Author's notes: Thank you everyone for your reviews! I'm glad that you guys are enjoying the overall story so far (even through the changes with Shikinami's character, which will be explored later).
Hopefully, I can keep the enjoyment going until the end of the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion.
AT THE TEST SITE FOR UNIT 03
Parts of the armor from the black EVA blew off, revealing blue muscle and veins. Misato knew what this meant. The worst possible scenario. It was, "An Angel?" The Colonel cried out in her head, "SHINJI!"
EVA Unit 03, the Ninth Angel, roared as it caused an explosion on the Matsushiro test site.
Gendo, on his way to meet up with a member of the Japanese government, immediately made the driver make a quick u-turn as they heard what happened at the test site. He gritted his teeth in frustration and worry. "How could this have happened? YUI!"
Rei, who was using her extra given time to practice her cooking after school, was just informed by the Section 2 Agents that there was an explosion in Matsushiro, Unit 03's activation site. Her eyes widened and mouth agape. There was nothing but worry that filled both her body and mind, "Shinji… please be safe."
Asuka, in an apron, was preparing a dinner meal for when Shinji came back from his scheduled appointment, just as she promised herself she would. She practiced all day yesterday, perfecting the food. And today was going to be the final product, and she was even surprised at herself on how well it came out.
The Second Child was about to put on the finishing touches when she got a phone call. It was from Section 2. "Ugh, it better be good." "Hello?"
Her eyes widened when they told her that she was needed at NERV based on an accident that happened on Unit 03's test site. And since the accident may have been potentially caused by an Angel, her presence was needed. "Fine. I'll head on over there right now."
As Asuka put away her phone and took off the apron, she put her hand on her chest, "What is this feeling? Why does my chest feel tight?" She shook her head, "No time to think about that. I need to get to my Unit 02."
She ran out of the apartment, forgetting about the food she worked so hard to prepare for the Third Child's return.
NERV was trying to figure out what happened and the extent of the damage. Fuyutsuki was trying his best to control the situation but he was not a leader. "Why does this happen now when Ikari is on his way to talk with the government? He is better suited for-"
Gendo appeared from behind them at his desk, "Battle Stations One." Speak of the devil.
The former Professor was both surprised and relieved, "Ikari? When did you get here?"
He ignored the older man's question. There was only one thing that had to be done, and it was to maintain and control the situation. And if their hunch was right, it was an Angel that caused the explosion. "All Personnel. Battle Stations One. Fit Unit 02 with the Dummy Plug and Unit 00 will run backup for Unit 02. Both Unit 00 and Unit 02 are to be sent out immediately. " "Damn it, if only Unit 01 wasn't in stasis, we can try to make use of Unit 01 with the Dummy Plug. But there's not enough time."
"But sir, we don't even know if it's an Angel," Aoba said. "And Unit 00 is still recovering from previous Angel att-"
"It doesn't matter if it is or isn't an Angel," Gendo responded, assuming the worst, "We don't deal with 'what if's'. We will respond accordingly to the events that have happened. The test site with Unit 03 does not simply explode while giving out this much anomalous data. And without the usage of Unit 01, we are not taking any chances, send out both Units."
"Sir! Yes Sir!"
Fuyutsuki watched as his former student ordered the mobilization of both Unit 00 and Unit 02. "You're getting desperate to include Unit 00... But I would've done the same especially without the use of Unit 01. In the worst possible case that this is an Angel contaminating Unit 03 with Shinji inside we will need both Unit 00 and Unit 02 to finish the job..." He clenched his hands, "Let us pray that it is not the worst outcome."
Asuka, in her plugsuit, was in position inside her EVA Unit 02 and it aimed it's rifle out in the distance. She heard that the First Child was in position in Unit 00, acting as backup. But there was nothing on the Third Child and Unit 01... She also hasn't heard anything about Misato. "What happened to Misato? And where's Idiot Shinji?"
Hyuga answered over the radio, "We're trying to figure out what happened to Misato, if she's okay or not. And as for Shinji-"
Gendo immediately cut in, "I will be leading this operation. The Third Child will be unavailable for this mission. Will this hinder your performance, Pilot Shikinami?"
She almost shivered at his cold tone,"No sir." She then smirked, "If anything, this gives me the chance to show what I'm really made out of. Just you wait, Idiot, I'll show why I'm the best!"
Rei's right arm was shaking as she was getting into position. She tried to hold it still with her other arm but she realized that it started to shake too. "Ikari..."
Flashback
"Rei," Shinji asked over the phone, "I'm not sure what may happen, but just in case… I have a favor to ask."
Ayanami was curious as to what the boy was going to ask of her, "What is it?"
"Please… just promise me first…"
"I promise," Rei didn't care about what or how ridiculous the request may have been. She was even willing to do laps around NERV with just her underwear on for him if he requested it.
The Third Child took a deep breath, "If something happens during the activation test. Please… take care of Asuka for me."
End of flashback.
The Unit 00's Pilot mumbled to herself, "Ikari… did you know something was going to happen? Or… was it just pure circumstance?" Only if her hands could stop shaking from anticipation of the fear of the worst possible scenario. "Please… be okay."
As the sun started to set, Gendo saw on screen, revealing the black Evangelion that looked similar to Unit 01 except it was coated in black armor and white accents instead of green. The head was close to that of a dinosaur-like head with an oversized red frontal plate. The black Evangelion was easily identified as Unit 03, and it was walking towards Unit 02's general direction.
Fuyutsuki commented with a frown, "We should've known." "The worst possible scenario. This was a mistake. We should have not sent Shinji, Yui's child."
Ikari tried to see if this could be solved easily and rescue the Pilot, "Send the unit-shutdown signal. Eject the Entry Plug."
The armor on Unit 03's back exploded as the Entry Plug tried to eject itself, only to be held in place by some sort of blue slime, fungus-like growths.
"It's no good!" Maya reported, "it's not recognizing the deactivation signal or the ejection code!" Error messages started to appear on screen.
Aoba reported, "A core-like invasive structure around the Entry Plug area has been confirmed."
Hyuga added, "Analysis of the pattern has been completed." He paused as he was about to announce the worst possible scenario, "It's Blue."
There was no choice. Gendo ordered, "Evangelion Unit 03 is hereby abandoned. Reclassify the target as the Ninth Angel." His clasped hands started to shake as his emotions started to leak over his walls. "This is the worst possible scenario. Why did it have to be this?"
Fuyutsuki noticed this, "We made a terrible mistake, Ikari. I'm… I'm so sorry, had I known...I.." But what could he have done? Sending Shikinami would've ended in similar results. This was the inevitable outcome. No matter what, someone would have to be sacrificed.
TARGET APPROACHING. PREPARE FOR GROUND-TOGROUND INTERCEPT!
OPEN FIRE!
The ground tanks started to fire at the Angel as it slowly made its way towards Unit 02. And as expected, all the rain fire of shells were bouncing off of Unit 03's armor and AT Field. Nothing that the ground troops were throwing at the black EVA was working. So the tank units were all ordered to retreat so that the Evangelion could handle the target, the only weapon capable of destroying Angels.
Asuka was surprised to see that the target was another EVA… it was Unit 03. She commented, "An Angel managed to take over an EVA? Scheisse." She zoomed into the back of the contaminated EVA, getting a view of the Entry Plug that was covered by some sort of Angelic blue ooze-like substance. "Thank god no one was piloting it."
She licked her lips as she grasped her controls tighter, getting ready to engage, "Well, that just means I don't have to hold anything bac-" The redhead froze when she saw Unit 00 run past her and charge towards Unit 03. Was the First Child trying to steal her chance?
"WHAT THE HELL, FIRST?!"
Rei's eyes widened as she saw the black EVA from her screen and overheard Commander Ikari announce it as an Angel. Was the Commander going to abandon Shinji , his son? Was he... going to break his promise to her? "Pilot Ikari…" she said as debated what to do. Should she be on standby and obey orders? Or try to save him? If she left it to the Second Child, she may end up killing him.
Shikinami didn't know Shinji was the Pilot inside EVA Unit 03. The Second Child still thought that it was a machine inside the EVA and that it was unmanned. No one told nor updated the redhead on the Pilot's status in Unit 03. Rei couldn't say anything because it would be going against Shinji's wishes. "What should she do?"
Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was one method she could think of on the spot. She opened her eyes filled that were now filled with determination, and immediately charged forward with Unit 00. She didn't care if Unit 00 was heavily injured, she will do what must be done to save him. "If I can get Pilot Ikari's Entry Plug out of the EVA, Unit 02's Pilot would be able to finish the Angel while Pilot Ikari's life will be safe... I will also be keeping Shinji's promise to keep this secret from her."
Unit 00 dropped her rifle and ran past Unit 02. "WHAT THE HELL, FIRST?!" Ayanami ignored Asuka's angry yelling.
Gendo called to her from the radio, "Pilot Ayanami, what are you doing? You have your orders!"
She too ignored the Commander's orders. Her priority was Shinji's safety and keeping her promises to him. Rei will not be on standby while Shinji is in danger. She took out her Progressive Knife and jumped towards the Angel, albeit sluggishly from the injuries from the previous battle. "I'll have to cut out the Entry Plug."
If only it were that simple.
The possessed EVA roared as it knelt down before jumping up towards Unit 00, catching both hands with its own and smashed onto the Unit's head with its own, causing the First Child's Unit to fall down first. Unit 03 then slammed down on top of the single-eyed Evangelion.
Rei grunted on impact, one eye closed in an attempt to handle the pain. She tried to push against the Angel, but it was no use. It was just too strong and Unit 00 was too weak since it was still injured. Ayanami tried to kick off the enemy, only for the Angel to bend unnaturally backwards and bite off one of the legs and crush both Unit 00's arms, causing her to scream in excruciating pain.
Unit 02 body slammed onto Unit 03, pushing the Angel off of Unit 00. "What the hell, First? Did you really wish to hog all the glory for yourself?"
Gendo demanded, "Status of Pilot Ayanami!"
Maya replied, "The Pilot is stabled. But Unit 00 lost the usage of both of its arms and one of its legs."
Fuyutuski commented, "This was highly emotional of Rei. Acting against orders for the Third Child." "Why? Why are you acting against orders now?" His eyes frowned. The Ayanami Series were designed to follow orders without any question.
But now, he was uncertain if this Rei would've even followed through with the order based on her recent action. "Would she even have followed through with the order to eliminate the Angel? Even if it meant killing the Pilot?"
Ikari quickly ordered, "Unit 00 is to fall back. Unit 02 is to destroy the Angel at all cost." His hand was now visibly shaking as he gave out his order. He ordered a second time the death sentence of his child. Normally, the second time should be easier, but for some reason, this one was harder than the first time he declared the order for Shinji's death.
But if the Angel reaches Lilith, the whole scenario will be destroyed along with all of humanity. While the Angel processed Unit 03, it will be able to get through the Geo Front's Self Destruction system since it was also still giving off Unit 03's signature. So, to Gendo, rescuing Shinji was out of the option if it got in the way of eliminating the Angel. The scenario is what matters, nothing else. And if humanity is killed by the Third Impact caused by the Angel, the scenario will be lost…
Kozo tried to think of a way to save Shinji. But, in the worst case, the Angel would've contaminated him by now. He would no longer be human. If they were to have a chance of survival and have a chance for the scenario to work, the Angel will have to be taken care of first.
Even if the Third Child was not contaminated and could still be rescued, it would only hinder the elimination of the Angel. To them, rescue is second priority when compared to their current main objective… Eliminating the Angel.
Fuyutsuki hated how much he agreed with this decision to kill Shinji for the sake of their survival and the scenario. Rescuing Shinji at this point would only get in the way of eliminating the Angel… At least by eliminating the Angel along with the Third Child, they'll be able to live for another day and will be able to revise the scenario…
This was the sacrifice that the two were willing and agreed to make. So why, why are they letting their feelings come out when it comes to the Third Child?
"Unit 00 is to fall back. Unit 02 is to destroy the Angel at all cost."
The oblivious Second Child acknowledged the order, "Consider it done!" Her smirk rising as Unit 02 got into its fighting stance while holding one Progressive Knife and holstering the rifle to its back.
"She… She can't!" Rei tried to speak through the pain she was feeling, "Pi-pilot-"
"Shut it, Commander's Pet," Asuka retorted, "and let me handle this." The Angel got back up in an unnatural manner by only using its legs as its body swayed.
Rei felt something that she was not used to. She may not be good with emotions, but she knew what this feeling was. She was afraid that Asuka might actually end up killing Shinji. "No. No. Please, she's going to-", "Please listen, the truth is-" Rei couldn't finish as the Angel jumped forward again, but Asuka charged forward and managed to kick the Angel away. The black EVA was able to do a quick flip in the air and land on all fours. It gave out a growl against its prey.
The redhead yelled, "We'll talk later!" as she lunged forward towards the Angel. Unit 03 now extended one of its arms longer than it should be physically able to in order to grasp a hold of Unit 02. But the red EVA was able to duck underneath and cut off the arm.
Then the Black EVA extended its other arm to try again, but the redhead smirked, "Too predictable!" She gracefully dodged to the left and cut off the other arm. She then used her EVA to quickly jump forward to stab the EVA's head but the Angel turned out to be faster than she expected. It managed to land a headbutt against Unit 02's stomach with immense strength, pushing it back across the battlefield.
The Unit rolled across the ground before coming to a complete stop. Asuka struggled to breathe. That attack managed to get the wind out of her. The redhead groaned, "Shit that hurt." The red EVA got back up. She looked back at the enemy and the black EVA had already regenerated both of its limbs. Shikinami gritted her teeth, "That's cheating!"
Unit 03 started to extend its arms across the field to attack Asuka at a range once more. Luckily, she was able to jump back up to dodge the first attack and cut off the second attack. But, much to her dismay, the lost limb quickly regenerated like before. "That's so cheating!"
The Angel then charged forward with its limbs retracted but still extended twice the length of its original size. The Pilot took out the rifle with Unit 02's other hand and fired everything she had against the enemy.
Some of the incoming fire managed to hit and penetrate through Unit 03's AT Field and black armor, but the Angel was unfazed by the attack as it quickly regenerated all its injuries. The beast then jumped forward towards its target. Unit 02 used the rifle to block the attack, but Unit 03 was able to quickly grab onto the weapon and use it to jump back, destroying the weapon and pushing Unit 02 to the ground in the process.
"Scheibe," Asuka grunted as she tried to get back up but noticed something from above.
"WHAT THE-!" she had her EVA quickly roll out of the way to avoid Unit 03 from landing on her. Unit 02 quickly got up and barely had enough time to block another attack from its enemy's extended arm. Asuka managed to pierce through its hand with the Progressive Knife, halting the attack in place.
If she doesn't change up the pace, she'll constantly be on the defensive and god knows how long she'll be able to keep that up for. She needed to turn the tables, fast. The Pilot gritted her teeth before giving out a large roar as Unit 02 tightened its grip on the weapon and charged forward, cutting through the enemy's arm as she ran towards her enemy.
The Angel attacked Unit 02 with its other arm. But Asuka pulled out her second Progressive Knife just in time to pierce through the other arm. She continued to charge forward, cutting through both arms as the red EVA made its way to the Angel. As Unit 02 closed the distance between the two, it pulled both Knives out, and quickly pierced both of the black Evangelion's legs, causing the enemy to fall onto its knees.
Without giving it a moment to breathe, Unit 02 kneed Unit 03's face, sending it flying backwards. The red Evangelion jumped forward and landed on top of the Angel. As the contaminated EVA was trying to regenerate the cut pieces of both its hands, Unit 02 drew back one of the Progressive Knives and pierced its head as Shikinami yelled, "Take this!"
The Second Child made her Unit push the knife deeper in the black EVA's skull. She then punched the knife in, lodging it deeper within Unit 03's skull and causing parts of the head to cave in.
The attack caused the beast to give out a low growl from the pain. Asuka grinned as Unit 02 quickly smashed Unit 03's caved in head in one more time, causing the Angel to flinch.
There was a weak growl as the Angel tried to regenerate but Unit 02 quickly started to smash the head once more, trying to prevent the head from regenerating. "Just stay down!"
NERV watched in awe at Asuka's speed and the way she went up against the corrupted Unit 03. She was fast and skilled, no one doubted that. But the way she fought today showed everyone why she was considered an elite.
Gendo commanded, "Good, Pilot Shikinami. Now. Fin….finish the Angel." Everyone at Nerv turned to him, surprised that their stoic, cold hearted Commander was starting to struggle getting the last words out. To them this was a new emotion coming from him, they didn't think not even the death of his son would move this man, but they were wrong.
Fuyutsuki frowned at Gendo, "Ikari…"
"Don't patronize me," he replied, "Our primary goal is the extermination of all the Angels." "We can't have everything be wasted just because we couldn't stop the Angel without any sacrifices… even if I have to sacrifice Shinji to achieve it. Unit 01 will have to do with just the Dummy Plug... Damn it."
"Fin...finish the Angel."
While Asuka did think it was weird that the Commander was off character with the way he spoke his orders, the redhead thought nothing of it as her main focus was to eliminate the enemy in front of her. "My pleasure!"
The Angel's damaged head was taking longer to regenerate than a regular limb. And without the brain to send signals to the rest of the body to heal damaged body parts, the Angel could only lay there as it tried to heal its wounds. The Second Child made use of this opportunity.
The red EVA, still on top of the black Unit, used its free hand and started to forcibly remove the chest armors protecting Unit 03's core. "I need to finish this fast before it can recover." Asuka thought to herself, "It's an Angel, so it HAS to have a core… and if my assumptions are correct, it should be the core of the EVA itself!"
Unit 02 was able to remove the chest armors with ease, revealing the red core. Finally, there it is. Her second solo kill. "No one helped, not Rei, and not that invincible Idiot." Shikinami raised the other knife up into the air with both its hands and started slamming its weapon against the core, causing cracks to form at the area of impact.
Maybe she'll even earn praise from the boy once he finds out.
That gave her an additional encouragement to smash against the Angel's core harder. Somehow that thought of her getting praise from the Idiot made her happy and give extra motivation to finish this faster.
Unit 00's Pilot watched in horror as Asuka was trying to kill the Angel with Shinji inside. She was also appalled that the Commander ordered for the Second Child to do this while refusing to tell the Second Child the truth.
"Stop!" Rei called out in her mind.
SMASH The clashing of the Progressive Knife against the red core echoed in her head.
"Stop it!"
SMASH
"Please, stop it!"
SMASH
The Second Child was going to kill Shinji. Rei had to do something. "I'm sorry Shinji." She thought to herself. The First Child took a deep breath before uncharacteristically releasing the loudest scream she's ever done, "ASUKA!" This caused both the Unit 02 Pilot pause its assault and all of NERV listening in to freeze.
Asuka turned and asked with an annoyed tone, not caring about how the First Child was screaming and used her first name instead of the usual 'Second Child' or 'Pilot of Unit 02'. But she was mad that the pale skinned girl was trying to stop her when she was seconds away from finishing the Angel, "Ugh, wha-"
With tears coming down, Rei revealed, "That's Shinji you're trying to kill!" Once again, breaking character and screaming with despair while referring to the Pilot as 'Shinji' instead of 'Pilot Ikari'.
Time seemed to have stopped as those words echoed throughout Asuka's Entry Plug.
The redhead's skin turned pale, all the blood drained from them as she tried to process what her fellow EVA Pilot revealed. The First Child revealed that Asuka was 'trying to kill' him. That meant… it was Shinji inside the Entry Plug...
Her voice started to shake, "Wh-what are you saying? Shinji… that Idiot is with that Doctor for an appointment." "Please, PLEASE, tell me you're joking. There's no way. Please. Don't do this."
"That was a lie. He wanted us to keep this a secret from you!" Rei was sobbing, showing emotions that she never expressed before, "But I… I can't keep this a secret any longer. The Dummy Plug System was not a part of Unit 03's activation." She took a deep breath, "IT WAS SHINJI!"
To the Second Child, everything made sense now. Why everything lined up so much. How Unit 03's activation and the Idiot's activation days all lined up. It was Shinji who was Piloting Unit 03… not some drone… And she… she was this close to killing him.
A part of Gendo was happy that Pilot Shikinami stopped and that Rei told her the truth. But they had a mission to do in order to ensure the survival of humanity. They had to… "What are you doing Pilot Shikinami? Eliminate the Angel."
Asuka looked down at the beaten Angel. She tried to move to finish as ordered, but after the revelation of the truth behind the true activation Pilot of Unit 03… she couldn't. She dropped her guard, hesitating on what to do.
But that was her mistake. This one quick moment of hesitation allowed the Angel to regenerate enough to regain function throughout the body once more. The Angel's eyes glowed red as it quickly pulled out the knife from its head, throwing it aside. Its face started to regenerate, but the black and red armor around the face were now replaced with the solidified version of the blue slime similar to the one surrounding the Entry Plug.
The Angel grasped Unit 02's neck with both its now recovered hands. Shikinami struggled to breath as she was feeling the shock of being choked through her EVA. "Gah," she tried to struggle to get free, even trying to cut the limb but the force and momentum she once had has all but dried out after the truth was revealed by her.
Asuka was still hesitating and recovering from the shock, still trying to fully come to terms that it was Shinji inside Unit 03 and that she almost killed him. She was merely scratching the Angel at this point, no significant damage was done due to her current state of shock. Another two skin-like arms popped out from the shoulders of Unit 03, breaking the EVA's shoulder guards.
One arm first dislocated Unit 02's wrist, causing the knife to fall out of her hands. The Second Child hissed in pain. Then both extra pairs of arms put additional pressure on Unit 02's neck. The Angel lifted EVA high up in the air while grasping the red EVA's throat, not giving the Pilot any chance to break free from its hold. The cracks around the core also started to close.
"NO!" Rei called out as she tried to move her EVA, only to lead to futility as an EVA can only do so much with one usable leg.
"If something happens during the activation test. Please… take care of Asuka for me."
Those words from Shinji started to echo in her head, "MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Rei screamed in her mind as she was frantically trying to move her EVA. The Unit tried to get up but kept falling down due to its damaged limbs. She had to help Asuka. She had to keep at least that promise!
"Shin...Shinji," Asuka mumbled through the radio and mic. She had no way to break free from Unit 03's immense strength, especially when Unit 02 was being lifted up in the air.
Shit. She was losing consciousness.
When the Angel could feel Unit 02's Pilot's life essence getting weaker, it pulled her closer to the ground and tightened its grip on the red EVA's neck even more. The beast growled, almost as if it was laughing.
Asuka reached out with her other hand, not to attack. She had no strength left in her to fight right now. She can't see straight, all she can see is the black EVA.
Instead… If she was going to die, the Second Child at least wanted to feel the Third Child's warmth one more time… even if it's through indirect touch.
Unit 02 caressed Unit 03's face. "...Shinji," she called out to him once more before starting to lose consciousness.
"NO! NO! STOP!"
Shinji could only watch as the black Evangelion annihilated the test site. He tried to struggle to regain control but he couldn't even move. He was surrounded by some sort of blue veins, muscles, and slime ooze as they dug through the plugsuit and onto his skin. These blue oozes were attaching itself from the surface of the Entry Plug and into the Pilot. All of Shinji's limbs were covered and the blue vein-like slime penetrated his left eye.
"Ms. Misato! Ms. Misato!" he called out. "Anyone? Can anyone read me?" But no answer was heard. All he could see was the view in front of him, the area where the Angelic slime wasn't obscuring his vision.
Shinji continued to struggle for what felt like hours until he noticed Unit 02 in front of him. In desperation he cried out, "No, please stop! Don't hurt her!"
Unit 00 then charged towards the Angel, and all he could do was scream in vain as he watched the Angel attack Unit 00, "NO REI!"
He screamed as he saw Unit 03 bite down on one Unit 00's legs and crush both of Unit 00's arms. Each movement that the Angel made against the Evangelion, Shinji could feel himself getting weaker.
But then, Asuka showed up, saving Rei. "Asuka, please! Forget about me! I don't want to hurt neither you nor Rei!" But no one could hear him. He knew this, but he had to say it. He didn't want to hurt her!
Unit 02 engaged the Angel as their battle began. Shinji ignored the pain he felt from the damages that the Angel was receiving. All he wanted was for this nightmare to end, "Please…"
The Third Child felt powerful blows to his face. He could feel the EVA to groan in pain as it tried to regenerate itself. The Pilot felt pain around his chest as the chest armor was ripped off of Unit 03, exposing the red core. He soon felt something stab his heart as he felt the Entry Plug shake with each impact.
He smiled. He didn't care if he had to die. While death still instilled fear in him, Shinji was more afraid of hurting the ones he cared for. So, after this, he won't be able to hurt anyone else…
He won't have to hurt her.
"Thank… you… Asuka…" But, much to his horror, Shinji heard Ayanami tell the truth and Asuka stopped her assault.
His eyes widened as Rei revealed the truth of Pilot for Unit 03's activation, causing Asuka to stop. "No, Asuka, why did you stop?! Please! I… I don't want to hurt you!" The Angel managed to regenerate enough to function and started to strangle Asuka.
"No. No. No. No!" Shinji struggled to move. He didn't want to do this! He didn't want to kill anyone. He didn't want to hurt Asuka. He had to do something. But what?
He tried to move his arms, "Move!"
He tried to move his legs, "Move!"
He tried to move his head, "Move!"
But Pilot couldn't move a muscle, the Angel's hold on him was just too strong and was draining his strength. Ikari closed his eyes as he struggled to take a deep breath. The Angel must've invaded his lungs now. Shinji could feel it, the Angel was draining his strength to improve the Evangelion's power and regenerative capabilities even further.
But he didn't care. The Angel could take everything of him. He just couldn't let Asuka die. He had to stop this. But how? He wasn't strong enough.
Then, as he continued to struggle to move the controls and stop the black EVA, he felt something on his cheek. He knew this warmth. It was Asuka's. And it was weak. "...Shinji," he heard a voice call out to him.
It was Asuka's voice… it was weak… She was going to die, the Third Child could feel her life becoming weaker with the Angel's hands… He's hands. If he didn't do something... Shinji held his head down, closing his eyes.
She's going to die.
She's going to die!
"DO SOMETHING!" His entire mind and body was yelling at him to MOVE!
"I mustn't run away!" Move.
"I mustn't run away!" Move!
"I mustn't run away!" MOVE!
Something snapped as Shinji opened his eyes, revealing an angry red glow from his uncovered eye and a red glare from the other eye that the Angel was merging with. "I won't let you kill her!" Parts of the blue veins and slimes also started to glow red.
Gendo gritted his teeth, "The Second Child is hesitating… Fine then. Activate the Dummy Sys-"
"Wait," the Sub Commander stopped him, "Something's happening with Unit 03."
Asuka was suddenly able to fill her body with the air her body needed as the pressure around her neck was released and her Unit 02 fell to its knees. She coughed, struggling to catch her breath. Asuka looked up to see that the contaminated EVA was now holding its head with all four of its limbs. It was screaming in pain. "What-"
"A...Asuka," came a familiar voice from Unit 03's radio.
Her eyes widened as she realized who the voice belonged to, "Shinji." She tried to open a video feed to the Unit to establish a stable connection, but she was only able to open the 'SOUND ONLY' channel.
"Asuka…" he struggled to say, "Please. Stop me. I… I can't keep this thing under control much longer! GAH!" He screamed in pain as the Angel started to hit its own head with its extra limbs. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone else… please!"
Gendo's hand started to shake. Shinji was taking control, but for how long? From what everyone in NERV could see, Shinji was barely hanging on by the thread. He may lose control any second. The Commander refused to take any chances.
They had to make use of this opportunity, now!
The redhead overheard from the radio, "What are you doing, Second Child?" It was the Commander's voice, "Eliminate the Angel while the Third Child has it contained!"
"How could he say that?" Asuka thought to herself as she shook in fear, "That's his own son! That's Shinji in there!" She cursed in German before closing her eyes, "I CAN'T! THAT'S SHINJI IN THERE! THAT'S YOUR SON IN THERE GODDAMMIT! AND HE'S FIGHTING AGAINST IT! THERE HAS TO BE A WAY TO SAV-!"
Rei called from the radio, "Asuka, watch out!" The Second Child's eyes widened as Unit 03 tried to grab her neck again by extending out its shoulder limbs.
Shinji's voice cried, "NO!" Unit 03's original arms grabbed a hold of its extra pair of arms and ripped them out before the arms could touch the red EVA. Blood spray everywhere from the ripped arms. "PLEASE! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN DO THIS. PLEASE ASUKA!" He begged.
He was begging her to kill him so that the Angel could be stopped… So that he doesn't have to hurt anyone else.
Extra limbs regenerated but were being held back by the black EVA's original arms. Angel was growling as its eyes started to glow a darker red as if to show irritation and anger towards the Pilot inside of it. This Pilot was somehow preventing the Angel from killing the EVA in front of it. It couldn't move its legs as it seemed like something was holding it down. The black EVA roared in frustration. Though it was hard to differentiate if the Angel was the one roaring or Shinji roaring, or both.
Tears started to roll down Asuka's face. What can she do? She… needed to do something. If she did nothing, Shinji would be killed by the Angel. If she did nothing, all of humanity would die. But… She shook her head. She had to act now. It's simple, all that Shikinami needs to do is retrieve the Entry Plug before finishing the Angel, or kill the Angel without damaging the Entry Plug.
But the ladder would most likely lead to Shinji being either severely hurt or, most likely, killed.
The former would mean hurting Shinji… "But at least he'll survive!" Asuka screamed while she thought to herself, "I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you! I promise!" With Unit 02's functioning hand, it grabbed the knife from the ground that was still within arms reach and charged forward.
Shikinami quickly ducked down and kicked the black Evangelion's legs, knocking down to its front. The beast's extra pair of limbs were trying to grab a hold of Unit 02 but Shinji was still in control with Unit 03's original arms, holding the additional limbs back.
The Angel was slowly recovering the usage of its legs and breaking through Shinji's hold on it. Fortunately, Asuka noticed this and quickly pierced both legs, causing both the Angel and Pilot Ikari to roar in pain. She quickly said, "Just hang on. It'll be over soon!" Unit 02 quickly went on top of Unit 03's back and stabbed the Angel in the back of the head to try to slow down the regeneration in order to buy herself some time.
She then quickly brought her EVA's hand to its broken wrist and quickly popped it back in place. Asuka hissed in pain, but she had to be quick. She needed both hands for this. Unit 02 quickly grabbed onto the exposed Entry Plug with one arm, trying to pull it out but it was being held in place by the Angel's blue fungus-like muscles.
The second arm pulled the knife out from the back of the black EVA's head and cut through some of the excess materials covering the Entry Plug. Fortunately, this allowed the Entry Plug to ever so slightly be pulled out. The Second Child gave out a quick sigh of relief as she made progress retrieving the Plug.
She tried to cut again to get rid of the Angel's contamination around the Plug, but the Angel managed to regenerate faster this time and regain full control of Unit 03. It punched Unit 02's head, pushing her off of its back and causing cracks to appear across its surface.
"I was so close!" Asuka quickly got up, ignoring the pain, "Just stand still!"
The Angel, recovering the injuries on both its legs, got back up and extended its shoulder arms forward as the Entry Plug reinserted itself with more excess of Angel's muscle and veins reforming around it. Unit 02 got ready to dodge the beast's attack, but Shinji managed to quickly regain control of Unit 03's original arms to grab onto the extra arms once more, stopping its attack.
They were back to square one.
"Asuka!" the Third Child yelled over the mic, struggling to speak, "Just... forget about me! It's too late for... me. Please, just end... this!"
Asuka realized, when Unit 02 pulled the Entry Plug out ever so slightly, it interfered with Shinji's hold of Unit 03, causing the Angel to regain full control of the Evangelion. But once the Entry Plug was reinserted, he was able to regain control over parts of the EVA. The worst part was, despite Shinji holding it back, the Angel was somehow getting faster and stronger.
It was also regenerating faster than before.
So the attempt to retrieve the Entry Plug before eliminating the Angel was out of the question now, if that was ever a choice to begin with. Even if she was able to damage the EVA before the Entry Plug could be retrieved, the Angel would regenerate faster than Unit 02 could pull the Entry Plug out.
The only other way would be to try to eliminate the Angel while preserving the Entry Plug. But that'll mean that Shinji would most likely be killed, or, if he was lucky, become forever crippled.
Her hands started to shake, "I…" Can she do it? She… She has to… if she did nothing, it'll all be over. She has to try! "I have to risk it. At least then there's a small chance to save him!" With the Angel growing stronger each second, there was no more time to think. She had to act, NOW!
The Second Child screamed once more as she charged in, "VERDAMMT!" Unit 02 shoved the enemy to the ground and went on top of it. The red behemoth started to smash against the exposed regenerated core while the Third Child still had some control over Unit 03. "I… I have to do this!" She closed her eyes.
SMASH
"I…"
SMASH
"I…"
SMASH
The core was on the verge of being destroyed. As she was about to deliver the final blow, the image of Shinji's smiling face showed up in her head.
"I…" Asuka tightened her eyes closed even more as Unit 02 held the knife in the air. Hesitating once more, putting all of humanity at risk again.
During the first rescue attempt by the Second Child, Fuyutsuki looked at Gendo, "We may still have a chance to save the child. The Angel's influence hasn't fully taken a hold of him yet!"
Ikari ordered, "Have the MAGI run the probability of Angel contamination of the Third Child!"
On the monitor, it only said, "99.999999999998% CONTAMINATION"
Gendo continued, "What is the probability that the Third Child may be saved?"
"0.00019%"
"What is the probability of the Third Child maintaining his mental sanity after being saved and not being influenced by the Angel's contamination?"
"0.12%"
"What is the probability of Unit 03 initiating the Third Impact if not stopped here? If it isn't eliminated by Unit 02."
"99.9999999%"
"What is the probability of separating the Angel and the Third Child?"
"ERROR" Signifying that there was no chance of separating the two.
The glare on Gendo's shades brightened to mask his true emotions. There was no other way but to eliminate the Pilot with the Angel. And the Second Child was not going to proceed with it due to her surprising attachment with the Third Child.
They saw the Angel push off Unit 02 from its back and got back up. Fortunately, the Third Child managed to regain some control over Unit 03 and hold the Angel back before it can land another blow against the red Evangelion. Then Unit 02 pushed Unit 03 down and started to attack its core before holding the last attack in the air. The Pilot was hesitating… Maybe if given enough time, she would be able to come to the decision to destroy the Angel.
But time is something that wasn't on their side. Who knows how long Shinji could hold the Angel back? The Angel can regain control of Unit 03 any second and catch the Second Child off guard one more time, and this time there will be no one to save her. The Angel would kill her and continue its onslaught, ending in the Third Impact.
The Commander refused to leave it to chance and time. The Angel had to be eliminated immediately. He was not going to wait on the Pilot to make a decision to finish the job, especially if she was hesitating when she was so close. Gendo coldly ordered, "Activate the Dummy Plug System in Unit 02."
Fuyutsuki slammed down on the desk, "Wait!" The Sub Commander looked at the monitor with one last hope, "What is the probability that Shinji Ikari should even be able to maintain his sanity inside Unit 03 and be able to hold it back currently?"
"0.00000000001%"
He turned to face his former student again with some hope in his voice, "We have a chance. The child is performing a miracle by forcing the Angel back with his might, we should have some faith in him to perform another."
Gendo slammed his fist down on the desk with enough force to echo throughout the room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn to face the Commander of Nerv. Underneath his hand, the desk was cracked and blood was sipping through his gloves.
He looked to the ground and raised his voice, "We can't count on miracles to win our battle for humanity's survival, let alone two miracles happening back to back. Not when the whole of humanity is at stake!"
The elder man's eyes looked to the ground, knowing that his student was right. Just how much should they be willing to rely on miracles? The fact that Shinji was barely holding on is a testament to the kid's will and luck. But that luck can only bring them so far, "Ikari…" he closed his eyes, accepting what must be done. "I'm sorry, Yui."
Gendo raised his head with the glare from his glasses hiding his watery eyes. He held his good hand out, "What are you all waiting for? We cannot let this opportunity slip through our fingers! We have a mission to eliminate all the Angels for humanity's survival. And we cannot afford to lose all of our Evangelion Pilots, especially if one hesitates to follow orders! Activate the Dummy Plug System! NOW!"
Maya, Aoba, and Hyuga all looked at each other. They all closed their eyes, ashamed of what they were all going to have to do.
They were going to sacrifice an innocent child to save their own lives and the rest of humanity's lives. The child who was fighting to protect them was going to be sacrificed for their own survival. It just wasn't fair.
"I'm so so sorry," the three of them thought to themselves as they activated the Dummy Plug system.
Asuka held her breath. She didn't know what to do. If she follows orders, the Angel will be dead and humanity will be saved. But Shinji will die. On the other hand, if she did nothing, Shinji would live but all of humanity would die, meaning Shinji will die anyway!
Then the events of the other day when they kissed and how it made her happy and confused. It also made her feel a tremendous amount of guilt and conflict within her. Life without Shinji… that single realization made her realize that she'll never be as happy without him. "I…" But if the Angel succeeded, she'll never feel that happiness anyways as everyone would be done. No matter what it was a lose-lose situation for her.
Could she live with the guilt of killing someone who made her feel that way? Killing someone who made her happy?
Or could she die with the guilt that she did nothing to stop the destruction of all humanity?
"I'm so sorry! I'll try to be careful!" Unit 02 raised her knife even higher in the air.
But Asuka was too late in her choice. NERV made the decision for her before she had the chance to act. And any hope she may have had in saving the Third Child vanished with it.
Her Entry Plug emitted an orange hue as she lost control of the EVA and it went limp on top of the struggling Unit 03. "What?" She tried to move but her Unit 02 refused to move. The Angel growled as its original arm's hold on the extra pair of arms started to weaken. It started to slowly regain complete control of Unit 03 once more.
"ASUKA!" Shinji yelled in desperation, not knowing why Unit 02 deactivated. He was slowly losing control. This needs to end, now!
A machinery reminiscent of a scorpion emerged from behind the Second Child's controls and locked itself around her hand and the controls, preventing her from releasing her hold on the levers. A monitor drew down in front of the Pilot as the entire Entry Plug was surrounded by a red view. She couldn't tell what was happening outside.
Shikinami looked at the foreign machinery around her, "Wh-what is happening?"
EVA Unit 02 reactivated with all four of its eyes turning red. Its mouth guard broke apart, revealing sets of teeth like a beast. It unleashed a loud roar into the sky, echoing throughout the battlefield. "I…" Asuka struggled to break free from the machinery. She noticed the monitor showed the words, 'DMYSYS'.
"I can't break free! What's happening?" Unit 02 roared once more, this time in front of the Angel's face.
The Ninth Angel roared against Unit 02 in response. The Dummy System controlled EVA threw away the plug knife and grabbed onto both of Unit 03's shoulder limbs before ripping them off with brute force.
Then the red EVA bit through Unit 03's right arm, tossing it aside. Unit 02 ripped out the last arm and smashed it into the black EVA's head. Despite not being able to see, she was still able to feel and hear what was happening outside.
"Unit 02… it's being controlled by this damn drone? I WAS THE EXPERIMENT FOR THIS? DAMN IT!" "STOP!" Asuka begged anyone who could hear her, "I'll do it! I'll figure something out! SO PLEASE! Just stop!" She tried in vain to regain control. She couldn't move her hands.
"DAMN IT!" Shikinami drew back and slammed her head against the monitor in an attempt to destroy the machine in an attempt to regain control. But the monitor was undamaged from her attempt. Her forehead started to bleed from the impact, but she didn't care.
The Pilot just needed this drone to shut down! "DAMN IT! STOP IT!" She kept smashing her head against the monitor in front of her.
As Unit 03 tried to regenerate its lost limbs and damaged head, Unit 02 immediately ripped any regenerating limbs out and started to tear through the black armor and flesh.
Asuka slammed at the monitor one more time and she succeeded in breaking the screen. The monitor raised up but the machinery remained on top of her hands. The red lights surrounding her disappeared, allowing her to see the outside world once more. The first thing she saw was her Unit crushing Unit 03's head with both its hands. Her blue eyes widened at the horror that laid before her. Then she saw Unit 02 brutally dismembering the Angel.
It was killing Shinji. "No! JUST STOP DAMN IT!" But all her demand fell on deaf ears.
Unit 02 was ripping and biting through the flesh with such speed and precision that the Angel couldn't even regenerate them before losing another part of its body. The red behemoth was tearing Unit 03 apart like a hungry, crazed beast.
It kept going with its onslaught until the only thing left was a pile of blue blood, fleshy mesh, ripped apart limbs, and, fortunately, the Entry Plug covered with Angel's leftover blue slime.
The whole time, Asuka was struggling to not puke from the image and the lingering taste of blood in her mouth. Tears started to roll from her eyes and dissolve into the LCL.
"Are you happy now? It's over!" Asuka cried. "The… The Angel… is dead!" And to her much needed surprise, the Entry Plug was safe, but still covered in the remains of the Angelic fungus-like slime. The one in a million chance happened in front of her. The Entry Plug was undamaged…
All of NERV's staffs watched in horror at the destruction and mayhem that Unit 02 brought from the use of the Dummy Plug system. Maya puked on the floor at the images she saw. Aoba looked away, not being able to handle what they had done. Hyuga tightened his hands in frustration that this was the outcome that they chose.
Fuyutsuki frowned and clenched both of his hands in frustration, anger, and sadness. Frustration that he couldn't do anything. He was angry that this was the only way that they could save all of humanity. He was sad that Yui's son, Shinji, was to be sacrificed.
Gendo kept a mask expression as he watched the events unfold. This was what was supposed to happen to ensure that humanity would survive and for their scenario to even have a shred of hope in succeeding. But after watching this happen to his son spurred something within him which he thought that he had long abandoned.
Regret. He regretted allowing his son to be Unit 03's activation Pilot.
Finally, they saw what was left of the Angel and the Entry Plug. They heard Asuka scream over her cries, "Are you happy now? It's over! The… The Angel… is dead!"
Maya kept her head away from the view, she couldn't handle it. It was just too much for her. Aoba was trying to maintain a straight face, but he couldn't hide the horror in his face from what he just witnessed.
Hyuga, trying to hang onto hope, looked over Shinji's status through the plugsuit and the Unit 03's Entry Plug. "... YES!" He turned to the commander with a surprised smile on his face, "It's weak, but there's still a pulse within the Entry Plug! The Pilot's still alive!"
Asuka's eyes widened when she heard the news. A wave of relief washed over her as a smile appeared on her face. "He's okay... he's okay..." She mumbled in a low voice that only she could hear, "That… Idiot Shinji is still alive. He… he really is an Invincible Idiot…"
Shinji was okay… he was still alive.
From Unit 00, Rei smiled, "Shinji," she mumbled. A single tear rolled down from her face before it dissolved within the LCL. "A tear? Why? I'm not sad. Wait. Is… this because I'm happy? Is it because I'm relieved to see Shinji alive?"
Fuyutsuki smiled in relief when he heard the news of the Third Child's status. "It's surprising that the Dummy System purposely left the Entry Plug intact… could the memories and attachment of this Ayanami be carried over to the system somehow?" He shook his head, he wasn't going to question this. He should be thankful that Yui's child survived.
The Sub Commander declared, "Pilot Ikari survived." Everyone in NERV besides the Commander cheered in happiness. They didn't have to abandon the Third Child's life! "We can't dawdle, time is of the essence. Quickly," he then ordered, "Send the emergency medical team to the Children's location for immediate retrieval and medical treatment!"
"Right!" All the NERV staff started to arrange the necessary transport for the Third Child. They had to work fast, they can't let this chance slip awa-
"Belay that order," Gendo ordered in his usual cold tone as he held his good hand up.
Everyone froze, why would the Commander, the father of the child that should be critically injured, if not borderline dead, tell everyone to 'belay that order'? Ikari asked, "What is the status of the Angel?" No one officially reported on the Angel's signature, just the Second Child's visual confirmation. "It seems everyone forgot about the MAGI's predictions…. They are never wrong…"
Maya turned as she tried to scan for Angel's signature. Her heart dropped after the scan was complete.
Gendo asked again, "What is the status of the Angel?"
The woman struggled to say, "Still… ac… ac...acti...ve…"
Everyone's blood ran cold.
All that moment of happiness came crashing down to one single realization.
It wasn't over.
"Active?" Asuka yelled. "What do you mean 'still active'? The Angel is ripped to mush! There's no way-" she couldn't finish as the blue fungus slime covering the Unit 03's Entry Plug started to move and started to grow. It was trying to regenerate. This caused her to realize that the core of the Angel was not the EVA's core, but the Entry Plug itself.
"Shinji!" The redhead called out, "Please answer me! Are you okay? Please! You have to get out there, right now!"
Her Unit, still controlled by the Dummy Plug System, grabbed the Entry Plug and ripped out all the blue essence. Was it still trying to see if the Pilot could be saved? Shikinami's eyes widened when the blue muscles and slime started to seep out through the Entry Plug's gaps. The Angel still was trying to regenerate itself.
"Please…" she begged again as her last hope dissipated and now only despair taking her over.
Unit 02 now grasped the contaminated Entry Plug with both hands. She could feel the EVA increasing its pressure around the plug and the sound of the Entry Plug cracking could be heard. It was crushing the Plug. "STOP DAMN IT!" Asuka tried again in vain to regain control.
Even Rei called out with desperation in her voice, "No! Commander Ikari, please wait! Stop the Dummy System, please!" When she didn't hear any response back, she screamed, "YOU PROMISED ME THAT HE WILL BE SAFE!"
Gendo started to shake as another part of his long lost emotions started to resurface from the emotion that Rei was showing. It even sounded like Yui was telling him to stop. But he couldn't. As long as this Angel was alive, there was no hope for humanity or the scenario and he going to allow promises get in the way of eliminating them.
Fuyutsuki looked away, not being able to handle seeing the death of his student's child.
The entire staffs in NERV followed their sub-commander and looked away in silence. Knowing that there was only one way to stop the Angel. By the destruction of the core, the Entry Plug… which involved the death of the Third Child.
Asuka closed her eyes as she screamed "DAMN IT! STOP!"
"A...Asuka…" a voice came through the radio, which surprised her and everyone listening. She opened her eyes as tried to open up video feed but was only given SOUND ONLY,
"Idiot Shinji, hold on…" "He's awake!" She said, her voice weakening, "This isn't me. You have to get out of th..." "He sounds weak, he can't get out." "Let… let me do someth-"
Shinji replied, "I… I know it's not you…" The cracking of the Entry Plug was heard even louder through the radio. "I… I just wanted to… let you know… before…"
"Shut up!" Asuka cried, "I… I don't want to hear it! I...I'll listen to it after all of this! We'll... We'll talk after this!"
The Thirds voice grew weaker as the Unit 02's grip tightened, causing the Entry Plug to crack more, "I… just want to let you know. I… I don't blame you. This is not your fault."
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Don't talk like you're going to die! Why… why are you even there anyways?"
"...I… I didn't want you to get hurt because… of your condition… and Asuka… before I die-"
The redheads shook her head as more tears rolled down her face faster than it could dissolve in the LCL, "What… what are you, stupid? You're not going to die!" That was a lie. But she just didn't want to believe it. She refused to believe it.
"Asuka… I…I'm sorry I won't be able to...cook for you. And…"
"Just shut up!" She cried, "I'll find a way to get you out!" "No, please. Not like this."
But Shinji ignored her plea because he knew this was most likely his last moment to say his piece. "I'm sorry I won't be able to keep... my promise to train with you and play... music with you..." The Entry Plug started to cave in more, giving off a more sickening metal crunch sound. There was no more time. He needed to say one more thing.
This was his last chance to say how he felt, "And I… like…you… and good-bye."
"Wait, Shinj-" She couldn't say anything more as Unit 02 roared. It completely crushed the Entry Plug with its hands, causing blue blood to explode out of the pod.
Gendo saw that the deed was done, and not caring about what was exchanged between the children, he struggled to hold back his long lost emotion since he lost his wife, "Sta… Status of the Angel?"
Aoba, with much pain and sadness in his voice, declared, "Angel… has gone silent. And… Third Child's has… also gone silent."
A pale skinned, white haired boy's red eyes widened as he looked up to the Earth from the moon through the darkness of space. His face was filled with despair as if he was just told that his loved one had just passed away.
"No… Shinji… This was not what was supposed to have happened."
Rei's red eyes widened. She saw her hope, the only person that she felt connected to, the only person who seemed to have truly cared for her, be crushed inside the Entry Plug. It was getting hard to breathe for her. She let her arms go limp. "Shinji… No… Why did it have to be like this? Commander… why? You... you promised..."
Asuka started to breathe heavily as she tried to process what just happened. The Dummy Plug System that NERV made used her Unit, her hands, to crush Shinji. They used her to… kill...
All she could think of were her talks with Shinji from the last few days.
"It..." Asuka said, "...was good. I expect the same quality tomorrow... Baka Shinji."
He recovered quickly after hearing words of praise from her, "Y-Yes. Of course!" he caught up with her. "Did you want anything specific for tomorrow? We can stop by the groceries on the way and pick some stuff up for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow."
And their continuous talk from the walk back from school.
…
"We are going to have training sessions of course! We're going to start immediately after you get back from your check up..."
Their deal to help each other get better so that they'll never get beat out by the automated piloting system.
…
"Wow!" Asuka said, "That was actually good Third."
As the boy turned, he saw Asuka in her regular school uniform. He quickly glanced at the time before turning his gaze towards her once more. He gave a warm smile, "H-Hey Asuka, welcome back!" almost making the redhead blush. "And it's nothing. I'm not that good at it. I'm still learning."
"Well, everyone can always improve. But one of these days, we should play together. I play the violin."
That was a surprise, "Y-You play an instrument?"
She huffed, "Well, of course. Eva may be my life, but I did dedicate my time to other activities."
The time Asuka heard Shinji play the cello and talked about Hikari and Toji having a crush.
….
"Do you want to kiss?" she asked nonchalantly, not skipping a beat.
"H-Huh?"
"You know, kiss. You've never kissed a girl, have you?" The redhead received a response from her roommate with a nod to confirm her suspicions. "Then let's do it." She lifted her head up from the table.
Shinji was speechless, "I-... why?"
Asuka replied, "Haven't I said it already? It's because I'm bored."
He was stunned again, "Y-You want to... kiss because you're... bored?" Her response was a nod. "...Why me?"
She smirked, "Do you not want to kiss me? Are you afraid?"
"Of course not," he got up, not trying to back down from a challenge.
Asuka got up as well and she asked, "You brushed your teeth, didn't you?" He nodded. "Then here I come." She walked on over until they were about close enough to feel each other's breath. She paused, "Stop breathing, it tickles." The Second Child then grabbed onto Shinji's nose and sent in for the kiss with her eyes closed.
The time that Asuka kissed Shinji and he actually kissed back, only for her to push him back, which now she regrets doing wholeheartedly. If she knew this would be how it all ended… she wouldn't have pushed him back, instead she would've held him close and asked him to stay and not leave the apartment.
…
The events of the last few days and the Third Child's smiling face kept replaying in her mind for what felt like an eternity for her, but it was just a few seconds in real time. Then the battle and what Shinji said echoed in her head.
"I… like…you… and good-bye."
Lastly, the sickening crushing sound of metal and the image of the Entry Plug being crushed by Unit 02 played in her mind.
Asuka finally heard someone from the other line declare, "Angel… has gone silent. And… Third Child's has… also gone silent."
She thought to herself in disbelief, "No… no… it can't be true." The redhead didn't care to wipe off the blood from her face, she was too shocked to even care about that. Her voice shook as she called out in denial of the situation, "Hey Shinji… you… you're... okay... right?"
No answer. Just static from the other end.
"You're… the Invincible Shinji! There's no way that this would end you... You're okay, right? Come on… Say something... If this is some sort of sick joke... It isn't funny."
Still no answer. Only response was the white static noise from the other end.
The Second Child continued as her voice shook harder with each word that came out of her mouth, "We're... supposed to start our training session after today... And you promised… that we would play music together…"
More static.
"Hey Shinji... What's… What's for lunch tomorrow? I… I told you how much I liked the food you made the other day… re-...remember? B-Be sure to make more of those… for to-tomorrow..."
More white noise.
"Y... You mentioned... that we can talk about what happened the other day... or act like nothing happened... well... I do want to talk things through... what do you say to that, Third?"
No reply.
Remembering her plan for him today, she said, "Hey Idiot… I've... even made something special... for you just for today… for when you got back... Come on… Stop being a lazy idiot and... let's go home... to-together..."
Tears started to roll down faster as no response was given from the other end, "Hey Shinji...why... won't you say anything?"
Everyone in NERV could only hear what she had just said in silence as none had the heart to repeat the Third Child's deceased status to her.
Unit 02 dropped the crushed Entry Plug as the Dummy Plug System deactivated as it served its purpose to eliminate the Angel. She watched from her monitor on where the Plug landed. Asuka was looking for any hope that Shinji was alive.
She did find something. When she zoomed in, it was Shinji's left arm sticking out from under a pile of broken metal and red blood dripping out, mixing with the blue blood of the Angel. And… his arm wasn't moving.
Asuka shook her head. "No…" it finally set in her mind the truth that she was trying to avoid with all her might but now no longer could deny…Shinji Ikari...was dead. She saw blood on her EVA's hands. "No..." All she saw in her hands were the bloody remains of the destruction and gore that Unit 02 did.
All she could see was Shinji's blood on her hands.
Her face was filled with despair at what just happened. She held her head with both her hands as both her eyes and head shook in anguish. The only thing the once proud Second Child of Unit 02 could do was release a deafening scream that was heard throughout all of NERV and echoed throughout the plains where the forsaken battle took place.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The pale boy looked up to the Earth, feeling the impact of Shinji's life essence changing, "How? How could this have happened? What was the change? This has never happened before." He closed his eyes, thinking about what he should do.
He looked back to the row of endless coffins. "Before anything can be corrected, I have to figure out what went wrong and caused this divergence." He walked over to the closed coffin next to the opened coffin that he came out of. He touched its surface, "I'm sorry."
Author's Note: That's the end of the chapter.
Hope the battle scenes and some of the walls of texts weren't too much. Hopefully the battle scenes were readable enough lol.
There were some more changes/additions like the inclusion of Unit 00 into battle against the Ninth Angel, the Angel's strength/regenerative capability, Unit 03's Entry Plug's infected interior, etc... Some of which will be explored (more) in the later chapters (I don't want to give too much away for potential spoilers).
Everything will eventually come together.
See you all later.