Koros45 doesn't own Mazinkaiser, Getter Robo, or Neon Genesis Evangelion
Stage 29: [Can't Stop]
"Finally. Musashi . . . you can rest now." Ryoma said quietly and closed his eyes with a relaxed smile. Now the sea was still. Gore's death meant that something good had happened even in the messed up state of the world. Now Ryoma could finally be at peace concerning his departed friend.
He looked around the Eagle cockpit of Shin Getter and made sure that the Second and Third Children were alright, both in the Jaguar component.
"Go, you sure saved our asses! That was quick thinking." Ryoma said over Shin Getter's comm.
"Well – I was made to pilot this Shin Dragon. So I could spare Shin Getter to absorb the remains of Black Getter." Go responded with little emotion.
"Well – can you pilot it?" Ryoma asked.
"I can make Shin Getter Dragon move like any other Getter but – there's a problem."
"A problem?"
"This Getter is a battleship. And for the journey ahead, we'll need a crew." Go stated bluntly.
"Then consider me your first recruit!" A voice called out, both Getters looking up to see Great Mazinger landing on Shin Getter Dragon's left hand.
"This Great Mazinger and I are behind you to the very end!" Tetsuya said with pride.
In the Eagle cockpit Ryoma was wide eyed as he gave the arrival a grin. "Tetsuya and Great Mazinger! That's reassuring. And as always you arrive at the last minute! It really takes me back, you know!"
"The Moon Wars. Like it was yesterday." Tetsuya said and Ryoma nodded.
"Ryoma. Tetsuya. Forgive me, but it will take some time to shift the mass in this Getter to create a hanger of sorts. You'll all need to wait while I readjust the Dragon unit." Go explained. "It's not something I'm used to doing."
"That works for me, Go. We all just survived Third Impact so – what say we older pilots tell these kids here about some old stories? NERV and SEELE are gone, and Emperor Gore just kicked the bucket so I'm feeling pretty nostalgic."
Tetsuya's response was immediate. "Then we'll start with Great Mazinger's first appearance! The arrival of the great hero!"
"And once again, it was at the last minute."
"Ryoma, please. It was an emergency launch!"
"I'm sure for Mazinger Z it felt like the last minute." Ryoma insisted.
The two EVA pilots in the Jaguar unit sighed as the two senior pilots kept recounting the story.
/
Don't look at me! Don't see the real me get dirty! I don't want you to look!
Misato felt herself suspended in fluid. It was familiar somehow. She'd felt at peace initially but – now she saw fragments of her dream. Watching herself and Kaji's passion. She was not the only audience member and Misato recalled both her charges as well as Rei observing the fling with a mix of disgust and indifference.
It felt like a nightmare. There were other images as well. Of the others she saw a doll. A swing set. A familiar picture. But they were just images. Feeling from each that Misato would likely never really grasp. She felt alive and stood, breathing in the air. It was night time now and she had no clue what time it was. Looking from the water to the coast she saw an image right out of Revelations. The tide of LCL had destroyed most of Tokyo 3. The coast was practically unrecognizable and that was when she didn't count the gigantic Rei face half submerged in the water.
"Major Katsuragi. Good to see you again." She heard a familiar voice address her.
It was a large voice. Misato looked up and was stunned. Shin Getter Robo was looking down at her, the battle damaged and scorched machine's neon lights glowing brightly as the ground beneath her rose up. It was a palm. Red, with neon lines through the center. Five fingers were raised around her and the machine gently turned. Misato wanted to pass out from the sight. What stood before her was a larger Getter that dwarfed even Shin Getter in size.
"Ryoma – is that Shin Dragon?!" Misato managed to say.
/
Things only got stranger as she boarded the Getter that could pass for some kind of interstellar warship. The immediate interior was a chalk white hallway shaped like an octagon, with neon green parallel lines that would change angles suddenly, only to resume the course down the walls and ceiling.
There were large empty spaces that she could see, looking right and left every so often. It was eerie. The beast known as Shin Dragon was mostly hollow. She could see a large oval space where Shin Getter Robo and Great Mazinger had entered, each having to crouch as the pilots got out of the machines. Shin Getter had to extend a hand for Tetsuya as the pilot leapt from the Brain Condor to land in Shin Getter's palm, and get lowered to the ground manually.
The other thing that was off-putting about the area was how long and wide each hallway was, with no clear destination in mind, other than a brighter green light that seemed to guide her along, only changing colors once she was going in the right direction.
Misato stopped in front of a large gate. It was mechanical and bulky, two rectangular sides blinking with green and white lights. She approached it and the gate shuddered before it opened with a hiss.
Behind it Rei Ayanami stood, giving her a blank stare. She was wearing her usual white plugsuit, but this one seemed to be a bit modified. For starters the shoulder pads were slightly pointed going downwards, and there was some dark blue trim throughout the plating.
"Greetings, Major Katsuragi."
Misato didn't know how to respond. After Instrumentality she wanted to both comfort Rei after seeing the girl's own nihilistic experiences and keep her distance due to Rei's knowledge of Misato's own vices.
She settled to compromise on a handshake. Rei gave her a slight smile and they shook hands.
"Are you alright?"
Misato didn't know how to answer that question. Especially from Rei of all people.
"I don't know. Rei – how many of us are there? Who all made it out?" She asked.
"Currently our crew is small. It consists of you, Mr. Nagare, Mr. Tsurugi, Go, the other two Children and myself."
"Just – seven people?"
"For now. Go has discovered a solution to this. We can use the Getter Rays to reach out to our remaining pilots, scientists, and NERV's main staff, using the LCL sea as a conduit for Shin Dragon's Getter Rays." Rei said as she led Misato through Shin Dragon's interior.
"Good to know we won't be so shorthanded for long. But Rei, that's all we can do? Those Invaders Cohen and Stinger survived, right?" Misato said, feeling overwhelmed. "It'll take time and human power we don't have at the moment to track them down. Especially with how irregularly people seem to be coming back from the LCL." She sounded tenser than she'd liked, especially since she outranked Rei, even if they were the only NERV personnel aboard.
"Not true. We can also be selective. With Go's fine control of the Getter Rays and my unique connection with Lilith, we can 'fish' for ideal candidates from the LCL. After all - you were the first one we were able to lead out of Instrumentality.
"So – that means we can recover soon- !" Misato said out loud, realizing just what Rei had said.
Go joined them, standing tall and with the wisp of a smile on his serious face.
"Precisely. We can pull them from Instrumentality as soon as possible. However we need to be organized about it. There are specific plans that Saotome's own codes gave me access to since I became Shin Getter Dragon's pilot. That said - I do not think that the late Professor planned to combat the Invaders right after the Human Instrumentality Project occurred."
"Then – I'll leave you to your work, Go." Misato said, preparing to keep walking.
"Of course. However – I am not used to leading others as you are, Major. You have been given the mantle of command before. Therefore, would you mind assuming the role of leadership?"
"Yes – I'll assume role of acting Commander for now. And therefore I'll check up on our crew – even if it's a small crew." Misato said, glad she had a duty to distract her from how odd everything was.
She left Go and Rei led them off of the ship, onto the beach where Ryoma and Tetsuya were staring at the ocean.
"Gentlemen. How are you doing?" Misato asked.
"Major Katsuragi. We're just glad to put SEELE behind us." Ryoma said, looking back to the ocean.
"It's good to be myself again. But I hope that the rest of our allies will return before too long." Tetsuya admitted. "If only I had moved Great faster – I could've kept going - "
"Stop it. You got General Bat distracted so we could launch Shinji in Unit 01. And you helped out Asuka with those MP EVAs before you all stormed Shin Dragon. That's more than enough. Now – I'm taking the position of acting Commander with the absence of Commander Ikari and Commander Jin. As such, can I assist you two?"
"Hmph. Two warriors like us are the worst right after a battle like that. Especially since Gore trashed my Black Getter. And I don't think Asuka or Shinji liked any of our old stories. Can you let us know when the rest of the Getter Team and Photon Labs personnel return?"
"Roger. Then we'll see you later." Misato finished, turning back to the large Getter, finding it difficult to accept that was their new base of operations.
/
Then the hard part. Facing her charges. Rei led her back into the ship and Misato requested she go the rest by herself.
The door opened to a small square room with scant furnishings. Light from the open door flooded the room and Misato was taken aback as she saw Shinji and Asuka were in a tight embrace, curled up on the floor. It looked uncomfortably close for both of them given their personalities.
"Hello. Shinji. Asuka." She and the two turned as one, eyes wide as they saw their acting guardian. Still, they both looked up with bright eyes, untangling their limbs as they did so.
"Misato!"
The two sat up and stood as one, running towards her. Misato decided to damn politeness as she took a few steps towards them and pulled them both into a hug. She didn't question it as they all were silent for a moment. Glad to just be with her charges once again.
/
Go's duties on Shin Dragon were so far restoring the Getter to make it flight worthy, changing the interior of the ship's design to accommodate human living quarters and supplies, and focusing to bring back their crew from the LCL. The appearance of Tetsuya helped move things along as Great Mazinger could bring people from the waters, beaches, or wherever else they would reappear to Shin Dragon. Currently they had managed to pull out Professor Yumi from the LCL and for the moment were trying to find more members of the Getter Team.
Go paused and turned to the scanner. There was more life than he thought. Three more signatures. And one non-organic object approaching Dragon.
He turned to the main monitor and almost did a double take as Mazinkaiser slowly flew towards the ship, holding Hayato and Benkei in each palm. The two senior Getter Team members were smirking, at the sight of Shin Getter Dragon. The chest area of Shin Dragon opened and Mazinkaiser landed in an empty space serving as a hangar of sorts.
"Attention crew, Mazinkaiser has arrived with Hayato and Benkei." Go reported.
Then he smiled as a new promising signature appeared in the sea. It was Dr. Akagi's.
/
"We can use Shin Dragon's absorption properties to assimilate the majority of NERV's structure. It's that large of a space." Ritsuko explained, pointing to a diagram displaying the interior of Shin Dragon.
"Won't that interfere with its transformation? It is really just a big Getter Dragon after all." Ryoma spoke.
"Not if we're smart about where each component goes. Go, can you figure out what sections of Shin Dragon need to be left alone for each Get Change?"
"Yes, Doctor Akagi. It is possible. Although it will require a lot of thought. Ideally we would want Shin Dragon to serve as a carrier of sorts at all times. The Invaders aren't on Earth anymore – and we'll need to be combat ready at all times."
"Can we leave this to you?" The scientist asked.
"I can arrange everything you require – but first I'll need a list. Not just a hangar and research facilities. We'll need to have areas for everyone to live." Go responded. Ritsuko nodded and looked to the others that had assembled. They had a lot of work ahead of them.
/
Three hours later the main Getter Team had re-united. Professor Yumi and Boss, Nuke, and Mucha had been recovered. All gathered for a strategy meeting. They could fill any new arrivals in on the plan after they knew what they were doing.
"Saotome planned for this. Or at least for part of it. Go was created much like Rei – I suspect for a similar purpose." Hayato said as they had met in a conference room.
"What does that mean?" Misato asked.
"We can stop the Invaders. Both Go and Rei resisted the Human Instrumentality Project and – Dr. Shikishima's readings of his brain show that he's meant to pilot the Shin Dragon. And Rei's willpower was what got us all here."
"The task was not mine alone. Shinji was the one who chose the shape of humanity. I merely spoke through Lilith to him."
"Still – we'd be on a much different playing field if you hadn't acted." Ryoma said. "A good thing about this is people haven't come back in great numbers. The Invaders failed in their plan to assimilate all of humanity and since the majority are now in the LCL, Cohen and Stinger have no reason to stick around."
"Meaning they're likely falling back on another plan. Go – do you know where they've gone to?" Misato asked, frowning.
"Not on Earth. We can track their trail once we break from Earth's atmosphere. Shin Dragon should be ready to go within a day. Before that we just need enough supplies to last us this final mission."
"Then we spare no expense. Benkei, can you get us a team to manage our supplies?"
"Yeah. Leave that to me, Commander Katsuragi." Benkei said.
"NERV should have enough preserved food on base to feed all of us for at least a year out in space. Lodgings as well." Misato suggested. "And it's Captain Katsuragi if you don't mind. 'Commander' isn't a title I want to have considering the last one NERV had. And seeing as Hayato's already that role on the Getter Team, I think Captain suits me better." Misato finished. Benkei gave her a nod.
"Boss, we need you to work our hangar bay. We need to recover our Super Robot Army, after all." Professor Yumi said and Boss nodded with a thumbs up.
"Ashura didn't die. So I imagine they're either with the Invaders or just hiding out on Earth – assuming they could even come back given their current form." Tetsuya said and a quiet Kouji looked up slightly hearing that.
"Dr. Akagi. We also need you to conduct psychological evaluations on all of us. Considering that Instrumentality was traumatic to most of us, we could use the support." Hayato said, standing up sharply.
"I'll help out with that." Ryoma seconded. "I didn't see any of this Instrumentality stuff you're all talking about so – I'll be your support."
Ritsuko frowned. "Commander Jin, you realize my specialty is not in Psychology?"
"True, but you're more familiar with it more than most of us." Hayato said. "If that's too uncomfortable for the lot of you – consider it a Psych evaluation for joining up with the Photon Labs and the Getter Team!"
"Fine. I'll get started on that. Just know that this is a one time thing! I don't want to become the ships's counselor."
"Hard to guess why." Misato said bluntly and Ritsuko sighed and shot her an incredulous look and a half smirk.
"Then – let's get started."
/
"In position." Go said as Shin Dragon hovered over the wrecked black Pyramid that was NERV HQ.
"Begin the absorption!" Ritsuko said as Dr. Yumi monitored the situation beside her.
The Getter fell onto the pyramid and the ground shuddered as metal 'roots' from Dragon broke down the interior of the structure and began reforming it in different sections of its' body.
"It's taking – a lot of concentration." Go said, straining as he did his best to focus on the task at hand.
"Need a hand?" Ryoma asked. "I'll bear the strain of the task and you focus on what goes where."
Go nodded and Ryoma climbed behind Go's pod and concentrated. Both of them tensed as the process sped up. It took about fifteen minutes to absorb what was needed and move it around.
"Now – we should have lodgings and food. Next comes power." Dr. Yumi said. "Take us to the Photon Labs!"
/
Ritsuko sighed as she saw the vision that was before her, Shinji and Asuka limping towards her in a perfect rhythm. Things were different from the Sync Training, however, as they clasped hands and leaned on one another with no shame.
Then Misato was right. They really were joined at the mind on some level.
"So – you're both first in this – screening process. Before I suggest any kind of fix to this merge of sorts – is there anything I need to know about this?"
The two were silent for a while and it was unusual for both of them. Even if she acted like she was bothered by him, Asuka was generally all over Shinji be it with verbal berating or shoving him around. And Shinji wouldn't be holding her hand for any reason due to his shyness.
Yet here they were, staring straight at her.
"We're joined at the mind." Shinji said.
"There are things we know about each other that we didn't even know before this." Asuka seconded.
"So – any kind of way out of this would be nice."
"Yeah. I miss being able to sleep without hearing another voice in my head. It's crowded right now."
The scientist paused, wondering just what to say given the circumstances. "So – you two are both aware than all my ideas on this are pure theory, yes?" Ritsuko asked.
"Yes." Both of them said, looking a bit frustrated.
"Then – I'll have you both try to sync with Unit 01 first thing tomorrow. Rest up – if you can." Ritsuko said and the two nodded.
She sighed as they left the room. Seeing them do everything in sync previously per Misato's orders was strange enough, but seeing them get along and act like one person almost was ridiculous.
A hedgehog couldn't stab another hedgehog if they were the same hedgehog, after all.
/
Misato still felt disturbed. The sight was not odd at first as Shinji and Asuka sitting next to one another was somewhat expected given the implications. It was everything else that was off-putting to her. They even ate in sync now while still managing to hold hands. Out of desperation? Or a sense to move at once? She couldn't say exactly but it bothered her. She knew her charges had mutual attraction and she wasn't an idiot. They shared a bed now and while she was sure they didn't engage in any sexual acts, the physical contact they now had was excessive.
Even with their living arrangement absorbed into Dragon's body, with enough power, water, and electricity to keep them going for a while, it was still far from normal.
She went to get two more Yibisus from the fridge and see if that would help the current state of things.
/
"She's worried about us."
"Obviously! But she's really just not sure how to approach this."
"Agreed. She's getting another beer now. Scratch that, two beers."
"Done eating?"
"Yes."
Moving. Walking. They put their plates in the sink and returned to the table.
"Two hands?"
"Two hands. Things feel better when we hold both hands. More secure."
"More of you and me together. More complete."
"Scary."
"Unnatural."
"Could be worse."
"Could be worse."
"Wait – how could it be worse?"
"Well we could hate each other. Or I could be stuck with Father."
"Yeah. It could be way worse. Hey – look through my eyes."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"Ok. Looking through your beautiful eyes."
"Stop that! Just do it."
"OK. Misato put a beer down."
"Yes."
"Right in front of us."
"Yes."
"And she's looking at us so – she must want our attention!"
"Bingo."
/
"When you're done having a mental conversation I'm right here." Misato said, placing the other Yibisu can down in front of herself for emphasis.
The two looked to her and then to the can in front of them.
"Split it. Drinks on me. You need to relax. You – BOTH – need to relax." Misato emphasized, looking down at the table. "And to be honest – I have no idea what to do with you two."
"Misato - " Shinji began.
"We're fine. Just a little nervous for the test." Asuka completed.
"Then drink up! Hang loose! You earned it for saving the world!" Misato said, taking a long chug of her drink.
"Really? I guess so. We did save the world. About time anybody said anything about it!"
Asuka grabbed the drink and brought it to her mouth, taking a sip before passing it to Shinji.
"Bubbly. And bitter." Shinji said, making a face before he even touched the drink.
"Wait so – you feel her senses too?" Misato asked.
"Yeah. It's odd for both of us." he said, taking a sip of his own. Asuka finished her gulp and gave Misato a grin.
"It makes our different tastes and food preferences all jumbled up too. Sometimes I think in Japanese and he'll do it in German too. It's really weird."
Shinji finished his sip and passed the can back to her.
"Damn. Must make going to the bathroom awkward." Misato said, taking another sip. At this rate she'd need another beer after this one.
"Let's stop there before this gets too weird." Asuka said, sharing a glance and a chuckle with Shinji.
"Oh come on! Don't hide stuff from me! Just because I can't hear your thoughts doesn't mean I don't know you, Asuka." Misato said.
"You don't want to know." Shinji said and chuckled again.
"Try me."
Shinji sighed and took a long sip of the beer and put it back down, making eye to eye contact with Misato.
"I know what a period feels like. Never again will I speak ill of them." He said, giving her a serious look.
"And guys have it rougher than I thought. Waking up feeling like you have morning wood is really strange. It drove me crazy until he went to the bathroom and it died down." Asuka said, giving Misato a grin. "Anything else you want to know?"
"I'll pass. But at least talk to me. You got out of Instrumentality and you're acting like everything's fine for the most part. At least fine – concerning me."
"Misato, we know you have problems. Everyone does. But that doesn't make you a bad person." Shinji said.
"Yeah. You're just a really lonely adult that either needs to commit to Kaji or move on." Asuka said. "The alcohol I can handle. Just not the self pity. Not from someone as strong as you."
"Well – all that was supposed to be private." Misato said, looking glum. "I just – agreed to join with Hayato's crazy plan and now it feels like it's all moving too fast! Nobody wants to talk about how coming out of that LCL was! But it hit all of us in different ways."
"Relatable." Both of the Children said at once and each grabbed the beer as one.
"You drink it Asuka. Not like I won't feel it." Shinji said and Asuka complied, slamming the drink.
"You don't know how weird it is talking out loud - " Shinji began as Asuka sighed, setting the can on the table with a thunk.
"-taking turns-"
"-When we read each others' mind-."
"To be honest it's kind of inconvenient when we're doing this - "
" - it feels slow - "
"Ok, I get it! Thank you for slowing down for poor Misato to follow along!" Their guardian said with a scowl.
"Now – I need to go to the bathroom."
"And I need to sit right outside the bathroom."
"So the distance between us doesn't drive us insane." Asuka finished as the two stood and Shinji stood with his back against the wall, standing impatiantly as the girl entered the bathroom.
"Are you two gonna want more alcohol?" Misato asked.
"No. I don't want to have to pee all night. It's already rough with both of us being light sleepers."
"You see each other's dreams?"
"Yeah." Shinji said, sighing for a moment in relief as they both could hear the toilet in use.
"Gross." Misato said and Shinji shrugged.
"If anything else, it's made us both share more. Every action we take is like a compromise. The idiot gets it better than me but – whoops – I mean - I get it more than Asuka, but she's adjusting. And sometimes we slip up like that. You know, get each other mixed up." Shinji said.
"Awkward." Misato said as the sink could be heard running. "Anyway – I'm going to crash. Takeoff day tomorrow so I expect I'll be meeting with Hayato and Yumi first thing. Have a good night. And behave yourselves."
"Yes, Misato!" Asuka yelled from the bathroom, finishing washing her hands as she walked out of the bathroom.
"I can hear through his ears you know? So don't tell any secrets you don't want the other hearing."
"Good night." Misato said. "I hope Ritsuko has a fix for this. I want my charges back."
/
"Yes. It was that same Getter." Ryoma said as Hayato listened carefully.
"So you didn't feel at one with the rest of humanity." The Commander said, crossing his arms.
"To be fair, we didn't either." Benkei said, looking around the small room. It contained the three pilots and there was not a lot of space. The three stood, each against a different wall.
"Yes but – aside from us three, Go, and Kouji, everyone here seemed afflicted by the Human Instrumentality Project." Hayato stated. "I believe it was our connection to the Getter. I'm not certain on Kabuto's reasons though.
"We'll meet with him later. For now – that Getter. Ryoma, you're sure it was – that Getter?" Benkei asked.
"I'm positive. The very same one I saw in a vision right before I left the Getter Team. A Getter larger than you can imagine – and one that I can't just run from."
"Hmm. I'll have to speak with Go about this. For now we'll continue as we are. Shin Dragon needs to leave soon, after all. The Invaders aren't going to waste time." Hayato stated and the other two nodded.
"Then I'll work with Gai going over Shin Getter's systems." Benkei said and Hayato nodded to him.
"Ryoma, I want you to assist the Children. Now that Gendo Ikari's out of the picture, we can be more hands on with our training. Work out something with Captain Katsuragi."
"And what are you going to do?" Ryoma asked. Hayato grinned.
"I'm meeting with Dr. Akagi to monitor everyone's mental states. She's overworked between that and running checks on both Unit 01 and 00."
"Good man. Then is that it?" Ryoma asked. Hayato nodded and the three put their hands together in a team shake.
/
The armor was a sharp orange yellow, the finished look of the revived Unit 00 complete with a pair of shoulder pylons as the EVA stood in the hangar bay, ready to move.
"It's done. It took all the crew to work on, AND Ritsuko and the Getter and Mazinger teams' maintenance crews burning both ends of the candle, but here's your Unit 00 – fully restored." Hayato said, glancing up at the Evangelion.
"My EVA. It's complete then. I will resume training when ready." Rei said and Hayato nodded.
"Report to Captain Katsuragi then. Dismissed."
The Commander left the premise, letting Rei take some time to look up at the remade and refitted Evangelion.
"Now I can keep up with them." Rei said aloud, looking into the red eye in the middle of Unit 00's head.
/
"Hey, protecting everyone here's not a bad reason to pilot EVA."
Asuka thought, bringing Shinji's head closer into her hold. They were on the bed. Clothes were discarded as they held tight and focused. It was a very uncomfortable change for the two of them, but it also was the time they could both be closest to one another.
They had moved from Shinji's small room at first into Asuka's for two reasons. The first was that it had been both of their's at one point so they both felt safe in it. The second was the bed felt a bit softer so comfort was slightly better.
"Yeah. I guess – everyone here feels really close. I'm not sure why."
"I get what you mean. As much as I could push these people away, they care so much that I don't want to."
"Hey. When this is over – what do you want to do?"
"Well a few days to myself would be nice. Then I don't know. I want to see Mama of course. And then – date?"
"Date? With me?"
"Yeah. Lame choice, I know. But who else am I going to go with?"
"I thought you liked Rei."
"Correction. NOW I like Rei. Especially seeing her through your eyes. Holy shit she looks good. But Shinji – even before we got all mixed up together – you're the only person on this ship I can relate to. And you took my hand when I reached out. That's – that means more to me than I could say in words."
"OK. Well – I love you too, Asuka."
"Idiot. I know that already. But thank you. It's good to hear that."
The two stopped thinking in words and just simmered. Rested. The grip they had on one another slacked and they rolled over so they were facing each other, both on their side.
"Night."
"Goodnight."
/
"Everything seems to be in order." Kouji reported as he finished the test. Mazinkaiser's motions had all been flawless and it seemed unaffected by the atmospheric re-entry. He leapt out of the Pilder onto the newly added catwalk and made his way to the NERV elevator.
The hanger was now a mix of both the Photon Labs' own and NERV's launch-bay. It was a convenient way for Misato to observe the pilots while having access to the Photon Labs' technology. The area had expanded so that all of the machines they had aboard could stand, and launch either manually or with NERV's launchpads. Boss' Borot's remains had been recovered, and Diana A was undergoing reconstruction. Meanwhile Jun's Venus A had joined the ranks of Shin Getter, Great Mazinger and Mazinkaiser.
That mean that excluding the EVAs, Benkei was the only one performing assessments of the various machines. Benkei gave Kouji a thumbs up as Kouji exited the elevator. Tetsuya was also observing his fellow Mazinger pilot, standing off to the side and crossing his arms.
"Controls work just fine. We'll have to give the Kaiser Scrander a test later but – you're fit to retrieve Unit 01 as far as I'm concerned." Benkei grinned.
"Good. That will be news to Shinji, I'm sure. And I know that Yui Ikari won't like it."
"Well that's her problem as far am I'm concerned. How're you doing, Kouji?"
"I'm alright Benkei. Just – unsure of everything I saw in there, you know?"
"No kidding. Though I think the Getter spoke to each pilot – my experience was like that anyway. What about you?"
"Mine was different – but I'm not sure how much of it I remember. The possibility that Mazinger could become the ultimate devil."
"Well – do you think that will affect your piloting?"
"No. But it does give me pause. I don't want that to happen."
"That Mazinger . . . was a demon." Kouji said, looking down as Tetsuya raised a thick eyebrow to his brother's mood.
"Kouji, it's been over two days and you're still down about this. It's not like you at all."
"Yeah. I know. But – it's proof that Mazinger – any Mazinger – could become a Devil. And I have no idea if it's real or not." Kouji said, making a fist. "How can I – how can I really know? If something as strong as Mazinkaiser ever becomes a devil – I'll - " Kouji began.
"- If that happens then it's my job to fight it!" Tetsuya said. "Everyone here knows the risks. Don't forget that Great was taken twice over by Dr. Hell's forces in the past! And both times you helped to face it! In the case Kaiser was corrupted – I would face it with Great Mazinger – no matter the circumstance!"
"The same goes for me in Shin Getter 3! Kouji, you saved me life back when Ashura attacked the Labs. I wouldn't take that lightly. So please tell us more about it. You mentioned it appeared twice." Benkei brought up.
"Yeah. Once . . . once when the Angel and the Invaders gave us all visions inside of the Invaders' Shin Dragon. The same time Tetsuay had one about Father, and you had one about Musashi. Mine was this monster – Mazinger – ZERO, I think, appearing and trying to make me join with him."
"Then it was a fear that the Invaders preyed on. They turned all of our fears against us. Enough to test all of us." Tetsuya said.
"But it came back again. During Instrumentality." Kouji said, shaking his head and looking desperate. "And I KNOW that was real that time! It was – truly a devil. Strong enough to fight a God. If not for Zeus, I'd be dead. . . or worse."
"Zeus?!"
"As in the Greek God of Lighting?"
"Yeah. I think. He called himself Z-Mazinger. But he could use Thunder Break just like Great Mazinger. I didn't have time to ask him anything. He was too busy fighting ZERO to say much to me."
"That's strange. I don't really remember much during Instrumentality." Tetsuya said. "Just – like I was at peace. Almost like being asleep. But if you saw it at that time – it might be worth bringing up."
"Yeah. I can't describe it well enough. Mazinger ZERO I mean. But it was huge. All hulking and pure strength. It could speak. And it was alive. It took a Mazinger that was a God just to match it in strength."
Tetsuya frowned and looked to Kouji with concern. "I don't want to diminish how threatening this could be but – stopping the Invaders is still our top priority. For now – let's focus on the present. Our machines are being checked on in the hangar so – we should each meet with Dr. Akagi."
"That's actually a good time to bring this up. See what Dr. Akagi thinks. Then – bring it up with Professor Yumi, Captain Katsuragi, or Commander Jin if this is that serious. And there's also a chance your Grandfather left behind notes about it."
"Thanks Tetsuya. It's hard to talk to anybody about this. So – I really appreciate it."
"Hey, what's family for? I got your back kid!" Tetsuya said, smiling. "I still owe you and Asuka for saving Great Mazinger after all, so this is no trouble."
Kouji stood up and smiled, looking a bit more relaxed. "Then I'll bring it up. Dr. Akagi will want to know about any irregular events during that time we all turned into orange juice."
/
Tristan
Isolde
We are finally together
Again and for the last time
Ashura's dream broke apart as Stinger and Cohen hissed in their ears. They were back inside of their Mechanical Beast, with both Invaders having merged with the machine. Added parts from their devastated Getter Dragon were affixed to the Mechanical Beast's chest and limbs. The Baron tensed as they became aware of their current location.
They were far, far away from Earth, the blue speck completely gone from the machine's radar system.
"Baron Ashura – we thank you for your service." Cohen's voice boomed around them.
Ashura was speechless. Overwhelmed by the amount of backlash from the Instrumentality.
The Mycenae Empire. Tristan and Isolde. They had finally re-united as individuals. And now – they were the same patchwork being that Dr. Hell had revived. But now – they remembered everything. Even as Baron Ashura, the memories of their previous selves' shone through.
Amidst the Mechanical Beast modeled after themselves, Baron Ashura cried. Tears for the people they used to be. And rage for their General's demise at the order of Dr. Hell.
"I see your goals. For me they lead to certain death. However – the loss of Dr. Hell . . . my General Ankoku Daishogun, our Mycenae . . . and my resurgent memories of dear Tristan and Isolde . . . . I feel endless rage and suffering."
A pause. Reflecting on what used to be. Far too long ago for Ashura to remember it so clearly now.
"I want to ask Dr. Hell why he created me by tearing apart the bodies of my past selves! I want to know what my General was planning for the Mycenae Empire's revival!"
Another pause. The dead would not tell Ashura anything, it seemed. Yet there was still another reason to keep going.
"But mostly – I want to defeat Kabuto Kouji once and for all! He is the reason why I have no answers now! Invaders, hear me! A path of self destruction is laid out before me. Yet – I do not consider myself human any longer. If this will destroy our foes, so be it! Invaders! Lead the way to oblivion!"