On TV, soldiers piloting EVAs marched across the screen, accompanied by bold captions declaring that only the military could save humanity. At that moment, Misato Katsuragi slammed the remote down in fury.
"What shamelessness! What a disgrace!" she hissed through gritted teeth. As a NERV officer, she felt humiliated by the spectacle—especially by Captain Ishiki's smug face plastered across the broadcast.
Ryota Kitazawa sat beside her in serene silence.
"Seriously? We're in deep trouble, and yet here you are, cool as a cucumber?" she snapped. "Don't you care that the EVAs have been seized?"
Kitazawa gave a lazy smile. "What's the point in panicking? Soon they'll be begging us. We just wait."
Misato folded her arms. "Hmph. And what gives you that kind of confidence?"
"Maybe I'm just really… sure," he replied with a sly grin.
Misato huffed. Unable to argue with his calm demeanor, she returned her attention to the screens.
---
Back on TV, the military broadcast live coverage of Units 00 and 01 standing tall amidst the base, flanked by cameras. Reporters yelled over each other for questions.
"Captain Ishiki, how do you plan to respond to the monsters approaching Earth?"
"Our plan is simple," Ishiki said brightly. "We deploy our newest weapons and defeat them."
"How many monsters are we expecting?"
Just as Ishiki began, his adjutant's phone rang.
"Excuse me," Ishiki scowled.
"We've just received a report of a strange monster approaching from the Sea of Japan, heading toward the mainland," the adjutant announced, mustering a polite smile.
Panic erupted among reporters, cameras clicking rapidly.
"Everyone, please calm down! The military is prepared to defend against these threats," Ishiki ordered, returning his reassuring smile.
"Such confidence—admirable," someone murmured.
A reporter piped up, "Captain, please deploy your new weapon soon!"
Another voice from the broadcast: "We confirm, a new monster is heading toward Japan from the Sea of Japan. The military is preparing to engage; we will report live."
---
Ishiki waved the cameras over to Unit 01 and then gave a signal to the soldier piloting Unit 00.
"Deploy!"
"Yes, sir!"
With a thunderous roar, Unit 00 activated, particle knife in hand, looking formidable.
"Amazing!"
"That's human ingenuity!"
"Indeed, it's humanity's future," the reporter enthused, urging viewers to cheer for the brave soldiers.
---
That final scene—Unit 00 deployed—confirmed it: the Sixth Angel had arrived.
Misato glared across at Kitazawa.
Could he have known in advance?
But NERV itself had no way of predicting an Angel's arrival. So how did he?
She stared at Kitazawa, hidden in that mist of mystery. He simply smiled and said nothing.
Naturally, Misato didn't know about the War God System.
Kitazawa closed his eyes and leaned back his head, calmly settling into his chair.
---
At the Military Base:
The massive radar screens displayed a single blip over the Sea of Japan, rushing toward land—toward Tokyo-3.
"Report!" Ishiki demanded.
"Sir, estimated time to Tokyo-3: 27 minutes."
"Good work," Ishiki replied. He glanced toward the cameras, well aware this broadcast was designed to boost public support for the military and undermine NERV.
In the battle for control—and for public trust—they had launched their campaign.
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