Chapter 38

"Second and third set connections have been cleared," Aoba called out from his station, drawing the attention of the two women standing at the observation window. "Approaching borderline."

"What's Rei's status?" Maya asked worriedly. She had been carefully studying Unit-00 through the thick armored glass, as if somehow close visual inspection would allow her any problems better than the MAGI computers. It was a preposterous idea, but it made her feel better. Beside her, Ritsuko Akagi remained unconcerned.

"Pilot condition is green," Haruna confirmed. "Heart rate and breathing have quickened, beta waves are elevated. Everything is still within parameters, though. No anomalies on the A-10 pattern."

"Now we find out if we must pay for our sins in blood," Ritsuko said, looking at Maya. The young lieutenant bit down on her lip. "Relax, Maya. It'll be fine."

"It makes me nervous when you talk like that, like you are waiting for the end of the world."

"Don't worry, I don't believe humans have the ability to end the world anymore than to make miracles happen, or have others fall in love with us."

"1.4 to borderline clearance," came the word from Aoba.

Beyond the glass Unit-00 remained still, the sparking blue finish of its round head and new armor reflecting the lights that ran along the ceiling of the cage, a single red eye staring fixedly into space, unmoving and unblinking.

None of the Evangelions had been designed or built with their intended pilots in mind—they were tweaked in order to maximize their performance with a particular child in the same way other war machines can be altered to achieve greater destructive power. But since it was impossible to determine who could become an Eva pilot at birth, the individual units could not be built to suit any one person. Cores could be swapped out based on certain criteria Maya herself did not fully understand, but she assumed were based on a pilot's particular needs; software could be written and changed, which was what they'd been unsuccessfully attempting.

But the Evas ... somehow they always seemed to reflect a part of their pilot's personality. Somehow it was as though a particular pilot was meant to be matched up with a specific Eva unit. Previous cross-synchronization experiments had shown the links formed between the pilot and the Eva were not unlike those between children and their mothers, although completely artificial, and just as hard to break or replace.

"1.0"

That was why each Child could only pilot his or her Eva. And in time, at some primordial psychological level, the characteristics of the living were passed onto the non-living technology. Unit-00 was no different; it shared Rei's aura of mystery and, it turned out, a level of quiet unpredictability.

"Borderline cleared!" Haruna announced, standing from her console, obviously excited. "Final connections enabled. Pilot's brainwaves are normal, pulse normal. Evangelion Unit-00 has been activated!"

There was a general sigh of relief as those words echoed through the control room. Someone cheered; Aoba, Maya guessed. She looked over at Ritsuko. The older woman in turn looked at her with something akin to pride. "You really don't give yourself enough credit, Maya. You can't succeed if you are always ready to fail."

Maya blushed and nodded. But before she could offer her gratitude at being compliment by someone she admired in the way she did Ritsuko, the blond Doctor had already turned to the bank of technicians behind the two of them. "Open a channel to the pilot."

Hyuga nodded and did as he was told.

"Channel's open, Ma'am."

Ritsuko stepped from the window and moved towards one of the terminals, making the young technician sitting there tense noticeably. "Rei, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Rei's voice was weak, little more than a whisper carried over the speakers as if she were standing right there with them.

"We are done with the activation now." Ritsuko said. She cast a look in Maya's direction. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good to hear," Ritsuko said, although there was no telling about her sincerity as she sounded as cold as Maya had ever heard her. "Do you think you can handle the mobility test?"

That was a rhetorical question, and everyone present—certainly everyone who'd ever spent time around Rei Ayanami—knew it. Maya would never accuse Rei of being a liar in that self-interest was required in order for something to be lie and she had no such thing. She was as selfless as they came, to the detriment of her own health.

"Yes." Rei said without hesitation.

Maya was ready to protest but held back at the last second, remembering she wasn't on solid enough ground to object to anything Ritsuko, and the Commander by proxy, wanted to do.

Something of her reluctance showed on her face, however, and Ritsuko was quick to give her a disapproving glare. The short-haired girl felt as though she was back in college, being reprimanded by a teacher for a sub-par term paper she had obviously thought was good enough to make the grade.

Belatedly Maya realized that her relationship with Ritsuko was just that. She was the younger student who failed to make her instructor notice her, and Ritsuko was just like those professors. Cold, detached—they had tenure, what did they care?

What did Ritsuko Akagi care?

"Good," Ritsuko said, and Maya had the impression that she was talking to her instead of Rei. "Let's get this over with."

A series of acknowledgements followed, and a flurry of activity took over the crowded control room. But even as the technicians busily typed commands at their stations, Maya felt one or two sets of eyes land questioningly on her.

She turned back to once more peer out the armored window at the cage beyond, imagining that inside the blue Evangelion the First Child could very well be looking at her also. Maya shook her head slowly, in case it wasn't just her imagination.