"From this moment on, decommission Neon Genesis Evangelion Unit-03 and identify it as the Thirteenth Angel, Hail Angel Bardiel."
"Maya, notify Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki to take over command for me. Ayanami, go get changed. We're up. Same as always, you're my backup."
Shinji Ikari had learned this kind of simple, brute-force strategy from Misato Katsuragi.
Conventional weapons were useless against Angels. That was common knowledge. He couldn't be bothered to consider whether they needed to waste some ammunition before deploying.
He did remember, however, that Unit-03's pilot was Asuka, and that Misato, Ritsuko, and a large group of people he had personally designated as "human" were still unaccounted for.
Shigeru Aoba hurriedly called the Deputy Commander. Without that call, Kozo Fuyutsuki probably wouldn't even have known that the base's daily operations apparently no longer had anything to do with him.
Maya Ibuki was handling the EVA startup procedures, while Hyuga Kou refrained from spouting any punch-worthy nonsense about surrender and devoted himself to analyzing the Angel's data.
Shinji Ikari thought Hyuga Kou was like one of those boys with an unrequited crush in Japanese manga, trying everything he could to catch a girl's attention.
That was why he always said the wrong thing at the wrong time, then got beaten to a pulp for it.
Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami entered the changing room. Their clothes slowly slipped off, leaving each other's figures clearly in view.
"Are you worried about Misato, Ritsuko, Asuka, and everyone else, Mr. Ikari?" Rei Ayanami asked softly.
"Yeah. We've become important to each other, after all. You feel the same way, don't you, Ayanami?" Shinji Ikari said.
"..." Rei Ayanami nodded, admitting it with complete honesty. "Yes."
She and Asuka were entirely different types.
Asuka knew how she felt, but might refuse to admit it