The Trash Returned from Warhammer

”The EVA is not a toy for you to vent your frustrations. Do not cross the line.”

As the roar of the VTOL blades echoed, Shinji held the phone, listening to Gendo Ikari’s low-pitched reprimand. Yet, upon closer inspection, it sounded remarkably weak and powerless.

Deploying Unit-01 for combat undoubtedly required the Commander’s permission. Misato Katsuragi had come to her senses after the initial thrill of triumph, hesitating to call for authorization, so Shinji took it upon himself. Had it not been for his previous warning to his father, this would have surely been a storm of verbal abuse; instead, Gendo was now displaying extreme restraint.

”I have a corresponding plan. You just need to execute it,” Shinji replied flatly, cutting through any nonsense.

’Execute? Which one of us is the Commander here?’

Gendo still couldn’t stand that tone. His recent avoidance of Shinji was largely due to the fear that he might lose his own composure. He took a deep breath. ”Do you know what you are doing?”

”With absolute clarity. The JA project must be terminated; this aligns with the will of SEELE. However, I want the legacy of the project—it will increase the EVA’s combat effectiveness.”

Gendo fell silent instantly.

This was what frustrated him most: no tantrums, no arrogance—every word Shinji spoke was logically sound. Indeed, this aligned with SEELE’s will; after all, those old men didn’t want various nations opening their own technology trees and gaining the ability to escape their control.

’Has he really bypassed me and made contact with SEELE? Then why does he need me as a cover?’

Since their last meeting, Gendo had felt something was off. He spent every day in deep thought, finding it harder and harder to make a judgment. Finally, he reached a conclusion: let the brat do as he pleased. If one is to be destroyed, they must first be driven mad. Shinji Ikari had literally walked into his office and held him aloft—that was already the height of madness.

”Do as you wish. If trouble arises, solve it yourself.” He hung up the phone.

’Playing hard to get? Hoping I’ll become reckless and expose a weakness?’

Shinji put his phone away and smiled indifferently. Stepping out, he met Misato Katsuragi’s concerned gaze.

”What did Commander Ikari say?”

”He agreed.”

Cough, cough, cough!

Ritsuko Akagi, who had been quietly smoking nearby, began to cough violently, her face full of disbelief. She had helped earlier because she already disliked Ito; she would have caused trouble even without Shinji’s request. But she hadn’t expected the proposal to actually be approved.

’Is Commander Ikari over-indulging his son? But does he look like the type to indulge anyone?’

”That Ito guy is definitely going all out. If you don’t use the AT Field...”

”What, afraid I’ll lose and embarrass you?”

”No, I just think a simulation is enough. Why use live ammunition?” Misato rubbed her hands together, looking as if she were pleading with Shinji not to take things too far.

”It must be live ammo. The visual impact needs to be strong enough to make people lose all hope in the project.”

Shinji looked up as a giant mecha was air-dropped amidst the gasps of the crowd.

THOOM—

The runway was struck, leaving a shallow crater. At least in terms of appearance, Unit-01 looked infinitely more powerful than the JA-001 with its simple design and six ”router-like” antennas.

Weapon of choice: the Chainsword.

Unit-01 drew the hideous, snarling blade. Combined with its sharp, angular armor, it instantly captured everyone’s attention. Compared to the JA idling hundreds of meters away, the difference wasn’t just ”rich vs. poor”—they weren’t even the same species.

”What’s the use of looking good? I could have given JA cool armor too, if it wasn’t for the lack of funding!” Ito cursed under his breath, struggling to maintain a composed smile. ”Dr. Akagi, shall we begin?”

Everyone entered the heavy bunkers; they were safe even from stray shells. The dignitaries were seeing a battle between ”giant robots” for the first time, and they watched with unblinking eyes.

”No problem on my end,” Ritsuko said, crossing her legs like she was settling in for a show. ”Whoever is damaged or forced out of the test area loses. Just try not to lose too pathetically.”

’Damn woman.’

Ito didn’t bother with further words. He nodded to his assistant. ”Start.”

[Power output: Maximum.]

[Cooling cycle: Normal.]

[G-Weapon safeties: Disengaged.]

[Auxiliary aiming: Online.]

”Oh? It actually moves. Unfortunately, remote control is inherently heretical.”

Shinji watched as the giant robot took its first steps, rumbling forward. It felt quite novel. The Imperium almost never used unmanned combat vehicles because Daemons would corrupt them in a heartbeat. Even with ”man-in-the-loop” control, the movements were sluggish, like a puppet. However, its mounted weaponry was ”loyal” enough.

Two 70mm six-barrel autocannons, shoulder-mounted missile pods, and two fully automatic recoilless rifles at the waist. Every weapon was linked to an auxiliary aiming system; the operators only needed to control the unit’s movement and issue the attack command. What interested Shinji most was that the JA had no ”tail”—its miniaturized nuclear reactor could support long-term combat.

’The unit itself is trash, but the attachments would be extremely useful for upgrading the EVA. Ritsuko Akagi and her ilk have strayed into a heretical path.’

That Dummy Plug system had no reason to exist; they would be better off excavating the EVA’s own potential. This Dr. Ito was useful, and the first step was...

The moment the JA’s barrels were raised, the EVA crouched low. His psychic senses seemed to predict the opponent’s moves. Before the JA could pull the trigger, Unit-01 had already surged forward.

”First, I will shatter your confidence.”

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT...

A flurry of shells struck the ground, cratering the runway, but Unit-01 was fast, leaving the explosions in its wake. It moved with the agility of a titan—a sudden stop, then a sudden leap.

BOOM!

A recoilless rifle shell exploded beneath its feet, kicking up dust. Facing the cannons tracking its movement, the EVA suddenly performed a roll, keeping its massive body low to the ground as a stream of shells whistled overhead.

”Ohhh—”

The onlookers gasped. This EVA was not using an AT Field, nor was it equipped with long-range weapons. The JA, by contrast, looked like a clumsy, fixed turret.

”Fire everything! Let’s see him dodge this!” Ito bellowed.

Dozens of missiles trailed long white plumes as they roared from the shoulder pods. Active seekers engaged; target identified. A dense barrage formed. Shinji couldn’t dodge them all, nor did he intend to.

VROOOOM—

The spinning chainsword plunged into the ground and ripped upward with a violent heave. The resulting spray of concrete blocks acted like a flak screen, colliding with the incoming missiles.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A chain of fireballs erupted in the sky. The missiles were detonated prematurely. The intense glare forced everyone to close their eyes. The operators, blinded, hurriedly pulled back on their joysticks to make the unit retreat.

’Too slow.’

Accompanied by the tremor of the earth, the purple giant burst through the dust. The steel weapon was inches away. Seeing the black muzzles of the cannons pointing at it, Unit-01 came to a dead stop and hurled the chainsword.

CLANG—SCREECH—

A 200mm rocket flew wild into the sky as, with a shower of bright sparks, the chainsword buried itself in the JA’s chest. The sheer momentum caused the JA to stagger. The operators fought with all their might just to keep it from toppling.

One advantage: a pure machine felt no pain.

Before the mecha could regain its footing, the tethered Unit-01 had already leaped. Piercing through the dust, a flying knee smashed into the JA’s face, denting the steel.

CRASH.

The two behemoths hit the ground. Sparks exploded as they ground a trench into the concrete runway. Unit-01 sat astride the JA, casually gripped the chainsword, and with a light flick, severed all the antennas. The cannons that had been pointed at its head slumped powerlessly.

[JA-001 silenced. Total activation time: 1 minute 12 seconds.]

’It’s over? Just like that?’

The dignitaries, who had been hoping for a cinematic blockbuster, were speechless. They hadn’t even processed what happened, but no one was blind. This wasn’t even a matter of an adult beating a child. The EVA hadn’t used an AT Field, had no long-range weapons, and fought in an area with zero cover—which allowed the JA’s heavy armaments to function at their limit. Had any of those advantages been missing, the fight wouldn’t have lasted even a minute.

The looks they cast at Ito were full of pity. Just as Dr. Akagi had said, this project—which cost hundreds of billions of dollars—had produced nothing but a pile of trash. No matter how easily it could be mass-produced, it still had a cost. Twenty JAs likely couldn’t beat one EVA. The agility of the latter only highlighted the puppet-like clumsiness of the former.

’Unmanned weapon manufacturing... let’s not waste any more effort.’

The military-industrial complex silently crossed that option off. This battle hadn’t even touched on signal jamming, reactor safety, or other issues.

Ito slumped in his seat, his cheek twitching uncontrollably. He knew everything was finished. The JA had been proven worthless; it had no possibility of replacing the EVA. Therefore, he was also worthless. The military-industrial complex, having lost a fortune, would tear him apart. This outcome was far more terrifying than the JA losing control or the reactor exploding.

Unmanned combat weapons had no future. The core concept was flawed, so there was no possibility of correction.

’But I didn’t travel all this way just to be a dream-crusher.’

Shinji controlled Unit-01 to stand up. He pulled out a black communicator—if Misato had seen it, she would have known its security clearance was extremely high. He pressed a button, connecting directly to the Security Department.

”It is me. Protect Dr. Ito’s team according to the plan and designate them as an external cooperative organization for NERV. Permission to ask questions granted.”

As his most important puppet, Mark usually only followed orders. Shinji gave him the authority to ask questions so he could handle unexpected situations.

”Will Dr. Ito cooperate?” Mark asked.

”He has lost his value for existence. I am simply providing him with an opportunity to create value. The psychic seed has been planted; his subconscious will guide his actions.”

”Will Commander Ikari agree?”

”He will. Because you represent the will of SEELE. He won’t dare interfere before he figures out the truth.”

”Will SEELE approve?”

”They will. Didn’t you say Chairman Keel is the actual controller of the U.S. military-industrial complex? Why would he forbid a move that secures benefits for his subordinates? Having the JA project become a subsidiary of the EVA is better than letting various governments lead it.”

One question, one answer. Everything had been arranged in the shadows long ago. Shinji put down the communicator. He looked at Misato Katsuragi cheering as she jumped out of cover, and at Ritsuko Akagi’s bewildered face.

’Just seeing me as a non-child is far from enough. A mastermind...

Who says I can’t be one?’

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