[Adeptus Evangelion] A World Without You IC

[Spartan Altego]

[pay no mind]

[Spartan Altego]

The White Room, Berlin-2, Germany

"It appears that the current vote lay in our favor, Prime Minister."

Prime Minister Anna Vanswartchzki eyed down her opposing council members with an air of silent menace, one seated on all sides of the polished black table which stood in stark contrast to the chalk white walls and floors of the cavernous room they had been debating in for the last hour, herself included. Representative Langman of Sector Two and Representative Barnes of Sector Three, the staunchest of the ASG's pro-war supporters, eyed her back with air of relaxed triumph, confident in their victory. To her left sat Representative Hadlos of Sector Four, his emerald green eyes staring at the polished table before him in silent contemplation.

"We'll see," Vanswartchzki levelly shot back, her stare unwavering. She steepled her hands before her, elbows on the table. "We might yet discover that the bribes you gave to Langman to support your stance were not enough to secure your victory."

It appeared the accusation wasn't entirely unfounded, as Barnes furrowed his yellowed brow in annoyance.

"Baseless accusations will get you nowhere, Minister. I'd advise you to remember that."

And I'd advise you, Barnes, that if I ever get solid evidence of you bribing your way to victory in matters of national importance like I know you have been, I'll have your sorry ass thrown in solitary confinement for the rest of your days at the first opportunity. Anna seethed internally, not willing to give them the satisfaction of her open annoyance.

This was getting her nowhere. With Representative Barnes' sudden decision to join Langman in vouching for a motion to declare war and Hadlos' sudden case of indecision she had been effectively cornered and left to fend for herself. For a topic of such supreme importance, the issue itself was insidiously simplistic in it's wording: to be or not to be? To go to war against the North American Union, or to continue to attempt diplomatic or at the very least neutral relations between the sovereign powers?

The Prime Minister herself had vehemently and quite publicly spoken out against the war-cries made against the ASG's current policy of neutrality in regards to the "despotic fascists," multiple times, and had largely managed to retain popular support in their views, at least in Sector One. Passively hostile or not, the NAU had not made any truly aggressive overtures towards them in the years since they'd first learnt of their existence, at least in the public eye. The envoys that had been sent in the past were done so in secret, leaving their mid-air termination out of the populace's equations.

The simple fact of the matter was that open war with the NAU was out of the question. Sustainable resources notwithstanding, the ASG stood nothing to gain from it that could not be gained through less-than-violent means. Sending their Evangelions and conventional military out to foreign lands across the sea would not only be a waste of precious lives and resources, but leave them totally exposed to the CMJ, or Collective Ministry of Japan, who she knew for a fact were simply waiting for a moment of weakness to strike.

It appeared that Barnes disagreed, and had convinced the previously neutral Langman to side with him through the promise of additional food and electrical allocations to Sector Two. Tempting offers to be sure, especially when Barnes' proposal, providing he won, meant the ASG would be going to war with and hopefully taking over a nation filled to the brim with an incredible amount of fertile farmland and pre-existing resources that utterly dwarfed their own food stores. Hadlos had been indecisive on the issue the last three times the Council had discussed the matter, though of late Anna believed she had convinced him to side firmly with her. She hoped he would make a dicisions soon, however, the wait was starting to get to-

The Prime Minister stiffened as Hadlos rose to his feet, leather chair sliding back behind him with a screech. It seemed he had made his decision.

She prayed it was the right one.

Hadlos opened his mouth to speak, but paused as the conference phone set in the middle of the table rang merrily, the sound echoing throughout the painfully blank room.

Barnes reacted first, thin hands quickly reaching out and grasping the handle of the phone, bringing the device to his ear. There was a dread-filled silence as Barne's face cycled trough increasing expressions of surpise, anger, and fear.

"Rose from the sea? Rostock has been-?!"

There was a pause as Barnes recieved his response. Without a word, he set the phone back in it's slot and looked once, blankly, at his peers.

"Rostock has been destroyed. Reports given indicate the damage was wrought by a massive, armored humanoid."

"No..." Anna breathed, her stomach twisting with fear. "They wouldn't."

"They have," Barnes snarled, voice rising. "The NAU appears to have made the first move, Prime Minister. So much for diplomacy."

Langman stood rasing his hand. "I think we all can agree with the next course of action here, my friends. Shall we allow the military to respond?"

"By military, you mean the Evangelions, of course," Anna responded listlessly.

Langman didn't bother responding. And she didn't bother protesting as Barnes and Hadlos raised their hands in agreement. After a moment, she raised her own hand. It was official. The Syndicate was authorized to destroy the target by any means necessary.

Anna retrieved the phone, dialing the private number of High Commander Vincent Valentine, the de-facto leader of the Red Syndicate and all it's forces. The phone didn't even finish it's first ring before it was answered.

"You're authorized to deploy the Evangelions. Destroy the target by any means necessary."

She hung up the phone and lowered her head. So much for diplomacy indeed.

[Spartan Altego]

The Cages, NERV Base, Mt. Fuji

The monitor screen flickered on in a vortex of color before her eyes. To her left, a transparent screen of twelve inch diamond-weave plexi-glass was all that stood between her, Saya Onatashi, the Commander of NERV, and the cages wherin the twin behemoths under her jurisdiction were held. She brushed the stray strands of her raven black hair away from her crimson eyes as the technical staff, affectionately nicknamed the "bridge bunnies," by her currently absent Vice Commander, worked tirelessly behind her. Keyboards clicked and voices chattered in a nameless mesh of noise and effort, like the unified buzzing of a group of worker bees working on the hive wherein they dwelled.

To her right, flanked by four JSSDF troops armed with light, suppressed M7 sub-machine guns and a menacing air, was Shogun Niko Amankangdo, the undisputed leader of the Collective Ministry of Japan, clad in a white button down suit with white dress shoes to match. He too looked on at the currently blank white monitor, though his amethyst occasionally flickered over to the highly visible Evangelions lying in restraints only a few meters away. She hadn't been very surprised to hear that the Shogun himself had taken it upon himself to schedule a visit to NERV's new mountain based headquarters on the specific date of which they had been planning on running a combat simulation for their two Eva Units, fully directed by their designated pilots. After all, it had been his orders, given through her, to have the test run in the first place.

That said, she couldn't help but feel the trickle of nervousness slithering in her chest as she surreptitiously at the restrained Evangelions, eyes tracking the steel grey entry plugs currently being lowered into the spinal slots below, pilots contained within. The test itself didn't even require the Evangelion's power sources be activated beyond the minimum nervous links and visual systems. It was statistically impossible for the Evangelions themselves to fully activate on their own, according to her head researcher, Maya Ibuki. "Less than 0.00002%," She'd said matter of factly when questioned.

For some reason that didn't fill Saya with confidence.

She jumped slightly as the Shogun spoke up, his eyes turning on her with the unconscious intensity her was known for. "I'm surprised at you, Saya," He started lowly, a note of amusement entering his voice. "I'd have thought you'd have a little more faith in your employee's observations when it came to these kinds of things. After all, it was you who picked them out."

Saya nodded once in mild agreement. She had indeed picked out the entire NERV staff personally, with his minimal supervision, when the organization had been officially reinstated. But her faith in her underlings wasn't the problem. The biomechanical abominations standing not thirty meters from her, on the other hand...

"My subordinates know what they're doing. But the best-laid plans usually don't hold up to contact with an Eva, sir. You know that as well as I do."

"A fair point," Niko conceded, gaze returning to the visual feed of the monitor. "But there really is no need for concern. If the Evangelions chose this moment or the next to begin acting up, there would be nothing we could have done to prevent it regardless. So why worry?"

Saya sighed once. "I wish I could share your attitude, sir. I'd certainly help me sleep at night a little better."

She doubted it actually would.

Before their little asides could continue, one of her top technicians, also one of her youngest, Kensuke Aida, spoke up from his position at his terminal across the room. "Commander, the pilots are situated within their Evas and the simulation is ready to be executed. Shall we begin?"

Wheeling his seat around to face her, curled brown locks hanging from his head, he awaited her response. Saya looked once at the Shogun for confirmation, who blinked once in response. Apparently he was leaving the final say to her.

Saya turned back to Aida, face set in a stoney mask. "Begin the simulation. Equip the pilots with the standardize pallet rifles and progressive knives for this one and load them up in a city-scape environment. The Tokyo-3 one should suffice."

If the mentioning of his former home town disturbed Aida, he didn't show it. The techie quickly went back to work, typing furiously as the work terminal's bright lights reflected off his glasses, obscuring his eyes. From Saya's perspective, the hidden eyes and white gleam on his glasses gave him an almost unhinged, lunatic scientist look.

Perhaps that's fitting for this place.

Niko stepped forward, closer to the display before him. His guards followed suit, taking single, silent steps forward, their own eyes professionally trained on the surroundings around them rather than the show in front of them.

"Now then," The Shogun said, clasping his hands behind his back, eyes focused intently on the view-screen. "Let's see if these years of effort have finally paid off."

Saya didn't respond, watching as the monitor shifted to a bird's-eye view of the city of Tokyo-3 it's it's long since gone state of former glory, the pilot's Evangelion avatars appearing within on opposite sides, the city's circular design giving the appearance of a massive, shining gladiator's ring...

She let the thought drop.

[Spartan Altego]

Coral Springs, Florida, North America

In the orange smeared skies of Florida, a pack of four aerial military crafts, Blackbirds, zoomed through the ivory clouds of the world at incredible speeds, led by another, orange striped Blackbird on point. Flying slightly behind them, below, a cluster of VTOL birds few in tight formation, thick, ropy titanium cables latched on to their bellies, the shining metal strands hanging beneath like the world's largest puppet strings, holding the world's largest puppet.

The puppet in this case being the crucified, gunmetal grey form of Evangelion Unit-15, the North American Union's one and only functional Evangelion Unit in existence. The strands from the VTOL group held the cross itself upright and stable in the sky, the giant piece of welded metal swaying back and forth ever so slightly in a steady rhythm. Thick titanium cuffs, locked at the middles of the rings, hold it's arms to either side of the red painted cross, ankles slid together and held by one massive cuff. Across it's torso and neck, thicker cuffs hold them in place, thoroughly trapping the great beast in place. Better safe than sorry, after all.

With that in mind, the VTOL group had been making conscious efforts to avoid flying the Eva through any particularly ominous looking clouds.

Flying at the very rear, a lone, blue striped VTOL lagged behind, not at all linked to the crucifix. At it's front, two helmeted Blackwatch pilots work in unison in the cockpit, hands flowing effortlessly across dials, switches, and easily manipulating the time-honored traditional joystick controls. Farther back, past a masking curtain, a lone, flak-jacketed man sits in one of the many window seats of the passenger area, looking out the small, bulletproofed window to his left with a nameless expression. After a moment, he shifts, eyes turning instead to the folded up letters in his hands, on for each. To his memory, the rougher, slightly grainy feeling letter in his left hand was from his wife, Medina. In his right hand he held his orders for this operation, the words "For Your Eyes Only," stamped in red ink across the top. He looks at them for a moment, before resuming his previous spot of window gazing. Outside the confines of the aircraft, the brilliant orange sun is just beginning to reach it's halfway point below the horizon, bathing the skies in a wash of orange light. Around him, wisps of clouds whiz by, like the ethereal sprites of old fairy tales he'd been told of as a child.

He is Isidore Boucher. Captain. Operations Director of NAU Blackwatch, 1st Evangelion Battalion.

And Operation: Thunderdrome is under his command.

Currently the pack of aerial crafts were flying for Fort Lauderdale, where Isidore would depart and take command of the NAU base and all it's forces stationed there. Including the deployment and usage of the Evangelion and it's pilot, both of whom hung in front of and below his own method of transportation. The two had never met before, though Isidore had heard of the boy. He was supposed to be some kind of genius when it came to using his Eva's A.T. Field. "A real prodigy."

They would soon see, wouldn't they?

The purpose of Operation: Thunderdrome was relatively simple; engage and eradicate the military rebel force known as the Liberated People's Alliance, or LPA, stationed in the ruins of Miami, Florida. The complications came in it's execution. The LPA had been enacting hit-and-run operations against the NAU for some time now, mostly in it's fronteir territories. The attacks had mostly been raids, quick grabs made for food, water, ammunition to fuel their war efforts and sustain their orginization's structural integrity. For the last four years the group had plagued the NAU at every turn, spawned from outrage among multiple pockets of the populace brought about by the enactment of controversial legislation like Ashcroft's Law or the simple fact that the NAU was comprised of a dictatorship regime.

Whatever their motives, the members of the LPA that had been captured were known to be incredibly resilient to most forms of torture, though most broke down and began sobbing after the fifth round or so. They never broke, and as such Blackwatch had been having difficulty pinning down the location of their main base of operations, never having a real opportunity to make a definitive strike against their foes. The LPA had apparently taken cues from the remnants of the Canadian government, whose similar usage of hidden bases and fanatical soldiers had served them well for many years before Blackwatch had discovered and promptly carpet-bombed their central base, crippling their military effectiveness and rendering them a non-threat as far as the NAU was concerned.

And like the Canadian government, the LPA's base had been discovered, and was about to be dealt a crippling blow, courtesy of Evangelion Unit-15, some bombers, and a whole mess of white phosphorous. While N2 mining the base had always been an option, the massive, very difficult to deal with collateral damage to the surrounding environment made it less than practical for to preserve the land later usage as farming land by the NAU in the coming years. In that regard, the Evangelion caused far less damage, relatively speaking. The white phosphorus similarly caused less wide spread damage, damaging to the soil though it may be, and also served a joint purpose alongside the Evangelion of psychologically destroying their enemy and ensuring future engagements would go much smoother with the threat of an Evangelion deployment hanging over it.

Not to mention it served as an excellent maiden run for the Eva itself, and the plugsuited pilot marinating within. Isidore's comm-piece crackles in his ear once as it syncs up with the communications signal emitting from the Eva's entry plug, giving him full communicative access to the pilot within through the interior speakers. He hasn't yet used it, but considering they still have about twenty minutes left in a three hour long flight, perhaps it was time to have a proper chat.

Then again, perhaps not.

[Spartan Altego]

http://s13.postimg.org/vmeka6khz/3143243_Laa_QAW9p.jpg

http://s23.postimg.org/5phdwxhwb/rsz_episode_one_final.jpg

[babel_matrix]

I hate the smell of jasmine.

It comes every time I have this dream. Sometimes the liquid changes, losing some of dark crimson except around the edges, leaving the center of my field of vision a pale orange. The sun occasionally shines behind me as I look down into the water, but usually, and tonight, its a cold moon that I see wiggling on the water's reflective surface. The red and orange turn into a blue-violet and dark purple; these were ugly colors for water. But no matter what, no matter how much I know that this water isn't water, that it's the LCL of the sea, the melted remains of humanity, it never smells like blood, like it did that day.

It reeks of jasmine tonight too, and in the pale moonlight I see the same girl, over and over again. The smell must be from her, I think: she must have smelled like it when she died. She's naked, floating up towards the surface, buoyant and pale, a specter in an indigo sea. Her eyelids flutter in the LCL, and now she's looking at me, or looking at her own reflection, I'm not sure. Her mouth opens to scream, and the LCL rushes in. She regrets that, just like last time, and the time before that.

She's petrified, but buoyancy demands that she rise up against her wishes, quickly approaching the open air of the Atlantic ocean. The tips of her breast touch the water's surface, and her body breaks it shortly after.

The LCL doesn't get to finish rolling off her face. Like a bubble, her body bursts into LCL once again, unhappy with its shape, demanding better, demanding truth. Her scream is brief, the release of air from her body tickling the air like a sigh in autumn, and then she's gone.

But I can still smell her, even now, even in my waking hours.

Isidore opened his eyes to the blue expanse that had let him drift away from this moment. He checked his watch, looking at the third dial that was synchronized with the mission. Twenty minutes until arrival, he estimated, though given the payload of this flight a delay would be understandable. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to rid the back of his eyelids of the image of the non-existent woman, and focused instead on the image of Medina. That she would still have HR deliver paper letters to him was one of her peculiarities, a romantic artifact from the turn of the century. His peculiarity, in turn, was to never open them until after the success of a mission, leaving it as a karmic reward for his duty. Isidore was moderately superstitious.

The Operations Director, young of face but growing old in spirit, raised a hand to the earpiece, and paused before pressing the switch that would put him in contact with the pilot of the bound behemoth they were escorting. The boy's psych profile was, overall, favorable: a fanatical devotion to the NAU had been deemed enough to compensate for what seemed a traumatic return from the sea. But for all the report gave Isidore, it seemed too well-written, too focused on ignoring two glaring facts that such fanaticism might not cover: this pilot had never taken a human life before, and this pilot was a fourteen-year-old child. The youngest person Isidore had ever commanded was a sixteen-year-old, green as Pre-Third grass and scared of blood. That child was so shocked when he killed an insurgent that he didn't see the flanking attackers. As an NAU flag was put over the boy's coffin, Isidore had blamed himself for that death, as he did for every death that happened under his command. He did not mourn them; it would have driven him insane to do so. He simply cared too much about his men to forget their service, their sacrifices and lives. Now, where he had failed to fully discipline that sixteen-year-old, he had to make sure Nathan could purge the enemies of the NAU in terrible breaths of phosphorous.

While staring out at the clouds, Isidore pressed a finger to the earpiece and spoke in a high, crisp voice. "Initiate Worthington? Do you copy? This is Captain Boucher." Given the brief the boy no doubt received, he must have recognized his commanding officer's name. After the boy responded, if the boy responded, Isidore continued. "Do you understand what is expected of you today?" Then, in a low voice, he added, "Are you prepared to do what is necessary?"

[Julian84]

Illuminated by the ever-present glow of the Eva, bubbles roil gently in the dark metal capsule, the single occupant floating cross-legged with his eyes closed, regulating his breathing and maintaining his level of energy. This was it. Today was the day. Today, he and Unit 15 were going to show the NAU just what they could do, how important they both were.

He shifted his position a little bit, easing some discomfort out of his tense and shivering muscles. The smell of LCL suffused his senses, intoxicating in the fear it evoked in his mind, the memories of almost drowning, the nervous energy contrasted by the giddy heady feel he felt in the core of his stomach, that he was where he belonged. With little nudges and pokes, he explored the edges of his AT field, hoping not to be noticed by the officers a couple hundred feet overhead.

When he first entered the plug of Unit 15, he panicked and thrashed, certain that he was going to die a slow, painful death, much like long ago. The comforting touch that soothed his fears now made this cramped tube feel almost like home, and the orange liquid felt almost cozy, nothing like being immersed in a bathtub or worse yet, any larger bodies of water. It was such a paradox, piloting the Eva, the feelings it brought him. Fear and belonging. But here, unlike the ocean, he would not drown. Here, the LCL rejuvenated and invigorated him. Here, he almost felt…

Alive.

A shiver ran up his spine, a slow smile stretching from ear to ear as he tapped into the energy contained in his own being and that of the Eva, pulling them out and seeing if he could make them one… But he never could. He could only harness the massive power of Unit 15, his MacIfrain.

He perked up as Captain Boucher radioed in, green eyes reflecting the dim light with restrained humor. Does he think… Interesting…

“Good Day, Captain,” He replied smoothly, grabbing the handle of his cockpit and pulling himself into the correct sitting position. “And yes, I am aware of my duties today. Search and destroy, yes? We wouldn’t want any of the rebel leaders escaping to spread the insurrection against our society.” He forces a chuckle, a sign of amusement. It was what people did when they were happy, he believed. “For Unit 15 and myself, this task will be easily accomplished.”

[Spartan Altego]

The Pilot's Quarters, Central Syndicate, Berlin-2

The room was dark, all light sources snuffed, save for a single luminous speck of red that flashed from the high definition camera in the upper right corner, just above a small, stuffed duck and to the right of a mounted flat screen television set, complete with a remote that had somehow been firmly lodged within the throat of said stuffed animal. It hummed quietly, recording the silence and non-activity of the area with the same tireless, unblinking gaze it favored the room with at any other time. On the opposite, eastern side of Central Dogma, two women of no relation or real relevance monitored the screen to which the camera transmitted, occasionally taking sips of coffee or pulling out the odd snack bag or two.

On the rather unwashed, yet seductively comfortable mattresses of a large, pillowed bunk bed, two teenagers of separate gender snooze the midnight away soundly. The girl, blonde hair tied up in two surprisingly long pigtails, shifted slightly on the bottom bunk, the deep crimson ruby earring in her right ear standing out against the pale complexion of her skin as she absently maneuvered her head into a more comfortable position against her foam pillow. Her name was Elfriede Müller, and whatever her small stature may lead you to believe, let it be known that this child was trained over the course of many years by some of the world's top drill sergeants and combat tutors until she had been molded into quite possibly the world's most lethal human being under six feet.

Above her lay her older, mildly unbalanced teammate and co-worker, Karl Atlason. 'Mildly' In this case meaning 'less likely to blow up the building than wreck it beyond recognition, then moving on to other activities'. His lime green blanket, ripped and perforated with puncture wounds from age or other factors, half hung over the guard-less right right side of his bunk, leaving him half-exposed to the much hated chilled air of Central Syndicate's conditioning systems. Much like his sleeping companion below, Karl had been similarly trained for years by the Red Syndicate in it's Neo-Spartan program following his revival from the Red Seas of the world and subsequent entry into the ASG's Evangelion program.

And much like his sleeping companion, he was awoken with a startled cry and a short drop off his bunk to the floor below, their heads bouncing off one another's with a dull thud. The speaks arrayed above their heads ceased their horrifically loud screeches, being replaced by the smooth, velvety voice of one of their camera watchmen, speaking quickly as the disoriented pilots' groggy brains transitioned into full awareness.

"Pilots Muller and Atlason, report to the pilot locker room and gear up for deployment. While there, remember to retrieve your earpieces so that you may be briefed en-route to the Evangelion holding chambers."

There was a pause.

"Rostock has been destroyed by an Evangelion. The capital appears to be the next target. Hurry."

The speakers clicked off.

[babel_matrix]

That young enthusiasm to murder the enemy. How often, how rarely had it bred good soldiers? Now wasn't the time for that thinking, however; the boy's prior handlers should have, or already have done everything they could to temper it. Boucher had to assume he was ready, and could only hope the boy's stomach would be resilient for what was to come. "Very good. Stay focused on precise, quick elimination of the enemy: swift destruction will ensure that their insurgency ends here. Watch for my orders to our complementary forces, they'll help elimiante peripheral forces trying to flee. Further instructions to be given upon arrival. Over." Feed the patriot, however young, however unblooded. It was the wine to the meat of war, and Isidore himself had to drink deeply in his first year under the new regime. the mysterious child, and his apparent ease with accepting the violence to come, were not new things for Boucher.

Isidore switched comm channels, and began to check with the squad leaders of every team, letting the audio feed from within the plug reach him at any time while consulting the other forces: the support squad was on standby with the spare battery, in the event this took longer than the Evangelion could already be sustained. Before contacting the intercepting and assault formations, Isidore consulted the estimated map of the region and the enemy installations, trying to find the best attack run paths to cut off exits by land and the best bombing locations to ensure that the airfield, if any was present, was out of commission for any other exit they could devise. Of course, underground tunnels had to be accounted for; there would be enough coverage by boat and on foot in the aftermath to ensure no surprise escapes.

This was Unit Fifteen's debut, and his debut as the director of its one-unit battalion, and it would begin a new reign of power by cleansing the earth of those who despised the NAU for its monstrous policies. He checked his watch again, and readied to give the command to drop the Evangelion, and its modified Mass Driver, into action. A terrible creature, carrying a terrible weapon to deliver terrible death on people who clamored for change and a voice that was silenced by Boucher's government.

Now wasn't the time for such thoughts. He breathed out sharply through his nose, clearing it of the memory of jasmine, and readied to order deployment.

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Pilot's Quarters, Berlin-2]

Karl was asleep, floating in the mental void of dreams. At first he walked through a patchwork of concrete and snow, walking along it on unseen shoes. He floated along the scenery, walking scene by scene into reconstructed snapshots of other lives in other times. Every snapshot was fuzzy, like a picture out of focus. To him they didn't really matter all that much, and so he kept walking.

It didn't matter until he found rolling hills and fields of bright green grass. There was no blur, there was no mask. The image was as clean and crisp as if he saw it himself. It was as if he was there. All he did was stand in confusion and awe, as for a moment all went still. Suddenly, on an ethereal wind he heard words on the edges of his ear. They felt familiar, but he could not understand them. "Who is this?" Karl muttered. The words simply repeated, until there was a piece inside of him that understood.

"Don't worry, you're coming home."

The alarms cut his sleep short. Karl's immediate reaction is to jump up and punch whatever is the reason for that noise. The only trouble is, the air doesn't have a face. Unfortunately for him, his bolting himself upright and his stiff right hook wound up flinging him over his bunk, and he was way too asleep to try and catch himself in time. What happened instead was a sudden collision with his teammate as he landed head-first. After a hiss of pain, Karl rolled away from Elfriede, holding his forehead with his hand. "Aaah dammit, what the hell." He muttered and cursed as he sat up from the floor, obviously not appreciating the fact that he launched himself from his own bed.

He scratched his messy, bleached blonde hair as the voices transmitted over the speakers. Why he decided to keep bleaching the upper half of his hair is about as much of a mystery as everything else, let alone how he manages to make his otherwise black hair that blonde. He grinned a bit at hearing that he was about to be deployed. The next part didn't make him grin so much.

He looked up at the ceiling, blinking a couple of times in shock at what he just heard. "Wait a second. Rostock is trashed? And an EVA did it? Aw hell no. Aw hell no!" At that, he bolted upright, grabbing a comb by his bedside and rushing towards the door. He didn't even bother to change out of his camo pants or grab a shirt. He practically kicked the door open, a smile beaming from his face as he looked over his shoulder. "You hear that Elfriede? Mount up, we're gonna bust some heads!"

[Spartan Altego]

The Tokyo-3 Simulation World, Virtual Reality

A city-scape constructs itself from the ground up in a torrent of green pixels and binary coding. First the pavement, then the stores, the cars, the electrical lines. Up and up it goes, from the lowest piece of grass in a park to the tallest solar panel. Within seconds a fully realized replica of the once majestic capital city of Tokyo-3 has been rebuilt to the tiniest detail. The sky ripples above, the distortions representative of the coding behind the surface adjusting itself as weather pattern datapackets and executions are put into usage. The heavens darken with the murky grey of storm clouds, quickly followed by the presence of rain. The pure, clean, fake digitized streams torrent down to the world below in a light drizzle, drenching the armored, skyscraper tall cyborgs below.

The Evangelions squared off at one another from opposite sides of the city, their strips of secondary contrast colors across their armors faintly glowing vibrant purple and hissing white respectively in the darkness. Within their entry plugs, the Head's Up Displays of the soon-to-be-combatants light up, text scrolling down the upper right corners of their visual fields in sky blue colored fonts.

"Full synchronization with designated Evangelion Unit achieved. Weapons Packet loading...loading...complete! Single Progressive Knife has been inserted into right wing holster. MM-44 Pallet Rifle under construction...42%...89%...complete!"

Both Evas' right wings flash in confirmation as the digital weapon materializes within. Even Eva-19, which realistically should not be able to holster any sort of weapon with it's battery back load-outs. In their respective hands materialize a default, production model MM-44, a clip already in the holster. The air hisses as lightning crackles in the clouds and thunder booms it's rumbling report.

In unison with the vibrations of the thunder, a deep, baritone voice erupts from everywhere at once, it's tone commanding and not to be ignored. Only three words were chosen to exit from it's godly mouth, but those word's may as well been gospel to the pilots who bore witness to their glory.

"ROUND ONE...FIGHT!"

As if to emphasize the divine authority of the voice, a single lightning bolt shot down from the sky like an arrow from the bow of God, crashing right down into the pavement between the two participants in the blink of an eye.

Back in the observation room, Niko raised an eyebrow, a confused look flickering across his face. "I don't suppose that was a wholly scripted lightning strike, was it? Rather dramatic, don't you think?"

Saya's exasperated sigh was all he needed for his answer. When this test is over with, Aida's ass is mine. I blame him for this.

Across the room, the young, curly haired technician smirked to himself in triumph, the clicking of his fingers dashing across his keyboard never ceasing.

Just as planned.

[Lothmar]

"Bread and circuses…" He muttered to himself stiffening his neck and taking in a slow draw of air through his nose as he held back the signs of an incomming cough attack. Jacob had no reason to fight this person in his mind and unfortunately while a forfeit might have been allowed he doubted it would be 'tolerated' by their dear ruler and all the people who had set up this event. He didn't particularly like or understand the situation he was in, he barely understood how to turn a computer on and play solitaire but they were expecting him to operate one of the most advanced pieces of hardware and software imaginable. Thankfully a bulk of it seemed very intuitive so after recieving a couple weeks of the 'crash course' in figuring out the start up sequence everything else came admittedly a little easier; just dont expect him to figure out how to jury rig some hardware or rewrite a bug manually from inside the plug if the need arose.

'It's fine if I lose, might have to tighten the belt for awhile. But if I win I can save some of the non perishables for my emergency supply cache and share the rest with him or others in need.' He thinks as if trying to justify why he was even doing this to himself. The fact that they were peforming an Eva vs Eva simulation made the possibility all the more real to him that he might end up fighting another person in one of these.

"So uhm... Is there some kind of~nngh..." He pauses to cough. "Eva versus Eva combat policy?" He adds curiously because to his understanding the evas were designed to combat something called the angels. However with them no longer in the picture apparently they were just like any other weapon and most likely they would be used to counter one another as they were so unique. He had no idea if in the field against another governments Eva if he was just supposed to try and fight to disable and possibly capture an enemy Eva and it's pilot somehow so they had more, or if they perhaps expected him to destroy the enemy unit as thoroughly as possible so they no longer had the unit to use, or if that was a case by case basis. Regardless, if the japanese had some kind of policy in place for it that was good to know in advance.

As this occurs he swaps the pallet gun into his left hand and draws the prog knife with his right as he works to focus on projecting that field thing they were always hassleing him about in training. The match was just about to start and he grew tense in the preperations.

[Nexaduro]

Her room coming into focus through sleep-clouded eyes and some rather distracting head trauma, Elfriede slowly pulled herself from the tangle of sheets that had fallen with her onto the floor. She grimaced, unready to awaken, last night's sleep having been both dreamless and distressingly unrestful. It would probably be best to ignore her troublesome, wannabe-hotshot partner until she was more awake; she didn't want to spoil her levelheaded reputation. Then the noise of the intercom broke through her hazy senses.

"... Rostock..."

It would be alright. She'd trained for this. She was unmatched as a soldier.

She had a country to protect. She wouldn't disappoint the Prime Minister. It would be alright.

She mustn't die. Yet.

Maybe she'd have to deal with that headache after all. Elfriede tossed away the blanket still draped from her shoulder and, running fingers over her earring, started out the doorway. Catching the frame, she turned back for a moment.

"Race you."

Then, with a grin, she bolted out the door.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl was taken a bit by surprise as Elfriede bolts down the hallway. While it is true that they do engage in some friendly rivalry (it's inevitable really), he didn't think she would want to race him at a time like this. At this, he looks quickly down at the comb he picked up, contemplating whether sport or vanity was more important.

He answered that question by tossing the comb over his shoulder with a shrug. "Oh it's ON now!" Karl bellows as he lunges down the hallway after Elfriede.

If he were the contemplative sort, he would probably note the paradox of the situation, two children racing each other on the way to war. But Karl is anything but contemplative, so his focus is on something more along the lines of blowing things up.

[Spartan Altego]

Rheinsberg, Germany

Rheinsberg burned.

It burned, and the giant that stood within it's ruined husk warmed it's hands.

The air warped around it's frame, light seeming to slide off it's armored carapace like water on smooth glass, wispy trails of malignant shadow hissing and spurting from it's blank physicality. It walked as a living shadow, for it was void-born, stripped of any humanly visible color and left a massive, sucking hole in the comfortable reality of existence. Save for the eyes. The eyes that glowed with the hellish not-blue flames of a being far beyond the pathetic, three-dimensional existence of those who would bear witness to it's glory. The eyes that Looked. The eyes that Saw.

The giant Spoke.

I See you.

And the inky, boiling darkness churned, rippling and twisting forth from the confines of it's too small, too confining anatomy. It spread like the fogs of hell's blackest swamps, shrouding all it touched with it's embrace. The darkness of the night was replaced by the darkness of the heart, the moon's reflected glow smothered from sight. Those few who remained living curled up in purely mortal terror as the darkness crawledslitheredlaughed across their eyes, their open mouths, their insides. Their screams reverberated in the macabre void, where only the only damned could hear. Rheinsberg was burning.

And it's flames could no longer be seen.

Within the home of it's malevolent emissions, the giant that Saw grew aware. A challenge was approaching. Riders of husks, bearing a message from their ant masters.

It had a message of it's own.

I am Anat.

I am I.

I have come.

[Spartan Altego]

Over Brownsville, Miami, Florida

The sun continued it's steady pace downward as the young solider and older commander conversed, it's golden rays glimmering over the darkening horizon like the last gasps of a dying star. The VTOL group slowed it's pace as they reached the outer limit of their designated drop zone, Isidore's craft in particular veering off from the rest and continuing its approach vector off towards Fort Lauderdale. The younger of the two pilots of the Operation Director's craft tuned into their commander's frequency to notify him, voice coming in clearly over the earpiece.

"Captain Boucher, the flight group has reached the drop zone and is ready to release the Evangelion to begin dismantling Miami International. We're proceeding to Fort Lauderdale as planned. The interceptor bombers and assault squadrons have been fitted white phosphorous canisters and are ready to attack the LPA's forces in Allapattah on your word as well, sir."

Having lagged behind the now departing commander's VTOL, the rest of the air group began circling the darkening skies over Brownsville, the Evangelion's puppet masters readying themselves to unlatch the giant's shackles at the hint of a word. Directly below, Operation: Thunderdrome's allocated support units finished setting up Unit-Fifteen's mobile umbilical structure below, along with having transported the Unit's allocated HE Mass Driver in a rectangular, olive drab pressure-locked case, vaguely reminiscent of the classic rifle case used by the hunters of Pre-Impact times. Two clips sat side by side next to it, ready to be stored in the Evangelion's hip slots, the NAU's answer to it's lack of wing pylons.

Inside Unit-Fifteen's entry plug, Nathan's Heads Up Display lit up in a wall of scrolling text, listing his objectives in a downward fashion before his eyes.

"Primary Objective: Approach and destroy Miami International Airport, the LPA's re-purposed airstrip and aircraft stockpile, at approximately 0.32 kilometers south-west of your landing position. When the enemy presence has been neutralized, proceed to Allpattah to assist in clean-up of enemy forces and destruction of enemy escape ships in Wynwood."

While Nathan's objectives were listed out before his eyes, Isidore's own flashed through his mind at rapid fire pace. His objectives were clear: The bulk of the LPA's civilian and military presence was located in Allpattah, including General Jekyll Moroeu, the LPA's de facto leader and figurehead for the rebel force as a whole. His termination would effectively gut punch the morale of whatever forces remained, making clean-up easier post-mission. The city itself was more or less a shanty town, poorly reconstructed to serve as a population center for the rebels. Most of it's members lived in either the buildings or right out in the middle of the streets, leaving them dangerously exposed to air strikes from, say, NAU bombers.

To the NAU's knowledge, the sewer and drainage systems below the surface were not nearly large or expansive enough to be used as escape tunnels, and the city itself lacked any sort of underground train system meaning the LPA's only hope for retreat lay on the coast of Wynwood to the east, where their ship fueling stations were located. Unit-Fifteen, following it's destruction of the airports, would proceed to the area to similarly demolish the enemy's naval escape route, leaving the rebels completely at the NAU's mercy.

It wasn't feeling very merciful.

The conventional attack on Allpattah would begin once Unit-Fifteen destroyed Miami International. The assault squads would move in and confirm, through deduction or force, the termination of General Jekyll, following the phosphorous and napalm bombing of the area. In addition, assault squads would move into and capture Curtis Park Baseball Field, where a large, very suspicious onyx pyramidal structure had been discovered, heavily guarded by LPA troops. Intelligence suspected it was an old N2 missile bay, unearthed by the LPA following Third Impact. It's capture was of supreme importance, on the off chance those suspicions were proven true.

Upon mission success, Unit Fifteen would either transport itself or be transported to Fort Lauderdale for debriefing and preparation for airlift back to Chicago-4. The smoothness of the operation would determine Isidore's continued high standing as Operation's Director of the 1st Evangelion Battalion.

He knew it would be his only chance to prove he deserved it.

[Julian84]

The eldritch message reverberates through Nathan’s mind, rekindling old memories of the great eye that seared his soul. He clutched his head, pain lancing through every synapse and neuron

KILLPAINDROWNOCEANRAGERAGERAGEKILLNATHANKILL

His eyes snapped open, the fire gone, the burns remaining. His head ached terribly… But he was alive. And still there. Good.

What in the blood-soaked hell was that? He wonders to himself before remembering Captain Boucher was speaking to him.

“My apologies for my delay, captain. I am ready and prepared to take whatever actions necessary to complete the mission, just give me the word. Shall we begin soon?”

[Fearan]

Japan, mock battle.

Meanwhile, in the grey-and-violet EVA-07 the aura in the cockpit felt totally different from the other Evangelion. Asahino's fingers danced over auxilary keybords, running tests after tests on his unit.
"Power supply - check. Targeting systems - check. Catapult...err, the sensors show nothing wrong. Let's call it check. Systems all green, bridge, Unit 07 is good to go" - he mostly recited the test routine for himself - to have a sound of human voice in the cockpit. The bridge probably knew, that all was okay from their sensors. Now, to test the weapons against that guy with an American name.
When Kensuke have shot a lightning from the sky (good old Kensuke, fiftheen years have past, and he's still not a pilot) and declared the start of the simulation, Shirei acted without hestitation - he has overcome the fear of shooting at humans nearly year ago. He took aim, and was ready to pull the trigger, when suddenly...
I See you
The Word of the "entity" smashed into boy's skull only to be met with clenched teeth. From the moment Shirei saw the Evangelion, he was sure - they will be back, for Eva is not the thing meant to deal with the weapons of Men. It was clumsy, ineffective and power inefficient. But it was the only weapon of humanity against the Angels. Evangelions have returned. And so did the enemy.
I am Anat.

I am I.

I have come.
So nice for you to leave a warning, but please, don't disturb me. I'm kinda busy - Shirei murmured quietly. Then he adressed the bridge.
Reporting anomaly in neural communication array. Nothing else seem to be affected, continuing the simulation sequence. After that, he at last took a shot.

Half action - Aim. Half action - Called shot to the umblical.
Rolling against BS -5 [roll0] vs 38
In case if i need it - re-roll via fate point. Using my SR instead
[roll1] vs 52 - nope, no need to re-roll, I hit the umblical

[Lothmar]

Round 1 ; Power cable severed ; collapsing to ground ; 11/12 battery rounds remaining.

"I see you." The words rang out like a wrack of pain so great that the body shut down the sensations for a moment and had a disconnect from the mind. Jacob had been preparing to advance his evangelion forward as this occurred so the controls were shifted chaotically in this manner which cause instability when his mind was suffering such disconnect.

The lightning and simulation had been consumed by darkness and he barely heard the system declare "fight" as he lay there collapsed on the control panel the only thing holding his eva up was that he had not released the cable slack, which was shortly taken care of as his opponent shot the taught target.

"GahhAHHphrbl~" Jacob sputters as he falls forward into unconsciousness and the control yokes causing the eva that was preparing to run to trip over it's initial steps face first into the ground. The timer display begins counting on the monitor above him.

I am Anat.
"I cant see..." he adds his words being consumed as he spoke them into a vast void like expanse.
11:45 Seconds and counting

I am I.
"Aren't we all?" He mutters confused either not understanding the wording or not understanding the concept of philosophy all that well and it was the only thing in this expanse that he could sense and interact with in some manner even if it was futile and only done so that his mind would not panic more.
11:38 seconds and counting

I have come.
"Even if I cant see, I can still feel it somewhere..." This feeling slinking up on him in the darkness like a predator in a cave was almost suffocating.
11:14 Seconds and counting

[babel_matrix]

Isidore heard the pilot's apology, and checked the time again. Twenty-five seconds until the operation officially began, so the Child, and Isidore himself, were still in good standing. He was still keyed in with the air forces, and had just received their report. "Maintain position until Unit Fifteen has successfully disabled the airport, keeping eyes open for enemy fighters." He switched comms seamlessly to the ground forces. "Stand by for the order to the air units. The raid on Unknown-Unknown-01 will commence simultaneously while they're still reeling from what goes on in Allapattah. Neutralization of potential weapons of mass destruction is top priority: secure the objective and keep your heads down until we can outflank the remaining LPA forces. Use Formations A through C as briefed."

Five seconds until launch. It was time. A surge of electricity ran up Isidore's spine: this was the moment of infamy. Successful or not, he would be deploying this monster against soft targets who, hopefully, had no chance of rebuttal. He was to serve as the Butcher of the NAU, and Unit 15, and the boy who commanded it, were to be his cleaver.

He patched into Nathan's channel, combining it with the comm lines to the VTOLs carrying him. "Commence Operation Thunderdrome. Unit Fifteen, lift off!"

[Spartan Altego]

NERV Observation Room, Mt. Fuji

Saya's iron mask of indifference slipped into open surprise as the Unit-02B stiffened, then fell forward, held marginally upright by it's taut umbilical cable. Her shock grew to levels that could only be described as awe-inspiring as the completely collapsed to the virtual "floor" of Tokyo-3's streets, elbows and knees carving out a spray of ruined concrete from the roads below, face planted straight into the pavement. There was no way that bode well. She turned to her head of research, Ms. Maya Ibuki, whose face was similarly blanketed in surprise.

"Ibuki, what's happened to Unit-02B?"

Maya shook her head once in mild disbelief, glancing between the commander of NERV and her terminal. "I'm..." She looked once again at her terminal nervously before continuing. "I'm not sure, Commander. The pilot's synchronization with Unit-02B plummeted by approximately 05.231%, and the nervous link to the Eva appears to be shorting out at an erratic rate. No Pattern Blues have been detected..."

A collective sigh of relief rose amongst the members of technical branch.

"...However we're getting strange readings from the pilot's Ego Barrier. Something appears to have..." She struggled to find the words. "Slid inside and then dissolved away."

"Is there any possibility of contamination," Saya sharply questioned, glancing once at the motionless, physical Unit-02B through the pane of observational safety glass. It stood motionless, still safely locked in it's restraints alongside Unit-07.

Maya shook her head, this time far more confidently. "No," She replied. "Whatever the scanners detected within the Ego Barrier has been neutralized or otherwise is now undetectable by our means. No damage has been detected, though we're getting less blatant anomalies from Unit-07 as well. We can run more thorough scans, but the test would have to be put off for a few weeks."

Saya clenched her fist once, nails painfully digging into her palms. That was unacceptable and impractical, especially with the Shogun himself visiting for the sole purpose of personal examination. She couldn't afford to have the test put off. With grudging dismission, she gestured to Ibuki.

"Keep the simulation going. If there's no way of detecting whatever damage may've been done, it'll have to wait."

Niko, to his credit, remained silent the entire exchange, eyes still fixed on the collapsed data-built Evangelion. As Saya returned her own gaze to the view-screen, he spoke up.

"You didn't have to dismiss that anomaly on my account, you know. That was surprisingly blasé of you."

"Well, like you said, sir, if there was a problem with the Eva there wouldn't be much we could do about it before we couldn't do anything at all. If it's not a visible threat to the pilot or us, we may as well continue the test."

Niko didn't say anything to that, but something unnameable flashed in his eyes.

It seems she's beginning to learn after all.

Over Brownsville, Miami Florida

The latches across Unit-15's wrists unlocked, followed by it's ankle and leg shackles. Then came the neck brace, upper arm latches, and finally, the torso locks. Unit-15 lurched forward, free, and fell down to the world below at the speed of a dropped anvil. Above, the VTOL group, still carrying the cross, quickly flew east, following the departed OD's lead to Fort Lauderdale with the intent of dropping off the carrier cross. Wind whipped at the Eva's body ineffectively, the sensations transmitted through it's linked nervous system to the pilot's own, and the ground quickly yawned up at the two. It occurred to Nathan then that perhaps it might be a good idea to land on his feet instead of choosing to end his first air drop with a splat and a minor earthquake.

The ground was getting awfully close...

Below, the driver of the tanklike mobile umbilical unit, the only member of the support team in real danger of getting crushed, observed the event with increasing apprehension. Getting crushed by your own giant robot monster was simply an embarrassing way to go. Under his breath, the nameless soldier fervently prayed.

Make an Agility roll with a +10 bonus. If you fail, make a 1d5-3 damage roll for your Evangelion. The subtraction comes from your Toughness Bonus. If you fail the Agility Test by three degrees or more, you succeed in accidentally crushing the front end of the mobile umbilical transporting truck, killing the driver and depriving you of your immediately available power source.

[Julian84]

Rolls:
Agility – 1d100+10: 49 against 35
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4009316/

Toughness Penalty – 1d5±3: 5, -1
(Not sure if you meant +3 or not, but I’ll write it that way until further notice, so I took -5 to my toughness.)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4009319/

Nathan gulped as the ground came rushing up to meet MacIfrain in a rather uncomfortable embrace.

Maybe we’re going too fast-

With a crash, the Eva landed in the soft, spongy ground of the Sunshine State, rending it apart and leaving a huge crater. He hissed as jolts of pain shot through his legs, unit 15 lurching forward and landing on all fours finally, water pouring into the newly-made crater.

“That could have gone better.” He murmurs quietly, his smile slowly returning. “Alright Unit 15… Get up… Let’s do this. As long as we breathe, we have hope.” He pushes himself up, the Eva towering high in the sky above the flat swamps surrounding it. Nathan took a deep breath, savoring the taste of LCL on his senses, eyes closed in a silent prayer to some unknown god.

Let me be good. Let me be good. Let me be good. Let me be good. Let me be good.

His eyes opened, and he willed the Eva to step down, smashing his heel into the pressure pad in the case, the mass driver leaping in his hands. A thrill ran through him as he tested the weight of the weapon, from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head.

Let me be good. Let me be good. Let me be good. Let it begin!

His smile split his lips, ivory teeth gleaming in the bio light of the tube.

“Deploy AT field, max power!” The unnatural energy rippled out, the ground shaking beneath Unit 15’s feet.

The Son of Hell had arrived.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl was frozen in place, standing in the hallway as his mind collapses under the pressure of a grand and fearsome vision. He is stuck there, staring at the not-blue eyes, filtering into this reality, analyzing and judging. It's voice boomed into his very consciousness, it's words a thousand razor blades, it's reverberation a thousand hammers. Karl's body shrunk at the psychological onslaught, as the being declares "I see you".

All Karl could do was grit his teeth and slam his closed fist into the wall, hissing in pain. Sweat broke from his brow as he saw the flames of Rheinsberg. "I am Anat." He watched as the drifting darkness crawled on its fingers and consumed the poor souls in its wake. "I am I." He heard the laughter, the hideous laughter. He saw the Thing snap its baleful eyes open as its attention snapped to him. "I have come."

At this, Karl roars in defiance, slamming his fist into the wall once again and leaving a dent in the process. The pain was gone, the sight was gone, but the anger remained. The afterimage of suffering and horror burned itself into his eyelids, and he saw it as he blinked. There was only one thing he wanted now, and that thing was the creature's head. "...You. You're dead."

[Nexaduro]

Elfriede watched as Karl started thrashing about, worried for both their sakes. The familiar headache started to creep from the corners of her-

Ow.

A sea of black... No, less than that. Nothing. She was surrounded by- consumed by- WAS an endless void of darkness. She felt only mortal terror, and a slithering, hissing, deeper Nothing flowing into her ears.

I See you. I am Anat. I am I. I have come.

She opened her eyes to an overly-intimate floor, run with tiny rivulets of blood. She had, of course, landed flat on her nose. Which was also flat, at the moment.

With a steady stream of profanities, she snapped her nose back into place. She'd have to splint it later. For now, the pain might help her focus through her fear...

[Fearan]

While the eldrich word barely scrathed Shirei's mind, it seemed, that Jacob was hit harder. Awaiting Eva-19-s stabilisation - he murmured into the communicator - again, mostly to hear human voice. Than he moved the Evangelion behind nearby building to set up the firing position. Observing the Eva-19 through the targeting array, he proceeded to report further.
Perfomance of the targeting computers - excellent. Perfomance of the neural communications - flawed, detected potentially harmful anomalies. Perfomance of the shock dampeners - excellent


Half action - move 6 into nearest cover. Half action - aim.

[Spartan Altego]

The Cages, Syndicate Central, Germany

With the giant's message carried out, the two pilots were left unmolested of further visions and as such quickly made their way into the locker room, separating into the gender divided zones and quickly donning their respective plugsuits. A minute later and the two were marching in tandem through the pressure sealed door leading into the Evangelion cages, bypassing keypad locks and eye scanners.

With a hiss of chilled, compressed air, the foot-thick pure titanium door swung inwards. Even from a dozen yards away, the two armor plated giants could be seen, their protective shells glinting in the harsh light of the white walled containment room. As they made their ways to their respective Units, their COMM pieces crackled, the voice of none other than the Prime Minister herself coming over the headset.

"Hello, pilots. My name is Anna Vanswartchzki, the Prime Minister of the ASG and representative of Sector One. I've contacted you personally so that I might fully demonstrate the gravity of this situation."

There was a pause, and the sound of a breath being slowly taken in. Exhalation.

"As you know, Rostock has been destroyed. The perpetrator of this destruction appears to be a lone Evangelion Unit not unlike your own, sent by the North American Union. We believe it's ultimate target is this city itself, and the Council of Representatives of which I am apart of."

Another pause.

"...What you don't know is that the attacker has also managed to cross the half the distance between Rostock and Berlin-2 in less than ten minutes. Contact with Rheinsburg had been lost. You are officially being deployed to Oraneinburg on the underground rail system to intercept and destroy the target with extreme prejudice. Good luck."

The signal ended. And the pilots were once again alone. But their objectives were clear: Get into their Evas. And get ready for a fight.

"Operation: Thunderdrome", Miami, Florida

Upon spreading it's A.T. Field, Unit-15, guided by its pilot's will, quickly grabbed the extended umbilical cable from the rear end of the mobile carrier, reaching behind itself and inserting the power delivery system into the receiver. Inside the entry plug, Nathan watched as the power counter on his HUD went from counting down on a minute timer to counting down from fifteen minutes as the massive battery of the mobile carrier began to drain. Nathan quickly directed the Eva to scoop up the additional clips for his Mass Driver, inserting them into it's hip slots on either side of it's waist.

On Nathan's HUD, a waypoint appeared, the distance measured as approximately 0.3 kilometers to Miami International. He could just barely see the airport from there, salvaged blackbirds, public transportation, and other forms of aerial craft lined up across runways or housed in dilapidated warehouses. Tiny figures, indistinguishable from one another at the current range, milled about, performing imperceptible tasks in the distance.

Easy pickings.

Distance to Miami International: 30 dam.
Range of Prototype HE Mass Driver: 30 dam.
Rounds of External Battery Power Remaining: 60.

[Lothmar]

Power Mode 3B - Battery life left : 10.5 ; SR 40 - ATS 4

"Aghk... What the?" Jacob mutters confusedly when his sight begins to return and he realizes he's looking at the ground. "****, power draining..." He adds shifting down a degree in power consumption from full scale as he attempts to get the eva to it's feet and scurry forward a short distance out of direct line of fire when he see's the luminescence Eva across the way with it's gun trained on him.

'What the Hell was that? Was that him? Was that one of those field manipulation things or did the simulation staff just go to town on me?' Jacobs mind was flush with attempting to figure out what had just happened and was seeking a logical answer. Hell he'd seen the marvels that these people could create. They had giant humanoid war machines, giant virtual reality stadiums, little boxes of glass that entertained you, boxes of food which you put in another box and it was practically ready to eat in moments! These cities were a place of madness...


Free action shift down a power grade ; Half Action Stand ; Half action advance 6 dam (to cover preferably but will seek concealment secondarily, if neither is available then he's just heading towards the other Eva.)

[Spartan Altego]

Miami International Airport [LPA Airfield], Miami, Florida

Alarms rang out throughout the airfield in piercing, siren wails. Shouts rose in the twilight, weapons were secured and prepared.

Micheal Ertzworth, Corporal of the Liberated Peoples Alliance and former citizen of the North American Union, gave no reaction to his lit cigarette falling from his open mouth. It bounced off his worn, dog-eared combat boots with no even the tiniest sounds of impact to accompany it, sparks and microbes of ash flickering off the burnt end. With an expression of stunned fear approaching outright terror, the twenty something rebel fighter watched, stunned, as something huge fell out of the skies to the ground of Miami below, not even a quarter of a kilometer away. With little shame or embarrassment, Ertzworth absently noted a blooming, wet warmth spreading from his groin outwards.

Around him, his fellow soldiers and commanding officers ran to their tower perches to assume firing positions, or to the nearest air fighters they could find to attempt a rapid start up. Chaos had exploded throughout the camp, with dozens of men and women going this way and that, many bumping into the still stationary corporal who stood paralyzed in the midst of the fray, his eyes still fixed on the messenger of death that had just armed itself with a giant gun.

It was really too bad, he realized, that he was about to die. He had a family and was two weeks away from being discharged.

Prototype HE Mass Driver
(Unbalanced, Unreliable, Incendiary, Tearing)

Basic 30dam
RoF: S/2/-
Damage: 1d10+5 X
Breach: + 2
Penetration: 0
Clip: 8
Reload: 1Full Tearing

At this point, Nathan is essentially allowed to be temporarily freed of the constraints of mechanical game-play and allowed to spin as much descriptive carnage and mayhem as you feel is necessary to destroy the base. Similarly, once he's begun, Isidore can order the bombing runs on Allpattah and the raid on the suspected missile silo, which I will happily describe in full detail. Go nuts (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Miami_International_Airport_aerial_2007.jpg).

[Julian84]

PRMM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZf-ZYTsx6c)

Little ants… Little ants… Squish, squish, squish.

Something bubbled in Nathan’s chest, a feeling he was unfamiliar with, but not unpleasant. Perhaps he would ask this new captain of his later. Pushing the thought in the back of his mind, he dug his heels into the freshly churned dirt, leaning forward slightly.

With a burst of speed, the Eva charged forward, covering the distance with ridiculous speed, bounding over the flat swamplands, missile fire bouncing off of his AT field. With one final surge, he willed MacIfrain to leap in the air, smashing down on the tarmac, the Mass Driver swinging around to come to bear on the rebellious ants below.

Willing his AT field to guide his shot, he delivered the first deadly bolt into the ranks of LPA forces scrambling to defend the airport, a massive white cloud rising from the freshly dug crater. With rapid succession, he fired the next seven shots into the walls of the terminal, the odd feeling bubbling higher in his chest as the walls came crumbling down in flames. Some little ants had become wasps though, missiles deflecting pathetically against his defenses. Nathan carelessly let the massive weapon swing from one hand as he drew his AT field into a precision blade, shooting it out to impale a fighter. Gritting his teeth, he extended the axis of the spike, creating a massive shimmering wall, twirling on one heel to smash two more out of the sky.

Slamming a new clip into the weapon, Unit 15 leapt high over the airport, sending shots raining down from above, pleased as the sound of distant screams reached his ears. The stupid wretches were dying by the hundreds down there, and many more would die soon. Focusing the repulsion of his AT field at the bottom of his boots, he smashed down in the center of the terminal, caving the building in.

Rising from the flames, he could feel dust and rock slowly crumble off of the armor of his Eva.

“Eheh.” It bubbled to the surface. He extended his will, guiding the flames around him out into a ring, pushing the fire as far as he could.

“Ahaha…”

He clenched one hand to his face, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. With wild movements, he reloaded the mass driver once more, preparing for the slaughter of the remaining soldiers, trapped by the horrific inferno that was slowly beginning.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Fire rose from the Miami Intl. Airport as the white phosphorus ate away at everything it touched.

Fire would consume everything.

[Spartan Altego]

The Ruins of Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida

Corporal Ertzworth cowered within the dessicated, ruined carcass of what had once been an antiquated B-29, screaming in terror as flames that seemed hotter than the ovens of hell itself roared around him, hungrily licking at the corpses of his fellow soldiers. Their bodies melted and bubbled in the heat, littered across the craters where an airstrip had once been. The white smoke of hissing phosphorous, in tandem with the black coughs of ashes and death rising from the terminal center, blotted out the sky in a sea of miserable grey.

Around him, screams echoed in the fog. The corporal clutched at his left shoulder in distress, desperately looking around him for somebody, anybody, who could help him. God, please, I don't want to die like this! Not like-

His thought never finished as he rather abruptly died, blood continuing to gush from the severed stump where his left forearm had once been. Slowly, the convection of the roiling flames around him began to cook his flesh until it crackled and smoked like venison over a spit. The next shot from the HE Mass Driver destroyed his corpse, and everything within 30 meters of it.

What little survivors remained ran directionlessly, seeking only to get away from the horrible devil that had been so cruelly unleashed against their pitiful selves, to no avail. All died, whether from the heat of the flames or the melting licks of phosphourous powder, or the deadly inhalations of its smoke. Their flesh burned and melted at an agonizingly slow rate, inside and out. Their throats grew inflammed as they inhaled phosphourous gas. Muscus ran down their faces from their noses, eyes red and dried out. Hair smoldered and fell off their skulls in clumps of smoking black, blonde, and red.

High above the carnage, the mad brain of the dead god which had been cast down from the heavens continued it's laughter, emerald eyes glowing insanely in the tube of LCL. The Eva's throat rumbled in unison as it joined it's pilot in laughter, their two voices blending as one united, a horrifying symphony of decay. The voice rang out across the land for miles, stretching even into Allapattah itself as a violent, malicious war cry. Children cried out in bed, running into their parents' rooms for useless protection. Soldiers clenched their weapons tighter, sweat raining down from their frames.

And the laughter continued.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore grimaced as the chuckles filled his ear, thinking that one of the officers under his command was behaving incredibly unprofessionally.

Then the gurgling noise grew louder, the voice becoming distinct and, to Isidore's displeasure, growing into the unmistakable noise of a laughing teenager, one clearly becoming unhinged before his terrible work. He had enough work directing the forces that withdrew from the Evangelion, giving it enough space to work without casualties on their side. This mission's performance had to be efficient, professional, and devoid of base and ultimately dangerous characters. If he could not count on having that, then he would carve it from the faulty materials given to him.

"Initiate Worthington, rein it in! We're here neither to have fun or to laugh. Perform your duty..." Isidore paused, trying to add a professional gravity to his words. "... and do so as a Blackwatch soldier should."

Isidore scanned some of the feeds of the Evangelion's rampage, noting some targets that were surviving by avoiding the few places the phosphorus did not touch. He had the targets painted and transmitted to Unit Fifteen's feeds, eager to see them destroyed to finalize his orders to the bomber detachment. "Do you copy, Initiate?" He stared out his window, watching the soft, detached glow of the annihilation at Unit Fifteen's feet.

[Julian84]

Nathan, wake up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVyZrYv_BUQ&list=PL2B96478B129AB5F6)

Nathan snapped back to reality at the sound of the captain’s cool tone. He looked around, taking in the fire and chaos, the offspring of the destruction he rained down upon the wretches. He checked his ammunition absently. Just enough shots to mop up the survivors. Good. He felt a pang of sadness, somewhere deep in his soul, though he did not understand why.

He swallows hard, clarity shining through the red haze. “I copy, Captain Boucher.” He said softly, tonelessly. “My apologies, sir.”

Nathan levels the Mass Driver, channeling his AT field into a funnel to direct the path of his shots.

Pretty little blooms of fire. He thought absently to himself. Pretty little burning corpses.

He shook his head. No. Ordered not to enjoy this. Orders must be followed.

With cool and detached calm that utterly contrasted his earlier carnage, Nathan annihilated the few survivors, leaving not a man alive. He had received his new orders, and he must follow them out to the letter. Men burned and melted in fire, and he cracked not a smile.

For what was the point of him if he did not do as he was told?

[Spartan Altego]

Allapattah, Miami, Florida

Lieutenant Jacky "Jenkins" Mayhew didn't blink within the coffin that filtered the air he breathed as General Jekyll's melted, ruined head exploded across the charred pavement. He lowered his SPAS-12 semiautomatic, the hot shell dropping to the hotter ground below. He breathed deeply once, a slight tug of paranoia jumping around his heart as the gases of the phosphorous barrage swirled and billowed around him. Filtered mask or no, the thought of breathing in that monstrous poison did not at all appeal to him.

Behind him, Fireteam Foxtrot stood guard, weapons held loosely in a semi-relaxed position. He didn't bother correcting them, they had only the dead for company now. Or at least, the soon to be dead, as some nearby groans and screams could attest. Though their weapons were lowered, their frames were tensed, their grips on their weapons tightening every time a sound of pain erupted too closely to their position. A thick fog of smoke had spread throughout nearly the entire city, according to the other teams. Foxtrot found that they could barely see ahead more than eight feet without losing vision quality, the shrouded bodies groaning in the likely closer than believed distance giving the neighborhood a haunted, desolate feel.

More than once they heard shots in the distance, setting their minds even further on edge. Then they had come across pairs of soliders and citizens alike with guns or even knives in their hands. Brains blown out, throats slit. The reasons were obvious. Death by napalm and phosphorous burns was a slow, terrible thing. Sometimes they found entire families, with the guns almost always held in the hands of the elder members.

Almost.

Jekyll had been dead on arrival, caught in the middle of a cross street between a meat market and slightly renovated hotel. The man had obviously been on the way back from the former when the bombs came down, but hadn't been able to so much as run back to the assumed safety of the hotel building before he was caught in the cross-blasts, along with about thirty other people, twelve of them dressed in now ruined combat vests. The hotel itself was more or less nonexistent now, with only a half destroyed sign reading: "T_e Pzaa_ D_N" giving any sort of sign something had once given it a name.

The team relentlessly and wordlessly pumped shells and magnum rounds into the heads of every soul, living or not, that they came across. Not once had they found anybody who looked as if they might otherwise live. Most had mixed feelings on that. Jenkins turned to his team, voice coming in rougher through the filter of his armored helmet. "I'll inform the bombers that this area is clean and the target neutralized. You four-"

He paused, struggling to speak the vile tasting words.

"You four spread through the area in a square formation. Maintain radio contact, signal position at ten minute intervals. If you find any survivors..."

He didn't bother finishing. His squad left silently, their commander having turned back to the headless corpse of the rebel leader.

They had work to do.

Curtis Park Baseball Field [Suspected N2 Missile Silo]

Sergeant William Graham cursed under his breath as he ducked back into the protection of the armored Humvee, sparks flying above his helmeted had as .50 caliber bullets sliced through the space his head had just occupied. he snarled, clenching his teeth together. It seemed the LPA very much frowned upon unexpected visitations from their friendly neighborhood Blackwatch and had set up automated turrets to guard their pyramid base, placed in twos at either end of its three sides. It was beyond his fragile mind to contemplate exactly where they had gotten those, but they had proven surprisingly resilient to the erosion of the napalm and phosphorous bombs that had been dropped not ten minutes earlier. This wouldn't have been much of a problem, if it hadn't turned out that the turrets were also equipped with some choice selections of armor-shredding RPGs.

Performance-wise, they had managed to catch four of the twenty man assault group unawares, and those fighters were now respectively located in about nine individual places. Thankfully, the turrets' explosive ammunition had proven to be relatively limited. Obviously they weren't meant to hold off any sort of sustained attack. Sucking in a breath, Graham jolted back up into the gunner's position, manning the heavy machine gun mounted on the roof of the armored vehicle. The turrets refocused their attention from the assault group driving in from the south to the now moving target, barrels swiveling in his direction.

Of course, by then, he'd already managed to destroy the two on his side of the base. Letting loose a throaty victory cry, it choked off mid-sentence as the ground beneath him began to rumble violently, the Humvee shaking with the force of the disturbance. His mouth closing up, an icy ball of dread curled up in his chest and worked it's way up into his throat. The ball grew larger as the onyx black pyramid began to split open like a spring flower, each side slowly lowering itself away from the other.

"Oh ****," Were the only words he managed to choke out before he jumped back down into the rusted interior of the Humvee, his driver already radioing to the bombers flying above, who in turn relayed the message to the Operations Director far in the distance.

"Sir, the ground is shaking like a goddamned earthquake at Zone Yellow! Repeat, we believe the LPA is launching an N2 missile from the silo! Requesting orders!"

Through the tinted front windows of the Humvee, a horrified Sergeant Graham watched as a dark shape began to rise from the open pyramid, the rumbling intensifying.

There was a brilliant flash of light-

[InyutheBeatIs]

There was a brief moment of silence that hung in the air as the Prime Minister finished her speech. Karl immediately decided to break it. "Alright people, you heard the Big Mama! Backs need breakin' so booty needs shakin'!" His little act caused more than a few of the personnel to groan and shake their heads. But, it was to be expected with him, as annoying as it is.

Karl walked towards the Entry Plugs, strutting along as if he already knew he was going to win this fight. Though he resented the fact that the colors on his EVA and plug suit looked like Hulk Hogan's, he wasn't in much of a position to complain. At least he could somewhat dignify them by associating the colors with the late Randy Savage during his Slim Jim commercials.

As he stepped into the Entry Plug, Karl took a quick moment to flex. Barely a second and he dropped into the Entry Plug, sliding into the spine of the beast he was meant to pilot. As the viewing screens came on, the beast let out a breath as it too came alive. The dulled yellow plates shined in the halogen lights, the eye in its left socket opening to gaze upon the world.

A few moments and synchronization was complete. Karl gave a thumbs up to the monitor, a cocky grin crossing his face. "Alright, Karl Flair ready to rock Oraneinburg! Man I am in desperate need to punch something right now."

[Fearan]

Shirei observed calmly as Eva-19 slowly approached. He felt, himself running out of options - the AT field limited his long range capabilities, and since the opponent moved closer, the close combat was a desirable outcome for him, and that meant, it wasn't a desirable outcome for Shirei himself. All, that left was to make each of the remaining bullet count.

Full action - Establishing overwatch to lay a suppressive fire as soon, as Eva-19 moves into range of 20.
In case Eva-19 moves into a killzone, it will have to make a (-20) Willpover test or be Pinned. Additionaly it may recieve a stray hit, with a breach of minimum 7.

[Nexaduro]

There she was. Her paragon, her leader, her war-mother. Flush with pride, fears forgotten, Elfriede smiles and bows to the Prime Minister.

"I won't fail you, miss. I'll make sure to keep a short leash on Karl, just in case."

Feet barely touching the ground, she leaps into her Entry Plug, giving a smile and thumbs-up as she disappears from sight.

As her Eva is shunted towards its deployment zone, her mind turns to the past. To the darkness from which she reemerged. To the darkness just inflicted upon her mind. From this darkness, she pulled the vaguest of memories; her grandmother, talking of a God and his Angels, of the soul of man and the sin of man. Of Sephirah and Qliphoth.

She spoke to the darkness.

"Anat. I name you Sathariel. And as Binah, I oppose you."

[Lothmar]

Having a plan is all well and good, you think 'oh im just going to run up there ; i've got cover, i've got concealment it'll be a piece of cake.' And then the shooting starts. As Jacob reared around the skyscraper ready to rush between the tall urban buildings the shots began to ring out and no sooner had he heard the first shot had he jumped back to cover.

'I need to fire back maybe I can hit his cable." he thinks to himself attempting to fire around to the barricade to a disappointing 'click'. "What the? AGRGH!!" A Jam on the first shot!? Jacob was starting to get the impression that the simulation was set up to be 'slanted' against him and possibly in the other pilots favor.

'It's not real, it's not real, it's not real...' He kept trying to repeat to himself in his head, probably muttering it as well unknowingly as he cringed and clamed his eyes down harder with every shot. 'Damnit, damnit, damnit... Im so sorry Grandpa.' He thinks bitting his lips as he huddles in his own cowardice.

[Spartan Altego]

The Evangelion Cages, Central Syndicate, Berlin-2

There was a whirring of heavy machinery being put to work as the floor beneath the two restrained Evangelions began to sink, clicking and clicking with every inch deeper down. Red warning lights began flashing within the newly opened chasm, piercing alarms screeching all around. Rail tracks not unlike those used for the hyper-linear launch platforms designed for Eva deployment can be seen, sparking actively. The two platforms stop, the respective Evas' armored feet hanging just above the rail lines.

Around them the painted yellow walls part open smoothly, many pairs of silver-grey waldo arms silently reaching out from the darkness. The waldos rapidly unlocked and pulled open both the yellow-orange Unit-16 and blue-green Unit-20's respective shoulder pylons, the interiors void of contents. This is quickly rectified as a few of the spidery contraptions draw back, then return again into the crimson of the safety lights, with gifts of death in their grasp.

The Evangelions and the pilots within remain motionless as the mechanical arms outfitted them. Unit-16's two wing slots snapped closed, followed by Unit-20's, the former glowing merrily orange in strips across it's body. Slowly, the launch platforms lowered to the rails below, the Evangelions pitching backwards with them as it aligned itself with the floor. The waldoes lowered down to their level and continued to work, pulling out armored green pods and setting them alongside the platforms where they magnetically attached to the rails with a snap.

A whine began to build up, high in pitch, as the red safety lights began to dim. A humming rose as the waldoes retreated back into the now sealing wallspace from which they arrived, the entrance in the Cages above the Evas slowly shutting closed. Electricity arced between the launch platform and the rail lines below as the humming and whine both grew in intensity. A synthetic voice rang out within the ear-pieces of the two pilots, smooth and official.

"Evangelion Units secured. Selected armaments secured. Destination...Oranienburg. Prepare to be transported in three...two...one."

The Evangelions shot down the twisting, winding tunnels with a deafening crack, weapon pods alongside them. A great pressure fell upon the pilots of the Evas as gravity set itself to work, the LCL in the entry plugs and the bodies of the Evas themselves absorbing the brunt of the shock. Clothed in darkness, the titans of the future zoomed beneath the ground of the Earth, trails of sparks behind them the only trace of their existence within the tunnels.

The sparks disappeared as quickly as they came.

Unit-16 (Karl)
"Mix-Max" Particle Sword: 1d10+3 R, Breach +3, Pen 0
Special: Particle, Balanced
[A specially designed particle sword model specifically designed for Evangelion vs Evangelion combat, this sword sacrifices armor-piercing capabilities for enhanced A.T. Field penetration and slashing damage.]
*Weapon Pod

Progressive Knife: 1d5+4 R, Breach +1, Pen 4
Special: Progressive(3), Compact
*Stored Within Left Wing Pylon

Pneumatic Tonfa: 1d5+4 I, Breach 1, Pen 2
Special: Pneumatic, Balanced, Compact
*Stored Within Right Wing Pylon

Unit-20 (Elfriede)
Aegis Alpha-Series MR
Range: 150 dam Damage: 1d10+1 E Penetration: 4 Breach: 3
RoF: S/-/- Clip: 10 Reload: 1F Special: Maser, Accurate, Precise, Unbalanced, Unreliable
*Inside Weapon Pod

Prototype Mas Pistol (Maser, Compact, Unreliable, Unbalanced)
Range: 40 dam
Rate of Fire: S/-/4 Damage: 1d10+1 E
Breach: +1 Penetration: 3
Clip: 40
Reload: 1Full
*Inside Left Wing Pylon

*Additional MAS Rifle Clip: Right Wing Pylon

[babel_matrix]

"Sir, the ground is shaking like a goddamned earthquake at Zone Yellow! Repeat, we believe the LPA is launching an N2 missile from the silo! Requesting orders!"

Isidore had hoped, however slim the chance was, that they would've infiltrated quickly enough to cover the launch, and reverse whatever they could. Their only chances now stood at the center of an inferno. "Worthington! We've got an N^2 missile aimed at NAU territory. Your work here is done; double-time it to Site B to neutralize that WMD." Narrowing his eyes at the camera feeds, he added, "Drop the mass driver and grab the mobile station. There's no way it'll keep up with you otherwise." Feeling sorry for the driver of the mobile station, Isidore hastily searched for the radio frequency for the poor sod within. "Soldier, this is Command... I'm ordering you to close on the Evangelion's position and slow down as he approaches you... then hold on to your seat."

Content with his orders as they stood, he knew he had only half-minutes at best to instruct the men on the ground and the fighters. He answered them, one after the other, barely pausing for breath as he switched channels. "Sergeant, see if you can get the technical folks to the command center there to abort the launch or disarm the warhead remotely. Watch out for Unit Fifteen, who will be en route."

A quick tap on the keyboard activated the communications shortcut while he typed away models for interception, summoned estimated trajectories, and sent requests to have it all force-fed into Unit 15's peripheral displays. "Red Team, we are at Stage Omega, running on Plan B! If you can't clear those turrets in thirty seconds, bug out and prepare to eliminate the warhead in clearer skies!" They were running out of time. In the back of his mind, the pleading eyes of thousands of survivors, of people too strong-willed to stay in the sea all looked up at him. They were waiting for results, moreso than any commander he had to please this day. Isidore pressed his back into the tough cushions of the military plane, and went back to check on Worthington.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Beneath the streets of the small town of Oranienburg, Evangelion Units Sixteen and Twenty came to a screeching halt, sparks spraying through the oppressive black of dark underground tunnel system, bouncing merrily off the thick, multi-plated armor of the silent, still occupants. The hum of the track system quieted to a dull groan as the restraint locks across the Eva Units snapped off, starting from the neck brace, progressing down to the ankle cuffs, the torso braces remaining firmly locked. The minimal power systems of the Evas automatically jolted to life, the eyes and shoulder pylons lighting up faintly. The dim luminescence of the two behemoths cast the tunnel in a slight orange light, flecks of Unit Twenty's purple and white mixing with the brighter glow cast off Unit Sixteen, just barely exposing a massive, rectangular shaft above the two, easily wide enough to fit them both.

The carrier platform began to rise up and forward, vertically aligning itself with the exit shaft. Now properly upright, the two pilots could see the thin, barely visible rail lines rising above to the presumable exit at the ceiling of the shaft. The Evas slid backwards with their platform, sliding into the side of the wall opposite of the rails of a crackle and hiss. It seemed there were rail lines on both sides of the now apparent launch shaft. A faint revving echoed through the dark of the underground. The two pilots braced themselves within the Eva as their internal power burst into maximum activity. The lights across the Evangelions' bodies, especially Unit Sixteen's, glowed significantly brighter.

The revving exploded into an animal-like roar, the launch platform blasting upwards like a crack of lightning, sparks and electrical bolts arcing beneath it's surface. G-force weighed down on the insignificant frames of the merely human pilots as they rapidly traversed skyward, the opening grates snapping open, sliding with a rusted screech into the walls of the shaft. Evangelion Units Sixteen and Twenty, the pride of Central Syndicate, the symbols of the Allied Sectors of Germany's strength, arrived on the scene of Oranienburg, weapon pods at their feet.

They had arrived in some kind of city square center, that much had been obvious. Builds slightly taller than even the Evas themselves loomed ominously around them, a massive concrete jungle of construction. Obsidian flakes of ashes fluttered around them, falling from the star-lit sky like black tears from space itself. Neon signs and massive, rectangular LED screens stretched across the opening entrance of a nearby baseball field, now lit aflame and coated in grime and, if one looked closely, bodies. Hundreds of bodies.

Through the linked nervous systems of the Eva and its master, Elfriede felt a strange, mushy paste squishing at the soles of her feet, along with the strange sensation of feeling as if she were ankle deep in water. Nearby, Karl smelled the ashes of the city's ruin through the massive nostrils of Unit Twenty, breathing the destruction and smell of death into himself, ears filled with the horrid sound of...silence. Around them, empty, smashed cars lay scattered across the once bustling streets, flipped on their sides, sliced in half, flattened, surrounded by-

It must not have registered before, their brains refusing to accept the sheer, ugly truth of what lay right before them. The utter wrongness.

Bodies. Dozens...hundreds of bodies. Bodies that littered the streets, masking the flat concrete road with the weight of their flesh. Their grey, blood soaked flesh. Their grey, blood soaked flesh that lay squashed together, ruined arms and stumps of legs sticking out of the obscene mass of death; a yawning maw of stacked necrosis. In their minds eye Karl and Elfriede could see the faces of the terrified masses of the people below, eyes widen with fear, throats raw with the exertion of their screams, futilely running away from the black phantom of death that could only be named Anat. The faceless giant's eyes flashed with an exuberance one might see in a child gaining its first birthday present as tendrils of void-death stretched from its body, decaying all it touched.

Neither gave any reaction as umbilical cable stations stretched from the ground on either side of the two, cable plugs hanging just within grasp. They blinked once as the bodies once piled on the hidden surface of the revealed station came tumbling off the smooth tops of the containers, sliding and tumbling haphazardly to the pile of bodies below, hitting their fellow corpses with muted crunchs. They then laid still, another few inches added to the pile of corpses that stretched up to even the ankles of the Evangelions.

The pile of corpses.

The pile of corpses that piled up to their ankles.

The pile of corpses that they now stood in. That they crushed beneath their boots. It was then that both Karl and Elfriede made the connection between the squishing sensation on the soles of their feet and the mass of corpses they stood ankle deep in.

Fear Test: Difficult (-10). Use AdEva 2.5's Angelic Fear Table to determine results of failure. You take no Fear effect that results above 75. In other words, a result of 110 gives the same effect as a result of 70. All levels below are selected as normal by roll results.

Weapon Pods are pressure plate-locked. Step on them to open the casing and retrieve the stored weaponry. You may grab and attach your umbilical cables as well, provided your Fear test is passed or the effect allows it.

[Spartan Altego]

Curtis Park Baseball Field, Miami, Florida

"Sergeant, see if you can get the technical folks to the command center there to abort the launch or disarm the warhead remotely. Watch out for Unit Fifteen, who will be en route."

Graham barely heard the orders of his commanding officer the the rumbling grew to a violent roar. He gasped in pain, hands flying up to shield his eyes as the light grew too intense for his tinted helmet to dull. His driver followed suit, one hand on the steering wheel and the other half-covering his eyes as he quickly backpedaled the car, swinging it to the far right of the glare. Eyes now free of the painful assault, Graham's right hand flicked up to the adjustment dial on the lower right side of his tactical helmet, setting the visor tint to maximum, while his left tapped the activation switch for his helmet comm.

"Grey Company, listen up," He shouted over the microphone, hoping his voice would make it over the roar of the base. "Command needs us to get the tech squad into that silo's command center as quickly as possible to stop this thing from launching, so no more screwing around with these f*cking turrets. I want all remaining squads to assume inverted triangle formation: assault trucks in pairs at the front, tech transport at the back. Blow the doors open or ram them, I don't care. Just get them into that base, now!"

He received a chorus of confirmations back from the rest of the group. At the head of the Humvee his driver began accelerating the armored truck, then jarringly swerved back towards the luminous pyramid, foot pressed against the pedal as he moved in sync with two other units, taking left point. Graham scrambled to get back up into the gunner's seat, eyes fixed on the now far more bearable sight of the open silo. He opened fire of the steel-plated bunker doors of the west entrance ahead alongside the gunner on his right side, sweat trailing down his forehead as they neared.

The armor-piercing rounds smashed against the reinforced doors of the entryway, the sound muted against the backdrop of the N2 missile launch, holes being chipped open and dents popping into existence as the bullets did their work. Someone screamed in pain over TEAMCOMM, another shouted a kill confirmation. The closer they approached the base, the loud the sound of the launch became, until finally he couldn't take the noise anymore and ducked his head back into the Humvee, clutching at his helmet in agony, ears feeling as though jagged, hot glass was being poured down them. It was so damn lou-

The two Humvees smashed through the weakened barrier of the sealed doors in a spray of metal, sparks, and rubble, crashing forward into the front lobby. Graham barely had time to react as the force of impact combined with the jarring halt flung him forward into the front windshield, smashing his head against the bullet-proofed glass. He collapsed, half on the dashboard as his vision dimmed.

"Ow."

Outside the base, Red Team, a threesome of XB-70 Valkyrie bombers, flew through the skies, targets set on the remaining turret emplacements. One of the pilots blinked, eyes narrowing as he flew just east of the dead center of the silo. Something, bathed in shadow, was rising from the center of the pyramid.

And it wasn't a missile.

He never had time to radio in his findings to the CO as Red Team was blasted out of the sky.

[Julian84]

Unit 15 whirled on its heel, rushing to catch the mobile station. “As you command!” He barks, snatching the station with one hand and tucking it under his arm. His eyes narrowed as the Eva pivoted again, dug its feet into the sod, and began running flat-out to make it to the WMD in time.

[Spartan Altego]

The Ruins of Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida

With a single line of acknowledgement, Evangelion Unit-15 scooped up the comparatively tiny carrier that so graciously provided it its electrical lifeblood and spun on its heel, booted feet digging thick, gaping trenches into the moist ground below. There was a small puase as Worthington took in a breath.

And then Unit Fifteen exploded forward in an absolutely storm of grit, dirt, and stone, kicking up a massive trail of dust behind it as the giant sprinted recklessly down the long stretch of road that made up 21st Street, the link between he and his destination. Nathan felt everything as he ran; the wind on his face, the ground sinking beneath his strides, the heart of the Eva -his heart- pounding in his chest with powerful, booming thumps. The umbilical carrier lay securely tucked in the crook of his -The Eva's- right arm, the opposite limb drawn back, pointed in the opposite direction to reduce wind resistance.

The starry sky seemed to blur above him as he picked up speed, the tiny specks of echoed light in the sky coalescing into singular, luminous lines of white. He glanced at the allied coordinate data fed into his HUD, memorizing the calculated positions of his fellow soldiers as she ran like an Eva out of hell through the streets of Miami, cutting a hard right through the terraces. He didn't spare a thought as he crushed dozens of small buildings through his run, leaving countless flattened heaps of rubble in his wake. His heart sped up slightly as he spotted the river ahead, the final barrier between him and his quarry. He could just barely hear the rumbling of the silo from there, and he willed himself to move faster, faster.

In a single titanic leap, Evangelion Unit Fifteen leapt forward in what was likely the longest jump in human history, crossing the river, the terrace ahead, and the terrace after that. With a massive, earth-shaking crash, Unit Fifteen and its pilot, carrier still tucked safely in it's arm, landed in Curtis Baseball Park, skidding across the ground as it's heels dug into the dirt and slowed to a halt. The Evas eyes dilated as it gazed into the dimming light coming from the silo, the ground slowly ceasing its vibrations.

In the now fading light of the pyramid, he could just barely make out what appeared to be a big, blue, mechanical...

Nathan blinked.

Dinosaur?

The blue mecha was apparently unaware of his arrival, focused as it was on using what appeared to be shoulder mounted rockets to blast what would've been his air support out of the skies, while simultaneously using a chaingun on its chin to mow down the NAU ground forces attempting to make their way into the pyramid, with brutal success. Nathan tried and failed to make out the large, red letters stamped across it's left side as it blew up a squad of Humvees attempting to retreat from the pyramid, eyes straining. When it appeared to run out of air and ground targets, it turned, sweeping the area for further threats, its body moving and twisting in a way unbefitting of a mere machine.

The mech froze as its gaze fell upon the Evangelion, dirt piled around it's feet and a massive car tucked under its arm. It was then that Nathan could make out the words that had previously been unreadbale to his eyes.

"XMLA-089 T-RIDEN-T"

The T-RIDEN-T didn't give him much time to process this as it leapt off the pyramid, soaring high above Unit-15 and coming down hard and fast on the humanoid weapon, legs outstretched.

The ground continued to shake violently even as the light from the pyramid changed from blinding white to a warm orange...

Tokyo-3 Simulation, The Cages, Mt. Fuji

Gunfire lit up the streets of Tokyo as the two combatants pit themselves against one another, the sounds of battle echoing out through the empty city. Eva Unit-07 pressed itself behind the protective frame of the nearest building it could find, inadvertently crushing the lit name-sign plastered across its side, sending bits of broken red glass to the ground below. The glow of it's eyes and armor cast everything around it in a dim purple shine, a violet beacon signaling it's current position. The barrel of it's pallet rifle glowed with the faint orange of recent fire.

Unit-19, it's opponent, was similarly huddled behind an inactive solar panel, frantically trying to un-jam it's obviously defective pallet rifle with one hand, progressive knife held loosely in the other. Stray bullet holes littered the streets and buildings the panel, reminders of the recent suppressive wave of gunfire Unit-07 had used to forces it's foe into cover. The two were separated only by a few city blocks, less than a quarter of a kilometer apart, yet so far neither had proven willing to close the distance. The severed remains of Unit-19's umbilical cable lay stretched across a nearby children's store, half sunk into the not-particularly-sturdy construct.

Asahino directed his Eva to look around quickly when it appeared his opponent was not going to return fire, taking in the surrounding environment and analyzing the open routes before him. In his current position he had a clear shot at Unit-19's current source of defense, as they were angled across opposite sides of the city. He wasn't sure how many hits it could take, but knew it wouldn't last against sustained rifle fire for very long. The problem was, while he could see the panel, he couldn't see anything behind it.

Therein laid the problem. If his opponent had any sort of skill in stealth, he could have moved from his current position in any direction to Asahino's right side, where many of the taller, more heavily fortified city towers and business buildings could reasonably shield a crouched Unit-19 from view. It was also an area that he was completely exposed to, as his current position defended him only from attacks from the front and left. If he was attacked, he's had nowhere to retreat, and nowhere to go but forwards. Unless...

He had three options, it seemed: Advance on Unit-19's assumed position and engage close quarters, move out of his current cover and attempt to flank Unit-19 by moving northeast to a nearby hospital, providing him an open shot at Unit-19's exposed back and an effective cover to boot, along with robbing his opponent of the possibility of a stealth assault. Or he could remain in his position and hope for the best.

Distance between Unit-19 and Unit-07, approximately 24 dam.
Distance between Unit-07 and hospital: 9 dam
Distance between Unit-19 and hospital: 6 dam
Possibility of the simulation ending early to save players frustration due to GM-ineptitude: Moderate.

[Julian84]

Nathan glares at the sprawled form before him. “You’re in the way.” He growls, raising his right hand, willing his AT field to strike forward.


Rolls:
Focal Thrust, maxing out ATP usage.

Attack:
[roll0] vs. 60

Damage:
[roll1] with penetration 1 and breach 9

“Captain Boucher, I don’t suppose you have any resources available to us?” Nathan asks with a grim expression. “I’m not usually one to actively fight an enemy.”

[Spartan Altego]

Curtis Park Baseball Field, Miami, Florida

The T-RIDEN-T struggled to rise from it's prone position as Unit Fifteen gestured with it's right arm, sending a focused wave of kinetic force it's way. There was no time for it's pilot to react as the blast crunched against it's left leg, bits of armor denting inwards and severing circuits within. The T-RIDEN-T sagged slightly on it's side even as it rose quickly to full height, targeting systems locking onto it's foe.

Bullets (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChZfUCe7KR8&feature=youtu.be) sprayed from the chain-gun mounted on the dinosaur-like mech's chin as it's pilot let out a defiant battle cry within the cockpit. All he had to do was stall this thing for another two minutes...

Free Action: Dodge
Half Action: Stand
Half Action: Chain Gun Attack
Damage: 10
Penetration: 03
Body Location: Head

*Rolls on the OOC thread

Unit-15 Rounds of External Power Left: 15

[InyutheBeatIs]

The sensation around his ankles stopped Karl in his tracks. He looked down, and Unit 16's lenses spun into action, magnifying the horrifying sight below. He saw the empty faces, forever screaming in the throes of rigor mortis. He saw the emptiness of a city so cruelly cut short, leaving those who called it home to lie forever in the streets. He saw the flames, the eyes boring into his mind. He saw the shadows and the flames. He heard the voice again, the pompous voice, the laughing. It all played out like a worn movie reel, an echo from the mouths of the slain. Such a sight would leave most to curl up and beg for death, so they may not be persecuted for the rest of their natural days by the horrors they have seen.

But Karl? Karl is just angry.

Karl bellowed in rage, the speakers on Unit 16 blasting the howl at maximum capacity. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vntjCXVEkw) Buildings shake and quiver, glass reverberates and breaks as the noise blasts through the forsaken city. The EVA stomps on the weapon pod casing, freeing the particle weapon from its coffin. "ALRIGHT YOU COWARD! YOU WANT TO DANCE?!" Karl shouts, his face turning red with fury. The arm of Unit 16 reaches for the umbilical cable and yanks it out, jamming it into its back with a loud click. It bends down, scooping the particle sword into its massive hand. With a dramatic flick of Unit 16's wrist, the particle sword beams to life, humming in anticipation of its duty. "COME ON! SHOW YOURSELF AND DANCE WITH THE UNDERTAKER!"

Made Fear Test. Anat is so dead.

Spending two half actions, one to ready the particle sword and one to pop in the umbilical cable.

[Fearan]

The tactical map confirmed Shirei's grim predictments for the situation. His position was exposed, the ammo was at the edge of running out (those damn weapon designers) and his attempt to stall the target by severing it's umblical was kinda countered by the sheer amount of batteries, EVA-19 had on it. Although, the opponent pilot couldn't manage his instincts and reacted to the spray of bullets in a natural but useless way, that couldn't be for long. And he was still not in range of a natural breach. There wasn't much to do, except
Advancing - Shirei calmly reported to the bridge and to himself. The black and violet Evangelion rushed forward, dumping the useless rifle.
*Full action*Tactical advance to hospital. Free action - throw away the paintball marker

[Nexaduro]

"Holy ****"

Elfriede shifted her feet nervously, making the field of corpses squelch unpleasantly. Looking down, it was all she could do not to scream, holding her hands over her mouth and eyes. For a moment she stood there, quivering in fear.

Then with swift, vicious movements she ripped her foot free from the posthumous muck and kicked down at the end of the weapon pod, crumpling it inwards with such force as to toss the rifle into her waiting left hand as she reached for an umbilical cable with her right.

Her training had a hold on her now. She wouldn't let this go unpunished.

The city would be given a proper burial, in the clay of an Angel's corpse.

Free action to ragestomp valuable military equipment, Readying my weapon (yay Quick Draw)
Half action to plug in the cable

[Spartan Altego]

NERV Observation Room, The Cages, Mt. Fuji

"Unit-19 isn't doing much in the way of fighting back," Niko noted, arms folded across chest. "I'd have thought you'd have trained him to adapt to weaponless situations by this point."

Saya's teeth bared back in a frustrated snarl, then snapped back into a blank expression in the blink of an eye. After a moment, she replied, "Hoffman isn't as adjusted to combat scenarios as Shirei is. He lacks confidence. His...trainer... has been working on that, but unfortunately he couldn't be present for this."

"Indeed?"

To their credit, the many technical and scientific workers at their stations across the room did not simultaneously turn theirs heads in the direction of the room's only exit and entrance. The same could not be said for the commander of NERV or the Shogun of Japan, both of whom swiveled their heads in the direction of the new arrival, who stood rather ominously back-lit against the harsh ceiling lights of the entryway, bullet-proofed sliding glass doors sealing behind him. He cleared his throat once, his gaze flickering from the technical staff, to the simulation monitor, to his two superiors.

"I apologize for my absence," He started, clearly not at all apologetic. "I was lost on the roads of life and an old lady needed help with some groceries."

Kensuke snickered at his terminal, but stopped as both Maya and Saya glared at him. Once their gazes abated, he continued laughing silently to himself. The Shogun's bodyguards eyed the newcomer warily, fingers tense on the triggers of their automatics.

Saya turned fully towards the new arrival, casually gesturing towards the silouetted figure for effect. "Shogun Niko, this is NERV Vice Commander Liam Braigman, Hoffman's primary instructor during his training in the Neo Spartan program."

Liam obligingly stepped forward, stopping to bow half-heartedly in the Shogun's direction. Niko's lips quirked up in amusement. Liam casually strode over to the two, then paused, eyeing the Shogun's JSSDF bodyguards, who relaxed upon his naming. After a moment of appraisal he snorted. "Perhaps instead of critiquing my student's performance, you should worry about the state of these so called guards," He stated disapprovingly. "Their alertness in the face of a potential threat is...lacking."

"I appreciate your input on my escort, Vice Commander," Niko started, tone level. "But I do not approve of lateness to matters of national importance. Do not allow it happen again. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," Liam saluted, face morphing from relaxed to alert. Niko waved him off and he dropped the salute, relaxed demeanor returning. "Now then," He drawled, stepping in line with Saya. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Unit-19 is having difficulties with it's rifle," Kensuke helpfully supplied, busy multi-tasking between his work on decrypting the new scans from the pilots Ego Barriers and a game of galaga. "It, uh, jammed on the first shot. Then Unit-07 pinned him down with suppressing fire and he's been huddled in cover ever since."

Liam narrowed his eyes. "That's it?"

Saya didn't bother answering, rubbing her temples in irritation. Here we go...

Wordlessly, Liam held his hand out for a headset. A technician nervously jogged over with one in hand, barely able to present it before the device was snatched out of his hands. Face expressionless, the Vice Commander fastened the headset, flicking on the microphone and receiver. He tuned in to Unit-19's entry plug, voice reverberating from the speakers directly placed in the VR helmet.

"Soldier," He started, voice dangerously low. "Why is it that you are allowing something as simple as as a weapon jam prevent you from engaging your enemy? Have you forgotten why you are here? Have you forgotten everything I've spent the last few years teaching you? Explain yourself!"

[Lothmar]

Battery life remaining 9 rounds, 1 battery ejects automatically raising my agility to 35. Cant move closer to enemy due to pinning and no cover within re-treatable range so im forced to remain stationary until next turn.

ATS 5
Automatic - Battery 1 ejects to left side of solar panel
Half action - set up everything carefully so it appears the eva is on the left side of the Solar panel instead of the right.
Free action - Shift power up to A mode.
Free Action - release clip and drop PR on the left side ground of solar panel.
Free Action - Conceal self on right side of solar panel.


Litter on ground next to/behind/around the solar panel possibly giving the impression of an evangelion presence on the left side while the eva is actually hiding on the right ; 1 pallet rifle - jammed and clip missing, 1 umbical plug/frayed cable remnants, 1 wing battery empty.


Jacob sat there breathing steadily and continuing to mark carefully the enemies location by its dark glow that was a dead give away in this environment. And then an all to familiar voice came out of the simulator head set. Jacob hated being referred to as a 'soldier' even if he respected the idea of service; it was simply that he had his doubts on the people he served in this capacity. After-all if you cant respect the cause, purpose or actions of the nation you're fighting for then you are simply serving out of fear or worse you are whoring your services for what they provide you.

"Steadying my breathing. And my heart rate sir. I'd be too open to reprisal if I just charged through the open at him over a distance I cant immediately clear and still attack, in a panic without a plan. Conserving power and forcing him to use up his ammunition which is his advantage means I can soon change this conflict to my terms." He managed to get out with only the slightest of tickles and not a single cough. It was strange, despite their initial introductions Jacob had come to respect Liam and it didn't feel like a cheese grater across his anxiety and larynx whenever they talked. He was one of the few people he could talk to without it being a psycho-physical challenge for him.

Never let the opponent dictate the terms of the battle to their strengths if you can help it. He continued to think making some minor adjustments with his equipment as he pressed a blinking button that had been bugging him since he had been shot out of the gate and released the cable plug from his back and with one hand left it hooked on the solar panels framing so that the line was still visible on the ground. His mind continued to contemplate other courses of action as he ejects the clip from the weapon and jams it in the framing to look like it's being held at about shoulder or arms length up while sticking out the side as he slips the virtual clip into the shoulder holster.

"That and I dont know if he'll be able to do that thing i've never seen or heard of again. So im hoping to catch him off guard so he cant cause me to collapse like when he took out my power cable." After-all it was a somewhat obvious human response to be wary when your enemy displays some all but foreign ability or weapon that can all but cripple you in a conflict that you consider a way to defeat it instead of fighting blindly against it. It was probably the most severe reason why he was still hesitant to advance towards the other eva.

[babel_matrix]

Captain Isidore was livid. The failure of intel to mention something as blatant as the giant weapon now facing Unit Fifteen was far beneath unacceptable; everyone's lives here and wherever that missile was heading, if there really was a nuclear warhead on it, was now in jeopardy. He'd have another day to chew them out; for now, he was more focused on the chart representing the conventional forces supporting Worthington on the ground: another square goes from cyan to red, signifying a unit destroyed. They fell in droves before the bipedal weapons platform, leaving only Unit -15 to stand a chance.

"I want the third observatory plane squadron to focus analysis on the unknown enemy, get HQ to start an analysis ASAP, I want to know what the Hell we're fighting!"

Boucher swaped comms again while Nathan asked for reinforcements. The conventional forces were already getting dropped in droves. "All ground forces on the outer perimeter, withdraw. All ground forces inside the enemy perimeter, continue to secure the command center, according to your prior orders. All air support units, give the unknown enemy a last Hellfire Hello and scramble, evasive maneuvers until it has been rendered silent. If you're fresh out, get out."

He switched comms over to Nathan, switching the laptop's feed to Unit-15's visual. "Initiate, we're delivering the firepower we've got left, but it looks like this your fight." Isidore stared at the monstrous machine standing before Nathan. Could it be an Evangelion as well? Or just a sad copy like the scrapped Jet Alone project? "It's time to show the rebels what an Evangelion can really do."

[Julian84]

Nathan danced out of the way of the gunfire, thanking whatever force had saved him in time from the deadly hail.

Easy for you to say, you’re not having to fight it! Nathan retorts.

He growled in frustration, his lack of training with the EVA betraying him at the worst possible moment. His mind whirled, looking for options to avoid an all-out brawl with the metal monstrosity before him. The clock was ticking, the nuke about to launch, and it all came down to this fight.

I won’t fail, I won’t fail, I won’t fail, I WON’T FAIL!

“RAAAAH!”

He held out his right hand again, wanting the damn machine to just die already. Too much was at stake to be stopped now.

“JUST DIE!”

Rolls:

To hit:
[roll0] vs. 60

Damage:
[roll1] with 1 Penetration and 9 Breach

Attack Location:
[roll2] (Possibly 41 if Babel's help comes here too)

[Spartan Altego]

Curtis Park Baseball Field, Miami, Florida

Within the base, Sergeant Graham pulled himself up from the dashboard of the Humvee, aided by his driver, Corporal Nicholas, wincing at the serious headache booming throughout the inside of his skull. As he regained his footing, he slowly shook his head once, shifting his tongue around his mouth. He stifled a sigh as he felt two teeth loosen at his prodding, half supported by Nicholas as they stumbled out the Humvee's door, weapons at the ready.

They looked around, attempting to find the rest of the group that has successfully breached the base doors, only to find that their own vehicle had seemingly crushed the front end of one of the other two Humvees, along with denting in the exit door. Whomever was in there, Graham prayed that they were only trapped and not dead. Enough had died already from this mission.

Luckily for the two, it seemed that the technical officer carrier had entered relatively unscathed, having only rearended the half-crushed defensive Humvee on entry. as they approached, four other Blackwatch soliders, identifying themselves as Brooks, Karen, Adams, and Jerrico, respectively, stumbled disoriented out of the vehicle.

They didn't bother exchanging words of relief or looking each other over for wounds. They had a nuke to disarm, and little time left to do it.

But what the hell was making all those explosions out there?

“JUST DIE!”

The second blast of force slammed dead center into the armored chest of the T-RIDEN-T, sending it skidding back on the ground by a few yards, digging thick trenches into the dirt as it dug it's claw-like feet into the dirt, sending it's second attempt at using it's chaingun far off target, bullets spraying into the sky. When it adjusted itself again, a clear, perfectly square shaped dent could be seen dead center of it's mass. Sparks popped from it's chassis as the rumbling from the pyramid base once again began to grow.

"All air support units, give the unknown enemy a last Hellfire Hello and scramble, evasive maneuvers until it has been rendered silent. If you're fresh out, get out."

The remaining air units quickly rushed to follow their commander's orders, swinging around for a final air barrage , the scouting units flying amongst them, camera sights set on the mecha engaging the Evangelion. Missiles and canisters dropped and shot from the air fighters, barraging the target with a wave of flaming death that briefly masked the blue mech in a cloak of flame and white gas. When the assault ended, the target remained, armor red hot and melted in many places, pressurized fluids and fuel hissing out across the joints and chassis.

Within the cockpit the pilot gasped, clutching at his throat as the phosphorus gas began leaking in through his damaged ventilation systems, flesh beginning to cook from the heat of convection doing it's work, lungs choking up. Still he refused to die yet, eyes defiantly looking up at Unit Fifteen as he prepared what was likely to be his final assault. His hands drifted towards the missile controls.

T-RIDEN-T's armor points reduced by 4 in all areas. Pilot life expectancy significantly shortened. Unit 15 has 14 rounds of external battery power left, and is still holding the carrier like a football.


Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

"ALRIGHT YOU COWARD! YOU WANT TO DANCE?!" Karl shouts, his face turning red with fury. The arm of Unit 16 reaches for the umbilical cable and yanks it out, jamming it into its back with a loud click. It bends down, scooping the particle sword into its massive hand. With a dramatic flick of Unit 16's wrist, the particle sword beams to life, humming in anticipation of its duty. "COME ON! SHOW YOURSELF AND DANCE WITH THE UNDERTAKER!"

A shrill, whistling wind erupted behind both of the now armed Evangelions in response, carrying with it the sounds of hundreds, thousands of voices gasping, screaming in agony, with it. The scent of decaying flesh flooded both pilots' nostrils, the sensation of worms wiggling in their empty mouths arising. The stars of the midnight sky seemed to dim as Karl's challenge was answered in turn.

The voice of the sounds of silent agony spoke once more.

As you wish.

The ground shook violently, the streets filled with the bodies of the dead rumbling and shifting in tune with the disturbance. An utterly indescribable sound grew behind the Evangelions, who turned to see a massive, purple-black orb of whirling energy erupting from the ruins of a former football stadium a few blocks down the corpse filled road, the spinning, twisting strands of void slithering outwards in a wave. The orb of evil black grew and grew, spreading up and outwards in all directions. It grew and grew and grew until it stood as tall as the Evangelions themselves, and then half again, stretching to encompass the stadium, the streets around it, and stopping just short of swallowing the Evas themselves.

The orb then seemed to...gurgle...discs of red energy zooming down it's surface in faster and faster runs, each lap rendering the shadow skin of the orb smoother and smoother until only a solid, non-reflective sphere of black sat directly before the Evangelions, the discs of red dissipating into nothingness. The stars blinked out entirely in the skies above. Around the Evangelions the shadows seemed to whisper and blink, silhouetted figures darting around in the darkness, waiting.

The voice spoke again, this time a hissing sound of flesh crackling in the flames, glass shattering and crunching beneath footfalls. A single word.

Come.

And all was silent.

3 dam between the Evangelions and the outside of the sphere. Cable length is 60 dam. The beast awaits.

[Fearan]

As the opponent Eva dissapeared from sight, Shirei become a little nervous Come on, you're a 40-meteres tall mecha, where are you. The Eva -07 waved its head observing the buildings with its pitch-black eyes. No result - Eva-19 was probably behind one of the buildings, but which? A couple of tense seconds have passed before Shirei have formulating a solution
- Initiating emulation of advanced tactics. Codename: ping - he performed the required mental commands with caution and care for the simulattion's sensors to recieve instructions properly. After aquiring target's position, Shirei moved AWAY from it. He was hoping to wear down target's batteries before any engagement.

Free action - AT-ping. Full action - Tactical Advance to cover 12 dam from Eva 19 for a total of 22 dam distance and hopefully, no clear line of sight between us

[Lothmar]

Full action - Run across the 24 dam area to my opponents old cover so that im adjacent to the power cable.
Free Action - Conceal self behind building.
Battery life - 8 rounds
ATS 5




'Still not attacking eh? No, looks like you're trying to bleed me dry and wait for your chance. Well lets force your hand by pulling that tail of yours then...' He thinks to himself not knowing that the enemy knows where he is as he attempts to cross the original courtyard to his enemies original cover so that he can cut the slacked umbilical cable stretching through there.

He was between his opponent and the closest other plug in thankfully, though there were likely other ports to access they possessed almost the same speed and he knew he'd be faster here shortly. 'If only I was a little more in synch with this brick I could shift down as well and still manage additional movement.' It was unfortunate but Jacobs Synch ratio hovered just on the border of operating in a diminished capacity when he shifted down to type b power consumption. If it was some kind of process he could understand he'd feel far more obliged to try training it but it wasn't.

"This Knife is insulated right?" Jacob adds curious over the communications afterall it'd be annoying to get shocked suddenly while cutting the line and there was a nice abandoned rifle sitting close by that he could use relatively safely if the knife wasn't insulated.

[Spartan Altego]

NERV Observation Room, The Cages, Mt. Fuji

"Steadying my breathing. And my heart rate sir. I'd be too open to reprisal if I just charged through the open at him over a distance I cant immediately clear and still attack, in a panic without a plan. Conserving power and forcing him to use up his ammunition which is his advantage means I can soon change this conflict to my terms."

Liam listened patiently as he student explained himself, scanning the line of logic for any unreasonable or otherwise erroneous judgement. So it wasn't cowardice, or at least, he was attempting to stave off the cowardice through focus. This pleased him quite a bit. No student of his was going to hide from battle at the sound of the first shot. He knew the boy was still not truly combat tested, so he refrained from reaming Hoffman out for it, and was rewarded with a slight sense of pride. He was learning.

"That and I don't know if he'll be able to do that thing I've never seen or heard of again. So I'm hoping to catch him off guard so he cant cause me to collapse like when he took out my power cable."

Liam raised an eyebrow at this, looking over at Saya for confirmation. She shook her head. "Unit-07 hasn't used any of the known A.T. Field abilities it has in the simulation other than the Ping-type. I'm not sure what he means."

Liam focused again on pilot Hoffman, who was now busy making his way towards Unit-07's power cable, a good strategy. The knife was in fact insulated against electrical damage, but if Hoffman didn't know that, Liam wasn't going to explain it to him. Lack of knowledge was a choice when it came to battles. Still...

"Soldier, I'm fine with your tactics, but I am not fine with being lied to. Exactly what kind of 'ability' do you think Unit-07 has used on you?"

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

In the unnatural dark of the streets of Oranienburg, Karl and Elfriede's HUDs pulsed as an orange card labeled "Audio Only" popped up across the screen. A cool, gender-less synthesized voice whispered into their comm-pieces. "Hello Pilots Flair and Müller. I am Mission Control, model 12-AB-O, and I will be your tactical adviser and link to Syndicate command for your current mission and beyond. I have compiled both situational data and theoretical data on the opposing Evangelion Unit, in particular on the current energy emission it is generating. If you like, I can relay this information to you."

[Lothmar]

Jacob was almost offended that Liam would think him a liar, that would clearly contradict his grandfathers tenth preaching of personal responsibility... #10 Because I have a right to the truth…I will not bear false witness nor will I stand idly by as others do. Then again, certain specifics of that part of his life were very personal to him and it was not something he intended to just talk about casually ; but he could understand the strangeness of the event and so he forgave him for assuming as he did.

"It looked, somewhat dark... No that's wrong, it was utter, total, complete darkness..." Jacob adds trying to steady his hands from shaking as he subconciouslly triggered the prog knife - he needed it soon anyway to cut the cord but truthfully he just wanted something to glow if even a little.

"Like being wrapped in chains and thrown into the ocean... But this ocean was not passive, no. It forces itself inside of your eyes, your ears, your nose, your pores. Any and everywhere it touches and can penetrate with such suffocating darkness that it squeezed the breath from my body as if it was offended that anything other then it could exist along side of it..." Jacob thought he was somewhat hard to rattle but when his mind sought to blame someone for what happend and came across the only likely suspect which was his opponent, well lets just say he was actually starting to feel as if he had a reason to fight him now.

But something strange suddenly ticked in his head. "Sir, can you say the name of unit sevens pilot for me?" He says almost muttering to himself not good with the foreign names as he tries to remember unit 7's pilot name as a word was suddenly stuck in his head.

Anat.

'If this was him, why call himself something different?' he thinks with mild confusion beginning to consider that maybe, just maybe what had happend to him wasn't his opponents fault.

[Spartan Altego]

NERV Observation Room, The Cages, Mt. Fuji

Liam frowned at Hoffman's explanation and following query. That didn't sound like anything he'd ever heard of a pilot doing, and he looked to the Commander for confirmation. Saya looked perturbed, but shook her head. Liam then settled on the other part of the problem.The two pilots had been sharing the base for, to his knowledge, months. Either they had never encountered each other at all, an unlikely prospect, or Hoffman had purposely avoided him. That wouldn't have surprised him, the boy seemed to have difficulty communicating with others, Liam the sole exception.

"The pilot of Unit-07 is one Asahino Shirei, a graduate of the Neo Spartan program like yourself. Why?"

[Lothmar]

"I thought so..." Jacob mutters to himself as if to confirm reality through someone elses perspective. It wasn't that he had not met or been introduced to the other pilot - they just weren't particularly anything more then members of the same class or program and Jacob had made little effort to alter that as to this point.

"Then who is Anat?" He mouths aloud almost unconciously as his mind thinks it trying to figure out what had actually happend if his simulation counterpart was not to blame.

[Fearan]

After my cable, are you? - Shirei observed the moveants of his mock opponent. Should've done it long ago. Let's see, if you can actually do it with that knife of yours in the city surroundings - he moved his Eva to defend his cable, while getting his own knife. So far so good, he liked this simulation - the mission was easy - defeat the opponent. No time limits, no additional targets to defend, no nothing. Just plain and simple duel. He allready stood on a brink of losing his temper and just charging the Eva-19 (and likely losing), but he managed to keep calm. That was not a last stand - just a weapon test. The person in Eva-19 was not the enemy, or threat. - Shirei repeated this as a mantra to keep his head cool. So far, it helped.
Half action - ready the knife. Half action - move in whatever direction to keep the umblical from Eva-19 immediate reach

[Lothmar]

Battery life 7 rounds
ATS 5
Full action - Charging the cord. Would like to stop somewhere around 3 or under Dam from my opponents eva if possible when I knife the cord so as to force my opponent to use up actions to move in (if he does) and prevent specialty combat maneuvers that usually take a full action. If not i'll stop the closest I can to my opponent.



As Jacob prepares to sever the lifeline he watches as it begins to move like a train, line after line passing and then it is suddenly flung wide with a coiling snap as Jacob looks around the building to see his opponent deliberately moving it. Almost in a taunting fashion.

"If you wanted to stop me, you should have rushed me." Jacob adds shifting his controls hard forward as his eva peels out from behind the building towards his simulator opponent. As he covers distance between them the cord begins to eventually straighten out and Jacob stops directly on the cord to stop it from moving or being moved by his opponent before he severs it in one fluid motion. If Jacob knew the intricacies of the controls better he'd say that now was the time to bait his opponent with some sort of gesture.

[Nexaduro]

Half action to... Jam
Half action spent swearing and trying to break the rifle over my knee

There it was again. The darkness.

**** that!

Whipping the barrel of the Aegis Prototype towards the sphere of darkness before her, and instinctively sighted down the rifle, she pulled the trigger.

*click*
... *click*
*clickclickclick-WHAM*

"GODDAMN SON OF A WHORE PROTOTYPE" *WHAM*
"WHOEVER DESIGNED THIS PIECE OF ****" *WHAM*
"JUST YOU ****ING WAIT" *WHAM*
"WHEN I GET BACK TO BASE THIS RIFLE IS GOING UP YOUR-"

Elfriede slowly lifted the rifle from her knee, before she broke it in half. It probably had a few dents as is, and she didn't want her pay docked too heavily. She settled back into her characteristic tranquility before long, calmly assessing the situation, deciding on the best course of action.

*Ahem* "Abba (12-AB-O), find me something flammable. Many somethings flammable. I don't think this thing's an EVA; I'll need all the assets I can get."

[Fearan]

Battery life 5 rounds
ATS 4
Free - switch to moderate-power
half - close in
Half - Knock-down

Well, it was obvious, that Asahino's opponent did manage to cut the thread, despite Shirei's best effort to prevent it. The battle turned into a race against the timer - only with prog knives. Shirei signed - if the purpose of the simulation were to win for the sake of winning, he'd consider surrendering allready - those huge batteries on the Eva-19's wings showed, that the chances of out-lasting the opponent was slim. But the purpose of the simulation was different.
Initiating close-combat ability test run. Please, eat dirt for me - Shirei reported as Eva-07 tackled itts target

[Julian84]

The enemy was damaged, vapor escaping from the many rends in the hull.

Nathan grinned as it prepared its assault.

He raised his right hand once more.

Rolls

[roll0] vs. 80 to hit

[roll1] for 1 penetration and 9 breach.

[roll2] to hit some body part.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

"One moment, Pilot Muller. Scanning."

Unit Twenty's HUD lit up in a storm of data calculations as the newly christened ABBA went to work scanning and categorizing the surrounding environmental through the EVA's eyes, outlining the requested objects of interest in a vibrant crimson. The A.I chimed back in. "Targets selected."

Elfriede's HUD is lit up with a rather small, but very convenient set of targets capable of being easily set aflame. The closest, a large, armored semi-truck carrying a massive payload of one of the last vestiges of gasoline in the world, was half buried below the corpses littering the street.

[Lothmar]

Battery life 6 rounds
ATS 5
Half action Attack.
Automatic Action - Battery pops off.

"That's right, just run straight into my knife." As Jacob sees the incoming Eva his unit shifts its footing and turns his left shoulder outward to protect his knife arm from being thrown off target as his opponent slams into him like a tackling dummy. And like a tackling dummy he bends backward but does not fall and on the return forward he palm thrusts the knife into his opponents body quickly before tugging it back out to the sound of a 'Ka-chunk!' as a hot battery flies out of the evas wing and bounces off his opponent before falling to the ground.

[Spartan Altego]

Curtis Park Baseball Field, Miami, Florida

The T-RIDEN-T managed to dance around Unit Fifteen's next barrage in a show of surprising, desperation-fueled agility. The invisible hammer of force smashed into the ground where the T-RIDEN-T's bowed head had been only a second ago as the heavily damaged mech fired a missile barrage from it's mounted launchers, the disorientation from the sudden dodge sending them spiraling off target, the ordinance crashing and exploding somewhere in the marshlands in the distance. The pilot continued to sputter and choke as his lungs burned, eyes blurred as the effects of the phosphorous gas fully laid themselves upon him.

T-RIDEN-T
The pilot is now totally under the miserable effects of having inhaled phosphorous gas and is now paying the price. T-RIDEN-T cannot Dodge and all actions made against it take a -30 bonus.

Unit-15
Rounds of Power: 12
Time elapsed: 60 seconds.
Average Time Elapsed During N2 Launch: 130 seconds.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl's first instinct was to rush in and carve whatever was at the center of that sphere into pieces. However, the trouble with that plan is that he didn't know the consistency of the sphere. It wouldn't do much good to flail around like an idiot where he couldn't be seen, especially with the rifle...okay the rifle wasn't a thing to worry about now apparently. Karl would almost stop and worry about Elfriede losing her mind, but he's currently too mad to care too much.

Karl knows several methods for testing things. After all, if you want to disturb a pool you drop a pebble in it. If you want to get out cockroaches you fumigate the place. It only makes sense that if you want to figure out what's inside a sphere of darkness, you take a chunk of metal and toss it around in there. So, Unit 16 bent down and snapped the weapon pod shut, grabbing it and lifting it into the air. Unit 16 pulled its arm back, holding the weapon pod not unlike how an american football player would hold a football. "YO, ANAT, CATCH!!!" Karl shouts as Unit 16 swings the ball into the air. Unfortunately, Karl didn't take the diagnostics into account whatsoever, and the next thing he knew the weapon pod goes soaring directly over the sphere. And it keeps going, and going, and going...

Some say that even today, there is a comet named Karl's Folly that comes into view over Germany every ten years. Nobody plays sports when it is visible, for fear of horrible luck.

But now back to the present. Karl takes a moment to gawk at the absurd toss he just made. After that, Karl focuses his attention on the sphere, sending Unit 16 to close the distance with it. "You think you're so tough huh?" Karl says as Unit 16 stops just before making contact with the sphere, staring into it with a harsh, dead gaze.

Half action spent flinging military equipment into the lower atmosphere. Another half action to get up in this darkness sphere's grill and stare really hard at it.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

"You think you're so tough huh?" Karl says as Unit 16 stops just before making contact with the sphere, staring into it with a harsh, dead gaze.

The abyss gazed back, the smooth, glass-like surface of the void seeming to yawn before him, as if in mocking. Come then, it seemed to say. Come and find out.

Within the comfortable vacuum of it's domain, Anat watched as the two husks approached, the light of their stolen souls gleaming fiercely in it's eyes. One, blue-silver-misery. The other green-melancholy-arrow. Twisting, then spinning, then curling in on themselves. Another creature might have been fascinated, mesmerized by the beautiful projection of spirit that leaked and perspired from the center of the sleeping dead like the captured light of a newborn star. The heartbeat of a newborn.

Anat was not one of those creatures.

Anat's eyes blazed silver, then blue, then a irradiant green. The searing line of cross-shaped energy traversed the expanse of the shadow-lands as a lance of heat-death, triumphantly exploding forward from the sphere directly in front of Unit Sixteen with an animalistic sounding roar, aimed dead center for that invisible beauty in it's chest.

Anat
Hit Location: Body
Damage Roll: [roll0]
Penetration: 08
Breach: 08

[Nexaduro]

Ignoring her partner's flailing, Elfriede focuses on fixing her gun. "One headache at a time, Elfriede, one headache at a time..." Her outburst moments ago at least seemed to have dislodged the clip, which was probably the source of the problem.

But no, that would be simple. The new clip refused to fit.

"..."

"Goddamnit."

Full action to waste time trying to become a relevant combatant.

[InyutheBeatIs]

The lenses only had a fraction of a second to pick up the sudden movement in the shadows. Karl stood in that moment in shock, before every instinct in him cried out in unison. The message was simple; GET OUT OF THE WAY. With a sudden flick of a wheel, Unit 16's legs twitched, and soon the EVA leaped out of the way, just in time to feel the cross lance blast by its flank. Unit 16 landed back to earth, skidding sideways as it righted its position.

"HOLY ****!!" Karl yelped as he saw the lance burst out of the shell. Almost on instinct, he looked at the UI to try and figure out what it was. There was nothing conclusive, only a sign that told him to establish his defenses and to do it now. For once, Karl agreed. With several flicks of a switch the EVA started to thrum, the AT Field being established as it bubbles to the surface and wraps around Unit 16. "Yo, robot dude! What the hell was that thing?"

Reaction to avoid dying, full action to establish AT Field because oh dear holy mother of god that was way too close.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

"Yo, robot dude! What the hell was that thing?"

There was a pause as ABBA set it's electronic mind to work, calculations and theories scrounged from the Syndicate's recovered MAGI data blurring through it's mind at the speed of light, shifting through multiple phrases and statements before finally settling on the one that seemed most appropriate.

"Something you do not want to be hit with, Pilot Flair."

The A.I. pulled up a blank square on the pilot's display, the image blurring into meaningless static, then clearing into an image of what appeared to be a massive, monstrous plague-doctor rampaging through the outskirts of Tokyo-3, swatting attack helicopters out of the air and blasting tank formations with beams of energy not unlike the one Karl had just witnessed. Beams that exploded into giant, luminescent crosses on impact.

"As you can see," ABBA narrated. "The target appears to be capable of producing energy-based attacks not unlike that of an Angel's, the original threat that led to the creation of the Evangelions. While the power of these emissions seem to vary between subjects..." An image of a massive, twisting octahedron firing a beam of light at a mountain-side, obliterating almost half of the entire geo-structure in the process. It was followed by an image of a massive, almost humanoid creature twisting towards the monitor to fire a beam at a massive pyramid, blowing the structure apart in a blast of fire and twisted metal. "..the effects on every documented subject have been invariably devastating."

"It is unlikely Unit Sixteen would survive a more than a single direct hit from any of the given probable levels of beam strength. While the sphere you see before you does not appear to be a true physical presence, it is recommended that pilots attempt to somehow remove the target's obfuscating shell before engaging in close combat. It is not yet known how this may be done."

[Nexaduro]

Seeing Karl's EVA light up with the power of its AT Field, Elfriede inwardly cursed herself. It was her first real combat in one of these things, and things were already falling apart. This wasn't just some game, nor a simulation, and lives were at stake.

She smacked her gun, debris falling from the barrel, hopefully clearing the way for a new clip. Damned engineers, she really would need to have a conversation with them back at base.

Full action to clear the damn barrel.

[Fearan]

Got 7 to the body
Battery - 4.5 rounds
ATS - 4
Half - Knockdown
Half - Stand up
The prog knife made an awful screech as it chew through Eva-07th armor and plunged into the soft flesh under it. Shirei grinned - despite his feedback dampeners haven't suffered A HORRIBLE FAIL, he still felt an itch. He attempted a yet another tackle. with similar results. Seeing that disable maneuvers failed, he switched to the stab mode and readied his knife for a precise strike - only to see another knife, going right for his face

[Lothmar]

Battery life 5 rounds
ATS 5
Full attack Action
Hit to the head


'Once more and we'll be done here,' Jacob thinks to himself as the opponent attempts to rush him once again... Only this time his footing was bad so the attack he had intended at the chest was now where the head should be. "PULL UP!" He blurts out in a panic and pulls the blade up as the knife catches the forehead and top of the evangelions head as it cuts a line straight down the length as blood gushes out and over the opponents face.

"Too close..." He adds to himself thinking about how he could have accidentally stabbed the neck area unintentionally and possibly attacked the pilot by chance. Granted this was a simulation so that thankfully couldn't happen but he was still overly cautious like that as he did not ever enjoy taking a life. If he had used the force of his opponent just now it could have likely been enough to end the match right there, unfortunately that was not something Jacob had actually considered.

[Spartan Altego]

NERV Observation Room, The Cages, Mt. Fuji

They're getting vicious now," Shogun Niko noted. "Seems your pupil has found his courage, Vice Commander."

Liam grunted once, but didn't say anything, eyes still fixing on the screen as Eva-19 made a stab for Unit Seven's face, progressive knife alight. The words of the pilot seemed to whisper still in his ear. Something was off here, if the similarly grim expression on Saya's face was any indication. What was it that Hoffman had mumbled a moment ago? Araeak? Alot?

No, he realized. Anat.

He turned to the Shogun abruptly, face twisted with some alarm. "Sir, I think we may have to end this testing session prematurely. Some new information has come to light."

The room buzzed with the light murmurs of surprise from the technical staff as Saya nodded alongside his second-in-command. "I agree. With your permission, sir, I'd like to end this simulation now and have this discussion in my office?"

The Shogun's eyebrow couldn't be higher raised, but he nodded once in assent. Immediately, the Commander of NERV pinged the Evangelion pilots' headsets.

"Pilots," Her voice rang sharply, snapping their attention from the battle at hand. "Enough data has been gathered from this session. Remove yourselves from one another and prepare for the simulation to terminate."

[Julian84]

Nathan stares contemptuously at the giant mecha standing in front of him, rushing it and attempting to simply push it over.

Melee Attack: [roll0] vs. 27

[babel_matrix]

Isidore nodded as he watched Nathan lurch forward, likely ready to deliver the killing blow. "Cease fire on the target; Evangelion is entering CQC range. All units, prepare to move in to intercept the bomb once the enemy is silenced."

He looked over the map, watching the units tracked as they moved into the command base, taking over the head of the snake slithering inside this Floridian bog. Nathan was following protocol and his orders, securing as much of the new weapon as possible while disabling it, or so Isidore presumed. They would all converge on the weapon then, either pulling it out of the air or shooting it down upon ascension.

But he was missing something. Where was the trump card? Was the prototype before Nathan, already melting and partially imploded, really it?

Then Isidore considered the power source. What if that monstrosity was a bomb? The thought came rather late, as Nathan had already made contact with the iron beast. He decided against radioing in. It had to get dropped before any other move could be made.

[Spartan Altego]

Curtis Park Baseball Field, Miami, Florida

The T-RIDEN-T found itself bowled over by the sudden tackle of Unit Fifteen, flipping head over legs, landing on it's side, disabled. It's pilot futilely attempted to make the mecha right itself, but the effects of the gas on his system had been too devastating, too effective. He was dead moments after he hit the ground, a final rattling gasp hissing from between his teeth.

The mecha's life support systems beeped as they detected the death of the pilot within, instantly triggering a chain reaction. A simple command flitted from the T-RIDEN-T's CPU to the controlling programs that manipulated the micro-reactor within the unit.

Command: "Last Laugh" recognized. Self-Destruct Activated.

Sergeant Graham and his team arrived at the command center overlooking the silo for the N2 Missile to find it...empty. Before they could radio in their findings, the T-RIDEN-T exploded. An absolute torrent of flame, shrapnel and smoke consumed the park and all within it, a small mushroom cloud rising from the burning waves. Within his Evangelion, Nathan gasped as, for the smallest moment, he saw a fiery, malignant eye staring at him from the flames.

And then everything went dark. Evangelion Unit Fifteen, smoking and hissing, collapsed to the blank desolation of what was once Curtis Park Baseball Field, fire raging around it, it's pilot falling into darkness. The pyramid silo that had once been believed to house an N2 Missile had been laid to waste, a flat patch of land and rubble the only signs there had ever been anything there at all.

Self Destruct Damage Roll: [roll0]
Hit Location: All Limbs Take Damage
Explosive
AP: 6
Breach: 10

[babel_matrix]

"Good work, Initiate, now--"

Isidore winced as the explosion lit the horizon like a new day. The shockwave incoming, he barely had time to yell "Brace!" before the VTOL was bowled over, end over end along with the rest of the supporting fleet on the outskirts of the battle. The electronics flew from his lap as the VTOL made its flip, throttling the Operations Director who remained seating only by virtue of the straps of his chair. The tablet came back with a vengeance, smashing the side of his head and drawing blood from his scalp.

Isidore winced through the pain, and tried to get a grasp on the situation. The left side of the VTOL took a beating, but seemed intact. The yells of the pilots on the intercom brought some relief through the haze of his blurred senses, and he clung to the frame of his window to try and anchor himself back in reality. Outside, through the surface cracks on the opposite side of the glass, he saw--

His eyes went wide as the pit of flames came into view. The battleground had become a towering blaze, the fields and streets reduced to rubble and ash, most of it buried under an ever-burning inferno that rival the phosphorous they had brought to their enemies at the airport. The units on the ground, the fighters and bombers nearby, Nathan--

His earpiece, still miraculously on his head, had the dozens of feeds and reports suddenly, and horribly, silenced. Amid the flames and debris, the small, shriveled sign of hope sat in a lump, the only humanoid that survived what was now clearly a suicide bomb. His gut was right, but far too late. The Operations Director unbuckled his belt just as one of the pilots entered the chassis, alarmed at the blood dribbling from Isidore's head. "Sir, you must--!"

Isidore shoved him away with a single hand while reaching down to scoop the tablet that had drawn the wound. He was already yelling into the earpiece, manually switching it to the SOUND ONLY channel for Nathan's entry plug. "Initiate, do you copy?" Despite its cracked surface, it was still working; military-grade technology yielded surprises beyond Evangelions. He tuned the screen to the camera feeds from inside the entry plug, and was yelling commands at the science team in charge of its functioning while he looked for signs of the boy's consciousness. Nathan's limp form offered no such relief. "Pilot is not responding. Status?"

[Spartan Altego]

???

Nathan was drowning.

Around him, ice cold LCL swirled around his plugsuited form, the chill bypassing his suit and heading straight to his bones. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even open his mouth. Darkness seemed to converge on him. Voices teased the edge of his hearing.

Something was crawling around in the darkness. Something evil.

Hungry.

Crimson eyes glared at him from the darkness. At his feet, flames began to dance, as if buffeted by some ill, unfelt wind.

"Nathan."

Curtis Park Baseball Field, Miami, Florida

A massive, green colored cross of furious energy exploded from the desolation of what had once been Curtis Park, accompanied by an ear-splitting, horrific roar. In the eye of the energy storm, Unit Fifteen stood awakened, the once bolted-shut jaws opened in a mad grin. It's A.T. Field swirled around it's form in a buzz of visible tension, the indomitable defense protecting it from damage even as it's armor hissed and cracked from the heat of the explosion.

Evangelion Unit Fifteen raised it's head once more as the fires of the Cross dwindled, screaming it's fury to the heavens. And even worlds away, in a domain of shadow and death, the beast known as Anat heard the siren call of a predator unleashed.

Nathan: Roll Willpower to escape the nightmare scenario. On failure, take 1 point of Insanity damage.

Isidore: Stay the hell out of that thing's way.

[Julian84]

Rage and terrifying, monstrous cruelty echoed in the laughter of the runaway titan, the release of a being who must always be controlled. Energy swirled and crackled in its grasp, its birthright and identity given form and substance.

Yes, it liked the taste of freedom, the burning ash a sweet scent in the air. All would burn, all would be consumed-

DROWNINGBURNINGDYINGDROWNINGWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKE UP

“You forget yourself, MacIfrain.” Nathan gritted out, his burned hands reaching out and grabbing hold of the controls, reining his massive beast in, establishing his dominance over it.

“You forget you do nothing without me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPdqvO3ge7Q).”

He sighed, breath hitching in his throat. He was desperately trying not to think about the nightmare, about how the normally cool and comforting touch of MacIfrain had suddenly turned ruthless and angry. At the very least, the burns on his skin would heal, and as uncomfortable as the LCL clogging his lungs made him feel, the ice-cold liquid soothed the injuries.

Red alarms showed him where MacIfrain had been hurt by the explosion. Nathan frowned, disappointed they had been tricked so easily. "We were weak."

He switched on the radio “Initiate Worthington reporting in. Target neutralized. What are your orders, sir?” He asked tonelessly, pulling on the odd webbing of his plugsuit uncomfortably.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore watched, wide-eyed in contained, mortal horror, at the beast at the foot of the crucifix. The feed on his tablet was a storm of white snow, and for a moment nothing could be heard from inside the entry plug. Various reports from loss of contact with the monitoring equipment inside the Evangelion came through, but Isidore already had a hunch as to why. The rictus grin on the awful beast below cast a devilish silhouette against the dazzling display of metaphysical energy. Isidore almost readied a channel switch, preparing the fleet to give the creature below some room to save Blackwatch the burden of further casualties, when Nathan's voice came through.

“Initiate Worthington reporting in. Target neutralized. What are your orders, sir?”

The show of energy simmered down, though the beast's grin remained. The feed from inside the plug came alive as if nothing had ever gone wrong, and new reports poured in on a channel Isidore tried to ignore as he spoke. "Withdraw to Waypoint C-22 for extraction, double time on a moderate power expenditure setting. We don't want you to drain your auxiliary battery before you get there." Isidore took a moment to catch his breath, sighing audibly. "Barring any more surprises, that's a mission accomplished, Initiate." He typed away the rest of his orders while listening to Nathan and the science teams reporting on the Evangelion. His fingers danced on the tablet's surface, each keystroke a macro of command programs that would distribute the appropriate routes for recovery and landing. He took inventory of the ships that were damaged, but otherwise survived the blast, and any ground forces that were still reporting in.

The latter was a brief distraction. The fields below had been leveled in fire, the only remains left of enemies and allies alike being the memories trapped in so much fine ash. Mission accomplished.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl stared at the video archives playing in front of him. It was shocking to see such power, even if he was familiar with the war against the Angels. Now there was a thing with that very same power right in front of him. "Woah...not gonna lie, that's pretty gnarly."

Karl grits his teeth at the thought of not just rushing in and stabbing this thing. It pained him to not bring his rage down on this abomination's head, but he couldn't exactly do that if he couldn't see. Not that it's stopped him before, but after that blast he really doesn't want to be caught like that again. "Alright, time to burst this Angel-wannabe's bubble!" With that, Unit-16 rose its arm and slammed it down onto the shell, driving the Particle Sword straight into it.

Aiming and using a melee attack, roll to attack: 1d100=60 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4035789/)

Damage: 1d10+7=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4035793/) If I calculated correctly, with this and the +3 Breach, that bubble is so burst.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

The swinging particle sword passes harmlessly through the black shell, releasing a small hiss of ebony particles that swirl and dissipate harmlessly into the air. It appears that the shell is not solid.

"Pilot Flair, I believe that the shell is not solid," ABBA helpfully chimes in.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Science would form a new branch of mathematics in order to properly calculate the utter silence produced by that moment. "...Well, at least we found out!"

With that, Karl suddenly breaks into a laugh. "HAHA! Some bubble this thing has! I'm gonna show it what's for." With that, Unit-16 lets out another long breath, trembling briefly before Karl stomps on a pedal on the floor. "WOOOOOOOOO!"

With that, Unit-16 bolts into the shell, glowing brightly as the shadows slide off of it like water. The air fills with a series of loud thuds as its feet spring against the ground, carrying the EVA on powerful legs to its target. Karl didn't know what was in here, but he figured that this thing was stupid enough to hide in the center of the shell. He planned to make Anat into an abomination shish kebab, particle sword ready to stab the instant he sees something other than darkness reflecting off of the glow of Unit-16.

This might be a bit metagame-y, so feel free to have me revise this action if it is.

Full Action to Charge straight through the center of this shell. Weapon Roll: 1d100=67 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4035898/) vs. 65

Dammit Invisible Castle :smallmad:

[Julian84]

Nathan rolled his shoulders experimentally, wincing a little at the burns.

They were alive. Despite everything, they were alive.

Ants, scurrying about, couldn’t stop them.

Their machines could only slow them down.

His smile matched MacIfrain’s.

“Copy, I will ping C&C in when I have reached Waypoint-22.” Nathan replied cooly.

He was alive. He felt alive. He never wanted to leave.

The luminescent evangelion lumbered across the fields, the gritty soil fused into glass by the heat of the N2 missile, heat which could not harm them. The glowing silicate crunched beneath Unit 15’s boots.

Mission accomplished, for the glory of the NAU.

[Nexaduro]

Finally having snapped a new clip into place, Elfriede grins into the darkness.

"Time to shed our light, Binah."

Lifting one hand to the sky, Unit 20 is lit with the flash of a spreading AT field, its radiance tearing at the edges of the shadows concealing Anat.

"Sathariel, I swear that I will see you enlightened."

Half action Spread, half action Neutralize (2, or 3 if we're rounding to the nearest whole).
Let's see how he holds up...

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany
Lifting one hand to the sky, Unit 20 is lit with the flash of a spreading AT field, its radiance tearing at the edges of the shadows concealing Anat. The corrosive light twists and mingles with the psuedo-dark of the orb of shadows, the fields warring against one another invisibly in a titanic struggle of wills. The massive construct seems to shiver slightly, and a small groan begins emitting from within. ABBA chimes in within Elfriede's entry plug. "Pilot Muller," It begins. "I believe that this construct is a direct extension of the unidentified target's A.T. Field, a unique ability with which it distorts and even removes the ambient light around it to create a visually impenetrable shell. Therefore, I have concluded a 97.973% probability that further disruption or neutralization of the target's A.T. Field will result in total collapse of the construct, removing the target's ability to conceal itself."

Elfriede nods, taking in this information. However, whatever comfort she might've gained at this is rapidly eroded away as she notices something very much disturbing.

Her communications to Karl have been cut off, and she can no longer see his biometric data. Total blackout.

That...wasn't good.

Evangelion Unit Sixteen sprints recklessly through the void space of Anat's domain, feet silently pounding below against the unnaturally smooth, flat nothingness that passed for ground in this place. Particles of green and red float around and flicker in the expanse of the orb in every direction, their light not passing from themselves to the area around them. A deep chill settles into the Eva's bones, transmitted through to Karl. The LCL he is floating in seems thicker now, harder to breathe, harder to exhale. The only sounds he hears are the sounds of bubbles escaping from his mouth, his heartbeat ringing in his ears.

It is then that Karl notices something.

His communications are no longer functioning. And his eyes widen as he notices his Evangelion is now running on internal battery power. That wasn't right. His cable was still connected! What the hell was going on?! The light of his Eva's flesh and armor gives him some small degree of illumination, a glowing titan walking through the domain of a shadow-beast. Around him voices whisper, masses of black, hissing humanoids walking undeterred on the flat black ground below, crushed into mists of ash as they are flattened by Unit Sixteen's powerful strides.

Entering the orb had almost seemed to transport him into an entirely different world. A different dimension. His skin crawled, and his throat seemed to tighten, heedless of his will. This place was wrong. He did not belong here. Karl was filled with the sudden certainty that if he had come here alone, without his Evangelion to protect him, he would've been driven insane. Suddenly, a prickling begins growing at the back of his mind, a small, almost curious sensation. The irritation disappears almost the moment he notices it.

A pause.

A titanic wave of sheer malevolencehatepaindeathanatprophetevaikarideath ferociously smashed into Karl's mind like the fist of God. Deep within the depths of his soul, the pilot of Unit Sixteen heard a voice crying out in fear.

"I don't wanna die."

"Ikari."

"I don't wanna die."

"Do you want to become one with me?"

"I don't wanna die."

"Shinji! Asuka is-! Oh god!"

"I don't wanna die."

"You never even learned to love yourself!"

"I don't wanna die."

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill-"

A horrible, piercing scream.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

The scream returns. It is only then that Karl realizes the noise was coming from himself.

Karl
Test Willpower: 1d100-25 to resist. On failure you are paralyzed with pain and fear and cannot take any Actions your next turn. In addition, take two points of Insanity damage.

Elfriede
Communications to Karl have been cut off and you can not longer see his bio-metric data, only his cable being dragged further and further into the bowls of the orb. Anat's orb has been proven vulnerable to neutralization.

[InyutheBeatIs]

With a sudden jerk, Karl snapped out of it long enough to hear himself screaming in terror. He could feel the looming presence of Anat in his mind, wrapping its tendrils around his head. He grabbed his head, eyes tightly shut as he tried to force it out, but he couldn't. However, through the echoes of terror and the tendrils of Anat, he heard a sound. It was a deep, bassy hum coming from something beyond him and Anat. He opened his eyes, attempting to listen, to focus on this hum. The hum blossomed into a growl and intensified, shaking the tendril's grip.

As he felt the grip on his mind release, Karl felt something embrace him. It was then that he that the hum was coming from within Unit-16, from within its very soul. A clear voice rung out from it along with the growl, freeing Karl at last. As he began to hear the soul's song, he looked out and tried to think about what to do. It was then that he suddenly remembered a speech given to him about the A.T. Field. A scientist told him that this field could be "an unstoppable weapon, or an unbreakable shield". With that, Karl smiled.

"That's it." Karl declares. "It's gotta be that, 16. I can feel it!" In response, the song swells into a crescendo, the growl turning into a roar. Karl raises his fist. "Alright 16, let's show this thing that it CAN'T MESS WITH THE BEST!" Suddenly the A.T. Field twisted and expanded. With a sudden punch, Karl jammed a button on the console, and the A.T. Field practically surged out from Unit-16. Like a wave it crashed down, aiming to swallow the area whole with the sheer force of Karl's magnified will made manifest.

Using Twin Soul to use SR for this Test, so that's 1d100-25=45 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4036728/) vs. 55

Willpower Test thanks to Living Weapon: 1d100=52 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4036773/)

The dice have decided. Half Action to use A.T. Power (Neutralize), spending all 5 of my ATP to use it. Other half action to, I don't know, flip off Anat for trying to mess with Karl's head or something.

Insanity: 7
4 Battery Points Remain

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

"Alright 16, let's show this thing that it CAN'T MESS WITH THE BEST!"

The darkness seemed to throw itself away from Unit Sixteen as both pilot and Eva expanded their will, their very sense of being in all directions, seeking to erode and burn away the foulness that had dared to tread in their domain. The inky black of the orb seemed to burn away from the inside as the foreign A.T. Field warred with that of the aberration's, cancelling one another out in an invisible stalemate of wills. A growl of fury seemed to sound off from all around Unit Sixteen as the aberration faltered and Karl's will won out.

Elfriede watched with growing shock as the outside of the orb seemed to crack, invisible hammers smashing at the exterior with such force that the dislodged shards vaporized into nothingness. Redoubling her own efforts, the young woman was rewarded with the sight of the exterior of the orb beginning to peel away, burned by the light of her will. A piercing, furious roar erupted from the darkness, and suddenly the dome solidified once more. Both Karl and Elfriede collapsed forward in their plugs, gulping in LCL as they recovered from their exertions.

Then it happened.

Like the whistling of an oncoming wind, a high pitched, horrible screech began to build up in the air. The corpses littering the streets of Oraneinburg shook with the ground as some tremendous force seemed to build within the once again smooth orb, bouncing off one another with meaty thuds and wet squelches that turned Elfreide's stomach. The screeching began to grow as the stars began twinkling faintly in the skies once more, in defiance of the void-beast's will. The orb seemed to sink inside itself, a growing ball of emerald light building in it's center. And then...

Anat's shadowed realm exploded in a sensation-less blast of green flame, the emissions washing over the Evangelions in a haze of green, a fog of sparkling emerald descending over the city like a toxic blanket. Elfriede squinted her eyes, willing her Eva to see more clearly through the obstruction as silence descended one more upon the streets of Oraneinburg, the stars shining in the skies once more. The fog cleared and...

It was standing right in front of Unit Sixteen, not even a foot away. The creature loomed over the comparatively short Evangelion before it, a full head taller than the hundreds of meters high cyborg. It's head was skull-like, empty sockets where eyes should have been filled with blue-green flames, a curved, looping crown adorned across it's head. It's body was layered, thick obsidian black plates of exoskeletal armor clamped to its flesh like a carapace. Cruel, curved spines jutted out in random directions across it's body, like a porcupine's needles or a hedgehog's spikes, masses of them pooling around the creature's forearms like gauntlets, entirely covering them but for a single, wide hole at the ends.

A massive, wickedly sharp scythe slid out of the opening in Anat's left gauntlet, followed swiftly by it's right.

Anat's hungry, fang-filled maw opened wide in a growl, green flames of energy hissing in it's throat as it raised it's armored hand in a deceptively casual gesture, it's black arm-scythe seeming to shiver, before swinging it ferociously down on Unit Sixteen, cutting through the air.

Anat
Arm Scythe ([roll0] Rending, Pushing, Penetration 4, Breach 2)
Hit Location: [roll1]: Body
Image: http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/148/a/6/Kuntimong__Demon_Lord_by_Gandharvasstudio.jpg

*Pushing: The affected unit is thrown back 1d10+5 dam and must test Agility or be knocked prone and suffer falling damage for the distance thrown.

Karl
No longer running on Internal Battery Power, standing right in front of a big eldritch monster ready to slice you into pieces. Initiative order restored to normal. Are now able to contact both Elfriede and ABBA once more.

Elfriede
Distance to Karl/Anat: 18 dam

All
Anat's Core cannot be targeted by Called Shot or random shot. All shots that would be directed to the Core are instead redirected to the Body.

The Cages, Mt. Fuji

The digitized buildings of Tokyo-3 seemed to pulse outwards, ballooning into comically over-sized versions of themselves before exploding with a pop of coding, which shot into the air and rained down on the two previously warring Evas like emerald snowflakes. The sky began to darken, wiping itself clean of any trace of stars or moon, leaving only a limitless void stretched over the place the sky should've been. The pilots of Unit Seven and Unit Nineteen felt their connection to their respective partners wane as power was shut down across the feedback systems and synchronization circuits in the true bodies of the Evas, their view of the decaying Tokyo-3 blurring and fading in and out of focus.

Everything turned to black.

With a jolt, the pilots' eyes snapped open back into reality, which was surprisingly little different from their former location: same entry plugs, same suits, same LCL. Only real. Through the dimmed view-port that allowed the pilot to see through the eyes of their Eva, both Children could see the featureless walls of the Cages, marred only by the comparatively small, but wide strip of reinforced safety glass that signified the staff observation room. Jacob quickly removed his V.R. helmet, rubbing his eyes tiredly, while Ashirei slowly, deliberately unlatched and removed his, absently running his hands over the numb line drawn across his face where Unit Seven's knife had caught his-

He blinked, confused.

Where Unit Seven's knife had caught Unit Nineteen's face.

Nineteen's. Not his.

"Alright guys, you know the drill," Aida's voice came over the comm speakers, heralding the unsheathing of the entry plug from the spines of the Evas. "Hit the showers, get dressed. The Commanders would like to see you both in their office once you're finished."

The entry plugs ejected, and the pilots clambered over the sides of the metal tubes and down the ladders to the catwalk below, side by side. Looking each other over once, they headed to the lockers. Back in the observation room, both NERV Commanders and the Shogun of Japan turned on their heels and left the room, trailed after silently by latter's armed guard. There was much to be discussed.

Jacob/Asahino
Feel free to chat and/or otherwise take come creative liberties with the scenery while getting to/from the lockers. Time for some much needed character interaction.

[Lothmar]

'They're calling it? Wait, why should I care if they're ending it early - I didn't particularly want to do this from the start.' He thinks to himself somewhat surprised at his disappointment that the match was called before a conclusive victor was determined. The simulation Eva shifted at that moment to a defensive stance and began to withdraw while continuing to keep his facing to his opponent in case he tried anything. It was strange to say the least to watch what the senses perceived distort in such a fashion, was mans observed reality equally as malleable?

As he removed the helmet of the simulator he felt the sudden flow and sound of the draining lcl beneath him, he hated this part. His mind still had trouble with concept of allowing him to 'willfully' drown in any liquid. Unfortunately while the LCL might provide oxygen the liquid didn't fully break down in the human body meaning it had to be purged before one could continue breathing in the normal fashion, and this had to be done before the liquid in there ran out of the life sustaining element less it pool in the lunges and cause complications. He climbed up an leaned over the opening of the draining plug for the inevitable 'pop' as the substance freed itself from his ears and began to gargle out from his mouth between coughs like an underground spring suddenly bursting to the surface because something breached the soil surrounding it.

The fact that the commander wanted to speak with them was a little unnerving, then again he assumed they had to announce the winner or perhaps inform them why they prematurely ended their match. After wiping off his lips with a brush of his hands after expelling the lcl jacob lowered himself down the catwalk pausing to gain his bearings on where he was and going and also to await Asahino. His japanese wasn't the greatest but he praised the custom of showing respect to one's opponent that he had learned in his training. <"Th-thank you... For the, match."> Jacob adds in Japanese with an attempt at a respectful bow to his recent opponent, he had only had about two years to practice such customs so they probably weren't as ingrained and perfected as many of the peoples but it was obvious that he was at least making the attempt to integrate, especially if he was forced to stay.

He pauses for a moment following before continuing on to the locker room. He wanted to explain how the match was truly an enlightening experience at that it had brought up some key areas that he would need to improve upon, but his body did not want to cooperate and say this and so he just remained silent for the most part in these regards, the social akwardness dripping from him like the lcl they were going to shower off themselves.

[Nexaduro]

"Ooooh yes. Hang in there, Karl, we've got him now."

This was it. Her will would be as the hammer of God, crashing down upon the enemies of man. Unconcerned for her partner, she looked down her rifle at the monster before her; once in Elfriede's sights, it was just another target.

Grinning maniacally, ignoring the squelch of corpses as she shifted her footing, she pulled the trigger. As light sprung from the barrel of the Aegis, so too did the flesh and metal of Unit 20 seem to flash.

The light of its soul sought the dark materials of Anat.

Free Action, Maintain Neutralize (2 ATP)
Free Action, Half Aim
Half Action, Full Spread (3 ATS)
Half Action, Wreck His ****

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Anat's head leaned ever so slightly to the left as Unit Twenty's shot rang out, the hyper-explosive round whizzing past the crown on it's forehead. The flames in Anat's eyes burned just a little brighter as it turned it's head, ever so slowly, to glare at the offending Eva. A pregnant pause.

It's eyes flared, and suddenly a blast of green energy was shooting down the street at Unit Twenty, an emerald streak in the night. Anat continued with it's downward swing on Unit Sixteen, undeterred.

Anat

Full Action
Cross Blast ([roll2] Energy, Penetration 8, Breach 8)
Hit Location: [roll3]

Anat's Hit Table
Head: 01-10
Right Arm: 11-20
Left Arm: 21-30
Core: 31-40
Body: 41-70
Right Leg: 71-85
Left Leg: 86-00

Modifiers
Hulking: +10 to hit Anat.
ATS/ATP: 12-8 (04)
Deflection: 12-7 (05)

[InyutheBeatIs]

As soon as Karl's will made impact with the world he was submerged in, Unit-16 was washed in green flames. As the flames parted, Anat revealed itself before him. The sight was shocking, but Karl didn't care. He grinned ferociously as the being swiped down, bringing its scythe to bear. Unfortunately, though Karl tried to bring his particle sword to parry the scythe away, he was too slow. The scythe landed a hit on Unit-16's chest, the sheer force of the blow tossing it away from Anat.

For a second Unit-16 hung in the air, apparently destined to hit the floor on its back. However, with a quick twist of the wheel Karl caught himself, causing Unit-16 to skid along the ground by its feet. Unit-16 looked up, giving Karl a good view of his combatant. Karl was wearing a shark-like grin, eager to fight this foe head-on at long last. "So you finally man up and show yourself huh?!" Karl broadcast over the speakers. "Let's see if you're all bark and no bite!" With that, Unit-16 lunges forward, once again aiming to run Anat through with the particle sword in its hand.

Distance Thrown: 1d10+5=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4038197/)

Agility Test: 1d100=21 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4038201/) vs. 31

Damage reduced by 3 due to Toughness Bonus.
Body: 9/11

Free action to maintain Neutralize. Roll to Charge, this time accounting for Berserk Charge: 1d100=60 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4038212/) vs. 75

Using the Mix-Max, if calculated correctly that means 1d10+7 Rending, Breach +5. Plus it has Particle. Roll: 1d10+7=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4038214/)

[Nexaduro]

Face contorted into a vicious scowl, Elfriede cocked her head to one side of the great lance of energy fired by her foe, miming its own nonchalant dismissal of her efforts. She had missed. She didn't miss. Anat was as good as dead.

In an almost blinding display, Unit 20 flared once more against the shadows that made up her opponent. The glow of the Aegis' barrel intensified twofold, just before another beam leaped towards his chest. This time, she would get him for sure...

Free Action, Half Aim
Half Action, Maintain Neutralize (5 ATP)
Half Action, Actually Hit For Once I Hope

Also, should we be penalized on dodge due to the whole ankle-deep in corpses thing?

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Anat snarled, voice slicing through the air much the same as Unit Sixteen's blade, having hopped to the side as the arc of the sword came it's way. The persistence of the husk and it's master was becoming something equivalent to annoying in it's eyes. Before it could act on it's impulse to slice the ofeending pair in half, however, another shot rang out. This one rang true, as Anat's left shoulder was suddenly smashed with a micro-explosive round that scorched it's armor, throwing it's arm back slightly.

The wholly unharmed beast, having had just about enough of that particular phenomena, decided to deal quickly with the task at hand, when return to focusing on the source of that phenomena. In a surprising show of intelligence, Anat feinted right, then twisted around, scythe wickedly descending on Unit Sixteen. Once this one was gone, the other would follow. The blade came down...

Anat

Half Action: Feint
Opposed WS Test: vs. 80

Half Action: Attack (Arm Scythe)
Damage Roll: [roll1] (Rending, Pushing, Penetration 4, Breach 2)
Hit Location: [roll]1d100

Anat's Hit Table
Head: 01-10
Right Arm: 11-20
Left Arm: 21-30
Core: 31-40
Body: 41-70
Right Leg: 71-85
Left Leg: 86-00

Modifiers
Hulking: +10 to hit Anat.
ATS/ATP: 12 (12)
Deflection: 12-7 (05)

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl began to let out a yell of frustration as he saw the blade fly past Anat, slicing through nothing but air. "OH COME ON YOU PIECE OF CRA-" Began the transmission, but before he could finish Anat was starting to move again. Karl reached out to try and pull Unit-16 to block it, but before he could even grab the lever Anat swung against Unit-16's back. Karl heard a scrape of metal and the sound of ribs cracking, that same spot on his own back spiked with pain as the feedback hits.

Unit-16 was tossed up into the air like before. Once again, Karl managed to keep the EVA on its feet, leaving a line of destroyed pavement as it dug its heels in to brake itself. Red warning signs were flashing over the UI, the diagram representing Unit-16's condition showing the body flashing red along with them. The last hit struck hard, one more hit and Karl might have to eject. For a moment, Karl gritted his teeth. He did not appreciate the state he was in, but he wasn't going to back down now.

Karl spun Unit-16 back around to face Anat. He was not about to quit fighting, not now, not ever. With another roar, Karl slammed the pedal down to the floor with his foot, causing Unit-16 to leap forward once more. Unit-16 was beginning to look just as crazed as Karl was at the moment, steam billowing from its nostrils as it came after Anat like a freight train.

Rolled an opposed roll, wasn't a 1 so doesn't matter.
Distance pushed back: 1d10+5=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4039542/)
Agility Test: 1d100=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4039539/)

Body: 1/11 (oh god)

Free action to maintain Neutralize (5 ATP)
Charge roll: 1d100=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4039558/) vs. 75
Hit table: 1d100=75 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4039559/)
Damage, Mix-Max, particle Breach +5: 1d10+7=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4039564/)

[Fearan]

Shirei really felt the last strike. He was almost ready to charge the opponent in a desperate hope to reach his dead zone, despite the red tide obscuring his vision and painful feedback, when suddenly - for him, at least - the lights went out as per the simulation exit routine. He slowly crawled from the test capsule, muttering something about damn tech departement, which perfectly emulated the Eva's faulty feedback suppressors. As he saw Jacob politely expressing gratitude for the match, Asahino made an effort to take his hand away from the aching head and respectfully bow in return.
- Yeah, good game. Thank you for the spar - he said and moved towards the lockers. Cold shower - that's what he needed most for his stinging phantom wound.
After the shower, having himself refreshed and relieved from not so pleasant expirience of the simulation, Shirei waited for the pilot of Unit-19 - he wanted his opinion on one thing, before they'll proceed to report. When he saw Jaccob he adressed him in curious and mostly friendly tone.
Say, what happened at hte beggining of the spar? I never hit you that hard, why had you stop and just did nothing? Was there something wrong?

[Lothmar]

The exchange was over as quickly as it had begun and while they were still relatively close together physically as they were both heading to the same area Jacob felt as if there was a social distance between them that was hard for Jacob to cross so he choose not to try without good reason.

Plumbing and the various corresponding inventions had to be one of Jacobs favorite luxury items to learn about. Back when he lived with his grandfather he used to get cleaned up either in a wash basin with a rag or down at the creek. Occasionally they would get good embers or a small fire going and heat up a metal barrel they had come across and enjoy a hot soak as a reward. So you could imagine Jacobs surprise when he learned that you could get water of varying temperatures with a simple adjustment of a couple of knobs.

It was glorious.

He took a warm shower and let the water run over his face and he scrubbed out his hair thoroughly and rinsed it out as dry lcl irritated his scalp. He then gave his plug-suit a quick scrub as he wore the thing in as it too had just been soaked in the substance. When he was done he toweled it off thoroughly and himself before heading to the lockers to throw his clothes over the form fitting suit.

It was then that Jacob felt a sudden attention as he was addressed by the other pilot. He paused almost in mid step shifting back slightly to regain his footing as it was said having been stopped just out of reach of his locker and clothing. <"That was you?"> he adds curiously slightly confused and misinterpreting what was said. <"They said you... Didn't."> Jacob adds trailing off even more confused now as he wondered if the people were lying to him...

[Nexaduro]

"Ahahahaha!"

Elfriede punches the air as her shot strikes home, staggering the damnable beast. The glow of Mas rounds impacting pseudo-Angel armor brings a nearly unparalleled joy to her heart; but she needs to be calmer about this. It's clear that a single shot won't end this battle... At least, not in her favor. Elfriede tries to force down her maniacal elation for a more calm and professional demeanor.

Remember your training. Center the target. Hammer the gap.

She pulls the trigger once more, leaning into the shot as if to put the weight of her determination behind it.

Free Action, Half Aim
Half Action, Maintain Neutralize (5 ATP)
Half Action, HAMMER THE GAP

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

The beast that shouted "I Am I," in the heart of it's world saw the next shot coming and swatted the projectile out of the air with an almost lazy demeanor. It's attitude quickly colored itself serious once more as Unit Sixteen came rushing towards the monster, steam billowing from it's nose like some cartoon bull come to life. Anat screamed in pain-filled fury as the Evangelion carved a clean swathe across it's muscle-thick right leg, a fine spray of black mist jetting from the wound.

With a horrific snarl, it turned, eyes hissing with barely restrained power. The stars dimmed in the sky. A blast of super-heated particles shot towards Unit Sixteen's umbilical cable, intend on crippling the annoyance that had plagued it for too long.

Full Action:
Attack (Cross Blast)
Target: Unit-16 Umbilical

Anat's Hit Table
Head: 01-10
Right Arm: 11-20
Left Arm: 21-30
Core: 31-40
Body: 41-70
Right Leg: 71-85
Left Leg: 86-00

Modifiers
Hulking: +10 to hit Anat.
ATS/ATP: 12-8(04)
Deflection: 12-10 (02)

[Fearan]

Shirei just uttered a sigh at Jacob's answer. -No, I didn't do anything except severing your power cord. Yet you froze. I'm really sorry if that's a personal matter or something, yet we'll have to go into actual battle soon, so I think, I need to know, what happened - he explained himself hastily. It was pretty obvious from his looks, that Asahino meant nothing offencive, and even more, was sort of afraid to offend his future comrade, but for some reason he was adamant on getting an answer.

[Lothmar]

<"Oh, so... Like they, said."> He adds keeping deliberate facing and watching him as he inches closer to the locker as if not certain how freely he is allowed to act and ready to stop if he feels disapproval from the other pilot. It was against his nature to be secretive or deceptive unless he felt an issue was too personal so he had no problem explaining what had occured - save the slight social discomfort around new people.

'How to explain this easily...'

<"Things went black and I~"> He pauses to lift his hand to his face and takes a second so as not to sound rude by coughing while muffling any odd sound save maybe a slight groan. <"Fainted like... Jello?"> He added jesturing with his offhand in a feigned jittery motion not knowing the word to describe a seizure and went with the first thing he could think of that wiggled about uncontrollably.

He liked jello, another amazing thing these people had.

"Thought it was a field technique or someone... Spiked my side of the sim." He adds muttering about still feeling cold while opening the locker and putting on his pants first over the plugsuit so that he can keep from losing eye contact, unfortunately he had to put on the shirt sometime... Maybe he could trick him into leaving the room first and putting it on while following or something.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl could not be happier right now. Here he was, staring this abomination in the face, so close he could probably punch it in the face. It was roaring in pain after a mean slash on its leg, and boy was it mad. Here they were, ready to go after each other in the no holds barred match Karl had been waiting for. Life was great.

Well, life was great until suddenly the Umbilical Cable got blasted off of him. Thankfully, safety measures made sure it didn't cause any more damage than it absolutely had to, but it wasn't very pleasant either. That's not even to bring up the whole not having a constant supply of energy anymore.

Karl looked over just in time to see the umbilical cable fly off and fall to the floor. He scowled for a moment, before turning back to look at Anat with a wild look on his face. "Alright, the gloves are off then! Let's rumble!" Unit-16 brings the Mix-Max to bear against Anat, swinging at its chest. Immediately afterwards, Unit-16 leans in and shoves itself forward shoulder first, attempting to slam Anat and shove it down onto the floor.

Dodge ro-hahahaha, yeah no. 1d100=76 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4044613/)

Free action to maintain Neutralize (5)
Roll to hit with Mix-Max: 1d100=30 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4045187/) vs. 55
Damage Breach +5 Rending, Particle: 1d10+7=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4045189/)
Hit Location: 1d100=48 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4045193/)

Knockdown Roll: 1d100=49 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4045195/) vs. 40

3(?) Internal Battery Points remain.

[Nexaduro]

This was getting tiresome. At least they were finally getting through...

She needed to make sure Karl could keep up the pressure. If she took out Anat's arms, maybe he'd stop tossing her comrade across the city.

Elfriede sighed. Her performance really hadn't been stellar today, maybe she wasn't cut out for this EVA nonsense after all. What would happen if the NAU DID attack? If it really was an Angel in front of her, well, they'd always been the prey of the likes of the legendary Shinji. She wondered how much more powerful a properly piloted unit would be...

She sighted down her rifle again, knowing that she'd have to pick up her game if she wanted to stand a chance in real combat.

Free Action, Half Aim
Half Action, Maintain Neutralize (5 ATP)
Half Action, Asplode Anat's Arm

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Anat swats aside Unit Sixteen's blade swipe, growling as the Evangelion attempted to shoulder-check the height superior beast, shrugging it off. The creature raised it's left arm to attempt another offensive when a shot rang out, and Anat's shoulder suddenly cracked, bits of chitinous armor and blood spraying from the melted, smoking wound. The beast howled, attention now fully turned from Unit Sixteen to the ranged attacker, Unit Twenty.

It's fiery eyes turned from dark, sickly emerald to an empty, hideous black. With a roar, it's vast, alien mind screamed out to the world.

Within their Evangelions, the pilots were once more assaulted by visions of death and misery as foreign thoughts and memories hissedslithercrawled through their very souls. Anat charged towards Unit Twenty, it's right, functional arm raised for the kill. A line of evil, smokey black energy exploded forth from it's eyes, directed straight towards the object of it's fury.

"Ikari." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eye3Biwn0l4&list=PL253A2BBF7CA0F040)

"Death creates nothing."

The fate of destruction is also-"

Karl [Elfriede] is standing in an empty field. Around him [her], withered, black stalks of crops, perhaps once corn, crunch and crumble into bits of ash at his feet. A red moon, stained by a streak of white, hangs in the starless void above his head. An empty concept speaks within his heart.

"This is the world in which you exist."

NOTHINGNESS.

A woman, naked, transparent, appears before him. Her empty black eyes belie a teasing smile across her dark skin. Bright, crimson hair flows down her shoulders, covering her nudity. She opens her arms wide, expression friendly.

PAIN.

"This is all you are." (Hollow) She says {Growls}.

OBLIVION.

The world turns a watery, frothing red. Pools of blood begin leaking from the woman's hollow eyes. It trails down her neck, her breasts, pooling at her feet. A rushing noise rises all around him. Waves.

"This is your fate." (Misery) It whispers [Coos].

DEATH.

Elfriede [Karl] screams as the ground beneath her/him gives way. They tumble through the empty air, twisting just enough to give a fleeting, horrible glimpse of the sight below. The red, swirling, bloody sight of the Red Sea.

The pilot of Unit Sixteen/Twenty/Unit One/Unit Two (YUI[SHINIKAMI]) crashed headfirst into the sea of Instrumentality.

All ASG pilots: Test Willpower or take 4 points of Insanity damage and roll on the Trauma Table.

Anat Attack (Unit Twenty)
Cross Blast: [roll0] (Penetration/Breach 8, Energy)
Location: Left Arm (Poetic Justice)

Full Action: Move towards Unit Twenty, 16 dam.

Distance to Unit Sixteen: 16 dam.
Distance to Unit Twenty: 2 dam.

[Fearan]

A field technique? - Shirei was kind of surprised. - I can't do those, well, except the basics, and the "I see you" trick - then, after a moment of hestitation, he continued. - Did you heard anything weird before fainting?
The pilot really hoped, that his paranoia would prove itself to be only his paranoia. But he didn't really counted on it. And his next move would totally depend on Jacob's answer.

[Lothmar]

<"Yes?"> Jacob adds in a slightly confused tone not knowing how to describe what he had experienced. While yes he had heard something it was as if the sensations had blended together into some new and all too awful experience.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl was suppressed. He was drowning underneath the weight of the memories of Instrumentality. His mind drifted apart, breaking from the sight of the demon in his head. The tearing twisted into screams as his eyes turned glassy. Karl almost became a shadow in his mind, only the body remaining to remember it. He held on to Karl by his fingers, but neither were fit to brag, fit to boast.

He fell utterly silent. He was not screaming, he was not crying. He fought a war on two fronts, a war in his mind and the war in front of him. On reflex, the body urged Unit-16 forward. Unit-16 runs to face Anat's side, charging once again to sideswipe Anat.

Maintaining Neutralize (5).

Willpower test: 1d100=48 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4048929/) vs. 31
Trauma table: 1d100=20 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4048931/)
Karl becomes withdrawn and quiet, takes -10 to all Fellowship-based tests for 3d10=17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4048932/) rounds

Charge: 1d100=66 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4049533/) vs. 75
Hit Table: 1d100=71 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4049534/)
Damage Roll, Mix-Max, Breach +5: 1d10+7=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4049535/)

Insanity: 11
2 Internal Battery Points Remain

[Nexaduro]

The onrushing tides of madness and searing pain hit Elfriede at once and, rather than overshadowing one another, blended together in an agonizing explosion that seemed to burn through her left arm. Barely pulling herself from the edges of unconsciousness, she grits her teeth and whips forward her rifle with her one good hand, its barrel kissing the chest of her opponent. A single pull of the trigger lights up the two combatants, as if they were cradling a tiny sun between them.

As her lips pull back in a terrified, maniacal grin, she mouths three words.

Bang bang, bitch.

Well, I did have a long glorious post about a sort of 'last stand' because I thought Anat had aimed for my head and whatnot, but... Yeah. Tired, confused, hopefully will do this better next time. Also... This is exactly why I had my loadout listed as containing TWO Mas Pistols. :smalltongue:
To clarify, Anat hit me for 6 critical.

ELFRIEDE HAS GONE BERSERK! (Not her Eva unit, though)
Also she gets a random severe phobia. Any input, GM?
Free Action, Half Aim
Half Action, Maintain Neutralize (4 ATP)
Half Action, Shoot Him Already

Oh, and, coincidentally, Elfriede's left-handed. Another Kabbalah reference. The -20 penalty for offhand shooting, along with the penalty for one-handed shooting with a basic weapon, are already factored in.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Anat's chest explodes open in a shower of charred flesh and hissing gore, blanketing the corpse-ridden streets with it's carapace and muscle flesh as Elfriede's shot breaks through. The agonized, blood-blinded creature turned to watch as Unit Sixteen took it's particle sword and sliced across it's right leg in a ferocious sweep. The blade met armored flesh...and passed through unheeded. The leg came free in a spray of jet-black blood, it's previous owner collapsing to the street in a bloody, mangled heap.

Laying face-up, flaming eyes dimmed and flickering, Anat lets out a pained rattle. It's chest has been savagely torn open, rib bones exposed and clawing out to the world. Within the depths of it's torso, one can just barely see a flaming, spherical blue orb. Power seems to radiate from it like a furnace, though it flickers and sputters now, as if weak.

"Pilot Muller, Flair," The long silent ABBA exclaims, voice filled with urgency. "Data strongly suggests that the orb you see within the enemy is it's primary source of power. It is strongly recommended that it is targeted and destroyed."

Anat groans pitifully, it's once ferocious growl reduced to an agonized whine. It doesn't move.

Anat's Hit Table
Head: 01-10
Right Arm: 11-20
Left Arm: 21-30
Core: 31-40
Body: 41-70
Right Leg: 71-85
Left Leg: 86-00

Modifiers
Anat is now incapacitated, prone, and it's TB has been halved.
+10 to WS Tests Made against Anat.
-10 to BS Tests made against Anat
-20 to Dodge Tests made by Anat
Hulking: +10 to hit Anat.
ATS/ATP: 12
Deflection: 12-9 (03)

[Fearan]

I see - Shirei answered and made a nod to himself. So he wasn't JUST paranoid after all. He then stopped questioning Jacob and proceeded to therest of the routine.

[InyutheBeatIs]

This was it. This was the moment Karl was waiting for ever since he stepped out into Oranienburg. His opponent was broken before him, and all he needed to do was deliver the finishing blow.

Unit-16 flipped the Mix-Max so that the blade faced downward. The blade was raised high in the air. Karl's eyes widened in anticipation of this event, a grin spreading across his face as he slammed the button. With reckless abandon, Unit-16 drives the blade downwards, as though it were tossing a harpoon to deliver the killing blow to a weakened whale.

Called shot to the core, full action to all out attack.

Weapon roll: 1d100=95 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4050533/) vs. 65
Screw that! Spending my last fate point rerolling: 1d100=91 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4050535/)

...good news! I get the fate point back thanks to By the Books. Bad news, I am the worst at rolling.

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Embarrassingly enough, Unit Sixteen's downwards stab missed entirely.

[Lothmar]

Jacob curiosity was greatly outweighed by his relief as Shirei stopped questioning him and returned to getting ready. He too returned to throwing on his clothes over the plugsuit and once he was finished getting dressed he proceeded to the door. He wished the command staff did not wish to see him, he always felt like an exhibit on display in front of panels of people. They said they wanted to see both of them, he wondered if that meant at the same time or not? He considered this absent mindedly as he opened the door and proceded on his way praying one of those 'spooky' section two Yakuza guys wasn't waiting for them.

[Nexaduro]

"..."

Elfriede looked down at the smoking crater in the ground next to Anat's sprawled body. Point-blank or not, she supposed a sniper rifle was just too unwieldy to fire with her off hand. She nudges the flailing creature with her foot.

"Not so mighty now, are we? In life, I end your conquest. In death, I rechristen you Sathariel."

Half Action, Maintain Neutralize (2 ATP)
Half Action, Fail
Free Action, Taunt the Jerk

[Spartan Altego]

Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany

Anat's mind twisted and turned in a series of complex, entirely alien clicks and grinds as it proceeded to absorb the gravity of the situation, along with the laughable inaccuracy of those who had wounded it in such a manner. Immortal things swirled in it;s mind, thoughts weighted with gravity that would liquefy the minds of simple humanity if they had dared to listen in. Words far more elegant and far more terrible than the common tongue formed and unformed in it;s mouth. A green, dead thought, far too great to be fully translated in detail, but small enough to be translated nonetheless.

Enouffa this bullsh*t.

Anat's Core whirred, the light of it's being growing in horrible, searing intensity. The broken shell surrounding the life-source of the beast that shouted "I AM I," hissed and faded into black mist, swirling around the enlarging orb like a haze of evil moths. Crackling energy. Blinding light.

Anat's Core exploded in a wave of green-blue light, enveloping Unit Sixteen and Unit Twenty in a titanic wave of energy, yet not harming them. A final, foreign thought passed through their minds.

Prophet.

Unit Sixteen fell face first to the streets of Oraneinburg, followed swiftly by Unit Twenty. Within the armored, bleeding titans, their pilots gasped and huffed with the weight of withheld exhaustion. And as they looked around warily, Unit Sixteen's power quickly draining to nothing, they came upon a sight most unnerving.

The bodies littering the streets of Oraneinburg had vanished.


Fin~ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2xxizpHuoo)

[Spartan Altego]

"Is it okay for me to be here?"


[silence]


You're waiting for a train. The station is empty, save for yourself. Warm light, orange, drifts down from the sky above. And the sky below. For some reason, a reason you yourself cannot fathom, the thought of two skies comforts you. If you didn't like one, you might always look down -or up?- at the other. A train whistles in the distance. It's far off.

You are not alone. Someone else, a man, is standing next to you now. You can't make out his face, only a vague sense of familiarity. He looks at you, then towards the direction of the train. It roars again, louder. Closer. The man looks at you, and, wordlessly, you understand what he is asking of you.

The train is in sight now. It chugs tirelessly, powerfully, down the tracks. IT turns. You can see the front of it. You look at the man, but he is gone now. There is only you. You look up at the sky, but there is no sky, only darkness. You look down at the sky, but see nothing beneath you but rails. Tracks.

Impact.

[Spartan Altego]

http://s8.postimg.org/niqdwyn0l/Episode_II_AWWY.jpg

[Spartan Altego]

NERV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l12TvP5nMVg) HQ, Japan

Jacob and Asihino stand side by side one another, staring rather apprehensively at the plated steel door before them, the familiar crimson insignia of NERV emblazoned dead center. Words, less familiar, circle the leaf and name, a cool aqua blue to the blood red title:


"Gliding o'er all, through all,
Through Nature, Time, and Space,
As a ship on the waters advancing,
The voyage of the soul—not life alone,
Death, many deaths I'll sing."

Neither are familiar with the passage, and are given little time to contemplate it as the door dissolves before them into a small, grey mess of metal on the floor. Vice Commander Liam's voice calls from within. "You're late, the two of you. Get in here."

Naturally, they oblige. A radiant blue light seems to permeate the office. A single desk, black, rests in the middle of the room. Commander Onatoshi sits there, hands clasped, elbows on the table. She eyes the two pilots grimly as the dust pile that was once a door lifts into the air, solidifying into a solid mass of metal identical to the original. Vice Commander Liam stands beside her, hands behind his back, while the Shogun, Niko, is turned away from the two of you, much farther back in the room.

Silence.

Liam takes the initiative, eyes boring into either of the teenagers with a distant intensity. He seems on edge. "Is there anything you feel like sharing with us, pilots? And before you feign ignorance, we already know you do. What happened at the start of the test? Details."

The Shogun still refuses to look in either Hoffman or Ashirei's direction. The Commander simply stares the two down with a quiet menace.

???

Karl was drowning. The waves of madness crashed against his flailing form, sprayed in his face. His mouth opens, gasping for air, for relief, and gags as the madness forces itself down his throat. It's inside him now. He can feel the wrongness of it, the bleak misery, swelling up inside him. His stomach bulges. A hideous red light grows within. He screams.

Karl awakens with a start, heart racing, sweat running down his form. He's not in the entry plug anymore, but some sort of hospital room. An IV drip is connected to his left arm. He's wearing a hospital gown now, and a sharp, sudden pain burns across his chest. He peels the fabric back to look: Bruises, ugly and purple, litter his torso like freckles.

As he looks to the left, he can see Elfriede, unconscious, splayed out on another bed identical to his own, similarly hooked up to an IV. Bandages are wound tightly around her left arm, from shoulder to wrist.

There's a door a few feet to his left, clearly labelled as the restroom. And farther down, straight across from his current position, is another door.

Elfriede was drowning. The people of Oraneinburg screamed her name, begging, pleading, for aid. But she can do nothing. She can only watch as the thing, the Shadow, sole them away, devoured their essence. Tendrils whipped from it's hazy form, eyes of blazing green hellfire turning to stare at her. A growl. A voice, a man's, echoes around her.

"Some hero you are. I thought your job was to save lives, not waste them?"

A woman.

"All those years of training, and this is what they got? Too bad they can't ask for a refund."

Voices.

"Why don't you just give up?"

"Why did I even bother?"

"Failure."

"Weakness."

So many voices.

"DIE."

Her own voice.

"I bet they're already planning on booting you from the program. Evan Karl was better at killing that thing than you."

Laughter.

She screams.

Elfriede awakens with a start.

Fort Lauderdale

Isidore adjusts his seat to a more comfortable position. Next to him, Nathan sits similarly, still wearing his LCL-slick plugsuit. After the completion of Operation: Thunderdrome, the young pilot and aging Operations Director had been called in to give their reports. It's been ten minutes since they've entered the office, but no one has yet to arrive. Empty bookshelves, perhaps once lines with dozens of examples of fine literary accomplishment, a sign of a cultured mind, stand on the left side of the room. Light pours in from barred windows on the ceiling.

There's a dusty desk before them, files and other miscellaneous objects littering it's surface. It's old looking, but sturdy.

Eleven minutes.

[Julian84]

Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKkSJ13w_bA)

Nathan’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly with the ticking of the clock behind him, his frustration growing slowly, like blood being drawn with a syringe. The anticipation of what was coming gnawed at the pit of his stomach, giving him nervous chills. He had screwed up multiple times on the first mission, failed to capture the machine. He had shown poor judgement… And now he may pay the price. He was keenly aware of the single bead of sweat rolling down his neck, past the small lip of his collar, to the center of his back.

Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick.

That was the Nathan on the inside. The Nathan on the outside looked still and tranquil, his back held stiff and steady against the chair. He stared straight forward, breathing in slowly and deeply, not even daring to glance at the young captain sitting beside him.

Who is he, anyways? Nathan pondered. He’s smart… And he can lead… But… What is he? How does he relate to me? Is he in trouble too? Will we both be punished?

Years of training held Nathan in a vice, keeping him from expressing the turmoil inside. Failure was not an option, and the shame of his weaknesses drove into his heart like a spike.

Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick.

“… Permission to deactivate the clock, sir.” He requested tonelessly, no movement of the rest of his body to betray any sign he had actually spoken or made a request.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl starts up, sitting up in his bed. Within a second he comes to the realization that he really feels like crap. He takes a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow before wincing at the pain in his chest. This wasn't exactly the first time this sort of thing has happened, but this time it felt like the aftermath of someone whipping a hammer at him. Looking at the bruises, it looked more like it was an entire bag of hammers.

After that moment, Karl starts to shake off the almost instinctual state that comes from waking out of a dream. He groans as he sits back down, getting a chill from that bizarre nightmare. "Ugh, man what the..." Karl mutters as he rubs his eyes. He found it hard to speak, as though there were something pushing against him. He shudders again as a thought strikes him. It might be a while before he eats a chimichanga again, though "a while" might just mean "as soon as he gets out of here". With that, Karl opens an eye and looks up at the IV bag. "...wait, what the hell." He reaches up and weakly flicks the bag, dropping his arm with a sigh. "...that's weird."

Karl notices Elfriede move and get up with a similar start that he had. After a moment, Karl nods his head at her. "'sup."

[babel_matrix]

Isidore couldn't feel the seat beneath his pressed uniform, now torn at the knee where some flying object or another from the VTOL flight had impacted. The skin beneath was now scabbed over, a hardened shield of humanity protecting the wound from infectious, poisonous elements, much like his heart. There was a long line of terrible things waited outside, watching, hungry for his life. The dead NAU soldiers seemed uncountable to him, and would have driven him mad if he dared to weigh their sacrifice. They stared at him from beyond with hollow, lifeless eyes.

Their voices echoed in his mind, much in the way that they never would again to their wives, children, parents or neighbors. They perished because the rebels they killed, the ones Isidore almost had sympathy for, were satisfied with cowardly, suicidal tactics instead of sparing their own people. His only regret was depending so much on the intelligence given to him regarding the target, and that moment of undeserved remorse. His superiors would ultimately decide his failings.

Isidore was taken away from his brooding by Nathan. The boy reeked of LCL, an odor a soldier minding death could not relish. Isidore collected himself, his outward appearance never giving any clue to the turmoil within, to the hordes of dead NAU soldiers who were beating bare, tired fists against the walls of his soul. "What clock, Initiate?"

[Julian84]

Tick tick tick tick tick-

Nathan’s eyelids opened a fraction of an inch more as he inhaled, holding the breath very carefully, weighing the pressure and buoyancy in his chest, then exhaling through barely parted teeth, a serpentine hiss of releasing tension.

He turned to stare at his superior officer, head moving slower than what seemed normal. Was time really moving that slowly?

Nuclear fire danced in his sight with the ashes of a once verdant land, demonic eyes demanding his attention, the son of hell demanding the return of brimstone and death to this wretched place.

Nathan closes his eyes briefly. …What happened back there?

“Nothing, sir. My mistake.” His head turns back to stare at the desk in utter silence.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore tried not to raise a brow or given any reaction to the boy's behavior, fearing that somewhere, underneath that thin armor all fresh soldiers wore, Nathan was feeling the weight of his kills. For Nathan's sake, Isidore hoped he was wrong. It was doubtful that those rebels would be the last lives the Initiate took in this nation's name; the fact that he sat in Unit 15 on its maiden voyage, operated it without mercy and brought it back whole, all but promised this.

[Spartan Altego]

Fort Lauderdale

The two are silent once more, time silently clicking away within the mind of Worthington as they wait, anticipation growing. The room seems colder now, even as the mild warmth of Miami air flows in through cracks in the foundations, holes in windows. Just barely, their ears can strain to hear the chatter of other soldiers, other members of Blackwatch such as their selves, milling about, performing whatever tasks they'd been assigned following mission completion.

Twelve minutes.

The door opens (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts3YlnzXAr4).

The door closes. Nathan and Isidore don't dare turn to face the newcomer. Steps, heavy, slow, sound off the approach. As the figure enters their peripherals, they manage to confirm two facts about their designated judge and jury. One; he is a man. Two; he is massive. The man stands at nearly eight feet, bald, and is heftier than the desk he settles in. His skin is a waxy sort of yellow, hands scarred and misshapen from years of abuse. A four star band is clipped onto his olive green uniform, and a pair of dog tags hang from his neck.

The general stares the two down, dirty golden eyes wrapped by crimson sclera only serving to enhance his gaze. He doesn't speak, not even to give his name. There is no identifying tag, or signature to be seen on him, and the dogtags are too minute, too distant, to be made out.

Thirteen minutes.

"Ninety-seven," The General monotones. It's light, void of any trace of gravelly menace or hidden fury. He waits, letting his words sink in.

Fourteen minutes.

"That's ninety-seven men and women whose families I have had to notify today. Ninety-seven."

Fifteen minutes. He focuses on Worthington, words clipped. "Ever had to call a soldier's family, Initiate? I'm sure your director has, perhaps he's told you? No? Then maybe you already have an idea? No? Are you sure? Have you ever had to explain to them, in the most careful, vague means as possible, that someone they cared about is no longer with us? No? Have you ever had to tell a wife she is now a widow? A husband? No?"

His eyes harden. "I'm sure you haven't."

His voice is deep now. Hissing.

"So let me explain how that works for you, Initiate. Today I've spent the last two hours calling men and women of all ages, newly weds, couples, relatives, to inform them that a loved one has died in the line of duty. They cry. They weep. They deny. They ask how they're supposed to break the news to their children. They ask 'Why, sir? Why did this happen? Why is my husband dead? My sister? My nephew?' And due to protocol, I could neither inform them why, or even where. If not for that, I might have taken a moment to consider whether it would be a benefit to their hearts to inform them that their deaths were caused by faulty intelligence. That a pilot, who has been under Blackwatch supervision and authority for years now, failed to maintain control over their own equipment. That an operations director, known for his success rates, utterly failed to contain new developments and react accordingly. Demonstrated poor judgement, and an incapability to adapt."

He leans forward now, and the air seems to shrink in on itself. It seems ever so slightly harder to breathe.

"Explain yourselves."

[Julian84]

A twinge of fear ran through Nathan as the man-mountain stared at them, judged them, and found them wanting. He was huge, a massive, terrifying specimen of humanity, and his words rumbled like an avalanche. Nathan felt small, inconsequential, broken beneath his gaze, his harsh words.

“That a pilot, who has been under Blackwatch supervision and authority for years now, failed to maintain control over their own equipment.”

With a snap, years of training flooded into Nathan’s mind, and his fear subsided instantly. This General was trying to make him scared, and almost succeeded… But Nathan had learned well that the men you should truly fear were the ones who could not use their muscles to hurt you, but instead used every ounce of brainpower to make up the difference. This general could snap his bones, pulverize him into mush… He could kill Nathan, definitely. He was even trained to use his size to his advantage, the only impressive thing about him thus far. No, this was not a psychological master who could undo a man with a choice phrase... This was not a Blackwatch handler who took joy in slowly and sadistically orchestrating tiny flicks of a knife into a symphony of agony.

This General… Was, in fact, fairly incompetent, Nathan decided. The operation, while admittedly costly, had been completely successful, the rebels wiped out for good. The machine-thing had been destroyed, and for that Nathan was sorry, but it seemed too… Easy, for the general to sit and bluster over how the explosion could have been avoided. The machine's pilot could have easily triggered the N2 bomb himself inside, and even if Nathan had used the Mass Driver, a dead man switch could seal the deal just as effectively.

Within all variables, this operation could have gone far worse. Unit 15 and Nathan both survived the blast, as had the commanding officer. Ninety-seven dead soldiers and pilots were, ultimately, replaceable.

Not that the hulking oaf would understand that. He has more bone mass than brain cells, and while it would be very useful killing a man with his bare hands, he was just a giant hired to look good in a uniform.

MacIfrain was a Titan who could wipe out armies.

Nathan cleared his throat softly.

“Sir, the fault lies in myself alone. I showed a lack of foresight in my pursuit of the mission, using up too many resources before my battle with the rebel machine, a trap I should have expected. Had I conserved my resources, the battle might have gone differently.”

He looks up, meeting the general in the eyes. I would have surely lost, relying on a piece of technology ill-suited to my use. The true power of an Eva is not in the blunt force you put in its hands, but its AT field, you blundering twit. “My original tactic that I had been attempting to use while I was attacking was to simply raise the local pressure on the water table, turning the entire area into a mudpit with which i could use to immobilize my enemy. It is obvious to me now my thinking and tactic were staid and impractical for this operation. Obviously, a rushed frontal assault was the correct method. The loss of so many of my comrades falls on me, and I am sorry you bore the difficult task of informing their next of kin, I am sure it must have been very hard for you.”

“I will strive to do better in the future, with a 0% casualty rating as you so expect of our operations. I will anticipate my opponents better, and I will ensure that our victory is more secure.”

He solemnly lowers his eyes. “I will receive whatever punishment you think is best, sir.”

And I will remember who gave it to me. He silently adds.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore weighed the words of the general, a mutant several ranks above him in pay grade and responsibility. He had the gumption to still make those calls, and Isidore appreciated the humanity that shined through his damning statements, presuming they were true. Nathan delivered his piece, and the general turned his giant, hideous head to the boy's CO, the incredulous grimace there nigh undetectable.

"Approximately one million, sir." A beat passed as Isidore sat in the chair, his back straight and eyes forward, looking beyond the general and locking his gaze on a single spot of peeled paint on the wall. "Our mission to secure the nuclear weapon, as defined by intelligence and as outlined in our plan, was to spare the people of the NAU the ravages of nuclear warfare and stomp out the rebellion before it spread any further.

"But our intelligence neglected to discover that, instead of the predicted ballistic missile pointed at our citizens, we were instead meant to face a suicide bomber strapped to a weapon designed specifically to destroy the Evangelion. We adjusted, and the plot was thwarted, the targets were eliminated, and these rebel forces have been routed if not obliterated.

"I cannot say that this justified the loss of ninety-seven men, almost all of which were caused by the suicide bomber and the anti-Evangelion weapon, both who went undetected and were not prepared for. Nathan performed in a manner that saved this military asset, but the trump card that took those lives away was played. I had as many as our conventional forces retreat as was possible, but the men on the ground could not withdraw in time." Isidore's words were charged with an electricity of emotion, with a professional regret that showed no sign of human weakness. It was contrition, refined and pure.

"Sir, we were sent to save a million civilian lives and end the internal threat to the NAU. We accomplished the latter and dealt with the complications surrounding the former, still technically saving those lives in the event the bomber moved on to the civilian centers. Nathan did his part, and he brought Unit Fifteen, faced with an targeted resource attack against it on its maiden voyage, back in one piece. As his CO, I cannot fathom putting blame upon him."

Isidore raised his eyes to meet the four-star general's gaze. "With all due respect, sir, we just protected the NAU from the rebels and what was a mobile weapons platform that could have marched on Chicago with their suicidal, zealous impunity if it cared to, detonating at the heart of our nation. Ninety-seven men were killed because our intelligence was bad; two-hundred-and-thirty could have perished if Nathan did not perform as he did, if my orders had been to retreat all forces immediately. I wish I could bring that number down further, sir, but we already know I can't."

Isidore had almost risen from his seat, his body poised to leap up and shout. He relaxed back into it, returning his gaze to the peel of paint. As he gazed upon it, its thin connection to the wall finally shattered, and the peel floated to the ground. "I understand that there was no real excuse here for the deaths of those ninety-seven, and therefore I will accept whatever disciplinary action is deemed necessary. As the Initiate's commanding officer, I will furthermore take responsibility for his actions, a direct result of my commands which he followed with conviction." Another beat, and Isidore added, solemnly, "Furthermore, I wish to request a list of the men who died in this battle, sir."

[Nexaduro]

Awakening from one nightmare to another, Elfriede bolts up from her bed. She takes in the hospital. The IVs hooked up to her arm. The bandages on her arm.

Her arm.

She hadn't signed up for this. What the hell good was a giant ****ing robot if all those meters of flesh and steel wouldn't stand between a pilot and her enemy? She hadn't expected to come out of this hurting, much less without the use of her main hand... She wouldn't be able to so much as sign her resignation like this.

Of course, she was a professional. She had fought before she had an EVA to protect her, and she would continue fighting. Her country's safety outweighed her own.

Suddenly disgusted by the medical equipment around her, she tears out her IV, intent on storming out; however, the pain of such indelicate action proves to be the last straw, the weight of her situation crashing down on her and bringing tears to her eyes. One arm obscuring her crying face, the other strewn limply across the bedsheets, she is far too distracted to notice Karl's idle chatter.

[Spartan Altego]

Fort Lauderdale

As Isidore finishes his speech, the General remains silent, absorbing the words, the emotions, with a quiet neutrality. He knows it's all true, everything that both the Captain and the Initiate have said. And he proves it. "You'll get your list, Captain, I'll make sure of that. You've made your point very well, both of you."

He turns to Nathan. "You're dismissed, Initiate. Wait outside, your Captain will be with you shortly."

After Nathan departs, the General sighs, seeming to sag in on himself. He suddenly seems much, much older. "I apologize, Boucher. My criticism may not've been entirely unfounded, but much of it was undeserved and exaggerated. I wasn't lying when I said I've been informing the families all day," He rubs his eyes, leaning forward. "and we've received some disturbing news. It appears Rostock, a town in Germany, was wiped out by an Evangelion a few hours ago, followed by another called Oraneinburg not long after. The ASG is up in arm, and with Japan already gearing up for assault..."

He trails off.

Unknown, Germany

As Elfriede weeps, the door opens. A woman, young looking, hair a straw colored blonde, walks in, carrying a tray of food. She's obviously some sort of nurse, as can be noticed by her attire. She stops, surprise on her face as she intrudes on the vulnerable moment. Her eyes flicker between the children, then the door, before closing the it slowly, somewhat reluctantly, and continuing inside. She sets the tray, loaded with bread and pair of glass cups of water, on Karl's bed, before continuing to Elfriede.

She kneels beside her, awkwardly patting her on the back. "Um, miss, are you alright? Are the bandages too tight? They're supposed to keep sensation in your arm or something."

[Julian84]

Nathan blinked. So it’s over. I am dismissed? Fine then.

He rises, saluting the general and the captain respectively, before walking out of the room, closing the door carefully behind him. He looks for the nearest seat and observes his surroundings.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore retained his disposition until Nathan left the room. As soon as the door clicked, he joined the general in relaxing his stance.

"Germany was a likely enemy the moment we crawled out of the red sea and into the NAU, General. Our policies, our resources, our military might..." Isidore rubbed his chin thoughtfully, peering at the old soldier's eyes. "... I suppose the real question is why Japan would attack Germany. An Evangelion, if that report isn't inaccurate, doesn't have much change of materializing anywhere else, save Ground Zero." It was not a common name for the remains of Tokyo-3 and the Geo-Front, but it was one of the first following Third Impact. "It certainly wasn't ours, given our operation... how sure are we this time that this is what really happened to those two towns?" Japan rousing to attack Germany in the middle of its tensions with the NAU? It didn't make any sense.

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl simply takes a moment and watches Elfriede as she breaks down. He reacts pretty visibly surprised at her sudden outburst. Her reaction didn't make much sense to him at the moment. "...alright then." With that, Karl looks back at the ceiling for a moment, before he hears the door swing open.

He sits up and sees the nurse walk in. Seeing the visible confusion on the nurse's face caused Karl to shrug in response. He nods in response to having the tray placed on his bed. For a moment he considers eating some of the bread, but right now he feels just about as far from hungry as he can get. He looks over at Elfriede again, wincing a bit as he does so. "Uh, I...don't think it's the bandages, man." Karl says, in perhaps a miraculous display of clarity that will doubtlessly never be repeated.

[Fearan]

Shirei stood calmly before the commander and Shogun, ready to report the "incident". At least, they didn't ask him for his opinion - which could lead to some trouble. Only details. And the details was harmless.
- Pilot Asahino of Eva 07 reporting - he started in an official tone. - - At the start of simulation sequence, a breakthrough of phantom voicecs occured. I quote: "I See you. I am Anat. I am I. I have come." There was no damage to Evangelion's systems and no negative effects on the unit's performance. I reported the malfunction in the communication array to the bridge without delay, and having recieved no instructions continued the simulation systems. This concludes my report, commanter, sir. - it was a pleasant feeling - to be able to speak only truth, and understanding, that the truth was harmless. It felt somewhat pure and safe - he didn't trust his superiors, yet he didn't have to lie to them.

[Spartan Altego]

Fort Lauderdale

"We aren't, but we should certainly hope it's true that what attacked those areas was an Evangelion. The alternative..."

It didn't need to be said.

"Intel gives no suggestion of any Angelic activity, current or foretold, based on what was recovered from Congressmen Keel's files. The final Angel was terminated in Lilith's holding chamber, Pre-Impact, and there are no known surviving Angels. The problem, however, lies in Germany's reaction to all this," His voice grows grim. "They blame us. The attack occurred at the exact moment their council was meeting in the capital, and their data suggests the path the attacker was taking would've lead right into Berlin-2."

"Japan and Germany may not be allies, but Japan hasn't blown any of their envoys out of the sky. The NAU is now in the cross-hairs of both Germany and Japan, with a single stroke."

[babel_matrix]

The news was grim, and Isidore was already feeling the first signs of fatigue from the last conflict. He learned long ago to stifle yawns before they began, and kept his composure. "Of course, showing that our Evangelion exists, let alone being too busy using white phosphorus on human targets, isn't an option, and it's all too likely they know it at least exists. So clearing our name, and minimizing Germany, is out of the picture."

Captain Boucher stood up and began pacing, weighing the casualties that would occur from all-out war with both of the remaining superpowers. "If they join forces, we're all but done. Even if Unit Fifteen managed to get fully repaired before they arrived, four Evangelions against one is a very tight situation, even given home base advantage on power supplies. If Nathan went down while theirs were still standing, that'd be the end of it right there." Isidore didn't both verbalizing what would occur then: the leaders of the NAU would rather drop its stash of N2 mines on the surviving Evangelions than surrender to the countries they have scorned since conception. "It seems what we really need is evidence that we weren't there, and a few well-planted suggestions about Japan... but that's politics. I'm assuming those routes have already been tried."

Isidore drew a finger across the bookshelf, marking his brief silence. "If they have you and I talking about it, sir, it must mean we're well past politics and explanations." He looked over to the general, hoping to be corrected.

[Lothmar]

Jacob paused as he was about to answer but Shirie beat him to it. Despite their attempts to drill it into him the military protocol still felt very unnatural for him... It could be many reasons, the most likely was that he didn't necessarily support the side he was supposedly soldiering for. He respected at least some of the people though and realized that him serving in this capacity enabled them to live their way of life and defend it from, well giant monsters. <"Pilot Hoffman, Unit Cr~ ninteen. Uhm yes, that..."> Jacob adds nearly calling the eva by its nickname instead of designation number as he somewhat lazily steals his copilots explation as it was actually a fairly good explanation of most everything he hadn't gone over with his superior recently over the headsets...

Was he supposed to recap everything he had explained to his instructor to all these people?!

'Oh god I hope not.'

<"Im sorry if what I said effected the simulation and forced you to end them prematurely."> He couldn't be sure but he feared he may have accidentally used the word 'theater' as the descriptive word instead of 'simulation' on accident as it was not something from his active vocabulary before he started working with Nerv. Granted he'd heard it used much more recently, but it was just these little things that you start to think about when you're nervous and speaking a second language.

[Spartan Altego]

Fort Lauderdale

The General's silence provides the only answer he needs. He rolls his shoulders, appearing as a wave of rippling flesh to the comparatively minuscule man. "We have a possible advantage, which if captured and utilized, might provide the weapon we need to fend them off, or even win outright." The man reaches into his pockets, pulling out a picture of a large, red bi-dent, and flicking it towards the Operations Director.

"The Lance of Longinous. The ultimate Eva-killer. And an instrument of the world's end, if misused. We think we know where it is."

NERV HQ, Commander's Office

Liam's frown deepens, and he whispers something in Commander Onotashi's ear, receiving no reaction. after a moment, he turns back to the pilots, stepping forward. "You two are dismissed. I'll send for you tomorrow."

He turns back to the Commander, ignoring them.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore frowned at the fancy tuning fork. "So our ultimate weapon can be slain by such a thing? How exactly could this end--" Sighing, he corrected himself. "Nevermind, sir, I'm going to assume it's complicated, above my pay grade and need-to-know only. Well then, where is it? Will we need Unit Fifteen fully operational to retrieve it?" Isidore wondered about that: if the weapon was so potent a tool, and in a world after Third Impact it was easily believed, how wise was it to put it into Nathan's hands? Isidore would have to make sure the boy was at least moderately stable before Nathan became the second teenage boy to ruin the Earth.

[Spartan Altego]

Fort Lauderdale

The General shakes his head. "No, no, not yet. While the picture yous see there is genuine, it's not current. As in, we have not confirmed it's presence in the suspected location. We'll be sending out a scouting team in a few days to confirm the Lance is in fact there. If so, Unit Fifteen will be deployed to retrieve it and return home as quickly as possible."

"Now," A rather amused smile flutters across the man's lips. "What are your thoughts on Initiate Worthington? More specifically," A grin. "How would you feel if I told you the boy was now your ward, and you had specific orders to keep him under your care?"

To his credit, his amusement didn't translate into his tone.

Unknown, Germany

When the girl gives no response, and Karl interjects, the nurse sights, stepping back, not sure what to do about the state of the obviously distraught child. Instead, she turns to Karl, examining him intently. "How are you feeling? Any pain, nausea? Feeling light-heated, or out of breath?"

She pulls back, remembering his recent bout of unconsciousness. "Oh! You're currently in a Syndicate-controlled hospital in Berlin-2. You've both been unconscious for about sixteen hours, now."

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl's narcissism kicked in when the nurse started examining him. Even in his somewhat introverted state, he still appreciates the attention. After all, he's Karl Flair, the kiss-stealin' wheelin-and-dealin' son of a gun, to him it's perfectly normal that this is a thing. Naturally he is taking this the wrong way, because he's crazy and kind of stupid. "Well, I'm just awesome there, Nurse...I-don't-know-your-name." Almost immediately after saying that, he thought back to the chimichangas. Suddenly he was not awesome at all. He clasps his hand over his mouth at the thought. "...okay maybe a little nausea. Stupid dreams..."

Then she mentions being in a hospital. Suddenly Karl knocks off the silly nonsense. His hand falls from his face, his eyes hardened at the thought of the beast they faced almost a day ago. "That long, huh. That mean Anat's dead?"

[Lothmar]

'Ooookay?' Jacob thinks mildly confused by the whole situation. 'Really, that was it?' In all honesty he was a little happy since it meant he wasn't about to be grilled by the heads of the military like he thought he was so at least that was a plus.

<"Thank you sir, if you'll excuse me."> Jacob adds with a respectfully before turning to leave the room at that point.

'Hmm, what to do now with the rest of my day?' He contemplates for a moment. 'They never did tell us who the winner or their choice was via the simulations did they?' He thinks with a serious look on his face.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore couldn't hold his stone-cold demeanor. He raised an eyebrow, tipping his head slightly to the side as he eyed the general. "My... ward, sir? I was only made aware of him being part of my unit... not my, ah, familial unit." Isidore rubbed his chin in contemplation. He tried to picture it: Nathan in their apartment, setting up little toy soldiers and then getting an aerosol can and matches to light them on fire.

Not a comforting image. But that is hardly fair. I've only seen him as a soldier... then again, what would this do for his image of me as his military superior? "It's certainly something I should discuss with the Mrs. before accepting it... unless that decision has already been made?"

[Spartan Altego]

Isidore

"It has," The General nods. "As you might've noticed, Initiate Worthington has displayed some rather disturbing Tendencies on the field of battle. Tendencies we do not want in a person piloting what amounts to a WMD, especially not on our own soil."

He pulls up an audio recorder, pressing the play button. Nathan's laughter rings out throughout the room, dark, psychopathic. It stops as Isidore's own voice comes in, reigning the wayward soldier in. The recording ends. "Worthington has never been the most stable of people, as you may not know. We found the kid barely alive in a LPA outpost a few years back. Apparently they had run across him fresh outta the sea and where taking him under their care," The man's voice betrayed no irony. "As you can see, he doesn't feel the same way about them."

He sighs. "The hope is that, with someone of your talents," He inclines his head towards the Captain. "You'll have a better chance at breaching this boy's instability and keeping him more firmly under control. You're his CO and a well-respected soldier of Blackwatch, something that will earn his deference. He seems to respond better to you in this one instance than he has any other military officer throughout his service."

A rather disturbed looks flits across the General's face, though he quickly stifles it. "In addition, we're going to be placing him not only under your care, but enrolling him in Ashford Academy. Social skills don't simply stem from familial areas, and we intend to do everything we can to stop this time-bomb from ticking down."

Karl, Elfriede

"Oh," She exclaims, blushing slightly. Stupid, She chastises herself. I haven't even told them my name.

"I'm Sakura, Sakura Minami Soryu," She smiles. "Nice to meet you, if under rather poor circumstances."

Her face becomes puzzled for a moment at the name-drop, but then smooths over again. "I'm guessing you mean that Evangelion that destroyed those towns," She seems sad. "You guys destroyed it, right? That's what the Council and Syndicate's been telling everybody."

Jacob, Asahino

As he leaves the room, Ashirei following, the technician from before, Kensuke, runs up to the two. "Hey, you two," He says rather affably, scratching his head. "The Vice Commander told me to tell you two to head to the exit lobby, on the first floor. He said something about a trip downtown..." The man seems disturbed, and both Ashirei and Hoffman know why.

'Downtown' was code-speak for 'shantytown' in HQ. All around the base of Mt. Fuji, dozens of smalls settlements were being kept under vague order by the over-stretched JSSDF forces, filled to the brim with multitudes of returnees from the Red Sea. Food and water were highly prized resources in Japan, and the sheer lack of it across the nation made certain there was no comparative shortage of starvation rates. Those kinds of towns were known for being prolonged death havens, especially if one lived outside of the few repaired buildings. Exposure was a horrible, common way to go.

If the Vice Commander was taking them down the mountain...

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl gets a stupid grin on his face. "Hey, any circumstance is a good circumstance when Karl Flair is in the house." He gives her the finger guns and a wink.

Karl raised an eyebrow at the news. He didn't expect it to be told that way. He sits up, scratching his head a bit. "Yeah, we did defeat that thing..." He looks off to the side, towards Sakura's direction. "But they're wrong about that. There is no way in hell that thing is an EVA. I know what a 200-ton hunk of badass and iron is like. That...that thing didn't look or act like any EVA I've ever even heard about." Karl runs his hand through his bleached hair. He looks distant.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore folded his arms, and gave the general a sincere, doubting look. "I'll do what's best for Nathan... by extension, I believe that is what will be best for the NAU. I'd like to see the records of what these previous officers have attempted... somehow, I get the feeling treating him like a human being hasn't been attempted... sir." Isidore had almost forgotten his place, given the growing casualness of their conversation. He decided the general came with good intentions, even if he was only able to see it through the lens of war. Even when talking about the boy's well-being, he talks about previous officers instead of former homes... Boucher's first instinct was to blame the LPA, to blame whatever wretched things those suicide-bombing terrorists had done or tried to do to the boy. It wasn't particularly logical, but it felt good to blame them, a dangerous, tempting thing. Ninety-seven... Isidore banished the brooding and returned to Nathan.

Isidore wouldn't know if that's where Nathan learned his behavior; by virtue of circumstance, he might be the only one in a position to learn the truth. "I will see to the pilot's care, sir, and ease his transition into the Academy... am I to presume that, aside from official duties pertaining to Blackwatch, I have absolute discretion on how to guide Initiate Worthington?"

[Spartan Altego]

Isidore

"You will," The General nods. "A plane is waiting to take both of you back out to Chicago-4. Once there, you're free to do as you wish for the next week or so while we work on finding the Lance. When we do, you'll be contacted. Dismissed, Captain."

As Isidore exits the room, he finds Nathan sitting rather boredly on a nearby bench down the hall. A few other Blackwatch soldiers are walking by, carrying what appears to be their lunch trays, chatting amicably. They quiet down as they move past the boy, eyes flickering towards him with some mixture of apprehension and repulsion.

The ceiling lights above the Initiate flicker.

Karl

Sakura snickers at Karl's show of bravado, but quiets as she continues, listening intently. Now she seems worried. "It-" She stops, struggling to find the fortitude to ask. "It wasn't an Evangelion? But that's impossible," She says urgently, voice growing. "If it wasn't an EVA, then it would have to have been-!"

Her jaw snaps shut, horror coloring her face. Oh my god... Not here. Not again.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore looked down at the boy, his face hardened to stone. Whether the boy stood to salute his superior was completely up to him. "Initiate, I'm going to debrief you at 0900 hours tomorrow morning to further discuss your performance in Operation Thunderdrome. Until then, we are to depart for Chicago-4. Do you have any questions?"

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl looks at Sakura intently for a moment. She apparently came to a similar conclusion to the one ABBA arrived at before. His mind drifts back to the footage ABBA displayed of the Angels. He figured Anat was some serious business, but with the reactions he's been getting it's looking like there's more to it than he thought.

Karl breaks the bread on the tray in half. He holds one half and gestures over to Elfriede with it, grabbing one of the cups of water as he does so. "Hey could you uh, hand Elfriede her half of the goods? I kinda can't reach over there."

[Lothmar]

Part of him wanted to say something more but 'more what' was the thing that eluded him. Did he want to sound more professional, more personal, strong, opinionated, confident? In the end Jacob had trouble doing more then producing mild and simple 'acknowledgment' to Kensuke that was more of a sound then an actual word.

It was at this moment that he was glad he was still wearing his plugsuit, it regulated body heat well enough and didn't get moist from snow or water which is why he preferred it to the thermal full body underwear. Jacob hated the fact that the people had to suffer like they did, it was perhaps worse because he could easily imagine himself dieing an all too similiar death as many of the people out there if he had not been rescued by the JSSDF forces. Whats worse is that by some strange twist of fate, he was not processed like everyone else into the common masses of society where he would have likely died alone from either starvation or exposure. No instead he was 'kept' and provided for as if he was somehow more important. Sometimes he wished they had found a different child for the position - but he knew that was incredibly irresponsible of him which made him focus even harder on using his position if possible for the betterment of his fellow man.

Jacob would head there, stopping only to get better supplied as he didn't know how long they would be out there or how exposed he intended to dress for it. 'I wonder if I have anything I can spare that I can pocket for giveaways?' He contemplated on the way.

[Julian84]

Nathan glances at the two soldiers before redirecting his attention to his commanding officer, standing and giving a crisp salute.

They were a small part of a greater whole… But still small.

“Understood, sir. No questions, sir.” He replied mechanically.

[babel_matrix]

Isidore stared at Nathan for a moment, measuring his disposition. Chewing the men out in front of a child, even if he was a Child with a capital C, wouldn't do either party much good. After a pause, if only to ensure the General was out of earshot, Captain Boucher raised an eyebrow and took the edge out of his voice. "Not even one? Well, speak up the moment you do. As of right now, you're two things you weren't before: off-duty and..." Isidore hesitated as he tried to find the right way to phrase it. "... living with me. When we get back to Chicago-4, we'll pick up your personal belongings and move them into my home in New Avondale." Isidore visibly hesitated. "I'm not going to pretend these aren't orders. I'll do what I can to make the transition easier, but it looks like you're stuck with me for at least a little while longer."

Isidore walked as he spoke with Nathan. With Isidore walking the halls, the men stopped their childish antics and showed proper respect for a superior officer. Isidore gave them the minimal acknowledgement, always keeping his attention on the Initiate. "I'm really hoping you have some questions by now... Nathan."

[Julian84]

Nathan stares at his commanding officer uncertainly. Living with him…? That’s… Odd. He pondered the sudden turn of events, of having to share living space with this person he barely even knew, but was required by discipline to show respect to…

He was in a conundrum. Off-duty was one thing… But it was most likely a test, another blackwatch scheme to get Nathan to do… Something. He never understood what they were looking for with their little games, he assumed they were just trying to break him to build him up as a better soldier, a more efficient killer.

But this one seemed different, alien to Nathan. He did not act like most officers did, he was quiet and reserved.

He also did not seem happy with the news either, reluctantly taking Nathan on as a ward because he had to. Not that Nathan took offense to this, but he surmised there would be tensions between them if this… Captain Boucher… was unwilling to harbor the boy.

No matter, He decided, settling his thoughts. This is one more detail of duty, nothing more.

“No sir, no questions.”

[babel_matrix]

Isidore waved his hand in front of his face, an old gesture from the world forgotten, as if waving away the mist of Nathan's words. "None of those formalities when we're off-duty, Nathan. I'm not sir and you're not Initiate, at least not off-duty... I'm still your guardian, of course, but just call me..." Captain Boucher waved his hand in the air, yet another gesture that was completely unlike him. A pair of soldiers standing at the door in front of them were noticeably confused by the sight, one even raising his eyebrows as he tried his best to remain stoic. They shot their salutes up. "At ease, gentlemen."

The Florida air hit them long before they actually got to the front doors, the entire ground floor already as humid as the ruined remains of the Everglades to the southwest. Despite this, opening those double doors was like walking into a breathable ocean: salty, moist and exceedingly uncomfortable to breathe. "Well, my name is Isidore, so you can just call me that... or some variation. Whatever you want, really." How did you instruct someone to be normal? Not by saying that, certainly.

[Julian84]

Nathan blinked. Now he really didn’t know what to do, and it made him rather uncomfortable. What was with this person? Why was he trying to be… Friendly? Nathan tossed the term around, not sure if it was the correct one. What was the point? Had they ordered him to be nice to Nathan? Why bother, he was their tool one way or another, a very efficient and useful tool, to be sure.

He didn’t need anyone to be nice to him.

“Just Captain Boucher will suit me… Captain.” He replied, eyes straight ahead. “I… Suppose you can refer to me by my given name-”

I See You

KILLPAINDROWNOCEANRAGERAGERAGEKILLNATHANKILL

He breathed in slowly, clenching his fists and feeling very alone, very… Scared.

There was still something else out there. Had he remembered to tell them about that? Was it just his imagination? What could have possibly spoken to him in a voice so… Other?

“… Nathan will do fine, Mr. Boucher. My apologies, discipline and respect have always been core tenets of my time with the Blackwatch.”

[babel_matrix]

Isidore didn't register the pause, or even the hiss from between Nathan's lips. He had waved down a Hummer bound for their destination, and had spent those precious seconds checking with the drivers to confirm their destination. Turning around when the episode had already come and gone, Isidore nodded solemnly at Nathan's explanation. "Don't get me wrong: those tenets have tremendous value. They've erected and destroyed nations throughout history... it's just worth remembering that they have done so both from within as well as without, especially when certain people forgot to live beyond them."

Isidore lifted a single, thick boot onto the truck's chassis and lifted himself into its back seats. His gloved hand reached back to help Nathan into the cab. "C'mon; they're not going to hold the plane just for us." Well, that was technically not true, but Isidore despised a lack of punctuality. A man had to keep excellent time for himself, of himself, by himself. It is what a man does.

[Julian84]

Nathan absorbs this new information quietly. “I see.” He replied, taking Isidore’s hand and pulling himself into the vehicle.

“Would you say that is why the world is in its present state?” He asks, staring at his new guardian. “Because of those who could not live past their core tenets? … Or those who failed to keep them.”

[babel_matrix]

The question brought the echoes of the past to Boucher. As the truck rumbled away from the makeshift camp, Isidore thought about those days before Third Impact, before... everything that happened to him. Back then, it seemed the United Nations had grown out of control with its new-found military might, drinking deeply from its smallest members until most of the developing nations were driven to riots and starvation. It was duty that made that world, but it also answered the Angelic threat, something mankind had finally overcome. The world, as it was now, had little to do with Angels. The catalyst had been defined, albeit roughly, in the classified records he himself had uncovered from the old NERV installation where he was posted prior to Third Impact.

Without looking at the young pilot, Isidore replied, "No... this new world was given to us... because that boy never knew the worth of the old one."

[Nexaduro]

Elfriede rubs her arm across her face one last time, and reaches over to grab the bread and her cup of water.

"Don't use his name. Anat's, I mean. He doesn't deserve to be remembered as anything but another victory."

She takes a sip from the glass and brushes her hair back, showing a face red from crying. She turns to smile sadly at Sakura.

"Besides, what sort of name is that, for an Angel?"

[Julian84]

The value of the old world? Nathan wondered. How… Interesting…

He paused, weighing the statement, reflecting on it. I know nothing of that world, of that life. For all I know, I was born of the raging seas of LCL. It is a worthless concept to me, that prior life. It cannot be brought back.

But this world? It had what he treasured, if such a thing could be said of him, for he did not think of things as people normally did. A nation he would uphold, a mission he would fulfill, an evangelion he would command… This world was a world of value, he decided.

He paused again. I wonder what that other boy thought of his world, I wonder if he had anything he valued, anything worth… Keeping the way it was. ‘Protecting?’, an errant thought flashed through his mind. What could have been so horrible he gave up on his mission?

“I see.” Nathan replied. “Perhaps he was not a good soldier.”

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl looks over towards Elfriede when she finally speaks up. "You too, huh?" Someone finally out and out said it. At the moment, it made sense. "Doesn't matter anyways." Karl plants his fist into his palm. "I'm gonna kick its ass either way! And any more that show up like it."

Karl grins like a fool. At that moment there was no doubt that what he said was true. Now if only the nurse would have such confidence in his statements...

[Spartan Altego]

Karl, Elfriede

Angel.

The magic word had been said, and Sakura suddenly found it rather hard to stand. She sits on the edge of Karl's bed, hands trembling ever so slightly. The word echoed through her ears, refusing to be quieted, refusing to be silent.

Angel. Angel. Angel.

Damn it, She seethes. Why can't these things just stay dead? Haven't they done enough harm as it is?

A sort of black amusement arises inside her stomach as she pauses, a thought coming to her. A dark smirk flits across her face, eyes tinged with a small sadness as she mutters. "The Angels are back, huh? Well, it's not like I've got much to lose this time around. My family's-"

She's hanging from the loose end of the rope, swinging back and forth without sound. She moves so slowly, ever so gently, as if being pushed by some invisible hand. The doll, scruffy black hair glued on, sits beneath. It's blue eyes stare back at her accusingly.

Sakura's throat swells up, choking with the upsurge of absolute horror. A small, trembling word escapes her lips.

"Asuka?"

Sakura pauses, the words choking off. What the hell was she doing? These kids weren't interested in hearing her sob stories. God knows everybody's lost something from Third Impact, She muses. I tell them my sister died, they'll tell me their parents were murdered. There's always someone who's had it worse. Stop looking for pity.

"Gone."

She shakes her head, brightening slightly. "Anyways," She says, standing up. "There were some military folks here earlier who wanted to chat with you once you woke up, so I should go tell the boss you're up and..." She stops, looking them over. "Well, not up and about, per se, but close enough."

She heads out of the room, her smile dropping as the door closes behind her.

Silence.

[Nexaduro]

Elfriede closes her eyes and grins, chuckling slightly.

"Nothing like flustering the civvies to calm a quaking heart. Can't let them forget our importance."

She absentmindedly scratches her arm, quickly drawing back her hand at the pain that follows. She lays back in her bed with a sigh, staring at the ceiling.

"It's gonna suck, dealing with this arm. Think I could borrow one of your guns for target practice later? All mine are left-handed."

[InyutheBeatIs]

Karl watches Sakura as she leaves. He grins along with Elfriede, placing his hand behind his head and laying back down. "Eh, I guess so. They better not be forgetting my importance anyways." At the talk of guns, Karl waves his hand in the air. "Yeah sure. If you're gonna use Dorothy though, make sure you take care of her, ya hear?" By Dorothy, Karl is referring to his own personal machine gun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheinmetall_MG3), which thankfully for the rest of the world is a thing he rarely uses. It's also more than likely kept in a sealed vault guarded by the Red Syndicate's finest. One can never be too careful when Karl's part of the equation.

"Hey, speaking of quaking hearts or whatever, you know what helps with that? Cars smashing into one another. After this I am so gonna head down to the derby and wreck up the place. Wanna come with?"

[Nexaduro]

"Nah, just a pistol will be fine..."

Elfriede nods to the derby idea.

"We'll grab it on the way out. Along with a sling and some proper clothes, preferably. I don't think I'll be driving at all with my arm like this, but someone's got to keep watch on you."

[Spartan Altego]

Isidore, Nathan

GRMM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTKLUpyiAWU)

After six long hours of flight on a plane, exacerbated by the rigid, rough chairs provided and minor turbulence, Captain Boucher and Worthington finally arrived in the shining, fortified expanses of Chicago-4. A quick exit from the airport, followed by a small wait as Isidore's car was retrieved, and the two smoothly drove off from military life back into the alien expanses of normality.

Chicago-4, the pinnacle of the North American Union. Fully reconstructed from the ruins of old Chicago-3, the city boasted, among other things, towering skyscrapers the likes of which even Pre-Impact Chicago would never have managed to dream of. Smoothly paved roads. Restaurants. Baseball fields. Fully functional 24/7 electrical plants, heating, even clean running water for all faucets. Standard Pre-Impact necessities, ridiculously luxurious Post-Impact.

People roam the streets, dressed in freshly washed clothes or slightly worn ones, depending on their chosen activities, basking in the warm glow of the sunlight. Blackwatch cars patrol the streets and pass by every so often as they cruise, white paint job and black spider logo cluing them in to the omnipresent force lingering within the tinted windows. Many strange looks are thrown in the general direction of the old Volkswagon as it passes, possibly due to the visually appalling nature of it's fresh coat of lime green paint. Or, for those with sharper eyes than most in the mills of passerbys, the equally hideous lemon yellow interior.

These stares are paid no mind by the driver as he expertly handles his old beast of a car into the driveway of his home, pulling up quietly.

[babel_matrix]

The sun was not very welcome on this drive.

Captain Boucher winced as it peaked from behind a passing skyscraper, his discomfort hidden behind reflective sunglasses. They also did well to hide the bags under his eyes. Three hours of sleep on a delayed flight is just going to have to cut it... The 1999 Volkswagen Beetle responded well to the cranky, audible turns of the steering wheel. Despite the hideous state of the rest of the car, that one piece was incredibly well-maintained: made of polished chrome, it was a hand-crafted wheel that bore a golden seal from the long-defunct U.S. Marines Corps from before Nathan's time.

Nathan's personal belongings rattled in the back and in the limited trunk space of Isidore's most prized possession. On the plane, prior to Isidore dozing off, he had ordered the movers to his house, intent on getting his and his wife's office emptied out and put into the living room. Desperate to break the silence, and perhaps waylay any fears that the sputtering, rattling noise of the engine created, Isidore cleared his throat. "We're clearing out the office space for your bedroom. It's actually got the best view in the house, and it's pretty spacious too; about the size of the master bedroom. Medina--" Oh... Medina. He hadn't called her yet. She got an e-mail from him about the situation, but he already knew that wasn't going to suffice once the moving company came by, complete with a Blackwatch escort to scan and search the furniture for traps.

And then their house for traps. Potentially an interview with Medina, just to be safe. That's... not going to go down well. Isidore's pause continued to hang in the air as he drove around a homeless-looking man who sauntered into the street. A Blackwatch patrol was could be seen in the rear-view mirror-- there to arrest the homeless man.

As the vagrant was quickly wrestled into the opaque vehicle, the condominium tower came into view: twelve stories tall and painted a dull combination of white and beige, it neighbored three similar buildings that formed the Four Towers community. The guards at the underground, parking lot gate were armed with nightsticks and tasers, both devices secured to their belts as they smiled at the incoming monstrosity that was Isidore's car.

[Fearan]

-Well, let's just hope he won't lose us there - it would be a pity if CMJ's war machines were left without pilots - Shirei answered in a half-joking tone. Acknowledged, moving - he added, while following Jacob to...whatever place he thought the Vice-Commander was in.
Oh, well, so this is not gonna end in one blah-blah-blah report. - he thought, moving through corridors of NERV I wonder, if it will be further questioning, or something else.

[Julian84]

Nathan allowed himself a small, cheery smile as they drove through Chicago-4. He enjoyed his home, the pinnacle of human power in the world, unmatched and beautiful to him. Here, the NAU was perfectly embodied, an efficient machine that would restore order to the whole world.

As they parked, he gazed at the house with a degree of wonder, curious about his new lodgings. “I am fine as long as I have a bed.” He pulls on his collar. “Though I would appreciate a bath, admittedly.”

[InyutheBeatIs]

"Hell yeah man!" Karl says approvingly, giving a quick thumbs up before he digs into his half of the bread.

Karl frowns a bit at Elfriede's last comment. "Man Elfriede, you sound like you think you're my mother or something." He said, not bothering to swallow the food he was eating first. He keeps on chewing for a while. "You know, I hear this time they're gonna put up a grudge match. Winner gets to challenge The Compressor."