A/N: I'm back now with the next chapter of "Neon Genesis Striker" featuring the activation test of Unit-03 which, as you know, become a horrifying nightmare. Just to make things clear; Unit-03 looks like the Neuroi that Yoshika befriended at the end of season one, except it being a metallic sliver. After being possessed it looks exactly like the original. If you want to see what it looks like type "Neuroi Girl" into a search engine and it should come up. Anyway, here we go with chapter eighteen.
Thanks to my pre-reader Makurhari-fan01
Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or Strike Witches
High above the Pacific Ocean a convoy flew in the sky. Included in the convoy were two F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets and one C-5 Galaxy transport plane, all belonging to the United States Air Force. Together they were carrying out a highly important duty, carrying Second Generation Striker Unit-03 from Liberion to Fuso.
("Just a heads up, we've got a group of nimbus clouds ahead that might impair our vision.") radioed the first jet pilot, ("We flying through these bad boys?")
("Ten four. These clouds should be no problem.") answered the pilot of the C-5 Galaxy.
("NERV is expecting this thing and we're already behind so we have no choice.") added the second jet pilot.
("Roger.") said the first pilot as the convoy headed into the clouds and a massive electric spark shot through the sky.
At their apartment Sakamoto stood at her doorway waiting for her young ward. About a minute later Yoshika Miyafuji appeared.
"Ready to go ma'am." said Yoshika arriving at the doorstep and putting her shoes on, "Where's Hanna?"
"She left already." answered Sakamoto.
"She acting really different lately." said Yoshika.
"Hanna has been through a lot." replied Sakamoto.
"Are the rumors about Unit-04 true?" asked Yoshika.
"I'm afraid so. Unit-04 and the entire Second Base is gone." answered Sakamoto.
"And Unit-03 is coming here." said Yoshika.
"Indeed it is. I'll be there for a few days with Perrine so Shirley will be watching you two." replied Sakamoto.
"Have you found a pilot?" asked Yoshika but before Sakamoto could answer the doorbell rang and when Yoshika opened the door Lucchini was outside.
"Good morning Yoshika." said the younger girl and the two left for school.
"So, have you told Yoshika?" asked Perrine she and Sakamoto sat in a NERV truck headed for the test base in Matsushiro where the activation test would be held the next day.
"No. I just don't have the heart to tell her." answered Sakamoto staring out the window.
"She's going to have to find out eventually." replied Perrine.
"I wonder if she'll tell Yoshika herself." said Sakamoto.
"I doubt it. The only reason she agreed to do this was because her twin sister would be taken into our private hospital." said Perrine.
"I see." replied Sakamoto growing more concerned as the traveled, "Then I'll tell Miyafuji after the test."
At Tokyo-3 Middle School, the kids were settling down as class was getting ready to begin. Barkhorn kept looking over to Hartmann, who was lying back in chair and looking at the ceiling. Sanya was the only other person to notice as Yoshika was talking to Lucchini.
"Man, I wish I were as lucky as you. Getting to live with Sakamoto must be awesome." said Lucchini sitting on her desk and kicking her legs back and forth. Normally Barkhorn would immediately correct this behavior but she was too pre-occupied with Hartmann to notice.
"Yeah. I really like the Major." replied Yoshika as the door slammed open and Hanna entered.
"She's late." noted Lucchini as Hanna marched silently to her desk.
"No fight between the newlyweds?" asked Hartmann trying to keep a happy face but clearly lacking enthusiasm.
"Are you okay Hanna? You left before me but are getting here late? Is something wrong?" asked a concerned Yoshika as Hanna's bag slammed onto her desk.
"I'm fine! I just didn't want to face you!" snapped Hanna as the teacher entered and class began and went quickly before lunch.
"Oh boy, lunch time!" cried out Lucchini happily before noticing somebody missing, "Hey, where's Hartmann?"
"She's gone." answered Yoshika as she looked around but couldn't find hid nor head of the blonde.
"Something's bothering her." said Lucchini getting more solemn than Yoshika had seen her before.
"She has been acting odd lately." noted Yoshika before the two headed to their usual spot and began eating there lunch.
"Did Unit-03 arrive?" asked Lucchini in-between bits.
"It's coming today." answered Yoshika.
"I wonder who'll pilot it?" asked Lucchini, "Hey, Hartmann was absent yesterday so maybe it's her."
"I doubt it." replied Yoshika still in the dark.
On top of the school roof Erica Hartmann stood with the first half of her body bent over the railing as she looked at the skyline of Tokyo-3. In her right hand she held a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes with one of them currently dangling from her mouth. As she inhaled the smoke she heard footsteps coming up behind her which caused Hartmann to quickly hid the evidence behind her back and turn around to see Sanya standing across from her.
"Oh, Sanya, if you're looking for Yoshika, she's not here." said Hartmann putting her cigarette back into her mouth and the pack back into her right breast pocket, "You know I'm the Fourth Girl, don't you? I think Hanna knows too so Yoshika must be the only one who doesn't know."
"It would seem so." replied Sanya as Hartmann took a drag on her cigarette.
"Sanya, what happened with your first activation test?" asked the blonde girl.
"Unit-00 went berserk and I was badly injured." answered Sanya.
"So that explains your injuries when Yoshika first arrived." said Hartmann getting anxious as she took several deep drags on her cigarette.
"Dr. Clostermann is overseeing the test so you have no real need to worry." said Sanya sensing the anxiety in Hartmann and trying to calm her.
"Thanks." said Hartmann happily well below them Barkhorn had watched the two convert and became anxious herself.
When lunch ended the kids returned to class except for one: Erica Hartmann. The blonde girl began walking back to class but, being in no mood for her lessons, instead began wondering the school ground and eventually sat by a wall in the dirt.
"Ursula." said Hartmann looking to the sky memories began to flash before her. She remembered her and Ursula at home in Karlsländ as little girls, one night when she got Ursula to quit studying and watch Hanover 96 play arch-rival Eintracht Braunschweig and cheering together when Hanover 96 won, moving to Fuso, finding out Ursula had been hurt during the battle with the Third Angel, watching Barkhorn punch Yoshika, watch Yoshika cry after her battle with the Fourth Angel and their friendship since then.
"Ursula, I know you'd forgive Yoshika so I did. I can't wait for you to met Yoshika." said Hartmann looking up at the sky. The blonde girl took one final drag from her cigarette before putting it out in the dirt then stood up and brushed herself off before leaving school.
"Hey Hanna, can we please talk?" asked Barkhorn as class ended and everybody was getting ready to go home.
"Sure." answered Hanna and soon the the two headed to a park nearby and sat down at a bench.
"What's up?" asked Hanna.
"I like somebody." answered Barkhorn in her native Karlsländ language which she only did when it was something really private.
"So it's Hartmann." replied Hanna also in her native language.
"You knew!" cried out Barkhorn surprised.
"The only ones who know are Yoshika, Lucchini and Hartmann. I swear those three are denser than lead." replied Hanna.
"I saw Hartmann talking to Sanya today. I'm afraid Hartmann likes her." confessed Barkhorn showing a side of herself she usual kept hidden.
"Wondergirl?" cried out Hanna is disbelief, "If those three are denser than lead then Sanya V. Litvyak is off the atomic scale."
"Thanks so much." said Barkhorn who hugged her friend and the two parted ways.
That night Hanna and Yoshika were both at home as the dark night sky engulfed Tokyo-3. Hanna was sitting on her stomach reading the latest issue of Cosmo while Yoshika sat at a nearby table doing her homework which the former girl had finished. Shirley was currently finishing her bath and the TV was playing a soap opera in the background but neither girl were really watching it.
"Unit-03 should be here tomorrow." said Yoshika too distracted to really focus on her homework.
"Yup." replied Hanna casually.
"I wonder whose going to pilot it." mused Yoshika.
"You mean you still don't know?" asked Hanna amazed.
"Do you know who it is?" asked Yoshika but Hanna decided discretion was the better part of valor, "No."
"Okay." said Yoshika who went back to her homework while on the TV soap opera, one of the girls had just discovered her lover was cheating.
("I can't be with someone who has no excitement in her life!") cried out the cheating girl.
"Are you two fighting again?" asked Shirley from the kitchen.
("I gave you everything and you threw it all away!") cried out the girl that had been cheated on.
("I need more than you can give me!") cried out the adulterer on the soap opera as Shirley entered the room.
"Okay you two, knock it off." said the redhead in a a red towel and holding a can of beer.
"It's just the TV." noted Yoshika.
"Oh, my bad then." laughed Shirley before taking a big swig of beer, "Can you believe Sakamoto used to hate this stuff."
"Shirley, thanks for the cantaloupe. It was very delicious." said Yoshika standing up and bowing while Hanna growled in the background.
"No problem, but now it's time for all good little girls to go to sleep." replied the redhead and after a few minutes all three were in their beds. However, Yoshika couldn't sleep so around 1 am she found herself in the kitchen grabbing a ready-made sandwich from the fridge.
"Trouble sleeping?" asked Shirley in only pink bra and panties as she emerged from the doorway.
"Yeah. I keep thinking about tomorrow." answered Yoshika while walked over to the fridge and grabbed another beer, "Did Sakamoto really hate beer?"
"She did." answered Shirley happy to change the subject, "When I first met Sakamoto she mostly drank tea and only had sake and special occasions but after hanging with me for a while I fixed that."
"I've know Sakamoto for so long and I never knew that." replied Yoshika as Shirley popped the tab on her beer and took a drink.
"You'd be surprised how much you can learn about somebody you though you knew well." said Shirley shrugging her shoulders.
"I've just been learning so much about my sister." said Yoshika before taking a bite of her sandwich.
"People can't understand each other completely. Hell, lots of people barely understand themselves. You can't understand somebody one-hundred percent. Of course, that's why we're always trying to understand each other and ourselves. It's kind off fun." said Shirley as Yoshika ate away at her sandwich.
"Even you and Sakamoto?" asked Yoshika.
"The gap between some people is larger than than the void outer space." answered Shirley who finished her beer, "Time to hit the hay."
"Alright." replied Yoshika finished her sandwich while Shirley chucked her empty into the recycling bin and the two returned to bed unaware Hanna had been watching the whole conversation.
The next day at Matsushiro, Perrine and Sakamoto were waiting on the tarmac. Unit-03 was late arriving from Fuso and to make matters worse Hartmann hadn't arrived yet either.
"This better not end up a huge bust." said Sakamoto clearly growing impatient.
"If it doesn't you might lose your job." noted Perrine.
"I know that." replied Sakamoto worried as all of a sudden the convoy of planes appeared out of the clouds.
"Well it appears your job is saved." said Perrine as Sakamoto took a sigh of relief.
"The Liberion government went full out. I'm just hoping we don't see a re-enactment of the helicopter attack scene from "Apocalypse Now" occur." replied Sakamoto who saw the curious face Perrine had and added, "Shirley loves that movie so she made me watch it."
"Right." said the Gallian sarcastically while the planes landed and unloaded their cargo.
"So that's the Second Generation Striker?" asked Sakamoto as the new model was rolled out and carried off to the testing base.
"Indeed it is. These are highly advanced and if this works we'll be mass producing them." answered Perrine as she and Sakamoto headed back to the base.
"What about our current models?" asked Sakamoto.
"They're still be used. There's no need to get rid of them as long as they still work." answered Perrine.
"I see." replied Sakamoto hoping to gather more information about the Strikers.
At Tokyo-3 Middle School lunch time had arrived again. As most children went off to eat Hanna noticed her friend Barkhorn looking around for somebody.
"If you're looking for Fraulein Hartmann she isn't her." said Hanna who just couldn't tell Barkhorn the truth.
"Oh, I made a lunch for her but I guess I'll have take it back home and put it in the fridge then." replied Barkhorn.
At Matsushiro, the guest of honor had just arrived. After meeting Sakamoto at the entrance to the base the Major now showed Hartmann around the base as she lead the girl to Unit-03.
"I have to say I'm glad Section 2 was sent to get you." said Sakamoto trying to be more casual than usual in an attempt to ease the mind of Hartmann.
"I visit my sister everyday. Since I wasn't sure how long this would last I so I decided to visit her early today. I must have stayed longer than I thought." replied Hartmann, "Sanya told me what happened to her when she first activate Unit-00. Will that happen to me?"
"That was a long time ago. Things are different now and Unit-03 is the Second Generation so there has been much since then." replied Sakamoto honestly not knowing how different Unit-03 was.
"So will I join NERV full time if this works?" asked Hartmann.
"Yes. You will hold the rank of Flight Lieutenant and you will fight when the next Angel arrives." answered Sakamoto who remembered what Perrine had told her on he trip to Matsushiro, "If this goes well you're sister will be transferred to NERV as soon as we get back to Tokyo-3 and you can visit her at the hospital here everyday."
"Thank you ma'am." said the blonde more enthusiastic now as the reached the testing room.
"Good luck and welcome to NERV." said Sakamoto and the two saluted before Sakamoto headed to the observation room and Hartmann entered Unit-03.
"Wow." marveled Hartmann upon seeing the inside of Second Generation Striker Unit-03. Unit-03 resembled a mannequin-like Iron Maiden, with the entire front opening to allow Hartmann climb in. Once shut, an LCD flat screen faced inches from her eyes and gave her a view of the outside via a small camera positioned in between where her eyes were. Hartmann could also see it had a thin layer of safety plastic covering the screen so glass wouldn't get in her eyes if something bad happened. The whole Striker it's self wasn't form fitting so it gave her room to move, but only a little.
("Are you ready to begin Miss Hartmann?") asked Perrine over the radio.
"Yes ma'am." answered Hartmann and Unit-03 was started. Hartmann began the test doing simple aerial acrobatics to get used to the Striker and synching to her new machine.
"It's like it's a success." noted Sakamoto lackluster.
"You should be more excited. This Striker will be put under your control." said Perrine.
"I'm just nervous. Not for me but for Miyafuji." confessed Sakamoto.
"Well right now everything is going fine and if this continues than everything will be fine." replied Perrine.
"Even if it is I'm still worried how Miyafuji will react." said Sakamoto.
"Don't worry so much." said Perrine and on cue the emergence alarm began to blare.
"What's going on?" asked Perrine getting worried.
"Ma'am, it's Unit-03. Add of the data is going haywire!" answered a technician while said Striker was flying out of control and acting like an invisible person was attacking it.
"How's the pilot?" asked Sakamoto getting worried.
"We lost contact and haven't been able to re-establish it." answered the technician as Unit-03 stopped thrashing about and turned a jet black color.
("Hartmann!") called out Sakamoto over the radio, but she received no reply as Unit-03 exploded through the roof of the testing base.
Going into hover, Unit-03 then aimed it's right hand at the base and a red ball of energy began to build.
"I didn't know it could that." said Sakamoto looking at Unit-03.
"It can't." replied Perrine horrified as Unit-03 unleashed it's ball of energy and destroyed the entire base in a matter of thirty seconds.
Back in Tokyo-3 panic had gripped NERV. News of the disaster at Matsushiro reached back to base quickly and in Central Dogma the three technicians were trying to get updates on the situation.
"All contact has been lost! We have no idea what happened or how many might be dead or injured!" reported Amaki.
"First response has arrived and have begun locating victims." reported Nishiki.
"Any word on Dr. Clostermann or Major Sakamoto?" asked Ferrara who was standing behind the three technicians.
"No ma'am." answered Lynne trying to keep herself together.
"Do we know what caused this or the condition of Unit-03?" asked Minna sitting in the perch above Central Dogma.
"No ma'am but if it destroyed the entire base it must be an Angel." answered Nishiki.
"Have the pilots on standby in the Striker cage." ordered Minna before adding to herself, "So, the Thirteenth Angel, Bardiel, has arrived."
As the three witches headed to the cage, the three technicians were still busy trying to identify what caused the explosion at Matsushiro when the Magi detected something.
"An object has been detected heading toward NERV!" reported Nishiki.
"The pattern is blue. It's an Angel." added Amaki confirming what everybody feared.
"Send out the three witches." ordered Ferrara, who was now standing by Minna, and the three girls were deployed to fight the new enemy.
"So, where's the Angel?" asked Hanna hovering above the city with her gun in her right hand and her left hand on her hip.
"And where's Unit-03?" asked Yoshika looking around but the orange glow given off by the sunset impaired her vision.
"The base at Matsushiro was destroyed earlier today. Whatever we are facing is responsible." answered Sanya who had been with Minna when she discovered the news.
"Oh God." said Yoshika horrified.
"Well then it must be a bad ass Angel so watch your backs." said Hanna who put her goggles on.
"Ma'am we have visual." reported Lynne as the object came into view and everybody got a look at it.
"It's Unit-03." said Ferrara her eyes wide.
"Ma'am, we ran another quick test and that's the target." said Nishiki.
"Can we kill the system?" asked Minna.
"No luck." replied Lynne.
"Try again." ordered Ferrara.
"Ignore that." ordered Minna.
"But ma'am..." began Ferrara only to be ignored.
"What of the pilot?" asked Minna.
"We have respiratory and cardiac response, but she's probably..." answered Amaki unable to finish her sentence.
"Understood." replied Minna, "Second Generation Striker Unit-03 will be abandoned and reclassified as the Thirteenth Angel."
"Bu, ma'am!" cried out Amaki.
"Deploy the battle line at Mt. Nobe as planned and destroy the target." ordered Minna.
"What about the pilot?" asked Ferrara shocked.
"Irrelevant." replied Minna.
"She's just like her old man." thought Ferrara disparagingly.
"But...but that's Unit-03." said Yoshika as the Striker stopped in front of the three witches.
("Now it's the Thirteenth Angel and your enemy. Destroy it.") ordered Minna over communicator.
"But there must be a pilot!" protested Yoshika.
"You mean you still don't know?" asked Hanna in shock.
"Know what?" asked Yoshika.
"The pilot of Unit-03 is..." began Hanna but before she could finish Unit-03 vanished only to reappear in front of her in an instant. Before the Star of North Africa could react; Unit-03 nailed her in the head with a standing side kick that sent her crashing into a bush below.
"The pilot of Unit-02 has lost conscientious!" cried out Nishiki.
("Sanya, destroy the Angel.") ordered Minna.
"Yes ma'am." replied Sanya but as she aimed she remembered Hartmann was in Unit-03 and hesitated.
("What are you waiting for?") asked Minna but Sanya was slammed against a tree and Unit-03 began to strangle her.
"Ma'am, Unit-03 is going to break her windpipe!" called out Amaki.
("Yoshika, save Sanya.") ordered Minna.
"But there's a pilot in there. I can't." replied Yoshika aiming her gun but shaking it in her hands. This allowed the Angel the opportunity to let go of Sanya, who fell limp onto a tree branch, and again suddenly disappear then reappear again this time in front of Yoshika who she began to strangle.
"Can't breath." said Yoshika as she dropped her gun onto the roof of the car directly below her.
("Why are you not fighting back?") asked Minna who was clearly irritated with the pacifism Yoshika was displaying in battle.
"I can't ...kill the person ...inside Unit-03." answered Yoshika through strained breaths.
("You'll die.") noted Minna.
"It's better than killing somebody!" cried Yoshika as she felt herself begin to blackout.
"Cut all synchronization to Unit-01 and activate the Dummy Plug." ordered Minna.
"But the Dummy Plug still has bugs and Doctor Clostermann still hasn't approved it's use." protested Lynne.
"It's still better than the pilot!" replied Minna no longer holding back the disgust she felt.
"Yes ma'am." said Lynne knowing not to fight her boss. She activated the Dummy Plug and in a matter of seconds a blue aura began to surround Unit-01.
"What...is...this?" asked Yoshika feeling stronger.
("We've activated the Dummy Plug. You can think of it as a controlled berserk mode.") answered Minna.
After a minute of fighting, the Dummy Plug system took control of Yoshika and she was longer in control of her own body. The now possessed Yoshika reached up and wrapped her hands around the neck of Unit-03 and began to strangle her. After several seconds, Unit-03 broke the hold for just a moment before being thrown into a parked car below caving in the roof. Yoshika then picked Unit-03 back up and threw it through a wall, into a tree, and against the side of buildings like it was a rag doll while everybody at NERV watched in horror.
"Is this what the Dummy Plug is for?" asked Lynne shaken to her core by what she was seeing.
"You have to stop this!" cried Ferrara to Minna as Yoshika grabbed Unit-03 and hugged it before she flew high into the air.
Apparently deciding it was high enough, Yoshika turned around and threw Unit-03 back down to the concrete ground below, mangling it's left leg in the process.
"Unit-03...the Thirteenth Angel...is gone." reported Amaki as a solemn silence engulfed NERV while outside Yoshika was just snapping out of her berserk mode.
"Oh no." said Yoshika horrified at what she had done.
In her kitchen, Barkhorn was busy preparing lunch for tomorrow. Of course it wasn't just lunch for her but somebody else as well.
"I hope Hartmann likes this." said Barkhorn chopping for her food.
At Matsushiro, Sakamoto was just regaining conscientious after the base was destroyed by Unit-03. She was still groggy as she stared at the night sky.
"How ya doing?" asked a familiar voice and Sakamoto turned over to see Shirley next to her. The Major tried to sit up but the redhead would have none of it.
"You need to lay back down. No getting up." said Shirley holding Sakamoto down.
"How long have you been here? Where's Perrine?" asked Sakamoto.
"I came here as soon as I could and Perrine was hurt as bad as you. You're left arm might be broken." answered Shirley.
"What happened to Unit-03?" asked Sakamoto.
"It was destroyed...by Unit-01." answered Shirley.
"I want to talk to Miyafuji." replied Shirley who quickly grabbed radio.
"Here." said the redhead setting it up.
("Miyafuji.") said Sakamoto over the radio.
"Major. I destroyed...I didn't...my sister..." mumbled Yoshika too shaken to form coherent sentences.
("Miyafuji, I'm really sorry. I should have told you sooner who the pilot was.") replied Sakamoto.
"The girl's alive!" called one of the recover team members below Yoshika giving her hope.
("Miyafuji, the Fourth Girl is..") began Sakamoto but the crew ripped open the cover to Unit-03 and Yoshika found out for herself who the girl was.
"Hartmann?" asked Yoshika as she felt something inside her snap.
("Miyafuji? Miyafuji? Miyafuji?") asked Sakamoto desperate for a reply but Yoshika only let out an earsplitting scream.
A/N: I take no joy in what happened to Hartmann but it's such a major event there was no way I could get around it. I hope this doesn't turn anybody off the story but that's Evangelion for you. Anyway, next time comes the fallout from what happened here. Please review!