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Genesis 1.05

New Allies and The Phoenix

 

High School, Friday

 

            Rei stood before the building, Asuka and Shinji at her side.  The red head turned to Rei.

            “You sure you want to do this?  I mean, it has been a while since you’ve been here.  Everyone will ask a lot of questions.  And there is only one day left in the school week.”

            “I’ll be fine, Asuka.” Rei assured her friend. “Besides, what could happen?”

            The trio walked through the main doors as the first bell rang and headed for their class.  As soon as she walked through the door, Rei was greeted by a silenced classroom of staring students.  Asuka’s angry glare swept across the room unmatched, the other students not wanting to get into an argument with the red headed devil girl.

            “What’s wrong with you all?” Asuka snapped. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

            “Well,” a student timidly began, “it’s just that we heard that EVA-00 was destroyed.”

            “And so you assumed that Rei died with it?” Shinji asked.

            “Well, um –”

            “You obviously didn’t hear the rest of the story.” Rei spoke up, surprising the rest of the class, who were used to her being inhumanly silent. “My Entry Plug was pulled from Unit-00 by Ragnarock as the EVA was being eaten away at by some sort of fast acting virus.”

            “Who’s Ragnarock?” Kensuke asked.

            “A black dragon that has allied itself with us,” Shinji replied, not wanting to reveal their friend’s identity.

            About then, the teacher walked in.

 

NERV HQ

 

            Misato sat behind the large desk, thinking to herself.

            Things sure have changed around here. The woman thought. First, Raiu rebuilds the EVAs, EVA-02 becomes Siron, EVA-00 is destroyed, Ragnarock reveals that he is Raiu, kills Commander Ikari, then saves Rei by sacrificing half of his own heart, I become Commander, and last but not least, EVA-01 becomes Sularos.

            Misato turned on the computer and entered her password.  The screen blinked then began flashing the words ACCESS DENIED.  She tried figuring out Gendo’s password, then entered several override commands, each one giving her the same result.  Finally, Misato gave up and just hit the return key.  To her surprise, the main menu faded into view on the screen, giving Misato a list of three choices.

 

EVANGELIONS

 

PERSONAL LOGS

 

PROJECT §

 

COMMAND >_

 

            Misato read the choices for a moment, then entered a command

 

COMMAND > OPEN FILE > PERSONAL LOGS_

 

            The screen faded to black, then the second most recent log appeared.  It was dated several weeks in the past.  It was actually a message to someone else.  Misato didn’t understand what the coordinates meant, but knew it couldn’t be good.

 

19 – 11 – 2015

 

MY LORD SHRIAK,

 

IF ALL MODERN HUMANS ARE DECIEVED AS EASILY AS GENDO IKARI, THEN I AM DISAPPOINTED IN OUR EFFORTS TO DESTROY HUMANITY AND MERGE WITH LILLITH TO THIS POINT.  THE FOOL ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WOULD HELP HIM MEET HIS DEAD MATE.  SINCE MY ARRIVAL HERE, I HAVE ELIMINATED THE SECOND IN COMMAND, SOME ELDERLY HUMAN BY THE NAME OF FUYUTSUKI, GIVING ME ABSOLUTE CONTROL OF THE ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS NERV.  OTHER PROBLEMS HAVE ARISEN, HOWEVER.  THE ARRIVAL OF THE DARK CLOTHED PERSON CALLED RAIU CONTINUES TO QUESTION ME.  IF HE KNOWS WHO I TRULY AM, I WILL HAVE TO ELIMINATE HIM AS WELL.  HE HAS MADE OUR OPPONENTS STRONGER AND GIVEN THEM S2 ENGINES, AS THE HUMANS CALL THEM.  I MAY BE ABLE TO REMOVE HIM WITHOUT CREATING SUSPICION TOWARD ME WHEN YOU SEND THE ONE CALLED KEA.  IF HE IS TRULY SKILLED AT EVANGELION DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DESTROY THEM JUST AS EASILY.

 

            The next one was dated only a few days before Gendo’s death.

 

4 – 1 – 2016

 

MY LORD SHRIAK,

 

NEW PROBLEMS HAVE ARISEN.  TWO CREATURES HUMANS CALL DRAGONS APPEARED SHORTLY AFTER MY LAST MESSAGE.  I HAD THOUGHT THAT YOU HAD SENT THEM TO FINISH THE EVANGELIONS OFF, BUT WHEN THEY BEGAN FIGHTING EACH OTHER, I KNEW SUCH WAS NOT THE CASE.  THE WHITE DRAGON SEEMS TO BE OUR ALLY; AS IT USED TWO OF THE EVANGELIONS AS HOSTAGES AGAINS THE BLACK DRAGON.  THE BLACK DRAGON ACTUALLY SAVED THE HUMAN PILOTS FROM THE WHITE DRAGON.  THAT SAME DAY, KEA ARRIVED.  I KNOW I AM NOT PRIVVY TO ALL YOUR SECRETS, BUT I ASSUME THAT BOTH HE AND THE WHITE DRAGON ARE LINKED SOMEHOW.  AFTER THE WHITE DRAGON FLED THE BATTLE DUE TO INJURIES, THE HUMAN PILOTS DISOBEYED ME AND HELPED THE BLACK DRAGON THAT LATER CALLED ITSELF RAGNAROCK, A NAME THAT HAS NO MEANING TO ME.  ONCE THE BATTLE WAS FINISHED, I HAD SOME HUMAN DRONES RETRIEVE BLOOD SAMPLES FROM THE POOLS OF BLOOD LEFT BY THE TWO DRAGONS’ FIGHT.  THE WHITE DRAGON’S BLOOD CONTAINED HUMAN AND ANGEL DNA STRANDS THAT FLUCTUATED DOMINANCE OVER EACH OTHER AT WILL.  THE BLACK DRAON’S BLOOD WAS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE OUR QUEEN LILLITH’S, ALTHOUGH IT CONTAINED HUMAN, ANGEL, AND EVANGELION DNA STRANDS.  I DID NOT KNOW THAT EVANGELIONS HAD DNA STRANDS.  SOMETHING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK INTO.  IT IS A LONG SHOT, BUT IF WE CAN CLONE THE BLACK DRAGON’S DNA, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE AN ARMY OF MINDLESS DRONES TO FIGHT FOR US.  UNTIL THEN, WE WILL HAVE TO DO WITH THE MILITIA I HAVE BEEN HIRING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF TROOPS FOR TO PROTECT MY SECRET.

 

            Misato sat in a stupor for several minutes, digesting this information before exiting the personal logs.  She entered another command at the main menu.

 

COMMAND > OPEN FILE > PROJECT §_

 

PROJECT §

 

REBUILDING OF EVA-03 IN JAPAN IS PROGRESSING ON SCHEDULE.  ALL TRACES OF ANGEL PRESENCE HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED.  PILOT SELECTION IS UNNECESSARY.  TOUJI SUZUHARA HAS ALREADY PARTIALLY SYNCHRONIZED WITH EVA-03.

 

EXCAVATION OF NERV USA BASE HAS REVEALED EVA-04 TO BE FULLY INTACT.  SHIPMENT OF EVA UNIT IS COMPLETE.  ACTIVATION OF UNIT IS PROLONGED INDEFINITELY DUE TO INABILITY TO FIND SUITABLE PILOT.  UNIT IS CURRENTLY BEING STORED IN NERV WAREHOUSE # 573 IN TOKYO 3.

 

BUILDING OF EVA-05 IN CHINA IS COMPLETE.  SELECTION OF PILOT IS COMPLETE.  ACQUISITION OF PILOT IS PROLONGED INDEFINITELY.

 

BUILDING OF EVA-06 IN RUSSIA IS COMPLETE.  SELECTION OF PILOT IS COMPLETE.  ACQUISITION OF PILOT IS PROLONGED INDEFINITELY.

 

BUILDING OF EVA-07 IN USA IS COMPLETE.  SELECTION OF PILOT IS COMPLETE.  ACQUISITION OF PILOT IS PROLONGED INDEFINITELY.

 

            Misato stared at the screen for several minutes, unable to fathom what Gendo had been intending to do with those EVAs.  She typed in a new command.

 

COMMAND > WHY HAS PILOT ACQUISITION BEEN PROLONGED INDEFINITELY.

 

PILOT ACQUISITION HAS BEEN PROLONGED INDEFINITELY UNDER ORDERS BY NERV COMMANDER GENDO IKARI.

 

COMMAND > WHAT ARE GENDO IKARI’S ORDERS.

 

DELAY PILOT ACQUISITION INDEFINITELY TO PREVENT SEELE FROM GROWING SUSPICIOUS OF NERV’S ACTIONS TO THIS POINT.

 

            “Well, Gendo’s not in charge anymore and we just might need those EVAs sooner or later,” Misato stated.

 

COMMAND > PRINT OUT WHERE CAN I CONTACT THE CORRECT PEOPLE TO ACQUIRE THE PILOTS AND THE INFORMATION ON THE PILOTS.

 

            The printer next to the computer spat out a list of phone numbers and personnel files on each of the pilots.  Misato looked over the papers and made a decision.

            “Looks like I’ll be making quite a few phone calls today,” Misato mused.

            The new Commander of NERV reached for the phone and dialed the first number.

 

High School, class 2-A

 

            The teacher looked from the trio he stood behind to the rest of his class, none of whom noticed him standing there.  He cleared his throat, startling Rei, Asuka, and Shinji.  The three teens spun around and looked at him in surprise.

            “Now,” the teacher began, “if you three will sit down, we can begin class today.  And welcome back, Miss Ayanami.”

            Shinji and Asuka sat next to each other, obviously, while Rei took her usual seat by the window.  As their teacher went off on another tirade about the Second Impact, Rei stared out the window, thinking about Raiu.  She turned to glance around the class and stared at the teacher’s suit on the back of his chair.  Suddenly, she could see each strand of fabric in the shirt as if she was peering at it through a magnifying glass.  Rei looked around and saw each of the other students as if she was looking at them using high-powered binoculars.  Without warning, she was able to hear a student’s heart beating in the next door class.  A stream of smells unnoticeable to a human poured into her nose as an array of tastes assaulted her taste buds through her closed lips.  Rei could feel the air shift and move subtly against her skin, a feeling anyone else wouldn’t have had.

            All of her senses rapidly became much more keen and sensitive.  The overhead lights burned her eyes as perfumes, colognes, and various other scents overwhelmed her sense of smell.  The increasing continued until Rei was crying out, oblivious to the other students.  The teen fell out of her chair and began writhing on the ground in pain.  A single thought crossed her mind through all the pain and sensory overload.

            “RAIU!!” Rei cried out in a telepathic burst to the older teen.

            Within minutes, a loud crashing sound assaulted Rei’s ears, followed by the screaming of the students.

            Raiu stood just inside the broken window in his gargoyle form, watching the students and teacher of the class.  He walked toward Rei, shifting back to his human form as he did so.  As Raiu kneeled beside the girl, Shinji stood beside him.

            “What’s wrong with her?”

            “The only one that knows that is Rei.”

            Raiu placed his palm against her upper chest and spoke to her telepathically.

            “Rei, what’s wrong?”

            “Lights,” Rei replied in a panicky voice, “sounds, tastes, smells, feels.  Too much!”

            Raiu looked up at Shinji and Asuka.

            “The changes still aren’t complete.  Each of her senses have been enhanced to the point of causing her pain.  Even with me just talking like this, it’s probably hurting her.”

            “Just who or what the hell are you?!” the teacher shouted, his back pressed against the blackboard at the front of the class. “What are you doing here?!  What do you want?!”

            Raiu stood up and walked over to the older man.  The teen hissed and maneuvered his face close to the teacher’s, his silver cat eyes gleaming.

            “If you don’t stop shouting,” Raiu hissed, “I’m your worst nightmare to the fifth power.”

            Raiu returned to Rei without waiting for a reply.  He placed his hand against her chest again and spoke into her mind.

            “Rei.  I want you to listen to me very carefully.  Can you do that for me?”

            “Yes!  Just stop the pain!”

            “Concentrate on my voice.  Try to ignore the pain.  Think only of us being together.  You can use some of my memories if you need to.”

            “Al – alright . . . please, stop the pain!”

            “I will.  But you have to concentrate.”

            Rei’s writhing and crying visibly lessened, although she still winced whenever Raiu’s hand inadvertently shifted position slightly.  Asuka stood next to Shinji and looked down at the couple.

            “Is she going to be alright?” the fiery red head asked.

            Raiu glanced up at her harshly as Rei writhed more at the sound of Asuka’s voice.

            “Only if you make no noise whatsoever!” the dark haired teen hissed in a low voice.

            Raiu continued to speak to Rei telepathically as her writhing lessened to the point of nonexistence.  Finally, she fell asleep.  Raiu stood and looked at Shinji and Asuka.

            “She’ll be fine, but she won’t be able to finish the day here.  I’ll have to take her somewhere where we can work on her control over her senses.”

            The teacher suddenly charged Raiu with a yardstick, hoping to knock him away from the students.

            “I won’t let you harm one of my students!” the man shrieked.

            Raiu reached out without so much as turning and grabbed the yardstick as the teacher swung at him.  He reached out with one foot and tripped the older man, knocking him to the ground.  Raiu looked down at the man and snarled.

            He moves pretty fast for an old man, Raiu thought to himself.

            “She’s the last person in all the universes combined that I’d harm.” Raiu stated, then turned from the group. “I’ll be going now.”

            With that, Raiu picked up Rei and walked toward the window.  He stepped up on the sill, then casually jumped out the window.  The students finally broke out of their stupor and ran to the window, expecting to see a bloody mess on the sidewalk below.  Instead, they saw Raiu flying off in his gargoyle form, Rei cradled in his arms.  They then slowly turned to Shinji and Asuka, who were smiling nervously at them.

            “I think we’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” Shinji stated.

            “Damn straight!” Hikari exclaimed.

 

Somewhere deep in space

 

            “And were you unable to destroy any of the EVAs as well?”

            “No, my lord.”

            The pale teen kneeled in a spotlight before a shadowed being.

            “I was able to destroy EVA-00 before being almost fatally injured by my brother.”

            “And that was all?”

            “Sadly, yes, my lord.”

            “Then you have failed me, Kea.  However, you have done more than most of my Angels have done.  Therefore, you shall have one more chance.  If you can not return victorious, then do not return at all.  I will send several more Angels with you.”

            Kea stood and left.

            “All is progressing according to schedule, father.” A mental voice said to the shadowed being.

            “Yes, daughter.  Soon, my son will be returned to me.  I am just sorry we have to sacrifice such a loyal follower for him, no matter how delusional he is.”

            “It can not be helped.  Besides, none of us really like the ‘sacrificial lamb’ enough to care if he dies or not.”

 

NERV HQ, midday

 

            Shinji and Asuka walked into Gendo’s old office and found Misato on the phone.  It was obvious she’d been talking to the person for quite some time.

            “Fine . . . fine!” Misato exclaimed. “How much do you want?  That much?!  You can’t be serious!  Wait – didn’t Ikari already pay you for this?  Uh huh.  Well, I’ve got the financial reports for the last few years here, and according to it, Gendo paid you in advance for this.”

            Misato looked up to see the young couple and motioned for them to wait.  After a few seconds, the new Commander smiled.

            “Well, then.  I’ll be expecting them here as soon as possible.  I might even throw in something extra if they’re here in under two days.  Thank you for your cooperation.  Good-bye.”

            Misato hung up the phone, leaned back, and groaned.

            “Money hungry jerk.”

            “What’s wrong?” Shinji asked.

            “Those damned Chinese ambassadors.  They wanted me to pay them what Gendo had paid them in advance.”

            “For what?” Asuka inquired.

            “One of the new EVAs.  Russia and the United States agreed to send their Units and pilots here without so much as a second thought.”

            “WHAT?!” the two teens cried out in unison.

            “Oh.” Misato stated. “I forgot to tell you.  I was searching through Gendo’s computer this morning.  It seems Gendo had the USA, China, and Russia build three more EVAs.  Why, I have no idea.  Anyway, I called up all three countries and asked them to send their EVAs to us.  They should get here in a couple of days.”

            “Find out anything else?”

            “Well, EVA-03 is being rebuilt and EVA-04 was found intact.  It’s being stored in a warehouse right now.  By the way, what are you doing out of school already?”

            “We were sent home.”

            “Why?” Misato asked in a low voice.

            “Rei went into seizures or something,” Asuka explained, “then Raiu showed up in his gargoyle form and scared the shit out of the entire class.”

            “He said that Rei’s senses had been super-enhanced to the point of causing her pain.  He managed to calm her down somehow –”

            “Then he flew off with Rei after our teacher tried to attack him,” Asuka finished.

            “And you were kicked out for what reason?” Misato began to get irritated.

            “After we briefly explained everything about Raiu and Rei,” Shinji stated, “the teacher sent us home for helping disrupt class and being friends with – and I quote the teacher on this – ‘a demonic creature that stole the form of a human.’”

            “Looks like I’ll be making yet another phone call today,” Misato moaned.

            “Eh, don’t matter.” Asuka replied. “He’s a jerk anyway.  Everyone else tried to get him to let us stay so they could hear more about Raiu.”

            “Well then, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

            “Not much, just hang out around the base,” Shinji answered.

 

            Two days later

 

            Misato took Shinji and Asuka with her to greet the new pilots as their ships brought them into the harbor.  The first ship to arrive was Russia’s.  The large aircraft carrier slowed to a stop and lowered a ramp, allowing the trio to walk up and meet the crew.  They were introduced to the maintenance crew of the EVA, then the pilot.  He took one look at Misato and snorted.

            “Who the hell are you?” the teenage boy asked.

            “I’m Misato Katsuragi.  Commander of the Japan branch of NERV.  And your new commanding officer.”

            “Oh.  I thought you were somebody of importance, like an adult EVA pilot.  Guess I won’t have anyone to best with my perfect EVA.”

            “Watch who you’re insulting, dumkopf,” Asuka hissed, “or I might just have to prove you’re not the best.”

            “Oh?  And who might you be?  Some German floozy?”

            “Asuka Langley Soryu, resident champion EVA pilot.  And if you don’t stop insulting people, I’ll make sure you’re EVA can’t be repaired.”

            “Ooh, I’m so scared.”

            “Enough.” Misato growled. “What’s your name?”

            “Chekov Namovi, Seventh Child,” the boy replied arrogantly as the ships from China and the USA arrived.

            “Alright then, Chekov.  Come with us to greet the other two pilots.”

            “I’d rather puke.”

            “Too bad.” Shinji stated harshly. “You don’t have a choice.”

            “What’s your name?  Super Wimp?”

            “I am Shinji Ikari, Third Child.  The only reason you’re not on the ground with a broken nose is because I don’t want to piss Misato off any more than she already is.”

            “All of you, enough!” Misato yelled. “Chekov, you can either come with us to greet the other two new pilots or we can have someone else pilot your ‘perfect’ EVA until you learn some manners.”

            Chekov reluctantly followed the trio to the Chinese ship.  They got onboard just in time to see the pilot being escorted toward them.  The girl bowed once she was near them and introduced herself.

            “My name is Yisiu Sulu, the Sixth Child.  I am pleased to meet you, Commander Ikari.  I –”

            “I’m not Ikari.” Misato stated flatly. “He was killed in an Angel attack recently.  I have been promoted and took his place. I am Commander Misato Katsuragi.”

            “Oh.  Well then, I am pleased to meet you, Commander Katsuragi.  I hope I will not fail you while I am working under you.”

            “I’m sure you’ll do fine.  And you don’t have to be so formal around us.  We’re sorta like one big family.  Just call me Misato.”

            “Alright.  I will try to remember that.”

            “You want to come with us to meet the American pilot?”

            “I’d be glad to.” Yisiu stated, smiling. “But, what about my EVA?”

            “It will be transported to NERV HQ in a matter of hours,” one of her escorts replied.

            The group headed for the last ship only to see that the American pilot had been escorted to the pier already.  She said something in English that none of the others understood.  Seeing their blank faces, she realized her mistake and bowed.

            “I forgot that you don’t speak English.” The teen stated in halting Japanese. “I’m called Krystal Carson, the Eighth Child.  I’m glad to meet all of you.”

            With the introductions finished, Misato herded everyone into the van she’d brought instead of her coupe and sped off to the base.

 

NERV HQ

 

            “How much longer do we have to wait?” Chekov whined for the umpteenth time.

            “The more you whine,” Krystal snapped in English so he wouldn’t understand her, “the longer it will take, pretty boy!”

            The five teens sat in the lounge, waiting for the three new EVAs to arrive.  Maya walked through the door a few minutes later.

            “The EVAs have arrived.  If you’ll all follow me, we can give them a test run.”

            Once they were directed to the locker rooms, the pilots quickly changed into their Plug suits.  Chekov’s was brown with green highlights, Yisiu’s was yellow and white, and Krystal’s was colored teal with silver highlights.  The five pilots each headed for their EVAs, not knowing for sure what to expect from each other.  After the pilots got in their EVAs, the living robots were launched up separate launch tubes.

 

Outskirts of Tokyo 3

 

            The five EVAs met at the outskirts for the test run to keep from damaging the city.  Each new EVA looked much different than the others.

            EVA-05 was yellow and white with collapsible wings.  Its body was like EVA-03’s while its head resembled EVA-00’s.  It had a single eye and was lankier than most EVAs.  EVA-06 was deep brown with increased musculature and three eyes.  It resembled EVA-01 but had no mouth or ring around the head.  EVA-07 was solid teal with a few silver markings.  It had six eyes and four shoulder-mounted blades.  Its head didn’t resemble any other EVA while its body was almost an exact copy of EVA-02’s.  The three new pilots marveled at Sularos and Siron, the upgraded EVAs unlike anything they’d seen before.

            “Just what the hell kind of EVAs are those?” Chekov demanded.

            “Upgraded EVAs.” Sularos replied bluntly. “Our friend Raiu found a way to enhance our EVAs to the point where they changed shape.  These are the results.”

            “So what?  My EVA can still beat yours,” the Russian boy sneered.

            “Let’s see if you’re right or not,” Siron growled.

            “Gladly.”

            The other three EVAs backed away and formed a triangle around Siron and EVA-06.  EVA-06 strutted as if to say, “this’ll be easy.”  Siron leapt into the air, surprising Chekov.  He spun around, expecting an attack from behind, only to be attacked from the direction he had been facing.  A few well-placed kicks dropped Unit-06 to the ground, stunning Chekov.  He stood his EVA up and turned to Siron again.

            “You got lucky!”

            “Let’s see you do better!”

            EVA-06 charged Siron only to be slammed to the ground when she punched it in the chest.  The titan quickly got up and tried to jump kick Siron.  The female EVA grabbed his foot and began spinning around.  EVA-06 was airborne a few moments later as Siron released its foot.  Unit-06 flew for the length of several city blocks and came crashing down heavily in a nearby forest.  It shakily stood up and walked back over to the other EVAs.  Siron couldn’t see him, but knew Chekov was staring daggers at her from within his Entry Plug.

            “Wanna try again?”

            “ . . . No . . .” Chekov mumbled.

            “Now, let’s get back to the test.” Sularos stated. “Let’s see what each EVA can do.  Yisiu, you’re first.  Let’s start with marksmanship.”

            EVA-05 stepped over to a nearby building and got out a positron rifle.  Yisiu turned to Sularos and waited for further instructions as the emerald green EVA walked off until he was 500 yards away, then stopped and turned to the others.

            “Try to hit the center of my shield.”

            “What – oh.”

            Yisiu was cut off as Sularos’ shield expanded from his left arm.  He positioned his shield in front of his chest and nodded at EVA-05.  Yisiu aimed the gun and fired off a round, hitting the edge of the shield.  She fired several more, most of which hit the edge of the shield, but a couple hit near the center.

            “Good.” Sularos stated, stopping her from firing more rounds. “You’re next, Krystal.”

            Yisiu passed the gun to the teal EVA and stepped back.  Krystal took aim and fired the same amount of bullets as Yisiu and hit the exact center with every shot.  EVA-07 pantomimed blowing smoke off the barrel and passed the rifle to EVA-6.  Chekov aimed and fired off the same number of bullets as the other two.  None of them even hit Sularos.  The emerald green EVA shook his head and walked back to the others.

            “Not bad.” Misato stated over the EVAs’ comm. links. “Krystal, you’ll be our sniper.  Yisiu, you could be anything depending on how well you do in the rest of the test run.  Chekov, you will not be allowed near guns when an Angel attacks.  You’ll do more damage to the other EVAs and the surrounding area before you’d hit the Angel.  Therefore, you’ll be a close combat fighter.”

            “It won’t matter what any of you are.” A familiar voice called out from behind the EVAs. “You won’t live for much longer!”

            The five giants turned to see Kea in his dragon form and a couple of Angels beside him.  The Angel to his left looked like Sachiel, but it had blue skin and a snake-like tail in place of legs.  The other one looked like Arael, except it had two heads and four arms.  Sularos snarled and stepped forward.

            “What do you want, Kea?”

            “Shinji?  Your EVA has changed.  Oh, well.  I’ll still destroy you easily.”

            “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Sularos growled as he activated his prog sword.

            The two charged each other with blades at the ready.  Sularos slashed down with his sword, only to have it blocked by Kea’s arm blade.  He quickly brought his shield forward to block Kea’s punch.  Kea snapped his leg up, kneeing Sularos in the gut.  The EVA stumbled backwards a few paces and got ready to block another attack.  He looked up to see Kea charging a Mega Flare attack.  He dove to the side as Kea fired, forcing the dragon to miss and destroy an insignificant building.  Kea ran over to Sularos and kicked him in the chest, making sure he stayed down.  The white dragon aimed his fist at Sularos’ head and turned to the EVAs, his fist glowing.

            “Make one move and he dies.”

            Before the EVAs could react, a volley of laser blasts caught Kea in the back, knocking him away from Sularos.  Everyone – including the Angels – looked toward the source of the lasers to see Raiu in his dragon form.  The black dragon walked over to Sularos.  As he reached down to help the EVA stand, something slammed into his side.  Caught unprepared, Raiu was knocked over Sularos to land almost a football field away.  He stood up to see EVA-06 standing near Sularos.  Raiu formed an AT Field as EVA-06 grabbed the positron rifle and fired on him.

            “What the fuck is your problem?!”

            “Filthy Angel!  You’ll not be harming any of my fellow pilots!”

            “What?!” Raiu exclaimed. “Dumb shit!  I’m on your side!!  Didn’t you see me take down Kea?”

            “Yes!  Just so you could get the kill for yourself!”

            Raiu was about to respond when a laser blast hit his AT Field.  He looked over his shoulder and saw the Angels firing at him again.  The dragon then turned back to EVA-06.

            “I’ll deal with you later.  EVAs!  You take on the Angels while I finish some unsettled business with Kea.  Be aware that if any of you attack me, I will reciprocate with near lethal force.”

            “Where’s Rei?” Sularos asked, stopping Raiu.

            “NERV HQ.  She’s able to control her powers now.”

            Raiu turned to look for Kea and saw his white brother walking casually toward him.  As the two dragons faced each other, they watched the other for signs of readying to strike.

            “I’m surprised you came back so soon, brother.  It’s not like you.”

            “So I decide to be different for once.  So what?  Just means I get to kill you sooner.”

            “We’ll see about that.”

            Raiu charged a full Mega Flare under the protection of his AT Field, then dropped the Field and fired at Kea.  The blast tore through the white dragon’s left shoulder, ripping his arm from his body and decimating the left side of his chest.  Kea fell to his knees and smirked at Raiu.

            “What’s so funny?” Raiu inquired.

            “You think this will kill me, that’s what.  Neotek nano probes!  Activate!”

            Upon his command, wires shot out of Kea’s back and attached themselves to various parts of his body, even his severed arm.  The arm was pulled and held against Kea’s side as his flesh peeled away in several places to reveal robotic components.  The components pushed forward and spread, covering the torn edges of his flesh.  The left side of his upper body was replaced with robotic parts covered by a metal shell.  The severed arm reattached itself at the socket provided by the robotic shoulder.  The flesh on Kea’s neck from the shoulders up melted and ran off like water, revealing a robotic neck and head.  Kea had transformed into a cyborg dragon.

            “This oughta be challenging,” Raiu mused.

 

EVA control room

 

            Rei walked through the door and was met by Misato.

            “Rei!” Misato exclaimed. “Where have you been?!”

            “With Raiu.  I had some problems with the heart.  We managed to work it out, though.”

            Rei looked up at Misato and surprised the older woman.

            “What’s wrong?” Rei asked, seeing Misato’s expression.

            “Your eyes . . .”

            Rei looked at Misato curiously.

            “What’s wrong with them.”

            “Here,” Misato replied, handing Rei a small mirror she kept in her purse.

            Rei looked into the mirror and was surprised by her own looks.  Her eyes had changed.  Now, the whites of her eyes were swirling with inky, sky blue clouds and her pupils had become diamond shaped while the red irises had deepened in color to blood red.

            “Weird,” Rei thought aloud as she handed the mirror back to Misato.

            The girl pushed passed the woman and stood beside Maya.

            “Do you have a visual of the fight out there?”

            “Yes.  Bringing it up now.”

            A large monitor above the plate glass windows sprang to life with a video of the fight outside.  As the group inside watched, the EVAs surrounded the Angels but were quickly downed when the Angels fired powerful blasts that cut through the EVAs’ armor like it was butter.  The only ones left were Raiu, Sularos, and Siron, each of them fighting a different foe.

 

Surface

 

            Sularos charged his opponent, slashing wildly with his prog sword.  The blade connected with the Angel’s arm when the monster tried to block the attack.  The prog sword cut through the Angel’s arm and imbedded itself in the creature’s shoulder.  The Sachiel lookalike cried out in pain and slammed its other fist against Sularos’ head, knocking the EVA back.  Sularos barely hung on to his sword and ripped it from the Angel’s shoulder, slicing through the flesh even more.

            Siron fired her sonic disrupters at Arael II, only to have them ricochet off the Angel’s AT Field.  She ran toward the Angel and slammed her fists together, generating a sonic boom.  That, combined with her quickly unfolding AT Field, cut through Arael II’s AT Field and caught the Angel by surprise.  As the creature fell to the ground, Siron fired her energy beam, slicing off two of the Angel’s four arms.  The Angel pushed itself up and flew at Siron, only to be knocked down by a sonic boom and her AT Field.

            Raiu grinned at Kea before raising his AT Field to block a burst of laser blasts.

            “Y’know, becoming part metal really wasn’t a good idea, brother.”

            “Why do you say that?”

            “Because now, you’re just one big lightning rod!”

            Before Kea could respond, Raiu had dropped his AT Field and spat a lightning bolt at his brother’s metal shoulder.  When the bolt hit, sparks rained as several circuits shorted out.  Kea swore loudly and fired a burst of lasers at Raiu.  The beams hit, knocking the black dragon to the ground.  As Raiu watched, Kea’s shoulder seemed to repair itself.  Now it was Kea’s turn to grin at his brother.

            “Neotek technology is so useful.  You’d be surprised how much nano probes can do.”

            Sularos stumbled backward and would have fallen, had he not back-flipped and landed in a defensive crouch.  He launched himself toward Sachiel II.  Sularos thrust his prog sword out before him and stabbed the blade through the Angel’s core, destroying the monster.

            Siron kicked the prone Angel, sending it flying a few hundred yards.  It crashed to the ground across a highway leading into Tokyo 3.  She ran over and grabbed the Angel by its throat.  Siron lifted the creature and slammed her fist through the Angel’s core, only to find a second sphere within it.  She pulled the sphere out and looked at it curiously.  When nothing happened, she crushed the sphere between her hands.

            Raiu fired a volley of lasers from both hands, hitting Kea, but merely stunning him.  The cyborg dragon walked up to his fallen brother and smashed his foot down on the black dragon’s hip, shattering the bone and tearing the flesh with his talons.  Kea laughed as his brother cried out in pain then smashed his other hip the same way.  Kea repeated the process with Raiu’s knees and feet as if he were a child playing hopscotch.  Raiu tried to fire more lasers at Kea, but the haze of pain prevented him from aiming accurately and each of his shots missed.  Kea shifting out of the way of each didn’t help much either.

 

EVA control room

 

            Rei watched in horror as Kea shattered every single bone in Raiu’s body.  A small blue aura formed around her as her anger and despair grew.  She clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly, unable to think of anything but the fight outside.

            “No . . .” Rei hissed. “Kea will not win.”

 

Surface

 

            Sularos and Siron gathered up the downed EVAs and dragged them to the launch tubes, where they were returned to the underground base.  That done, the two upgraded EVAs headed back to help Raiu.  Once there, they tried to fire on Kea, only to have their shots reflected back at them by Kea’s AT Field.  He glanced up at them as their own weaponry hit them, causing massive damage to each EVA and knocking them out.  Raiu snarled weakly and spat a lightning bolt at the distracted cyborg standing on him.  He got lucky and the bolt hit Kea in the head, shorting out his optics.  As Kea shook his head, waiting for his sight to return, Raiu charged up a Mega Flare.  Kea’s sight returned just in time for him to see the growing ball of light.

            “Stubborn as always, aren’t you brother?”

            Kea formed an AT Field and engulfed the Mega Flare’s sphere in it.  The blast backfired and hit Raiu in the stomach, tearing the black dragon in half.  The last thing Raiu felt as he lost consciousness was Kea ripping his heart/core out.  Kea held the heart/core in his hands and stared in awe.

            “So much power stored within such a small package.  So hard to get to, and yet so easy to destroy.”

            Kea grinned and threw the heart/core, intending to destroy it in midair.  A split second after he fired a burst of lasers, though, he was tackled by a large form.  He fell to the ground several hundred yards away and stood to face his attacker.  A lithe, humanoid dragon stood before him.  Her navy blue skin would have made perfect camouflage under the sea, but here, it made her stick out like a sore thumb against the midday sky.

            Reptilian butterfly wings hung from her back as a bladed tail lashed back and forth behind her.  Segmented armor skin ran down her from the base of her skull, down her back, and to the tip of her tail while smooth, leathery skin coated her throat, chest, and stomach area.  Her legs were like those of Raiu’s gargoyle form, only proportionally slimmer.

            Two serrated, finlike blades angled out from each forearm, the ones closest to her elbows longer than the other two.  A ring of horns crowned the back of her skull, connected by webbing similar to the skin of a bat’s wing.  Kea’s eye level was about mid-neck on her.  Narrowed, anger filled red eyes glared at Kea.

            “You killed Raiu.  Now, I will kill you.”

            “Rei?!” Kea asked in shock, but his optics instantly narrowed in determination. “So, Raiu’s heart did much more than just save your life.  I’ll still crush you like the insignificant bug that you are.”

            Before Kea could act upon his words, though, Rei formed a sphere of orange light before her mouth as the wailing of a thousand ambient voices filled the air.  A beam of orange power shot toward Kea, blue lightning bolts spiraling around it.  The beam hit Kea’s AT Field and, to her terror, dissipated harmlessly.  Kea laughed maniacally and fired a laser beam from each hand, hitting Rei in the stomach with each.  Rei clutched her stomach in pain and fell to the ground.

            Kea stepped forward to finish the job, but something stopped him in his tracks.  He saw Raiu’s smashed heart/core floating toward him at about chest level.  An eerie voice spoke in his head.

            “Like a phoenix, I rise from the ashes.”

            “NO!” Kea snarled.

            Six lines of light shot out from the heart/core, forming the points of a hexagon.  Kea fired lasers at the heart/core, but the organ simply absorbed them and healed itself.

            “Death has no use for me.  It was so before, and it is so again.”

            “I destroyed you!”

            Two more lines shot out, forming what looked like a neck, spine, and tail.

            “Human and Angel were merged to create me.”

            “You can’t be alive!”

            Ten lines grew from the highest point and angled away from Kea, the two second longest at the top.  The longest two were just below and outside them, hanging limply like tentacles.

            “Love and hatred empower me.”

            “I will destroy you again and again if I have to!”

            Four more lines emerged, two at the base of the neck and two at the base of the tail.  They bent at the midpoint of each, forming a stick figure with arms and legs.

            “Justice and revenge give me form.”

            “I will not be defeated!”

            New lines grew from the end of the arms and legs, forming rudimentary hands and feet.  A short line emerged from each shoulder, aiming away from the heart/core.

            “Light and Darkness swirl together as my soul.”

            “Not by you, of all people!”

            Suddenly, millions of lines shot out from the heart/core, creating the wireframe body of a large dragon with six wings.

            “The blood of the living Avatars, the Evangelions, has resurrected me.”

            The wireframe was filled in with grey.  The grey brightened and darkened alternately, generating an effect similar to a strobe light, only slower.  The flashing sped up and became more intense to the points of blinding light and light swallowing darkness.

            “I am Alpha through Omega.  The Beginning to the End.”

            (Just to clear this part up.  I’m an Atheist.  Alpha and Omega here are nothing more than symbols.  The Beginning to the End is just a quick way of explaining how powerful Raiu is now.  The last thing I need is for my e-mail to get clogged up with hate mail from people who are pissed at me for possible religious misunderstandings.)

            “I don’t care what you are!” Kea screamed. “I’ll kill you, no matter how long it takes!!  I will prove that I am the greatest!”

            Silver EVA-like armor covered almost all of the dragon form, blocking most of the flashing.  Soon, the entire body was covered with EVA-like armor.  The dragon’s eyelids raised, revealing two pools of green light.  His neck, back, and tail were similar to Rei’s, but more like EVA armor.  Gold armor plating covered his chest, throat, and abdomen.

            Two cone-like spikes angled outward from his shoulders while his six wings were dark grey on the inside with silver armor on the backs.  Six horns ringed the back of his head from his jaw to just below and behind his eyes.  Two longer horns arced back from above his eyebrows as a pair of gold whip-like tentacles hung down his neck from just below them.

            His legs were almost exactly like a Tyrannosaur’s, but with longer toes and armor.  His arm blades were the same as before, only serrated and longer.  He was just barely taller than Rei.  The blood red scar on his human form appeared on the armor in the form of a split in the plating, with red skin underneath.

            (Imagine the Summon Materia Bahamut-ZERO from FFVII with EVA style armor, the arm blades, Tyrannosaur legs, and no nose horn.  YES!!  I am a Final Fantasy fan!!  And damn proud of it, too!!)

            “You tried to kill Rei twice, killed me once, and otherwise fucked up my life more ways than I want to count.  You must pay for your sins, brother.  I am sorry I must do this, though.  Terra Flare.”

            With that, Raiu fired a beam of black energy from his mouth at Kea.  The power of the blast pushed Raiu’s head back, but he continued to fire the beam.  The blast hit Kea in the dead center of his chest and punched through his body, destroying his heart/core.  Kea’s body imploded slowly then exploded into billions of microscopic pieces.  Raiu walked over to Rei and kneeled beside her.  She looked up at him weakly.

            “Looks like we’re back to this position again.” Rei stated. “And here I am, dying again.”

            Raiu let loose with a barking laugh before speaking.

            “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but a few laser blasts to the stomach won’t kill you.  You saw Kea survive worse than that.  It hurts like hell, though.  Just concentrate on your stomach healing and it will happen.”

            Rei did as she was told.  The wound instantly stopped bleeding and began sealing up.  She smiled up at Raiu as he helped her to stand.  The two headed for the fallen EVAs and picked them up then carried them to the launch pads.  Once in the docking bay, the two dragons propped the EVAs up in their cages.  As the pilots were ejected, they stepped back to watch.  The three new pilots walked as close to the dragons as they could on the catwalk and gaped at them.  Rei glanced around nervously before turning to Raiu.

            “Um, how do I return to my human form?”

            “Just concentrate on being your gargoyle form right now.  I’ll help you from there.”

            Rei and Raiu simultaneously shifted into their gargoyle forms in midair.  Rei didn’t know what to do and almost fell.  Raiu dove to her and caught her.  After a few moments of telepathic communication, they flew over to the catwalk and landed.  Everyone had the chance to look at the two in detail as they walked over to see how Shinji and Asuka were doing.

            Raiu’s gargoyle form had changed.  The basic form was the same; his head and hair were still black, but the bangs were now silver; in place of the body suit was actual EVA armor.  The armor also framed his face, leaving only his face visible.  His legs, arms, and wings were the same as his new dragon form.  Shinji and Asuka stood up warily from the pools of LCL they’d been laying in.

            “How you two doin’?” Raiu asked.

            The two pilots looked up at Raiu and were surprised to see a female gargoyle next to him.  The two quickly returned to their human forms, startling Shinji and Asuka.

            “Rei?!” Shinji exclaimed.

            “Yeah.  It’s me.  I’ve got the same powers as Raiu now.”

            “Mein Gott!” Asuka cried out. “This just keeps getting weirder and weirder, doesn’t it?!”

            “No changin’ that, Asuka.” Raiu replied. “Now, would you two mind introducing us to the new pilots?”

            “Oh!  Okay.” Shinji agreed, the new pilots approaching as he spoke. “The girl in the yellow suit is Yisiu Sulu, the other girl is Krystal Carson, and –”

            “The arrogant little jerk is Chekov Namovi.  AKA: oberarche.”

            Raiu let loose with another barking laugh and looked at Chekov.

            “Damn, man!  You just got slammed!”

            Everyone but Rei looked at Raiu in surprise.

            “What are you talking about?” Krystal asked.

            “Rei and I can understand and speak any language after hearing only two words in that language.  Go ahead.  Try me.”

            Krystal said something in English that only her and the two shape shifters understood.  Raiu and Rei then had a short conversation with Krystal in English.  Krystal turned to the other pilots and shook her head in amazement.

            “Perfect English!”

            Misato came walking up behind the group.

            “Alright.  Enough of the idle chitchat.  Let’s get down to business.  Raiu.  Do you think you could upgrade the rest of the EVAs like EVAs 01 and 02?”

            “No,” Raiu stated simply.

            “Why?”

            “Only EVA-01 and EVA-02 could be upgraded like that.  For any other EVA, I can enhance their armor, install an S2 engine, and reconstruct the Entry Plug.  Nothing more.”

            “Then get to work.  If any more Angels show up that are as powerful as those last two, we’ll need all the firepower we can get.”

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