Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Evangelion: OMEGA ❯ A Wing and a Prayer/ Duel at 20,000 Feet! ( Chapter 7 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: 18th Angel 
The biggest Angel ever is headed straight for Tokyo 3. It's up to Tai to defeat it. But only if he can learn to fly...
Anime/Manga: Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Post-apocalyptic / Mecha / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.11.2001 | Pages: 10 | Words: 7.2K | Visits: 403 | Status: Completed
The biggest Angel ever is headed straight for Tokyo 3. It's up to Tai to defeat it. But only if he can learn to fly...
Anime/Manga: Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Post-apocalyptic / Mecha / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.11.2001 | Pages: 10 | Words: 7.2K | Visits: 403 | Status: Completed
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Legal Stuff: Neon Genesis Evangelion doesn't belong to me. Its characters don't either. My characters do belong to me. Any persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
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Dedication: To my sister, the harlequin romance novelist, who helped me write the romantic sequences near the end. And to Ogre, who helped me fill in a huge hole that I had inadvertently left in this chapter's plot. Thank you both.
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Author's note: Damn this is late! A lot of factors contributed to this chapter's lateness; too many to go into here. Let's just say that I'm truly sorry to all my readers for making you wait so long and I hope this hasn't caused you to lose interest.
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Another note: This chapter contains some...well definitely not lemon, not really lime, even. Hmmm...how about grapefruit? Or maybe orange. Yeah. Orange flavored scenes. It is, in fact, extraordinarily tame stuff, not even sex really, just...well you'll see. I just thought I'd give a heads-up. Anyway, if you feel you're being cheated out of a more lemony version of events, see the author's note at the end of the story.
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* * * * *
Neon Genesis Evangelion: OMEGA
Chapter 0:7- A Wing and A Prayer/ Duel at 20,000 feet!
* * * * *
"Unit 01's pilot is nearing the contamination zone Doctor."
"Alright." Maya acknowledged the technician's report. "Fix the plug depth and begin the test." She switched on her link to Michiru's test plug. "Any idea where Tai is?" She asked.
Michiru shook her head. "He should have been here by now." She said. "He didn't say anything about running late."
"Well we can't hold up the test for him any longer." Maya said. "Begin recording."
* * * * *
Tai hated being late, especially when it wasn't his fault. And this time, it definitely wasn't his fault. A ten-car pileup on the only route to headquarters wasn't something he had control over. Of course, he already knew what his superiors would see as the cause of his tardiness.
"So you were late because of soccer practice?" Dr. Ibuki seemed very exasperated.
"No ma'am." Tai replied. "I was late because the streets were blocked off when I came here *from* practice. It's not my fault." Those four words sounded truly pathetic, even to Tai, but he said them anyway because they were the truth.
The doctor sighed. "I hate doing this." She said. "I appreciate that you're helping the school and all, but it's not your job. EVA is."
"What do you mean?" Tai asked.
"We can't keep rearranging the training schedule to fit the soccer schedule. And we can't tolerate lateness related to that schedule." She said. "We already have to play musical chairs with your classes. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to drop the soccer."
"You're serious aren't you?"
"Very serious." Dr. Ibuki replied. "Hopefully this will all be over soon and you can go back to it."
"Yeah." Tai muttered. "That's likely.
* * * * *
The Junior High School girl's soccer team practiced every weekday after school. Monday afternoon, Tai met with the head coach, Mr. Yuki.
"Tai." The older man greeted him. "You're here early."
"Well...I needed to talk to you before practice." Tai said.
"Oh?"
"Remember I told you a while back that I took a second job?"
"Yeah."
"Well they...want me to...work more hours." Tai said. "With this new schedule they've got me on...I'm not going to be able to help here anymore."
"Really?" Mr. Yuki sighed. "Well I'm sorry to hear that. You make a good coach."
"Thank you." Tai said. "I'm sorry." He added.
Mr. Yuki nodded. "You want me to tell the girls?" He asked.
"No." Tai said. "I'll...tell them myself.
* * * * *
The Empress of India was one of the largest cruise ships ever built. It had room for over five thousand passengers, not even counting the crew. It was equipped with every conceivable countermeasure against anything that might potentially go wrong at sea. In every way, the Empress was designed to assure complete and utter safety for its passengers.
The magnificent ship never stood a chance.
Twenty miles west of the Hawaiian Islands, the navigation equipment detected a sharp drop in the depth of the surrounding water. Before anything could be done, a huge mass surface directly beneath the helpless ship. The ship capsized and slid off of the rapidly rising object, falling hundreds of feet into the ocean below.
The Angel continued to ascend, oblivious to the thousands of deaths it had just caused. Even if it had possessed the mental processes to comprehend what had just happened, it would not have cared. It was being called, and it responded. To the Angel, nothing else even existed, let alone mattered.
* * * * *
As soon as the last bell of the day rang, Machiko Suzahara headed straight for the locker room to get ready for practice. Her teammates seemed content to hang out in the hallway, chatting and laughing. If it were up to Machiko, practice would start earlier, giving the other girls no time to waste gossiping. Unfortunately only the coaches could make decisions like that.
"What's your rush, Machiko?" Nanami, their goalie asked as Machiko rushed past her.
"We've got a game this weekend." Machiko replied. "Or did you forget?"
Nanami gave her a dirty look. "Of course I didn't forget." She said. "But practice doesn't start for half an hour."
"What do you all have against showing up early?" Machiko demanded. "It shows responsibility."
"It's called 'brown-nosing', Machiko." Nanami said. "Not responsibility."
"Leave her alone." The team's point guard, Yohko, stuck her head around the corner. "She just wants to spend some extra time with 'Mr. Matsumoto'."
"THAT'S NOT IT!" Machiko screamed, turning bright red.
"Sure it is." Yohko insisted, grinning from ear to ear. "You've had a crush on Tai from day one. Everyone knows it."
"You can shut up now!" Machiko said.
"Hey we're on your side, Machiko." Nanami said. "It's very, very sad."
"What is?"
"That he's taken." Nanami replied.
"Taken?" Machiko asked.
"Yeah." Nanami said. "You know; attached, dating, no longer single."
"How do you know?"
"My big sister goes to the same college as him." Nanami replied. "We got to talking about practice one day and I mentioned Tai and she said he's dating some girl in their English class."
"Hmmm." Yohko sighed. "What a waste."
"Yeah." Machiko agreed. "That's gotta be the luckiest girl in the world."
* * * * *
"I swear to God! I am the unluckiest person in the world!" Michiru whined.
"Luck has nothing to do with it." Captain Aida informed her.
"I'm supposed to hit a moving target that I can't see with a weapon I've never used before." Michiru said. "Exactly which part of this *doesn't* involve luck?"
"The rockets will seek the target if it's within range." Kensuke replied. "All you have to do is aim them in the target's general direction."
"That would be *a lot* easier if I could *see* the target." Michiru said.
Kensuke sighed. "We *know* you can hit a target you can see." He said. "We want to know if you can hit a target that you can only *hear*."
"I just assumed it was a lateral thinking problem." Michiru muttered. "How long will I try to hit it before I wise up and turn on the IR filter?"
"That's not it." Kensuke said with an amused smile. "It's important that you be able to fight in reduced visibility *without* Infra-Red."
"Just promise me you'll make Tai do this once he gets here." She said. "Okay, Let's get it over with."
* * * * *
If telling the team that he was leaving had been hard for Tai, seeing the looks on their faces immediately after he told them was nearly impossible.
"What do you mean?" The team captain, Machiko, asked. "You don't mean *leaving*, do you?"
"I mean I can't be your coach anymore." Tai said.
"Why not?" One of the girls demanded.
"It's because of my other job." Tai said. "I'm sorry."
"But we need you." Machiko said. "We have a game on Saturday." Murmured agreements flowed back and forth between the rest of the girls.
"You'll do fine without me." Tai said. "You're the best team I've ever coached."
"We're the *only* team you've ever coached." Machiko said derisively.
Tai was about to respond to that when his cell phone began ringing. He unfolded the small phone and placed it to his ear. As he expected, a recorded voice immediately began speaking to him.
"Private Matsumoto. You're presence is required at headquarters. Return immediately."
Tai sighed and put the phone away. "Speaking of my job..." He said. He looked at the girls again. They all seemed very upset. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you myself instead of Mr. Yuki. Now go practice, and don't slack off." He added, smiling. "I expect you girls to kick ass on Saturday."
* * * * *
"How old is this information?" Toji demanded, staring in anger at the image on the main screen. Once again, the enemy had taken them by surprise.
"Russian spy satellite spotted it off the coast of Hawaii about an hour before it surfaced." Corporal Tanaka reported. "By the time they realized this was our jurisdiction, it was already in the air."
"It took out a cruise ship on its way up." Her older sister said. "Seven-thousand dead."
"And it's definitely an Angel?"
"Yes, Sir." Minako continued. "Waveform analysis is blue."
Toji nodded and turned to Lieutenant Kusanagi. "How long until we have a visual?"
"We have a recon plane on the way right now." The younger man replied. "It should reach the target within twelve minutes."
* * * * *
"This is what we know so far." Major Suzahara said. As he spoke, he pointed to the large screen at the front of the briefing room. The screen currently displayed a map of the Pacific Ocean with a large, blue dot near Hawaii. "The Twenty-Second Angel was first sighted off the Hawaiian Coast at approximately 16:00 hours this afternoon. At 16:45, it began to rise, ascending to an altitude of nearly 20,000 feet by 17:50. It's currently headed for Tokyo 3. It will pass over the Geofront at 10:00 hours four days from now.
He pressed a button on a small remote control and the image changed. The screen now showed what looked like a huge, flesh-colored disc.
"This is the Angel." The Major said. "No weapons are visible, but you can clearly see where the Core is exposed." He pointed to a raised area in the center of the disc. Looking at it, Michiru was struck by how tiny the Angel's Core looked.
"How big is that thing?" She asked.
"The Angel has a diameter of roughly...twenty-three miles." Toji replied.
"WHAT!?" Michiru cried. "That's impossible."
"Just another day at the office." Tai muttered.
"You seem pretty calm." Misato said, throwing a sideways glance at Tai.
Tai shrugged. "Last time it was a giant marble, now it's a twenty-three mile Frisbee."
"Good." Misato said, smiling. "Then you won't have any trouble taking it on alone."
"WHAT!?" Tai nearly fell out of his chair.
"The Angel has to be destroyed over the ocean." Toji said. "If it fell on Tokyo 3 from *any* altitude it would crush most of the city and probably collapse the Geofront."
"But..."
"Believe me." Misato interrupted. "We wouldn't send you alone if we had a choice. But Unit 14 is the only EVA that can reach the Angel at its current altitude. So this mission will be divided into two positions, Attack and Back-up. 'Attack' will fly to the Target in Unit 14 and destroy it."
"Uh...you're forgetting something." Tai said. "I can't fly!"
Misato sighed. "Well you've got three days to learn."
* * * * *
"Okay, Tai." Dr. Ibuki said. "Extend wings."
Tai nodded. A second later, two hidden cavities in Unit 14's shoulders slid open and its huge, bat-like wings sprang into view. The EVA, already massive, seemed to double in size with the wings fully unfurled.
"Are you *sure* this thing can fly?" Tai asked, casting a dubious glance across the lake, to where he was supposed to land. Assuming he could even get off the ground.
"We designed it specifically so that the wings would be large enough to generate adequate lift." Major Suzahara replied. "It can fly. Now start flapping."
Tai sighed and tried to concentrate. Moving the EVA's arms and legs was easy. He had arms and legs. Flexing muscles that no human had *ever* had was another story. "Okay. Wings." Tai whispered to himself. "Wings. Wings."
* * * * *
Toji watched as Unit 14's wings slowly began flapping. After a few dozen beats, Tai's confidence seemed to increase. The wings began beating faster and faster. Before long, the Evangelion began to rise slowly until it hovered a few meters above the floor of the Geofront.
Standing next to him, Dr. Ibuki opened the video link to Unit 14.
"Good work Tai." She said. "Now fly across the lake just like we showed you."
"Alright." Tai said. Outside, Unit 14 began, ever so slowly, to drift forward. Tai made it nearly halfway across the lake. Then, without warning, the tip of one wing hit the water. Unit 14 dropped like a stone, sending a huge wave across the lake and sinking to the bottom.
"Well *that* was fun." Tai muttered.
"Great." Toji said, shutting off the link and glancing at the large clock that had been installed above the main control deck. "Less than forty-eight hours left and this is the best he can do? Halfway across at five miles an hour less than fifteen feet off the ground!"
"Don't worry." Maya said. "He'll get the hang of it."
"I hope so." Toji said. "We can't afford to let it reach the Back-up position."
* * * * *
"We've already got a weapon lined up for Michiru, but we're having a hell of a time figuring out what to give you, Tai." Captain Aida said as he led them through the ordinance warehouse. Every conceivable variety of edged or projectile weapon was there; scaled up for the Evangelions' dramatic size, of course.
"Well the Positron Rifle's out." Tai said. "I need something that I'll be able to drop if I have to."
"Right, but that leaves us with the problem of firepower. You need a one-handed weapon, but there's not a pistol in the world that can do the kind of damage we need."
Something on the far side of the hangar caught Tai's eye.
"Maybe we're thinking along the wrong lines." He said.
"How so?" Captain Aida asked.
"Maybe the right kind of gun is no gun at all." He pointed. "How about that?" Hanging on the far wall, gleaming in the fluorescent lights, was a huge, double bladed sword.
"A sword?"
"Sure." Tai said. "I probably won't have time to aim a gun up there anyway. With a sword, I won't need too much accuracy."
Captain Aida still looked skeptical.
"Hey, I carried that thing back with me for a reason." Tai said. No need to explain that the 'reason' was to use it as a makeshift cane, having been in far too much pain to walk on his own. "I might as well get some use out of it."
"Okay. Your call."
"Great." Tai said. "Now can you spare me for a few minutes, I need to go see someone."
"Sure." Kensuke replied. "All we have left is Michiru's weapon. I don't need you for that."
"Okay. Thanks." Tai turned and headed for the elevator.
* * * * *
"Well...that sure is...a big gun." Michiru said. In fact, the 'gun' was enormous. Michiru was fairly sure that, were it set on its end, the rifle would be nearly as tall as Unit 01, if not taller. "I think I prefer the smaller one."
"The standard issue positron rifle doesn't have the kind of accuracy we need." Captain Aida said, staring at the huge gun like it was a late Christmas present. "Luckily I found this bad boy in the ordinance hangar. Apparently they borrowed it from the Self Defense Force twenty-five years ago and never got around to giving it back." He shrugged.
"It looks awkward. Not a lot of mobility with a gun that size." Michiru said. She grinned and shook her head. She was starting to sound a little *too* much like a soldier.
"Well it's not an assault weapon if that's what you mean." Kensuke said. "It's a sniper rifle."
"And what am I going to be doing with it?"
"Well if Tai...fails to destroy the Angel, you will attempt to destroy its core while it's still out in the harbor."
* * * * *
"Hey, Doc!"
Maya turned to see Tai standing in the doorway of her office.
"Tai?" She asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in the test plug?"
"Yeah." He said. "You got a minute?"
* * * * *
"Run this by me one more time." Michiru said. "I aim at the Angel's core, and then...?"
"Then you give the control motors a second or two to adjust before firing. When you fire, the other guns will hit the exact same point as yours." Captain Aida said.
"Is this really going to work?" Misato asked dubiously.
"Well the Magi gave this a higher success probability than any of the other scenarios we ran."
"Forty-nine percent." Toji clarified. "Not exactly a glowing recommendation."
"It's the highest we could get." Kensuke said. "Besides, this probably won't even be necessary. Unless..."
"Just say it!" Michiru yelled, finally fed up. "Unless Tai gets killed!"
"Michiru..." Misato said.
"Well that's what he would have said if I hadn't been standing here, isn't it?" She asked. "Everyone's been tiptoeing around the subject like they're afraid of scaring me or something. Well I know, all right! I know he might die! And trailing off in the middle of every sentence only makes me think about it more and that's the last thing I need right now, okay?"
Michiru turned and stormed out of the briefing room. Halfway to the test chamber, she stopped. She wanted to go back, to apologize for snapping. But at the same time, she wanted to stand by what she had said. This entire situation was driving her insane.
It was bad enough that she and Tai had to operate separately. They had both gotten used to working as a team. They worked best together. But they couldn't work together this time. Even worse, they weren't even allowed to train together. Besides a few 'work related' minutes here and there, Michiru had barely even seen Tai since he began his emergency flight training.
Michiru glanced at her watch and did some math in her head. Thirty hours left. She was already beginning to feel fear and she wasn't even the one who would be fighting. And then she realized what she was afraid of. And why.
All thoughts of going back and apologizing left her mind. She resumed her path to the test chamber. She didn't care if she interrupted the training schedule. She had to talk to Tai.
* * * * *
"You have headaches every time you pilot EVA?" Dr. Ibuki asked.
Tai nodded. "Even after synch tests."
"I hope you have a good reason for not telling me until now."
"No." Tai admitted. "Actually it's a pretty stupid one. I was afraid that I'd have to stop piloting if I told you. I...can't do that."
Dr. Ibuki sighed. "Well you certainly can't stop *now*." She said. "I assume you've tried Aspirin?" He nodded. "Alright, let me give you something a little stronger for now. And I want to run a complete exam as soon as this mission is over."
"Okay." Tai said. "Thanks Doc."
"Private Tai Matsumoto, please report to briefing room four immediately." A voice came over the intercom.
"They're playing your song." Dr. Ibuki said. "I'll have those painkillers for you by the next test."
Tai nodded and left the clinic. He'd been expecting to be summoned back to the test chamber for another run in the simulators. This wasn't an unwelcome change, however. He couldn't imagine what they wanted him in the briefing room for, but anything was better than another skull-splitting headache.
* * * * *
"Sorry, I came as fast as I could." Tai said quickly as he entered the small briefing room, obviously expecting some kind of official meeting or instructional lecture. From the look on his face, he definitely hadn't been expecting to see Michiru.
"Hi." She said quietly.
"Michiru?" Tai asked. He looked around.
Michiru smiled. "There's no one else here." She said. "I need to talk to you alone."
"Okay." Tai said.
"I just went super-bitch on Misato a little while ago and...it took me a while to realize why. See...everyone's talking about this fight like...I don't know; like they're trying not to scare me or something. Like they don't want me to know that you might...get hurt. And I just now realized why that bothered me so much." Michiru said.
"Why?" Tai asked.
"Because I *am* scared." She said. "I'm terrified that you're going to get hurt. Or killed. I'm scared that I'm going to lose you. I'm so scared because...because I love you, Tai. I know we've only been together a little while but...I also know...that you're the only person I'll ever want." She put her arms around Tai, burying her face in his chest.
"I just had to tell you that." She whispered. "In case...we don't see each other again."
"What do you mean?" Tai asked. "Of course we'll see each other again. You think I'm going to let this Angel beat me?"
Michiru shook her head. "It's not that." She said. "I know you can beat it. It's just...remember how I told you my parents were EVA pilots?"
"Yeah."
"Well..."
"Oh." Tai realized what she was saying. He immediately hugged her tighter. "Listen to me, Michiru." He said. "I am not going to die. I promise."
* * * * *
"Altitude?"
"20,450 feet." Tai said, checking the altimeter that had been hastily installed in his entry plug.
"Speed?"
"Two-hundred knots."
"You should have visual on the Angel in a few seconds." Major Suzahara said.
Tai nodded and peered through the clouds in front of him. Up ahead, the clouds seemed to thicken unnaturally.
"Something's wrong." He said. "The cloud cover's too thick. I can't see the Angel."
"Go to Infra-Red."
The computer drive behind Tai's seat hummed softly as it calculated the new data. In an instant, the field of white in front of him was replaced by a murky red. In the center of his vision, like a giant floating wall, was the Angel.
"Energy buildup!" Tai heard Lieutenant Kusanagi yell.
He scanned the Angel's visible surface for any sign of an impending attack, but saw none. Suddenly, hundreds of pencil-thin beams of energy erupted from the Angel. Tai tried to dive under them but to no avail. Pain shot through his back as Unit 14's massive wings were shredded. A sickening sensation of weightlessness filled the pit of his stomach as the EVA plummeted toward the ocean below him.
* * * * *
Tai awoke with a start, nearly falling out of bed. For several minutes her lay still, breathing deeply, his skin slick with a cold sweat. He glanced at the clock by his bed. Eight hours until he launched.
Tai knew it was foolish to worry. Everything that could be done had been. He could fly better than some birds and that was all he needed to know. He *would* kill the Angel. There was no other option.
However, knowing that worry was foolish didn't automatically make the worry go away. The fact was, Tai was scared. He had fought an Angel before, and those insane EVAs. But he'd had Michiru with him those times. Michiru wouldn't be there with him this time. She would be staying on land, part of a backup plan that no one seriously expected to work. Everything was riding on him.
There was no point in trying to go back to sleep. He knew he would be unable to. Sighing heavily, Tai rose and headed for the bathroom.
* * * * *
"Steady...steady......steady..."
"Listen, any steadier and I won't be moving, alright!" Michiru snapped.
"Precision is extremely important." Captain Aida said. "The other rifles are going to hit the exact spot you do. It's up to you to make sure that it's the right spot."
"Why are we still even worrying about this?" Michiru asked. "That Angel won't even get close enough for me to *see* it. Much less shoot it."
"While I appreciate your optimism, you know we have to be prepared for any eventuality." Misato said.
"I know." Michiru replied. "But I honestly think I'm as ready as I can be."
"One more time." Kensuke said. "Then you can get some rest before we launch."
Michiru sighed and nodded. The blank walls in front of her dissolved, revealing a simulation of New Yokosuka, where the Angel was expected to hit land. On either side of her were twenty-five positron rifles, fifty in all, each linked to her own rifle through a sophisticated system of transmitters and servomotors.
A small dot in the distance began to grow steadily larger. As the Angel approached, Michiru leveled her huge rifle at it. She heard whirring sounds on either side of her as the other rifles tracked her aim. When the Angel was close enough, Michiru revised her aim, waited for the other guns to catch up, and squeezed the trigger.
A blinding beam of energy shot from her rifle. Simultaneously, the fifty rifles next to her fired as well. The beams converged on each other, connecting right as they hit the Angel. A second later, the simulated enemy vanished.
"Good." Kensuke said, as the simulated city was once again replaced by the blank walls of the test chamber. "Unless we've drastically underestimated the Angel's armor or its AT Field, a shot like that should burn straight through it and destroy its core."
"Great." Michiru said. "Can I take a break now."
"Go ahead." Misato replied. "Be back in the cage ready to launch in one hour though."
"Got it."
* * * * *
"Okay." Major Suzahara said. "Let's run down the plan one more time."
"The transport flies over the Angel and drops me onto it. I use whatever means necessary to destroy the core. Then I fly away and land on the aircraft carrier." Tai said. "Pretty simple actually." He added.
"Don't let your guard down." The Major warned. "We still have no idea what that Angel is capable of."
"Trust me;" Tai assured him. "My guard is up."
* * * * *
A NERV helicopter took them to New Yokosuka. They could already see Unit 01 in position among the line of positron rifles. A special carrier plane was waiting at a nearby airfield, Unit 14 already fastened to its underside.
A moment of awkward silence passed between Tai and Michiru as the helicopter touched down. Michiru unfastened her seatbelt and stood up. She was about to slide the door open when she heard movement behind her. She turned and saw Tai standing up. He crossed the space between them and took her in his arms. Michiru laid her head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his skin through his plug suit.
"Please be careful." She whispered.
"I will." He said.
"Say it again."
"It?"
"Promise me you won't die."
Tai's response was to gently turn her face up and place his lips gently on hers. "I promise."
* * * * *
"Everything running okay in there?" Misato asked.
"Everything's fine." Michiru said absently, staring at the black carrier plane as it glided slowly out to sea.
"Michiru." Misato said. "Try to focus."
"I'm trying." Michiru replied. But in fact, she barely heard a word the support crewmembers said until long after the plane had disappeared over the horizon, carrying Tai into battle.
* * * * *
The bridge of the USS Colin Powell was quiet as the admiral signed the forms Toji had given him.
"Make a note in the log that at 0600 hours today command of this ship was transferred from Admiral Welles of the UN Combined Fleet to Major Suzahara of NERV." He said.
"Aye, Sir."
The admiral turned to Toji. "It's all yours, Major. Try not to sink it."
"Come again?"
The older man gave Toji a look reserved especially for those who usurped his command. "I was in the fleet twenty-five years ago. I was there when the Angel attacked EVA 02."
"What a coincidence." Toji replied. "So was I. Don't worry, admiral. We're just using the carrier as a command center and landing zone. The Angel won't come anywhere near us."
* * * * *
Thirty thousand feet above the sea, Tai got his first real glimpse of the Angel. He had been told how big it was, but mere measurements couldn't really describe the immensity of the thing. Twenty-three miles had just been a number. But now here he was, facing an enemy that was, quite literally, the size of a city.
"Tai." Major Suzahara's face appeared before him. "We have the carrier in position. Everything's ready."
"Understood." Tai said, glancing at his plug suit's built-in watch. "Four minutes to drop zone."
Four minutes passed like a second and suddenly a green light flashed above his head, signaling that it was time to begin the operation.
"Releasing lock bolts."
Tai felt a jolt, then a sensation of weightlessness in the pit of his stomach as Unit 14 dropped out of the carrier.
"Unit 14 is away."
Tai silently counted to ten. Then, taking a deep breath, he flexed the muscles in his back. Unit 14's giant wings unfolded and immediately caught air.
Tai took a few seconds to adjust his grip on his sword so that the weapon's weight was evenly distributed. Then, tipping his wings slightly, he began a slow circle downward toward the Angel.
* * * * *
"Any reaction from the target?" Toji asked.
"Negative, Major." Lieutenant Kusanagi said. "Either it hasn't noticed him, or it just doesn't care."
"Keep an eye on it." Toji said. "I want even the smallest change reported."
* * * * *
The Angel was growing closer with every circle Tai made. He could see the Core now, a bright red orb against the Angel's pale skin. He suddenly had an idea. When the EVA Series attacked, two of them had tried to spear Michiru from above using swords just like this one. If he could do the same thing, a lot of time would be saved.
Tai tipped his wings to make a tight turn. As soon as the Angle was beneath him, he tucked the wings in and fell toward the Angel. He held the sword in front of him like a spear, the tip perfectly in line with the Core.
Tai smiled. It was almost too easy. That was when everything went wrong.
* * * * *
"Something's happening!" Lieutenant Kusanagi called.
"Is it attacking?"
"Unknown." The younger man replied. "There's a slight energy buildup. And the pattern is shifting. Still blue, but it's...rearranging itself."
"Tai! Pull up!" Toji yelled. "It's up to something!"
"I can't! It's too late!"
* * * * *
Tai watched in horror as the skin around the Angel's Core rippled and stretched. Suddenly, within inches of the blade, the Core slid to the left, moving along the Angel's surface until it was completely clear of the Evangelion.
Tai couldn't stop his descent. The sword sank into the Angel's flesh. If the Angel felt pain, it made no indication of it.
"Energy buildup increasing!" Lieutenant Kusanagi called over the video link. "It's reading as an electric charge!"
"Tai! Let go of the sword!" Major Suzahara yelled.
Again, it was too late.
There were no sparks, no bolts of electricity; only a low hum. Suddenly Tai couldn't move. He felt his hands burning, but he could not let go of the sword. Every muscle in his body locked up as thousands of volts of electricity ran out of the Angel, through Unit 14, and into him. His vision was replaced by a field of blue. Then he was falling, the frantic shouts coming through the video link grew faint as he drifted, fighting but it was pointless. The last thing he saw before darkness overcame him was Michiru's face
*It was a simple promise.* He thought. *I wish I could have kept it.*
* * * * *
"Someone talk to me!" Toji yelled.
"The current's gone, but it knocked his heart out of rhythm!"
"Defibrillate!"
The medical technician input the command, sending a smaller jolt of electricity into the entry plug.
"No effect."
"Increase the voltage!"
The technician tried again. "Still nothing."
"AGAIN!"
Before the other man could respond, the wild, erratic beeping on the EKG was replaced by a single, droning tone.
"He's flat lining!"
"DO SOMETHING!" Kusanagi yelled.
"There's nothing else I can do!" The technician responded. "His heart's stopped! We'd need to be in there with him to do anything useful!"
"But he's still alive!" Kusanagi pointed to the respiratory monitor that showed that Tai was still breathing. "Isn't there..."
"Is there any way to resuscitate him from here?" Toji interrupted.
The technician hesitated. "No." He finally said.
Toji nodded grimly. He turned and picked up the red phone next to him. "Commander. 'Attack' is down. Proceed with 'Backup'."
* * * * *
"NO!" Michiru cried.
"I'm so sorry, Michiru."
"He's not dead yet!" Michiru sobbed. "You can't just give up on him like this!"
"There's nothing we can do." Misato said. "I'm sorry."
For several minutes, the radio was silent except for the sound of Michiru's sobs.
* * * * *
Everything was dark. But it was a warm darkness. Warm and comfortable, like a big blanket. That bothered Tai slightly. Death wasn't supposed to be comfortable, was it?
*Death?* A voice rang in his head. *You think you're dead? Are you really going to give up so easily?*
"What?"
*You can't die yet.*
"I didn't realize I got a choice." Tai replied.
*There is choice in everything, Tai Matsumoto.*
"How do you know my name?"
*I know all about you.* The voice replied. *Perhaps more that you know about yourself.*
"Who are you?" Tai asked.
*In time.* The voice said. *In time, you will find the answers. Who I am, who you are, why you are here. You will know your true self. Of course none of that can happen if you are dead. Now are you ready to finish what you started?*
"What's the other option?"
*There is no other option! I need you alive! And I will not allow this pathetic creature to destroy you. Now GO!*
* * * * *
Unit 14 was slumped over, motionless. Only its death-grip on its giant sword kept the Evangelion from sliding off of the Angel and falling into the sea.
Suddenly, the EVA began to move. Its four eyes flared with light. It stood up straight and ripped its weapon free from the Angel's hide. The EVA's pilot was back in control. Once again, Unit 14 was alive.
* * * * *
"What happened?" Toji demanded.
"He's back." The stunned medical technician said. "Heart beat's coming back strong and steady."
"Tai!" Toji called into the video link. "Are you alright?"
Tai's face appeared on the screen before them. "I'm fine." The young man said. "Kind of confused though. What the hell's going on?"
"I wish we knew." Toji confessed. "The Angel electrocuted you. You were dying. What happened?"
Tai looked away. His brow furrowed with concentration. "I remember...something..." He shook his head. "I don't know. It's gone now."
"Uh, Major." Lieutenant Kusanagi said. "We're getting pretty close to Zero Barrier here." He pointed to the tactical map. The Angel was rapidly coming within range of Michiru's guns.
"Tai, you still feel up to fighting."
Tai nodded, a determined grin on his face. "Ready and willing." He said. "This son of a bitch is mine!"
* * * * *
Tai scanned the Angel's surface for the Core. He spotted it moving toward the edge of the Angel and ran for it. Just as he came within striking distance, the Core changed direction, sliding out of range.
Beneath him, the Angel's skin rippled slightly. Hundreds of tentacles rose around him, grabbing Unit 14's arms and legs. Tai struggled but the Angel held him fast.
"Seven minutes to Zero Barrier." Lieutenant Kusanagi said.
"Thanks for the reminder!" Tai growled.
Shutting out all distractions, Tai focused his will on Unit 14's right arm, the arm holding the sword. He heard a high-pitched, electronic whine from the control room as his Synch Ratio shot up. The tentacles holding his arm snapped like twigs, falling away and melting back into the Angel. Tai wasted no time. He brought the sword around and sliced through the tentacles holding his left arm. The rest of the tentacles released their grip and sank back into the Angel.
"Three minutes." Kusanagi reported.
"Damn it!" Tai had lost the Core again. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red. The Core had come to rest a little less than a mile away. Without the EVA's elevated vantage point, he would never have seen it.
The Angel didn't seem to like moving its core. Either that, or it could only move the Core a short distance from its center. Otherwise, it could have just slid the glowing sphere to its opposite side, where Tai could never have reached it on time. Each time he had attacked, the Core had moved just far enough to get out of range. With that thought a plan began to form in his head.
"One minute!"
Tai sprinted toward the core. Halfway there, he stopped and lifted his sword, heaving the weapon with all his might. The sword flew end over end toward the Core. Just as Tai had predicted, the Core moved and the sword hit bare flesh. But Tai was already in motion again. Unit 14's left shoulder plate sprang open. Tai grabbed his progressive knife, pivoted on one ankle, and hurled the knife at a bare spot on the Angel's surface. By the time the knife reached its target, the Core had come to rest right in its path.
Sparks flew as the progressive knife sank into the Angel's core. Suddenly, the 'ground' beneath Tai heaved. Tentacles burst out of the Angel's surface, grabbing at Unit 14. The Angel meant to take him down with it. Tai swatted away the closest tentacles and ran for the Angel's edge. He was painfully aware of how fast they were falling. If he didn't get into the air soon, he was going to get his feet wet.
The ocean was only a few hundred feet below them when Tai reached the edge. He threw himself off of the dying Angel and spread his wings, soaring high into the air. Seconds later, the Angel crashed into the sea, sending a spray of foam up around Tai.
Tai circled upward to stay aloft, and to make sure nothing reached up from the sea to pull him down. Then he turned and flew toward the waiting carrier.
* * * * *
Michiru was off the helicopter before it even finished touching down. Tai was waiting for her, leaning against Unit 14, looking every bit the triumphant hero. Michiru ran and threw herself at him.
"You're alive!" She cried. "You're alright!"
"I'm alright." Tai confirmed.
Michiru stepped back and delivered a quick slap across Tai's face. "You jerk!" She yelled. "You promised you wouldn't die!"
"I didn't mean to." Tai said gently. "It just kind of...happened."
Michiru's expression softened a bit. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"Well I had to come back." Tai said. "I realized that there was something I forgot to tell you the other day." He took her in his arms and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Michiru. I couldn't die without telling you that."
* * * * *
Dr. Ibuki insisted that someone else drive Tai home that night. Tai protested that he felt fine, but eventually relented. Michiru offered to take him on her way back home. They drove in relative silence. Michiru's head was full of emotions she could barely give voice to. Apparently, so was Tai's.
Michiru parked the car and walked with Tai up to the door to his apartment.
"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked.
"I'm fine." He assured her, smiling warmly. "I believe 'better than ever' were the Doc's exact words."
"I know." Michiru said, looking down. "I shouldn't worry. It's just...I thought I lost you today. I don't want to lose you again."
"Hey." He tilted her chin up. "I'm not going anywhere."
They were both silent for a long time. Their lips met. This was not like the times they had kissed before. This was a different kind of kiss, the kind that led to something more.
Michiru smiled, remembering briefly the things she had been told growing up in the orphanage. She remembered being warned about all the things good girls didn't do, except with their husbands. But those 'good girls' weren't in her situation. They weren't in love; and living with the knowledge that they or the man they loved might not live to see the next day.
Besides, Michiru had always taken a dim view to those lessons anyway. In the end, it all came down to love, at least in her opinion. And if two people were truly in love, what difference did a ring and a piece of paper make?
* * * * *
Tai awoke in the middle of the night. He had heard a voice in his dreams, the same voice that had spoken to him earlier that day when he was half dead in Unit 14. Why couldn't he remember what it said?
He felt movement next to him. Sitting up from his dreams, he had accidentally woken Michiru.
"Sorry." He whispered, kissing her lightly.
"s'okay." She mumbled. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder. Within seconds, she was fast asleep again.
Tai lay awake for a long time, just looking at her. Her eyes were heavy with sleep. The moonlight that filtered through the windows made her hair shine. Her flawless skin still glowed with the memory of their lovemaking. She was so beautiful she almost seemed unreal. It frightened Tai to think how close he had come to never seeing her again.
"I love you." He whispered. "I'll never leave you."
As Tai drifted back to sleep, he almost heard the voice again. He could just barely make out the words, echoing in his mind.
*In time, you will find the answers. Who I am, who you are, why you are here. You will know your true self.*
* * * * *
To Be Continued....
Next Chapter:
NERV has finally found the Eight Child, pilot for the newly completed Evangelion Unit 15. The pilot's identity, however, seems to shock everyone. Who is this mysterious new pilot? It's the next installment: Chapter 0:8- The Eighth Child! Coming Soon!
* * * * *
Author's Note: Okay, those of you who wished to see a little more...action, (My God, is sex *all* you people think about?) Kristen Elizabeth decided to write a more 'complete' version of Michiru and Tai's first time. If you're into lemons, go to Fanfiction.net and check it out. And give her other stuff a look while you're there. Once again, that pen name is Kristen Elizabeth.
Legal Stuff: Neon Genesis Evangelion doesn't belong to me. Its characters don't either. My characters do belong to me. Any persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
* * * * *
Dedication: To my sister, the harlequin romance novelist, who helped me write the romantic sequences near the end. And to Ogre, who helped me fill in a huge hole that I had inadvertently left in this chapter's plot. Thank you both.
* * * * *
Author's note: Damn this is late! A lot of factors contributed to this chapter's lateness; too many to go into here. Let's just say that I'm truly sorry to all my readers for making you wait so long and I hope this hasn't caused you to lose interest.
* * * * *
Another note: This chapter contains some...well definitely not lemon, not really lime, even. Hmmm...how about grapefruit? Or maybe orange. Yeah. Orange flavored scenes. It is, in fact, extraordinarily tame stuff, not even sex really, just...well you'll see. I just thought I'd give a heads-up. Anyway, if you feel you're being cheated out of a more lemony version of events, see the author's note at the end of the story.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Neon Genesis Evangelion: OMEGA
Chapter 0:7- A Wing and A Prayer/ Duel at 20,000 feet!
* * * * *
"Unit 01's pilot is nearing the contamination zone Doctor."
"Alright." Maya acknowledged the technician's report. "Fix the plug depth and begin the test." She switched on her link to Michiru's test plug. "Any idea where Tai is?" She asked.
Michiru shook her head. "He should have been here by now." She said. "He didn't say anything about running late."
"Well we can't hold up the test for him any longer." Maya said. "Begin recording."
* * * * *
Tai hated being late, especially when it wasn't his fault. And this time, it definitely wasn't his fault. A ten-car pileup on the only route to headquarters wasn't something he had control over. Of course, he already knew what his superiors would see as the cause of his tardiness.
"So you were late because of soccer practice?" Dr. Ibuki seemed very exasperated.
"No ma'am." Tai replied. "I was late because the streets were blocked off when I came here *from* practice. It's not my fault." Those four words sounded truly pathetic, even to Tai, but he said them anyway because they were the truth.
The doctor sighed. "I hate doing this." She said. "I appreciate that you're helping the school and all, but it's not your job. EVA is."
"What do you mean?" Tai asked.
"We can't keep rearranging the training schedule to fit the soccer schedule. And we can't tolerate lateness related to that schedule." She said. "We already have to play musical chairs with your classes. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to drop the soccer."
"You're serious aren't you?"
"Very serious." Dr. Ibuki replied. "Hopefully this will all be over soon and you can go back to it."
"Yeah." Tai muttered. "That's likely.
* * * * *
The Junior High School girl's soccer team practiced every weekday after school. Monday afternoon, Tai met with the head coach, Mr. Yuki.
"Tai." The older man greeted him. "You're here early."
"Well...I needed to talk to you before practice." Tai said.
"Oh?"
"Remember I told you a while back that I took a second job?"
"Yeah."
"Well they...want me to...work more hours." Tai said. "With this new schedule they've got me on...I'm not going to be able to help here anymore."
"Really?" Mr. Yuki sighed. "Well I'm sorry to hear that. You make a good coach."
"Thank you." Tai said. "I'm sorry." He added.
Mr. Yuki nodded. "You want me to tell the girls?" He asked.
"No." Tai said. "I'll...tell them myself.
* * * * *
The Empress of India was one of the largest cruise ships ever built. It had room for over five thousand passengers, not even counting the crew. It was equipped with every conceivable countermeasure against anything that might potentially go wrong at sea. In every way, the Empress was designed to assure complete and utter safety for its passengers.
The magnificent ship never stood a chance.
Twenty miles west of the Hawaiian Islands, the navigation equipment detected a sharp drop in the depth of the surrounding water. Before anything could be done, a huge mass surface directly beneath the helpless ship. The ship capsized and slid off of the rapidly rising object, falling hundreds of feet into the ocean below.
The Angel continued to ascend, oblivious to the thousands of deaths it had just caused. Even if it had possessed the mental processes to comprehend what had just happened, it would not have cared. It was being called, and it responded. To the Angel, nothing else even existed, let alone mattered.
* * * * *
As soon as the last bell of the day rang, Machiko Suzahara headed straight for the locker room to get ready for practice. Her teammates seemed content to hang out in the hallway, chatting and laughing. If it were up to Machiko, practice would start earlier, giving the other girls no time to waste gossiping. Unfortunately only the coaches could make decisions like that.
"What's your rush, Machiko?" Nanami, their goalie asked as Machiko rushed past her.
"We've got a game this weekend." Machiko replied. "Or did you forget?"
Nanami gave her a dirty look. "Of course I didn't forget." She said. "But practice doesn't start for half an hour."
"What do you all have against showing up early?" Machiko demanded. "It shows responsibility."
"It's called 'brown-nosing', Machiko." Nanami said. "Not responsibility."
"Leave her alone." The team's point guard, Yohko, stuck her head around the corner. "She just wants to spend some extra time with 'Mr. Matsumoto'."
"THAT'S NOT IT!" Machiko screamed, turning bright red.
"Sure it is." Yohko insisted, grinning from ear to ear. "You've had a crush on Tai from day one. Everyone knows it."
"You can shut up now!" Machiko said.
"Hey we're on your side, Machiko." Nanami said. "It's very, very sad."
"What is?"
"That he's taken." Nanami replied.
"Taken?" Machiko asked.
"Yeah." Nanami said. "You know; attached, dating, no longer single."
"How do you know?"
"My big sister goes to the same college as him." Nanami replied. "We got to talking about practice one day and I mentioned Tai and she said he's dating some girl in their English class."
"Hmmm." Yohko sighed. "What a waste."
"Yeah." Machiko agreed. "That's gotta be the luckiest girl in the world."
* * * * *
"I swear to God! I am the unluckiest person in the world!" Michiru whined.
"Luck has nothing to do with it." Captain Aida informed her.
"I'm supposed to hit a moving target that I can't see with a weapon I've never used before." Michiru said. "Exactly which part of this *doesn't* involve luck?"
"The rockets will seek the target if it's within range." Kensuke replied. "All you have to do is aim them in the target's general direction."
"That would be *a lot* easier if I could *see* the target." Michiru said.
Kensuke sighed. "We *know* you can hit a target you can see." He said. "We want to know if you can hit a target that you can only *hear*."
"I just assumed it was a lateral thinking problem." Michiru muttered. "How long will I try to hit it before I wise up and turn on the IR filter?"
"That's not it." Kensuke said with an amused smile. "It's important that you be able to fight in reduced visibility *without* Infra-Red."
"Just promise me you'll make Tai do this once he gets here." She said. "Okay, Let's get it over with."
* * * * *
If telling the team that he was leaving had been hard for Tai, seeing the looks on their faces immediately after he told them was nearly impossible.
"What do you mean?" The team captain, Machiko, asked. "You don't mean *leaving*, do you?"
"I mean I can't be your coach anymore." Tai said.
"Why not?" One of the girls demanded.
"It's because of my other job." Tai said. "I'm sorry."
"But we need you." Machiko said. "We have a game on Saturday." Murmured agreements flowed back and forth between the rest of the girls.
"You'll do fine without me." Tai said. "You're the best team I've ever coached."
"We're the *only* team you've ever coached." Machiko said derisively.
Tai was about to respond to that when his cell phone began ringing. He unfolded the small phone and placed it to his ear. As he expected, a recorded voice immediately began speaking to him.
"Private Matsumoto. You're presence is required at headquarters. Return immediately."
Tai sighed and put the phone away. "Speaking of my job..." He said. He looked at the girls again. They all seemed very upset. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you myself instead of Mr. Yuki. Now go practice, and don't slack off." He added, smiling. "I expect you girls to kick ass on Saturday."
* * * * *
"How old is this information?" Toji demanded, staring in anger at the image on the main screen. Once again, the enemy had taken them by surprise.
"Russian spy satellite spotted it off the coast of Hawaii about an hour before it surfaced." Corporal Tanaka reported. "By the time they realized this was our jurisdiction, it was already in the air."
"It took out a cruise ship on its way up." Her older sister said. "Seven-thousand dead."
"And it's definitely an Angel?"
"Yes, Sir." Minako continued. "Waveform analysis is blue."
Toji nodded and turned to Lieutenant Kusanagi. "How long until we have a visual?"
"We have a recon plane on the way right now." The younger man replied. "It should reach the target within twelve minutes."
* * * * *
"This is what we know so far." Major Suzahara said. As he spoke, he pointed to the large screen at the front of the briefing room. The screen currently displayed a map of the Pacific Ocean with a large, blue dot near Hawaii. "The Twenty-Second Angel was first sighted off the Hawaiian Coast at approximately 16:00 hours this afternoon. At 16:45, it began to rise, ascending to an altitude of nearly 20,000 feet by 17:50. It's currently headed for Tokyo 3. It will pass over the Geofront at 10:00 hours four days from now.
He pressed a button on a small remote control and the image changed. The screen now showed what looked like a huge, flesh-colored disc.
"This is the Angel." The Major said. "No weapons are visible, but you can clearly see where the Core is exposed." He pointed to a raised area in the center of the disc. Looking at it, Michiru was struck by how tiny the Angel's Core looked.
"How big is that thing?" She asked.
"The Angel has a diameter of roughly...twenty-three miles." Toji replied.
"WHAT!?" Michiru cried. "That's impossible."
"Just another day at the office." Tai muttered.
"You seem pretty calm." Misato said, throwing a sideways glance at Tai.
Tai shrugged. "Last time it was a giant marble, now it's a twenty-three mile Frisbee."
"Good." Misato said, smiling. "Then you won't have any trouble taking it on alone."
"WHAT!?" Tai nearly fell out of his chair.
"The Angel has to be destroyed over the ocean." Toji said. "If it fell on Tokyo 3 from *any* altitude it would crush most of the city and probably collapse the Geofront."
"But..."
"Believe me." Misato interrupted. "We wouldn't send you alone if we had a choice. But Unit 14 is the only EVA that can reach the Angel at its current altitude. So this mission will be divided into two positions, Attack and Back-up. 'Attack' will fly to the Target in Unit 14 and destroy it."
"Uh...you're forgetting something." Tai said. "I can't fly!"
Misato sighed. "Well you've got three days to learn."
* * * * *
"Okay, Tai." Dr. Ibuki said. "Extend wings."
Tai nodded. A second later, two hidden cavities in Unit 14's shoulders slid open and its huge, bat-like wings sprang into view. The EVA, already massive, seemed to double in size with the wings fully unfurled.
"Are you *sure* this thing can fly?" Tai asked, casting a dubious glance across the lake, to where he was supposed to land. Assuming he could even get off the ground.
"We designed it specifically so that the wings would be large enough to generate adequate lift." Major Suzahara replied. "It can fly. Now start flapping."
Tai sighed and tried to concentrate. Moving the EVA's arms and legs was easy. He had arms and legs. Flexing muscles that no human had *ever* had was another story. "Okay. Wings." Tai whispered to himself. "Wings. Wings."
* * * * *
Toji watched as Unit 14's wings slowly began flapping. After a few dozen beats, Tai's confidence seemed to increase. The wings began beating faster and faster. Before long, the Evangelion began to rise slowly until it hovered a few meters above the floor of the Geofront.
Standing next to him, Dr. Ibuki opened the video link to Unit 14.
"Good work Tai." She said. "Now fly across the lake just like we showed you."
"Alright." Tai said. Outside, Unit 14 began, ever so slowly, to drift forward. Tai made it nearly halfway across the lake. Then, without warning, the tip of one wing hit the water. Unit 14 dropped like a stone, sending a huge wave across the lake and sinking to the bottom.
"Well *that* was fun." Tai muttered.
"Great." Toji said, shutting off the link and glancing at the large clock that had been installed above the main control deck. "Less than forty-eight hours left and this is the best he can do? Halfway across at five miles an hour less than fifteen feet off the ground!"
"Don't worry." Maya said. "He'll get the hang of it."
"I hope so." Toji said. "We can't afford to let it reach the Back-up position."
* * * * *
"We've already got a weapon lined up for Michiru, but we're having a hell of a time figuring out what to give you, Tai." Captain Aida said as he led them through the ordinance warehouse. Every conceivable variety of edged or projectile weapon was there; scaled up for the Evangelions' dramatic size, of course.
"Well the Positron Rifle's out." Tai said. "I need something that I'll be able to drop if I have to."
"Right, but that leaves us with the problem of firepower. You need a one-handed weapon, but there's not a pistol in the world that can do the kind of damage we need."
Something on the far side of the hangar caught Tai's eye.
"Maybe we're thinking along the wrong lines." He said.
"How so?" Captain Aida asked.
"Maybe the right kind of gun is no gun at all." He pointed. "How about that?" Hanging on the far wall, gleaming in the fluorescent lights, was a huge, double bladed sword.
"A sword?"
"Sure." Tai said. "I probably won't have time to aim a gun up there anyway. With a sword, I won't need too much accuracy."
Captain Aida still looked skeptical.
"Hey, I carried that thing back with me for a reason." Tai said. No need to explain that the 'reason' was to use it as a makeshift cane, having been in far too much pain to walk on his own. "I might as well get some use out of it."
"Okay. Your call."
"Great." Tai said. "Now can you spare me for a few minutes, I need to go see someone."
"Sure." Kensuke replied. "All we have left is Michiru's weapon. I don't need you for that."
"Okay. Thanks." Tai turned and headed for the elevator.
* * * * *
"Well...that sure is...a big gun." Michiru said. In fact, the 'gun' was enormous. Michiru was fairly sure that, were it set on its end, the rifle would be nearly as tall as Unit 01, if not taller. "I think I prefer the smaller one."
"The standard issue positron rifle doesn't have the kind of accuracy we need." Captain Aida said, staring at the huge gun like it was a late Christmas present. "Luckily I found this bad boy in the ordinance hangar. Apparently they borrowed it from the Self Defense Force twenty-five years ago and never got around to giving it back." He shrugged.
"It looks awkward. Not a lot of mobility with a gun that size." Michiru said. She grinned and shook her head. She was starting to sound a little *too* much like a soldier.
"Well it's not an assault weapon if that's what you mean." Kensuke said. "It's a sniper rifle."
"And what am I going to be doing with it?"
"Well if Tai...fails to destroy the Angel, you will attempt to destroy its core while it's still out in the harbor."
* * * * *
"Hey, Doc!"
Maya turned to see Tai standing in the doorway of her office.
"Tai?" She asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in the test plug?"
"Yeah." He said. "You got a minute?"
* * * * *
"Run this by me one more time." Michiru said. "I aim at the Angel's core, and then...?"
"Then you give the control motors a second or two to adjust before firing. When you fire, the other guns will hit the exact same point as yours." Captain Aida said.
"Is this really going to work?" Misato asked dubiously.
"Well the Magi gave this a higher success probability than any of the other scenarios we ran."
"Forty-nine percent." Toji clarified. "Not exactly a glowing recommendation."
"It's the highest we could get." Kensuke said. "Besides, this probably won't even be necessary. Unless..."
"Just say it!" Michiru yelled, finally fed up. "Unless Tai gets killed!"
"Michiru..." Misato said.
"Well that's what he would have said if I hadn't been standing here, isn't it?" She asked. "Everyone's been tiptoeing around the subject like they're afraid of scaring me or something. Well I know, all right! I know he might die! And trailing off in the middle of every sentence only makes me think about it more and that's the last thing I need right now, okay?"
Michiru turned and stormed out of the briefing room. Halfway to the test chamber, she stopped. She wanted to go back, to apologize for snapping. But at the same time, she wanted to stand by what she had said. This entire situation was driving her insane.
It was bad enough that she and Tai had to operate separately. They had both gotten used to working as a team. They worked best together. But they couldn't work together this time. Even worse, they weren't even allowed to train together. Besides a few 'work related' minutes here and there, Michiru had barely even seen Tai since he began his emergency flight training.
Michiru glanced at her watch and did some math in her head. Thirty hours left. She was already beginning to feel fear and she wasn't even the one who would be fighting. And then she realized what she was afraid of. And why.
All thoughts of going back and apologizing left her mind. She resumed her path to the test chamber. She didn't care if she interrupted the training schedule. She had to talk to Tai.
* * * * *
"You have headaches every time you pilot EVA?" Dr. Ibuki asked.
Tai nodded. "Even after synch tests."
"I hope you have a good reason for not telling me until now."
"No." Tai admitted. "Actually it's a pretty stupid one. I was afraid that I'd have to stop piloting if I told you. I...can't do that."
Dr. Ibuki sighed. "Well you certainly can't stop *now*." She said. "I assume you've tried Aspirin?" He nodded. "Alright, let me give you something a little stronger for now. And I want to run a complete exam as soon as this mission is over."
"Okay." Tai said. "Thanks Doc."
"Private Tai Matsumoto, please report to briefing room four immediately." A voice came over the intercom.
"They're playing your song." Dr. Ibuki said. "I'll have those painkillers for you by the next test."
Tai nodded and left the clinic. He'd been expecting to be summoned back to the test chamber for another run in the simulators. This wasn't an unwelcome change, however. He couldn't imagine what they wanted him in the briefing room for, but anything was better than another skull-splitting headache.
* * * * *
"Sorry, I came as fast as I could." Tai said quickly as he entered the small briefing room, obviously expecting some kind of official meeting or instructional lecture. From the look on his face, he definitely hadn't been expecting to see Michiru.
"Hi." She said quietly.
"Michiru?" Tai asked. He looked around.
Michiru smiled. "There's no one else here." She said. "I need to talk to you alone."
"Okay." Tai said.
"I just went super-bitch on Misato a little while ago and...it took me a while to realize why. See...everyone's talking about this fight like...I don't know; like they're trying not to scare me or something. Like they don't want me to know that you might...get hurt. And I just now realized why that bothered me so much." Michiru said.
"Why?" Tai asked.
"Because I *am* scared." She said. "I'm terrified that you're going to get hurt. Or killed. I'm scared that I'm going to lose you. I'm so scared because...because I love you, Tai. I know we've only been together a little while but...I also know...that you're the only person I'll ever want." She put her arms around Tai, burying her face in his chest.
"I just had to tell you that." She whispered. "In case...we don't see each other again."
"What do you mean?" Tai asked. "Of course we'll see each other again. You think I'm going to let this Angel beat me?"
Michiru shook her head. "It's not that." She said. "I know you can beat it. It's just...remember how I told you my parents were EVA pilots?"
"Yeah."
"Well..."
"Oh." Tai realized what she was saying. He immediately hugged her tighter. "Listen to me, Michiru." He said. "I am not going to die. I promise."
* * * * *
"Altitude?"
"20,450 feet." Tai said, checking the altimeter that had been hastily installed in his entry plug.
"Speed?"
"Two-hundred knots."
"You should have visual on the Angel in a few seconds." Major Suzahara said.
Tai nodded and peered through the clouds in front of him. Up ahead, the clouds seemed to thicken unnaturally.
"Something's wrong." He said. "The cloud cover's too thick. I can't see the Angel."
"Go to Infra-Red."
The computer drive behind Tai's seat hummed softly as it calculated the new data. In an instant, the field of white in front of him was replaced by a murky red. In the center of his vision, like a giant floating wall, was the Angel.
"Energy buildup!" Tai heard Lieutenant Kusanagi yell.
He scanned the Angel's visible surface for any sign of an impending attack, but saw none. Suddenly, hundreds of pencil-thin beams of energy erupted from the Angel. Tai tried to dive under them but to no avail. Pain shot through his back as Unit 14's massive wings were shredded. A sickening sensation of weightlessness filled the pit of his stomach as the EVA plummeted toward the ocean below him.
* * * * *
Tai awoke with a start, nearly falling out of bed. For several minutes her lay still, breathing deeply, his skin slick with a cold sweat. He glanced at the clock by his bed. Eight hours until he launched.
Tai knew it was foolish to worry. Everything that could be done had been. He could fly better than some birds and that was all he needed to know. He *would* kill the Angel. There was no other option.
However, knowing that worry was foolish didn't automatically make the worry go away. The fact was, Tai was scared. He had fought an Angel before, and those insane EVAs. But he'd had Michiru with him those times. Michiru wouldn't be there with him this time. She would be staying on land, part of a backup plan that no one seriously expected to work. Everything was riding on him.
There was no point in trying to go back to sleep. He knew he would be unable to. Sighing heavily, Tai rose and headed for the bathroom.
* * * * *
"Steady...steady......steady..."
"Listen, any steadier and I won't be moving, alright!" Michiru snapped.
"Precision is extremely important." Captain Aida said. "The other rifles are going to hit the exact spot you do. It's up to you to make sure that it's the right spot."
"Why are we still even worrying about this?" Michiru asked. "That Angel won't even get close enough for me to *see* it. Much less shoot it."
"While I appreciate your optimism, you know we have to be prepared for any eventuality." Misato said.
"I know." Michiru replied. "But I honestly think I'm as ready as I can be."
"One more time." Kensuke said. "Then you can get some rest before we launch."
Michiru sighed and nodded. The blank walls in front of her dissolved, revealing a simulation of New Yokosuka, where the Angel was expected to hit land. On either side of her were twenty-five positron rifles, fifty in all, each linked to her own rifle through a sophisticated system of transmitters and servomotors.
A small dot in the distance began to grow steadily larger. As the Angel approached, Michiru leveled her huge rifle at it. She heard whirring sounds on either side of her as the other rifles tracked her aim. When the Angel was close enough, Michiru revised her aim, waited for the other guns to catch up, and squeezed the trigger.
A blinding beam of energy shot from her rifle. Simultaneously, the fifty rifles next to her fired as well. The beams converged on each other, connecting right as they hit the Angel. A second later, the simulated enemy vanished.
"Good." Kensuke said, as the simulated city was once again replaced by the blank walls of the test chamber. "Unless we've drastically underestimated the Angel's armor or its AT Field, a shot like that should burn straight through it and destroy its core."
"Great." Michiru said. "Can I take a break now."
"Go ahead." Misato replied. "Be back in the cage ready to launch in one hour though."
"Got it."
* * * * *
"Okay." Major Suzahara said. "Let's run down the plan one more time."
"The transport flies over the Angel and drops me onto it. I use whatever means necessary to destroy the core. Then I fly away and land on the aircraft carrier." Tai said. "Pretty simple actually." He added.
"Don't let your guard down." The Major warned. "We still have no idea what that Angel is capable of."
"Trust me;" Tai assured him. "My guard is up."
* * * * *
A NERV helicopter took them to New Yokosuka. They could already see Unit 01 in position among the line of positron rifles. A special carrier plane was waiting at a nearby airfield, Unit 14 already fastened to its underside.
A moment of awkward silence passed between Tai and Michiru as the helicopter touched down. Michiru unfastened her seatbelt and stood up. She was about to slide the door open when she heard movement behind her. She turned and saw Tai standing up. He crossed the space between them and took her in his arms. Michiru laid her head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his skin through his plug suit.
"Please be careful." She whispered.
"I will." He said.
"Say it again."
"It?"
"Promise me you won't die."
Tai's response was to gently turn her face up and place his lips gently on hers. "I promise."
* * * * *
"Everything running okay in there?" Misato asked.
"Everything's fine." Michiru said absently, staring at the black carrier plane as it glided slowly out to sea.
"Michiru." Misato said. "Try to focus."
"I'm trying." Michiru replied. But in fact, she barely heard a word the support crewmembers said until long after the plane had disappeared over the horizon, carrying Tai into battle.
* * * * *
The bridge of the USS Colin Powell was quiet as the admiral signed the forms Toji had given him.
"Make a note in the log that at 0600 hours today command of this ship was transferred from Admiral Welles of the UN Combined Fleet to Major Suzahara of NERV." He said.
"Aye, Sir."
The admiral turned to Toji. "It's all yours, Major. Try not to sink it."
"Come again?"
The older man gave Toji a look reserved especially for those who usurped his command. "I was in the fleet twenty-five years ago. I was there when the Angel attacked EVA 02."
"What a coincidence." Toji replied. "So was I. Don't worry, admiral. We're just using the carrier as a command center and landing zone. The Angel won't come anywhere near us."
* * * * *
Thirty thousand feet above the sea, Tai got his first real glimpse of the Angel. He had been told how big it was, but mere measurements couldn't really describe the immensity of the thing. Twenty-three miles had just been a number. But now here he was, facing an enemy that was, quite literally, the size of a city.
"Tai." Major Suzahara's face appeared before him. "We have the carrier in position. Everything's ready."
"Understood." Tai said, glancing at his plug suit's built-in watch. "Four minutes to drop zone."
Four minutes passed like a second and suddenly a green light flashed above his head, signaling that it was time to begin the operation.
"Releasing lock bolts."
Tai felt a jolt, then a sensation of weightlessness in the pit of his stomach as Unit 14 dropped out of the carrier.
"Unit 14 is away."
Tai silently counted to ten. Then, taking a deep breath, he flexed the muscles in his back. Unit 14's giant wings unfolded and immediately caught air.
Tai took a few seconds to adjust his grip on his sword so that the weapon's weight was evenly distributed. Then, tipping his wings slightly, he began a slow circle downward toward the Angel.
* * * * *
"Any reaction from the target?" Toji asked.
"Negative, Major." Lieutenant Kusanagi said. "Either it hasn't noticed him, or it just doesn't care."
"Keep an eye on it." Toji said. "I want even the smallest change reported."
* * * * *
The Angel was growing closer with every circle Tai made. He could see the Core now, a bright red orb against the Angel's pale skin. He suddenly had an idea. When the EVA Series attacked, two of them had tried to spear Michiru from above using swords just like this one. If he could do the same thing, a lot of time would be saved.
Tai tipped his wings to make a tight turn. As soon as the Angle was beneath him, he tucked the wings in and fell toward the Angel. He held the sword in front of him like a spear, the tip perfectly in line with the Core.
Tai smiled. It was almost too easy. That was when everything went wrong.
* * * * *
"Something's happening!" Lieutenant Kusanagi called.
"Is it attacking?"
"Unknown." The younger man replied. "There's a slight energy buildup. And the pattern is shifting. Still blue, but it's...rearranging itself."
"Tai! Pull up!" Toji yelled. "It's up to something!"
"I can't! It's too late!"
* * * * *
Tai watched in horror as the skin around the Angel's Core rippled and stretched. Suddenly, within inches of the blade, the Core slid to the left, moving along the Angel's surface until it was completely clear of the Evangelion.
Tai couldn't stop his descent. The sword sank into the Angel's flesh. If the Angel felt pain, it made no indication of it.
"Energy buildup increasing!" Lieutenant Kusanagi called over the video link. "It's reading as an electric charge!"
"Tai! Let go of the sword!" Major Suzahara yelled.
Again, it was too late.
There were no sparks, no bolts of electricity; only a low hum. Suddenly Tai couldn't move. He felt his hands burning, but he could not let go of the sword. Every muscle in his body locked up as thousands of volts of electricity ran out of the Angel, through Unit 14, and into him. His vision was replaced by a field of blue. Then he was falling, the frantic shouts coming through the video link grew faint as he drifted, fighting but it was pointless. The last thing he saw before darkness overcame him was Michiru's face
*It was a simple promise.* He thought. *I wish I could have kept it.*
* * * * *
"Someone talk to me!" Toji yelled.
"The current's gone, but it knocked his heart out of rhythm!"
"Defibrillate!"
The medical technician input the command, sending a smaller jolt of electricity into the entry plug.
"No effect."
"Increase the voltage!"
The technician tried again. "Still nothing."
"AGAIN!"
Before the other man could respond, the wild, erratic beeping on the EKG was replaced by a single, droning tone.
"He's flat lining!"
"DO SOMETHING!" Kusanagi yelled.
"There's nothing else I can do!" The technician responded. "His heart's stopped! We'd need to be in there with him to do anything useful!"
"But he's still alive!" Kusanagi pointed to the respiratory monitor that showed that Tai was still breathing. "Isn't there..."
"Is there any way to resuscitate him from here?" Toji interrupted.
The technician hesitated. "No." He finally said.
Toji nodded grimly. He turned and picked up the red phone next to him. "Commander. 'Attack' is down. Proceed with 'Backup'."
* * * * *
"NO!" Michiru cried.
"I'm so sorry, Michiru."
"He's not dead yet!" Michiru sobbed. "You can't just give up on him like this!"
"There's nothing we can do." Misato said. "I'm sorry."
For several minutes, the radio was silent except for the sound of Michiru's sobs.
* * * * *
Everything was dark. But it was a warm darkness. Warm and comfortable, like a big blanket. That bothered Tai slightly. Death wasn't supposed to be comfortable, was it?
*Death?* A voice rang in his head. *You think you're dead? Are you really going to give up so easily?*
"What?"
*You can't die yet.*
"I didn't realize I got a choice." Tai replied.
*There is choice in everything, Tai Matsumoto.*
"How do you know my name?"
*I know all about you.* The voice replied. *Perhaps more that you know about yourself.*
"Who are you?" Tai asked.
*In time.* The voice said. *In time, you will find the answers. Who I am, who you are, why you are here. You will know your true self. Of course none of that can happen if you are dead. Now are you ready to finish what you started?*
"What's the other option?"
*There is no other option! I need you alive! And I will not allow this pathetic creature to destroy you. Now GO!*
* * * * *
Unit 14 was slumped over, motionless. Only its death-grip on its giant sword kept the Evangelion from sliding off of the Angel and falling into the sea.
Suddenly, the EVA began to move. Its four eyes flared with light. It stood up straight and ripped its weapon free from the Angel's hide. The EVA's pilot was back in control. Once again, Unit 14 was alive.
* * * * *
"What happened?" Toji demanded.
"He's back." The stunned medical technician said. "Heart beat's coming back strong and steady."
"Tai!" Toji called into the video link. "Are you alright?"
Tai's face appeared on the screen before them. "I'm fine." The young man said. "Kind of confused though. What the hell's going on?"
"I wish we knew." Toji confessed. "The Angel electrocuted you. You were dying. What happened?"
Tai looked away. His brow furrowed with concentration. "I remember...something..." He shook his head. "I don't know. It's gone now."
"Uh, Major." Lieutenant Kusanagi said. "We're getting pretty close to Zero Barrier here." He pointed to the tactical map. The Angel was rapidly coming within range of Michiru's guns.
"Tai, you still feel up to fighting."
Tai nodded, a determined grin on his face. "Ready and willing." He said. "This son of a bitch is mine!"
* * * * *
Tai scanned the Angel's surface for the Core. He spotted it moving toward the edge of the Angel and ran for it. Just as he came within striking distance, the Core changed direction, sliding out of range.
Beneath him, the Angel's skin rippled slightly. Hundreds of tentacles rose around him, grabbing Unit 14's arms and legs. Tai struggled but the Angel held him fast.
"Seven minutes to Zero Barrier." Lieutenant Kusanagi said.
"Thanks for the reminder!" Tai growled.
Shutting out all distractions, Tai focused his will on Unit 14's right arm, the arm holding the sword. He heard a high-pitched, electronic whine from the control room as his Synch Ratio shot up. The tentacles holding his arm snapped like twigs, falling away and melting back into the Angel. Tai wasted no time. He brought the sword around and sliced through the tentacles holding his left arm. The rest of the tentacles released their grip and sank back into the Angel.
"Three minutes." Kusanagi reported.
"Damn it!" Tai had lost the Core again. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red. The Core had come to rest a little less than a mile away. Without the EVA's elevated vantage point, he would never have seen it.
The Angel didn't seem to like moving its core. Either that, or it could only move the Core a short distance from its center. Otherwise, it could have just slid the glowing sphere to its opposite side, where Tai could never have reached it on time. Each time he had attacked, the Core had moved just far enough to get out of range. With that thought a plan began to form in his head.
"One minute!"
Tai sprinted toward the core. Halfway there, he stopped and lifted his sword, heaving the weapon with all his might. The sword flew end over end toward the Core. Just as Tai had predicted, the Core moved and the sword hit bare flesh. But Tai was already in motion again. Unit 14's left shoulder plate sprang open. Tai grabbed his progressive knife, pivoted on one ankle, and hurled the knife at a bare spot on the Angel's surface. By the time the knife reached its target, the Core had come to rest right in its path.
Sparks flew as the progressive knife sank into the Angel's core. Suddenly, the 'ground' beneath Tai heaved. Tentacles burst out of the Angel's surface, grabbing at Unit 14. The Angel meant to take him down with it. Tai swatted away the closest tentacles and ran for the Angel's edge. He was painfully aware of how fast they were falling. If he didn't get into the air soon, he was going to get his feet wet.
The ocean was only a few hundred feet below them when Tai reached the edge. He threw himself off of the dying Angel and spread his wings, soaring high into the air. Seconds later, the Angel crashed into the sea, sending a spray of foam up around Tai.
Tai circled upward to stay aloft, and to make sure nothing reached up from the sea to pull him down. Then he turned and flew toward the waiting carrier.
* * * * *
Michiru was off the helicopter before it even finished touching down. Tai was waiting for her, leaning against Unit 14, looking every bit the triumphant hero. Michiru ran and threw herself at him.
"You're alive!" She cried. "You're alright!"
"I'm alright." Tai confirmed.
Michiru stepped back and delivered a quick slap across Tai's face. "You jerk!" She yelled. "You promised you wouldn't die!"
"I didn't mean to." Tai said gently. "It just kind of...happened."
Michiru's expression softened a bit. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"Well I had to come back." Tai said. "I realized that there was something I forgot to tell you the other day." He took her in his arms and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Michiru. I couldn't die without telling you that."
* * * * *
Dr. Ibuki insisted that someone else drive Tai home that night. Tai protested that he felt fine, but eventually relented. Michiru offered to take him on her way back home. They drove in relative silence. Michiru's head was full of emotions she could barely give voice to. Apparently, so was Tai's.
Michiru parked the car and walked with Tai up to the door to his apartment.
"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked.
"I'm fine." He assured her, smiling warmly. "I believe 'better than ever' were the Doc's exact words."
"I know." Michiru said, looking down. "I shouldn't worry. It's just...I thought I lost you today. I don't want to lose you again."
"Hey." He tilted her chin up. "I'm not going anywhere."
They were both silent for a long time. Their lips met. This was not like the times they had kissed before. This was a different kind of kiss, the kind that led to something more.
Michiru smiled, remembering briefly the things she had been told growing up in the orphanage. She remembered being warned about all the things good girls didn't do, except with their husbands. But those 'good girls' weren't in her situation. They weren't in love; and living with the knowledge that they or the man they loved might not live to see the next day.
Besides, Michiru had always taken a dim view to those lessons anyway. In the end, it all came down to love, at least in her opinion. And if two people were truly in love, what difference did a ring and a piece of paper make?
* * * * *
Tai awoke in the middle of the night. He had heard a voice in his dreams, the same voice that had spoken to him earlier that day when he was half dead in Unit 14. Why couldn't he remember what it said?
He felt movement next to him. Sitting up from his dreams, he had accidentally woken Michiru.
"Sorry." He whispered, kissing her lightly.
"s'okay." She mumbled. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder. Within seconds, she was fast asleep again.
Tai lay awake for a long time, just looking at her. Her eyes were heavy with sleep. The moonlight that filtered through the windows made her hair shine. Her flawless skin still glowed with the memory of their lovemaking. She was so beautiful she almost seemed unreal. It frightened Tai to think how close he had come to never seeing her again.
"I love you." He whispered. "I'll never leave you."
As Tai drifted back to sleep, he almost heard the voice again. He could just barely make out the words, echoing in his mind.
*In time, you will find the answers. Who I am, who you are, why you are here. You will know your true self.*
* * * * *
To Be Continued....
Next Chapter:
NERV has finally found the Eight Child, pilot for the newly completed Evangelion Unit 15. The pilot's identity, however, seems to shock everyone. Who is this mysterious new pilot? It's the next installment: Chapter 0:8- The Eighth Child! Coming Soon!
* * * * *
Author's Note: Okay, those of you who wished to see a little more...action, (My God, is sex *all* you people think about?) Kristen Elizabeth decided to write a more 'complete' version of Michiru and Tai's first time. If you're into lemons, go to Fanfiction.net and check it out. And give her other stuff a look while you're there. Once again, that pen name is Kristen Elizabeth.