Eva?
Beneath the entry plug, there is a sound not unlike a heartbeat. He can hear the presence in the back of his head, the soft tone of her thoughts. When he tried to describe interacting with Eva to Misato, she teased him on having a girlfriend. But it was not like that. It was…deeper.
Like she was family.
"Hey there. What's up?"
I have a question.
"Shoot."
Well…what are you?
There is a pause. For a moment, Shinji wonders if he has somehow offended her. This worries him, partially because he views her as a friend, and partially because it is never wise to offend a 200' tall biotechnological superweapon.
"I'm the core consciousness of Unit 01. I thought we went over this."
Well…okay. Are you the computer onboard it? You know, like an AI?
"Do I sound like an AI to you?"
I don't know what an AI would sound like, in all honesty. I've never met one.
"Then you can't rule it out. I could be an insane artificial intelligence plotting to take over the world."
Okay…They told me that, when they first talked to you, after you woke up, that you were protecting your children. You have children?
"Yep. I know, I look young for a mother."
Are those the other Evas?
"Eh eh. Think smaller."
Shinji screws his face in confusion. He tries to think of something that Eva could give birth to that's smaller than the other Evas. Nothing comes to mind, except…
First Impact. That lecture Dr. Akagi gave him. A first Impact supposedly seeded life on Earth. If the Second Impact and the First were related, then…
Humans?
"Yep. I'm different from the other Evas, Shinji. They used Adam.
"Me? I'm Lilith."