Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Neon Genesis Evangelion: Singularity ❯ Episode 17 - "A Dark Welcome" ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Evangelion, characters, logos, designs, Evas, and all likenesses thereof are ™ and © GAINAX / Project Eva, 2006 All Rights Reserved.

Original characters/ideas and any extensions as or pertaining to them are © to ADdispatcher, BrikHaus81, Israfel777, and Rei_Rocks, 2006. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited without the author’s consent.

Details: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Singularity will be taking place directly after Leliel, Episode 17. We will try to maintain NGE's style of perception during each chapter. During the reading of this fanfiction, take in the detail of each scene, and try visualizing it as an episode, for this is what we are trying to go for. The beginning and ending themes are also added to give it a more episodic feel. Enjoy the first chapter of Singularity.

- - - -

Like an angel without a sense of mercy
Rise young boy to the heavens as a legend.

Cold winds, as blue as the sea
Tear open the door to your heart
But unknowing you seem, just staring at me
Standing there smiling serenely.

Desperate for something to touch
A moment of kindness like that in a dream
Your innocent eyes as yet have no idea
Of the path your destiny will follow.

But someday you'll become aware of
Everything that you've got behind you
Your wings are for seeking out
A new future that only you can search for.

The cruel angel's thesis bleeds
Through the portal like your pulsing blood
If you should betray the chapel of your memories
The cruel angel will enter the window of your soul.

So, boy, stand tall and embrace the fire of legend
Embrace the universe like a burning star!

- - - -


Gendo Ikari’s gaze was fixed on the Shogi board on the desk in front of him. Kouzou Fuyutsuki, who multi-tasked between the game and a report from the Marduk Institute, was his opponent.

“It appears that the committee thinks we are like tiles on this board. Scattering us about any way that pleases them. It seems that Chairman Keel isn’t taking this lightly, either. He’s already hinted at your dismissal,” said Fuyutsuki as he inspected the board.

Fuyutsuki watched patiently while his opponent moved the next tile into place. Gendo positioned his Gold tile on position 4d, and then folded his hands in front of his face.

As he considered his next move, Fuyutsuki continued, “SEELE is afraid that any delay may cost them the chance for full control of complementation.” As if to emphasize the point, he moved his Rook to take Gendo’s 7e Bishop.

“There are no delays,” Gendo began in response. He removed his hands from their interlocked position and smiled. “The project is proceeding as scheduled. In any case, the King is protected by three Generals. In this game, sacrifice is the key to obtaining checkmate.” The Commander’s cold words were punctuated by his quick removal of Fuyutsuki’s Knight at 6c. One final move and checkmate would be his.

Fuyutsuki shifted his attention fully to the game before he spoke again. When he did, Gendo noted that the old professor’s words were spiked with the venom of condescension. “Knights may like to be sacrificed, but for every tile lost, the retribution can be ten-fold. The committee has sent us its Pawn... Remember that even a Pawn can cause checkmate.”

Fuyutski moved his Bishop into position 4d, ousting Gendo’s Gold.

“Soon, this amusing game of tug-of-war will reach its climax. But for now, let the old men at SEELE do what they want. This noose can be loosened, even if it costs us a bit of our foothold,” declared Gendo as he retrieved Fuyutsuki’s 4e Pawn.

Checkmate.


------------------------------------------------------------
Episode 17' - Part I "A Dark Welcome"
------------------------------------------------------------


Sipping her compulsory cup of coffee, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi sat at her desk in the Research Center of NERV and idly typed away at the keyboard in front of her. She listened to the dull rushing noise generated by multitude of computers around her, and tried to ignore the fact that with each key she pressed, more thoughts compiled. In spite of her best efforts to quell this inundation of distractions, she couldn't help but recall the one question which Misato had asked a few days earlier.


"What's so special about it?"

With no warning, Misato’s hand sped towards the side of Ritsuko’s face.

Then, contact.

Ritsuko’s head twisted on impact, her head reeled and her cheek stung. She stared directly at the floor for a brief moment. Her eyes twitched spasmodically in time with the throbbing in her head.


Ritsuko used the rapid tapping of a pen on her desk to pull herself back into the present moment. Apparently, she had stopped typing some time ago, and had resorted to manipulating a pen, while she gathered her thoughts. Her fingers returned to the keys soon enough, however. Somehow, the knowledge of the next day’s scheduled synch test had escaped the torrent of other thoughts, and served as a sudden reminder that she had to stay focused on her work.

The speed of Ritsuko’s typing matched that of Misato Katsuragi’s footsteps as she rushed into the office.

The thought of how Ritsuko must have felt the other day dragged itself through Misato's mind. She entered the room, and casually leaned up against the wall, a few feet behind Ritsuko. She stood in silence and sipped at her cup of coffee.

Routine announcements filtered out through the PA system while Ritsuko hammered away at the keys in front of her. She momentarily shifted her attention from typing to a large, brown envelope that sat just to the left of the keyboard. When her gaze returned to the monitor, she could vaguely distinguish the figure of Misato reflected in the glass. She rapidly spun around to see Misato propped up against the wall, coffee in hand, looking blankly over at her.

Ritsuko let out a sigh.

Misato couldn’t decide if it was a sigh of relief or exasperation.

There was a brief period of silence before Ritsuko spun back around and resumed her work. Another long, awkward moment passed where the only sound was the tapping of Ritsuko’s fingers on the keyboard. Eventually, she decided to break the silence.

“Spending such an extensive amount of time in the Sea of Dirac won’t exactly be very beneficial to Shinji,” Ritsuko began. She stopped typing for a moment to see if Misato still wore the stone expression from earlier. She saw that it remained, and then turned her attention back to the computer. “In fact, his experience is likely to have a negative effect on his synch ratio. I’m concerned that this will interfere with his effectiveness.”

Ritsuko waited for a response, but none came. She turned around again, but looked at the floor as she spoke, “We cannot have pilots who are inefficient.”

After she pondered that notion for a moment, Misato gave a disappointed and angry grunt. Ritsuko’s glanced up and her eyes met with Misato’s. "It appears like you have something you want to let out. What's on your mind, Misato?"

Misato trudged toward Ritsuko. She set her coffee mug dangerously close to the corner of the desk and stared directly at Ritsuko’s profile before she unleashed a barrage of thoughts at her.

"Things are becoming less like they used to be. I don't understand any of this anymore, and it all seems to stem from one source,” Misato stated bluntly. “You're hiding something from me, aren't you Ritsuko?"

Ritsuko, knowing full well that Misato's doubts were well founded, made a conscious decision to dust the subject off to the side. "No, of course not…and besides, you'll soon have something else to deal with," she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Misato asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She continued to stare unflinchingly at Ritsuko, but now did so with a curious look plastered on her face. To her dismay, Ritsuko merely resumed her typing.

"Doctor Ritsuko Akagi!" Misato shouted. “Just what the hell did you—"

She was cut off when Ritsuko grabbed the brown enveloped next to the keyboard and held it over her shoulder.

Misato's voice instantly calmed down. "What is this?" she asked as she took the envelope and began to open it.

"It's the personal file for the new transfer that will be assisting you in the Tactics Division, effective immediately this afternoon," Ritsuko replied as she typed. "His recommendation to NERV is quite an interesting one at that."

Misato examined the record, took in the startling information, and then responded in awe, "Sagiri Koubu…wait...he's 14? And he has this kind of a record? And…he’s married?"

Ritsuko chuckled.

“He's 14…and he's married?" Misato continued on, in a state of disbelief.

"That's right," Ritsuko replied as she tried not to show the humor she found in Misato’s shock.

"But how? Legally, he's not old enough."

"Of course he is. Don't you remember when we were in college, and the government changed the age of consent and marriage laws? Oh wait, that might have been at the same time when you and Kaji spent the whole week—"

"I get it!" Misato interjected as her face flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

Ritsuko returned to her work, unable to hear a series of inane questions that Misato threw at her. Misato decided to leave on that note, and departed toward the Commander's office.

- - - -

The electric hum of the Maglev system resounded through the train car where Sagiri Koubu sat. His thoughts spastically switched back and forth between the anxiety he felt about having been summoned to NERV Headquarters, and a telephone conversation with his foster mother. He pressed the small cell phone tightly, uncomfortably, against his ear and listened as she spoke. The unsystematic fading in-and-out of the phone’s reception did nothing to help him decipher what she said in an already soft voice.

“Alright, okay, yes, ma’am,” Sagiri repeated into the phone in a loop. He hoped that his words would present the illusion that he not only listened to her, but that he cared about the undeserved praise and unnecessary advice she laid so thickly on him. Although he did love her, he often wished she wouldn’t worry so much.

“Okay, mother, I should probably go now, we’re going to arrive soon,” he said. He spoke almost mechanically as his attention was more focused on the monotonous drone of the train than her “goodbyes” and “take cares.”

He pressed the "end call" button and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He next produced his laptop from its carrying case, sat back, and turned it on. It would be good for him to do some further reading on the NERV staff. After all, from here on out, they would be his colleagues.

A classified report about the organization instantaneously painted itself on the screen. He quickly and absentmindedly scrolled past the information that concerned the higher-ups: Gendo Ikari, Commanding Officer; Kouzou Fuyutski, Principal Advisor; Major Misato Katsuragi, Chief Tactics Specialist; Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, Head Scientist, and so on. He was already quite familiar with the head personnel of NERV. He stopped skimming the data when he reached the section that described the Evangelion pilots.

A few points of their information jumped out at him, which summoned a number of prying questions: Why did the First Child have no listed birth date, and hardly any other biographical information? Was the Third Child related to the commander?

He read further and stopped when he came to the Second Child. He studied her picture for a few moments and perused the data more carefully. He seemed to have much in common with her. Both were already college graduates, and both had already lost their mothers, among other things. A new question suddenly appeared: Why did none of the pilots have a mother that was still alive?

He shrugged the third question off as yet another entered his mind. He closed the window and flipped his laptop shut before he spoke his thought aloud.

"I wonder how they'll react to me?"

- - - -

“All rise! Bow! Sit down!” Hikari Horaki, the class representative commanded.

Countless chairs squeaked across the floor, as the bleary-eyed children of Class 2-A sleepily obeyed. It was the routine beginning to yet another day of school. The old teacher entered the room and immediately launched into a history lecture. As the children seated themselves, some paid attention, while others immediately dozed off.

Shinji Ikari folded his arms across the smooth surface of his desk. He turned his head to the left and looked at the rapidly darkening sky outside. Although the weather service had predicted a nice day, it appeared that a storm was approaching. Shinji sighed, and buried his head within the creases of his arms. When he had awoken this morning, all he could think of was his recent, terrifying experience in the Sea of Dirac. Now, he hoped
to get some sleep, and push it out of his mind.

Rei Ayanami sat a few seats away from Shinji. She listened astutely as the old teacher rambled on about the years before the Second Impact. For an instant her concentration was broken. She turned and saw that the wind outside had picked up. It howled. Trees swayed in the breeze. Then, after a moment, it subsided. She turned back to the teacher and listened.

Asuka Langley Sohryu sat a few seats away from Rei. She had slid halfway down in her chair, and her legs were sprawled out in front of her. Although her eyes were open and pointed at the teacher, she did not truly see him. She, like Shinji, was lost in a world of her own thoughts. Why had Misato been so worried about Shinji? She should have been angry at him, instead. And what made Shinji think he was so great anyway? Just because he managed to activate his Eva even after it had run out of power? That kind of thing only fueled his ego. Asuka couldn’t stand people like that. What was running through his mind right now anyway? She glanced to the left and saw Shinji asleep on his desk. "Baka Shinji," she thought.

The morning passed quickly and it was soon lunchtime. Shinji was awoken by a hand squeezing the back of his head and a voice that boomed, “Wake up, sleepyhead!”

Startled, his head snapped up. Toji Suzuhara loomed over him and began to laugh heartily. “What time is it?” Shinji asked with a yawn.

“Lunchtime, of course,” Toji replied. “Whad’ya bring?”

Shinji shrugged.

Kensuke Aida, who sat backwards in a chair in front of Shinji, had already dug into his own lunch. He looked up and caught a glimmer of Shinji’s depressed look. With a mouthful of food, he asked, “What’s wrong, Shinji?”

He shrugged again.

“I bet I know,” Toji said with a sly grin.

“Huh? You do?” Shinji asked as he looked up at Toji.

“Yeah, you and your wife have been fightin’ again, right? Trouble in paradise? Trouble in the bedroom?”

“What was that, dummkopf?” a piercing cry emanated from the other side of the room.

The heads of the three boys turned simultaneously as a red blur rushed toward Toji. He cringed and began to raise his arms in defense, but was too slow. Asuka clobbered him over the head with her fist, and knocked him backwards against Shinji’s desk. His body flipped onto the desk, and shoved Shinji out of his seat. In a feeble effort to not fall, Toji’s arms flailed and attempted to grab at anything. They inadvertently smacked Kensuke’s food out of his hands, and sent it raining down on top of him. When the attack had ended, Asuka shouted, “Don’t ever insinuate I’d ever do anything with that little weasel Shinji!”

“A-Asuka,” Shinji said lowly as he picked himself off the floor.

Toji bolted off of the floor and wiped the food from his shirt and hair. He took a step forward and, face to face with Asuka, began to stare her down. “Oh yeah? Listen up, ya little bitch. What makes ya think that anyone would wanna do anything with you?”

“Hmpf. Like I have to explain myself to you,” Asuka said snobbishly.

“You’ve gotta be the most disgusting per- Ow!” Toji screamed as he was suddenly dragged away from the scene by Hikari, who held his left ear tightly. He pleaded and apologized to her as she pulled him out of the room, undoubtedly to scold him for being mean to her friend.

“Wow,” Kensuke said as he watched Hikari and Toji exit the classroom. “Class rep really has an iron grip. Eh, Shinji?”

Shinji didn’t respond. Kensuke looked back toward his friend and saw that both he and Asuka were at the window. The sky was dark and filled with menacing clouds. The wind had picked up again, and the outside temperature had dropped significantly. In the distance, they could see a small, round object. It was red, and made a striking contrast against the darkened sky.

“Another one so soon?” Asuka asked rhetorically.

“What is that?” Kensuke asked.

Shinji turned around and said, “Ayanami, we have to go.”

- - - -

“We will be arriving in Tokyo-3 in fifteen minutes. I repeat, we will be arriving in Tokyo-3 in fifteen minutes,” the conductor called out through the speakers.

"Tokyo-3," Sagiri muttered to himself. "I'm finally here. Hopefully, I can help NERV make the world a better place. Maybe now less people will suffer and die. Less people will end up like Mom..."

Sagiri held up the cell phone and began to dial. He was still in a state of near-disbelief. He would finally reach Tokyo-3, home of the most important NERV headquarters of them all. He had proved so many people wrong today: His once best friend, his old high school principal, many of his colleagues, and, most of all, his father.

“We will be arriving in Tokyo-3 in ten minutes. I repeat, we will be arriving in Tokyo-3 in ten minutes.” the voice on the speakers reiterated.

Sagiri sat patiently and listened as the phone dialed. After a moment the other end was picked up and a rather disinterested voice answered, “...Hello?”

Caught off guard by the apathy on the other end, Sagiri stumbled, “Er, uh, Major Katsuragi?”

“Yes?”

“This is Sagiri Koubu.”

“Oh! Hello, Sagiri!” the voice said as it suddenly became cheery. “Have you arrived?”

"Actually, I'll be there in a few minutes. Will you meet me at the station?"

"No, but we'll have a car waiting there to pick you up. Anything else?"

"No, ma'am."

"I look forward to seeing you!"

“Thank you,” Sagiri said as he pushed the “end call” button.

"We will be arriving in Tokyo-3 in ten minutes. I repeat, we will be arriving in Tokyo-3 in ten minutes." the voice on the speakers reiterated.

Sagiri shifted back in his seat and tried to settle his nerves. He waited a few moments before his nervous mind cleared, and all he could hear was the sound of the train as it glided across the tracks.

- - - -

“He will not be much longer, I assume?” asked Gendo in a cold, stern voice.

“Yes, sir,” Misato replied.

“Very good. Go outside and wait,” Gendo uttered icily.

“Yes, sir,” she said once more. As Misato left, she suppressed a desire to lash out against the Commander.

As Misato exited Gendo’s office, the door quickly shut behind her. The moment she was in the cold hallway a voice, from out of nowhere, said, “You look happy.”

Misato looked up and saw Ritsuko.

“Oh, hi Ritsuko. Yeesh, he’s a real mood killer today,” she said, rolling her eyes and gesturing backwards with her thumb.

“Gendo?”

“Yup, of course...he can’t make anyone happy except for Rei. Why can’t be such a saint around us?” wondered Misato.

“I don’t think Rei has been so happy with him lately,” said Ritsuko.

“Poor Rei,” Misato mused. “He’s all she has, and now even he is fading.”

Ritsuko said nothing, but managed to return a look of agreement. Misato folded her arms over her chest and headed outside, her head lowered slightly. Ritsuko did not follow, but instead turned and entered Gendo’s office.

Outside, the air of the Geofront was abnormally still. Misato looked at her watch. Sagiri should be off the train in four minutes. She took a moment to glance around the Geofront, and absorbed its tranquil and protected, yet somehow errie ambiance. She was in awe that the kind of technology that held this operation together could even exist.

Her thoughts were shattered by the blare of nearby sirens.

“Not an Angel,” Misato muttered. A moment later she heard a faint chorus of screams from the city above. The serenity was dead. She turned quickly and dashed back inside. After fumbling around for her phone in her coat pocket, she grabbed it and dialed Shinji's phone number.

“Hello?” Shinji answered.

“Shinji! Where are you? Are Rei and Asuka with you?”

"Yeah, they're both here. We were in class when we saw that red sphere. We'll be there in a few minutes," Shinji replied, as his voice began to show signs of shortness of breath.

"I'll be waiting," said Misato, before abruptly hanging up. She had to call Sagiri and warn him. As she cycled through her contact list, her phone started to ring.

“Hello, Major Katsuragi. What’s going on?” Sagiri asked, his tone of voice somewhat shaky. Although he had read about Angel attacks, he had never been so close to one before.

“Yes, everything’s fine down here. How about you? Are you hurt?” Misato asked, with equal concern for him.

“I’m fine, but I’m stuck on the train,” Sagiri said.

“Are they taking you to the shelters?”

“No, I'm not sure what's going on. The train just stopped, and I heard some people talking about an Angel. Should I get off and head for a shelter?” Sagiri asked.

“No, just stay where you are. I’ll check on you later,” Misato replied. "Oh, and be careful," she added.

- - - -

"Can't you move any faster? I hate having to make sure you're keeping up!" yelled Asuka as she glared at Shinji.

"Sorry! This is the fastest I can run," Shinji responded breathlessly, before he returned to his mental oblivion.

Rei, on the other hand, ran at a pace that rivaled Asuka's. She wondered if Asuka would ever quit her incessant complaining. Rei was seldom aggravated by people, but she was thankful she did not have to live with Asuka.

"Because of you, Shinji, it’s going to take us ten minutes to get there!" exclaimed Asuka, amused by her own statement.

"We only have a couple of blocks left," said Rei in her usual serene voice. She was the only person that could maintain a cool appearance during such a frightening event.

“What do you know! Wonder girl speaks!” Asuka shouted with feigned excitement, as if it was a once in a lifetime event.

"Finally, we’re almost there," said Shinji, as the entrance to NERV Headquarters came into view.

"Not only does Wondergirl speak, but Shinji actually runs over a mile without dying of exhaustion! Yes, it is a day of miracles!" Asuka announced, as if this was the biggest news story in Tokyo-3.

"Let's just get this over with so I can get away from you," Shinji whispered disconsolately.

"What was that?" Asuka screamed. She dropped her speed so she could run alongside Shinji. She had to ensure that he could see her furious expression.

"Nothing!" exclaimed Shinji. He was about to dart away to avoid Asuka's wrath, when Misato appeared at the entrance. The children skidded to a halt when they reached her. Asuka stood proudly beside Misato, and Shinji doubled over, out of breath.

"Finally, you're here," she said with a breath of relief.

"We would've gotten here a lot faster if it wasn't for Baka Shinji," Asuka remarked.

Misato led them inside the base and began to describe what scant information NERV had already gathered on the Angel.

- - - -

Sagiri remained seated in the train. It had come to a stop only a few moments ago. The other passengers shouted frantically, concerned about how they would get home.

Sagiri's laptop sat beside him on the seat to his right. It displayed a map of Tokyo-3, and had already plotted a course to NERV headquarters. He turned to face the laptop. He sat with his left leg draped over the arm rest of the chair, and his other leg was planted firmly on the floor. Suddenly, the train fell silent. The passengers' frenzy had been interrupted by a city-wide evacuation announcement.

"At 4:10 this afternoon, a special state of emergency has been declared for the Kanto and Chubu regions, surrounding the Tokai district. All residence must evacuate to their designated shelters immediately," said the announcement, once again repeating itself, "I repeat: At 4:10 this afternoon, a special state of emergency..."

Many of the passengers began to wonder if they could even get off the train and make it to the shelter.

Sagiri caught a glimpse of a giant red orb in the sky through a nearby window. It advanced toward the innermost portion of Tokyo-3. It moved in and out of view as it passed behind the tall buildings of the city. Eventually, it passed through a more open area and was brought into full view. Sagiri sprang out of his seat and jumped toward the window. The sphere, it had to be an Angel.

"I have a bad feeling about this. We can't stay here," Sagiri said. He rapidly gathered his belongings and hefted his laptop carrying case over his left shoulder.

He moved to one of the automated doors of the train and attempted to pry it open with his hands. They hardly budged. Some of the passengers, shaken by the recent announcement become verbose once more. One of the passengers, a middle-aged man, turned to Sagiri and said, "Young man, you shouldn't go outside, it's too dangerous. You see that thing out there?"

Next, Sagiri felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around and saw a little girl that looked up at him with astonishment. "What are you doing?" she asked as she stuck her index finger inside her mouth. Sagiri smiled sweetly at her and patted the top of her head. He decided it would be best to inform everyone on the train of the situation at hand.

"Everyone! Listen to me! I hate to say it, but we can't stay on the train much longer. It isn't safe. There's a shelter just two minutes east of here. You won't have any trouble finding it. We just need to open the doors and follow the tracks."

"Is it really that bad?" the little girl's mother asked as she swept her daughter up into her arms.

"Yes, ma'am," Sagiri replied. "You should go now."

The middle aged man, in unison with everyone else on the train, began to gather his things. Sagiri was somewhat surprised that such a large group of people were easily convinced. It wasn't often that so many adults heeded the advice of a 14 year old boy.

The little girl once again tugged on Sagiri's shirt as her mother began to carry her away. Sagiri took a step forward and said, "Don't worry, you'll be safe." He looked to the mother and said, "Ma'am, please take care of her, I'd hate to see her get hurt."

The mother nodded and quickly strode away. As she did, the little girl grabbed for Sagiri once more, but took away only handfuls of air. Her face glistened with an innocent smile. Once out of sight, Sagiri resumed his attempt to pry open the automated doors.

With the help of two older men, Sagiri was able to open the train's doors. Quickly, each passenger made their way outside and down the tracks toward the eastern shelter. Sagiri took a step off the train and surveyed the area. The wind blew hard, ruffling his hair, and making him shiver. For a moment, Sagiri questioned whether or not the plan he had in mind was the best course of action. He took in a deep breath and took a step toward the city.

"Be careful."

Sagiri stopped and craned his head around. The mother, with the little girl cradled in her arms, had just stepped off the train. He could see in her eyes that she was genuinely concerned for him. He knew he wouldn't have to tell her why he was headed for the city instead of the shelter. She understood he had something very important to do.

"I will," he promised.

The little girl smiled once again and whispered, "Bye bye."

The mother gave a quick nod and headed down the track with the other passengers. As they left Sagiri's sight, the wind blew even more fiercely. They had been the last people off the train. He was glad that he had been able to help them. All of them. The last thing he wanted to see was anyone getting hurt. The cold wind bit his skin and he shivered once more.

Sagiri sighed. This was not the welcome he had hoped for. He rubbed the sides of his arms for warmth and proceeded toward the city. As he walked, he tried not to look at the giant red sphere that floated over Tokyo-3.

------------------------------------------------------------
Episode 17' - Part II "Trust That Which Yields Promise"
------------------------------------------------------------

Shinji sat in the locker room with his plug suit half on. Although he had put his legs into the suit, the top half had fallen into a wrinkled mass around his waist. His head hung low. He was still lost in a dark, soul-wrenching oblivion. He could not shake the images of being trapped in the Sea of Dirac from his mind. He had almost died there, suffocated in a freezing pool of waste. And now he was about to step onto the battlefield once more. What if he didn’t return this time? Perhaps it would be for the best. He hardly seemed to care for life anymore. He was a prisoner of loneliness. Death could be a reprieve. He sighed. His heart ached.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Asuka screamed.

Shinji looked up. Asuka was fully dressed in her red plug suit. She stood beside the lockers, with a fist pressed against each hip. She leaned forward, and Shinji caught a blazoned annoyance in her eyes. Frightened, Shinji quickly looked back down at his lap.

“Are you still depressed?” she asked with impassioned frustration.

Shinji opened his mouth to reply, but found no words. In his mind, he told her to shut up, to leave him alone, but he could not find the strength to actually do it. A hot, stinging sensation boiled in his stomach. Under the weight of Asuka’s menacing glare he felt as if his whole body shrank.

“Baka Shinji, get over it!”

“Why must you always be so angry?” asked a solemn voice from behind.

Asuka whirled around and saw Rei, dressed in a white plug suit, behind her. For a moment Asuka’s jaw dropped. Was it possible that meek Wondergirl had actually spoken up in defense of whiny Shinji? Asuka buried her feeling of shock and once more brought forth her anger. “What did you just say?”

“Have you no consideration for the feelings of others?” asked Rei.

“Sie meckern...” Asuka’s voice trailed off as she lost the capacity for words amidst her swirling rage.

“Ikari,” Rei said as she looked past Asuka.

Shinji looked up at Rei, bewildered, unsure what to think of the exchange he had just witnessed. He shivered and brought his arms close to his chest. “A-Ayanami?”

“Ikari, we should go to the command center.”

“…okay.”

He pulled the top of the blue plug suit over his upper body. He depressed the button on his wrist and the synthetic material quickly tightened, fitting to the form of his body. Shinji looked over at Asuka who now stared at the floor. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists. Her entire body shook with anger. Would she finally lash out at Rei? At Shinji? He couldn’t be certain, but he decided it would be best to leave the locker room as soon as possible. He hoped that, on the battlefield, Asuka would set aside her fury and help Rei if she was in any danger. As for himself…Shinji didn’t care. Life or death, it made no difference to him.

Rei stepped around Asuka and exited the locker room. Shinji was amazed by the two comments she had made just moments ago. It seemed very out of character for Rei to speak like that to anyone. Had something changed inside of her?

Shinji walked to the doorway and turned back to look at Asuka. She had not moved from her previous position. She still trembled, and her fists appeared to be clenched even more tightly now. She muttered something under her breath. Shinji couldn’t make out what she said. He thought it might have been something in German. Then, just before he turned away, he saw tears well up in her eyes.

- - - -

“This is the video feed we received from the scout helicopter. It’s just after the UN forces dropped a N2 mine,” Maya Ibuki said. She pushed a few buttons on the computer terminal before her, and the video popped up on a large view screen in the command center. She looked up and watched it along with everyone else.

The silent video feed was choppy and broken with intermittent static. It showed an orange fireball on the outskirts of Tokyo-3. After a few moments, the heat and light of the explosion dissipated. All that remained was charred ground, and a substantial crater. Then, through the thick plumes of smoke, the Angel moved out slowly. It approached the scout helicopter. The red sphere shimmered, and then an almost translucent wave flew outward. Power lines swayed and toppled over. Grass and dirt were ripped away from the ground. The helicopter was hit by the wave and the entire video feed went to static.

“What happened?” Misato shouted.

Ritsuko took a step forward. She dropped both hands into the pockets of her lab coat, and said, “From the analysis, it can be concluded that the Angel emitted a high pressure wind current. The wind is on the level of an F3 tornado.”

Shigeru Aoba spoke up as he read data from his own terminal, “Target is moving at 42 kilometers an hour. It will reach the center of Tokyo-3 in 25 minutes.”

Fuyutski and Gendo had taken up their usual positions in the back of the room. Gendo had locked his hands before his face, and Fuyutski stood at Gendo’s side, with his hands behind his back. “What did the MAGI determine?” Fuyutski asked.

“The MAGI have already sent out instructions for a general evacuation of the city,” Maya answered.

“And a battle strategy?”

“The MAGI propose a defensive attack formation, two affirmative and one prioritarial affirmative.”

The video looped back and they all watched once more as the Angel slowly moved out from the destructive force of the N2 Mine, with hardly a scratch on it.

"So far, we can confirm that 6% of the Angel's structure has been incinerated by the attack," Makoto Hyuga said as he read data from his terminal.

"How did the N2 mine get past the AT Field?" Misato asked.

Silence fell over the room for nearly ten seconds, before Ritsuko offered an explanation. When she spoke, it was with confidence, as if there was nothing mysterious about their enemy, "This Angel's AT Field is not all encompassing, as we have seen before. There appear to be a number of small linear breaks in the field, which allow for the passage of matter, or, in this case, fire."

"Breaks in the field? But why?" Misato asked, perplexed.

"Maya, replay the post-explosion sequence, at slow motion speed 200," Ritsuko said.

"Yes, ma'am," Maya replied. She hurriedly entered the commands on her terminal, and the video looped again, albeit much more slowly.

The men and women of the command center watched the video as it played at an agonizingly slow pace. Nevertheless, they looked on in amazement at what took place. The Angel had just moved out from the inferno of the explosion. In real time, it had briefly shimmered, however, now, in slow motion, the AT Field flashed bright orange and rotated counter-clockwise. A rush of wind kicked up and pushed outwards in all directions. The earth was torn asunder, and the video went to static once more.

"So that's how," Misato said softly.

"Yes. It is able to generate wind currents through the alternating breaks in its AT Field, using it like a fan," Ritsuko stated matter-of-factly.

"So, we can get past its AT Field," Misato said as a hopeful confidence rose in her voice. "Anything else?"

"It's comprised of a substance very similar to our own flesh," Ritsuko explained. "However, it appears that the Angel's epidermal layer has few reticular fibers."

“What does that mean?” Misato asked.

“There is the possibility that its skin is very weak, and if we can penetrate the AT Field, it may be quite easy to damage the Angel,” Ritsuko answered.

The video looped for a fourth time as the men and women of the command center deliberated. In the far corner of the room, the three children stood and watched. The dialogue had been so frenzied it seemed that everyone had forgotten about the pilots of the Evangelions.

Shinji stood between Asuka and Rei with his head lowered. He had already forgotten about the incident in the locker room. His thoughts had focused once again on his own misery. It seemed as if he would never find an escape from his mental oblivion.

“Will there be an occurrence like last time?” Gendo asked.

“No, sir,” Ritsuko replied. “Based on the video feed alone, we are fairly certain that this Angel can not access a Sea of Dirac. It is similar to the previous Angel in appearance only.”

“Good,” Gendo said coldly, his face still partially hidden behind his hands. “Sortie the Evangelions.”

- - - -

The sound of his own pulse thumped loudly in his ears, and had nearly overtaken the wail of the air raid sirens. Sweat ran down the sides of his face, and his whole body felt as if it was on fire. He moved at a rapid pace and, with the heavy laptop case slung over one shoulder, Sagiri found he was already overcome with fatigue.

With the map of the city engrained in his mind, he traversed the outskirts of Tokyo-3. In the distance, he saw the ever-present Angel as it crept closer to the center of the city. He hoped he could make it to NERV before the Angel unleashed its attack. Although he would be a newcomer to the team, he wanted offer some kind of assistance. He wasn't sure what he could do to help, but he knew he couldn’t sit idly in a fallout shelter and wait for the battle to end. He had to do something. But first he would have to make it through the barren streets of Tokyo-3.

The sky overhead was still covered with dark, heavy clouds. Wind whipped across the landscape. Dirt, tree branches, garbage, and all manner of debris rolled across the streets. The air raid sirens died off, and Sagiri came to a stop. Between two large buildings he could still clearly see the Angel. Why had the sirens ceased?

He heard a heavy thump.

Sagiri looked to the left and saw a purple behemoth step out from behind the shadow of a skyscraper. It took a second step forward. When its foot made contact with the ground, Sagiri heard another heavy thump.

“Wow,” he said with amazement. He had never imagined an Evangelion to have such a presence. Although he was well versed in their technical specifications, all of his experience was confined to schematics and a laboratory. But now he would be able to witness their power first hand. If one step could cause the earth to tremble, what would it be like when it unleashed the power of the AT Field?

Flanking the purple Evangelion, two other units, one blue and one red, now came into view. They took up a triangular formation in front of the Angel, which was approximately 300 yards away from them. The Angel halted and hovered in place. Sagiri swallowed hard and his body began to tremble. Perhaps he should have gone to the shelter after all.

- - - -

Asuka’s hands rested lightly on the controls of Unit 02. She had enhanced the magnification of the Eva’s optical cameras so she could have a closer look at the Angel. Indeed, it looked quite similar to the last one, albeit red this time, instead of black. Every Angel she had seen so far had taken on one more ridiculous shape after another. “Have they finally run out of ideas?” she thought with a smirk.

Misato’s face filled the communications window in the corner of the view screen. Asuka tuned out the instructions given by the tactical officer. The last thing she needed right now was some no-brained military brat telling her what to do. She could handle things on her own just fine.

“Asuka?”

“Huh?”

“Asuka, do you understand?” Misato asked with a grimace.

“Sure, sure,” Asuka said as she feigned attentiveness. “Wondergirl and I will lend support while the great and powerful Shinji destroys the Angel. Just like always.”

Asuka wasn’t sure that had been the thrust of the plan, but it seemed likely. She couldn’t remember the last time they fought an Angel where the entire strategy didn’t seem to hinge entirely on Shinji. What was the deal with him anyway? Why did everyone think he was so great? She could have defeated the other Angels just as easily as he did.

“Good,” Misato said. “You will begin the operation on my mark. Stand by.”

The communications window blinked out and Asuka was left alone with the company of her thoughts. The entry plug was silent except for the constant hum that seemed to emanate from everywhere. She noticed the noise the first few times she piloted, but after that, it had become nothing more than ambiance.

Her grip around the controls tightened as her thoughts continued to focus on Shinji. That idiot. What was it that he did that made him so great, anyway? And why was Misato always defending him? She always took his side. And he always got all the credit. Good job, Shinji. Way to go, Shinji. What about her? She was just as much a part of every mission, but nobody even cared. Nobody ever told her, “good job” or “nice work.” Never. It was always Shinji. That stupid idiot Shinji. It didn’t matter that he was always depressed and always whining. They all loved him. Today was her chance. Today she would make Misato notice her. Today she would be the one to save everyone. This Angel would be easy. She could defeat it without that idiot’s help. And then everyone would have to praise her. And they’d forget about how great Shinji was.

“Shinji,” she said into her communicator.

His face appeared in the communications window. “What is it, Asuka?”

“I’m going to take care of the Angel. You’d better just stand back.”

“But Asuka, that’s not the plan! You could get hurt!”

“Hurt? By what? Some puffs of air? Ha!”

“Asuka, please!”

“Watch how it’s done, Shinji,” she said with a menacing smile.

The communications window blinked off as she put Unit 02 into motion.

- - - -

Sagiri watched with disbelief as the red Eva charged at the Angel. This was their plan? He cringed as the inevitable occurred.

Unit 02 charged forward with the fully-automatic pallet gun in its hands. As it raced forward the ground shook and its footsteps echoed like thunder. The umbilical cable waved side to side behind it. The behemoth aimed its weapon and let loose a torrent of bullets. Simultaneously, the Angel shimmered for a brief instant, and a wave of air burst outward. The barrage of bullets was caught up in the wave. They slowed, held still, and then were blown back against Unit 02, where they harmlessly bounced away. The Eva was halted mid-stride by the force of the wind. It tottered back and forth for a moment, as the pilot tried to keep it from being pushed back. The effort, however, was futile. In the next moment, the Eva was swept up by the gust of wind and thrown back across the city skyline. Unit 02 was airborne for nearly five seconds before it collided with a skyscraper. Chunks of the building exploded in every direction as the Eva tumbled back toward the ground.

As soon as the Eva was out of sight, Sagiri heard the rush of wind. He braced himself. He was hit head-on by a blast of air. He reeled backwards and crashed into the concrete wall of the building behind him. Fortunately, the power of the wind that hit him had been greatly reduced by the number of structures between Sagiri and the Angel.

His body ached and burned. He breathed in and felt a sharp twinge of pain radiate across his back. He hoped he hadn’t broken a rib. Sagiri had almost smacked the back of his head against the concrete wall. He felt somewhat disoriented and saw stars for the next few moments. Eventually, they went away, only to be replaced by a headache.

He looked down at the laptop case that was still slung over his shoulder. It, too, had smacked into the building. It was probably broken, but he didn’t have time to check. He had to press on, and get to NERV as quickly as possible, before the situation got any worse.

- - - -

Asuka’s mood was thrown, just as the Eva had been, and it sank to an even more delicate level. When the rumbling vibrations of the impact subsided, Asuka found herself staring up at the cloudy sky in relative silence. She sighed.

The communications window blinked on and Misato’s irritated face appeared, “Asuka! You had explicit instructions to not engage the target until I gave the order!”

“Yeah, well I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

“Not a problem? Look at the damage you just caused!”

“Give me a break, Misato,” Asuka said in a detached voice. “Half the building is still standing.” She turned her face to the right, away from the communications window, to avoid making eye contact with Misato.

“This is no time to be facetious. The Angel has presumed us hostile. You need to---”

Before Misato could finish her statement, the Angel shimmered again. Another burst of air flew outward, this time toward Unit 01. With the speed of the attack, Shinji could do little except brace himself. His Eva held its ground for less time than Asuka’s had. It was soon in the air. It sailed backwards and crashed to the ground just beside Unit 02. Now, the only Eva that remained upright was Unit 00. Inside of her Eva, Rei dutifully awaited orders from Misato to begin the assault.

Asuka cried out. Her left arm ached with pain. It felt as if someone had dropped a million tons on it. She looked to her immediate left and saw the hulking visage of Unit 01. It had barely missed her. Yet, her arm pulsed with an indescribable feeling of pressure. She bit her lower lip and tried to bring her arm close to cradle it. Although her arm moved, the Eva didn’t budge. Unit 01 had landed directly on Unit 02’s left arm, effectively pinning it.

“Baka Shinji! Get off my---”

Asuka caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Momentarily forgetting about her pain, she looked up and watched as the Angel floated toward her. “---arm,” she finished meekly.

- - - -

Inside of Unit 00, Rei watched as the Angel altered its course. Before, it had been headed for the center of Tokyo-3. Now, it moved toward Shinji and Asuka. According to Misato, the Angel now perceived them as a threat. Therefore, it would now attempt to finish them off. Rei knew she had to do something, or her fellow pilots would be killed.

"I'll divert its attention," she said.

“Rei, wait,” Misato cried out into the communicator. Rei paid no attention. She had to help Shinji.

With the Angel’s attention focused on the other Evas, Rei was able to maneuver Unit 00 to a new location. She positioned her Eva perpendicular to the new path of the Angel. Shielded between two large buildings, she readied her pallet gun and waited. Slowly, the Angel moved into view. When it was fully in sight, Rei opened fire. Her bullets struck the Angel’s AT Field, which flashed bright orange.

Rei released her finger from the trigger and waited a beat. The Angel hesitated.

Then, its AT Field shimmered. Quickly, Rei spun her Eva backwards and to the right. Unit 00 ducked and took cover behind the adjacent skyscraper. The burst of wind pounded the building, and sent huge chunks of glass, steel, and concrete flying into the distance. Unit 00, however, was left undamaged.

“Ikari,” Rei said rapidly yet calmly. “Now’s your chance.”

- - - -

Rei’s voice sounded bleak as it came through the communicator. Shinji watched in horror as he saw Unit 00’s cover decimated. His self-deprecating thoughts were momentarily forgotten, and replaced by something new. A desire to help Rei.

Unit 01 rose effortlessly from the ground. As Shinji uprighted the Eva, he made it grab Unit 02 by the wrist. He yanked the red Eva to its feet and shouted, “Asuka, we have to save Ayanami!”

With its own weapon still on the ground, Shinji’s Eva rushed toward the Angel. Although unarmed, he was lit by a fire of determination. He had to save his friend. How many times had she saved him already? He didn’t care if he threw himself in harm’s way. If he died, so be it. But he couldn’t bear to let someone else die while he stood by and did nothing.

- - - -

Asuka watched as Unit 01 charged toward the Angel. With its focus on Unit 00, Shinji might be able to reach it. But even if he did, what could he do? Just then, as if reading her thoughts, a new voice spoke through the communications window.

“Rei! Asuka! Shinji!”

Asuka looked down and saw Ritsuko. She looked back up and saw that Shinji neared the Angel. She had to move quickly to lend some aid. After all, she couldn’t allow him to get all the credit again for destroying yet another Angel.

“What is it?” she asked as her Eva ran forward.

“I’ve analyzed the data from the two attacks,” Ritsuko said quickly. “It appears as though the Angel can attack in only one direction at a time…”

Unit 02 had caught up with Unit 01, and both closed in on the Angel. Any second now it would notice them and change the direction of its attack. Suddenly, Unit 00 moved out from its hidden position. The blue Eva stepped into the open area between the two buildings and let loose a quick volley from its pallet gun. Anticipating a counter-attack, it jumped to the left and ducked behind the other skyscraper. The Angel blasted Unit 00’s new shield with greater ferocity than before. The wind ripped the skyscraper to shreds, nearly leveling it.

“…if it can attack Rei, you and Shinji can grab the breaks in its AT Field and keep it from rotating. That should neutralize its weapon…”

“Have it attack Rei? I like this plan,” Asuka sneered.

Now, the Evas were almost beside the Angel. Unit 00 stepped out into the open area once more. The Angel’s AT Field shimmered for the last time. Before it could finalize its attack, the hands of Unit 01 and 02 shot out and grabbed the AT Field. The field flashed orange. It held the color as the Angel attempted to carry out its attack, but could not. It was being restrained.

Asuka’s hands burned like fire, and her arms shook, already weak from holding back such a powerful attack. She looked up and saw Shinji’s Eva struggling as well. No matter how much it hurt, she had to hold on longer than him, if only for a second. She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and held fast. Meanwhile, Unit 00 dropped its gun and raced forward to aid the other Evas. It dug its hands into the Angel’s AT Field and began to pull in opposite directions. Although Asuka did not know the reason why, she suddenly felt the force of the enemy's AT Field weaken. She smiled and knew she had almost defeated it.

The Angel’s AT Field began to blink intermittently. There was a low rumbling from somewhere deep within. The ground shook again. Asuka held tight. When she opened her eyes she watched as the AT Field was suddenly broken into thin strands of light, and then whimpered out of existence.

“I got you, bastard!” she shouted.

“Asuka, we did it!” Shinji’s said through the communicator.

“That’s right, we sure-”

Her confident voice was cut short by a new complication. The red covering of the Angel began to slough off. From top to bottom, it oozed downward, until it all layed in a heap on the ground. What remained was still a sphere, but one that was nearly transparent.

“Can you still see it?” Shinji asked.

“I believe so,” Rei replied.

“Me too,” Asuka said. “And I’ll be the one to take it down.”

Asuka flipped a switch on the control console, and her Eva’s pylon opened, revealing its progressive knife. As the Eva grabbed the weapon with one hand, the Angel silently hovered in place. Units 00 and 01 stood off to either side, and waited for Asuka to land the final blow. Asuka unleashed a roar of confidence and thrust forward with the knife.

Inches before the knife penetrated the Angel, a blazing light appeared. The light, a beam small in diameter, swept from the top of the Angel, downward. It passed through Unit 02’s wrist without resistance. Asuka shrieked in pain. Blood sprayed forward and splattered onto the Angel. Unit 02’s severed hand fell to the ground. Then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the beam of light vanished. All that remained was a dark pinpoint where the beam had originated.

Inside the entry plug, Asuka continued to scream and cradle her wrist. Although she could not hear the sound over the her own screams, Ritsuko’s voice filtered through the communication system, “Cut one half of the pilot’s synchro circuits!”

Misato’s voice came now, “Everyone, get out of there!”

As if to emphasize Misato’s command, a multitude of dark pinpoints suddenly appeared throughout the body of the Angel. Units 00 and 01 each grabbed Unit 02 under one arm. Together, they hoisted the red Eva and retreated. As they scrambled to get away, more beams of light were emitted from the Angel. Each beam that touched the ground or a nearby building, shook it with devastating force. Fortunately, the Evas managed to retreat until they were out of Angel’s line of sight.

- - - -

Sagiri watched in horror as Unit 02’s hand was sliced off. The Eva curled its arms up to its chest and cowered like a person in fear. Its blood splattered onto the Angel, and started to coagulate. The blood seemed to float in mid air, as it dried on top of the nearly transparent Angel. “At least now they can see it better,” he thought morbidly.

A moment later, the Evas started to retreat. Sagiri had to hurry to reach NERV Headquarters. He ran faster and prayed that the pilot of Unit 02 would be all right.

His mind raced back to the beam of light. What had that been? Then, as if offering an opportunity to answer that question, the Angel unleashed a series of light beams, which swung in all directions. One of the beams passed through street just in front of Sagiri. It dug into the concrete and ripped the ground in two. Debris burst out in every direction, and Sagiri shielded his face as he continued to race forward. In another instant, the beam was gone. It had left a deep impression in the ground, approximately six feet in width. Sagiri knew that he could jump over it if he kept his momentum up. As he ran, he could hear the sound of Tokyo-3 explode all around him. The air quickly became filled with smoke, dirt, and dust. As he breathed it in he choked and his eyes watered. Nevertheless, he had to move forward. He was almost there now. A few more feet and…he leapt. He sailed over the gap and effortlessly landed on the opposite side.

Before he had a chance to revel in his success, he saw another beam. This one swept horizontally above his head. “What the?” he muttered. He heard the crash of glass and scrape of steel from the skyscraper to his right. He looked up and felt his body go cold with fear.

The top one third of the skyscraper seemed to pop off the rest of the building and tumble downward. Sagiri found himself directly in its path. He could no longer see the sky, but only the top of the building as it plummeted toward him. Immediately, he dropped his laptop bag and pushed his legs to run faster than ever before. As he ran he felt lighter than usual. The sluggishness he had felt earlier was suddenly gone. All he could feel now was the hard slap of his feet on the pavement below. His arms and legs pumped rapidly as he ran for his life. He closed his eyes and moved even faster.

The building crashed to the ground and a plume of dust and dirt rushed outward. The shockwave blew Sagiri forward. He flew through the air for a moment, landed hard on the street, and rolled forward. When he finally came to a stop he opened his eyes and watched as the sky above him spun out of control. He tried to stand but found he was too dizzy to anything but sit upright. “I’m still alive…”

“Block all c-fiber afferent signals from upper thoracic dermatomes, and reset all the synchro circuits,” Ritsuko ordered.

“Yes, ma’am,” Maya replied. Her fingers became a flurry on the computer terminal before her. When she finished, full synchronization had been returned to Unit 02, with the exception of longer lasting, post-trauma pain.

- - - -

Asuka raised the arm of Unit 02 into view and inspected the damage. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she waited for some kind of smart remark to come from Shinji or Rei. Certainly, one of them would have to gloat over her recent failure. As if neither of them made any mistakes. With her Eva in this condition she wouldn’t be able to defeat the Angel. The best she could hope to do was lend support. She narrowed her eyes and spoke venomously into the communications window, “Well, what do we do now?”

Misato answered, “The truth is, we aren’t sure. The Angel’s AT Field is gone so we think it should only be a matter of time before it can no longer live. However, we can’t allow it to go on such a destructive rampage. We have to stop it.”

“Misato, what should we do?” Shinji asked through his own communications window.

“We’re sending some more pallet guns. Try to disable it from a distance,” Misato said.

“Okay,” Shinji replied.

“Shinji,” Asuka said.

“What is it?”

“Are you…ready for this?”

“Uh-huh. At least, I think so.”

- - - -

Shinji knew he would never be able to understand Asuka. A few minutes ago, she was telling him to stand aside, and now she was asking him, almost with a hint of concern in her voice, if he could handle the mission. Or perhaps she was just trying to get inside his head? To mess around with his emotions once again? He lowered his head. Why couldn’t he understand her? Why did she have to always treat him so strangely?

Shinji’s thoughts were broken by the whir of a nearby device that opened to reveal a rack of fresh pallet guns. He reached out with Unit 01 and grabbed one. Unit 00 did the same. Unit 02 approached the rack, grabbed one, and tucked the stock of the weapon beneath its arm.

Shinji maneuvered Unit 01 out from its hiding place and took aim at the Angel, which was now a great distance from him. He brought the weapons screen online and waited as the targeting reticle centered onto his opponent. Before he could fire, the Angel unleashed another attack. Unit 01 side stepped as a light beam blasted its previous position. The ground on which the Eva had stood was torn to pieces.

“Bastard!” Asuka screamed.

Suddenly, Unit 02 stood out in the open and returned fire. With only one arm to control the pallet gun, the barrage of shots quickly went off target. A new beam of light appeared on the right side of the Angel, and swept left toward Unit 02. Asuka saw it and piloted her Eva farther left, in an attempt to outrun the attack. As the Eva moved, not only did the beam follow, but it quickly approached. Unit 02 ducked just before the beam made contact. It swept over the body of the Eva, paused and then swept back in the other direction. Already, Unit 02 was up and desperately headed toward the right. The beam neared again. Then, just before it touched the back of Unit 02, the red Eva was knocked to the ground by something heavy and blue.

Asuka found herself looking up at Unit 00. She had been tackled by Rei. Asuka looked toward the Angel as Unit 00 unleashed an attack with its own pallet gun. A series of light beams spread out just in front of the Angel’s body and incinerated every bullet.

“Damn, how do we kill this thing?” Asuka asked.

- - - -

Sagiri nervously watched the light beams of the Angel followed the red Eva with precision. He breathed a momentary sigh of relief when the blue one rescued it from near disaster. The way that the Angel detected every movement, the way it followed its attackers, it was almost as if the dark pinpoints that littered the body were something else.

Sagiri slowed to a trot. He dipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He dialed Misato’s number and hoped she would answer. Perhaps she had already discovered the same thing he had observed. But, if not, she had to answer the phone, for the sake of the city.

The phone rang…and rang…and rang…

“What is it?” an impatient voice asked from the other end of the line.

“Major Katsuragi, it’s Sagiri. It’s about the Angel. Have you noticed anything unusual about those black spots all over its body?”

“You mean, other than how they fire lasers?” she asked, annoyed.

It became clear to Sagiri that the last thing she needed right now was to waste time talking with him in the midst of an Angel attack. He decided to get to the point. “They aren’t just weapons. The Angel is using them as a means of tracking the Evas. Those black spots, I think they are the Angel’s eyes.”

“Eyes? Are you sure?”

“Yes. And, if you can find a way to blind it, then the Evas just might be able to kill it. Major Katsuragi, it will work, you just have to trust me.”

“…okay. At this point, we’ll try anything. Thanks, Sagiri.”

The line was abruptly cut off. Sagiri dumped the cell phone back in his pocket, and increased his speed. This had to work. He couldn’t bear the thought that he would be a witness to the defeat of humanity.

- - - -

Once again, the Evangelions had been forced to retreat and take shelter behind the few remaining skyscrapers of Tokyo-3. The pilots had been instructed to wait, under cover, for further instructions. If no instructions came soon, it would only be a matter of time before there would be nothing left to protect them.

Asuka sat in the entry plug of Unit 02, and her thoughts fumed over her rescue by Rei. She had intended to do great things in this battle, but instead, she had simply blundered her way through it. Everything that could have gone wrong for her had gone wrong. Wondergirl and Baka Shinji would never let her live it down.

The communications window blinked on and Misato’s face appeared. “Everyone, listen up!”

“You’d better have a plan!” Asuka spat toward the window.

“We do, and you can thank Sagiri…”

“Who?”

“…if it works. We’re sending up a huge supply of magnesium and ammonium perchlorate from the NERV Research Labs. With a little luck, the amount we had should be enough. It will be coming up on a lift that is almost directly in the path of the Angel.”

“Then what do we do?” Shinji’s asked through his communicator.

“Shinji, we need you to fire a few rounds into the chemicals, which should cause them to ignite. The reaction will be similar to that of a stun grenade. Hopefully, the Angel will be blinded long enough for all of you to take it out with your pallet guns,” Misato explained. “Stand by.”

The window blinked off, and Asuka was once again left to her thoughts. In the distance, she could hear the steady whir of the lift. It grew gradually louder as it approached the surface. As the intensity of the sound increased, Asuka felt something within her stir. This could be her chance. She could push Shinji aside, and she could be the one to ignite the chemicals. She could be the one responsible for blinding the Angel. She could do it. Her breathing became heavy and she felt a nervous fluttering inside her stomach. The sound of the lift grew ever louder.

Shinji’s face suddenly appeared in the communications window. “Hey, Asuka.”

“What?” she replied coldly.

His head drooped forward, and his voice became weak, “I…I know you’re upset. If…you want to do this…you can. I don’t want to, not really.”

Her opportunity had arrived. Her mouth opened and closed again without uttering a word. Her throat constricted and the nervous flutter of her stomach became a violent churn. The trunk of her body began to shiver uncontrollably. All she had to do was say yes, and she would become the hero of the day.

Her hands slipped from the Eva’s controls.

“Asuka?”

Misato’s voice suddenly shouted through the communicator, “Now, Shinji! Fire!”

“Asuka?” Shinji asked anxiously.

“Shinji! What are you waiting for?” Misato screamed.

A weak sigh escaped from Asuka’s mouth, and then she felt tears return to her eyes once more. “I’m…pathetic,” she whispered.

“Shinji!” Misato cried out.

Asuka brought a hand up to the controls and manually cut off all outside communications. Through the Eva’s optical cameras, she watched as Unit 01 strode out from its hiding position. It raised the machine gun in its arms and aimed. A moment passed. A beam of light grazed the side of the Eva’s helmet, yet, Unit 01 did not flinch. In the next second, the pallet gun came to life. It was followed by a roaring explosion. The sky was lit up, awash in a pale white-yellow light. The purple Eva changed targets and fired again. Suddenly, the blue Eva moved out from under its cover and joined in with Unit 01. They fired a seemingly endless barrage in tandem.

Meanwhile, inside of Unit 02, Asuka had dropped her head into her open palms. She sobbed. She was so overcome with grief that she failed to notice when the Angel exploded in the form of a giant, luminous cross.

- - - -

Sagiri lurched down the debris-covered road. Fatigue had nearly overcome him as he slowly approached the entrance to NERV Headquarters. His body was racked with pain from numerous close calls throughout the battle. Although he had been a bystander, he had experienced his fair share of danger. And when the Angel had been defeated, the final explosion had thrown a number of large, heavy objects in his direction, which had been difficult to avoid. The adrenaline that had pulsed through his blood vessels was now gone, and he found that his joints were stiff and his muscles burned.

His steps degenerated to a wobbling shuffle. As he ambled towards the bay of metal doors he had to summon all of the remaining strength in his body just so he would not fall down. But, if all of these doors were shut, how would he get inside? Fortunately, he did not have to worry about that. When he was five yards away, the leftmost door slowly rose to an open position. Two guards in NERV uniforms stepped outside and noticed him immediately. “Major! It’s the boy! He’s here!”

As Misato stepped outside, Sagiri suddenly lost the last bit of strength in his legs. Misato rushed forward to catch him, but wasn’t quite fast enough. He collapsed in a heap on the ground. Once at his side, Misato wrapped an arm around his shoulders and said, “Sagiri, I was about to go out with a search party to look for you. But I guess you made it on your own.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Your plan worked. Thank you.”

Misato helped the boy to his feet and led him inside. As the metal door closed behind them she said, “Welcome to NERV.”

“Thank you, Major” he replied.

She smiled warmly and said, “Please, call me Misato.”

At long last, his odyssey to Tokyo-3 and NERV had come to an end.

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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.