Author's Notes: Trying out this writing thing. I'm not a fan of reading long-winded descriptions and filler events so I will try to avoid writing them as well. I welcome any constructive criticism though so please let me know your thoughts.

"Answer, scum."

The flickering torches contrasted the blackness of the last cell on the left. The cell's inhabitant shuddered out raspy, erratic pants that betrayed his rising pulse.

"I want to join the survey corps, and kill as many Titans as I can, SIR!"

The dark haired captain liked the look in his eyes; it cut through the shadows of his cell with an intensity Levi had not seen in a long time.
"Erwin, I'll take responsibility for him. Tell that to the higher ups," he spoke as he approached the rusted bars.

"Don't get me wrong though. It's not like I trust him. If he betrays us or goes beserk, I'll put him down without hesitation," Levi promised ominously, morphing the starved look in Eren's eyes into one of apprehension. The younger recruit would be freed from the dirty walls of the dungeon but at the cost of being leashed by a noose.

The weight of every mistake Eren had ever made would outweigh his contributions, that much Erwin was certain of as both the commander and captain exited towards the upper floors. Many witnessed the one in a million chance of a Titan fighting on the behalf of humanity, but they were too cowed by fear to step forward. They couldn't see the long-term ramifications of destroying the humanoid Titan, humanity's only chance at tipping the scale.

"If worse comes to worst, try to incapacitate him. His dissection could further our research," Erwin spoke as they moved further down the hall.

"If he can survive the blood loss."

There was a beat of silence before a voice rang out from the depths of the darkness, but neither party flinched.
"Maybe he'd rather be eaten than die by your hand, humanity's strongest," came the mocking tone.

"Come out, you damn sneak," Levi commanded. His facial expression darkened as he knew she only revealed herself when she felt like provoking him.

"Surely!" From behind, a figure launched itself downwards. Kina Rosenthal, one of two members in the Survey Corps' Covert Operations team, landed soundlessly behind the two leaders.

Erwin's close confidantes were aware of Kina's role, but never knew the specifics of her missions as they were backend tasks for the commander's strategies. Those curious enough to follow her often found that Kina was quite difficult to track. That much was evident as only two pairs of footsteps echoed in the chambers as the three of them walked. She was an elite happily employed as Erwin's lowly, unranked pawn even though some argued it was a waste of frontline potential. If only they knew.

"Well? Should I go spy on that pesky military brigade? Or do you want me to just go seduce Nile and find out their strategy over pillowtalk?" She spoke playfully, but any veteran could see the bloodlust that hid in the curves of her smile.

Erwin mirrored the smile, "Since you asked, I do have a special task for you."

"Fucking bullshit!" Kina growled out in frustration as she paced the headquarters of the Special Operations Squad.

"Agreed," Levi mindlessly replied, even though he wore a look of indifference. The captain remained placid at his desk, hands moving quickly as he scrawled across parchment. There was too much red-tape that had to be crossed in order to bring Eren Yeager into the Survey Corps that he didn't have time to listen to someone whine. Kina's involvement in Erin's development was beyond Levi's understanding, but he trusted the judgement of his commanding officer. The Special Operations squad, however, would be less accommodating. Unease spread across the team when they learned that their leader would be attempting to bring the humanoid Titan into their group. The tension would only double once the time came that Kina, a no-name soldier, had to be introduced into their ranks as well.

"There are only two members of Covert Operations and he's forcing me to join this shitty squad. Big fuckin' demotion..." she grumbled and sped her pace.

Levi scowled at the manic woman after she insulted his team. "We'll see if you can even keep up with my most rookie member. There's no one to even vouch for your skills." He sneered and added in for good measure, "Do you even know how to use a 3DMG?"

Kina threw him a sardonic smile.

"Don't be mad, heichou. I'm sure we'll be quite compatible." She rested a hand on the desk and leaned in while fluttering her lashes at him. From an outsider perspective, it would appear as if she was openly flirting with him, but between the two of them, they knew it was a challenge. She was confident she could match 'humanity's strongest soldier' and he was confident he would kill her himself if she fucked up any of their expeditions. Egotistical bitch.

It was true though. No one had ever seen Kina on the battlefield so they were dubious of her skill. The only assurance that she was an elite soldier was the fact that Erwin had handpicked her to join Covert Ops right out of training. The team was started by Erwin's predecessor but had been devoid of members for many years until he found Kina and later on, Lucas. They were the strategist's secret pawns for both internal and external matters.

Kina's Titan count during her missions could quell any doubts, but of course, there were no witnesses to vouch for it. She and Lucas worked independently of one another and without backup. If any of Erwin's covert missions went awry, they could end their lives with a single pill they kept at all times, leaving no one to leak information. The two members were aware of the risks associated with being in Covert Ops and embraced the freedom to accomplish Erwin's goals by their own means. Lucas was focused on long-term missions and Kina protected Erwin while carrying out his short-term missions. Mapping beyond the wall, espionage, assassinations...Those were a few of Kina's tasks. She didn't even know what Lucas did except for the fact that he came back every few months to report.

"You have 3 seconds to take your hand off my desk."
His voice was calm and unwavering, but his eyes said, I will end you.

She lingered for a rebellious second longer before removing her hand and waving it in a gesture of concession. "Hai, hai, my apologies heichou," she said cheerfully. If Levi didn't have a set amount of facial expressions in his repertoire, he would have surely rolled his eyes, but he settled for the usual deadpan look as she sauntered out of the room. Kina paused by the door frame. "Those cowards will probably think they can execute him like a normal man. They don't even realize he could destroy them all on the spot," she gave Levi a side glance and disappeared into the hallway.

"Hn." As if he didn't already know.