Chapter 1
Sounds of distant gunfire and shouting can be heard from outside as Captain Levi hurriedly makes his way up the stairs of the Survey Corps's newest hideout. The moment he realized they were under attack by none other than the Military Police he left Moblit Barner in temporary command while he went to notify Hanji of the trouble. The Captain sprinted down the hallway with the partially rotted floor of the abandoned inn creaking beneath his feet, before coming to an abrupt halt in front of the door to the Commander's room. Levi threw open the door and stormed inside.
"Oi, Hanji! Huh? What the hell are you doing, Shitty Glasses?
The Commander's room had a balcony facing west with a perfect view of the setting sun, and Hanji was currently leaning against the railing framed by the outward opening doors with a passive, content expression on her face.
"Hm? Oh, Levi, it's you! Is there a problem?"
"A problem!? You're telling me you didn't hear the gunshots? Are you now deaf as well as blind Shitty Glasses!"
She tilts her head and squints slightly, as though confused. Levi continues.
"We're under attack, and you're supposed to be out there doing something about it. Now get the shit out of your ears and start giving orders out there while the Police are still somewhere we can hold them!
"Of course. I understand", is all she says with a smile as she turns to lean on the railing once more.
Now Levi is angry. He makes to advance in her direction.
"Hanji, I swear if you don't-"
"Levi." The Commander's voice is firm and serious, in such stark contrast to her earlier demeanor, it gives Levi pause just before he reaches the doorway leading outside.
"Levi," softer this time, almost sad. "If I told you to go out there right now and handle the situation with the MP's, do you think you could?
A small sound of surprise escapes the captain's throat, but he quickly collects himself and responds. "What the hell kind of question is that? Of course I-"
"Could?" She interrupts. "I expected as much, and I believe you, too. But how about this." Hanji turns to look him dead in the eye. "If you were in command of the Corps, not just temporarily, but from now on, would you get them through this? All of those young, talented people out there counting on you to make the right decision? I need to know right now if you have the strength to lead them the rest of the way."
Now the Commander is shaking, practically in tears, and Captain Levi is utterly shocked. Lead the Corps? The hell is that supposed to mean? But then, Levi realizes, I've never really thought about it. Being Commander that is. Could I do it? Why am I even asking myself this? Of course I could. If I had to. Wait, why would I have to?
He breaks free from his thoughts and looks up at Hanji in a stunned and angered realization. Her stoic face has dissolved, and now, she's gritting her teeth while concentrating on the floor, trying and failing to keep tears from flowing beneath her silver rimmed glasses.
He speaks slowly, his tone dangerous. "No way, Shit Glasses. No fucking way you're resigning your command now."
They stand in momentary silence, the shootout now raging on the northern side of the building temporarily forgotten.
She finally gets up the courage to speak and starts, "I'm sorry, Levi, but-"
"I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR DAMMED EXCUSES!" Hanji looks up and does a sharp intake of breath at the Captain's outburst. She bites her lower lip, turns her head away and closes her eyes knowing full well what was to come.
"You're a coward! You, who started this fight even before I did! You, who I called a comrade, a friend even! If you want to stay here, go ahead! I have a battle to win and an army to lead." He turns to leave and pauses at the door.
"Never speak my name again, and never show your face around me. If I ever see you again, I swear I'll kill you myself."
Levi exits the room with the sound of her shuddering breaths following him out the door. What he misses, though, is the satisfied smile on Hanji's face as she takes in his veiled, but confident acceptance of her daunting position.
He can hardly believe what just happened. Was he commander now, then? No time to worry about it now, he decides. He needs to get out there. People are dying, and his soldiers need leadership. However... What was it, he wondered, that had felt so off back there? Well, a lot, obviously. But it had felt like something below the surface to him. Some menacing tension he could not explain. At the time, he had dismissed it as his urgency to handle the threat outside, but now it ate at him.
Feeling suddenly very outside of himself, and very afraid, Levi dashed to Hanji's room once more, and made to hurl the door open only to find it locked. A cold sweat ran down his back, and his breath quickened as he pressed his ear to the door and heard, not one, but two voices, both conversing in a mild tone.
"...not how I would've picked our last conversation, but I got the answer I was looking for." Definitely Hanji, though her voice was muffled and she sounded uncharacteristically shaken.
"And you what makes you think he'll make it as commander when you and Erwin didn't?" Dammit, I know that voice, thought Levi, now throwing himself against the heavy oak door, which in spite of its age, refused to give. Who the hell is in there with her? A man, but from where, and when?
"Isn't it obvious, Mr. Kenny?," Hanji again, and this time she identified the mystery man as the serial killer in the employ of the Central MP, and a former acquaintance of Levi's.
"He's Humanity's Strongest." She finished simply.
"Hanji! Hanji, get to the dammed door, now!" Can they even hear me? Fucking door won't open!
A single gunshot stood out from the rest, echoing with a sense of finality from the Commander's quarters.
After pausing for a moment to hear something heavy hit the floor, Levi continued going at the door with everything he had, now more desperate than ever to get inside. None too soon, he heard the splintering of wood, and he practically fell into the room. What he saw when he collected himself, however, was a sight he had never even considered a possibility. There on the balcony lay Commander Hanji Zöe, unmoving with a crude bloody hole in the center of her forehead.
Crouched over her corpse was Throat Slasher Kenny Ackerman, who, in contrast to his namesake, had taken to using a small gun, at least for this particular operation. He had very likely, Levi realized, been hiding behind the outward opening door to the balcony to get the drop on the Commander.
This explained everything. Knowing she was going to die, Hanji had relinquished her position to a successor, and ensured he was willing to perform the duties of a Survey Corps commander. The gun aimed at her was the reason she hadn't allowed Levi to advance past the balcony entrance. And now she was dead.
As Levi stood deciding how best to kill him, Kenny seemed to be occupied with removing something from Hanji's person.
"You bastard! You're going to die for this. You and all of your MP dogs outside." At this, Kenny turned his head to look partially at Levi. He then stood, and turned to face him while chuckling.
"I'm going to die? And who's going to kill me? You..." He tosses something to Levi, who reflexively catches it. "...Dancho?
If the use of that title in the place of his name wasn't enough to chill Levi, the object he now held definitely did the trick. He turned it over in his hand, and the green stone of a commander's bolo tie, now splattered with crimson, caught the blazing afternoon sun.
Since when did she wear this? He wondered to himself, and now the weight of what Hanji's death meant hit him full force. When he had accepted the title earlier, it hadn't felt real, but then, Hanji had been alive. It felt unofficial, and abstract, but now he was Commander Levi.
Seeing the look on his face, Kenny began laughing maniacally.
"Run, Dancho! Run!" His laughing continued, and the gunfire and shouting grew louder until Levi felt as though he were in the middle of the battle.
His breath quickened as he lost track of what went on around him, and the world seemed to fade black.
"Levi Dancho!" Eren's voice came from behind him, then a shot, then silence.
"Levi Dancho!" Moblit's voice, a shot, and silence once more. This repeats over and over, and Levi runs through the darkness with Kenny's laughter ringing in his ears. He wants to save his people, but their shouts come from different directions each time, and they always sound just out of his reach. He can smell blood.
"Levi Dancho!" Jean.
"Levi Dancho!" Sasha.
"Levi Dancho!" Mikasa.
Now all he can hear is that accursed title that seems to bear the weight of the world. It's being thrown at him from each direction, and Levi knows he can't stand it much longer.
"Dancho!Dancho!Dancho!Dancho!Dancho!Dancho...Heicho!
"What the-" Levi feels groggy, but the blackout fades and he can at least see again. It's dark, he realizes, and there's someone standing over him. He quickly springs from his position laying down, grabs the figure by the throat, and slams their head against the bedside table.
"Ah! Levi Heicho, stop it's me!" Recognizing Moblit's voice, Levi discontinues his assault, and pauses to get some bearing on this new situation he finds himself in. Moblit is alive. It's nighttime. I'm in my room. I'm sweating. Filthy.
"Captain, I'm s-sorry," Moblit stammers, shaken. "I heard you yelling, so I came to see if you were alright. You must've been having a nightmare. A bad one, too."
A nightmare? That whole fucking episode was a figment of my imagination? Tch. Way to scare the fucking hell out of yourself, dumbass.
Levi looks up at the clock. Half past three.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. But what exactly are you doing up at this hour Berner?"
"Huh? Oh, I was assisting the Commander with-" Levi cuts him off at Hanji's mention.
"The Commander? Where is she? I need to see her immediately." Levi spoke quickly, suddenly very impatient.
"Oh, um, she's in her room. But Captain, I would advise against disturbing her. I just now convinced her to go to slee-" Levi slams the door for no particular reason as he makes his exit, cutting Moblit off and leaving him alone in a confused silence.