[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1/2, Neon Genesis Evangelion,
Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these stories. And I'll
put them back when I've finished with them.
C&C are requested
E-mail: dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net
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http://home.att.net/~danjess.gibson
Chapter 11 Part 1 of 2
Green Fire
Jeff and Nabiki stood in the EVA bay in their plugsuits, and watched
Shinji, in Unit 01, move out, Ranma, Asuka and Rei were right behind him in
their EVAs, the pair was staying behind, again.
"I sense a continuing pattern in this." Jeff observed, looking
wistfully at the four EVAs moving out, "Come back safe," he added quietly.
"Come on, at least we can watch from the main control room," Nabiki
suggested, the morning after her blow up, she needed to mend fences with her
roommates, she'd hoped she could practice on Raccoon, before she moved on to
Ranma.
"And watch, what, exactly?" Jeff turned to face her, and leaned back on
the railing, looking around at the technicians and crews preparing for the
EVAs' return. "I gave up my diploma for this, one sortie and that was it,"
he said bitterly, "One weekend, and I could have flown back to school."
"At least you've been out there," Nabiki replied, trying not to catch
his tenebrous mood, So much for that idea, she thought, He's still pissed at
me.
"Better to have never piloted at all, than to have done so twice, and
never again. Believe me."
"What's it like?" Nabiki asked, At least he's always willing to
lecture. I can see if it's different from what I remember from the dream.
"Each unit is different, Unit 00 is all anger and rage, a berserker
from Norse legend, or a kamikaze. Unit 01, I'd bet money it's Shinji's
mother, or it thinks it is, that's how I was able to sync with it, I said if
Shinji got hurt, I might have to go out after him in it. Unit 04 is an old
warrior, eager to teach all its old tricks." Jeff counted off the EVAs, "I
don't know about Unit 02, having Langley there changed things. The,
intimacy, I guess, of the contact is hard to describe. You have to fight to
keep yourself separate, but it isn't trying to draw or drag you in, more -
welcoming. And the feeling of power, I can't describe it, the angels, the
real ones, must feel like that."
"You sound like you miss it," Nabiki said sardonically, That's nothing
like my experience, for me, it was a fight to get and maintain control.
"Attractive and repulsive at the same time," Jeff explained, he seemed
troubled by the incompleteness of the explanation.
He's wondering how much he should share about killing the `Angels`, and
the side effects, she thought.
Alarms blared throughout the bay.
"Oh, no." Jeff stood out of the way, as troops scrambled for the EVA's
plug loading controls. Nabiki had flattened herself against the wall to
avoid being trampled.
----------------------------------------
Asuka and Rei used their EVAs to yank Unit 01 back into the access
tunnel, the bolt of green fire splashed against the concrete of the tunnel
mouth, trying to maintain contact with its target. They both could hear
Shinji screaming inside the plug.
"Hurry up, Wondergirl!" Asuka cursed as they dragged the damaged,
convulsing EVA back down the tunnel. Ranma risked a peek around the edge of
the tunnel, and barely got his EVA's head back, before a second beam slammed
into the concrete.
----------------------------------------
Jeff and Nabiki helped the crew manhandle the stretcher down the stairs
to the unload point, while Unit 00 and Unit 02 shoved Unit 01 back into the
restraining cage, and locked it down.
"Baka, Shinji," Unit 02 seemed to comment in Asuka's voice, on the
gaping wound in the EVA's front carapace. The paint had been burned away,
exposing the metal beneath, which had been burnt or corroded away, exposing
the organic components, including the EVA's core. The equipment pulled the
plug from the EVA, and the command chair from the plug.
Jeff and Nabiki stood with the others to hand the wire basket stretcher
carrying Shinji, up to other waiting hands, to take the wounded boy to the
medical wing.
"What happened to him?" Nabiki hadn't seen any external injuries on the
boy as he passed.
"Shock, burns, the pilot experiences what the EVA does, sometimes it's
too much." Jeff was climbing down the gantry, to get a look at the damaged
carapace of the EVA, he leaned out to touch a small piece of the battered
metal, it crumbled to dust under his touch.
"Get out of there!" someone yelled, "We have to decontaminate!"
"Yeah." Jeff backed up, glancing at his hand and the metal dust, "No
problem."
"That was dumb." Nabiki yanked him away from the EVA.
"We are in _big_ trouble." Jeff headed to the scowling technician, to
get decontaminated.
----------------------------------------
Asuka showered quickly, she noted Wondergirl in the next stall, taking
her time. She weighed getting rid of the stench of L.C.L., against checking
on Spineless.
"What are you dawdling over?" she asked angrily.
Wondergirl turned, stared at her, "We can do nothing for some time.
Curtailing procedures assists no one." She paused.
Asuka frowned, she hated it when Wondergirl was right, "Don't you want
to do something?"
"Yes," Wondergirl admitted, "But I cannot."
Even she sounds frustrated, Asuka wanted to hit someone, something, the
Angel would do for a start. Why aren't we going out after that thing right
now? She noted Wondergirl was still staring at her, "Go finish your shower,
you have to be all clean and smelling nice when Spineless wakes up."
Asuka noted, with some disgust, that Wondergirl eagerly finished her
ablutions, Why is it the robots get a love life, and even alone with Kaji, I
don't? She considered stealing Spineless away, then washed herself from head
to toe twice, to get rid of such disgusting thoughts.
----------------------------------------
Misato was sitting on the couch in the corridor outside the medical
wing's main surgery, staring at the other couch facing her across the
corridor, waiting. There was nothing else to focus on, and nothing to do.
She completely missed when Nabiki, Davis and Ranma came up. Nabiki sat next
to her, touching her shoulder, silently offering comfort. She was shocked
that the 'Second Three' as she'd once disparagingly referred to them, were
here for her, while Asuka and Rei were not.
"You might want to look through this," Davis set a folder in her lap,
"I checked with Doctor Akagi, it's already in the works."
Ranma and Davis sat opposite the two women, and waited, saying nothing.
Misato paged through the sketch of the Angel's attack pattern, and a
plan to deal with it. Asuka and Rei arrived in their school uniforms, still
wet from their post-decontamination showers. They all waited in silence for
some time, before they realized no answers would be forthcoming.
----------------------------------------
"The attack is time-based, not heat or corrosive," Gendo explained to
the senior staff, gathered in the conference room, around a large map table
with the Angel's location, and the planned start points for the EVAs clearly
marked on it. Gendo glanced over to Davis, who had presented the plan to
him, based on what they'd learned in last night's dream. "Unit 04 is a high
density fused ceramic, like a fired pot. That is inherently more resistant
than the metal and organic components of Units 00, 01 and 02. Concrete, as
evidenced by the entry tunnel, is equally resistant. What we need to
determine, is the cycle rate of the enemy's attack, and the duration of the
blast."
The Angel of Time, Tulzscha, in the form of an half-mile tall pillar of
green flame, had positioned itself some distance away from the base, and had
drawn itself into an arch. Only Dr. Akagi and the Commanders knew why, Kaji
and Misato didn't know, and right now, didn't care.
"A very audacious plan, how did you find out about this?" Commander
Fuyutsuki asked his colleague and the pilot.
Jeff decided to drop a bombshell, "I've done extensive research on
these creatures, including reading the Necronomicon." He and the Commander
exchanged looks, both turned away.
Kaji and Misato didn't comprehend any of it, Commander Fuyutsuki and
Dr. Akagi were ashen. Gendo didn't meet anyone's eyes.
"We'll take it under advisement." Ikari said. Davis nodded and left
quickly.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Kaji demanded.
"You don't need to know. What do you think of the plan as described?"
Ikari asked. He closely examined each of the staff members.
"On paper, good. In execution, it could get Pilot Davis killed, and it
puts the other three pilots at severe risk," Kaji admitted.
"I don't like it," Misato added, "I don't believe water will have any
effect on these `time flames`, no matter how much can be pumped in, and the
exercise expends all the power of Unit 04, _unless_ Demisu or Shinji pilots
it, this looks like a grandstand play to get him in an EVA again."
"To what end? To do his job, or get killed?" Ritsuko asked Misato,
"The latter, is not very productive."
"You obviously think this will work. I'd like to know why you're even
entertaining the idea." Misato balled her fists, confronting Ritsuko.
"We are limited on the time available," Fuyutsuki said, "The Angel's
seeming irrational behavior, can't _be_ irrational, we must engage and
destroy it, as quickly as possible. This plan allows us to engage in only a
few hours. Unless Operations or Special Tactics has another idea that can
be implemented quickly?"
Neither Misato nor Kaji had an idea, especially one that would be ready
so quickly.
"Very well," Ikari said, staring at his subordinates, "Do you have any
suggestions on the implementation of the plan as a whole. Or minor
adjustments?" Gendo had already decided to adopt the plan as it stood, he
doubted they could add anything that he already hadn't.
"Not without knowing the cycle time of the enemy's primary attack,"
Kaji admitted, "Until we know that, no attack can be made."
"I would recommend a bombardment of the target by naval gunfire, from
out of the direct line-of-sight," Misato began, "Find out if we can destroy
whatever this thing is after, before it can find it."
"No," Ikari said, "Whatever it is after, is valuable to us as well, I
won't have it destroyed."
"We're assuming it _is_ after something. It may just be trapped, until
dismissed or destroyed," Ritsuko said, "It may have slain its summoners, and
is simply trapped here. It attacked the EVAs as it would any natural enemy,
there is no evidence it's after anything."
"Agreed," Ikari said, "Dismissed."
The senior staff left, Fuyutsuki turned Ikari, "Your son . . . "
"We all knew the risks," Ikari said flatly, "If Katsuragi continues to
deteriorate, we may have other options."
"Should we begin the search for other candidates?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"Let's see how well they face this challenge, we'll plan our course in
the aftermath." Ikari sat back and steepled his fingers, considering the
future.
----------------------------------------
Asuka noted the pilots had independently assembled in the corridor
outside the medical wing. Horseface and Ice Princess sat on one couch
side-by-side. She leaned against the opposite wall, next to Wondergirl, who
sat on the other couch, both she and Wondergirl seemed to be studying the
floor.
"Would you sit down," Horseface said to Raccoon, who was pacing the
corridor, "You're making _me_ nervous."
That makes two of us, she thought.
"Oh, I can't have that," Raccoon shot back, "In case you've forgotten,
that's _my_ plan in there. And they won't tell us about Shinji. Frankly
I'd like to know if he lived . . . or died, if he's all right, and if, or
when, he's coming back to us. I want to know what's happening, to plan the
next step."
"Well sit down anyway," she told him, "You're wearing a hole in the
floor."
"Langley, I care about as much - " He marched towards her.
"CHILDREN!" Ice Princess shouted as she stepped between them, "We
already have one pilot under medical care," she glared at her and Raccoon in
turn, "Let's not have any others."
Raccoon frowned, resumed pacing, farther down the corridor, away from
the others, she and Horseface gave exasperated sighs. Wondergirl watched
each of the pilots successively.
"Where's Ranko anyway?" Raccoon asked as his path brought him near
them, "You'd think she'd want to know about Shinji's condition."
"Maybe she's got the good sense not to be around you," she said.
"Yeah, I'm a bucket of laughs right now," Raccoon said, continuing his
pacing.
Asuka scowled, I hate this! Hate waiting, hate not knowing, hate not
doing. "Why can't they just tell us?"
"Asuka, why don't you pace with him. Then the rest of us can get a
nap," Ice Princess told her angrily.
"I will wait," Wondergirl said.
"Who didn't guess that?" she said.
"Langley, enough." Raccoon marched over, stopped in front of her. He
said gently, "We're all anxious, just admit it."
She pushed off from the wall, stood nose-to-nose with him, "I don't
need to be lectured by the pacing Raccoon!" Can't you manage any anger at
what's happening?
"At least she's not yelling at Rei anymore," Raccoon taunted, "Kiss
me."
She considered it for an instant, It would shock him and the others.
It would serve him right! instead she just screamed at him, calling in to
question his intelligence, his devotion to duty, his sanity, in German and
English; then stalked off to the farthest corner of the room. She leaned
against the corner and resumed glaring at the others from there.
Maya entered the corridor.
And almost retreated, she noted the analyst's terror, as all five
pilots suddenly stood up and turned towards her. Asuka waited for Maya to
pause and gather herself.
"He'll be all right," Maya told them.
She watched Maya react to the relief on her and the pilots' faces.
Someone laughed. "He needs rest and quiet," she admonished them.
"May we see him?" Wondergirl asked.
"Not yet," Maya told them, "He hasn't regained consciousness, and his
room is being kept sterile to prevent infection."
"Thank you," Ice Princess told her, and herded the other pilots away.
"Let's go kill this thing," Horseface said as he left. He got growls
of agreement from all the others.
Even Rei, Asuka noted, Interesting.
----------------------------------------
The senior staff and the pilots stood in the conference room
overlooking the command deck. They'd gathered around the map table,
representing the portion of the harbor and the strip of land where the
`Angel` was waiting. The anger of all the pilots was obvious, they were
eager to repay their comrade's injuries. Nabiki looked over the faces,
she'd seen that kind of grim determination before, but here, the target of
that determination wouldn't live out the day, once they were released. Even
Ranma would be part of the killing. She wasn't sure she like that.
"The approach will be by Unit 04, towing Units 00, 01, and 02 on
minimum standby. They will be placed approximately 300 meters from the
target. At precisely 18:00 hours, you will simultaneously launch your
attack." Misato showed them on a large map table. Ritsuko and Kaji stood in
the background.
"Will Unit 01 be repaired in time?" Nabiki asked.
"We're rushing repairs now," Ritsuko said.
"Sounds like I volunteer again," Raccoon joked. Ritsuko nodded.
"I take Unit 01?" Ranma asked.
"Yes, Rei in Unit 00, Asuka in Unit 02," Misato said, nodding to each
in turn.
"Who's taking Unit 04?" Nabiki asked, knowing the answer.
"Unit 04 will have a special device that will shield it from the attack
that damaged Unit 01," Misato told them, "It will make its diversionary
attack at 17:59 and 57 seconds. That should give the Angel time to acquire
the target, and fire. Its attack lasts a maximum of 37 seconds, cycle time
between shots is 27 seconds. That gives the three attacking EVAs 61 seconds
to make their initial attack, and if necessary, retreat back into the water,
to avoid counterfire. Unit 04 will draw its fire again, and the other three
EVAs will be able to make their second attack. Beyond that, we don't expect
Unit 04's power to hold. The EVAs will have to withdraw, and we'll have to
develop another plan."
Nabiki wondered if Misato would be pleased or angry about that
happening. She was surprised when Misato addressed her.
"Pilot Tendo, you will take Unit 04, and place the special equipment,
while repairs are being made on Unit 01. Asuka, Rei, Ranma - you will
accompany Kaji, and receive briefing on the target's special powers and
abilities. What to look out for, and what we expect it to do. Dismissed."
Misato left, Ritsuko collected Raccoon and Nabiki. Kaji collected Rei,
Asuka and Ranma. Both groups initially stayed together.
"What's Misato so mad about?" Asuka asked Kaji.
"She doesn't like getting shown up by anyone," Kaji said. As they
walked into the corridor, Misato was waiting.
"I should take the diversionary position," Rei told the adults.
"Don't be so eager to get yourself killed Wondergirl," Asuka said
grimly, "I think Raccoon knows this is a one-way trip for him. He gets to
go out in a blaze of glory."
"That's not it," Ranma cut off Raccoon's protest, "It's his idea, it's
only right he take the risk. Leaders lead from the front." Ranma missed
Misato's wince at that explanation.
Nabiki didn't think that had anything to do with it, Ranma of course,
put it in terms of honor. Asuka wanted to be back in combat. Nabiki
suspected Rei wanted to avenge Shinji, and do her job: killing Angels. She
couldn't figure out Raccoon's motivation, or his silence. She was also
worried that _no_one_ seemed to think this was going to work, yet they were
all eagerly, or grimly going ahead with it.
---------------------------------------
Nabiki loved the feeling of power and movement of EVA Unit 04, as she
swam through the harbor, dodging ships and underwater obstacles, and placed,
what looked like an oversized concrete umbrella, in the mud of the harbor
bottom. And this is just like swimming through a pool, she tried to analyze
her own exhilaration, It isn't even combat. Which the pilots seem to have a
mixed opinion of.
She was too deep for the Angel to detect, or perhaps it knew it
couldn't effectively attack through meters of water. Maybe this crazy idea
does have a basis in fact, she thought, while the accompanying submarines
and divers emplaced a dozen heavy, underwater pumps. Other teams of divers
laid cables to secured areas, to power the pumps.
She could almost understand why someone would risk life and limb, and
sanity, for another chance to pilot this machine.
"Ritsuko?" Nabiki asked as she worked, "I'm going to be in reserve on
this, aren't I?"
"Sorry. Shinji's still recovering, and there are only four EVA units.
Ranma can pilot Unit 01, Asuka can only really pilot Unit 02, you can only
pilot Unit 04 or 00, and Rei's a better pilot in Unit 00," Ritsuko told her.
"I'm better in Unit 04, except underwater," she argued, "And the battle
is taking place on land." Nabiki kept wondering how much was the mistrust
her roommates had for her. No, it isn't about me, it has nothing to do with
me, she thought, That almost makes it worse. "You're smart enough to evade
my real question, just like Misato did." Nabiki was pulling back slowly,
making sure the pump hoses and power cables hadn't snagged on each other.
"I think you know the answer," Ritsuko said.
"I just want to hear somebody actually say it," Nabiki griped, "Why
can't it be me, or somebody else?" Are you sending out the least qualified
pilot . . . for a reason? she thought.
"You tell me," Ritsuko suggested, "Arrogance, a 14-year-old's feeling
of invincibility, confidence."
Nabiki grimaced, she was near the end of her pack's power, the subs
would have to tow her out, and back to base, and she wasn't towing three
EVAs on the way in. She believed in taking risks, some risks weren't just
cutting it close, they were cutting it clear through the bone. Misato might
have blindly agreed to this, she loved showy plans, and was blase about
risking the pilots, Nabiki thought Ritsuko was different.
The only reason she could see for the pilot assignments, was `fuel
economy`, her roommate could get 8% more time from the power packs than the
next best, Shinji, who was 5% better than the standard: Rei and herself.
Asuka was 2% below, Ranma 6% below that. That worked out to roughly eight
minutes of normal operation or 96 seconds of AT field use, out of the hour
two power packs provided. And time is the only thing that mattered, not
safety, or even survival. Eight minutes or 96 seconds, is a hell of a thing
to gamble your life away on, Nabiki thought.
----------------------------------------
Shinji woke, saw the gray ceiling he'd seen before, he recognized he
was in the medical bay. He looked over at Rei, who was watching him,
watching over him.
"We are launching an operation to destroy the Angel," she told him
quietly.
"Am I part of it?" he sat up, then embarrassedly recovered himself with
the sheet.
"No. I, Pilots Saotome, Roku-kun and the Pilot of Unit 02 will engage
the enemy." Rei paused, consulted a notebook, "I brought you food and soft
clothes." She indicated the cart with the tray on top shelf and a package on
the shelf beneath. "Pilot Tendo will be in reserve, she might appreciate
your presence." Rei snapped the notebook closed, and stood up. "The attack
is scheduled for 18:00 hours, please be ready before." She turned to leave,
stopped, looked at him. Her expression changed slightly, he'd never seen
her look that way before, "I am pleased you have recovered." She left,
Shinji stared at the food and clothes.
He shook his head and wondered what it was all about. He didn't know
why he felt so strange, that there would be a battle, against something that
had nearly killed him, and he would be on the sidelines. He felt almost . .
. criminal.
----------------------------------------
Ranma watched Asuka stare down at Raccoon, who was seemingly sleeping
on the bench in the pilots' locker room. Raccoon had returned from
repairing Unit 01, took a shower, then put on a clean plugsuit, Asuka had
barged in while Raccoon was dressing, and stood over him when he laid down
for a nap.
Ranma had tried to suggest she was on the boy's side, she'd growled at
him. He'd wisely retreated.
"_You_ don't have to do this, I could, or Tendo, or even Baka-Shinji,
he's back," Asuka told him.
"That's good news. Worried? That's not like you," Raccoon asked
distantly, "It's only a minor one, the handling is tricky, that's all. You
know I won't die, you were there too."
"You have every reason not to do this, it was your plan, you did your
part. You don't have to play the hero, take all the danger." Asuka turned
and glared at Ranma. "Unit 02 is made of stone, I can do that job."
Ranma thought she sounded worried, a few days ago, he would have
discarded the idea. Then again, a few days ago, he wouldn't have believed
that any of the pilots could have fought a war to the death with demons.
Now he knew they had, and won. He couldn't figure it out, if either of them
treated him the way they treated each other . . . well, he would have beaten
up Raccoon, he wasn't sure what he'd do about Asuka.
"Ten years ago," Raccoon said tiredly, "I saved a certain sorrel
wildcat from a trap. I acquired a clear responsibility that day. I'm
hardly entitled to run off and hide, leaving it stuck in a tree, now am I?"
Asuka dumped him off the bench onto the floor, and silently stormed
off. Ranma couldn't figure out if she was furious, or trying not to cry,
when she left.
"She loves me," Raccoon told Ranma from the floor, "It's obvious."
"You're nuts, that's what's obvious," he retorted as he walked over to
stare down at the boy, "At least to anyone with any brains."
"So who told you?" Raccoon asked as he stood up, stretched, "Don't tell
me," he paused with a look of intense concentration, "Somebody slipped a
note to you in your banana ration."
"Considering you came up with this idea, I wouldn't mention bananas
around it."
"An original insult! Saotome-sama!" He covered his heart with his
hands, "I'm titillated, I'm ecstatic, I'm petrified, it must mean the world
really is coming to an end. Now I'm worried."
Ranma shook his head and muttered something unkind about tanuki as he
left.
----------------------------------------
Commander Ikari was meeting with the Committee, not the monoliths, but
the actual representations of the members.
"Ikari?!" Kehl seemed surprised.
So they were sent with your knowledge or approval, Ikari filed the data
away.
The Committee's shock was quickly hidden, and the tedium of the meeting
proceeded apace. Ikari could have checked the elements off a list. After
the dream when he'd been reunited with Yui, however temporarily, he was less
pleased about dealing with these fools, and their assumption that they still
controlled everything. He'd been given a new infusion of what had
originally driven him to this course. The Committee and SEELE had always
been a tool to achieve _his_ goals, he was not a means for them to achieve
_their's_. The Human Instrumentality Project, remembering who his masters
really were, etc. were all discussed to death, practically using the same
words that were spoken in Fuyutsuki's last meeting with the monoliths.
Gendo knew the monoliths were the real committee members, these were just
their public, front men, working from a preprepared script. He took the
questions with all the good grace he could manage.
They don't realize we have been and are under attack! Gendo realized,
for the dream couldn't have been anything but. I can guess which of the
Great Old Ones could be attacking, completely out of sequence and undetected
by the Old Men! Gendo hid a smile, The scenario is already out of their
control, and they don't know it. It gave him the freedom of action he
needed, and didn't have before, he'd tell them of the attack after they made
another of their pronouncements of their control over everything. All he
had to say to cover himself, was 'The Children never mentioned it', and so
far they hadn't, not even discussing it among themselves, even Rei had not
mentioned it to him. That was disturbing, but not unexpected, if Saotome
and Davis had `exchanged`, it was possible that Rei had exchanged with
another pilot, and it had traumatized her, either the experience, or the
separation, as it had him.
He missed Yui, letting him be with her, even vicariously, only to have
it stripped away, was painful, but it renewed his determination.
----------------------------------------
The pilots were all in the elevator to the EVA bay. Only Nabiki and
Shinji weren't in their plugsuits. Shinji glanced from face to face,
normally he liked quiet, but this silence had the feeling of being pointed,
both sharp and aimed. He noted the different demeanors that still
translated the same, 'I'm going to kill that thing.' Asuka's gaze seemed
trying to burn a hole in the wall; Ranma was quietly tensing, then relaxing
his muscles; Rei had nodded to Shinji, then stood with her eyes closed;
Raccoon looked at his hands, his fingers going through complicated patterns.
Shinji glanced over to Nabiki, who was also minutely examining her silent
comrades.
"So why do you pilot the EVA?" Shinji asked Raccoon. He'd asked Asuka,
and gotten a predictable response. He'd asked Rei, and was still trying to
figure out what she'd meant by 'EVA is life'. He'd asked Ranma, and gotten
no answer at all. He wanted to know why they stayed, why they thought they
had to do this.
"I haven't, except that once." Raccoon smiled.
"I mean why are you still here?" Shinji didn't know why he himself
remained, he wasn't needed. He'd failed in his challenge yesterday night,
then he'd lost against this Angel. Asuka and Rei had to save him. He
couldn't win without the others, maybe he couldn't survive without them. He
was a burden, none of them said it, he wanted to know if they believed it.
He didn't know why he should stay, even if they didn't think he was a
burden. The others were more at ease fighting than he was. He didn't think
he'd ever match those grim expressions, he'd never be able to divorce
himself from the idea he was killing, and `eating`, other intelligent
creatures. Even if they were hostile, no one had ever tried to talk with
them, 'You can't,' they told him, when they didn't simply laugh at him for
suggesting such a thing.
One tried to communicate with me, he realized, the challenge had been
non-lethal combat, one of their enemies didn't intend to simply march up,
and take on the EVAs, it would fight the pilots themselves, an attack that
was more direct and indirect, both at once. Why? Shinji wondered.
Raccoon considered, the smile vanished, the lights in the elevator
seemed to dim, "I was trained as a warrior against Chaos's darkness, by a
cabal of Serpent Man and Dragon sorcerers. Inculcated in their deepest
magics, schooled in the darkest lore of our enemies." Raccoon's icy tone
and manner was terrifying.
Shinji felt he had loosed some primordial, malefic force into the tiny
elevator. That minute part of him that came from the things he'd absorbed,
yammered in terror.
"Then, implanted with alien technology of the Great Race, to further
enhance my ability to hunt and kill those things that lurk in the darkness."
Shinji and the other pilots now glanced around furtively, hoping to
find some here-to-fore hidden means of escape, as their transformed friend
paced the miniature, descending room, staring coldly into each face. "Then
I was cursed by an ancient meta-god, to live to see the dawn of the last
day, to battle my foes, but not live to see the end. Only then, will I be
permitted to die." The pilots had flattened themselves against the walls of
the elevator. Ranma's hand stabbed at the emergency stop, but kept missing.
Even Rei's equanimity had been shattered.
Raccoon grimaced in pain, "After all that," Raccoon continued in his
menacing tone, staring from one to the other, "Not fighting these things
would void my warrantee."
Face faults and screams of outrage all around.
"Hey Langley?" Raccoon shouted, "Is your hair naturally that color, or
do you wash it in the blood of your fallen enemies."
Asuka growled at him, "It's naturally this color, but for you, I'll
make an exception."
"I'm an Ivy Leaguer, a blue-blood. Your hair will end up like
Ayanami-san's. But I'm a Harvard man, so maybe it'll be Crimson. Anyway,
it will clash with your suit and your EVA."
Shinji tried to get his heart rate and breathing back to normal,
resolving _never_ to ask Raccoon another serious question. That's why they
need me, he thought, glancing at the others, They need one pilot who didn't
_start_ crazy, to gauge against the others.
Raccoon looked at all the others, "What's gotten into all of you
anyway? Am I really _that_ bad a pilot? If not, then why are all of you
acting like this? Yes, Shinji-san got hurt, I'm not degrading or belittling
that." He nodded to Shinji.
Shinji nodded back, glad that the conversation's direction had changed
so radically, Another tall tale, to scare us, then perk us up.
"But you act like this is the end of the world, it's just a minor
Angel, we'll kill it, and go home before sunset. What's got you so worried
about this one in particular?"
"Dreams," Nabiki said quietly.
Shinji looked at the floor, he noted the others didn't look at each
other.
"Yeah," Asuka added.
"They were just dreams - " Raccoon said.
"You didn't act like they were 'Just dreams' last night," Ranma
accused.
"I've since remembered who and what I am," Raccoon replied coldly.
Shinji noted Nabiki's interest, and that Rei had stepped close to him,
almost touching, while staring at Asuka. He knew his failure would cost
them, he accepted his wounding as a just penalty. But the others were all
taking it personally, More personally than _you_, he realized, They are
madder you got hurt than you are?! Shinji wasn't sure how to react to that.
"Somebody got hurt," Raccoon said, "It was inevitable."
"We were hurt in training," Rei added, she looked over at Shinji.
"Ayanami-san and Raccoon survived," Shinji said, Partially because of
my actions, "I survived." Shinji was uncomfortable trying to support the
others. Typically, he tried to stay away from them, and their seemingly
endless, angry sparking, one off another. To be the cheerleader, rather
than the one receiving the encouragement . . . .
The elevator came to a stop, opened onto the EVA bay, and the waiting
plugs for the four EVAs.
"Well, let's get to it," Asuka said, as she marched out of the
elevator.
Shinji thought it sounded forced, then she brightened.
"Well Spineless, we'll bring you back its head on a platter, just don't
let Misato cook it," she told them.
"It has no head," Rei corrected.
"It's a figure of speech, Wondergirl!" Asuka told her.
"Yes, Ayanami-san," Raccoon said, "We can expect that from Saotome - "
"HEY!"
"We expect more from you," Raccoon ignored Ranma's interruption. Rei
nodded.
"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Ranma demanded as he caught up to the
other pilot.
"No, of course not, I'm leaving it for the others to infer," Raccoon
replied.
Nabiki sighed, "I almost feel sorry for that Angel, when they go after
it."
Shinji smiled and nodded.
----------------------------------------
"The Old Men weren't happy to see you," Fuyutsuki had waited, outside
the conference room, expecting to be called in to explain why he'd been
taking Gendo's place, it never happened.
"They didn't understand," Gendo told him as he exited the room, "And
they aren't happy about that."
"The dreams."
"They didn't know, and I don't intend to tell them. Who would you
expect, the Dread Dreamlord, or the Crawling Chaos?" Gendo asked.
"Without questioning the Children, I couldn't say for certain. The
'Dread Lord' doesn't understand humans well enough, the Chaos would have
never made these subtle nightmares," Fuyutsuki considered, "A new player, or
an undocumented feature?"
Gendo didn't know, that worried him.
----------------------------------------
Shinji stood with Nabiki in the EVA bay, and they watched the EVAs move
out. It was the first time he'd _watched_ the EVAs heading into battle. He
didn't have to be here, they didn't need him. He felt very strange with
Saotome in `his` seat, and Raccoon in Saotome's. Even though he'd nearly
died the last time he went out, he found he wanted to be with the others.
"It's no fun, sitting and watching," Tendo-san told him.
"I feel guilty, that it should be me," he replied.
"Come on, Search and Rescue offered to let us watch." The pair headed
for the vehicle bays, where the rescue teams were preparing for all manner
of disasters.
----------------------------------------
Asuka watched Unit 04 moving like a crocodile through the water,
dragging her Unit 02, and Units 01 and 00 along. She'd suggested taking
point in Unit 02, and had Dr. Akagi point out all the metal and organic
parts that could _conceivably_ be attacked, not certainly, but conceivably.
As if concrete patches couldn't armor them, she thought. No communications,
no active sensors, were permitted, the EVAs were as `dead` as they could
make them.
The Units were dropped off, and settled into the mud at the bottom of
the harbor. Asuka's only reality now was the countdown timer, and her prog
knife.
She intended to kill that thing on their first attempt. Horseface and
Wondergirl can help, but they better not get in my way, she thought, Twenty
minutes. They were early, Couldn't they drop a depth charge as a signal or
something? she wondered at Japanese military planning, and the cute
curlicues they insisted on. Fast, hard and unexpected, and above all
_simple_ were her watchwords in battle. Might be useful on Kaji too, she
smiled at that, then frowned, saddened by remembering his pursuit of
seemingly every girl _except_ her, in the dream. She had to wonder about
that, and if he did anything with Misato's body when he/she was alone.
Asuka hurled that thought as far away as she possibly could, but it came
back that Kaji would have a wonderful opportunity to discover what worked on
Misato, and what didn't. She decided she'd concentrate on her memories,
instead of speculations, after all, despite rumors, no one knew for certain,
they were lovers, or really wanted to be again.
She remembered she and Raccoon had fought in the Dreamlands of Earth,
and in the alien world of El Nureenen's stronghold, and their one ironclad
rule: 'No plan ever survives contact with reality! So they're just
frameworks to make changes on.' It was a good, workable system, it brought
them victories, when many other Generals and Admirals only got casualties,
or got themselves killed. This one seemed too much like a Misato-created
Faberge egg-type of plan, pretty, complicated, Pretty complicated, she
smirked, but not robust enough to take severe handling, and not enough
alternatives to account for changing conditions. It made her FURIOUS!
A better plan would also take the pilots into account. It's not the
case here, she reminded herself, Misato-sama's work of art can't be trifled
with, under pain of death. Amateurs! she growled inwardly. She wondered
how many pilots that kind of slipshod operation would cost them.
Then she had the terrible thought that Misato didn't _care_ how many
pilots were lost, as long as the, _her_, enemies all died. Anna's brother
had died of the same stupidity in Germany. They'd never followed the
American or British plan of so many missions, then return home to train the
next batch.
Gunther had been surrounded by a half-dozen `green` Americans who were
at least 70-80% as good as the American veterans, and Gunther's
wingmen/squadron members weren't even 10% as good as he was. He'd gotten
four of the enemy, the other two got him, and the rest of the flight of
eight trainees.
That's probably why they've never proof-tested the ejection system,
Asuka thought, Didn't Japanese pilots fly without parachutes? She glanced
to where Horseface probably was, To prove their courage and `honor`, she
sneered at that, and waited, patted Unit 02's controls, We'll get it, don't
you worry. She thought of the other pilots: Wondergirl did as she was told,
but she was no dummy; Horseface was a dummy, but an inspired fighter. With
her higher sync rate, greater experience and combat-specialized EVA, she
would probably be able to beat him, no definitely, As long as I can keep him
out of his EVA. And Spineless, she had to admit, out of the EVA she
politely despised him, in the EVA, he terrified her. Of all of them, he was
the only one she _knew_ she couldn't beat EVA to EVA, she just wished she
could blend the two, some of Spineless's caution and cleverness, with 'the
Pilot of Unit 01's' fire and infinite well of determination.
Maybe that's why I'm pushing him so hard, she considered, Trying to
break through, get the two of them to cooperate. She glanced at the
countdown timer, it hadn't moved much, going earlier would get her killed,
if not by the enemy, then Misato would skin her alive for not following
orders.
And people wonder why I'm angry all the time, she grimaced at that
thought.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki and Shinji climbed out of the back of the half-track. They were
parked on a hill nearly half a kilometer away from the action, as close as
they dared get. With a top speed of 48 km/hr, they were 45 seconds away,
the rest of the crew stood around, or smoked, ready to reembark at a
moment's notice.
Shinji glanced at his watch, "Now," he saw the start time pass.
Right on cue, Unit 04 leapt out of the water and attacked. A huge fog
of water from the odd-`umbrella` protected it from the flames the creature
hurled at it, Tulzscha, something in Shinji's mind whispered, as the
creature's attack stabilized, the other three EVAs appeared, slashing at the
huge arc of green flame with their progressive knives.
"SHIT!" their driver observed, as the arc disengaged one end of itself
from the ground, and slammed into Unit 00. The blow lacked the corrosive
force that had hurt Shinji. Unit 00 didn't stand up immediately, Shinji
wondered how bad Ayanami-san was hurt.
Suddenly facing a flailing opponent, Unit 01 and 02 couldn't adequately
press their attack.
"It's not supposed to do that! Is it?" Shinji desperately asked
Nabiki.
She shook her head, staring at the battle. As helpless to intervene as
he was.
At the appointed time, Unit 01 and 02 leapt back in the water. Unit 00
was still having trouble standing.
Tulzscha ignored Unit 04, and concentrated on Unit 00 and Rei.
"Ayanami!" Shinji yelled.
Unit 04 pivoted, and banked the water column off an AT field, giving
Unit 00 the same protective shower Unit 04 had initially enjoyed, as the
time flames flashed some of the water to steam, other parts solidified into
ice, whatever that water's `fate` in the future. Unit 04 covered Unit 00's
crawling retreat into the harbor's depths.
"Get out of there!" Nabiki shouted as the twisting column moved to its
sole tormentor. She turned to the SAR team, "Do you have a - command
radio?"
"Yeah," one of the men waved her inside, setting the headband like a
nerve clip on her, as she sat down inside the halftrack.
"Wondergirl, Horseface, you okay?" Asuka's voice came over the
speakers.
"Yeah!" "Hai."
"Why didn't you tell us it could do that!?" Asuka demanded, "You said
it was fixed!"
"Aim for the nonmoving base," Misato shouted back.
"Incoming!" the driver yelled, and slammed the half-track into gear.
Unit 04 was in the air, flipping end over end, under intense assault by
Tulzscha, both flames and battering. Its defensive weapon no where to be
seen. As the other three EVAs raced in to attack, Shinji watched in horror
as the huge machine took a solid hit, and flew farther into the air. It
reached its apogee, and began its decent. Someone grabbed Shinji from
behind, and pulled him inside the moving vehicle.
He'll be killed, he thought, as Unit 04 crashed into the hill less than
50 meters from where they had been parked.
"Kill it!" Asuka's voice shouted, "We're almost out of power."
Shinji glanced out the open back of the half-track as it swung around,
he saw the knives of the three EVAs slash at the flailing creature. Ranma's
martial arts seemed to give him the advantage. While Asuka seemed to know
where the creature would be, and wasn't there when the attack arrived, but
her knife was, wounding it horribly. Ayanami seemed unsteady, and the least
skilled, but was doing her best.
"How much do you know about rescue?" Nabiki demanded of him.
"What Roku-kun showed me," he replied.
"They're getting nothing from the plug," she told him.
He gulped, I should have gone. It should be me lying dead out there,
not someone else.
"Keep cool, everyone!" the team leader shouted over the travel noise,
"We haven't lost a pilot yet. There are plenty of reasons for loss of
signal."
That he didn't elaborate on them, worried Shinji even more.
----------------------------------------
They arrived in moments. The crew piled out, swarming the fallen EVA.
They manually ejected the plug, one used Raccoon's new wrench to open the
emergency hatch. Nothing came out, the L.C.L. smelled worse than ever, and
had the consistency of pudding.
"Shovels!" someone yelled. Shinji wasn't waiting, he took a deep
breath. "Shinji!" he heard as he dove in, half-walking, half-burrowing
through the stuff. His skin tingled, and a noise sang in his ears. He
didn't let it distract him, he knew where the command chair was by instinct,
the others didn't. He could get Raccoon out of it, no he couldn't, the
pilot wasn't there!
He kept holding his breath, searched around by feel and memory, finding
the cables that led to the plugsuit. He was running out of air, and was
seeing colored spots dance before him in the darkness. He didn't need his
eyes, only his fingers, as he moved to the `bottom` of the plug.
Something brushed his shoulder, then a hand closed on it, One of the
S.A.R. people, he was graying out, the fumes from the gelatinous L.C.L. were
making him dizzy. The wires ended with a body, he grabbed it and began
dragging, whoever was behind him dragged at him. His world contracted to
the grip his hands had, and the force dragging him backward.
It should be me, not somebody else, just me.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki hoped Shinji had found something, when he started backing up,
she dragged him backward, moving quickly through this material was almost
impossible, the smell was making her dizzy and see spots. Somewhere on the
way back to the hatch, someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled, another put
an arm around her waist and pulled.
Unless someone has three arms! she thought, realized the stuff was
seriously affecting her.
She gasped fresh air as she broke clear of the curdled L.C.L.. Asuka
had her around the waist, Unit 00 had a fingertip on each of her shoulders,
gently dragging back. Shinji also broke free and gasped. The brown lump
Shinji was dragging, was hosed off as were she, Asuka and Shinji, unlike
them, it wasn't breathing. Nabiki bent over remembering her first aid
training, she opened Raccoon's mouth, "The L.C.L. inside is still liquid!"
she could feel a weak pulse. How much time has passed? she asked herself as
one of the SAR people held the unconscious pilot upside down, How much time
do we have left?
She watched the black liquid drain out of Raccoon's mouth, a man
started trying whatever they tried for resuscitation in 1947, she pushed him
out of the way. She tipped Raccoon's head back, pinched his nose closed,
and breathed directly in his mouth. "Breathe dammit!" she ordered, he
disobeyed. She kept at it, until a medic and a piece of equipment took over
the job, as they took him away in an ambulance.
"We have to decontaminate you," the team leader told her and Shinji, to
prevent them from following.
----------------------------------------
Asuka and Nabiki sat on opposite couches in the corridor outside the
medical wing, _not_ staring at each other. They'd both long since dried
from their showers, "Where'd you learn that trick anyway?" Asuka asked.
Awfully quietly, Nabiki thought, "My father studied in China," Nabiki
told her, she was glad the answer satisfied the girl.
Shinji had collapsed during decontamination, despite her injuries, Rei
was watching over him. Nabiki wondered where Ranma was, she was kind of
angry he wasn't here, Not that he could do anything except wait.
"They'll live," Dr. Akagi came out of the surgery. Nabiki noted that
Asuka relaxed almost as much as she did.
"Since I doubt I could pry you three out of here, without a tank or an
EVA, I sent Ranma to get you three a change of clothes."
Nabiki nodded, He was doing something.
"Neither one is out of danger. We don't know the effect of the
material," Dr. Akagi told them.
It worried Nabiki that she hadn't suffered any lasting effect, but both
Raccoon and Shinji were out of commission.
"We've got a room for the three girls, and another for Ranma," Ritsuko
paused, "What? No joke about a glass of water reducing it to one room?"
"When will we know?" Asuka asked with a forced calm.
"I don't know," Ritsuko admitted.
"That seems to be an epidemic around here," Asuka marched off in a
fury.
Ritsuko looked embarrassed. Nabiki was torn between which of the two
to stay with.
----------------------------------------
Rei looked around in the hospital room, the same one she had spoken to
him in, only a few hours ago. She sat next to his bed, looking at Shinji
sleeping in the oxygen tent. It was almost as if the last few hours hadn't
actually happened. Although she knew they had. She'd failed to protect him
this morning, she'd failed to protect him and Roku-kun this evening. She
shifted uncomfortably, with her left leg and arm in a cast, she was
off-balance. The bandages covering the side of her face also obscured one
eye, and eliminated her depth perception. That was trivial as far as she
was concerned, the body was unnecessary in piloting. Only the mind and
spirit mattered. Where is his mind, his spirit? she wondered.
When the Second shoved the door open, it startled her. It startled her
even more that the Second self-consciously caught the door, before it
slammed into the wall and made a noise.
"How is he?" she asked.
Rei thought the Second was more subdued than she had ever seen her
before. "There has been no change," Rei told her.
Instead of speaking, the Second nodded.
"Ranma, has a change of clothes, and Ritsuko arranged beds for us," she
told Rei, "So we can stay near them."
Not 'Horseface'? Rei wondered.
"Come on, Rei, there's nothing more to do here," the Second said.
Rei was worried, the Second didn't seem to be herself, she hoped it was
a side-effect of the petrified L.C.L., the Second Children had run over to
the rescue site in Unit 02, as soon as it was clear Tulzscha was dead, and
bailed out to assist. Rei had hurried as well, but took a more measured
pace, especially because of her injuries, and she'd remained inside her EVA
for the same reasons. But the Second's behavior was not what Rei had
expected. She was worried by it, radical changes in such a universal
constant, disturbed her deeply.
----------------------------------------
The Second led Rei to another room in the medical wing. Inside,
Nabiki-kun was arranging the beds head to head to head, as they arrived.
The Second led her to one, and helped her undress, "Wondergirl says Shinji
had no change either."
Rei was comforted by the return to the nickname, but not completely,
the Second was being too solicitous, and Nabiki-kun obviously did not
consider her behavior aberrant. The Second helped her to lie down, then
gently tucked her in. The other two silently settled in. From their usual
behavior, Rei guessed they would stay awake and talk, about important
matters or useless trivia, talking was important to them. She was extremely
surprised that silence reigned among them, she didn't break it, she had
nothing she wanted to talk about, and speculation was useless. Rei closed
her eyes and went to sleep.
----------------------------------------
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