Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Evangelion: OMEGA ❯ Acts of Man/Acts of God ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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Legal Stuff: Don't own EVA. Just playing around

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Author's Note: This is your official Mana alert. Just thought I'd give a heads-up.

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And another one: For those of you who have been asking (you know who you are) the NC-17 scene was taken off FFN when they removed NC-17's. To my knowledge, Kristen has not posted it anywhere else, so as far as I know, this 'lost chapter' is once again lost, never to be found again.

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One more: Yep, it's late. Can't help it if the inspiration sometimes runs dry.

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Last one: 11,000 Yen is a little less than 100 US Dollars

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Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.

-Revelation 15:1

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Neon Genesis Evangelion: OMEGA

Chapter 0:11- Acts of Man/Acts of God

* * * * *

Harmonics tests were the worst. Any other type of training or evaluation was preferable to the dreaded sync-ratio evaluation. Three hours sitting motionless in the Test Plug; what a waste. And you weren't even supposed to talk unless it was absolutely necessary!

Machiko sighed, leaning back in her padded seat. At least this test was almost done. Then, after Dr. Ibuki stuck a few needles in her, she could go home and get started on all the schoolwork she had missed as a result of her 'illness'. As far as school officials knew, Machiko had spent the last week at home recovering from a nasty case of the flu. In fact, she had been at NERV HQ under observation, just in case the viral Angel wasn't as dead as it appeared to be. Now that they were sure the danger was over, she got to go back to school. Yippee.

School just wasn't the same since she became an EVA pilot. For one thing, she had been forced to give up soccer, causing almost all of her friends to suddenly decide they had better things to do than talk to a quitter like her. The rest of her class seemed a little more distant as well. Her position as an EVA pilot was classified, top secret information. So of course her entire class knew about it, and very few of them seemed happy.

She didn't expect to become the most popular girl in school just because she piloted Unit 15. But they could at least stop treating her like some kind of leper! Even Yohko, her best friend, had been avoiding her ever since she quit the team. Of course, that was probably just so the rest of the class wouldn't turn on Yohko for being to friendly with her. Machiko understood that, in principle anyway. That didn't make it hurt any less.

* * * * *

"Your score was a little low today, Machiko." Dr. Ibuki said, drawing a blood sample from Machiko's arm. "Is anything wrong?"

"No." Machiko said quickly. "Why do you ask?"

"It's my job." Maya replied. "When Commander Katsuragi gets back from her meeting, I'll have to give her the report saying your Synch Ratio took a dip. I'd like to be able to give her a reason to go with it, that's all."

"It's nothing really." Machiko said. "I'm just...dreading all this makeup work."

"You sure you're not feeling..."

"No!" Machiko cut her off. "I'm fine. No little Angels in this girl's blood; cross my heart."

"Well, the blood test seems to agree with you." Dr. Ibuki said. "Can't be too careful though. Be sure to drink..."

"...drink lots of fluids, get lots of Iron and Vitamin C, and take those Antibiotics you gave me with every meal." Machiko finished, doing her best to smile. "I promise."

* * * * *

"...the original design for the Judges is taken from the earlier Triton battle systems from 2015. The name of the prototype, Jacob, comes from the biblical figure who fought an Angel upon the stairway to Heaven. The Jacob unit incorporates all the latest advancements in long range weaponry, including vulcan cannons, laser guided LAW rockets, and a magneto-accelerant rail gun capable of firing a 50 centimeter tungsten slug at over five-hundred miles per second. The unit runs off of power from the old Evangelion umbilical cable network, which our friends at NERV have so graciously allowed us to make use of. In an emergency, Jacob's Non-Nuclear power plant can sustain optimal battle performance for up to eight minutes."

Misato yawned as the corporate spokesman droned on about his company's great achievement. She had heard it all before, countless times. None of those had panned out - in fact, only one had even made it off the drawing board, with near disastrous results - and she doubted this one would fare any better. In all likelihood, these 'Judges' would fail just like their predecessors. Still, the prototype had been completed; that was farther than most ever got. They deserved a chance to make it work.

"Are there any questions?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Misato saw Kensuke's hand shoot up before the man had even finished asking if there were questions.

"Yes." The speaker pointed.

"What capabilities do the Judges have for battle at close range?" Kensuke asked.

The spokesman smirked at him. "We do things slightly different from NERV, Captain Aida. We don't plan on forcing our pilots to grapple with the Angels hand-to-hand." A smattering of derisive laughter floated up from the other tables. "The Judges were created to fight the Angels from a safe distance without exposing the pilot to undue danger."

"And how do you plan on dealing with the AT Field?" Kensuke pressed on. "The only weapon that ever successfully penetrated an AT Field from a distance was drawing all the power in Japan for a single shot. Even your rail gun can't generate that kind of kinetic force."

"I'll hand that question over to our head of development." The suit said. "Dr. Mana Kirishima."

"Mana?" Misato looked up. She hadn't recognized the red-haired woman sitting at the VIP table.

Mana stood up. "The Judges are capable of generating an electro-magnetic pulse that can theoretically destabilize an Angel's AT Field." She said plainly, sitting back down.

"Theoretically?" Kensuke said. "Then you don't know for sure."

"Dr. Kirishima is simply being modest I assure you." The spokesman continued. "We are quite confident that..."

"Yes." Mana cut him off. "The system is untested. It might work, it might not. But anything's better than putting teenagers into cyborg monsters that are just barely under their control and sending them out to fight."

"Incidentally, all of the future pilots for the Judges are volunteers drawn from Japanese Self Defense Force." The corporate spokesman piped in.

"That's not quite accurate." Misato said ignoring the suit and looking straight at Mana.

"You're right of course, Commander Katsuragi. I left out a few details." Mana said. "I forgot to mention, for example, that NERV isn't so much a UN Agency as a private army that answers only to itself, that you routinely bankrupt small nations to keep those monstrosities of yours maintained, and that you have absolutely no concern for the welfare of your own pilots."

"A convenient oversimplification in the first two cases and an outright lie in the third." Misato snapped, she had been glad to see Mana again after all these years, but the younger woman's ranting was starting to get old.

"You deny that NERV uses any means necessary to achieve its goals, no matter who or what gets hurt or destroyed in the process?"

"Well we exist to fight the Angels, the greatest threat mankind has ever known." Misato said. "'Any means necessary' is part of the job description."

"So the ends justify the means?" Mana asked.

"In this case, yes."

"Even if 'the means' is sacrificing the lives of your pilots?"

"I think we're getting off the topic of..." The spokesman tried to break off the escalating verbal war.

"No, please, I'd like to hear the Commander's answer." Mana insisted. "The original Evangelion pilots from 2015 all died under mysterious circumstances. And now, lo and behold, three new ones emerge. How long until these three are used up and you need to find a new batch of children to torture?"

Misato wanted to say something in her defense, but she suddenly seemed unable to speak. She sat back down, staring into Mana's anger-filled eyes, and half-listened as the company spokesman droned on about the Judges' scanning capabilities.

* * * * *

School was just the way Machiko remembered it. The desks, the chairs, the teachers...and the whispered rumors that followed her wherever she went. It was almost interesting to hear what everyone thought had happened to her. Apparently a large number of her classmates had been under the impression that she had died fighting the latest Angel. Other rumors included top-secret missions in distant countries, the usual expulsion for lack of attendance, and even - in a small group of girls she overheard gossiping in the locker room - pregnancy. Most of the rumors were ridiculous, but since Machiko wasn't allowed to tell them where she had actually been or what she had been doing, no one bothered to ask her to confirm or deny any of it.

Perhaps the most hurtful of the suspicions was the most prevalent; that she considered herself above going to school now that she was with NERV. Worst of all, that particular rumor was being spread by someone Machiko had once thought of as her friend. Ever since Machiko had quit soccer, Nana treated her like something not even worth acknowledging, except for talking about her behind her back.

It happened in the bathroom at lunchtime. Machiko had gone into the second floor bathroom, hoping to find it empty. Blissfully, it was in exactly that state, allowing her to take the half dozen anti-biotics and immuno-enhancers Dr. Ibuki had prescribed for her in privacy. The last thing she needed was for the whole school to see her popping massive amounts of pills. She was just washing down the last of the huge tablets, repressing the urge to gag, when she heard the bathroom's outer door open. Not wanting any kind of confrontation, Machiko dumped her pill bottles into her bag and ducked into the farthest stall just as the inner door swung open.

"...I mean, you and Machiko used to be friends, right?" Machiko was upset to hear Yohko, her best friend and the only one who hadn't turned on her yet talking about her behind her back.

"Sure," Nanami's voice replied. "Before she elected herself Queen of the Universe."

"That's not..." Yohko began.

"Please. You know it's true." Machiko didn't recognize the third girl's voice but she seemed to be on Nanami's side. "Suzahara hasn't been the same since she joined NERV."

"Would you be?" Yohko asked. "She had to quit everything she liked doing so she could risk her life every few days. What do you expect?"

"Yeah, and now she thinks she's better than everyone else," Nanami said. "She won't even eat lunch with the rest of us any more."

"I heard she's not even a full pilot," the other girl said, "Just a trainee."

"Figures," Nanami said, "No wonder she's so secretive. Doesn't want to mess up her new fame."

"That's not true," Yohko said.

"Then why hasn't she bothered to mention that she'll be out of a job soon?"

"What do you mean?"

Nanami's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Well, you know my brother Aki?"

"Yeah," Nanami's friend said.

"Well, he's a fighter pilot in the Defense Force, and he said NERV won't be running the show against those Angel things for much longer."

"Why?" Yohko asked.

"He couldn't say much," Nanami replied, "Just that he volunteered for a special project and when it's done, the Evangelions will be obsolete."

* * * * *

"That cord is going to be really annoying." Tai said, pointing to the umbilical cable that now provided his Evangelion with power. In their first practice engagement since battling the 24th Angel, he had tripped over the cable twice, giving Michiru two easy victories.

"It's just until we can get a new S2 organ for Unit 14." Kensuke said. "Until then we'll just have to hope for the best. And you'll have to learn the locations of the recharge stations."

"If we're lucky maybe they'll get the new one installed before the next Angel comes." Michiru said hopefully.

"Since when have we been that lucky?" Tai replied.

"It could be worse." Maya reminded him. "We're lucky Unit 14 is alive at all."

Tai nodded silently. She didn't need to add that he was equally lucky to be alive. The shock of losing the S2 organ while synchronized was more than enough to kill a pilot. He should have died. Just like when he had been electrocuted. One brush with mortality could be luck or a miracle. But twice? Twice he had stared death in the face; and twice, death had turned its back on him. A guy couldn't help but wonder why.

* * * * *

"You all did well today." Misato said. "Tai, you need to get used to that cable. Michiru, Machiko; get used to it too. You all function as a team, so learn to work around your teammate's handicap."

The three pilots nodded. They had already discussed the 'umbilical cable situation' in private and come up with several plans to work around the problem.

"We have a few plans." Michiru spoke for the group. "But we can't really test them in the sims."

"Why is that?" Misato asked.

"Well we've been simming against each other, so we can't see how an enemy with no knowledge of our strategies would react." Michiru said.

"And a two-year-old could beat those AI Angels." Machiko added.

"They're not smart enough to provide an accurate test." Michiru reiterated.

"So you won't know if these strategies of yours work until you're actually in the thick of it?" Misato asked.

Michiru nodded. "Looks that way."

"Fine." Misato nodded. "I guess that'll have to do. Meanwhile, we have an assignment the day after tomorrow."

"An assignment?" Michiru asked.

Misato nodded. The briefing room's screen lit up with a still photo of an immense white machine. It consisted of two massive legs supporting a Plexiglas cockpit. Two more appendages, arms of a sort, jutted out from the sides of the cockpit. One arm ended in what looked like a huge gattling gun, the other in some other kind of gun that Michiru couldn't readily identify. Racks of missiles hung all over the mech like ornaments on a Christmas Tree. Judging by the building next to it, the machine had to be at least as tall as Unit 01. But whereas one look at the Evangelion was enough to see how fast and agile it was, Michiru couldn't figure out how something as bulky as this new machine was even supposed to walk around, let alone fight.

"This is Jacob, the prototype unit of what it's creators, an American firm called Evans Industries, are calling 'Judges'."

"Jacob wasn't a Judge. He was a Patriarch," Tai said. He seemed to realize that everyone in the room was staring at him. "...Which wasn't the point was it?"

"Inaccurate name or not, if this unit proves successful, it could replace the EVAs."

"Good for them," Michiru said.

"Don't get your hopes up," Misato told her. "I think the techs at Evans have drastically underestimated the Angels. In any case you three are to report here promptly at eight A.M. Friday morning. You will run a series of mock battles with Jacob in District Three. Your regular weapons will be replaced with paint guns."

"Isn't District Three the middle of Downtown?" Tai asked.

"The Judges run off the same umbilical cables as the EVAs so the test has to take place here," Misato said. "The city will be converted to battle mode for the duration of the test. Anything else?"

Machiko raised her hand nervously. "Who's going to be piloting the...thing?" She asked.

"A Defense Force volunteer, I think," Misato looked through a thin file folder. "Yeah, a Lieutenant Aki Haruna."

"I was afraid of that," Machiko said quietly.

"One final thing," Misato said. "There is a reception being held tomorrow night to celebrate the unit's completion. A reception to which we have graciously been invited. Seven o'clock, at the Hilton, wear your dress uniforms. As for Friday, don't you dare pull a single punch. This thing may be safer than an EVA but that won't help anyone if it can't beat the Angels. Give it everything you've got."

* * * * *

"What was that all about?" Michiru asked Machiko after they had changed out of their plug suits.

"The pilot, the guy who's piloting that Jacob thing, I know his sister. Nanami," the younger girl replied.

"A friend of yours?"

"She used to be," Machiko said.

"What happened?"

"Apparently I'm better than everyone else."

"Since when?" Michiru asked playfully.

"Well everyone thinks that's what I think. Ever since I became a pilot," Machiko said, "Especially Nanami. We have to do better than this thing, we have to beat it!"

Michiru smiled. "Please, the three of us have killed Angels together. You think this Gunbuster reject can beat us?"

"I'm serious. If we don't win, I'll never be able to show my face in school again!"

* * * * *

Machiko wasn't entirely sure what she expected the reception to be like, but she had guessed right in assuming it would be boring. For one thing, she was the youngest person there. In a sea of black, green, and khaki, her gray Cadet uniform stuck out like a sore thumb. And yet she still felt that everyone was ignoring her. At least the food was good, but she couldn't work up much of an appetite. The battle tomorrow loomed in her mind, blocking out everything else.

"I thought I'd never be anywhere as boring as the winter formal at the orphan's home," Michiru said, sitting down across from her. "When will I learn to stop thinking things I know will be proven wrong?"

"Well the drinks are free," Tai said, sliding into the seat next to Michiru.

"Doesn't help those of us who can't drink," Machiko said dejectedly.

Michiru smiled. "Hang in there, kid. It's only a few more hours."

"I could have been doing homework tonight," Machiko sighed. "I can't believe that's my better evening." She slouched dramatically in her chair. "My life has officially reached rock bottom."

"Don't say that," Tai said, "Never invite things to get worse."

"Good point," Machiko groaned.

"So you guys are the Evangelion pilots," Machiko turned to see a tall, handsome man in a Defense Force uniform standing behind her. "Not exactly what I expected. I mean, you girls don't even look like you're out of High School yet."

"And you are?" Michiru asked. Machiko smiled inwardly. She could tell Michiru was annoyed already, which did not bode well for the rude guy.

"Lieutenant Haruna," the soldier offered his hand. After a moment he withdrew it. "I'll be piloting Jacob tomorrow."

"Lucky you," Tai said, "It looks like a fine piece of equipment."

"Is that sarcasm I detect mister...?"

"Matsumoto. Private. And yes, just a little."

"You've seen the specs on Jacob?" Haruna asked.

Tai shrugged. "I think I saw it in a manga once. Not sure how much good it'll do you out in the field."

The Lieutenant smirked tightly. "And you think your EVAs will do any better?"

"We're gonna wipe the floor with you," Machiko said.

Haruna seemed to notice Machiko for the first time. "You're kidding right?" He said, "I'd heard one of the pilots was young but..."

"You got a problem with Pilot Suzahara?" Michiru asked, daring him to confirm it.

"What kind of people do you have in charge at NERV? You can't send a little girl out to fight."

"This 'little girl' has killed more Angels than you've even laid eyes on," Tai said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she's the one who takes you out tomorrow," Michiru added. "She's sneaky."

"You three seem pretty sure of yourselves," Haruna said.

"Comes with the territory," Tai replied, "And this is our territory."

"Maybe for now, but tomorrow morning that'll change."

"Not a chance," Machiko said defiantly.

"Gotta agree with the lady," Tai said.

"Feel like putting your money where your mouth is?"

"A bet?" Tai asked, "It's going to be three against one. Not quite fair for you."

"No, this is just on what goes on between you and me," Haruna said. "I'm just talking about a small wager. If you manage to beat me, I'll pay you. But if I take you out first, you owe me."

"How much?"

"Eleven-thousand yen."

Tai thought for a moment. "Mind if I talk to my associates?" He leaned in to Michiru and Machiko. "What do you think?"

"I think you're both suffering from testosterone poisoning," Michiru said.

"I don't know about this, Tai," Machiko added.

"Tell you what, if I win the money, we'll all go out to dinner on it to celebrate."

"And if you lose?"

"We'll go out to a much cheaper dinner to commiserate."

Michiru shook her head, smiling. "Go ahead. Just make sure you kick his ass."

"Done and done." Tai sat up, smiling at the lieutenant. "You're on."

* * * * *

Michiru was headed outside for some fresh air when she heard Misato's voice, raised in irritation verging on anger, coming from the hotel bar. Curious, Michiru altered course and stepped into the dim room. Misato was seated at the far end of the bar, a half drunk beer in front of her. On the stool next to her sat a small, red-haired woman in her late thirties, sipping some kind of umbrella bearing girly drink. Michiru recognized her as Dr. Kirishima, the engineer who had designed the Judges.

"I just want to know why you're doing this," Misato said.

"It's my job," the younger woman replied calmly. "I'm an engineer."

"You know what I mean, Mana," Misato said. "I don't have a problem with trying to replace the EVAs, personally I hope it works. I want to know where all this hostility is coming from?"

"Oh you don't?" for the first time, Mana seemed to get angry. "I guess you've just...forgotten everything that happened twenty-five years ago."

"Is that what this is about?" Misato asked, "Well, I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry you were in that situation. And I'm sorry I couldn't do more. If I'd been in charge of NERV then, I never would have sent you back."

"I'd love to believe that," Mana said. "But then I take a look at your roster and see that you've forced Shinji's daughter to fight for you, just like you forced him. You NERV people never change, you just use whoever you need to fight your war for you. What gives you the right to..."

"Hold on one damn minute!" Misato cut her off. "Now I've been putting up with a lot from you because I was glad to see you again, but I will not put up with that! You have no idea how much Shinji meant to me or how much Michiru means to me! And as for your feelings toward NERV, I know where they come from. Look, I'm sorry you and Shinji couldn't be together, but that is not my fault!"

"That's not how I see it."

"Well that's your problem. Besides, after the Angels were gone you could have come back at any time, but you never did. So whatever personal regrets you have, don't try to stick them on me and NERV."

Michiru didn't wait to hear more. She stormed back to the ballroom and located Major Suzahara sitting with Captain Aida and Corporal Tanaka.

"Who's Mana Kirishima?" She asked.

"Michiru?" Toji looked up, startled, "What was that?"

"Who is Doctor Kirishima, and what happened between her and my father twenty-five years ago?"

"How did you find out about that?" Kensuke asked.

"Not the point," Michiru said, "I just want to know."

"Well it's not like it's a big state secret," Toji said with a shrug. "They went out a few times in junior high."

"That's it?" Michiru asked. "But she said...I mean, from what I heard...around...it sounded like they had some kind of torrid affair or something."

"Torrid affair? Shinji?" Toji began to laugh, but stifled it quickly. "No it was nothing like that."

"But she had to go into hiding or something..."

"Where did you hear all this?" Toji asked.

Michiru sighed. "I overheard her talking to Misato."

"Ah," Kensuke smiled, "Listen, it's not even a thing. ...well actually it was a bit of an adventure but..."

"What?" Michiru said, "What happened?"

"Well this was back when Shinji and your mother were still pilots. There were people trying to replace the EVAs back then too. Mana was a test pilot for one of them, but the people who built it...well they treated their pilots badly. She escaped and hid out in our school and she and your father were a bit of an item."

"But it barely lasted a week before her bosses found her," Toji added. "And since NERV wouldn't give her asylum, she had to leave the country until the war was over. We never saw her again, and of course, Shinji ended up with Asuka. That answer your questions?"

"Yeah," Michiru sighed.

"What's wrong?" Kensuke asked.

"I...I guess I just had Mom and Dad up on this pedestal. You know, some kind of pure love at first sight."

"Not exactly," Toji said. "It took them a while."

* * * * *

That night, Michiru lay awake. Her mind was too full to allow sleep. Anxiety about the coming battle bumped up against thoughts of Dr. Kirishima and her father. This was the problem with never getting to know your parents. They weren't people to her, just pictures, videos, and stories from others. Every time something new came up she had to revise what she thought she knew about them.

As for the mock battle tomorrow, she couldn't quite figure out what the problem was. It wasn't that she was afraid of losing. With three EVAs against one Judge, the odds were more than slightly in their favor, no matter how well the new machine performed. Maybe that was the problem. Did she want to lose? To pass this war off to someone who actually had a choice in the matter? To be free of the EVA forever? That was what she had told Tai, wasn't it? So then why did she feel this way?

Because if you stop fighting in Unit 01, you'll lose them forever.

No! She fought against the thought. She didn't need that damned machine to feel close to her parents.

Did she?

* * * * *

"I've got the test results, Doctor," one of Maya's aides held up a thick file folder.

"Just leave them on the desk, Haruka." Maya said, not looking up from her computer.

An hour later, after finishing her analysis and report on the viral Angel, Maya turned to the stack of blood test results. She had run the blood samples from all the base personnel through rigorous tests to make sure no trace of the Angel remained anywhere. It was also an opportunity to run a random drug test.

Maya flipped through the stack. She found nothing exceptional until she reached the 'T's. She might have missed it, if she hadn't trained herself long ago to notice tiny details. There it was, in the file marked 'Tanaka, Minako', the one result she had never expected to see. She check twice, called up the test data on her computer. It was true...

Blood Test: Tanaka, Minako

Illegal Drugs: NEGATIVE

Blood borne Pathogens: NEGATIVE

Red Cell Count: NORMAL

White Cell Count: NORMAL

Hormones: ABNORMAL*

*Elevated hCG levels consistent with first-trimester pregnancy*

"Oh no..."

* * * * *

The city was already in battle mode when the pilots assembled in the observation area. Michiru, Tai, and Machiko wore their plug suits. Lieutenant Haruna wore a complicated variant on a green military jumpsuit, covered with cords, armored plates, and electric sockets. When everyone was there, the Evans Industries spokesman stood up.

"Welcome to the first field test of the prototype Judge unit, Jacob. Piloting Jacob in today's test will be Lieutenant Aki Haruna," Haruna saluted his superiors and nodded at the crowd.

"Piloting the Evangelion units in this test, from NERV, Privates Michiru Ikari and Tai Matsumoto, and Cadet Machiko Suzahara." Tai and Michiru nodded, Machiko waved at the observers. Michiru couldn't help but notice that the people clapped a lot less for them than for Haruna.

"The first test will be a battle between the Evangelions and Jacob. The EVAs will attack while we test the At-Field dampener. Use whatever means necessary to attack your target. We will be monitoring from here and will deactivate any unit that sustains sufficient damage. Understood?"

The four pilots nodded.

"Good," he said. "Then get to your units, and good luck to you all."

Misato pulled the three of them aside as Lieutenant Haruna headed the opposite way.

"I don't have to tell you again to give it everything you've got," she said.

"But you're going to anyway," Michiru laughed.

"Yeah, I am," Misato said. "If these Judge things are going to replace the EVAs I have to know that we're leaving this place in good hands. Just for my own piece of mind."

"We'll take care of it," Tai said.

"Glad to hear it," Misato said. "Now get down to the cages, we launch in five."

* * * * *

Clouds had rolled in from the pacific in the night. By the time the EVAs reached ground level, the clouds had opened up, spilling icy sheets of rain over the battle ground.

The Jacob unit was already there, the rain pelting off its deep blue armor. It took four wiper blades to wipe off the huge windshield, through which Michiru could see Haruna, strapped into a padded seat behind a giant set of controls that seemed to reach all the way around him. Michiru was suddenly very glad for the simple controls of the Evangelion. A thick cable snaked out from the mech's back into a nearby decoy building. A similar cable trailed from another building into Unit 14.

**BEGIN** A voice rang out over the city.

To his credit, Haruna moved fast. His gun was up and aimed at Unit 14 before the voice had even faded. Almost a hundred paint pellets flew from his guns. They all spattered on Unit 14's AT Field and rained down on the ground. By then, the EVAs had taken cover behind the decoy buildings.

Making sure her AT Field was up, Michiru darted around the side of her building and fired a volley at the Judge. As she watch, amazed, the giant machine dodged. A set of rockets set in its shins fired, propelling it up and sideways. It landed with a crash as Michiru's paintballs flew past it. Haruna turned on her and aimed his rocket launcher. Michiru stood firm, content that her AT Field would protect her. But instead of firing, a high-pitched whine arose from the Judge.

"Your AT Fields are dropping!" Minako shouted over the radio, "Michiru, take cover!"

Before she could, a giant sphere shot out of the rocket launcher and slammed into her. Unit 01's armor blocked all but the pressure of the impact, but she was sure the hit would put her out of the fight. If the light over her head changed from green to red, it would mean Unit 01 was deactivated. A second went by. Two. The light stayed green. She was still in.

* * * * *

When Haruna fired his 'rocket' at Michiru, Tai ducked around his own building and fired. The shot should have hit, but something got in the way. He couldn't be sure, but it looked as though the paint had hit an AT Field.

"Major! Scan for Angels!"

"What?" Toji asked.

"There's an AT Field out here!"

* * * * *

"Scan the area," Toji said.

"We can't!" Kaori replied. "That dampener is interfering with our sensors."

Toji picked up the red phone next to him. It dialed automatically, putting him through to the opposing control room. Commander Fudoh, the UN officer in charge of the Judge project, answered.

"Commander," Toji said before the other man could begin talking, "Tell your pilot to turn off the dampening field."

"Suzahara?" the other man asked, "You're joking right?"

"One of our pilots saw something out there, but our sensors can't get a reading with the field up. Tell him to shut it down!"

"Nice try, Major," the commander said, "If your pilots can't win on their own merits..."

Toji suddenly became very still. He spoke into the phone in a deadly, calm voice. "Commander right now my ordinance techs are sending real guns with live ammunition to my pilots. If that field is not down by the time the weapons arrive I will order my pilots to use them to blow up your little toy. Am I making myself clear?"

"You're out of line, Major..."

"Wrong, sir. I'm head of tactical operations for NERV. In this city, in a battle situation, I'm God. Now drop that field."

* * * * *

"See it?" Tai asked.

"Just a haze," Michiru said, "Tai are you sure, it could be the rain..."

"It's an AT Field," Tai insisted. "There's an Angel out there."

"If it's an Angel, why isn't it attacking?" Machiko asked.

"I think it's investigating Haruna's mech," Tai said.

"They're going to drop the dampening field," Major Suzahara said over the comm. system. "We're sending your real weapons, as soon as we get sensor data we'll tell you how to proceed."

* * * * *

"There goes the field. Tanaka, scan now!"

Kaori hit the keys as fast as she could. An instant later a patch of blue appeared, covering almost the entire battlefield. As soon as the field was completely gone, it shrank down to a single, normal-sized dot.

"Pattern Blue!" Minako yelled. "It's an Angel!"

"Attack!" Toji ordered the pilots, "Destroy it now!"

* * * * *

The high-pitched whine died as quickly as it had begun. In the same instant, the Angel appeared. It had to be the strangest one yet. All of the other Angels had at least had some identifiable physical form, even the virus. This Angel didn't even look like it had a physical form. It was a giant, undulating ribbon of brilliant yellow light, hanging in the air between them and the Judge.

"Attack!" Toji's voice rang out, "Destroy it now!"

Huge panels on the buildings they were using for cover had slid open, revealing an assortment of weapons. Michiru took her rocket launcher while Machiko selected the standard rifle. Predictably, Tai grabbed the twin-bladed sword.

Tai was the first to attack. Lifting his sword, cursing as he kicked Unit 14's power cable out of the way, he ducked around the building and charged the Angel. The bottom edge of the energy ribbon snapped up as Tai brought the sword down. Arcs of electricity flew as the blade smashed into, and then skidded off of, the Angel. Tai's return stroke was similarly parried.

The Angel was insanely quick. Before Tai could make another attack, he was forced into the defensive position. The Angel lashed out one end of itself. The edge of the beam, somewhere between whip and sword, lashed at Unit 14 repeatedly and it was all Tai could do to keep his balance and block each incoming strike. When one managed to get through, the edge of the Angel turned out to be razor sharp. Tai gasped in pain as the white-hot beam sliced clean through his armor and took a chunk out of Unit 14's thigh. The black EVA went down on one knee, still managing to fend off most of the Angel's attacks, but this weakened position left holes in Tai's defense. In seconds, three more gashes had opened in the Evangelion's armor, through which bright crimson blood poured freely. Weakened from blood loss, Tai couldn't block the strike that sliced open Unit 14's back, severing his power cable. With a low-pitched whine, the EVA deactivated, falling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

The instant Unit 14 fell, Michiru and Machiko lifted their own weapons to fire a volley at the Angel. Their aim was slightly hampered by the fact that they couldn't risk hitting the (so far immobile) Judge.

"Get out of here, Haruna!" Michiru yelled over the communicator, "We'll handle this!"

Haruna seemed to get the message; the Judge took a step away from the Angel, getting ready to turn around. Instantly, the sharp end that had attacked Tai came up, aimed straight at the hulking mech. Somehow, without quite knowing how, Michiru realized what was about to happen.

"Disconnect your cable!" She said.

"What?" Haruna asked in a panicky voice.

"Just do it!" Michiru screamed.

The umbilical cable shot off of Jacob's back and crashed to the pavement below. It wasn't a moment too soon, as the Angel dove toward the Judge, disappearing into the heart of the machine.

"What the hell just happened?" Haruna demanded, his voice laced with even more fear.

"The Angel is in your robot," Michiru told him. "Eject."

"I can't!" he replied. "My controls won't respond!"

Outside, the Judge turned toward the Evangelions, weapons at the ready.

"It's using the mech to fight us," Michiru realized.

"Well that's not so bad, right?" Machiko said. "I mean that thing's just loaded with paintballs."

Machiko fell silent as what looked like a bolt of lightning erupted from Jacob's main gun and sizzled through the air between them. The resulting clap of thunder shook the entire city. Both pilots dove out of the way as another bolt sought them.

"Now what?" Machiko yelled.

"You have to destroy that robot!" Misato replied over the communicator.

"With Nanami's brother inside? We can't!"

"There has to be another way," Michiru said.

"Maybe, but we don't have time to think of one," Misato said. "As soon as the Angel decides you aren't a threat it'll use that Judge to break into the Geofront!"

"Our sensors are reading no AT Field from the Angel any more," Minako told them. "If you destroy the Judge, the Angel should go with it."

"But we can't..."

"It's all right," Haruna's voice broke in. "This is the only way."

"But you'll die," Michiru said, as if he didn't know that.

"I knew that was a risk when I joined up," he said calmly, "Just get it over with, before this thing does something we'll all regret."

Finally, Michiru nodded. "Machiko, stay here."

"Michiru, you can't..." Machiko began.

"I have to," Michiru said, "But I'll be damned if you do, so stay here, got it?"

Machiko nodded grimly, holding back tears. Unit 01 charged around the building firing rockets at the Judge. None of them made it to the target. All of Jacob's guns exploded with light, blasting a hundred bolts of lightning toward Unit 01. The rockets were incinerated an instant before Unit 01 became enveloped in a cascade of electricity. Machiko heard the very beginning of Michiru's scream of pain before the line went dead.

Now she couldn't stop the tears, though she managed to keep from actually sobbing. This was supposed to be just a war game, a test. Now Michiru might be dead and any second Misato was going to order her to kill Nanami's big brother. The worst part was imagining how her former friend would see her from now on, how all her classmates would see her. And how she would have to see herself. As a murderer.

The dreaded moment had arrived. A holographic screen popped up in front of her. She was about to protest the order to kill when she realized that the face in the screen was not Misato, her father, or anyone else from NERV. It was Dr. Kirishima, from Evans Industries.

"All Evangelion Pilots. Fall back to your extraction points immediately. We have initiated remote detonation of Jacob's power plant. You have two minutes to reach safe distance."

Two minutes. Suddenly all Machiko could think about was Aki Haruna. Could she sit in her entry plug calmly, knowing that in two minutes she would be dead? He had said he accepted risk when he joined the SDF, but it still had to be hell counting down to your own death.

Suddenly, Machiko wasn't thinking any more. She didn't have a plan, barely even realized what she was doing until she had stepped out from the cover of the decoy building and put herself face to face with the enemy.

Jacob was in an odd position, doubled over with its guns pointing at the street. Every few seconds, lightning flashed out of the barrels, melting a bit more of the asphalt beneath it. The Angel trapped in the Judge was trying to burrow down to the Geofront the only way it could.

"Lieutenant, how tough is your cockpit?" Machiko asked.

"It can withstand a hundred-thousand P.S.I...in theory," Haruna said.

"Let's hope they got it right."

Without another word, cutting off her comm. system so that the outraged queries from NERV and Evans would not distract her, Machiko fired her gun at Jacob. The first bullets that imbedded themselves in the mech's armor got the Angel's attention. Machiko dropped the rifle and leaped over the first blast of lightning. She dodged to the left of the next one and rolled under the third. The blasts were getting faster and more accurate, but it was not for nothing that Unit 15 had been designed with speed and agility in mind. Three more bolts were wasted as the silver Evangelion bobbed and wove its way toward the Angel.

The timer readout said 1:02. One minute left. Machiko's last jump landed her on Jacob's back, where the guns couldn't reach. She grabbed the exposed cockpit with one hand and yanked.

The cockpit did not budge.

Thirty seconds left. She grabbed with both hands this time. Bracing with her legs she put all of Unit 15's strength into pulling the jammed cockpit out. She dimly heard her synch graph spike as the glass and metal box came free. Ten seconds, no time to expand her AT Field. She would have to trust her armor. Hoping that Lieutenant Haruna was well-cushioned, she lifted the small cockpit and threw it with all her might, just as Unit 15 was enveloped in waves of light and fire.

* * * * *

"How much damage?" Misato asked.

"Unit 14 will need a new umbilical socket and it suffered some major lacerations, but nothing that won't heal. Unit 01 was severely burned, but the armor acted as a Faraday cage so Michiru was unharmed. Unit 15 suffered no damage at all. The armor on all three EVAs was melted down to the second layer in the explosion," Kensuke rattled off the report.

"As always, things could have been worse," Toji said, "A lot worse."

"How's Haruna?" Kensuke asked.

"First and second degree burns and a broken collarbone, but he'll live. Thanks to Machiko," Misato said with a smile.

"Quite a kid you've got there, Major," Kensuke said.

Toji grinned. "It took you this long to figure that out?"

* * * * *

The buildings finished rising just as the sun dipped below the horizon. They sat on the highway guardrail overlooking Tokyo 3, Michiru leaning on Tai's shoulder.

"Hell of a day, huh?" Tai asked.

"Sure, unless you're us," Michiru sighed.

"You sound depressed."

"A little," Michiru admitted. "I mean, most people can't even imagine stuff like what happened today. And this was a slow day for us! We've had worse!"

"Well...at least we won," Tai said.

"Not really. There's always another Angel out there. The next one's probably getting ready to drop by as we speak."

"Do you wish...I mean, assuming the Angel hadn't shown up, do you wish we had lost."

"I don't even know," Michiru said, "I know I don't want to do this any more... But I don't want to give it up either. It's all I've known since I got here."

"It's not all you are, Michiru," Tai said, "If this war ended tomorrow, you'd still be Michiru Ikari. You don't need EVA for that."

"It's not me, it's my parents. I found something out last night. And it was nothing. I mean, it was a stupid little thing. But it made me realize that I still barely know anything about them. Unit 01 is the only connection to them that I have left. And that part of me doesn't ever want to be replaced, by anyone. But I don't like that me. She's not a good person. Today she nearly killed someone just because she was ordered to."

"It was the only way..."

"I don't need justification!" she snapped. "No matter the reason, I was prepared to kill him, and that is not okay!"

* * * * *

"You wanted to see me Commander Katsuragi?"

Misato looked up from her desk. Mana stood in the doorway.

"Yes, come in Mana. Sit down."

The younger woman nodded and sat across from Misato.

"I...heard Evans let you go."

"That's how they put it too," Mana said. "I call it 'fired'. Apparently they didn't approve of my decision to detonate Jacob. At least I'm not expected to pay for it."

"I'm sorry," Misato said.

"It's all right. I'll find another job. My skills are in demand in America. There are at least three other companies looking to produce a battle machine. Of course Evans has probably warned them that I'm reckless and insubordinate by now but..." She smiled. "Well I'm sure something will come up."

"You already know why I called you here, don't you?" Misato asked.

"I wouldn't have come if I didn't."

"Fine," Misato laughed. "You want a job?"

"What kind of job?" Mana asked.

"Engineering," Misato said. "Maintaining the EVAs and making them safer for the pilots."

"Don't you have people who do that?"

"Technically Captain Aida and Doctor Ibuki are joint heads of that department, but it was never intended to be a full time arrangement. Kensuke is an ordinance specialist and Maya is a medical doctor. What we need is an actual engineer. If you're willing, that is. As a bonus, you can keep an eye on me to make sure I do right by the kids."

"Me work for NERV..." Mana mused. "I'll have to think about it."

"Fair enough," Misato said. "The job's available as long as you want it."

"Okay I'll take it."

"But...I thought you had to think about it," Misato said.

"I did."

"All right. Let's get you down to security."

Before they reached the elevator, Mana turned to Misato.

"There's one thing I need to know. It's about Shinji."

"What is it?" Misato asked.

"Did it ever get better for him? Did he get to be happy?"

Misato smiled wistfully. "Yeah," she said. "It took him a while. A long while. But in the end...he was happy."

* * * * *

School was the same as always. The whispers were a little quieter perhaps, but it seemed that nothing had changed. Until lunch. Machiko was in the second floor bathroom, taking the last of her antibiotics, when the stall behind her opened.

"So this is where you disappear to every day," Nanami said, "What's with all the pills?"

"One of the Angels got us all sick a while back," Machiko said, trying to sound neither too casual nor too dramatic. "We've all got to take these to make sure we don't get sick again."

"Does stuff like this happen to you a lot?" Nanami asked.

Machiko nodded. "It's never the same thing twice. But it's always something."

"Aki told me what happened, as much as he could anyway. He told me what you did."

"Oh that? That was just...well I mean, what else could I do?"

Nanami stared at her feet. She seemed embarrassed, or maybe ashamed. "Thank you," she finally said. "And...I'm sorry...for how I've been lately."

Machiko smiled. "I just want us to be friends again. I didn't ask to do this, it just happened."

Nanami nodded and returned her smile. "I'd like that." As they left the bathroom together, Nanami reached into her bag and pulled out a plain white envelope.

"Aki wanted me to give you this, by the way. Something about a bet. He said you're the one who earned it, whatever that means."

Machiko took the envelope, peaked inside, and smiled. She didn't need to count the bills to know that she was now eleven hundred yen richer. She couldn't wait to see the look on Tai's face.

"So...do you...do you like it?" Nanami asked, reluctantly.

Machiko had to think about that for a moment. Ever since becoming a pilot, her life had consisted mostly of boredom and terror, with very little else. Then again, she got to see things military otaku only dreamed of, hang out with Tai and Michiru, two of the coolest people she knew, and sometimes even save lives.

"Every once in a while...it doesn't suck."

* * * * *

To Be Continued...

* * * * *