Does Valentine even lift?And if all else fails, Valentine can use D4C to bring Lilith from one alternate to the Base World...
Yes.
Stand Proud and Make Yourself a Legend [Evangelion/JJBA]
- Thread starter TGT09
- Start date
Yes.
- Location
- Ohio
I'm not sure how much damage that would do to an Angel. They dropped N2 bombs on Irasfel in canon, it heavily damaged the thing but did not kill it.
It probably wouldn't do that much good, but the Americans dropping all 5k+ warheads on an Angel is bound to have some kind of effect. Then again, humanity would be grasping at straws by then.
Well it is nice to see that there is someone competent in charge of the "Nuke Japan" button. A lesser person would probably have ended the island Nation after the first shot was missed. Now the question is how long this competence will last before someone breaks from the pressure down the road. Some of the later Angels...
Now I wonder when Valentine is going to pay Nerv a visit and meet Gendo Ikari. I really wonder how they are going to interact with each other.
Hell, I wonder what the President will think of the entire cast. Shinji especially since he was mentored by a Joestar.
Now I wonder when Valentine is going to pay Nerv a visit and meet Gendo Ikari. I really wonder how they are going to interact with each other.
Hell, I wonder what the President will think of the entire cast. Shinji especially since he was mentored by a Joestar.
Cyrus 21
Kamen Rider/Spirit of Chaos
- Location
- Canterlot
And I bet you that his Secret Service detail will be alternate versions of him brought to this universe via D4C.Well it is nice to see that there is someone competent in charge of the "Nuke Japan" button. A lesser person would probably have ended the island Nation after the first shot was missed. Now the question is how long this competence will last before someone breaks from the pressure down the road. Some of the later Angels...
Now I wonder when Valentine is going to pay Nerv a visit and meet Gendo Ikari. I really wonder how they are going to interact with each other.
Hell, I wonder what the President will think of the entire cast. Shinji especially since he was mentored by a Joestar.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
D4C is the most broken Stand ever. Need a particular Stand ability for a situation? Use D4C to retrieve a version of you who has a Stand with the needed ability. Need to get past an impenetrable barrier *cough Undertale cough*? Shift to another world where the barrier doesn't exist, and shift back once you're past it.
Cyrus 21
Kamen Rider/Spirit of Chaos
- Location
- Canterlot
It also makes Funny immune to the whole 'Touch yourself and Die' thing, so he can just recruit multiple versions of himself. Along with uploading Funny into a healthy version of himself.
Chapter 7 - Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Act 2
A/N: Finally, after a whole month, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
White House Situation Room
Funny Valentine surveyed the large screen on the other end of the Situation Room with satisfaction. The assets he sent to Tokyo-3, either requested by NERV or on his own initiative, were working hard to produce a live feed of activities in the city as well as the impending Operation Yashima. The screen was divided into several areas, each showing footage from a different sources. There were surveillance satellites, Navy P-8s, UAVs, and a U-2 shadowing Tokyo-3 high in the Earth's atmosphere. What caught the President's attention the most were two large panels on the center of the screen labeled 「Inspector Deck」and 「Ray Kwon」. Each panel displayed live feeds taken by helmet-mounted cameras from what appeared to be a mountainside outside Tokyo-3.
"Excellent work as always, General." Valentine patted the shoulder of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs before turning to the Secretary of Defense. "Madame Secretary, is the contingency in place?"
"Yes, Mr. President." The Secretary of Defense replied. "All our assets are ready on your orders."
"Mr. President, I must object to this contingency of yours!" The Secretary of State suddenly spoke up. "Aiming the entire nation's nuclear and N2 arsenal will cause a major international incident! We have enough of those warheads to destroy Japan several times over. This plan is nothing short of a genoci…"
Before the Secretary of State could finish, he was suddenly picked up by some invisible force and lifted into the air. While he and some people of the room panicked at the paranormal occurrence, the rest saw a silver humanoid being with long rabbit-like ears lifting the politician by his collar and simply went on with their tasks.
"Major, how long do we have until Operation Yashima?" The President asked.
"Ten minutes, sir." The officer manning the workstation replied.
"Good, let's go take a walk, Mr. Secretary." The President said as he went to the door with the silver being carrying the Secretary of State following closely behind. The staff carried on their work in tense silence for a few minutes before President Valentine and a visibly shaken Secretary of State returned.
"You returned just on time, Mr. President." The Secretary of Defense informed him. "NERV has just commenced Operation Yashima."
"Good, take a seat and relax, everybody." The President poured himself a glass of water. "This is going to be a good show."
Tokyo-3's skyline glowed despite the blackout from the sheer amount of missile and artillery fire that was directed at the Angel hanging「menacingly」above the city. It was all futile, however, as the rounds were either blocked by the Angel's powerful AT-field or sliced apart by its powerful energy beam and exploded harmlessly in mid-air. Not giving the automated loading systems any time to reload, the Angel half-twisted and half-folded into a cone before firing off another beam that scythed through three mountains.
"It's no good!" Maya called out. "Batteries 5, 6, and 7 have been completely vaporized!"
Over the din of explosions, jet engines can be heard by the citizens who ventured to the rooftops as the FQ-47 fighter drones zoomed through the air and let loose the their N2-tipped air-to-ground missiles. Reacting almost instantly, the Angel reformed its diamond shape and shot the missiles out of the sky, creating an exceptionally bright and loud fire display. Before the operators at Okinawa could react, a beam sliced through the drones, causing them to explode in midair.
"Shit, our birds just got blown out of the sky!" Misato heard the Marine commander's voice over the comms. "The second wave is almost there!"
"No reason to panic just yet, everyone." Misato said calmly but steadily. "Everything we are doing so far is to distract the Angel to let the positron cannon charge up. Ritsuko, how's Mari doing?"
"She seems way too calm for this situation. Her vitals haven't changed at all since the mission started. Shinji, Shizuka, and even Rei are showing elevated heart rates." The female scientist replied. "As for the cannon, it's charging faster than expected. Not sure why, but it's definitely working in our favour. Before you ask, yes, I double checked. There's nothing wrong with the instruments measuring the rifle's power level."
As much as 15% of generated electricity is lost in transmission. The factors affecting power loss include, but not limited to, material of the conductors, atmospheric conditions, and length of the transmission lines. Despite the best efforts of engineers, losing power during transmission is inevitable due to the basic laws of physics.
「Red Hot Chili Pepper」does not have that problem.
One of the first powers Akira's Stand developed after his release from prison was becoming a perfect conductor. As Red Hot Chili Pepper inserted itself into the transformer in the middle of the hut behind the sniper's nest, the Stand was able to pull 100% of the electricity generated in Japan that night into itself and transfer that energy to Mari's positron rifle. Due to the perfected efficiency, the weapon charged at a rate exceeding NERV's estimates while Akira played a simple tune.
Mari drummed her fingers on her Eva's controls as she watched the Angel blast a wave of Russian surface-to-surface missiles out of the sky. She had manually adjusted her rifle's scope to train on the exact center of the Angel and waited patiently for her rifle to charge to full power. No point stressing out over something I can't control. The girl thought as she whistled a little tune while the sky continued to be lit up by explosions and energy beams.
"Missile batteries 1 through 4 are gone!" Maya's increasingly panicked voice blared from the speakers as the power gauge reached 50%.
"Red Crown, be advised. Another squadron is down." A Marine announced as the power hit 75%. Mari simply cranked her neck and stretched her shoulders. "Manned assets to be deployed pending approval."
"It's no good! We've lost 80% of all artillery and missile batteries! The Angel continues to penetrate the GeoFront's armor plating!" Maya was beginning to lose it. Mari thought she heard the woman trying to hold back tears during her transmission. The pink-clad Eva pilot glanced at the power readings and noticed that it was at 90% and climbing. With a practiced gesture, she settled down in her seat and put her finger over the trigger. She peered at the scope display with her right eye open and began her breathing drills.
In. Out.
In. Out.
In. Out halfway. Hold. Mari gently pushed down on her trigger finger while the Angel was busy demolishing some more missile batteries on a mountain side. At that moment, her mind was a total blank. No memories, no thoughts, just the crosshairs and the Angel in the middle of it. Her brief moment of zen was interrupted by a phantom kick against her right shoulder from the positron cannon's recoil pushing on Eva Unit 05.
"Unit 05 has fired the weapon!" Makoto Hyuga announced, and the command center held their collective breaths. Even at the speed of light, the beam felt like an eternity as it shot towards the Angel.
This is it. Misato thought as her fists tightened. Do or die.
Just as the beam was about to reach the Angel's AT field, the creature suddenly fired a beam of its own. The two columns of deadly burning hot energy collided against each other and formed a massive explosion, dousing the city and the surrounding area in a cruel mockery of daylight for a few seconds while vaporizing several buildings in the surrounding area. As the night grew dark again, the command center's staff could only stare with their jaws open in despair as the smoke cleared only to reveal the Angel was unscratched.
"This is it, isn't it?" Maya broke the silence. "We're doomed. The Angel is going to destroy the positron cannon in the next move."
"No, not yet!" Misato commanded mainly to reassure herself. "Rei, Shizuka, get out of your hiding spots and engage the Angel with your firearms! Do not use the NERV positron rifles until ordered to do so. Alternate firing pattern. Move!"
Eva Unit 04 punched through the concrete barrier covering her dugout and started firing at the Angel in controlled bursts in a desperate effort to buy Shinji time. The rounds bounced harmlessly off the AT-field as the Angel shifted, seemingly noticing her. Just then, Rei started firing from another direction, giving Shizuka time to duck back down and reload. In the meantime, the city's remaining emplacements continued to rain whatever fire they could on the Angel.
"Reloading." Shizuka heard Rei over the radio. Taking this as her cue, she reemerged and started firing at the Angel again. Meanwhile, more missiles fired by the Russians began their descent upon Tokyo-3 towards the Angel, adding to the meager resistance put up by NERV. Shizuka glanced up briefly at the missiles just before the Angel contorted into a giant crystalline boomerang and fired two beams. The Angel's top portion pivoted to intercept all the missiles while the bottom portion stayed still while it aimed at Shizuka. Judging from the sheer power she's seen earlier, Shizuka realized even ducking down wouldn't help her, so the girl did the only thing she could, authorization be damned.
"「Achtung Baby Act 3」!" She commanded, and her Stand turned herself as well as Unit 04's portions above the shoulder intangible right before the beam hit. Even in her state, Shizuka felt everything around her shaking viciously along with an ear-popping roar before everything went dark. She deactivated her Stand and tried to contact Misato.
"This is Shizuka. My Eva got hit badly and I got de-synched." She said. "Can someone hook me back up?"
"Negative, your Eva is showing severe damage all over. There's a 60% chance you could die from feeling suddenly feeling so much pain." She heard Ritsuko's voice. "You're going to have to sit out of this one since we have too much going on here."
During the call between Shizuka and Ritsuko, the Angel then turned its attention to Rei, who continued to fire and only ducking down at the last second before the Angel hit. Unlike Shizuka, Rei felt her entire body burning from the Angel's energy beam as well as being thrown all over the cockpit during the explosion. She felt her skull rattle followed by a sharp pain on the back of her head before her entire world went dark.
"The Angel disabled both Eva Unit 00 and 04!" Maya was almost hysterical by that point. "Data feed from Pilot Joestar has been lost. Pilot Ayanami is unconscious!"
"There is no time for a rescue mission!" Misato said. "Get me UN Command, Ministry of Defense, AND US Forces Japan. Tell them to sortie as many fighter flights as they can. We need to buy Shinji and Mari time!"
The Strategic Air Command was the segment of the United States Air Force responsible for all American nuclear bombers and long-range missiles during the Cold War. In the event of a nuclear confrontation with the Warsaw Pact, the SAC was saddled with the responsibility to rain unholy nuclear death on the other side of the Iron Curtain. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, their primary target, the SAC was disbanded. Its death was short-lived, however, thanks to the Second Impact. In the aftermath of the global catastrophe, Strategic Air Command was resurrected as a response to a rapidly destabilizing world and the looming Angel threat and resumed its Cold War-era mandate as well as taking charge of all space-based weaponry. Equipped with large quantities of both nuclear and N2 warheads, the SAC was widely considered to be second only to NERV in terms of threat level against the Angels.
While Misato requested help from US Forces in Okinawa, a transmission was sent from the Pentagon to Strategic Air Command facilities scattered throughout the United States. Dozens of bombers carrying nuclear as well as N2 weaponry took off into the air towards the Pacific Ocean while nuclear missile silo crews went about their work. Not to be outdone by their Air Force rivals, crews of the US ballistic missile submarine fleet entered battle stations in order to make their vessels launch-ready.
In the Situation Room, President Valentine's intense blue eyes darted between the large screen showing the situation in Tokyo-3 and the command console in front of him which had a keyboard and a large red button encased in hard plastic.
"Mr. President, our assets have been mobilized as per your orders." The Secretary of Defense said. "The situation in Tokyo-3 has deteriorated somewhat."
"No, the situation in Tokyo-3 is definitely not well. Thanks for the reminder." Valentine told his staff. "Still, things aren't quite grim enough to execute the contingency."
He then shone a laser pointer at the satellite feed.
"See that? They still got their main weapon and the operator." Valentine stated. "As long as NERV can keep that thing in action, they still have a fighting chance, and we won't have to use the contingency."
"Let's just hope all the distractions they throw at the Angel, including the lives of our own men and women soon, will buy enough time for her to make another shot." The director of the CIA said. "The fate of all of humanity is at stake, after all."
"The Angel has penetrated 95% percent of GeoFront armor! All automated batteries in Tokyo-3 have been neutralized by the Angel." Maya announced as a tears streamed down her face. "We…we only have the UN air and missile assets to rely on now."
"We still have a shot at this, everybody." Misato said, but her reassurances rang hollow even in her own mind. "The positron rifle is already at 80% power. Mari will be able to take the killing shot this time."
"Ma'am, something is happening with the Angel!" Shigeru said. "It looks like it's charging up again."
"Shinji, get your shield ready!" Misato ordered.
Damn you, dad. Damn you for dragging me into this shit! Shinji thought as he acknowledged Misato's orders and readied his shield. But there's no backing out now, if I don't do this, Mari will die, and we'll lose our only shot at destroying the Angel. I'm NOT running away from this!
Soon enough, Shinji heard the Angel's telltale screeching that signaled another attack, and he quickly stood up holding the shield in front of him. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he felt the beam hit and began to push Unit 01 backwards. He heaved and grunted to keep himself from getting blown over as he felt his Eva Unit's feet getting pushed back further. An intense pain came over his arms while Unit 01 fought to resist the sheer pressure and force exerted by the Angel's energy beam. Several vessels in Unit 01's arms burst open along with weak points in Eva Unit 01's armor, spraying high-pressure LCL into the air. For Shinji, it was if his own arms were tearing themselves apart. He started to scream again because of the unbearable pain.
Under the intense heat, the shield began to melt and splash Eva Unit 01 with droplets of molten metal. With a rapidly dissolving shield and intense pain, Shinji was blown backwards over Mari and slammed into the transmission structures used to funnel all of Japan's electricity into the positron rifle. Eva Unit 01 crashed into the ground with a series of deafening bangs and crunches before coming to a stop facing the sky.
"Mari, take the shot now!" Misato ordered, and Mari fired the positron cannon right on cue. The beam sliced through the night sky and made contact with the Angel's powerful AT-field. For what was probably the longest two seconds in Misato's life, an orange glow filled Tokyo-3's skyline as the AT-field struggled to keep the powerful positron beam at bay. Ultimately, the beam won out and tore through the field like tissue and impacted against the Angel, showering the surrounding area in a giant bright explosion.
"Did-did we do it?" Misato asked as sweat dripped down her face. "Someone give me an update, damn it!"
The officers in the command center quickly got to work to get a visual feed or any scans on the area, but as the smoke cleared, the Angel's 「menacing」diamond shape came into everyone's view. Although there were deep cracks all over the Angel's body from the positron cannon, they were being rapidly repaired by the Angel's own body.
"No…we can't charge the positron cannon with the electrical systems all destroyed." Maya said weakly while shaking. "It's all over."
That's not quite true. Kaji thought as he looked dispassionately at the tactical display while he recalled the demonstration he attended with Jotaro.
Not only did「Red Hot Chili Pepper」have the power to absorb electricity to make itself more powerful, but it also developed the ability to transfer any stored power to other objects or systems. As long as Akira Otoishi had access to food and water to maintain a minimum energy level required for survival, his Stand was able to function as a 「living battery」. At the same time Maya was despairing, Akira's Stand dove into the ruined electrical structures and continued to absorb electricity from all over Japan. With the Stand's direct intervention, electrical power flowed much faster towards Tokyo-3 while he played a faster song to express the sheer power he was absorbing into himself.
In the meantime, Misato paced back and forth as she kept glancing at the tactical display.
"What the hell is this? Why isn't it attacking again?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. "It already destroyed the only way to keep the positron cannon going. There's nothing we can do to damage it now. Where was that damn air support when we needed it?"
"Maybe it decided that Mari was no longer a threat and to continue its original mission to channel through the GeoFront?" Ritsuko said. "Scans are showing the drill increasing in speed. According to the new calculations, it will achieve full penetration in ten minutes instead of within the next hour or so."
Just then, a low rhythmic rumbling noise came out of the central tactical display's speakers. It sounded like a demented mating call from a colossal animal.
"That thing is laughing at us, isn't it?" Misato asked in a bemused fashion. "The kind of explains why it's not attacking anymore…"
"Ma'am, I'm patching through an urgent call." Captain Kawajiri, Misato's assistant, suddenly interrupted. "It's from the Prime Minister's office."
"What? What the hell is he calling for?" Misato demanded. "Put him on."
"Good Evening, am I speaking to NERV's senior leadership?" A middle-aged man's voice came over the speakers.
"Yes, sir. The Commander and the Sub-Commander are away due to business reasons." Misato replied. "I'm in charge right now."
"I'm afraid I have grave news. I was contacted by both the Russian and American presidents just moments ago. They are both quite…dissatisfied with the way Operation Yashima is going." The Prime Minister continued. "As I speak, Russian nuclear bombers are seconds away from Japanese airspace, with the Americans following soon. As they are headed towards Tokyo-3 to destroy the Angel threat, any attempts to intercept them have been forbidden by the UN."
"Sir, please tell them we just need ten more minutes!" Misato all but begged. "We are coming up with a backup plan right now!"
"President Valentine has given you twenty minutes." The Prime Minister of Japan replied. "That's how long it will take for his bombers to get to Tokyo-3."
"Thank you, Mr…" Was all Misato could squeeze out before being interrupted.
"However, the Russians aren't so generous. Their planes are circling in a holding pattern just outside Japanese airspace." The Prime Minister continued. "Their President gave NERV three minutes before he would order the bombers to fly in, and that was about a minute ago. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do at this point, I'm sorry, and good luck with your plan."
"No…" Misato whispered softly as the line went dead.
"Uh, Misato, you ok?" Kaji asked as he walked towards her.
"No." Misato said more loudly.
"Ma'am, we're getting readings from the positron cannon." Hyuga spoke up. "It's charging again!"
"NO! Don't you fucking lie to me!" Misato screamed. "We saw it, didn't we? All the power structures were destroyed! That's why they didn't bother giving us air support after that second shot. They know we're fucked!"
"They were destroyed, Misato, but Makoto's right." Ritsuko said as she scanned the readings on her terminal. "The positron cannon is actually recharging. It's an absolute miracle!"
Misato's expression contorted from rageful desperation to surprise, disbelief, and finally relief. All the bottled up tension Misato felt earlier just washed off in her mind as she re-exerted her authority over the command center to support Mari. Two minutes, and power is already at 40%. Make this one count, Mari.
"That was a nasty hit you took back there, Shinji." Misato asked his ward. "You ok?"
"Yeah, I think I'm fine." Shinji replied. "I'm back in position. I'll block Mari's Eva with my body this time if I have too."
"Acknowledged. Take care of yourself out there." Misato then turned her attention to her tactical display, only to see the Angel starting to change form again.
"You just had to jinx it, didn't you, Shinji?" Misato muttered before contacting Shinji once more. "Shinji, that Angel is lining up for another shot. Get ready!"
Just as Misato finished speaking, the Angel fired, and a damaged Eva Unit 01 clambered out of its dugout, arms held in front of its face in a blocking position. Despite his injuries, Shinji stood defiantly against the oncoming beam that signaled his definite death. In the last moments before the beam hit, Shinji thought back to Morioh and all the wonderful people he met there.
Cousin Josuke, I guess I'll fall here protecting this city. Shinji thought. I'll tell your friend Shigechi you said hi.
One minute thirty seconds, positron rifle is 50% charged. Misato thought as a single tear rolled down her face. Every second we buy makes it more likely for Mari to kill the Angel. Thank you, Shinji.
Shinji screamed as he felt intense burning pain on his arms which reflected where the beam hit the Eva Unit. After a few seconds, he stopped screaming as he realized that the beam was only slowly cutting through Eva Unit 01's arms instead of disintegrating him out right. Too cautious to lower his arms, he endured the pain as he wondered in confusion about exactly what the hell was the Angel doing.
"The beam is far weaker than the Angel's previous attacks!" Maya said. "The cause is unknown."
While the command center collectively breathed a sigh of relief over Shinji's survival, everyone quickly resumed working to try to figure out what caused the Angel's sudden drop in power. Even Kaji was baffled!
"「Red Hot Chili Pepper」has one more trick up its sleeve!" Akira proclaimed to himself as his fingers danced furiously along the guitar's strings.
「Me and My Friends」was a power gained years after Akira left prison. He didn't utilize it very often, which he compared to a magician's secret. When Red Hot Chili Pepper entered any wire or electric device, it was able to create miniature copies of itself in order to spy on and absorb power from multiple places at once. The more power it absorbed, the more clones Red Hot Chili Pepper could create.
Ever since he was brought to the little concrete hut by Kaji, Akira used his Stand to traverse NERV's electric infrastructure and tap into their internal communication network. It was during those quick excursions when he found out how the Angel was powered and its attempt to penetrate the GeoFront. Unluckily for the Angel, its drill cut through countless electric cables, which Akira was able to take advantage. He first sent a few mini-clones to absorb some power from the reactor of the Angel itself and convert to electrical energy. Once Akira took in enough energy, he sent more and more mini-clones to use as parasites against the Angel until the entire length of the Angel's drill was covered by「Me and My Friends」. Over the course of the battle, the Angel had been getting weaker without realizing until it shot Shinji a second time. By then, Akira decided to switch to yet another song, one that was originally made by one of his idols, and broadcast it to the Evas by sending pieces of 「Me and My Friends」into all 4 Eva Units.
Shinji noticed a guitar solo coming from the cockpit's speakers just as the Angel's beam dissipated. While he barely understood the lyrics, the young teen felt strangely empowered by the hot-blooded melody. As if compelled by the song, Shinji imitated a 「pose」his cousin often made where he put his left palm facing down under his chin while holding his right hand in front of him. Satisfied with the little stunt, Shinji jumped back into his dugout.
"Really? You gotta play a song by that guy?" Mari complained as she heard Akira's song, something about divers and the eyes of a cat in the black and blue. Still, their Stand-using ally was sapping power from the Angel and feeding it to her weapon, which she was grateful for.
"Mari! I don't how this is happening, but the positron cannon is at 150% power and rising." Misato sounded really excited over her radio. "You got twenty seconds to kill that Angel, do what you gotta do!"
"Roger, out." Mari let out a grin that was so terrifying, NERV was lucky she only flashed it inside the entry plug. She shut her left eye again and took a deep breath.
In. Out. Rei opened her eyes slowly as she woke up to the sound of some heavy metal music.
In. Out. Shizuka climbed on top of her Eva Unit and observed the carnage after using her Stand to get out.
In. Out halfway. Hold. Shinji crossed his fingers as he waited nervously.
For the third time that night, Mari gently squeezed the trigger, which is reflected in Unit 05's own motions. The pink-clad pilot felt another kick against her shoulder and watched with her breath still held as the beam shot towards the Angel. The sky became as bright as mid-noon as the beam shot towards the city, tearing the Angel's AT-field as if it was wet tissue, before drilling through Ramiel right in the center. The Angel's core was instantly vaporized by the powerful beam that tunneled straight through its body, leaving a clean cut whole coated in molten pieces of Angel. The beam itself shot through several empty buildings before it was stopped by a mountain which was blasted into several pieces. The Angel's brilliant blue color dimmed to a pastel white before falling straight onto the city, crushing a large chunk of Tokyo-3's downtown core.
"Humanity ain't nothing to fuck with." Mari quipped.
"Send rescues teams to retrieve the pilots and any above-ground personnel." Misato gave the last orders of Operation Yashima. "The Angel is dead. Operation Yashima is a success."
The entire control room exploded into cheers. The crew congratulated and hugged each other while Misato snuck out to place a call to the Japanese Prime Minister. Within moments, the Russian and American bombers received orders to abort their mission and fly home with their deadly cargo left unused. Missile submarines in oceans around the world were taken off battle stations and went about their usual patrol routes. Launch silo crews stood down and resumed their regular duty routines. Tokyo-3, and all of Japan, narrowly avoided the threat of total nuclear annihilation.
Lieutenant-Colonel Katsuragi slumped against the wall and closed her eyes for the first time in more than 12 hours. She heard the door open and footsteps atop all the hollering that went on in the command center. She opened one of her eyes and spotted Ritsuko dragging Maya towards the women's washroom. Silent smirking, Misato stood up again and re-entered the command center to join in on the party that was happening inside.
Some Time Later
"Mr. Otoishi, thank you for your contributions." Kaji shook the still-disguised rock star's hand after dropping him off at one of Tokyo-3's luxury hotels. "We couldn't have done it without you."
Kaji then took out a checkbook and a pen.
"I can't pay you from NERV's official accounts, but Jotaro and I have pooled together some of our own money to help pay…"
"Don't worry about the money." Akira interrupted Kaji before he could write in the checkbook. "Just think of this as a charity concert."
Despite some insistence on his own, Kaji realized he was fighting a losing battle, and pocketed the checkbook.
"Take care and have a good night, Mr. Otoishi." Kaji shook Akira's hand again. "Thanks again for helping us."
"So long, Kaji." Akira waved. "You know, I also do private concerts. Call me up if you guys want a show, I'll give discount rates to NERV from now on."
???
"Wh-what is the meaning of this?" The Secretary of State's face turned pale as he looked on at the blood-red ruins of Washington DC from the roof of a ruined White House. The hellish landscape smelled like something out of a slaughterhouse. Everywhere the Secretary looked, the city was devoid of all life save for the president and himself. As the politician looked on in shock, Funny Valentine wrapped his left arm around his underling's shoulder and leaned in so their faces were almost touching.
"On the 19th of July, 2015, NERV's attempt at defeating the Angel Ramiel ended in total disaster. There were no backup plans, no counter measures." Valentine said slowly and steadily as he tightened his arm around the Secretary's neck. "The result? All life on this world's version of Earth was wiped out, creating the hellish landscape you see today. Not even the smallest plankton survived. The only reason we can still breathe is because there is literally nothing else consuming the oxygen in the atmosphere."
Valentine then raised his right index finger and put it over the Secretary's mouth.
"Unlike certain nations who would jump at the chance to take revenge for historical wrongs, I have no desire for the destruction of Japan. The only reason I am aiming our nation's entire nuclear and N2 arsenal at Tokyo-3 is because I refuse to let humanity go quietly into the night. My heart and actions are utterly unclouded; they are all those of justice." The president continued. "Now, Mr. Secretary, please answer this little riddle for me. Should I rather have Japan's blood on my hands but the rest of humanity can live to fight another day? Or should I avoid an 'international incident' or 'genocide', but let humanity die as a result?"
The Secretary of State tried to choke out a few words, only for President Valentine to tighten his hold around the man's neck.
"That was a rhetorical question, and the answer is more than obvious. I want humanity to have a fighting chance against the Angels, with America showing her greatness by leading from the front. This is why I made sure to have 「the right people」infiltrate Tokyo-3 and why I have these drastic precautions in place." Valentine let go of the Secretary of State, letting the man fall to his knees as he gasped for air. "Mr. Secretary, I let you into my inner circle because I judged you to be a capable and trustworthy ally in my crusade against SEELE. Tell me, am I wrong? Should I let you meet your predecessor's fate?"
"No, Mr. President. You can still trust me." The politician said as he recalled the horrific sight of the previous Secretary of State colliding with his double and then disintegrating into a shower of blood and Menger sponges. "I am truly sorry for questioning you earlier."
"Good, now let's go back to the situation room." Valentine said as he ordered 「Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap」to help the Secretary of State back to his feet. "We don't want to miss the show now, do we?"
「D4C」picked up a piece of rubble and dropped it on top of two men before vanishing. Instead of getting crushed, the two men simply disappeared under the rubble and back to their own world, leaving the dead world behind.
<======= To Be Continued ========
Little Shinji in Morioh
"Excuse me, Mrs. Hirose, but why isn't Mr. Hirose here?" Shinji asked as he set his bags down.
"He's very busy with work today, Shinji." Yukako replied with a smile on her face. "I'll go make some tea. We can get started with your homework in a little bit."
Shinji wandered into the living room and found himself a comfortable corner on the couch. After an intense workout session with Okuyasu the day before, Shinji was glad to spend some time after school to actually sit down. Out of curiosity, the young boy picked up a picture frame and examined it. It was a group photo taken on Koichi and Yukako's wedding day. Besides the newlywed couple, Shinji also recognized Cousin Josuke, Mr. Jotaro, Aunt Tomoko, Uncle Joseph, Little Shizuka, Okuyasu, Mr. Trussardi, and several others Shinji occasionally met, including Jotaro's daughter and a strange elf-like man. Shinji continued to examine the picture until he saw a shadow looming over it.
"Oh, my. It seems like you've taken a real liking to that picture." He heard Yukako's voice and immediately his head up and to the side to look at her. "Let's have some tea first, and then we'll do homework. I'll be glad to talk about the picture later."
The afternoon went slowly but calmly as the young woman helped Shinji with his homework and tutored him. The pair paused the session because Yukako had to go take a phone call, so Shinji just sat around waiting. He glanced in Yukako's direction and noticed her expression getting darker by the second. The young woman looked visibly angry when she came back. By some terrible sleight of hand happened when Yukako reached for one of the cups, and it was knocked over, spilling boiling hot tea all over the long-haired woman's arm.
"OUCH!" Yukako screamed as she held her burnt arm and turned away from Shinji, who slowly backed away. The young woman's long hair suddenly started flailing about the dining room, knocking out every loose fixture in the area. With a start, she turned towards Shinji with a look that Shinji thought looked just like his dad's when he got angry.
"STUPID LITTLE SHIT!" Veins were bulging out on Yukako's face while her wild hair flailed about, smashing any objects that got in the way.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" Shinji screamed as he ran to the washroom and locked the door behind him. It's all my fault! Shinji thought as he curled up in the bathtub.
Memories of his dad's thunderous roars, fly swatters, and starving nights (especially during the period of time between mom's death and Rohan picking him up) flooded back into his mind. Tears welled up in Shinji eyes as he imagined the punishment Aunt Tomoko would pile on him.
"Shinji, are you in there?" He heard Yukako trying to open the door. She still sounded angry, so Shinji stuck his fingers in his ears and tried to hold his breath. "Open the door."
After a few seconds of clicks and sounds of pacing feet, Yukako spoke up again.
"Shinji, are you okay in there?" She asked more gently. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry!" Shinji yelled before curling up again.
"Shinji, I should be the one who's sorry." Yukako said softly as she leaned against the bathroom door. "I shouldn't have cursed at you."
"But-but-that cup!" Shinji said. "I was clumsy and ruined this afternoon. Just-just please tell Aunt Tomoko to not hit me!"
"Shinji, none of that was your fault." Yukako reassured him. "My Koichi already dropped five plates since we got married, and I'm still with him."
"But-but that phone call." Shinji had tears in his eyes. "Did I do something bad? Please tell me so I can make it up next time!"
"Shinji, you didn't do anything bad." Yukako replied. "That phone call was for something at work."
"But-but you were angry when you looked at me afterwards." Shinji slowly got out of the bathtub.
"If I did, Shinji, I really didn't mean to scare you." Yukako stood back up. "Sometimes people get worked up and act a certain way towards their friends and family, but that doesn't mean their friends and family did anything wrong."
Shinji stood silently in the washroom.
"They have a bad day, and their friends and family just happen to see them on that bad day." Yukako continued. "If they lash out towards those close to them beause they are in a bad mood, it's the bad mood person's fault, not because their loved ones did anything wrong. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Uh-huh." Shinji nodded meekly and unlocked the washroom door. He cracked it open and peeked outside. Yukako simply stood there with a gentle expression and a wet towel covering where the tea was spilt on her.
"Come on, now, Shinji. Let's go clean up together." Yukako said as he stepped out. "I'll let Mrs. Higashikata know you've done a great job today."
Note to self: get Josuke over to fix all this. Yukako thought as she swept some debris into the dustpan held by Shinji.
A/N: Asuka will make her debut in the next chapter, and shout-out to @Dead Pann for helping me with the plot for this chapter's "Little Shinji in Morioh".
White House Situation Room
Funny Valentine surveyed the large screen on the other end of the Situation Room with satisfaction. The assets he sent to Tokyo-3, either requested by NERV or on his own initiative, were working hard to produce a live feed of activities in the city as well as the impending Operation Yashima. The screen was divided into several areas, each showing footage from a different sources. There were surveillance satellites, Navy P-8s, UAVs, and a U-2 shadowing Tokyo-3 high in the Earth's atmosphere. What caught the President's attention the most were two large panels on the center of the screen labeled 「Inspector Deck」and 「Ray Kwon」. Each panel displayed live feeds taken by helmet-mounted cameras from what appeared to be a mountainside outside Tokyo-3.
"Excellent work as always, General." Valentine patted the shoulder of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs before turning to the Secretary of Defense. "Madame Secretary, is the contingency in place?"
"Yes, Mr. President." The Secretary of Defense replied. "All our assets are ready on your orders."
"Mr. President, I must object to this contingency of yours!" The Secretary of State suddenly spoke up. "Aiming the entire nation's nuclear and N2 arsenal will cause a major international incident! We have enough of those warheads to destroy Japan several times over. This plan is nothing short of a genoci…"
Before the Secretary of State could finish, he was suddenly picked up by some invisible force and lifted into the air. While he and some people of the room panicked at the paranormal occurrence, the rest saw a silver humanoid being with long rabbit-like ears lifting the politician by his collar and simply went on with their tasks.
"Major, how long do we have until Operation Yashima?" The President asked.
"Ten minutes, sir." The officer manning the workstation replied.
"Good, let's go take a walk, Mr. Secretary." The President said as he went to the door with the silver being carrying the Secretary of State following closely behind. The staff carried on their work in tense silence for a few minutes before President Valentine and a visibly shaken Secretary of State returned.
"You returned just on time, Mr. President." The Secretary of Defense informed him. "NERV has just commenced Operation Yashima."
"Good, take a seat and relax, everybody." The President poured himself a glass of water. "This is going to be a good show."
Tokyo-3's skyline glowed despite the blackout from the sheer amount of missile and artillery fire that was directed at the Angel hanging「menacingly」above the city. It was all futile, however, as the rounds were either blocked by the Angel's powerful AT-field or sliced apart by its powerful energy beam and exploded harmlessly in mid-air. Not giving the automated loading systems any time to reload, the Angel half-twisted and half-folded into a cone before firing off another beam that scythed through three mountains.
"It's no good!" Maya called out. "Batteries 5, 6, and 7 have been completely vaporized!"
Over the din of explosions, jet engines can be heard by the citizens who ventured to the rooftops as the FQ-47 fighter drones zoomed through the air and let loose the their N2-tipped air-to-ground missiles. Reacting almost instantly, the Angel reformed its diamond shape and shot the missiles out of the sky, creating an exceptionally bright and loud fire display. Before the operators at Okinawa could react, a beam sliced through the drones, causing them to explode in midair.
"Shit, our birds just got blown out of the sky!" Misato heard the Marine commander's voice over the comms. "The second wave is almost there!"
"No reason to panic just yet, everyone." Misato said calmly but steadily. "Everything we are doing so far is to distract the Angel to let the positron cannon charge up. Ritsuko, how's Mari doing?"
"She seems way too calm for this situation. Her vitals haven't changed at all since the mission started. Shinji, Shizuka, and even Rei are showing elevated heart rates." The female scientist replied. "As for the cannon, it's charging faster than expected. Not sure why, but it's definitely working in our favour. Before you ask, yes, I double checked. There's nothing wrong with the instruments measuring the rifle's power level."
As much as 15% of generated electricity is lost in transmission. The factors affecting power loss include, but not limited to, material of the conductors, atmospheric conditions, and length of the transmission lines. Despite the best efforts of engineers, losing power during transmission is inevitable due to the basic laws of physics.
「Red Hot Chili Pepper」does not have that problem.
One of the first powers Akira's Stand developed after his release from prison was becoming a perfect conductor. As Red Hot Chili Pepper inserted itself into the transformer in the middle of the hut behind the sniper's nest, the Stand was able to pull 100% of the electricity generated in Japan that night into itself and transfer that energy to Mari's positron rifle. Due to the perfected efficiency, the weapon charged at a rate exceeding NERV's estimates while Akira played a simple tune.
Mari drummed her fingers on her Eva's controls as she watched the Angel blast a wave of Russian surface-to-surface missiles out of the sky. She had manually adjusted her rifle's scope to train on the exact center of the Angel and waited patiently for her rifle to charge to full power. No point stressing out over something I can't control. The girl thought as she whistled a little tune while the sky continued to be lit up by explosions and energy beams.
"Missile batteries 1 through 4 are gone!" Maya's increasingly panicked voice blared from the speakers as the power gauge reached 50%.
"Red Crown, be advised. Another squadron is down." A Marine announced as the power hit 75%. Mari simply cranked her neck and stretched her shoulders. "Manned assets to be deployed pending approval."
"It's no good! We've lost 80% of all artillery and missile batteries! The Angel continues to penetrate the GeoFront's armor plating!" Maya was beginning to lose it. Mari thought she heard the woman trying to hold back tears during her transmission. The pink-clad Eva pilot glanced at the power readings and noticed that it was at 90% and climbing. With a practiced gesture, she settled down in her seat and put her finger over the trigger. She peered at the scope display with her right eye open and began her breathing drills.
In. Out.
In. Out.
In. Out halfway. Hold. Mari gently pushed down on her trigger finger while the Angel was busy demolishing some more missile batteries on a mountain side. At that moment, her mind was a total blank. No memories, no thoughts, just the crosshairs and the Angel in the middle of it. Her brief moment of zen was interrupted by a phantom kick against her right shoulder from the positron cannon's recoil pushing on Eva Unit 05.
"Unit 05 has fired the weapon!" Makoto Hyuga announced, and the command center held their collective breaths. Even at the speed of light, the beam felt like an eternity as it shot towards the Angel.
This is it. Misato thought as her fists tightened. Do or die.
Just as the beam was about to reach the Angel's AT field, the creature suddenly fired a beam of its own. The two columns of deadly burning hot energy collided against each other and formed a massive explosion, dousing the city and the surrounding area in a cruel mockery of daylight for a few seconds while vaporizing several buildings in the surrounding area. As the night grew dark again, the command center's staff could only stare with their jaws open in despair as the smoke cleared only to reveal the Angel was unscratched.
"This is it, isn't it?" Maya broke the silence. "We're doomed. The Angel is going to destroy the positron cannon in the next move."
"No, not yet!" Misato commanded mainly to reassure herself. "Rei, Shizuka, get out of your hiding spots and engage the Angel with your firearms! Do not use the NERV positron rifles until ordered to do so. Alternate firing pattern. Move!"
Eva Unit 04 punched through the concrete barrier covering her dugout and started firing at the Angel in controlled bursts in a desperate effort to buy Shinji time. The rounds bounced harmlessly off the AT-field as the Angel shifted, seemingly noticing her. Just then, Rei started firing from another direction, giving Shizuka time to duck back down and reload. In the meantime, the city's remaining emplacements continued to rain whatever fire they could on the Angel.
"Reloading." Shizuka heard Rei over the radio. Taking this as her cue, she reemerged and started firing at the Angel again. Meanwhile, more missiles fired by the Russians began their descent upon Tokyo-3 towards the Angel, adding to the meager resistance put up by NERV. Shizuka glanced up briefly at the missiles just before the Angel contorted into a giant crystalline boomerang and fired two beams. The Angel's top portion pivoted to intercept all the missiles while the bottom portion stayed still while it aimed at Shizuka. Judging from the sheer power she's seen earlier, Shizuka realized even ducking down wouldn't help her, so the girl did the only thing she could, authorization be damned.
"「Achtung Baby Act 3」!" She commanded, and her Stand turned herself as well as Unit 04's portions above the shoulder intangible right before the beam hit. Even in her state, Shizuka felt everything around her shaking viciously along with an ear-popping roar before everything went dark. She deactivated her Stand and tried to contact Misato.
"This is Shizuka. My Eva got hit badly and I got de-synched." She said. "Can someone hook me back up?"
"Negative, your Eva is showing severe damage all over. There's a 60% chance you could die from feeling suddenly feeling so much pain." She heard Ritsuko's voice. "You're going to have to sit out of this one since we have too much going on here."
During the call between Shizuka and Ritsuko, the Angel then turned its attention to Rei, who continued to fire and only ducking down at the last second before the Angel hit. Unlike Shizuka, Rei felt her entire body burning from the Angel's energy beam as well as being thrown all over the cockpit during the explosion. She felt her skull rattle followed by a sharp pain on the back of her head before her entire world went dark.
"The Angel disabled both Eva Unit 00 and 04!" Maya was almost hysterical by that point. "Data feed from Pilot Joestar has been lost. Pilot Ayanami is unconscious!"
"There is no time for a rescue mission!" Misato said. "Get me UN Command, Ministry of Defense, AND US Forces Japan. Tell them to sortie as many fighter flights as they can. We need to buy Shinji and Mari time!"
The Strategic Air Command was the segment of the United States Air Force responsible for all American nuclear bombers and long-range missiles during the Cold War. In the event of a nuclear confrontation with the Warsaw Pact, the SAC was saddled with the responsibility to rain unholy nuclear death on the other side of the Iron Curtain. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, their primary target, the SAC was disbanded. Its death was short-lived, however, thanks to the Second Impact. In the aftermath of the global catastrophe, Strategic Air Command was resurrected as a response to a rapidly destabilizing world and the looming Angel threat and resumed its Cold War-era mandate as well as taking charge of all space-based weaponry. Equipped with large quantities of both nuclear and N2 warheads, the SAC was widely considered to be second only to NERV in terms of threat level against the Angels.
While Misato requested help from US Forces in Okinawa, a transmission was sent from the Pentagon to Strategic Air Command facilities scattered throughout the United States. Dozens of bombers carrying nuclear as well as N2 weaponry took off into the air towards the Pacific Ocean while nuclear missile silo crews went about their work. Not to be outdone by their Air Force rivals, crews of the US ballistic missile submarine fleet entered battle stations in order to make their vessels launch-ready.
In the Situation Room, President Valentine's intense blue eyes darted between the large screen showing the situation in Tokyo-3 and the command console in front of him which had a keyboard and a large red button encased in hard plastic.
"Mr. President, our assets have been mobilized as per your orders." The Secretary of Defense said. "The situation in Tokyo-3 has deteriorated somewhat."
"No, the situation in Tokyo-3 is definitely not well. Thanks for the reminder." Valentine told his staff. "Still, things aren't quite grim enough to execute the contingency."
He then shone a laser pointer at the satellite feed.
"See that? They still got their main weapon and the operator." Valentine stated. "As long as NERV can keep that thing in action, they still have a fighting chance, and we won't have to use the contingency."
"Let's just hope all the distractions they throw at the Angel, including the lives of our own men and women soon, will buy enough time for her to make another shot." The director of the CIA said. "The fate of all of humanity is at stake, after all."
"The Angel has penetrated 95% percent of GeoFront armor! All automated batteries in Tokyo-3 have been neutralized by the Angel." Maya announced as a tears streamed down her face. "We…we only have the UN air and missile assets to rely on now."
"We still have a shot at this, everybody." Misato said, but her reassurances rang hollow even in her own mind. "The positron rifle is already at 80% power. Mari will be able to take the killing shot this time."
"Ma'am, something is happening with the Angel!" Shigeru said. "It looks like it's charging up again."
"Shinji, get your shield ready!" Misato ordered.
Damn you, dad. Damn you for dragging me into this shit! Shinji thought as he acknowledged Misato's orders and readied his shield. But there's no backing out now, if I don't do this, Mari will die, and we'll lose our only shot at destroying the Angel. I'm NOT running away from this!
Soon enough, Shinji heard the Angel's telltale screeching that signaled another attack, and he quickly stood up holding the shield in front of him. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he felt the beam hit and began to push Unit 01 backwards. He heaved and grunted to keep himself from getting blown over as he felt his Eva Unit's feet getting pushed back further. An intense pain came over his arms while Unit 01 fought to resist the sheer pressure and force exerted by the Angel's energy beam. Several vessels in Unit 01's arms burst open along with weak points in Eva Unit 01's armor, spraying high-pressure LCL into the air. For Shinji, it was if his own arms were tearing themselves apart. He started to scream again because of the unbearable pain.
Under the intense heat, the shield began to melt and splash Eva Unit 01 with droplets of molten metal. With a rapidly dissolving shield and intense pain, Shinji was blown backwards over Mari and slammed into the transmission structures used to funnel all of Japan's electricity into the positron rifle. Eva Unit 01 crashed into the ground with a series of deafening bangs and crunches before coming to a stop facing the sky.
"Mari, take the shot now!" Misato ordered, and Mari fired the positron cannon right on cue. The beam sliced through the night sky and made contact with the Angel's powerful AT-field. For what was probably the longest two seconds in Misato's life, an orange glow filled Tokyo-3's skyline as the AT-field struggled to keep the powerful positron beam at bay. Ultimately, the beam won out and tore through the field like tissue and impacted against the Angel, showering the surrounding area in a giant bright explosion.
"Did-did we do it?" Misato asked as sweat dripped down her face. "Someone give me an update, damn it!"
The officers in the command center quickly got to work to get a visual feed or any scans on the area, but as the smoke cleared, the Angel's 「menacing」diamond shape came into everyone's view. Although there were deep cracks all over the Angel's body from the positron cannon, they were being rapidly repaired by the Angel's own body.
"No…we can't charge the positron cannon with the electrical systems all destroyed." Maya said weakly while shaking. "It's all over."
That's not quite true. Kaji thought as he looked dispassionately at the tactical display while he recalled the demonstration he attended with Jotaro.
Not only did「Red Hot Chili Pepper」have the power to absorb electricity to make itself more powerful, but it also developed the ability to transfer any stored power to other objects or systems. As long as Akira Otoishi had access to food and water to maintain a minimum energy level required for survival, his Stand was able to function as a 「living battery」. At the same time Maya was despairing, Akira's Stand dove into the ruined electrical structures and continued to absorb electricity from all over Japan. With the Stand's direct intervention, electrical power flowed much faster towards Tokyo-3 while he played a faster song to express the sheer power he was absorbing into himself.
In the meantime, Misato paced back and forth as she kept glancing at the tactical display.
"What the hell is this? Why isn't it attacking again?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. "It already destroyed the only way to keep the positron cannon going. There's nothing we can do to damage it now. Where was that damn air support when we needed it?"
"Maybe it decided that Mari was no longer a threat and to continue its original mission to channel through the GeoFront?" Ritsuko said. "Scans are showing the drill increasing in speed. According to the new calculations, it will achieve full penetration in ten minutes instead of within the next hour or so."
Just then, a low rhythmic rumbling noise came out of the central tactical display's speakers. It sounded like a demented mating call from a colossal animal.
"That thing is laughing at us, isn't it?" Misato asked in a bemused fashion. "The kind of explains why it's not attacking anymore…"
"Ma'am, I'm patching through an urgent call." Captain Kawajiri, Misato's assistant, suddenly interrupted. "It's from the Prime Minister's office."
"What? What the hell is he calling for?" Misato demanded. "Put him on."
"Good Evening, am I speaking to NERV's senior leadership?" A middle-aged man's voice came over the speakers.
"Yes, sir. The Commander and the Sub-Commander are away due to business reasons." Misato replied. "I'm in charge right now."
"I'm afraid I have grave news. I was contacted by both the Russian and American presidents just moments ago. They are both quite…dissatisfied with the way Operation Yashima is going." The Prime Minister continued. "As I speak, Russian nuclear bombers are seconds away from Japanese airspace, with the Americans following soon. As they are headed towards Tokyo-3 to destroy the Angel threat, any attempts to intercept them have been forbidden by the UN."
"Sir, please tell them we just need ten more minutes!" Misato all but begged. "We are coming up with a backup plan right now!"
"President Valentine has given you twenty minutes." The Prime Minister of Japan replied. "That's how long it will take for his bombers to get to Tokyo-3."
"Thank you, Mr…" Was all Misato could squeeze out before being interrupted.
"However, the Russians aren't so generous. Their planes are circling in a holding pattern just outside Japanese airspace." The Prime Minister continued. "Their President gave NERV three minutes before he would order the bombers to fly in, and that was about a minute ago. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do at this point, I'm sorry, and good luck with your plan."
"No…" Misato whispered softly as the line went dead.
"Uh, Misato, you ok?" Kaji asked as he walked towards her.
"No." Misato said more loudly.
"Ma'am, we're getting readings from the positron cannon." Hyuga spoke up. "It's charging again!"
"NO! Don't you fucking lie to me!" Misato screamed. "We saw it, didn't we? All the power structures were destroyed! That's why they didn't bother giving us air support after that second shot. They know we're fucked!"
"They were destroyed, Misato, but Makoto's right." Ritsuko said as she scanned the readings on her terminal. "The positron cannon is actually recharging. It's an absolute miracle!"
Misato's expression contorted from rageful desperation to surprise, disbelief, and finally relief. All the bottled up tension Misato felt earlier just washed off in her mind as she re-exerted her authority over the command center to support Mari. Two minutes, and power is already at 40%. Make this one count, Mari.
"That was a nasty hit you took back there, Shinji." Misato asked his ward. "You ok?"
"Yeah, I think I'm fine." Shinji replied. "I'm back in position. I'll block Mari's Eva with my body this time if I have too."
"Acknowledged. Take care of yourself out there." Misato then turned her attention to her tactical display, only to see the Angel starting to change form again.
"You just had to jinx it, didn't you, Shinji?" Misato muttered before contacting Shinji once more. "Shinji, that Angel is lining up for another shot. Get ready!"
Just as Misato finished speaking, the Angel fired, and a damaged Eva Unit 01 clambered out of its dugout, arms held in front of its face in a blocking position. Despite his injuries, Shinji stood defiantly against the oncoming beam that signaled his definite death. In the last moments before the beam hit, Shinji thought back to Morioh and all the wonderful people he met there.
Cousin Josuke, I guess I'll fall here protecting this city. Shinji thought. I'll tell your friend Shigechi you said hi.
One minute thirty seconds, positron rifle is 50% charged. Misato thought as a single tear rolled down her face. Every second we buy makes it more likely for Mari to kill the Angel. Thank you, Shinji.
Shinji screamed as he felt intense burning pain on his arms which reflected where the beam hit the Eva Unit. After a few seconds, he stopped screaming as he realized that the beam was only slowly cutting through Eva Unit 01's arms instead of disintegrating him out right. Too cautious to lower his arms, he endured the pain as he wondered in confusion about exactly what the hell was the Angel doing.
"The beam is far weaker than the Angel's previous attacks!" Maya said. "The cause is unknown."
While the command center collectively breathed a sigh of relief over Shinji's survival, everyone quickly resumed working to try to figure out what caused the Angel's sudden drop in power. Even Kaji was baffled!
"「Red Hot Chili Pepper」has one more trick up its sleeve!" Akira proclaimed to himself as his fingers danced furiously along the guitar's strings.
「Me and My Friends」was a power gained years after Akira left prison. He didn't utilize it very often, which he compared to a magician's secret. When Red Hot Chili Pepper entered any wire or electric device, it was able to create miniature copies of itself in order to spy on and absorb power from multiple places at once. The more power it absorbed, the more clones Red Hot Chili Pepper could create.
Ever since he was brought to the little concrete hut by Kaji, Akira used his Stand to traverse NERV's electric infrastructure and tap into their internal communication network. It was during those quick excursions when he found out how the Angel was powered and its attempt to penetrate the GeoFront. Unluckily for the Angel, its drill cut through countless electric cables, which Akira was able to take advantage. He first sent a few mini-clones to absorb some power from the reactor of the Angel itself and convert to electrical energy. Once Akira took in enough energy, he sent more and more mini-clones to use as parasites against the Angel until the entire length of the Angel's drill was covered by「Me and My Friends」. Over the course of the battle, the Angel had been getting weaker without realizing until it shot Shinji a second time. By then, Akira decided to switch to yet another song, one that was originally made by one of his idols, and broadcast it to the Evas by sending pieces of 「Me and My Friends」into all 4 Eva Units.
Shinji noticed a guitar solo coming from the cockpit's speakers just as the Angel's beam dissipated. While he barely understood the lyrics, the young teen felt strangely empowered by the hot-blooded melody. As if compelled by the song, Shinji imitated a 「pose」his cousin often made where he put his left palm facing down under his chin while holding his right hand in front of him. Satisfied with the little stunt, Shinji jumped back into his dugout.
"Really? You gotta play a song by that guy?" Mari complained as she heard Akira's song, something about divers and the eyes of a cat in the black and blue. Still, their Stand-using ally was sapping power from the Angel and feeding it to her weapon, which she was grateful for.
"Mari! I don't how this is happening, but the positron cannon is at 150% power and rising." Misato sounded really excited over her radio. "You got twenty seconds to kill that Angel, do what you gotta do!"
"Roger, out." Mari let out a grin that was so terrifying, NERV was lucky she only flashed it inside the entry plug. She shut her left eye again and took a deep breath.
In. Out. Rei opened her eyes slowly as she woke up to the sound of some heavy metal music.
In. Out. Shizuka climbed on top of her Eva Unit and observed the carnage after using her Stand to get out.
In. Out halfway. Hold. Shinji crossed his fingers as he waited nervously.
For the third time that night, Mari gently squeezed the trigger, which is reflected in Unit 05's own motions. The pink-clad pilot felt another kick against her shoulder and watched with her breath still held as the beam shot towards the Angel. The sky became as bright as mid-noon as the beam shot towards the city, tearing the Angel's AT-field as if it was wet tissue, before drilling through Ramiel right in the center. The Angel's core was instantly vaporized by the powerful beam that tunneled straight through its body, leaving a clean cut whole coated in molten pieces of Angel. The beam itself shot through several empty buildings before it was stopped by a mountain which was blasted into several pieces. The Angel's brilliant blue color dimmed to a pastel white before falling straight onto the city, crushing a large chunk of Tokyo-3's downtown core.
"Humanity ain't nothing to fuck with." Mari quipped.
"Send rescues teams to retrieve the pilots and any above-ground personnel." Misato gave the last orders of Operation Yashima. "The Angel is dead. Operation Yashima is a success."
The entire control room exploded into cheers. The crew congratulated and hugged each other while Misato snuck out to place a call to the Japanese Prime Minister. Within moments, the Russian and American bombers received orders to abort their mission and fly home with their deadly cargo left unused. Missile submarines in oceans around the world were taken off battle stations and went about their usual patrol routes. Launch silo crews stood down and resumed their regular duty routines. Tokyo-3, and all of Japan, narrowly avoided the threat of total nuclear annihilation.
Lieutenant-Colonel Katsuragi slumped against the wall and closed her eyes for the first time in more than 12 hours. She heard the door open and footsteps atop all the hollering that went on in the command center. She opened one of her eyes and spotted Ritsuko dragging Maya towards the women's washroom. Silent smirking, Misato stood up again and re-entered the command center to join in on the party that was happening inside.
Some Time Later
"Mr. Otoishi, thank you for your contributions." Kaji shook the still-disguised rock star's hand after dropping him off at one of Tokyo-3's luxury hotels. "We couldn't have done it without you."
Kaji then took out a checkbook and a pen.
"I can't pay you from NERV's official accounts, but Jotaro and I have pooled together some of our own money to help pay…"
"Don't worry about the money." Akira interrupted Kaji before he could write in the checkbook. "Just think of this as a charity concert."
Despite some insistence on his own, Kaji realized he was fighting a losing battle, and pocketed the checkbook.
"Take care and have a good night, Mr. Otoishi." Kaji shook Akira's hand again. "Thanks again for helping us."
"So long, Kaji." Akira waved. "You know, I also do private concerts. Call me up if you guys want a show, I'll give discount rates to NERV from now on."
???
"Wh-what is the meaning of this?" The Secretary of State's face turned pale as he looked on at the blood-red ruins of Washington DC from the roof of a ruined White House. The hellish landscape smelled like something out of a slaughterhouse. Everywhere the Secretary looked, the city was devoid of all life save for the president and himself. As the politician looked on in shock, Funny Valentine wrapped his left arm around his underling's shoulder and leaned in so their faces were almost touching.
"On the 19th of July, 2015, NERV's attempt at defeating the Angel Ramiel ended in total disaster. There were no backup plans, no counter measures." Valentine said slowly and steadily as he tightened his arm around the Secretary's neck. "The result? All life on this world's version of Earth was wiped out, creating the hellish landscape you see today. Not even the smallest plankton survived. The only reason we can still breathe is because there is literally nothing else consuming the oxygen in the atmosphere."
Valentine then raised his right index finger and put it over the Secretary's mouth.
"Unlike certain nations who would jump at the chance to take revenge for historical wrongs, I have no desire for the destruction of Japan. The only reason I am aiming our nation's entire nuclear and N2 arsenal at Tokyo-3 is because I refuse to let humanity go quietly into the night. My heart and actions are utterly unclouded; they are all those of justice." The president continued. "Now, Mr. Secretary, please answer this little riddle for me. Should I rather have Japan's blood on my hands but the rest of humanity can live to fight another day? Or should I avoid an 'international incident' or 'genocide', but let humanity die as a result?"
The Secretary of State tried to choke out a few words, only for President Valentine to tighten his hold around the man's neck.
"That was a rhetorical question, and the answer is more than obvious. I want humanity to have a fighting chance against the Angels, with America showing her greatness by leading from the front. This is why I made sure to have 「the right people」infiltrate Tokyo-3 and why I have these drastic precautions in place." Valentine let go of the Secretary of State, letting the man fall to his knees as he gasped for air. "Mr. Secretary, I let you into my inner circle because I judged you to be a capable and trustworthy ally in my crusade against SEELE. Tell me, am I wrong? Should I let you meet your predecessor's fate?"
"No, Mr. President. You can still trust me." The politician said as he recalled the horrific sight of the previous Secretary of State colliding with his double and then disintegrating into a shower of blood and Menger sponges. "I am truly sorry for questioning you earlier."
"Good, now let's go back to the situation room." Valentine said as he ordered 「Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap」to help the Secretary of State back to his feet. "We don't want to miss the show now, do we?"
「D4C」picked up a piece of rubble and dropped it on top of two men before vanishing. Instead of getting crushed, the two men simply disappeared under the rubble and back to their own world, leaving the dead world behind.
<======= To Be Continued ========
Little Shinji in Morioh
"Excuse me, Mrs. Hirose, but why isn't Mr. Hirose here?" Shinji asked as he set his bags down.
"He's very busy with work today, Shinji." Yukako replied with a smile on her face. "I'll go make some tea. We can get started with your homework in a little bit."
Shinji wandered into the living room and found himself a comfortable corner on the couch. After an intense workout session with Okuyasu the day before, Shinji was glad to spend some time after school to actually sit down. Out of curiosity, the young boy picked up a picture frame and examined it. It was a group photo taken on Koichi and Yukako's wedding day. Besides the newlywed couple, Shinji also recognized Cousin Josuke, Mr. Jotaro, Aunt Tomoko, Uncle Joseph, Little Shizuka, Okuyasu, Mr. Trussardi, and several others Shinji occasionally met, including Jotaro's daughter and a strange elf-like man. Shinji continued to examine the picture until he saw a shadow looming over it.
"Oh, my. It seems like you've taken a real liking to that picture." He heard Yukako's voice and immediately his head up and to the side to look at her. "Let's have some tea first, and then we'll do homework. I'll be glad to talk about the picture later."
The afternoon went slowly but calmly as the young woman helped Shinji with his homework and tutored him. The pair paused the session because Yukako had to go take a phone call, so Shinji just sat around waiting. He glanced in Yukako's direction and noticed her expression getting darker by the second. The young woman looked visibly angry when she came back. By some terrible sleight of hand happened when Yukako reached for one of the cups, and it was knocked over, spilling boiling hot tea all over the long-haired woman's arm.
"OUCH!" Yukako screamed as she held her burnt arm and turned away from Shinji, who slowly backed away. The young woman's long hair suddenly started flailing about the dining room, knocking out every loose fixture in the area. With a start, she turned towards Shinji with a look that Shinji thought looked just like his dad's when he got angry.
"STUPID LITTLE SHIT!" Veins were bulging out on Yukako's face while her wild hair flailed about, smashing any objects that got in the way.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" Shinji screamed as he ran to the washroom and locked the door behind him. It's all my fault! Shinji thought as he curled up in the bathtub.
Memories of his dad's thunderous roars, fly swatters, and starving nights (especially during the period of time between mom's death and Rohan picking him up) flooded back into his mind. Tears welled up in Shinji eyes as he imagined the punishment Aunt Tomoko would pile on him.
"Shinji, are you in there?" He heard Yukako trying to open the door. She still sounded angry, so Shinji stuck his fingers in his ears and tried to hold his breath. "Open the door."
After a few seconds of clicks and sounds of pacing feet, Yukako spoke up again.
"Shinji, are you okay in there?" She asked more gently. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry!" Shinji yelled before curling up again.
"Shinji, I should be the one who's sorry." Yukako said softly as she leaned against the bathroom door. "I shouldn't have cursed at you."
"But-but-that cup!" Shinji said. "I was clumsy and ruined this afternoon. Just-just please tell Aunt Tomoko to not hit me!"
"Shinji, none of that was your fault." Yukako reassured him. "My Koichi already dropped five plates since we got married, and I'm still with him."
"But-but that phone call." Shinji had tears in his eyes. "Did I do something bad? Please tell me so I can make it up next time!"
"Shinji, you didn't do anything bad." Yukako replied. "That phone call was for something at work."
"But-but you were angry when you looked at me afterwards." Shinji slowly got out of the bathtub.
"If I did, Shinji, I really didn't mean to scare you." Yukako stood back up. "Sometimes people get worked up and act a certain way towards their friends and family, but that doesn't mean their friends and family did anything wrong."
Shinji stood silently in the washroom.
"They have a bad day, and their friends and family just happen to see them on that bad day." Yukako continued. "If they lash out towards those close to them beause they are in a bad mood, it's the bad mood person's fault, not because their loved ones did anything wrong. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Uh-huh." Shinji nodded meekly and unlocked the washroom door. He cracked it open and peeked outside. Yukako simply stood there with a gentle expression and a wet towel covering where the tea was spilt on her.
"Come on, now, Shinji. Let's go clean up together." Yukako said as he stepped out. "I'll let Mrs. Higashikata know you've done a great job today."
Note to self: get Josuke over to fix all this. Yukako thought as she swept some debris into the dustpan held by Shinji.
A/N: Asuka will make her debut in the next chapter, and shout-out to @Dead Pann for helping me with the plot for this chapter's "Little Shinji in Morioh".
Last edited:
Daniel Estacado
ZA WARUDO
Kinda disappointed that the Holy Diver the link goes to was the Killswitch version, the DIO version is better IMO.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Yeah, but Jotaro would smash Akira's guitar over his head if Akira dared play anything by DIO.
Arjac
Retreating Backwards
Jotaro wasn't there to listen at the time though.
At least as far as Akira knows.
Last edited:
Jotaro was nowhere close to Tokyo-3 during the chapter. Pretty much the only people that heard the song were Rei, Shizuka, Shinji, and Mari.
Arjac
Retreating Backwards
That being said, would you trust a man who can stop time to not be in earshot?
Whoops...
That being said, would you trust a man who can stop time to not be in earshot?
Nah, I'd be super paranoid about some dude who can pull stunts like this.
Just a teaser for Asuka's debut.
Once Eva Unit 02 came to a halt, the entry plug extended itself halfway out of the Eva, and a figure climbed out.
"Wait, is she going to jump?" Shinji asked. "She'll get killed falling this far down!"
"Just relax, kid." Zeppeli replied. "Asuka knows what she's doing."
Just as the Italian officer finished speaking, the figure summersaulted into the air, dropping straight down onto the solid ground. Bright sparks surrounded the girl before forming into a golden aura while she was in freefall. When she landed, a wave of sparks exploded from where she hit the ground, knocking Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke back.
Once the dust settled, Shinji could clearly see the figure. It was a girl wearing a bright red plugsuit with blue eyes and had her red heir tied up in a ponytail. Unlike the other female plugsuits, the number of her Eva Unit was on a light green patch on her right shoulder rather than the middle of her chest, which instead read "SORYU". On the suit's left shoulder was the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany.
"Signori and signorina, may I introduce the pride of the German Air Force." Zeppeli said with an exaggerated bow. "Captain Asuka Langley Soryu!"
"Misato!" Asuka rushed forward excitedly. "It's been forever!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Asuka." Misato smiled. "Always with a flair for theatrics."
"So, who's the pilot that got in thanks to his daddy?" Asuka's expression changed as she scanned the 3 boys. "Is it dumb muscle here?"
"Hey! What the hell?" Toji got defensive.
"Poindexter?" Asuka pointed at Kensuke before shifting her eyes to Shinji. "Or is it rooster head over here?"
"Sohryu, what the hell did you say about my hair?" Shinji's expression turned dark as he mimicked something he always saw Cousin Josuke do. Without realizing it, 「Black Hole Sun」materialized right behind him.
"Oh, a Stand? How cute." Asuka said mockingly. "Two can play the same game. 「Five Finger Death Punch」!"
On her command, what appeared to be a set of steampunk exoskeleton arms flashed into existence, covering Asuka's actual arms. The gunmetal gauntlets were covered in dried blood and had spikes lined along the knuckles. The arms were a bronze colour while the metallic "backpack" had several exhaust pipes sticking out the top.
p.s. She just finished an Angel battle by this point in the chapter.
Once Eva Unit 02 came to a halt, the entry plug extended itself halfway out of the Eva, and a figure climbed out.
"Wait, is she going to jump?" Shinji asked. "She'll get killed falling this far down!"
"Just relax, kid." Zeppeli replied. "Asuka knows what she's doing."
Just as the Italian officer finished speaking, the figure summersaulted into the air, dropping straight down onto the solid ground. Bright sparks surrounded the girl before forming into a golden aura while she was in freefall. When she landed, a wave of sparks exploded from where she hit the ground, knocking Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke back.
Once the dust settled, Shinji could clearly see the figure. It was a girl wearing a bright red plugsuit with blue eyes and had her red heir tied up in a ponytail. Unlike the other female plugsuits, the number of her Eva Unit was on a light green patch on her right shoulder rather than the middle of her chest, which instead read "SORYU". On the suit's left shoulder was the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany.
"Signori and signorina, may I introduce the pride of the German Air Force." Zeppeli said with an exaggerated bow. "Captain Asuka Langley Soryu!"
"Misato!" Asuka rushed forward excitedly. "It's been forever!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Asuka." Misato smiled. "Always with a flair for theatrics."
"So, who's the pilot that got in thanks to his daddy?" Asuka's expression changed as she scanned the 3 boys. "Is it dumb muscle here?"
"Hey! What the hell?" Toji got defensive.
"Poindexter?" Asuka pointed at Kensuke before shifting her eyes to Shinji. "Or is it rooster head over here?"
"Sohryu, what the hell did you say about my hair?" Shinji's expression turned dark as he mimicked something he always saw Cousin Josuke do. Without realizing it, 「Black Hole Sun」materialized right behind him.
"Oh, a Stand? How cute." Asuka said mockingly. "Two can play the same game. 「Five Finger Death Punch」!"
On her command, what appeared to be a set of steampunk exoskeleton arms flashed into existence, covering Asuka's actual arms. The gunmetal gauntlets were covered in dried blood and had spikes lined along the knuckles. The arms were a bronze colour while the metallic "backpack" had several exhaust pipes sticking out the top.
p.s. She just finished an Angel battle by this point in the chapter.
Giygas
Cutest Sawk i could find. Lucario is a nice extra.
Either there is ony one young lady (Signorina is the singular for young lady), or you are searching for the word "Signorine" (For multiple young ladies) or "Signore" (For multiple normal ladies. Incidentally it is the same for single normal man.).
It is still better sounding using the plural, but you are the writer.
Does Misato count as young?
- Location
- Ohio
Those are some dangerous words, bro!
EvaGeeks says she's 29. She could be young by Zeppeli's standards.Those are some dangerous words, bro!
Don't worry, I'm not dead. Midterms are finally done (what a bloody travesty). I've been working on the next chapter, and I hope to have it out sometime this week. In the mean time, a teaser!
NERV Terminal
"We've got an Angel headed towards the GeoFront!" Misato yelled as she flipped her cell phone close. "Major Zeppeli, is Eva Unit 02 combat ready?"
"Perfectly, ma'am. We can sync the pilot right here." Zeppeli replied, his drink still in hand. "There is also a temporary power source stored on the transport car, but it's only good for 10 minutes before Unit 02 is forced to rely on internal power."
"Good, they are prepping Unit 04 for launch right now. Shizuka can handle interception duty in the GeoFront." Misato said. "Get Unit 02 ready to surface deployment! I'm taking the pilots and the two guests to the GeoFront."
Zeppeli gave a quick salute, then turned around and started barking out orders to the techs who were perched on Unit 02 running diagnostic checks. The techs suddenly began moving with a renewed sense of urgency as their duty switched from diagnosis to launch. As Misato led her group away, she saw a tech approaching Zeppeli with a worried look on his face. That's his problem to deal with right now. She thought as she led them to the parking lot.
"Sir, we got an issue on our hands." The tech said. "We just picked up some kind of foreign object in the entry plug, and the Second Child has not responded to any communication."
"What?" Zeppeli's smile disappeared for the first time that day. "Get me the diagnostic…"
He was suddenly cut off by several blood-curdling screams. Zeppeli whipped around only to see one of the techs gripped in Unit 02's slowly-closing fist, and his colleagues with prybars attempting to get him loose. The tech's screaming quickly fell silent as the giant fist crushed his chest cavities. Blood dripped onto Unit 02's hand from the man's nose and mouth as his free head and shoulders jerked about for the final time. With a muffled roar, Unit 02 snapped off the strap that held down its arms and threw the dead tech at the ceiling. The mangled corpse hit the ceiling with a wet smack before falling onto the floor. Meanwhile, Unit 02 thrashed about, sending several more techs flying followed by a series of crunching noises as they hit any hard surface and their bones shattered from contact.
"B-blood P-p-pattern B-blue!" The tech reporting to Zeppeli stuttered as he looked at the results in his handheld scanner. "W-we have a second Angel!"
"Ma'am, we need another Eva Unit on the surface ASAP!" Zeppeli was already speaking into his issued cell phone at that point. "Unit 02 has been possessed by another Angel!"
NERV Terminal
"We've got an Angel headed towards the GeoFront!" Misato yelled as she flipped her cell phone close. "Major Zeppeli, is Eva Unit 02 combat ready?"
"Perfectly, ma'am. We can sync the pilot right here." Zeppeli replied, his drink still in hand. "There is also a temporary power source stored on the transport car, but it's only good for 10 minutes before Unit 02 is forced to rely on internal power."
"Good, they are prepping Unit 04 for launch right now. Shizuka can handle interception duty in the GeoFront." Misato said. "Get Unit 02 ready to surface deployment! I'm taking the pilots and the two guests to the GeoFront."
Zeppeli gave a quick salute, then turned around and started barking out orders to the techs who were perched on Unit 02 running diagnostic checks. The techs suddenly began moving with a renewed sense of urgency as their duty switched from diagnosis to launch. As Misato led her group away, she saw a tech approaching Zeppeli with a worried look on his face. That's his problem to deal with right now. She thought as she led them to the parking lot.
"Sir, we got an issue on our hands." The tech said. "We just picked up some kind of foreign object in the entry plug, and the Second Child has not responded to any communication."
"What?" Zeppeli's smile disappeared for the first time that day. "Get me the diagnostic…"
He was suddenly cut off by several blood-curdling screams. Zeppeli whipped around only to see one of the techs gripped in Unit 02's slowly-closing fist, and his colleagues with prybars attempting to get him loose. The tech's screaming quickly fell silent as the giant fist crushed his chest cavities. Blood dripped onto Unit 02's hand from the man's nose and mouth as his free head and shoulders jerked about for the final time. With a muffled roar, Unit 02 snapped off the strap that held down its arms and threw the dead tech at the ceiling. The mangled corpse hit the ceiling with a wet smack before falling onto the floor. Meanwhile, Unit 02 thrashed about, sending several more techs flying followed by a series of crunching noises as they hit any hard surface and their bones shattered from contact.
"B-blood P-p-pattern B-blue!" The tech reporting to Zeppeli stuttered as he looked at the results in his handheld scanner. "W-we have a second Angel!"
"Ma'am, we need another Eva Unit on the surface ASAP!" Zeppeli was already speaking into his issued cell phone at that point. "Unit 02 has been possessed by another Angel!"
Chapter 8 - Red Ambassadress
Marine Ecosystem Preserve, Outskirts of Tokyo-3
"Excuse me, Doctor Kujo." Foo Fighters opened the door to the marine biologist's office, with the scientist's head buried in paperwork. "The representative from the Geological Survey of Japan is here."
"Send him in." Jotaro replied curtly as he kept writing, and a short thin man wearing a pinstripe suit stepped in shortly after. "So, what's this about?"
"Well, Doctor Kujo, the whole thing started two days ago, when one of our teams were investigating an underwater hill that suddenly appeared off the coast, approximately 10 kilometers from this facility." The man said. "During the survey, one of the subs scrapped off a little too much sediment and discovered what appeared to be organic material underneath. We think this might be something your people might be interested in investigating. Maybe even a joint mission?"
"I'll send some of my staff to help you guys." Jotaro replied without ever looking up at the man. "They'll be over in a couple of hours."
"Thank you, Doctor Kujo!" The man bowed and stood there for a couple of minutes before Jotaro finally noticed.
"Why the hell are you still here?" Jotaro asked. "Meeting's over."
"O-of course, s-sorry!" The man stuttered as he backpedalled out of the office.
"「Yare yare…」" Jotaro mumbled as he used his computer to make staffing arrangements for the new survey. I'm sending FF on this one too. Something this big could be an enemy 「Stand」or even an Angel.
After Jotaro finished his staffing arrangements, he picked up a phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Ryoji? It's me. You might have heard about an underwater anomaly close to Tokyo-3. I need you to pull some strings and get military escorts in that area. I don't care if it's the Self-Defense Force, the UN, or even the Americans. I'll send you the coordinates in a bit."
Marine Ecosystem Preserve, Outskirts of Tokyo-3
"Excuse me, Doctor Kujo." Foo Fighters opened the door to the marine biologist's office, with the scientist's head buried in paperwork. "The representative from the Geological Survey of Japan is here."
"Send him in." Jotaro replied curtly as he kept writing, and a short thin man wearing a pinstripe suit stepped in shortly after. "So, what's this about?"
"Well, Doctor Kujo, the whole thing started two days ago, when one of our teams were investigating an underwater hill that suddenly appeared off the coast, approximately 10 kilometers from this facility." The man said. "During the survey, one of the subs scrapped off a little too much sediment and discovered what appeared to be organic material underneath. We think this might be something your people might be interested in investigating. Maybe even a joint mission?"
"I'll send some of my staff to help you guys." Jotaro replied without ever looking up at the man. "They'll be over in a couple of ours."
"Thank you, Doctor Kujo!" The man bowed and stood there for a couple of minutes before Jotaro finally noticed.
"Why the hell are you still here?" Jotaro asked. "Meeting's over."
"O-of course, s-sorry!" The man stuttered as he backpedalled out of the office.
"「Yare yare…」" Jotaro mumbled as he used his computer to make staffing arrangements for the new survey. I'm sending FF on this one too. Something this big could be an enemy 「Stand」or even an Angel.
After Jotaro finished his staffing arrangements, he picked up a phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Ryoji? It's me. You might have heard about an underwater anomaly close to Tokyo-3. I need you to pull some strings and get military escorts in that area. I don't care if it's the Self-Defense Force, the UN, or even the Americans. I'll send you the coordinates in a bit."
One Week Later, Cemetery outside Tokyo-3
Shinji stared at the grave of his mother in an awkward silence while Gendo stood beside him. Misato suggested the "father-son time" it right after Gendo and Fuyutsuki returned from their business trip. Despite Misato's reassurances, Shinji was skeptical about the idea from the start. It took a nice chat with Cousin Josuke on one of his visits to Tokyo-3 a few days later to finally convince Shinji to agree.
"Just promise me you won't be hostile to him, all right?" He remembered Cousin Josuke's words. The problem with Shinji's promise was that he couldn't properly express all the resentment and bitterness he built up over the years. Hence the awkward silence.
You can do this, Shinji. He thought to himself. Just say something nice. Remember what Cousin Josuke said about him and Uncle Joseph.
"So…father. I still can't believe it's been so long since she's gone." Shinji spoke for the first time after they half-heartedly greet each other. "I still miss her, you know."
"I do too, Shinji. I do too." Gendo said as if he was reminiscing. "This is the only trace of her left. Everything else was destroyed."
"Why?" Shinji asked. Do you even want to remember her?
"People just have to move on. Not get tied down by the past." Gendo replied. "Seeing things that remind me of your mother every day would distract me too much from my work."
"But…"
"My memories of her are all I need." Gendo continued. This will have to do until Instrumentality is complete.
Before Shinji could speak, he heard the sound of jet engines. The father-son pair turned and saw a helicopter land in a clearing right behind them.
"I guess our time is up, Shinji." Gendo said as he walked towards the chopper. "Have a good day, Shinji. Our discussion was quite…productive."
Shinji gave his dad a curt nod and walked towards Misato's car, where the owner stood waiting.
"So, how did it go?" Misato asked.
"Better than I thought, actually." Shinji replied. "I didn't get angry at him, and he actually said what we did was productive, whatever that means."
"See, Shinji? It wasn't all that bad." Misato said. "Now come on, let's go pick up your friends before we're off to the train station."
"What about Rei, Shizuka, and Mari?" Shinji asked as he got in. "We're meeting a new pilot after all."
"Kawajiri is driving Rei and Mari there. Shizuka's on duty today." Misato replied as she hit the acceleration. "And off we go!"
Tokyo-3 Train Station, NERV Terminal
The Tokyo-3 train station is a state-of-the-art transport complex with the size and décor that is comparable to most major airports. It officially opened in 2010 in order to accommodate the increasing number of commuters brought on by the city's status. Besides the usual passenger and cargo terminals, the station has a terminal dedicated solely to NERV use that ferries staff and supplies into the GeoFront. With its own entrance and parking lot, the NERV terminal is segregated from the rest of the station and is heavily guarded by a mixture of NERV security personnel and UN troops.
"Whoa, it's just like a military base!" Kensuke exclaimed as he filmed the place with his camera. "I can't believe I actually get invited in here!"
"Thanks a lot for taking us here, Shinji!" Toji smacked Shinji's back as they walked along. "This place is wicked!"
Behind them, Mari was trying (and failing miserably) to get Rei to engage in conversation.
"So…Shinji told me you like Pink Dark Boy." Mari was running out of ideas. "What's your favourite character?"
"Would you like me to list them one-by-one, Pilot Makinami?" Rei replied. "We have, as people would say, 'time to kill'."
Can we just get there soon? Misato thought as she returned a guard's salute for the 50th time. My arm is getting tired.
"Hey, Misato, is that it?" Shinji asked as he pointed his finger at a train solely consisting of two locomotives on each end, a passenger car, and a really long open-topped car. On the long car rested the bright red Eva Unit 02, with technicians in coveralls crawling all over the machine and surrounded by pieces of tarp that protected the Eva from the elements during the journey from Narita to Tokyo-3.
"Hmm, let's see now…" Misato replied as she scanned for a sign. "Platform 17? Yup, that's the one! All right, everyone, be nice!"
The group strolled up to the passenger car, with Misato stepping up to the door and knocking on it while the rest of the group stayed on the platform concourse. There was no response, however, and Misato knocked again.
"Maybe whoever is inside is taking a nap?" Mari asked as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Hello? Anybody home?" Misato asked as she knocked for a third time.
"'Home' isn't quite the correct term for a train car, don't you think?" An unfamiliar Italian-accented voice spoke up behind Misato. "More like a box with some nice-looking chairs."
Misato whipped around and found herself face-to-face with a man that had somehow snuck up on her, and she back up against the door in shock. He had a slender build and wore an Italian special forces 'Vegecam' uniform with the rank insignia of a Major as well as a maroon beret. His straw-coloured hair was cropped short, and his chin was lined with strange square-shaped marks that Misato was sure were scars. In his left hand was a soft drink he bought from one of the fast food outlets in the terminal, while his right hand quickly came up in the form of a salute, which Misato hastily returned.
"Major Julius Caesar Zeppeli at your service, ma'am, but my friends call me Gyro." The strange soldier grinned, showing what appeared to be a metallic mouth guard engraved with the phrase "Go! Go! Zeppeli!". "You must be Lieutenant-Colonel Katsuragi. I must say, I didn't expect a fine signorina like you to be my commanding officer."
"I-I-well, I am!" Misato finally regained her composure. "How did you sneak past the group I brought anyway?"
"Oh, those guys? It was pretty easy for someone like yours truly who's used to covert stuff." Gyro looked behind him. "I can safely say a long plane ride, turbulence, plus the train here did not dampen my skills."
"Umm, ok then." Misato raised an eyebrow as she offered her hand. "Welcome to Tokyo-3, Assistant Operations Director. You must be the Second Child's chaperone too, then?"
"Yup, that's me." He smiled, showing his strange mouth guard again. "Although you can't meet her quite yet. She's doing some diagnostic tests in Unit 02 before the train is cleared to head into the GeoFront."
"I guess we can wait, then." Misato said. "In the meantime, can you go down to the concourse with me so we can meet with the rest of the group?"
UN Science Vessel, Off the Coast of Japan
Jotaro Kujo was impressed with how quickly Kaji jumped through the hoops of several agencies to form a small scientific flotilla so quickly. Aside from the GSJ ship that was on scene and the UN science vessel requested by Jotaro, UNAF-Japan dispatched combat vessels, and NERV sent their own research ship with Kaji on board. After a week of office and lab work at the Sanctuary, Jotaro was glad to finally be onboard.
"All right, you guys have been working on this for a week now." Jotaro said as he stepped into the fully-stocked laboratory on the UN ship. "Any leads?"
"Very little, Doctor Kujo. We only managed to clean the sediment off the object." A female scientist replied. "It has an extremely durable shell that none of sensors can penetrate, preventing us from looking inside. Judging from the sample we gathered, the object has to be either an egg or a cocoon. It's almost impossible to determine the creature's genome, let alone physiology and behavior. From what little we found out, it doesn't share anything in common with any Earth lifeform."
"The military escorts have a standing offer to use their munitions to attempt to crack the shell, but we have held off on this option because the potential damage on this new lifeform." Another scientist picked up. "At this point, though, we might consider their offer more seriously."
"Hmm, hold off on the bombs for another day." Jotaro said. "If there is still no progress, you have my permission to request the big guns."
"You got it." The second scientist gave Jotaro a thumb-up, just as an announcement came over the PA system about a new development.
"Seems like the divers found something." Jotaro turned to the door. "Come on, let's go to the observation area."
Jotaro and the others made their way through the ship's cramped corridors, emerging in the observation area, where several large screens to display what the submersibles were recording. Jotaro gestured for the man manning the radio to step aside, and he picked up the headset.
"FF, what's going on?" Jotaro asked as he examined one of the screens. "Talk to me."
"Not sure if it's showing up on screen yet, Doctor Kujo." Foo Fighters replied. "But it seems like the object is…slowly imploding."
Jotaro looked up at the biggest screen at the object, which was somewhat round and had a sickly green colour. In mere moments cracks appeared along the object's surface in real time. That's definitely an egg all right! Jotaro thought as he continued to watch cracks spread all over the surface while bits of the surface began to sink inwards. At first it was one or two pieces every few seconds, then several more chunks sank deeper than the first few pieces, then pieces of the entire object's surface retreated deeper into the object as if it was collapsing from the inside. Just then, a technician announced that there was an underwater earthquake, and another voice came from the radio.
"This is NRV-202." The code signified that it was the NERV research vessel. "Our scanners have picked up Blood Type Blue when the object started cracking. That thing is an Angel!"
"Get the submersibles and divers out of there!" Jotaro ordered as he picked up the headset. "Get me Agent Kaji."
"Looks like we got a little issue on our hands." Kaji's voice came on. "Don't worry, I've already requested a little firepower from the UN flotilla. They should be firing in…right about now."
Several small blips that were most likely torpedoes, judging from the size and speed, appeared on the UN science vessel's sonar display. Jotaro watched impatiently as the blips came closer and closer to the object's position before disappearing, coinciding with a series of small quakes. Then, another wave of blips followed before disappearing in a similar way to the first one, and then a third wave came before the order to cease fire was given. Then a far larger blip, probably one of the UN flotilla's submarines appeared on screen and hovered over the object's position.
"This is Uniform 34, we have detected no traces of any life form." A German-accented voice came over the radio. "Stand by for further updates."
"「Yare yare」, that didn't do any good against the Angel." Jotaro said, a hint of frustration in his voice. He looked at the sonar screen again. The large blip was still there, and the sonar picked up dozens of small craters from the torpedo attacks, along with a massive one in the middle. Jotaro thought he saw the crater getting deeper with every ping and walked closer to get a better look. His suspicion was quickly confirmed when the German Navy submarine assigned to the UN flotilla radioed back.
"This is Uniform 34. Our sonars picked up what appears to be a tunnel at the epicenter of the site." The German voice came on again. "Scans show it appears to lengthen in real-time."
"I'll bet you five thousand yen that thing is headed towards Tokyo-3." Kaji's voice replaced the German sailor's. "Now, how the hell do we track this thing?"
"GSJ has seismic sensors planted all over Japan in order to track earthquakes." Jotaro spoke up. "The Angel is digging a tunnel to Tokyo-3, we can use those sensors to track the Angel's path towards the GeoFront."
"Good call, Doctor Kujo." Kaji maintained an air of formality since they were in public. "NERV is being notified as we speak. They should be able to scramble the Evas in time."
NERV Terminal
"We've got an Angel headed towards the GeoFront!" Misato yelled as she flipped her cell phone close. "Major Zeppeli, is Eva Unit 02 combat ready?"
"Perfectly, ma'am. We can sync the pilot right here." Zeppeli replied, his drink still in hand. "There is also a temporary power source stored on the transport car, but it's only good for 10 minutes before Unit 02 is forced to rely on internal power."
"Good, they are prepping Unit 04 for launch right now. Shizuka can handle interception duty in the GeoFront." Misato said. "Get Unit 02 ready to surface deployment! I'm taking the pilots and the two guests to the GeoFront."
Zeppeli gave a quick salute, then turned around and started barking out orders to the techs who were perched on Unit 02 running diagnostic checks. The techs suddenly began moving with a renewed sense of urgency as their duty switched from diagnosis to launch. As Misato led her group away, she saw a tech approaching Zeppeli with a worried look on his face. That's his problem to deal with right now. She thought as she led them to the parking lot.
"Sir, we got an issue on our hands." The tech said. "We just picked up some kind of foreign object in the entry plug, and the Second Child has not responded to any communication."
"What?" Zeppeli's smile disappeared for the first time that day. "Get me the diagnostic…"
He was suddenly cut off by several blood-curdling screams. Zeppeli whipped around only to see one of the techs gripped in Unit 02's slowly-closing fist, and his colleagues with prybars attempting to get him loose. The tech's screaming quickly fell silent as the giant fist crushed his chest cavities. Blood dripped onto Unit 02's hand from the man's nose and mouth as his free head and shoulders jerked about for the final time. With a muffled roar, Unit 02 snapped off the strap that held down its arms and threw the dead tech at the ceiling. The mangled corpse hit the ceiling with a wet smack before falling onto the floor. Meanwhile, Unit 02 thrashed about, sending several more techs flying followed by a series of crunching noises as they hit any hard surface and their bones shattered from contact.
"B-blood P-p-pattern B-blue!" The tech reporting to Zeppeli stuttered as he looked at the results in his handheld scanner. "W-we have a second Angel!"
"Ma'am, we need another Eva Unit on the surface ASAP!" Zeppeli was already speaking into his issued cell phone at that point. "Unit 02 has been possessed by another Angel! We need to evacuate the entire station, NOW!"
Inside Unit 02's Entry Plug
At that moment in time, Asuka found herself in a very disgusting situation. As soon as she tried to activate Unit 02, she saw a strange blue glow coming from underneath her seat. The source of that glow turned out to be something resembling mold that quickly multiplied in the LCL and spread all over the entry plug, adding a musty mold smell to the blood-like scent of LCL.
It attacked the electronics first so Asuka can't communicate to the outside world, then it attacked the door override just as Asuka was about to activate it. The mold then spread up Asuka's arms to the rest of her body and finally firmly glued her in place. She tried to wriggle herself free to no avail, and her screams for help were cut off by the layers of armor and the entry plug walls that was supposed to protect the Eva Pilots from damage. She felt gravity starting to shift and deduced that the Angel completed the activation sequence by itself and was ready to wreak havoc.
Think, Asuka, verdammit! She tried to come up with any kind of plan to get herself free and stop the Angel. She screamed again in frustration when she realized something: the fact that she could scream meant her airway was free. She grinned once she realized the Angel's fatal mistake. Trying her best to ignore the moldy smell, Asuka took several deep breaths to focus. Just like 「der Trainer」 taught you.
Koooooohhhhhh…She began the breathing techniques that she's been taught since she was little and felt the familiar warmth in her hands. She kept her eyes shut and continued her breathing just as she felt the gravity shift again. In a remote corner of her mind, Asuka figured the Eva was trying to sit upright, but she packed away that thought as she refocused on her immediate environment. Asuka heard a sizzling sound coming from where her hands were and kept breathing, the sizzling spreading to the rest of her body moments later.
Asuka's plugsuit was unique in several ways. Besides having reinforced shoulders and rib area as well as integrated knee and elbow protection, the suit's palms and knuckles were specially made using extracts from the Satiporoja beetle. The product was a plugsuit that afforded extra protection for the user and allow a user more effectively utilize the ancient martial art known as Hamon. When Asuka breathed, she filled her body with Hamon energy that seeped into the environment first through her hands then through the rest of her body. In seconds, the mold that covered her was burnt away, setting her free.
Asuka heard a muffled roar as if the possessed Unit 02 was in pain, then a loud clang with heavy shaking as if the Eva was trying to dig out the source of the pain. Scheiße, I'm running out of time! Asuka thought as she looked for a way to completely clear the Angel from the entry plug. Burning the Angel away with my hands is too slow. There's gotta be a faster…wait, I'm in LCL!
Thinking back to all those times during sync tests where she accidentally infused all the LCL in the entry plug with Hamon, Asuka started her breathing drills again, ignoring the jolting caused by blows dealt by the infected Unit 02 to its own head. In a minute, the LCL warmed up, the smell of mold started disappearing, and yellow sparks crackled throughout the entry plug. Sizzling could be heard throughout the entry plug as the mold started to smolder and retreat while Asuka continued her breathing. Suddenly, a particularly strong blow jolted Asuka back until she hit a wall, knocking her breath out and sticking her to the mold that was infesting there. The sparks soon faded and the mold stopped burning. It then began quickly creeping around Asuka's body and head.
Nein! I'm not going to lose like this! The mold had already crawled over most of Asuka's face including her eyes and her chin. She took several deep breaths quickly, burning away the any mold on her bare skin, followed by her hands and finally the rest of her plugsuit. Not wanting to be caught off guard again, Asuka pushed herself towards her seat while she kept breathing, sending more mold burning away while Unit 02 continued to roar in agony. Although the seat was still covered in mold, Asuka's body was charged with enough Hamon that they all burned away with contact.
"Friss Scheiße und stirb, Engel-Schweinehund!" Asuka yelled, sending more Hamon into the surrounding LCL. The disappearing mold smell was quickly replaced with something Asuka thought smelled like a combination of burnt hair and garbage, but she pressed on with her breathing. All over the entry plug, mold quickly burned away while shaking in agony, and Unit 02 resorted to shaking its upper torso as well as hitting itself in reaction to the pain. Out of the corner of the eye, Asuka saw pieces of the mold trying to reach the door controls just like how she tried to do the same.
"What are you, stupid? Even if you did get out, metal also conducts Hamon. The fact that this entry plug and pretty much all of Unit 02 is metal means you'll have no place to run, and nowhere to hide." Asuka said. "I'm not just charging this entry plug with Hamon either, I'm sending Hamon all over Unit 02 using the pipes that circulate LCL throughout the Eva's body. Now, die! Cleansing Scarlet Overdrive!"
With her battle cry, a huge jolt of Hamon was sent out from her body, destroying any traces of the mold in and around the entry plug. The Hamon then coursed through all of Unit 02's body before dissipating on the Eva's exterior, destroying any traces of the mold Angel that didn't get cleaned up by Asuka's initial efforts and healing any damaged tissue. Unit 02 thrashed about for a final time, then became still. The Angel Bardiel was no more.
Asuka leaned back in her seat then suddenly jolted forward when she remembered there's another Angel on the loose. She quickly checked the electronics and control for any damage before contacting Zeppeli.
Train Station Exterior
"Ma'am, how close is the second Eva Unit for launch?" Zeppeli asked.
"We're going as fast as we can, but we can't launch the second Eva for at least 10 minutes." Misato replied over the phone. "What's the damage on the surface?"
"We got several dead NERV staff, but Unit 02 hasn't broken free." Zeppeli replied. "I was just contacted by the Second Child. She told me she managed to neutralize the Angel."
"WHAT? That means she did it from inside the entry plug!" Misato sounded surprised. "How the hell did that happen?"
"I'll let you know the details once this is all over." Zeppeli said as several techs ran past him into the train station. "What's the status of the first Angel?"
"Getting a live feed from Geological Survey sensors, it's rapidly closing in on Tokyo-3 and travelling underground." Misato replied. "We started the remote activation process for Unit 02 on our end. Do what you need to do to get Unit 02 online, and we can figure something out."
"Roger, out." Zeppeli stuffed the phone back into his pocket and then thumbed his radio. "Asuka, how're you doing? Over."
"A little winded and shook up, Coach, but I'm fine enough to kick the other Angel's ass." Asuka replied. "Let's get this activation procedure over with so I can have a piece of the action! Uh, over."
"That's the spirit, Asuka." Zeppeli smiled. "Gyro out."
After several minutes, Asuka notified Zeppeli that Unit 02 was fully active. Zeppeli then contacted Misato again.
"Ma'am. Are there any power fixtures in Tokyo-3? Unit 02 needs a more permanent power source." He asked. "Also, what's the Angel's ETA?"
"There are fixtures scattered throughout the city. I'll send a map to Unit 02's systems for the Second Child to make a call." Misato replied. "The Angel's ETA is…5 minutes. Wait, something is happening. The Angel is digging deeper! Per the MAGI's calculations, it's going straight for the GeoFront! Revised ETA is 7 minutes!"
"Hmm, the Angel has two possible paths of attack at this stage. It could either dig into the hollow of the GeoFront and briefly expose itself before going straight for NERV HQ, or it could bypass the hollow and go straight for NERV HQ without ever exposing itself." Zeppeli analyzed the situation for Misato. "Now, as per previous reports, Angels aren't dumb animals, so it would most likely go for the second option. This would make our job a lot harder since that option makes the Angel far harder to track."
"So, what do you suggest we do, Major?" Misato asked.
"I'll send Unit 02 down into the GeoFront. The Second Child needs the location of the nearest elevator down." Zeppeli replied. "I took the liberty of getting a helicopter and get a bird's eye view since I'm not going to have enough time to get to the command center."
"Roger that, Zeppeli." Misato said. "Good luck."
Just as Zeppeli hung up, a Chinook from the Air Self-Defense Force landed behind him, and Zeppeli ran onboard. He looked out through one of the windows and saw Unit 02 holding some equipment headed towards a square hole nearby.
"Follow the Eva!" He ordered the pilot before taking the co-pilot's seat. Unit 02 had detached the cable and rolled it up around its head before jumping into the pit. The helicopter followed the Eva Unit nose-first and was surrounded by darkness for several long moments before finally emerging in the GeoFront. By that point, Unit 02 had already landed and plugged itself in, Unit 04 was also deployed.
Now, Asuka, how will you face this test? Zeppeli wondered as he observed the scene unfolding in the GeoFront.
Unit 02 Entry Plug
"One hell of a first mission isn't it, Second Child?" Shizuka's friendly face appeared on screen. "I could use some fresh opinion on how to deal with this thing. None of the adults in HQ could figure out how to get it."
"Damn it Ami, I'm trying to figure this out too!" Asuka replied before grunting in frustration. "I really don't want to go dig it up when it's drilling through NERV HQ. There's got to be a way we can force it to come out before it's too late."
"If we weren't so short on time, I'd suggest dropping enough N2 mines all over the GeoFront to dig the Angel up." Shizuka replied. "In the meantime, let's stick closer to the HQ."
"Jawohl, Frau Commandant." Asuka replied sarcastically before the screen blinked shut and disappeared. She followed Unit 04 to NERV HQ while desperately trying to come up with an idea. She thought back to the really abbreviated brief Misato gave her after Unit 02's activation on how the Angel is moving in the ground in the same way fish swim in the water. Remembering Gyro's teachings on breaking a problem down to simpler lines, Asuka decided to continue thinking about the problem along the lines of fishing.
We can't exactly use a fishing pole and bait, and a net is out of the question. Asuka thought as she (or rather Unit 02) gripped the equipment bag strapped to Eva Unit 02's back tightly. Electric traps. Wait a minute! If the other Angel reacted like to my Hamon attack, maybe I can use Hamon to shock the underground Angel and force it to come out! Hmm, I think I could make something work. She quickly set down the gear she was carrying on her back and took out crossbow.
"Oberstleutnant Katsuragi." Asuka asked while Shizuka looked on in surprise at Asuka's weapon. "Do you have any ammunition for my weapon? The model is MM-144."
"We do, actually." Misato replied. "We got a shipment of ammunition in anticipation for your arrival. Sending it out now."
"Danke." Asuka said. "How's my sync ratio?"
"Huh? It's at 83%." Misato replied in a confused tone. "Pretty good for someone who's trained as long as you have. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just want to see how I'm doing compared to training." It was half of the truth. The other half was that she could better channel Hamon through Unit 02 when her sync ratio was over 75%. Before she closed her eyes and began her breathing drills, Asuka glanced at the timer. Three minutes. Plenty of time.
Koooooohhhhhhh…Asuka breathed, and the oxygen-rich LCL helped her harness far more Hamon energy than she ever could outside of an Eva. Golden sparks filled the entry plug's interior as Hamon flowed out of the chamber, through the arms, and onto Asuka's crossbow. Shizuka glanced at Asuka and was shocked at how her weapon was covered in yellow lightning. Before she could call Asuka, Unit 02 suddenly aimed the weapon at the ground and started firing, sending electromagnetically-propelled spikes into random points on the ground until the magazine ran dry.
"Pilot Soyru, what the hell are you doing?" Misato asked angrily as Asuka grabbed a fresh magazine from the car sent from NERV HQ. "We still don't have a plan to fight the Angel, time is almost up, and you're here fucking around wasting ammunition!"
"Ma'am, I think I know what Asuka's planning." Zeppeli's voice suddenly interrupted. "It has to do with her abilities. There's no time to explain it yet, but I promise you I will tell the truth after the mission."
Asuka ignored the conversation about her as she expended the second magazine and grabbed a new one. She opened her eyes and took another look at the timer. Two minutes. Time to kick this up a notch. She climbed onto the top of the NERV pyramid and held on to the tip with one hand, and crossbow in the other. She continued to fire until the magazine ran dry, quickly clambered down to fetch another magazine, then climbed back on top of the pyramid. She repeated the pattern several more times until the entire area within a 10-kilometer radius of the NERV pyramid is dotted with Hamon-infused bolts from Asuka's crossbow. Asuka opened her eyes for the final time and glanced at the timer. Thirty seconds. Plenty of time to spare.
"You better know what she's doing, Zeppeli!" Misato was still angry at Asuka. "She expended all the crossbow ammunition we gave her!"
"I assure you, ma'am. There's a method behind Asuka's madness." Zeppeli reassured Misato. Before Zeppeli could continue, the ground suddenly started shaking. The shaking grew stronger as the Angel approached NERV HQ. Asuka dug through her equipment and took out a stick which unfolded into a Progressive Spear. Shizuka aimed her rifle down at the ground, waiting for the Angel to come out.
The ground suddenly exploded as something resembling a giant grey centipede with a wide toothed mouth on the front exploded up the ground, throwing rock, soil, and previously-embedded crossbow bolts into the air. Shizuka saw yellow electric arcs surrounding the creature and quickly realized she saw the same thing on Asuka's weapon and all over Unit 02. The front half of the long Angel crashed on the ground, writhing in pain from the Hamon that leeched from the bolts into the soil.
"Time for some spear-fishing, Arschloch!" Asuka jumped up with her spear, ready to stab the Angel.
Eva Unit 02 thrusted downwards with the Prog Spear, but the Angel twisted away right before impact. Unit 02 slashed sideways with the blade, only for the Angel to dodge again and extend spikes from its shell. The Angel then tried to wrap around Unit 02, only to get distracted by shots from Shizuka's rifle. Seeing a new prey, the Angel pulled its entire body out of the ground and quickly rushed towards Shizuka with its mouth gaping, hoping for a bite.
"Di molto! By shooting all those Hamon-infused spikes into the ground, Asuka created a Hamon trap that would force the Angel to the surface!" Zeppeli said excitedly over the radio as he stood up in his seat.
"Sir, please sit down!" The helicopter pilot said exasperatedly. "This distraction is a major hazard to flying."
Shoving the pilot away, Zeppeli continued while Asuka lunged at the Angel again. "Just look at it! She infused her spear with Hamon so she could send that ripple energy straight into the Angel's body and deal a killing blow!"
A large eye suddenly opened on the Angel's back end between its two stingers, and it reared back and rushed towards Unit 02. Asuka dodged a little too late, earning Unit 02 a painful stab in the right arm. Meanwhile, Unit 04 barely dodged a bite from the Angel.
"Hey, Amerikaner, did you figure out where the core is yet?" Asuka asked Shizuka as she finally landed a blow, only for the wound to start healing right away. "I don't think death by a thousand cuts is going to work on this thing."
"Nope, still looking!" Shizuka replied as she fired a quick burst before dodging. "Any luck on your end?"
"You could help me by switching to something sharp and start poking!" Asuka replied as she stabbed the Angel's tail for the fourth time, leaving another slowly-healing wound. "If it starts to curl up, we're close to something delicate!"
Switching to her Prog Knife, Shizuka waited until the creature drew closer, then slashed its head before jumping out of the way…only to land back first straight on top of the creature's midsection, sending spikes digging into Unit 04 and causing Shizuka to cry out in pain. Meanwhile, Asuka got stabbed the leg by the creature's stingers. Coming up with an idea, she grabbed onto a stinger with one hand and stabbed the Angel's tail repeatedly. The combination of the prog knife and Hamon energy caused the Angel to thrash about chaotically in pain, sending a segment of its long body crashing into the NERV pyramid.
Recovering from her fall, Shizuka flipped around and stabbed deep into the creature's body, but barely drew a response. She jumped again and stabbed, embedding the blade further along the creature. The Angel suddenly curled up as if it was in extreme pain.
"Second Child, I think I got it!" Shizuka called Asuka. "Looks like the Angel's core is roughly halfway long its body."
"Keep slashing away along that area!" Asuka replied. "The more you hit a creature's vulnerable area, the more it curls up and tries to defend that zone!"
Asuka tried to run over, only for Unit 02 to trip and fall over. As she groggily got up again, Asuka realized that the stingers contained a venom that was causing the affected areas to seize up. Her entire right arm and left leg felt like they were on fire and unable to move.
"Damn you, Angel!" Asuka tried her best to hobble over while Shizuka was busy slashing away at the Angel's carapace. Despite her urging, Unit 02 refused to go any faster and tripped again. After she propped herself back up using the Prog Sphere, Asuka saw that the creature was trying to wrap itself around Unit 04 and crush it.
Kooooohhhh…Asuka breathed in some more, soothing the pain and causing the Eva to be able to run, albeit slowly. The Angel had wrapped itself around Unit 04 by that point, with its spikes stabbing into the Eva Unit.
"Hurry, Asuka" Shizuka struggled to talk as she was being crushed and she felt stabs all over her body.
Asuka breathed in some more and jumped up, with the Prog Spear in Unit 02's left hand, supported by the right hand. As she dropped down with the spear aimed at the Angel's still-exposed vital area, she supercharged the blade with Hamon energy.
"Metal! Silver! Overdrive!" Asuka screamed out as she plunged the spear into the creature, the tip coming out of the other side covered in a red fluid. After a two-second pause, the creature let out a grating death-rattle as it unraveled from Shizuka and exploded, sending red liquid and spikes around the area. Fortunately, the spikes by themselves bounced harmlessly off the Eva Unit's AT-fields. Eva Unit 02 landed on the ground with a roll and skidded a short distance before coming to a halt.
NERV Command Center
"Impressive, most impressive." Gendo spoke from behind clasped hands. "The Second Child is certain a lot more formidable than I anticipated."
"Indeed, sir." Fuyutsuki said as he observed the little celebration below. "Do you think this will damage the scenario in any way?"
"In all honesty, I don't know." Gendo replied. "That Angel was not any of the ones mentioned in the Dead Sea scrolls. For reasons that escape even myself, the Angel that was supposed to come is unaccounted for."
"Recover Units 02 and 04 immediately!" Misato ordered. "And guide the other pilots plus the visitors to the Eva cages! Zeppeli, meet me there."
Launch Bay
The helicopter dropped off Zeppeli on a helipad that extended out of the NERV pyramid, and he managed to find his way to the Eva cages after asking a NERV employee. He found Misato and the group of teens already there.
"All right, Zeppeli, I was definitely impressed by the Second Child's performance today." Misato said. "But what the hell was that? During the entire mission, Unit 02 was emitting UV radiation."
"I did promise to tell you the truth, ma'am, and my honor as an Italian officer compels me to do so. Asuka and myself are both practitioners of an ancient martial art known as Hamon. It's also known as Ripple or Sendo in certain parts of the world. In fact, I was the one who taught her." Zeppeli said. "By breathing a certain way, it allows the body to harness the power of sunlight for various purposes, chiefly healing and fighting. It is said my ancestor William Antonio Zeppeli discovered Hamon when he saw a monk in Tibet heal a man's gangrene with nothing but his bare hands."
"That's actually quite impressive, Major." Misato said. "Would it be possible for NERV to hire a Hamon master to teach the pilots?"
"I wish I could, ma'am, but only one in ten thousand can use Hamon, let alone master it" Zeppeli said. "From a quick glance, I can tell none of you have the aptitude for Hamon. I hate being harsh, but that's just the way things are."
While Misato and Zeppeli chatted, Eva Units 04 and 02 were being transported to their designated docks. Asuka noticed that her dock was right beside where Gyro and the others were standing. Feeling excited and impatient, she decided to pay them a little visit before the debrief.
Once Eva Unit 02 came to a halt, the entry plug extended itself halfway out of the Eva, and a figure climbed out. Shinji noticed it out of the corner of his eye, and he got the group's attention.
"Wait, is she going to jump?" Shinji asked. "She'll get killed falling this far down!"
"Just relax, kid." Zeppeli replied after he looked up. "Asuka knows what she's doing."
Just as the Italian officer finished speaking, the figure somersaulted into the air, dropping straight down onto the solid ground. Bright sparks surrounded the girl before forming into a golden aura while she was in freefall. When she landed, a wave of sparks exploded from where she hit the ground, knocking Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke back.
Once the dust settled, Shinji could clearly see the figure. It was a girl wearing a bright red plugsuit with bright blue eyes and had her long red heir tied up in a ponytail. Unlike the other female plugsuits, the number of her Eva Unit was on a light green patch on her right shoulder rather than the middle of her chest, which instead read "SORYU". On the suit's left shoulder was the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany.
"Signori and signorine, may I introduce the pride of the German Air Force." Zeppeli said with an exaggerated bow. "Captain Asuka Langley Soryu!"
"Misato!" Asuka rushed forward excitedly. "It's been forever!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Asuka." Misato smiled. "Always with a flair for theatrics."
"So, who's the pilot that got in thanks to his daddy?" Asuka's expression changed as she scanned the 3 boys, ignoring Rei and Mari. "Is it dumb muscles here?"
"Hey! What the hell?" Toji got defensive.
"Poindexter?" Asuka pointed at Kensuke before shifting her eyes to Shinji. "Or is it rooster head over here?"
"Sohryu, what the hell did you say about my hair?" Shinji's expression turned dark as he mimicked something he always saw Cousin Josuke do. Without realizing it, 「Black Hole Sun」materialized right behind him.
"Oh, daddy's boy has a Stand? How cute." Asuka said mockingly as she raised her right arm straight into the air, pointer finger out, while she splayed her legs. "Two can play the same game. 「Five Finger Death Punch」!"
She snapped her raised arm down and pointed straight at Shinji. On her command, what appeared to be a set of steampunk exoskeleton arms flashed into existence, covering Asuka's actual arms. The gunmetal gauntlets were covered in dried blood and had spikes lined along the knuckles. The arms were a bronze colour while the metallic clockwork "backpack" had several exhaust pipes sticking out the top over her head. The two teens stared at each other for a few minutes waiting for each other to move while the rest of the hangar fell into a dead silence…until a loud crunching sound filled the air. It was Zeppeli, who somehow still had his drink and was chewing an ice cube.
"Well, I guess we finally broke the ice." He grinned as he stuck out his tongue, showing off shattered ice perched on top before pulling the tongue back in. "Get it? It's a gag I just thought of!"
The hangar fell silent again for a few seconds until Asuka burst out in laughter, 「Five Finger Death Punch」disappearing in the process.
"Th-that w-was a g-g-good one, T-Trainer!" Asuka said in between laughs. "Break the ice! Who could have thought of that?"
"What the hell was that?" Toji asked with a confused look on his face as Asuka kept laughing even when tears started appearing in the corners of her eyes.
Later That Day
Wow, what a day. Shinji thought to himself as he unlocked the door to Misato's apartment after playing video games at Toji's place. Having an obnoxious girl like Asuka around is not going to be fun.
He walked towards his room when he suddenly realized two things. One: there were boxes labeled "Deutsche Post" all over the place. Two: he walked past someone in the kitchen who had red hair, and Misato definitely did not have red hair. Shinji turned around slowly and saw Asuka wearing a tank top and shorts with a bottle of juice in her right hand. She wore her red hair loosely, but with her interface headset still on her head.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY APAREMENT?" Shinji demanded angrily.
"What does it look like, dummkopf?" Asuka asked smugly. "I'm moving in."
"But I'm already sharing the place with Misato!" Shinji was still angry. "You can't just waltz in like you own the place."
"Actually, I approved Asuka moving in here." Misato poked her head out from her room, her face red from drinking. "That cheapskate Zeppeli decided to go for a tiny apartment in Tokyo-3, leaving her with us. By the way Shinji, Asuka moved into your old room. You are now in the smaller room right next door, one room closer to me!"
"I really miss Morioh." Shinji quipped.
<====TO BE CONTINUED==|\|===
Little Asuka in Germany
Summer vacation couldn't have come soon enough for young Asuka Langley Soryu. She was taken out of the regular German school system after her mama's death and was assigned several tutors who lived and worked onsite at GEHIRN. The remainder of the school year was spent force-feeding her various lessons and subjecting her to numerous tests. She never saw her papa a single time during the school year.
"You've progressed remarkably, Asuka." The director of the project told her at the end of the school year. "We don't believe in assigning homework during vacation time since it's your relaxing time. Have fun, and we'll see you after the summer."
Asuka ran excitedly towards her papa's apartment as she dreamed of all the plans she had in mind with her father. Dreams what were shattered when she saw a note from papa explaining that he'd gone away on honeymoon with his new wife. Asuka promised herself she would never cry again after her mother's funeral, but she came close that day. As she wandered aimlessly back to her own apartment, she bumped into the legs of a much taller man. He wore his hair in a mullet and dressed like a cowboy.
"I'm sorry." She said sheepishly. The man squatted down until he was face-to-face with Asuka and grinned, showing off a mouth guard engraved with the phrase "Go! Go! Zeppeli!"
"Asuka Soryu, I presume?" The man kept grinning. "I'm Gyro Zeppeli, a relative of your mother's, and I'll be taking care of you for the summer."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Zeppeli." Asuka said, still looking down.
"Don't be shy, Asuka, and just 'Gyro' is fine." Gyro smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, nyo-ho!"
"You look funny, Gyro." Asuka said as she started walking along with him.
"That's because I just got back from a business trip overseas." Gyro replied. "So, you ever been to Italy before?"
"Nope." Asuka replied.
"Viva! You get to visit Italy for the first time this summer." Gyro said cheerfully before going on about how beautiful his native land was.
As he went on about Italy and they started packing up Asuka's stuff for the trip, Asuka had a feeling that it was the beginning of something amazing.
A/N: Next you'll say: "You're finally back!"
"Excuse me, Doctor Kujo." Foo Fighters opened the door to the marine biologist's office, with the scientist's head buried in paperwork. "The representative from the Geological Survey of Japan is here."
"Send him in." Jotaro replied curtly as he kept writing, and a short thin man wearing a pinstripe suit stepped in shortly after. "So, what's this about?"
"Well, Doctor Kujo, the whole thing started two days ago, when one of our teams were investigating an underwater hill that suddenly appeared off the coast, approximately 10 kilometers from this facility." The man said. "During the survey, one of the subs scrapped off a little too much sediment and discovered what appeared to be organic material underneath. We think this might be something your people might be interested in investigating. Maybe even a joint mission?"
"I'll send some of my staff to help you guys." Jotaro replied without ever looking up at the man. "They'll be over in a couple of hours."
"Thank you, Doctor Kujo!" The man bowed and stood there for a couple of minutes before Jotaro finally noticed.
"Why the hell are you still here?" Jotaro asked. "Meeting's over."
"O-of course, s-sorry!" The man stuttered as he backpedalled out of the office.
"「Yare yare…」" Jotaro mumbled as he used his computer to make staffing arrangements for the new survey. I'm sending FF on this one too. Something this big could be an enemy 「Stand」or even an Angel.
After Jotaro finished his staffing arrangements, he picked up a phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Ryoji? It's me. You might have heard about an underwater anomaly close to Tokyo-3. I need you to pull some strings and get military escorts in that area. I don't care if it's the Self-Defense Force, the UN, or even the Americans. I'll send you the coordinates in a bit."
Marine Ecosystem Preserve, Outskirts of Tokyo-3
"Excuse me, Doctor Kujo." Foo Fighters opened the door to the marine biologist's office, with the scientist's head buried in paperwork. "The representative from the Geological Survey of Japan is here."
"Send him in." Jotaro replied curtly as he kept writing, and a short thin man wearing a pinstripe suit stepped in shortly after. "So, what's this about?"
"Well, Doctor Kujo, the whole thing started two days ago, when one of our teams were investigating an underwater hill that suddenly appeared off the coast, approximately 10 kilometers from this facility." The man said. "During the survey, one of the subs scrapped off a little too much sediment and discovered what appeared to be organic material underneath. We think this might be something your people might be interested in investigating. Maybe even a joint mission?"
"I'll send some of my staff to help you guys." Jotaro replied without ever looking up at the man. "They'll be over in a couple of ours."
"Thank you, Doctor Kujo!" The man bowed and stood there for a couple of minutes before Jotaro finally noticed.
"Why the hell are you still here?" Jotaro asked. "Meeting's over."
"O-of course, s-sorry!" The man stuttered as he backpedalled out of the office.
"「Yare yare…」" Jotaro mumbled as he used his computer to make staffing arrangements for the new survey. I'm sending FF on this one too. Something this big could be an enemy 「Stand」or even an Angel.
After Jotaro finished his staffing arrangements, he picked up a phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Ryoji? It's me. You might have heard about an underwater anomaly close to Tokyo-3. I need you to pull some strings and get military escorts in that area. I don't care if it's the Self-Defense Force, the UN, or even the Americans. I'll send you the coordinates in a bit."
One Week Later, Cemetery outside Tokyo-3
Shinji stared at the grave of his mother in an awkward silence while Gendo stood beside him. Misato suggested the "father-son time" it right after Gendo and Fuyutsuki returned from their business trip. Despite Misato's reassurances, Shinji was skeptical about the idea from the start. It took a nice chat with Cousin Josuke on one of his visits to Tokyo-3 a few days later to finally convince Shinji to agree.
"Just promise me you won't be hostile to him, all right?" He remembered Cousin Josuke's words. The problem with Shinji's promise was that he couldn't properly express all the resentment and bitterness he built up over the years. Hence the awkward silence.
You can do this, Shinji. He thought to himself. Just say something nice. Remember what Cousin Josuke said about him and Uncle Joseph.
"So…father. I still can't believe it's been so long since she's gone." Shinji spoke for the first time after they half-heartedly greet each other. "I still miss her, you know."
"I do too, Shinji. I do too." Gendo said as if he was reminiscing. "This is the only trace of her left. Everything else was destroyed."
"Why?" Shinji asked. Do you even want to remember her?
"People just have to move on. Not get tied down by the past." Gendo replied. "Seeing things that remind me of your mother every day would distract me too much from my work."
"But…"
"My memories of her are all I need." Gendo continued. This will have to do until Instrumentality is complete.
Before Shinji could speak, he heard the sound of jet engines. The father-son pair turned and saw a helicopter land in a clearing right behind them.
"I guess our time is up, Shinji." Gendo said as he walked towards the chopper. "Have a good day, Shinji. Our discussion was quite…productive."
Shinji gave his dad a curt nod and walked towards Misato's car, where the owner stood waiting.
"So, how did it go?" Misato asked.
"Better than I thought, actually." Shinji replied. "I didn't get angry at him, and he actually said what we did was productive, whatever that means."
"See, Shinji? It wasn't all that bad." Misato said. "Now come on, let's go pick up your friends before we're off to the train station."
"What about Rei, Shizuka, and Mari?" Shinji asked as he got in. "We're meeting a new pilot after all."
"Kawajiri is driving Rei and Mari there. Shizuka's on duty today." Misato replied as she hit the acceleration. "And off we go!"
Tokyo-3 Train Station, NERV Terminal
The Tokyo-3 train station is a state-of-the-art transport complex with the size and décor that is comparable to most major airports. It officially opened in 2010 in order to accommodate the increasing number of commuters brought on by the city's status. Besides the usual passenger and cargo terminals, the station has a terminal dedicated solely to NERV use that ferries staff and supplies into the GeoFront. With its own entrance and parking lot, the NERV terminal is segregated from the rest of the station and is heavily guarded by a mixture of NERV security personnel and UN troops.
"Whoa, it's just like a military base!" Kensuke exclaimed as he filmed the place with his camera. "I can't believe I actually get invited in here!"
"Thanks a lot for taking us here, Shinji!" Toji smacked Shinji's back as they walked along. "This place is wicked!"
Behind them, Mari was trying (and failing miserably) to get Rei to engage in conversation.
"So…Shinji told me you like Pink Dark Boy." Mari was running out of ideas. "What's your favourite character?"
"Would you like me to list them one-by-one, Pilot Makinami?" Rei replied. "We have, as people would say, 'time to kill'."
Can we just get there soon? Misato thought as she returned a guard's salute for the 50th time. My arm is getting tired.
"Hey, Misato, is that it?" Shinji asked as he pointed his finger at a train solely consisting of two locomotives on each end, a passenger car, and a really long open-topped car. On the long car rested the bright red Eva Unit 02, with technicians in coveralls crawling all over the machine and surrounded by pieces of tarp that protected the Eva from the elements during the journey from Narita to Tokyo-3.
"Hmm, let's see now…" Misato replied as she scanned for a sign. "Platform 17? Yup, that's the one! All right, everyone, be nice!"
The group strolled up to the passenger car, with Misato stepping up to the door and knocking on it while the rest of the group stayed on the platform concourse. There was no response, however, and Misato knocked again.
"Maybe whoever is inside is taking a nap?" Mari asked as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Hello? Anybody home?" Misato asked as she knocked for a third time.
"'Home' isn't quite the correct term for a train car, don't you think?" An unfamiliar Italian-accented voice spoke up behind Misato. "More like a box with some nice-looking chairs."
Misato whipped around and found herself face-to-face with a man that had somehow snuck up on her, and she back up against the door in shock. He had a slender build and wore an Italian special forces 'Vegecam' uniform with the rank insignia of a Major as well as a maroon beret. His straw-coloured hair was cropped short, and his chin was lined with strange square-shaped marks that Misato was sure were scars. In his left hand was a soft drink he bought from one of the fast food outlets in the terminal, while his right hand quickly came up in the form of a salute, which Misato hastily returned.
"Major Julius Caesar Zeppeli at your service, ma'am, but my friends call me Gyro." The strange soldier grinned, showing what appeared to be a metallic mouth guard engraved with the phrase "Go! Go! Zeppeli!". "You must be Lieutenant-Colonel Katsuragi. I must say, I didn't expect a fine signorina like you to be my commanding officer."
"I-I-well, I am!" Misato finally regained her composure. "How did you sneak past the group I brought anyway?"
"Oh, those guys? It was pretty easy for someone like yours truly who's used to covert stuff." Gyro looked behind him. "I can safely say a long plane ride, turbulence, plus the train here did not dampen my skills."
"Umm, ok then." Misato raised an eyebrow as she offered her hand. "Welcome to Tokyo-3, Assistant Operations Director. You must be the Second Child's chaperone too, then?"
"Yup, that's me." He smiled, showing his strange mouth guard again. "Although you can't meet her quite yet. She's doing some diagnostic tests in Unit 02 before the train is cleared to head into the GeoFront."
"I guess we can wait, then." Misato said. "In the meantime, can you go down to the concourse with me so we can meet with the rest of the group?"
UN Science Vessel, Off the Coast of Japan
Jotaro Kujo was impressed with how quickly Kaji jumped through the hoops of several agencies to form a small scientific flotilla so quickly. Aside from the GSJ ship that was on scene and the UN science vessel requested by Jotaro, UNAF-Japan dispatched combat vessels, and NERV sent their own research ship with Kaji on board. After a week of office and lab work at the Sanctuary, Jotaro was glad to finally be onboard.
"All right, you guys have been working on this for a week now." Jotaro said as he stepped into the fully-stocked laboratory on the UN ship. "Any leads?"
"Very little, Doctor Kujo. We only managed to clean the sediment off the object." A female scientist replied. "It has an extremely durable shell that none of sensors can penetrate, preventing us from looking inside. Judging from the sample we gathered, the object has to be either an egg or a cocoon. It's almost impossible to determine the creature's genome, let alone physiology and behavior. From what little we found out, it doesn't share anything in common with any Earth lifeform."
"The military escorts have a standing offer to use their munitions to attempt to crack the shell, but we have held off on this option because the potential damage on this new lifeform." Another scientist picked up. "At this point, though, we might consider their offer more seriously."
"Hmm, hold off on the bombs for another day." Jotaro said. "If there is still no progress, you have my permission to request the big guns."
"You got it." The second scientist gave Jotaro a thumb-up, just as an announcement came over the PA system about a new development.
"Seems like the divers found something." Jotaro turned to the door. "Come on, let's go to the observation area."
Jotaro and the others made their way through the ship's cramped corridors, emerging in the observation area, where several large screens to display what the submersibles were recording. Jotaro gestured for the man manning the radio to step aside, and he picked up the headset.
"FF, what's going on?" Jotaro asked as he examined one of the screens. "Talk to me."
"Not sure if it's showing up on screen yet, Doctor Kujo." Foo Fighters replied. "But it seems like the object is…slowly imploding."
Jotaro looked up at the biggest screen at the object, which was somewhat round and had a sickly green colour. In mere moments cracks appeared along the object's surface in real time. That's definitely an egg all right! Jotaro thought as he continued to watch cracks spread all over the surface while bits of the surface began to sink inwards. At first it was one or two pieces every few seconds, then several more chunks sank deeper than the first few pieces, then pieces of the entire object's surface retreated deeper into the object as if it was collapsing from the inside. Just then, a technician announced that there was an underwater earthquake, and another voice came from the radio.
"This is NRV-202." The code signified that it was the NERV research vessel. "Our scanners have picked up Blood Type Blue when the object started cracking. That thing is an Angel!"
"Get the submersibles and divers out of there!" Jotaro ordered as he picked up the headset. "Get me Agent Kaji."
"Looks like we got a little issue on our hands." Kaji's voice came on. "Don't worry, I've already requested a little firepower from the UN flotilla. They should be firing in…right about now."
Several small blips that were most likely torpedoes, judging from the size and speed, appeared on the UN science vessel's sonar display. Jotaro watched impatiently as the blips came closer and closer to the object's position before disappearing, coinciding with a series of small quakes. Then, another wave of blips followed before disappearing in a similar way to the first one, and then a third wave came before the order to cease fire was given. Then a far larger blip, probably one of the UN flotilla's submarines appeared on screen and hovered over the object's position.
"This is Uniform 34, we have detected no traces of any life form." A German-accented voice came over the radio. "Stand by for further updates."
"「Yare yare」, that didn't do any good against the Angel." Jotaro said, a hint of frustration in his voice. He looked at the sonar screen again. The large blip was still there, and the sonar picked up dozens of small craters from the torpedo attacks, along with a massive one in the middle. Jotaro thought he saw the crater getting deeper with every ping and walked closer to get a better look. His suspicion was quickly confirmed when the German Navy submarine assigned to the UN flotilla radioed back.
"This is Uniform 34. Our sonars picked up what appears to be a tunnel at the epicenter of the site." The German voice came on again. "Scans show it appears to lengthen in real-time."
"I'll bet you five thousand yen that thing is headed towards Tokyo-3." Kaji's voice replaced the German sailor's. "Now, how the hell do we track this thing?"
"GSJ has seismic sensors planted all over Japan in order to track earthquakes." Jotaro spoke up. "The Angel is digging a tunnel to Tokyo-3, we can use those sensors to track the Angel's path towards the GeoFront."
"Good call, Doctor Kujo." Kaji maintained an air of formality since they were in public. "NERV is being notified as we speak. They should be able to scramble the Evas in time."
NERV Terminal
"We've got an Angel headed towards the GeoFront!" Misato yelled as she flipped her cell phone close. "Major Zeppeli, is Eva Unit 02 combat ready?"
"Perfectly, ma'am. We can sync the pilot right here." Zeppeli replied, his drink still in hand. "There is also a temporary power source stored on the transport car, but it's only good for 10 minutes before Unit 02 is forced to rely on internal power."
"Good, they are prepping Unit 04 for launch right now. Shizuka can handle interception duty in the GeoFront." Misato said. "Get Unit 02 ready to surface deployment! I'm taking the pilots and the two guests to the GeoFront."
Zeppeli gave a quick salute, then turned around and started barking out orders to the techs who were perched on Unit 02 running diagnostic checks. The techs suddenly began moving with a renewed sense of urgency as their duty switched from diagnosis to launch. As Misato led her group away, she saw a tech approaching Zeppeli with a worried look on his face. That's his problem to deal with right now. She thought as she led them to the parking lot.
"Sir, we got an issue on our hands." The tech said. "We just picked up some kind of foreign object in the entry plug, and the Second Child has not responded to any communication."
"What?" Zeppeli's smile disappeared for the first time that day. "Get me the diagnostic…"
He was suddenly cut off by several blood-curdling screams. Zeppeli whipped around only to see one of the techs gripped in Unit 02's slowly-closing fist, and his colleagues with prybars attempting to get him loose. The tech's screaming quickly fell silent as the giant fist crushed his chest cavities. Blood dripped onto Unit 02's hand from the man's nose and mouth as his free head and shoulders jerked about for the final time. With a muffled roar, Unit 02 snapped off the strap that held down its arms and threw the dead tech at the ceiling. The mangled corpse hit the ceiling with a wet smack before falling onto the floor. Meanwhile, Unit 02 thrashed about, sending several more techs flying followed by a series of crunching noises as they hit any hard surface and their bones shattered from contact.
"B-blood P-p-pattern B-blue!" The tech reporting to Zeppeli stuttered as he looked at the results in his handheld scanner. "W-we have a second Angel!"
"Ma'am, we need another Eva Unit on the surface ASAP!" Zeppeli was already speaking into his issued cell phone at that point. "Unit 02 has been possessed by another Angel! We need to evacuate the entire station, NOW!"
Inside Unit 02's Entry Plug
At that moment in time, Asuka found herself in a very disgusting situation. As soon as she tried to activate Unit 02, she saw a strange blue glow coming from underneath her seat. The source of that glow turned out to be something resembling mold that quickly multiplied in the LCL and spread all over the entry plug, adding a musty mold smell to the blood-like scent of LCL.
It attacked the electronics first so Asuka can't communicate to the outside world, then it attacked the door override just as Asuka was about to activate it. The mold then spread up Asuka's arms to the rest of her body and finally firmly glued her in place. She tried to wriggle herself free to no avail, and her screams for help were cut off by the layers of armor and the entry plug walls that was supposed to protect the Eva Pilots from damage. She felt gravity starting to shift and deduced that the Angel completed the activation sequence by itself and was ready to wreak havoc.
Think, Asuka, verdammit! She tried to come up with any kind of plan to get herself free and stop the Angel. She screamed again in frustration when she realized something: the fact that she could scream meant her airway was free. She grinned once she realized the Angel's fatal mistake. Trying her best to ignore the moldy smell, Asuka took several deep breaths to focus. Just like 「der Trainer」 taught you.
Koooooohhhhhh…She began the breathing techniques that she's been taught since she was little and felt the familiar warmth in her hands. She kept her eyes shut and continued her breathing just as she felt the gravity shift again. In a remote corner of her mind, Asuka figured the Eva was trying to sit upright, but she packed away that thought as she refocused on her immediate environment. Asuka heard a sizzling sound coming from where her hands were and kept breathing, the sizzling spreading to the rest of her body moments later.
Asuka's plugsuit was unique in several ways. Besides having reinforced shoulders and rib area as well as integrated knee and elbow protection, the suit's palms and knuckles were specially made using extracts from the Satiporoja beetle. The product was a plugsuit that afforded extra protection for the user and allow a user more effectively utilize the ancient martial art known as Hamon. When Asuka breathed, she filled her body with Hamon energy that seeped into the environment first through her hands then through the rest of her body. In seconds, the mold that covered her was burnt away, setting her free.
Asuka heard a muffled roar as if the possessed Unit 02 was in pain, then a loud clang with heavy shaking as if the Eva was trying to dig out the source of the pain. Scheiße, I'm running out of time! Asuka thought as she looked for a way to completely clear the Angel from the entry plug. Burning the Angel away with my hands is too slow. There's gotta be a faster…wait, I'm in LCL!
Thinking back to all those times during sync tests where she accidentally infused all the LCL in the entry plug with Hamon, Asuka started her breathing drills again, ignoring the jolting caused by blows dealt by the infected Unit 02 to its own head. In a minute, the LCL warmed up, the smell of mold started disappearing, and yellow sparks crackled throughout the entry plug. Sizzling could be heard throughout the entry plug as the mold started to smolder and retreat while Asuka continued her breathing. Suddenly, a particularly strong blow jolted Asuka back until she hit a wall, knocking her breath out and sticking her to the mold that was infesting there. The sparks soon faded and the mold stopped burning. It then began quickly creeping around Asuka's body and head.
Nein! I'm not going to lose like this! The mold had already crawled over most of Asuka's face including her eyes and her chin. She took several deep breaths quickly, burning away the any mold on her bare skin, followed by her hands and finally the rest of her plugsuit. Not wanting to be caught off guard again, Asuka pushed herself towards her seat while she kept breathing, sending more mold burning away while Unit 02 continued to roar in agony. Although the seat was still covered in mold, Asuka's body was charged with enough Hamon that they all burned away with contact.
"Friss Scheiße und stirb, Engel-Schweinehund!" Asuka yelled, sending more Hamon into the surrounding LCL. The disappearing mold smell was quickly replaced with something Asuka thought smelled like a combination of burnt hair and garbage, but she pressed on with her breathing. All over the entry plug, mold quickly burned away while shaking in agony, and Unit 02 resorted to shaking its upper torso as well as hitting itself in reaction to the pain. Out of the corner of the eye, Asuka saw pieces of the mold trying to reach the door controls just like how she tried to do the same.
"What are you, stupid? Even if you did get out, metal also conducts Hamon. The fact that this entry plug and pretty much all of Unit 02 is metal means you'll have no place to run, and nowhere to hide." Asuka said. "I'm not just charging this entry plug with Hamon either, I'm sending Hamon all over Unit 02 using the pipes that circulate LCL throughout the Eva's body. Now, die! Cleansing Scarlet Overdrive!"
With her battle cry, a huge jolt of Hamon was sent out from her body, destroying any traces of the mold in and around the entry plug. The Hamon then coursed through all of Unit 02's body before dissipating on the Eva's exterior, destroying any traces of the mold Angel that didn't get cleaned up by Asuka's initial efforts and healing any damaged tissue. Unit 02 thrashed about for a final time, then became still. The Angel Bardiel was no more.
Asuka leaned back in her seat then suddenly jolted forward when she remembered there's another Angel on the loose. She quickly checked the electronics and control for any damage before contacting Zeppeli.
Train Station Exterior
"Ma'am, how close is the second Eva Unit for launch?" Zeppeli asked.
"We're going as fast as we can, but we can't launch the second Eva for at least 10 minutes." Misato replied over the phone. "What's the damage on the surface?"
"We got several dead NERV staff, but Unit 02 hasn't broken free." Zeppeli replied. "I was just contacted by the Second Child. She told me she managed to neutralize the Angel."
"WHAT? That means she did it from inside the entry plug!" Misato sounded surprised. "How the hell did that happen?"
"I'll let you know the details once this is all over." Zeppeli said as several techs ran past him into the train station. "What's the status of the first Angel?"
"Getting a live feed from Geological Survey sensors, it's rapidly closing in on Tokyo-3 and travelling underground." Misato replied. "We started the remote activation process for Unit 02 on our end. Do what you need to do to get Unit 02 online, and we can figure something out."
"Roger, out." Zeppeli stuffed the phone back into his pocket and then thumbed his radio. "Asuka, how're you doing? Over."
"A little winded and shook up, Coach, but I'm fine enough to kick the other Angel's ass." Asuka replied. "Let's get this activation procedure over with so I can have a piece of the action! Uh, over."
"That's the spirit, Asuka." Zeppeli smiled. "Gyro out."
After several minutes, Asuka notified Zeppeli that Unit 02 was fully active. Zeppeli then contacted Misato again.
"Ma'am. Are there any power fixtures in Tokyo-3? Unit 02 needs a more permanent power source." He asked. "Also, what's the Angel's ETA?"
"There are fixtures scattered throughout the city. I'll send a map to Unit 02's systems for the Second Child to make a call." Misato replied. "The Angel's ETA is…5 minutes. Wait, something is happening. The Angel is digging deeper! Per the MAGI's calculations, it's going straight for the GeoFront! Revised ETA is 7 minutes!"
"Hmm, the Angel has two possible paths of attack at this stage. It could either dig into the hollow of the GeoFront and briefly expose itself before going straight for NERV HQ, or it could bypass the hollow and go straight for NERV HQ without ever exposing itself." Zeppeli analyzed the situation for Misato. "Now, as per previous reports, Angels aren't dumb animals, so it would most likely go for the second option. This would make our job a lot harder since that option makes the Angel far harder to track."
"So, what do you suggest we do, Major?" Misato asked.
"I'll send Unit 02 down into the GeoFront. The Second Child needs the location of the nearest elevator down." Zeppeli replied. "I took the liberty of getting a helicopter and get a bird's eye view since I'm not going to have enough time to get to the command center."
"Roger that, Zeppeli." Misato said. "Good luck."
Just as Zeppeli hung up, a Chinook from the Air Self-Defense Force landed behind him, and Zeppeli ran onboard. He looked out through one of the windows and saw Unit 02 holding some equipment headed towards a square hole nearby.
"Follow the Eva!" He ordered the pilot before taking the co-pilot's seat. Unit 02 had detached the cable and rolled it up around its head before jumping into the pit. The helicopter followed the Eva Unit nose-first and was surrounded by darkness for several long moments before finally emerging in the GeoFront. By that point, Unit 02 had already landed and plugged itself in, Unit 04 was also deployed.
Now, Asuka, how will you face this test? Zeppeli wondered as he observed the scene unfolding in the GeoFront.
Unit 02 Entry Plug
"One hell of a first mission isn't it, Second Child?" Shizuka's friendly face appeared on screen. "I could use some fresh opinion on how to deal with this thing. None of the adults in HQ could figure out how to get it."
"Damn it Ami, I'm trying to figure this out too!" Asuka replied before grunting in frustration. "I really don't want to go dig it up when it's drilling through NERV HQ. There's got to be a way we can force it to come out before it's too late."
"If we weren't so short on time, I'd suggest dropping enough N2 mines all over the GeoFront to dig the Angel up." Shizuka replied. "In the meantime, let's stick closer to the HQ."
"Jawohl, Frau Commandant." Asuka replied sarcastically before the screen blinked shut and disappeared. She followed Unit 04 to NERV HQ while desperately trying to come up with an idea. She thought back to the really abbreviated brief Misato gave her after Unit 02's activation on how the Angel is moving in the ground in the same way fish swim in the water. Remembering Gyro's teachings on breaking a problem down to simpler lines, Asuka decided to continue thinking about the problem along the lines of fishing.
We can't exactly use a fishing pole and bait, and a net is out of the question. Asuka thought as she (or rather Unit 02) gripped the equipment bag strapped to Eva Unit 02's back tightly. Electric traps. Wait a minute! If the other Angel reacted like to my Hamon attack, maybe I can use Hamon to shock the underground Angel and force it to come out! Hmm, I think I could make something work. She quickly set down the gear she was carrying on her back and took out crossbow.
"Oberstleutnant Katsuragi." Asuka asked while Shizuka looked on in surprise at Asuka's weapon. "Do you have any ammunition for my weapon? The model is MM-144."
"We do, actually." Misato replied. "We got a shipment of ammunition in anticipation for your arrival. Sending it out now."
"Danke." Asuka said. "How's my sync ratio?"
"Huh? It's at 83%." Misato replied in a confused tone. "Pretty good for someone who's trained as long as you have. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just want to see how I'm doing compared to training." It was half of the truth. The other half was that she could better channel Hamon through Unit 02 when her sync ratio was over 75%. Before she closed her eyes and began her breathing drills, Asuka glanced at the timer. Three minutes. Plenty of time.
Koooooohhhhhhh…Asuka breathed, and the oxygen-rich LCL helped her harness far more Hamon energy than she ever could outside of an Eva. Golden sparks filled the entry plug's interior as Hamon flowed out of the chamber, through the arms, and onto Asuka's crossbow. Shizuka glanced at Asuka and was shocked at how her weapon was covered in yellow lightning. Before she could call Asuka, Unit 02 suddenly aimed the weapon at the ground and started firing, sending electromagnetically-propelled spikes into random points on the ground until the magazine ran dry.
"Pilot Soyru, what the hell are you doing?" Misato asked angrily as Asuka grabbed a fresh magazine from the car sent from NERV HQ. "We still don't have a plan to fight the Angel, time is almost up, and you're here fucking around wasting ammunition!"
"Ma'am, I think I know what Asuka's planning." Zeppeli's voice suddenly interrupted. "It has to do with her abilities. There's no time to explain it yet, but I promise you I will tell the truth after the mission."
Asuka ignored the conversation about her as she expended the second magazine and grabbed a new one. She opened her eyes and took another look at the timer. Two minutes. Time to kick this up a notch. She climbed onto the top of the NERV pyramid and held on to the tip with one hand, and crossbow in the other. She continued to fire until the magazine ran dry, quickly clambered down to fetch another magazine, then climbed back on top of the pyramid. She repeated the pattern several more times until the entire area within a 10-kilometer radius of the NERV pyramid is dotted with Hamon-infused bolts from Asuka's crossbow. Asuka opened her eyes for the final time and glanced at the timer. Thirty seconds. Plenty of time to spare.
"You better know what she's doing, Zeppeli!" Misato was still angry at Asuka. "She expended all the crossbow ammunition we gave her!"
"I assure you, ma'am. There's a method behind Asuka's madness." Zeppeli reassured Misato. Before Zeppeli could continue, the ground suddenly started shaking. The shaking grew stronger as the Angel approached NERV HQ. Asuka dug through her equipment and took out a stick which unfolded into a Progressive Spear. Shizuka aimed her rifle down at the ground, waiting for the Angel to come out.
The ground suddenly exploded as something resembling a giant grey centipede with a wide toothed mouth on the front exploded up the ground, throwing rock, soil, and previously-embedded crossbow bolts into the air. Shizuka saw yellow electric arcs surrounding the creature and quickly realized she saw the same thing on Asuka's weapon and all over Unit 02. The front half of the long Angel crashed on the ground, writhing in pain from the Hamon that leeched from the bolts into the soil.
"Time for some spear-fishing, Arschloch!" Asuka jumped up with her spear, ready to stab the Angel.
Eva Unit 02 thrusted downwards with the Prog Spear, but the Angel twisted away right before impact. Unit 02 slashed sideways with the blade, only for the Angel to dodge again and extend spikes from its shell. The Angel then tried to wrap around Unit 02, only to get distracted by shots from Shizuka's rifle. Seeing a new prey, the Angel pulled its entire body out of the ground and quickly rushed towards Shizuka with its mouth gaping, hoping for a bite.
"Di molto! By shooting all those Hamon-infused spikes into the ground, Asuka created a Hamon trap that would force the Angel to the surface!" Zeppeli said excitedly over the radio as he stood up in his seat.
"Sir, please sit down!" The helicopter pilot said exasperatedly. "This distraction is a major hazard to flying."
Shoving the pilot away, Zeppeli continued while Asuka lunged at the Angel again. "Just look at it! She infused her spear with Hamon so she could send that ripple energy straight into the Angel's body and deal a killing blow!"
A large eye suddenly opened on the Angel's back end between its two stingers, and it reared back and rushed towards Unit 02. Asuka dodged a little too late, earning Unit 02 a painful stab in the right arm. Meanwhile, Unit 04 barely dodged a bite from the Angel.
"Hey, Amerikaner, did you figure out where the core is yet?" Asuka asked Shizuka as she finally landed a blow, only for the wound to start healing right away. "I don't think death by a thousand cuts is going to work on this thing."
"Nope, still looking!" Shizuka replied as she fired a quick burst before dodging. "Any luck on your end?"
"You could help me by switching to something sharp and start poking!" Asuka replied as she stabbed the Angel's tail for the fourth time, leaving another slowly-healing wound. "If it starts to curl up, we're close to something delicate!"
Switching to her Prog Knife, Shizuka waited until the creature drew closer, then slashed its head before jumping out of the way…only to land back first straight on top of the creature's midsection, sending spikes digging into Unit 04 and causing Shizuka to cry out in pain. Meanwhile, Asuka got stabbed the leg by the creature's stingers. Coming up with an idea, she grabbed onto a stinger with one hand and stabbed the Angel's tail repeatedly. The combination of the prog knife and Hamon energy caused the Angel to thrash about chaotically in pain, sending a segment of its long body crashing into the NERV pyramid.
Recovering from her fall, Shizuka flipped around and stabbed deep into the creature's body, but barely drew a response. She jumped again and stabbed, embedding the blade further along the creature. The Angel suddenly curled up as if it was in extreme pain.
"Second Child, I think I got it!" Shizuka called Asuka. "Looks like the Angel's core is roughly halfway long its body."
"Keep slashing away along that area!" Asuka replied. "The more you hit a creature's vulnerable area, the more it curls up and tries to defend that zone!"
Asuka tried to run over, only for Unit 02 to trip and fall over. As she groggily got up again, Asuka realized that the stingers contained a venom that was causing the affected areas to seize up. Her entire right arm and left leg felt like they were on fire and unable to move.
"Damn you, Angel!" Asuka tried her best to hobble over while Shizuka was busy slashing away at the Angel's carapace. Despite her urging, Unit 02 refused to go any faster and tripped again. After she propped herself back up using the Prog Sphere, Asuka saw that the creature was trying to wrap itself around Unit 04 and crush it.
Kooooohhhh…Asuka breathed in some more, soothing the pain and causing the Eva to be able to run, albeit slowly. The Angel had wrapped itself around Unit 04 by that point, with its spikes stabbing into the Eva Unit.
"Hurry, Asuka" Shizuka struggled to talk as she was being crushed and she felt stabs all over her body.
Asuka breathed in some more and jumped up, with the Prog Spear in Unit 02's left hand, supported by the right hand. As she dropped down with the spear aimed at the Angel's still-exposed vital area, she supercharged the blade with Hamon energy.
"Metal! Silver! Overdrive!" Asuka screamed out as she plunged the spear into the creature, the tip coming out of the other side covered in a red fluid. After a two-second pause, the creature let out a grating death-rattle as it unraveled from Shizuka and exploded, sending red liquid and spikes around the area. Fortunately, the spikes by themselves bounced harmlessly off the Eva Unit's AT-fields. Eva Unit 02 landed on the ground with a roll and skidded a short distance before coming to a halt.
NERV Command Center
"Impressive, most impressive." Gendo spoke from behind clasped hands. "The Second Child is certain a lot more formidable than I anticipated."
"Indeed, sir." Fuyutsuki said as he observed the little celebration below. "Do you think this will damage the scenario in any way?"
"In all honesty, I don't know." Gendo replied. "That Angel was not any of the ones mentioned in the Dead Sea scrolls. For reasons that escape even myself, the Angel that was supposed to come is unaccounted for."
"Recover Units 02 and 04 immediately!" Misato ordered. "And guide the other pilots plus the visitors to the Eva cages! Zeppeli, meet me there."
Launch Bay
The helicopter dropped off Zeppeli on a helipad that extended out of the NERV pyramid, and he managed to find his way to the Eva cages after asking a NERV employee. He found Misato and the group of teens already there.
"All right, Zeppeli, I was definitely impressed by the Second Child's performance today." Misato said. "But what the hell was that? During the entire mission, Unit 02 was emitting UV radiation."
"I did promise to tell you the truth, ma'am, and my honor as an Italian officer compels me to do so. Asuka and myself are both practitioners of an ancient martial art known as Hamon. It's also known as Ripple or Sendo in certain parts of the world. In fact, I was the one who taught her." Zeppeli said. "By breathing a certain way, it allows the body to harness the power of sunlight for various purposes, chiefly healing and fighting. It is said my ancestor William Antonio Zeppeli discovered Hamon when he saw a monk in Tibet heal a man's gangrene with nothing but his bare hands."
"That's actually quite impressive, Major." Misato said. "Would it be possible for NERV to hire a Hamon master to teach the pilots?"
"I wish I could, ma'am, but only one in ten thousand can use Hamon, let alone master it" Zeppeli said. "From a quick glance, I can tell none of you have the aptitude for Hamon. I hate being harsh, but that's just the way things are."
While Misato and Zeppeli chatted, Eva Units 04 and 02 were being transported to their designated docks. Asuka noticed that her dock was right beside where Gyro and the others were standing. Feeling excited and impatient, she decided to pay them a little visit before the debrief.
Once Eva Unit 02 came to a halt, the entry plug extended itself halfway out of the Eva, and a figure climbed out. Shinji noticed it out of the corner of his eye, and he got the group's attention.
"Wait, is she going to jump?" Shinji asked. "She'll get killed falling this far down!"
"Just relax, kid." Zeppeli replied after he looked up. "Asuka knows what she's doing."
Just as the Italian officer finished speaking, the figure somersaulted into the air, dropping straight down onto the solid ground. Bright sparks surrounded the girl before forming into a golden aura while she was in freefall. When she landed, a wave of sparks exploded from where she hit the ground, knocking Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke back.
Once the dust settled, Shinji could clearly see the figure. It was a girl wearing a bright red plugsuit with bright blue eyes and had her long red heir tied up in a ponytail. Unlike the other female plugsuits, the number of her Eva Unit was on a light green patch on her right shoulder rather than the middle of her chest, which instead read "SORYU". On the suit's left shoulder was the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany.
"Signori and signorine, may I introduce the pride of the German Air Force." Zeppeli said with an exaggerated bow. "Captain Asuka Langley Soryu!"
"Misato!" Asuka rushed forward excitedly. "It's been forever!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Asuka." Misato smiled. "Always with a flair for theatrics."
"So, who's the pilot that got in thanks to his daddy?" Asuka's expression changed as she scanned the 3 boys, ignoring Rei and Mari. "Is it dumb muscles here?"
"Hey! What the hell?" Toji got defensive.
"Poindexter?" Asuka pointed at Kensuke before shifting her eyes to Shinji. "Or is it rooster head over here?"
"Sohryu, what the hell did you say about my hair?" Shinji's expression turned dark as he mimicked something he always saw Cousin Josuke do. Without realizing it, 「Black Hole Sun」materialized right behind him.
"Oh, daddy's boy has a Stand? How cute." Asuka said mockingly as she raised her right arm straight into the air, pointer finger out, while she splayed her legs. "Two can play the same game. 「Five Finger Death Punch」!"
She snapped her raised arm down and pointed straight at Shinji. On her command, what appeared to be a set of steampunk exoskeleton arms flashed into existence, covering Asuka's actual arms. The gunmetal gauntlets were covered in dried blood and had spikes lined along the knuckles. The arms were a bronze colour while the metallic clockwork "backpack" had several exhaust pipes sticking out the top over her head. The two teens stared at each other for a few minutes waiting for each other to move while the rest of the hangar fell into a dead silence…until a loud crunching sound filled the air. It was Zeppeli, who somehow still had his drink and was chewing an ice cube.
"Well, I guess we finally broke the ice." He grinned as he stuck out his tongue, showing off shattered ice perched on top before pulling the tongue back in. "Get it? It's a gag I just thought of!"
The hangar fell silent again for a few seconds until Asuka burst out in laughter, 「Five Finger Death Punch」disappearing in the process.
"Th-that w-was a g-g-good one, T-Trainer!" Asuka said in between laughs. "Break the ice! Who could have thought of that?"
"What the hell was that?" Toji asked with a confused look on his face as Asuka kept laughing even when tears started appearing in the corners of her eyes.
Later That Day
Wow, what a day. Shinji thought to himself as he unlocked the door to Misato's apartment after playing video games at Toji's place. Having an obnoxious girl like Asuka around is not going to be fun.
He walked towards his room when he suddenly realized two things. One: there were boxes labeled "Deutsche Post" all over the place. Two: he walked past someone in the kitchen who had red hair, and Misato definitely did not have red hair. Shinji turned around slowly and saw Asuka wearing a tank top and shorts with a bottle of juice in her right hand. She wore her red hair loosely, but with her interface headset still on her head.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY APAREMENT?" Shinji demanded angrily.
"What does it look like, dummkopf?" Asuka asked smugly. "I'm moving in."
"But I'm already sharing the place with Misato!" Shinji was still angry. "You can't just waltz in like you own the place."
"Actually, I approved Asuka moving in here." Misato poked her head out from her room, her face red from drinking. "That cheapskate Zeppeli decided to go for a tiny apartment in Tokyo-3, leaving her with us. By the way Shinji, Asuka moved into your old room. You are now in the smaller room right next door, one room closer to me!"
"I really miss Morioh." Shinji quipped.
<====TO BE CONTINUED==|\|===
Little Asuka in Germany
Summer vacation couldn't have come soon enough for young Asuka Langley Soryu. She was taken out of the regular German school system after her mama's death and was assigned several tutors who lived and worked onsite at GEHIRN. The remainder of the school year was spent force-feeding her various lessons and subjecting her to numerous tests. She never saw her papa a single time during the school year.
"You've progressed remarkably, Asuka." The director of the project told her at the end of the school year. "We don't believe in assigning homework during vacation time since it's your relaxing time. Have fun, and we'll see you after the summer."
Asuka ran excitedly towards her papa's apartment as she dreamed of all the plans she had in mind with her father. Dreams what were shattered when she saw a note from papa explaining that he'd gone away on honeymoon with his new wife. Asuka promised herself she would never cry again after her mother's funeral, but she came close that day. As she wandered aimlessly back to her own apartment, she bumped into the legs of a much taller man. He wore his hair in a mullet and dressed like a cowboy.
"I'm sorry." She said sheepishly. The man squatted down until he was face-to-face with Asuka and grinned, showing off a mouth guard engraved with the phrase "Go! Go! Zeppeli!"
"Asuka Soryu, I presume?" The man kept grinning. "I'm Gyro Zeppeli, a relative of your mother's, and I'll be taking care of you for the summer."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Zeppeli." Asuka said, still looking down.
"Don't be shy, Asuka, and just 'Gyro' is fine." Gyro smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, nyo-ho!"
"You look funny, Gyro." Asuka said as she started walking along with him.
"That's because I just got back from a business trip overseas." Gyro replied. "So, you ever been to Italy before?"
"Nope." Asuka replied.
"Viva! You get to visit Italy for the first time this summer." Gyro said cheerfully before going on about how beautiful his native land was.
As he went on about Italy and they started packing up Asuka's stuff for the trip, Asuka had a feeling that it was the beginning of something amazing.
A/N: Next you'll say: "You're finally back!"
Last edited:
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
You're finally back!
...EH?
...EH?
shadowace2400
Planeswalker Extraordinaire
- Location
- Texas
I thought there was a technique to force hamon capability? Or was it so they wouldn't ask again?
IIRC Zeppeli tried to force Hamon capability in Speedwagon, but it didn't work out. The JoJo wikia said something vague about the driving force behind Hamon comes from pressure faced by a user who lived a harsh life.