WAR TORN AND UNDER FIRE

Shinji walked into the wreck room seeing that everyone was there he could see Asuka fast asleep in her chair Rei was on the sofa opposite playing her hand held, while Kaworu was crossing off notes for his resent symphony. Toji was running the battle simulations while Mari was chatting with her AI cat Cheshire through her phone via text message. "I thought you'd all be out getting breakfast."

Mari looked up meeting his gaze. "I ate out last night with Toji at this American diner in Nerv we are so stuffed so we skipped breakfast." Shinji watched as Kaworu moved up on the two seat sofa so he could sit down he could see Rei sitting next to Toji they used to be on opposite sides but since she had started her relationship with Asuka they had switched sides and Toji didn't mind since it put him closer to Mari anyway. Mari turned slightly. "How does she do that?"

Rei looked up. "What?" Mari eyed Asuka. "Look so innocent when she's sleeping? Like you wouldn't think that she's going to bite your head off." She paused adjusting her glasses. "Why is she so tired anyway?" Rei looked at her feeling a coy smile form. "We had a very late night last night." Shinji looked at her reading straight between the lines. "We had one of those two." Kaworu looked up speaking calmly putting a hand on his knee. "Yes we got back from the Korean restaurant late."

He paused before feeling a smile form. "So we made music." Rei looked up she knew full well when Kaworu referenced the word music in that way it had nothing to do with music." She looked up slightly. "I took Asuka to this German restaurant we ate a lot and then played video games." She felt her smile widen. "The game kept us up all night."

Shinji eyed her like Kaworu used music as a way of saying they'd had sex he knew full well that Rei used the term video games to say the same, because she very rarely talked about video games. Mari glanced over at Rei she wasn't stupid she could see something going on between brother and sister they were throwing around some phoney code word for sex.

She turned eyeing Asuka. "You rode Asuka like a fucking derby horse didn't you Rei?" Rei carried on playing her game not looking up. "I'm not answering that." Mari got up suddenly laughing. "Oh gods you did, you wore out the tiger I didn't think that was remotely possible." Rei paused her game eyeing her. "Do not wake her up." Mari moved kneeling down opposite her side of the sofa. "Please tell me what she's like in bed? Like my life will not complete until I know, because I thought she wouldn't eat you out but more eat you alive."

She put her hands together making a praying gesture ignoring Toji who was rolling his eyes. "Like I must know do you have to keep her on a chain or something?" Rei turned sharply. "Go away Mari, go bother my brother instead." Mari turned eyeing Shinji and Kaworu. "Its not worth bothering Shinji his love life isn't hard to figure out we all know Kaworu's probably on top and he's underneath because he's inexperienced."

Shinji eyed her. "Hey!" Kaworu looked up slightly a smile forming on his lips as he spoke calmly. "No he's very gifted and he can do multiple positions." Shinji turned sharply trying to hide the blush. "Kaworu!" Mari felt a coy smile form. "I see I stand corrected." She turned eyeing Rei as a naughty smile formed on her lips. "You though I have no idea who is on top, I just can't figure it out."

She paused turning serious. "Like we know Asuka's left eyes glows like a light beam and her teeth grow when she's hot with desire for you. Like doesn't that scare you at all because her back teeth look like there can tear off flesh it must make kissing hard?" Rei looked at her putting her hand held to one side realizing that she was never going to hear the end of this from Mari until she came clean. "Between you and me I like the teeth and the eye and she has never bitten me or bled me while we kissed. Granted I once cut myself on her teeth but that was because I asked to see them and I pressed my thumb on them to see how sharp they were."

She breathed in deeply. "Like I said at the interview she treats me with the up most respect and that's in everything including sexual situations, so no it's not like riding a derby race horse or some crazy savage tiger, she's a very loving human being." She looked up knowing that her next comment would cause some shock probably most from her brother and Toji as she didn't normally speak openly about sex as like her brother she was very private about it as she saw it as her own business and no one else's. "If you're wondering who it was that started it, it wasn't her it was me, because I wanted her to make love to me and she's been holding back for so long and just wouldn't make the first move."

Mari smirked ignoring everyone's shock frankly she knew all to well that the quite ones were always the most surprising. She sat down eyeing her. "Ah so you do have a dark side Rei I thought as much because lets face it she has a dark side herself and it must really draw you in but at the same time it's safe because you know she won't ever hurt you because she loves you way too much, I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you."

She was about to say more only to stop as Misato came running through the doors the anger in her face. "Cerberus and Ankh are both attacking each other over fucking Oakland USA they're blowing each other to bits and shooting everyone in flying wings and vertical wings!"

Rei turned sharply. "They're trying to kill each other in a mayor city?" Toji sat up. "I know they hate each other but since when do they pull this kind of chicken shit?" Shinji looked up recomposing himself. "Why would Ankh want to even go there? There's nothing of value there, we don't run any Evangelion programs in that city the main divisions are in Connecticut and New York."

Misato eyed him. "We don't know and I can't work it out either, because the other Nerv military bases are in the Nevada desert while its counterpart is in Puebla City over in Mexico but neither of these bases create Evangelion's they help create our normal military weapons and run sync tests on people. She turned sharply. "Mari you're going and so is Asuka as she has the most experience in war torn cities and night combat so you'll be learning from her."

She raised her hand. "I don't want any arguments on this from either of you!" Mari felt a smile form as she turned pointing at Asuka who was still sleeping. "No offence but I'm not waking princess up, she might kill me so you can do that for me." Misato turned eyeing Asuka. "Seriously she picks this moment to sleep?" She didn't think as she slammed her hand against Asuka's chair arm. "Wake up Asuka!"

Asuka's voice suddenly hit the air, it was very soft as she smiled in her sleep. "Move your hand a little lower Rei and more to the left." Misato looked at the others who were trying not to laugh while Rei looked down at her hands trying to hide the slight blush. She rolled her eyes slammed her hand on the chair arm even harder. "Get up now Asuka!" Asuka shot awake looking around in utter confusion she turned seeing that Misato was staring at her she felt her teeth grind together as she spoke coldly. "What's the big verfickt idea I was sleeping?!"

Misato breathed in folding her arms. "Not any more you're not, you're going in Oakland in the US since Cerberus and Ankh have just decided to have a right pissing match in the night sky above the city." She paused before speaking hoping there wouldn't be any complaints as Maya had told her that she was getting on better with Mari. "Mari is going with you." Asuka stood up stretching. "Great they start a war on my day off."

Rei stood up moving to stand in front of her as she moved her hands to her pendent playing with it slightly. "Then go bring them pain." She gently kissed her cheek watching as the other woman's mouth formed a wide toothy grin. "I'll be waiting here when you get back." Mari rolled her eyes as she grabbed Asuka's jacket pushing her towards the changing rooms. "Move it princess Rei will be here when you get back!"

Asuka yanked her arm free. "Get off me four eyes!" She eyed her for a long moment before speaking. "Just because I like you doesn't mean you're allowed to touch my jacket or drag me around." Misato rolled her eyes as they both vanished from sight. "I can't figure out if them getting on better is a blessing or a curse." Toji breathed in watching as Rei sat back down. "When do I get to do the big city stuff?"

Misato breathed in moving over to the central table's consoles tapping it bringing up the live press footage. "Study this as it happens and take notes pay attention to Asuka because she'll stalk and Mari will shadow her, the buildings are so huge that they can hide behind them." Rei watched as the doors slammed open as Mari and Asuka now in their plug suits ran out going straight through the doubles doors she turned to Toji. "You'll see it best in real time and I would like to watch it with you."

Rei looked at the screen in truth she hadn't watched that much of Asuka working this way and now she really wanted to see it because from what she'd heard she had destroying terrorists down to a brutal art form.

Shinji looked at her. "Have you seen Asuka's city footage before?" Rei shook her head. "No." Shinji looked down. "No neither have I, though I have heard that Mari has studied every one of Asuka's ground battles in great detail." Misato moved heading towards the double doors quickening her pace. "Yeah well believe me you all won't be disappointed she's very good at killing these people, sometimes she doesn't bother even taking a gun with her and does it all by hand!"

She left the wreck room breaking in to a run 02 and 04 would probably be leaving the bay right now and they'd make land fall very quickly though over in the US and it being night would put all of the cards in Nerv's favour. She didn't get this though, why were these two terrorist groups here right now, also why were they fighting each other?

As normally they didn't slog it out like this and they'd stayed away from each other it just couldn't be a crude pissing match there had to be way more to it than that she could feel it deep in her gut. There just had to be something in that city that they both desperately wanted or were both trying to destroy and as far as she was aware the US had no secret projects underway and they had told Nerv that many times. Maybe it was to do with something much bigger like maybe some other new force that no one knew about and both terrorist factions were trying to take them out but in the process were getting in each others way.

8

Asuka folded her unit's huge wings as she hit the floor on all fours in the deep waters of the lake which surrounded the city she watched as Mari came down close by. She could see the battle going on in the sky even from this distance maybe the time zone was a blessing because it was pitch black here and that gave her a huge advantage and it was normally when she did her best work.

She eased her unit out of the water keeping it on all fours seeing a massive fireball blast upwards as one of Cerberus flying wings smashed into a sky scraper blowing into pieces sending shattered glass everywhere. She took in a deep breath slowly getting out of the lake moving low through the city on all fours seeing Mari stay remaining crouched as she followed her, the massive battle was going on right in the city's centre so what ever they wanted had to be dead centre.

Mari face suddenly popped up on screen. "You know this reminds of a film I watched once where it's done from the perspective of the civilians and their recording everything via video camera and they get to see the military fighting this weird white monster at night from a helicopter." Asuka eyed her. "You're thinking of Cloverfield." Mari looked at her. "Yeah that's it!"

She raised her hand. "Wouldn't it be so cool if some massive monster flew out right now in the dark?" She felt a sly smile form. "Oh wait I'm forgetting you saw that with Bukavac." Asuka carried on moving trying to be quite as possible. "Please be quite four eyes I'm trying to concentrate." Mari looked at her as she followed staying low. "I don't get it why the silence?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Asuka carried on moving forward hoping that the press helicopters above that were filming wouldn't shine their lights on her. "I want the element of surprise." She carried on moving seeing a few press helicopters fly over her but none shone their lights on her, they clearly got that she was busy and were clearly filming everything with their night cameras at a distance. She inched closer seeing that two gold, blue and white vertical wings belonging to Ankh were trying to shoot up the ground but both of them were struggling. "There must be a verfickte bunker under there or something."

She turned to Mari. "Take out the flying wings once I attack they'll try to bomb me and fire of rockets." She eased up her unit's clawed hand looking at it. "I'm going to destroy all the vertical wings." Mari eyed her slowly loading her rifle breathing in her unit's reflective colour had all been turned off and the eyes were also turned off and in night vision mode but this was the first time she ever done this kind of night fighting outside of the training ground. "Why do you get the vertical wings?" Asuka eyed her. "Because taking them out is what I do." Mari smirked. "Oh you mean grabbing them and smashing them into each other then throwing the tail at the ones coming at you." She paused looking at Asuka face on her screen. "Yeah I've watched the footage princess."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Yeah so I like to smash things up, so sue me." Mari felt a coy smile form on her lips. "I bet Rei gets so hot watching you work I bet she's sitting in your chair at work right now sweating at the thought of you." Asuka breathed in deeply as she inched closer slowly getting her unit into a pouncing position which felt really natural in its new form. "Please can we not verfickte do this right now I'm trying to work?"

Mari laughed slightly. "You're so in love with her though it's kind of cute and I heard you two had such a great time last night and that you had lots of sex." Misato's voice suddenly came over the com. "Be quite Mari please…Asuka needs no sound or distraction." Asuka breathed in closing her eyes taking in a deep breath as she tensed 02's every muscle reading herself as her other hand went to her pendent playing with it for a second speaking softly. "Göttliche göttin."

Her eyes snapped open as she grabbed the controls screaming, as she ran 02 straight towards the nearest vertical wing grabbing it by its tail bringing it up and then smashed it into the solid ground opposite then threw the broken tail section straight into the one opposite before it could react sending it smashing against the nearest skyscraper as it smashed apart blasting in to flames. She leapt up scaling the building watching as a flying wing came at her firing it was suddenly blasted out of the sky by Mari's rifle.

She didn't think as she grabbed the other coming in tearing its whole wing section off watching as it smashed down below as she leapt on to another sky scraper raising her right tail firing off a volley of rockets straight at two in coming vertical wings watching as they came crashing down blasting in to flames as the glass of the building shattered. She turned seeing another flying wing which was black and white and belonged to Cerberus come down as it was blown out of the sky before it got close to her. "Nice shot."

Mari voice came filled with surprise. "Did the princess just give me an actual real compliment? I'm so flattered." Asuka leapt down shifting between the buildings she could see at least three of black and white verticals wings coming down lower they knew something was happening now a radio voice hit the air. "You are a sinner of god come out and meet your maker!" Asuka rolled her eyes she hated Cerberus they were like a verfickte talking mouth piece half the time at least Ankh just tried to blow her units head off with guns and fire rockets at her.

She stalked further around seeing them turn their search lights on they couldn't see her because before landing in the city she'd turned off all of her units reflective light bands of white and yellow and her green eyes were now turned off and in night vision mode and weren't glowing so to them she was pitch black. She turned on her outward speaker but it was more for her own pleasure as she loved getting to these people. "Come and find me so I can castrate you!"

She turned another corner shifting lower. "I mean why are you losers here anyway did you get bored with Europe and the Middle East?" A voice came again over the speaker. "It's none of your concern you German bitch!" Asuka watched as they flew right past the street she was hiding in not even seeing her she eased her unit out feeling a cold smile form. "I'm behind you." She stood up fully smashing her clawed foot straight into one of the vertical wings smashing it straight into the earth as she grabbed the other by the tail putting it right into the nearest building as the last one started firing on her desperately.

She leapt forward grabbing it her gaze shifting as one of Ankh's vertical wings appeared she didn't think as she threw it straight at them watching as they both collided in mid air exploding into flames before they both came crashing down only for one of Mari's rounds to fire blowing up another black and white flying wing which was heading towards her all guns firing. "You're two seconds late!"

Mari's voice came again over the private channel filled with glee. "Maybe you shouldn't move into position three seconds early." Asuka turned shifting through the streets the last ones remaining were fighting in the centre city area. What was clear was Cerberus was the one winning because there were more wrecked vertical wings lying around they had to want whatever this was really badly to fight this way.

Misato eyed the screen she could see Asuka as the drone was watching her and Mari through night vision. "How is Asuka's sync?" Maya felt a smile form. "Its excellent today, I mean she's levelling with Shinji and Rei which is a perfectly healthy mental sync." Misato breathed in deeply. "What about Mari?"

Maya looked up. "She is climbing again but it will take more time but as I said this morning she seems willing now to talk about her problems also I'm working to lower her alcohol intake as she drinks too much but her mental focus is so much better now and she is not as agitated or aggressive." Misato eyed the screen watching as Asuka weaved through the buildings on all fours as Mari followed her on her unit's hands and knees while holding up the rifle as they both got closer to the central battle. "What did she mean when she said Göttliche göttin?"

Kaji looked up. "In German it means divine goddess, I don't quite see the connection with the pendent though." Maya looked up feeling a smile form. "I doubt it has anything to do with the pendent itself, probably the person who gave it to her." Makoto looked up slightly. "You know Nerv is becoming such a gay parade what's next rainbow flags?" Misato turned as Kaji eyed her she felt a wide smile form as she turned back to Makoto. "Wow you know that's a great idea, I'll note that down we should have them all hanging outside the visitor centre along with the world flags."

Shigeru smirked as he typed eyeing Makoto. "Yeah maybe we should look into that since all the sexualities have different flags." Misato folded her arms. "Great let's have them all." She ignored Makoto's cold look. "I thought you'd be happy for Asuka and Shinji Makoto, you know finding people they love and all." Makoto felt a sneer form. "Yes good for them shame about the rest of us." Kaji leaned back in his chair watching as Asuka took down another vertical wing. "Wow you know you almost sound jealous." Makoto turned away ignoring him as he spoke again. "There just a bunch of twenty three year olds what do I have to be jealous of?"

Asuka moved closer leaping up another building scaling it there were a number of vertical and flying wings fighting not far away. "Mari what is under the floor where the vertical wings were trying to fire at the ground some streets back?" Mari's voice hit the air. "I'm bringing up an underground scan now." Asuka looked at her. "What's there?"

Mari's face came up. "It appears to be part of the old metro rail though they no longer use it as the US has a fully connected underground system country wide. You can use it to go to any state, not many people touch the older undergrounds anymore they've become disused it explains why they were having issues shooting through, those tunnel were built to stop collapses." She paused eyeing the tunnel hologram on her screen. "Well apart from in London that still runs but its just got a second level now that's deeper that interconnects with other towns and cities in Britain."

Asuka looked at her. "What's under the ground under there where their fighting?" Mari turned the hologram. "It's where they store the trains, the ones they no longer use." Asuka eased up her unit's clawed finger. "Okay so if I was a person running away could I somehow get down there?" Mari looked at her. "Yeah you could, I mean there are places to get in but you're talking about a ten mile walk on pitch black decaying tracks just to get there. Do you seriously think these two assholes would kill each other over one single person?"

Asuka leaped to the next building. "Yeah I do if what that person had was something worth fighting over." She raised her tail gun aiming it at the nearest vertical wing blasting it apart. "We don't know who made Bukavac and I would put ten Euros on Ankh being desperate to get hold of that information since they want to build Evangelion's as weapons so the world will bow to them. Cerberus though would want this person to die because they don't want that getting out hence they'd kill Ankh."

She fired another rocket's watching as they hit another vertical wing sending it tumbling which caused the others to turn in her direction as they stopped fighting. She smiled pressing the control button knowing that her Evangelion would suddenly appear as its yellow and white reflectors came back on along with the green eyes as she heard her unit roar as she spoke through the outward com. "I'm here you verfickte cowards!" She watched as they came at her she moved higher she didn't think as she did a flying leap straight onto the top of the nearest flying wing digging her units claws in as she grabbed it swerving it straight towards the other coming up along side it.

She leapt off as they both collided falling downwards in a massive ball of flames as she landed 02 on the building opposite as she brought up her clawed foot kicking a vertical wing downward watching as it smashed down in to the empty streets below. She turned as one of Ankh's flying wings suddenly vied of clearly trying to run away along with another her gaze shifted to the other vertical wing whose tail she grabbed as it came past.

Though she didn't smash it instead she held it up watching as Mari's shot hit its mark bringing down the fleeing the flying wing which crashed in to the lake outside the city. She kept the vertical wing hanging it in mid air shame it wasn't smaller or she could eat it she turned on her com shaking it violently. "Hello Ankh!"

The pilot's voice suddenly came over the speaker. "Please don't kill us!" Asuka eased them up higher getting to the very top of the building digging her unit's claws in as kept them hanging downwards. "So you want to tell me what you doing here and maybe I won't drop you?" She paused looking down. "That's a long verfickte drop by the way."

She smirked. "And you know me and how I love to destroy things." She felt an evil smile form. "Did you people assume because of the Alpha unit incident that maybe they'd pulled me from battle? Because you know they'd never pull me completely after all I love killing you people I've made a career out of it." She eyed the vertical wing in her unit's clawed hands. "Though I can't shove you in my mouth does not mean I can't tear apart your cockpit with 02's teeth."

The pilot's voice came back filled with fear. "They sent us to find and capture this science guy who fled here!" Asuka shook them again. "I want a name!" The pilot's voice came again even more terrified. "Vitor his names Vitor, our people wanted him because he made Bukavac him and six other scientists they were made prisoners by Ouroboros but they escaped recently! We heard all of them fled to different parts of the world we've been trying to track them down to bring them to our side. We were going to offer them money, wealth and protection but Cerberus wants them dead!"

Asuka watched as Mari appeared under her looking up using her units head. "I'm going to assume that Vitor is hiding in the underground metro?" The pilot's voice came again filled with uncertainty. "Yes that's why we were trying to blow holes into the street further up so our people could get down there."

Asuka turned to Mari not thinking as she let go of the vertical wing. "Catch." Mari ran forward grabbing the vertical wing by the rudder before it hit the earth she looked up speaking through the private channel. "Your really mean sometimes Asuka you know Rei's watching you right now." Asuka jumped down feeling 02 hit the ground on all fours as she raised her other tail bringing up the knife then slammed it into the ground seeing now that Nerv's flying wing had appeared and was hovering over head along with the drone. "Yeah we had that chat already she doesn't mind my finer qualities."

She carried on cutting pulling a huge section of solid ground away seeing all of the abounded trains as she turned on the outward com. "Vitor! Hey are you in there?" She looked at all of the old trains. "My name is Asuka I'm from Nerv." She watched as a man slowly came out of one of the rusted trains he looked homeless and had a long black beard and hair and olive skin he looked up as he spoke in another language she had never heard before watched as 02's translator brought up Portuguese and translated his words. "Are you here to save me!?"

Asuka lowered her unit's clawed hand towards him as she spoke watching as the translator on the live speaker talked back in his own language using her voice. "Yes I'm here to save you we are from Nerv." She watching as he got onto her units huge clawed hand she slowly eased him out putting her units other hand over him to act as a wind break as she stood up seeing the flying wing lower section open widely as it got low enough that she could put him inside she placed him on it watching as the crew took him inside.

Mari raised the vertical wing. "You guys want these terrorists?" The pilot spoke as the flying wing moved higher up, its undercarriage locking fully. "No we don't, before they evacuated this city fully these people caused over a thousand innocent deaths." Mari tuned pulling 04's foot back. "She shoots." She didn't think as she kicked the vertical wing watching at it flew through the air smashing down close by blasting into flames. "She scores and the crowd's go wild!" Mari turned seeing that Asuka was just shaking her head. "What?"

End of part 51

Silvermoonlight