LNCrawler

Chapter 2: Plan Blood Red

Neon Genesis Evangelion ANIMA — LNCrawler · All chapters

Chapter 2:
Plan Blood Red
T HE MILITARY PLANES kept on coming, increasing in number, reaching and surpassing a battalion-sized force. The Nerv Japan command center in Tokyo-3 was in turmoil.
“They’re not showing up on radar until they leave the clouds!” Aoba said.
“Okay, sure,” Misato replied, “but where was their advance notice? What have we heard from them?”
“Nothing!”
The worst had come to pass. Not only did humanity face an unknown, external threat, but internal strife and a communication breakdown had pitted human against human. A murky unease began to wrap itself around Misato’s thoughts.
She’d made many mistakes over the past three years—in the process of constructing a system that would prevent the Angels from ever acting against humankind again—and she had forced demands upon every nation in the world, including Japan.
No, she reminded herself. You knew the risks. Get ahold of yourself!
“No one panic,” she barked. “We need to assess the situation. Reach the UN Security Council’s office and find out what’s going on. What can the visual feed tell us about the makeup of these military forces? They certainly don’t look like the disaster relief units the UN promised us.”
“The aircraft are a mix of European countries,” a technician replied. “Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain… From the serial numbers we can see, we could be looking at an air convoy for transporting ground troops.”
“The public broadcast channels are being overridden,” Aoba interjected. He switched the main audio input.
<< People of Japan. >>
Toji recognized the class rep’s voice immediately. Shinji had been right. His mouth dropped, and he said, “What the hell?”
As the clouds continued to spew forth their armada, the white giant announced herself.
<< We are a United Nations rapid response force authorized by UN Resolution 508 regarding the deployment of Evangelions. This Evangelion is Euro-II Heurtebise, vanguard of the UN forces.
<< The European continent suffered tremendous losses because of Nerv Japan’s negligence. Furthermore, Nerv Japan is currently engaged in efforts to seize power for themselves. They are on their way to becoming a violent organization no longer in accordance with the ideals set out in the UN Charter.
<< Accordingly, the UN has deemed Nerv Japan unfit to operate the Evangelions, which ultimately are UN property. The UN has ordered the reclamation of Nerv Japan’s equipment and facilities.
<< Therefore, this deployment of UN military forces is nothing more than an internal reorganization within the UN structure. Do not be alarmed by our presence. The purpose of this mission is to restore Nerv Japan to a properly functioning organization within the UN and will cause no harm or impediment to the Japanese nation or its citizens. >>
Across every transmission frequency and twenty-four-hour news site, the class representative made her declaration in soft, smooth tones, but something about her voice sounded wrong to Toji. It was lifeless.
<< She sounds like she’s asleep, >> Shinji said.
CLANG!
Heads turned as the sudden noise reverberated through the command center. Misato had kicked over a steel cart stuffed with paper manuals for use in an emergency.
“Negligent?!” the commander shouted. “Who the hell are they calling negligent?! They’re the ones who shoved all the responsibility onto us. They’re the ones who insisted we attack the Lance of Longinus. And this is what we get for it?”
She turned her glare to the room and said, “Put the base on the highest alert level.”
Gingerly, Hyuga asked, “What is the subject of the alert?”
“Humans. Initiate Plan Blood Red.”
Hyuga leaned forward in surprise. “But…that’s for responding to an international military conflict. Are you suggesting the EU has crossed the Arctic Ocean to attack us?” Hyuga paused as the situation sank in. “Right. That’s what we’re seeing, isn’t it?”
Suddenly self-conscious of his posture, Hyuga sat up straight. “That plan requires permission not only from the Japanese government but from the UN—and the opposing force is operating through a UN resolution.”
Misato snorted. “No, I don’t think they are. If there had been a vote, we would have heard about it. I think something has forced them to play their hand early. Those are Q.R. Signums on that Eva, so we’re going to classify it as an Angel Carrier. We have the authority to defend ourselves when faced with an emergent threat; we can use that authority to obtain permission after the fact. And you can believe I have a lot of questions for the Japanese government. That military convoy is flying south, and yet the JSSDF hasn’t responded.”
“Ah…” Hyuga said. The Japanese government was tacitly permitting the passage of European forces through Japanese sovereign territory.
For a moment, the room went quiet as the Nerv staff thought back to the battle three years prior, when JSSDF special forces assaulted Nerv HQ.
“If we’re too slow to react and let the city be taken, we’re finished. We need to pay close attention to the JSSDF’s movements. This time, if they cross the caldera, we’ll have to respond. Yes, Acting Deputy Commander Suzuhara, what is it?”
Looking glum, Toji had his hand half-raised. “I’d like permission,” he said, “to fly there—to Hokkaido.”
Misato glanced at the intelligence division’s report on her personal display. While they hadn’t been able to rule out the possibility that the Eva’s pilot was an imposter, her voice print matched that of Horaki Hikari, resident of Tokyo-3 and second-year student at Sengokuhara High School, who had gone missing along with her family. Of course, Misato was aware of Toji’s private life.
How was it that Asuka had described them? “They’ve gotten stuck in a rut. Not growing closer, not growing distant. Familiarity without direction.”
The commander shook her head. “No one leaves HQ until we have a handle on the situation. We need to select a pilot for the Unit Zero Type-F.”
<< It can’t be Rei Trois. >> Maya replied instantly from the cage. << She’s still reeling from the mental reverberations of Cinq’s death. >>
Misato clicked her tongue in irritation. “Of course their mental mirroring only works when it’s inconvenient. That leaves little Ayanami—Six. Acting Deputy Commander!”
Reluctantly, Toji responded. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Coordinate our anti-air response with Six’s Unit Zero Type-F as the linchpin.” Then, in a conciliatory but firm tone, she said, “Look, even if I gave you permission to go to Hokkaido, that trip just isn’t possible right now. The north is in turmoil from all the earthquakes, and anyway, you’d inevitably cross paths with that armada heading south. Do what you can here and now.”
“We’re under electronic attack!” Hyuga announced. “Six’s unmanned orbital Eva 0.0 has begun receiving a large volume of signals from a dozen satellites and twenty-three terrestrial broadcast locations.”
“There they go!” Misato said, shaking her head. “What a waste of precious bandwidth. Who knows how long we’ll even have any satellites left? Suzuhara, have Six sever mental connection with her Eva before she gets a transmission overload.”
Toji didn’t acknowledge his commander’s order. Or rather, he hadn’t even processed it. Why was Hikari in Hokkaido? Why was she piloting that mysterious Eva? He wanted to fly straight to her and get some answers.
Toji slapped himself on the cheek and then composed himself. “If we do that, then we won’t be able to access the Eva, either.”
“Set the support AI to mimic a pilot’s responses. If the Eva goes completely unresponsive, someone might try to capture it or shoot it down.”
“Understood.”
“And Suzuhara,” Misato added reassuringly, “one step at a time.”
“I’ll go get Six,” Toji said.
Misato said, “I’m seeing some changes around your vicinity, Super Eva.”
Her display showed several small dots in motion around Eva-01 in the northern expanse. Did the enemy lower ground troops?
“Shinji, you mustn’t let them surround you. Withdraw! Avoid engaging if at all possible and get out of there.”
The European Eva had likely been sent to keep Super Eva pinned down in Hokkaido after luring it away from Hakone.
But will the white giant take direct action?
<< Wh-where should I go? >> Shinji asked.
A natural question. He was a single point among a throng of enemies. And whichever direction he moved, that was what he’d remain. Shinji’s Super Eva was isolated, without support—and it was surely only a matter of time before the enemy shut off his telemetry feed as well.
“Aoba,” Misato said, “I need you to figure out some way to keep that telemetry feed connected. The drone we have with Unit One can easily be shot down, and once they start jamming the signal, we won’t have any idea what’s happening to Super Eva.”
“Understood. They’ll figure out before long that we’re using lasers to communicate. I can buy us some time by using compression and switching Unit One’s telemetry laser to operate in bursts, but I still think they’ll home in on our satellite in no time… I’ll think of something.”