Hero III: Humanity
Misato Katsuragi felt the wind on her face.
Her fingers understood texture not long after. After hours of metallic plating, the grass felt strange to Misato's senses, the green and bright lights overwhelming her line of sight. She blinked, regaining her bearings.
"What… happened…?"
They were on a suicide run, no other way to put it. Misato and the others knew they would be facing death the moment they came to contact with the JSSDF. Despite her assurances to Shinji, Misato knew for a fact they would all be doomed. It made the current moment ever slightly more jarring, as she didn't feel any pain.
"Are we dead…?"
"That would be easy." A voice shook Misato. "l think we're outside."
Lucidity returned quickly. She turned and found Ryoji Kaji gripping his chest, as if he was searching for the wound that killed him. Ritsuko, Maya and Makoto were on the ground, gathering their thoughts. None of them had injuries from the attack. It raised all sorts of questions, none of which Misato thought about as Kaji spoke.
"I should be dead, yet I'm here." He brought up the obvious. "Tch, to think I owe her my life after all…"
Misato glared at him. "Her? Kaji, what did you do-?"
"Nothing." He responded quickly. "One moment I was dying. The next, we're out here. Ayanami was the only one who could have…"
Kaji didn't continue, quickly met with a punch to the face, courtesy of a snarling Maya.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Only briefly disoriented, Kaji refused to answer. Maya gripped him by the sleeves, as she raged.
"How are you alive!?" She yelled, crying. "Our friends are dead! EVERYONE in there is dead, while you're still alive! What do you have to say for yourself!"
"… Nothing." Kaji said. "I'm sorry."
Maya hit him again, causing him to stagger. "Sorry won't bring them back, you monster!"
"Maya, please-" Makoto had to avoid getting hit by the elbow. "We can't just attack each other right now-!"
"BULLSHIT! He should have died back there, not-" Maya sniffed. "Not…"
Ritsuko held her lover in her arms, trying to reassure her the best she could. "I know, it's unfair… I know…"
Misato couldn't help but frown. She was relieved Kaji was alive, despite all he had done, and that fact alone made her feel worse. Despite all their efforts, all the useless planning and protection from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, in the end, there were barely any survivors. Was it fate that kept them alive?
She could tell, even from Kaji, that they would be spending their lives wracked with guilt over their survival. Was it worth it?
"Um, guys…?" Makoto's eyes widened. "You might want to turn around."
They did. What they saw made them even more afraid.
NERV HQ had seen better days. The facility was riddled with obvious damage, debris littered all over the place, holes were the sun shine through, most likely carved by the Mass Production Evas. None of it was relevant to them, not compared to the presence forming from the top of the base.
They couldn't see all of her, but Misato knew who it was. Rei Ayanami, taller, higher and wider than the most enormous towers, raised her hands to the sky, strange symbols and orange shields forming around her and the base.
"She's created an AT field." Ritsuko stated the obvious. "What's going on inside…?"
Maya laid her head in Ritsuko's shoulder, finding comfort in her. Makoto sighed.
"Nothing we can do now." He said ruefully. "Ayanami made a sacrifice for us."
In her heart, Misato knew it wasn't only her. She searched for the cross around her neck, only to remember it wasn't there. She had given it to someone precious to her, for luck.
"It's all in your hands now, Shinji…" She spoke his name in equal parts adoration and fear. "Make us all proud."
He hadn't run away before. He certainly wouldn't now, not when all was at stake.
"Red and white, hm? I miss the blue."
"My friends and I worked on it. The Spider-Clan like to keep busy."
"Spider-Clan?"
"It's what we call ourselves. No worse than the Sinister Six."
"No, probably not."
It was the first time they had seen each other in… months?
Seemed about right to Dr. Naoko Akagi, aka Doctor Octopus, as she stared down her chosen nemesis. Shinji Ikari, aka Spider-Man, torn but not beaten, was her final roadblock to making history.
She almost gave up on him, once upon a time. When it seemed he lost his powers, the only things that made him special, it took all of Naoko not to murder the boy right then and there. Shinji Ikari was a pathetic little boy. If Third Impact went as planned, he would have succumbed to Instrumentality, that much was certain. Doctor Octopus had her ambitions set high, to eliminate her enemies and bring the world to its knees. She had no time for such a useless brat.
Somehow, Spider-Man returned with his complete powers. Judging from the Soryuu girl, he had also inspired others to his cause. There wouldn't be as many bugs to squash if he hadn't made the so-called Spider-Clan right under her nose. They came from him, whether they knew it or not. Doctor Octopus envied that worship.
Any sensible man with power would demand obedience in return for his favor, but Shinji never took advantage of it. Spider-Man protected everyone, with no strings attached. The people… they practically worshipped him anyway.
"You've enjoyed your reign, Spider-Man." Doctor Octopus said lowly. "Even you have to realize, though, that gods die eventually."
Spider-Man seemed shocked, with the way he tilted his head.
"Gods?" He said. "Is that what you think we are?"
"Aren't we?" Doctor Octopus laughed. "We certainly aren't human. We hold the fate of millions, no, BILLIONS, in our grasp."
She raised her head, ever so slightly.
"Though, I suppose it's more accurate to say I'm the übermensch, while you're the last man, living by the rules of a world about to pass. With this helmet, all I need is one word, and Japan falls."
She planned it that way. Her MAGI supercomputers were connected to every major city in the country. So long as she had the helmet, Doctor Octopus could command the computers to explode, taking out anyone in their path. Spider-Man had absolutely no chance of stopping her.
"I wonder what you're going to do. If you get near me, the hostages will die. If you stay there, they will also die. Kind of a pickle, isn't it?"
"Why are you doing this?" He asked. "Why go through all this effort?"
"Do you really need to ask? I thought you would have figured it out already."
The mechanical arms whirled, their movements making a hissing sound, as angry at the boy as the doctor was.
"If I can't have the world where I win, then I'd rather see you lose. It's as simple as that, Spider-Man. We could have shared this, but you threw away my offer the first time. I won't be so gentle with you now."
Spider-Man took a step forward, letting out out an annoyed sigh.
"So… it was all about being a big shot."
"Always has been." Doctor Octopus clapped her hands. "So glad you noticed! Do you have anything new to say, or can I begin the slaughter?"
Anger. Indignation. Disgust. Naoko was prepared to dismiss any of those useless responses. She had gone this far without care, why should she now?
Laughter, that was unexpected, though. He let out a small, pained laugh, as if mocking her. Naoko's eye twitched in irritation.
"I don't see what's so funny…?"
"I know everyone deals with a mid-life crisis their own way, but really? Congratulations, you pissed off a lot of people. What do you have to show outside of that, old hag?"
"Nice try." Doctor Octopus tapped her goggles. "But your protege already used that one. Try again."
Spider-Man shook his head, conceding to her.
"Right, right, low hanging fruit, I know. Hear me out, though! You know you're literal trash, right?"
The tentacles' claws rapidly opened and shut, eager to silence his insolence.
"Oh?"
"Always have been, always will be. You may have been a genius once upon a time, but now, you're a washed up has-been. Seriously, what kind of loser needs pajamas to make people take you seriously?"
"As if you're any better? At least I don't hide behind a mask like you do!"
"I'm a kid, we get away with stuff like that and eventually grow out of it. You're not getting any younger, and no one's waiting for you at the end of all of this."
"Low hanging fruit indeed, you ARE just a child after all!"
"So are you!" Spider-Man threw his hands up in frustration. "I mean, really, you blew SEELE and NERV off the water when it comes to wasting everyone's precious lives. You're a disgrace, a monster that wouldn't last a day in the real world! I'm telling you now, there is no scenario where you come out of this on top."
"How dare you…" Doctor Octopus' pupils shrank in fury. She tapped her helmet. "Remember that I have the hostages!"
"I don't think they matter much to you." Spider-Man pointed at himself. "You can't get off on their scared little faces from in here, but look at me. You can see mine for free."
"…"
"That's what you want to see, isn't it? Someone terrified of the great and superior Doctor Octopus, as you blaargh and nag all over the place. Come on. Show us all what you can really do, Naoko. It ends now."
"…"
"What do you have to lose? Insurance? Come on. Make. Me. Scared."
Fate brought them together, long ago. Even before their battle in Kokoro, Naoko dimly recalled a small child, alone in the train station. Turmoil raged within Naoko's heart for a fleeting second…
"If that's the way you want it… I'll show you fear, BEFORE CAVING YOUR SKULL IN WITH MY ARMS!"
… Before she dropped the helmet and lunged her mechanical arms at him.
From that moment onward, her ending was pre-determined.
"What the HELL is he doing?!"
Daiki Hirano was his usual quiet self in front of the TV. While the rest of the workers tried their best to fix the MAGI, Daiki stopped to catch a glimpse of the wall-crawler's confrontation with Doctor Octopus. The entire time he watched the screen, Daiki was deathly afraid of Spider-Man saying the wrong thing, or the Doctor triggering the explosives early, wasting everyone's effort.
As soon as she dropped the helmet, however, he allowed himself to relax… before becoming overwhelmed with hatred.
"That fucking moron almost killed us!" Daiki said. "She had us, right in the palm of her hand, and he almost… god, that kid's a dumbass…"
People started noticing he was talking to himself. Someone even dared to yell at him.
"Get your ass moving, numbnuts!"
"Shut your mouth!" Daiki rolled his eyes. "Pieces of shit."
He picked up a box and marched over to table full of people working on computers. He slammed the box next to Moya Kitagawa, who was busy cracking MAGI coding for the system. Daiki shook his head.
"I don't wanna die today."
Kitagawa raised his eyebrows. "Me neither. Why are you telling me this?"
"Didn't you see? We're lucky that bitch didn't wipe us out, with the way that spider-freak egged her on!"
Kitagawa shrugged. "She would have killed us one way or another. At least Spider-Man gave us a chance."
Daiki growled. "He didn't do shit… I don't owe that bug anything."
"He'd save you regardless of whether you owe him. Right now, he's keeping her distracted while we work. If I were you, I'd take the chance he's given us and actually do something."
On the one hand, he was right. On the other hand, Daiki didn't like the cards he had been dealt with. The result was a frustrated growl.
"If he costs us…"
"Then, we'll take a drink to his death." Kitagawa said. He looked at the box Daiki dropped. "This isn't the right equipment. Go to Site-B, they should have it there."
Daiki rolled his eyes, and ran to the site. If they came out of this alive, Daiki would move out of the city. He never wanted to see Spider-Man again.
One hour.
He had one hour to keep Naoko busy until Maya's virus was uploaded. She couldn't upload the virus directly, needing to be separated into chunks, sent to the other MAGI to be reconstructed by any survivors left there. It was the whole reason for this battle, and why Shinji had to trust his friends to protect themselves. Everything hinged on the plan.
He knew for sure, this wasn't going to be an easy fight.
His Spider-Sense felt the danger before the tentacles openly lunged at him. Spider-Man jumped to the ceiling, moving his legs to kick Doctor Octopus, forcing her to crash into the screens. As electric sparks burst from the destroyed glass, Doctor Octopus growled. She commanded her tentacles to attack Spider-Man, who flipped backwards to dodge them, before dropping to the floor. He launched webbing toward Doctor Octopus, but she grabbed them with her hands.
"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long!"
As she said it, one of her tentacles freed itself from the ceiling, slamming into Spider-Man's head. Dazed for a minute, Spider-Man trusted his Spider-Sense and rolled out of another tentacle attack, before jumping to the wall. He crawled across the screens, allowing the arms to smash them.
"And you haven't been gone long enough, Doc! How about we call it a day, set up a date later? Maybe never"
He bounced off the wall to meet the doctor, only to receive more blunt force trauma, courtesy of a tentacle.
"Sorry, I need to get this over with now. My week's busy."
Two more mechanical arms went to attack him, but Spider-Man grabbed them instead, using the tentacles to propel himself back to the ceiling. If they hit him with full force, they would probably crush his bones. He hoped to avoid that.
"I preferred it when you weren't trying to be funny!"
"Funny, I preferred it when you were quiet!"
He raced across the ceiling, before allowing his feet to collide with an incoming tentacle lunging at him. He then slid across the sheen of the metal, readying a fist.
"Well, neither of us can get what we want!" Spider-Man yelled. "GERONIMO!"
He promptly caved Doctor Octopus in the face, forcing her to waddle back. Her mechanical arms projected out in chaos, as Spider-Man slammed another fist into her gut.
"Someone order a knuckle sandwich? You get it for free, no extra tax!"
Before he could land another punch, his fist was promptly grabbed by Doctor Octopus. Her nose bled.
"Thanks, but I have it covered."
Before he could react, Shinji felt a blow to his stomach. He stumbled backwards, surprised by Naoko's strong punch, before one of the tentacles' claws grabbed his head and shoved him into another wall of screens.
He felt his face crushed by wires and electronic parts, each digging into his flesh, carving it. Relief came, if briefly, when two more tentacles grabbed his hands, and smashed him across more screens. His back began to be cut and shredded, before he was soon forced to the floor. A fourth tentacle aimed its head to kill him.
As it lunged, though, Spider-Man regained his senses. He attached his hands to the floor, and forced the incoming tentacle to strike at one of the mechanical arms holding him down. It promptly let go of Spider-Man, who twisted his hands to escape the tentacles. A third arm aimed to attack, to which Shinji punched it to the side.
C-Crrrrrrrck!
Upon contact with his fist, cracks began to form along the tentacle. It startled Doctor Octopus, used to being invincible.
"H-How did he…?"
There was no time to ponder. Spider-Man webbed himself to the ceiling, to which Doctor Octopus attempted to attack him down once more.
Spider-Man moved past the mechanical arms, ripping off a metal plate before throwing it at the doctor. Doctor Octopus tore the plate apart with her own hands, not knowing it was a plot to keep her distracted. Spider-Man began to swing from the ceiling, away from her, all over the wide arena.
"So, you built this club house without telling us? Rude! We coulda shared campfire stories, or done each other's hair!"
"Exclusive membership." Doctor Octopus spat out. "I'm sure you'd understand."
Shinji could tell Naoko was increasingly getting frustrated. She was more focused on him than anything else, which made her tentacles failing to grab him ever more of an annoyance. In essence, he did his job well.
Spider-Man webbed the floor next to Doctor Octopus, launching himself like a cannonball toward her. She dodged the incoming crash, but that wasn't Spider-Man's actual play. He used both hands to push toward her, crossing his legs around her waist.
"What the-!"
SLAM!
He used as much force he could muster to punch her straight in the face. Spider-Man punched, punched and punched, slamming his fists into her face as hard as he could. She stammered, her robotic limbs going haywire again. It seemed they worked in tandem with Naoko's concentration.
Shinji's resolve strengthened upon learning it. He kept hitting her, knocking her down, forcing her legs to the floor.
"You're not scared are you? Trust me, I can get much worse."
Even with that, Naoko… smiled.
"If you were trying to intimidate me-"
She caught his hand in a vice-like grip. She used her other hand to grab his neck, slamming the wall-crawler to the floor.
"-You failed!"
She had one of her mechanical arms crush Spider-Man's stomach. He cried out in pain, much to Doctor Octopus' joy. She then commanded the other three tentacles to pick up the wall-crawler from the floor.
"Hm…" She hummed. "Nope. Not enough. Hurt him more."
Her tentacles complied, shoving Spider-Man through the ceiling, smashing the plates above. His costume tore, as the arms also slammed him down the floor, shoving him back through broken screens to slash him more. Doctor Octopus delighted in seeing glass shards tearing apart her hated enemy.
As soon as she was satisfied, the tentacles stopped. She had Spider-Man brought to her. Broken. Dazed. Lost.
"Spider-Man, are you afraid now?"
She took off the glove in her left hand. It began to glow.
"Because I assure you, you haven't seen fear yet."
Asuka Langley Soryuu, the Scarlet Spider, had been walking for… minutes? An hour?
She could hardly tell, having ran for some time before her legs tired out. Her entry plug was a distant memory by now. The greatest fight of her life, and she couldn't enjoy it. Not when the cost was too great.
Asuka faced helplessness before. Each time, she reacted badly. It was what happened when you were told and trained to be the best. They never prepared her for failure, when her worst fears came true. Despite how much she trained for today, Asuka lost two of the most important people in her life.
Mama…
Asuka had complicated feelings about her at best. She knew, on some level, that her mother was culpable for her becoming a pilot, robbing Asuka of her childhood. Her body was responsible for scarring her memories, caring more for the doll than her own daughter.
However, even with all that, Asuka knew her mother didn't deserve to die. She did everything she could for her, while Asuka took Unit 02 for granted. Now, Asuka will never be able to see the real her. Even that didn't compare to the other loss…
She turned her head. Asuka saw the creature atop NERV, and weeped.
Rei merged with the Angel in the basement. It was the only explanation for how her lover rose to the sky, beyond her line of sight. Something must have happened at NERV for Rei to go to such an extreme solution. Asuka and Shinji fought to prevent Rei from fulfilling Gendo's wishes for her, yet seemed the merge happened anyway.
"It's all such a waste!" Asuka slammed her foot to the ground. "I hate it! I hate everything!"
In hindsight, breaking the comm was a stupid idea. At the time it made sense, as the comm would have distracted her during the fight. Yet now, after she almost died, Asuka wished she had someone, anyone, to talk to at the moment. It was lonely and miserable alone, without even Mama to give her comfort. She didn't know where Misato and the others were. She was lost.
She missed them already. She missed Rei.
"I hope it was worth it, Rei! I hope merging with that… that… thing wasn't for nothing!"
It was easier to scream, to lash out. Asuka hoped Rei hadn't heard her this time. Rei was more than a clone, more than an Angel, she had to know that. Asuka saw her make that choice back in the basement. Now…
Asuka faced away from the giant Rei. She didn't know what Rei was doing… but she didn't care. She had to keep moving.
"Where are they… where… wait a minute…"
She must have been too deep in thought. When Asuka started paying attention, she found a small camp of people close by.
"Eh?" Asuka blinked. "Wait, of course…"
These must have been the hostages Shinji and Marie rescued not too long ago. Some of them had guns trained on tied-up soldiers, ready to fire if they went out of line. Most of the rest just tended to their wounds, or crying over lost family members.
Eyes turned on her quick. Asuka felt awkward having them stare at her.
"… hi…" She shrugged. "I'm with Spider-Man."
They nodded, and went back to business. Relieved, Asuka simply continued further into the makeshift camp. She glanced to the left, and saw the Shocker ranting at random survivors, who only rolled their eyes at what he had to say. She walked slower.
"Wonder if Misato is here…" Asuka took another glance around the camp, only for her eyes to widen. "Wait a second!"
She rushed to a side of the camp. Sure enough, Asuka saw Marie Vincennes- aka the Black Cat- with some random red head sitting in the grass. Last time she saw Marie, they were all inside the base. How did they escape? Marie turned her head.
"Hey, Asuka! You're alive!"
Of course, it didn't compare to the real surprise that sat across from them.
"Sandgirl?!" Asuka readied her poison blast. "If you so much as hurt them-"
Immediately, the red head stepped from the floor and ran to Asuka. She put her hand over Asuka's own, only scowling at minor burning.
"Relax, Asuka." She said. "We made peace, no one's fighting."
Asuka glared at the Sandwoman. "I find it hard to believe."
"It's like she said." Sunako said. "How are we expected to fight when we got no time left?"
"What the hell do you-?" Asuka blinked. "Oh."
She powered down her blast. The red-head waved her burned hand trying to shrug off the pain.
"Mana Kirishima. You might have heard of me."
"Right, the fake-nurse." Asuka rolled her eyes. She pointed a finger at Sunako. "Are you going to cause problems?"
Next to Sunako was an unconscious man. He had electric sparks coursing through his body. Sunako lovingly rubbed her fingers over his hair, feeling no pain.
"No, we're not." She said, before sighing. "He wasn't always like this. I did everything I could to protect him, to make sure he grew up well and with a scholarship. Somehow, it all went wrong."
"You can't control everyone," Marie said sadly. "Some things are outside of our hands. Even luck."
"I guess so." Sunako frowned. "I just wish there was another way…"
Asuka nodded. She frowned sadly.
"Don't we all."
She sat next to them. It wasn't like she had better things to do, anyway. All they had was each other, and the end.
"Not so tough now, are you Spider-Man? You questioned my genius, and now, it will be your downfall-!"
Shinji didn't know what hurt more. The tentacles, his face, or Naoko's obnoxious monologuing.
His arms and legs were held up by the mechanical arms, so he couldn't move them. Doctor Octopus' hand glowed green, ready to fry his brain at any time. By all accounts, she was ready to kill him.
He wished anyone were here. Asuka, Misato, Marie, Mana, Rei, whoever would have been available. He'd even take Hyuuga.
"- You're not paying attention." Naoko snapped her fingers in front of him. "Any last words, Spider-Man? Before I show the world just how weak you are?"
Shinji knew it would end like this, somehow. Eventually, he would have to face someone that was too powerful, the odds finally turned against him. If he could leave, live a quiet life, he would have done it. Shinji weakly responded.
"Just… one thing…"
However, an hour wasn't up yet. He had to improvise.
"HEADBUTT!"
"What- AUGH?!"
Spider-Man forced his forehead against Naoko's, causing the tentacles to drop him. He wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Spider-Man said. "Put 'em up, partner. It's go time!"
Shaking her head, Doctor Octopus commanded her tentacles to attack. Spider-Man moved his head away from decapitation, forcing his legs to move faster than the arms. He punched her gut, and then her face again, then crouched to avoid another swing from the tentacles.
"What's with adults and immortality? If it's about living the glory days, we have a hundred high school shows for that!"
Unfortunately, one tentacle managed to hit Spider-Man, forcing him backwards. He recovered fast enough to dodge a second tentacle eager for the kill, then jumped to the ceiling. He webbed one of the monitors, throwing it straight into Doctor Octopus, who grabbed it with her hands and tore it apart. Her nose bled further.
"Reality is often disappointing. It's why we make our own."
His Spider-Sense tingled, but it was too late. He failed to avoid avoid another swipe of a tentacle, being knocked back to the ground.
"Sounds…" He coughed. "… Like a you problem."
He pushed himself from the floor, and threw both legs into a kick to Doctor Octopus' stomach. With her distracted, he caught a glance at a set of broken monitors. He had an idea.
"Quick, crazyladywiththearmssayswhat?"
The doctor growled. "I'M NOT CRAZY!"
"Could have fooled me!"
The mechanical arms lunged in pursuit, even as he ran up to the walls. The tentacles smashed through more monitors, creating static across several screens as they hunted their elusive, persistent and annoying prey.
If they bothered paying attention, the tentacles wouldn't have made a costly mistake.
Spider-Man stayed in place, sparks almost flying at his feet.
"Score one for me, zero for the killer octopus! Here, I'll give you an easy target!"
With that, he slapped his own butt.
"Admit it, you're jealous of my tooshie."
Immediately, the tentacles lunged at him. Shinji smirked underneath the mask.
"Definitely jealous."
At the last second, he jumped away. The tentacles found themselves lodged into the shattered systems, as a strong electrical current overcame them. The feedback loop soon transferred to their master, who shrieked in pain.
"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"
The tentacles were rendered immobile, if only for a minute. Spider-Man took advantage and attacked Doctor Octopus. He slammed a fist into her face, shaking her concentration.
"We've had our song and dance, but I think you should get some rest!"
Doctor Octopus kicked him in the ribs, momentarily disorienting him.
"Not until you're dead, you stupid child! Do you know what I had to do in order to get this far?"
Spider-Man dodged another punch, instead throwing another punch to her sides.
"Do you know half the crap I went through last year alone? Unlike you, I plan on living forever! Just you see!"
During their fight, Shinji thought about all he had seen a lot over the year. He fought dangerous criminals, outlandish supervillains, terrifying, unknowable Angels, the monstrous machine known as Evangelion, and most of all… himself.
Each and every time, he felt hopeless against the odds, and each and every time, he somehow came out on top. Shinji had trouble recognizing his own worth, but even he knew that anyone else would have thrown in the towel by now. He earned each and every one of those wins.
All except for Naoko Akagi. She was the first, and so far only person, who made him feel like victory was truly impossible. Not even his mother, who nearly drove him to the brink of death, could claim that. He won the last time by getting lucky, preying on a weakness until he got get the drop on her. It wouldn't be the same here, not with everything at stake.
Even now, Shinji was afraid of what might happen if he lost, how many would die to the doctor's raging insanity, her need to feel strong…
His Spider-Sense came again. He could hear the tentacles roaring again.
One hour. He had to keep her busy for one hour, and so far it had been about… fifteen minutes? Twenty minutes? He wasn't keeping track, which was a problem. He had to take it up a notch.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! SHUT UP YOU STUPID INSECT!"
Doctor Octopus slammed a fist right across his chin, propelling him up into the air. All the tentacles began to lunge toward him.
Time slowed down for Shinji. The claws of the arms didn't matter as much as his thoughts at the moment.
He hated himself. He was tired of hating himself. Shinji always felt weak, and being Spider-Man only went so far to dissuade that feeling. In the end, it was just a mask. Knowing this fact made him realize, however inadvertently, that he had never been dishonest, sneaky or any of the other bad things he'd say he was. He wouldn't be fighting Naoko otherwise.
Even with how nasty he can get, people forgave him. People trusted and cared about him, were willing to put their lives on the line for his sake. They… loved him.
He was tired of letting them down.
With time returning, Spider-Man grabbed two of the tentacles with his hands, and split his legs to block the remaining two.
"Talking is my personality, Doc! Take it-"
He swiftly jumped from the arms, and kicked her face in.
"-or leave it!"
His powers, his friends, Evangelion, they came to him through circumstance. Spider-Man? The suit was his own idea. He chose to carry the great responsibility that came with his powers, and for better and for worse, he made something for himself. Shinji had to hold on to that, that he made a difference. He had to remember that, just maybe, he wasn't alone.
He was pretty sure Doctor Octopus was seeing red by now. Good.
"If you want to kill these people," Spider-Man raised his fists. "You'll have to get through me, Doctor."
Touji Suzuhara was scared. Why wouldn't he be, when so much could be lost in an flash?
His girlfriend, Hikari Horaki, couldn't bear to hear the battle unfolding. Both were in a shelter not too far from Tokyo-3, evacuated in case of NERV's incoming invasion. For Hikari's sake, Touji kept listening to the radio, hearing a news reporter detail Spider-Man's battle with Doctor Octopus. Touji held Hikari close, while the people around them listened in.
"Fight it, Shinji…" Touji muttered under his breath. "He should have whacked her ages ago… what's going on…?"
Hikari barely held back her fear. "Do you… do you think this is it?"
"What?"
"The end…?" She said shamefully. "If Shinji and Asuka can't stop her, who else could…?"
"It can't be… Those two are the most stubborn assholes I've ever met." Touji said. "They wouldn't give up, not without trying literally everything else first."
But even he couldn't keep the worry from his voice. All it took was Spider-Man going down for a minute, and they'd all be dead. It was a humbling, naked fear. Everyone inside the shelter felt it. Some more than others.
"it's no use!" A stranger in the crowd said. "We're gonna die, and it's gonna be her fault!"
"We didn't make it through the Angels for this shit!"
"Our daughter was in Shinjuku…"
"Why can't the military do shit?!"
The crowd was murmuring and ranting, growing louder every second. They voiced the hidden, raging thoughts that most were feeling, most buried beneath their masks until now. Touji couldn't help but yell himself.
"Knock it off! We're not dying!"
"Shut up, stupid!" An older man said. "We're all gonna' die!"
It went on like this for several minutes. Rage and fear enveloped the room, Hikari holding onto Touji as it unfolded. Touji was left sickened by it all. He didn't want to add to the frustration, but they just kept piling up.
"Excuse me… all of you, please listen…"
Finally, a voice cut through the crowd. They turned around, finding a younger, freckled boy with glasses practically jogging out of the bathroom. Touji recognized him immediately.
"Kensuke?"
Kensuke Aida had been missing from the action, ever since the destruction of Shinjuku. It disgusted him, and even now, Kensuke was on the verge of tears.
"Um, so I have something to say." He said. "I promise, it won't take too much of your time."
Some stared at him, looking for an excuse to eviscerate him. Most complied, giving the boy a cent of their time. Kensuke made it count.
"So, like, a few months ago, me and my friend Suzuhara… we were out playing soldiers out in the field. When we came back to the city, we were… attacked. A Scorpion monster tried to kidnap us. I think you all heard of him by now."
How could Touji forget? How could his sister, Sakura, forget? Touji whipped his head around, finding Sakura frowning at the mention of the monster that kidnapped her.
"Y-You know who came by that day, saved us from becoming chopped liver? Spider-Man. H-he risked his life, almost losing his eyes, trying to stop that thing. If it weren't for him, we probably would have died… or worse."
People in the crowd nodded sympathetically. Some lost family members to the monster, grateful the boy had help.
"I think that… yeah, it looks awful… but Spider-Man's always pulled through when it mattered. We all have a story. You know, where things seemed wrong and Spider-Man saved the day. Who wants to tell one?"
It started when one man spoke up, his daughter in tow. "My daughter and I were together on the day of the Rhino's attack. He flung a car at us, but Spider-Man lifted it before we could be crushed."
"He saved us!" His daughter said. "He's a hero!"
"B-Before that!" Someone else said. "We were working on a building, when I fell off! Spider-Man swung in, and saved me from dying! I saw how nervous that kid was, but he was something!"
A smaller group nodded in approval, one speaking up for them. "We almost died to Doctor Octopus! She destroyed the controls to the train, we almost careened to our deaths if it weren't for Spider-Man!"
That particular story gave the others courage. Many began to share their own stories:
"I was just minding my business when Mysterio dropped that gas. Spider-Man saved my life!"
"He saved my baby from a burning building!"
"That Scorpion guy had us prisoners. He kept that guy distracted while some teenage boy saved us."
"I saved Spider-Man!" Sakura said. "He was going to die when I threw a thing at the Scorpion thing! Then he saved me!"
"Venom would have torn me apart if it weren't for Spider-Man! My crotch still hurts…"
At the stories being told, the shelter grew more lively. They were slowly being united by a common sentiment, one that Kensuke voiced.
"Exactly! Whenever he was able to, Spider-Man's never let us down! We should believe in him, show him support!"
"He's got a point! WAY TO GO, SPIDEY!"
"SPIDER-MAN! SPIDER-MAN! SPIDER-MAN! SPIDER-MAN! SPIDER-MAN!"
They chanted Spider-Man's name, showing their support to the wall-crawler. Touji himself couldn't be more amazed at what his friend had done.
"Not bad, Ken. Not bad."
—
The people in the shelter were not the only ones rooting for Spider-Man. At the F.E.A.S.T. center in Kokoro, Martin Lee bore witness Spider-Man's fight with equal concern and gratitude.
Even knowing how far he had come, Martin couldn't help but be amazed by Shinji's tenacity. Doctor Octopus would be a fool to underestimate him.
"You can do it, Shinji…"
—-
At a SEELE base a country away, Noriko Takaya, aka Captain America watched the battle on a screen, while Fuijikawa and Mockingbird worked on taking apart the MAGI.
"You're just going to stand there being useless?" Fujikawa asked. "Or are you actually going to help?"
Noriko shook her head, ignoring Fujikawa.
"I was right about you, Spider-Man… be careful…"
—-
In another part of the world, Logan caught his children watching the fight. Daken had a bowl of popcorn, clearly enjoying it. Laura was watching the screen intently. Logan tilted his head.
"That's old news by now, isn't it…?"
Laura shook her head.
"I have to see how it ends."
Logan didn't disagree. "… I guess so."
—-
Somewhere in Lake Ashi, a man managed to claw his way back to the shore. He breathed heavily, nose buried in the sand.
"Rei… you certainly can be cruel."
Gendo Ikari, along with the white symbiote attached to his body, rolled to his back. He allowed himself to catch his breath, the suit crawling back to his skin. Then, he turned his head back to the water. It was overflowing with drowned, dead soldiers. He couldn't help but smile at the display.
"Clearing the old for the new… you and Shinji are already making good progress."
-—
Mana Kirishima felt a strange pulse flow through her.
"Something's wrong…" She said. "Not sure what, but I think Shinji might be in trouble."
"I wouldn't worry about that." Marie said with a grin. "He's Spider-Man, he can do anything!"
"He's an idiot, but…" Asuka shrugged. "I know him. He'll come back safe and sound."
Mana nodded, still unsure. He put a hand over her chest, knowing how behind the costume was just a shy boy being forced to fight. She couldn't help but admire him for trying his best, even with the sad, uncomfortable real-self he inadvertently revealed during the base.
"I… really hope he pulls through… he owes me a second date…"
—-
Rei Ayanami was not in this world.
-—
His Spider-Sense was always reliable. Not listening to it would be a mistake
When Shinji thought he lost the Spider-Sense, it became a major hindrance in his fights. He spent most of the day fighting soldiers and villains on his way to Doctor Octopus, all without being alerted to danger. Now, Shinji realized he had apparently gone so long without it, he forgot how, when the headaches around his head were intense, it was a sign that he should listen.
From what Maya told everyone, Doctor Octopus had a similar Spider-Sense, an ability to see the future. He really shouldn't be getting too cocky, but Shinji couldn't help but taunt the doctor.
"Wow, I can tell you're tired and mad. So much for the Master Planner, eh?
He dodged two swipes of tentacles, before grabbing onto a third to kick the fourth one. He then kicked the back of Doctor Octopus' head, infuriating her even more.
"Then again, no plan really lasts long against me!"
She growled. "Oh, don't worry. My plan's going great. I just have to get rid of an arachnid first."
Spider-Man crouched to avoid another attack. "Ha, finally! Someone got it right! You know, everyone always calls them bugs but spiders are actually arachnids! So are scorpions, harvestmen, tarantulas, parasitiformes-"
"Did you ever hear about the phalangiotarbida?" Naoko grinned. "They're well known for going extinct."
A mechanical arm slammed the floor, to which Spider-Man responded by webbing out of the way.
"Oof, I'll make sure to avoid dying. We Spider-Men don't reproduce easily."
Shinji felt an awkward bump near the neck. The cross necklace that Misato gave him somehow hadn't broken at all during the fighting. Shinji didn't know if it was the suit's strength protecting it, or if he had just been lucky.
Probably the second option if he was being honest.
The necklace served as a reminder of what he had to do. Shinji checked the remaining monitors for the time.
'January… first… 12:48…?'
His first thought was on how everything happened in one day. It felt longer to the boy.
More importantly, however, was that Shinji somehow kept Naoko at bay for that long. He hadn't felt the passage of time at all during the fight, due to how numb and repetitive it became. Shinji only had to hold her off for 11 minutes before the virus was uploaded.
Even if it was the case, however, there was a massive problem. Nothing he did caused meaningful damage to Doctor Octopus. She didn't tire or get hurt, and gave just as much she got. He cursed himself for ever spending a moment alone with her. Maybe then she wouldn't have used his blood to give herself powers.
'Even getting shocked isn't enough.' Shinji thought. 'I have to find a way to stop her, permanently.'
If he couldn't hurt Naoko no matter what, then the best option was to break the mechanical arms. He had gotten stronger, at least enough to cause cracks on one. But could he actually break them?
It was a curious thought. Shinji hadn't actually tried, not since the night at the hospital. Maybe he could try. Maybe…
A lightbulb formed in his head.
Maybe he didn't need to destroy them, specifically.
"So, Ocky, can I call you Ocky? What did you say your arms were made out of?"
He dodged another tentacle strike, jumping atop it to run along the arm. He propelled himself past more tentacles to get close to Doctor Octopus, who grabbed the boy and smashed him into a monitor.
"Adamantium coating, reinforcing the plastic for stretching material." She simply said. "Why, are you planning on shopping for armor?"
She crashed his face into more monitors, over and over. Naoko wanted to make him suffer.
"Ugh… maybe…?" Shinji weakly let out. "Beats having shrapnel in my face."
"Oh baby." Naoko sighed. "Time for your nap."
Her ungloved hand began to glow. She readied it over the back of Shinji's head.
"What's that? No quips, jokes, not even a whiny rant about how evil I am?"
He shook his head. "Not really? You kind of already proved yourself out there."
"Indeed. I'm just reinforcing it by killing you- AGH!"
He webbed her face, covering her eyes. Enraged, the doctor focused more on trying to free herself, as Spider-Man crawled the wall of monitors. His Spider-Sense went to haywire it a way it never had before.
"Now, or never…"
He jumped behind the doctor, just as Naoko tore the webbing apart, blood pouring down her nose.
"Where'd the stupid spider go-?!'
With all his might, Spider-Man threw a punch at the tentacle harness around Doctor Octopus' torso…
…
…
…
Blood.
The first thing Shinji felt was blood pouring down his chest. It was followed by the pain inflicted by the tentacle tearing through his chest.
"Oh…"
More mechanical arms ripped into his body. One through his leg, another through his torso, and another through the back. He bled as the doctor turned around to greet him.
"My, my… looks like I caught a little spider in my arms…"
She wasted no time. Her hand covered his masked face.
"… now, die."
A green flash erupted. The mask was obliterated, and the face… No one would recognize it now.
With that, the tentacles dislodged from Spider-Man, allowing his body to collapse onto the floor. Doctor Octopus raised her hands in triumph, laughing at her fortune.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahah, I WON! I FINALLY WON, BOY!"
She kicked his body, giggling like a school girl who aced an exam. Naoko Akagi thought nothing would make her happier than she felt destroying the cities, but her arch nemesis dead below her heels came to extremely close.
"Look at this, world! Your hero is dead! Your hope is extinguished, as I finally bring you true despair!"
She ranted to the screen, as Spider-Man's body laid on the floor. He was dead.
Neither noticed or cared for a yellow net-like pattern that enveloped the room, no different from that of an Angel…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Shinji Ikari had seen this dream before.
Alone in an orange sea, the world passed him by. Shinji used to hear voices within the water, blaming him for tragedies and horrid acts he had no idea about. At first, he thought it was simply his fears manifesting within his sleep. Ever since Leliel, he wondered if he had been seeing alternate universes. Kaworu seemed to be able to peer into them, why couldn't he?
The dream was different this time around. For a first, Shinji didn't feel like he was drowning. Bubbles forming around his mouth, but he didn't suffocate. It felt like being inside of the Eva, the LCL connecting him to the machine. He could feel his body floating up to the surface.
'Is this… wait…'
His head came out first.
"Gah!" Shinji gasped. "W-Where… where am I?"
He finally gathered his senses, feeling the touch of sand for the first time. Shinji noticed a whole floor underneath him. It was a shock.
"… well, it beats the hospital ceiling." He decided. "Okay, where am I?"
He crawled out of the orange water, looking up. He appeared to be beneath a dune. He crawled up, the sand oddly not pouring between his toes. Shinji looked down at himself, realizing he was wearing his school uniform. The cross necklace dangled around his neck like a prize.
"Why would I have this? It's so strange…"
He didn't analyze it too deeply. Once he reached the top of the dune, Shinji looked up…
"Oh my god."
At first, he couldn't see it. Only until he blinked his eyes that he could see an enormous bright light emanating in the red sky. He found a set of stairs that connected to the light, but more importantly, he saw the shape of familiar figures standing on them.
"Hello, Shinji." Kaworu said. "It's been a while."
"Hi." Mayumi said, a blush adorning her cheeks. "I was hoping to see you…"
Shinji smiled. "You… you guys are here… But…" His eyes widened in horror. "I… I must be dead, right?"
"Unfortunately. Can't be helped in our profession."
There were more faces in the stairs, ones that Shinji remembered. He took a glance at the older man who spoke, and frowned.
"You have done so well, Ikari." Professor Inumaru said, not an ounce of shame heard. "If I had trusted you more, maybe my family would still be alive. Instead, I ruined everything for us…"
"Inumaru…" Shinji said his name, realizing what this had to mean. "I'm sorry-"
"Don't be." Inumaru shook his head. "I rushed in, without considering the consequences. I don't blame you."
"I do. There's plenty he'll pay for." A younger, rougher voice spoke. "It's far too late for apologies."
Shinji knew him too. Tsuyoshi Kotei, the former Scorpion, reason why Rai wanted to kill him, a boy he failed.
"I know it won't mean much," Shinji said. "But I wish I found a way to save you."
"Forget about it." Kotei said. "I never liked you, you never liked me. It's pointless to think about what ifs. Now, come on. Time to go home."
"Home?" Shinji looked to the light. "Like, in the afterlife or something?"
"Home is wherever the heart is." Kaworu said. "You can be wherever you want to be."
"Even here." Mayumi said. "Are you afraid?"
"…"
"You won't come with us."
Mayumi didn't ask. She said it sadly, already knowing the answer. Shinji held up the cross in his hand, showing her the reason.
"I can't. Not until my home is safe. I have to go back."
"A wise decision." Kaworu nodded. "Many times, you chose life over death. You always had the will, even without the suit."
"I know." Shinji smiled. "Death creates nothing. I have to keep living past today. It's what I need…."
He shook his head.
"No. It's what I want."
"Very good." Kaworu said. "If you want, we can guide you back."
Inumaru and Kotei remained where they were. Instead, Kaworu and Mayumi took Shinji's hands, and led him back down the dune, returning to the ocean.
As he stepped into the orange sea, allowing it to reach his face, Shinji closed his eyes…
… just as Spider-Man opened his.
He opened his mouth to breathe, his vision blurry. He blinked, hearing vague ranting and muttering next to him. Shinji turned his head, finding Doctor Octopus still going on about his death. If nothing else, her monologuing gave him time to act.
The first thing Shinji felt upon regaining sight was the holes. The blood kept pouring down open wounds, some on his upper torso, one through the leg, all fresh from the doctor's savage attack. Even the parts they weren't broken twitched involuntarily.
He surmised it was due to the blast to his head. Suffering a direct assault like that must have ruined some of his motor functions. He needed was to lay low for a couple of hours before healing.
'Humans aren't born with wisdom or knowledge. Both are learned through living. You can never take back what you do. We make peace with that, however we can. I think accepting responsibility is a good thing, but only as much as we could be reasonably capable of, not over what's outside our control.'
Mana was right on the money. A lot of things are outside his control. Stopping Doctor Octopus, however?
If Shinji wanted to make a difference, he had seconds not hours.
With that in mind, he forced himself to heal. He commanded his body, outright begged for any god that would listen for it to work. Naoko kept her attention to the screens. Shinji looked down his body. Every second counted, for another moment wasted meant certain doom.
He concentrated hard on the leg. He couldn't move without it. Shinji gazed it, hoping… hoping…
Feeling. His leg had feeling again. The hole in it closed, much to Shinji's relief.
He felt the wounds in his chest also close. Outside of the fresh blood that remained, it stopped pouring. It reminded Shinji of the first night he fought Shocker, when the police fired bullets into him, and he needed the night and day to recover. Shinji remembered calling for Yamashiro to help him.
Remembering his former caretaker and father, Shinji could feel sensation returning to his arms. Even as they shook, Shinji knew he could handle it. He rolled over, forcing his hands to the floor. He pulled himself up, despite the shaking in his leg and arms.
He tried to gasp, but it came out as flaccid air. It was then that Shinji realized he still couldn't feel his face.
His gloved hand touched it for only a moment. Blood stained the whole glove.
An odd déja vú came over him then.
If this was how it had to be, so be it. Spider-Man turned to Doctor Octopus, and readied his bloodied hand.
"… With his body burned beyond recognition, I can finally do what I should have done long ago. END ALL OF YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"
THWIP!
He webbed the harness around the doctor, and pulled her down to the floor.
"What the hell…?" He heard her say. "Who-!?"
Shinji had to admit. Seeing Naoko's face pale at the sight of him was priceless.
"I-Impossible… you're…"
Dead.
By all accounts, Dr. Naoko Akagi should have died years ago. She had no place in Gendo Ikari's plan, let alone the Committee's. Her survival was a quirk of fate, one she was grateful for every second of every day. She had killed many people, including two of her most hated rivals. It was only a shame Ritsuko wasn't among them, but Naoko had plenty of time to fix that.
Or so she thought.
Naoko felt a shift in the room for some time. She couldn't explain it, but a gut instinct told her something was horribly wrong. It made no sense. She killed Spider-Man, her most hated enemy. She had everything right where she wanted it to be.
Why then, was she seeing ghosts in front of her?
Forget Spider-Man, who was virtually a dead body walking. There were embers flicking next to him, who's transparent souls Naoko recognized. A girl with red eyes and black hair, Yamagishi's girl. Kaworu Nagisa, looking the most disappointed she had ever seen. Fuyutski smiling despite everything. Yui Ikari watched with quite a devious smirk.
Between them all, was a small child. The first Rei, the one that she strangled to death so long ago. She was the beginning of her descent to madness. Most would have been horrified at the death of a child. Naoko repressed it, unable to deal with what happened.
"All of you…" She screamed. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"
Delusions. That was all they were, just illusions created by her mind. Maybe she really had gone insane if she were seeing all of them in this room. Doctor Octopus readied herself.
"Fine. I GUESS I WILL JUST HAVE TO KILL ALL OF YOU AGAIN, UNTIL YOU'RE GONE!"
She commanded one of her arms to attack Spider-Man.
He brought a hand up, curled into a fist. They collided.
….
….
….
CRRRR-rrrrrr-tiiiiiiiSSSSSSHHHHHHH!
His hand smashed through the arm, and pulled out a small, plastic device. Upon smashing it in his hand, the rest of the tentacle immediately fell to the floor, powerless.
Naturally, Naoko was enraged.
"What the-? No. NO, you are not better than me!"
Spider-Man said nothing. His feet moved before he could think.
"Just DIE ALREADY!"
She commanded her tentacles to attack. Just before they made contact, Spider-Man vanished.
"… what?" Naoko dumbly let out. "Where did-?!"
Suddenly, a punch to her jaw. He reappeared as if nothing.
"!"
Before she could react, Spider-Man vanished again. When it happened, suddenly one of her mechanical arms was torn to shreds.
"NO! NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
She tried to swipe at him with another tentacle, except he vanished before it could hit. Naoko pushed her senses farther than ever, trying to see Spider-Man before he made a move.
"Right… THERE!"
Naoko slammed an arm to a monitor, missing again. She got electrocuted for her troubles.
"Gah, but how is he-?!"
He seemingly teleported in front of her, kicking her stomach.
"GR!"
Again, Spider-Man vanished. Naoko could see where he would be, but she couldn't react. Suddenly, she felt herself being punched and kicked across the entire body, but couldn't see where he was.
"I- I can't… I can't!"
Her remaining arms went berserk. No matter where they struck, they kept missing Spider-Man. Soon, the third tentacle was ripped open.
"MY BABIES! NO!"
She looked to the screens.12:54.
For three more minutes, Naoko felt a barrage of attacks weighing on her. She was being hit faster than she could regenerate, her concentration so broken that she couldn't use her future sight. Even the last tentacle, one of her precious toys, was uselessly flailing around.
In the end, even it was destroyed by Spider-Man. Throughout the minutes, he did not speak.
Not. One. Word.
The mad doctor shrieked, tired of the ambush being forced upon her.
"Enough… I had ENOUGH!"
Whether convenient timing, or plan luck, Naoko managed to slam an elbow onto Spider-Man's stomach. It knocked him off balance, enough for her to kick him to the ground.
"You will stay right there, Ikari."
With no hesitation, she pressed a button on her wrist. Having been safeguarded during the fight, her helmet was lowered back to her head. Naoko smirked at the wall-crawler gazing back at her.
"You're too late, web-slinger." She tapped her helmet. "Now, at last, my revenge will be complete!"
She moved back to the screens, grinning madly. They showed live footage and pictures of the cities about to be destroyed by her hand. Naoko sent a simple command through the helmet.
"Now, let's see where we… aha!"
Nothing changed. She blinked.
"Wait… wait, something isn't right…"
Text boxes appeared over the screens, describing critical overloads, override failures and backfiring feedback loops. A red alert alarm blazed over them, leaving Naoko horribly confused.
Suddenly, one simple message popped into the screen:
WE STAND WITH SPIDER-MAN.
"What the hell does that… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
The strongest electric current Naoko ever felt overtook her whole body. Without the mechanical arms to absorb the brunt of the impact, she was forced onto her knees, where she screamed in horrible, horrible pain.
To further her humiliation, more messages began to appear, this time on all the monitors. Encouraging words of support for Spider-Man, thanks for saving their lives, for fighting when all was lost. Pictures, drawings, cut outs of the wall-crawler flooded the room, the work of millions who's lives would have been taken if not for him.
For one Shinji Ikari, an introverted, shy boy who thought he had no future or people he'd care about… it was the most humbling experience he ever had.
"Oh my…" His voice, gravelly and tortured as it was, returned to him. "Thank you all. Truly. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you."
"You.. you…"
Spider-Man approached the kneeling Doctor Octopus. He clenched his fists, in frustration and sorrow.
"LOOK AROUND YOU DOCTOR! You think you're the only one who suffered? These people were scared of you, of what you did to the people they loved! Yet, they're the ones that beat you in the end!"
He shook his head, trying to keep his throat from giving out.
"I'm sorry you suffered. I mean it. NERV left you out to dry, even while they benefitted from your work. You have every right to be angry at the world, and the Commander and SEELE, for the suffering you went through. But in trying to regain control, all you did was cause the same suffering onto everyone else!"
He slammed his foot down, causing Naoko to squirm.
"You and I, we're not that different… for a while, we were thrown away by the same man. You had something I didn't. Science. Family. You could have helped your daughter if you cared. We live in a world where we struggle to even exist, and you threw her, along with everyone else, into the trash, just like Yamagishi, the Commander Yui, all of them!"
Shinji caught his breath, looking at the clock. 12:59. He smiled.
"You and SEELE, you hated your own humanity, because you wanted to live alone, as deserted islands. We're not like that. No matter how much bad we do to ourselves… I also know there's something else in all of us… something that gives us strength, keeps us honest, makes us… nobler than we ever thought possible. It allows us… to live with pride… even if we have to shed the things that we thought protected us."
"Each of us… we have have the capacity to be better. We won't always have the means, but so long as we're alive we can go out there, make a difference in someone's life, even save them… we can't live with our earphones drowning out the world… we have to make it a better place for everyone, or else nothing changes. Nothing…"
With that, Shinji extended his hand to the doctor. Naoko stared at it, and at Shinji, with confused disdain.
"It's over, Naoko. What you've done is unforgivable. The world isn't going to let you off for that. But maybe, just maybe, if you stop here, you could go down with grace. Give up your mad quest. Just be… you… or the best you, right now…"
He expected many things to happen. A fight. Another sneering remark, or an angry glare.
Dr. Naoko Akagi, crying… that gave him pause.
"… You're right…." She said. "You're absolutely right. I couldn't be satisfied with helping others, because I was too scared of what I had done, of what I could do… I thought if the world hated me, I could just become the monster they wanted. Even through everything, you're still you. You are the stronger one here."
She pressed a button on her wrist. Shinji's Spider-Sense went crazy, just as a countdown appeared.
"What did you do?!"
"I can't forgive myself for the evil I had done." Naoko said, ignoring him, "I can't be allowed to live…"
She then glared at the boy.
"I know I can't forgive you, Spider-Man… I don't want to live in a world you're at the top of the totem pole, and I am merely second best."
The entire base exploded, causing the room to collapse on them.
This was the story of Shinji Ikari and Dr. Naoko Akagi.
If only Naoko knew how much her survival ruined plans.
If only Shinji knew of Eva, of his father and mother, what destiny they crafted for him.
If only Naoko knew her legacy would be that of a mad woman.
If only Shinji knew how many would come to influence.
Both souls broke away from fate, and changed the world for good and for ill.
It is assumed their story began when Yui was absorbed into the Eva. While it was the first time they met, it was not the true beginning.
Neither Shinji nor Naoko remembered their second meeting. At the train station, the day Shinji would be sent to Yamashiro, he sat next to a younger Naoko Akagi. Neither knew the fates grafted to them, even as they kept each other company.
"I want to go home."
Naoko tilted her head. "That's where you're going, aren't you? Daddy is taking you there."
"I'm scared." Shinji admitted. "Daddy doesn't look at me. I miss Mommy."
"… I miss her too." Naoko brought herself to admit. "She was a loving woman. Your father is probably taking it hard."
"What if he's leaving me?" Shinji asked. "I don't want him to leave me, like mommy. I don't want to be alone. I'm scared!"
He almost started crying. Naoko would have given him some half-hearted reassurance, but she felt different. She sighed.
"I'd be scared, too. You mustn't run away though."
Shinji looked at her. "Huh?"
"Maybe your father will keep you close. Maybe you two will drift. You'll never know how your father really feels, unless you face him. Understand?"
"… I think I do." He said. "But it's hard."
"Indeed." Naoko's lips formed a rueful smile. "Adults have a hard time with it, but it's the only advice I can give."
It was a simple exchange, nothing more. In mere moments, Shinji went to his father, only to be abandoned. Naoko walked back with Gendo, talking about an impressive achievement. Neither thought of the other since then.
What if she had accompanied him to meet Gendo?
What if she took the boy in, formed a tighter bond with him?
What if there was a future where Naoko treated Ritsuko and Shinji like family, and brought them to her lab, where they proudly worked for a brighter future?
Who knows what could have changed?
In the end, it didn't matter. These enemies, tied by circumstance and luck, had only one shot at life. At least they hadn't wasted it, not for one second.
Author's Notes:
So... anyone realize that by this point, Shinji, Asuka and Rei are Gen Z?
I don't really have a lot to say. The final battle is out of the way. I had this planned for years, and it came out better than I dreamed. I hope you all like it! The next two chapters should be much easier to write, since they don't have fight scenes. Expect them before December ends, hopefully.
I have a question. Do you think Naoko should live or die? Live, as in she gets arrested and faces the conseequences? Or die, as in killed by the base explosion? I'm having trouble deciding which one is better, and i'd like your input.
Time for reviews:
gabeherndon308: It'll get there, I promise! Well, maybe not. We'll see!
Author0fntent: Thanks for enjoying the omake. I hope this fight didn't disappoint.
Next: The Final Chapter.