I press the button on my wrist, my plugsuit immediatly deflates like a popped baloon, suddenly my skin feels a breeze of air. Finally being able to sit down on the locker room's bench, and take in some air, even if it is from the AC is still nice after the last few days.
This last bi-weekly synchronization test was harder than usual; The results had been pretty poor, i guess it could be due to the stress of last night's battle; a sniper duel with the 6th angel, i got to see Ayanami smile for once though.
But it could also be due to the excitement building up in me; New pilots are going to be brought here to Nerv,it could be 2 or it could 9 for all i know, and surprisingly enough, they're not all 16 year old like me and Ayanami.
Though i also heard rumors concerning the arrival of Unit 02 from some anglophonic country, as well as regarding the construction of unit 03 and 04 in America.
It seems strange how relaxed i seem to be despite what happened lately, it's as if piloting my evangelion, Evangelion unit 01 has become normal for me, maybe that's where i truly belong, but the smell of blood.... mom?...
I wonder if all the new pilots feel the same way, i wonder what kind of training they've been put through, it seems as if they've all just been selected from what Miss Misato told me, i wonder if they have even ever gotten on an Eva, if have they ever felt their skin be melted from their flesh, if their cranium has ever been perforated while conscious, or if they have ever been whipped so badly for their spine to be exposed and their hands scarred.
Is this what i just called home? Being used by everyone i know? Just to make my father happy? Is this what's in store for these new poor souls? Should i do something?
With that, every feeling of warm i had in me dissipates, I get changed as quickly as possible, i just want to go home. The usual bus commute feels lonilier than usual, the rain splatters against the bus's windows, it reminds me of just a week ago.. i like the rain.
As i get home Pen Pen's there to greet me as usual, I can't stand that bird, as much as i want to love him, i just can't bring myself to pet him. Misato's showering, she's singing loudlily some song she must've heard on those pay per view channels she just managed to afford.
I decide to skip dinner and head straight to bed, my Mp3 player playing nothing but static, the wire must be broken. Right as i'm about to drift off the door opens, its Miss Misato, she just finished showering.
"Listen, Vicienz.. Don't worry too much about today's test results, you just need some rest... if you were even caring at all.... Also sorry, the day of the expected arrival of the new pilots has been moved to tomorrow morning, sorry for just now telling you this; You will be able to meet them at the harbor at around 1pm, i'll drive you there of course, and they're shipping unit 02 too... extremely earlier than we thought, everyone is in a hurry now that the angels are returning at frequent rates, but all this rush won't lead to anything good. Have a good night Vicienz, sleep well."
With that the door closes.
It's 10 Am, im trying on a new jacket in front of my room's mirror, i look incredibly goofy but i don't have time to waste, Misato's outside waiting for me in the car, i haven't even had the time to tell Toji and Kensuke i'd be skipping school today.
As we are driving up the seaside Misato tries to start conversation a few times, but fails, on her own though, something isn't right with her today, there must be something on her mind.
It's 12:45, i can see a large carrier ship, escorted by numerous battleships, heading towarrds the harbor, I, Miss Misato and Miss Ritsuko have been waiting for 2 hours now, i have never been this close to the ocean, my tutor couldn't afford to bring me to the beach in a post Second Impact world, the seagulls are chattering, and a smell of rotten fish fills my lungs.
After about 40 minutes, the ship docks and starts unloading various containers, i can see the silhouette of a humanoid figure under it's protective covers on the big carrier, waiting to be lifted out of there, that's unit 02, i wonder what it looks like, just as i notice that, i see Miss Ritsuko approach me.
"Vicienz, i would like you to meet the new candidate, chosen by the Marduk institute, to pilot the first production model of the multi purpose humanoid weapon Evangelion series. This is the Third Child."
She steps to the right and i finally meet the Third Child, face to face, they do not look like i expected them to look.....