The Trash Returned from Warhammer

It had taken Shinji two days to come to terms with his current reality, but it took a mere six hours to reach this final bastion of humanity.

Entering NERV Headquarters via the lift, he scanned his surroundings incessantly. He observed this fortress, saturated with the scent of high technology; steel corridors branched out in every direction. God only knew how vast the floor space was—it was large enough that even his guide had nearly lost her way.

Misato Katsuragi led the way, though her mind was buzzing with doubt.

’The kid’s reaction is way too muted. Shouldn’t a boy his age be jumping for joy at the sight of a secret base?’

She stole a glance at him. He wasn’t excited; rather, he seemed to be studying the place. Occasionally, he would stop to tap a blast door, as if measuring its thickness.

”Uh, Shinji-kun, what do you think of this fortress?”

Shinji, who was currently calculating exactly how many Astartes it would take to conquer this stronghold, withdrew his gaze and offered a nod of approval. ”An excellent fortress. It consolidates all of humanity’s current high technology. To have completed construction within a dozen years is nothing short of a miracle.

First Lieutenant Katsuragi, your loyalty is commendable.”

’Uh, why does that not make me feel happy at all?’

Misato blinked. She suddenly realized where the sense of dissonance surrounding the boy came from. He was too mature, too reliable. The gap between his fragile teenage appearance and his demeanor was immense; he felt more like an old man with a chest full of medals.

”Does Shinji-kun have any suggestions then? I can have the Construction Department implement them later,” she teased. It was amusing to see such a youthful face acting so ”old and experienced.”

Shinji’s eyes lit up. He actually did have a few suggestions.

First: The entire facility was controlled by Artificial Intelligence. That was far too dangerous.

Second: As the final defensive bastion of mankind, there wasn’t a single chapel, nor a single statue of the Emperor. This was a grave lack of loyalty!

The words reached his lips, but he swallowed them back down, making a silent vow instead.

’Once I take command of NERV, I will definitely erect a statue of the Emperor over a hundred meters tall directly in front of the ’Pyramid’ to demonstrate our loyalty.’

”Where is the EVA? You aren’t lost, are you?” He chose to skip the topic.

Misato didn’t think much of it. To a boy this age, giant robots were always an irresistible lure.

”No way, no way! This way.”

They continued forward. Misato did most of the talking, occasionally throwing out a joke to lighten the atmosphere. About half an hour later, they arrived before a massive blast door.

The EVA was inside.

Shinji felt a spark of anticipation. Misato’s earlier mention of ”humanity’s extinction” had triggered a conditioned reflex in him. Had he not been doing the exact same thing in the 41st Millennium?

Clang—

Accompanied by the hiss of hydraulics and the flashing of warning lights, the blast door slowly groaned open. Shinji’s nose twitched; he caught a metallic scent.

’Blood?’

Without waiting for Misato to speak, he stepped inside. Under the ceiling lights, Shinji saw a steel catwalk. On either side of the bridge were pools of crimson liquid, and in the center of the room, a massive silhouette loomed.

A giant stood there, silent in the darkness.

’This is the EVANGELION? The combat weapon that protects humanity?’

Shinji raised an eyebrow, feeling a flicker of excitement. However, he didn’t approach. Instead, he looked up toward the control room on the side of the vaulted ceiling.

A man stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. He had brownish-black hair, a beard, high cheekbones, and a stern face.

His gaze was cold and utterly devoid of emotion, projecting a heavy pressure. Even the most rebellious child would typically turn meek and obedient under such a look.

Gendo Ikari. Commander of NERV. His father.

Shinji looked back silently, meeting that sharp gaze. His own eyes held no particular emotion—he didn’t look away as he might have in the past, nor did he show hostility. He simply watched him.

In those few seconds, a hint of astonishment crossed Gendo Ikari’s face as he scrutinized his son.

This was too unfamiliar. He saw no resentment, no childish attempts at acting mature, and not even the ”bravery” born of spite.

Shinji was simply observing him—observing him without emotion, like a titan glancing at an ant.

’Is this Shinji?’

If the Intelligence Department hadn’t been monitoring him the whole way, Gendo would have thought his son had been swapped. He felt a sudden sense of frustration; the psychological tactics and ”bitter meat” traps he had prepared were completely useless here.

Father and son stood in a silent standoff, neither willing to speak—a classic freeze-frame.

Misato looked back and forth nervously, unable to comprehend how a father-son reunion had turned into this.

’Shinji-kun, you could at least yell or something! What’s with this staring contest?’

”It’s been a long time, Shinji. You arrived earlier than I expected.”

Just as Misato was about to die of embarrassment, someone finally spoke. To her surprise, it was the Commander.

”Destiny is unavoidable. Since it cannot be escaped, the sooner it is faced, the better.” Shinji nodded slightly. The answer left Gendo speechless.

’Unavoidable? The sooner the better? Is this my son?’

Gendo felt as if he had thrown a punch into thin air. He had prepared an elaborate plan to ensure the boy would crawl into Unit-01 no matter how much he resisted, but what was this?

He paused for a long moment before finally saying, ”A courageous answer. You have grown faster than I imagined.”

”It has nothing to do with courage. I have heard the situation from First Lieutenant Katsuragi. Creatures called ’Angels’ intend to destroy humanity. As a member of the human race, I have no choice but to resist.” Shinji withdrew his gaze and began pacing the catwalk. He had thought this through on the journey here.

”Since I have decided to resist, I need to acquire power in the shortest time possible. The arrival of an Angel must be imminent; it is unprofessional to rush onto a battlefield without preparation. Therefore, this is a judgment based on logic and efficiency.”

’A fourteen-year-old brat talking to me about logic?’

Gendo frowned, though he had to admit the boy was right. A sliver of annoyance flashed deep in his heart. This reunion after three years wasn’t going according to plan—he felt like he was the one on the defensive.

”You think you are a combat expert?”

”Correct.” Shinji nodded without hesitation, pointing toward the shadow before him. ”Commander Ikari, do you have any instructions? I need time to familiarize myself with this unit. I didn’t come to Tokyo-3 for small talk.”

”I...”

Gendo found himself at a loss for words. This script was all wrong.

Shouldn’t the boy be crying and screaming that he didn’t want to do it, only to be forced into Unit-01 as a puppet? Who was controlling whom here?

”You want to pilot the EVA that badly?”

”It is not a matter of desire. It is a judgment based on survival instinct and a choice dictated by my oath.”

”Oh? You have an oath? What is it?”

Shinji stopped walking, tilted his head up, and looked at him coldly. ”My oath is not something you are worthy of knowing.”

Gendo: ”...”

Gendo fell silent. Had this been a purely emotional outburst, he would have kicked the boy out right then. Misato, meanwhile, looked back and forth with a stunned expression.

’Who’s the Commander here? Who’s the father?’

The atmosphere was turning bizarre when an elderly man with white hair hurried into the control room. He whispered into Gendo’s ear, causing the Commander’s expression to shift slightly.

”They’re here?”

”Yes. News just came in. The Third Angel has appeared. The Self-Defense Forces have begun their counterattack, and the generals have arrived.” Kozo Fuyutsuki looked around and added curiously, ”What’s the matter? The reunion with your son didn’t go well?”

An Angel attack!?

The strange atmosphere instantly became tense. One could almost hear the combat sirens wailing outside. Gendo quickly regained his composure.

The script had changed, but the boy’s early arrival was a stroke of luck. They wouldn’t have to scramble as much.

”Let those people waste the taxpayers’ money first. We will take over command later. Notify Dr. Akagi to prepare for the emergency startup test of Unit-01. She has one hour.” Gendo gave orders as he walked out. He paused and added:

”Tell the Medical Department that Rei doesn’t need to come. The Third Child should be able to handle this.”

”Wait.”

Gendo stopped at the door, turned back, and looked at the catwalk with confusion. ”What? Changed your mind?”

”No.” The boy in the white shirt stood ramrod straight, speaking each word clearly. ”The Angel is attacking, and only the EVA can defeat it. Don’t you think you should use the word ’please’? Please me to pilot EVA Unit-01 to save the world?”

Gendo narrowed his eyes. He wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words. In the end, he said nothing and hurried toward the command center. His brisk pace almost looked like a retreat.

’That felt better.’

Shinji exhaled slowly. The final question wasn’t strictly necessary, and he didn’t care what Gendo thought. As he had said, piloting the EVA was a choice born of survival and his oath. He would have done it even without an invitation, and anyone who stood in his way would be removed.

Yet, for some reason, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.

He turned and saw the still-dazed Misato. Because of the Angel attack, a few more people had appeared on the catwalk.

One of them wore a white lab coat. She had short blonde hair and a refined face—an intellectual beauty. She was staring at him with great interest.

”So, you’re the boy?” The blonde woman sized him up, tilting her head. ”My, you certainly are a surprise.”

She had read the Intelligence Department’s reports, of course, and had overheard the conversation just now. The person in front of her could not be reconciled with the ”Shinji Ikari” described in those files.

He had a fragile, youthful face, yet there wasn’t a trace of cowardice in him. Especially his eyes—they weren’t ”fierce,” but they were incredibly firm and cold. Like a demon newly returned from hell, nothing in this world could shake him.

’A professional.’

Unconsciously, Ritsuko Akagi had a realization. Unlike her scattered best friend, as a fellow specialist, she recognized another.

”Pleasure to meet you. I am Ritsuko Akagi, the head of the EVA Project.” Ritsuko stepped forward, withdrawing a hand from her pocket and extending it. ”The Angel is attacking, so let’s skip the pleasantries. Look over here.”

Shinji shook her hand briefly. He didn’t know Ritsuko, but he recognized her as the equivalent of a Chapter’s Master of the Forge.

As the ceiling lights brightened, he snapped his head around. Like a titan piercing through the curtain of night, a massive machine painted in purple appeared before him.

Despite his mental preparation, Shinji held his breath when the EVA’s massive, monstrous head came into view.

It was a humanoid skull with a long single horn. The cheekbones and jaw were as sharp as a beast’s. The surface was covered in metallic purple armor, etched with cooling grilles and hydraulic line grooves. Four diamond-shaped optical lenses stacked into compound eyes emitted a faint, cold yellow glow.

”This is the EVA?” Shinji reached out, feeling the cold texture under his palm. It felt like touching his own power armor.

A powerful, massive mecha—enough to ignite the primal romance deep within a man’s blood.

”Yes. Evangelion Unit-01. The Multipurpose Humanoid Decisive Weapon. Humanity’s final trump card.” Ritsuko Akagi stood with her hands in her pockets, looking at the cold giant with eyes full of pride.

”Mmh. A giant machine with a height exceeding that of a Warlord-class Titan. Quite massive indeed.”

”Titan?”

”It’s nothing. Prepare for the startup test. Since this is an enemy capable of destroying the world, the Angel cannot be stopped by conventional forces.” Shinji once again took the initiative. He had zero expectations for this world’s version of the Planetary Defense Force.

Ignoring Ritsuko’s confusion, he turned and left.

The xenos had arrived; every second was precious.

”It seems this Third Child is completely different from our impression of him.” Ritsuko glanced at the wryly smiling Misato and called out loudly: ”Everyone to your stations! Prepare for the EVA Unit-01 startup test!”

The entire hangar burst into activity. Shinji followed a staff member to change into his plugsuit, ignoring Ritsuko’s meaningful gaze.

An Astartes was not like the assassins of the Inquisition; he didn’t quite know how to ”act” to hide his true self. As for the mysteries of this place, he had full confidence that he would unearth them one by one.

The Chapter Shinji had served in was quite famous across the vast galaxy, renowned for its information analysis and for ”safeguarding” holy relics.

Its name was the Blood Ravens.