NERV Headquarters
Underground Base
At NERV's iconic pyramid, Shinji Ikari piloted Unit-01 all the way back down from the surface, climbed to the very top, and stomped hard, destroying part of Headquarters' roof.
No one dared stop Unit-01 on its way there. Realistically, no one could.
None of the remaining units at Headquarters could be activated.
Their pilots were either absent or suspended, or the units themselves were damaged and still awaiting repairs.
Unit-01 had destroyed some of the facilities around Headquarters. Flames lit up the night, and smoke billowed everywhere.
The floodlights below Headquarters were all trained on Unit-01 at the top.
With Shinji Ikari controlling Unit-01 like this, saying it was dancing on top of the pyramid would hardly have seemed out of place.
Shinji Ikari looked slightly unhinged. One phrase summed him up now-Life or death, who cares? Got a problem? Come at me!
Headquarters Command Room
Ibuki said awkwardly, "Unit-01's linked control circuits have been cut."
Kozo Fuyutsuki asked, "What about the ejection signal?"
Ibuki sounded helpless. "The Entry Plug has been locked from the inside..."
Aoba Shigeru's expression darkened. "He's digging in for a siege..."
Unable to watch any longer, Hyuga shouted to Shinji Ikari inside Unit-01, "Stop this! Shinji Ikari! Do you know what you're doing?!"
Shinji Ikari gave a bitter, incredulous laugh. "Heh, heh. You're telling me to stop? Where were you when I was being controlled and told you to stop? Now... now you're telling me to stop. You adults really love your double standards.
"And another thing! Don't push me right now! Unit-01 still has 249 seconds left. That's more than enough time to destroy half of Headquarters!"
Aoba Shigeru confirmed Shinji Ikari's last statement from the sidelines. "Given what he said, he really could do it right now."
Ibuki stood