Fifteen: Duel of the Titans.
Motohakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
July 31st, 2015.
Shinji watched the sunset turn the dark slopes of Mt. Fuji to rust. A snowy wall of thunderheads receded far to the south, lightning flickering over the Drowned Coast. Sensei says the mountain used to be capped with snow. It hasn't snowed in fifteen years, though. Maybe one day.
His gaze fell downward. Lake Ashi glimmered below, half-shaded by the tall mountain ridge. A burnt scar ringed the hills halfway up from the shore, thin streamers of smoke rising from the charred ruins. Tokyo-3 lay at the far end of the bay, the sunset turning the lake to gold. The Second Ward was ablaze, the pyre reflected against the glassy faces of the Angel. Gilded by dusk above and ruddy with flame below, the creature shone like a brilliant ruby amidst the devastation. A slender pillar descended from its lower point, disappearing into the ground.
He heard footsteps behind him.
Misato sat down beside him, gazing at the distant peak of Mt. Fuji. "It's a nice view, isn't it? No wonder Hokusai chose it for one of his thirty-six."
Shinji nodded glumly, staring at the looming shape of the Angel. "I failed. I almost had it…"
"You didn't fail. As long as you are still alive, you haven't failed." He looked at Misato. She looked off into the distance, eyes a hundred miles away, and continued. "The first few years after the Impact were hard, Shinji-kun. They were finding bodies for five years afterward; about half the victims were never found. We learned pretty quickly that dwelling on the past didn't help. As long as there is life, there is hope, but there's nothing in the grave but dirt." She clapped him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Shinji-kun. You'll have Rei-chan's help this time around. I'd like to see the Angel that can beat NERV, the JSSDF, and two Evangelions. Once Asuka-chan shows up, that'll be three active pilots."
She stood up, walking back inside. Shinji's head spun. Wait, Asuka…the SEELE girl? Kaworu's friend is coming here?
"Pilot Ikari."
Shinji spun around. Rei stood in the terrace door, a slip of paper in her hand. She's wearing her plugsuit…so they fixed Unit-00 ?
"Yeah?"
"The Commander wants a word." She handed him the slip.
"Right now?"
She nodded. Shinji walked inside, brushing past Rei. The smell of LCL wafted from the suit. So she has been synch-tested.
She shifted aside slightly. "Then, farewell."
The escalator descended through the vast inner hollow of the NERV Redoubt, a slender ribbon of glass and steel stretched across the void. Shinji felt a wave of nausea creep up and shut his eyes tightly. I hate this place. How did they combine vertigo and claustrophobia into one base?
After a long, tense ride, Shinji stepped off at the platform. The main concourse was a wide concrete balcony jutting into the cavity, supported by a forest of columns. The pit floor was hidden by haze, making it impossible to discern how far down the drop was. Shinji passed through the side door, emerging into a block of offices embedded into the rocky matrix. The Lawrence Conference Room is…this way. Shinji pulled the door open. The conference room was decorated sparsely; a long table, chairs, and a projector sat in the frigid gray space. Commander Allard sat at the head of the table, speaking to a stone-faced Henry Powell in machine-gun French. Shinji froze in the door.
"Pilot, you're here. Good. Please, sit down. I was just finishing up a meeting with Major Powell."
Powell walked away, stopping by Shinji. He leaned in and murmured, "This is your last chance. Watch yourself." The NERV officer brushed roughly past, the door shutting behind him. Shinji gingerly took a seat at the table. So he isn't going to punish me.
The Commander of NERV interlaced his fingers. "You aren't in trouble, don't worry. I wanted to speak with you before the operation begins."
Shinji nodded, taking a shaky breath. "Yes, sir."
"First of all, the time of the assault has been fixed. The operation will commence at 2100 hours. You and Pilot Ayanami will be deployed at 2050 to the strike zone and will commence firing at 2100, or when Operations issues the order. Report to Hangar A-6 no later than 2000."
"Yes, sir. I'll be ready by then."
"Second, and more importantly, NERV apologizes for the unfortunate events surrounding your detention. No charges will be filed for your escape attempt, and your controlled movement status will be lifted shortly. We are grateful for your continued service and cooperation. If any further concerns arise, please contact Section 1 to file a claim."
Well, that was a half-assed apology but it's better than nothing.
"Thank you, sir. Is that all?"
"Dismissed, Pilot. Please tell Pilot Ayanami to come in."
Shinji nodded tersely. He pushed the door open, and surely enough Rei was waiting outside. Shinji gestured to the room. "He's ready for you."
He set off down the hall towards the pilot quarters. At least Section 2 will go back to secretly following me; the entourage was getting annoying.
Shinji took the elevator up to the waiting room. The small chamber smelled strongly of mothballs—fitting, as it was scarcely larger than a closet. He sat down on the bed, glancing at the clock. 1930. Ninety minutes to go. Shinji reached into his backpack. Might as well get some English done— His hand hit a lump in the other pocket. He frowned, withdrawing his hand, and opened the side pocket. Out tumbled a harmonica, clattering against the floor. This should have been confiscated. Shinji picked it up. Someone found it in my pocket, hid it from Section 2, and slipped it into my bag. The shiny silver instrument was wrapped in a strip of paper; Shinji carefully prised it off and unfolded the note.
'Shinji-kun,
The most important part of music is practice. It can be hard to lug a cello around, so I got you this. Try to play ten minutes a day, you'll pick it up in no time. Until then, take care.
Love,
Kaworu.
ps. I gave you the melody. When I make it over there, I'll play the harmony.'
Shinji turned the note over. Sketched on the back was a piece of music, titled in a foreign language: "Herz und Seele."
At that moment, the door opened. Rei walked in, sitting on the other bed. Shinji hastily wrapped the instrument back up, stowing it in his bag.
Rei placed a glasses case on the nightstand, digging her book out of the drawer. She's reading Steppenwolf.
"I didn't know you wore glasses," Shinji said.
"I don't. These belonged to Commander Ikari."
"Why do you have my father's glasses?"
She shrugged. "They broke. The Commander didn't want them back."
"Right…but why did you keep them?"
"He didn't tell me to throw them away."
Shinji sighed, defeated by her ironclad logic. "Do you pick up anything that's shiny?"
She shook her head. "These are special."
"Why?"
"The Commander was wearing them when he saved my life."
Shinji opened his mouth to reply, and was promptly cut off when Misato entered the room.
"Come with me, you two. I want to run you through the plan."
Shinji looked down on the colossal rifle dropped unceremoniously in the midst of the hangar. The high catwalk crossed fifty feet above the concrete floor, near the rough ceiling. From here the rifle's size was even more jarring; as long as twenty people, furnished in powder-coated aluminum.
"Where did this come from?" he asked Misato.
She grinned. "Unit-00 'tactically acquired' it from the JSSDF laboratory. We'll be a few billion yen in the hole after the war, plus the cost of the roof, but that's water under the bridge—or mechas through the ceiling."
A scientist clad in a white coat and a bow tie stormed across the catwalk, face tomato red.
Misato waved. "There you are, Dr. Yamaguchi. The Pilots—"
"Don't patronize me, Captain. I will be filing a complaint with the proper authorities—"
"Calm down, Doctor, we will return the rifle after the battle—"
His face purpled. "YOU RIPPED THE FUCKING ROOF OFF!"
"A necessary sacrifice for victory. Now, are you going to explain the operation of the rifle or not?"
Yamaguchi muttered something horribly obscene and pulled out a dented hip flask. He took a few pulls of liquor. "Alright. To load the rifle, press the mag in the magwell until it clicks into place. Pull the bolt up, back, forward, and down to chamber a round. Line the scope up with the reticle on your HUD. Don't yank the trigger, squeeze; steady pressure. Don't try to fight the recoil, it won't be ready to fire again for a few seconds. Keep both eyes open, mind your ammunition, and for the love of God watch where you aim it. Don't rest your finger on the trigger, you'll blow yourself to Tonga. You got that?"
Shinji nodded. "Up, back, forward, down, scope aligned with reticle, squeeze the trigger."
Misato stepped forward. "You've only got a few shots, Shinji-kun. It'll take the entire power output of Japan to charge the coils."
"I told you," Yamaguchi muttered, "it isn't ready for deployment—"
Misato cut across him. "The Angel has drilled two-thirds of the way into the Geofront; we'll work with what we have. Rei-chan, you'll be blocking the incoming shots. We've prepared an ablative heat shield that should withstand two or three blasts from the Angel."
Rei nodded. "I understand, ma'am. I am ready."
"Good. Remember, you two. Once the Angel sees you, the blasts won't stop until it's dead. Shinji-kun, aim carefully at the center. As long as you get near the core, the leptonic feedback should fry its innards."
She checked her watch. "It's nearly time. Get to your stations, and good luck." Shinji nodded. I can't fail again.
Motohakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
July 31st, 2015.
Shinji sat in the dark, trying to ignore the crawling feeling of technicians clambering over his pylons. The launch hangar was cold and still, the two mechas bent double to fit under the steel roof. He leaned back in the chair, muting the external audio feed. The time displayed 20:57. Launch is in three minutes. Rack the bolt up, back, forward, down, seat the stock against the shoulder, steady trigger pull, don't fight the recoil. Shinji opened a private audio feed to Unit-02.
"Ayanami-san?"
"Ikari-kun, what is it?"
"I was wondering," Shinji said, "why aren't you scared of the Angels?"
"Why would I be scared?"
"Well, you could die."
"I'm not scared. There are replacements. Why are you scared?"
"Because I want to live!"
There was a long moment of silence.
"Ayanami-san?"
"Yes, Ikari-kun?"
"Do you want to be replaced?"
"To die?"
"No, to—well, to run away. Let someone else pilot and go do whatever you want to do."
Another long silence, before Rei answered.
"I will follow orders. If you wish to abandon your post, I will replace you."
"I didn't mean I was going to run away…just asking. You really don't care if you die?"
"I am a means to an end. I have nothing else." The clock struck 21:00
"It's launch time," Shinji said.
"Farewell." Rei disconnected the line.
Unit-01 stooped under the ceiling of the hangar tunnel, emerging silently into the night. Unit-00 crouched behind the gray shield, orange plating gleaming under the full moon. Shinji crept up closer, bearing the rifle's weight with his good arm. I don't trust this replacement hand. I'll be resting the gun on the ground, anyway.
Misato's voice crackled over the comms. "Take your position, Shinji-kun. If you hit the first shot it won't be firing back."
Shinji lay down on the shore, staring through the scope. The Angel glowed silver in the moonlight, throwing long shadows from the buildings across the lake. The reticle drifted towards the center of his crosshairs; Shinji set his finger on the trigger. Almost…
The Angel morphed, unfolding from the top like a silver lotus. The Moon glittered from the faceted petals, casting flashes across the mountains. It tilted upward, sitting vertically atop the drill column. The reticle passed over the edge of the crosshairs; the Angel snapped to face the Redoubt. A star appeared in its center. Shinji yanked the trigger; a beam of burning blue energy rocketed away across the lake. The rifle recoiled with tremendous force.
The star brightened to a blazing sun, the moon drowning in its radiance. A terrible scream echoed across the lake as a stream of magenta light shot back towards them. Unit-00 hefted the shield, bracing for impact.
The world filled with searing light. A wave of scorching heat washed over Shinji. Unit-00 stood silhouetted against the glare, flame curling around the edges of the great shield. The trees crackled and withered, consumed like twigs thrust into a furnace. Little sizzling drops of molten metal streamed from Unit-00's armor, sizzling against Shinji's chest. The shield cracked; a piece shattered against his shoulder. Shinji bit back a scream. He felt the hairless skin of the Evangelion blistering in the inferno as if it was his own. The armor's heat was unbearable, the stench of burning flesh filling the Evangelion's nostrils. He fought the urge to plunge into the cool lake. I won't make it clear of the beam.
The light subsided. Shinji felt a wave of icy cold wash over them. His own armor cooled from grill to oven, the scorched skin tingling in the mountain air. Unit-00 steamed, the shield glowing cherry red. Shinji squinted at the creature's mirrored hulk and felt his stomach drop. It's not even scratched. The petals separated, warping into crosses spinning around an inner ring. Shinji braced the rifle against the ground, racking the bolt, and took aim once more. The electric hum of the generator array intensified, the power lights flashing yellow. A dozen stars bloomed at the arms of the crosses, flickers of magenta lightning playing around the ring.
I have to hit it this time. I can't survive that again, the pain will kill me.
Shinji trained the crosshairs on the glaring red eye. Come on, come on… . Rei leapt before him with the shield just as the blast struck. The air filled with flame. Shinji shielded his face with the prosthetic. The shield collapsed at last, flaking into paper-thin layers crisping on a fiery wind. The heat grew ten-thousandfold; The prosthetic sagged, melting into a stream of liquid iron blown back by the blast. Every inch of his body sizzled and charred in the beam; the LCL in his lungs was boiling napalm. He screamed, falling to his knees.
The gun. It's still loaded. Shinji gritted his teeth, tapping a sequence of buttons on the console. A filter dropped over his eyes; the glare resolved to a pane of black, a single white star blazing at the center. Shinji propped the rifle against his knee, taking aim at the light with a shaking arm.
The reticle settled on the center; Shinji pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back, gouging a deep furrow in the ground. The star winked out, the temperature dropping two hundred degrees in an instant. The filter lifted off. Shinji collapsed onto his back, propped against the melted hillside. He opened the comm channel.
"D-did we do it?"
A horrific sob sounded from the city. The crosses collapsed into the ring, reforming into the glowing diamond. A loud crack; a plume of fire billowed from its rear. The corpse tumbled to the ground with an earthshaking crash.
Click. Misato's relieved voice came through the line. "Yes. Thank you both. We're sending evac teams for you and Rei—"
Rei. Shinji sprinted across the field of ashes to where Unit-00 lay in the fetal position. The front of the Evangelion had melted like candle wax into a mass of drips. Its shield arm was frozen in place, joints fused by the inferno. The sagging brow ridge sealed the eye sockets of the mask shut. Shinji dug his fingers into the back plate, scrabbling for the plug. He stuck his foot on Unit-00's back and yanked at the end with all the force Unit-01 could muster. The plug finally popped free, expelling jets of steaming liquid from the mottled, swollen seam.
Shinji gripped the scorching metal hatch with both hands, straining at the latch. The metal burnt his palms, grinding open a hair. Shinji gritted his teeth and pulled harder. The latch yielded, letting out a metallic screech. He threw the hatch open and leapt into the plug.
Rei lay limply in the pilot chair, head lolling to the side. A blast of heat struck Shinji—the inside of the plug felt like a pressure cooker.
"Ayanami-san!"
Her crimson eyes opened a crack. Shinji's heart skipped a beat.
"You're alive…."
Shinji let out a shaky breath. A wave of fatigue washed over him. He leaned against the hatch frame, his legs suddenly weak.
Rei tilted her head. "Ikari-kun, why are you crying?"
Shinji wiped his eyes, his hand coming back wet.
"D-don't say sad stuff like that, okay? Don't say you have nothing else. Don't say farewell when you walk away, l-like I'm never going to see you again."
Rei blinked. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to react in situations like this."
Shinji thought for a moment. "Smiling would be a good start."
Her eyes widened for a second.
Slowly, Rei pulled herself up…and smiled. Small and shy as it was, Shinji felt something in his chest crack. That smile was burnt into his retinas, even as the NERV medics led him away across the field of ashes.
Notes:
PREVIEW:
Yo, Ryoji here with your preview. NERV eases up after the Fifth Angel. The Katsuragi household tries to destress with an unexpected guest. Wine draws out secrets and confessions, while our hero awaits his prince. Next time on Herz und Seele: Chapter Sixteen: Domestic Pilot. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of fanservice!