Chapter 43 - Armisael
Rei sat in the kitchen and waited, staring at Misato's light through the walls of the apartment. She watched Misato's light briefly meet with Asuka, and most likely Shinji. She watched Misato's light slowly leave their apartment and proceed down the hallway to the elevator until the light faded from her vision. Only then, once there was no chance of Misato changing her mind and returning to stop her, did Rei get up and open the fridge.
Yesterday, there had been just over two dozen cans of Yebisu beer in the fridge. Now, there were less than fifteen. Even considering that Misato normally drank beer like it was water, this was a dangerous amount to consume in one day. Liver damage was likely looming on the horizon.
...Except with Complementation looming so close, that was hardly going to be a concern. Of course, she was the only one in the building who actually knew what was coming. Still, she had been given a task by Misato, and she was going to do as she was asked.
Rei moved every single can of beer to the kitchen sink where she began to empty them out two at a time. The smell made her nose wrinkle, and a touch of curiosity led to her taking the smallest of sips from a can, which was immediately spat into the sink. How Misato could consume this foul liquid in such quantities was beyond her.
When every single can was empty, Rei took the bag out of the trash bin and added the cans to it before tying it off. As she was putting her shoes on to go outside and dispose of the bag, her body was wracked by sudden shudders. The bag dropped to the ground, her arms shaking as she tried to wrap them around herself. Her bones felt like they had turned to ice, while her skin felt like it was burning.
'This again...'
These attacks came and went seemingly at random, but the time between each one was definitely shortening. Rei grit her teeth, her mind trying to focus on anything apart from the sensation of her body slowly falling apart.
As if the universe had heard her, there was a knock at the door. Rei glanced at it, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. She then picked up the rubbish bag and opened the door.
"Hello Rei," greeted Shinji.
Already, she could feel the pain lessen slightly. "Hello Shinji."
"Asuka and I are about to go for a walk to the supermarket to get a few things. Would you like to join us?"
"I do not believe this household needs anything at the moment," replied Rei.
"That doesn't really matter," said Asuka as she came out of their apartment and closed the door. "Could always just get a snack or a drink for yourself."
Rei glanced down at the bag in her hand. Perhaps there was something she could get, in a sense.
Her body rebelled, hot and cold clashing within her veins. A faint sensation of melting came and went. Her expression never changed; it wasn't worth worrying her fellow pilots with her daily ailments.
"Very well," she said. "I shall join you."
XXX
The sun was actually rather mild for once, merely warming the city instead of attempting to burn it to the ground. Paradoxically, the sun seemed to be reducing the sensation of her skin attempting to melt off her bones... which still felt like ice.
Rei kept all this hidden behind a stoic mask. Her friends and fellow pilots had asked her to join them, and she had no desire to dampen their day. Instead, she kept a surreptitious eye on the pair; for some reason, Asuka's light seemed brighter than usual, even thought it looked to be tinged with a slight shadow. She did not know what mental torture Shinji and Asuka had been forced to undergo while she had to endure the slow journey down to Terminal Dogma to retrieve the Lance; all she had heard was something about past memories.
The command centre had done their best to speed the elevator up, 'red lining it' as Lieutenant Aoba put it, but they were risking a repeat of the crane disaster that had almost claimed Shinji's life at Mount Asama on the way up.
Shinji and Asuka didn't appear to have actually been mentally damaged by the event, the shadow on Asuka's light notwithstanding. If anything, it had only pulled them tighter together. And if such a connection could be forged between two people so different from each other... was Complementation even necessary?
Rei banished that thought immediately. Her ultimate purpose was to bring about Complementation, not question it. That was why she had been created, after all. It did not matter how close she had gotten to the other pilots; all would become one in the end.
"Today's the last day of the Christmas holidays," Asuka suddenly remarked, breaking Rei out of her thoughts. "Damn shame we have to go back to school tomorrow. We hardly got to enjoy the time off at all."
Shinji hummed in agreement. "We only got one day out with our friends, and even that got interrupted."
Rei didn't have much to say on the matter. School was... a distraction; something to occupy her time while she waited for the Angels to attack.
The three teenagers reached the supermarket after a few more minutes of walking and headed in. Asuka grabbed a trolley, and as they proceeded through the aisles, mostly gathering staple food items, she would occasionally pick something up and look questioningly at Shinji, who would think for a moment and either nod or shake his head. Once they reached the snack aisle, however, Asuka stopped the looks.
They left the aisle with a surprising amount of snacks.
Rei tried not to pay attention at the meat section, especially since she could feel her own skin trying to crawl away. She tried rubbing a hand along her arm when Asuka and Shinji weren't looking, but it didn't help. In fact, it started to feel like her hand was starting to sink into the flesh of her arm. She stopped, staring at the hand as she tried to make sense of it.
"Everything okay, Wondergirl?"
Rei jumped a little, startled by Asuka's voice. Her head shot up, and she tried to wipe everything off her face once more. "Yes, I am fine. I just... thought I felt a loose hair on me," she lied.
"Ugh, I hate that feeling," Asuka said with a roll of her eyes. "You try to wipe it away, but your skin still thinks something is there. Anyway, what was it you wanted to get?"
Rei blinked, not understanding the question for a moment. "...Oh. Yes," she finally said. "I... believe Misato wanted some canned coffee."
Shinji and Asuka frowned in puzzlement. "What for? We have a coffee machine," said Shinji.
There didn't seem to be any reason to hide Misato's decision from them, so Rei told them about how Misato had asked her to get rid of all the beer. Their eyes opened wide in shock, and then understanding dawned on them.
"After what she pulled last night, and how she likely woke up this morning, I think I can see what she wants to quit," said Asuka. "And I guess canned coffee could... try and fill that gap, I suppose?"
"You can't really get much worse than beer in the morning to wake up," Shinji added. "Besides, with a can of coffee she doesn't have to change her habit that much. It'll just be a different brand of can she smacks against that table."
With that said, they headed to the aisle containing soft drinks, where a carton of BOSS coffee was wedged into a free spot in the trolley. After a moment's thought, Asuka put another one on top. Then, after another moment's thought, she picked up the second carton again.
"Whoops," she muttered, moving to place it back on the shelf. "Forgot we'd be walking back. There's a bit too much here for us to carry already, and we can't just take the trolley with us."
Rei tilted her head to one side. "Why not?" she asked. "Would anybody attempt to stop us returning to the apartment building with a trolley?"
Asuka froze where she was crouched, blinking several times. She glanced at Shinji, a finger tapping absently on the carton. Shinji looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged.
"...Besides," continued Rei. "Have you forgotten that Section Two is always following us? They may be able to assist in helping us get our groceries home."
There was a pause, and then two hands came up to slap two foreheads. Two mouths uttered a German curse.
"Well then," said Asuka. "In that case, we may as well get more stuff. Anything else you can think of that Misato might want, Wondergirl? Something that she might need if she's quitting cold turkey?"
"The only thing a supermarket would stock that could help is headache medication," said Rei. "Other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal may not be so easily remedied."
"...What kind of symptoms?" Shinji cautiously asked.
"Headaches, nausea, anxiety, excessive sweating, to name a few," Rei promptly replied. "Some people even experience hallucinations in very rare circumstances."
Asuka and Shinji glanced at each other, then back to Rei. "We'll need to keep an eye on her while she's home," said Asuka.
Rei nodded. "I will do my best to stay with Misato, but I believe if you two spend time with her as well, it will help her cope during withdr-"
The ice in her bones turned to spikes and her skin began to run like molten lava. Rei tried to casually reach out a hand to lean on the trolley while her own body tried to fall apart, but missed and stumbled slightly. Her brain wanted to expand and crack her skull open while her internal organs decided to take this perfect moment to violently rearrange themselves. She felt something fling itself up her throat and clapped a hand over her mouth, clenching her jaw shut to try and prevent its escape. Stomach acid swept over her tongue, burning away at the inside of her mouth even as she swallowed it back down.
Outwardly, all that actually happened was her body shuddering for a couple of seconds as she reached for the trolley and covered her mouth... but it was directly in front of Shinji and Asuka.
"Rei! Are you alright?!" they both shouted in alarm.
"It... is nothing," Rei weakly replied, trying to get some saliva in her mouth to wash the rancid taste away. "I believe... I need to just go home and rest."
"Rest nothing, you look like you're about to fall apart!" Asuka retorted, not knowing just how close her words were to the truth.
Rei turned her head -why did it feel so heavy?- to look at her arm. What little colour her skin usually had was gone; it now looked almost bone-white. Her eyes moved slowly to take in the shocked expressions on the faces of her fellow pilots. "...I'm... I..."
Her legs disappeared. That was the only explanation for why she almost fell face-first into the side of the trolley. Shinji, being the closest to Rei, quickly reached out to try and keep her upright, just barely catching her before her head hit the ground.
Asuka cursed, her words sounding like she was on the other side of a thick pane of glass. She said something else that Shinji replied to as he lifted Rei up. The two of them abandoned the trolley and ran to the front of the store, Asuka waving her arms and shouting to get people to move out of the way. Everything was starting to go dark, even as they made it outside into direct sunlight. The sun, enraged at the mere existence of Rei Ayanami, threw a boiling hot spear that pierced her head.
The universe finally took pity on her, and let Rei slip into unconsciousness.
XXX
"What the hell do you mean she's not here!?"
The poor nurse on duty at the reception desk, faced with the out-of-control wildfire that was Asuka Langley-Soryu, leaned back in her chair as far as she could. "I-I'm sorry!" she said. "All I can tell you is that Rei Ayanami did not get brought here."
"Then where is she?!"
"That's... on a need to know basis and I haven't been told..."
Shinji was trying to do what he could to try and subtly calm Asuka down, but he wasn't doing much better himself. Rei had been brought to NERV, where she had been immediately loaded onto a gurney and sent away, while he and Asuka had to deal with questions from Doctor Akagi about what had happened. The problem was that they had no idea beyond Rei suddenly not looking well and then collapsing. By the time Doctor Akagi had let them go and ran off, it was too late to follow Rei and now she had apparently vanished.
Leaving the poor nurse to return to her duties, Asuka turned to Shinji and roughly palmed her face. "Well what the hell do we do now?" she asked.
Shinji thought for a moment, and an answer quickly came to mind. "We go find Misato. She's... what... fourth in command around here? Surely she can find something out."
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Unlike us, who are just the pilots of eighty metre tall death machines that are the only things standing between humanity and destruction. We may as well be the goddamn janitors for all we get told."
She stomped off, and Shinji was hot on her heels. Several long minutes of walking later, they arrived at Misato's office only to find that she wasn't there, which didn't help Asuka's mood in the slightest. Deciding to stay, just in case they had come along right as Misato had stepped out for a bathroom break or something, they ended up waiting for twenty minutes before the person they were looking for suddenly barged in.
"Oh, hi kids," said Misato, sounding slightly out of breath. "Sorry, I was... busy with some other things."
Shinji could have been imagining it, but there might have been a flash of guilt on Misato's face for a split second. As if she had being doing something she perhaps should not have. Which... couldn't have been much, considering her place in the chain of command.
Then again, she was looking into Kaji's death. His mysterious death, to be more precise.
"Misato," said Asuka by way of greeting, getting straight to the point. "Rei got brought to NERV after she collapsed but she's not in the medical ward and nobody knows where she is."
Misato remained still for a moment, before swiftly bringing out her phone. She pressed a button on it and put it to her ear, whereupon she almost immediately groaned in frustration. "Pick up your damn phone, Rits," she muttered after trying two more times. It ended up taking another five attempts for the call to go through, and when it did Shinji and Asuka could easily hear Ritsuko incensed greeting.
"Misato, I am a little busy trying to save the life of a pilot here!"
Misato swapped the phone to her other ear, bringing up her free hand to rub at the one Ritsuko had just attacked with a sonic weapon. "Look, Rits, I have two kids here that look like they want to jump in their Evas and tear the Geofront apart to look for their friend. At least give me something to tell them!"
"Where Ayanami is now, with me, is where she can be saved. But not if I'm getting distracted!"
"Yes or no. Will she be alright?"
"It'll take some time, but yes, I can save her. Now let me actually do that!"
There was a loud noise that might have been a phone being thrown. Misato looked at her phone for a few seconds then sighed. "Well... you definitely heard her,' she said. "Rei will be alright."
"But what happened?" Asuka pressed. "All we know is Rei started looking like she had the flu or something, then she collapsed!"
Misato sighed and put a hand to the side of her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't have anything I can tell you." Then, to the surprise of Shinji and Asuka, she winked the eye that was partially covered by her hand and mouthed the word 'yet'.
The two teenagers glanced at each other, then back to Misato. Asuka threw up her hands and let them fall back to her sides. "Fine. Whatever. I guess as long as we know Rei's going to be alright, we can stop worrying then." She turned to Shinji. "Come on then. While we're at NERV we may as well go see Glasses. With the way things are around here they'll probably just throw him in an incinerator without letting us say goodbye."
For a moment Misato looked as though she was about to retort, perhaps to try and defend NERV, but then she waved a hand and shook her head. "I get the feeling you might be 'asked' to stay here anyway," she said instead. "We're two pilots down and we have no idea when the next Angel will strike."
"Hell, it could even be right-"
The sound of an alarm cut Asuka off. Three pairs of eyes widened in disbelief, and two heads turned towards the prophetic redhead who could only think of one thing to say.
"THAT WAS NOT A GODDAMN REQUEST!"
XXX
"The target is holding position above the north quadrant of the city."
"No sign of where it came from, it just... appeared above us!"
"MAGI are reporting Blood Pattern Orange- no, Blue-... Orange again..."
Misato frowned at that last report. "It's regularly alternating between blue and orange. What the hell does that mean?"
Ritsuko was still busy wherever she was, trying to save Rei's life. The command centre felt strangely empty without her. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was in the customary spot above and behind Misato, but there was strangely no sign of Commander Ikari.
"I believe the alternating pattern means this Angel does not have one single form," said Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. "It may morph during the battle, perhaps similarly to the Fifth Angel?"
"Please don't tell me we're going to have another mountain melter," Aoba groaned.
On the holographic screen in front of the bridge crew, there was an image of what looked to be a double helix ring made of pure light. It was the size of a city block, placidly spinning in the air above Tokyo-3, and was seemingly content to just stay there instead of making an attempt to breach the city's defenses. The MAGI had assigned it the codename 'Armisael'.
"...Do you think it's waiting for us?" asked Makoto. "Maybe it knows it can't get down here on its own."
"Well unfortunately we can't just leave it there," said Misato. "And just because it hasn't done anything yet doesn't mean it isn't planning something."
"Entry plug insertion complete," Aoba reported. "Beginning Unit-02 activation."
Misato had floated the idea of sending out both Unit-02 and Unit-01, but it had been vetoed by Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. On the one hand, she agreed with the decision due to the simple fact that without an AT-Field, Shinji would not be able to effectively defend himself. On the other hand... this fight just felt like it was going to need more than one Evangelion.
Asuka's voice soon filled the command centre. "So what are we looking at topside?" Some button pressing from the bridge crew transferred the details to Unit-02's systems. "...A giant halo? Just great."
"And apparently it might be able to change forms too," Shinji added.
"It's going to be a tricky bastard, that's for sure," said Misato. "I'd put money on it being quick and agile, and you'll be going out there with no backup beyond what we can give you with the static defenses. Don't let yourselves get boxed in; make sure you've always got an exit strategy."
"Copy that," said Asuka and Shinji. "We'll beat this thing for Rei."
Misato nodded. "Damn right you-..." She paused, and frowned as a thought occurred. "This Angel appeared right as we're down a second pilot. That can't be a coincidence, surely."
"Let me allay your fears there, Major," said Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. Misato turned to look up at him, leaning on the edge of the platform and gazing back down at her. "While I cannot give you details, Rei's situation is guaranteed to be in no way related to this Angel."
Misato stared at her superior officer for a moment, quickly turning things over in her mind before remembering that this wasn't the time. "If you say so, sir," she said.
Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki nodded. "Now then, are our two brave pilots ready?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good. No need to delay further, Major. Give the order."
Misato turned back to the holographic screen, showing the Angel along with an image of her two wards. She took a deep breath.
"Eva Unit-02, launch!"
XXX
This was going to be one of their toughest battles yet. With just a single Evangelion and whatever meagre support the weapon emplacements around the city could provide, they had to take down an enemy that was guaranteed to be more than it appeared. She was feeling confident in their abilities but he was rather wary. If the worst happened and they went down, there would be nobody to distract the Angel or get them to safety. The city's static defenses had been proven time and again to be essentially useless.
...She believed that was rather pessimistic, and that he should at least wait until they reached the surface and could see the Angel face to face before writing them off.
...He was apologetic.
She smirked, and gave him the mental equivalent of a pat on the shoulder.
The launch catapult slammed into position on the surface, on the opposite side of the city to Armisael, and the restraints swiftly disengaged. Unit-02 quickly ducked sideways in case of an ambush, but no attack was forthcoming. Rising back to its full height, Unit-02 stared at the Angel, which didn't even seem to register the presence of the Evangelion.
"...Strange. Does it not see you as a threat?" Misato wondered aloud.
"No changes detected in the target," said Lieutenant Hyuga.
Well in that case... she wasn't going to insist they dive in right away. If this Angel wanted to just sit around, that just meant more time for them to check it out and perhaps be able to make the first strike for once.
Unit-02 collected a Pallet Rifle from a nearby armoury building, keeping an eye on Armisael at all times; it continued to not respond even as a weapon was aimed at it. Unit-02 lowered its weapon and began to approach the Angel. As the gap between them closed, it became more obvious just how big Armisael was; its diameter was enough to comfortably fit two Evangelions end to end.
They stared at the Angel as they brought Unit-02 to a halt. There was still no sign that the Angel had even noticed them. Unit-02 began to circle the Angel, minding to keep a tall building within dashing distance.
"So what now?" she asked. "This thing still doesn't seem to know we exist."
"Well if it's giving us the chance to attack first, I say we take it," he replied.
"Good idea. First though, pull back to these coordinates."
XXX
Weak red eyes forced themselves open.
She could sense the Angel on the surface, despite being this deep in Central Dogma. Or perhaps it was because she was this deep, and therefore closer to her true body.
"No changes detected in the target," said Lieutenant Hyuga.
Doctor Akagi or Commander Ikari had opened a line of communication with the command centre in order to stay up to date on the situation while trying to keep this body in one piece. They were currently preoccupied with looking at a computer screen. Shinji and Asuka were out there, about to attack the Angel. She could sense what it was about to do. And she was too weak to help. She couldn't even stand on her own feet while immersed in LCL. A harness was being used to keep her upright in the tube, the straps digging uncomfortably into her flesh.
Rei moaned in pain, but Doctor Akagi and Commander Ikari did not hear her. With what little strength remained, Rei lifted up an arm and knocked a fist against the glass separating her from them. For a brief moment, she worried that they had not heard her, but then Doctor Akagi's head lifted up and she glanced over.
"Rei?"
Commander Ikari's attention was pulled towards her as well. The two of them came closer to the tube, and Rei lifted her head to look at both of them.
"...Help..." she whispered. "...Help..."
"We're doing what we can, Rei," said Doctor Akagi, misunderstanding Rei's intentions.
Even simple words were a struggle. "Not me. Them. Must..."
"You don't think the Second and Third can handle this one?" asked Doctor Akagi.
Rei could only shake her head a few millimetres each way. "Dangerous. I must..."
Commander Ikari's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. "You want to go out there while you're like this?" he asked.
Rei nodded as best as she could. "This body... replaced... They cannot."
"We can't restore this body now, Commander," said Doctor Akagi. "It's simply too far gone. We need to activate another one, but to do that..."
Commander Ikari's right hand moved to the left side of his jacket, where the bulge of a sidearm was barely concealed by the fabric. His hand hovered over it for several seconds, his eyes staring into Rei's, then fell back to his side. "I... I cannot do it," he admitted. "And even if I could, it would take too long to prepare the next one."
"Use. This body... Prepare new one."
Commander Ikari's eyes closed for a moment, then opened again. "...Very well. Ritsuko, prepare her to be moved to Unit-00. I'll fetch a plugsuit for her."
"No time... no suit."
"Just the connectors then," Commander Ikari said, before heading off.
Doctor Akagi brought over the gurney that had delivered Rei down here. She initiated the draining sequence, sighing as she did so. "You're sure about this Angel, Rei?" she asked, before shaking her head. "What am I saying, of course you are."
Soon, Rei was back on the gurney, covered by a sheet, and being rushed through NERV. She gathered her strength for what was to come. This body would have to pilot one last time, even if she could no longer reach the controls.
"Hurry," she whispered to Doctor Akagi. "It's... coming..."
XXX
"Copy. Moving to position."
Unit-02 began to back away slowly, heading towards the position marked by Misato.
"Something's happening!"
"What is it?!"
Armisael halted its spin. Its double helix form became a single solid beam of light, and the circle split at the point nearest Unit-02 with one end beginning to weave around like a snake's head. The Evangelion brought its weapon up to fire, but the loose end began to swiftly slither through the air almost faster than their eyes could track. Unit-02 only got a single burst off from its weapon before it had to take evasive action. The Angel zoomed past them, zig-zagging around the buildings in a manner strangely similar to an old video game she had once played.
As usual, the Pallet Rifle seemed to have no effect on the Angel, even when they could hit its body as it narrowly missed them. Firing at the 'head' was pointless as it was simply too fast. Thankfully it didn't seem to have any intention of encircling them, instead opting for rapid strikes and quick retreats. It was all they could do to stay out of the way, and putting up an AT-Field only made Armisael rapidly veer off and come around to attack from another direction.
And it was getting faster. It wasn't long before they could hardly even track the Angel anymore.
"Lower all the buildings!" she shouted. "They're just getting in the way!"
"Do it!" Misato ordered.
Seconds later the buildings of Tokyo-3 sank into the ground, turning the entire city into a giant flat space. The Angel seemed undeterred, continuing to zip around, but it was at least easier to follow. They decided to change tactics and cast aside the Pallet Rifle; not only could they not accurately shoot the Angel, it wouldn't accomplish anything anyway. Unit-02 drew its Progressive Knife and waited for the next strike.
Armisael flew at them once more, turning aside at the last second when Unit-02 attempted to slash at the head. As it went past, they stabbed the knife into the body of the Angel, struggling to hold on as it was almost yanked out of their grasp. The effect this time was much more pronounced. Armisael's body seemed to split back into the double helix around the wound as it screeched, but as was to be expected from an Angel it rapidly began to heal the wound. The Progressive Knife didn't come away much better either, both blade and handle now looking looking somewhat warped.
The head of Armisael doubled back on itself and charged directly at Unit-02 while the knife was still being dragged through the second half of its body. They put up an AT-Field, expecting the Angel to veer off again, but it continued straight on and smashed into the barrier, breaking through as if it wasn't there and continuing directly at the Evangelion. Two seconds later, she realised that nothing had apparently happened. Did the AT-Field manage to deflect the Angel just enough for it to barely scrape past? She tried to turn Unit-02 around to continue tracking the Angel, but the Evangelion suddenly felt incredibly sluggish.
"Did it hit us?" she asked. "Something's happened to the Eva!"
"Asuka! Shinji!" Misato shouted through the comm. "Are you two alright?"
"We're fine-"
"The Angel has rammed right into you!"
"Huh?"
She looked down, struggling against a strange weight. Indeed, just as Misato had said, the Angel's head had smacked directly into their chest, piercing the armour so perfectly there was not a hint of a crack in the metal around where Armisael had penetrated.
"Is it trying to attack Unit-02 from within?" she asked. "Apart from feeling like my sync's dropped nothing seems to... be..."
Asuka blinked. Something was missing. Something that had been there up until only a few moments ago, now that she thought about it. "Shinji? Have you lost your sync or something?"
She leaned forward in her seat to check on her co-pilot. That mess of brown hair was still just below her, and Shinji's hands were still on his controls... but he wasn't responding.
"Shinji? Talk to me!"
"Oh... shit..."
The curse from the command centre was not what Asuka wanted to hear. "Someone talk to me! What's going on?!"
"The Angel..." came the shocked response. "It's... somehow attacking Shinji directly!"
Asuka looked down at Shinji again, torn between trying to check on her co-pilot and maintaining control of the Evangelion. From above and behind she couldn't see anything wrong, but Shinji had still yet to give any sign that he was still conscious. Finally, throwing caution to the wind, Asuka jumped out of her seat and moved to the side of the second pilot seat.
And now she could see that something was absolutely wrong.
Shinji's gaze was vacant, his mouth hanging open... and his plugsuit was bulging like all the veins in his body were suddenly trying to escape his body. Even as Asuka stared in horror, the bulging began to grow up his neck and onto his face.
"Shinji!"
With the limited connection she still had with Unit-02, Asuka tried to get the Evangelion to stab the Angel, to try and cut it away. The knife's blade, already damaged from its first attack, only made it half way through before shattering.
Shinji wasn't reacting to anything, his empty stare unchanging, even when Asuka grabbed him by the shoulders and smacked him into his seat. Outside, the body of the Angel began to rapidly undulate, and the tail end was starting to get closer. Realisation quickly dawned; the Angel was trying to fully merge with Unit-02.
Or rather... with-
"SHINJI!"
XXX
Shinji opened his eyes with a gasp. Above him was yet another...
"Unfamiliar ceiling...?"
Shinji blinked his eyes into focus. The hazy redness above him reformed into... red haze. Despite his best efforts, whatever was above him remained completely indistinct. He felt abnormally comfortable, like he was laying in a bed made of the softest material in the world. This proved that he clearly wasn't anywhere in NERV this time; those beds were... not exactly uncomfortable, but they left a lot to be desired.
And then the last few minutes of memories slammed into Shinji's head.
He immediately sat up, and promptly lost balance as he began to sink. His efforts to stabilise himself sent orange flying about everywhere until his feet found a solid surface. Now standing up, Shinji could finally take in his surroundings, and it was even more bizarre than he expected. The red haze stretched on forever in all directions, met at the horizon by a sea of orange. He looked down to see that he was up to his hips in what was most likely LCL. He was also thankfully still wearing his plugsuit; he had been worried for a moment that he might have been naked.
But... something was wrong with him. His veins were bulging all over his body, enough to be visible through the plugsuit. It looked as though it should be crippling him with agony, but Shinji felt nothing of the sort.
"Asuka?" Shinji called out. "Where are you?"
She is not here.
Shinji jolted at the sudden voice, looking all around for the source only to come up empty. The only person in this world of red and orange was him. "Stop hiding!" Shinji shouted into the void.
I am not hiding.
Shinji turned around... and was not very surprised when there was still nothing there. He huffed in irritation, picked a random direction, and began to wade through the LCL.
Where are you trying to go?
The words did not actually seem to be reaching his ears at all; rather, it was like they simply... appeared in his mind as if he was just remembering them. Shinji ignored the voice; he had better things to do than listen to an Angel. And that was going to be interesting to report to NERV, especially since that committee of old men had asked whether the previous Angel had communicated with him and Asuka.
Speaking of which, where was Asuka? Shinji called out her name once more.
She is not here.
Shinji came to a halt with a sigh. "Look, can you at least... appear in front of me so I'm not just yelling at thin air like a lunatic?"
...Very well.
The Angel finally made an appearance... and Shinji was finally surprised. And annoyed.
Floating in the air in front of Shinji was... himself; plugsuit, A-10 clips and all. The only difference was the red eyes.
"What do you want?" he asked. "What have you done with Asuka?!"
The Angel didn't bother moving its mouth to speak, or even move at all. It simply stood on the air like it was solid ground. The other remains untouched. You are the one I am interested in. You are the one that called to me.
"...Called to you?" he echoed.
Yes.
"What are you talking about?"
You are missing a fundamental piece of your self. I can help you.
Shinji was instantly wary; this Angel could somehow sense his lack of a soul. Were other Angels the same? Rei also somehow had the same ability. A memory surfaced: the spider Angel that had approached Asuka, Rei and himself out in the city and had taken the time to stop and stare. He had gotten the impression that it had been confused by him... and then it had looked at Rei and had practically retreated.
"Why would I accept help from you?" Shinji retorted, turning away from the Angel. "You Angels come here to kill us!"
Despite him turning away, the Angel was instantly back in front of him. I can help you. By giving you a soul.
Shinji faltered. "You... what...?"
You lack a soul. Without it, you must rely upon another. I can join with you. You can become whole again. You would no longer feel like a burden. You would become her equal.
"...A burden..." he mumbled, gaze unfocusing slightly.
Damnit. This Angel just had to go for that low blow. It just had to somehow know about that deep-seated insecurity he still felt. About how he constantly had to walk through the cage containing Unit-01 -and his mother- and not be able to get into that entry plug instead. Because Shinji Ikari was an idiot and sold his soul.
But... was this Angel even telling the truth? "How do I know you're being sincere?" asked Shinji. "How can I trust that you're not just going to... take me over and turn me against my friends?"
There is more to come. More to test the resolve of the Lilim. Without my power you may not survive.
Shinji's limbs suddenly began to feel heavy. He looked down, and saw that the bulging veins under his plugsuit were now pulsing in time with his heartbeat. A heartbeat that was starting to quicken.
You are alone. Weak. Together we can be strong.
"A... alone?" Shinji gasped as jolts of pain began to run up and down his body. "N-no. Not alone... Not when I'm with... her..."
Become one with me. Become strong enough to be worthy of standing by her side.
The pain intensified. The edges of his vision began to turn red.
"A...Asuka..."
She cannot help you here.
XXX
"You can't help him right now!" Misato shouted. Asuka was focusing on Shinji instead of the Angel, even going so far as to abandon her seat. "I know you want to help him, but we have much bigger problems!"
Through the comm window, she watched Asuka stare helplessly back at them for a moment before angrily smashing a fist into the side of the entry plug and returning to her seat.
"Focus on trying to pull that Angel out," said Misato.
With some effort, Unit-02 began to sluggishly move again. Its hands latched onto the Angel protruding from its chest but got no further.
"Contamination detected!" Shigeru reported. "The Angel is attempting to infest Unit-02 through its hands!"
Unit-02 tried to let go of the Angel, but its hands now seemed glued to the glowing body.
"Oh come on!" Misato palmed her face. "That's some utter crap right there!"
Makoto seemed about to add something, but a sound from his console interrupted him. "...Huh?" He typed away at his keyboard for a few moments while Misato looked on in puzzlement. "This... is unexpected."
"Mind sharing it with the rest of us?" Misato replied, rather more snappishly than she intended.
"Hmm? Oh!" Makoto turned in his chair towards her. "The Commander and Doctor Akagi are in Unit-00's cage. They're preparing it for launch!"
"What?! Patch me through to the cage!"
"On it!"
As soon as Makoto gave the signal, Misato stepped forward. "Ritsuko, what's-"
"No time! Talk later!" Ritsuko's words were followed by what sounded like a fist hitting metal, and then silence.
Misato took a moment to sigh, then gave another order. "In that case, give me visual of the cage."
"Is now really the time to divert our attention, Major?" asked Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. "Surely it's enough right now to know that we'll soon have another Eva in the fight."
"But... ugh." Misato resisted the urge to palm her face again. He was right, of course. She returned her attention to the more urgent matter at hand.
XXX
Every moment was pain. Every movement was pain. Every thought was pain.
Rei's body was halfway towards collapsing in on itself. As it was, some of her skin was left behind on the hands of Doctor Akagi and Commander Ikari when they carried her into the entry plug. She couldn't reach the controls, but that didn't matter; there would be no weapons being used. She knew what had to be done to stop this Angel.
Commander Ikari gave her one final, unreadable look before leaving the entry plug. She did her best to stay in her seat as the entry plug was inserted and Unit-00 activated. She sighed with relief as she synchronised, the larger body helping to dilute the pain sensations somewhat.
Unit-00 was loaded onto the catapult and launched up to the surface. The time seemed to both pass in an instant and last an eternity, but soon Rei was able to look upon this city for the last time.
"Wondergirl?" Asuka's voice made her smile slightly, but it was a sad smile. "Goddamn am I glad to see you up here!"
"Shinji... is he..."
"I don't know. The Angel seems to be focusing entirely on him. I tried to pull it out but now my hands are stuck!"
"I will... assist."
"Rei!" A comm window opened, showing Misato's face. She flinched upon seeing the state of her, but pressed on. "Head to-"
"Sorry," Rei interrupted. "Have orders."
"...I see."
It was technically the truth. Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi had given her instructions on how and where to initiate the Evangelion's self-destruct sequence. They had partially begun the sequence for her; all she had to do was key in the final commands at the right time.
Unit-00 loped across the city to where the other end of the Angel was lazily flapping about. Rei grabbed the tail and quickly wrapped an arm up in it. The Angel started to try and shake her off, but she spun the entire Evangelion around several times to essentially tie herself up with the Angel. She continued like this, wrapping more and more of the Angel around Unit-00, making sure to keep her legs free.
It wasn't long before Unit-00 reached the stricken Unit-02. Rei proceeded to sweep the other Evangelion's legs out from underneath it and then, ignoring Asuka's confused shouts, planted a boot on the red chest and heaved with as much strength as she could spare. The entire Angel began to convulse, trying to free itself, but Rei had made sure to essentially tie knots in its body as she gathered it up.
Through the comm system, Rei heard a loud gasp from Shinji and a cry of surprise from Asuka as the 'head' of the Angel came free. She wasted no time and grabbed it as best as she could before ramming it into Unit-00's body. She then turned the Evangelion around and began to run towards Lake Ashi.
The Angel tried to fight back by infesting Unit-00. The armour around the Evangelion's arms and body shattered, and Rei felt yet more pain as something began to grow out of 'her' back. She couldn't see what it was, but the extra weight was already slowing her down.
You would sacrifice yourself in order to save your fellow Lilim?
Rei frowned at the voice inside her head. 'Yes,' she thought back at it. 'This shell is irrelevant. I would gladly perish to protect humanity.'
The Angel... ceased its struggling. I see that there will be no persuading you otherwise.
'No.'
"What the hell are you doing, Wondergirl?!"
Rei struggled to shift her head to face her fellow pilot. "Stay... back," she weakly said.
Asuka tilted her head, puzzled. "Why are you letting the Angel infest your Eva? And where are you... going..." Realisation struck; her eyes widened. "Oh hell no! You are not going to blow yourself up, Wondergirl!"
"You're going to what?!" Misato shouted.
"Unit-00's self-destruct sequence has been initiated!" one of the bridge crew reported with alarm.
Rei shook her head. "Have to. No other way."
Asuka snarled in frustration, but her Evangelion remained where it was. "God... goddamnit, Rei," she muttered. "Is there no other way to kill that thing?"
"None. Pull back... help Shinji."
Unit-02 got to its feet. In the comm window, Asuka angrily looked away. "...We were supposed to all make it through this damn war. First Glasses, almost Shinji, and now you..."
Rei smiled slowly. Unit-00 was almost at the lake. "Should tell... him." The smile widened slightly as a hint of a blush managed to sneak onto Asuka's face.
"R-Rei...?" Shinji called out, sounding almost as weak as Rei.
"Shinji... sorry." Rei lifted her arm, ready to input the final command to initiate the self-destruct. She unfurled her own AT-Field, then inverted it. The Angel's body began to get swallowed up by Unit-00's core. "Retreat. Be safe. Live well."
"Damnit, Rei!" Misato seemed to be struggling to hold back tears. "Asuka, return to-"
Asuka resolutely shook her head. "We're staying up here," she stubbornly replied. "We're out of the blast radius, and I'm not leaving you to die alone. Besides... if this doesn't work someone has to finish the Angel off."
"Will work. Trust me. But... thank you. For everything." Unit-00 fell to the ground on the shore of Lake Ashi. She didn't have the strength left to get back up.
"...Goodbye, Wondergirl."
"Good... bye..."
Her hand fell onto the final button. Unit-00's core began to overload as the growth on her back vanished. Every remaining piece of armour fell to the ground as the Evangelion's body changed. For one brief moment as she became Unit-00, Rei looked back at her fellow pilots, and waved at them.
The very last image this one saw was a giant red hand waving back.
XXX
Deep inside NERV, a pair of red eyes opened and looked up at the ceiling. Their owner let out a low sigh.
In another part of NERV, a pair of red eyes opened. Their owner stared out through the orange liquid.
In another part of NERV, a pair of red eyes opened, after being closed for a long time.
A.N. And with this update, FFN and AO3 are finally caught up, and the regular update schedule has come to an end. From this point forward chapters are going to be slower, because... ya know... they aren't written yet.
