Shinji opened his eyes.
"So Mom was inside Unit-01 all along."
Shinji realized that tears had already covered his face. The teardrops floated in the LCL fluid.
"Oh, this kid." Zero sighed and patted Shinji on the shoulder.
Although Shinji had felt as though he had spoken with his mother for a long time, only a few seconds had actually passed.
But the technicians monitoring the data had already descended into chaos.
"I'm not lying! The synchronization rate really hit one hundred percent for an instant!"
Zero's connection to Yui Ikari's soul had briefly brought Unit-01's synchronization rate to one hundred percent.
Even after it dropped, Shinji's synchronization rate remained at sixty-five percent now that he knew his mother was inside Unit-01.
Misato praised him. "That's great! It's three times what it was before!"
Ritsuko Akagi, however, knitted her brows.
"Another thing that defies scientific reason."
After the experiment ended, Shinji secretly asked Zero a question in the changing room.
"Zero, is it really possible to get Mom out of Unit-01?"
"Of course. Your mother's body and soul are both inside Unit-01. We just need one of my people to bring over a life and separate her out."
"Come on, let's confront that old bastard right now. If your mother was right that he's carrying out this plan to resurrect his dead wife, there's almost no chance he'll refuse this offer."
Shinji waved his hands.
"Zero, do you remember what Mom said about the Adam embryo?"
"That thing should be really important. It might be the key to the plan Mom mentioned. I suggest we get our hands on it before confronting Dad."
"Besides, I got to see Mom. That's already enough to make me happy."
Zero was surprised, but also heartened.
"That's just like you, Shinji. Even I got carried away just now, but you managed to stay calm. That's really impressive."
"All right, we'll do it your way. Let's go home first and take our time planning what comes next."
In Misato's car, Zero kept thinking about the Human Instrumentality Project and how to destroy it, until his Ultra Brain nearly crashed.
It was too complicated.
A simple, brutal plan surfaced in his mind.
Blow up the Black Moon, head into space, activate Super Ultra Vision to find SEELE's base and the Adam embryo, then fire two laser blasts.
If he was quick, the whole thing would take less than two minutes. Even if he was slow, it would not take three.
But he immediately rejected that plan.
If he did those things outside of self-defense...
He would be two hundred percent certain to violate the Space Garrison's regulations, and the lightest punishment would be expulsion from the Space Garrison.
Besides, he could not accept a plan that killed so many people. No matter how evil someone was, he could not bring himself to kill them.
After all, he was only 5,900 years old. Fighting monsters and saving the universe was easy enough for a young man like him.
But dealing with humanity's intricate plots and schemes was another matter.
Although he had learned a little about navigating human relationships from Dan Moroboshi, that knowledge was insignificant in the face of such complicated conspiracies.
He did not know what to do. He was too young.
"This is so frustrating... What should I do...?"
"I'd better report this to the captain and the others as soon as possible. They're bound to have experience with this."
Sharing one body with Zero, Shinji could feel his frustration.
That evening, Shinji gazed up at the stars from the balcony.
"Shinji, let me borrow your body for a moment. I need to contact the Garrison's leadership."
"Okay. Will it be like when you contacted that Ultra Warrior last time... the one called Z?"
"This time will be a little different."
Golden light shone from "Shinji's" eyes.
After making sure no one was watching him, "Shinji" began gathering energy.
He held his left hand before his chest until it began to glow.
With a sweep toward the sky, an enormous Ultra Sign shot into space.
"This is a request to report an emergency across universes to the Garrison's senior officers. They should contact us tonight."
"The Garrison's senior officers? Are they all Ultra Warriors like you, Zero?"
"Yes. And the Space Garrison's current captain, Zoffy, is my father's older brother. He's over thirty thousand years old."
"The situation's too complicated to explain with an Ultra Sign."
"Let's wait in bed."
"Shinji" lay on the bed and meditated while waiting for someone to contact him. This would also make it easier for them to reach him.
Shinji's phantom sat nearby in a daze.
Suddenly, the space around them distorted, then gradually settled. They found themselves inside a building whose walls, floor, and ceiling all radiated an emerald glow.
"Shinji, this is the Land of Light. And it looks like we're in Space Garrison Headquarters."
"Wow! It's beautiful!"
Zero pointed ahead.
"Oh, here they come."
Shinji looked in the direction Zero was pointing.
He saw three caped giants walking toward him.
At a glance, all three were clearly of the same race as Zero, but their appearances differed greatly.
Silver was the predominant color of all three giants' bodies, giving them the appearance of steel. Red lines adorned their bodies, symbolizing both tremendous strength and the vigor of life.
Their eyes blazed like light bulbs, and blue crystals similar to Zero's were embedded in their chests.
Each wore the faintest hint of a smile.
The most striking feature of the giant on the left was the six pairs of medals neatly arranged across his chest and shoulders, representing his honors.
The giant in the middle had a pair of enormous bull-like horns on either side of his head. The whiskers beside his mouth attested to his age. Standing in the center, nearly five meters taller than the giants beside him, he radiated authority without a trace of anger.
The giant on the right looked like a mother, with a kindly face and a pair of pigtails on either side of her head. The patterns on her body were neatly arranged, and six medals sat beneath the crystal on her chest.
Zero introduced them to Shinji from left to right.
"This is Zoffy, the current captain of the Space Garrison."
"This is Father of Ultra, the current supreme commander of the Space Garrison."
"This is Mother of Ultra, captain of the Silver Cross Army."
Zero then introduced Shinji to the three Ultras.
"This young man died saving a life. I merged with him to save him. His name is Shinji Ikari."
The three Ultras nodded slightly. "What a brave young man."
Shinji blushed. "Oh, not really..."
He felt no fear at all at the sight of these three giants. Instead, he felt a deep warmth.
Zoffy stepped forward and asked Zero, "Zero, what's so important? Has some dangerous enemy been resurrected?"
"It's too complicated. I'll share these memories with you directly."
As he spoke, several curved strands of light appeared above Zero's head, and the three Ultras connected them to their own heads.
The three Ultras fell silent for a moment.
"The Human Instrumentality Project..."
Mother of Ultra broke the silence.
"I need instructions from the Space Garrison." This matter was far too complicated.
After some thought, Father of Ultra spoke.
"Let's first discuss the conflict between the Angels and humanity."
"The Angels are not intelligent life and do not constitute a civilization. Their relationship with humanity is equivalent to humanity's relationship with Earth's monsters."
"Therefore, when Angels attack humanity, we of the Space Garrison may intervene to protect lives."
"However, this Human Instrumentality Project is an internal affair of human civilization... The Garrison has no authority to interfere."
Zero heard the answer he had least wanted to hear.
"Is the Land of Light supposed to just watch all those lives disappear?!"
"However..." Father of Ultra shifted his tone.
"Zero, you can intervene in this matter."
"Because you have merged with Shinji."
"The Space Garrison will understand actions you take to protect him."
"Right now, you are both an Ultraman and a human."
"And I believe that, when it comes to protecting lives, few warriors would follow this particular Space Garrison regulation to the letter."
"Go stop this plan without fear, Zero!"
"To save lives and protect the humanity we Ultra Warriors cherish."
Zoffy said, "We'll guide you through this. Please secure that Adam embryo as soon as possible. I'll notify Hikari to remain on standby."
"But I must remind you to avoid attacking those people directly unless it's in self-defense."
"We'll devise a plan as soon as possible that minimizes casualties and can be carried out by humans you trust."
"If destabilizing factors such as aliens appear along the way, the Garrison will intervene to help you as well."
Mother of Ultra said with concern, "Be very careful, Zero. The Land of Light will always stand behind you."
"Thank you, everyone!" Zero bowed in gratitude.
Father of Ultra looked at Shinji. "Brave young man, you have secured a future for your world."
Mother of Ultra said, "Shinji, please take good care of Zero, too. This boy is all too quick to disregard his own safety to protect others."
Zoffy said, "We Ultras have always believed that humanity is a race with limitless potential. Until the day you soar through space alongside us, we will be the shield of your world."
Shinji Ikari felt his blood stir with excitement and bowed to them. "On behalf of humanity, I thank you, too-the captain and supreme commander of the Space Garrison, and the captain of the Silver Cross Army!"
Before leaving, Zero anxiously asked Zoffy for one more thing.
"Please don't let my father or my master find out about this."
"We'll be sure to keep that in mind."
The call ended, and the space around them distorted once more. They returned to Shinji's room.
Before you continue