Chapter One. I always feel like that the Garrison never gets enough love from the fans so I felt like I should do a story about soldiers within the Garrison and to make it more interesting I made them all field medics. I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter of my story so far and if you guys do please leave a comment about your thoughts or questions! I did my best with correcting any grammar mistakes that I found while editing, but anyways enjoy!
"Take those three times a day and you should start feeling better within a week," A young faced twenty year old Garrison soldier explained to the bed ridden man who was grasping a bottle of pills in one hand and a neatly stitched up wound on his lower left ribcage. The soldier quickly took his leave from his patient as the Garrison's medical stationed was very busy as the 1st Division Elite Force of the Garrison had made several runs over the wall to regain some supplies in neighboring towns, nothing like the Survey Corp's long journeys but enough to come back with several wounded and a few body bags.
The Garrison soldier was no other than, Liam Winters. A veteran soldier of the Garrison as he had joined the military a short five months before the Titans first breached the wall. He remembers the day they had been informed of the news and after that day the intensity of their training had doubled. When graduation day arrived he was ranked twelfth within his training squad, thus leaving him with the Garrison and Survey Corps. Liam had scored very high on the field medical section of training and he knew very well that the Garrison had the best medical division, thus he felt he'd be of better use in the Garrison instead of becoming Titan food in the Survey Corps. Liam was of average height and build for his age, he had chocolate-brown hair which was cut short on the sides and slicked back on the top, and he wore a pair of field goggles which he preferred to wear over his casual glasses when in uniform. While he wore a standard uniform the only thing that differed was the white armband with red cross he wore on his left arm and the fact he had his sleeves rolled halfway up his forearm.
"Liam are your patients all taken care of?" A cheerful voice chirped out as Liam turned around to be greeted by the always cheerful smile of, Sarah Mueller. The blonde haired girl was part of Liam's medical squad and had gone through training a year after Liam had joined. The two got along very well as everyone within the squad and outside the squad enjoyed her bubbly personality. Liam flashed her a casual smile and gave her a thumbs up, the blonde haired girl flashing him her baby blue eyes and her heart melting smile. Liam blushed at this as he simply couldn't help himself, he had no romantic feelings for her but it was hard not to become flustered by someone like her.
The two started walking down the main hallway of the medical station as both doctors and medics ran around trying to help their next patient. Liam adjusted his goggles slightly as the two entered the main courtyard where several squads were doing their daily routines of checking their supplies and being briefed on upcoming missions and duties. Sarah happily started to skip ahead of Liam where she happily joined three other soldiers who sat on top of supply crates roughly going through their field supplies.
"Remi you look absolutely cute today!" Sarah chirped happily as she did a complete three-sixty around the black-haired girl who released a low sigh of frustration. Sarah playfully ran her fingers through the girl's hair who obviously didn't care much for makeup and preferred to attend to her medical supplies. The girl had silky jet black hair that barely reached the center of her neck and grayish colored eyes, her skin was pale but had a soft look to them. Her name was, Riley Remington.
Riley looked up to see Liam join the group and shot him a devilish grin, "Look who's back from playing nurse all morning."
Liam simply shot her the same grin back, "You still using the boys bathroom Riley?"
Riley became bright red as the memory of their days back in training filled her mind. Riley was reminded of the first month of training where she had accidentally ran into the boys bathroom when she had to use the bathroom while in formation, due to all the screaming she had directed at herself she became nervous and forgot to read the sign. Ever since that day Liam had teased her about that incident and also enjoyed reminding her of it whenever she decided to get smart with him.
"The sexual tension between you two is unbearable!" The spiky brown-haired boy beside Liam cried out with a booming laugh which echoed throughout the court-yard. The boy wore grinned widely at Sarah who giggled softly at his joke, the very few people who actually found him funny whether it was out of pity or if she truly found him humorous. Liam annoyingly jabbed him the gut while Riley flipped his feet upwards, knocking him right off the wooden crate. The boy wore a white headband which had the red medical cross on it which was his trademark look, Ian Welker.
"Hey Riley," Liam muttered lowly with a grin as Ian's face became blue as he knew whenever the two worked together it meant he was in for it, "Remember when our buddy Ian over here forgot to properly strap his Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear on and when he tried keeping his balance his pants came off?"
Ian's face quickly became red from embarrassment.
Riley bit her lower lip as she leaned forward grinning, "I remember the Instructor saying that he wasn't very impressed by his choice of underpants that day also."
"Shut up!" Ian cried out as he quickly spun around to face a giggling Sarah, "They're joking! It's all a joke that never happened to me!"
Liam watched in amusement at his three fellow squad members argue in amusement, a smile displayed on his face as these were the moments he enjoyed. Joking around with his squad like a family, but he knew very well that it could be ruined by the medical station's bell going off and the arrival of several new patients from the Garrison or Survey Corps. Even worse, his squad could be selected to accompany the advance team which usually were sent over the wall when a large group of Titans were spotted, it helped save cannon ammunition and in a very small dose it aided the Survey Corps in finding more about the Titans.
"Hey, where's the Squad Leader?" Liam asked curiously as there were three others missing from the squad, including the Squad Leader, the Squad Leader's second-in-command, and another member.
"They're preparing for the upcoming graduation ceremony for those Cadets that arrived here in Trost the other day," Riley explained as the Cadets who did pick to join the Garrison would usually be assigned to a cannon unit, although the few that scored high enough in the medical section would be selected as field medics. Out of the Cadets picked for the medical unit usually a few were handpicked to joined the elite medic unit. Liam, Riley, and Ian had all graduated together and upon selecting the Garrison they were handpicked for the 1st Elite Medical Squad. A team that was well-known throughout the Southern Garrison forces and throughout the Trost District.
"Maybe we'll finally get some new scrubs," Ian stated with a shrug as the last new person they had gotten was Sarah and it had been sometime since she had first joined them.
Riley snickered at his comment, "I wouldn't bet on it."
"Why not?" Sarah asked curiously.
"Being a Field Medic isn't exactly a desired job. Most Medics are picked off by Titans while they're working on a patient and Cadets know that very well. Most of them turn down the offer whenever the Squad Leader informs them of the opportunity of joining our ranks," Liam explained as it was true that their main priority was patching up wounded soldiers, but on top of that they also had to fight off Titans.
"You just gotta learn to multitask," Riley stated with a light chuckle as she pretended to patch up a patient and kill a Titan at the same time.
BOOM!
Everyone in the courtyard stopped dead in their tracks at that sound, chills ran down Liam's neck as he could hear the faint sound of screams in the distance. Everyone had a gut feeling of what had made that sound, but no one dared to speak out. Liam could feel his right leg become weak as it slowly began to shake, his right hand tightly clasping it in order to stop his nervous habit. Ian's face was covered in a darken shade as his eyes were wide and his hands nervously started to shove his supplies into his bag. Sarah simply stared at the ground with her baby blue eyes wide in shock and her hands firmly clasping her mouth in fear she may scream out in horror. Riley just stared at Liam in disbelief as she bit her lower lip, her eyes widen as they were tainted by the fear of what was coming. Two soldiers dropped a wooden crate of medical supplies as their hands became to shaken, their attention focused on the smoke in the distance and not the spilled supplies that littered the ground below them. One soldier simply shook her head repeatedly as she slowly began to unstrap her Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear off in disbelief.
"The wall has been breached!" A soldier cried out as he burst through the twin oak doors and into the court-yard.
The court-yard was silent for a few seconds, before a solider cried out in horror.
Chaos engulfed the court-yard.
Fear swallowed soldiers up whole.
Soldiers cried out in horror as they desired to leave their post and see their families.
Others just stood motionless in disbelief.
"Personnel Squads one through seven are tasked with transporting the wounded! Field Squads Three and Four are tasked with aiding as medical support for the evacuation zone! The remaining of you will report to the Vanguard!" The head medical Captain cried out as he raced into the courtyard screaming out orders at every possible squad which was there. Most of the squads followed their orders, but the ones assigned to the Vanguard questioned the decision as they feared the idea of facing the endless wave of Titans entering through the wall. Squad Leaders and Team Leaders struggled to get a hold of their units as soldiers were acting on the heat of the moment, many too afraid to run towards death. Even battle harden Garrison members were hesitant about heading into the heart of the Titan invasion, the idea of another breach in the wall nearly killed their hopes for survival.
"W-wh-what do we do?" Ian muttered lowly as he struggled to buckle his bag close due to the shaking of his hands.
Sarah couldn't find any words to comfort her frightened squad member.
Riley simply looked up at Liam who had stood up without even himself realizing, "Liam?"
"G-get y-your bags packed we need to head to the... Vanguard," Liam instructed as his voice was shaky and his eyes refused to meet with Riley's eyes. His muscles became tight as he quickly started to pack up his field bag, a small leather brown bag which had the white shield and red cross displayed on the back of it. Throwing the field bag on his back he securely strapped it on and made last-minute checks on his Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear.
"You gotta be kidding me," Ian muttered lowly at the simple sight of Liam preparing to head into the Vanguard so blindly, "We can't go without the Squad Leader and the others!"
"Who'll lead us?" Sarah whimpered lowly as out of the four of them she had the least amount of experience.
There was silence.
Liam's lips started moving without him even realizing it, "I will."
Everyone shared a look of disbelief.
Liam was a dedicated soldier and field medic, but he always would say that being a Squad Leader or Team Leader would be to much of a hassle. The simple thought of being responsible for your subordinate's every move whether it on was on the battlefield, or in the barracks didn't settle with Liam. Back in their training days Liam was selected as a backup squad leader and the few times he had to take the role he hated every moment of it. However, in that moment of uncertainty Liam realized one thing.
No matter what he went through, he could always count on one person to follow him regardless if he was right or wrong.
"We better pack extra morphine and gauze the Vanguard will get messy," Riley spoke up as she slowly rose up and nervously nodded her head towards Liam.
"You two gotta be kidding me," Ian muttered lowly in shock at how the two were so ready to throw their lives away.
Sarah gently placed her hand on Ian's shoulder, "We should also stock up on an extra stitching kit."
Her baby blue eyes no longer filled with that heart warming feel, but filled with fear and uncertainty. Ian's muscles became tense at this sight and released a loud grunt as he quickly finished packing his bag. Just as he was about to make another comment about how crazy all this was he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the head medical Captain, "You four soldiers part of the 1st Elite Medical Squad?"
Liam slowly turned his head towards the Captain and as he opened his mouth to speak all he was able to do was simply nod.
The Captain released a low sigh of relief before he spoke up, "We need you to head over to the Supply Depot where the 1st Division Elite Force and the 104th Trainees Squad are gathered."
"The Cadets are there," Sarah muttered lowly, "That must mean the Squad Leader and others are there!"
Liam nodded in response to their newly received orders as the Captain quickly raced off back into the medical station in order to help the transportation of the wounded soldiers. Liam smiled weakly at the idea of them meeting up with the Squad Leader and handing over his role as leader back over to her. The idea of being in charge of his friend's lives not only sounded like a hassle, but it also scared him to death. Liam would rather be devoured alive by a Titan then be the sole reason that he friends have to suffer due to his lack of ability to lead them to victory.
"Isn't Captain Woerman in charge of the 1st Division Elite Force?" Ian muttered lowly as the man had a reputation, whenever things get rough and his forces got pushed back the slightest he was known to turn tail. Many soldiers saw him as a coward and a man who was willing to kill his own fellow soldiers if it meant he could get out safely, but in the end his position as Captain forced them to follow his orders. However, his unit the 1st Division Elite Force was a well respected fighting force and the idea of being near them settled Ian down more.
"Lets just start moving out," Liam muttered lowly causing Ian to nod in agreement as his whole attitude had turned around upon being informed that they would be meeting up with the Squad Leader. Sarah and Ian ran off to gather the last of their field supplies from inside the station, leaving Liam and Riley outside.
"Are they gone?" Liam moaned lowly.
Riley looked over her shoulder to see that the two had disappeared from sight, "Yeah."
Liam stumbled back slightly before taking a seat on top of a nearby supply crate. His heart was beating so fast it felt as if it was about to burst through his chest, his right leg started to shake violently, and his eyes became weak. It wasn't the idea of facing the Titans that made him this way, or the idea of leading the squad into battle so much. It was the fact that he spoke up with intent of taking responsibility and in the end the reality was that he wasn't strong enough to take on the role. He crumbled before he even got the chance to prove himself worthy as a leader and on top of all that he could have gotten Riley killed who had no hesitation in following his lead, "Why are you so dead set on following me?"
Riley gave him an odd stare upon hearing those words.
"Why follow my lead if you know I can't carry the burden?" Liam muttered lowly as he watched Riley kneel before him, her eyes slowly filling with water as she sniffled lowly. Her hand gently brushing against his leg in order to calm his nerves and stop it from shaking. Her wide gray eyes gleamed as they struggled to hold back her tears.
"I lost everything because this world is cruel," Riley muttered lowly as the reality was that she had lost her mother years ago to sickness, and her older brother who was with the Garrison along with her father who was a farmer died during the breaching of Wall Maria while she was in training. During, that time she had nearly failed out of the training course because she had lost all hope and the will to push on. However, Liam nearly knocked her over upon hearing her decision to dropout and at that moment she realized something, "However Liam... You give me hope."
Liam watched as a steady stream of tears ran down her rose-colored cheeks, "Hope?"
"You might not be confident in your ability as a leader," Riley started off as she could feel his once shaking leg slowly calm down to a steady beat, "But you pulled me out of a very dark place when no one else could and for that I'd follow you through hell."
Liam looked at her in disbelief before speaking up, "You're so stupid."
Riley smiled weakly at her as she let out a soft giggle, but the constant flow of tears continued as Liam joined her with a soft laugh before standing up. Looking down at the crying girl he slowly extended his hand out to her and she weakly took it, grasping it tightly as if her life depended on it. Yet, in someway her life truly did depend on him and in someway his life depended on her believing in him.
"Follow me through hell," Liam stated calmly as Rile responded with wiping her tears with her sleeve and nodding in response.