Koros45 doesn't own Mazinkaiser, Getter Robo, or Neon Genesis Evangelion
Stage 35: [Desperate Situation]
For Shinji things were getting better despite how high the stakes were.
He could pilot the EVA without validation from the man who saw him as a tool. Misato was in charge now and things made sense despite the integration with the Photon Labs and Getter Team.
Asuka was now closer to him than ever before. It made him nervous but at the same time it felt wonderful.
Rei had begun to realize her own self-worth beyond just being NERV's pilot.
NERV itself had stopped feeling as cramped. He could interact with most of the staff and feel reasonably OK. Considering he'd just gone through Third Impact, that was saying a lot. And even beyond NERV, things in general had felt better.
Despite the race against time to save the universe, Shinji felt he had both the will and determination to see it through. To return to Earth and see what the future had in store beyond a blood-stained Evangelion and an unwanted family legacy
For the first time in a long time, Shinji Ikari had hope.
Sachiel approached him, an arm slamming into Unit 01's right shoulder and knocking him backwards. His mother hissed and he felt her urge to strike back well up from within the EVA. Shinji followed the thought and countered the next attack, following Yui's instincts.
Sachiel's long arms extended as a pair of dark lances and Shinji was ready for them this time. Unit 01's hands grabbed onto one each and held them in place. Then with some resistance from the Angel, Shinji pulled it towards him. The lack of gravity made it easier, as did Unit 01's golden wings of light. Angel and EVA collided, as Unit 01 slammed its' head and cranial horn into Sachiel's face.
Shinji was one with the EVA, letting go of the Angel's arms and punching the chest as fast as he could, trying to break the core with one good punch.
The Angel was silent in its' resistance, causing cross-shaped explosions to erupt around the two. Yui was able to help him tune out the pain and keep going, their right knee picking up the slack his arms lost. A thrust of the knee was enough to cause something to break and Sachiel tried to back off. Shinji could notice the core was starting to regenerate. A result of the Invaders' tampering meant it wouldn't be so easy to defeat.
The Angel turned, its' bird-like skull mask looking to him as the right arm extended, stabbing through Unit 01's shoulder.
A mistake. Unit 01 grabbed the Angel's arm and ripped it apart, before throwing its prog-knife into the core.
Thus Sachiel fell in a cross of light.
He would survive and return no matter what it took - Shinji re-affirmed before assessing the battle around him.
Asuka was fighting Gallaghiel by herself and avoiding the Angel's jaws, boosting away and flying around space with the attached jet pack. She would fire her Pallet Rifle when she had openings. Meanwhile Tetsuya and Rei were facing off against Ramiel.
Leaving the mysterious Getter-Angel hybrid facing Ryoma, Hayato, and Benkei's Shin Getter Robo.
The hybrid was a mix of Zureul and a bone-white Shin Getter, with orange highlights and some black to offset the main color. The proportions of the fusion were very similar to Shin Getter's, with massive shoulders and long arms and legs. A pair of white Angel wings came from its' back and the blank eyes twitched.
Then it let loose the AT Field. Within an instant, Shin Getter was slammed even further into the large asteroid. The white impostor then descended on its' prey and pinned Shin Getter Robo down with its' left arm.
Anyone watching the battle could do nothing as the pilot of the fusion spoke up.
And all of Shinji's hope was broken apart by his voice.
Father had returned.
/
Ramiel was unable to fire as Great Mazinger kept it occupied. The AT Field held against the Mazinger's attacks, but the machine kept attacking the larger Angel. Breast Burn petered off, the crimson heat ray diminishing against the barrier as Great Typhoon replaced it. The funnel of wind pushed back Ramiel, and it was soon to be joined by a Thunder Break. The consecutive attacks were enough to break through the barrier and chip away some of the Angel's blue hide.
Ramiel's body distorted as it prepared to change shape to fight the Mazinger and fire off its' powerful beam once again.
It wasn't able to do so as an orange and white EVA struck the barrier, tearing the field apart as the Mazinger kept up the assault.
They were joined by Unit 02. Asuka had recently sliced Gallaghiel in two, splitting apart and destroying the core as a result. She flew from the bisected opponent to face the larger Angel.
She struck the Angel with full force – from the other side as Rei. Both combined powers of the EVAs working at opposite poles of Ramiel's AT Field was enough for Great to break through once again. This time the Angel had to endure the full power of Great Mazinger's Thunder Break.
Then the other two moved it. Unit 00 rammed into the Angel's side, taking it by surprise. Whereas Unit 02 swung its' battleaxe at the Angel, the weapon deflecting off of the exterior.
"Hold it in place, Rei! Asuka, you have the right idea! Now - catch!" Tetsuya said as he threw the red EVA one of his swords.
"Try that again, but with something a lot sturdier!" Tetsuya recommended.
"Right!" Asuka said, catching the blade as she followed the Mazinger pilot's movements.
"DOUBLE MAZINGER BLADE!" Tetsuya yelled as Rei pushed out with her AT Field and pushed Ramiel towards him and Asuka. Unit 02 and Great Mazinger extended the blades, striking the sheer corner of Ramiel's body.
"Now – finish it before it recovers!" Jun yelled.
The Great Booster slammed into its' side a moment later. The Angel's body shook – the Great Booster piercing its' core.
Tetsuya recovered the Mazinger Blades. "Good timing on launching Great Booster, Jun."
"Now we have to deal with the rest. Shin Getter's busy, and Shinji's dealing with Sachiel." Asuka said as more Angels flew on the scene.
"Rei, Tetsuya, pick a target!" She said as Shamshel and Israfel approached the three.
/
The hybrid machine was a pale shade of white, enough to stick out in the contrasting darkness of space. Shin Getter's pupils were present on the mimic, though these eyes were bloodshot and constantly wide.
Misato was stunned as Shin Getter's opponent flew backwards, the voice of Gendo Ikari shocking the entire crew.
"You – created a Getter for him?!" She asked, addressing Invaders responsible.
"Yes – although it's far more than just a machine for Mr. Ikari! A being created to face you all in combat! A hybrid of Zeruel and an advanced Getter. Now we will see who harnesses the power of Getter Rays more effectively!" Stinger responded.
"We wanted to see what the next step in introducing an Angel to Getter Rays would lead." Cohen added. "And this is the result. A hybrid being not unlike Shin Getter Robo."
"Still – that's nothing compared to the original version! GETTER TOMAHAWK!" Ryoma retorted as the battle axe was formed and he swung it at his foe.
The replica of Shin Getter dodged the swing and responded with a crimson beam from the forehead, striking Shin Getter's back and causing Ryoma to grunt.
"You are outmatched. Surrender and accept your fate." Gendo Ikari uttered.
"Surrender? Hell no! You're no fighter, Ikari! Even if you have some hybrid machine – that's nothing compared to the strength of the Getter Team!" Ryoma yelled as he swung again with the axe, the Angel responding by warping its entire right arm into a single bladed battle axe to block.
"On top of that – you've given me the best thing I could ask for, Invader! I get to put Gendo Ikari down myself!" Ryoma said with a grin as Shin Getter's body shone brightly with neon energy.
"NOW – DIE! GETTER BEAM!" Ryoma yelled as the blast of power fired, the Angel Shin Getter's body distorting to avoid the blast.
As the beam dispersed, the Angel's body continued to warp, the bulky proportions of Shin Getter becoming slender – almost twig-like. The hybrid's right arm changed, as a replica of the Lance of Longinus protruded outwards, while the left arm resembled a claw. Now the thing was almost entirely bone white, the arms and legs having large enough gaps in them to appear skeletal.
"It changed into - Shin Getter – 2?!" Hayato uttered.
The twin of Shin Getter zipped right in front of its' red counterpart, ready to impale it with the Lance arm.
Ryoma was able to roll Shin Getter 1 to the side, avoiding the thrust, but barely had time to react as the hybrid spun around and lunged again. This time Ryoma had to swing the axe, slamming the head of it into the hybrid's wrist, then firing a Getter Beam from the stomach to force the hybrid to dodge the attack.
The Angel split up into three organic looking Get Machines, flying around Shin Getter to combine again behind them. Once again it was the Getter-1 configuration. Ryoma spun around as a red light shone in the navel of his foe, a Getter Beam striking him and knocking Shin Getter Robo backwards.
"That thing's Get-Change is faster than Saotome's was!" Benkei noted.
"That Getter Beam's just as strong as ours! We can't keep taking hits like that!" Hayato warned.
"Dammit! It may be a copy – and it may be piloted by that asshole – but it's still strong." Ryoma cursed, willing Shin Getter to rise again as he weighed his options.
/
"Mazinkaiser's sealing, this new Angel Getter, they're both distractions! Stick to our course - after Stinger and Cohen!" Go urged as Kei directed Shin Liger once again.
"No! Stop!" Misato commanded. As she gave the command Liger slowly lost speed at her order.
"They're still trying to divide us! If they're going to isolate our forces like this, then Stinger and Cohen aren't worried about an individual Shin Dragon – rather, they want us to attack them by ourselves!"
"Then what do we do, Captain?" Gai asked.
"Change this thing to whatever you call this Getter – 3 and unleash hell! We'll use that to distract them and regroup!" Misato ordered as Gai gave her a nod and ran towards his own pilot seat beside Kei's, ready to change Shin Liger into it's Getter 3 variation.
Then Professor Yumi approached Misato, looking frantic.
"Captain Katsuragi – with your permission I'd like to save Kouji - "
He was cut off as Misato hushed him. "Permission granted! Do it! Get Kouji out of there and back in the fight as soon as possible! As for our Getter Team – can you keep that hybrid busy?!"
"We're on it!" Benkei said, sounding strained as Shin Getter-2 barely avoided a trust of the Longinus arm – which had begun to rapidly spin as a drill.
"It's a copy of Getter – 2 alright. It's matching our speed with no effort." Hayato said as he boosted away, the false Getter following right behind them.
"Then we'll change tactics!" Benkei said. "Use the Drill Attack now, Hayato!"
Hayato pushed the lever and the drill shot off, the hybrid Getter veering off course to avoid the missile. By the time it had done so, Shin Getter- 2 had gotten more distance from them.
/
Unit 01's grip on Shamshel's head tightened even as the Angel drove its' arms into Yui's body again and again. This time things were different. The EVA's control stopped as Shinji felt his rage build up.
His father had come back. And now he was trying to kill Ryoma. A man who had filled the role of both father and Sensei to him now. Even if Shinji found that hard to realize.
It was an Invader, of course. His brain knew that. It was the logical conclusion if he only appeared when they arrived to confront the Invaders' forces.
And yet – it was still his Father. A part of him still wanted the man to acknowledge him at all. To say anything in person that would prove Shinji was worth something as his son.
The part of himself that wanted this made Shinji angry. His father was dead! His father's words would accomplish nothing! Why did he want to hear praise from a ghost?!
'Because you wanted him to love you.' his mother said.
Suddenly her grip became steady and Shamshel stopped struggling.
'But you – you know that he is dead.'
"But he's still there! And he knows how to hurt me!" Shinji whispered, feeling a tremendous pressure that even his anger couldn't abate.
'And I am your mother. This time I will hurt him back.'
"What?" He said aloud.
That thought was foreign to Shinji. Even if she was an Evangelion. Even if she was not completely human anymore. He still saw" her firstly as Mother, even if her actions had been questionable.
'Shinji. The only reason I continue to fight as Unit 01 – the only thing I continue to exist for – is you.'
He stopped and felt the anger and pressure stop as she continued.
'I wanted to leave this world behind. But now – I also must accept this universe that I wanted to leave you in. Despite all of this – I am still your Mother.'
The AT Field flared and Iruel was pushed back as Shinji and Yui ended the Angel's life with a punch through the core.
'Mother. Thank you.'
Shinji breathed. He had no other words to say but she seemed to hear him just fine.
/
Shin Liger's systems shut down suddenly and the crew began to panic as the ship stopped and went completely dark.
"Hold on! Attention!" Misato yelled as the voices around her calmed down somewhat.
"Is anything working?" She asked.
"No. It's a ship-wide shut down! We're dead in the water." Shigeru reported. The man produced what turned out to be a flashlight, the group on the bridge looking to the light to see where everyone was.
"Hmm. Ritz, does this seem familiar to you?" The Captain asked.
"Yes. The Angel Matarael. If it could shut down NERV HQ, why not do the same with Shin Dragon?" The scientist mused. Then the ship shook as something hit them from above.
"That was a detonation!" Gai yelled as Misato steeled herself and pulled out a flashlight of her own, glad it could at least function.
"Everyone, get a light of some kind! Dr. Yumi! Can we switch to our reserves of Photon Power?"
"Yes but – that's going to be quite the tall order. This Getter was not made to run on that energy source." The professor stated.
"At Shin Dragon's level of evolution I'll risk that. Boss. Sayaka. If Boss Borot is repaired enough, I have a task for the two of you."
She turned to Ritsuko, who had begun writing down equations using a lit candle and Maya's sketchpad.
"I'm already coming up with plans. We need to get Matarael off our back before we can resume communicating with the pilots." Ritsuko breathed between calculations.
"Then I was right. Rushing Stinger and Cohen would've been even worse if they had all these Angels ready for us." Misato said, visiting the pilot room.
"Go. Any luck with Dragon?"
"Our power has been cut off. Luckily I was able to redirect what little we did have to life support."
"I'm going to have Dr. Yumi try and hot wire Dragon's main power supply to the Photon Reactor."
"I see. Risky, but if there's a machine that can handle that, it's Shin Dragon." Go responded.
Another detonation occurred and Misato swore.
"I don't think we're just dealing with a single Angel." The Captain said.
After a minute to gather the crew, Misato explained, looking around to her crew.
"NERV dealt with an Angel that tried to bomb us to death. We killed it using the EVA series but at the moment they don't know we're six feet under. And even if only one Angel is causing this, we need to kill it right now. So – Professor Yumi. Getter Team. What solutions do we have?"
/
Shigeru was NOT cut out for this – the man decided even as he donned the strange looking space-suit the Getter team had provided him with. Gai explained that Getter Robo G had been designed for space travel and things like the Moon Wars made this sort of thing necessary back then. The man didn't argue as he put on the suit and held the camera tight. It was a ridiculous plan, but it was the only way to make sure they had visual confirmation.
Mikoto helped Gai open the manual airlock and sent Shigeru into space before shutting it as fast as possible.
The only thing connecting Shigeru to Shin Liger was a small cord. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for but a huge flash of light caught his attention. It occurred behind him and he spun around to behold the Angel in question. The closest he could compare the tenth Angel to was an eyeball with two 'arms' of sorts that also resembled smaller eyes. The thing was an orange hue and one NERV had killed before. It was indeed responsible for bombing Shin Liger.
Then in the brightness of the detonations he saw a shadow – spindly and resembling a daddy long leg. That confirmed Major – no, Captain Katsuragi's suspicions. This one was secreting acid, hitting the hull of the ship and slowly eating away at the alloy. It was the ninth Angel. He raised the camera and hit the shutter.
Then he looked away, hoping that anything else would be an alternative to getting blinded by the Angel's attacks. He was under the belly of the Getter and it was lucky he had the Getter as a shield from the detonations.
He fidgeted with the flare gun and fired it, hoping the team inside the ship would see it. Then he turned away from the spectacle to see another one.
Far away in the distance, Shin Getter Robo struggled against its' twin, the copy matching it in both speed and strength. Shigeru could only see them battle for a moment as the chord was pulled and he felt himself being drawn towards the ship. As his body moved, he pivoted to take more pictures.
/
"We face two Angels. But with this we may stand a chance." Dr. Yumi said.
They had used a photon reactor to give Shin Liger emergency power – at least enough to get the hanger's lights working in addition to life support.
Yumi looked across the hangar to reveal Boss Borot looking down at a large and scaled up coffin – the size of which a Super Robot could feasibly fit into.
"What is that?" Mikoto asked, looking suspicious. Yumi cleared his throat.
"North America hid a secret weapon in part of Japan – in the US Embassy. It happened to be part of the area we took when we departed. I figured we might need something the Angels wouldn't expect – something that wasn't powered by either Photon Power or Getter Rays."
"As of now we don't have anything else with the needed firepower to kill the Angels – and none of our machines have the movement needed to use that Lance of Longinus." Yumi finished.
"Boss – open it." The scientist ordered.
Boss complied, his Borot grabbing onto the handle and arching back with strength. He managed to open the coffin, his mech falling down in the process as he howled in pain.
"Yeowch! That's sealed tight!" The man said, moving Borot to stand and stoop over the large box.
The hidden weapon was a massive cannon.
"How very American. A really, really big gun." Ritsuko said with a grin. "I didn't expect they'd have a ground-based weapon like this. Still – if the science behind it works like I think, it should give those Angels quite the surprise."
"Right. It's just made to fire a large bullet – but I don't think even an AT Field can block one made out of Super Alloy Z at this range." Professor Yumi stated.
"We'll have Borot shoot it. We've tracked the Angel's location relative to the images Mr. Aoba took and it confirms what we thought. They're cutting our power and bombing the hell out of us. If Getter Rays won't work, we'll improvise!" Misato stated.
"Then what do we do? There's no way we can move this thing! Not with our power as low as it is!" Maya protested.
Misato smiled. "That's why we're not moving it." The captain said. "Now – I advise everyone get far away from the hangar and grab ahold of something. We're firing this thing from inside of the ship!"
/
Matarael and Sahaquiel were making short work of the flagship. Stinger was pleased. It was all going to plan. They had been divided and now they would be conquered. How very human of them.
The Evangelions were facing off against the Angels in as predictable a manner, matching up against the Angels they'd defeated before. With the assistance of Great Mazinger it was no surprise that they would win. Those victories would soon be short lived. The Angels' purpose only to buy time for their final plan.
Mazinkaiser was trapped in their micro black hole and Ashura was content to watch their plan almost complete. Finally, Shin Getter had to contend with their latest surprise – one that was more entertaining to watch than either Invader anticipated.
Suddenly Shin Liger's body ruptured as the detonation caused it to drift away. Something had happened inside of the large Getter. Cohen looked to Stinger and the two were puzzled. That wasn't an attack by either of the Angels.
Then they saw it, travelling at light speed.
The massive bullet rammed through Sahaquiel, punching right through and ripping it apart in the single shot. The Getter was right next to the Angel when it had happened. Additionally the shot had occurred from within the Getter's own hull. The Angel's destruction was heralded by a man's yell he broadcast to anyone who was listening.
"THIS CANNON HAS TOO MUCH HIGH POWER MAN!" Boss cried out in victory.
As the Angel shutting Shin Dragon's power off was beaten, the ship twisted and warped into a hulking and compact fighting machine – with a mace for one hand and a clenched fist on the other side.
Then the two lead Invaders tensed. Shin Dragon's third form was here – meaning the humans weren't done just yet.
/
Go was pleased to see Gai looking more confident then ever as he followed Boss's ferver with his own declaration to the Invaders.
"Shin Poseidon is here! With it, we'll blow all of your forces away! GETTER! TRIPLE! CYCLONE!"
Gai's voice hang out as three funnels of wind crashed into the second Angel, ripping it apart shortly afterward.
The attacks didn't stop there as they sped towards Stinger and Cohen. The two scientists screamed as they were hit by the force of the attack. Even with their evolved bodies, the attack still sent the two of them flying.
Then for a moment the area around them was quiet as the crew started restoring their stations and preparing for battle.
"Hell yeah! We have power and two Angels are down for the count!" Gai celebrated.
"Nicely done, all of you!" Misato said. "Contact the Getter and EVA Teams! Go, focus on repairing the hangar! I want it ready if we need any last minute repairs!"
Go immediately focused on the task at hand, straining to reboot the Getter Rays and redirect them to make the repairs. Then he stopped as he heard something whisper in his head.
"Impressive. You were able to fend off two Angels even without your precious Getter Rays."
The sun the Invaders had created illuminated a shadow moving in front of it.
"Getter! Now is the time to finish this!"
A voice said. It was not broadcast from anywhere, rather it was telepathic, striking the brain of everyone on board Shin Poseidon. Go noticed everyone looked surprised to hear the noise.
"What – what is that?" Misato asked. She didn't need an answer as the shadow got closer, size growing huge.
Then the figure revealed itself. An aggregate of Stinger and Cohen. It was shades of purple and blue. Armored. Large enough to contend with Shin Dragon as well. A massive blue face – Cohen's opened and stared at the ship. His lips parted and another face appeared – the head barely fitting through Cohen's maw. It was Stingers, of course.
"We face you at the peak of our own evolution! You will fall by the gaze of our glorious form!"
"Now prepare yourselves! NERV! Photon Labs! Getter Team! You're about to be part of the end! The end of Human evolution!"