Chapter 22: Asuka
Chapter 22:
Asuka
“Our nose is about to get burned!”
The Platypus was still chasing Shinji’s Eva-01 Final Model, and it had long since broken the sound barrier. In fact, it was about to break the thermal barrier. Its N2 reactor not only powered the graviton floaters but also emitted a defensive repulsor field. Their speed was so great that heat had gotten through their invisible barrier, burning the tip of the aircraft’s nose cone.
“We’ve arrived at our destination.”
Toji woke Asuka, asleep next to him, while he shifted the propulsion lever back to neutral.
“Just let me off at the nearest convenience store.” She stirred from her slumber, staring anxiously out the side canopy. She was about to pull her jacket up to her chin when her eyes suddenly widened. “Bad!”
“Bad what?”
“Lower your altitude! But not too low.”
“Care to be specific? What’s that…?”
A wild variety of animals streamed out of the forest. Each followed its own instincts, devouring everything in sight.
“Didn’t know there were animals here.”
Toji zoomed in through the gun camera to get a better look, tilting the ship toward the side canopy since Asuka had seen it fit to stick herself against it. He noticed her trembling shoulders.
“That’s…me! That’s me!”
“Soryu?”
“That’s me. They… They’re all me!”
“Soryu, calm down!”
Asuka clawed at the polycarbonate canopy, as if unable to contain the flood of memories rushing out of her.
“The Ark… Is it here?!”
Asuka had come into contact with the Ark on the moon during her reconnaissance mission. The deluge of life-form data had crashed through her, breaking her consciousness from the inside. She’d lost what made her Asuka in the torrent.
Her mind had been overwhelmed by the data, and just when she was about to be lost in the flood, Eva-02 had stepped in to protect her. Her limited consciousness was absorbed into the Asuka/Eva synthesis, and so she’d continued to exist—would have continued to exist, if she hadn’t been reconstituted as a human being by chance.
The rush of emotions hit Asuka’s brain so hard that it told her to vomit. She hyperventilated, threw the HMD helmet behind her, and unzipped the front of her jacket.
“Urgh… Mind if I hurl?”
“Soryu, no! We’ve got Angel Carriers at ten o’ clock!”
Several Carriers came out of the ridge of the mountain, flapping their terrible white wings.
“They’re fighting. Now, where’s Armaros…? He’s not here?!”
“Make enough noise and he’ll be here!”
Dammit. We were so focused on fighting Armaros, I forgot he had backup!
“Soryu, charge the positron cannons!”
Toji began mental calculations to use the frontline base on the Ogasawara Islands.