Chain Lightning Studios Presents Together We Stand Book Two Divided We Fall By T. L. Webb All in all it was just another brick in the wall, All in all it was all just bricks in the wall. The Wall Part One Pink Floyd, The Wall []=====================================[] Book Two, Part Four []=====================================[] The worst part was the waiting. As the seconds ticked on and on-- displayed in bright yellow digital numbers against a black background, Shinji decided that was indeed the worst of it. The ever-gnawing knowledge that the battle was coming soon, but not yet-- Knowing that any moment the enemy would cross the mountain range and the fight would begin in earnest was eating at him. He wanted to do something, to get out of the damn LCL and stretch, or to talk with Rei for awhile... he’d even talk with Asuka if she’d put up with him. Unfortunately they had to be ready at a second's notice and they couldn’t even risk radio traffic It was made worse this time than with the tenth Angel in part because they didn't know what they were up against. Whatever shockwave the thirteenth angel had thrown off had disrupted communications all around and they were effectively going into the fight blind. Even worse than that-- Misato had been in the testing area when the Angel had made itself known and no one knew of her or Dr Akagi’s current status. Misato was head of operations and the chief tactical officer in Nerv. She was the one who planed their battles, who had time and time again crafted their strategies. She was the one who constantly pulled their fat out of the fire at the last moment and gave them the key to winning the day. As the digital readout continued to tick endlessly away, he thought back to the morning she had left for the failed test. []====[] []====[] "So are you doing any better?" Misato asked Shinji as she stood at the door checking her things. She was about to leave for Matsushiro to oversee the arrival and activation of Evangelion Unit Three. Part of her wished Shinji would just come out and ask her who the pilot was, and the other was dreading that very question. For now she just wanted to make sure he was stable enough to leave unattended-- at least until Kaji arrived to look after him and Asuka. She might have told him about it the day she had found out, but the fourth child had called her aside that night and requested that she be allowed to tell Shinji about it herself-- after the activation. Hikari had been adamant about it, insisting that if someone else were to break the news then whatever small chance she and Shinji might ever have again would be shattered. [Trust is the problem between us right now Misato,] she had said, [and the only way this will work-- the only way I can show him I still trust him and still be pilots together-- is if I tell him myself... please!] That heartfelt appeal from the girl had won her over, and now she was struggling with the weight of a secret she could not tell one of the people that was closest to her heart. "I just don’t know Misato," Shinji told her sadly, "its... its almost like I'm back at my uncle’s place. I’m just going through the motions... I can't concentrate on school and Ritsuko said that my last synch test was down three points... but I’m not as bad as I was a week ago. That's something at least." "Just hang in there Shinji, I'm sure whatever is keeping Hikari wont last much longer." "Is there some way you could find out?" Shinji pleaded, "I don't even know where she is... all Nozomi knows is that she should be back next week. I think Kodama knows something but she won't even speak to me. She’d talk to you though wouldn’t she?" "Maybe... listen, I wouldn’t worry too much about it Shinji, didn't she say she’d talk to you just before she left?" "Yeah... but she said she’d meet me after school-- then she didn't even come back from lunch, and that was two days ago." "It might be some family emergency" Misato told him-- hating herself for the lie, "but listen to me, Shinji. All I can tell you for now is that you have to just keep moving ahead, and don't hesitate when the time comes. Be honest with her, that’s all I can tell you." "You sound like Kaji," he said with a chuckle. "It was worth even that to get you to smile for a change," Misato said wryly as she opened the door, "but don't tell Asuka I said so, I'd prefer to keep my breathing privileges." She stopped suddenly, and then Misato surprised him by wrapping her arms around him in a gentle hug. "I know how hard all this must seem on you, and I promise if there was any other way we wouldn't be putting all this off on you kids. Do you believe me?" ".... I do... and thanks," Shinji told her as she pulled back and walked out the door. []====[] []====[] He hadn't even gotten to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Shaking his head and assuming Misato had forgotten her keys again he made his way back down the hall and opened the front door. He was almost knocked back as Kensuke bowed sharply and formally. "Major Katsu...." he trailed off as he realized Shinji was alone. "She just left," Shinji said as he tried to figure out what his friend was doing "Damnit!" Kensuke said, "I must have missed her at the elevators." "What did you need her for?" Shinji asked his friend followed him inside. "They’re going to activate Unit Three tomorrow, and I was hoping they hadn't picked a pilot yet." Kensuke explained. "Oh... hey, where’s Touji?" "Aw, I dunno, he wasn't home when I called, he probably was in the shower or something" Kensuke slumped into a chair as Shinji started putting together his and Asuka's lunch. In the last couple of days he'd had too much free time and it helped to have something to keep his mind occupied-- hence the cooking "I don't know for sure, but they probably already picked a Fourth Child. I'd imagine they'd be training them as we speak so they won't have to repeat what they went through with me." "I'd imagine... so where's the red death?" "In her room, and if I were you I wouldn't say anything like that around her. she's been in a bad mood lately." "You mean she has another kind?" Kensuke joked, just as Asuka walked in. "If you want, I could show you my 'its-time-to-painfully-injure-the- nearest-stupid-boy' mood," she told him as her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "I think I’ll pass," Kensuke gulped. "Humph," Asuka snorted as she grabbed the bag Shinji had just finished packing and stormed out of the room. "Okay... next time I think I'll just take your advice and leave the witty rejoinders for Tetsu," Kensuke said once the door had slammed, "I mean, seriously! What crawled up her--" "I'm ready," Shinji said cutting him off, "and who is Tetsu?" "Oh, sorry, TetsuShojo is that girl I met online." "Really? I don't think you ever mentioned a name before." "Well that's kind of the only one I know her by, she doesn't want to get in trouble where she works and has to keep her conversations limited-- kind of like you and Nerv stuff." "That's kind of weird that you don't even know her real name." "I know, I’ve already had this discussion with Touji-- it is weird... but its also some of the most fun I've had outside of my military stuff. I'd think you all would be congratulating me on branching out in my interests." "We might if you hadn't just traded one obsession for another," Shinji said with a smile. "Ouch... I think you've been around Misato and Asuka too long. _You're_ supposed to be _my_ witless foil, remember?" []====[] []====[] She'd never admit it to anyone, but the waiting was driving Asuka up the wall. She'd long since shut down her time display and was idly playing with a strand of her hair as she waited for her alert screen to light up. Until then there was really nothing else for any of them to do. As she stared at the bland countryside through the high resolution display screens that surrounded her pilot seat, she stifled a yawn and looked across the rice fields to where she could just make out the head of Unit One. She was still more than a little creeped out by what it had done to the twelfth Angel. The damn idiots didn't even know why or how it had managed to pull that stunt off. They had finally told her it was classified and stopped talking, but she knew that they were frightened-- that they were all frightened. After all, it wasn't the first time. 'Damn prototypes,' she thought as she watched the setting sun reflect off the still waters, 'thank Gott that they managed to hammer out those bugs before they built my Unit two. At least they won't have to worry about my Eva going psycho and mauling anyone. Whoever thought it was a good idea to use those two needs to have their head examined, I wouldn’t get into either of them even if they’d wanted me to. I mean, unit one’s tantrums are one thing, but Unit Zero?' She shuddered as she remembered the footage of Eva Unit Zero trying to tear its own head off. Things had gone fine until they'd gotten to the final neural connections. She wondered if Rei had been nervous that Shinji had done just as well as she had. Asuka knew that she'd be pissed if someone matched her in Unit Two.... Or did Rei feel jealousy? Or anything for that matter? Most of the time the girl sat there like a lump until someone told her to do something-- she was worse than Shinji, and at least Shinji was slowly improving... That brought to mind something she had found out the day Kaji had come by... She'd been leaving Dr Akagi's office after a standard medical when she had run into Hikari in the lounge. They'd stood there looking at one another for what felt to Asuka like an hour before Dr Akagi had finally walked out and asked Hikari to follow her. Hikari'd left without saying a word, but the look she’d given Asuka had said volumes. It all fit together in her mind like children's puzzle. Unit Three was here, Hikari was in Central Dogma, and you needed top clearance to be in Central Dogma, Pilots had top clearance... Hikari was the Fourth Child. It was child's play to deduce, but what had thrown her was when Dr Akagi had relayed a message. Hikari didn't want her telling Shinji she was the Fourth. Whatever her reasons were she wasn't sharing them. Apparently she was still a little mad, as she also apparently didn't feel like talking to her in person. That had hit her harder than she wanted to admit, and even with Kaji staying the night she still hadn't been able to cheer up. []====[] []====[] Kaji had arrived right on time, which was a surprise to even him. "I hope no one hears about his," he joked as he let Shinji take his jacket, "I do have a reputation to uphold." Asuka was waiting patently in the kitchen and as the two entered her face lit up like a thousand-watt light. Before she could run up and hug him, however, he asked to use the shower. "After the plane landed," he explained, "I just barely had time to grab a change of fresh clothes and restock my overnight kit." "You travel an awful lot Kaji," Shinji said as Asuka made her way to the living room in a huff, "do you get to see a lot of the places you visit?" "Sadly that's not usually the case. Generally its get in, find the problem, get out and come home to flirt with Misato and Ritsuko until its time to go again." "Oh," Shinji replied as Kaji closed the washing room door. After grabbing his laptop so he could catch up on his studies, he joined Asuka in the living room. She was already caught up in a trashy soap opera so he concentrated on getting his work done. It wasn't too long however when she spoke up. "Kaji sure takes long baths..." she said, and Shinji realized that she might not have been paying as much attention to the show as he'd thought. He knew how anti-social he tended to be, and for a long time since he arrived he’d been trying to fix that. Now as he looked up from his homework he realized that Asuka might be trying to start a conversation. "I guess," he said trying to think of something interesting to say, "um... so who do you think will pilot the new Eva?" For a split second Asuka's face took on an expression not unlike a combination of fear and shock, but it was for only a split second and Shinji wouldn't identify it until much, much later. She started to say something, but caught herself. In an almost nervous voice muttered that she didn't know. Shinji frowned at her. He only recognized the fib on an instinctual level-- a holdover to his current situation with Hikari. As she turned back to the television he was still trying to decide whether to press the issue or let it drop. Before he made his decision however, Kaji picked that moment to emerge from the washroom. "Are you two fighting again?" He asked as he rubbed the towel through his tangled hair. "Not really," Shinji replied as he went back to his studies. "Well as glum as you too look I’m surprised," Kaji said, "why the long face Asuka?" "I don't really want to talk about it Kaji," She said, "I am trying to be happy, I really am! But with everything that's going on... even with you staying here for the night isn't enough." "Well I think we should all go to bed," Kaji said cheerfully, causing both the youngster’s eyes to widen, "I find that's usually the best thing to do at a time like this." "Um... Kaji?" Shinji asked, "don't take this the wrong way, but are you crazy?" "I am _not_ going to sleep with _him_," Asuka added with a frown. "I just meant that you’d feel better after a good night’s sleep," Kaji said as he put on his best innocent look, "I don't know what you were thinking but it sounds dirty." Two flying pillows immediately connected with his head. []====[] []====[] 'Pilot Ikari does not know that Miss Horaki is now a pilot,' Rei Ayanami thought as she meditated within the entry plug of Unit Zero, 'His response to this will be unpredictable.' She, of course, had known almost from the moment the decision had been made. Once she had reported for duty the morning following her dinner with Pilot Ikari she’d been informed. The knowledge troubled her, and she was not entirely certain as to why. She felt an odd connection to Pilot Ikari that--while similar-- was unlike the one she felt towards his father. She still did not possess the words to properly explain her feelings on the matter, even to herself. It was a journey that was causing her distress and excitement. On one hand she was growing to enjoy the company of her classmates more and more as of late. Before this year, a conversation was an unnecessary triviality. People talked of things that, to her, were devoid of reason or purpose. Clothes, sports, movies and television shows, the activities of others... all were things that Rei had little-- if any interest in. Why the other children were so fascinated by such pointless topics had been a mystery to her until recently. Now she was slowly developing her own fascination with such things On the other hand she was having more difficulty keeping her emotions in check. That had been a growth she had not anticipated at all. At first it had been pleasant. She'd developed a fondness for her newfound friends, and when she was around them she felt happy. Seeing Pilot Ikari and Miss Horaki so happy together had made her feel content somehow. But when she’d learned of their fight, she’d felt sadness for the first time in months, and it had been much stronger than before. She was distressed by it, that the activities of others could so greatly effect the balance that she had always assumed was her natural state. As she had continued to interact with the small group of people she considered her friends, however, that balance had begun to shift. She knew how vital that balance was to her purpose, and it frightened her that she might be bringing failure to the project by her continued interaction... but at the same time she couldn’t stop, she enjoyed it too much.. She was afraid a day would soon come that Commander Ikari would no longer allow her to interact with them.. But at the same time, for the first time she could remember, she longed to be free of her destiny. Pilot Ikari had touched the subject the night they had dined together, as well as other topics that had fascinated her. As she pondered the battle that would soon be taking place, a part of her mind drifted back to that night. []====[] []====[] He had just finished seasoning the vegetables, and was taking the rice off the burner when Rei asked Shinji something that gave him pause. "Why are you and Miss Horaki avoiding one another?" As he busied himself with finishing the meal, Shinji pondered that question. By the time he brought their plates into her living room he had an answer. "I was about to say that I wasn't... but I suppose in a way I am avoiding her," he replied as he set down her plate and his own, "everyone keeps saying that I need to give her time, that I need to wait for her to come to me... I don’t agree with it, but it’s all I can do for now." "Why are the two of you distressed?" "I guess I never did tell you," Shinji said with a touch of surprise, "it was my fault really, I did something wrong and then tried to lie about it. She caught me out and now she’s angry with me." "What did you do?" "I... I kissed Asuka." Rei was quiet for a moment, then asked yet another question "What kind of kiss?" "I'm sorry?" "The night of Major Katsuragi's promotion miss Horaki displayed several types of kisses with you. Which one did you and Pilot Soryu share?" Shinji thought back to that night and smiled sadly. That had been just before he’d decided he would be fighting for Hikari. Having that taken away from him as it was hurt, and he was finding it hard not to dwell on it "If memory serves," he answered, "it was the second to last type." "I see... and because you attempted to lie, she no longer has trust in you?" "That's about the long and short of it... funny it seems like no one has any trust in me anymore." "That is not true," "Then who Rei?" "Your fellow students, Major Katsuragi, myself, and your father." "My father? He doesn't even care that I exist other than as Unit Ones Pilot." "Why would he not care, are you not his son?" "I don't think he's treated me like one since I was a child Rei... he almost didn't even restore my status as Pilot after that last angel." "He restored it once the tests confirmed you were unharmed. There were doubts as to whether or not the angel had tampered with your mind." "Rei?" Shinji asked, changing the subject slightly, "what would you have done if it had swallowed you? I keep thinking that I could have escaped sooner if I had just tried harder." "I would not have escaped," Rei said simply. "What do you mean?" "According to your Eva’s data recordings, once inside the angel you were effectively trapped. It has yet to be determined just how you managed to escape. Had I been swallowed by the Dirac Sea I would have self destructed Eva Unit Zero." "You're serious... aren't you," Shinji said in a stunned whisper. "Why would I not be?" Rei had asked. The rest of their dinner was mostly broken by lighter conversation. They did not speak of Eva or Nerv for the rest of the night. []====[] []====[] Having nothing better to do, and knowing he couldn’t stave off thoughts of his situation with Hikari much longer, Shinji keyed up his holographic display system and programmed it to replay the conversation he’d had with the others just as they had arrived. It was a bit embarrassing-- he’d panicked when he’d found out Misato was still unaccounted for, but it did offer him one detail to contemplate. "An accident at Matsushiro?" he'd asked in shock as the heavy jet fighters prepared to release them to the site, "but what about Misato? Is she okay?" "They have yet to reestablish contact," came Rei's ever-calm voice. "But what are we going to do? Who is going to be in charge?" he'd asked in a frightened voice. In hindsight he decided that he had been afraid they would place him in charge... he knew he wasn't ready for that. "What are you whining about?" Asuka demanded, "its not like we didn't take down the ninth angel on our own. This is no different." "Commander Ikari will assume the position of tactical officer for this mission, "Rei said, correcting their impression that they were on their own. Shinji stopped the playback at that; he’d heard what he’d wanted to. His father...he still didn't trust him, and he knew so little about the man. It had shocked him at just how little Rei knew, and from all indications she was closer than anyone else save perhaps Sub commander Fuyutski. To everyone else that Shinji had asked-- Gendou Ikari was a blank. For over ten years Shinji’d had minimal contact with his father. The yearly visit at his mother's grave was the only time he’d ever seen him, and it had seemed as if even that was simply a token visit. He had made so many odd choices in his son's life, but as to the reasons behind such decisions-- Shinji didn't have a clue. Not once in all that time had Gendou Ikari mentioned he was raising Rei, and that bothered Shinji more than Ayanami’s closeness to the man. Had he considered her a replacement? Had Gendou Ikari truly tossed Shinji to the wayside back then? If this was true it made it all even worse than Shinji had initially thought. It tore at him because of the callousness of the act. The lack of emotion in Gendou Ikari cut Shinji deeper than the actual act it. Not once had he ever offered a word of explanation for it. Shinji suspected that an apology would never escape the mans lips... but the lack of reason was more bothersome. He wanted to know why. So deep was he in these thoughts that he almost missed the blinking indicator light, and barely had registered it when the audio alarm began. The Angel had arrived. []====[] []====[] "We just received visual conformation from Nobeyama," Shigeru said form his place in Central Dogma’s command and control center, "I'm transferring the feed to the main monitor." As the holographic image flashed to life in front of them all but one let out a collective gasp at the sight displayed. Evangelion Unit three was making its way through the mountain pass in long lumbering steps. Its arms hung at its sides as if it didn't quite understand how to use them. Trees, buildings and anything else in its path were crushed as it continued its slow purposeful trek. Gendou Ikari alone remained unaffected by what he saw. "So... it's just as we suspected," Fuyutski said regretfully. "Transmit the termination signal," Ikari said as he rested his chin against his steepled hands, "then force eject the entry plug." A moment passed and on the monitor a burst of light and smoke appeared from the back of Unit Three. As the camera zoomed in, they could just make out what appeared to be a web-like substance clinging to the half exposed entry plug. It pulsed and seemed to grip the plug tighter-- whatever the substance was, it was alive. "The Eva is not recognizing the either the termination signal or the plug eject code," Maya said from her station in a strained, frightened voice, "the signal seems to be being blocked from within the plug." "And the Pilot?" Gendou asked with even less emotion than he'd displayed with his previous order. "We have respiration and pulse," Makoto said, "but she's probably unconscious according to these readings." "Very well," Ikari said, his voice firm and resolved, "from this moment on reclassify Unit Three as the thirteenth angel." "B-- but sir!" Maya said in shock at the coldness in his voice. "Maneuver the Eva’s into position as planed, and destroy the target." Not once had he suggested a rescue attempt. []====[] []====[] "But that's not an Angel!" Shinji insisted as he watched Unit Three advance on his screen. "That is your target, and your enemy." Gendou said calmly, "Accept this as fact." "Target? Enemy? But it's an Eva isn't it?" Shinji cried, he couldn't believe his father wanted him to do this. "Was it possessed somehow?" Asuka wanted to know. "Inside that thing is a kid just like me..." Shinji whispered as the thirteenth Angel approached Unit Two. "Shinji," Asuka said suddenly, "I gotta tell you something, the pilot of Unit--" her communication was cut off by a sudden jolt as all power was switched to combat mode. 'Alright shiesekoff, if that’s the way you want it-- fine. Lets dance,' she thought with pleasure as her Eva leapt into the air to avoid the Angel’s tackle. Activating her shoulder thrusters, Asuka held the Eva in midair just long enough to position her pallet rifle. As she began her nine hundred-foot descent, she opened fire. The solid metal slugs flew from the electromagnetic accelerator and fell down upon the angel like a burning storm of hail. The angel did something with its body and just as the first of the rounds struck home a shimmering wave of force began to radiate off of it. As the slugs began to strike the wave, a distinct geometric pattern was revealed. She didn't need the Bridge crew shouting in her ear to know that it was an AT field. 'Hand to hand it is,' she thought as a manic glee took hold of her. All other thoughts save victory fled from her mind. The other Eva's, the chain of command, the pilot's life... all gone. Her only goal was now to take down the Angel below her. Her AT field struck that of the angel’s and the space between them began to glow furiously as the two opposing energy fields struggled for dominance. This struggle was short lived as at that moment Unit Two plunged through the AT field, shattering its weakened wall and prepared to strike at the dark shape below. The angel looked up at her and there was a blur of motion. Two black and white shapes shot forward and suddenly her rate of descent quadrupled. She barely had time to realize that the Angel’s arms were holding onto her Eva as she struck the ground with a tremendous impact. The LCL was designed to cushion the pilot in such situations, but even it had its limits. Her last thoughts as she struck her head on the wall of the entry plug were strangely of her mother. []====[] []====[] "Unit Two just went silent!" Makoto shouted. "Entry plug ejection is completed," Maya said, "the salvage crews are in route." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. The battle was nowhere near over. "Target is now moving towards Unit Zero," Shigeru reported. "Rei, avoid any close combat," Commander Ikari said, "try to hold the target until Unit One arrives." "Understood," came the calm reply. []====[] []====[] The angel had cleared the mountainside, and as Rei prepared to fire the particle beam rifle at the chest components of Eva Three, something happened that she had never experienced. Hesitation. "The pilot... is still inside," she whispered as her mind warred over the desire to save the pilot’s life and to follow orders. The Angel saved her from this dilemma by doing something unexpected. During the first battle against the Third Angel, the enemy had displayed the ability to use it’s AT Field to fly short distances. Other Angel’s had later on shown much more advanced versions o this ability, but that had been the first observed occurrence. Now as Rei Ayanami’s mind struggled over her orders, the Thirteenth angel gave them all another display of this ability. It didn't even turn. It just launched itself up into the air before falling upon her Eva-- its arms gripping her tightly as a low growl escaped the open mouth. Suddenly she felt something hot against the skin of her left arm. It was as if someone had poured acid on it! She let out a scream of pain and fear as she tried to stay in control of Unit Zero. []====[] []====[] In command and control even Fuyutski was shocked at Gendou's lack of response to Rei's predicament. "The angel is- is invading the left arm of Unit Zero," Maya shouted, "its trying to override the synapse transmissions!" "Activate the left arm’s explosive charges immediately." Gendou demanded, and Fuyutski was relieved to hear a touch of fear in the Commander’s voice. "But the neural connections are still in place," Maya protested, "the pilot could--" "Cut it OFF!" It took Maya a moment to realize that the furious growl of an order had in fact come from Commander Ikari. More afraid of that voice than the angel itself, she immediately obeyed, and on the screen, the left shoulder of Eva Unit Zero exploded. The scream from Unit Zero's entry plug chilled them all to the bone, one of unrelentingly deep pain that none of them had the experience to imagine. As Rei clutched her shoulder and began to whimper in agony, Maya wiped a tear from her eye. "Mid... Mid level damage to Unit Zero," Maya said as she forced back her emotions, "it is shutting down and the pilot’s readouts are showing feedback damage." As she watched Rei clutching her arm and crying in pain, Maya prayed it would be over soon. []====[] []====[] "No... This isn't happening," Shinji said as he watched the Angel approach him from across the rice fields. "Unit One, the target is approaching. When it comes within range attack with whatever force is necessary." "You keep calling it a target," Shinji said in a low, panicked voice, "but isn't there a person inside that thing? A kid my age, a kid just like me. I can't do this, we have to try to save him." He toggled the monitor to zoom in on the Evangelion. He could see the growing web of gray matter surrounding the back of the Eva, but through that mesh, he could still make out the white and red of the entry plug. "I knew it," Shinji said bitterly, "there is a person inside!" He began to move forward to try and save whomever fate had chosen to trap in the beast, but just as he started forward, Unit Three stopped. Nervous, and confused about what it was doing, he stopped Unit one and began to slowly circle the Possessed Eva. Then, just as he was about to start forward again, the Eva leapt into the air in a forward summersault and struck Unit one in the chest. Shinji was hurled backwards into a nearby hillside. As the ground gave way beneath him he fought to keep focused. As he forced Unit one to its feet, he saw that the angel had dropped to all fours. This stunned him long enough for it to make its next move. It pawed the ground like a bull, and suddenly the arm in question was rocketing towards Unit one’s face. The Angel's arm stretched like a bizarre toy, and it grabbed hold of Unit one’s throat. Quickly it had both hands around the neck of Shinji's Eva and with a perverse growl, it began to squeeze. []====[] []====[] "Life support is failing!" Makoto shouted as his display went nuts. "Pilots life signs are starting to slip," Maya said as her voice cracked. Fuyutski scowled at the scene displayed before him, "Damnit," he muttered before raising his voice, "cut synch ratio to sixty percent imedia--" "Wait," came a cold voice from next to him. "Gendou if we don't do something the pilot will die!" he whispered sharply, dumfounded that his long time associate could be so cold. "Why aren't you fighting back," Gendou demanded as he activated a communications link. The tortured breathing from the other end caused a few of the tech's below to look up at their station with something approaching disgust. "There's still someone alive in there" "Irrelevant. It is an angel and it is our enemy. You will destroy it." "I can't do that damnit!" Shinji shouted, his breathing was ragged and weak, it was obviously taking an incredible effort just to speak, "if he’s still alive then we have to try to save him!" "You will fight or you will die," Gendou said, and Fuyutski was somewhat relieved to see sweat beading on the man’s brow. "I don’t care," Shinji screamed as he struggled to breathe, "I won't kill another human being!" "Damn it to hell," Gendou growled under his breath as he stood for the first time anyone could remember, "cut all links between Unit one and the pilot." Everyone present blinked as they turned to look at the Commander "Cut it?" Maya asked weakly. She suspected where this was going and it terrified her. "Yes, cut the links and then switch all circuits to the dummy plug." "But sir!" Maya said, her voice edging far past panic, "the dummy system isn't finished, there are still too many bugs and without Dr Akagi here to--" "Its still better than the current Pilot," Commander Ikari shouted back, "do it immediately!" "Y-yes sir," Maya said as the focus of her fear was again directed back to the Commander. 'Please forgive me,' she thought, not knowing for sure to who or where she was directing it. []====[] []====[] The unbearable pressure on his neck disappeared in a blink. As Shinji took his third breath and his head began to clear, he realized something was wrong. Just as he was registering that the plug had gone silent, the display blinked back to life. Even then, however, there was still something wrong. There was a red glow from somewhere behind him that was only increasing his dread. In front of him the angel was still squeezing the neck of Unit one. As a dull whirring sound began to grow louder just behind his seat, Shinji’s dread began to shift to fury. "Father," he said. Low at first, but then with a blast of rage, "Father! What are you doing?" Unit One lurched to life without his guidance and Shinji almost fell back from the seat. The motion had always been in tune with his own before, and it was throwing him completely off balance. The arms of Unit one slowly reached forward until its hands closed around the Angel's throat. It began to pull itself forward, bending the grotesquely long arms of Unit Three out at odd angles. There was a sickening crack that was brought to his ears by the audio pickups, and he saw the other Eva’s head and neck fall to the side above Unit One’s grip. He was forced to cover his ears after that, because Unit One let out a roar that seemed to shake the very earth, and threw Unit Three to the ground in a brutal arc. "No..." he said as what was happening finally dawned on him, "father no, stop it!" The fist of Unit One reared back and as it shot down Shinji tried desperately to feed commands to stop it. The fist did not just strike the head of the other Eva, it pulverized it. Blood gushed everywhere, and as he screamed in protest, he heard a familiar woman's voice cry out over the speakers. It was Maya. "Someone stop this!" he cried, "I know you can hear me, please!" Unit One continued to bash its fists into the body of the dying Evangelion-- each blow crashing the armor plates hiding the flesh beneath. Shinji pounded on the controls and tears began to fall from his eyes as he begged and pleaded for his father to stop the slaughter that was going on before him. "Stop it, stop it oh god please don't do this!" He screamed as he bashed his fists against the display screens. "There’s nothing I can do, there's nothing I... can... no," he suddenly felt the anger and panic drain from him as he realized that there _was_ one thing he could do to stop the slaughter As coldness crept into his mind and body, Shinji turned from his place at the controls and felt along the edge of the pilot seat. He found a handhold and pulled, sending a section of the cushion falling to the side. Just below where he had just sat, was a handle attached to a round device. [There's something about Unit One that makes it more valuable than anything else Shinji] Misato had told him after the Twelfth angel, [I don’t know what it is, but they put its recovery ahead of your own life] "Lets find out how far you’ll go to save it father," Shinji said as his hair fell over his eyes, "lets see just how far you’ll go." []====[] []====[] "Oh my god!" Makoto shouted as the others watched the screen in awe at the destructive urges of the dummy system, "Unit one's self destruct system just went active!" "What?" both Fuyutski and Gendou shouted in unison, the effect might have been comical had the situation not been so dire. "I know you can hear me," came Shinji’s voice from the interlink, "shut it down. Now." There was no more rage, no more panic or fear in the boy's voice, only a hollow acceptance, and while he would never have admitted it to any soul, living or dead, it frightened Gendou Ikari for an instant. "What is the status of the Angel?" he demanded quickly, pushing everything back down inside. "The target is sile--" Shigiru began to say. "Shut the dummy plug down, immediately!" With tears in her eyes, Maya sent the command code as fast as she could. Had Ritsuko been there she would have been impressed at how fast the multi-character code was entered. In the entry plug of Unit one, Shinji Ikari pulled his hand back from the self-destruct system and passed out cold. Outside the Eva, the hand of Unit one was buried inside Unit Three, its massive hand set to pull the entry plug through the Eva’s chest. In the command and control center of Central dogma, Fuyutski turned to say something to Ikari, but found that the seat beside him was empty. He looked back and was just in time to see the man descend into the personal lift shaft. []====[] []====[] Shinji woke up on a cot next to a very tired looking Misato Katsuragi. "Hey," She said from where she lay a few feet away. Her arm and head were wrapped in bandages and there were several cuts and scratches along her face. "Hey," he replied in a dry scratchy voice. He had nearly worn it out from the screaming earlier. "Kaji told me what happened," Misato told him, "I made them send me over here so I could see you when you woke up." "I think... Misato I think I killed someone," Shinji whispered through his sore throat. "Shinji... they don't know that yet, She might still be alive." "She?" Shinji asked, suddenly realizing something, "Misato... Do you know who the pilot was?" "Shinji, I need to explain something, and you have to listen to me," she was still too weak to even sit up, but Shinji was not. He climbed to his feet and looked out of the medical tent at the rescue crew who were hard at work removing the entry plug from the crushed and mangled form of Unit Three. "Misato... who was the pilot?" he asked, suddenly suspicious. "Oh God... Shinji I'm sorry, she asked me to let her tell you herself but..." Misato didn't get a chance to finish, because at that moment a cry went up form the rescue team that they had opened the plug. Having no major injuries, Shinji left Misato behind and ran towards the bright floodlights that were guiding the rescue crews. He had to push his way past a few of them, but no one tried to stop him. When he reached the inner circle of men and women, he was brought to a halt by what he saw. They had cut open the plug with a welding torch, and he could see the inside as two of the workers climbed into it. The edges were lined with the same webbing that had covered the plug earlier, only this time it was stained an orange color by the LCL. The first of the two pressures suited rescue members climbed back out of the plug, and as they pulled the pilot out, Shinji felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. His face went white and his breath caught in his throat as he fought to keep from passing out. Emerging from the entry plug, and covered in the orange stained webbing, was the unconscious form of Hikari Horaki. Dozens of yards away in the medical tent, Misato heard his scream. []========================[] To Be Continued.... []========================[] Authors Incoherent Babbling Heh heh heh. Y'all thought I was gonna lop off her arm and leg didn’t you? Admit it. *snickering uncontrollably* no, I’m not quite that far out of my mind. Close, but not quite. I do admit that it would make an interesting plot twist to actually do that, I have other plans in mind, and they call for Miss Horaki to retain her appendages for the time being. I’ve been keeping these for the most part at around 20 to 25 pages, and in theory that should stay a standard at least until Book Three, which I want to warn y’all now is gonna be around 30 pages per chapter if not more. Keep in mind that this thing is almost writing itself, and I make no real promises on any of that, it's just how I intend to try to do this. If the story decides a chapter needs 30 pages or even 40, that's how long it’s gonna be. A friend of mine-- after reading Moonlight Sonata and hearing me say something along those lines-- told me I have 'Stephen King's disease' or as King himself calls it 'diarrhea of the word processor'. I replied then, and I still say now that there are worse fates for a writer. Hell, I mean, right now I have 11 chapters plus the prologue finished, that's roughly 240 pages-- give or take a few-- and this thing is just at the halfway point. Believe you me, it could have been longer, but I am trying to keep it at a readable length. (I hate that phrase, I mean, if the story is good, who cares how long it is?) When all is said and done there will be the prologue, seven chapters of book one, thirteen chapters of book two, three chapters of book three, the epilogue and the bonus story. I don’t know how fast some of you read out there, but twenty pages takes me about fifteen to twenty minutes, so I don't think this is unbelievably long when you consider that some people I know make it a point to watch Eva all the way through every month ^_^ one last thing. as you may notice, my web address has changed! I'd like to ask any of y'all who have me linked to please update acordingly. thanks I’m out Hotwire Chain Lightning Studios http://www.chainlightningstudios.com