VS.
Author: Voyager
Banner: Voyager
Word Count: 36,560
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EPISODE 26: WE NEED YOU
A week had gone by since SEELE's defeat, and not one moment went without Mefilas running the plan through his head. In truth, it was ever changing, shifting with each new development to come out of Gendo's bunch. Things certainly weren't made easy by the fact that two of the Space Garrison were not only patrolling the planet, but actively participating in the battle for the world's fate. The idea of a confrontation between them made Mefilas's stomach twinge. That would mean certain defeat, but hopefully, if his schedule was flawlessly followed, it should all turn out perfectly.
Working with a human was not something Mefilas had once anticipated in his millennia-long life. If it were anyone else, Mefilas would consider himself the earthling's puppet master, but he had chosen to work with Gendo Ikari. A man so hellbent on what by all accounts would be considered the omnicide of his own race, to the point where Mefilas need not even hide his true intentions. A change of pace it was, but it made the deceiver's job half as easy. His full attention could be placed on enacting the Third Impact. Mefilas didn't quite know what that truly entailed, just that it involved the extinction of humanity's material form. The semantics and ideology didn't mean anything to him, the outcome was satisfactory enough. Ikari and SEELE before him were the means to an end, voluntary too.
Mefilas sat on his lonesome, in a world beyond the reaches of human senses. He could not been seen, nor his voice heard. The void into which he disappears as he teleports. Here, Mefilas mulled over what his victory would look like. A planet, a glorious paradise of lush green plants and soothing, silky water. All to call his own, Mefilas's private land of milk and honey. What would he even do with such beauty? Perhaps turn it into a tourist magnet for weary intergalactic travellers. Or he could hunt the wildlife for his collection, as the humans do. Or make it into a tourist magnet for intergalactic hunters! Mefilas paused his thoughts. Ikari... could he be trusted?
It was not the fear of ulterior motives that stopped Mefilas, but rather of incompetency. Would the man be able to withstand the pressure of the Ultras bearing down upon him? Probably not, thought the alien, but Mefilas had no other candidate to commence the plot. He'd hold Gendo's hand if that was necessary. Although, one advantage in allying with Ikari is that he cannot be directly attacked by the Ultras, something not lost on Mefilas. They wouldn't dare harm a human, even if he was such a figure as Gendo Ikari. That very fact eased Mefilas's mind, even if only covering one aspect of his concern. There's no telling whether Ikari would mess things up, or perhaps do something that would put Mefilas's life in jeopardy. The alien backtracked that last part. He was too good for that.
Deciding he was sick of this state of seeming nonexistence, Mefilas rematerialised inside of NERV's Headquarters, his feet touching the glistening, but cold tiled floor of the Commander's Office. He'd been here many times before, but in Ikari's absence, the surroundings could be soaked in. All Earth architecture was a puzzle, but even to him it was clear that the way Ikari styled his Office was unlike the rest of the humans. It is too long, too wide, and most certainly too empty. There was only a desk to fill its vast breadth, where Mefilas and Gendo undertook all of their previous conversations.
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"I come only to make a deal."
"What are your terms?" Gendo's voice did not falter at the sight of such an odd creature. The being in turn spoke as if it were a normal business dealing. Both knew it wasn't, even before the topic was brought to tongue.
"I have heard around, and please correct me if I'm wrong, Commander Ikari, that the men who run the world want it wiped clean." Mefilas spoke with distinction, an alluring politeness that Gendo's stone-cold mug and rigidity paired well with.
"You are not mistaken. I assume you already know about the concept of Instrumentality, then?" Gendo's hands now covered the lower half of his face, white gloves reflecting off of his orange-tinted glasses.
"I would be a liar if I said I understood it as well as you, Commander. But those details mean very little to me."
"I see. Then, again, what are your terms?" If Mefilas had a mouth as humans do, Gendo would look upon a facetious grin.
"I will help you achieve Instrumentality, whatever you may need, I will provide for you." The NERV Commander's expression didn't shift, but the answer wasn't what he expected.
"In exchange for?" This alien couldn't possibly simultaneously cheer for the Third Impact and yet still have worldly demands. And yet, Gendo was met with a quick, sharp answer.
"Your planet. It is my understanding that you will no longer need it once Instrumentality is under way." Mefilas's eyes glowed fervently, and the pace of the bobbing yellow light on his face increased. "Some call me deceiver, others conqueror. But I prefer entrepreneur. Where I am from, we are a courteous and witty race. I find your planet to be a great jewel amongst the milky black cosmos."
Gendo ruminated Mefilas's words for a while, his eyes flickering back and forth between the sable alien and his empty desk. Mefilas meanwhile stood in silence, only a ringing hum emanating from his very being. This somewhat annoyed Ikari, but he did not let it show or bother him to any great extent. Perhaps it was ill-advised, and maybe this man from space could not be trusted, but at this point, Gendo would accept anyone in the know willing to aid his cause. This being knew of SEELE and their plan, yet brings services to him. If he could help him see Yui again... It would be worth it.
"I accept your offer, Mister...?"
"Mefilas, please, just Mefilas." The alien spoke eagerly, his voice echoing throughout the dull but expansive office.
"Mefilas, you may do as you please with Earth. Humanity's time on this planet is numbered." Standing up from his desk, the tall, ash-haired man strode up to the guest before him. Despite his height being much greater than all his peers, Gendo looked up at his new accomplice, Mefilas just an inch or two taller. Gloved hand linked with Mefilas's leathery skin. They shook on it.
"It's settled, then. I am very excited to work with you, Ikari." Mefilas let out a booming cackle, the laugh drawing a faint grin from the NERV Commander. There was good news that day.
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It was only now that Mefilas noticed the strange illustrations that danced around the floor and the ceiling. A chimeric hybrid of geometry, incantations and symbols he could never begin to understand. Truly, it was alien to him. Mefilas traced the large drawing with his feet, entranced by it's appearance and, surely, importance. Nine circles connected by a network of lines, not one space on the image left untouched by strange text. It wasn't Japanese, nor the English that was so prevalent in the base. Mefilas could decipher it if he wanted to, or at least, that's what he told himself as he stood watching it with unblinking eyes. What good would it be, he thought to himself, all of it would be gone soon anyway.
It was then that the alien felt a the soft sway of warm, or at the very least warmer than Ikari's cold office, air against his charcoal hide. That only meant someone was there to see him. No one could enter that did not expect his presence, Gendo made sure of that. Turning around, Mefilas was met with the tired gaze of the old Vice Commander of NERV. Kozo Fuyutski, he believed the name was. He was always at Gendo's side, yet to Mefilas's recollection the pair had never exchanged dialogue, an opportunity that now presented itself. To see him without being hidden behind the dominating presence of his former student took Mefilas aback somewhat, but it also gave Mefilas a chance to truly pry at Fuyutski's character. That idea took the forefront of Mefilas's agenda for the moment, not much else was an urgent enough matter for him to see to.
Fuyutski, like Ikari, was a tall man, but his figure was decisively more gangly. Still, he was broad-shouldered and held some presence in of himself. His hair had greyed and was slicked back neatly, yet a few strands stubbornly rebelled as they hung over his forehead. Mefilas also noted the dullness of his uniform, coloured solely a soft and inoffensive brown, only contrasted by the silver zipper, accents around the wrists and blue, sapphire-like decor at the ends of the sleeves and upon his chest. That last part especially caught his eye. It was all too familiar, the warriors that bore them being the reason he found himself within this primitive universe in the first place.
"Ah, Vice Commander. What a pleasurable surprise!" Mefilas purposefully flavoured his words with extra pomp. It helped lessen the distrust that he feared his co-conspirators felt towards him. "How are things progressing; Well, I assume?" Fuyutski searched Mefilas's face for a moment, the second-in-command holding his tongue as the right words formed in his head.
"You would be correct, Mefilas. The rest of the staff are proceeding with operations as usual, and we need only wait for Ikari's word before the road towards Instrumentality can be walked." Fuyutski's voice had been weathered by the sands of time, but it held firm onto the gravitas befitting someone of his old profession. Mefilas could recognise academia, he'd noticed little cues from his time spent with NERV Japan's two highest-ranked officials.
"Excellent news, professor." Mefilas's emphasis on his job long-gone wasn't lost on Fuyutski, who at that time only thought the alien was being weirdly indicative of something that wasn't there. "Say, Fuyutski, what is a man as intelligent as you doing working beneath Gendo Ikari, your former student?" Mefilas finally got a new plaything by himself, and what better to do than challenge it, get some use out of this downtime.
"I could lie to you, but I am not going to insult your intelligence. Both of us are above that." Mefilas's eyes sharpened and his chest tingled. Fuyutski's expression changed from his usual bare, but content look to something more poignant. "I serve Ikari because..." The old man paused. It occurred to him that besides Ikari, he's never really let anyone else in on his motivations. But as the alien stared back with thinning patience, he only saw Gendo. If they won, it wouldn't matter anyway. Fixing his composure, Fuyutski continued, "I serve Ikari because we share the same goal. The new future for humanity." 'New future' didn't align with what details Mefilas had heard, but he wouldn't press an argument. "But I serve him for another reason too. Him and I both want to see someone again." Mefilas's bat-like ears twitched and a murmur flew from his mouth. How perplexing. That definitely didn't align with what he'd been briefed on.
"Ah, what am I saying? Forgive me Mefilas, I was being merely sentimental." Fuyutski's indifferent tone couldn't make it out to be an flub, his attempt desultory, but he'd treat it as if it was and Mefilas accepted it. Surely the alien didn't understand and it would have no bearing over the coming days, Fuyutski hoped. But Mefilas knew it was a lie. Perhaps inconsequential, but a lie nonetheless. Mefilas looked down on Fuyutski with pity, an old man who lived to take orders and bring upon himself death and annihilation. The action was in its nature a challenge to the master of deceit, but he'd let it slide.
"Well, if that is all, I shall be on my way." Turning away, Mefilas pooled the energy by which he teleported in his cells, the sensation sweeping over his body before Fuyutski gingerly called out.
"Wait!" Mefilas paused on the process, looking back at the older gentlemen. "Before you go, I have to ask."
"What is it, Vice-Commander? I'm all ears!"
"Do you think that the Ultramen will stop us?" The name sent a shiver down Mefilas's spine, his body visibly quaking ever so slightly as the words dripped from Fuyutski's tongue. How did he know? He had never once referred to them as anything other than "the giants", and as far as Mefilas could tell, that battle a week ago was this planet's first ever contact with the Space Garrison. His composure snapped back into place, Mefilas firing off a dismissive answer.
"No, of course not." Mefilas walked up to old Fuyutski, his towering height more apparent than when he stood before Gendo.
"I only ask because you know more than you let on, Mefilas." Fuyutski didn't let the imposing obsidian figure, muscled body and all, break his concentration and composure. "Would I be incorrect if I were to guess you hail from the same realm as they do, beyond Guf?" Mefilas chuckled in that maniacal, echoey way of his.
"Very perceptive." Mefilas placed his hand on the human's shoulder, walking him over to the window of the Office and peering out. The ground had been cleared of the Mass Production Evangelion's titanic lifeless forms, but it was still torn into by the weapons and feet of the warriors that battled. The GeoFront's ceiling was annihilated, leaving the artificial lights of the technology paling in comparison to the real starry sky in it's center. Both the man and alien alike gazed at the twinkling lights in awe, one having forgotten what a beauty it was and the other seemingly missing his home.
"I come from there, far away." His large hand pressed against the glass, sparkling blue eyes staring out longingly. "My home, Planet Mefilas, was beautiful. Pastures and forests of crimson beauty and beaches where the emerald ocean hugged the sand." Fuyutski looked at the being beside him, a small sigh squeezing between closed lips. "It's gone now, of course." The abrupt comment caught Fuyutski off guard, who stood idly feeling glum. Maybe they had something in common. "But Earth makes the late-Planet Mefilas seem dull! That's why I so want your beautiful planet, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to have it handed to me." Mefilas's voice trailed off into a growl as it progressed. Fuyutski saw Gendo in his alien companion, and along came the pity, agreeance, and slight resentment with it.
"In the days, weeks, months and years after Second Impact, I was often visited by what I considered to be a spectre, a ghost." Mefilas dragged his eyes down to the austere Fuyutski in interest. "He was of red and silver, eyes glowing like stars, and his voice a booming cannon. For the first few times, he only watched me from afar, perhaps from across a room or amongst a crowd of the grieving." Fuyutski's heart sank as he remembered the following encounters, Mefilas growing a little more fearful at the descriptions. "Eventually he spoke to me, and his heart was kind, his words gentle. I never once felt threatened by him. He tried to give me counsel and steer me clear of dark paths. I didn't listen of course, but he was still there as I ignored him."
"And where has he been?" Mefilas hadn't the most expressive face, but the concern was palpable even still.
"After I reunited with Gendo two years after Second Impact, the being appeared to me one last time. He pleaded with me to not follow Ikari, warning that only pain and suffering would follow. I obviously ignored him once again. The spectre's tone shifted to something drastically different, much more formal and militaristic, apathetic almost. He turned his back on me, and let himself seep away into world around him. Before he was gone, he left me with a name and a promise."
"His name?" Mefilas anticipated the answer, cringing as he awaited the name he so dreaded.
"Zoffy." Fuyutski turned away from the window, meeting the sight of Mefilas taken aback, and the Vice-Commander noticed. This great 'Lucifer' as heralded by Ikari was so moved in terror by the mention of Zoffy. A steep contrast to Mefilas's usual assuredness, it actually made Fuyutski uneasy. Had he not considered the weight of the red and silver spectre before? The unease spread fast, gripping onto NERV's oldest member.
"And the promise was to return?" Mefilas's voice was riddled with nothing but dread now, and Fuyutski had no other choice than to relay the message, it dawning on him the predicament they'd found themselves in.
"With brothers pure of heart." Fuyutski knew this meant the red and blue giants that wiped out SEELE's forces, as did Mefilas. And to the alien, this greatly worsened the situation. To know that these weren't just some rookies, but personally assigned by Zoffy himself... Oh. Oh no. In his mind so malformed by evil and lies the mere recognition of who his foes were akin to a most blistering and severe headache. Mefilas wasn't too particularly well versed on the newer stars of the Space Garrison, but he'd heard tales of the giants who slew the great Lord of Darkness, Alien Empera. Mebius. Hikari. If there was even a chance these were the same warriors, Third Impact needed to happen, as soon as possible. If those two got wind of his presence, it would all go down in flames. It was now or never.
"Inform Ikari, we're moving up Instrumentality." Mefilas balled his fists, crackles of orange and blue electricity flickering between his fingers.
"To when?" Fuyutski was tired, the night demanding rest, but his loyalties came first.
"Tomorrow, at 1700." Mefilas's muscles flexed and shook as dark power churned within him, without a moment's notice disappearing into thin air, leaving Fuyutski alone in the cold, dark office. He returned to the window, his eyes begging the stars for an answer. His brain told him over and over, the plan will work, the plan will succeed, it will all turn out as planned. But some other part looked back at his soul with saddened disappointment.
"Oh, Yui, is it really worth it?"
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The next morning arrived with the irritating buzz of an alarm clock, perched and disapprovingly staring down from the table at a woman sprawled across her futon. The soft sunlight of morning broke through the window and shed itself over the absolute mess that called Misato Katsuragi's room home. Scrunched tissues, notices from NERV, empty beer cans, all looking as if a garbage truck had passed through and turned over. But it was the room's natural state, it was homey that way. Birds perched on the veranda recited their daily performance, giving music to one another as they bounced around.
The electronic numbers read 07:01, the harsh buzzing continuing as only now, a full minute after it began, the target audience was roused from her slumber. Misato yawned, her eyes sluggishly opening and her back straightening upright. Groggy as she was, Misato felt the day would be good. It just felt that way in her chest. Not her stomach though, the demand for food a roar that pushed right through her skin. Breakfast, right. That'd be great. Maybe there was some leftovers from last night. That was if Asuka didn't eat it all, which might very well be the case.
Slapping the top of her alarm clock, Misato huffed to herself as she stared into a mirror. Her purple mane was the epitome of "bed hair", the pony tail she'd tied not saving strands from frizzing out in every which way. She wore only a short pink tank top that pressed against her chest and denim short-shorts that were definitely, if not too small, too inappropriate for the 29 year old Major of NERV's military assets. Her eyes drifted to her mattress, the sheet was creased and puckered whilst her blanket had been kicked across the room, now crumpled by the door. She played with her hair, trying her best to keep it down with brushes of her palm, but it was too stubborn. A shower would fix that up, surely.
"Geez, I look pretty bad, don't I?" Misato muttered to herself, chuckling. Gazing deep into the mirror one would think she was merely lost in her own beauty, but she was looking in the eyes of another.
"I wouldn't say that, no. You look..." Mebius thought for a while, the purpose of his pause solely to make Misato smile. "Exciting?" Misato placed a hand over her heart, winking cheekily at the Ultra.
"Oh Mebius, you flatter me." Exaggerated as she was, Misato truly did appreciate Mebius. He wasn't only a saviour from the stars, nor a means by which to just win battles. He was a friend. And Mebius felt the same way. He hadn't transformed into his giant form since the fight, and in this downtime, getting to know Misato was really the only thing he could do. Mebius still kept vigilant in his investigation of NERV, and he did consolidate his findings with Hikari as Misato slept, but beyond that... this was his life for now. Misato rubbed her eyes as she stretched. "Better wake the kids, eh?"
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Shinji and Asuka both sat at the table less than amused, their nights not being particularly generous with sleep. The prestigious Eva pilots felt like doing nothing, but nothing was never an option with the excitable generalissimo they called guardian. Misato scrounged through the fridge, practically jumping inside as she collected cups of unfinished ramen cups into her arms. Shinji waited blankly for Misato to fetch what would technically count as "breakfast", but catching wind of this, and noticing Misato's risque sleepwear and position, Asuka decided now would be a good time to prod and poke.
"Whatcha looking at, idiot?" She whispered into his ear, a snake-like smile winding across her face at Shinji's visible annoyance. "Don't tell me you're perving on who's basically your mother, gross!" Shinji recoiled a little, turning to face Asuka. Smugness was written all over her.
"You know I'm not Asuka. I don't know why you have to be like this, especially when we're both agitated and hungry." Shinji regulated his breathing, the 14 year old fighting with all of his might to retain some semblance of being calm. His tactics of trying to diffuse would never work on Asuka, though.
"Poor little Shinji's just so deprived of love, he needs her. Is that right?" There was venom in Asuka's words now, spite coming from a place deep in the chambers of Asuka's heart.
"Cut it out!" Shinji's worry got the best of him, it was all over his voice and panicked face. Asuka was lapping it all up, taking great pleasure in his uncomfortableness.
"I bet you're just itching to get a little sneak peek, just a little slip of her-"
"Oh, be nice now Asuka." Misato pulled out from the fridge, her body shaking a little as the cold left her, ramen in hand. "There's no reason to treat Shinji like that, okay?" Misato shot Asuka a glare, both like a mother who's child had been insulted and like a reprimanding commander. Whatever it was, it put a sour taste in Asuka's mouth. Misato looked back over to Shinji, placing her hand on his shoulder. He was utterly dejected, head hung low. "Don't let her get you down, Shin, I've got your back." Her eyes met his, and to Shinji, for a small moment, it felt genuinely lovely. A small smile crept on his face, and Misato patted his back with vivacity.
"Well, dig in!" They for a brief moment forgot it was breakfast, and looking down at the cold noodles in front of them, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if they did forget.
"So this is what teenagers are like, huh?" Mebius could interact with adults forever, and young children were easy enough, but teenagers weren't something he really ever encountered during his tenure as his Earth's Ultraman. The only thing that counted was his "sister" Kako and the rest of the Alien Psychokino, but they weren't human. Mischievous they were, sure, but they weren't like Shinji and Asuka. This would definitely take more getting used to.
"A week and you still don't understand? Me neither, ha." Misato's comment was offhanded, but it was true nonetheless. She could be described as aloof at times, overly strict at others, and maybe the kids didn't appreciate her. But she appreciated them, and that is what she desperately wanted them to know. Mebius could feel it overwhelmingly from Misato's soul, longing for someone to call her a loved one, someone to call a loved one. She hadn't felt that since... Mebius was suddenly washed over with grief and regret, Misato lowering her head and her jaws joyless in eating. He never quite knew who 'Kaji' was, only snippets of details from Misato's reluctance to talk about him, but it was him.
"I'm sorry. If I had arrived just a few days earlier, I-"
"You don't have to apologise." Misato's eyes were transfixed on the cup, the two kids watching her as she stared into nothingness. "He knew what he was getting into." Her voice trembled, and tears welled in her brown eyes. "I just wish he knew I needed him." Her inner voice became a crying sob, and in the real world, her lips started to quiver with interested eyes locking on.
"Ms Misato, are you okay?" Shinji murmured. The woman snapped out of her trance, looking up with watery eyes at two teens staring at her. It was such an embarrassment!
"Oh, um, yes Shinji, I'm alright." Misato swiped away at her face in a hurried attempt to act as if everything was alright. That wouldn't stop Asuka from making scorning comments.
"I miss Mr Kaji too, but I'm not gonna cause a scene about it. Grow up." Mebius leered through Misato's glassy eyes, Asuka was actually starting to annoy him now. Mebius, probably the most good-natured and lenient member of the Space Garrison, now looked at a human with the slightest contempt. Maybe it was his close bond with Misato, her emotions holding sway over him perhaps, but the fact he was feeling this way vexed him. Misato on the other hand was overtaken with fury, fist clenched tightly around the paper cup.
"Go." She wasn't over the top with her rage, nor did her face appear as red as Seven's skin. Misato was just steely, none of the nonchalant humour that so permeated her home was left in her. "Get ready, we need to leave at 8 o'clock." Asuka couldn't look her guardian in the eyes, storming off to her room without a moment to spare. Shinji lingered on a little longer, mute and merely watching the indignant woman sit in her ire. But too harsh a glare was all it took to send the boy moping and retreating to his room. Misato leant against the table, hands to brow as she let out a taxing sigh. "What am I to do with them?" The tears had gone by then, her face was just drained.
"Well, I know that love can crack even the toughest shells." Mebius's sappy remarks about love, despite how many times he said them, never became any less true. "These kids are lost, and they need someone to help find their way in the world. You're that someone, Misato." The purple-haired woman got to her feet and strode towards her room, she wasn't exempt from her barking order from before.
"Thanks, Mebius." Misato ran her hands through her hair, bangs bobbing as they were set back to their original position. "Let me tell you though, these kids are gonna get an ass-whooping if they're not careful next time." She gestured flippantly with her hands, simulating grabbing presumably Asuka by the throat and slapping her silly.
"I'm... not sure about that one." The Ultra added, beaten.
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Misato stood by the door, car keys looping around the edge of her finger and she spun it. A red beret was nestled in her hair, her matching jacket hugging the black turtleneck sweater tucked into her brown skirt underneath, topped off by her father's Greek cross that was hung from her neck. A far cry from the slob of a woman she made of herself at home, ready to command, or whatever it was the Commander wanted. She'd know if she opened the sealed envelope that was so kindly pushed underneath the door, presumably by some underpaid errand boy for NERV. The front of the envelope had 'important' hastily written on it in red ink, almost illegible. Holding it close, it seemed like Ritsuko's handwriting, Misato thought. That woman was all the proof one would need that doctors were awful at writing clearly. She'd wait for the pilots to come before she opened it. It'd make any possible bad news easier to bear if she didn't seem the sole messenger, and if the kids' moods from before was any indicator, she'd be better off that way.
Misato fumbled with the paper, trying miserably to open the envelope without tearing it. A personal pet peeve of hers. That damned sticky part was so - her fingers tugged too hard, the rip of the paper sending a shock of disappointment through her - stubborn! Damn it.
"I can't have anything." She muttered miffed and aloud, tossing the envelope thoughtlessly aside as the chief document was grabbed. Fluttering it in her grasp, her two wards emerged from their dens, dressed in the only attire appropriate for NERV's Headquarters; their school uniforms. Shinji wore a simple short sleeve white shirt and dark grey slacks, whilst Asuka wore a shirt the same colour, with an ocean blue strap-dress and a red ribbon around the collar. Her ginger hair was done up by crimson clips, matching her Eva.
Proud she once was, but being back in this uniform made her feel wrong. She hadn't worn it since she ran away and... thinking about that cold, rustic bath tub with the unforgiving sunlight batting down on her made her want to be sick. Her stomach churned something fierce, and her bones ached. Shinji looked equally as guilty, almost refusing to look at Asuka. He couldn't stop thinking about what he did. It made him sick to his core. Sick. No one knew, so it was all his to bear.
"Well, let's see what's so 'important' about this assignment, eh kids?" Misato flashed her eyes at the pilots, both looked at her in austere silence. "I'll take that as a yes, then." Clearing her throat, the Major studied the note well, it's text in fine, typed print. It didn't have any names attached, but it was addressed directly to the pilots of both Eva Unit-01 and Unit-02. That means someone important, most likely Commander Ikari, had it dictated. A scribbled signature at the bottom confirmed that. "So, it says here; 'Dated January 7 2016, blah blegh blugh, bunch of boring stuff'." Misato looked up from the note cheekily, but no grins were drawn. "You know how it is with these things. Okay, here we go. 'Dear Major Katsuragi, Mr Ikari, Ms Soryu. You are hereby summoned to NERV Headquarters... Pilots Ikari and Soryu are requested to participate in a special synchronisation test... something something... presence is requested by 1200, the test is to be undertaken at 1700. This will be final sync test necessary, as the angel threat has been defeated.' That's about all there is to it!"
Misato stuffed the note into her pocket, looking chipper as she could in the face of two kids who were obviously down. But that approach wouldn't work forever, so toning her voice down, Misato held both of them by the shoulder. "I know you probably don't want to do this, but I promise you, we're nearly at the end of it all. You won't have to fight much longer." Her face was tender and her eyes were truthful, and looking both of the kids in the face, something shifted inside of them, even if by the littlest margin.
"All right. I'll do it." Shinji murmured, reluctantly looking at his carer with feigned agreeance. She knew that well enough.
"Fine." Asuka hung her head, blue eyes peeking through overhanging strands of red hair. That was enough for Misato right now. All she needed was to know that the kids would make the final stretch, and that seemed like it would happen. After all, they were only asked for a sync test. They'd done it plenty of times, stressful as they could be. She'll be right there with them and Mebius with her if things got "interesting". She still had to investigate NERV and Gendo Ikari with her Ultra partner, as well as Hikari, who was probably already there in secret. She'd worry about that when she got there.
Misato walked out of the door, uniform gleaming in the sun's morning rays. Shinji and Asuka trailed close behind, where off along the long walkways to the stairs, they were met with three familiar faces. It was the kids' schoolmates, Toji, Kensuke and Hikari! What they were doing here, neither Misato or the kids had any clue, especially considering their homes had been destroyed some time ago during Armisael's attack. The trio of kids looked wistful, but at the same time, relieved to see their classmates were fine, as well as Misato. The military assault on the GeoFront and its subsequent battle, along with the debut of two colourful giants, sent shockwaves throughout the entire world, but none were quite as affected as the teens whose friends were at the epicenter. It had been a while since they'd all gathered like this. Memories of Class 2-A felt like a lifetime ago.
There was an overwhelming quiet as the six gazed into each other's eyes, broken by the excitable honks and squeaks of an old friend. Pen Pen was elated to see his old owner, squirming around in a show of joy as he was held firmly in Hikari's gracile arms. Misato's heart skipped a beat as her eyes were laid on the penguin, running up to the girl and almost snatching the bird from her hands.
"He's missed you a lot, Ms Katsuragi." Hikari softly brushed the feathers on Pen Pen's back as Misato nuzzled his front. Looking over to Asuka, Hikari's face brightened. "I'm so glad you're okay Asuka, I've heard terrible things." The ashy-haired class rep embraced her friend, Asuka weakly raising an arm to her back in turn. "They're not true, are they?" Her eyes glistened as tears began to well. Asuka didn't say anything, all but confirming them to Hikari. The two held each other for a moment, Asuka's eyes lost in a world of disconnection, Hikari burying her face in Asuka's shoulder. "We've all been so worried about you. About you too, Shinji." The boy popped out from behind Misato as she placed Pen Pen on the ground.
"Oh... thanks." He muttered. The freckled girl looked genuinely relieved to see him safe as well, which comforted Shinji. But, being as smart as she was, Hikari left Shinji's reunion to the boys. Kensuke, with his characteristically large glasses and bushy hair, extended a hand out to Shinji with a small grin.
"I'm happy you're safe, Ikari! From what I've heard from everyone, it seemed crazy as hell out there!" Kensuke stopped himself before he said something that may affect someone. He would have to temper his love for the Evas. "Toji and I were starting to think you kicked the bucket, but you proved us wrong!" Standing beside the spectacled kid was the former jock and tough guy. He was a reason Kensuke had to be careful with his words, the day he lost his leg in the "Bardiel Incident" inhabiting nearly every waking moment. Toji was propped up on underarm crutches, a gruff look on his face as he eyed Shinji. The pilot dreaded what would come out of his mouth. He was to blame for what happened. Whatever would come his way, he deserved it.
"Ikari, ya' bastard." Shinji braced himself, both for harsh words and a punch to the face. "I know I wuz in ya' debt, but ya' didn't have to go that far!" Toji laughed, making his way over to Shinji and lightly punching his arm. Shinji couldn't help but feel like his lungs were drained of their air, his face turned pale. Why was he being treated like this? "Aw, c'mon! It's not that bad, it's jus' a leg!" Toji waggled his amputated limb, much to Hikari's displeasure.
"Suzuhara, you stop that right now!" The girl couldn't hide her blush, Toji giving her his in return. The class rep came to Toji's side and held him in her embrace, her eyes kept tightly focused on him. "You know I don't like it when you do that." Toji gingerly apologised with a whisper. After what happened, she promised she'd never let go again.
"Shinji, it's notta big deal, ya' gotta stop being so down on ya'self." His jovial Kansai accent was incredibly disarming, eventually being able to draw up Shinji's face to meet Toji's. And he meant it. Truly after all the pain, Toji didn't hold it against Shinji or anyone else. What was there to be gained by holding it against someone? "I'm alive, and dat's all dat matters, Shinji."
"Thank you, Toji."
"Yeah, you're amazing! You've done more for the whole world than anyone else." Kensuke was quick to help a pal, especially one so seemingly sheathed in self-loathing. "You and Soryu are also some of the bravest kids we've ever known, and being friends with you is such a great honour." The military-nerd did an excellent job at aggrandising the pilots, but he wouldn't so easily forget a woman as amazing as Misato. "That's not even mentioning the awesome, independent, powerful lady that leads you mission after mission." Kensuke flashed his eyebrows at Misato, clinging onto the action in hopes for a reaction, to which Misato gladly obliged.
"Thank you, Aida." Misato winked at him, before promptly saluting. The boy's glasses almost fogged and his mouth fell agape. Never change, kiddo. "Say, what are you kids doing here in the first place?"
"Well, it's been a week since the attack on where you guys work. We were just worried." Hikari's sincerity translated into soft, fragile words. Toji's weren't exactly.
"Yeah! We woulda checked up on ya's earlier if our homes wasn't blown to smithereens! Travellin' a coupla' hours to get 'ere ain't easy." Toji beat his chest, prideful of every word to come from his mouth. Despite what happened to him, it was like he'd never changed.
"But aren't we glad we came." The trio nodded at Kensuke's comment. "Even if its just for a short moment, since I'm sure you guys are off for some 'business'." He budged Misato's arm with his elbow, awaiting the beans to be spilt.
"Well, sorry, it's classified, I can't tell you." Misato looked genuinely disheartened she couldn't, but she knew the rules. "What I can tell you is this; everything we've fought for is coming to a close. Everything will return to normal soon." There was excitement and cheer in what she said, only built upon by the resulting joy on the classmates' faces.
"That's awesome, I can't wait to see you guys afterward!" Kensuke could barely keep himself together, every movement a jolt of unconfined excitement. This would be the swan song of the Evangelions!
"Asuka, Shinji, I wish you the best of luck! I'll be thinking about you all day!" Claiming Pen Pen back in her grasp, Hikari gave the two pilots a look of strong resolve and approval. She counted on them to be safe. Toji nodded to Shinji.
"Ya's betta come back safe! Or else I'll kick ya' ass, Ikari!" The pilot looked to his friend, all of their smiles and hopeful faces counting on him. He returned the gesture, nodding with a small, but pure smile. I won't let you down.
Giving goodbyes, the two trios parted, both leaving with something they didn't have when they met up. The longer he spent in this world, Mebius's determination only ever grew. The more people he interacted with, their faces, their hopes, their dreams, their lives, he realised this seemingly empty world was still cradling lives. And they all rested on his shoulders. But Mebius wasn't alone, not just Hikari by his side, but a human that took him in with an inner strength to match his own.
"Let's do this, Misato."
================
The car ride to the helipad was uneventful. Everyone sat in silence as Misato's mixtape pumped from the car's speakers; mostly Pre-Second Impact J-POP. Must have been from the 90s. Shinji's vacant stare looked out at the utterly decimated Tokyo-3 as the honeyed voice of the singer bounced throughout the Renault Alpine A310. The double-whammy of Unit-00's self-destruction to defeat the 16th Angel and the N² detonation over the GeoFront in the JSSDF's assault reduced the city of the future to a gaping hole in the ground. There was no raging fire, no battle being fought, or even civilians weeping over the remains of their city. The remains of the city - or it's outskirts, anyway - were deathly still and silent. Scorched and blown apart by the N², everything within a miles-long radius of where Tokyo-3's heart used to stand was either completely wiped out or unsalvageable.
No one had been caught within the explosion, as they were either in the GeoFront itself or, in the case of civilians, had been evacuated. But seeing the ruins basking in the early morning light sent a ripple through their hearts, the city they'd been tasked with defending to the death... annihilated in two flashes of light. And by humanity's own hands, no less.
The shiny blue car eventually slid to a stop, it's tires screeching against a cracked road only a couple hundred feet away from the edge of where the GeoFront's opening began. One by one the doors opened and their occupants stepped out. There was a helicopter waiting for them, beige-suited NERV staff standing guard. The ground had been crudely marked with a 'H' in yellow paint, it couldn't have been put there more than 48 hours ago. Pilots looked out of the tinted windows coldly, their eyeless masks following the trio as they prepared to board.
With a mechanical sputter the rotor came to life, and the helicopter was lifted into the sky as the ground around it was whipped by the air it kicked up. The vehicle only gained altitude to clear itself of the ground, as it hovered sideways and then began to descend into the GeoFront's cavity. The Second and Third child looked out of the windows at the forested floor. It had torn into a series of trenches and craters by the colossal movements of titanic gladiators. The flight only took a short while, 10 minutes at most, but no one was keeping time. Misato couldn't help but agonise over the weight of what this day would bring. She knew that if this was the supposed 'final test', Gendo must be planning something, big. "Instrumentality." It was a word that kept coming to her. She'd heard whispers of it, "artificial evolution" of some kind. Foreboding as that sounded, Misato never thought much of it, because to be frank, her whole job was dealing with the foreboding. But now, the word rang different. She couldn't pick up on why.
"There is an abnormal energy coming from deep within NERV HQ. That's where we're headed."
"Terminal Dogma. The belly of Ikari's beast."
"Could the sync test be a distraction from something else?"
"Maybe." Misato mulled it over, looking at the despondent kids by her side. "The sync test could be what he's distracting us from, too. Whatever it is... we'll be there for the kids."
"There's time for both. That's a promise!" Misato clutched her cross. She prayed so.
========
The labyrinth of elevators and doors made way for the arrival of the Major and the esteemed pilots, the staff within looking up at them with prying eyes. After all that has happened, NERV was at its most barebones. They spent a long while just walking around the empty hallways. The echoes of death still rang young, the air cold. Janitors had obviously tried to clean the walls but there was still light stains of blood splatter here and there. Shinji kept his head down, the memory of that still fresh in his mind whilst Asuka's eyes were locked onto the back of Misato's jacket. She spent far less time taking in the calamity that surrounded her, more-so focusing on the disdain towards Misato she felt at that moment. In truth, it was ever present, but being in this complex only magnified it.
Misato glanced at the slightly scrunched letter in her pocket, then looked up at the door in front of her. This was it. The metallic whirr of the door opening revealed a room, filled with people cramped around a cream glowing table. Papers were sprawled all across, and the men and women standing around it were pressed against cardboard boxes that took most of the space in the room. Still, there was enough room for the fifteen or so. The room was dark enough for the only real light to be emanating from the table, so that people's faces were lit up from beneath and not much else.
As soon as she'd entered, a round of cheers and applause serenaded the highest ranking person in that room. Faces looked to her all around with admiration, the kids on either side also garnering respect.
"Welcome back Major!" A voice from the back called out.
"We've missed you!" Another shouted. The room erupted into a cacophony of voices. A woman held Asuka by the shoulder, congratulating her on facing the Mass Production Units head on. A group of men swamped Shinji with questions about his battles against the Angels, the boy only able to let out single sounds before a new question replaced the last. Amongst the crowd Misato could pick out three faces at the head of the table, Hyuga, Aoba and Maya, waving at her. The "Bridge Bunnies", so affectionately nicknamed. Pushing through the crowd, greeted by salutes and handshakes with each move, Misato pulled out a chair and sat with the Lieutenants.
"It's good to see you, Major." Hyuga had to speak loudly to hear himself amongst the chatter, Misato screwing up her face a little as the sound caught her by surprise. The spectacled man didn't seem to notice.
"Likewise, Lieutenant. Did you guys get a letter too?" Like clockwork each of the bridge crew put pieces of printed paper on the table, each branded with the NERV insignia. Aoba, the long-haired guitarist of the trio, reclined on his chair, and if the room wasn't completely packed, would have put his feet on the table.
"I don't know why we're here, the Vice-Commander just wrote we had to come in for an 'urgent matter'." Aoba studied his letter closely, but to his albeit expected dismay, it was devoid of any real substance. Misato smugly placed hers on the table, Commander Ikari's signature standing out like a diamond amongst coal. "Seems about right he tells one person what's going on and leaves everyone else in the dark."
"Well, on the surface, it seems rather... regular. It's just a sync test." Misato didn't know whether to tell them about what she really thinks. She trusted them, but the question is would they believe her? Maya shot the paper a cold glare and scowled.
"Yeah, I don't buy it. Something is definitely up." The short-haired woman snatched the paper from Misato, each line of text probed with surgeon-like precision. "Ritsuko has been missing for a week, and not a word from her. Commander Ikari was the last person she was with."
"Fuyutski says she's been sent to a Mental Health Institute in Fujinomiya." Hyuga tried his best to reassure Maya, but she's been told that all week. Misato, coming to think of it, didn't buy it either. There would have been at least an opportunity to speak with her long-time friend, and this only made Misato's convictions about a conspiracy grow stronger. Ritsuko was definitely acting terribly out-of-character in the days leading up to the attack last week, something that only hit Misato once it was too late. The Ultras and her had another article to their investigation.
"My faith in the Commander and Vice-Commander is all but gone. I'm only here because I want to know what happened to my Senpai."
"This isn't even mentioning how odd they've been acting. Complete recluses, secretive of practically everything nowadays, too." Hyuga pushed the glasses up his nose, trying his best to keep the conversation somewhat level-headed and not emotionally driven. Maya's love for Ritsuko Akagi was an open secret. Everyone knew about it, and rightfully ignored it. It wasn't their business, but now it was because energy could be put elsewhere. Hyuga didn't believe Fuyutski's excuse, but he used it as a pretence to keep his mind off of the looming aura of peril that hung over everyone in the room.
"Terminal Dogma has something to do with it, I'm sure. No one's allowed down there but the big wigs." Aoba chimed in. Misato agreed, leaning forward and placing her head against raised arms. It was a risk for sure, but a risk worth taking. Misato trusted them enough to let them in on a negligible percentage of her plan. Not about her identity as Ultraman Mebius, nor the collaboration with Hikari, but just the gist of the plan. They listened intently as Misato drew them in for a huddle and whispered. Daring? Yeah. Stupid and dangerous? Also yes, but the Bridge Bunnies loved Misato for that.
"Make sure everything goes over smoothly for Shinji and Asuka. I might be gone for a while." The Major skirted her jacket to the side, the glistening metal of a handgun flashing in the dim light. Hyuga and Aoba nodded, knowing what that meant, but Maya held onto Misato's arms.
"Please be safe, get to the bottom of all this. Bring Senpai home." Her eyes trembled with water, Misato meeting her with understanding of grief.
"I will, Lieutenant Ibuki. I promise." Silence for the group of four followed, the rest of the room continuing on as if nothing happened. Shinji and Asuka were still pestered by the horde of fanboys and fangirls, the German ace's temperance wearing thin. But all the chatter abruptly came to an end as the door slid open once more, three silhouettes highlighted by the bright light of the hallway.
The first figure was Commander Ikari, stone-faced as ever. He walked in with silence as he held his gloved hands behind his back. All eyes were trained on him, a presence so strong that Fuyutski, who had wormed into the room at the heels of Ikari, went by unnoticed. The elder man was jittery as he walked in, eyes flickering back and forth between the collection of poor souls in front of him and the third figure behind him. The third man was huge, nearly 7 feet tall and as wide as the biggest bodybuilder. He was dressed in a plain trench coat held across his chest, and a fedora shielded half of his face from the light that shone above, a monstrosity revealed as soon as the light came from the table below.
His jaw was about as broad as his shoulders, and his face didn't ring very bright. But his expression was satisfied, and eyes glowed like azure stars. Not a single hair called his head home. Every step of his glossy black boots he took was like the clash of thunder against the vinyl floor. Every look his way was uncomfortable, and when he gave them a wide-grinned glance back, they turned fearful and retreated. With the raise of a hand, Gendo moved all of the crowd to the back end of the room whilst he, Fuyutski and the giant man spread out across the front.
"Thank you for all coming on such short notice. I promise this work will be worth your time and effort." Gendo was met with a sea of curious and frightful eyes, his son chiefly. "I appreciate your decision to return, Shinji. Soryu, you as well." Asuka nodded insincerely, but Shinji didn't budge. He knew his father's words were empty. The boy felt his father's cold gaze send chills down his back, freezing him in place. The presence of his father still felt terrifying, so much so that Shinji couldn't notice anything the large man to Gendo's side did. The man was silent as Ikari addressed NERV, gliding his bright eyes over every nervous face in the room. Everyone was nervous. One face... wasn't. How peculiar.
"The pilots will be prepared in time for the test, Commander." Misato shot her voice from the back of the room, arms folded across her chest. A small flash of light came from her forearm, a wavelength beyond human perception. But there was something inhuman in the room. The giant man's persistent smile and wide eyes wavered ever so slightly, his sight focusing and strengthening, and the visage of a red gauntlet was revealed to him alone. The light was unbearable, there was only one explanation. There you are, Ultraman.
"Before I depart and leave you all to your duties, I would like to introduce Mr. M. He is an official from NERV USA, coming to observe and oversee the Synchronisation Test in my absence. I trust that you will all receive him with open arms." The hulking wall of a man stepped forward, placing his gargantuan hand over his chest.
"Why thank you very much, Commander. I won't be much of a bother to you hard workers, I guarantee." Mr M's face never morphed, and his outer shell didn't inspire much but alarm, but his speech was as expressive as anyone had ever heard. An intelligent brute. "Overseeing the final moments of your work has been something I've been looking forward to. Very much so." Deafening quiet lulled the room once more. Fuyutski pulled a watch from his jacket, offering it's time to his superior. There was still time.
"I am looking forward to the test. You are all dismissed." The three tall men left the room with vacant but authoritative looks, but the largest of them gave Misato one last ogle, eyes flashing with his unnerving grin of pearly whites and hairless face. The gaze pierced her soul and rattled her chest, heart bounding against her ribs. But unlike the others that regressed into this primal unease, Misato sharpened her eyes and did not look away.
"I'll see you soon." The doors closed and in its wake a resounding huff resonated throughout the room. Chatter started up again like before, except the topic was namely that of the unnaturally large man with unnaturally blue eyes. Asuka's looked dull in comparison, by her own back-handed admission. Everything about him seemed off. His face never abandoned that creepy smile, and the way he talked induced dread. Mr M was too happy about this sync test. It didn't seem human.
"He never mentioned brining an overseer, not even in your paper, Major!" Hyuga was flushed as he waved several papers in his awkward grip.
"No, he didn't." Misato murmured, holding her chin. The woman raised her voice, commanding her team that surrounded her. "Alright, the American doesn't change anything. We will proceed as usual, on time as requested by Commander Ikari. Am I clear?"
"Yes Ma'am!" Everyone called, and like a flood they rushed out of the room whilst hastily grabbing the equipment they'd brought in with them. Soon, only Shinji and Asuka were left to give Misato company. She could ease up a little, just for a bit more before she knew she'd have to part ways. "Both of your plugsuits are in the locker rooms ready for action." The two pilots bobbed their heads, not a word leaving their mouths. This whole experience had been more than any kid should ever go through. It was just this one last push. They could do it, Misato held onto that belief with all her heart. It was only a few minutes.
"Please, Shinji. Asuka. Stay strong for me. I know neither of you really want to do this, and that is perfectly fine," She paused, grabbing onto both of them and holding them close. "But I need you to do this, and don't look back. Be kind to each other, work together, trust and have faith that you will come out safe. Believe that you can enjoy your lives, and it will happen. That is my wish for you." Misato let go, trailing backwards as her face became somber. "I will always be here for you." Nevertheless, a smile poked through.
"Misato...b-but I-" Shinji reached out for her, clinging to that hope she'd listen.
"Go on now, I have to work." That hope was dashed. She winked brazenly, nudging the kids with enough force to edge them out of the room. With a wave of her hand the door shut in the pilots' faces, leaving Misato on her lonesome in the room and the kids to their own devices. Shinji and Asuka looked at each other for a second, and without the watchful eye of Misato beaming down, tensions flared as hotly as the sun.
========
The three men by this point had made it somewhere where they wouldn't be followed or listened in on. Gendo's office was too far to be practical at the moment, and thus it was decided that the men may never return to that room again, bar Mr. M if he so wished. This room, instead, was where Ikari held remote meetings with SEELE, and most prominently in his head at the time, where he offered a humiliated and undignified Ritsuko to answer for the Armisael incident. The one that wiped Tokyo-3 from the map. In this private space, Mr M's pale and hairless skin began to shake and fade, the illusion of humanity making way for his true form. Mefilas did not intentionally make his disguise intimidating, but merely projected what he believed his true form was. The trench coat and fedora was his choice, however.
"I quite like these human clothes. It makes me look mysterious, does it not?" Gendo wasn't going to answer that, Mefilas realised well enough. The day flew over far quicker than their hearts desired, that wretched feeling of anxiety being acquaintances with them. Instrumentality was coming and that was both terrifying and exhilarating. Gendo and Fuyutski paced around the room with slow methodical steps. "I think I'll keep wearing these."
"The time is two-sixteen. Instrumentality is in less three hours. Is everything in place, Fuyutski?" Gendo had no trace of doubt in his voice.
"The Synchronisation Test is due to begin as you unify Adam and Lilith." A small sound of approval was let through sealed lips. "And, as per Mefilas's request, a 'kill switch' has been installed for activation during the test, an electrical current will enter the cockpit. The Second and Third Child should... die instantaneously." Saying it made Fuyutski a little bit ill, but the Third Child's father didn't budge at all. Shinji didn't even cross Gendo's mind.
"I shall be the one to tie up these loose ends. The pilots won't pose any threat whatsoever. It is my understanding that the young Ikari especially is a troublesome boy, so I'm doing you a great favour." Mefilas looked forward to it with an inane amount of glee. What good would his machinations be if he didn't personally end a life or two? But as he visualised extinguishing one threat, a second, larger issue remerged into his imagination. Ultraman. That purple haired woman... she bore a bracelet of an Ultra Warrior. Ikari and Fuyutski couldn't see with their puny human eyes, but Mefilas could break right through the facade. Ultraman was among them, in their midst, and the humans were none-the-wiser. Yet, Mefilas did not panic, or feel pressured by the being of light's presence.
As far as he could gather, the woman and the Ultra that called her host did not detect him as inhuman, although her defiance in the face of what should have been a fearful experience points towards her being onto him. But the bigger question was should he tell his co-conspirators of his discovery? That thought mellowed about in his head for a while, Gendo and Fuyutski's conversation going on around him as his big blue eyes glowed pensively. No. The Ultra would be his and his alone. He would kill the Ultra, and his prize would be a vacant Planet Earth, that sounded fair and just.
"Is everything alright, Mefilas?" Fuyutski's grizzled voice asked.
"Oh, yes, Vice-Commander, I am well. Merely pondering my use for this mud-ball of a world." Mefilas readjusted the hat on his head before placing his large hands into his pockets. "The very nature of Third Impact, Instrumentality, is of the greatest mystery to me. It bothers me, almost."
"You will see for yourself, Mefilas. It will be the final act in humanity's weakened, feeble stage of history." Mefilas nearly scoffed at Gendo's remark, telling himself that all these fools were doing was committing suicide on a planetary scale. Nevertheless, it handed him a free planet, so he wouldn't complain. "I would recommend you prepare for your role, time flies." Gendo was very blunt about what he wanted from Mefilas, and that was to leave. Mefilas bowed respectfully, there was no point in feeling aggressive towards people who should not be around in a few hours time. In a flash his black hide transmogrified back into his pale, hairless human costume, square-faced and uncanny in the features.
"Before I depart," His milky voice flowed like a stream, the hulking man turning around with a softened, less pronounced expression than he usually wore. "Will I be seeing you again?" Gendo left no moment to anticipate his response, short, sharp and decisively pessimistic.
"No." The stony man wasn't hard to read, and the alien understood. His end of the bargain had to be held up, and so without hesitation Mefilas began to fizzle away into nothingness. Gendo paid no mind, no farewells or wishes of good luck. He saw himself as beyond such trivialities. Mefilas's non-being crawled up his body slowly, and just before it reached his chest, the alien raised his arm as if he held a glass of wine and toasting.
"To Instrumentality, and to my custodianship of Earth!" Mefilas's face began to disappear as well, a booming howl of laughter shaking the room as the great deceiver was gone without a trace. Gendo and Fuyutski stood cloaked in darkness and silence. They both knew what was coming, and what that would entail. Perhaps it was out of a sliver of fear residing somewhere they couldn't reach and wrench out, or maybe it was a stoic acceptance of their fate. Neither of the pair knew if they would even see Yui again, but the small chance made it worth it.
"Do you not feel the execution of your son at the hands of that monster is a step too far?"
"No, I do not. What happens to him is none of my concern."
"..."
"Is Rei III still in Terminal Dogma?"
"She never left, she has no reason to."
"Good, I shall proceed there. Fuyutski, go to the Command Center and oversee the neutralisation of the Evas. Make sure Mefilas keeps in line."
"And what about the giants, Commander?"
Gendo's rocky face twisted into a grin. "Mefilas is intelligent, and his ability to spin lies is commendable, but he can't hide from me the truth about the Ultramen." Fuyutski turned pale and his breathing quickened. "I have given him an audience in many of his monologues when he believes himself to be on his lonesome."
"Oh, I see..."
"I am well aware that his petty grudge against these 'heroes' is what motivates him. Nevertheless, he is an asset for us to use. He could very well kill the giants if they reveal themselves. A given scenario."
Fuyutski had nothing left to give but goodbyes, turning to Gendo one last time. "Alright, Ikari. Shall these be our last words, too?"
"I'm afraid so." Fuyutski turned to leave, but his collar was grabbed at by more of Ikari's words. "Today, I will spit in Zoffy's face. My saliva full of defiance and irreverence for his race of policemen."
"..."
"We will see Yui again today. Good luck, old friend."
========
The German girl had one thing at the forefront of her mind, and another at the back. Try as she may, with all of her might, but the thing that pestered her wouldn't subside, and that grew harder to do with every passing moment she spent with Shinji Ikari. The boy looked inoffensively at the ground, trying not to draw any attention to himself as the two strode headlong through the vast network of sterile corridors, but the quiet was just as good at rousing her anger. She was at the precipice of an explosion, and no one would bear the brunt but the meek boy that was the chief object of her mounting rage.
"I hate you." A whisper.
"W-what?" Shinji offered meekly.
"I HATE YOU!" A roar. Asuka thrusted her forearm into Shinji's chest, slamming him against the wall as a metallic clang rang out. Shinji in an instant reverted to a state of stillness, instinctually trying to maintain a distance and status quo that was long gone. Asuka lowered her voice, but in the place of volume there was now venom. "I hate, hate you, Shinji. You disgust me!" She punched the wall next to Shinji's head, fuelling her rage with the pain that shot through her hand.
Shinji kept his eyes down as Asuka's wrathful gaze tried to claw through his skull and tear his eyes out. "Please, leave me alone." Asuka coughed up a laugh, Shinji trying to disengage with peace? Typically pathetic of the kid.
"Why!? So you can just ignore me, and continue to be in everyone's good graces while I rot!?" Asuka pressed her arm harder against Shinji's plugsuit, sending her knee under Shinji's ribs and causing him to buckle to his hands and knees on the floor while she stands above looking down with scorn. "No one ever cared about me!" Her yell commanded a kick to Shinji's stomach. "My whole life has been me against the world!" Another one followed in quick succession, the boy in the white and blue plugsuit now crawling across the ground, trying to clutch onto the wall as the pain swelled in his belly. "I fought for recognition, I fought with everything I had to get here and prove myself!" Asuka's pernicious screams grew more frantic and desperate.
She grabbed Shinji by the back and hoisted him up, once again throwing him against the wall. The boy didn't make any noise, not even a squeak. His face was empty and emotionless. "And what did I get? Nothing. All the praise and love went to a fucking spoiled, weak, ungrateful brat who curls into a ball at the slightest inconvenience." Asuka loosened her grip, her legs felt gelatinous, as she backed off with a queasiness harrowing her body. "You disgust me."
Young Ikari said nothing. To him, what she said was true, an immutable fact. He was weak, he was disgusting. Shinji went limp against the wall, his dreary eyes barely motivated to raise themselves to meet the infirm fury of Asuka's drained visage. If she ever found out what he did in her most vulnerable state, it would surely be the end of him. Part of Shinji wanted to spill his guts and have it splurge from him. Asuka would beat him until her hands were bloodied from his caved in skull, but at least that would end the tortuousness of hiding the secret. Maybe if she was so frozen with shock and horror, he could run away and die alone somewhere. Perhaps that was a more fitting outcome, seeing as though running away was all he was good at.
"Don't just stare at me, say something!" Asuka clasped her hands around Shinji's shoulders, her voice trembling with breaks and tremors. Like a controlled stream turning into a flood, her ire turned into a sorrowful sob. She shook Shinji, begging him to answer her, tears skewing her vision. "SAY SOMETHING!"
Shinji's barely audible voice stammered over itself. "M-Misato...She-" The violet-haired woman's name only made Asuka's weeping turn into a cascade.
"She what, huh? She wanted us to be 'kind to each other'?" Sniffles marked the end of every sentence, her face rendered a strawberry shade. "That's rich coming from her! She just wants me to be at your mercy! To bend for your every whim. You're her favourite after all." Asuka's voice ended with cold venom, watery eyes sharpening with a look that could kill.
Shinji wished he could say it wasn't true, but the conviction Asuka spoke with spun it to be so. "You don't get it." He muttered softly, strains of sweat-filled hair hanging over his dishevelled and crestfallen face. The sheer lack of anything substantive on his face repulsed Asuka, and several attempts to dig into his shoulders with her nails failed to produce any results. The girl pushed herself off of Shinji, stepping back and shaking her head slowly as if horrified in disbelief.
She contemplated just turning away, but she still wanted to get her hits in. "You're right. I don't. I don't think I'll ever get you." Despite how Asuka wanted those words to come out, there was a genuine sadness seeping through. Asuka hadn't always hated Shinji like this, and for it to come to this brought nobody joy.
"Don't try." Shinji dropped his insipidity in favour of imbuing his words with a bitterness of his own. Almost like a switch was flipped, Shinji sprung up from his lethargy and pushed right past Asuka. He was tempted to throw his shoulder into Asuka's chest, but deep down he already felt he'd done enough, so he slipped by her without anything more than a cold look. "No one gets it." The boy continued down the hallway, lifting his head to read the hands of an old analog clock strung upon the wall. It was three-thirty. There was only an hour and a half separating him and the life of solitude that he knew. If it was a life to call in the first place.
"Aww, woe is me, I'm Shinji, I'm a total loser who is a whiny prick." She spoke mockingly, the emptiness of the room around her doing no service to her performance. "Asshole." Wiping the water from her eyes as he got back up and headed somewhere else in the Central Dogma. Where? She didn't care, as long as it was away from the Ikari boy and allowed her to pass the time. "You'll get yours."
========
Misato ran through the plan as it seemed she graced every corridor and room in the Central Dogma. Clues were hide to come by, and anything would satiate her, but time was running out. Mebius acting as an extra pair of eyes certainly helped, but the Ultra was hard pressed to notice anything her surveying glance did not, and the disadvantage of not being accustomed to the labyrinth's layout only compounded that uselessness.
"The Commander's got this place scrubbed clean of anything we could have used." Misato mouthed almost inaudibly, only just loud enough for anyone standing by the door to hear as she flickered through alphabetised files. The room she was in had the stench of must and mould. The lights above flickered between a state of cold dimness and harsh light that whiplashed against the former, all the while a steady hum came from what had to be the air supply. "Damn it!" nothing. No records of goings-on, not a single mention of the events that transpired a week ago. Certainly not Instrumentality, or Third Impact beyond the usual context of it being what NERV and the Evangelions fight to prevent.
Mebius pondered it for a moment, a gush of thoughts ticking through his head in an instant. "It's like he was expecting us." If what Misato told him about Gendo was even half true, that may very well be the case, even if he didn't know Misato was Ultraman. "Might there be something in the NERV Supercomputers? The Magi, right?" Misato didn't even need to say 'no', the mere thought rippled throughout the dual consciousness and struck at Mebius's being.
"Ikari knows I'm a dissenting mind. If there was even a sliver of a chance I could stop him, he'd take any action possible to ensure that would never happen. He'd shoot me before I could access what was on those computers." Misato sighed through grit teeth and she continued to flip through more and more folders, none of the papers holding anything substantial or useful, a fact that lead her to slam a few of the drawers shut in frustration. "He wants me out of his hair, but I'll be damned before that happens."
"You know, Misato, I could go into the Magi if you wanted. I can actually digitise myself, and-" The Ultra stopped, feeling a presence from behind, a physical one. Like a sixth sense awakening her entire nervous system, Misato's whole body was urged to twist around, and with her pistol drawn, she stared down the iron sights at an horned figure whose chest beamed with light. It was Hikari, whose titanic body was shrunken down to the height of a man. Misato lowered he gun as she gushed out a sigh.
"My apologises for causing alarm, Misato." The blue Ultra looked around, the papers strewn haphazardly across the floor causing him some pain. Even if they weren't useful to the mission at hand, documents of knowledge didn't deserve that fate. "Is everything well?"
"There's no leads. We'll have to go to Terminal Dogma." An confused pause followed, forcing Misato to push on. "It's the lowest level in the complex, and anyone who is allowed to enter is very tight-lipped about the whole thing. And Mebius could pick up on a darkness down there."
"As can I, coming to think of it. The entire HQ is drenched in it, but there is a purer concentration of negativity from below where we are standing." Hikari knelt down and placed his hand on the floor, searching for the beating heart of the immense structure. Just as he suspected, a cold tinge began to swell in his hand, causing him to pull away in discomfort. "We'll head there."
The maze that NERV called it's base of operations took the trio a while to navigate, even with Misato's so-called 'expertise'. It had been a while since Kaji took her down, and since then brain-fog had already obscured it beyond recovery. Rooms came and went, until one door in particular drew in scrutinising eyes. It was an unmarked elevator, with no text whatsoever on the doors or surrounding it. Misato had her suspicions about it's purpose. Walking up the door, there was no buttons. Instead, in it's place, was a console with a scanning device, asking for some level of clearance which she did not possess. The Major's suspicions were confirmed.
"This is the one." Misato began as she folded her arms. "Terminal Dogma is right under us, and that's the way down. Bad news is... I don't have access." Hikari's brace flashed as he brandished it, a sparkle in his eye as an idea popped into his head.
"I could try to overload it with some of my energy. A transfer would do, but I'm prepared to use something more forceful if necessary." Hikari, in an unusual moment for the intellectual, seemed to puff out his chest and flex his biceps as he paraded the blue gauntlet.
Mebius wasn't impressed. "You're the head of the Science Bureau and that's the best you can come up with?" Misato didn't exactly think the idea was golden either, who instead began to probe the door with her hand.
"Ikari's smarter than that. It'll do something bad, like permanently lock or automatically activate." Misato brushed over the panel, feeling if there was any sort of secret. Ritsuko had access, maybe she left a trick for Misato if she ever wanted to, or in this case, had the need to descend into the bowels of the GeoFront's deepest level. But as she caressed the flat screen of the console, a tantalising tingle rushed into her fingers. Her hand was glued to the console, and despite having golden energy pulsate from her digits, she felt no need to move. For only a split second, Misato felt alone in her own mind, the empowering presence of Ultraman Mebius gone and leaving her to dwell in the loneliness of one's singular thoughts. Had she already grown so fond of Mebius?
The energy retracted back into Misato's hand, and like floods returning to a desert plain, the light of Mebius returned to it's host. And like so, the doors of the elevator slid open. "It's been a while since I've done that." Misato was dumbfounded, but nonetheless very impressed. Hikari's unreadable mask somehow too managed to look surprised. Ultras seemed more and more fantastical with every thing Mebius did. As elated as she was to enter, the moment was became dour as the muscular hero behind her did not follow.
"Hikari, why aren't you coming with us?" Misato was disheartened a little, even if she knew Hikari wasn't the most personal character.
"I have been given another duty by my superior. Mebius will protect you in your endeavour, and I will rejoin the two of you later." Hikari began to dissipate into small particles of swirling energy, his form flowing around Misato as his voice echoed out with a reassuring mellow. "I wish you the best of luck, Misato Katsuragi." Misato nodded as the particles of Hikari slipped through her fingers, each of them having the warmth of a cherished fireplace.
"Shall we go, Misato?" Mebius offered.
The elevator grumbled as it lowered itself along, every ten seconds or so bearing witness to a bounce or hiccup that rocked the small compartment. According to layouts of the entire HQ complex, the Terminal Dogma was located 2008 metres below the Central Dogma. That seemed more and more accurate as the ride dragged on and on... much like a bad movie, Misato thought to herself. There was a drought of noise, only interrupted by mechanical whirring and the shifting of metal gears outside the elevator. As the depth-indicator on the elevator slowly surged towards the bottom, Misato was swamped by a dark gloomy feeling, one that froze her muscles and gripped her heart. Mebius was right beside her, but there was a certain anxiety to be had as entering Terminal Dogma for the first time since Kaji died became closer to reality. And something beyond that door shook the both of them.
The elevator slowed its descent, and the forces acting upon their bodies ground to a halt. Just as it seemed their journey would take years, it concluded within an instant. With a monotone chime, they had arrived and Terminal Dogma was awaiting them. The metal doors stuttered, almost wary of consenting to what was beyond, but gave way by the sheer will of the woman and her ethereal partner. They doors reluctantly parted. Misato's blood ran cold. Mebius said nothing, only an involuntary grunt. Before them stood black terror.
It was strung upon a blood red cross jutting up from a sea of orange, nails the size of buses piercing through its hands. Its humanoid body was bloated and round, completely white except for the purple mask that covered, or was, its face. Seven unblinking eyes looked back at Misato, its gigantic form towering over her like it were dictating divine judgment, but it was no different than a corpse. It didn't move, nor make any sound. It had changed since the last time Misato saw it, as the Spear of Longinus was no longer driven into it's chest, and two legs had sprouted from the bulbous growths of its torso. Those same growths, and the eerily human legs that came from them, still populated the thighs but it certainly looked more natural now.
"What is that?" Mebius asked.
"The second Angel, Lilith." She said, before beginning a monologue. "Billions of years ago it arrived on Earth, and as a Seed of Life, it populated the Earth with life. This culminated in the rise of mankind, just like Adam, the first Angel. Adam is the Fruit of Life, whilst Lilith is the Fruit of Knowledge. Adam's Fruit allowed its progeny, the Angels, to have unlimited energy and the ability to shape their bodies as they perceive themselves. Lilith's Fruit gave its progeny the ability to think, and understand the world around them, allowing them to connect and create marvels." She took a pause, looking down at herself introspectively. "The Evangelions."
"If 'Adam' is the first, why didn't the Angels populate the Earth?" The Ultra gazed at the crucified giant, wondering how such a thing could happen. Not particularly that it was crucified, but the situation as a whole just seemed wrong, unnatural. Were there such things in his universe that he didn't know? If this is the origin of man, could it be the origin of the giants of light? Were their human-esque bodies a product of the Fruit of Knowledge, and was the Plasma Spark that mutated them an attempt at replicating the Fruit of Life? Such questions buggered him as Misato went on.
"After Adam arrived on Earth, it did not have time for its children to properly claim the ancient Earth, as Lilith would arrive soon after. Two Seeds, by design, cannot inhabit the same planet. To rectify this, an instrument named the 'Spear of Longinus' belonging to Adam, caused it enter a state of dormancy and slumber. That is the same spear that, until a few weeks ago when it was launched into space to combat the fifteenth Angel, was impaled in chest of Lilith." That must be why it regrew, she thought to herself. "During the Second Impact fifteen years ago, Adam was reawakened, and billions were killed as a result of its overwhelming power." Mebius could read her thoughts, and the pain that began to twinge in Misato's chest became apparent.
"Your father... reawakened Adam? Why?" Misato fell quiet. "Right, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay Mebius. I don't understand my old man, and I never will. He did what he thought was right, and clearly, it was not." Her pain turned to determination as her head shot up to glare at Lilith's mask. The word came back to her, a salient white sign against a background of dark intentions. 'Instrumentality'. A grave warning, foreboding and spectral. "We're here to make sure nothing like that ever happens again."
"Oh, how I wish that were true, Major Katsuragi!" A heavy voice rang out from behind her, Misato spinning around with her pistol primed for fire. In the centre of the iron sights was that mysterious character the Commander introduced, 'Mr M'. The wide brim of his hat covered his eyes in shadow but the shining light of his irises radiated like miniature floodlights. "You can lower your gun, I assure you, it will be of no use." Misato kept her eye trained on the target, finger firmly braced around the trigger.
"What are you doing here?" She barked. Mefilas huffed as his hands kept cosy in the pockets of his coat. He began to walk towards her, each step causing the metal floor to utter a deep bellow. "Don't get one step closer! I am not beyond being a killer." Furrowing her brow she kept her face a stone wall. Mefilas believed her, but didn't really mind.
"That's no way to treat an honoured guest, is it? I thought someone as high ranking and respected as-" A BANG! roared throughout the vast chamber. Misato grit her teeth as she eyed straight down where she shot - a gaping hole right between Mr M's eyes. Yet, by some miracle, he stood there and shook his head with disapproval. "As I was saying, I thought you would have some manners." Ichor trickled down his face and stained his pale complexion a rustic red. Misato, pushed on by Mebius, threw her gun aside. "Ah, I see we have come to an understanding, then?"
"No," She said, Mebius quick to add in his voice as they spoke together. The two became united. "Who are you, and why have you come to this planet?" Mefilas sighed, giving a jesting shrug as he took off his hat and coat.
"Well, I can't say I blame you, Ultraman. Mebius, is it? I am not one for disguises." Mefilas shrouded himself in the haze of his two identities flickering between themselves, ultimately settling on his true form. The human in Misato wanted to recoil in fear, but Mebius kept her body straight and her mug unfazed. "It is only fair that you reveal yourself too, don't be shy." Affable as he was, Mebius refused to bend to Mefilas's game.
Mebius and Misato were quick to retort. "This isn't a disguise. This is a body, true flesh and blood. We are bonded, and we will not make the mistake of playing your game." Mefilas guffawed at the notion, such defiance was a fickle thing to him. But Mebius's admission also presented him with a chance that he, nor anyone in the entire cosmos, would ever decline. "So, we will ask again, why have you come to this planet, Mefilas?" Mebius's brace started to glow brightly and crackle, Misato's hand reaching over to it as if to unsheathe a weapon.
"I simply want to aid a lonely man reunite with his wife again!" Mefilas put his hand over his heart as his tone changed from grandiose to underhanded. "Accruing some prime real estate, while I'm at it, too." He laughed through Mebius's growing frustration, each jerk of his body goading the Ultra to draw his weapon. "Alright, alright, I'll oblige you. I, for the past year or so, have taken part in the process of marching towards the Human Instrumentality Project. I assume you know what it is? Never mind the details, I myself have not been briefed. Ikari wants to show me firsthand, which is rather admirable of him. Anywho, in order to help achieve this goal, I provided SEELE with whatever they needed to conduct the operation, and for a while I concurrently aided NERV. I guess you have been a pawn of mine this whole time, Major." Misato's humanity burned with rage, her identity chomping at the bit to tear Mefilas, who was delighted and amused at the inner turmoil, limb from limb.
"Why must we play this game, Mefilas? You never win, why don't you understand?" Mebius pleaded with the devil before him. His reputation as a fantastic warrior was only ever preceded by his championing of compassion. "We can still end this on peaceful terms, I know you don't want this to come to violence."
"That is undeniable." Mefilas folded his arms, looking around. The unchanging mask of Lilith beamed down at him. "Wasting lives is something I would prefer to avoid, Mebius. Do not mistake me for a murderer."
"Then take my hand. No one has to die today." Misato extended her small hand, and for a short moment, a blip in the mind of a liar, Mefilas genuinely considered taking it, "Please.", before coldly pulling back. The world around the two figures grew deathly silent, the only noise being the sloshing of the LCL sea around the platform. His mind had already been made.
"I am sorry, Ultraman Mebius. I have come too far." He said softly, before an abrupt chime from the elevator announced another's arrival, and from the unnatural light of flitting LEDs stepped forth the tall, spectacled head of NERV. Misato knew deep down it would come to this, and as Gendo leered back at her, he felt the same way.
"You were always the most brash of us, Katsuragi. I applaud the effort. But, it all ends here." Emotionless as he addressed the person that perhaps fought hardest for him, every sound to come out of his mouth drew ire from Misato. She wasn't the most loyal to him, he knew that very well, but nonetheless through her tenure serving under him she proved to be an invaluable asset. She coordinated attack plans, motivated the pilots, and was in all respects, the face of the defence, as far as actual people go. And despite all of this, Gendo was unmoved about the fact that he now had to dispatch her. Mebius knew that this was in her court, and handed overt control of her speech and body back to her.
"How could you do this, Ikari? Betray everything we fought for? Sanction the end of the world and then what?" Misato clenched her fist, the anger in her inflection building. "Sell out to this... thing!?" Mefilas feigned offence.
"You say 'end of the world' as if I will cause extinction. Humanity will ascend to all that we were meant to be. Gods. That is the aim of Instrumentality, Katsuragi. The combination of the collective souls of humanity, no longer bound by the shackles of time and space, into one being. There will be no pain, no anguish, no sadness nor misunderstanding. It will be bliss, and we will have to the power to shape our own destiny." It hit the Ultra all at once.
Mebius blurted out an accusatory retort. "Don't lie to her, Ikari! Your intentions are written in blood and your heart has grown dark!" Gendo slightly shifted himself, almost as if taken aback by the second voice coming from Misato's body, yet her mouth remained sealed. He had expected something of this nature.
"And who are you to speak, giant? What have you to gain or lose from the actions of one species on one planet? They do not affect you."
"You have no idea what you are doing! The consequences would be-"
"Would be what?" Gendo interrupted. "Do not prattle on to me about any moral grandstanding or nonsense regarding where you hail from. I have been subjected to that enough." A glare was shot Mefilas's way, who could only groan in repulsion. "What right do you have to impose your chivalrous and honourable law over us?" Mebius raised his voice, anger for once bubbling.
"I'm not trying to impose anything! I'm only warning you because I love the people who live on this planet."
"Then leave. Exorcise yourself from my subordinate's body and go. Take the other one with you. If you truly love humanity, then you will trust that they are in safe hands. I will hear no more of this." Gendo fixed the glasses on his nose. He considered continuing to berate Mebius, but instead, he twisted his bearded face to Mefilas. "You did not think you could hide this from me, did you Mefilas?" The alien quickly moved to fire back but Gendo pressed on with a steely ferocity that mocked his co-conspirator with a sense of uncaring. "Our deal was clear. You stay out of my affairs. And you shall receive Earth as payment."
"I see why you find yourself in such a predicament! Stubborn man!" Mefilas couldn't hide the wrathful nature of his words. He was outraged. "I give you all these wondrous resources," Mefilas gestured upwards, holding the entire room in his hands, "and yet you cannot afford me the luxury of dealing with a pest of my own!" Mefilas stepped heavily towards Gendo, his broad, toned form looming over Gendo with regretful malice.
"I urge you to consider your next actions very carefully." He said calmly. "If you turn your back on me, none of us will get what we want. I will not insult your intelligence by explaining why." Mefilas groaned as he backed off. It was a regrettable truth, Mebius was very much likely to take them both out as they bickered. "You made the right choice. Katsuragi, you however, have become a liability. Much like Dr. Akagi." The name poured gasoline onto a fire.
"What did you do to her!?" Misato had spent a long time bracing for the bad news, but she still knew it would be a punch to the gut.
"What happened to her is a result of her own actions." If Gendo had not the most stern disposition, a caustic smile would line his face. "Do not worry, she died quickly. Just in that LCL behind you." He gestured carelessly with his hand, that all of a sudden had a pistol lodged in his white glove, which he now rose to have the muzzle stare Misato down.
"Murdering fuck!" She cried, throwing her right hand over the Mebius Brace. An arrow-shaped energy bolt formed between her hand and the brace, her arm wound up and ready to strike with the goal of killing Ikari right there. But Mebius hesitated, allowing Gendo to - BANG! BANG! - pull against the heavy trigger. Mebius had directed his energy forward, turning the Mebium Slash into an energy barrier of interlocked Möbius strips, against which the bullets had no way to penetrate.
Mefilas was quick to interject, the ringing of several more gunshots wracking his ears. "You are a moron if you thought that would do Ultraman in." The pinging of wasted shells and flattened bullets pattering harmlessly on the floor emphasised that. The two shared a brief look, momentary but thankfully clandestine embarrassment filling Gendo. "Watch as I demonstrate how things are done where we are from." Mefilas outstretched, crackling with yellow energy that whipped around the circumference of his arms. "You must have understood it would come to this, Mebius."
"I wish it hadn't." Mebius said through the woman's lips, once again formulating a Mebium Slash in the palm of her hand. "If you choose to follow Gendo Ikari into ruin, it is my duty to stop you as well. I will not let this precious planet die."
"If that is your prerogative, Ultraman." Mefilas shot both fists out before his chest, and from them burst forth bolts of lightning that twisted through the air with a ravenous scream. Mebius thrusted Misato's arm forward, her hand directing a Mebium Slash out straight through the attack. The arrow-shaped projectile sliced straight through the yellow lightning, splitting the stream of energy both into the ceiling and into the ground, where it exploded into balls of sparks. Mebius quickly loaded another up, throwing it at Mefilas who didn't try to evade, instead trying to take the brunt head on. The bolt met Mefilas's forearms that he held in front of his chest, the heat making a small laceration in the alien's black skin before it fizzled out.
Mefilas jumped forward, growling as he threw his foot forward and trying to dig his heel into Misato's chest, however Mebius's faster-than-light perception prevented that from happening. The hulking body of the alien steamrolled right past as Misato rolled to the side, several more Mebium Slashes churning out from her brace as Mefilas teleported and flew to and fro. The one time he was hit already dissuaded him from trying it again. He knew he had to get in close, her weak body wouldn't stand a chance, even with Mebius helping her.
Mefilas disappeared from the distance and rematerialised directly in front of Misato, swiping at her face with a well-considered and powerful punch. She was only just barely fast enough for Mefilas's fist to wade through her violet hair, the air in front of her face stolen by the sheer force of the swing.
"Misato, my strength flows through your body, use your skill to get the best of him." Misato nodded as Mefilas continued to take every chance he could to disconnect her skull from her spinal column. Even kicks and grapples were avoided, as Mebius's energy infused Misato with speed unnatural for a human. Every hit he missed enraged Mefilas, whose usually gentleman-like and polite composure came crashing down in a chorus of unruly bellow and yells. Eventually, Misato grew so bold as to wind up a hit of her arm, balling her fist and feeling the light of Mebium energy converge around her hand. She delivered a right hook to Mefilas's side, and what followed was a gasping screech of agony.
The pained Mefilas stumbled back, allowing Misato to send a few more punches to his chest, gut, and even with the help of an enhanced jump, a kick to the face. Mefilas's whole body throbbed, and his hits became sloppy, his expertise turning into angry thrashing about. His precise teleportation turned foggy, and his destinations for each movement were off, and more so with every time he attempted it. In an attempt to snuff Misato out, his hands beamed with light and blew out streams of irreconcilable energy, none of which were even close to striking Misato. Mefilas had not fought in years, and it clearly showed. Gendo watched on as another figure made herself known, dainty form holding close to Ikari as the two warriors duelled. He was greatly pleased, ostensibly unaware of the explosions of sparks going off around him.
Mefilas's blue eyes tracked Misato's arms as they powered through the air and into his body. Skilful as she was, he knew it was the Ultra behind those punches. Her fists hit with the force of a man hundred-fold, and Mefilas's skeleton and organs were rattled again and again. If this assault didn't let up, and with every passing second that grew more likely, everything he worked towards would be forgotten to history. He'd have ran a fool's errand, and all that he leave this Earth would be a story of an invader who was beaten by a human. Even the thought set a sour sensation upon him. Being underhanded wasn't past him, and even though it struck him just how low he'd fallen for him to play dirty to beat a mere Earthling, he was the master of lies.
Mefilas buckled to his knees as Misato pulled back. "Please, spare me, Mebius!" He wept. "I promise I'll leave, I'll forget about Earth. I beg of you, just please let me live." Mefilas shot his face to the floor and grovelled, his voice somewhat snively, hands clawing pathetically at Misato's boots. "Kill him, not me! It was all his idea!" He pointed at Gendo, who now with Ayanami behind him, was pierced with the rageful gaze of Misato. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Mefilas and Gendo. All her negativity, the culmination of months of distrust and suspicion, was now justified. Gendo burnt in her vision, and to her, seeing him get what he deserved was all she could think about.
Mebius's guiding hand slipped as Misato fell into her wrath. The darkness within her blinded her, hands of insurmountable hate and unstoppable resolve taking her to kill the man before her in cold blood. She stood looking at him bitterly, hand hovering over the Mebium Brace as amber energy sparked and crackled between her palm and the orb. Her face was popping with fury, sweat rolling down her forehead as the world narrowed to her and the man she called 'murderer'. Gendo furrowed his brow as he stared back.
"Do it, Katsuragi. Let Heaven reject us for eternity." She didn't say anything, and just let her impulses drive her arm forward. It would all be over soon!
"No!" Mebius broke through and regained captivity of Misato's arm, forcing the Slash bolt into the ground at her feet. Mefilas howled gleefully as he leapt up, grappling Misato from behind and holding tightly onto her right arm.
"You weak Earthling, too compassionate towards a deadly foe!" Mefilas's foot rammed into Misato's leg and doubled her over, preparing her for the crucial blow as he placed his left palm over her shoulder. Mefilas's grip over the woman's forearm tightened, and in a moment of lucidity, Misato's pupils contracted as horror washed over her, a primal instinct in the face of imminent harm. Without hesitation Mefilas yanked his right arm back as he pressed Misato forward with his left, and a deafening SNAP! vibrated around the vast Terminal Dogma. She screamed as her arm was contorted beyond it's limits, bone shattering and ligaments tearing into scraps. Mefilas spun her around and drove his fist into her stomach, a bloody cough escaping with a muffled wheeze as she collapsed onto the ground.
Mebius could only look on as Misato was picked up and beaten again, a strike pummelling her skull that would kill any human. The Ultra's presence was all there was that stood between life and death. Misato's eyes rolled around their sockets in a daze and streaks of ichor tattered her mouth, nose and forehead.
"And you, Ultraman..." Mefilas squeezed tightly around her neck as his eyes searched deeply for Mebius's, boots dangling as though sentenced to hanging. She was too short for an eye to eye, and crushing her windpipe between his palm was more enjoyable. "You are too compassionate towards humans. Your convictions prevent you from helping the ones you claim to serve. Pathetic." Misato and Mebius faded in and out between consciousness, small bouts of torpor overwhelming them with such ease that it was hard to maintain a grip on reality.
"Dispose of her, Mefilas." Gendo glanced at his watch. Four-forty. "You have already disregarded my wishes enough. Go to Central Dogma and oversee the neutralisation. Fuyutski is waiting for you." The alien had defeated Ultraman, even if in a fashion that perhaps wasn't the most fair to his foe or the most aggrandising to himself. But it was enough, if that's all he'd get.
"Very well." Mefilas looked at the beaten Misato with a grievous intent, marred with sore victory and years of resentment. "If his brothers come to me in anger, I will tell them this planet is the grave of Ultraman Mebius, and that you killed him, Major." The alien grabbed Misato by the back of her red jacket, and lugged her over his shoulder. Walking to the edge of the platform, they both reflected in the orange mirror of the still LCL. Misato's barely perceptive mind felt nothing as her body was fell through the air and splashed against the liquid that filled the room like a sea. It was incredibly dense, so Misato bobbed back up to the surface immediately, and just floated. Misato's heart slowed, and her raspy breathing ceased. She was still and looked as if she was crucified, arms outstretched and face somber.
A pest was gone, and the plan could go on, unhindered. Mefilas donned his human disguise again, the bullet hole between his eyes still present. He could just hide that, he thought, even as a strange red liquid trickling down the ugly features of his face. Grabbing his hat and coat, in a blur he disappeared. This left Gendo alone with the naked Rei Ayanami, or as he saw her, the instrument by which Instrumentality would begin. He looked on her and smiled, the resemblance between her and his late wife all too noticeable. Sure, she was missing an arm and her humerus was left to the open air, but she only received looks of gratitude. He had no desire for Ayanami, for he was sure the real woman he loved would be within his embrace in a mere twenty minutes.
Gendo monologued to Rei, asked her questions, for which she provided basic answers. She had no intention of helping him. Her pale face and judging crimson eyes looked past him and at the woman who was now floating lifeless in the lake of amber. She... didn't want this to happen. Rei didn't Third Impact to happen, not like this. Not by Commander Ikari. A sigh would leave her lips if she wasn't so inclined towards silence. There was a light within that floating woman, more powerful than anything on this Earth. It tickled her stoic curiosity, and so she kept her eyes trained to the still body as Gendo spoke to her as though she were his friend. The girl with the Fruit of Knowledge wanted to know what was so special about the light. It permeated the Major, and emanated on a level to which cruel men like Gendo were blind. It was a light that reached into her heart, and embraced it. The light reached her soul. Rei's hand twitched. She knew she her soul was not her own.
Shinji floated around in her head as the blank stare of Misato eyeballed the ceiling above and the unchanging face of Lilith. Rei studied the woman's corpse well. Perhaps, she thought, this light would help free him.
================
The clock read 4:55, and all eyes were focused intently on screens and fingers clacked in step at keyboards. The giant rig flashed to life, and on screen appeared the faces of Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu. Or 'Second' and 'Third Child' respectively. The 'First Child' was supposed to join them, but before they took to their entry plugs, the other too were given the lazy excuse of 'personal business'. Rei was many things, enigmatic chiefly, but she also held a special bond with Shinji that no one else could understand. As the LCL filled his lungs her name was the only one that he could come up with that seemed to appreciate him.
His father saw him as a tool, as did all the other technicians and officials that gave him cursory glances as he walked through the halls. Misato, he felt, wasn't much different, except there was extra pain with her. She gave the appearance of caring, which meant that her constant brushing off his concerns cut deeper than any cold word Gendo could dish out anymore. Even worse was that she really did care, and still didn't get it. Not that it mattered to Shinji. He was done with her, really. And his feelings towards Asuka had already been made very clear that day. They were separated by tens of meters of sheer metal in the two Eva Cages, but the tension between them could tear a whole through the door with a raging punch. Best he could do was try and temper it and get the test over with. It never took long.
Asuka hung her head low. She wanted it to be finished too. Then it could all be left behind, the Evas, NERV, saving the world, every little petty thing that brought spiteful feelings, and most of all, she'd never see Shinji again. What a world that would be. Once upon a time, she thought herself a knight in shining scarlet armour, someone that would hear the cries of the world, grab her sword and slay the beast to adoring crowds. The dream was dead now, killed by everyone that surrounded her. They failed her. Her life being put on the line day in and out was never enough for these people. Even when she was at her most useless, at her lowest, resigning herself to die alone as the sun beat down on her wasted form, the pricks wouldn't even give her the dignity of death. There was really only one person to blame.
And so, sitting in the cold, blood-smelling cockpit of Unit-02, a whirlwind brewed inside of her. The blue giant, Ultraman Hikari, he spoke of understanding and the kindness of others as he rescued her. She wanted so desperately to believe him, her soul beckoned to see the light! But Asuka couldn't let go of the disdain that poisoned her. Her heart hardened. Shinji would pay for everything he took from her.
In the control room, all eyes were fixed to the large screen with the pilots' faces, eyes closed and as though they were in a deep sleep. All that needed to happen was the appearance of Vice-Commander Fuyutski and that Mr. M, someone who the crew were largely skeptical of. The oddness of his appearance and his sudden arrival with no warning filled the air with dread, every heart beating with worrisome anticipation for when his towering frame would enter the room. At the uppermost bridge, Aoba, Hyuga and Maya sat alone. Usually Misato or Ritsuko would be breathing down their necks and eying each move they made from over their shoulders, but this final time, they only had the company of themselves and their thoughts.
"It doesn't seem real, does it? After everything we've been through... our last task is a routine sync test." Hyuga gave his friends a relieved, but somewhat melancholy look. He'd expected more, something shared with Aoba.
"I thought we'd get a climactic final showdown between the Evas and some super-Angel." Aoba was being a little impish, but the thought captivated him. "Y'know, a battle for the fate of the Earth."
"We did that, like, every day, genius." Hyuga fired sarcastically, looking over to Maya who only gave an absent nod. All she could really think about at this time was Ritsuko and Misato. The Major said she'd be gone for a while. It didn't feel right though, like something had happened. Maybe something did happen. Dreadful scenarios ran like film, terrible things invading her mind and searing her brain. Maya's breath quickened, her heart beat faster and her skin was flushed over with an uncomfortable heat and red colour to match.
Images of Ritsuko disappearing into the abyss as Misato followed suit pushed sweat bullets from the Lieutenant's head. The other two were so caught up in their bickering that Maya was swallowed in her own thoughts. Soon, they were dead. Their limp bodies mocked her, lifeless eyes staring back in disappointment. Her pupils frantically shot all over, and her fingers twitched as they tried their damnedest to ball into a fist. Maya could almost burst into petrified tears as her whole body convulsed silently. Then the doors above opened.
Hyuga and Aoba shot up from their chairs, every other technician in the various bridges quickly following suit. Now residing above them were the two tall silhouettes of Vice-Commander Fuyutski and Mr. M, who now sported a patch where the space between the eyes met the nose. From the crimson circle in it's center it became clear to all who viewed him that something made Mr. M profusely bleed, and that didn't leave many options. As if things couldn't get any tenser, Fuyutski wore a solemn face that set up a grave contrast to the over-enthusiasm that plastered the face of the American. Fuyutski cleared his throat as he addressed the crew.
"I want to thank you all for your service. Humanity can rest easy due to your efforts." Mr M's grin widened, hands gripping onto the rim of the platform, ocean blue eyes peering down at the men and women whose lives were now in his hands. Fuyutski could only grit his teeth and hold back his distaste, but he went on. "You have dedicated all of your energy towards NERV and the defence of the world, and the catastrophes that you've pushed through have been more than any man or woman should ever experience. So, indeed it is true, this is the last task I, or Commander Ikari will ever ask of you. NERV's mission has been completed, and will be dissolved within the month's end."
A fierce chatter erupted in the room. NERV... dissolved? Just like that? Questions rattled out one after another. 'What will happen to the Evangelions?' was a common one, 'Will all files be declassified?" another, and some merely asked about pay. Fuyutski dragged his eyes to Mr M, whose pearly whites flashed, thrilled. He raised a hand, and all voices fell.
"I'm sure you all have splendid occasions planned for this evening, so let us not waste time and begin the test!" Mr M pointed to the screen as he said it, the giant faces of the pilots becoming the primary target of all the eyes in the room. "Begin activation!" Fuyutski leant over, whispering something in his ear. For a brief moment, it appeared as though Mr. M's perfect image broke into confusion, then embarrassment, then striking to correct itself. "Forgive me, I misspoke. Begin initialisation!"
Within the cockpits of the Evangelions where a low humming droned, Shinji and Asuka's surroundings were wrapped in a mesmerising pattern of shifting colours and effects. They weren't more just effects on the monitors within the plugs, but it felt like the universe was unfurling it's wonders upon them. First, the colour spectrum unleashed every shade from deep red to violet around them, followed by an ocean of sparkling lights that beamed like the stars themselves. The blackness that gave the light such definition was replaced by a vibrant red, and then... the surroundings of the Eva Cage.
"Initialisation is complete!" Mr. M grinned.
"Good, proceed as usual." He took Fuyutski by the shoulder and walked him away from the edge as to give them what little privacy they could afford. As the pilot's sync rates went up, percentages rising with rapid pace, Mr M pulled a small device from his pocket. A handheld device, rather unassuming, but it held a little screen and a few buttons. His large hands clumsily flicked through a variety of settings before landing on an option that read 'Current: OFF'. He would still wait, the process of intrigued him just enough to garner some interest. His finger hovered over the 'select' button. The game was nearly at it's end.
========
"No one gets it."
"They all just push me down."
"Nobody cares if I live or die."
"I'll think for myself and live for myself!"
"She doesn't get it."
"I hate him."
"Why won't Misato listen to me?"
"She only cares about him."
========
The displays were locking into the desired shape, an equilibrium between man and Eva, but their stride did not stop once they united. The lines of the graph smoothened out, then ribbed as sync percentage continued to rise.
"Over 100% and rising!" Aoba shouted. Mr M huffed to himself, deciding that the time was now. Raising the small device and pointing it towards the children on the screen, the alien in disguise smirked. He jerked his finger down on the button, and a signal rang out from the device. "200%!"
========
"Nothing will change..."
"They will all see..."
"So they can all just die."
"Just how great I am."
"I won't be hurt again!"
"I won't let him hurt me again!"
========
Fuyutski turned his face from the display, expecting the motionless faces of the kids face to contort in death as the volts pulsated through the LCL. But they only looked to be wincing, as if they were in aguish beneath the surface. Mr. M's confidence rapidly turned to befuddlement, then rage. He pressed the button again and again. The electrical current did not even touch them, and that made him furious.
"300%! It's still going!" Hyuga's statistic ricocheted around the vast room as the kids' faces became visibly more frustrated. Shinji, the fearful boy, was now bearing a terrible resolve on his meagre visage, whereas Asuka's whole mug twitched and convulsed.
"Damn it! Why isn't it working?" Mr. M cried, his raised voice pounding Fuyutski.
"They have surpassed the feeble reach of the elements. It is very possible that we may not achieve our goals. Your goals." The conversation started to reach such a level that it was audible to everyone in the room, even amongst the chorus of typing and technical whirring.
"Don't turn this on me, human. This idea is just as much yours as it is mine, as it is also Ikari's." Everything ceased in that moment, and the whole world listened in. The only noise was the ambience from the giant display. Fuyutski bowed his head, backing off as Mr. M became the centre of attention.
"H-human?" The meek voice of Maya spoke up, the quivering coming out as a reverberating echo amongst the silence.
"Yes, that is what you are, is it not?" Mr. M growled back at them.
"What did you mean 'idea'? What isn't working?' Hyuga probed, noticing the small thing in his hand, which Mr. M quickly caught wind of. The alien sighed. There wasn't a point in hiding it.
"320%!"
========
"Mother, are you listening?"
"Give me your strength, mommy! Like you always have!"
========
"Had I gotten my wish," Mr. M waggled the small device in his hand to the crew. "The pilots would be dead by now." Shock and awe ensued, to which Mr. M chuckled regretfully. "Yes, I would have killed them, without a second thought. That plan has all gone to waste, as you can plainly see."
"Who are you! Why are you doing this?" They yelled back in anger.
Mr. M snuck a quick look at Fuyutski, who had resigned to the corner of the room without so much as a sound. "I am Alien Mefilas, from a far off world." His form quickly disintegrated to unveil his true form, the otherworldliness of his muscled black body and his spider-esque face reaping some squeals and gasps of uncontrollable fear. "In the most digestible way I can muster, you are all going to die, very soon. Gendo Ikari will kill you all in his mad obsession with Human Instrumentality." The words 'liar' nearly flew from Maya's mouth but in her heart... it gave her the same black feeling as her visions. No one dared make a sound as Mefilas began to levitate into the air, slowly positioning himself in the center of the screen so no one had to twist their necks to see him.
"I suppose you would want to know some things before you die, though. Your beloved Major Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi are both deceased." Eyes widened and twitched, further sounds of horror. "I killed Katsuragi myself, although she put up quite the fight. She was admirable until the end." The booming laugh that followed sent the crew into a riot, hurling curses at him and ill-thought-out threats, to which Mefilas paid no mind. "Well, you can rest knowing I never put a finger on Dr. Akagi. Commander Ikari killed her the day I ordered SEELE to invade the Geo-"
"I'LL KILL YOU!" A woman shot up from her chair and unsheathed something from her jacket.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Smoke winded through the air in front of Maya Ibuki's face, her glare full of venom and pure malice. In the iron sights of her pistol she waited for Mefilas to drop to the ground with a thud, but he kept where he was. Mefilas unimpressed, descended down to her level, and grasped onto the gun in her hand, gently but still forcefully removing it from her hand.
"Please, Lieutenant, don't make today any bloodier than it already is." The gun cracked and splintered in his hand, the dusty remains thrown backwards. The woman fell back into her besetting shaking as Mefilas hand-waved the notion of resistance away. "Don't waste your energy, make these final minutes comfortable. I'm preparing for my grand triumph!"
========
It had all come to this moment. Deep within Terminal Dogma, face to face stood Gendo Ikari and Rei Ayanami under the watchful eyes of Lilith. Gendo's heart raced, he had been waiting for this day ever since he lost his wife all those years ago. This was the culmination of his life's work. The moment consumed him, the deal between him and Mefilas as well as the presence of the Ultras didn't even register in his head. It was just him, and Rei.
"It has begun, Rei." His cold tone was gone, in its stead was a something more fatherly. "It is time to reunite me with Yui once more." Gendo removed one of his gloves, his palm having been surgically altered beyond recognition. The embryonic Adam, retrieved from the Second Impact site, was grafted onto his hand. Placing his palm against Rei's stomach, her flesh gave way for his hand to enter her. The forbidden fusion had begun. But as Adam and Lilith came into contact, Rei's flesh morphed into a tight grasp around Gendo's hand. He choked, feeling it tighten around his wrist. Try as he may, he couldn't yank it out, and it was then he realised a mistake had been made. Rei looked up to him, her deadpan expression taking him by the throat.
"I will not be a puppet for you to control." She said softly, taking Adam for herself. With a horrific squelch Gendo's arm was subsumed into Rei, his sleeve emptying up up until the half-way point of his humerus. The man growled in agony, stumbling back and lurching over as he gripped the stump of his arm with his free hand. For the first time, overt panic took over.
"Rei, why!?"
"Because I'm not like you."
========
"I want the world to go away."
"They'll all see how great I am!"
Eyes snapped open and teeth grit, each of the two pilots turning their heads towards the direction to the Eva Cage opposite them. The crew were too consumed in their fear of the alien before them and the words he spouted to notice, until a heavy CRASH! sounded from outside the control room. All heads swivelled, even Mefilas' who had not an answer for it. But as they looked forward, the cameras to the pilots' plugs had gone out.
"Hmm? That's not quite right." Mefilas rose up to the screen, his form perfectly still in the air as his blue eyes dug deep into the oddity that faced him. Perhaps it worked after all? Fuyutski placed a hand on the bridge of his nose and another on the guard railing, from this picking up a deep rumbling and tremor. The metal began to shake, in bursts, as if massive footsteps were booming... and getting closer.
"The Evas..." He whispered.
"Are active!" Hyuga and Aoba said in unison, drawing Mefilas's attention back to the crowd of technicians.
"Not likely. The electrical current must have short-circuited the Evas and thus their readings rose without pause." Mefilas laughed, mostly to himself. "See how silly you sound now? Humans like you are so irrational, always hoping for-"
The walls bust open into a spray of debris as two titanic figures collided with balled hands and ear-piercing shrieks of metal parts moving. Mefilas like a fly was swatted from the air by the unaware swing of a long, lanky arm with coated in green armour that faintly glowed, slamming against the back wall and slumping him where Fuyutski stood. The hulking humanoids wrestled through the room, the tiny people watching them not at all of their concern, as each movement of their massive bodies tore up more of the room.
Unit-01, piloted by the wrathful Shinji, was now pinned underneath Unit-02, whose German pilot aimed for the throat and attempted to crush it between the machine's hands. Shinji battered her side with punches, only momentarily wrenching his foe, but it wasn't until he cocked his legs and pushed upwards against the scarlet Eva's stomach was it dislodged. And just like that, Unit-02 was sent through the ceiling, collapsing it inward as Shinji followed suit, leaping beyond sight of the NERV staff and leaving a bellowing rumble in his wake.
The technicians raised the heads they'd hidden as the brawl made it's debut, a feeling of shock ravaging the totalled center. Mefilas was knocked into a daze by being slammed against the wall and his vision blurred, but when his senses were regained a new attitude dawned on him. It was truly going to shit.
"Damn you! Damn you all to hell!" Mefilas pointed at the humans below him as he shouted with a hint of panic. The voice in his head screeched of doubt, 'no, no, no!', but his tongue shot those around him. "You are all doomed! I win! I will win!" He spun around with ferocity in his eyes, bounding up to the older man and planting his finger forcefully against his chest. "I'm going to fetch Ikari. It is very much apparent that our plan has been derailed." Mefilas couldn't stand the fact that the weight of the world was on his shoulders now. "I'm taking matters into my own hands."
========
Rei's stump of an arm exploded forth bulbous growths of flesh, bubbling and twisting around until the churning bone, muscle and tissue settled on the form of a new arm. Taken from Gendo's own. She continued to eye the man in front of her, once stoic and cold-hearted, now grovelling before her and begging for mercy. She didn't know what to think. She didn't exact hold true contempt nor disdain, but Rei was very clear to herself that this man was not to be helped. The pale girl with blue hair let his cries fall on deaf ears, instead focusing back on the body of the woman floating in the LCL. There was still a light coming from it that humans couldn't perceive, she must speak to it.
Only a few metres away materialised the wicked Mefilas, who in trepidation frantically looked around for Gendo, expecting him to stand tall, only to find him on the floor, pleading for his dream to come true. He was grovelling at the feet of a young one.
"Rei, please!" Her eyes were affixed to his face, corroded after years of evil and now falling apart as his plan crumbled to dust. Mefilas, even though he'd never describe himself as a friend of Ikari's, was slightly disturbed by it. For all he'd observed Ikari to be, a stoic and stone-faced man who would not bend a knee to anyone, the notion of crying out for mercies from a girl that couldn't even recognise her nakedness and filth slightly disturbed him.
"How the mighty have fallen, Ikari." Mefilas regained his composure for the sake of his reputation, and coyly applauded. "Come, we must leave. We can still win this, another day."
"No!" Gendo wept, his eyes caught between Mefilas and Rei, who visited Mefilas with her inscrutable face as well. "Rei, please listen to me, I beg of you!" She remained silent, that fact hastily whittling down what little patience was left in Mefilas.
"Brat! Listen to your superior!" Mefilas gripped his wrist and shot it up, swirling bolts of blue electricity wrapping around his arm before discharging towards Rei with blistering speed. Both Rei and Mefilas were bathed in flashes of orange, as what would have certainly been a fatal blow was harmlessly quelled right before the girl's face as a flashing pattern of octagonal shapes blocked the bolts. With all their might, the hot teeth of the electric current could not bite through. Her A.T. Field was unconquerable, something that made Mefilas growl in defeat as the crackling bolts fizzled out. Her passive show of power did not bring her any joy, as her interest was still firmly in the woman's corpse. "Little pest. Come on, Ikari, we're leaving now."
Mefilas yanked up Gendo by the shoulder, the man still clinging to the hope that Rei, the clone of his beloved wife, would show some reason. The last thing he saw before he was teleported away in the grasp of his co-conspirator was, again, the deadpan look of the girl that took not only his arm, but his dream. Instrumentality would not be his. A blip and they were gone, probably somewhere far away, Rei thought. She could search for them, and instantaneously knew where they were. On the surface. There, Ikari and that interloper wouldn't interfere anymore. Rei's... no, that's not who she was. There was no point in gaslighting herself. Lilith's destiny was at hand. But first...
Rei lifted gently from the ground, and the girl glided through the air with a slow pace. Soon she was completely over the still sea of LCL, and peered down at the floating woman below her. Memories from her past life gave the woman a name, but the light that guarded the heart wasn't of the woman. Rei couldn't feel much life from the woman, but what little was left was in the embrace of the light.
"What are you?" She whispered. The woman's face was deathly, eyes wide open and mouth firmly shut. But a voice came from her.
"I am Ultraman Mebius." The Ultra held tightly onto Misato's slowly waning life-force with all his might as he spoke.
"You're not from this planet." For a moment she gazed down at her own hand, as though disgusted at the mere fact she could regenerate herself. "You're like me." Mebius looked into the girl's eyes and saw confusion and great pain. Her nature became apparent to him, and her purpose soon after.
"Why are you here, Ultraman Mebius?"
"I love this planet and it's people, with all my heart." Rei wished she could understand.
"Ikari told me about giants. Why is it you cling to her body..." She motioned for Misato, "...when you can fight?"
"Misato would die if I left her body, Lilith. I would never forgive myself if I let a human die." She didn't quite know how to answer that, and just stared blankly. "I love her, and I'll give my own life to protect her." Rei looked at Misato's body, then her face.
"Do you know what I must do?"
"Yes, I do. Third Impact sounds terrifying. Do you want to do it?" She never really thought of it before, but the answer came quickly.
"It's not Rei's choice to make. Lilith must enact what it was created to do. Shinji Ikari needs me, so I will entrust him with Instrumentality."
"I want to help him too, as does my host. That is why she laid down her life, not only for him, but for everyone. That is also why I cannot let you enact Human Instrumentality. No matter how bad life is, it is worth living and I will protect it with all my being. If Shinji were to give in, it would end everything." Mebius could feel Misato's energy fade faster, and his words grew more frantic but at the same time, heartier. "Please Lilith, let me show you we can do it. If we fail, there is nothing I'll do to stop you." Rei pondered it for a second, before nodding.
"I don't understand you, but very well. I will restore Misato's life, and I will let you attempt to resolve this without Third Impact. But let it be known, Mebius, I will reunite my two parts." She turned her head to the giant upon the cross, warning the Ultra as her voice turned cold. "I will hold you to your words. Shinji needs me." Rei could see for the first time past Misato's body in a moment of clarity, and the sleek silver visage of Ultraman Mebius nuzzling a glowing orb of energy into his chest appeared. The two shared a nod, before Rei raised her arm and opened her hand.
"Thank you, Lilith." Mebius offered the life force of his host, the small iridescent ball of energy hovering into the palm of the young girl where it rested. Clasping her hands around it and concentrating her energy, Rei's infused the spirit with a fraction of her own, an inconceivably minuscule amount to the god in human form, but enough to completely revitalise Misato. The sphere glistened, shooting straight back into Misato's chest. Her essence force surged throughout her body and filled her completely with life! The woman's form rose from the LCL, still as she she did so, and her body was coated with shimmering golden light that swayed her clothes and hair. Mebius's extreme exertion of his own energy he needed to protect Misato imbued her whole body with light and cast it into something beautiful and powerful.
"Open your eyes, Misato Katsuragi!"
========
"We'll never give up on our love!"
"We have the strength to wipe away our tears!"
"We will shape the future, for all mankind!"
"Shinji, I'm coming!"
========
The gigantic robots' blows sent each other careening into metal walls and tore the NERV HQ to shreds. Slowly battling upwards, Shinji and Asuka were through barriers and levels and crushed them all under the massive weight of the Evangelions. Fury overtook them both as they did so, the strikes coming so quickly that breaths had to be drawn hastily and eyes constantly flickered around their sockets to track the oncoming onslaughts.
Shinji, overcome with a one-track mind of rage and indiscriminately lashing out towards his scarlet foe, had to be drawn to the surface. Asuka, even in this state of despair and ire, knew she had a much greater chance of victory on the surface, as as time ticked backwards from five minutes, she needed everything to be in her court. Luckily for her, they were reaching the outer layers.
Seizing the moment to do so, Unit-02 turned and leapt towards the wall, curling in it's legs and arms to form a ball, successfully smashing through it and, to Asuka's surprise, unleashing a terrible gushing flow of water in! The stream bashed against Unit-01 behind her, the purple and green Eva shielding itself with it's arms as the pressure of the flood ripped the metal sheet of the base's most exterior layer further apart. Asuka had dove into the HQ's water supply, resting in an inverted pyramid on the GeoFront's forested top, and now swam up with monumental effort to break the water's surface and stand on firm ground. Unit-01 and Shinji weren't far behind, only just separated enough from Asuka that her heel was barely escaping his grasp.
Asuka rolled to her feet as she struck a battle stance, masses of water falling like rivers from the gaps in 02's scarlet armour. Its fists balled as a purple hand erupted from the slowly plunging water, and behind it the hulking behemoth 01 was pulled up. Neither had umbilical cords attached, they'd been torn off the moment the Evangelions bolted from their launch positions, so both pilots knew their time was short, but just long enough to end the other. Weapons were out of the question too, save for the Prog-Knives stored in their shoulder pylons. The two Evas circled each other as their speakers crackled to life, muffled voices becoming clear as they rang out dripping with spite.
"I always knew you'd turn heel, Shinji! Such is the life of a whiny brat!" Her Eva reached over it's back, the structure on it's shoulder giving way to hand her a large boxcutter. Within the plug Asuka's face was contorted with the extremes - disgust, hatred but also joy, the joy that would come as she emancipated herself from the one that held her under his foot.
"Leave... me... alone!" Shinji pushed down on the internal controls, his mind lunging 01 forward and clasping its hands onto 02's shoulders, a knee to the chest staggering Asuka backwards as she yelled in her cockpit, replying with a hefty left hook to the bestial face of Unit-01. The Prog-Knife she held buzzed as a pink hue formed around its blade - the blade was vibrating at such a high frequency a mere graze could sever an Evangelion's arm - signalling her to thrust it forward into the heart of Shinji's Eva. The purple giant weaved out of the way as 02's arm flew right by, allowing Shinji to grapple the red Eva's waist and tackle it to the ground.
The forest floor was ground into nothing as the titans wrestled on the ground, dirt flying into the air and trees turning into explosions of splinters. The Prog-Knife scraped against the ground and slipped against the trees that weren't overturned by the weight of the Evangelions, cutting them in two faster than what Asuka or Shinji could perceive as they struggled to gain an advantage over the other. 02 was now atop 01, both hands gripping onto the knife as Asuka motioned its arms downward towards the chest of Shinji's Eva, only stopped as the boy held her at bay with both arms. The two locked eyes, not only the glowing lights that protruded from the Evangelions' inhuman faces, it seemed as if their vision penetrated through and actually saw each other.
"My life is a living hell, so give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't kill you!" Asuka snarled and her pupils constricted, forcing the controls down with all her might, the Prog-Knife drawing ever closer to the "mecha" that Shinji piloted. The bio-mech growled as it flexed it's muscles and armour shifted.
"I can't... and I won't! I won't answer to you, or anyone!" 01 let go, letting the Prog-Knife surge towards it with just enough time to activate its A.T. Field. The barrier rang out its reverberating cry as the knife was stopped in its tracks. Now given time to attack free of threat, Shinji wrapped his mech's arms around 02's neck and pulled it in close, threatening to snap its spinal chord as 01's purple hands clutched the head of Asuka's mech.
"Get off of me!" Asuka warred against Shinji's bearhug, through much energy and effort able to reposition her Eva so its right shoulder pylon was aimed directly at 01's face. The structure split open and revealed seven barrels. Shinji could just barely register what was about to happen, and let go of 02 right before a barrage of large metal spikes the size of freight trucks flew towards him. The needles speared into the ground in quick succession, just nearly bayonetting Shinji's Eva through the chest and head. The purple giant bounded to its feet and Asuka followed suit, and she screamed, exasperated. She lost her knife, and scrounging around for it only found her a hilt with a shattered blade. Her weapons were exhausted, and Shinji had seemed to have grown more resourceful and even vicious.
Something deep grumbled within the soul of the Evangelion, a hand reaching out for its pilot. It spoke delicately, each word predicated solely on Shinji's heart.
"I'm listening, Shinji. Take my hand. Allow me to help you."
"Mother?"
"Nothing is more dangerous than a mother protecting her children." Yui's voice echoed and boomed, switching between inflections that were calming and then filled with fury. "Do not think I have come to spread peace between you and the world, for their wrongs the sword is the only just answer." Her intention was clear, and a terrifying truth faced Shinji, and thus presented two options. He could lay down his arms and reject what his mother offered him, but that would only hurt him more, even if others would be safe. Asuka, Misato, his father, his friends, all those at NERV flashed before him, and dread piled itself upon him. He'd already come too far, and if the world was wiped clean, Shinji wouldn't have to worry. The choice was clear, it made his stomach turn, but it was clear nonetheless.
"Make it all go away, mom."
"My precious boy, I'll serve you until the end of time."
========
Broken sirens blared their distorted songs as the HQ was reduced to rubble and tatters. There was no hope in scrambling to save it, as the world around the men and women who were inside had been shattered. Their Commander, the man they were supposed to look up to, had betrayed them and was gunning for the very thing they swore to prevent. Gendo Ikari spat in their faces. Clamour engulfed the room as they tried desperately to come up with plans to escape, to live. If that alien - something so outlandish that his mere existence spun them, only tainted with immense disdain as the alien was the chief orchestrator for all the tragedies that befell NERV within the last week - was to be trusted, then their deaths would come swiftly like a thief in the night. 'Very soon' were the words.
They didn't know what would befall them, or when, or how, and thoughts along those lines whipped up fits of uncontrollable shaking, crying and even vomit from weak stomachs. But from the black despair, in the middle of the decaying room, a bright light erupted from nothing, shimmering with glorious rays and splashing itself against the worn faces of NERV's staff, and from within it a humanoid form could be viewed. Fuyutski, shielding his face, instantly knew what it was. Could it be him? Fuyutski's face fell as the light faded away into the room, and a horned figure made himself seen. It was not, but the men and women in the room knew who it was, but not enough to know why. NERV's technicians fell silent, awestruck and only interspersed with guarded murmurs and whispers. The being had not even yet spoken when a soft, but crushed mumble caught his attention.
"We've already lost. We're all going to die, what use is it to come for us, giant?" Maya held a handkerchief close to her mouth, it was stained with vomit, her wavering voice compounding on that. Never before had she looked so ill, even after a notorious reputation of being weak-stomached. She was completely pale, breathless and meekly grabbing onto her chair. The room maintained it's stillness as Hikari instinctively turned to his heart.
"Why have you given up? Has the enemy subdued all your hope?" The Ultra descended towards the ground, "You're just going to surrender the lives of not only yourselves, but the whole world, just like that?"
"Third Impact will kill us all, and that's something not even you or your red friend can stop." Hyuga's lingered on what he just said, the giant that defeated SEELE's army had appeared and the first contact between them was a hostile rejection. He backtracked upon realising this and stammered trying. "I'm sorry, but it's just one of those things we can't help. Besides, what were we supposed to do? That 'Mefilas' guy would have killed us."
"Mefilas... Of course that agent of evil would squirm his way into this troubled world." Hikari paused for a moment, before looking over to Maya and Aoba. Their sorrow was written plainly over their faces, and Hikari knew that time was running short. They didn't trust him at the moment, but he knew their hearts just had to be unleashed. "What are your professions?" The bridge trio gazed over the few people left in the building, who stared back with tired faces.
"We're technicians and scientists. We're all brains, so I guess that means we won't be much use anymore, if you're just gonna go out to fight the Evas." Aoba's comment made Hikari chuckle. The Ultra placed his hand on the man's shoulder, prompting him to ask. "What?"
"You know, I was told I can't fight once. May I?" Hikari gestured to take a seat, to which Aoba gingerly obliged, and then began typing at his computer. "I'm a nerd too, y'know. Chief of the Space Science Technology Bureau of Nebula M78." Despite being completely foreign to him, Hikari flickered through various tabs and data sets with blistering speed, and all of the information stored on it became friendly. "Don't let anyone ever tell you scientists and technicians can't be useful under stress like this." Maya, Aoba, Hyuga and even Fuyutski from afar were all impressed, but Hikari struggled to find anything too useful. The MAGI blocked any further advance. "Well, it seems to me that the Synchronisation Rates of the Evangelions caused them to uproot all restraints. Is this a common occurrence?"
"No." The husky Fuyutski called down, drawing Hikari's eyes to him. The guilt coming from that man was palpable, but that could be settled later. "I don't suppose you would know how to end this aberration, would you?" He asked incredulously.
"We don't have much options left. No interferences against their systems can be made due to the sheer intensity at which the units are operating at, which leaves us with the option of waiting their brawl out." Hikari pulled away from the computer, stroking his chin as he noticed that a very big someone was unaccounted for. Not Mefilas or Gendo Ikari, he knew well enough where they were, but someone a bit more vital to the mission. Where was Mebius? He could wait for his partner, but that would endanger the lives of these humans, which were the utmost priority. His young ally is one of the most capable warriors he knew, so Hikari decided to bite the bullet. The building wasn't safe any longer.
"I know what it's like to lose all hope, to have the whole world seemingly beat down on my shoulders, and what it's like to have the heart shrouded in darkness and pain. You may be filled with sorrow, anger or any sort of negative feelings, and I don't hold that against you for a second, but you mustn't be consumed by them. To do so is to embrace defeat and to let the world down. If you love your friends, your families, your whole planet, I urge you to fight on! That doesn't mean going outside and battling those who wronged you, but it means you're willing to rebuke evil! So please, do not give up, and do not let a few men's failures be the final words in the books of your lives!"
A man punched into the air with a holler, beginning a wave of fervour that washed over many of the men and women in the room. Fuyutski sighed holding the bridge of his nose. Ikari's plan had been so far derailed under his own supervision, which only meant that Ikari's own part to play went swimmingly. Fuyutski mulled over sarcastically as his subordinates were roused into action, their lethargic terror replaced by renewed liveliness. Hyuga and Aoba, moved just as much as their comrades, hyped each other up as they rattled off various plans and insults at their leader's and Mefilas's expense. Even Maya, wiping away her tears and cleaning up her dishevelled appearance, nodded at Hikari.
The blue Ultraman flashed his Knight Brace, and began to rapidly fill out the chamber with his growing size. Extending a palm out to the tiny technicians before him, Hikari could be assured that no one else had to die today. "Right then, let's get to work."
========
A.T. Fields roared as the two Evas clashed together, locked tightly in a seemingly futile contest of strength. The advantage constantly flipped, and neither pilot could maintain that advantage for too long before they were on the defensive again. The countdown towards power-down was moving faster than either pilot liked, but to Asuka it was unknowingly a two-fold issue. She had the fire and ferocity to push Shinji and 01 to their absolute limits, but there was no greater power that could push even further. Sure, inside 02 was the soul of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, her own mother, but Asuka could never break beyond the barrier between the physical world and that within the Evangelion like Shinji could.
Even so, Asuka didn't pay any mind. The scarlet Eva leapt through the air, hoisting its arms over its head and coupling its fists together, slamming them forward towards Unit-01's head. The purple Eva jerked as the blow rippled through it's body, Asuka using the moment to seize Shinji's bio-mech by the waist in an attempt to tackle it to the ground. The boy let out blood-curdling screeches with every hit he took, using it to fuel the compiling rage that mustered within him, answering the Eva attacking him with an elbow to the jaw. 02 shuddered, feet digging into the ground as 01 started battering it with every part of the Eva he could use, punches and kicks coming like bomb blasts that knocked Asuka around. Shinji let loose a howl of wrath as he motioned for the lavender giant to plunge its knee into 02's stomach, causing it to double over and crumple to the ground, the girl inside its plug wheezing with eyes full of contempt.
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO ME!" Asuka screamed savagely, all of her iron-will allowing her Eva to rip through the air with a bounding dash. Shinji could barely catch Asuka in his sight before her massive weapon came down on him primed to tear apart the robot until his small body was in its grasp. Unit-01 raised it's hands to bring the concentric flashing octagons of the A.T. Field back to life, but his effort was too late as he was pained to find out, a shout of agony bouncing around his plug as both Evas toppled over in a heap. But Asuka's reactions were sharp, using the moment of confusion and pain to tear into Unit-01's shoulder pylon, settling her hands around Shinji's bowie-shaped Prog-Knife. Her face quivered from sheer rage and determination into a perverse joy that when she spoke almost trailed into a deranged laugh.
"NEVER... AGAIN... WILL I BOW TO YOU!"
Unit-02 without hesitation began to gore 01 with a series of quick, but imprecise jabs of the Prog-Knife. Made for cutting, it wasn't the most effective stabbing tool, but that didn't matter much to the fervent Asuka. Shinji's Eva twisted with pain after every puncture, and the boy inside cried out in excruciating pain for mercy, but not from his foe. The ghost in the robot opened it's eyes, and its breath unleashed an A.T. Field more powerful than anything Asuka had faced. Its mere activation launched the scarlet Eva back, knife thrown from its grip, and the hulking frame skidding through the dirt and dug a trench where it laid. The concentric octagons faded into nothing as the humanoid shape of the Eva deformed into something far more primitive, animalistic.
A terrible crack rang out from its skull, the jaw forced shut dropping open, revealing white teeth like marble stone. Beady glowing eyes bulged from it's armoured helmet and the rest of it's plating shifted as it made way for rippling flesh forming muscles. It couldn't help but hunch over. The giant "robot" grumbled in low breaths for a moment, as if taking in the world around it for the first time in a long time, before unleashing a horrifying, guttural cry. The Evangelion had gone berserk.
Asuka's stomach twinged as fear returned to her face. "You truly are going to kill me, aren't you Ikari?" The berserk 01 snapped it's head towards 02, dropping to all fours. Every movement it made brought out beastly pants and gurgles, unsettling not just Asuka, but seemingly the world around it. The GeoFront went silent, for just a split second, before the thunderous stomping of the untamed Evangelion sounded as it bolted towards 02 with jaws poised to clamp around the girl's throat. The German lurched to the side and snatched the twenty-foot Bowie Knife from the ground, and with a heart enraptured by fury, charged forward in turn.
"I'll just have to take you down with me, BRAT!" The world turned red around her, and all she could see was the boy in front of her. His pathetic face.
"Asuka... LEAVE ME ALONE!" No longer in control, Shinji left fate to the hands of his Evangelion, who was now at the behest of his mother's will. And his mother ached for her boy to be free from pain.
The two giants collided, the force sending a shockwave that stripped what little trees were left of their leaves and branches. As Asuka looked on the deranged 01 she only saw the titanic form of Shinji Ikari. The purple Eva was much stronger, imbued with energy beyond reason for a creation of man and able to throw 02 around as it pleased, but in the haze of its attack it didn't see the Prog-Knife flying towards it as fast as the arm of 02 could muster. Vibrating with a pink glow, the blade sliced straight through the fleshy arm of 01. The hulking, and strangely human, arm smashed against the ground and twitched, its owner not wasting any time to let out an ear-piercing shriek. Asuka smiled, flipping the knife around to a reverse grip, and tried to plunge it straight into Unit-01's core.
No A.T. Field stopped it, the knife at first bounced off the orb which would usually be a cause for frustration, but here it meant she could actually win. Asuka hastily stabbed again, and when the knife stopped on impact and jerked a little, it was clear it had made a mark and the tip had punctured, even if by a little. All she had to do was drive it forward. The beastly purple Eva recoiled in pain, teeth chomping as it tried to tear off Unit-02's face, only to be held at bay by Asuka's free hand.
"Yes!" Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. She had become so warped by hate that she was cheering for the murder of what she may have a few months ago considered a friend. "C'mon, just die already!" The knife slid in a little further, bit by bit, edging closer to the heart of the Eva, every heart beat pumping her whole body full of adrenaline and confidence. This was it, the day she would become that knight in shining scarlet armour, the day where she would slay the beast and finally, deservedly, become the hero of the world. Until she was locked up.
Her Eva went quiet, then dark. The sensation, the rush of overwhelming joy, anger and satisfaction all were snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Asuka looked around here, she saw nothing, only the cold blackness of the inside of the Entry Plug. She'd... she'd lost! The timer had run out! No! No!
"Fuck! No! Fucking damn it! Move!" Her voice quaked with a mix of fear and anger, and her head shot in every direction. Convulsions took over her body as she began to shake uncontrollably. On the outside, Unit-02 fell limp, barely strong enough to stand without the support apparatus of the Eva Cage. The berserk Unit-01 fell back from the hold it was in, and if it could grin, it would be the most horrifying sight ever seen within the dome of NERV's stronghold. Asuka could hear muffled groans and the crushing of soil beneath the feet of 01, who stood upright, although hunched. It was only now that she realised her error, and she desperately tried to appeal to the monster. "No, please! Shinji! Shinji! Don't kill me, please! I don't want to die!"
Shinji couldn't hear her, as he was in a warm embrace. He couldn't even see 02, instead all he saw was a woman, youthful but also motherly, wearing a purple sweater and a stark white lab coat over it. Her face was soft, it reminded him of Ayanami. For it was his mother's Yui Ikari. She held him, whispering comforts in her ear, keeping her son's head nested in her shoulder. At the same time, it was her in the pilot's seat. She had full control of Evangelion Unit-01, and was now using it to complete what she always knew was her destiny.
"She won't hurt you anymore, so don't think about her, Shinji."
"Okay... mom." The boy smiling as he said so, a warm love enrapturing him.
Yui ceased the roaring, and simply thrusted her arm out and gripped tightly around the neck of 02. The fools that engineered these things made it so that the Sync Rate wouldn't disappear immediately after de-activation, and as long as the LCL was in the plug, the pilot would still feel what the Eva felt. That made it all the more easy for Yui to ease her son's mind. Unit-01 squeezed its fist shut, the throat of 02 instantly pulverised, which shot a message to the pilot inside. All of a sudden, Asuka felt her windpipe crushed in an instant, spinal chord turned to dust. The Sync Rate was so strong that injury to the Eva translated directly to an injury for the pilot, or in this case, something far graver.
Asuka's eyes widened and her body seized up. All thoughts in her head stopped and she could only register the most very basic things. I can't breathe. She thought. I can't move. Her eyes drifted down at her limp body, it already began to slump over in the seat. Asuka's consciousness slipped into the milky void as Unit-02 tipped over onto the ground, the earth quaking. Anger, sadness, betrayal, hate, envy, pride, panic were all too exhaustive for her final thoughts. Disappointment was the last thing that ran in her mind. Disappointment not that her life came to an end so abruptly and unceremoniously, but that she couldn't even be bothered to muster up anything meaningful as she died. So... I guess I'll just die then. I thought it would be better than this.
Unit-01's head turned away from its kill, leaving it with nothing more than a demeaning glance. Now that that was finished, Yui set her sights once again on her ultimate goal, one unbeknownst to her son. The Eva stopped its primal grumbles, and resumed a humanoid stance, straightening its back as once paw-like hands balled with resolve. The Evangelion's glowing green accents faded and were recast in a bright red, shining even brighter than before. Milky eyes too changed into that colour, just before the fleshy stump of 01's arm rumbled with growth. Flesh did not grow were it was removed, instead a small beam of white light jutting out from exposed bone. It extended the length of the Eva's arm, before the small spiral shot off octagonal rings and the light transmogrified into the shape of an arm.
"Mom, what's happening?" Shinji still had some awareness of what was going on, even if that was heavily hampered by his mother's unwillingness to let up the cloak she draped over the situation.
"There is much power within the Eva that cannot be fully understood, not by a regular human." From above 01's head there cried an angelic choir, heralding an expanding white halo. A god had awoken on Earth. Shinji could see the same halo hover over his own mother's head too. "Perhaps in this world bound by space and time, the Evangelion can not reach such heights, but from the imagination within Minus Space, we can become what we were meant to be. Immortal." Yui shot the Eva's head up to the sky, and a faint shape glimmered far out in space. Its form wasn't visible, but there could only be one answer as to what it was, the dreaded weapon placed upon this planet billions of years ago. The Spear of Longinus.
Yui knew that Third Impact, and thereafter Human Instrumentality was nigh, and of the highest importance. She couldn't risk it going any other way separate than what she'd dreamt of all those years she lived - and all those she'd been dead. With her in complete control. That meant that the Seeds needed to be neutralised, in particular, the matter of her "clone". Rei Ayanami, or Lilith as she truly was, needed to be destroyed. And only the spear could accomplish such a feat... but to get into space was a whole other matter. But not beyond the abilities of the Awakened Eva Unit-01.
Yui with the ease of flicking a wrist discharged an A.T. Field to the Unit's back, but instead of its usual image of a shield, the woman bent and moulded the field into sharp, blade-like shapes. By drawing vast quantities of energy from seemingly nothing, Yui sent A.T. Field into overdrive and formed a manifest set of wings. Titanic feet lifted from the ground, and the lustrous monolith ascended towards space. Yui was intent playing God as she saw fit, and she would not be interdicted.
Prying eyes looked on from afar, hidden away on the shore that straddled the lake within the GeoFront. Mefilas hadn't yet resigned himself to failure, but the feeling was encroaching. Watching the Eva disappear into the clouds made the alien realise that there are some things that even he, the greatest mastermind in the cosmos, could not control. His partner still gripped onto his armless sleeve with a face that only read defeat.
"So, what's next, Ikari?" Mefilas prodded, the man replying first with a cold glare.
"We are her mercy now. She will kill the living deity and ascend to full godhood, and her first decree will be the annihilation of the body and unification of the spirit." Gendo was always very matter-of-fact with everything he said, and this tone only made it ring truer for the typically skeptical alien. Even if he admittedly didn't quite get it all.
"Her?" Mefilas pressed abruptly. "Isn't that your son's robot?"
"My wife, the only thing I've ever shown a modicum of care for in this world, is inside the Eva. She is the Eva, and now she holds power over all of us."
"Ah. Very well then." Gendo made it clear that not much could be done, but that wouldn't stop Mefilas. "Is there anything we can do to salvage such an... undesirable situation?"
"There is no need. You will get your sought-after prize. There will be no reason for the God-Eva who has subsumed all of humanity into itself to stay on a barren, lifeless Earth."
"What!?" The alien roared.
"All life on this planet will be gone, not just humanity. The animals and plants will cease to be, and even the form of the world will change. The sea will turn to LCL and-"
"You're telling me I co-signed the destruction of such a beautiful planet? You...!" Mefilas considered the thought of incinerating Gendo where he stood, instead taking it out on some foliage to his side. The blast rippled past them as Mefilas turned his anger upon the Commander further. "How could I have been so foolish? To trust a human is to lead yourself into failure, I know that now. But even in this realisation, Gendo Ikari, I have no power to reverse my actions! It's too late, isn't it?" Gendo remained silent, one final insult to Mefilas. "Fine, have it your way. I have no business with you, or this planet."
"It's about time you understood that, Mefilas." A chastising voice hit his back, prompting the black alien to turn around and look upon Ultraman Hikari. No disguises shielded Mefilas from the reality that, yes, members of the Space Garrison were truly confronting him. A shiver rattled through his body as his tone shifted in an instant, almost apologetic.
"U-Ultraman! Hikari, r-right? I've heard so much about you!" Mefilas backed up in an effort to look as unintimidating as possible, stammering over attempts to appeal to the blue warrior. "What can I do for you? Want to sit and talk? I-I'd love to just talk it out, come, we'll just have a nice chat to smoothen things out, right?" One extraterrestrial knew in his heart of hearts that this was a vain attempt whilst the other didn't care much for it.
"Spare me the tears, Mefilas, I'm not here for you." A relieved huff escaped Mefilas as Hikari instead set his eyes on Gendo. "Do you understand what you've set in motion, Ikari? All that you have done is culminating now in an apocalypse."
"Do you intend to punish me, alien? What use will it be now, hm?" Gendo's words were like sharp ice.
"Punishing humans is not something that is in our jurisdiction nor in our interest. We'll leave that to your people." From behind Hikari emerged the scornful faces of the three Lieutenants, each filled with deep-set hatred aimed solely at the man they once called Commander. Eyes pierced like daggers, but in his disconnection from others, it didn't seem to bother him. And from behind them was Fuyutski who offered nothing but mournful glances. "I have asked that they do their best to withhold their anger towards you until the crisis is over."
"You can not win, Ultraman Hikari. Yui wields power that far succeeds your own, and she will not listen to your speeches about morality. Her vision is set in stone, and now, she has to complete it for the sake of the one that means the most to her. The boy has no reason to reject Third Impact, he is finally in the embrace of someone who loves him." Gendo looked solemnly at the ground, melancholy washing over him. Perhaps things could have been different. Why was it now that he feel guilt?
"I love him, too." Beckoned a voice. All eyes were drawn to a figure obscured by the glint of the artificial sun's light against the lake, almost heavenly in the way she was backlit. No one could believe it, it was Misato Katsuragi! "And I'm going to let him know that, even if it kills me." Mefilas stirred in displeasure with the rest of the group struck by awe in some way, Maya, Hyuga and Aoba even sweeping her up in a teary hug. Her survival... he should have known better. Ultraman when faced with malice does not budge. Oh well, he thought, this was their problem now.
"I'm truly sorry but I cannot stay any longer, ladies and gentlemen. I must hasten my departure from this world, it's forecast to become inhospitable, and I was promised a lush planet." Mefilas rose from the ground, careful to avoid eye contact with Mebius. "Humans, Ultras, farewell!" He waved insincerely as his body melted into the air, leaving the group with a raucous cackle. Gendo sighed, shooting Fuyutski a glance. His old mentor knew as well as he did that things hadn't exactly gone their way, and as it seemed, Yui showed no concern for them.
Misato had every reason to be overcome with rage at that very moment, but all that mattered at that moment was stopping Third Impact and the subsequent Human Instrumentality. Gendo Ikari, the enemy he was, could be dealt with later. He no longer posed any threat. Hikari nodded to her, the thoughts running through her head speaking to him as she spoke to Mebius, whose approval was also felt within.
She'd already seen Eva Unit-02 collapsed on the ground, and assumed the worst had happened to Asuka. There wasn't anything she nor Mebius could do now, his life was already tied to hers. Failure tried to crush down on her, but the battle ahead and the faith in victory pushed it back. I won't let her loss be in vain. I won't fail Shinji like I did her! "What's going to happen now?" Misato questioned, folding her arms.
"Evangelion Unit-01 has achieved a state of being that we did not consider possible. It has attained what's comparable to godhood." Gendo looked to the sky, the hole in the ceiling still allowing a view of the now incredibly small Unit-01 in the distance. The monstrous glowing wings made it far easier to spot. "It won't be long until Yui returns with the Spear of Longinus. She intends to use it to kill Lilith, and then start the Third Impact herself."
"Then it looks like we'll be running defence, Hikari!" The woman smirked. What should be a terrifying prospect didn't faze her at all. Gendo, still gripping onto where his arm used to be, continued with the details. It was as if he were assigning a pair of aliens to the defence of Tokyo-3. How in hindsight they could have been useful.
"The Fruit of Knowledge has come into contact with the Fruit of Life. Lilith too can trigger Third Impact whenever it pleases. It's not a winning-"
Misato cut him off. "I've already made a pact with Rei. She's promised to see out my attempt. She cares ultimately for Shinji, and if I can save him, nothing will have to happen." Gendo pushed his glasses up, a snort of disbelief almost escaping his nose.
"Well then, Katsuragi, Mebius and Hikari, I wish you luck. Today you will have to confront two living gods. One filled with a terrible anger whilst the other a bomb waiting to explode and kill us all." Gendo hoped deep down that Mebius and Hikari would be successful in quelling his long-gone wife, but the chances weren't promising, especially since Lilith was also set to fulfil its natural duty. 'Rei Ayanami' and whatever personal convictions she had could only hold Lilith's mission at bay for so long. These and similar thoughts only populated the minds of the small group until a silhouette, adorned with iridescent wings and holding a long weapon, came down from the sky. Clouds churned above with darkness descending. Winds kicked up from nowhere as the mere presence of the demiurge before them erupted calamity.
"Godspeed Major." Fuyutski shielded his face from the blistering winds, the Lieutenants behind them sharing a nod. Misato latched onto the cross around her neck, feeling it over with his thumb. She had to do this. She reciprocated, and thus Hikari and her moved out away from the group who retreated to the safety of the tree cover. Hikari's human sized form became shining dust as he appeared some distance away full sized.
"This is the final battle, Misato. For all who call this planet home." Mebius built up the power inside Misato, light pulsating through her veins.
"We won't let them down!" Misato pictured all their faces. Toji, Hikari, Kensuke, Maya, Hyuga, Aoba, Fuyutski, Shinji, the whole world counted on her. It pained her heart that it meant Gendo as well, but that's what came with the spirit of an Ultra. He would not be forsaken either. No one would be forsaken today! A glow came from within, a bright indomitable light came out from her chest, enrapturing Misato's body entirely as a hearty shout resounded.
"MEBIUS!"
Just as darkness was brought forth by the aberration of nature a glorious brightness swept over the GeoFront in an instant as a red and silver giant was formed in its midst. Ultraman Mebius had returned, standing on the same ground where he slew the white devils a week prior. Now, he faced down what he sought to protect in that fight. But the Ultra knew that Shinji wasn't behind those menacing red eyes and purposeful grimace. The boy's mother had turned a weapon of defence into a monster, and now that monster threatened to commit a crime of the highest order, a crime that the warriors from the Land of Light would not allow!
From this height the damage done to Asuka was all the more clear, and both giants winced. Mebius struck his famed pose as Hikari agonised over the corpse of 02 and what must have been inside. He had an idea, but it would have to wait, as the demon before them would not halt her assault, not for these interlopers in her destiny. Unit-01's boots hit the ground and immediately Yui sought out the most direct route possible - she commanded the Eva's titanic arm to pull back and then hurl the Spear forward aimed at the chest of Mebius.
The silver Ultra managed to activate his Mebium Blade in time to catch the spear, but its tips were pressing too close for comfort. He'd dealt with these spears of this form before, but this was the real one. Longinus forced itself harder and harder onto Mebius's arms, seemingly accelerating as little ridges on the shaft flapped up and down. Hikari too drew his blade, and delivering a strike to the lengthy weapon, he expected it to fall harmlessly in two pieces, but was met with a tremor riding up his arm as the Knight Beam Blade bounced off. Instead kicking it to the side, the two Ultras managed to dislodge the Spear and toss it away, to which Yui let out a growl.
They had no A.T. Fields, yet it was all the harder to penetrate. Curious. The beastly howls that emitted from the Eva's mouth started to turn into something distinctly human-esque, the Ultras able to pick up on the change whilst the onlookers couldn't. They were fighting an intelligence, a malevolent one at that. The two Ultras nodded at each other, rushing towards 01 as concurrent blade strikes rattled against Yui's immense A.T. Field. The barrier flashed with an eerie screech every time, and no amount of blows even seemed to budge the shield.
The Evangelion bellowed darkly before its eyes flashed like a diamond, sending Hikari flying away with beams driving into his chest. The blue warrior's body whiplashed against the pressure that struck him, and before he knew it, Hikari had already been sent straight through the pyramid of NERV HQ. It didn't stand a chance against his massive weight moving faster than he could react to. Mebius, too distracted by the insect-like manner at which Hikari was swatted away, allowed for the Eva to lunge forward and curl its ethereal arm around his neck. The glowing construct deformed into a ring of messy, yet neat in their symmetry, cubes that ebbed as they shifted size and shape, before swiftly becoming yet another weapon that launched away an Ultra.
Pleased at the show of power, the Eva ambled over towards where Hikari had landed. Yui could feel Lilith, she was still deep within the chamber of Terminal Dogma. That was very good. Shinji still was in the slumber provided by her nurture, compliant with her deeds, numb to any feeling except a droning bliss. If things went her way, it'd stay like that forever. The blue Ultra got up, the dusty rubble beneath him breaking. Power like that? From humanity's mind? Astonishing, if a little horrifying. Hikari shot a glance over to Mebius, who had dug a trench in the ground with his body, but wasn't even close to calling it quits. Mebius shrugged, as if indifferent to the attack, getting up and balling his fists.
Unit 01 hunched over, then bolted. The alarming speed gave little time for the alien heroes to recuperate, so they met the brunt with the best they could muster. The collision rang out a shockwave commanded atomic force with the three parties meeting in a struggle that was tightly locked. Yui didn't even bother to activate the Absolute Terror Field. Beating the two in a display of brute strength felt more satisfying, more befitting a being of her power, and with every passing second that line of thinking was legitimised. Mebius and Hikari were strong alone, stronger together, but even they were hard pressed to push back meaningfully. They could only let go and try something else.
Diving to the side, Mebius swiped across his brace and let loose an arrow-shaped dart, the Mebium Slash connecting with the Eva's thigh, sparking harmlessly against it. 01's eyes gave way to diamonds of light, and the beams slashed across where Mebius was standing, who just barely avoided it, causing the ground to erupt in a wall of fire. Hikari attacked again with his blade, this time plunging it into the chest of the Eva - or at least trying to. It was caught upon inception, the concentric octagonal rings stopping it in its tracks and flinging it back. The purple and red demon howled, indignantly sending an arm Hikari's way, hitting the Ultra across the face and knocking him over. Yui looked down, bored, wondering why they cared so much as to try to stop her, even in this state so clearly elevated.
It was then that the Eva felt a heavy crash against the back of its head, sending it lurching forward with a stagger, and its monstrous head snapped around with a fiery blaze. Mebius had fallen from the sky with his boot poised to cave in the metallic skull of his foe. That enraged the Evangelion, not the hit itself, but the mere act of defiance against what was soon to be the cosmic order. These pests could not distract her any longer. Yui with a shift of her hand of pure A.T., sent the two Ultras careening. Lilith was a far bigger threat to her plans anyway, and walking over to the collapsed outer structure of the HQ, the Eva's eyes glimmered radiantly again.
The beam collided with the sea of LCL down in Terminal Dogma, causing a large ball of fire to wash over the vast chamber. The swelling currents rolled unnaturally upwards, blocked from undulating any further. Rei held her A.T. Field out and the fire obeyed her wish with little effort. She recognised that the time was nigh. There was a devil waiting to snuff her out. It seemed that despite what she promised Misato, for Lilith's own survival, she had to begin. A small sigh snuck out the mouth of the blue-haired girl as she looked at the mask of the rest of her being. It stared down with its seven eyes and cratered mask. Floating up to the chest of the crucified Seed of Life, Rei closed her eyes.
"I'm coming, Ikari."
Unit 01, clutching the Spear of Longinus, huskily panted as its shining eyes searched in the hole it'd just made. Terminal Dogma was a long way down, and not visible to the naked eye from that height, but Yui could pick up on Lilith's unadulterated energy. Winding her arm up for the killing blow, Yui pondered her rival. Entrusting the fate of the entire species on some inhuman, godlike entity that was decisively removed from the experience of humanity was foolish, and she resented those who believed that would be a good idea. Her husband thought it so, but she'd long watched his errors. How human was he to reject and humiliate their own son day after day? Humanity needed to ascend to deity by themselves, not through the hands of the Fruit. Yui would do that, unimpeded by anyone. For her son, for the rest of the world.
A great white thing rose up from the bowels of the GeoFront, its ever-growing form encompassing more and more space, phasing through all objects. It only became clear to Yui what it was when it had far outgrown the already monolithic Unit-01. Staring back at Unit-01 was the face of Yui, although snow white with crimson eyes that struck her heart. She was much younger, and the woman already knew the name by which she was known. Ayanami, her husband's silly little project to fill in that void in his heart. So now Lilith weaponised her own visage against her? How pitiful. The albino humanoid only gave the Evangelion a dispassionate glance before its immense size rendered it unable to contain itself within the GeoFront. Within moments, it was already large enough for the head to breach the barrier between the blue sky and the blackness of space. Large eyes stared down with hands outstretched, and like a tree, branches of flesh forming wings, stemmed from its back. The second god awoke, its body emerging from the planet's surface, and so Lilith waited.
As the colossal Ayanami peered down and outstretched her hands, the Evangelion and Ultras felt a deep rumbling beneath their feet. Immediately recognising the event, Yui gave a gruff cry before sprouting the wings of light once more, taking off into the sky. Mebius, at this point desperate, span the orb on his brace and folded his arms into a cross, blasting his amber Mebium Shoot into the back of 01. The ray ignited harmlessly against the Eva's A.T. Field, having been mentally projected with zero thought. Hikari held his arms in position as well, but was stopped by something prodding at the back of his head. The rumbling in the ground didn't announce something within, but... outside!
The entire GeoFront shook violently as its entire outer shell expelled a thunderous explosion, pink fire swelling upwards into space as the Earth was given a fresh new wound. The fire gorged on everything it touched, rock, water and all manner of surface objects were eviscerated as the wall surged forwards in all directions. Despite the seismic assault and unstoppable fire that ate away the surface, where the Ultramen and the humans stood was safe, strangely enough. But not soon after the feeling of being thrusted upwards weighed down on all of them, as it became clear that they were moving.
"The Black Moon has begun its ascent. The crucible in which man will be melded together is coming into the hands of the progenitor." Gendo said it like everyone else understood what he meant. Only Fuyutski could claim that. There wasn't much they could do but wait, all eyes fixed on the youthful face of Lilith that beamed down at them, and the challenger that arose with the god-killing weapon in hand. And there were the two men from space, in a fix.
"We can't possibly get through its shield, it's impenetrable!" Hikari's concern was due, but Mebius wouldn't be in character if he accepted it.
"I know, I just have to think of something. The Mebium Shoot did nothing, and our blades were like the training ones we used in training."
Misato burst in. "Can't you guys use your flashy forms again? Those were way more powerful, even some "God" Eva wouldn't stand a chance."
"Burning Brave and the Armour of the Hero give us considerable power, but it wouldn't be nearly enough to penetrate that A.T. Field." Another idea bubbled to Hikari. "There is... no, it wouldn't work." Mebius knew instantly, giving Hikari a pleading look.
"Why not? We're both here, and it's the bonds that bring us together." Mebius felt deep down that something was missing from the last time they'd formed the union, and it brought on a wave of longing and reminiscing. "I know they're gone, Hikari, but it was never their physical presence that empowered us. It was the friendships we formed, the memories we made, the promise for a brighter tomorrow. GUYS will always be with us, every single one of them. And now, this Earth needs us, and with the bonds we've forged here, we'll be even stronger!" Mebius gripped onto Hikari's shoulder, giving a solemn but sure head tilt. "I promise. We won't let this world down."
Hikari played it over in his head, various scenarios switching in and out like film. He held his doubts close to his chest, but he knew he was owed to try. He knew what failure meant, and he wasn't sure if he could withstand it again, especially with a planet as precious as Earth and a species so beloved as humanity. Failure would be to reject Mebius's plea. Hikari would do it. The blue Ultra agreed to his partner, but first he pressed past the silver hero, kneeling beside the still and lifeless hulk of flesh and scarlet metal. Hikari's connection to this world was locked within the wreck of Unit-02.
========
A blue scape transformed the cold stillness of the LCL-filled entry plug into something that hugged the body and caressed the soul. Asuka snapped back into consciousness, although her range of motion only encompassed her eyes. Her throat was still eviscerated and she could not breathe, yet she did not feel it had killed her. The sensation of air moving in and out of the lungs was simply gone. The final moments of her life were shrouded with venomous hate and mental instability, but here, her mind was at total ease. Asuka looked around for a second, her inner voice a ripple throughout the ocean-like world she found herself in. Dim thoughts lit up with a flurry of feelings when a familiar figure appeared before her.
"Hikari... I'm sorry... so sorry. I failed." Asuka laid before him in total paralysis, but the sheer emotion in her words set forth a flowing gush of tears. Her voice trembled harder with each word. "You said that I was strong enough, and that if I believed in myself I would win! But... I wasn't."
"You were strong enough, but you couldn't let go of hate." Asuka normally would have raised her voice and given a seething remark, but Hikari was about the only person, if he even was one, she could trust anymore. There was compassion behind his words, something that she sorely wanted from the world. "You had forsaken what I told you, Asuka. Bonds with others give us strength."
Asuka's eyes dragged to the away from the Ultra and her voice lowered to a murmur. "So I'm done then, aren't I?" Hikari shook his head, taking a knee beside her.
"Not by a long shot. The world needs your strength Asuka, one final time. Mebius, Misato and I need your courage and tenacity. Shinji Ikari is the key by which Third Impact will be enacted, we need to make sure he has no reason to."
Asuka's stomach tied itself into a knot just thinking about it, she had been, in her mind, partially responsible for what happened with Shinji. He could end the world at any given moment because she refused to make peace with him. But now presented itself a chance to right that wrong. Hikari extended not just his hand, but a new lease of life. Who was she to deny it and bring the world ruin? Besides, she could finally become that knight that would slay the beast, and save a whiny princess while she was at it.
"Okay, Ultraman, I'll bite. But... I did die, didn't I? How can I help?"
Hikari's Knight Brace in a flash of light transferred from his arm to Asuka's. "Leave that to me."
========
Mebius and Hikari couldn't deliberate any longer. Standing side by side, the two heroes placed their gauntlets together, radiant light shining the braces but also cast from within their chests, soon their whole being. Misato looked on with determination as the energies of the two Ultras began to mesh together, infusing her with power that she couldn't begin to perceive fully. A history of friendships, hardships, battles and love rushed through her, and memories of another world screened before her eyes. The woman then understood the Ultras and why they fought.
Misato visualised herself in the golden scape, spurred on by another presence making itself known. It wasn't the light of an Ultra, but a flawed being of flesh and bone. Turning around, Misato gazed upon Asuka in her plugsuit, a regretful face worn. It seems Hikari took on a host of his own. In this world within the heart of Mebius and Hikari, everything within either of their hearts and minds made themselves known, and pain spilled out with a mere meeting of eyes between them.
"Misato, I-"
"I don't care what you did, Asuka. Shinji needs us, and the whole of humanity is counting on us to save it. Let's do that, together!"
"Okay!"
It was now or never, the fate of a world on the cusp of total calamity, now resting in the hands of women torn by incomprehensible war and aliens completely foreign to the universe in which they fight to save. And yet, despite this, understanding was reached and wouldn't be let go of. The bonds between them blossomed as the four entities merged into one, a fiery lemniscate launching out in all directions as a reverberant shout echoed throughout the rising Black Moon.
"MEBIUS!"
As the Ultras disappeared a sphere of churning and swelling fire took their place hovering above the ground, swirling colours of yellow and blue forming its size and intensity. The orb rocketed into the sky, each layer of the atmosphere witnessing the the gradual reformation of a body, a silhouette of white light within the gold and azure.
Lilith's mournful eyes pierced into the challenger's very soul. There were two behind the glowing red image of the violet devil - The perpetrator of the divine insurrection unfolding before it, the one in which Lilith's material body was molded in the image of. And the boy held captive by the abominable, sacrilegious ambitions of his own mother. Lilith shifted her palms upwards as the Black Moon reached its destination, held close to the Fruit's stomach. Mebius's promise rang hollow, so the matter would be taken into its own hands. A deep, primordial energy pooled within Lilith's being, ready to be unbound and let forth onto the world.
Yui gripped ever tighter onto Longinus as the Eva tore away at all restrictions placed upon it by reality. Gravity retreated and the line between man and machine-god was blurred, the woman's control over Unit-01 reaching such a point where it, in a sense, fully became her. It was the host of the divine will of Yui Ikari, and now with the instrument of the First Ancestral Race given to her as a sign of providence, the one threat to humanity's eternal reign would be executed. Yui wound back the Spear of Longinus, aim poised to strike the great white giant before her in the heart, and thrusted it forward!
Like a bolt from heaven sent to smite a demon, the spear hurtled through the hazy black-blue of the upper atmosphere, only for the alien super weapon to stall completely against a burning orb of yellow and blue flame. The spear with all the might it possessed warred against the fire but it could not pass, ultimately fallen silent as the orb transmogrified into a humanoid shape. A hybridisation of the two Ultra warriors that had fought on Earth, alternating their colours across his body crowned with a blue and gold flame insignia own his chest. The power of Phoenix Brave had been called upon for the first time in ten millennia. The hero spoke with a booming warning as Longinus was cast aside apathetically.
"Yui Ikari!" Shouted Mebius, whose voice was empowered from behind by that of his partner and two human allies. "I will not let you destroy this world or its people! You have done enough! Let Shinji go!"
"You and I aren't so unlike, Ultraman. You too have forsaken your chains, hm?" Yui Ikari's voice thundered across the psychic plane by which they both spoke. Palpable malice was hidden behind her soft words. "My dream is to take humanity with me into eternity, and you want to stop us? More so than that Ultraman, my precious son, who I love more than anything else in this world, was treated like dirt. What kind of mother would I be to not help him?" The violet-armoured mech tried to circle around Mebius and retrieve the spear, but that prospect grew dim as it floated away without sign of stopping. Lilith would have to die some other way.
"And you'll sacrifice all of mankind to do it?" Mebius smashed his fists together, bringing both forearm braces to combat-readiness. "You know I have no other choice, Yui. I'm sorry." It was only now that Mebius realised that for the first time, he'd have to actually fight against a human being, even if in the shell of a near-divine mech. It weighed on him, but he remembered his promise. Nobody else would die today, and looking back at Lilith, that rang even heavier to him. The Fruit of Knowledge understood.
"You can try to stop the Evangelion, it's an impossible feat, I assure you." The hellish teeth of Unit-01 formed a crooked smile and her ethereal arm shimmered brighter as more concentrated power flowed through it, in turn the baneful red hues that emanated growing more intense.
Mebius clenched his fist into a ball, shooting a finger at Yui's demiurge as he puffed out his chest. "I'll never give up until the end! I'll make the impossible possible!" The red, blue and gold titan tightened his form together into a battle stance, eyes set on the heart of the young boy aching for love. Misato reached out, shooting a look at Mebius, Hikari and Asuka beside her, who looked on with the same determination. This was their fight. This was her fight!
"That's what being Ultraman means!"
The Ultra moved faster than Yui could have imagined, leaving blurry after images as his fist was cocked and launched into the face of the Eva, sending it tumbling backwards. Shinji even from the apparent safety of his mother's presence was quaked by the blow, so powerful it sent ripples in a non-physical space. Unit-01 regained control over itself just in time to block another oncoming blow with a gleaming A.T. Field. Mebius's strike didn't stop at the barrier strong-armed himself into curving the field around his balled hand.
For the first time, Yui felt uncertainty creep in. Beaming her eyes, the ocular laser blasted forward in hopes of slicing Ultraman's heart in two, only for that dream to be whisked away as the beam hit an invisible force, stopping dead in its tracks. The laser's energy flipped in on itself and speared straight into Yui's own A.T. Field. The power cut a precise hole in the middle as the beam tore through the armoured abdomen, a cloud of fire exploding from the back.
Mebius saw his chance, and dashed forward again. Grasping onto the Evangelion's fleshy arm, he hurled the wrathful deity over his shoulder and down towards Earth, only for him to race around to meet it with a kick to the side. Yui retaliated in haste by surging power through the entirety of the Eva, causing it to grow ever brighter and the halo above its head larger, and manipulated the hyper-focused A.T Field of her arm into a powerful concussive force. Yet despite every bit of might she held being thrown at the alien before her, all it did was push him away for a few seconds. But it didn't deter her, and Yui's will did not budge. Certainly not for something so inhuman as to defy her!
Mebius's blows sent violent ripples through the Eva's body with seemingly little opposition, but the extraterrestrial let up, noticing something terrible was occurring around him. The serenity of the dark blue upper atmosphere started to bleed, turning crimson as it was corrupted by the violet-armoured being. A sharp pain in Mebius's chest flung him back, catching wind of the immense fluorescent A.T. Field that not only shimmered brightly but seemed to permeate space around them. Unit-01 again began to transform, and transcend.
The white light of the halo turned dark and expanded out, rings of black and white interspersed within as a blanket of blood-red spread out over the Earth, all radiating from the Evangelion. The armour of the Eva screeched in discomfort before bursting from the golden flesh beneath, revealing in its chest the core in its entirety. All marks given to it by the frantic Unit-02 were gone in the rejuvenation. The world was covered in the storm now, red sky crackling as Lilith gazed blankly at what might be its demise. Whether any of the three cosmic beings liked it or not, Third Impact was nigh, an outcome that Mebius now sought pre-eminence in stopping.
"Lilith, the fight is not yet over!" The Ultra called back to it, turning his eyes to the God-Eva that threatened the world. It had overstepped a line long ago, holding all of humanity hostage, but now the fabric of time and space seemed to warp and bend around its presence. "I will stop her. I won't lose you, Shinji."
As the battle waged in the coldness of space, the Earth below was ravaged without thought. The ground was torn from where it lay for thousands of years, and winds lashed at every object unfortunate enough to get in their way as the sky bled over the land. People, of all backgrounds, beliefs and lives sheltered together, heads buried deep in each other with some hope of weathering the storm, although that hope grew slim. Among them were Kensuke, Toji and Hikari, who could only look at the sky briefly in horror before turning away. What had become of their friends Shinji and Asuka were at the forefront of their minds, only to be pushed to the back by an obvious and rightful fear of death. Toji held Hikari's hand, brushing her hair with his other hand as she whispered prayers. Ya betta come back safely, Ikari.
The Black Moon and the capsule of a world within didn't fare too much better, only protected a little by the pervasive A.T. Field of the giant that held them in its hands. Gendo couldn't help it. He realised the horror of his creation. Man's work being able to do that is something that is offensive, heretical. It seemed likely that the end would be near, either Lilith would enact it or Yui would. Lilith would probably subsume him into Instrumentality with little thought, but the prospect of a vengeful Yui seemed too real for comfort. All he could do was hope in silence. Fuyutski sighed, mournfully gazing at the cataclysm and muttering something under his breath.
"If you're listening, I need you."
Yui Ikari grinned to herself in satisfaction. Not even Ultraman Mebius, empowered by whatever it was that morphed his appearance, could be a match now. Godhood was all but assured, and humanity's reign as an eternal constant in the universe could be achieved. All that's left would be to destroy Lilith, which Yui found exhilarating.
"You don't need to fight anymore, Ultraman. It is meaningless. Humanity will live on forever." The Evangelion sprang its head back, preparing one final blow as it glowed more radiant than ever and heralded darkness and death. Its eyes were stars among stars, preparing a laser with such might it would disintegrate the alien first as it speeded towards Lilith, engulfing the Seed in hellfire and paving the way for the woman's twisted vision.
"Don't you get it yet, Yui? I won't ever give in!" Mebius pounded his fists together, light pulsating through his being. He slid his forearms across each other, bringing out an infinity symbol. He then reached above his head with his right arm, flashing out lightning and a triangular pattern. Misato rang out her voice to the world, the woman's voice hitting Yui in the chest. "NOT UNTIL THAT BOY KNOWS HE'S LOVED!"
A roar shook the Earth as the Evangelion's head whipped forward, the great beam of erratic Absolute Terror leaving Unit-01's face and rocketing towards the target. All time stopped, and all Mebius could feel were baited breaths. He saw that there before him a spiteful star burned, one set firmly on the destruction of what he loved. Now in this brief moment, it had shaken away the shackles of its mortality, and had become fully deified. There was no definite physical form, just an outline illuminated by burning light with a heart that gleamed in all directions. The dragon-fly like wings of light had split into several streams of pure energy that extended out infinitely into the eye of the vortex.
If he failed, if he missed, the world and humanity would be sacrificed. That was enough. He wouldn't lose. He wouldn't let them down. Fight on, Mebius!
His eyes locked onto the pink light, arms landing in place as they'd done thousands of times before. The cross birthed a beam of amber and azure, and as fast as the speed of light it connected with the Eva's own beam. The shot was cleft in two as the Mebium-Knight Shoot speared through its center, splitting the beams away from Earth and continuing true into the core of the mech. Yui's spirit was racked with terror, she tried as fiercely as she could to counter the beam, but the A.T. Field shattered like glass, and the Ultra's attack struck the core.
All of a sudden, the calamity ceased. Earth and the Black Moon weren't being shredded under cosmic forces. The deified Unit-01 stopped moving, mouth held open mid-roar that produced sounds akin to gagging. It had fully seized, and Yui within could do nothing. For the first time in forever, pain gripped her, a burning sensation in her heart. Her control of the Eva shielded Shinji from the attack, which she was glad to do, even if the inevitable became clear. The Mebium-Knight Shoot drilled into the core with ease, blazing through the hard material and burning away the flesh surrounding it. Yui looked down at her son with teary, relinquishing the puppetry of the mech as she embraced the slumbering Shinji. Resigning was the only choice.
Mebius soared forward with his beam still clashing against the core, only letting up once it was within arm's reach. In a single moment, Mebius grabbed onto the Eva's arm with one hand and held his other over the core, and everything came to an halt.
========
A black scape filled out the inside of Unit-01, home only to Yui and her son. He had been out the entire time his mother fought to see through her goals, and luckily in her eyes, didn't witness her failure. But Shinji started to wake now, looking into the soulful eyes of his long-dead mother. She smiled at him, combing his hair with her fingers.
"Mom?" Shinji clung to her, to which she let out a small sigh, disappointed that she too failed him. Yui didn't let up her soft expression though, even as a golden light and jingle gave entrance to another soul. A violet-haired woman in a red jacket and turtleneck marched up to the two, looking down on them. Shinji was struck, Yui holding him close to her as both got to their feet.
"Mrs Ikari." Rage burnt inside Misato, but seeing the face of the kid she loved turned her completely mellow. "Can I speak to Shinji? Please." Yui didn't say anything, but she gave Shinji a look, then turned back to Misato. She nodded, letting Shinji face his guardian one on one.
"Ms Misato, why? Why'd you come for me?" This was it, Misato stared him right in the face and couldn't hold it any longer. All she had to do was let it all out.
"Shinji, ever since the first day we met, it was my job to keep you safe and happy. I realise now that I didn't do any of that, no matter how hard I tried. You were dealt such a shitty hand by life, and every moment that culminated in this conversation was filled with pain and suffering." Shinji lowered his head, almost nodding along, prompting Misato to grab him by the head and tilt it up to meet her. "But do you know what? I love you, Shinji, and that never changed. That's why I tried my hardest for you, and why I have come all this way just to bring you home. Nothing you have done will make me give up on you."
"Y-you're serious?"
"You better believe it kid. We've all made that promise. Everyone. Mebius and Hikari believe in you, everyone at NERV believes in you. Your friends from school believe in you. Even Asuka and your father, no matter how much it seems they don't. So please, Shinji..." Tears welled in her eyes as he held him close. "Please come home, we all need you." Shinji couldn't hold the waterworks at bay either, shuddering as he held onto the sleeves of Misato's jacket.
He looked at her with starry eyes. "O-okay. I wanna go." But something tugged at him, his mother stood just behind him. "B-but, what about mom?" He turned to her, not knowing what to do or even say, or what Yui thought or felt. Misato expected a push back, a violent argument, spite dripping from every word that came from her tongue, something befitting the terrible destroyer-god she fought in the real world. But instead, Yui smiled at Misato, with nothing more than acceptance.
"It's okay, Shin." She said, motioning for him to join Misato. "I want you to live." Shinji fell back in Misato's arms and cried harder, all sorts of sadness, guilt, joy, and confidence filling up his heart and soul. Yui's golden halo faded away as he body began to turn into light, her image disappearing into the growing brightness. To Misato, Yui gave her approval. "Thank you, Ms Katsuragi. You've been a greater mother to him than I ever was. Take care of my precious baby." Yui began to rise and ascend, a more radiant light above becoming home. The Ikari matriarch could finally rest. "Goodbye, Shinji. I will always love you."
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The shimmering white light dissipated in an instant, revealing the ruined and seared flesh of Unit-01. Decayed, the god-incarnate had once again reverted to the form of a mortal, vestiges of purple and green armour dotting a totalled, biological body. Mebius pulled away his hand, now just floating with Unit-01. Peace overtook the both of them, and soon everything else. The red sky shrunk away to the edges of the world before eating itself, and the ruptured chunks of land and buildings fell down to Earth.
Relinquishing the power in a great ball of fire, Mebius and Hikari once again split apart with their respective hosts. Their timers blinked impishly, prompting Mebius to take the wreck of the Eva into his arms and back down to Earth. But in this moment of serenity, the biggest threat of all reared its deceptively beautiful head. Lilith had watched the battle half-heartedly, fighting back its own nature, but it couldn't deny itself any longer.
"This is it, then." Gendo muttered. "Third Impact will be ushered in by the Seed, and soon the Anti A.T. Field will dissolve all physical bodies." Fuyutski kept his eyes on Lilith as the bridge crew fumed. Ikari should count himself lucky Hikari urged them to keep the peace.
Lilith's palms, circling around the Black Moon, its egg, grew vulva-like apertures, which opened as it gave Mebius and Hikari a sorrowful glare. "I'm sorry, Mebius. It's not my choice. I must do what I was created for. Forgive me." That serenity was dashed as fast as it came, and Mebius had no answer for what was about to come. He shot a frantic look at Hikari, who could only fidget and writhe in an attempt to come to a solution, but not even he could. "All will come undone, and understand one another." Had all they'd done been for nothing? No, of course not, Mebius would never let it come to pass.
"Hikari, take the Evangelion away, and get out of here!"
"Mebius, you're not saying you'll..." Hikari's tone raised as he pressed onto his brother-in-arms' chest. "I won't let you, not alone!"
"I'm not alone. We made this choice." Mebius handed over Unit-01, inside the barely-conscious Shinji. Misato's eyes cleaved through the metal at the boy within, tearing up as determination fired up. "It'll be worth it. Hikari, tell everyone back home I loved them. And Asuka..." The sole voice of Misato spoke up, the host of the blue Ultra's face contorting with fear. "Please, take care of him."
Mebius howled as what little energy he had left spilled out over his body, covering it with a golden flame pattern. Burning Brave should be just enough, he thought. Lilith's eyes almost glazed over with euphoria as it leant back, and a deep rumbling within her and the Black Moon echoed out. Mebius raced forward, covering his whole body with the hottest flames he could muster, his physical form even turning to fire. He aimed for Lilith's heart, and hoped that would do her in, even at the cost of himself and his host. His timer blinked faster and faster, the tone shifting higher and higher as he closed the distance. He extended out a hand that would pierce Lilith's gelatinous white skin and allow entry, closing his eyes as the albino giant took up his entire field of view.
"I'm glad I met you, Mebius. Thank you for protecting the ones I love." Mebius would have blushed if he could.
"No Misato, you did that. I'll never forget our bond, even in whatever lies ahead of us." The woman smiled, taking the last moment of her life to simply hug the Ultra. He wrapped his arms around her too, sheepish in his mannerism, but that made it all the better. A final moment of true understanding.
Mebius's fiery body plunged into Lilith's A.T. Field, bending it around himself as it cracked, splintered, and then busted. The Ultra entered Lilith's heart, searching desperately for its core, but time grew desperate, and begged for a gamble. Mebius's foggy head hoped that it'd be enough. Giving a brazen shout, Mebius's humanoid form collapsed as it fully became energy, exploding out in like a nuclear bomb from within Lilith's body. The concussive force ripped cavernous tears in Lilith and the heat sizzled its flesh, the light being so intense the orange was easily visible through its skin. But even this herculean effort did not falter the deity. This was it, then.
Hikari couldn't bare to look, holding two children in his being - one in his soul and the other in his hands. Their home would be obliterated it seems, and nothing he could do would stop it. A drop in the bucket of the infinite Earths in the multiverse, but it hurt just as much as if they were watching his own. Asuka screamed. How could she take care of Shinji if there was no world to live in!? Hikari knew he'd resign to leaving in defeat, and these kids would have to find their way in a new Earth.
Lilith released what had gathered been within - the Anti A.T. Field, able to instantly deactivate all A.T. Fields on the planet, the very thing that allows life to maintain physical form. Invisible it was, but it sprawled out from her with lightning-speed. Instrumentality was at hand, and it began to consume all there was. Just before it sank from the atmosphere and rolled over the Earth itself, a gleaming star shone brighter than the sun for a very brief moment, heralding the arrival of a red orb. The sphere retreated into the space around it, and out forth came a blue glow.
"M87 beam!"
A torrent of sky-blue power shot out and sliced straight through Lilith's hands, severing them as its owner flew into view of all that watched. It was another red and silver giant. The Anti A.T. Field dissipated in an instant.
"Commander Zoffy!" Hikari exclaimed, tripping over his words as he tried to make excuses for how the situation had fallen. "I-"
"Hikari, rescue the remaining Earthlings within Lilith's egg. I'm going to destroy Lilith and end this madness." Zoffy spoke with absolute authority, Hikari wasting no time in yelling 'Roger!' and flying down in his own travel sphere. The Space Garrison's Commander watched as it bobbed down to the level of the former GeoFront, and moments later, came back up to meet him and the unresponsive Eva. Zoffy held his hands, palms facing down, against his chest and fired off another one of his unconquerable rays. The stream of light this time pierced straight into the chest of the god, building up energy within it that not even a deity could control. The last thing Lilith saw was the darkness of space as the blue light eroded its vision. Inside, Rei Ayanami smiled to herself. She was content with her fate. She knew Shinji could be happy.
The gargantuan body exploded into a storm of fire and burning chunks of flesh. By virtue of Lilith's own A.T. Field, the explosion was contained to the narrow column of the body, but it still reached deep into the stratosphere. The swelling cloud of flame took the shape of a cross, flickering for a short while before falling silent as space consumed it. Zoffy breathed a sigh of relief, looking down to see the Black Moon meet the same end, eaten by the brief explosion. All that tortured this world was gone.
The wake of Lilith's death brought out a singular floating body, which Zoffy clasped in his hands. He was always such a brave soul, the elder Ultra mused.
================
The grass was green and the wind was soft, easy on the skin. Despite the stars and moon peering down, it was truly the brightest moment of the day. Hikari, Toji and Kensuke ran out without looking back, throwing themselves onto the weary but alive pilots. Unit-01 had been discarded some distance away, keeled over out of view. A reminder that the Evangelions never had to be piloted again. Shinji and Asuka kept to themselves at first, focusing on their respective friends, but glances between the two sparked something new. Healing would take time, but neither were going to shut each other out anymore.
Hikari watched from some distance away, a caped Zoffy beside him. The blue Ultra didn't feel the greatest about having to be bailed out, by the First Ultra Brother no less, but Zoffy didn't laud it over him. Hikari could just be thankful that everything had turned out alright. The pair felt a presence below them, and looking down, saw Fuyutski. Zoffy nodded to Hikari, who went off to join Lieutenants Ibuki, Hyuga and Aoba. The Commander of the Space Garrison came down to human level.
"Kozo, it has been a long time."
"Indeed it has Zoffy. Indeed it has." The Ultra couldn't help but notice the unease, and refusal to look him in the eye. He gave Fuyutski his hand.
"Do you see now? What ruin was nearly wrought upon the Earth as a result of your desire? Ikari's desire?" Zoffy's tone at first had a hint of judgement, but then it mellowed out. "I'm glad you're okay, and that everything has come to a peaceful ending. This world won't have to fear Adam, Lilith, the Angels, or the Evangelions anymore." Fuyutski nodded, turning his head to Gendo, who was approaching his son. "Do you think he can mend what he broke?" Zoffy inquired regarding the Ikari's.
"I've seen today that anything is possible, Zoffy. I think so."
What was said between the two wasn't heard, but everyone around could see Shinji smile, and even more surprisingly, Gendo smiled back. Shinji's smile only grew as someone very dear to his heart appeared to greet him. Misato ran over, scooping Shinji up in her arms and nuzzling her head against his.
"Misato! You're alive!"
She laughed. "Of course I am, dummy! How can you have a mom if I'm not there for you?" Misato and Shinji collapsed onto the ground in their embrace with a light shared between them so bright it could join the starry sky. The weight of the moment was not lost on anyone, and a roar of applause rang out. Congratulations echoed in from everyone, and for the first time in forever, maybe even his life, Shinji felt like he belonged.
"Guys... you're making me stuffy." Shinji laughed as he wiped tears from his eyes.
"Still a baby, but you're our baby, Shinji!" Asuka slapped him on the back, generating a chuckle from the crowd. He was at ease now, but being in Misato's arms reminded him of someone missing. Pulling back from the hug, he asked her -
"Misato... where's Mebius?" The question dragged her eyes to the sky, an especially bright star twinkling. She pointed it out to him.
"He's home. He can rest now." Shinji's mood soured, only for Misato to pick up on this and correct her error. "Not like that! Shinji, he's actually there!" Waving her finger around as she emphasised the star. "That's M78. The Land of Light, 3 million light years from here."
"Oh... is he alright?"
"Yeah, Mebius is fine." Misato stood up, brushing down Shinji's plugsuit as he came up by her side. "C'mon, let's go get dinner. I had a feeling this day would be good, so maybe I'll treat you to something fancy."
================
"Mebius, open your eyes!"
"Zoffy, is that you?"
"Yes. You died fighting Lilith. I have brought a life for-"
"Give it to Misato, Zoffy. She's only young, and I've already lived for thousands of years. Humans are such precious, feeble creatures, yet they're the most amazing things in the universe. I would not live with myself if I may live again but Misato was lost. People need her. So please, give it to her."
Zoffy was bemused by the interruption. "Mebius, I was going to say I brought two lives." The elder laughed, recalling a memory from millennia long gone. "I had nearly this exact conversation with Ultraman when we first discovered Earth. I did not then realise how much Earthlings could mean to us. But that was before our long and ongoing bond." Mebius felt a wave of relief overtake his body. "I only ask you return to the Land of Light to fully recover. Misato Katsuragi will go back to Earth and live her life. I will separate your bodies."
"Thank you, Commander. Will I see her again?"
"If you avoid Taro roping you in to spar with him or his son, I'm sure of it." Zoffy snickered. Mebius reflected on everything that had happened over the past week. It was like he'd fought with GUYS all over again, and thus came all the memories to go with it. Misato was a bond like no other, and he'd do anything to protect that. The world may be free from the devils of yesterday, but darkness is found wherever light is. But light doesn't surrender quietly.
Mebius promised to be that light.
Winner:
Spoiler:
