[X] Plan: Retreat is (Not) an Option
-[X] Rei: Focus on drawing the Angel's attention away from Asuka (and Shinji).
-[X] Shinji: Continue providing fire support for Asuka for just a little longer, Shinji.
-[X] Asuka: Continue fighting at close range. Keep the Angel from advancing any further.
Shinji makes a vague noise of assent and begins charging up a shot. He sounds tired. Asuka tells him to suck it up.
Rei springs into action and as quickly as she is able (which isn't very quickly, really), fires another shot at the Angel's body. She waves her good arm and runs to another spot further away from Shinji and Asuka and begins setting up to fire again, trying to get the Angel's attention.
Asuka slashes at the Angel with the Glaive, creating a broad trail of green mist across the Angel's face. Asuka wants to know if they're even really
hurting it as she takes another faceful of molten Angel. A warning alarm starts blaring on Aoba's console. A white fog begins leaking from the back of Asuka's D-type equipment. Two of the coolant lines have been severed. Well, that's just great, Asuka says. Can someone hurry up and tell her how to kill this stupid thing already? Behind Asuka's obvious bravado you detect clear panic. Hyuga says the temperature inside Unit-02 is starting to rise.
You turn to Ritsuko. She shakes her head and takes another drag, punching away at her computer with a look of frustration. The text on the screen scrolls so quickly you're not even sure how much of it Ritsuko can read.
The Angel is about to assault the poor girl again before Rei puts another bullet in it. It shifts its assault to Rei, who throws up her AT-Field…and gets impaled by some of the Angel that passes through it in response. Rei shrieks in pain as the glowing points of the Angel melt through Unit-00's armor, and she begins ripping out the projectiles in a panic. Ibuki says you should lower Rei's sync ratio. Ritsuko overrides her and says no. Rei requested they not. Ritsuko is going to honor that request.
Asuka and you swear in unison. The Angel gets another taste of Shinji's Positron Rifle. It attempts to ram into Asuka in response, but Asuka's AT-Field continues to keep it from getting past her and towards the city. Her feet make long trails in the molten pavement, but Asuka pushes the Angel back into its place. Asuka says it's not getting past her. In the process of being pushed back, the Angel enters the third dimension, becoming an intricate lattice of pyramids called a tetrix. It starts to rotate, making it somewhat difficult to determine the actual size and shape of the Angel from moment to moment.
Rei shoots the Angel again, having managed to remove the burning thorns in her ruined armor and compose herself. One of the pyramidal shapes composing the Angel near its top ruptures in a cascade of green gore. Something beeps on Ritsuko's computer. Ritsuko says you've got a Core. One tiny pyramid seemingly randomly placed within the Angel is highlighted with a "Target" marker on the display in front of you. It doesn't look any different than the rest of the Angel's body. The Angel starts to rotate more erratically, making it difficult to track the target with the naked eye alone. Ritsuko says the Angel's body is about to collapse into the fourth dimension, which would likely make parts of its body inaccessible and its movements much harder to predict.
You ask Shinji how he's holding up. Shinji says he's…managing. The only way you're going to hit the Core is by using the MAGI to target it, and the Positron Rifle, being integrated into the system, is the perfect fit for the job, provided the wielder stands still long enough to aim. He's going to have to be the one to finish it off. Asuka makes a sound of clear dismay at her kill getting handed over to Shinji.
MOVEMENT V
~Vivace~
Shinji is going to attempt to shoot the Angel's Core. What will the girls do?
Asuka
[ ] Attempt to once again bring the Angel to the ground. This would potentially hinder its rotation, speeding up the targeting process, but is risky considering the state the D-Type equipment is in.
[ ] Do not adjust current strategy; Asuka's job is to simply create a barrier between the Angel and Tokyo-3. Hold ground and hope for the best.
Rei
[ ] Continue harassing the Angel with shots. Do her best to hit the Core as well (with the caveat that her odds of hitting it are much lower).
[ ] Place herself between Shinji and the Angel and prevent any stray shots from hitting him while he's trying to aim. Prepare herself for fiery punishment.
Shinji has
3 shots remaining.
