Chapter 35: Unity in Duty

Scripts of holy danger, indeed.

I spent hours tonight, pouring over the armful of scrolls that I secreted away from a cave in section 20. The same as last night, and the night before. The secrets I have learned… They have changed the world with just their unveiling. Ancient beings from another world, inheritors of wondrous power, seeding life on this planet… and a pathway to godhood. 'Union of the instruments of souls', it is called in these Dead Sea scrolls.

It is mine. It

willbe mine. Mine and mine alone, for the moment. No one else here must know of this. Not until I am ready to begin considering… the future. The perfection of the soul, given time to implement it…

- From the personal journals of Lorenz Kihl, June 25th, 1920

Training Simulators, HERZ-Matsushiro, Late October 2016

Daniel sighed quietly as he watched the screens that showcased the views of the pilots, behind them a room with rows and rows of what looked like sawed-off Frame Plugs, 30 in all, spaced a few meters apart as a good number of them shifted on gimbal mounts to simulate the movement of the Evangelions.

At the far end, three people, Eleanor among them, were testing the gimbal system on one of the simulators while Daniel watched, sipping from his soda every once in a while and adjusting the beret of his new uniform. After a few more moments of testing, Eleanor apparently directed them to close it up as she made her way back to the observation room.

"So," Daniel said casually as he glanced at a screen, showing Asuka overseeing a spar between Marie Vincennes and one of their newest trainees, "how's everything holding up?"

"Shipshape in Bristol fashion, dear." Eleanor replied with a slight smile. She came to a stop by his side, crossing her arms as she swept her gaze across the screens. "How are the new arrivals?"

"Holding up." Daniel glanced at another screen, one that showed Shinji hanging back as Musashi sparred with one of the said new arrivals, one Floro Rodriguez of Nova Brasília. "Shinji's idea of having our first-wavers help train them was, frankly, brilliant."

Eleanor nodded slowly as she watched Mari and Mana as they marshaled Keita Asari and Saveli Koslov, one of the Russian arrivals, through a simulated "kill-town", the Russian man's brilliant blue eyes squinting slightly as he put bursts of Pallet Rifle fire into a few of the Sachiel-type Angels that came after them.

"I would think so. It's good to see him settling into leadership, even if it really doesn't matter to the rest of the kids." Eleanor glanced over. "How's the new uniform feel?"

Daniel glanced down at himself. The uniform was rather austere, a white undershirt covered by a black zip-up jacket over black pants. Pinstripes of red surrounded by white traveled down from the shoulders, one bleeding down the front of the left shoulder to expand around the green insignia of HERZ on a background of white circled by red that met at the bottom again to bleed down into a similar field, rectangular this time, that read, in English and Japanese, 'D. Theisman' in black. On the right side of the chest, the pinstripe bled down to a red rank bar that showed two diagonal dashes and a white star that denoted his rank as Major. A black beret completed the outfit.

"Terribly dashing." Daniel replied. "The beret's a bit much, though. I kind of envy your coveralls."

Eleanor glanced down at her black coveralls, uniform in color save for an embroidered insignia and name bar similar to Daniel's, and a similarly embroidered rank bar showing her own status as a Major. "Oh, well. Maybe you should transfer back to Engineering if you like these."

She bobbed her head side to side before grinning lopsidedly. "I might bust you down a rank or two, see what it feels like to be in charge of you this time around."

Daniel arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you already in charge of me anyway?" he asked levelly.

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she punched Daniel's shoulder lightly. "Very funny. How are the others liking the uniform change?"

"Well…" Daniel began.

The door to the observation room opened behind them, and Daniel and Eleanor turned to see Misato and Ritsuko stride in.

Misato looked the part of a Commander of HERZ, her beret sporting a red stripe around its circumference and her rank bar a solid red with two white stars. Ritsuko looked somewhat odd without her seemingly signature white lab coat, the hair cascading out from under her beret brunette starting to run into the last of her signature blonde, and her rank bar sporting a single white star.

Daniel came to attention, snapping off a salute as he fought to keep a smile from his lips. "Major General. Brigadier General."

Misato sighed as she rolled her eyes, smiling slightly even as she returned the salute. "Major. No need for the formalities, Daniel. We aren't linking up with any military operations soon, hopefully."

She and Ritsuko came to a stop by Daniel and Eleanor. "How are the trainees?"

"The first-wavers are doing well enough as trainers." Daniel said as he turned back to the screens. "Musashi's calmed down significantly, now that he has the sort of responsibility the kids have, and Orien is honestly a star when it comes to this. As for the second wave, the Tsung twins from the Republic of China, Zhou and Hua, are doing well under Asuka and Mavuto's watchful eyes. Galina Ivanov and Saveli Koslov, our Russian reps, are similarly fine. We've had to keep Floro Rodriguez and Blanca Palmeiro away from each other. Apparently, there's some bad blood between Nova Brasília and the Middle American States still left over from the Impact Wars."

"And how about Ms. Vincennes?" Ritsuko asked.

"Well…" Daniel looked back at Marie and Zhou Tsung's spar. They all watched as Zhou ducked and weaved through Marie's strikes, a seeming history in martial arts on display as the Unit-0T he piloted jumped away from a kick from Marie's Unit.

On a panel that showed her cockpit view, Marie's brow was furled in concentration as she kept her guard up to protect herself from the flurry of strikes that came after her. She threw a series of punches back, the first deflected, the second blocked.

The third slipped through, catching Tsung by surprise as it connected to his Unit's shoulder. Marie pressed the attack, punches and kicks starting to slip through Zhao's guard more and more.

Then Zhao caught a kick, grabbing onto Marie's leg and pulling her Unit off balance before sending it to the ground in a leg lock.

Marie struggled for a moment before her Unit tapped the ground, and Zhao let go, the bout over.

"She's at about the level Shinji was before Asuka started training him." Daniel shook his head slightly after a moment. "But the fact that she's at that point after only a week is amazing. She's logged more time in the simulators than most of the other pilots. I'd almost say she's running Asuka a little ragged if she wasn't enjoying it as much as she is."

"And the final test?"

"Maya has it all programmed in, and I'm confident that the first-wavers will be able to scrape through if nothing else."

Eleanor glanced over at Ritsuko. "Speaking of Maya, how's everyone settling into the Science Division?"

Ritsuko sighed quietly. "Well, I think the Ikari's, Mrs. Soryu, Mother, Kyu, and Fuyutsuki are doing quite well adjusting to Maya leading them in their efforts to study Eva, AT Field, and LCL related technology. Young Mr. Aida is doing promising work, linked to the pilots as he is, generating new equipment ideas for your division to try and make a reality. So, really, it's quite exciting, from what I can tell."

Eleanor nodded as she turned back to the screens. "So, dear," she asked Daniel, "which ones did you settle on?"

"Now, now." Daniel gave a wry grin as he reached for the control panel. "No need to spoil the surprise, is there?"

He opened a channel to the active Simulation Plugs. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, go ahead and pause what you're doing. The pilots of HERZ and our second wave of Pilots can go ahead and get out. As for the first-wavers…"

He paused for a moment as he smiled slightly. "Go ahead and sit tight. We've got one more thing for you guys today."

Daniel shut off the channel as he waited patiently. Soon, the side doors opened, and pilots began to stream out, the hiss of deactivating Frame Plugsuits revealing the foreign pilots' military fatigues and the Children's spiffy new uniforms, the members of HERZ taking berets from the holders on their shoulders as the second-wavers streamed out of the room, exchanging goodbyes with their trainers.

Asuka glanced around at the collected group of HERZ members. "Damn, but we do look good, don't we?" she said with a self-indulgent grin.

"Oh, yes, princess." Mari replied, her tone almost luxuriant as she spun around. "We look like a right and proper unit, now."

The other pilots nodded. "Indeed." Kaworu replied. "There's a divide from our casual clothing that engenders a sense of unity that I find… quite appealing."

As a susurrus of agreements echoed through the room, Toji looked over at Ritsuko. "Do you know when Ms. Maya will be getting here with lunch?"

Ritsuko looked back at the door, covertly opening her Sight. "She should be here right… about…"

The door at the far end of the room opened again, showing Maya carrying several bags. "Fresh from Tokyo-2 via teleportation!" she said with an excited smile. "Now, where's the table?"

Daniel got out his clear-pad and tapped on the screen a few times, and a long table, usually used for after-action reports, began to rise out of the center of the room's floor, a side panel opening to show folding chairs tucked away.

"Go ahead and set up, and I'll give them the briefing." Daniel said, and the others moved into quiet action as he and Misato keyed up the now expectant pilots.

"Alright, pilots," he began, pausing for a moment as he waited for everyone's attention, "You've proven that you can stand on your own two feet, fight off threats large and small on your own or in twos and threes."

"But as the old saying goes, no person is an island. There may come a time when multiple nations' Evangelions are called upon to combat some threat that one nation's Evas cannot alone. Thus, this, which could be considered your final test before you're marked down as honest-to-god Evangelion pilots."

"The mission is simple. There is a Zeruel-type Angel that has entered the city, escorted by several other Angels. Your mission is to destroy the Zeruel-type Angel without losing a member of your team to Plug destruction. If you can still move, fight in whatever way you can. Even if it is simply through neutralizing a target's AT Field, you are able to do far more in a situation that would see any regular soldier out of the fight. You have two minutes to choose your weapons load-outs, devise a strategy, and deploy. The test will begin then. Good luck."

He closed the channel, looking over at Misato as she looked at him almost expectantly. "So," she said, "how do you think they'll do? Individually, I mean?"

Daniel shrugged as they turned to walk towards the table, three triangular clusters of screens floating above both ends and the middle. "Honestly, I think the ones that'll be able to pull together easiest are Orien and Arantxa. Keita will follow their lead. He's good at being part of a group. Mavuto and Musashi, though…" he hummed softly. "We'll see about them."

With that, Daniel and Misato took two boxes of takeout and settled in to watch the test with discerning eyes.

. . .

JSSDF First Lieutenant Musashi Lee Strasberg furrowed his brow slightly as he selected a Pallet Magnum, a Pallet Rifle, and a Progressive Glaive as his loadout. 20 seconds, easy. That left 100 more seconds to wait for the others to stop chattering amongst themselves, give him a job, and let him do his thing. It was how things had worked back then, after all. It was how he'd gotten stuck with Asari, the quiet, anxious kid who he'd doubted at first could even shoot a rifle. But it was what it was. He'd make do with what he got, as he'd always had.

"Strasberg."

Musashi blinked as he looked over at the panel that had popped up, containing all the other pilot's faces. It was Lieutenant Commander Wallace's voice that had dragged him out of his reverie.

"Whatever else comes, we need to make sure we punch through to that Zeruel-type that Major Theisman mentioned. I want you and First Lieutenant Asari to link up with me and form a point team to engage and eliminate the Angel as quickly as possible. Can I trust you to lead us on point?"

Musashi blinked, then blinked again, taken aback for a moment. "You're sure?"

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be asking. You seem to have a knack for getting out of tough spots, from what I've seen of your records and performance. We'll need that if we're going to get to the Angel in good enough shape to destroy it."

"What about the others?"

"Etxebarria and Okorie will be dealing with anything on our flanks, either at long range or sticking close to us. Simple, effective. All this plan needs us to be is quick on our feet to any changes these Angels throw at us."

'Wow. He's serious about this.' It was a breath of fresh air, really, someone who trusted him with an actual command of… something. "I'll… I'll do my best."

"That's all anyone's asking for. What's your loadout?"

Musashi spelled it out, and Orien nodded. "Alright then. Asari, you and I will likely want to bring something heavier, then. Maybe a few of those Positron Rifles that Ms. Ayanami says helped win the fight against the original Zeruel."

Keita nodded. "Sounds good."

A tone sounded. "30 seconds to deployment." an automated voice chimed.

"Alright. Everyone ready?"

A few nods and affirmations preceded a countdown. "5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Simulation activating."

. . .

Asuka's brow rose as a familiar sight faded into view. 'Tokyo-3, huh? Call us all sentimental, I guess.'

Her gaze was attracted to the Angels that faded in on the far side of the city from where the pilots had spawned in. There was Zeruel, as promised, but…

"Israfel?" she asked as she looked over at Daniel. "That's a little mean to stack on top of three Sachiels. And…" she squinted her eyes at a portion of the screen. "Is that a flying Gaghiel?"

"Yeah, it is." Maya piped up with a slight grin. "We decided to tone down Israfel so that its individual parts could be destroyed. Of course, we gave the Sachiels a few little boosts to make up for it."

"And as for the flying whale?" Hikari asked archly.

Maya shrugged. "A little extra spice, as it were, for the pilots to experience and overcome. At least," she glanced at Daniel meaningfully, "that's how you put it."

. . .

"Alright. Let's start with some intel. Asari, run a scan, see what we're up against."

JSSDF First Lieutenant Keita Asari swallowed silently as he queried the system on who, exactly, they were going to be fighting against.

"It looks like we have… three Sachiel-types clustered together on our target's right, an…" his eyes narrowed for a moment. "Israfel-type, on its left, and a Gaghiel-type circling about a half a kilometer out from it. All of them are about 4.5 to 5 kilometers out."

"Alright." Wallace said with a nod. "Etxebarria, hang back with your sniper rifle, see what you can do about that flying whale. Okorie, keep track of the Sachiel-types, let us know if one or more breaks towards us. Asari, Strasberg, and I will hit the Israfel-type before we get to the Zeruel. Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, sir. I'll keep the sky-whale off you boys." Etxebarria turned away, her Unit-0T's head scanning for a good sniper's nest.

"And I'll be ready to tangle up the Sachiels, Captain America." Okorie chuckled as his Unit-0T began to move off.

"And that leaves us." Wallace said, his words hiding a quiet sigh. "Strasberg, lead us out. Asari, stay on his right. I'll cover his left."

Keita nodded as he adjusted his grip on the Positron Rifle somewhat uncertainly. "Alright. I'm ready to move, Musashi."

"Sounds good. Let's get moving." Musashi replied, his Unit-0T walking forward at a measured pace, Pallet Rifle sweeping the area in front of him as Wallace and Keita formed up into a triangle behind him.

The first few minutes were… quiet. Almost unbearably so. Keita was grateful that the Eva's link to him filtered out the jitters he was having in the Plug, keeping his sweeps and aiming steady as a rock.

He jumped slightly as he heard the crack of the sniper rifle Arantxa (she had insisted he call her that, for whatever reason) wielded, a bolt of light visible for the briefest of seconds before an AT Field sprang into existence, its prismatic glow lighting up the city briefly as Arantxa's round went spinning away. With a growl that seemed to seep into Keita's bones, he glanced at his sensor screen as the arrow tagged 'G-Type' began to angle towards her dot.

"Oooookay." Arantxa said. "It looks like I'm going to be playing some hide and seek, see how long that lasts. Good luck, boys."

"Good hunting, Etxebarria." Wallace replied. "Stay safe. Okorie, what's your status?"

"Coming up on the Sachiels now." Okorie replied, his voice at first full of what seemed like barely constrained giddiness that faded away to a level tone. "I'll be getting their attention soon enough. You just worry about that Israfel-type you'll be coming up on. Good hunting, Strasberg, as Wallace says."

"Thanks." Musashi said, only somewhat uncertainly. "Let's get moving. The longer we waste time, the more likely everyone else gets overwhelmed."

With that, the point team picked up the pace, heading towards its first obstacle.

. . .

Shinji chewed thoughtfully on his lunch as he watched Okorie creeping towards the cluster of Sachiel-types, hugging the buildings and crossing quickly, then quickly again, then pausing behind cover close to them for a moment as they looked his way, and he slowly readied a Pallet Rifle.

"Hmmm…" Toji considered the scene for a moment as well before glancing over at Ritsuko. "You mentioned Ken was our link to the Science Division a few days ago, right?"

Ritsuko nodded wordlessly as they all watched Okorie jump out, seeming to startle the pack of Sachiels as he sprayed low, his AT Field smothering the Angel's own Fields as the bullets hit legs and knees, sending one of them to a knee as he got in close, kicking it in the face and sending it sprawling as he smashed the butt of the rifle into the Sachiel on his right, firing wildly in the other direction until he started hitting the third.

"I just recall hearing Mavuto say that his preferred weapons were a semi-automatic shotgun and a machete, is all." Toji continued after a moment. "How likely would fabricating something like those on an Eva scale be?"

"With our current capabilities, anything is possible, really." Ritsuko shrugged as the Sachiel sprawled on the ground snaked out from under Mavuto, getting behind him and raising an arm whose spike slid out the elbow somewhat, beginning to glow with a familiar, baleful light as its spike lanced towards the Eva that held its companions off.

As the spike bounced off an AT Field, causing the Angel to stumble back, Ritsuko continued. "Of course, until we manage to rebuild the Geofront and our manufacturing capabilities, getting the sorts of weapons you, or Mr. Okorie, want is going to be somewhat difficult. The world's Evas will be operating on what little NERV surplus we can manage to liberate from here and the old manufactories in China for a while yet until we get the space to start things up."

Toji's lips twisted slightly as he shrugged. "Oh, well, I guess."

He looked back at Mavuto as he continued to tie up the Sachiels, finally catching one in the core as it stumbled back and draped itself across a building. "I gotta say, for something you said was buffed up, Ms. Maya, they don't seem to be doing much."

What could almost be considered an impish grin slowly spread across Maya's face. "Oh, don't worry." she said sweetly. "Now that one is down, the others should start working right about…"

. . .

Senior Lieutenant Mavuto Okorie was in his element, his face still, his eyes darting from one target to another as he silently sized up the Angel in front of him. He stepped back discarding a now empty Pallet Rifle and unholstering a Pallet Magnum. 'Come on, you tar-bodied bastard. Try me.'

The Sachiel-type he held his focus on, as well as his AT Field's degrading effect, charged forward. Time seemed to slow, and the Angel's exposed core gleamed as he raised his pistol and fired.

And yet, as he pulled the trigger, his eyes widened as the core slid down into its stomach, his bullet plowing into empty flesh. 'What? Damn cheater…'

He jumped back as the Angel tried to bear hug him, aiming at the Angel's companion and firing wildly at him. The Angel decided to surprise him by blinking out of existence for a moment, reappearing to the right of where it once stood just far enough for most of the bullets to miss it. And for the first time in a long time, years spent in combat, Mavuto grimaced.

The Angel stood there for a moment as if to taunt him, then turned and began to stride away, blinking forward every minute or so. Not that he could do anything about it, as the Sachiel that had a slippery core began to bear down on him with an intensity that almost startled him.

"Wallace!" he shouted into a hastily opened commlink. "You've got a Sachiel-type coming after the point team! It teleports!"

. . .

Lieutenant Commander Orien Wallace glanced over as he heard Okorie's warning, scanning the terrain until he found the street the Angel was advancing on. True to Okorie's word, it snapped out of existence for a moment before appearing further down the street by about 95 or 100 feet. Then its eyes flashed, and he threw up his AT Field as its beam attack hammered at the barrier.

'Damn it.' he shook his head slightly as he squeezed off a burst of fire that passed through the air which the Angel had stood. 'And we're this close to the Israfel-type, too. I hope we don't get its notice just yet.'

It was a somewhat foolish hope, he knew, as he opened a channel to Asari and Strasberg. But hope had gotten him this far, hadn't it?

"Strasberg, Asari, keep pushing towards the Israfel-type. We've got a tango on our tail. I'll keep it busy. Kill that thing as quickly as possible, and I'll link back up with you after I've secured our flank."

The other two stated their understanding as they moved off, and Orien sighted the Sachiel-type again. "Alright…" he muttered as he waited for the Angel to make its move.

Then it was almost in front of him, reaching out as its arm spikes began to glow. Orien jumped back as the arm spikes slammed against a hastily erected AT Field, and he tried to neutralize the Angel's AT Field as much as possible as he fired at the Angel again and again.

A few shots tore through the Angel's field, slamming into a shoulder, a hip, and one just missing the core. It stumbled back, and Orien pressed the attack, continuing to fire.

Round after round of superheated energy packets drove into the Angel as Orien pressed forward, the muzzle of his Positron Rifle slamming into the Sachiel-type's chest just under its core as he slammed it back into a building, feeling the rumble and seeing the plumes of dust and smoke bloom out from behind it.

Before he could angle the rifle up into the core, the Angel vanished, causing Orien to lean forward for a moment before he regained his balance, scanning his surroundings until he almost passed it leaning against a building. Now was his chance.

He charged forward, his AT Field unfurled to smother any defense that the Angel could put up as a Progressive Knife handle deployed from a sheath at his hip, and he grabbed at it, the blade beginning to glow nearly white-hot as he readied it. He just needed a few seconds…

The Angel turned towards him, slowly raising an arm as the spike slid back and began to glow again. But Orien barreled past the attack, batting the arm aside with the body of his Positron Rifle as he stabbed into the opening created by his swing, and smiling slightly as he heard the satisfying crack of the Angel's core shattering as it slipped down the building.

Orien took a deep breath, then started making his way towards the point team, opening a channel to the whole team as he did. "Asari, Strasberg, I'm on my way. Etxebarria, Okorie, status update. How're we doing?"

"This damn Sachiel is a nuisance, but I'll keep it tangled up. You go get the glory, Captain." Orien was somewhat surprised to hear the annoyance in Okorie's voice.

"Well…" Etxebarria started, an edge of anxiety in her voice as he heard a crash through both her comm panel and out in the distance. "It could certainly be going worse, I'll admit."

. . .

A part of Lieutenant Commander Arantxa Etxebarria's mind wondered if the Angel really would have been this durable as it plowed through her fourth sniper nest. She would have been keeping an eye on the others when she could if this thing wasn't so dogged. Like a certain APC from back in the war…

No. No. Memories later, big fuck-off monster now.

"I'm keeping this thing off you boys, at least for now. I don't know how much longer that will last, though."

There was a pause for just a moment, then Wallace replied. "Okay. Lead it this way. I'll help you take it down. Strasberg, Asari, it looks like you'll have to-"

"No more need to worry, Cap." Okorie cut in. "I've dealt with the Sachiel-type, finally. I'll help our valkyrie lady, you get back to your point team and get started on that Zeruel thing."

"Alright, then. Sounds good. Etxebarria, look out for Okorie, and keep that thing busy."

"Will do. Not that it's going to be too hard."

With that, the link closed, and Arantxa dashed to the side, dodging out of the path of destruction that the Gaghiel-type blazed past her before soaring up into the sky again.

"Wow. It was not hard to find where it was going." Okorie said through a new link. "I'm on my way now. Any sort of plan to kill this thing?"

"Well, the last time I looked while I was running from this thing," Arantxa began as they saw it begin to lazily arc around back towards them and she lined up a shot, "it looked like its core was in its mouth. Pretty far back, too. I just need it to open its mouth again…"

"I'll see what I can do about that." Okorie said. "Get back. Very far back. I'll lead it to you."

Arantxa blinked as she began to move, then connected the dots. "Oh, you are only the sixth craziest person I have ever met in a battle zone. I really hope this works."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll make it work."

As she moved off, she noted that Okorie had unfurled his AT Field to smother the Gaghiel-type's, and she heard the chatter of Pallet Rifle fire for a moment, glancing back for a few seconds to see the sky-whale slowly angle back towards Okorie.

She found a spot about a kilometer and a half back, off to the side a bit to ensure that Okorie could run past, and set up to aim downrange, humming a slow, deliberate tune that her mother used to hum when she was in a similar position, full of long notes perfect for keeping a rifle still enough for a shot.

Her humming was interrupted for a moment as she felt the Angel hit the ground again, the rumble of it scraping across the ground seeming to seep into her bones as she lined up the shot one last time.

"Whatever you do, don't panic." she heard Okorie say calmly, even as she heard his thundering footsteps over the commlink.

"You're telling me?" Arantxa's eyes narrowed slightly as she focused on the targeting reticle that showed Okorie's Unit-0T keeping ahead of the Angel by the barest of margins. He really was mad, wasn't he?

He also wasn't going to be stopping it with an AT Field anytime soon. "See if you can get further ahead of it. I'm going to try putting an AT Field in front of it. A rather special one."

"I'll try." was the only reply she got as she got to work, barely noticing Okorie pick up the pace. Mayumi hadn't been able to teach her much in the way of physical combat, but AT Fields apparently seemed to be something of a specialty of hers, if she wasn't being smothered by a Dummy System…

Focus. Draw a line in the ground, and wait… wait… 'watch the little lilies float, gently down the stream…'

Then, Okorie was across the line, and the AT Field flared to life, the Gaghiel-type slamming face-first into what was a torus of prismatic light, the edges curving towards the Angel and keeping it in place even as it thrashed about. It wasn't an overly complex structure, by any means, but it took more focus than any usual solid barrier would. 'Alright. Come on. Shout in frustration already, you overgrown trout…'

Finally, it opened its jaws again, and with Okorie already smothering its AT Field, Arantxa smiled as she pulled the trigger, a lance of tungsten-carbide shattering the core at the back of its throat.

It gurgled into silence, and the AT Field faded away as the jaws slammed shut.

"Alright, then." Okorie said, looking up at the digital beast with what could be considered awe for a moment. "Let's go slay another dragon."

. . .

Musashi focused on the orange, almost hunch-backed figure in front of him, his Progressive Glaive retrieved from his back, his Pallet Rifle stowed away there.

This Angel, and its clone along with it, were tricky ones, dancing in and out of combat as they merged, then split, then merged again. He and Keita were keeping up as best they could, slices from both sides glancing off pieces of armor as they ducked and dodged away from each other in a near mad dance.

Finally, his greater reach paid off as the almost bronze-colored one stepped away just a second too slow, and the Glaive speared through its core, sending it stumbling back before it tumbled over.

He turned to look at the orange one as Keita shoulder checked it into a building, stabbing wildly with his Progressive Knife until the sound of the core cracking echoed out once again.

As Keita stepped back from the body, Musashi turned to see another Unit-0T walking towards them, the link that was established showing it was Wallace. "Had a little more trouble than you thought?" Musashi asked.

"Just a little. Teleporting is a hassle when you're almost on top of the target." was his somewhat tired, curt reply.

He proceeded to open a channel to the others. "Etxebarria, Okorie, how's that Gaghiel-type coming along?"

"Done and dusted, Wallace." Etxebarria replied. "We'll link up with you, take on this Zeruel-type all together."

"Sounds good." Wallace looked back at Musashi. "Alright. Ready to lead us to victory?"

Musashi hesitated for a moment. All his life, he'd had to submit to one person or another. At least in the military, he'd made the choice to follow what was being told to do. He'd followed his orders into the hellfire that was the First Battle of Tokyo-3. He'd followed his orders all the way here, into this cockpit. But now, he would lead. Properly lead out into battle, now. It was terrifying and somewhat exhilarating. It was the moment he'd been waiting for his whole life.

"Probably as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. Let's get moving then."

Etxebarria and Okorie formed up on them, and they began to slowly advance on the Zeruel-type that hung imperiously above them.

"So, Musashi, you were with Ikari and Soryu. Did they talk about this in more detail than what we've seen?" Keita asked.

"A little. This was the toughest thing they faced. Took Major Theisman using Interfacing in one of the Units to put it down, and they had to keep the ribs apart in order to get at its core. They didn't say much more than that."

"So what's the play then?" Wallace asked.

"We'll need to keep it busy, split its attention while someone holds the ribs apart."

"I can stick at long range," Etxebarria said, "Make sure this thing's eyes are on something that isn't you."

"And what about its arms?" Okorie piped up. "It wouldn't do to get wrapped up in those. Do they have a range?"

"Not that I know of." Musashi replied. "So we stay on our toes, get some people to lead the arms away while we deal with the core."

"Say," Okorie interjected as they found several pieces of cover, "Ms. Etxebarria, do you think you make an AT Field to keep the core exposed?"

"Not while nullifying its AT Field and staying at range. Someone else will have to smother it." Etxebarria replied as she peeked out from the building she crouched behind every once in a while, gauging the Angel's distance from them just a little over a kilometer away now, in a relatively clear portion of the city.

"Any one of us can do that." Musashi said. "All we really need is someone to take a shot at the core, and someone to keep the ribs apart." he paused for a moment. "I'll take the shot. I'll need the rest of you to help keep it off my back."

There was a moment of silence before anyone replied. "Alright, Musashi." Keita said. "I've got your back."

"Never doubted it." he said levelly. "What about the rest of you?"

"We're with you." Wallace said. "It's as good a plan as any."

"Alright." Musashi nodded. "Well… ready whenever you all are."

"Let me get into position, and I'll let you all know when I'm ready." Etxebarria replied, as her Unit-0T slowly began to creep back towards whence they came.

It was moments more of tense waiting, of checking weapons as best one could while crouching behind a building. All the while, they basked in the nearly oppressive feeling of a simulated AT Field, one that seemed to try physically pushing them away without even being activated. 'How did they manage this, actually?' Musashi idly wondered. 'Is this some of that Interfacing at work?'

"I'm in position." Etxebarria said, cutting off his train of thought. "No need to tell me when you go, I'll see it."

Musashi took a deep breath. "Alright… go!"

With that, the four Evas closest to the Angel stepped out of cover, Musashi and Keita throwing up the strongest AT Fields they could after firing at the hanging Angel in front of them, Okorie and Wallace dashing to the sides, smothering the Angel's AT Field as its eyes flashed.

In the split-second before they unleashed their power, a crack of artificial thunder came a second before a round from the sniper rifle caught it square between the eyes, jerking its head skyward as the beams lanced out.

Musashi and Keita dashed forward as the head came back down and its ribbon-like arms unfurled, six limbs moving independently, two rolling up into hammers before they began to lash out at the four pilots that stood against it, its next ranged attack intercepted again by Etxebarria's shots.

Musashi danced to the side, taking advantage of the opening the others had made for him as all else beyond the Angel fell out of focus, its eye beams firing at something that wasn't him as he tried to line up a shot on the core before another arm forced him to jump back as he squeezed off a burst of fire.

The burst was all over the place, hitting the ribs around the core, yet they still began to snap shut.

A glow sprang to life around their edges, and the ribs twitched as they struggled against the AT Field that now stood in their way. The Angel growled as its arms began to swing faster at the Units under it, the space around it becoming even more dangerous, even as it seemed to give up on its ranged attacks. Musashi continued to dance out in and out regardless, trying to take advantage of the opening Etxebarria had created for him. He just needed a second to stay still…

He paused for a moment and noticed the rolled-up ribbon-arm that swung towards him just too late. He jumped back, feeling the Pallet Rifle in his hands jerk to the side as he heard a crunch.

Stumbling back, he looked down at his rifle, bent at the midpoint at a 35-degree angle. Useless. He tossed it aside and considered his options. His Pallet Magnum didn't have the round capacity or stopping power to ensure a core break. That left…

'This is stupid.' he thought as he took the Progressive Glaive from his back in an overhand grip. 'But it's better than nothing. Here goes…'

Before he could step forward, another ribbon-arm wrapped around it, enveloping one hand as another ribbon-arm enveloped the other, and he felt the Angel try to lift him off the ground.

'Oh no, you don't.' He focused, wrapping his AT Field around his Unit-0T's ankles and rooting himself to the ground. The Angel continued to pull regardless, and Musashi felt a band of pain begin to bloom around his core.

"Strasberg!" he heard Wallace shout. "Keep it busy, Asari," he said to Keita, "I'll take the shot and get Strasberg-."

"No! I've still got this!"

Musashi had an idea. "Keep it busy!"

As he said this, he focused. If Etxebarria could make her AT Field like that…

He poured all his focus, all his will, into the tip of the Glaive, a single thought of what he wished to do shoving out all else, as an AT Field began to pulse around the tip of the Glaive, seeming to almost drip off it.

The pain was becoming near unbearable, now, and Musashi shouted wordlessly as he finally let go, and a lance of AT energy burst from the Progressive Glaive's blade, spearing through the Zeruel-type's core with an utterly satisfying crack.

Musashi's shout of pain became one of triumph as he felt the ribbon arms slacken and fall away, and a cheer went up from the other pilots, overwhelming the tone that signaled the simulation ending.

. . .

In the observation room, a similar cheer went up among the Children, the adults in the room smiling at the excellent display.

"That idiot is so lucky!" Asuka said with a wide grin on his face. "But man, do they take after the best."

"They're all lucky, really." Toji rejoined. "I mean, did you see what Etxebarria and Mavuto did with that Gaghiel? That was insane!"

"A series of wild, frankly almost untenable plans relying greatly on a single point of failure." Rei said, almost deadpan. Then, she sighed after a moment, smiling slightly. "You know, I should have expected nothing less."

Daniel chuckled as he stood. "Well, lucky or not, they've made it. I think we can officially call them Eva pilots." he said as he turned towards the console, Misato standing up beside him. "Don't you think, Misato?"

"I couldn't help but think back to the Angel War sometimes." Misato rolled her eyes even as she smiled. "Whole lot of warm, fuzzy memories there." her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Daniel and Misato made their way to the console, and Daniel keyed up the now exhausted pilots. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, a smile on his face, "you've gone above and beyond expectations. Congratulations. You're on the home stretch, now. Maybe a week more of training, and you'll be headed home, not as trainees, but as pilots."

He looked over at Misato. "Have anything to say to them?"

Misato nodded wordlessly, and Daniel took a step back as Misato filled the screen, a serious look on her face. "Pilots. I must admit, there's a good amount of satisfaction in saying that. You now carry with you a legacy of defending the world. I can only hope that you bear that mantle well. But, with what I've seen, I have faith that my hope is well placed."

She paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Now, I'm sure you're all well and ready to get out of those Plugs. Come on out and we'll get some lunch. The other pilots would like to congratulate you all too, I'm sure."

One by one, the screens shut off, and the muted rumble of the Simulation Plugs settling into their ready position sounded for a moment. As they waited for the pilots to disembark, Daniel looked over at Misato with a slight, wry grin. "Run all out of seriousness already?"

Misato looked back at him for a moment, then bobbed her head from side to side. "Well… most of it." she admitted with a smile.

Soon enough, the pilots came walking through one of the side doors, the Children nearly rushing over to them to congratulate, berate, and appraise them in equal measure. As this happened, Ritsuko, Maya, and Eleanor quietly made their way over to Misato and Daniel.

"You know," Ritsuko began quietly, a serious look on her face, "we're only going to get so many pilots before the nations start training them themselves. And I hardly think that they'll be as altruistic as we are when it comes to international affairs."

"Yeah, maybe." Misato replied, a shadow of Ritsuko's seriousness passing over her expression. "But that's what makes this important. If we can get even the first few pilots a country gets to be able to look at the big picture, then it's going to make a world of difference."

"Perhaps." Ritsuko admitted. "But will it be enough?"

Misato didn't answer, a thoughtful look crossing her face as she took in the sight of all the pilots. The most the world had ever seen, all in one room. Not even that, if she counted the second wave of trainees. All of them would most likely be getting their own Evas. And there would only be more in the days to come.

'Pandora's Box, indeed.' Misato mused. 'But it's the right call against SEELE. I'm sure of it.'