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Genesis 1.03

The Battle and Revelation

 

Hospital

 

            Shinji woke with a start to the feeling of being watched.  He looked around through blurry eyes to see a shape sitting in Asuka’s bed.

            “Asuka?” he tentatively asked.

            “About time you woke up, lazy.”

            “Asuka!” Shinji exclaimed as his eyes cleared.

            He leapt up and hugged her fiercely.

            “I’m so glad you’re awake finally!  I didn’t think –”

            Asuka cut him off by roughly pushing him away.

            “What’s the big idea kissing me while I’m asleep?!”

            “Huh?  How’d you know?  I thought you were in a coma until –”

            “Until what?” Asuka sneered. “A few minutes ago?  No, baka.  I’ve been awake for the last day.  I just haven’t been able to move any of my muscles until late last night.”

            “Oh, um, well, uh . . .”

            As Shinji’s face turned beet red, Asuka smirked inwardly.  With a businesslike look on her face, Asuka grabbed Shinji’s face with both hands.

            “The next time you want to kiss someone when their asleep, do it like this.”

            “HUH?!”

            As Asuka brought Shinji’s face closer to hers, he almost panicked, but then relaxed as she pressed her lips against his.  He began to kiss her back, but then she pulled away.

            “Um, Asuka-kun, I –” Shinji stammered until Asuka silenced him by placing a finger against his lips.

            “I know Shinji, I know.” Asuka sighed, blushing. “I’m just sorry it took me this long to realize it.  And realize that I feel the same way.  I stayed up all last night, coming to grips with it.  I’m sorry about how I treated you, even though you were always there for me.  I was just hiding behind a façade.  I was afraid to open up to anybody.  I didn’t want to be hurt again like with my mother, but you’re different.   Jeez, listen to this.  How the mighty have fallen.  Me, Asuka Langley Soryu, opening up to baka Shinji.  Mein Gott in Himmel.  So what?  I love you, Shinji.”

            Shinji looked surprised for a moment then smiled and moved in toward Asuka again as she leaned forward.  They met halfway, sharing a long, gentle kiss.

 

EVA control room

 

            Shigeru opened the door to find Raiu furiously typing at a terminal.  Shigeru walked up behind the teen and looked over his shoulder, totally confused by what he was seeing.

            “Whatcha doin’?”

            Raiu jerked slightly and looked up at Shigeru through bloodshot eyes.

            “Taking a trip through hell,” Raiu replied in a weary voice and twitching.

            “What?!”

            “A new program I designed for the EVAs.  The general idea is simple, but actually installing it is . . . is . . . ah, hell.  There aren’t words strong enough to voice my opinion of its stubbornness.”

            “How long have you been workin’ at this?”

            “About the last sixteen hours.” Raiu whimpered. “Even I have my limits.  This thing has forced me to surpass almost every single one of them.  I guess the next thing to go will be my sanity.  If I’m lucky.”

            “I think it’s time you took a break,” Shigeru suggested.

            “No.  All I need . . . is a pot of . . . black coffee.  Then, I’ll be fine.”

            Just then, Hyuga walked through the door and saw Raiu’s face.

            “Holy shit!” Hyuga exclaimed in surprise. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

            “I haven’t slept in the last thirty hours.” Raiu answered in a calm voice. “For the past sixteen, I’ve been living in my own personal hell.  My blood pressure has about tripled do to the stress caused by this damn program.  My patience has worn a hole in itself about five times already.  My nerves feel as if they’ve been driven over by the National Truckers League of America.”

            “You look it,” Hyuga stated.

            “Just give me a few more hours and several pots of the blackest coffee you can fix.”

            Raiu suddenly appeared as if he’d struck gold.

            “Never mind!” He stated in a singsong voice.

            Raiu began rapidly typing in commands.  Data flew across the monitor faster than either of the Lieutenants could keep up with.  Several moments later, the computer spoke.

            “PROGRAMMING ACCEPTED.”

            With that, Raiu promptly slumped down in the chair and fell asleep.  Hyuga and Shigeru looked at each other with worried looks on their faces.

            “That was strange,” Shigeru stated.

            “Tell me about it,” Hyuga agreed.

 

Misato’s apartment

 

            Shinji and Asuka walked in the apartment, following Misato.  As Asuka entered her room to change clothes, Misato and Shinji sat down on the couch and watched TV.

            “So,” Misato began, not even taking her eyes off the TV, “how long have you two felt that way toward each other?”

            “Huh?!” Shinji exclaimed, not wanting to reveal their secret yet. “What are you talking about?”

            Pen Pen walked through into the living room about then and handed Misato a beer before sitting down beside her and opening his own.

            “I’m not stupid, Shinji.” Misato snapped, taking a sip from the can. “So don’t treat me like an idiot.  I could see it in both your faces at the hospital.”

            “Oh.  Well, uh . . .”

            “What he’s trying to say is that it basically started this morning.”

            Misato and Shinji looked up to see Asuka standing beside the recliner.

            “Although,” Asuka added, “we’ve felt this way much longer.  We just weren’t able to admit it to ourselves and each other.”

            Asuka walked over and sat close to Shinji, putting her arm around him.  Shinji did the same and looked at Misato.

            “Nothing you do will keep us apart,” he stated flatly.

            “Um,” Misato said, bewildered, “am I missing something here?”

            “Wouldn’t you try to keep us apart since our emotions could get in the way of our piloting?” Asuka asked.

            “Me?  Ha!  Personally, I’m glad for you two.  Commander Ikari on the other hand, eh –”

            “Don’t even say it,” Asuka snapped.

            “Okay, okay!” Misato replied. “Calm down.  I was just stating the worst case scenario.  It may turn out he’ll be happy for you two.”

 

NERV HQ, Gendo’s office, two hours later

 

            “Absolutely not!” Gendo nearly roared.

            “Wh – what?!” Shinji and Asuka exclaimed in unison as Misato gaped in shock.

            “It will cause liabilities on the battlefield.  Liabilities that we can not afford.  What with Ragnarock and his twin running around somewhere out there.”

            “Ragnarock ain’t the problem.” Raiu stated, walking in the door. “It’s that white sucker that was fighting him.”

            Whoever the hell this guy is, Asuka thought, he looks like hell had its way with him a few times.

            “You don’t know that.” Gendo replied. “For all we know, he could just be putting on an act to fool us.”

            “Oh, come on!  He blew a hole in the white dragon’s stomach!  If that ain’t actual fighting, I don’t know what is!  And believe me, I’ve seen more fighting than –”

            Raiu stopped when he saw Asuka standing next to Shinji.

            “You’re Asuka Langley Soryu, right?”

            “Yeah . . .” Asuka answered hesitantly.

            “Took you long enough to wake up.  Come with me.”

            Raiu turned around and began to walk out only to be stopped by Asuka.

            “Who the hell are you?!  And why should I follow you when I don’t even know you?”

            Raiu turned around and rubbed his forehead wearily.

            “My name is Raiu Kusanagi.  I’m a master EVA engineer and backup pilot.  And if you ever want to be able to pilot an EVA again, you’ll want to meet me at the EVAs in your Plug suit.”

            As Raiu walked toward the door again, Asuka stopped him again.

            “Hey!  Are you always this rude?”

            “No.” Raiu responded. “Normally, I’m quite sociable.  But, right now, I’ve had little to no sleep in the past few days and I’ve been having a bad day on top of a killer headache due to the stress caused by an uncooperative programming block.”

            Raiu then turned to Gendo and smiled very sadistically.

            “Y’know, Gendo, the next time I find a programming block in the Magi, I will shut off all power to your office at the worst possible moment.”

            With that, Raiu walked out of the room and down the hall.  Gendo merely sat there, his face neutral.  Asuka looked at Misato and Shinji with a blank face.

            “Uh . . .”

            “Let’s go.” Misato said. “I’ll explain on the way.”

 

Tokyo 3, outskirts

 

            “SINCRO RATE: 15%,” EVA-02’s onboard computer stated over the comm.

            “Ack!” Raiu exclaimed inside EVA-00. “This is going nowhere fast!  You should be doing better than this.”

            “Well excuse me for being human!” Asuka snapped from her Entry Plug within EVA-02.

            Several hundred yards away, Shinji sat patiently in EVA-01, waiting for Asuka to finally synchronize with her EVA.  EVA-00 paced back and forth between the two other giants.  With sudden inspiration, Raiu switched on his comm.

            “Send up the pistol I designed.” He requested.  Then he spoke to Shinji over a private comm. channel. “Shinji, whatever happens, don’t move unless I tell you to, alright?  You must trust me if you want this to work.”

            Once EVA-00 had the pistol in hand, Raiu brought up the gun and fired at EVA-02, hitting the ground dangerously close to EVA-02’s foot.  EVA-00 then pressed a button on the side of the gun.

            “Defend yourself!” Raiu called out over the comm. to Asuka.

            “What?!” The other pilots cried out in unison.

            “You heard me!”

            “No!” Asuka shouted. “You’re crazy!”

            “Not necessarily,” Raiu commented as he aimed the pistol at EVA-01 and fired.

            A surprisingly large blast erupted from the gun barrel and flew straight at the purple titan.  When the blast hit, yellow and blue waves of energy flowed over EVA-01’s body.  Once the waves disappeared, EVA-01 fell to its knees then flat on its face.  EVA-00 turned back to the red titan before it.

            “Now.  Allow your emotions to dicta – AAHH!”

            Before Raiu could finish his sentence, Asuka had tackled him and knocked him to the ground.  Unit-02 began punching the blue giant beneath it.  Raiu managed to throw Asuka off him and stand up.

            “Scan.”

            “SINCRO RATE: 60% AND RISING.”

            “Excellent!” Raiu exclaimed then saw EVA-02 charging him. “Okay, Asuka.  You can stop now!”

            Asuka ignored him and continued the charge.  She lunged at EVA-00 with outstretched hands.  Raiu barely managed to dodge in time, allowing Unit-02 to fall to the ground rather heavily.

            “Scan!”

            “SINCRO RATE: 115% – 125% – 135% – 145% AND RISING.”

            “Oh, SHIT!!”

            Raiu looked at EVA-02 to see it leaping at him again.  He quickly grabbed one of the red titan’s arms and spun, throwing EVA-02 several hundred yards away from himself.

            “ASUKA!!  ENOUGH!  SHINJI IS FINE!!  I JUST HIT HIM WITH A STUN BLAST!!!”

            If Asuka heard him, she didn’t acknowledge it as she forced her EVA to stand.  EVA-02 roared in response to Asuka’s raging emotions before running at EVA-00 yet again.

            “Scan!” Raiu yelled for the third time.

            “SINCRO RATE: 250% – 275% – 350% – 450% AND RISING.”

            “Holy Mother of God!” Raiu hissed. “ASUKA, STOP THIS NOW!!  I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT SHINJI WILL BE FINE!!!”

            Without warning, EVA-02 stopped in its tracks and began convulsing in pain.  The behemoth fell to its knees and continued jerking back and forth.

            “Damn!” Raiu swore. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this, but life never does work out the way you want it to.  It is time.”

 

EVA control room

 

            “What the hell is going on?!” Gendo roared.

            “Asuka’s Sincro rate has reached 500%!” Maya called out.

            “Status!”

            “EVA-02 is convulsing in pain!” Hyuga exclaimed. “Readouts are too erratic to measure!”

            “Pilot!”

            “Something is blocking the scanners!” Shigeru responded. “I can’t get a reading!”

            “Eject the Plug!”

            “We can’t!  The signal is being blocked!”

            “What about Shinji?” Misato asked.

            “No readings whatsoever!  Even the comm. link is busted.  We can’t eject his Plug either!”

            Just then, the staff heard Raiu’s calm voice filter over the comm. as Kea’s look of amusement faded into surprise.

 

Surface

 

            “EVA-02.” Raiu stated in a low voice. “Download, access, and activate program Siron.  Pass code: Anger.”

            EVA-02 ceased its convulsions and stood.  The armor began falling off in chunks, revealing pale red skin beneath.  Once the armor had fallen off, the skin darkened to match the color the armor was.  Small disk like structures appeared on the back of the forearms as flame red hair sprouted from the head in a style similar to Asuka’s.  The EVA shrank slightly and became more feminine while the fingers and toes grew talons.  Orange carapace like armor appeared on its body in the form of a one-piece swimsuit with sleeves, shin guards, and standard EVA shoulder blades.  A line appeared on the EVA’s face beneath the eyes and split into a mouth.  The mouth opened and took in a breath as the eyes merged into two glowing spheres of green light within the eye sockets.  The green light faded to reveal two humanlike eyes with green irises.  The EVA looked around as if for the first time ever.

            “Where am I?” the feminine giant asked. “What happened?  The last thing I remember was trying to kill that bastard Raiu for what he did to Shinji.”

            She looked around to see EVA-00 standing off to the side.  EVA-02 stepped back in surprise.

            “What the hell?!  When did we start making human sized EVAs?”

            “This isn’t human size, Asuka.” Raiu stated, holding back a laugh. “You are now seeing through Siron’s eyes.”

            “Siron?”

            “Allow me to explain.  Once you reached a Sincro rate of 500% with EVA-02, I had to activate a program I designed or else you would have died from energy overload.  The program reconfigured your EVA into a new being.  Stronger, faster, and it has natural weapons.  Sonic disrupters on your arms capable of shattering plate glass windows.  By slamming your fists together, you can create a sonic boom.  Siron can also fire a beam of pure sound and energy from its mouth.  The beam is roughly three times more destructive than a sonic boom.  Over all, Siron is roughly four times stronger than an EVA and fives times as agile.”

            “What about Shinji?!” Asuka growled with sudden remembrance.

            “He’ll be fine.” Raiu replied, backing up cautiously. “As I told you before, I just hit him with a stun blast.  He should be waking up soon.”

            As if on cue, EVA-01 twitched, then slowly pushed itself up and stood.  It stumbled before gaining its balance.  EVA-01 walked over to stand by the others until it saw Siron and stopped in its tracks.  Shinji pulled the prog knife and got into a fighting stance.

            “What the hell is an Angel doing here?!” Shinji exclaimed.

            Raiu burst out laughing so hard he had to hold his sides and gasp for air.

            “Damn, man!” Raiu laughed. “Asuka’s gonna beat you down for that one!!”

            “Huh?” Shinji asked, dumbfounded.

            “That’s not an Angel!  It’s Asuka!”

            Inside EVA-01, Shinji paled and a nervous grin crossed his face as Siron approached him.  Siron slapped EVA-01 across the face, essentially doing the same to Shinji.

            “Just don’t do it again,” Siron growled.

            “Okay then.” Raiu stated. “Now that that’s settled, let’s go back to the docking bay.”

 

EVA docking bay

 

            As Raiu and Shinji jumped out of their Entry Plugs, the engineers were staring at Siron, trying to figure out how to get Asuka out of the creature.  Raiu walked up to Siron and tapped the base of the neck twice.  The hair at the back of the head fanned out, revealing what appeared to be a strange plug like apparatus in the middle of the back of the head.  The plug irised open and a small pod was pushed out on a large pole.  The pod opened and Asuka fell to the catwalk in a puddle of LCL.  She coughed a few times then slowly stood and looked around.

            “That was freaky,” Asuka stated shakily.

            “Eh, that was nothin’.” Raiu replied. “Just wait until you learn to manipulate your AT Field.”

            Just then, Gendo, Rei, and Kea came walking up to the three pilots.  Raiu started wringing out his hair as Gendo tried to control his anger.  The older man finally gave up.

            “Just what the hell did you do?!” Gendo roared.

            “I upgraded EVA-02 into Siron.”

            “Just what the hell is Seirahn?” Kea asked.

            “That’s Siron, you dipshit.” Raiu snapped. “Learn to pronounce words the right way for once in your short life!”

            “Hey!” Kea squawked. “I’m older than you are!  Don’t forget, brother.  I was created first!”

            Asuka stared in shock at the two opposites as Raiu uninterestedly continued wringing out his hair.

            “Hmm.  To my recollection, we were both created at the same time.”

            “Well,” Kea replied, searching for something, “I woke up first!”

            Raiu rolled his eyes and faced Gendo, but not before noticing that Rei and Kea were standing a little too close for his taste.

            “You’re pissed,” Raiu stated coldly

            “In my office.” Gendo hissed through clenched teeth. “Now!”

 

Orchard

 

            Rei walked along the path, her nearly soundless footsteps stirring the dirt beneath her feet.  She gazed at the falling petals until she noticed a shadow sitting beneath a tree.  Upon looking closer, she could see it was Raiu.  He was sitting with his back to her.

            “Hello, Rei.”

            “How did –”

            “Know you were there?  I heard Misato drive up.  Y’know, she really should stop hot-rodding that thing if she wants the engine to last.”

            Rei saw his shoulders rise and fall slightly as if he released a sigh of pain.

            “Look, Rei.  I’m sorry about what I said to you the last time we were here together.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.  I was just trying to protect you from my past.”

            “What’s done is done.” Rei stated. “You can’t take back those words.  Kea promised to help me get over it.”

            “Kea?  Tell me, Rei.  Do you care for him?”

            “Not that it’s any of your business, but I might eventually care for him.”

            “That filthy bastard.” Raiu hissed. “I warned him.”

            “He’s helping me more than you have, you insensitive prick!”

            Raiu’s head snapped up to look at her.  The look of pain, sorrow, and anguish Rei saw in his face almost made her step back in shock.

            “Well then.  I may as well say goodbye right now.”

            “Why?”

            “I have nothing left here for me.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “Everything I had here has been taken from me.  The EVAs, my friends . . . you.”

            “Wh – what?!”

            “When Gendo called me to his office, Kea came along.  Gendo fired me for what I did to EVA-02 and gave my position to Kea.  He also told me that if I am found within the city limits of Tokyo 3 at sunset tomorrow and anytime after, I am to be shot on sight.  And now, Kea has you.  So you see.  I have nothing.”

            “Your not having me is of your own doing.” Rei stated coldly. “You had a chance with me, but you pushed me away.”

            “And I’ve regretted that decision since three seconds after I said those words.”

            “Then you should have thought about it a little more before you said them.  I’m leaving.”

            “Wait!” Raiu called out to stop her.

            As Rei stopped, annoyance etched into her face, Raiu sighed.

            “At least allow me to explain why I said that.  I was afraid that if I allowed myself to get close to you, someone from my past would be able to harm you.  I didn’t want to risk it.”

            “Is that it?” Rei asked without turning.

            “No.”

            Before Rei could ask what he wanted to say, Raiu was in front of her, kissing her full on the lips.  He slowly pulled away and cupped her cheek in his hand.

            “No matter what happens, I will be here to protect you.”

            “How can I know you’re not lying?” Rei asked in a cold tone.

            Raiu pulled off his shades and stared into Rei’s eyes.  He moved in and gently kissed her, his eyes still staring into hers.

            “I love you, Rei-chan.” Raiu breathed as he pulled back a few inches. “I swear to God that I will never harm you like that again.  You mean more to me than life itself.”

            “Damn, you’re persuasive,” Rei whispered as she smiled slightly and leaned forward to kiss him.

            Raiu smiled slightly and kissed her back.  The two stayed like that for several minutes before parting.  Rei started to walk back to Misato’s car when Raiu stopped her.

            “Hey, um, I was just thinking something.”

            “What?” Rei asked.

            “I, uh, sorta need a place to stay for at least tonight.”

            “Wait a sec.” Rei said. “Didn’t you have a place?”

            “Heh heh, eh, nope.  I’ve been sleeping in the EVA control room, docking bay, and out here if I didn’t have access to the first two.”

            “So, you’re going to stay?”

            “Yeah.” Raiu replied. “Although it’s gonna be a bitch to avoid the NERV security force.  Man, Gendo has a frickin’ army built up in there.”

            “I wonder why . . .” Rei mused as the couple walked toward Misato’s car.

            “Well, whatever the reason, I still need a place to stay.”

            “You could always stay with me.  The bed might be a little small, but does it matter?”

            “Sounds good to me.  I’ll meet you there, okay?  I have a few things I have to take care of first.”

            “Alright, just as long as you’re there before eight tonight.”

            “I’ll be there,” Raiu stated as they reached Misato’s coupe.

 

NERV lounge

 

            Kea walked through the doorway only to be slammed against a wall.  He felt a fist slam into each eye, blinding him.  A few seconds after, a flurry of punches and kicks cracked several of his ribs and snapped his left femur in half.  He tried to fight back, but his assailant grabbed his fists and squeezed, crushing the bones in the pale teen’s hands.  Kea felt the attacker drop him and step away from him.

            “We end this tomorrow, brother.” Raiu snarled. “You have interfered enough.  Meet me in the center of the city.  Be prepared to die.”

            With that, Raiu slid out the door and sneaked out of the base without being noticed once.

 

Misato’s apartment

 

            Misato, Shinji, and Asuka entered the apartment after having dropped Rei off at her apartment and sat down in the living room.  Silence ruled the room for several minutes until Misato spoke up.

            “Just what the hell happened out there?”

            “I don’t really know,” Shinji replied quietly.

            “When Raiu shot Shin-chan, I thought he was dead and went berserk.” Asuka explained slowly. “Suddenly, I felt like I’d just woken up and I was in Siron – no, I was Siron.  It was like my senses were merged with the EVA’s.  I don’t know how else to describe it.”

            “Well,” Shinji stated, “whatever it was, I think Gendo overreacted to it.  Have either of you noticed how strange he’s been acting lately?”

            “Yeah.” Misato agreed. “He is different than before.”

 

Rei’s apartment

 

            Rei was lying in her bed, thinking about recent events when she heard a knock at the door.   She walked over and opened the door to see Raiu standing there.  He entered the front room and hugged Rei.  The couple kissed deeply and headed for the bed.  Once there, the fell onto it, still kissing.  Raiu reluctantly broke the kiss and chuckled.

            “What’s funny?” Rei asked.

            “Oh, just thinking about a few things.”

            “Like what?”

            “This morning,” Raiu began, “the last thing I would have thought of was winding up here with you.”
            “The same for me,” Rei agreed.

            “Also, I hadn’t really thought about it till now, but your name is truly beautiful.  Just like the rest of you.”

            “My name?”

            “Yes.  But what does beauty mean when two people love each other?”

            Before Rei could answer, they were kissing again.  In the back of her mind, Rei heard a voice, but quickly shoved it out.

            “Finally, you two are together,” Rei thought the voice said.

 

            The next morning

 

            Rei awoke to find herself alone in bed.  She stretched and felt a note beside her head.  She opened it and read the handwriting.

            “Rei.” The blue haired teen read. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you woke up.  But, with Gendo’s security guards on the lookout for me, not even your place is safe right now.  Yes, I know I said I had until sunset today, but it seems Gendo wants me out of here badly.  I’ll see you tonight, maybe even this afternoon.  Love, Raiu.  P.S.  Don’t be late for school.”

            Rei looked at the clock and saw that she had less than half an hour to get ready and make it to school.  She shot up out of bed and got ready in record time.  Running out the building, Rei almost slammed into several people on the sidewalk.  She only stopped when she heard someone calling her.  Rei looked around and saw Misato in her car, waving at her.  The teen ran over and jumped into the car.

            “Could you take me to –”

            “The school?” Misato asked.

            When Rei nodded her assent, Misato floored the accelerator.

            “Thought so.  I was just out for a ride when I saw you run out of your apartment building and figured you’d need a ride.”

            In a matter of minutes, Rei was standing before the high school just as the first bell rang.  She entered the large building and headed for her class.  Once she was there, she stood by her seat like the rest of the class and waited for the teacher to show up.

            The class was dismissed for lunch around then.  Rei absentmindedly followed Shinji and Asuka over to a table in the quad.  Before they could even start on their food, Misato walked up to them.

            “Bad news, you three.  We need you back at the base.”

            “Why?” Asuka asked, stuffing a sushi roll into her mouth.

            “White’s back.”

            At this, Shinji spit out the mouthful of soda he’d managed to drink.

            “Shit!” Shinji swore loudly, startling the three females with him. “Has Ragnarock shown up yet?”

            “No.” Misato replied. “And White hasn’t done anything except stand in the middle of Tokyo 3 for the past few minutes.”

 

EVA control room

 

            Misato walked into the EVA control room amid a flurry of activity.  The three pilots were just being put into the Entry Plugs.  Once the Plugs were in the EVAs, Gendo gave the order.

            “Launch the EVAs!”

            The three EVAs stepped onto the launch pads.  Once on the surface, they surrounded White.  After they were all in position, they immediately began firing on White.  Round after round of positron bullets and sonic waves hit the pale dragon’s skin, doing little to no damage.  Eventually, the rounds started ricocheting off the creatures AT field.

            “ENOUGH!” a voice roared from behind EVA-00.

            The EVAs looked over to see Ragnarock close enough to touch EVA-00 with his elbow.  Siron aimed her sonic disrupters and was about to fire when EVA-01 stopped it.

            “Don’t.” Shinji warned her. “He’s a friend.”

            “This is my battle,” Ragnarock growled.

            The three EVAs quickly moved away to let the two dragons have at each other.

            “So, chara, decided to show up.” Ragnarock asked calmly. “I’m not surprised.  You always were the more gullible between us.”

            “You misjudge me, dear brother.” The pale dragon replied. “This isn’t just a petty bout between us, but a fight for this planet’s future.  Soon, all of Terra will be mine to control.”

            “We’ll see about that, Ahnahk.”

            With that, Ragnarock charged the other dragon.  He lashed out with his forward blades, cutting into Ahnahk’s chest.  The white dragon countered with a quick leg sweep, knocking Ragnarock to the ground.  Ragnarock mule kicked Ahnahk in the face, breaking several teeth, then leapt into a fighting stance.  Ahnahk stood up and fired a volley of laser beams at Ragnarock, who deftly dodged them.  As the trade off of blows continued, the EVA pilots watched with uncertainty.

 

EVA control room

 

            “Damn it!” Gendo shouted. “Attack them already!”

            “Sir!” Maya exclaimed. “I’m picking up massive energy fluctuations around Ragnarock and the other dragon.  It looks like they’re merging their AT fields to prevent outside interference.”

            “Then find a way around it!”

 

Ground level

 

            “This is pointless!” Ragnarock growled.

            “For once, dear brother,” Ahnahk sneered, “I agree.”

            The two titans were locked in a battle of strength, each trying to overpower the other while biting and snapping at their opponent.

            “Then it’s time to end this.”

            Ragnarock let go of Ahnahk’s hands and performed several back-flips, putting him about 150 yards away from the white dragon.  He stood straight and held his hands out at arm’s length and shoulder width apart.  The EVAs and the pale dragon watched in surprise as Ragnarock’s AT field began bending and twisting as if it were alive.  Suddenly, the field shot forward toward Ahnahk.  The AT blast hit Ahnahk’s field and broke through easily.  The white dragon was thrown back several hundred yards as chunks of flesh were torn from his body.

            The EVAs moved up so that EVA-01 and Siron were off to the sides while EVA-00 was almost directly behind Ragnarock.  The black dragon stood waiting for the dust kicked up by Ahnahk’s landing to clear when a green blast of energy similar to Ragnarock’s Mega Flare shot out.  The beam narrowly missed Ragnarock.  He and the two later EVAs spun around to see the blast hit EVA-00 in the abdomen and began eating away at its body.

 

            Flashback

 

            “You may have defeated me this once,” Ahnahk stated, “but you still won’t be able to return to our old home.”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “You ever see what a fusion grenade does to a bata fruit from the inside out?”

            “NOO!”

            “Nuyo cra, yun chara.  Yo nek tiem hou fek, tou chi lonu taiwe tou gren sot yun.”

            While the humans heard that, Ragnarock heard something entirely different.

            “By the way, dear brother.  The next time we fight, you will lose that which you hold most dear.”

            Without another word, White teleported away.

 

            Present

 

            Ragnarock ran over and ripped Rei’s Entry Plug out of EVA-00’s skull before the energy got to the head.  As the remains of EVA-00 dissolved, Ragnarock handed the Entry Plug to Siron.

            “Take this and get away from here quickly.”

            “What?  Why?”

            “Because, from what I’ve seen, Shinji is a better pilot than you are.  Now go.  Unless you want Rei to die.”

            Asuka reluctantly took the Entry Plug and ran off to find what haven she could.  Ragnarock turned back to Ahnahk as the pale dragon came walking out of the still swirling dust cloud.

            “Well, well, yun chara.” Ahnahk stated in a conversational tone. “It appears as if my prediction has come true.”

            “She isn’t dead yet.  Although you will be.”

 

EVA control room

 

            “EVA-00 confirmed: deactivated.” Shigeru reported, then looked at his monitor again. “What the hell?!”

            “What’s wrong?” Hyuga asked.

            “Take a look at the readings coming from Ragnarock.”

            Hyuga looked and his jaw almost hit the floor.

            “That’s unheard of!”

            “What?” Maya asked, then saw the monitor. “Holy shit!  He’s got fifteen AT fields activated all at once!  I didn’t think something could even have two active.”

            Behind the three Lieutenants, Gendo swore silently.

 

Surface

 

            The AT fields surrounding Ragnarock glowed with a dark light as they shifted form and coalesced before him.  The wailing of a thousand ambient voices grew to almost deafening volumes as the Mega Flare energy sphere formed inside the AT fields.  A blast of white-hot energy shot forward suddenly, hitting Ahnahk in the chest.  To Ragnarock’s horror, the beam dissipated as soon as it touched the white dragon.  Ahnahk let out a barking laugh once the beam was gone and charged at Ragnarock.

            “You should know your AT Field Mega Flare is ineffective against us.”

            Ragnarock dove to the side just in time, dodging Ahnahk’s lunge.

            “Shinji!” Ragnarock shouted to the pilot. “Activate your fusion cannon!”

            “What fusion cannon?!”

            “Just concentrate on your right chest plate!  It’ll activate!”

            Ragnarock met Ahnahk’s next charge and shouldered him in the gut, knocking the pale combatant to the ground in pain.  Shinji did as he was told and concentrated solely on his EVA’s right chest plate.  EVA-01 reached up and pried open the designated armor plate, revealing a large pipe like structure.  The structure extended from the purple titan’s chest and began glowing.  Ragnarock glanced over and saw what was happening to EVA-01.  He shoved Ahnahk away and fired a burst of lasers at his snow-white counterpart.  The burst stalled Ahnahk just enough for Shinji to finish charging the fusion cannon.

            “Shinji!” Ragnarock growled. “Fire on three!  One . . . Two . . . THREE!!”

            With that, Ragnarock fired a sky blue energy beam at Ahnahk as a similar beam shot out from EVA-01’s fusion cannon toward Ahnahk as well.  The two blasts hit at the exact same moment, generating an explosion that enveloped Ahnahk completely and destroyed several nearby buildings.  When the explosion faded, Ahnahk was kneeling in pain from massive chest and head wounds.  Ragnarock walked up to him and slashed sideways with both sets of arm blades, cutting into the white dragon’s abdomen.

            Ahnahk tried to strike back but his movements were sluggish from pain, blood loss, and cranial damage.  Ragnarock grabbed Ahnahk by the shoulders and kneed him in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of his white opponent.  Ahnahk collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.  The dark dragon loomed over his pale counterpart and jumped into the air.  Ragnarock came down with the power of an N2 Mine on Ahnahk’s chest, almost caving in the prone dragon’s ribcage.  Ragnarock stepped back and watched as Ahnahk began shrinking.  EVA-01 walked up next to Ragnarock and stared in surprise.

            “What’s happening?!” Shinji asked.

            “He’s shrinking back down to his human form.  We each have a human form to conserve energy when we aren’t fighting like this.  Go back to your base.  I’ll catch up.”

            Shinji reluctantly walked off as Ragnarock bent down and picked up the now semi truck sized creature.  EVA-01 and Siron stepped onto the launch pad and were being carried down the tube by the time Ragnarock got to the tube.  Once they were down in the docking bay, the two EVAs barely had time to move out of the way when Ragnarock jumped down behind them.  He threw the shrunken Ahnahk at a wall.  The human slammed into the wall and slid to the catwalk, unconscious.  Ragnarock slumped to the ground and looked up at the tiny people before him.

            “I will finish the job I started on Ahnahk once I’ve rested enough.”

            Without another word, Ragnarock leaned against a wall and closed his eyes.  Shinji and Asuka were pulled from their EVAs as Rei’s Entry Plug was set down on the wide catwalk behind the EVAs.  The young couple walked over to Rei’s Plug and waited for the technicians to cut through the mangled mass that used to be a hatch.  Gendo stood behind them, his face emotionless.  Once Rei was out of the Plug, she shakily stood on her own and looked around.

            “What happened?”

            “EVA-00 was destroyed by Ahnahk, or whatever his name is,” Shinji explained.

            “Then, why am I still alive?”

            “Ragnarock saved you.”

            As Rei walked over to the railing and gazed at the sleeping dragon, Shigeru stepped up beside Gendo.

            “What are the chances of repairing or rebuilding EVA-00?” Gendo asked without even turning to face the Lieutenant.

            “We won’t be doing either.” Shigeru replied. “Nothing remains of EVA-00 other than the Entry Plug.  Even if we could rebuild it, it would take too long if Ahnahk is just the beginning of another invasion.”

            “Then Rei is useless to us,” Gendo stated as he pulled a pistol from a hidden holster.

            Shigeru called out a warning and tried to stop Gendo, but was merely knocked away by an invisible shield around Gendo.  Everyone spun around to see Gendo pointing the gun at Rei.  As everyone else dodged out of the way, Rei stood frozen in place with fear, and watched as Gendo pulled the trigger.  The pistol jerked backwards in Gendo’s hand.  Time seemed to slow down for Rei, allowing her to watch the bullet streak toward her and hear a roaring voice call out to her, trying to get her to move.

            Searing pain filled her chest as the bullet struck.  The force of the impact pushed her against the railing, where she stood for several seconds, as if refusing to accept what had happened.  As everyone watched, Rei fell backwards over the railing, only to be stopped in midair as a massive ball of some sort of semi-solid substance flew at and engulfed her.  They all looked up to see Ragnarock staring at the ball with his right arm extended toward it.  To everyone’s surprise, a small slit that had appeared on the dragon’s palm sealed itself.

            “Watch her.” Ragnarock commanded as the ball settled on the ground. “The gel will only last for ten minutes.  Once those ten minutes are up, time will resume for Rei.”

            Ragnarock shifted his gaze to Gendo, who merely returned the glare.

            “I warned you, Gendo.” The giant dragon growled. “I will kill you now.  Not like this, though.  I’ll not risk harming the EVAs and my friends.”

            Ragnarock stood and turned his back toward the group.  As everyone backed away, Ragnarock seemed to melt into a black substance similar to the ball that was holding Rei.  The dragon-turned-blob raised itself up like a snake and lunged at the catwalk, striking a single point near the railing.  The blob sucked itself into that point on the elevated floor then grew to about the size of a human.  Gendo fired several more bullets at the blob.  Holes grew in the blob where each of the bullets would have struck, allowing the small pieces of metal to fly through, unimpeded.  The blob then shifted and to gain form and shape.

            As the pilots and staff of NERV stared in awe, the blob reformed into a human being wearing a midnight black cloak and cowl, it’s head lowered to hide the face.  A black gloved hand reached up from the left side and gripped the cloak at the right shoulder.  With a sudden jerk, the hand pulled the cloak off and threw it to the side, revealing a young man wearing a black and silver body suit that was styled similar to an EVA’s armor.  The man reached up and removed a pair of sunglasses that Shinji and Asuka almost recognized as blades similar to the ones Ragnarock had on his arms burst out of the man’s arms.  He crushed the shades with one hand while two wings and a tail unfurled from his back.  His legs shifted and bent, reshaping themselves to look like Ragnarock’s legs as the skin all over his body darkened to jet black.  The man finally raised his head to glare at Gendo.  The NERV supreme commander didn’t even react as the others gasped when they recognized the man’s face, even though the skin was black.

            “This is for Rei!” Raiu snarled as he lunged at Gendo.

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