Stage 40 - As the Twilight becomes Bathed in Black...

Cover: Shinji and Touji sitting and laughing under a tree, Touji's arm
around Shinji's shoulder

Scene: Eva-01 rises from the ground, growling and lifting up Eva-03 by
the neck.
Shinji (shocked/thinking): What's going on!? I'm not doing anything...
so why is it moving on its own!?
(Eva-01 squeezes its hands and Eva-03's neck snaps. Eva-01 roars and
whips Eva-03 around to face-plant it in the ground.
Shinji (shouting): Stop!! (pulling futilely at handles) Shit! Why won't
it do what I say!? What are you doing! Father!!
(Gendo in Command Center with angry expression)
Gendo: ..... Just shut up and sit there, you 'useless' pilot.
(Eva-01 draws back its fist and strikes Eva-03's head lying half-buried
the ground, crushing it and spraying the surroundings with blood.)
Maya (covering mouth): *gasp*
Shigeru (aghast): Is this...
Makoto (aghast): the dummy plug's power...?
(Eva-01 starts dismembering Eva-03 -- ripping off armor plating,
Eva-03's right arm, etc. and flinging the various parts away where they
fall on and crush buildings.)
Shinji (frantic): Stop! Stop! Stop!! STOP!!! (pulling at handles) Shit!
Shit!! Father, stop it!! Don't make it do this!!
(Gendo watches on silently)
Shinji: Touji!! Answer me! If you don't you're going to get killed!
(Eva-01 stands, raises its foot and starts to stomp on the motionless
Eva-03's chest. Cracking/squishing noises and spattering blood continue,
and the NERV staff stare on in shock.)
Shinji (crying/whimpering): Please... stop... (looks up to see Eva-01's
hand tightening around Eva-03's entry plug and screams)
Shinji: NOOOOOO!! (Eva-01 crushes entry plug) TOUJI!! AAAAAHHHH!!

Scene: The sun sets on Eva-01 and the scattered and bloody remains of
Eva-03. The NERV staff sit quietly with eyes downcast.
Shigeru: Eva-03... no... the target has been completely silenced.
(Gendo and Fuyutsuki look on in silence)

Scene: Night has fallen, and the sounds of emergency vehicle sirens echo
throughout the darkness. The voices of rescue/salvage staff are heard
around the initial blast crater.
Rescue staff: We've got another survivor over here!
	Get him to the aid station - quickly!!
	Team No. 3 delete the 807 data at once!

(Misato lies bandaged on a stretcher. She opens her eyes slowly,
thinking "I'm alive?" and sees Kaji kneeling next to her and the
rescue/salvage operations going on around her.)
Misato: Kaji...
Kaji: Thank goodness you're alive, Katsuragi...
Misato: ...What about Ritsuko?
Kaji: Don't worry. Her injuries are lighter than yours.
Misato: I see... (closes eyes and then reopens them) What about
Eva-03...?
Kaji: It was disposed of as an Angel... pilot and all.
Misato: ... What about Shinji?
Kaji: It seems that Eva-01 carried out the disposal work.
(Misato's eyes widen)

Scene: The motionless Eva-01 crouches in the darkness, surrounded by the
lights and noises of the rescue/salvage teams -- view of the entry plug
salvage work.
Radio communications: Eva-03 salvage team, over.
	Eva-03 pilot confirmed as of 20:07.
	Head lacerations, severed right leg, ruptured spleen...
	We have no cardiac sound or pulse.
(Shinji stares on in a state of complete shock from inside Eva-01's
entry plug.)

Scene: Hikari stands in her kitchen wearing an apron, humming and
reading a cookbook page titled: "High Volume Box Lunch for Sportsmen
(744 kcal/20 min.)
Hikari: Okay -- this is what I'll make him.
(Closes cookbook and looks upward dreamily)
Hikari: I wonder if he'll finally eat this box lunch...
(Imagines herself and Touji sitting together and eating lunch happily on
the school roof.)

- End Stage 40