They Came From Down Below(OC/NGE)

[Dranndor]

Good day everyone. This story has been brewing in my mind for months, and I keep going back and forth asking people if it's good or not. I postponed working on it over and over again, mostly due to being losing my nerve every time I look at it. But just a few hours ago I decided that I delayed long enough, and so thought damn the torpedos, full steam ahead. If it's bad, then it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about story writing.

Right, I think that is enough of my rant. Before I unveil my creation, I want to give very big thanks to @Ranma-sense , @Boreas Anemos, @Rajvik_wolfboy, and @Alex for their help at reviewing and correcting mistakes in this story, and @Strypgia, @BG_Character_592, @Ultra Sonic 007, and @Jake for giving me the inspiration to get involved in the world of storytelling and using Evangelion as the basis. I will post the entirety of my planned first chapter here, so apologies if it incredibly long. Now, I (not so) proudly present to you, They Came From Down Below.



The tranquility of the Polish farmland was shattered by the sounds of guns and missiles firing. A vast swarm of grey metallic automatons marched relentlessly against a defensive line held by a joint UN-NATO Troops.


After the sudden emergence of the swarm a week ago in Eastern Poland, the UN Security Council, NATO Military Committee, and the European Defence Union had authorized the deployment of a joint army to make a stand near the Polish-German border. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers gathered and created a hasty line of a defense filled with trenches, mines, and artillery emplacements.


Before the swarm even got close to the defensive line, hundreds of planes and drones did a multitude of bombing runs that destroyed many automatons. However, even though it is straightforward in its ways, the swarm possessed weaponry that is on par with humanity's best, and that includes anti-air defenses. dozens of air support units were lost, and eventually, the survivors were forced to halt their run due to the increasing volume of anti-air weaponry.


On the 27th of September, 2030, the first wave met the defense line. Massive amounts of firepower devastated the automaton line, but it was a mere vanguard of the main swarm. Six hours after the first wave the rest of the swarm arrived and began their assault. Countless artillery and laser weaponry blasted through the first line of defense, aided by thousands of aerial drones. Soon the defending forces abandoned the first line, setting off explosive charges that were placed for such an eventuality.


the charges took many automatons with it, but the overall swarm was not too affected, and by the next day the second line was breached, and another retreat was commenced.


For the next several days, the automatons steadily eroded the defensive lines, and by the 6th of August half of the lines had been broken through. The swarm itself, despite losing a sizable part of itself, remained unstoppable.


The only sure way to stop an automaton swarm was to destroy its central relay, usually located deep behind their lines. That was the target of the previous bombing runs. Previously large concentrations of attack planes were enough to go through their anti-air defenses, but the current swarm had both more numerous and more advanced weaponry, incurring far greater losses. With their only chance of avoiding a major battle lost, the defending army had no choice but to dig in, and thus suffered horribly.


Far from the front line, the Supreme Commander of the Anti Automaton Force, General Allison, pondered the situation he's in. Before the battle started, he had been confident that the defensive lines would hold back the onslaught of the swarm, and that the air force would eventually breach their anti-air defenses. The words of his aides helped reinforce his view. It's hard to not feel confident when you are in command of the greatest army the world has seen since World War 2.


And yet, even now his confidence had been shattered by the harsh reality of the battle. The swarm had swept through his army without much difficulty, the air force had failed in destroying the central relay, and the men under his command was tired, low on morale, and on the verge of routing due to constant battle.


He stared towards nothing in particular, lost in the maelstrom that is his current thought. On the desk in front of him, a bottle of vodka and a small glass stood silently, coupled with several maps and a cigarette pack. Eventually, after a long time, he made his decision.


He stood up and took a phone out of his pocket. He then opened his contacts and began to surf through it, eventually stopping on one number. Once again, he stopped to ponder something, as if the number itself make him hesitated. Eventually, he dialed the number and pressed the phone to his ear.


From the other side, the voice of a man answered. "Well well, General Allison. I take it the battle didn't go as you would have hope?"


The obvious sarcasm in the voice pained him immensely, but he braved himself to respond. "Yes, it didn't. The automatons are..... far more powerful than we have predicted?"


"The air bombings did not succeed in destroying the relay then?"


"Their defenses have become stronger. None of the planes made it past. Missiles were also shot down, and the European Unions did not take kindly on suggesting nuclear options. So, in light of this," He paused momentarily in hesitation, "We... request aid from your organization in facing this threat."


The answer came faster than expected. "Very well general. I am very glad you decided to ask for our help in this, ah, situation. Expect my agents to arrive.... not long from now, I reckon."


General Allison frowned. His superior would not like him asking for their help. As if reading his mind, the voice spoke again. "Do not worry. Those who are above you will be quite understanding of your current condition, and that you have no other choice left."


Those words both relieved and worried him and at the same time. On one hand, he would not need to face hours of questionings and insults. On the other, the fact that the voice's apparent confidence increased his suspicions. How far is his reach if he could make his superiors accept what transpired today?


The silence was broken by the voice. "Once again, do not worry. No matter how much your superiors hate me and my little organization, I'm sure they have humanity's best interest in their mind. Goodbye." The call dropped.


General Allison put his phone back. He moved back towards his desk and began to pour his vodka. He always needed a shot or two every time he deals with that man.



Elsewhere in the world, a man sat in his office, a huge and somewhat dark room with only a single desk and two comfy chairs in front of it. His hands, covered in white gloves, were tented in front of his face. A small smirk formed in his mouth. His amusement at the general's indirect declaration of defeat was substantial. But further catharsis could wait. There is work to be done.


He reached for an intercom wired to his desk and pushed a button to page another part of the building. A voice answered him. "Yes, director?"


"Rey, who we had available for deployment at the moment?"


"Well, Ahmed and Ryan are on standby, and Louis will be back shortly."


"Send all of them to Poland. General Allison finally asks us for help."


a chuckle came out of the intercom. "About time. I was afraid he would rather let Europe be destroyed than to come to us."


"He was always a more level-headed man than most. I'm was relieved when I heard he would be in charge. If it was Packard he would do exactly that."


"Quite lucky for us yes?"


"Yes, lucky indeed. Very well, once Louis comes back immediately deploy them to support Allison."


"Understood Director" The intercom fell silent. The Director resumed his favorite pose and turned to his guest, who sat in the right side of his office in silence.


"Well, this went as planned, thanks to your contributions my good inspector. Had you not persuaded them Oversight would never accept my request."


The guest smiled. The face of a perma-stubbled man, sporting a few wrinkles but otherwise looking relatively youthful, could be seen. "It's nothing really. Think of it as a favor for a friend."


The director chuckled, partly at the guest's warm response, and partly from being glad that he decided to befriend Ryoji Kaji years ago. Without him, he would never be able to get away with quite a few of the stuff that he had done. However, he also knows that Kaji and the rest of Oversight did not fully trust him. And so, because of this, he readied himself to do the one thing that would ensure Kaji's, and by extension Oversight's, full cooperation: revealing everything he knew about their target.

"So, Kaji, found anything new about SEELE yet?"

The inspector shook his head. "Not yet. SEELE's remnants are very persistent. 15 years after their destruction, and they still tried to start Third Impact. I must say, their persistent is amazing."

"Indeed. Keel Lorenz must be a very charismatic individual if he could make anyone stay loyal 15 years after his death."

"He was, and I believe the promise of power and salvation also played its part. Who wouldn't want to be gods above everyone else?"

"Yes, I can imagine the temptation. Anyway, Kaji, I have something important to say."

"Oh? And what is it?"

"You see, I have not been entirely forthcoming about my.... activities."

Kaji only smirked. "I already know about your current investigation into the Emergence. Oversight allowed it because it could benefit us all."

'Ah, so they already know that one huh?' thought the Director. "Not that one. This time, it's concerning SEELE. I discover something...... interesting, to put it mildly."

This time, the inspector's eyes went wide. "So.... you are hunting them down as well. And you managed to hide this all this time."

"I will reveal this in order to gain your trust. In exchange for my assistance in pursuing them, I would like a more.... equal partnership with Oversight."

Kaji hesitated for a while. Eventually, he spoke. ".....very well. I will inform the others of your request."

The director smiled. "Thank you, Kaji. I hope we could cooperate more in the future."

"So do I. But Anggito... how long have you hunt SEELE down?"

"About five years now. I have a hunch that they have a link to the Emergence."

'That long? And beneath our notice? Can't say I wasn't impressed.' Thought Kaji. "That's..... quite a while. Why haven't you reveal yourself sooner?"

Anggito chuckled. "I..... need leverage to cooperate with you of course. If I had asked you sooner you would have declined, simply because I do not have anything of value. But now, I have gathered enough about SEELE that you and Oversight would not simply dismiss it."

"Then.... what is it that you have found?"

"Oh, where to begin?"






Meanwhile, the situation in Poland had deteriorated further. The army had taken massive casualties, and many soldiers considered running away. Soldiers inside the trenches stood stalwartly to cover retreating comrades, gunning down any automatons they saw. Close range artillery fires also helped to clear out charging automatons.

Then, a new, terrible for emerged. Much to their horror, they saw a massive automaton, 10 meters tall, emerge from the smokes of war. Though initially shocked, the soldiers quickly turned their weapons towards the giant. For a few minutes, thousands of bullets showered the giant, covering it with smokes and dust.

For a while there was silence, and a few soldiers expressed relief. But that relief immediately turned to disbelief and terror as the giant emerged nearly unscathed from the assault. The giant prepared its weapon, a massive laser cannon in its hand. Some of the soldiers began to panic and run away despite their sergeants ordering them to stay. Those who remained calmly accepted their fate, as a green bolt surged towards them.

But fate decreed otherwise. A white energy shield appeared, protecting them from the green bolt, which impacted harmlessly upon the shield. Befuddled, the soldiers looked around as to find the source of their salvation.

"Over here," said a voice behind them.

They looked back, and standing behind them is a brown-skinned man of average height who wore an all-white tuxedo, top hat, and cape.

The man took a step forward. "Greetings. I was worried I would be too late to help, but apparently, I underestimated how tough you soldiers are."

The squad looked at this man with a mix of amazement and confusion. Eventually, one of the soldiers spoke. "T-thank you for saving us but who are-"

His words were cut off by the strange man suddenly dashing in front of them to deflect another blast by the giant automaton. Immediately after he fired a blast of white energy, obliterating it in a large explosion.

For a moment everything is silent. The man scanned the battlefield before him, gazing and the approaching automatons. After a while, he turned towards the squad. "My apology, but apparently we don't have enough time for more talking. May I ask what were you saying previously before we were rudely cut off?"

"Um, I asked what you name?"

"Oh, it's Ahmed. Nice to meet you." The man named Ahmed extended a hand for a handshake. The soldier hesitated for a moment before reciprocating the gesture. Ahmed smiled, then retracted his arm. "Well, I better get going. The others will give me trouble for stopping even for a while."

"...Others?"

"Yes. We are from the AEF, and we are here to help you."


Elsewhere, an orange figure streaked through the sky. Once in a while, it would dive down and destroy a large group of automatons by firing an orange beam. Sometimes it opted to just ram them, which achieved the same effect. Upon closer inspection, the figure is actually a male. He wore a body suit that appears to be the same color as his skin. His hair crackled with orange energy.

Suddenly his flight was interrupted by a blast from a nearby giant automaton. The figure quick readjusts his position, and prepare for an attack. "Why you little...." He growled. Then, he rocketed through the giant, creating a large hole in its torso. As the giant fell, he took some time to float above it. "That's what you get for messing with me, the Great Ryan Wisnu!" He proclaimed proudly.

"Ryan, cut your bragging a bit will you? One of these days you'll gonna get killed while you do that" Said a voice from his ear communicator.

Ryan scoffed. "Oh please, you never give Ahmed hell for trying to greet anyone he saved."

"That's because he at least stays alert. You on the other hand easily get distracted. How many times have you been shot at while doing your thing again?"

"20 times, and why should I? Nothing can touch or harm me anyway. I'm practically invincible."

The voice sighed. "Alright, just continue to clear the battlefield. Try to target the AA first so Louis and the Air Force can do their thing."

"Roger that Rey. Ryan out." Once finished Ryan turned his attention to the mass of automatons before him. "Alright you tin cans, prepare yourself for a spectacular light show, courtesy of me, RYAN WISNU!" He unleashed dozens of beams from his body that rains down on the swarm and explode on contact, destroying hundreds, if not thousands of automaton.

Meanwhile, Ahmed had been more subdued than his partner, merely content with fighting on ground level. Then, his communicator came to life. "Ahmed, destroy as many automatons as possible, make AA top priority. Louis and the Air Force should be here any moment, so clear the way."

"Understood Rey, Ahmed out" He responded. Ahmed drew a breath and exhale, then said, "Here we go."

Ahmed took the sky, then stay still in one place, high above the battlefield. Suddenly his body surged with power, and behind him a glowing figure of white manifested. The figure, bearing the likeness of a Kannon, stretched its many arms. Then, its hands began to glow, and in an instant thousand of white energy bullets rained down upon the swarm. Explosions appeared throughout the battlefield, as the manifestation continued its onslaught.

Far below, soldiers cheered the sight of the figure. Confusion and apprehension gave way to hopefulness and relieve when it started its attack. Far from the front line general Allison quietly observed the figure. A small smirk appeared on his face. 'I admit, those AEF guys can be really showy at times.' He thought, followed by another sip of his vodka.

A little less down below, Ryan frowned at Ahmed. "Oh come on! Do you really have to be higher than me?"

The answer came rather quickly. "Yes, otherwise I won't be able to reach the entirety of the battlefield. Maybe you should come up here too."

"Oh, you bet I am! I'm not going to let you of all people outshine me!" He responded vigorously. He ascended to the sky, stopping when he's about level with Ahmed. "Alright, now I'm in a bad mood. "Prepare thyself, for the REAL greatest light show, EVER!" With that, he once again released his energy beams, only this time much greater in quantity and size. Their combined assault tore through the swarm. Vast explosions decimate their number and create large craters on the ground.

Suddenly their communicator came to life once again. "The Air Force is here, protect them at all cost!"

"You don't need to tell use twice Rey!" responded Ryan.

"Very well" answered Ahmed.

On the horizon massive amounts of planes appeared, each carrying a large number of bombs and missiles. From B-2 Stealth Bomber to Rafale Jet Fighters, to even Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the air fleet is an exceptionally powerful force. But it's not the number of planes that awed onlookers, it's the gargantuan Chinese dragon that flew beside it. On top of its head sat a man who wore an orange monk robe, his black hair fluttering wildly due to the wind. His expression seems serene rather than worried, as most people would have in his current place.

As soon as the fleet appeared, automaton AA defenses roared to life. Those that were not destroyed immediately target the planes and unleashed their load. Ahmed and Ryan worked hard to destroy as much as they can, but their numbers are too many.

Then, as if sensing the incoming threat, the man's eye opened, and in an instant, the dragon swooped onto the path of the projectiles. With incredible speed the dragon destroyed or dissipated them, preventing any reaching the planes.

But even then, a few passed through and hit a few planes, forcing them to withdraw. Nevertheless, the bulk of the fleet got to pass the AA batteries, and before long the central relay was in sight. The relay, a tall structure over 50 meters in height, makes an easy target in theory. However, it turns out that not only it was extremely durable, but it was also bristling with AA defenses, which costs many lives previously.

The Air Force had learned since, the standard procedure now being to start off with missile barrages towards the tower's defenses, followed by the bombers, and today was no different. Jet fighters began to split off and fired their missiles towards the relay's defenses, their expectations high. So it was not surprising that when the missiles exploded harmlessly in front of a deflector shield instead, the first response was "WHAT THE FUCK?!!". Chatters of confusion spread through the fleet like wildfire and all planes were forced to alter their path away from the barrier.

Back in army headquarter, general Allison stared in disbelief at the footage from the battlefield. This particular swarm subverted many of the usual tactics, countering every single one of the army's responses. The general quickly contacted the agents currently on the fields. "AEF agents, this is general Allison. May I ask you what the hell is going on there?!"

Ahmed was the first to answer. "Greetings general. It seems the automatons is smarter than we thought. It created a kind of barrier in response to our usual method of sending missile barrages. Louis and I are currently trying to breach it, but it looks like it might take a while."

"Alright, do whatever you can to breach it, but be quick, the planes are running out of fuel, and I don't think they could refuel in time."

"Understood general, and do not worry, we will succeed." The comlink died. General Allison stood silent for a while, apparently in deep rumination. "Good luck agents" murmured him, unheard by anyone else.

Meanwhile, the agents tried fruitlessly to penetrate the barrier. Beams of orange and white energy collided with it, creating a spectacle to behold. Despite this, once the dust settled the barrier was untouched. The two agents tried, again and again, each time changing the size and strength of their attacks. Eventually, Ryan made his displeasure known. "Damn it, nothing's working!" is his reply when a full powered joint blast from him and Ahmed bounced harmlessly from the barrier, devastating the surrounding automatons and countryside instead.

"This is certainly inconvenient" commented Ahmed. "Oh well, looks like I need to pull out the big guns. Rey, permission to go full power?"

"Permission granted" crackled his commlink. "But try to limit the damage alright? We want this piece of land to be habitable after this."

"Understood Rey" answered Ahmed.

Suddenly Ryan interjects. "Hey! Why can't I use all my power?!"

The answer came quickly. "Because you will most likely make a gargantuan crater at your location. May I remind you of a certain incident in 2026-?"

"Alright, alright I get it!" said Ryan. "You don't need to bring that up every time!"

"If I hadn't done that you'd disobey me anyway and makes the Polish Government send yet another complaint to us", deadpanned Rey.

Ryan huffed but did not challenge Rey's conclusion. Ahmed's words suddenly break the tense silence. "Alright, I'm ready." He reached his commlink and contacted another person. "Louis, tell the fleet to stay away at least 2 kilometers from my current location. This might get messy."

"Understood," was the only response.

Ahmed then turned to Ryan. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

Ryan scoffed. "Please, I can handle myself thank you very much." He then retreated a fair distance away from Ahmed.

Ahmed smiled and nodded, then turned his attention to the barrier, his face now one of full concentration. Suddenly, a surge of power emanated from his body. A faint rumble could be heard, and Ahmed's body began to glow a brilliant white. The light continued to grow stronger, while Ahmed slowly began to float off the ground towards the barrier. The ground near him was torn apart by the accumulation of power.

Ahmed continued to glow brightly, like a star that has fallen to earth. Eventually, a pillar of light exploded, illuminating the land for miles away. When it faded, at the center of it was Ahmed. His whole body was covered in white light and his eyes glowed dangerously red.

Floating silently, Ahmed then motioned his hands toward his sides. As if on cue, his hands suddenly glowed with crackling magical energy. After a few moments, Ahmed aimed his hand toward the barrier. With the sound of thunder, a massive magical blast was unleashed from his hands and blazed furiously towards the barrier.

A great sound, like a volcano erupting, echoed as the blast met its target. The barrier stood firm for a while, stalwartly holding back the attack. White bolts of lightning began to tear the grounds nearby and incinerated any unfortunate automatons.

Eventually, the barrier began to buckle and bend. Sensing the moment has come, Ahmed roared and increased the blast's power even further. Finally, the barrier gave in and collapse, while the blast continued its trajectory towards the relay, creating a devastating explosion upon impact which killed thousands of automatons and disables all of the relay's AA defenses. The ground around it was shattered by the sheer force of the blast, and for a while, giant debris rained on the battlefield. Yet despite its intensity the blast only managed to destroy the surface part of the relay; the rest of it remained unharmed underground.

Immediately after the barrier collapsed, Louis and the Air Force rushed towards the relay. Bombs and missiles were dropped towards it. The relay disappeared under a cloud of smoke and explosions, bearing the full brunt of the entire NATO Air Force's attack First was the interceptors firing their missiles, followed by stratospheric bombers carpeting the area with a massive amount of bombs. For the last stroke, the B-2 bombers released their payload; several Massive Ordnance Penetrators were dropped into the smoke that concealed the relay. The resulting explosion could be heard many miles away and left a gargantuan crater where the relay once was.

The effect of the relay's destruction did not take place immediately. Initially, the automatons continued to press on their assault against the weakened and demoralized human army. Then, slowly but surely, the automatons began to shut down, starting from those nearest to the relay. After half an hour, the entire swarm had been shut down, saving the lives of thousands from death at the automaton's hands. At first, silence reigned supreme. Then, slowly but surely, waves of cheers erupted throughout what was left of the army. On his headquarters, general Allison slumped in relief on his chair while his staff cheered at the sight of the swarm defeated.

Meanwhile, Ryan emerged from his hiding spot to find Ahmed lying down where he once stood. The magician looked incredibly tired, though his face is as calm as usual.

"You alright mate?" asked Ryan.

Ahmed chuckled. "Just burned out. Haven't done anything like that in a while. I pretty much poured all my strength on that one blast."

Ryan picked Ahmed up and hoisted him onto his shoulder. "Really, we've been in this business for ten years or so. And yet you still collapsed every time you do that."

"What can I do? My body's just naturally weak. That's something no one can change at all."

"Mate, nothing can't be changed. Look at Rey, he was even frailer than you. Now he's the same as Richard."

"Rey's a special case I'm sure."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Can you stop being pessimistic for once? I'm trying to help you here."

"Nah, this is who I am, and that won't change, no matter how hard you tried."

"Whatever. Now we wait for -oh there he is."

In front of them, a great dragon landed. Louis, the dragon's master, jumped from the dragon's head. The dragon then slowly shrunk until it was the size of a small snake and curled itself around his neck.

"So, you have a great time flying around with the planes?" teased Ryan.

Louis did not answer. Instead, he activated his commlink and quickly asked for a portal to be opened. Once it appeared Louis immediately marched into it.

"Geez when will he ever change?" said Ryan, annoyed at his comrade's cold attitude.

"Told you, there are some things that can't change."

"Oh shut up will you." The two agents continued their banter as they stepped into the portal to their base, following their earlier comrade.

 

[jcmoorehead]

A really interesting start, will definitely be following this and looking forward to seeing what is to come.

Really liked the description of the battles here, the opening ones were done very well. Got across the sense of hopelessness that I think the opening shots of Eva do. Already intrigued by these organizations you've mentioned here and the nature of this enemy they're fighting.

Got the OCs introduced well here, just enough detail to make them interesting without being overwhelming. I look forward to seenig their development. I liked the usage of Kaji and I'm wondering who else we'll see from Eva pop up in this. Keep up the good work.

 

[Dranndor]

A really interesting start, will definitely be following this and looking forward to seeing what is to come.

Really liked the description of the battles here, the opening ones were done very well. Got across the sense of hopelessness that I think the opening shots of Eva do. Already intrigued by these organizations you've mentioned here and the nature of this enemy they're fighting.

Got the OCs introduced well here, just enough detail to make them interesting without being overwhelming. I look forward to seenig their development. I liked the usage of Kaji and I'm wondering who else we'll see from Eva pop up in this. Keep up the good work.

Click to shrink...

Hello there, and thank you for reading and complimenting! As this is my very first time doing something like this, it emboldened my by quite a lot
Also, because this is actually set in the Evangelion universe, Eva characters will be recurring here and there, just not as the main focus. The next chapter would be much more about the pilots and NERV. Once again, thanks a lot for reading my mess of a story.

 

[Dranndor]

Well, this is actually much better than how I expected to be. I see some familiar faces liking my story, and I could not be more thankful for that. Even with the low amount of ratings that I got, I'm still very happy that my story got any attention at all.

Anyway, here is the second chapter, and this is the last one that I wrote before opening this thread, so from here on I'll probably be inactive for a longer period. This part focus more on the Evangelion side of the story and the business in the office. Enjoy.



While Poland was wracked by a battle of armies, Japan was attacked by another, even greater threat. At the same time that the automaton swarm first clashed against the joint UN-NATO forces, four gargantuan aquatic beasts called leviathans emerged on the eastern coast of Japan. These creatures, over one hundred meters tall with green scaly skin, bipedal stance, elongated tail, and a reptilian head had been plaguing the Pacific for decades, attacking coastal and island countries. Japan, the Philippines, and South East Asia, in particular, suffered dearly from them.

The leviathans' attacks were sporadic and unpredictable, creating a sense of fear and paranoia among the populations. Only the patrolling fleets of Japan, China, and the UN could provide early warnings for impending attacks, and even then they only bought little time for evacuations.

The first assault happened in 2019 at the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Two leviathans emerged without warning and rampaged across the city, resulting in an untold amount of property damages and civilian casualties. The Indonesian Military, severely weakened by Second Impact, could only mount a token resistance against the beasts. The leviathans continued their assault for two days, slowly devastating the entire Aceh province.

Eventually, the Indonesian government called the UN for assistance. They in turn called NERV for help. NERV responded by sending one of their Evangelion unit, Unit-02, along with its pilot to battle the leviathans. The battle, which took place in the jungles of Aceh, raged for hours, but in the end, the Evangelion triumphed against its foes.

This event raised NERV's standing on the international stage, as they were seen as the only one capable of countering this new threat. Their budgets tripled, even quadrupled, and soon they became deeply involved in the defense of the entire Pacific



Rim. Over the next decade, the UN-funded reconstruction of major cities across many countries. Capital cities were remodeled after the fortress city of Tokyo-3, while major cities were simply added with fortifications and gun emplacements. By 2030, hundreds of cities had become great bastions against the leviathans, bristling with guns, missiles, and similar defenses.

However, those who truly understood knew that all this was for naught. The leviathans were already immune to conventional weaponry short of nukes in the megaton range, and even that was not a guarantee due to the presence of AT Fields. This entire endeavor was merely a show of force to boost morale. The real titan killer had always been the Evangelions, whose control resided entirely with NERV. Essentially, NERV had become the only thing that stood against the leviathans, and the higher-ups are aware of this fact.

Despite this, they were mostly unconcerned with this. Had NERV still been under the old management, they would be nervous, but the new commander hadn't shown any sign of attempting to disrupt existing power structures. On the contrary, she had said numerous times that NERV's mission had been, and always would be, to safeguard humanity against any threat, not to topple humanity. Being acquaintances with many of Oversight's members, one of whom was her own husband, who vouched for her credibility, certainly helped matters.

Now, Japan was once again under assault. The JSSDF immediately responded, mobilizing a sizable portion of its personnel to the Kanto region where the leviathans landed. Hundreds, even thousands, of tanks, artillery, planes, and MLRS launched a diversionary attack upon them. Everybody knew the futility of this move, but it was better than doing nothing as their country was being attacked.

At last, after two hours, Japan's answer to the leviathans arrived. Two giants, one blue and one purple, arrived by means of aerial transports. The Evangelion, one of humanity's greatest weapons, was here.

After the Evangelions touched the ground, their pilots brought them to life. "Shinji, Rei, everything alright?" asked the voice of a woman through their communication channel.

"I'm fine here, Misato-san," said Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01.

"All parameters are under normal condition commander Katsuragi." Answered Rei Ayanami, the pilot of Unit-00.

"Good, now remember, Shinji will be in the close quarter role, while Rei will provide long-range support. The JSSDF will do their best to provide a distraction, understood?"

"Yes, Misato-san."

"Acknowledged commander."

"Excellent, be careful not to get injured you two, because Kaji's gonna be here tonight, and I want all of us to be there when he arrived." Said Misato with an excited tone.

"Kaji-san's coming here? That's great Misato-san!" exclaimed Shinji. The inspector's presence had become even rarer than usual these days due to his business with Oversight and AEF, and the occasional visits usually only lasted two to three days at most, and the last one was over four months ago.

"I know right? It's been too long since he visited us. When he's here I'm gonna give him my opinion about this. Not visiting for months, really!" said Misato half happy, half mad. Shinji could understand her irritation. He himself had been separated from his own spouse for quite some time now.

"So, how are we gonna greet him Misato-san?" asked Shinji.

The commander's sly grin dominated the whole screen. "Why with his favorite fruit of course! And I have plenty of those stocked just for this occasion."

Shinji silently chuckled. Even after fifteen years, the commander's sense of humor was still the same, though nowadays it rarely showed due to her job as the Supreme Commander of NERV. Suddenly, another communication screen appeared.

"Commander, while I do share your enthusiasm about Kaji-san's impending visit, we are currently dealing with half a dozen giant abominations from below the surface world that is currently charging towards us, so maybe we should discuss this later.

"Right, sorry about that. Good luck pilots, we're counting on you."

"Roger." Said the two pilots simultaneously.

Right after that, Unit-01 began to move forward. It's hand clutching the progressive naginata that was its weapon of choice. The leviathans, now fully aware of these new threats, marched roughly side by side to attack the Evangelions.

"Rei, I'm going to engage the pair on the left. I need you to keep the other pair away from me until I could finish the other." Said Shinji.

"Affirmative Shinji, I will try to hold them off as long as I can." Answered Rei.

"Good, thank you Rei, and be careful." With that, Shinji cut off the communication screen and readied himself. With a sudden burst Unit-01 dashed towards its target, leveling the surrounding landscape. The leviathans noticed the purple giant's charge and attempted to react, but they were too slow.

The Eva leaped and thrust its naginata into a leviathan's neck, wounding it it severely. Blood poured from its wound, drenching the local countryside. The creature screamed in pain and trashed wildly, forcing Shinji to withdrew his Eva. He reacted just in time to repel an attack by the second leviathan, who tried to ram him from his left side. In response Unit-01 dodged it and knocked the beast down with the blunt end of its naginata, followed by a swing towards its back, inflicting a large gash.

The other two leviathans saw what happened to the other two, and began to move towards where Unit-01 was. However they were suddenly stopped by a barrage of hot plasma that seared parts of their flesh. The leviathans flailed in pain, stopping their advance. Not too far from them, NT-Unit-00 stood, pointing its twin plasma cannon towards the beasts. Inside the Eva, Rei Ayanami stared at her foe sternly "I will not let you harm him.As long as I am still standing, I will protect him from anything."

The leviathans, having recovered from Rei's attack, bellowed a challenge to the blue giant. They began to charge towards her direction, but Rei unleashed another barrage of plasma, causing them to pause yet again. Rei prepared to fire another blast, when suddenly the ground to her left erupted. A massive beast with four limbs emerged from the resulting hole, lunging at the Evangelion. Rei attempted to evade it, but the creature managed to damage the plasma cannons, rendering it unusable.

"What the hell is that?! Why didn't anyone detect it?!" asked Misato angrily. Thus far, there had been no sighting of a land-based monster, let alone a burrowing one.

"We don't know commander! It looks like it traveled miles below the ground, so it escaped our sensors' detection range!" answered Maya Ibuki.

"So, it seems like these creatures are more intelligent than we thought." Said vice-commander Ritsuko Akagi.

"Terrific. Rei, are you alright? What's the Evangelion's status?"

"I am uninjured, commander," answered Rei, "However, one of my weapons is disabled, though my Evangelion did not suffer any critical damage."

"Good, keep your distance, avoid physical confrontation at all cost. Shinji, how's your situation?"

Meanwhile, Shinji had managed to kill one of the leviathans by slicing off its head before it could react, and inflicted enough wound against the other one to make it stumble into the ground, opening it to more attacks. "I'm fine, Misato-san," he answered, as he delivered the finishing blow towards his downed enemy, decapitating it. "All hostiles are dead, I'm going to assist Rei."

"Excellent. Target the leviathans first, we'll deal with the new creature later."

"Roger that Misato-san." Shinji moved his Eva towards Rei, who now had to evade the burrowing creature's assault, in addition to facing the two leviathans. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he thrust his naginata into one of the leviathans, forcing it to fall down, then he briefly let go of his weapon and delivered a punch into the other one's face. With both leviathans momentarily defeated, he immediately picked up his weapon and swung it into the new beast. The beast howled in pain, which left it open to a barrage from Rei, further wounding it. Sensing that it's outmatch, the beast backed off and returned to the hole where it emerged, eventually disappearing altogether.

"Are you alright Rei?" asked Shinji.

"I did not suffer any debilitating injury Shinji, thank you. But we are still in a position of disadvantage. We do not have the capability to predict or intercept the burrowing creature's movement, and we are still outmatched in term of numerical superiority."

"Don't worry, the leviathans are already injured. We're gonna kill them first, then we can try and find a way to deal with the other one." Said Shinji. At this point, the leviathans have already recovered from Shinji's attack, and were preparing to renew their attacks. "We'll kill them as fast as possible. When I'm engaged, you must immediately fire away at them. Don't worry about me being injured, I'll be fine, okay?"

"Understood Shinji, good luck."

"Alright, here we go!" once again Shinji charged at his foe swinging his weapon at one of the leviathans. The strike cleaved through its belly, severely wounding it. He evaded the swipe of the other Leviathan and stabbed it in the chest. However, the beast recovered unexpectedly quick, and held the naginata in place with its hands, making it unable to be dislodged despite Shinji's best effort.

Before his surprise wore off, the second Leviathan bit his right arm, causing him to scream in pain. Rei quickly responded, firing off shots after shots at it, but the Leviathan did not budge. Finally, it threw Unit-01 at NT-Unit-00, causing both Evangelions to stumble into the ground.

At the command center, the atmosphere became tense. 'Shinji, Rei! Are you okay?!" asked Misato, her voice full of worry. The other bridge crews were also taken aback by the leviathan's display of cooperation. In all the years NERV fought them, not once did they shown the capability of cooperation. Thus, NERV never considered that possibility, and assumed that these creatures were too simple-minded to mount strategies or tactics.

And yet here, right in front of them, they not only shown the ability to cooperate, but also to trick their foes into a false sense of security, even willing to let themselves be severely wounded in order to create an opening for attack. We're fine Misato-san, that hurt, but no serious injury. We-aaaagh!" His response was cut off by one of the leviathans biting his Evangelion once again, and tossed him away from NT-Unit-00. Meanwhile, the blue giant did not recover in time before the other one did the same thing. Now, their goal was apparent; to separate the two Evangelions from one another, and to prevent them from being able to react quickly enough. As the Evangelions were proved to be able to face multiple monsters on their own, the importance of keeping them vulnerable was very high.

Right after the Evangelions landed, the burrowing beast emerged once again. But this time, three more of its kind appeared alongside it. They began to surround each Evangelions, and proceeded to attempt to tore them to pieces. Though the Evas attempted to defend themselves, their efforts were futile, as they were grossly outnumbered at outmatched.

"Commander, the Evas' armor is being peeled off! The monsters are trying to tear them apart!" shouted Shigeru Aoba.

'Tch, and just when we're down to two available pilots, these bastards decides to show up.' Thought Misato. "Aoba, does the JSSDF and UN have anymore forces to spare? We need them to distract those monsters for at least a while."

"Negative commander, every available force has been engaging the monsters. Reinforcements are coming in, but they wouldn't arrive in time."

Just then, a contact signal appeared on the command center's main screen. "Commander, it's from AEF's director." Said Maya.

'Oh why now of all the time he could contact us?' Thought an exasperated Misato. "Answered it, we'll see what he's up to." Ordered Misato. Maya obliged, and the director's face appeared on the screen."Good morning commander Katsuragi. My intelligence indicated that the Evangelions are having a bit of a hard time, yes?" He asked politely.

"Yes, and unless you could send help immediately you could bugger off!" retorted Misato.

"Calm down commander, I didn't come here to make hostility. I have already dispatched some of my agents to assist them. They should be here any moment now." Assured the director.

Just then, Aoba's voice could be heard. "Commander, an unidentified plane is closing in towards the monsters rapidly. It appears it's intending to engage them."

The director's small smile had not gone unnoticed. "Look's like they're here. I was going to give you some details about who I sent, but I think it would be better if you see for yourself. Also there's someone that would like to see you. Mr.Kaji, it's your turn now." The image of the director shrunk, and Kaji's face appeared beside it. "Hiya honey, busy day at work?"

"Yes, and what are you doing while our kids are fighting for their lives?"

"I have a few more businesses to conclude. Director Anggito is quite helpful in finishing those. I should be able to return home as I promised."

"You better Mr.International Man of Mystery, cause I have so many things to complain about."

Kaji chuckled. "I bet you do. Anyway, see you tonight." His image disappeared, leaving the director the sole image. "So, planning to throw a welcoming party eh?" asked the director.

"Yeah, he deserved it. Sorry for the outburst, I the situation here is really tense right now, and the pilots are in big trouble, so I got carried away." Said Misato slightly sheepishly.

"It's fine, I understand. They are like my own nephews actually. I would do everything I could to help you and them." He said warmly.

"You know, you should come here and visit us sometimes. Being cooped up in that office of yours is bad for your health you know. Just ask the former commander."

"Heh, I'm afraid that's out of the question Misato. These days works just piled on so quickly. Every time I managed to finish a pile, another was already ready to be worked on. I'll find some time though, thanks for the offer. I'll be seeing you later." The image disappeared.

Ritsuko, who was silent all this time, finally spoke up. "Quite nice of you to invite him over. I though you distrust him?" She teased.

Misato shrugged. "That was a long time ago. Kaji already confirmed his trustworthiness. Besides, closer relations means the more likely he is to help us while we need it, and vice versa."

"Quite a shrewd thinking coming from you, commander."

"Oh shush you mad scientist."

Once again, Aoba interjects. "Commander, the plane is dropping something into the battlefield."

"See what it is. Magnify the image." When that was done, the object is revealed as a person, clad in a black armor.

"Is that who I think it is?" Asked Ritsuko.

"Yep, it is. And the one in the plane must be him then." Answered Misato with slight exasperation.

"Well, looks like more people for the party then." Said Ritsuko.

"Yeah, though he probably would rather spend time in your lab."

"I'll make sure he won't go nosing around my private lab this time then."

"You better."

Meanwhile, the person was quickly approaching the ground, when he suddenly grew into the same size as the monsters. His landing created a crater, launching dirt and vegetations high into the air. As the resulting dust dissipated, his features became clearer. His entire body was covered by his armor save for his face, revealing a pale face with a stoic expression and black hair. Once he had landed, a matching helmet began to manifest, covering everything except for his face."Michael, this is Philip, I have already landed in the designated location, and I am preparing to engage the enemy." He said through his commlink to the man in the plane.


"Roger that Phillip, I'm joining in too." The person named Michael said. Immediately after, the plane maneuvered high into the air and began to transform into the shape of a mecha. Hands, legs, a body, and a head quickly appeared from what was once a plane similar to a jet fighter in size, and it rapidly grew until it finally rivaled the Evangelions. Once finished, the mecha rocketed down to earth, landing gracefully in comparison to its comrade. "Philip, you go help Shinji, I'll go help Rei," Michael said, as he took out a glowing red saber from the back of his mecha. "Understood Michael. I have been looking forward to the opportunity to further hone my skill in battle."


"Now don't get carried away Phillip. Try to avoid too many collateral damages."


"I will try to follow your suggestion Michael," said Phillip, his expression slowly turned into a rather disturbing grin, "But I'll give no guarantee that I'll be sticking to it."

Their arrival did not go unnoticed, and the monsters stopped their onslaught on the Evas. Seizing this opportunity, both Shinji and Rei willed their Evas to broke free of the monster's grip, knocking some down along the way. After regaining their footing, and in case of Shinji his weapon, they joined the newcomers' side, standing together against the mass of monsters in front of them. "Thanks for the save you two, that was too close." Said Shinji.

"Fast enough to help you, and slow enough to enjoy the battle." Answered Philip, now with the addition of a fierce glare in his eyes.

"...Okay, let's not go Rip and Tear mode just yet shall we? With this many monsters it'll be a gigantic chore to clean up your mess." Said Shinji. He was painfully aware the consequences of calling in Philip to battle. In fact, that was one of the reason why NERV didn't request his help in the first place; every battle that involved Phillip will inevitably left the surrounding countryside completely drenched in the blood and flesh of whatever he's fighting.

"Again, no guarantee I'll stick to that." Answered Phillip. "Now, let the fun begin!" he shouted, and before any of the others could stop him he dashed toward the beasts, tackling two at once.

"That's our cue then. Let's go help him before he gets himself killed."

"Pardon me, but I believe the current situation of my Evangelion has rendered me incapable of partaking in further combat. My weapon has been disabled, and my Unit is unsuitable for close quarter combat." Said Rei.

"Well in that case," said Michael from the communication screen, as he produced an Eva-sized sword from his mecha's back and gave it to Rei's Eva, "You can use this for a while. Just don't let us be flanked."

"Understood. I appreciate your assistance Michael."

"No need to, I simply do what an ally is supposed to do. Now then, I think it's time for me to prepare my own weapon." Inside the mecha, Michael began a series of procedures, culminating in a voice announcing: Artifical S2 Engine activated. Status:Normal, no damage taken. Artifical AT-Field, stable.

"Perfect." Murmured Michael to himself. At the same time, he motioned his mecha to pull out a large beam sword from its hip. "Then it's time we finish this."

The mecha dashed towards the monsters, and swung its sword against a burrowing beast. The creature dodged the blow, but immediately after Unit-01, who had been not far behind Michael, swung its naginata into the creature's head, decapitating it near instantly. Meanwhile, Rei was locked in a battle with one of the remaining leviathans. Her blue Eva nimbly dodged the leviathan's strikes, while at the same time scoring multiple wounds against it. Unit-00's weaker close combat ability meant that each attack did not significantly wound the creature, but they did slowly weakened the leviathan.

Eventually, apparently frustrated by it lack of success against the Eva, the beast lunged forward, seemingly with the intent of tackling it down. However, this is the opening that Rei needed to end the battle. As it charged forward, Rei moved Unit-00 to avoid the creature, and immediately slashed the enraged beast in the back of its neck. The wound caused it to stumble to the ground, and Rei followed it with stabbing the beast's head, killing it for good.

"My target has been neutralized." Said Rei through the comms.

"Ours too, that means four more to go." Answered Shinji.

"Oh no, I think we're quite finished here." Said Michael.

"What do you mean Michael? There's still-oh, right." Said Shinji with a deadpan tone, as the severed hand of a monster landed right next to him.

Not far from their location, Philip fought two monsters at the same time. The body parts of the other two monsters were strewn around him, their blue colored blood splattered throughout his armor. With a wide and somewhat unsettling grin on his face, Philip ripped of a section of one of the monsters' hide, before digging his hand deep into its body and crushing its organs. The other monster lunged at his back and attempted to make him fall, to which Philip merely responded by lifting the monster and throwing it a fair distance away.

The monster had just landed when Philip, fresh from finishing off his previous foe, leaped towards it and delivered a punch toward its head, splattering brain and skull pieces over the landscape.

And thus, the incursion ended with all of the invading monsters dead, though the damage to the landscape was irreparable, in addition to the sizable casualties sustained by the JSSDF. Nevertheless, no civilian had been killed or wounded during the entire operation, a major success in the eyes of NERV and the Japanese government.

"Good job pilots, the operation is a success. And thanks to you two for the assistance." Said Misato.

"Please, we are just helping some friends in need." Answered Michael.

"If you say so then. Shinji, Rei, return to the base for debriefing."

"Understood Misato-san."

"Affirmative, commander Katsuragi."

Shinji then opened communication with Michael. "Won't you come with us?"

"Sadly no, I and Philip need to spend some more time here. There's something that Anggito needed in order to further improve our combat capability.

"Is that so? Well, good luck then. Goodbye Michael."

"You're welcome, and goodbye Shinji."

Once the Evangelions had retreated from the battlefield, Michael activate another mechanism of his mecha. Suddenly it began to shrink down, its parts transforming into other shapes, until it became the same jet plane it previously was. From it, a middle-aged man stepped outside. Multiple section of his bodies had been replaced with mechanical parts, including nearly all of his head's right side. His red colored robotic eye scanned the area, looking for things of interest. His gaze stopped at a large lump of flesh a few hundred meters away, thrown there by Philip's rampage. Slowly he walked into it, and touched it with his hand. "Hmmm, interesting." He murmured. "Philip, would you mind carrying my tools? I found something that pique my curiosity."

Beside him, Philip, who had shrunken into the relatively normal size of 7 feet, silently brought a rather dangerous looking device and dropped it beside Michael. Immediately Michael grabbed and jammed it into the flesh, and waited for a few moments. The device beeped, and multiple results appeared in the monitor.

Michael's eyes, both the flesh and the machine, visibly lights up. "So it is true, they were behind the disappearance of Specimen G's sample all those years ago."

"What is the result of your analysis Michael?" Asked Philip, still in the same stoic voice.

"It seems they used the stolen sample to modify these creatures, changing appearances, traits, everything." Explained Michael, who could not contain his excitement any longer, and is now sporting a huge and rather manic grin. "My friend, do you know what this means?" He said while putting his hands in Philip's shoulder. "We can create the weapon we need to end this war. Now, we have a chance at a total victory."

"Are you absolutely certain that is the case?"

"Positive." Said Michael, as he removed his hands from Philip' shoulder. "And also," a glint momentarily appeared in Michael's biological eye, "I'm sure the director will found this information quite useful."

=========================================================

"I'm sorry, but this is a bit too much to be taken immediately." Said Kaji, his face paled just a bit. In front of him, Anggito sat calmly. "What you are saying," began Kaji, "Is that these attacks, are directed by a single force."

"Yes." Said Anggito.

"And that they've been allying with SEELE all this time?"

"I wouldn't call it an alliance. They would be perfectly willing to backstab each other given the chance. But the current SEELE wouldn't or can't do that, they're too weak, thanks to your efforts Kaji."

"It's still quite unbelievable, however. An entire group, hidden under our nose this entire time, orchestrated all the events of the past decade. That's just, incredible, I must say."

"If I'm in your position I'll be doubting it too. But what you've heard is indeed the truth. I don't know for certain about where they come from, but I am quite sure they're not from Earth."

At this Kaji shot a skeptical look towards the director. "Are you implying that they come from outer space?"

"I'm not implying. I know they are not from our world. I don't know why are they here, but what I do know is that they're aiming to kill off every Lilith-based lifeform."

Kaji still held his skeptical look. "How do you know all this then? Surely you have sources of information?"

For the first time in their talk Anggito looked unease. "I..... cannot reveal that just yet. It would be too dangerous to tell you now. I'm quite aware that this make me looked even more suspicious in your eyes, but I do not tell lies. What I just told you is the truth, and neither NERV, AEF, or Oversight can fight them alone. We need closer cooperation to be able to stand chance against them. So please," he stood from his chair, "Please, convince Oversight that I am your ally, not your enemies. I do not hold any grand design to topple any government, or to be the harbinger of humanity's end. You can even kill or detain me after this is over, as long as you agree to cooperate with me."

Kaji hesitated for a moment. Then he spoke up. "Well.....I'll tries to convince them, but I'll give no guarantee."

A small smile appeared on the director's face. "That's good enough for me. Thank you, my friend." Anggito then sat back to his chair. "Now, I believe you have an appointment with commander Katsuragi today. You might want to hurry up or she'll be quite angry at you."

Kaji chuckled. "Don't worry about it, we'll discuss that in bed after dinner."

Anggito raised an eyebrow at this. "Ohoh, planning to do it tonight I see?"

"Well, that's pretty much the only thing I can give her for a present."

"Hmm, fair enough."

At that moment, the door to the office opened. A rather wizened looking old man stepped into the office. One look at him would give the impression of a grumpy old British person who would've wanted nothing more than to spend his days in peace and tranquility.

"The mission in Poland was a success. The automatons were neutralized without problem, although Ahmed would need several days' worth of rest before he can go on missions again." Said the vice director as well as operations commander.

"Very good, we'll give Ahmed some day to rest, as usual. What about the Japanese mission?"

"Philip and Michael arrived in time, and they were able to help NERV to repel the leviathans. In addition, They are currently bringing samples from the new leviathan variant for further analysis."

"Perfect, so both our missions are complete success, and we have acquired new research materials from the enemy. This will help us immensely. Thank you for the report Rey."

"As always the director."

Kaji rose from his seat. "Well, time to go now, Misato and the others are waiting."

"Oh right." Said Anggito. "Rey, is the teleportation system ready?"

"Yes, I have prepared it beforehand for Kaji."

"Excellent. Well, my friend, this has been a good meeting." Anggito held up his hand for a shake.

"My pleasure director." Said Kaji while returning the gesture. After that Kaji looked towards the aged right hand of the director. He momentarily stared at him before saying, "you know, you both remind me of Gendo and Fuyutsuki, with the dark office, Anggito spending most of his time sitting on that desk brooding, and you being old and grumpy."

"I'm not that old Kaji, and I wouldn't be this grumpy if I'm not dealing with hard to control superhumans every single day." Said the irritated old man.

"And I'm not spending my time in this office brooding, there's a mountain of paperwork from all these missions thank you very much." Added the director.

Kaji shrugged. "Well that's my opinion anyway. See you two in a few weeks or months." And with that the inspector left.

Waiting until he's certain that the inspector already far enough from the office, Rey took a seat in front of Anggito. "So, how does he responded?" Said Rey. He laid a chessboard on the desk, and chose white as his side.

"Better than I expected, though I'm still unsure about whether he'll actually get Oversight to be more trustful of us." Answered Anggito, as he sat down and began to play as well.

"He's quite persuasive, I'm sure he'll manage."

"That's quite true." Anggito moved his first pawn. "The enemy is moving faster than anticipated."

"Yes," said Rey, moving his own pawn. "They're preparing their final stroke."

"This war is a losing war. We could not hope to stand forever against the one that fought our precursors and won. Did Philip and Michael find what we're seeking?" Asked Anggito, his face grim and almost devoid of hope.

"They did, and they confirmed that they were the culprit of that incident."

"So my suspicions were correct after all. Still, SEELE must be the one doing in on their behalf."

"Speaking of SEELE, when do you think they'll be cast away? At this point, there is nothing left they can offer."

"There is still the Nephilim project."

Rey raised his left eyebrow. "I thought that project had been exposed and dismantled long ago?"

"Officially. However, my investigations found that SEELE managed to evacuate much of the project's material and continue develope them in secret."

"Then those recent mysterious deaths could be..?"

"Yes, most likely. They're trying to kill off Oversight members. Though they're currently only targeting the lesser members, I'm certain they'll move on to higher targets like members of the inner council."

"Then Kaji too is threatened?" Asked Rey.

"Kaji is in safe hands." Assured Anggito. "NERV already guards him 24/7, and he has 2 of the most powerful Nephilim on earth protecting him as well. He is safer than almost everyone on this planet."

"I see. So, I assume you have found the location of where SEELE keeps this project?"

"They're spread out, and not all are found by me just yet. But the greatest of them, the main facility, is in China."

"Then we must move quickly then. I will order a mission there immediately." Said Rey, as he quickly stood to return to the control room.

"Wait, Rey, not yet." Said Anggito.

"Why? We need to strike as fast as possible no?" Asked a puzzled Rey.

"Our most powerful agents are currently recuperating, and most are still on missions. I will order the attack tomorrow. For now, let's enjoy this little victory."

Rey stood silent for a few moments before sighing. "Very well, I'll take a rest for the day." He said while sitting down again and continuing their interrupted game. "You know, sometimes I forgot how the agents aren't as the same as us." Said Rey, a faint smile appeared on his wizened face.

"Yes, they're still humans after all, even with their abilities."

"With how many years among us and them, we would be considered their parents."

"And we are, in a way of course." Said Anggito with a smile as well.

Suddenly the old man's smile faded. "When will we told them of the truth? Of who we really are? Of our origin? Of our betrayal from their service?"

"Not for a while." Said Anggito as his smile disappeared as well. "It would jeopardize our entire plan, especially in regards to Ahmed."

"He is paranoid indeed. He never fully trusted anyone or anything. He never told us his past too. Telling him would means disaster."

"And he refused therapy sessions despite urgings from the other agents. He has a secret of his own."

"Do you think he is the same as us?" Asked Rey.

"No, I think not. His abilities are different in nature from us. Another party is observing the war, waiting for all side to be weakened."

"So we need to do something about him. I'm afraid that he'll betray us."

"Voluntarily? No. For all his paranoia he is loyal, and a steadfast friend. He would never betray anyone, much less the people he regarded as ally. What I'm worried of is whoever provide his power will force him to do so. For now, we will only watch him, but do not in any circumstances act against him unless it is absolutely needed." Said Anggito.

"Very well. I will arrange it." Said Rey. His gaze then fell to the chessboard on top of the desk. "Oh my, looks like won again."

"And indeed you have." Said Anggito.

"So this would be my 5th win this month, and that means you will have to pay up." Said Rey with a slightly smug aura on him.

"Yes yes, I know. 50 boxes of Darjeeling teas will be delivered to you tomorrow." Said a slightly exasperated director.

"Thank you for your cooperation director. Now I will retreat to my quarters to rest. I will see you tomorrow." And with that Rey left the office, feeling rather proud of winning his prize.

Anggito sighed. After cleaning the chessboard left by Rey, he sat silently on his desk, his hands covering his mouth, ruminating on the successes he had today. The destruction of another automaton incursion, the failure of another assault into Japan, and the acquirement of a prized sample. Though these are merely tactical victories, they fit perfectly into his strategy. A small smirk slowly appeared on his face, and he whispered three words:


"Just as planned."

 

[Dranndor]

Well, I'm back. Though the last chapter's response was quite disappointing for me, I'm not giving up just yet. I admit that the quality of the second chapter was pretty bad since It's not foolproofed by anyone, and so the quality suffers. So I will make sure that the subsequent parts will be reviewed by at least one person.

Now, chapter 3 and beyond will be split into parts of a varying length. This one hasn't been reviewed by anyone from Sufficient Velocity because most of them are quite busy, but I had one of my friends reviewed it and they gave it a go, so here it is. As always, criticisms are welcome, enjoy.


In a brightly lit corridor, Ryan walked. His hands were carrying a stack of pizzas, all cheese flavored with meat toppings. His orange glow dimmed by the powerful lights of the corridor. Eventually, he stopped in front of a large metallic door, one of the rows upon rows of similar doors.


"Ahmed, it's me! I brought your pizzas." He shouted.


"Ah, Ryan, come in." Said an answering voice from the other side of the door. For a moment a white glowing barrier manifested in front of the door before dissipating, and the door opened at the same time.


Ryan entered the room. It was a well-furnished room, full of wardrobes containing multiple books about history. On one corner of the room a computer sat, and from its looks appears to be optimized for playing video games.


After putting the stack on top of a table, Ryan took a seat. "You know I'm still confused as to why would you put spells in front of your entrance all the time. I mean this place is literally among the safest place in the world, who would attack you here?"


Ahmed, who was resting on his bed due to the previous mission, merely gave a smile and a shrug. "You can never be too careful about security."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "You always answers with that every time I asked. There must be some other thing as the cause."

"My answer is still the same Ryan." Answered Ahmed in the same calm voice and expressions, though his tone became slightly firmer than before. "By the way, you bought the deluxe cheese option right?" He said with sudden enthusiasm, his tone returning to what it was previously.


Understanding that Ahmed wasn't willing to answer his question, Ryan dropped the subject. "Yes, I bought the deluxe cheese." Ryan rose from his seat and began arranging the pizzas. "Right, you get these 3 pizzas, and I'll have these 2, is that good enough for you?"


Ahmed looked at Ryan quizzically. "Only 5? That's much less than what you usually bought."


"I would have Rey not put a limit at how much we could buy in a single day. Apparently, the guys at the restaurant are having a hard time getting enough to keep up with us and complained to him." Ryan explained with an annoyed expression. By this point, the pizzas were already separated according to the agreed ratio. Satisfied, Ryan once again took a seat on the sofa.


Ahmed sighed. "Oh well, if it comes from him then there's not much we can do. Besides, I'm interested in trying out some other foods, do you have any recommendation?"


Ryan fell silent in contemplation for a few moments before answering. "I think there's a new diner somewhere in the complex. Since there's no mission currently I think I can go there and-"


He was interrupted by a ringing noise on his ear that appears from his communicator. "Speak of the devil," Ryan muttered. He put one finger in the communicator and answered the call. "Another mission? Now? Two people? Fine fine, I'll be there as fast as possible." He closed the call and rose from the sofa. "Well shit, Rey just assign me a new mission. I'll get that diner food after I'm done then."


"Oh it's fine Ryan, I'll go there myself when I'm in a good enough condition." Reassured Ahmed.


"Alright then, If you say so. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit tonight. "Ryan said, " and don't you dare touch my share of the pizzas." He added.


"Oh don't worry, I won't." Said Ahmed, though his eyes continue to linger towards Ryan's share.

Ryan eyed him suspiciously, before finally moving towards the door. "You better not. See ya later." He moved towards the door, who opens automatically, and exited the room. As the door closed, a white glow manifested for a moment, covering the entrance before dissipating.


Left alone in his room, Ahmed stared at the door for a good while. Before turning his attention at the pizza piles. "Well then, let us begin." He said, as one of the pizzas flew towards him, while a fork and a knife appeared on his side. Almost on cue, a nearby music player turned on and began to play a song: "Aissèra, Nanninè, me ne sagliette Tu saie addò? Tu saie addò?".....


For the next hour, the sound of a beast ravenously devouring its prey could be heard from the room.


Meanwhile, Ryan made his way through the residential complex into the main headquarter building. AEF's headquarter, located on the shore of the Caspian Sea, is a vast place, but years of living there have made capable of knowing nearly every location in there and how to get to them. In addition, his abilities ensured that he could go anywhere within minutes.


After a rather short journey, he arrived at where he was supposed to be, the teleportation room. He quickly entered it, a vast spacious room full of machinery, where Rey was waiting in front of the teleportation device. Several technicians were already working on activating the device, a large circular machine with dozens of cables running from and into it.


"Ah good, you're here. Now we can continue with the briefings." Greeted Rey. The wizened man then moved closer to Ryan.


"Thanks, now can you tell me where me and whoever my partner is will go to." Answered Ryan.


"Director Anggito has found a SEELE facility in China, its purpose appears to be the manufacture of Nephilim." Explained Rey.


"So We're supposed to destroy it then?"


"That, and you are to gather any useful pieces of information there. The UN had already sent a detachment there to provide some support and extraction from the facility."


"Alright then. So who will be my partner by the way?" Ryan looked around. "I didn't see anyone here that could be it."


"Oh, she's here. She'll appear let see....right about now." Answered the old man.


Ryan stared at him confused, before deducing who it was. "She? who is-oh wait, fuuu-." His words were cut short by a sudden kick in the back that threw him across the room, and made him hit a wall."


"That would be me!" Said a vigorous-and distinctively feminine-voice. The technicians stopped their works for a while to watch the spectacle in front of them.


Ryan recovered from the blow, looking decidedly annoyed. "Geez, why it has to be you of all people?" He said as he got up. He then turned towards the person that kicked him.

A fair silver-haired woman stood before him proudly, her white outfit and cape contrasted with Ryan's warm orange glow. "Yes, I'll be the one in this mission. Don't like it? Well too bad, better keep up with me." Said her confidently.


"Oh please, as if I'll have any difficulty keeping up with you." Retorted Ryan.


Finally, Rey broke his silence. "Right, that is enough you two. You can banter all you want once you're there, but I will not tolerate anything that will jeopardize this mission." He said firmly.


"Pairing me with her is already jeopardizing this mission." Answered Ryan.


"I would agree with that assessment but Anggito believes you two are a good team together. I really don't know what he consumed to get such a great judgment to be honest. Anyway, as I said, you two will infiltrate the facility and bring it down while gathering useful information, that is all." Rey explained.


"Right, and how will we get in there?" Asked Ryan.


"UN forces, acting on our intel, has already surrounded the entrance to it." Answered Rey.


"Then this is not much of infiltration, is it? Why can't they storm it themselves?"


"Reminder that this is a Nephilim facility and thus would be guarded by them. I believe you are aware of what they could do to a regular human, armed or not"


"Right, forgot about that."


"Anyway, your mission," said Rey as he ordered the portal to be activated, "Starts now." The technicians began the sequence of activation, and a blue glow began to appear on the machine. A low humming sounds emanated from it, getting louder by every passing moment. Finally, the hum disappeared, while a blue vortex appeared inside the circle.


"If your mission succeeds, then we will have dealt a devastating blow to SEELE, and gets us closer to finishing this war once and for all. Good luck you two."