The Third Angel had been eliminated just like that. The entire process had been fraught with danger but ultimately successful, and following the initial wave of euphoria, various cleanup and recovery efforts were unfolding in sequence.
This was only the beginning; more monsters intent on destroying humanity would surely co.
Even though it had been dismbered by Unit-01, humanity had acquired an Angel corpse containing nearly every crucial elent. The Research Departnt and dissection teams began working without pause.
Vast amounts of damaged defensive equipnt were under ergency repair. Even though EVA Unit-01 had played the decisive role in this battle, these conventional weapons still proved useful—at the very least, they were capable of providing cover fire once the AT Field was neutralized.
The heavily damaged city required reconstruction. Due to the N2 bombs, even maps had to be redrawn. United Nations funding flowed into Tokyo-3 like water, leaving the logistics departnts so busy their feet barely touched the ground.
A massive price, an astronomical cost—but as long as the Angels were repelled, these investnts were deed worthy.
Of course, these trivial matters had nothing to do with Gendo Ikari. Such things were unimportant; what mattered was that he had to face the inquiries of his superiors.
"As planned, the Third Angel has been defeated. Furthermore, we have secured a nearly intact Angel corpse ahead of schedule. This proves the value of NERV's existence. Congratulations, Ikari."
The eting room was pitch black, save for the silhouettes of six seated figures. Gendo Ikari sat in a lower position, facing five elderly n before him, their presence marked by flickering red, green, yellow, blue, and white lights.
The elder speaking sat behind the white light. A high-tech visor obscured his eyes; he was powerfully built and radiated the aura of a supre leader, as if the entire world were under his control.
Gendo Ikari kept his hands clasped before his lips as usual. His glasses reflected the white light, showing not a hint of joy.
"Everything proceeded according to SEELE's script. If the Third Angel could destroy humanity, then our years of preparation would have been aningless."
It was a matter of course. After preparing for over a decade, how could the play end just as the curtains were being pulled back?
"However, what is the story with the Third Child?" An old man within the yellow light spoke, his voice piercing.
"This does not match the reports from the Intelligence Departnt. Or did you secretly give the Third Child special training and provide us with false reports?"
Everyone's gaze converged on him, bringing a heavy, oppressive pressure. No one was a fool; piloting an EVA required a pilot, and every pilot was ticulously handpicked, naturally subject to close scrutiny.
This scrutiny was also a form of protection. It would be quite foolish if a pilot died in an accident before they could even board an EVA.
'As expected.'
Gendo Ikari t their gaze, his lips thinning slightly behind his folded hands.
He was the Commander of NERV, specifically responsible for executing the plan, but that did not an the Committee trusted him absolutely. For instance, there were certainly overseers within the Intelligence Departnt; reports on the Third Child would be sent to these individuals as well.
He knew all of this, but he felt no need to address it, and it wasn't yet ti to purge dissidents.
But here was the awkward situation: the Third Child's performance was diatrically opposed to the reports. They wouldn't consider a sudden anomaly in Shinji Ikari; they would only assu Gendo had deliberately hidden a trump card.
This matter could be seen as minor or major, but it could easily be frad as a question of "loyalty."
"Ikari, I understand your feelings toward the Third Child, but there is no need to hide certain things." The elder in the white light spoke with a heavy tone. He had watched the combat recordings; that level of proficiency was inevitably the result of long-term training.
It didn't even have anything to do with the synchronization rate.
That decisive, efficient, art-like tactic could not be produced even if the sync rate were pushed to 300%, because it was the result of countless hours of practice.
In his eyes, Unit-01 was vital as a backup for the plan, but the Third Child himself was not nearly as important.
Gendo Ikari took a deep breath and said frankly, "Chairman Keel, I have no reason to hide anything."
"But the facts stand. The surveillance reports on the Third Child are precise to every detail. Either the combat recording is fake, or the reports are fake. Which do you suggest we believe?" The elder with a thick beard under the green light spoke sternly.
'This... How should I know?'
Gendo felt as if he had a hundred mouths but no way to explain. He didn't know what was going on either. Looking back now, he would have preferred the boy to have been beaten to a pulp, only for Unit-01 to go berserk and slap the Angel to death.
'Yui, you've really left with a difficult problem.'
The Committee knew the essence of Unit-01, but they didn't know all of its essence.
The higher-ups needed an explanation: how Gendo had identified the planted spies, when he had turned them, and what his purpose was for doing so. Did he intend to break free from the Committee's control?
'I didn't, I haven't, and there's no need.'
Gendo couldn't answer a single one of these questions. He finally understood the aning of having a "traitorous" son who makes life difficult for his father. He could only respond with silence.
"Very well, the matter ends here. Those who made mistakes have already been dealt with." Chairman Keel interrupted the interrogation. He couldn't imagine a reason for Gendo to do this. As for those suspected of betrayal—the spies—they had already been erased.
'You were told to monitor the Third Child, yet the intelligence you sent back made no sense. There's no longer a need for you to live.'
"Ikari, I valued your talent, which is why I allowed you to join the plan. Rember, just follow the script. Do not do anything unnecessary."
"Understood." Gendo breathed a sigh of relief and nodded submissively. He knew how much power these old n wielded; currently, he did not have the status to oppose them.
"Then go. This great play has only just begun. Your talent is still required. The Third Angel's corpse is to be transported to the Arctic Branch as soon as possible. You will escort it personally."
"Understood."
The figures before him vanished, and the darkness disappeared with them. Gendo Ikari returned to a room made of green screens, with the grey-haired Kozo Fuyutsuki standing behind him.
"Trouble?" The Sub-Commander of NERV lowered his head.
"Mmh. It's obvious. Because of him, the Committee's vigilance has been triggered prematurely. The Third Angel's corpse has been allocated to the Arctic Branch, and they've ordered to deliver it personally. This is an isolation inquiry." Gendo sat quietly, showing no trace of panic. His brilliant mind had already analyzed nurous issues.
The Committee were the ones directing the script. They demanded absolute loyalty from their executors. They didn't need to understand the reason behind "faking" the Third Child's history; the act of secretly "recruiting" their spies was a malicious behavior in itself.
'But I didn't. Even if I were to do it, I would use a much more subtle thod.'
Gendo felt a bit stifled. How had this script strayed from his control right at the beginning?
"Now that suspicion has been cast, the Committee will surely send more, more reliable people to monitor you. This will make things very difficult." Fuyutsuki added a quiet observation, then cast a look of approval.
Even with such bad news, those white-gloved hands remained firmly glued to Gendo's face, as if fixed with adhesive, without the slightest tremor.
"No matter how difficult, the task must be completed. It doesn't matter; SEELE still needs my talent." Gendo shook his head slightly. The more he thought about it, the more sothing felt off. He suddenly had an idea: "How is Rei's condition?"
"Her recovery is going well. Oh? Do you want Rei to act as a link?"
"Yes. Have Rei take the initiative to contact the Third Child." Gendo recalled their previous conversation. He wasn't particularly worried about his son's psychological transformation.
He simply couldn't allow this key tool to escape his control.
.
.
.
A strange ceiling.
At the sa ti, Shinji woke up in a massive private hospital room. He stared blankly at the grey-white ceiling for a long ti before finally lifting a hand to cover his face.
"I actually fell asleep."
Such a mundane human activity was practically a miracle for him. Due to the mutation of the Gene-seed, the battle-brothers of the Blood Ravens Chapter never slept.
Shinji couldn't even rember the last ti he had slumbered.
Because he had brought back his psychic powers, he had been ntally hyper-active with no desire for sleep over the past two days. After defeating the Angel, his mind relaxed, and he fell asleep right there in the cockpit.
This had given Misato Katsuragi and the others a terrible fright, and they had rushed him to the hospital for an examination.
Ikari Shinji was now more than just the Third Child; he was a super-elite warrior. If sothing happened to him, who would deal with the Angels in the future?
'So this is what sleep feels like? Quite dangerous. One is completely defenseless against a sneak attack while subrged in slumber.'
Shinji sat up, habitually viewing it as a flaw. He then gave a long stretch, his neck popping with audible clicks.
"But it's not bad. Sleeping makes the whole person feel lighter."
The psychological alienation intertwined with physical pleasure; it was a contradictory feeling. He sat idly on the bed, looking at the scenery outside.
A lake, green trees, a few birds chirping on the branches—this scene, at once so familiar and so foreign, left him lost in thought.
New enemies, new Power Armor, new comrades—everything was so peaceful. I can even sleep. Those long mories feel just like a dream.
'Ikari Shinji, second-year middle school student, an ordinary boy.
Syndius, Champion of the Blood Ravens Chapter, 5th Company, a telepathic Psyker with 120 years of service.'
Two diatrically opposed sets of mories surfaced in his mind. In terms of length, the latter was ten tis the forr, yet the forr sohow felt more real.
Shinji clutched his head, his expression looking sowhat pained. Countless bloody battles flashed back in his mind: powerful daemons being shredded by bolters, Chapter brothers forming a circular formation like a reef against the impact of countless enemies.
Finally, the imagery solidified on him piloting Unit-01 and dismbering the Angel. No matter which mory it was, there was never a lack of blood and Xenos corpses.
"At least I am still doing the sa thing. I am still fulfilling my oath."
He slowly closed his eyes, and his entire being quieted down. He didn't need to think about such complex problems; the Astartes oath was etched into the depths of his soul:
'Everything is guided by the Holy Emperor; the mission is not to be questioned.'
Instantly, he straightened his back, his rationality making arrangents with clockwork precision.
"First, I must unearth the secrets of this world."
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