2009-09-27 - VI: Ramiel

Last night, the Divine War ended.

Arguably, anyway.

YESTERDAY / 14:00 / TOKYO-03

"Doctor Ikari, you need to see this." An aide rushes forward, slapping down printouts on the NERV Commander's desk. The image is unmistakable: an enormous... /shape/ rising from the ocean.

"The sixth Angel..." Gendo Ikari whispers. He picks up the photo, but nearly tears it -- his hands tense up, knuckles tightening, the photo of the mysterious shape creasing in his grip. "How long?"

"Landfall in... ten hours, sir."

YESTERDAY / 16:00 / TOKYO-03

"Fleets four and five -- total losses, Captain Katsuragi. No survivors."

Misato Katsuragi leans back in her chair and bangs her hands on the tabletop in a staccato percussion solo. "Did anyone have time to get a report off on the weapons it used?"

"Its Absolute Terror Field is... stronger than anything we've ever seen. It completely repelled all attacks and retaliated with... some kind of beam. One shot took out half of fleet floor."

Misato raises her eyebrows, and looks down at the tabletop, thinking.

YESTERDAY / 17:00 / TOKYO-03

"Doctor Ikari."

"Captain Katsuragi."

"I have a plan."

YESTERDAY / 18:00 / TOKYO-03

The gleaming form of Ramiel can be seen from the shore. It moves over the face of the water, only gently disturbing the waves with its travel. The octahedron is a brilliant and deep blue, and its tranquility is beautiful. Each meter it gains toward the mainland, though, is a chanted promise of destruction. No one is more aware of this than NERV, and their countermeasures are already underway.

News bulletins calling for the evacuation of Tokyo-03 are nothing new at this point. There's a cottage industry built entirely around trains and shuttles that ferry the populace clear of the Angels' wrath -- the trade-off for the shockingly low property costs. The Angel's path has been determined, and leaves only one possible target: The Tokyo-03 Geofront. The countdown is on.

The nation of Japan has been informed on rather short notice that their power supply is needed. Despite the death of Bian Zoldark, it's easy to say that this is a wartime necessity -- the elaborate scheme of one Misato Katsurgai finds its culmination being constructed on a distant hill overlooking the land where the Geofront rests beneath. A giant weapon is being constructed -- shaped as it is, it can't be anything else -- and every available contractor, flown in by the Earth Federation by the hundreds, is working toward a common goal.

They will build a gun that is powered by nothing less than the totality of Japan.

YESTERDAY / 24:00 / TOKYO-03

The Evangelion units begin their preparations for launch, although their plugs are not yet inserted. Gendo Ikari stands off to one side of a large, darkened room, his hands folded neatly behind his back. In full jacket and beret, Misato Katsuragi addresses the children. "Right now," she says, "this Angel is making landfall. It will proceed toward this location. I believe you kids understand why it cannot be allowed to do whatever it plans to do to us. This Angel's AT Field is stronger than any we've ever witnessed -- this will be the most dangerous battle you've ever been in. I wish I could offer you the chance to walk away... but right now, losing your nerve isn't an option."

Misato continues, pacing as she talks: "Shinji, Unit-01 will engage the Angel and attempt to keep it occupied while the rest of the plan unfolds. Asuka -- other Earth Federation pilots have been deployed, against NERV's wishes... your job is to not only distract the Angel, but to make sure these people -- and anyone else who show up -- don't botch the plan. Now, I realize I haven't gone into the plan itself -- that's where you come in, Rei."

Misato takes off her beret, and almost looks sad for a moment as she regards the children. "Rei, we'll be mounting Unit-00 at the experimental positronic cannon currently being built. The technology is on loan, and to power it, we're redirecting... the entire power grid of Japan. This buildup of energy will take time to accumulate, and you will have /one/ shot with it."

Misato frowns gravely. "I can't stress this enough. This entire operation -- the only shot we may have -- rests on one shot. I'm -- /we're/ trusting the fate of this entire organization to you kids. Failure really isn't an option. But I trust you. Go suit up."

TODAY / 01:00 / TOKYO-03

Ramiel hovers over the Tokyo-03 Geofront, ignorant of all that brews around it. It gleams, and when it does, it emits piercing tones that carry on the wind, like sine waves amplified by godly power. Its tones are serene and pure -- and its bottommost corner begins to drip down, forming into a drill that begins to penetrate the Earth.

"Preliminary calculations... five hours until it reaches the Geofront, Doctor Ikari."

Gendo Ikari steeples his fingers, and stares intently at the screen in front of him. "Mm."

TODAY / 03:00 / TOKYO-03

Remote cannons activate. Entire hillsides converted into artillery batteries erupt. The sound of war compresses into one five-minute stretch, as volleys of bombs and beams soar through the skies, turning the night air bright with flame. Ramiel's Absolute Terror Field shimmers and chimes with every explosion against it. Then, when the rain of hellfire is finished, it changes shape. The drill stays constant, as does the red ball of its 'soul' at the center. But the Angel transforms as if it were made of liquid, bending its octahedral shape into the fractal geometry of forbidden gospel -- and beams emit from all directions, a halo burst of light that rips into its attackers and leaves no survivors.

TOKYO-03 05:00

NOW

"One hour on the clock, kids," Misato Katsuragi's voice crackles over the radio band. "The cannon is nearly charged. Remember -- if you attack this thing, not only will it try to repel the assault with its AT Field, it will attack with even greater force than you throw at it. The bombardment we tried will bring in stragglers -- make sure they don't interfere with the Positronic Cannon's chances."

Rei Ayanami is inside Unit-00, positioned like a sniper in its nest at the trigger of the Positronic Cannon. She does not think to be afraid. She simply focuses.

"Give this Angel hell, kids. Katsuragi out."

 Japan is suffering a country-wide blackout as part of an apparent scheme to destroy the Sixth Angel, which emerged from the ocean during the conflict at Aidoneus Island last night, and which has made landfall over Tokyo-03.

YESTERDAY, 23:19, IZU BASE

Tired, exhausted, fatigued, Johnny Domino is finally given clearance to land at Izu Base. He had just spent the most grueling hours of his life countless kilometers off the coast of Japan, fighting in what has already been named the Divine Wars by a frenzied media... and now, the young pilot is finally touching down, ready to collapse and sleep through what will no doubt end up as celebrations of victory.

A harried EFA operative greets Johnny as the latter emerges from Chimera's cockpit.

"Agent Domino," the operative says. "New orders. You are to deploy immediately." Johnny Domino stares at the operative, slack-jawed. The operative continues unhelpfully: "There is no time to explain. Your destination is Tokyo-03. Read this on the way there."

Johnny Domino is handed a thick dossier. He tries potesting in a valiant effort of guts. "..do I have to?"

"Yes."

YESTERDAY, 23:49, GENDO IKARI'S OFFICE

Fuyutsuki stands at attention between Gendo and the door, the old man watching his once promising student with squinty eyes. Gendo stares right back, the eerie purple glow of the office giving Commander Ikari the visage of someone bathed in purple light.

"Commander," Fuyutsuki broaches the subject he wished to discuss with his superior, refusing to allow Ikari passage out of the office. "Wouldn't you reconsider requesting the EFA lend us 'THAT'?"

Gendo's expression does not change. "Fuyutsuki," he intones, "'THAT' is not part of the plan." Ikari then makes a move for the door. Fuyutsuki tries to stop him with words.

"Ah, but Commander, there are, perhaps, things we should take into account, such as--"

Gendo opens the door. Outside, a young NERV employee who has been waiting for this moment perks up. "Ooh, commander," she squeaks. "Good news! The Earth Federation is sending its Chimera unit to aid us!"

Gendo remains frozen, his glasses gleaming menacingly. Behind him, Fuyutsuki lowers his head, mentally facepalming. The old man murmurs, "Such as, the fact that they have already sent it to us."

After a pregnant pause, Gendo tells the NERV employee:

"You're fired."

TODAY, 24:28, TOKYO-03

Tired, exhausted, fatigued, cranky, Johnny Domino is given clearance to land at a NERV outpost on the outskirts of Tokyo-03. He did not read the dossier handed to him earlier. He also got lost on the way to Tokyo-03 and accidently ended up at Tokyo-02.

Gendo watches a security camera's feed as it shows Johnny Domino stepping out of the Chimera's cockpit and being greeted by a harried NERV operative. Fuyutsuki stands a step behind his Commander, aging back as straight as ever.

"Fuyutsuki," Gendo says.

"Yes?"

"Have the Third Children assigned to him." Gendo's order is simple... and deadly. Even Fuyutsuki hesitates a moment before giving a confirming, "Yes."

TODAY, 01:32, TOKYO-03

Johnny Domino bristles. "I'm being paired up with WHO?!"

TODAY, NOW, HERE

Tired, exhausted, fatigued, cranky, hateful, Johnny Domino glowers at the world. Being linked to his Chimera, the bio-unit glowers at the world just as hard, if not harder. "Goddamn son of a freaking freaken frakker frakken," the young Agent curses under his breath. He doesn't take too many pains to keep his voice from carrying across the various comm-signals currently open. The gigantic humanoid lion stands next to Unit-02, ready for battle.

In more ways than one.

"This isn't fair! Why does /she/ get to be the one to use the canon? /I'm/ the one with the highest sync ratio! /I/ should be the one to kill it!"

These are the words of Asuka Langley Sohryu, pilot of Evangelion Unit-02. Most pilots would be satisfied to be given an assignment as important as hers, but she is not.

The truth is, Asuka would be unsatisfied with any assignment; if she exchanged places with Rei, she would complain that there's no way something as important as this could be delegated to a braindead doll like /her/! Despite this, Asuka complains and likely will continue, from the beginning of the battle to the very end.

"I can't believe that they want me to babysit a bunch of EFA pilots!" Asuka wails in complaint, the other part of her assignment temporarily forgotten. "This is a job for someone like /Shinji/!"

The complaints show no sign of slowing; in fact, the moment the Chimera lands at the NERV base, they actually begin to escalate--both in number, and in pitch.

"why am I stuck working with /you/?" Asuka moans. How can life be so unfair? It was bad enough that she had to babysit; it's even worse when one of the children she's been assigned to watch was the same guy she was stuck with in lockdown! "I'm the one in charge here, so you'd better listen to what I say!"

YESTERDAY,

"You get out of tests again?!" Kensuke Aida howls, slapping his desk in raw, naked envy. "You Eva pilots get all the breaks!"

"That's not funny, Aida." Hikari Horaki says, looking sorely tempted to slap the ur-nerd upside the head. "For one thing, we're responsible for making sure the pilots recieve their missed assignmnets, as clearly laid out in the student constitution in paragraph four sub-section sixteen!" A pause. "...and, ah..."

"What she means is." Toji Suzuhara looks somewhere between amused and homocidal as he keeps from making eye contact with the pilot. "Don't fuck it up this time, Ikari."

"...yeah." Shinji shakes his head, before pulling his backpack taught and making for the door. It's almost, Shinji thinks, like the bastards waited until we had a few hours's peace.

NOW,

"...sorry." Shinji Ikari repeats out of habit, more than anything, as he snaps out of the funk he's been in since deploying. It's not that he's not looking forward to being a bouncing, living shield for the Sixth Angel so much as he's wondering about that sad look Misato gave Ayanami. He trusts the Major about as much as Shinji has ever trusted an adult authority figure in his life, but he also knows the women well enough to realize when he's not being told everything. Something made Misato guilty, and for some reason, it was the girl in the sniper position that was getting the sympathetic look.

Shinji didn't like that, and it let him ignore the thrill of euphora that deploying against the Angels gives Unit-01, that Unit-01 tries to inflict on his brain. It's a pathetic sort of line in the sand, but that's about all Shinji has while still tapped as Unit-01's pilot. "Asuka, you're not going to...hurt anyone, keeping them out of the way, are you?" Because nothing helps Shinji's nerves like subtly taking Langley down a peg or six.

Alia is one of those 'curious stragglers'; she had encountered Ramiel alone in Zefholm during a random flight through the area a few hours ago, and a brief battle with the Angel had proven futile: It couldn't hit the incredibly fast Zefholm reliably, but Alia couldn't deal meaningful damage to the Angel. She wisely disengaged before Ramiel got lucky, yesterday's battle where Bian virtually vaporized the Epyon being a sobering reminder that there are some things out there able to overwhelm even her magical machine in a one on one fight. And now, she sets her sights on Japan, having figured out the Angel's destination now that it's already almost there. Zefholm glides into Tokyo 03, Alia noticing the eerie blackout going on below, along with heavy firepower by the local defenses contrasting that. "Guess they're making a stand here... alright." It's very likely Gendo and other NERV officials are going to be upset by the sight of a white wind elemental circling over the area, but Alia announces herself on local bands anyway: "I have /no idea/ what that thing is, but I'll give you a hand if you're taking it on!"

NERV and the EDF are something of rivals in the business of protecting Japan. Their foes may very greatly, but their outward goals, and the machines they employ, are eerily similer. For this reason not a few hours befor, Ken Sanada cackled with unsettling glee over the thought of sending one of his pilots in to show up the EFA and NERV units. This glee was short-lived. On pilot out-right refused to get in the middle of a squabble between her 'father' and his former employee. The second was banned from going by the first. The third, however was met with a man on his knees, Ken Sanada begging a young man to uphold the honor of not only the EDF but the Hartzenan as well! Unable to say no to a fully grown man begging on his knees, Kazuki caved.

Now he was just touching down in the battle zone, loosed from a transport plane and allowed to drop into position among the EFA troops. Hartzenan was onlt a few feet shorter then a EVA unit, her preportions decidedly feminine, gifted with a set of long legs and a swell of mecha-busom. "K'Kazuko, Ensign of the EDF forces." introduced the voice of a young girl over the open air. "I'll be backing you up." announces the Core Robot, hefting a rifle that is resembles the EVAs own assault rifle by no small measure.

 Shinji Ikari transmits, "...interesting asctetics, Kazuko."

Akira has had the strangest feeling of foreboding for days. He couldn't explain it at first, but talking to the others that make up the remnants of the former Orb Union made him believe it was just the threat of the Divine Crusaders at Aidoneus Island. Still it remained, even throughout the battle, and persisted after like an itch that he couldn't quite scratch. The source of it was at the tip of his tongue. What /is/ it?

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the cockpit of the ancient Babylonian super robot, Akira does his best to meditate and facilitate the rapid repairs that Toei has been performing throughout the night. The severed arm has been reattached, and tons of armor has been replaced in a matter of hours, making the Babylonian mech look good as new. Refitting the robot has gone much more rapidly than it would be normally, and although Toei isn't sure why Akira wants it done so fast, the young man was insistant enough that it was worth going along with it.

Standing on a platform near the machine's head, Toei holds a sleek-looking radio of some sort in both hands and looks at it in a panic. "Oh, no," he murmurs, shaking his head. "Oh, no... no no, not another one so /soon/!" He listens in on the snippets of radio activity from the Japanese military nearby, and looks up at the crowned head of the robot he has been repairing. "But maybe... this is why..."

Minutes later, Buriki Daioh is in the sky. Inside, Akira stands at the dated controls, looking out from the eyes as the two hundred and fifty foot machine soars through the sky on it's huge rocket pack. He's tired, sore, and still not sure what's got Toei so worried, but he insisted that he head in this direction and be prepared for anything. "I'll know it when I see it," Akira mutters. "Man, he couldn't just /tell/ me..." He sighs, running a hand through his hair and scanning the horizon.

He sees it. The big... /thing/, approaching Tokyo-03. His reaction is an awe-struck, "Woah," descending a little further. Akira suddenly wishes he'd brought the Massacre Blade; this looks like it might get dicey.

Struck by a bad idea, Akira turns on the loudspeaker and shouts, "OI! What the heck're you?!" as if expecting a response. He hasn't quite registered yet that NERV is mobilizing, and that he's flying right into their line of fire.

12 HOURS AGO / The Wiremu SPACE HOUSE IN SPACE

Staren climbs into bed after a very long day. The war is over. There will be stragglers to fight, surviving DC and corrupted EFA, but surely there will be peace for awhile, time to rest...

4 HOURS AGO / The Wiremu SPACE HOUSE IN SPACE

Staren sits at the kitchen table, eating his cereal. Makaio drops an envelope on the table. "It's for you, it was in our P.O. Box on Side 6." He then hurries off to do SCIENCE.

3 HOURS AND 58 MINUTES AGO / The Wiremu SPACE HOUSE IN SPACE

Staren's mouth hangs open, a spoon full of cereal dropped on the table, as he stares at a check from the Trailers. "They're paying me...? That's a lot of zeroes!"

FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO / The Wiremu oh you know already

Staren sits in front of the TV, next to a stack of new videogames. (Actually that was just a small part of the money, he put most of it in the bank, he'll figure out how to invest it later, but right now it is time for some well-earned R&R -- or is it?) He pauses the game as an RSS feed goes across the top of his cybernetic vision. Monster attack in Japan? But... But... It was supposed time off now! Maybe he can leave it to... No, it's been hours and it still hasn't been destroyed yet? He sighs and saves his game. Duty calls. The earth is threatened, there are monsters to beat up. Actually he kind of likes fighting monsters, it's nice and unambiguous. Good vs Evil. It's righteous humanity-saving ass-kicking time.

NOW / TOKYO-3

The red aerospace fighter -- a mobile armor by earth standards, really -- finishes re-entry and comes in for a landing, arms and legs unfolding as it brakes, before transforming completely and landing with two feet on Japanese soil. The green visor-optic of the 50-foot tall red robot flashes dramatically as Staren looks out through it, examining the monster in the distance. He did look over the news footage before coming, but... Really? It's an octahedron? Well, monsters from space or other dimensions or whatever have no particular reason to resemble earth creatures at all. Why not a perfect geometric form? The Star Hawk shrugs, and Staren's brow furrows slightly inside the cockpit as he begins to think out a plan of attack.

The self-proclaimed swords that tear apart evil are here. But will they be the swords that tear apart angels?

Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk transforms into its Star Hawk mode.

YESTERDAY | 22:58 | GRADIENT PROJECT

The Vic Viper, fresh from Aidoneus and mangled almost beyond recognition, does not land in the hangar so much as crash. It skids across the floor, spraying sparks into the air, and doesn't stop until it bumps into the far wall.

Before it even comes to a halt, the cockpit hatch levers open and Leo Stenbuck is climbing out. He drops from the cockpit to the hangar floor with only a slight snarl of pain, and rises in time to accept a sandwich thrust into his hands by a repair tech.

The only thing Leo says before he starts stuffing his face is, "Fix it. Fast."

YESTERDAY | 23:30 | GRADIENT PROJECT

"We replaced the outer armor," the tech explains to a livid Leo, his anger sharpened by exhaustion. "But whatever you did to that thing the frame's shot to shit. It's going to take a couple days to patch it up."

Leo stares at the tech for several seconds, and then growls, "Get out of my way."

YESTERDAY | 23:32 | GRADIENT PROJECT

The Vic Viper, barely operable and transformed into mobile suit mode, plunges one of its hands into a large cargo container and lifts it off the floor. Yellow light suddenly erupts out of the crate, flowing into the Viper, and underneath the large sheaths of outer armor its inner frame begins to fill back in with metatron as Leo wastes hundreds of million dollars for the sake of expediency.

The empty crate clatters to the ground with a tremendous clang, and the Vic Viper turns its head to the watching tech. "Look," Leo's voice crackles over external loudspeakers. "I fixed it."

The Vic Viper turns and jets out of the hangar.

TODAY | RIGHT NOW | OVER THERE

The Vic Viper, good as new and shifted into Flight Mode, flies tight circles around Ramiel at just over a thousand feet out, piping sensor and camera data back to the rest of the Federation forces on the field, and NERV HQ far below. Inside the cockpit, Leo shoots a nervous glance back at where Rei is charging the enormous positron cannon.

With a grunt of effort, he tears his eyes away from Unit-00 and back on to Ramiel. "This is Victor-2," Leo broadcasts, after a moment of indecision. "Command, it's still not... are you sure there's not some way we can just... uh, shoo it away? Or something?"

Macua Huitl has been through a meat grinder yesterday. The Final battle of the Divine war was brutal and tiring she'd planned to go home to get some rest but it wasn't the case at this point. She'd been just going to step into the shower, when one the power went out, two she got feeling of dread and it was comming from somewhere.

Her main machine was undergoing repairs so she'd made her way outside the city and picked up her G Fighter. It wasn't the best machine but it was better than nothing and she just keeps following the feeling she has to the Geo Front. When she realises where she's headed she cringes. No good could come from this, something very bad was going down.

--leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth is--

"Setsuna F. Seiei, are you even listening?"

Easing an ear bud out, thumbing the volume of his deliciously new hiPhone down, the Celestial Being Gundam Meister affirms that he is, and that no, he is indeed not too busy listening to an audio book for a fantasy series that was published centuries ago.

"They're drawing all of that energy for something, and we've intercepted reports of Federation troops deploying in the vicinity. Something is up. We need you to investigate. Your new unit isn't ready for launch yet, so we've moved the GN Drive back into Exia... although we've not seen to any of its repairs yet for some mysterious reason," Sumeragi briefs her young charge, pausing to flashback to where all of the repair money went, a pile of empty beer cans in her room. She and the NERV Captain have much in common, although they will likely never realize it.

"And please, stop coming to briefings in your jock strap, it's disrespectful. And Feldt is enjoying it too much."

That was then.

This is now.

Soaring with a sea of blue-green particles in its wake, Gundam Exia proceeds to the scene, utilizing its stealth capabilities to do just that; be stealthy, aside from those with the naked eye to actually see the stream of particles, the unit is a complete blank on all conventional and non-conventional radar systems.

"So soon they seek to prepare for another conflict... do they learn nothing, or does the hardship they go through only harden their resolve, their desire to propagate death unto the masses?"

Setsuna F. Seiei has an audience of precisely one person as he contemplates the nature of his intervention. It was largely left blank, open to his interpretation. He is, for once, acting without a set of training wheels.

p.s. his audience is Gundam.

The forces of good converge as the force of God remains comfortably situated at the conflict's epicenter. As nothing has charged it yet, it is content -- the Angel, giant drill penetrating the earth aside, appears to be about as threatening as the Louvre.

"Ugh," Misato Katsuragi says, deep within the Tokyo-03 Geofront as she watches the new arrivals present themselves. "This is bad." She turns toward a broadcast console within the NERV war room -- all around these intrepid warriors, Tokyo-03 is completely dark, silent but for the hum of Ramiel's drill and the distant buzz of the Positronic Cannon. "Attention -- Mobile suit pilots," Misato says, her broadcast suddenly cutting into the cockpits of the various pilots thanks to NERV's powerful transmitters: "This being is called an Angel. A NERV operation is currently underway to destroy it -- be warned. It has a powerful... forcefield, for lack of a better word. Attacking it in tandem -- from all angles -- /may/ distract it, but it can destroy you in an instant if you give it half a chance. Don't be fools out there." Misato pauses, unsure what else to say. "Good luck," she finally adds after a second, her voice a bit awkward. Then the transmission ends.

Ramiel's drill spins.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command.

 Staren Wiremu transmits, "An angel... Why is it drilling into the ground there? Usually don't the monsters run around smashing up the city?"

 Shinji Ikari's computer beeps, responding in a pleasent, bland voice. "We're sorry, all our lines are busy right now. Your call is important to NERV and Doctor Gendo Ikari on a personal level, and if you leave a message including your name, number, and targeting coordinates, we'll get back to you as soon as possible." Beep!

Alia is quite surprised to hear voices from Misato, a person she doesn't know from a group she doesn't know. "An attack on all sides, huh... well, at least most of us here seem fast enough to get at any side!" Not eager to immediately get at close range with Ramiel, Alia instead tries to fly well overhead. Zefholm thrusts its left palm down at the Angel, creating a descending mini-tornado about as wide as the machine that created it, and perhaps twice as long. "This didn't do much last time, but maybe with others helping too...!" A yell, then she fires the tornado down at Ramiel, glad to have this firing angle; if she somehow /misses/ a target that big, the tornado will likely do no worse than drill into the street rather than into a building.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has attacked Rei Ayanami. Tornado added to their queue.

 Russel Bagman transmits, "Another angel?!"

 Misato Katsuragi says, "Another angel. Don't worry. NERV has a plan."

If this thing were a RARA unit, Kazuki wouldn't even bat a eyelash befor laying into it, but this.. this Angel is most certainly not something that one of RARA's factories churned out... Kazuki's brow beaded with a worried sweat. "Okay.. I'm engaging!" Kazuki urges himself in the quiet of his cockpit after chewing over the words froim the woman of NERV (who sounded like a total fox by the way.) The CR-01 bursts into a run, her long legs eating up terrain as she attempts to circle this geometric angel, her rifle leveled towards the core of it befor firing. Bullets fly in a rush towards Ramiel, the gunfire sounding like a swarm of angry hornets. Kazuki doesn't bother with measured bursts, the thing is so big that he isn't even worried about the recoil fooling his aim!

COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Pellet Rifle added to their queue.

Staren notes the arrival of some familiar faces. Buriki Daioh... The Zefholm and the Core Robo... Actually he's pretty sure he's seen most of the people here at some point or other. A radio transmission comes from NERV. Don't let it hit him. Well... He can do that. The Star Hawk takes off running, and leaps into the air, transforming once more to aerospace fighter mode. Staren readies the railguns, flying evasive maneuvers (sort of a zig-zaggy corkscrew since he's not sure just _what_ he's evading at the moment), stopping to fly straight for a split-second as he lines up the shot and fires. Forcefield, huh? Let's see if it can stop chunks of metal flying at several times the speed of sound! (it probably can)

Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk transforms into its Star Hawk Fighter mode. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Railgun Burst Fire added to their queue.

Buriki Daioh's radio crackles, and a semi-familiar voice comes over it. Akira's mood goes from curious to grim in a matter of seconds. The voice clicks in his head, and the name of the organization drives the place he heard it home. "NERV?!" Akira sounds shocked and agitated already. He bites his tongue before he rants and raves at Misato, deciding that the Angel is a lot more of a problem than his personal vendetta at this very second.

"...right." The giant machine moves overhead, watching the other apparently friendly machines move in and assuming they'll get out of /his/ way instead of the other way around. He feels a twinge of anger and sadness when he spies the Zefholm, but just sucks in a breath and focuses on the thing down there instead of the rapidly accumulating problems that seem to be drawn to this thing.

"Alright, lets take this thing down." Akira yanks on a lever that groans and clicks, opening small ports up and down the forearms of Buriki Daioh. A swarm of short and wide missiles launch, the Jomjom Bullets made more for the force they impact with rather than any significant amount of high explosives. Cracking that thing open might be just what they need.

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Jomjom Bullet Raid added to their queue.

Take Asuka down a peg or six? You'll have to try harder than that, idiot-pervert! Asuka switches her comm transmission to direct her voice signal to only Rei and Shinji; the last thing she wants is to draw aggro from the other members of the Earth Federation Alliance before this battle even gets started.

"Are you stupid? It doesn't matter how we do it, as long as our objective is accomplished!" No wonder they couldn't trust Shinji with her mission; he'd just end up screwing it up from the very beginning!

"You two had better not screw this up; I'm not going to scrape the two of you off the ground if you get in trouble!" And with that said, she switches her comm back to initial transmission settings. Even as she belts out these insults, Asuka still keeps an eye out on the battlefield before her; suit after suit continue to appear--and there's more than a few she doesn't recognize.

And now, a transmission for everyone else, who seems all too eager to help accomplish the job that she herself could do easily single-handedly:

"If you want to help, stay out of the way! I'll show you how a /real/ expert does the job!" The pellet rifle in her hands is held steady, aimed, and then--

A tornado races towards the angel, obscuring her view of the very creature they're supposed to fight.

The Eva's head twists upward, gazing in the direction of Alia's unit. "HEY! What do you think you're doing?! Are you /trying/ to get us killed?!" Unit-02's fiery red-headed pilot is ever-furious.

"Ugh!" she turns her head back towards the Angel and fires a shot, regardless.

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Pellet Pistol added to their queue.

"Tadokoro, awesome." Shinji mutters, remembering the unstable pilot's voice from the time he ate the kid. Uh, Unit-01. Because there's a difference. Yeah. Really. Shinji considers confronting his sort-of-rival but ultimately decides that he's probably going to get shot at anyway, so he might as well get shot at and NOT talk. On the plus side, this gives Shinji an idea. He lets his umbilical cable disconnect from Unit-01's back, and the robot crouches in the ground in a tigeresque fashion...

It pads through the ground on all fours, kicking steel, earth and pavement out of the way as it builds up speed, Unit-01's outline glowing slightly as its ATField struggles into existance. Shinji sweats as he focuses his will on maintaining the field, knowing that his little plan won't work if it gives out halfway. Taking a breath and wishing he wasn't afraid of roller coasters, Shinji hops into the air a heartbeat before he would've connected with Remiel's ATField. Unit-01 claws and kicks at the air, the ATFields connect with a sizzling crackle of psychic potential realized as extradimensional force, and Unit-01 starts to literarly climb up the sides of Remiel's ATField as though it were running up the side of a skyscraper!

Faster, faster, Shinji can feel the heat starting to build...or maybe that's just in his head...his lungs contract violently as his altitude changes too rapidly for his body to properly compensate for, and his mind rails at the effort of keeping an ATField manifested this long. Finally, Shinji realizes drunkenly, he's near the top, and his arm twitches...Unit-01's shoulder opens, and its hand grabs the vibrating knife out of the air. Holding it with both hands, Shinji gives a little "Yaah!" that's pathetically breathless as he stabs at the very top of Remiel's ATField...

...and goes limp, as he attempts to use gravity against the Angel and slide down knife-first, brutalizing the Angel's defenses. Well, hopefully. "Tttthhhiiisss was a bad plan!!!"

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Progressive Knife added to their queue.

Macua Huitl has arrived at the city amd she just lets out a low whistle, what the heck was this thing? Macua takes a step back as she spots a unit from the EDF already engaging, and wait that's Staren. Finally she feels an odd buzzing in the back of her mind, that would be Akira. She sends a quick radio to Kazuki, Akira and Staren.

"Seems I'm not the only one who saw this thing, we best keep together." Her IFF is broadcastingf the sigal most Gundam Fighters use when they are out training so it's slated neutral to the EFA. As for the thing hovering before her she's going to do something very stupid, she's gong to shoot it, several times with her beam rifle.

COMBAT: Macua Huitl has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Beam Rifle Mastery added to their queue.

"Guess not," Leo mumbles, as the shooting begins. He rolls his shoulders anxiously and turns the Viper's nose in towards Ramiel, accelerating towards the Angel. As the LEV draws closer to the creature, four points in the air behind it ripple oddly, and its Options appear, floating balls of blue light. Without turning its nose away from Ramiel, the V2 lifts higher into the air, giving the Options clear lines of fire.

A moment later, space ripples again, this time underneath the Viper's belly. And then, suddenly, missiles! Ordnance roars from underneath the LEV, and from each of the four Options, streaking through the air towards Ramiel in a huge sheet of firepower.

Inside the cockpit, Leo barely pays attention to the effectiveness of his attack, so fast is his mind racing. Over the twisting in his stomach, he muses briefly how odd it is that he's gotten so used to watching humans die, but the idea of having to watch this giant... /thing/ do it still makes him sick.

Can it really be that dangerous? After all, it's just... drilling. It hasn't attacked them. What is it even /doing/? Leo shifts his weight anxiously, recalling the unfortunate fate he met at the hands ('hands') of the last such creature. Sure, they /can/ be dangerous, but-

With a snort, Leo shakes his head vigorously, and struggles to concentrate on the part of his job that involves him not getting blasted out of the air by the imminent counterattack.

COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Option Tri Missile Barrage added to their queue.

"'In charge' my ass," Johnny Domino growls to himself in reaction to Asuka's ranting. "I outrank you, you blistering bitch."

Of course, that much IS kept low enough to hopefully not be heard across the radio. Even Johnny has common sense from time to time. Unfortunately his nerves are already shot to hell and back, so who knows how long this common sense will last.

Chimera's consciousness stirs. It pokes and prods at Johnny's own, making a silent inquiry.

"Mrf," Johnny vocalizes in response. "We'll be fine, we can keep up." Beat. "/I/ can keep up." After all, one more hour of fighting won't make a difference for Johnny in the grand scheme of things... will it?

Oops, no time for self-reflection - Asuka's being a bitch.

"What?!" Johnny Domino seethes. Stay out of the way? "I did NOT fly all the way here just to STAY OUT OF THE WAY!" Asuka's words strum on Domino's sensitive sensibilities, and Chimera scrambles to match Unit-02's offense. Although Johnny does pause a moment to allow himself a smirk of selfish pleasure as he hears Asuka's grumps about the tornado.

"Ha," he tells her over the radio, "You and your little toys! YOU stand back and watch, I don't NEED your /plastic/ rifles to beat your ass... NOR AN ANGEL'S!"

Chimera roars, a powerful sonic blast issuing forth, no doubt better than any lame Pellet Rifle issued by NERV.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Piercing Roar added to their queue.

Within the cockpit of his Gundam, Setsuna F. Seiei begins weighing matters. Clearly, they are diverting all of this energy for a reason; into the focal point he's already picked up, and moving towards. There have been intercepted reports of lost fleets out at sea, and a target that continues towards the city. Just what is going on, he has to wonder. His education is remarkably lacking in some areas, and it is not always to his liking.

And so, that flurry of blue-green particles burst all the brighter. He foregoes the usual Celestial Being way of destroying every armed vessel in sight. He instead focuses solely on the target that he has set upon his heads-up display, the readout showing the distance to the intended victim as it rapidly approaches that delightful non-number zero.

Landing with a heavy thud, the ground slightly crumpling under the sudden impact of Gundam Exia, standing right over the victim -- straddling Unit 00 for all intents and purposes, one hand holding the back of the Evangelion down as the other raises up high, the Solid Sword snapping up into place and ready to end the life of the target when--

Bleep-bleep.

"What the fuck is that?"

His precious Gundam tells him that, perhaps, there is a bigger source of distortion here. The hand pushing Unit-00 down slowly eases back, and the GN Drive flares brightly indeed as he opens a feed to the pilot within; "So this is what you're all fighting? Celestial Being will provide what assistance it can. If you have any form of plan, I am open to assisting."

That looming blade disengages, and the one-armed Gundam floats off into the sky, exposing its back as it takes up a vantage point somewhat out of the way. For once, Setsuna F. Seiei opens his eyes, taking in the broader scenario -- and attempts to discern just where he fits in it all.

He also fires his sawn-off beam rifle, not that it's likely to do much against the absolute terror field of the Angel. "I should have listened to that briefing, I'm sure Sumeragi Lee Noriega would have mentioned this."

At that same moment, Sumeragi Lee Noriega clicks her fingers. "Damn, I forgot to tell him about the Angels!"

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Beam Rifle added to their queue.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Tornado. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Beam Rifle Mastery. COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Beam Rifle. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Jomjom Bullet Raid. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with a minor hit using Piercing Roar. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Railgun Burst Fire. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Pellet Rifle. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has struck a solid critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Progressive Knife. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with her Pellet Pistol attack. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Option Tri Missile Barrage.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has activated a spirit command.

The assault on Ramiel begins -- its drill continues spinning, although the rate slows down. A multitude of attacks rain down on its perfect shell. Its Absolute Terror Field flashes, and with every impact it emits a keening noise, pure sound tones that threaten to drift into ear-bleeding hypersonic territory. The cry of an Angel is terrible to behold.

At her sniper's roost, Rei Ayanami cannot do much to defend Unit-00 from the Exia's advances, without threatening the safety of the Positronic Cannon. Setsuna F. Seiei has her dead to rights -- and then he's distracted by the greater threat. Through the whole encounter, Rei doesn't say a single word, although Misato emits a great many swears, almost profound in their savage crudity.

Ramiel hovers, still and silent, for a long moment. Its drill begins to pick up speed again -- and then another halo of light cascades out of it, soaring toward all comers in a brilliant ring of energy. The humming noise that accompanies this burst is all but deafening.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has attacked Setsuna F. Seiei, Johnny Domino, Leo Stenbuck, Macua Huitl, Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Sohryu, Akira Tadokoro, Staren Wiremu, Kazuki Yotsuga, and Alia Winchester. The Thunder of God added to their queue. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a solid critical hit on Akira Tadokoro's Buriki-Daioh using The Thunder of God. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a major hit on Kazuki Yotsuga's CR-01 Hartzenan using The Thunder of God. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a devastating hit on Leo Stenbuck's Vic Viper FM using The Thunder of God. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Setsuna F. Seiei with her The Thunder of God attack. COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Beam Rifle. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Johnny Domino with her The Thunder of God attack. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Staren Wiremu with her The Thunder of God attack. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a major hit on Asuka Langley Sohryu's Evangelion Unit-02 using The Thunder of God. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with her Pellet Pistol counter attack. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Alia Winchester with her The Thunder of God attack. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Caloric Missile. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a major hit on Macua Huitl's Amazon Gundam using The Thunder of God. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Beam Rifle. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Shinji Ikari with her The Thunder of God attack.

Macua Huitl is busy with the monster but pauses was that another contact, with an Orb IFF? She's not sure and she loses that train of thought as the Drills pick up speed and then comes the lasers? She's not sure what it is but she's sent backwards from the impact and lets out a scream as her entire tracesuit turns red for a moment. The Amazon starts to recover as it's pilot within does, what the heck was that thing. It hit hard and it did need to be stopped. She's being a bit more cautious as she tries to get close and fires off another beam rifle shot at the thing. She's not quite in melee range yet.

COMBAT: Macua Huitl has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Beam Rifle added to their queue.

Alia turns rather defensive as she's yelled at; "What? What!? One of you said to start firing, now you're mad that I am!?" Perhaps Asuka is merely enraged by the /type/ of attack; the tornado itself is only perhaps twice the size of a mobile suit, so it isn't even coming close to obscuring Ramiel, and the tornado lasts for only a few moments anyway; it's acting essentially as a 'flying magic drill.' Her mood further worsens when she sees the Star Hawk... and more importantly to her, Buriki Daioh; Alia's mind flashes back to when Akira tried to bodily rip her out of her cherished wind elemental, and she becomes very angry in light of that... though she's fortunately keeping her fighting focused on the real objective: the Angel. That's a good thing, because Ramiel demands her attention with a light-wave. Seeing no other obvious defense, Alia sharply ascends, Zefholm's feet rising just barely above the halo in time and conjures a sparkling light-blue 'magic missile', unleashing particles of energy that explode against the A.T. Field in retaliation. "Just like last time... didn't even make a dent! Guess it's time I quit holding back. Radiannnt..." Zefholm's halberd points down at Ramiel, a glowing pink circle forming, arcane runes laid all around it. "Buster!" That cry turns the circle into a beam about half as tall and wide as Zefholm itself, searing down to try to plow through the mysterious barrier Alia expects will be deployed to block her assault.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Radiant Buster added to their queue.

Johnny Domino's taunt in Asuka's direction dies down just as Chimera's own roar fades away. The Angel makes its move, leaving the young Agent with little time to react.

"Ackthbpf!" Chimera tries throwing itself back behind the hill it hid behind moments before.

Alas, no time. The bio-unit barely manages to scramble behind Unit-02 before the Angel's attack descends. Johnny ends up accidently(?) using Asuka's machine as a shield. Oops?

Leo parses Ramiel's wail for only a moment before his attention is yanked violently away by another sound, a sound far less shrill, far less piercing, and, to Leo, far less important. A section of his HUD lights up, emitting a series of beeps, and Leo's head whips around back to where Rei lies all but defenseless with the positron cannon... with a broke-ass Gundam Exia standing over it, sword raised.

"Disengaging," Leo announces immediately, voice hard, and the Vic Viper peels without fanfare away from Ramiel, turning to jet towards Rei and Setsuna. In his sudden, ferocious rush to protect his girlfriend, however, Leo forgets all about Ramiel's preferred method of combat.

The wave of energy strikes the Vic Viper squarely in the rear, smashing it out of the air like a fly. It plows into the ground violently, leaving a large crater, and then begins to tumble end over end over the ground.

After a few complete turns, it suddenly begins to shift and spring apart. The split chassis of the LEV springing apart into legs that dig into the ground and turn the roll into a controlled slide as the rest of the craft rapidly transforms into a mobile suit.

Within two seconds, the transformation is complete, and the damaged LEV takes to the air again, undeterred, beelining towards Unit-00 and Exia.

Leo Stenbuck's Vic Viper transforms into its Vic Viper mode.

 Alia Winchester transmits, "What the? Where're you g... oh! I'll keep this thing busy, then!"

The light of paradise radiates out of the heavenly 1d8, and Kazuki, the abomination that he is, does his best to avoid the lights caress, only to fail horribly instead. The light did not bring peace, nor love, nor comfort, but instead searing pain and agony! A pained cry shot out from Kazuki, cutting short any reply to Macua's rallying cry. Instead of words of solidarity, there is instead only a shrill cry of pain that is translated from the manly yelp,into a more feminine shreik!

One of the Core Robot's arms is severed at the elbow, the limb crashing to the ground,kicking up a small swell of dust with it's impact. Within Hartzenan, Kazuki grasps at his own arm, it burns with sympathy for his machine's pain. He takes quick stock of the situation, noting that others were in much the same boat as he, having been savaged by the monster.. Save for a precious few, one of them being the purple unit that had brazenly closed quarters.. Was that the secret?

Grasping at proverbial straws, Kazuki returns his hands to their control orbsand through them, convays his will into Hartzenan! The machine draws herself up once more, rushing into a head-long charge befor casting herself into a leap, rocketing up into the air and towards Ramiel. Befor impact with the beast's field, the Hartzenan lashes out with a hefty punch, the collision of it's knuckles followed by a battering ram like thrust of the piledrvier-like tonfa buuilt into the machine's remaining arm.

COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Tonfa Thrust added to their queue.

The ear-splitting noise makes Akira wince, even at a distance. He imagines it's a lot worse for anyone right on top of that thing, though, and he counts his blessings just because of this. Still, something is weird about this whole thing to Akira, beyond that he's fighting a big glass alien they're calling an Angel. "There's something," says Akira, partially speaking to himself, but leaving his radio on. "Why are they called 'Angels'?"

The mood spiral of rivals, old friends, armed interventions and ridiculous power all crashing together keeps getting worse and worse. Akira keeps his eyes peeled in case Alia tries something--she's already stabbed him in the back once!--and keeps advancing on the Angel. This time, he goes right over it... and cuts the rocket.

Akira shouts, mostly for the Core Robo pilot's benefit, "LOOK OUT BELOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!"

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Death From Above added to their queue.

Staren frowns at the forcefield. That noise is annoying, so he just has his sensors soften it. The Star Hawk pulls up a bit after attacking, flying over the angel at blazing speed. It's a rapidly shrinking speck in the distance when a GOD LASER shoots out to try and hit it. Staren sees the beam go by not too far away. "Woah!" Well, so far so good. He'll just have to keep on not getting hit. The Star Hawk comes around for another pass, sending another volley of hypersonic slugs Ramiel's way. As he flies off again, he replies to Akira's question: "I don't know, I asked and they won't answer..." He wonders how that forcefield works. Darn alien technology!

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Railgun Burst Fire added to their queue.

"Radio silence, eh?" Setsuna F. Seiei naturally assumes that the pilot of Unit-00 is a hardened veteran or at least a good sniper, and is observing military protocol to ensure that nothing untoward is revealed. "Very well, I will proceed as I see fit."

That approaching ring of energy though, is clearly a distortion -- a literal one, and the Gundam Meister knows precisely how to deal with such an approach. He squeezes the trigger again, and simply fires at the approaching beam. Whether that actually stops it, or the ring simply fails to hit so far out, is not the point. He shoots the Angel as well a few more times for good measure, before the suit warns him of an approaching mobile suit.

Shifting his growing gaze towards the approaching Stenbuck, he decides to try again. "My 'Trans-Am' system is faulty at best, Federation Soldier, and I would prefer to wait before utilizing it. I know your suit is transformable. Have you sustained too much damage to, ah, allow me to..." How would Lockon put it, that new one that arrived on the Ptoly II? "'Hitch a ride?'"

The tarp that covers half of Exia's torso abruptly parts, hinting at something beneath it. And a single missile with a sticky payload rockets out, right past the approaching V2 -- soaring on with a beautiful particle-filled contrail towards the massive Angel.

Should it detonate, it's going to spread rapidly -- a gooey, sticky payload in addition to the explosion, largely useless against a victim so large, as the Meister awaits the response of the approaching pilot.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Innovation added to their queue.

Shinji Ikari is a LITTLE BUSY so he is not paying attention to the back where Rei is. He does hear Misato. "Misato?! What happened-what's wrong?! Is Ayanami okay?!" It might be best to lie, knowing Ikari's total lack of reliability. He might just jump off to try and impale the robot attacking the First Child. And then, just a heartbeat before-

"Oh shi-" Shinji's swear word is cut off by the DEATH RAY as he kicks off of the Angel, shoving his weight up and somehow twisting at just the right angle to avoid being bisected by Remiel's holy thunder. "Hey, I think I've got its attention!" Shinji sounds like he wants to laugh and cry at the same time. And then, well...

He stops. See, the build of Remiel and its ATField is diamond shaped. So about halfway, Shinji runs out of inertia and is literarly left hanging from the half-damaged glowing shield thingie. "Shit." Two months in some place so classified HE didn't know where he was, missing his friends fight and die in the crescendo of the Divine War, missing an /angel attack/ because he was 'mentally contaminated', and how you're hanging by your fingernails on top of a giant glass death star. "Shit." Shinji doesn't think it consciously, "Shit." But Unit-01 obeys the will of its pilot, as their thoughts are, for once, synchronized, "Shit." It hangs on with one hand, pulls its knife-holding fist back, "Shit." and starts SLAMMING the progressive knife into the barrier, over and over and over and over until it can finally touch the Angel's armored skin. Father's crusade turned him into a murderer, how DARE HE just be SITTING THERE.

"SHIT!" Shinji shouts, shoving his butterfly controls forward in a half-conscious demand. Unit-01 leaps to the call, trying to RIP into Remiel's armored flesh, twist upside down, and /kick/ off of its perch, allowing the freefall shanking to continue the rest of the way to the ground. Screw any skyscrapers or power lines in their way! Unit-01's eyes glow white with power as its jaw strains against its restraints, as if the Evangelion were trying to scream in tandem with Shinji!

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Cold Stone Crazy added to their queue.

How could she miss like that?! She looked so /stupid/! Asuka's anger at screwing up her first shot so terrifically is directed at the most convenient target, which just so happens to be Alia.

"Your /attack/ was in my line of sight! Who told you to attack in the first place?!" Asuka snaps, her Evangelion's head directed at the pilot. "If it weren't for that attack of yours, I would have hit it!"

Unfortunately, the sixth angel doesn't give her much time to brood over her mistakes; a shimmering halo of light radiates off the Angel for a second, then burst forward with a hum of energy. Asuka catches a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye just long enough to brace for the attack, which was far more brutal than appearances led her to believe.

Asuka lets out a groan of pain, her finger tightening around the trigger of her pellet gun; inadvertantly, she lets out another shot at the angel, which wildly misses its target.

"I won't miss this time!"

She'd show Johnny and the others! She was the expert here! No other unit could best an Evangelion, least of all /her/ Unit-02!

Asuka adjusts her aim, and fires.

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has attacked Shinji Ikari and Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Pellet Rifle Strafe added to their queue.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Innovation. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Radiant Buster. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Beam Rifle. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a solid critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Railgun Burst Fire. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Pellet Rifle Strafe. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Death From Above. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Akira Tadokoro with her The Compassion of God counter attack. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Tonfa Thrust. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Kazuki Yotsuga with her The Compassion of God counter attack. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with his Cold Stone Crazy attack. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has counter attacked for a solid hit on Shinji Ikari's Evangelion Unit-01 using The Compassion of God.

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has struck a solid hit on Shinji Ikari's Evangelion Unit-01 using Pellet Rifle Strafe.

 Shinji Ikari thudthud, "ASuka, what the he-" foom!

 Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "What are you doing? Get out of the way!"

 Shinji Ikari transmits, "What am /I/ doing?! I'm not the one /shooting at me/!"

 Alia Winchester transmits, "Y... you just...!? Did you shoot at him?"

 Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "I wasn't shooting at /you/, stupid, I was shooting at the Angel!"

 Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "You're an idiot for putting yourself in a position where you could get hit by friendly fire!"

 Alia Winchester, disapprovingly cold, "Your gun, your responsibility."

 Shinji Ikari transmits, "I was doing my job! Misato said, distract the Angel, and that's what I'm doing! It's not my fault you can't hit a giant purple robot!"

 Asuka Langley Sohryu snidely, to Alia, "Who asked for /your/ opinion?"

<Radio: A - Chat> Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "Some distraction you are! That thing is still attacking all of us!"

<Radio: A - Chat> Alia Winchester transmits, "Amazing... you're worse than I was."

<Radio: A - Chat> Shinji Ikari transmits, "Well-well, you know that new orange skirt you got?"

<Radio: A - Chat> Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "What about it?"

<Radio: A - Chat> Shinji Ikari has clearly gone mad, "Makes your butt look /huge./" Shinji holds his arms apart in order to demonstrate how much junk be in dat trunk.

<Radio: A - Chat> Gai Daigouji transmits, "That.. is a really big butt!"

<Radio: A - Chat> Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "Y-you..."

<Radio: A - Chat> Asuka Langley Sohryu is, judging from her tone, completely furious!

<Radio: A - Chat> Ilvata Rajakul transmits, "...I don't get it."

<Radio: A - Chat> Shiro Amada sighs and audibly facepalms.

<Radio: A - Chat> Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "I don't have to take this from a second-rate Eva pilot, first-rate pervert like you!"

<Radio: A - Chat> Misato Katsuragi snaps, "Kids! FOCUS!"

<Radio: A - Chat> Ilvata Rajakul transmits, "What? It is true!"

<Radio: A - Chat> Shinji Ikari looks briefly terrified before he's mercifully thrown through a Wawa. "r-roger, Misato." he slurs.

As it turns out, the thunder of God is not enough to ward away some people. It's not clear whether Ramiel is capable of enough thought to consider the ramifications of their actions -- whether he destroys by choice, or just instinct hardwired into his strange little soul. Do these people and their robot suits even matter to a creature like an Angel? At the moment, this line of questioning is perhaps not the most expedient way of handling a crisis. In any case, Ramiel offers nothing to fuel debate -- it is an implement of some unholy wrath, and aspires to be nothing else.

The onslaught continues. From the Amazon Gundam, an array of beams -- the light of these bursts warps as it strikes the AT Field, passing through and hitting Ramiel. Alia's Zefholm punches through the AT Field entirely, the magic nature of the attack proving exceptionally tricksy as it crashes into the sharp edge and smooth face of Ramiel. Asuka's pellet rifle fire pecks at the surface of the monster, and the explosive payload of Setsuna F. Seiei's projectile sends a trail of sticky slime dripping down the pane of Ramiel like water. Staren Wiremu seems to make the biggest impact, the Star Hawk's brutal railgun cascade causing the drill to noticeably slow for several seconds.

And then there are those who chose to get up close and personal. As Shinji, Kazuki, and Akira all make their plays, Ramiel changes shape. It's nearly instantaneous -- the drill remains, coming straight down from the pulsing red soul of the Angel, but around this core, the creature morphs. Angles pull in at themselves and flex inside-out, causing Shinji's attempt to take hold of it to fail as the surface he tries to get hold of moves out of the way. Mid-transformation, though, the two other fighters strike blows that come dangerously close to the thing's core, causing the keening screams of a wrathful Angel to grow louder and sharper still. Three beams pulse outward, seeking those who are closest.

Beneath the ground, Gendo Ikari watches a screen. He strokes his wispy beard, watching the bar tick higher, and higher, and higher... God help whatever is in that cannon's way.

Alia retorts hotly to Asuka's blame, "How!? I'm in the sky! Quit making excuses and get better!" She looks off to the side, surprised to see Leo and a few others disengaging... though she understands why a few seconds later and looks back to the fight with Ramiel, surprised at Shinji's 'what the hell'; she missed actually seeing Asuka shoot him.... but the conversation that unfolds after that on the radio is /very/ revealing as Asuka is making some of the most absurd justifications for friendly fire ever. And then Shinji descends into juvenile taunting. Alia is stunned by this display of infighting, but only gets to dwell on it so long. Seeing that some attacks are having an effect now, and that some people have had success in physically closing in on the Angel, Alia decides to follow suit. Zefholm swoops down, trying to fly in behind Shinji's Eva-01; it seems to have made a gap in the barrier, somehow. If she gets in from there, Alia has Zefholm fly aside and try to deliver a barrage of halberd tip-thrusts and axe head slashes, followed by a spray of energy beams from its wings. This attempt only lasts a few seconds; hit or miss Alia is quite mindful that Ramiel is changing shape, and she begins to fly away shortly after her assault is concluded.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Aegis Rush added to their queue.

The Star Hawk comes around again. Staren stares with interest as Ramiel changes shape. There's a pattern there, he can sense it... Is this some higher-dimensional being...? Well, whatever it is, it seems he's decided Akira and the others have the right idea. The Star Hawk dips its trajectory slightly, flying at the angel this time. Suddenly arms and legs whip out from under the fuselage, hybrid swords unfolding and powering up just in time for Staren to stab both into the Angel with all of his momentum.

Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk transforms into its Star Hawk Hybrid mode. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Hybrid Sword Assault added to their queue.

The Vic Viper twists sharply away from Exia's missile as it shoots past it, apparently unconvinced of Setsuna's nonhostility despite the other pilot's words. The LEV comes to a sharp halt a few hundred feet away from Setsuna and Rei, and for several seconds it only floats there, silently, its featureless, black glass face staring daggers at Exia.

Inside the cockpit, Leo carefully inspects the prone Unit-00 for damage, heart racing. She doesn't seem to be hurt, at least... and the Gundam Meister's turned his attention to the Angel. "Hnn," Leo growls. He sits in silence for a moment more, runs a hand through his hair in agitation, and then reaches for his radio controls.

The Vic Viper inclines its head towards Unit-00. "If you touch her again, Setsuna F. Seiei," Leo informs the Gundam Meister, "You'll regret it." Leo waits a bit for that to sink in, and then the Vic Viper suddenly pulls an about-face, twisting and sliding apart again as it transforms back into Flight Mode.

The moment it does, blue laserfire erupts from its split chassis, raining out towards the distant Ramiel. The fire is answered by the four Options, currently lined up in front of the Vic Viper, and their laser fire cuts through their fellow Options as if they weren't even there.

"Get on," Leo demands of Setsuna. "Before it shoots back."

Leo Stenbuck's Vic Viper transforms into its Vic Viper FM mode.

COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Option Twin Lasers added to their queue.

Shinji Ikari's plan was awesome, and then he got shot in the face by Asuka. This threw his knife swing off, which let him get hit by a laser bubble, which shoved him off of Remiel and-

"WAAAAAAUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHH-" CRASH. "gghh!"

-through a local reasonably priced convienance store. Unable to vent his spleen through the traditional method of 'murder', Shinji says something very stupid on the radio, is chewed out by his boss, and realizes that even if they beat this Angel his roommate's going to kill him.

For some reason, that actually makes Shinji feel kind of good. I'm so fucked up, Shinji thinks to himself, as he pulls himself out of the smoking building, pulls his pellet rifle out of its secret storage place, and fires a few sharp shots at Remiel's ATField, hoping to pierce a temporary hole in the monster's barrier.

"Keep moving!" He calls out to the reluctantly allied troops, "The thing's lightning ray can't hit a moving target that well! ...um, if that's not an imposition!"

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Pellet Rifle added to their queue.

Kazuki's guess seem to be true! orperhaps it was the simple fact that he just so happened to scramble out of the way of Akira's strike in time to avoid the repraisel of the angel as well! Recovering from the fall that put him back on the firm earth, Kazuki marveled up at Ramiel's mercurial shift. What was it doing? Why? One thing did not change about this monster though, it's desire to penetrate the earth and ravage the city beyond. To do that, the monster would need it's drill!

Hartzenan steadies herself befor launching into the attack once more, sprinting towards the drill, ready to employ her legs for kicking, having already lost a arm to this beast. Thrusting with the Core Robo's dagger like heels.

COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Core Robot Martial Arts added to their queue.

Macua Huitl has just been shooting for now as she makes her way towards the hulking thing. Whatever Ramiel is? It's not good whatever the thing is. She Has been able to get close enough as she wanted to. She had no idea of Shinji smack talking Asuka. She breaks into a run and uses some of the local terrain to jump off, once she gets some air, several hidden thrusters kick in and she leaps right at the Angel to freaking punch it.

COMBAT: Macua Huitl has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Punch Combo added to their queue.

Buriki Daioh comes down on the Angel hard, it's massive bulk acting as a fairly effective weapon. Brute force isn't getting through whatever this shield is, so maybe a change of tactics is in order. He needs to get at whatever that thing at the center is; everything is moving around it, so it must be the weak spot.

The Babylonian mech slides off the suddenly smooth side of the Angel and crashes down to the ground... and into one of the buildings that hadn't done something like retract. Akira is abruptly reminded that he got shot a second ago when Buriki Daioh is showered in glass and stone, the pieces striking the metal 'wound' where the deadly light had cut away at the metal. Akira himself cringes from the feeling, grunting slightly and painfully.

This has the unfortunate side effect of toppling the building. Akira tries to get around it and push it the other way, and only really makes things that much worse. Buriki Daioh shoves, and it drops towards the Angel... and, coincidentally, part of it breaks off and falls at Shinji. Just because it might have needed a telekinetic shove to go that far doesn't mean anything, though, Ikari. Don't worry.

Akira looks around the remains of the building and at the Angel. "Maybe I can..." Flash! Akira's eyes glow gold, and he seeks whatever might pass for a mind in the Angel. Does it have a purpose? What is it /doing/ here? If it thinks, he may be able to find out. Mind reading can be very useful at times.

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has attacked Shinji Ikari and Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Totally Coincidental Scenery Destruction added to their queue.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has activated a spirit command.

Chimera peeks out from behind Unit-02's shoulder. That's right, he forgot - Evangelions have a feedback system. Johnny Domino feels only a little guilty at the groan emenating from Asuka's comm-signal.

Perhaps accidently(?) using Asuka as a shield wasn't the most stylish thing to do.

But then Asuka proceeds to inflict friendly-fire on Shinji, and Domino decides his friendly-shielding incident was pretty insignificant in comparison. Whoosh, guilt alleviated!

In place of guilt, however, a new emotion surfaces - annoyance. Johnny Domino had just spent hours fighting in the Divine War for the sake of protecting his comrades and friends, and here Asuka was mindlessly shooting at that lame Ikari kid! That just causes Domino's stressed and addled mind to bristle.

"Jesus Christ!", the young man exclaims, making a grab for the Pellet Rifle in Unit-02's grasp in an attempt to divert it from the Angel and Unit-01.

A moment later Unit-01 crashes away from the Angel, making the issue of friendly-fire moot, but Johnny completely missed that.

"You're a freaking trigger-happy lunatic," Domino yells over the cries of the Angel. "Is that how an expert does things?!"

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Asuka Langley Sohryu. Pellet Rifle Grapple added to their queue.

<Radio: E - Global> Staren Wiremu transmits, "Hey, EFA! We're not here helping you so that you can fight eachother!"

"So you know my codename," Setsuna F. Seiei replies, putting the pieces together very swiftly. "The Meister you held for a time must have talked. So be it." It's not his real name; it's just a name, after all. And his true name is likely Gundam.

So self-assured with the success of the request is the Meister that he does not take any alarm to the threat, simply making what may be an amused, non-committal sound. He watches the Angel as it continues its laborious task. "I take it they're planning to snipe the target? What are the chances of success, pilot?"

Just what will they be able to do, with the V2 and the modified Exia combined? With permission granted, the Meister directs his precious Gundam to step onto the back of the Frame, latching on through the use of magnets. It's always the use of magnets. The GN Drive continues to flare brightly though, ensuring that -- if anything -- they might just travel faster than travelling alone, particularly the somewhat slow-velocity Gundam.

With the merger complete, the V2-Exia Gestalt surges forward with dual sustained thrust. A minor shockwave accompanies the sudden thrust, and the gap between Angel and Gestalt vanishes in little more than the space of three coughs. Yes, it's just like being a Dragonrider of Pern. Stenbuck and Seiei will be sipping klah before the night is over.

"Let's assail it from the backdoor," Setsuna F. Seiei instructs, unaware of the double entendre. As the Gestalt soars right past the Angel, Exia extends its sole arm right out, snapping the Solid State Sword back into existence. And without so much as a by-your-leave, he seeks to bury the tip into the side of the Angel, and start opening it like a can as the Viper performs a tight circle of the Angel.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Single Sword added to their queue.

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has missed Shinji Ikari with his Totally Coincidental Scenery Destruction attack.

Asuka had turned off her radio in a huff; she couldn't believe this! Why was Shinji even /looking/ at her butt in the first place! She was right! All boys really /were/ perverts! Except for Mr. Kaji, of course...

Shinji's lucky he lost his balance; if he had still been hanging over the edge of the angel, there would have been a good chance that Asuka would have showered another attack on both him and the Angel. Serves him right for stupidly putting himself in a position to take friendly fire!

Asuka prepares to aim and shoot again, but before she can, two strong hands plant themselves firmly on her firearm. She spins around, attempting to keep her grasp on her weapon only to catch sight of--

Johnny Domino?!

"Hey! What are you doing?! How am I supposed to fight the Angel without a weapon?!" Nevermind that the Eva is equipped with an entourage of weapons--as are the other buildings surrounding them--it was the principle of the matter! She's not going to relinquish the pellet gun to anyone--least of all Johnny Domino!

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has missed Asuka Langley Sohryu with his Pellet Rifle Grapple attack. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has counter attacked for a minor critical hit using My Gun Dickhead!

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Pellet Rifle. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with his Core Robot Martial Arts attack. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has struck a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Totally Coincidental Scenery Destruction. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Option Twin Lasers. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Aegis Rush. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a major critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Hybrid Sword Assault. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Staren Wiremu with her The Compassion of God counter attack. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with her Punch Combo attack. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has counter attacked for a solid hit on Macua Huitl's Amazon Gundam using The Compassion of God. COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has struck a major hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Single Sword. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has counter attacked for a major critical hit on Setsuna F. Seiei's Gundam Exia Repair using The Compassion of God.

Akira Tadokoro attempts to reach out and touch someone. Unfortunately, he is reaching out with his mind. And 'someone' is Ramiel. What he sees is the sort of thing that used to drive opium addicts mad, or give way to new and innovative forms of suicide cults. The sound is the worst part -- whether the harps of Heaven or the fires of Hell, it's so loud, echoing through his skull, that no distinction can be made. Ramiel terminates contact -- or perhaps a higher force does, since there were some things that Man was simply not meant to know.

In the realm of the physical, the metaphysical attacker continues its drilling. The drill slows and starts, sputtering at points and gaining inhuman speed at others. The Absolute Terror Field pulses, coldly rebuffing Kazuki's Hartzenan and sending it toward what little of the immediate cityscape remains undestroyed. The abandoned city is indeed resembling nothing so much as war-torn ruins, buildings crumbling, foundations cracking. Tokyo-03 has faced destruction before, but never has it seemed such an imminent possibility.

Meanwhile: other attacks continue to pulse at Ramiel's hard lines and sharp angles. The Vic Viper's lasers and the Zefholm's axes and energy flutters are particularly effective at slowing the drill, although they do not quite infiltrate the core of the entity. Its soul remains protected, from this, from Shinji's pellet rifle fire... and then it changes shape again, fractal language collapsing in on itself to describe the infinite grace of the arcane sigils this beast's gelatinous structure forms. In the midst of this, Setsuna F. Seiei and Staren Wiremu strike (although poor Macua does not), their swords piercing deep, the hybrid sword of the Star Hawk coming closer than anyone thus far has reached to the core of the creature. The ensuing cry is atomic in its ferocity, and the drill begins spinning faster -- faster...

Alia is only further irked when Staren is the one to point out how ridiculous this is; there's a certain irony to that. But with several others piling in to the melee, she decides to back off; Zefholm flies back the way it came, then ascends to get clear since there's every chance someone will intentionally engage in 'friendly fire.' Fortunately, rising overhead gives her lots of good angles to shoot at Ramiel without the risk of hitting others. "What /is/ this thing!? It's like we're affecting it, but... only so much." While she thinks about what to do, Alia conjures up another mini-tornado, and much like before, she sends this one drilling down at Ramiel from the sky, careful to make sure her shot won't tear into one of the other machines down there.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Tornado added to their queue.

God bless magnets. The Vic Viper wasn't designed with flight sled usage in mind, but it's sturdy enough to hold Exia, at least, and its overwhelming speed capabilties mean the extra weight and drag - already mitigated by Exia's own propulsion - only drop the Viper's speed down into 'ridiculous', away from the level it usually sits at, way up at 'retarded'.

Leo does his best to get Setsuna close enough to strike with his stupid dumb swords, but it's tough going; the last thing he wants to do is have the Angel change shape while he's circling it at 400 MPH, and crash into a projection that wasn't there before. Leo remains pointedly cautious, darting in and then away from Ramiel, giving Setsuna just enough time to strike before the Exia-Viper Rock And Roll Supergroup gets the hell out of dodge.

Leo's stomach rolls, and his finger hesitates halfway through a trigger pull. This is... "I think it's working," he comments to Setsuna, almost conversationally despite his nausea. "Listen to that. It's... in pain, or afraid, or... something..."

Grimacing, Leo tightens his finger around the trigger. Yellow light coalesces in front of the V2's split nose for a moment, and then a writhing yellow bolt erupts out of thin air, a blast of pure kinetic energy. The four Options respond in kind, and a line of five, evenly spaced bolts roll out towards Ramiel's side.

COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Option Gravity Bullet added to their queue.

Kazuki Yotsuga is rebuked! The angel's cry shrieking in his ears even as he's sent flying, hands ripped from the orbs to clap over the sides of his helmet, trying to block out the infernal cry. His attention is soon diverted, the flight ending in impact against a unfallen building, punching through to the structure's core and causing it to topple, partialy collapsing in on Kazuki and his Hartzenan. Rubble and stone press in on him, the Core Robot's armor threatening to give out. "I won't.. I won't fail." he snarls, grasping the control orbs fiercly in his hands, will flowing out and into them causing the orbs to fill with a sudden darkness as life sympathy readings plunge down into the negatives.

Hartzenan erupts from her tomb, revealiong herself from the stone and debris. She coils herself downward, bending low befor exploding into a powerful leap, coming down on Ramiel once more, a fist thrust towards it's protective shell in a powerful blow, the tonfa soon following suit, striking out towards the heart of his foe.

COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Tonfa Mastery added to their queue.

"Nice shot, Tadokoro!" Shinji calls, ironically ducking under the hunk of building ment for him.

His eyes widen at the goings on to his right, and Shinji holds his hand out. "Hey! Domino! Stop it! It was an accident-and we've got to focus on the Angel! If the ATField isn't weakened enough for Ayanami's rifle to breach, we're dead!"

sigh. He'd like, for once, to get to be mad at Asuka for more than five minutes. At least Rei's okay. Shinji looks up, and nods at the pellet rifle's trademark ineffectualness. He knew this was going to be up close and personal, heck, almost all of the Angel fights are anyway. When faced with overwhelming metaphysical power, with a being that's as much a mathematical improbability as it is a war machine, Shinji does the only thing he can.

"YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Try and shank it-specifically leaping off of his building perch and going for one of Remiel's horrible angles, remembering something about square castles being weak against a siege.

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Progressive Knife Mastery added to their queue.

Macua Huitl is getting the hell beat out of her by the Angel and the feedback isn't helping much she's getting an really bad feeling about whatever Akira is doing. She is trying get in deeper and the cry well makes her freeze in hee tracks for a moment she clutches her head and tries to recover. "STOP IT! STOP IT!"

She pulls back heer fist and arms the beam charges on the upper part of it and just punches for all she's worth.

COMBAT: Macua Huitl has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Rising Strike added to their queue.

Deep underground, Gendo Ikari is being updated in real time regarding Johnny and Asuka's situation. Standing next to the stoic Commander, Fuyutsuki exhales, perhaps in nervousness, perhaps in shame.

"My old friend," he ruminates. "Is this just as planned?"

The glint of his glasses is the only response Commander Ikari provides.

Up above, Chimera jerks about, its tugging match with Unit-02 proving to be an ample challenge. "Stop--resisting," Domino sputters, not expecting the girl to put up that much of a fight over this issue.

And then Unit-02 bitchslaps him. Chimera's head whips around from the force of the blow, Johnny Domino's own head mimicing this motion. Feedback's a bitch.

The Pellet Rifle is released, the lion-headed bio-unit stumbling back. A hand is lifted, brushing against its abused faceplate. Chimera almost seems... shocked.

If Johnny and Asuka were outside of their units about now, the Agent would have smacked Asuka right back. Alas, such a privilege is beyond him at the moment. And Shinji, he's telling Domino to back off. Goddamnit, that little punk needs more of a spine! Johnny's rage bubbles. He opens his mouth, Chimera's yellow eyes focused on Unit-02

"..you wanna know how to fight that thing without your rifle?" The young man grits his teeth, then yells, "I'LL SHOW YOU HOW!"

The bio-unit twists to face the Angel, arms stretched out in front of it. A dozen giant black snakes erupt out from underneath its exoskeleton -- Asuka may remember them -- fangs bared as they extend towards the supernatural monstrosity. Continuously, the lizards emerge, body neverending. If an AT Field blocks their path, they will attempt to use their eel-like electric shock to pierce through. If they reach their destination, they will attempt to give their opponent the kiss of death.

But most importantly, Johnny Domino is going to show Asuka that she's a bitch.

No, that last part really doesn't make any sense.

COMBAT: Your attack has been added to Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's queue. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Snake Charm+ added to their queue.

Acting as a sort of shield for the much more (ok only somewhat more) fragile Viper, Exia takes the brunt of the percussion blast. Armor flakes off like so much dandruff. "But will it work in time?" Seiei questions back in turn, although he's not about to give up just yet. While he should probably be considering whether it would be better for the Angel to destroy the Geofront, as far as Celestial Being is concerned, for now he decides to simply destroy this beast.

There isn't a beast alive that Setsuna F. Seiei doesn't think he has a chance against. This Angel will fall, by his sword, by his Gundam's power.

"Just keep us moving, I'm going to try something," he tells the pilot of the Viper. And so, hunkering down, Gundam Exia does something really impractical. It leaps off the back of the Viper, springboarding away -- and directly towards the Angel's side, aiming to pierce the field and latch onto it. But not with the sole arm, oh no.

That tarp falls away, revealing the clawed prongs of a Z'Gok. They flash once, and then seek to anchor Exia against the side of the Angel, for what will follow, as the youth calls on his damaged partner to hold together for an impending descent into Trans-Am... but not just yet. For now, it's just that stolen arm.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Hidden Arm added to their queue.

Akira reaches out. He 'sees' the mind of the Angel, and connects to it for but an instant. To him, though, it's far longer than that. The instant stretches on for an eternity. If he were a little more conscious of what was going on, he might think this was a little appropriate, since he's pretty sure he can /see/ eternity. The thing's mind isn't just strange, it's completely alien, unable to be grasped or brought to any semblance of comprehension by the human mind.

His knees hit the floor first. His forehead touches down next. Akira's hands clutch the side of his heads, pressed against his ears and squeezing with all his strength to drown out the sound. It echoes off the inside of his skull, beginning there and staying within, the chorus of angels and chords of demons creating an unnatural cacophony. His palms turn red, blood running down the sides of his head from his ears and starting to drip from his nose.

Akira's only response to Shinji's call, however sarcastic or earnest it might be, is a cry of terror and anguish coming from gritted teeth.

Buriki Daioh does not halt. Akira is still connected, and the ancient machine is possessed by something else entirely. The similarities the gigantic iron construct has to the modern Evangelions are numerous, but it doesn't go berserk when the pilot is incapacitated or losing their mind (which Akira most assuredly is): it just deploys it's self defense mechanism.

The outer body of the Great Tin King shimmers like it was suddenly underwater, and a concussive wave flows off of it and through the air at the Angel. The curtain of force is the bleed-off from the sudden spike in power that it received, it's golden eyes burning brighter than ever. It stands tall but unmoving, far too close to the Angel to be safe.

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Otherworldly Overload added to their queue.

Asuka grapples the gun out of his hands, and in doing so, backhands the Chimera with the butt of her gun; though it wasn't at all intentional, Asuka doesn't seem to feel even the slightest bit of guilt at knocking someone with the same biofeedback as her EVA-02 in the face--even accidentally; Johnny Domino deserved it!

"That's what you think! I'll show you the true power of EVA Unit-02!" There's no way Asuka is going to let herself be outdone by a freak show bootleg Evangelion like that Chimera!

And in tandem with Johnny Domino's attack, launches the bazookas from her unit's back, sending them spiraling towards the Angel before her.

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Bazooka added to their queue.

Staren's eyes widen in pleasant surprise -- He got through the field and cut deep?! Well, things are looking up! He doesn't stop -- He tries to tear the twin blades free in such a way as to cause as much damage as possible, then abruptly moves aside as another GOD LASER shoots out at point blank range and he finds himself clapping his ears over his helmet -- The audio sensors mute, but he can hear it through the hull, that terrible noise... "Arrrgh, stop that!" He slashes again and again. trying to move erratically but staying close enough to keep swinging at the same spot, aiming to break through to that vulnerable-looking core...

He becomes aware that Buriki Daioh has stopped moving. "Akira? Akira, what happ-- Oh no, did you try to read its mind? Akira! AKIRA!!"

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Hybrid Sword Assault added to their queue.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Hidden Arm. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Option Gravity Bullet. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Tornado. COMBAT: Macua Huitl has struck a major critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Rising Strike. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Otherworldly Overload. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with a solid hit using Snake Charm+. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Hybrid Sword Assault. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Tonfa Mastery. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Progressive Knife Mastery. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has struck a major hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Bazooka.

The cry of Ramiel persists for a long moment, but it stops when the attacks resume. Everyone gives it their all -- this much is not in question. The AT Field of the monstrous angel seems horribly weakened by this point -- as the advantage is pressed, it weakens further still. Staren Wiremu's swords hack at the geometry of heaven, although it seems to have learned from the boy's last attack -- they don't cut nearly as deep. Johnny Domino's electric shock causes the arcane structure of the beast to galvanize, angles bending as its construction blossoms outward. Alia Winchester's tornado affects this growth further still, the magic of her windy warfare penetrating Ramiel's AT protection.

The drilling continues, though. The Hobo Exia makes a strong strike, the force of Setsuna's blow rippling through the Angel's sapphire structure. Leo Stenbuck's gravity bullet punches into it, like a prizefighter's punch into drywall -- but the monster just reconfigures, mathematically attempting to compensate for the pain it is suffering. Akira Tadokoro's mindless rage serves him well, as the impact of his ship on the Angel has an even more profound effect, striking in the same moment as Kazuki's tonfa blows and the piercing shine of Shinji's Progressive Knife -- as all three forces trap the Angel between them, it configures briefly into a pained column, its cry grating, its drilling stopping for a few seconds. Ramiel is utterly still... and then Macua and Asuka strike.

The Amazon Gundam hits it low with its powerful rising strike, energized by Macua's horror and anger. The red Evangelion's bazooka hits it high, Asuka's deadly aim sending an explosive shell the size of a Range Rover into the beast. The strikes cause Ramiel to shift from its column shape...

The Angel explodes outward, blossoming like a flower, replicating its geometry like a virus. It becomes a divine snowflake, thin branches jutting out, unfolding into further paths. And then, with perhaps uncharacteristic silence, each and every one of the sharp points that Ramiel's new structure contains -- many upon many -- fires a beam, lighting the absolute darkness of the powerless Tokyo-03.

Below, Gendo Ikari turns toward Captain Katsuragi. "Prepare the emergency evacuation of Lilith."

Misato blanches. "But sir -- you can't give up hope! What about Asuka -- Rei -- don't you have any faith in your own /son/?"

Gendo Ikari's expression is cold, and the great man turns and begins to walk away. "Prepare Lilith," he says, his tone curter than before.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has attacked Staren Wiremu, Asuka Langley Sohryu, Akira Tadokoro, Setsuna F. Seiei, Johnny Domino, Shinji Ikari, Kazuki Yotsuga, Leo Stenbuck, and Alia Winchester. Infinite Love added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a major critical hit on Akira Tadokoro's Buriki-Daioh using Infinite Love.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Alia Winchester with her Infinite Love attack.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a major hit on Asuka Langley Sohryu's Evangelion Unit-02 using Infinite Love.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck Johnny Domino with a major hit using Infinite Love!

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Shinji Ikari with her Infinite Love attack.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Staren Wiremu with her Infinite Love attack.

COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a apocalyptic hit on Leo Stenbuck's Vic Viper FM using Infinite Love. Knock Out! Leo Stenbuck's Vic Viper FM unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Setsuna F. Seiei with her Infinite Love attack.

COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a apocalyptic hit on Kazuki Yotsuga's CR-01 Hartzenan using Infinite Love.

Alia has never really come to terms with her psychic nature; it almost never comes up in La Gias, and was never really explained in her time with Orb. So when she feels sharp, extreme sensations from what's happening inside Buriki Daioh... happening to Akira, it's confusing. Fortunately she's only feeling these as residual effects, simply 'receiving the broadcast.' She can mentally brush most of it aside, even as she wonders what the hell is going on. Being only partially distracted is good, because Ramiel brings her back to reality very suddenly. Zefholm zips aside from the first beam heading its way, then picks up speed and begins twirling, diving, and otherwise flitting through very small gaps in the beams. In an amazing display of agility, Alia and her wind elemental emerge completely unhurt, albeit by very narrow margins. She does not gloat; a look around the area shows others were not nearly as lucky, and that could have killed her right then and there. It does however bring defiant pride to the fore: "Looks like we're having some effect now! Whatever it is you're digging for, I won't let you!" Zefholm glides off for a side Ramiel others aren't immediately adjacent to, though definitely keeping distance from the Angel regardless. Its halberd disappears, arms crossed in front of itself. "And whatever you are, you need to be stopped here! Tempessst...." Alia chants as Zefholm conjures up a much larger tornado, this time about half the size of Ramiel itself. This sort of firepower would normally be unreasonable to unleash in a city, but firing downward at Ramiel as she is... the potential for collateral isn't so bad. "DIVIDE!" With a rush of emotions and prana energy, Alia sends the storm down at Ramiel, then Zefholm's arms swing apart. This gesture causes the tornado to split into an identical copy of itself, both flying out to flank and hopefully re-converge upon an unoccupied side of Ramiel. Whatever it may be, its firepower and odd effects on Akira suggest it needs to be taken down /now./

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Tempest Divide added to their queue.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has activated a spirit command.

Hitching a ride was the easy part. And it might just be what saves Setsuna F. Seiei from joining everyone else in the sea of pain. Even as the structure undergoes a rapid shift, a change in its very form, there is nothing that can hope to detach the arm of the Z'Gok once it sinks its pinchers into you.

"Like the pilot in the three billion dollar suit will go down so easily," the Meister breathes the words out, acting on sheer aggression now as the sky is filled with lasers. Safe against the side of the terror field, if it can be called that, Seiei decides that is time to push his precious Gundam to the absolute limit. "Stay together, we can do this," he talks to the Gundam, as if it were a real boy.

"Let's finish you together! Gundam!

"TRANS-AM!"

In a flash, the devastated form of Gundam Exia shifts as well, becoming nice and pink. In a blur of motion, the unit detaches from the side of the Angel. Aligning towards what he thinks may well be the core of the beast, Exia places just the tip of the Solid Sword against the side of the Angel.

And then he proceeds into an attempt to show the Angel just who is the superior driller. Rotating with the burst of particles at a reckless, face-smushing speed, Exia seeks to drill right through the hide of the Angel, and right towards its core.

Alternatively, he may just spin like a top, get real dizzy, and then throw up like so many Leo Stenbuck's.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Trans-Am Assault added to their queue.

"Stop not dieing!" Shinji shouts, for lack of a better option, trying to shove his prog knife further into the Angel's horrible robot skin. The hairs on the back of Shinji's neck tingle, and then evaporate, and Shinji's lizard brain goes 'Oh shit!' which is why the side of a building is in front of Shinji when the Angel's hate ray explodes. This keeps Unit-01 from being atomized; it also is kicked into the air, blasting off like some kind of team of rare fighting animal thieves.

IN THE AIR,

"Holy craaaa-" Shinji almost finishes before smashing into the goldola of a zepplin. "ugh. oh. oh God, did I hurt anyone?!"

"Alright!" The automated pilot and spokesrobot says, half of its face missing but thumb still sticking up in the air.

"Great!" Shinji chirps, "I'm just on a falling gas filled explosion waiting to happen. wait."

ON THE GROUND,

Chances are Misato Katsuragi's feeling a bit foolish for championing Shinji's cause.

IN THE AIR AGAIN,

"How do you steer this THING!" Shinji shouts, as he and Unit-01 desperately try to direct the ruined advertising zepplin, kicking and swiping at the air as though swimming. Oddly enough, it sort of works! The assembled forces of Not Enthropy will see "DUFF BEER" proudly waving in the sky, as the tattered remains of the zepplin catch fire, and Shinji does his level best to direct the whole mess right on top of Remiel.

It'll be just my luck, Shinji thinks, that dad has stock in this company or something.

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Scenery Destruction added to their queue.

"What the hell are you-" Leo begins, interrupting himself with a strangled choking sound when Setsuna simply leaps from the back of the Vic Viper onto the Angel. "You're crazy!" he informs the Gundam Meister. Despite this, it takes him only a second of indecision before he rushes in after Exia, trying to stay below it to get the Gundam the hell out of dodge when it becomes obvious how bad this plan was.

As it turns out, he doesn't get the chance. When Ramiel decides to become a giant death snowflake, one of its spines actually pierces clean through the side of the LEV, driving it out of the air. It lingers there on the edge of the spine for several seconds, and then is blasted straight off of it when the energy lances out.

The V2 crashes into the ground a scant few hundred feet from Ramiel and practically flattens. It doesn't bounce, and it hardly even rolls. It just hits the ground and stops cold, cratering the street underneath it slightly.

Inside the cockpit, Leo stares blankly up at Exia as it gets its Trans-Am on. Fury makes his blood boil, and dashes any sympathy or pity for Ramiel out of his immediate thoughts. He should have just told the Meister to screw off, the boy tells himself. All he did was get in the way.

Seething, Leo begins fumbling around his flight suit pocket, withdrawing a small, unmarked pill bottle. He practically rips the cap off, upends the bottle over his hand, and...

No pills come out.

With a wordless scream of rage and frustration, Leo slams his fists into his control panel so hard his hands start bleeding.

Beams of light lance into and through Hartzenan. She slumps once they fade away, collapsing to her knees, the single, remaining arm extended in support. Kazuki's senses are alive with pain, every nerve on fire as Hartzenan feeds him a taste of what she is going through. Darkness creeps in from the corners of his gaze, unconciousness attempting to claim him.

He shakes it off, gritting his teeth and firming his grip, drawing the core robot into a kneel and using the remaining arm to reach back and drag the bazooka slung over it's shoulder befor taking hold of the handle, a finger slipping over the trigger as he levels the weapon towards the angel and lets a shell fly.

COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Bazooka added to their queue.

Johnny's snakes work their dark magic on the Angel, unrelenting. There's a moment of exhiliration, a familiar thrill of the hunt as the pilot's aggression and the bio-unit's bloodthirst become synched. That is, until Ramiel retaliates.

The snakes, as unrelenting as they are, are the first things to be incinerated by the Angel's love of God. Despite the fact Johnny Domino has no equivalent to the snakes on his own body, he still feels the pain filtering down through the feedback system. There's only one thing he can do after that.

He screams.

Screams, even as God's love bathes him in a warm embrace -- too warm. The Chimera is thrown back, the beam of energy melting through the bio-unit's armor and leaving a large gaping hole in its midsection.

As Chimera comes crashing down, Johnny's scream ends abruptly, the boy gurgling as he feels his back nearly snapping.

"--ukgh, hkkhkurgh," the young man struggles to regain his senses, to shake off the shackles of pain. Blurry vision refocuses, and Domino finds himself lying on his back next to Unit-00. Beyond the hole left in its armor, Chimera's mish-mash of exposed muscles and organs is blistered and smoking.

"This... hurts more than the fucking Divine Wars," Johnny says to Rei, or perhaps to himself.

It will take a moment to reorient himself once more.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command.

<Radio: B - Tactical> Alia Winchester transmits, "Leo? Can you still hear us in there?"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Rei Ayanami, quietly: "...Leo..."

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck does not respond for several long seconds. Finally, he transmits, voice obviously very carefully restrained, "I'm alright."

<Radio: B - Tactical> Rei Ayanami, still quietly: "...acknowledged."

Buriki Daioh's psychokinetic attack works fairly well, smashing into the Angel at the same moment as Akira's allies, both temporary and not, strike out at it. Their combined attack works well, the transformation into a pained column giving them evidence enough of that.

The super robot continues to stand still, weathering the powerful counterattack like an immovable object. The beams from the crystalline flower turned snowflake wash over the frame of the ancient machine, the Babylonian iron superheating and burning away. It peels back the metal 'skin' of the robot, layered plating keeping the cockpit within it safe while the rest is slowly blasted back.

Akira, inside, is nonresponsive. He twitches and writhes from the intense pain, but his connection to the machine is unwavering. Something forces him up, his limbs moving on their own accord, jerking like they were on puppetstrings. His head hangs over his chest, and it slowly rises in his standing position, a vacant look on his face.

"You're not gonna... get away... with that," he rasps, his voice sounding markedly different. He sounds more mature and confident, somehow, and those who have heard him before might think there's someone else in there entirely (but in him, or the cockpit?). He raises his arm stiffly, and Buriki Daioh advances, charging forward with a blast of it's rocket pack to get into close quarters.

His battle cry, shouted as he punches with a glowing fist, is inexplicable and a little insane.

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Nobody Messes With The Taiyaki Man added to their queue.

Staren sees the shape starting to change, and the Star Hawk drops low just in time to not get impaled by the expanding snowflake. And then suddenly he realizes it's going to... "No!" He looks around, and the Star Hawk flies behind a now-abandoned building just in time to take shelter from more godlasers. The building is set on fire and collapses from the angel's attack, just as the Star Hawk, now humanoid, runs out from behind it, swords blazing. Thrusters flare as it boost-dashes along the ground... Time to do something about that drill! As he runs, he sees Buriki Daioh is moving again. "Ah, good to have you back, I was worried there for a moment, Akira! Are you alright?" But he doesn't wait for a reply before charging in a zig-zag at the drill and laying into it with those blades of beam and metal. Gunports open at the base of the armblades, firing shot to try and further destabilize the surface for cutting. "I wonder what you're after? We're not gonna let you have it!"

Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk transforms into its Star Hawk mode.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Hybrid Sword Rush added to their queue.

Johnny Domino was not the only one to suffer a major hit from the attack; with no hot-blooded nineteen year old pilot to distract her on, Asuka thought for sure she could withstand the attack. She thought wrong.

The heel of her Evangelion digs into the gravel of the street she stands in, lifting the concrete up further and further as the force of the attack pushes her further and further down the road. "Ah-ahh-ahhhhh!" A shrill shriek of pain pierces through the comm shared by the three Evangelion pilots; Rei and Shinji may have been spared the pain of this attack, but unfortunately, Unit-02 has not.

The pellet gun, which she had grappled Johnny so gallantly for only a few moments before slips out of Asuka's grip in the process; it lands atop a Florist Delivery Truck, crushing the vehicle completely.

It takes a moment for Asuka to reorient herself after the attack; pain wracks her body even once its source has diminished. But she won't lose! Not to Johnny, not to Shinji, not to Rei--not to anyone!

"Why won't you just die already?!"

With a flick of the her Eva's wrist, she ejects the polearm from her unit, then seizes it. From this distance, there's no way she's going to make it there before the Angel launches its next attack. But if she hurls this thing...

Asuka pulls her arm back, and then throws, the polearm hurtling towards Ramiel.

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Polearm added to their queue.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has struck a major hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Trans-Am Assault. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Tempest Divide. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with his Nobody Messes With The Taiyaki Man attack. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with his Hybrid Sword Rush attack. COMBAT: Kazuki Yotsuga has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Bazooka. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Scenery Destruction. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has struck a major critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Polearm.

Underground: "The Positron Cannon has reached full charge! Prepare to fire!"

Gendo Ikari, marching through the halls as the Tokyo-03 Geofront evacuates, pauses when he hears this... and waits.

Above, the Angel is in dire straits. Ramiel's spindly form, a succession of successions of geometric spirographs, begins to contract back in on itself. Unfortunately, the assault of the heroes will not let up, and Ramiel doesn't even get a chance to restore his mighty form into its full octahedral menace. The drill -- getting closer and closer to the Geofront with every passing second -- hs yet to fully stop, merely set back. But the accumulation of setbacks seems to be wearing on the Angel.

Its fluctuating form -- permutations of intricate subatomic structures rippling through the cold, dark air of Tokyo-03 -- keeps Ramiel safe from the attacks of Staren Wiremu's sword rush and Akira Tadokoro's insane rampage. In the same breath, though, Alia Winchester's destructive pagan energies strike true, causing the monster to fold and wither -- which leaves it easy prey for the explosive blast of Kazuki's bazooka and the unfettered Trans-Am Assault of Setsuna F. Seiei. The Angel's changes of form, previously measured and algebraically rigid, are now chaotic, variables shifting faster than it can calculate.

Shinji Ikari brings the house down on the Angel -- Ramiel is subjected to a flaming wreck surrounding it. This bonfire hurts it further, and the open flames of the wreckage reflect off of Ramiel's many angles, giving the Angel a distinctly Hellish tint. Through the flame and the rubble, Asuka Langley Sohryu's lance pierces the Angel, and for a brief, glorious moment, its throbbing, crying red soul is exposed, like a crimson egg at the center of its ever-changing mass.

In this moment, Rei Ayanami fires. The build-up of energy that the Positron Cannon has accumulated is incredible. The output is positively blinding. This is a beam unlike any other deployed thus far -- a bona fide super weapon, a force of beautiful and absolute destruction. The beam curves, its path calculated just so... racing toward Ramiel's terrible core...

The moment passes.

Rei Ayanami missed.

Almost instantaneously, Ramiel reconfigures, the new threat gaining the entirety of the Angel's attention. With terrifying speed and force, it ejects a beam just as broad as the Positron Cannon's, a lance of light that strikes the hilltop where the jury-rigged cannon rests -- and explodes the entire landscape. The hill, the cannon, the generators, the power storage... and Evangelion Unit-00 are all exploded into the sky. That is, what's not simply disintegrated outright. The cannon's destruction has an unforeseen side effect, though.

Positronic interference spills throughout the air, scrambling mobile suits' instrumentation, pushing sensors into the red zone and causing targeting systems to scramble and hiccup.

Some distance away, Unit-00's torso, shorn of all limbs, crashes into the Earth, rolling through a residential area and crushing houses in its wake.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has attacked Asuka Langley Sohryu, Staren Wiremu, Akira Tadokoro, Johnny Domino, Kazuki Yotsuga, Shinji Ikari, Setsuna F. Seiei, and Alia Winchester. Positron Interference added to their queue.

<Radio: B - Tactical> Shinji Ikari shouts, "Ayanami!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "What? What happened?! Rei?!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Rei Ayanami's signal is dead.

<Radio: B - Tactical> Alia Winchester is audibly awe-struck. "That was..."

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "What?! That was WHAT?!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Shinji Ikari grinding his teeth. "She'll...be okay. She's...been through worse." This may be a lie.

<Radio: A - Chat> Asuka Langley Sohryu transmits, "S-she's...?!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Alia Winchester transmits, "The blue machine on the hill was just taken out. Its body is intact, but there's no way it's fighting any more, not like that!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Misato Katsuragi coughs. "Unit-00's plug is... presum... /hopefully/ intact within. As long as it's fine, the pilot will be too. She knew her duty, though. Right now, focus on the enemy. Make sure it can never do that to anyone again."

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Wha- wha-?!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "You... you...!!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Misato Katsuragi's tone softens. "Leo, there's -- We'll do everything we can, okay? Rei's tough. Rei's real tough. Just... try not to worry."

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Worry?! I'm not gonna worry, I'm gonna, gonna..."

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "Just stay the hell out of my way!!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Alia Winchester transmits, "I know how you feel, but please stay where you are! That thing's tossing out firepower that'll vaporize you in an instant!"

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck Johnny Domino with a minor critical hit using Positron Interference!

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a minor hit on Asuka Langley Sohryu's Evangelion Unit-02 using Positron Interference.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a minor hit on Shinji Ikari's Evangelion Unit-01 using Positron Interference. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with his Progressive Knife counter attack.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a minor hit on Akira Tadokoro's Buriki-Daioh using Positron Interference.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Alia Winchester with her Positron Interference attack.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a solid hit on Kazuki Yotsuga's CR-01 Hartzenan using Positron Interference. Knock Out! Kazuki Yotsuga's CR-01 Hartzenan unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has missed Setsuna F. Seiei with her Positron Interference attack.

Alia stares as Rei fires; she had been genuinely unaware some kind of 'super sniper beam' was being prepared, and seeing that slice through the air well below her is surprising. She's worried that this is going to be met with equally fierce retaliation and continues to ascend, and she turns out to be right. The return beam goes out, hits, and Zefholm continues to climb, eager to be clear of any explosion or other unusual effects. But while it emerges unscathed, Alia is stunned by the display of firepower; just like yesterday, a high-performance machine was taken out of action in an instant. "This can't go on any longer, we'll all drop at this rate!" Alia sends Zefholm into a divebomb run, trying to strafe over Ramiel's position as she conjures up sparkling, tiny 'Caloric Missiles'; essentially balls of light-blue magical particles, each the size of a mobile suit's hand. These are formed one after another, fired down at Ramiel in a classic swooping 'strafing run', and afterward Zefholm pulls up to try to fly away from the immediate area.

COMBAT: Alia Winchester has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Caloric Barrage added to their queue.

It takes precious seconds for Johnny Domino to regain his footing in reality. Chimera pushes itself up to a sitting position, chest aching. Then...

Light. Beautiful light. Johnny Domino, sitting on the same hill as Unit-00, squints against the sudden outburst of energy as the Positron Rifle discharges. Holy... crap. Wow. Always piloting Chimera, Johnny never gets to see how some of its flashier attacks look from the outside. But the Positron Rifle comes pretty damn close.

And then it's over. Did they win? Is that it?

Johnny doesn't remember what happens next. There's light again. Pain. A thousand sensations, Chimera being tossed through the air -- and then Domino screams again. A different scream than before. This isn't a scream of a man afflicted with feedback overload. This is the scream of a man who has lost control.

The Chimera comes crashing back down to earth, broken and smoldering. The Positronic fallout - Chimera was so close to the source of the explosion - the fallout - Chimera can't think straight, can't handle its own consciousness - the fallout - Johnny Domino loses himself in the beast - the fallout - Chimera's eyes turn bloody red.

Hoisting itself up to its knees, the behemoth roars, its cracked armor shattering completely in numerous places as tentacles shoot out of its flesh. Many tentacles, thick, flexible. Their reach is incredible, even more than the snakes. And in its frenzied state, Chimera, or perhaps its alternate form, Manticore, or perhaps even Johnny Domino, can't separate friend from foe.

The tentacles shoot out.

Johnny Domino's Chimera transforms into its Manticore mode.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Akira Tadokoro. Kraken Constriction added to their queue. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Setsuna F. Seiei. Kraken Constriction added to their queue. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has attacked Asuka Langley Sohryu. Kraken Constriction added to their queue.

COMBAT: Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami has struck a solid hit on Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk using Positron Interference. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has counter attacked for a minor hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Railgun.

COMBAT: Johnny Domino has hit Akira Tadokoro with a glancing hit with his Kraken Constriction attack. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has missed Setsuna F. Seiei with his Kraken Constriction attack. COMBAT: Johnny Domino has struck Asuka Langley Sohryu with a devastating hit using Kraken Constriction.

Kazuki struggles to recover from his launched volley, trying to line up annother shot just as soon as the smoe from the first clears. He will not watch quietly while others shoulder the burden of defense. He does not have this opertunity, a beam of light leaps from the hills and does little more then sail off into the horizon befor it is answered by a equal measure from the fluctuating creature. The devastation is terrible, the backlash from the destruction of machinery, and the shockwave from the explosion washing over Hartzenan. Inside the cockpit, static fills the view screens, readouts freeze and go wild, the Hartzenan is sent crashing into the surrounding rubble where it finaly becomes quirte still.

<Radio: B - Tactical> Johnny Domino's signal crackles, static exploding amidst a long scream. Or perhaps a roar. Whatever the case, something is dreadfully wrong here.

<Radio: B - Tactical> Shinji Ikari gives Misato a 'That is totally not me.' look.

And so, spinning like a top only proves to be so great a decision for Setsuna F. Seiei. The Angel isn't down for the count, and that means that, in addition to being incredibly dizzy, that he's also now a failure.

Lifting his head and pushing the sick bag into the rear of the cockpit, the Gundam Meister settles his beady-eyed glare onto the pulsating unit. The special structure that is the Celestial Being Gundam means it is not so easily tampered with; its spew of blue-green particles ensures that it is no Angel's bitch.

"They missed?!" he demands of no one in particular, shaking his head as he sees double. Four Unit-00's exploding into so much debris.

"Such a beast, such sheer distortion it represents...

"I'll CARVE IT CLEAN OUT!"

With a wordless roar, heedless of an attempt to penetrate the Gundam by one insane Manticore, the unleashed beast known as Gundam Exia surges forward one last time. It flashes pink one final time, expending what little is left of its charged particles as it disappears completely, moving at an incredibly fast pace, neatly evading the rapidly shifting form of the Angel.

Reappearing above the beast, Exia falls. It's goal is simple. Make the Angel become two Angel's, thanks to the Solid Sword.

COMBAT: Setsuna F. Seiei has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Trans-Am Ambush added to their queue.

"Ayanami!" Shinji shouts, and his first, second, and fourth instinct is to charge towards Unit-00 and rip the landscape apart until he's sure Ayanami's alright. She has to be. It's...important, okay?! But...

The Angel's still alive. He sounds like Misato. Or his old man. God damn it. Shinji's eyes widen as he catches the Kraken ripping into Unit-02 and his blood catches fire, his body shakes in the restraints, it wants out so desperately, it's been so long, wouldn't it be righteous...

"No!" Shinji snaps, holding his head in his hands as his ATField snaps to life. "Shut! Up!" Shinji forces his mind to picture moving forward and, after a moment's struggle, Unit-01 complies, more eager for battle than for control. Leaping up and around the lashing tentacles, laser blasts, screaming positronic waves, and ignoring his jammed targeting systems, Shinji shoves his way up close and personal with to the Angel. For a second, Shinji imagines he can meet his enemy's eyes...well, if it has eyes. Squaring his shoulders, Unit-01 squats down, wraps its arms around the slowed drill, and SHOVES.

That's right, Shinji's trying to SHOVE the drill back up into the Angel, pushing it at a subtle right angle that should, if Shinji's hunch is right, shove the drill /through/ the armored shell of the Angel, if not pierce the thing's blood red core itself. At the very least, it'll give the Geofront some more time to evacuate, Ikari thinks, as he resigns himself to death. He can't think of anything approprate to say, though Shinji has the bizarre impulse to apologize to Asuka for his stupid, petty joke. Instead, he goes, "Aaaaaaaaah!" because having your hands ripped apart by a power drill hurts.

COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Test Weapon added to their queue.

Staren's machine dashes up towards Ramiel, raising its swords to strike, and then--

GAMMA RAY BURST DETECTED

"Wha--" Is all Staren gets to say before the strange interference from the angel hits the Star Hawk, knocking it right back onto its ass. Even as he falls, Staren manages to get off a snapshot with the railgun. "The heck was that?" He shakes his head to clear it, but the static on the Star Hawk's sensors won't go away. "Urgh... Have to... finish this!" The Star Hawk stands up, and leaps into the air. Legs fold backwards and wings unfold as it takes to the air once more. The core... He almost got it before... This time... He'll have to reach it! "Come on... Whatever you are, you stop here! HyyyyyyyAAAAAAAH!" He pours all the thrust the Star Hawk's engines and booster packs can produce into a series of piercing stabs with the hybrid swords!

Staren Wiremu's Star Hawk transforms into its Star Hawk Hybrid mode.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Final Blitz added to their queue.

<Radio: E - Global> Staren Wiremu ver static, "..eck was... at.... some kind of ....matter weapo..."

Asuka's arm moves reflexively to guard her eyes from the light; when it finally recedes, she looks up to discover that everything--the canon, unit-00, and the very hill they were all stationed on are gone. There's no sign of Rei, or her unit anywhere to be seen.

Not that Asuka cares about that little wind-up doll anyway!

Then, as if remembering something she had forgotten, Asuka's head spins around to check the status of the Angel only to discover that the creature is still standing; Rei must have missed.

"It's--It's still standing?!"

Asuka does not have long to gaze upon the Angel as suddenly, viciously, something wraps around the leg of her unit; she glances down just long enough to see the tentacle pull her down under and off her feet.

"Ahhhhh!" The shrill shriek of Asuka's scream permeates the comm system as the Chimera drags Unit-02 closer and closer towards itself, presumably to finish her off.

"what are you doing? Why are you attacking /me/?!" Asuka ejects the progressive knife from the left pylon of her shoulder armor; a large red hand reaches back and grabs it just as the tentacle draws to a halt.

Asuka directs her gaze skyward; she's directly under the Chimera. She's going to have to act fast, or this thing really will finish her!

Asuka lunges her progressive knife into the Chimera's leg.

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has attacked Johnny Domino. Progressive Knife added to their queue.

Rei blows the F up, and what follows is a frantic series of radio messages as Leo desperately attempts to figure out what the hell just happened. Gradually, the situation becomes clear. Rei is hurt - or possibly dead - thanks to the efforts of this giant alien... thing. Leo stares blankly up at the Angel's terrible form, his already considerable fury slowly building.

Suddenly, the Angel doesn't seem so sympathetic a creature.

Leo reaches out and grabs ahold of the Vic Viper's flight sticks, gripping them with such ferocity that it shoots lances of pain into his already damaged hands. "Get up," he demands, through clenched teeth.

The Vic Viper, being a robot that was just shot right the hell down, does not comply.

"Get up!" Leo repeats, more of a snarl than an actual sentence.

The Vic Viper remains immobile. Because, you know, robot.

"GET UP!!" Leo screams, slamming forward on the V2's control sticks so hard their casings crack a little bit.

Without preamble, the Vic Viper suddenly shoots upright, the front of the crashed craft's body unhinging into legs. It plants them into the ground and wobbles upright half-transformed, moving in sharp, jerky motions, like a poorly controlled mannequin. Slowly, one at a time, its component pieces unfold and transform, very gradually and deliberately turning the Vic Viper from a ship into a mobile suit again.

The last thing to change is the shielding that covers the Viper's head in Flight Mode. When it finally slides down into the chest, the Viper's featureless black face, the glass covered in spiderweb cracks, has become not quite so featureless. Two burning points of yellow light linger behind the glass, precisely where eyes would be, so bright that they're visible even through the all but opaque surface.

Inside the cockpit, rapidfire pulses of yellow energy refract up Leo's arm, tracing along the veins. They come in time with his heartbeat, fast and only getting faster. "You," he snarls up at Ramiel, "YOU..."

The Vic Viper jerkily draws back its right hand like it's about to throw a punch, a brilliant point of yellow light coalescing out of the air around the limb in a large spiral. Leo further adds: "UAAAAAAAAA!!"

The Vic Viper slams its arm forwards, and another Gravity Bullet erupts from the Vic Viper's fist, screaming up towards Ramiel's core. Without so much as a heartbeat of delay, the LEV follows the motion up with an identical motion from its left hand, which produces a second Gravity Bullet, hot on the heels of the first.

And another right, and another left, and another right... Screaming the entire time, Leo unleashes a nonstop stream of firepower upon Ramiel. Each blast strikes at the Angel with the force of a freight train, threatening to cave in its alien flesh as the assault traces a beeline, deeper and deeper, straight for the thing's core.

COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has activated a spirit command. Leo Stenbuck's Vic Viper transforms into its Vic Viper mode. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Gravity Bullet Storm added to their queue.

The Positron Cannon misses. Japan's blackout was for nothing.

If Akira were in his right mind, he'd shout about NERV's ineffectiveness, among other things. He would be mocking them for their failure and cursing them for not destroying that thing. Quite oddly, he's not doing any of that. He's just charging, swinging, charging, swinging, charging, swinging.

The interference from the positron blast fries what little modern equipment Buriki Daioh possessed, and the blinding light makes the puppetlike pilot cringe again. It will not be easy to hit something the size of a barn like this, but that won't stop him from trying.

Buriki Daioh crouches--and the Chimera loses it's mind. The tentacle strikes the side of the Great Tin King, a brief flash of gold meeting it as some sort of barrier springs to life. An AT Field?! It looks different, though, and the telekinetic force pushes back against the tentacle, forcing it away before it can cause any further damage or slow it down more.

The robot jumps into the air, leaping hundreds of feet up and hanging there for a second. It drops from the sky again, one foot extended, rocketing down at insane speeds towards the top of the Angel, to punch through it and crush the core. A flickering aura of golden light surrounds it's leg, the telekinetic boost causing it to accellerate even further.

"So THIS is how he does it! Hahahaha!" Akira-that-is-not-Akira laughs with manic glee before shouting, "BABYLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!"

It will really suck for the ground if he misses or goes all the way through.

COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has activated a spirit command. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has attacked Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami. Babylon Kick added to their queue.

COMBAT: Staren Wiremu has struck a solid critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Final Blitz. COMBAT: Alia Winchester has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with her Caloric Barrage attack. COMBAT: Akira Tadokoro has missed Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami with his Babylon Kick attack. COMBAT: Shinji Ikari has struck a solid hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Test Weapon. COMBAT: Leo Stenbuck has struck a major critical hit on Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel using Gravity Bullet Storm. Knock Out! Rei 'Ramiel' Ayanami's Ramiel unit has become disabled!

COMBAT: Asuka Langley Sohryu has struck Johnny Domino with a major hit using Progressive Knife! Knock Out! Johnny Domino's Manticore unit has become disabled! COMBAT: Johnny Domino counter attacks Asuka Langley Sohryu with a minor critical hit using Finish Her. Knock Out! Asuka Langley Sohryu's Evangelion Unit-02 unit has become disabled!

The final volley begins. Flame and dust rise from the ruins of Tokyo-03 -- a city that, granted, has a simply astonishing rate of being destroyed and rebuilt, but now seems particularly leveled. The unpredictable math of Ramiel's configuration and reconfiguration -- more influenced now by advanced chaos theory than the comforting calculus of prayer -- rips through the choked air, avoiding Akira's powerful kick and Alia's magic missiles more or less by sheer luck.

There, though, Ramiel's luck ends.

First, Staren Wiremu strikes. The cyborg boy genius' hybrid swords lash out, cutting deep slices into Ramiel's uncontrollable form like a machete hacking through overgrown jungle brush. As Ramiel tries to contend with this threat, Shinji Ikari attacks at the most base level -- the Third Child sacrifices his unit's hands, his Eva's brute strength causing Ramiel's drill to bend and tilt the massive entity. Stuck like a bent pin, miles upon miles deep into the Earth, Ramiel is nearly helpless.

And then Leo Stenbuck makes his final charge. The gravity bullets break through the prone monster's hull, no matter how quickly it changes shape. It struggles, beams beginning to brew at its tips -- and then the storm of gravity bullets overcomes it. The last of Leo's bullets punches straight through, and into the Angel's heart.

The cry Ramiel emits is ungodly. It sustains for seconds, but feels like minutes, hours -- the sound is so high-pitched that it can barely even be heard so much as felt. The sky seems to tint red from its cry, and from the glow that pulses from within the beast. Its fractal structure begins to fracture, exploding outward in bursts of extraterrestriel shrapnel.

Finally, Ramiel's soul detonates. When the blast is over, Tokyo-03 stands -- a sea of rubble, blue glass, and angel's blood.

Below, Misato Katsuragi takes off her beret and exhales so deeply that one might think that she'd been holding her breath all night.

Gendo Ikari, standing next to her, simply offers a quiet, enigmatic smile, and two soft claps of his hands.

<Radio: A - Chat> Gendo Ikari speaks softly: "Well done, Leo Stenbuck. Most... impressive. Shinji... you could learn from this young man."

<Radio: A - Chat> Shinji Ikari panting. "Dad, can I be honest?"

<Radio: A - Chat> Gendo Ikari doesn't reply. Either he's listening, or he's not.

<Radio: A - Chat> Shinji Ikari transmits, "Right now...I really don't give a damn."

As the tentacles flail around with wild abandon, only a single target is snared in their grasp. But that's enough for Manticore, and it drags Unit-02 ever closer to the depths of hell.

There's a glint of the Evangelion's Progressive Knife -- further tentacles move to intercept -- there's a struggle!..

With a snarl, Manticore descends, throwing itself onto Asuka's robot. Fully intending to finish off its prey, sharp fangs sink into the Eva's throat, spilling blood as red as Unit-02's own armor. However, that's where Manticore stops.

Its glowing eyes, glowing with a fiery hunger, dim. The growl in its chest rumbles and dies down. In throwing itself onto its prize, Manticore has ended up with the Progressive Knife lodged in its own throat.

Connection between pilot and behemoth are instantly severed. All that remains when the Angel blood finally settles down are two bio-units, locked in a deadly embrace.

Alia makes an annoyed hiss at her failure, pulling up and preparing for another attack run... when Leo flips out, when Johnny and Asuka start tearing into one another, and things just get more violent from there. Ramiel's explosion is particularly distracting, and for several seconds all Zefholm does is hover there, bereft of any emotional/thought input from its chosen pilot; Alia is stunned. "I've... never seen anything like that in my life." This leaves only the side battle going on now, the one involving much friendly fire. She's not sure whether to intervene or not, knowing Akira is willing to attack her, Asuka has a casual disregard for responsibility with weapons, the Manticore is an unknown factor... ...And the city appears to be evacuated, she has seen no sign of civilian life here at all. A quick spirit-radar scan bears this out, and Alia decides that it'd be best to leave this in-fighting alone. She gives one last, reserved look to the Buriki Daioh... and then has Zefholm turn and begin to fly away at high speed.

Shinji Ikari lies to his father, as he stares at his hands...his real hands, skin ripped off and raw with pain.

Taking a deep breath, Shinji forces his mind to empty. Checking a few codec buttons, Unit-01 stomps forward, bloody but unbowed. The Machine squats down, and for a moment, it seems to make eye contact with Leo Stenbuck himself.

And then those mangled hands reach down, and gently pick the Vic Viper up. "Nice shot." Shinji transmits, seeming somehow at peace with his father liking Leo more than him. Or at least faking it well. "I ment what I said about Ayanami. She's one of the toughest people I know."

Unsatisfied by its pilot being such a freaking hippy, Unit-01 takes a moment to give Diaoh the stink eye, just incase Crazy Akira gets any funny ideas.

Buriki Daioh crashes through the pavement and partway into the hole that the Angel made, the ground around it weakened to the point that it just gives way, cracks and breaks.

This ends with the ancient Babylonian machine being in the embarassing position of being stuck up to it's hip in the ground with one leg, crouched and partially embedded there with the other, and being covered in Angel blood and peppered with blue glass. None got in the cockpit, fortunately.

Akira's glazed look and puppetlike stance abruptly stop, and he drops to the ground on his hands and knees. He takes a deep breath and blinks a few times, staggering back to his feet and looking around.

"ALRIGHT, LETS DO IIIiiiiiii...." He sees blood, destruction, and the stinkiest stink eye that ever was stank'd. "...did I miss somethin'?"

When the dust clears, the Vic Viper has been replaced with what appears to be a spherical bubble of Angel blood. After a few seconds, the bubble suddenly collapses, far more blood and shards of glass than the bubble could have possibly contained rushing out over the ground. And, indeed, there stands the Vic Viper, only barely splattered with blood, its hands held out to either side, palms open.

Inside the cockpit, Leo Stenbuck decides he'd very much like to fall apart. Unfortunately, he has more pressing matters. The V2 turns sharply and takes one clumsy, uncertain step, like a newborn animal who's still figuring out how this 'walking' thing goes.

And then it's face to face with Unit-01, and it freezes like a deer in headlights, staying perfectly still. That breaks when the Eva reaches down to pick it up, and the LEV practically bristles, its wings flaring slightly. Shinji Ikari reaches out the hand of broliness to Leo Stenbuck, although the two have never 'gotten along', per se. It is a noble gesture.

The best that can be said of the response is that it is not outright hostile. "Let go of me," Leo says. Although there's the weight of a demand somewhere in there, it's overshadowed by Leo's cautious, almost frightened tone. It's almost like if he were speaking to someone who he feared the wrong word might send into a berserk, cannibalistic rage, and who was already clutching Leo's delicate, vulnerable body in his enormous monster hands.

"I have to go help her," Leo adds after a beat, as if stating this already obvious information might somehow add weight to his demand.

For its part, Unit-00's torso is no longer quite so much on fire. It has rolled and rolled through the residential area where it landed, and smashed a good many houses, adding to Tokyo-03's fabulously low property tax.

The plug, meanwhile, has ejected, and sticks precariously out of the front of an elementary school, wobbling gracelessly as it threatens to fall.

"I didn't think you could walk." Shinji offers, letting the LEV down. There is a faint impulse from the back of Shinji's mind but he fights it off with practiced ease. Leo Stenbuck is a lot of things, including things that rhyme with his last name, but he is not Shinji's enemy, and that makes it easier to resist the occasional urge to rip his jugular vein out of his throat.

Shinji backs off, turning around and sighing a little to himself, because Ayanami really seems to love the asshole. Or tolerate him. Shaking his head, Shinji forces Unit-01 forward, only muttering, "You missed throwing a building at my head." towards Akira before making his way to Johnny and Asuka's lover's suicide pact.

Unit-01 pokes the Manticore with its toe, while radioing to Asuka. "You alright? Need help getting up?"

Manticore does not move. Its various tentacles lie limp on the ground, spread out in a hypnotic pattern of, well, tentacles.

They twitch every once in a while.

Hartzenan remains where she fell, slumped into the side of a building, battered and still. Given time EDF forces will cometo collect her and the secret she holds inside.

The Star Hawk surveys the battlefield. It looks like the EFA has stopped fighting eachother for now. The Star Hawk lands for a moment. One of its hands reaches down, the palm opening as a bunch of little sample-taking manipulator arms come out. Glass from the angelic d8 and... bloodlike fluid. Maybe analysis will tell him what the heck that was. Once he's retrieved some, he flies over to Buriki Daioh. "We can talk later, let's get out of here before the EFA remembers we're 'terrorists'." But then he sees a fallen orb machine. "Is that...? Damn." The hybrid-mode mecha flies over to Hartzenan. "Hey!" It shakes the Hartzenan's shoulder. "You alright in there, Kazuki?"

Without another word, the Vic Viper turns and takes a few more clumsy, stumbling steps in the general direction of Unit-00's remains. Eventually, it seems to get the hint, and hops into the air, its thrusters activating with a loud roar.

It doesn't fly so much as jump good, soaring across the city to land heavily next to where Rei's entry plug is sticking out of the school.

With still awkward - and oddly fluid and humanlike - motions, the Vic Viper half-drags itself the last few dozen feet across the ground and gingerly withdraws the entry plug from its precarious position, setting it down in the parking lot of the school. A moment later, the V2's cockpit hatch levers open with a hydraulic hiss, and Leo all but throws himself down to the ground, landing in a clumsy kneel and staggering towards the plug.

He's only a few steps away when he realizes he has no idea even what the hell.

<Radio: B - Tactical> Leo Stenbuck transmits, "How does it... how do I get her out?!"

<Radio: B - Tactical> Shinji Ikari transmits, "There's a hatch on the plug. It'll be hot. If you can't do it, I can get over there in a minute, my hands are already hurt."

Asuka is furious; from inside her unit, she watched the entire thing unfold--as both Leo and Shinji rushed to Rei's aid, while she lay, helplessly incapacitated.

It was always about Rei, wasn't it? What was so special about Rei? Why didn't anyone ever come rushing to /her/ rescue? Why didn't anyone ever do anything for /her/? Why did Rei lose her virginity before /she/ did?!

"So, /now/ you're here! Now that your /beloved/ Rei has been rescued by her /prince charming/, you come crawling to me? I DON'T NEED TO BE RESCUED, ESPECIALLY NOT BY A PERVERT LIKE YOU!"

The plug is set down as gingerly as a giant metal tube can be set down onto uneven, cracked asphalt. It klangs on impact, and is kept by the roughened terrain from rolling any. The plug's portal is evident to any who look, the hatch culminating in a handle. It is, indeed, hot as shit. The heat advances from the plug like a wave, like walking out of air conditioning and into Cairo.

"Oh," Akira remarks at the muttered comment. "Good. I think." It'll be up to someone else to determine if it's good he threw it or good he missed. Shinji will probably take the most negative part of it he can, of course.

Buriki Daioh slowly extracts itself from the hole until it's on solid ground. Staren gives advice in the meantime. "Good idea. I'm gonna jet; they'll recover that thing themselves, she's all official and stuff." He must've heard Staren wrong, that's all. Kazuki is just some goofball he met at that party, not a pilot of anything. Especially not one of those.

The bigass iron robot starts to fly upwards, watching as the Zefholm zooms off into the distance--good riddance--and veers to the left momentarily. Akira briefly considers kicking Unit-02 over but, in the end, decides against it, just continuing into the air and starting to move /away/ from the city and the group of people he should probably be trying to destroy.

Akira is just way too tired and way too sore to deal with this crap right now.

CR-01 is shaken, wobbling limply. Kazuki, as expected, is shaken as well, conviniently coming to just in time to hear his name called out from the exterior. He manages ssome questioning grunt befor the full weight of it drops on him. Staren said Kazuki, not Kazuko. Jig's up, homeslice. "D'damnit! Did it come open?" cursed Kazuki, his voice modulator damaged and deativated. It was a mixture of dread and releif that coiled in his gut as the consequences played out in his head. Yeah, atleast now he wouldn't have to hear himself as a girl while out and in a fight.

Staren has switched to tight beam. "Huh? Come open?" He has no idea what Kazuki's talking about. "The angel pretty much _blew up_, actually."

"So you can't get up then." Shinji is too tired and in too much pain to wince like he should; it is terrifing, seeing Asuka snapping, and always confusing because the woman wants to go left and right at the same time. But, hell, he can't just /leave/ her there. That'd be something Akira Tadokoro would do.

Squatting down, Unit-01 situates itself a little carefully, sticks its hands under the ruin of Unit-02, and lifts the thing up-yes, bridal style, since Asuka can't walk at all-only struggling a little before finding its balance. "Could you not yell so much?" Shinji asks, a little weakly, already knowing the answer. "I've got to go back for Domino and that's going to be a pain..."

With a little guidance from Shinji, and a little time to actually examine what he's seeing, Leo works out how he's supposed to get the entry plug open. He pushes through the oppressive heat, reaches out, grabs ahold of the handle, and-

"FUCK!" Leo screams, recoiling from the handle. His palms are already seared red from a split second of contact, and for a few beats Leo just stares at the hatch, hands trembling with pain.

Then he squares his shoulders and reaches up, fumbling out of his flight jacket as best he can, ignorant of the sharp pains it elicits in his bleeding - and now burned - hands. Within a few seconds, he has his jacket wrapped around his hands, and he goes for the handle again.

His impromptu heat shield doesn't do a lot to stop the heat, but it's enough, and Leo throws all of his strength into opening the plug, accompanying his efforts with a wordless roar of effort and pain.

Staren Wiremu blinks at the voice change. "Wait, you're a guy again? So the transformation device is in there... or it's temporary..." The Wiremu family has this pet theory about Kazuki/Kazuko. They're right that kazuki is Kazuko, they're rather wrong about how.

Manticore rolls lifelessly off of Unit-02 as Shinji proceeds to pick up the bitch. In all this time, Johnny has said nothing over the radio. His state of being is a mystery.

But who are we kidding, he's probably fine.

Stupid invincible Johnny Domino.

Inside the plug: Rei Ayanami is sprawled over her Evangelion's control deck. The LCL of the plug pours out, washing over Leo and spilling in a massive pool around the boy veteran's ankles. Once it is gone, the plug feels... empty, hollow. Dark. Rei's form doesn't move. She's clearly wounded -- plugsuit torn and stained with blood, and the tangy musk of LCL covers the stench of burnt flesh. After a moment, though, Rei Ayanami sputters and looks up, weakly. One eye refuses to open. "L-Leo," she rasps, her voice weak, lips cracked. And then Rei tumbles forward, losing consciousness completely, but still breathing. Still alive.

"It blew up.. huh?" he uttered slumping into his seat. So they won, he was taken down but they still won, "Thank goodness.." Then there's something that confuses even Kazuki, "B'back..?" he replies, pulling off his helmet so that he could get a breath without smelling his own. "I never beca- transformation?!" things whirled and settledx into a odd jumble in his head, "I.. I don't think I should be talking anymore.." he said in some form of surrender. This situation could only spiral downwards.

"Let go of me! Put me down right now!" An onslaught of complaints and shouts fills up Shinji's comm radio; unable to put physical force behind verbal threats, Asuka is stuck being lifted up and carried by Eva-01 against her will, feeling helpless, wounded, and even worse--second to that wind-up doll, Rei.

"It's not fair...!" she says, pounding her fists against the piloting controls before her; as to what's not fair, Asuka never actually says.

Leo just gapes for a moment when the hatch opens, struck simultaneously with relief and horror. He just barely shakes himself back into action, practically leaping up into the entry plug and gingerly collecting Rei in his arms before she just falls out of the plug and cracks her head open on the ground.

Getting down is a more difficult prospect, but he manages it none the less; Rei isn't exactly heavy. Once back on the earth, he carries Rei carefully a good twenty feet from the entry plug before sagging to the ground.

Leo manages to stay just calm enough to indicate to a team of military EMTs on the way their location, and Rei's condition. And then he totally loses his shit, gingerly clutching Rei's head to his chest and sobbing uncontrollably until help arrives.

Staren is getting a bit confused too. Maybe his theory is wrong? "You... I thought... Your dad turned you into a girl so you could pilot core robo." He hesitates as he realizes that might sound rather silly to most people. "...That's 'Kazuko'. You're Kazuki, 'Kazuko ' was in there a moment ago..." He thinks. "Are you both... Are there two people in there? But if they're not the same person why would Kazuki be in core robo...?" Staren thinks aloud.

Kazuki Yotsuga is holding fast to his vow of silence. Let Staren formulate his wild ideas, let them brew. With luck they will become too outlandish to be believed, like that Kazuki is actualy from a alternate dimension and that- Wait... damnit!