Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction / Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Death is Never the End ❯ Chapter 8

"Candy!" Titty smiled as she ran from her mother, towards the shelf.

"Titty!" her mother called in frustration as she ran after the four-year-old girl. "Stop! You'll...!" Boom!

"Ahhhh!" Titty raised her arms, shielding her face from the flying candy. When she rose out of the sticky, sweet burial mound, she saw nails embedded in the candy; years later, she learned that the nails were shot out by a terrorist bomb, and the candy had saved her life. "Mommy?" The floor was red, like a giant slice of bread that God had covered in strawberry jam. The jam didn't smell like strawberries, it smelled very bad. "Mommy, I feel sick." As Titty walked away from the shelf, she saw a severed head, shock engraved upon the dead woman's face. "Mommy!"

*

1800 hr, Pacific Time. "Mommy!" 2nd Lt Titania "Titty" Galore rocketed out of the blanket, sitting upright in the hospital bed.

"Titty!" Portia "Pussy" Galore put her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Calm down, it was only a bad dream."

"Granny?" Titty let Pussy embrace her, rocking her like a baby. 'If only...'

Viola, Titty's nine-month-old half-sister, was crying. Her father and her stepmother tried to comfort Viola, before they gave her their attention. "Are you okay, Titania?"

The 14-year-old girl hid her jealousy as she answered, "I'm fine, Dad."

Pussy saw the rage in her eyes. "James, I'd like to speak with Titty. Please excuse us for a moment." She smiled at her son's sense of surprise. "For ladies only."

Senator James Galore hid his jealousy at the bond between his daughter and his mother. "I'll be outside if you need anything."

*

"Why did you agree to pilot the Evangelion?"

Titty shrugged. "I wanted to fly."

Pussy frowned. "Even if it costs you your life?" Blood dotted Titty's hospital gown; the girl was coughing blood when she exited the cockpit.

"There are worse things than death."

"Such as...?"

Titty remembered the day her love was rejected by her best friend. "Loneliness."

Pussy sighed. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

The girl smiled. "Pizza?"

Pussy handed her a cell phone. "Order anything you want; I'll handle the bill." A multimillionaire, she owned the Flying Circus Casinos in Las Vegas and Reno, and five business jets to transport high rollers.

Titty pecked Pussy's cheek. "Thanks, Granny." She dialed the number for her favorite pizzeria.

"Hello, beautiful! You've reached the Goddess Relief Office," greeted a seductive female voice.

Titty's eyes widened with surprise. "Is this Cubby Broccoli's Pizza?"

The voice laughed, amused by the girl's disbelief. "No, beautiful. I'm Urd, Goddess 1st Class, unlimited license." A young woman with white hair, caramel skin, and three blue triangles tattooed on her forehead and cheeks, emerged from the TV. "I'm here to grant you a wish, to let you realize one, and only one,"-- she raised her index finger-- "of your dreams." Titty, mesmerized by the goddess' exotic beauty, let Urd's finger caress her face.

Pussy put her hand behind her back, reaching for the Smith and Wesson Model 386 .357 Magnum revolver in her concealed holster. "Are you a friend of my granddaughter?"

Urd turned to the 88-year-old woman. "No, but I'd like to befriend this beautiful young woman." She turned to Titty. "I can make your fantasy a reality, give you anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

''Tis but a midsummer night's dream.' Titty laughed. "And if I wish for you to be my lover?" She gasped when Urd floated above the floor, enveloped by light. A whirlwind howled in the room, blowing up the bed sheets and Pussy's coat; Titty unintentionally imitated Marilyn Monroe as she pressed her hands against the front of her billowing gown.

The light and the wind disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. "Your wish has been approved." Urd put an arm around Titty's shoulder, playfully pulling the collar of her gown. "Now that we're lovers, why don't we...?"

Galore, Russhon, and ten SPs burst through the door, aiming firearms at Urd. "Halt!" "Put your hands over your head!" "Get away from my daughter!" "Identify yourself!"

Urd sighed. "When did you humans become so damn paranoid?" Gasps and shouts permeated the room as liquor bottles from the Officer’s Club magically replaced the firearms. "Now, where were we?" She replaced Titty's bloodstained gown with a cocktail dress.

A SP wolf whistled when he saw the dress. He cried when Galore punched the back of his head.

"For heaven's sake, she's only 14!" reminded the outraged father.

Russhon left the room to call Holly. 25 minutes later, Russhon told the Galore family what the exhausted engineer told him. "She really is a goddess."

"If Plt Off Bond was contacted by a goddess 21 days before, why didn't he inform you then?" asked Galore.

"Quote, 'If I had reported this to you, would you have believed me?' unquote."

Galore sighed. "Neither would I." He heard aroused sighs and moans; Urd and Titty were kissing and petting. "Hey!"

Pussy put an arm before her son. "Calm down." She smiled. "The girl just wants to have fun."

"Mother, do not encourage her!"

***

DEATH IS NEVER THE END, Part 8

An Evangelion crossover by Sidewinder (aim9snake@hotmail.com), 2004, last revised 2007. Based on Ian Fleming, Kawamori Shoji, Fujishima Kosuke, AIC, Gainax, Hasbro, Marvel, and Takara's works.

***

Washu watched the record of a white fighter that transformed into a 44-meter-tall cyborg, formed LH Swords, and attacked a Galaxy Police (GP) fleet. "How did Daluma," leader of the Daluma Pirates Guild, "get his hands on such a weapon?"

"He formed an alliance with a party that identifies themselves as Cybertronians," answered Tsunami. "We have little information on the Cybertronians; our latest records are dated 2,000,000 years," or 5,000,000 Earth years, "ago."

"Before the Jurai Empire was founded?!"

"Yes."

Washu watched the cyborg single-handedly destroy the entire fleet. "Yosho needs every warship in the fleet to face this dark alliance, doesn't he?"

Tsunami lowered her head, saddened that she couldn't help her sister defend Earth. "Yes."

Washu embraced Tsunami. "Don't be ashamed; I understand."

"Thank you." Tsunami returned to Jurai.

Washu sighed. "I just hope the humans do."

*

Day 29, Fri. 2300 hr. PJs, armed with M29 5.56 mm rifles with integral 25 mm grenade launchers, and FIM-95 Snake Eye surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), surrounded the transport plane the moment it stopped. (The Snake Eye can be IR or laser guided towards airborne or ground targets.) Russhon, Pussy, Titty, and Urd greeted Shiro, Ryoko, and Holly as they exited the plane. "How was your flight?" asked Russhon.

"Uneventful," answered Shiro, who slept during the flight.

"Can we get a room now?" asked Ryoko, who embraced Shiro as he slept.

"Hello, Titty."

"Good evening, Miss Goodhead," greeted the girl, remembering the care Holly gave her after her mother's death.

The engineer turned to Pussy. "You must be Mrs. Galore."

"Miss Galore," she corrected.

"My apologies." Holly shook the woman's hand, before turning to Urd. "Are you the goddess?"

Urd posed, a model at a fashion show. "I'm Urd, Goddess 1st Class, unlimited license." She smiled. "Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?"

"Hey! You're supposed to be my lover!" protested Titty.

Urd continued smiling as she turned to the girl. "Don't be jealous; you think she's beautiful, too. You want her as much as I do." Her lips brushed Titty's ear as she whispered, "You want us both." She laughed when the girl blushed, both embarrassed and aroused.

Holly yawned. "If you don't mind, I'm going to sleep,"-- she frowned at Urd's seductive smile-- "alone." She walked towards an armored car, escorted by four PJs.

Russhon pointed at the girl. "Plt Off Bond, this is Lt Titania Galore, pilot of Evangelion Unit 03."

Shiro saluted. "It's an honor to meet you. I was told you saved Los Angeles from a N² missile," which Ryo-Ohki failed to intercept. 'If it wasn't for her, the blood of a million innocents would be on my hands.'

Titty waved a hand. "Don't be so uptight! Just call me Titty."

"Very well, Titty."

Urd turned to Shiro. "So you're the 'paranoid fruitcake' Peorth keeps talking about." She smiled when the young man blushed, embarrassed by his past behavior.

Russhon pointed at Pussy. "This is..."

"Pussy Galore." She extended her hand. "I believe your grandfather told you about me." She hid her disappointment when Shiro shook her hand instead of kissing it.

"Yes."

"How is James these days? Still... healthy, I hope?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You'll be staying at her hotel. We felt you'd be safer in the city," explained Russhon.

"Very well." Shiro, Ryoko, Titty, and Urd followed Pussy to two helicopters, which took them to the Flying Circus.

15 minutes later, Shiro and Ryoko entered their room. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Let me help." Ryoko reached for the buttons on Shiro's shirt, but he grabbed her hand.

"No." 'I'm unclean; too much blood is on my hands.' He smiled. "Don't worry, I won't take long." He entered the bathroom. As he shampooed his hair, the water in the bathtub parted to reveal a gateway.

A young woman with three blue teardrops tattooed on her forehead and cheeks, wearing a pink suit of armor, rose from the gateway. "You pervert!" She slammed a hammer against Shiro's head, drawing blood.

*

Ryoko laid awake in bed. 'Guilt and grief still weigh down Shiro's heart. How can I raise his spirit?' Boom! Ryoko gasped when she felt Shiro's anger. Jurai energy permeated the room, like smoke from a raging fire; Shiro had changed into his dark angel form. "Shiro!" She formed a LH Sword as a young woman crashed through the wall.

"Roarrrr!" Bolts shot towards the young woman, who defended herself with a LH Wing.

"Eek!" The bolts exploded upon the wing, obscuring the young woman's vision. She didn't know Zeruel had teleported behind her. The dark angel raised his sword to kill his enemy...

"Skuld!" Urd flew between the combatants, shielding the young woman with her body. Fortunately, Zeruel was able to terminate his attack; three white hairs floated onto the floor, the only damage Urd received.

Titty charged into the room, holding her MP7s. "What happened?!" She pointed the barrels at the ceiling; she sensed that Zeruel wasn't a threat. "Who is she?" She stared at the young woman in Urd's arms.

"This is Skuld, my sister." Urd turned to the Goddess 2nd Class, limited license. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Skuld angrily pointed at Zeruel. "I'm saving you from that evil pervert! How dare he wish you to be his lover! In the name of the future, I will punish him!"

Titty blushed as she holstered her MP7s and approached Skuld. "Shiro didn't make that wish; I did."

"What?!" Skuld's eyes widened with disbelief as she stared at the girl in a Lara Croft costume: sunglasses, a black sports bra, a load bearing vest (LBV) with two holsters and six ammo pouches, BDU pants, a Jolly Roger on her brass belt buckle, and combat boots. "But... but... but..."

"Don't blame her for who I am," said Urd. "I'm bisexual; I've lusted for other women since adolescence."

Skuld turned to Urd. "You... you... you..."

Ryoko put her hand on Zeruel's shoulder, feeling the bony plates retract beneath his skin, and the muscles shrink to their normal size. "Shiro?"

The young man shivered, fearing not Skuld or the punishment she promised to deliver, but himself. "Help me..." Ryoko embrace him as she called Washu, who had her codec frequency.

At 2335 hr, Washu finished her examination. "He's in perfect health."

"Becoming a monster does not fit my definition of perfect health," deadpanned Shiro.

Washu shrugged. "Like the Jurai royal family, you bear genes that allow you to transform into your warrior form; now that these genes are active, you might as well learn how to control your transformation." The goddess turned to Titty, whose eyes expressed the fear that she might become a monster. "You too."

Pussy watched Urd and Skuld magically repair the damage to the room. "James..."

"The genes are inactive in your son or your lover, although they may be able to draw Jurai energy from an appropriate source."

"Will you teach the children how to control their powers?"

"Of course! I'm the beautiful Goddess of the Mind, and the greatest scientific genius in the entire universe!"

Pussy turned to Titty, who had a codec. "Titty dear, please call Gen Russhon. We'll need to reserve one of the Air Force's bombing ranges."

*

Day 30, Sat. 1100 hr, Jerusalem Time. The US had shared OT with Israel, which then transferred the blueprints to China despite the US reluctance to share the alien technology with her longtime rival. In return, China delayed the approval of a resolution restricting Evangelion technology, until the PLA had transferred Unit 02's blueprints to the IDF. Arael had logged 97 flying hours on the J-11N, but he was placed on medical leave after the "incident." The pilot spent most of this time studying the tactics and techniques used by the 4th Child, preparing himself for future battles.

In Lt Gen David Lavi's office, a monitor displayed images from a surveillance camera in the pilot's room. The IDF/AF general saw that Arael was watching videos of Evangelion Unit 04's battle against Ramiel. Then Lavi examined an x-ray of the pilot's chest. A white sphere, the size of a golf ball, had appeared in Arael's liver. "Can Arael be trusted to pilot Samson 1?" the IDF/AF Evangelion.

Russhon's voice answered the question with another question, through Lavi's satellite phone. "I thought you knew the answer to that. Didn't you perform a background check on Lt Barak when you recruited him?"

"We investigated the possibility that he may be, or become, an enemy spy. We didn't investigate the possibility that he may be, or become, a demon. If he..."

"We must take the risk; I doubt we have a choice."

*

An MP entered Arael's room. "Lt Barak, you are to report to Gen Lavi's office, immediately."

"Wilco." Arael, escorted by four MPs, marched towards the office. "Lt Arael Barak, reporting as ordered, Sir."

"Enter." Lavi watched Arael enter the office and salute him. "The Americans are offering us the use of Edwards AFB, including the OT research facility."

Arael frowned in suspicion. "In exchange for..."

"For our aid in fighting the Valkyries, the alien robots that attacked Matsushiro, took control of Unit 04, and used it to decimate Japan's defenses." (This deception shielded the JSSDF officers collaborating with the US occupation forces. Russhon asked Lavi to conceal the truth on what happened to Shiro and the Eva; the IDF/AF general agreed.)

"They want us to serve as cannon fodder?"

"They want us to help them resist an alien invasion, a possibility no longer confined within a fantasy." Lavi sighed. "If you're hesitant, I understand; we may be asking too much from a 14-year-old."

Arael interpreted this as a challenge, and was determined to meet it. "I'll give anything, including my life, for the defense of Israel and her people. I understand that you feel sinful for asking a child like me to assume such risks, yet you never question its necessity. I willingly take these risks so that no others will have to, so that no other children of Israel will suffer what I've suffered," he swore, remembering the suicide bombing that killed his parents.

"Your determination is commendable." Lavi handed Arael a folder. "Here's info on the pilots you'll be training with. I believe you know some of them."

Arael studied the files. Shiro Bond was already a legend. (He knew nothing about Ryoko; Fuyutsuki claimed Unit 01A was controlled by a dummy plug.) He didn't recognize Unit 03's new pilot, and reminded himself to learn more about her. The H-8... "Nazhi's going?" he asked, remembering the girl who saved his life.

"The Americans made the same offer to the Chinese; they accepted." Lavi saw the desire in Arael's eyes. "Here." He handed the boy a government credit card and a business card for a florist in Las Vegas. "Send her a dozen roses."

Arael blushed. "T-t-thank you, Sir."

*

"Osato is dead," reported Agent Smith, who disguised himself as a US Navy Hospital Corpsman in order to enter the USS George H. W. Bush's infirmary and perform the assassination.

"And what of the double agent?" demanded Keel.

"He is under 24 hr surveillance; I cannot silence him without arousing suspicion..."

"Which will lead to your capture. I understand," stated Zorin. "Continue..." He turned rearwards; the door to his throne, the VR communications room that linked him to Seele's 14 other members, was open. "Who dares?!"

Fuyutsuki Kozo robotically marched into the room, followed by a man with a familiar face. "Master, I..."

Zorin drew a pistol. "Kaji!" An EMP destroyed the security camera.

"Gasp!" "What the devil?!" Fear, born of confusion, gripped the hearts of Seele's 14 other members. They asked countless questions, but received no answers.

*

1005 hr, Berlin Time. "Wow!" Hikari marveled at Evangelion Unit 09, which stood in its cage like the Great Buddha that was carved on the side of Le Mountain, in China.

Misato sadly smiled, remembering way she marveled at Unit 02 as Asuka served as her tour guide, acting more mature than the ten-year-old really was. "The Eva is equipped with Overtechnology armor, which..."

"Why are you here?" a young man demanded in the chilling tone military intelligence officers used to interrogate prisoners.

Hikari gasped when she recognized the young man. 'He's changed so much!' Toji had let his hair grow long, instead of getting a crew cut like the JSSDF soldiers he once respected; his eyes no longer expressed his rage against an unjust world, but resignation of his fate. "I-- I came to pilot an Evangelion." She suppressed her shivering. "How have you been?"

"You must sacrifice your humanity to pilot an Eva; you must become a monster." He pointed at the exit. "Leave."

"Toji-kun, what the hell are you doing?" demanded Misato.

Hikari ignored the woman. "I won't. The people of the world need my help; my family needs my help."

Toji put his arm around Hikari's shoulder, jumped 10 m into the air, and landed upon the control booth. "Tell me the truth! Did NERV gain your cooperation with bribes, or threats?"

"Let me go!" Hikari was surprised when Toji complied, and nearly fell off the booth. "Eek!" After she recovered her footing, she angrily turned to the young man. "The robot soldiers shot my older sister," a nurse who was on duty when JSSDF soldiers entered the hospital in search of Shiro. "She's in a wheelchair now; she needs constant medical attention! I have to..." She turned away so Toji couldn't see her cry.

The young man put his hand on her shoulder. "Look at me."

"Why...?" Hikari nearly collapsed when Toji's eyes became red fires burning into her soul.

"I'm already a monster; I've killed four men and feasted upon their flesh. I pilot Unit 02 because there's nothing else I can do now; I don't want you to share my fate."

"But if I don't, who does? Can you choose someone to take my place, to take this risk?"

Toji couldn't answer her; he could only carry her onto the catwalk, where Misato protectively embraced the girl.

Langley and Keel stared at a monitor, which displayed images from the cage security cameras. Misato sternly lectured Toji, who arrogantly ignored her. "Can we trust the boy?"

"No, but we can control him."

"How will we deal with the rogue Evas?" A second monitor showed the video of Zorin's throne. "If Seele 03 confesses to Agent Kaji," who was in Las Vegas, where his every move was monitored by SPs under Russhon's command, "or Gen Russhon..."

"We will find a permanent solution to this problem." A third monitor showed Unit 05A and the Lance of Longinus, which was recently recovered from the Antarctic; both were vital components of Seele's plans. "Kaoru."

The boy's smiling visage replaced the video of Unit 05A. "Yes... Father?"

"The operation will commence in 72 hr. Will you be ready by then?"

"Yes... Father."

*

Day 31, Sun. 1315 hr, Pacific Time. Titty posed before a mirror. "This isn't so bad." Her warrior form, protected by bony armor, resembled Nightbird, the female ninja who fought against and, later, with Lara in 'Tomb Raiders: Inferno'.

Urd admired the way the blood-red cuirass, pauldrons, and tassets accentuated Titty's figure. "Your warrior form has better fashion sense than the Jurai."

"You look so cool!" added Ryo-Ohki.

"Thanks." Titty turned to Washu. "But why is Shiro's warrior form so... gothic?"

"He evolved in order to survive in his environment."

"He became a monster to fight monsters," interpreted Titty.

"Affirmative."

"Was Ryoko also born to fight monsters?" asked Urd. Washu lowered her head, ashamed. "Did Kagato...?"

"I designed Ryoko's warrior form," admitted Washu. "I planned to use Ryoko as a weapon, an instrument of revenge; I didn't see her as a child, someone to share my love with, until Kagato..."

"Lady Washu!" called Holly.

"Call me Washu-chan!" The goddess insisted on being addressed by this honorific, which made her seem younger.

"My apologies, Washu-chan." Holly handed her a file, which the director of the H-8 Project faxed to Russhon. "Here's the file on the H-8 pilot, who'll be arriving in,"-- she glanced at her watch-- "ten minutes."

"Why should I...?" Washu's eyes widened with surprise when she recognized the pilot's name.

*

1330 hr. "Jan 1, 2005: Xian construction workers discover alien spaceship while digging... PLA and MSS contacted...

"Jan 5: MSS Capt Wei Lin ordered to transport alien spaceship to Nanyuan AFB... Stasis pod, labeled 'Nazhi', discovered during examination of alien spaceship. Pod contained one humanoid female, approximate age 4. Female awakened..."

Washu stopped reading the file to watch Russhon greet Col Wei Lin and her foster daughter, Nazhi. Poisonous envy filled the goddess' heart as Lin doted on the girl, who, addicted to this love, would fight to the death for her foster mother. Washu wanted to tell Nazhi, formerly known as Nagi, the truth: that she was the girl's mother, who built the girl with her ova to serve as a control subject. (Ryoko, the experimental subject, was implanted with the gems that now power her.) She wanted to take care of "Nagi," to make the girl a member of her family, but "Nazhi" was already a member of someone else's family. 'If only...'

"Mama!" Ryo-Ohki embraced Washu, surprising her and nearly scattering the papers into the wind. "Titty-chan and Urd-neechan are going shopping after today's training, and they've invited me and Ryoko-neechan! Can I go? Pretty please?" Her eyes widened, a kitten demanding attention and affection.

Washu sadly smiled, remembering the fact that she almost lost her third daughter, who was also under Kagato's control. "Yes, just remember not to spend too much..." Whoosh! She generated a LH Wing, shielding them from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

"For Earth!" "For the future!" The Earth Liberation Front (ELF), environmental activists turned terrorists, filled the air with bullets and RPGs, determined to destroy the evil government's satanic, nuclear powered war machines.

"Niang!" Nazhi generated a wing, shielding Lin and Russhon from a RPG.

"You should raise the alert level of your security," deadpanned Lin, sensing that the men and women in BDUs weren't USAF personnel. As she aimed her QSZ92-5.8 semiautomatic pistol, the H-8 formed a LH Sword and cut her target, and 20 other terrorists, in half. The ELF cell leader could only watch in horror as the Eva cut 30 more people in half; when Nazhi put a sword against her throat, she quietly surrendered.

Russhon watched the unmanned Eva march away from him, searching for another target. "The H-8 has a dummy plug?"

"No." Lin smiled at Russhon. "Nazhi's powers are beyond my comprehension."

Washu's divine ears heard Lin's comment. "But not mine," she thought as SPs entered the hangar and arrested the cell leader.

*

"Who authorized the attack?!" demanded Keel. Silence answered him. In frustration, he typed a code, changing Seele 06's throne into an electric chair; the Japanese cell leader screamed as he was executed for the actions of Osato, his late client. "I say again, who authorized the attack?!" A vidwindow displayed a copy of an email signed by Keel.

Seele 09 nervously answered, "You did." He screamed as he shared Seele 06's fate.

"How dare you accuse me of such incompetence? I am aware of...!" Keel's respirator whirred, straining to provide air as he took deep breaths to calm himself. "There is a traitor in our midst. I recommend postponing Operation Fallen, and to use this time to conduct an investigation. All in favor?" The 12 surviving cell leaders unanimously voted, "Aye." "Until all are one." After he terminated communications, he felt his foster son put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Kaoru, I am advancing Operation Fallen by 24 hr. Will you be ready by then?"

Kaoru smiled. "Yes... Father."

*

2300 hr, GMT. M watched the video that an unidentified informant sent to James.

"How will we deal with the rogue Evas?" asked Langley. "If Seele 03 confesses to Agent Kaji or Gen Russhon..."

"We will find a permanent solution to this problem," said Keel, whose visor couldn't conceal his true identity.

"Ernst Stavro Blofeld," hissed James, controlling his hatred of the man who murdered his wife.

"The head of SPECTRE? I thought he was dead?" asked M.

"He only lives thrice." James pulled back the slide of his PPK, comforted by the sight of a bullet in the chamber.

M shivered as James' eyes became cold and hard, like the barrel of his weapon. "Don't be rash, Bond! The man is a German national within German borders! We must first...!"

"He commands Prof Langley; through him, he commands NERV Germany and the three Evas there. If he destroys Units 01A, 03, and 04..."

"The Multipurpose Humanoid Fighting Machines are the only things that can stand up to the alien enemy! He must be mad to seek their destruction!"

"Blofeld is already mad."

Silence filled the office, like poison gas; M acted as if opening her mouth would result in her death. Finally, she summoned the courage to ask, "How can we approach him?"

"By stealth."

"I'll have Q Branch prepare NERV Germany IDs."

"I will be there in 30 minutes." James reached for the doorknob.

"You don't mean to perform the assassination yourself?!"

"I do. I must make certain that Blofeld and SPECTRE will no longer threaten the people of the world." At 2310 hr, he emailed the video to Shiro.

*

1545 hr, Pacific Time. "What is the Human Instrumentality Project, anyways?" demanded Russhon.

"Keel claimed that it would unite all men under heaven; for this, he ordered the UN Security Council to fund Gehirn and the Evangelion Project. He told me nothing else," answered Kaji.

"If the Evas are so important to this project, why did Blofeld, alias Lorenz, give us the blueprints?"

"He may control the UN Security Council, but he knows the United Nations cannot unite all men under heaven; the resources he needs to advance the project are still controlled by sovereign nations."

"So he offered us the Evas as weapons, and we were gullible enough to buy them." Russhon turned to the door. "Anything else I should know about?"

"You know the proverb, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' yes?"

"Yes."

"I doubt this is the case."

"You mean the video is just bait?" Russhon interpreted Kaji's silence as an affirmative. "Who's holding the fishing pole? The Valkyries?"

"I don't know her name, but..." Kaji shivered; his mind became sensitive to psychic energy after Shockwave invaded it. "I know she's coming. I can feel her darkness... her evil... burn me like a midnight sun."

Russhon wanted to accuse Kaji of being a liar or a lunatic, but his instincts told him...

*

1600 hr. Washu examined the thermonuclear turbine she modified. "This should work." She psychokinetically inserted the turbines into the housings in Unit 04's lower legs; the Eva should now be able to fly at 0.0454 c (490,000 km/h in vacuum), like a Cybertronian. (The goddess had measured the Eva pilots' reflexes, and determined the evolved Children could safely pilot at such velocities. The cockpits now had inertial dampeners to protect the pilots from the G-forces generated at such velocity.) Washu sensed someone enter the hangar, and turned her head. "Hi... Nazhi."

The girl wore a "key," a waterproof cartridge containing computer codes to arm YJ-12 cruise missiles and their 200-kt nuclear warheads, on a cable around her neck. (Red tape encircled the key to alert PLAAF officers of its use.) "Good afternoon, Miss Hakubi."

Washu laughed. "There's no need for formality. Just call me... Washu-chan."

Nazhi nodded. "When will the Flying Sword's modifications be completed?"

"After Shiro performs a static test of Unit 04's modifications. I can boost a turbine in 15 minutes, but Cybertronian technology is very different from Jurai technology." She took the girl's hand. "I'll never forgive myself if you're hurt because I made a mistake."

Nazhi freed her hand; the woman's display of affection made her uncomfortable. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Washu."

Washu hid her sadness. "Nazhi, you were adopted, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever wanted to meet your real mother?"

Nazhi raised her head, as if she could see through the ceiling. "Sometimes I stare at the stars, wondering which one I came from. Then Niang," Mom, the title she knew Lin by, "would hug me and ask if I wanted to go home." She smiled as she looked into Washu's eyes. "I'd hug her and say, 'I am home.'"

"You really love Col Wei, don't you?"

"Of course!"

Washu sadly smiled. "She's lucky to have a daughter like you." The goddess turned away. "Excuse me, I have to use the restroom." She teleported out of the hangar so Nazhi wouldn't see her cry.

*

Day 32, Mon. 0950 hr, Berlin Time. Keel Lorenz, formerly known as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, stood in the control booth, watching a mechanical arm insert dummy plugs into Units 06 and 07. "Soon..." He heard the door open, and turned rearwards. "Bond!" He aimed the integral SMG in his right arm...

*

The projector displayed a satellite image of Edwards AFB, where Unit 03 faced Ryo-Ohki's powered armor form in hand-to-hand combat training, while Samson and the H-8 faced Ryoko. (The image was taken at 2200 hr, Pacific Time, when airmen still labored day and night to repair Unit 04.) "Team One," Units 05A, 06, and 07, "will capture the enemy Valkyries or, failing that, destroy them." (Team One's Evas each carried a second dummy plug in a weapons bay, which they'd insert into the rogue Evas' entry plug sockets.) The projector displayed map of Las Vegas. "The Valkyries have set up a command post here." Langley pointed at the Flying Circus. "Team Two," Units 02 and 09, "will destroy it."

Bang! Toji turned to the control booth. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Hikari, whose senses weren't enhanced by Jurai blood.

"It sounded like gunfire." Toji stood up.

Kaoru smiled. "Don't be so jumpy, Suzuhara-kun! There's nothing you can do to save him, anyways."

"What...?" He saw light in Kaoru's hand, and instinctively ducked; the LH Sword pierced his liver, missing his S² organ by 5 cm. "Argh!"

"Toji!" Hikari reached for her P990.

*

James felt Tsunami's power surge through him as the Sword of Heaven and Earth parried the bullet and chopped off Keel's right arm.

"Argh!" Sparks flew from the stump as Keel clutched it. His visor couldn't hide the anger and hatred in his eyes as James aimed the sword at his throat.

"The only reason you're still alive is because I have questions. Answer them, and I won't kill you. What do you intend to accomplish by destroying the American Evas?"

"Destroy them?" Keel laughed. "I'm not so foolish that I'd destroy the instruments I need to achieve Instrumentality."

"Instrumentality?"

"By nature, the human race is an evolutionary dead end; now it has reached its limit as a colony of flawed individuals. An artificial miracle, performed by an artificial God, is necessary for humanity to evolve into a perfect, single being. Through Instrumentality-- through the Evas-- I will create a perfect world!"

"Do you know how many lives you've destroyed to create this perfect world?" James frowned; he knew Keel didn't care about the human price. "A monster like you has no place in heaven."

"Heaven, the perfect world, is a void. Creation... the universe and the life that infests it... they destroyed the void, the perfect world, by filling it. Now I will restore heaven by destroying all creation," declared a female voice.

Keel gasped. "Yui Ikari?!"

James kept his sword at Keel's throat, while his left arm drew a PPK and aimed it at the woman's head. 'The genetic engineer who designed Evangelion Unit 01? But she died ten years ago!' "Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "You know me by the name you gave me: Lilith. Now I will tell you my true name: Unicron." She generated Angolomois energy-- what Keel called an anti-AT field. "Take this knowledge with you... into the void." Keel screamed as his body dissolved; James growled as the sword strained to protect him, using Tsunami's power to generate a LH Wing. "Do not resist; your end will be less painful..."

Suddenly, James used the sword to shatter the window, and jumped out of the booth. "Ahhhh!"

*

0252 hr, Pacific Time. Shiro formed a LH Sword as he jumped out of bed, slashing at thin air.

An intangible Ryoko flew through the wall of his hotel room, sensing his distress. "Are you okay?"

"Grandpa..."

*

0953 hr, Berlin Time. Unicron's avatar, the puppet that Osato identified as Ikari Yui, looked through the window; the body had disappeared. 'So, Primus' bitch took him. No matter; the void shall consume them all.' Unicron decided to advance her plan. "Chains of Power, return to me!" Blinding light enveloped the avatar as it became a beacon, summoning Unicron's true form from the Astral Plane.

*

Hikari cried as Kaoru's LH Wing pressed her against the wall, threatening to crush her skull and ribcage. The 5th Child smiled as he released her. "Gasp!" She collapsed onto the floor; the sight of Langley’s dismembered corpse, covering the floor with internal organs made external, greeted her.

Kaoru summoned the P990 into his hand, and crushed the pistol. "Good little girls don't play with guns,"-- he turned to Toji-- "right, 6th Child?"

"Gasp!" Toji felt the sword spin towards his S² organ; he bit his lip, denying the 5th Child the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

"W-w-why are you d-doing this, Nagisa-kun?" asked Hikari.

Kaoru frowned. "Nagisa Kaoru is the name Keel Lorenz gave me, the name with which he intended to control me. I will not be controlled by an insect." He spun the sword again.

"Ahhhh!" screamed Toji.

"My true name is Kagato; tell this to Hel," Goddess of Death, "when you..." Kagato turned to the door, shocked. "Unicron, no!" Crash! Unit 02 reached through the ready room's walls to save Toji and Hikari. Kagato howled as the ceiling collapsed upon him, followed by the Eva's boot. Splat!

Hikari suppressed her fear as Unit 02 held her in its left hand. "Toji, are you okay?"

Toji coughed blood as Jurai energy flowed through his body, healing him. "I-- I'll be fine. Where's your older sister?"

"Kodoma's in the base hospital..."

"That's within the blast radius! We have to get her out of there!" Unit 02 sensed his distress, and placed the two into its entry plug.

Hikari remembered not to panic as LCL filled the cockpit. "Blast radius? Are the Americans launching nuclear missiles at us?!"

"No human weapon is capable of matching Unicron's destructive power," stated Toji as Unit 02 rocketed through the cage ceiling.

*

Horaki Kodoma saw pillar of fire rise into the sky. "What happened?"

Misato knew Unit 02’s turbines projected the fire. (She knew nothing about Operation Fallen; Langley knew she'd warn Shiro if she learned of the operation.) "It looks like Toji-kun is... Gasp!" A sonic boom broke the window; Misato instinctively raised her arms to protect her face.

Unit 02 used a finger to clear the glass from the windowsill. "Misato-han, we must get out of here!" Toji opened the hatch.

"What...? Hey!" exclaimed Misato as Unit 02 grabbed her and Kodoma.

"Help!" screamed the young woman as she was lifted out of her wheelchair.

"Big Sister!" Hikari embraced Kodoma.

"Hikari-chan? What...? Eek!" Kodoma braced her hands against the LCDs as Unit 02 climbed.

Misato angrily gripped Toji's collar. "Pilot Suzuhara, I demand...!" She saw light behind the young man, chasing the Eva. "God have mercy..."

"I hope he does," deadpanned Toji as he pushed the throttle, ignoring the warning "TURBINE 1, 2, OVERHEATING".

Unit 01 hovered above Hannover. The Lance of Longinus pierced the back of the Eva's neck as it fused with Unit 01; it became like mercury, flowing through the Eva's arteries. "Return me to my true form. Evangelize all life on Earth and restore the planet to her original state," ordered Unicron. Unit 01's arms became leathery wings, which it crossed over its breasts to form armor. Spikes extended from Unit 01's shoulders and feet; Units 05A and 06 impaled their feet upon Unit 01's shoulders, forming new arms, while Units 07 and 09 impaled their feet upon Unit 01's, forming new legs. "With indiscriminate death and destruction, I will return the universe to its original state." The reptilian heads of Units 05A, 06, 07, and 09, the combined Eva's hands and feet, roared. "Let all souls find peace... in the void!"

Screams filled the entry plug as the light burned away Unit 02's lower body; it couldn't climb fast enough. Unicron consumed NERV Germany's 2nd branch; sensing a time-space distortion, she returned to the safety of the Astral Plane.

*

0255 hr, Pacific Time. Russhon watched static cloud the monitors as the spy satellites were destroyed. "What the hell was that?!"

"Trouble." Washu used her computer to contact her daughters. "Ryo-Ohki."

Ryo-Ohki was visibly shaken; she sensed Unicron's evil. "Y-y-yes, Mama?"

"Come to the command center."

"Okay, Mama." The feral girl teleported into the room.

"Ryoko..."

Ryoko and Shiro teleported into the room. "Is an Angel attacking from the east?" they simultaneously asked.

"It's a chaos-bringer, a demon of destruction," answered Washu. "We goddesses have faced those things in the past, but never one this,"-- she shivered-- "powerful."

Although Russhon wasn't a psychic, and couldn't sense Unicron's presence, he shared the goddess' fear. "Call Lt..."

The radio buzzed; Nazhi and Arael simultaneously called, "Gen Russhon."

Urd and Titty emerged from a monitor. "Please tell me that wasn't a chaos-bringer!"

"It is," answered Washu.

"Damn."

"That thing's in Hannover! What the hell are those Seele people doing with it?!" wondered Russhon.

Shiro teleported into Unit 04's cockpit, using one of the techniques he learned through his mental link to Ryoko. Five sec later, the radio buzzed as he announced, "System is go," after examining the power, flight, electronic, and weapons systems. "What's the status of the target?"

Washu no longer had a headache. "I don't sense its presence in real space or hyperspace... it might be in the Astral Plane."

"I'll check it out." Unit 04 exited its hangar.

"Wait for me!" Ryoko became intangible and flew through the ceiling.

Titty turned to Urd. "Please teleport me into Lara," the name she gave to Unit 03. (A pinup of Lara Croft, a blazing MP7 in each hand, adorned the sides of the Eva's head.)

Urd sighed at the girl's desire to prove herself. "Take care." She linked a monitor to a LCD in the Eva's cockpit.

"Thanks." Titty quickly kissed Urd before she stepped through the monitor. "System is go." Rails guided the Eva's machine pistol-- a 120 mm automatic cannon resembling the MP7-- from the weapons bay in its left vambrace, to its hand. "Let's rock!" Lara rocketed into the sky, chasing Ryoko and Unit 04. Boom! A 170-meter-long cruiser eclipsed the moon as it exited hyperspace. "What the hell...? Shit!" she cursed as the cruiser rained missiles and laser beams upon the Evas.

Astromammoth, formerly known as Astrotrain, shouted, "Vehicons, attack!" 20 upgraded Transformers followed him into battle.

"Ryoko!" Washu turned to her youngest daughter. "Ryo-Ohki, change into your powered armor form; we must help Ryoko!" 'I won't lose her again!'

"Okay, Mama!" Ryo-Ohki's skin became red, like iron oxide.

"Not in here!" Washu grabbed Ryo-Ohki's hand, became intangible, and pulled her through the ceiling. "Out here!"

"Oops! Sorry, Mama!" Ryo-Ohki's powered armor form resembled a 40-meter-tall robot rabbit with feline fangs and claws. Washu led her into the air.

A blue fighter transformed into a panther. "Kill!" Nightracer slashed at Lara. Her claws slid harmlessly against the AT field, but they distracted the Eva pilot. A pink fighter circled around Lara, transformed into a fox, and sank her fangs into the Eva's throat. "Finish her!" encouraged Nightracer. Lara formed a sword; the fox yelped as it fell, bleeding from a deep abdominal wound. "Elita-1!"

Titty coughed blood as the Eva put its hand over its throat, trying to stop the bleeding. 'I'm not finished yet!' She lunged at Nightracer; the Eva's machine pistol rained depleted uranium (DU) penetrators upon the Vehicon, who spun like a ballerina to dodge the shots.

"For Starscream!" declared Scramjet as the head of his warhammer slammed into Unit 04's sword, bending it; when the sword straightened, the Eva was thrown backwards, out of control. "For Dirge!" He swung again. Unit 04 somersaulted; the blow missed its head by two meters. "For Thrust!" As he drew back his arms to swing again, Unit 04 lunged, thrusting its sword through the Seeker's armpit. "Argh!" The sword reached for his S² engine...

Slash! "Howl!" The Eva's sword dissipated as it recoiled from the blow, bleeding from a horizontal cut on its back.

"Use your CPU, bonehead!" Grimlock dived after Unit 04, determined to defeat his enemy. The Eva launched eight AMRAAMs, forcing Grimlock to slow down as he parried the missiles.

Unit 04 somersaulted before climbing towards the Vehicon, forming two swords. Clang! Shiro was strong and fast enough to simultaneously block Slammer's warhammer and Snarl's halberd, but doing so left him defenseless against Swoop and Slag's swords. "Howl!"

"Shiro!" Ryoko wanted to help her lover, but she couldn't; Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback relentlessly attacked her.

"Ryoko!" "Sis!" Washu and Ryo-Ohki each fired 30 energy bolts at the giant stag beetle, Hercules beetle, and locust. A white fighter dived before the bolts, transformed into a 44-meter-tall cyborg, formed two LH Swords, and parried the bolts. "Damn!" they cursed as Jazz transformed into a cheetah and charged.

The H-8 and Samson had just exited the hangar when Vehicons surrounded them. Nazhi gripped her key. "Request permission to use Leishenchui," thunder god's hammer, the codename for the YJ-12 cruise missiles mounted beneath the H-8's forearms.

"Granted!" answered Lin.

Nazhi shattered one of her LH wings into 27 razor-sharp fragments, overwhelming a Vehicon's defenses and slamming her enemy against the runway. Rails guided two "pistols," 280 mm automatic cannons, into Samson's hands; Arael rained shells upon the Vehicons, covering Nazhi as she aimed the four-missile launcher on the H-8's left arm at Astromammoth. Boom! A superlaser beam vaporized the pavement beneath their feet, throwing both Evas into the air. "Howl!" "Ahhhh!"

"Evangelion pilots!" called Shockwave as he aimed his superlaser. "Land and exit the cockpits, or I will delete all humans from this planet, beginning with the 4,210,000 in city of Las Vegas!" The Vehicons retreated from their opponents, allowing the Eva pilots to see a violet star, Shockwave's gunship mode.

Russhon, Holly, and Lin simultaneously called Washu. "Is the Valkyrie bluffing?"

Washu scanned Shockwave, who was linked to the plasma energy chamber. (Hyperwave transmitters, assembled beneath Cybertron's surface, sent energy to the six receivers set upon his S² engine.) "His laser can project over 10,000,000,000,000,000 GJ of energy!" The answer confused the officers. "That's over 2,400,000 gigatons, enough to vaporize the entire continent of North America!" if Shockwave was willing to meltdown his S² engine, destroying himself; Washu sensed that the Vehicon was willing to risk this.

"What?!" "Damn!" "You must be joking!" Lin's protest was ignored as Units 03 and 04 landed, Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki changed into their human forms, and Nazhi and Arael exited the cockpits of their Evas. Astromammoth transformed into a mammoth as he landed, aiming his flamethrower trunk and howitzer tusks at the control tower.

Nightracer's fingers encircled Titty. "Good girl." She turned to Elita-1. "Are you okay?"

Elita-1 repaired herself. "Yes, thank you." She followed Nightracer as the Vehicons carried Washu, Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki, and the pilots to the hangar.

*

Toji sat before a fire, hearing metal sing as knives clashed against one another. A man in a UNSF uniform defeated a man in a USAF uniform; his prize was the thigh of the wild boar that a Viking cooked over the fire.

'Here.' The man handed Toji the meat. The wounds of both combatants were magically healed.

'Thank you, Sir.' The meat was delicious.

'It's the least I can do to repay the friendship you gave to my son. How's Kensuke?'

'He's in America, with his maternal grandparents. He said he was fine in his last email.' Toji examined his environment. 'Where am I?'

'Valhalla.' Strong but gentle arms encircled him.

'Asuka?' He turned his head and felt the girl's lips upon his own.

Asuka reluctantly terminated the kiss. 'I wish I could remember this.'

'Why not?'

'You still live, while I must sacrifice my memories of this life to live again.'

'I'd rather...'

'No.' She put her finger before his lips, silencing him. 'The people you love, the people who love you, still need you. You must be strong.' She pressed her forehead against his. 'I know you fear this strength; you fear it'll corrupt you, changing you into a monster. But you have a choice; you can be a hero.'

'A hero?'

'Yes. Jurai energy can heal as well as harm; you can heal the terrible wounds of Hikari's older sister.' She kissed him. 'I must go now.' She stood up. 'Please take care of yourself.'

A woman approached the lovers. 'Thank you for the loving care you gave my daughter.' Mother and daughter faded away.

'Goodbye, Asuka.'

*

1005 hr, Berlin Time. "Toji!" "Toji-kun!"

The young man opened his eyes. "Hikari-chan? Misato-han?"

The girl embraced him. "Thank heavens you're all right!"

"Is your sister...?"

Kodoma grunted in pain. "I'm alive." She felt Toji's hand upon her abdomen. "What are you...? Gasp!" She felt fire burn within her. 'My legs!' She involuntarily kicked the LCDs. "I-- I can walk?!"

"Yes." Toji extended the entry plug. "We must find our fathers and our younger sisters." He opened the hatch.

"Gasp!" Kodoma embraced Hikari, trying to shield her younger sister.

20 Vehicons aimed their weapons at Unit 02's wreckage, ready to transform the Evangelion-- and the humans inside-- into vapor. The strike team leader raised his head, as if he heard something; then the Vehicons flew away.

Toji saw mushroom clouds rise in the north, south, and west; the Vehicons were attacking the thrones. "It's begun."

Misato nodded. "The end of Seele."

*

0310 hr, Pacific Time. Kaji shivered as Jazz placed him before his doppelganger. "Shockwave."

The replicant-- Shockwave's avatar-- smiled. "You remember me." He turned to Washu. "You are Hakubi Washu, a high ranking member of the Jurai government."

Washu frowned. "I'm the Goddess of the Mind!" she angrily corrected.

Shockwave frowned. "You lie. Primus is the one true god, creator of Yggdrasil."

Washu hid her sense of surprise. 'How can he know Father's name?!' "Believe whatever you want."

Shockwave turned to Shiro. "You are Plt Off Shiro Bond."

"Yes."

"I will negotiate with you." Shockwave put his hand on Shiro's shoulder.

A blinding light enveloped Shiro and the avatar. Ryoko stepped forward, crying, "Shiro!" She frowned as Astromammoth raised a foot, ready to crush every human in the hangar.

"Quiet!" ordered the mammoth. He slowly lowered his foot when the living weapon controlled her anger.

Ryoko hid her sense of surprise when a video of the moon was projected onto the lower left corner of her eye. 'That's my Shiro!' Washu had modified the codecs so the Cybertronians couldn't intercept their transmissions.

"Who's Unicron? Why do you fear him?" asked Shiro.

Washu eavesdropped on the negotiations. 'Unicron? The Dark God whose power Tokimi,' her sister, the Goddess of Shadow who went insane and stole Washu's divine powers, confining her in mortal form for 19,400 Earth years, 'coveted?'

"Unicron claimed to be the Dark God of Destruction, destined to consume the entire universe," answered the avatar. "Unicron attacked Cybertron 4,000,000 Earth years ago; we suffered 70 to 75% casualties in the battle to defend our home planet. We destroyed 60 to 80% of Unicron's frame, but failed to destroy his CPU, which drifted out of weapons range. During this time, the Jurai established a colony on Earth, unaware that Unicron's CPU was buried there." Behind Shockwave, a hologram projector displayed a map of the Jurai Empire; the solar system was marked, "ZZ QUARANTINE ZONE. UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY WILL RESULT IN SUMMARY EXECUTION."

"The 13th Emperor of Jurai visited the colony 2017 Earth years ago, and reportedly sensed an evil spirit's presence; he ordered the colonists' evacuation, and designated your solar system a quarantine zone." The projector displayed a copy of Imperial Order 9181931. "Based on the Emperor's description, I calculate a 58.0% probability that Unicron was the presence he sensed." The projector displayed a photo, dated May 29, 1977, of Lorenz examining "Lilith." "The human religious organization, Seele, discovered the CPU and created a Unicron replicant. Seele believed doing so would allow them to control human evolution; there is a 91.1% probability that Unicron used his telepathic powers to transmit misinformation to Seele members." The avatar looked into Shiro's eyes. "The Jurai abandoned your ancestors, and will abandon you. Now that humans have reactivated Unicron and, therefore, become a direct threat to 100% of the life forms that inhabit the universe, the Jurai Emperor will order the extermination of the human race."

"He's lying!" protested Washu. "Yosho," her savior, now Emperor of Jurai, "would never...!"

"I didn't know you cared," deadpanned Shiro.

"To exterminate all humans would be to destroy resources that are useful to us," stated Shockwave. "Out of respect for you, the most effective killing machine Earth has produced, we will give you a choice. If all humans, through you, swear allegiance to the Vehicons, we will protect them."

"You want to control Earth by naming me the figurehead of a puppet government?"

"Correct."

"Don't worry; I have a plan that'll save Earth," claimed Washu. "Begin negotiations to buy me some time."

Shiro coughed twice to acknowledge. "What are your terms...?" Boom! Both human bodies collapsed onto the observatory floor as an explosion rocked the entire planet.

"Cybertronians!" called Unicron as she approached Cybertron, which was hidden behind Earth's moon. "A moment ago,"-- time was meaningless to the Chaos-Bringer-- "you denied me a chance to cleanse the universe. Now I will complete my task; I will crush your insignificant little planet and consume her core!" She laughed as her Angolomois energy field dissolved missiles, rockets, and bullets, and dissipated plasma bursts and laser beams.

*

Titty heard turbines roar as the Vehicons raced towards the moon. "What's happening?"

Urd looked away from Titty's throat, which she was healing. "The Valkyries are leaving!"

"Are they,"-- she coughed blood; Urd put her hand on Titty's shoulder, forcing the girl to calm down-- "getting out of the way so that superlaser can...?"

"Don't worry about the Vehicons," assured Washu. 'Even they can't stop the Dark God of Destruction.'

*

A red fighter rocketed towards Unicron, transformed into a cyborg, and formed a sword. "This is for Ironhide!" Hot Rod lunged. Unicron launched her left wrist, a metal hawk that locked its jaws around Hot Rod's throat and beat its wings against his head. "Argh!"

"Hot Rod, no!" pleaded Alpha as the young Vehicon self-destructed, vaporizing the metal hawk. The Dark God howled in pain, shaking both Cybertron and Earth-- millions of sentient beings shivered as they felt Unicron's rage.

Light shined from the stump, forming a new wrist. "I'll dismember, disembowel, and decapitate you all! You will beg for death, beg me to consume you and end your pain!" Unicron was determined to exterminate the Cybertronians, instead of retreating to the Astral Plane.

Shiro turned to the avatar. "Do you need a hand?"

The avatar ignored him as Shockwave's gunship form raced towards Cybertron. "All units, target the spark core." He designated the target. "Open fire with all weapons in five sec."

Alpha raced into the observatory. "No, Commander Shockwave! Unicron is absorbing the energy from our attacks, becoming more powerful!"

"Cancel that order." The avatar turned to the Autobot elder. "What course of action do you propose?"

"Only forms of Matrix energy, such as energon shields and swords," he turned to Shiro, "what you call Absolute Terror fields or Light Hawk Wings, can harm Unicron."

Shiro remembered that Unicron's current body was based on Evangelion Unit 01. "But Unicron can generate an AT field," noted Shiro.

"He must maintain a balance between his AT field and his anti-AT field, between defense and offense. If we disturb this balance, he becomes vulnerable," explained Alpha.

Shiro turned to the avatar. "Return me to Unit 04, release my comrades, and we'll help you defend your home planet."

"Very well, but if you betray me, I will propel your moon into your home planet, eliminating all life on Earth." Shockwave teleported Shiro into the hangar.

"Shiro!" Ryoko greeted him with an embrace.

Shiro returned the embrace before turning to Washu. "Can you repair the Evas?"

"Of course! I'm the beautiful Goddess of..."

"Do it! We're running out of time!" He turned to Russhon. "Refuel and rearm the Evas!"

"Gotcha!" 'Why does this O1 think he can give orders to an O9?' Russhon turned to Holly and airmen from three Air Forces. "Let's get to work!"

Shiro turned to Titty. "Can you fight?"

Titty stood up, putting on her cuirass. "Yes." She turned to Urd. "I'll return to you." She kissed Urd before drawing Jurai energy from her developing S² organ to jump 22 m into the air, landing in the kneeling Eva's cockpit.

At 0315 hr, the Evas rocketed towards the moon at 0.0454 c. "What a monster!" "Good heavens!"

Arael recited Psalm 27, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

"When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell..."

Urd, Washu, and her daughters escorted the Evas. "So Unicron corrupted your sister, turning her against you?"

"Unicron must have corrupted thousands of people in search of someone stupid enough to resurrect him,"-- Washu noticed the female curves on Unicron's current body-- "or her."

"So this is about revenge?"

"This is about freeing the universe of the chaos and terror this monster has caused," said Washu. Energy bolts rained upon them. "Look out!" Units 03, 04, and Samson parried the bolts; Urd, Washu, Ryoko, and the H-8 returned fire.

Urd summoned World of Elegance, her angel, to defend Titty from a metal hawk. "Is that monster growing?"

Washu scanned Unicron. "Yes."

"Are you mistaken?"

"I wish I was."

A bomber and a gunship aimed their weapons at the approaching Evas. "Do not engage the Evangelions," ordered Shockwave. "For now, we are allied against a common foe."

"Roger." "Gotcha." Grimlock and Slag transformed into a Tyrannosaurus and a Triceratops, respectively. They sacrificed their vehicle modes' higher speed for their beast modes' stronger armor, before joining the battle against Unicron. Shockwave transformed into a lion and clawed at his enemy's breastplate. A reptilian head locked its jaws around Shockwave's neck, before slamming the lion through the armor plating on Cybertron's surface.

Alpha watched Shockwave crash through the ceiling, crushing his avatar. Above them, Snarl swung his halberd, and Blitzwing thrust his sword. Unicron spread the wings on her wrists, blocking the simultaneous attacks as she kicked. Snarl and Blitzwing howled as Unicron launched her ankles, metal hawks that tore out their spark cores. "We will lose this battle unless we make a sacrifice."

Shockwave rolled onto his feet. "What shall we sacrifice?"

"Vector Sigma," the supercomputer that once gave life to the Transformers, "is linked to the Matrix; in theory, it can provide an enough energon to destroy Unicron."

"Vector Sigma has been deactivated for 10,950,000 SC; there is only a 0.357% probability of reactivating it."

"Its frame remains. I am a 1st generation product of Vector Sigma; we share the same computation matrix. My power supply can merge with its frame, reactivating it."

"Proceed."

Alpha pressed a button to open a trapdoor, revealing the metal sphere he'd safeguarded for 10,950,000 SC. Blue light enveloped Alpha as he gave his life energy to the hovering sphere; he collapsed as 100 lights shined upon the sphere. "I am Vector Sigma. Before Cybertron was, I was. Who reactivates me?"

"I, Shockwave, Vehicon Commander. I demand the power to destroy Unicron."

"Unicron cannot be destroyed. If you defeat her, your victory will only be temporarily; she will replenish herself, increasing her evil."

"Then we will replenish ourselves, increasing our strength in preparation for the next battle."

"You must unite with the Minicons if you hope to defeat Unicron this time."

"Minicons-- the humans?"

"Yes. They are the 2nd generation sentinels, created to contain evil. You are the 1st generation sentinels, created to combat evil."

"I understand." He opened a hatch on the back of the lion's head.

Vector Sigma ejected its metal shell, launching its spark core into the lion's braincase. Shockwave gasped as energon surged through his integral superlaser. "Arise, Shockwave Prime. You must stand together, or you will fall together."

Shockwave contacted Shiro. "Evangelion pilots, I order you to cover me as I aim."

Shiro answered, "Wilco," without hesitation, silencing the protests of his comrades. "Attack her limbs!" Unit 04 attacked the right arm as Ryoko covered him; Lara attacked the right leg as World of Elegance covered her; the H-8 attacked the left arm as Samson covered her; Ryo-Ohki attacked the left leg as Washu covered her.

Unicron launched four metal hawks, scattering her assailants. "My destiny..." Boom! She growled as the superlaser beam struck her AT field. "You cannot destroy my destiny!"

"I, Grimlock, accept this challenge." He thrust his sword at the point of impact, weakening the AT field; Unicron howled in pain when some of the beam's energy reached her. Slammer, Swoop, Scramjet, and Nightracer joined Grimlock, overwhelming Unicron's defenses.

"Noooo!" Light consumed Unicron as the beam vaporized her S² engine; the resulting explosion scattered the Vehicons. Evangelion Units 05A, 06, 07, and 09 howled, feeling the death of their master; they disintegrated, becoming confetti to celebrate victory over Unicron.

Shockwave transformed. "Astromammoth, transport the damaged Vehicons to the repair bay." Grimlock, Slammer, Swoop, Scramjet, and Nightracer were severely damaged, but they could be fully repaired in four to six hours. "Victory..."

Shiro aimed his sword at the 50-meter-tall cyborg. "Let's renegotiate a ceasefire."

Shockwave formed a sword and lunged at Shiro. "Your negotiation position is questionable; you have no bargaining chips."

Shiro dodged the thrust. "My word will be my bargaining chip."

Shockwave parried Shiro's slash. "What do you want?"

"Release the prisoners you took." He dodged a second thrust. "Remove the spy satellites you placed in Earth's orbit." He countered with a slash. "Leave this solar system." Clang! "And I will guarantee that no human will ever attempt to resurrect Unicron." Clang, clang, clang!

"Why should I trust you?" The Vehicons aimed their weapons at Unit 04, while Shiro's allies aimed their weapons at Shockwave, but no shots were fired; no one was willing to endanger their champion.

"Seele was corrupt; by scheming to control human evolution, Seele schemed to deny us the freedom to determine our own future." Shiro parried a thrust. "Their deaths were divine retribution!" His slashes and thrusts were like wind and lightning in a storm, forcing Shockwave to retreat. "We'll never let anyone deny us this freedom, not Seele, or Unicron, or you!"

"So be it." Shockwave aimed the lion's head, the cyborg mode's left hand, at Edwards AFB. 'Without weapons to defend themselves, the humans will submit to our laws.' Blinding light enveloped both champions as Shockwave fired his superlaser, while Shiro jumped into hyperspace.

Unit 04 teleported before the superlaser beam, blocking it with crossed swords. "Howl!"

"Shiro!" Ryoko teleported beside her lover. Energy flowed from her gems, giving Shiro the strength to resist the 8,368,000 GJ-- two megatons-- his opponent projected.

Shockwave deactivated the overheating superlaser when he felt Lara, Ryo-Ohki, and the H-8's LH swords upon his neck. He could've defeated the girls, but he sensed a time-space distortion. "I accept your terms." Two stasis pods were launched from Cybertron. "Fuyutsuki Kozo. Maximilian Zorin."

Unit 04 caught the pods. "They'll be tried for crimes against humanity."

Fireworks lit the heavens. "The stealth probes have self-destructed." The gunship flew towards Cybertron. "We will return in 2.50 Earth years to negotiate a peace treaty."

"I'll have the band play, 'Hail to the Chief'." Shiro watched the planetary turbines propel Cybertron out of the solar system.

*

Day 39, Mon. 0830 hr, Pacific Time. Hikari and her case officer-- the CIA intelligence officer who was responsible for her-- waited in the Flying Circus' lobby. Toji and his case officer finally returned. "Ohayo, Toji-kun. May I...?"

"Good morning, Horaki-kun." The young man walked past her, towards the stairs.

"Toji-kun, stop!" Hikari ran after him, followed by her case officer. "My case officer just told me you wanted to join the US Air Force and become an Eva pilot again. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me-- tell Mai-chan, your father, your grandfather, or Kensuke-kun?!" Hikari spent an hour calling Toji's family and friends; none of them knew of his decision. "We care about you-- we don't want you to be in danger again! Do you even care about us?!"

Toji opened the door to the stairs. "Yes. That's why I must avoid you." He walked through the door.

Hikari ran through the door before it shut; she slammed it, keeping the CIA intelligence officers out of the stairwell. "No, you don't!" She reached for his shoulder; he flinched as if hot coals touched him. "I know NERV used you as a Guinea pig in an experiment; I know you think you're a monster, and you're afraid you might hurt us. But you're also a hero; you saved the lives of Kodoma-neesan, Misato-san, and myself. You don't have to be afraid."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he coldly stated.

"Then tell me," she insisted.

Toji turned to Hikari, who hid her fear as two red fires burned into her soul. "Fine." He slowly raised his hands to her face.

"Gasp!" Hikari drowned in the emotions of those mentally linked to Evangelion Unit 02. Soryu Kyoko Zeppelin-Langley, who saw her daughter as a beautiful but fragile being-- a porcelain doll-- and was willing to sacrifice everything, even her sanity, to protect her daughter from harm. Soryu Asuka Langley, who felt the pain of abandonment, and fought for everyone's attention-- attention her mother used to give her-- so she wouldn't have to feel this pain again. Shiro Bond, who lived in fear of a shadow-- a lost memory-- and who hid his fear so he'd be the hero his guardians wanted him to be. Suzuhara Toji, who lived in pain of being an outsider, and who hid his pain-- his vulnerability-- with aggression. Pain begat fear, fear begat anger, anger begat hatred, hatred begat insanity and violence and death... "Toji!"

The young man expected the girl to run away from him; he was shocked when she embraced him instead.

"I know your pain... your terrible pain... You don't have to bear it alone. Let me help you." She felt his tears rain on her head.

"Thank you." Toji returned the embrace.

*

"I'm what?!" exclaimed Misato.

"You're pregnant." Holly smiled. "Congratulations."

"But I had a hysterectomy when I was 14! How can I be pregnant when I...!" Misato fell silent when Holly handed her an x-ray. "Shiro."

"The 4th Child is the father?" asked Holly.

"Hell no!"

"I'm surprised you've chosen not to pursue him." Holly smiled at Misato's frown. "I judge him to be a man of honor, as do Gen Russhon and Col Lin." The officers were at the Flying Circus, representing their governments in negotiations to form an international organization that would defend the human race from any threat to their survival.

"Why don't you pursue him?" countered Misato. Holly extended her arm, displaying a gold ring with a diamond covering the Air Combat Command (ACC) shield, similar to what many military personnel wore to express pride in their service. "Are you and Gen Russhon...?"

Holly's smile became wider. "Yes. By the way, where's Plt Off Bond?"

Misato sighed. "Attending his grandfather's funeral."

Holly stopped smiling. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be; you're only human."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Misato nodded. "When I first heard about Unit 03's thermonuclear turbines, I was told they were designed to provide electrical power, so the Evas wouldn't have to be leashed to an external generator. However, Unit 04's wings and tailplanes are integral to its design. How'd you know we'd face airborne enemies?"

Holly blushed as she prepared to tell a secret. "I didn't; I designed the Eva-jet because I was a fan of 'Gundam Wing'."

Misato's eyes widened with surprise. "And what did Gen Russhon say when you proposed to build a real-live Gundam?"

"He's a fighter pilot; he can't wait to feel the thermonuclear turbines thrust him to the stars."

Misato threw back her head and laughed. "I never thought I'd meet a 'Gundam Wing' fan in America! Who's your favorite pilot? Mine's Quartre."

Holly returned the laughter. "Mine's Duo, but my favorite MS is Wing Gundam Zero Custom."

"I have 'Endless Waltz'," the movie sequel to the 'Gundam Wing' animated series, "on DVD. We should watch it together this weekend."

"I agree, Capt Katsuragi."

"Please call me Misato."

Holly smiled at the proposed friendship. "Okay, Misato."

Kaji greeted Misato after she exited the base infirmary. "What did the doctor say?"

"I'm pregnant." She heard Kaji gasp. "When Shiro saved my life, the Jurai energy must have regenerated my uterus."

Kaji smiled, surprising Misato. "If it's a boy, can we name him Yoshiyuki, after my brother and my best friend?" (The name of his brother was Yoshiro; his best friend, Yukito.)

Misato frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I mean,"-- he was uncharacteristically nervous as he removed a small box from his pocket-- "I meant to present this at dinner." He opened the box, revealing a diamond set in a platinum ring.

"Did you buy this, or did you get it out of your robot head?" the replicant's head, which Washu found orbiting the moon after Cybertron left the solar system. She watched him frown, and laughed to disarm him. "I was just joking! A machine like him can't understand a concept like beauty." Misato put on the ring, which Kaji bought from the Flying Circus' jewelry store. "If it's a girl, we're naming her Asuka."

"You mean..."

"Yes." She embraced him, releasing the tension that threatened to crush her spirit for five weeks.

*

1630 hr, GMT. Laird Shiro Bond, Baron of Lionheart, stood behind the pulpit, facing the people in who came to honor James. "Orbis Non Sufficit: The World Is Not Enough to buy off our loyalty to Scotland. Those were the words my ancestors lived and died by in the Wars of Independence, and in the hundred wars that were fought to defend Scotland and, later, the United Kingdom's freedom. They were the words my grandfather lived by, words he instructed me to live by. Now..."

Pussy sat beside Elise, her companion, listening to the eulogy. (Elise was extradited to the UK for questioning, but MI6 released her after determining she wasn't directly involved in the Human Instrumentality Project. Afterwards, Pussy hired Elise to be her personal physician.) Although she hadn't seen James since they parted 51 years ago, her heart still burned for the first man to earn her trust. She remembered the first time they made love, imagined his breath upon her neck, and turned her head to hide the fact that she was blushing. 'James?!' The 30-year-old man who sat in the last row looked like Pussy's late lover, but...

"... let him find peace," finished Shiro, drawing Pussy's attention. When the woman looked back again, the 30-year-old man was gone.

''Tis no good to continue fantasizing about him.' "Come, Dear."

James Galore approached Shiro. "I'm sorry about your loss, Mr. Bond."

"I appreciate your sympathy. Please call me Shiro." He shook Galore's hand.

"What'll you do now?"

"Grandpa's last gift to me was a document declaring my legal emancipation. With this, I become financially independent."

"My mother told me about your grandfather-- about my father. I want welcome you to my family, to let you know you can always count on us for a helping hand."

Galore's honesty stunned Shiro; the young man needed three seconds to recover his composure and say, "Thank you."

Pussy looked into Shiro's eyes. "I see his strength, his determination in you." She smiled. "You'll be fine."

Elise bowed. "Thank you for testifying in my favor. I'm sorry if I've cause you any trouble."

"No trouble; it's my pleasure to aid a beautiful woman like you." Shiro smiled as Elise blushed. Galore saw the jealousy in Pussy's eyes, and laughed as the guests exited the castle's incomplete chapel. Afterwards, Shiro walked towards the dock at the castle's west gate, where Washu, Ryo-Ohki, and the 30-year-old man waited.

"Why didn't you shed tears for me?" asked the man.

"The people who know me, know I don't express myself in this manner. If I shed tears, they'd be suspicious."

The man laughed. "Well said."

"Where will you go now, Grandpa?"

James smiled, feeling the youth Tsunami restored when she healed him, after teleporting him out of Hannover. "I'll go on vacation with Washu-chan. After that... Who knows? Maybe I'll join the GP."

"Seeking more windmills to joust?" joked Shiro.

"Seeking more women to romance." Grandfather and grandson shared a laugh before Ryo-Ohki changed into her spaceship form, using a cloaking device to avoid alarming any human observers. "Goodbye, Shiro."

"Goodbye, Grandpa." He watched James and Washu board Ryo-Ohki, before returning to the castle.

James demonstrated to a crystal, Ryo-Ohki's means of communicating with her passengers when she was in spaceship form, how to mix a vodka martini as she rocketed away from Earth, past one of the 999 Jurai warships defending the planet. (He brought several bottles with him.) "May I offer you a drink, Washu-chan?"

The goddess had changed into a lab coat. "Yes." Her tongue seductively twirled in the glass, licking the black pepper he'd sprinkled into the vodka. "James, I'm working on another project, and I'd sincerely appreciate your help."

James smiled. "Anything for a lady. What are you working on?"

Washu unbuttoned her coat, letting it fall onto the floor; James gasped as her sheer lingerie teased his eyes. "Making a baby." She pounced on him, pushing him onto the bed that automatically emerged from the floor; they burned each other with the passion in their lips and fingers.

*

Ryoko was in the kitchen, where Belldandy, Urd and Skuld's sister, was teaching her how to cook. "His heart froze after Asuka died; he hasn't shared a gentle touch, a warm embrace, or a loving kiss for 11 days!"

"Survivor's guilt burdens him; he's torn between a desire to be reunited with friends who've died, and fear of losing the friends who still live," explained the Goddess 1st Class, unlimited license. "Kei-chan suffered from this problem when the N² bomb destroyed Tokyo; he lost all of his friends and family, except for my sisters and I, who were protected by our divine powers. For 40 days and 40 nights, he was silent but for his mourning; he flinched at our every touch, as if our hands had become hot coals. We made great effort and greater sacrifices to mend his broken spirit."

"Was it worth it?"

"Mommy!" Nekomi, Belldandy's 13-year-old daughter, entered the kitchen. "Aunt Skuld's invited me to go shopping in Las Vegas with Aunt Urd!" Skuld wanted Nekomi to help her keep an eye on Urd. "Can I go?"

"Yes, Dear."

"I'll take care of her," assured Morisato Keiichi, Belldandy's husband, as he followed the product of their love.

"I know you will; I trust you." Belldandy waited until the two left, before turning to Ryoko. "True love is worth any effort, any sacrifice."

Ryoko smiled, sharing Belldandy's sentimentality. "Thanks."

Shiro teleported into the kitchen. "Good evening, Lady Belldandy." He bowed. "Ryoko, may I speak with you in private?"

"Sure." She turned to Belldandy. "I'll be right back."

Belldandy smiled, sensing the emotions Shiro tried to hide. "Take your time."

Shiro and Ryoko walked out of the kitchen, down the hall. "I'm sorry for treating you so coldly."

"It's okay, I understand."

"I intend to complete my education. Gen Boothroyd, the Royal Air Force Chief of Staff, will aid my application for the Royal Air Force Academy, Class of 2020." Evangelion Unit 04, now designated as a B-4 Star Saber long-range bomber, would be transferred to the RAF after Jurai and GP military advisors retrofitted the Evas with more powerful weapons. (Shiro originally named it after the Shooting Star Sword, which armed the hero of 'Saint Legend', his favorite movie; Russhon changed the name to avoid confusion with the H-8 Flying Sword.) "After I graduate..." He fell silent, uncertain of what to say.

"Shiro?"

He opened the box to reveal a yellow gold ring with two dragons dancing around the sculpted corona of a jade sun. The ring was meant for her; the carbon-hardened gemstone matched the color of her hair. "Will you marry me?"

Ryoko embraced him. "Yes." They shared their first kiss in 11 days, freeing themselves from the fear that once hung over their heads like Damocles' Sword.

*

948 hr, Cybertron Time. Gen Daluma bowed to the Vehicons. "Commander Shockwave, here are the," 'worthless rocks,' "resources you requested."

Shockwave examined the asteroids, which would be transported to Cybertronian factories. The rare metals in the asteroids would be used to manufacture arms and armor; the remaining rock would be used to make concrete, construction material for the castles that grew like weeds on the planets they conquered. "This is 25 to 30% of what we demanded. Where is the rest?"

'Stupid robot! Why should I waste my time gathering rocks when...?' "Gasp!" He felt an invisible hand close around his chest, stopping the heart's beating and the lungs' pumping.

"I can read your mind, Daluma. I read your question, and my answer is this: deliver the resources we demanded, or die and be replaced by someone who will." Shockwave released Daluma, allowing his ally to catch his breath.

"Y-y-yes, Commander Shockwave!" Daluma crawled out of the hangar.

Scramjet and Slag loaded the asteroids into Astromammoth and Sky Lynx, a new Vehicon who Shockwave brought to life with Vector Sigma's power. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?" asked Scramjet.

"Permission granted."

"Why'd you order us and the Daluma Pirates to leave the humans alone? We could've..."

"Vector Sigma warned me that Unicron could not be totally destroyed, only temporarily defeated. We needed the humans' help to defeat Unicron this time; we'll need them next time."

"We cannot control them. What if they...?"

"Correction: we cannot control them by direct force, but we can control them through indirect force." Shockwave put his hand on Scramjet's shoulder, imitating Optimus Prime when the late Autobot Commander wanted to reinforce a subordinate's confidence. "Trust me."

"Yes, Sir."

*

GP Detective 1st Class Makibi Kiyone stared at the monitor, which displayed images taken by a probe she launched two hr ago. "What do you think, rookie?"

Kiyone's new partner, who transferred to the station six days ago, leaned over her shoulder to watch the Vehicons depart from the Daluma battle station. "This is an excellent opportunity to observe the Vehicons and learn their strengths and weaknesses."

"If we can stay out of sight, specifically, their gunsights."

"I have the scientific and engineering skills necessary to design and construct a cloaking device, and to install it..."

"Cloaking devices are illegal, remember?" interrupted Kiyone. "Just sit tight, Kagato. We'll report this to the Chief and await further orders." She didn't see the evil glint in his eyes.

The young man with gray hair and red eyes smiled. "Yes, Ma'am."

***

Bond will return.

***

My dear Dark Angel, take off your mask,

Let your beauty free me from the dragon's grasp.

Open your eyes, and let your soul's light

Penetrate this shield of lies.

*

My dear Dark Angel, give me your word,

To free my heart from Loneliness' curse.

Chaos of war cannot keep us apart,

We'll find sanctuary in each other's heart.

*

I fear not fire, I fear not ice,

Because you're always by my side.

Through roaring thunder and howling wind,

I fear no danger, death is never the end.

*

My dear Dark Angel, unfold your shadowy wings,

Let the warmth of your heart change winter to spring.

Let me feel your gentle touch, and hand in hand,

We'll fly away to a distant land.

*

My dear Dark Angel, please sheathe your sword,

There's no need for battle, no need for war.

There's no need for anger and hate,

In the brave new world that we'll create.

*

I fear not fire, I fear not ice,

Because you're always by my side.

Through roaring thunder and howling wind,

I fear no danger, death is never the end.