2010-07-25 - Cutscene: The Science of Thunder

When Mari Illustrious Makinami awoke, the world as she knew it was a much different place.

It was the sound of helicopter blades that roused the young half-Briton woman, the constant whipping of steel through cold air an earsore. Her body hurt from head to toe, the pain in her head throbbing and sharp. Blinking several times, the tried to let her blurry vision gain focus to no avail; moments later, hands touched her face.

"M-my glasses," Mari quietly noted. "Where are they..?"

"We'll get you a new pair soon," an aged, heavily accented voice told her.

"You need rest."

"But--"

"Briefing will be in oh eight hundred hours. Don't worry. Rest, Makinami."

'''BETHANY BASE SOMEWHERE IN RUSSIA'''

"Instrumentality, huh..?"

Looking to the older, blue-eyed man at her side, Mari seemed mildly puzzled before letting a lazy grin slide across her face. "Ah, the things you miss out on..."

"We got what we needed, though," the older gentleman noted. Reaching up, he gently adjusted the glasses upon his face. "Good work with Unit-02, I might add."

Mari grinned. "I think we work very well together. Do we get to keep it?!"

"For now. We still have use for it."

"And what about Sohryu..? Won't the Federation be looking for it..?"

The old man said nothing. Instead, he turned, making his way toward the large elevator. "Come with me, Makinami. The briefing isn't over just yet."

"Roger."

...

In the depths of Bethany Base, Mari was once again reunited with Unit-02. It was like seeing an old friend. An old, heavily-damaged friend, but one nonetheless. Still, the smile on her face was genuine--proud. Opening her arms, she walked to the lumbering creature kept locked away in a massive containment chamber.

"Ah, it's so good to /see/ you again."

"Makinami," the elder man noted with a sharp edge to his tone.

"Sorry."

"Unit-02 is a blessing for us," he explained, gesturing to the looming red beast. "With your help, we can use it to unlock many secrets unknown to us. The best we have managed was the Provisional unit. With Unit-02, we can expand upon our Evangelion--we can make it surpass the boundaries of our limitations."

Mari exhaled. "Really now? That's great and all, but what does this mean for me?"

"Well," Lifting a hand, the man casually adjusted his glasses. "We still need information. We want you to use the Unit-02. We need its combat data--data from it in general. Data on its potential. Our time with that machine is very limited. It's only a matter of time..."

Grinning, the blue-eyed Child knew exactly what that meant. Looking to the damaged Unit-02, Mari's hand stretched out, long fingers reaching toward her newfound friend. "Understood. I will cherish what precious time we have left."

...

"Dead..?"

Mari Illustrious Makinami peered at her briefing report. One name in particular stood out:

Ryoji Kaji.

"That's a shame," she lamented with a heavy sigh. "This is why I hate getting adults involved."