Disclaimer: I am but a lowly fanfic writer who owns none of the things I talk about. Do not sue.

Proofreader credit goes yet again to Cyber-Undead. He does awesome work, and my gratitude for such shall never run low. Yet again, thank you.

The next part was added during proofreading. I liked it

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Cyber-Undead appears out of thin air

If I may… Though I recognize my merit in recognizing some phrase-build flaws and sentenced errors, let us pay credit to its due: to Guppy Lips, for writing this masterpiece. For my endless tenacity and divine wisdom, for checking all the errors. And for MS Word XP, for doing around 50 of the proofread for me. '' And now, if you'll all excuse me, the time has come to fade away…

Cyber-Undead disappears for under a small un-noticeable rock

-

Chapter 07

"What's Rei's status?" Misato yelled at Maya.

"Her bio-signs are unbalanced! She's going into sympathetic shock!"

"Give her a heart massage with the plug suit." Naoko ordered. Rei's body convulsed as something in the plug suit contracted with enough force to rock her whole frame.

"How's Rei?" Shinji screamed over the comm. link with Misato. She didn't answer him yet.

"The pilot's heart rate and brain waves are stabilizing."

"Misato, how is Rei?" Shinji shouted.

"Hold on…" Misato looked back at the tech station to make sure the crisis with Unit-00's pilot was truly over. She finally answered "Stable. How's your gun?"

There was a pause. "The barrel is warped."

Misato grit her teeth. The positronic sniping rifle had not been built for the high rate of fire Shinji had just put it through. Add to that the extreme heat from the Angel's attack, and it was hard to imagine the barrel would not have suffered after passing through such an abusive endeavor. Unit-01 was a sitting duck, taking fire with no means of retaliation.

"Return to base and regroup. Do it quickly, before the rails on the launch tube are melted."

-

The Angel sat almost serenely in the air. With a crimson tube extending from the bottom of the figure, it looked almost like an artist's creation balanced on a precarious stand, rather than a hovering 'creature' drilling into the earth.

From nearby, a raft approached. On it was an inflatable facsimile of Unit-01. It was ignored until a string let loose. The string had held down an arm on the balloon. The result was that the 'Eva' appeared to draw its weapon on the Angel. The inflatable lure immediately popped from the Angel's ranged attack.

From a different direction, a gun emplacement came rolling out of a cave on tracks. It fired a shot at the Angel. The shot bounced harmlessly off an A.T. Field, and the gun exploded from the Angel's counterattack.

Misato and Naoko were watching this on the screen in the bridge. Misato looked over to Naoko with a smile. "Now for your test, doctor."

From opposing directions, two missile batteries began sighting the Angel. They did not swivel to take aim until both guidance systems had secured a lock. The Angel stayed true to form, and did not attack until aggressive action had been shown.

"Now." Katsuragi commanded. Both missile turrets swung over and let loose a volley against the Angel. One volley exploded in the air, and further down the path of the Angel's energy weapon the un-launched ordinance from that battlement blew up. The Angel stopped firing, and an A.T. Field immediately went up on its flank, with barely enough time to stop any impact from the other set of missiles. After it had weathered the attack, it took out the other turret in short order.

Misato turned from the screen. "Well, it's something, I guess. I'm going to have to think about what we should do."

-

Rei opened her eyes again. She tried to think of what had just been happening. Another one of those weird dreams felt like it was slipping away from her, and she was just as happy to let it go. She looked up at the ceiling.

"Rei?" she heard someone call out. She looked up to see Shinji. "Mom, Rei's awake." Yui appeared in the door. She walked over and bent down.

"How are you doing?"

Rei managed to sit up without too much complication. "My chest is sore." She reached up and felt of her skin there. "It tingles. What happened?"

"The Angel fired on Unit-00 before it had a chance to free itself from the launch rails. You felt pain feedback from the Eva."

"I don't remember. The last thing I recall is launching."

Yui stroked Rei's hair. "Sometimes, when something hurts too badly, the mind blocks it. I'm just glad you're alright." Yui kissed the girl on the forehead, and backed away to the door. "I've got a meeting to attend now. I'll let Shinji watch you." With that, Yui was gone.

Rei spared her cousin a glance. "Shinji… I have something really important to tell you."

"What?"

"I really…"

When the pause stretched, Shinji urged the girl to continue. "Go on."

"I really… really… really… hate hospitals."

"If you feel like that now, you're going to be miserable soon. It's time for lunch." Rei made a disgusted look and Shinji laughed as he lightly ruffled her hair.

Rei swatted a hand at her cousin. "We're not four Shinji, cut it out."

-

Misato, Naoko, Maya, Yui, and Kozo were gathered in a meeting room. Naoko was talking. "We have until just after midnight before the drill breaks through into the Geofront. 00:06:45 to be exact."

"Does anyone have a proposal?" Yui asked.

Misato straightened her jacket, and stood up. "I do, ma'am. A new positronic rifle is being developed in a nearby research facility. It is like the one Unit-01 used today, except with much greater firepower. We could take out the Angel in one shot with this weapon."

"Assuming we can provide it with enough power." Yui interjected. "This Angel has a tough hide in addition to a powerful A.T. Field."

"We could call for an emergency blackout. All of Japan's power could be at our disposal."

"What is the Magi's projected success-rate for this plan?" Kozo queried.

Maya, who had been following the conversation with some interest, was slow to realize it was her turn to speak. After a short pause, she finally chimed in a mousey manner, "Magi give this plan a 47.83 percent success rating."

Misato turned back. "Why so low?"

Naoko looked to the captain, trying to take attention off of the already nervous Ibuki. "We already tried a sniping operation. There's no reason to believe we can get out of the Angel's range."

"It bothers me that we would have to rely on untested equipment. If this plan doesn't work we don't have time to implement an alternative." Yui took a sip of coffee and then looked back to Naoko. "What data do we have from the experiments with the Angel?"

Naoko turned on a screen at the front of the room. On it was four pictures: each one was of the Angel destroying a target from the earlier tests. "The Angel seems to not take action until aggressive intent is revealed. We cannot go forward with the expectation that this will always be the case. After all, the Angel fired on Unit-00 just as it was launched above ground."

Another picture flipped, and Naoko continued. "There were several interesting things we discovered. First off, the drill bit flickered and disappeared during times when the A.T. Field was in use."

Kozo nodded. "So it is digging with a variation of an A.T. Field."

"Right, Commander. To date, we believed that an A.T. Field could only be generated in a two-dimensional space. It seems this is not the case. What is important is that this places a limiting factor on the Angels' capabilities. Also of note is the fact that it seems unable to fire and maintain an A.T. Field at the same time. This could be because the A.T. Field would interfere with the energy weapon it uses. However, since it demonstrated this weakness against attacks coming from opposite directions, I am more inclined to say that this is a constraint on the Angel's capabilities. It seems unable to generate enough power to perform both tasks simultaneously."

Maya raised a hand. Naoko shook her head gently at the woman. "This is a brain storm, Ms. Ibuki. Feel free to speak."

Maya blushed, and looked to the computer in her lap. "It's just… well; the Angel has this powerful beam weapon. Why is it drilling to headquarters, instead of just blasting its way down?"

Misato's head snapped up in realization. "Because it can't! We've found a position from which we can safely fire on the Angel."

Yui spoke up. "There is no place for an Eva to be placed along the drill's path, short of the Geofront."

Misato beamed. "Exactly!"

Kozo leaned forward. "Elaborate, Captain."

"I need one more piece of information. Is the drilling tube hollow?"

"We believe so."

"When the Angel's drill breaches the last layer of armor, we will have Units 00 and 01 standing ready. Overhead, we'll have another pair of missile turrets open fire. The Angel will have to use its A.T. Field to deflect one set of missiles. We can then have one Eva shoot up the tube and into the Angel's core."

"We need concrete data as to whether the drilling tube is hollow." Yui said severely. "It is a dangerous assumption to work under if it is not. However, I believe this plan is workable. I still have the same reservations as with the first proposal. We don't have much time to regroup if the plan falls apart."

Fuyutsuki stood. "Doctor, run the plan through the Magi system. Be sure to attain two success analysis profiles. I want one with the normal parameters, and one with a 12 percent greater leeway factor for unknown conditional variance. Otherwise, I believe we have something to work with. This meeting is concluded until further notice."

-

Naoko Akagi let her fingers glide over the keyboard. She drank a cup of coffee with her left hand, seemingly oblivious to the valuable data she was entering with her right. Maya Ibuki looked on with awe.

"You are the master."

"If you had entered in as much code as me, it would be about the same for you. Programming three neural-based supercomputers invite this sort of adaptation."

Maya looked down. Naoko could almost pinpoint the instance when Maya became ashamed of herself. "I embarrassed us today, Sempaii."

"Nonsense. When in particular do you think that happened?"

"I was slow in revealing data when requested."

Naoko laughed. "Everyone in this compound is rough around the edges. The Angel attacks have forced us all to work a lot of overtime analyzing the nature of our enemies. Also, these attacks have forced us to stay on call. Humans cannot function well while suffering from high levels of stress and sleep deprivation."

"It's not that. It's just… everyone in that room. They're legends."

"Don't buy into the hype, Maya. They're just people: flawed, sometimes brilliant, but barely above the norm. Don't let them intimidate you." Naoko pressed the enter key three times in succession and brought her hand back. "Now we wait."

Maya nodded. "Thanks, Sempaii."

Naoko turned to the woman. "So, how are things going with you Maya? Are you still getting flowers from the guy in maintenance?"

Maya blushed again. "No, ma'am. He transferred to the U.S. branch. They are just getting off the ground, and he could work himself into a position of importance by being onboard early."

"Just as well. He was a little old for you."

"He was only 31."

"And you are what… 22? Well, if he made you happy, I guess that's good enough. It's a pity he left. Is anyone else showing interest?"

Maya shook her head. She was still embarrassed, but would not deny Dr. Akagi the conversation. Naoko thought it was sweet. Maya was a kind soul, but a bit of a wallflower. Bookworm would have been a more accurate term. Maya finally spoke up. "All of these attacks have everyone busy. There's not a lot of time for extracurricular activities."

"Make time, Maya. Things won't fall apart if you take an evening off."

"You should too, Sempaii."

Naoko shook her head. "Unfortunately, they will fall apart if I'm not around." A steady tone interrupted the two, and a nearby copier started up. After the first sheet had printed, Naoko picked it up. She studied the paper as she walked over to the phone. She keyed in a number on speed dial before picking up the receiver. "The Magi have finished the analysis Commander. The first assessment has an 88 percent probability of success. The adjusted assessment you requested came out with a 65 percent success rating."

There was a pause, as Kozo spoke. Naoko continued the conversation on her end. "It's hard to be sure. We placed a camera in the path of the bit, and it snapped 20 frames per second. The pictures indicate that there is hollow space. We cannot be sure of how far it extends. In addition we tried a sonar ping. It got results clean to the Angel's main body. It's my hypothesis that, since the cylinder appears to be elongating, it is drawing on matter from within the tube itself to stretch down. Since the outside of the cylinder is not decreasing in circumference, this means that not only is the tube most likely hollow, but that it will achieve its maximum circumference of empty interior space at the time of the operation."

Naoko waited for a moment, and then answered "Understood. I'll call her now." As she hung up the phone, she looked up to Maya. "Call Misato and the pilots. We're going ahead with the plan."

-

In the Geofront, an array of floodlights was on. On the ground, Rei could see a hundred dim shadows of her Eva, all thrown from different light sources. She looked to Unit-00's hands. She could still feel echoes of the burning sensation from her last two fights with the Angel's. In the first, her (Eva's) hands had been roasted. In the previous experience, she had been blasted in the chest. She had seen the remains of Unit-00's torso armor, and had honestly wondered how she was still alive. The metal had a large hole in the middle of it, and had melted extensively all around that spot.

A holo-image blinked into the forefront of her vision, and Shinji's face was there. "Getting cold feet?"

"I wish. I was just thinking it would be nice to fight an Angel that wasn't such a firebug. Ever notice they have a thing for hot weapons?"

"I hadn't, but you're right. They do like it warm." Shinji paused, seeming to search for something. "I know it hurt you, Rei. If you don't want to be out here, I understand. This is something I can do."

Rei shook her head. "I owe this Angel. Anyway, Misato wants you to use the Automatic."

Shinji snorted. "Like that useless piece of junk has ever done anything. I don't know why she keeps sending us out with that stupid gun."

Misato's face appeared angry on both of their view screens. "That's enough, brats. You got in your cheap shot." The Captain calmed herself before continuing. "We just hit zero hundred hours and three minutes. The Angel will be breaking through in a moment. Do a final check and get ready. Are there any questions about the plan?" Both pilots shook their heads. "The operation will begin in two minutes."

Rei moved one of the Eva's hands to the back of its body, and tested the umbilical connection to ensure that it was locked down securely. She then lifted the same hand up to the shoulder holster, and removed the progressive knife. Across from her, Unit-01 shouldered the automatic gun and aimed it up in preparation for the coming activities.

The ceiling caved in and rubble fell to the ground. The orange lines of the drill bit could be seen, and it was propelled quickly towards the ground along a crimson shaft. A yellow line spiraled up the shaft, showing that it was still moving.

In the control room, Misato turned to Aoba Shigeru. "Now!"

Missile turrets had already locked onto the Angel. As before, the turrets were on opposing sides of the Angel, ensuring that it could not block all the fire it received. It reacted as before, firing on one volley while shielding itself from another.

Below, the drill bit flickered and then was gone. "You're on, Rei." Misato's image flashed up quickly with the image, and then was gone again.

Unit-00 grabbed the cylinder with one hand, and, with the other, sliced neatly through the shaft with the prog knife. The tube was indeed hollow, and Unit-01 was rapidly in position with the barrel of the gun sticking into the opening.

Misato's voice came through in Shinji's plug. "Careful to maintain aim."

"Captain, I know. You're nagging me."

Shinji was blessed with quiet as he watched his screen. The gun had a laser sight installed on the barrel to ensure that he got off a straight shot, up the pipe, to the Angel. He would know that he had a clear shot when the square on the top left of his screen became glowing red and he got a lock-on tone. Both indicators came, and he squeezed the trigger. The automatic got off several shots before the tube vibrated. He went from having a dead lock to relying on the path of the cylinder to carry his shots to the Angel.

On the command deck, Misato smiled. She looked over at Naoko. "That went off smoothly."

"You're tempting fate." Naoko cautioned.

"Energy build-up within the target." Maya shouted.

Misato turned the comm. back on. "Shinji, take evasive action. The Angel may be returning fire."

Unit-01 jumped back. The automatic rifle, which had been rammed into the opening in the cylinder, fell to the ground. The rest of the cylinder fell down on top of it, apparently released from the Angel's main body. It tilted lazily, supported by the hole it had just made in the ceiling overhead. Suddenly, it started melting. The rifle fired off two shots before exploding. The ground under both objects began to glow red.

"Crap. It can fire down." Misato looked overhead at the command deck. The Commander and Sub-Commander were talking in hushed tones. Yui's body language suggested that the conversation was a worried one.

Misato wondered what the Angel was going for. Nerv HQ was deep in the earth, but the Angel wasn't close enough to HQ to cause damage directly to the building with its weapon. Perhaps there was a magma flow not far underground. She would have to consult a map sometime and see. For now, she had an Angel to slay.

"What's the Angel's status?"

"The gunfire from Unit-01 seems to have harmed it. We are detecting emissions similar to those that resulted when Unit-00 cracked the Fourth Angel's S2 organ."

"Shinji, Rei. We have the Angel on the ropes. We are going to launch a simultaneous attack with the Eva's on the Angel. Both of you, close in with your prog-knifes. One of you will come under fire."

"No." Rei said in horror.

"Launch me first, Misato. Let me beat Rei up by a second or two."

"NO!" Rei shouted.

"It sounds good. Be sure to kill the Angel as fast as possible. Go to launch ports 23-D and 24-D. These will be the best positions from which to flank the Angel."

"Shinji, don't do it. SHINJI!" Rei called frantically.

In the Geofront, the purple Eva released its umbilical cable and went running to a pair of nearby launch railings. There was a sound of screeching metal as it was propelled up.

"There is no time for this Rei. Just do it." Misato barked urgently over the audio feed.

"Dammit." Rei muttered, and worked Unit-00 to another pair of rails. She gave the go-ahead for launch as soon as the Eva was secured, and went rocketing into the ground overhead.

When she reached the surface, she could already see Unit-01 jumping from building to building. Shinji was dodging wildly, but was still getting caught from time to time. The damage was evident on Unit-01's foot. As she watched, its ankle snapped, and the android went rolling into a nearby building.

Rei ran her Eva towards the Angel, before it could fry Shinji. She rammed her progressive knife up. It was met with an A.T. Field. Grimacing, she bore down harder. She still did not seem able to tear through. She worked her knife up from the main blade to the tip, and felt as if something were giving way beneath the point of the blade. The Field seemed to grow brighter, and whatever headway she thought she was making came to an abrupt stop.

Suddenly, the orange lines disappeared. Her Eva, unexpectedly free of opposing forces, fell forward and drove the knife into the Angel's surface. On the other end of the Angel, Unit-01 was lying on its side. An arm was extending up and its knife was buried deep into the Angel's main body from the bottom.

Rei saw that the Angel was about to fall on the other Eva, and crashed into the lifeless monster with Unit-00's body. The force of inertia was enough to knock the Angel off the destructive path of descent. Still, the explosion that signaled the Angel's death rocked both Evas.

In the aftermath, both androids were still. Unit-01 had been rolled onto its stomach by the concussive blast. Unit-00 was on its hands and knees.

Shinji's face appeared on a screen in Rei's cockpit. "Nice save, cousin."

"You didn't do badly either."

"Good job, both of you." Misato's voice congratulated into both entry plugs. "Stand by for post-op. Extraction teams will have you out in five minutes."