Chapter Four: Piloting Omega
-Two Weeks Later-
Test Unit Omega slowly walked up the hill, coming to a stop at the peak as it scanned the surface of the GeoFront. Detecting several targets waiting to attack in the valley below, the Evangelion unholstered its' primary weapon. Quickly examining the ballistic rifle, Omega pulled the charging handle on the side of the weapon, sliding the first round into place.
Beneath the layers of armor and processors was a tiny command pod. Inside, Roman sat up, stretching, casually as he yawned. It was his first combat mission. He had learned and memorised the controls of the Eva, acing the basic movement tests and simulations. "It's Showtime." He grinned, grabbing the controls again. Pushing forward, he moved the Evangelion into a sprint down the hill to the targets that awaited. His objective was to annihilate all twelve VTOLs, all twenty-two APCs and finally, another Evangelion Unit. It was a modified Mass-Produced Unit, being piloted remotely. The hostile Evangelion was equipped with a rifle of its' own, along with a large curved blade holstered on its' back.
Aiming the rifle, he fired a quick burst at an approaching VTOL, the gigantic sabot rounds tearing through the hull of the vehicle, causing it to burst into flames. Whirling out of the way of the next VTOLs' gunfire, he spun behind a nearby rock face, using it as cover. When the barrage stopped, he slipped out and dropped the hostile aircraft. And the one after. And the one after that. Roman laughed triumphantly, he was almost unstoppable.
The rifle clicked as it ran out of ammo. Ejecting the magazine, Omega slammed in a fresh one and finished off the APC he had damaged. An explosion from behind knocked the Eva forwards, throwing its' balance. Before he fell, Roman dug his feet in, stopping himself –or the robot- from falling. Grabbing a nearby tree in a massive fist, he ripped the trunk out of the ground, uprooting the ancient oak. Spinning in a blinding flash, the speed of his arm blurred as he hurled the tree, which slammed into one of the VTOLs, knocking the aircraft out of the sky.
Jumping at the next VTOL, Roman discarded his rifle, snatching the gunship out of the air. Wrapping giant fingers around it, he could hear the metal groan and screech in protest before the tiny aircraft gave way, erupting into a fireball as he crushed it. Tossing the burning wreckage aside, Roman raised his fists as he prepared to take on the remaining aircraft.
In a matter of moments, Test Unit Omega stood before several heaps of smouldering metal once resembling vehicles. Looking across the open valley, he set his sights on the other Evangelion, which grinned menacingly as it approached. It was an odd, slightly unsettling form with its' blank, dome-shaped elongated skull and wide grin. Grabbing the blade hilts beneath the shoulder pauldrons on Omega, Roman unsheathed a pair of short combat knives, ready to lunge at the advancing mech.
However, before he could, the command pod of the Evangelion was plunged into blackness as the viewscreens and controls suddenly shut down.
"What the-?" Roman spat as he sat up, startled by the abrupt change of environment. There was a hiss as the access hatch opened behind him. Looking up, Roman could see Dr Akagi looking down at him.
"Is this part of the simulation?" he asked irritably. "I was this close!"
Akagi shook her head. "Not quite, Roman. We have another candidate for the program we would like you to meet." She said, stepping aside to let him climb out of the command pod. Following the scientist, Roman exited the simulation chamber, entering another room nearby where General Reyes and another person stood waiting. She was about his age, with long dark hair and blue eyes, wearing a similar bulky flight suit to him. "Roman Petrov; this is Yuka Takashi, pilot of Test Unit Theta." Reyes introduced her, taking a step back.
"Hey." Roman greeted her awkwardly.
"Hey yourself." She replied, smiling.
"Seeing as you've both passed basics," Akagi interrupted, "I think it's time to put you both in the combat simulation together."
-Ten Minutes Later-
Roman had gone through the preparation stage again, slouching comfortably in his chair as the viewscreens around him came online. Unit Omega was powering up in the simulation as he gradually took control. The simulated valley of the GeoFront materialised around him as he cracked his knuckles and looked around. Test Unit Theta appeared in front of him, piloted by Yuka. The Evangelion bore strong resemblance to his own, but fitted with a more humanoid shaped head, adorned with armor protecting the mouth and chin, with a pair of bright green eyes.
"Alright, what are we up against?" Roman asked into the comms, scanning for any potential threat.
"Two simulation evas, armed with the same loadout as us." Yuka replied after a brief pause as Roman set his sights on the approaching targets. "Should be a walk in the park if you can keep up."
Without warning, Theta rocketed forward towards the two simulation evas, unsheathing a large sword. As they began to fight, Omega jumped in, with Roman levelling his rifle at the nearest of the two enemies. He fired a short burst and the monster snarled at him, taking the brunt of the barrage before quickly closing the distance and reaching out to push the rifle aside. Reacting, Roman tossed the gun aside and landed a punch on its' face. The eva barely flinched, slowly turning its' head back to face Omega; the eyeless face grinning evilly. Omega caught a blow dead in the chest and was knocked off balance, collapsing backward, flattening several trees. Looking up, Roman saw the eva looming over him ready to deal a finishing blow. Rolling out of the way, he dodged the attack and kicked the machine in the leg as he got to his feet. Unsheathing a blade from under his right pauldron, he rammed the small knife into the underside of the simulation Evangelions' elongated jaw. Blood spurted as the creature stumbled backwards, its' mouth pinned shut by the blade. Evangelions weren't technically robots, but rather bio-mechanical organisms with blood, bones and organs.
He didn't care where Yuka was or the eva she was fighting. That is why he never expected the second simulation unit to stick a blade into Omega's back. Roaring in pain, he reeled around and caught a blow to the face, sending Omega tumbling over a second time. Seemingly from nowhere, Yuka tackled the eva, knocking it over beside Omega before emptying a magazine of a rifle into it. "You're…" she panted over the comms "You're bloody useless!" At that moment, the other eva with the knife in its' jaw struck Theta over the head, sending Yuka over to the floor.
Again, the viewscreens began to fade as the simulated world dissolved and the program powered down. Roman sat in the darkness for a moment, contemplating his defeat. Eventually the hatch opened above him. Looking up, it was Admiral Akiyama and she wasn't pleased. "Do either of you understand the concept of teamwork?" she asked irritably.