Stage 33 - 1st half  "The Fourth Children"

[Note: This month's episode is much shorter than earlier ones, and
Sadamoto even got the stage number wrong (the previous stage was No.
33, so this should be No. 34). This, together with skipping last
month, makes me wonder if Sadamoto is spending too much time on
"DerMond" and other projects to give the Eva manga continuation the
time and energy it deserves...]

Cover: Shinji, Touji and Kensuke in school uniforms sitting on a
grassy hillside and smiling/talking

Scene: Fish swimming in an aquarium (continued from last episode)
Kaji: Shinji - You mustn't run from the truth. It's easy to avert your
eyes from the truth - to simply do as others tell you and to escape in
the easiest direction. But having been born the child of Gendo and Yui
Ikari, and having become Eva's pilot, you have a duty to know the
truth
- to see with your own eyes, hear with your own ears, and think of
your
own free will - that is your most important job.
Shinji (holding head and thinking): Even if I'm told that, I can't do
it
- I haven't lived that way this far...
Forget the truth - it's too heavy for me to bear...

Scene: Earth's horizon as viewed from space - a giant flash of light
appears and bulges out into the atmosphere.
Scene: Gendo's office
Fuyutsuki (to phone): Vanished!? Are you absolutely certain that
Nerv-02
has vanished!?
Person on phone: Yes sir. It's all been confirmed - vanished.

Scene: Nerv command center staff watch satellite image replay of
Nerv-02
disappearance - Outward expanding circle of light -> static-filled
screen -> VANISHED NERV-02
Shigeru (reading from report): The only clue is this image from a
stationary satellite. Other than that there are no traces left.
Evangelion unit 04 and all related research facilities within a radius
of 49 km have disappeared. Guessing from the time schedule, the
accident
appears to have occurred during the test of the S2 engine that was
repaired in Germany.
Maya: Presumable causes number 32,768 ranging from insufficient
material
strength to errors in the early design stages, and then there is also
the possibility of sabotage.
Makoto: But it wasn't an explosion - it just disappeared, right? In
other words it vanished...
Misato: That's what happens when you use things that you don't really
understand.
Ritsuko: ......

Scene: Misato and Ritsuko riding down escalator
Misato: And the repaired S2 engine - now that's gone too.
Ritsuko: That's right - our hopes and dreams...
Misato: So, what about the remaining unit 03?
Ritsuko: It's being sent here. It seems that the US government doesn't
want to lose it's main facilities too.
Misato: But didn't they assert construction rights and insist that
units
03 and 04 be built over there? Now they want to thrust the dangerous
part to onto us - how convenient.
Ritsuko: After that tragedy anyone would be afraid - don't forget that
the lives of thousands of people were also lost.
Misato: So how are you going to proceed with the activation test?
Ritsuko: Maybe we'll use the dummy system. (thinking) I guess that
will
be decided after consulting with the Commander.

Scene: Shinji, Touji and Kensuke walking home from school - Cicadas
sound loudly in the heat of Tokyo-3
Touji: Shit! it's even hotter today than yesterday!!
Kensuke (reading military-related magazine): Awesome! The latest issue
of "Armored Gear" was released today! Do you want to go down to
Shin-Yumoto? I hear they sell even the new issues at a discount.
Shinji: Fine by me. There's a new CD I want to get.
Touji: Sorry - I'll have to pass on that. But if you do buy it you'll
have to let me read it later. See ya.
(Touji leaves the two standing at an intersection.)
Kensuke: Oh, that's right - it's Tuesday. He's going to visit his
little
sister in the hospital.
Shinji: It's been quite a while but she doesn't appear to be getting
any
better.
Kensuke: It's a rather difficult case, being injured in the head and
all... It's hard for Touji, too.
Shinji: But he doesn't let it show... You have to admire him for that.
Maybe I should go and visit too, just once.
Kensuke (glancing at Shinji): What - are we feeling a little
responsible
or something?
Shinji: Well, Touji _was_ really angry, and it _was_ my fault that his
sister got hurt.
Kensuke: Leave it alone. I mean, you've finally reached the point
where
Touji has completely forgiven you - if he wanted you to visit he'd say
so. And showing sympathy would just have the opposite effect - he
hates
those kinds of things.
Shinji (looking at Kensuke): ......
Kensuke: What?
Shinji: I was just thinking that you understand Touji pretty well.
Kensuke: Well, we've been friends for a long time.
Shinji (thinking): I wonder how well I really know Touji...
Kensuke (engrossed in magazine): Wow! AK47's are sooooooo cooool!!
Shit
I want one!
Shinji (thinking): And I'll probably _never_ understand Kensuke very
well... (introspective) I really don't understand anything about
anyone
- not Touji or Kensuke, Kaji or Misato, my father, Asuka or even
Ayanami.

Scene: Gendo and Ritsuko standing before a suspended dummy plug
inscribed with: "REI - DUMMY PLUG EVANGELION 2015 REI-00"
Ritsuko: This is the prototype dummy plug. We have transplanted Rei's
personal data, but we can't digitize the human heart - the soul. It's
only a fake - a simulation. It's nothing but a machine that mimics a
human being.
Gendo: It sends a signal pattern to Eva. All we need is for the Eva to
think there is a pilot there and synchronize with it. Input the data
to
units 01 and 02.
Ritsuko: But sir - we still have some problems with the tests.
Gendo: That doesn't matter. As long as Eva moves, that's all we need.
Ritsuko: ..... Yes, sir.

- End Stage 33 1/2-