Part 2
Nerv Headquarters- Evangelion pilot ready room
Shinji Ikari the famed third child is at the moment sitting quietly awaiting the arrival of the new addition to the roster. He was a little upset that he had not been let into the observation room. Rei had been present when her Eva had tried to take him over. What could have been so dangerous that he wouldn't be let in?
As he sits contemplating all the horrible things that might have brought about the decree when he hears the door slide open. He rises to greet the new pilot but stops and stares as the one person he would never expect to see here came around the corner.
"T…Toji!" stammers Shinji
"Uh Hi" is the only answer Suzahara can come up with.
"What are you doing here. You not suppose to…" The young boy trails off as he notices the black plug suit his friend is dressed in. " Why are you wearing one if those." Shinji asks, hoping for a miracle answer like he had stolen it.
" I wanted to tell you earlier but I could do it. But I guess the cats out of the bag now." Toji smiled weakly as he stands unsure of what to do next. " I'm the new pilot of unit 03."
NERV CENTRAL- the Geo Front
IN the belly of the geo front Nerv central headquarters lies silent but active and alert to almost anything that the world has to offer. Yet that is precisely the opposite of what they are facing in the way of enemies as they are most definitely not of this world. And just now down in the nerve center of the operation something is being closely monitored, for it may be another test for the vaunted defenses of the most advanced target man kind has ever made.
"It just appeared at the edge of our detectors, an anomalous wave pattern. Our subterranean monitoring units in sector 8 recorded it about an hour ago but since then there has been no change in underground activity since then." Hyuga said. He was, as usual, at his console and was just now regretting telling the subcommander about this. He had that look on his face that meant he was going to investigate into this.
"Is this the first time we've picked anything over there." Asked the subcommander. He wanted to make sure this wasn't a lucky forwarning of comeing events.
"No sir. Sector 8 is on the other side of Japan. Aside from the explosions we get from here when an angel attacks we don't hear anything from there. That sector is actually scheduled for dismantling next year as it doesn't really serve a use."
" Stay alert on that channel. If you pick up any other noise prints, report it."
"Yes sir."
SECTOR 8
The 13th angel had come to ground. Quit literally. The body now forming had to adapt to extreme pressure and bedrock. But all that would be put aside for now it felt the pull to touch the face of god. To touch its creator. A surge of rock, an explosion gone unseen 2 miles below the surface of the earth and Judgement day's newest avatar has been born to herald in another chapter in the fate of man.
CENTRAL DOGMA
Hyuga was starring at the screen, waiting for something to happen. He almost wished for something exciting to happen, but then that might lead to the granting of that wish. In Nerv wishes were usually bad. "I wonder what I'm going to be talked into doing tonight. I think I'll just volunteer to work and surprise everyone." He just about to smile at that fact when a spike appeared on his board. 9.9 in strength in strength….and growing.
Hyuga glanced down at the flashing alarm button on the console and agreed with it immediately "Sub-commander!!" he yelled out to command station above. "We have another reading sir. A huge noise print located in sector 8. It almost looked like an explosion.
Fuyutski came down from the command ring and stopped dead over the monitor. The spike, registered earlier, had gone off the charts. "This could only be caused by an angel." He thought to himself. As if to confirm his thoughts, another spike appeared. While it paled in comparison to first one it was strong enough to be considered a threat.
"Commander. We have a problem. The strength of these readings can only indicate one thing." Said Hyuga.
The commander is in the Gendo stare position as usual. And is in no way surprised by the news. "Yes, another angel." Fuyutski nods and Hyuga slams his hand down on the alarm.
Misato surges into the command arena the sub-commander and Hyuga glued to the monitor read outs. " Status of target."
"The sub-commander straightens up and turns to her. " The seismic readouts indicate that the target is definitely subterranean, and is moving straight toward us."
"Its Subterranean! We don't have anything to counter that." Misato exclaims
"True," Ritsuko is sitting at command console and typing crazily, "But there might be a way."
"Your offering me a plan of action. ? This is a surprise."
"Well my track record up to now seems to be unblemished, compared to yours." This shuts Misato up completely. She knows all to well not to argue with Ritsuko on something that was already shaky.
"Up to now, when ever an angel has come within range of an Eva, it has attacked. This because of the AT field. We might be able to lure it to the surface if we deploy the Evas in front of the city on and intercept path with the target and have them spread their AT fields at full power." Says Ritsuko who until recently has been sitting at the console on the other side of the sub-commander and Hyuga.
"So you want to go fishing basically, we tried that before and eva 02 almost got eaten the blow up"
"Yes, but this is a totally different environment from the pacific fleet and judging by the size of the readings, it is about as long as an eva and rough twice that in mass."
"Alright you win." She hated to swallow her pride. It never tasted good. "We have enough Evas to carry off the plan with minimal losses. But we keep unit 03 inside the geo front perimeter." She would rather go out there herself than let one of Shinji's only friends gets killed at her behest. He would be crushed if that were to happen and then they would be in real trouble. She turns to the commander for approval.
"Major Katsuragi." The commander stands and gestures to her, "It is your operation. Handle it." He turns and leaves the Command tower through the "escape elevator"™
They stared for bit at where the commander had been. When ever he moved it was a bit like Lazarus waking up and asking to see the president. Misato was the first to move. She turned to Ritsuko, "alright, get me an exact range measurement for the spacing of our units at maximum efficiency." She turns to Hyuga " Get Evas prepped for launch." She pauses then adds " What's the time frame on this operation?"
"About an hour, if the readings remain constant."
"Do me a favor and get the children up hear, I want you bring the available data up on the screen for me so I can show them what there going to be facing."
"Will do."
* * *
After about 30 minutes of frenzied preparation, the children arrive in plug suits facing the huge screen that stretches away into the cavernous opening that spans Terminal Dogma. It showed a series of blips all located on a straight-line path toward Tokyo 3.
"The 13th angel is on its way hear and it is coming fast. We estimate we have 30 minutes before it comes into contact with the armor of the Geo Front. The plan is to deploy Eva units 01 – 02 up top around the city here." A square appears on the map indicating the mountain range around the city to the north. It then zooms in to a specific spot with two blips on it. "Unit 00 will be kept back in the city as backup for the mountain units. We are going to try and draw it up outside the city by having you spread your AT fields to maximum. If it acts acording to plan then you will converge on the target and destroy it."
"What happens to unit 03." Shinji's voice was cold.
"Unit 03 will be kept in the Geo Front as a back up and alternate defense in case the angel doesn't take the bait."
Asuka was not impressed by the plan. "Feh, this should be a piece of cake." She turns to Toji, " Now you just relax, sit back and watch how a real pilot handles things okay."
Toji remains silent but grimaces. (Flash back to the locker room)
Shinji had stood up quite suddenly to face Toji. "You're the new pilot! How could you do this, agree to this? Do you know what your doing?!!" Shinji's voice had risen slightly.
"I know what I'm doing Shinji. I accepted the consequences of this when I agreed. I remember how you suffered in the Eva when Kensuke and I hitched a ride that time. I know that it's dangerous. I know that every time I go out I might not come back, but at least I will have a chance of protecting my sister form the same thing that happened that first battle." Toji was stone faced as he said this. It was taking all of his determination to get this out in the open. " Besides, Misato will be really impressed." Toji was now standing proudly hands on his hips and smiling.
Toji seemed to realize that his bravado was not doing a thing so he dropped his hands and sat down next to Shinji. He looked stunned "Look, the only reason I joined up was on the condition that my sister would be transferred to the medical department here at Nerv. I mean they have much better facilities here than at the hospital.
Shinji had look so down cast and frightened. Toji wondered if he might have been right about the danger involved. He heard Misato's voice and started " Huh, what was that?"
"I said that you are going to be equipped with the standard pallet gun as well as a positron rifle"
Asuka was indignant. "What?!! You're going to let that stooge use a positron rifle. He'll probably blow away half of the city."
Toji privately thought the same, but he would never admit it " Yeah right, the only part of the city I'd vaporize would be the part you're standing on!"
"What you little.."
Misato stopped the skirmish before it got out of hand. "Stop this right now you two. We don't have time for this. That angel will be here in about 25 minutes and we need everyone to work together."
"Humph." Asuka turned and stormed out "Just stay out of our way." Was her last parting shot.
The rest of the children filed out silently except for Toji's "Bitch"
* 20 minutes later*
Toji was still not used to being drowned every time he had to pilot Eva. Even now his stomach turned as he worked to breathe in the LCL fluid. The view in front of him was that of the Eva launch bay. The other Evas were secured to scaffolds and look some how diminished from the way they looked in the city. But in the city they loomed over the buildings. Here they were contained in a room. He began to wonder how big Nerv headquarters really was when Eva unit 01 began to move up toward a platform. It locked in place and then Eva 01 and 02 began to move up still locked into the scaffolds at their backs. Then with a jolt his view began to move slowly to the left. Then came another jolt and his view became stationary. Understandably he had never seen an Eva launch. He was beginning to wonder what it would feel like when over the comm he hear Misato shout the order to launch. To the side of him he saw an explosion and unit 00 rocketed up the launch track. He just stared at the spot where unit 00 was in shock.
Unit 02 was next to explode up the tube, then unit 01. He was next. He braced himself and then the view outside his tube was blur as he was pushed down in his pilot couch and he had to struggle to breath. The G-forces of the accent where brutal on the first timers. Then with a bone-wrenching jar, his Eva came to a stop inside the Geo Front.
"Alright, Toji I want you to move to predetermined coordinates and await further orders."
Above in and around Tokyo 3
Units 02, 01 were station in equidistant positions on and around the Northern mountain range. Or foothills compared to the gigantic forms, which now were crouched and powered down, awaiting for the signal to activate their AT fields.
There came a signal over the Comm " Okay, the angel is approximately 3 miles from Units 01 and 02. Prepare for activation. Unit 00 standby. Target nearly beneath you" Misato got three acknowledgements from the surface force. She looked at the enormous view screen. The target blip had not changed course or speed. The counter moved downward and then stopped for a second on the 5 minute mark. "Engage AT fields. Shinji snapped to attention and willed the enormous being that encompassed him, to life. He found the part of his mind that was the AT field and concentrated on it. Outside in the mountains the air around seemed to distort and then bend outward and a howl of wind as the Evas will imposed itself on its surroundings.
Back in the control room Misato saw the blip of the target stop it's on coming course. Then an indicator on Hyugas board lit up, signaling lateral movement. " Asuka, Shinji Target is move up prepare to engage.
Shinji acknowledged and waited for the angel to show. But instead nothing happened. After a minute began to feel a vibration. This threw him for a loop. A vibration that he could feel inside the entry plug had to be powerful enough to get through the twelve layers of special armor and shock absorbing equipment the encased the EVA. Also that he was some 800-900 feet off the ground. This was one very powerful vibration. Misato's voice came over the intercom in a panic. " Shinji MOVE."
The ground seemed to explode at him.