Chapter 10
Storming the Heavens
"They're arriving My Lord."
Loki looked up from the terminal in Kami-sama's office. "What's that?"
"Our lookouts have spotted the enemy forming up just outside of the walls. They have 4 Evas with them." Draco was quiet for a second and then he continued. "There are also 28 gods and goddesses with them."
Loki stared at Draco. "28? But there were only 26 unaccounted for?"
"It gets worse Lord, they all still have their powers."
Loki stood up and walked right up to Draco. "The virus I made stripped them of their powers! They should not have any!"
"I know My Lord, I ran a check on those 26, they are all half mortal."
Loki stared at Draco, "I programmed the virus to remove the powers of all full......gods and ...goddesses....." Loki turned around and stared out the window. "...stupid computer took me literally."
Draco cleared his throat. "I am unable to identify the other two, perhaps you will recognize them?"
Loki walked over and typed a command into the terminal. A screen lit up on the wall. The picture zoomed in on a scene just over the wall surrounding heaven. Loki watched as the screen slowly moved along the 28 gods. The first 26 he recognized easily from the report, all half mortal, all Class 2. Then the first of the unknowns came into view. Loki let a smile appear on his face.
"So, Urd returns to lead the remaining Gods against us." Loki's smiled quickly vanished as the last Goddess appeared on screen.
"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!"
Draco looked at Loki confused. "My Lord?"
"I KILLED HER! SHE DIED AT MY HANDS!"
"Who is it?"
"It's that brat Sayoko!" Loki practically growled the name. 'What over surprises do the fates have in store for me?"
"My Lord? What are they doing?"
Loki looked back to the screen. The assembled gods formed a circle. All rose about a foot off the ground and began to glow. A bright flash was seen, and when the gods reappeared, there was a soft glow to them. Loki sighed.
"Go inform your men. They've broken their seals. They attack soon."
Draco bowed, "Yes My Lord." Draco quickly left the office. Loki stared at the screen for a few seconds longer before walking to a large clear crystal formation.
"So, your granddaughter lives. And she is coming here." Loki slowly paced around the crystal. "This is unexpected, but in the end it will not matter. I will bring about a new order." Loki tapped on the crystal. "Bakelite is such a wonderful substance, isn't it." Loki turned and laughed as he walked to the window. Inside the Bakelite, Kami-sama's eyes narrowed.
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"It doesn't look anything like the sim." said Asuka as she looked over the heavens.
"What's the matter? Not meeting your expectations?" asked Touji.
"No it's actually better looking then the sim."
"Asuka, we've been here before, remember." said Shinji. "We came here and watched Sayoko become a 1st Class Goddess."
"Yeah but we never came out here. We were inside the main building and that auditorium. This is the first time we actually really SEEN heaven."
"Hopefully we will not end up here permanently in the near future." said Rei.
"If you guys do what did in training, you won't" came Urd's voice. "Ok here's the plan: Mara is going to lead the demon army into heaven. The other 26 gods will be with them. You guys are to take out the MP Evas and then provide back-up, just like we practiced."
"Where are you going to be?" asked Asuka.
"Well someone has to go and restart Yggdrasil. This is a job best left up to someone who is smart and can handle any computer problems."
"Oh so that's why Sayoko's going with you." said Rei. Down below, she saw Urd turn her head and look up at her Eva.
"No.....She is not the computer expert."
"Oh so Dr. Akagi came along too? Where is she?"
Urd's eye began to twitch. "Not funny Rei."
Rei smiled, "Sayoko and Morgan seem to think so."
Urd glanced over her shoulder, Morgan's face was beat red as she tried desperately to hold in her laughter. Sayoko hide her face in her helmet, but her shaking gave her away. Urd sighed.
"Why isn't Peorth here to take this abuse?"
"Oh knock it off." muttered Mara as she walked up to Urd. "You've made more then enough comments to Peorth over the years, time for you to get some in return." Mara glanced around. "Are you ready?"
Urd nodded. "Let's do it."
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Draco was giving orders to several Demon commanders when a loud roar was heard. Everyone present turned to see hundreds of Demons swarming over the walls, racing towards the Yggdrasil Control building. Behind them came the 4 Evas. Draco and the other Demons began to shout orders, sending their own forces to meet the enemy head on. Draco flew over to where the MP Evas were kneeling.
"What are you waiting for!? And invitation? Get out there!!"
The 5 Evas seemed to listen as they rose together and began to head towards the battle. Draco watched for several seconds before turning and running into the control building.
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"Here they come." said Rei.
"Alright," said Asuka, "Remember, take on the one closest to you. If you get ganged up on, call for help."
Shinji smiled, "Like you'll need the help, remember last time...."
"Yeah, I remember." replied Asuka, "I just hope it ends better then last time." She added quietly.
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The Evas met head on in the midst of the demon armies. Asuka ended up fighting two Evas at once. She brought her sword around in a tight arc, clipping the MP Eva's head. The Eva crashed to the ground, but before Asuka could finish it off, the second Eva ran at her. They began to duel across the field. Rei's battle wasn't going as well. She had lost her sword and was now trying to avoid getting slashed by the Eva. The Eva tried to stab Rei's, but at the last second she twisted, causing the Eva to miss her. She then grabbed the Eva and forced it to drop its blade. Within seconds, both were on the ground wrestling about. Shinji and Touji also found themselves in vicious fights.
Sayoko ran along with Urd, stopping every 20 yards to take shots at Enemy demons with their staffs. Many demons fell frozen to the ground. Morgan, running beside them, blasted demons left and right. Slowly, they drew closer to the main building.
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Inside the Auditorium, the gods and goddesses held there could hear the sounds of battle. They also felt the floor shake as the Evas fought each other. Just outside the doors to the chamber, they could hear the sounds of footsteps as more demons ran to help their brothers.
"I guess Mara was telling the truth." said Chronos quietly.
"It won't be long and we'll finally be free!" shouted X.
"Quiet!" said Thor. "We're not free yet." He turned and listened to the sound of the fighting. "There is still a lot more fighting to be done.....and lives to be lost."
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Mara ducked as a lance hurtled past her head, She turned and blasted the demon that threw it. She then raised her sword to deflect another demon's slash. After several seconds of sword play, Mara brought her sword crashing down, sending the demon's sword and hand flying threw the air. The demon screamed holding the end of his arm. Mara silenced by removing his head neatly from his shoulders. Mara let out a sigh and looked about. Her forces were moving steadily towards the main building, being slowed down only by the out lying buildings. The enemy demons were slowly retreating back to the main building, trying to keep their hold on the world computer. Mara glanced over to see Asuka's Eva driving it's sword deep into the MP Eva. The MP Eva began to spasm. Mara's eyes widened. She quickly sent out a telepathic message.
* DUCK *
The MP Eva exploded, its shock wave sent demons and gods flying about. Mara laid low to the ground as the blast ripped her cape off. After counting to 20, Mara looked up. All around her Demons lay stunned. Farther away, the fight continued. Mara tapped on the microphone and then spoke.
"Asuka?"
"Yes Mara?"
"GIVE A LITTLE WARNING NEXT TIME!"
"Sorry, kind of hard to do......DAMMIT!" Mara turned and saw the other MP Eva on Asuka's back, trying to bring her down. Asuka grabbed the offending Eva and tossed it. It flew across the field and slammed into the side of the Yggdrasil Building.
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Loki grabbed onto the desk as the building shuddered. Draco braced himself in the doorway. Another demon lost his footing and fell to the ground. Loki looked up to Draco.
"We may not be able to hold this building."
"What?!"
"Have your demons smash every terminal in the control room." said Loki quietly. "I don't want to leave them a terminal to use."
Draco stared at Loki stunned. "But....why?"
Loki ignored the question and stepped behind the desk. "I will continue to enter the system from here. Now go."
Draco stared at Loki for a few seconds longer then stormed out. He went quickly to the control room. A demon hacker quickly ran up to him.
"Sir we have made some progress and......"
"Destroy the terminals."
The Demon blinked. "Sir?"
"You heard me, destroy the terminals." Draco turned and began to leave. "There should be nothing they can use." Draco stormed out of the chamber. The Hacker Demon stared at the door for a minute before turning to those around him.
"You heard the order."
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Draco stormed through the empty halls. Smashing anything that lay in his way.
'All this ...for NOTHING!!' Draco threw a force bolt, blowing apart a statue. 'Hundreds of my followers dead, for NOTHING!'
* Sir? *
Draco looked up.
* WHAT!?! *
The reply came back hesitatingly. * You have to see it to believe it, come to level 23. *
Draco began walking to the area indicated. 'This had better be worth it.'
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Sayoko, Urd and Morgan rapidly approached the main building. They were about a block from one of the bridges that connected the city to the building when the radio crackled.
"GET DOWN!!"
The 3 dropped to the ground as an Eva arm flew overheard, crashing into the bridge, destroying it. Sayoko turned to make a comment about were they tossed the enemy's pieces, when she saw that it was Touji's Eva missing an arm.
"Touji!! Are you alright?"
"Yeah." replied Touji, "They got the replacement, so I didn't feel a thing." Touji used his remaining arm to knock the MP Eva's weapon away. He then plunged his hand into it's chest, trying to find the entry plug.
A loud explosion echo across the heavens. A fireball rose from the ground in the distance.
"What was that?" came Mara's voice.
"Shinji got a kill." came Touji's voice, "Better drop." Touji pulled his hand out, a crushed entry plug in his hand. The MP Eva twitched before falling back and exploding. Touji's Eva then turned to the three. "Need a hand?"
"Actually, Yeah." said Urd. "We need to get through that door." Touji bent over and smashed his fist into the door, shattering it.
"Need help getting over that chasm?"
"Nope, we can handle it." Urd ran towards the door. Just before she hit the broken end of the bridge, she rose off the ground. She quickly flew over the break, Sayoko and Morgan just behind her.
Arriving in the main corridor, the 3 looked about.
"Where to?" asked Morgan.
Urd began walking down one of the hallways. "This way." She hadn't taken more then 10 steps, when the corridor exploded. The 3 got tossed about by the blast. Urd felt the floor give way and she dropped down several floors before crashing hard against another surface. The sound of someone landing next to her was the next thing to reach her ears. She slowly raised her head.
"Morgan?"
"Yeah?" came the weak reply.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, just as soon as that ringing stops."
Urd looked around. "Where's Sayoko?"
"Sorry I was to busy falling to notice."
Urd slowly stood up. "Come on, We got to get to the control room."
"What about Sayoko?"
Urd sighed. "She's a grown goddess, she can take care of herself." 'I hope'
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Draco stood just inside a shattered armored door. He looked up, and up, and up.
"What lucky star was I born under?" he said as he stared in awe. "Does it work?"
"We don't know. It's unlike the others."
Draco walked up and placed his hand on the purple and green Eva.
"This will make things interesting."
"YOU THERE! STOP!"
Draco and the other demon turned about to see 5 Demons standing in the doorway.
"In the name of Hild, you will SURRENDER!"
Draco smiled, "I think not." His body slowly began to dissipate.
"KILL THEM!!" The 5 Demons fired force blots at Draco and the other. The Demon was hit several times in the chest, falling quickly to the floor, but the bolts just went through the now cloud form of Draco as if he wasn't there. Draco's laugh could be heard echoing in the room as the cloud surrounded Eva 01. The cloud seemed to be sucked into the Eva.
"My God....he's...possessed it." said the lead Demon.
Eva 01's eyes lit up red, the head turned and faced the 5 Demons, red markings appearing on its forehead.
The lead Demon stared at the Eva. "We are so screwed."
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Loki watched from the window as Demon army advanced on the Yggdrasil building.
'Everything I did, the planning, maneuvering.....All for nothing. I wonder...is this what went through your mind Celestine, as you face the Gungir?'
A loud crash caused Loki to turn. The body of a demon crashed through the doors to the office. It slid to a stop just in front of Loki. Loki looked up from the body to see a figure step through the doorway. A goddess. She walked several steps into the room, and stopped, her staff clenched tightly in her hand. What stood out to Loki was the fact her right arm was bandaged.
"Hello Loki." The goddess said.
"Sayoko, nice to see you up and about."
Sayoko clenched her teeth, "No thanks to you." She leveled her staff at Loki. "Surrender."
"Unfortunately, I cannot do that."
"Then you leave me no choice." Sayoko fired a shot from her staff. Loki leaped over the blast. He pulled out his own staff and brought it down towards Sayoko's head. Sayoko raised her staff and blocked him. Sayoko swung the end of her staff around trying to trip Loki, but he jumped over it. Soon both dueling across the office. (Think fighting with Quarterstaffs)
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Mara looked over her troops with a large smile on her face. They had pushed the enemy forces back into the Yggdrasil Building. Four of the enemy Evas lay shattered on the ground, Rei was still fighting the last one. Things were looking good when..
* MARA!!! WE'VE GOT PROBLEMS!!! *
Mara frowned. * Who is this? *
* RUN DAMMIT RUN!!! MARA THERE IS AN AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! *
Mara felt the demons pain abruptly end. 'What could have caused such pain?'
A loud crash coming from the main building was her answer. She looked up the building to see a giant purple fist sticking out.
'No....It can't be....'
A second fist burst through the wall, the 2 hands then pushed away at the surrounding structure, a large armored head then came through. It turned sky ward and let out a roar. Asuka stared in shock as Eva 01 burst from the building, as it had from the 12th Angel. Eva 01 landed on the ground with a crash. Behind it, several floors to the Yggdrasil building began to collapse.
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Sayoko and Loki tumbled about. Both had lost their staffs and were now trying to simply pound the other. Loki tossed Sayoko over his head. She landed several yards away. Loki reached out for the nearest staff and held it on Sayoko as she stood.
Loki gave a small smile. "Now it ends." Sayoko stared at the staff pointed at her, waiting for what was to come. It never did. The floor shook violently, tossing them both to their feet, as something let out a roar. Loki regained his footing and was about to shoot Sayoko, when the floor dropped. Sayoko found herself falling towards one of the chasms that surrounded the Yggdrasil Building. Far below, the earth could just be seen. Sayoko began to spread her wings to stop her fall, when a piece of rubble smashed into her back, stunning her. Both she and Loki continued to tumble towards the earth.
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Urd and Morgan slowly stood up. Urd spoke into the microphone.
"Mara! What the hell was that?"
"Urd....get to Yggdrasil control, quickly." came Mara's shaky voice.
Urd grabbed Morgan and ran to the control room. "Why?"
"Cuz Unit 01 just came out to say 'Hi!' and it has demon markings on its forehead."
"Well tell Asuka! That's what they're there for!" Urd turned the corner and ran through a doorway, entering the Computers control room. "We've arrived at the co....control.....room.....oh hell."
"What? What is it?"
Urd looked about the room, taking in the smashed panels, terminals, and other sparking electronics.
"Mara, we have a problem."
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Skuld paced back and forth in the control room of Tokyo-2 UN Branch. Misato sat quietly, watching her. The Sub-Commander also watched, but found himself getting more and more irritated. Finally he stood up.
"I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!!!" He turned and looked at Misato. "WHY do you allow this unauthorized personal in here?!?! This is supposed to be a restricted area! And where the hell did you send our Evas!? This is a gross misuse of UN resources!"
Misato glanced at the Sub-Commander from the corner of her eye. "You really want to know? Go watch Video file 338 Alpha. You'll see then why I allow her here."
The Sub-Commander growled and stormed out of the room. Maya looked at Misato.
"Which video is that anyway?"
Misato turned to face Maya. "The one where Skuld and Sayoko appeared in Central Dogma. I figure it will quiet him right up when he sees them in action."
Maya nodded. She turned back to continue to monitor the area around Tokyo-2. Misato sat back in her chair.
'Now, If I only had some nice soothing music, I could...'
"Commander!"
Misato sat straight up and looked at Hyuga. Skuld stopped her pacing and also looked.
"What is it?" asked Misato.
"We have a detected some kind of....well, it looks like a hole in the sky and......Type Purple Pattern detected!!...no 2 Patterns and a lot of debris have appeared from the hole. On screen."
Misato and Skuld turned to the monitor. Skuld immediately recognized it. "It's a Gate!"
Misato looked at Skuld confused, "A what?"
"A Gate, from the heavens." Skuld turned to Hyuga, "Where is the source of the patterns?"
Hyuga typed in several commands and the screen changed to show pieces of what looked like a building falling towards the city. Barely able to be seen in the wreckage, were 2 humanoid forms.
"Can you zoom in any closer?" asked Misato.
"Negative." answered Hyuga. The screen continued to follow the falling figures, until a building blocked them from view. Misato turned to Maya.
"Get over to that site with a squad. I want to know who or what landed."
"Yes Ma'am."
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS SMASHED!?!?!" screamed Mara.
Urd held the speaker far away from her ear. "Everything's been smashed, terminals, most of the screens, you name it, its busted."
"Did Yggdrasil crash?!?"
Urd glanced at the 3 rotating structures. "It still seems to be running. We just have no way of accessing it."
"Can't you patch something together?"
Urd looked over the wreckage. "Maybe...."
"Well hurry up.....I don't think the kids will be able to hold up much longer....."
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Asuka panted heavily inside the plug. She glanced over at Rei's pop up on her display, "You alright?"
"I'll...survive." replied Rei. Her Eva held its arms around its midsection where the last MP Eva had slashed her. Asuka turned her attention to Eva 01. It stood watching the 4 Evas surrounding it.
"Well Shinji," said Asuka, "It was your Eva. How do we defeat it?"
Shinji stared at her picture, "Wha? How am I supposed to know!?!"
"Baka." Asuka turned and faced Unit 01. "Well, here goes nothing then." She grabbed her sword and charge the Eva. Unit 01 watched Asuka's Eva approach. Just before she reached it, 01 raised its hands and fired a force bolt at her.
"WHAT THE HELL!?!?" Asuka slammed on the breaks and fall back. The bolt ripped into her Eva's shoulder. Asuka screamed in pain.
"ASUKA!!!" Shinji cried as he charge Unit 01. Shinji swung his sword, trying to remove the Evas head. A red barrier appeared along with a hexagon pattern. Shinji stared at it in shock.
"AT-Field?....."
"And a Demon shield." added Mara. "We're in trouble."
Eva 01 grabbed Shinji and tossed him across the battlefield.
Rei turned to Touji's picture. "Touji, catch." She tossed her sword to Touji. His Eva caught it with his one hand.
"What am I going to do with this?" asked Touji.
Rei rolled her eyes, "Throw it at the Eva!"
"Oh." Touji launched the sword at Unit 01. The sword soared through the air heading straight towards the Eva. While in route, it shifted into lance form. Just as the two prongs were about to arrive, 01 threw its hand up. The combined AT-Field and Demon shield blocked the lance. The lance struggled for several seconds to break through, before it fell to the ground. Eva 01 picked up the lance and turned to look at Touji. A grin came to the Eva's face.
"Oh shit." muttered Touji.
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Morgan stared at Urd, or at least Urd's legs as the rest of her was underneath the main terminal in front of the Op chair.
"Do you need a hand?" asked Morgan.
"Yeah." came Urd muffled voice. "Lemme know if anything happens on the Op board."
Morgan turn to look at the board, which was mostly intact. Somehow the Demons had decided not to smash it, instead, they fired a force bolt into the connections that linked it with the rest of the system. Urd was trying to reconnect dozens of broken and torched wires. Morgan glanced at the main screen which still had the battle playing on it. Her eyes widened in shock.
"URD HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!!!"
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Touji stared down in shock at the Lance sticking out of his Eva's chest. Shinji and Rei called for him to answer, but when he tried to speak, he was unable to say anything. His view began to disappear in a haze of red. Touji glanced down at his own chest. Two matching holes were in his own chest. The red was his own blood. Touji fell to the ground, the last thing he heard as his world began to turn black was a loud humming noise.
'Hikari....' thought Touji, then the world went bright white.
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Mara hit the ground just as the Eva exploded. Pieces of it crashed all around her. She looked back up after several seconds to see Eva 01 running towards Asuka's fallen Eva. Along the way it picked up her dropped sword. The Unit 01 raised the sword high above its head. Shinji's Eva began to charge.
"ASSSSUUUKAAA!!!!!!!" screamed Shinji.
"SHHHINNN....." Asuka's voice was cut off as 01 plunged the sword deep into the core of Asuka's unit. Another explosion ripped through the air. Mara found herself flying at a high rate of speed. She slammed into the side of a building with tremendous force, falling to the ground limply. Shinji continued to charge 01. He raised his sword and swung it with all his might. 01 blocked the sword, but was knocked to the ground. Shinji yelled and drove his sword downward, trying to hit 01's core. At the last possible second, 01 moved out of the way, Shinji's sword burying itself into the ground deeply. Shinji tried to pull the sword from the ground, when a flash from his right got his attention. 01 had pulled out its progressive knife and was preparing to stab Shinji with it. Shinji let go of the sword and leaped away, the knife just catching his shoulder. Shinji jumped again as 01 charged again. This time, Shinji's foot snagged on a small building. 01 was moving in for the kill, when a white object smashed into the Eva. Shinji stared stunned as Rei struggled with 01. He quickly got up and joined the struggle. Both Rei and Shinji held onto the arm that held the knife, trying to drive it into 01. All of a sudden, there was a violent movement, and the 3 Evas froze. Shinji looked down. His and Rei's hands were still locked on 01's arm, the knife was still there. Shinji looked over to see 01's free hand holding something against his Eva. The hand released and Shinji saw 01's back-up knife sticking out from his core. He looked at the display to Rei.
"I'm sorry Rei." Shinji closed his eyes as a humming noise grew louder. "Asuka....here I com....." The resulting explosion sent Rei's battered Eva hurtling across heaven. Rei's Eva lay still on the ground. She tried to move it, but found it unable to move. She sat back in defeat. In the distance, Eva 01 began to walk towards her.
"Mara? Urd?" called Rei.
"What is it Rei?" came Urd's muffled voice.
"Tell Misato and Mom....I'm sorry we couldn't keep our promise."
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Urd sat up quickly in the access, smacking her head into the low ceiling.
"OW! Rei what are you saying?!"
"Good bye..." Rei said quietly closing the link.
"What!?! Rei! Rei!?!"
"Urd, get up here quick!" came Morgan's voice.
Urd crawled out of the access and stood next to Morgan. They watched as Unit 01 reached Rei and lifted its sword.
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Rei watched as Unit 01 raised the sword high above its head.
'Maybe I'll get to see the others again.' thought Rei.
As 01 brought the sword down, Rei closed her eyes tightly.
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Mara slowly rose from the ground. She looked about, but was not able to see the Evas. She was about to peer around the corner of the house, when a bright flash came from the other side. Mara then heard an explosion, the same type that she had heard most of the day.
'I don't know if I want to look.' Mara peered around the building. 'I was right, I didn't."
"Mara!" came Morgan's voice.
Mara grabbed the microphone. "What?"
"Can you defeat it?"
Mara stared at the form of 01 as it began to pick off her army one by one.
"I seriously doubt it. Please tell me you have a miracle ready?"
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Urd stood quietly next to Morgan, watching Eva 01 move about the field.
"I wish I did......"
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Storming the Heavens
"They're arriving My Lord."
Loki looked up from the terminal in Kami-sama's office. "What's that?"
"Our lookouts have spotted the enemy forming up just outside of the walls. They have 4 Evas with them." Draco was quiet for a second and then he continued. "There are also 28 gods and goddesses with them."
Loki stared at Draco. "28? But there were only 26 unaccounted for?"
"It gets worse Lord, they all still have their powers."
Loki stood up and walked right up to Draco. "The virus I made stripped them of their powers! They should not have any!"
"I know My Lord, I ran a check on those 26, they are all half mortal."
Loki stared at Draco, "I programmed the virus to remove the powers of all full......gods and ...goddesses....." Loki turned around and stared out the window. "...stupid computer took me literally."
Draco cleared his throat. "I am unable to identify the other two, perhaps you will recognize them?"
Loki walked over and typed a command into the terminal. A screen lit up on the wall. The picture zoomed in on a scene just over the wall surrounding heaven. Loki watched as the screen slowly moved along the 28 gods. The first 26 he recognized easily from the report, all half mortal, all Class 2. Then the first of the unknowns came into view. Loki let a smile appear on his face.
"So, Urd returns to lead the remaining Gods against us." Loki's smiled quickly vanished as the last Goddess appeared on screen.
"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!"
Draco looked at Loki confused. "My Lord?"
"I KILLED HER! SHE DIED AT MY HANDS!"
"Who is it?"
"It's that brat Sayoko!" Loki practically growled the name. 'What over surprises do the fates have in store for me?"
"My Lord? What are they doing?"
Loki looked back to the screen. The assembled gods formed a circle. All rose about a foot off the ground and began to glow. A bright flash was seen, and when the gods reappeared, there was a soft glow to them. Loki sighed.
"Go inform your men. They've broken their seals. They attack soon."
Draco bowed, "Yes My Lord." Draco quickly left the office. Loki stared at the screen for a few seconds longer before walking to a large clear crystal formation.
"So, your granddaughter lives. And she is coming here." Loki slowly paced around the crystal. "This is unexpected, but in the end it will not matter. I will bring about a new order." Loki tapped on the crystal. "Bakelite is such a wonderful substance, isn't it." Loki turned and laughed as he walked to the window. Inside the Bakelite, Kami-sama's eyes narrowed.
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"It doesn't look anything like the sim." said Asuka as she looked over the heavens.
"What's the matter? Not meeting your expectations?" asked Touji.
"No it's actually better looking then the sim."
"Asuka, we've been here before, remember." said Shinji. "We came here and watched Sayoko become a 1st Class Goddess."
"Yeah but we never came out here. We were inside the main building and that auditorium. This is the first time we actually really SEEN heaven."
"Hopefully we will not end up here permanently in the near future." said Rei.
"If you guys do what did in training, you won't" came Urd's voice. "Ok here's the plan: Mara is going to lead the demon army into heaven. The other 26 gods will be with them. You guys are to take out the MP Evas and then provide back-up, just like we practiced."
"Where are you going to be?" asked Asuka.
"Well someone has to go and restart Yggdrasil. This is a job best left up to someone who is smart and can handle any computer problems."
"Oh so that's why Sayoko's going with you." said Rei. Down below, she saw Urd turn her head and look up at her Eva.
"No.....She is not the computer expert."
"Oh so Dr. Akagi came along too? Where is she?"
Urd's eye began to twitch. "Not funny Rei."
Rei smiled, "Sayoko and Morgan seem to think so."
Urd glanced over her shoulder, Morgan's face was beat red as she tried desperately to hold in her laughter. Sayoko hide her face in her helmet, but her shaking gave her away. Urd sighed.
"Why isn't Peorth here to take this abuse?"
"Oh knock it off." muttered Mara as she walked up to Urd. "You've made more then enough comments to Peorth over the years, time for you to get some in return." Mara glanced around. "Are you ready?"
Urd nodded. "Let's do it."
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Draco was giving orders to several Demon commanders when a loud roar was heard. Everyone present turned to see hundreds of Demons swarming over the walls, racing towards the Yggdrasil Control building. Behind them came the 4 Evas. Draco and the other Demons began to shout orders, sending their own forces to meet the enemy head on. Draco flew over to where the MP Evas were kneeling.
"What are you waiting for!? And invitation? Get out there!!"
The 5 Evas seemed to listen as they rose together and began to head towards the battle. Draco watched for several seconds before turning and running into the control building.
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"Here they come." said Rei.
"Alright," said Asuka, "Remember, take on the one closest to you. If you get ganged up on, call for help."
Shinji smiled, "Like you'll need the help, remember last time...."
"Yeah, I remember." replied Asuka, "I just hope it ends better then last time." She added quietly.
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The Evas met head on in the midst of the demon armies. Asuka ended up fighting two Evas at once. She brought her sword around in a tight arc, clipping the MP Eva's head. The Eva crashed to the ground, but before Asuka could finish it off, the second Eva ran at her. They began to duel across the field. Rei's battle wasn't going as well. She had lost her sword and was now trying to avoid getting slashed by the Eva. The Eva tried to stab Rei's, but at the last second she twisted, causing the Eva to miss her. She then grabbed the Eva and forced it to drop its blade. Within seconds, both were on the ground wrestling about. Shinji and Touji also found themselves in vicious fights.
Sayoko ran along with Urd, stopping every 20 yards to take shots at Enemy demons with their staffs. Many demons fell frozen to the ground. Morgan, running beside them, blasted demons left and right. Slowly, they drew closer to the main building.
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Inside the Auditorium, the gods and goddesses held there could hear the sounds of battle. They also felt the floor shake as the Evas fought each other. Just outside the doors to the chamber, they could hear the sounds of footsteps as more demons ran to help their brothers.
"I guess Mara was telling the truth." said Chronos quietly.
"It won't be long and we'll finally be free!" shouted X.
"Quiet!" said Thor. "We're not free yet." He turned and listened to the sound of the fighting. "There is still a lot more fighting to be done.....and lives to be lost."
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Mara ducked as a lance hurtled past her head, She turned and blasted the demon that threw it. She then raised her sword to deflect another demon's slash. After several seconds of sword play, Mara brought her sword crashing down, sending the demon's sword and hand flying threw the air. The demon screamed holding the end of his arm. Mara silenced by removing his head neatly from his shoulders. Mara let out a sigh and looked about. Her forces were moving steadily towards the main building, being slowed down only by the out lying buildings. The enemy demons were slowly retreating back to the main building, trying to keep their hold on the world computer. Mara glanced over to see Asuka's Eva driving it's sword deep into the MP Eva. The MP Eva began to spasm. Mara's eyes widened. She quickly sent out a telepathic message.
* DUCK *
The MP Eva exploded, its shock wave sent demons and gods flying about. Mara laid low to the ground as the blast ripped her cape off. After counting to 20, Mara looked up. All around her Demons lay stunned. Farther away, the fight continued. Mara tapped on the microphone and then spoke.
"Asuka?"
"Yes Mara?"
"GIVE A LITTLE WARNING NEXT TIME!"
"Sorry, kind of hard to do......DAMMIT!" Mara turned and saw the other MP Eva on Asuka's back, trying to bring her down. Asuka grabbed the offending Eva and tossed it. It flew across the field and slammed into the side of the Yggdrasil Building.
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Loki grabbed onto the desk as the building shuddered. Draco braced himself in the doorway. Another demon lost his footing and fell to the ground. Loki looked up to Draco.
"We may not be able to hold this building."
"What?!"
"Have your demons smash every terminal in the control room." said Loki quietly. "I don't want to leave them a terminal to use."
Draco stared at Loki stunned. "But....why?"
Loki ignored the question and stepped behind the desk. "I will continue to enter the system from here. Now go."
Draco stared at Loki for a few seconds longer then stormed out. He went quickly to the control room. A demon hacker quickly ran up to him.
"Sir we have made some progress and......"
"Destroy the terminals."
The Demon blinked. "Sir?"
"You heard me, destroy the terminals." Draco turned and began to leave. "There should be nothing they can use." Draco stormed out of the chamber. The Hacker Demon stared at the door for a minute before turning to those around him.
"You heard the order."
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Draco stormed through the empty halls. Smashing anything that lay in his way.
'All this ...for NOTHING!!' Draco threw a force bolt, blowing apart a statue. 'Hundreds of my followers dead, for NOTHING!'
* Sir? *
Draco looked up.
* WHAT!?! *
The reply came back hesitatingly. * You have to see it to believe it, come to level 23. *
Draco began walking to the area indicated. 'This had better be worth it.'
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Sayoko, Urd and Morgan rapidly approached the main building. They were about a block from one of the bridges that connected the city to the building when the radio crackled.
"GET DOWN!!"
The 3 dropped to the ground as an Eva arm flew overheard, crashing into the bridge, destroying it. Sayoko turned to make a comment about were they tossed the enemy's pieces, when she saw that it was Touji's Eva missing an arm.
"Touji!! Are you alright?"
"Yeah." replied Touji, "They got the replacement, so I didn't feel a thing." Touji used his remaining arm to knock the MP Eva's weapon away. He then plunged his hand into it's chest, trying to find the entry plug.
A loud explosion echo across the heavens. A fireball rose from the ground in the distance.
"What was that?" came Mara's voice.
"Shinji got a kill." came Touji's voice, "Better drop." Touji pulled his hand out, a crushed entry plug in his hand. The MP Eva twitched before falling back and exploding. Touji's Eva then turned to the three. "Need a hand?"
"Actually, Yeah." said Urd. "We need to get through that door." Touji bent over and smashed his fist into the door, shattering it.
"Need help getting over that chasm?"
"Nope, we can handle it." Urd ran towards the door. Just before she hit the broken end of the bridge, she rose off the ground. She quickly flew over the break, Sayoko and Morgan just behind her.
Arriving in the main corridor, the 3 looked about.
"Where to?" asked Morgan.
Urd began walking down one of the hallways. "This way." She hadn't taken more then 10 steps, when the corridor exploded. The 3 got tossed about by the blast. Urd felt the floor give way and she dropped down several floors before crashing hard against another surface. The sound of someone landing next to her was the next thing to reach her ears. She slowly raised her head.
"Morgan?"
"Yeah?" came the weak reply.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, just as soon as that ringing stops."
Urd looked around. "Where's Sayoko?"
"Sorry I was to busy falling to notice."
Urd slowly stood up. "Come on, We got to get to the control room."
"What about Sayoko?"
Urd sighed. "She's a grown goddess, she can take care of herself." 'I hope'
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Draco stood just inside a shattered armored door. He looked up, and up, and up.
"What lucky star was I born under?" he said as he stared in awe. "Does it work?"
"We don't know. It's unlike the others."
Draco walked up and placed his hand on the purple and green Eva.
"This will make things interesting."
"YOU THERE! STOP!"
Draco and the other demon turned about to see 5 Demons standing in the doorway.
"In the name of Hild, you will SURRENDER!"
Draco smiled, "I think not." His body slowly began to dissipate.
"KILL THEM!!" The 5 Demons fired force blots at Draco and the other. The Demon was hit several times in the chest, falling quickly to the floor, but the bolts just went through the now cloud form of Draco as if he wasn't there. Draco's laugh could be heard echoing in the room as the cloud surrounded Eva 01. The cloud seemed to be sucked into the Eva.
"My God....he's...possessed it." said the lead Demon.
Eva 01's eyes lit up red, the head turned and faced the 5 Demons, red markings appearing on its forehead.
The lead Demon stared at the Eva. "We are so screwed."
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Loki watched from the window as Demon army advanced on the Yggdrasil building.
'Everything I did, the planning, maneuvering.....All for nothing. I wonder...is this what went through your mind Celestine, as you face the Gungir?'
A loud crash caused Loki to turn. The body of a demon crashed through the doors to the office. It slid to a stop just in front of Loki. Loki looked up from the body to see a figure step through the doorway. A goddess. She walked several steps into the room, and stopped, her staff clenched tightly in her hand. What stood out to Loki was the fact her right arm was bandaged.
"Hello Loki." The goddess said.
"Sayoko, nice to see you up and about."
Sayoko clenched her teeth, "No thanks to you." She leveled her staff at Loki. "Surrender."
"Unfortunately, I cannot do that."
"Then you leave me no choice." Sayoko fired a shot from her staff. Loki leaped over the blast. He pulled out his own staff and brought it down towards Sayoko's head. Sayoko raised her staff and blocked him. Sayoko swung the end of her staff around trying to trip Loki, but he jumped over it. Soon both dueling across the office. (Think fighting with Quarterstaffs)
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Mara looked over her troops with a large smile on her face. They had pushed the enemy forces back into the Yggdrasil Building. Four of the enemy Evas lay shattered on the ground, Rei was still fighting the last one. Things were looking good when..
* MARA!!! WE'VE GOT PROBLEMS!!! *
Mara frowned. * Who is this? *
* RUN DAMMIT RUN!!! MARA THERE IS AN AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! *
Mara felt the demons pain abruptly end. 'What could have caused such pain?'
A loud crash coming from the main building was her answer. She looked up the building to see a giant purple fist sticking out.
'No....It can't be....'
A second fist burst through the wall, the 2 hands then pushed away at the surrounding structure, a large armored head then came through. It turned sky ward and let out a roar. Asuka stared in shock as Eva 01 burst from the building, as it had from the 12th Angel. Eva 01 landed on the ground with a crash. Behind it, several floors to the Yggdrasil building began to collapse.
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Sayoko and Loki tumbled about. Both had lost their staffs and were now trying to simply pound the other. Loki tossed Sayoko over his head. She landed several yards away. Loki reached out for the nearest staff and held it on Sayoko as she stood.
Loki gave a small smile. "Now it ends." Sayoko stared at the staff pointed at her, waiting for what was to come. It never did. The floor shook violently, tossing them both to their feet, as something let out a roar. Loki regained his footing and was about to shoot Sayoko, when the floor dropped. Sayoko found herself falling towards one of the chasms that surrounded the Yggdrasil Building. Far below, the earth could just be seen. Sayoko began to spread her wings to stop her fall, when a piece of rubble smashed into her back, stunning her. Both she and Loki continued to tumble towards the earth.
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Urd and Morgan slowly stood up. Urd spoke into the microphone.
"Mara! What the hell was that?"
"Urd....get to Yggdrasil control, quickly." came Mara's shaky voice.
Urd grabbed Morgan and ran to the control room. "Why?"
"Cuz Unit 01 just came out to say 'Hi!' and it has demon markings on its forehead."
"Well tell Asuka! That's what they're there for!" Urd turned the corner and ran through a doorway, entering the Computers control room. "We've arrived at the co....control.....room.....oh hell."
"What? What is it?"
Urd looked about the room, taking in the smashed panels, terminals, and other sparking electronics.
"Mara, we have a problem."
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Skuld paced back and forth in the control room of Tokyo-2 UN Branch. Misato sat quietly, watching her. The Sub-Commander also watched, but found himself getting more and more irritated. Finally he stood up.
"I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!!!" He turned and looked at Misato. "WHY do you allow this unauthorized personal in here?!?! This is supposed to be a restricted area! And where the hell did you send our Evas!? This is a gross misuse of UN resources!"
Misato glanced at the Sub-Commander from the corner of her eye. "You really want to know? Go watch Video file 338 Alpha. You'll see then why I allow her here."
The Sub-Commander growled and stormed out of the room. Maya looked at Misato.
"Which video is that anyway?"
Misato turned to face Maya. "The one where Skuld and Sayoko appeared in Central Dogma. I figure it will quiet him right up when he sees them in action."
Maya nodded. She turned back to continue to monitor the area around Tokyo-2. Misato sat back in her chair.
'Now, If I only had some nice soothing music, I could...'
"Commander!"
Misato sat straight up and looked at Hyuga. Skuld stopped her pacing and also looked.
"What is it?" asked Misato.
"We have a detected some kind of....well, it looks like a hole in the sky and......Type Purple Pattern detected!!...no 2 Patterns and a lot of debris have appeared from the hole. On screen."
Misato and Skuld turned to the monitor. Skuld immediately recognized it. "It's a Gate!"
Misato looked at Skuld confused, "A what?"
"A Gate, from the heavens." Skuld turned to Hyuga, "Where is the source of the patterns?"
Hyuga typed in several commands and the screen changed to show pieces of what looked like a building falling towards the city. Barely able to be seen in the wreckage, were 2 humanoid forms.
"Can you zoom in any closer?" asked Misato.
"Negative." answered Hyuga. The screen continued to follow the falling figures, until a building blocked them from view. Misato turned to Maya.
"Get over to that site with a squad. I want to know who or what landed."
"Yes Ma'am."
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS SMASHED!?!?!" screamed Mara.
Urd held the speaker far away from her ear. "Everything's been smashed, terminals, most of the screens, you name it, its busted."
"Did Yggdrasil crash?!?"
Urd glanced at the 3 rotating structures. "It still seems to be running. We just have no way of accessing it."
"Can't you patch something together?"
Urd looked over the wreckage. "Maybe...."
"Well hurry up.....I don't think the kids will be able to hold up much longer....."
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Asuka panted heavily inside the plug. She glanced over at Rei's pop up on her display, "You alright?"
"I'll...survive." replied Rei. Her Eva held its arms around its midsection where the last MP Eva had slashed her. Asuka turned her attention to Eva 01. It stood watching the 4 Evas surrounding it.
"Well Shinji," said Asuka, "It was your Eva. How do we defeat it?"
Shinji stared at her picture, "Wha? How am I supposed to know!?!"
"Baka." Asuka turned and faced Unit 01. "Well, here goes nothing then." She grabbed her sword and charge the Eva. Unit 01 watched Asuka's Eva approach. Just before she reached it, 01 raised its hands and fired a force bolt at her.
"WHAT THE HELL!?!?" Asuka slammed on the breaks and fall back. The bolt ripped into her Eva's shoulder. Asuka screamed in pain.
"ASUKA!!!" Shinji cried as he charge Unit 01. Shinji swung his sword, trying to remove the Evas head. A red barrier appeared along with a hexagon pattern. Shinji stared at it in shock.
"AT-Field?....."
"And a Demon shield." added Mara. "We're in trouble."
Eva 01 grabbed Shinji and tossed him across the battlefield.
Rei turned to Touji's picture. "Touji, catch." She tossed her sword to Touji. His Eva caught it with his one hand.
"What am I going to do with this?" asked Touji.
Rei rolled her eyes, "Throw it at the Eva!"
"Oh." Touji launched the sword at Unit 01. The sword soared through the air heading straight towards the Eva. While in route, it shifted into lance form. Just as the two prongs were about to arrive, 01 threw its hand up. The combined AT-Field and Demon shield blocked the lance. The lance struggled for several seconds to break through, before it fell to the ground. Eva 01 picked up the lance and turned to look at Touji. A grin came to the Eva's face.
"Oh shit." muttered Touji.
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Morgan stared at Urd, or at least Urd's legs as the rest of her was underneath the main terminal in front of the Op chair.
"Do you need a hand?" asked Morgan.
"Yeah." came Urd muffled voice. "Lemme know if anything happens on the Op board."
Morgan turn to look at the board, which was mostly intact. Somehow the Demons had decided not to smash it, instead, they fired a force bolt into the connections that linked it with the rest of the system. Urd was trying to reconnect dozens of broken and torched wires. Morgan glanced at the main screen which still had the battle playing on it. Her eyes widened in shock.
"URD HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!!!"
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Touji stared down in shock at the Lance sticking out of his Eva's chest. Shinji and Rei called for him to answer, but when he tried to speak, he was unable to say anything. His view began to disappear in a haze of red. Touji glanced down at his own chest. Two matching holes were in his own chest. The red was his own blood. Touji fell to the ground, the last thing he heard as his world began to turn black was a loud humming noise.
'Hikari....' thought Touji, then the world went bright white.
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Mara hit the ground just as the Eva exploded. Pieces of it crashed all around her. She looked back up after several seconds to see Eva 01 running towards Asuka's fallen Eva. Along the way it picked up her dropped sword. The Unit 01 raised the sword high above its head. Shinji's Eva began to charge.
"ASSSSUUUKAAA!!!!!!!" screamed Shinji.
"SHHHINNN....." Asuka's voice was cut off as 01 plunged the sword deep into the core of Asuka's unit. Another explosion ripped through the air. Mara found herself flying at a high rate of speed. She slammed into the side of a building with tremendous force, falling to the ground limply. Shinji continued to charge 01. He raised his sword and swung it with all his might. 01 blocked the sword, but was knocked to the ground. Shinji yelled and drove his sword downward, trying to hit 01's core. At the last possible second, 01 moved out of the way, Shinji's sword burying itself into the ground deeply. Shinji tried to pull the sword from the ground, when a flash from his right got his attention. 01 had pulled out its progressive knife and was preparing to stab Shinji with it. Shinji let go of the sword and leaped away, the knife just catching his shoulder. Shinji jumped again as 01 charged again. This time, Shinji's foot snagged on a small building. 01 was moving in for the kill, when a white object smashed into the Eva. Shinji stared stunned as Rei struggled with 01. He quickly got up and joined the struggle. Both Rei and Shinji held onto the arm that held the knife, trying to drive it into 01. All of a sudden, there was a violent movement, and the 3 Evas froze. Shinji looked down. His and Rei's hands were still locked on 01's arm, the knife was still there. Shinji looked over to see 01's free hand holding something against his Eva. The hand released and Shinji saw 01's back-up knife sticking out from his core. He looked at the display to Rei.
"I'm sorry Rei." Shinji closed his eyes as a humming noise grew louder. "Asuka....here I com....." The resulting explosion sent Rei's battered Eva hurtling across heaven. Rei's Eva lay still on the ground. She tried to move it, but found it unable to move. She sat back in defeat. In the distance, Eva 01 began to walk towards her.
"Mara? Urd?" called Rei.
"What is it Rei?" came Urd's muffled voice.
"Tell Misato and Mom....I'm sorry we couldn't keep our promise."
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Urd sat up quickly in the access, smacking her head into the low ceiling.
"OW! Rei what are you saying?!"
"Good bye..." Rei said quietly closing the link.
"What!?! Rei! Rei!?!"
"Urd, get up here quick!" came Morgan's voice.
Urd crawled out of the access and stood next to Morgan. They watched as Unit 01 reached Rei and lifted its sword.
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Rei watched as Unit 01 raised the sword high above its head.
'Maybe I'll get to see the others again.' thought Rei.
As 01 brought the sword down, Rei closed her eyes tightly.
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Mara slowly rose from the ground. She looked about, but was not able to see the Evas. She was about to peer around the corner of the house, when a bright flash came from the other side. Mara then heard an explosion, the same type that she had heard most of the day.
'I don't know if I want to look.' Mara peered around the building. 'I was right, I didn't."
"Mara!" came Morgan's voice.
Mara grabbed the microphone. "What?"
"Can you defeat it?"
Mara stared at the form of 01 as it began to pick off her army one by one.
"I seriously doubt it. Please tell me you have a miracle ready?"
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Urd stood quietly next to Morgan, watching Eva 01 move about the field.
"I wish I did......"
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