In honor of Voltron… defending the universe 26 years today – Sept. 10, 1984-2010
…From days of long ago…
…From Uncharted regions of the universe…
…Comes a Legend...
The Legend of Voltron: Defender of the Universe
A mighty robot; loved by good… feared by evil.
As the Voltron legend grew; peace settled across the galaxy.
Voltron faded into the depths of history and legend…
Until a new horrible menace threatened the Planet Earth and with it the universe…
Voltron was needed once more.
An organization was formed, and they specially train a group of young pilots…
Unknowing that they would be chosen to travel to the farthest reaches of the cosmos
This is the story of five young, unlikely heroes
Who united… would bring back…
VOLTRON: Defender of the Universe
NEON GENESIS: VOLTRON
Misato Katsuragi sighed as she woke up on the uncomfortable futon in the small closet. She sat up and stretched before climbing out of the blankets. She stepped into the silent hall and sighed sadly. She placed a hand on cheaply made sign reading "Shinji's Lovely Suite" before crossing the hallway to see the bedroom that Asuka Sohryu once claimed. She'd give anything to hear her screaming, and him apologizing in return just one more time.
It had been two months since Shinji in 01 disappeared in the strange, shadow-like Twelfth Angel, along with Asuka, Kensuke Aida, Toji Suzuhara, and Rei Ayanami. Only Rei had returned, albeit unexpected and unexplained. The way Commander Ikari and Ritsuko remained tight-lipped about it, she had a feeling they knew more than they were telling. Misato shook her head and went to her room, in which she hasn't slept since the children disappeared, to dress for the day.
Once dressed, she left the apartment and started her drive through the heavily damaged city toward the tunnel to Central Dogma.
As the tram took her car into the pyramid, she remembered that horrible day two months ago…
"Shinji-kun!" Misato called as Evangelion Unit 01 was being catapulted to the surface. "We've lost contact with Rei; last message was she was leaving her apartment and making her way to base. Also, last word from Asuka was she caught the quote-unquote "idiots" in harm's way and was trying to get them to safety… I assume she meant Toji and Kensuke. Get up there and find out what the hell is going on!"
"On it, Misato," Shinji Ikari replied with a hint of timidness in his voice as Unit 01 exited to the Geofront.
It was an odd angel, a large sphere floating over Tokyo 3. They found out too late, however, that the sphere was merely the angel's shadow, and the dark blanket over the city, which was sucking in buildings, was the true angel. Much of the downtown area was sucked in, including Asuka, Rei, Toji, Kensuke and Shinji still in Unit 01. With the pilots gone, and one Eva lost, Gendo quickly ordered multiple N2 mines dropped. The threat was stopped… but at a high price.
"MISATO!" Shinji cried out as Unit 01 began to sink in to the black shadow. "What is this thing? HELP ME!" He cried out.
"Shinji! Get out of there!" Misato called from the command center.
"What's that roaring… Misato! It's coming at me!" Shinji cried as Unit 01's shoulders sank beneath the shadow's surface. "It's a lion! It's coming! Help me!"
That was the last she had heard from the young man or from any of the pilots, for that matter, save Rei, who returned a few days later with no explanation, no memory of ever being gone, or of Asuka and Shinji besides basic records.
Misato's eyes widened when the alarm sounded just as she was approaching the command center. "What's going on?"
"Angel," Ritsuko responded as the command center buzzed with activity. Misato glanced to see Commander Ikari gazing from his office above them before turning to the monitors.
"Unit 02 and 00 are already on their way to the surface," Maya stated from her station.
"Mari, Rei, status report?" Misato ordered.
"We're facing down the Angel," Mari Makinami stated as Unit 02 and Unit 00 faced the monstrous Angel, this one roughly humanoid but with large spikes and claws all over its body. "This one's uglier than normal…"
"Beat it uglier, pilot," Misato ordered.
The two Evangelion Units rushed the massive monster, but it was prepared. With a massive punch of its spiked hand, it knocked Unit 00 away before grabbing Unit 02 by the neck.
"Mari! Get away from that thing!" Misato called over the com.
"Working on it!" She grunted as she struggled with the Eva's controls.
"Major Katsuragi!" Maya called from her station, "Something's happening!"
"What now?" She turned to Ritsuko's assistant.
"Some high readings are coming from the Twelfth's Ground Zero," Maya responded as Misato and Ritsuko approached her station.
"Is it another Angel?" Ritsuko asked.
"No, it's a different kind of reading… never seen anything like it…" Maya replied as she brought up an image.
"What in the world…" Misato blinked as the crater where the N2 mine destroyed the Angel was covered in a large, dark shadow not unlike that of the fallen Angel.
Misato's eyes widened when five large, flying objects rocketed upward from the shadow followed by a slowly rising structure.
"It's a castle…" Maya stated the obvious as the massive, metallic fortress became fully visible, and the shadow faded away. "And… robot cats?"
"Too big to be cats, and listen to them roar… they're lions…" Hyuga said from his station, watching the black, red, green, yellow, and blue robotic vehicles fly over the city. "Hey! We're picking up coms! They're using our communication frequency."
"Shinji-kun! We made it! We're home!" came a vaguely familiar voice from the Blue Lion.
"Shinji?" Misato breathed in shock.
"Keep your focus, Rei," came a voice just an octave or two higher than Commander Ikari's from the Black Lion. "Those Evangelions are in trouble. Kensuki, Toji, help Unit 00." He ordered, and two male voices spoke from the Green and Yellow Lions that turned toward Unit 00. "Rei, Asuka, you get Unit 02 away. I'll distract the Angel."
Misato sat down roughly in her chair as twin feminine voices answered in a quick and respectful affirmative, and the Red and Blue Lions tackled Unit 02 out of the Angel's grasp.
"Major, what are your orders?" Hyuga asked, glancing to the stunned Misato.
"This is a weird dream… that's the only explanation…" Misato mumbled.
Meanwhile, in the embattled city, the Angel roared at the loss of its plaything but roared in shock when a missile exploded in its chest. "Come on, big guy," Shinji's matured voice spoke from a speaker in the mouth of the Black Lion. "Take me on!"
The lion roared defiantly as it rose on its rear legs, slashing its fore-claws across the monsters face and chest. "This one's stronger than it looks," Shinji spoke in the com as Black Lion jumped to miss a counterattack.
"Then, don't just stand there, Baka!" Asuka's familiar rant came through. "Give the order, and let's slash this freak!"
"Alright then, let's do this…" Black Lion flew back into the air, quickly being flanked by the other four lions.
"They're flying away?" Maya asked in confusion as the lions flew high into the air. A moment later, Shinji's voice returned to the radio.
"Activate interlock! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are GO!"
As soon as the last words were spoken, the five lions exploded in brilliant light. "Zoom in! What happened!" Misato ordered, and the monitor zoomed in on what was happening high above the city.
The Black Lion's front legs folded into themselves, and the rear legs extended straight out. It roared out as large wings extended upward in a V on its back as it shifted position, lining up with the Yellow and Blue Lions. The two lions' legs folded into their sides as they each lined up with one of Black Lion's legs. "Form feet and legs," an older sounding Rei and Toji said as the lions connected together, the Yellow and Blue heads shifting up forming feet and their bodies extending the Black Lion's legs.
The Red and Green Lions flew up alongside the combined lions and began to shift themselves, extending their bodies slightly in the midsection and their legs folding up. "Form arms and body," Kensuke and Asuka said together as they connected to the shoulder portions of the Black Lion, forming humanoid arms with the lions' heads in the place of hands.
The combined five now resembling a human body, it shifted around to a perpendicular conjunction with the ground when Shinji added, "And I'll form the head!" The Black Lion's head shifted downward, opening its mouth to roar, but instead, the jaw continued to lower as a humanoid, robotic face shifted down into place.
"Let's go, Voltron Force!" the five pilots spoke in unison as the combined robot lowered to the streets before the Angel and Evangelions.
"The Evangelions used to make a good entrance…" Hyuga stated to the incredibly silent command center. "Now… THAT was an entrance… should we be taking notes?"
Above the command center, Gendo Ikari's features was cool and cold as ever, though his knuckles were turning white as they gripped the railing.
The giant robot stood impassively before the raging Angel, and after the short staredown, the attacking monster rushed the combined mechanical warrior.
The monster's spiked fist flew toward the face of the robot known as Voltron, but with a loud, angry roar, the maw of the Red Lion grabbed its wrist, and then, with a smooth spin, Voltron spun in place, slamming Green Lion's 'elbow' into the side of the monster's head. As the creature reeled backwards, Voltron performed a snap kick with the leg of the Blue Lion, releasing a blast of freezing liquid from the lion's mouth.
The Angel cried out as its chest froze and cracked, revealing the core in its chest. "It's time," Shinji spoke up as Voltron leapt backwards. "Form Blazing Sword!" He ordered and the Red and Green Lion's maws slammed together before moving outward, stretching a thick strand of energy. It quickly took the shape of a large, glowing sword in Red Lion's mouth. Voltron turned to the side, stretching out its arms, the blade away from the beast, and the Green Lion roaring defiantly at the Angel.
The Angel took one last defiant attack, but the mighty robot was ready for it. With a strong slash, the Angel froze in step. The Eva Pilots and NERV Command watched in awe as the Angel slid perfectly in half before exploding in a pillar of light shaped like a cross.
A pin's drop could be heard in the Command Center as Voltron turned to the two recovering Evangelions. "Voltron to NERV Command, do you read?" Shinji's voice broke in. "NERV Command, Central Dogma, do you still use this frequency?"
"Are you going to answer him?" Ritsuko nudged Misato.
Misato blinked before taking the mic. "Sh-Shinji? Is that really you?"
"You don't know how good it is to hear your voice, Misato-chan," a smile could be heard in Shinji's voice. "You still make rotten ramen? It's a wonder you haven't killed Pen-Pen with food poisoning by now… you haven't, have you?"
Misato smiled, knowing exactly what Shinji was doing. He was letting her know he was really Shinji and not some trick or illusion of an Angel. While her cooking was legendarily bad, only a few knew what exactly it was she normally prepared. "We're on our way up, Shinji; see you soon. Central Dogma out."
"Ritsuko, Hyuga, you're with me," Misato ordered and then turned to the Commander. "Do you want to go see your son for the first time in two months?"
Gendo Ikari's response was a silent turning of his back. Misato simply shook her head and walked from the Command Center with Ritsuko and Hyuga behind her.
Nervous butterflies flew in her stomach as she rode the lift to the surface close to where Voltron and the Evas waited.
She spotted a group of five standing before the massive robot, each in a colored flight-suit to match the color of a respective Robot Lion. A girl with pasty-white skin, dark hair with blue bangs, and blood red eyes dressed in a white and blue flight-suit turned to her first; it took her a moment to realize it was Rei, or at least A Rei… one that apparently had aged more than two months. "Shinji-kun," she said, and the tall, young man in a white-and-black flight suit turned to face her, still holding the hand of the red-headed young woman in red and white.
"Misato-chan…" Shinji grabbed the woman in an almost crushing hug. Misato just stood in shock realizing that he looked like Shinji, though closer to his father, and as tall if not an inch or so taller than she was. "I missed you…"
"It took the Baka three years, but he finally found a way for us and the refugees to make it here," The redhead, which Misato instantly recognized as Asuka by her voice and mannerisms but with an out-of-character affection in her voice at the use of the insulting nickname she always had for Shinji.
"Three what?" Misato finally comprehended what Asuka said and pulled away from the young man. "Three years? But… you've only been missing two… two months…"
"What?" Kensuke gaped as Toji paled and muttered Hikari's name.
"What do you mean only two months?" Asuka pressed as the group stared at Misato.
"You disappeared into the Angel just two months ago…" Misato shook her head in confusion, "Laws of Time and Space may have been different where you were… if you've been gone three years… where were you?"
Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Kensuke, and Toji looked at each other before Shinji turned back to his former guardian. "Misato… we need to talk."
God is in his Heaven… Voltron is on the Earth… all is Right in the Universe…