Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Way Out is Through ❯ Survivalism ( Chapter 10 )

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

I do not own Evangelion, but you knew that already, didn’t you?



The Way Out is Through
By Ovrboost


Lacrimosa
-8th movement of Mozart’s Requiem


“…and they lived happily until the day they died. The end.” Yuriy finished softly, looking down at his daughter, laying sleepily in her bed. He closed the old book, and placed it carefully on the nightstand, with a certain finality.

“Read another one papa?” Svetlana asked with a yawn.

“Not tonight, little one. Now go to sleep.”

“Okay papa.”

Yuriy smiled softly, placing a quick kiss upon his daughters forehead, before he grasped the candle, and stood. The bittersweet fairytale played over in his mind, as he walked to the door. When the door latch clicked home, he wondered silently to himself. Where was our happy ending?

The day had come to a relatively quiet end, despite the mornings excitement. The house stood quiet in the night, with little conversation between its occupants. Asuka’s sudden return had taken Yuriy by surprise, and once again he found himself torn mentally. He had yet to forgive her, and had she not had been in such a dire situation, he would have been tempted to leave her where she was. He had no idea what had happened to her in the months since she left, but he knew without a doubt that she had been through hell, and back again. The shear number of scars had become ridiculous; resembling more a road map than a human body. He had wept privately not long after his initial examination, and treatment of the gunshot wound. So much pain… He did not know why, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

After a quick knock, Yuriy pushed open the oaken door, to reveal the candlelit room. Across the room, Shinji slowly raised his head from his hands, to look at the older man, and nodded. Yuriy stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. Between them, Asuka lay unconscious, in an old bloodstained nightgown. They stared silently at one another for a long moment.

“We need to wash the rest of this blood off.” Yuriy said solemnly. “I’ll need your help.”

Shinji nodded, and wiped his face with a forearm. “I’ll go fill the bucket.” Yuriy felt him brush his shoulder inadvertently on the way passed.

“Shinji…” he said, before the young man could get beyond earshot. Yuriy looked over his shoulder, the candlelight shining bright in his eyes, presenting an almost tearful appearance. Shinji met his gaze, and suddenly Yuriy could not find the words of comfort he had intended to offer. Shinji simply nodded his understanding.

Shinji looked away, towards the darkened kitchen, and quietly told him; “As long as she’s alive… she’ll have a chance.” The door closed between them, and Yuriy sighed.

I hope so. He thought to himself, as he carefully measured out the dosage of Thorazine. The needle pierced the vein, blood mixing with the sedative, before he forced it into her body.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, rising from the bedside stool, “I’m sorry for pushing you away…” Yuriy placed two fingers to the pulsing artery on her throat, and counted silently to himself. “I… never meant for things to turn out the way they did.” Satisfied with her heart rate, he checked the IV drip hanging on an old wall mounted electric light, readjusting the flow of saline. “At first I thought that maybe…” he sighed, and stole a lingering glance at her peaceful face. “I mean, you remind me so much of her… It’s… hard not to think that maybe...” Yuriy picked up on the sound of approaching footfalls. “I’m sorry.” He heard the door open behind him, and with a glance, he saw that the old bucket in Shinji’s hands was indeed full.

“Alright. Let’s get her undressed.” The old oaken door shut.

“So they were unable to save it.”

“The doctor did not have the necessary resources.” Neither man spoke for a moment. Nicolay sighed.

“I’m sorry Pasha, it was not my intention for you to lose your hand…” He placed a commiserating hand upon Pasha’s shoulder. “ but I’m sure you understand.”

“Of Course.” he replied without meeting Nicolay’s gaze. “What of the girl?”

“She’ll be found, and dealt with. Don’t worry about it, we have much more important things with which to concern ourselves.” Nicolay breathed a silent sigh. “The army marches in two days. I’ll need your help with the logistics.” Pasha met Nicolay’s piercing eyes. “And, your friendship…”

“Of course.”

Yuriy sat heavily at the kitchen table, the mid afternoon sunlight beaming in through the window above the sink. In his cupped hands, a rapidly cooling cup of bitter tea sat mostly unconsumed. He had worked the fields for most of the morning, they were behind as is, laboring hard in the hot summer sun. More could have been accomplished, had Shinji opted to join in, but Yuriy honestly couldn’t blame him. Shinji had told him about their time together fighting the Angels, despite obviously having left many things to the imagination. So Yuriy understood; one does not simply abandon their comrades in a time of need.

What he didn’t understand, was why he felt as though he was doing the same.

Yuriy grunted in distaste, as he finally took a sip of the bitter concoction. He stood and disposed of the beverage, and made his way to check up on his two wards. He opened the door quietly, and immediately felt guilty. He felt as though he were intruding upon the two. Thankfully, Shinji was not awake, he could do without having to look into those haunted eyes again. As luck would have it, of course, he would have to settle for a different set.

“Hello Yuriy.” said Asuka, her right hand lightly stroking Shinji’s shoulder length hair as he slept. “How long has he been like this?” she asked, nodding toward the younger man in muted curiosity.
“Since yesterday morning.” Yuriy answered quietly. She simply nodded, closed her eyes, and rested her head back upon the headboard. A silent moment stretched out for a few seconds, neither moving.

“Danke.” Yuriy grunted, and with a half-smile, started to close the door. “Yuriy?” She said, turning her head, eye’s half lidded.

“Yeah?” he asked, sticking his bearded head back through the door.

“Can I take this damn thing out yet?” she asked, pointing at the IV taped to her forearm. Yuriy seemed to hesitate for a moment, before giving her the nod. Asuka wasted no time, pulling the catheter gingerly from her vein. “So, how bout some coffee?” Yuriy chuckled.

“You’ll have to settle for some of my tea, the coffee ran out a month or so ago.” Asuka slowly swung her legs out, and off of the bed, settling her bare feet on the carpet.

“Deal.” She said, as Yuriy helped her to her feet, and guided her out of the room, towards a seat a the kitchen table.

“You know Asuka, I have to wonder why I’m always finding you passed out, with a gunshot wound. Heh, it really is a nasty habit.” Yuriy said, as she sat down.

“Yeah… That’s just my luck, could be worse I suppose.” He grunted in amusement.

“You’re going to want to go easy that arm for awhile, so don‘t overdo it. You’re lucky it‘s not stuck in a sling.”

“No problem.” She watched him set the water back on the fire. He glanced back at her, with a kind of sly grin on his face. Asuka fiddled with the lace on her nightgown, amazed by how quickly her situation has changed, once again. She never would have dreamed that she could be in this house again, at this table. It felt strange, but at the same time, it felt right. Almost as if it was meant to be, and everything else was but a dream. Asuka was torn from her thoughts, as Yuriy plopped down across from her at the table, placing a steaming mug in from of her. “Ah, thank you.” she said, grasping the mug.

“Your welcome, but I gotta warn you, it’s kind of bitter.” He said, as he watched her take a cautious sip.

“Ugh, yeah, you could say that… but it’s not too bad.” Asuka replied, setting the beverage aside. “A lil’ honey might help though.” He nodded, having already considered the same. They sat in relative silence, each taking in each other’s presence. After a time, Yuriy finally broke the silence.

“Asuka, I’m sorry, but I have to ask… What happened after you left here?” Yuriy asked, as his brow creased with concern. Asuka merely stared back at him for a moment, as if in contemplation, before standing. “Asuka?” She turned away from him, and replied with a low voice.

“You don’t want to know.”

“Asuka,” he said before she left the room. She stopped, and looked back at him from the doorway. “Whatever happened… you’re safe. You’re with us now.” Asuka gave a faint smile.

“Good to know.”

The sun felt good on her skin. It seemed as though it had been an eternity since she last had the opportunity to truly enjoy it. It filled her with a warmth she had nearly forgotten, as she took a seat under the tree in the backyard. She sat on the other side of the tree from the grave marker, watching as Svetlana disappeared behind the tool shed. A light breeze swayed the long grass, dotted here, and there with wild flowers. She closed her eyes, and listened to the birds. The tranquility didn’t last long, however. Asuka was forcibly brought back to the here, and now by a certain little girl nearly screaming her name. She smirked, as she rose to her feet to greet the child.

“Asuka!” Svetlana squealed again, as she slammed into her, wrapping her arms tight around Asuka’s waist. Asuka rustled her hand through Svetlana’s hair, playfully.

“Hey Kiddo, the boys been treatin you alright?”

“Uh huh!” she replied, nodding her head emphatically. Asuka held her at arm’s length for a moment, after the embrace.

“I think you’ve grown too!” She said, after a quick examination. “You’re turning into quite the beautiful little lady.” Svetlana’s smile beamed back at her. Out of the corner of her eye, Asuka could see Shinji watching from the kitchen window, and her smile faltered a bit.

“So what do you think Yuriy?” Shinji asked, as he watched Asuka get led off by Svetlana, no doubt to see her fledgling garden. He turned to face the older man, and leaned up against the counter. Yuriy was still sitting at the table, hands resting by his chin in a fashion that vaguely reminded Shinji of his father. It was an uncomfortable thought, to say the least.

“I don’t know what to tell you Shinji…” Yuriy said, bringing his head back up, and resting his back against the chair. “All I know is that wherever she was, it wasn’t pleasant. That burned out vehicle was definitely military as well. My guess is she got as far as Chita, maybe Irkutsk, and ran into some trouble. What kind, I couldn’t say, because she wouldn’t.” He sighed. “Medically, she’ll be fine. The bullet didn’t do any major damage to any of the soft tissue, which in itself is a miracle…” He let out an amazed chuckle, before continuing, “That poor girl’s probably been shot more times than I have, which is impressive, to say the least.” At that, Shinji’s eyebrows rose in an unspoken question, however, the older man remained silent. They could hear Svetlana’s laughter from outside, which prompted Yuriy to join Shinji by the window.

Shinji could feel the presence of the much larger man behind him, as he watched Asuka reemerge from behind the shed. “I just hope she finds her peace…” Yuriy sighed, and laid a heavy hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

“Don’t we all.”

“So what do you think Pasha?” Nicolay asked, as he watched the infantry formations file into the troop transports in square below, smoke already belching from the diesel exhausts. He turned to face his old comrade, and leaned up against the stone framing the window. Pasha sat motionlessly on the other side of the large oak desk, his sole remaining hand casually covering his mouth in an almost thoughtful manner.

“Honestly Nicolay, I don’t know what to think.” Pasha said, sitting straighter in his chair, right hand delegated now to his lap. “Are you seeking the advice of a comrade, or that of the disfigured subordinate?”
He could see a searing anger flash across Nicolay’s face, before rapidly fading, the anger taken out on the remnants of his beverage.

“As a friend, Pasha… we go back too far for that kind of pettiness.” He said, almost growling the words out.

“Well, as a friend, I would have to say that things are definitely looking up.” he cleared his throat, before continuing. “You can expect to never see at least half of those men again… who knows about the tanks.” Nicolay mulled this over for a minute, before moving suddenly away from the window, in order to pace behind his old friend.

“But do you think this campaign in Irkutsk will succeed?”

“More than likely, if the infantry cannot defeat them, our armor surely will.” Pasha replied, turning in his seat, to get a glimpse of the man behind him.
Nicolay stopped directly behind Pasha.

“So you don’t think my decision rash?”

“Of course not,” Pasha replied with a fake looking smile, “I’d have done the same.”

There was a quick knock on the old oaken door, before it opened. Shinji looked up from where he was gathering his few possessions, to see Asuka standing at the threshold in the nightgown she had switched into after their quiet dinner. Despite all that he knew, he still thought she looked stunning, as she stood there in the candlelight, the ghost of a smile on her face.

“I’ll be out of here in a second, just grabbin the rest of my stuff.” The faint glint of the pistol caught his eye from inside the bag, as he covered it with a pair of jeans.

“You don’t have to do that…” she said to him softly, still at the door.

“Well, it was your room first…” Shinji replied, as he zipped the bag closed. “I’ll be fine out on the couch, it pulls out into a bed.”

“No, I mean you don’t have to go.” Asuka said, stepping into the room, and gently shut the door behind her. Shinji rose to his full height, as she neared. “Stay with me?”

Shinji stood with his mouth gaped, as she came within a foot of him. “Asuka…. I, uh…” all the moisture left his mouth, and his throat suddenly felt parched, “I… don’t know.” Without shifting her eyes away from his, she parted her already unbuttoned nightgown, and let it slide over her shoulders, onto the floor. She watched as his gaze suddenly dropped to her unclothed body, his lips working uselessly, trying to form words that refused to come. She grasped his right hand, pulled it up so that it cusped her breast, and held it there. The rest of Shinji’s body went rigid, the hand on her chest trembled ever so slightly.

“Please?” she asked softly, the pitch of her voice betraying a bit of desperation. The sound of her voice must have had an effect on him, as his right hand suddenly squeezed ever so slightly. Shinji could feel the lust taking over; it clouded over every thought, and provided him with only action. He took her into a fierce embrace, ignoring her surprised yelp, and all but slammed his mouth into hers. She replied in kind.

For the first time in Shinji Ikari’s life, he fucked.

Yuriy wiped the sweat from his brow, sending an irritated glance to the offending sun for it’s role in his misery. He felt drained, having gotten precious little sleep the night prior. Earlier, having seen Yuriy’s disheveled state, Shinji had become visibly embarrassed , and had said little since. For his part, Yuriy wasn’t exactly thrilled by the development. It had been many years since he had felt the flurry of conflicting emotions that women are so adept at stirring, and now he was determined to squash them at the first opportunity.

With a grunt, Yuriy tossed aside the heavy plow, surprising Shinji, who had been playing the part of the mule. “A break, my friend”

Shinji smiled uneasily, still struggling with his anxiety. “Alrighty …um, I’ll go grab us something to drink.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Replied Yuriy, as he headed towards a shady spot at the edge of the field. Shinji lingered for a beat, wanting to say something, but unable to find the words.

Back at the house, Shinji took off his filthy boots in the mud room, and was startled to find Asuka looking at him from the kitchen. She was still in her nightgown, having apparently just awakened in an otherwise empty bed. Again Shinji smiled uneasily, and with his hand absently scratching the back his head, said “Mornin’…”

“Yes it is…”

Shinji nervously pointed to the large pot on the stove. “Just came in to grab some water” She nodded, but he barely noticed, as he was already walking gingerly past her, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Asuka sat down at the table, and watched Shinji fumble around looking for a couple of cups.

“Shinji, about last night,” she started, as a cup fell noisily to the floor, which sent Shinji scrambling to silence it. Asuka closed her eyes, and shook her head at the absurdity of the situation.

“Yeah?” he squeaked out the word, as he rose from the floor, the offending cup in hand. They looked at each other for a long moment, each afraid of what the other might, or might not say.

“Do you… regret it?” she ventured, without really knowing if she herself regretted it or not. She watched him as he took his time with the answer. Shinji set the cup down on the counter, with a calmness that surprised himself.

“No… I don’t regret it” he said, he tone indicating that there was more that he wanted to say. “But, I need to know…” He swallowed unconsciously, with a suddenly dry mouth. “what… where…” He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, “I mean, w-was it just one night, or… is this supposed mean something more?”

“I don’t know” she answered meekly, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. For once in her life, she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say something, anything, to express how the previous night had made her feel, to make him understand. Yet she couldn’t. Shinji seemed to have accepted the ambiguity of he answer, had already filled the cups with water, and was on his way back out. He only got five feet.

“Shinji” Asuka called out from where she was now standing by the table. He stopped immediately, turning, with the glimmer of a reluctant hope in his eyes. “I… I want uh” She was interrupted by the slam of the back door, and the flurry of color, and joyous noise they called Svetlana.

“Shinji!” she called, “Papa wants to know what’s taking soooo long!” She had drawn out the ‘so’ in a cute impersonation of her father’s gravelly voice. Svetlana gripped his shirt, and lightly shook him to gain his attention. “Shinjiii!” she pleaded, until he finally dragged his eyes off of Asuka, to give the little girl his full, and undivided attention. He gave a quick chuckle, out of reflex.

“Ok, ok Svetlana, go tell your father that I’ll be right there.” She nodded, and whisked herself through the kitchen, smiling, and giving a quick wave to Asuka as she passed. Shinji was about to say something to her about tracking in dirt, but thought better of it. He looked back to Asuka, with a lopsided grin. “So, where were we?” He saw her lips begin to move, and form words, but his attention was suddenly drawn to a sharp crack, and the sound of Svetlana’s surprised yelp.

Shinji turned sharply on his heel to see the heavy front door splinter, and swing violently open, catching Svetlana in the shoulder, and spinning her like a top. On the other side of the door, he could see several men, bristling with shotguns, and assault rifles. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Asuka moving to see what was going on, but he was focused on the men moving in slow motion, the glint of the sun off a bayonet, and the lowering of a shotgun. It was the shot that prompted him to action. He watched in abject horror as young Svetlana’s chest exploded into gore, as a shotgun discharged behind her. Three men were rushing through the gap, but Shinji was already moving.

He grabbed Asuka roughly by the arm, practically tossing her like a rag doll into the mud room, and following her in. She screamed, as her wounded shoulder slammed into the far wall. Shinji tried to take quick stock of his situation. This room had no weapons. He turned to Asuka, again grabbing her by her arm, “Go get Yuriy! Hurry!” Before she could say anything, he was gone. He had disappeared through the doorway, and she heard the gunfire erupt. She ran. She ran as fast as her shocked body would allow, colliding with Yuriy before she could clear the yard.

“What’s happening?! What the hell is going on?!” Yuriy yelled, grasping her by both arms. He could see muzzle flashes coming from within the house, which made some of the windows appear to be twinkling.

“Shinji…. Attack” she managed to say, but the older man was already moving. He turned after several steps, and yelled back to her

“Find Svetlana, and take her to the shed!” Breathless, she could only nod.

Inside the house, it was as if all hell had been unleashed. Shinji had managed to fling himself into the bedroom, and secure his handgun. The three men he had seen earlier somehow turned into a team of seven, and the shear volume of fire that they had unleashed upon spotting him seemed surreal. For his effort, Shinji had earned a deep graze to his abdomen, and a good deal of splintered wood courtesy of the exploding framework that had once made up the doorframe. The shooting slackened long enough for Shinji to blindly return fire, hitting nothing, but at least forcing them to duck. He reloaded his pistol, and tied a piece of shirt around his wound during the return volley. He knew he had to move, but there was no way he could make it without getting cut down. Where the fuck is Yuriy?

Interrupting his thoughts, Shinji was surprised by one of the attackers making a suicide run straight into the room. The man burst through the doorway, half running, half diving, trying to hit Shinji with the wild spray of automatic fire, before he himself got shot. Luck, however was not on his side.

Shinji jumped quickly back, narrowly escaping the spray of bullets, and plugged four unaimed shots into the man. His ears were ringing, but he could still hear the muffled shouts of the other men in the house. Shinji stuffed his pistol into his pants pocket, the barrel searing hot against his leg, and snatched up the fallen man’s assault rifle. A shotgun boomed from across the den, emanating from the door to Yuriy’s room. Shinji smiled in relief. The old man had climbed in through his own window to join the battle. The shotgun roared again, before he heard Yuriy’s voice.

“Shinji!” he yelled over the maelstrom, “How many?!” Shinji watched him duck back into his room, as several rounds smashed into the wall by his head.

“Six, I think!” He nodded, and resumed fire. Shinji joined in with a blind spray from his AK. With a click, his magazine ran dry, and Shinji pulled back again from the door. His hands shaking, and numbed from the constant firing, he fumbled the fresh mag, as he pulled it from the corpse beside him. He racked a fresh round into the chamber, and saddled back up to the doorframe in time to hear the curses that Yuriy was hurling at the men who had invaded his home. After another exchange of lethal, and verbal ammunition, a sudden silence struck the household, neither side firing.

“Can see them?” Yuriy asked, switching to Japanese.

“Not yet” was Shinji’s terse reply. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, Shinji heard something thump against the wall in front of him. He looked over in time to recognize it as two grenades of some sort. His mouth opened wide to sound the warning, but no words came out before his entire world was full of violent noise, heat, and pain.

The twin explosions had thrown him back into the room, against the bed. Shinji was conscious, but dazed, and bleeding from the myriad of lacerations, and wounds caused by the flying shrapnel. Through ringing ears, he could make out the sound of boots crunching through the debris. Shadows fell across him, as the men entered the room. Numb from the shock, he listened to their conversation, while watching them with glazed over eyes.

“This one still alive?” One asked, in Russian.

“Heh. Looks like it.” he paused to light a cigarette, “What about the other one?”

“Looks dead to me,” said a voice from outside the room. “what a mess.”

“Gimme the radio.” he paused, waiting for the soft electronic beep that signaled an open line. “Griffin main, this is Tiger three six, over”

“Go ahead three six”

“Roger, found the girl, she’s KIA, as well a another male, who was protecting her, break” he coughed into his hand, “We also have one male, WIA, over” The man released the hand mike, and waited for the response.

“Roger three six, copy two KIA, one WIA. What’s your status, over”

“One KIA, two WIA, non critical, break” he looked down at Shinji, and nudged him with his foot. “Please advise what we should do with the POW, over”

“Three six, this is main, bring him with, over.” The man grimaced, and nodded to the other men in the room.

“Roger that. Three six out.”

Shinji lost consciousness.

Asuka had decided that the lack of gunfire was far more disconcerting than the actual firefight had been. She waited in the maddening silence of the shed for what felt like hours, but in reality was probably no more than five to ten minutes. Without a weapon of her own, she felt naked, exposed to the point of absurdity. She hated herself for feeling so useless. She peaked through the sliver of light at the door, in time to see two military trucks, much like the one she had commandeered, drive off in a blaze of dust, and squealing rubber. Mein Gott…

Asuka burst from the shed, and ran across the yard as fast as her legs would carry her. Inside the house, a haze of smoke still hung in the air from the grenades, the whole place reeked of cordite. “Shinji?!” she looked into her room, scanning from the doorway. Only a corpse, blood splatter, a rifle, and scattered shell casings were there to greet her. A sense of panic gripped her gut, as she turned towards Yuriy’s room, which from where she stood looked like it had been hit with a bomb. “Yuriy?!” She called out, hesitant to even look. Please God.

A low groan emanated from the room, and Asuka rushed forward through the door. Laid out in a large pool of his own blood, she found Yuriy groggily grasping at his thigh. She ripped off a long strip of her nightgown, and tied it tight around his leg, which seemed to be the worst of his injuries. Yuriy was too far out of it, to be of any help to her, and far too heavy to move. She sat back on her heels with an exasperated cry. What the fuck am I gonna do now? She thought, So much for being ‘safe’ …fuck!

The sun was low on the horizon, and the harsh reddish light forced Shinji to squint his eyes, as he regained consciousness in the back of the truck. He felt sore all over, and the rough ride did little to alleviate the pain. His hands were bound tight behind him, and he looked up at the soldier next to him in time to receive a smack in the face from a butt stock. Shinji Ikari’s world devolved once more into a black void. The two trucks drove quickly through the streets of Chita, crossing over the Ingoda river, and into the center of town. The drivers stopped for nothing, people caught in their path were forced to scramble for the side of the road, or try their luck with the bumper. As they came into the city square, the soldiers announced their return with several bursts of rifle fire into the air. It was a common occurrence, and few heads actually turned in their direction. The most common reactions were hunched shoulders, and a quickened pace.

They came to a hard stop in front of old KGB Building, and the men dismounted. The young lieutenant in charge of the group started up the steps, only to be met by a man he had only seen only twice in his lifetime. Both of those times, the man had been no more than two paces from Nicolay Zurikov himself. The lieutenant came to a startled, and abrupt stop. Pasha continued down the steps, and greeted the young man with a slap on the shoulder.

“Good job today, soldier!” he said with a politician’s hearty grin. “Where’s the girl, hmm?”

“Uh…” he started, unsure as to how he should respond to such informality, “she… She’s dead sir, died in the firefight first thing.” The older man’s smile faltered, and immediately the lieutenant wished he could have been somewhere else.

“Then who’s that?” Pasha asked, with a jerk of his head towards where two men were hauling Shinji out of the truck.

“One of the men protecting her…” he replied, “We’re taking him to the holding cell, maybe ask him some questions before we eliminate him.”

“He killed one of your men?” Pasha asked, suddenly turning his attention back to the young lieutenant.

“Yes sir, Sergi.”

“And he may have had a hand in the attack against the squad a few days ago?”

“We believe so, sir.” he answered, still uneasy. Pasha gave a short ‘humph’.

“Then string him up, lieutenant. Lets make an example out of this…” he made a quick dismissive gesture towards Shinji’s limp body, “ this ridiculous looking fool.”

“Heh, my pleasure, sir.” He said, but Pasha had already started walking back towards the building. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned back to his men. “Take him to the rack.” He watched as a sick smile appeared on the their faces. The lieutenant left them to their fun, he still had to report to the battle captain.

Several hours later, Shinji came to, in what was now agonizing pain. Through it all, he could feel a cool breeze against his exposed skin. His eyes opened into slits, a spotlight nearly blinding him from below. Now nearing a panic, he belatedly noticed that he was naked, suspended above the ground by his arms, his feet bound at the ankles, and hanging in space. His wounds had been left untreated, and in some cases, he was still bleeding out, though it had trickled down to a slow seep.

“Greetings, my friend.” came a gruff Russian voice from below him, and to the right. Shinji’s head lolled towards the sound. “You may call me Nicolay.” Before Shinji could even process the man’s words, he was struck hard across the thighs with what appeared to be a night stick.

Shinji cried out helplessly in his misery. He was crucified.










A/N: wow… First off, I’d like to apologize for the absurd amount of time it’s taken me to finish this chapter. It basically sat at about 3 pages for nearly a year, with me periodically dabbling with it when I remembered it. I’m sorry. Well, for those of you who care, it’s been a very eventful time since I last added to this story… long story short, I fell in love, got engaged, maxed out a credit card, deployed to Iraq again (I’m still deployed), my fiance left me for another woman, been blown up several times, paid off my credit card, lol, and the drama just keeps on coming. Anyways, just so you know, I will finish this story. I just can’t tell you how long it’s gonna take, but if the last week is any indication, It could very well be in the next few months. As always, thank you very much for reading, and if you review (please do), I thank you even more. Till next time…