Chapter 18:
Christening

 

THE DOORS OF THE ELEVATOR SHAFT, which also functioned as a shelter during emergencies, were known to have excellent sound insulation. They opened to the top deck of the command center, and Misato was welcomed by a sudden scream.

The scream belonged to Ayanami Rei Trois, but this was no ordinary scream. It was the sound a person made when they were utterly broken. Having tried and failed to calm her, Hyuga now had his fingers on the telemetry console, poised to remotely administer sedatives.

Looks like someone told her what happened to Shinji. I didn’t expect Trois, of all people, to cause a scene… I guess she really must like him now.

After her exchange with Maya, Misato was in the mood to lash out. She took a deep breath and shouted, “Pipe down, Trois!”

Trois’ thoughts had overwhelmed her. She probably didn’t even realize she was screaming. Misato’s yell snapped her out of it, and for the first time in the transmission, Trois quieted down.

Only then did the command center personnel notice that their commander had entered the room. They turned to face her, but her expression alarmed them.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t given up on him yet!”

Misato grinned. She was angry at a lot of things right now—herself, her surroundings, her circumstances. Still, no one in the room had the guts to ask their commander how they were supposed to keep from worrying.

“Uhhh…” Aoba started carefully.

“New transmission from Mauna Kea, Hawaii. They’ve calculated the new trajectory of the detached lunar slab after the change in its mass.”

He noticed that all eyes were on him now, and he tried to sound more upbeat.

“Losing its balance has caused it to change orbit. It’s going to come close, but it won’t collide with Earth! It will do three elliptical orbits before falling back to the moon!”

The command center erupted with relief. Azumaterasu’s stray arrow had not gone to waste—and neither had the lives lost in the aftermath.

Fuyutsuki looked at the slab’s new orbit thoughtfully, but Misato still frowned. How close would the moon be to the Earth by then? The lunar landmass was nothing more than an opening performance. She gathered her thoughts and took a deep breath.

“‘Detached lunar landmass’ is a mouthful. From now on, we’re designating it Yomotsu Hirasaka.”

Fuyutsuki raised his eyebrows. “The road that connects the Earth to the moon, from this world to the next—or maybe it’s the other way around.”