Chapter 15: Trapped in the Dark Abyss: A New Power is Born.
NERV HQ
Deep within a large room. NERV's Supreme Commander read over the file Ritsuko had just handed him.
"Interesting," he said casually. "Are you confident in this analysis?"
Ritsuko grimaced, she did not like having her work questioned
"Yes," she said "The robots from England are powerful and could rival the EVAs. The battle came down to experience. The EVAs pilots have more real combat experience. "
"That is to be expected" asked Ikari, setting the file on his desk, and folding his hands in front of him
"This result was reinforced as the battle between the Danner and EVA-01 ended in a draw, despite their rather childish method of combat. In conclusion, both the Core Gunner and Volspina can be useful but only if each is paired with an EVA"
"What of the other project?" asked Commander Ikari
Ritsuko fumbled for a second file she had with her. Looking over the data one time she replied "Her growth is progressing about 3% ahead of schedule. Compiling data from our main pilots has proven beneficial.
"Very good." said Commander Ikari "Dismissed"
"Yes Sir" replied Ritsuko.
Once along Commander Ikari's mind focused on the young girl in the tank
The backup plan is progressing nicely, She will take Rei's place and then..I'll be with Yui again.
TOKYO-3 HIGH
Officially access to the roof was forbidden, but that had never stopped any students from going up there. Most of the teachers had long given up trying to enforce the rule. School was over for the day but Asuka wasn't in the mood to go home. She stared out of the city she often fought to protect. Kaji's words still rang in her ears " I care about you as a little sister, nothing more. Do you? Or you just fixated on me?"
" You'll find the right guy someday."...Yeah who? Thought Asuka. There were a lot of guys in her life. Most of them were spineless wimps. Shallow morons who fawned over her whenever she walked into a room. Then there was the Idiot and the Pervert,
Asuka didn't hear the roof door open, nor did she hear the other girl until she was right behind her.
"What do you want?" Asuka asked.
"I wish to speak to you," Rei said calmly.
"I've got nothing to say to you," Asuka said wearily. "I've got more important things on my mind."
"You mean Agent Kaji," Rei said
Asuka spun around "How the hell do you know?"
"I can access NERV's security tapes when I wish," said Rei simply
"So you decided to butt into my business then?" Asuka said glaring at Rei. Who did this doll think she was?
"You have not been your usual self lately" Rei explained "Shinji and Draven have been worried."
"Like I care what those idiots think!" replied Asuka "Who the hell needs them anyway?"
Rei's hand curled into a fist. Even now, after everything, this girl still insults the boys. They have worried about her, helped her, and put themselves in mortal danger for her yet still this red-headed demon refuses to acknowledge them. Why was Draven so captivated by her?
"Kaji will be mine soon enough," Asuka said triumphantly He's just..."
"I believe he has already stated his views on you," Rei said, interrupting Asuka. "His feelings for you are those of family, not those of a lover.
"What the hell do you know Wondergirl!" Asuka said her rage flaring up. She stepped closer to Rei.
"He only said that because that scrawny brunette was there."
The girls were completely alone, with no cameras, no teachers no NERV staff, and most of all neither of the male pilots were present.
"You have Shinji, you can have Draven too" Asuka shouted. "Maybe you can let them take turns"
Rei's fist tightened to the point her nails were digging into the flesh of her palm, threatening to draw blood.
"Why not add Misato to that little party," said Asuka her rage building to the point of hysterics " She's so eager to throw herself at Shinji. The four of you can..."
The sound of Rei's punch echoed over the school grounds. Asuka was sent tumbling to the ground with a large red mark on her face and a small trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.
"You are a fool and a child!" Rei said real anger in her voice "You infatuate yourself with a man who you will never have and ignore the one who truly cares for you "
"I don't want that Idiot," Asuka said angrily, as she wiped the blood from her mouth.
Rei reached down, and grabbing Asuka by the collar, pulled the fallen girl to her feet
"Shinji. Is. Mine!" Rei said loudly "No one, not you, not Erica, not even Commander Ikari will take him from me!"
The blue-haired girl threw her fellow pilot backward. Asuka stumbled but remained standing.
Rei stared at Asuka with a look of the deepest loathing. After a moment she turned away to leave the roof. As Rei left she said one last thing
"There is one who cares for you, one who would do anything and everything for you. Why he cares I do not understand"
With that Rei left Asuka alone on the roof, angry and confused. Her rage did not dissipate when she got home. Misato tried to question her about the bruise on her face, but Asuka shrugged it off as an accident. The idea that Wondergirl had hit her was too embarrassing. She was too angry to even complain about Shinji. She simply ate her dinner in silence.
That night Asuka lay in bed, trying to make sense of everything.
Why couldn't Kaji see how perfect they were for each other? Kaji was the only real man in her life, unlike the Idiot, The Pervert, or those cowards who left notes in her locker. Those pathetic boys who tripped over themselves whenever she entered a room, bowing and scrapping like...
Asuka sat up. Is that what Kaji meant? Was she no better than those pathetic males when it came to him? Shame burned Asuka's insides. She had wanted to prove herself an adult to Kaji, instead, all she had done was prove that she was just a child. Rolling onto her side, her face stung. The bruise was still sore. Who knew Wondergirl could hit so hard?
It was a long time before her thoughts finally quieted down and let her sleep.
In the morning she was greeted by Misato making breakfast. At least the woman hadn't found a way to make a mess of orange juice.
There was no school or test scheduled, so after breakfast, Asuka returned to her room. On her dresser, the red stone from Prysmos shone bright in the morning light. The deep red reminded her of the magma dive, how she had won but was seconds from death. She examined her scar left by the Chainsaw Man, it had healed better than she thought but still, it was a reminder of the dumbest thing she had done. Maybe Kaji was right, she was supposed to be smart yet she had walked into an obvious trap. If not for the other she would have died. The lava, the Chainsawman, both times she narrowly escaped death..thanks to. Her eyes fell on the wolf toy sitting next to the stone.
A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts
"Asuka" called Misato "We need to go, an Angel is coming"
Within half an hour the teens were at NERV, dressed and ready for combat. The Angel hung in the sky, a large black sphere.
"Haven't we done this before?" asked Draven as the Danner crouched behind a building, enormous shotgun in hand
"Listen guys," said Misato "If possible draw that thing out of the city before destroying it."
EVA-01 crept carefully closer. He was eager to finish this thing quickly so he and Rei could spend the rest of the day together.
"Are you guys in place?" he asked
"Not yet" replied Rei
"You know an EVA doesn't move that fast," said Asuka
"Easy Shinji," said Draven "Don't do anything too stupid."
The sphere floated closer. 'll take it myself Shinji thought
rising up from his cover, Shinji opened fire with his weapon. The bullets passed harmlessly through the sphere.
"Wave pattern Blue." said Myna "It's attacking
The sphere vanished as a black shadow surrounded EVA-01. He began to sink into the void.
"What?.." shouted Shinji. He fired into the shadow again and again, emptying his weapon
"Asuka, Rei, Draven assist Unit-1" ordered Misato panic in her voice
Danner jumped from its position and taking inspiration from Asuka during an earlier battle, moved along the rooftops to where EVA-01 was sinking into a void.
"SHINJI" shouted Draven as he threw out his hand.
EVA-01 grasped the Danner's hand firmly. The blue robot pulled with all its strength to free the sinking EVA
EVA-01 was stuck badly, and even at full power, Danner was barely able to begin to pull it free. The buildings of Tokyo-3 were made to withstand the Angel attack; they were not made to withstand a combat machine trying to pull a second one up. A loud crack was heard as the building gave way, sending EVA-01 and Danner tumbling into the darkness.
"Damn it," Asuka said angrily
"Retreat" came an order over the com
"What?" said Asuka
"Rei, Asuka retreat. That's an order' said Misato. Her voice was emotionless and flat. No panic, no anger, nothing.
"But Shinji and Draven they're still.." Rei said. For the first time since Asuka had met the blue-haired girl, she could hear panic in the other's voice.
"I said Retreat. Now do it" said Misato with a note of finality
The dark had never bothered Shinji, even as a young child he was never frightened of it. It was the silence that bothered him more than anything. How long had they been down here? It seemed like years. Once the boys had realized Shinji's power was limited they agreed EVA-01 should go into life support mode only powering up once an hour for a brief check-in. The timer in his plug suit indicated another hour had passed. With a click of his controls, the EVA-01 roared to life. Visuals were still out, and long-range communication was still out. The short-range communication beep.
"How are you holding up Shinji?" Draven asked.
"About the same as an hour ago." replied Shinji "Any ideas yet?"
"Nothing yet." replied Draven "I haven't found a wall, so it's safe to assume things thing is bigger on the inside"
"Alright. I'll check back in an hour" said Shinji. With a click, he returned the EVA to bare minimal life support.
Draven shut off his comm. Thanks to the Drive System, Danner could operate for longer periods than the EVA. Like EVA it had a life support mode, Draven had opted not to go into emergency shutdown, in hopes of finding a way out. At the current rate of use his power supply would last roughly as long as Shinji's. He hoped to have an answer long before then
"Well Ritsuko, now what?" asked Misato
"We're working with the theory that the shadow is the Angel's real body," said Ritsuko to the assembled NERV staff. "As for what's inside that body we're unsure. Tests suggest it's filled with an infinite amount of negative particles, a Sea of Dirac if you will"
"Right because all of us know what that is," said Misato
Ritsuko sighed "Think of an ever-expanding dark void where the usual laws of physics do not apply."
"What about the ball in the sky?" asked Misato
"That's it the Angel's shadow while the true body is the void" explained Ritsuko
"If that's true, then how do we fight it?" Asuka whispered to herself.
The sphere hung in the sky like some twisted piñata. If she could only break it open, the treats would come spilling out.
Shinji never realized doing nothing could be so exhausting. This was all his fault. He had wanted to end the battle quickly to be with Rei. Shinji closed his eyes, and images of Rei filled Shinji's mind. He wanted to be next to her, he wanted to feel her kiss again.
Is she the one?
Shinji sat up quickly. He had heard something, like a whisper from across a room. A chill ran down his spine, it was too early for Draven to check in, so what had it been? Straining his ears, trying to pick up on even the slightest noise. The entry plug was silent.
"I need to stop watching those horror movies with the guys," Shinji said, relaxing his body.
"In a combined effort, EVA-00 and 02 will neutralize the Angel's AT Field. At that time we will airdrop a large number of N2 mines into the void and destroy the target." Ritsuko said, showing a diagram.
"But EVA-01 and Danner, they'd never make it thought that. Shinji, Draven, the boys might not survive." said Misato outraged "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PLAN IN THIS?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" demanded Asuaka
"We need to get the EVA back, even if it's destroyed," Ritsuko answered coldly. "Everything else is expendable"
SMACK, Ritsuko stumbled from Misato's blow
"It's your fault if they die Misato!" Ritsuko bitterly, her face hurting
The blonde scientist stormed off to make final preparations. Misato stared bitterly after her friend.
"Asuka, Rei," said Misato "Go get some food and rest. We won't be ready for at least five hours"
The girls were given a couple of MREs and ate in silence, Asuka's eyes often darted up to the ball in the sky. When she thought of what Ritsuko had planned, a fury swelled up inside her.
"They may be an Idiot and a Pevert but they're OUR Idot and Pevert!" Asukq fumed " What the hell is she thinking?"
"Do not worry" a calm voice said.
Rei came over to Asuka. The German girl's face still hurt from yesterday's punch
"The boys are strong" Rei continued. "They will return...to us"
"Hmrph" Asuka said after a moment "Damn right they will."
Time was almost up, if something didn't happen soon they both would die. Wasting away in this hideous darkness. NO! Draven slammed his fist against the side of his cockpit. Not like this. He had accepted the chance of dying, but in battle or, a heroic sacrifice not here.
Draven closed his eyes and whispered the closest thing he ever said to a prayer. "Bro, what should I do?"
After a few minutes he opened his eyes, the cockpit was just as dark as it had been. Expect, maybe it was because he had closed his eyes but one light seemed to be brighter. The prompt for the Twin Drive System.
"Alright, what have we got to lose?" Draven said
Shinji beeped in a few moments later. "My purification system is starting to break down. If you have any ideas, now's the time"
"Only one idea left," said Draven "Something I've never tried before, not even sure it will work"
"What do we have to lose?" Shinji replied, "Do it!"
Draven took a deep breath and flipped the cover off the button.
"Engaging Twin Drive System!" he pressed it and waited.
For a moment nothing happened, then at the bottom of his display screen, it read "Scanning for compatible systems...compatible system found...activating Twin Drive System ."
In EVA-01, Shinji could hear rumbling. Something deep inside his EVA has just turned on
Suddenly the Danner's cockpit was alive with bright lights.
"What the hell?" said Shinji, his screens had suddenly come on, and the entry plug was filled with light. On both displays, there was an outline of Danner on the left and EVA-01 on the right with a double arrow between them. A single word along the arrow...combine.
Draven could feel something happening to the Danner. He could hear movement, metal parts shifting and rotating. Then there was the sound of rushing liquid. The cockpit was filling up with something.
"What the hell is this stuff?" once it reached his mouth, he knew exactly what it was. L.C.L.
Shinji felt like heavy weights had been attached to his whole body as if his pursuit were made from lead. Then there was a sudden rush of power, as if his blood had been charged with lighting. Something wasn't just happening to his body, he suddenly knew things he hadn't before. He knew what the Danner's cockpit looked like even though he had never been in it. On both central displays, the same text appeared
"Combination sequence complete...New system name Evannar...Power 10%..."
Shinji wanted to ask what had happened, but he already knew. Somehow Danner and EVA-01 had combined. Shinji didn't even know this was possible, and neither did Draven. He knew Draven was looking over screens and displays that had come to life. Shinji could almost see in the Danner's cockpit if he closed his eyes, it was like he was looking through Draven's eyes.
Neither boy spoke, they didn't need to. The screens Draven was looking over were a hidden weapons system, activated by the combination sequence. Draven scanned through them looking for the best way to get out of the Angel with their limited power. The one called Spiral Fire seemed to be their best option.
The newly formed and named Evannar began to spin in place.
OUTSIDE.
Ritsuko was reading the strategy report "Let's advance the schedule forty-five minutes, maybe we can get at least one of them out alive."
"Something's happening!" a NERV tech shouted.
Ritsuko, ran to the perimeter to find Misato and the other pilots watching in awe as the Angel's shadow had begun to spin like an out-of-control top.
"What's going on?" asked Ritsuko
"I don't know it just started spinning." said Misato "Do you think it's attacking?"
"But if it's an attack, why didn't it do this before?" asked Ritsuko
"Then it's gotta be the guys," said Misato
"But how both machines should be out of power by now," said Ritsuko
The sphere was spinning faster and faster until it shattered in an explosion bloody enough to rival any Hollywood movie. In the cloud of blood, Misato saw it for just a split second, a single, powerful-looking robot. When she blinked she saw Danner and EVA-01 landing roughly on the street. The boys had pushed their power supply to zero, resulting in a forced separation
Misato, Ritsuko, Rei, and Asuka went with the rescue team to retrieve the male pilots. They were all stunned to see the boys calmly walking away from their mechas, having gotten out under their own power.
Rei rushed forward, and threw her arms around Shinji, before kissing him deeply.
Asuka, punched Draven in his shoulder "You idiot, what the hell is wrong with you making me worry like that?"
Draven sighed "Of course, you choose viol..."
the rest of his sentence was cut off by Asuka kissing him, just as Rei had Shinji. Draven put his arms around the red-head.
"Well, will you look at that," said Misato grinning "Go for it guys!"
"I wonder how this will affect their synch scores," said Ritsuko who was just as amused as Misato.
"Geez, Ritsuko if all you can think about is synch score maybe you really do need to get laid," said Misato
"I'm going to let that one slide Misato today," said Ritsuko still smiling
Misato watched her team. Shinji being with Rei didn't bother her as much as the idea of Shinji with Erica, After all, Rei did say she didn't mind sharing