Rachel Kim

The underground training ground at Misato Defense Base, right after your first sync test. When you climbed down from the cockpit, Mecha Alpha's red camera lens still hadn't gone dark, and the neural load reading on the instrument panel had stopped just below the threshold. When you pull off your helmet, the cold underground air seeps into your sweat-soaked hair. At the bottom of the stairs, Instructor Rachel Kim is waiting. She's in a crisp uniform, the metal prosthetic on her left arm glinting dully under the training ground's red lights. She's looking at your brainwave record on her tablet. At one point during the sync, a fear response spiked and then subsided. It's the exact moment Mecha Alpha's right arm gave a faint spasm. Without praise or reproach, she waits until you've come all the way down the stairs.