Chapter 7: Feint and Retreat

Armin walked slowly down the stairs to the basement room where Annie was being kept. The third and final company in their resupply expedition to Karanes would be riding out now, leaving the survey corps headquarters virtually unprotected. With potential colluders within the military police, Commander Erwin had chosen to station a few of his own men throughout the castle instead of the contingent that the MPs had sent. Armin understood the decision but knew how ripe the castle must look for picking.

After ensuring that his preparations were in working order, Armin sat on a small cushion he'd brought down for the wait. Most of his fellow soldiers from the 104th had left in the first wave over three hours ago while he'd taken refuge in the loft above the stables. Hanji had known of his plan and had made sure that no red flags were raised, but that didn't mean that someone else wasn't watching. He estimated that if his adversary had ridden with either of the first two companies, they could potentially return here in the next two hours. If the enemy was hidden in the castle or coming from outside, they could come at any moment after the final company had left. For now, all he could do was wait.

Armin sat quietly, realizing that his heart was beating normally, his breath slow and measured. It was almost amusing enough to laugh at; here he was, the boy who'd gotten kicked around Zhiginshina by a couple of schoolyard bullies, waiting alone for one of humanity's greatest betrayers without so much as a nervous sweat. Ever since his grandfather had died during the reclamation mission, he'd told himself that he wanted to do the right thing, at any cost. Maybe that wasn't it after all, maybe he just had a death wish and chose martyrdom as the most noble way to go.

Annie stood silently in her crystal shell, the darkness shrouding her passive expression. Traitor. Armin couldn't help but agree with Eren, it just didn't add up, something wasn't right about all of this. What caused him doubt was how poorly managed it had been, she should have known better than to be trapped like this. Of course Eren simply didn't want to believe it, he'd done everything he could over the past few weeks trying to convince himself that she had been forced into it all along. That when the crystal finally opened she would somehow be there to confess or lead them to some greater evil that had compelled her. At least he had the dignity to keep it to himself, too many beds in this castle were empty by her hand alone. Armin didn't harbor such fantasies, he'd known her better than most during the early days of their training and he'd seen how she changed.

Maybe Annie had been coerced at first, during their days of training, but then she'd taken the mission as her own and committed to whatever cause she fought for now. Toward the end Annie had become more strong willed and more violent; prone to fighting when she didn't get her way and lashing out at those who showed weakness. Armin hadn't spoken with her about the change, he'd just assumed that she wanted to spend time with Eren instead of him. But he'd noticed it all the same.

The time passed slowly, or at least it seemed to. It had felt like hours that Armin had sat there, nearly motionless but the few quick stretches he would do from time to time to keep his blood flowing. Soft steps echoed down the from the edge of the staircase, quiet but not as stealthy as they could be. Armin could distinguish two sets of footsteps falling just out of sync as they descended as rapidly as their stealth would allow. 'They must have come from inside the castle if they aren't worried about the guards, either hiding out or having found another way in.' That meant they must be part of the survey corps, maybe even someone he had trained with. Armin had his suspicions, but making assumptions could be dangerous if you failed to prepare for any possibility.

Armin sat motionless, his form concealed by the equipment stored nearby, his fingers resting idly on the triggers of his maneuver gear. He had planned these moments carefully but like any situation there were an infinite number of things that could go unexpectedly wrong. Reiner and Bertholdt stepped into view, quiet but careless to their surroundings, their backs turned and guards down. Armin hesitated, his breath caught in his throat as he drank in the scene. He could execute the trap now, they were positioned perfectly in front of the crystal with their hands outstretched, but maybe this would be the piece of knowledge missing from Eren's transformation? Their hands pressed against the crystal, palms flat against its surface, and pushed. Armin felt a wave of energy wash over him and he fired, the modified gear punching deep into the walls on either side of Annie. The pulley system he'd established caught both Reiner and Bertholdt, driving them into the ceiling with incredible force and knocking them both unconscious, their legs and arms ensnared in thickly woven cables. They dangled motionless from the ceiling, blood dripping from small wounds as Annie's crystal melted between them.

Armin stood quickly, his hand grasping quickly for his blades. 'Shit, I had to remove those to make room for the extra gas propulsion!' He had brought a dagger to defend himself, hardly an adequate handicap to make any fight with Annie fair. She appeared to be moving sluggishly though, not really sure of herself or her surroundings. Taking the opportunity, Armin threw the dagger with all of his might, the blade sinking into the flesh near Annie's right shoulder with a sickening thud.

Annie stumbled back against the wall, her feet still clumsy and tripping over the fragments of crystal scattered around the basement floor. "Shit!" she screamed, her face contorting into a blind rage as she bent double and grasped the hilt. With an inhuman howl she yanked the dagger out, blood pouring from between her fingers as she clenched at the wound. The moments passed quickly as her ragged breaths slowed and she stood upright, tossing the dagger aside. "That was a really fucking rude thing to do, Arlert."

Her wound had stopped bleeding, the healing done in mere moments. 'It must be something about that crystal, maybe her body is still responding like a titan's?' Armin hadn't liked his chances in combat with Annie, but now he doubted them even more. The best he could do was slow her down and hope the guards thought to check down here. Grabbing a fistful of gravel from his pouch, Armin ran toward her. He flung the gravel in Annie's face, causing her to shield her face and block her vision. Throwing all of his weight into her stomach, Armin knocked her off balance and onto the ground. She tried to wriggle free but her arms were pinned as he held on with all his strength.

Annie wriggled a single hand free and began raining blows against Armin's head and ears. He tried to huddle to avoid them but she threw her forehead into his face, cracking the bridge of his nose painfully. Armin rolled to his side, his nose in agony and blood running down his face. "Shit!" Armin cried, clutching at it instinctively as she quickly got to her feet. He felt his rib crack as her first kick landed against his side, the second landing moments later against his chest. His ears felt stuffed with cotton as pain exploded in his chest, his throat coughing up blood along the basement floor. He blinked, trying to stay in the present and keep his vision working. Waiting for the third kick, he tried to position his back away from her, but it never came.

Annie stood under Bertholdt and yanked at the wire, pulling him down and freeing his arms. Armin could see a loaf of bread and jugs of water strewn across the ground under Reiner. 'Maybe she needs them after using all that energy to shield herself, it must have something to do with...' Before Armin could finish his thought, Annie approached, grabbing him firmly by the collar and pulling his face toward hers. "Looks like you guessed wrong, Arlert. Did you know it was going to be one of them or was it just a lucky guess?"

"Couldn't have been that lucky if I was wrong. I knew it was Reiner but didn't think Bertholdt would be coming too. I thought two traps would have been enough." He spat at her face, blood mixing heavily with his saliva. Annie backhanded him hard, the swing filled with all the frustration of someone tired of playing games.

"Guess you thought wrong."

A second thud signaled that Reiner had been let down by Bertholdt, his form already huddled over and working at the binding ropes. Armin focused on his breathing, trying to tell if blood was entering his lungs. His chest hurt but his lungs felt clear, though likely bruised. They were all standing around him now, Reiner's strong arms pulling him up by his shirt. In his face was a sad reluctance as he pulled his arm back, ready to deal a heavy blow. Armin could see a deep-seated regret in his eyes. 'I wonder why he is doing this.'

"Stop, I'll take care of this," spoke Annie, drawing a blade from Reiner's kit and stepping between him and Armin.

"Annie, I... do we..." stuttered Bertholdt, his eyes shooting worried glances toward Reiner's horrified face.

"I said I'll handle it. Now go check upstairs, this will be useless if the guards patrol this area, we can't transform until we are out the tunnel." Annie held their stares until they both nodded, hurrying back up the stairs as quietly as they could.

Armin laughed, sliding back down to his knees as Annie put the blade to his neck. The tiniest prick cut into his throat as her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What's so funny, Armin? There aren't any guards within earshot or you'd have called for them by now. I take the game." She still called him by his first name when they were alone, that must mean something. Some lasting sentimentality? He laughed again, his chest burning as it rumbled.

"You aren't going to kill me, if you were you'd have done it already. You sent them away so that you wouldn't have to." Armin paused, watching her expression for something that "Still thinking about that kiss under the stars? I'm afraid I won't be able to match it in my current condition."

Annie reared her arm back, her hand clenched tightly into a fist. "You stupid fool... maybe if things had been different..."

Armin smiled again, his lips still moist with blood. "Things could never have been different though, could they?" The impact of her fist sent stars spinning as he collapsed to the floor in a heap. Armin fought with all his mind to stay conscious, the moments ticking by in excruciating eternity. Finally a hand rested lightly against him. Mike.

"You've done well, Arlert, I will be able to follow them as planned. But let me quickly call for someone to tend to your wounds, you look as if..."

"No!" Armin hissed roughly into the silence. "If you call for anyone and Annie or the others hear you, we won't stand a chance. Go now, they are headed toward some tunnel, I will be fine." He forced a smile, the effort of it all draining him deeply.

Mike touched his shoulder consolingly, his eyes pained but determined. Armin listened to his footsteps as he stood and left, soft padded feet whispering against the cold stone floor. He lingered on the edge of his consciousness for a while, his mind wandering to memories of stars covered by the cloudy night. His head was aching terribly and he could feel nausea coming on now. 'It must be a concussion... if only I can stay awake long enough I will be alright.' Either way, the plan had worked and the pieces were in motion, he wouldn't be needed for now.

'Your move, Annie Leonhart.'


A/N: Yeah it's been forever since I published a chapter, I had another part of this I was planning on finishing, but figured it would just take until eternity to finish if I kept them together. Will be included in Ch8.