"Red Alert!" ordered Misato as she studied the image of Jet Alone on the giant holographic screen in front of her.
"I see JA showed up here after all," said Burke from up above at the commander's station, confirming his earlier suspicions. A worried Aoi turned and looked at Misato for guidance. "What do we do, commander?"
"We engage and show the government how it's done." Misato turned to Kodama. "Get the pilots to their units!"
"Yes, ma'am," replied Kodama and she quickly picked up a telephone receiver.
In the lounge the phone was barely heard over the loudly bickering kids as they continued their game. Hikari was closest to the phone and picked it up, resting the receiver on a shoulder as she worked in the kitchen.
"Hikari-chan!" said Kodama. "We're on alert!"
"When, now?! I can't hear over Nozomi voice!" Upon listening to this, Toji then shouted. "Hey! Keep it down!" It was then that everyone on the room heard the klaxons in the halls outside the lounge and knew something was happening.
"What's that?" asked Train Boy.
"It's an alert," replied Erin, who now got out of her chair and made ready to leave.
"Hikari," continued Kodama. "Get going! The time is now."
She nodded in affirmation. "Got it! We'll get moving right now." Hikari then hung up the receiver. "Nozomi!"
"What now?" the annoyed 12-year old argued. Her older sister gave her a stare. "It's time to go."
"But I'm playing! It's the level boss, I'm…"
"Now!" Hikari insisted, her hands on her hips.
"Fine, they finally do this." Nozomi turned to Hayato. "Sorry, I gotta go. Can you save it and we finish later?"
"Sure," the boy said as he smiled nervously at her. "Are you going to be alright?"
"I guess so. I've never done this before."
"Well I know you trained really hard, so good luck!" Then surprisingly everyone Hayato quickly snuck in a peck on Nozomi's cheek. The young girl blushed bright red, turning away and holding her hand to the cheek just kissed.
"Nozomi, come on!" said Hikari as she picked up two helmets. "I've got to drive us out to the cages."
"Um, gotta go. Bye!" she said to Train Boy without looking at him. Hayato simply smiled and waived as she left the room along with Hikari.
"I've got to go too," said Erin to the others.
Erin heard "Need a ride?" and turned around. She saw that Toji picked up another two helmets and smiled at her.
"Pilots are dispatched," reported Kodama to Misato. "On their way."
"Got it. Anything on JA?"
"It's not moving for the moment," observed Satsuki, "but we're picking up heavy electromagnetic interference with all of our sensor equipment."
"It's going to try to find a way to knock us out electronically," said Maya. "We know it's got EMP weapons already."
"You wanna try just hacking it?" asked Misato.
"That didn't work earlier," replied Maya. "If we want to knock it out we'll need direct contact with the unit. I've got my arrest program compiled but I can't just beam it out there, we'll need to actually make physical contact with JA to get it to work."
Major Huyua concurred. "So what we need is to hold JA in place while we make physical contact with it, Then we can shut it down safely. Otherwise if we get too explosive we could set off the reactor."
"And that would not be good," chimed in Kaji.
Misato nodded, knowing her options. "Kodama, help me to coach the pilot to grabble with JA to hold it and not just blow it to pieces. I know it's her first sortie but hopefully JA doesn't prove to be as difficult as an Angel to handle."
"Yes, ma'am."
Misato turned to Hyuga again. "How long will it take to get Unit 09 deployed?" The major frowned a little. "It will all depend on how well she succeeds at the start-up sequence. Could be minutes, could be longer."
"Then we need a good distraction. Maya, is the Virtual EVA ready?"
The chief scientist was confident. "It is, just need the pilot."
Toji sped through the GeoFront on an electric motor scooter with Erin behind him and holding on to his body tightly. Fortunately NERV was still chronically undermanned, leaving Toji with a mostly clear path in front of him. The scooter whooshed and weaved down hallways and corridors and then finally into an elevator, with Toji sliding to a rough stop right in the middle. Erin jumped off and hit the button taking her to the correct floor.
"Hey, thanks for that!" she said with a smile. "Much faster than running."
"Are you gonna be okay," asked Toji. "You still look kinda tired."
"I'll be alright. I've got a job to do and I'm gonna do it." For another moment the two of them were silent, looking at each other, and Erin looked for some sort of reassurance that everything would be okay.
The elevator car bell dinged and the doors slid open. Erin walked out backwards, still looking at Toji.
"I guess you better go support her," she told him.
"She'll be good. She's always good in situations like this," Toji replied. "But good luck and take care."
What was I waiting for? Erin thought. An embrace and a good bye kiss? I'm well past that point now with him.
"You too" she said as she waived her hand. Then Erin turned around and bolted towards the simulator room at full speed. The doors closed as she left him behind.
In another part of the GeoFront Hikari stopped her own scooter, only much more carefully than Toji. She quickly hopped off and helped Nozomi off the back seat, then assisted her in unstrapping her helmet.
"Just remember you training and don't forget to use AT Field! It's easy to go fighting and forget to extend that."
"It's just a robot, right?" asked Nozomi. "Not like an angel or anything."
"Still, it's plenty dangerous. Just listen to Ane-san's instructions and you can't go wrong."
Nozomi sighed, knowing that she was now part of the family's business. "Okay, well here goes."
One of the technicians standing on the EVA cage handed over a yellow-colored duffel bag with the black number "09" printed on it. "Here's the plug suit." Hikari took the bag from him and unzipped it, grabbing out the yellow and black-colored plug suit inside. "Okay, time to put this on?"
"Do I have to?" protested Nozomi. "I thought we were in a rush."
"It'll only take a few seconds." Hikari then called out to the cage crew. "I need the curtain here, please!" With a few seconds two technicians rolled over an opaque curtain mounted on wheels and Hikari checked to make sure it was in place. When she turned around Nozomi was already mostly undressed, with only her panties remaining. HIkari looked at her.
"What?"
"All of it, please."
"You're kidding? Do you know how embarrassing it is to wear this?"
"I had to do it too, so yes I know but no one here's gonna look at you like that. Now we don't have time to fight over this."
"All right, all right, just make sure Hayato can't see me wearing this tighty-wighty thing." Nozomi promptly complied with her sister's instructions and within another few seconds was firmly clad in the yellow plug suit after the air hissed out from the automatic fitting.
"How is it?"
"Uncomfortable."
Hikari smiled then added the A10 adaptors to Nozomi's head, adapters that were once her own. Then Hikari gave her a tight embrace. "I know you're afraid," she whispered in her ear. "But Mom's inside there. She'll take care of you."
For a moment Nozomi's expression became serious, acknowledging what Hikari spoke. "I know."
"So do you best and you'll be fine." The younger sister nodded, trying to muster up whatever confidence she could.
"PILOT READY!" Hikari shouted as she slid open the dressing curtain. Two technicians then came and escorted Nozomi to the entry plug. The younger girl looked back at Hikari as she walked with them and still managed a smile even as apprehension started to grip her. Hikari looked at her and waived, and then as soon as she was out of sight whispered a prayer.
Dear God please protect her.
Erin reached the simulation room and practically tore off her warm-up clothes and shoes, stripping down to only her leotard. Today's outfit was a grey colored long-sleeved type with a high collar, made from less comfortable but much more flexible polyester to fit her body snugly and give her maximum flexibility. Once ready, Erin strapped on the sensor gear and the A10 adaptor and then started to stretch out to warm up her body again. All around her, the screens started to light up and run through the startup sequence. The LCL gas then entered the room, and Erin drew a deep breath to let it in her lungs.
"Forrestal-chan," said Aoi over the speaker. "Are you ready for action?"
"Not just yet," Erin protested. "I've got to warm up first."
Misato interrupted. "No time. Unit 09 is just starting it's initiative sequence, we need to keep JA busy so Unit 09 can get activated."
"Got it," said Erin and she then went into a ready stance.
On the operations bridge Aoi reported back to Misato. "Virtual EVA ready to run. The holographic formation drones are deployed."
Misato nodded. "Have Virtual EVA get JA's attention and try to maneuver it into Sector Grid 3J. We've still got a functional Angel Arrest system there, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," reported Aoi.
"Then let's go!"
"Virtual EVA," called out Aoi on the speaker. "Draw the target's attention and push towards Grid 3J."
"Okay," replied Erin. "Here we go."
Outside in the interior of the GeoFront, JA stood at silent attention as its sensors analyzed NERV's defenses searching for a proper weak point. Unlike the Japanese Air Force installations, NERV was built like a giant underground castle and despite not having most of the armaments it had during the Angel War, there were still quite a few weapons mounts available for its defense.
As JA was about to move towards the HQ structure suddenly a giant holographic image of an Evangelion appeared in front of it. Nearly forty stories tall, the hologram was of very high resolution and density, giving the appearance that something that giant was indeed standing there. JA stopped moving and tried to scan the image.
"Will JA buy that's an EVA," asked Kaji.
"Virtual EVA was designed around the projection drones," Maya explained. "They're using Electromagnetic spectrometry generators to mimic elements that create a reflection appearing like a solid object. Even JA's sensors should pick up Virtual EVA as real."
JA started to move towards the virtual EVA, so Erin began to slowly fall back as it approached. "It's coming after me," called out Erin over the speakers.
"Batteries fire on JA," Misato ordered. "Anti-aircraft only, no heavy guns or missiles."
"Engaging," replied Aoi and within a few seconds JA was pummeled with cannon fire from all directions. With its strengthened titanium armor Jet Alone withstood all the attacks, but Misato wasn't intending to destroy JA with just cannon fire.
As the batteries continued fire on JA, Erin directed Virtual EVA to shift to the left slightly. It was still a few kilometers to the grid space where Misato wanted to try and catch JA.
"Cease AA gun fire," ordered Misato. "Virtual EVA, can you try the virtual Pallet Gun on it?"
"Here goes!" came Erin's voice over the speaker. What happened next was something of a sleight of hand, as the holographic image of Virtual EVA showed the Evangelion unit with a Pallet Rifle in its hand, pointing and firing at JA. In fact, there was a turret-mounted Pallet gun elsewhere within the GeoFront, and as the Virtual EVA appeared to fire the turreted gun fired live rounds at the same target, the whole presentation appearing to the naked eye as if the Virtual EVA was firing the gun and hitting JA with it.
"Target hit," reported Erin."
"Good, we got its attention. Now run for the far side and get it to chase you."
Erin maneuvered the virtual EVA by mimicking running in the simulator, and the hologram proceeded to dodge to the right and start at a full run. JA immediately swiveled and followed, not running but walking at top speed with its arms quirkily swinging wide as it moved fast in pursuit.
Still running her "unit," Erin swiveled back and saw that Jet Alone was still following her. "Misato!" she called out. "I think it's gonna work. I'll be over the target area in thirty seconds."
"Good job," answered Misato, who then turned to Aoi. "Get the Angel trap ready. We'll spring it as soon as JA enters the space."
"Roger that," Aoi said as she called up the Angel Trap controls on her console.
"Catch it like this and we might not even need Unit 09," quipped Hyuga. Burke nodded in agreement. "The less trouble the better for us."
Erin kept running until she arrived at Grid 3J. She didn't stop but kept the distance in order to encourage JA to follow her and do so right through the trap. JA however suddenly slowed down just before the grid and swiveled its head.
"Oh, crap," Erin said under her breath. "Come on, come on, why aren't you following?"
"JA's not entering the grid," Sasuki reported from her monitor. "It suspects something."
"What, that thing can read minds?" said Aoi in exasperation.
"No," answered Maya, "but it's AI is programmed with terabytes of strategic knowledge. It might know a trap when it sees it."
Misato smirked a little. "Let's encourage it a little. Gunnery, fire at JA, heavy and light cannons." Aoi complied and a few seconds later the gun positions within the Geofront opened fire on the robot. This time the heavier artillery was used, and JA hopped to avoid the incoming heavy explosive shells.
"Funny how it's not using it's lasers," Satsuki observed. "You'd think it would engage with them by now."
"Keep the fire going," ordered Misato. "Virtual EVA, turn around and engage again. Get it to follow you again."
"Right!" Erin called out and she pivoted the Virtual EVA towards JA again, and once again took aim with the Pallet Gun. With JA pinned down between the heavy fire from the GeoFront's internal cannons and the lighter gunfire of the Pallet gun turret, JA shifted its center of gravity further towards Virtual EVA, which was not firing with the ferocity that the heavy artillery was. Erin crept her virtual unit by crouching down in the simulator, then springing up again to fire another round.
"Come on, Mister Robot," Erin teased on audio. "Come and get the EVA!"
JA again swiveled to determine its best course, then focused its head back to the Virtual EVA unit in front of it and started walking again. Erin however decided it needed more encouragement and closed the distance between her and the giant robot. JA saw it was in arms grasp of the Virtual unit and lunged towards it as Erin sprang up and flipped the Virtual EVA out of reach, doing a somersault within the control room to fully maneuver it. JA moved towards it at full speed.
"It's over the gridpoint," shouted Satsuki.
"Spring the trap!" ordered Misato.
At that point Aoi activated the Angel arrest system that was underneath and within the GeoFront floor several compartments opened, spraying out fast-flowing LCL-treated bakelite towards the robot. JA attempted to maneuver out of the sprays but found one of its legs caught in a flow of bakelite and starting to get stuck.
"We got it!" exclaimed Aoi.
Unfortunately JA was not the only thing caught in the trap, as the sprays of bakelite had soared so high that several of the projection drones of the Virtual EVA system were struck by flying material. The holographic image of the Virtual EVA began to become distorted.
Kodama, who had been concentrating on Unit 09's activation sequence at her station, suddenly saw the Virtual EVA status lights on her console. "We've got a problem with Virtual EVA! Several of the drones are knocked out, we're losing visual stability."
"What's happening," asked Misato.
"With too many drones knocked out the image of the Virtual EVA get distorted," Maya answered. "Send out a second group of drones to replace the casualties. Do it fast before it notices."
"Something going on with JA," said Satsuki. "reading a very high heat source around the unit."
Misato was concerned. "Is the reactor unstable?"
"No, it's…." Satsuki read the display carefully before shouting out. "It's generating a steam wave of its own at superheated temperatures! Nearly 1,000 Kelvin!"
A worried Misato looked at Maya, who gave the answer she did not want to hear. "That's enough to the melt the bakelite," she said. "It figured out the trap."
On the battlefield the holographic image of the Virtual EVA began to distort further as more and more drones controlling the image were knocked out either by flying bakelite or by the heat generated by JA. A fire was started on the ground that quickly spread around the robot.
"Virtual EVA to control," Erin called out. "My screens are twisting around and getting static. What's happening?"
"JA is using a super-heated attack to fend off the trap, pull away from there and then re-engage at a distance." She then turned to Kaji. "So much for the easy way."
"We'll need Unit 09 at this point, I'm afraid," he concurred.
"Kodama, what's the status on Unit 09's activation?"
"At Step 1064," she reported back. "We're just at threshold."
"Erin," Misato called out, "Get JA to keep following you, we need to keep it distracted."
"Working on it," she replied, and Erin maneuvered her virtual unit to get back in front of JA again, this time in the opposite direction of where she was running.
"Yoo Hoo! Mister Robot! I'm over here!" The arms of the virtual EVA waived excitedly in the air. JA's head turned to her but did not yet move towards her.
"Fine. Have it that way." Erin pulled up the pallet gun and fired several shots. All of them hit the robot and bounced off the armor. JA stared at the virtual image for a few seconds and then started towards it again with its fast-paced march.
The Virtual EVA ran towards the center of the GeoFront with JA following a few second behind. Erin wanted to make sure to keep the robot's attention so once again she pivoted and fired another burst with the pallet gun. JA headed right through her and suddenly picked up a rush of speed.
"It's dashing toward her," Aoi said. "Virtual EVA don't get too close."
Erin however found that her virtual EVA was not as quick to respond. "I've got some sort of glitch, the unit's not giving me maneuvering feedback all of a sudden." As the controllers started working on what was now happing with JA, Maya said to the others "oh, no!"
"What?"
Erin was too slow to get the holograph away from Jet Alone and in another instant the giant robot was upon the virtual EVA. It rushed through the giant hologram like a torn curtain floating in mid-air.
"It went right through it," said Satsuki. "JA's figured out it's a hologram."
"I guess the jig is up," Erin said. Sure enough JA's artificial intelligence had concluded that Virtual EVA didn't actually exist and ran through the generated image. In another few seconds it had reached the turreted remote Pallet Gun and promptly kicked it, destroying the mounted weapon with an explosion.
On the holographic screens in the control center, the fires on the GeoFront surface started by JA's superheated steam attack could be seen to spread all around and now much of the grassland and vegetation inside the GeoFront surface was on fire. Smoke began to billow throughout the interior, which further obscured vision inside.
"This is bad," said Misato. "Is Unit 09 active?"
Kodama now reported in. "Still no, it's just taking time to make the link."
"Tell your pilot to completely concentrate, make sure she doesn't lose attention."
"She's only twelve, colonel."
Misato turned to her. "Right now we don't have a choice. She's going to be our only way out of this."
Nodding and then turning back to her console, Kodama continued to coach her younger sister over the comms link while the others fought the battle.
Upon finding out that the Virtual EVA was only a hologram, JA wasted no time in engaging the remaining defenses inside of the GeoFront. The robot ran towards a battery of remote gun turrets and promptly started to rip out each one by hand.
Maya rushed over to Aoi's command station and spoke through the comms link to Erin. "Forrestal-chan! Go to digital combat mode. Use it to do a Mass DOS wave attack on JA, that still might slow it down."
"Got it," Erin replied. Within the Virtual EVA control room Erin shifted into a stance reminiscent of her prior gymnastics career, using a handheld baton controller to make shapes in the air, shapes that were programmed as digital attacks. While her EVA might not exist in the material world, it still did in the electronic world and that was a world Erin Forrestal was a master of.
"Digital Combat Mode, activate!" Erin lunged in the air with the controller and the projection drones still flying in the GeoFront now ceased their holographic projection, and instead flew towards Jet Alone. The drones reached their target quickly, letting Erin know on the screens in her control room that they were in position for attack.
"Mass DOS attack, launch!" Erin again used the hand-held controller to make another motion in the air, leaping and flipping as she did so and this time activating invisible but still damaging electronic signal attacks towards the massive robot.
"JA is stalling," Satsuki observed as the robot stopped in mid-stride to try and determine its best means of defense against the new threat.
"Keep it up, Forrestal-chan!" Maya encouraged.
Erin let loose a second wave of attacks keyed to another tumbling move, this time with additional drones that had arrived inside the GeoFront. Now with twenty such units, she was able to surround JA with a ring of robotic fighters of her own. "Mass DOS second wave, attack!" The drones in the air again jointly transmitted a burst of electronic signals, overwhelming JA with all of their power.
Jet Alone remained at a standstill for a moment. The operations controllers at NERV's command center tried to analyze if it had possibly been defeated or was just waiting for something else to happen.
"No movement yet," said Satsuki. "But it's not disabled either."
"is it thinking?" Aoi asked.
"I'm sure it's preparing something unpleasant," said Misato. "Erin, hit it one more time, this time put everything you have into it. We need to find a way to shut it down."
"Why don't we just use an EMP?" Hyuga offered to the team down below him.
"Too close to our own operation," Maya told him. "That would shut us down right along with him, assuming it worked at all."
Erin again prepared a final electronic attack, adding in additional data streams in a multi-pronged Mass-MultiDOS attack on the robot. "Mass DDOS attack, launching now!" She leapt in the air again with the control baton, and again tumbled her body to match a pre-programmed sequence to command the drones in the air.
The drones again transmitted a stream of high energy signals towards JA, and then followed it with bursts in different frequencies. They kept this up for over a minute, hopping between frequencies and intensifying the signal strength with each burst. Finally the attack stopped, as the drones were running out of energy, and so was Erin herself.
Panting and now starting to cramp up in her legs, Erin spoke through the comm port. "Mass DDOS attack conducted. Is it still moving?"
"Status on target?" Misato asked.
Both Satsuki and Aoi furiously keyed on their terminals, reading out various displays and then reporting back. "Gone quiet," said Satsuki.
"I think it's fried," Aoi offered.
"Maya?"
"The lights are still on inside," she said. "I don't like it."
"Major Hyuga," Misato spoke to the command desk above her. "Get the Alliance Marine air unit down here. Maybe now a conventional attack might finish it…"
Just then there was a new set of lights emanating from Jet Alone, and yellow running lights on the robot now switched to blue.
"Something's happening!" Aoi called out.
"Reading on the target," reporting Satsuki. "Massive spike of energy coming from the inside."
"It's not going critical, is it?"
"The reactor control rods are still in place, so it's not setting itself off but it looks like it's going to…"
From Jet Alone a circular wave of glowing blue light quickly shot out in all directions. In the control center many of the screens lost their image and became filled with static, and even the giant holograph in front distorted heavily under the electromagnetic pulse.
"EMP ATTACK," shouted Satsuki. "INCOMING!"
As the super-charged electric wave hit the control center, Maya screamed into the audio. "Forrestal-chan, take off your A10s now! Otherwise the feedback will…"
But Erin didn't get a chance to hear Dr. Huyga's command. Crouched over in her Virtual Eva control room, both of her legs now painfully cramping from overexertion, Erin felt the feedback wave from the drones that were vaporized by the powerful EMP wave that Jet Alone shot out. Reflexively she pushed her A10s headband off her head, but the feedback loop from the drones had already reached her brain a moment before, shooting a blast of electricity straight into her skull and knocking her backwards. She couldn't hear Maya as she called after her on the speaker. She couldn't hear anything at all and remained motionless on the control room floor.
"Forestal-chan? Forrestal-chan!" Maya shouted. She then turned to Aoi. "Status on Virtual EVA Control Room."
"Electronic feedback circuits destroyed!" Aoi called back. "Virtual EVA is offline!"
Worry was shown in Misato's face. "Is the pilot alright?"
"Unknown. I can't get anything from the control room."
"Medical Team to the Virtual EVA control room, stat!" ordered Hyuga.
"What's our own situation," demanded Misato.
"Command room is still functional, but only at 34% efficiency," reported Satsuki. "We can't take another hit like that."
Misato then turned to Kodama. "We need Unit 09, and we need her now."
Inside the entry plug of Unit 09, Nozomi Horaki closed her eyes hard and tried to concentrate on anything she could to get her EVA to activate. She had only done it about three times before, and it had taken an hour each time before forming the link to unite EVA and Pilot.
"Come on, come on," she whispered. "Do it for me."
"Nozomi," said Hikari over the speaker. "Are you having trouble?"
"I can't get it to work," she said over the audio. "She just won't budge."
Kodama called HIkari on a telephone receiver where Hikari was standing on the EVA cage. "Any luck? We need it now."
"I'm sorry but it's not responding this time. I think Nozomi-chan's trying too hard."
"Let me think of a way to do this," Kodama said and she thought for a moment. Then calling to the entry plug of the EVA, Kodama spoke to Nozomi. "Still having trouble, Nozomi-chan?"
"I just can't get it to work this time! Can I just go home?"
"Not yet. We really need you right now."
"But what should I do?"
I think I know how to bring her around. "Nozomi, what's your favorite food?"
"What's that got to do with this?"
"Just tell me. What is it?"
"You know what it is. It's Manju, Japanese red bean cakes."
"Mom used to make the best ones," Hikari added.
"I know. Do you remember the smell, Nozomi? Like the first time you smelled it when you were very little."
"I do,"
"I do, too," said Hikari. "Remember when mom used to bake them and that aroma filled the whole house."
"And how all three of us would sit together and she'd feed us one by one."
"I don't remember all that," said Nozomi, "I just remember the smell."
"Then just think of that smell," encouraged Kodama. "Put everything else out of your mind."
Nozomi tried the link with the EVA once more, this time releasing her tight grip on the actuators and just bringing the memory of the smell of her mother's cooking to her mind. There was a silence inside the entry plug, but on Kodama's console she saw a rapid progression of the link chain leading to activation, where pilot and EVA would become one.
"We have activation!" Kodama shouted.
"What?" Nozomi asked, as if waking up suddenly from a dream. "How?"
"You did it!" praised Hikari. "Now you need to go out there."
"Um, okay," Nozomi wasn't so sure of herself but with Unit 09 finally in sync again she was able to at least get it moving.
Kodama turned to Misato. "Unit 09 activated. Sync at 34%"
"About time. Launch her into the GeoFront interior, now!"
"Hai," replied Kodama. "Launching EVA now."
Kodama gripped on for dear life as her EVA was moved to the vertical launch chamber. Because Jet Alone was already within the GeoFront interior she and her unit wouldn't be launched all the way to the surface above, but just part of the way to the interior.
As Unit 09 made its way to the battlefield, Jet Alone was wasting no time tearing up the remaining gun and missile emplacements within the GeoFront itself. The controllers continued to engage the robot in combat with their remote-controlled batteries, now joined by Thunderbolt gunships flown by Alliance Marines, but nothing could make a dent into the metal giant let alone take it down.
"Interior Defense units at 10% effectiveness," Aoi shouted. "Another minute of this and we'll be defenseless!"
"Where's Unit 09?" Misato asked.
"She's there!" Kodama pointed at the EVA's position on the main tactical screen.
"Let me speak to the pilot," ordered Misato, and Kodama put the image of Nozomi on the screen in a side window.
"How are you doing there, kid?" Misato asked, trying to be more comforting despite her own anxiousness to get her into battle.
"I'm okay, I think," Nozomi replied, "Still getting used to this."
"I'm going to make this easier for you then. See that ugly-looking robot in the middle of the GeoFront there?" Nozomi took a good look at her target as the lanky Jet Alone was set about tearing up another gun emplacement with its long arms.
"Yeah?"
"I want you to run it over and land on it and keep it from getting away."
"Don't you want me to shoot it first?"
"Nope. All I need you to do is just run over there and grapple with it and hold onto it while we work on getting it to shut down without making any more mess of this place. Do you think you can do that?"
"It sounds easy."
"I hope it is. If he fights back, just remember to use your AT Field. There's no way he can hurt you if you've got your AT Field up no matter how scary he looks. Understand?"
"Understood."
"Great. So, let's not waste any more time, go after him right now!"
With a determined look on her face Nozomi said "I'm on it!" and then suddenly put Unit 09 into a run.
As the new Evangelion ran towards JA, the robot swiveled to see what was approaching and let go of the already mortally damaged gun emplacement it was beating up on. It then moved to face the EVA, standing stoically as it came.
"JA is just standing there!"
"What sort of surprise are we gonna get now?" Hyuga offered cynically.
Charging JA, Unit 09 reached the robot and found that it had deftly dodged the rushing attack, leaving the EVA plunging into the ground face first. At first Unit 09 didn't get up quickly, and as it was slow to rise JA promptly gave it a swift kick on its back.
"Nozomi, get up! He's beating you up!"
The young pilot strained as she concentrated on moving her unit, finally managing to get Unit 09 on all fours until JA again gave her a strong kick and rolled the EVA on its backside.
"Nozomi, avoid it!" shouted Hikari. Unit 09 rolled as JA plunged downward with the barrel of a gun cannon in its hands serving as a home-made shiv with which it was trying to stab the EVA.
"AT Field, AT Field! Don't forget the AT Field!" said Hikari through the audio.
"Oh, right," said the girl and JA was repelled on its next attack as the EVA's Absolute Terror Field finally manifested itself, serving as a glowing shield of giant hexagons floating in air. JA made several furious attacks with the broken-off cannon barrel but wasn't able to penetrate the AT Field.
"Unit 09," said Misato, "he can't hurt you that way. So move forward and push him back." Nozomi did as instructed and started to push forward as JA couldn't penetrate the AT field despite its continued attacks.
"We're gaining on him," said Satsuki.
"Finally, progress," sighed Misato. It was then that the entire operation was interrupted.
"What is going on here?" Misato turned around and found Watanabe, the new government's liaison, standing just a meter from her on the operations deck. She was flanked by two young men in black business suits, standing silently by her.
"Excuse me, we're fighting a battle here!" Misato told her. "Do you mind?"
"Just who is piloting that Evangelion unit?" angrily asked Watanabe as she pointed to the side screen where Nozomi's face was clearly visible within the entry plug of Unit 09.
"That's Pilot Horaki," Misato answered. "She is NERV's current pilot for EVA-09."
"She is twelve years old!" countered back Watanabe. "She doesn't belong out there!"
"Look, we're operating within Alliance territory and within our rights to operate EVA as we need to within it," argued Miasto. "We're not endangering the pilot in any way."
"I'll be the judge of that," said Wanatabe. "Tokyo-3 and the GeoFront may be Alliance territory but that girl is a Japanese citizen and a minor and has the right not to be subjected to such abuse as this. Withdraw your unit and remove her from your service at once."
"No can do, lady," said Misato, who was on the very edge of losing her temper and concentration as the actual battle in front of her needed her attention and the bitch from the government was in their way.
"Ms. Watanabe," the woman turned around to see NERV Commander Burke now facing her, his massive frame dwarfing her and nearly everyone else standing nearby. "Our hosting agreement with your government allows us to operate EVA as we see fit. There's no local jurisdiction on our operations or our pilots here, on that point it's quite clear."
"I could care less what you do with your own EVAs in your own backyard but I will not allow a minor child to be exploited in such a manner."
"Oh, bullshit. You know perfectly well that EVA requires children to be functional. Colonel," Burke turned to Misato. "Go back to the battle, I'll handle this,"
"Yes, sir," she said and was glad to turn her back on Watanabe as Brigadier Burke and her argued. "Nozomi, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing it! I'm able to push it back!" Indeed Unit 09 had forced JA on its heels and it was struggling to resist the EVA's now accelerating force in moving it backwards.
"Okay, now push JA on its back and sit on it! Keep it from moving!"
"I'll do it but Mrs. Kaji that lady standing next to you seems pretty angry."
"Nozomi! Don't worry about just focus." Misato turned aside to Kodama. "She's so nosy!"
"Always that way," said her older sister. "Nozomi-chan, knock him off his feet now!"
Unit 09 again pushed more against JA, and this time JA's arms were unable to grapple against the EVA, so now it just gave up. However something else started to happen.
"Oh, no," Aoi called out, "EMP strike coming again."
"Nozomi you've got to get him down now. Hurry!" ordered Misato.
"I'm trying but it's not easy to knock him down."
"Energy spike from the reactor!" said Satsuki. "Everyone brace."
A half-second later Jet Alone again emitted another circular wave of blue florescent light, streaming out in all directions. The wave hit EVA-09 head on and while the AT Field withstood most of the force, Nozomi could still feel the heat and sparks of electronics inside of her EVA start to short out from the massive energy pulse. "What's happening?!"
The energy pulse reached NERV HQ within another second, this time blowing out entire terminals. Several of the large displays mounted on the roof and side walls sparked out violently, and one screen even dangled and then plunged downwards towards the controllers, just barely missing Maya and Wantanabe. Hyuga immediately went to his wife to make sure she was okay as the interior lights went from dim to completely red.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he cradled Maya on the floor of the controller deck.
Maya quickly felt her large stomach. "I'm fine, the baby's fine."
The falling screen did manage to knock down one of Watanabe's aides and she herself was covered in dust and debris. Burke and the other aide struggled to move the wrecking away from the others and further towards the railing as a silent Watanabe looked on. The other officers and controllers searched around to see what was working still and what was not, but all the active monitors of the battle were now shut down.
"Anything from Unit 09? Or JA?" Misato asked.
"We're knocked out completely," said Kodama. "There's no way to tell what's going on outside."
"We need to get out of here and out there," said Misato.
"But there's a fire out there!" Aoi replied.
"Get in the mobile command unit vehicles downstairs, it's our best way to keep safe." Misato looked at Kaji. "Any ideas?"
"Yes, in fact." Kaji looked at Maya, still on the floor and being comforted by Hyuga. "Hyuga-sensei, is your anti-robot missile prepared?"
Inside the entry plug of Unit 09, Nozomi grabbed at her actuators in terror as she endured the wave of EMP from Jet Alone. It had managed to also damage her Evangelion's power cable, and to her right she saw the power clock chime and start counting down from five minutes.
On the entry plug's wraparound screens, she viewed the devastation within the GeoFront, as much of the vegetation was burning, set afire by JA's earlier heat attack against the Virtual Eva's projector drones. The smoke inside was becoming too thick to see through with normal vision.
"Hello?" asked Nozomi to the speaker. "Is anyone there?" There was silence on the audio.
"Hello, anyone? Hikari? Kodama? Can you hear me?" Again there was silence.
What happened to everyone? Were they killed by that thing?
But Unit 09 was still functioning, and the monitors showed just her and Jet Along a few hundred meters in front of her, and JA was running towards her at full speed.
What should I do now? I can't just give up.
Jet Alone closed the distance rapidly, lowering its head to form a battering ram against the EVA.
Somehow it will be okay. Hikari survived her turn in the EVA, so somehow it will be okay.
JA reached the unit and started banging away at the EVA's chest. Nozomi held firm with the controllers.
If mom's really in here, it will be okay….
The Evangelion's AT Field suddenly manifested, and Jet Alone bounced back and on the heels of its feet.
This my boss level
Nozomi grabbed the actuators and gulped down as she worked hard to control her fear.
I have to win.
She waited for Jet Alone to try again, and again it tried to run and form a battery ram against the EVA.
I have to win for my family.
"AT FIELD!" Unit 09's AT Field suddenly expanded and spread wide, forming a shield around the EVA stretching fifty meters in either direction. Jet Alone again tried to breach through, this time using rockets mounted in its back to accelerate it. But Unit 09 didn't budge, and instead starting pushing back on the rocket-propelled robot, slowly forcing it backwards.
I have to beat this thing now.
Nozomi groaned as she concentrated on moving the EVA, and Unit 09 pushed forward further and further.
On the grounds of the grounds of the GeoFront, a 4x4 armored protection vehicle sped towards the battle of the two titans with Kaji at the wheel. He swung the driving wheel hard to avoid patches of fire that were spreading all around them. Seated in the rear row of seats was Misato, holding a Javelin missile launcher.
"How close can you get us?"
"Not too close, but enough within range of that missile." The Javelin's range was nominally two kilometers, but Kaji would try to get within one klick to ensure a hit.
A wall of flame came up to their front and Kaji again swung the wheel hard to swerve on the ground, nearly flipping the 4x4.
"Watch where you're going!" Misato scolded.
"You'll thank me when we're done," Kaji retorted.
Misato called into her headset. "Any luck in reaching Unit 09?"
From the mobile control van, which was parked stationary on open ground near the wrecked HQ structure, Aoi replied. "Still trying. We know it's still active but can't raise the pilot yet."
"Keep trying, we're almost there."
The 4X4 launched over a berm and sped into air for ten meters, then landed hard on the ground, nearly bouncing both out of the open topped cabin.
"You play with this like it's one of Akira's toys!"
"Where do you think he got the idea from!"
Within another thirty seconds, Kaji pulled to the right to get alongside the two giants fighting on the surface. "We're close enough, can we get her to hold it in place for us?"
Misato again opened a channel to the command van. "Any luck?"
Inside the van Kodama had been trying to raise an open channel that would work between EVA 09 and themselves. Finally she heard crackling and audio. "Nozomi? Nozomi-chan!"
"Ane-san!" Kodama was relieved to hear her big sister.
"Kodama-chan, we're coming! We need you to hold onto that robot by its arms! Try to hold it so it won't move!"
"Okay, but my clock is running low. I'm below two minutes already!"
"Do your best!"
Nozomi followed Kodama's instructions and grasped both of the arms of Jet Alone with the hands of Unit 09, and held on tight. Jet Alone, sensing it was being pinned down, attempted to use its rockets again to get away, but Unit 09 held on tightly and didn't allow it to leave.
"Range is one thousand meters," Satsuki called out on the auto channel, as she had been tracking Misato's vehicle in the progress of the battle.
"Do it!" shouted Kaji, again swerving to avoid yet another patch of flame that towered over their heads.
Misato quickly looked into the Javelin's sights and put the crosshairs right over the back rear of Jet Alone. Not hesitating, once she had a lock-on she immediately pulled the trigger and the Javelin blew out of the tube, it's booster pack exploding in a backwards rush of fire behind. "Missile away!"
The missile streaked toward Jet Alone, moving fast and taking only a few seconds to fly upwards and then strike the robot right in the rear. The missile had been modified to not explode on contact with the robot's armor, but instead penetrate into a shallow hole it created and then melt around it, sticking in Jet Alone's metal skin like a bee stinger.
"I got it!" Misato cheered. "Maya, contact!"
Inside the command van, Maya was seated at one of the stations, barely squeezing into it as her belly was now so large. She stretched over to the keyboard to launch her anti-robot control program and hopefully stop JA.
"I'm logged in to it."
Kaji found a clearer spot next to a large steel structure and parked on the far side of it, allowing some respite from the flames inside the building. The smoke was bad enough now to require they wear masks, and Misato handed him a gas mask while she had already put hers on. Both exited the vehicle and stood to watch the spectacle next to them.
"Entry code in," Maya said aloud. "I've got access to the communications relay."
"Something on the reactor," called Satsuki.
"We've got movement in the rear!" Aoi added. "What's happening? Those control rods are moving outward."
The others in the command vehicle knew exactly what that meant. "It's trying to overload it's reactor," Kodama realized.
"Hang on," Maya said to the others. "I need to defeat MCU to disable it's self-destruct."
Kodama then spoke to Nozomi. "Little sis, I need you to hang on a little while longer, we've almost got it."
"My clock is going down, I'm below sixty seconds now!"
"Don't panic! Just hang on to it!"
"What happens if JA blows?" Aoi asked the others.
"If we survive you won't need a flashlight to see at night," Satsuki quipped. "Because you'll just glow your way down the street."
"My clock is down to thirty!"
"Almost there…."
"Ane-san, I'm running out of energy!"
"Hang on, Kodama just a little bit more!"
"Twenty…" Aoi counted
"Almost there…."
"Maya, do it fast! Don't be neat, just do it!" Hyuga encouraged.
"Ten…"
"Don't count me down!" Maya snapped. There was a long silence between all of them in the van.
Outside on the ground, Kaji held Misato in his arms as they both looked at JA and Unit 09. Nearly within a couple of seconds of each other first the EVA then Jet Alone's running lights shut off. Both were out of commission, EVA because the electrical power ran out after five minutes of operation and Jet Alone because Maya had succeeded in reaching its master control program and arresting control of it. On top of JA, the reactor's control rods firmly shoved back into the robot, cooling it's reactor and shutting it down to minimal operation. The giant robot heaved forward and then let out streams of steam from its body as it cooled down. As the robots ceased operations, all around them robotic fire-fighting drones sped by to start putting out the flames still burning all over the GeoFront's surface.
Misato let out a long sigh and leaned in on Kaji. "That was too close."
Kaji's eyes smirked at her through the mask. "Admit it, you really missed this job."
Misato couldn't help but laugh.
Oh, that felt good! Finally after so many months a new chapter! After what was an insane period of corona-virus related double-time work and resetting of lifestyle I finally managed to find myself with enough disposable time to bang out a chapter. Hopefully from here on out we'll get out the remaining seven or so chapters soon and we'll be done. Stay tuned and feedback always welcome!