Sedlitz, flight deck
"Alright Third, I'll admit this is kind of weird." Asuka had to fight back the feeling of confusion.
No sign of movement, at all, for six minutes straight. An uneasy calm had fallen upon the tens of thousands of people anxiously thinking about what resided in the blackness of the depths.
"Kind of? This is not normal Seraph behaviour...not by a long shot." Shinji's eyebrows had long since knitted together.
It's got to know where we are. So...what's it waiting for?
Pushing these thoughts from his mind, the meek young man assisted his comrade in searching for the enemy, seeing nothing.
Then, something caught Asuka's attention. Her lips pressed into a small grin. Shinji followed her gaze over to an Imperial battleship in the distance, upon which stood...
"There's your help, Third." The redhead said in an amused and despairing tone.
"That's Unit 03?" Shinji was impressed by the ornate behemoth that was currently looking at them with its one eye. That was before reason kicked in again.
"What's the point of that horn?" He leaned back, his eyebrows raised.
"Oh tell me about it...he thinks it looks cool." Asuka rolled her eyes.
"Well...granted it does but...it would snap off so easily..."
"Cut the chatter you two. We'll be establishing radio link between you and Unit 03 momentarily. Oh, and Marshal Stewart says don't bother commenting on its design. Apparently even he thinks that horn is stupid..." There was chuckling on both ends.
A few moments later, the Imperial Aristocrat's face flashed up on vid comm.
"Well well, looks like I have time to steal your thunder after all." Samuel grinned, running through the multiple routes he could use to get to his comrades.
"We'll see my young apprentice...we'll see..." The redhead offered sardonically.
"I do not understand how one can steal thunder..." Rei poked her head gaze out from behind the seat.
"Ayanami-san? What are you-" Shinji's tone became semi-alarmed until his Imperial counterpart interrupted.
"Your girlfriend is perfectly safe with me, Ikari. You have my word on that."
"Pilot Meadow is correct. An Evangelion Unit is one of the most secure locations to be in during a Seraph attack. Do not worry, Ikari." The albino reassured in her own way.
Not appeased but taking what he could, Shinji sighed in resignation and nodded his head.
"Alright, how are you getting over here?"
"Don't trouble yourself...the Empire always has a plan." Samuel trailed off, the blue Eva bending its knees, preparing to jump.
"Oh...well it's what I'd do..." Asuka trailed off, leaving her brown haired colleague to wonder what the Imperial had in mind.
Bridge
Stewart's hologram appeared to look back at nothingness, his expression contorting into wide eyed concern as many things were barked at him. He nodded at whatever was being said, which was followed by alarms blaring across the 5th fleet.
Turning back to his "colleagues," the man produced a ghost of smile.
"Ah. Might I recommend getting your men below decks, wouldn't want to squash anyone."
Deathly silence descended on all save the NERV Lieutenant Colonel and the German higher ups.
Misato raised an eyebrow, Langman blustered, and Scheer bellowed into a fleet wide channel, with Tsuruku doing something similar on his end.
"All hands get below decks! Angle your A-T fields upwards, they are going to be taking punishment."
HMS Dominion
"What if you miss?" Rei asked, understanding the action the was about to take.
"I won't." The Imperial pilot said with confidence, jamming his control sticks forward.
The Eva jumped.
"Oh mein gott..." Langman groaned watching billions worth of Marks be crushed and mangled by the Evangelion, as it hopped from ship to ship.
"We'll rebuild...we always do..." Scheer muttered reassuringly to himself. The High Seas fleet had been in far worse a shape after Dogger Bank, this was a trifle. At least, that's what the German Admiral kept telling himself as twenty of his ships buried themselves in the sea bed, and thousands of his men's bloated bodies floated in the water.
There was a nagging sensation at the back of his mind, that the Imperial would try and land on as many German warships as possible, but he needn't have worried. Unit 03 was making straight for the Seydlitz. What everyone really should have been worrying about, was another, far larger thing, accelerating towards Unit 02...
"Hostile sighted! Marking it on your hud!" Misato barked. The Eva's visual sensors started flashing red, a targeting reticule fixing on a newly appeared geyser of water.
One which hurtled towards them at phenomenal speed.
"At last..." Asuka snarled, before barking "voice command, Asuka Zeppelin Soryu, deploy prog knife!"
As it did for all Evas, a compartment on Unit 02's back slid open, revealing a more refined and sharp blade than that of Unit 01's. Immediately grasping it, the redhead eagerly awaited her first true battle.
My big debut in the history books is here at last.
Shinji however, fixed his gaze on the geyser which approached them, already being bombarded by naval guns and fighter craft. He squinted a little, his forged by fire instincts telling him something wasn't right. The true threat, was one he could not see.
How much of it is beneath the waves...oh Spirits...
The cessation of attack was not random.
The enemy had sensed them, realised what it was up against, and had taken that time to create a stratagem. Considering these weren't mindless animals as so many thought, it was not beyond reason the enemy had felt that an Eva was not designed to go for a dip.
"Soryu-san, how well could Unit 02 perform in water?" He said, nervously.
"Eh, not the best. Evangelions aren't designed for water-born combat. How is that important anyway, Thir-" She barely had time finish, when Shinji grasped the control sticks and yanked, causing Unit 02 to move to its left.
"Get your hands off my Eva, scheissekopf!" Her fists descended upon his head with no restraint. Although the Countess could be reasonable at times, this was not something she'd negotiate on.
Then the reasoning for his actions became apparent. And Asuka stopped pummelling.
From the depths exploded a five hundred meter long leviathan, larger than any warship mankind possessed. It's jaws open, revealing row upon row of serrated teeth. Had Unit 02 remained in its original position, it would have been swallowed whole.
The freckled girl had no time to appreciate her comrade's wisdom on the matter however. Neither did Shinji. For at that moment, they were both screaming. Being taken by utter surprise on Asuka's part, and realisation the Seraph was so large it would brush them off the Carrier deck for the meek Japanese boy, was the cause.
And that was exactly what it did.
There was no time for flailing, no time for grabbing onto anything, the black behemoth was simply thrown into the sea, knife flying out of its hands, waves swiftly closing over it, leaving one of mankind's super weapons in the domain of a Seraph.
A few frantic calls had echoed over comms as all contact was cut, by the ocean and whatever strange energies the enemy generated. The last thing heard before the dreadful static consumed all, was the Imperial Pilot calling out Asuka's name. Then, the Japanese boy and German girl were alone.
Not quite how I planned...but it shall do.
Gaghiel had moved out of the enemy's visual and now circled his prey, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. After all, the foe was far from defeated at that point. Alas his jaws had not been able to close upon the Evangelion and end the matter then and there. But it seemed...despite being a different colour and beast altogether, this foe was no stranger to combat.
Whoever rides that is no stranger to battle...could it be...
You suspect the rider to be he who sits astride the purple devil? Haniel inquired, having a good idea of what the answer would be.
I do not suspect, Fist, I know. Only one who has faced our kind before would behave with such caution... The Admiral whom had never lost a battle, whom destroyed the entire Taylus fleet with merely a tenth of the number, continued to circle his foe which flailed around uselessly as it sank like a stone.
Such an ignominious end...forgive me Knight of NERV. Take my share of the mead when you reach the halls of the Gods.
"Just let go, I know what I'm doing!" Asuka snarled, finally wrenching the control sticks out of her colleagues stiff with fear hands. His complexion had paled, not quite on the cusp of shaking, but certainly afraid. His cerulean eyes scanned the area around them, detecting nothing.
"Damn!" He punched the wall of the plug in frustration, breathing heavily. His action took even the fiery redhead aback, who had not expected such a thing from the timid young man.
"I'm sorry, Soryu-san there's nothing I can do..." Shinji's body became semi-limp, his tone utterly defeated.
She shook her head.
"Oh honestly we've just gone for a swim, Third. Besides, Hauptmann Asuka Zeppelin Soryu doesn't need protecting!" With a quick movement of the sticks, Unit 02 balanced itself perfectly, flashes of orange lightening stopping its decent dead in its tracks. The redhead would have laughed at how his jaw dropped, were the situation not so severe. However she still managed a smug look.
"How did you do that?" The brown haired boy said, stumped.
"Simple, A-T fields can be used to push and pull matter. I did stuff like that in training, the Innenministerium wanted to find a peacetime use for Unit 02. I figured the same would work for water."
"So...that's never been done before?" He said, legitimately impressed.
"Jah. You've stood witness to history, Third. Now..." Her expression hardened, her sapphire gaze analysing the surrounding blueness of the pacific ocean.
"Let's go fishing."
"Nothing?" Misato said forlornly at the radio operator.
"Nothing, ma'am. Just static." He leaned back in his seat, frowning.
That's not just the water, that thing must be doing something...
"Keep your voice down." Stewart commanded quietly, giving a quick nod at the now stationary Unit 03, which stood upon the flight deck and looked down into the blue abyss.
Rei watched the Imperial officer, so full of bravado and confidence a few minutes before, become silent as the grave. His lip occasionally quivered, as if he couldn't decide between screaming or crying. Again, the albino found herself bearing witness to humanity and its strange desire to hide its true self.
These walls which enclose them...cage them...they must be set free. It is the inner desire of all
No amount of training could ever have prepared him for this moment. Indeed, his experience with life proved far more invaluable than what they'd taught him at Sandhurst. The possibility of losing someone again...
We do not bow, we endure and conquer. That is the Empire's way.
Pushing aside thoughts of his best friend being devoured alive by the monstrosity beneath the waves, and the various brave men and women of the Imperial navy whose tomb would now be a corner of the earth far from the homeland, he focused on the task at hand.
For the honour of the dead, and the future of the living, I'll have your life, Seraph
"Are you sure you've found nothing?" He barked.
"Not even a whisper, Major. We'll keep looking." Stewart responded from the bridge of the Dominion, his own staff darting back and forth.
"See to it that you're successful." The young aristocrat snapped, bowing his head.
"I've got the power to rend the world in half, yet I am stuck here." He snarled, then looked at Rei.
"Any suggestions would be helpful, Plank."
"I have none." She said honestly.
"Fat load of good you are..." His gloved hands gripped the control sticks as he fought to control his rage.
"Forgive me, that was rather rude. It isn't like it's your fault after all." He offered apologetically.
A plank you may be, but that's no reason for me to be rude
"I would desire a solution to present itself, as Ikari is down there." Rei said nonchalantly but truthfully. Although in far better control of her emotions, owing to not quite feeling them as well as we do, the unnatural-born human did understand the Imperial Major's position. Clearly Soryu meant a great deal to him, as Ikari did for her.
"How close are you two?" Samuel asked, needing something to take his mind off the current situation.
"He showed me kindness and care, although he had no reason or need to. I wish to reciprocate such things."
The blonde boy tapped a control stick with his finger, a cheeky grin flickering into existence.
"Romantic I presume?"
The albino's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her lip microscopically twitching.
"No, not in the slightest. I do wish people would stop inferring that."
"Adorable. Perhaps you aren't a total brick wall after all..." He laughed, before seeing one of the flight deck lifts bring up a VTOL.
"What is this? A coward fleeing the field...ugh, as is to be expected of Barbarians..."
Bridge
The inactive Meer Wulf, made Misato's purple eyebrows furrow.
"Who is that?"
"Agent Kaji requested the use of it. He is to transport a priority one cargo to NERV Central." Langman responded crisply.
NERV's combat operations director took a deep breath, nodding in acceptance. It was all she could do.
Damn coward
"Tell him to get away as fast he can. I want that flight deck completely empty." She unintentionally snarled.
"U...Understood, ma'am."
Half a minute later, the four engined aircraft roared away from the battle ground, it's VIP occupant having a guilt stricken expression. For although many judged men such as him harshly, it should be emphasized Ryoji Kaji was no coward. Not in the slightest.
He was tempted to make his way to the cockpit, turn around, and see if he could be any help. But he had a job to do, as loathe as he was to accomplishing it in the name of his own personal agenda. And with knowledge of Unit 02's current predicament, and of a girl who'd brought a good deal of light and humour into his life, his situation worsened with each passing second.
The time has come Vooren From the blueness, Gaghiel emerged with almost impossible speed, its mouth an all devouring maw. It was on them in a heartbeat, no ordinary person could have responded in time to such an assault.
Unfortunately for the ancient Admiral, Asuka and Shinji were not ordinary people.
"Oh no you don't!" She snarled, flinging the Eva's arms and legs out, meeting the closing mouth and pushing the rest of her energy into the maintaining of her A-T field and strength. Pushed through the water at an insane rate, the redhead gritted her teeth and refused to yield, despite the burning sensation in her muscles. Then suddenly, the crackling on the radio abated. Voices were heard chattering to one another now, for due to the mingling of their A-T fields the Seraph could no longer block out comms.
"Hey, can anyone hear us!" Shinji yelled, hoping against all hope.
"Shinji-kun! Thank goodness..." Misato said, relieved, then regained control of herself.
"Status report."
"The enemy is trying to eat us! Some help would be appreciated." Asuka hissed, feeling the strength of ages bear down on her limbs, only just being able to resist it.
"Understood, we're working on it!" Misato nodded, turning to face the command staff of the Seydlitz.
"Are we tracking them?" She said urgently.
"Not just them ma'am, we've got the Seraph's location as well." The sonar operator nodded.
Damn good.
"We've got you on our sensors. Have you located the Seraph's S2 core?" The purplehead called back to Unit 02.
"I'm a bit busy at the moment!" Asuka roared, with even Shinji having to grab the control sticks, as if adding his own strength to their struggle. However, as he was not so engaged in not being eaten, his cerulean eyes squinted into the blackness of his foe's mouth...and noticed a red glow.
"Target sighted, Lieutenant Colonel. Direct visual through its mouth." He barked in a surprisingly professional tone.
"Good work you two, keep at it." Misato smiled, running through multiple strategies in her head.
They've got its mouth open...we can get that core...just need a way to destroy it.
"Okay...have we got any submarines?"
A deathly silence fell upon the bridge, as the various officers and Admirals looked at each other hopelessly.
"Come on, we've got to have some!?"
Scheer sighed.
"We might just, Miss Katsuragi. Get me a connection to our shadow." He commanded.
"Connection established Admiral." His radio operator obeyed.
The bewhiskered German marched over to the comms and spoke into an offered mouthpiece.
"Shadow?" Misato tilted her head.
Scheer began speaking in Russian of all things. Fortunately, NERV personnel were trained to speak multiple languages, so the purplehead could understand.
"This Admiral Franz Scheer of His Majesty Kaiser Rudolf Von Hohenzollern's High Seas Fleet. I am addressing the Captain of the Russian submarine which has been trailing us from Hamburg. We need your help."
There was no response for a few moments.
"Captain...I know you can hear me."
A few seconds later, a response most telling came through.
"Chyort...what can we do for you, comrade Scheer?"
There was some chuckling across the bridge.
"Thank you. If you could get that Chinese sub in touch as well, we'd be much obliged." The Admiral said, gratefully.
"Understood."
No one noticed the sudden twitching of Tsuruku's lip and Misato's scowl at the mention of "Chinese."
"Now then, Lieutenant Colonel-" Scheer folded his arms as he looked at the NERV Operative.
"What is your plan?"
"Make that connection damn it!" Samuel roared.
"We're doing our best, sir, give us a few more-" The Imperial switched his comms off.
"Well...this is water tight. I think we'd manage...no, no..." He pondered aloud.
"You are considering whether or not to provide assistance to Pilot Soryu." Rei stated. He fidgeted for a moment.
"Yes." Samuel murmured.
Even someone as socially inept as the albino could tell this boy was clearly concerned for his comrade. His expression upon remaking of radio contact being one of absolute joy, swiftly turning to anxiety due to the noises of the ongoing battle. He wanted to help. So why did he not?
"What is it that holds you back?" She pressed on.
Samuel sighed with annoyance.
"I have a duty to the Empire, to Britain. This is His Majesty's equipment, I must take as much care of it as possible. And throwing it into a scenario for which it was not designed, would be irresponsible on my part." His face became as solid as stone.
My allegiance is to the home islands and he who sits upon its throne. No matter how much it breaks my heart...I must obey...I must...
"Besides, I haven't even received orders on the matter." He dismissed her with the wave of his hand.
"So would I be correct in assuming that equipment matters more to you than your friend?" Rei said.
He looked back at her, eyes widened in shock and fury, as if his honour had been slighted by the mere suggestion. The young aristocrat appeared to be on the verge of barking some more Imperial doctrine at her, until the blue haired girl interrupted him.
"You may think me soulless, but if I sat where you are, I wouldn't hesitate."
It is as Ikari said...sometimes one shouldn't do as told by another.
The Imperial's expression softened for a moment, as his brain went through goodness knows how many different thoughts and feelings in an attempt to come to a conclusion. Then his jaw set, his eyes focusing forward.
"Marshal Stewart. Do relay to His Majesty that I apologize for any rust." He said respectfully over the radio, then barked out a command.
"Voice command, Samuel Meadow. Deploy prog blade."
His own back compartment opened up, a white painted hand swiftly grabbing hold of the extended hilt, pulling out not a knife, but something akin to an eighty metre long naval cutlass.
"Major Meadow you will stay where you are-" Stewart barked.
"I can hardly let barbarians take what is the Empire's glory by right." Samuel cut the conversation off.
"Ready for a dip Ayanami?" He grinned slightly.
"I take no issue with it." Rei tightened her grip around his seat.
"Well...hold tight."
The Imperial god machine plunged into the sea.
Bridge
Stewart's hologram twitched in aggravation at such a blatant disregard of authority. To be sure, the Empire did deserve whatever glory it could grasp with its own hands, but this insubordination was unacceptable, and quite out of character for the Major. Not to mention, if things went sour he had no intention of reporting this to the High Field Marshal. He knew his head may end up on a silver platter if that boy came to harm.
Brash, arrogant, and probably won't listen to a word we say...the Commander is just going to love this... Misato's subconscious chuckled, the rest of her body remaining rigid and professional.
She'd explained the plan, gaining a few raised eyebrows but with everyone ultimately concluding it was the best they had. With Unit 02 holding the Seraph's mouth open, a Submarine would launch torpedoes into the vast blackness, destroy the core, and therefore the enemy. Granted, she had cause for lifting her spirits, as now with two Evas in combat their chances had doubled. It was just infuriating the enemy had attacked them out here. If it had hauled its ugly arse onto land, they could have pulverised it into a bloody paste with four Evangelions.
Enough power to rip the planet in half.
But there was still a problem.
And that problem was a Chinese Type 96 S2 submarine which had been shadowing the fleet for hundreds of miles, likely linking up and maintaining radio contact with the Russians. The fact they, the children of Japan, would have to look to the old enemy for help, sickened the purplehead and every soul of the JSN Pacific Fleet to their core. Even Tsuruku, an old soldier, found it difficult to contain himself on the matter, having fought the Tokuajin at Hoyo straight all those years ago. Where this a different situation, he'd have given the order to depth charge the bastards for coming into Japanese waters.
Alas, the heavens had decided to be frustrating today.
Misato however, had a good deal less restraint on the matter. Bringing herself over to Scheer, who was discussing strategy with the other Admirals, she quietly coughed to gain their attention.
"Admiral...surely the Russian sub will be enough? I mean...the Chinese are hardly the best navy out there, so perhaps we don't need them-" She was cut off by Stewart raising his hand.
"If you want to live through this Barbarian, then you better just deal with it." His lips curled into a small, satisfied, smirk as she fumed at her own words being turned against her. Ironically if it had been a Submarine of the Federal Guard Fleet, then it would have been a very different matter for the Imperial Sea Marshal. Of course he would say what the Federation did to the home islands was far worse than whatever the Chinese did to Japan.
Such is the narrow mindedness of mankind.
"Lieutenant Colonel as much as I understand your reservations on the matter, and the Prime Minister will be having words with President Cao Xu as to why a Communist vessel is in our waters, the situation is desperate. We must take what we can, where we can." Tsuruku managed to control his own personal disgust on the matter, and put Japan's survival first.
Misato nodded with reluctance, yielding to the old man's wisdom.
"Changzeng 40 and K76 are moving into position and awaiting orders." A Lieutenant relayed, something akin to disbelief in his eyes.
This is actually happening. The Empire and the Communists are helping us. Gott Verdammt what was in my drink last night?
Satisfied with this, the purplehead made her way back over to the radio.
"Alright, listen up Pilots. We've got a plan. It's kind of insane and kind of brilliant because I came up with it, but it's the best we have. I need you to get the enemy to these coordinates..."
One hundred feet beneath the waves, Changzeng 40
"Are the tubes loaded?" He barked.
"Shi di xiansheng!" Was the response. As was to be expected from the crew of this old warhorse, who'd slipped away in the dead of night as the Japanese retook one of their harbours at the end of the Pacific war.
Each of these men had served in the People's Liberation Navy for nearly fifteen years, hence why they and they alone were assigned to follow the vast fleet sailing through their waters. Cao Xu was a shrewd man, and hated not knowing what others were doing. That was the purpose of their mission, shadow the flotilla and glean whatever information they could on the foreign Evangelion Units.
Now it turned out their "prey" had simply been toying with them, knowing they were being trailed for days on end.
Glad I'm not explaining this to the President...
That enviable role would belong to the unfortunate Admiral Tian Zhu, whom would be lucky to only lose his job. For the President did not tolerate failure or overblown promises, and it had been the Admiral who'd proposed the shadowing of the vast battle group in the first place.
Swiftly and silently we shall watch them was what he'd said.
Now the People's Liberation Navy had been humiliated again.
Captain Cai Dishi unclasped the hands held behind his back to massage his eyes, while his crew, his trusted family, ran around hi, carrying out their tasks. He was proud of them, his semi-cold exterior being a part of his personality, and his men knew this. As awkward as he could be, they knew he'd die for any one of them. And they would for him.
I do hope Unit 06's delivery will not be as farcical as this...
He didn't put much stock in the strange god machines called "Evangelions", nor the mentally unhinged children who piloted them. His trust, as it always was, lay entirely with the men he fought and bled with. Yet as he quietly beheld his own "children" running around, the Captain felt his unyielding sense of responsibility eat away at his soul.
Almost every one of these men has a family...I must return them safely...
"Enemy will be closing shortly!" His warrant officer relayed.
All looked to their Captain in this moment, his form remaining totally calm, for they completely trusted him. This man who had taken them through hell and back, from day one of the invasion of Japan, to all the unregistered skirmishes between the PLN and the JSN to this day. He was their Captain, and they awaited his orders.
"Stand ready comrades. For Asia we shall bleed, for the ancestral land shall we die." Tidal waves of approving roars shook their "metal coffin" causing Dishi to smile in satisfaction.
"Qi lai!" He punched his fist in the air, the cry of the Chinese nation being repeated again and again.
"Qi lai! Qi lai! Qi lai!"
"Come on...come on...just do as your told..." Asuka growled, trying to wrestle the eldritch abomination. Misato's commands had been simple, get the enemy into a specific set of coordinates so a submarine group that shouldn't have been there in the first place could blow it to pieces. Although getting the Seraph to do as directed was proving something of a hassle.
"You going to help, Third?" She growled at her compatriot.
"I'm trying!" Shinji said desperately, despite his low connection with this Unit even he was feeling the strain on his muscles. A little part of his brain was thinking of how strong this girl must be, and how much he wasn't looking forward to these "combat simulations." If he got out of this alive.
"Well you're not trying hard enough." Asuka snarled, slowly pulling the 7th Seraph's jaw into the direction required. Even more effort would have been needed to prevent the enemy from correcting itself, but because Gaghiel was so focused on crushing this Vooren machine in particular, he failed notice, in a most uncharacteristic manner.
Just let me devour you! He metaphorically bellowed, his own jaw muscles straining with the Eva's limbs. This struggle was pointless on the foe's part, all it did was give it perhaps a few more minutes of life at best. Surely it would be better to get it over with?
The Seraph was too strong, it had been clear from the outset. Granted they were putting up a good fight, but it wouldn't be enough. From within the plug, Shinji could already see those black arms sagging beneath the tremendous weight of the enemy's mouth. Asuka didn't appear to understand this however. Defeat wasn't a word in her vocabulary, as she raged against the might of a foe more ancient than she could possibly imagine.
He was awed by her, truly awed. Not once in his life had Shinji seen such reckless and fearless courage, not even from Rei or the tank crew he'd met in the previous month. This girl was fully aware of her feelings, yet she refused to allow fear to corrupt her common sense. Unfortunately her anger appeared to do that, but at least there was no possibility of her "freezing up." If she could keep her fear under control, then so could he.
Doing as he was taught, letting his mind quiet and reach for that deep warmth, Shinji felt the feeling slowly grow within him. He hadn't tried this before, as the redhead had made it very clear this was her Eva and he was not to meddle with it in any way. However, the situation demanded he take action.
What he felt upon fully contacting the Eva, was not a loving warmth like it was in his Unit 01, but biting cold, hostile in its intensity. But now he felt the true weight of the Seraph bearing down on him, and he was surprised his arms didn't snap off. Dutifully, his fingers removed themselves from the seat, and wrapped around the control sticks, pushing with all his might.
The German and Japanese children had now effectively joined their strength against their terrible foe.
Asuka was aware of this, and whilst a little part of her screamed in fury at this upstart having the audacity to establish a Pilot Link with her Evangelion, she understood the necessity of it. Mankind's future was on the line. She'd have to nurture her pride another time.
Still, the Seraph could not be controlled or directed. Though it was having immense trouble devouring this "morsel", it was in control.
If I get out of this I'm sticking with aircraft in future. And if I don't...at least I'm not alone... Unnoticed by Asuka, Shinji gave her a semi-grateful look, one of appreciation for her simply being there. The idea of having company, not having to face the oblivion of death by himself, was comforting.
Then that shivering cold within his soul suddenly became a rush of titanic power, strength bubbling and coursing through the two children's veins.
Unit 02's four eyes lit up the gloom of the sea.
Unit 03 slowly sank into the blue abyss, occasional flashes of lightening, a trick learned from a friend, slowing its decent until a certain depth where it remained motionless, save for the swivelling of the headpiece and its single, solitary eye.
Katsuragi's orders had come through well enough despite some interferences from the various A-T fields bouncing off one another. The problem was, finding the enemy to begin with. For due to how very complex the Evangelions were, and how cramped their cockpits could be, no on-board radar or sonar was available, much to Samuel's chagrin.
"Asuka I'm in the water, where are you?" He barked, scanning the area with his electric blue eyes.
It would have been hard enough to see through the deep blue to begin with, but now he had to deal with all the disturbed sea bed sediment that had clogged the ocean up. Even Rei, whose vision was superior to that of an ordinary human, found herself squinting.
This is not an ideal position to be in
The enemy could be a hundred feet in front of him, and he wouldn't know it was there, were it not for the tracking of the beast being relayed to him by the Seydlitz's bridge. As much as it grieved him to have control of the operation handed over to barbarians, even he understood the necessity of centralizing command.
Unable to find anything with the naked eye, Rei allowed her mind to pry at Samuel's, ripples in the water as usual. What she could feel, was a surprising amount of fear and anticipation centred around what response he'd get from the crackling static.
Eventually, his patience was rewarded, in a way.
"Incoming!" The broken response provoked a sigh of relief from Samuel, the stress vanishing from his mind.
Alive and well...wait...what does she mean by incoming? So focused on the predicament of his old friend, he'd failed to notice the red blip on his hud barrelling towards his location.
Rei's features froze as her eyes locked on to something.
"I have sighted the enemy." She stated.
"Have you? Where?" He lifted his head from thought, relieved but still spoiling for a fight. Still itching to prove the Empire's professionalism and superiority.
"To our right..." Her grip around his seat tightened further.
"To our...ah."
Gaghiel, utterly distracted by his ongoing effort to devour Unit 02, slammed into them.
Bouncing and rolling along the Seraph's side, whose A-T field had been fortunately neutralised by its struggle with the German Evangelion, Samuel only just managed to find a grip on the enemy's tail, despite being disorientated after bashing his had quite hard against his seat. Had he taken a few seconds longer, the Imperial god machine would now be spiralling off into the depths.
"Bloody...women...drivers...could have killed me..." He grimaced as with one hand he held on for dear life, even as the forces of nature sought to rip him off. Whilst still clinging to his progressive blade, he curled the hand around another flap of Gaghiel's skin, slowly but surely he clawing his way up the Seraph's back.
"I can hear you, dummkopf!" Asuka roared from the other end.
"My point still stands!" He snapped back.
"Are any of you taking this seriously?" Shinji shrieked hopelessly.
"...I would agree with Ikari, concentrating on the situation at hand would be for the best..." Rei said before the Imperial cut her off through gritted teeth.
"I am concentrating, plank."
"Those two sound like they're getting along famously..." Asuka chuckled, despite the pain in her arms.
Shinji curled his lips into a smile, well imagining how his strange, blunt, and stoic friend would clash with the brash and bombastic aristocrat.
The mood had lifted by no small amount upon Unit 03's entering of the fray. A true fight, an equal fight, was now on their hands. The likelihood of them all walking away from this had just doubled. If that wasn't cause for some jubilation, then he didn't know what was.
"What's Meadow-san's plan then?" He inquired.
"Oh probably something insane..." She shook her head.
"You intend to climb the Seraph's back and, I quote, cut its bloody spine in half?" Rei held on to the Pilot's sear in a manner akin to "grim death."
"Basically." Samuel shot back, slowly but surely managing to pull his way up the Seraph's vast back.
"That is...rather straight forward."
"The best plans usually are!"
"But I thought the plan was to force the enemy-"
"And we're sticking to that plan, I'm just going to make sure it's mouth stays open." He growled as he went through the equivalent of holding onto latex in a wind tunnel.
The Seraph attempted to shake him off, said attempts being hindered by Unit 02's grasp on its mouth. The original decision to end this fight quickly, had backfired upon the ancient Sea Lord. So focused on correcting this situation by either crushing or swallowing his foe, Gaghiel did not notice the two black cylindrical shapes in the distance, whose lethal payload of torpedoes were primed, ready to fire, and pointed at him.
"Alright this is it...get ready to detach." Misato commanded.
"Jawohl!" Asuka gritted her teeth, the seconds towards the submarine's attack tickin ever closer. The Third got the message as well, and appeared to be doing the same thing.
Kept his cool and seems to know what he's doing. Perhaps he isn't a total dummkopf after all
Then from within the blackness of the Seraph's maw, a light began to grow. One which Shinji was all too familiar with.
"Oh Spirits..." He whispered.
Gaghiel had grown impatient.
"What, Third?" Asuka snapped back, seeing his face be frozen with fear. Memories of that terrible moment when the 6th Seraph had ripped through his A-T field, armour, and soul, coursed through his mind like wild fire. And that was from a mile away. At point blank range, they stood no chance, not with their A-T field clashing and retreating against the Seraph's, in a constant dance of orange lightening.
The light in its mouth became almost blinding.
"Oh schiesse..."
And then it vanished, to be replaced by a faint scream of agony, diluted by the ocean itself.
"God's grace be with us always!" Samuel roared over the comms, jamming his blade deep into Gaghiel's back, cold steel sinking through skin, muscle, and bone.
"Took you long enough..." Asuka muttered with slight relief, her lips curling into a small smile. One that indicated she wasn't surprised at all by his action.
Shinji's expression remained one of fear, even as the immediate danger of being vaporised vanished. But despite being afraid, he remained focused on the task at hand. Like the soldier he was.
It had been interesting to behold the enraged Major somehow climb the back of the speeding Seraph, muttering "bastard", "bloody stupid thing", and "twat" constantly, Rei mused. She'd never seen such concentrated rage and indignation before in her short life. His plan had worked though, the enemy was in immense pain and howling for all it was worth, Unit 02's arms immediately being released from the pressure of the Seraph's mighty jaws.
The timer for the attack went off.
"Detach now! Get out of there!" Misato barked.
Whilst the commands of "Strelyat!" and "Sheji!" were barked onboard the communist submarines, Asuka and Shinji yanked the control sticks back and threw themselves out of the Seraph's trajectory, bouncing and banging along its side as it barrelled past them, so pre-occupied with its pain. Meanwhile, Samuel unsheathed his prog blade from Gaghiel's flesh and let the ocean's current do all his work for him.
Four torpedoes had already been fired, the K76 and Changzeng 40 swiftly diving as fast as they could to get out of the enemy's way. Which was a wise move, as the Seraph showed no sign of slowing down.
Gaghiel to your front! The voice of the Fist shook his head, but it was too late.
The torpedoes buried themselves into his throat, whilst the Evangelion's silhouettes were already disappearing into the blackness, and the two cylinders which had administered his death were diving far beneath him.
My...Heir...
Ah...I see. Do apologize to my family for me will you? Gaghiel gently responded, closing his eyes. There was no point in resisting death, the Gods ordained that it was his time and the Heir would accept their judgement.
A victory well earned, Vooren. It seems it must be I who saves you some mead...
The six metre long warheads detonated, and the formerly invincible Admiral was ripped into bloody shreds, his core smashed and shattered, his vital fluids turning the sea a sickly shade of royal blue.
The geyser of divine blood and froth exploding from the sea, a roar of triumph rippling through the crew of the Seydlitz, and indeed across the entire fleet, with ship horns blasting away in jubilation. Misato was not one of them however, her brown gaze being fixed on the ocean before her.
Come on...come on...
Two armoured titans exploded forth from the blanket of water and landed perfectly on the German Carrier's flight deck in kneeling positions. This provoked a round of applause from the various officers on the bridge, and a relieved sigh from her.
After giving the order to inform the recently arrived Susanoos that the situation was in hand and they could turn back, Scheer turned to face his odd guest.
"Very well done, Lieutenant Colonel. It's good to know NERV has some soldiers among its ranks." He removed his cap and mopped his brow with his hand. The woman in front of him had pulled off a victory in the face of total defeat, whilst he could only save a few ships in a similar situation some twelve years ago on a cold December morning.
"Perhaps." Stewart said derisively, despite even himself being taken aback by the competence of this strange woman.
Dresses like a prostitute of the Old Kingdom, yet has the capability of a General? What a bizarre age we all live in...
"That was an...interesting strategy you concocted. I wonder, how did you arrive at that being our best bet?" Tsuruku inquired, as a military man he was of course interested in understanding another commander's thoughts.
"I thought about what we had, and made the best of it..." She leaned against a metal wall, smiling in amusement at herself.
"That wasn't even the first thing which came to mind. My original plan was to sink two battleships in synchronisation with each other, then fire their turrets into the Seraph's mouth whilst the Evas held it open." Her smile broadened at some sharp intakes of breath and looks of bewilderment.
"Oh what nonsense-" Stewart was loudly saying, as if he couldn't quite wrap his head around what he'd just heard.
"I think that'll be all today my friends. Full steam to Togo Harbour." Scheer chuckled slightly as the holographic connections were cut.
"I would list off all the ways that wouldn't work, but I feel you'd just ignore me." He clasped his hands behind his back.
Misato chuckled at that, then looked back out at the flight deck, and the two kneeling Evas.
"If you'll excuse me, Admiral, I've got my own troops to attend to..."
Leaving the entry plug was a simple matter, the top section having electronically slid open automatically as soon as the plug was retracted.
Of course as it was his Eva, Samuel had got out first. With both Units 02 and 03 having assumed a lying down position on their sides, there was only a short space between the ground and the plug, allowing him to jump down, landing with a thud as his boots touched the deck.
Imperial honour has not been lost nor slighted, I can sleep well tonight.
Looking back, he could see Rei slowly removing herself from the plug, quickly flashing a glance at Unit 02 to see if any serious damage had been done. Satisfied it was relatively unharmed, meaning Ikari was unharmed, she turned her gaze downwards to see a gloved hand extended for her to take.
"Madame." Samuel said politely with his head bowed.
She of course pondered why such an action was necessary, considering she could get down with ease, and the slight enmity the Imperial felt for her. But of course, she was not familiar with the etiquette and manners of the Empire's aristocracy. How a lady is to be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. This being expected of any male member of the nobility.
She took the offered hand and found getting down to be a good deal easier. For the albino felt that if she hadn't, then he might have been offended. This being something she didn't want to do to anyone.
Shinji on the other hand, had landed face first on the deck after being booted out of Unit 02's plug by its redheaded mistress. Asuka landed on her own feet quite perfectly, then stretched out her arms and forced her bones to click into place. Casting her sapphire gaze upon the wimpy boy slowly rising to his feet, she put her hands on her hips and grinned.
"Could be better, but not bad, Third. Perhaps you do have a chance of keeping up with me..." She smirked.
He laughed, taking in this fearless freckled girl who'd proven herself to be more of a man than he felt he could ever hope to be.
She's better than me. That's just a fact
"I highly doubt that, Soryu-san." He quietly laughed.