NEON TOPPA EVA LAGANN

Disclaimer: I don't own either franchise, otherwise this would happen. And none of the songs either.

Author Note: I just felt, well, the idea just popped into my head and kinda…'spiraled'. For fans of the shows, I may be stretching the suspension of disbelief to breaking point by assuming the Dirac Sea created by Unit-04's failed activation and Gurren Lagann's premiere Giga Drill Breaker would make conditions for the latter to actually pierce through to the Eva Universe, but, well, they seemed to mesh. I'm not even sure this fic is going to work, so I'll be depending on your reception to see if I should pursue this. Enjoy the show!

Plot Summary (Evangelion): As the battle with the 14th angel takes a turn for the worst, a strange red robot covered in drills emerges from the Dirac Sea to confront the invader. No matter who wins, when the dust settles, questions will be asked. What is it, some type of angel, a secret weapon of some foreign agency? How come it has two faces and why is it wearing shades on one of them? And do reports of a loud, tattooed shirtless man raising havoc all over Tokyo 3 have something to do with it?

Plot Summary (Gurren Lagann): The Giga Drill Breaker Finishing Move was executed successfully, but for unforeseen reasons has taken the irrepressible founders of the Dai-Gurren-Dan, to yet another battle but with an injured Kamina and little energy. Even if they win, what awaits them in this strange new world of towering monsters, glittering buildings, and little optimism? Can they heal Kamina in time? Can they find their way back home? And can Lagann really combine with that giant, lanky, purple Gunman?

Soundtrack: Eva Lagann will utilize a soundtrack to help better convey the mood of the scenes it entails. The music will range from pieces from both the shows as wells as ones that aren't. Though not necessary by any means, if you possess these songs in your library, you may play them at certain intervals designated by their respective number codes. Say a track is marked (x) on the chapter's playlist, then when the bold parenthesizes (x) appears in the story, that is the moment the track should be played. I'm not sure if this'll work, or if my song choices are any good, but give it a chance, all right? If you do not have these songs, check out the link in my profile on where you may legally stream them.

(1) The Other Promise (Piano Version) by Hiroyuki Nakayama

(2) EM21_Demo by Sagisu Shirou

(3) L'Attaque Des Anges by Sagisu Shirou

(4) Ode to Joy (Choir) by Beethoven

Episode 1: Introjection? or Like Hell I'll Retreat When One of Our Faces Still Works!!!

"A Butterfly possesses the unique distinction of living twice and dying twice. For when it's luminescent eyes open from its broken shell, the worm dies and death approaches over the mountains to claim it once more..."

(1)

Times like these were what nightmares were made of. In fact, the purple haired Major desperately wanted this to be one, at the very least she could wake up from it. But no, cruel as it was, this was reality.

The gaping hole in the GeoFront's roof was real. The wind carrying smoke and the aroma of blood that whipped through her hair was real. The snapped trees, the burning earth, all of it. And the horrible clanging of sharp metallic arms crushing armor was very very real.

Reality lay bare in her mind, its boils and wounds drowning hope and will with blood and puss.

The 14th Angel had appeared as abruptly as the others had before, seemingly out of nowhere. And like its predecessors, wasted no time trying to reach Terminal Dogma, callously destroying everything in its way.

To its credit, despite its huge bulk, deadly sheet-like arms and powerful energy weapon, it only attacked those obstructing its path. When it did though, the obstuction was dealt with, in a quick and deadly fashion.

Unit 02, beheaded and literally disarmed.

Unit 00, charred to a metallic crisp.

Misato tried not to think of their pilots.

"Where the hell did you come from?" she asked silently. It was a question she often asked herself when confronted by these monstrosities. They didn't rise from some crypt or come through some portal like all those gaudy horror movie monsters. These…things just came out of nowhere. One minute they were descending from space, they next they were being found in volcanoes and just when you thought it was safe to swin in the ocean, they were coming out to devour you from the sea.

It didn't make sense; nothing did when dealing with the angels. Tactics and strategies created from previous battles were all but useless in the next. And they had tried everything on this one short of doing a dance routine or jumping into a volcano. All armaments had failed, the N2 Mine had failed, the outer shielding of the GeoFront had failed to keep it out for more than a minute.

She could still remember that horrendous despair overtake her soul as it descended on them. Like its namesake, coming down from a higher place to bring judgment and damnation on them all. And to have it come so close, its malformed skull for its face impassive and glowing, was sublime as it was terrifying.

Shinji, bless his fickle heart, charged in as the monster prepared to fire. Despite Unit 01 losing an arm in the attempt, it still managed to grind the Angel's face into catapult's wall as the two rapidly ascended to the surface. And for a brief moment as she, Ritsuko and the rest of the Bridge crew followed, she allowed a small degree of hope to swell in her soul.

And now, here they were, watching as the beast known as Zeruel mercilessly pounded and blasted the motionless and depowered Evangelion. It didn't seem fair, after it had beaten Rei and Askua's EVAs it had left them alone, beaten but still alive. But now it seemed intent on making Shinji pay for its unpleasant elevator ride.

"Probably because he gave the biggest fight." She thought with bitter pride. For all NERV had done to the boy, even after having him hurt one of his best friends, he still came back to help them. No doubt he was currently struggling in the EVA's cockpit, desperately trying to awaken the sleeping behemoth. "Perhaps purely for his own survival, but if that were the case he wouldn't have fought in the first place. So, it's for us. Damn it, he came back for us."

It wasn't fair, she found herself thinking again, but then, nothing in this world was.

She cringed slightly as Zeruel tore through another plate of Unit 01's armor. It must have been hell to be trapped inside that thing, unable to move, powerless to act, he might as well have been standing next to her watching the carnage, instead of screaming in the dark, alone, bathed in the red of the emergency lights.

The Angel continued to pound at the Evangelion's chest, ripping more and more armor off of it. Misato's intense gaze was on the verge of tearing away when the last sheet of purple metal fell to reveal a large red orb in the giant's torso, surrounded by dirty pink veins and sickly red flesh.

"That's…" she began to say, though most knew what it was already. Unit 01's core, its center of power, weakspot and the cradle for its pilot, now lay exposed to the deadly sheet-like arms of the merciless beast.

The sound of gritting teeth filled Misato's ears, and she couldn't tell if it was hers that were doing it or those of the small group of people around her. Zeruel's right arm pulled back with a graceful fluidity that belied its fatal nature and with only a second's hesitation lunged at the crimson vessel.

It would've undoubtedly struck if not for the sudden quake.

(2)

The quake came suddenly, without the slightest of a tremor preceding it. The Major and the rest of the bridge crew staggered, some barely keeping their balance, some failing completely to do so.

Leaves were shaken out of their trees, the lake churned and swelled as if boiling, even Zeruel swayed slightly as the ground violently shook.

"What the hell is going on? It feels like the whole Geofront is breaking apart!" Misato tried to shout as she lost the battle with equilibrium, falling on her knees upon the still shaking earth.

"I-I d-don't know!" Maya cried, clutching at the laptop she had brought along to monitor Unit 01. "But a massive energy reading just appeared onscreen."

"From the angel?" her senior, Dr. Akagi asked, the desperation in her voice shielding it from stuttering.

"No, it's, it's coming from above us!" the technician cast a nervous glance to the damaged dome, still sporting the hole the Angel had created. "But whatever it is, it's breaking through the shields!"

A sarcastic laugh penetrated the cacophonic rumbling. "Another hole in the shields?" Hyouga snickered bitterly. "The Commander's going to be real happy about that!"

"Forget the commander! Maya is it another…" Misato bit her lip, she didn't want to think of the possibility, but it had to be brought up. "Is it another Angel?"

Maya's hands swiftly glided over the trembling keyboard. "Scanning, the reading is…" Her eyes widened. "G-Green? A-and, its breached layers 14, no 15-I mean 16, I-I-!"

Then the ceiling above them exploded.

"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!!!" a massive voice screamed from above.

And for the second time that day, another gaping hole was violently carved out of NERV HQ's roof.

Whatever had done it was fast, though Misato could see that the object was spinning, metal and propelled by a blazing otherwordly flame spewing from behind it.

It smashed into one of the artifical mountains. The impact sent one last wave of vibrations before a huge cloud of dust and smoke blasted out of the site.

"Wh-what the hell?" Misato wobbled, the lingering affects of the quake still having a hold on her legs. "Anyone…anyone see?" She shook her head, trying to remove the dizziness from it, then cast a desperate glance at the swirling cloud. "Does anyone-anyone have anything we can use to take a closer look!" Her glance moved to Maya, Hyouga, Aoba, but all shook their heads. "Damnit, where's a telescope when you need one!"

"Cameras." A stern sound huffed from below.

Misato turned to the downed doctor. "What?"

"There are surveillance modules around the complex." Ritsuko held a hand up, which Misato practically yanked to get the doctor back on her feet, and to her explanation. "Ow…The ones directly near it are probably shot, due to the impact, but if we use the ones around it we may be able to see what it is." She rubbed her hand, sore from her friend's grip. "Maya?"

"I can't promise we'll get a clear picture, but I'll try." The laptop screen flashed, shifting from directory, to sub-directory, to sub-sub directory until a small window popped into view. "Nothing but dust from this one." The window closed, and was quickly replaced by another. "Nothing here." Another window. "Nothing." Another window. "Nothing." Another window, this time depicting what looked like a urinal. "Damn, not even close."

"They have cameras in the washrooms?" Aoba asked a bit too eagerly.

Maya paused, letting out a sigh. "Try not to think about it." She began to type again. "Finally! It's coming into focus and-what-what the hell?"

Everyone crowded around the small screen, trying to make sense of the peculiar sight that seemed to stare at them from the video stream.

The dust had cleared, though for what they were seeing, it might as well have remained. It was a machine, humanoid in shape and design with a red-black-yellow paintjob. That was what was normal to them. They noticed its body first, splayed on the ground, and covered in what appeared to be spikes, with its limbs in disarray.

Where the lower torso should have been was a black rectangular cavity with four pointed spikes jutting out of its upper and lower corners. Its chest was covered with a large jagged piece of black metal that slanted upwards down the middle. A crack in the sheet revealing two yellow orbs behind it.

"Its body sort of, looks like a face." Hyouga observed.

"I know right? That's what I thought when I first saw it!" His fellow officer began pointing at the mecha. "The spikes on the side are teeth, the hole in its lower stomach is like a mouth, the yellow orbs are its eyes and…" Her finger lingered on the jagged black obstruction attached to it. "I'm not really sure what that's supposed to be…"

"Shades?" their longhaired peer offered.

He was rewarded with a sharp flick to his forehead. "Don't be stupid Aoba," Misato reprimanded. "Why would a robot wear sunglasses?"

"Ow!"

Ritsuko pushed the two aside to better scrutinize the screen's contents. "I'm wondering why it's wearing a helmet of all things." True enough, its silver steel head (the one atop the torso) was covered by a helmet as red as its body, decorated by a somewhat charred ornament of a large crescent moon. "And why it's covered in…what the hell are they doing?"

The dozens of spires on the red machines body began to sink into its metallic frame. The scene was reminiscent of a blowfish deflating. The difference being that while the blowfish reverted into its less intimidating state as its barbs retreated, the mecha remained dismally gargantuan

"Well we can see it a bit better with all those, whatever they were, out of the way." Hyouga observed.

Misato gave the bespectacled technician a look. "Not that it helps any, but didn't you notice that those things were…were…" but the reprimand was left hanging, wanting. Yet she was so sure she had known what those conic shapes were, the word was on the tip of her tongue. Then it had soured, and its bitter taste was already making its way to the mind that had spawned it. She felt sick, almost as if the act of conceiving the word was choking her throat in reprimand. "…never mind."

"Major Katsuragi, are you all right?" Maya turned to look at her superior officer, it would be hard to miss the relief in her eyes. Observing the machine had proven to be awkwardly taxing. She didn't know if it was from staring at the screen for too long, or the outright madness of the day, but fatigue started to claw at her temples, it was getting harder to pay attention. The distraction that was Misato was thus, quite welcome, and preferable too…whatever was making that horrendous grinding noise.

Somehow when the two-faced robot started to sit itself up, the entire bridge crew of NERV was conveniently distracted. Slowly staggering to its feet, pressing its grey right hand against its stomach to stem the flow of crimson gushing from it, and looking tiredly at the seemingly forgotten Angel failed to elicit the barest flicker of attention from the people it had so fascinated barely a moment before. If it was capable of indignation, it needn't have fretted, for the Angel had been watching, had even stopped assaulting its purple assailant to completely assess this new element. And that is probably why it shot a blast of energy whose fury could turn buildings to slag, at the hapless war machine.

(3)

The sudden explosion was enough to rouse Misato from her delirium, and the sick crack the red mecha made upon being slammed into the Geofront's wall did wonders in bringing the rest back into reality. The former clutched her head in a manner reminiscent of what she would have done after a night of very heavy drinkning. "…ohhhh, damn. Feels like I've been drinking for-for," the eye not hidden behind her palm snapped open at seeing Zeruel slowly hover to where the crimson mecha was struggling to right itself. "The Angel, it's stopped attacking Unito 01 and, oh my god…" From where she was, the movement was small, slight, a small trickle of liquid quickness dribbling from the robot's torso. "Is that LCL?"

Maya, who had also recovered from her grogginess had opened another surveillance stream. "It might be, if it's anything like an Eva the plug must've been ruptured. But it's still moving."

That it was. Already it had managed to lift its uncannily human face to send a look of pure fury at its attacker. A zoom in revealed that the steel teeth in its mouth were actually gritting.

"So it's either the LCL of the machine or…"

"-The blood of its pilot…" Ritsuko finished.

The two faced robot had managed to get itself back on its feet again. Shakily, its right hand raised itself to the jagged black sheet on its chest. One could say it was the shaking one does in excitement, nervousness, or a miniscule spasm spawned from agony. Nevertheless the trembling extremity gripped the side of the sheet, and ripped it of its body. This accomplished two things, it allowed those around it a better view of its second set of eyes and gave it a gigantic makeshift blade.

Strange how its being removed from its second face made the blade look even more like a giant pair of sharp sunglasses.

Realizing what it probably intended to do brought back memories of much better armed and honestly more imposing mechas falling to the 14th angel through Aoba's already fevered mind. "It can't be serious…" he choked.

A quick flash of green in its eyes and the rapid bounding of its hydraulic legs signaled that whoever was piloting that thing, was in fact, very serious.

Zeruel's arms, which it had mercifully sheathed as it made its way to its new target unfurled and those deadly ribbons once more, commenced their dance macabre. To say they were like snakes would be a great disservice to reptiles of that type. After all, the arms of the angel lacked even the barest amount of mercy and there was no antidote for the wounds they made; save euthanasia.

The red robot didn't know that, and even if it did, it's rage would've burnt through whatever dissuading material nipped at its will. That's why as the twin folds of death lunged at it, weapons that had cut through the armor of Evangelion's like butter, it swung its broken black shades at them…and parried the blow.

NERV's finest looked at the scene in disbelief. The charge had revealed just how puny the scarlet vindicator was compared to the Angel. It would probably be up to an EVA's knee if they were put side by side and yet it had managed to repel an attack that had disabled Unit 02 in seconds.

Whether Zeruel was perturbed by this development was impossible to discern from its face, but Misato thought she saw its arms surge forward just a little bit faster.

The distance between the battered machine and the Angel was closing with surprising swiftness. But as the beast's attacks quickened the scarlet mech's charge slowed. At first its abrupt assault had allowed it to advance fairly quickly, running several yards after dodging or parrying one of Zeruel's strikes. Now it found itself rooted to one spot, the attacks of the 14th angel having become far too fast for it to even take a step. Not a second would pass after knocking away one of its arms when another would try to attack.

The constant barrage was beginning to affect the smaller being. Its body was beginning to stagger under the weight of each strike, causing it to sway left, right and even back. The helmeted visage once twisted with anger, was beginning to sag with exhaustion.

Far from slowing down, the Angel's attacks intensified, becoming more savage and frantic as if hungry for their stubborn prey. Yet in doing so they became less accurate, losing the precision that had made them overwhelmingly powerful. Some would skim and slice at their enemy's limbs, while others outright missed.

It was during one of these close shaves that the red robot twisted its body to avoid. The arm holding the giant sun glasses outstretched, it span on its toe, until at last with the rough majesty one associates with seeing a bear fish a salmon out of a roaring river, threw the enormous spectacles at the massive creature.

For all its size and bizarre shape, the gaudy spectacles proved a deadly projectile, cutting through the air and becoming a bladed black blur to the naked eye.

As grand as the sight was, the blonde researcher of the spectators was skeptical. "It won't work." Her eyes downcast as the statement left her lips. "Unit 01 is no longer neutralizing the Angel's AT Field."

Almost in tandem, an orange hexagonal flash illuminated the darkened Geofront, and the once unstoppable black blade bounced off the angel's AT field. It's motion ceased, it hung in the air, all of its kinetic energy sapped like so many bullets, bombs and missiles that had attempted to cross that same nigh-impassable barrier.

The Angel retaliated in kind, shooting its other arm at its now unarmed target. Said target crouched, but made no other motion to dodge the attack. Maybe it was tired, maybe the joints of its limbs were locked from all of Zeruel's attacks; The arm of the Angel didn't care. So the idea that the machine was baiting it, confirmed as it leaped just in time to dodge the sheet, never passed through the monster's head.

A fantastic clamour of metal on otherwordly alloy signaled the contact the reckless machine's feet made as they slammed into the sheet. Like any cloth would do, it contorted to accommodate the weight but its supernatural qualities prevented the black-red legs from breaking through it. The daredevil jumped once more, this time directly at the misshapen skull of Zeruel, the massive shades still suspended in the air. Grabbing its former chest plate with both hands before it could descend any further, it arched back and promptly swung it down at the Angel's face.

"Crap," Hyouga cringed. "The Field's still holding."

Once again, the AT Field flared, the assaulter's attempts to push through it useless. Only this time, its creator's face glowed a hateful orange. And for the second time that day the helmeted golem was blasted away.

Not even a second passed after the powerhouse hit the ground, that the Angel started to fire its beam weapon in a horrendous frenzy. No quarter, no mercy, it fired and fired and fired where its enemy had crashed, it wasn't even going to take any chances as it had with the purple one. There would be nothing left after it was done, nothing but ashes. ASHES!! ASHES!!! ASHES!!!!! ASHES!!!!!!!! IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!!!!! IT NEEDED TO BE GONE!!!!

Immeasurable violence and otherworldly brutality was nothing new to those watching the scene. To be perfectly frank, compared to that of the Fifth Angel's, Zeruel's projectile weapon was somewhat underwhelming. But whether they emerged from the sea or descended from space, the Angels always embodied a type of dignified grace as they razed buildings to the ground.

Fingers that had been rapidly typing on plastic keys paused. "I've never seen an Angel act so…so…wild before…" Maya attempted to whisper over the thunderous clamor the Angel of Might was creating.

Against popular belief, they seldom rampaged wantonly when they attacked. There had always been something exact and elegant in their sieges, a neat intelligence bellying their carnage. Imagine the shock on their enemies' faces at seeing one of these fluid titans completely lose its composure.

The violence of the barrage caused the GeoFront to tremble yet again. The tremors and convulsions even managed to jostle the prone form of the forgotten Unit 01, no doubt adding to its pilot's anxiety.

Unbeknownst to Shinji, Misato, Ritsuko, the bridge bunnies and even Zeruel, the ground was constantly rumbling even during the brief intervals between the Angel's bombardments. Careful observation, something no one present could give, would reveal that the seismic vibrations were moving, as if something was tunneling underground, burrowing and digging at extraordinary velocities through the artificial earth. Whether it discovered the secrets of NERV in its expedition would be investigated later. In Layman's terms, when the vermillion colossus burst out of the ground beneath Zeruel, no one felt it coming.

Upon its release, the ruby giant collided with the Angel, its speed being such that the Angel was unable to erect its AT Field in time. The force of the impact managed to actually topple Zeruel, and as another quake echoed through the sheltered forests surrounding them, the much smaller titan scrambled up the behemoth till it was practically straddling the glowing core of the 14th.

"Le-s-Tr-er-."

"What was that Maya?" Ritsuko asked tersely at who she thought was the owner of the broken voice.

"I-I didn't say anything Senpai!"

Not wasting a moment, lest the beast fire another volley, the mecha raised its damaged arms and two long drills emerged from both gauntlets. The four spirals whirled ferociously and perhaps sensing the danger, a thick shell shuttered over the red orb. Sparks flew as the quartet of steel was thrust at the Angel's membrane. Shards of red, black and yellow metal sprayed from the robot's shuddering back.

"Cn-mst-rn!"

"Al-mst-er-br!"

"Maya!"

"I told you it wasn't me!"

Rabid lightning ran through deteriorating joints. Every servo, every wire, every part if ut down to the smallest screw was involved in the act of penetrating the barrier that had survived mankind's most powerful armaments. Either it would break through, or it would simply break.

A grand shattering signaled it had achieved the former.

"CHIKUSHOOOOO CHEEEEEESSSSST CHISSSSELERRRRRR!!!!!!!" Someone deep voiced and fiery cried as the drills started to tear at the beast's torso. Someone who was clearly not with Misato and her peers.

"Maya!"

The accusation was gone from the doctor's voice and her admirer started to work. "It came from the laptop!" she exclaimed, opening several windows on the console. "A distress signal, it's been bouncing around the GeoFront for an outlet since," a few presses later and a small clock appeared in the center of the screen. "Since that thing crashed here."

What could best be described as guilty satisfaction flitted through Ritsuko's mind. "Least we know someone's piloting it, for a moment there I thought the EVAs were being outclassed by a mere AI." She said almost casually.

Her closest friend cast her a small look of disapproval. "I think it's safe to say that any rational computer wouldn't have tried to pull off half the things we've seen it do." Misato retorted. "And you should be glad that it's practically-."

CLANG!

She found her chastisment frozen at the tip of her tongue as the sight of the tattered war machine being flung into the air by Zeruel's restarted AT Field came into being. The vision was almost comical: a furious dynamo sent flying into the air by a creature that defying all sense reminded her of a toppled turtle. And she may have laughed if Zeruel hadn't chosen that moment to shoot the object of her amusement out of the sky.

"-saving our asses…" she finished.

The Sisyphean irony of the robot's failure was not lost on her though.

"DAMNi-u-h-rrk!!!" the unknown pilot gurgled over the laptop's small speakers.

"ANIKI!!!!" a much higher and more panicked voice followed.

The Major's eyes widened. "No way," she thought. "Maya, did that-?"

"Yes," the short-haired technician replied, equally bewildered at this development. "Not from the same part of the machine but, it's coming from inside, just like the other one."

"So there are two people inside that thing?" Perhaps it was because she was used to a single teenager piloting a machine roughly three times the size of the currently downed mech, but the idea that two people could execute all those daring attacks in perfect synch, was pretty farfetched.

Maya spied the many meters she had up. "Not only that, but they seem to be arguing."

"Patch us through." Misato ordered, seeing that the smoldering pile of metal was trying to get back on its feet again.

"Roger!"

With the fighting's temporary cessation, the GeoFront was oddly quiet save for the iron groans coming from the slow rising of the two-manned android, and so the following exchange came quite clearly.

"L-looks like I really screwed up this time eh, Simon?" the gruffer pilot wheezed

"Aniki, you're hurt, we have to get away!" the shrillness of this plea did little to hide its urgency, or sincerity for that matter.

Something wet plopped amidst the static lacing the lackadaisical answer. "Put a little too much force into taking out that old ape…who knows how far we are from the others?" The damaged robot lifted both its damaged faces to look at the downed, but very much alive, Zeruel. "And this thing…whatever it is…it's tough…"

His companion did not seem to share his dissonant tranquility. "That's why we need to run damnit! Gurren Lagann's on it's last legs!!"

"Can't we do…that thing from back…?"

"I-I'm too sc-, I can't concentrate when you're like this, we need to get to safety, we need to run, RUN!"

The response sent a pang of familiarity through the myriad of listeners. It was in the way the other pilot spoke, panicked, screamed, begged…all of it hit a little close to home, reminding them of the still helpless Third Child.

Deep bitter laughter followed. "Oho, so I'm distracting you…"

A small sound tried to refuse, but was unable to continue.

And everyone saw why.

Slowly, impossibly, the 14th Angel was getting up. Not by pressing its cruel hands into the ground or pulling itself to stand, it simply rose like some grotesque parody of Nosferatu from its earthen coffin, small streams of LCL bleeding from its core. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that it would finish in scant minutes, if not seconds. And then it would win.

"Aniki…please, let's escape!"

"Like Hell I'll Retreat When One of Our Faces Still Works!!! What happened to that Simon who was so determined a few minutes ago?!" taxed breathing, more wet things plopping in the background. "All of this is just like before, even if we run we'll still be targets of this enormous skull-faced bastard. We need…you need…to win…" the injured man must have pressed, pulled or whatever device was used to drive his vehicle as the now scared upper head tilted to the right, looking past its returning foe. "That purple Gunman, yeah, it looks…about the right size to fight this sort of thing head on…even if it is missing an arm it's still in better shape than Gurren…"

"I don't even think that is a Gunman bro, it's got something weird on it's chest…"

A soft crushing sound, the sight of steel ribbons swaying in the breeze, a face both impassive and merciless. Zeruel was back.

(4)

"That does it, I've made my decision…" onyx metal fingertips grasped what was left of the machine called Gurren Lagann's head. "SIMON!!!! WHILE THE DOOR OF FATE IS OPEN AND ALL OUR ENEMY'S LIE IN OUR PATH, TAKE LAGANN AND GO GET THAT BIG GUY-!!!!" There was a great ripping of steel from steel, and the head was torn free, now with a large drill sprouting from its bottom, and grasped firmly in the torso's rapidly decaying palm. More and more chunks of metal began to fall off, as if the head was the pin holding all the disparate parts together. But through all the falling of its sharp teeth, the crumpling of its shoulders, what could pass as a smile was plastered on its giant features. The hand holding the former head shot back-. "-fired…up…" -and flung it with tremendous might that no body in its state had a right to posses.

Zeruel's sent one of its stainless, sharp sheets to sate its hunger for crimson. The arm lunged at the thrown head's flight path, aiming to slay both faces in one clean slice.

A scream, familiar and desperate, chased the panic out of the second pilot's next transmission. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HURTING MY BROTHER!!!!" The drill on the projectile cranium's base whirled at speeds much fiercer than those used in the Gurren Lagann's failed sneak attack.

The strip of deadly EVA-cutting blade met the tiny auger. Both tools struggled briefly against each other, until the drill broke through, slicing and twisting the once perfect slab into an immense mass of tangled confetti, before neatly smashing past the bony shoulder that formerly housed it.

"…nice…" Misato would have heard the first pilot sputter, if she and the others hadn't been watching the scene that had unfolded and was unfolding before them.

After shooting past the beast and relieving it of one of its appendages in the process, 'Lagann' sped through the air, drill still spinning, directly at the sleeping Unit 01.

The young Major briefly wondered why it wasn't slowing down or turning back. Should it continue, a crash would have been immensely inevitable. Thus in a flash of horror and incredulity did she realize what 'fired up' was about to mean. "No way!"

Not that the epiphany would have stopped any of this. Unit-01's head snapped back as the Lagann finally hit its mark, the shrill of its charge finally silenced as it firmly lodged itself atop the purple Eva's visage.

The men and women of NERV naturally cringed, and then waited. Waited for Shinji to scream in pain over the radio, for the lanky android to right itself in rage, for something. A few tense breaths later…absolutely nothing was happening. They silently cursed themselves, a brief part of them actually thought that the collision would somehow rouse the violet warrior, get it fired up as it were. And in mere moments Zeruel would turn around to avenge its lost limb and finish what it had started with Shinji. Feelings of optimism began to sink into the familiar emotional quagmire, to be consumed and transformed into ones more appropriate to the situation, like defeat.

Then as those flames of joy flickered, a new light came into being atop the Lagann's head. A small band of green energy looped over the two haphazardly combined mechas. Barely a second after another larger ring appeared below that one, and one after that, and another after that.

Hyouga spoke first. "What's happening?"

A nearby gasp indicated that someone close knew. "The green energy from before, it's back!" Maya gasped.

"And it's forming…a makeshift AT Field?" her senpai observed.

By now dozens of these rings had telescopically formed around the downed EVA, each one larger and further from the top than the last, like dozens of jade halos. When the last one was appeared, barely hovering off the ground, the bands began to spin.

Violent winds were something unheard of in the GeoFront, the place demanded precise conditions for optimal growth. Nevertheless, gales did come to the underground sanctuary; and by an upside down tornado of all things. The air slipped and billowed, practically becoming a solid object as the flying trees, dirt, and water were strewn about and caught by it. If Misato and the others hadn't been as far as they were they would've been snatched away by the unnatural twister. A vortex that Shinji and the other pilot were either concealed or trapped in.

Streaks of hateful energy pounced out of Zeruel's jaws, but the moment they came into contact with the swirling storm they ricocheted off of it and into the walls of the GeoFront.

The spiral hurricane started to shrink, becoming more compressed and aggressive. Until with an earth shattering crack, it burst apart.

Misato coughed. The explosion had kicked up an immense quantitity of dust. Hands claseped over her ears to ease the ringing in them, she tried to see through this dirt-made fog. To her ire, all she could see were her fellow NERV staff, and the amputee Angel, apparently as confused as she was. "What happened to Shinji damnit? He was right in the middle of that twister!"

Tired of waiting for the dust to settle, if it could indeed feel fatigue, Zeruel unfolded its remaining blade. The arm tilted left or right, as if deciding where its crippled opponent was. It stopped, darted into the unknown, and was promptly ripped off of Zeruel's body.

Blood as red as the being it had attacked now flowed from both its sides and down its chest.

"Did we win?" Aoba dared, the Angel didn't have anything left to fight with.

A glint of incredible rage flashed in Zeruel's hollow sockets and the horror's body began to tremble.

"No, it's going to self destruct!" Misato shrieked, knowing full well how destructive a kamikaze Angel could be, Shinji barely survived in his EVA, and here they were all exposed! "Sore loser!!!" she couldn't help but think.

Zeruel was indeed on the verge of blowing itself up. In this way, it would destroy the anomaly and the humans guarding its goal. His successors would have an infinitely easier time reaching it.

Nothing could stop it now, nothing except that large pointed object that was roaring in from dust cloud.

DRILL

To all observing, a humongous gyrating drill had emerged from the smoke and completely annihilated what was left of Zeruel. The attack had been so quick that it was only when a drop of inhuman blood fell on her head did Misato realize that the 14th Angel was no more.

Fear abruptly gripped her. Attached to the drill, still concealed in the mantle of soot, was an equally humongous shadow. The thing was about as tall as Unit 01, but it was different all the same. Intense golden eyes, shone through and looked at her. Seeing it there, looking down at them all, a creature not known to any of them, brought bitter reminisces of Antartica: the glowing abomination that had changed the world forever, and those of Tokyo, when Shinji emerged from the immense fireball created by his first battle with the former being's offspring. Recollections of trepidation, awe in the sublime, were stirring within her.

Without warning, the drill retreated back into the cover of the obscuring particles and a huge crimson hand reached out to scoop up the remains of what Misato and the others guessed was Gurren. The shadow's arm returned to the ash-colored fog and raised its other limb. The roar returned and the silhouette flew upwards, the smoke around it swirling into the shape of a spiral.

There were three gaping holes in the GeoFront's shields now.

And Unit 01, was missing.

(Elsewhere)

"This was certainly unexpected,"

Grin.

"I suppose observation would be appropriate at this point in time, yes?"

Nod.

"Very well, I shall, spread the good word while I'm at it."

Go.

"I look forward to meeting you…"

To be continued

(Misato) Preview: Some pretty drastic changes happen over a three week time-skip. Dimensional vagabonds learn the value of hard work and clean floors. Faith is tested in the bowels of an asylum and in the lushness of office chairs. Shinji has a chance encounter… Next on Neon Toppa EVA Lagann: SCRUBBING A STORY: oral stage or "Get On Your Feet!!!"

Author Note: Yes, I did that. You didn't really think I'd reveal the titular mecha in all its glory in the very first chapter of the story, did you? Where would the suspense be in that? Oh, and how did a biological entitiy such as Unit 01 combine with the mechanical Lagann? You'll find that out later.

But first, a little contest. I'd like to invite all those that read this fic (and made it this far), to send me their interpretations of what Eva Lagann looks like, winners will receive a one-shot of their choice, and some previews of upcoming chapters and projects beyond this. Contestant minimum at 20, so be sure to spread the word! Winners announced at August 10!

Just post them on the internet some place and send me the link via private message.

1st prize: 1-shot with subject of choice, OMAKE of choice, advance Eva Lagann soundtrack cover and list, several 'theatrical posters'.

2nd prize: OMAKE of choice, Advanced Eva Lagann soundtrack cover and song list, several theatrical posters.

3rd prize: Choice images.

Oh and have you heard about how Rebuild 2.0 went, I heard it was incredibly awesome, and wished I had submitted this fic earlier so it wouldn't have to measure up!!!!

Read and Review!!!!