She turned around to the main screen and her eyes widened. “Rei?” she asked softly, a slight yelp of disbelief.

Hyuga, Ayobi, and Maya sat upright and reactivated their consoles as Ritsuko stood up against another, near Maya. Kaji pulled himself off the floor and shook the fog out of his head. “How did the Angel do that?” he asked as he turned back around.

Ayobi shook his head. “Sensors can’t identify the energy pattern it used.”

“The target has shifted forms and from the recorders we had set up, they’ve been fighting for about three minutes,” Hyuga reported.

“Open the comm, get us back to operational status now! Maya, check on all the pilots, see who needs medical attention and how soon,” Misato ordered quickly.

“Comm reactivated,” Hyuga replied shortly thereafter.

Misato keyed it and leaned down. “Rei, how are you?” she asked quickly.

“Well,” Rei answered calmly. “Are the other pilots safe?” she asked.

Misato smiled faintly despite the situation and looked over at Maya, who gave a quick nod. “They’re starting to wake up,” Misato answered.

“…Thank you… Miss Katsuragi?”

“Yes, Rei?”

“I am sorry I could not prevent the damage,” Rei apologized softly as she and Angel continued to face off.

“Don’t worry about it, Rei. Just be careful, alright?”

“Yes,” she responded calmly.

Amid the wreckage of the city itself, Unit 01 reached up with its right arm and pulled itself up from the ground using a building as Unit 02 crawled up to its hands and knees before standing up slowly nearby.

“Great, now I’m sore,” Asuka complained dryly. Upon looking around she was quickly humbled. “What happened?” she asked in mild shock.

Shinji shook his head as he looked up at the Angel and Unit 00. “Look at the Angel!” he said urgently, Unit 01 pointing.

Asuka looked up and her face sank. “Oh great, the one time little miss wonder-girl’s abilities would come in handy and she doesn’t win.”

“And I’m sure you would have, Asuka,” Cirus’ hoarse voice replied over the comm.

Asuka looked up in the distance and saw Unit 14 slowly stand upright. That, combined with the fact that Cirus had chosen a sound only communication, bothered Asuka.

“All Units, regroup and prepare to counter attack,” Misato’s voice ordered calmly over the comm.

More of you come to play.

Everyone looked up in shock at the Angel, having sensed the origin of the mental voice.

“It is communicating with us?” Fuyutsuki asked in slight disbelief.

“The seventeenth Angel was a human in form, Fuyutsuki, it was only a matter of time before one appeared with our level of intelligence, assuming they don’t all have it,” Ikari responded calmly.

“I’m sending you all new weapons, go to the nearest weapon pick-up points,” Misato ordered over the comm, dismissing her shock.

Unit 02 pulled two rifles from nearby pick-up points, Unit 01 took an axe from another, and Unit 14 picked up its sword from the ground.

Cirus, his face calm, looked straight toward the Angel. No one looking at his face would have known the anger seething inside him. Blind fury filled him, fury that he hadn’t been able to protect Rei. She was strong, so she had defended herself of course, but he had still failed.

A private comm line activated a comm window to his right and Misato’s face appeared in it. “Rei thinks you’re doing just fine,” she said soberly.

“…Thank you, Major,” Cirus replied. He was sincerely appreciative, but the control he was using to keep his rage in check was blocking out all emotion from appearing on his face.

“Cirus, I want to you to return to the cage. I’ll tell the others your Eva is just too damaged to-"

“No,” Cirus cut her off with a cool tone.

“Cirus,” Misato whispered harshly into the comm. “Your nerve centers can’t take pain like that for much longer without causing serious damage! I’m ordering you to fall back now,” she said firmly.

Misato saw Cirus’ hand reach over the screen before it filled with static. She looked up at the main screen with a sinking face. You idiot! G’d, don’t do this, Cirus. Don’t make her lose you like this.

The Angel then attracted everyone’s attention once more by slowly turning its gaze to Unit 14. You are the one, then? You do have quite a hold on this one, as the voice drifted into his mind, Cirus saw it gesture to Unit 00.

Unit 14 bowed its head, glaring at the Angel quite well in spite of the emotionless façade. Cirus eyes focused on a small sparkle he saw amidst the charred metal between him and the Angel. It was the other sword. Cirus, still quite calm outwardly, looked back up at the Angel. Do I?

Oh yes, you do. The very thought of you betraying her caused her to collapse.

Cirus’ face curled into a glare as he bared his own teeth at the Angel. Unit 14 sprang forward, landing at a sprint as it flashed along the ground. It reached out with one hand as it ran by the other sword and stamped one foot into the ground as he moved, kicking the sword up into the air hilt first. Unit 14 spun around with a hop, catching the blade and soaring through the air as he spun like a deadly dervish, both swords out.

The Angel reared up and lunged out with its mighty blade. Unit 14 stopped spinning instantly and batted the lunge away to the left with both of its swords before landing and slashing at the Angel’s body three times. The Angel stepped back and brought it sword down on Unit 14. The Eva dodged to the side and drove one of its blades into the Angel’s powerful arm. Blood seeped out from both wounds, as the sword had run the arm through, but the Angel was unfazed. It raised the same arm up with its sword, pulling Unit 14 up with it by the blade before gripping the Eva with its other hand and yanking it away from its arm. Unit 14 spun itself free of the Angel’s grip, and slashed out at its torso with a barrage of split-second attacks. The Angel just pulled its sword in and both of Unit 14’s blades were blocked at the same moment before the Angel balled its fist, and slammed it into Unit 14’s mid-section.

“Cirus, get away!” Rei said urgently over the comm as Unit 00 ran around the Angel to join Unit 14.

The Angel instantly brought its sword up, over, and down at Unit 00. Rei dove back, but the sword would still hit, it was too long. Unit 00 started to roll, but the sword never reached her. Rei looked up just in time to see Unit 14, blocking with one of its swords, take the catastrophic attack. The Eva’s sword blade shattered like glass, and the Angel’s blade drove down through Unit 14’s torso until it was sticking through the mid-section, completely cleaving the left side the Eva’s body away save for the hip. Blood exploded from the wound, spraying the Angel and the rest of the Eva’s body.

Rei looked up in mute shock at the horrific sight as the blood ran down the Eva’s legs and flowed out over the ground.

Maya looked away from her screen and raised a handkerchief to her mouth. Even Hyuga and Ayobi looked up in horrified fascination.

“My G’d… did he survive that?” Ayobi asked.

Kaji stepped forward, looking up at the view with tightened eyes.

Misato flinched with Unit 14’s eyes flashed and both arms gripped the hilt, holding it in place.

“He must have,” Hyuga answered finally with a loud swallow.

“What is the pilot’s status?” Ikari asked calmly.

Maya turned back to her screen with a noticeably more pale face than before. “…He is alive, Commander, but… I… I’m not sure how much more he can handle.”

“Has he gone insane?” Ritsuko asked softly.

A comm window opened with Cirus’ face on it. His expression was calm, but his jaw was clenched tightly. He slowly opened his mouth. “…Major Katsuragi,” his extremely hoarse voice called out slowly, “would… would you be so kind as to… use this distraction?”

Misato slammed open the comm control. “Asuka, Shinji, Rei, open fire! Destroy that Angel now!”

Asuka let rip with both of her rifles, charging forward with an enraged scream as her Eva’s eyes blazed and the headpiece split open. Unit 01 ran forward at extraordinary speed, twirling the axe in one hand as it did so. Shinji let out his own battle cry as he swung the blade into the Angel’s back with extreme prejudice.

The Angel was unmoved in spite of the ferocity of their attacks and calmly looked down at Unit 14. The Eva had lost so much blood it probably couldn’t heal.

Suddenly Unit 00 leapt onto the Angel’s arm, and stabbed its knife into it. The Angel turned its head to her, and the eyes began to glow brightly. A white flash distracted them both and they looked down just in time to see Unit 14 drive its right forearm blade into the Angel’s arm as deeply as it would go. The Angel roared and unleashed the blast from its eyes, this time a continuous stream instead of a cross-explosion.

“No!” Rei shouted as Unit 00 leapt off toward Unit 14, hands out stretched, but the Eva was hit by the immensely powerful attack, literally ramming it off the massive sword and sending it flailing about into the air with a fast spin. Blood rained down from the Eva before it crashed into a building and didn’t move.

Unit 00 landed on its haunches and Rei looked up with wide eyes at the sight of Unit 14.

Misato looked on with a similar expression on her face. “… Is he dead?”

Ritsuko had dismissed Maya with a touch on the shoulder and had taken over for the younger woman. “No… but I wouldn’t call him alive.”

“How badly is he hurt?” Kaji asked.

“Well, the Eva has lost all of the armor on the right side of its upper torso, and then you saw the sword wound,” Ritsuko answered.

“What about him?” Misato reemphasized.

“…There’s too much sensory data to actually tell.”

“What the hell does that mean?!” Misato asked angrily as she whirled around.

“There’s too much pain there to tell what is causing it,” Hyuga answered for Ritsuko.

Misato looked back up the screen as the Angel stood back upright. Unit 01 and Unit 02 had backed away, realizing there was no point in their attacks. Unit 00 was still in the exact same spot however. “Rei, you have to get away from the Angel. That’s an order, Rei,” Misato said firmly.

Rei couldn’t hear her. Tears were running down her face as she looked at the sight of the torn asunder Unit 14. She could see the entry plug still inside the body.

Mmm, guess he couldn’t take the heat.

Rei spun around, Unit 00 rising up fiercely. Her AT field focused around her Eva’s hand and she charged forward with a scream of anger a she slammed the fist into the Angel’s sword. Phase changes rippled through the air from the impact, but neither of the two objects moved an inch. Rei looked up along the Angel’s arm and saw both Unit 14’s blade and her knife still lodged in it. The forearm blade had been torn out of its arm upon impact. Rei closed her eyes against the thought of how painful that had been, and how much pain he was in.

“I won’t let you hurt him again,” she said firmly and then Unit 00 leapt up, around the sword blade and landing on the Angel’s arm, It reached out and gripped both blades with its hands before yanking them out and leaping for the Angel’s head. Its eyes started to glow as she flew higher. Rei’s brow creased and struck out with both blades. Unit 00 drove Unit 14’s blade into the Angel’s neck, spraying blood from the wound before driving her own knife straight through one of its eyes and then holding on. The Angel reached up with its other arm and grabbed Unit 00 around the waist before squeezing violently. Rei gasped and choked as the air rushed out her lungs and her mid-section surged with pain. She let go of the two blades and clutched her mid-section, causing Unit 00 to fall down into the Angel’s grip. It drove the talons into Unit 00’s stomach area, spraying blood out from the small wound.

Rei gasped weakly again, her frame shivering and her breath only coming in quivering gasps as the Angel let her drop.

Rei coughed violently for a few moments after her Eva hit the ground and the Angel stumbled back. Her ribs were in excruciating pain and she was sick to her stomach from the synch of the stab wounds. Tears ran from her eyes because of the pain as she reached out with one arm to try and stand her Eva back up.

She heard someone shout something over the comm, but couldn’t focus her mind enough to hear the words as she tried to stand up. She was suddenly hefted up and quickly dragged away from the Angel. She looked up and saw Units 01 and 02 pulling her to safety as the Angel writhed back where she had been.

She looked on and watched the Angel pull it wings in and make them turn back into black liquid. Its body swirled as a single massive blob before starting to change shape once more. An elongated mask-face ripped out of the black liquid and the mouth opened to let out a roar of anger. It very much resembled a canine skull, but seemed to be made of metal. And then the body solidified into a quadrapedal beast with a long whip-like tail and writhing tendrils on its back like fur.

You will die now, you treacherous witch! the mind voice roared angrily.

Rei drew Unit 00 upright between Units 01 and 02 with Unit 14 still lying in the same position just a few hundred meters behind them.

“Miss Misato, what should we do?” Shinji asked.

“I’m working on it, Shinji,” Misato’s reply came back quietly.

Asuka activated her comm and looked down at Misato. “Can you get the positron rifle up here?”

“Yes, go to lift nine,” Misato answered quickly.

Unit 02 broke away from Units 01 and 00, and quickly ran to the right. A building opened up as she approached and Unit 02 pulled the large cannon out, locking it into place on its shoulder and activating it. “I’m locked and loaded,” Asuka reported, turning her attention to the Angel.

“If you can, destroy it,” Misato replied.

Unit 02 reared back on its left leg and held the positron rifle out firmly before opening fire. Each blast it released sent a shudder through the Eva and the air around the barrel as the large orbs of violent energy ripped through the air toward the Angel.

The Angel nimbly sprang into action. It leapt to the right just as the first blast hit, exploding up into the air as the Angel started to charge the Eva at incredible speed. It dodged another blast by leaping up to a building and shoving off toward Unit 02. Almost as though it were still liquid, a deft motion pulled the beast out of the path of every shot, using each one to advance itself further.

“Just stand still!” Asuka shouted in frustration as the Angel grew closer.

It leapt into the air, diving down at her with both fore-claws. Unit 02 pulled the rifle up and opened fire again. The Angel pivoted to the side and landed below the Eva’s gun, swiping at the Eva’s mid-section powerfully. The impact sent Unit 02 flying into a large building behind it with shattering force. “Ugh, he’s too fast,” she reported as Unit 02 pulled itself up from the attack.

The Angel had already turned and was bounding toward Units 00 and 01.

“Ayanami, run behind me and gain some distance, I’ll keep him busy!” Shinji said quickly as Unit 01 spun its axe like a rotary blade, finally gripping the handle under its left arm and charging the Angel.

Unit 00 quickly sprinted to its left and the Angel’s right, away from Unit 14 and out into the already wrecked section of the city.

The Angel came to a sudden halt as Unit 01 reached it, spinning its axe out as before and then bringing it in from the side with both hands in a powerful arc, the pilot audibly straining himself with exertion.

The Angel’s mouth flared open and it roared as it curved its body away from Unit 01 and stepped to the side away from the Eva. Unit 01 was relentless however, and struck out again and again, finally driving the axe-blade into the top of the Angel’s right flank. The Angel roared angrily again, and pulled its right arm back before swiping Unit 01 and its axe away in one powerful swing of its limb. The Eva crashed into the wrecked city and skidded to a halt near Unit 00.

Unit 02 took aim again, but couldn’t fire. The Angel was too close to Unit 14. “We need to get it move away from Unit 14,” she explained over the comm.

“Ignore the Eva, destroy the target,” Ikari’s voice came directly over the comm.

Asuka’s face slackened, but she knew better than to question Ikari directly. “…R…right,” she replied finally and took aim as best as she could at the Angel.

“No,” Rei said quietly and Unit 00 started to charge forward, but Unit 01 grabbed one of its arms and pulled it back.

“No, Ayanami! You’ll only kill the two of you!” he explained as quickly as he could as Unit 00 struggled to get free of his grip.

“I will not let him be killed like this,” Rei replied calmly and Unit 00 broke free of Unit 01’s grip, charging forward once more.

The Angel’s head shot back to Rei’s direction and then it ran to meet her.

Asuka took off in a run to keep the Angel in her sights. She fired off three rounds before veering off to gain distance. Unit 00 stopped and leapt back as the three blasts detonated around the Angel.

“Great shot, Asuka!” Shinji said energetically.

“Is it dead?” Asuka asked back.

Hyuga shook his head before responding over the comm. “No, it’s still there. Let the dust settle.”

It did and the Angel was standing there unharmed, but its sides were moving in and out powerfully, as if it were breathing. It opened its mouth, and pulled its body back on its legs. Red energy, pouring out of its mouth like mist, glowed in its eyes also. It lunged forward, driving its head up into the air with a roar. A spherical blast of red-green energy flew out of its mouth and rose into the air at intense speed. It split into two equally large blasts and then rushed back down to the ground, guiding themselves toward Unit 00 and 01.

The two Evas leapt back and the blasts crashed into the ground. They each exploded with such sheer ferocity that Units 00 and 01 were thrown back and Unit 02 was thrown to the ground as it ran up, two pillars of red-green energy soaring up into the sky, past the dark clouds.

Below the city, the two pillars tore down through the cover and appeared in the Geo-front.

“It went through the entire cover in one hit,” Ayobi reported in subtle awe.

Unit 02 ran up on Unit 00’s left flank before raising its cannon and firing at the Angel. The Angel started to dash at them again, but as it ran and dodged, released another spherical blast into the air before veering off to the side. It flew straight down at the three clustered Evas. Asuka fired at the ball to try and make it detonate prematurely, but she missed as it dodged each of her shots by itself and she looked up with widened eyes. She was about to leap away when Unit 00 flung out its arms, generating a massive AT field in front of the three of them as the blast collided with it. Asuka saw the entire AT field fill with red-green energy as it rushed away from the impact sight in concentric waves.

“My G’d, the sensors can’t even register the power concentration,” Ayobi said in shock as his screen turned red with error messages. “Blasts that size can’t have that much power in them!”

Ritsuko looked down at the power level reading for Rei’s AT field. Incredible… it’s even more powerful than before…

The raging energy torrent finally dispersed and Unit 00 relaxed its AT field, sinking to its knees. Rei breathed deeply in the cockpit, catching her breath from the exertion while trying to ignore the excruciating pain in her ribs. She winced reflexively, but then stood back up.

“Rei, good work, but you’re injured. See if you can fall back to a lift and retreat,” Misato ordered.

“…No.”

The calm, cold determination in the young woman’s voice made Misato let her stay. She looked over at Ritsuko questioningly.

“Five of her ribs are broken and she has abnormally high nerve trauma all over her body, but clustered in her mid-section near her liver especially. She’s in no condition to fight,” her friend finished, looking up at her seriously.

“Please, Rei. This no way to help Cirus,” Misato persisted.

“I will not leave him out here, not like this. Please, Misato, do not make me do this,” Rei replied softly.

Misato sighed and shut off the comm system. “Target status?” she asked after a brief pause.

“It’s just watching the three Evas right now,” Hyuga answered.

Misato looked up at the main screen and saw the Angel about a half-kilometer away from the three operational Evas, pacing back and forth slightly like a hyena waiting for its prey to die of other causes before moving in to feast.