Chapter 55 – Substitute Invasion
Misato stood with arms folded as the lock-down and procedures for the bridge were carried out. As soon as Commander Ikari had left she'd ordered all access points to be fortified and for all personnel to take up weapons. Currently she was watching over that process, looking over the lower levels to see the men there passing out Steyr Mpi 69's and IMI Uzi's. It wasn't much but it was all they had should the bridge be breached. Even with that looming threat in mind though, her head was elsewhere...
The more she thought about what Commander Ikari was doing the more she couldn't help but think back to what her own father had done for her fifteen years ago. For so long she'd been unable to come to terms with it but... seeing what she'd just seen made it a little easier. She knew all too well just how distant and even hateful Shinji's relationship with his father was, not unlike how her own had been, and yet... there he was, going to save his son from certain doom. It was very similar to how her own father had barely shown her any kind of comfort or kindness or love until the very end. And yet he did in that moment. He'd saved her life and sacrificed his own, putting her needs above his own or his duties. Commander Ikari was doing something very similar for Shinji right now and before he'd left she'd seen the same look in his eyes that she'd seen in her own father's...
Love. Unconditional love.
She smiled and glanced skyward at the lofted ceiling above. It sounded so stupid, so contrived to think such things, and yet here she was thinking them. Despite how much of a complete piece of shit Gendo Ikari was, how distant and cruel he'd been, deep down, a part of him still cared about his son. It had just taken the absolute worst of everything to bring it out of him. Perhaps that was how her own father had felt when he'd shoved her into that escape capsule fifteen years ago with nothing but a cross necklace to remember him by. It actually made sense. Perhaps familial love transcended everything. Perhaps that bond, though obfuscated and constricted by obligation, was able to roar to the center of a person in the most dire of circumstances. It certainly seemed like a pleasant sentiment. Even though Shinji was her own found family, she would have gladly given up everything just to protect him. Perhaps she wasn't that much different than her father or Kaji. Perhaps everyone had that same level of love and care buried deep down behind the walls they erected to protect themselves from the world...
"Are you alright?" Ritsuko's voice pierced her ears. "You seem lost in thought. It isn't like you..."
Misato turned to her friend and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry..." she replied. "I've just got a bit on my mind, that's all."
Ritsuko posted up beside her and folded her arms, looking out at the lower levels. "What's on your mind?" she asked. "I mean... if it's alright if I ask."
Misato's chest felt tight. Even if she was thinking these things it, thinking them and speaking them were two different things. "It's not important," she replied, her soft smile evaporating. "It's nothing."
Ritsuko stood beside her silently and bowed her head. "I get it..." she replied. "Some things are hard to talk about."
Misato nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "That's true..."
"Major!" Hyuga looked up from his terminal. "I've just gotten a message from section two. Rei is no longer in Dr. Akagi's office. They have no idea where she is..."
"Bring up the security feed!" Ritsuko snapped, rushing over to the bespectacled lieutenant's terminal.
"Yes, ma'am," Hyuga replied.
In a matter of seconds Hyuga had the security feed up outside Ritsuko's office. Misato watched as her faux blonde friend leaned over it, studying it as if some kind of information could be gleaned from the blurry image. After half a second her friend turned to her with a worried expression. "I have to go find her," she stated.
Misato's lips parted in surprise. She rarely ever saw Ritsuko looking so panicked. Was it possible that she cared for Rei in a similar way that she cared for Shinji? If that was the case then perhaps that explained a good bit more about her secrecy in recent months... "Okay..." she replied softly. "Don't do anything stupid."
Ritsuko's lips curved upward ever so slightly but she didn't say a word before dashing off of the bridge. Misato watched her go and her lips curved up in turn. Perhaps the word family transcended blood bonds. Perhaps love and care between people was more common than she'd ever given it credit for. Either way, it was certainly nice to think about, here and now, standing at the precipice of the end of the world...
Maya watched as her senpai departed the bridge. She seriously hoped that Ritsuko would be careful and part of her regretted that she hadn't volunteered to go with her. What had prevented her from doing so was that she knew her duties on the bridge were of the highest importance, especially if Commander Ikari was able to get Shinji in Unit 01. Ritsuko would probably be proud of her for making that choice...
"This is insane... this center was made to withstand Angel attacks, not invading armies," Hyuga muttered as he opened the drawer beneath his station, pulling out his service pistol. He racked the slide partially and checked the chamber. "Safety off..."
"Yeah," Aoba replied to him bitterly. "We could barely hold off terrorists..."
"Honestly, if this is a full scale invasion by the JSSDF we're totally screwed," Hyuga responded nervously.
"Slowly but surely they've been cutting our defense budget," Aoba returned darkly. "I wouldn't be surprised if they've been planning this since the very beginning..."
Maya bit her lip as her stomach lurched. It was a scary thing to think about if Aoba was right but with how quickly things were going sour all around her. The very thought made her shiver...
"Yeah..." Hyuga replied bitterly. "I wouldn't be surprised either..."
"At this point none of that matters," Major Katsuragi snapped. "All we can do is fight back and hope that we get through this..."
Before anyone could respond to that a deafening blast shook the bridge, nearly throwing her from her seat. Maya peered over the console and the decks below at the gaping, smoking hole on the left hand side. Half a second later men with ballistic shields and rifles began pouring in through the breach, opening fire.
She dove out of her chair and covered her head with her hands as round ricocheted off of the armor panels in front of her computer station. Immediately afterward Aoba, Hyuga, and Major Katsuragi returned fire. The cacophony was deafening. Her entire world was nothing but popping roars that felt like hammer strokes to the head and high pitched ringing. She'd never experienced gunfire without ear protection before and it was terrifyingly loud, almost as horrifying as the fact that half of it was being directed her way, that her life was in the line of fire. All she could do was sit on her knees, holding her ears with her head bowed, shaking like a leaf...
She felt someone nudge her and she looked to her left to find Aoba crouching beside her. He held out a Glock and placed it in her hand. "Flip the safety off," he bit out tersely.
She held the weapon in both her hands, almost dropping it from how much she was shaking. The prospect of shooting someone was one that she couldn't even comprehend. She'd joined NERV to help people, to bring a brighter future to all of humanity! How could this be what that had all come to? Even if it was in defense, killing another person was murder! She didn't want that weight on her soul... "I- I- Can't... I just can't shoot this thing, Aoba..." she croaked.
Aoba looked over at her with a confused expression. "Of course you can!" he shouted above the din of gunfire. "You've had basic training!"
Maya couldn't comprehend just how callous he was being. "But those were targets!" she protested. "I can't just shoot at other human beings!"
A shot connected with the armor plating just above her head causing her and Aoba to flinch. As they regained their bearings Aoba glared at her "Idiot!" he screamed. "You kill or you die!"
Maya stared back at him with wide eyes as he turned away and popped up to unleash a burst of automatic fire toward the invaders. She turned her eyes back to the gun in her hands with tears in her eyes. Did she have the capability to kill someone if the alternative was her own death? She didn't know... and that horrified her.
Shinji moved though the halls of NERV with his earphones pressed tight in his ears. It was truly all he had left, his one final escape from the world around him, blasting music at a nauseating volume to drown out the pain in his heart.
Coming back to NERV with Misato earlier in the day had been incredibly painful. He hated this place. He hated everything about it. There had been nothing good that had ever come out of the last six months. Sure, he'd found friends but only to lose them. He'd actually managed to get through to his father only for that blow up in his face. He'd learned to stand up for himself only for that to be meaningless and realize he'd never been anything but a pawn. He'd found someone who loved him for who he was and who he loved back only for him to throw it back in her face. He hated everything about the things that had befallen him since he'd come to NERV. He hated himself for being so naive and foolish. He simply hated himself. It would have been better if he'd never come to Tokyo 3. It would have been better if he'd simply never existed at all...
Suddenly, a door down the hall blasted off it's tracks followed by a jet of flame and a deafening roar. Shinji fell back on his rear end and shielded his face from he heat and blast instinctively. The shock caused him to removed his headphones. What the hell was going on!?
He struggled to his feet, his eyes fixed on the breach. Before he could even come to grips with what was happening men in black uniforms and helmets began pouring through the smoking gap. Half a second later one of them turned in his direction and leveled a rifle at him. "You!" the man shouted. "Freeze!"
As much as he hated himself, as much as he loathed living, instinct took over in that moment. Shinji turned around and ran.
The steel walls around him sparked and threw fragments into his eyes as deafening and rhythmic booms filled his ears. Who were these people? Why were they here? Why were they shooting at him? All those questions filled his mind in a fraction of a second as his brain struggled to comprehend what was happening. These people were shooting at him!? Why!? Why were they shooting at him!? He supposed it didn't matter. He needed to get away. He needed to run and hide.
Survival was all that mattered now. Even if his life was worthless he still wanted to live. How pathetic was that?
He ran and ran until he found a dark hallway with a set of metal stairs he could hide underneath. He slid underneath them and tucked his knees up to his chin. The sound of gunfire down the hall was muffled now. It would seem that he was safe...
He breathed a heavy sigh as a deep frown worked it's way across his face. Why had he even bothered to run? Why did he want to keep living when he had nothing left to live for? It seemed so pointless. He couldn't escape those soldiers if they came for him again anyway. All he was doing was prolonging the inevitable. He he'd been nothing but a burden on everyone around him, he'd caused everyone pain and hurt, he'd been nothing but a pawn in a game he couldn't hope to understand... it would be better if he just let himself die.
A gunshot rang out and the stairs sparked as a bullet bounced off of the step just above his head. Shinji flinched involuntarily. They'd found him again but he wasn't going to run. His heart raced, thumping in his chest like a hammer. He was scared but he was resigned to this fate. It was about to end and all he could do was accept it. He tucked his head, closed his eyes, and waited...
Footsteps drew closer and ultimately stopped uncomfortably close to him. When they did, voices filled his ears. "We've located the Third Child," one of the soldiers spoke, presumably into a radio. "Commencing termination..."
Shinji's body began to shake. This was it. These were his last moments. His mind raced. What happened after death? Was there anything? Was reincarnation real? Was there simply... nothing? It felt so unreal and yet it was happening. He shouldn't be scared and yet he was. He deserved this after all...
He felt a cold piece of metal press lightly against his forehead and he winced, keeping his eyes closed. "Sorry kid..." the soldier spoke, his voice full of regret. "I'm just doing my job as a soldier..."
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot filled his ears and the instinctively jerked back. Had he been shot? No, no he hadn't been shot. The soldier hadn't fired. Who was shooting? What was happening?
Rapid gunshots sounded in the halls and the three soldiers standing around him turned toward the direction of the incoming fire. One by one the soldiers collapsed. The first one jerked violently and fell backwards, the second fell on his face like some great force had driven him to the ground, the third and the one closest to him fell backwards but was still moving. Shinji watched as he tried to slide backwards on the floor until the person who'd been shooting stepped up to him and placed a shoe on the soldier's chest. Shinji's eyes went wide and his jaw went slack when he realized who it was...
His father...
"Sorry... I'm just doing my job as a parent," his father hissed, his voice full of raw and barely restrained fury. With that terse remark, he pulled the trigger of the pistol he was holding, firing right into the soldiers face, splattering blood and flesh everywhere.
Shinji gasped in a mix of shock and horror and relief all wrapped up into one indescribable emotion. His father had just saved him from certain death by killing these men now laying there in pools of blood. Part of him was definitely grateful to still be alive but he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that his father was his savior. Never in a million years could he have imagined such a situation taking shape...
His father knelt down and picked one of the soldier's rifles up and slung it over his shoulder before moving over to him and kneeling down to look him in the eye with a serious expression. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice gruff but tinged with concern.
Shinji wasn't expecting him to ask him something like that, especially after how they'd left things the last time they'd spoken. "I- I think so..." he stammered meekly.
"Very well," his father responded looking away from a moment as he loaded a new magazine into his handgun. "NERV is under attack by the JSSDF. We need to go to Unit 01."
Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why was the government attacking NERV? Why did he have to fight them? The Evas weren't meant to fight people... could he actually do that? Did he even have a choice? "O- okay..." he croaked in response.
"I'll take you there," his father continued, holding out the pistol to him grip first. "Take this."
Shinji recoiled slightly. His father was giving him a gun!? "I- I- can't use this," he stuttered, trembling.
His father snatched his right wrist and placed the grip of the pistol in his hand. "It's easy," he snapped. "It's just like in the Eva. Safety off. Line up the sights. Squeeze, don't pull."
Shinji clenched his jaw, his mouth contorting into a frown a mix of disgust, shock, anger, and sadness. Even now after saving his life his father was so damned cold. Even worse, Shinji knew he was just being used yet again. He was still his father's pawn in a sick game he didn't understand and couldn't escape... but his father had just saved his life. That had to count for something, right? Did it mean that he actually cared? Even so, he didn't want to go and fight. He didn't want to pilot the Eva ever again. Nothing good had ever come from it... "Okay..." he murmured softly even though he didn't want to agree to anything.
His father stood tall and readied the rifle he'd taken from the soldier. "Follow me," he bit out tersely.
Shinji couldn't say anything. All he could do was hang his head and silently follow after him, the gun in his hand almost as heavy as his heart...
Ritsuko dashed through the halls as fast as she could. Her lungs ached and her legs were begging her to slow down but she couldn't. She needed to confirm what she'd thought she'd seen on that grainy security feed. She hoped that she was wrong but she needed to know, but if she was right then she would know exactly where Rei was going...
She reached the door of her office and nearly collapsed from the exhaustion and from how short of breath she was. She panted heavily as she stepped inside, her eyes wide and heart pounding as she took in the sight of the empty room. The folding chair she kept for Rei was sitting empty, the top of her desk was just as she'd left it, but the bottom right drawer was open and empty...
Her stomach lurched and she gasped in shock. It felt unreal. How could Rei have made a choice like this after everything she'd seen and done? It disgusted her to think about... "Oh no..." she croaked out, putting her hands to her mouth in horror... but she couldn't let that fear and shock cause her to waver. No. She was going to find Rei and stop this madness in any way she could.
She swiftly moved to her desk and threw open the top right drawer, retrieving the R92 revolver she kept there and stuffing it into the pocket of her lab coat along with a dozen spare rounds of ammunition. It wasn't much but if she ran into any SDF troops before reaching the place she knew she had to go it was something. She just hoped that she could catch up to Rei before it was too late, and if it wasn't... well, the idea that she might have to forcefully stop her made her sick to her stomach...
"You stupid, stupid girl.." she hissed under her breath as she left her office, resuming her mad dash down the halls.
Gendo found himself inside one of the many staff garages, hunched over the backpack radio belonging to an SDF soldier he'd killed moments earlier. He held the headset to his ear, listening to the chatter on the other end...
"What's the status of the primary objectives?" one voice spoke. "Have you reached the cage? Over?"
"Roger that, we have the purple unit surrounded," another voice replied. "The bakelite infusion was not a problem."
"The Red one's been launched," A third voice stated. "We're attempting to establish which launch route was used, over."
Gendo's lip curled in frustration and anger as he dropped the headset to the ground with a clatter. So the SDF managed to get to Unit 01 already... that certainly threw a wrench in his plans. It was no surprise that they would do such a thing, preventing Unit 01 from being able to launch with it's pilot would give them a tactical and strategic advantage. He could only hope that Yui would oblige him and find some way to let his son pilot even now. At this point, Shinji piloting Unit 01 and defeating the Mass Production Series Evas was the only way that humanity could survive now. It was their only hope of defeating the machinations of SEELE...
He stood up and glanced over at his son who was sitting up against a car, his knees pulls up to his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around them and his head bowed. Gendo's scowl changed into a much more sympathetic frown. "Get up," he spoke softly. "We need to get moving."
"What's the point..." Shinji murmured. "It's not going to change anything..."
Gendo's jaw tightened. "Things can always be changed," he practically spat in reply. It had taken him years to realize that truth and he would be damned if Shinji was going to fall into the same emotional hole he'd wallowed in...
"How so?" Shinji hissed, raising his head and glaring back at him with a pained expression.
Gendo glared back at his son. "So what would you rather do?" he retorted. "Would you rather just sit there until the SDF finds you again?"
Shinji's eyes widened and his lips parted before his expression soured further, looking away. Clearly those words had some effect on him. "I don't know what I want anymore..." he muttered.
Gendo walked over to the car his son was leaning against and slammed the stock of the rifle he was carrying into the driver's side window, shattering it. "That's fine," he replied. "If we survive today you'll have a long life to figure that out..."
"If..." Shinji grumbled in response.
Gendo's ears felt hot hearing his son speak like this. He hated hearing him say such things. "When," he responded gruffly as he pulled the latch on the inside of the door and popped it open, sitting down behind the wheel. "Now get in."
Shinji stood up and did as he was instructed, slipping the pistol he'd been given into the back of his waistband. Gendo pried off the covering beneath the steering wheel and fumbled with the wires until the car started. As it did he couldn't help but smirk. Certain old skills never left a person...
"How did you learn how to do that?" Shinji asked softly.
Gendo threw the car in reverse and whipped out of the parking space. "Some things are good to know..." he muttered.
Misato fired off three rounds in rapid succession before ducking down behind the console in front of her. Things were getting bad. The SDF were gaining ground. It was only a matter of time until they made their final push and wiped them out. "How's everyone doing on ammunition!" she called to Hyuga and Aoba, glancing over at Ibuki who remained sitting with her head in her hands, cowering in fear.
"Not good!" Hyuga responded. "I've only got three mags left!"
"I've got two!" Aoba responded.
Misato winced as she checked her person for how many she had. Only two on her as well, plus whatever was left in her gun. It was only a matter of time now... "Keep up the pressure any way you can..." she hissed.
"Roger that!" Aoba responded, leaping up and firing a burst of automatic fire down at the levels below.
Misato glanced over at Vice Commander Fuyutsuki. Even as the gunfire kept pouring in over their heads he looked the picture of calm composure as he hunched down by the consoles beside her, a red phone in his hand. "It's unimportant!" she heard him bark over the din. "Securing Terminal Dogma is your first priority!"
She couldn't help but let out a wry, bitter chuckle. As if Terminal Dogma could actually be secured. The SDF was tearing through NERV like hot knife through butter...
"They've destroyed just about everything else!" Hyuga yelped as he ducked down beside her. "Why don't they just nuke us and get it over with!"
"If we weren't sitting atop the original Magi system, they probably would have blown us to bits by now..." Aoba hissed.
"I guess that's why they haven't used any heavy explosives yet," Hyuga replied to him, reloading his pistol.
"I guess that's a small blessing..." Misato responded to both of them. "Little do they know what they're trying to help start..."
"Yeah, you've got a point, Major..." Aoba stated. "Personally I just hope they don't start using bio-chemical weapons. Things could get real ugly..."
Misato shuddered at those words...
Nakajima crouched on his knees within the fighting hole he shared with Masaki at the edge of the treeline near the lake within the geofront. Their platoon had been given orders not to advance any further and to dig in and fortify their position. He wiped the sweat off his brow and breathed a sigh and sipped some water from his canteen. Digging a hole with just a hand shovel was tiring work but he was glad that they were in the rear. After what they'd seen on the surface he couldn't imagine what was going on in the halls of NERV headquarters...
"It's definitely pretty down here..." Masaki muttered. "It's kind of a shame that we're here to fuck it up."
Nakajima nodded in agreement, taking in the sight of the placid lake. "I guess that's just our duty as soldiers..." he replied quietly.
"Yeah..." Masaki returned bitterly. "Still doesn't make it sit right..."
Nakajima was about to make a snide reply regarding how they signed up for things like this when they did basic training but before he could the sound of Sergeant Saito's shouts filled his ears. "Platoon! Heads down! Heads down!" he shouted.
Everyone in the fighting holes around immediately ducked down below the edges of their positions and Nakajima did the same. "What's going on, you think?" Masaki murmured. "We're not taking any fire. What the hell's going on?"
Again, before Nakajima could say anything, Saito's voice rang out. "The Air Force is about to open up the lid on this place!" he shouted. "Hold on to your helmets! Thirty Seconds!"
"Open the lid on this place?" Masaki uttered in confusion. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Nakajima's pulse quickened. He certainly could think of something that could constitute opening a lid but he hoped he was wrong... "I... I think they're going to use an N2 weapon..." he murmured, trying to get a grip on his fear.
"Are you fucking serious!" Masaki gasped. "They've got troops down here and they're going to do something like that!?"
Nakajima scowled bitterly. "I'd like to hear your suggestions on the matter..." he hissed.
Masaki groaned. "I fucking hate it when you're right..." he whimpered.
The two of them hunkered down in their position, holding their helmets and staring into the dirt as the seconds ticked by. To Nakajima, each second that passed on his wristwatch seemed to take an eternity. Ten seconds... then twenty... then twenty five... and then...
Suddenly, as if the heavens themselves has burst, Ryuji Nakajima's entire world was nothing but a blinding white light followed by an otherworldly roar...
The sudden blast that shook the command center threw Misato to the floor. It was disorienting, the combination of her ears ringing, the shaking, and the flickering of the lights. She could barely comprehend what was happening.
"Speak of the devil..." Aoba spat bitterly.
"Damn!" Hyuga exclaimed. "Haven't they ever heard of moderation!?"
"That was a little much..." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki muttered.
Misato couldn't let herself just sit there and cower. She was acting commander of operations! She had to act! "Don't just sit there!" she shouted. "Get up and return fire!"
"Yes ma'am!" Hyuga responded immediately, standing up and firing three shots down at the men below.
Colonel Mitsuo Shikishima looked on with mouth agape from the summit of the hill he and General Oda stood atop as the blinding light of the N2 explosion faded, a black mushroom cloud billowing up towards the sky in its place. He couldn't believe that such a device had been cleared for use and he was in awe of its destructive power. "What have you done..." he muttered numbly.
"I've done what's necessary," Oda responded, folding his arms behind his back and jutting out his chin pridefully. "Nothing more and nothing less."
Shikishima ground his teeth together, his hand clawing at the pistol on his hip. If only he could just shoot the arrogant bastard and take over the operation himself. If he could then this needless bloodshed could be avoided. "This is madness..." he muttered under his breath.
"Madness?" Oda countered, regarding him with a smirk. "What's madness is that we didn't do this any sooner!"
Shikishima clenched his fists. "Sir, you have no idea of what you've unleashed!" he cried out, pleading with the old war dog. "This has to stop!"
Oda glared at him for a moment before issuing a smirk and turning back to the other officers surrounding them. "Tell the artillery to commence with a direct bombardment..." he drawled.
Shikishima stood there shaking with rage, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop this needless, wanton destruction...
Nakajima poked his head up out of his fighting hole and glanced skyward as the the light and sound faded. It was hot all around him, every inch of exposed skin felt like it had gotten instantly sunburned. His ears were ringing and his vision seemed off, all the colors seemed a bit washed out, but that was the least of his concerns. He found himself awed by the sight above him, mouth agape. Where there had once been a hanging city there was... nothing, just a smoking, boiling hole where it had once been. He sat there in total awe. This was the power of an N2 weapon in all it's terrible glory... "What have we done?" was all he could utter, his body feeling numb.
"Yeah..." Masaki murmured. "Holy shit... This can't be just an attempt to squash a coup before it happens. There's no way we'd be going this far is that was the case. There's gotta be something else going on..."
Nakajima nodded and swallowed the growing lump in his throat. "Now you're starting to sound like me..." he muttered.
"What?" Masaki laughed nervously. "You're saying it like that's a bad thing."
"No..." Nakajima replied, allowing himself a wry chuckle as he watched the smoke above began to dissipate to reveal the blue sky above. "But it sure took you long enough..."
"Keep your heads down!" Saito shouted from the rear of the line. "Artillery incoming! I don't want to lose any of you bastards to friendly fire! Heads down!"
Nakajima once again tucked his head and made himself as small as possible. Seconds later, the shells and rockets began to impact their targets, dangerously close to his platoon's position.
Maya Ibuki was utterly overwhelmed by the chaos. The explosions rocked the command center with an almost rhythmic beat. It was impossible to stand, not that she was trying. She remained underneath her station, holding her hands to her ears, shaking in terror as the pounding rumbles washed over everything and everyone, shaking dust loose, ceiling tiles, lights...
"Why is this happening!" she wailed. "Why do they want the Evas so badly!"
"Who gives a shit!" Aoba shouted, hitting the deck next to her. "I'm just trying to focus on staying alive!"
Maya couldn't fault him for that logic. Staying alive was the only thing on her mind too...
The shock of one particularly large explosion knocked her over on her side, causing her to cry out in fear. She dug her fingers into the side of her skull as hard as she could, trying to block out the noise of the continuous concussive blasts, the gunfire, the ricochets, and the screams. It didn't do any good. No matter how hard she tried to block them out the screams seemed the loudest thing, the screams of people injured and dying around her...
Rei stood in the room in which she'd been born, staring at the shredded husks that had once been her spare bodies. It filled her with such disgust to look at these things even now, the vacant, sick grins and wide eyes of the few intact heads piercing her soul. These horrible, miserable, wretched things reminded her that no matter what she did or how much she'd grown she was still something less than human. No matter how much she wanted to be a real human being, no matter what she did she was still artificial, an abomination, something that should never have existed at all. Knowing that proved that her self hatred was justified.
She balled her fists and her side and grit her teeth, trying to stem the flow of hot tears down her cheeks, tightening her grip on the case handle at her side. It didn't work. All she ended up doing was balling her head and sobbing. Why had she even come back to this place? Had she really thought that seeing this would change her mind on what she was about to do? Or had she come here to reinforce that decision and alleviate some of that guilt?
It didn't matter, she decided, the result was the same. She'd never had a chance. She'd never had a choice. She'd never been able to change anything or make anything better. It was better to simply accept what she was and that it was naive to have striven for more. If she'd done that from the beginning then she'd never had to suffer the pain and loss that came from forming bonds with others.
Silently, she trudged out of the room with her head bowed...
Ritsuko dashed through the halls of NERV trying to reach an access elevator that would take her down to Terminal Dogma. She had to hurry. The series of explosions that had rocked headquarters had thrown her to the ground and completely disoriented her for a number of minutes. She just hoped that the lost time wouldn't prove fatal...
She passed an intersecting hall and immediately froze, her heart leaping into her throat at the sight that confronted her. There stood a soldier clad in black body armor, aiming through the scope of his rifle directly at her. She wanted to keep running but she knew she couldn't outrun bullets. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to draw the revolver from her coat pocket before getting shot. This was the end. She was about to die and nothing would stop what was coming for everyone...
And then the soldier lowered his rifle. He stared at her with a somber expression, his lips curved down in a frown, his eyes looking almost hollow. "Go..." he spoke softly, jerking his head to the side in the direction she'd been running, his eyes locked with hers.
Ritsuko felt a wave of relief wash over her. She gave a curt nod of respect to the man before continuing her mad dash down the hall. The soldier had no idea but his mercy might well have just made all the difference in the world...
Major Ichijo watched the woman in the white lab coat disappear around the corner and breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully she wouldn't run into his comrades and she'd escape this mess they were all embroiled in. He could only hope that it would be over soon, whatever that meant...
He could hear footsteps behind him and he turned around to face two of his subordinates. "Major, we've finished our sweep of the sector," one of the men stated. "What are your orders, sir?"
Ichijo scowled, remembering the radio transmission he'd received only a few minutes ago regarding the Third Child being located. He knew that killing him was one of their primary objectives but being responsible for that poor kid's death was difficult to take. No matter what he did now he was going to minimize the amount of death he wrought today... "Gather everyone you can and begin a sweep of the fourth layer," he stated evenly.
The two soldiers looked at one another with confused expressions. "Sir, there are no objectives to take in that sector and there's almost no projected resistance there," the first protested, turning back to regard him with a perplexed look. "Are you certain?"
"Sir, there's nothing down there but offices and storage..." the second added.
Ichijo glared at the man. "I wouldn't have given the order if I wasn't certain!" he spat. "Now go!"
Both soldiers nodded their heads and dashed back in the direction they'd come without another word. Ichijo waited until they left and leaned back against the wall, sliding down it until he sat on the ground. He took off his helmet and held his head in his hands. He could only hope this needless slaughter would end soon.
"How are you faring right now, Mitsuo?" he whispered to himself. "Probably worse than me, huh?"
Shinji sat in silence within the car his father had stolen, his arms folded across his chest, his head bowed. He still couldn't come to terms with what was happening around him but he had a gut feeling that his father had something to do with it, just like he seemed to have something to do with everything. It all seemed so hopeless, the fact that he'd pushed away everyone he cared about, the fact that he was nothing but a pawn, the fact that NERV was under attack and probably everyone was going to die... it all seemed so hopeless.
"We should be nearing the end of the road soon," his father stated softly. "We'll have to continue on foot. We should reach the cages very soon."
Shinji's scowl deepened and he tucked his chin, staring down at his knees. He didn't want to pilot the Eva again but his father was going to make him just like he always did. If that was going to happen, if he didn't have a choice like always, he wanted to at least understand why all of this was happening... "Why?" he murmured. "Why do I have to pilot again?"
"Because we're under attack," his father replied flatly.
Shinji braced his fists against his knees. "I'm not talking about that..." he murmured bitterly, glancing over at his father. "I want to understand. I want to know why any of this is happening..."
His father's frown deepened and after a moment he drew a deep breath and let it out. "What do you wish to know?" he responded quietly.
Shinji looked down at his knees once again, grimacing. He knew it! Of course his father knew exactly what was going on. He always did... "Everything..." he murmured in response.
There was a pause before his father spoke again. "It's... complicated... but I'll try my best..." he replied quietly.
Shinji wanted to thank him for that honesty but he couldn't bring himself to. Part of him was still very angry with him for... everything. "Okay..." he muttered in response.
There was another pause and then his father began to lay things bare. "There is an organization, a secret society called SEELE," he spoke carefully and softly. "This organization is responsible for the Second Impact and everything that's followed."
Shinji's eyes widened and he let out a silent gasp. So Nagisa was right... it did run far deeper than he could have imagined...
His father continued. "SEELE discovered that the being known as Adam, one of two seeds of life on this planet and progenitor of the Angels, lay buried beneath Antarctica. They launched an expedition to study the creature but the knew what the result would be. They did this in order to reduce Adam to an embryonic state, allowing them time to prepare for the arrival of the Angels. This led to the creation of GEHIRN and ultimately NERV, along with the Evangelions."
Shinji cringed. So everything had been planned out from the start... "Why?" he asked. "Why would they do something like that?"
Yet again, there was another long pause before his father continued speaking. "The Angels were born from Adam and sought to purge the earth of human life," he stated. "This is because humans come from another seed of life, Lilith, who resides beneath this place. Should Adam and Lilith ever come into contact, the Third Impact would occur. SEELE seeks to utilize this event for their own gain."
Shinji turned to face his father, his pulse quickening. "H- how?" he stammered.
His father's expression darkened. "SEELE has plans for what they call the Human Instrumentality Project," he stated bitterly. "It is a plan to use Adam and Lilith to merge the souls of all humanity into a singular, perfect being equivalent to God, a state where life and death are one in the same. However, because the Lance Of Longinus is gone, using Adam and Lilith is impossible, so they intend to use the Eva Series. Only you can stop this."
Shinji looked down at his knees, feeling absolutely disgusted. As always, he was nothing but a pawn, just like he'd always been. To think that his father had aided and abetted such people... "And you work for these people..." he muttered darkly.
"Worked," His father responded tersely as he brought the car to a halt at the end of the path and opened the door. "Let's keep moving. We should be there in a few more minutes."
Shinji exited the car, his scowl turning into a bitter grimace. "As If I have a choice..." he muttered. "As if it will change anything..."
If his father heard him he didn't react, instead moving on ahead toward the access door a dozen meters in front of the car, rifle at the ready...
Colonel Shikishima stood in absolute shock as the shelling ceased. Knowing that there were troops down there in danger close proximity to where that fire was landing tore his heart out. Knowing that he was participating in a completely needless massacre disgusted him. If he was a lesser man he probably would have vomited but in his life he'd become rather desensitized to needless violence...
"Sir, surface heat has dissipated," a junior officer beside Oda stated, looking up from his radio equipment to face the old man. "High pressure steam discharges have also stopped."
"Very good," Oda replied. Shikishima watched as the old man turned around to look at him over his shoulder with a condescending look. "How are Shikishima's forces faring?"
"Dogma level three and the purple unit are secured," another officer spoke up.
"What about the red one?" Oda asked, turning to face the man who'd spoken.
"It's in the lake about seventy meters down, General," yet another officer stated. "No idea on if the pilot is aboard of if they're alive or dead."
Oda scoffed. "The pilot will be dead by the time we're done with them," he replied. "Launch depth charges immediately. Don't stop until the target is neutralized."
Shikishima bowed his head. "General the pilot is merely a child..." he murmured. "For heaven's sake, can't you show them one small mercy?"
Oda whipped around and glared at him. "The only mercy that their ilk deserves is a quick death, even those children of theirs!" he snapped.
Shikishima closed his eyes and winced. "If the pilot is able to activate the Eva then all you'll do is kick the hornet's nest," he replied quietly. "I'm begging you, please, you don't understand what you're doing..."
"I understand full well what I'm doing, Mitsuo," Oda snapped. "And if you utter one more word in protest then I will have you shot..."
Shikishima stood there silent with his head bowed, shaking with impotent rage...
Asuka opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. It was dark but she could remember how it was that she got here within the entry plug of Unit 02. She remembered how medical personnel had rushed into her room and forced her out of bed, dragging her to the Eva, sedating her when she'd protested in her desire to simply lay in bed and waste away. It wasn't like she'd be able to pilot ever again. She'd lost that connection and she'd never gain it back. She couldn't give a damn about why she'd been forced into the cockpit again, the last place she wanted to be was there. What had once been a place of pride and happiness for her was now nothing more than a place that symbolized all of her sorrows and her failures.
She grimaced and pulled her legs tight to her chest and instantly felt disgusted. Those people, the medical staff, they'd dressed her in her plug suit while she'd been unconscious. It felt so violating. She hated it. She hated that feeling of being violated, by people and by her experiences and reality at large. She hated herself and she hated that she was who and what she was. As sick and disgusting as it was, part of her wished she'd never become a pilot at all. If she hadn't then she'd never have fallen to the depths she was now. She'd never have suffered the pain of being brought so low after having such pride in herself. She'd never have had to suffer the loss of losing someone who cared about her and understood her the way Kaworu had. She'd never have even met Kaworu or made the mistake of loving him at all. Things would have been better if she'd listened to her mother and chosen to die with her... yes... things would have been better if she'd never been the Second Child. Things would have been better if she'd never even been alive to begin with.
A sudden shock rocked the cockpit followed by a thunderous bang, shaking her from her thoughts.
Asuka winced and yelped, pulling her knees tighter to her chest, covering her ears with her hands. Was this the end? Was this how she died, from whatever threat had fallen upon NERV? No! No, she didn't want to die this way! She didn't want to die at all! Her brush with death only a day ago had taught her that! Even thought everything was so fucked up and she was so low she didn't want to slip into oblivion where she'd lose everything, her memory, her very essence a person. No, she didn't want that! Dying and wishing one was never born were two separate things! She was already alive and so she didn't want to die...
"I don't want to die..." she murmured softly.
Another explosion rocked the cockpit and she screamed involuntarily. More explosions followed and she huddled tight into a fetal position. "I don't want to die..." she repeated, over and over again. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die..."
Clawing at the back of her mind she could almost hear a voice speaking to her... "You're still alive..." it murmured.
Asuka clamped her hands over her ears tighter. It felt like the universe was taunting her. "I don't want to die..." she repeated, over and over. "I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."
"You're still alive..." the voice repeated.
Asuka grimaced as more explosions rattled the entry plug. "I don't want to die..." she stated with increasing resolve and fear in equal measure. "I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."
"You mustn't die yet..." the voice spoke again within her head.
"I don't want to die... I don't want to die..." Asuka continued speaking like a broken record, taking solace in the voice now.
"You must live..." the voice spoke again.
Asuka took strength from it. It was the first real words of encouragement since Kaworu had died at Shinji's hand... "I don't want to die..." she murmured. "I don't want to die...
"You must live..." the voice spoke in her ear.
"I don't want to die..." Asuka whimpered as more shocks rocked the cockpit.
"I will protect you..." the voice cooed softly.
Asuka almost scoffed at that. Who could protect her now? She had no one and nothing to lean on. There was nothing left for her except for death, the thing she feared most... "I don't want to die..." she whimpered with tears in her eyes.
"Don't kill her..." the voice cooed.
Why did this damned voice seem so familiar? She squeezed her eyes shut tight. "I don't want to die..." she whispered into the void.
"You mustn't die..." the voice cooed once more.
To Asuka the voice felt so familiar, so warm, so soothing... she'd heard this voice before but she couldn't remember where or how. "I don't want to die..." she murmured as yet more explosions rocked her.
"You must live..." the voice spoke again inside her head.
Asuka ground her teeth together, trying her best to remain composed. "I don't want to die!" she hissed into the void.
"You will live..." the voice spoke again inside her head.
Asuka began to see an image in the darkness, an image of herself. It became clearer and clearer with each passing second and it filled her with utterly overwhelming primal terror. She was looking at herself, her own corpse, rotting and infested with maggots, her mouth open in a silent death rattle or desperate cry. "I don't want to die!" she screamed as if to banish the image from her mind.
She could feel her consciousness starting to drift but it wasn't like when she'd slit her wrist. No... this was different. It felt like there was something pulling at her mind, taking her to a place that the unknown force wanted her to experience or see. It felt... warm, welcoming even. Asuka wasn't sure exactly what to make of it but it it felt comforting. It almost made her feel like she was a young child again, accepted, loved... She opened her eyes and looked ahead...
Ahead of her was a bright light that slowly changed in form to the outline of a woman. Asuka's heart beat faster in her chest as that feeling of warmth and acceptance and love intensified. She knew this entity, this presence, this person and it made her filled with profound joy. "Mama?" she whispered aloud.
The glowing figure reached out to her, it's face taking shape. It was her! It was her mother! Asuka reached out to her. "You've been here the whole time?" she asked, her heart filling with nervous joy. This had to be a dream. There was no way this was real...
The figure clasped her hand and she could feel it. It was real! She didn't know how but her mother had been with her in the Eva the entire time, always there, protecting her! An overwhelming sense of joy rushed through her. "Mama!" she cried out with glee.
Nakajima sat in his fighting hole watching the demolition guys in front of his position lobbing depth charges into the lake from their vehicles. The low thuds of the explosions rumbled through the ground followed by a small geyser of water each time one went off. Apparently the reason for this was because the red Mobile Suit thing had been launched into the lake, for what practical purpose he had idea, but that was the rumor circulating at least.
"I wonder if they're even having an effect," Masaki muttered beside him. "I mean, those Eva things were built to fight monsters, right?"
Nakajima nodded. "So they say," he replied. "And no, they're probably not. Knowing our luck when it comes to those things we're probably not even touching it. Hell, it's probably not even down there and if it is the stupid thing can beat kaiju monsters, we couldn't even touch..."
"Well, if we rip off its power cable then the thing has only five minutes according to the reports we've all read," Masaki responded. "We don't need to beat it, we just need to out last it."
Nakajima regarded his friend with a wry smirk. "Yeah, if we get really damned lucky," he retorted.
Masaki shrugged. "Maybe it's like rock, paper, scissors," he replied. "Those kaiju monsters beat us, those Eva things beat the kaiju monsters, we beat the Eva things. It's simple."
Nakajima's smirk fell away, replaced by a dumbfounded expression. "Are you seriously bringing first grade playground logic into this?" he huffed in annoyance. "You and I both know that's not how the world works."
Masaki sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, I know, it's more complicated and way more messed up than that but let me have a moment, will you?" he retorted. "We just survived a fucking N2 blast and an artillery bombardment worthy of The Somme landing danger close. One can at least wish we'll get lucky, dammit..."
"Wish in one hand and shit in the other," Nakajima jabbed. "See which one fills up first..."
"I swear to high heaven..." Saito growled out behind them. "Can you two go one fucking operation without playing amateur fucking philosophers? Just one?"
"Sorry sir," Masaki muttered in response.
"Can't help it, sir," Nakajima added. "Nearly getting roasted alive by an N2 will do that to a man, sir."
Saito let out an exasperated groan. "For once I can't see the fault in that..." he grumbled, reaching under his helmet and pinching his temples. "This one time, you two fuckers have a point..."
Nakajima was about to make some snide comment that would probably be rewarded with a firm smack upside the head from his commanding officer when all of a sudden a deafening roar sounded from the lake and the shock wave threw all three of them into the dirt. Nakajima, shot to his feet, proper furious at getting yet another face full of dirt but his fury turned instantly to fear at the sight before him...
Rising out of the lake was a jet of red and yellow flame in the shape of a cross, just like he'd heard the Angels were capable of producing.
"What the fuck is that!?" Saito barked, his voice a mixture of shock and frustration.
"Oh shit... we're fucked..." Masaki murmured in fear.
Nakajima stood silently, watching as the crimson form of Evangelion Unit 02 emerged from the water, leaping high into the air before coming down feet first atop the vehicles which had been lobbing depth charges into the lake.
"Asuka's Eva has activated!" Hyuga cried, crouching low to avoid incoming gunfire but still high enough to give readings from his station.
Misato ducked down beside him as she reloaded her service weapon, a grin taking shape on her face. "Alright!" she cried joyfully "Finally, something's going right today!"
"Let's just hope she takes the pressure off of us..." Aoba grumbled before popping up to fire a burst at the forces down below. "We're running out of time and ammo..."
As soon as that moment of joy was short lived. His words made her remember the Mass Production Eva series. They would surely arrive soon and when they did it would certainly spell trouble. She could only hope that Asuka would be up to the challenge and that Shinji would be there to back her up by then. "Yeah..." she replied. "Let's hope..."
Asuka stood tall atop the vehicles she'd crushed beneath Unit 02's feet. She could sync again! She could pilot again! She couldn't remember a moment that had filled her with such joy, a moment where she'd felt so triumphant!
She looked to the shore and took note of the volley of incoming missiles headed in her direction. She smirked with glee and leaped high into the air, allowing them to swirl around her, every last one of them missing their target. "I understand now!" she cried with joy. "I understand! The meaning of the A.T. Field!"
She landed on the ground and swept her arm along the road on the bank beside the lake, sweeping a whole line of armored vehicles into the air and into the nearby hillside. The thrill of piloting again made her blood feel hot, it made her heart roar with life. She felt like herself again. All the loss and pain she'd felt in recent months were being washed away, even the loss of Kaworu, by this blissful, victorious moment. So long as her mother was at her side she could do anything! "You've been with me this whole time, haven't you, mama!?" she cried with joy. "You were always protecting me!"
She looked to the sky and watched as a wing of attack aircraft fired missiles at her. She smirked with glee and threw her Eva's fist forward, her fist colliding with the projectile and causing it to explode harmlessly in front of her. "With you watching over me I can never lose!" she roared. "We were always together, weren't we mama!?"
A wave of VTOL attack planes swooped in and began raking her Unit 02 with gunfire. It was nothing she couldn't handle. She swept around in a whirling kick and swatted two of them out of the air with one stroke of her Eva's leg. Her smile grew wider as she grabbed another and flung it into the hillside where it exploded in a massive fireball.
"I'll never lose again!" she screamed, her heart full of pride and righteous fury.
Nakajima watched in terror as the explosions sounded overhead, showering his position with fragments and shrapnel. The destruction being wrought in front of his eyes was like the wrath of an angry god. He could barely comprehend what was happening. If NERV had a weapon such as this... thing, what sort of chance did he and his comrades stand?
"The cable!" Saito barked like a mad dog. "Sever the cable! Concentrate all fire on the cable!"
"Fuck!" Masaki cried out, firing a totally ineffective burst from his G11 in the red monster's direction. The action was like shooting an air-soft gun at a charging bull. "Shoot it, Ryuji! For heaven's sake, shoot it!"
Nakajima remembered his training during his regiment's training up in Hokkaido. The cable, of course! That was it's weak spot!
He dove to the deck and slung the Howa 84RR off his back, arming it as quickly as he could. He lined up the sights and took aim. If only the damned mechanical monstrosity could stop moving! The stupid cable kept whipping around like a mad snake! It thrashed around behind the mechanical horror, leveling trees, leveling men...
"Shoot, private!" Saito screamed. "Fucking shoot it!"
Nakajima found his sight picture. "Back blast! Clear!" he shouted to warn his comrades before pulling the trigger. "Firing!"
The blast nearly deafened him as the round left the chamber, the shoulder cannon blasting up a cloud of dirt and dust all around him. He held his breath as he watched the glowing round travel down range... to no effect. It impacted the cable and only managed to blow the rubberized cladding off, nothing more.
"Dammit!" Saito snarled. "Try again!"
"I only had one round!" Nakajima responded over the din of explosions. "What the fuck do you want us to do, sergeant Saito, sir!?"
Saito dashed over to him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, glaring at him with fury in his eyes. "You're a soldier of his imperial majesty's armed forces!" he roared, spraying spittle in his face. "We do our fucking duty!"
In spite of how rude Saito was being, Nakajima respected the sentiment. He'd dreamed of living up to the warriors of old ever since he'd enlisted with the SDF. Now was his moment. "Yes sir!" he cried in response, shoving his platoon sergeant off of him and scanning his surroundings.
His eyes darted along the line of fighting holes searching for anything that could deal a heavy enough blow to sever the armored behemoth's power cable, ducking intermittently as fragments of destroyed equipment and fire rained down amid his positions. Soon enough he saw it...
Laying nearby was a Type 01 LMAT missile system, laying just in front of a soldier who'd been crushed in his position by a piece of a shattered aircraft...
Nakajima leaped out of his fortified position and dashed along the tree line, dodging shrapnel and detritus raining from the heavens above. Time seemed to slow down to an aching crawl as he made his mad dash. He dove to the dirt as he fell upon the weapon, shouldering it as soon as he could. The delay between lifting it at activating the sight was agonizingly slow but soon enough he got a sight picture. He centered on the cable and pressed the trigger...
The blast reverberated around him at a deafening volume. Nakajima's entire world was nothing but a rocket's roar and the ringing in his ears. Even so, he held his sight picture and two and a half seconds later he witnessed the Eva's cable sever amid a massive explosion.
"Yes!" Saito exclaimed triumphantly. "That's what I'm talking about! You've done your country proud, Nakajima!"
"Fuck yes!" Masaki cried out. "Fuck yes! We can beat this fucking thing!"
Nakajima couldn't allow himself to rejoice. He looked up the sky as the red monster grabbed a VTOL attack aircraft and swung it like a club into two others right above his head. "Hit the deck!" he cried desperately, diving into an empty fighting hole.
"Oh shit!" Masaki yelped, diving away from him as the fuselage crashed in the ground mere meters away followed by a deafening explosion.
Nakajima's entire world was nothing but the ringing in his ears and the bleached spots in his dizzied vision. He struggled to his feet, the earth rumbling beneath him, every step he took feeling like quicksand underneath his boots. He fell to the ground, his legs feeling like jelly. His vision was grayed out and he could scarcely hear a thing other than the horrid ringing and the sound of his heart beating like a jackhammer in his ears. "Hey!" he screamed. "Is anyone out there!"
"I'm alive!" a familiar voice croaked nearby. "Fuck! I'm alive!"
Nakajima clawed his was on his hands and knees toward the voice until he fell upon the ditch his best friend lay inside. As his vision came back he froze in shock. "Oh shit..." he murmured in shock.
Masaki turned his head to face him, his face a bloody mess of shredded flesh and metal fragments. "Ryuji!?" he cried. "I can't see you! Where are you!?"
Nakajima reached out with a shaking hand. "I'm right here, brother..." he murmured as he clasped his comrade's hand, trying him to his feet. "I'm right here..."
Masaki let out a pained yelp and collapsed to his knees. "I'm hurt pretty bad, Ryuji..." he moaned. "I don't think I can stand..."
Nakajima looked down at his friend's legs and his stomach knotted up. There was a jagged chunk of metal sticking all the way though one of his calves. He knew that if he pulled it out that he'd probably cause him to bleed out but at the same time he couldn't just leave him here to suffer. He slung his arm around his shoulder and forced Masaki to his feet, eliciting another pained yelp. "Come on," he replied. "Let's get you to a medic..."
Asuka snarled in frustration as her Eva switched over to using its internal battery. To think that these bastards had actually managed to cut her cable. "Shit!" she growled, jettisoning the plug from her Eva's back. "Even without my cable I've still got my Eva's armor!"
Another wing of four VTOL attack aircraft swooped down in front of her, firing a salvo of guns and rockets in her direction. She stepped forward toward them completely unbothered by the incoming fire. She grinned in defiance. "And I have my A.T. Field!" she cried out before putting up her hand and bringing that very field to life, causing the ordinance sent her way to explode harmlessly in front of her.
One of the VTOL aircraft swooped in close and she reached out, grabbing it by the tail fins. "Eat this!" she roared as she swung the aircraft into the next one closes, causing them both to shatter like glass. With that she hurled the broken tail section in her Eva's hand at another before whirling around and kicking the remaining one which was firing on her from behind.
Everything around her was nothing but smoke and flame and Asuka stood triumphant, looking toward the sky with glee.
Shikishima stood scowling, listening to the absolute pandemonium occurring around him and on the radios. Eva Unit 02 was on the battlefield now and it was ripping the SDF forces apart. Part of him expected such an outcome but it sickened him even so. To think of how many men were already killed or wounded because of that monstrosity already...
"Dammit!" Oda snarled beside him. "Is there anything we can do to stop that thing!?"
Shikishima held his tongue. He knew that Oda knew as well as he did that there was nothing Japan's military possessed that could defeat an A.T. Field.
It was then that a massive shadow passed over their position followed by the rumbling whine of turbofan jet engines. Shikishima looked up to the sky and his eyes went wide. High above were nine flying wing transports and as they flew directly over the breach where Tokyo 3 had stood moments earlier each one jettisoned something. The objects looked humanoid in form even from his distant vantage point. The falling objects then sprouted wings and appeared like giant vultures as they descended toward the geofront.
"What the hell are those things!?" Oda snapped. "Who's flying those planes!? Those aren't ours!"
Shikishima watched the birdlike creatures dive into the breach. He could tell exactly what they were from the documents Fujita had provided him with. He didn't know how they'd managed to arrive so soon but he supposed it doesn't matter... "Those are demons from hell here to bring about our destruction, General..." he growled under his breath, unable to bite back his comments. "And you opened the door for them..."
Oda turned to him with a grave expression. "Those are the Mass Production Eva series, aren't they..." he murmured quietly.
"Yes," Shikishima snapped. "And if you'd just listen to me for five damned minutes you'd know that they're not here to help us, sir. They're here to do exactly the thing you and the rest of the JSSDF are under the impression we're here to stop!"
Oda's eyes widened and his gaze became glossy. He looked away toward the steaming crater that had once been Tokyo 3. "Impossible..." he murmured softly before balling his fists and snarling. "NERV is the one seeking that end..."
Shikishima closed his eyes and drew a deep breath through his nose, letting it out slowly. He was done arguing with the old bastard. At this point any argument he could make wouldn't matter. Their fate was already sealed...
Asuka sat in her cockpit looking up at the heavens, feeling a mix of amazement, wonder, and worry. The sight of the white Evas hovering in the air thanks to those birdlike wings on their backs was quite an intimidating one. She could scarcely believe her eyes. "The Eva series is finished?" she murmured quietly, trying to comprehend the sight before her.
She studied them as they circled above. Why were they here? What was there purpose? Were they here to help fight against the army or were they there for a more sinister purpose? Judging by the sounds they were making, something between moans and laughs, she couldn't be sure, but it was definitely an unnerving sight...
Judging by the gunfire's cessation the firefight on the bridge had ended. The SDF had been repulsed... for now. Misato stood up from her crouched position. "Is everyone alright?" she asked, looking over everyone around her.
"Affirmative," Aoba responded.
"I- I'm okay..." Ibuki stammered.
"I'm fine," Hyuga stated. "You're gonna want to see this though..."
"See what?" Misato asked, confused.
Hyuga moved to his console and brought up the central display showing various camera feeds from the surface of the geofront. Misato gasped at the sight. "No way..." she murmured softly.
Vice Commander Fuyutsuki stepped up beside her, a look of concern written all over his face. "So SEELE as dispatched all nine of the Evas complete with S2 engines..." he bit out, his eyes fixed on the central display. "So they intend to start it here and now..."
Misato's blood ran cold. So SEELE was going to start the Instrumentality Project using the Eva series. She whipped around and faced Hyuga again. "Get me a line of communication to Asuka, now!" she barked.
"Roger!" Hyuga responded, frantically working the radio at his console.
"I'll reach out to Commander Ikari," Fuyutsuki stated quietly. "If he's alive I'm sure he'd wish to be informed."
Misato grimaced. The situation was growing more and more dire by the minute...
Nakajima grunted and groaned as he half carried half dragged Masaki along the cratered road he trudged along amid blasted and burning tanks and vehicles. His legs were screaming at him to stop and sit down but he wouldn't listen to them. He had to get his best friend to medical attention before it was too late. Considering Masaki's yelps had turned to pathetic moans in the last few minutes it wasn't looking good. He knew that if he let him lose consciousness then his odds of survival would be greatly reduced... so naturally he assumed a tactic he knew would work to prevent that; insults. "You know you're fucking heavy, you know that right?" he grumbled loudly.
"Sh- shut up..." Masaki groaned. "It's just this damned kevlar and plates. Lot of good it did me wearing all this shit..."
Nakajima nudged him in the ribs, eliciting a yelp. "That doesn't feel like armor or ammo," he grunted, stepping them over a foot sized hole in the road. "You've been spending too much time in the chow hall."
Masaki let out a small chuckle before coughing and yelping in pain. "I think my ribs are broken..." he groaned. "D- don't make me laugh..."
Nakajima let out a chuckle of his own. "I'll do it if it keeps you breathing, asshole," he responded, almost falling over as he stumbled along the road. "I'd rather not deal with your crying mother if you die today."
Masaki coughed. "Wh- why?" he croaked. "Because she'll kill you too?"
"No," Nakajima responded, straining to take his next step. "Because I don't like fucking funerals. By the way, can you see anything?"
Masaki reached up and wiped at his bloody face. "A little bit..." he croaked. "Everything is blurry as hell though..."
Nakajima frowned and breathed a nervous sigh. He could only hope that if the two of them managed to survive today that his friend wouldn't be permanently maimed... "I suppose that's better than it could be..." he murmured.
It was then that Nakajima noticed a shadow darkening around him that was growing darker and darker by the second. "Hey..." Masaki groaned. "Is it getting dark already, or is that just me?"
Nakajima was puzzled. What the hell was making this shadow? He looked upwards and instantly primal fear gripped his heart. It looked like an Evangelion like the red one but it had wings and it was coming down feet first right on top of him!
He dove out of the way, pulling Masaki with him, causing the other man to scream in pain as they hit the ground. Not even a second later the enormous foot of the behemoth crashed down exactly where they stood, smashing the ground hard enough to bounce them both into the air.
"Shit!" Nakajima cried, dragging a screaming and groaning Masaki by his arm as he tried to scoot away on his hands and knees. "I hate these fucking Eva things!"
Gendo crept through the darkened hallway in which he tread, his pilfered rifle at the ready, his son lagging a few paces behind him. They hadn't encountered any further resistance but he couldn't trust their luck to hold...
He glanced back at his son and frowned. The poor boy seemed almost despondent. Their talk in the car had clearly shaken him. It was understandable but it didn't bode well for what he needed to do once they reached Unit 01. If Shinji couldn't pull it together and do what was necessary then this entire excursion would end up being for nothing. He just hoped that he would. Part of him wished that he could say something to reassure him, to let him know that he was doing the right thing, that they both were... but now was not the time for idle talk. It would have to wait until everything was over with. For that matter, he could only hope that Agent Kaji was able to affect some kind of change even at this late of an hour. If he couldn't then probably even his son with Unit 01 would fail anyway...
Oh well... he supposed he all he could do now was hope and fight in equal measure.
He felt his cell phone vibrate inside of his jacket and he let go of the rifle's fore grip in order to answer it. He knew it could only be one or two people calling him right now. "Yes?" he answered.
"The Eva series has arrived," Fuyutsuki's voice sounded in his ear. "The Second Child has managed to activate her Eva and is already on the battlefield."
"I see..." Gendo responded, peering around the corner of the hallway, halting his walk in order to do so. "We should be arriving at the cages shortly."
"Good luck..." Fuyutsuki responded before ending the call.
Gendo stuffed his phone back into his jacket pocket and turned back to glance at Shinji. "The Eva Series has arrived," he stated. "We need to hurry."
Shinji said nothing, only bowing his head and balling his fists at his sides...
Gendo stood there observing him for a moment, his frown deepening. The boy looked extremely conflicted. It looked like he might just sit down and give up, exactly the way he'd looked when those soldiers had cornered him. He knew the poor boy had been through a lot, that he'd put him through a lot, but now was not the time for sentimentality. Right now that type of thinking and stalling could get them killed. "Shinji, we need to move," he stated a bit more forceful than before. He genuinely didn't want to have to drag him along but he would should it come to it...
Shinji simply remained standing there but balled up his fists. "F- fine..." he stammered out, sounding incredibly bitter.
Gendo breathed a silent sigh. "Alright then..." he replied, facing the direction they'd been heading once more and continued his cautious plod through the halls of NERV. It was faint but he could hear his son's footsteps trailing behind him. Shinji might resent him, hate him even, but so long as he got in the Eva and did his best to destroy the forces of SEELE then Gendo could rest assured that he'd done the right thing in the end. Perhaps one day Shinji would understand...
At least he hoped so...
Asuka sat in her cockpit observing the white Evas that had encircled her position. They'd retracted their wings somehow and they were all carrying heavy melee weapons. The handle was right in the center with two massive double edged blades on either side. They certainly looked powerful but also very slow...
The radio in the cockpit crackled to life. "Asuka, can you hear me?" Misato's voice sounded in the plug.
"Loud and clear," she responded. "What are these things doing here?"
"Those Evas have been deployed to attack NERV," Misato responded. "You need to destroy them. Shinji will be there to back you up soon."
Asuka's lip curled back in disgust. Her newly restored pride wouldn't let Shinji or anyone else steal a moment that was rightfully hers ever again. There was no way in hell that she was going to let this moment of triumph be besmirched by sharing the glory with anyone, especially not Shinji, the person who'd killed the boy she loved... "Roger that..." she snapped back before turning off her radio.
She looked out, sneering at the assembled nine foes and her sneer grew wider. Even though she wasn't about to share any glory it was still quite a task to lay on her after what she'd been through. "Destroy the Eva Series she says..." she grumbled to herself. "Quite a lot to ask of someone who'd nearly killed themselves a few days ago..."
The quiet beeping of her internal battering ticking down caught her attention and she eyes the display. "Three minutes and thirty seconds... just over twenty seconds each with time to spare," she murmured to herself before gripping the control sticks tight in her hands and letting loose a defiant yell. "Erste!"
Asuka surged Unit 02 forward as fast as she could, leaping into the air and launching her attack on the closest Eva to her own. The Eva didn't react fast enough and she grabbed it's faceless, worm-like head in both her hands, smashing it between her own Eva's palms. She landed on the ground behind it and it collapsed into her Eva. She reached up and grabbed it by it's torso, holding high above Unit 02's head, gripping it and squeezing it until it's back snapped and a shower of blood exploded out of it. It felt glorious. It was like she was being born again. "Who's next?" she growled with a bloodthirsty grin.
She didn't wait for an answer before launching herself at her next target...
Shinji trailed behind his father a few paces back. His entire body felt heavy and reluctant to move. After everything he'd experienced and everything he'd been through and especially after what his father had told him he didn't want to keep going... and yet his feet kept carrying him forward. Why? Why was he just complying when every instinct and emotion in his body was begging him not to? Was it because it was his father who was pushing him to do so? Probably that was the case...
He grimaced and shut his eyes for a moment as he continued his march behind the man who'd masterminded every horrible thing that had ever happened to him. He wanted to hate him still but after being saved by him from certain death and hearing him express the complexity of how he'd gotten himself entangled in such a fucked up game made that impossible. Seeing the regret in his eyes made it even harder. No... he couldn't hate his father for the things he'd done. He could only hate himself for being too stupid and too naive to see his own place in the grand game. He'd always been nothing but a pawn, a tool to be used and discarded... and as much as he wanted to change that it felt impossible. That filled him with fury but in a way that he couldn't even begin to express it. It seemed so pointless, just like continuing to live seemed so pointless when he'd done nothing with his own life but fuck up the lives of everyone else around him, like Rei...
Damn... he wished he could just take back what he'd said to her, just like he'd wished he could take back killing Nagisa, hurting Touji, hurting Asuka, and letting everyone he'd ever known or cared about down. He really didn't deserve to live. He might as well just give in and accept that everything was fucked. He might as well just lay down and die...
"What are you doing?" his father called to him, looking back at him with a mildly annoyed expression. "Keep up, Shinji. There's no time to waste..."
He was shaken from his trance. He'd stopped walking in his daze. He simply nodded his head and continued his march through the halls.
Moments later Shinji found himself following his father over a walkway above a large chasm. He couldn't help but notice the decoration above the door at the far end. It looked like a cross. He didn't know much about Christian symbology but he had heard the old saying of carrying one's own cross. Who was the one carrying the cross now? Was it his father or was it himself?
His father halted just in front of the door, punching in a code on the keypad beside it. Shinji stepped up closed beside him on his left. "We're close," he stated. "The elevator is just ahead..."
Shinji said nothing and drew a deep breath. Soon enough he'd be forced to go to war just like every other time... an exercise in futility, just like everything else in his miserable life.
Bang!
Gunshots rang out around the two of them and his father swept his arm around to shield him, sweeping the rifle around firing a burst at a level down below. Shinji covered his ears in his hands ducked down low just as the door opened. "Go!" his father shouted firmly, firing the rifle over the walkway at whomever it was that was trying to kill them both.
Shinji dove through the door and struggled to stay on his feet, dashing toward the elevator just inside the corridor. He turned around just in time to see his father wince and stagger before lugging himself through the door, doubling over and collapsing to his hands and knees as he did. The door snapped closed behind him followed by an explosion that shook the hall but didn't breach the door...
He stood there in silent shock as his father shakily rose to his feet and moved toward him, his gait labored and strained. He could do nothing as his father moved up beside him and fell on his rear end beside him, breathing heavily. That was when he noticed that there was blood running down his sleeve... He spoke up, stammering. "A- are you..." he couldn't say the rest...
His father issued him a smirk. "It's nothing..." he muttered, straining to his feet, dropping the rifle to the floor with a clatter. "It's not as bad as it looks..."
Shinji stumbled back, words failing him. He could only gape in shock. His father had saved him once again... He watched as the man reached behind him and pressed the button on the wall, causing the outer doors of the elevator to open, leaving only a metal gate between the two of them and the shaft. "The power is still on..." he stated firmly as he planted his hands on the metal grate, hovering over him. "There's still time..."
Shinji's eyes drifted to his father's hand, noting the blood dripping off his palm and scowled. He didn't deserve this much care. He didn't deserve this level of protection or care. Even though he'd always wanted his father to show him that he cared he didn't deserve it, not now, not after all the pain he'd caused...
His father's other hand reached out and grabbed him by the chin, ensuring that he looked at him but not in a forceful way. "Look at me," he spoke almost tenderly, more a request than an order. Shinji found himself staring back at him both puzzled and shocked. Was this what a caring parental touch felt like? "From here on out you're on your own. You have to make your own decisions. No one can do it for you... do you understand?"
Shinji bowed his head, looked down at his feet and gritting his teeth. So what if he made his own decisions? He'd made decisions before and all he'd ever done was make things worse with the choices he'd made! "I can't..." he murmured bitterly, starting slowly but quickly falling into a near incoherent ramble. "I don't see the point in it... All I've ever done is let everyone down... All I've ever done is hurt the people I care about. I hurt Asuka. I nearly killed Touji. I killed Kaworu. I hurt Rei... nothing I ever did ever helped anyone... all I ever did was fuck things up. I thought that if I kept fighting that it would mean something, that it would matter, but it never did. All I ever did was hurt myself and everyone I ever cared for. I was too hopeful, too stupid to see I was just a pawn in some sick game... it's better if I just do nothing at all..."
"Stop wallowing in your self pity!" his father roared.
Shinji flinched and snapped his gaze back to his father's face only to find him glaring at him. There was no malice in that glare though, no ill intent, just pain, and in a matter of seconds it softened. "Just stop... It will get you nowhere," he stated firmly, his eyebrows knitting up. "I know that from bitter experience..."
Shinji stood there silently as those words pierced his heart. He couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything just stand there petrified...
His father placed both his hands on his shoulders and stared directly into his eyes. He closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh before speaking again, staring into his soul as he did. "I know that I haven't been there for you when I should have. I know that you're hurt and you're scared and you're lost..." he stated firmly. "I was there too. I know what it's like... I know that you want to give up and just walk the hell away from all of this..."
Shinji stood silently, his lips quivering, unable to look away...
His father breathed deeply, shakily, once again, retaining eye contact the whole time. "You can't change the past. All you can do is move forward," he stated calmly. "You can't live your life holding on to your regrets and your past mistakes and all the pain that comes with them. I know that all too well..."
Shinji finally found his strength to protest even if he couldn't look his father in the eye. He bowed his head, squinting his eyes shut, trying to block everything out. "What the hell do you know about me!" he cried, anguish and rage rearing their heads in equal measure. "You've never been there! You never cared! You're practically a stranger! You're not me so you can't understand!"
"So fucking what if I'm not you!" his father barked.
Shinji once again froze, locking eyes with the man in front of him, unable to speak...
His father's angry expression once again softened immediately. Instead of looking at him with contempt he regarded him with the most sympathetic expression he'd ever seen from the man. "Shinji..." he spoke softly. "I can't tell you how to live your life or what's best for you. I know I gave up that right years ago. I know that you're hurting, that you're trying to find your way in life and that's okay. It takes time to find your way, and whether the path you're on is right or not, that's your decision. I know you're asking yourself all the questions, about why you're here, why this is happening, why you exist at all... and I know it's hard. I've made so many mistakes. I've done things that I can never make up for, things I can never take back... It took me years to realize I'd given up on happiness or hope. It took me far too long to start trying again, to start hoping again, to start living again... but those mistakes let me learn things about myself and those things are why I'm standing here right now. I learned I needed to change, and that it's never too late to change, to be the person you wish to be... It's just a choice one makes... it's only a choice..."
Shinji watched as his father breathed heavily, his breaths coming labored and short. He couldn't say anything. His chest felt tight. Those words fit his condition perfectly...
His father continued speaking, staring into his soul as he did. "I know I have no right to tell you how to live your life or tell you what to do with it... but I can tell you that if you don't go out and fight there won't be a life left for you or for any of us. All your possibilities, along with those of everyone else, will be gone forever... I won't order you to do this because it's ultimately your choice and your choice alone... so I'm asking you... please... pilot the Eva, go out there, and fight for humanity... one last time..."
Shinji felt his eyes stinging. Never could he have imagined his father asking him something instead of just ordering him to do it. He couldn't help but feel pride and warmth knowing that his father trusted him enough to do the right thing, that he was willing to ask. If his father was right about what was happening and what was going to happen he had to do it because it must be done. Even so, having the right to that choice felt good... "Okay..." he murmured in response, bowing his head. "I'll do it..."
His father lifted his chin up forcing him to face him once more. This time instead of a dour glare or a sympathetic expression he wore a look of true pride. "Thank you..." his father replied softly before reaching his arms around him and pulling him into a hug.
Shinji stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do or how to react. It was so surreal. His father was embracing him for the first time... how was one supposed to react?
Before he had the chance his father took a step back and held him by his shoulders, that wide, prideful smile remaining on his face. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you, son..." he stated firmly. "I'm proud of you now, and I'm proud of the man I can see you becoming..."
Shinji's eyes stung and his lip quivered. Was this who his father really was? Was he really this kind and understanding man that stood before him? He could barely comprehend it! "I- I don't understand..." he murmured softly. "I- I want to understand..."
His father's grip on his shoulders tightened. "I'll explain everything once this is all over..." he replied, retaining that smile of his. "I promise..."
Shinji barely had time to respond before the gate opened behind him and his father shoved him into the elevator. The doors snapped shut and the last thing he saw of the man was a warm, prideful smile...
He stepped back and leaned against the back wall of the elevator car. What had just happened? Why was all of this happening? He still could barely comprehend it all... and then he looked down at his white shirt now stained red with his father's blood. For the first time in his life his father had tried to understand him. He'd made a true and genuine connection with his father for the first time in his life and it would probably be the only time too. His father was probably going to die up there and that promise he'd made, the one promise he'd ever made to him, would be unfulfilled...
Shinji doubled over and let loose a guttural moan of sorrow as the sadness overcame him, tears pouring from his eyes like a waterfall. He slid down the wall of the elevator and pulled his knees to his chest. It felt like a piece of his heart he'd never even known was there had been torn out in the cruelest way imaginable. He sat there crying, weeping like a lost child, as the elevator descended down into the depths...
Gendo watched as the doors of the elevator snapped shut and breathed a heavy sigh, his head feeling light and his body feeling heavy. He'd gotten hit twice in the upper torso and it was really wearing him down. The pain wasn't too bad but he could feel his body getting weaker with each passing second. A distinct feeling of cold was setting in. Now that Shinji was on his way the strength and resolve he'd mustered was leaving him. Oh well... at least he'd managed to motivate his son enough to do what was necessary. He slid down the wall beside the elevator until he was sitting on the floor, barely able to keep his eyes open. He couldn't help but remember something Fuyutsuki had said to him once and it actually made him laugh. "Well... you were right, Fuyutsuki..." he chuckled to himself. "It looks like my scheming did catch up with me eventually..."
He closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh, his mind drifting to the last conversation he'd had with Ritsuko. What am I to you? That was what she'd asked... and he'd told her he'd talk to her about it when they saw one another next, once the battle was over... perhaps things could have actually worked out between them. She, and no one else, had supported him through his darkest moments after Yui left him. Just like Yui, she'd seen him for who he really was...
"I'm sorry, Ritsuko..." he murmured bitterly, uttering a wry chuckle. "I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise to you..."
His mind began to drift as he sat beside that elevator shaft, conjuring a vision of what could be. He saw Rei and Shinji talking with one another, each with smiles, while he sat in a rocking chair overlooking them on some porch amid the Japanese countryside. He looked up and there was Ritsuko standing there behind him with her hands resting gently on his shoulders "How is it now?" she asked him as he watched Rei and Shinji sitting happily together in the field before them... "Is this what you want?"
It felt like a paradise...
He smiled wide at the vision. Perhaps it was possible to be in love with someone else and still retain his love for Yui. Perhaps he could actually move on... perhaps he could actually be happy...
And just as quickly as that vision came to mind he snapped back to reality. His eyes flashed open, taking stock of the cold hallway before him. What he was watching wasn't real. He was dying. He was dying in some cold and empty hallway within NERV's complex, alone... He didn't want that to be the case. It felt so unfair! He wanted to live on! He had so much more to give, so much more to say, so much more to fight for! He couldn't accept what was happening now!
Gendo struggled to his feet, using all of his remaining strength to stand once more. "I'm... I'm not ready yet!" he snarled, forcing himself to move, taking a shaky step forward, his fists clenched in determination to hold onto life. "There's so much more I could do, so much more I need to say! I can't die now, not here, not like this! I want to stay!"
His strength wasn't enough. It gave out. There was nothing to hear his pleas or answer them, only silence, and he collapsed to the ground face first on the cold hard floor... "Dammit..." he murmured softly, cursing his hopeless, miserable situation, cursing God, cursing fate... To think that it would end this way, that it was over, stung. Gendo could feel his strength leaving him. He was well and truly fading...
His vision was getting blurry but out of the corner of his eye he caught the glimpse of a glowing, ethereal apparition. He strained his neck with the last of his strength to get a better look at the vision...
It was Yui...
She was looking down at him, appearing exactly as he remembered her, complete with white lab coat and everything. He couldn't help but see the irony in that he was seeing her again now when he'd accepted he never would again. She wore an unreadable expression and it caused so many emotions to swirl in his chest. His greatest love looking down on him in this moment made him want to cry with joy and with sorrow all in one... but he didn't have the strength left for either. His brow knit up and he stared back at her mournfully. "Did I do the right thing... in the end... Yui?" he asked aloud somberly, his breaths coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Yui's lips curved upwards in a welcoming, comforting smile...
Gendo's fears and regrets began to wash away upon seeing that grin of hers, that welcoming, accepting, loving grin that he so adored. His heart felt light. For the first time in forever he felt fulfilled and complete. Perhaps with a bit of luck things would be alright and he'd done everything in his power to work toward that end. That smile let him know that he'd done enough. It was time to rest now...
Gendo Ikari breathed a sigh of elation and smiled in contentment before closing his eyes, surrendering to his end, letting his consciousness fade into eternity...
Author's notes
There you have it... the end of Gendo Ikari... and everything is worse now.
I'll have to admit that this one hit really, really hard for me personally when I was composing it. Much scotch was consumed in the last few days as I put this together and edited it. The ending two scenes I'd played over and over again in my mind since I started writing this story and I think I managed to get it 95 percent the way I always wanted to. Gendo was and is one of my favorite characters to write and putting an end to him is bittersweet. I'd always known where I was taking him and where he would end up but my god does it hurt to say goodbye... Rest in peace you magnificent bastard.
Sadly, our favorite blue-haired protagonist doesn't appear very much in this chapter but I can promise you'll see more Rei in the next. I doubt that is much comfort considering the depths to which she's sinking though. Either way, the battle continues and the situation grows ever more dire by the minute. One can only hope that Kaji and Fujita are successful in their ploy and that Ritsuko can reach Rei in time...
As always, please read and review. See you again next week!
Regards,
A.F.