Chapter 21: The Pegasus Takes Flight

Chapter 21:
The Pegasus Takes Flight

 

ON AN UNMANNED, offshore launch platform near Tanegashima, Ayanami Cinq blasted back into space in the Series-0.0 Eva.

Meanwhile, in Hakone, Eva-02’s graviton thrusters filled the caldera with an unpleasant, dissonant noise.

Asuka’s Allegorica gently rose from the floating deck-turned-launch pad on Lake Ashi.

Once the tidal field cascade had generated sufficient lift, Asuka let go of the launch pad, and her Eva shot into the sky.

From Asuka’s point of view, she felt like the Earth had turned upside down and thrown her away. It didn’t feel good.

Asuka wasn’t supposed to switch on the assist rockets until after she’d reached the aerodynamic ceiling, but a gust of wind threatened to blow her into a nearby mountain, and she fired her thrusters for a few seconds to avoid it.

Her communications display opened, and Toji spoke to her from the command center.

<<Hello? Can you hear me? Asuka, is everything all right?>>

“Don’t bother me! Listen, you guys had better protect the Earth while we’re gone.”

She felt a twinge of sadness at leaving and immediately regretted saying anything.

<<Okay, until you reach an altitude of 190 kilometers, you’re—pffff—bwa ha ha ha ha! Six, what happened to your hair?!>>

“Wait, what?”

Through the hydrospeaker, Asuka heard several voices burst into laughter.

<<Have you gone punk rock?>> Misato asked.

<<Six, where have you been?>> That was Shinji.

A single technician attempted to stay focused. <<At the takeoff stage, static electricity built up on the gravitons, and—>>

Toji’s laugher drowned her out. <<Oh, that is too good! You look like you stuck a fork in a socket!>>

Then Shinji. <<Quit laughing so hard, Toji, you’re going to make me lose it, too—aha ha ha ha!>>

<<That’s it.>> Misato’s voice. <<I need to get a picture of this. Let’s get the 02-Allegorica on the screen in the background.>>

 

“Even Misato’s in on it,” Asuka grumbled to herself. “C’mon, guys, take this seriously.”

But it was this kind of levity that Asuka was flying to the moon to protect.