Kaiju Slaying for Death and Profit Ch 10

Early for once! 8D

This week was rough. I'll tell ya hwat.

Trip went well. I'll probably write up a writing update tomorrow. Go into detail on how stuff is going. And ask for some of ya'll's opinions.

But for now! Chapter 10. Hope ya'll like it, lemme know your thoughts on the comments.

=][=

“Where does that oaf get off telling me to leave him alone!? Every other boy in this building bends over backward for even a little bit of my attention. And yet the Third runs away every time I try to talk to him!” Asuka Langley Soryu groused, then took another bite of her sandwich and spoke with her mouth full. “I can’t believe my commanding officer asked me to try and become his friend! Can you believe it!?”

Horaki Hikari sighed, fanning herself with her booklet, maybe she could convince Soryu to eat inside for once? Yeah, all the boys paying attention to Soryu made that pretty awkward, but still… “Maybe if you changed your approach a little?”

Hikari would never forget the two pilots’ first meeting. Soryu had walked up to the huge, muscular boy and said, “You’ve been lucky, Third. But beginners’ luck can only take you so far. I’ll magnanimously allow you to learn from me!”

Ikari had looked at Soryu with a long stare, half absent, half focused, and just a little hostile. It was a stare that Hikari had only ever seen on those born before the Second Impact, whenever they spoke about horrific things.

He'd then stood up, said. “I’m not dealing with this.” And skipped the rest of the day!

Hikari had tried to tell him that skipping class was bad…but Ikari was a literal hero, he’d been the one to kill all three of the big monsters that took work crews months to clear out. When even the teachers let him get away with whatever, it made Hikari feel a little underqualified!

Also, even if he’d so far been perfectly polite with everyone who was polite with him, Ikari was pretty scary!

Ever since Soryu had arrived, there was an odd tension in the classroom. One that they only got a break from on days like today, when either Soryu or Ikari was absent due to their duties as Pilots.

“Meh.” Soryu scoffed and tossed her head, her hair flowing in an admittedly beautiful wave. “It’s not my fault he’s too chicken-shit to talk to me.”

Hikari laughed nervously.

Soryu jumped to her feet, startling Hikari. “But you’ve brought up a good point! I’ve been going about this all wrong! Quick, Hikari, where’s the First!?”

“The first?” She asked.

“The First Children! You know, the other Pilot!”

“Ah, you mean Miss Ayanami. Umm…” How to tell her…

“Nevermind, I see her!” Soryu said and ran off.

“Wait! Soryu, wait!” Hikari called out and ran after her.

But, too late.

Ayanami had been sitting on a bench, reading. She was a solitary girl, before Ikari arrived, everyone had given up trying to include her.

Her unnaturally pale skin, blue hair, red eyes and seemingly emotionless tone certainly didn’t help.

Soryu stood on the back of the bench next to Ayanami’s, casting a shadow on the quiet girl, a feat that Hikari found, frankly, very impressive. It showed she had supreme balance if nothing else.

Truly, Big Robot Pilots were something else.

Ayanami merely scooted to the side and continued reading.

“Hallo!” Soryu said, stepping forward again to block the other girl’s light. “So, you’re Ayanami Rei. The Pilot of the prototype.”

Hikari caught up, and found herself included in the quiet girl’s cold, silent stare.

Utterly undaunted, Soryu pushed on. “Nice to finally meetcha. My name’s Asuka, Asuka Langley Soryu. I’m the Pilot of Eva Unit 02. We should be friends!”

Miss Ayanami returned her eyes to her book. “Why is that?”

“Because things will be smoother if we’re friends! For us, for our commanding officers, and for humanity as a whole!” Asuka stated, crossing her arms and tilting her head back.

How she could change her posture so much and not lose her balance on such a precarious perch, Hikari frankly did not know.

Ayanami closed her book and, for the first time, paid close attention to Soryu, when she spoke, there was an intensity to her voice that Hikari had not heard before. “Are you also going to be friends with Shinji?”

Soryu scoffed. “That big oaf? If he begged on his hands and knees, maybe I’d consider it.”

Ayanami opened her book again. “Then no, please go away.”

“Wait, what!?” Soryu demanded.

“No. Please go away.” Ayanami repeated.

“Didn’t you hear me? It would be best for everyone if we’re friends!”

“No. Please leave.”

Soryu stared for several seconds as Ayanami ignored her, then jumped to the ground and stormed off, muttering all the while in what Hikari could only assume was German.

Hikari followed, and almost jumped when Soryu whirled around. “What the hell is wrong with her!? I made a perfectly friendly and logical offer and she spat on my face!”

Hikari sighed and chose not to bring up her thoughts on Soryu’s chosen approach. “You didn’t give me a chance to tell you, Soryu. But Ikari and Ayanami? They’re an item.”

Soryu blinked. “An item?”

Hikari nodded. “You know, together together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Lovers.”

“What? Really? How do you know?” Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward, grinning like a shark that smelled blood in the water. “How long have they been going out? Have they held hands!?”

Hikari tilted her head back and thought. “Well, I personally haven’t seen them…you know, h-holding hands, and stuff. But they always eat lunch together. They usually spend breaks with each other. He’s the only one Ayanami talks to. They’re always walking around school together. And they usually leave the school together. A few of the girls in I-C, II-B, and some of the boys in II-A say they leave the train together, so they’re likely walking home together as well.”

Soryu narrowed her eyes, and bit her thumbnail. “And I just waltzed up and badmouthed her boyfriend to her face…no wonder she got angry.”

Hikari nodded. “Also, Ikari is pretty popular. Everyone knows he’s gotten hurt fighting off the monsters. And the idiot duo snuck off one time and watched one of his fights. He risked his life to save theirs, even when they’d been pretty mean to him. So…honestly, if Ikari weren’t with Ayanami, he’d probably be dealing with more confessions than you.”

Soryu ran her hands through her hair and heaved a frustrated sigh. “Yeah, yeah. I messed up big. It’s fine though, I’ll turn this around.”

A loud beeping sounded from Soryu’s pocket. She took out her phone, flipped it open, and held it to her ear. “This is Pilot 02, go ahead.”

Hikari had to stop herself chastising the girl. Pilots needed their phones in case a monster showed up.

Soryu’s face broke out into a bloodthirsty grin. “Well, looks like it’s time for me to show those two who wears the pants in this relationship!”

=][=

“Tokyo-3’s Intercept System is still under repair from the last alert. While the system itself suffered relatively little damage, the Angel damaged enough infrastructure that it is currently at 52% effectiveness.” Misato said grimly, her voice reverberating through the command vehicle. “Magi estimates that the difference the city's defenses can make in the coming battle will be marginal at best. This is a rare opportunity to intercept an Angel before it can cause devastation across the countryside.”

Misato watched the three pilots on the screens. Rei was stoic as always, though her heart rate was elevated. Asuka was all smiles. And Shinji...

Shinji was pretending to sleep. His brainwave pattern showed he was aware. She took a deep breath and continued the briefing. “Units 01 and 02 will take turns engaging the Angel in close quarters combat. Unit 00 will provide support.”

[Roger!] Asuka said.

[Yes, Ma’am.] Rei answered in her usual monotone.

Shinji finally opened his eyes and said, [Wilco.] In English.

Asuka leaned back and sighed. [How lame. This is my debut battle in Japan. Why won’t Misato let me handle this angel on my own?]

Rei did not answer, and Shinji grunted.

Asuka opened a ‘private’ commline to Shinji. [Third! Let’s get one thing straight! The moment we’re out there, you better not get in my way, got it!?]

Shinji smacked his lips and, once again, answered in English. [Nuts.]

Misato sighed and let Asuka get the one-sided bickering out of her system. It appeared that Ritsuko had been correct, her hopes that Asuka might befriend Shinji had been overly optimistic.

The high-speed freight train exited the tunnel, delivering the Evas to the shoreline.

“Get ready, bringing Evas online…now!”

All three of the pilots tried to hide their reactions. Rei’s throat worked and she drew a quick gasp. Asuka ground her teeth and tried to pass it off as a grin. Shinji grimaced and shook his head slightly. Their synchronization rates jumped to fifty-two, seventy-five, and eighty-three, respectively.

Three separate five minute timers activated as the Evas stood slowly from the train cars that had been used to transport them.

Shigeru began to speak, coughed, and started over. “Unit 00, 01 and 02 successfully lifted from Linear Line Route 26. Umbilical cables ready…connection successful in Units 01 and 02. Pilot 00, disconnect and reconnect…Unit 00 connection successful.”

“Beginning power transfer.” Makoto said. “Unit 01, transferring power now.”

Unit 01’s timer jumped back up to five minutes and did not decrease.

“Unit 02, transferring power, now.” Makoto took a deep breath, and when he spoke, there was a slight tremble in his voice. “Unit 00, transferring power…now.”

Everyone in the command truck held their breath as Unit 00’s battery was recharged. Misato kept a close eye on Unit 00’s readings over Maya’s shoulder.

The prototype Evangelion had not gone berserk since Shinji piloted it. But everyone still remembered both times it went out of control.

Worse still, none of the scientists could explain why the biological machine was, seemingly, so placid now.

Rei picked up the Evangelion grade assault rifle, Asuka picked up the glaive, and Shinji picked up the recently completed Bearded Warax, giving it a few slow, controlled practice swings.

[Three on one doesn’t sound very fair.] Asuka grumbled. [Totally not my style.]

Before Misato had a chance to speak, Shinji said. [Any fight worth winning is worth fighting dirty to win. It’d be foolish not to use our numerical advantage.]

Asuka scowled. [Aren’t you supposed to be a Samurai? Where is your honor!?]

[Stand in the ashes of a billion dead.] Shinji said gravely. [Ask their ghosts if honor matters. Your only answer will be the wails of those they leave behind. We aren’t here to fight, we are here to murder the Angel. Our defeat means the extinction of all life as we know it. There is no room for good and evil, for justice or injustice. No sacrifice is too great, no price is too steep.]

Unit 01 turned to face Unit 02. [The cost of our failure is the complete eradication of the human species. So be ready to throw away your honor, your pride, your happiness, and your life. And hope that, when the dust settles, whatever remains was worth the sacrifice.]

As Unit 01 turned back to the ocean, Misato stood in the stunned silence in the command truck.

“That…that is so sad.” Maya whispered, her eyes misty.

Shigeru shook his head. “He’s not wrong though.”

“Cut the chatter.” Misato snapped, bringing the attention of her subordinates back on track. Internally, she sighed, they were going to have to redo Shinji’s psych profile again. It was clear that his motivations were not purely mercenary.

One of the readouts sounded a shrill alarm. Makoto called out. “The Angel is surfacing!”

On the monitor streaming Unit 00’s visual feed, Misato saw the back of Unit 01 as it took two steps and partially obscured the Angel. Misato was about to tell Shinji to disperse, when Unit 01 crouched, giving Unit 00 a nearly unobstructed view.

Misato felt her eyes widen. ‘He’s setting himself to block a charge against Unit 00.’

The Angel was a large figure, stocky and grey, bipedal but not quite humanoid, its head jutting seemingly out of the upper center of its torso, with seemingly metallic carapace over pitch black skin. Almost twice as tall as an Eva.

“Commence attack!” Misato called out an instant before Asuka screamed a warcry and jumped forward, Unit 02 sailing through forty meters and more on a standing leap, and landing on the roof of a half-submerged building.

[Asuka, be careful!] Shinji called out, rushing forward as Rei let out a long stream of shells with the assault rifle.

[He who strikes first, strikes hardest!] Asuka said as the assault rifle’s shells detonated against the Angel’s AT field. Unit 02 hopped forward two more times, forcing Rei to stop firing, and brought the glaive down with a warcry, splitting the angel vertically in two.

“She did it!” Makoto said with a whoop.

[You see that Third Children? You have to be graceful and efficient in battle.] Asuka said smugly.

Shinji had not stopped wading through the water. [It’s not dead! Angels create a huge cross when they die!] His words proved prophetic as the Angel’s two pieces began to twitch. [It has two cores! Asuka fall back!]

[Like hell! Die!] Asuka said and speared one of the double Angel through the core.

She was blasted point blank by the Angel’s energy attack for her trouble, sending 02 tumbling back, weapon thankfully still in hand. The other Angel shot its laser at Shinji, who deflected it with his AT field.

“Angel is now two entities!” Shigeru called out. “Designating them targets Alpha and Bravo!”

Shinji pushed forward and rammed the butt of his ax into Bravo’s core, cracking it. He then dodged a retaliatory swipe that parted a building in four vertical lines. [They regenerate! We probably have to destroy both cores at the same time!]

[Don’t tell me what to do!] Asuka shouted and rammed into Alpha again.

“Asuka, coordinate with Shinji!” Misato snapped.

[Argh! Fine! W-Wait, what’s going o—?] Asuka cut off with a scream as Alpha bodily lifted Unit 02 and threw it so hard it cleared the nearest mountain. The umbilical cable snapping, the automatic safeties kicking in and cutting off power to it.

[Shit.] Shinji said.

“Prog knife deployed!” Shigeru called out.

On the screens, they saw Shinji throw the prog knife at Unit 00, who, likely more by luck than skill, caught it.

[Rei, when the time comes, stab both the cores!] Shinji said, kicking the Angel he was grappling with back.

[How will I know when?] Rei demanded, her usual montone strained.

[Oh, trust me, you’ll know.] Shinji snarled.

The camera in Unit 01’s plug cut out. Then the alarms started.

“Synchronization rate rising!” Maya said, her voice trembling. “Eighty-nine, ninety-five, a hundred and ten, a hundred and thirty!”

Evangelion Unit 01 changed.

Where before it had moved with jerky motions, it now moved with predatory fluidity, shifting its weight from one foot to the other, loosening its shoulders as it brandished the ax. The umbilical shifting with the Eva’s movements, almost like a tail.

“Synchronization rate…One hundred and fifty percent.” Maya whispered, horrified.

“How is this possible?” Misato asked.

“He can consciously control his synchronization rate,” Makoto whispered, “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

Unit 01 roared and charged forward. Where before its steps had been halting and unsure, now they were purposeful and precise. It compensated for slips with minute and exact twists of its hips and torso.

It waded into the fight, dodging a swipe from Bravo and opening Alpha from groin to shoulder. Before Alpha had even finished flinching, Unit 01 twisted with the liquid speed of a striking serpent and took Bravo’s arm off at the shoulder.

Twisting around again, it kicked the rising Alpha, sending it back under the water. Only to twirl around and bury the weapon’s head in Bravo, a shot of the Angel’s laser forcing Unit 01 to leave it behind.

For almost a whole minute, Misato could do naught but stare as Unit 01 singlehandedly kept both Angels at bay, the two targets moving with uncanny synchronicity. Attacking and maneuvering as one.

And yet Shinji and the Eva made it look clumsy.

The battle continued in a stalemate until Shinji’s wild flailing was not enough, and the umbilical cable was severed.

“Unit 01 has lost power!” Makoto called out. “Ejecting connector, at current activity Unit 01 is expected to shut down in fifty-two seconds!”

Misato bit her lip, Shinji was NERV’s miracle worker, and it wouldn’t be the first time he killed an Angel with less than a second to spare.

But the risk was too great. Their options for retreat were suboptimal, but it could be done.

As Misato was about to call for a retreat, she was stunned into silence, as Evangelion Unit 01 began to roar.

An unending snarl of animalistic fury that reverberated through the air, shaking the command truck and rattling the inside of Misato’s skull even through the sound proofing.

Unit 01 became even more animated, unencumbered by the umbilical cable it was free to lay into the Angel with utter abandon.

“Shinji!” Misato tried to shout over the noise Unit 01 was making, “Shiji fall back! Shinji!”

Her only answer was the Eva’s unending roar getting louder, its attacks getting more savage, where before a punch would stagger the Angels, now each blow tore a chunk off them. Each kick shattered their carapace. Each body slam sent them tumbling into the water.

When the timer fell to twenty seconds, Misato feared it would not be enough.

Unit 01 shoulder checked Alpha, and threw it over its shoulder into the ground, causing a huge splash as well as a seismic event that toppled buildings all the way to the shoreline. It then twirled around, grabbed the haft of the ax still buried in Bravo, and used it as a lever to slam the Angel straight onto the rising Alpha.

The Angels seemingly turned partially liquid as they recombined back into a singular being, staggering back from the forced fusion. Unit 01 was upon it in an instant, taking its right arm and twisting it brutally, digging its other hand into the steel carapace of its back and forcefully arching it, exposing its chest.

And the cores.

Rei, the First Children, was largely looked at with pity by NERV staff. The little pilot that couldn’t, the one whose greatest achievements to date were getting hurt in a test and delaying an Angel for almost thirteen seconds.

An Angel that Shinji beat and made it look easy.

Misato would be ashamed to admit that she’d all but forgotten Rei was even involved in the current battle.

Rei fearlessly charged her rinky dink prototype into the Angel that beat the greatest state of the art machine like it owed it money, and with a low growl, stabbed both her prog knife and Eva Unit 01’s forward.

Their tips halting three meters short.

“The Angel has deployed its AT field!” Maya said, her voice strained.

“Unit 01’s power will cut out in ten! Nine!” Makoto said, his voice choked with tension.

“Rei use your AT field to corrode the Angel’s!” Misato demanded.

“Eight! Seven!”

Unit 00 dug its feet and pushed forward. The Angel’s AT field burned brighter, the knives were pushed a further meter back.

“Six! Five!”

“Unit 00’s AT field is corroding the Angel’s!” Maya shouted, her hands holding a white-knuckle grip on her console.

“Four! Three!”

The Angel twisted, pushing itself halfway to its feet, Unit 01 snarled and pulled it back down, its readout warning that the muscle groups of its back, from Splenius Capitis to its Obliques were all suffering structural damage. The deltoid of the arm digging into the Angel’s back tore, the entire arm falling limp.

Unit 01 made up for this by throwing its head forward and sinking its teeth into the Angel’s back. More muscles tore as the contest continued.

[Do it Rei!] Shinji shouted into the comms.

Rei screamed, her AT field collapsed from a large sheet that was pushing against the Angel’s like locked shields, into two pinpricks that surrounded the points of the prog knives. Making an incision just big enough for the blades to slip through and slam into the Angel’s cores with the full weight of Evangelion Unit 00 behind them.

The cores shattered as Evangelion Unit 00’s arms sank into its body up to the elbow, a cascade of blood geysering out of the wounds.

“Zero!” Makoto shouted. Unit 01 ran out of power and shut down as a large green cross shot into the air and split the sky.

Shinji’s agonized scream cut through any feeling of victory before it could properly form.

“What’s happening to Shinji!?” Misato demanded.

“Heartbeat elevated! His neurological activity is…I don’t know what this is!” Maya shouted.

“Rei! Rei eject Unit 01’s plug! Get him out of there!” Misato shouted into the comms unit, only to see that Rei was already cutting the plug out of Eva Unit 01, the plates that would normally have moved so the plug could be extruded having bent out of shape during the battle.

[Shinji!] Rei called out, sounding more distressed than when she’d broken 30% of the bones in her body. [Shinji can you hear me!? Shinji!]

Her only answer was a gulped breath, followed by more screaming.

“Prepare the paramedics and emergency technicians!” Misato ordered. “Tell them to prep everything! Our highest priority is the stabilization of Pilot 01!”

As the support staff followed her orders and made the necessary calls, Misato’s station informed her she was being connected to someone that wanted to speak with her.

Director Ikari’s face appeared on the screen in front of Misato. Muscle memory alone made her stand at attention and begin her report, shouting to be heard over Shinji’s agony. “Sir! The Angel is defeated! Moderate damage to Unit 01, Unit 02 is indisposed but we’ll not know the damage it suffered. Unit 00 suffered light damage!”

[Good.] Director Ikari said, not once mentioning Shinji’s obvious and very vocal distress. [All involved agencies are singing the praises of NERV. You have done well, Major Katsuragi. More will be expected of you in the future.]

With that, the Director cut off the call.

Misato stood there in stunned silence, a small part of her noting that she was a Captain, and the Director had called her Major.

The rest of her was incensed that Ikari Gendo had not deigned to inquire as to his son’s wellbeing.