Heya! Welcome to the next chapter of 'The Birds of Prey'
I don't know about you guys but I like giving my OCs or any fanfic that I read with a OC SI of that matter, a voice actor. It makes me feel more immersed in these stories. So if your like me and do that, then my OC, Alex's subbed voice actor would be Ryouhei Kimura, who voiced Kise Ryouta from Kuroko no Basket, Hideki Hinata from Angel Beats and Braz D. Blood from Blood Lad.
Now with that out of the way, let's begin the next chapter!
Chapter 4 - Attack on Trost Part 2
"What matters most is not 'what' you are, but 'who' you are."
Third Person POV
"Armin. I won't leave you behind." Mikasa says, helping Armin stand up. They all look to HQ.
"Well, now that everything's settled, we need to get going." Alex said.
"But what about Armin?" Connie asked.
"I'll carry him so-"
"Wait!" Armin cuts Alex off. "I've got a suggestion."
"A suggestion?" Connie questions.
"It's a three person operation, so you three should decide whether to carry it out. I know it's crazy, but... couldn't we use that Titan?" Armin says referring to the abnormal. The three looks at him in shock.
"That Titan?" Connie said.
"What are you getting at?" Alex asked.
"It's only attacking other Titans. It seems uninterested in humans. I was thinking of luring it to the supply tower somehow. If it handles the other Titans for us, we could get everyone out of this alive!"
"Lure it? How would we even pull that off?" Connie said.
"I think it acts on instinct. If you three defeat the Titans in its vicinity, then it'll start looking for other Titans. Most likely, it'll move towards the Titans at HQ!"
"How could we do something so risky based on a mere guess?!" Connie said.
"But if it does work, we could eliminate every Titan at HQ in one fell swoop!"
"It's at least worth a shot." Mikasa said.
"Are you serious?!" Connie said.
"If we're facing certain death either way, the path to take is the path with a chance of victory. Let's go with Armin's plan."
"You want to side with a Titan to fight against Titans?" Connie said.
"Yes. Precisely." She responds.
"You know... I thought I was the crazy one, Armin, but... I think it's worth a try." Alex said.
Connie takes a moment to think. "It won't even be funny if we fail."
"But if we succeed, everyone will be saved." Armin said.
"Make up your mind." Mikasa said before she, Armin and Alex run off.
"I get it! Dammit, I get it!" Connie follows them.
Set up on top of a building, Jean stood, as he and the others had run into more Titans along the way. Jean stood and watched in horror as he watched the many soldiers get eaten.
'Dammit Alex! Why'd you have to leave this to me? Am I really cut out for this? Can I handle a position with this much responsibility?' Jean thought as he closes his eyes but shoots them back open.
'No! Wait! The Titans are relatively concentrated around there. This is our chance!' Jean narrows his eyes and says.
"Go! Hurry to HQ while you can!" Jean shouts as he runs off, charging toward HQ. Everyone else with him, follows.
'It's now or never! We're finished if our gas runs out!' Jean thought. "Everyone! Move in!" Jean shouts.
They rushed toward HQ as fast as they could, dodging the few Titans that were in the way with the limited gas they had. They came closer and closer to HQ, a few of them managed to get caught by the Titans, but Jean kept charging in.
With the HQ building in sight, he goes and breaks through the window, followed by everyone else who survived.
'How many of us survived? Using the deaths of our comrades... How many died on my command?' Jean thought as he then spots a pair of cadets hiding under a table, he looks at them and says. "You're part of the supply squad, aren't you?!"
Jean grabs one of them by the shirt and punches him."
"Stop it, Jean!" Marco ran up to him and held him back.
"These bastards abandoned us! Do you even have a clue how many died?!" Jean shouts.
"The Titans invaded the supply depot!" The female cadet said. "What could we have done?!" She cried.
"It's your job to figure something out!" Jean said back until Reiner heard a sound.
"Take cover!" Reiner shouts. A Titan came crashing into the building, making a hole in the wall.
"Dammit!" Jean said. "There are too many people gathered here!"
Everyone panics and runs.
"Hurry! Inside!"
"Run for your lives!"
"Where's Alex and Mikasa?!"
"They went off somewhere! They've probably been eaten!"
Jean watches as cadets despair and cower in fear.
'This is normal... This is reality, isn't it? Was I just chasing a delusional dream? I thought I knew reality. Just thinking about it, it's obvious...' Jean looks at the hole in the wall staring, back at two Titan faces peeking inside. 'There's no way to beat these gigantic monstrosities.'
Then, it came in like a fist being thrown, literally. The two Titans staring into the room were knocked away by another Titan.
"What?!" Jean said in shock as he watches the new Titan that had appeared, knock away the other Titans. "What... is that?" And almost immediately after. Mikasa, Alex, Connie and Armin came busting through the window.
"Mikasa?!" Jean said.
"It's empty..." Connie said as he check his gas. "We did it! We just barely made it!"
"You're... all alive!" Jean said.
"Of course we are, who do you think I am?" Alex said.
"We did it, Armin!" Connie patted Armin's back. "Your plan as a success!"
"I didn't think that'd actually work, I should trust you more, Armin." Alex smirks.
"Everyone! That Titan's an abnormality that slaughters other Titans!" Connie said as he pointed to the said Titan outside. "It's not even interested in attacking humans! If we play our cards right, we can all get outta here alive!"
"We'd... use the Titan?" Said a cadet.
"You'd rely on a Titan's help?" Jean asked. "That's more delusional than any dream!"
"It's not a dream." Said Mikasa. "I don't care if it's an abnormal or whatever. Just let it rampage here for as long as possible. Realistically, that's our best option for survival."
While that abnormal Titan continues to rampage, the squads begin to go deeper into HQ.
"With that Titan rampaging right outside, they can't take over the building." Connie said, and talked with Reiner as they all waited for the lift.
"How much do you know about that Titan?" Reiner asked.
"Shouldn't we discuss that after we're safe?" Connie said.
"True that. Let's get out of here alive first."
Alex stood, leaning against the wall. He had spaced out with a neutral expression.
'It won't be long before... the other me, becomes too unstable to control...'
'All... El-... de...mons... m...ust... die...'
Alex shakes his head rapidly, trying to drive the voice out of his head.
"We found some!" Jean yells as he enters the room with crates. "They're Military Police supplies, though they are covered in dust..." Jean cracks them open and was presented with rifles, he picks them up and inspects it. "Will three bullets be enough? Do these guns even work against the Titans in the first place?"
"It's better than nothing." Armin spoke. Everyone gathered around him as he planned their next move. "Even if there are still eight 3-4 meter class Titans in the supply room, blinding them all at once isn't impossible with this much firepower. First we'll use the lift to lower a large number of people into the center of the chamber. Next, they'll fire directly into the faces of all seven Titans at once. We'll blind them. The next instance will decide everything. The eight people hiding atop the rafters will match the timing of the gunfire and slash at the Titans' vitals. In other words, this plan bets everything -all our lives- on a single attack. It's a strategy that'll allow eight people to take down a Titan each, all at the same time. I'd like the eight most physically capable people to take up this task, though I apologize for burdening you guys with that responsibility."
"No worries." Reiner said.
"Regardless of who does it, if they fail, we all die. The risk is the same." Annie said.
"But is my plan really the best way to do this?" Armin doubts himself.
"Let's just go with that. There's no time anyway. It's all we've got. Now we just have to give it our best!" Marco said.
"It's better then having no plan at all, Armin. It's definitely worth a shot." Alex said.
"Don't worry. Be confident in yourself. You have the ability to seek out the right answers. Eren and I have been saved by that ability in the past." Mikasa said as Armin looks at her in shock.
"What? When?" Armin begins to question but everything was ready to go.
"Lift is ready! So are the guns! They're all loaded!"
Everyone begins to stand up and prep themselves.
"You don't realize it. Let's talk later." Mikasa said.
"Okay." Armin nods.
Everyone got into their positions, the selected eight people took the stairs down to the supply room.
"But are we gonna be able to take down the Titans without three-dimensional maneuvering devices?" Connie said.
"Of course. They're only 3 and 4 meter class Titans. Their vitals will be easy to target." Reiner said.
"Yeah, we just need to slash the nape from top to bottom, regardless of their size." Jean said.
"One meter long, ten centimeters wide!" Sasha said.
"Or maybe I can just stick these up their asses, their one other weakness." Alex said.
"I had no idea. That's an option too?!" Connie said.
"I didn't know until know either." Sasha said.
"Watch out Alex, those could be your last words." Jean said.
"When have I ever lied?" Alex said. "I've actually done it before, and let me tell you-"
"I think we get it! No need to go into detail!" Jean shouts as he tries to push the mental image away.
"Okay, okay, I guess that's a story for another time."
"Wait, you're actually serious?" Reiner asked Alex.
"Yeah. I was... caught up in the moment."
"I... don't even want to know what happened." Reiner responds.
"Agreed." Annie spoke up.
"Awww! Come on guys! It's not as bad as it sounds!"
About eight, 3-4 meter class Titans roamed through the supply room. The lift carrying the gunners lowered.
"It's good. There are still on eight here." Marco said. Everyone locked and loaded, pointing their guns in the direction of the Titans.
"We'll stick to the plan." Marco said, many, if not, all the cadets were extremely nervous.
One of the Titans walked closely by. When it came in front of the lift, it turned revealing its creepy smiling face as it stared into the soldiers faces. One of them panicked.
"Calm down!" Marco said. "Let them get closer!" The Titan began to walk toward the lift whilst the eight other people waited atop the rafters.
'We can't afford to lose our advantage.' Reiner thought.
'Not if we want everyone to survive.' Bertolt thought.
'We'll decide it with a single blow.' Connie thought.
'It all comes down to this.' Alex thought.
"Wait..." Marco said as the Titans grew much closer. "Ready..." At this point, the Titans are right in front of the barrel of the gun. "Fire!"
They all shoot their guns, blinding the Titans. The others jumped off the rafters above, each of them taking down one target, but... two of the eight were unsuccessful in hitting their mark. Sasha and Connie missed.
"U-Um, I apologize for sneaking up behind you so suddenly..." Sasha said.
"Oh no." Connie said.
The Titans begin to make their way toward both of them.
"Sahsa and Connie need help!" Bertolt said.
"Hurry, cover them!" Jean shouts.
Both Sasha and Connie begin to fear for their life as they seemingly stare death in the face. Sasha manages to roll away from the Titan, looking back, she then saw Alex jump in, slashing the nape of the Titan and saving her. Mikasa took care of the other Titan that Connie missed.
"Alex! You saved me!" Sasha said.
"Are you alright?" Alex asked.
"Yes, thanks to you!"
"That's good. But there's no time for a sit down, we've got a lot of work ahead of us."
"Thanks a lot." Connie said to Mikasa.
"No problem." Mikasa responds.
"We got all of them! Start filling up your gas tanks." Jean said to the guys on the lift. Their faces brighten up, things have finally started to look up. Everyone quickly got their gas tanks filling up.
"Yeah, we're saved now!"
"No more Titans are coming back!"
"It's thanks to that Abnormal's rampage!"
Alex sat alone as he filled his gas.
'Alone once again.'
'They'll never accept you...'
'...'
'You'll always be alone...'
'Shut up.'
'When they find out what you really are, they'll stab you in the back...'
'I won't let that happen. I'll lie to keep it that way.'
'Hehehe, always lying to yourself, aren't you? The more you do it, the more you hurt yourself and your so called friends. You aren't as strong as people make you up to be. It's just the opposite, you're scared aren't you? Afraid of other peoples judgement. Afraid of being alone. Heh, you're pathetic.'
'Just shut up! Don't tell me what to do! You're just a figment of my imagination!'
'Oh Alex... You know I won't be going anywhere, any time soon. After all. I'm you, aren't I? I'll always be by your side. And what good will it do to you if I'm gone? You're going to become normal? That's funny, because many people don't seem to see you as normal. Without me, you're nothing... you're not who you think you really are, Alex.'
'What happened in the past stays in the past! I had no choice, I did what I had to do!'
'No, no, no, I think you misunderstood me... I'm talking about something else... something much bigger then the two of us, much bigger then the Titans themselves in fact...'
'What are you talking about?'
'Oops! I might've said too much already... but don't worry, you'll come to understand, eventually.' He disappears.
'...He's wrong... he doesn't exist... I'm... Alexander Falkner... member of the 104th Trainee Corps... but- no!... don't let him get to your head.'
Alex shakes his head and snaps out of his thoughts as he finishes filling up his gas tanks, he starts to wander around the supply room, waiting for the others. Once everyone was done willing up their gas tanks, they all made their way to the walls. But as many of the cadets went on, Mikasa stood atop one of the buildings looking at something. Armin went up to speak with her.
"Mikasa! We need to leave now!"
"That Titan..." She started. Armin follows her gaze and is shocked by what he sees.
That same Abnormal Titan that only targeted its own kind was being eaten by other Titans.
"Cannibalism? It can't regenerate?" Armin said.
"I thought that if we could solve the mystery of that Titan somehow, it'd become a chance to pull ourselves out of this hopeless reality." Mikasa said.
"I agree." Said a voice from behind the two. They turn around to see Reiner, the source of the voice. As well as Annie, Bertolt, Alex, and Jean.
"If it gets devoured, we'll be as clueless as ever. Let's take out the Titans clinging to it and keep it alive for now." Reiner continued.
"Are you serious, Reiner?!" Jean said. "We can finally get out of this hellhole, you know!"
"But there's a chance that Titan could become our ally. Don't you think it'd be greater weapon than any cannon?" Annie said.
"An ally?" Jean questioned. "Do you hear what you're saying?"
Armin's attention was then turned to another Titan that approached. "That's... the Abnormal that ate Thomas."
The rouge Titan then began to rampage once again, roaring as it moves, despite the other Titans that clinged onto it. It ran up to the Titan, losing both its arm in the process and chomped at the neck of the Titan that ate Thomas.
Everyone watched in shock, all at a loss for words.
The rouge Titan used the Titan it bit into as a weapon, swinging its body around, still in the grips of its mouth. After taking out all of the other Titans in the surrounding area, it dropped the Titan in its mouth and roared into the sky.
"Hey... You want to save that?" Jean said.
That Titan then fell onto its knees and collapsed.
"Looks like it finally ran out of gas. We're done here, right? Time to go." Jean said, turning around. "There's no way that monster could be an ally. A Titan is a Titan." Jean comments before taking another glance at the others, noticing that they were all still starting at the rampaging Titan.
"What now?" Jean said, turning his attention back.
Looking back over at the Titan, steam began to emit from its body and trail into the sky. But upon closer inspection, they saw a small opening in the nape. It looked as though a person was in there, and slowly a person did emerge.
Everyone watched in shock as a person had just came out of the nape of a Titan, but, it wasn't just any other person. It was...
'...Eren...?' Alex had thought and no second sooner, Mikasa jumps down from the roof and makes her way toward him.
"Mikasa?!" Armin shouts but she ignores him and continues running. She ran and jumped onto the carcass of the Titan body. Hugging the body of Eren, she places a head on his chest ans hears his heart beat. Then she starts to cry. Mikasa cried. Something no one thought was possible.
Armin and the others jumped down with Mikasa. No one said a word. Not one sound. It was quiet. They had all moved up to the top of HQ. Mikasa still kept Eren in her arms, still weeping. Armin then gabbed one of Eren's hand and started to cry.
'Just what in the world happened...?' Alex thought.
Everyone else, other then Mikasa and Armin looked over to where the decaying bodies of all the defeated Titans lay.
"Does that mean Eren did all this?" Jean muttered.
To be continued...
And that's a wrap for this chapter. Not much to talk about in this chapter, only subtle hints and small revelations to Alex's character as well as the fact that Alex has a split personality disorder and is going through an identity crisis whilst in the middle of a battle.
A special thank you to those who've reviewed, favorited, and followed this story, I really appreciate it!
Comments and reviews are always appreciated.
I guess that does it for now, 'till next time folks!