Chapter III
(part I)
As the patient sat down on the stretcher, the doctor prepared a syringe. The girl removed a greyish lock out of her face so she could see well. With those crimson eyes of hers, she stared at her elder. Not so long ago, doctor Birkin –as the ID on his chest proclaimed– was in a healthier condition. He used to have a stout figure and tan skin, as most Americans newly arrived to the headquarters. Nowadays, he barely passed for a NERV employee. He had not shaved his face clean for a week and, probably, he had been losing weight on the regular, since his white coat looked baggy.
"Good morning, Rei," said the doctor.
"Good morning" said the girl.
Ayanami Rei had been visited by doctors on a weekly basis since she could remember. Her health had always been monitored by NERV, since the Evangelion project required a strict control of any medical condition that may arise. The medical team was scarce, since most of it had been assigned to the hospital. However, there were a few residents that took care of the minor complications. About them, she knew very little. A word about their hometown here and there, the name of a given university or specialty, a vague comment about their private life when they felt alone and wanted to share something… to feel that human connection. The only problem was that Ayanami's forte was not conversation. She tended to avoid unnecessary contact, when it was not related to her mission. With doctor Birkin, although he had known her for years, there was no treatment of favor. She did know that he was a brain in the field of biology, but she was no scientist herself and her interest could only go so far.
"You know the drill," said the man in a monotonous tone. "We must check your heart, get a sample of blood, and administer a few medicines. When we're finished, you're free to go and do as you please."
As he sucked up some strange medicine with the syringe, Ayanami took in the scenery. He sat on a small stool beside a desk populated by hundreds of papers, reports, boxes of unopened medications… There was a sorted array of the latter. You could find tablets, lozenges, pills, stimulants, antidepressants, syrups, eye drops and injectable you-name-it. Some of those were for Rei, but some others, the doctor took before her unconcerned by anyone else's opinion.
"You are staring more than the usual, today," he blurted.
As the syringe entered her forearm, Rei hesitated, "I think you have lost weight."
The doctor grimaced, "Is it that obvious?" He pressed a ball of cotton over the spot, where a small droplet contrasted with the girl's pale skin.
"I'm sorry. Did I offend you?" asked Rei.
"Do not worry, child. I was just taken aback; you're kind of chatty today."
The girl looked away. It may have been the doctor's impression, but Ayanami's cheeks bloomed with color.
"By the way, how are the synchronization tests going?"
(part II)
The commander, pensive, laid his elbows on the table. His hands clasped together while his gaze hovered over the room. Beside him, Fuyutsuki stood still. The scientific team came and went in swarms getting everything ready while Dr. Akagi supervised the details. The young doctor, heir to her mother's research and status, peaked at her superior, awaiting the signal.
Through a six-inch bulletproof glass, the long window gave pass to the pit where the monster was to be contained. Evangelion 00 was still a prototype in the beginning phases that preceded full operability. That meant that combat – perhaps even movement – was dangerous both for the machine and the pilot; and thus, highly unadvisable. In case some issue might arise, the technicians had installed conducts capable of filling up the pit with Bakelite.
However, although the fluid could restrain the Evangelion's movement, it could also impede the extraction of the pilot's capsule. There was a child in there, just breaking into puberty, and the training period had been scarce – as if rushed by undisclosed events. Be that as it may, Ayanami Rei was already inside Unit 00 and the test session was about to begin.
With a swift gesture, commander Ikari bade the team to initiate the procedures. As Dr. Akagi ran across the room, the computers started fuming and all that could be heard was the hassle of data and stats being passed around. The scientists glued themselves to their screens, while Fuyutsuki advanced towards the window. The Eva started to tremble. At first, it was almost imperceptible, like the faint shiver of a kid who's just caught a cold. However, it soon grew in intensity.
"Synchronization rate going up!" barked a voice behind the old man.
Dr. Akagi's eyes widened as the creature she had nurtured into life began moving. Beyond trembling, there was a diffused intention, a shade of a person. The massive hand of the monster elevated itself until its fingers, long and ghastly, were about to graze the window. Suddenly they stopped. Changing direction, the hand lurked backwards, reaching for the puppet's spine. Slowly, the fingers ran like spiders over the insertion point where the plug had penetrated its body. The machine contorted as a coarse roar flooded the pit.
"It's not going to be enough" he whispered.
Akagi turned and saw a tired man, one of the few veterans from the science team that was left from Gehirn. He was Dr. Birkin, a coat from the biology lab that had insisted on attending the test session.
"Do not unplug her yet!" she screamed, as if the spite she felt for that old bastard had fueled her determination to succeed.
The science team fretted. Fuyutski was about to walk past them when a voice uttered: "values are not stable". Ikari remained impassive.
"Dr. Akagi, what are you waiting to stop this nonsense?" yelled the second in command.
The squeal of the metal plates yielding brought them to their knees. Like a martyr, the creature rummaged inside its own back.
