Standard Disclaimer: "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Bio-booster Armor Guyver" are the creative property of Hideaki Anno and Yoshiki Takaya respectively.

Other Standard Disclaimer: This fanfic is rated PG-13 (or T) for violence, swearing, and mild sexual references.

KEY
"spoken"
'thoughts'
(radio communication)

Out of Control
A Neon Genesis Evangelion/
Bio-booster Armor Guyver Fusion
By: Mares Guyver

Chapter 2: Angel Attack!

The Third Angel, Sachiel, was growing . . . impatient.

The Lilium had proven to be a most annoying set of organisms, delaying its ability to respond to the Father's call at every turn. First, they had constructed this elaborate series of structures through which it was forced to maneuver. Then they had used strange projectiles to sting at it and even pierce its thick hide, nothing that its barrier field couldn't repel or body couldn't regenerate from, but irritating nonetheless. Now it was forced to use up priceless energy to try and break open the underground construct from which he felt the all-consuming call. Yes, Sachiel was a short fuse waiting to blow, but the Angel's limited intelligence prevented it from acting on anything akin to passion. Rather, it concentrated on its primary task of locating and merging with the broken body of the Father . . . and destroying whatever happened to get in its way.

The blaring of an air horn made the Angel pause momentarily, and it turned in the direction of this new, strange noise. Through eyeless sockets, it observed the ground several strides in front of it open, a pair of long extensions rising from the new aperture. Soon a low rumble could be heard, rising rapidly in pitch to a glass-shattering screech as a large figure emerged from the hole, its sensory stump snapping up as it reached the peak of the extensions. After a pause, the new creature slumped forward then took a somewhat wobbly step towards the Angel. As soon as its bottom limb had touched the ground, the purple creature teetered and started to fall forward, but one of its top limbs shot out and grabbed on of the many shiny structures surrounding the two giants. Leaning to one side, the newcomer pulled itself back upright before facing Sachiel once more.

In response, the Angel just turned around and blasted another hole in the underground construct. Since the new creature felt very similar to itself (more so than the Lilium, anyway), and judging from its apparent incompetence, Sachiel felt safe concluding that the purple beast was no threat to its existence. If the newcomer did engage it, then the Angel would simply crush the creature.

Inside the Entry Plug of EVA Unit-01, Shinji felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his head before it dissolved in the LCL. Apparently, the ultimate weapon created by mankind wasn't all that impressive to the Angel—it had simply dismissed him and gone back to blasting crucifix-shaped explosions into the ground. Groaning slightly, he rubbed the side of his right arm—the same arm that he had willed the EVA to plow into the side of a building to keep the mecha from falling.

'Pain . . . but not from my body. I guess Akagi-san was right when she said I had become Unit-01 . . . I feel whatever it feels.' Shinji glared slightly at the radio from which Misato's voice was screaming instructions to him, 'Of course, they could have told me that earlier, but nooooo . . .'

Sighing, Shinji sat back in the pilot seat, and fixed his eyes on the Angel, whose back was still to him. Ignoring Misato's ranting, Shinji instead concentrated on the events of a few moments before, when he had first "lifted off" from the launch rack that brought him to the surface. As instructed by Misato, he had concentrated on the thought of walking, and less than a second later, the Unit-01 had lifted one foot and stepped forward. Immediately after that though, the EVA seemed to lose its balance and fall forward. Had Shinji not told Unit-01 to grab the nearest skyscraper, the supreme fighting machine would have made a spectacular face-dive into the pavement below.

Frowning, Shinji mused over the incident, 'Why did the EVA suddenly trip? Shouldn't it have its own sense of balance—after all, it's just a robot, right?' The pain in Shinji's arm, though, seemed to put that thought into doubt, and closing his eyes he considered this piece of evidence, 'EVA's pain is my pain . . . the EVA's actions are the thoughts I make, so EVA's thoughts are my thoughts . . . Is EVA's mind, then, my mind?'

Shinji's eyes snapped open in revelation—the EVA's mind was his mind, at least to some extent. That was why he felt so disconnected from himself, simultaneously in his own body in the plug and at the same outside of it, looming above the streets below. The loss of balance came from the fact that his mind was still cued to his body, which had a much different center of gravity than the 100-meter biomechanical monster he now inhabited. If he was going to be able to pilot the EVA effectively, Shinji would have to start thinking of it wholly as his own body, rather than a machine that he was controlling from within.

'EVA is just like a larger version of . . . it.' thought Shinji. 'Whenever that thing consumes me, I don't feel like I'm trapped inside some oozing monster—it's skin and arms and legs become mine . . . I fully become one with it.' Suppressing a shutter at the memories that threatened to emerge, Shinji closed his eyes and instead focused on the barely perceptible sensations of the outside world—the sensations he received via his link to Unit-01. His brows furrowed as he struggled to make those sensations more intense, and the sensations from inside the plug a mere whisper. All that time, he continued to chant the mantra he had adopted when he first synched with the Evangelion, the growths on his back pulsating with greater and greater intensity.

"Why the Hell aren't you attacking, Shinji-kun?" Misato screamed into her mike, her eyes practically bursting out of their sockets from the strain. Again though, the boy on the monitor paid her no heed, keeping his eyes closed, and murmuring something too low for the speakers to pick up. Sighing, Misato turned away from the cockpit monitor and walked over to the three technicians at the front of the bridge. Placing her hand on Motoko's headrest, she asked, "Status of the Angel?"

The bespectacled tech glanced at Misato, then turned back to his console, "No change registered in the Angel's activity, Ma'am. The Third Angel is continuing to blast holes through 13 to 14 of the armored layers above at a time. At its current rate of fire and excavation, the Angel should be able to begin descent in approximately eight min . . ."

"SENPAI! Shin . . . the Third Child, his synch ratio, it's skyrocketing!" Maya cut in, "Passing 80 percent . . . 90 percent . . . 100 . . . 110, passing 120 percent synchronization!"

"His neural activity is all over the place, heart rate increasing rapidly!" the long-haired Shigeru chimed in.

"Shinji-kun!" Misato yelled desperately, her eyes fixed on the feed from Unit-01's Entry Plug, which showed a rapidly convulsing Third Child. She turned with pleading eyes to the three figures behind her, "Ritsuko? Commander?"

Ritsuko pursed her lips, "Prepare for emergency plug ejecti . . ."

"Belay that order." All eyes turned to the Commander, light glaring off his glasses and hands still clasped in front of his face. In a slow, almost casual voice, he continued, "The Angel still needs to be destroyed, so let's see what the pilot can do."

Misato's jaw dropped, and her voice was weak as she tried to speak, "B-but Shinji . . . and Unit-01 . . ." Then a soft voice, wavering with wonder and a hint of fear, spoke up.

"The Third Child's synch ratio . . . has stabilized. Synchronization . . . 184 percent." Maya finished, gasps echoing around the bridge. At his desk, Gendo faltered momentarily, but then spread his gloved hands a little wider in a futile attempt to cover his now very apparent grin. Whether that grin was one of pride, pleasure or success however was a complete mystery.

After a brief silence, Ritsuko finally gave word to what everyone was thinking, "Im-impossible! No one can have that high a synch ratio on their first activation!" Anger laced the blond scientist's voice, but even she wasn't sure as to whom or what it was directed.

Silence once again descended on the Command Center until the radio crackled to life, (Mi-Misato-san? Misato-san, I did it!)

Everyone turned to look at the viewer, which showed the Third Child, head bowed so that his bangs covered his eyes, and panting as if from extreme exertion. Grabbing a mike, Misato closed her eyes to gather herself, then spoke softly and calmly to the young pilot, "What did you do, Shinji-kun?"

As if in answer, Shinji tilted his head upwards enough so that his entire face became visible. Once again gasps echoed throughout the bridge as they took in the change to his appearance. The most noticeable change was in the eyes, which were now glazed over and unfocused, and didn't match up with the beaming smile on the boy's face.

Taken aback, Misato managed to stammer, "Sh-Shinji-kun?" On the screen, Shinji's smile turned soft as he closed his eyes.

(I can feel the concrete crunching beneath my feet . . . I can hear the air whistling over the tops of each building . . . I can see the towers of Tokyo-2 glinting on the horizon . . .) Shinji's eyes opened again, his gaze still unfocused and clouded, (I-I have every one of EVA's senses as my own . . . I have become—I am EVA Unit-01!)

And indeed he was. Though Shinji could still feel an inkling of sensation from his body in the Entry Plug, the vast majority of his senses had switched over to those of the Evangelion. Gazing outward through the purple beast's glowing eyes, Shinji observed the Angel in front of him with much greater clarity than the viewscreens in the cockpit had allowed. Each of his senses felt sharper, heightened by his increased connection with the EVA. Looming above the streets of Tokyo-3, Shinji could feel the incredible weight of Unit-01's machinery and armor as his own, as well as the slight tug provided by the power cord affixed to "his" back. But none of these new sensations though, were the greatest change for Shinji.

For the young EVA pilot, by far the greatest alteration was the almost euphoric sense of comfort he was receiving from inside "himself." This feeling had merely been a tickle in the back of his mind when he had first linked with the Evangelion, and since then he had been too distracted by the situation to really notice it. Now though, the soothing warmth was almost overwhelming, blanketing his mind in a calm embrace where all doubts, all anxieties, all worries about the world around him simply faded away. The feeling was . . . familiar, and the way he experienced it reminded Shinji a lot of the urgent whisperings he received from it whenever he was in danger. Unlike it though, the feelings he was receiving from the EVA were far less violent and insistent, and they also came in the form of raw emotion and abstract thought, rather than actual words.

Familiarity . . . Speculation . . . Recognition! . . . JOY! . . . Happiness . . . Love . . .

Just as Shinji started to lose himself in the tsunami of emotion, Misato's urgent voice jarred him back to reality, (Shinji-kun The EVA's eyes blinked in tune with Shinji's own, and though he could no longer "see" the screens in the cockpit, the perception of Misato's worried face still worked its way to the front of the boy's mind.

"S-s-sorry, Misato-san . . . the EVA, its feelings are . . . really powerful." The perception of the purple-haired Captain's relieved smile eased Shinji's embarrassment.

(It's okay, Shinji-kun . . . do you feel like you're still able to fight? I don't want to pressure you, but the Angel is going to be able to enter the Geofront any minute now . . .)

Shinji/Unit-01's eyes narrowed in determination, "I'm okay, Misato-san . . . you said that red orb in the center was the Angel's core, right? So all I have to do is destroy it to beat the Angel?"

Back in the Command Center, Misato eyes widened, and then she grinned, 'So, he was paying attention earlier—not just ignoring me . . .' Nodding, she said out-loud, "That's right Shinji-kun, the Angel's S2 engine is its main source of energy. Destroy it, and the Angel will be defeated."

(Understood.) Shinji answered, his blank eyes still staring out at everything, and nothing.

On the surface, Shinji/Unit-01 slowly let go of the building next to it and shuffled forward experimentally. He began wobbling, so the boy reached back and grabbed the dented building again until his bearing had stabilized. Inside the Entry Plug, Shinji smiled grimly and shook his head—he mind still hadn't adjusted to the EVA's weight and equilibrium. Then again, it wasn't everyday that one gained a couple hundred tons of mass.

Hurt . . . Betrayal . . .

Shinji blinked at the sudden change in the emotional flow from EVA Unit-01, then tentatively sent a thought out into the void, 'Ehh . . . sorry?'

Acceptance.

Shaking his head at the incredulity of it all, Shinji/Unit-01 turned his eyes back towards the Third Angel, who was still busy blasting at the growing hole right in front of it. Releasing "his" hand from the building again, Shinji/Unit-01 lowered himself into a crouching position, arms extended forward and back for balance.

'Maybe if I just focus on what's right in front of me, my equilibrium will just sort itself out . . .' That thought in mind, Shinji/Unit-01 crouched down a little further before blasting himself forward. Keeping his glowing eyes locked on the Angel, Shinji/Unit-01 took several city-block wide strides before leaping into the air and shoving both of his feet into the Third Angel's back. As Sachiel flew forward over the hole it had created, Shinji/EVA-01 pushed off from the Angel and backflipped before landing on the ground, one hand digging into the pavement to slow its backwards slide. Just ahead, a cloud of dust erupted as the Angel of Water's beak-like mask kissed the tarred concrete.

Inside the EVA, Shinji felt a rush of adrenaline that reminded him of the few times he had summoned it to help him. Like those exhilarating yet painful moments, Shinji could feel the raw power of the Evangelion's biomechanical muscles flowing through his own limbs—they were his muscles, the power his to command. The EVA's speed, strength, and agility all felt perfectly natural, as if Shinji had always possessed those fantastic capabilities. His lips twitched as a cocky grin threatened to spread over his face, but he suppressed it—the pain from the EVA's armored mouth as it tried to mimic the gesture was simply too much to bear.

Outside, the Third Angel finally managed to push itself upright on its spindly arms and legs. Crouching on its knees, Sachiel turned back to glare at the strange purple creature that had interrupted it, again. Deciding that it time to teach the newcomer the virtue of noninterference, the Angel allowed its inner power to build before releasing it with a telltale flashing of its eye sockets.

Misato screamed a warning over the comm line, but Shinji/Unit-01 had already leapt sideways as a cross-shaped beam of light blasted out from where he had just been standing. The giant mecha crashed headfirst into another building, and as he struggled to push himself back to his feet, Shinji/Unit-01 felt two slimy hands grab his wrists and yank his arms out from under him. Soon there was as increasing pressure in the middle of Shinji/Unit-01's back as the Angel pushed one three-toed foot hard against the beast's armored spine. Growling, Shinji/Unit-01 rolled sharply, tossing the broad-torsoed Angel clear before rising to his feet. Yelling at the top of his lungs, Shinji charged at Sachiel, one fist drawn back at the ready. As soon as he was close enough he threw his left fist forward, only to have it caught in the mitt-like hand of the Angel. Before Shinji/Unit-01 could react, Sachiel twisted its wrist and snapped the bones in the EVA's lower arm.

Unbelievable pain raced through Shinji's body in the Entry Plug. To the young boy, it felt like his entire arm had been broken, not just his left wrist, as both his and the EVA's body throbbed with the shared pain that came with increased synchronization. Sachiel wasn't done yet though. While Shinji/Unit-01 was distracted by his enhanced pain and words of reassurance from Misato, the Third Angel used its free arm to grab the robotic intruder by its head and raise it aloft. If the Child of Adam had been capable of the act, it would have smirked evilly as it let energy flow from its core to a diode located in its palm.

Slowly Shinji/Unit-01 became aware of a growing light right in front of his masked eye. Before he could react, nerves erupted in frenzied activity as his face encountered a force equivalent to a Mack truck slamming into it, again, and again, and again. In the Entry Plug, Shinji screamed in pain and terror as his right hand reflexively covered his right eye. Not even the worrying comfort from the Evangelion could ease the torment as his face was pounded by the Angel's pile-driveresque beam weapon. Suddenly, the armor of EVA Unit-01's mask gave way, and Shinji's eyes burst open as he felt the beam pass through both "his" skull and brain.

Elsewhere in different places around the world, four grown men screamed as they simultaneously felt a driving pain shoot through their minds. After a moment the sensation passed, but it took several minutes for each to stop shaking and panting heavily . . .

In the golden pyramid of Central Dogma below, multiple alarms screamed as each tried to convey their own particular woe over all of the others. The three strained voices of the Bridge Bunnies were almost drowned out as they confirmed system failure after system failure, their consoles lit up like traffic lights on crack. Amidst it all, Misato just stared at the viewer in front of her, eyes wide, mouth open and face drawn down with horror. The screen that had showed the interior of the EVA's Entry Plug now showed nothing but static, while the other showed an exterior view of the body of Unit-01, and the gaping hole gushing blood from its brain case.

"Shi . . . Shi . . . Shinji . . ." The purple-haired Captain's hand shot to her mouth, smothering both a sob and a tremendous urge to vomit. Looking back up at the monitor, she watched as the Third Angel ambled over to the prone body of the Evangelion. Straddling the bio-mechanoid, the broad creature began rhythmically banging the EVA's chest armor with double fists. The giant artificial human shuddered with each impact, its head loosely swinging and splattering blood on the Tokyo-3 streets in a grotesque imitation of Jackson Pollack. Soon Unit-01's armor began to warp, spiderweb-like cracks sprouting over its entire surface as the Third Angel's red-soaked hands continued to rain down upon it. Quivering lightly in her crimson uniform jacket, Misato's hands tightened into fists as angry tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.

"Stop it . . ." she muttered out loud, though inside Misato could hear herself scream, 'Stop that you bastard! Shinji-kun

As if in answer to the Captain's hidden torment, Unit-01's eyes suddenly flashed a malevolent yellow-green. With surprising speed, the biomech swung its arms forward and grabbed both of the Third Angel's wrists, twisting them sharply with a satisfying 'crack'. Bringing one leg up, it kicked the dark-green Angel away before lurching to its size 200 feet. Armored plates snapped away as the giant purple beast unhinged its jaw, issuing a guttural howl that chilled any soul in hearing range.

Eyes wide, Misato rushed over to Maya's terminal and glanced at the turbulent display over the tech's shoulder, "What's going on? Is Shinji . . . ?"

"Unknown, we're still not receiving any readings from the pilot." Maya's hands danced over her keyboard as if her fingers were trying to conjure an explanation from nothingness. To her left, her two tan-clothed companions mirrored her movements as they too tried to make sense of the impossible.

"Confirmed, synchronization has ceased between Unit-01 and the Third Child. The EVA is acting independently," Makoto chimed in, and several faces in the Command Center instantly paled.

"Dear God . . ." Misato breathed, "Just like Unit-00 . . ."

Behind her, eyes still fixed to the viewer, Ritsuko nodded, "Berserker . . . out of control."

The entire bridge watched with horrified fascination as the unrestrained EVA Unit-01 charged at the Third Angel, bowling it over and plowing through several storage buildings in the process. The two titans rolled on the ground, grappling with each other like the wrestlers of Ancient Greece, neither willing to concede defeat to the other. Eventually, Unit-01 managed to seize the superior position, straddling the Angel to the ground with its own arms twisted beneath it. Growling savagely, the EVA began pounding on Sachiel's exposed core with its one good arm, bringing its armored fist down so hard on the scarlet orb that cracks erupted in the pavement below. Suddenly a wall of glowing orange hexagons erupted between the Angel and the EVA Unit, holding back the purple beast's arm in mid-swing.

"AT-Field!" exclaimed Shigeru.

"The strength of the Third Angel's field is comparable to EVA's, if not stronger." added Makoto.

"So . . . the Angels have those too," murmured Misato.

Back on the battleground, Unit-01 drew back slightly from the glowing wall of energy. Head lowered, and eyes narrowed into a close approximation of a sneer, the biomechanoid raised its left arm and flicked its broken wrist. Instantly the crushed bones and armored plates reset themselves, and following a pause, the fingers of the purple gauntlet slowly curled into a fist.

"Complete regeneration of the left arm confirmed. All neural links and feedback have been reestablished." Makoto intoned, summarizing the information his display was giving him. His eyes widened as a completely new set of readings flashed into life, "EVA Unit-01 is deploying its own AT-Field!"

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed slightly, "What does it hope to accomplish . . . ?"

Atop his dais, Gendo just kept smirking.

On the viewer, all those present observed as the purple behemoth held both hands up against the Angel's glowing wall of protection. Soon, a tear in the field's consistency developed, and Unit-01's arms slowly separated as it adjusted the frequency of its AT-Field to cancel out that of the Third Angel's. Roaring, the monstrous android finally thrust its arms apart completely, and the orange hexagons separating it from its prey shattered before dissipating into nothingness. Free of any restriction, Unit-01 launched itself onto Sachiel, pinning the Angel to the ground while one hand tugged at its mask and the other squeezed the cracked red surface of the Third's core.

Just when it seemed that the crimson orb was going to burst from the strain, Sachiel's body became fluidic, twisting itself out of the Evangelion's grip and wrapping itself around the purple battle machine before solidifying. It knew that it failed the Father, its Creator and master, but if it was going to lose then it would take the devilish defender of the Lilium to oblivion as well. With a thought, it allowed all regulation of the power in its core to cease, and soon the Third Angel felt tremendous pressure as power built up in its core unheeded.

In the Command Center, the crew watched as the Angel's core flared with brilliant white light, and then gasped as the area around Unit-01 and the Third Angel erupted in a gigantic crucifix of holy fire. Any displays showing indication of activity from the Evangelion darkened as all contact was lost. For several minutes the entire bridge held its breath, waiting for the flames to clear so that they could see the damage caused by the Third Angel's self-destruction. Then a shadow appeared, making its way through the flames onto the uncharred surface of Tokyo-3. The hulking silhouette with shining eyes soon became more distinct, and the visage of its signature horned mask brought cheers to the Geofront.

Suddenly the consoles on the Command deck lit up as telemetry shot back from the damaged Evangelion to its handlers. Maya, Shigeru, and Makoto each turned their attention back to their respective keyboards, but behind them Misato stood still, her eyes fixed on the almost demonic silhouette of Unit-01. Slowly, her hand reached up to grasp a white cross hanging around her neck, and for a moment she just stared and took in the dark form of the Evangelion—one that reminded her of a glowing being that had haunted her nightmares for as long as she could remember.

"Is . . . is that EVA's true form?" she whispered to the air, her revere soon broken by a joyful exclamation from Maya.

"We're getting readings from the pilot!" The brunette Lieutenant paused to examine the new data coming from inside the Entry Plug before speaking again, "He's unconscious, but aside from a few bruises he seems to be perfectly fine!"

'Shinji . . .' Inconspicuously, Misato let out a silent sigh of relief, though her act was still observed with amusement by Ritsuko. Smiling with renewed confidence, Misato strode forward to stand beside the three Bridge Bunnies, "Let's see if we can get communication restored with the Entry Plug."

"Yes, ma'am!" the three technicians replied enthusiastically.

Smiling at the almost jovial activity below, Sub-Commander Fuyutski turned to his erstwhile pupil, still staring out at the charred and bloodied Evangelion in his trademark pose. Leaning over, the polished former professor stated, "Your boy did well today, Ikari-san." Gendo grunted, and finally lowered his hands to his desk.

"He performed as I expected him to perform, no more, no less." Fuyutski could only shake his head at this remark—the man still wouldn't acknowledge that Shinji had done something worth praise or even noting. With a long sigh, he turned his head back to the viewer, which was just then clearing enough to show the extent of the battle's destruction. The elder man almost blanched as he calculated the cost of repairs that were going to be necessary to restore Tokyo-3, not to mention the cleaning bill.

"Unit-01 certainly did a number on that Angel . . ." Fuyutski stated as he took in the sheer level of gore covering the city streets. Beside him, Gendo grinned wickedly, his gleaming lenses adding a malicious air to his expression.

"Well you know what they say, Sensei . . ." he said, turning to look at his curious companion, "'Hell hath no fury like a woman . . .'" With his statement lingering in the air, Gendo pressed the button that would take him and his desk back to his cavernous office. Shaking his head with amusement, Fuyutski stepped forward to oversee the follow-up operations to the Angel's attack.

"You're wrong, Gendo . . ." NERV's Sub-commander muttered once his superior was out of sight, "That wasn't the motivating force at play today. Not at all . . ." For a moment, Fuyutski's face softened as pleasant memories of a time long past played in his mind.

'Indeed, save for life itself, there is no power greater than that of a mother protecting her young . . .'

Somewhere between the world of dreams and reality, the thin body of a young boy floated in an infinite span of darkness. There was no sound, no smells, no sensory references of any kind, but despite the sheer amount of nothingness that surrounded him, the boy felt at peace. Just as there was no pleasant sensation, there was also no pain, and no thoughts that could produce pain. He was alone, but that suited him just fine for the moment.

Slowly though, the boy became aware of a soft warmness caressing his cool body. It was not a physical sensation per se, but rather a quivering sense of emotion that lightly embraced his tired soul, offering the comfort and compassion that the boy had lacked for a seeming eternity. The change was welcome, and the feeling recognizable, though the boy could not remember distinctly where or when he had felt this state of pure content before. New sensations now . . . a glow in the distance, though the boy could not make out the shape contained within. Words, contained in a melody like honey and sunshine, tickled his mind, and once again he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, though he still failed to make the connection in his memory.

"Wake up, my darling Shinji . . . it's time for you to go back to the world of the living."

The glowing light became blinding, and the boy felt himself being pulled out of the soothing comfort into a world of pain and agony. Just before the peaceful realm faded away, the form in front of him took on a more distinctive silhouette, and a memory long buried rose to the surface of the boy's consciousness. A single word formed and made its way to his mouth just as the endless void faded to nothing.

"Okaa-san."

In the Entry Plug of Evangelion Unit-01, Shinji Ikari groaned as his eyelids fluttered open, and then immediately shut as a hand shot to his throbbing forehead. Wincing at the fading sting from Sachiel's beam attack, the Third Child allowed his eyes to open once again and take note of his surroundings. Gazing downward, Shinji felt relieved that even though his body felt like it been at Ground Zero at Hiroshima, his form was virtually unscathed. His personal structural integrity confirmed, the boy tilted his head up to take in the conditions outside . . . and immediately felt his jaw drop.

He and Unit-01 stood on the edge of a crater extending nearly two kilometers into the center of Tokyo-3. Smoke billowed from the multiple fires the dotted the interior, and along the rim storage towers with chucks of their sides blown off teetered back and forth, as if waiting for a signal to just fall over and die. Giant desecrated chucks of what had been the Third Angel also littered the area, and both blue and red streaks of liquid was smeared across buildings and pooling at the EVA's feet. If the so-called Angel had intended all along to bring Hell to humanity, then it seemed to have succeeded.

'Did . . . did I do this?' Shinji wondered as he took in the nightmarish vista.

After a long moment of gazing at the apocalyptic landscape, Shinji eventually turned his focus back to himself and EVA Unit-01. He immediately guessed that his synch ratio must have dropped back to its initial level, as his perception of the EVA's senses had dimmed considerably. Even with reduced connection, the boy could feel the heavy damage that the mecha had taken—the more severe ones mirrored in fading bruises on his own body. Though thoroughly scorched by the Angel's final attack, the armor that covered the majority of the robot had protected much of its underlying layers. Shinji wasn't sure how the left arm had healed so quickly, but he was grateful, the pain in his own arm having reduced to mild tingle. Multiple scores and shrapnel wounds also burned across the EVA's surface, though by far the most glaring wound was the blow to its head, which had cut off a whole half of its distinctive helmet.

Turning to his right viewer, Shinji could see the unmasked forehead of the EVA reflected in the mirrored surface of a skyscraper next to him. After a moment, the mecha's empty eye socket shifted, and a large green globule bubbled out to fill the cavity. The gobule twisted slightly, and then reformed into a perfectly human green eye, tilting slightly to look right at Shinji.

The boy sighed—at one time the slightly nauseating sight might have caused him to scream like a little girl, but right now he was too drained from the battle to really care that much. Squirming until he felt comfortable in the pilot seat, Shinji leaned back and closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest until communications with Misato and the others had been fixed.

A sudden rumble caused Shinji's eyes to shoot open and shift frantically left and right, looking for the source of the disturbance. He finally spotted a building on the opposite side of the crater, just as another section of skyscraper dislodged from its parent and plummeted to the ground. The rest of the structure didn't look too stable either, wobbling so much that Shinji thought that just blowing on the thing would cause it to crumble. Shaking his head, Shinji began settling back in his chair again when a sudden movement on the ground below the collapsing building caught his eye. Focusing his awareness on the EVA's enhanced vision, Shinji allowed his sight to telescope until the figures scurrying on the ground became clearer and more distinct. The mecha's glowing eyes immediately widened in response to the Third Child's shock.

'People! Bu-but Misato said they were all in evacuation shelters!' Shinji's mind screamed in guilty horror. After taking a few quick breaths to settle, the boy tried to assess the new situation, 'Okay, those people must have come out thinking it was safe, then gotten caught by the falling debris. Damn . . . there might be people still trapped over there, and the building's about to go! I've got to do something!'

Shinji quickly looked around the Entry Plug for anything resembling an "On" switch for the giant bio-mech. Nothing seemed to be available, and the buttons on the butterfly handles of his pilot seat had no effect when he pressed them. Head slumped, the brown-haired child racked his brain for an answer, then after a moment, tried willing the EVA into activation. The lights in the plug immediately flared to life, but then glared an angry red as a clock on the forward viewer started counting down from five minutes.

Knowing that no one would hear, the Third Child swore openly at the revelation of his limited battery life, then struggled to will the mighty android to its feet. The EVA's movements were sluggish compared to earlier, hampered by both Shinji's reduced synch ratio and the high level of injury it received while fighting the Third Angel. Eventually though, the artificial humanoid was standing tall and then dashing across the smoldering crater with the other side its intended finish line. Just as Shinji reached the epicenter of Sachiel's kamikaze maneuver, Misato's worried face popped up on an insert in front of him, startling the poor boy.

(Shinji . . . ? Shinji-kun! Are you alright? We were worri . . .) Misato began, but the recipient of her call cut her off with a quick head jerk.

"Can't talk . . . building falling . . . people trapped . . ." And with that quick explanation, Shinji focused on speeding forward to make up for lost time and power. On the insert, Misato's eyes widened as Shinji's short bursts finally sank in, but after a moment she settled into a confident smile.

(We're sending emergency crews to your location right away. Stay where you are—we'll be there soon) Shinji could only grunt in reply as he willed the EVA unit to leap up the incline of the crater's rim, landing lightly right in front of the swaying and pocketmarked skyscraper. Noting that Unit-01's battery life was in the single digits, Shinji unhesitantly leaned the mecha forward and used its lengthy arms to wrap the structure in a gigantic bear hug. Quickly but carefully, the Evangelion took a step forward and pressed the brunt of its mass against the building, holding both itself and the broken edifice upright just as the light faded from the robot's eyes and Entry Plug.

In the darkness of the deactivated EVA, Shinji relaxed and leaned back, letting out a stream of bubbles in relief. But just as the boy was starting to drift into a state of content, a sound from outside once again jerked him back to reality. Sitting up, the Third Child tilted his head to one side and waited for the noise to come again. There it was! A cracking, crumbling noise—growing close and loud before falling away. Shinji's mouth dropped into a serious frown as he realized its origin.

'The building's still breaking up, though Unit-01's holding up the main part. Those pieces sound like they might be big enough to crush a person if they fell the right way! Misato said she was sending help, but the state the city's in right now will slow things down, plus the long journey up from the Geofront . . . I want to help the people below, but what can I do?'

With a sigh, Shinji decided that he needed to get a better look at things before he could make up his mind. Leaning up in his pilot chair, he reached back and pulled a lever which a tech had showed him would manually eject the long, white self-screwing tube. Instantly the boy felt his center of gravity move upwards as the plug poked its way out the back of Unit-01's neck armor, blasting LCL onto the streets below. As soon as the Plug had stopped moving, Shinji crawled over his seat and untwisted the exit hatch, pushing it outwards into the open air.

Screams of pain and sobs immediately wafted up from the street to Shinji's ears above, and any doubts or complaints about what he knew he had to do vanished entirely. Wedging his body in the square hatch to the Plug, Shinji prepared to leap to the EVA's shoulder as his mentally sought out the connection that he had tried so long to block out—the connection to it, the horrible thing that had invaded his body and taken his humanity. But as much as he despised it, Shinji knew that in order to help those poor bystanders to safety he would its strength, its power, and its enduring might. He needed all of those things, and he needed them now!

Floating in the abyss of hyperspace, the Unit's medallion flared as it received the urgent call of its master. Without hesitation the Bio-booster Unit-G responded, and in a blinding flash of light it left to be with he who gave it life and purpose.

END CHAPTER TWO

TRANSLATION GUIDE

Kami-sama: In the Japanese Budo-Shinto tradition, the equivalent of God or a higher being.
Senpai: Roughly translates to "senior"; used by a person of lower standing to a person of higher rank/class/position.
Ano: Sound of uncertainty; equivalent to "uh".
Sensei: Teacher; instructor.
Okaa-san: Mother.
-san: Equivalent to Mr./Ms./Mrs.; used when formally addressing an individual, and almost always when a subordinate addresses a superior or elder person.
-kun: Used in causal/friendly relationships, typically with males, and most often as a sign of light affection from a superior to a subordinate. Also used between people of the same age who share friendly relations.
-chan: Similar to -kun when used between individuals who share a casual relationship, and typically used with females. Can also be used to express deep affection between two individuals, where the word becomes the equivalent to "Darling".