Dolls and humanity

The next day, at the test site for the severely damaged Unit-00's reactivation experiment.

Gendo Ikari sat alone in the oppressive laboratory, motionless for a long time. He almost seemed on the verge of blending seamlessly into the pitch-black darkness...

Just then, a faint sound broke the silence. Someone pushed open the laboratory door.

A little light shone through the gap, then quickly drowned in the dense darkness.

"I never thought this would happen again. Though it's already been removed from the official report, completely erasing all traces of this accident is impossible."

A low, slightly weary voice rang out. The man approaching was Kozo Fuyutsuki.

To contain the chain reaction caused by Unit-00 going berserk and minimize its impact on the higher-ups, he had spoken with many people in the technical department that day.

"If we can't erase it, leave it alone. The esteemed members of the Throne of Souls won't be paying the price anyway. The current situation demands greater combat strength. They'll agree to continue the experiments," Gendo Ikari said. "What's Unit-00's status?"

"It's undergoing repairs. Unit-00 went berserk because of Rei's mental state. The sense of dependence we fostered in her failed to produce the expected results, causing a strong rejection response in the synchronization system."

Kozo Fuyutsuki handed over his report, his gaze remaining on Unit-00 below. Unit-01 had already been moved elsewhere.

"The technical department's position hasn't changed. They advise against continuing to pursue high synchronization rates at all costs and propose adjusting the neural interface system to improve stability."

After Unit-00 had gone berserk last time and been frozen, the technical department had proposed adjusting the system, but Gendo Ikari had rejected it.

The reason was simple: the technical department intended to use those adjustments to lower the synchronization rate. A lower synchronization rate meant reduced EVA performance.

A feeble ant could not threaten a dragon high in the heavens. Nor could a pilot and EVA with a low synchronization rate replace Shinji Ikari and Unit-01.

Gendo Ikari knitted his brows tightly. Events had deviated so far from the script that he felt things were slipping beyond his control.

"Let the technical department proceed as they see fit. Whether they adjust Unit-00's system or carry out psychological interventions on Rei, they must get Rei into Unit-00," Gendo Ikari said.

"Adjusting the system isn't difficult. Dr. Akagi says the work can be completed within a day at most. They should be able to keep the synchronization rate above seventy percent."

Kozo Fuyutsuki nodded thoughtfully. "But that child, Rei... I never expected her mental state to be so unstable!"

Light reflected off Gendo Ikari's glasses as he answered in an emotionless voice, "Because she's merely a doll, she will obey my orders and board Unit-00. And because she's a doll, she can reveal a little humanity before me."

Was that humanity really revealed for your sake?

Kozo Fuyutsuki had his doubts.

After all, when the experiment began, he, the deputy commander, had been closest to Gendo Ikari. Yet that enormous yellow hand hadn't seemed to be reaching for Gendo Ikari.

Gendo Ikari was the most difficult child in the entire base to handle, so Kozo Fuyutsuki did not argue with him. He simply left the laboratory in silence.

In Misato Katsuragi's apartment in the NERV employee dormitories, New Shinjuku District 7.

"So, did they send Unit-01 back?" Shinji Ikari asked.

"They still haven't figured out how it moved on its own, but the technical department has returned it to the First Hangar," Misato Katsuragi said.

She was still wearing her usual cropped yellow tank top and tiny shorts. Her hair, pinned up at work, hung loosely over her shoulders, and she never wore socks at home.

With her appearing before Shinji Ikari dressed like that every day, it was no wonder the inexperienced young God couldn't resist following Adam and Eve's example and tasting the forbidden fruit himself.

That was a god's privilege: he alone decided whether something was a sin. When necessary, he could change the criteria for guilt, or even define for himself who counted as human and who counted as a beast.

The little two-story apartment, once empty, still housed only two people and a penguin. Though there were few occupants, it was anything but quiet.

Leaving aside the Hot Spring Penguin, who liked watching television from inside the refrigerator, Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi lived every day to the fullest. Neither seemed capable of sitting idle.

In short, as the days passed, Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi had no complaints about each other. If nothing unexpected happened, they might well spend the rest of their lives like this.

"I thought it would take longer. Something as important as humanity's ultimate weapon is out of control, but none of you seem worried at all," Shinji Ikari said.

Incredibly, NERV had taken no measures against Unit-01 after it suddenly started roaming around.

Whenever something similar happened in a movie, surely the first response was to eliminate the problem itself.

Yet the technical department, led by Ritsuko Akagi, had merely given Unit-01 a cursory examination before returning it to the First Hangar.

"Well, a biological weapon is still biological. It's not just a heap of metal. An occasional little tantrum or stubborn streak is inevitable. Moving on its own is perfectly normal, too."

Misato Katsuragi spread her hands. She really seemed unconcerned-or perhaps worrying would accomplish nothing, so she simply chose not to bother.

Shinji Ikari nodded thoughtfully and brought over a plate. "Come taste this for me. I'm planning to try a few new dishes tonight, too. I got some premium beef from the headquarters cafeteria. Apparently, it came from Meiji Farm."

"I'm going out in a bit. I might be late getting home tonight." Misato Katsuragi glanced at the sashimi, tempura, sushi, and other Japanese dishes on the table, then raised her beer and took a sip.

The boy really had changed a little. He seemed more capable of making a life for himself now. To put it more poetically, he had developed a greater love for life.

When Shinji Ikari first moved in, he had been perfectly accustomed to eating convenience-store food with her. At some point, though, he had actually started learning to cook.

That was why she now felt Shinji Ikari was becoming more and more like her mother.

"Ritsuko's working overtime today, and she asked me to go drinking at a bar tonight. We haven't gone out together in ages. Apparently, there's work stuff to discuss, too, so I didn't turn her down."

As Misato Katsuragi explained, she hid behind her beer can and stole a glance at the kid in front of her.

Compared with the endlessly overworked Dr. Akagi, the two of them, with their weekends off, had a much more comfortable life.

Yet the kid showed no reaction whatsoever. Looking at the cookbook in his hand, he asked calmly, "Should I wait for you before dinner?"

Fine, a little kid like him probably doesn't even know what a bar is. Of course, there were different kinds of bars. The one she was going to wasn't in the New Port District, or in Shinjuku Districts 1 or 2. Still, she couldn't help feeling annoyed.

A sudden, inexplicable anger welled up in Misato Katsuragi's heart. But though she was irritated, she had no idea why she should be angry. All she could do was puff out her cheeks and mutter:

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Drinking alone is no fun at all."

"Then I'll wait for you." Shinji Ikari's reply was as simple as ever, yet it immediately dispelled much of the inexplicable anger that had risen in Misato Katsuragi's heart.