A/N: Hi everyone, KnightOfZ3R0 here! I just wanted to assure everyone that I'm fine. I've sadly been doing a lot of school work and in my last year, it REALLY counts. So I've been working to meet demands and deadlines, and overall looking into new and old animes and game series (I.E Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, and Devil May Cry, oddly enough.)

So with that, I just want to assure that I'm still working and that I won't rest until the story is done. So don't worry, I'm not going anywhere!

Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.

That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!


Chapter 16: The Frenchman's Duel

WILLE AAA Wunder, Old France

It was a cold morning in the eyes of Captain Katsuragi, as usual, the dark shadow of the moon gave little to comfort in her deepest thoughts. But she couldn't put her finger on what if was rather than why.

Was it her anxiety? Her dread, her grief, her fear? Anything was possible at this point. It may have been because Unit-13 was never recovered. It may have been because they hadn't cracked the Ayanami Clone yet.

Or, the most likely, it was from the vibe the Wunder now had. That dark, unsettling, almost poisonous air within across the ship after Asuka was rescued. And that damn EVA, still being alive...

With the Mark.09 destroyed and Unit-13 missing, Ikari only has Armaros, Towart and a handful of toys left. She considered looking to her desk. But knowing him, Section-31 knows we're coming- hell, they're probably waiting for us to appear. Was it too much to ask them all to just give up? She figured it was stubbornness or arrogance on Ikari's side, but in the end, it wouldn't matter. Stretching, she stood up and pushed in her chair.

Her room wasn't much, it was actually the thing she requested little for- A light wood flooring and white ceiling, a large bed, a lamp, a coffee table, and her computer desk and chair. Simple. Finally, there was a large window which sat beside her bed, overlooking the outside area and the distant area of Old France.

She laid in her darkroom, nothing more but her lingerie on as the thought about life. She hated this, living like this. It was hell and the fact they only touched the surface when needed didn't help either. Still, it beats being stuck in the middle of Old Japan like Asuka. Speaking of Asuka, the redhead was finally resting in her quarters under Mari's watch, which was itself a stretch.

Hell, if anything it was usually the opposite for opposite reasons.

But she trusted Mari- a hell of a lot more than she did with the rest of the crew. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, per se it was just that she didn't know them as much as Asuka or Mari or the former NERV members specifically. They were all newbies, and they had all sorts of pent up anger to take out on NERV and NEVEC.

"A bunch of fools." She peered her gaze to a photo taped onto the wall beside the window. It was taken way back, back in 2018 when their hopes were high. It was Asuka, Mari, Shiro, Kaji and her. She sat on the bedside, eying the smiling face of Shiro with an indifferent look. "It never would have worked in the end, Shiro. And now that you're gone, he's gone too… All that's left is a bunch of old fools, trying to right wrongs..."

"What a sad life to die in, huh old friend?" A speaker crackled to life, announcing their arrival to Paris which was enough to wake her fully. The lavender-haired woman grunted, pulling herself up and grabbing her uniform when her communicator rang. "Fuck…" She groaned louder, pulling it to her ear. "Katsuragi speaking."

"Captain, this is the bridge. We've settled above Old Paris, and the Paris Assault Fleet is coming online. We're on station, ready to prepare a landing zone."

"I'm on my way."


Euro-NERV Paris, Old France

If you were to look at Paris, Old France right here and now, the biggest change you'd see would be the color. Color above all else stood out as if the city was concealed by a red blanket of death. Something Ritsuko was unsure of how it came to be.

The city was abandoned during the Tours invasion, and with little casualties no less. And aside from the now hovering above AAA Wunder and it's new Assault Fleet, nothing was really alive down there. So what caused all this? "You know, it's been close to 16 years since I came to the City of Love." She, looking out the bridge screens to the sodom below. "I never imagined I'd see it, but not like this."

"You assumed that Section-31 would move in and make the city their home?" Katsuragi's voice made the faux-blonde shake her head.

"Far from it, I assumed I'd be dead before ever seeing it again." She replied, quietly listening to the ship crew work and the Wunder's low engine hum. "I wonder… Just what happened here?"

The Captain nodded grimly. "Ritsuko Akagi, famed EVA genius not knowing about something. That's never a good sign," She joked sarcastically, looking over the balcony towards Aboa. "How's it looking down there, Shigeru?"

The man sighed, fixing his glasses. "Not good. The entire city seems to be coated in this weird, core material substance." He explained, pulling up a visual on the main screen. Sure enough, the entire city was covered in red, making it look less like Paris and more like Old Japan.

"Jesus," Some of the crew whispered amongst themselves. "This is horrible…"

"This can't be from Fourth Impact…" Hyuga motioned, glancing at his friend. "Could it?"

"Could it be an experiment under process?" Koji suggested.

"No." Ritsuko's voice cut into everyone's conversation. "When the city was abandoned by Wunder in 2019, it looked nothing like this. It still had color, life- humans. no this, it's like a blanket was put over it."

"Well, regardless of what it is, I don't recommend breathing it in," Kitakami stated. "My scanners are telling me that oxygen levels are badly decreased around the surface, but luckily CO2 tanks can cover for that."

"Can we use the Anti L-Barrier to open the Euro-NERV Facility?"

"Yes, but sadly we can't connect to the Sealing Pillars systems from here," Hyuga spoke up. "We'd have to physically connect to one of the Pillars, then get the Barrier online."

"We'd be wide to attack!" Hideki exclaimed. "And I don't think Wunder could withstand an assault so close to the ground."

"Not if we prepare for one," Misato growled back, turning to Shigeru and Hideki. "I want a crew down there on the surface. Provide whatever land vehicles we have. Establish a perimeter on the surface and shield in the air, and we'll have Unit-05 and 8 as support."

"Aye aye, ma'am!"

"Hideki, contact Maya. Tell her to run this to the pilots, and prepare for mobilization."

"You got it!"

"Until we can lend a hand, Wunder will return to orbit above the city," Misato stated, turning to Sumire. "Sumire, once we land, switch helm control to the MAGI, and shift into System-10-98."

"The Cable Flight system?" The helmsman asked. "We've haven't had time to try it! Ma'am."

"Well now's a good time to, just get on it! Something tells me we're gonna need it," The Captain said, looking at Ritsuko as she added smugly, "Call it women's intuition if you will."


EVA Storage Hangar, AAA Wunder

The main EVA Cage Hangar of Wunder- a humongous oval-shaped room where Unit's 05, 08 and the remains of Unit-02 Dash sat in. They were positioned in the left front cell of the airship, which acted as a makeshift cocoon thanks to the reinforced steel armor plating all around. The EVA themselves sat in crouching positions in their separate cages, automatic systems and human technicians working to prepare them for launch,

"Alright, this is the Mission debriefing, so listen up!" Maya's voice echoed across the deck, gaining everyone's attention now. "Operation Restoration is as follows- a DSVR transport will take me, Vice-Captain Akagi and several technicians down to Euro-NERV's 1st Sealing Pillar, positioned at the Arc de Triomphe. Our ground forces, led by Captain Shikinami, will create a defensive perimeter around the Pillar, while the Assault Fleet and EVA Units will watch the skies for any surprise attacks."

"It should be noted that this is the first time in 10 years that we'll be facing off against NERV's Militia Defense Force, Section-31." She continued. Already the looks of discomfort and dread make her question why add this part in. "It should be noted that since the Battle of Touraine 10 years ago, we got cut off all known communications with this part of Europe."

"We have no idea what the hell these freaks have been doing, or cooking up for us since then. Well, I don't care if it's God's own Anti-Son of a Bitch machine or another goddamn EVA, we're not gonna let 'em have it over us! What we will let them had is a stomach full of their own to drown in!" She barked. "Am I right, troopers?!"

"Ma'am! Yes, ma'am!" The men saluted.

She huffed with a nod. "Damn right I am. Now move it, double time!" She ordered, sending the troops and pilots running to their stations. Well, save for Mari and Asuka who stood beside another figure. "Prodigium, you and Unit-08 are getting upgraded to Anti-A.T Field rounds. We don't have a lot of ammunition, so make every shot count."

"No need to tell me twice." The humanoid replied sharply. He was different from the other pair, dressed in a modified EVA Plugsuit, completely silver with white lines going across. Although aside from his helmet, his Plugsuit had this sort of liquidy, almost look all over it, like he was covered in some invisible liquid.

He turned and left as Maya shifted to Asuka. "Shikinami, you'll be leading our ground forces in land tanks in case Section-31 has anything up their sleeve. As I said, we haven't been here for a good while, so keep your eyes peeled for whatever seems out of the ordinary."

"Oh yes, because an entire city covered in red Angel matter is natural. Trust me, Maya- I'm already on edge," Asuke replied sarcastically, tossing her hair back and turning to Mari. "As for you…" she sighed and brought her hands to her hips. "I don't think Maya or me have to tell you- just get in your EVA and kill whatever tries to attack us."

"Yeah, yeah I got it! Geez, get off my case, Red!" Mari replied, cheekily smiling as she trotted out the room into the hangar. Above her sat Unit-05, which began whirling online as the Entry Plug came to. She merely skipped across the deck, walking up to her own Evangelion as the hangar began opening.

"So… This is Paris, the City of Love huh?" She asked herself, catching a glimpse of the city below as she climbed up to her Entry Plug, which was docked into the floor beside the pink EVA. Sweet. Can't wait to spread all the love I have to offer to those bastards~!


NEVEC US White Sun, Atlantic Ocean

"Alright, move it! Move it! Get those hangar doors closed! We're preparing for landing!" Across the surface of the US White Sun, technicians and crew members rushed to move air and land vehicles were brought into the interior of the floating battleship. Doors began closing, panels sifted to seal exits and entrances, and the lower battery cannons retracted into the ship's hull.

"Bringing low-level systems online!"

"Switching to sub-reactors 1 and 2!... Active!"

"Main engines are disabled, and the cells have been sealed, sir."

"Good, good. Helmsman, take us down!" Musashi ordered, cross-armed in the captain's chair. "Nice and easy…"

"Nice and easy," The helmsman repeated, slowly lowering the ship into the red sea. "Yessir." More and more the White Sun lowered before the bow finally cut into the red waters, sending waves splashing and slamming into the hull. The ship shook through the tremors, coming to a soft end as the ship calmed. "Aaand….. Touchdown."

"Alright. Good job, everyone!" Musashi congratulated, standing up and stretching as the crew relaxed and got to moving again. He looked to his left, seeing Kensuke and Kaji overlooking something in regards to Wunder. "Kensuke, get ready to move out. I'm gonna head down and get the Ikari brothers up to speed."

"You got it, M!" The spectacle-wearing man waved off, continuing to type away at his computer. Musashi sighed irritably. Still the same old kid from who freaked out on Over The Rainbow… literally, the exact. Same. kid.


Training Room Deck 4-18, US White Sun

The corridor was dark as Shinji stepped forward, holding his tactical knife in one hand and his SOCOM in the other. He slowly moved up, his hand shaking as he did. C'mon, Ikari. Get a grip man! He told himself, swallowing his fear. This-This is Shiro we're talking about! He'd never put me in a dangerous position without my opinion…

Just scare the shit out of me and make me crap my pants. As soon as he finished that- As soon as he finished it, a loud bang echoed across the complex, making him flash around in fear. Honestly, he was scared because of how experienced Shiro was in this, he knew his brother could take him down very easily. He was toying with him. He had to be.

This was both terrifying and a bit embarrassing. Here was Shinji Ikari, pilot of Evangelion and brother to Shiro Ikari, and he was about to shit his pants because-

BANG-! CRASH!

He jumped around, raising his knife in time to stop a blade from slashing down. He stumbled back as the figure walked forward, slashing at the walls and making sparks erupt from the connecting metal. Shinji raised his pistol, pulling the trigger to realize he hadn't cocked it.

"Crap!" he squeaked out, trying to take a jab forward. The figure ducked to the side, cutting upwards and sending the pistol flying up. It slid around the floor, out of his vision as Shinji kept his gaze on the figure, who lunged. "Shit!"

He shifted around, slashing the shoulder of the figure and pulling out something from behind. Sharp slashes cut through the air as the figure ducked below Shinji's attack, swiftly kicking his legs. The younger retreated back, pulling his blades up as the older swung down. Hard. They were locked now in a struggle, pushing each other as the fighter pushed his blade forward while Shinji did the same.

They only separated when enough was enough- He kicked Shinji's arms up, forcing him to let go of the blade before he caught it with his open hand, ramming the pommel into Shinji's stomach. Shinji could only counter by using the scabbard, which itself wasn't enough as the weapon dug into it. The man pulled back, letting the youth lower his guard with a heavy breath. "Ha, got you! Shiro-2, Shinji-1." He remarked.

"Where did you learn to count? We're even!" Shinji argued. He grabbed his blade, stretching as the lights came back. They'd discovered during their training session (very late, mind you), that looking around for training weapons could get you some… interesting finds.

Shinji found a new dark-bladed katana, with a flat pommel, a black cord wrap wrapped around a white handle, a white hexagon-shaped guard and matching guard collar, and a long sharp black blade. The scabbard was a matching white with black lines across the wooden frame, wrapped by a handle cord. It wasn't much, but it honestly beats using a small knife.

Not to mention Shinji had no experience shooting a weapon let alone any physical training aside from punching Toji that one time, so running and hiding in the shadows had to work better right? Shiro didn't mind, considering he had trained with wooden swords as a hobby back with NERV-US, so he was familiar with using one.

His Murasama consisted of a dark red blade with a silver line across the side, a black habaki, a matching plus-shaped handguard and a dark grey cord wrapped around the handle itself. But it was the dark grey saya itself that caught their attention- a fusion dance between a thin, rectangular scabbard and an assault rifle- built with a square ammo clip and a trigger to boot.

It was something all right. "So, how did I do?" Shinji asked.

"Well, you know how to hold your ground for one. Problem is you focus too much on what's in front, you leave yourself open to side attacks." Shiro replied, sheathing his blade. "We need to work on A- Building up your metabolism, B- Get you knee-deep into close-quarters combat, and

C- Getting you familiar with weapons and vehicles."

"Yay…" Shinji moaned with more dread.

"Oh don't be such a baby. It won't be too bad," Shiro reassured, swinging it up over his shoulder. "For now, maybe we'll leave the shooting guns part out till after the fighting."

"Nice…" As they spoke, the chamber began shifting, revealing them to be in a large rectangular room. A far door along the far wall opened, revealing Musashi with a calm look, marching up to them.

"Gentlemen," He replied, nodding to them both. "We've just landed in the Atlantic Ocean and are currently 400 miles west of France. It's time to get the Prototype up and at it."

"Perfect, we'll get down to the hangar." Shiro agreed. "Tell Mana to get her Plugsuit and meet up with Kensuke there."

"You got it."


Main Hangar Bay, A few minutes later

The main hangar bay connected to the interior hangar of the White Sun, where they rode the elevator from the training sector to the ship surface. On the elevator was Shinji in his Skull-Plugsuit, Kensuke in a modified Plugsuit (something he called the Anti-L Barrier Suit), Mana in her blue Plugsuit, and finally Shiro in his own.

Compared to then, Shiro's Plugsuit was an infusion of his Null Unit and Unit-13's Plugsuit- the chest plating was flattened with thin orange lines across the shoulders, a dark blue top piece with a dark blue lower half, a light blue diamond centered on his chest, and a triangular-shaped backpack piece. He wore atop his traditional black leather biker jacket, as well as black ritual druid pants and knee-high leather bike boots.

"So, this is our means of transportation?" Shinji inquired, looking at the closing vessel.

"Yep. It's only a prototype like I said, but hopefully, this will be the perfect test run." Kensuke stated, lifting up his case. It was a dark grey rectangular case as long as his arm, with a white line outlining the seals with the words 'NEVEC SCIENCE' on the top. "It's a long, borning military name but we've come to call it the Prototype."

The Prototype looked similar to a military jet if it was stretched out. It had a front egg-shaped cockpit which extended back, covering the pilot and passenger seats as the body connected to the "wings". In reality, the wings were large rings with blue inner outlines on either side. It also has a large rocket engine on the back, topped with a black and white color scheme with red highlights, as well as black/yellow striped caution stripes on the sides.

Shinji snickered. "What a bland name, dude. But still, as long as it can get us from here to there," he pointed out to the distant, half-near invisible landscape ahead. "I'll ride with it."

"So, how fast does this thing go?" Shiro asked, looking it over. "These engines look like they pack a punch."

"R&D has calculated the engines can reach up to 3 to 400 miles per hour." Kensuke stated, "And the main engine could hopefully get up 600."

"Goddamn, that's a helluva jump in boost." he remarked, looking to see the front hangar doors. The wind was cool and salty, something he should have expected, yet it caught him off guard at that moment. He really was out of the loop since then… "So, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started."

"Yessir!" Mana called, walking up to the ship. The glass top opened to reveal the cockpit, which consisted of the front control seat, and several sets of passenger seats behind. She took the front, vehicle Shiro and Shinji took the next set and Kensuke in the back.

The cockpit shut, and Mana quickly got to work warming the system online. The controls came online, reading status and system indications as the disk engines began humming with. The disks glowed with blue outlines, raising the Prototype to a hover while the main engine began to come online.

Mana flipped another switch, and her control screen switched to the White Sun's command bridge. "Oh, Musashi!" She called sweetly. "I'm heading off to work, dear!"

"Oh my God, you really are nutty, you know?" Musashi said, looking back towards her.

"What can I say, I'm just a joyful person."

"I can only imagine how much of the joy you got from Ms. Makimani."

"A lot, I'd say!" Shiro voiced behind her. Shinji rolled his eyes, laying back.

"Well whatever you find joy in, just make sure you send some to Wille and 31 for us, will ya?" Touji walked up, pulling beside Musashi who sent him a glare. "Until we can move closer and fight, we'll be hanging back for now."

"Yes, so for now-!" Musashi forced Touji back, telling him to go do something before returning. "You'll be alone on this one. You already know the mission: Get in, take information, get out. Simple, on paper at least. Be careful."

"Oh please, this is me we're talking about!" Mana remarked, cracking her fingers. "You dare to question my flying skills?"

"I meant Shiro and Shinji, but yeah. Be careful too, Mana." Musashi said, smiling softly. "White Sun out." With the screen flashed off, and the flight lights came online.

"Oh boy, I hope you know how to fly this Mana…" Kensuke said, hugging his computer case tightly.

"Just keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times and for God's sake keep that hand table in the upright position." She bemused, laying out the flight course. She smirked as the engine display ready 'READY.' "Time to go!"

She pressed the controls forward, realizing at the last second she wasn't piloting her TRIDENT! "Oh shit!" She cried out, feeling the Prototype jerk backwards instead. Luckily the ship's automatic systems kicked in, stopping it from hitting anything or anyone. She gulped, feeling the groups stares eying her down.

She chuckled nervously. "Uh hehe, so sorry…" She mumbled, switching the controls from inverted to manual. "Just, uh… yeah, you know… oops. Let's say we try that again, huh?"

"Yes, without the oops please?" Shinji asked, clutching his sword while Shiro grabbed the seat and Kensuke shook like crazy. "Just um…" He pointed forward. "That way."

With that, the Prototype roared forward with a mighty cry, sending the group screaming at the shock while Mana just laughed at the speed. "Yes, yes, yes, hell fucking yes!" She yelled excitedly, spinning the ship as it roared forward. "I am SO keeping this thing!"

"Please don't!" Kensuke cried out.

"I want one too, Kensuke!" Shiro yelled at him. "No-I NEED one of these things!"

"Oh my God! You're crazy!"

"I know, right?!"


Arc De Triomphe, Old Paris

The red city stood eerie, with what little life around existing only thanks to Wunder and her crew. "All units, this is Wunder Command. The Paris Assault Fleet is ready and now descending to Point-0." Hyuga said over the comms.

"Solid copy. All ships take to defensive position Epsilon-Omega-16. Advance from the rear, slowly. Gravity control, shift to AMRC System-10-98."

"Wire Flight System Initializing… All systems clear." Voices rang in and out, all working to protect the center target- a tall, dark grey pillar with a red tint to the sides, leaning just barely towards the Arc De Triomphe. Slowly and steadily, Paris naval battleships, suspended in the air by industrial super wires, descended around the pillar in a protective shell. "Old Paris skyline is currently clear at 360 degrees."

"No identified targets detected."

"Ground forces had confirmed, Category-6 Koaized surface."

"Ship coordinated verified, now arriving at the operation starting point." Steadily the Assault Fleet split apart, rotating and shifting to encircle and glide around the pillar, deck guns and air armament poised outward to reveal the company hidden.

Unit-08 was lowered above the large pillar, slowly tilting and flipping to lower a small landing craft atop the dark tower. It was a simple Altair-designed landing shuttle, stretched out in length for a small crew to work in. Gently the DSVR was set down, the landing gear locking in place as Unit-08 let go and rose up.

"DSVR landed and locked onto Sealing Pillar-01. Oxygen density is at -3 CO2, tolerable. Occupation advised, if possible."

"Understood commencing operation." Out of the DSVR, Ritsuko Akagi stepped out, dressed in a dark green "Anti-L Barrier Suit." In reality, the suits were designed very similar to the EVA Plugsuits, the only difference being in cosmetic design with white lines across the arms or legs and a mechanical helmet for breathing.

The faux-blonde breathed softly, glaring out into the red land. I know you're out there, waiting for us… She said to herself, her lab coat flapping in the wind as the rest of the crew exited the shuttle. But just what are you waiting for, Ikari? What are you hoping to gain without Shinji or Shiro, or Unit-13 even..?

"16 years later… really does break my heart to see the City of Light like this…" She mumbled softly, gripping her command pad tightly. It was time to work. She turned, walking across the landing platforms outline. "The L-Density, as Kitakami said before is very high. Because of this, we'll only have about 720 seconds to complete Operation Restoration and activate Euro-NERV Sealing Pillar-01."

"720? Goddamn, that's a small window…" Hideki mumbled, glancing over to his companion- himself, , Kitakami, Hyuga, Maya, and another technician. "Can't help but wonder if we'll be recovered in that window or not."

"As long as we get an advantage over NERV or NEVEC, I don't care," Hyuga replied, typing rapidly into his computer. Because they didn't have any real means of connecting into the Sealing Pillars systems, they had to rely on old-school USB connections. Luckily, as if by fate, the connector ports all still worked for the most, so they had the means to activate it all.

Kitakami groaned, stepping down the ladder in her dark purple Anti-L Barrier Suit. "I honestly would prefer if these were only worn by the pilots," She said, looking over her body shamefully. "It brings out all… my curves, you know?"

"Aww, but Kitakami!" Mari's voice whined through the comms. "I thought you were all about showing off to all the boys on the ship~"

"L-Lieutenant!" She squeaked, getting snickers from the others. Well, mostly everyone.

"Shut up and get to work." Maya ordered, typing away furiously at her computer. As she continued, another Evangelion lowered with a soft humming. "We have more important things to-"

"God Ibuki, do you EVER show any other emotion other than hate?" Prodigium's voice came from the landing Unit-05, lowering its Sankaku lance. Compared to before, Unit-07 was rearmed to fix the mission with a Heurtebize Flight System. It consisted of long, forward-facing curved wings that sat on the EVA's back, built with vents like exhausts and propeller-like thrusters on both wings.

"Oh shut up, Prod!" Maya snapped. "Like your any better with emotions."

"Yeah, well at least I know I have them compared to some people," He stated, flexing his fingers across the Entry Plug controls. "You know.. Certain brown-haired women… dressed in a yellow suit… typing like a psycho hacker."

"God I hate you."

"Oh, you shut up! Come back when you develop some actual human emotions!"

"Enough, focus on the job!" Ritsuko stated, getting them back into gear. Kitakami connected her system to the Sealing Pillar, fixing in command lines and sequences to help disarm the first security system line.

"So we're still on the right path? We'll be able to activate the Anti-L System?" Maya questioned.

"If everything goes smoothly, all we'll need is to make it to Stage-4," Hideki replied, sending a look to the message on the panel top, written in blood. "And all of this thanks to our predecessor."

The message was simple: 'I leave the rest in your hands.'

It was enough to motivate them, at least Maya believed it was. Your wish is our command. We will perpetuate it into saving this city, she prayed silently. "Good, let's get to work." She ordered. The crew continued, finally connecting and initializing the main decryption key.


Old France beachline

The Prototype continued through the skyline, the distant frame of Wunder appearing. "There it is," Mana called, gliding the vessel closer to the ocean. "Wille's AAA Wunder, dead ahead! You sure you still want to do this?"

"We came this far, no point in going back." Shiro nodded sternly. "Do what you must, Mana."

"Alright, this is nuts… I love it!" She exclaimed, flipping another control switch. The engines pulsed stronger, the main cell flaring with fury as the white hover jet rocketed forward. "And into the fire, we go!"


Meanwhile

Silently the warships hovered about, eying the skies as Unit-05 eyed the ground around them. The DSVR crew meanwhile worked continuously around the clock, making finally to the 4th decryption cluster after the first 30 seconds. All of a sudden, Kitakami's radar flashed and Unit-05 gave a deep growl. "DSVR Crew, this is Wunder! We're detecting multiple energy signatures en route!"

"We see it too!" Kitakami called out, looking towards the distant approaching lights. "They're coming just as we anticipated!"

"Mark.44A's moving in a front line formation!"

"Damn, it really is Section-31. Aoba, Koji- redirect power towards the Flight Systems and artillery cannons, now!" Katsuragi's voice rang out.

"Target's identified: Custom NERV 44A Aerial-Type unit, 4 o'clock high!" Sure enough, it was NERV's military arsenal, Section-31. Like that of the standard Evangelion model, the armor color was a dark red and black, spread out in a flying position across a metal frame. The arms and legs were swapped out, replaced with sets of spinning pylons that rotated to produce lift. Where the head one sat were now 2 Angel Masks, the "front" of the unit wielding a Spear of Longinus replica blade.

Luckily for WILLE, they were easy to handle against an Evangelion. "Mari, you and Prodigium intercept them and hold the air combat away from us," Ritsuko ordered, glaring at the distant units. "Give us 560 seconds."

"Already on it/ Roger that!" The EVA pilots replied, with Unit-05 roaring forward. Unit-08's arms shifted and cracked open, revealing hidden Anti-A.T wrist cannons within. "I'll do you the honor of taking down those 44A's and-"

"Too late, I'm already fighting them." Prodigium deadpanned, hacking and slashing into the first few that grew close to it. Whichever ones tried to fly around were quickly shot down by the Anti-A.T cannons, hidden within the shoulder pylons. "You should really get out there, Mari. They have all sorts of experimental weapons in the works…"

"Are you serious?! No fair!" Mari called, feeling her EVA begin to rise. "Okay Nagara, baby. My Cable Flights in your hands!" In a flash her Unit skyrocketed into the sky, motioning with ballet-like movements in the winds as another way of 44A's grew close. "Alright test time's up, let's do this!"

"LEEERRROOOYYY JJJEEENNNKKKIIINNNSSS!" She screamed, firing every barrage she could at the upcoming targets. The Mk.44A's exploded in a line of stars and Angel core energy, which was added on as Unit-05 flew low and high, slashing and kicking whatever gunned at it.

Akagi watched as the battle continued afar, feeling the ground around the tower shake. She narrowed her eyes. "Asuka, handle the Mk.21's please." She ordered.

"Understood." Below on the ground, dark red EVA Mk.21 Crawler-Type units marched forward, disguised by the maroon landscape. Compared to the Mk.44A's, the Mk.21's were smaller and designed on a spider-like basis. Deep red camouflage color covered their frame, while the arms and legs bent to allow the clawed hands to grasp and gouge at the floor. The heads were humanoid in design, covered by Angel masks with large Longinus replica blades locked into the shifted shoulder blades.

They crawled forward, followed by close military troopers clothes and oddly shirtless, each one whispering or giggled madly as they drew close. All of a sudden, one of the troopers shrieked "Incoming!" and a barrage of explosions followed suite.

Before the Crawler unit stood a tank battalion, better yet the WILLE European Battalion. Most of the tanks were large, military-grade Challenger-02 tanks. Compared to most, the tanks were designed with twin cannons with large ramming steel blades on the front. The head tank was large compared to the others, about the width of two tanks put together with a… unique design.

It was built with a rectangular head front with a folded front face, a set of large "arms" which were long tread runners below, and a large sloped shaped red which was more or less a large grille with rocket booster under the armor frame and a large missile launcher on the top.

"Well, that was easy." The pilot stated, leaning back. He looked down to the commander of the Battalion. "Captain Shikinami, the defensive line is set and ready."

"Good. Bring Shagohod forward," Asuka ordered, climbing up into the cockpit. The control center wasn't much as it consisted of three pilots, but Asuka's command sat at the far back of the 'head' unit. "Let's burn these 31 fuckers alive."

"Aye aye, ma'am."


AAA Wunder, Old Paris

"Captain, Unit's 5 and 8 have engaged the first Mark.44A wave. Captain Shikinami reports that Section-31 is being handled on the surface." Aoba reported.

Katsuragi nodded. "Good, keep us posted and look out for anything that might be-"

"Incoming!" Sumire yelled lately, a strong burst explosion crackling beside the Wunder bridge. The ship shook at the attack, and continuously a barrage of bullets and missiles raced towards Wunder.

"What the hell?!" Koji cried out, looking to the front screens as the proximity alarms blared. "What was that?!"

"Aoba, get me visual!" Katsuragi snapped. The camera adjusted, revealing a large military air fleet of the sorts. Almost as if to mock Wunder, the fleet consisted of 3 large Gunboats, 4 Assault Cruisers, 5 Destroyers, 2 Combat ships and distant command Battleship at the rear. Each ship was designed and colored with red and black colors, and the Neo-NERV sigil carved into their hulls.

"It's Section-31! They're trying to take us down!" Aoba stated.

"Oh, thank you for telling me the obvious Aoba!" Katsuragi growled sarcastically. "Artillery center, fire all main cannons!"

"Yes, ma'am!" In an instant, Wunder's front cannons began railing hell back at the oncoming invasion, trying desperately to hold them off. Worst of all, Wunder couldn't activate the A.T Field thanks to the Flight System, so they were stuck in a now endless battle of explosions.

The WILLE fleet around the large vessel began to fire as well, autonomous cannons fired and bursting bullet barrages at the fleet. Airships and jets alike rushed by, roaring through the clouds and sky as Wunder and the fleet shot them down. Mark.44A's and dark-colored gunships flew by, exploding or sending explosions out their turrets as they flew by.

And sure enough, a familiar white and black jet flew through the explosions. "Holy shit, 31's really giving them hell!" Mana gasped, watching the sky burn with fire and explosions.

"Then let's just hope we'll be off by the time they're done fighting," Shiro commented, watching Wunder's frame fire whatever weapons it could at the Fleet. "Get us to the communications tower, we'll get in from there!"

"Right!" The Prototype tossed and turned in the wind, luckily not running into anything as it gunned close as possible to Wunder's rear communications tower. It was untouched luckily, and as they came to the tower, the crew discovered that the emergency hatch was luckily unexposed to any sort of visual feed. "Alright, everyone off!"

The belly of the Prototype opened to reveal an energy cannon, which quickly fired a burst of energy that burned the door open. The cockpit opened, and quickly Shiro jumped off onto the tower side. "Mana, get outta here!" Shiro ordered, helping pull Shinji and Kensuke into the Wunder. "Get back to White Sun and wait for the signal!"

"You got it, boss," Mana replied, turning the Prototype. "I'll contact you when you're ready!" With the jet raced away, leaving the group to press on into the warship fortress.