Hi ya'll! I'm writing this chapter from a remote location. But I'm still here! Now on with Chapter 20!
Australia NERV Base
Misato was deeply agitated. It turned out there was a new terrorist threat, here in Australia. So this put her and the kids' vacation on hold until this threat was dealt with.
"This one is hiding deep beneath the ocean," said a technician. It's EVA shaped."
"So how will you combat something deep beneath the ocean?" asked Misato.
Commander Von Croy came into the room. "We can send Elly. Her Unit 06 was made with Type-D metal. She can go underwater. And if I'm not mistaken, Supreme Commander Ikari had the other EVAs brought here as well."
Misato was shocked. "Great! Then we can send down other EVAs as well."
"Negative," said another technician. "The other EVAs aren't made of Type-D metal."
"We can send Asuka in Unit 02 then," said Misato. "Unit 02 is modified to be able to use Type-D equipment. We just need to suit it up."
"And that's how it's going to work. Asuka and Elly will go into the ocean and stop this terrorist." Misato had just finished briefing Asuka and Elly and the others on what's going on.
"WHAT? Why do I have to team up with her of all people?" Asuka was NOT happy at all about having to team up with Elly.
Misato took Asuka aside and whispered into her ear. She decided the best way to get Asuka's cooperation was to inflate her ego. "Elly has never never been in a combat situation before. She'll need your guidance."
As planned, Asuka's confidence, and ego shot up. "Come on Elly! You're gonna learn how it's done!"
"Whatever mate," replied Elly.
"Oh and Pilot Ikari," Von Croy suddenly said. "I have special orders from Supreme Commander Ikari that you pose as the lone backup should anything go wrong."
"W-Why?" asked Shinji, who was shocked by the last detail.
"Well, I guess your old man has a lot of faith in you."
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"You look like a giant marshmallow with arms and legs!" said Elly. She was already in Unit 06. The colour was… pink. Same went with the plugsuit. But like Zack's she had the Australian flag on the back of her plugsuit. Asuka was fuming from inside her Unit 02, which had the white Type-D equipment, which would allow it to fight underwater.
"You'd better shut up if you know what's good for you! I've seen more combat than you have!" shouted Asuka over the com.
"Okay you two, settle down," said Misato. "You two are to go in the water, locate this threat, and eliminate it. And if possible, save as much of the wildlife as you can."
This got a laugh from some of the technicians. But not from Von Croy. He was not a happy person about people laughing during a serious situation.
"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE LAUGHING ASSHOLES! YOU'RE ALL RUNNING 5 LAPS ONCE THIS THREAT IS GONE! NOW GET BACK TO WORK NUMSKULLS!"
That shut the technicians right up. They went back to doing their job.
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Finally, the EVA Units 02 and 06 were launched beneath the surface. They advanced until they were about 500 feet underwater. They didn't see anything. So they continued to advance. 1000 feet, 1200 feet. They had nothing to worry about. They were on power cables that could stretch out 40 kilometers.
As they advanced deeper, Elly began to shiver. "Shit, it's cold down here!"
Asuka couldn't help but laugh. "Just because you have a Type-D EVA doesn't mean it protects you from the elements! My "marshmallow" suit protects me from the hot and the cold! So take that!"
"What's wrong? Too afraid to face the cold?" Elly shot back.
"WHAT? I OUGHTA…"
"Asuka!" Misato shouted over the com. Asuka knew to shut up now. They had now advanced 2000 feet below the surface. Neither pilot saw anything. 2500 feet. Still nothing. Elly had the temperature turned up on her EVA, because it was so cold.
"How much farther can they go?" asked Misato.
"Well, times have made EVA technology much better," replied Von Croy. "Unit 06 can go 3500 feet, while Unit 02 with the equipment it is wearing now can go beyond 5000 feet below the surface."
"You heard that? Elly, you are to stop advancing once you hit 3500 feet."
"Yes ma'am," said the Australian.
The sea seemed to be empty where they were. Just rock formations from the looks of things. Out this far, the ocean seemed to be devoid of any sort of life. Obviously, there would be life still, but perhaps the EVAs had scared them off. Asuka and Elly were out in the ocean alone, with Shinji waiting at the shores, should anything go wrong.
A few moments later, Asuka and Elly spotted something in the water. It looked like an EVA! And it appeared to be setting something down.
"Misato. We've found the target!" reported Asuka. "It's setting something down. There are large boxes with strings attached to them. I'm sending a visual of this now."
Misato received the data Asuka had sent. One good look from a technician confirmed everyone's fears. N2 charges! "Asuka! Those are N2 charges! Stop that EVA! Prepare for combat!"
The two Units advanced on the enemy EVA. The EVA noticed the pink and white behemoths coming at him and also prepared for battle.
"Asuka! I'll disarm the charges, your hands aren't good for bombs! You go after the EVA."
Asuka charged after the EVA. It was big! Suddenly as she was about to impact it, she was suddenly pushed back. "Schiest! It's a jet stream! Dammit!" She tried to maneuver around it, when it suddenly launched a torpedo. She got hit hard. "Dammit!"
Elly tried her best to disarm the bombs. She hadn't had much training in the art of deactivating the bombs because it wasn't necessary. As she tampered with the deadly device, a timer began! (5:00) She then worked furiously to stop the timer.
"Stay calm Elly," said Von Croy. "If that bomb goes off, you and Asuka will be okay."
"Duh! But Sydney's gonna end up like Atlantis if these bombs go off!" said Elly. "Any of you a bomb expert?"
Asuka continued to battle furiously. But with only two fingers and a clunky body, it wasn't easy. Her Type-D equipment was meant for travel, not seriously meant for hand-to-hand combat! The enemy moved like an EVA, but could alter its depth like a submarine. It was too fast. It swam around her and kicked her in the back. She attacked in the same pattern she just did. It swam around her again, but this time, she delivered a hard elbow, catching it by surprise. She then turned Unit 02 around to tackle it, but it swam up and stomped her on the head.
(4:00) Elly wasn't sure which wire to cut. She had taken apart the outer structure of the bomb. Obviously, she figured out that this bomb was connected to the others. So she used Unit 06's progressive knife to cut the links. The other bombs were now no longer linked to the timer.
"Good work Elly," said Von Croy. "But if that bomb goes off, Sydney will be flooded by a tidal wave."
"Thanks for spoiling my joy!"
Elly went back to work. Was it the blue wire? The black wire? Or was it this green wire? She looked at the wires that connected to the different parts. Obviously, this bomb was set up so it could be used underwater. (2:45)
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Shinji watched from the shore in Unit 01. He couldn't see what was going on. But from what he had heard, it sounded like, whatever she was fighting underwater was beating Asuka, and Elly was having difficulty defusing the bombs.
'Why did Father want me up here?' thought Shinji. 'What happened in the outer space incident that made me be personally requested to be here?' He had no memory of what happened after he heard his mother speak to him. After that, he was in the hospital. And according to Ritsuko Akagi, he had hit a 500-sync ratio with Unit 01. 'Could it happen again?'
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Elly had less than 30 seconds. She couldn't figure out which wire it was. As the clock ticked down, Elly did the only thing left she could think of. "Enny Meeny Miny Mo! Catch the koala by the toe! If it hollers let it go! Enny Meeny Miny Mo! That one! With 3 seconds left, she guesses and picked the green wire. With a cut, the timer stopped ticking with 00:00:02 left! She let out a whoop for joy! So did everyone at NERV. She looked behind her and saw Asuka clearly and slowly getting her head handed to her.
"Now it's time to help Asuka whether she likes it or not!"
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Asuka was thoroughly frustrated. Not only could she hit this thing, now Elly was helping too. "I don't need your help!"
"Judging by the condition of your EVA, I'd say you do mate," said Elly. "Besides, he'll won't have leeway taking us both on!"
Now both EVAs attacked the enemy EVA. This time the EVA swam up, staying out of their range. It fired a torpedo. The attack did not create an explosion, but when the dust cleared, Asuka couldn't move. "What the hell! Shit I'm stuck!"
"Oh shit," shouted Elly. "That must have been a freeze missile! And with the water so cold this far down, it's far more effective. I can't move either!"
Now with both EVAs helpless to the coming attack, the two girls could only brace for what was coming. Suddenly, to Asuka and Elly's surprise, they heard Shinji scream over the com again. It took Asuka a few seconds to register in her mind what Shinji was doing, but then she realized it. "NOOO SHINJI! DON'T DO IT!"
Elly had no idea what Asuka was talking about or what was Shinji screaming about. But whatever it was, according to Asuka, it wasn't good. To her shock, suddenly, Unit 01 appeared in the water, ready to face the enemy EVA. To even greater shock, it had grown orange spectral wings!
"Shinji?" Asuka had called over the com. Shinji wasn't responding. Then she put in a call to Misato. "Is he alive?"
"Yes he is," said Misato with a touch of anxiety in her voice. "But he's hit a 500-sync again! And his vitals are ecstatic!"
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Australia NERV HQ - Battle Station
"How can he maintain a 500-sync ratio?" said a technician. "It should have killed him in a matter of seconds!"
"Well that's our Shinji," said Misato. "Asuka, Elly, get yourselves free and get Shinji back up to the surface. He's gonna black out once he's finished battling and his EVA won't be able to withstand the pressure for very long."
"Roger!" the two said in unison.
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The EVA tried to attack Unit 01. With amazing speed, Unit 01 countered and kicked the EVA flying. It crashed into some rocks. Fish could be seen fleeing away from the shattered rock formation that was once there. The EVA quickly emerged from the rubble. It threw a powerful punch at the purple behemoth with orange wings. Unit 01 caught the punch. It tried to punch with the other arm. Unit 01 also caught that punch too. To Asuka and Elly's shock, it delivered a powerful kick to the EVA while still holding its arms. The result was the EVA going flying, but having its arms ripped off by Unit 01 in the process. Unit 01 then flew after the EVA and slowly picked it apart. Within one minute, the EVA was destroyed.
After Unit 01 defeated the EVA, the orange wings faded away and it collapsed. Asuka and Elly went to assist Unit 01. They both rushed quickly to get Shinji to the surface.
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SEELE's meeting room. (Got a lead. It's not in Japan or any of the surrounding countries.)
SEELE 10: Dammit! They defeated us again!
SEELE 03: We cannot tolerate this!
SEELE 01: Calm down. This is all part of my strategy.
SEELE 06: What strategy?
SEELE 02: You're really going to use it?
SEELE 01: Of course. This is but a test. They will never see this coming.
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Somewhere else
A man walked away from his computer terminal. He dismissed his servants for the day. He left his computer room. He proceeded downstairs to the main level of his house. He kept walking. He now went downstairs to the basement of his house. The one part of the house that was off-limits to everyone.
What was down there was horrific. There were candles lit all over the place. There were skulls, books on witchcraft and wizardry. It was a very scary looking place where someone would likely pray to the devil. And there was a pentagram symbol on the wall. The man knelt down before the pentagram and began to chant.
"Ancient powers of the Diablos. I call amongst thee to resurrect one of your own from the depths of Hell!"
The room began to rumble. A voice whispered. "As you wish…"
The man then shouted, "Come forth Jeroboam! And bring the children to HELL! Hahahahahahaha!"
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Asuka and Elly were struggling to bring Unit 01 and Shinji to the surface. After a confirmation that Shinji was alive, they continued to struggle to bring him up.
Suddenly, they heard a rumbling sound behind them. "What the hell!" shouted Asuka.
They looked behind them. The ground appeared to be cracking up as if something was coming to rise from beneath the surface. Black smoke began to creep up until it formed a cloud of it in front of the two EVA pilots. Two red eyes could be made out as the smoke began to take a form. She could see two scaly arms, two scaly looking legs. And a scaly looking head. It was about the size of Unit 02 as well. It was green like a fish. And it looked very menacing, and hungry.
A/N: Think something like the monster in the movie "She Creature". I don't own that movie either.
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NERV HQ - Battle Station
"What the fuck is that thing?" shouted Misato over the com.
"I don't know how it's possible, but it's emitting a black waveform pattern," said a technician.
"An Angel?" asked Commander Von Croy.
"Commander! We're getting a call from NERV in Japan!" reported another technician.
"Put it through!" On screen came Dr. Ritsuko Akagi.
"Hey Ritsuko!" said Misato. "Do you know what's going on?"
"I wish I knew," replied Ritsuko. "I've had the MAGI check it out. It is emitting a black waveform pattern. The biological differences between this thing and an Angel are about 33 percent. And it emits patterns that look like an AT Field. Until we know what it is, Commander Ikari is classifying it as the 1st Black Angel."
Misato shouted into the com. "Elly! Get Shinji to the surface! Asuka, prepare for combat!"
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Asuka in her clunky Unit 02 prepared to face this fish-like creature on her own as Elly desperately tried to drag Unit 01 to the surface. "Okay Fishy, prepare to be gutted and put on the market!"
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The man continued to kneel before the pentagram. Just then, a pentagram appeared on the floor and encircled him.
"Now Jeroboam. Harness the very power that brought you back, and conjure the almighty Seal of Diablos!"
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Suddenly, the fish creature gave off a mighty high-pitched sound. So high pitched that Asuka had to plug her ears. As she looked on outside, she was horrified by the sight she saw. A pillar of fire appeared underwater! It began to circle both Asuka and the creature until a full circle was completed. Then the five-point star was drawn! Asuka quickly recognized the symbol! It was just like when she fought Yami-Asuka in her dream! "Oh shit!" she said aloud.
Elly looked back to see what was going on. From what she saw, Asuka appeared to be trapped in a circle of fire! But how could that be possible underwater?
"Elly! Just keep bringing Shinji to the surface. Then we'll have to find a way to get Asuka out of there!" said Misato.
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Asuka knew this all too well. Obviously this would give the Black Angel more power now that it had used the Seal of Diablos. And it would spell trouble for Asuka, should she lose. But she vowed not to lose, and attacked.
The Black Angel easily swam around the attack and kicked the white covering on Unit 02 flying into the seal wall. Asuka quickly got up. Now the Black Angel had suddenly summoned what looked like an army of piranha! Asuka quickly drew her progressive knife and slashed down the army quickly, guessing that they could do serious damage.
The Black Angel seemed frustrated that its attack didn't work. Asuka decided it was time to knife and gut this fish. However, the Black Angel had the advantage of being able to swim underwater, much to the German's dismay. It swam around and grabbed her from behind. It jumped up, taking Asuka with it, before throwing her back down, Asuka slamming into the ground.
Asuka quickly got back to her feet, and tried punching and kicking it, with some moves she learned from Ivana. But Asuka's fighting was sloppy, and the fact that she had lost her temper made it even more so. The Black Angel dodged the attacks easily and delivered a scaly punch to Unit 02's midsection, scraping the white armouring in the process. And Asuka felt the full impact of the coming kick as well.
By now, Elly had dragged Shinji to the surface, and had gotten him out of Unit 01 and ordered a medical team to take him to NERV's hospital. Now, she prepared to go down and do what she could to help Asuka stop the giant fish.
Now the Black Angel had summoned a whirlpool. It circled around the Seal of Diablos, with Asuka trapped in it, circling about. She was trying to think her way out when…
WHAM! The Black Angel suddenly struck her in the face. It cracked the window of the white armour she was wearing and dented part of the head of the armour.
WHAM! She was now hit in the back. She doubled over in pain in her entry plug. The Black Angel Jeroboam could move freely through the whirlpool while she was trapped in its vortex.
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NERV HQ - Battle Station
"Unit 06 is going back into the water to assist Unit 02," said a technician.
"Elly won't be able to do anything. The Seal of Diablos cannot be penetrated," said Misato. "If Asuka wants to escape, she'll have to defeat the Black Angel."
"The Black Angel is starting to manipulate the water currents!" said a technician.
"What does that mean?" asked Misato.
Ritsuko, who was still on the com gave the dreaded answer. "If it can manipulate the water currents, then it could use the currents to unload tons of pressure on Asuka. Her equipment won't be able to handle it!"
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Asuka continued to get spun around and around. But suddenly, it stopped. She quickly regained her focus. For some reason, it felt like the currents had stopped flowing. She faced the Black Angel. Suddenly, the currents that disappeared had reappeared. The currents slammed into her at full force. The impact was so powerful, that it ripped the Type-D armour right off! Unit 02 sunk helplessly to the floor.
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Inside Unit 02
Asuka had quickly realized the truth. She had lost. And this time, Shinji couldn't help her. He was in no condition to help her this time. She wished she could see him one more time. But her EVA was in no condition to do such a thing. Suddenly she heard a voice.
"Asuka…"
She quickly registered the voice. "Mama?"
"You mustn't give up."
"Mama! I've lost! There's nothing left I can do!" she said to the voice.
"You must believe in yourself. Your heart is much stronger that you believe it is."
"I can't Mama! I've been nothing but a cold-hearted bitch!"
"I must contradict you my child. Your heart is very strong. With the help of the boy you love, your heart has become very strong."
"Shinji…"
"Yes, him. And you've also made his heart stronger too. You two need each other. You must defeat the Black Angel."
"How do I do that Mama?"
"The EVA is a wonder that will forever dazzle mankind. However, they believe it only responds to hate and negative feelings. They do not know that it can respond to love and positive feelings."
"But how?"
"Just listen to your heart Asuka, and it will respond back to you."
Asuka came to realize what her mother was trying to tell her.
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It appeared that the Black Angel had won the battle. The Seal slowly closed in on Unit 02, but suddenly, it shot back out. The Black Angel was definitely angry. This meant Unit 02 still had the will to fight. Despite the fact that Unit 02 did not have the Type-D equipment, it somehow stood up.
The Black Angel went to punch it, but it could not penetrate the AT Field that was suddenly so powerful. A scream of pain could be heard from Unit 02's cockpit. Unit 02 slowly floated off the ground, and similar to Unit 01, Unit 02 grew orange spectral wings!
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NERV HQ
"I don't get this!" the technician shouted. "How could Unit 02's sync ratio be 500 percent?"
"What?" said Misato. She saw the visual on screen. Unit 02 was back up and had wings, like Unit 01 did. "Oh my god! Elly, get Asuka up here as soon as you can!"
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The Black Angel attacked Unit 02. Unit 02 blocked and countered perfectly. This time the Black Angel went flying. In frustration, Jeroboam tried to manipulate the currents again. However, Unit 02 was completely unharmed as it effortlessly walked against the extremely powerful currents. Once it caught up with Jeroboam, Unit 02 punched it in the midsection, Jeroboam roared out in pain. Unit 02 then grabbed Jeroboam, turned the fish sideways, and ripped it in half. There was blood everywhere. Unit 02 then found the core, and crushed it like a grape.
Elly was horrified at the carnage that Unit 02 made of the Black Angel. The Seal of Diablos had disappeared once the fish was dead. Unit 02 had collapsed too. So this meant another rescue mission for Elly. Now she had dragged two EVAs from the Great Barrier Reef.
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Asuka woke up. Last she remembered, she was in Unit 02 somehow talking with her mother. She then noticed she was in a hospital bed. She looked over beside her, Shinji was sitting up in the hospital bed beside her, smiling at the fact that she was okay. She then realized that if Shinji was here and she was still alive, then she must have won the battle somehow.
She then got out of her bed, walked over to Shinji. And they embraced and kissed. For the moment, they didn't care that Elly and Misato were watching them from the outside room.
'Thank you Mama,' thought Asuka to herself. 'Thanks for showing me that my heart is strong, and will always be strong.'
A/N: Whew! That took me a while. Hopefully, I'll be back from my remote location soon so I can post much easier than before. In Chapter 21, the vacation continues! Until then, be cool!