Chapter 54

"Damn!" Hyouga peeled off his headset and turned hastily towards Misato. "The Angel has punched through the armor plating of the Geo-Front."

"All twenty-two layers?" Misato asked, but she already knew the answer. She hadn't checked herself, not yet anyway. And there was no need. It was just how things usually worked around here; worst-case scenarios were never unexpected enough as to require an actual answer. Most times, it could be safely assumed a worst-case scenario was the only scenario.

"Yes," Hyouga confirmed.

Of course, Misato thought. God forbid we should get a break.

A hushed murmur rippled through the bridge as concerned faces turned to look at one another. The fear was nearly a physical presence, weighing them all down with a heavy burden, and it was far from surprising when someone at last gave words to their worry.

"How can that thing keep blasting away like that?" Haruna said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's quite simple," Ritsuko said. She stood to Misato's right, where she'd been quietly observing the screen for the last few minutes. "The S2 engine provides all the necessary energy. If you pay attention to it, you'll notice that the Angel releases the energy in one concentrated burst. The Angel probably builds it up through AT Field manipulation or some other means so that it can be used as a weapon. The intensity of the burst is likely proportional to the time the Angel has to gather and concentrate it on one place. I could venture a few more guesses as to how it does it, however."

Misato twisted her lips in disapproval. "Let's leave the scientific lectures for some other time, shall we?" She turned her head and looked sternly at Haruna, as if to tell her to be quiet, and then back to Ritsuko. "Is there any way to predict how long it takes the Angel to build up energy to produce a blast strong enough to harm Unit-01?"

"An algebraic equation should do the trick. The MAGI can estimate the maximum energy output of the S2 engine, from there it's simply a matter of coming up with the right function."

Misato nodded. "Good. Do that. Hyouga, what is the Angel's ETA?"

"A few seconds," the bespectacled operator answered. "It's approximately one hundred meters from the Geo-Front floor and coming down at a steady rate."

Misato nodded again, taking in that last bit of information and processing just as she was doing everything else. "Any casualty reports from the breached layers above?"

"Nothing yet, but that could take some time."

Something we don't have, Misato thought. She leaned over her console, removing her gaze from the large holographic projection at the front and focusing on the smallest instruments below her. A screen displayed Shinji's heartbeat monitor and the rate of his synchrograph, both holding steady for now.

"Any word from Rei?" she asked.

"No," came the answer.

Misato sighed, closing her eyes as she pressed the button that would open a channel to Unit-01. She really wished she could offer the Third Child better news than what she had.

"Shinji?"

The boy did not answer.

"Shinji, I know you are there."

"Yes?" Finally there came a response, and he sounded serious. More serious than Misato remembered hearing him in a while, anyway. The situation called for it, of course, and she would have been worried if he weren't taking things seriously, but the tone bothered her. Shinji deserved to laugh like the child he was. Not this.

His voice brought back the guilt she felt at sending him out there. It reminded her of her responsibility towards him. Of all her broken promises. And she thought of Rei, and Asuka, and of how she had failed them as well.

Misato had always wished to protect those she loved, but not only had she failed in doing so, she'd caused them even more hurt. Rei and Shinji being out there was a direct result of that failing. The need for them to continue risking their lives was her responsibility.

Right now, however, there was nothing she could do for them. It was out of her hands. As it always was in the end. Despite all her training, all the people and hardware which surrounded her, and the billions of yen in weapons, she felt utterly helpless. In an instant she would have traded places with the pilots; in an instant she would have given her life.

And yet she couldn't. She couldn't do anything more. Just stand aside and watch. As she had when her own father died; when Asuka was mind-raped; when Rei …

"Please forgive me for putting you in this position again. I know I made a promise. I know I broke it. I'm really sorry." Misato took a deep breath, regretting the fact that she even had to say her next words, and regretting even more that it was Shinji who had to hear them. "Eva Unit-01, extend your AT Field. Prepare for battle."