Part 69: Mission 28 - A Broken Promise
Back again, and not much has changed here. I did notice that Kenji’s lagging a wee bit behind on levels, which strikes me as odd.
As for upgrades, the EVA-01 got brought up to 50% and its Squad Bonus is now: Mobility +15, Accuracy +15, A rank on Land, Range +1.
Remaining amount of cash went into giving Alto, Shinn and the Nagahamas a few pips here and there. I reckon I’ll be getting them to 50% next.
Speaking of the EVAs, they’re all deploying as event units today. We’ve 19 slots again, so here’s how we’re going:
Ozma/Luca
Shinn/Domyoji
Daiya/Quatre
Lee/Norza
Kenji/Kyo
Jeeg/Micchi
Voltes/Yanma
Alto/Michel
Combattler/Dick
Kouichi/Puria
Goh/Anna
Tetsuya/Canaria
Yamashita/Rey
Kouji/Yagyuu
Dancouga/Hilde
Iczer-3/Deceive
Ichitaka/Miu
Jack/Duo
Off we go.
Misato’s already arrived, and Makoto’s grateful for her haste. Not like we can expect the Angels to care about what’s convenient for us or not. Regardless, Makoto reports that the 8th Angel has been spotted right outside Earth’s atmosphere. One of NERV’s satellites got a look at the thing and it is positively humongous. Worse, its A.T. Field also seems very strong – enough to warp the light around it.
Misato already knows the answer, but figures she might as well ask: it’s dropping towards NERV, isn’t it? Yes, the MAGI say that’s 99.9999% likely. The SDF tried bombing the Angel with N² Mines, but that did precisely zilch; plus, the distortions it’s causing in space-time around it make taking potshots at it pretty much impossible.
In other words, we can’t push it off course and it’s looking like the Angel itself is one giant bunker buster headed towards us. According to our estimates, when it goes off, it’ll obliterate everything in a 420km diameter, 15km deep: there goes the entirety of Neo Tokyo 3, and Central Dogma’ll be easy pickings.
And what does Gendou have to say about this? He wasn’t present when it all started going down, having been summoned to an urgent meeting. The Angel’s presence is sending EM waves across the upper atmosphere, so we can’t reach the guy.
Seems like Misato and the others will need to handle this on their own, then. She has them get in touch with the Japanese government and order an evacuation of every civilian within an 120km radius.
Misato’s later sitting at the Quarter’s briefing room, still trying to figure out what to do. Goh’s got nothing as well; the thing’s like a giant meteor with an A.T. Field Izuna sighs.
We’ve no way of attacking it head-on, we can’t snipe it down like in Operation Yashima, and not even all those N² Mines did anything. Shinn’s getting worried, and Ichitaka wonders if it really is game over for us. Misato says nothing, but asks that they give her some time to think.
: So, you are saying that if the Angel falls to Earth, it’ll trigger this “Third Impact” and erase all of humanity…?
: That’s RIIiight! However! It is possible LOTUS could IMPEEeeed it! : … In other words, you wish for us to prevent that?: I cannot act overtly just yet… HOWEVER! I can deploy a few forces of my OOoownnnn! : If all goes well, the Cthulhu shall claim Earth with nary an effort. A FIIiine proposal, no?: As you will. I’ll send my troops towards the surface, and I’ll be expecting your reinforcements.: You may count on MEEeee. Today shall mark the final moments of these foolish organics! BRRRUUUAAAaaah! (I want you to know that I did not exaggerate this dialogue in any way, shape or form. Emperor Wakamoto is going all out for this one.)
: Whaat?! You want us to catch it?!
: That’s the best idea you could come up with?!
: It was, yes. An EVA will catch it with its A.T. Field as it comes crashing down. And since we can’t get a precise take on its trajectory, we’ll be deploying all three to better adapt on the spot.: No need. I’ll just wreck that bugger myself.: That’s not going to fly. It’s a wide area where we’re projecting its point of descent – a lone EVA can’t cover all that.
: You’re serious that it’s actually possible to straight-up catch that thing…?
: Wouldn’t you need, like, something way bigger than any of our guys to be able to pull that off?
: In truth, even the MAGI are giving this a 99% chance of failure… Can this plan of yours even be called a strategy?: At least it’s a 1% chance of success.: You’re counting on a miracle. Better we focus on something tangible, like getting Lilith and the #01 to safety. : I’m not “counting” on anything. We’ll be creating our own miracle… with a little something called human determination!
: It does sound like a very dangerous plan… but it’s the only one we’ve got, it seems. 
: Still, I like the idea of making our miracles happen.
: Yeah, you’ve pulled off some crazy stunts before and it all paid off.
: Um… What did she say the chances of success were?: Ah, that’s anyone’s guess, really. : Hmph, deadweight like him’ll just hold me down! I’m all you need to protect mankind!
: Enough with that, Asuka. I’m sure even you can see that that’s not the way…: Asuka, this operation isn’t depending on solo-combat scores. : You’re selling my talents short, eh…: I’m not. But it’ll take all of your combined strength… all of LOTUS’ combined strength to make this miracle happen…!: … Well, you’re the one in charge, so I can’t really say much about this. But I seriously hope you haven’t forgotten how I trashed the previous Angel.
: …
: And what will the rest of us be doing, Col. Katsuragi?: You’ll be on standby in the combat area, just as a precaution.
: Roger that. Go get yourselves ready to deploy, people – make sure everything’s looking good!
Mission 28 – A Broken Promise
Further south…
: This shelter won’t be doing us much good if that Angel falls here, will it? (Hikari)
: Oh, then why do we need to stay here…? If the thing won’t help, then we’d be better off staying outside to watch the EVAs!
: Kick some ass, Shinji! You better save our world!: Are you three ready? We’re still running the numbers on the Angel’s projected point of descent; you’ll need to rush over to it as soon as we have it tagged! : And don’t forget to connect your cables to the power supply buildings near you!: How did you know where to place us?: Call it woman’s intuition. : That sounds reliable…
: Calculations are complete. Displaying the projected point of descent now!
: We can’t rely on secondary data anymore, so any further decisions will have to be made as we go! We’re betting everything on you kids!*Alarm!*
: Detecting several heat sources on rapid approach! It’s!
: Forward, Dilos Thetas! Crush these disgusting humans to dust!
: Like clockwork… Deploy all troops!
: The Cthulhu?! Why’d they have to turn up now?!: Does that mean they don’t care if the Third Impact happens?!*Looks at the different enemies.*
: They even sent out some new troops. Guess they’ve no problem with the whole world getting covered in that dead, red sea before they start their immigration!: Hey, Cthulhu! You better give Nagisa-1 back right now!
: Don’t, Iczer-3. All those robots are drones, I think.: Baah…! And I’m sure that granny’s camped out here somewhere…!
: All troops, open fire! Don’t let the enemies block the EVAs! Shinji, Asuka, Rei, you need to get to that spot on the double!: Yes, sir!: Good luck, everyone!
Thankfully, Sahaquiel is very patient, so there’s no timer hanging above our heads. Any EVA can reach the market spot (though you should do it with Rei or Asuka, FYI), so it’s just a matter of carving through the Dilos and the new Regulus Alphas without losing any of them or a ship. The latter are pretty much the only ones that can pop our A.T. Fields, mind.
That said, all in all, the gameplay part of this mission is pretty much filler. We’ve had way worse fights, so the new mooks shouldn’t tip the balance against you.
The Regulus Alphas are particularly dangerous, and there are 5 of them. Sporting 28k HP, plus a Spherical Barrier that reduces all incoming damage by 1500, they’re quite hardy for mooks.
As far as skills go, they can do both types of supports, but the good news is that they’re flying – so they can only support each other.
Finally, they only have a single attack which, while packing some not-insignificant firepower, is only 1-3 range. That’s easily outranged by a good chunk of our forces, so focus fire them down as soon as you’ve built up enough morale. The second they’re downed, the EVAs pretty much cannot be killed.
: I can’t let them pin me down…! Here goes! I’ve to make this as fast as can be!
: We won’t make it in time if we let them stall us…!
: We’re busy now, if you pests can’t tell! I’ve no time to waste on you – OUT!
: …: … Hey, are those really Cthulhu? Sister Gray didn’t tell me anything about stuff like that.: True… they kind of feel different from the others…: Whatever – the fact is they’re enemies. We can sort out who they are after they beat.: Bit of a rash way of putting it, but she’s got a point. Keep an eye on these new units and carry on covering the EVAs, people!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8o38NPsiZY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZNvzzh_J8Q
Since we’re not on a timer, I’ll let Norza and Lee have some fun on their own. Plus, it lets me show off their slick DKs.
And, boom. Just make sure, to give you some leeway, that Shinji still has his move once Rei or Asuka tag the spot.
: Alright, looks like they made it in good time!
: All that remains now is to catch the creature. Hopefully it goes well…: We’re detecting a shift in the target’s A.T. Field! It’s changing course!: What did you say?!: Recalculating the point of descent! Transmitting new coordinates!
: We’re cutting it too close! All EVAs, head to the new point! Hurry!: Easy for you to say! We’re running as fast as our legs let us!
: Enemy reinforcements have deployed around the target area!
: Those little…! They don’t know when to quick bugging us, do they?!
: Save the complaints for later! We need to get rid of them quick!
: She’s right. Clear a path for the EVAs!
And, NOW, you need to hurry. You’ve three turns to get to the new spot, which is why I said to keep Shinji’s turn. Casting Accel, he should make it just fine – just make sure the enemy doesn’t wall him out. Or, if you’d like, just kill everything and Shinji’ll get in the spot. Either way, carry on as usual.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0kB10uVUYs
Oh, and I JUST remembered that I never showed the DK for Dimension Storm. I was rather disappointed that the Rushbird doesn’t teleport away amid all the smoke like the Zeorymer did…
: You’ve three minutes left! Please hurry!
: Two minutes on the timer! Make it happen, Asuka, Shinji, Rei!
And here we go.
: The Evangelion’s reached the target area!: The target’s closing in! Distance: 12km!
: It’s time, Daddy’s Boy, Wonder Girl!*Rei and Asuka also get in position.*
: A.T. Field… deployed…!
: …
: GAAAAAAAAAH!!
: It’s bypassing the A.T. Field and attacking the #01 directly!
: Stay strong, SHINJIII!
: Gurgh! Kch… rrrgh…!: Daddy’s Boy!: I… I’m holding it…! H-Hurry!: #02 – the core!: I know! Don’t tell me what to do! SORYAAAA!*Craash! Woosh!*
: I missed?! This “core’s” moving all over the damn place!
: Asuka, HURRY!: I am hurrying! But I can’t get a shot…!*Tweeooop!*
: Kch…!: Wonder Girl?!: I… I’ve the core…! Q-Quick…!: Fine, I’m on it! HAAAAAH!
: The Angel’s confirmed destroyed! All EVA units are crippled.: They… They did it…!: Yeah. Time and again, they manage to outdo themselves…
: Well, I’ll be… A miracle actually happened.: No, those kids made it happen… My biggest thanks to everyone for their work!
: How in blazes…! But I cannot return empty-handed, or an execution is all I’ll find…!
: What?! There’re still more?!: I can at least shatter your bulwark against the Third Impact – the Evangelion!
: UWAAAH!: His Field isn’t deploying!: Shinji, you alright?!: Y-Yeah…!: Resilient cockroach… Even after that battle, you still stand?: But seeing as how your barrier did not deploy, I’d wager your concentration is in tatters. Then it is just a matter of ending this!
: …!: Daddy’s Boy, gimme a hand. We’ll show this mook who it’s messing with! : Us, getting beaten up by this thing after all it took to kill that Angel?! How could we ever live that down, right?!: Huh…?! Shikinami…?: You too, Wonder Girl! On my mark, blast it with everything we got and then the kid moves in for the kill!: … Roger.: (Psh… I guess I am going soft…! But, what the hell, let’s try some teamwork for once!)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o9YfNzIjRk
: Wh-What?! They spent all their remaining energy on that life-threatening offensive...! Damn it all…!
*Power dooooooown.*
: Psh, we cut it a bit closer than I thought. We’re out of gas…: S-Sorry. I took a bit too long to get in position…: … Eh, you didn’t do too bad. It’s just a matter of getting used to it now.: Shikinami…: …: No more enemy signals on radar. Situation is green!
: Whew… We managed to pull through again…: Chalk it up to all the close calls we’ve had, I guess.: Comm. systems are back online. We’ve an incoming call from Cmdr. Ikari.: Put him through.
(Gendou): …: Sir, I personally elected to deploy the EVAs and, as a result, they’ve all suffered major damage. I apologize and take full responsibility everything. (Fuyutsuki): It’s no problem. The target was destroyed, so we should count ourselves lucky that this is all the damage it caused. (Gendou): Correct. You did well, Col. Katsuragi. : Thank you very much. (Fuyutsuki): We still need to deal with the brass a bit longer, it seems, so it’ll be another while before we’ve returned.: Understood. (Gendou): … Put me through to the #01’s pilot.: …! Yes, sir! (Gendou): I’ve heard what happened. Good job, Shinji.: A-Ah?: … Thank you…! (Gendou): Col. Katsuragi, I’ll leave the follow-up work in your hands.: Yes, sir!*Bloop.*
: Recover the three EVAs, quickly now! And will LOTUS be joining us on the Geofront again?
: That’d be just fine. Slow ahead, Bobby.
: Aye, aye!: …: (I heard that right, didn’t I…? Dad… gave me a compliment?)
: The 8th Angel was eliminated. Very well done, Ikari. 
: …Hm. : Only a few more remain, and then—
: There’ll be no more Angels.: …!: …
: This world is… different. It’s not the world that was promised to you.: Excuse me…?: Was he the only one who noticed?: Ikari…?!: … Though I had no tangible proof.: This world is too distorted to carry out the script to its end.: According to a memo left by Ishigami, all of this was seemingly preordained. The outbreak of the invasion from a parallel world, the appearance of a different lineage of humans… It is all a within the universal cycle of death and rebirth. : And you both knew this…?
: We are truly sorry, but we only came across this information recently. : Said memo was described as no more than “estimates from a companion”. We needed to confirm its contents.: But you should have figured it out by now. There's too much foreign matter in this world. The Dead Sea Scrolls Apocrypha is a no-go.: Then… our Project is…: Better luck next time, I guess? At the very least this world is headed to a different ending.: A different ending…?: (And depending on what they do, this might just be one where he can be happy…) You know, despite the abruptness of it all, I had a big giggle over SEELE getting the rug yanked out from under them so unceremoniously. The fact that the last game I played was MX made it even more amusing to me.
*Elevator door opens.*
: Ah—…!
: Daddy’s Boy!*Hold the door! Door closes!*
: Hey! Stand back, you; this is my personal space you’re in!: B-But there’s only so much room in here… : Psh…: U-Um… Do you mind if I ask why you decided to pilot an EVA…?: Now that’s a dumb question. I did it for myself, nothing more. What about you?: I… I’m not sure…: Are you stupid? Way I see it, you’re just dodging the subject.: … Maybe I wanted my dad to compliment me? : Today was the first time he did anything of the sort… my dad acknowledged what I did…: … You really are stupid.: …: And, by the by, I noticed how you called me by my first name during that mess.: O-Oh…: Bah, whatever… “Asuka” is just fine. I might start calling you Stupid Shinji, too.: Asuka…
The bosses are back in NERV HQ, and Gendou wasn’t really surprised to find out that SEELE was basing their script on the undisclosed Dead Sea Scrolls Apocrypha. Not that it matters, as both their shady cabal an NERV have just lose their reason for being. What now, Fuyutsuki wonders.
Gendou says they’ll simply carry on down their own path. After all, it is not by the hands of others that wishes are made real – it must be done with one’s own strength, no matter the cost.
So they’ll keep going despite not having the script to guide them anymore? Indeed, that’s the answer Gendou found. “Whatever could be waiting for us in the future… Hahah, I think I’m too old to be getting this excited,” Fuyutsuki laughs.
Touji and Kensuke rush on over to find Shinji and thank him for saving the city again. Hikari’s also tagging along – they wanted to check on their friends after word got around that we had the rest of the day off. Rei assures her that they’re all fine, while Nagisa extends warm greetings to Shinji’s classmates. Kensuke, of course, is deeply honored to speak with the LOTUS folk.
Anna has a laugh at how nervous he is, and tells him to relax. We don’t bite… though Goh admits there are a few crusty folks in our bunch. “Waaaaaaah! Goh Saruwatari! The real Goh Saruwatari, hero of the War of Giants! Duuuude, this is awesome!” Kensuke flips out. “Ooh, no, is that Daiya Tsuwabuki over here?! And is that… HYOUMA AOIIIIIII!”
While Touji tells him to quick with the pointing and yelling, Hikari thank us all what we’ve done today. Touji is man enough to admit that when he heard our plan was just to catch the Angel, he figured that not even Shinji could keep this from going south big time.
“But he always finds a way to bring home the bacon,” Kouichi cheers, “That’s what makes him the MAN!” N-No, not at all, this win was only thanks to all of us, Ayanami and Asuka; the girl likes hearing that, since, as we know, “Stupid Shinji couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag without our help.”
Hey, now, since when are they calling each other by their first names? Ichitaka knows this trope: the flower of love, blossoming after two people risk their lives fighting together! Now that’s the stupidest thing Asuka’s heard ALL MONTH, and she demands that Shinji stop stammering and deny it firmly!
Regardless, Nagisa saw fit to draw upon her cooking experience from Nyan-Nyan to whip up lunch to our folks. Daiya and Tetsuya are blown away by all the tasty-looking food, and, yes, she made it all herself, with some help from Anna and Lou. It’s not often we get a chance to put our feet up, so they wanted to help make it even better.
Goh and Johnny love it all, but the biggest surprise is that even Shinji saw fit to put together a few lunch boxes of his own. And it is unexpectedly good – enough that even Asuka, Tetsuya and Shizuna have to admit it.
Seems to Touji that the kid’s got a few other skills outside of his regular “save the world” job, but Shinji’s already satisfied if everyone’s happy. Men that are skilled in the kitchen are quite popular with the girls, Shizuru notes… b-but that’s not what he’s after.
Only one who isn’t eating is Rei, but not because it tastes bad: she doesn’t eat meat. No problem, as Shinji’s got some miso soup ready and hands to her. “It’s good… Thank you,” she says, and everyone does a double-take. That’s the first time Touji’s ever heard her thank anyone else.
But all is not roses, as Risako calls Kouichi with a question: is he a Factor? Is that how he got so strong out of seemingly nowhere? After all she’s seen, including the realization that Kouichi’s piloting one of those robots, she put two and two together. He meant to tell her eventually, but she’s not mad. He’s been fighting to protect the world all this time, no?
Not quite: this would be too much for him alone. But now he’s got a bunch of teammates to help. And he helps them in turn, however he can. “Hahah… I can’t believe it’s really you saying that. Bigmouthed Kouichi’s turned into a real Champion of Justice, huh?” she laughs.
Kouichi mentions that he spoke with Yajima – the guy has stuff he needs to talk to her about, but it might be a while. That’s fine, she’ll wait until he decides to come over. In the meantime, Risako asks Kouichi not to do anything too crazy out there. Whatever happened to his body, he’s still the same Kouichi she knew all these years.
Wishing him good luck, she ends the call and leaves the kid to his thoughts: “I’m waiting too, Yajima… Hurry up and tell her, man.”
Cut to Dragon’s Hive, F.S. has just heard of SEELE’s Human Instrumentality Project going kaput, and both he and Tanaka know what that means: it’s only a matter of time before he makes his move. Or, actually, he may already have started: the new MP unit the Cthulhu fielded today have been deemed likely to be his pawns.
Seems to Tanaka that they must trigger the Dancouga’s awakening ASAP, and F.S. agrees: humanity has very little time remaining.