A testament to our (in-) humanity (Rewrite), an evangelion fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own NGE, you know the drill.

Chapter 1: The Storm

It was 15 years ago, or maybe even longer, when a butterfly had flapped its wings. And for a long time after, seemingly nothing had happened; the world was still spinning, though at a slightly different angle. Courtesy of the Second Impact.

Behind the scenes, however, a storm had been brewing. From the moment of its inception it had been picking up speed, growing ever bigger and faster. Until it was ready to be unleashed. Until now. And the damage done? An altered course of history.

- NERV, Bridge -

The grand room that NERV called its command center was eerily quiet as everyone held their breaths. They had all fulfilled their respective duties in managing the evacuation and were now waiting for the go-ahead to start up Unit 01. The only sound heard was a distant and muffled thumping. The sound of the enemy's attacks that reverberated through dozens of meters of steel and concrete as well as an additional hundred or so meters of air.

The third angel was still up on the surface, though that could change at any time now. As with each of its attacks it blasted a hole deeper and deeper into the ground. Currently it was managing to break about one of the geofront's armored layers per minute, netting NERV approximately twenty minutes until the angel was truly at their doorstop.

Yet humanity was not defenseless. The Evangelion, EVA for short; that was the name of the ace in NERV's sleeve when it came to defeating these angles.

An ace that they were now pulling out.

"Are you ready Shinji?" Misato asked.

The Large monitors in the bridge were displaying footage from up above alongside all other information that might be important to the bridge crew. As such the video feed from inside Unit 01's entry plug was relegated to the workstation of Misato's second in command: Makoto.

"I... think so" the boy answered. It was clear to everyone present that he was, in fact, not ready. However it was not like anyone could blame him for it. Not after he had been summoned on short notice from his foster family, not after he had nearly been killed by the angel on his way here.

Looking at Shinji, Misato once again couldn't help to notice how pale he was. It wasn't the same kind of pale as Rei. That girl just straight up seemed to have no pigments in her skin. No, Shinji was, as Misato guessed, inflicted with the far more common "hasn't seen the sun in several years" kind of pale. Misato also once again noted how, despite his apparent lack of exposure to sunlight, the teen looked otherwise healthy. Thin but not meager, with black hair and brown eyes.

"We are ready" Ritsuko announced into the room. "Begin"

And so, The bridge crew went about making a teen the brains of their trump card. The minutes ticked away as neural pathways were opened and closed as protocol demanded, connections were established and checklists were read like holy scriptures. All under the watchful gaze of the Magi, who themselves were busy managing more sensitive procedures.

It was no easy feat either, for the bridge crew and an army of technicians to work so swiftly while up above an eldritch abomination was beating its way into the geofront. Each strike causing debris to fall from the geofront's ceiling, sometimes impacting NERV HQ itself.

And then came the moment of truth, as Maya read out the one number that would decide the fate of this battle. "Connection established and holding steady at... seven point two percent". Any optimism that there might have been in the bridge was instantly drained away. Maya turned to Ritsuko like a child might turn to a parent, hoping that maybe her superior would have a way to save the day; pleading, without words, for her to do something.

Unfortunately, Ritsuko too was at the end of her abilities. She had overseen every step of the procedure and she trusted her subordinates to not have made mistakes of their own. So, as NERV's chief scientist, she had to make the announcement she hoped could be avoided: "He's unfit to pilot"

"Isn't there something you can do?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko shook her head "Not this quickly"

"Well, there has to be something we can do. Shinji!"

"Yes?" the boy answered, still clearly scared of... everything currently going on, really.

"Try to umm... Rits, what can he do?"

"Try to think of something nice, like your mother"

"I don't really remember my mother"

Ritsuko could feel Gendo's gaze resting on her back, a silent but stern reminder not to reveal anything sensitive. Still, she had to at least try to help.

"Just think of the concept then, and with that in mind reach out to the EVA"

"His synch ratio is changing!" Maya exclaimed "Its... dropped to four percent"

"And we are down to five armored layers" Makoto added.

Then, before Misato could start an even more desperate attempt at getting Unit 01 to work, Gendo spoke up. "Have Unit 01 made ready for deployment and moved to the launch gantry"

"But..." Ritsuko wanted to argue before it hit her 'of course, you are gambling on her to protect him'

However Misato, who lacked knowledge on a fair few classified files, didn't come to such a conclusion. "But he can't even move! How is he supposed to fight?"

"He isn't. He just needs to distract the angel until reinforcements arrive" Gendo answered, calm as ever. "Have him launched once we are down to three layers. And speaking of reinforcements, what's their ETA?"

- Evangelion Transport, Pacific ocean, south of Tokyo-3 -

"Understood" The titanic planes communications officer spoke. "We are coming post haste, current ETA: eight minutes"

The cockpit of NERV's EVA transports was, compared to the rest of plane, small. It had enough space for a pilot, his copilot, a comms officer as well as two engineers tending to the planes various systems. Meanwhile inside the planes body there were dozens of other people strewn around. Some near the engines, should problems arise there, some near the radar and other sensitive equipment and some near the planes large, red and ill tempered cargo.

"Cant you guys hurry up? This is boring" Unit 02's pilot, the renowned Asuka Langley Soryu, chimed in from her EVA's entry plug.

Though it had to be stated that while Asuka had come to believe that she was renowned for her status as a pilot, the truth was that she was renowned for the way she treated others. And not in a good way. It was a shame her handler couldn't come with them.

"No, we cannot" one of the engineers swiftly answered, closing the comms link to Asuka before she had a chance to begin complaining again. No one in the cockpit wanted to say it out loud, but they were all counting the seconds until they could drop her off and be rid of her. 390 to go.

"Hey, look at this on the radar" the copilot said. The pilot, focused on lining up the plane so that they could drop Unit 02 directly on top of the third angel, only briefly gazed at the display. "Seagulls?"

"five groups of seagulls, containing five birds each, flying in a perfect V formation, matching our speed while also heading directly to Tokyo-3"

It didn't take long for those present to realize that they were, in fact, not looking at mere birds.

"Try to hail them" The Pilot commanded his comms officer.

Several seconds passed until... "They aren't responding. In fact, all our communications are down, we can't reach anyone"

"We also aren't picking up an IFF" the copilot added. "Should we evade them and approach Tokyo 3 form a different direction?"

The relative calm in the cockpit betrayed the feeling of unease that everyone present felt. Panic was only held back by the strict discipline drilled into the crew during their years long training. Flying without an IFF was one thing, but to actively engage in electronic warfare...

Still, they had a mission. "No, last I heard Tokyo-3 was already in a bad spot, we cannot afford any delays"

And so a tense silence hung in the air, only interrupted by the chimes of the plane's instruments. No one present liked it but they would have to fly near a group of likely hostile aircraft. They couldn't even break away if they were attacked, as the EVA transport handled itself about as well as a brick.

And if things couldn't get worse, a link from Unit 02's entryplug was opened. "Hey, didn't you guys say our escorts left half an hour ago?" Asuka asked, for once sounding more confused than condescending.

"Yes" the pilot answered "why?"

"I was just activating my night vision equipment and saw a plane flying below us. Though its gone now"

A short "Acknowledged" was all Asuka got for a response before the link was once again terminated. As the ever so cynical pilot had expected, there had been nothing on the radar. Though it didn't matter, their course would remain, stealthed planes around or not.

And so they flew for a full four minutes, tension at an all time high and nerves ready to snap at any moment. The situation only changed when they were 191 seconds away from the dropoff point.

"They are changing their course" the copilot announced "away from us"

"The comms are freeing up, we can contact NERV HQ again"

"Inform them about the unknown contacts in the area and request air support. Also what's the situation on the ground?"

To their dismay, that question answered itself when the horizon grew ever more orange, as if lit up by a thousand fires.

One of the engineers aboard the plane was beginning the final countdown until she would be released.

And Asuka was ready.

This was the moment she had been preparing for her entire life.

She had always been the best at everything, never needing anyone's help.

This would be her first battle... Her first victory.

Her victory.

Today she could finally prove to the world that she didn't need anyone.

After today people would finally understand that she wasn't just some child.

After today they would finally see why it was her that was selected as a pilot, not them.

It was just a shame that Kaji wasn't here to witness her.

To witness the great ASUKA LANGLEY SORYU!

Disengaging locks

Within moments Unit 02 was no longer linked to the plane above it, but instead found itself falling freely to the ground. It was also then that Unit 02 fully switched over to its internal power. With the extended batteries mounted on its back, Asuka had a full fifteen minutes to defeat the angel. She was certain that she could do it in two.

The only true issue she had at the moment was Units 02's left arm, which lacked its iconic red armor. A side effect of Unit 02 being retrofitted with the latest technologies when she was scrambled to Tokyo-3. Instead the only thing that hid Unit 02's flesh was a layer of exposed wires, conduits and several sheets of complex polymers that acted like an under-suit under the red armor.

While falling, Asuka began to take in the situation. The third angel was about two hundred meters north, near one of the EVA deployment zones scattered around the city. Not too far away from it was a hole in the ground, big enough for the angel, or Unit 02, to fit through and too deep for her to see the bottom.

A link to the local command center was opened. "Asuka!" a familiar voice exclaimed "It's good to see you. The angel should already be highlighted for you. Dispatch it."

"Good to see you too, Misato. But I'll need some guns"

"Coming right up. Also we are sending you some flares"

By now the ground had come clearly into view, so any further conversations had to be postponed as Asuka spun her EVA around and landed neatly on her feat. Though "neatly" was a bit of a relative term here; when Unit 02 touched down, the impact was felt throughout the entire city.

As she stood up, two things happened at once: next to her a building rose from the ground, filled with a collection of EVA sized firearms and the night sky was lit up by dozens of flares, likely fired from mortars or artillery somewhere.

Grabbing a pallet riffle, Asuka began making her way to the angel. With the added light from the flares she could make out a lot more colors and details about the battlefield. She and the angel were currently in the city center, which was mostly devoid of buildings. Still the ground was filled with shallow craters and unidentifiable debris. The outskirts of the city, which didn't possess the means to safely retreat underground, consisted mostly out of rubble, some of it on fire. And speaking of fire, the forests outside the city weren't having a good time as they burned a bright orange, lighting up the are even more.

The angel meanwhile was busy... playing with something. Asuka tried to get a closer look at its toy as she stalked towards the angel from behind but whatever it was, it was obscured by the angel itself. Only when she extended her AT field to neutralize the angel's did it take notice of her. It reacted but a moment too slow as Asuka emptied the riffles magazine into its back. The damage was considerable but apparently not fatal.

While Asuka reloaded her weapon, the angel spun around and revealed its bright red core. Definitely the next thing she would try shooting. It also threw aside its plaything. The beaten up remains of an other EVA.

Where it still had armor, it was dented and battered. And where it didn't, its pulped flesh was laid bare for the world to see. Though at least its head and more importantly torso seemed to be intact. Mostly anyways. The mangled thing seemed to once have been purple, but now it was painted red with its own blood, like some grotesque imitation of Unit 02.

And it made Asuka angry. The angel, that monster, had not been fighting, but playing with a fellow EVA. Unit 01, helpfully identified by Asuka's HUD, wasn't damaged like it had been in battle, but rather like a child had played with it. Like a stupid, clueless child had played with a doll and broken it in the process.

An EVA, mankind's greatest creation and piloted by its finest warriors, treated like a doll.

Asuka's blood was boiling silently.

She was about to pull the trigger at the angels core when for a split second there was a glint in its eyes. And then, the world around her erupted in flames. An explosion had seemingly manifested out of nowhere right before her, throwing her back to the little armory she had been sent.

Checking quickly, her EVA seemed to be mostly fine. Its armor was only scorched and slightly melted at parts. Her left arm, however, wasn't so lucky and sustained heavy damage from the blast. Something that she clearly felt on her actual left arm. It could still move, but wielding a weapon with it was out of the question. So her next best option for a weapon would be her progressive knife, an oversize utility knife stored away in one of Unit 02's shoulder pylons.

Deploying and then grabbing it with her right hand, Asuka ducked behind the armory building while the angel slowly advanced towards her. As much as she wanted to simply charge the thing and kill it, there would be nothing stopping it from blasting her away again. And sneaking up on it wasn't an option either, as there wasn't exactly any usable cover around.

Unless...

"Misato" Asuka called out "I need smoke"

"On its way"

While witing for the shells to arrive, Asuka went over data she had to ignore earlier. First and foremost, she had twelve and a half minutes of power remaining. Still plenty of time for her. Then there was the matter of Unit 01. It was logged as active, though it had shown no signs of movement when she had seen it. Still she should probably establish communications with its pilot, given that they weren't knocked out.

She tried to open a link, only to have it immediately shut down. "Pilot Soryu, your objective is to kill the angel and Unit 01 will be of no use in that task, so stop wasting your time" A new voice told her. Her HUD told her it belonged to commander Ikari, the director of all of NERV. Her boss's boss.

"Your smoke is here" Misato helpfully informed her, as artillery shells began falling from the sky, bursting a couple meters above the ground and producing a thick gray mist. Unit 02's advanced sensors and optics would allow Asuka to view through the smoke unimpeded, while the angel should now be effectively blind. But there was only one way to find out for sure.

Unit 02 darted out from behind its cover with all the grace a machine of its size could muster and sprinted towards its target. The angel meanwhile simply stood around, more confused than anything. Only when Unit 02 was within arms reach did it once again take notice of her presence. The knife, however, was already in motion and not a moment later the angel's left arm was liberated from its body at the shoulder joint.

Still, with its right hand it grabbed Unit 02's left arm and began squeezing. It was painful but the arm was broken beyond use regardless, so the only thing the angel did was open itself up for an attack. An opportunity that Asuka would not let slide.

The next strike did not sever its other arm but was directed at the bright red orb in the center of its chest. The angel only realized its error when the glowing blade of Asuka's prog knife met the red crystal. An other glint in its eyes, an attempt to free itself, but by now it was far too late. The crystal cracked and the glint vanished, as if the ethereal powers that fueled the angel were draining away.

And then, the core fully broke apart. And the angel was dead.

Eleven minutes left. Not great, not terrible, for Asuka's standards at least.

End of chapter 1

Author's note:

Well then, this is the first chapter of the rewrite. I have reworked some characters backstories, most notably Shinji, and I have this time around actually planned out the entire plot of the story ahead of time. That means now there shouldn't be any gaping plotholes or characters going against their own expressed goals for the sake of the plot.

I find that this chapters pacing is maybe a bit on the quick side, but then again, we are dropped right into the middle of a battle here. The next chapter will likely be a bit slower when the main cast is properly introduced.

As for the characters, they should now always use common sense when making decisions. That alone should help avoid a lot of of potential problems.

And other than that, since the story is now fully planned out, I can say that this is definitely M rated material. In fact I'd go so far as to say that this story is going to be like Made in Abyss (great anime but sometimes a bit... questionable) in the sense that the it starts out easy enough but then enters a perpetual downwards spiral of misery and trauma.