridge, near the stair case leading to the control tower, was a fiery redhead in a red plugsuit, surrounded by a few exasperated members of the rescue team and apparently picking a fight with them.
As the quarrel went on, the red girl suddenly spun on herself to catch the arm of an unwary rescuer, who had apparently tried to sneak on her back. Furiously she raised her fist, ready to hit the poor man apparently too shocked to protect himself.
"What did I just say, you fr… !"
"Asuka ? Can we talk for a second ?"
Asuka instantly stopped her fist in mid-air, then slowly turned her head in direction of the voice that just spoke. An expression of rage still written on her face.
"You old bitch… You finally came."
"I came to congratulate you for your victory. Great job. Now we have time to talk. You may have some questions, and I'd be pleased to answer them."
"You'd better be." Aggressively returned Asuka, still ready to punch the rescuer in the face.
"Now, if you could please release this poor man and follow me…"
Asuka grunted and released the terrified rescuer from her grip, mumbling a brief "Whatever". Her face was still angry but she looked satisfied.
"I thank you all for your hard work. You are all dismissed." Misato dropped with her commanding voice.
And, as the circle of crew members dispersed, the two women returned inside the ship, to reach a quieter place.
Aircraft carrier Over the Rainbow (temporal NERV headquarters), briefing room, 09h35.
If there is one thing Misato had always been amazed of, it was how well equipped the Rainbow had become. Despite his original role as a simple aircraft carrier, the heavy modifications brought by NERV during the 15 years between third impact and the first Angel appearance had completely turned the warship into a floating command center. A ship so versatile it had only taken a month to build the infrastructure necessary for the storage and deployment of Unit-02. It was truly a pearl of modularity.
Even long before its time as a temporal headquarter, the layout of the ship had been designed down to the details. From the cabin of the crew to the disposition of the control panels in the control center, a concern for usability and comfort made it the best place to be at sea, which had an amazing impact in the moral of the troops and improved the general performance of everyone on board. The room in which she had brought the still fulminating pilot, as well as Dr Akagi, was no exception. Once a simple storage room, the place had been cleaned and turned into a comfortable meeting room in only a week. A large rectangular table had been installed to the center, as well as a dozen of simple plastic chairs. An appreciable touch to the decorum, the walls and the ground had been coated with a layer of sound-absorbing foam panels, making the room not only comfortable, but also a private place to talk.
This way no one will interrupt us, even if the discussion goes loud. And it will surely get loud soon. Thought Misato before turning to face Asuka.
"So, before anything gets further, I want to point out how proud I am of you, Asuka. You really did an amazing job against that Angel and we are all very proud of yo…"
"Quit the crap already, you old bitch." Interrupted Asuka. "I didn't followed your orders to get pats in the head."
Ouch, that hurts smiled Misato with a pinch of amusement. It looks like the usual treat won't do any good here. I'd better be more serious.
"Alright, where should we start ? What do you want to know first ?" Asked Misato.
"Where am I ?" Asuka immediately returned sharply. "How long have I been in comatose ? What happened ? Why is everyone fighting on a ship lost in the middle of the ocean ? Why are YOU in command of this ship ?"
"A lot of questions, indeed." Stated Ritsuko with irony. "We will begin with the basics. Misato, where is she?"
"You are currently on the USS Over the Rainbow, an aircraft carrier from the UN-fleet temporarily requisitioned by NERV to lead the fight against the Angels." Explained Misato after a sigh and a look of exasperation towards her blonde friend. "We are currently somewhere in the Pacific ocean, approximately two-hundred kilometers from the Japan coast."
Asuka quickly processed the info, which wasn't hard to believe after what she had seen, and then pushed.
"What happened to me?"
"You don't remember anything?" Asked Ritsuko out of curiosity.
Asuka shook her head. "I have flashes, fragments of events, but it doesn't make sense..."
The two women briefly looked at each other.
"This is probably a temporary confusion" Reassured Ritsuko. "You suffered from heavy trauma after an accident involving the activation test of Unit-03 and were placed under heavy quarantine procedure until today. "
"For how long?" Asked Asuka.
"Well, his accident occurred the seventh of March 2018, we are the fourth of July, so you stayed in comatose state for approximately..." Ritsuko mentally calculated quickly "...three months and twenty-seven days."
As they were talking, Misato quietly monitored the face of her red pilot. At the mention of her time spent unconscious, Asuka turned lightly white. Nevertheless, she pushed the questioning.
"Go on. What happened to the Geofront ? And the Commander, where is he ?"
"There was an… incident during your absence." Resumed Misato. "We suffered heavy losses, the whole city of Tokyo-3 has been evacuated. We had to move the entire organization out of the Geofront, or what remained of it…"
"What kind of incident ?"
Misato paused, not daring to push the subject further. But truth had to be told, she had sworn.
"An Impact."
"What ?!" Exclaimed Asuka in surprise. "Are you telling me you failed to stop an Angel ?"
"We didn't, and that's the major problem." Misato corrected, carefully weighing every one of her words. "The trigger for this impact wasn't one of our common enemies. Well, even if it was partially caused by one of them... No, this time the danger came from... our side."
A silence fell, full of unease. Misato didn't really knew how to say it, feeling that any of the words she could use would make the room explose. In a deep breath, Ritsuko resigned herself to release the fact.
She took a heavy breath and dropped:
"The Impact was caused by an Eva."
For a moment, Asuka seemed disconnected. Several seconds passed by, while her face showed an obvious mix of thinking and disbelief.
"But that's impossible !" She suddenly exploded. "Evas are only puppets bounded to the will of their pilots. They have no will of their own, I'm well placed to know it. And which pilot, in his right mind, could be stupid enough to trigger an impact, even by his own will ? There is only three of us. It can't be me as I was unconscious, it also can't be Miss-Perfect, her synch-level is too weak for anything else than basic cover, and it can't be the id…
Asuka's last words died inside her mouth.
It can't be the idiot, he wouldn't do something like this, he is just an innocent puppy…
But he tried to kill me. I know it, he tried to kill me when I was inside of this…
Where is he ? Why didn't he came to support me during my fight against the Angel ? Why didn't he come to see me?
"Misato…" Asked Asuka with a pleading voice. "Where is Shinji? Where is he?"
Misato lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Asuka." She turned to Ritsuko, unable to conclude by herself. She couldn't say it.
Ritsuko sighed and took the final lead of the discussion.
"On the 4th July 2018" Said Ritsuko mechanically "After an emergency deployment in an attempt to destroy the 14th Angel, Eva-01 broke free of her restraints and entered an unknown state of activation, initiating a chain reaction that led to a third impact." she paused, fixing her glare inside Asuka's eye.
"The exact reason behind this event is unknown, but it is heavily assumed that responsibility lies in the person of its assigned pilot, who is suspected to have triggered the process for personal reasons. The identity of this pilot is a 14 years old boy commonly referred as the Third Child: Ikari Shinji, the son of the Commander."
It can't be…
"Asuka, wait!" Misato yelled after her, but she ignored her.
How could HE, out of every person on Earth, have done something like that?! How could he…
"Asuka, come back! We still have things to discuss, come back!"
"It's not possible!" She yelled back. "You... You LIE! I don't believe you!"
"You wanted the truth, Asuka! I swear I'm not lying, come back!"
Something that looked like an answer came from the door, but she didn't make the effort to listen. She was out of this room, out of this place, and if possible, out of this ship. Back in the corridor, she started running towards the bridge. To her Eva.
It must be a bad dream. It must be. I fell asleep during the activation test, and I'm only having bad dreams because of the LCL. It cannot be real…
She ran along the corridor, jostling peoples that came in her way. They were looking at her with curiosity and animosity but she ignored them. To the bridge, to the Eva, wake up and go find the others. That's all that was in her mind.
Finally, after another heavy seal door, she was out. On the bridge.
Her Eva was still here, surrounded by an army of technicians bringing it back to storage. Same red color, same four eyes and slim design. And also, same bruises around the ankles. The place where the Angel's teeth had bitten.
Asuka slowed her pace, and finally stopped. She was in an open field now.
She heard the distant whisper of the red ocean all around her, as well as the light swash of waves on the hull of the carrier. The distant shouts from different crew members, the technician teams attempting to coordinate with each others and the cleaning teams chatting while washing the blood and the debris. She could heard all of it, directly inside her ears.
In her nose, she smelled it. The nothingness of this dead ocean, mixed with a stench of gas-oil and rusted metal characteristic of military ships. She could smell it.
In her mouth she tasted the ferrous and salty taste of LCL, a taste she always had after any operation. She couldn't be wrong about it.
When she tightened her wrist, she felt the tense of the rubbing material in her skin. Her plugsuit. No need to look at it to confirm she was wearing it.
"This can't be a dream" She muttered. "This is real"
Out of despair, she collapsed on her knees.
