And now, we begin a battle against Ramiel, and also find out just how Kaworu got all the way to Earth...
Chapter 16 (Japan): The Winged Ones Named! Decisive Shot at Midnight!
Cheif Taiga, Leo Shishioh and the rest of the GGG support crew sat in Bay Island Base's Main Order Room, having just received a video call from Misato and another Nerv support staff member, who were at Nerv HQ. The Nerv staff member was Makoto Hyuga, a young Japanese man with black thick-framed glasses and mussy black hair.
"So, what's the exact situation?" Taiga asked. "From the looks of it, another Angel has attacked."
"But the last one appeared only a week ago," Mikoto said with a sigh. "We just got done repairing GaoGaiGar's arms."
"No matter. If we must collaborate again, so be it." Leo said; "So, what do you know about it?"
"Based on our data," Makoto said; "We determined that it automatically attacks anything that enters its range deemed a threat with a high-powered particle beam."
"If it went after an Evangelion," Entouji said; "Super Robots like GaoGaiGar will get struck as well. That makes close combat impossible."
"Meanwhile, its AT Field is the strongest we've seen thus far, and it seems to always be active," Makoto added. "Guns, artillery, bombs, and other conventional weapons are worse than useless...an entire division of Britannian Knightmares and Great Mazingers blew themselves to bits with their own weaponry when their attacks bounced off that AT Field."
"Clearly, it doesn't view Knightmares or mass-production Great Mazingers as a threat," Misato said; "Man, that must tick off the Britannians."
"What about that drill?" Geki asked. "That's a monster tool it's packing."
"The Angel positioned itself directly above us, and using a 17.5 meter drill bit to bore towards HQ," Makoto explained; "Thankfully, it's going to take time to penetrate all twenty-two armor plates."
"Based on that and the data about your armor plates," Mikoto said; "It will pierce through the final armor plate by 6:54 AM, tomorrow morning."
"That gives us about ten hours," Misato said with a sigh. "And it's a flying fortress - almost perfect offense and defense. Ten hours to take it out is probably cutting it close."
"How long until Unit 01 is combat-ready again?" Taiga asked. "Those Evas have a way of being able to deliver the final blow to the Angels that even GaoGaiGar can't...meaning we need to ultimately put our trust in them."
"It'll take three hours to replace the melted plating," Makoto said; "Thankfully, that particle beam didn't touch Unit 01's core. If we were three more seconds slower, it would have burned straight through the Eva!"
"How's the pilot? Is he okay?" Mikoto asked.
"Shinji Ikari's currently in the ER...no injuries, but he's still unconscious last we checked. No clue when he'll be up and about."
"So, shall we just raise the white flag?" Makoto sighed.
"We can wallow in our regrets when we're dead," Misato said, her expression filled with determination...and then cunning as an idea formed in her head; "Besides, there's still one more thing I'd like to try."
"Ho-ho! I like that attitude, Captain Katsuragi!" Taiga said, encouraged by Misato's drive to overcome this trial; "Whatever GGG can do to help, we'll do it!"
"Thanks!" she said; "First, I need you guys to run some more numbers for me…"
In the depths of Tabgha Base on the Moon, there was a circular chamber containing a single tube filled with LCL. Sleeping within this tube was a boy around Shinji's age - he had silver hair and pale skin.
"Good morning, Kaworu Nagisa," a deep but rasping voice said out of a speaker on the wall across from the boy. He opened his eyes, revealing blood-red irises. His expression was serious, as if he was about to do something drastic.
"Tell me how you are, son of Adam," the voice asked.
"You want to know how I am?" the boy replied, his tone leery and disdainful; "Let me tell you."
The liquid bubbled slightly.
"I am tired."
"Very well, then," the voice said. "Sleep more. Your time has not come yet."
"I am tired of marching to 00's orders," Kaworu continued. The tube cracked, causing liquid to start leaking out.
"I am tired of watching that boy suffer as his friends die one by one." The tube cracked further, and the liquid leaked faster.
"And most of all…"
Kaworu let out a powerful kinetic blast. The tube blasted apart, sending glass shards and orange liquid everywhere.
"I am tired of you, Kiel Lorenz."
Eight hours remained.
Gendo and Fuyutsuki looked over the plan Misato had concocted with GGG, while she and Ritsuko stood and waited. Once he was done, the head of Nerv looked back at his subordinate, an eyebrow raised with mild disbelief.
"So, you plan to have a sniper shoot the target from outside of its firing range?" Gendo asked.
"Yes sir," Misato replied, proud of herself for coming up with this. "We've seen that an AT Field CAN be overwhelmed by sheer force. So A pinpoint shot with a high-powered positron beam should be able to do the job."
"The Magi supercomputers estimated that the shot would have to exceed 180 million kilowatts, though," Ritsuko added. "GGG's own systems gave a similar figure."
Fuyutsuki whistled at this number.
"Our positron rifle can't handle that level of output," Gendo said. "And even if it could, we'd have to siphon all of the electricity in the Tokyo Settlement just to fire one shot."
"There's no need for that!" Misato said confidently.
"What else do we have that can generate that amount of power?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"We'll use the GS Rides of GaoGaiGar, Big Volfogg and ChoRyuJin to provide energy," Misato answered; "GGG offered all of them for that purpose."
"Perhaps we could borrow power from other Super Robots," Gendo's right-hand man said with a thoughtful nod.
"So the issue of energy is dealt with," Gendo said; "But where would we get the positron cannons you plan on using?"
"The Archangel," Ritsuko answered.
Seven and a half hours remained.
Since there was time yet before Ramiel's arrival, Tara decided to take a look around Nerv HQ by herself. She had a map of the place, and decided to take a look at the computer room in Central Dogma...Ritsuko had allowed everyone to have free access to most areas of the base.
Most of the room was empty, allowing Tara to walk around. She peered over the side where Gendo usually sat and saw three huge black boxes arranged in a triangle.
"Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, we call them," a voice that came from behind her said; "You're looking at the three most powerful supercomputers in the Earth Sphere - the Magi System.
She turned around and saw Ritsuko standing there.
"Our mothers worked on it together years ago."
"Oh, Dr. Akagi!" Tara exclaimed.
"Enjoying your little self-guided tour, I see," the blonde scientist said.
"I didn't know that my mom worked for Nerv," Tara said. "I guess there's still so much she hasn't told me."
"Naoko Akagi and I developed the principle before Nerv ever existed," another voice said as its owner entered the room; "We were the first to prove the utility of the artificial neural array as a computation device when you were two."
"Mom!" Tara exclaimed, happy to see her mother was safe.
"Haruhi," Ritsuko said, also pleased to see her mother's old friend.
"Hello, Ritsuko," Haruhi said. "It's been a while...my, how time flies."
"What are you doing here, Mom?" her daughter asked.
"It sounds like this Angel is going to be a tough nut to crack, so I wanted to do what I could," the petite scientist replied. "Your father is helping with the preparations for the plan." Ritsuko then turned to Haruhi.
"So, based on the data we've received," she said; "I understand that Lifthrasir's artificial intelligence also uses an artificial neural array at its core."
"Yeah, Xemmey can learn and make decisions on her own!" Tara said.
"True, but the Magi are far more potent as computational devices," Haruhi said. "No need for a personality or dealing with mechanical issues. With all of their processing power focused on calculation, they're capable of searching for answers without necessarily understanding the question."
Tara looked back at the three Magi.
You're so amazing, Mom, she thought.
Six hours remained.
On the surface, a number of Nerv and GGG workers were working on carefully detaching the Archangel's main guns. Kira, hoping to do some maintenance on the Strike, happened upon this, and saw Misato, Murrue and Natarle overseeing the process. He saw Janus and Guy Shishioh helping, while Gilbert Zifell was directing them.
"What are those people doing to the Archangel?" Kira asked. "Is something wrong with the Lohengrins?" Janus scrambled out of the way and started heading towards them as a truck started to pull the positron cannon out of position.
"We're preparing to deal with the enemy Angel," Murrue explained. "Once they detach the Lohengrins, we'll hook up all of our Super Robots to them and boost their power."
"We'll use them to pierce its AT Field and take it out with one shot!" Misato added confidently.
"That's what we want to happen," Natarle said as Guy started walking towards them; "But Nerv's computers estimated that our chance of success was 17.4 percent at most, if I remember correctly." Kira sighed at this - those were not good odds.
"Simon always said that as long as there's any chance to win," he chimed in as he joined the conversation; "You can make it a sure bet with enough effort and guts!"
"With our G-Stones powering the Lohengrins, we're sure to be victorious," Guy added.
"That's a nice thought," Kira said; "I guess I should be more optimistic." Janus suddenly looked the pilot of GaoGaiGar up and down.
"By the way, I'm just curious," he asked; "How DID you become a cyborg, Guy?"
Guy sighed as he started to recall the incident.
"I was an astronaut for Japan's Space Development Corporation until about three years ago. During a test of an experimental long-range spacecraft, something rammed into it. The shuttle was destroyed, and most of my body was badly injured - my life was hanging by a thread."
"So how did you survive?" Kira asked. "It must have been a miracle!"
"Yes. It was a miracle that Galeon just happened to appear before me soon after."
"You mean that giant robot lion over there?" Janus said, glancing over at Galeon, who was lying on a hill nearby as if napping.
"Yes. He carried me all the way back to Earth in his jaws," Guy explained. "After being brought back to Space Development Corporation headquarters, my father was able to reverse-engineer much of Galeon's technology to build me this robot body."
Guy touched his face, and his expression gradually turned sullen.
"All that's left of my old flesh is...this."
Janus, seeing Guy's sadness, quickly bowed in apology - something he picked up from Tara.
"I'm really sorry," he apologized; "I-I didn't mean to bring up anything painful!" Guy smiled a bit in response, his mood lifted again.
"It's fine," the cyborg said, raising his hand, showing off his G-Stone. "Being alive and able to protect the people I hold dear more than makes up for it. And it's all thanks to this G-Stone that powers my mechanical parts."
The workers were trying to move the Lohengrin into the truck, with no success. Seeing this, Guy went over to the weapon.
"Plus, I can do this!"
With startling ease, the cyborg lifted up the cannon.
"Careful with that, Guy!" Murrue exclaimed. "It's filled with sensitive machinery!" Guy nodded and gently placed the cannon on the truck bed. The workers cheered as the truck drove away.
But doesn't he miss his sense of touch? Janus thought; The way his girlfriend's body would feel up against him…
His mind wandered to Tara.
I wonder if Tara and I could ever be like that…no...I feel like we already were.
He furrowed his brow.
When WAS that?
Kaworu, now wearing a white shirt, black jeans and white sneakers, walked through the halls of Tabgha Base even as alarms blared all over. He was looking for something, but didn't show it. After all, he knew exactly where his objective was.
He paused in front of an Evangelion. It was a deep blue with yellow trim, while its horned helmet, which bore a strong resemblance to Unit-01's, had a red visor covering the eye holes. The Eva was standing on a platform of sorts, much like the launch chutes from Nerv's base back on Earth. But this platform was not at the bottom - that was shrouded in darkness.
He looked up at the Eva and began to speak to it.
"So, shall we go, Mark 06...child of Adam, and servant of these selfish Lilim?"
Kaworu smiled as he started to step off the ledge toward the pit.
"I'm sure you're sick of this too."
He stepped off the ledge, but then started to float, and levitate upward. Mark 06's visor flashed as it lifted its head. Both Kaworu and the Evangelion then started to float upward...
"The Mark 06 has activated!"
"What?! There were no orders for it to launch!"
"There's no pilot in the plug!"
"Blood pattern blue...it's Tabris!"
"What in the world is that kid doing?!"
"Escapee has already passed the 44th layer and is still rising!"
"Set up an ambush! Wake those bloody MP models!"
"Seal the bulkheads! Buy us time!"
Five hours remained.
Shinji finally opened his eyes to find himself in another hospital bed - just like after his battle with Sachiel. As he did so, the automatic door to the room opened, and someone wheeled a cart in.
It was Rei.
"Ayanami…" he muttered.
"I'm here to brief you on the Operation Yashima timetable," she said, using the name that Misato had given for this whole mission.
I just wake up and I'm subjected to this?
"At 00:00 midnight, the operation will begin," Rei began, whipping out a small planner and reading from it. "Pilots Ikari, Ayanami and Soryu are to arrive at the cage by 17:30. At 18:00, Units 00, 01 and 02 will activate. At 18:05, all three units must be deployed. They will arrive at the temporary base on Mount Futago at 18:30, and will remain there until further orders. The operation will begin promptly at midnight."
She wheeled the cart closer - it had a tray of food on it, as well as a blue plugsuit in a sealed plastic bag. When Shinji looked back at her, he briefly saw someone else - someone who looked almost exactly like her, yet...
"Eat something before you go," Rei said as she left the cart. "We leave in sixty minutes."
She left without another word.
Three hours remained.
Many of Shinji's classmates, as well as the members of the manga club, stood up on one of the roofs of the ruined buildings at the edge of one of the ghettos. They were waiting for something.
"Dey're really late," Toji said; "We oughta get to a shelter." He was dragged here by Kensuke, who insisted on showing off just what Shinji's Evangelion could do.
"They'll be here!" Kensuke replied confidently. "I hacked into my dad's files, so I'm sure this is the time!"
"So why ain't dey here, then?" Toji asked, leering with suspicion. Suddenly, the building, and the ground, began to tremble.
"Da mountain's opening up," he said. "And what's that roaring noise?" Indeed, a hatch that had been hidden by the ground was opening up.
"Here they come!" one of the manga club members called out, pointing to something coming out of the hatch.
"It's the Evangelions!"
Out of them strode the three Evas, each of them carrying some parts for the operation - they couldn't set it all up at the base, after all. Immediately, everyone except Toji began cheering. He could only stare, awestruck at this sight.
"Go get 'em, Evas!" the manga club members called out. "Beat the Angel!" "You can do it!" "We believe in you!" "Kick some ass!" "We love you, Asuka!"
"Here come some more!" Kensuke cheered as he pointed to the GGG robots.
"GGG's GaoGaiGar!" another manga club member cheered; "And there's Big Volfogg and ChoRyuJin!"
Guy stopped and waved to the crowd as Voltes V's component machines passed by.
"Big Falcon's Volt Machines!" yet another exclaimed. Just then, Great Mazinger and Grendizer came along.
"There's Photon Power Labs' Great Mazinger and Grendizer!" Kensuke exclaimed. "It's a shame Mazinger Z was scrapped, though." Then, the Aile Strike flew by.
"Never seen that one," Kensuke said. Finally, he spotted Lifthrasir and Granlif flying by.
"Is that…" he gasped as Tara's white machine stopped and waved.
"Hiya, boys!" Tara called out. "I'm off to help save the day!"
"It's true!" the manga club members cheered; "She really does have a mecha!" "Prez is so amazing!" "Go get 'em, Prez!" "We love you!" "That machine's so kawaii!" "Kick some ass, Zifell!" "Have my babies!"
"Save your showing off for after we win!" Janus called out to her; "We can't fall too far behind!"
"Coming, Janny-poo!" Tara said before continuing after him.
"JANNY-POO?!" Kensuke and the other manga club members exclaimed in unison. Their cheering then turned to sobs, whines and groans.
"No way!" "My dream!" "Prez, my sweet!" "Why have you forsaken meeee?!" "Noooo!" "I need a hug!" "BWAAAAA!"
Da manga club's nuttin' but a buncha otakus, Toji thought. But Ikari's got a good buncha pals now...maybe I misjudged 'im..."
This is too easy. All they've done is seal some bulkheads. They know that won't stop me.
As the blue Evangelion burst through the last bulkhead and reached the lunar surface, he gazed up at the Earth for a moment. Then, he looked down and saw nine coffins arranged in a circle around a long, thin object wrapped in a huge tarp, which was held together by some sort of red lunar modules with rings.
There's the Lance...now to just...
Their forms were like that of an Evangelion, but it was there that the resemblance ended. They each had a white body, a pair of great feathered wings, no visible eyes and thick, blood-red lips that surrounded a toothy grin. In their left hands were heavy-looking two-bladed weapons of some kind.
The mass-production Evangelion...so they've already developed them, S2 Engines and all.
He eyed the wrapped object.
I could just grab the Lance and leave right now...but if I defeat them here, then Asuka won't suffer either - and that will surely make Shinji-kun happy.
Asuka was able to take them all nine down in three minutes and thirty seconds without a Lance...about twenty seconds per unit. Let's see if I can match that.
Mark 06 levitated a bit as Kaworu sunk inside its entry plug, and then manifested what seemed to be a golden halo of light.
"So, who's up first?"
Mark 06 rushed at the nearest MP Evangelion, grabbing its upper jaw and then crushing it, sending blood spewing everywhere. As it fell, Kaworu ripped out its red core and squeezed it with all its might - it burst like an overripe tomato.
"That's one."
A second one tried to attack him from behind, but Mark 06 turned around and punched it, knocking it down. It then thrust two fingers through the MP Eva's head like a knife, then proceeded to extract and destroy its core as well.
"Two!"
He rushed at a third one, grabbed its right arm and ripped it off. The MP Eva dropped its weapon and grabbed Mark 06's face with its remaining arm, but the blue Eva projected an AT Field, blasting the remaining hand to bits. A fourth MP Eva pounced, leaping high over them while carrying one of the heavy swords. Kaworu rolled away, then bounded toward the dropped weapon.
Mark 06 picked it up with ease thanks to the Moon's low gravity, then lunged at them, slicing both in two with one stroke, cores and all.
"That makes four."
The remaining five MP Evas all charged at him en masse, hoping to overwhelm him. Mark 06 twirled the two-bladed weapon and then held it like a javelin.
"Begone!"
He tossed the blade - as it flew, it suddenly changed into a two-pointed spear that vaguely resembled a tightly wound double helix. The spear pierced three of the charging MP Evas through their cores.
"And seven...that leaves two."
Kaworu rushed in, opening Mark 06's hand as if to grab them.
"Time to end this..."
With one massive blow, he pierced through the last two MP Evas - the first through the chest (and core), the other through the belly. With one gruesome motion, the blue Evangelion ripped out the remaining core and crushed it, showering itself with blood.
Kaworu looked around, seeing that none of his foes were stirring.
Two minutes and sixteen seconds. That leaves me with plenty of time to reach Earth. But first…
Mark 06 strode over to the wrapped object, kicking aside the unmanned modules, pulled off the rings and unwrapped it - it was the same weapon that the two-bladed sword he threw changed into, except that it was a bloody crimson.
"With this, I can make Shinji happy."
He looked around, as if he heard someone chuckle.
"Not like THAT, you perverts."
One minute remained.
Everything was set - the various Super Robots were hooked up to large cables connected to their engines and reactors, which in turn were connected to the Lohengrins that had been removed from the Archangel. Asuka's Eva was manning one cannon, and Shinji's the other. Rei was holding a huge makeshift shield made from the bottom of a spaceship that was coated with a layer of electromagnetic coating.
"This is it, everyone," Misato said. "Confirm completion of preparations for energy transfer!"
"TZIM is revved up and ready to go!" Janus said.
"TZUM is all set, Captain Katsuragi!" Tara replied.
"Choudenji Reactor is at full charge!" Kenichi said.
"Our GS Rides are at maximum!" Guy called out.
"Photon Energy Reactor, full charge confirmed," Tetsuya said.
"Photo-Quantum Reactor is at full power as well," Daisuke said.
"Operation beginning in 5...4...3...2...1…"
Somewhere in the settlement, a bell tolled midnight as all of the mechs started revving their machines' engines, channeling energy into the two rifles.
"Shinji! Asuka! The power of all these machines is in your hands!"
"You can do it, you two!" Tara called out to them. Shinji, now dressed in his blue plugsuit, felt a twinge of confidence.
"Cannons #1 and #2, full charge confirmed!" Ibuki called out.
"Cannon #1, fire!" Misato ordered. Asuka grinned as she took aim, waiting for the crosshairs to lock on. The computers would automatically adjust for any other factors that would affect the shot's trajectory.
But they didn't account for something interfering.
"Threshold signatures have appeared in Rifle #1's line of fire!" Aoba exclaimed.
"Gotcha, stupid rock!" Asuka chuckled, not realizing what happening when she locked on to Ramiel and pulled the trigger. A stream of hypercharged positrons fired from out of the rifle, zooming toward the octahedral Angel.
Suddenly, a white portal opened, and then something stopped the beam from inside, deflecting the shot off into space.
From out of the portal what appeared to be another angel...it was made of flesh and blood, though its skin was mostly a milky white, its wings and eyes seemed to be made entirely of deep-blue sapphire, while its neatly arranged hair seemed to be formed of flowing blue water. In his hands, he wielded a sword that thrummed with heat and electricity. Following suit were two dozen weaker angels, a mix of Principalities, Powers and Virtues.
"No way...it deflected a 180 million kilowatt beam?!" Ritsuko gasped, understandably shocked by this occurrence.
"It's another one of those winged guys!" Tara snarled, yanking the cables from out of Lifthrasir's reactor.
"Shinji! Shoot the Angel now!" Misato cried. "Asuka, hurry and reload in case Shinji misses!" But before Shinji could take aim, the Virtues raised their staves and smashed the positron cannon's barrel with energy bolts, preventing it from firing.
"Cannon #2 has been destroyed!" Aoba cried. Misato punched the wall next to her in frustration. Her plan had gone completely down the tubes, thanks to this seemingly impossible occurrence.
"I am the High Seraph Uriel," the lead angel said; "I will not let you humans interfere with the holy judgement of God's Thunder."
"Just who do you think you are, pal?" ChoRyuJin bellowed; "You got something against us?!"
"Mankind poses a threat to existence itself," Uriel replied. "But once God's Thunder reaches its objective, your race will be obliterated, and all else shall be safe."
"Misato, what does he mean?" Shinji asked, confused about the angel's words.
"Shinji, you idiot! You were never told?!" Asuka exclaimed, disgusted at Shinji's ignorance.
"If an Angel reaches the heart of Terminal Dogma, there will be a Third Impact," Misato said grimly to everyone in the group; "One that will destroy the human race. I don't know what he means about everything else being safe..."
"If that thing's gonna destroy mankind, we REALLY got beat it before it does!" Hiyoshi said. "Kenichi, let's take them on!"
"Everyone!" Kenichi called out the others; "Drive these guys away so we can take another shot at the Angel!" With that, the robots all charged in to take on the angelic forces, who prepared to meet them.
But Uriel turned a single Principality in the rear lines and gave a nod. Without another word, the single angel flew off in the direction of Ashford Academy...on a special mission of its own.
Shirley felt compelled to hunt down information about Zero by herself, especially since Viletta hadn't returned any calls. And in spite of her better judgement, she would do it even as Ramiel burrowed into deeper and deeper into the Settlement. It was still late at night, so everyone else was either asleep or in a shelter.
As she walked outside towards the gate of Ashford Academy, the Principality landed in front of her. She staggered backward in awe.
"How fortunate of me to find you, Shirley Fenette," the angel said in a soft, almost ethereal voice as she shrunk to human size.
"Are you...a-an angel?" Shirley stammered. Her father had told her that angels were real, but never had she imagined that she'd actually see one in life.
"Yes," the Principality replied; "I am Ghanima of the Principalities." I have been sent here to ensure the will of Eden Vital is done."
Shirley was speechless, even as countless questions flowed through her mind - she had no idea what to ask this otherworldly being. But before she could make an inquiry, the angel took her hand.
"I know the question that plagues you the most," Ghanima said; "if you would learn the answer, come with me."
Shirley nervously took Ghanima's hand, and was suddenly teleported somewhere else...
The battle between the angelic forces and the Super Robots was fierce - even as they struggled to stay out of Ramiel's range. But Ramiel did fire a beam whenever one of the Super Robots enters its attack radius; thankfully, none of its attacks landed - the robots had enough time to get out of the way.
As Uriel's forces started to wane, GaoGaiGar, Granlif, Great Mazinger and Grendizer all managed to reach Uriel, and readied their rocket punches.
"BROKEN...MAGNUM!" Guy cried as GaoGaiGar fired off a fist.
"Atomic Punch!" Tetsuya bellowed as Great Mazinger launched its own rocket punch.
"Screw Pressure Punch!" Daisuke boomed as Grendizer let fly one of its own fists, which were covered by sharp plates.
"Karma Knuckle!" Janus yelled as Granlif unleashed its own self-propelled punch.
The four fists streaked at Uriel, who was busy avoiding some of the Aile Strike's beam shots. But to their dismay, the fists bounced off him as if they had struck Ramiel's own AT Field.
"Do you think those would actually work on me?" he chuckled. Just then, Voltes V rushed in.
"TENKUU KEN!"
The Choudenji machine tried to slash the angelic general, only for its attack to bounce off just as the rocket punches did.
"Useless!" the angel laughed. He then send out a wave of electrical energy, sending all of his attackers flying.
"This guy's got some sort of barrier…" Guy growled as GaoGaiGar got up near Big Volfogg.
"Allow me, then," the purple robot said. He leaped high into the air.
"MELTING SIREN!" he cried. The police sirens on his body began to sound, sending both sonic and electromagnetic waves at Uriel...it was intended to short out the barriers of Zonder Robos, but the Super AI mech hoped it would work just as well on Uriel.
"Such bothersome noise," Uriel said, amused by these futile attempts to bring him down. "I'll silence you this instant." He flew up as Big Volfogg started to descend, then slashed him across the chest with his electric blade. As he flew, he was suddenly caught by Lifthrasir, who placed him down gently.
"Good catch, Tara Zifell," Volfogg said. Tara grinned and then flew over to Janus, who was now fighting off some Powers. She blasted them to pieces with some rifle shots, then landed by his side.
"Jan, we should try what we did on Mars when we fought those Protodevlin," she suggested; "Maybe we can use our power to disable Uriel's barrier...or at least weaken it."
"Sounds good," Janus replied with a nod. "We aren't getting anywhere trying to brute force this guy."
Janus and Tara closed their eyes and focused their minds on synchronizing their machines as they did back then. Lifthrasir and Granlif began to shine as the sound of a gentle tinkling bell filled the air. After a few moments, a normally invisible cube of energy that surrounded Uriel shattered like glass. This allowed Asuka to get in a hit with her Eva's progressive knife.
"That energy…" he snarled. He turned to Granlif and Lifthrasir, smacked Unit 02 aside and rushed at them, charging vast electrical energy into his blade.
"I will end this here!" he boomed. "...Descend, oh storm, and strike my enemies to nothing!"
In a flash, he was right on top of the two white machines, and now his sword's blade was a gargantuan mass of electromagnetic energy the size of Ramiel. Meanwhile, Rei saw Uriel's attack.
Big brother!
"FLASH! GODLY THUNDER BLADE!" Uriel boomed, his voice like thunder.
But when he brought down the blade, it didn't strike Granlif or Lifthrasir - it was instead being blocked by Unit-00's shield.
Persistent doll, Uriel thought. No matter...I will cut her down as well!
He applied more pressure - and after a few moments he wore off the electromagnetic coating on the shield. The electric blade then sliced clean through the shield and struck the orange Eva. The sheer heat and energy caused its armor to start melting - and trapping the entry plug, making it unable to eject.
This daring act did not escape Shinji's notice - and having just finished reloading the remaining positron cannon, he was ready to make Uriel pay.
"Rei!" he cried. Thinking quickly, Shinji turned the remaining Lohengrin toward the angel.
"Leave Ayanami alone!" he yelled. With that, Unit-01's pilot locked on and fired - this time the shot pierced through Uriel's body, sending him flying and crashing into the ocean. But just as that happened…
*CLANG*
The sound of Ramiel's drill piercing through the final armor plate resounded across the Settlement. Uriel reappeared out of another Threshold, his body dripping with water, but he had an air of smugness to him.
"It's too late," Uriel boomed; "Ramiel has pierced through, and shall bring down heavenly judgement upon your…"
Suddenly, from out of the heavens, a red spear crashed through gem-like Angel, piercing its core. It let out an unearthly wail of pain.
"WHAT?!" he cried. Everyone else looked up and saw something in the sky...the Mark 06, with a rather displeased Kaworu in the cockpit. It was floating down gently, the halo on its head somehow slowing its descent.
"That's...another Eva?!" Misato exclaimed. Meanwhile, Kaworu began to engage Uriel in a telepathic conversation...
That will not be happening, Uriel of Atik Yomin, he said.
You! What are you doing here?! Uriel exclaimed.
I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines and letting Shinji Ikari suffer.
You would slaughter your brothers and sisters for a boy?!
I WILL protect these Lilim, and make Shinji happy.
Very well. Have it your way, Tabris.
"It seems that fate was on your side today, humans," Uriel declared, pointing his sword at the robots. "But know that by opposing Atik Yomin, you oppose the will of God!"
With that, Uriel disappeared as the blue Evangelion landed on the surface of the water.
Ramiel's form suddenly burst out into a massive bunch of needles before finally bursting into a cloud of red and blue dust.
"He took out that Angel like it was nothing…" Asuka mumbled.
Atik Yomin...where have I heard that name before? Tara thought. But their attention was shifted to where Unit 00 had fallen. Unit 01 rushed over, knelt down and started pulling off the melted armor plates. One of them released the entry plug, which the Eva pulled out.
Janus arrived just as Shinji hopped out of his own entry plug. The two rushed over to the plug's emergency hatch - but as soon as Janus touched the handle, he yelped in pain...the plug was still over 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Geez, this thing's burning hot!" he exclaimed. But Shinji didn't seem to care - he grabbed hold of the handle and tried to turn it with all of his might...even as the superheated metal began to burn and melt the plugsuit's hands.
Thankfully, he was able to open the hatch before the metal could burn all the way through. He crawled inside while Janus stuck his head in, and both dreaded what had happened to Rei. To their relief, she was only unconscious, and even that didn't last long - she opened her eyes a few moments after the two entered her plug.
Shinji couldn't help but smile and cry simultaneously at this welcome sight.
"Ikari, why are you crying?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, Ayanami...it's just that I'm so happy that you're okay!" Shinji answered, wiping his tears.
"Yeah," Janus added. "We were afraid you were going to...you know…" He too started sobbing a little as a single tear streamed down his cheek.
"I'm sorry," Rei said, slightly embarrassed. "I'm not sure what I should be doing at a time like this. I'm happy that I was able to protect you, big brother...but..."
"Then smile!" Janus replied.
Rei looked back and forth at these two, who cared about her so much. Then, she looked behind them, at the falling dust from Ramiel's demise. Finally, the corners of the girl's mouth curved up into a smile.
Ohgi sat in his small apartment in one of the ghettos, watching over someone in bed. It was Viletta Nu, who he had saved from the ruins caused by the faulty attack on the Angel by the Great Mazingers.
"You're awake?" Ohgi asked.
"Yeah...I think so," Viletta replied.
"What were you doing collapsed there?" the Black Knight then asked. "What's your name?"
"My...name?" Viletta said, as if unsure. "What...is my name?"
Despite all her best efforts, Viletta couldn't remember it. The encounter with Ramiel had wiped her memory clean. Yet, Ohgi felt unsure of himself.
Damn it...what's going on with me? Taking in a Britannian soldier...I'm betraying Zero!
"I don't know who…" Viletta said. She suddenly realized something when the sheets dropped off...she was naked. Ohgi immediately averted his eyes while she yanked the sheets in front of her bare breasts.
"I'm sorry about having to leave you naked!" Ohgi apologized, his face blushing beet-red; "I was able to undress you with my eyes closed, but dressing you…I'm so sorry!"
Viletta couldn't help but be amused by her savior's embarrassment.
"Well, at least I was found by a good man," the amnesiac pilot said. She looked out the window and saw the blue and red dust - Ramiel's remains. Somehow, she felt at ease.
"Well, since you don't remember your name, I'll give you one," Ohgi then said. "At least until you remember everything."
He racked his brain for a moment.
"I'll call you...Chigusa."
"I like it very much," Chigusa immediately said with a smile.
Lelouch was on the stairs leading to the train platform in spite of the warnings for civilians to remain indoors - he had to scout out something for his next plan. But suddenly, Shirley and Ghanima appeared in a flash at the top of the steps.
"Lulu?" Shirley exclaimed.
"Shirley?!" Lelouch exclaimed back, shocked to see her appear so suddenly.
"Such a cruel young man you are, Lelouch vi Britannia," the Principality said; "Deceiving this girl about the fact that you're Zero."
"That...can't be…" Shirley gasped in horror. Her worst fears were true.
"That is correct, Shirley Fenette - Lelouch stole a kiss from your lips with the same mouth that ordered your father's death."
"It wasn't..." Lelouch began, but suddenly switched trains of thought; "Who are you?!"
"I am a servant of Eden Vital," the angel answered; "And I have come to mete out punishment."
Is this winged being with the Eden Vital Church?! Lelouch thought, dreading the idea that his father may have caught on already. Ghanima turned back to Shirley.
"Shirley Fenette, your father's soul is in agony," Ghanima continued; "Unable to return to the source, because of this boy's sins."
In a move that seemed quicker than the eye, the angel got behind Lelouch and grabbed him by the throat with one hand.
"Lulu!" Shirley cried. She looked down, and saw that the winged being was holding a sword, and presenting it to her.
"Take this sword, Shirley Fenette. Free your heart and your father's soul by driving it into his heart."
Shirley took the sword - it felt as light as a feather in her hands.
"You haven't used your Geass on her yet, have you?" Ghanima said; "Be warned, though...if you do, I shall immediately snap your neck."
Why is she doing this? What's she after?!
As Shirley held the sword, feelings of the deepest hate and the greatest love filled her, and the two conflicting emotions made her seem like she was going insane.
"Lulu...it's time to die," she said. "But don't worry...I'll die with you. The Eden Vital faith says that when a person dies, their soul returns to Eden Vital. We can be together there!"
He's putting her up to this! Lelouch thought. He had to get her to stop before they were both dead.
"Shirley, don't listen to her!" he cried out to the girl. "She…"
"I am not the deceiver," Ghanima retorted. "You are, Lelouch."
"But what if there's no afterlife?!" the boy said desperately; "What if this is all there is?!"
"Will you believe this boy, who has told you nothing but lies?" the angel again retorted; "Or the word of God, which is the absolute truth of this world?"
"Shirley, it's true that your father was killed by Great Mazinger," the prince said, trying his best to explain himself; "But I wasn't in control of his actions! Even he wasn't in control of his actions!"
"Shut up…" Shirley said.
"It wasn't me!" Lelouch screamed; "It was that Zonder!"
"JUST SHUT UP!" Shirley screeched.
She took a step forward and swung the blade as hard as she could, but her aim was short - all she accomplished was slashing Lelouch's shirt and coat open, and causing some photos to fall out of his pocket.
The pictures were of her, Lelouch, and the two of them together...pictures they had taken just a few months ago.
"Why do you hold back?" Ghanima asked, surprised that Shirley hadn't delivered the blow; "This man killed your father."
"I...I…"
"If you cannot do it," the angel said, extending her free hand; "Then return my sword to me."
"N...n...NO!" Shirley cried, slashing at the angel - and lopping off her hand. This made Ghanima drop Lelouch.
"Shirley!" Lelouch cried as he rushed over to the girl, who had dropped to her knees. The angel, in spite of having the same, unfeeling expression, was clearly enraged by Shirley's sudden betrayal.
"You impudent little…"
But now was Lelouch's chance - with the Principality making direct eye contact with him, he could attempt to use his Geass.
"...Return from whence you came," the prince commanded, "And never come back!"
Amazingly, Lelouch's power lashed out at the angel, and took over her mind for the sake of completing this one command.
"As you wish," she said. With that, the Principality disappeared into a portal, leaving the two alone.
"Lulu…" Shirley gasped as she got over the shock of the past few moments.
"Shirley, it's all right," Lelouch said, embracing her. "It's over." The girl started to sob again, and embraced Lelouch back.
"Lulu, I'm so sorry...I almost killed you...I..."
"It's all right. You did nothing wrong."
"But I almost killed you!"
"I'm alive, and I forgive you. Any sin you committed is mine to bear."
Lelouch stroked her hair.
"Just forget all the bad things that happened tonight," he whispered.
"I can't!" she sobbed.
But Lelouch knew he couldn't let Shirley live with this knowledge. He had to make her forget if his plan was to be successful.
"You can," he said gently; "I'll let you forget this."
Shirley looked up at him, her gaze meeting his.
"But…" she mumbled.
"Shirley," Lelouch said. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father."
The symbol of Geass appeared in his eye as he prepared to do the deed.
"If we could do this all over again," he muttered; "Maybe you and I could…"
With that, his Geass went to work - it sealed away her memories of the past few minutes...of Ghanima, of Lelouch's secret, and of the fact that she almost killed him.
When it was all over, Shirley blinked as if she had just come out of unconsciousness, and looked around.
"Huh? What are you doing here, Lulu?" she asked. "And what was I doing here, for that matter?"
Just then, Ramiel exploded, showering glittering blue and red dust all over the Settlement.
"Wow! It's so pretty," she squealed; "It's like it's snowing!"
"We came out here to see this," Lelouch lied. "You must have spaced out from the boredom of waiting."
Shirley smiled and let the dust fall on her.
"C'mon, let's get back to school," the prince said, putting an arm around her; "We can enjoy this all the way back."
And that's it for this one!