In the years since Second Impact…
In the weeks since the arrival of the Angels…
Shinji Ikari begins to wonder. Standing on a hill near Evangelion, watching the prone form of Ramiel as it continues drilling into the Geofront, he voices a question that many have wondered in the years.
"If those are Angels," he says, "Does that mean God is out to get us?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
He turns to find one of his pilots has snuck up on him without his noticing. Although he could swear he just saw him talking to the Commander, to.
"Every culture has their own concept of how a God would act," Kaworu says, "And for some of them, God casting judgment is not the end. Sometimes it is a test. A chance to find ourselves, and create a world more according to our needs than a force on high's."
He stares at Ramiel, hands folded behind him. Admiring it.
"So maybe this is a test," Shinji asks.
"Maybe. Perhaps Second Impact was us failing one test, and this is our make up exam."
Shinji sees Asuka hugging Rei. He sees his father directing the three lieutenants as armor is set up around the base. He sees the Angel almost ignorant of them. Maybe not ignorant. Maybe just…
Waiting.
"Make no mistake, though," Kaworu continues, "There are consequences. There are four billion humans left in the world. If we fail, they fail with us."
He places his hand on Shinji's shoulder, a gentle smile crossing his features.
"I do not know you well. Not yet. If we survive this, then perhaps I will. But make no mistake: If the Captain, if the Second Child, and the Commander trust you, then I will as well."
And with that, Kaworu walks away, towards the waiting Eva 04. Shinji watches him go for a moment, before turning himself to the Angel. He watches it for long moments, hearing the sounds of his own knuckles cracking.
"Alright," he says, "Let's go."
Standing miles away, watching from the top of her apartment building, Sakura smiles and holds up a small piece of bone white rock.
"Yeah," she says, "Let's."
"Synchronization holding at 48%."
In the corner of his right eye, Shinji sees Misato's face pop into view, a status report on his left field of view showing the respective synchronization scores of everyone else.
"Okay, Shinji and Asuka. You are on shielding duty for Rei. We have two repurposed Space Shuttle heat shields which will absorb the heat from the Angel's beam. Kaworu, you are going to distract it with that cannon you've 'borrowed' from the Over the Rainbow. Rei, line up and take the shot. We only have once chance, here."
He doesn't think about it but gives the acknowledgement, the Eva hefting up the massive plate of metal and carbon.
The gun, a series of pipes and technology with wires leading from it, stands ready, turning visible hot from the power coursing through it.
"Target centered," Rei says, "Pulling the switch."
Night turns to day as the barrel flashes, a beam of white and blue lancing out and burning the air as it streaks towards Ramiel…
And curves when an AT field appears, missing the Angel and slamming into a mountain.
"Blue Pattern detected," Ibuki announces, "It's…it's the Third Angel!"
The ground splinters and dust fills the air as Sachiel impacts in front of the Evangelions. It rises, eyes glowing, a blast of energy throwing Unit 04 through the air.
"Crap! Asuka, engage it! Rei! We're charging up another shot and…uh oh."
Ramiel unfolds. Pointed legs hover above the ground. A massive cavity folds outward, glowing energy spheres at the end of what would be arms. At least five times as high as an Eva, the Angel of Thunder's chest cavity, its cannon, begins to glow.
Sometimes it is a test.
Shinji's eyes go wide, as Unit 02 shoulder checks the Third Angel, as the air around Ramiel crackles with ozone and thunder.
Maybe this is a chance to find ourselves.
Knuckles go white around the butterfly controls. He can hear himself talking, even though he's not sure where the words come from.
If we fail, they fail with us.
"I will not run away," he whispers, "I will not run away. I will not run away."
And he gives a single command.
RUN.
Unit 01 takes off, tossing aside the heat shield and running directly at Ramiel. In his eye, he sees Misato's face blink into existence.
"SHINJI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I'm giving the Angel a target! I'll keep it off of Rei!"
He kills the connection, sending the though, and Unit 01 squeezes off several rounds from its pistol. The bullets bounce harmlessly off of the blue diamond skin of the Angel, but the effect is the exact one he needed.
The Angel turns, and its weapon glows brightly, a recoil blasting out the other side of its chest before the blast vaporizes a hill that Unit 01 just passes by.
He can feel the heat on his back, sympathetic pain. He pushes it on, biting back his scream…and stops when he comes to the end of the hills, to the cliff overlooking the ocean.
good
The Eva turns, staring into the light of the charging weapon of Ramiel.
finally
He swallows the lump in his throat. He wants to, for a moment, open the connection to the base again and apologize, but then thinks about them watching him die.
protect you
And the Angel fires.
The blast is enough to make everyone blink. On the read outs on Ibuki's laptop, a number spikes, as the blue white light of Ramiel's weapon flashes…
And breaks upon a field.
"Synchronization's spiked to 87%! He's deployed an AT Field!"
Ikari and Sohryu sprint over, looking over her shoulder.
"What," Ikari asks, "That's…well, about damn time."
"We're good," Sohryu yells into his walkie, "Asuka, keep that green bastard back! Rei! Take the shot!"
The blast lights up like a sunrise, streaking past Unit 02 as it kicks back Sachiel, past the glassed mountains, and into the back vent of Ramiel's cannon and into the core. The Angel stumbles, its blast shorting out, nearly falling back…and straightening again.
Inside the Entry Plug, Shinji marvels at the fact that he's alive, and promptly gets back to concentrating, the inside of the plug beginning to glow. It feels warm. Not warm as in heat, warm as in comfort.
Like he is supposed to be here. And now undaunted, he stares at the Angel as the next blast issues forth.
"Synchronization at 99%! 110% 117%!"
"That's not possible," Akagi says, leaning on Maya's shoulder, "That Angel should be dead, and there's no way that a pilot can synch on this level!"
With a telltale sonic boom, Unit 04 blasts past them, cannon armed and firing at the Angel. Unit 02 draws its progressive knife, going for Sachiel's core. Power readings begin counting down to a final blast on Ramiel.
"Synchronization at 157%!"
A blast from Ramiel knocks Unit 04 out of the sky, the silver Evangelion crashing into a mountain and going silent.
"Synchronization at 210%!"
The blasts from Ramiel glow like a star, barely kept an inch off of Unit 01 by the AT field.
The timer clicks to zero as Rei sends the thought to the cannon to fire…
And a cross shaped explosion into the ground in front of Unit 00.
He can hear his father announcing the cannon is gone. He hears a brief mention of the Third Angel disappearing. For a moment, Shinji allows himself a glimmer of fear, as the coast around him glasses, as the ocean behind him boils…and then there is a pull on him, pulling him back…
"Synchronization at 400%!"
The air hangs still. Ramiel pauses, as if considering. But that is an illusion. For the Angel is not intending to pause its assault on its target.
"Ego border lost," Ibuki says, "It's…the Eva should be out of power by now…"
What they instead realize is that the Angel is being forced back. Right before the shockwave hits. The blast throws them all off their feet, only Unit 02 standing as Evangelion awakens.
The locks on its jaw open, and Unit 01 throws back its head and roars. Less synthetic, more animalistic, the bindings of its armor cracking as its chest glows, the burning light from its red core now visible. The jet strips on its shoulders shred, releasing eight jagged wings of orange light. Feet lifting off the ground, it awakes. Eyes glowing white, then yellow, then bright enough to obscure the features of its visage, it ascends.
And it brings its hands back, light gathering between its palms, as the enraged Ramiel lets loose a blast as massive as itself. The air hangs still as Eva's AT field compresses into a ball, and then inflames into a sphere bigger than it.
And Eva snarls, eyes going wide, and thrusts its arms forward.
The red and white blast of the Angel of Thunder stops, meeting the blast from Unit 01, what amounts to Ramiel's awareness seizing up at the prospect of this thing, this speck and imitation matching it.
Orange light forces back red light, inch by inch as the diamond skin begins to crack, Ramiel reforming into a diamond, then a massive cannon, until finally the blast forces its way into Ramiel itself…
And with a last, mournful cry, Ramiel explodes.
Its remains come down like snowflakes, the light of its shattered core turning night to day. Stumbling towards them, mouth hanging open, its exposed red core glowing, Unit 01 stops in front of the NERV encampment…
And falling to one knee, its eyes cease glowing and the Entry Plug pops out.