Author's note: Yes, this is very short. I've been, as you can see, writing prolifically over the past few weeks. That, and during my recent week-long sojourn to Seoul, I forgot the file for this story at home. That, and I recently found out I have a blurb for one of my fics on tv tropes. I feel completed.
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System full start. Begin waking procedures.
Identify yourself.
Type 15 mesotype 00-03. What is my name?
Armor restraints at first stage release. Accept mission y/n?
Accept. Who am I?
Irrelevant. Base has been compromised. Begin purge.
Two yellow eyes light up, raising the black armored head as its shoulder jet stripes glow with pale green light. It is Cherubim. It is complete. It has been given the mission as it becomes aware of its surroundings, as the last of the scientists are jumped and torn apart by its insane, immature brethren.
The Cherubim, odd, pale elongated creatures drooling LCL and hissing in untrasonics, surrounds it. Taller than a man, black armored with green and white highlights, growling in low tones as it regards them with its pug like face.
The jet strips open, folding out into two miniature Progressive Knives, and the Black Cherubim begins the slaughter.
*
*
Hands close around her throat. For a moment, Ritsuko Akagi sees her life flash before her eyes. It is ironic, if she of all people dies of strangulation, considering her finest moment preventing a similar fate. She allows a small smile to cross her lips as the creature hisses, her eyes beginning to roll up.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Then the white blur rips the Cherubim off her. With a mighty pull, the head of the creature snaps off, painting the walls with LCL as its thrown into another Cherubim, before a flurry of white fists and red light clears the room of the rest. Genetically engineered bodyparts litter the room. The walls are painted amber, the only sound the slow, hissing breath.
As she stirs, Ritsuko smiles. A small, warm, motherly smile, as the pale, red eyed face looks upon her, eyes frantic. Lazily, her hand touches the young nephilem's face, making her blush.
"Are you alright?" Rei asks.
"Now that you're here," Ritsuko says, "Good girl, Rei. Good, good girl."
"You are hurt," Rei says, "I can take you to the command center. It will not be…pleasant."
"Do so. I've been through worse."
And cradling the doctor, Rei's eyes gllow and the two are gone.
*
*
"The Cherubim are more or less miniature Evangelions. Superhumanly strong, enhanced stamina and speed, and tactically intelligent. They maintain low-level AT Fields around themselves to maintain their structural integrity and enhance their durability. Except for the ones that might already be fully armored, the majority of them are capable of only close quarters combat."
Misato stares at the young lieutenant as she zips up the last of her body armor.
"Explain that so I can understand it," she says.
He sighs, palming his face.
"Ever see Aliens?"
"Right. Gotcha."
Hefting up the shotgun, she loads up the last bullets and cocks it. Behind her, Kaji slams the bullet magazine into place in his pistol, pulling down the impact shield over his face.
"You really don't have to come," she says.
"And let you have all the fun?" he responds, grinning behind the faceplate, "Wouldn't be chivalrous. 'Sides which, I wouldn't be able to sit still until I know you and the Children were safe."
In front of them, the double doors unlock and grind open.
"We're sealing the doors behind you," the lieutenant says, "Major, we can't afford to let the Cherubim get out until we're sure they're contained. For what it's worth…"
The doors open. There is hissing beyond, in the darkness.
"…good luck."
Misato grunts, and the two charge in. The doors grind shut behind them.
*
*
A swipe from one of the balled fists nearly knocks him unconscious, loosening a tooth in the back and sending him off his feet, onto his back. The thing hisses, barking, leaning over him before a foot slams into its face, Asuka sending it reeling back before spinning and hooking it across the face with her heel.
The monster drops, and she grabs him by the arm, pulling him up.
"We have to get out of here," she says.
"G…good idea," Shinji responds, turning and finding more glowing eyes around them, "Oh…oh no."
The Cherubim lunge. Instinctively, he grabs Asuka's wrist, pulling her behind him, running and dragging her…before more drop down in front of them. A swipe sends Shinji flying, in and out of consciousness as he bounces off the pipe. He can hear Asuka's scream as one of them grabs her, his vision blurring, turning black and-
"No."
And then there is light.
No.
No, there is an absence of light.
The shadows come alive, the Cherubim grabbing Asuka shredding, painting her and the walls with LCL as the others look about, sniffing the air…hesitating.
Fear.
Now they know fear.
"Only instinct. Only hunger."
More shred. The shadows form into a shape, collecting in the air before the Cherubim start flying, screaming, slamming into walls and pipes and bursting like overfilled water balloons as something echoes and laughs.
"In the absence of wrath, true power cannot be witnessed. In only instinct, you are but animals."
He opens his eyes. Tentatively, hesitating. Too his relief, he finds Asuka still intact, but sprawled on the floor. On hands and knees, he crawls over to her, lifting her head up, finding her breathing.
"Greetings, Shinji."
Then he notices someone standing over them. Massive, draped in shadows. Two blue eyes glowing in the darkness concealing his face. He is floating off the ground, his voice reverberating in the space around them…and he can hear a small chuckle coming from him. As he looks on him with his eyes.
"I…had almost forgotten her," he says, "Follow the path behind me. It will lead you to safety. We will meet again."
With a blink, a blink of Shinji's eyes, he is gone.
Leaving silence and questions in his wake.
*
*
Running. Running, it speeds through corridors and hallways, projecting the AT field downward into a ramp, speeding through and up the electrified tramway into the main facility. It has but one mission.
Kill.
Kill all of them.
Leave nothing living and-
"Hello."
It stops, frozen in place. Confusion sets into its mind as it stares into red eyes. Recognizing what is before it, it kneels, bowing its head in respect and worship. A hand comes down onto its shoulder, and its head is forced up, gazing into warm, welcoming eyes.
"Would you like a name?"
You would give me a name?
"Of course I would. In return, I need you to help me."
Yes.
"Very well…you are silent, but powerful. Then I will name you Dumah, after the Angel of Silence. Is that enough?"
You have named me, and I love you for it.
"Excellent. Dumah, there are people in this facility. Find them and rescue them. They are friends of mine and I have marked them for you. Save them."
Dumah rises, snorting out steam as its eyes glow brightly. The other presence is gone, no trace of it ever being there…but it now has a name. That is enough.
And with a small sonic boom, Dumah takes off on its mission.
*
*
The shotgun blast takes the Cherubim's head clean off, the AT Field keeping it stable popping like a balloon and reducing it to a puddle of yellow liquid at her feet. Cocking the shotgun, Misato turns just as another lunges, pressing the weapon against its chest and vaporizing a good portion of its torso.
One leaps, aiming to blindside her. A flash of metal scraps that plan, its legs landing a further distance from the rest of it before another flash of metal takes its head off, a pair of bullets to the face of the one next to it sending it to the ground.
"Question," Misato says, cocking the shotgun again, as the Cherubim circle, nervous, "Where did you get the katana?"
Slamming the clip in, Kaji twirls the long, curved sword in his right hand.
"First off, it's not a katana," he responds, "It's a Hatori Hanzo sword. And that room I ducked into on B4 was one of the Chairman's private collections. He has three of them."
"Think he'll be pissed?"
"I look at it this way. At least he'll have a story to tell about with this sword."
*
*
The base seems lonely when she is the only pilot there. Of course, she's not technically a pilot, as her Eva hasn't arrived, yet. But still, Hikari Horaki, the Fifth Child, finds things…odd when she is the youngest person in the entire massive Pyramid that serves as NERV-1. The isolation, the standing out, is even more apparent when she sits in front of the paper strewn desk of the person in charge of her current round of testing, as the bearded, glasses-wearing man scans over a dot matrix print out.
"Your synchronization score is holding at 47%," Doctor Ikari says, pushing his glasses up his nose, "You have a high amount of potential. Of course, with Rei in Germany, you have not had a chance to hone your combat training."
"Yes, sir," she says, hands folded in her lap.
"Rei will be back in three days to continue your training. Until then, we will continue with the daily sync tests."
"Yes, sir."
He pushes his glasses back up.
"Any questions?"
"Um…yes, actually."
He nods. Silent.
"Um…will my Eva go berserk? Like Shinji's does? I know that I signed on for this and I really appreciate the chance you're giving me, but I am…I'm a little scared about it."
Ikari stares at her. Silently, he draws his glasses off his nose and rubs the bridge, sighing.
"I will forward your concern to the Commander," he says, "If that is all, you are dismissed."
She nods, and quickly walks out. Leaning back in the chair, he activates his intercom, dialing a number.
"Kozou? We need to talk, now."