PART II

ACT I

SCENE III

(A park in the city. MISATO and KAJI sit together on a bench, neither looking at each other. Moments pass in silence until KAJI turns his head to look at MISATO.)

KAJI: Have you thought about what you are going to say to Asuka?

MISATO: No… I wish I could think of something to say to her. What do you say to someone who has lost their oldest friend?

KAJI: That is a tough question to answer, Misato.

MISATO: And for Asuka, Shinji is more than that.

KAJI: She's in love with him? (MISATO nods to which KAJI responds with a smile.) When do you think she realized that? Not long after she and Shinji met again?

MISATO: The way she puts it, she had fallen under the spell of a handsome face, but all that time her heart had been telling her that it was Shinji she loved.

KAJI: The head and the mind are not always in agreement and when you get down to it, mortals such as ourselves are weak and frail. If our stomachs speak, we forget our brains. If our brains speak, we forget our hearts and if our hearts speak…

MISATO: If our hearts speak?

KAJI: Then we forget everything.

MISATO: Do you really believe that?

KAJI: (He shrugs.) I don't know, but then again there is a lot I don't know, like what the Human Instrumentality Project is.

MISATO: Still no idea what NERV is up to?

KAJI: No and I am beginning to wonder what would happen if any of us were to discover what it even is. (He rubs his forehead for a moment.) You say Asuka has locked herself up in her room?

MISATO: Yeah, that's what happened.

KAJI: (A look of fear begins to form upon his face.) You… You don't think…

MISATO: Ryoji, you can't seriously be thinking she has gone ahead and—

KAJI: Misato, Asuka lost her best friend today, someone with whom she has been able to rise above the tragedy of her youth. More than that, she has lost someone she was in love with. With a loss like that, who knows what she might do.

MISATO: Not Asuka! She wouldn't do that, she couldn't!

KAJI: Say she would, say she has, what then? I love Asuka like a daughter and I worry what Commander Ikari's reaction would be. We saw that list of names, that list of Evangelion pilots, so what happens now? Hikari takes Shinji's place and Unit-05 arrives? What if Asuka has gone ahead and joined Shinji? Does that mean Kensuke takes hers and Unit-06 starts to be shipped over here to Japan or is Unit-02 going to be given to him? I don't know, but now that we've lost Shinji the list of names has me wondering.

MISATO: Wondering how many names have been added since that list has been found?

KAJI: Yeah. How many Evangelions are there going to be? How many children will be forced to become soldiers? What happens to them if there is ever a time when Evas aren't needed, if the Angels ever stop coming.

MISATO: They would be allowed to live like normal kids.

KAJI: I don't know about that. During a conversation with Conn, he mentioned an ancestor of his that served in the Mahdist War. When that was over, do you know what happened? He was transferred to fight in the Second Boer War. He had been a soldier for twenty-one years how long will it be until the pilots are able to live a normal life?

MISATO: Would you actually have shot Vladimirovich?

KAJI: Without hesitation. Would you?

MISATO: It doesn't matter who that bastard threatens. If he threatened Shinji, Asuka, anyone… I'd aim for his remaining eye.

KAJI: Shinji's gone, Misato and we don't know what Asuka may have done.

MISATO: Then why don't we go and find out. (She stands up and looks at KAJI. He doesn't stand.) Ryoji?

KAJI: I'm not sure I want to go. I see the body of one loved one in my nightmares, perhaps I don't want another to join him.

MISATO: Ryoji, I— (She turns as CONN and TOJI ENTER.)

CONN: Toji Suzuhara, I do believe that Rei Ayanami might be a might be an indigo child.

TOJI: What the hell is that?

CONN: Many paranormal researchers believe that some children are more connected to the world of spirit and psychic phenomena. New Age circles call these children "Indigo Children" and are alleged to have paranormal abilities including recalling past lives, seeing strange things invisible to their parents and speaking with dead relatives. (They cease walking upon noticing MISATO and KAJI.)

MISATO: What happened with Rei? What prompts this conversation?

TOJI: Well, you see Conn here seemed lost so Hikari and I both helped him find his way to Rei's apartment and she was talking to Shinji, but there was no one there. I don't know about this "Indigo Children" stuff, but I don't think Shinji is gone.

MISATO: What do you mean, Toji?

TOJI: Rei said that Shinji is trapped, lost and trying to find his way home to us.

CONN: Find his way home from where? The Underworld? Yeah, I'm sure that Cerberus will just let him walk on out.

MISATO: Conn, that's enough. (To KAJI.) Kaji, you were wondering what if Asuka has gone to join Shinji, if Shinji is trying to find his way back to us, we have to make sure she is—

TOJI: Wait! "Gone to join Shinji?" (The realization hits.) Oh, God!

KAJI: What if she is about to? We have to stop her! (CONN nods in agreement.)

CONN: Yes! With the Major's apartment not being on the ground floor, Asuka could potentially—

KAJI: Don't finish that sentence, Conn! She's like my daughter, I don't want to imagine that!

CONN: U-Uh, right, s-sorry about that Special Inspector. I am sorry to say, that I can't go with you. I have fifteen minutes until Vladimirovich's threat goes into effect and I still have to report to Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki. Anyway, please inform me of what has happened. (He EXITS, running.)

TOJI: I'll go with you, Misato! As much as Asuka and I don't always get along, Eva pilots should look out for one another.

MISATO: (She smiles and places a hand on TOJI's shoulder.) I am glad to hear you say that, Toji. Now come on, we don't know how much time we have! All we can do is pray we aren't too late to stop Asuka! (EXEUNT.)