Аннотация: Conversations about Eva-01 and the subsequent battle.
Chapter 1.4 Eva-1.
"No fucking toys!" I muttered, still staring at Zero-one in amazement.
"In front of you is the universal anthropomorphic combat vehicle Evangelion," Ritsuko, who had once managed to change into a blue blouse and a short black skirt, said solemnly, pleased with the impression she had made. She'd left her robe, though. This is Unit-01, designed in the strictest secrecy - the last hope of mankind...
"And here I thought that Misato was soaked through with pathos and cliched speech... Tell me more about the asymmetrical answer..." I muttered.
"What?" Katsuragi was indignant.
".. So that's what my dad does... Yeah, and somehow I like to play with soldiers more than with transformers..."
Due to the stress, sarcasm, coupled with speech retention, quickly came out of me - as always in moments of excitement.
Akagi and Misato looked at me in utter surprise, as if they hadn't expected this, obviously not like this...
Interesting... That's my reaction now, but if I really were fourteen years old, what would I do? I probably would have stood there, fucked up and imbued with the solemnity of the moment.
"Transformers are not bad either" A loud, sarcastic voice came from the speakers. "It's been a long time, son."
I raised my head. Somewhere above, behind the armored glass, I made out the figure of a man in a black and gold uniform, glasses and a beard (hooray! my slight myopia is gone!).
"Father," I bowed my head slightly in greeting. "Did you call me?"
"Yes." There was a hint of surprise in Gendo's voice. Apparently, he didn't expect such a reaction from me. "Now we will begin the attack, and you..."
"Like an attack?" Misato asked, dumbfounded. "Yes, on what? Eva-00 is still in the defrosting stage!.."
Katsuragi broke off.
"Do you want to activate Eva-01?!"
"We don't have a choice," Ritsko said harshly.
"But after all... But Rey isn't able to control Eve yet! We don't have a pilot!"
"One has just arrived," Akagi said clearly.
Misato's face sharpened.
"You're kidding," not a question, but a statement.
"Ikari Shinji," Ritsuko said to me.
I'm coming to attention.
"You will take the pilot's seat!"
"Jawohl!" (note. (German) Yavol. That's right)
?.. - stunned faces all around.
"That's right! It will be done!"
Calm down, Vitya, calm down... Less clowning and all sorts of show-offs...
Everyone, without exception, looked at me with real amazement.
"Ha! Finally, the war!" I grinned happily, even though the thought made my insides go cold. But now we will play out the image of a maniac who has gone mad on a military theme to the end - after all, the example of Kensuke stands before our eyes... I've always dreamed of going to a real war! So, where is the enemy?"
Excitement and a slight fear of a slightly unusual kind came over me-not my fear and worries. It seems that somewhere in the depths of me, the real Ikari Shinji was stirring, who was disgusted by everything that was happening...
"It's a little scary..."
"Calm down, old man," I said inwardly. "I'll take it all on myself, it will be quite difficult to mess up more than you."
Fear, fear, fear... Waves of fear and uncertainty rise from somewhere inside.
I began to boil a little.
"Are you a kid or not? Get ready! Damn, the mind, honor and conscience of the Japanese nation!.. Couldn't you have found someone better? The third Child, damn it... A father like that, and a son like that, is a wimp... Shinji, your samurai ancestors are turning over in their coffins right now!.."
But on the other hand, they're just going to throw me to the slaughter, trying to find a way out of a completely hopeless situation... Just because there are no other options - either I climb into Eva and kill the Angel, or the Angel in question destroys everything here to the ground... And it doesn't matter what my name is now - Shinji or Victor, Gendo just needs at least some kind of pilot, and he doesn't really care about the specific personality of the performer...
"My father doesn't need me. No one needs me at all," someone else's thought came.
And then I suddenly exploded.
"What?! To hell with your father! Why don't you get it, or what? If an Angel breaks through here, the world will end! And even if it doesn't break through, do you know how many victims there will be? Do you hear me, you freak? Don't you care about them? Then why shouldn't I? Don't run away from the answer! The imbecile is a minor... His own self, you see, is more precious to him than the lives of ordinary people... Yes, at the front, people like you would have been immediately put in the penalty boxes or put against the wall!"
"But are we at war?"
"And where else?! In the fucking war! On her own! Answer me now- do you want to accept this responsibility? I don't hear an answer!"
Indifference, bitterness, resentment, confusion instead of an answer.
"Everything is clear with you..."
The apathy and despondency in Shinji's performance is so familiar to me, as if I've known him all my life... Or maybe I just know these feelings too? It's not clear, but one thing I clearly know is that this is not the right mindset right now. There is no need to be offended and whine, but to be angry. Or, as I usually did in critical situations, stay calm... Calm... Calm, I said. There's no hope for Shinji... Oh well! Then I'll act on my own...
"But... But even Ayanami needed more than seven months to fully synchronize with Eva!" Misato exclaimed in despair. "He can't fly, he just arrived!"
"He should just sit inside and nothing else." her father's calm voice. "Shinji should be able to handle it, I'm sure of it."
"But..."
"Now our task is to stop the Angel. We need anyone who can pilot Eva, even if his synchronization is very low... Do you understand, Captain Katsuragi? Or are you suggesting that we put Eva Ayanami in the cabin after getting her out of intensive care?"
Misato fell silent dejectedly.
I looked up at the ceiling, looking for Gendo's figure.
"Father, are all your orders discussed in this way? Then you don't have much discipline in that NERV of yours..."
Katsuragi looked at me with real horror.
"That's a good idea, son," Gendo replied thoughtfully. "It's good that you understand the current situation..."
Okay, now I can't overplay it, otherwise this old schemer will quietly take me out somehow...
"...Although the idea is, of course, too reckless, in my opinion", I immediately expressed my concerns. "This is the first time I've seen this car, and how can I fight on it? I do not know how to control it, what it is capable of - you have no performance characteristics (approx. tactical and technical characteristics) were not given to me... Why wasn't I trained for such battles?"
"It's nothing. They'll explain everything to you. If you're ready to manage Eva, we won't waste any time, but if you're not, leave!"
"Uh, no..." I drawled, grinning. "Fuck you, you're going to get rid of me now."
The floor shook under his feet, and the liquid in the pool began to agitate.
"He's already here," Gendo said calmly.
"Shinji, there's no time to think," Akagi added.
"So what are we waiting for? Go ahead! Drang nah Western!" (note. (German) Drang nah Western. The onslaught on the west. Victor paraphrased the name of the famous German doctrine "The Onslaught on the East")
Get ready and fight! It's too late to retreat now, and if I do die in battle, then the real Shinji sitting somewhere inside me will most likely die with me. Do you hear me, old man? Come on, get together too - from now on and forever and ever, you and I are in the same boat. You can sit like a dead weight, the main thing is not to try to do anything - I think it will only get worse... Do you understand me?
A hesitant, but still affirmative nod from somewhere in the depths of consciousness.
That's great, that's great...
"...Somewhere on the edge of his brain, someone else's thought flashed: "Don't run away, don't run away, don't run away..." - Shinji was somewhere nearby... I'm sorry, old man, but it has to be this way. I'm not the coolest person in this world, but at least I'll try to teach you something. It sucks that I didn't find such a teacher at the time... I do not know how long I will be here, but I will try to give you something. Don't count on toughness and strength, but at least calmness and confidence won't hurt you.
In order not to retreat, Shinji, it's not enough just not to run away - you can go back and step...
So what does that mean? So, don't take a step back! Stand to the death!!!
...Before my eyes, as if in reality, I saw a shot from the movie "Liberation", where Marshal Zhukov, played by actor Ulyanov, scolds some commander...