The Trash Returned from Warhammer

NERV, Terminal Dogma.

This was a pitch-black room, with only a bizarre piece of machinery towering in the center. It extended from the ceiling, looking like a human brain with dense cables resembling blood vessels. Beneath it sat a glass vat swirling with rising bubbles.

Ritsuko Akagi, clad in her white lab coat, stood before the vat, staring at the churning bubbles in a slight daze. Her eyes held traces of doubt and weariness. Many things had happened recently—events that had, quite frankly, torn their original plans to shreds. The core of these changes was Shinji Ikari.

’The first person to escape that man’s control?’

Ritsuko let out a bitter smile, feeling a mix of exhaustion and envy. As one of the masterminds behind the scenes, she understood Shinji’s transformation all too well. After so many Angel encounters, Unit-01 had not gone berserk, nor had it manifested a subjective consciousness. The reason was simple: given Shinji’s absolute personal strength, there was simply no need for the machine to go berserk.

But what shocked her even more was that Gendo Ikari had not ”corrected” the situation. She knew this man better than anyone; his methods and will far exceeded the ordinary. Under normal circumstances, he would have acted long ago. Gendo wouldn’t hesitate to put Shinji in danger. Unit-01 isn’t going berserk? No matter—he could order her to tamper with the power supply. When facing an Angel, if Unit-01 suddenly lost power, the entity dwelling inside would surely intervene.

Why?

Ritsuko truly couldn’t figure it out. She felt as though she were missing a vital piece of intelligence.

”Did Rei not come to input data today either?”

A man’s voice drifted over. Ritsuko turned back and saw Gendo Ikari stepping out of the darkness. Her gaze softened instantly.

”No. To be precise, she hasn’t come to see me for a very long time.”

”I see.”

Gendo remained expressionless as he walked beneath the incubation tank, staring into the empty interior.

”Is it really okay to continue like this? The Dummy System only has initial data; it’s too strained to be used in actual combat.” Ritsuko paused, shaking her head. ”Of course, the Dummy System isn’t important right now. It was meant as a backup, specifically designed for scenarios where Shinji-kun proved useless.”

Indeed, in the context of fighting Angels, the Dummy System had become irrelevant. No system was superior to a battle-hardened Astartes—a growing psyker.

”No, it remains important. It is a vital contingency for when that boy slips further from our control,” Gendo said in a low voice.

”But Rei has already slipped from your control. Why don’t you take forceful measures?” Ritsuko’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction. She had thought Gendo cherished Rei, given that her body originated from Yui Ikari—Gendo’s late wife.

”My choices are not dictated by personal feelings,” the man interrupted, his expression turning complex.

This truly had nothing to do with feelings; it stemmed from a threat that was difficult to speak of. Thinking of Shinji clutching his throat and those words of patricide, how could he not be furious? But anger was meaningless. If it were just Shinji alone, Gendo would have counterattacked long ago; he had ten thousand ways to take him down. But the strangeness within NERV kept him from acting rashly.

Due to the anomalies during the Third Angel encounter, SEELE had increased its surveillance of NERV, which included the agents in the Security Department. Yet, the Security Department had sided entirely with Shinji, which made Gendo deeply uneasy. He held too many secrets; if SEELE found out, he didn’t know if Shinji would be in danger, but he knew his own head would be on the chopping block. Under the influence of his subconscious, he could only suppress his temper and continue to cooperate. But at this rate, his plan would never unfold.

”What is the situation with Rei now?”

”Enjoying life to the fullest. She’s becoming more and more like a normal person.” Ritsuko lit a cigarette and said softly, ”If you ignore her status as a ’vessel,’ this isn’t bad. Consider it my last shred of conscience.”

In this cursed world, a normal life was something Rei Ayanami could never hope for. Turning a pale, colorless existence into something vibrant was, in reality, akin to defying fate. Her life was supposed to consist only of battle, experiments, and ultimate sacrifice—not enjoying gourmet food, chatting happily with peers, or participating in school festivals.

”Shinji-kun is indeed an incredible youth. He changed Rei’s fate and saved many lives.” Ritsuko spoke quietly, watching the man secretly clench his fist. This gave her a sense of twisted pleasure.

”Enough.” Gendo raised his hand to cut her off, his gaze icy. ”Rei’s destiny is not to be an ordinary person; she was born with a mission. As for Shinji, he is simply looking for trouble. The deeper the affection, the more painful it will be when the truth is revealed. No matter how abnormal he is, he is nothing more than a Lilin. Does he really think he can change the script of the ’Dead Sea Scrolls’?”

As he spoke, he pressed a button on a remote. Suddenly, the entire room became brilliantly lit, revealing a truly horrific sight.

The room was surrounded by towering glass walls. Inside the walls, bubbles churned around human figures. At a glance, they all had the same delicate features, red eyes, and icy-blue short hair. Every single figure was Rei Ayanami.

”Shinji-kun might go mad if he saw this. Fortunately, there are suggestions placed upon Rei; she cannot speak the secret. I didn’t expect that you would save him just to guard against SEELE’s methods.” Ritsuko took a drag of her cigarette, her eyes showing a trace of pity.

Anyone would go mad seeing their friend was a doll. There were hundreds of Reis in this room, and she was naturally restricted; after all, SEELE was also kept in the dark. This was Gendo Ikari’s ultimate secret.

’If Rei has developed feelings, perhaps she wouldn’t want to speak of it anyway.’

Ritsuko shook her head. Having witnessed Rei’s changes firsthand and seeing the smiles on her face, she silently added:

”Of course, it’s hard to say. He is changing too much now; even I can’t understand him.”

Gendo’s mouth twitched. He wanted to scoff, but he couldn’t find the words. The image of Shinji holding him aloft, eyes cold, saying, ”Don’t underestimate me, mortal,” haunted his mind. It made this ”chess player” lose his confidence, like a crack opening in his AT Field.

’Impossible. No matter how strong he is, he cannot change the script. If I don’t do it, SEELE will succeed.’

”Commence the Dummy System preliminary experiments.” Gendo held out his hand. Ritsuko blinked, placed the cigarette in his hand, and watched as he took a drag, her expression surprised. She hadn’t seen Gendo smoke in a long time—not unless he was facing an insoluble problem.

”This system must be completed. Only then will I have the ability to return the script to its proper track.”

”What about Rei No. 2? Does she need to be scrapped to prepare No. 3?”

Gendo was silent for a moment, simply taking a deep drag of the cigarette while looking at the sea of Reis.

”Not considering it for now.”

Ritsuko frowned slightly, asking with dissatisfaction, ”Personal feelings?”

’Personal feelings? Perhaps.’

Gendo became even more silent. Given his personality, personal feelings shouldn’t even be a consideration. And yet, a strange fear surged from the depths of his heart.

’If I do that... I will die.’

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.

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[EVA Third Startup Test commencing. Simulated C-Type equipment.]

[Neural link normal. AT Field concentrated.]

[Unit-01, please proceed with the simulated destruction experiment. Reference materials prepared.]

The voice over the intercom was continuous. Ritsuko Akagi was absent today, so Maya Ibuki was in charge of the experiment. Having full authority made her seem quite high-spirited.

The trio of Shinji, Rei, and Asuka didn’t spend all their time enjoying school life; conducting various experiments was also part of their daily routine. Or rather, when an Angel wasn’t present, it was a combat preparation period, and experiments were the main theme.

Mock battles, sync rate tests, new weapon trials—Shinji and the others didn’t take their UN subsidies for nothing. This data would be sent to various branches to adjust other newly constructed units.

The three EVAs were anchored, with everything simulated by data. Today’s experiment was the new weaponry developed by the JA Research Institute. The physical objects didn’t exist yet, so they were doing theoretical research with data rods.

Shinji sat in the entry plug. Unit-01 didn’t move an inch, but he controlled the heavy sword in its hand to ”slash” at a block of steel. Dense streams of data flashed, forming animated images. Unit-01 held a greatsword; the air around the blade’s edge distorted as a power field tore through reality. With one swing, the steel was split in two like paper.

”Not bad. It wasn’t a waste of time for me to make that trip.”

Dr. Itou was indeed a genius. His talent for weaponry far exceeded Ritsuko Akagi’s; no wonder he could build a robot the same size as an EVA. He had designed a special force field that could constrain energy and assist in concentrating the AT Field, creating an effect similar to an EVA-sized Power Sword.

’A Power Sword...’

Shinji’s face was full of nostalgia. His primary weapon had once been a Power Sword, originating from the Black—ahem—it was an ownerless item he happened to see on the battlefield. One cannot abandon precious holy relics; leaving them in the wasteland would be a profanation. Thus, Shinji had very loyally ”retrieved” the Power Sword, silently chanting, ”By the Emperor, who could be so careless? Fortunately, I shall keep it safe.”

Cough, cough.

Returning to the present, this force field was fundamentally different from a Power Sword, but its significance was immense.

”It will save a massive amount of my psychic energy. After all, in this world, the real universe and the Warp are completely separated; I basically get no replenishment.

Humanity’s research into the AT Field is too shallow. I hope to use this as a starting point to develop more weapons. Perhaps we can use an EVA as a power furnace to develop this world’s version of a psychic engine.”

He began sketching blueprints for the future. Meanwhile, the synchronization experiments for Unit-00 and Unit-02 were also completed. He withdrew his psychic energy and contacted Maya.

”Tell Dr. Itou to accelerate the research and make it practical as soon as possible. Also, the force field array is too bulky and makes the weapon top-heavy. It must be made combat-ready. Funding is not an issue.”

’Uh... a single experiment burns five hundred million dollars. Shouldn’t we report to Commander Ikari?’

Maya turned her head and glanced at Misato Katsuragi, who was spinning in her swivel chair. The latter was long used to this, simply waving her hand to indicate she would write the report herself.

’Isn’t it just overturning the natural order? Perfectly normal.’

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