Chapter 22: The Last Dove

Chapter 22:
The Last Dove

 

MISATO LISTENED as Maya reported what had transpired at the UN inquisition.

The Ayanamis were aware of the kiss Quatre and Shinji had shared.

The mental link between Trois, Quatre, Cinq, and Six remained severed, either because their individual identities had manifested or because of Armaros’ scale—the Q.R. Signum.

But they could still connect, albeit unexpectedly. When Quatre’s emotions had heightened on the edge of Lake Ashi, the other Ayanamis had heard her voice—and they were aware when Shinji had purposefully failed to capture her.

Seated before the panel of UN questioners, Six let slip what Shinji had done.

Every nation of the world had been plunged into potential tectonic catastrophe, but the strongest rebukes came from the countries of Europe—who’d already lost 1.9 million souls to the lance’s light.

Was Nerv Japan, they asked, truly fit to be entrusted with Evangelions?

Was Nerv Japan wielding humanity’s most powerful weapons at the whims of individual pilots?

 

Misato gave Shinji a thorough dressing-down.

The fact that she was lecturing the most powerful human on Earth was not lost on either of them, but it was precisely his power that made this necessary.

Shinji understood, and he took his licks.

This willingness proved that—at least for now—Shinji was still human. But if faced with the same situation in the future, would he be able to take Quatre down?

He was no closer to knowing the answer.

 

The UN dispatched a military attaché to assist Misato in the command center as a tactical advisor—and, in truth, a watchdog.

“Have you considered a punishment?” the man asked, jumping right into his job.

Misato frowned. “What, like tossing him into detention?”

“Certainly not.”

The supposed advisor said that UNTRP forces had been performing training exercises in Siberia when the Okhotsk Plate split off, and they had proceeded to provide disaster relief on the Kamchatka Peninsula and then northern Hokkaido.

A JSSDF training base located between the cities of Sapporo and Chitose had been repurposed as a staging ground for aid moving in and out of the country. The advisor suggested that Misato send Super Eva there to assist as its operating range was essentially limitless.

The suggestion was more straightforward than the commander had expected.

“His security is still a concern,” Misato said. “If I send him there, it would only be for two days. Three at most.”

“It could be—how do you say it in Japanese—the Kaomise? Like a stage debut at the beginning of a new production season. It would be good for the people to recognize that Evas aren’t our enemies.”

 

After what felt like an eternity, Shinji returned to his private quarters inside HQ. He stepped through the doorway with a heavy sigh, and then, head reeling from being yelled at, he surveyed the room.

“Hm? Why is that on?”

The LCD wall was supposed to switch off automatically when the room was empty. Instead, the screen displayed a vast blue sky. Meanwhile, the lights were supposed to turn on when he entered, but they hadn’t, and the room’s AI, which usually reported his missed messages and other useful information, remained silent.

“Is it broken?” Shinji asked himself. “Wait… What’s that?!”

In the center of the room stood a small cage with a white dove inside.

Wham!

Possibly startled by Shinji, the bird became agitated and began slamming itself into the bars of the cage.

Wham! Wham!

Unable to bear watching the poor creature hurt itself, Shinji lifted the cage with one hand and opened its door with the other.

The dove flew straight at the wall, and—

Shinji gasped. The bird didn’t strike the wall but rather flew into the blue sky of the LCD and off into the distance.

Shinji heard Kaworu’s voice.

<<That was the last dove. It was supposed to be your pilot, to take you to the next world.>>

 

When Shinji reached his hand out to the blue sky, the image disappeared. The display was off and cool to the touch.

He suddenly noticed the noise of his air conditioner. The room’s AI began speaking.

“Your schedule is clear for the rest of the day. There have been no messages, deliveries, or visitors.”

The ceiling light switched on, and Shinji looked down at his hand. The birdcage was gone.