FADING AWAY IN TO OBLIVION

Aliya raised her gun slowly as she moved towards the dark corridor with her team behind her as she spoke down her radio. "Okay I'm here now Kyo." She paused looking at the flicking lights. "Yeah it's like they said the five corridors were knocked out completely they said no breaker went down and the camera's have all gone fucking weird like they're all static."

She slowly turned on her M400s flashlight seeing all the smashed glass. "This is fucking weird." Her brother who was standing opposite raised his gun as he pushed his dark hair back as he smiled showing off his golden canine tooth. "Looks like some horror movie game." Aliya moved her flash light she heard that the employees had seen something which had scared the hell out of them and they'd all fled but they had been that terrified that they had taken the guns with them even though they had never fired them.

"Yeah looks like fucking Doom, question is, where is our so called monster which they said sounded like a tiger and looked scary as hell?" She moved slowly through the corridor catching sight of blood on the floor near the vending machines where some one had smashed the tiles through.

All four vending machines had gone crazy because all of their sweets and crisps were stacked up at the bottom and there were drinks all over the floor. She moved her light catching sight of another bloody fist print on the wall. Her brother breathed in deeply. "What is it the vending machine monster?"

Aliya rolled her eyes. "Funny Leon, real funny…" Leon smirked hearing his robotic right leg grind a little as he spoke. "Oh come on sister you know that joke was funny." Aliya moved the flash light seeing a graphic novel on the floor she carried on moving catching sight of a phone which was laying side ways. She kneeled down slowly picking it up turning it around. "This just gets weirder and weirder." She watched as an orange demon icon suddenly popped up the fear in its eyes as it spoke. "Run away he's taken her over!"

Leon turned eyeing the little demon. "Hang on isn't that Anneberg, Asuka's little AI friend?" He raised his light catching sight of a thick leather jacket which had been dropped along with the black eye patch. "What the fuck that's her jacket, isn't that like some prized possession along with her patch?"

Aliya raised the phone looking at the AI personality. "What do you mean by taken over?" The demon blinked its green eyes darting. "It's the angel Bardiel!" Aliya blinked in confusion. "Bardiel is dead he died with the UN Alpha test unit." Her words were cut off as she heard a massive crash half a corridor away Kyo's voice came over the radio. "The pilots wreck room has just been entered cameras have all just died the doors unlocked themselves no key card was used." Aliya turned to one of the others as she picked up Asuka's jacket and patch. "Will one of you take Asuka's phone, jacket and patch to Misato now and sound the angel alarm?"

The man closest turned. "I'm fastest I'll go." Aliya handed them to him. "Don't stop for anything." She watched as he ran away from them as she turned shifting up the other corridor seeing an even more confusing sight as they got closer to the pilots wreck room whose doors had been literally forced open and both were now hanging off there hinges.

There was a t-shirt on the floor along with jeans and a bra, underwear and socks along with two skate shoes which were misplaced. "What the fuck did she turn into a werewolf or something?" She looked inside seeing only pitch black and no flickering lights nothing had been moved and nothing was out of place.

She stepped inside seeing that the door to the changing room was slightly ajar while the classic arcade game machines weren't on. She raised her gun moving inside seeing the pilots lockers she turned seeing shattered glass on the floor she moved her light upwards seeing that Asuka's plug suit was missing along with the interface clips all of the other suites were in place and untouched.

"Shit!" Leon blinked in confusion. "I don't get it she undressed and then took her plug suit and interface clips." He paused before speaking. "Is she going to pilot 02 or something?" He turned as he heard a massive crash they both ran seeing the fallen grate which had come down from the ceiling. Aliya looked up she could hear someone above scrambling through the ventilation.

She grabbed her radio. "Kyo I need the ventilation layout from the pilots wreck room, there's something wrong with Asuka and it looks like she's taken her plug suit and is now crawling the fucking ventilation ducks." She breathed in sharply. "Her little demon AI was talking about being taken over by Bardiel but it makes no fucking sense we were told she was clean after the UN Alpha test unit incident and her being put in that machine was a mistake."

Kyo voice came as spoke his voice filled with confusion. "I have her signal now as her plug suit is fitted with a special tracker it's there so they can find the pilots when they eject the entry plug in an emergency as some times they get out and they can be very disoriented and it allows the medical team to find them quickly." He paused before speaking again. "She's doubling back on herself I have no camera though they don't record down there."

His voice hit the air filled with surprise. "Wait I have an idea of what she's trying to do smart little ball of red fire, she's trying to follow the tunnels down so she can come out in the Arcade on level twenty." Aliya blinked in confusion raising her hand watching as the little holographic screen turned on and she could see the beeping blue dot. "Hang on that's not a direct route the bay it makes no fucking sense." Kyo breathed in deeply. "You don't understand she can just get into the veneration shaft on the other side of that level and it will take her straight down into the bay she can literally come out on top of the workers near 01!"

Aliya turned running watching as the others followed. "Who taught this woman about these paths? How does she even know about them I mean they don't train pilots in veneration travel other than the emergency routes if there's a power out!" Kyo's voice came again. "I have no idea and I did not train her in this, I'm going to have a team standing by when she appears though and I'm sending word to Misato as we speak."

Aliya looked up as the angel siren sounded bellowing outwards signalling that there was a major problem and danger and the employers needed to stand up even pick up guns if necessary. "Okay I'm coming down to that area now it will take us a moment to join the other team. I'm assuming what ever this is Kyo you want no part?"

Kyo voice came again. "Correct I will run all ops from up here at our military command central but I will not shoot or kill the closest person I ever had to a daughter and you're not going to change my mind in this regard we've already had this dance once and I'm not doing it again." Leon spoke as he ran. "We get you sir you don't have to explain that to us." Kyo spoke again. "I picked you both because I believe your judgement and my training makes you better than my foolish brother and I hope that today you prove me right." Aliya ran faster around the corner. "We hope never to disappoint you sir."

8

Shinji looked up as the alarm suddenly sounded he turned to Rei who looked confused. "What's going on?" Rei slowly put her honeydew tea down. "No idea." She turned. "Where is Asuka?" She turned as the sound of a gun suddenly hit the air. She ran up grabbing the balcony rails as she looked over only to see a special ops man come flying out of the tunnel two levels below as a roar hit the air.

It was long and loud and it echoed through the walls vibrating off everything causing every one to turn to see what was going on. She watched as one of the special ops teams appeared reading themselves. Aliya eyed the unconscious man who was some feet away his face covered in blood.

She turned as all of the lights all around her suddenly went down across the whole level causing cries of confusion and panic from everyone she raised the gun higher as she spoke. "Come out Asuka!" She paused seeing two glowing red eyes appear in the darkness the first looked mostly human though the pupil was glowing white while the other had spinning patterns of red and its pupil was also white. A dark voice spoke which sounded male but under it was Asuka's own voice but it was weak. "Asuka's not home."

Aliya breathed in as the figure appeared in the darkness and came out into the flicking light She could see Asuka face but it looked terrifying there were two rows of jagged razor teeth and upper and lower canine teeth which stuck out she was her plug suit but strangely enough the pendent she always wore was still around her neck. The red eyes slowly narrowed as the voice came again. "Now get out of my way!" There was a long pause. "Maybe you think you stand a chance, you don't!"

The foot raised as an inhuman roar hit the air again as it slammed down the next moment caused utter screaming and panic as every single glass window on the level shattered sending glass flying down which tore apart the huge two of the huge banners including the one which was one of Asuka's own digital paintings. "I am a god you are nothing."

Aliya breathed in deeply holding her nerve. "Bardiel right?" The toothed jaws formed a sadistic smile. "Yes." Aliya breathed in deeply. "They told us you fucking died!" Bardiel laughed moved a gloved hand to Asuka's head tapping it. "No I've been hiding in here all along your Nerv people knew about me but they couldn't get me out, oh yes they tried but failed."

He lowered Asuka's hand looking at it. "But don't worry you all had the real Asuka for as long as I allowed it but now that time is over and her body is mine to do as I will. Know that she put up one hell of fight and she's still fighting now to take back control but she won't succeed." Leon raised his gun. "We can shoot you, you know?" Bardiel shrugged imitating Asuka's behaviour. "Be my fucking guest."

Leon didn't think as he fired ignoring Rei's sudden scream from above only to watch as his bullets bounced off what looked to be an AT field but strangely as they did so he caught sight of a shadow figure which was weirdly overlaid on top of Asuka's body. It had huge clawed hands and feet and a long whip lash tail and a massive mouth of shark like teeth but it was obscured almost like smoke and it was standing on its huge hind legs. It vanished as the AT field dropped as the last bullet bounced off and Bardiel spoke again. "Get it human I am a god!"

There was a long pause. "You cannot stop me, you cannot kill me so you should let me pass your friends were no match either and the only reason I didn't kill them was because that's not my goal here today." Leon turned to Aliya. "What do you want to do?" Aliya breathed in deeply as she met Bardiel's gaze again. "I think you picked the wrong body personally she's not going to stop fighting you."

Bardiel's glowing eyes narrowed further. "So they keep telling me but I never see any proof that they're right." Leon pointed his gun at the pendent. "If she's so weak why can't you take off that pendant, you took of every piece of her identity and stole her plug suit yet that remains?" Bardiel looked down raising Asuka's hand pulling it up only for his hand to not respond to his brains signals he snarled trying again only for nothing to happen.

Aliya laughed watching as he tried a third time. "Oh yeah she's so weak yet she won't let you fucking remove that, which tells me you're not in as much control as you think you are and we both know who that pendent was from." Bardiel's roar of anger hit the air as another level fell in to darkness followed the screams as the glass shattered raining down on them from above.

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Leon smirked watching as the last of the glass fell. "I think the so called god might be afraid of the truth which is he's not as strong as he believes himself to be, unlike all the other angels we heard that you're just a parasite who latched onto an Evangelion, you're just afraid to die like all parasites!" Bardiel's mouth formed a sneer. "I am as strong as any of my brothers and sisters!" Aliya stood up slowly. "No you are not."

"Asuka!"

Aliya watched as Bardiel looked up catching sight of Rei who was looking down from the third floor the desperation in her face and her brothers. Bardiel's roar of anger hit the air as he looked at her. "You just don't fucking quit do you little human?"

He paused raising Asuka's hand. "You fucked her you got what you wanted she got what she wanted she's mine now! What did you really think you two were ever going to get happily ever after? Did you really believe in this world you were going to maybe one day get married and punch out little kids together? I brought you both together because it benefited me it was never for either of you it was just a stepping stone I had to cross to open Asuka's mind." He laughed coldly. "She's a fucking moron who couldn't get her feelings together and between you and me your sexual encounter was most enlightening now I finally see why Lilith made you as a race."

Rei looked down feeling the anger and rage take over before she could stop it. "You are such a piece of shit and this is not over Bardiel!" She felt her teeth grind together. "I will end you, if she doesn't!" Bardiel looked up as he laughed again. "Anger and swearing most curious as you are always so polite, quite and nice." He slowly started to walk forward. "We'll meet again Rei Ayanami but on a different battle field and very soon."

Aliya breathed in Kyo's voice came over the radio. "The Major is ordering us to pull back and leave the path completely clear for this thing if it wants to go to the bay let it! She asks that you get the two pilots to safety as the others are being brought to the wreck room and are being told to suite up she wants the same for Rei and Shinji." Leon grabbed his radio. "Order received Sir."

Bardiel smirked as they backed away slowly they didn't have it in them as he had suspected. He ignored Rei's ice cold stare as he walked slowly forward how nice it also was that they were allowing him to get to the bay. He smiled as he walked forward he would still have fun on his way down there though he'd cut out lifts and smash the glass and short out all the electrics. He would make them all remember what it was to fear a god and run in terror from one before this day was done because Lilith was always way to soft when it came to this little race, they needed to remember where they came from and what real fear felt like.

8

Misato looked at her screen as Kyo's voice hit the air. "Rei and Shinji have been pulled back to safety they have been returned to the wreck room along with all of the other pilots." Misato folded her arms as she looked at the others who were now watching Asuka march towards the bay blowing out every room's glass in the process which she had completely evacuated along with the whole route.

She could see Ritsuko and Gendo above sitting watching the whole thing. "Will 02 even move for him he's not Asuka?" Kaji threw a bunch of papers of Makoto's desk he'd clean them up later. "I have no idea." Maya looked up. "Theoretically he shouldn't even be able to pilot it he should be rejected just like any other pilot who's wrong."

Shigeru looked up sharply. "Is that the plan? Let him get in 02 and have it reject him because in the process it might force him out?" Misato folded her arms. "Yes, I know it's reckless I know it's dangerous to Asuka but it's the one chance we have got." Kaji typed on his holographic screen. "You're in charge." Misato turned giving him a smile watching as he smiled back before going back to his holographic screen. Shigeru looked up as the camera got in close on Asuka's face. "I'll say this I prefer Asuka's normal teeth and glowing eye over his, he makes her look vile."

Maya carried on typing. "I agree." She paused eyeing her holographic screen. "He's shutting down everything he passes lifts, locking doors and turning off lights I was only just able to get power back to the pilots wreck room but I had to bypass three sections and feed it in from there." Misato breathed in deeply. "It's like some child having a massive tantrum." Maya looked up. "Was it something we said to Asuka though? I mean this happened half an hour after our talk and the last place she was seen was close to the venting machines near the pilots wreck room."

Misato moved closer to Kaji's desk. "Kaji can you get that camera in closer and turn it?" Kaji typed as he looked up seeing what she was looking at. "Okay that weird they said they found all of Asuka's clothes lying around, clearly he missed something." Kyo's voice came over the com. "One of my men is coming up to you he has Asuka's, phone, patch and Jacket." Misato turned pressing her com. "We are receiving you loud and clear Kyo."

She turned watching as man ran in carrying the items he breathed in as he passed them to her. "Major you might want these, it's just the little demon AI was talking about Asuka's being taken over by an angel." She took them from his hand placing them on the table close to her as she eased up Asuka's phone. "Thank you, you can go now." The man nodded as he left she turned swiping the screen watching as Anneberg appeared with a look of uncertainty on his animated face. "Anneberg is it?"

Anneberg green eyes blinked. "Yes." Misato looked at him. "Want to tell me what happened?" Anneberg paused for a long moment before speaking as he flashed his teeth. "It's Bardiel he took her over, she was reading, though I couldn't see what I could hear him though as he forced his way into her mind it took him three minutes to fully take over because she fought him so hard. Once he took over he threw me away he referred to me as pathetic toy and he wanted to get rid of all of Asuka's human bonds."

Misato looked at him as she eyed the pendent which was still over the top of Asuka's plug suit. "He couldn't get rid of that pendent though could he?" Anneberg's eyes narrowed. "He tried very hard but he couldn't remove it was the second thing he tried to remove but I believe Asuka just wouldn't let him, she's still in there somewhere fighting him it was not easy for him this time around he had to fight much harder." Misato looked up. "Okay Anneberg I have to stop talking now as Bardiel is entering the Evangelion bay but we are doing everything we can to stop him."

She paused before speaking. "We are going to get Asuka back okay?" The animated head nodded sadly as he vanished as she put the phone down. She turned back to the screen watching as Bardiel raised Asuka's hand causing the huge bay door to open as he walked through looking inside the Evangelion bay at the two sets of Evangelions in there rows. Maya looked up as she spoke in confusion. "How is he going to even get in 02 out, it's not prepped even though it has its entry plug inside?"

8

Bardiel slowly walked up the main gangway which was like a high tower which allowed him to see all of the false gods he raised Asuka's hand slowly towards 02. "Awaken!" He snarled seeing no response. "I know you're fully aware I know your fully alive do not pull this shit on me, you can turn on whenever you want just like a number of your companions!" He stopped realizing that someone was behind him.

He slowly turned around catching sight of a small girl standing some way from him dressed in a school uniform and she looked very similar to Asuka's love interest Rei but so much younger in that she was only fifteen years old. She also had red eyes and blue hair and she was looking at him with the same distain as her counterpart had done not more than ten minutes ago the expression was a perfect mirror.

"Well, well I did wonder when you'd show up again, you do like to interferer at first I thought you were just Asuka's misplaced imagination but over time I started to get that you weren't." The girl didn't speak she just stared at him coldly. "Yes I remember you now from the last time we met in the former world during the last cycle you know the one where you messed up badly as Asuka had her left eye completely torn out and her leg permanently crippled. She hated you with a passion for a very long time then later on you became a living god and helped her cause the final impact after Shinji died in 01 while trying to fight the mass produced Evangelion series."

The girl looked up as she spoke in a voice that sounded a lot more mature than her age. "I'm not her…her recantation was in the other room not long before you came here I'm from another place." There was a long pause. "I'm from the very first cycle in this world there were others like me who are similar but not the same, I was separated off at the breaking at the end of the world from the one who made me and given divine powers and given the ability to travel and transcend worlds. I've been to worlds and places beyond even your comprehension though I travelled, I made a choice to return. I'm the one who now chooses to stay and I made the choice to change this world because its former was overflowing with sorrow and drowning in emptiness and suffering."

Misato looked at her screen in shock. "Are you all seeing this?!" She looked up seeing that even Gendo and Ritsuko were shocked as they were both standing up which was very rare.

Bardiel folded his arms. "Ah so you are the living god I've heard my brothers and sisters whisper about, who was endowed with all of Lilith's power not once but twice." The girl looked up slightly. "Yes I'm the one you all whisper about like fools I'm also the reason it takes all of you longer to get to this world because I ensure that the galaxy and stars throw obstacles at you and wormholes open constantly."

Bardiel eased out Asuka's gloved hand ignoring her screams of rage which were echoing at the back of his mind. "But that makes no sense your counterpart became a living god too and Asuka became a bloody god of destruction and the destroyer of worlds."

The young girl expression remained cold. "My counterpart gave all of her powers to me in return for a normal life, I ensured her birth and that it was natural because she was sick of being recreated over and over as a clone and being mixed with Yui's blood and Lilith's to create an abomination. She was sick of being everyone's tool and expendable and replaceable. She knew that Shinji was prized by Gendo because he came directly from Yui's womb and she wanted the same and she wanted to grow up, they all did."

Bardiel smirked. "But she made a deal with Asuka." The young girl's eyes narrowed. "For such a so called clever angel you are not as clever as you appear as you clearly couldn't tell the difference between us. Her deal was with me not the other Rei, she knew Shinji would never love her because in that world he had fallen in love with Kaworu but Kaworu also died and Shinji gave up and Arael took advantage of his sorrow and destroyed his mind granted he woke up eventuality from his coma but he could not destroy the mass produced Evangelion series despite Asuka's help."

She looked up slightly." Asuka seeing nothing left worth fighting for sided with Rei throwing all of her hated aside despite that she was the one who destroyed you in the former world and it caused the loss of her eye and crippled her right leg permanently which meant she could never pilot a hundred percent again and her unit would always limp around and be much slower than the others."

Her red eyes blinked. "They both brought about the end of days and at the breaking of time it was only Asuka that crawled out of the red sea Shinji did not want to join her this time. He wanted to remain in human instrumentality so he could be with a fake vision of Kaworu despite that she tried to force him to leave because the illusion was fake. Some time later the other Rei crawled onto the beach of exodus from the red sea taking his place."

She took a step forward. "They both argued but something had changed Asuka just couldn't force her rage onto that Rei like so many life times before and she gave up and took a long walk leaving her alone on the sand much to her heartbreak and sadness. Like you though she couldn't tell one from the other so when she got back she had no idea that I'd already made the deal and sent that Rei onto her next life in the way she wanted."

She paused meeting his gaze directly. "The Asuka who came back was not the one who left in anger she was different she finally realized that change had to come from within herself and she broke down and apologised to me. I asked her what she wanted and she said she wanted to grow up and have a real life she asked me to change her in a way that she could love others and have someone to love her in return she said she would sacrifice anything even if it meant her happiness."

Bardiel felt a cold smile form. "What did she sacrifice?" The young girl's mouth formed a cold smile. "It is not for a lesser beings like you to know." Bardiel narrowed his gaze. "I'm guessing you're here to stop me but my contract with Asuka was signed through her soul and I will get what she promised me the last time we met and you have no control over it!"

The girls smile widened further. "No I'm not here to stop you Bardiel I'm here to watch you fail miserably because you deserve no less for meddling in my affairs, Rei and Asuka are now mine I created them as they wished they were never yours to toy with over a spiteful bet with your brother Arael." She looked up as Bardiel came to stand over her. "This is my world I moved the pieces around to benefit everyone in some way it's my creation and you and your brothers and sisters will never ever rule supreme over it regardless of any of your past deals sealed with the light of a soul."

End of part 58

Silvermoonlight