Chapter 10
The cafe turned out to be almost completely empty. Aside from a bartender, who looked to be in his forties and was lazily sprawled behind the counter staring at his phone, and a young waitress in an excessively revealing dress wiping down one of the tables, there was no one else.
At the sound of the bells ringing, the owner of the establishment cast a sidelong glance in our direction and, scratching at his stubble, inquired hoarsely:
"You here to eat or just to gawk?"
Huffing, I scanned the room.
The walls were finished in dark tones, splashed with red in certain places—evidently in an attempt to mimic blood spatter—and somber classical music played from the coughing speakers of an old record player. Artificial (or was it?) spiderwebs in the corners and the general shabbiness of the furniture only added to a certain air of... desolation.
"To eat," Rei replied calmly. "I want your shitty steak and that swill you call a cocktail."
"Yo, Shin!" Pausing her rhythmic scrubbing of the same spot, the waitress straightened up and looked at Ayanami. "Look at that, she guessed your cooking level without even tasting it!"
The worker grinned brightly, baring slightly prominent front fangs. Fakes? Or was she one of those people who liked to compensate for their complexes with wild experiments on their appearance?
Given the piercings in her nose, eyebrows, and chest—the distinct protrusions beneath a dress clearly a size too small made that point quite clear—the second option wasn't exactly impossible.
"Bite me, Ilya," the bartender snorted and stood up with a groan. "Well, I hear you, punks. By the way," his cloudy gaze fell on me. "What'll you have?"
"Something I won't drop dead from on the spot," I decided to match Rei's conversational style, accompanying my words with a classic smile. "Or if I do die, let it be without convulsions and vomit."
"Spot on with the vomit," Ilya said, snapping her fingers and pointing an accusing digit at me. "Scrubbing it off the ceiling is a pure nightmare."
"Watching you do it while jumping around and flashing your thong is a pure pleasure, though," Shin chuckled, grabbing an apron hanging on the wall and heading for the door behind the bar. "Fine, you'll get your food. Sit somewhere that isn't too filthy and wait. It'll be ready eventually."
Ayanami nodded, maintaining her stone-faced expression. She narrowed her eyes and looked around, seeking a suitable spot.
"There," Rei said, continuing to hold my hand as she tugged me toward a table that had caught her eye.
The fact of our linked hands did not escape the waitress, who didn't miss the opportunity for a snide comment:
"Always thought couples like you were adorable. You stick to each other so much it sets my teeth on edge," she demonstratively licked her fangs.
Pulling out a chair, I let my companion sit, then turned my head and narrowed my eyes slightly.
"I can recommend a good dentist," I remarked. It wasn't just Ayanami who could model social behavior, and besides... it had been a long time since I'd had a chance to lock horns with someone in a crude manner.
"Oh, I see we've got a sharp-tongued boy here," Ilya walked closer and brazenly perched on a neighboring table, crossing her legs and flashing her underwear in the process. "And just where are we looking with a living girl right here?"
Not in the least embarrassed at being caught, I calmly sat down next to Rei.
"Forgive me, I completely forgot to cover my eyes with my palms and turn red," I smirked, propping my head up with my fist.
At that moment, Shin's voice drifted in from the kitchen; he apparently possessed hearing so keen he'd caught my remark:
"Forget turning red, you're more likely to break out in a rash from my slop!" the bartender roared with laughter at the end.
"Watch it with the poison, we're out of antidote and the business won't survive another criminal investigation," Ilya shouted back at him.
"Don't worry, darling, I've already found suitable buyers for your organs, we'll break even somehow," the man shot back.
"Not if I donate your body to a museum first; they'd surely pay out for an antique like you," Ilya countered, to which the owner, briefly appearing in the doorway, showed her his middle finger.
The girl mirrored the gesture and followed it up by blowing Shin a kiss. The man, pretending to catch it, made a face and clutched his chest.
"Now, now, honey," the girl threatened playfully. "Your insurance doesn't cover death by heart attack."
"Sorry, forgot. I'll throw myself under a train as soon as I get the chance," winking, the bartender went back to cooking.
Rei looked at the waitress and then at the doorway where Shin had been making lewd jokes a second ago, tilting her head thoughtfully. She seemed to be intensely analyzing the exchange of pleasantries that had unfolded before her eyes.
I inwardly admitted that I couldn't pull off such an impromptu performance as the strange couple had. That clearly required a wealth of life experience I lacked. And using a forum-based communication style in real life... would lead to no good. It's one thing to say something to someone you don't know behind a screen, and quite another to say it to someone's face.
The consequences of a negative reaction are quite different. Often differing in the degree of physical injury sustained. In reality, you can't resolve a conflict by just muting the other person...
"What is the nature of your relationship?" Ayanami asked after finishing her musings, fixing her crimson eyes on Ilya.
The waitress, calmly maintaining eye contact, huffed.
"What do you think?" She folded her hands on her knees, where a ring sparkled on her left ring finger.
This detail did not escape Ayanami's attention.
"Married," the blue-haired girl murmured and, frowning, cast another sidelong look toward the kitchen. "But he is old, and you are young. Why? You are clearly worth more."
Classic Rei. Such a question to an almost total stranger could be taken extremely negatively. And that last sentence...
A bit much, in my opinion.
Fortunately, the piercing enthusiast found nothing offensive in it; on the contrary, she smiled broadly and clapped her hands:
"Shin, sweetheart, give this blue-haired swallow a discount!" the girl yelled. "She clearly knows her stuff!"
"I do," Rei confirmed with a hint of pride in her voice, giving me a victorious look.
Cutie.
Still, I had to score a point in our unexpected competition. Besides, I might as well put the waiting time for the promised dishes to good use.
Hmm, by the way...
"Did you run out of budget for menus?" I asked, testing the waters. Furthermore, they really didn't have any menus; I hadn't seen the familiar folders on a single table.
"Menus?" the waitress snorted. "Kid, all we have in there is bitterness and despair, seasoned with degradation. Though..." she tapped a black-nailed index finger against her lower lip and, pretending to be struck by an epiphany, leaned forward slightly, putting her cleavage on display.
A tattoo in the valley? Interesting move.
"I can offer coffee. Americano is the best bet. Of course, there's Latte or Mochaccino, but I'm warning you: Shin will probably spit in it as a finishing touch," lowering her voice to a whisper, Ilya gave a foxy smile. "He thinks any coffee with added cream or milk is the prerogative of sweet little boys."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Nonsense. Life already enjoys giving you a salty taste in your mouth," I specifically emphasized "salty" so she would catch the context.
Judging by her husky chuckle and approving smirk, she understood exactly what I meant.
"Why not temper it with a good dose of sugar?" Finishing, I noticed Rei, who was watching us with incredible focus, like a student at a fascinating lecture.
Oh, I have a feeling Doctor Akagi is going to gently strangle me one day. Or arrange an accident during one of the experiments—if I'm even allowed near those again.
"Life tastes salty?" Rei fixed her ruby eyes on me. "How do you know about this qualitative characteristic of it?"
Blinking, the blue-haired girl remembered she had completely slipped out of character and hastily tried to rectify the situation.
"Not that a normie's opinion interests me, but I shall pretend to be intrigued," she said. To be honest, it was a poor effort, but I'll give her extra points for the attempt and the improv.
"Not always salty," I adopted a maximally serious tone. "Sometimes you even have to eat it without salt."
"Eat?" Ayanami clarified, confused.
Ilya couldn't help herself and burst into a loud laugh.
"Not even eat, but scrape the bowl," she rasped, wiping away the tears that had come from laughing. "Alright, pipsqueak. I'll get you a discount too, you earned it."
"How generous," I leaned back. "And what's our total?"
Ilya narrowed her eyes.
"Let me think..." the waitress drawled. "Fifteen percent for the swallow, and minus ten for yours... that makes five percent total."
The girl demonstratively held up five fingers.
"Minus ten?" I was a bit surprised.
Hopping off the table, the worker bared her fangs again.
"What did you think? A negative discount is still a discount. Plus..." she gave me an appreciative look. "You aren't a pretty girl."
"Smells like double standards."
"Did I not mention? We serve those as the chef's dessert. Oh, and here he is himself."
Exactly as she finished, Shin emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with two plates.
"Underdone steak with blood and the remains of some spices whose names I don't remember," he set the tray down on the table with a clatter. "Enjoy choking on it."
Looking at the served dishes, which gave off a rather pleasant aroma, I smiled contentedly.
Rei, immediately pulling her portion toward her, also seemed not to be disappointed by the local chef's skills.
"Cocktails will be out later," the bartender scratched his stubble. "The damn ice-crusher decided to act up again. I can offer coffee instead. And by coffee, I mean strictly Americano."
I looked inquiringly at Ayanami and, after getting her approving nod, addressed Shin:
"Two Americanos, then," and before the man walked away, I added: "If it's not too much trouble, add some orange juice to one of them."
Three pairs of eyes stared at me almost simultaneously—two filled with shock, and one with mild interest.
"What?" Spreading my arms, I gave a charming smile. "I like oranges."
---
The next day, my now-familiar routine was disrupted once again. Though, it wasn't as if I minded skipping a school day to attend to the reason I had been "summoned" to Tokyo-3 in the first place.
"Come in, Shinji-kun," Maya said with a sweet smile, swinging the laboratory door open to let me inside. "And good luck!"
She offered a fist, which I bumped with mine, involuntarily noting that her hand was significantly smaller.
Inside the room, they were already waiting patiently: Doctor Akagi and... Father, sitting in a chair in his usual manner—hands folded in front of his face, staring at the transparent wall behind which sat the synchronization training capsule.
"Good morning, Ikari-kun," Ritsuko said. She rubbed her eyes, where exhaustion was etched in deep dark circles, but she didn't look away from the monitors flickering with data.
"Morning, Doctor Akagi," turning to Gendo, I added with a slight tilt of my head: "Father."
The man straightened up, rose from his chair, and stepped closer.
"Son," placing a hand on my shoulder, he squeezed his fingers slightly. "Are you ready for the repeat of the experiment?"
Straight to the point, no wasted words.
A very valuable quality, for which I will never cease to exalt my father in my own worldview.
Feeling no discomfort from his grip, I looked up into his eyes, hidden behind the lenses of his dark orange glasses.
"I signed the contract, so my consent is a foregone conclusion, isn't it?" I smirked faintly. "Besides..."
I looked at the capsule, involuntarily remembering those unusual sensations from the synchronization process.
"When else will I get to fully enjoy such a unique experience?" I honestly expressed my thoughts.
"That unique experience could have cost you your life," Akagi muttered grimly, reaching for a cup of steaming coffee.
"But it all worked out," I lifted the corners of my lips. "And one failure isn't enough to wake fear in me. On the contrary, it only intensifies the curiosity."
Ritsuko, finishing the data adjustments, cast a strange look at me.
"Ikari..." Muttering our shared surname as if delivering a verdict or a diagnosis, the woman sighed, shook her head, and stood up from her chair. "Commander, all checks are complete; no anomalies detected."
"Understood. In that case, proceed with the primary activation of Eva-01."
"Understood," picking up her coffee and clenching a cigarette between her teeth, Doctor Akagi walked out of the room with a brisk pace, leaving Father and me alone.
The moment she was gone, the slightest hint of a smile vanished from my face.
"Eva-01?"
Gendo nodded.
"Today we will test your synchronization level directly inside the first production model Evangelion," his tone was filled with an unnatural calm.
"Why not here?" I pointed to the capsule where I had assumed I would be "playing" today.
Finally releasing my shoulder, Father walked to the mirror wall, clasping his hands behind his back.
"This model is designed solely to check for the presence or absence of synchronization and its initial level. The entire experiment is purely a simulation and cannot yield the... necessary result," he pointedly paused at the end to ensure I didn't miss the important clarification.
"Necessary result?" Approaching, I stood beside him, reflexively mirroring his posture.
"To become a pilot of any Evangelion, it is not enough to have a high synchronization rate," Gendo closed his eyes for a moment and... sighed?
I stared at him in surprise.
Doctor Akagi, Maya, Misato, or anyone else was one thing, but for my father to allow himself to "sigh"? No, there was nothing surprising in the fact that he breathed. It was the way he did it and the emotions he put into it—that was what truly mattered.
And I clearly caught the exhaustion emanating from the man and... sadness?
I was certain it would be no trouble for him to hide it.
But he allowed me to catch it.
Involuntarily, I squeezed my other wrist with my fingers, feeling bewildered by such an unexpected gesture of trust.
"And what else is required?" Casting aside irrelevant emotions, I tried to return to the main question.
Father didn't answer at first, gazing indifferently at the capsule, but after a minute, he spoke softly:
"For her to accept you."
---
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, clearing my head of stray thoughts.
Right now, I was in solitary splendor in a specially designated locker room where I had been sent to squeeze into the provided plugsuit. From the hurried explanations Maya had rattled off, I'd grasped the main points: it was meant to provide a more stable synchronization inside the entry plug, offered partial protection against temperature fluctuations, and was made of a unique material that, despite its cool properties, didn't restrict movement at all.
Opening my eyes, I looked at my reflection in the wall mirror.
I never liked excessively tight clothing, and this suit literally outlined every centimeter of my body. At least I didn't look like a walking skeleton; otherwise, it would have been a total disaster...
Rotating my arm, I confirmed I could move freely and sighed again, ruffling my hair and bumping my fingers against the interface headsets that had been attached to my head. Small and oval-shaped, they were supposed to be responsible for communication with the outside world while I was inside the plug.
In short, I looked quite peculiar.
The only thing that redeemed the situation was the color of the suit—a vibrant orange shade reminiscent of a fresh orange peel, with white and purple accents.
"Shinji-kun, are you finished?" Maya's voice came from behind the closed door.
Taking one last critical look in the mirror, I slapped my cheeks, shook my head, and, putting on my usual light smile, stepped out of the locker room.
"You look great!" Ibuki gave a thumbs-up, appraising my appearance. "Just like a real pilot!"
"By the end of the day, you can safely remove the 'just like' from that sentence," I smirked, following the girl as she headed toward the final testing zone.
There was no point in lying to myself: I felt the jitters before the upcoming event. It wasn't just the fact that I'd have to sit inside a giant robot; the main source of the nervous tension lay in my father's words.
"For her to accept you."
That one sentence was enough for me to launch into a mental brainstorm, trying to understand exactly what it meant. Attempts to clarify what Gendo had implied were unsuccessful. Apparently, precise knowledge could either harm me or interfere with the purity of the experiment.
Furthermore, Father needed a result. Looking at the context of the whole situation and what I'd seen with my own eyes, this organization was no amateur outfit and was clearly funded from the top. Consequently, for the work to continue, it was important to provide timely evidence of... this very work. Evidence that the provided funds weren't disappearing into the void.
"This way, Shinji-kun," Ibuki pointed to large white doors. "Once you go inside, Doctor Akagi will tell you what to do next. Good luck again; I believe in you."
Exhaling through my nose, I forced a smile and nodded.
"Thank you, Ibuki-san."
"Just Maya," the girl winked and, waving goodbye, ran toward the stairs leading somewhere up.
Gathering my thoughts one last time, I cast aside all doubts and stepped forward with confidence, passing through the welcomingly opened doors into a vast hangar. Right in the center, festooned with cables, stood the purple robot.
"Well, hello, Eva," I murmured, swallowing hard and looking into the dull yellow eyes on the face of my future weapon.
"Ikari-kun," Ritsuko's voice came from the speakers hidden in the walls. "Right now, you need to approach the entry plug mounted on the stand and climb inside. Once you are there, take your seat and prepare. The plug will be inserted into the special compartment of Eva-01. Then, the synchronization preparation will begin."
Cracking my knuckles, I looked at the long, cartridge-like entry plug with winches attached to it.
"Will there be any differences from what I've dealt with before?" I asked quietly, remembering that the headsets on my head should easily pick up my voice.
"There will be," Gendo replied this time.
Looking up, I saw a transparent section with reinforced glass near the ceiling, behind which the familiar figures of Father and Doctor Akagi could be seen.
"During activation, the plug will be completely flooded with LCL, the fluid that will allow you to link with the Evangelion unit. The fluid itself is saturated with oxygen, so you will not drown."
Blinking, I scratched my cheek.
"It's like liquid breathing, right?" I clarified, pulling the term from memory—I'd stumbled across it once or twice while aimlessly browsing the web.
"Not exactly, but the principle is similar," Ritsuko took the microphone again. "Upon activation of the Evangelion, an electric current is passed through the LCL, and it undergoes a phase shift, after which its density, opacity, and viscosity approach those of air. However, the LCL remains in the liquid phase and does not undergo a transition: it will only seem to you as though you are surrounded by air."
Phase shift? Of what?
Not wanting to show my confusion, I pretended to understand everything.
"In simple terms, my main task is not to panic when my lungs start filling with some strange liquid?" I summarized, approaching the entrance of the entry plug and peering inside.
In the complete darkness sat a solitary futuristic chair that seemed to invite me to sit and appreciate its comfort. I didn't see anything else; apparently, the main mechanisms were hidden somehow.
"Correct, Ikari-kun," Doctor Akagi confirmed.
I wanted to ask, of course: why hadn't there been any training sessions to reduce the risk of the experiment failing?
More mysterious goals that I wasn't supposed to know anything about?
Shaking my head, I jumped into the plug and, taking my seat, made myself comfortable, resting my hands on the armrests and leaning back.
Well, thanks for at least warning me about what to expect.
Otherwise, I would have been in for a nasty surprise.
With a loud hiss, the entry plug door closed, and I was plunged into total darkness.
It didn't last long, though; a few seconds later, the cabin was bathed in a red light, similar to the flickering of emergency lamps.
"Pilot is seated," Ritsuko's voice came from the internal speakers. "Beginning the process of inserting the module into Eva-01's compartment."
Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the shaking that accompanied the lifting of the plug by the winches.
Phew, okay, Shinji, you can do this.
You just need to accept the fact that in a minute, you'll have to breathe water. Nothing unusual. Oh, and you'll be doing it inside a giant robot. And a lot depends on your result.
Zero worries. Absolute zero. Only calm and self-control.
But even this mantra didn't save me at the moment when the sound of liquid was heard and the plug began to fill very quickly... wait.
Leaning forward, I looked thoughtfully at the LCL already up to my ankles.
Does it... look like orange juice to me?
Hmm...
Exactly.
Why should I think I'm swimming in some mystery fluid when I can just imagine that this is a childhood dream come true—where my favorite nectar comes out of the tap instead of water?
True, as a kid, I never imagined I'd have to "breathe" it, but... yes, it's definitely easier this way. The main thing is to ignore the fact that the "juice" smells an awful lot like blood (I hope the taste is different).
Closing my eyes, I leaned back, feeling the liquid gradually rise higher and higher.
When it reached neck level, I instinctively held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut.
And then, when everything around me was filled with LCL, I cast aside the instinct for self-preservation that was screaming in protest and took a deep breath—or more accurately, a gulp—allowing the liquid to completely fill my lungs as I braced for an unforgettable experience.