In the long corridor leading to the cockpit, the cold metal walls reflected the pale light, and Shinji Ikari felt as if he were walking on a path to the execution ground.
The courage he had just mustered to shout that sentence in front of everyone was like ice under the scorching sun, rapidly melting away with each footstep in the empty corridor.
Replacing it was a tidal wave of nervousness and fear, threatening to swallow him whole.
"Am I really going to pilot that big guy?"
"Can I really do it?"
"What if I fail?"
"Will I die?"
Countless questions buzzed in his head like a swarm of flies, making him dizzy.
Cold sweat soaked the back of his shirt, clinging to his skin and bringing waves of sticky chill.
His palms were full of sweat, and his fingertips were turning slightly white from gripping too hard.
"Don't be nervous, Shinji-kun."
A dashing and vibrant voice came from beside him, interrupting his wild thoughts.
Misato Katsuragi had slowed her pace at some point and was walking side by side with him.
Her well-tailored business suit accentuated her mature, curvaceous, and provocative figure, especially her smooth, fair, and slender legs, which traced beautiful, powerful arcs as she walked quickly.
At this moment, she leaned over slightly, her bright, concerned brown eyes gazing earnestly at Shinji.
"You are not fighting alone." She deliberately slowed her speech, her voice carrying a convincing power. "Including me and your father, everyone in NERV will be supporting you from behind."
"Listen well, Shinji-kun, Eva is not a machine, it is an extension of yourself."
On the other side, Ritsuko Akagi, exuding an aura of intellect and asceticism, interjected.
Her neat short blonde hair, paired with her always meticulous lab coat, made her seem like a piece of precision scientific equipment.
Ritsuko's voice was calm and professional: "Although there are control sticks in the cockpit, don't think about operating them; instead, think about moving your own body. Think about using your hands to pick things up, and your feet to walk!"
"We will transmit combat commands to you through the neural connection; you just need to concentrate!"
"Right! That's it!" Misato nodded vigorously and added, "All you need to do is believe in yourself!"
Father... Support...
Shinji Ikari nodded silently, not knowing how much he had actually taken in.
What appeared in his mind, however, was Hansen's calm and gentle face, and the girl in his arms, covered in bandages like a broken doll.
And the words that seemed to still be echoing in his ears— "People must rely on themselves."
Yes.
Rely on myself.
He took a deep breath and clenched his sweat-dampened fists.
If I run away, that girl will have to sit in the pilot's seat... Mr. Hansen was able to save her once, but he won't be able to save her a second time.
No matter what, this is the path I chose myself.
Even if it means death, I cannot run away again.
This time, I will fight for myself!
Seeing a glimmer of determination reignite in the boy's eyes, Misato and Ritsuko exchanged glances and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go, it's about time."
Meanwhile, in another corridor leading to the medical department.
Hansen held the feather-light, red-eyed girl in his arms steadily, striding forward.
His steps were steady and powerful, and his broad, solid chest shielded her from the violent tremors caused by the Angel's attack, providing a safe haven for the doll-like girl in his arms.
Rei Ayanami's only eye visible outside the bandages, like a ruby, stared unblinkingly at the face so close to her own.
This was a perfect male face, with distinct contours and firm lines, like a supreme masterpiece carved by the gods in ancient Greek mythology.
Especially those deep, platinum-gold eyes, which seemed to contain the stars and the sea; just being gazed at by them made her heart, accustomed to silence, ripple with an unfamiliar sensation.
She could feel an indescribable warmth constantly emanating from this man, seeping gently through layers of bandages into her scarred body.
Wherever that warm current passed, the burning, agonizing pain miraculously eased significantly.
Cold, pain, numbness... These feelings she had long been accustomed to were being replaced by an unprecedented emotion called peace of mind.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" The man's deep, magnetic voice suddenly sounded, carrying a hint of imperceptible gentleness.
Rei Ayanami blinked, her hollow eyes turning to him, seemingly processing this unexpected question.
After a few seconds, she replied with her flat, soft voice: "Pain, yes. But this is an order."
Piloting eva unit-00 was Commander's order. Enduring the pain and replacing Shinji Ikari to pilot eva unit-01 was also part of completing the order. To her, this was a matter of course.
"People do not live because of orders." Hansen did not stop his pace, but his voice clearly reached her ears, "Those who only follow orders are tools."
Tools... This word made Rei Ayanami blink in a daze.
"You have your own name, Rei Ayanami."
Hansen lowered his head, his platinum-gold eyes gazing at her calmly, "A name is the most intuitive proof of an individual human's existence."
"Pain is a feeling of being alive, and so is fear; they all prove that you are not a cold program, but a living, breathing person."
"Not a tool, but a person..." She murmured unconsciously, and for the first time, a glimmer of something called confusion appeared in her ruby-like eyes.
In Rei Ayanami's mind, countless blurry and similar images flashed by in an instant. Those bodies lying in standard cultivation tanks, identical to her own. The girl's gaze lost focus as she fell into deep thought.
In Hangar 6, the massive eva unit-01 had already been powered on, and the external restraint devices on its body were unlocked layer by layer, revealing the entry plug entrance located at the spine.
The cylindrical cockpit was quietly hovering at the entrance.
"Go on up." Misato pointed to the entry plug.
Shinji nodded and walked step by step up the cold gangway, arriving in front of the entry plug.
The hatch slid open silently, revealing the narrow, oppressive space inside and a solitary pilot seat.
He looked back down; Misato gave him a firm thumbs-up, with an encouraging smile on her face.
He subconsciously searched the crowd again for that tall, black figure. He didn't find him.
Right, a big shot like Mr. Hansen obviously has more important things to do.
Shinji Ikari took a deep breath, and with a trace of inexplicable disappointment and a sense of determination to burn his bridges, he sat into the cockpit.
The hatch closed, and his vision was instantly plunged into darkness and deathly silence. Only the sound of his own increasingly rapid heartbeat remained.
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