Chapter Nine

"KENNYYY!" Levi roars enraged, digging out a blade with his left hand as he leans forward poised to strike. He flings the blade at the flying man as he falls from the sky, buying himself enough time to rip off his traveling cloak which he unfurls before him, shielding his body from view as he ducks to the side.

"BOOM!" Kenny exclaims a split second before buckshot rips through the pint-sized Captain's cloak, rupturing the chimney behind him. Heart beating madly within his chest, Levi straightens up, lifting a foot as he prepares to flee. Gritting his teeth, he turns once more to examine Nifa's remains, desperately hoping to find her alive and dazed. Her cooling corpse sinks further against the wall as her knee falls ever so slightly.

Realizing that he has only moments to spare before Kenny reloads his weapon, Captain Levi leaps from behind the chimney and takes off running, barely managing to dodge a well-aimed shot before leaping into the air to dodge a second. Sliding down the roof, he allows his momentum to propel him forward, ripping out his grappling triggers before swinging into a nearby alley.

Deftly twisting and swinging his body forward, he leaps and glides through the alley, desperately racing to catch up with the wagon. He grits his teeth when he emerges from the maze of alleyways to find the wagon stripped bare of its tarp, exposing Eren and Historia to their pursuers' aim.

Get them the fuck out of there Richard! He thinks furiously as he ducks behind a building to avoid another well-aimed shot. Down below he watches the blonde freeze and lets out an exasperated puff of air when he notices the rifle lying forgotten mere meters away from Eren. For fuck's sake, someone do something!

Atta boy! Eren immediately reaches for the rifle, loading and cocking it before being distracted by the blonde's collapsing form.

Historia! Eren collapses on top of her mere seconds later, dropping the rifle in the process. It's alright Richard, just remain focused! I'm almost—! A loud boom echoes through the street as Richard's body tumbles from the wagon. A female hostile lands in the driver's seat, manning the reins in his place as Levi finally catches up with them. She hears the groan of his grappling hook and looks up to find him almost upon her.

He swings around the corner, releasing his hooks as he prepares to board the wagon when he freezes mid-air. Three hostiles swing into view directly blocking his path as they aim their weapons at him prompting him to retreat.

Shit! They predicted our every fucking move! He propels himself backwards before swinging towards a building and slinging through two passing carriages, narrowly avoiding getting squished between them. The air whips madly around him as adrenaline spurs his movements, blindly guiding him through frantic spins, slings and swings as he desperately flees for his life. He manages to hook unto a nearby building as an ominous shadow materializes in the sky above him. Kenny's grinning visage precedes a pair of well-aimed shots the Captain narrowly manages to avoid before swinging into yet another alley.

Shit! Of all people! Why the hell would you work with the MP's?! He wonders through tightly clenched teeth as he glances over his shoulder. The memory of him peering miserably up at Kenny's cloaked form flashes briefly before his eye. He shakes his head, quickly snapping out if it in time to dodge yet another hail of bullets from his three would-be killers. Grunting with the force of his exertions, he leaps and swings between buildings, silently cursing his decision to box himself in the narrow alleyway. He spots a long wooden beam and dives unto it, sliding down as another round of gunshots trail him, each getting closer and closer before blood splashes into his left eye, briefly blinding him.

He falls towards the ground, arresting his descent with yet another well-timed grappling hook which propels him forward. Sliding through the alley, he slips beneath a row of merchants' tables before springing forward. He fires his hook at the first thing his eyes latch on to, pulling him towards the double saloon doors of a rickety building. He lands sideways on the sturdy bar countertop, scanning the room for the nearest hiding place before pulling himself unto the bar.

"It's Levi, of the Scouts!" A patron observes in hushed bewilderment as the bartender whimpers behind him.

"W-welcome to our establishment, sir!" The cowering bartender manages with great difficulty. The Captain ignores him, squinting at the gaping doorway instead as he tries to figure a way out before Kenny and his squad can surround the saloon.

Shit! If this keeps up, he pauses to wipe the blood from his eye with a pained snarl. I'll lose my team, Eren and Historia.

"It's the damnedest thing!" Kenny the Ripper calls from the street beyond. "I seem to be smelling a rat in this fine establishment." Levi wordlessly turns to the bartender snapping his fingers impatiently before pointing at the gun hidden behind the counter.

The trembling man immediately surrenders the weapon to the cornered scout, never once daring to turn the firearm against him. Levi snatches the rifle and ducks behind the counter, quietly loading and cocking the weapon before pressing his back against the counter, doing his best to remain as hidden as possible.

"Come out ya filthy, little rat." The mass murderer taunts before leaping forward and sliding through the doorway, legs parted comically as he yells, "found ya! The law's here to exterminate the vermin! Bang! Bang!" He exclaims, stomping both feet for emphasis. A stunned silence follows the brazen declaration as the patrons watch the scene unfold in obvious shock and bewilderment.

Have to keep him talking and focused on me.

"Eeek!" The trembling bartender whimpers from his post directly beside Levi.

"What the hell?! Ain't ya even here?!" Kenny calls in exasperation.

"Right here, Kenny," Levi replies. "It's been a while. Never thought you'd still be alive. What happened to slaughtering the Military Police? Now you're suddenly one of them?"

"Grownups do plenty of things a kid like you wouldn't understand," Kenny states bluntly. "Oops, my bad. You're just so tiny it's hard to believe you're older now. I must admit, I've been looking forward to seeing you in action. Never thought all them tricks I learned ya would be helping ya out like this."

That makes two of us. Levi laments as his mind briefly returns to the fallen three. Would they have survived if they had been taught by him too?

"But didn't I ever teach what happens to a cornered rat?" Kenny wonders. "No matter which way you run, you'll get blasted to smithereens from every direction. Hey, Levi…" Glass shatters and rains down on his hidden form as the remnants of the chair Kenny had hurled clatters to the ground around him. The Captain's eyes widen as he shifts his gaze to the growing pool of alcohol around him. "There's gotta be a reason ya became a Scout. And I think I know what it is."

Think! I can't stay here. He is going to burn me alive!

"We had no choice but to survive in that garbage dump," Kenny continues. "It took all we had each day to keep livin'."

Don't fucking remind me.

"And when we found out how big the world really was, you can bet it hurt like hell. But something saved us…"

That's it, keep on talking you wrinkled heap of shit! Levi thought as he shifted his gaze to the liquor cabinet directly in front of him. With the bartender gone, he could finally see Kenny's reflection on several of the tall, dark green bottles. His eyes widened as he heard the sound of another chair being lifted.

"We'd found something we wanted to do. It's that simple. It's simple but the truth is…the only thing that made our lives fulfilling was finding hobbies."

"Hobbies, huh?" Levi repeats as he focuses on a single bottle. "So is blowing the heads of my teammates another hobby of yours?" He wonders leaning forward to quickly turn the label of the bottle away from him, granting him a better view of Kenny's reflection standing by the doorway. As he had guessed, the slender murderer had picked up yet another chair and was training the nozzle of his gun in Levi's general direction as he prepared to hurl more furniture over the counter.

"Yep," Kenny admits. "To achieve my grand goals, I'll kill as much as I have to. You're no different. You kill when it benefits you too."

"Yeah." He agrees whipping the rifle unto the counter and firing a shot in Kenny's direction.

Judging by the clattering of shattered wood pieces and the confused voices of the military police officers gathered outside, Kenny the Ripper had been temporarily neutralized. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the Captain leapt unto the counter once more, grayish-blue eyes trained on the saloon entrance as he hurled the rifle in the bartender's general direction.

"Thanks, old man." He muttered heaving a genuine sigh of relief as he took off towards a nearby window. Deciding to take a leaf out of Kenny's book, he stopped along the way and hurled a chair through the window. No sooner had the chair shattered through the glass did a pair of shots ring out in rapid succession.

Two shots, huh? I see how it is. He vaults through the window, twisting mid-air to face the direction of both shots. Without pausing to think, he fires his grappling hook in the stunned officer's direction ripping through his throat and snapping his neck as he hurls him off the building before swinging unto a nearby rooftop.

Spotting a pair of armed officers quickly closing in on him, Levi barely has enough time to hurl the officer's corpse in front of him, shielding his body from the hail of gunshots as he charges forward. Waiting for the inevitable lull in gunfire, the Captain fires his grappling hook at the wall directly behind his assailants, discarding the corpse as he unsheathes another blade with his right hand. Taking advantage of his momentum once more, he swings his blade in a powerful, sweeping arch sending globs of blood flying through the air around him as he slices through their flesh with a heavy grunt.

Before the other officers around could catch on to what was going on, the Captain swings and disappears into a nearby alley, desperately straining his senses for any sign of the wagon carrying Eren and Historia.

Eren! Historia! I'm coming!

He quickly finds them and immediately closes in on their location, doing his best to keep a healthy distance between him and his pursuers. Detecting movement behind him, he turns in time to see a military police officer aim his gun at him and fire. Deftly moving to the side at the last moment, the Captain fires his grappling hook into his opponent's abdomen, yanking the wire forward as he slices his assailant almost in half. From the corner of his eye, he notices more figures closing in on his location and leans against the wall to assess the situation.

Relief floods him as he notices Mikasa leading the other cadets towards him.

"After the wagon!" He barks as they reach him.

"Yes, sir." The younger Ackerman replies without hesitation.

The moody brat will be fine but I need to warn the others.

"Listen up!" He calls out, prompting the cadets to face him. "They're used to fighting people! They've already taken out three of ours." The group exclaims in shock and surprise. "If we're going to get those two back, you cannot hesitate. If you get the chance, go for the kill. Got it?!" Sasha's eyes widen in panic as doubt and trepidation weigh down Jean and Connie's shoulders.

"Roger!" Mikasa replies once more with hesitation. Levi turns and dives unto the awning of a nearby vendor's stall below, bouncing off the white sheet before spinning around as he fires one of his hooks at the military police officer standing guard over Eren and Historia on the wagon. The man grunts as Captain Levi yanks the wire towards him, pulling the man off the wagon and snapping his back with a sickening crunch. Pausing long enough to confirm that the officer was dead, the Captain swings unto a nearby building, prompting another assailant to swing after him with an annoyed growl.

"Tsk!" He grunts as he deftly dodges the attacker's lunge. "Armin! Jean! Secure the wagon. We'll cover you." The blond and taller boy start slightly at being called into action so suddenly. Much to the Captain's surprise, Armin was the first to dive into the fray as Jean hangs back trailing the fallen police officer with wide, fearful eyes. The pair of cadets quickly land on the wagon and are able to regain control of the vehicle with Mikasa's help. The Captain turns his attention towards the other officers quickly closing in on their location, doing his best to engage and distract as many as he could, falling behind the wagon.

"Jean!" He hears Mikasa cry out in the distance causing his blood to run cold as a harrowing thought grips him.

Please no! The thunderous boom of the shot echoes ominously as he flies towards their location. He is relieved to see Armin and Jean safely within the wagon along with Eren and Historia. As he closes in to reroute them to safety, he hears the hiss of pressurized air and turns in time to see three more police officers quickly closing in on the wagon.

"Tsk! Armin! Jean!" He cries out, thoughtlessly hurling himself forward, knocking Jean off the wagon and out of harm's way. Sasha mimics him, knocking Armin to safety without any thought for her own life. The three officers quickly descend on the wagon, regaining control as they steer it towards a tunnel, firing several shots in their general direction. Pausing long enough to account for the rest of his team, Captain Levi sprints to throw an arm in front of an irate Mikasa.

"Let 'em, go! We're running on fumes, fall back!" He barks pushing back against her straining form. She glares down at him before whipping her arm over his head as she attempts to push past him.

"No!" She cries out beside herself with rage. Planting his feet firmly unto the ground, he musters every ounce of strength left within his body to hold the younger Ackerman back. Grunting slightly from the exertion as they briefly struggle."EREEEEEENNNNNNN!" Her scream rings through his ear, rattling every nerve within his body as stares past her.

"Captain." Connie Springer meekly approaches them as Mikasa sinks to a trembling heap at his feet. "We can't stay here." Several heads are beginning to poke out from nearby windows and balconies as a few brave souls venture out into the street to assess the commotion as the dust begins to settle. Finally releasing his grip around Mikasa's body, he turns to rally the others before departing.

They are thankfully able to slip away in the chaotic aftermath of the battle, retracing their steps back to the warehouse where the amateur kidnappers had moved the decoys earlier that day. Connie volunteers to take the first watch, allowing Sasha to quickly eat and clean the Captain's wounds before stepping out to relieve him. The weight of his failure buckles the Captain's muscular shoulders as he slowly slips his shirt back on.

In the dark golden glow of the lantern, it is easy to imagine her petite form watching him quietly from the corner, striking blue eyes heavy with guilt and concern.

"That is the last time I ever entrust Eren into your care." Mikasa Ackerman growls beneath her breath as he rejoins the group huddled around the lantern. When he wordlessly continues past her, she adds. "And let that be the last time you ever stop me from going after Eren." He moves past her, not deigning to respond to her outburst as his thoughts return to Historia Reiss.

If the enemy wanted either of them dead they could have easily killed them any number of times when they were alone with them on the wagon. The fact that they didn't clearly proves that they need them alive…for the time being at least. But why? And what purpose could Historia possibly serve alive?

They needed answers. Fast.

"Leave us." Levi Ackerman orders quietly as Mikasa finishes securing Djel Sannes' hands behind his back. She takes one look at the tools the Captain has laid out on the rickety stool before him and wordlessly departs without so much as a backward glance.

"C-Captain L-Levi!" Her voice echoes in the eerie silence around him as he drives his fist unto the unconscious officer's nose with enough force to break it. The man sputters and cries out in pain as blood spurts down his mouth.

"What the—?!" A second punch this time to the eye interrupts Sannes' words. Captain Levi is pleased to see a darkening bruise already taking shape when he retracts his hand before swinging yet another vicious punch at the bound officer's mouth. His body moves seemingly of its own volition, mercilessly pummeling the bound officer with all the strength he can muster until his knuckles begin to bleed and his bones ache with the force of his strikes.

Pausing briefly to adjust the apron he had secured around himself, Levi pulls out a pair of gloves, sliding each over each hand before lifting a pair of pliers from the stool. Sannes' muffled screams echo through the dingy dungeon as his body rattles within his bindings. The Captain briefly inspects the tooth he had ripped out with a satisfied nod, shifting to study the painful twist of the officer's features as blood pours freely from his mouth.

"I made it!" Section Commander Zoe announces slamming the door open as she and Moblit Berner enter the dungeon. "You haven't finished yet have you?"

"No." The Captain replies coolly turning slightly to face her. "I've barely even started."

"Sannes! I'm only a novice at human torture," she declares turning to face the now-trembling prisoner as her long-suffering assistant quietly shuts the creaky door behind them. "However, whatever I might lack in experience, I promise to make up for with zealous devotion."

He's all yours, Four-Eyes. The Captain muses as he shifts aside, allowing the Section Commander to relieve him of the pliers in his hands.

"Wait!" Sannes cries out thoroughly terrified. "At least tell me what you want! Who the hell tortures someone without asking any questions?"

"Oh yeah." Captain Levi pauses as the Section Commander turns to glace at him. "I knew I was forgetting something important. We do have some questions for you." Section Commander Zoe steps back allowing the captive to face Levi. "Where were Eren and Historia taken? What do you want with Historia? And what is the Reiss family?"

"Too slow!" The Section Commander bellows when he doesn't speak, seizing the captive's hand and twisting off a nail with an impatient yank. "Can't you see that we're in a time crunch here?!"

Levi winces slightly as the man's body writhes and convulses in agony causing the chair to buckle and scrape along the dungeon floor. The Captain turns to give Moblit a pointed look, prompting the taller man to walk around and grab hold of the prisoner's chair, holding it firmly in place as Section Commander Zoe repeats the Captain's inquiries. Levi narrows his eyes attentively as he scrutinizes Sannes' visage for any signs of fear and resignation.

"I see. So that's how it is." The Captain mutters as he detects the defiant gleam in Djel Sannes' eyes with an irritated hiss. "We'll see how quiet you can be when we're done with you." Although it was clear that the man wouldn't answer any further questions the instant he didn't start spilling after the first nail was ripped off, Captain Levi steps back granting Section Commander Zoe free range of his body.

"You see my buddy here has a theory," Section Commander Hange Zoe chuckles as she reaches for the second fingernail. "That people who don't spill the beans won't talk no matter how many nails you rip off. Frankly, I think it's a completely rubbish theory—no offense Levi." The Captain manages a noncommittal shrug in response prompting her to continue. "How generous of you to allow me to test that theory!"

"You said it yourself, the time might come when you'll have to choose between protecting me and Eren. Judging by your train of thought so far, it'd be safe to say that you're leaning more towards protecting Eren, right?"Although he had been tempted to lie or simply to walk away without responding, the sadness in her voice and smile had spurred him to acknowledge his own misgivings out loud.

Historia. He digs his clenched fists into the pockets of his apron as he watches the Section Commander's work with blank, unseeing eyes. Could it be…could they be torturing her at this very moment? If the secrets of the walls are more valuable than human lives I wouldn't put it past them. We're running out of time.

"Sorry for the sloppy work but it seems like I don't have your knack for peeling nails." The Section Commander taunts as she holds up a platter of bloody fingernails for the prisoner to see a half hour later. "Just how many did you have to peel to get so good at it?"

"Too many to remember," Sannes replies with a hoarse sigh as his shoulders sink. "Within these cramped walls, war has never broken out and I can tell you why. It is because we of the First Interior Squad dirtied our hands to protect the King's Peace!"

The Captain's eyes narrow suspiciously as he watches the rambling man draw a deep steadying breath.

"That teacher too smart for his own good…" Sannes continues causing Levi's shoulders to perk up ever so slightly.

Could he be referring to Commander Ervin's father?

"A stupid couple who tried to fly!" Sannes snarls. "A whore who fucked the wrong man!"

Historia's mother, perhaps?

"No matter how hard they beg or plead, we erase them to protect humanity!" He roars beside himself with righteous indignation. "You should be on your knees thanking me. In all my years I've never seen anyone derive as much pleasure from human suffering as you mongrels! You're both monsters!" He draws a deep, steadying breath as he leans back in his chair with a resigned sigh. "But I'm determined to face you without fear. Do what you want…for I…I have my faith. And I believe in the King and the peace within these walls. I believe that every one of my wretched deeds was justified. But…to think that it'd hurt this much. If you're going to torture me to death, get on with it. Sounds like a fitting end for this blood-stained life."

"Time for a break," Levi announces quietly, turning to leave without pausing to check if the others had picked up on his lead.

"Ah dammit, all." Section Commander Zoe sighs. "I'm starting to feel sorry for him now."

Almost there. Just need one final push. Once they were all past the door, the Section Commander turns to give Moblit Berner a pointed look prompting the taller scout to leave the dungeon door cracked slightly open as she pulls out a folded piece of parchment which she unfurls. Leading the way to the adjacent dungeon, she steps aside allowing Levi to walk in ahead of her and pull out the prisoner. The Captain shoves the man forward, forcing him ahead of him as they climb the stairs.

"Quit shoving me." The officer groans. "It hurts." Section Commander Zoe moves in front of the pair of them, holding up the parchment she had straightened out earlier allowing both men a glimpse of the characters scribbled legibly in ink.

"How pathetic can you get?" Levi reads menacingly. "I can't believe you started talking after just one nail. Sannes doesn't have any nails left, he's a real soldier."

"Like I care," the man reads with a convincingly disinterested growl. "He can get tortured all he wants. The guy never shuts up about peace and the king. The rest of us can't stand his fucking guts. Just do us a favor and kill him already."

"We're going to have to keep him around until he's verified what you've told us." Levi recites at the Section Commander's prompting.

"Well you've got everything you wanted out of me, so why don't you fuck off already? Oh, and you're transferring me to a cell with a bed right?" Levi wordlessly shoves the prisoner forward climbing the stairs until they reached the deserted chamber high above.

"I'll take it from here, Captain." Moblit Berner offers, stepping forward to relieve him of the prisoner.

"Captain, a word?" Section Commander Zoe says leading the way. Up another flight of stairs they go, past the chamber where the disheartened cadets are gathered around a rickety dining table. Ignoring Connie and Sasha's expectant faces, the pair of them continues walking until they are safely outside in the weed-infested garden.

"Now," Levi pauses crossing his arms as the Section Commander quietly secures the door behind them. "What's this about? New orders from the Commander?" She shakes her head as a dark shadow crosses over her face.

"I finally got around to reading the note Eren handed me yesterday evening." It takes the Captain a few moments to recall what she's referring to. He gives her a slow, cautious nod as he notes the trembling of her shoulders. "I think we might have finally figured out why titans eat humans."

"Spare me the theatrics and spit it out already," he snaps.

"Apparently Ymir had eaten one of Bertholdt's…allies from before the wall fell," she explains quietly. "While she seemingly has no recollection of this, she was somehow able to revert back into a human state shortly afterward."

"The fuck?!" His arms fall from his chest as he reaches to grab the Section Commander's shoulders. "So what the fuck are you trying to tell me?"

"That all but confirms our working theory that humans are somehow transformed into titans. And the only way for them to revert back is for them to consume a human with the ability to become a titan—thus regaining sentience whilst retaining the abilities of the titan-shifter they consumed."

"But what or who is triggering these transformations in the first place?" Levi wonders.

"It's difficult to say." She shrugs. "But from what we know so far it's plausible to assume the Beast Titan's pilot and a few others possess this ability. As to their motives and exact methods I'm afraid we're shit out of luck figuring that one out. This is huge Levi. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it. C-Commander Ervin seemed puzzled but strangely vindicated when I informed him."

"That means…" Levi pauses. "Could they be after Eren's scream ability? The one you all said caused the titans to completely ignore you during your retreat?"

"It's the only reason I can come up with for them wanting him so desperately," she replies with a tired sigh taking off her glasses to rub a sore spot right below her temple. "If you think about it it all makes sense now."

"Maybe. But we still don't know how the Reiss family fits in all this and what the government wants with Historia. If it really is the government that is behind all this."

"Commander Ervin seems to have a hunch. When we received your note about the captured officers he sent me here with express instructions to learn as much as possible about the Reiss and their involvement. They seem to be the key to all this somehow but I can't imagine how. Ugh, nothing makes sense anymore!"

"If that isn't an understatement, I don't know what is."

"So what now?" She asks with a sheepish shrug. "My brain's so fried from all this excitement that I can't think straight."

"We'll keep this from the others until we learn more from Sannes and the other guy," Levi replies. "Once you've had an opportunity to report back to the Commander we should know where to go from there."

"Right," the Section Commander agrees, turning to retreat indoors before pausing. "You okay, Levi?" He turns to face her with a quizzical arch of his eyebrow. "Back there, you started pummeling the guy without bothering to ask him any questions."

"It's been a long day." The Captain trails off with a small sigh, shifting his gaze skyward as he absentmindedly rubs the back of his hair with an exasperated flick of his wrist. He freezes as he is reminded of small fingers gripping him carelessly, yanking him down unto pliant, pink lips.

Historia. Sweat slides down his palms forcing him to shove them into his apron pockets once more. Behind him, he feels the Section Commander's gaze observing him quietly before abruptly departing, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He is half-asleep by the low garden wall when Moblit Berner returns to fetch him an hour later. Rising to his feet, he pauses briefly to dust off his backside before pulling out his long, leather gloves. Down the steps they go ignoring the cadets' anxious expressions as they continue towards the dungeon. The Section Commander is already waiting for them, watching their approach with a manic gleam. As Levi is adjusting his second glove, she swings the creaky door open with an inappropriately broad smile.

"Up and at 'em, Sannes!" She greets cheerily. "We're going to try again. While this won't be easy for me either, but I'll be the best torturer I c—"

"Reiss is the true royal family." The broken man reveals with a resigned sigh.