Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Rear End of Evangelion ❯ Chapter 3

As Arael observed Tokyo-3's descent into madness and anarchy, a voice interrupted its thoughts.

'Arael, why are you here? It is not your time.'

The Angel telepathically broadcast its anger at the interruption. 'Do not preach to me, Tabris. You have stained your mind, body, and soul by consorting with the Lilim, including one whose life you saved, allowing her to fight against us. You have become a disgrace to your brothers and sisters.'

'I consort with the Lilim to better understand them; Asuka was saved so I may learn the Lilim's weaknesses, information we must have to defeat them.'

'Then why do the Lilim continue to resist?' Arael challenged.

'It is not yet time to initiate the Third Impact.'

'Your excuses have worn thin our patience, even as the Lilim grow stronger every time the Earth orbits the Sun. We have decided to exploit the weaknesses you informed us of, and end the Lilim resistance now.'

'The information I have is incomplete; the Lilim have means to compensate for their weaknesses.'

'We shall see.' Arael ended telepathic communications with its brother and resumed manipulating human minds.

On the other side of the world, Tabris sighed. 'I shall mourn your passing, Arael,' the Angel sadly thought.

***

THE REAR END OF EVANGELION, Part 3

A 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' lemon by Sidewinder (aim9snake@hotmail.com), 2007-2008 (revised 2009). Characters created and owned by Gainax.

***

American soldiers stationed at nearby Camp Zama were told their mission involved riot suppression, and were issued non-lethal weapons. When they entered Tokyo-3, they began to doubt the weapons' ability to end the madness there.

A truck-mounted Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), a loudspeaker that could emit sounds at levels high enough to cause pain, hummed as it was turned on. An Army officer raised a microphone to her mouth. "Attention, citizens of Tokyo-3. Due to an emergency, the city must be evacuated. I say again, the city must be evacuated. Please follow the soldiers' directions and board the trucks. You will be taken to a holding area where food, water, and clothing are available." The couples ignored her as they continued fucking. The frustrated officer turned to her sergeant major and said, "We'll have to do this the hard way."

"Yes, Ma'am." The sergeant major waved an arm to draw the soldiers' attention. "All right, soldiers! Grab the civvies and load them onto the trucks!" The soldiers obeyed the orders; angry couples shouted and cried when they were separated, but stopped protesting once they were aboard the trucks, where they resumed their lovemaking.

Two figures approached the LRAD; the soldiers aimed TAC-700 launchers, which used pressurized air to fire pepper balls, at the approaching men. "Halt! Jesus Christ!" The men looked like hell; their heads were yellow and blue with partially healed bruises, their clothes were torn, and a gunshot wound bloomed on one of their shoulders. A soldier turned rearwards and shouted, "Mediiiic!"

"We're with NERV Security and Intelligence Division, Section 2," the injured man said as a shaky hand raised his ID card. "We need..." The wound was infected; the feverish agent didn't resist as two soldiers put their shoulders under his armpits and carried him towards an ambulance.

A soldier put his hand on the second agent's shoulder. "Sir, please get aboard the truck." He led the agent past his commanding officer; then the agent ran away. "Hey!"

"Yaaaa!" The agent tackled the female officer and began groping her, ignoring the officer's screams and the hand pushing against his body. The wounded agent ran to join his partner, and was shot several times; he ignored the pain in his eyes, nose, and lungs as he jumped onto the officer.

The sergeant major put his left arm around the wounded agent's neck and his right under the man's right armpit. "Get off her!" He pulled the wounded agent away from his commander as two soldiers tried to tackle the second agent, only to be thrown off.

The wounded agent grabbed the TAC-700 hanging from the sergeant major's sling. "Hey!" The two played tug of war with the weapon between them; then two gunshots were heard. The wounded agent took advantage of the distraction by turning the TAC-700 towards the sergeant major and pulling the trigger. "Argh!" A third shot hit the agent's chest; he dropped the weapon and fell.

The officer lowered her pistol as she away from the second agent's body. "You okay, Sergeant Major?"

"My shoulder hurts like hell, but I'll live. And you?"

"I'm okay for now, but ask me again in six months, when PTSD," Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, "reduces me to a nervous, crying wreck," the officer said.

The citizens of Tokyo-3 ignored the gunshots and continued fucking, even as the soldiers put them aboard the trucks. One of them was Kensuke, Unit 00's pilot.

*

The female SP, Shinji's would-be date, entered the flying wing hangar to see the ranger performing pushups; their masks were in carriers at their sides, now that Stuart has lowered the MOPP Level. "Hey, BLT."

Shinji's head turned. "Yes, Sergeant?"

"I just heard the female officer supervising the evacuation shot and killed two NERV agents who were trying to rape her."

The ranger stopped pushing and stood up. "Damn it. My father must have let NERV go to hell if that kind of behavior is allowed."

"Um, you're not thinking of doing something like that, are you?" the female SP asked, her index finger tracing the trigger of her rifle.

"If I try something like that, the Army will bust me down to E1, demand a refund for all my earnings, and hit me with a dishonorable discharge; if I'm lucky, I'll be put in front of a firing squad instead of thrown in prison to rot away. No offense, Sergeant, but your pussy ain't worth that."

"None taken." The SP lowered her hand. "So which movie do you have in mind for our date?"

"I'll let you pick one out."

The SP's eyes lit up. "You sure? I might pick out a girly movie about love and relationships."

"I slept through several chick flicks with my other dates."

The SP raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And they were okay with that?"

"They were happy I didn't drag them to another stupid shoot 'em up."

The SP chuckled. "I'll be nice. How about that movie with the female samurai-- what's it called-- 'Shiden'?"

Shinji's eyes lit up. "'Shiden' it is."

*

Rei was flushed; her breaths were heavy as she sat in Unit 01's cockpit. 'I'm losing self-control.' Her left hand reached between her legs.

Ritsuko stared at the monitor displaying the pilot's psychograph. 'Abnormal patterns in the psychograph... mental contamination... from what source?' "Rei, think in English," she radioed in the same language.

"Ikari Shinji, the Third Children. Corporal, United States Army." Although the albino spoke English, she continued masturbating through her plug suit. "Oh! Brevetted to the rank of second lieutenant upon his induction in the United States Air Force's Evangelion Project." Her right hand pinched a nipple. "Ah! Graduate of the United States Army Infantry, Airborne, and Ranger Schools-- ahhhh!"

The bleach blonde noticed Unit 01's pilot began to calm down after her orgasm. 'Stabilized patterns... cessation of mental contamination...' "Soryu-kun, what language are you thinking in?"

"German and English," the redhead answered from Unit 02's cockpit.

"Do you feel any difference from when you were thinking in Japanese?"

"I was incredibly horny when I did so. Hey, do you think you can duplicate this psychic weapon's effects? It'll be great to have at raves."

The bleach blonde sighed. "No." 'What kind of father would neglect his daughter's emotional needs until she contemplates suicide, have ecstasy prescribed to make her mental health problems go away, and then look the other way as she goes to raves and fucks everyone there?' She compared Asuka's current psychograph to one taken five minutes ago. "Thinking in a different language seems to shield you from the weapon's effects. I want you to do so until the crisis is over."

Asuka playfully saluted. "Okay, Doctor Ritsuko."

"Yes, Kaji-sensei," Rei replied between heavy breaths, her hands still stimulating her erogenous zones.

***

Arael noticed the number of minds it could manipulate was decreasing; the humans were moving beyond its influence. 'So the Lilim are fleeing.' The Angel increased the power of its AT field and changed tactics.

*

Gendo was in the aquarium, his arms around one of Rei's cloned "sisters" as he thrust in and out of the clone's vagina. "Ah! Yuiiii!" Semen, saliva, and blood from the clones' torn hymens, mingled with the LCL. Lust and memories of his lost love consumed the bearded man's mind as he swam to another clone, but she had a seizure and threw off his embrace. "What...?"

Every clone was affected; their thrashing limbs churned the LCL as several clones bit off their tongues, dyeing the medium red. Then the seizures ended; the clones' eyes reopened, their ominous radiance undiminished by the viscous liquid.

Fingernails cut across Gendo's back. "Ow!" As he turned to face the clone that scratched him, another scratched his face. "Ah!" 'What the hell...?' Then teeth sank into his penis. "Ahhhh!" The clone threw back its head to tear off the organ; another took her place and bit off the testicles.

The bearded man covered his groin, only for his unprotected face to become the target; he quickly lost his nose, ears, and lips. Rei's sisters were in a feeding frenzy, their teeth and nails tearing off pieces of Gendo's flesh; the bearded man welcomed the chilling darkness that embraced him as he bled to death.

*

The sergeant patted the driver side door. "You're good to go." She stepped away as a truckload with fornicating couples left the city.

"Yaaaa!"

The sergeant raced towards the scream to see soldiers fighting against the people they were sent to help. "What the...?" A man ran towards her, arms outstretched; the sergeant shot him several times before he fell, overwhelmed by the released pepper powder.

The LRAD emitted a warning tone. "Ow!" "Argh!" Although the soldiers wore electronic earplugs, the tone still affected them, forcing them to move away from the mob. The effect on the unprotected civilians was more dramatic; they covered their ears and collapsed onto the ground.

The sergeant major ran towards the sergeant, who saw bruises and scratches through tears in his ACU. "Mount up! We're falling back to the holding area!" He ran forwards to inform the others.

The LRAD swept over the mob to protect the retreating soldiers; the civilians attacked each other the moment they were free of the LRAD's effects.

*

Stuart and Unit 03's maintenance crew worked day and night to restore the black Eva to operational status, and were exhausted; Shinji, the irreplaceable pilot, was the only one to get eight hours of sleep, on the general's orders.

The radio buzzed. "Sir, this is Sergeant Cruz at the Command Center. Colonel Bondi," the officer supervising the evacuation, "reports the civvies became hostile and attacked her soldiers. She's ordered a withdrawal and is returning to the holding area." It buzzed again. "Sir, this is Gate Guard Alpha!" The general heard screams and warning shots over the radio. "A mob is approaching our position! We're falling back! Request permission to close the gate!" "Sir, this is Gate Guard Oscar!" He heard more screams and gunshots. "We're under attack! Enemy is armed civilians! Number... Fuck! It looks like the whole damn city is coming!"

Stuart raised the radio to his ear. "All Gate Guards, this is General Slade. Withdraw and close the gates, I say again, withdraw and close the gates. Let no unauthorized persons enter the base." The gate guards reported their retreat and closing of the gates one by one; the general soon heard angry fists pound upon the gates.

"Good morning, Sir." Shinji, wearing his ACU and running shoes, ran past Stuart.

"Lieutenant Ikari."

The ranger turned around and began running in place. "Yes, Sir?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm running laps around the hangar to stay in shape."

"Are you armed?"

Shinji patted the pistol under his left shoulder. "Always, Sir."

"You might have to use that. The citizens of Tokyo-3 became an angry mob and attacked the soldiers we called in, forcing them to withdraw; the mob is now trying to get inside the base."

The ranger stopped running. "Damn. What the hell is going on out there?"

"You won't believe me if I told you."

Shinji frowned. "Try me."

Stuart's radio buzzed again. "General Slade, this is Doctor Kaji. An AT field has been detected; I suspect it's an Angel."

The general raised the radio to his ear. "Where's this Angel?"

"The AT field encompasses a circular area with a radius of 25 kilometers from the approximate center of the Geofront; we still don't know where it originated."

"Isn't that the area you described as where the JSSDF personnel felt an urge to abandon their duties?"

"Yes, anyone inside this area becomes incredibly horny, unless he or she thinks in a language other than Japanese," the bleach blonde answered.

'This is getting better and better.' "So this Angel is... what? Using its AT field as a psychic weapon to drive people insane?"

"I doubt we can afford to underestimate the Angels' abilities, unusual as they may be."

"Okay, the joke's on me, now will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" the ranger demanded.

Stuart sighed. "What you just heard was the best explanation Doctor Kaji could give, based on the information available. Now go shower, eat breakfast, and get ready to pilot Stormbringer."

"Yes, Sir." 'I don't know what's worse, the possibility I'm insane, or the possibility everyone else is,' Shinji thought as he ran towards the locker room.

*

Fuyutsuki Kozo, Subcommander of NERV, stood on a JSSDF truck parked outside the city limits. The man frowned as he used a pair of binoculars to observe the madness within Tokyo-3. 'How fitting, to be punished for playing God by having our self-control, that which makes us our own gods, taken away.' "You've placed Units 01 and 02 under General Slade's command?"

"And Unit 00, once we find Aida-kun. I fear that's our only option, considering Colonel Katsuragi and 99 percent of her staff are still incapacitated," Ritsuko radioed.

"And you doubt I can shield myself from the... psychic weapon's effects and personally direct operations?"

"Ahhhh!"

"Kaji-kun, what's happening?" the Subcommander demanded.

"The weapon... I'm still struggling to resist its effects; I don't know how long I can do this. It specifically targets people who... think in Japanese. I need General Slade's help; we need the Americans' help."

Kozo sighed. "Once the crisis is resolved, there will be an accounting."

"Yes, Sir," the bleach blonde replied between heavy breaths.

***

"The Siege of Tokyo-3" entered its fifth day, testing the NERV and USAF personnel to their limits; two of them found a novel way to relieve stress and prevent a mental breakdown.

Asuka's tongue reached into Rei's vagina to taste her nectar.

"Ah! Pilot Ikari!"

The redhead paused. "You're obsessed with Superman, ja?"

The albino's face became redder. "I'm sorry, Asuka, I..."

Asuka chuckled as her fingers slid in and out of Rei's vagina. "That's okay. You're a woman; you deserve a man who loves you, worships you, and gives you a kiss from a rose on the pink," cunnilingus, which she resumed performing. "Mmmm." 'I wish I had some of my toys here to make Rei's screams reach Heaven.'

"Oh! Asuka! Ah! Please-- ah! Let me give you pleasure as well."

The redhead nibbled the albino's labia before asking, "Do you love me too?" Her lips enclosed the clit.

"Oh! I love you, Asukaaaa!"

"Good girl." The redhead turned around and laid upon the albino's body. "This is called the 69 position; it lets both partners orally pleasure each other. Just do as I do." Her head bowed to kiss the vertical lips before her.

"Ah!" Rei's head rose to return Asuka's affection. 'So this is how it feels to love and be loved by another.' The pilots' tongues were lost in their "secret gardens," but the redhead could feel the albino shiver as she had orgasm after orgasm.

"Ehhhh?!"

Asuka looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Captain Hyuga. Enjoy the show?"

Makoto blushed and stared at his feet. 'Think in English, think in English...' "Pilots Ayanami and Soryu, we've found the AT field's point of origin; an Angel has been detected in geostationary orbit above Tokyo-3."

The redhead sighed. "They sure know how to crash a party, ja?" She kissed the albino's clit again before rising from the couch, making Rei whimper. "Don't worry, Rei, we'll resume our lovemaking once the Angel is defeated; we might even get Superman to join in."

Rei sat up and kissed Asuka to share the taste of their nectar. "I love you, Asuka," she repeated.

"I love you too."

*

A blushing Makoto led Rei and Asuka, their fingers entwined, into the Command Center.

The redhead pointed at the monitor displaying Arael's image. "Is that what we're supposed to fight?"

"Yes," Ritsuko answered. "This was taken by Auge 06," a NERV reconnaissance satellite. "It's maintaining orbit above Tokyo-3; we don't know if it's waiting for an opportunity to come down, or if it has a weapon that can attack us from that distance."

"The Angel's at the American and Japanese ABMs'," antiballistic missiles', "maximum range. And since they're hit-to-kill, we doubt ABMs will be effective," Stuart said.

"Can Unit 03's AT field extend to neutralize the Angel's, making it vulnerable to ABMs?" Makoto asked.

"That requires the Angel to just sit there-- no maneuvering, no counterattacking-- while two units with different command structures launch a perfectly timed attack," the general replied. "And before you ask, the XB-3 isn't cleared for the ASM-135," antisatellite (ASAT) missile. "Even if she is, Stormbringer is as aerodynamic as a brick wall; her rate of climb is too poor to effectively deliver an ASAT."

"So we must lure the Angel down from orbit. Any ideas?" Asuka asked.

*

Shinji frowned. "So Stormbringer will become a worm on a fishing hook to lure the Angel within range of Units 01 and 02's positron rifles?"

"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears," Stuart radioed.

"I should get a hachimaki, a headband worn by kamikaze pilots, so I'll look the part when I go on a suicide mission."

"Have faith in your own abilities, Lieutenant; I'm sure you'll find a way to bring down the Angel."

The USAF airmen aimed Heckler & Koch HK416 rifles at the hangar doors as they opened to let Unit 03, now fully repaired, taxi onto the runway. An angry mob ignored the warning shots fired over their heads as they rushed towards the flying wing hangar, whose doors began closing while the black Eva's feet were still inside.

Then Unit 03's afterburners roared; the madmen and women kneeled on the runway, covering their ears. Even with rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) units mounted on its legs, the black Eva needed most of the runway to takeoff; Shinji prayed the mob would get out of the way as Unit 03 accelerated.

The mission had an inauspicious start; three madmen ignored the blood flowing down their ears as they charged towards the black Eva.

"Oh God!" The ranger pulled the joystick towards his chest. Unit 03 jettisoned the RATO units-- which deployed parachutes so they could be reused-- and climbed towards heaven, leaving bloody trails on the runway.

"Stormbringer, this is White King. What happened?" the general asked.

"Some nuts just threw themselves underneath Stormbringer's landing gear. I feel sick."

"They attacked you, you acted in self-defense, now put them out of your mind." 'I must get Lieutenant Ikari an appointment with some mental health professionals,' Stuart noted.

***

Arael sensed the abominations, soulless constructs bearing its father's form, awakening. 'Brother.'

'I am ready. This insult shall be avenged.'

*

Units 01 and 02 rose from their hangars and approached the armory towers, which opened to reveal positron rifles. Each Eva mounted a rifle on its right arm, the stock locking onto the shoulder, and aimed the weapon at the sky.

"Warning, another Angel has been detected approaching from Area. JSSDF units are engaging it. We estimate the Seventh Angel will arrive at Tokyo-3 in ten minutes," Ritsuko radioed.

Rei was shocked. "The Commander did not foresee the Angels attacking in groups."

Asuka smiled. "Cheer up, Wonder Woman; now you can beat Superman's high score."

"This is not a game; the future of the human race is at stake," the albino admonished.

The redhead laughed. "Cheer up, Rei! Don't let the weight of your duty crush your spirits."

*

General Tokita Shiro, Director of Project Jet Alone, stood outside his command vehicle as Jet Alone Units A and B marched away from Tokyo-3. A third arm raised a positron rifle over each robot's shoulder so its right hand could grip the weapon.

A JSSDF officer leaned out of the command vehicle door. "Sir, Units Alpha and Bravo report target in sight. 90 percent of the power has been diverted to the positron rifles." The Jet Alone Units' nuclear reactors powered the rifles, while the Evas' weapons must compete with Tokyo-3's systems, including the city's defenses, for power; this made the JSSDF robots' weapons a magnitude more powerful.

Shiro reentered his command vehicle, where two monitors showed images from the robots' cameras; onscreen, fighter planes were launching air-to-air missiles (AAMs) at the Angel and then rolling to dodge its counterattacks, energy beams that curiously formed crosses near their targets. "Lieutenant Kirishima, Lieutenant Strasberg, you are here to defend the honor of the JSSDF-- no, of all of Japan. Go proudly into battle; you may fire when ready."

"Yes, Sir," the Jet Alone operators radioed from nearby control vehicles. Zeruel, Angel of Might, detected the energy building up in the positron rifles; bony plates enveloped its head and torso. The positron beams pierced the Angel's AT field and scorched its armor; as the robots changed fuses like cartridges in a bolt-action rifle, the bony plates slid under the humanoid Angel's skin to restore Zeruel's mobility.

"Recharging." "Beginning cryogenic cooling of primary weapon," the Jet Alone operators reported. "CIWS is engaging the target." The robots' head-mounted Phalanx close-in weapons systems were shooting at the diving Angel. "Unit Alpha, primary weapon firing." Unit A's rifle fired as Zeruel's left arm unfolded like a switchblade; the positron beam sent alien flesh flying off the Angel's left shoulder as its arm severed the robot's right leg, sending both combatants onto the ground.

"Unit Alpha is down! Fail-safes are engaged; the reactor is shutting down!" "Unit Bravo, primary weapon firing." Zeruel's armor extended to defend the Angel from the positron beam; it counterattacked as Unit B prepared to fire another shot.

"The reactor's been damaged; pressure and temperature levels are rising! I'm opening the release valve and injecting neutron-deceleration liquid!" Unit B's operator reported. Zeruel's arms extended to dismember and decapitate the robot. "Damn it, Unit Bravo's radio link is dead!"

"Switch to bird's eye view," Shiro ordered. The monitors, receiving images from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), showed Zeruel's armor retracting so the Angel could fly away from the Jet Alone Units' wreckages. "Reactor status," he demanded.

"Radiation levels have risen." "We're not receiving any data from Unit Bravo." "Unit Alpha reports the reactor is stable." "We must assume Unit Bravo's reactor shielding is compromised." "We must evacuate our men." "Activating NBC systems." "Good thing the city has been evacuated." "The evacuation was incomplete because the citizens of Tokyo-3 attacked the soldiers evacuating them." "You mean we have to send men back into that hellhole?!"

Shiro's fist slammed against the keyboard before him. "Damn it, NERV will win the honor of defeating the Angels again!"

"Don't we have bigger problems to worry about?" a JSSDF officer asked.

*

Asuka frowned in disbelief. "The JSSDF deployed a nuclear-powered fighting machine near the city, and let its reactor shielding get cracked?"

"Don't worry, the Evas' armor should shield you from the radiation," Ritsuko assured.

"Ahhhh!"

"Stormbringer, we're getting a stall warning. Are you hit? Stormbringer, respond!" Stuart radioed.

A blade of anxiety stabbed Rei's heart. "Pilot Ikari!"

"The Seventh Angel!" Asuka warned as Unit 02's rifle fired, followed by Unit 01's. Burns bloomed on the bony plates as positron beams rained on the Angel. "Each shot delivers four gigawatts of power to the target! That should be enough to pierce the Angel's AT field and fry its S² organ! Why won't it just lay down and die?!" Then the redhead's helmet-mounted display read, "R-WEAPON 00" to warn her the positron rifle was out of ammunition. "Scheisse!"

Rei received the same warning. "I need another weapon." Zeruel's armor retracted; then burning crosses appeared around Unit 01. "Ah!"

"Rei!" Unit 02 jettisoned its rifle and drew its progressive knife as it charged. The Angel turned its attention to the red Eva, which jumped over the incoming energy beams and thrust the burning white blade.

Zeruel's armor extended again; the knife broke upon the Angel's chest, leaving the tip embedded in the bony plate.

Another blade extended to replace the broken one. "Die!" Unit 02 slashed diagonally from right to left, making a shallow cut in Zeruel's armor. "Damn you!" The red Eva slashed from left to right, the cuts forming an X. "Die!" Asuka thrust at the center of the X, cracking the bony plate and breaking the blade. Unit 02 lunged, its fingers reaching into the crack as the red Eva tried to pry off the Angel's armor.

Zeruel's armor retracted; as Unit 02 tried to tackle the Angel, its eyes sent energy beams to blow a hole in the red Eva's chest.

"Ah! Scheisse!" As Unit 02 laid on the road, Asuka watched Zeruel's arms unfold.

"Asuka!" The purple Eva's shoulder rammed the Angel, whose razor-sharp hands cut into Unit 02's left shoulder and severed its arm instead of disemboweling and decapitating the red Eva. Rei forced herself to ignore Asuka's scream of pain as Unit 01 stabbed Zeruel's left eye. The Angel wrapped its right arm around the purple Eva's head and shoulders, lifted its enemy off the road, and threw Unit 01 through a building.

Its enemies defeated, Zeruel removed the knife and turned to Ramiel's body, still lying in an intersection. 'I give thanks to you, Brother, for the strength you shall restore to me.' The Seventh Angel cut off pieces of the Fifth Angel's flesh and ate them to accelerate its own recovery; its injuries began to disappear. 'With this strength, I shall avenge you.'

*

A monitor showed the black Eva diving towards the ground. "Stormbringer, we're getting a stall warning. Are you hit? Stormbringer, respond!" Stuart turned to a monitor showing images from Unit 03; all he could see was a golden light. "Are the Angels using a directed-energy weapon against Stormbringer?"

Ritsuko studied the data before her. "Negative; I detect no thermal energy reactions. What the...? Mental contamination detected; it's past the borderline! The Angels are using their psychic weapons!"

"Can you counter its effects?" the general asked.

"We have little information on the cause of the mental contamination that affects an Eva pilot's synch ratio, much less how to filter it out. The best I can hope for is that the LCL might act as a buffer." The bleach blonde's eyes became red as they reflected the monitor's displays. "The stimulation is overloading Pilot Ikari's mental circuits; further contamination will cripple or even kill him."

"Damn it!" Stuart turned to the primary display. "Come on, Lieutenant Ikari! You're stronger than that! Fight it!"

*

Arael probed deeper into Shinji's mind, scanning the Eva pilot's memories to find his weaknesses, so the Angel could use them to destroy its enemy. 'What are you hiding? What are your lies shielding? What...?'

***

Rei stood in a formation of soldiers wearing black berets, facing a US Army officer with the SPECIAL FORCES, RANGER, and AIRBORNE tabs on his left shoulder. 'General Mark Sheppard, United States Army. Commander, United States Special Operations Command.' She recognized him because the general defied Gendo's attempt to have US Special Operations Forces operate under NERV command. The albino turned to see another familiar face.

"Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle, for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy, and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

"Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.

"Rangers lead the way!" Although the 18-year-old Shinji's voice was one of many, Rei could hear him over the other soldiers.

"Rangers always lead the way!" With those words, General Sheppard dismissed the 75th Ranger Regiment's newest members so they could greet the friends and family members attending the graduation ceremony.

A man with the SPECIAL FORCES and AIRBORNE tabs, who resembled Shinji more than the ranger resembled Gendo, approached the center of Rei's attention. 'Ikari Takeshi.'

"Bravo, Christian Soldier. Yui would've been so proud of you."

The mention of his mother's name breached Shinji's emotional defenses; sadness flowed from his eyes like blood from an unhealed wound. The ranger quickly hid this emotion and shook the man's hand. "Thanks, Uncle Takeshi."

A USAF officer approached the ranger and his uncle. "Specialist Ikari?" The Ikari men began to salute. "At ease," the airman interrupted to avoid further attention. "I'm General Slade, Director of the US Air Force's Evangelion Project. I understand you're the Third Child-- that the Marduk Institute, the consultants NERV hired to test people for their ability to pilot an Evangelion, believe..."

*

Rei stood in a bedroom, where a young man and a young woman sat with their fingers entwined and their lips together.

The couple stopped kissing to look into each other's eyes. "Are you ready?" the 14-year-old Shinji asked.

Shinji's girlfriend shyly smiled. "I'm a bit nervous. You will use protection, right?" Flames of jealousy raged in Rei's heart as Shinji retrieved a condom from his drawer.

"Uncle Takeshi taught me to always be prepared." Shinji confidently smiled as his hands rested on the young woman's hips, caressing the skin between her T-shirt and her shorts; then he began to pull up her shirt, the young woman's arms rising to help the young man, as the flames became an inferno.

*

Rei stood in a recovery room, where a blonde laid on a bed, cradling a baby in a pink blanket. A boy stood beside the bed, staring at the baby.

"Would you like to hold your newborn cousin?" the blonde asked.

The six-year-old Shinji's eyes widened in shock at the responsibility placed upon him; his mouth opened and closed without voicing an answer.

Takeshi patted his nephew's back. "Don't worry, Christian Soldier! I'm sure you'll take care of little Alice."

The boy's arms slowly extended to receive the newborn; the arms retracted to hold the baby against his chest.

"Now that you're the next man of the house, it's your responsibility to shield your little cousin from danger. Can you do that? Can you stop bad guys from hurting little Alice?" Takeshi demanded.

Shinji turned to his uncle. "Yes, Uncle Takeshi. I will perform my duties as a Christian soldier."

*

Rei stood in a living room, where Takeshi sat in front of a crying boy, his hand resting on the boy's shoulders.

"Do you want to stop the bullies from hurting you?"

The five-year-old Shinji's head rose to meet his uncle's eyes. "Yes, Uncle Takeshi."

"I have to warn you, you must endure some minor to moderate pain if you want to learn how to defend yourself from major pain. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Uncle Takeshi," Shinji repeated.

"Good boy." Shinji's uncle smiled. "I'm gonna teach you Krav Maga, the martial art used by the Sayeret Matkal, Israeli Army Special Forces. The bullies will stop hurting you once they learn you can hurt them more."

"But Aunt Lorina says fighting is wrong!"

Takeshi laughed. "It's wrong to start a fight, but it's okay if you're just ending one; that's a Christian soldier's job, after all."

*

Rei stood in outside the Ikari family home, which Gendo sold a month after his wife's death.

A four-year-old Shinji was crying as he struggled against the Section 2 agent whose hands gripped his shoulders. "Papa, don't send me away! Papa! Waaaa!"

"I can't waste time on an impossible child." The bearded man turned around. "Take him away." He entered his house and closed the door.

Rei felt the weight of Shinji's sadness in her heart; the albino reached for the boy as he was pulled towards the car that would take him to the airport. "Shinji."

"Rei?"

***

Unit 01's pilot awoke see the hangar interior displayed on the liquid crystal displays (LCDs) lining the cockpit. "Asuka?"

"Thank God you're okay! General Slade ordered a retreat while the city's defenses distracted the Seventh Angel; you were lucky to land on an elevator," the redhead radioed.

"Your arm..."

"It hurts like hell-- Doctor Ritsuko says it'll take a month to repair my precious Unit 02-- but you stopped the Seventh Angel from taking Unit 02's head, and my life. Too bad Doctor Ritsuko didn't have time to install 'circuit breakers' in our A10 nerve sensors to spare us the pain."

"And Shinji? Is he...?"

*

"Shrieeeek!" Arael fell, its mind overwhelmed by the anger, hatred, and lust it found in Shinji's; the Angel didn't feel its skin burn as it entered Earth's atmosphere. 'The darkness!' The air became denser, slowing the Angel's descent. Then two AIM-120 AAMs flew from pylons on the back of Stormbringer's shoulders; no AT field stood between Arael and the AAMs before their warheads blew off pieces of alien flesh, sending Arael tumbling in midair.

"Roarrrr!" The black beast dived, straddled the Angel's back, and gripped its wings. Stormbringer's head-mounted Mk44 Bushmaster II automatic cannons beat a tattoo on Arael's shoulders; then the black beast tore off the Angel's wings.

*

"Stormbringer, this is Alpha One. Your engines-- the turboramjets-- are redlining. Throttle back before you..."

"Roarrrr!"

Stuart watched Stormbringer tear off Arael's wings. He turned to a monitor showing images from inside the black beast's cockpit; static clouded the screen. "What the hell happened to Lieutenant Ikari?"

Ritsuko studied the data before her. "Ikari-kun has apparently regressed to counter the psychic weapon's effects."

"You mean his mind has become that of a child?"

"No, Ikari-kun has become the beast we were before humans invented moral codes and founded civilization; all he can think of is survival, in this case, by eliminating a threat."

Stormbringer continued to tear off pieces of Arael's flesh as they fell; the Sixth Angel, paralyzed by the dark emotions flowing from Shinji's mind, didn't even feel the ground rise up to shatter its remains.

"Roarrrr!" Stormbringer's AT field extended to neutralize Zeruel's as the black beast launched six HSSWs; the Seventh Angel was immobilized when its armor extended. The armor retracted to let Zeruel counterattack-- Stormbringer rolled to dodge the razor-sharp hands, which sent sparks flying from its armor-- before the black beast struck.

Stormbringer, weighing 1,372,818 kilograms and traveling at Mach 1.7 or 2,083 kilometers per hour at sea level, delivered 229,803,342,266.1 joules of kinetic energy to the Angel's chest, equal to 55 tons of HE-- an otherwise act of futility, it was devastating now that an AT field no longer defended Zeruel. The ribcage collapsed and the backbone broke as the Angel was thrown through two apartment buildings and into an armory building, the munitions inside exploding and embedding burning shrapnel in Zeruel's flesh.

'The pain!' The bony plates extended, but the pistol was in the black beast's hand before they could shield the Angel's chest. Stormbringer fired at point-blank range, the HE shells shattering Zeruel's S² organ.

The pistol was reloaded, the ejected magazine deploying an airbag landing system to prevent damage so it could be reused. Stormbringer stared at its fallen enemy; then it opened its mouth, threw back its head, and shook. "Looks like she's laughing," Stuart commented. He heard footsteps, and turned to see Misato and Maya enter the Command Center. "Colonel Katsuragi? Doctor Ibuki?" The tactician and the brunette's hair stuck out like porcupine quills, their clothes were disheveled, and their faces were wet, apparently because they tried to wash away vaginal fluids from cunnilingus.

"What the...? An Angel?!" Misato exclaimed.

"There were two; they're now skulls waiting to be painted on Stormbringer," the general said.

"Unit 03's sensors have detected another Angel," Ritsuko's eyes widened, "in Terminal Dogma?!"

Maya gasped; NERV kept the cornerstone of the Human Instrumentality Project at Terminal Dogma, the Geofront's deepest and most heavily defended level.

Misato turned to her sex partner for the past three days. "You have clearance for Terminal Dogma, right? What...?"

"Unit 03 is moving," the bleach blonde reported as the black beast turned to the airbase.

"He's... heading for the hangar? The aircraft hangar?" The general raised the radio to his ear. "Emergency teams to Hangar Alpha. Emergency teams to Hangar Alpha."

Stormbringer stopped before the hangar and turned around. Landing gear extended from its shoulders and shins; then the black beast laid upon the runway.

Stuart watched flames shoot from the black beast's afterburners. "Stormbringer, this is Alpha One. State your destination and your objectives. I want an explanation, damn it." The black beast took off, flew above the city, and dived; the general noted the turboramjets were overheating. "Check your engine temperature!"

Stormbringer's wings swept back; the AT field formed a battering ram to clear a path to the Geofront's deepest level. A legless giant, its hands bolted to the arms of a red cross, a helical lance piercing its chest, appeared onscreen.

"What the hell is that?!" Stuart exclaimed.

"Lilith? The Second Angel is here?!" Misato added.

Ritsuko recalled a scenario described in the "Secret" Dead Sea Scrolls, made public after Sachiel attacked the city. "What is NERV doing with something that can set off a Third Impact?"

"According to the Commander, Lilith was found in the Black Moon, the spherical cavern where the Geofront was built. We were studying it as we used it to manufacture LCL." Maya watched the black beast grab the helical lance and pull, breaking the weapon. "The Lance of Longinus!" The lance disintegrated into a million points of light before fading away. Stormbringer's mask touched Lilith's, as if the black beast was kissing the Angel, while its hand caressed the side of Lilith's face; then the black beast bit the Angel's neck and spat out a piece of flesh.

A rumble shook the entire Geofront; the men and women in the Command Center braced themselves as Stormbringer began tearing Lilith to pieces. "Looks like Stormbringer is... raping the Second Angel," the general commented.

"Open Sectors 10 to 20 of Central Dogma," Rei radioed. "I must get to Terminal Dogma."

"But Ikari-kun has regressed to a primal, violent state! He'll identify you as a threat and attack you!" Ritsuko warned.

"We might have to wait..." Stuart began.

"Until this passes? By then, Unit 03's life support systems may have failed. I cannot let that happen; I must save Shinji," Rei swore.

Maya sighed. "I'm raising the sector partitions."

"Thank you." Unit 01 walked through the opening gate.

*

Stormbringer stood in a pool of LCL, Lilith's blood, surrounded by pieces of alien flesh. The black beast dumped 6000 liters of jet fuel and then used the afterburners to ignite it; the LCL became an ocean of fire that began destroying all traces of the Second Angel.

A gate opened. Stormbringer instinctively extended its AT field as the pistol slid into its hand.

Rei sensed the AT field reaching for her; Unit 01 jumped as a HE shell exploded underneath, missing its right foot by a meter. As gravity reclaimed its hold on the purple Eva, the black beast raced into the corridor, its left hand gripping Unit 01's throat and holding the purple Eva off the floor. "Gasp!" The pistol muzzle, pressed against Unit 01's left eye, resembled that of a predator hungering for fresh meat.

"Shinji." Rei ignored the pain in her throat as Unit 01's right hand slowly rose to caress the side of Stormbringer's head; the albino didn't raise an AT field, even though her skin burned as the black beast's pressed against the purple Eva. "You... are a Christian soldier. I am... a woman, and it is your duty... to protect me." She felt the purple Eva's feet touch the floor. Stormbringer removed its hand from Unit 01's throat as the pistol returned to its weapons bay. "Shinji?"

Silence answered Rei. The Siege was over.

***

To be concluded.