They had only passed another five blocks when they heard the thudding of a particular Mobile Suit's footfalls. The Gundam barreled out from behind a row of low buildings, skidding to a halt in a dramatic fashion.
"Guys! I'm going to need backup!" called Amuro, making the Gundam give a quick look back. Holly detected another set of footfalls, much louder than the Mobile Suit's.
"What did you just run away from?"
The steady beat began to reverberate in Team Mockingjay's chests.
"That kid from yesterday, Shinji- he's a pilot too. But that thing-"
The subject of the discussion sliced through the smoke only a few blocks away. The massive purple mech blotted out the sun. As it walked, its lanky arms and legs swayed back and forth unnaturally. It lowered its horned head and glared at them, its body heaving steadily as if it was breathing. It halted its steady gait.
"So, Amuro. This is your team," observed the young boy from the terrifying machine.
The Newtype turned and faced the mechanical beast.
"Yes. We've been doing well so far."
"That's good. Who have you fought so far?"
Date picked up on what was going on.
"It's a distraction," he whispered to his teammates. "While they're talking, we need to get to higher ground."
As Team Mockingjay scampered across the street to an apartment building, Amuro recounted their experiences.
"Well, mostly that fourth team. That big guy in the green armor saved us from the Predator."
"That's my team leader, John-117. The Chief."
The foot-mobile members of the team had now ascended to the roof of the apartment building. They were now just across from the larger of the two machines.
"What now?" questioned Katniss.
"We wait for an opportunity," Chuck explained.
"And then whatever that red thing I was fighting earlier was. You did a good job taking care of that." Amuro continued.
"Thanks. I really try," said Shinji sincerely.
The larger purple mech tightened its grip on the knife.
"As much as I like talking to you, we are going to have to fight," the boy sighed.
As the gargantuan machine shifted into a fighting stance, it lifted its right arm to stabilize its posture. The hand's shadow blotted out the sun for the rooftop members of Team Mockingjay. Holly gazed up at the massive manipulator.
"NOW!" she cried, and the team let loose a barrage of deadly firepower. Chuck emptied a magazine from his automatic pistol, Holly squeezed off a few fully-charged rounds from her Neutrino, and Katniss stuck a single arrow in the palm of the massive hand. The monstrous robot pulled its hand away quickly, dropping its knife to cradle its wounded extremity.
"That hurt," moaned Shinji. He turned to look at Amuro's Gundam, only to see the white Mobile Suit crashing into him at top speed. After colliding, the Newtype pilot forced the white robot back, allowing his foe to tumble to the ground. When the huge machine hit the ground, the empty streets split down the middle. The apartment building was one of the many nearby to begin to collapse with the force of the impact. Amuro swung the Gundam's arm over in time to collect its rooftop residents and pull them away from a concrete-y grave.
"Now, stay down!" Amuro grunted, lifting the rifle arm of the Mobile Suit. He fired shot after shot into the thick cloud of dust. He looked up and saw the burning high-rise nearby, aimed, and fired more at its bottom floors. The structure began to keel sideways, crumbling into the veil of debris that shrouded his opponent. A wall of air, crumbled concrete, and shattered glass blew past the team members clinging to the Gundam's arm.
Chuck wiped a thick layer of dust off of his eyes. "Let's call it a day."
The Gundam hung a right to avoid walking over the Evangelion, which he suspected was not quite disabled. They were now in the heart of the blazing downtown area. The thick smoke was mostly high above their heads, with only a few buildings at ground level on fire.
"What do you think caused all of this?" said Katniss, gazing upward in awe.
"Mobile weapons, like mine and the one we just fought," answered Amuro. "There was another one too- Shinji destroyed it earlier. It only takes a few Mobile Suits to cause a lot of damage."