(A/N Guess what I'v been doing? That's right, using my thanksgiving break to work my ass off at getting the next chapter in. This is the mid point of part 2 in my story, and I must say, I've been planning this one out for too long. The original idea for this probably dates all the way back to the summer time, and it took me until now just to get it all set up. At the request of darknemo, this special long chapter comes in, not at the usual 3000-4000 words, but at a whopping 5000 words! Also, thanks to Darknemo2000, I'm going to write a one-shot, one chapter non-crossover spin off of this story. Since I can't just put in all of Asuka's missing POV's into my editing session coming up next week, I'm going to put the missing arc into its own seperate story. I'm sure you'll all enjoy that, and it can technically be counted as a story of its own, though it will be connected with the main arc as you see here, but once again, I digress.)

Disclaimer: I don't own NGE, Ace Combat, or Halo. Their creamy filled goodness belongs to those other guys.

Chapter 15

Their Hearts That Cry

(POV Asuka Langley Sohryu)

Morning sunlight creeps its way through the blinds of the apartment. The light of the world, which could be spread across half the planet, decides to focus all of its effort upon my closed eyes. Rolling over would solve that problem, but on the other side is the tantalizing smell of breakfast cooking in the morning, which is probably even stronger than the light pouring in from the window. I don't want to get up though, not while I can still think in this somewhat half-awake, half-asleep slur I'm in.

I pull the covers over my face in an attempt to shield my face, but soon it grows so hot underneath that I have to resurface to breath in cold air…with a side of bacon. Oh god, now it's getting to me, my futile human need to consume nutrition on a daily basis. But I still don't want to get up unless I either have to or it's time for us to leave. But there's that light again, dancing across my eyes and preparing to sear them open with rays of sunshine.

"Asuka, time for breakfast! Get it while it's hot!" Misato's voice ruptures my perfect bubble of tranquility, stabbing it with her loud obnoxious voice. But I'm actually more afraid of walking out just in time to hear that ridiculous yell of hers.

The covers finally come off, allowing the warm comfortable air to be swapped out with the cool, chilling air from the rest of the apartment. It gives me a quick shiver, but I shrug it off and make my way for the door, not caring for my appearance or my level of presence. First on my mind is making it to the bathroom for the morning ritual of…well, nature's calling.

I take a moment to look at myself in the bathroom mirror, taking in the tangled mess of red hair, the bags forming under my eyes, and my skin becoming evermore pale. What's happening to me? I used to take better care of myself. I remember days when I could feel happy for myself, and worries like today were just dreams…yeah, dreams. So far off in the distance that I could care less for them. I could live for the day and feel free. My sense of purpose was always there so long as I had school and Eva.

Yet, here I am. It's still the present and I'm thinking about that other me I see in the mirror. That foreign entity that stares back at me with her pale blue eyes and faded red hair, that alien who sulks before me. My original purpose has returned, yet it gives me no feeling whatsoever. Am I lost?

"Asuka, you're food's gonna get cold! Are you coming or not?" Misato's timing once again protrudes my thoughts. The good feelings I had just a few weeks back have all but faded. And here I stand, just the same as I did before Third Impact…before the day…

…before the end!

A sound pierces through the door, the ringing of the telephone. It rattles on the table, screaming for the attention of a nearby subordinate, telling them that someone needs to talk with them. I have nobody like that, I am myself and the only person I need to console with is me. No one else has my best interest at heart.

I finally build the strength to open the door, shuffling my feet to the table where a steaming bowl of soup bubbles before me. The strength and will to pick up my feet has been sapped from me this morning. I am weighed down by a sudden burden, a black emptiness that brings me down harder to Earth, rooting me in place and sucking me of even more of my strength, leaving me a hollow vacuum.

"Asuka, you don't look so well. Are you alright?" The soft falsified voice of one Shinji Ikari makes its way across the table, wracking my ears with a world of hurt.

The only response I give from behind my veil of hair is the groan and moaning sound that comes from a dying man. Great, now I can't even speak correctly anymore. Is this feeling going to consumer me? Am I not going to fight back, win the day, and prove once more to the world in a single voice that I will not disappear quietly into the night? Or has the fight left me as well, abandoned me, leaving behind a larger well of sadness and pressing me further into the dirt with its growing mass.

The spoon before me feels heavier than it should, but I can still use it to shovel the soup into my mouth. The warm taste feels good against my throat and a little bit of the weight falls off my shoulders…but not enough to make a huge difference. And, before I know it, the soup is gone and the one good thing I can count on this morning has left me, its use fulfilled.

Footsteps vibrate the floors as a new person walks into the room. With an effortless turn of the head I can see it's Misato, red at the face and panting like she'd just run a marathon.

"I'm sorry kids, but we need to head over to NERV a little early this morning."

"Did something happen Misato? You sounded kind of worried on the phone, up until you went outside that is." Shinji responds oh so obediently.

"We'll find out when we get there, but right now we all need to get dressed. I was told that we're supposed to get ready for anything, so prepare yourselves accordingly." Misato rushes from the room after that, gathering her things and such.

"Come on Asuka, let's go." Shinji gets up from the table, scooting his chair back in and offering me a hand up. I slap it away before getting up from the table, ignoring the chair and heading for my room.

The days just keep getting worse.

(POV Ritsuko Akagi)

"We're ready to begin the test, ma'am." Dr. Ibuki looks over her clipboard, perhaps questioning today's testing methods.

With Unit-01's repairs recently completed, we can now focus our resources on the more badly damaged Unit-02. Luckily for us, the core was recovered just in time, and from there it can be rebuilt anew. But until Shinji arrives and can reactivate Unit-01, I'm going to go ahead and use it for my own purpose; to investigate how our new pilots can even synchronize with the Eva…or even pilot them for that matter.

"Are you sure we should be using Blaze, ma'am? I'm really not sure if he's one of the better test subjects for this experiment." Right, I haven't told her that we're also investigating into his sub-par mental patterns.

"We will proceed just the same. Mr. Shigeru, begin the first connection."

"Right." He enters the command into the console and everything begins to wind up, the beginning of the first attempt to hook up a new pilot to Unit-01 since Rei Ayanami.

"Status?" The winding suddenly stops and all sounds normally associated with an Eva's activation suddenly vanish without a trace.

"Um…I don't know how to say this, but…nothing!" This oddity has just made my job more complicated.

"Give me a readout! I want to know how this is even possible!" A pilot…only able to synchronize with his own Eva without any readings from the others? It's not unheard of, but usually there's some kind of readout when one connects to another's Eva. Is there really a difference between their Evas and ours?

"Yes, ma'am, reading. Synchrocity: Zero! Harmonics: Zero! NKR: No readings! Interface: No response! All other readings flat lined or non-responding."

So, than there are two possibilities from this outcome, but I'm afraid to take the experiment any further than this. I guess we'll need to close up shop and lay low for a little while until we have the resources to run more tests. But I fear the worst outcome, the second possibility that Blaze has lost his ability to pilot.

"I want the pilot to change Evas so we can run another test on him. We have to make sure that he can still pilot!"

"Yes, ma'am. Preparing to store Unit-01 back in the cage, and than bring out S-Unit 1 for testing."

"Commander, we just received a call from the bridge. Commander Fuyutsuki wants you up there ASAP, he says it's urgent."

"Fine, scrap the test. We'll pick it up again another day. I want you all up at your posts on the bridge as soon as you're done here." So, fate has once again decided to step between me and the truth of the matter. These new Evas, shells filled with a secret that I have yet to tap…but now I fear that when I reach it, I might be tampering with something beyond anyone's control.

The doors part as I step out of the Testing Control Facility and make my way towards Fuyutsuki and his urgent matters. The hallway lights flash by, hurrying by at the same quickening pace I'm making. Technicians rush past, holding onto papers and documents as if their lives depended on it, taking them to parts unknown within the Geofront. A final door slides apart, revealing the large and overly spacious bridge and primary control facility.

"What's the emergency Commander?" I bowl over to catch my breath from the running, but I force myself to bite it back down and listen.

"An unknown object was recently detected in orbit around the planet. We project that it'll make its way over the city in just a few minutes." Makoto, being alone on the bridge at the moment, works furiously to pull up the demanded information.

"Have you run an analysis to see if this object is similar to the one in the past, or is this something completely new?" God, I can only hope that this is a false alarm. Maybe it's a third world country revealing a long hidden space program to the world. I can only wish…

"Using Solar Light Reflection Analysis, the Magi have determined that this object has a similar mass to the Eva that fell from orbit."

Reflection Analysis is an interesting tool to use. Using orbiting Satellites, Makoto must have been able to use the Magi to determine the volume of the object and, using reflections from the sun, figure out the material the object consists of. From there, a rough estimate of the object's mass can be determined and, in this case, determine that its mass is consistent with that of an Eva.

"So we have another threat on our hands? What about the pilots?"

"The Katsuragi residence has already been contacted. They should be here in just a few minutes. As for the Spartans, they're suiting up and should be ready to launch shortly."

The door opens once more, and Maya Ibuki and Aoba Shigeru step onto the bridge to take their posts at the higher level of the Command Center. With Ibuki here, I use the time to walk over to the lift and ride it up to the top level, right next to the Commander.

"It's happening all over again Akagi. Do you honestly think we'll be ready this time?" His voice is calm and soft, but the undertone gives off an air of discomfort and worry.

"It's going to be five of our Evas versus this one. If Major Katsuragi does her job and issue orders the way she always does, than we shouldn't have a problem pulling through." A little confidence never hurt anyone, and we're going to need all we can get to make this situation seem hopeful. But the odds are gradually shifting in our favor.

"I just wish we could figure out where these launches are coming from. Haven't the Magi pinpointed the launch site yet?"

After the last battle, we have turned some of our efforts towards finding the origin of the enemy Eva. With help from the Magi, we have been able to limit the number of possible launch points down to 1,736 world wide locations. One look at that number told us that we would probably have to sit through several more attacks before we can figure out the exact source of the attacks.

"I'm sorry Kouzou, but we're still far from finding it. We're working as fast as we can to shrink the number, but it's going to take some time."

"Commander, Major Katsuragi has just reported in. Shinji Ikari is prepping for departure. The Major is also bringing Asuka Sohryu to the bridge with her." Makoto reports the news up to us on top.

I bet Asuka's disappointed with the fact that Unit-02 isn't ready yet, but she has to realize we were lucky just to find enough of her Eva to salvage anything. It's truly a miracle, if there ever was one.

"Tell the technicians to prepare ALL Evas for combat immediately. All pilots are cleared for launch to the surface when ready." Commander Fuyutsuki switches voices so that everyone can hear him now.

"Even if the odds our in our favor, I still worry." I forcibly bend to my inner nature. Even with all the cards in place, the hand in our favor, I still feel a little uneasy.

Maybe it's just because I'm playing these cards wrong way.

(POV –Unknown- 'Blaze' –Unknown-)

His voice comes in over the radio; all pilots are cleared to leave for battle. The sign that conflict is just on the horizon, rising like the sun's in flame over a field of death. Hope is lost in the fire, leaving a once great place burnt and ruined.

And now, even the Eva no longer feels like home to me. What was once a comfortable seat to sit in has begun to resist me, spreading out waves of distaste and nausea. The LCL smells more like blood than ever before, a disgusting scent that backs all the way down my throat and into my gut. But I have to maintain focus, keep cycling my beliefs around until I can understand myself.

The restraints uncouple, releasing the Eva's arms from its shackles and allowing for full motion. The sun beams down upon the steel girders of the city, reflecting off the cloud dust made by tons of construction equipment. I take a few steps forward into the open before feeling a slight tug on my back. It's the recent upgrade the technicians have put onto our Evas, giving us the ability to use their umbilical cables. In my personal opinion it's unneeded and a waste of resources.

The others are already up, hiding behind the now evacuated part of the reconstructed city, using the buildings for cover. I hurry towards the closest building and prepare to use it as a place to hide.

A window opens, revealing the face of the two kid pilots' guardian, Major Katsuragi.

"All Evas, listen up. The target will be arriving over the city in approximately two minutes. We're sorry that we can't give you more time to prepare, but we were kind of rushed as it is, so we'll just have to make do. I will be issuing all orders in the field from now on, so I expect you all to listen." She strives to make her point. To think that I was in that position for the last mission, and all I ended up doing was injuring my number 2 pilot. And with that, I'm demoted back to the pilot's seat.

The chain of command is very interesting indeed. With one mistake, a person can end up anywhere from demoted to court marshaled. But with success, all you get is a little pat on the back or maybe a little medal on a string to wear around your neck. There's plenty waiting for failure, but success is a different story...And I've seen both sides of the story. The spectrum of reward is a harsh line that favors only those in positions of power.

Fire from the sky, it rockets from beyond the clouds just over the mountainous horizon, soaring over our heads in a crimson ball of flame. Smoke trails it like a comet from hell, completing the effect as it travels over the city and smashes into the hillside. The trees twist and burn, creating a ring of fire surrounding the crashed figure. Slowly, something rises, shrugging the ash and dirt from its frame, before stepping out onto the burning plain around it.

Major Katsuragi's head pops back in the screen after a moment of absence, "Alright, utilizing the position of the enemy, our available equipment, and your positions, we've come up with a plan to win this thing and bring you guys back safely."

I've heard of the major's success in the field, the stories of how she pulled off the impossible with feats of amazing planning, skill, and mostly, luck. She prevented an angel that fell from orbit from hitting the city by dispersing her Evas to certain points throughout the city. But one needs more than luck in the field, they need to know exactly what they're doing. Leaders who make guesses for too long or don't know exactly what they're doing are bound to get themselves killed sooner or later.

"We will be assigning everyone a position in this operation. Shinji Ikari will take the point and destroy the target with a salvo from the rifle. This is because our equipment is more compatible with our own systems, so aiming won't be a problem. Captain Nagase will act as a diversion. Using her Eva's lighter armor and superior movements, she'll hold the target down so Shinji can hit it. Captain Snow will be on the defensive. Should we have to, he'll snipe the target from a mountain range where he's set up at, along the other side of the bowl. The rest of you are to hold position and remain as back up in case of an emergency. Now, any questions?"

"One question, why are we letting the target into the city when we can snipe it right now?" This Misato is already starting to lose my confidence. Let what can be done be done quickly.

"It's so we can get a salvageable specimen for the lab. We need to learn all we can about what we're up against, so if you can just trust us on this, I promise we'll get you back in one piece." Her window vanishes, bleeping out her image and allowing me to sit in position, concentrating on the task at hand.

The enemy Eva, still glowing with several hotspots, walks between the freshly constructed buildings. It lumbers over the unfinished street, breaking the ground with each footstep, setting the work of so many people back several days. The Eva passes by my building, and I lean out to get a look at it while it teeters by. Not noticing me, I take the time to see that this Eva was bulkier than the last one, covered in primarily orange armor. The bulk is probably to survive the stress of atmosphere re-entry, leaving it undamaged when the time comes for it to engage its targets.

"This is Edge, I'm in position. Waiting on Unit-01 for start of the operation." Nagase lurks behind a building just up ahead, along the enemy's path of travel.

"Shinji's got the rifle, it's all on you now Captain." Major Katsuragi's telling her this? Why isn't the little Shinji signaling the start…unless!

"Beginning attack!" Nagase steps out from behind her cover building, and before the enemy can react, she's grapples right onto it. She holds the Evas arms back, locking the target into place just as Shinji steps out onto the road. He raises the rifle and points it right along the axis to the enemy.

And than…he just stops. No flash emanates from the rifle, no sound pierces the morning air, and the enemy remains mobile. He remains in position, but his finger on the trigger remains uncurled. Finally catching on, the enemy Eva begins to put up a struggle, but Nagase still manages to pin it down. But even she can't keep this up forever.

I try to raise a channel to tell Shinji that he needs to get his ass in gear, but when the window opens, I'm hit with a hiss of static. Has he shut down his video feed? The audio is still coming through and it sounds like he's…hyper-ventilating!

"Command, pilot has paused and seems to be unable to continue attack. Requesting operation abort!" That Shinji is going to be the death of us if he keeps this up.

"Negative Captain, Unit-01 will take the shot. Remain hidden and prepare to back up if necessary." Major Katsuragi sounds confident enough in this pilot of hers, but I'm just about ready to lose it.

More time passes while Nagase's struggle continues to grow, being twisted and tossed around as she fights to full extent. She's still holds the enemy in place, but that just may change if Shinji doesn't hurry it up over there. His fast paced breathing continues and the video feed isn't restoring itself. If I weren't under certain chains of command right now, I'd rip that rifle from his hands and take the shot myself.

"Pilot still isn't taking the shot. It doesn't look like Edge can hold it for much longer. Once again, I'm requesting operation abort. Let us handle this!"

"No Captain. Hold position and stand by." Once again, another cry goes unheard.

Her grip slips, and the enemy tears itself from her grasp, throwing her off balance. Nagase stumbles before she's slammed into the side of a building. Held in place, all she can do is watch as the Orange Eva prepares to pummel her into a pulp.

"Major, abort this mission now! Edge has lost control and if we don't do something now…"

"Don't make me repeat myself anymore. Hold position and wait there." She's yelling this time, her desperate hold on the situation obviously fading.

The enemy Eva swings its fist and hits nothing but glass and cement as Nagase ducks down underneath. But when it looks like she's about to get away, she receives a kick to the gut and sprawls out on the ground. I sit in agony, gripping the control yoke tighter and tighter as an orange fist is brought to her Eva's face over and over again. And all through this, she hasn't said a word, not a peep or a cry for help…she's biting her tongue almost too well.

I can only take so much of my friends begin beaten before I have to flush out all else. If Shinji isn't going to take him out, than I am!

"Where do you think you're going? Stay there Captain and…"

"Shut it, I've already watched one soldier die and I'm not going to let this one…"

But than, a small flash whistles past me, down the street and vanishes in an instant. The enemy freezes before sinking to its knees and rolling onto its back, revealing a puncture mark right in the center of its chest. A red liquid oozes from the chest and back, seeping over S-Unit 2, who lies beneath it.

Without hesitation, I rush out from cover over to aid Nagase. Grimm and S-Unit 4 also step out from cover just a few blocks down. Without saying a word, we each grab two limbs of the fleeting corpse, and toss it just off to the side. No movement comes from her Eva, one would assume the worst.

"Edge…Edge…are you alright." Static…a fizzling and gray nothingness is all I get in response. The crackling emptiness fills the vast space of the entry plug, expanding the feeling and allowing reality to fade further off in the distance.

Than, the screen crackles and the sound reshapes into a coughing sound. A sound only a human can make!

"Can anybody hear me? …I'm alright, but I think I'm gonna need some help getting out." She's fine…she made it through to the end.

I look down along the city line for the source of the shot, searching for the person who pulled off this endeavor. But with my scanning, I only come across a kneeling Unit-01, its rifle lying in the street…

…the barrel tip smoking…

(POV Shinji Ikari)

'Why…why did it come to this?'

I look down at my hands, trembling in shock from the recent battle. I cannot calm them, nor can I control them, they're beyond my consort. I try to keep breathing, attempting to bring a sedation that will undoubtedly never come. I cannot trust what my ears tell me, what my mind says, yelling at me to kill, maim, and destroy in the name of what is right. I can walk on, live yet another day…but at the cost of another's life.

But there is no real reward in this; all it does is make me less human, eating at the flesh of my soul. It nibbles away, taking little pieces of me before vanishing off into the night and making me less whole. This is not the reason I came back…but than again, what is? This is all my return has done for me, letting me watch a woman get beaten to death until I was forced to flex the muscle in my finger one inch. And with that small jerk, a human life was erased from this Earth.

The door to the locker room slides open, revealing an angry male face, charging into the room at a quick walking pace. I stand up to get out of his way, but just as I make the step, an impacting force sends me sprawling to the ground. The room spins and my head pulsates into waves of pain. Just as I try to lift myself up, the ground disappears from beneath me and leaves me floating in the air, only to be slammed right against something else.

My vision refocuses, revealing Blaze's angry face, his teeth gnarled as he tightens his grip on me. He holds me against the lockers with his fists, pressing into me and making it harder to breathe.

"Do you know what you just did?" He says through his gritting teeth.

"I…I don't understand…" I manage to get out through crushed lungs.

"Why didn't you pull the goddamn trigger when you were told? Someone could've died because of you! We all trusted you, put our lives into your hands…and you know what? You blew it all to hell with the little stunt you pulled. Even Nagase trusted you with her own life!"

His face begins to blur in fade, his grip is growing tighter, pressing into my chest deeper. I suck for air, but nothing comes in or out, like my wind pipe is completely locked up. The fuzzy blur of a face soon becomes surrounded by a cover of black as my eyelids grow heavier. Before it surrounds me, something slams me in the side and I can feel the pressure release me.

Gasping for air, my vision slowly returns and the sounds around me start to come back as well. Sitting up, I watch as Blaze is pinned to the locker on the opposite side of the rather thin room, held by two other soldiers.

"Captain, what the hell are you doing?" The taller one yells.

"Let go of me Snow! You know what almost happened because of him?" Blaze continues to struggle against the bind the other two have put up, but to no avail.

"Captain, stop this. Just look at yourself!" The larger one tries to calm him down, but appears to be losing ground.

He continues to tear around in their grip before the larger one finally separates from his arm and jumps out in front of him, raising his arms together out in front of him. Everyone pauses as they stare at something in man's hands. Moving to the side while still sitting down, I manage to spot a pistol in the soldier's hand…and it's pointed at Blaze!

"Are you going to shoot me now, Captain Snow? Blast your own comrade into oblivion?"

"You're not the same man I fought with. That man has died, and his corpse lying out before me." He tightens his grip on the pistol, taking a step back and taking aim with it.

"Captain Snow, please…" The other armored soldier, who sounds like Captain Grimm, pleads to the other one.

"Grimm, can't you see? He's changed…this isn't the same man we trained with…that man wouldn't do anything to hurt a defenseless kid. This man is a monster!"

Everything freezes there…nobody moves or makes a sound. Blaze stares at Snow who stares back with pistol in hand. Grimm just looks between the two while still holding Blaze's arm from before. The show down continues as all but Snow looks back and forth for in confusion. Finally, Blaze shrugs off Grimm's arm and heads for the door.

"Fuck it!" And the door shuts behind him.

(A/N Okay, so I hope you weren't too dissapointed Darknemo. I spent the last two day editing it, so I hope I at least got close to the center mark on this one. But, once again, it's all up in the air. I hope you guys and gals enjoyed this one, but the story only continues on from here. What will happen to our traumatized characters? Oh, just wait and see!)