My Iron Lung

An Evangelion fanfic by Greenfang

Gainax owns Evangelion and all related characters and merchandise. Me? I own a clunky old computer and a Hungarian Viszla (its a dog) called Sakura. Although there is currently no merchandise available for her, that could change at a later date. :-)

Radiohead own the song titles that I have used for the fic and first chapter. I've used them because they inspired the first scene and the general idea for this story. An Iron Lung being a method of keeping people alive who were unable to breathe on their own. It seemed a reasonable metaphor for the Children (and several other characters) and their relationship with the Eva program.

If Gainax or Radiohead object to the use of their property in this story, I will happily remove it.

Any OOC in the first section will hopefully be explained as the story progresses.

N.B. Language warning for the first section.

Chapter 1

bulletproof...i wish that i was

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Rei Ayanami threw herself to the floor as a spray of bullets cracked just over her head.

"Ayanami! Get behind the fucking wall!" Asuka screamed at her from where she was crouched.

That had been way too close. Rei quickly scrambled behind the cover of the kitchen supplies store wall. Trying as hard as she could above the constant blast of gunfire she attempted to collect her thoughts and take stock of their increasingly untenable situation.

It had all happened much too quickly. One second they had been wandering unconcernedly through a shopping mall on the western edge of Tokyo-3, the next they were fighting and running for their lives from an unknown number of assailants. The other shoppers and ordinary citizens of Tokyo-3 had scattered leaving the three Children alone and at the mercy of the black-clad men pursuing them. There had been no prelude and no attempt at communication. They had simply been attacked without any warning or provocation.

Their attackers had continued driving them like prey animals towards this dead end cul de sac in the southern end of the mall. Skilfully they had separated Shinji from the two girls. What they wanted with Shinji and why they had been driven apart from each other was a mystery to Rei. One thing that was clear though was that they were hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered. It had to be merely a matter of time until they were killed.

Across the other side of the mall she watched Asuka firing her gun constantly at their attackers from behind the cover of a small newsstand. Rei had no comprehension of German, but there was no doubt as to the Redhead's meaning as a rain of Teutonic curses was interspersed with her gunfire.

She checked her own handgun. How Major Katsuragi had managed to procure them for the Children she couldn't even begin to imagine. But there it lay in her own small, pale hand. 'STEYR M9' was stamped on the barrel. She had no idea what that meant. But I was obvious that its purpose was to bring death. She stared at the weapon in sick fascination. It was so heavy and black. So very real. Could she actually bring herself to bring that death upon an actual Human Being?

More bullets crashed into the wall next to her and pulverised the crockery display by her side, showering the blue haired girl with powder and fragments of porcelain.

"Ayanami, cover me!" Asuka yelled across at her. "I've got to reload!"

As Asuka rummaged in her backpack for more ammunition Rei set her face in a look of grim determination. Clicking the safety off as the Major had shown her Rei took a deep breath and quickly leaned out from behind the cover of the wall and fired twice at the men in dark suits that were crouched around various positions of cover around the opening of the food court attached to the mall. Ducking back into safety and with her hand smarting from the recoil of the weapon, Rei's eyes narrowed.

There was no doubt now about whom their attackers were and who had sent them. She even recognised several of them. These men had been following her all of her young life. Section 2. The men were from Section 2. NERV internal security.

The commander had sent them to kill the children. More specifically to kill her.

She stuck her head back around the wall and fired three more shots. One of the men collapsed from where he was crouching like a puppet with its strings cut. She leaned back against the wall and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She had just killed a man. She had broken the most fundamental law and commandment of any human society. Strangely, to her mind, she felt almost nothing. It was like she was watching it all from the outside. Emotionally unaffected. Just like she had used to have been.

"Well done Wondergirl!" Shouted Asuka from her vantage point. Gun now reloaded."We'll make a number one fighter of you yet! Ahhh.... Sheiss!"

The redhead clutched at her side and collapsed against the back of the newsstand. Bright red blood quickly seeped between her fingers and stained her school uniform as she cursed and struggled back onto her knees.

"Soryu!"

"I thought I've told you before," Asuka hissed through gritted teeth." to call me Asuka!"

Another fusillade of bullets slammed into the newsstand Asuka was sheltering behind.

"Is that the best you've got?" She screamed back at them, her voice ragged. "Eat this!"

She attempted to get off another volley of shots but was driven back to the cover of the low wall by the ferocity of the barrage from the gathered section 2 men.

"Dammit." Asuka said wincing, sweat forming on her pallid face. Breathing harshly she rested her back against the wall.

Rei could see that the German girl was beginning to weaken. A small butterfly of panic cut through the adrenaline. Without the strength and determination of the redhead she knew that it wouldn't take long for the agents to overwhelm her. She had to get over to her. She would not let Asuka die alone. Also, though even Rei would not admit it to herself, the thought of being isolated from human contact when her own end came scared her more than the thought of that end itself.

The firing from the food court towards their position had subsided temporarily. Hopefully that meant the Section 2 men were reloading or regrouping at that moment. Either way, this could be her only chance.

Without further thought she stepped out from her hiding place and fired four rapid shots towards their attackers. Then she made a frantic dash across to Asuka's position. Although it was only a matter of three or four steps, they were the longest and most difficult steps of Ayanami's short life. The air around her became filled with flying lead. Feeling like she was moving through molasses she struggled towards Asuka's position. She could see the girl's eyes wide with astonishment at her reckless actions.

'Almost there' she thought to herself, diving for cover. Strangely her right arm had gone limp and she could no longer feel the gun in her fingers as she slid across the floor for the remaining few metres and crashed headlong into her injured fellow pilot.

"Nice one Ayanami!" Asuka rasped at her as she attempted to get up from her prone position. "Was losing your gun a tactic to lull them into a false sense of security? Or maybe you didn't think that I was quite wounded enough?"

Rei apologised as she sat up next to Asuka. Her useless right arm was no longer numbed but beginning to throb quite painfully. A bullet had ripped open her upper arm at the bicep and exited out the back of her arm. Blood was pouring from the ragged wound and running freely down her forearm. Her gun lay out in the open a mere metre and a half from where she sat. Any attempt to venture out into the gap to retrieve it now would bring certain death.

"Rei?" Asuka's voice was thick with pain and concern."You're wounded? Are you okay?"

Ayanami smiled briefly at her companion. Rei was not the only one to have changed in these past few months.

"I am fine Soryu... Asuka. Although my right arm seems not to want to work for me at this moment."

"Idiot." Asuka said without venom. "What did you think you were doing anyway?"

"I.. " Rei began before being drowned out by a fresh burst of gunfire." I did not want to die alone." She said simply

Asuka tried to speak but seemed not to be able to find the words. Swallowing painfully she tried again.

"Thank you. I... I don't want to die alone either."

She leaned her head on Rei's shoulder. "I'm cold Rei." She said, her blue eyes clouded with pain and fear." Could you hold me, please?"

Ayanami put her good arm around the Redheaded Pilot. Asuka reached across and grabbed hold of the hand on Rei's injured arm and held it tightly while her other hand still clutched at her side in a vain attempt to staunch the flow of blood from her own wound.

Arm in arm the two girls sat there waiting for the end, their blood mingling as one on the floor as the mall became eerily quiet.

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Several Months Earlier.....

"Guten Morgen Shinji!"

"Uhh.. Guten Morgen Asuka."

Asuka could feel the smile spreading across her face as she contemplated further taunting the shy Japanese boy.

"Hey," She said in mock scorn."Why so gloomy? I'm the most popular girl in school!" She said flicking his forehead with her middle finger. "You should appreciate your good fortune!"

"So," She continued, somewhat disappointed not to get more of a rise out of Shinji. "Where's the other one?"

"O..other one?" Shinji replied, perplexed.

"What are you stupid? I'm talking about the First Child of course!"

"Oh, Ayanami? Um.. "Shinji trailed off as he stared at something below the level of the pedestrian walkway that they were standing on.

Asuka followed his gaze to the slight, blue haired figure sitting alone and otherwise unregarded on a bench at the bottom of the escalator. Rei Ayanami, the mysterious First Child. The Child that was spoken of only in hushed tones around the halls and laboratories of the NERV branch in Germany. Never one to pass up a chance to create a new ally or alternately gauge a potential adversary Asuka made a beeline for the girl, preparing to hit her with the full onslaught of the famous Soryu charm.

"Hi, you must be Rei Ayanami, the pilot of the Prototype." Began Asuka before stumbling slightly over her words as a pair of striking red eyes regarded her coolly. "I.. I'm Asuka Langley Soryu, let's be good friends!"

"What for?" The girl's eyes never left hers for a second.

That was not the answer Asuka had been expecting. Taken aback, but determined to plough on regardless, she ramped up the charm offensive an extra notch.

"Because it would be... convenient!"

Rei regarded the stranger evenly, her mind processing the unusual request. Most of her classmates treated her with the indifference that they thought she gave to them. But her classmates were wrong. She was far from indifferent to them and their existences. Her life, such as it was, had not equipped her with the skills to deal with and interact with them in any meaningful way. Life, for Rei Ayanami, was an unaltered cycle of NERV testing, Piloting Eva and school. Commander Ikari was the closest thing she had to a confidant, and even her dealings with him were sparse and solely related to her effectiveness at piloting Eva.

Only Shinji had ever shown her anything approaching actual kindness or friendship, and though their interactions were admittedly awkward, she secretly treasured the memory of each one. Each conversation they had brought her attention further from herself and the mere functionality of living and out into observing the wider world.

This brought her back to the girl in front of her. A girl who was beginning to fidget awkwardly as Rei took more and more time to answer. Rei wished she could discuss what she should do with Shinji. He might have been able to tell her what would be an appropriate response to the Redhead's question. Still, a crowd was starting to gather around the two pilots, and Shinji was still standing atop the footbridge with his two friends.

Taking her interactions with Shinji as a guide she gave the best answer she felt she could.

"Very well Pilot Soryu, I will be your friend. What shall we do now?"

"Ah.." Asuka said surprised to finally have an answer."Okay. um.. We should go to the mall after school! You do go to the mall don't you?"

"I have not been, but I believe I know where the shopping complex is located. What do you wish to purchase there?"

Asuka blinked slowly. Was this girl simply dense or was she making fun of her? She decided to ignore the question. With a sigh she ploughed on.

"So, meet me outside the front entrance, four thirty sharp! I'll see you there First!"

"Very well Pilot Soryu. I will meet you there."

"Call me Asuka," She said with a smile." we're friends now!" She waved to the blue haired girl as she made her escape from the increasingly awkward encounter. Looking back as she walked away she could see that the First Child had returned to reading her book all alone on the bench.

'Sheesh' Asuka thought to herself. 'That was weird! Obviously she's not a morning person!'

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Kaji put the binoculars down on the passenger seat of his car and rubbed his hand across his stubbled chin. He shouldn't have been surprised at Asuka's behaviour. Outwardly the girl had more front than the Daimaru department store. Only people that knew her as well Kaji did could see the brittle and rather immature little girl that the brash self confidence hid.

While he hadn't been able to hear the interchange between the two girls, it seemed to him to have gone well. Better than he could have hoped. Looking through the binoculars again he could see that Asuka was walking jauntily through the gate of the Tokyo-3 Middle School and even Rei, having finally put her book away and also heading towards the School, seemed to have a thoughtful expression with something that may have been bordering on a smile on her face as she finally disappeared through the gate and into the hurley-burley of the school day.

It would seem that her interactions with the Third Child had made more of an impact than anyone could have guessed.

It would be interesting to see how the Commander would take this unexpected development. Kaji could see a heavyset man in sunglasses and a black suit standing outside the school and talking on his cell phone.

Chances were he already knew all about it.

End of first Chapter.

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Well that's Chapter 1 down!

I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me your thoughts. Pretty please!

I'm hoping to make this about 5-6 chapters or so. I'm already a fair way down the track on chapter 2. With even a little omake fun!

I don't have a pre-reader but I think that I could probably do with one, ne? ;)

If you'd like to help please feel free to contact me at: .au

Ja matta

Greenfang