Meanwhile, on the other side, Shinji, unaware that he was being missed by a foreign friend again, was in an observation laboratory with Katsuragi Misato.
On the other side of the glass window was a massive yellow mech.
Ayanami Rei stood alone beside the cockpit, quietly waiting for the command permitting the entry plug of the spinal cord conduit system to connect.
The application to lift the freeze on Unit-00 had been approved as early as half a month ago, but due to the Fifth Angel’s invasion, this synchronization test was postponed for a week.
From the perspective of experience as a qualified child, Ayanami Rei, as the First Child, is the exclusive pilot of Unit-00, and is also the senior to this latecomer, Ikari Shinji.
Regarding the existence of Ikari Shinji, this latecomer who surpassed the rest, compared to the Second Child Asuka’s competitiveness and the veteran qualified child Makinami’s sentimentality, Ayanami Rei only felt tranquil.
Ever since their first meeting when the girl was on the hospital bed, Ikari Shinji’s impression of Ayanami Rei had never changed.
This girl always seemed like a piece of paper, completely blank, without any complicated lines on it.
Ayanami Rei just quietly waited for orders, only her gaze looking towards this observation laboratory from time to time, as if meeting someone’s eyes.
“This girl really cares about this animal of a dad.” Ikari Shinji thought while standing in front of the glass window, glancing at Ikari Gendou in the middle of the crowd.
This father didn’t care at all about the gaze cast by his son, but merely lowered his head, fully engrossed in looking down at the girl looking up.
If nothing unexpected happened, the girl was probably locking eyes with Ikari Gendou.
Ikari Shinji also didn’t know what Ikari Gendou called him over for; he was not one of those genius technicians from the Technology Department, and from this far away, he certainly couldn’t help the girl pilot the mech.
Or is it just to tell me that NERV has more than one pilot?
Then this guy is truly too boring.
But in reality, Ikari Gendou felt his son’s gaze, but the acting skills of remaining unruffled by favor or disgrace cultivated over many years staying in front of those old men holding world power allowed him to suppress the corners of his mouth that wanted to rise.
Ikari Gendou’s purpose for calling Ikari Shinji to observe the test was also very simple.
It was to tell Ikari Shinji that NERV didn’t only have Ikari Shinji as a pilot, to let him know that he and NERV could do without him.
Simply put, it was to make Ikari Shinji feel a sense of crisis; if he didn’t want to scram, then obediently listen to orders.
And the staff present were all waiting for Ikari Gendou’s instructions; only after obtaining the Commander-in-Chief’s permission did the experiment officially begin.
Ayanami Rei, who received the order, lay down in the cockpit.
She could feel the entry plug slowly moving, finally entering the spinal position of the yellow mech together with the cockpit.
Many people say she is a doll sitting inside EVA Unit-00, a prop meant to let the EVA activate.
But she was still different from a “doll” and a “prop”; she was a human, or rather, she had her own thoughts, she just couldn’t express them.
In fact, even though she looked like a puppet, she also underwent a mental state assessment during the physical examination after every simulation test. Get faster updates on g.com.
In the past, she never covered up or concealed anything from the psychiatrist, but recently there was something she hadn’t told anyone.
The Third Child, Ikari Shinji, he would always appear in her dreams.
The scenes in these dreams were always scattered and fragmented, but every snippet, every detail was related to Ikari Shinji.
But she clearly had never had any interactions with him before the night the Water Angel arrived.
Even though Ikari Shinji always expressed undisguised disgust towards Ikari-san, and she should also hate him, but up until now she completely lacked this kind of emotion.
“You are human, just somewhat different from other people…”
Ayanami Rei felt like she was having auditory hallucinations.
“System activation, an anomaly has occurred.”
“Problems have also appeared in the third stage.”
“The neural connection device has also started to show internal disorder.”
“The power transmission system also has crossed wires, induction 2…”
“Pulsating reverse flow, unable to intercept.”
“Direct view monitor screen, chaotic lines appearing.”
The test had just begun, and Ikari Shinji, who was only interested in Unit-01, was watching out of extreme boredom.
But before that yellow EVA had even started moving, the technicians in the laboratory had already panicked first.
What the hell, is piloting an EVA that difficult?
Shouldn’t it be as simple as returning to mom’s open embrace?
Sirens immediately sounded one after another in the laboratory, and all the technicians’ faces were illuminated red by the constantly flashing screens.
“Entry plug depth is unstable, it is being sucked into the EVA.”
“Stop connection, emergency cut-off of circuits up to number 6.”
“It’s no use, the signal won’t send.
Unit-00, unable to control.”
The final report made even Akagi Ritsuko’s face change drastically; Ikari Shinji knew a very serious situation had occurred just by looking at her expression.
Katsuragi Misato, who understood her good friend very well, noticed the change in expression on her face and couldn’t help but lean over, hurriedly asking: Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
“What’s going on?”
“Just like last time, Unit-00 has lost control, but the specific reason is still unknown.”
Akagi Ritsuko and Katsuragi Misato had already experienced a similar situation once, right before Ikari Shinji came to NERV.
That was why Unit-00 had been frozen before; the reason Ikari Shinji saw Ayanami Rei covered in injuries was all because of that failed experiment.
But Ayanami Rei’s recent simulation tests hadn’t shown any problems, so she temporarily had no way to give Katsuragi Misato a clear explanation.
However, not knowing the cause of the accident didn’t mean there was no solution; the simplest and most effective method, of course, was to pull the plug.
EVA’s movements rely on the umbilical cable on the back; disconnecting the external power source, the built-in backup power used for experiments can only last for one minute.
Akagi Ritsuko looked towards Ikari Gendou and called out: “Commander.”
Hearing the chief technician’s reminder, Ikari Gendou frowned slightly and hesitated for a moment, ultimately still ordering: “Terminate the experiment, cut off the power.”
The staff who received permission immediately smashed the glass of the emergency button and pulled out the emergency pull-type power cut-off switch, instantly disconnecting the umbilical cable on Unit-00’s back.
“Unit-00, has switched to backup power.
59 seconds until complete stop.”
Looking at Unit-00 walking over step by step, Ikari Shinji said indifferently to Katsuragi Misato and Akagi Ritsuko behind him: “Don’t get too far away from me, it’s safer around me.”
“Stop joking around, you are not piloting Unit-01, that thing is an 80-meter giant weapon that fights Angels, we had better prepare to evacuate.”
Seeing Unit-00 staring straight at them, Katsuragi Misato thought, how could a pilot without an EVA, whose combat power is worse than a single missile, possibly deal with this kind of thing?
Ikari Shinji had an AT Field, but he wasn’t an Angel.
Understanding this point, Katsuragi Misato immediately wanted to have Ikari Gendou issue an emergency evacuation order.
At this time in the testing ground, the completely out-of-control Unit-00 broke free from the restraints and roared as it came to the front of the laboratory.
The pilot Ayanami Rei gave no response, but the yellow EVA did not quite look like the madness one should have when mentally deranged.
Instead, it walked over slowly, dragging the forcefully removed restraint devices on both shoulders, scraping harsh noises on the ground.
Heavy crashing sounds rang out as the laboratory shook; Unit-00 was smashing its fists against the wall one by one, metal armor constantly colliding with the sturdy wall.
In just a few seconds, the wall had already begun to cave in, the alloy frame bent inwards, and the reinforced glass of special material shattered directly, but the flying fragments were bounced away before they could touch Ikari Shinji.