Stage 48 - Vanished

Cover: Maya with laptop superimposed over a close-up of Ritsuko

Scene: Sunrise over New Tokyo-3. Rays of light stream into the Geofront, illuminating the
decapitated and armless Eva-02, the vertically split head of the fallen Eva-00, and the damaged
Nerv HQ pyramid. Inside the dark interior of the pyramid, Ritsuko, Maya and Shigeru survey the
wreckage of the Command Center.
Maya: The damage to Eva-00 and Eva-02 has exceeded the Hayflick limit.
Ritsuko (absently): Yes... It will take some time. (looks up at the giant shattered screen) But
this place is beyond repair.
Shigeru: It's a matter of time until the decision is made to abandon it.
Maya: Luckily the Magi system can be transplanted. I'll start work on it tomorrow.
(The three leave the Command Center and walk down a corridor)
Ritsuko: At any rate... we'll just have to use the reserve 2nd Command Center.
Maya: Even without Magi...? The chairs are uncomfortable and the sensors are stiff... It's
difficult to use, even though it's built the same as the 1st Command Center.
Ritsuko: Just be glad we are able to use it at all. I wonder if we can say the same about Eva-01.

Scene: Misato and Makoto standing before the giant, bandaged head of Eva-01 in the cage.
Misato: Restrained in the cage... It's safe, isn't it?
Makoto: There are no internal thermal, electronic, electromagnetic or chemical energy reactions,
and the S^2 engine has completely stopped.
Misato: Yet despite that, Eva-01 has moved twice now.
(Scene of Eva-01 rampaging through the streets of New Tokyo-3, ugly head bared and raised toward
the sky. Numerous restraining wires fire from batteries and entangle the Eva unit. Eva-01 grapples
with the wires, breaking some, but more are fired and the Eva unit is eventually overcome.)
Misato (thinking): Who would have thought that the Angel intercept systems of this fortified city
would be useful in stopping a berserking Eva unit... (has a sudden "what if" realization) No...
What if these defense systems were intended for that purpose from the beginning...?

Scene: Seele Headquarters -- the five Seele council members stand equally spaced around a circle in
a room that is both simple yet mechanical in design. There appears to be a pod(?) of some sort
behind each member.
Seele(?): The S^2 engine that was not supposed to have come into existence in the Eva Series...
Seele(?): Who would have thought that it would take one into itself by eating an Angel...
France: This incident is a major deviation from the Seele scenario.
Russia: It will not be easy to correct.
America: Ikari Gendo... Might it not have been a mistake in the first place to entrust Nerv to that
man?
Keel: Yet had it not been for that man, the execution of all plans would have been impossible.
England: But this matter does not only concern Eva-01.
France: Indeed. The heavy damage to Eva-00 and Eva-02,
Russia: The semi-destruction of the Headquarters facilities and exposure of Central Dogma,
Seele(?): The damage is enormous.
Seele(?): We cannot even begin to guess how much money and time have been lost.
Seele(?): And all this is because a bell was not attached around Ikari's neck.
Keel: No, there is a bell. It just did not ring.
Russia: A bell that does not ring is meaningless...
Keel: Now we shall have the bell work for us.

Scene: Inside Gendo's office
Kaji (looking out through the glass at the Geofront): My my... a most unexpected development.
(turns and walks over to Gendo's desk) So how do you intend to explain this to the Committee... no,
to Seele?
Fuyutsuki: Eva-01 was not under our control. It was an unforeseen accident.
Gendo: Accordingly, Eva-01 is frozen until the Committee directs otherwise.
Kaji: An appropriate measure. (looks over at Gendo) But even with your son still trapped inside?

Scene: Command Center -- Alarms beep and the screen shows "EVA-01 ENTRY PLUG EJECT COMMAND REFUSED"

Maya: It's no good! It won't accept the entry plug eject signal!
Ritsuko: What about the reserve and dummy signals?
Maya: Rejected! The direct control circuits are also down!
Makoto: We have the plug image circuits on line! Rerouting to the main monitor.
(The main monitor shows the Eva-01 entry plug interior -- empty but for Shinji's school uniform
drifting in the LCL.)
Misato (shocked): ...! What is this...?
Ritsuko: This is the reality of a 400% synchro rate...!?
(Monitor: "PILOT VANISHED")
Misato (shouting): What's happened to Shinji!?
Ritsuko (calm): He's been taken into Eva-01.
Misato: What do you mean...? (shouting) What _is_ Eva!?
Ritsuko: The only way of saying it would be... an object created by humans in a form resembling
that of a human.
Misato: Created by humans? (flashback to Giant of Light) You just copied what you found at the
South Pole back then. Don't try and tell me it's original!
Ritsuko: It's not just a copy. It has been invested with a human will.
Misato: So you're saying this is also someone's will!?
Ritsuko: That or Eva's...
(Something in Misato snaps and she delivers a blazing slap to Ritsuko's left cheek, spinning her
head around)
Misato (shouting): Don't just stand there all calm speaking idle words like that! Do something!!
You created the thing, didn't you!? Then take responsibility for it to the end!!
Ritsuko (holding cheek): .....

Scene: Rei lying in hospital bed -- opens eyes slowly, then lifts hand to shade against the ceiling
light.
Rei (thinking): I'm still alive... (remembers berserking Eva-01 and sits up with worried
expression) Ikari...

Scene: Askua lying on bed in bedroom. Remembers the battle with Eva-02 losing its arms and buries
head in pillow.
Asuka (thinking): I couldn't... couldnŐt do anything... And to be saved by that idiot Shinji...
(closes eyes and speaks softly) How vexing...

Scene: In front of Eva-01 in the cage
Misato: A salvage plan for Shinji!?
Maya: Shinji's body is presumed to have lost its ego boundary and be floating about in quantum
state inside the entry plug.
Ritsuko: That's right -- together with his psyche, or what might be called his soul. The components
inside the plug closely resemble primodial ocean water. The soup of life...
Misato: So what you are saying is that Shinji has transformed into a state that we cannot confirm
with our eyes?
Ritsuko: We plan to reconfigure Shinji's body and fix/anchor his psyche to it.
Misato: Can that be done?
Ritsuko: With Magi's support...
Misato: ...You mean, theoretically...right? But right now we have no choice but to cling to that
theory.

Scene: Shadows stretch forward as the five Seele members walk down a corridor
Seele(?): And even assuming the bell had rung properly...
Seele(?): It is probably the right time to use that man now. Besides, for Ikari that much is
probably within the bounds of conjecture.
Keel: It is coming time to awaken our trump card that will serve us true and faithfully.
(They enter a circular room like that in Terminal Dogma with a clear, LCL-filled tube in the center
and numerous pipes and cables extending up to a tangled mass in the ceiling. The tube has someone
inside it.)
Keel: Tabris, the key to our scenario.
(Kaworu slowly opens his eyes and looks out at Keel.)
Keel: How are you feeling?
(Kaworu smiles -- not unlike Rei in similar circumstances)

Scene: Transparent Shinji floating inside the entry plug above the cockpit
Shinji: Where... am I...?

- End Stage 48