Doctor Who: The Evangelion Error (Book Two)

E10 Part 8: I Burn

First Defensive Line. Terminal Dogma.

The two titans stood listlessly by the tunnel exit. The larger of the pair -- fully one hundred and twenty meters tall -- had yet to regrow any skin on its frame, leaving its surface a collection of exposed muscle tissue that twitched and constricted at random. Six lopsided eyes glowed red beneath its metal helmet. In contrast, the other giant had no eyes at all. Its face was instead dominated by a disproportionately wide smile that contained an unnatural number of teeth. Its body was covered by masses of pale warts, one layered on top of the other.

Something in the air changed. The two giants looked up. They gazed into the tunnel entrance hungrily. Drool leaked down the smiler's chin.

Then something flashed within the tunnel, and the tall one's head exploded. Its gigantic corpse flopped onto the ground.

The smiler immediately charged into the tunnel, a high-pitched growl emerging from its mouth. It flailed its arms through the darkness, searching for some sort of prey. It didn't have the chance to find anything. A colossal pair of hands reached out from behind and snapped its neck in a single motion.

***

NERV Mobile Command Unit. Terminal Dogma.

"Guards are down, Command," Asuka said through the comm. "Heads up -- they do have AT fields. They're weak, but they're there."

"Got it," Misato replied. "All units, let's move!"

The command truck shuddered into motion. "Seeing a reaction in the graveyard, Captain," Makoto chipped in. He remained upstairs in Central Dogma. He'd volunteered to join Misato in the truck, of course, but she'd overruled him. She needed him on overwatch. "Think Zero can sense something's up."

"Where's the revenant count stand?"

"We count thirty-four revived Eva prototypes total, ma'am." Makoto coughed. "Okay -- a number of them are splitting off. Looks like Unit Zero's staying put in the graveyard, though."

"Roger that," Asuka said. "Ejecting cable and moving out."

"Good luck, Asuka," Misato said quietly. She watched her tactical display as the icon representing Unit Two rushed away from the tunnel and further into Terminal Dogma.

***

Inside the TARDIS

"Update on the enemy," the lieutenant's voice said through the radio. "The revenants have split up. We have twenty -- repeat, twenty Eva prototypes -- heading to the tunnel exit. Approximately three minutes until they arrive."

That many, the Doctor thought. He felt cold sweat break out on the back of his neck.

"And Unit Zero?" Misato asked.

"Still holding position within the graveyard. Fourteen revenants are staying with it. Repeat, that's fourteen revived prototypes guarding the graveyard."

The Doctor swallowed. He flipped one last switch. Then he turned to the control room's back wall, crowbar in hand. "I can't put this off any longer," he said out loud. "I'm sorry."

He shoved the end of the crowbar in between the metal panels and pushed.

***

NERV Mobile Command Unit. First Defensive Line. Terminal Dogma.

Misato felt the command truck screech to a halt. According to the tac screen, they were now on top of the steel wall in front of the tunnel exit -- the same place where the tanks had first met Unit Zero. This time, however, the formation was aimed into Terminal Dogma. "All units, get in position!" Misato shouted. "Tanks, bring main guns to bear! Support infantry, hold back for now. This is it, people! If they get into the tunnels here, we can't stop them from reaching the surface! Whatever happens, we do not let anything get through! Are we clear?"