All eyes were fixed on the now-motionless Unit-03. Everyone wore the same stunned expression, as if unable to believe what they were seeing.
And yet, it confirmed Kitazawa Ryota's deduction.
Unit-03 was not an Angel. It was operating on the Simulation System.
Could it truly be the work of the Americans behind the scenes?
The answer was too terrifying to accept—so terrifying that no one dared believe it.
Naturally, Misato Katsuragi was the first to recover her composure.
As Operations Director, her reactions had to be sharper than anyone else's.
"This has to be reported to Commander Ikari. He's the only one who can make the decision."
The incident was simply too big. Its consequences were unpredictable, far beyond what Misato could decide on her own.
And besides, they were still at the Matsushiro Test Facility. In the end, what was to be done with Unit-03 had to be determined by Commander Ikari himself.
Once Misato had ordered the NERV personnel back into the Matsushiro base, word of the incident reached NERV Headquarters in Tokyo-3 almost immediately.
Soon after, Fuyutsuki entered the Commander's office with the report in hand.
Yet Gendō Ikari sat at his desk, motionless, as though he already knew what had transpired.
"It seems we've been played," Fuyutsuki said bitterly as he placed the report before him. "The Americans installed the Simulation System without authorization. This is nothing but blatant retaliation. And for the moment, I can't think of any effective counter."
"The Human Instrumentality Project must proceed," Gendō replied calmly, shaking his head. "And we must accelerate our schedule. A world war between the United States and Russia is inevitable. When that time comes, if the Evangelions are drawn into battle, it will jeopardize both our ritual and our plan. That, we cannot allow."
"Then, Gendō-kun, what do you intend to do next?" Fuyutsuki asked after a moment's thought. "The Matsushiro incident cannot simply be brushed aside. Otherwise, how will the world regard NERV? This is no minor matter—it could seriously damage our organization's future."
Gendō fell silent for a long while before finally answering.
"Fuyutsuki… I feel that unless we hasten the plan's execution, it may be cut short altogether. Human Instrumentality must succeed. SEELE will not permit the ritual to commence without leading to Instrumentality. We've paid too high a price for this moment—for the culmination of everything. Wouldn't you agree?"
"As expected… you can't hold back any longer, can you, Gendō-kun?" Fuyutsuki gave a weary smile. "Very well. I will follow you to the end—until the final day comes."
"You have my thanks, Fuyutsuki."
But once outside Gendō's office, Fuyutsuki's eyes clouded with unease.
That unease weighed down his shoulders, his figure no longer upright, but bent with the stoop of age.
As he walked, one thought consumed him:
Gendō… to fulfill that promise, to ally yourself with the "Fruit of Knowledge"… have you truly considered the cost?
Whether Gendō had truly thought it through, no one could say. But under Fuyutsuki's orders, Unit-03 was sealed away.
After such an incident, there could be no further activation trials. Not until the truth was uncovered would Unit-03 ever see use again. For now, it slumbered deep beneath NERV HQ alongside Unit-02.
At the same time, however, both NERV and the Japanese government came under fire from abroad—most loudly from China and Russia.
China's accusations were simple: a NERV pilot from Japan had infiltrated their Beijing branch and stolen Unit-10. Such behavior was an insult to friendly relations between the two nations, they claimed. In fact, they pressed further—demanding the immediate return of Unit-10, threatening that otherwise their navy would cross the sea and march straight into Tokyo-3.
Ryota and Kaji's actions had humiliated the Chinese government. That humiliation had to be avenged, or their loss of face would be unbearable.
Yes, Unit-10 had proved vital in battle. Yes, Ryota and the others had a "justification"—that stealing Unit-10 had been necessary to prevent the Unit-03 incident from escalating further. But on the international stage, such reasoning carried no weight.
The pressure from China was immense, and soon even the Japanese government was leaning heavily on NERV, demanding Unit-10 be returned at once.
Ryota and Kaji themselves had no objection. After all, Unit-10 was never theirs to keep. Returning it made no difference to them.
The only one who was displeased was Mari.
With the Unit-10 exchange now under negotiation, she remained in Japan for the time being. Her living arrangements were handled by Kaji, leaving Ryota nothing to worry about.
And yet, unease gnawed at him more and more with each passing day.
The Third Impact—perhaps it was drawing near.
That foreboding came from his true identity—as a Traveler from another world.
But what he could not understand was this: Shinji Ikari was dead.
Without Shinji, could the Third Impact even occur? Could Human Instrumentality still proceed?
For Ryota knew one thing: Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami were the keys to triggering Instrumentality.
They were the trigger—of the Third Impact.
…
Meanwhile, alongside China's protests came Russia's.
Moscow issued a demand to the Japanese government: Ryota Kitazawa and Ryoji Kaji were to be handed over immediately.
Their accusation? That the two had infiltrated Russia in secret, stealing their most critical classified data.
The revelation shocked not only the international community, but the entire Japanese public as well.
One crisis after another—first China, now Russia.
If Russia's fleets advanced from their Pacific bases, Japan would be defenseless—save for deploying the Evangelions.
And this time, Russia's stance was unyielding, its tone severe. Unless those two men were handed over, Russia would declare war on Japan.
Within NERV, shock rippled through every level of staff.
And a question hung heavily in the air:
Just what had Kitazawa Ryota and Ryoji Kaji gone to Russia for?
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