RADIO VOICE (MALE)
Menace 1-5, this is Central. We show you approaching the drop point. Be advised—area is hot.

RADIO VOICE (FEMALE)
Pressure stable. Sync is green and holding. Drop in thirty seconds. Stand by.

Red lights begin strobing on either side of the hatch. A harsh KLAXON begins to sound, and a moment later the doors grind open, revealing the dazzling lights of a major city at night, as seen from an altitude of perhaps 20,000 feet.

RADIO VOICE (FEMALE)
She's hot! Pulling the pins in five. Four. Three. Two. One. DROP, DROP, DROP!

There is a loud CLUNK along with that last "DROP!" The CAMERA jerks, then begins falling forward, through the doors, and into the sudden stillness of the night air, the lights of the city slowly growing closer as a whistle of wind passes by.

SOURCE MUSIC
"Layla"
Derek and the Dominos
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1971)

In the foreground, we see a figure fall like a bomb from the belly of a very large aircraft, the implication being that we are aboard another, similar figure being launched in trailing formation. The figure ahead has a distinctive silhouette: vaguely humanoid, but elongated and improbably slender, clad in smoothly angular armor. Six glowing orange cylinders protrude from its back in two parallel columns of three, one on either side of its spine. Target identification reticles pop up, helpfully informing us that these are, respectively, an ANTONOV AN-620 (registry number N905NA) and EVANGELION UNIT 01-PRIME. A small blinking graphic near screen center, alongside a steadily unspooling HUD altimeter, offers the faintly comical warning CAUTION: FALLING, which is also announced by an OBVIOUSLY SYNTHESIZED FEMALE VOICE.

EVA-01′ plunges towards the ground, body taut in a skydiving delta position. It shifts to a freefall braking posture as the ground nears, finally SLAMMING into a multi-lane city street in a 3-point stance. The impact smashes a massive crater into the pavement.

SYNTHESIZED FEMALE VOICE
Phase space. Neutralized. Ready to engage.

There is another, louder landing sound, impact jarring the camera, as our POV touches down a block or so behind EVA-01′. Little fragments of broken street fly up; onscreen, the HUD altimeter fizzles out, no longer needed. As the camera moves and pivots, it raises up slightly, as if coming to a standing position and walking to meet the first Evangelion. An otherworldly roar attracts the camera's attention to a GIANT MONSTER standing at the far end of this same street. It's too far away to be made out in great detail, but it's clearly noticed the new arrivals and doesn't seem to be happy about it.

On the screen, a WEAPON SELECTION graphic flickers past, scrolling down a short menu and settling on MELEE 1.

SYNTHESIZED FEMALE VOICE
Arc blade. Selected.

As the camera draws even with EVA-01′ on the left, its head comes up from where it had braced chin-to-chest for landing, eyes blazing white through the forest-green and black armor of its helmet. Straightening, it unlimbers a pair of HANDGUN CANNONS from shoulder holsters. As we pass, the EVA's head tilts slightly to lock eyes with our POV.

DJ LANGLEY-CROFT (RADIO VO)
Oh! It's good to be back.

EVA-01′ takes a step out of its landing crater, then another, then breaks into a run toward the MONSTER.

CUT TO BLACK

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