1:5
The pain was more intense than anything else he'd felt over the span of
his, admittedly, short life. It's one thing to know that broken bones
and such will hurt, and quite another to experience the pain yourself.
Frankly, it sucked.
The young man's eyes were wide, muscles taut and straining against
something that just plain _wasn't_ there. He couldn't hear anything
because of the blood rushing through his head with a sound you'd get
sitting under a relatively low bridge in the center of any metropolis,
during rush hour. Almost all preception seemed to focus on the intense
pain coming from his right forearm and hand, with what little there was
left keeping itself occupied by taking in useless details. Like the
smell of the LCL in his nostrils, the feeling of gentle pressure on his
skin...
And the pain muted from 'hot-spikes-being-used-to-pry-your-arm-apart'
to something slightly less intensive.
Eyes came back into focus, and the chest heaved in taking a breath that
had been long overdue ever since the scream.
Pupils contracted as a smallish glow coming from the viewscreen
intensified, drawing attention like a penlight during an eye-
examination would.
The clawed arm clamed over the viewscreen, and somehow, over what felt
like his own head. The pain. The glow coming from something that looked
like a barrel in the middle of the monstrous 'palm' across his field of
view. Somehow he could _feel_ the heat on his face.
Exactly what he had wanted to avoid, because he damn well knew that if
this happened then that was _it_. Over. Schluss. Finito. No more
continues my friend. _His_ mother was safe, at home or at work, not
bothered by things beyond taking care of his sister or getting annoyed
by her husband... this was the truth he knew, the truth the knowing of
which was about on par with removing the safety net during a trapeze
act, when the acrobats were in full swing and one had just slipped
before he could make the switch.
The truth that would condemn this world...
"No!"
Which was not an option. Ever since he'd taken it upon himself to do
this, he'd known that defeat was not an option. He had to win. Had to.
It wasn't a choice, it wasn't an option, it wasn't something that was
open for debate.
Loss was death, not only to him but to everyone else.
His left fist clenched, and he could feel that the EVA mirrored the
motion. Crude, but it would have to do. It was an odd clarity, some
detached corner of his mind noted, that came with the pain. It wasn't
the _how_, he now knew, not the concept at all... the concept was
needed alright, but the _intent_ was the key, just like with moving his
own body.
Right now, however, he could hardly think at all, so he had to be crude
about it.
'Just follow my lead,' he seemed to say.
"I will _not_ lose!"
And he rocked to the side in the pilot's seat, shutting his eyes as if
to block out the pain, as his fist struck the side of his head.
* * *
>From the outside, it looked like this:
The Evangelion's massive fist crashed into said mecha's head, the
exaggerated armouring on the knuckles leading. Armour met armour, and
in the end the weakened helmet lost that particular contest, cracking
and shattering as the seals holding the upper part down broke and gave.
The Unit's head, free of the pressure of the Shito's hand for a moment,
slipped downwards as the whole EVA let itself fall to the ground,
coming down in a more or less controlled heap on its right side, back against
the remains of the building it had been slammed into.
The Shito's left palm erupted in a flash of blinding light as a lance
of energy vaporised the armour that had encased the Evangelion's head
just a moment ago.
Several jaws hit bedrock. Figuratively speaking.
* * *
The viewpoint swiveled to the right, surroundings a blur with the speed
of the motion. Eyes flickered, and a decision was made with the intent
clear, the course of action that would lead to that intent's completion
less so but still defined enough for the interface.
This happened in less time than it takes a person to blink, and Shinji
could feel the disconcerting sensation of holding something in his left
hand, yet knowing that _his_ left hand was empty. Dual sensory imput
was a bitch to figure, but the pain that radiated out from the left
side of his head was a motivator as good as no other when it came to
learning how to deal with it.
'Note. That was _not_ something I want to repeat anytime soon. Ow.'
The EVA lashed out with a double kick that caught the Shito in the
abdomen, slightly below the core, and sent it staggering backwards,
giving Shinji a moment to actually get Unit 01 back on its feet. The
prog knife in the EVA's left hand was held with the blade down, as it
had been in the right.
"Now would be the time to say - fortunately, I am not right handed,"
the pilot grunted through his teeth, still slightly wobbly in
perception. "No such luck."
Heavy, thudding footfalls echoed in the dark canyons of Tokyo-3 as the
purple and green Evangelion threw itself forward, left arm low and
across the chest, crippled right arm shielding the unarmoured, gray-fleshed
head. A good thing too, because the Shito wasn't quite as defenseless as it
appeared. The swing of a spindly arm was deflected, Shinji's eyes stinging from
the tears the pain of using the EVA's right forearm to block it caused him,
even with the dampened feedback.
It was a good decision through, and the hulking purple and green giant
braced against the blow and brought the progressive knife around in a
vicious, backhanded arc towards the enemy; one that would lead the
glowing, humming blade through the Shito's core.
The hexagonal pattern that sprung up in the air, directly in front of
the Shito, hadn't really been counted upon.
The sound of a blade snapping in half was almost as ugly, in this
situation, as that of a breaking arm.
* * *
"An AT Field?!" Misato exclaimed.
"So, the Shito have them too." Ritsuko's voice was amazingly calm,
given the situation. "As long as the field is active, he won't be able
to reach it."
On the main screen, Unit 01 crashed into the AT Field, right elbow
leading. Shinji's scream bore as much frustration at the
ineffectiveness of the action with it as it did pain from the feedback. The
left arm, still holding what was left of the progressive knife, slammed into
the field moments later... and again... and again.
"Shinji! What are you doing?!" asked Misato. "You can't hurt it like
that!"
"I'm trying to saturate the goddamn thing so I can get through!"
replied Unit 01's pilot, voice strained. The pounding continued like a
metronome, armoured fist coming against AT Field time and time again.
"But I'll settle for keeping it on the defensive right now."
"He's right on that account," Ritsuko noted. "It seems to be too busy
keeping up the Field to attack. Shinji! You have to nullify the field
before you can harm it! The EVA can deploy an AT Field as well, and
that should do the trick!"
"How in hell am I supposed to do _that_?!"
"Concentrate! You need to try and concentrate on expanding yourself!"
"I'm having enough problems with moving this thing to have anything
left to spare! _You_ try to get your thoughts to be even vaguely
coherent after you get your arm broken and see how well you can focus!
Any _other_ brilliant ideas before the big lug realizes he can do... _
that_! OH SHIT!"
* * *
Shinji just barely managed to get the EVA to duck before another of the
Shito's energy lances speared past him, catching one of the shoulder
pauldrons and blowing it to kingdom come.
'Okay, there's a flaw there somewhere, besides the fact that the
thing's slow in making combat decisions. It's just a matter of finding
it... before I get my ass fried.'
He caught himself, or rather, the Evangelion did, in a crouch with the
left hand flat on the ground in front of the body. Then he had the EVA
push off and to the side as another blast made a neat furrow in the
concrete and the ground below in the place he'd been crouched.
"Need time. Let's see if this thing is as much a high-mobility weapon
as advertised." Shinji mumbled, vaulting over the wall of buildings on
his left as the Shito continued to track him and let off the occasional
shot. He hunkered down, trying to stay as much under cover as possible.
"Misato, I think I have an idea! I need a weapon! The fine art of
fistcuffs isn't going to help me with this one."
"Left of you, a little over half a kilometer. The big building with the
flashing red light on top." the answer came with little hesitation.
"Gotcha. Hope to the heavens this works."
He could see it, a bit off in the distance, the light flashing. The
Evangelion moved, Shinji finding it easier to put himself in the state
of mind that let him command the giant. The Shito fired again, the beam
missing his EVA by a few meters and blowing another building apart
instead.
Then he was there, not daring to slow down but going into a skid
instead, letting the friction bleed of his speed as he passed the
building. That had been the idea, at least, but unfortunately he'd
misjudged and Unit 01 slammed into the depot's side.
"Well, that's one way of stopping I don't reccommend," Shinji grunted
shakily as he regained his balance, and the Evangelion raised itself
from it's half-sprawl half-crouch.
His eyes scanned the contents of the now open sided building, he
reached out, felt Unit 01's hand close on the weapon he'd chosen, and
rolled aside again as the depot was hit. Apparently it was more sturdy
than the average building, since it was still standing afterwards.
Shinji fell back, bringing the depot between himself and the Shito,
leaned out a little to let his left arm come up - what looked like an
EVA scale Glock clutched in it - and took aim. Then he ducked again
before he got hit and called out:
"Okay, you have a ridiculously expensive war machine with electronics
that look like they cost more than a small country's upkeep for a year
and you _forget_ to put in something that gets a crosshair fire-assist
up on the HUD?! Who's bright idea was _that_?! Skip it! How many shots
in this thing?"
"Twenty rounds." answered Misato's voice.
He took a few deep breaths, grimacing at the LCL, the dull ache of his
right arm and head, the creeping sensation of fatigue, and acted.
* * *
"What are you doing?!" Misato shouted as the Evangelion stepped from
around the depot, hesitated for an instant... and ran. Its remaining
pauldron was nearly sheared off as Shinji managed to avoid another
incoming energy lance and strafed a building with said pauldron in the
process, causing it to hang awkwardly, bent back and half-crushed by
the impact.
The EVA brought up its left arm and snapped off a shot, the bullet from
the monster sized handgun going wide and hitting the building next to
the Shito. The next one clipped it on the arm, making the creature rear
back. The third one, fired a moment later, would have struck the leg if
the hexagonal pattern of the Shito's AT Field hadn't sprung up and
deflected the shot.
The EVA stopped firing, and ran full tilt for its attacker.
"It can either attack or defend, not both at once!" said Shinji. "Or it
takes a second or two to switch over every time at least! Since some
genius didn't think about fire-assist, I need to get close enough not
to need to aim!"
Another lance lashed out then, and Unit 01 barely managed to duck aside
in time, nearly overbalancing again, but now it was close enough.
* * *
Shinji brought up the gun, sighted the target, and fired. And kept
firing.
The first shot sailed past, going high, but the second struck the bony
'mask' that had been the Shito's head before it was pushed aside by the
current one after having been damaged by the N2 strike. The next struck
lower, actually scuffing the core and making the creature flinch... its
'eyes' glowed and Shinji knew that he was going too fast to just
sidestep like he had before, so he did the only other thing he could
think of. He jumped.
Another furrow was left in the street where the Shito's energy lance
had struck, but the Evangelion wasn't there anymore.
It was an odd feeling for Shinji. He'd always prided himself on his
self control, but this sensation - the tail end of an immense
adrenaline high, the stress, the odd dual sensory input that relayed a
brief weightlessness... a sense of detachment came over him as he
played out what he knew would be his last card. That he no longer felt
the pain in his right arm, instead of which there was now a sense of
pinpricks all over his skin, and everything seemed to be slightly
delayed, were both signs he knew were anything but good.
It was all he could do to focus on the target, slightly below him and
rapidly approaching - the jump had been a low one. He used the right
arm as a brace, setting the barrel in the crook of the elbow, and
emptied the clip.
The stacatto sounded like thunder, shots ringing out so fast that it
was nearly one constant sound rather than a fast succession of
rapports. This time his aim was better, despite the motion and
awkwardness of the position. The Shito was rocked back by the impacts,
chips of the white bone-like substance that covered its shoulders, head
and made up the bracing of the core flying as the bullets struck home.
Red shards were clipped from the core's side by one shot, then another,
and another... and then the Evangelion's armoured knees slammed into
the black mass that made up most of the Shito's body.
Two giants, one black and white, the other purple and green, were
rocked by the impact. The former fell, crashing down onto its back,
with the latter's knees planted in its abdomen.
Shinji shouted out, an incoherent scream, as he made the Evangelion
bring it's left arm down, pressed the muzzle of the gun to the Shito's
core, and pulled the trigger...
Only to have the gun explode in his hand as the hexagonal pattern of
the AT Field asserted itself right in front of the muzzle.
Eyes wide with momentary incomprehension, then with dread, the pilot of
Unit 01 felt something begin to build, press against his chest and
head, the force increasing at an alarming rate...
* * *
"The Shito's unfolding its AT Field again!" Maya's voice said in a
frantic tone.
On the screen, the EVA stiffened like a person touching a live-wire
before being flung back by a muscle spasm...
"...no." said Misato. "Shinji! Watch out!"
* * *
Tick.
Hopelessness.
He'd gambled and lost...
Fear.
He'd failed them, failed them all... failed himself.
Self-loathing.
He could have done it differently. He could have been prepared more
than he'd been.
Anger.
A primal feeling directed at the thing before him.
An odd sense permeating his limbs.
A spike of pain that lanced through him, and the sound of something
breaking could be heard.
His right arm was on fire.
Determination.
'Never surrender.'
His right arm was ice.
Tock.
* * *
"Right wrist is restored!" Hyuga's gasp rang out, cutting through the
dread of the command bridge as the tech himself stared at both the
image on screen and the status displays in sheer disbelief.
"Sync ratio spike! EVA 01 is unfolding its... no! The Evangelion's AT
Field is focusing!" Maya informed, eyes wide.
"What in the name of God...?!" Misato whispered as the view-screen
showed Unit 01 punching downwards at the Shito.
The Evangelion's right fist struck the hexagonal pattern of an AT Field
right above the core... then the armoured gauntlet shattered at the
first and second knuckle, the pattern parted before it. Fragments of
the crimson core erupted upwards, and from the camera feed within the
plug, on Shinji's screen, the occupants of the bridge saw that it
looked as if someone had slammed a sharp spike right through the middle.
"Energy fluctuation from the Shito! It's going to...!"
The screen went white.
"...self-destruct." Maya finished, lamely.
There was silence, and the compensators came back online. The white
dimmed down, flickered...
"...hey... Sato-chan..." said a gasping, weary voice over the speakers.
"...I think... I figured out... the AT Field thing."
On screen, at the edge of a rubble-strewn, charred crater, a blackened
and burned looking EVA 01 was sprawled, arms akimbo, half-embedded in
what remained of a building that had been half-consumed by the
explosion. The Evangelion's umbilical cord just... _stopped_ after
going a few meters away from the giant's back, the remains lying
against the crater's edge opposite the Evangelion.
A glint of something metallic descended, spinning wildly, and embedding
itself in the ground in front of the EVA... the remaining, half-
attached pauldron had been blown off and upwards by the explosion it
seemed. It wasn't much more than a charred and twisted piece of metal
now, half buried in the scorched ground.
Unit 01's mouth, the bottom still in what was left of the helmet's jaw
guard, the top grayed flesh and actual teeth, was open as the head was
laid back. Two wide, unearthly emerald eyes looked out from the gray
flesh, primary and secondary pupils wide.
Looking at the stars.
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