Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"Main power connection is normal, all restraints are normal," Aoba Shigeru replied.

"Understood, proceed with the second phase of the exchange test," Ritsuko Akagi ordered.

As they descended to deeper levels, they reached the same depth as Rei Ayanami, yet the synchronization rate remained at 99%.

“The harmonic values ​​are completely normal, and no problems were detected between the Third Child and Unit-00,” said Maya Ibuki.

"This shouldn't be the case. All the other data is normal, only the synchronization rate is not up to standard. The modes of Unit-01 and Unit-00 are also completely similar." Ritsuko Akagi was somewhat troubled.

"Stop talking. A synchronization rate of 99 is already extremely good. Look, Asuka is almost green with envy." Misato Katsuragi whispered to Ritsuko Akagi.

But even such quiet whispers were overheard by the perceptive Asuka.

"I'm not jealous! Who would be jealous of that idiot!" Asuka roared.

"No, no, we didn't say you were jealous, it was just me who said it!" Misato Katsuragi smiled and waved her hands, coaxing the pilot of Unit 2 who was very prone to losing control of her emotions.

Asuka crossed her arms and scoffed, "Ha, I have no interest in piloting any other mecha. Unit-02 is the best EVA. Instead of paying attention to me, you should pay attention to the honor student. She seems to be the one who's jealous."

At this moment, after Asuka's reminder, Ritsuko Akagi noticed that Rei Ayanami was crouching on the ground, clutching her stomach, and her face looked rather pale.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Ritsuko Akagi walked over and asked with concern.

Speaking of work, Ritsuko Akagi always refers to other pilots as "Second Child" or "Third Child," but she seems to call Rei Ayanami by her name affectionately.

But it only seems so, because her attitude towards Rei Ayanami was even less friendly than her attitude towards the other two.

"I just feel a little uncomfortable inside, probably because I didn't eat anything very clean this morning, but I'm fine now," Rei Ayanami replied.

For Rei Ayanami, the brief physical reaction she experienced just moments before wasn't pain. It's just that for someone like her, with a naturally unemotional nature, pain was the most prominent expression beyond a blank face.

She didn't know what that feeling was, but her body's response was strange.

But she didn't dislike it; in fact, she felt a sense of joy, as if a part of her was being completed. Only Asuka kept observing this number one girl, because her intuition, or rather, a woman's intuition, made her realize that Rei Ayanami was somewhat different just now.

Ritsuko Akagi carefully examined Rei Ayanami's plain face. Seeing her expressionless face, she probably believed that Rei was alright, so she turned around and returned to her work station, looking at the charts displayed on her computer.

The computer screen was divided into eight smaller screens, and in addition to the synchronization rate, several charts with very similar data also confirmed Ritsuko Akagi's conjecture.

“All the data looks normal, so perhaps we can proceed with that plan.” Ritsuko Akagi nodded, making up her mind.

"Are you referring to the puppet system? Even though it's in front of a senior like you, I still can't agree with it." Ibuki Maya frowned; this was the first time she had contradicted her mentor.

Ritsuko Akagi said calmly, "I understand that you disagree, but prevention is better than cure. It is a necessary measure for the survival of mankind."

Despite disagreeing with her most favored assistant, Ritsuko Akagi remained indifferent. Although she always presented herself as a researcher, she was actually the head of a department, and in NERV's serial number, she even had a higher priority than Misato Katsuragi.

If she makes a certain decision, the entire development department must follow her ideas.

“I respect my seniors and I will do my job, but I still can’t accept it,” said Maya Ibuki.

"Having obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness is tough, especially living among people. You'll understand when you feel something is dirty."

"The one who really suffered is you, senior. How dare you say such a thing in front of Shinji Ikari?"

“What does this have to do with the Third Child…” Ritsuko Akagi started to say, but then stopped midway.

At this moment, Ibuki Maya finally looked at her admired senior. Although she didn't approve of the puppet system, she was more worried about her senior's safety.

"When it comes to Unit-01, he won't just stand by and do nothing. Although Shinji is very approachable and kind to everyone, we all know what his true nature is, and you, Senpai, should know even more—"

Ritsuko Akagi suddenly turned around and looked at Misato Katsuragi, who had been standing silently with her arms crossed. Seeing her friend staring at her intently, Misato Katsuragi could only helplessly spread her hands.

“I know about your biased ideas as researchers, and I don’t want to spoil your fun. But if you really want to implement a puppet system in Unit-01,” Misato Katsuragi said, closing her eyes and imagining for a moment.

"He will kill you."

Misato Katsuragi said with absolute certainty.

Chapter 99: In the Sea of ​​People, There Are You and Me

As Shinji Ikari's commander and guardian, with whom he spent every day, Misato Katsuragi was undoubtedly well aware of the ruthless side hidden beneath his kind exterior. One could even say that it was the true nature of his soul.

But as a friend as well, she was also aware of Ritsuko Akagi's dedication as a lab technician.

Moreover, the one who truly wanted to implement the puppet system was not her, but the man standing behind her.

No one in the current testing ground was aware of the myriad thoughts swirling within the two women, because the more important task was to measure the experimental data from the first body exchange experiment.

"Begin the third and final test," Maya Ibuki announced.

"My self-psychological map is stable, and mental pollution remains at a minimum level," Hinata Makoto reported.

"Initiating connection to nerve point A, harmonic value +100," Aoba Shigeru reported.

The third and final test, while still conducted synchronously, also involved visual assessments in three different directions, each with its own emphasis. This final test examined whether the deep communication between the candidate and the organism maintained mental stability.

Shinji Ikari's piloting ability was far better than they had predicted. The icon on the computer screen kept flashing between red and green, which meant that Unit-00 was constantly trying to establish a connection with Shinji Ikari, indicating that the machine was actively accepting the new pilot.

This is an experience that Rei Ayanami has never had before, and Asuka has only had one, which was also when Shinji Ikari was present.

"Is this Shinji Ikari? He's a miracle that transcends the realm of theory." Maya Ibuki took a deep breath.

But at that very moment, the alarm suddenly went off, and the chart on the computer screen, which had been rotating in a spiral pattern, suddenly stretched out and plummeted to a new level.

Deep within the cockpit, Shinji Ikari couldn't hear the urgent alarm. He felt himself being covered by a deep blue machine, even though Unit-00 was clearly yellow. As the final simulated neural current surged into his spine, a kaleidoscope of fragmented images descended upon him.

Memories of Rei Ayanami flooded his mind, countless crimson-gold specks of light rising from the blood-red world: Rei Ayanami severely injured at their first meeting, Rei Ayanami lying in the gloomy dormitory, Rei Ayanami as a child, Rei Ayanami wearing a white dress and holding a medicine bottle, and Rei Ayanami whose neck was snapped by a woman who looked exactly like Dr. Akagi.

Every version of Rei Ayanami is a pale, lifeless individual. Expressionless, like a walking corpse, she's like a girl in a black-and-white film from an old television series from the last century. Only when she herself appears does her color suddenly come alive.

Those are all memories related to myself.

At this moment, Shinji Ikari in the cockpit couldn't help but shrink his pupils, because this was the first time he had seen himself from a girl's perspective. Before I met you, the world was gray, but your appearance became the only color in my life.

On the day that Unit-00 and Unit-01 went berserk, the boys and girls embracing each other at night, the slanted window where you could see the stars just by looking up, the housework and daily routines they gradually learned, and the school, the streets, and the summer sunshine and rain... those images became increasingly blurry, and the sounds became increasingly distant.

"……Korea."

From these jumbled memories, Shinji Ikari suddenly found himself at a perspective he had never been aware of before.

It was me standing on the scorching, empty road, looking at myself on the other side of the road behind the railing. The blazing sun scorched the road, creating distorted beams of sunlight, and in the flickering light, even the scenes in my memory seemed to begin to blur.

Shinji Ikari vaguely remembered that this was himself when he had just returned and encountered the invasion of the Water Angels, but he did not sense Rei Ayanami's presence.

My memories are so jumbled up.

The next moment, he was lying on the beach again, the crimson ocean rising towards the shore, the seawater bright red, washing over his body layer by layer.

This time, it's not from Rei Ayanami's perspective, but from my own.

Shinji Ikari was surprised to find himself back in that frail body, where Rei Ayanami was also present.

Like Adam and Eve, but also like Lilith the Nightmare and Satan.

At this moment, she was sitting on his lap, the two of them intertwined, becoming one.

Rei Ayanami's face was completely distorted, and only a captivating red remained in her deep, lake-like pupils.

In the monitoring room, everyone was in a panic.

"What's wrong?!" Misato Katsuragi shouted.

"Unit Zero seems to be going out of control!" Ritsuko Akagi narrowed her eyes. "Is it going to be the same as back then?"

More and more red warnings lit up on the screen. The red dots, symbolizing loss of control, initially appeared only near the spine of the body, and then extended one by one towards the extremities.

"The driver's nerve impulses are abnormal!"

"The body's pulse is flowing backward, causing severe mental pollution to the driver!"

"What's going on?! Even Shinji Ikari can't escape the curse of Unit-00?"

"It's not the embolus, it's the EVA going berserk, it's corrupting the pilot!" Maya Ibuki shouted.

Without any hesitation, Ritsuko Akagi made a decisive decision: "Shut down all circuits and cut off the power! If Unit-00, piloted by the Third Child, goes out of control, Unit-02 alone won't be enough to stop it!"

"What can you do in five minutes?" Ritsuko Akagi turned to look at Misato Katsuragi eagerly.

“If it were Unit-01, it could probably destroy NERV headquarters, but this is Unit-00… can it destroy half of it?” Misato Katsuragi hesitated, unsure of her own abilities.

Perhaps even Unit-00 could be completely dismantled? After all, the pilot inside is Shinji Ikari!

At that very moment, an unexpected voice rang out on the radio.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked calmly, but it seemed as if he was suppressing some kind of emotion.

"Shinji? You're alright?!" Ritsuko Akagi recognized the boy's voice and was overjoyed.

"Why would something happen to me?" Shinji Ikari frowned, not because of the chaotic monitoring room in front of him, but because of the overwhelming jumble of memories flooding his mind.

It felt as if a million steel needles were piercing his brain, the pain so intense that he instinctively wanted to grin. But his pride prevented him from losing his composure in front of others.

Moreover, the scenes in that kaleidoscope allowed him to glimpse things that even Rei Ayanami herself didn't remember, and even things beyond this world.

Connecting the images that appeared in his dream, he roughly understood what the crossroads in his dream represented.

"As expected of the Third Child, he was able to suppress EVA's berserk state even when the neural impulses of Unit-00 were flowing back and polluting the pilot's mind."

"It seems the curse of Unit-00 is real, but thankfully Shinji Ikari is the pilot this time."

"Keep your voice down, the First Child is still around, it's not good if she hears us."

But in reality, the first girl was sitting on a bench with her head down and her body trembling slightly.

—Central Dogmatic District, Commander's Office.

If Shinji Ikari were here, he'd probably be quick to complain that NERV's higher-ups are all like bats, always preferring to work in the dark. The Kabbalah Tree of Life, intimately connected to the Angels, is inscribed on the ceiling, glowing red. Only Gendo Ikari and Kozue Fuyutsuki are in the vast room.

The two sat cross-legged in the center, their black uniforms resembling two enigmatic shadows. Bathed in the dark red glow emanating from the Tree of Life, they played traditional Japanese shogi on a walnut wood chessboard, exchanging blows.

"Unit 00 is ultimately a flawed product." Fuyutsuki Yukizou moved Ryoma's piece forward one space.

“But it is precisely because of these flaws that we can implant our own data. Let Ritsuko Akagi recreate Shinji Ikari’s data from that time and create additional data for Unit-00,” Gendo Ikari said.

“But your son will not agree. He is a tiger that will devour people, not a hunting dog that circles around your feet.”

"I don't need his consent. Being too lenient has caused him to misjudge his place. In the end, he's just one of many qualified individuals. Even if he can be considered an anchor of destiny, do you think he, as the pilot, has the right to interfere in how EVA is dealt with?" Gendo Ikari sneered.

"But his unpredictability also exceeded our expectations. If he pilots Unit-01 into the Central Dogma District in a state of rage, who can stop him?"

"The puppet system is a must-implement; it's necessary for the script. Actually, you've never quite grasped the logic: do we need Shinji Ikari, or does Shinji Ikari need us?" Gendo Ikari asked.

Fuyutsuki Yukizo held the chess manual in his hand, lost in thought. Logically speaking, they needed Shinji Ikari, but this obvious thing was certainly not what Gendo Ikari wanted to express.