Chapter 5.5
~Linebarrel, Activation!~
"First contact in t-minus thirteen seconds and counting."
The pale blue rocket thundered forward, jettisoning its exterior shell. After the shell had fully purged, the machine activated. Its pale yellow eyes lit up in a flash as purple beams struck across the airspace. The machine, using its large right arm, hefted its large rifle from its holster along the unit's waist. Countering with its own beam, the machine pulled the trigger.
The pursuers exploded, the units cracking at the core of the fuselage. The atmosphere was wracked by parts that quickly burned up. The pale green unit turned back forward, grappling for the purged equipment. It was falling too quickly. Just one more second.
The machine struggled to grasp a hold on the jettisoned armour. Its metallic hands clenched the sides of the pack. There was no way out of this situation.
"Commander!"
A metal blade pierced the machine's cockpit area and slid through with ease. Two green eyes ignited from within the explosion. The owner, a machine clad in a dark blue and reminiscent of a knight from medieval times, stood towering over the dismembered body plummeting downwards through the atmosphere.
"Phase 1, commencing. Target: All Katou Organization Forces within the Central Shibuya district. Mission, start up." The pilot's eyes were covered by the shadows protruding from the helmet. One thing was for sure; there was no way to determine friend from foe.
The two boys ran. They ran as fast as they could, paying no heed to their surroundings. What seemed like an ordinary day had taken a turn for the worst.
"Hurry up, Ikari!" The older of the two yelled back. " Can't you hear it?" The older boy was referring to the sounds of gunfire and explosions that rocked the town. Even the sounds of missiles had been sounded. The sirens racked the two boys' eardrums.
"I'm running as fast as I can!" The younger boy, Shinji Ikari, shouted as he attempted to catch up to his friend, the brown haired youth named Kouichi Hayase, only to find himself out of breath.
What happened next would change everything.
Three black shadows shattered the rubble in front of the two friends. They moved swiftly, almost disappearing completely before appearing directly between in front of the two friends. In an instant, one of the shadows had drawn its silver steel blade and was about to bring it down upon Hayase.
"Kouichi! Shinji!"
The two youths were stunned as a familiar voice racked their ears. "Ms. Katsuragi!?" They both shouted in unison as a sudden blast occurred directly in front of them, where the shadows once stood. The dust lifted and there stood a blue giant with two large katanas in its gigantic metal hands. Its head curved out inside and raised into an tall spire.
"So JUDA's deployed, huh?"
"Ms. Katsuragi?"
"Come on, Shinji." Misato Katsuragi removed her sunglasses and opened up her car door. "Your dad wants to see you. Your friend should go home right now."
"I'm fine!" Kouichi clenched his fist as he stared at the blue giant. The robot returned the gaze, almost warning him.
Shinji tossed his bag into the car and set one last gaze towards his friend. "Are you crazy? Do you intend to keep standing there? You're gonna die!"
"I don't care!" Kouichi was furious. Why couldn't this robot step in earlier? Why couldn't it have saved everyone? Was it simply because it was watching them? "I'll do it."
"Huh?" Shinji looked back at Kouichi.
"I'll do it!" Kouichi had clenched his hands so tightly that streams of blood were dripping down from the skin. However, there was no cut. "I'll become a Hero Of Justice!"
"These are…."
He felt the presence of a being with the cave with him as he moved his hand through the stone carvings. "I know this place." The silver haired youth had awoken to a strange yet all too familiar place. Outstretched before was sea as far as the eye could see. The only thing separating the boy was a black coffin, which he lied in, waving in and out with the tide. The darkness felt all too familiar, almost like a home.
Moving his hand outside of the rectangular box, the boy struggled to grasp a hold of the sides. His silver hair caught a glimpse of the sun, gleaming a bright white for only a moment before the it disappeared. A thought had crossed his mind. Perhaps he had been brought here for a reason. Perhaps it was his mission to ensure that the conflict be brought to a close again, this time in their favour.
"This war, again." The memories were still with him, he noticed. He had retrained them from before he had accomplished his goal last time. Now, however, he knew the results. They would end less than satisfactory. He needed to change it. First, the boy would a name.
"Kaworu." The boy's mouth cracked a smile as the name alone appeared in his head. "Kaworu Nagisa." It was a name all too familiar yet it brought forth a steady stream of emotion the boy had not felt in quite some time. This was to be a day he would remember for many to come.
Kouichi Hayase had left his friend, Shinji Ikari, in the hands of their teacher, Misato Katsuragi. He was too angry to face him again. The blue robot that had interrupted those three black shadows, it had to be because of it that they had attacked in the first place. Kouichi felt his fist clenched and brought it forward. He expected his hand to be stopped by the wall. He didn't expect the wall to shatter at the faintest touch.
Kouichi felt himself fall back at the shock of the broken and shattered wall. He was laughing. His back connected with what appeared to the ground of a nearby shrine. "With this kind of power….With this kind of power!"
It happened in an instant. Kouichi had held his hand in the air when a black dot appeared in the sky. It was tumbling towards him, showing no signs of stopping. He jumped to his feet and began to run. "That's got to be a satellite!" He ran faster, his body obliging for a mere moment before caving. He felt his leg tighten and cramp up as he gazed up at the black dot. It wasn't a satellite.
Horns protruded from what appeared a head, almost reminiscent of a demo from Japanese folklore. Its metal skin was streaked with white, red and brown. It seemed almost alive with demonic intent.
Kouichi wanted to run but his body refused to. The words left his mouth, even though he had no idea what they meant. "Deus Machina….."