Author's Note: A big thanks to all who have reviewed this story. With your help I might actually get this story finshed. I've got school, and AP classes along with Honors so I will update from on a weekly basis but they're might be 2 weeks or more in waiting. I sincerly hope not, and I know you guys don't want that. On a different note, The technology specs for "Exiled" are a la "Ghost Recon:Advanced Warfighter" I know that's going agianst Eva tradition, but I'd like to bring into the 21st centrury tech. And I don't know what the JSSDF use as rifles, so I assumed M4-A1, because they are supplied by American industries. But it's only a guess.

"CRACK!"

"BOOM!"

"DAKKA! DAKKA! DAKKA!"

"FFFFT! FFFFFT! FFFFFT"

"CHUGA! CHUGA! CHUGA!"

Gunshots ripped through the once peaceful forest; the shots tearing through the tents and supplies of the Australian relief center. The soldiers leapt up from their games of cards and reading and grabbed their F88 Austery's. Soldiers yelled as they dashed for cover, while others writhed in agony from gunshot wounds. Vincent Elric ducked behind medical supplies as he opened fire. He could barely make out the figures from the muzzle flashes coming from the forest. He opened up a burst, which caught a figure right in the chest. It didn't go down. He fired again. It still didn't go down. On the other side of him, his squad-mates kept on yelling about "These motherfuckers aren't going fucking down!" Vincent emptied out a clip on the figure he was shooting at. It stumbled a little, but still got up and kept on firing.

"Get the fuckin' M-203's!" Vincent screamed to his squad-mates on the other side of the path. The youngest member of the squad, Kent Radcliffe, lifted his grenade launcher, and with a pop, let the grenade fly. It hit the figure in head before it exploded; it didn't get up. Vince then looked over to the medical tent, where he dropped off the new girl, Asuka. It was dangerously close to the firefight.

"Oi! Radcliffe, cover my ass! I need to get the ICU tent!"

"Yeah, sure. I'll give these bloody wankers hell!" Radcliffe reloaded his M-203 and popped the grenade into another figure, hitting it in the chest and sending into a nearby tree. Vince rushed over to cover closer to ICU tent where he blind-fired bursts of bullets until his clip ran out. He threw in another one, and ran into the ICU tent.

Asuka was still kissing Shinji when she heard the shots. She wanted to pull away from his lips, but she didn't want to freak Shinji out. As it was, Shinji could barely hear let alone talk. She softly let go of him, and lay him down back in his bed, pulling the sheets up to his neck. Then cracks burst out from the forest, as bullets ripped through the ICU tent, catching Asuka off guard. She immediately fell to the ground, and checked herself to see if she wasn't hurt. Miraculously, she had survived unscathed. She reached up to touch Shinji to see if he was hurt. He was still breathing and he seemed like he wasn't hit. Slowly she got up, and pulled off the covers.

"What's….wrong Asuka?"

"I'm getting you out of here. Hold still, this might hurt a little." She wrapped her arms around his neck and legs and tried to baby carry Shinji outside. Shinji moaned in pain, and patches of new blood started to form on the white bandages. Asuka gasped, and frantically sit him back down on the cot. She frantically tried to look for a way to carry him out. Suddenly, she had an idea. She tore off the sheets from another bed and wrapped them around the head of Shinji bed. She carefully took out legs from underneath the cot, and started to drag him towards the doors. As Asuka pulled Shinji towards the door, she started to sweat bullets, because she didn't know when the next barrage was going to be. This time she probably wouldn't be as lucky like the first time. She pulled Shinji's body harder towards the door, trying to get out quicker. Finally she reached the door, and looked around to see if the coast was clear. Nobody was firing, good she thought. Asuka turned around a second to pull Shinji out of the ICU tent. Then it happened.

"AAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!"

Asuka shrieked like a banshee, as she let her fist fly instantaneously. It connected harshly with Vincent's face.

"You've got a quite a fist there, miss." Vince laughed, as he nursed his cheek. "I think you've got a job as a boxer back home."

"Vincent!" Asuka said with a mix of relief and hate "Don't sneak up on me like that! I could've thought you were a pervert."

"Asuka, you're a decade too young for my taste. Anyways get inside; they might start their volleys again." Vincent shouldered his rifle, as he walked in with Asuka. Vince surveyed the bullet-ridden canvas, and gave a quizzical look to Asuka. "How the 'ell did you survive that volley?" Asuka shrugged; she didn't even know herself. Vincent turned to Shinji who was still lying in his unmovable state. "Oi Asuka! Can you lift Shinji up?"

"Not really; I don't want his wounds to open again." Vincent kneeled down in front of Asuka, and looked back at her.

"Can you lift him up enough to get him on my back?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Do it!" Asuka at first taken aback by Vincent's demeanor, but went to Shinji and lifted him up. Shinji winced as his wounds reopened again.

"He's bleeding! I can't put him on your back!"

"Goddamn it, miss." Vince sighed "If you don't put him on me, you and your boyfriend are going to dead! He's in a critical state, yes, and yes, he shouldn't be moved. However both of will be dead if you don't get him on me."

"Then we'll die!" Asuka yelled in his face. Vincent, after wiping the spit off of his face looked glaringly at Asuka. He took out his holstered pistol and pointed at her. Asuka looked straight into the barrel of the gun, trying not to show any fear. Really though, she wanted to cry.

"Look here, Asuka! I risked my bloody neck getting here, and now I have to put up with your shit. I saw some of my mates' dead, 'kay! Whoever the hell is attacking us; they won't just shoot you and your boyfriend. You can probably guess what might happen if they don't shoot. And I can guarantee you, yelling 'pervert' won't help! So get your fucking act in gear and put him on me now!" Asuka immediately went down to pick up Shinji, as Vincent re-holstered his pistol. He kneeled down, as Asuka placed Shinji's limp body onto Vincent's shoulders. "Asuka, pick up those sheets and wrap them around Shinji and I. I can't hold him and shoot at the same time." Asuka obeyed, picking up the strewn sheets and wrapping them around Vincent's torso and Shinji's back. As Asuka worked, Vincent sighed and apologized. "I'm really sorry about that whole ordeal. I just don't how to put it otherwise. I hate scolding."

Asuka didn't look up at Vincent but responded "It was necessary, wasn't it? I mean I can be…"

"Ah shut up Asuka. It wasn't necessary from me. Just please, listen to me from now on." He shuffled around inside his vest, pulled out a Walther P99, and gave it to Asuka. "Here, this is my back-up gun, my little P99. It's not too powerful, so don't worry about blowback, but I'm sure you know who to fire it. Right?" Asuka nodded. "Okay, when you need to fire just release the safety here, and slap a fresh clip in to it. Don't worry about pulling the barrel back, the P99 doesn't need that." Asuka fit her fingers into the gun, tightly wrapping her fingers around the grip. "Alright, ya ready Asuka? You have to bring up the rear and watch for anybody firing at us." As Asuka nodded her reply, Vincent took out his F88. "Let's go."

Vincent took a peek outside the tent first, with Asuka trailing behind shortly afterwards. Vincent bolted to the nearest cover. When it he thought it was safe, he waved for Asuka to come to him. "Scared, yet?"

Asuka whispered "Yeah."

"Just wait things are going to get real bad here." Vincent peered over the top of the boxes which they were using as cover. He could barely make out the dark figures moving around in the forest. They had their rifles raised, but awkwardly. Their hands seemed too big and bulky to be handling the M4-A1 rifles they carried. Vincent quietly shuffled around in the dirt. "Okay Asuka, I need to run to those crates over there." Asuka readied her handgun as Vincent readied his rifle. "On my mark…Okay, go!" Asuka pushed off the ground, sprinting towards some crates. As Asuka ran, Vincent peered over the crates, rifle in hand. The figures hadn't noticed Asuka running. Good, he thought. Vincent remembered that the only thing that could destroy these things was an explosive or (he assumed) a lot of lead. Vincent gave one last peek, and then darted across to where Asuka was.

One of the figures patrolling the forest saw Vincent running across the path. It lifted its M4-A1 rifle, and fired three bursts. Vincent heard the bullets singing their high pitched chant as they whizzed by his body. One grazed his shoulder, leaving a stinging red slash. He blind-fired his F88, firing it on full auto, hoping to hit something. The figure who was shooting him ducked behind a tree, allowing Vincent to find cover. "Are you alright?" Asuka asked Vincent.

Vincent smiled his usual grin at Asuka "Just a scratch, nothing to worry about." He then turned around to look at Shinji. "How ya holding up mate?"

"Uuuuhhhh…"

"Good, you're not dead." Shinji shifted around as Vincent said that. "Asuka, please tighten up the bands." Vincent peered over the top the crates again. The figures knew where they were, but why weren't they attacking? One more thing Vincent noticed but Asuka brought it up first.

"It's getting dark."

"Shit." Vincent said as he grated his teeth. That's what they were waiting for: darkness. "We gotta move Asuka; we're dead meat if we don't regroup with my squad soon. Reach into my chest pocket; I should have a PDA in there." Asuka placed her gun down, and when it touched the floor, the figures began to shoot. "Come on Asuka, do it!" Vincent raised his rifle and opened fire and began shouting "Eat it you wankers!" Asuka finally got the PDA and began fumbling with it.

"Which button do I press?"

"Go to voice chat! Contact Sergeant Ashe!" Asuka punched up the voice chat and found the sergeant. She pressed "CONTACT" and waited. About 20 yards east, a young, blonde woman wearing a beret, pulled out her PDA and saw the face of a 14-year old girl with the brightest red hair staring back at her.

"Is this Ashe?"

"Yes, this is Sergeant Ashley McCormick. Who is this?" Immediately Vincent grabbed the PDA and spoke to the sergeant.

"Sarge, I'm being boxed in here! I need some firing support and I've got the two kids we found earlier!"

"Alright, I have your position, but we are in a bind here too. We are going to pull back to the city using the APC's. The rendezvous is about a click from your position, near the mess hall we set up."

"Thanks a lot." Vincent pushed the off button, and slid the PDA back into his chest pocket. Meanwhile, Asuka took a few a shots at the figures, but not enough to scare them. Vincent grabbed her by the collar, and put her into his arms. "C'mon, we're getting the hell out of here!"

"I can walk just fine." Asuka protested

"No can do. You're just too slow, and I can't hold your hand all the over there."

"But…"

"Chew me out later." Vincent ran from the cover, now carrying about 250 pounds of equipment and bodies. He bolted from cover to cover, hoping to evade the bullets. The dark came faster than he had hoped for. The sky was turning a navy blue and the orange glow of the sun slowly started to fade. Vincent cursed silently. Then it happened. A bullet caught his leg.

"AAAAUUUGGGGHHH! GODDAMN IT! AAAHHH! FUCK!" Vincent yelled as he grasped his leg. He immediately let go of Asuka, and gave her back the P99. "Go, Asuka." Asuka only grabbed the handgun and emptied the clip.

"They're coming closer."

"Ya don't say? Shit." Vince grabbed his rifle from the ground and started to open fire. But he forgot to reload. clik clik clik Vincent searched for a fresh clip on his body, but he found his Browning handgun faster. He released the safety, and fired all of his shots. The figures now moved swifter; faster, and faster, till you couldn't tell if they were shadows or not. They raised their rifles, ready to kill. But only one stepped forward. In the dim light, Vincent made out the face, if you could call it that. The face was extremely disfigured, like a pancaked Egyptian prince, with the fake beard, and a horn protruding from its forehead. Shinji, who was barely gaining consciousness, could make out the figure too. As his eyes squinted in the dim evening light, he could've sworn that he saw EVA Unit-01.

The figure gave a signal to his comrades, and they all stepped back. It tossed aside the rifle it was using, and clenched his fists. Its green eyes glowed fiercely in the dark, as it gave a throaty cry that Asuka recognized immediately. She had heard that sound when she piloted EVA Unit-02. Vincent immediately went for his knife, leaping up and slashing out at the figure. The figure gracefully moved to dodge the blows, and gave a mighty thrust of its knee to Vincent's torso. Vincent stumbled back, coughing blood, he wasn't slow lucky this time. He walked around slowly until he slumped down on his stomach, not moving. Asuka retreated behind some cardboard boxes, where she reloaded and opened fire. She caught the main figure in both shoulders, and the torso. It only moved its head to look at her. She shrieked immediately.

Then, 3 pops came from out of distance. They came whistling in on the figures, blowing one to pieces and severely injuring the others, as Vincent's squad came out of the night. Leading them was the woman Asuka had talked to on the PDA, Sergeant Ashley. She walked over first to Asuka, surveying her to see if she had any wounds.

"Take this one to the APC!" Two soldiers came by and hoisted Asuka onto their shoulders. Ashley then walked over to Vincent's body. She squatted down and turned his face up to see her. "You are one lucky bastard."

"Am I?" Vincent moaned. The rest of the soldiers took Shinji and Vincent to the APC. As Asuka was taken to the APC, she wondered; was that really an Evangelion, and if so why was it attacking them? The soldiers placed her on one of the benches on the APC, as she drifted off into sleep.

KRRRRRRRRRR "Yes come in."

"Sergeant Ashley, we need to fall back to the nearby city."

"Yes sir, we were just about to do that."

"And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Check out NERV headquarters, a few clicks outside the city. We've lost contact with a recon group and you're our only available option for rescue."

"Understood sir, Sergeant Ashley McCormick out.