Chapter 35: The Old Longinus Curtain

Chapter 35:
The Old Longinus Curtain

 

<<THIS IS Euro Sixth Army Kommandobrücke to Heurtebise and Magus. Cease acceleration and prepare for a change in trajectory.>>

The new orders from the European control room came as a surprise. They would’ve wasted all the kinetic energy they’d built up on their course to the moon.

<<Heurtebise to Kommandobrücke. Our expedition seekers have already penetrated the Longinus Curtain.>>

<<We can see from here that the barrier is no more, but you will make contact with that runaway train if you proceed with the current plan.>>

With Longinus? Hikari didn’t understand. They’d made calculations to weave through the orbiting lance beforehand.

<<The lance has changed its orbit.>>

As the giant lens broadcast the great play of Yomotsu Hirasaka in the sky, Euro Eva Heurtebise and Eva-0.0 were fast approaching the orbiting Lance of Longinus.

The lance Shinji wielded on Yomotsu Hirasaka was a replica made by Seele three years ago, wielded by a mass-production Eva during the Battle at Nerv HQ. The original Lance of Longinus was currently circling the world, growing in length to 114,000 kilometers. It was now 50,000 kilometers away from creating a perfect circle.

Trois was desperate to reach Yomotsu Hirasaka, but the communication between Hikari and Euro Sixth had caused her to panic. Images of Cinq’s Eva getting destroyed by the spear, which had accelerated at a speed of 90 kilometers per second, started playing again in her head.

<<We are researching the cause as we speak. Sending your new flight trajectories now.>>

<<Copy that. Heurtebise out.>>

Trois listened as Hikari spoke with the Europeans. She gasped then, as something appeared in her mind that wasn’t supposed to be there.

What was that?

Rei Trois had been mentally mirrored to Cinq during the time of the latter’s demise. She could recall every last detail with perfect clarity. But the image just now…

It was different. She was outside of Cinq, sitting in the plug of a different Eva. There had only been one other person there when she died.

“Memories of the Second Child? Asuka? But how…?”

Trois looked past the lance’s orbit and focused on the giant lens behind it.

“What’s that?”

A dry crackling infiltrated her thoughts, like an old radio trying to tune to the correct frequency.

<<Cinq! Aaah!>>

She heard Asuka’s scream, and she saw Cinq’s Eva-0.0 explode in front of her again. Memories from when Asuka had pierced the veil. Trois’ memories continued to play, and it felt as if her innards were being physically gripped by them.

<<Heurtebise to Kommandobrücke.>> Hikari contacted the control center on Earth. <<I think we found the reason behind the lance’s orbital shift!>>

The answer lay in front of the two Evas, who were now flying by inertia. A long beam of light, the Lance of Longinus, appeared to their right. It spun as if unimpeded by its own weight, making two full rotations around the lens, like a lace around a ribbon, before exiting to the left and continuing its previous trajectory.

“That lens…”

The original Lance of Longinus was somehow involved in the spatial distortion of the lens. Perhaps the lance had even made the lens.

 

“Ayanami-san, are you ready to change trajectories?”

Rei Trois remained silent.

<<There’s something wrong with her vitals, Hikari.>>

Trois’ anomaly hadn’t escaped the Europeans’ notice.

<<This is Hakone command of Nerv Japan.>> Hyuga’s voice came through the comm link. He went on as if Trois’ acts of insubordination had been nothing but a dream. <<Nerv Japan to Eva-0.0 and the European joint mission. What’s going on, Trois? Your telemetry readings are all over the place. Your brainwaves are going haywire.>>

 

“Joint mission.” That was Misato’s way of covering up Trois’ lies. “Am I being too easy on her?” she asked Fuyutsuki.

He shrugged. “There’ll be plenty of time for lectures, should we survive this ordeal.”

“Receiving reports of anomalous tides in the Pacific Ocean, due east-southeast,” Aoba said.

“Is it tied to Yomotsu Hirasaka’s sudden acceleration?” Misato asked.

Aoba shook his head. “It’s too early to tell whether the phenomena are linked.”

“Any luck contacting Super Eva?”

“No, but it seems like Six’s unit has succeeded in establishing communications with him.”

The lens showed all there was to see on the distant Yomotsu Hirasaka. Super Eva was supporting an injured Asuka/Eva. Behind them, a shadow loomed.

“What is it?” asked Fuyutsuki.

Something else on the screen had caught her attention. “Huh? Oh, it’s nothing…”

She could’ve sworn she caught a glimpse of blonde hair.