"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Asuka couldn't help herself. She shrieked in terror. Sure, she'd been in some tight spots in her Eva. Battling an Angel was always dangerous, and there was always a risk that she might pay the ultimate price. Though in Asuka's case that thought never really crossed her mind. She was young and skilled. There was no WAY someone as talented as herself could lose. She was Immortal!
At the moment she was also absolutely certain she was about to die.
"Turn! Turn! Turnturnturnturnturn!" She squealed as Shinji threw the car around a corner, careening off a light post and bouncing off the curb before centering himself in the middle of the road once again. The buildings to the sides were a blur, and Asuka didn't even want to LOOK at the speedometer.
"WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!" Shinji hollered, hair blowing in the wind as he drove down the streets of Tokyo 3 like a bat out of Hell. Or SOMETHING out of Hell at any rate. Something a lot meaner and more dangerous than a bat.
"Idiot! Moron! Dummkopf! SLOW DOWN!" Asuka's hand where balled into white knuckled fists on the dashboard, and while she had never been subject to motion sickness before, the way Shinji was swerving across the road was making her sunday want to return to its glass bowl.
She hadn't thought much of it when Shinji had dragged her back to the apartment complex. She'd been a little concerned when Shinji had hopped into Misato's car. She'd been surprised when Shinji showed her the extra key he's slipped out of Misato's pocketbook before they'd left that morning. She'd been a little worried at the idea of taking a joyride around town in Misato's car... But what harm could it do really? Sure, neither of them had drivers licenses. But they piloted giant robots for a living: How hard could a car be? And if they got pulled over for being underage, well, it's not like it would be on their permanent record anyway, was it? If the stupid loop broke this time around she'd be more than happy to accept a little criminal infraction in exchange.
So she'd shrugged, slipped into the passenger seat, and fastened her seatbelt. Shinji turned the key in the ignition...
And everything had gone straight to Hell.
"Watch out for that old lady!!" Asuka squealed. The words had barely left her mouth before the car bounced to the sound of a loud "Thump!"
"Thanks for the pointer Asuka!" Shinji said with feeling as he turned his head to look behind them. Completely taking his eyes off the road. "Awww, damnit! It's bonus points if you nail the granny but leave the walker upright!"
"I.. I think I'm going to be sick..." Asuka sputtered, her face pale as death.
"Make sure you stick your head out the window first! I'll try not to sideswipe anything on your side! WOOOHOOOOO!" Shinji called out gleefully, leaning on the horn. "Watch! Bet I can make that bus jump the curb!"
Asuka had driven with Misato. Misato was, by any sane standard, a terrifying driver. She drove like a demon. Speed limits were LOWER limits as far as the Captain was concerned. And she treated the freeway like an obstacle course, zooming in and out of lanes with no apparent regard for life and limb. But for all that she DID seem to have an incredible talent: the ability to JUST BARELY miss whatever she was aiming at. Be it another car, a street sign, or a pedestrian.
Shinji seemed to have the same talent. Only inverted. And used solely for EVIL.
"WOOHOO! Outta the way slowpokes!" Shinji cackled... actually CACKLED! Shinji of all people! as he leaned on the horn, driving the car up on the sidewalk. Most of the pedestrians leapt out of the way. Not all of them made it. Shinji's only concession was to turn on the windshield wipers for a few seconds.
They couldn't have been on the road for long... It was hard to tell, since each second was dragged out into an eternity of mind numbing terror. But the car already looked like it had been assaulted by an army with sledgehammers. The body panels were all smashed beyond belief, the side mirrors had long since been sheered off, and it was a miracle that even ONE headlight had survived intact. So far. Each ding and dent was a mark of battle. The casualties? A miles long stretch of road covered with the scattered remains of street signs, light posts, mail boxes, and fire hydrants. Not to mention other smashed cars. And the occasional moaning wreck of an unfortunate pedestrian.
"Tanker truck! Tanker truck! We're going to DIE!" Asuka screamed as Shinji topped a small rise and a gas truck came into view on the other side of the hill, crossing the road at an intersection.
"Eh, I can make it!" Shinji said confidently, a huge grin plastered across his face. The back of Asuka's mind wondered how he expected to avoid the truck when, at the moment, all four wheels were off the ground, he'd taken the hill so fast.
Asuka had known battle. Asuka had known loss. Asuka had seen death first hand. Asuka had the fate of the world resting on her shoulders every time she fought an angel. Asuka was filled with worries and doubts and a tumultuous mixture of raging, conflicting emotions. While she'd never admit she FELT it, Asuka always believed she knew what fear was. And deep down inside her, she knew that the most terrifying moment in her life up to date was likely when she saw Shinji slipping backwards on the railing, and knew, KNEW that it was because of her hesitation that she'd be a half second too late to save him.
The was the most terrifying moment in her life TO DATE.
The date had just changed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh...." Asuka's voice gave out as she closed her eyes, body tensed up in anticipation of impact. And there WAS an impact. Two of them actually, maybe three. And while none were gentle, none were as.. terminal.. as she had expected. First came the spine crunching sensation of a two and a half tons of automobile failing to be an airplane. Then there was the horrible lateral force of a car moving sideways when it was most definitely NOT designed to do so. There were a few more thunks and squeals and bounces as well as the sound of metal against metal... And Asuka opened her eyes to find herself still alive.
"TOLD you the tanker wouldn't kill us!" Shinji grinned at the other pilot as both turned their heads to look behind them.
Dwindling in the distance was the tanker truck, laying on its side, jackknifed across the road. The driver must have slammed on his brakes to try to avoid an accident, and apparently ALMOST managed it. The crumpled bumper on the truck, and the way THEIR car was wobbling and bouncing as if it had a flat tire said he hadn't been entirely successful. There were the remains of yet another mangled street sign lying on the corner as well, which would account for the third bump she'd felt.
Asuka's heart began to slow down just a hair as she breathed a sigh of relief, certain death averted. She was still looking back when a fireball lit up the sky. The tanker must have sprung a leak when it jackknifed, and the fuel must have found an ignition source...
"Mein gott..." Asuka whispered as the ball of flame climbed high into the air.
"WOOOOHOOOO! That MUST be a hundred points!" Shinji shouted gleefully before finally facing forward again. "Uh oh!"
Asuka spun around. "Uh oh WHAT?" She began to ask. She had just enough time to get a glimpse of a T-intersection, a sidewalk, and the wall of a building.
Then everything went black.
*********
Misato yawned and rubbed her eyes, stumbling into the hallway. Her hind brain had categorized the noises coming from Shinji's room as a problem, but not a threat. Which meant her combat instincts weren't coming into play. Which means it was a tired, confused, and fuzzy headed Captain Katsuragi who opened the door to Shinji's room.
"... Going to STRANGLE you to death! Idiot! Moron! Schiessakopf! You got me KILLED!" Asuka shouted as she kneeled down next to the third child, looking for all the world like she was trying to throttle the life out of him. Shinji's head lifted a bit as Misato looked in. Somehow he managed to suck in enough breath to wheeze out a few words, even as his arms flailed at Asuka, trying to break her grip.
"Asuka.. Nightmare.. Dreamt.. Killed.. My fault..." He sputtered. "Everything.. Fine" Asuka, for her part, showed no signs of even NOTICING Misato's arrival. Instead she was busy yelling out a steam of German in Shinji's face. From the tone of her voice, none of it was complimentary.
Misato blinked. Then stared for a moment. "Oh. Okay." She turned around and sleepily walked away, heading back towards her room with a yawn.
~~Just Asuka trying to kill Shinji. I'll deal with it tomorrow.~~ She thought to herself as she dropped back into bed. The spate of enraged German being shouted through the apartment didn't do much to keep her awake.
Which was just as well, since it went on for a long, long, long time.
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:49)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.