Ch. 1: Vendetta
The girl's slim fingers entrapped the boy's tarnished black coat. "We're going to miss them!" The pair finally arrived at the familiar dirt wall and crawled through a small brick opening to the dimly lit, abandoned basement. The walls still bore the smell of baked breads from the golden years of the old bakery, but the years were replaced by a time of economic strife, one that had always plagued Shiganshina. The sounds of the bells were shaking the dust off the cracking walls, slim beams of light breaking through the only evidence of the dust's girl, no more than 11, ran through these beams creating dashes and glimpses in the otherwise pitch-black room of her tattered, once-white jeans and her favorite black hoodie that she had run ragged. The boy looked on at these dashes, his mind filling in the blanks of his sister. Raggedly long brown locks of hair flowed sharply from the shadow of the hood, which had always kept her hazel eyes hidden but could never contain the bright smile and that small beauty mark that lingered an inch above her lip. He was a year older but appeared incredibly younger with a slight frame like his older brother, but the past year had been tough on the duo, and the weight loss was not helping. His inexplicably gray hair was so long now it fell over his own shimmering golden eyes and covered his rather prominent ears. All he had to his name were an old, worn pair of black britches that ended at his knee and a ragged, hole-ridden black petticoat. He took the extra time hoisting himself out of the tunnel into the room, time the girl used to remove two specific bricks she had chiseled out weeks before. Out of breath by the time he reached the wall, his excited sister hoisted him up to a matching barrel. They had planned this visit to the surface months in advance and had the perfect view to see their beloved family return from their first, real expedition.
"Finally! Oh gosh Noah I'm so excited to hear about the world!" She was practically giggling with excitement. He chuckled at this.
"I'm excited to finally be able to go back home... have food... fire... Farlan's stories..." he trailed off. "Can you see anyone yet?"
"No but I can hear the horses!" They were peering their small eyes out of the thin holes in the wall to the blaring streets of Shiganshina. "The bells are beautiful... it's a true hero's welcome, but I just want her home to-"
"Look!" Noah cried and the small pair of eyes darted to the far left corner to the wall, they were just above the heads of the crowds in front of them. The figures were coming closer while the whispers of the citizens heightened. "Oh..." The figure in the front came up first looking incredibly cold. His green hood was pulled over his head, but his big blonde eyebrows and ice blue eyes were catching glints in the rays of sun. "That guy matches the description we got so they must be...there!"
"I can't see! Where?" The girl ripped off her hood to try and get a better glimpse. Her eyes scanned the stream of broken soldiers. "BIG BRO!" She called the old nickname loudly and desperate eyes found a small hooded frame on a horse behind the big figure, who's head reflexed at the call and for just a moment... she saw the familiar steel eyes glint but his face was that of a stranger's, his head quickly snapped back forward. The girl followed his quick glimpse back to the blanketed wagon and her stomach dropped. The crowd in front of the bakery looked around at the strange call but couldn't see the eyes hidden high above them in the wall.
"Something's not right..." Noah trailed off "I don't see them with him."
"He... he looked to that wagon Noah..." Her voice was hot and scratchy as the wagon carrying the dead hit a bump in the cobblestone.
A wheel snapped and the rickety wagon broke apart on impact, the blanketed bodies began to roll out towards the bakery. The citizens parted and screamed as the blankets flew off the dead. The caravan of broken Scouts stopped and the familiar stranger, once behind the bushy browed leader, appeared at the base wall of the old bakery. He quickly recovered and hid the red pigtails under a blanket and jumped to the slight-framed torso beside her, doing the same to cover old friend's dignity. A whimper came from the wall behind him as he hoisted the blanketed torso over his shoulder and cradled the head in his other arm. The girl slammed her hands to her mouth to stop the small cries, suddenly terrified of his steel glare. His head slightly turned towards the wall, then shook the odd noise off as he stepped over the remaining dead in the street to remount his horse, blood trickling across the cobblestones as crowds screamed and mothers searched. The young eyes watched as he simply trotted away from the horror laid out before them, a head under his arm and a torso laid across the back of his horse.
Noah snapped his head up and peered around the room, not knowing how much time had passed. The two were kneeling in the dirt of the old building, the beams of light had faded, casting orange auras across the moldy room. His golden eyes followed one of the beams, ending on the smallest, sterling silver angel he'd ever known. She faced towards him but her head remained parallel to the ground, long dirty locks surrounded her head, masking her. Her slim white hand slowly rose and grabbed her black hood, it slowly fell over her head, this time to stay.
"Enough of this shit." Noah was surprised at her new voice and tone, it was smooth and confident and... cold. "Noah." Her head rose but Noah couldn't see an inch of his best friend's face, shrouded by the hood. "No one will ever take from us again." She rose, his eyes scanned the thin curves of this new stranger.
"Ka-"
"Not anymore." Her hand went to the slim chain resting on her chest, tightening and ripping it away. The hand-hammered angel charm glinted in the dirt before Noah. "Let's go." She turned and made her way back to the hole.
"Where?" Noah scrambled after her.
"Home." She was unwavering now.
"But- the mobs took..." He stopped as her silhouette was eaten by the shadows of the room. His head sunk to the ground and his hands began quivering.
"There's nothing to be afraid of Noah..." Her smooth cold voice echoed from the shadows. "I'll never let anyone take from me again... I'll never let anything happen to you. I swear to you."
"But what about him?" Noah's eyes glazed over at the memory. He was shaken back to reality by her hand, he stared into the dark shadow that was her new face.
"We can't trust him. They're gone." Her hands tightened around the boy's shoulders as tears welled in his eyes again.
"I just don't get it." Smith brought his hand to his blonde eyebrows, exasperated from the mystery. "The report has to be wrong. No one's even seen her face?"
"She's the only name in the entire organization. Apparently the rest of them go by team names..." Hange confirmed. "A year ago, the squad from the Garrison reported they saw the hood whip off for a moment when they stole 3D equipment, but even her face was black from grease. We have no trail of an identity besides her tags and the hood. We'd need a solid pattern to assure we'd catch her, she has gangs in every district and her moves are sporadic."
The last lights of the day were shining through the large glass windows, the shadows began creeping up on the team, shading parts of the giant pinned map they had on the wall. Smith gazed across the great table, like a sea of papers cast ahead of him, his eyes moved from report to report until they finally rested on Hange Zoe, who was just as distraught as he.
"A whole day's focus and we've gained nothing." Squad leader Mike spoke low out the window. His ominous tone interrupted by the french doors bursting open where Franklin-a real estate noble who allowed the squad to use his mansion as a base for their investigation. It was inside Wall Sina and was the most defendable point for the military, all the other base operations had been ransacked by hoods.
"You all look so grim... Jessie!" He bellowed in the room for his servant girl. He turned back to an off-putting glare by Captain Levi. "She's a lovely little thing who's been with me for years." Levi's glare remained. Franklin, shaken, moved clumsily through the room lighting lanterns, his belly throwing him off balance as he wasn't used to doing any work but he was desperate to get Levi's attention off of him. It was only successful when Jessie came in, and as usual when Franklin hosted guests, eyes fell to her: even Levi's. She was athletic but still had curves, which filled out her house uniform very well. Jessie brought her beautiful deep blue eyes up from the trolley she was pushing, those eyes contrasted so well against her soft black hair which was pulled back into a proper french braid. She flashed her beautifully white smile to the tired team, which was only enhanced by the her naturally slightly tanned skin.
"Tea anyone?" Her soft tone was answered with a scoff from Hange, directed at Levi. He shot back a gritting glare.
"Yes please, I'm awfully tired of these two love birds." Mike snapped, earning glares from both Levi and Hange. He moved to the trolley cart as Jessie slowly poured the hot tea into the elegant cup. "Jessie is it?"
"Yes sir." Jessie smiled back.
"Please, call me Mike." He leaned in but Jessie brought the tea up between them, allowing her to respectfully distance herself.
"Would you like some sugar, Mike?" She sounded almost teasing, confident even though she was a foot shorter than the well-built man.
"Yes please." He emphasized but was only met with 2 sugar cubes in his tea. Jessie moved back behind the trolley and began making her way around the table as the room began lightening up from the tea and Franklin's work.
"Jameson! Francis!" Franklin bellowed, wiping sweat from his face. A duo of serving men quickly appeared and began lighting the chandelier above the team, they moved with their eyes on their work. Jessie came next to Smith as the two passed by, the room stayed silent until their departure.
"Commander Smith?" Her sweet voice was heavy with innocence. He chuckled as his eyes were on Levi, whose eyes were back on Jessie.
"Enough of that. Petra would be mortified." Erwin teased back, Levi's angry glare returned and he cursed under his breath. He was observing, not-well...something was... significantly off, he noticed odd lines underneath her black blouse.
"I like blondes anyway..." Jessie whispered as she leaned in next to Smith, placing his cup on the papers. Smith's blue eyes shot open, earning him a laugh from his squad. However the laugh was short lived, as Jessie had frozen in place, her eyes wide on the papers before her. She looked up to see Smith's cold blue eyes on her.
"That... looks like recognition on your face." She slowly rose back up, bowing her head with embarrassment.
"Jessie used to live in the underground." Franklin interrupted the odd exchange. "My wife rescued the poor thing-"
"What do you know about them?" Erwin interrupted, grabbing the paper before him causing the tea to spill out.
"The Renegades?" He shot back up so he was a solid foot and a half taller than the slim girl.
"They worked near my old home... they're the black hooded ones." Jessie returned to the trolley and moved around the large man to Captain Levi. "I didn't see them much, they had just started up when I was graciously taken in by Mrs. Franklin..."
"She's a saint that woman." Franklin boasted. "Saw poor old Jessie singing and dancing on the path for food... she was only 12..."
"What else?" Erwin pressed.
"I... well I..." Jessie placed the teacup in front of Levi, trying to ignore his odd glares; she twisted it so the handle faced away from him. Levi's eyes watched her hand slip away, curious at how she knew that.
"I hear they help people... the Underground... a few of the street rats I knew joined. They operate on volunteers but your assessment of the main group is correct, they are tags."
"The hoods are volunteers?!" Hange practically yelled. "How the hell does that happen?" Jessie looked over to the board that was covered in papers and strings, a whole disarray of information. Mike came up behind her.
"We are tracking patterns of known movements... from the nobles and reported crimes. It seems... they can't move as well in Sina, their times slow significantly." His voice was sweet in her ear, trying to make her comfortable to speak. Levi noticed a slight shudder as she took a few steps to the large map.
"The reason isn't physical. There are plenty of weak points in the surrounding wall..." She trailed off.
"Where?" Smith commanded eagerly, excited for some progress. Jessie looked over her shoulder at the intimidating man.
"Well... I..." Jessie trailed off nervously.
"I know it's been awhile." Mike's comforting voice brought her gaze and visibly relaxed her; he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Anything can help."
"I used to come up through a sewer grate on the far North side... there are definite small entry points in the area..." Jessie turned back to the map. "It's on the right of the main gate on Rutherford St." Mike came close and marked the approximate location with a pin. "I only went here because it's far off and out of the way... there wasn't any traffic in the area so it was easy to slip through. I know there are other places though I just... I never really went in," she turned her look to Levi now, his steel eyes were on her again. "It was too dangerous for someone like me."
"They're using other gangs." Levi's cold voice slipped through his matching stone lips and he rose to the map. "There's no other way they'd be able to strike in these areas." He came to the right of Jessie, and motioned to various areas. "These two are run by the Penny Mob and the Grizzlies." He turned and looked down at Jessie, his eyes 2 inches above hers, analyzing. "How could that work if they operate on volunteers?" He countered, questioning the information she gave but she stayed strong, holding an even colder gaze. There was... something about her eyes too, it looked like they slightly shifted off from center, a slight bump under her skin across the brink of her nose and the whites of her eyes weren't clear white but a very soft grey, storming.
"What do you mean?" Mike countered from behind Jessie, glaring back at Levi for questioning the girl's honesty. Jessie felt the tension grow and stepped out from between the two men, back to her simple trolley.
"How can a gang gather volunteers and work with fear mongers shithead." Levi answered coolly, raising his head up to meet the blonde's eyes. "Volunteers are not motivated by fear. That's how these guys work."
"Is that what you did?" Mike grit his teeth as the two came closer, ready to brawl.
"They don't." Jessie answered, getting the attention of the duo. She had moved the trolley back to the door, keeping herself busy. "They don't work that way, you know there are other ways to be motivated." Jessie moved backwards to the window. "Captain, you grew up there too if I'm not mistaken?" She kept her eyes on the window. "What did you want... more than anything in the world when you were there?" Levi stood silent, staring at the beauteous servant girl surrounded by the falling sunlight.
"To get out." He answered smoothly, his eyes stayed on her as his mind raced at the realization.
"Well shit." Hange answered, beating the rest to the punch. "This is far more serious than we thought..." Jessie turned back to Hange.
"Nothing Scouts can't handle." Jessie smiled. "If you can kill Titans, you can kill some tags." She moved back to the trolley and pushed it out the door Mike was holding open for her.
"Ah wait." Mike stopped her, and pushed a lock of her black hair behind her ear. Levi saw muscle strain as she smiled to his touch.
"Thank you..." Jessie softly whispered, gazing into Mike's eyes.
"No... thank you." He flirted back as she left.
"Get your head out of your ass." Levi spat at him as he returned to his seat, he stared down at his cup of tea... still wondering if that movement was a coincidence or not.
"Pissed I finally stole some attention?" Mike chided back, slapping his hand on Levi's shoulder. Levi quickly pushed him back off.
"She is beautiful, I'd be willing to consider-" Franklin interrupted the two's exchange.
"Shut up." Levi commanded, but his anger wasn't at Franklin, his attention on his shoulder, a thin black streak came across his tan jacket. "Mike... what's on your hand?" Mike curiously sniffed and licked his hand.
"Grease?" he trailed off. Hange's eyes widened.
"The shadowed face!" Hange erupted with wild eyes and Levi shot up from his chair.
"Ahh" I plucked the blue films from my eyes, it always burned taking them out but they worked, darkening my golden irises and storm eyes all the way to deep blue and white. They hurt more than regularly from my long day in disguise. I threw them in the front hall, glad to be rid of this lavish place. I grabbed my old hood from closet and unraveled the gear proper I hid inside while stripping my wig off, 20 or so hairpins fell to the floor, pinging against the ground. I held the wig up to my face and brushed the grease all over like a towel, I brushed my hand through my pixie hair, it always got so itchy from this old damn thing. I pulled my hood over my head and dropped the wig at the foot of the main door and stepped out to the night air. I heard the chairs screech against the floor upstairs and smiled.
I slowly moved into the regular sunset traffic. The door flung open again and I looked back from a quarter mile down the road, wishing I could see Levi's face. I bet it was priceless. I'd never heard him frantic before, but damn I enjoyed it so much. I whistled and my black hoods deployed from the rooftops. King, Slade, and Axel landed on the steps of the house, blades drawn. The rest of the Scouts had appeared behind Levi now. I saw their hearts pump faster, and I knew they had no equipment or anything on them.
The citizens behind my team noticed the scene and started screaming and running off, the tension was thick between the Scouts and my team. Maddox broke out of the window from the third floor and landed gracefully next to Slade, just as planned. I saw white light I equated to flames start in the conference room, but they went unnoticed by the others due to my black hoods on the steps, ready to slaughter. The tension remained, the Scouts were silent as I turned down an alley, they were frozen, waiting for the blades to come. I whistled again and heard the 4 shoot their hooks, "FIRE!" a familiar scream of Franklin's came from the home, and I slipped into the shadows.
"Honey I'm home!" I playfully called as I opened the weak old wooden door to a scantily dressed young girl—it was the servant girl we took from Franklin's home a week ago. She turned to me in horror, revealing Noah's bare chest behind her. She quickly grabbed her things and ran out from the back room. "So, you're into girls now?" I moved into the old home and my team followed, laughing at poor Jessie.
"Don't you have a speech to give?" He gave his typical glare at the team as he stood and threw his shirt on, tying his long grey locks up.
"We thought we'd give you the good news in person." Maddox spoke smoothly as I moved into his workshop to grab my new gear and the team took to the couches. Noah followed me into Farlan's old room.
"Obviously it went well, it was my plan." I pulled my hood back to roll my eyes at him, wincing slightly at the candlelight. He came into the room and picked the small sticky off my lower right cheek and held it up to me. "Forgot something?" He shot me a big grin that came back to each of his big old ears. I pulled my hood back up and stuck my tongue out at my big brother. He smudged the grease to hide my beauty mark in my familiar shadow and I turned from him to rip off the faux skin laid across my eyes.
"I'm not going to miss all those disguises... the white wig always freaked me out." I rose to my feet and began strapping myself into my metal armor gear.
"So... how was it?"
"Typical. Perverted dogs that went running with their tails between their legs." I shrugged off his real question.
"Fury." I sighed at his tone.
"I don't know he was..." I looked up to Noah. "He's the same bastard he's always been." I refocused on my belts.
"Yeah I know. So Kenny agreed?" Noah shrugged off my comment, but he shouldn't have brought it up. He knew how I felt. He adjusted my back strap under my hood as I grabbed a new gear proper and handed it to him. I spun around as he begun the attachments.
"Yeah. So you ready for the next heist? It's been awhile since you've been out of the house..." He scoffed at my concern, we had this conversation multiple times.
"You think I'm just some charismatic genius who can't handle himself."
"I'll admit, I was wrong about you." I glanced over my shoulder at him. "I thought you were gay or whatever..." he smiled at my tease.
"I'm enjoying myself. Something you desperately need." Now it was my turn to laugh. "There you're all set." I turned to him.
"You better be getting home though, they'll worry."
"I am home, now stop worrying about me and get out there and inspire the masses."
I landed smoothly on the cobblestone amongst the candle lit square as King finished his part, breaking down the week's activity and our hauls. I felt his attention turn to me, like a familiarly course hand brushing my cheek and he began my lavishly dirty introduction Noah prepared. I would've groaned if I could but I knew this old, run down square well and felt the electricity of the dirty faces and shrouded heads staring down at me, I remained as silent as they and merely hid under my hood. I hated the eyes, staring at the monster I was in a freakish mix of adoration and terror. The crowd parted easily before me, giving me a narrow pathway to a box set up next to the other 4 Renegades. I stepped up on my impromptu stage and took a gaze around the dimly lit amphitheater, I could barely make out the structures with the lack of light because of all the people. I could hear them breathing, chattering, and I could see their soft lights. I cleared my throat with a nervous tickle on my chest.
"Thank you all for showing your support and, to my shrouded members, we welcome you." I opened my arms, motioning to the rest of my team. "For any new rebels, you may call me Furiosa, I work under King himself, together we are the Renegades. I'm pleased to have you, but before you shed blood for the Underground, I want to clarify our rules. Joining is completely voluntary, we always have work for you, and you are free to leave whenever you please. If you can obtain a military jacket, of any branch, you can join. This is completely honor based, and I assure you-cheating is not worth it. We work in various independent teams, and like how we survive every day here... we work the same way. We fight for ourselves and our families, we fight to live for another second, another day, another week. Our teams become our families, and how you work is up to your family. I will not guarantee, or advise, that any hood will come back for you if you cannot hold your own ground." I paused for effect and gazed around the square.
"Once accepted, you pick your teams, you name your team and report back to us. From then on, you will be referred to as that team. Within your team, name yourselves what you want but you stay hooded every second thereafter. Anonymity is our strength. All of our goods go back to the people of the Underground. I promise you, your needs will be met, but anyone found stealing or hoarding will be executed. I promise you that anyone who fucks with you or your family will be executed. I promise you that as long as we all fight together, our families will be taken care of. And I GUARANTEE you will have your chance of revenge. It's up to you to take it. Any questions?" I looked up and down the crowd around me then up to the windows of the broken buildings surrounding me, imitating true sight.
"Good. Now. The rumors are in fact true. Our reputation has spread to the King, it seems even the MP do not want to confront any Underground citizens found on the surface." The square erupted in applause and I let them bask in their accomplishment as it was well deserved. After a moment I raised my hand, silence soon returned. "This has been earned on the backs of our hoods and on each and every one of the Underground citizens. All of the blood, sweat, and tears from the past decade have paid off... but we did not BLEED...we did not DIE... we did not KILL for only FEAR now DID WE!?" An overwhelming amount of agreeing cries and whoops answered me. "DID WE COME THIS FAR TO HAVE THEM FEAR THE SHADOWS?!" Yells of No's erupted in the air. "TELL ME. WHAT DID YOU DO THIS FOR?!" They were excited and screaming now. "MAKE THEM HEAR YOU! MAKE THEM HEAR US!" The square was practically a riot scene. "WHAT DO YOU DO THIS FOR?!" I screamed again, playing the crowd. "I KNOW WHAT I DID THIS FOR. I KNOW WHO I DID THIS FOR. HER NAME WAS ISABEL! I AM HER REDEMPTION!"
Screams came from the crowd now, each person was yelling their lost ones names and their causes. I stood there with my team and together we listened, taking in each and every lost name, each and every reason. It felt like millions had been lost to the damn surface-the military, the Titans... everything on the surface was out to get us, and why? We're the poor, the homeless, the weak, the criminals. We don't deserve life. The screams went on for 10 minutes before finally quieting to a mix of heavy breathing and weeping.
"The surface will not take from us anymore. Now... it is our time." I raised my open right hand high above my hood, the crowds followed, all looking up to the dark, rocky ceiling above us. "Believe in me. Believe in my team. Believe in yourselves. If you do, I promise you real results-real ground on the surface-within a year of today." I slowly brought it back to my heart and it landed on my chest as a fist. This was our only unanimous sign, the only thing that truly identified a hoodlum. The members of the crowd began beating their chests in sync, slowly the movement spread through the crowds... until it sounded like one giant heartbeat... My eyes began to well up as I felt each and every one of them course through my veins: their sadness, their hope, their tragedy, their determination... I felt the soul of the Underground.
I will not fail you...