Chapter 13: Misato's Precognition
Misato turned away heavily, her heart filled with helplessness and concern for Shinji, stepping toward the console where Ritsuko had departed.
She didn't even dare to glance back at the lonely silhouette of the boy standing beneath the crimson emergency lights.
Yet, just as she had taken a few steps—
"Thump!"
Her heart suddenly lurched violently! As if seized by an invisible hand! Immediately after, a wave of intense dizziness washed over her like a tide, the world before her instantly turning blurry and distorted, like the flickering screen of an old television with poor signal!
"Ugh..." Misato grunted, instinctively bracing herself against the cold alloy wall beside her to keep from collapsing.
In that dizzying moment, it felt as though a damaged film reel had been forcibly shoved into her mind—countless fragmented, chaotic, yet terrifyingly vivid images flashed madly before her!
She saw—
Beneath a deep, ink-stained night sky, the colossal Third Angel, Sachiel, strode with heavy, terrifying steps through the shadows of the city ruins.
Its white head glowed with a piercing, eerie light! The next instant, a massive cross-shaped lance of pure destructive energy shot forth from its eyes like divine punishment, slamming violently into the hundreds-of-meters-thick super-alloy armored dome above the distant underground city!
"BOOM——!!!"
A deafening roar echoed through the vision! The ground shook as if trampled by a giant! Visible shockwaves rippled outward!
"Boom!... Boom!... Boom!..."
Then came the second, third, fourth...! Sachiel, like an inexhaustible machine of destruction, precisely and relentlessly hammered the lethal cross-shaped lances into nearly the same coordinates! Each explosion birthed a brief, dazzling, death-marking cross in the night sky!
"CRACK... RUMBLE——!!!"
Under such concentrated and terrifying targeted assault, the towering elevator buildings above the underground city—like pillars holding up the heavens—finally gave way! The massive alloy structures groaned with a teeth-gritting screech before, with an earth-shattering roar, they fractured and collapsed like severed mountain peaks, crashing down upon the city ruins below with tons of rubble and twisted steel!
NERV Headquarters, this deeply buried "human fortress," also endured an unprecedented, violent impact! The violent shaking rivaled the most ferocious earthquake! In the vision, the command center's ceiling swayed wildly, instruments toppled, alarm lights shattered, sparks flying everywhere!
And amidst this chaotic, apocalyptic scene, Misato's "vision" abruptly zoomed in, focusing on the Unit-01 hangar platform!
Above, the massive metal light fixtures and heavy lamp covers—already battered by the violent tremors—after enduring several rounds of shockwaves, finally let out their last cries at the joints!
"SCREECH—BANG!!!"
Several huge, sharp-edged metal lamp covers, whistling as they tore through the air, plummeted directly toward an unsuspecting figure on the platform below—Shinji Ikari!
"NO—!!!" Misato's soul seemed to scream from outside the vision!
"BOOM——!!!"
The boundary between reality and premonition was violently shattered! A terrifying tremor, more intense and vivid than the visions in her mind, swept through NERV Headquarters like a tsunami!
"Woooo——!!!" The piercing alarm instantly escalated to its peak! The entire Unit-01 hangar shook violently as if tossed into a frenzied washing machine, lurching wildly from side to side! Walls groaned under the strain, and the floor heaved violently!
Misato, who had just broken free from her precognitive vision, felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest! The deadly images overlapped with reality in an instant! She snapped her head up, staring at the hangar's dome—just as she feared!
Amid the violent shockwave, several massive metal light fixtures tore free from their mountings, casting shadows of death as they plummeted mercilessly toward the slender figure below—Shinji Ikari—who had just slipped from her embrace and was silently walking toward the gate!
"Look out—!!!" Misato's scream tore through the chaos! Her mind went blank, but her body erupted with speed and strength beyond limits!
Shinji also heard the strange noise above. He looked up in shock, his pupils reflecting the rapidly enlarging shadows engulfing him!
At this critical moment!
A figure shot out like an arrow from a bow, darting forward at an unbelievable angle! It was Misato!
She didn't attempt to push Shinji aside—the distance and angle made it impossible!
Instead, her eyes blazed with startling resolve and ferocity. Still several steps away from Shinji, she planted her foot and launched herself into the air like a nimble panther!
"Haa—!"
Her sharp cry cut through the chaotic alarms!
Misato's body performed a breathtaking maneuver mid-air.
—She executed a full 360-degree spinning kick! Her long, powerful leg whistled through the air, striking the sides of the two largest falling light fixtures with precise, consecutive blows!
"Thud! Thud!!"
Two heavy impacts echoed!
The massive metal fixtures were violently redirected by her astonishing kick, sent flying like baseballs to crash against the hardened alloy walls with deafening force, instantly warping and denting!
"So... so cool!"
Shinji, spared from disaster, stared dumbfounded at Misato's back as she landed gracefully like a savior. His heart still pounded, his mind reeling from her extraordinary display. He swallowed hard without thinking.
But the danger wasn't over!
The Third Angel Sachiel's assault clearly continued! Another, even more violent shockwave struck!
"Boom—!!!"
The entire hangar convulsed once more, as if kicked by a giant! From the dome, more precariously hanging light fixtures broke loose like ripe fruit, pouring down like a torrential rain over Shinji and Misato! This time, they were more numerous and covered a wider area!
Misato, having just landed, was off-balance—her momentum spent, unable to generate new force! She had no time to dodge or block!
"This is bad!" Misato's pupils contracted sharply!
Without a moment's hesitation! Almost instinctively! She spun around, threw her arms wide, and with all her strength, fiercely tackled the still-stunned Shinji to the ground, simultaneously shielding the boy beneath her with her entire back!
She closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and braced for the anticipated, potentially fatal impact!
However...
The expected agony never came!
Only more violent tremors and an indescribable, heart-gripping cacophony from above—a screeching, thunderous roar like massive metal structures twisting and snapping!
And... an overwhelming, ferociously violent, yet inexplicably... protective pressure radiating with a will of its own!
Misato's eyes snapped open!
What met her gaze wasn't shattered light fixtures, but an immense, cold metallic-purple "dome"!
It was... Unit-01's arm!
That right arm, originally locked down by countless heavy restraints and hanging limply at its side, was now raised high overhead! Its massive palm acted as an impenetrable shield, spanning the space above them! The heavy light fixtures falling like meteors were all forcefully blocked and deflected by this colossal purple arm! The dull thuds of impact against its armor echoed, yet not a single fragment could harm those sheltered beneath!
"What... what's happening?!" Misato cried out, her mind in chaos.
"Evangelion Unit-01 has activated on its own! The right arm has broken free of its restraints!" came the nearly hysterical, terrified report from the operations console.
Everyone was stunned by this incomprehensible scene!
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Ritsuko, who had just been thrown to the ground by the violent tremors, her documents scattered everywhere.
Now disregarding all decorum, she struggled to her feet, staring in disbelief at the self-raised purple giant arm protecting the two below, her voice trembling with shock.
"The Entry Plug hasn't even been inserted! Neural connection is zero! The power lines are in minimal maintenance mode! How could it move?! This... this completely defies all physical laws and control system logic!"
"Without any interface equipment, it actually responded..."
Misato remained in her position shielding Shinji, gazing up at the purple armor looming so close overhead. Feeling the palpable, soul-deep tremor radiating from it, a thought struck her mind like lightning, sending shivers through her entire body:
"Could it be... it's... protecting him?!"
"Yes! It must be!"
Once this thought took root, it grew wildly like vines, instantly consuming Misato's entire consciousness!
She became even more convinced that Shinji was that unique individual capable of awakening Unit-01's soul and resonating with it! This instinctual protection from the Evangelion was the most powerful proof!
Meanwhile, high up in the control room, the perpetually ice-cold Gendo Ikari watched the shocking scene of the purple giant actively shielding his son. On his eternally unreadable face, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk of triumphant control slowly emerged.
His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.
Just as expected... exactly as he had predicted.
Yui... you really are watching over our child.
This brought him one step closer to his ultimate plan.
At this moment, Shinji, shielded tightly beneath Misato's body, felt his muscles stiffen.
He could clearly feel the warmth and softness of Misato's body pressing against him, could smell the unique scent of perfume and sweat mingling in her hair.
But what shook him even more profoundly were the increasingly distinct sounds coming from the nearby passageway—the rapid rolling of wheels across the floor and urgent footsteps.
Rei Ayanami! She was being brought here!
Shinji's heart constricted violently! He practically forced himself to bury his head deeper, desperately suppressing the urge to look in that direction.
He was afraid of seeing that pale, fragile, lifeless face, afraid of meeting those hollow red eyes.
They would make him remember his mother, remember the sorrows of this world, remember those invisible shackles called "bonds"—once fastened, there would be no escape from this NERV hell filled with suffering!
No! I have to leave! Right now!
"Thank you... Misato-san..." Shinji's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor as he forcefully, yet with a certain finality, broke free from Misato's embrace and quickly stood up.
He didn't even glance at Misato, keeping his gaze lowered, his voice suppressed and calm:
"...Go do what you need to do now."
He paused, as if mustering all his strength, before uttering the final words:
"...I'm leaving."
With that, he showed no further hesitation, turned around, and strode with determined steps toward the massive gate symbolizing freedom (or escape).
Misato, caught off guard by Shinji breaking free, sat on the floor somewhat dazed.
She watched the boy's retreating back as he left without hesitation, then looked up at the giant arm still maintaining its protective posture overhead, her eyes filled with unprecedented conflict!
On one side was the critically endangered headquarters, on the other was this boy burdened with a heavy past, who had just been protected by the Evangelion's instincts...
On one side was her duty as Operations Director, on the other was the impulse deep within her heart not to let him leave bearing wounds and regrets...
Ultimately, the fear for the boy's safety stemming from her precognitive vision, combined with the soul-stirring impact of Unit-01's protective gesture, solidified her resolve!
Misato abruptly stood up, raised her head, and her gaze pierced through the chaotic hangar directly toward Gendo behind the control room glass, her voice ringing clear and firm:
"Commander Ikari! I was the one who personally brought Shinji here! Now, please allow me... to personally see him off!"
Her eyes were filled with entreaty, yet carried undeniable determination.
Gendo's gaze met hers across the space.
Behind those cold lenses, there seemed to flash a trace of understanding that saw through everything.
He appeared to see through Misato's complicated thoughts at this moment—not merely seeing him off, but wanting to seize this final opportunity to make him stay.
He remained silent for a second, then slowly nodded, his voice coming through the speakers:
"Go ahead."
"Commander!" Ritsuko exclaimed urgently beside him, unable to comprehend how the Operations Director could abandon her post at such a critical moment of life and death.
"Hey! Misato! This is exactly when we need your command! How can you—"
Gendo raised his hand, cutting off Ritsuko's words, his tone still calm yet carrying final authority:
"It's fine. Let First Lieutenant Katsuragi go."
Misato nodded vigorously toward the control room with gratitude, a glimmer of relief flashing in her eyes.
Without further delay, she turned and swiftly chased after the direction where Shinji was about to disappear behind the closing gate!
Ritsuko watched Misato's departing figure, then glanced at the giant arm and the aloof Gendo Ikari above, ultimately letting out a deep sigh. She bent down to gather the scattered documents, pouring all her energy into the inevitably difficult battle ahead.
***
A/N: Who do you think Unit-01 was really protecting? Shinji? Or...