"Impetum Terrae - Attack on Earth."

Rating: M

Characters: Reiner Braun (Captain, Marines)

Historia Reiss (military nurse, president's daughter)

Bertholdt Hoover (Master Gunnery Sergeant, Marines)

Annie Leonhart (Special Agent, Secret Service)

Ymir Wikstrom (Private First Class, Marines)

Eren Jaeger (Private First Class, Marines)

Mikasa Ackerman (Sergeant, Marines)

Armin Arlert (Logistics, Private First Class, Marines)

Sasha Braus (Private First Class, Marines)

Connie Springer (Private First Class, Marines)

Jean Kirschtein (Private First Class, Marines)

Marco Bodt (Private First Class, Marines)

Levi Ackerman (Colonel, Marines)

Hange Zoe (Brigadier General, Marines)

Erwin Smith (General, Marines)

Dot Pixis (Admiral, Coast Guard)

Nile Dok (Director, Secret Service)

Darius Zackly (Vice President)

Rod Reiss (President)

*Other characters will be mentioned in the story. NOTE: These are real existing ranks in the military. I didn't make any of this up.*

Soundtrack: Various songs from the band Red. Each chapter title is the title of one of their songs and it's highly recommended those songs are played with each chapter.

Plot: In the late 1900s, alien creatures began to pop out of the earth, originating from volcanoes in the east, with one goal in mind: infestation. No one knew where they came from: if they'd been planted in the earth millennia ago, or if their origins were in the earth's core. Two continents, the Americas, acted more quickly than the rest of the world - they destroyed every volcano, starting in the states, with nuclear bombs. No one knew for sure if it would stop these creatures from their eventual take-over, but it seemed to keep the west safe, at least for the time being - but not without cost... Many of the weak, including children and elderly, died from the radiation left over by the bombs. The rest were quickly given a special antidote to keep their bodies strong against the poison. Meanwhile, these aliens, which humans dubbed "Tyrannos"( latin for "tyrant") ran rampant in the east, killing and feeding on all human life. There were a few humans from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia who acted quickly enough to get out while they still could - most of them being government officials and/or wealthy.

The Americas became a melting pot of all ages, races, languages, and cultures. Things were tense and the differences between the citizens caused all kinds of chaos, sometimes ending in lives lost... Until a new military came to power, assembled by a mixture of the United States' president, congress, and world leaders who'd sought refuge there. All these leaders made the decision to unify their armies. This new military, called "the Garrison," was a well-oiled, cohesive fighting machine made up of the best remaining soldiers from around the world. They brought order to the Americas and kept the borders safe from the Tyrannos trying to cross the seas.

But population was becoming a problem. The States especially were becoming too crowded. It was time to take back the rest of the planet. The Garrison divided into groups; one to protect the leaders of the world (the Secret Service), one to protect the borders(The Coast Guard), and one to go across the seas and fight the Tyrannos (the Marine Corps).

It is now the year 2099 - over 100 years after the initial attack. This story follows one soldier - Captain Reiner Braun - who was celebrated amongst his peers, praised by superiors, and was possibly looking at a promotion to Major. He was given medals for valor and exemplary service. But after a mission overseas on the border of Africa, he was badly injured while trying to save his comrades. A bomb went off and he threw himself on top of it to save his team. An emergency copter arrived within a few hours, but Reiner was near-death. Receiving emergency treatment along the way, the helicopter delivered him to the best hospital in the states - located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Prologue: Feed the Machines

Rain.

The storm was raging, making the waters around them choppy and turbulent. The U.S.S. Marley sped steadily on, its turbines roaring with life. This ship was one of the best – it was fast, it was steady, it was efficient, as was the crew aboard it. Captain Reiner Braun, the man in charge, stood below deck in the boiler room. A few crew members tended to the computers running the engines and turbines, but it was mostly silent. Reiner often came down to the boiler room to be alone and gather his thoughts – something he mostly did before a mission. Putting a hand to his stubbled chin, he closed his eyes and pursed his lips, wondering what was going to greet them when they arrived on the shores of Morocco. Everything - his success, his promotion - hinged on this mission. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: anxiety. Reiner was a strong and self-assured man; he didn't have time for that kind of bullshit. But his superiors stressed just how important this mission was and he knew there was no room for error here… hence, panic.

Reiner and his troops were going to the Hoggar Mountains in Southern Algeria. There, they would place radioactive detonators that would blow up every damned volcano in that area – and humanity would be one step closer to getting rid of the Tyrannos.

A voice broke Reiner from his thoughts. "I knew you'd be down here… What are you thinking about?"

He opened his eyes to see his closest friend, Master Gunnery Sergeant Bertholdt Hoover, giving him a small smile. Reiner returned that smile, looking more confident than he felt. "Just going over the mission details," he responded.

"I know how important this is to you. We succeed and you're looking at becoming Major Reiner Braun… someone's moving up in the world," Bertholdt teased quietly.

Reiner snorted. "Look who's talking, Master Gunnery Sergeant," he shot back. "Besides, you know as well as I do that military ranks are more of a formality nowadays than anything. The general himself still has to get out on the front lines and fight." Though what Reiner said was technically true, he knew deep down inside that advancing the ranks was important to him. Nothing but success would ease his nerves.

Bertholdt's gaze moved away from Reiner and he watched the large machines around them work to propel the ship through the choppy Atlantic. "The rain is slowing us down."

Reiner's eyes watched the turbines, too, his gaze pensive. "Yes. But it will also slow down the Tyrannos."

"Right… large amounts of water immobilizes them."

"The Atlantic and Pacific oceans have been our saving grace," Reiner commented grimly. "If they knew how to cross the water safely in mass numbers… humanity would be doomed."

Bertholdt frowned. "… Well, let's hope that never happens."

Ten heavily-armed and supplied soldiers hit the warm, moderate coast of Morocco with wary eyes and guns cocked. "Helmets," Reiner commanded, and the soldiers all put on their protective gear to keep them safe from the rain, which was highly acidic from all the nuclear bombs that had dropped a century ago. The rain was still pouring down – odd for this region – and there were no Tyrannos in sight. Not a single one. "They've probably found refuge from the rain," Reiner shouted to his team above the dull roar of the storm. "But that doesn't mean we're safe. Keep your eyes open and don't do anything stupid!" He paused. "And yes, I'm talking to you, Eren Jaeger."

They spent half their time running and half their time walking; after about five hours, they reached their first big city - Marrakech. The abandoned buildings, now covered in vines, bushes, even trees, were eerily beautiful in their own way. They, like the rest of the last standing bastions in this crumbling world, were the only reminders of life before the attacks. The rain had died down after a while and was descending from the clouds in more of a mist than a downpour. Soon enough the storm would move and the rain would stop altogether. "As soon as it does," Reiner reminded his team during a short break on the edge of the city, "Those Tyrannos will be on our asses like flies on honey. When that happens, what do we do?"

"Shoot those motherfuckers!" the group responded simultaneously.

"That's right. Don't hesitate." Reiner took a drink from his canteen and scanned the area with sharp eyes. "Alright, here's the plan. We stick to the roof-tops. That way even if those sneaky bastards try to attack us, we'll have the high ground. We cannot afford to lose anyone, not a single person, and I'll be damned if I'm leaving anyone behind. So stick together, watch each other's backs, and be cautious. We're going to get through Marrakech as fast as we can, grab supplies at the eastern side of the city, and then we're heading straight east into Algeria. Take one more minute and then we're moving out!"

Reiner was proven correct about the rain as the group of soldiers took to the rooftops and traveled eastward, using their government-patented steam gear to boost their jumps. This made traveling the rooftops (a very common technique used by the Marines when in abandoned cities like this one) much easier. As the storm clouds drifted away, taking the rain with it, the skies were left muggy and grey but relatively clear.

And that was when the city began to stir. A warped howling sound came from the distance… the cry of the Tyrannos.

The soldiers all tensed up, their eyes carefully examining all sides as they crossed the rooftop of an abandoned building. In an attempt to ease the tension, Marco Bodt said, "This building used to be a mosque before the attacks. There aren't many of them back home. The Muslim religion was much more prominent here."

"Nobody cares," was the muttered reply of Jean Kirschtein. "Churches have no place in a world like this."

Sasha Braus, another Private First Class and one of only two females on the team, elbowed Jean roughly. "Hey! I think it's nice to know the history of a place like this. In a way, it's kind of beautiful… Plus, it keeps my mind off of the howling."

Reiner held up a hand, silencing the group and halting them all in their tracks. He listened carefully, frowning. After a moment he murmured to himself, "They're coming up the walls." Then, louder: "They're coming up the walls! Prepare yourselves!"

Indeed, the creatures came crawling up the walls, snarling and drooling. If Reiner had to describe a Tyrannos, he would call it an ugly-ass mutated pit-bull. It had no fur; only scales. Dark violet (almost black) in color, the Tyrannos had clawed feet that more closely resembled a dragon than a dog, and six black, beady eyes. Its tail was scaled and had two antennae, like a cockroach, and it had a wide-set mouth with sharp, glistening yellow teeth. It had a habit of drooling – and howling. It could get quite obnoxious, actually.

"Those little bastards couldn't sneak up on a deaf person with their howling – aaaahhh! Shit!" Jean cursed, narrowly dodging one of the Tyrannos as it soared onto the roof. The screaming began as the soldiers met the beasts in combat. Screaming loudest of all was Private First Class Eren Jaeger, with his guns blazing and an almost insane look in his green eyes.

"I'LL KILL THEM!" He yelled, spraying bullets. While he did knock down three aliens almost immediately, he was being wasteful with valuable resources.

"Eren – " Reiner began, but got caught up in his own fight. He gunned one Tyrannos down but another one jumped on his back and he went sprawling. Using his rifle as a sort of bar, Reiner kept the alien from eating his face, but god, it was growing hard to hold it back with all the savage strength it was using. The damned thing was snapping at his face and drooling on him, and holy shit, its breath stank. He couldn't even describe the smell if he tried. Gathering his strength, the brawny man tensed up to throw the beast off, but someone blasted it right in the head and it collapsed in a heap on his chest. With a groan of disgust, Reiner threw the ugly thing off and accepted the hand offered to him. Bertholdt pulled Reiner to his feet and the two spared each other a grin before splitting up to continue defending themselves.

"KEEP GOING!" Reiner barked, kicking a Tyrannos away while he reloaded his rifle. After that he prepared to cross to the next rooftop, springing ahead of his squad. "We have to get across the city!"

"What the fuck is THAT?!" Connie Springer, a sprightly young man who was quick on his feet but not so quick with his wit, pointed to the next building over. At first Reiner didn't think to even look; Connie was an idiot and more often than not his words didn't hold any value whatsoever. But cries of confusion from the other soldiers changed his mind.

Across an alleyway, on the next rooftop, was something… entirely new. It was a Tyrannos, there was no doubt about that due to the almost-black violet hue of its scaly skin, but it was… humanoid. Standing on two legs, it had the body type of a human, but warped. Reiner for the life of him couldn't fully describe how it looked, especially since he was in the middle of battle and could only spare glances at the creature. Slamming the butt of his rifle into the head of a Tyrannos Mutt, he tried to catch another good look at this new being. "Avoid it!" He finally commanded his squad. "We don't have time for distractions! Only engage the unknown if necessary – get to the other side of the city, pronto! We have a mission to complete!"

Thankfully his fellow soldiers complied and the team fought their way off the roof, with Reiner hanging back to make sure no one was left behind. Even as he launched his gear and soared from one rooftop to the other at the back of the team, Reiner kept his eyes on that creature. It stood still on the other rooftop, almost as if it was simply observing them. What was it planning?

On the next rooftop, a new swarm of Tyrannos crawled up the walls and soon enough, there were so many of them that the entire squad was surrounded. "Reiner! What do we do?!" Sasha yelled as she hurriedly tried to change her ammo cartridge. Jean quickly shot down a Tyrannos that was coming right after her, earning himself a grateful look from the brunette.

Reiner continued to fight, trying to assess the situation. They were currently trapped on this roof with Mutts snapping at their legs, and that damned unknown was still watching them with eerie black eyes. Shit, this wasn't good. Reiner had made a vow to always be honest with his squad, to never beat around the bush or sugarcoat anything, and today was no exception. "We pray for rain," he finally growled, beginning his fight with a well-aimed blast from his rifle.

All the while, he kept watching that unknown Tyrannos. It raised its dark, shadowy, spike-covered arm and he could see claws on the ends of its fingers…. Which were holding… something round?

What could it be?

No. It couldn't possibly have a...

It all happened so fast – yet in Reiner's mind, time moved at half pace.

The unknown creature threw the spherical object. The quadrupedal Tyrannos immediately fled the rooftop, leaving the team of soldiers confused and gathering their wits about them. Reiner had a horrified feeling that that flying object was some sort of bomb – but he wasn't waiting around to find out. "JUMP!" he screamed.

"What –"

"I SAID JUMP!"

Reiner threw down his gun, turned his back on his squad, and jumped. He had no thought of the mission, no thought of himself or his own life; he could only think of saving his fellow soldiers…

"Reiner, NO!" He could hear Bertholdt's voice along with the cries of the rest of his squad.

He reached up in mid-air and wrapped his fingers around that sphere to throw it right back –

BOOM!

Bright light blinded Reiner. First, he felt an intense, searing pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before...

Then everything went black.

A/N: That's our start! I'll include names and ranks with every chapter so they're easy to find in case you get confused. Positive feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think in the reviews!