This part opens up with a description of the new city-foundation. I never really describe the 'pylons' in the story, but they appear like long, silver bars on an Eva's scale, with a smooth, curving design inside the flat top and bottom surfaces. These curves would be how the cover pulls apart and shrinks to either side. They are also quite large, as I said, Eva-scale. They're a little longer than an Eva is tall, and about a half or third the width. The specific comment about Cirus' synchronization with his Eva is explained in detail later in the story, so I won't spoil it here. Suffice to say, only he can synch with his Eva... ever. Of course the accident that occurs near Unit 00 is just that, an accident. There is no secret Angel craziness going on here. Someone screwed up their rivets in just the right places, and the whole thing started coming loose on Unit 00. That said, it's one of my favorite scenes in this early part of the story, because it reveals exactly how protective of Rei Cirus truly is. I like it when my heroes push themselves to the absolute limit to protect someone, so I had that happen a lot in this story. And of course the last portion of this part I love simply because it focuses on Ayanami-sama, and begins to hint at the growth she'll be going through during Kenosis. During the incident in the series when 'becoming one with Shinji' came up, it's hard to catch the 'No!' she shouts in response. The Angel is manipulating her lonliness, she doesn't actually want to fuse with Shinji so specifically. She cares too much about him to inflict that. Yes, I finally started to shift her character a little at the end of this scene, showing that she's becoming a bit more emotional than before. I think her actually answering Shinji is a uniquely powerful example of that.
The scene between Misato and Cirus in the hospital room is actually little more than character development for Cirus, and a chance to have some interaction between them. It is, perhaps, unrealistic that Cirus' eyes would remain a mystery at this point, at least to the medical staff, considering that checking the eyes for response is a common medical practice, but I'm assuming they could tell he was just worn out and unconscious without checking his eyes. A big assumption, I know. The scene also points out that Cirus' protection of Rei has not gone unnoticed. If Misato has noticed, so has Gendo.
This seen is very functional. It moves the time-frame ahead, sets up the next part, and informs the reader just how disturbed Rei was the previous day. Cirus took the warning from the last scene to heart, and doesn't let anyone see his desire to be the one who checks on Rei. It might surprise the reader how hard this was for him to do, even this early.
Shinji always seems to approach Rei's apartment with the same trepidation and awkward habit, so I tried to keep that going here. The fact that she actually answers seems to be a habit among modifiers of the anime. The well-known Red Book fan-fiction, the offical manga, and me (indepent of any sources) each chose to have Rei actually answer the door, when she is either interrupted by it opening, or walks in on someone in the actual series. This scene, beyond its obvious purpose of explaining Rei's perspective and how she gets to NERV in the next scene, is also a very important example of the relationship between Shinji and Rei. They're honest with each other, but always a bit distant, unsure of what more to say beyond what is pertinent. I think Rei will always care deeply about Shinji, it's the nature of that compassion I alter in Kenosis.
A surprisingly vital scene for one so short. This is the first time Rei has any peculiar response to Cirus in his reaction to her. I thought it flowed almost naturally from the previous scenes, and I hope it does for the reader, because it's actually quite a severe shift in character for Rei. Her emotional state reacts to his defense, spurring her to actually question why he did. In reality, she's trying to learn more about her own situation, and her intuition is telling her he knows more than she does. The answer he gives proves it to her. I still find the added touch of her look to Gendo and then leaving particularly satisfying. Her devotion to him to splintering by the minute.
The battle with Barakiel, the 20th Angel, really establishes one fact. Cirus' damage and pain tolerance. And yes, I did rely on coincidence to make Units 00 and 14 be the ones that dropped first. Coincidence is a powerful force when properly written. The end of the battle, of course, is my fan-boy love of Maya popping up again. She's just so cute.
Since the connection between Eva and pilot is usually very cerebral, I figured it quite natural to have a nosebleed be the symptom of extreme Eva-use. Cirus' seem to be more severe than normal. If he wore a white plug-suit, it would be more disturbing than it is with his black one. He really does bleed a lot, poor fellow.
Yes, I have an obsession with catching Rei from a painful fall. She's so adorable, I can't have her hit the ground. The added danger of the catwalk being over a rather high drop into LCL makes Shinji's action more understandable. If he hadn't dove into her, she quite possibly would have fallen off and dropped. And there's just nothing like a dramatic cliff-hanger. And, of course, if you think I made Cirus tougher than Rei, just read the next chapter, *chuckles*.