Chapter 11: The Female Titan

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: Eren argues, wanting to fight, but is talked down. He stays to help his squad. He takes control from Eren II to fight the Female Titan but loses.

"Eren!" Mikasa's voice called out to him. He weakly opened his eyes. She sat beside him, smiling in relief. They were in a moving cart, the vast blue sky stretching above him.

He sat up, still covered by her cloak.

"Don't try to get up yet. Rest."

"The Female Titan?" Eren asked desperately.

"She escaped."

"Why? What happened to the others?" His voice trembled slightly. "What happened to my squad?"

"I'm sorry, the plan failed. Two of your squadmates didn't make it," she answered sadly. "The other two were injured."

"But," he protested, voice wavering, "they can't die on me."

"Eren—"

"You don't get it! They can't do that! Don't they understand? I'll have to avenge them now. We'll have to be called the Avengers," Eren babbled, unable to think straight. "We can't do that! We can't be called the Avengers! It's our running gag. They're—"

Mikasa took hold of his hand and squeezed, stopping his shocked nonsense. "I'm so sorry, Eren."

Then he heard the crowd.

"Aren't a bunch of them missing compared to this morning?"

"Far fewer..."

"How horrible..."

"Just this morning they left to raise hell, but now they're back already? What was the point?"

"Who knows?"

"But judging by those gloomy expressions, they managed to gobble up more of our taxes."

Eren shrank with every new voice. It made him feel heavier and heavier. "Eren, just bear with it," Mikasa said softly. Then, with some trepidation, she pulled his head onto her lap and he wept, face buried into her stomach. He covered his ears to block out their judgmental voices, focusing on the soothing feeling of Mikasa's fingers in his hair as hot tears kept pouring down his cheeks.

Eren felt exhausted, sitting quietly with Levi. A small candle provided them with light in the empty mess hall. After returning to HQ, he had been placed in his room in the basement and informed of the decision to be handed over to the Military Police. Armin had come to check on him once and they'd only had a few minutes before he had to leave. Eren had spent the night tossing and turning. Nightmares had plagued him, watching his team die, and he'd had little to no sleep when morning finally came.

"How are Petra and Erd?" Eren demanded when he met Levi in the mess hall.

"They're bruised and banged up. The infirmary doctor said they'll recover fully, given some time. Suffice to say, they'll be out of commission for a while. But they're still alive and will recover and return to active duty yet."

"We'll have to create a new squad until then. Or you will. I'll probably end up getting dissected by the Military Police." If it came to that, he would Shift before they could neutralize him and take Mikasa and Armin and run as far as he could. He was almost certain there were more people out there. We could go someplace where we won't have to be soldiers, we could just be teenagers.

Silence fell between them after that and had persisted even when Levi tried to make small talk. "They're late," Levi began once more. "Erwin and his damn folk are making me wait. Our Military Police escorts are gonna arrive first." He took a sip from his teacup. "Maybe he's constipated again."

Eren didn't say a word.

"You're being uncharacteristically quiet. Normally I have a hard time shutting you up."

"I'm sorry. It was my fault," he confessed quietly, head down. "If only I'd made the right decision." Eren's fists trembled in his lap.

"I told you, no one could have foreseen the outcome."

When did he say that? Eren wondered.

"Sorry for being late." Erwin entered with Armin, Mikasa, and Jean in tow.

It was such a comfort having Armin and Mikasa and even Jean by his side again. A small smile made its way across his face when Mikasa blushed lightly as he quickly squeezed her hand under the table.

"We've identified the person likely to be the Female Titan," Erwin said, his words surprising Eren. "This time we will catch her."

"Yeah, it's Annie Leonhart," Eren told them, and they looked at him with wide, startled eyes. "Sorry, guess I forgot to mention that. But the Female Titan was using the same unique style of martial arts that only Annie knows. And me, kinda. But how'd you guys figure it out?"

Armin laid out his case about the Female Titan: checking their faces because she knew what Eren looked like and how she had reacted when he referred to Eren as the "Suicidal Bastard." "Only a select group would get that reference. It had to be someone from the 104th class," Armin concluded.

"She resembles the Female Titan, blonde-hair and blue eyes. Titans take on some of the physical characteristics of their human versions. Eren's Titan looks like him, too," Mikasa explained.

"Exactly. And you'd have to be skilled to take out Sonny and Bean," Armin continued, "using gear familiar to you. And when they were inspecting our gear after they were killed, I noticed she brought Marco's gear."

"Does that mean she had something to with his death, too?" Eren frowned. And here I thought I couldn't hate her any more than I already do. While he didn't know the boy personally, Marco, according to Eren II's memories, had been kind and friendly, a genuinely good and pure-hearted person. Like Petra.

Jean frowned, crossing his arms. "Why else would Annie have his gear of all people?"

Eren couldn't help but growl. "Why the hell is she doing this? What's the fucking point of all this tragedy? I don't get it!" There had to be a good reason, didn't there?

"We'll know when we ask her." Erwin laid out a map on the table. "The operation to capture the Female Titan will begin the day after tomorrow. The location is Stohess, where we'll be passing en route to the royal court. This is our one and only chance. If we can't escape there, you'll inevitably fall into the hands of the authorities. Then it'll be even harder to pursue those who scheme to destroy the Walls. Humanity's annihilation will become even more imminent."

Eren held back a look of annoyance, resisting the urge to blurt nobody cares, move on and instead asked. "What's the plan, sir?"

"The plan is as follows: while we're passing through Stohess," the commander traced the route with his finger, "Eren, you'll act as bait to lure the target to this tunnel. If you can bring her into its depths, then even if she transforms she won't have the space to utilize her power. But if by any chance she transforms before then, we'll have to rely on you, Eren."

"I'll take over from the very beginning," Eren II chimed in. "We can't risk you accidentally tipping her off. She might find my new personality suspicious and think we're hiding something."

Eren ignored that and looked to the commander. "Why?"

Erwin's brow furrowed. "Pardon?"

"Why do all this?" He gestured to the map. "Instead of sending her brownies pumped full of sedatives or something like that? She's tiny and being a Shifter means she's never needed medication, so her tolerance should be shit."

"What if she doesn't eat it?" Jean pointed out.

A new piece of info about her popped up in his head, making him more confident. "Sasha once told me Annie's got a sweet tooth, she'll eat them for sure."

"But what if someone else takes a piece first and loses consciousness?" Armin asked.

"Then send everyone gifts baskets." Eren shrugged. "The MP are well liked by the civilians. This kinda stuff can't be that uncommon, right?" He figured that was how the CIA would do it. "Hell, why not drug their water supply? Then we can sneak in and take her while she and everyone else is knocked unconscious."

Erwin shook his head. "There are many variables that could go wrong."

"Really?" Eren looked skeptical. "No offense, but I think it's less likely to fail than your plan. Isn't it riskier to bet she'll want to help? What if she's too tired and never shows? Shifting exhausts me. She transformed twice and ran and fought during the entire expedition. Or what if she refuses to follow us into the tunnel? If we insist too much it'll definitely raise some red flags. And if she transforms, won't the civilians get killed?"

"We'll have the area evacuated," Levi replied.

"Seriously? Okay, tell me what's more obvious: brownies laced with sleeping pills or an abandoned section of an otherwise busy city."

"Eren makes a valid point," Mikasa said and he smiled at her in appreciation.

"But—"

"You're all thinking about this the wrong way," Eren interrupted Armin. "You're too used to fighting Titans and only see her as an intelligent one. Change your perception. How would you take out a human with special powers before she has a chance to use them?"

"You're afraid of fighting her, aren't you? That's what this is really about," Eren II said. "And don't lie, I can feel it."

"Fine, yes, I am. Happy? Annie kicked our ass, bro. You really want to fight her in the middle of a city?"

"We can beat her."

"Can we? I don't have the skills and you don't have the balls. It's why we couldn't do jack shit against her in the forest."

"She took me by surprise last time but I won't fail again," Eren II snapped angrily.

"Well, it might not matter cause there's no denying she's a better martial artist than you. She taught you how to fight, remember?"

"I will defeat Annie," Eren II declared stubbornly. "No matter what it takes."

Where the fuck was this idiot getting his confidence from? He's never bested her once! Eren huffed, crossing his arms. The others were staring at him. "What?"

"You were making faces," Mikasa said uncertainly.

Eren shrugged. "I was just arguing with myself. So, what do you think of my plan?" Before anyone could reply, he gasped. "Hey! I have another idea. I pranked Je—someone I knew once by getting him this card that exploded pink glitter when he opened it! Can we use something like? But instead of glitter, fill it with power chloroform or something that will knock her out." He turned to Erwin. "You can fake a letter from an MP officer, right? That way no one else will open it. Or have someone deliver it and wait for her reply." Eren felt quite proud of his ideas. "Well, what do you guys think?" He scanned their faces eagerly.

"I have to admit," Jean said with a nod, "the card idea seems simple but effective. Do you know how to make it?"

"No, but someone in town probably can. Or the Corps of Engineers. Maybe Hange could. Where is she, anyway?"

"She's having someone look into Annie's background," Levi answered. "Well, what do you think, Erwin?"

"They're certainly intriguing," Erwin offered neutrally. "But I don't know if it's the best move. Sure there may be a chance she will see through my plan more than yours, Eren, but what you fail to consider is what happens if things don't go the way you plan. She'll know we're onto her and Shift there in the middle of the city where it's crowded."

Eren felt his hopes dashed.

"In two days we'll hand Jean disguised as Eren to the MP and have everything set up for the operation."

They didn't even know where the Colossal and Armored Shifters were hiding. What if they showed up to save their comrade? Eren frowned. At least with the 57th Expedition, no one but a trusted handful knew they had a trap laid out. This time, if we can't convince her to follow us into the tunnel, the other two, who could be anywhere, might attack and there goes the whole plan.

Once the commander was finished, he dismissed the recruits. "Except for you, Eren. Stay back."

Jean, Mikasa, and Armin shot him sympathetic looks as they left.

"Trust the commander," Eren II advised before disappearing to rest for the potential upcoming battle.

Eren sighed, slouching back in his chair, waiting for Erwin and Levi to scold him so he could leave.

[Two Days Later]

"I still think we should have sent in the brownies," Eren muttered, leaning back against the wall.

Mikasa waited beside him in the alley. "For what it's worth, I liked your exploding card plan."

Once they saw Armin approaching with Annie, Eren let his other self take over the driver's seat. He and Mikasa quickly fell into step with the duo. "We made it through more easily than I expected," Eren II said quietly.

"Shh!" Mikasa shushed him as a couple holding hands passed them by.

For the most part, Eren kept quiet as not to distract his other self, only laughing when Armin said he and Jean had the same villainous glint in their eyes and the same evil-looking faces, inciting Eren II to disagree and call Jean a horse-face. I have to admit, their acting is pretty decent so far. He became nervous as Annie began questioning Armin and subtly observed the people walking around. Hopefully she wouldn't notice there were no children or the elderly present.

Eren II and Mikasa exchanged a look. "She bought it," Eren II told him, relaxing.

Eren was still suspicious. "Or so she claims."

They made it to the tunnel without a problem. Armin went in first, followed by Mikasa then Eren II. He stopped and looked behind. "Annie? What are you doing? You're not about to tell us you're scared of cramped, dark places, are you?"

Eren could feel the nervousness and anxiety building in his host. Can't let him tip her off. He prepared himself to shove the other boy out and take over. "Easy there," he warned.

"In fact, I am," Annie admitted with a slight hint of fear in her voice. "I doubt a brave, borderline-suicidal guy like you could possibly understand the feelings of a frail girl like me."

"Someone who can fling a big guy head over heels in midair can't call herself a frail girl." Eren II continued to descend the stairs.

"Don't push her," Eren stressed as his twin prepared to speak again. "Keep moving."

Armin and Mikasa followed him. Eren II's heart was hammering in his chest and he was ready to lose his temper when Annie didn't follow.

"No, I'm not going that way," she said.

Eren wasted no time pushing him out and taking control, speaking before Annie could continue. "Fine." He huffed. "Suit yourself, Annie." Then he paused, taking a breath and glancing over his shoulder. "Thanks for getting us this far though," he said. "Let's go, Armin, Mikasa." With their backs to her, his friends gave him wide-eyed looks of surprise.

"You idiot! Let me out!" Eren II yelled, trying to wrestle back control of his body to no avail.

"Shut up. You blew it. I've seen enough spy movies to know you never push your target. It's easier to convince and manipulate people when they think it's their idea."

Once they were moving in the tunnel, having left the stairs far behind, Armin turned to him. "Eren, what did you do?!"

"C'mon, you know it as well as I do she was starting to suspect us, if she wasn't onto her us already. This was a rushed plan from the beginning. It was never going to work."

"But, Eren," Mikasa said worriedly, "you'll get in trouble now. The MPs will take you and dissect you."

Eren stopped. He knew there was a team of Scouts up ahead and he wanted to talk to his friends before they reached the squad. "Look, if that ever came to pass, I'll transform and run away." But he knew it wouldn't come to that. Or he was fairly confident it wouldn't.

"Where will you go in these cramped Walls?" Armin questioned. "We have—"

"We leave the Walls, of course. I've been meaning to tell you but I recovered another one of my dad's memories. I think we're on an island."

"Memories? Island?" Mikasa repeated curiously.

"Yeah, an island's a piece of land surrounded by water. We're surrounded by the ocean. And you guys know what that means, don't you? There have to be more civilizations out there. And I would bet anything that that's where the other Shifters came from. We don't have to stay here."

"What about the people of the Walls?" Eren II demanded loudly in his head, finally snapping out of his shock at the revelation. "You want to just abandon them?"

"You want to leave our people to face the Titans alone?" Mikasa asked the same question, a strange look on her face. It was like she didn't recognize him.

"I'm not saying we should. I'm only laying out an option. The hole in Wall Rose is sealed. The Titans can't get to them anymore."

"But the Armored and Colossal are still out there," Armin argued, thrusting his arm out in emphasis. "What if they attack again? You want to leave our people undefended? That's not like you." He eyed him strangely.

"You're a worthless, spineless asshole!"

"What am I supposed to do? I'm too weak and inexperienced to fight her. It's called common sense."

"I could have beat her!"

"How? With your nakama power?" Eren rolled his eyes. "I can't just pull a victory out of my ass," he said to both his friends and the voice in his head.

"But you're not alone. We had Hange and the other Scouts waiting—"

"With another trap?" Eren interrupted Mikasa. "Yeah, remember how well the last one turned out? I do. With a big chunk of the Corps and half my squad dead. And this time, she has a reason to think we might be gunning for her ass. I don't know why it's so hard for you to understand. We can't beat her in a fight."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try," Armin insisted.

This is such a waste of time. Eren thought. But it wasn't like he had anywhere better to be.

"If we try, we might win. And if we fail, then we'd have at least tried. But doing nothing results in failure with no chance of winning!"

"Eren." Mikasa looked disappointed. "This isn't like you. Giving up without a fight."

That's cause I'm not a blockhead. Eren bit back those words. "You guys aren't getting it. I'm not saying let's give up completely. I'm saying this is not the way to fight her. She's expecting this. Throw her a curveball and use psychological warfare or something. Direct confrontation doesn't work with her. So instead of trying the same thing and hoping for different results—which is the definition of insanity, by the way—let's try a new and different tactic."

Eren II was fuming. "How will we win if we can't fight?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you the best way to win a fight is to avoid one?" Eren told him calmly.

"Are you still on about that stupid brownie plan?"

"No. Not the brownie plan."

"But now that we've failed to capture her, the MP will be coming for your head, Eren," Armin said fearfully. "The plan was to show your worth and capture the enemy, giving the MP something else of greater value."

"Don't worry, it'll all work out, I promise." Inside his head, Eren II continued to berate him so Eren shut him out before he got a headache.

Nile's face was more serious than Erwin had ever seen. "This is your fault, Erwin. They're going to take your position for this."

"I'm here to help." Erwin held up his hands placatingly, taking a seat across from him. "First, where's Jean Kirstein?"

"He's in the dungeons. We arrested him for impersonating Yeager and aiding and abetting in his escape."

"You should know Ackerman and Arlert are here in Stohess as well. They wanted to stay with Eren for as long as possible before he received his sentence. I imagine he is seeking the help of his former classmates to escape to Wall Rose. I sent Levi to track them down, but I don't think Eren's trying to run away."

"Getting someone to impersonate him and disappearing with his friends, what else is he doing but fleeing?" Nile demanded, slamming his fist on his desk.

"Eren wouldn't sacrifice his friend like that." Erwin crossed his arms, frowning. "I believe he's going after the Female Titan-Shifter."

"You know who it is?" Nile asked, having been informed by Hange, on Erwin's orders, about what was going on.

Hange had told Erwin that Nile was upset at not being informed there were more Shifters among them and a trap had been laid for one of them, but understood why. Especially seeing what a disaster the 57th Expedition had been, despite all their caution. "It's only speculation. But Eren's convinced. He wanted to engage her in a fight in the Forest of Giant Trees but Levi forbid him. Later she killed two of his squadmates in front of him. He's out for blood now. And you know the boy's temper."

"Yes. On trial for his life and he still loses it and runs his mouth off," Nile said, shaking his head.

"The Royal Government will want his head for it, but it's not treason. Eren's just being his usual impulsive self. He's going after the girl he thinks is the Female Shifter and his friends probably got dragged into it to protect him. You once shared the same aspirations as me. I'm hoping for the sake of our past friendship you're willing to be a little more open-minded about this."

"You seriously want me to help you convince the Assembly of King Fritz to spare Eren? He doesn't follow orders, Erwin. You can't trust him not to be convinced again that he's doing the right thing and run off following his own whims."

"His judgments are misguided, yes, but he's only doing what he thinks is best for humanity. And believe me, he will be punished after we find him."

"I still think he's too dangerous to be allowed to live."

"Answer me this, then. If Eren dies, who will defeat the Armored and Colossal Titans? What's to stop them from breaking down Wall Rose and Sina? Think about your family, about Marie and the kids, would you take my gamble for their sakes?"

Nile fell silent at that.

"Just keep that in mind. Now, first and foremost, we need to find Eren."

"You said he's going after the Female Titan-Shifter?"

"Yes. A girl from the 104th class. Her name is Christa Lenz."

"Why do you think it's her?"

"She was there during the expedition, and Armin told me she was wandering by herself at one point. She saved him and two of his friends, but it's still suspicious that she ditched her squad in the first place. Unless she was nice to the point of being suicidal, why would a rookie leave her squad to be alone in such dangerous territory? Because of the misinformation we passed around, the Female Titan didn't know where to find Eren. Christa conveniently showed up after Armin's group ran into the Female Titan, likely intending to use him to figure out where we were hiding Eren. And he did figure it out. It was only after running into Armin's group the Female Titan went to the right spot in the formation."

"It's circumstantial evidence. There's no definitive proof it's her."

"That's not all." Erwin then shared Armin's theory about Eren's nickname and how it incited a reaction out the Female Titan and what it meant. "She matches the Female Titan's description as well."

"That Yeager boy is a hothead," Nile said. "Based off the evidence you have gathered, it's understandable why he thinks it's her and would go after her."

"Yes. He told me he has never liked her either, and always thought she was a phony and avoided her." Erwin held up his hand, adding a finger for every fact. "Christa was there during the expedition, she would know Eren's nickname that only 104th class trainees of the Trost Training Division would know, she's female, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, her group managed to avoid the Female Titan, she ditched them and somehow knew where Armin's group would be and found them, after which the Female Titan knew where Eren would be. I believe he told Jean all of this and convinced him of the fact Christa was the Female Titan in order to get his help. His plan was probably to go after her while everyone was distracted thinking he was in confinement so Christa wouldn't see him coming."

"Where is this girl, Erwin?" Nile asked warily. "Considering everything you've said, she seems extremely suspicious and I think it would be prudent to take her somewhere secure and below ground."

"She's in Wall Rose under the watchful eye of Mike Zacharius," Erwin replied. "I believe Eren plans to defeat Christa and hand her over to the Royal Government. An enemy Shifter in exchange to overturn the court-martial and freedom for his friend."

"So that's his plan, huh? Not a bad trade," the MP commander admitted. "But I'd still make him serve some time for running off half-cocked."

"He'll be disciplined, trust me. But I'm a little surprised Jean agreed. But both graduated from the same class, and you know how passionate and optimistic youth are. Makes sense he reached out to someone of his own age, someone he knew and trusted as a trainee."

A creak appeared in Nile's brow, elbows on the desk, hands folded. "The 104th class of the Trost Training Division you said? I think if we might have any graduates from Yeager's class. I will question them to see if they knows anything."

"Yes," Erwin agreed calmly. "I believe that would be wise. He may have sought help from one of them and they might provide us with some clues to his current whereabouts. I may want to join you when you question them. Would that be alright? The Female Titan has soundly defeated Eren once already. I'm not confident he can handle her without the Survey Corps's help."

"Yes, you can join, if you don't get arrested first, that is."

"Thank you, Nile. I knew I could trust you."

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