Answers:
Madman: They haven't been at school to see Kensuke since the back-to-back attacks started. As for your other comment, Asuka deserves that flak and heat. Shinji, on the other hand, is justified in the decisions he makes.
ANON: There's nothing wrong with being equally romantic and accurate with a piece, is there?
Fanus: In regards to EOE, I plan on writing- action movie script -not- pretentious horror film.
Fleightfire: Rei being sterile is a trait from the anime that I thought was an interesting aspect of her artifical body. Shinji's reaction is just him failing to keep his mout shut...
Disclaimer: See Prologue
Chapter 28: Inevitable
"And what did you learn, Doctor?" Gendo brought Ritsuko to his office after she returned from her trip as bait for SEELE.
"SEELE Suspects you." Ritsuko stated without surprise. "I suppose they plan to revoke NERV's power and take their Instrumentality project into their own hands. If they order the IPEA to freeze the Eva Units and transfer them to UN control, we won't have anything to resist them."
"I received a message that the Unit-02 pilot has requested another activation test. You will oversee it. If she succeeds, have the Unit equipped for life support and submerge it in the reflecting pool. Unit-06 will be placed on active alert and Unit-01 needs to come out of the bakelite-"
"Commander-"
"I don't care how unstable Unit-01 is, right now. We will not be allowing SEELE to invade Dogma."
"Isn't it odd, Commander? We're taking our greatest risks against our fellow humans and not an Angel?"
"The Angels have Strength. The Humans have Numbers, and SEELE will spare no expense to gain access to Lillith. Bring all pilots up to full alert and activate Unit-02."
"Absoultely, Sir."
"You're giving PenPen away?!"
Misato took a swig from her beer. "It's just temporary, Shinji. Hikari takes him in while her family finds a new place to live. This section of town is in too much danger. It's one of the prices you have to pay for being this close to NERV HQ."
"But still, is he okay with it?"
"Sure he is! Hikari basically spoils him when she's over here with Asuka." PenPen flapped his wings and squawked approvingly at Misato's side. "Speaking of Asuka, I don't know what you guys talked about, but she's back up to proper food and water intake and she wants another go at Unit-02. I need to get her ready, so you go get Rei and be in the test control room in time for the Activation."
He made the train ride to her apartment and told her the good news.
"Asuka's going to go through with it, today, Rei."
"Do you think she listened to us?"
"Well, she convinced me when she cried her eyes out yesterday. Come on, Misato wants us there watching."
"One moment, Shinji." She walked to her dresser and picked up the glasses sitting there. She looked to Shinji and threw them to the ground, the lenses shattering. She slipped an arm around his waist and started walking out; Shinji was surprised.
"You're getting more forward, Rei." Shinji said with an affectionate smirk.
"I like being reminded that this is real...I never expected to receive so much when I was created to give-"
She gasped in fright as she was hoisted up into a bridal hold, Shinji's rarely exhibited strength easily carrying her.
"You have as much of a right to be happy as anybody, Rei. I don't give a shit if you're not real, or...natural...whatever-...How should I describe you, anyway?"
"Introduce me as Rei, that's all." She wrapped her arms around his neck; she enjoyed being held by him more than anything else they did together.
"I can do that, definitely." He kissed her forehead as he walked. "So, how exactly do you do that AT Field Thing?"
She thought for a moment. "Yesterday, when we were speaking to Asuka, Shinji, I said that I had a theory on Unit-00. My first..." She looked downcast when she mentioned the story.
"It's okay Rei." He said, still carrying her. "You and Naoko Akagi...That was my father's doing, too."
"Thank you, for not blaming me, Shinji. I...the last me...was not whole, in a way. Until you saved me, I did not remember being young...I think that Commander Ikari used Naoko Akagi's death to cover up Unit-00's awakening...I believe that the soul of the young Rei was inside it...I think, it was unstable because it had the memories of Commander Ikari betraying both me and Naoko...Now that I am...complete...I feel the strength of Lillith, her AT Field is under my control...While you and I were joined, you held it as well." She climbed down and resumed walking, arms around him and leaning her head against his shoulder.
"You up for this, Princess?" Mari asked in the girl's locker room.
"No, but I'm going to do it anyway." Asuka compressed her plugsuit, it shrinking to her shape and size.
"Well then, good luck in there. All four of us are going to be cheering you on!" Mari left for the control room while Asuka went to the Eva cages.
= All I know is...You'd better be right, Shinji. =
Ritsuko, Misato, the bridge crew, and the four qualified pilots watched as Unit-02's plug screwed down into the Evangelion's body.
"What was Captain Soryu's reasoning for her new attempt, Colonel?"
"Apparently, Shinji talked her into trying again, Kaworu."
He walked over to Shinji. "Then you knew of her past?"
"I took a guess...Looks like I was- mostly -right."
"Then I am proud to know that your efforts were good work and not in vain, Shinji. Perhaps she can find it in her heart to accept others, after all." Kaworu noticed Rei glaring at him; he quietly approached her as Shinij turned back to look at Unit-02
"Fifth Child," Rei nearly whispered. "I am aware of who you are."
"And I of you, Rei Ayanami. I assure you, your uneasiness towards me is no longer necessary. The failures of our past will be averted. As for your other concern...I see the way Shinji looks at you; you need not be concerned, he is entirely your property. I doubt I or anyone could pull him away from you. Indeed, there is someone else who I need to approach." He smiled to her and returned to Mari's side.
"Trying to mark some territory, Kaowru?"
"Not at all, Mari. I believe that I just prevented future hostility between the First Child and myself."
"Well then, that was a gentlemanly thing to do."
"Etiquette is the only lesson I received from SEELE that I appreciate, everything else was garbage-" He was cut off by Asuka on the loudspeaker.
"Hey Blondie! The plug is in and I know that I'm ready this time! You can start me up anytime!"
"Since when am I 'Blondie'?!" Ritsuko steamed. "Attention all personnel! Unit-02 reactivation! Repeat, Unit-02 reactivation! Facilitate A-10 neural net connection! Attach external power! Remove restraining bolts! Okay, Asuka, just follow standard procedure, we're all rooting for you."
"Synching now...Shinji...Thank you; and Rei, one of these days Shinji's going to piss you off, and when you throw him out...I'll be there to run off with him!"
Rei took Misato's radio. "That won't happen, Captain Soryu. I've been unjustly angry at Shinji only once, and I promised myself that it won't ever happen again." She handed the radio back to Misato who's insides were jumping for joy.
= Rei and Asuka! I never would've believed it! They're acting like...friends. =
Asuka cleared her mind and forced herself not to think negative thoughts about her peers.
= Shinji, Rei...I'm so jealous of you...I admit it now, but I'm not mad anymore...It was me being angry and vengeful that stuck me like this...I'm not the same Asuka, I promise! Shinji, you told me to think about my mom...I'll do anything to see her again-=
"That's so wonderful of you, Asuka." Came the voice in her head.
= W-who...Who was that?! =
"I'm here to apologize, Asuka. I'm sorry that you had to see me in that room, I'm sorry I died at all."
= ...M-mama...? =
"Yes Asuka, I've been here ever since I died for you...Shinji was his name, Shinji Ikari I assume? He is the Pilot for Unit-01, right?"
= Yes! He told me to find you in here...I never would've believed him! =
"...Then I guess Yui did the same thing for him...Asuka, the Eva Units are really giant human beings; they need a heart and soul to operate. I didn't want to see you hurt, so I allowed myself to die and my soul be placed in this...monster. I know my death hurt you; I had two choices. Watch you grow up alone and harsh, or watch you die from outside Unit-02. I think you understand which one I chose."
= Why couldn't you tell me before now?! I hurt so many people because I thought I was alone! =
"You needed to learn that you weren't alone, Asuka, ever. I know you don't like your father and stepmother, but they support you. I see how you don't recognize Colonel Katsuragi's affection and misplace Mr. Kaji's. They both love you as parents should, Mr. Kaji practically raised you in the past, and Colonel Katsuragi is trying to do so now. You aren't alone, Asuka, and I can finally tell you that myself."
= I thought I was after the Thirteenth Angel attacked us, mama...Rei saved me and Shinji tried to help me; I was just so jealous of them that I hated them both...Rei didn't even have a personality but Shinji was tripping over himself to get to her- =
"So? Why's it so important that you get a boyfriend, anyway?"
= Because I HATED being alone more than anything else! I saw that Rei wasn't alone, and I saw her as the enemy! =
"You do realise that it's the Angels that are the enemy, now, don't you?"
= Yes! That's why I got back in here! That's why I let Shinji talk me into syncing again! That's why- =
"What's her status, Maya?"
"I don't believe this! She's gone way beyond 100% and is still stable! It's like the Eva welcomed her back to the controls!"
"That may be exactly what happened-"
The building shook, chunks of the concrete ceiling collapsed and rained down on the resting Eva Unit. The facility's sirens blared and the intercom system sounded Commander Ikari's voice throughout the pyramid.
"This is the Commander speaking! Now hear this! All personnel are to move to full combat alert! JSDF Forces have launched a surprise attack without formal warning or notification! As we are a United Nations organization, we are now at war with the Japanese military. All non-Evangelion personnel are to move to close quarters infantry positions to repel invaders! Evangelion personnel prepare for the launch of Evangelion Units! Dr. Akagi, proceed to MAGI sublevel to oversee cyberdefense operations!"
Misato took over command of the test area, looking to Ritsuko for answers. "What happened to Unit-02?!"
"The shockwave from the attack shook Asuka out of sync. She doesn't appear to be injured and can be launched after she resyncs. Kaworu will move to Unit-06 and I'll have Shinji loaded into Unit-01's plug and kept safe there, the bakelite can stand up to anything short of a missile barrage. Illustrious and Ayanami don't have their Units anymore, they need to be sent to a shelter."
"Good, after your done prepping the pilots, get to the computer level like the Commander said, Maya, Shigeru, and Makoto are with me, we're going back to the bridge!"
"YES MA'AM!"
Inside the Eva lockers, Shinji and Kaworu were getting dressed.
"Why are we being attacked by our own people?!" Shinji asked as he compressed his suit.
"SEELE, that's why."
"The people who fund us?"
"They think that they can use Third Impact to make themselves gods. It has been proven in the past that they would fail, but they refuse to learn." Kaworu's face was red with hatred for his former masters. They left to see Mari, Rei, and Ritsuko waiting for them. "Mari, go get your suit on, I will need your assistance inside Unit-06."
"It can carry two?"
"Yes, now we don't have much time." He watched as she darted into the girls' lockers.
"Kaworu-" Ritsuko started.
"I do require her help, Doctor. Unit-06 is a fickle beast."
"Fine, I guess 06 is too new for me to understand after all. You two get plugged." She turned to Shinji and Rei and brought them to a storage room outside the Eva cages. "This is what we got out of Unit-00. I was going to give them to Rei if Commander Ikari ordered her to continue with sync tests. Shinji, since you might have to go out, I'll let you take them as a good luck charm."
Ritsuko opened a paper-wrapped package to show Shinji's SDAT and Rei's white plugsuit. "They were both untouched and undamaged after the explosion...almost like they were protected by an AT field. The official reports say we found an empty entry plug, because that's exactly what me and the rescue crew saw that day. I guess Shinji really did save you that day, Rei." She handed the package to Shinji. "Go get in Unit-01, Shinji, and wait there. It's up to its plug port in bakelite. We'll only be getting you out if we need you to fight. Nobody from the JSDF will be able to harm you. Rei, come with me, your old room is probably the safest place for you."
"Yes ma'am." She pressed Shinji up against a wall and kissed him. "Please come back to me, Shinji."
Ritsuko smiled sadly at the pair; everything she had done to Rei, the girl had simply forgiven.
Misato and the bridge crew found Professor Fuyutsuki at the Commander's Desk.
"Professor, where is-"
"He's somewhere near medical right now, I am unsure when the Commander will arrive. Don't worry, Colonel. The two of us can oversee the operations in his absence."
"Yes, Sir. What's the status on the counter-invasion forces?"
"Anti-infantry personnel are getting equipped as we speak. We've sealed off all entrances; the JSDF is approaching with anti-armor, so I suppose they plan to blast their way in-"
An earth-shattering explosion was shown on the bridge viewscreen, one of the massive Eva launch doors had just been blown open when the radio in the bridge spoke.
Meanwhile at 23,000 feet
A Mitsubushi F-2 Super Falcon was leading a flight of four Luftwaffe Sukhoi 35 Super Flankers from Kadena Air Base at Okinawa. The flight lead issued an order as they passed over Tokyo-3.
"Werner Flight, tune radio and IFF to 141.15 and target these coordinates for JDAM strike."
"Roger, Inspector. Prepping strike package." Came the German-accented reply.
The five planes each dropped a 400 Kilogram GPS guided bomb onto one of NERV's Eva launch doors. The 2000 Kilogram combined explosion blew the doors open and the flight began their dive into the Geofront.
"When we enter the dome it's going to be tight quarters with lots of ground targets! We're going to support Unit-02 and the rest of the Eva Units. The JSDF is launching a black op armored invasion of NERV HQ; there is no official sanctioning for anything that happens today, boys. That means we do anything to destroy the invasion forces!"
"Roger, we'll show them what happens when they attack a member of our German Air Force!"
"What was that!?" Came a female voice over the radio.
"I love that voice, you know that Misato?" They all heard Kaji's voice in the bridge.
"KAJI?! What the hell are you doing?!"
"I called my Luftwaffe buddies in Werner flight, they didn't like learning about the JSDF's plan to kill Unit-02 and Asuka. NERV now has air support."
The five planes entered the dome and began tightly hugging the ceiling while the pilots identified the JSDF's tanks and troop carriers on the ground. Targeting computers calcualted the best drop points and flight paths for the bomb and missile loads as JSDF VTOLS began to flee.
"Focus on Gun kills for the VTOLS; they're big, slow targets and we need to save missiles for the ground strike."
"Roger, Inspector." The flight broke up into individual units and engaged the VTOL support. The large hovering craft couldn't manouver fast enough to escape the cannon fire and one by one, the vulnerable aircraft fell to the lethal fighters; the JSDF knew NERV doesn't have an Air Force and didn't bring any fighter escorts, their most expensive decision of the day.
"Air is clean, Werner. Misato, if Unit-02 isn't out yet, let me recommend that she equip one of the battery packs, she's going to need it."
"I agree. Delay Unit-02's launch and get her a Lithium Pack!"
Werner flight dropped their bombs and missiled the ground armor. The JSDF's lack of air cover was their greatest weakness on this day. Only a small number of troop carriers, a fraction of the original attack, made it to NERV's truck loading bays.
"Inspector, Werner Lead. We're Bingo ordinance and need to bug out."
"Roger Werner, no problem. NERV can take care of themselves from here on out. Misato, you've got three or four truckloads of men to deal with...Just like college, amirite?!"
"SHUT YOUR FACE!"
Kaji laughed like a maniac as the five planes ascended, single file, through the gaping hole in the upper city...only to come within viewing distance of of nine massive flying wings carrying stark white Evangelion Units flying towards Tokyo-3.
"Werner, this is Kaji...those things don't look friendly...What's your weapon status?"
"Werner One through Four...two short range Air-Air missiles per bird, no more Air-Ground."
"Paint the flying wings as your targets, fire your missiles, and lets get the hell out of here."
The five planes found radar lock on the otherworldy aircraft and fired...Only for the missiles to explode a distance away from their targets against formerly-invisible orange fields in front of them.
"AT Fields! They're Evas, alright...Asuka's going to have to handle them, open your throttles and lets get home, fast."
"Asuka, are you ready?"
"I was ready ten minutes ago! Whatever's up there is MINE!" Came Asuka's bloodthirsty reply.
The catapult sparked and ground its metal as it fired up to the GeoFront's ground level. Asuka plugged into a power cable and waited.
In Unit-06's cage, Kaworu stopped a maintainence chief before he entered his Eva.
"Technical Sergeant, would it be possible to create a length of power cable with a port on each end, in case we needed to connect one Eva Unit to another?"
"You know, son, the Eva does have power input and output, so I think it could be possible, but you'd be running off batteries for both-"
"Not true in my case, Unit-06 has a functional internal power supply."
"...Then my team can splice together two cable ends in less than 20 minutes."
"And not a moment later, Captain Soryu will require all the assistance she can get."
He led Mari to Unit-06 and motioned for her to get seated in the plug first.
"Kaworu, you told Ritzy that there was room for two, here."
"I told a half-truth. I'm bringing you because I know that you are skilled at cross-synching between Evangelions and I may need to exit during our operation. So, you need to be first."
Mari climbed in and sat in the plug, only for Kaworu to climb in her lap. Mari was shivering with delight. "Kaworu...this might be the best moment of both our lives-"
"You'll see why I need to do this soon, Mari. For now, take the controls." Mari snaked her arms through Kaworu's and held the Eva's twin joysticks.
"We have the Lance, Mari. As long as that doesn't change, we can't be beaten."
Asuka was watching as the Nine Evangelions climbed through the hole in Tokyo-3, falling and landing before her. "You cheap imitations don't have a chance against a real Evangelion! Let's go, Mom!" She charged into the swarm of Eva Units and wasted no time with any one target. She would move to stabbing distance of a Unit and strike, jump to another Unit and slash through it with Unit-02's plasma knives, then punch a hole through the chest of a third.
Eventually Asuka had to focus less on scoring knife hits than deftly avoiding the nine Evangelion Knockoffs' attacks, the fact that she was grossly outnumbered didn't do her offense any favors. As one mass-produced Unit would move to stab Unit-02 with the Eva-sized spears they were carrying, Asuka would jump over and dive under the other eight. A classic combat furball was the result, such a mass of cyborg arms and legs jumping, punching, and kicking tore up the ground under them and threw up clouds of dust and dirt in such a volume that any observers could no longer identify any of the ten monsters locked in the brawl.
Four trucks of sixteen JSDF special forces soldiers unloaded in NERV's docking bays, and their anti-armor units blew their loading doors open with C4 charges. At the ground level, they only encountered NERV's surface security, as the couterinvasion teams were drawn below, closer to the bridge. The JSDF began indiscriminately slaying any personnel in the facilities. Their squad leaders recieved orders to hold and wait at the locked security doors as compute clusters at military bases across the planet made attempts to overpower the MAGI's control of HQ. One-by-one, doors opened and invasion turrets went offline as Ritsuko attempted to preserve the MAGI's data control, slowly failing due to the sheer volume of international brute-force attacks.
The JSDF enroached on NERV's medical wings as one very high ranking officer was recieving surgery recovery dressings on his right hand. He had ordered one of the surgeons to implant a...thing...into his hand and that surgeon was surprised when the surgery was completed without incident, Commander Ikari's body accepted the implant without any rejection risk. The gentlemen heard gunfire throughout their hallways. Commander Ikari drew a PM-9 from his coat and stepped into the hallway, flooding it with the submachine gun's hail of ammunition, interrupting the JSDF's advance as the Commander escaped. With the Commander's leave; the only source of resistance going with him, the JSDF began mindlessly slaughtering the onsite doctors, nurses, and patients in the hospital areas.
By the time the JSDF made it far enough to reach the bridge, 12 of the 64 invading soldiers had fallen to NERV's security, while the JSDF already had more than two hundred kills to their records, primarily from the war crimes they committed in the hospital. Misato radioed Asuka to tell her that she'd be losing contact with the bridge as NERV's internal crews defended themselves. She moved to a compartment by the terminals and extracted vests and SMG's for the bridge personnel, tossing one of each to Shigeru, Makoto, and Maya before ordering the support staff to line up and get equipped.
Maya started to panic as she stared at her weapon. "I've only ever shot at targets, before! I can't hurt anybody else! Why are we killing each other?!"
"Dammit, Maya!" Shigeru answered her from his position. "Today is different, YOU FIGHT- OR -YOU DIE!"
"That's right." Misato aggreed as she returned. She was wearing a full armor cover with shoulder and thigh protection and was checking Mari's SCAR before anything arrived. "We don't know how many are left, but we have to stop them from making it down to the Eva cages or the shelters. If the JSDF reaches any of our pilots, then we lose! If we die today, make sure you don't go it alone, take three or four of them with you!"
The nine Evangelions had yet to put a real injury on Unit-02, as Asuka's bloodlust translated into the most viscious performance she had ever provided. Unit-02 would move from knife strikes to punches to animalistic bites and claw swipes, with bleached-white, giant arms and legs strewn about the battlefield. One dismembered knockoff wormed its way to Unit-02's power junction and took an Evangelion-sized bite out of the power cable. Asuka heard the power warning and saw the 11-minute time limit begin to count down as the mass-produced Evangelions somehow resurrected themselves, crawling over to their severed arms and legs and reattaching them, writing and thrashing on the ground until they could regain enough strength and footing to stand and challenge Unit-02 to a second round.
"RITSUKO! If you can hear me, tell me what the hell is happening with these freaks!"
"Asuka," Ritsuko's voice came to life on the radio. "I'm watching the fight from the outdoor cameras. I didn't think it was possible, but I think those Evas have sustainable Cores! You have to puncture the red Core in their chest, just like an Angel!"
"Excellent. I've got 8 minutes to bring hell on earth to these bastards, and I'm gonna use every second of it!" She whipped her two progressive knives back out and lit their plasma cutters, jumping into the crowd of healing Evangelions.
"Alright, Unit-06, we just installed your dual-Eva cable." The Eva crew chief told them over the radio. "Sensors show Unit-02 out there running on vapors, so she could use your help any second now!"
"Not yet, we're breaking into the bridge."
A small cluster of JSDF soldiers were the first to blow through the security doors to the bridge. They were met with concentrated fire through the doors. Misato, the two male bridge crewmen, and several support staff were waiting for them. The JSDF regrouped and returned fire through the opened doors only for their bullets to halt against an orange...wall. A black and gray armored giant tore through the concrete wall into the bridge and projected its AT field between the JSDF and the bridge crew
"Government lapdogs." Kaworu's voice sounded through the Eva's loudspeakers. "Lower your weapons and surrender, or face destruction. We do not have time to negotiate." The JSDF squads that witnessed Unit-06's launch dropped their rifles and froze. Misato and the bridge crew ran to surround them at gunpoint as Unit-06 and its two pilots stepped through the hole in the bridge area and locked into the elevator. They shot up to ground level and sprinted the godlike beast to the chaotic scene starring Asuka and Unit-02.
"Captain Soryu, fire your power coupling and connect to our cable."
"What in the world are you planning, Fifth?" She asked as she threw one of the Eva knockoffs off of her throat.
"I'm extending your battery life. The S2 Core in Unit-06 is perfect." Unit-06 attached the free end of their custom power cable and Unit-02 roared with the new source of power. Asuka watched as the battery life countdown was cancelled and read the new power readings as they extended back to maximum. "You must stay within the range of this cable, Captain, or else you will be stranded again." Kaworu and Mari drew the majestic, red forked spear from their shoulder and stood with Asuka before the nine resurrected mass-produced Evangelions. Two of humanity's greatest weapons were wielding one of the weapons of a god. A cynical person would almost feel sorry for the nine targets.
Unit-02 jumped in the lead, with Unit-06 following closely after. They landed, back to back, burning knives and Lance brandished towards the beasts surrouning them. Asuka offered her knowledge of their weakness.
"Their core is visible, lets just waste them and not waste time!"
They both invited the feral Eva Units to attack. Several of the Units charged at once, Kaworu watched Mari's hands as she manipulated the Lance, spearing two of them in tandem. The alien weapon served its purpose perfectly, the near-supernatural material in its construction reacting with the mass-produced Units' Cores and causing them to collapse with no effort on Unit-06's part whatsoever. Kaworu was amazed at Mari's control of an Evangelion Unit she had never trained on before. She was savage and animal-like, but still retained an air of expertise that he wouldn't have expected in someone as undisciplined as her.
Asuka didn't have the advantage of the perfect weapon and was instead grappling with a third abomination as she saw herself in Unit-02. = If we win today, what happens next? I've been so obsessed with piloting I've never even thought about what happens after the Angels die. I never thought about not piloting...I've been a paid Eva pilot for 7 years...If the war ends, they'll probably deactivate me...Hell, I'm rich enough to retire right now if I wanted to...If I win today...I'm free...free to do...anything...free to...live...These bastards are MINE! = She tore away from the white beast and whipped her two burning knives across the Eva's chest, slicing the core into thirds as they passed through it. "WHICH ONE OF YOU IS NEXT?!" She jumped and tackled the closest target, Asuka hungry for Eva core.
Mari and Kaworu were making the job look easy. The Lance had been pulled from the two corpses and they were now practically fencing with a fifth target, it wielding a spear and challenging them. Mari screamed and Unit-06 mirrored her movements, catching the spear between its teeth and snapping it in half, then swinging the Lance through the core. "This is just so FUN, Kaworu! Eva is what I live for!" She cackled in evil laughter as she baited a sixth into sprinting towards her, only for it to impale itself on the Lance as she held it out in front of her.
"THREE MORE!" Asuka manually ejected the power supply and sprinted away, opening a distance between two targets following her. =10 minutes. I can kill plenty in that time! = She spun Unit-02 around and jumped high, knives out in front as she landed on the seventh, ripping and tearing away its flesh as she cut and stabbed at the core, it eventually cracking and spewing LCL and blood in a sick and demented shower over Unit-02. Asuka basked in the gruesome display, bathing in the essence of her fallen enemy until she heard a sharp bursting sound on her back. This was the second time Unit-02's external battery was about to explode. She tore it away and slung it into the arms of the eighth Unit, Asuka laughing in mad delight as it was enveloped in plasma and electrical fire. Her celebration was cut short when she was tackled by the ninth, its fanged grin leering down at her. It reared back and opened its jaws to bite as a red fork tore through its neck, the core fading out as it hung limply on the Lance. Mari walked up to the final opponent and visciously tore the Lance from its body and opened a video channel to Asuka.
"Hey Princess! I think you've lost your touch! Why in the world would you have to get rescued by little old me?!"
"SHUT UP, FOUR EYES!"
Shinji looked lovingly at the empty white plugsuit he was carrying with him inside Unit-01. = Maybe Kaworu and Asuka can win and I won't even have to go out there. If this all ends...Rei and I can just be happy together. I hope she's okay, wherever Ritsuko took her..."
Rei had left her old apartment room and walked to the dummy plug storage. She looked into the LCL tank to see the liquified remains of her sisters. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around. Commander Ikari was standing in the doorway.
"Rei. You're here. This is good news."
She stared blankly at him then turned back to the tank. "Why? Why did they have to die? They have the right to live..."
"You were betrayed, Rei. Ritsuko Akagi destroyed the others of your family and she destroyed my chances at peace. We can change that, today. Please, come with me."
= Please, come with me. Please, come with me. Please, come with me. Please, come with me. =
The preprogrammed order enacted itself deep inside Rei's mind. She began to unthinkingly shed her clothes. Her shoes and knee socks, then her school dress and blouse, and finally the same innocent white bra and panties that she had affectionately modeled for Shinji the day before, all fell to the ground. She blindly followed Commander Ikari down the terminal shafts towards Lillith's prison.
A/N: EVIL CLIFFHANGER! MUWHAHAHA
On a more serious note, I started this story as an experiment to improve my own opinion of the series after watching the terrible Rebuild 3.0 (which sucks for me because 2.0 is one of my favorite anime films ever) As this story nears its end, I daresay I succeeded. I'm really happy with how its turning out, and I'm looking forward to the reactions that I get from my regular reviewers, and for you new folks, this is the perfect opportunity to start guessing where I take the story!