Stage 64: Tears

Cover: Rei kneeling in school uniform with head down and
school bag/briefcase clutched against her chest.

Scene: Rei writhes inside the entry plug as the vein-like
marks spread over her body from the various Angel -> Eva-00
penetration points
Rei: Ku...u...aa...aah...
(Eva-00 falls backwards into some trees with a crash, its
hands locked around one of the Angel strands penetrating its
midsection.)
Shinji (in Eva-01 entry plug): Ayanami!!

(Inside the Command Center, the struggle is shown on the
main screen.)
Announcement: The target has physically contacted Eva-00!
Misato: What about Eva-00's A.T.Field!?
Maya: Deployed! But it's being penetrated by the Angel!
Misato (a bit frantic): What about Eva-02!?

(Outside, the Angel penetration continues to spread through
Eva-02's double-bladed chainsaw.)
Kaworu (struggling): Ku-...
(The Angel rips the chainsaw from Eva-02's grasp, drags it
along the ground, and then suddenly rushes it toward Eva-02,
striking the Eva on the inner left shin. Kaworu cries out in
pain as the chainsaw bites into Eva-02's shin.)
Kaworu: G- Gaahhhh!!
(The chainsaw slices through Eva-02's left shin, and the Eva
falls backwards into some trees with a crash. The Command
Center staff stare with mouths open in shock.)
Maya: Eva-02's left leg has been severed!
(Kaworu breathes heavily inside the entry plug. Blood drips
from Eva-02's severed leg.)
Kaworu (thinking): Shit. What a mess. If this struggle gets
any more serious, I could be in trouble.
(An angel strand rises from the chainsaw and points towards
Eva-02.)
Kaworu (eyes widen, thinking): What is it going to do...?
(Alternately: What should I do...?)
(The Angel strand rushes at the fallen Eva-02, striking it
in the midsection. Kaworu's head snaps back in pain, and the
Angel starts to penetrate Eva-02.)

(Inside the Command Center...)
Maya: It's no good! Eva-02 is also being penetrated!
Ritsuko: Is an Angel... actively attempting primary contact?
With Eva...?

(Eva-00 continues to struggle with the Angel, but the
penetration continues.)
Rei (breathing heavily and gasping): Ah...!

(Eva-00's status graphs start to beep)
Maya: We have danger! Eva-00's biological parts are being
violated! The merging has already reached over 5%!!

(Shinji clutches futilely at the induction levers inside the
entry plug.)
Shinji: Father! Send me out! (shouting) Send me out right
now!!
Misato (looking up over shoulder): Commander...!
Gendo (unmoving): ......

(Rei arched back and gasping for breath inside the entry
plug. She suddenly has a vision in which she looks down upon
a surface of water with ripples spreading outward from a
point in front of her.)
Rei (thinking): Who is it?
(Her eyes widen and she sees a figure of herself, head
lowered, rising from the center of the ripples.)
Rei (thinking): Me? The me inside Eva?
(The figure rises past waist level.)
Rei (thinking): No, that's wrong. It's not me. Who? Who are
you?
(The two "Rei" face each other, Rei floating slightly above
the water surface (no vein-like marks), and the other Rei
stopped at upper thigh level with its head lowered so that
the eyes are hidden.)

(Eva-02 grasps at the Angel strand penetrating its
midsection. Kaworu sweats/suffers slightly inside the plug
but also has a slightly amused expression.)
Kaworu (thinking): Haha... Penetrate me, and then just what
are you going to do?
(Vein-like marks start appearing on his hands which grip the
induction levers.)
Kaworu (thinking): I could just toss him out if I used my
own A.T.Field... but, it would be bad to reveal my true
colors now.
(Kaworu glares at the vein-like marks (which appear to stop
slightly?))
Kaworu (thinking): That's right... so just stay there and
behave yourself for a bit.

(Rei's inner world...)
Rei: Angel... Are you a person that we call an Angel?
Other Rei: Won't you become one with me?
Rei: No. I am me. I am not you.
Other Rei: Yes, but it doesn't matter. It's too late. I will
share my heart with you.
(Vein-like marks appear and spread rapidly over Rei's body.
Rei's eyes widen, but she remains still and does not make a
sound.)
Other Rei: See, it hurts, doesn't it? Doesn't your heart
hurt?
(Rei places her hand over her heart.)
Rei: Hurt... No, that's not it. Lonely... Yes, it's lonely.
Other Rei: Lonely? I don't understand.
Rei: You don't like being alone. There are many of us, but
you are alone and you don't like that.
Other Rei: Is that called lonely? But, that is your heart.
You must have noticed it... Since long before... But you
pretended like you didn't notice it. That, and also your
even uglier heart.
Rei (shocked): Ugly...?
Other Rei: Your heart that wants Ikari-kun only for
yourself.
(Image of Shinji standing beside Asuka's sickbed with Rei
standing alone in a spotlight and facing the other way)
Other Rei: You see Ikari-kun go to Sohryuu=Second's hospital
every day... You see him look at Sohryuu=Second's face every
day... And how did you feel?
(Image of Rei facing the other way)
Other Rei: You didn't like it, did you?
(Image of Asuka in her sickbed staring blankly at the
ceiling
Other Rei: You found Sohryuu=Second hateful, didn't you?
(Image of the back of Shinji's head)
Other Rei: You wanted Ikari-kun to see only you.
(Back to image of other Rei in water - head raised slightly
to reveal a deep light shining out of one shaded eye)
Other Rei: You felt lonely, so you wanted Ikari-kun to stay
by your side forever. That is your heart.
(Rei stands transfixed with wide eyes)
Other Rei: Filled and overflowing with sorrow, hatred and
distress... That is your own heart.

(A single drop falls through darkness into water, making a
small splash, and Rei looks down inside the entry plug to
see tears falling onto her lap. Stunned, she raises her
hands in a cupping motion and watches as the tears fall
through them.)
Rei: Tears... Are these tears...? Am I the one who is
crying? Is it me?

(Eva-00's back plates split open and a huge mass billows
out. Distorted shapes of past Angels can be seen in the
rapidly expanding bulk.)
Shinji: Ayanami!!
Misato: Rei!!
Misato (to Maya): Forcibly eject the entry plug!
Maya: Negative! There's no response!
Misato (aghast): No...
Gendo: Eva-01's freeze is lifted as of now. Deploy at once!
Misato (looking back over shoulder in surprise): What?
Gendo (standing): Eva-01's freeze is lifted! Deploy!
Misato: Yes, sir.
Misato (over radio): Shinji? You heard that, right? Let's
go!
Shinji (determined inside entry plug): Yes, sir!

- End Stage 64