"Damn it," Rei scowled as the massive ship's hull blossomed in
flames. Before she could get her Evangelion fighter around the three
Angels had disappeared into the ship itself.
"We've got to go in after them," Shinji's voice was intense,
"they could break through all the way to the city!"
Ritsuko's face appeared on their communications screens. "It
appears there are no other Angels with the attacking force," the blonde
commander said crisply, "we can handle things out here. Use all means
necessary to stop them, the ship might depend on it."
"Got it," Rei swept the plane around in a tight circle, Shinji
right behind her as they dove into the gap. The hole was easily large
enough for the fighters, with more holes visible ahead of them as the
Angels forced their way forward.
"Do you have a plan?" Shinji asked as he saw her shift her
fighter to it's humanoid mode, the EVA. He pulled down the matching
lever on his own controls, skimming along on boot thrusters as they
rushed forward together.
"Find them and stop them," Rei answered him simply, "hopefully
without doing too much damage to the ship in the process."
"Gee, great plan," Shinji muttered, his short brown hair falling
into his eyes, "it's times like this I wish Asuka was here."
Thoom!
Asuka was spilled out of her hospital bed, crying out in pain.
"Damn it," she growled, "what the hell is happening out there?" With
some awkwardness she pulled herself to her feet, staggering over to the
window.
The city outside looked deceptively calm, mostly because the
people had been evacuated to the shelters at the first signs of attack.
'Too bad this hospital is fortified,' Asuka mused, 'or else I might have
been evacuated too.'
"Hope those two are doing all right," Asuka sighed, pushing her
mane of orange hair back from her face as she stumbled over to her bed.
The EVA's skimmed down the long passageway, only to jerk
backwards as weapons fire zinged by them. "They left one behind to slow
us down," Rei noted, peeking around the corner carefully at the figure
blocking the hallway.
"How is it placed?" Shinji asked, "I might be able to nail it."
"It's partially shielded by debris," Rei ducked back to avoid
another burst of the Angel's weapons. "There isn't a clear shot."
"We've got to get by it," Shinji said softly, his expression
clearly frustrated, "they could be in the city itself by now."
"Fine," Rei's voice had an odd calmness to it, the short blue
hair falling down into those odd looking scarlet eyes, all a gift of her
exposure to raw Robotechnology. "I've got a plan," she said, "get ready
to fire when I give the cue."
"Right," Shinji nodded.
Rei used her EVA to step right out into the hallway,
deliberately exposing herself to the enemy's fire. The Angel took the
shot, exposing itself as it fired on her. As the first bullets were
hammering into the breastplate she growled, "GO!"
Shinji used Rei's EVA for cover as he opened fire, blasting the
Angel dead center with explosive shells. It flamed out even as Rei fell
backwards, he barely catching her. "Rei," he yelled over the
communicator, "are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Rei gave him a grin, "the EVA's breastplate is
designed to take a few hits." She shrugged, "I'll just have to make sure
I don't get hit there later."
"You're insane," Shinji blinked as they began to move down the
hallway.
"No," Rei shook her head, "I'm just willing to do whatever it
takes to get the job done." The ground shook under them and her face
went grim, "Sounds like they've broken through the inner armor and
reached the city."
With a burst of speed they both rocketed forward, emerging
through the inner layer of the ship's armor, and out into the city of
Macross itself. The artificial blue sky around them shone as the
buildings stretched out below them.
"Where are they?" Shinji growled.
"There!" Rei cried, swooping down after the two Angel mechs.
Asuka heard a rumble, walking forward to her window to see what
might be causing it. "Holy shit," she muttered as the two Angels skimmed
right by her third story window, the backwash from their thrusters
shattering the window and sending glass flying. Ducking behind her bed
Asuka avoided the hail of glass, but barely.
"If the Angels are here," Asuka murmured, feeling a sudden surge
of despair race through her, "we're in a lot of trouble."
A glint of light caught her eye, and Asuka looked up only to
break into a sudden grin. The twin EVAs dropped down from the sun to
follow the Angels in, shining in the artificial sunlight even though one
was damaged. The skull and crossbones and blue edged EVAs swept by her
wrecked window, and Asuka felt like cheering.
"Kick their asses, you two!" Asuka yelled, waving her arm with a
grin.
Mirya scowled, her Angel skimming along the ground. Whatever she
had been expecting to find in the ship's interior, this wasn't it. 'This
is so wasteful,' she thought, scanning her surroundings, 'where are the
weapons factories? The protoculture?' Instead, buildings and other
structures filled the interior, an artificial sky above them.
"Ma'am," her fellow Angel's image appeared in front of her, "the
EVAs have broken through our guard. One seems to have been damaged in
the process, though."
Mirya brought her rear scanners up, the image of both EVAs
appearing before her. Indeed, one of the EVAs was smoking from the
breastplate, moving a bit hesitantly. "This gives us an opportunity,"
Mirya said firmly.
"We can defeat them now, while they're weakened," the other
pilot agreed thoughtfully, her hands tightening a bit on her controls.
"Then you take the damaged one, Alina," Mirya smiled a feral
smile, a dangerous eagerness in her eyes, "the blue one is mine."
Rei smiled to herself grimly as the Angels slowed to a stop,
turning around to face them. She slowed her EVA as they neared each
other, watching the two powerful humanoid mechs. "Shinji," she said,
"this is going to be one on one, so watch yourself."
Ritsuko's voice came over the communication's system, "We'll
open up an access path to the exterior, try to force the Angels out of
the ship."
"Got it," Shinji replied. "It looks like you were right about
what they were going to do," he quietly said to Rei. He paused, "How did
you know?"
"Just thought about what I'd do," Rei answered as an Angel raced
a her. "See you later," and with that she cut communications.
Shinji didn't have much time to process that remark as the other
angel went right for him. There was something almost familiar about the
way that it moved, the painted markings that were etched on the armor.
Even as it opened fire he went up and over the streams of energy,
ducking down behind a building for cover.
"Mirya," Shinji remembered the name.
Boot jets flaring he came around the corner, Shinji's weapon
blazing as he tossed bursts of bullets at it. The Angel anticipated the
attack, weaving aside, and Shinji felt himself grinning. This was going
to be one hell of a fight. Using the buildings for cover they fought
back and forth, neither one able to gain an advantage.
Mirya felt her frustration rising as they fought through the
deserted streets of Macross city. 'I am the greatest ace of the fleet,'
she thought furiously, 'the best of the Angel corps, and I cannot defeat
him? It's impossible!'
She scanned around her wildly, trying to see where her enemy was
hiding. Mirya nearly jumped as the other blue EVA came around a corner,
standing there calmly. Instead of firing it began to walk towards her
position, cannon at the side.
'He's mad,' Mirya mused even as she stepped out from the
concealment to walk towards him. She activated her communicator, just
sending her voice, "At short range, we'll likely both die."
Shinji smiled slightly, "Maybe so." He kept his EVA walking as
the enemy Angel moved towards him, thinking, 'If only my Dad could see
me now.'
There was a flare of light and an explosion off to the side. 'I
wonder which fell, Alina or her opponent?' Mirya thought, her green hair
falling into her eyes as she kept walking. Part of her so wanted to open
fire, but she would face this challenge.
'She's good,' Shinji thought. They grew closer and closer, and
he could feel the urge to fire, to end this contest of nerve. Another
step, and...
.. the communicator crackled to life, Rei's voice determined,
"I'm inbound, ten seconds."
Mirya saw the other fighter coming, then she gave a weighing
glance to the other pilot. "Not today, it seems," and she activated her
thrusters, moving at top speed towards the now wide open access hatch to
the outside world.
"Intercept her," Shinji yelled as he rocketed after her,
shifting to the fighter mode.
"Bad angle," Rei answered tersely, trying to catch up with the
Angel, firing her afterburners. The Angel slipped out the hatch,
disappearing off into the blue sky.
"Guess we'll have to see who's better next time," Shinji sighed
out softly, feeling oddly disappointed, somehow.
"I saw that little gunfight you were pulling," Rei's dry voice
said, "and you call me crazy."
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