Chapter 3: Dance of the Golden Spurs
With the press of a button, the loose-fitting bright vermilion plugsuit hissed as it shrank down, conforming to its wearer's lithe form. Standing tall, Asuka looked over herself in the mirror in the empty locker room. Having removed her floral dress and accessories, she had taken up the attire fitting of an Evangelion pilot. The vibrant colour of the form-fitting suit matched well with her horns and was certainly hard to miss.
After running a hand over herself to inspect the suit, the girl reached into her locker to draw several items from it: a bulky pair of cuffed gauntlets and ankle boots, a pair of metal pauldrons for her shoulders, a pair of metal elbow cops, and a hefty breastplate and backplate with metal collar. All of it bore this particularly ugly shade of somewhere between bone white and cream. The muffled clicks of overlapping metal plates stitched into the gauntlets and boots broke the silence of the dimly-lit locker room.
Undoing the chunky metal clasps, Asuka slipped the boots onto her feet, feeling the heft of them. Donning the combined chest defences, then securing the pauldrons and cops and lastly sliding on the gauntlets, Asuka could feel the plate armour weighing on her small body.
It felt almost crushing.
Asuka was going to command her Evangelion for the very first time. The Chancellor of Germany, the leaders of the German Defence Force, and the commander of NERV Germany would have their scrutinizing eyes focused on her. She had to prove to them all that she was worth the attention and care they had given her. After all, without them who would she even be?
10 years ago, NERV found a lost little girl and took her into their arms. They gave her identity and purpose. They breathed new life into her and blessed her with a soul where she had none. They christened her their "Second Child". That little girl was Asuka Langley Soryu.
Asuka had thought about this day for so long. Through every painful physical and mental test, every exhausting day of training, every stupid experiment, every night she spent alone…the thought of eventually seeing Evangelion Unit 02 was what pushed her through it all. And now here she was, only moments away from stepping aboard the coveted thing. The whole moment felt surreal. Every emotion that could go through the teen was firing on all cylinders within her. Asuka closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"Alright," she said aloud before her eyes opened. "Let's go, Asuka."
"PLUGSUIT SYNCHRONIZATION: CONFIRMED. NO ERRORS DETECTED. PILOT VITALS: CONFIRMED. BEGIN ENTRY SEQUENCE."
The crude automated voice reverberated within the large sphere of metal and circuitry as Asuka slid into a robust yet sleek pilot's seat which hung down from the top of the dimly lit chamber.
"So, this is the ACTUAL inside of an Entryplug, huh? Sheesh, it feels like I'm cooped up in a big chicken egg or something..."
From nozzles spaced around the top of the entryplug's interior, a humming sound could be heard as a clear tangerine liquid flowed down the sides of the chamber, rapidly filling it up. While the uninitiated would begin to panic in this situation, Asuka instead remained relaxed as the substance reached up her in the seat and soon went over her head. When it had reached the top and the pumps ceased, Asuka inhaled through her nose and mouth. As she let the liquid fill her body, the girl blinked a few times to adjust to the new environment.
"LCL EMISSION COMPLETE. CONNECTION TO PILOT NEUROSYSTEM ACHIEVED," stated the raspy computer voice.
"Blegh, I hate doing that," snorted Asuka as she rubbed her eyes. "Well then, leeeeeeet's get started, ladieeeees and gentlemeeeeeen!"
The entryplug capsule shuttered and rocked as large robotic arms inserted it into a corresponding outlet on Evangelion Unit 02's upper back. With a clattering of metal and hisses of gas, the outlet received the entryplug and pulled it into the Evangelion as a sloped panel of armour moved to cover the outlet.
A moment passed as Asuka sat in the low light, before the section of the entry plug's interior wall lit up bright in front of her. The girl's eyes adjusted to the luminous glow as a view of the hangar bay's interior filled the glowing space before her.
"How's the weather up there?" asked the voice of Kaji amusingly over the entryplug's intercom.
"I can see our apartment from up here, Mister Kaji" giggled Asuka. "Aw jeez Louise, did youuuuuu leave the stove on?"
"EVANGELION UNIT TWO PRODUCTION-TYPE LAUNCH PREPARATIONS COMPLETE. AWAITING FINAL APPROVAL" croaked the auto voice.
"Sounds like you're all fired up and ready to go" said Kaji. "We're just waiting for Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki to give the final go-ahead."
Cheerily, Asuka chirped "Roger!"
As indistinct radio chatter droned on in the background, Asuka shifted around in her cockpit seat.
"Sooooo Mister Kaji, I was wondering something."
"That would be?"
Asuka shrugged.
"So this has been irking me a bit. In NERV's official term guide, why the heck is the plural of Apostolo 'Apostolos'? IIIIII'm no Italian, but the plural's SUPPOSED to be 'Apostoli'. What numbskull intern screwed up NERV's official terminology?"
"That 'numbskull' happens to have been Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki."
Eyes widening like those of a deer caught in the headlights, Asuka immediately yelped and covered her mouth.
"O-Oh! Well in th-that case, there's nothing wrooooong! After all, we don't speak Italian for NERV's main language! A-And who the heck am I to talk about the Italian language? H-Heh, the only Italian words I know are 'Pizza' and 'Spaghetti!'" chattered Asuka with a worried laugh as she hastily checked to make sure Command didn't hear that.
Kaji burst out laughing over the intercom, not helping Asuka's state of disarray.
"Mister Kajiiiiiiiii!" whined Asuka pathetically. "Nooooooo don't laugh! This is serious!"
After his bout of laughter at Asuka's antics had subsided, Kaji cleared his throat.
"Don't worry, kid. I won't snitch."
Sighing, Asuka said "I'm not a kid, Mister Kaji. I'm an adult and an Eva pilot, so I'm not supposed to look stupid like that. Look, let's just forget I said anything..."
"Alright then. How about we change subjects?"
"Let's..." replied Asuka quietly.
"Well" began Kaji. "Did you hear? The First Apostolo's been given a post-mortem name: Zefon."
"Oh? Dooooooes that mean every other Apostolo going forward's gonna get a name too?" asked Asuka as she looked around the hangar bay, feeling a little antsy.
"Seems so" replied Kaji. "No telling how many Apostolos Command's expecting, but I suppose it'd at least make it a bit less of a headache to keep track of which one's which-"
A loud beep interrupted the two, before a stoic and stern male voice came over the intercom.
"Pilot of Evangelion Unit Two, do you read me?"
Freezing in place, the girl choked out an awkward "U-Uh, yeah yeah. I hear you loud and clear."
The imposing voice belonged to the Deputy Commander of NERV and head of NERV Germany Kōzō Fuyutsuki. His intimidating presence, even over the radio, cut through Asuka like a knife.
"Second Child, you understand the task at hand, is that correct?"
"I do...j-juuuust...uh...just get Unit Two out of the hangar, do some laps around the base and some drills for the Chancellor and everyone to see...r-right?"
"Correct" replied the Deputy Commander. "Your official records state that you are in the top ten percent of Evangelion pilots in regards to your abilities and synchronization in a simulated environment. You are capable of accomplishing today's exercise with Evangelion Unit Two, are you not?"
"I a-am..." said Asuka quietly, before shaking her head in frustration. This wasn't how she wanted to appear to the second-in-command of NERV. Gritting her teeth and gripping the joysticks of her Evangelion with determination, Asuka replied again with greater force.
"I am. I'm going to PROVE to the Chancellor and to NERV that I am the one for the job!"
"Don't disappoint us," the Deputy Commander replied, his voice clipped and stoic. "Evangelion Unit Two and pilot are hereby cleared for launch."
Communications with Command ceased, before Kaji returned to the radio as final preparations were undertaken.
"Well then, Asuka, are you ready to earn your spurs?"
"My what?" asked the girl, tilting her head in confusion.
"Back in the day when a squire graduated to the status of knighthood, he'd receive a pair of gold spurs to let the world know just who he was. It's a rite of passage."
"Ahhhh, I get it! I guess you could say this is my own 'rite of passage' or whatever, huh? Though I have GOT to say: IIIII am about to put all those dark age dorks to shame."
The scaffolding began to retract upwards from Evangelion Unit 02 as personnel cleared the launch area. Sirens strobed as the system of restraints that held the giant one by one released.
"Remember, it's just like we practiced Asuka."
"Right. I have this in the bag, Mister Kaji!"
"And Asuka..."
"Hmm?"
"…try not to forget about the Eva's power supply this time."
"Ohhhh I'm fine, Mister Kajiiiii. I know what to do!"
"Alright then...God speed to you, Second Child."
With nothing left to hold her back, Asuka furrowed her brow and grinned as she leaned forward in her seat with anticipation. Evangelion Unit 02 similarly leaned forward, ready to spring forth at any moment.
"Evangelion Unit Two...GO!"
The colossus bolted forward, forcing Asuka back in her seat as it ran towards the opening of the hangar. Each mighty step rattled Unit 02's pilot about so much more than she was expecting, but she maintained her course with a grin. As the entrance drew nearer and nearer, an idea formed in Asuka's head as the Eva's controls beeped and chirped all around her.
"Check THIS!"
Evangelion Unit 02 reached the edge of the hangar opening and at the last second pushed against the rim of the opening with one of its feet, rapidly launching the giant forwards and upwards thousands of feet in a grand leap. The acceleration squished Asuka down into her pilot seat, but she maintained her cocky smile despite the force.
Reaching the top of it's jump arc, for a short moment a feeling of weightlessness swept over Asuka as she was lifted from her seat as she was greeted with the spectacular view of the valley and mountain ranges from so high up. Mouth agape in a smile of wonder, Asuka could do nothing else but laugh.
"Look at me! Look at me! Mister Kaji I'm flying! I'm really flying!"
"ASUKA" yelled Kaji over the intercom. "YOU'RE OUTPACING YOUR POWER SUPPLY!"
"My what-"
*Bong!*
The sharp ring of metal resonated through Evangelion Unit 02 as Asuka was nearly thrown from her seat as the titan was violently yanked backwards before tumbling back down towards the earth.
Unit 02 raised its hand towards the sun as it plummeted. Bracing against the insides of the chair, Asuka's mind raced frantically to figure out what was going on before she realized it: the power supply! How could she have forgotten?!
Each Evangelion Unit relied upon an external power source in order to function, usually in the form of a stationary generator that connected to each Eva via an umbilical cable. The slate black umbilical cable connected to the mid back of the Evangelion, meaning it was largely out of view in the footage of the Tokyo-III battle and likewise hadn't been noticed by Asuka when she saw Unit 02.
Heart beating like a drum, the shocked pilot struggled to focus as the g-forces pressed against her. An uncontrolled freefall like this could wreck an Evangelion and potentially even kill the pilot. Searching her thoughts, Asuka took the controls and let her pilot's instincts take over.
*Boosh!*
The Evangelion shook extremely again as the tumbling slowed to a stop. Twin rocket engines, normally hidden behind plates of armour on the Eva's upper back, had revealed themselves and ignited to regain some control of the giant's descent. No longer being so overwhelmed by the forces of gravity, Asuka could discern her situation: she was still falling fast and was likely to seriously damage Unit 02 from the force of the impact.
Scowling, Asuka pulled back on the sticks and again lit up the boosters for a second. She was cutting it close. The ground was closing in quick. If she didn't time this just right, she could potentially end up a splat mark on the mountainside.
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
Now!
Bracing for impact, Unit 02 lit up its thrusters as it collided with the ground feet-first. The momentum forced its knees to buckle as tons of rock, dirt, and trees were blown away by the impact. Asuka was thrown momentarily out of her seat before falling back down onto it, smacking her shoulder and back into the rigid seat, forcing the LCL out of her lungs.
Body aching, Asuka reoriented herself in the seat and quickly inspected Unit 02's status. The armour on the legs had received some minor damage from fall, but remained intact. The rest of the Eva was reading green across the board, and Asuka's own plugsuit was giving the all clear in terms of her vitals.
She had done it. Asuka had managed to survive her first ordeal inside her Evangelion Unit 02. Slowly rising to its feet, Unit 02 rested its hands on its hips as a battered but cheerful Asuka turned on her mic so everyone could hear.
"Tadaaaa! Clean and elegant aaaaaas can be!"
Evangelion Unit 02 did a grandiose salute before it raised its foot to take a step forward.
"And now, onto my next little party triiiiiiIIIIIIIICK!"
The foot of the immense figure slipped out from under it, causing Unit 02 to topple forth onto the ground. Asuka was thrown from the seat, smacking into the monitor face first as her Eva landed on its face. Laying there, the humiliated girl could do nothing but groan as her head rang.
The intercom came alive with the sound of a very angry Deputy Commander.
"Second Child, you will stand this instant! NERV does not exist to make sad spectacles such as this! Stand and resume the demonstration!"
Pulling herself up, Asuka whimpered as she held her head. A shiver went down her spine as she winced at the Deputy Commander's words.
"A-Alright..."
Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit! This wasn't how it was supposed to go! She fixed her own mistake mid-air, but what did that matter? They weren't going to remember the good skills she demonstrated. No, they were going to remember her royally screwing up.
Her sore body heaved itself back upright before she climbed into the pilot's seat and took control. With some work, Asuka had Unit 02 push itself up from the ground with care to avoid slipping and falling back down.
Returning to its feet, Unit 02 advanced somewhat awkwardly into a brisk jog, following a clear cut path in the forest. Asuka panned Unit 02's head around, taking in the scenery. Instead of being excited to see the world from this new view, Asuka could only feel the pit in her stomach beginning to form again.
"Asuka" said Kaji calmly over the radio. "Take it easy. You're going to make another mistake if you don't stay focused. Try to relax."
"I..."
Asuka shook her head and sighed, pushing the sensation of dread from her head for the time being.
"...I'll finish what I've started."
The path along the mountainside gave way to three large chasms, each one equally spaced apart. Bracing for another rush, Asuka commanded her Eva to come to a halt at the first pit to assess things before then bounding over each of the succeeding chasms. At the last jump, Unit 02's foot nearly slid into the hole, but fortunately its pilot was able to maintain her footing.
Beyond the pits stood the rest of a simple obstacle course. Monkey bars, a set of stairs going upwards and downwards, a concrete rockwall, and a most curious obstacle: buildings. Or rather, facsimiles of buildings. A dozen or so concrete skyscrapers made up a sort of maze at the far end of the obstacle course.
The giant made short work of the monkey bars, before then reaching the stairs. With a reasonable pace, Unit 02 climbed up and down the staircase, arriving promptly at the wall. Slowly but sure, the Eva hauled itself up the rock wall and observed its surroundings.
"WARNING! UMBILICAL CABLE AT MAXIMUM EXTENSION!"
With a flick of a switch, the cable slid from the Eva's outlet and landed on the ground with a hearty thud. Immediately, a timer appeared in the corner of Asuka's screen, starting at 2 minutes and counting down.
"Two minutes of internal power is more than enough time..." murmured Asuka as she sent her Eva into the mock city.
The close confines were far more difficult to traverse than any of the other obstacles. Even with the expanded city streets implemented by the NERV headquarter cities, it was still a tight squeeze.
The Eva twisted and weaved as it navigated through the mock city streets, its footsteps rocking the skyscrapers it passed. The simulations Asuka ran through alongside her fellow pilots in America had done much to improve her spatial awareness, but it didn't stop the odd bump or scrap against the imposing concrete structures as the giant turned corners.
One minute left on the countdown.
Before long, the Eva reached a clearing in the middle of the city which featured a large metal hatch. Alerts sounded as the door slid open, allowing a metal skyscraper to extend upwards toward the sky. Fully deployed, the tower stood as tall as Unit 02. The flanks of the tower retracted into itself, revealing a large, folded up metal object within.
Drawing it forth, the contraption sprang to life in Unit 02's hands, revealing itself to be some type of weapon in the shape of a rifle and bayonet. Its long pointed tip lit up vibrant purple as it started humming. The Eva's HUD highlighted it with the words "Thunder-spear".
"T-spear equipped! Heading to objective!"
40 second left.
Racing to get back on track, the goliath figure sped into the next stretch of buildings. More bumps and brushes occurred as Asuka maintained her speed, but traversing the cityscape was proving to be more than she had anticipated with the thunder-spear in tow. The lengthiness of the armament caused it to frequently snag on the edges of the buildings, bringing her momentum to a halt. Still, she was making progress towards the exit despite the mounting frustration at her clumsiness with the weapon.
20 seconds left.
Bursting out of the city scape, a large concrete landing pad sat just beyond the limits of the concrete forest. Heading towards it, Asuka hastened her pace, clenching her teeth as her Eva threw her about like a rag-doll as it made a break for it.
10 seconds.
Skidding slowly to a halt, the giant released its grip on the weapon, dropping it onto a painted target on the pad with a heavy clank. The weapon continued to drone for a moment until powering down. Unit 02 knelt down facing towards the hangar, lowering its head.
"Situation...cleared."
Powering down, the Evangelion ceased movement. What was only a few minutes felt like an eternity in Asuka's head, but at last it was done.
It was all over for her.
"Mama! Look what I made for you in school today!"
"No, Mama, don't throw it away! I made it for you for Mama's Day!"
"Please look at it Mama! Just look at it!"
"Isn't it good enough, Mama? I did my best..."
"No! MAMA!"
Asuka's eyes snapped open with a sudden gasp. A terrible cold had crept over her body as the last ghostly image from her nightmare slowly faded back into the recesses of her mind. She found herself once again in Mister Kaji's car, body curled up under a Hello Kitty throw blanket. The sky was dark outside, and it seemed the car was parked in the parking lot of a McDonalds off the main road. Trees surrounded the place, giving it an almost lonely feel.
"Don't...ever think about that again," muttered Asuka as she massaged her temples. "That's the last thing I need right now..."
The front driver-side door suddenly opened, causing Asuka to jump. Kaji slipped into the car, a big bag of take out in his hand.
"Jeez, Asuka, aren't you the heavy sleeper" joked Kaji as he shut the door.
"...y-yeah...I mean, just lately! I'm not...some lazy chump o-or anything..."
"You don't need to be defensive around me. I know you aren't" said Kaji as he set the bag onto Asuka's lap. "Figured I'd get you something to eat. I know whenever you get stressed or worn out, you usually get a bit of an appetite, and today's been quite the ride."
As if on cue, the teen's stomach growled to high heavens, much to Asuka's embarrassment.
"...thank you..." said Asuka sheepishly before opening the bag. A dozen chicken nuggets and at least a few potatoes worth of fries filled the bag. It smelled delightful, and her starving stomach was excited for something to eat, but...
"Mister Kaji" spoke Asuka quietly before she turned to face him. "Why are you so nice to me?"
The air was quiet for a moment before the man responded.
"Is it wrong to want to treat people with some humanity?"
Asuka shook her head.
"People are stupid, and most definitely not worth my time. But you? You're...you're really super nice to me, and you always make me feel better. It's like…you know exactly what to do when I'm feeling lost."
Kaji shrugged before replying. "I know you pretty well, Asuka. I've practically been your chaperone for 6 years now, so I should hope I've learned to tell when you need a little morale boost or need some time to yourself."
The girl opening the box of chicken and plucked a golden piece out.
"Seriously, Mister Kaji, you've been totally on point today. I didn't even know I WAS in the mood for nuggies today..." she said before taking a bite.
The man snickered at Asuka's nickname for the chicken nuggets as he undid his ponytail, letting his long black hair fall down to just past his shoulders.
Scratching his head, Kaji asked "So Asuka, what do you think about that kid Sergei then? You two get along like two peas in a pod."
Asuka raised an eyebrow.
"Sergei?"
"Yeah."
Asuka thought long and hard, a bit taken by surprise by the question.
"Heeee's a big stupid oaf for sure, buuuuut I think he's the only kid at school actually worth talking to. He's not some bland sheep who follows the rest of the herd. Ruskie Boy doesn't seem like the type to dance around things just to make you feel better, either. He lets you know exactly what he's thinking. He may have a bit of a caveman brain, but I like his honestly and how uncomplicated he seems. IIIIIt's a nice breath of fresh air for sure."
"Seems like a pretty respectable young man" said Kaji. "He even went out of his way to get the work you missed. I guess not every person out there is a complete loser then, right Asuka?"
"I guess…"
Just as she was about to have another nugget, Asuka's eyes widened.
"Wait…aw hell! I didn't tell him what time I'd be back after training, did I?!"
Asuka frantically began to fumble around for her phone.
"Crap crap crap crap crap! How did I forget, I'm supposed to kick his ass today!"
Smirking, Kaji waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. I told him we may be late today before I sent him home last night. He understands."
Pausing, Asuka blinked with amazement.
"How do you do it, Mister Kaji? You're always prepared for any situation."
"It's no big deal," said Kaji casually.
"I mean it" yipped Asuka, face red as she plowed through the box. "You're easily the best caretaker I've ever had!"
Kaji rolled down the window, before reaching into his shirt pocket to retrieve a pack of cigarettes.
"Out of all of them," asked Kaji, looking to her from the corner of his eye. "I thought you liked Katsuragi."
"Oh, Misato? Sheeeeee seems like a nice lady and all, but she always seemed so...off in her own little world, don'tcha find? Not to mention all the drinking she does behind the backs of her higher ups. I mean, I didn't hate her or anything, buuuut she doesn't hold a candle to you, Mister Kaji."
"I see," said Kaji flatly, lighting up his cigarette. "I'm flattered."
Asuka cleaned her hands and dabbed her mouth with a napkin, before yawning. Sitting up in her seat, the teen smiled before undoing her seatbelt and leaning over towards Kaji, wrapping her arms around him. Her cold hands slid gently over his warm body to caress him as she pressed her face against his chest.
"I love you Mister Kaji."
Kaji stared off into the distance, not returning her sign of affection.
"I know" sighed Kaji, putting the cigarette into his lips. "I know."
Asuka returns home for a sleep-over with Sergei, but finds it difficult to tell the truth about how Evangelion Unit 02's training went. Together with Kaji, the three rock the place and get into all kinds of antics! But Asuka isn't the only one with something weighing on her mind. A shocking secret awaits at the end of Neon Genesis Alcion Ch 4 – The Kids Are (Not) Alright!