Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Evangelion: Renaissance ❯ Episode 19'b – The Sentinel ( Chapter 7 )

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Episode 19' –

The Sentinel 

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The monolithic figure of the Angel loomed menacingly over Tokyo-3. Its hulking body cast an elongated shadow across the cityscape as the evening sun sank behind the skyline.
The towering creature was easily twice the size of an Evangelion. On two twisted cartilaginous legs, the beast trundled forward toward the city. With each plodding step it took, the earth shook.
Houses, cars, and all manner of objects were evenly flattened under the crushing weight of its monstrous birdlike feet.
The laws of physics dictated that a creature such as this, unable to support its own mass, could never stand... yet there it stood.
Its outline was a near-silhouette against the fiery rays of the setting sun, but a mottled brown and gold pattern was still visible along its body. It rotated slowly in place, right and then left, as it surveyed the city.

The bony mask-like protrusion constituting the Angel's “face” possessed vaguely human characteristics: a snub nose, a closed mouth that curved into a thin frown, and a trio of concave basins for eye sockets. Encircling its head was a large crest somewhat resembling the headdress of an Egyptian pharaoh. Three globes, corresponding to the empty eye sockets, were embedded in the upper ridges of the crest.
Its lopsided, disproportionately long arms jutted clumsily out from its sides, each ending in three spiky growths which constantly raveled and unraveled.

A company of raid sirens began their portentous cry as the Angel continued its march along the outskirts of the city. The tallest buildings receded towards the undersurface of the city. Droves of people swarmed toward the nearest fallout shelters.
In the distance, three lifts activated, their clamorous whirring motors heralding the arrival of the Evangelions, promptly ascending like ancient gods rising from the sea.
Once they breached the surface of Tokyo-3, each Eva assumed a defensive position and brandished their pallet guns. After the debacle of the last couple Angel encounters, Misato elected for more defensive measures in the event of future incursions... and with an enemy of this magnitude, rushing head-first into battle  would certainly lead to a swift and brutal defeat.

The Angel took another few steps forward, encroaching upon the city limits. Then, it did something no one could have expected: it knelt. When its knees impacted the ground, the streets shook with the power of an earthquake, rattling apart the windows of surrounding buildings. Car alarms blared, towers swayed, and telephone poles were uprooted. With the city still shaking, the Angel continued its bizarre movements—its torso pitched forward, arms extruded in front of it, and crashed noisily to the ground below. Subsequently its upper body jerked backwards, and it assumed an awkward sitting position.

The Angel had its stomach pressed to the ground, legs hunched up at its sides. Its uppermost body remained upright so that its head faced out, and it leveled a haunting gaze upon the city. Owing in part to the mane around its head, in this position the beast was oddly reminiscent of the Great Sphinx of Giza.

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In the cockpit of Unit-01’s entry plug, the view screens temporarily burst into fuzzy static. Shinji gripped the manual control levers tightly and struggled to maintain balance. The Eva teetered as he fought to stop it from falling; he squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on staying upright. Numerous buildings had been toppled by the shockwave. The sky was a blustery swirl of dust and debris.
Misato was shouting something into the comm link, but her voice was choppy, distorted and unintelligible.

After a minute, the shockwaves started to abate and the Eva became easier to control. The various windows of the HUD blinked back into their properly-functioning states. 

Shinji reopened his eyes and looked toward the horizon. Dust still clouded the sky, but he could just ascertain the shape of the Angel’s disquieting hollow face.

"Asuka, Ayanami, are you okay?" he checked the communicator.

"Affirmative.” Rei answered.

"Yeah," Asuka replied succinctly. She eyed the Angel suspiciously. “What the hell is that thing doing?"

Silence blanketed the city as the air raid sirens tapered out, and the air was so still Shinji could hear his pulse rushing in his ears. He breathed deeply, trying to slow the speed of his racing heart. His body suddenly felt hot, and his plugsuit clung to his sweaty skin irritatingly.
The vacant expression frozen on the Angel’s mask-like face unnerved him. Although the Eva's targeting reticle was centered directly on the beast, he knew that no matter how much ammunition he exhausted pumping bullets into it, this Angel wouldn’t be felled by a simple battery of gunfire.
The sun dipped below the horizon, and the city’s features darkened as dusk came to Tokyo-3.

Misato’s face sprang up on the communication window.
“Everyone listen up,” she commanded, “I need you to hold your positions—something weird is going on with that Angel."

“Like we really needed you to tell us that." Asuka quipped sarcastically.

Misato ignored her remark and continued, "A few seconds ago all energy readings from the Angel disappeared. We aren't detecting it... It's like it suddenly became dormant."

Shinji turned away from the communication window and looked back toward the Angel. He could clearly make out its features now that the dust had finished settling.
The creature had no eyes, and he certainly couldn't tell if it was awake or asleep. ...but regardless, a sleeping Angel? As far as he was aware, Angels didn't need to sleep. There was so much about their enemy that he didn’t know, which only contributed to his ever-growing frustration.
He gripped the control levers of the Eva firmly and looked back down at the comms screen.

"For the time being, we need to you stay there. Watch the Angel and be ready for anything; I'll contact you when we know more.” Misato instructed.

The window closed and Shinji was left to the silence once more. He eased back on the controls and Unit-01 relaxed from its defensive position into an upright stance. Shortly afterward, the other two units did the same. Shinji wondered how long he would be stuck inside the Eva... unlike Asuka, piloting didn’t came naturally to him—he dreaded battle, and always looked forward to the moment he could depart the entry plug. 

He dropped his hands from the controls and pushed backwards in the pilot’s seat, breathing meditatively, only marginally aware that his lungs were steadily filling with LCL rather than air.
Asuka. Ayanami.

What are they thinking about? he wondered.

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The Command Center was bustling with activity now. Everyone gathered at their stations, observing the video feedback from the Evas

"What do the Magi say?" Gendo demanded, from his perch near the back of the room.

"They're still deliberating.” Ritsuko stated.

"What else have you learned?" he inquired, frustrated.

"At the moment… nothing," she professed, dropping her eyes toward the floor. 

“Our analyses have all come back negative. Conventional radar detects the Angel’s presence, and we obviously have visual confirmation; however, at least as far as the computers are concerned, the Angel doesn’t exist. The only way I could evaluate it further would be from a physical sample."

"Very well," Gendo replied. "Send Unit-01."

"Sir!" piped Misato, the sudden outburst causing Ritsuko to flinch.
Misato raised a fist to her chest and pleaded, "You can't just send Shinji in there! You have no idea what's going on! He could get hurt!"

Gendo arose from his desk and addressed Ritsuko, "Contact me when you have learned something."
With that, he stepped onto the one-man lift, and descended into the bowels of NERV Headquarters.

Fuyutsuki regarded the commander as he was swallowed up by the darkness below. He glanced back at Misato, who was presently shaking with rage, and took a few steps forward to assume command as he had done countless times before. 

“Major Katsuragi, please notify the pilots.” he instructed, then reassured her, “We will do our best to ensure their safety—you know that."

"I know…" Misato faltered as she jammed her hands into the pockets of her red jacket and spun around. 

“Hyuga!" she barked.

The three NERV technicians jumped in their seats at the fury in Misato's voice. Maya and Aoba began typing idly at their terminals in a ploy to look busy. Speechless, Hyuga nodded in acknowledgment of his name.

Misato clutched the back of his chair with one hand and emphatically pointed to the main screen with the other. “Open a channel!"

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When the communication window reopened, Shinji bolted upright in his seat. The irritation on Misato's face was readily apparent. Whatever was bothering her would most likely become a problem for him... people never looked like that when they were preparing to deliver good news.

"Everyone, we've got a mission for you—Shinji, you'll be on point; Rei and Asuka, you'll be backup. Ritsuko will fill you in on the details.” notified Misato.

She stormed off-screen the second she finished speaking, leaving Shinj dumbfounded, blinking at the screen.

A moment later, Ritsuko’s face popped into the communication window.
"We have reason to believe that the Angel has entered a form of stasis," Ritsuko announced calmly. “This has rendered our computer systems incapable of analysing it. Therefore, we will require physical samples: a tissue biopsy and a blood sample."

"You expect us to just waltz right up to that thing?" sputtered Asuka from her own window on the HUD, "Not even Shinji is that stupid.” 

"I'm afraid that's right. Cargo Lift #17 will bring up the necessary supplies. Shinji, you will collect the samples while Rei and Asuka provide covering fire with their weapons. The operation will begin as soon as the supplies arrive.” Ritsuko reported. “Understood?"

"Yes.” the three children confirmed in unison.

"Good luck," she offered, and her communication window disappeared from the display canopy. 

Shinji willed his Eva to plant its pallet gun softly on the ground. While the unit kneeled, he narrowed his focus on the Angel. The one thing all the Angels had in common was some unexplained desire to reach the Geofront beneath Tokyo-3... this one, however, seemed content to just sit and rest. It postured itself as an oversized gargoyle, motionlessly overlooking the city.
Just what kind of strategy was this, anyway? Moreover, what would happen when he pierced its skin to take a blood sample? Would it awaken and fly into a frenzy? If so, would his AT Field be able to withstand its attack? He could only hope.

The noise of grinding motors floated up to Shinji inside Unit-01. As he listened to the grating sound, he was reminded of the instance during the last battle where they had to await a rack of fresh pallet guns. Back then, he had been charged with inflicting the deathblow to the Angel, but regardless, he offered Asuka the opportunity. She had desperately desired the chance for heroism... even so, she turned it down.
Although this mission to retrieve biological samples was less glorious than killing an Angel, it was still something—maybe he should offer it to her? It contained a certain element of danger, something which she seldom shied away from. Granting her this opportunity wouldn't completely make up for his past conceited behaviour, but at it was a start.

"Asuka," he said into the communicator.

The redhead’s face appeared in a small window. They locked eyes, then she looked away, embarrassment evident on her face.
“What… do you want?" she asked.

"A-Asuka… This mission will be pretty dangerous. I-I don't think I can do it. Do you think… you could do it for me?" Shinji suggested.

She raised her head toward the monitor and peered into Shinji's eyes. For a moment, she stared at him, looking shocked. Then, as she realised what he was attempting to do, an honest smile graced her lips.

“Shinji,” she replied sweetly, “Thank you."

———

Asuka shut her eyes and felt her heart swell. When her eyes reopened she blustered with her typical brashness: "Shinji, you take point; I'll back you up. Don't worry—nothing will happen to you on my watch!"

Shinji passed on a reedy smile and breathed, "Thanks, Asuka."

Their conversation concluded as the lift containing the supplies arrived. Unit-01 gathered the necessary equipment and proceeded toward the Angel. Units 00 and 02 followed, weapons raised, poised to defend Shinji.
To everyone’s immense relief, the backup was not needed, and the operation went swimmingly—the Angel did not so much as stir. The whole event had a dissatisfying, anti-climactic character to it.
Once Shinji returned all the supplies to the lift, it descended back to the storage area of HQ, but the children were ordered to sustain their vigil over the dormant Angel until Ritsuko could obtain more information.

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The night trickled by slowly, and despite his most valiant efforts to stay awake, Shinji dozed at the Eva's controls. As night stretched on into the wee hours, the city streets remained utterly silent. No civilians dared to leave the fallout shelters, and even the animals seemed to have been scared into hiding by the Angel’s presence.

Around three-thirty in the morning, the communications window flickered to life and Misato appeared.

“Hey, Shinji, Asuka, wake up!" she hollered.

Shinji's head snapped up and he felt a sharp twinge of pain in his neck. It took him a moment to comprehend his surroundings and react to the message that had just come through. When he finally got his thoughts organised, he understood that Asuka must have fallen asleep as well. Rei's name hadn't been called out, so she must have stayed alert and staked out the Angel alone the entire night.

Shinji's eyes stung. He rubbed them and questioned, "Misato, what's going on?"

"Good news," she began with a grin. The top of a canned coffee bobbed in the lower corner of the screen, suggesting her chipper demeanor was caffeine-induced. "You guys can go home and get some sleep."

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In the dingy lab, Sagiri stared glassy-eyed at a computer monitor. A dozen data tables crawled along the bright screen. He must have read and reviewed these numbers a thousand times throughout the night, but they made no sense regardless. The information was beyond his ability to assimilate currently. How would he ever be able to perform his job at this rate?
His eyelids seesawed sleepily. Maybe with a little rest he would be able to better understand these figures. Owing to the Angel attack, NERV HQ was locked down, thus preventing his return home. Resultantly, he had stayed up all night and tried his damnedest to get some work done.
Fatigue enveloped him so securely that he failed to notice the door to the laboratory opening.

"Sagiri, how are you doing?" wondered a female voice on his left.

He looked up to see Ritsuko. His intent was to tell her everything was fine, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he merely yawned instead.

Ritsuko chuckled at this display of weariness and agreed, “I know how you feel: I haven't had a single good night's sleep since I joined NERV. ...It comes with the territory, I suppose."

Sagiri shook his head and wondered what her purpose was in coming there.

"Listen, we've been assessing the samples Shinji retrieved from the Angel. There are vast quantities of data, and it could take weeks to go over everything. So, I was hoping you could give me a hand with it.” Ritsuko entreated.

"Of course," Sagiri replied before he could stop himself.

She produced a flash drive from the pocket of her lab-coat and offered it.
“This contains all of our analysis from the Angel. I realize that engineering is more your area of expertise, but I thought you might be able to get somewhere with this.” she told him.

He took the disk from her and said, “Thank you. I'll get to work on this right away."

"Oh, no need," she said with a dismissive hand gesture. "Commander Ikari has waived the lockdown on headquarters; you can leave. Why don't you go home and get some rest?” she proposed. “If you like, you can work on that from home. Does your home computer have our R&D software?"

"Yes, I believe it does," Sagiri stated, neglecting to remind her that his computer was wrecked by the last Angel.

He wearily stood up and retrieved his coat which had been draped over the back of his chair.
“This certainly was an interesting first day, Dr. Akagi," he remarked, pulling on his coat as he made his way to the door.

"I'm sure there will be many more," Ritsuko nodded. “Say 'hello' to your wife for me."

Sagiri paused in the doorway, turned back, and said with a smile, "I will. Thank you."

———

It was a tranquil, serene walk back to Sagiri’s apartment. With the lockdown rescinded, it wouldn’t be long before citizens vacated the fallout shelters and flocked back to their homes, but Sagiri marveled at how quiet the metropolis truly was for the time being.
Tokyo-3 seemed, paradoxically, to be a city of contrasting extremes: his first day there the place had been a war zone—now, nearly a week later, it seemed like a ghost town.

The night was humid, so he slung his jacket over his shoulder as he trudged onward down the road. He was almost home now... it wouldn't be long before he could see Hinoki again, catch up with her about everything, and see how her cousin was settling in.
Sagiri had managed to get ahold of her via telephone a few hours after the Angel’s arrival. She spoke with him from the safety of one of the fallout shelters, where she and Yori had been directed when the sirens first sounded. Yori had only been in the city for around thirteen hours before an Angel showed up, so Sagiri imagined he must have had a similar initial impression of the city.  Nonetheless, he was glad to hear they were completely unharmed, and he couldn't wait to see his wife again.

———

When Sagiri finally arrived home, he was surprised to see that the lights in the apartment were already on by the time he opened the front door. 

"Hello?" he called out hesitantly.
Could they have gotten back before him? No, it was more likely that in their panic to reach shelter, they had just forgotten to turn off the lights.

He removed his shoes and took a tentative step into the foyer. As he crept forward, he heard a pleasant female voice call out, "Welcome home baby!”

Excited by his wife’s voice, he flung the door shut behind him and rushed into the living room where Hinoki was hunched over an open box, her arms piled high with a variety of kitchen utensils. She peeked out from behind a stack of plates and smiled pleasantly at him.

"Hinoki! You're back!” Sagiri cried, “Are you all right?"

She dumped the kitchen utensils into an open box and stood up straight.
"Of course I'm fine. How are you doing, Ichi–“ her words were interrupted as her husband strode forward and firmly wrapped his arms around her waist.

She was caught off guard momentarily, but soon reciprocated his embrace with a warm smile and gently stroked his dirty blond hair. 

“Is Yori here?” Sagiri asked, remembering her cousin had come to stay with them. 

“Yeah,” she affirmed in an almost cheerless tone, “He shut himself in the spare room with his notebook after we got back. He was sulking all day since he got out of school.”

“Bad day?” Sagiri guessed. 

Hinoki shrugged, “We should talk to him about it in the morning.”
With that, she took Sagiri’s hand, shot him a mischievous glance, and led him into the bedroom. 

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Printouts, empty coffee mugs, used pens, and trash littered the Command Center. The staff looked weary. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow-motion, like they were stuck in mud.

Misato stood in the center of the room, her arms dangling limply at her sides. Her head tottered back and forth like a bird's as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
“Hyuga…" she strained to say.

"Yes, ma'am?" he rasped.

"Could you… please… get me another cup of coffee?" she requested.

"Sure. I'll go in just a moment."

"Thank you so–“ her words were interrupted by a yawn before she concluded her statement, “–much."

"Hyuga, don't worry about it,” Ritsuko asserted, “Misato's going home.”

Misato glared at Ritsuko with a look of annoyance.
Ritsuko, however, paid her no mind; she pored over the data on a printout that appeared to stretch on for miles across the floor. Provided enough coffee, the woman never seemed to tire... Misato supposed that Ritsuko had evolved to suit the lifestyle—she was always studious in college, and pulled frequent all-nighters before exams. Nevertheless, she effortlessly kept up with her work, apparently having no real need for all-night cram sessions.
To Misato, it seemed like it was something Ritsuko did to validate herself, trying to ascribe to the identity of a typical college student.

"Whaddaya mean, I'm goin' home?" Misato slurred, on the cusp of delirium.

"It's time you went home and got some sleep," Ritsuko advised, her eyes still  fastened the printout.

"You too, Ritsuko. We've all been up forever trying figure out what the hell is goin' on with that new Angel out there," Misato protested.

"If you weren't so tired, you'd notice that everyone here has been sleeping in shifts.” Ritsuko countered, “The only person who hasn't had any sleep is you.”

"Oh," Misato muttered, her expression blank.
"Well then, I'll leave ya to it. Good work everyone!" she declared in the most cheerful voice she could muster.
Her head drooped low on her shoulders as she staggered out of the Command Center.

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Sitting cross-legged on her new futon in the room she now shared with Asuka, Rei clasped the battered frame of Gendo’s glasses and contemplated what occurred between her and the new student at school. Why had he approached her? What was his intention in asking so many questions? It was intrusive, and bothersome, and she couldn’t understand why it rattled her like it did.

In some remote way, he seemed familiar to her, like the phantom of a distant memory, but she had trouble determining what it was that evoked that feeling. There was a restlessness behind his eyes that she recognised, in the split-second she looked into them, that made her feel... what? She squeezed Gendo’s glasses and studied her reflection in their one cracked lens as she rummaged through her brain for a befitting word. Made her feel... seen.

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A few hours later Asuka stood on the apartment's balcony, her arms draped loosely over the railing, supporting her body weight. She leaned forward with half her body hanging off into outer space. Her hair swayed back and forth, caught in a gentle breeze from the south.

This city was so expansive, and—juxtaposed with such a small population—seemed so lonely. People had eventually refilled the streets, and the repair of buildings and lives had resumed. Meanwhile, the latest Angel loomed large on the horizon like a massive, threatening statue. The beast was hibernating, but Asuka was convinced that it would awaken and commence its rampage at the absolute least opportune moment.

She tilted her head at the sound of the glass door sliding open. Shinji emerged from inside, stepping onto the balcony beside her. He wrapped his hands together and laid them on the railing.
As he considered the city, Asuka wondered what he was thinking. Ever since the incident at the school, she felt unreasonably awkward around him.
She had rarely experienced such unbridled rage. Was that her true self? Looking back, she could hardly believe the event had actually occurred.
In the past she’d always tried so hard to impress Shinji, to show him how great she really was. Now all that hard work had probably been ruined... he likely detested her.

After a while, she was able to muster the courage to speak to him, "So, what's First up to?"

Shinji shrugged and said, "She’s in your room... I think she's reading some kind of technical manual."

"My, my, things never change, do they?" Asuka bantered.

Shinji smiled. “Well, some do... to be honest, I thought you would have fought a little harder to keep from having to share a room with Ayanami."

"You think I've gotten soft since I came to Japan?" she challenged.

"No, that's not what I mean.” Shinji claimed, “I just think that you've warmed up to Ayanami, that's all."

Pangs of guilt needled her chest, and like a reflex, Asuka dropped her gaze to the ground far below the balcony. The wind felt much colder now. She shuddered.

What did Shinji mean by that? Was he being genuine? Sarcastic? Intentionally mean? The shame and remorse that she felt right now—she knew she deserved those feelings.
A full minute of silence passed between the two children before Asuka eventually looked back at Shinji, whose attention was squarely focused on the prostrate Angel in the distance.

"Why do you think that thing’s here?" Shinji puzzled.

"It probably wants to kill us, like all the other Angels," she reckoned. 

"Maybe not.” he objected, “Maybe it's like some kind of guardian."

Asuka huffed, “Are you stupid? If it was guarding us, wouldn't it be facing the other direction? You know, away from the city, so it could see threats—like other Angels—coming at us?"

"Hmm. I guess you're right." Shinji surmised.

"Ugh, that thing gives me the creeps," Asuka grumbled, grimacing.
She turned away from it and hopped off the railing, then reached out and grabbed Shinji by the wrist. Perplexed, he eyed her distrustfully. She beamed at him and giggled, “Come on, let's go inside. You can make me a snack!"

Shinji stumbled from her forcefully yanking his wrist as they reentered the apartment. Trailing behind her stiffly, he protested: “Hey, wait a minute! Asuka!”

She pulled him into the kitchen and shut the balcony door.

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つづく

To be continued

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Fly me to the moon 
and let me play among the stars 
Let me see what spring is like 
on Jupiter and Mars 
In other words, hold my hand 
In other words, darling, kiss me

Fill my heart with song 
and let me sing forevermore 
You are all I long for; 
all I worship and adore 
In other words, please be true 
In other words, I love you