Assault
It did not go over well with the doctors, even the head of NERV, Shinji's father, was going to intervene but he told the doctors "Go with their wishes" before disappearing into one of the lower levels.
For the next six months there was little difference in the days as Unit 00, 01 and 02 were repaired to full capacity. Unit 02 had a new pilot and Asuka was left to rot in the medical room on life support; the only thing she did was her finger tapping away the four repeating patterns.
Shinji visited, so did Rei once and only once. The new pilot did not but she did not care; she was one of the former pilots of the other destroyed EVA. NERV was gearing up for something big though, Kaji would find information drifting through the pipeline that SEELE had been cut off from communications and NERV had gone quiet, only talking to its own facilities.
No more Angels attacked gave a rise in armament and defences of NERV HQ under Tokyo 3, which increased until the day something finally attacked.
There was an alert of an incoming missile strike and the city was lowered, the defences were under ground attack and things were going crazy out there. The HQ was going nuts and Misato dragged Kaji in; they had been on their way to take care of Asuka when it had all kicked off. Misato had been coming and combing Asuka's hair and brushing her teeth; keeping her pretty for the day she woke, the problem always was her open eyes. When ever closed they would open at some point when no one was looking, she would simply stare up at the ceiling blankly; her finger beating out the rhythmic tone; four series of repeating letters in Morse code, 'Kaji'.
"Situation?!" She demanded and an image appeared on screen. Uniformed men were approaching on foot, drop ships were dropping off special forces on the surface, aircraft and vehicles were attacking the defences. All of them had a single unifying logo. The United Nations.
"Why is the UN attacking us?!" she snapped, back and forth discussions went off but Kaji would know. Kaji would know SEELE had made their move. Misato tried to hold the defences but a substantial attack was underway. From his little lift Gendo appeared and ordered the deployment of Unit 02 and Unit 00 in defence, but Unit 01 was to be held back. Misato argued against it but he did not listen. The EVA's were now to be used to fight for NERV against Man.
"Well it looks like SEELE wants to take back the Evangelion's and the progress on the Human Instrumentality Project and bury Nerv in the process." Kaji spoke up seeing the visuals from the security systems build about the Nerv grounds.
"They are simply going to use the U.N. To wipe us all out and tell the world it was to prevent a terrorist situation from a rogue group." His only hopes now was that his friends in the information community had begun to act to capture the Evangelion's or destroy them.
Kaji had seen both Nerv and SEELE as a danger to the existence of mankind. SEELE wanting to reset the human condition by turning the clock back the primordial soup. Nerv wanting to place a new god over man, one under the control of Gendo Ikari.
The battle raged on and Kaji was on there to witness. There was not plan on him actually surviving the fall of Nerv to see the new era. He had plans on saving Asuka, Misato, Shinji, Mari, Ritsuko and the command staff from the Nerv headquarters.
He had learnt that Rei was just a tool used to build the clone system that powers the dummy plug system. There was many Rei's near central dogma, The clone of Ikari's fallen wife was to be the new god he was to place over mankind. Gendo Ikari has to perish if mankind was to be safe from Nerv.
On the camera's Unit 00 was ready to go and launched but there was problems with Unit 02, no one could find the pilot.
"Send out a team to find her!" Misato ordered and when they finally did, they found the body of several NERV soldiers who were guarding the new Unit 02 pilot and the body of the 2nd EVA pilot, she had been shot in the back and then killed with a shot to the face, making sure she was dead.
"We have soldiers inside the facility" the lights went from yellow to blue and more security forces began to sweep the facility.
"Have Asuka put into Unit 02 and submersed in the lake, per defence plan Alpha-Tango-Foxtrot" Gendo ordered. Asuka was quickly taken from her life support and put into her plug suit before being dropped into the small lake outside of the facility inside her EVA.
With the news of the death of the new pilot of Evangelion Unit 02 caused Kaji to shake his head. He could not save everyone but the news to deploy Asuka in Unit Two caused him to grin. Gendo was forced to put her into the Unit against his wishes. Asuka was now safer then anyone else while inside the Evangelion.
The war wasn't going well for the United Nations on the surface, Unit 00 was winning but there were too many tanks, aircraft and firearms, they were wearing down the EVA slowly.
However, the flow of the battle finally shifted.
Three N2 mines were detonated on Unit 00, the facility shook as the city was turned to dust above them, civilians died in the emergency bunkers on the surface, the UN did not care; they were sent by SEELE and out for NERV.
Unit 00 survived but fell through the the ceiling of the Geo-front, its armour melting and its skin revealed. Retreating below, the battle continued now in the heart of NERV's home, the Geo-front.
Unit 01 was kept in secure position ready to defend NERV, however Shinji was terrified, he didn't want to fight humans; he wanted to defend Asuka, defend Rei, Misato. So… he broke orders and went after Rei, Unit 00's position was bad and she needed help.
Combat was going off all through the facility now as forces got inside the HQ. They were searching for any other pilots, they would get Asuka later. They targeted Unit 01 and 00 for now.
The forces had breached the HQ main control room, a massive firefight passed through the room. Gendo and the Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki had fled earlier to 'prepare' and left everyone there. Hidden behind an overturned desk, Misato was firing down on the UN forces assaulting their position with her pistol, she threw Kaji one too.
"I dont think we're getting out of here Kaji… I… I wanted to say something… I… wish we never fell out…" she sighed and fired over the top.
"I will admit I was jealous of you and Asuka… but you two would have made a happy couple, in a different world than this" she laughed softly, taking a shot in the shoulder but continued to fight.
"Misato, It is up for us to live now be ready." Gendo Ikari had already excused himself from the head quarters but the U.N. Troops blew the door stunning everyone who remained inside. Bullets filling the air above the barricade Kaji looked to Misato as she poured her heart out to him.
Kaji shook his head. "You are going to make it out of here, Misato Katsuragi. You are going to lead us in the future. You are going to defeat the Angels and you are going to save mankind."
Rising up he planted two rounds into two different soldiers neutralising them with shots to the head. Stooping for a moment Kaji had heard his name being called out. Taking a single burst of shots to the chest Kaji falls back upon his back to the floor.
"Asuka…" Kaji muttered, taking a deep breath as he was pulled back to the barricade. The spent rounds falling from his chest as the high tech vest saved his life.
"Kaji…" a voice spoke in Kaji's head, or as if someone had heard him and replied
"Somethings happening" A tech cried out, ducked under their table. "Unit 02 is activated!" the voice had been through the comms still active, his ear piece forgotten in his ear. In the last remaining camera outside, Unit 02 was standing up out of the water, the silt filled sludge dribbling off her body,
"Kaji…" Asuka sighed, her face was not visible on the camera but EVA 2 seemed to sigh, staring up at the sky even as the UN forces around it shot at her, the armour pinging with shots.
"You took care of me… you did not let them take my brain…" she softly spoke, chuckling to herself in a lucid state.
Kaji had been ready to be chewed out by Misato for getting shot but the news of Evangelion Unit Two's activation caused a cheer from the remaining survivors in the Headquarters. Listening to Asuka speak caused Kaji's heart to race, which was painful due to the few broken ribs he just suffered. With renewed force the U.N. Commando's begun to pull back and the Headquarters team begun to reclaim the command centre.
"…Now I take care of you" There was a flicker around the EVA as the AT field activated, and in the blink of an eye she dived forward, power cable whipping behind her. She began to devastate the forces around her, they were retreating, she was pushing them back… until…
An explosion ripped into her shoulder and sent armour plate flying, she flipped back and stood on all fours. From above a bird like creation fell on her and dug its claws into her. She kicked it off and stood in a defencive form as more fell from the air.
"The Next Gen EVA series… they're… active?" Misato whispered to herself. SEELE had sent their all against them.
"Asuka, kill those things and secure EVA's 01 and 00, then we can finish off these damn idiots!" Misato yelled.