Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)

The World We Saw

Chapter II - Welcome To The New Age

''Yes. I am ready'', she finally answered and exhaled.

''Alright then, please open the door'', Hange said firmly. All of a sudden every bit of excitement vanished from her face. Now she was dead serious. This change of mood bothered Petra. What was wrong with this door? Why didn't Hange open it herself, why did she have to? Nervously Petra looked from Hange to the doorknob and back to Hange. She did not look back at her, she fixated the door without even blinking. It seemed she wasn't absolutely calm herself.

Petra's shaking hand grabbed the doorknob and she slowly pushed the thick door open.
Inside the room it was darker than outside. A lamp in the middle of the ceiling with a blue lightbulb was the only source of light and tinted the room in a cold shade of dark blue. You could hear a constant 'beep beep beep' which reminded Petra of hospital sounds, a life-support-machine maybe. But not only one, the beeping filled the room, caused pain in her ears and let her hesitate. The room appeared to be some kind of lab, with many metallic elements like small tables and a lot of... surgical instruments?

But what shocked Petra the most was the huge amount of futuristic looking coffins or fridges. They were positioned in parallel rows against the walls and had each a small display on them but Petra was not able to read what was written there yet.

''W-what is that?'', Petra asked a little scared.

Hange stood close behind her, she could feel her breath in her neck but she did not dare to turn around.

''This is the project. Please follow me'', Hange demanded and began to walk to the opposite site of the room. Petra followed her intimidated but not without trying to read what the displays on the fridge-like coffins said.

Lionheart, Jäger, Alert, MarcoPolo, Eldorado, Gun what did all of this mean?

''I thought we were playing on computers?'', Petra asked while she followed the tall woman walking infront of her.

''Technically you are. These are computers. Once you are connected to the system, you'll get to know everything you need. Your questions will be answered, I promise. Don't worry too much. The only thing you should worry about is the nickname you pick. Some of you aren't really blessed with name-picking talents, I dare say. So do you know a name, yet?'' It seemed Hange was trying to distract her. The constant beeping drove Petra almost insane anyway.

''Euh... no. What would be a good name then?'', she asked back half-heartedly. She still was busy looking around, scanning her surroundings, observing. But one single thing escaped her gaze. Hange now stood right infront of it; it was one of these futuristic fridge-like coffins but it was open, so you could see the insides. There was a free space, perfectly sized for a human body of Petra's height and silhouette. There were a lot of cables and monitors and scanners and stuff Petra had only seen in movies but never with her own two eyes.

''Look at you! You even ask me to give you a name! What an innocent little dove you are! Dove! That's a good name for you! So now, if you please'', Hange said and gestured towards the futuristic frdige-like coffin.

''You expect me to lie down in there? Wait, there are people lying inside of these things? In all of them?'' Petra could not believe what she now realized. This was indeed the project. This was what she signed up for. Anxiously she turned around and took another look at the metallic coffins. This could not be. She backed away like a scared doe.

''Don't panic! I understand that this is new and probably frightening for you, but you can trust us. We will monitor you the whole time you're in there. We care for you! Nothing bad is gonna happen to you inside of there. Please, give us a chance. Once you're in the game, you'll get a message from Mister Smith himself, who will explain everything to you. Petra, I am here for you. So please, lie down and relax'', Hange instructed her. She offered her even her hand. Petra looked at it, still overthinking what she was doing. This is just a game, nothing bad will happen, she told herself in her mind. Life could only get better for her, she then decided.
Eventually she took Hange's hand, who supported her while she tried to lie down comfortably.

''Good. Exactly. Petra, I don't want to worry you, but you will soon feel two needles at your neck. Over that vein catheter you get provided with everything you need and also with something that makes your body relax, okay?'', Hange spoke in a very soft and calm voice.

''Like – like a narcotic substance?'', Petra croaked. She was not too scared of the pain, more of what would happen to her after she lost control of her body.

''Yes, like a narcotic substance. But don't worry, your body is safe. You will feel the needles now – yes, there they were, brave girl. Now I'll close the lid, sleep tight, Petra. Sweet dreams'', Hange said and grinned at Petra while closing the heavy looking lid.

Petra's heartbeat fastened rapidly. She felt as if she got buried alive. Her pulse was running wild, she tried to cry for help, for Hange to stop, but then noticed that she was not able to speak anymore. She also noticed that she could not see anymore, or feel. The world was black and she felt like falling. Petra tried to move her fingertips but couldn't at first. After trying a few times she managed to do so. She then made a fist, clenched it and relaxed her fingers again. She slowly regained her control, was then able to move her whole arm, then her feet.
Now she could breath again, even though it was hard. Her neck was stiff, her limbs heavy, what was going on with her? Continuing with training her muscles, she also cleared her dry throat and coughed a lot.

After what felt like hours, she was finally able to stand up after a few failed tries. She had to learn everything from the start, just like a newborn baby.

And then, after an eternity, Petra understood that it was black all around her, because she still had her eyes closed. After opening them and blinking several times, there was light. And this light caused Petra to notive her nudity. Embarrassed, she tried to cover up the most important parts.

''Don't bother, Miss Ral. No one can see you'', a deep voice said. Petra looked around but could not make out the source of the voice. Who is this?

''My name is Erwin Smith. I will give you all the instructions you'll need for the next time. Finally, you may think'', the voice continued to say. Why am I naked?

''You will soon receive your outfit. You are the last one joining the group, by the way. After we are finished with talking, the game will start'', Erwin Smith explained.

Can you read my mind? Why can't I talk?

''You can talk. Just open your mouth.''
''I-I can really talk? Oh, well, what a surprise. So I can finally ask; What is this project all about? I am so curious'', Petra asked. She was standing in some sort of a small cabin. It had nothing in it besides a large wardrobe and a mirror. Not even windows, just wood all around her.

''This project runs under the name of 'Attack On Titan' and you will soon find out why, finding out why is a task in the game by the way. In this game are seventeen players involved, thirteen are male and only four are female. And you, Petra, are one of them. Each of you got chosen because of one of your character attributes, that make you special in some ways. You are now living in a world created by Pixi Studios, an organisation for creating games with neurointerfaces. This is something brand new and you and your comrades are the first beings to experience this kind of gameplay. You may wonder where you are, so I will show you. In 'Attack On Titan' the world is seperated in four main areas. The first is called 'The Outside', here you have to test your abilities and find a partner to continue playing. You may already noticed that there are seventeen competitors, so one person will end up without a partner. He is less likely to win the game.''

Petra paid good attention to what Erwin Smith was telling her, it may was essential for the game. In her head she made a list of the things she had to do; firstly pick a partner.

''The second area is called 'Maria'. To go there you have to overcome a high wall. In there the tasks will get harder and this will continue throughout every area. The third is called 'Rose' and the final and also endstation of the game is named 'Sina'. There you will have to exceed your limits, I dare say. And if you make it, you have won the game and return to the real world. Let me make one thing clear; this is your life now. You need to collect food, keep yourself warm, pee and most imporatntly; keep yourself away from danger. Any questions so far?'' Erwin Smith asked.

''Yes. When will I get the chance to put on some clothes?'', Petra asked shyly, still fearing someone could see her. She could hear a quiet chuckle.

''Right now. Please go over to the wardrobe. There you will find your equipment consisting of white pants, a white blouse, brown knee high leather boots, a brown leather jacket and belt system so everything stays in place. Can you see it, Petra?'', Erwin asked politely.

''Yes, yes I can see it, thank you, Sir'', Petra answered while putting on her new clothes. They fitted perfectly and felt good on her skin. This was high quality fabric, or at least it was an image of it.

''Now, Petra, is the time to say goodbye to your real name. Please pick a fitting nickname for the game'', Erwin demanded in a friendly manner.

For a second, Petra thought about just picking her own name, but then thought this would show a lack of creativity and was simply boring. So she went for Hange's suggestion.

''I go with 'Dove', I guess. Is that okay?''

''That is perfectly fine. I welcome you to the world of 'Attack On Titan', Dove. I will now give you all the names of your comrades; LuKiss, GimmeFood, Brown, Heichou, Hunter, Lionheart, Jäger, Conger, LochNess, Boz, Hoover, MarcoPolo, Alert, JeanDoe, Eldorado and Gun. Now it's time to discover the world of 'Attack On Titan', Dove'', Erwin ended his speech.

Petra was busy with checking out her new clothes and wished she could just take them with her after the game.

''But what is this game about? Do we have to fight Zombies? Go on missions? Save kidnapped maidens?'', Petra asked, almost frustrated because of the lack of useful information.

''You will find out yourself. But at first, you have to find a partner. A last tip: If you wave your hand before your face, you open the menu. There you have many opportunities, for example check on the statuses of the other competitors, overlook the things you collected, keep an eye on your own status and so much more. Good luck, Dove. I hope that I still will be able to meet you in person after the game'', Erwin said and his voice sounded some sort of sad, or truely worried. Petra now stood infront of the door, one hand on the knob already.

''What does that mean? You hope to meet me in person?'', Petra asked suspiciously.

For a moment there was silence.

''Mister Smith? What does that mean?'', Petra repeated, now louder.

The door opened itself somehow and a strong force pushed Petra outside. She held on to the door, so that she could scream at the now absent voice of Erwin Smith.

''That means, Dove, if you die in here, you die out there. That is what makes AOT so special. That is the core. Good luck'', Erwin concluded and a silent pop marked that he would talk no more. The door closed at once and Petra sat infront of it in the wet grass. Weak, alone and clueless. This was her life now, she remembered being told earlier. And now she understood the depth of these words.

Good luck, indeed.

Author's Note:

So what do you think? Please Tell me! You already have guesses who could be behind these usernames? I am curious :)