Evangelion - Our Take - Episode 05

Evangelion : Our Take

Episode 5 : A Sea Battle; Alice's Arrival

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''Ughh...what time is it?''

It was another typically hot day in Tokyo III, and William had just woken up to the loud sound of cicadas. He was covered in sweat, half awake and feeling like his body weighted a ton. The light of the sun was projected on the wall of his room, coming in through the curtains of his small window. Outside, the sounds of the busy city life could be heard. Slowly and painfully, the young man rose from his bed and walked towards the window, pulling the curtains open to look outside. He was blinded by the sunlight, which surprised him. ''The sun isn't usually that high when I wake up...wait...''. As he began to realize what happened, he looked to his alarm clock; it was already past 9 am. He stared at it for a moment, his still half-awake brain processing the information. Outside, the cicadas were louder than ever. He swallowed his saliva nervously. ''I...overslept...''

Faster than ever before, he dashed towards the door of his room and stepped into the apartment kitchen. Misato was nowhere to be found, apparently gone to work at NERV HQ. On the table a note had been left saying ''I won't be back until much later this evening; an important cargo is being shipped to NERV, today. take care!''. William sighed and looked around. No lunch was prepared and he was still in his underwear; things were not looking good. PenPen was lying on the living room floor, sleeping next to the fan, apparently too lazy to walk to his little ''fridge home''. William looked at the penguin for a moment and finally he focused. ''Okay, let's do this!'' he spoke to himself in a manly voice (which sounded forced) as he began to get ready. Quicly grabbing something to eat and getting changed, William was out the door before PenPen could even realize he had gotten up. As he stepped outside, he was greeted by a wave of unbearable Tokyo III heat, as the sound of cicadas got even louder. Bracing himself for a painful run, William gritted his teeth and began his sprint towards the school.

It was such a sunny morning, not a single cloud could be seen. The sun's light was reflected on the tall white buildings of the city and the asphalt was burning hot. As he was crossing the usual small bridge, William passed a group of young students heading for what seemed to be a field trip. He looked at the kids as he passed them by, envying them a little.

After what seemed like an eternal run, he finally arrived at school. With no time to catch his breath, he swiftly stepped inside, dashing past the shoe lockers and heading directly for the stairs. The school was unusually quiet and it was only when he reached his floor that William noticed it. As he walked through the corridor leading to his class room, he noticed that every single class was empty. ''...it's not Sunday...why would the classes be empty?''.

As he was about to reach his classroom, he noticed he was not alone in the school after all. Standing in front of the door leading to his class, a girl he had never seen seemed to be waiting for someone. She was stunningly beautiful; almost as tall as William, with a seductive figure many models would envy. Her hair was long and straight, jet-black and silky. She was wearing the school uniform and seemed to be the same age as him. Still catching his breath from all the running, the yound man walked towards the mysterious new girl. She noticed him, turning to face him. Her face evoked pure and simple confidence, her eyes of a bright emerald color. Before he could say anything, she asked: ''Are you a student of Class 2-A?''. She had a British accent.

''Yes I am...''. He paused to catch his breath. ''...are you a transfer student in our class?''

''Indeed. Though I must ask; where exactly am I supposed to go for today's field trip?'' She had her arms crossed and her foot was tapping on the ground. William stood there in silence, feeling his soul slowly leaving his body, almost hearing it say ''That's it, I quit, you're an idiot.''. The field trip; how could he forget about the field trip? The image of the young students he had passed on his way to school flashed in his mind. The new girl just looked at him, raising an eyebrow. ''Well? Do you know?'' She was getting irritated. William searched his memories of the last few weeks.

The past days had been very tiring for him, as he had to go through many training exercises with Severnawa and Ayanami. Even though Evangelion Unit 00 was still being repaired after the battle with the last Angel, Ayanami could still take part in battle simulations and synchro tests. It seemed that ever since their last battle, Severnawa had been very insistant on the importance of battle training. Since about three weeks, the pilots would have at least two training exercises a week, with Severnawa heading to NERV HQ to train every single day. Not wanting a repeat of the last battle, William understood the importance of simulations and trained as hard as he could, however this was quickly taking its toll on his energy. Given some time off from training, he had spent the last few days trying to recover his energy. The field trip had been mentioned by Marie-Pier earlier this week, but William had a hard time remembering what it was. All he knew is that it involved swimming.

''I'm so sorry... I can't seem to remember where we need to go...'' William was ashamed. The girl seemed stunned as she raised her voice, exclaiming ''Are you an idiot?!''. The young man looked to his feet, insulted. ''...all I know is that it had something to do with swimming.''

Strangely enough, this comment seemed to mean something to the new girl as her face lit up. ''Of course! I do believe I know EXACTLY what your class's field trip is!'' she said, as she began to head towards the stairs. William looked at her go for a moment, surprised, but he quickly went after her. She was running fast and he was having a hard time keeping up with her. How athletic was she?! As they stepped outside the school, William finally asked ''Where are we heading? How come you know where our class's field trip is, all of a sudden?''. The girl simply smiled at him while she was running and answered ''It's simple. Unlike you, I am not an idiot.''. William frowned and pouted ''...that's harsh.''. His answer seemed to make her laugh, as she replied: ''I'm Alice. Alice Maxwell. Who are you?''. William smiled back and answered ''William Woods. Pleasure to meet you, miss Maxwell.''

The two students ran through the streets until they finally met with the rest of the class. The whole group was following the lead of their gym teacher, apparently heading for the sea shore. Following the teacher closely was Marie-Pier, the class president. A little bit further behing was Severnawa, easy to recognize because of his tanned skin tone. William sighed in relief as he joined with his friends Vincent and Nicolas at the end of the line, followed closely by Alice.

''Good...morning...guys...'' said William, still catching his breath. They both turned to greet him, noticing Alice. ''Who is this with you?'' asked Vincent, pointing towards the British girl. Before William could answer, Alice stepped forward with a confident smile on her face. ''I'm Alice Maxwell, a transfer student from England'' she passed her fingers through her hair and designated William. ''I arrived slightly too late to leave with the class earlier, but your idiotic friend kindly escorted me here.''. Everyone was expecting some form of reaction from William, but they noticed he was distracted, looking at Ayanami from a distance. Nicolas laughed and placed his hand on William's shoulder. ''Still staring at the mysterious Ayanami...''. William blushed again, as Alice tried to see who he was looking at. Vincent designated the red-eyed girl walking a little bit further ahead of them so that Alice would know. ''This is Ayanami, William's obvious perverted interest.''. This comment struck William like an arrow through the chest, which made Vincent burst with laughter. Embarassed, William just left the group, heading towards Ayanami directly. Alice looked at him go, quiet. When he was gone, she turned to Vincent and Nicolas and asked: ''Who is your class president?''. The two boys pointed to Marie-Pier, still walking next to the teacher. ''Thanks.'' Without another word, Alice left the two friends behind and headed to the front of the line to meet with the red-haired class president.

''Good morning, Ayanami.''

William smiled to the delicate girl as she turned to look at him. He noticed that her arms were no longer covered in bandages. In the last Angel battle Ayanami had suffered some burns and her arms had been wrapped in bandages for a few weeks now. She hesitated a moment and replied ''Good morning, William.'', mimicking the young man's greeting. They were walking side by side, not saying anything, simply following the class and heading for the sea shore. The sound of waves could be heard in the distance and a few seagulls were now flying around the group. Ayanami looked at the white birds with almost child-like curiosity, as William slowly saw the sea shore appear in the distance. The class seemed enthusiastic as they began to run towards the shore, their teacher giving directions and following the group closely.

''Is it your first time swimming in the sea?'' William asked Ayanami. She turned to look at him, her red-eyes still as mesmerizing as usual. ''Yes.'' she paused. ''How about you?''. He looked at the seagulls flying around, his hands in his pockets. ''Yep. It would have been impossible to go swimming in Canada. It's like Severnawa said; After Second Impact, the climate change made it unbearable to almost all living creatures. The water would have been WAY too cold.'' he looked at Ayanami and smiled. ''...if I went for a swim there, I'd probably be found years later frozen in an iceberg!''. He was expecting her to laugh, however she remained quiet, looking at the sea. He also looked, blinded by the sun's reflection on the water. At the surface, some ruins of the ancient Tokyo could be seen. These old buildings were covered in moss and plants and were now the nests of many birds. Fifteen years had passed since Second Impact had changed the face of the Earth, and these old ruins were a testament of that. Lost in thought, William was brought back to reality when Marie-Pier spoke up to the entire class.

''Alright everyone, listen up! We're going to get changed in diving gear and follow the lead of our teacher.'' She designated the sea and continued ''We're about to see some underwater remnants of the old Tokyo, but we must stay away from certain areas. These buildings are old and could fall apart at any moment, so don't wander off.''.

Following her call, all students formed a line to receive their diving gear and headed for a designated changing room on the beach. Alice and Marie-Pier walked towards William and Ayanami, handing them their swimming gear. Marie-Pier smiled to the fragile girl ''Ayanami, you're coming with us!''. Gently taking her hand, she headed towards the changing room. The red-eyed girl just turned to William as she was carried away, a confused expression on her face. Alice winked at him and laughed ''Girls need to stick together, right?''. Saying that, she left him alone on the beach, joining the two girls at the changing station. William looked at the girls go, sighing. Without him noticing, Vincent and Nicolas had already sneaked behind him. Both placing their hands on his shoulders, they took a solemn tone and said: ''Summer is the season where beautiful girls are in bloom. The beach is where all the action is at.''. He turned to look at them, noticing they had already changed into their diving suits.

''I guess you can't wait to see Ayanami in swimming gear, huh?'' asked Nicolas, with a large grin. Not answering, William headed for the changing room.

- - -

All students had changed into their diving equipment and were heading out to sea. The water was at a perfect temperature for a swim and William found it very refreshing. What a nice change that was from the usual unbearable heat of this city! Slowly, the whole group began to dive below the surface, following the lead of the gym teacher. Because of the bright sunlight and how clear the water was, it was easy to see underwater and the students were amazed by the ruins they saw. It was as if time had stopped for the world underwater, cars still in place on the streets at the bottom of the sea. The buildings were filled with water and as the students swam on top of an old street they passed many boutiques, the contents of their show-windows still in place. Fishes of all kinds were swimming around the old city, going in and out of buildings as if the underwater Tokyo now belonged to them. As he was swimming, William was trying to discern Ayanami through the group of students, with no success. ''I wonder if she's having fun...''.

After a good distance, the teacher led everyone to the surface. It was time to rest. Swimming in place, everyone removed their masks to catch their breath and look around. Only the tallest buildings could now be seen at the surface, as they had reached a much deeper part of the sea. William was still looking around to find Ayanami, when someone grabbed his arm. He turned around to see a familiar face; il was Alice, the new transfer student.

''Take me to NERV HQ, Unit 09 Pilot.'' was all she said, a serious and determined expression on her face.

He was stunned. How did she know he was a pilot? Why did she suddenly want to go to NERV HQ? He hesitated for a moment, which irritated her. ''Are you stupid? Hurry up, we have an emergency on our hands!'' she was holding his arm tighter. ''We must make our way out of here unnoticed. We don't want to attract attention.''

''Fine. Follow me.'' William swam towards the shore, closely followed by Alice. He remembered learning about an underground access close to this location which would lead them straight to the Geofront. As they were gowing down the elevator leading to NERV HQ, Alice began to remove her diving equipment, letting loose her long black hair. William was still stunned, looking at her; how did she know about NERV? This situation reminded him of Severnawa's transfer to Tokyo III. She noticed he'd been looking at her the whole time and got angry. ''Do you ALWAYS stare at girls like that, you creep?!'' William looked away, silent. They finally reached the level of NERV Headquarters and William ran for the dressing room. Alice was running behind him, silent. Severnawa was waiting for him, already wearing his plugsuit, leaned against his locker in the dressing room. ''You're surprisingly early.'' was all Severnawa said as William was getting changed. He couldn't tell if the Russian pilot was being sarcastic or not. When William finished changing, Severnawa headed towards the exit. ''The captain's waiting for us in the briefing room.''

Both pilots headed for the briefing room. Misato was already there waiting for them, with Ayanami by her side. When Severnawa entered the room he gave Misato his usual salute, which William mimicked. ''Evangelion Unit 08 Pilot, Severnawa, ready for duty'', ''William Woods, ready for duty''. Misato returned the salute and asked both pilots to turn around to look behind them. William was startled when he noticed that just behind Severnawa and him, Alice had walked in. She gave Misato a salute as well. ''Evangelion Unit 07 Pilot, Alice Maxwell, awaiting orders.''. She was wearing a green plugsuit. Misato began her briefing, not giving any time for questions.

''Now that everyone is present, we must begin this short briefing. As you have noticed, we welcome today a new pilot to our team. Her name is Alice Maxwell, she is an elite pilot sent directly from England. Her Evangelion Unit 07 is ready for combat and is perfectly fitted for today's operation.''. Saying that, Misato pointed to a map of Tokyo III and its surroundings.

''Today we are awaiting the delivery of an extremely important cargo. The ship containing this item was heading for the eastern coast of Tokyo III, however an Angel has been detected in the ship's vicinity. This Angel is a massive aquatic creature moving at an incredible speed. The escort batallion is currently accompanying the cargo ship, but without assistance from our Evangelion Units, they would stand no chance in a battle against this Angel.''. Changing the map of Tokyo III to a map of the eastern sea region, Misato continued her briefing.

''As we speak, two of our Evangelion Units have been loaded on NERV specialized transport ships. The operation consists of meeting with the cargo ship and aiding the escort fleet in protecting it, as well as destroying the Angel. The Units chosen for this mission are the only two capable of aquatic battle, William and Alice's Units 09 and 07. Both pilots are required to move out immediately. Report to exit ES-01. Qestions?''

Alice gave a quick salute to Misato and headed out of the briefing room. William looked at her run and looked at Misato again, nervous. ''Misa...I mean Captain, is underwater combat really possible for my Evangelion?''. Misato crossed her arms, a serious expression on her face. ''Dr.Akagi was clear when she said that it was impossible for Severnawa's Unit 08. Since Ayanami's Unit 00 is currently under heavy repairs, your units are the only options we have.''. She paused for a moment, then smiled. ''You know William, you don't have to worry. Alice is an elite pilot with an intense training background. You two will make a great team.''. As she said that, William looked away.

''...why is it that I'm always the last one to know about new pilots or new EVAs?'' he asked. Misato seemed uncomfortable, but before she could answer Severnawa spoke up, clearly growing irritated and impatient: ''Hey, Will, don't you think there's better times to chit-chat?''. The remark left Misato and William quiet. Without a word, William gave a salute and left.

- - -

''I'm feeling seasick already...this isn't good...''

The transport ships had left port and William was on board, sitting in the stairs leading to his EVA's storage room. Being on standby until further notice, he had mostly been struggling with not only his anxiety, but also with seasickness. Trying to focus on the upcoming battle, William closed his eyes and tried to imagine what an aquatic battle would be like. ''Can an EVA even swim?'' The picture of his Evangelion wearing a speedo and jumping into a gigantic pool crossed his mind, but he was brought back to reality by a familiar voice.

''What are you doing there, looking all miserable?''. It was Alice. William frowned, not amused by her mocking tone. She sat next to him, looking at his EVA from the stairs. Without turning to look at him, she continued to talk.

''I've heard some impressive things about you, you know...''

William seemed surprised and looked at her. She was still looking at his Evangelion. ''...like what?'' he asked, confused. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. ''...are you stupid?'' she asked, still with that condescending tone. William looked away, getting tired of her attitude, but she continued. ''I heard that on your first sortie in battle, your sync ratio was above 50%.''. She was looking at him, as if expecting an explanation, but he didn't answer. This seemed to irritate her but before she could say anything else, the transport ship's alarm went off. ''It's time.'' Alice got up and passed her fingers through her hair.

''Don't dissapoint me, mister prodigy.'' was all she said as she left, heading for her Evangelion.

William sighed. The more time he spent with this girl, the harder it was for him to believe Misato's words about them ''making a great team''. Not only was she always condescending to him, but ever since Second Impact, Canada and England had not been on the greatest of terms. Trying to chase these thoughts away, he simply headed for his Evangelion. The final preparations for launch were made and finally, both EVAs were activated.

William's Evangelion Unit 09 emerged from the massive transport ship on which it was mounted and ended up on the deck, his umbilical cable connected directly to the ship to supply him with power. His Unit was armed with a Sonic Halberd, a weapon he had used in his second Angel battle.

Next to him was Alice's Evangelion Unit, slightly less muscular than his own EVA, with a more agile build and different shoulder modules. Its main colors were green and black. On the Evangelion's shoulders, the words ''EVA 07'' could be seen, with the words ''Production Model'' visible on both of its arms. Her EVA seemed to be unarmed, but William knew some weapon modules had to be installed on her Unit. As he was looking at her Evangelion, Alice opened up a communication link with him, a screen appearing in William's entryplug cockpit.

''William, the Angel should be appearing any time, now. Keep your eyes on it and study its movements, this battle will be tricky.'' She looked determined and confident as she spoke. William nodded, looking all around the escort ships to see any trace of movement on the sea surface. The cargo ship was not too far from their transport ship, the NERV logo visible on it in bright red letters. He could already feel his heart beating faster in his chest, his breathing accelerating as he took a firm hold of his Halberd. ''Where is that bastard?'' was all he could think, unable to spot the Angel's location. Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard in the direction of the cargo ship. Startled, William quickly turned to look.

One of the escort battleships had been attacked and was now sinking, litterally chopped in half. At the water surface a massive creature could now be seen, moving at an incredible speed between the ships. Alice gave the call ''There it is! Let's go!'' and unplugged her umbilical cable. At first William didn't understand why she did, until he saw her Evangelion do something he had never seen; from the transport ship, Alice's EVA 07 took an incredible jump in the air and landed directly on a nearby battleship. The ship took the impact surprisingly well and her EVA regained its balance quickly. Following the Angel's movement, Alice's EVA jumped again, getting closer to the cargo ship. William was in awe; he now understood why Misato had called Alice ''an Elite Pilot''. The Angel apparently had noticed her EVA, because it was now heading directly for her. A satisfied smile appeared on her face as her EVA got in a battle stance, ready to intercept the Angel. ''All as planned...''

The massive Angel emerged completely out of the water, giving himself a strong swing to jump on the ship's deck to attack Alice's EVA. Now that the Angel was fully visible, it looked like a monstrous whale, its mouth big enough to easily swallow an Evangelion whole. The front of the Angel was covered in a bone-like armor formation and only its stomach area seemed vulnerable. However, William noticed something odd; its core was nowhere to be seen. As the Angel was about to land on the battleship, Alice's EVA pulled out two progressive knives from its shoulder modules and struck directly below the Angel, slicing through its stomach. The Angel continued his path through the air and passed the ship completely, diving back into the water on the other side. A trail of dark blood covered the ship and Alice's EVA 07, and the Angel dissapeared under water. Alice opened a communication link with her fellow pilot and winked, talking in a proud and confident tone. ''See, William? A battle should be won quickly, with minimal damage''

As the crew of the ship was sighing in relief, another explosion was heard. Much closer to the cargo ship, another battleship had been sunk. A trail of blood could be seen on the water surface, indicating that the Angel was still in movement. William clenched his teeth and warned Alice ''Look out, its core was not destroyed!''. As he was warning her, the Angel jumped out of the water again, this time opening its gigantic mouth. Leaving Alice no time to react, her EVA was swiftly trapped between the Angel's sharp teeth and knocked off the battleship's deck. Unable to move, she fell to the sea as the Angel dove back under water. Her scream resonated through William's cockpit. His hands were shaking and cold sweat was dripping on his face. ''A...Alice? Alice are you still there?'' he was trying to contact her, but for seconds that seemed like an eternity, she didn't answer. He was in a state of panic but Alice's voice brought him back to reality again.

''Hey, you idiot! The Angel is heading for the transport ship, you'll have to make a jump for it!'' She was almost screaming at him, and William noticed she was right. The Angel was quickly heading directly for him and he knew that the impact would be violent. He saw the crew abandoning the ship and understood what he had to do. ''Make a jump for it, heh?'' he smiled nervously. ''I'll give it my best shot, Alice!''. Following Alice's example, he unplugged his umbilical cable and waited for the right moment. He was holding the Sonic Halberd strongly and keeping his eyes on the Angel, swallowing his saliva with difficulty, not blinking for a second. At the last second he went for it; he jumped in the air as the Angel came crashing through the transport ship. He felt a rush of blood go to his head as his Evangelion landed on the Angel's back. He couldn't believe it; he had actually jumped on the Angel's back!

Struggling to get the EVA off its back, the Angel was swimming in an erratic manner. Holding on for dear life, William communicated with Alice. ''What are we supposed to do now?!'' He could see that her EVA was still stuck between the Angel's teeth.

''The Angel's core is inside of its mouth, William! Just help me get it open!'' Alice's EVA was unable to move, with her power supply almost at its limit. ''Roger that!'' was all William answered as he got ready to strike.

With all his might, William took a swing with his Sonic Halberd and struck at the Angel. The Halberd went right through the Angel's flesh and caused it to open its mouth, giving Alice the opportunity to attack its core. With both Progressive Knives Alice struck at the Angel's core, causing the creature to struggle even more. Holding on to his Halberd, William's Unit 09 looked like it was on aquatic rodeo. After a long struggle, the core of the Angel finally cracked, resulting in a gigantic underwater explosion. The crew of the escort ships looked at the scene from afar, as the shockwave reached their life boats.

The battle was over.

- - -

The sun was now setting on the city of Tokyo III and the streets were quiet. The sound of cicadas could still be heard and the sky was a dark red color. William was heading back home after a long afternoon at NERV HQ, exhausted from his battle and the report that came afterwards. He was reminiscing on how the battle had turned out and how this new pilot and him were able to beat that aquatic Angel. When the rescue crew salvaged both Evangelion Units and brought them back on board the cargo ship, William and Alice had to go their seperate ways. The girl apparently had some important NERV related business to attend to and she said that ''An idiot like him'' had nothing to do with it. He sighed. What a day this had turned out to be; being late to school, only to find out the class had headed out on a fieldtrip, meeting a new EVA pilot which turned out to be a condescending British girl, battling an Angel at sea... What was even worst was that he never even had the chance to talk with Misato after the battle. All she said was that he should be heading home, as she had a lot of work to do regarding the transfer of  EVA 07 and reporting on the battle at sea. Now that he thought about it, he never even asked what the cargo they were protecting was supposed to be...

Sighing again, he finally reached Misato's apartment building. Painfully going up the stairs, he was already thinking about how enjoyable it was to be back in the peace of home. He slowly turned the knob and entered, only to find the lights already on in the apartment. Was Misato already home? As he stepped inside, he noticed piles of boxes were lined up on the walls all over the corridor leading to his room. He walked down the corridor, hearing some music he was not familiar with playing from his room. He looked inside and felt his soul slowly leaving his body when he saw what was going on.

''What are you, stupid? You really do stare at girls like a pervert all the time...''

That british accent. That attitude. There she was, in his room. A ton of boxes were opened on the floor, with girl clothes all over the place. The bed had been changed to a very feminine looking one and the radio was playing some english music he knew nothing of. Alice was definitely there, wearing a green satin nightie with a bow on the front and lace paterns, her long hair tied with ribbons. Unable to speak, William's face changed to Munch's ''The Scream''. PenPen was walking by and stopped to look at the scene. Alice placed a hand on her hip and passed her fingers through her hair.

''Didn't Misato tell you? She's responsible for me during my stay in Tokyo III. This means I'll be living here, from now on.''. She paused and designated the room. ''Since I have SO many things, it was only logical for me to take the biggest room. Your room has officially been moved to the end of the corridor.''

Still silent, William simply stepped out of Alice's new room, his facial expression frozen in time. He walked towards ''his new room'' at the slowest pace, with PenPen looking at him as he left. Alice sighed and looked at the penguin.

''Boys are so hopeless...''

- - -

Evangelion: Our Take

Episode 5 – The End