After laying out the battle plan against the Eleventh Angel, Misato Katsuragi gave everyone some time to think it over. Anyone unwilling to take part could withdraw.
In the hangar, which could house up to five units at once, Misato leaned against a metal locker in the lounge, her arms folded as she silently studied her reflection in the vanity mirror.
She felt a little like an executioner, sending such young children onto the battlefield to die with her own hands, again and again. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, there was always a next time.
"Are you serious?" Ritsuko Akagi stood beside her, hands in her pockets, and demanded an answer.
"Yes, I am."
"This joke isn't funny."
"You know I'm always serious at times like this."
"Can you even call this a battle plan? MAGI calculated a failure rate of over ninety percent. Even if it succeeds, we'll lose three EVAs. The technical department cannot accept this plan."
"At least the chance of success isn't zero, is it?"
"Are you going to pin our hopes on Shinji again? Rather than relying on miracles, we should put in real work. Protecting Lilith, the Third Child, and Unit-01 is the optimal solution," Ritsuko Akagi said.
"I do see Shinji as my hope, but that's only my personal hope. I want to see a miracle too. But right now, we have to create a miracle-not because he's here, but because we can't admit defeat."
Misato Katsuragi's gaze was resolute. Of course she believed MAGI's calculations, but there was no difference between failing and running away.
The Angel of the Sky's attack would wipe Tokyo-3 off the map. Humanity might consider that outcome acceptable, but how many more seconds would it buy the human race as a whole?
Whether they