Revenge of the Sinister Six!
Sunset in Germany.
The daylight dusk framed the compound in a sinister light, as Noriko Takaya snuck past security. It had been too easy, even wearing her flag as a costume.
They were elite soldiers, Noriko had observed. Armed to the teeth, they left no stone unturned as they searched the base for intruders. Noriko had to sprint past a searchlight, and jump atop a roof to avoid being spotted. Any lagged movement, and she would have blown her cover.
Any soldier would have found the mission difficult. Fortunately, Captain America had practice with these sorts of operations.
She slammed a fist through the lock and opened the window. Noriko launched herself to the next phase: breaking through the secret tunnel.
The Captain had done many an infiltration back in her day. Even as technology advanced, war never changed. As they always did, apathetic, cruel men sat at a meeting table, making important, world changing decisions behind the back of the desk while soldiers on the front line died for the sake of their mission. Noriko had once been content with that, as her father had when he served.
Noriko had to wonder if he felt that same comfort as he died. She remembered cradling his body and the way she wept for days, the first time since joining the army that she allowed herself to cry. The military made numbers out of people, by nature of being an army. Even when necessary, the war machine was never to be glamorized for long.
She shook her head, disrupting her thoughts just long enough to keep pushing forward. She could at least end another nightmare, started by corrupt old men, who should have never been allowed this far to begin with.
Noriko knew the score as her boots splashed the dirty water away from her. At the end of this hallway, all of the members SEELE would be united in one place, eagerly waiting for the complete destruction of NERV Japan to lose evidence and regain lost assets. They cast a large shadow over centuries of war, and if nothing else, Noriko would be there to see them fall.
A pair of guards were ahead of her line of sight. Captain America aimed the shield with her arm. In only a split second, the shield flew past her, slamming into the guards at great speed, knocking them down in an instant. She dropped to the floor.
"Let's see if Agent Mockingbird was able to get me in."
She spoke to no one, quickly typing a passcode into the panel. The intel provided by Agent Mockingbird stated SEELE's underground bunker was past this door. Thankfully, Mockingbird should have hijacked security by now to allow Noriko clearance.
Upon a clicking sound, Noriko gave a satisfied smile. Soon, the doors opened-
"Hands in the air!"
-and Noriko found herself surrounded by a pack of soldiers.
She cursed herself as they pointed guns at her, assured their superior numbers gave them the upper hand. A logical, if misguided, conclusion.
"We don't have to make this difficult." Noriko told them. "Stand down now, and you'll spend much less time in jail."
One of the soldiers laughed. "Are you kidding me? You think you can come in here and act all high and mighty, American? Move, or we'll shoot you down and drag your sorry carcass to our leaders."
"They know the way of the future!"
"The miracle of death is the joy of rebirth!"
"SEELE OWNS ALL THEY SEE!"
The soldiers spoke one by one, reciting their chant like good little indoctrinated agents. Noriko brought the shield over to her arm, readying an attack.
"Well, I tried." She said. "But it's time for you to move."
They trained their guns on her. In her mind, Noriko already had a plan. Throw the shield forward, run alongside a wall, then slam a kick down one of their legs and take the gun, perhaps fire at a knee or two to incapacitate them. It would be hard to do alone, but Kasumi taught her well enough back then-
A fierce energy blast erupted from behind her. It struck down one of the soldiers, who was sent flying down the corridor and onto the floor. His men fared no better, as a buzzing sound erupted over the room. One by one, Noriko saw the soldiers drop to their knees, scrambling to fire anywhere they could, only to hit nothing. They screamed, yelled out pained slurred words and calls for help, with veins becoming visible on their foreheads.
"What…?"
Noriko let out, disturbed at this ghastly sight. What sort of horrid force was forcing them to their knees, and in such a cruel fashion no less?
"You had your chance." A new voice was heard. "Now, step aside."
Captain America sharply turned. She had been briefed on her armored compatriot, but she had dismissed her as a lost cause due to various refusals. It made it al the stranger that the Iron Lady actually bothered to appear. The same buzzing noise Noriko heard came back, as a swam of tiny machines appeared over Iron Lady's gauntlet.
"You're welcome, by the way." The Iron Lady stepped over to her side. "Fujikawa created these nanobots for combat. Useful, aren't they?"
Noriko shook her head. "What did you do to them?"
"Nothing permanent." Iron Lady dismissively waved at her. "Their cognitive functions have been scrambled, but nothing that can't be fixed with some time at the hospital."
He boots slammed to the ground, uncaring of the noise made. Noriko had glare at her.
"Just checking, you included subtlety in your subroutines, right?"
"Yup. Did you? Last I checked stealth missions required being secretive. Dressing in a flag can't help but stand out."
Ignoring that comment, Noriko pressed a finger to her ear comm. "Agent Mockingbird, we made it through. Are you on your way to us?"
"Yeah. Security was tight, but the virus is already spreading. Is Iron Lady with you?"
"Affirmative." Noriko raised an eyebrow. "We're cooperating."
"Remember, play nice."
"Roger." Noriko took the lead, still holding the shield in place. "Have your sensors picked up anything?"
"I detected seven planes flying away from here. Couldn't pick up anything odd, so I let them pass." Iron Lady glanced at the Captain. "Isn't it weird S.H.I.E.L.D. sent two of you with me to break into this place?"
"We're the best for the job." Noriko said. "With what we can do, three is all we really need."
"I suppose." Iron Lady tilted her head. "A battalion would have been enough to seize this base. You know, like the one transferred to NERV a few days ago."
Noriko froze. "How did you-?"
"Hacked into your security networks- Fujikawa thinks they're basic, by the way- and found out your fragrant misuse of resources. Does Fury even know?"
"NERV is in trouble and needed the help. They got them." Noriko said. "Fury doesn't care."
"That's not your decision to make, is it?" Iron Lady's tone grew colder. "They're his soldiers being sent to die in the trenches. Is NERV worth that sort of risk?"
"With all due respect, you wouldn't know the first thing about risk." Captain America frowned. "They're expertly trained, they know what's at stake. I'm surprised you deigned to notice."
"Rich coming you, Captain-"
"Alright, knock it off, you two!"
A newcomer entered the conversation. Noriko recognized her as Agent Satsuko Ooi, her long, light brown hair uncovered as she was clad in a specialized black and white uniform. Code Sign Mockingbird, she was one of the more responsible agents Noriko had ever encountered.
"You have done good work getting here, but we need to hurry." Mockingbird said. "We have a couple of hours tops to find the Committee before they realized we are here."
"Fair enough." Noriko nodded. "From here to the end, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Iron Lady stomped her way down the hall. "I'll lead the way, Agent. Maybe with both of us, we can finish this operation without a dime to spare."
Noriko glared back at the armored woman. "I don't like her."
"Her attitude could use some adjustment." Mockingbird agreed. "But look on the bright side. She can take any traps we'll stumble across."
Accepting that logic, Noriko and Mockingbird followed after Iron Lady. After some time, they had reached a large safe hatch, hiding the Committee behind the door. They readied their weapons.
"Get ready." Mockingbird told them. "Who knows what we might find in there?"
"No need to get worked up about it." Iron Lady readied her Repulsor blasts. "Fire in the hole!"
The Captain and Mockingbird quickly pulled back as Iron Lady blasted the door down, destroying it in seconds.
"Simple, but effective. Just the way I-" Suddenly, Iron Lady let out a gasp. "By God…"
"What is it?" Noriko looked at her comrade confused, before turning to the entrance. "Oh…"
They were supposed to get the drop on the Committee, taking them by surprise and having them for their many, many crimes against humanity.
Instead, all the three S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives found were a pile of corpses, going through the slow process of rot. If Noriko had to estimate the time of death, they would have been dead for at least three days. A table had been violently smashed in, with pieces of its remains still on the floor. The MAGI computer machines glared brightly in the background, their low hum being the only sound in the room.
"This can't be right." Mockingbird said. "Our intel said they were supposed to be alive."
"Clearly, it was wrong." Iron Lady said, her voice seemingly shaken. "Trying to scan the area for information, there has to be some sort of- wait, what's this? A new signal?"
Noriko heard a trail of beeps further within the room. She spotted a small device among the MAGI computers. It emitted a green signal, blinking rapidly.
"Everybody, get down, NOW!"
The device detonated, releasing a large, blue electric field that immediately spread across the room, enveloping everyone in its path. While Mockingbird and Captain America were briefly shaken, Iron Lady wasn't as lucky. The lights in her suit went dark, forcing her to drop to the floor like an anchor. Noriko could only gasp.
"Iron Lady?!" She looked at Mockingbird. "Can we save her?"
"We'll need to override the suit." Satsuko Ooi went to the still armored body, preparing a drive. "It was a trap the whole time. How did we miss this?!"
"Let me look around and find out what's going on."
Fortunately for them, Noriko didn't take long to investigate. She searched a set of computers off to the side of the room, which revealed a recording set to play at the moment, and flight coordinates to the NERV Japan base.
Seven jet planes had entered the Tokyo-3 airspace, forty five minutes ago.
Dr. Ritsuko Akagi couldn't move. She was sure her heart stopped the instant she saw her face through the hologram, once again.
"Surprised to see me?" The once esteemed Dr. Naoko Akagi, in her unkempt labcoat and crazed eyes, grinned back at her daughter. "What were you hoping for, I wonder? Did you wish they killed me? Tortured me? Thrown to the wayside while your little friends scrambled to hold the line? Did you really think it would be that easy? You're so so naive, Ritsuko. I raised you better than that."
It had been the first time in months since Ritsuko saw her mother. Seeing her, brash and composed over the slaughter of the old men… she found it hard to breathe, clutching her chest.
"H-how…" She hardly spoke. "Did you…?"
"I entered the room. Stabbed everyone to death." Naoko tilted her head, mockingly chiding her daughter. Her tentacles opened and shut as if they were throwing their own two cents as well. "Why so pale? You were going to kill them, anyway. No one will mourn these losses… not after what I'm about to do."
At a loss for words, Ritsuko could only stumble back, as Major Misato Katsuragi stepped in front of her friend, glaring at Naoko. Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutski remained silent, contemplating the current situation.
"What the hell did you do?!" Misato narrowed her eyes. "Tell me what you're planning or I'll-!"
"Do what? Shoot a hologram? Not very smart for a Major like yourself." Naoko responded to her. "Again, why the outrage? My plan was the same as yours, really. Kill SEELE. Save the world. Half the job is done. Now we do the rest."
"We're not very keen on your idea of saving the world." Misato wasn't convinced. "What's your angle? You only do these things for yourself. "
"My angle, Misato, is to save it from itself. As for how that will go…" Naoko laughed. "I can't just tell you not yet. That'd be ruining the surprise!"
Misato growled.
"You're sickening." She spat out. "This isn't a game, Naoko!"
"Ah, but it's the perfect game! The only one where Doctor Octopus wins!" Naoko's tentacles waved their arms in triumph. "Now, do any of you have actual questions, or are we going to sit here and debate my sanity for twenty minutes? Fair warning: that is not an academic question."
"How did you survive, Dr. Akagi?" Fuyutski also chimed in, asking the obvious question. "There is no way you could have killed the Committee and left there, alive. Not by yourself."
"Hohoho, you underestimate me, Professor." Naoko grinned harder. "Of course I'm not going to charge in like an idiot. I enlisted the help of certain individuals during my stay at Germany, and they were all too willing to cooperate for our greater goal…"
Outside one of NERV HQ's entrances, a pair of guards kept watch for intruders. They held out their guns, having been trained to shoot intruders in case of an attack. These guards had been waiting all their lives for the chance to prove themselves.
They were still waiting.
In the mean time, the guards had nothing better to do than to watch over a large stretch of forest trees and bushes, where nothing remotely exciting happened. At most, Keichi would count the number or clouds that were in the sky (which was easy given the eternal summer Tokyo-3 was trapped in), or Natsuki would point the gun at any passing animal that came to his line of sight.
It was boring for them. They couldn't even take a break, as the cameras kept watch over them.
"We've been shitting ourselves for a whole year." Keichi whined. "This is so disgraceful!"
"It's just a job, Kei. Nothing more." Natsuki rolled his eyes. "The crew's supposed to leave in a couple of hours, right?
"Yeah 'cause of the attack…" Keichi frowned. "Personally, I think it's a crock of shit. We saved the world. None of us should be hunted like dead meat. Let's get out of here."
"We don't question our orders, Kei. Besides, what if it turns out they're right and we get slaughtered like pigs?"
"Well, then your brother can finally move out of the house and get a job."
"Are you still sore about him taking your room? It's been years, do you know how hard it is to find a job in this economy?"
"I had dibs! He took it without permission."
"Family before bros, Kei. Just accept it and move on."
"It had my favorite poster of Poppy-chan…"
"God, not this again!"
"POPPY-CHAN WAS MY FAVORITE, NATS!"
"GIVE IT A REST!"
A gust of wind came over their ears. The guards pointed their guns at the sky.
"What was that?!" Natsuki asked. "Show yourself!"
Nothing.
"We're agents of NERV!" Keichi yelled out. "You're on military property. Come out with your hands up, or we'll shoot you on sight."
Another gust of wind. Keichi kept his finger on the trigger.
"SHOW YOURSELF! GIVE ME ANY REASON TO SHOOT, ANY!"
"Kei, get a hold of yourself!" Natsuki admonished his friend. "Don't get so worked up for this shit. It's that itchy finger that's gotten you in trouble with the Captain so many goddamn times!"
"I don't care! i heard something!" Keichi put his eyes over the scope. "Nothing's going to get the better of us! Not Spider-Man, or Spider-Bitch or any super powered nutcase in costume-!"
His lips froze in that instant. Keichi didn't feel it at the time. Nor would he ever feel again, as he fell to the ground, a terrified look on his face, and a knife lodged through his eye. Natsuki gasped in shock, aiming his gun anywhere he could.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BEST FRIEND!" He shouted. "COME OUT, YOU COWARD! FACE ME!"
His control slipped. Natsuki fired into the air. His body shook, causing his aim to be off by several degrees. In a few moments, it wouldn't do much good anyway.
"DIE, YOU VERMIN! DIE-!"
He couldn't speak. His throat bled profusely, the knife carved deep within. Really, Keichi had the more merciful death. His brain lost before he knew what happened. By contrast, Natsuki flailed around in agony, with the knife suddenly retreated from his body. The last thing he saw was a shadow flying over him, his vision glazed and confused as he passed…
"Heh heh… they work just as intended… Father…"
He had been destroying cameras for an hour. Kiyoshi Amachi was sure that his new boss would be pleased, and thus allowed himself a satisfied smile. It grew wider still, upon gazing at the sight of new, delicious prey.
Thanks to his new metal wings, courtesy of Doctor Octopus, the Vulture landed with a gentle thump over the grass. He licked his lips viciously.
"I deserve a treat, don't I?" Kiyoshi bared his sharp teeth. "This will be easy."
Amachi swiftly marched his feet over to the fresh corpses he had so graciously carved. But before he could take a bite, a voice came from the radio in his ear.
"Son, do you copy?" An older man, carrying an almost a miserly grandfatherly quality to his voice, asked Kiyoshi. "Did you manage to get all the cameras?"
Vulture shook his head in frustration. "Yes, father. I took care of all of them. They are dead. I'm trying to feast."
"Make sure to do it quickly! Doctor Octopus gave us specific orders, and she has no patience for slacking! If we don't do as she says, we won't be able to live out our lives in peace! Remember that, son!"
"I… yes, I see. I apologize, Father." Vulture couldn't help but nod his head, his golden eyes taking on an odd warmth. "I promise to be quick."
From behind the comm, Kiyoshi could feel his father's smile. If nothing else, Akemi Amachi was a proud man, with a son that never disappointed him.
"My beautiful child. You are a gift the world judged too soon. By the time we're through, even your mother will have to smile from heaven."
Kiyoshi smiled fondly. "Thank you, Father."
"Good. Roger out."
His father was right. He always was, being the more levelheaded and experienced of the two, no matter the situation. The Vulture was needed for air support soon. He did needed to be quick with his food. They have a chance of rotting after all.
With that in mind, Kiyoshi grinned, summoning one of his knives.
"Major Katsuragi! Come in!"
Misato heard Lt. Makoto Hyuuga's voice come from the comm in her ear. She pressed it accordingly.
"What's your status?" She asked.
"All our camera feeds've been cut off! We've detected AT Fields on the move, but they're erratic. They don't match any known signature!"
"Try to keep a lock on them. Prepare evacuation procedures." Fuyutski told Makoto over his own comm piece. "We'll be with you in a moment."
"Roger!"
Misato growled at this new information. "You planned this."
"You are correct, ma'am!" Naoko laughed. "By now, all the cameras around the base should be destroyed. I bet the Bunnies are panicking like sheep right now."
"Out with it! What did you do?!" Misato yelled. "Why are you sitting here, taunting us?!"
"Because, dear Misato, I won the game before it even began. Why-" Naoko tapped her forehead. "It's like I had the gift of foresight. My present, to all of you, is the joy of rebirth, the death of a small few to save countless! Mankind's false saviors are now the only obstacle to true enlightenment. That is why my army must kill them."
Ritsuko couldn't help but shake. "H… how many… did you?"
Naoko never stopped smiling. She only bared her teeth further at her daughter's clear and obvious fear.
"Many. But even that is but a warning sign of what is to come…."
They were in costume, getting their last bit of training in before the attack.
Everyone was pushed to their best. Shinji Ikari, the Amazing Spider-Man, swung through various rings with practiced ease, showcasing his experience. Asuka, the Spectacular Scarlet Spider, practiced her improved Impact Webbing and Poison Blasts on holographic projections of the Scorpion, set to the highest threat level available. That meant a large group of cankerous monsters lunging at her with their tails, ready to stab Asuka with poison.
Asuka complained that the challenge wasn't hard enough.
Marie Vincennes, the Adjective-less Black Cat, did her own thing as per usual. She concentrated to make her amulet glow, just as a projection of the Rhino was about to crush her with his hands. Without warning, the projection froze before the fists made contact, the armor pieces immediately falling off. Soon, a broken nothing was left behind.
"I didn't even think holograms could get bad luck." Marie said in wonder. "If I ever get stuck on a Holodeck, I'll just use bad luck to break the machinery." She blinked. "Wait no, that'd just get Moriarty after me."
"Figures you'd cheat." Asuka said, disposing of the last of the Scorpion holograms. "You don't have a single working bone in your body."
"Not true! I work smart, not hard. I don't set the difficulty to Extreme just to prove I can. That's just ridiculous."
"Lazy."
"Tryhard."
"Show off."
Marie put her fingers near her neck, checking her pulse. "Did I just hear that coming from you?"
"Bah, you're worse than me."
"Am not."
"Are too!"
"Am not!:
"ARE TOO!"
Before they continued this petty rivalry, both heard a loud thud and a yell. Asuka and Marie turned and found Shinji clutching his head.
"I should have seen that last ring coming." He said, scratching his hair. "What's the matter with me?"
Asuka's hand came to his line of sight. He reached for it, and she pulled him up.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Shinji." Asuka said. "What was that fall for? You sick or something?"
"That's not it." He shook his head. "Lately, my Spider-Sense hasn't been working as well as it should. I've been getting surprised by enemies and dangers, even when I know they're coming, and I'm nervous."
"That's no good. We're going to need that spider-sense if we want to survive a whole army." Marie shook her head. "Why do you think it isn't working? Cramps?"
"I don't know… it's been like this since I left the Eva at least."
"Since you left the Eva?!" Asuka was bewildered. "You should have done something about that a while ago!"
"I concur. That was a reckless decision."
Shinji frowned when the doors slid open. Rei Ayanami, his sister, entered the room and fixed him a disappointed stare. It varied from her usual stares in that it involved the lips twitching slightly downward from its usual resting position.
"With everything going on, I hadn't had time to think much." Shinji admitted. "I thought I had it under control, but if this keeps up…"
"I'll have to use MY Spider-Sense to bail you of trouble." Asuka said. "I can't believe this, really?!"
"Hey, he's plenty capable even without it." Marie decided to defend him. "If anyone can manage the odds, it's probably the one doing it the longest of the three of us."
Shinji nodded. "Thanks, Marie... we're going to survive this together."
"I'll say." Marie grinned. "So! Everyone agree I get first dibs on piloting Unit 02?"
"We've been over this." Asuka growled. "Unit 02 is mine! Go hitch a ride on Unit 00 or something."
"Easy for you to say!" Marie said. "I haven't had a chance to pilot an Eva once, and I'm know I'm going to be needed less than a pair of Spider-People!"
"You're just saying that to get out of trouble!"
"No, I'm just smarter than you."
"Maybe you're just a-"
Another shouting match ensued. Shinji and Rei watched on in resignation, knowing they'd just get yelled at if they interfered.
"Tell me, is Asuka like this with you?"
"She is brash, not stupid." Rei shook her head. "It is my favorite quality of hers."
"Marie has plenty of courage, too." Shinji sighed. "I just wish she see that better. She's incredible…"
"Hm, she is like you in that sense."
He laughed. "Maybe. Are you sure you're up for the plan?"
"Affirmative. We face dangerous adversaries. Asuka will need as much assistance as possible to fight the Mass Production Evangelions."
"So, you're taking her side in the debate."
"One has more experience. The other does not." Rei smiled. "And I believe Asuka deserved a proper finish to her piloting career."
Shinji let out a small laugh. "I see… well, someone needs to interrupt them. I'll have to make the sacrifice, then-"
The lights dimmed.
A stab of panic came over the children. Asuka in particular. "What the hell is going on!?"
"Huh?" Marie looked around. "Hey, we paid the electric bill didn't we?"
"We have back up generators upon back up generators in case of an emergency." Rei narrowed her eyes. "This is something else."
Projections glitched in and out, with the walls blinking a furious red and white. Everyone was put on their guard, all of their instincts telling them this was a bad omen.
The Scarlet Spider felt a headache approaching, which only confirmed it.
"Rei, get back!"
Asuka grabbed her, thankfully avoiding an electric bolt flung in their direction. Shinji and Marie also moved to dodge further electric bolts coming from the walls. Spider-Man swung through the air on a web sling, while the Black Cat, broke a panel to block an incoming electric shock.
"What the heck!?" Marie shouted, obviously puzzled. "Who'd break the simulator like this?"
Spider-Man analyzed the jagged, furious bolts, sparkling in roaring yellow color. While the current was unstable, the bolts weren't flying at random. Several bolts crashed around Asuka and Rei, as well as Black Cat. They were specifically targeting him and his friends. As far as Shinji was concerned, there was only one person who could have control over electricity.
"No… it can't be." He stopped in the middle of the attack. "Show yourself, Rai! What are you doing here?!"
Of course, he had been an idiot to not see this coming. Rai Shiraishi, one of his old classmates, had been experimented on by SEELE's science division to become an electric super soldier under their control. Spider-Man fought him twice, and the other time was at NERV. He only survived that encounter thanks to Kaworu.
Now, the electric current expanded, forming an outline of a face. It was cold, furious, and most of all, impatient. As the closest thing to a god in modern times, he didn't need patience.
"Of all the places, I find you here." He sneered at the heroes. "Perfect for my mission."
Marie glanced at Shinji. "You know this bozo? He seems pretty pissed at you!"
"Rai?! You can't do this!" Spider-Man pleaded. "Whatever SEELE promised you, it isn't worth it! We can fight this!"
The face of Rai shook his head. "You haven't heard. SEELE is no longer running the show."
Asuka stayed in front of Rei, protectingly stretching her arms to protect her, while Marie clung to her amulet.
"What do you mean by that, Rai?" Shinji asked. "Did you and Sunako-?
"We couldn't have, even if we tried. Doctor Octopus promised us all something. She helped us, when no one could. For that, we owe her everything."
"Doctor Octo…" Spider-Man's eyes widened. "You can't be serious! You're helping Naoko Akagi?!"
"She's the one with the metal arms right?" Marie shivered. "She always gave me the creeps, but I- no, that's a lie, I always knew she'd do that."
Rei watched, afraid but unshaken. "Why are you here? Have you come to eliminate us?"
"Nope. I can't kill you, not yet." Rai's face vibrated. "The doctor wants you alive for her plan. Right now, I'm supposed to take you to her."
"Over my dead body!" Asuka raised her arms, green energy seeping into them. "GET DOWN!"
She blasted the head, sending many bolts around the arena. Spider-Man and Black Cat had to be careful, with Marie scowling at Asuka.
"You idiot! You could have gotten us killed!"
"It didn't. I doubt he's dead either." Asuka rolled her eyes. "It's just a distraction, so let's get out of here."
As she said that, the door slammed shut.
Rei was the first to notice. She rushed to the door handle, which opened a small control panel. NERV stocked the area with those in case of a black out, the simulator was considered one of the worst areas to be trapped in during a black out. However, her efforts proved wasteful, as sparks erupted from the panel, causing Rei to yelp.
"Ow!" She said. "We are trapped here."
"Are you serious?!" Marie said. "Isn't there some sort of back up plan or something?!"
The current grew louder. The yellow bolts flashed again.
"Soon you'll see." Rai's voice erupted all over the room. "I'm going to get you all."
The fleeting sparks and bolts soon began to coalesce. Little by little, they formed a swirling blue current this time, that took on a recognizable humanoid shape. Its body was a flat surface, glowing in a spectrum of dark, light and violet blues from the different currents forming the vessel. The most disturbing feature were its eyes, the lone exception to the shades of blues, with instead glowed a horrible, striking red.
The room shook asunder at this new form, and even Spider-Man couldn't help but wonder if God was playing a trick on him this time.
"I won't let you get in my way, Ikari… I'LL CRUSH YOU ALL IF I HAVE TO!"
"All you're doing is delaying the inevitable. The planet Earth, as we know it, is going to die. As such, someone has to save it before it's too late."
"And that's going to be you?" Misato sarcastically noted. "After all you've done, you think you're going to be the one saving anything? Don't be so selfish."
"Selfish?" Naoko raised an eyebrow. "You and I both know how corrupt, broken the world is, yet you call me selfish for wanting to do something about it? A world you helped create, Sub-Commander. Why does he get to rectify his mistakes, after all he helped accomplish? Why should Ritsuko, another participant, attempt to make up for her own sins, but not me?"
"… I- I was wrong. I was…" Ritsuko's voice came out a broken, unsure thing. A little girl talking to her mother. "Why… why are you doing this, mother?"
"Like I told you. I'm making up for past mistakes. For example, if you get in my way I'll be sure to get rid of you first."
"Like hell you are!" Misato interrupted. "What's your game, Naoko! Tell us, now!"
Fuyutski, having grimaced from Naoko's earlier insult, had his own question. "You went along with Gendo's plans before. Was his betrayal so much you had to throw away humanity's future?"
"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT HUMANITY'S FUTURE!"
Her sudden shout came as a cold shower to the adults. It was the first display of anger Naoko ever gave. It did not stop there, as her mechanical arms also began to shake fiercely and violently, in tune with her emotions.
"What about MY future?! The one you threw away when I didn't die according your plan?! Everything I did, everything I sacrificed myself for, you rendered MEANINGLESS! You both ruined my life. I'm done tying so much of my self worth to that man. To you. To SEELE. Most of all, to Shinji Ikari. I'll do anything to make my life WORTH something."
"You're having a mid-life crisis, boo-hoo!" Misato mocked her. "You're still not going to get away with anything, you murderous psychopath."
"What can I say? It worked! Nobody cared who I was until the bodies started piling up."
Naoko pinched her nose, letting out a large breath. The tentacles relaxed along with her.
"You want to know my plan? My game, as it were, is to bring the planet back to 1999. The year before the whole world was changed forever, thanks to the actions of pretentious old men playing at running the world. Now that the Angels are done, my game, Misato, is to save the world from itself, before the parasites throw it back into chaos, as they always have. In this world, there are only thinkers and believers. The thinkers make the real changes to the world, while the believers get left behind…"
Evacuation procedures were given from Central Dogma.
Mana Kirishima, along with several other nurses, were being led by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents out of the base. The attack had come sooner than predicted, she noted, as chaos erupted within the ranks. Everyone was fighting to get ahead, less they be left to die. S.H.I.E.L.D. were good at bailing people out of trouble, she knew that firsthand, but their agents weren't always trained to handle civilians.
"This way, ladies. Gentlemen." Agent Mallard, Mana understood him to be a top agent during her brief time at the Helicarrier. "We're leaving through the backdoor protocols."
"With all due respect, sir, that's a dangerous path!" Dr. Murphy, a recent transfer and a pleasant man, had to say. "These are well armed soldiers. They could collapse the tunnels while we're there, or even be invading from that direction!"
"We don't have much choice. The front is too dangerous, and all the camera feeds have been cut off. Either we leave, or we die."
"What makes you so sure we won't die down there?!" A nurse, Konoe, argued. She made the most amazing tea, reserved only for friends. "They have us all surrounded!"
"That's enough-!"
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
"Maybe… we should listen to what he says." Mana placed a hand on Konoe's shoulder, entering the conversation. "S.H.I.E.L.D. are pretty much our only guarantees to safety right now. We have to follow them."
Konoe looked shattered. "But…"
"Trust them. They know what they're doing." Mana smiled. "When we get out of here, we'll have another tea date, alright?"
The nurse had no choice but to accept her. word For his part, Agent Mallard gave Mana a silent nod. He began to lead the personnel through the tunnel system.
There had been thoughts of a potential direct invasion from the Angels, theoretically possessing more humanoid forms. With that in mind, NERV HQ was built to have a backdoor tunnel system. In case of an emergency, non-essential crew would be escorted through the tunnel system into a nearby prairie. Even with the lights flickering, they knew they didn't have better options.
Mana couldn't help but feel ashamed at herself. She hadn't wanted to leave, not yet at least. Her time at NERV was brief, but she felt a certain responsibility to make sure everyone remained alive.
Her co-workers, who had families to return to. Her agents, who helped as much as they could with the limited timeframe. Spider-Man and his family- Mana knew close kinship when she felt it- they were out risking their lives for all of them.
She frowned, feeling the rustle of her nurse uniform hiding her actual uniform. She patted the gun on her pocket, making sure it was there.
"We're coming up near the entrance." Agent Mallard told them. "Get ready."
The tunnel was large. A rocky, closed circle was held together by large pillars and a long corridor to the end of the room, containing a sizable metal door. The other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents filed in front, readying their weapons.
"If you hear something, shoot." Agent Mallard said. "We've got people to evacuate, and too little ready to help."
Silence.
The crew relaxed themselves, letting out loud sighs. They were in the clear. They hadn't been wrong to take this route.
"We're going to open the doors." Mallard pulled out a card. "The access card will open the locks, and you'll all pour out the second you can."
He went to a nearby device to open the gate. Mana breathed a sigh of relief.
"We are going to make it…" Konoe said. "We're going to make it."
Mana smiled again. "Yeah, we are."
Without warning, a muted, hissing sound came to her ears. Mana narrowed her eyes at it, putting a hand on Konoe's shoulder.
"Hold on."
She glanced around the room, trying to hear the sound again. The hiss didn't come from the tunnel, so it had to be… Mana turned her eyes to the door. There appeared to be nothing. The door was not under attack or anyone banging on the other side.
Instead, small, tiny strands of sand poured through the hole between the doors. That made Mana's eyes widen.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN! MOVE!"
She shoved Konoe to the floor as a blazing gust of sand erupted all over the corridor. Mana shut her eyes, feeling the sand pouring into her mouth. Everywhere was covered in a blistering sandstorm. No one could see. No one could hear. All were screaming.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"SAND! SAND EVERYWHERE!"
"ARE WE FORSAKEN?!"
Immediately afterward, came a loud explosion. The clang of the door being forced down gave away to the sound of gunfire, making Mana grit her teeth in frustration. She was helpless, being forced to hear people shouting, losing their lives while she was unable to see them. She hated this helplessness, even more so while she was here to do something, but couldn't.
"We're going to make it out alright!" Mallard cried out I vain. "Hang on, we'll-"
Another explosive blast. Mana knew it then. Mallard had died, Before any sense of outrage kicked in, she felt the sandstorm stop, allowing her to stare at her captors in contempt.
"Nobody move." A gruff voice was heard. "We have you surrounded. All of your protectors are dead. Instead, you're all hostages!"
Mana's group were surrounded on all sides by men in black, armored uniforms. They carried advanced rifles ready to attack, tactical infrared helmets, no doubt to make targets easier to hunt. There was no mistaking it, these were members of the JSSDF. A very eager squad, Mana noted, with the obvious glee on their faces as they readied their weapons at them.
More interesting were the two exceptions to the invaders. One was a man in a… a…
Frankly, Mana had no idea why he thought an atrociously gaudy gimp suit looked good for a military operation, The green goggles, a red glove/boot ensemble, large pouch belt it looked incredibly silly. He must have no shame, or lost a bet.
Mana would have laughed, if she also didn't recognize the set of gauntlets attached to the gloves. They were the SHOCKER gauntlets, prototypes courtesy of the Yashida Company. As soon as she remembered that, she knew this man had to be Shun Oshiro, aka the Shocker, escaped convict, former member of the Kuzuryu. Clearly, he partnered up with the winning side.
The other was… hard to tell, Mana decided. It was a living sand being, constantly shifting, wrestling with itself to stay in a regular humanoid shape, with only the green armor giving any indication it was ever human at all. Mana surmised that this must be0 Sunako Shiraishi, the Sandwoman.
"You will all perish if you continue!" Shocker yelled. "The Master Planner demands your surrender!"
The Master Planner? Mana had heard of them, a mysterious criminal mastermind who made waves over their take over of a hundred gangs. They must have had quite the connections if they managed to bring the JSSDF into it.
"KNEEL!"
The group had no choice. They prostrated themselves over the man in control, the one who would destroy them with his gauntlets if they stepped out of line. Sunako shook her head.
"Don't push it." She told him. "We're not here to kill anyone. Let's not waste time."
"Indeed. We must fulfill out leader's glorious purpose." Oshiro said. "You must find Ayanami, alive. Disrupt as much security as possible.
"No deaths." She closed her eyes. "But I'll do what you say."
With that, the Sandwoman disappeared into a cloud of sand, leaving through the vents, abandoning everyone to the soldiers. The Shocker raised his gauntlets at them.
"Men, invade the base. I will guard the area. Perhaps we can use these people as a bargaining chip."
The soldiers began rushing into the base, many jeers and cheers over their potential prey. Mana knew she needed to do something fast. She had to find a way to warn the rest of NERV what was happening. She had to find a way to defeat Shocker and escape the group. She had to find a way to save these people.
For now, however, she had to wait.
"Any last words, before I raze your base to the ground?"
Misato kept glaring at Naoko. She balled her hands into fists, wanting to pummel her to death with them, even as she knew there was nothing she could do to a hologram. She had to settle for useless, fleeting words.
"You're not going to get away with this."
"I already have. I already will. Nothing you do will matter in the end."
"…"
"Misato? Honey? It seems you have something else you'd like to say."
"…"
"Come on, Misato, you and I both know the big elephant in the room. The one thing that you're all pinning your hopes on like a sack of lemmings. Go ahead. Say it. I dare you."
"… Spider-Man will stop you-"
"WRONG!"
One of her tentacles slammed a table in the background, tearing it in half.
"He will be NOTHING by the end of this! NOTHING!" She spat out this insistence like a crazed lunatic. "When I'm through, no one will remember Spider-Man! He'll be gone, vanished, forever lost to history, while the whole world remembers the greatest genius that ever lived! Or its worst monster, it matters not in the end!"
"What makes you so sure of that?" Misato asked. "We have everything we need here to beat you."
"Your biggest mistake was assuming you had control. I'm the one that's had it the whole time. I know every passageway, every scheme, every secret, every dirty trick you're going to use to win. I'll have more than enough pleasure watching you all burn before my feet. You have used the tools I gave you to succeed. That, most of all, will be the start of your undoing, and the next phase for humanity!"
The tentacles raised their arms to the air, while Naoko hung her head high.
"No one will mock us again! Not while DOCTOR OCTOPUS delivers true justice upon this broken, worthless world! BEWARE MY POWER!"
She couldn't help it, she bellowed out a gleeful, joyous laugh, a new rapture beginning with every giggle pouring out of her mouth. Naoko Akagi had never felt more alive than she was here, knowing her truth purpose in life.
Once she calmed down, Naoko kept grin trained on the silent glares coming from Misato and Fuyutski. All of their well laid plans, failed, before their feet. She smiled in triumph, satisfied with the fear of God she implanted on them.
"I have ascended to become the superior lifeform, Major." Naoko said. "The new apex predator. For now, I have to take my leave. I will be seeing you all in-"
A laugh. A rueful, almost giggling laugh, one that hadn't come from the two confronting Naoko.
They acted swiftly.
The teens rapidly dodged out of the way an oncoming fist, courtesy of the electrifying monster trying to squash them. It fired deadly electric bolts across the room, with Rei holding onto Asuka for dear life trying to avoid getting hit.
"Grr, I'll get you!" Asuka turned to her. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for a second!"
She webbed across the ceiling, using her free arm to fire more poison blasts onto the creature. They blew holes into the electric monster, but much to Asuka's dismay, it regenerated in an instant.
"You can try. You're not gonna win." Electro said. "My power over this room is absolute. Hand over the girl."
Six lines of pure electric power formed from the monster's back, seeking out the heroes. To avoid getting it, Scarlet Spider ran across the wall, swinging across the room, and had the power bolt destroy one of the floating rings instead. Spider-Man did much the same, using his momentum to keep ahead of two more bolts, which destroyed two more rings.
The Black Cat took on a slightly different strategy. She climbed up to the roof, not having enough rope for such a stunt, and instead, jumped straight to the floor. She trusted her training to land with hands first, jumping at just the right second to avoid a bolt hitting her.
"Which one, there's three to choose!" Black Cat said, before her eyes widened, and dodged another bolt. "Hey! Watch your aim, I'm no use being fried litter!"
"You and Shinji aren't used to shutting up, are you?" He noted. "No. I meant the one with blue hair and red eyes. She's important to the plan."
Scarlet Spider growled at that, using a panel to block a power line aiming for her.
"LIKE HELL you're taking her."
The monster tried to smash her again, but Spider-Man swung from the side and allowed one of the power bolts following him to hit the monster. Instead of hurting it, the monster only grew two sizers taller, so Spider-Man swung back around for a kick.
He managed to knock its head off, but not before causing him a severe amount of pain to his feet. He clung to his feet.
"Why- ouch- why do you need Rei?" Shinji said, trying to keep him talking. "Wouldn't Rei just get in the way of whatever Naoko's doing?"
"You'd be surprised, Ikari. It might come across as a shock to you-"
Spider-Man actively groaned, while dodging some smaller bolts headed his way.
"But the Doctor has a plan to fix the world! One that only Ayanami here can help with!"
Another jab from the electric monster missed by Spider-Man. He no longer trying to land a hit on the creature. It was too dangerous to try actually touching it, let alone any part of the room with electricity flowing through it. Shinji was forced to realize, however, that Rai now a greater degree of control over his power than last time.
Did Naoko teach him? Did he find this out himself? How much did he have to learn while trapped by SEELE? So many questions, and Shinji only knew half the answers. He felt ashamed of himself.
For her part, Rei was confused by Rai's declaration.
"Why would she-?" Rei's eyes widened. "No. Third Impact. She could not control something that dangerous!"
"Not on her own. But you could help her out, if you come willingly."
"Knock it off, Rai is it? We're not the enemy here!" Black Cat said, just barely grazing past another fist from the electric monster. "If that doc's as cuckoo as everyone says, she's got daggers waiting for all of us!"
"She won't betray us! She helped us! She's…" Electro's voice became quieter. "My one way ticket to freedom… I have to help her!"
"No, you don't!" Spider-Man said. "Cat is right! Naoko isn't going to give you what you-"
"SHUT UP!
The monster emitted a large field, which sent the teens flying into the walls. Scarlet Spider crashed wall-first, managing to cushion Rei from the impact. Spider-Man and Black Cat weren't so lucky, having been grabbed by the monster's electrifying hands. They were tortured by the current, as the monster stared at them.
"YOU'RE JUST A SELF SERVING MURDERER!" Rai screamed into Shinji's ears. "Kotei is dead! Inumaru is dead! Mayumi is dead! All because of your selfish lies!"
"Urgh, that's- ACK! That's not true…" Spider-Man said. "She's just pitting you against us! We have to work together- GAAAAAAHHHH!"
"I gave you a chance once. You chose to protect NERV instead of me." The monster's eyes red narrowed. "Now, you're going to give me what I want."
He channeled more power into its grips, causing his captors to scream in pain. It would all be worthwhile, so long as he got what was promised to him. He and Sunako will be human again, he knows it! He has to believe in the Doctor…
"Hey, asshole!"
The monster turned to the side, where a green-powered fist was waiting his direction.
"Watch my sparks fly!"
Scarlet Spider's fist crashed into its own face, causing a massive explosion. Soon, the upper half of its body cleared out, dropping both Spider-Man and Black Cat to the floor.
"Ow…" Shinji rubbed his head. "Thanks, Asuka."
Asuka grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "Get up, idiot! We need to go!"
"No one bothers to help me? So shocked." Black Cat held her head, dazed. "That wasn't meant to be a pun, ignore that. Sorry."
The monster was slowly reforming itself. Asuka panicked, turning to Rei, who was fiddling with the door.
"Any luck?!"
"I cannot get the door to open." Rei said grimly. "It is being kept their under Shiraishi's power!"
Luckily for her, Marie stepped next to her. "Let me give it a try."
Her amulet glowed. The device was swiftly brought back to life, and the door opened. Rei stared at her bewildered.
"Hey, luck has to turn our favor sometime." Black Cat waved to her friends. "Come on, we gotta move!"
Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider web zipped past the door, with Black Cat and Rei following after them. The door closed shut right then, as the monster reformed itself.
Suddenly, the electricity blew out. The room was a dark, quiet arena. The only light to be seen was the creature, which soon changed shape to an ordinary boy, in an ordinary school uniform, holding his hands over his head, yelling in frustration.
"I had one job! One!" He yelled. "I couldn't even do that! Dammit! I have to avenge you, Kotei… I have to get our lives back, Sunako, because…"
He saw his hands glow yellow again. His closed his eyes, punching the floor in a fit of rage.
"I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE! I CAN'T! I CAN'T!"
"Will you be quiet, already?!"
The distinctly feminine, threatening voice came from the comm in his ear. He pressed into it.
"Sorry, Doc. I couldn't get Ayanami, nor kill Spider-Man."
"Unfortunate, but unsurprising. I'll have another agent working to get her. Right now, you need to head over to the central power system. Stay there, so long as you control the lights you hold the keys to the entire plan."
"But-"
"But nothing. If Spider-Man wants to save this base, he will have no choice but to go down there eventually. You'll have a chance, yet."
Electro sighed, not being able to disagree. "Fine."
He turned into a spark of light, and vanished from the empty room.
"Soon, Spider-Man, soon."
She tilted her head, confused. In her years of raising her, Naoko had never seen her Ritsuko holding her arms over her stomach, laughing like she had lost her mind. Naoko couldn't help but glower at it.
"Something you'd like to tell the class, Ritsuko? Or are you finally realized how wasted your life has been?"
"A grift… this is just what it is." Ritsuko wiped some tears from her eyes. "This is just rich! Superior lifeform this, thinkers, believers, fixing the world… They don't mean anything! You're hiding from the truth, just like everyone else!"
One of the tentacles shut its claw in rage, in sync with Naoko's own teeth grinding together.
"Don't take that tone with me, Ritsuko-!"
"I'll do what I want, Mother!" She shouted, shocking even Misato. "If I hadn't spent so long trying to follow in your footsteps, I would've been able to stop and took a good look at you… You're a disgrace! To the name of science, to me, everyone! No amount of killing will ever make the world take you seriously, no matter how much you maim and butcher us for it!"
"They'll take me plenty seriously, once I start slaughtering them by the millions!"
"By that point, you're history! A global pariah! A freak! An anime villain made reality! But most of all, you'll be exactly what they always called you! An insane, hysterical mad woman! And I'm done being afraid of a selfish baby like you!"
Her hands balled into fists, her tone getting colder.
"You're not going to fix anything, nor surpass anyone. You're just going to repeat the mistakes you've always had, over and over. Because I know you, mother, and you can't resist your worst even if you tried."
"…"
Naoko stared at her daughter for an agonizing minute. Ritsuko didn't dare to take back anything she said. It as the truth as she saw it, and her other would just have to live with that. What could a hologram do? Attack her? Nothing mattered in that moment, but the swell of pride Ritsuko felt for herself.
Nevertheless, it almost vanished into a chill as Ritsuko saw a trail of blood pour down Naoko's grin.
"We'll see who's right in the end. Toodles!"
The hologram vanished.
Ritsuko let out a sigh of relief, as Misato clung to her shoulder. Fuyutski, however, felt off about something. He checked the holographic device laid out on the table, connected to all of the chairs in the board room. He knew the device was powerful enough to transmit signals from anywhere across the globe.
"You okay?"
"Never better." Ritsuko said, honestly. "I had to get those words out there, or I would never have c-continued being afraid…"
Misato smiled at her. "Good." She then frowned. "I should have put a bullet in that monster the second she stepped into NERV."
"That would have saved us a lot of trouble." Ritsuko admitted to her. "Now, we have to worry about our current situation. We head to the bridge."
"Not yet, Doctor." Fuyutski frowned. "I'm afraid you might want to look at this."
Ritsuko nodded. She went to inspect the holographic device. Misato watched her curiously, realizing something was wrong the moment she saw her friend pale.
"What's wrong, Ritsuko? What did you see?"
Ritsuko turned to her, her stunted response shocking the room's occupants.
"We- we weren't speaking to her in real time… that was a timed message. Recorded three days ago. H-How did Mother know how to respond to our questions?"
"Our systems have been compromised!"
Lt. Maya Ibuki remained afraid of many things. She cared for the people at NERV, and wondered about their chances of survival against the army's ambush. The thought of Makoto, Shigeru, Ritsuko, even the children dying before her eyes… particularly Asuka, after all they had gone through together. If that girl, and Ritsuko, the love of her life, were to vanish before her very eyes, Maya wouldn't sure what she would do…
Not to mention, the terrifying power SEELE wielded over the rest of the world. What would they do if they were left unchecked? What would they do if they caught her?
Those would remain distant concerns at the moment. Right now, Maya was most afraid of how the usually reliable MAGI system had been turn against them all.
The nightmare began with the cameras getting taken out one by one. That caused a quite a stir in the group, but it was nothing compared to watching their internal camera feeds capture a full on invasion of the base. Soldiers shot down their colleagues without mercy, bombing and destroying everything in their path.
It left the group sick. For her part, Maya could only do so much to restrain herself from vomiting at the murderous rampage.
The situation got worse as their systems detected seven jet planes entering the Tokyo-3 airspace, including fluctuating AT-Fields patterns emerging and disappearing at the same time. The lights began to dim all around the room, and in turn, caused a total system crash was repeated across the computers.
Shigeru remained eerily calm as Makoto- hilariously, Maya was ashamed to admit- kept whacking them with a punch to turn them on. Even with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on stand by, a message was clear: they had no power, not anymore.
"Whoever got our systems was good." Makoto said. "Too good, I have to say. Normally the MAGI would have a prepared countermeasure in case of a virus hack. Instead, everything has been successfully crashed."
"It's begun." Shigeru said, with a sardonic grin on his face. "The end of Evangelion, along with all of us."
Maya couldn't help it. She lashed out, "Aoba, this isn't the time! Whatever weapon they have, it's causing too much interference with the systems! We have to find a way to reboot it, or else we're all done for!"
"What's the point?" Shigeru picked up a gun, frowning. "We don't have control. We saw the planes. We're practically sitting ducks."
"What we need, more than anything, is to be ready for battle." Sgt. Miki said. "The soldiers will be arriving soon. Take cover. Get a gun. We'll hold them off while you try get the power back online."
"Whatever." Shigeru began to type on the computer. "We're not going to be leaving anyway."
Maya and Makoto gave each other a look. Makoto silently gulped, and went back to typing commands as fast as he could. Maya, for her part, patted the gun in her pocket. She shivered involuntarily. Even knowing what she trained to do, what might have to do, she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to pull the trigger. To take another person's life like that, it felt… wrong…
"What's the matter, Miss Ibuki?"
Startled, she looked up to see Sgt. Miki, keeping his usual calm self.
"Sorry. I'm… wondering about our chances…"
"We all know what's at stake. Don't worry about being able to shoot." He smiled. "We're only human, Miss Ibuki. Do the best you can. Your song will still sing, long after this disaster."
She opened her mouth, no words came out. Instead, she nodded, smiling in return.
"Thank you. I think I needed that."
"Don't mention it." He frowned, pulling out his gun. "What's the status, Mr. Hyuuga?"
"The army is… advancing." Makoto grimly noted. "They've taken over various spots already. It's like they knew where to target us. None of them are showing up here though, even though it's one of our most vulnerable points!"
"Do you believe they have someone on the inside?"
"I don't know." He answered honestly. "They could also have access to the base plans and infrastructure, given SEELE funded us."
"How strange." Shigeru whistled, keeping a small grin. "I wonder why that could be."
"I don't care for your tone, Mr. Aoba." Sgt. Miki said. "We have to take this seriously."
"I am. In my own way."
Miki glared at the tech. "You know, I'm beginning to think you know something we don't, Mr. Aoba."
Shigeru kept that grin on his face, even as he turned his head. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."
"If you don't stop what you're doing now, we might have to-"
"What? Arrest me?" Shigeru shook his head. "There's nowhere on the base we can go for that, Sergeant."
"Um, sir?"
"There might not be a place, but you can bet after this is over there will be an interrogation!"
"Sir, please-"
"Not my responsibility. It'll take a lot more than an interrogation to take me down."
"Sir!"
Sgt. Miki turned to Makoto again. "What is it?"
Makoto pointed at the computer, his face having paled at what he had seen.
"They're here…"
They were seven, and they were one.
Born for destruction, the joy of rebirth.
Death created them, and death would guide them.
The plugs in their heads held memories.
A broken, red eyed boy, who only knew hardship and sacrifice. Most of all, he knew hatred.
They were much the same.
Angels came from the sky, with their beautiful white wings, and lances carved from ebony.
They could not replace Evangelion. They were only ever to support it.
They could not even do that anymore, not after what she did. Their new purpose was to guard, to hunt, to strike down prey.
They were denied the glory of death, and the joy of rebirth.
Instead, these white giant bared their teeth, in rage and pleasure.
Their enemies would know death. They could provide this, at least.
Six remained atop of the world. The seventh brother crashed through the pyramid, delivering her to her most hated enemies.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!"
Makoto managed to yell that out in time, as it came crashing through the wall.
Everyone ducked behind whatever cover they could find, as the Holographic Map vanished amid the debris, causing havoc and destruction across several levels of machinery. Sparks went flying, and the bridge crew knew that it would take years to fix some of the damage.
That was nothing compared to the fear they felt upon spotting the creature. Its shoddy, monstrous visage lowered its head towards the bridge itself, smashing its arms through the floor to keep in place. Whatever humanity this was meant to replicate, it was lost in a sea of unnatural blasphemy. No eyes, no ears, only bright crimson lips, and grinning yellow teeth.
The Mass Production Evangelion lived up to its fearsome reputation preceding it. It let its tongue out, splashing it over its own lips, clearly salivating over whatever sick, twisted thoughts lied inside its head.
Maya Ibuki could only gaze in horror at what science had created. Makoto Hyuuga stared, his mouth agape and unable to process what he saw. Shigeru frowned, while the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents gathered their wits.
"Inspect the Eva." Sgt. Miki said. "It isn't attacking us, for whatever reason, but if it moves…"
Nothing more needed to be added. The agents pointed their guns at the head as they drew closer.
The Mass Production Evas were built to fulfill the Committee's wishes. The techs had seen how they were meant to be used. The fact that they sent them ahead of schedule, instead of bringing the whole army down, meant they were accelerating their plans. Or altered them.
Shigeru raised an eyebrow, in annoyance. "Dramatic, much?"
"Aoba, shut up!" Maya said. "They're investigating it."
"We'll see, Ibuki." He narrowed his eyes. "We'll see."
The agents drew closer. Sgt. Miki went in front of the Eva's head. It didn't have a soul, he thought, no music to its name. An abomination is what it was, even compared to the other Evangelions he had seen in the briefing. He hoped the Captain had apprehended the felons over in Germany. He could not bear to spare another second of these things in his eyesight.
"Prepare the demolitions!" Sgt. Miki ordered his men. "We need to destroy this thing! So long as one dies, their plans will have failed!"
Silence. The Eva kept its awful, ugly grin while it slowly breathing through its nostrils. Miki shook his head. Of all the things to recreate, they had to include that over anything else. One of the agents prepared a bomb.
"We'll need to move a few feet from the blast radius, but we might be good to go."
"Okay then," Sgt. Miki nodded. "Prepare the timer-"
The mouth opened a little-
"Sir, the mouth!
Miki turned his gun towards the Eva. "FREEZE!"
His thoughts were sharply interrupted. He looked down, only to find a mechanical arm had stabbed through his chest. He lost consciousness soon after, as three other arms joined in unison to attack the agents.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"IT'S A MONSTER! A DEMON!"
"AAAAAGGHHH!"
It was a bloodbath. Brief, terrible, and cruel. Maya Ibuki couldn't look away even as she saw the men getting slaughtered, even as the woman responsible climbed out of the Eva. She stepped into the bridge as if it were a second home.
As far Naoko Akagi was concerned, NERV was a home, one lifetime ago. She was simply taking it back from the parasites controlling it.
She traded a lab coat for a plugsuit, very much like the ones worn by Shinji. However, the colors were far more garish. The top heavy parts and shoulder parts where painted gold, as the rest of the suit was a bright shade of green. It came with a set of yellow boots and gloves, with heavy goggles worn over Naoko's eyes. She calmly petted one of her tentacles, still covered in blood.
"You did so well, dear." Doctor Octopus grinned, turning to the surviving Bridge Crew. "Surprise, surprise! I'm so happy you're all here to welcome me home! I missed you all so much!"
Time slowed for Maya Ibuki, giving weight to her decision. She had seen the terror this woman brought about just now, horrors she inflicted on these men, and will no doubt inflict upon the rest of NERV. The sheer abject cruelty lying in her smile and her voice, that showed no remorse…
Maya pulled out the gun.
"Hold it right the-!"
BAM!
A sharp pain came over Maya's arm, forcing her to drop the gun. She went to cover the bleeding hole on her left shoulder, yelping in agony upon touching it. Frantically, she searched the room.
"Who… who did…?"
Her eyes found on her answer immediately. Shigeru held a gun over Makoto's head, chocking his neck using his free arm.
"Settle down, ladies. Nobody has to get hurt." He said. "Definitely not this guy."
He must have taken Makoto hostage while she wasn't looking, Maya thought. As she spoke, she couldn't keep the betrayal out of her voice.
"Why… Why, Aoba…?"
He chuckled to himself. Maya's eyes widened in terror, as Shigeru's skin began to melt away, and his body shifting, transforming into an all too familiar face.
"Payback." Ryoji Kaji, the Chameleon, told her. "Nothing more complicated than that."
Author's Notes:
Hahahahaha... so...
Sorry for being late like hell. November and December last year were an awful time for me due to College work, personal stuff and so much I'd rather not get into. I broke a promise that I'd finish the fic by the end of last year. Sorry for that.
Still, it wasn't all bad. Christmas was alright, New Years were good, finally got the motivation going to finish this chapter. Let's try to end this story with a bang! The Sinister Six invade at last! For the next few chapters, I'll go into bits about the thought process making these villains, and how they're going to develop in the fic.
let's start with Vulture. Kiyoshi Amachi was one of my least favorite characters in the fic, in all honesty. I was inspired in part by JoJo villains and how insane they get with their villainy (I could almost see the color changes when I first wrote his chapter). He served his purpose as an inbetween enemy, but he wasn't a character I liked to think about. His father was added purely to make him a tiny bit more interesting, even if it isn't by much. The spoiled child with an all too supportive father, as it were.
Time for reviews:
lautaro94: I did! AXE: Judgement Day was one of the best crossover events I've read in a long time. The art goes insanely hard, the story's gripping, and it's got a surprisingly solid moral at the end of it all. Thank you so much for recommending this to me!
Z-King: It wouldn't surprise me if certain organizations were formed after SEELE's unforseen dissolution... shit...
Author0fntent: Sgt. Miki is sort of based on a character from Revolutionary Girl Utena of the same name. It was intended as a placeholder but ended up sticking... for a bit. A shame too, he shall be missed.
Next Chapter: Base Battle Defense.