CHAPTER 16: D-DAY
It took a lot of work, and some patience on the part of both the pilots, but Shinji and Asuka managed to get the training routine down just in time. It was the last day before the battle and Misato was only a couple hours away from calling in Rei to replace Asuka.
The night before the battle Shinji was lying in the living room, listening to his I-pod and reading a special issue of Guns and Ammo, "The Guns of the Wolverines", as Asuka exited the bath. "Where's Misato?" She asked.
"At NERV," Shinji explained not even lifting his head from the pillow. "She's pulling an all-nighter to finish up final details before the main event."
"So," Asuka chirped. "That means we're all alone tonight, huh?"
"What're you talking about?" Shinji asked. He then pointed with his magazine over at the apartment's sole non-human resident. "We've got Pen-Pen here."
"Wark!" Said bird chirped happily from behind the newspaper he was reading.
"Besides, I hardly see the big importance of us being alone for tonight."
"You're no fun at all," Asuka said as she grabbed her futon and retreated to her room. She then closed the door.
"Is that the impenetrable Wall of Jericho?" Shinji asked with a sly grin on his face. "And if I were to step beyond it I would face certain doom?"
"Shut up and go to bed, Shinji!" Asuka snapped as she turned off the lights. "Why do the Japanese sleep on the floor?" She whined out loud. "This is so stupid."
In the middle of the night Shinji woke up and had no idea why he had. He then had a fit of a time going back to sleep so he got up and stood over by the window and looked out at the city. 'There's more to this city, to NERV than meets the eye. I can feel it,' Shinji said. 'NERV, more specifically my father, is hiding something. But what is it?' He heard Asuka's door open but he ignored it and continued looking out at the city. 'What's his end game post-angels? What'll become of the EVAs? They're practically weapons of mass destruction. And how were they built, let alone conceived? And then there are the missing levels of NERV HQ. What's the deal with that?' He shook his head to clear his thoughts. They weren't going to help him sleep any. 'Regardless of whatever secrets may be hidden I've still got a job to do.' He heard a toilet flush but kept ignoring her midnight activity. 'First things first; for now, I need to focus on beating that…' WHACK! "OW!" Shinji screamed as something hit the back of his head. He turned around to find Asuka's surprised face looking at him. She was holding a flashlight in her hands. Thankfully it was a plastic one and not a Maglite. "What the fuck, Asuka!"
"I…I saw someone standing…over here…" She blinked. "I…I didn't know it was you…"
"Jesus," Shinji rubbed the back of his head. "Ah! I really need to start being paranoid around you, Asuka. Not every guy in the world is a prowler or sexual predator, you know."
"Well, sorry!" Asuka snapped before going back in her room. "Big baby." After that little excitement, Shinji had no trouble going back to sleep.
"God damn. That hurt."
Meanwhile, at NERV HQ Misato was just finishing the final logistical organization for the upcoming battle. Rocket launchers had to be positioned. Missile platforms loaded. The commanders of the necessary combat units had to receive their final briefs. And then there was the dreaded paperwork. Misato hated paperwork.
Despite all the technological advances and attempts by organizations and militaries worldwide to go 'paperless' there still seemed to be an unending supply of paperwork. "Whoever enjoys being a damn desk jockey needs to have themselves committed," Misato said as she finished the final stack of papers on her desk. "Ugh," she groaned as she looked at her watch. "I need some coffee."
She had also caught a brief news report on post-war America. The power grid was back up and running to pre-invasion condition. The last of the 'foreign detainees' had been returned to Russia despite some vocal opposition from some members of the American government.
There was even a snippet on some of the Wolverine resistance fighters. Most were scattered, disorganized lone wolves or independent cells. But some, primarily in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, were organized guerilla groups. Some even worked as scouts for American military forces. Many fought from behind the lines in occupied zones, keeping the Russians on their toes. The Wolverines were even crucial in the key battles for Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Misato remembered that Shinji claimed to be a Wolverine and wondered what it was like for him. She also began to wonder if he had any lingering 'silent wounds' from said fighting.
She could tell he had seen some fighting. Not just from his scars, but from the look in his eyes. She had met some combat veterans from so called 'brush-fire wars' from back in the late 90's and post-Second Impact. While only a handful had the stereotypical 'thousand yard stare' they all had a look in their eye. Misato didn't know what it was, but she saw it in Shinji's eyes. She also saw it in the way he stood around, how he moved and how he was almost constantly scanning his surroundings.
He was surprisingly quiet about it though. 'Then again, I hardly talk about Antarctica,' Misato said to herself. 'Neither are exactly the fondest of memories. But…' She thought to herself about the prospect of Shinji being a romanticized resistance fighter. "Shinji the Wolverine," she chuckled, "Has kind of a nice ring to it." And with that she stretched, grabbed her coffee and headed back to her office to tackle the paperwork Kraken.
XXXXX
The next day the two pilots arrived at the cages to find Rei already in her plug suit. "What're you doing here, Wondergirl?" Asuka asked.
"I am here on standby," Rei replied. "For emergency." Shinji noticed that Unit-00 had been fully repaired and was now painted in a royal blue and dull gray color scheme. It also had the armor and the shoulder pylons the other EVAs had.
"Hopefully you won't have to fight, Rei," Shinji said as they passed. "Asuka and I should be able to put it down this time." He rubbed his flank. The rib was healing up but it was still a little sore.
"Are you alright?" Rei asked him.
"It's nothing big," Shinji replied as he made for his EVA. "Could be worse. My head hurts more than my rib."
"Oh, shut up!" Asuka snapped at him as she marched towards her EVA.
"Good luck," Rei said to Shinji as he and Asuka made their way down the catwalk.
"See ya, Rei," Shinji waved back.
"I thought you said not to say goodbye," Rei said as he climbed into his plug.
"I didn't," Shinji replied with a slight smile and chuckle. And with that his plug closed up.
"What the heck is with those two?" Asuka asked herself quietly from her plug. She then noticed as Rei stood by and watched as Unit-01's plug was inserted into the EVA. "Whatever." She pushed the thought out of her mind and closed her plug.
"Target has broken through the final defense line at Gora," Makoto announced. "Now entering Ground Zero."
"Alright, you two," Misato said to the two pilots. "This is your second shot at this angel. Kick its ass this time."
"Gladly," both pilots replied.
"As soon as the mission clock starts spread you AT fields," Misato instructed them. "Just follow the battle plan and remember your fall back points and weapon caches. The music will help with your timing and rhythm and to block out any external distractions."
"Roger."
Over in his plug Shinji had his eyes closed and waited for the green light. He kept running the plan over in his head. 'Attack, withdraw, cover, move, shoot, divert and attack again.' That was the basic plan. It was noticed by Kaji that while the angel could separate into two halves it was still only able to target one EVA at a time. Because of that, if two EVAs attacked with proper coordination with one drawing the enemy's attention and the other closing in to attack they could overwhelm and defeat the angel.
Of course the trick was getting the timing down so that the angels couldn't change their focus to the attacking EVA before it could attack. That was what took Shinji and Asuka so long to get right. But now they had done it and they were ready. They both placed earphones in for the music to pipe through. Although Shinji thought it to be a little gay he couldn't argue with the idea of using the music to set the pace of the battle. Plus, he knew Misato and/or Kaji were weird enough to think up crazy shit like this. But, deep down, he was eager to kick the shit out of that angel.
"Bring it on, you motherfucker," Shinji said as he steeled his nerves.
"EVA LAUNCH!" Misato cried out and Shinji's eyes shot open. The catapults then shot the EVAs towards the surface as the music started playing in their ears. When they reached the surface the lifts didn't restrain them. Having learned from the battle with the Fifth Angel Misato decided to have the locks open if the EVAs were being launched in close proximity to the target.
The EVAs shot skyward and began their rehearsed attack beginning with separating the angel into its twin halves by the EVAs throwing two staves which connected in a high intensity energy barrier. The attack was meticulous but flexible and the pilots maintained constant communication with each other and whenever the angel threw them a curve they adapted accordingly. And it wasn't just them who were fighting the doppelganger angel. It was a combined arms battle.
Multiple Launch Rocket System vehicles from the UN, NERV attack VTOLs, howitzer's and Type 90 tanks from the JGSDF, fixed cannon and missile batteries and even US Navy and Marine Corps F35 Strike Fighters from a Carrier Battle Group in the Sea of Japan engaged in the battle. Like the second engagement with the fifth angel the conventional arms attacks weren't meant to hurt the angel but to overwhelm it with hostile targets so that it couldn't focus on one specific threat.
This is what allowed Shinji and Asuka to close in for the coup de grace. They charged in close, stunned their targets with powerful uppercuts then knocked them into each other with back kicks. The two halves sloppily reformed into a non-cohesive mass. That gave the EVAs their chance. They launched into the air and came down on the angel's separate cores with in powerful twin sidekicks that forced the angel and them into the adjacent hillside. The cores then reacted and detonated into the telltale mushroom cloud.
When the dust settled Misato looked up with a bemused look on her face. "Huh?"
"Both EVAs are okay," Maya said. But they were tangled in a sorry heap at the bottom of the crater. They were battered and their paint was marred but they were otherwise intact.
"Ah, geez!" Misato groaned as she slapped her forehead.
"Pathetic," Ritsuko added. 'You would think that after mastering their attack plan they wouldn't have forgotten about the landing and recovery.'
As Shinji exited his plug the emergency radio-phone beeped. "What's this?" He asked as he rubbed his sore flank. His rib must've gotten injured again during the fight, but not as bad as it had been. He picked up the phone and recoiled at the shriek that came through it.
"You jerk!" Asuka screamed over the line causing him to recoil. "What're you doing on my Unit-02!"
"What! Me!" Shinji asked. "You fell on top of Unit-01! Dumbass."
"'Dumbass'? You're the one who screwed up the timing, dumbkopf! Why are you always so slow? What the hell were you doing up so late last night!" As Asuka continued to rant Shinji decided he wasn't doing this bullshit today and just hung up.
"Bitch," he grumbled to himself as he sat down. 'I wonder if I should ask Rei over for dinner or should I just…' The phone started ringing again. "Fuck!" He groaned, glaring up at the sky. He let it ring four more times before he answered it with an angry "What!"
"You bastard!" Asuka's shriek washed over the command center. "Did you hang up on me!"
"I don't know, did it sound like this?" Click. He hung up again. As this happened, everyone, save for Misato, Ritsuko and Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki, were laughing their asses off at the verbal exchange.
"Those damn kids are embarrassing us…again," the Vice-Commander said rubbing his aching forehead.
XXXXX
When the EVAs and pilots were recovered the medics tended to Shinji's rib. Thankfully the fracture hadn't been worsened. As they were examining him in the chopper, with his plugsuit half off Asuka kept trying to hide the fact that she was sneaking glances at him. But of course, it didn't fool Shinji.
"What do you want, Asuka?" He asked.
"What makes you think I'm even looking at you?" She asked.
"I never said you were," he chuckled. Asuka growled. "Jeez, don't be so defensive every time someone asks you a question."
"If you must know I was wondering why you had so many scars."
He sighed. "I got caught up in an epic shit storm. These scars, and this tattoo, are testament to that…and…to friends who live on only in my memories. But, I don't think you want me to go into any kind of graphic detail."
"No thanks," Asuka said folding her arms. "I don't care much for emo monologues, thank you." Shinji just looked over at the medic and made a jerking off motion with his hand.
Back at NERV, Ritsuko took scans of Shinji to double check his injuries. As she was examining the x-rays Shinji asked for the score. "Well, your fracture hasn't worsened," she replied. "The battle probably just strained it a little. It should fully heal up with a week, two at the most."
"Sounds good to me," Shinji said. "Hopefully nothing will happen to lengthen that time. Having a fractured rib, even a hairline one, isn't fun."
"From looking at your x-rays I'd say that this isn't your first rodeo with injured ribs." Sure enough, a couple of his other ribs showed obvious signs of having been broken before.
"Like I told Asuka earlier," Shinji explained. "I've had a pretty rough childhood."
"Sounds like a sensitive subject," Ritsuko said putting the slides into a folder. "But, I can understand. Although, earlier in the week, when I took an MRI of your head," she went on causing Shinji to tense, "I couldn't help but notice some abnormal brain activity."
"Really? What kind?" Shinji asked.
"Not sure. It was all in a usually inactive part of the brain. You don't happen to have pretty vivid dreams, do you?"
"Since I can remember," Shinji replied with a casual shrug. "Pretty random, too; like, ninja's rappelling down a skyscraper only to enter through the front door…Why? I have no idea. They could've just used the sidewalk. Let's see, what else? Russian soldiers sneaking into the kitchen pantry to steal my Oreo's…Gremlins replacing Misato's shampoo with hair removal cream…Pen-Pen busting into an epic break dance at a concert; that was actually pretty cool by the way. Green rubber duckies flying into the Death Star Trench blasting away at Tie Fighters..." Ritsuko shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Nothing really new for me. Then again, I do like cheese."
"Well, I guess that's a good sign." She signed a few papers. "Okay, just need to take your blood pressure, now."
"Just so you know," Shinji said holding out his arm for Ritsuko to strap the sleeve on, "I kind of hate hospitals."
"Why?" She asked as she strapped the sleeve on.
"Think about it," he said as the sleeve pumped up. "Since when does anyone go to the hospital for something joyful? Even simple check-ups and such aren't always looked forward to. About the only thing I can think of is a baby being born." At that moment the machine beeped.
"Hmm," Ritsuko said checking the readings. "You make a valid point, Shinji. Well, your pressure is only marginally higher. But, since you just got out of a battle it's not surprising. You're all done here."
"Good." And with that he got up and left.
'He seemed evasive when I asked about his dreams,' Ritsuko said to herself. 'I wonder…could it be because of the war? Or…is it something else?' She shrugged and forgot about it. 'It doesn't affect his piloting any so, nothing to worry about.'