11 Years Ago
"Eren! Wake up! Breakfast!"
A sigh escaped from the young boy's lips as his eyes opened to see his ceiling. He wrenched his pillow from beneath his head and chucked it at the door.
"Gimme a minute!"
"You have school in thirty minutes! Come down here now!"
He hated being a teenager sometimes.
Eren yawned and stretched before he rolled out of bed, hitting the ground. "Shit." He pushed himself up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, as the door open suddenly, his foster sister Mikasa standing at the doorway. "Did you hear Mom?"
"Yes, I heard her!"
"Why are you yelling?"
"I'm not-" He stopped himself and reached up to rub his eyes. "Sorry. Can you just... leave me alone for just a sec? I really need to change. Unless you wanna stick around for the show-"
Mikasa made a face and closed the door.
Eren smirked. He quickly changed into a gray shirt with a plaid flannel jacket and jeans, putting his shoes on before grabbing his backpack and running down the steps. His converses clapped against the wooden stairs, reaching the bottom almost in an instant and entering the kitchen area, where his mother was serving his sister a plate of pancakes.
"It's about time. I swear, you teenagers sleep the longest," his mother, Karla, said, glancing at Mikasa, who held her hands up.
"I was up before you."
"Barely."
"A minute."
"If you can keep that up, you'll make a good mother."
Mikasa huffed and began to dig into her breakfast. Karla smirked and slid Eren's plate across the table to him as he sat down. "Thanks, mom."
She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. He quickly tried to rub it off. "Mom!"
"Every growing boy needs a kiss by his mother."
"Says who?"
"Says the mother."
Mikasa gulped down her food. "You can't really deny that, Eren. That's a firsthand source."
He chuckled and took a bite of his pancakes, reaching over to grab the syrup and pour it on his breakfast.
Karla reached out and grabbed it from him. "You don't need more."
"Mom!"
"No, too much good is bad for you."
"Mom, I-" He stopped after seeing the determination in her eyes. He sighed, then finished up his food, pushing his plate a bit forward and placing his fork on it.
Eren got up from his seat, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. "You ready, Mika?"
"Yes."
"Then let's get going."
"You should've eaten faster."
"You know I don't do well under pressure. Besides, we can still make it to school if we just walk fast enough."
"Or we can run, Eren."
"True. How about we race there?"
"Pfft, you know you're gonna lose."
"Says you."
"Those are fighting words, Brother."
"Are we gonna keep on talking, or get to racing?"
"Fine," she said, stopping and getting into a runner's position, "Ready?"
Eren smiled and mirrored his sister, nodding. "Yep."
"One...two...three!" And they were off, with Mikasa taking the straight path, and Eren
taking a turn into an alley, hoping to find a shortcut.
He could see the exit, a thin slit of light, off on the other side. His speed increased as he got closer to his target. His pulse picked up, like he was on a hunt.
A figure stepped in his path, causing him to run into them, which pushed him onto a wall. He grunted in slight pain, looking up. "Hey, watch where you're going!"
The figure had a hat, so he couldn't see their face through the shadow and lighting.
But before he knew it, two glowing dots emitted from where the eyes would be.
Eren scrambled to his feet quickly, backing away from the person. "Uh...nevermind, it's fine. My bad, I am a clumsy guy. Sorry."
The glowing eyes disappeared, and the person turned to walk down the alley, leaving Eren alone.
He could feel his heartbeat slow down in his rib cage, calming down after seeing that strange person's eyes.
He didn't have much time to stand there in wonder. He had to get to school.
Pivoting on his heel, he continued on the way to school.
Mikasa sighed, leaning against a wall nearby the school. She looked at her phone. "I knew I would win, but he couldn't be this bad at running, can he?"
Her eyes glanced up from her phone to finally see her brother running towards her. She pushed herself off the wall and stepped towards him. "I won again! What took you so long?"
That's when she noticed he had a frightened look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
He slowed to a stop. "Wh-what do you mean? I get it, I lost, okay? Can we just, you know, go to class?"
Mikasa frowned. "Something is wrong."
"Can we just go?"
She took a step back. "Alright. Fine. Keep it in. Let's just go."
Eren nodded and took the lead, walking up the path to the entrance just as the bell rang.
2:30 PM
Eren was once again at the lead as he and Mikasa returned home. She kept on trying to pry into his problems, but he just didn't want to tell her. It was a strange experience that he didn't want to talk about.
He could hear her steps quicken just to walk next to him. "Hey, Eren. Can you please just-"
"No!" He whipped around and scowled at her. Her face was blank, which somehow calmed him down. "No...just...Mikasa, please stop asking. Everything is fine now. And I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
Her eyebrows turned down, her eyes studying his body language. After a moment, she shrugged, sighed, and stepped past him. "Fine. Whatever."
He watched her as she walked. "Good...thank you," he said, running to catch up with her.
They were nearing home, where Eren could take a five hour nap. Being a teenager is tiring, he thought to himself, stretching his arms out.
Finally, home was in sight, their beautiful, comfortable looking two-story house. Their shoes skidded against the sidewalk.
But Mikasa suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Eren noticed after a few steps. He looked over his shoulder at her."Mikasa?"
Her eyes were wide, staring ahead at the house. He followed her line of sight.
To the open door. The broken open door.
Eren's eyes widened as he set off into a sprint towards his house. Mikasa ran after him. "Eren, wait!"
Her shout fell on deaf ears, as all of his mind was set on his mother. "Mom!" He shouted, dashing past the doorway and skidding to a halt at the scene before him.
Blood.
It covered the walls, splattered about like it was an art piece. And lying there on the floor, propped up against the fridge, was his mother.
And cut into her abdomen was a large hole, blood and guts spilling everywhere.
Yet she was still breathing.
He got down on his knees in front of her. "Mom!"
Slowly, she lifted her head, her dark hair in a mess when it would usually be clean, tied in a loose ponytail. Her brown eyes met Eren's green ones. He could see the pain in them. He whipped his head around to look at his sister.
"Mikasa, call an ambulanc-"
A hand grabbed his wrist. "No...no Eren."
He looked back at his mother, eyes wide. "What…"
"I...am not gonna make it," she croaked, giving a weak smile, "Just run. Save yourselves. He's still here. Take this." She held out her left hand, grasping the barrel of a handgun.
Eren began to feel tears sting his eyes as he looked from his mother's face, to her wound, to the gun in her hand. "Wh-who? Who is still here?"
She opened her mouth to say something.
Bang!
Suddenly, half her face was blown off, sending brain matter and blood splattering everywhere. His body almost dove back. "Mom!" He and Mikasa shouted.
He looked in the direction of the blast, where a laugh was beginning to sound.
A man stood on the stairs, hands holding a smoking shotgun, his eyes glowing red and his body glowing blue before the color faded away. He pumped the gun, a spent shell flying out and clinking down the steps.
"Broad never knows when to shut up."
"Bastard!" Mikasa cursed.
"Tisk, tisk, do you want to end up like yer mother there?"
Eren reached out and grabbed the handgun, aiming it at him from his position, sitting on the ground by his dismembered mother. Those eyes,he thought to himself, I remember those eyes!
The man's head turned back to Eren. "Now, now, kid. You're too young to be playing with guns. You might shoot yer eye out."
"Shutup!" He wrapped his finger around the trigger.
"Eren...Eren, put the gun down," Mikasa ordered.
"No!" Eren began to stand up, stepping over so that he stood in front of Mikasa.
"You think you got balls kid? Go ahead. Pull the goddamn trigger."
"I'll do it!"
"Eren…"
"'Eren', is that all you can fucking say?"
"Say one more word and I'll kill you!"
"Oh really? Do it."
Mikasa began to breathe heavily. "Eren...don't…"
"Eren, do," the man taunted.
"Eren."
"Eren."
Eren let out a large roar before he began to pull the trigger, over and over again.
"Die you bastard!"
Present Day
Eren held the gun in his hand, aiming it at the abandoned building where there was reported Contractor activity and an abnormal explosion.
He looked to his right to see Mikasa doing the same, as they stood on either side of their car, along with multiple officers, holding guns of different kinds.
"Remember boys, this may be BK-104. Orders are to terminate. Once he has been identified, empty your clips into him," he commanded.
The street, illuminated by flashing police lights, was silent. Nothing came out of the building since they got here. They were hoping to end the chase here and now.
The anticipation was building. Their fingers getting itchy.
Suddenly, the door opened. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the culprit to show themselves.
A figure stepped out, wearing a cloak that covered their whole body. And their face was covered by the silver mask of a lion.
"That's him! That's BK-104! Fire!"
Before anyone could complete the order, a huge fireball expanded from behind them, consuming the Contractor in it's burning globe.
Even then, they began to shoot.
Then, the ball disappeared.
And no one was there.
The Contractor vanished. They had lost him.
They lost BK-104 once again.
Eren let out a shout of rage before kicking the side of his car. "Dammit!"
Mikasa reached out over the hood of the car. "Eren, calm down."
The agent holstered his weapon, pointing at his sister. "Don't tell me to calm down! We lost him again! Levi will have our goddamn asses!"
"Well being angry about it will not help," she said with a more serious tone.
"It's helping me!"
"Eren…"
"What?" He snapped at her, venom dripping from his tone.
Mikasa frowned. "You need to learn to control your anger."
Eren could do nothing more than glare at her, for only a moment or two.
He sighed and put his head in his hands. "Fuck...I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
"Uh...sir?" An officer walked up to Eren, cocking an eyebrow. "What do you want us to do?"
Eren glanced at the man before placing his fists on his hips and looking around. He swiped his finger across the building where the scene took place. "Cover the area. Every inch. We will go in and check around."
"Yes, sir," the man said, walking off.
Eren nodded and looked at his sister. "Well...let's take a look."
Mikasa nodded and followed her brother as he stepped past all of the police cars, their blue and red lights allowing them to see in the dark night.
The door was left open, so they just walked in, pulling flashlights out of their jackets and clicking them on before swinging the cone of light that projected from it around the room, illuminating small objects like the chairs, and big objects like the bar and the pool tables. Eren walked past the bar and looked behind the corner, seeing nothing suspicious.
Then he turned to the door next to him.
He peered over his shoulder. "Mikasa, I'll be in here."
She nodded. "Got it."
He nodded back and opened the door, seeing that it led to a set of stairs.
As if by instinct, he reached into his jacket and unholstered his gun, holding it at the ready while he began his descent into the unknown. Well, unknown to him at least.
Once he reached the bottom, he swung the flashlight around, seeing it was turned into a makeshift bedroom, with mattresses, blankets, and pillows scattered about. He let the light scan the floor a bit longer when he found something. Something odd.
A huge burn mark in the center of the room. Like there was a large explosion.
"Mikasa!" He called for his sister, pulling the flashlight up at the ceiling.
A broken light bulb.
His flashlight fell back to the floor.
It was recent. The glass is still here.
"But why did BK-104 come here?"
Mikasa came down the steps. "Did you find something?"
Eren glanced at her face, lit up by the flashlight. "Look at the ground."
She cocked an eyebrow before turning her head towards the burn mark. "An explosion?"
He shook his head. "It couldn't be. Nothing has been blasted back. And there is no ash, so there couldn't have been a fire."
"What are you getting at?"
"I don't know. It's as much of a roadblock in my mind as it is in yours."
Mikasa frowned, her feet taking small steps farther into the room. "It could be light based."
"A light burn?"
"Remember the atomic bomb droppings? The people caught close to the blast had their shadows burnt into the wall. Thermal radiation goes in a straight line, like light, so it causes a shadow to be burned into the wall behind any objects. I think that is what happened here."
"What makes you so sure?"
She shined her light on the center of the blast. "There is a burn circle that is blacker than the areas around it. It's big enough for a child to fit in."
"...Or a really small young woman."
"The doll?"
"The doll," he said, leaned forward to look closer at the burn, "Mikasa...that doll is special. It means something to BK-104 that he came here to take her back. But now...I don't think the doll is a doll anymore."
Mikasa raised her eyebrows before immediately turning them down. "You're not suggesting…"
"The doll...it...it's a moratorium now."
"Imbue itself into the night
with filthy fingertips
And wrench you open
until you're torn to shreds"
Chapter Four
The Story of The Soldier
11 Years Ago
Click.
Eren's wide green eyes looked at the gun, then at the man in front of him, unharmed by the firearm.
"You kid...you got a lot of balls, you know that?" He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it between his lips before lighting it.
He walked over to Eren, towering over him. He pulled the cigarette out and blew smoke into the room. "I like you, kid. You got moxie. Now, I am going to leave. I did my job. Don't wanna kill any other people right now. Call it...a good mood. So you got another shot at life."
He took out a little capsule, opening it to place the cigarette in. He put it back in his pocket. "Make it count, kid."
The man sneered before walking past Mikasa. "And you. Stay out of a business clearly meant for men. Wouldn't want a pretty face like yours to get hurt, now do we?" He asked, reaching out to grab her chin, but she swatted it away.
He smirked. "So feisty. Alright. A man needs to learn his boundaries. I do."
As he stepped past the threshold, he looked over his shoulder. "Maybe we will meet again, kid. I wouldn't mind facing you when you're older. Then I could kill you and feel good about it."
He released a cruel, hoarse laugh. One of no remorse or guilt. He holstered his shotgun on his thigh and continued down the path to the street.
Eren stared at the doorway in awe of his inability to hit the man with a single bullet. But once reality snapped back to him, he scrambled to his feet and ran outside, eyes scanning the area for the bastard that murdered his mother, right hand still clutching the empty gun.
All of a sudden, Mikasa dashed out of the house, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "We gotta get out of here."
"We're just gonna leave Mom's body?"
"The police will find it. And if you have the gun on you, you will be first to blame. We have to get rid of it. We also have to wash you up. I got some clothes in my backpack while you were out there looking for him."
"And what about coming back? We have to come back eventually."
Silence from his sister.
"I will think of something."
Present Day
"Sir, I don't think you should be blaming Eren. Or anyone, for that mat-"
"It doesn't matter what you think, Miss Ackerman. Someone is going to have to take responsibility for this." Levi stared at them, furious, his grey eyes shining in the artificial lights hanging from above.
"Then let it be me," Mikasa stood up from her seat in front of their captain, who cocked an eyebrow at her.
Eren stood up. "No, sir, don't blame her. Mikasa, stop defending me, I'm not thirteen anymore! Blame me, sir. I probably shouldn't have been so hasty with the orders to kill."
"Yeah? No shit, Sherlock. So, who's it going to be?"
"Me!" Eren and Mikasa shouted at the same time.
Levi groaned and slammed his palms on the table. "You know what? Alright then, since you both insist on it so much, I'm going to have to put the blame on both of you."
The brother and sister sighed, slumping back into their chairs.
Levi glanced at both of them, observing them both, before exhaling. "Ugh…fine...I can probably get them off my ass if you have a lead of some sort." He glanced between them, his pupils switching from one to the other.
"Well? Do you?"
Eren gave a bad smile. "Kinda?"
Levi cocked an eyebrow. "Kinda?"
"We found a burn mark in the middle of the floor of the basement in the abandoned bar. It was the size of a small human. This doll we have been talking about? The one being protected by an assumed contractor against BK-104? We are afraid she may be a moratorium."
Levi's eyes flitted at Mikasa, wide in what looked to be an emotion not usually seen in the short man: fear.
"May? So there is a chance she might not be?"
"Sir-"
"Eren. Do you realize how dangerous that makes this girl? If a doll has really turned into a moratorium, it's only a matter of time before there begins to be a body count."
Eren and Mikasa looked quite uneasy. It wasn't a lie. They have had a moratorium in the city before, and at least fifty people had been killed before they were captured.
Levi glanced between them, frowning before he sighed and flung his hand to the side. "Just get some rest, the both of you. I will get the boys on it. You two be ready for a full manhunt. After tonight, we will not sleep until this moratorium is taken in. Got it?"
The two stood up, nodding their heads. "Yes, sir!" They said simultaneously before making their leave.
The door closing behind them, Levi sighed and leaned back in the chair. "We cannot afford to make the same mistakes."
11 Years Ago
"Give me the gun."
Eren, now in a white t-shirt and khaki shorts, glanced at Mikasa's hand, stretched out with an open palm, waiting for him to pass the weapon over. She seemed so calm about the whole situation, he was still confused, scared and sad. It wasn't even an hour ago that he saw his mother get murdered in front of him. And now here he was, in the middle of a nearby forest, his old clothes burnt and his skin scrubbed clean of blood.
That only leaves the gun.
"Eren...Eren."
The boy glanced up into his sister's grey eyes. "Y-yeah?"
"The gun. We need to get rid of it. I dug the hole. Give me the gun so that I can bury it."
"Why can't we just throw it in the river?" He asked, his voice cracking.
"It would wash up somewhere eventually. Now give it to me."
Eren's puffy red eyes closed and he nodded, handing it over. Her fingers wrapped around it, pulling the weapon from his grasp and kneeling down to place it in the small hole she made.
She pushed the mounds of dirt on top of it, patting it all down, the last bit of evidence hidden away.
She stood up, her scarf blowing in the breeze, and peered over her shoulder at her brother. "We should be getting back. You ready?"
Eren, his eyes turned downward, looking at the leaves that have fallen, signifying that autumn was close. A season he won't be able to enjoy anymore. His mother made it so special.
"Eren, look at me."
He hesitated at first, but then turned his eyes up into his sister's. "Yes?"
"Are you going to be okay?"
All of a sudden, an influx of words began to force themselves out of his mouth. "Am I going to be okay? To be honest, Mikasa, no. I don't think I am. I mean why are you okay? Our mother is dead. How is father going to react to this? How are we gonna make it through life without our mother? I don't I will be able to live without-"
Unexpectedly, something hit him with enough force to send a flash of searing hot pain spiking through his right cheek. It made him stumble, only to regain his footing and look up to see Mikasa, her hand held up, the back of it facing him, her eyes furious and tears rolling down from them as she grit her teeth.
"You...don't know...how I feel. I...am trying to stay strong, Eren. For you and Grisha. But I am...not okay. I am just as broken up inside as you are. So…" She lowered her hand, reaching up with her other one to wipe her eye dry, "Are you ready?"
Eren stood there, staring at her for a few slight minutes, still surprised at what she did.
He nodded his head. "Yeah...yes...I-I'm ready."
Mikasa stared at him a second longer before she nodded. "Then let's go."
Present Day
"Nah, Mikasa, I can drive myself home. Thanks, though." The disgruntled agent muttered as he unlocked his car, opening the door before he looked at his sister, giving her a nod that she returned before stepping in and sitting down.
His eyes followed her car as she drove herself out of the parking complex that housed their cars when they were doing their job. When she was gone, he put his key into the ignition and turned it, starting the car up. His face, lit up by the dashboard, contained a dead look. He was tired. Already this thing was draining his energy.
I wonder what else it will do to me, he thought to himself, grabbing the wheel and pushing his foot down on the pedal, driving out of the lot.
His mind was busy, but soon his senses picked up the radio.
"At 9:06, almost an hour ago, a huge explosion was heard in the lower district. When we arrived at the scene, we spoke to detective Eren Jaeger."
The voice changed to one he remembered - his own. And he could still hear some anger in his voice from losing BK-104, "Currently, there is not enough evidence to identify this as a terrorist attack. When we get the proper proof, we will try our best to inform the public."
"We also tried to talk to detective Mikasa Ackerman, but she didn't give much info."
"We will find out," he heard his sister's voice say. He gave a weak smile before reaching over to turn it off, leaving him in his silent car, waiting for the red light to turn green so he can get home.
Flick, the lights flashed on, the man's eyes looking as one of them wasn't helping in the act of illuminating his apartment.
"I need to fix that someday." He muttered, his gaze not leaving the broken light as he took off his jacket and hung it.
He sighed as he looked at the apartment. It looked expensive, but it was more of a present from the agency for his hard work in Section 4. He thought they might have been a bit too hasty to give it to him, but he wasn't gonna complain.
Eren stretched his arms out, his feet taking him to the window, which gave a good view of the streets. The passing cars, hurrying home to their families.
He crossed his arms, green eyes searching the sidewalks. For someone that could possibly be him. That could possibly be BK-104.
"I will find you, 104," he began, voice dripping with venom, "and bring you to justice."
11 Years Ago
The scene of a crime always becomes darker once the police arrive. You see the men in uniform, guarding the area from those who walk by or decide to stop and watch. They try to hide their disgust at the grisly display inside the household.
Then you see the men in the suits, faces hard as stone. They weren't hiding anything. They expect this degree. They know. Because these aren't just detectives. They're agents.
The gleam of Eren Jaeger's young eyes reflected these agents. He only thought of them as detectives.
"Remember the story, Eren, in case they ask."
He side glanced at his sister, who returned the glance, expecting an answer.
"Yeah...yes."
"Don't start crying until they tell you mother died. They need to believe us."
"O-okay."
"Alright...let's go."
"What do you think, agent?"
"I think it's a fucking mess, sir. Definitely the work of a contractor."
"Has Hange arrived?"
"No. Four eyes is taking her time, as usual."
"Has Mike checked the stars?"
"Yeah. There was some activity a few hours ago from VC-213," his superior looked at him, eyebrows raised. The agent nodded. "Yeah...he'sback."
The short agent slipped on some latex gloves as he crouched down next to the corpse of a woman. "So...any info on the lady?" He asked, grabbing her chin with care to check both sides of her face.
The taller blonde haired man sighed and nodded. "Her name is Carla Jaeger. Wife to Grisha Jaeger. Two children, one adopted. Stay-at-home mom."
"Any reasons why she would reach this poor fate?" He asked, wrinkling his nose as he checked her other wounds.
"None. She is an angel, according to the neighbors."
"How about the husband? Maybe it was a...punishment for not paying a debt or...something?"
"The father is a scientist."
"Maybe drugs? And something happened, so a contractor was hired to kill the wife, and scare the husband into doing whatever they want him to do."
"Who's 'they'?"
"I don't know, sir. But they are bad people. Definitely bad people."
The agent stood up, dark sullen eyes staring down at the corpse. His head snapped over his shoulder as a voice shouted from outside.
"Mom?!"
The man's eyes widened a bit. His feet carried him outside to see a young kid pushing against an officer. "Let me in!" He cried.
The agent walked over, patting the officer's shoulder. "I'll handle him."
The officer cocked an eyebrow, glancing down at the boy, before nodding and stepping aside.
The kid ran into the agent's hands, which gripped his arms. "Kid...kid...calm yourself. I need you to remain calm."
"But my mom is in there! I need to see if she is okay! Mom!" The child cried, pushing against the agent.
"Listen, kid! Your mother is dead!" He shouted, letting his temper get the better of him.
The child stopped, falling silent as his wide eyes stared at the man, lips parted. Everyone around them also followed in his quietude.
"What?" His voice could only manage a whisper. His mouth turned up, nose following the same direction as his face took on a more fearful expression. "Dead?"
The agent's eyes softened at the sight. He slumped his shoulders and gave a slow nod, exhaling. "I'm sorry, kid. I can't have you enter. It's a crime scene. Please step back." He ordered.
The kid, a face now drained of color, turned his head down and walked back behind the police line. The agent could see him stop next to a young girl, looking around his age. Must be the adopted one, he thought.
She leaned over and whispered to the boy.
"Good job," Mikasa whispered into Eren's ear, his reply a brief glance.
He wasn't faking it. He wanted to believe that his mother was still alive as he tried to push his way through. And being told again that she was dead solidified his realization.
His mother was dead.
"I'm gonna kill him."
Mikasa cocked an eyebrow at him. "What?"
"That bastard...I'm going to kill him. Maybe not soon. But eventually...I will kill him."
Mikasa didn't need anymore to know who he was talking about. "Eren, I don't think-"
"There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Nothing."
Both of her eyebrows raised at his sudden change of attitude. But soon after, she returned to her placid expression. "Alright...but I'm coming with you." She said, looking him in the eye.
He returned the look, giving a nod. "Thank you."
Present Day
Eren's eyes snapped open at the sound of a knocking at the door, disturbing him from his somewhat peaceful slumber.
And he knew who was at the door. But he wondered why she didn't-
"Wake up, Eren."
His upper body shot up, looking as his sister was at the doorway of his bedroom.
"How did you? How did I not-"
"Get ready. We are starting the hunt today, remember?"
Eren was about to ask again how she got in so silent, but then he shook his head and exhaled, nodding. "Right...right...can you leave? I need to get ready."
A few minutes later, Eren walked out of the bedroom, reaching over to grab his jacket, glancing at Mikasa, who had her eyes on the broken light.
"I know, Mika. I will get it fixed eventually."
"No...I was just...thinking…"
His eyebrow raised as he put his jacket on, checking his tie in a nearby mirror. "About?"
Her eyes lit up all of a sudden and she looked at him. "Hmm? Oh...nothing."
Eren blinked, his mind trying to pinpoint what she was thinking of.
He came up short. She was always an enigma.
"Well, okay...shall we get going?"
Mikasa nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
"Okay, we can't be too obvious about this. We have an APB out on a short blonde pale woman, so officers will have their eyes out. Jean, I want you to keep an eye on the stars, and we need constant communication from you. No dozing off! And you two," Levi said, turning to the brother and sister, his eyes switched between them, "Go back to the scene where you found the burn mark. More clues will definitely help us. Am I clear?"
"Yes!" All three agents said, getting up from their seats and heading for the door.
"I will keep in contact with all three of you. Good luck!"
As they exited the room, Eren turned to see Annie sitting at the desk, rifling through folders, as if searching for something. He looked to Mikasa. "I will be down in a minute."
He didn't wait for an answer before walking over to the secretary. "Hey, Ann."
The young woman had a folder opened as she turned her head up to see him. "Eren."
The agent gave a shitty smile, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Ahh...I'm really sorry that we won't be able to go out tonight. Who would've known that we would discover a moratorium? Hehe...yeah, sorry."
Her eyes searched him, seeing true regret and unhappiness. She gave a slight shake of her head. "Don't worry about it, Eren. We can always reschedule. Whenever you're free. Let's not talk now, you have something to do."
Eren smiled. "Yeah, that sounds great. Uhm...I wanted to ask one more thing," he began, reaching around to get a pen and post-it note. He wrote on it, glancing at her, "Can you send me pictures of your art?" He asked.
He put the pen down and slid the note to her. "There's my phone number. You can do whatever you want with it. I'm not trying to force you to-"
"Okay. I will see if I can. Now go. We both have work to do."
Eren nodded and gave a smirk before walking over to the elevator door, pressing the button and entering the small metal box. He gave a wink.
Then the doors closed, right as Levi walked out of the meeting room. He raised his eyebrows at Eren before looking at Annie, who glanced back as she got another folder out. "I will keep looking, sir."
He stood there for a minute before nodding. "Alright. Good work, Leonhardt. I swear you're the only one I can rely on."
As he began to walk back to his office, Annie gave a simple, "Thank you, sir." Before he entered his office and closed the door, leaving the small secretary to continue her search of files.
"There are more than last night," Mikasa remarked, her grey eyes sweeping along the groups of news people lining the police lines.
Eren parked his car next to one of the vans, the vultures twisting to it and running over. He glanced over at his sister, who nodded. "Let's just get in there."
He nodded, pushing open the car door, slamming it closed as his hand lifted up to guard his face from the cameras. Millions of questions pelted him.
"What do you think the explosion was?"
"Do you think this is terrorism?"
"Do you have any leads?"
Eren gritted his teeth. Why won't these people just leave me alone? He thought to himself as he stepped up to the police line, pulling his badge out and showing it to the officer.
The man nodded, allowing the agent to pass by into the restricted area.
Eren tucked the badge back into his suit pocket, looking to his right to see Mikasa at his side. "How are you feeling?"
She glanced at him, her black hair glimmering in the sunlight. "Fine enough...worried. You?"
He grumbled. "Same."
As they walked to the building, Eren looked out to the crowds, his eyes searching the mobs for people. Would anyone return to the scene of a crime?
His eyes soon met those of a tall woman, tan skin. Her face expressed many emotions. Anger, hatred, fear. He will have to keep a tab on her.
His hand reached out to grab the knob and open it for his sister, following her in and closing the door behind him. Several officers were around the room, searching every corner for some form of evidence.
"Any luck, fellas?" Eren asked as his feet carried him to the basement door. A few officers kept on searching, the rest looked over and shook their heads slow. The agent nodded. "Keep working."
They made their way downstairs, seeing only one officer down here. "I thought they would've put more down here," Mikasa remarked.
The officer shook his head. "Nope, just me."
"Well did you find anything?"
"Not much from what you found, just bags of food and a mattress."
Eren wrinkled his nose as he walked back to where the light bulb shards were, pulling out some latex gloves to put them on.
He crouched down next to them, reaching out to pick one up and hold it up to the light. "So...you think this doll-well...moratorium...you think her power is light?"
Mikasa put her hands on her hips. "Yeah...are you thinking the same thing I am?"
"She used light bulbs to send her specter?"
"Yeah."
"That seems to be the most likely path. But...why did it shatter?"
"Her transformation?"
"Maybe...say, you think she could teleport?"
"With light?"
"I mean...the transformation from a doll to a moratorium has to be terrifying, so I doubt she just ran. What if the light could somehow teleport her?"
"I guess it could be possible."
"We are working with contractors here, Mikasa. Possibility is thrown out the window."
"True."
Eren pulled out a bag, dropping the sharp into it before he took a few more to drop in.
Zipping it up, he gestured for the officer to come over to take the bag. "Send this to Armin Arlert in Section 4 for fingerprint examination. Tell him I bet there are two different sets of fingerprints on these shards."
"Yes sir." The young officer said before running out of the room.
3 Years Ago
The brunet man patted down his blue uniform, smiling at himself. The light blue stars on his shoulder straps symbolized that he was a recruit. Two and a half years he spent in the academy, along with his sister Mikasa, training to be Germany's finest. While it was really just being a patrol officer, it was still a step towards his objective.
His objective to finding the man that murdered his mother.
And today might just be his lucky break.
The streets were bustling, people running hither and thither, trying to get to their next destination in as quick a time as possible. It was chaotic. It was insane. It was life.
And Eren's was about to change.
His eyes scanned the crowds, searching for any disturbances. Any troubles.
Families buying gifts and groceries. Couples sitting together, holding each other in embrace. Dogs being walked by their owners.
Nothing so far.
His head swung around, seeing the same things. Nothing peculiar. Which is good, he thought to himself.
"Anything?" His radio crackled to life, a feminine voice coming through.
He pressed the button. "No, Mikasa. It's all clear on this end. How about you?"
Putting his finger off the button, he waited, watching the citizens walking by.
"Everything is the same on this side as well."
"Alright...well...keep an eye out."
"Affirmative. Out."
The radio went silent. He continued watching the crowd.
He stopped when his eyes met those of a young man, looking to be around Eren's age, with a muscular build and blonde hair. The man quickly turned away as soon as their eyes locked.
Suspicious, Eren narrowed his eyelids and began to make his way to the man's position. He kept his sight on the man, getting closer.
Soon, however, the man turned his head back to see the officer coming closer, and in an instant set off in a fast walk.
Eren's eyes lit up as he picked up his pace. "Excuse me, sir! Halt!" He began to run towards him.
In turn, the man glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening before going into a sprint.
Eren pressed the button on the radio. "Mikasa! I got a runner heading towards your direction!"
"Got it!"
He let go of the radio and focused on the man he was after. "Stop!"
People were dodging and getting out of the way, watching the chase with excited eyes.
"I said stop!" Eren shouted, pulling out his gun and aiming it at the man.
"Stop right there!" He heard Mikasa say as he saw her step up in front of the runner, her gun pointed at him.
The man skidded to a halt, holding his hands up. Mikasa held a hand out, gun still aimed. She grabbed his shoulder to turn him around, holstering her gun as she pulled his arms down, cuffing him and reading him his rights. He was smirking.
Eren had his sights still on him, ready to shoot if things got bad.
And they did, very quick.
Eren noticed the man's eyes suddenly glowing red. And his body glowing blue.
Where did I see that?
His eyelids shot wide open as he was able to drop to the floor and cover his head right as a burst of flames flew over his head. He could hear the screams of the people around, seeing this inhuman ability right before their eyes.
Eren watched as the man turned around, Mikasa being able to twist away from him as more flames ejected from his mouth, hitting his sister in the back, setting her uniform on fire. He looked to his right, his hand shooting out to grab his gun and lift it up to aim.
But the man was gone.
Mikasa grunted as she pulled her uniform off, now in her white shirt, and threw it to the ground, stamping out the flames. When they were out, she sat down and sighed.
The sounds of police sirens hit their ears as they looked at each other. Their eyes communicated.
Was that what I thought it was? They both signaled.
Present Day
Eren rested his cheek on his fist as he gazed out the window.
"Eren…"
He didn't look, just kept on staring out at the people on the sidewalk. "What?"
"Are you okay?"
He sighed, sitting up and cracking his neck. "No...we barely have any leads. Those prints on the light bulb are the only leads we got...and that, hah- that ain't much to go on."
Mikasa pursed her lips. "I think we can find out something useful from them. We don't know these girls' names, so maybe...maybe they are in the database?"
"And if they aren't?"
Silence followed the question, with no answer from his sister. He looked at her, her eyes glancing around for the answers.
"I...I...then we just go back to square one...we will get to the bottom of this, Eren."
"Well...I hope so."
With that, he went back to looking out the window, only thinking about one thing.
The fingerprints of the two girls.
3 Years Ago
Eren frowned at the man who arrived after the fire breathing man had made his escape and the police had blocked the area off. He had been talking to too many officers who questioned him of the scene, and they haven't told him anything.
The man walked up to him. "Agent Levi Ackerman of Section 4, you are Officer Eren Jaeger, correct?"
He nodded, face turned to the floor. "Uh...yeah, yeah I am."
Levi cocked an eyebrow at him. "Jaeger...your father is Grisha, right?"
Eren looked up at the agent, eyes wide. "Yeah...oh, you're him...I remember you."
"You're an officer now? Hm...so what did you see here?"
Eren sighed. This is the fourth time he had to recount the event.
"I chased after a man. When we surrounded him, his eyes glowed red and he blew fire from his mouth."
Levi nodded, taking out a notepad and writing it down.
Eren narrowed his eyes. "May I ask something, sir?"
The agent glanced up at him. "Shoot."
He leaned forward a bit, biting his thumbnail. "Is...is this the same kind of person that...that killed my mother?"
The man was silent for a moment. "How did you…?"
"Know? I got home when my mother was murdered. Her head blown off right in front of me," he held his head in his hands, sighing, "I...I saw the man who did it. His eyes were glowing red...just like the man here. I picked up the gun in my mom's hand and shot him, but none of the bullets hit him. Then he left. We ran away and came back before the police came. I guess I should've told you at the beginning, but we thought you would have pinned the death on me. So...is it?"
Levi frowned at him. "So you lied to us? Your information could've helped that case."
"I was a kid, okay? I was scared."
A silence grew between them, with Levi soaking in everything he just heard. He put his hands on his hips and exhaled. "Yes."
Eren raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"
"Yeah...we call them Contractors. That is all I can really say out here. If you want to know more, go to the station tomorrow and ask for Section 4. They will point you to the elevator and tell you to go to floor 28. Then ask for me."
Eren, confused that this guy was willing to tell him so much, nodded.
Levi nodded. "Now go get some rest. Hope to see you tomorrow. Bring your sister along as well."
Eren nodded again. "Yeah...I will...thank you."
Levi sighed before walking away. "See ya, kid."
Eren watched him, giving a little wave. "See ya…"
As Levi began to investigate the area, his mind began to wander. With Hange resigning, and Mike quitting, I'll be taking over...and I'll be needing new agents. Those two might be good choices for the job.
Present Day
"So, Armin...what do we got? Anything good? Lead-worthy?" Eren asked, sitting down on one of the stools while Mikasa leaned on the counter.
The analyst tapped two folders on the counter. "We got two matches."
Eren took the one on the right, sliding it over to him and opening it while Mikasa took the
other and leaned against the counter, reading it.
Armin continued, "Ymir Tanzen and Historia Reiss. The first hasn't been seen since 2003, when the gates began appearing. The other...she hasn't been seen since practically the same year. January 3rd, 2004."
Eren puckered his lips. "So...these match up pretty well with our Contractor and Moratorium?"
"Yeah...but Ymir was fifteen when she disappeared, and Historia...Historia was six."
Mikasa cocked an eyebrow. "You're telling me she became a doll at the age of six?"
"Sadly, yes. Someone kidnapped her. Probably planned to use her surveillance abilities when she honed them. I guess this Ymir rescued her, and whoever kept Historia beforehand sent a Contractor, BK-104, after them."
"To kill...or to return?" The brother asked, closing the folder.
"I don't know...but this is a definite good lead. How do you two plan to act upon it?"
Eren stroked his chin. He glanced at Mikasa, putting the closed folder down. "Hey, pass me that folder."
Mikasa nodded and slid it over. He picked it up and read it, seeing the picture of the girl. "So this is Ymir?"
"Yeah."
Eren narrowed his eyes. "She...looks familiar."
Silence fell upon the room as his mind processed the face. Freckles, tan, brown hair.
His eyes widened. "I saw her at the crime scene. That's her!"
The other two raised their eyebrows, with Armin speaking, "You sure, Eren? She was fifteen in that picture."
Eren stood up, smiling as he pulled the picture out. "Yes, definitely! It has got to be! I gotta get an APB on this! I am going down to floor one!" He shouted as he ran out of the room, speeding past an almost bewildered looking Annie, who didn't question him as he got into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.
Armin and Mikasa followed him out just to see the elevator doors closing, with the agent having a big grin on his face.
Levi came out just as the elevator began to descend. He thought he knew a pretty good reason why Eren was so excited, but he looked at everyone else. "What happened?"
Three Years Ago
Eren felt awkward as he walked into Section 4, where a short, ginger haired woman sat at the desk, glancing up to see him and his sister entering. She gave a wide smile, bright enough to light up an entire room. And her voice was just as kind. "Welcome to Section 4. Is there something you two needed?"
The brother patted his suit down before nodding. "Uh...yeah. We are here to talk to an agent...Levi."
The secretary's amber-colored eyes widened. "Oh? Well, he is talking to the Captain right now, so-"
At that time, the agent and a taller brunette woman walked out to the waiting room, with the former stopping to see the siblings. He sighed, turning to the woman. "Hange...would you mind if I decided to test out my new office with these two?"
The woman glanced at the two before looking back at him. "Sure, I don't mind. Are these the new-"
"Yes, they are. Thank you, Hange. I will meet you later."
Hange smiled and nodded. "Alright, Levi. See you then."
Once the taller woman left, he faced the two officers. "Okay, you two, this way please." He gestured for them to follow as he turned around and walked back down the hall. "Petra! If I get any calls, tell them to leave a message!"
"You got it, sir!"
Levi led them into an office, whose shelves have been emptied of any mementos, pictures or awards. He pointed to the two seats in front of the desk and sat down behind it. He began speaking before they even sat down. "So as I told you, Eren, your mother was killed by a Contractor. These are things they don't teach you in the academy. You have to learn it. Civilians who find out are sent to the M.E., or Memory Extractor."
Mikasa cocked an eyebrow. "Contractors?"
Levi frowned at Eren. "You didn't tell her?"
Eren shrugged. "I thought it would be better if we both learned together."
The soon-to-be captain sighed, nodding. "Okay. Well this may be long, but I will try my best to make it as short as possible. Contractors are individuals who used to be human, but after the appearance of the Gates, gained superhuman powers. Every contractor has their own unique power. The one you saw out there had the power of fire. You saw that their eyes glow red and their body glows blue. That is called Lancelnoptchrotron radiation."
"Lancelotno-what?"
"Lancelnoptchrotron. Don't worry about that. The thing about Contractors, and thus the thing that gives them their names, is that they need to do something every time they use their power. It's called an obeisance, but you can just call it the contract. That is also unique. Another thing is that they can't seem to feel emotions, or they can, they just don't want to. They are able to fake their personalities. Are you still following?"
The two officers nodded.
"Alright, good, because things might get a bit confusing here. It turns out that those who don't turn into Contractors are dolls...well it's the other way around. If you don't become a doll, you become a Contractor. It's a defect. Dolls are mediums that can mimic the emotions of other humans. Really good for infiltration. In addition to that, they have a surveillance power that is limited by their medium. It could be water, or glass, or so forth. They also are completely emotionless, and I don't mean that they can but don't want to. The ones I have met have been almost unable to be taken as actual humans. They are generally harmless.
He took a deep breath. "Now...there is a way for dolls to become contractors, and the result is very dangerous. They are called Moratoria. They are the intermediate. They don't have a 'contract' like Contractors, but unlike them, they have no control of their powers. Their eyes also don't glow red, same with their bodies, they don't glow blue. While not using their powers, they have a normal emotions. Like I said, they are very dangerous."
He leaned back in his seat and sighed. "That's all there is. You two are the only officers that know this much."
Eren frowned. "Wait...why are you telling us all this then?"
Levi crossed his arms and smirked. "I am out two agents...and I want those two to be you."
Eren's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Mikasa, whose lips were parted. He turned back to Levi. "Really? Are-are you sure?"
Levi nodded. "Yes. I want you two to start tomorrow. Gets suits, both of you. No pencil skirts. You both need to be able to run. Am I understood?"
The two siblings stood up and nodded. "Yes sir!" They both said.
"Good. Now go home. Rest. We have a big case to start on tomorrow."
"Yes sir!"
And with that, they left, leaving behind their old lives for new ones.
Levi looked up at the ceiling. "I hope I made the right decision."
Present Day
Eren never realized how tantalizing it was to wait in an elevator. Come on, come on, come on! He shouted in his head, waiting for the elevator to ding, the picture of the girl in hand.
He tapped his foot.
Bit his lip.
Cracked his knuckles.
Released a very loud sigh.
Whistled a long tune.
After a while, he grunted. "Why is this building so tall?"
Then, the doors opened. He smiled and walked out, looking around, he saw the whole place buzzing due to the explosion from last night. He had to dodge out of the way of multiple people before getting a good path towards where he needed to be.
When someone stepped in his way.
"Agent Eren?"
The agent skidded to a halt, having to tilt his head up to look up at the person. When he saw their face, he took a step back, eyes wide. His hand reached for his gun.
"You…"
Another hand grabbed his, stopping it. "Let's not cause a scene, yes?"
Eren narrowed his eyes as he lowered his hand. "Why are you here?"
"Can we talk in a more private place?"
He wrinkled his nose. "Yeah...in the elevator."
"Take me there."
Eren pushed his jaw to one side in annoyance as he led the person to the elevator, pressing the button. When the doors opened, he slipped in, with them following behind.
He pressed the button that would take them to Section 4.
The machinery hummed as the metal box was hoisted up. He turned to face the person. "Why are you here...Ymir, is it?"
The tall, tan and freckled woman didn't smirk, keeping her face blank, she stared at the agent with her golden eyes. "I need your help."
6 Months Ago
The building was going to be a new hospital, made to save more people and improve the health of Sina. But right now, it was empty. Just walls, floors, roofs, and doorways.
This specific room, a long hallway that has rooms where the patients will be, seemed to have the most acoustics out of all of the other halls.
This made it easier to hear the sounds of people running down its halls, as it echoed and bounced off the walls. Why were these people running?
"Try to flank him! I will follow him through here!" A young male voice said.
"Got it!" A female one said.
All of a sudden, a cloaked figure sprinted down a hall.
Soon, a young man in a suit, an agent by the looks of it, entered the same hallway, gun in hand. "Stop!"
The figure soon enough halted its progress. Not because of the agent's command, but because they reached a dead end. Nothing but walls and a doorway to their left, but that would only lead to a patient's room.
Eren aimed his gun, walking up to the mysterious person. "Turn around, slowly."
The figure had nowhere else to go. They did what they were told, and turned to face the agent.
Through the windows, one could see the moonlight shine off of their silver lion mask.
"Always, always, by my side,
I felt the power that I believe in
Is moving distant and fragile things"
Studio Ereannie
Writer:
Freelance7
Supervising Producers:
Nakamatoo
Insomniatic Titan
Dorminchu
Ghastmine
Euregatto
Titan-Wolfdog
Nanisketches
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's took so long! College and stuff. Anyway, please please please leave comments! I need it! It really helps me when I am writing. I hope you enjoyed this episode! See you next time!
Also, a very happy birthday to my friend Nakamatoo. I probably wouldn't be here today without his support. I swear he is a god damn cheerleader. He's turning 21. Don't get too drunk!
