LEAPING IN TO THE UNKNOWN

Maya opened the door to her office as she eyed her tablet she'd being trying yet again to figure out why 00 had not been touched by Asuka AT shock wave. Also all of the younger woman's samples had all come up clean and she was no closer to finding an answer and it annoyed her.

She turned only to freeze as she caught sight of Ritsuko who was seated in her chair wearing her typical trouser suit with her long blonde hair over her shoulders. "Get out of my office, you are not welcome here!" Ritsuko felt a cold smile form. "Your office oh but it used to be mine." Maya put the tablet to one side eyeing her. "Yeah and you gave it up when you decided to crawl up the social ladder so get out!"

Ritsuko folded her legs lying back in the chair. "We used to have such fun times here I remember you pining over me pathetically and me being so completely unaware of it." Maya narrowed her gaze. "Yeah maybe if I'd known what you were really like to start with I wouldn't have bothered." Ritsuko stood up putting her hands behind her back. "Now you're protecting Asuka you Misato and that creep Kaji, did you all think I wouldn't find out the truth!?"

Maya eyed her in confusion. "Are you drunk or something?" She raised her hand to the door. "Because if you are I'm not interested in your spiteful alcoholic rage and it has no place in my office, so leave!"

Ritsuko moved closer to her. "It has nothing to do with drinking you kept the fact that there's an angel attaching itself to her inner brain!" Maya looked at for a long moment. "Please the angel's dead we all saw the rainbow and Asuka's scans, she is clean." She raised her hand. "This is about Kyoko again isn't it? You just can't stand that her and Kiko sided with Yui and not you when it all blew up, gods you're so petty!"

Ritsuko moved over to Maya's hologram panel pushing a data card in to the slot watching as hundreds of images appeared she moved the one forward with Asuka showing off her razor sharp teeth under water which started playing. "Tell me this is normal? Because this is not normal and the wave machine blowing out was her she sent out physical shock wave, just like the one that came out of her Evangelion after it turned in to a demented oni!" She threw the video back bringing up others. "She even talks to herself there is even footage of her as recent as this morning talking to someone!" She stepped closer. "Whoever this thing is they're pushing a lot of her emotional buttons and driving her crazy, granted she's always been a moody hormonal little shit but now her anger is very much out of control first the gym and not two hours ago a vending machine."

Maya felt a cold sneer form. "Oh please we all knew the fight between Mari and Asuka was going to happen the writing has been on the wall for over a year! Asuka wasn't even the aggressor Mari started on her first and Asuka didn't fight back she let herself be kicked around, she also went to great lengths to protect Rei from being smacked with a wooden plank!" She folded her arms. "Plus who gives a damn about a single vending machine they are easy enough to fix?"

Ritsuko brought up the wave photo with red glowing eyes turning it slowly as she brought up the footage showing Asuka glowing eye and razor teeth once more as she froze it. "This image on the right with red eyes, that was in her brain waves sync pattern."

She brought up a brain scan but one that looked real she moved her finger slicing off the top so it showed a working brain in real time. "Clearly when you took my job and got your degree in sciences you didn't learn anything." She eyed the brain half which was covered with glowing blue pulsing veins. "The whole of Asuka's cerebellum is filled with these glowing neon veins, it's that angel! Its been hiding out in her for days it's probably taken over her mind by now, you may have not even speaking to the real Asuka I mean this things wired her motor control and speech completely."

She leaned over seeing Maya's shock. "Yes take a good long look Maya because this is probably the last time you're ever going to see Asuka again. I've already sent out a call for the special ops to detain her alive and her units going in to quarantine! We are going to take her to the Obrax coffin and we are going to drive this thing out of her mind for good because your decontaminator Orion clearly didn't cut it!" Maya looked at her in shock. "Obrax doesn't work, you've had nothing but countless failures when testing it, it's the reason I created Orion in the first place its much more stable and it doesn't cause harm to the pilots body because the tank water acts as a cushion so the waves can do their job!" She looked up. "Obrax is like a microwave it will kill her and if it doesn't kill her it will send her crazy because you'll be forcing this thing out through her nose or mouth, you could destroy her whole personality if it passes anywhere near her frontal lobe!"

Ritsuko felt a cold sneer form. "Well then she'll wind up like her bitch of a mother in a mental ward where she belongs!" She turned watching as Misato walked in followed by Kaji. "Oh well look whose here, well isn't that nice you can both get a front seat to this show as well!"

8

Asuka slowly walked the long corridor which would lead out on to the Arcade level with its many levels of shops and restaurants. She wasn't that hungry but she wanted something sweet like a milk shake she breathed in deeply something just didn't feel right, why was there no one around here going up and down?

There was always people around here she stopped as she eased up her hands adjusting her leather jacket sleeves and collar only to feel something hard as it pressed against shoulders as Kyo's calm voice hit the air. "Hello Asuka." Asuka breathed in deeply she already knew why they were here.

The thing she had feared most in all the world had finally come to pass she closed her good eye for a long moment before opening it. It didn't matter anymore nothing did all that mattered was that she'd die knowing at least that Rei would finally have the truth, she deserved that above all else.

She breathed in feeling the anger start to burn true she could just give up but she just didn't want that she wanted to go out of this world fighting if this was going to be her last day on earth. She spoke feeling her teeth grind together as she punctuated every word "Why hello Kyo…you verfickter sell out."

She turned seeing him and the rest of his men and women in full black military gear standing behind her they all had lightning rods which were similar to an old world teaser guns but they were much more precise as they hurt you in certain areas and could be extremely painful. Kyo breathed as he eased the pistol away from her shoulders he had no intention of using it and he hated that he had been ordered to do this because he had the up most respect for the red haired woman.

He had also always defended her when others spoke ill of her and this included his younger brother Yuki who hated her with a passion as he always preferred Mari over her. "Its orders from Ritsuko and Gendo you know I don't make the rules Asuka, I have to obey them though." He breathed in deeply. "If you come quietly this will be a whole lot easier." Asuka eased up her hands looking at them. "What makes you even think for five seconds that I'm going to come quietly Kyo?" Kyo slowly put his gun away as he eased up his lightning rod turning it on. "Don't do this Asuka I don't want to see you hurt." Asuka felt a wide toothy grin form she turned making sure he could see it. "What even makes you think you even stand any chance against me?"

Kyo looked around. "Because there's way more of us and one of you and there are many more teams waiting you can't take us all out, you know that, I taught you that." Asuka breathed in deeply as her hand slowly formed a fist. "Yeah but you know me Kyo I really love a challenge more than anything."

She spun around grabbing the nearest mans hand before he could react shoving his lightning rod straight in to his stomach as she brought up her foot smashing it straight into the woman's face opposite causing her to hit the ground. She went for the third man grabbing his helmet forcing his head down smashing it directly in to her knee with enough force to draw blood as she grabbed his lightning rod putting straight in to the woman's shoulder opposite turning it on full power watching as the lighting cracked outwards before she kicked her with all of her might sending her flying across the ground ignoring the cry of pain. She turned eyeing Kyo who didn't move as he eyed his now fallen team.

He slowly lowered his lightning rod as he switched his radio off. "I'm not going to fight you Asuka I'll give you a head start though, you know my younger brother will be onto you I can't stop him." Asuka threw the lighting rod in her hand down as she vaulted into a full blown run towards the Arcade not looking back for a second. She knew her being there would make it hard for them and if she could get to the Delphi gardens she could take the sky train to the surface it was a three minute trip and no one would be able to stop her.

She looked up sharply watching as a woman come flying around the corner with her lightning rod held high she leaped up grabbing the door frame above her forcing her knee forward watching as it collided with the woman's face causing her lightning rod to get thrown through the air as she fell back hitting the floor hard. She came down landing hard on her feet she knew the corridor to the Arcade was long and winding and they wouldn't stop coming but she going to fight every last verfickten one of them to the bitter end!

8

Shinji eased up his coffee taking a slow sip as he looked out over the vast Arcade level from where he was seated with Rei at the restaurant she was calmly eating Miso soup while reading a life style magazine. He could see Mari and Toji a level down talking about something as they looked out over the different levels. "Have you seen Kaworu?" Rei looked up slightly. "He's on his way here but he said that the route on the opposite end of the Arcade zone has been blocked off for some reason he can't get through and the special ops won't tell him why." Shinji breathed in deeply. "It's probably another annoying training exercise."

He eyed his half empty bowl of food. "I just saw Asuka an hour ago." Rei looked up sharply. "How was she? I mean she just vanished I thought she was going to stay with us and have breakfast I just turned around and she was gone I don't know how she vanishes like that." Shinji tensed as he looked down. "She was acting really strange." He eased his hand in to his shirt pocket easing out the gold disc with had an engraved demon on it. "She was really adamant that you should have this." Rei took the disc eyeing it. "What is it?" Shinji raised his hand. "I have no idea and she looked really scared about something but she just wouldn't go into what it was and she was being really cryptic and not making any real sense. She spoke about some kind of darkness in side of her that she couldn't control."

He pushed his bowl aside. "I tried to get her to tell me what it was but she got really angry and smashed up a vending machine I'm really worried about her." He looked up as he heard a sudden commotion bellow he looked around seeing that every one was getting up all over the place even on the levels above him to look down. "What is going on down there?" Rei got up looking at him as she put the disc away. "I have no idea."

They both moved towards the edge looking over just in time to watch as a special ops man was literally thrown out of the corridor on the far side. He slammed into the railing going still as Asuka ran out not even looking back as she sprinted for all she was worth as three more special ops flew out of the corridor opposite going after her and more pouring out of the corridor behind her all of them were dressed in full military gear with lightning rods in their hands as they carried on pursuing with no intention of stopping. He watched as Nerv staff everywhere got up trying to get out of the way of the commotion and away from them.

Asuka turned on her heels as one man tried to grab her she grabbed his arm yanking it sideways as she threw him head first into a bunch of café chairs sending food and drink flying everywhere as she punched the woman coming at her in the face then grabbed her rod hitting her a second time sending her crashing sideways she turned knocking the other man clean off his feet before slamming the rod down squarely on to his stomach causing him to cry out in agony before tossing it away.

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She could see the Delphi gardens across from her on the lower level but there was a drop, a long drop with no stairs onto a restaurant platform below. She could see Kyo again following with his men and women, she couldn't make the jump the fall would kill her it would be like jumping from down from a high room onto another and if she missed she would fall onto an even lower platform which would kill her for sure. "Jump." Asuka breathed in seeing that Bardiel was close by. "I won't make it, the fall will kill me!" Bardiel felt a wide smile form. "Yes you will believe in my gifts."

She turned seeing that Kyo had stopped his men and women some way back from her as he spoke his voice filled with panic. "Don't even think about it Asuka I'm begging you!" Asuka slowly lowered herself getting ready she knew she needed a massive run up. "You give me no choice Kyo!" Kyo breathed in shaking his head seeing his men and women blink in shock and confusion. "You can't make the leap we both know that, if you miss the platform below the one lower down will kill you!" Asuka turned eyed him. "Do you know what my name means Kyo? It means to fly!"

Kyo looked up in horror as she burst into a run not stopping or hesitating. She was going to die by falling to her death and there was nothing he could do to stop it! He turned seeing four men and women appear on a higher level with long rifles which he knew were filled with special human sedative needles which had special flights tips they were normally used to take out difficult people who were problematic and only as a last resort there sedative was also very short lasting. He grabbed his radio. "For the love of all that's sacred Aliya do not let your team fire upon her she's going to jump the level!" He heard the woman's voice come back filled with shock. "You can't be serious?!"

Asuka felt every moment as the world slowed as her feet hit the floor with every step she could see Bardiel by her side running on all fours his huge feet coming down in perfect time with hers. There was nothing no sound just her and him running towards the end section which wasn't railed. It never had been it was there so employees who were brave enough could stand on the long un-railed balcony and look skyward at all of the levels above, below it was a restaurant with metal tables and chairs.

She closed her good eye feeling her left one start to go warm, if she survived this she'd never question her bodies abilities ever again and she would never doubt what she was capable off. She would never have attempted something like this before the accident she would have been to afraid of failing though she'd never admit it openly. She opened her good eye as she let out a scream as her feet left the floor at the last second and she flew through the air raising her hands, feeling the wind as it rushed past her as she looked downwards bending her legs.

She watched as Bardiel landed first, he came down on one of the restaurants tables then leaped off she breathed in preparing for the pain as she hit the table opposite him before crashing straight through it. It fall side ways as its chairs were thrown over as she slammed painfully into the floor and a metal chair fell on top of her.

She couldn't move all she could do was take in slow deep breathes it wasn't so much the pain she could handle that but the adrenaline. Her heart beat was pounding like crazy in her ears as she lay still on the floor unmoving waiting for it to pass which felt like it was taking forever. Kyo ran to the edge looking over to where Asuka was now lying on her front unmoving she had really smashed up the chairs and the metal table on her landing and it was so quite now no one was talking it was dead silent because no one knew if she was alive or dead.

He looked up seeing that Rei was running down the levels the panic and horror in her face along with her brother his radio went off as Aliya spoke. "Is she dead, I repeat is she dead we can't tell from here? That chair is blocking our view of her chest and that long damn red hair of hers is in front of her face." Asuka breathed in as she grabbed the chair which had fallen sideways on top of her throwing it off violently. She pulled herself on to her knees before easing up first leg followed by the other as she slowly rose to her feet looking up seeing that Bardiel was smiling at her as he flicked his tail. Her gaze travelled past him to the Delphi garden which was so close now she literally only had to run up the marble white stairs to get to it.

Kyo stared in utter shock he wasn't the only one there were hundreds of people all around him looking just as shocked the most shocked being Rei and Shinji who were very close to Asuka's platform bellow him. Yuki's younger voice came over the radio filled with anger. "That's not fucking possible the fall should have killed her and if not that her legs should have been shattered from the landing! I'm finishing this clearly your not cut out for this big brother your emotions are getting in the way of your better judgement!"

His fist hitting something was heard over the radio. "That little smart ass made that crazy jump on purpose! She wanted to land on that level because she's going to the Delphi gardens so she can catch the sky train! If she gets on that thing it's a three minute trip to freedom she can go into the visitor centre building and be out of the central doors before we can't stop her she can also open the iris code lock. It's not like they'll stop her either because they'll think she's visiting and since she very rarely goes up to the visitor centre they won't question it they'll just think it's a special visit. Even if the security realize different and tries to stop her they don't stand a chance she taken out three units as it is."

His voice came again filled with annoyance. "The other pilots Rei and Shinji are also getting to close stop them inferring I'm going to enter the garden via the other entrance!" Kyo breathed in deeply as he watched Asuka break in to a run heading up the white stairs, Rei and Shinji were so close to her now. He could see Mari and Toji and Kaworu who were also coming down his radio came on again as the Aliya spoke. "My brother Leon has a clean shot would you like him to take it?" Kyo breathed in painfully. "No don't take the shot the other pilots are to close and if she falls, she could crack her head open on the stone stairs." He put a hand on his face everything about this was wrong Asuka wasn't a criminal and he didn't want to be part of this vile unfair game anymore.

He believed in stopping threats to Nerv, she wasn't a threat she was just a person who had, had bad things happen to her and she deserved better than this from everyone. Ritsuko was using her now inhuman strength caused by the feedback loop when her Evangelion had transformed to justify this utterly spiteful bullshit. She was making up some shit about her being infected by an angel she was Asuka nothing had changed and if an angel had infected her why was Nerv still standing?

He turned on his radio it was in his brother's hands now and he didn't see him being able to stop her though he would watch none the less. "Step down and retrieve the wounded and pull back Yuki is taking it from here."

Asuka ran through the huge open stone frame which was decorated the entrance and was filled with Greek carvings she was so close she just had to run to the end of the garden where the sky train was. She looked up only to see lighting rod heading towards her face everything turned to blinding pain as she smashed in to the floor sideways feeling the cold blood as it started to run down her chin.

Her head was spinning and for one painful moment as everything went in and out of focus as a young voice hit the air. "You know your actuality much smarter than I give you credit for Asuka." Asuka slowly got to her knees seeing Yuki close by in his full gear with two lightning rods one in each hand. He had short black hair and light brown eyes and there was almost twelve years between him and his older brother he was also slimmer in his build.

She'd always hated Yuki he was an arrogant bastard who thought he was better than everyone else and she'd always made a big deal out of doing her hand to hand combat training with Kyo rather than him because she couldn't stand to be around him. She knew Mari hero worshipped him and that they were friends. "Oh look who is it, it's the verfickte lesser brother." She turned spiting the blood in her mouth in his direction as she stood up fully. "The one who's cheap and nasty…"

Yuki eased up his lightning rod turning it on. "Oh that's funny coming from the German bisexual bitch that went out of her way to beat up a woman in glasses!" Asuka laughed not caring that it sounded cold even to her own ears. "Oh please tell me you're not seriously talking about Mari are you? Because she verfickt had it coming!" Yuki turned on the other lightning rod. "No you're the one who has it coming, you have no idea how long I've wanted to fight you!" Asuka eased her hands out. "I don't know what planet you're on Yuki but in my world you don't beat up really beautiful women who are unarmed with planks of wood which was what she tried to do!"

Yuki smirked. "Always thinking with your lowers you're so predicable Asuka that it's just sad, everyone knows you only took that beating because you want to get into Rei's panties, what's wrong Shinji didn't cut it so your aiming lower?" Asuka felt her teeth grind together as her hand formed a fist. "You are such a piece of scheisse, you make judgments on me based on how I acted in my teens you and everyone else you're always doing that to me and I am so sick and tired of it!" She breathed in painfully. "I get it I'm the asshole no one wants to be around but I have been trying so hard to change over the last five years and no one's even noticed and no one cares!"

She looked up seeing thousands of people all looking down through the glass above which was only in this section of the garden and not the rest so they could hear this conversation as it wasn't sound proofed. "I get it you'd all be happier if Mari had killed me in the UN Alpha test unit and believe me there were days afterwards in the hospital where I wished she had!" She looked up slightly. "Because I hated the loneliness so much that it hurt!" She narrowed her gaze. "But I wouldn't expect you to understand the whole concept of loneliness since you have a nice girlfriend waiting for you every night when you get home."

She looked down sadly. "I bet its nice when she puts her arms around you hugs you and kisses away your pain on long nights and she's always there to talk to you when you're feeling down." She felt her teeth grind together as she spoke. "You're such a lucky bastard and you take it all for granted, if I had half of what you have I would be eternally grateful." She raised her hands. "But its fine go ahead beat the hell out of me I won't stop you, I really don't care anymore my whole life has been one painful step after another what's one more beating to add to my utter verfickte misery? I just don't want to cry or feel the pain anymore it just hurts so much and it's all of time almost every day."

She watched as Yuki got closer only for the pain to hit her as he smashed the rod in to her side causing her to step back painfully. She felt the intense pain as she was struck again causing her to fall to her knees as Yuki's voice hit the air filled with rage. "Fight me!" The rod smashed against her shoulders throwing her forward. "I said fight me!"

Asuka eyed him remaining still she eased up her hand pulling her patch off putting it in her pocket as she turned looking him straight in the eyes ignoring his shock which was clearly over how her left eye looked as she spoke softly. "You know it's not the same is it when people don't fight back or won't or even can't suddenly it's not fun anymore is it? It just makes you feel dirty on the inside because your being a bully and a coward."

Yuki brought the rod up smashing it across her face watching as she hit the floor on her side showing deep pain. "This is a trick we both know what your really are Ritsuko told us!" Asuka slowly got to her knees feeling her head spin painfully it was so painful that she had to put her hand on her head as she spoke. "Ritsuko hated my mother…it's the reason she hates me and she has always wanted to put me through the grinder!" She looked up. "Are you just not smart enough to see that?" She looked down sadly. "Or do you just follow orders blindly?"

Kyo breathed in painfully as he loaded the rifle with a sedative dart from his spot which was further inside the gardens. He couldn't watch this any more it was just to painful, he could see Rei and Shinji who were both being held back by Yuki's men and women but they were fighting to get through and they weren't not more than ten feet from Asuka though through out this fight her attention had been on Yuki and not them and he doubted that she knew that they both been there throughout this whole conversation he wouldn't let his stupid dishonourable little brother hurt her anymore.

She wasn't even fighting back she was just letting herself take the beating and what she saying was really heartbreaking. He eased up the rifle watching as Asuka staggered getting onto her feet once more she was in so much pain both physically and emotionally, he took a deep breath hating himself for having to do this. "I'm so sorry Asuka." Yuki raised the lightning rod only to hear the cracking echo as a gun was fired he turned watching as thin small dart hit Asuka squarely in her neck.

She seemed to stumble clearly feeling the pain as she looked up for a long moment at the geo fronts white sunlit sky above as the light showered down up on her the sadness seemed to fade from her face. It was replaced with the look of a person who had accepted and surrendered themselves to there fate with out question. He watched as her left eye span its circles and patterns igniting in a blaze of pure piercing white and blue light for a single moment before dimming almost to nothing as she fell side ways hitting the floor on her side as both of her eyes closed and she went completely still.

Rei shoved past the special ops team seeing her brother finally break through she ran up to Asuka only for one of another woman to grab her before she could touch her friend she was yanking back as another man also pulled Shinji back. "Leave her alone you can't do this she's done nothing wrong!" Shinji pulled trying to get himself free of the man behind him. "Why are doing this?!"

Yuki turned eyeing Gendo's son and daughter as a man and woman came over picking up Asuka by the shoulders and began to drag her away. "We are doing this because it's your stepmother and father's orders!" He felt a sneer form. "It also doesn't concern you or your little sister so stand down!" He felt a cold smile form on his lips. "She's being arrested for treason so take a good long look at her because this maybe the last time you will ever see her alive!"

End of part 24

Silvermoonlight