Love AoT. Nuff said. What if things were different with Annie?

It hurts. Everything hurts. She couldn't think clearly through the pain so unbearable and so intense that soon she found herself wanting it all to end. But she had a promise to keep, she had to get home to her father. It was the only thing keeping her going, bearing the torture, the experiments, the humiliation of it all. Never did she think she would end up in this situation, never did she foresee herself being caught like a bird in a cage.

My name is Annie Leonhart. I was born in Liberio in 834, I am the daughter of Albert Leonhart. I am a Chosen Warrior.

She repeated this over and over, like a mantra when her body failed her and the mind was at the point of breaking. To remind herself who she was, why she was here and who she wanted to see again. The only thing that kept her sane at her darkest moments, which were becoming more and more common. I am a Chosen Warrior. What a load of bullshit she was fed as a child in Marley. All they wanted was her skills her father beat into her as a child to complete their fucking mission. A mission she didn't give a damn about. Yet why was she here? Why did she agree to this? To spy, to lie and to kill an unknown amount of innocent lives for? Annie bit her lip. She was daddy's little girl, after all, he was all she had after mom died and she didn't want to say no, to let him down, to disgrace him when the Marleyan authorities showed interest in his skills as a fighter. He promised to elevate his daughter to be better than him in every way, to teach her all he knew, so that she'd join the Marleyan Military and make an ideal candidate for the Warriors. Marley's chosen few to inherit the power of the Titans.

All bullshit. She wanted to stay in Marley. Now, she just wanted to go home.

Suddenly the bars to her cell opened, sickeningly, taunting her with each creak of its long decayed bars and chipped hinges. Mirroring the sorry state she herself was in. She tensed in anticipation. No. Dread. Despair. What will it be this time? Questioning is what they called it yet "deliberate torture" were her thoughts on it. Then there was "Enhanced Interrogation," another term for senseless beating to humiliate, to degrade and remind themselves how far the dangerous, murderous and almighty Female Titan has fallen. Or worst of all was her. "For discovery!" she'd say with exuberant glee as she'd stride in. Experiments are what they were. Things they wouldn't try on Eren, least...what was her name? Mikasa? Yes. She'd slaughter them all if they even thought of doing it on Eren. The girl was always possessive.

"You look filthy in this hole. Just where you belong," came the voice.

Annie tensed further. Fear. Pure undiluted, unrestrained fear gripped her. She dared not look up hoping the voice would go away, to spare to today or give her something else. She'd endure anything else than what the voice would promise. "Hey." said the voice followed by a step forward. Annie crawled to the back of her hell as far as she could with her bound legs and missing arms. Hoping and failing to stay ahead of the oncoming footsteps. It was futile she knew. But she had to try. Needed to try. Suddenly, a foot was brought down harshly on her back, causing her to gasp as the air left her lungs. Freezing at the action, Annie could only focus on the dirty floor below her. "Hey, I'm talking to you so I expect you to look me in the eye when I do." Steeling her nerves, lest she starts shivering, she dared a glance at the man that demanded her attention, widening her eyes as she did.

"Shit, you really are covered in filth," Levi Ackerman said as he looked down at her. Annie could see and feel the murderous intent that waved off him like a furnace set ablaze. The red line that seemed to cross horizontally in his eyes did little to quench her fear, only increasing it. Continuing to look down at her in disgust, "Your going to talk." Not a question. A command. A command he expected to be followed. She knew Reiner nor Bergholt was coming for her. She definitely knew Zeke was NOT risking the mission for her. She couldn't shift so deep underground or she'd be crushed and in the weakened state she was constantly in, she wasn't sure she COULD shift if she wanted to.

No rescue.

No escape.

No hope.

Always wanting to be alone her whole life taught her to rely on herself, not others. Now that she was truly alone with no chance of survival, did she realize her flaw? She wasn't as strong as she thought and couldn't take on the lies of the world on her own. The reason she was in this situation? Armin. She knew it was a lie when he came to her for help. Saw through what he was trying to do. If she didn't help, she'd be a bad person to him, right? His words then told her she was caught. That Armin, weak and pathetic Armin, had seen through her deception. It saddened her that it was him that figured it out, even more, was that it was him to have laid the trap for her. She saw it in his face when she agreed to help him hide Eren, to walk into said trap willingly. The sadness, shame, and darkness that came over his face. Why? Did he care what happened to her? Why did she do it? Was it because she was tired of lying? Tried of killing innocents? Did she want to go along with Armin's mind game? Reward him for his genius?

No. It was to prove that she was a good person to him.

WOW. This is a what-if Oneshot I wanted to write. Annie never made it over the walls and never crystalized herself. She got caught either in the tunnels or Mikasa cut her out while Levi cut Eren out before he ate her. It was difficult to write strong Annie battered and bruised. Fearing Levi was evident during their confrontation in the forest and seeing him up close will make the strongest person quake in their boots. Review, comment, and share.

Also, I want to continue, but it'll be hard to write a good continuation after this. but I'll try.