Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Heaven and Hell ❯ Falling Down ( Chapter 2 )

Manga - Addicts Presents:
Heaven and Hell
Revelations 0:2 - Falling Down

HTML version 09 May 2008

Neon Genesis Evangelion created by, registered, and copyrighted to GAINAX, Project EVA, Movic, and any other company and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A.D.Vision holds the copyrights to the English version of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This work of fiction is not intended for any commercial purposes but was created for the entertainment of the Author and Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

No copyright infringement was in any way intended.

Heaven and Hell written by Jino Turtlegod

M Rating. For mature readers only. Some scenes, themes, language, and situations are not suitable for younger readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Revelations 0:2 - Falling Down

"Show me what Spring is like on Jupiter and Mars...," Hikari sang with the radio as she arranged the flowers. She looked out the window at Tokyo-3, the city stretched before her as far as her eyes could see, a shimmering forest of buildings with the morning sun reflected off a multitude of plate glass. She could see birds ride the thermals that rose off the fortress city and fly into the clear blue skies of the eternal summertime.

"It's a beautiful morning," she said cheerfully as she unbuckled the shoulder strap of the holstered pistol which had been hidden under her NERV jacket and laid it down on the table by the flowers. She hated its weight, an ever present reminder of her reality, but today was an escape from that reality, into the sanctuary provided by this small white room with white curtains, a bed, and the person she loves.

She sighed and sat down at a chair by the bed. "It was really scary there for a while..."

000

Tokyo-3

The gigantic sphere floated above the shattered ruins of the commercial center. It's enormous bulk blanketed by the rising black smoke. Its smooth orange surface was unmarked except for a large, red eye-like marking. It looked like an enormous orange eyeball sent by God to peer into the soul of humanity.

"This is Unit 20. I'm in position." Toji whispered into the cockpit, hoping that the communicators around the cockpit were sensitive enough to have heard his statement. He didn't want to talk any louder, afraid that the Angel would somehow hear him.

His EVA was crouched down behind some armored buildings several blocks away from the floating sphere, a palette rifle held in its hands. He could feel the Angel's AT Field wash against his EVA's AT field and hoped that the Angel didn't feel it too.

Toji looked up, the fear in his gut intensifying. Here was a creature of unknown intelligence and power. He knew it was his job to destroy it and protect humanity. But now looking up at it, he wondered what made Misato think that he and Asuka can do the job - the damned thing was bigger than four EVAs combined! He tightened his grip on his control stick and felt the reassuring sensation that the EVA had gripped the rifle tighter.

He exhaled deeply. He was ready as he could ever be.

000

A few blocks away, Asuka's red EVA had its back to a building, the positron cannon held ready. She took a quick glance around the building's corner and saw the Angel up close for the first time. She heard her stomach growl and remembered that she had missed lunch, which was weird since LCL tended to get into the stomach and therefore quench any hunger. Sure it tasted like brine and she would rather not imagine how it would taste like if she hadn't taken a bath that morning... Asuka pushed these useless thought-noise out of her mind as the professional within her took control. Thought-noise tended to get soldiers killed, more so for those who fought using something that relied on mental controls.

"Unit 02 in position," Asuka said, her voice strong and confident. Asuka risked another look at the Angel before muttering to herself, "Great, I'm going to fight a gigantic orange."

000

NERV 1st Branch
Central Dogma

Misato looked at all the displays, hoping that she wouldn't make a fatal mistake. Two years of virtual inactivity was a long time to forget a lot of things, and she hoped she hadn't forgotten something important. She could feel sweat trickle down her back even though the theater was air-conditioned. She wanted a cold beer. Badly.

"Warning! Power surge within the target!" Lt. Corrie Hayes announced as his instruments beeped for his attention.

"Wha-?!" a startled Misato said before she saw a small sphere separate from the Angel and rush away. "Oh no!" Misato exclaimed as she mentally calculated the trajectory, "TOJI!"

Toji heard his name screamed over the communications channel as he saw the small orange sphere approaching him over the top of the armored buildings. He reflexively tried to make his EVA jump out of the way but stopped in his tracks. There was something about the sphere...

Toji's pupils dilated as he grew fascinated with the sphere, unable to move. Someone was asking him to receive it, it was a gift. Toji felt his mind giving in; he relaxed, allowing his body to go slack as he waited for it to come to him.

"TOJIIII!!" Asuka sprang from behind the building and began firing at the smaller sphere as the crosshairs centered on it. She scored hits on the sphere causing it to veer away-- right into a building. The building and those around it were disintegrated, the fire from the explosion rose high into the sky like a pillar. Then in defiance of physics and logic, two branches formed opposite each other, perpendicular to the main pillar somewhere near the top. The whole thing looked like a huge cross of fire that towered over the armored buildings of Tokyo-3.

Toji snapped out of his stupor when Asuka destroyed the sphere. He blinked several times before immediately swinging into action, peppering the Angel with his rifle as Asuka was doing with her cannon. He could see sparks fly as their bullets hit the Angel's AT Field as the EVAs' AT Fields had failed to cancel it. He tried to will his AT Field to intensify but nothing happened. Toji could feel the hopelessness of the situation sink in as the Angel advanced towards him, undeterred by the bullets.

Toji felt something pulsing in the back of his mind. Something was telling him it was no use fighting. That he was too weak. That he was imperfect. That he was going to lose. Toji gritted his teeth, the Angel was probably trying to invade his mind. Then he heard a warning beep as his rifle ran out of ammo and the Angel loomed over him, unscathed.

Toji frantically looked for Asuka but did not see her. He felt a chill ran down his spine as he looked at the Angel's large red eye marking. The Eye of God, he remembered his friend Kensuke telling him once. He began to back up, knowing he was alone and defenseless. A shaft of light from the Angel suddenly illuminated Unit-20. He could feel the presence again, commanding him to give up. But this time, the presence was more violent, forcing itself into his consciousness, tearing his mind to pieces. Images of his past flashed before his eyes. Of his failures and hidden pains. He could feel his head wanting to explode.

He was starting up the EVA, the fascinating flow of light failed to lessen his apprehension of piloting this damned thing. But he had to do it for his sister. Yuri needed the special services of NERV's hospitals. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Something's wrong, there's something else in the plug with him...

FEAR

"Sorry transferee, but I have to hit you, I won't be satisfied until I've hit you." The boy he just hit looked at him with more confusion than real pain.

ARROGANCE

"ah! I came here on official duty as the Class Rep. Nothing but that." The girl tried to explain and the boy felt a stab in his heart.

BROKEN HEART

He was a child, looking on as his sister and father cried while hugging his mother. He couldn't understand.

CHILDISH

"He saved us all! How stupid can you be?!" his sister shouted at him in disappointment. His best friend winced, knowing that the little girl had been able to drive home the point he himself had failed to do.

IGNORANCE

He looked at the tomb marker of his grandfather, wanting to cry but having to stand tall and proud since he was now no longer a child.

PRIDE

He raised the blanket and looked down in silent horror at the empty sleeve and the folded pant leg. He would no longer be able to run, no longer able to play. He won't be able to take her to the dance.

LOSS OF WORTH

"You can't love me!"

"I don't deserve you!"

"I can't protect anyone!"

000

Toji's scream horrified everyone in the theater.

"BROTHER!!" Misato heard Yuri scream. She looked down at the observation gallery and saw Yuri being held by Hikari. Yuri looked up at her, "Please, do something," she pleaded to Misato.

"Target is invading EVA! Pilot corruption imminent!"

"Ma'am, shutdown command has been rejected! Pilot eject has been rejected! Unit is rejecting all commands! Synchro patterns are flowing back! Pilot is being corrupted!" Misato gritted her teeth as she heard the frantic reports from the control officers and saw Unit 20, holding its head as its body was wracked by seizures.

"ENERGY SURGE WITHIN THE TARGET!"

"DIE!!" They all heard Asuka's war cry as a large sphere separated from the Angel and headed towards Unit 20.

They all saw the blood red Unit 02 leap unto the Angel, its lance coming down to slash at it. The replica veered away from Unit 20 and sped back at Unit 02. The screen flashed white a moment after contact, Unit 02's communications system relayed the sound of a deafening explosion to the theater's sound system. They all heard Asuka scream as Toji became silent. When the image was restored, they saw Unit 02 crash into several buildings a few kilometers away, demolishing them. The black form of Unit 20 lay on the wide street, unmoving.

"This is Unit 02, awaiting orders," they heard Asuka's labored breathing even before her pained image appeared on a small screen. She is holding onto her right shoulder, a pained grimace on her face. On the monitor, they saw Unit 02, standing up from the ruins, smoke scattered around it as its AT Field was restored. Unit 02 had lost its right arm and its frontal armor was crisscrossed by cracks that leaked blood and LCL.

"Unit 02, thirty-six percent of all systems damaged, umbilical cord has been severed! Four minutes of internal power left! Unit 20, status unknown!" Lt. Miyuki Kata reported as she looked at all the red lights that had begun to flash on her monitors. Misato gritted her teeth, knowing that the only chance she had of defeating the Angel would be to throw everything at it.

"Cover fire! Ready retrieval teams! Unit 02 seek cover!" Misato barked out before turning to look at her commander, her eyes pleading for him to allow her something that was forbidden by law.

"Colonel Katsuragi," the Commander's face became grimmer (something she thought was impossible) as he understood her unspoken request. "I am activating the remaining seven EVAs. A-17 protocol is now in effect for NERV First Branch."

The statement electrified both pilots and control officers. They knew what it meant but refused to believe it. Their Commander had just removed all of their super-legal protection, they have all become expendable. They all looked at Misato.

"Katsuragi, I am putting my trust in you," the commander said giving her a cold smile. Misato nodded stiffly as her blood had frozen.

"A-17 now in effect! Hikari and Kensuke, Recover Unit 20! Rei, lead the others to Route 26! GO!" Misato said in rapid succession, her eyebrows knitted in concern as the pilots raced to the hangar area, the senior pilots not even bothering to change into their plugsuits. Misato breathed in and gathered strength before turning to face the monitor.

"Asuka," her voice softened, hoping that the girl was up to the task. "Can you draw the Angel out of the city, towards Route 26?"

"Sure, just send me a weapon and I'll--" she cheerfully replied before a fit of coughing interrupted her. Misato felt a stab at her heart. She knew Asuka was straining herself to the breaking point. Misato had already lost a pilot once, she did not want to lose another one.

"Thank you, Asuka." Misato whispered sadly, trying to hold back her tears, she then ordered that another positron cannon to be sent to Asuka.

000

Asuka picked up the cannon from a weapons carrier that had shot up from the ground. She secured the weapon onto her EVA's functional shoulder and began to re-adjust her targeting computers. The cannon's particle accelerator and internal generator hummed as they began the cannon's firing sequence.

Asuka knew that firing the cannon would be awkward since her EVA only had one arm to support it. She looked up and saw that the Angel was staring at her. A shaft of light engulfed her EVA. The Angel's red eye was like a deep pool of crimson, drawing her in.

Asuka felt a presence trying to enter her mind. She had felt a similar presence before and knew it for what it was, an Angel raping her mind. She could feel her mind being smothered as the presence invaded her, rifling through her mind searching for and finding her memories. She grimaced, as the pain of invasion became acute, like scalpels digging into her mind. She screamed.

"Mama! Mama! They chose me! I'm an elite pilot! It's a secret, but I'm only going to tell you, Mama! Mama!" A five year old Asuka running down the hallway. A little girl running into despair.

"Hmm... He seems rather dull." Asuka looks down at an annoyed boy with a red handprint on his left cheek. A young girl's arrogance.

"I'm not a little girl anymore! Kaji! Look at me!" Asuka pulls aside her shirt to expose her chest at her embarrassed guardian. A young girl's desperate attempt to become a woman.

"I hate you! I hate everyone! I hate everything!" Asuka shouts at Shinji right after her mind was raped. A girl throwing off the attempts at kindness.

"Go to Heaven with me." Asuka looks up at the looming figure of her mother.

"Good bye, Asuka." Shinji speaks from the other side of the privacy curtain of her hospital bed.

"He's not going to call anymore," Misato looked sad at the mention of Kaji's name.

"Asuka." Shinji's voice. Infuriatingly timid. A weak boy.

"Asuka." Misato's voice. Desperate to be cheerful. A pitiful woman.

"Pilot Soryu." Rei's voice. Cold and unemotional. A lifeless doll.

"Asuka." Mother-

000

In her mind's eye Asuka saw what looked like a ghostly flame come to life.

She felt like she was under a red tinged pool of LCL and everywhere she looked she saw shimmering crimson. She could feel another presence around her. A kind and loving presence. Asuka had also felt this presence before, during the Eighteenth Incident.

"Mama..." Asuka's eyes lit up in hope as she said the word. Her mother didn't want her dead. It was the Angel's biggest mistake to think she would fall for that again. She felt the kind presence around her. Like a cool spring breeze during a lazy summer afternoon.

000

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!" Asuka screamed at the Angel's presence. She grinned as she forced it away, helped by the friendly presence. She could feel the Angel's irritation as it began another assault. Before the psychic attack could gain strength, she pointed her cannon at the Angel and fired, grunting as the cannon's recoil hurt the EVA. She saw the positron shell arc upwards then explode on the Angel's AT Field and the Angelic presence vanished.

"Do you really think that will work twice? Idiot!" She began firing repeatedly, the pain in her arm now forgotten in the rush of battle.

She started making her EVA run when she heard the control officer's warning. She automatically recalibrated her EVA's gyrostabilizers, allowing her to run comfortably even though carrying a cannon and missing an arm unbalanced her. She felt the force of the impacts behind her but ignored it. She jumped over a low building and landed without trouble on the other side. She felt exhilarated, she had only felt like this once before, and she remembered and cherished it.

Asuka reverted to her German: "Thank you, Mama."

000

"This is amazing Ma'am," Lt. Miyuki Kata exclaimed. "Unit 02 Synchro ratio has exceeded her maximum average by four points. Unit 02 Synchro ratio is holding at eighty-nine percent."

"Ma'am, I think she mumbled something about her mother," Lt. Antoinette St. Croix reported, a quizzical look on her face as she pressed her headset closer to her ear.

Misato smiled, hope grew stronger as she saw the Angel give chase to Asuka, launching its spheres. Somehow, Asuka had felt them coming and had dodged far away before the spheres could reach her. Large crosses of fire dotted the screen.

"Go, Asuka!" she whispered, a grin on her face.

000

Rei Ayanami waited patiently on the other side of the mountain. The sensation of the wet fabric of her street-clothes clinging to her body didn't bother her, she wasn't even thinking about it. If given the choice she would rather be wearing a plugsuit or at least be naked (though she still wonders why people get embarrassed about nudity) rather than wear wet fabric in the LCL, but Rei knew that such small discomfort was outweighed by the necessities of Humanity's survival. A small screen in front of her showed the view from the main monitor in Central Dogma. She watched the battle with an intensity that couldn't be fathomed from her blank expression. Her hands were relaxed on her control sticks. She waited with the patience of a saint, if there was something she could do efficiently, it was waiting.

000

Yuriko Suzuhara felt exhilarated and nervous. This was the first time she had ever been outside the Geofront in an EVA. It was like doing something forbidden, the thrill of imminent danger ever present to stimulate her senses.

She ran her orders through her mind; project AT Field to maximum, destroy target's AT Field and destroy the target. Simple. She rechecked her positron cannon. It looked so small in comparison with the Angel. She hoped it was enough. No, it had to be enough. But then again, it was better to be safe than sorry... she began to recite a prayer.

000

Allen Alleyn looked at the others. There were five of them scattered in a rough half-circle facing outward from the Route 26 entrance with Rei's Unit 14 in the center flanked by two EVAs on each side. All of them were equipped with positron cannons except for Rei. She had a positron rifle, the most powerful anti-Angel weapon they had other than the N2 Mines. He felt nervous and confident at the same time. His first battle and he was thankful that it was against an Angel and not an army of rebels and dissidents.

"Mother, this is it."

000

Juno Hurst just thought of something. She looked back towards the entrance and knew that this could be their last stand. If they fail, the Angel can attack Central Dogma and its precious ward with minimal resistance. She shuddered. That meant Third Impact, Armageddon, the end of the world, Game Over. She faced front and gripped her control sticks, a determined look on her face.

They had better not fail. "Come and eat shit, you dick."

000

Henri Montblanc felt oddly at peace. He was not the kind of person that would harbor fear or anger. He was the kind of person who always found something to live for. The peace of God was with him.

"You're always too damned cheerful," he remembered Asuka saying once. He hummed an old song as he watched the approaching Unit 02, and behind and over it, the biggest orange he had ever seen.

"I'm hungry..."

000

Combined Operations Command

"Target approaching kill zone, estimated time of arrival, thirty five seconds," Lt. Antoinette reported. Misato looked at the map. She saw the red blip chasing a green blip to where five other green blips were waiting. She saw yellow lines project from the waiting blips to the red blip as the pilots aimed their weapons.

"This is Unit 15," she heard Aida's voice pipe up. "We have Unit 20. Open Route 17 for recovery." Misato nodded to a control officer who did as Aida requested.

"Target within estimated maximum AT Field projection!" Lt. Antoinette said as several beeps confirmed her report. The yellow lines became red.

"Spread AT Field! Fire at will when the AT Field is neutralized!" Misato repeated her previous order. On the main screen, she saw an orange hexagon appear where the Angel's and the combined AT Fields of the EVAs intersected in a phenomenon called phase space. Slowly at first then gaining speed they saw the phase space being pushed back towards the EVAs, right behind the still running Unit 02. Misato's gut was telling her that they were failing.

Unit 02 jumped beside Rei's Unit 14 as Asuka spread her AT Field to maximum. She could feel her brain heating up as she willed her EVA to push its AT Field forward. She could feel her AT Field being pushed back by something more powerful and a sense of desperation overwhelmed her, making her drop her AT Field back to normal level.

Asuka looked at her battery meter, less than fifty seconds of operating power left. Asuka knew that she must strengthen her AT Field or be destroyed. She remembered what Shinji once did to catch a falling Angel. Her logical side told her it was stupid and ridiculous. Her optimistic side told her she had nothing to lose in trying. Asuka wanted to laugh at how stupid it was going to sound.

"AT FIELD! FULL POWER!!" Asuka yelled exuberantly giving her best imitation of a TV mecha show command shout as she pushed her control sticks forward. Her EVA leaned forward and spread its legs apart to brace itself. A sense of power suddenly overwhelmed her. Somewhere from the back of her consciousness she heard a bestial roar.

000

A chorus of awe filled the Control Theater. A red cross of energy suddenly flared from the crouching Unit 02 as it gave a roar. They saw Unit 02's AT Field become a visible blue hexagon plane. Then the AT Field began to spread out, gaining momentum from the AT Fields of the other EVAs. When it intersected with the phase space created by the conflicting Angel and EVA AT Fields, the phase space changed from orange to red.

Misato watched transfixed like the others. The red phase space was suddenly hurled back at the Angel. They saw a huge dent forming on its smooth surface where the AT Field slammed into it before the AT Field dissipated. Misato tore her eyes from the screen and looked at Asuka's Synchro ratio, which was displayed on a smaller monitor. It was 105 and falling fast.

"AT Field neutralized! Angel is falling! Unit 02 is silent! Pilot survival unconfirmed!" Lt. Miyuki said automatically, even though her mind was still awed by the power of the EVA.

Misato was startled. She looked up and saw the Angel crash into the mountainside, its front crushed in that it looked like a ball that had lost air. Unit 02 was frozen in a crouched position, its eyes dark and the positron cannon crushed in its grip.

"FIRE AT WILL!" she screamed into her headset.

000

The Angel's damaged surface seemed to be bubbling as it tried to regenerate itself. The remaining active EVAs were just standing about, their pilots were caught unaware and confused by the sudden turn of events. The pilots had all felt the overbearing presence of the Angel in their minds as their collective AT Fields were driven back. The presence made them aware of their darkest fears and hidden most desires, trying to confuse them into submission. Their senses were awash with indescribable sensation, crippling their ability to resist. Then they all felt the presence in pain before it suddenly disappeared. Then came Misato's order.

Rei was the first to recover and she brought her rifle up, trailing electric cables.

"Good bye," she said flatly.

000

Unit 14 stood in the middle of a crater with the other EVAs. The Angel had taken out the hill and most of the nearby forest in its death explosion. Rei could hear Yuri screaming over the communications net, asking about her brother as the young girl began moving to the entryway into the geofront. Rei ignored Yuri's withdrawal from the battlefield, she knew they haven't been given the order to withdraw yet. She felt a little sorry for the girl, she'll most likely have a talking to from Misato on the importance of waiting for and obeying orders.

A little while later they were ordered to withdraw but Rei stayed behind for a while. She looked at Unit 02 and the recovery crew that had just arrived. She saw them extract the entry plug and an unconscious Asuka. Rei zoomed her cameras on Asuka as she was carried away on a stretcher. After checking that Asuka was breathing, Rei returned her attention to Unit 02. Rei mentally engaged her EVA's cameras and willed them to zoom in on Unit 02's face. The face was a little longer and the cracks around the jaw armor confirmed Rei's suspicions: Unit 02 had tried to open its mouth.

000

Hikari looked at the wall clock. Her shift was coming on in an hour and it's a long commute to the base. She sighed and buckled on her weapon, the weight of the gun pressing down on her ribs. Time flew by so fast. She bent over the bed and kissed the boy lightly on the lips. She felt tears coming at his lack of response, but she dried them off with a furious swipe with the back of her hand. It was to be expected.

There was a knock on the door and Yuri came in.

"Good afternoon, Hikari," the young girl beamed at her brother's girlfriend. Kensuke who was behind Yuri just waved at her and flashed her a grin.

"Good afternoon, Yuri, Aida," Hikari replied and apologized for leaving so soon. She could feel her heart tearing as she left the room. A tear streaked down her cheek and she ran down the hallway.

Kensuke stood by the bed and leaned over it to whisper into his friend's ear. "Hey, Toji, I think she wanted to wake you up with a kiss or something."

Toji didn't react.

"Man, you're no fun," Kensuke whined as he sat down on a chair. Yuri just looked at him then at her brother. There was silence punctuated by the steady hum of the life-sign monitors attached the comatose Toji.

To Be Continued

In the Next Episode of Heaven and Hell:
Asuka (whining): Was that it? Jesus, these new Angels suck! I mean, a big orange? Give me a break! But now it's the calm before the storm. A time for new friendships and old friends. Heaven and Hell 0:3 Standing Up!