Hello!
Hehe…It's been quite a while huh? Don't be mad for the really late update. With the youth service corps I'm involved with, added with my online work and now my goal to make a Youtube Channel with a friend (He's, reading this. Lol), I don't get that much time as I used to. That does not mean you should stop coming back to read this fanfiction. I'm just laying things out here.
I don't have that much to say. Generator Rex and Attack on Titan are owned by their respective creators and networks. Now on to the chapter.
Chapter 12: New Working Environment
A few days had passed since the court made its decision regarding Rex and Eren. With them now under the supervision of the Survey Corps, they were put to some restriction. Eren had no choice but to oblige, though that wasn't said for the EVO hero who could really just rebel anytime without anyone around that could stop him. Even Levi knew this fact, and felt fortunate that Rex was complying with the court's decisions.
Presently, the two of them were being taken to an old converted castle that was located far away from the wall. This was for the safety of civilians, and for other reasons one of Levi's team explained. Since Levi was to watch over Eren – and Rex to some extent – he had his squad with him.
"The former headquarters of the Survey Corps." Oluo said, referring to the castle they were approaching while riding casually on their horses. "The facility is no more than an old converted castle. Charming in its way, sure…but an HQ this far away from both the wall and the river was worse than useless to the Survey Corps. Back then the Survey Corps had just been formed, and the soldiers were still full of ambition. Who would've figured that this oversized decoration would be the best place keep you two locked up?"
Rex snorted and looked away. Since he was under their supervision, he had to discard his other-worldly clothes to keep away suspicion, and because he was now a part of the Survey Corps despite never taking part in their training or using their 3D Maneuver Gear. As such, he was wearing the military branch's uniform.
'No offense, but I've been in worse places than an old castle.' Rex thought smugly, but tried not to show it physically. The only ones who knew about him being an EVO were Commander Pixis, Mikasa, Armin, Eren, Levi, Commander Erwin, Hanji, and the other guy that Rex just couldn't remember his name.
"Um, Captain Levi, was it?" Rex asked. When the short man turned to him, he asked a question on his mind. "That judge said that someone named Roku would be watching me. Where is he?"
"He's around." Levi looked away from him. With that expressionless look on his face, Rex could only wonder what was on his mind.
Oluo didn't like it though, and so he moved closer to Rex, even to the point of making sure his face was very close. "Don't get cocky, Rookie…"
Rex turned to him, and raised an eyebrow awkwardly. "Um, personal space? Have you heard about it?"
"That's 'sir' to you, rookie." Oluo saw it fit to correct Rex. His action, of course, caught the attention of the others, and he said. "I don't know about this titan business, but the idea of Captain Levi chaperoning both of you makes me –"
Oluo was cut off when he bit his tongue. It caused blood to spurt out, to the point that it actually looked comedic to the EVO teen. Rex had to hold back a laughter, but the smirk on his face was there.
"Um, 'sir', maybe you shouldn't talk so much while on a moving horse." Rex quipped smugly.
"S-Shut up."
The group arrived at the stable, where they dropped off their horses. Oluo went over to a well that was present to attend to his small injury. Meanwhile, Eren was attending to his horse when he saw Petra approached her colleague while he was squatting and using the water from the bucket to clean his tongue.
"Blathering like that on a horse; of course, you're going to bite your tongue." She told him off.
"I was making a first impression." Oluo excused. "That rookie was quaking in his boots, I'm sure."
"By quaking do you mean being snarky about what a fool you are?"
Oluo was about finished. "At any rate, he isn't what I expected like the other one."
Petra was concerned, and it showed on her face. "You know, you never used to talk like this. If – and this is just a guess – but if you're trying to imitate Captain Levi…just stop it, would you? I mean, you have absolutely nothing in common with him."
"Heh…" Oluo smug with an overconfident look on his face. "What are you trying to rein me in, Petra? If you wanna act like my wife, there are a couple of steps you skipped."
Petra was infuriated. "Don't you think you're getting carried away just because the captain chose you? I wish you'd bitten your tongue off and died from blood loss."
"I'm your comrade in arms! That's not funny!" From that tone, it was obvious he was caught off guard by her bitter response.
Rex smirked a bit as he approached Eren, who had his back at two senior Survey Corps members. Knowing he was listening on the conversation, he rested his elbow on the door obstructing the horse, and said. "You know, those words kind of rhymes."
"Uh…What?" Eren was a little taken aback, and looked at Rex.
"The….'tongue off' and 'blood loss'. Don't tell me you guys don't have some rhymes in this place." Rex paused and noticed Eren's confused face. Sighing, he lay his back on the door and placed his other elbow on it. "Never mind. Anyway, I don't think we've properly introduced each other."
"R-Right." Eren pushed his hand forward. "Eren Yeager."
"Rex Salazar." Rex accepted his hand and the both of them shook on it. "So do you mind filling me in on who those guys are? I think I might've made a friend with the guy that bit his tongue."
"You're kidding, right?" Eren then sighed. "Why are you so relaxed? Is this because of –"
"No, it has nothing to do with that." The thing the both of them were referring to was the fact that Rex's life wasn't really in danger unlike Eren's own life. "To be honest with you, I've been in this spot more than once. If you've been around it for so long, the tension in it just feels boring, so what's wrong with cracking a few jokes every now and then?"
Eren wasn't sure on how he should respond to that. In fact, when he thought about it, he was confused by Rex's own statement. Questions were already on his mind; however, he chose not to answer them. He looked back at Petra and Oluo. It was at that moment that he saw Levi and two other men by his sides, before turning back to Rex. "You see those guys, I think everyone here besides us were handpicked by Captain Levi. The Survey Corps Special Operations Squad, commonly known as 'Squad Levi', and it seems this is the place they assigned us."
"Squad Levi huh?" Rex gave it a second thought. "I don't think the name is cool enough."
Eren tried not to mind the EVO's words, knowing he had his own problems. Unlike Rex, he didn't have the power to regenerate after being brutally eaten by a titan. Sure, he survived one, but it was only in the cost of his one arm being taken, and even that was back with me. From what he heard, Rex survived being bitten brutally and swallowed down. That feat was little compared to what he can do.
'Anyway, those guys are here to restrain me when I use my power.' As much as Eren hated to admit it, the thought made him nervous and scared. 'If I go out of control, these people are going to kill me.'
"You should loosen up, dude." Rex said to him, much to his surprise. Before the titan-shifter knew it, the taller teen wrapped his arm around his neck. "I made a promise with Mikasa that I'll keep you alive, so try just to relax for a bit, okay?"
"Mikasa? How?" Eren asked, turning to him with shock.
"Well, unlike you, I can slip out of chains and escape a dungeon without being noticed. The guards were being annoying, so I thought I might as well take a stroll…."
FLASHBACK: A DAY AGO
"Ah, freedom." Rex spread his arms apart and smiled widely. He couldn't help but feel relieved while standing at the top of a roof. "Things just happened so crazy that…I haven't really had a good time to myself. Well…it probably won't last long. My goggles are with that captain guy and I have to surrender my clothes to them because…"
The teen sighed when he held he held his jacket and looked down on it. "This really sucks…Why am I doing all this anyway? I should be back home, stopping whatever evil scheme Van Kleiss has."
Rex found no answer to it, not that he thought he would. With him in another world that was unfamiliar to him, he was beginning to feel depressed over everything. The only one he knew that was in this strange world was Breach, and even she wasn't going to show herself. As good as she may be, Rex imagined that she'd be reluctant to meet him after everything they went through.
With that said, Rex was about to head back to the main compound where his cell was located. However, when he looked down, he noticed a familiar figure, and decided to follow it. The figure was heading closer to the street where the compound would be until she stood at the only area where anyone in the military was allowed to stand in.
"Psst! Mikasa!" Rex called out. Though it was late at night, the street was still occupied by some soldiers passing by.
Mikasa recognized the voice and turned back to see a hand gesturing from a shadowy ally. Many people at this point would think twice about following such a suspicious gesture, but not Mikasa. With her training, she knew if it was danger, she'd be able to handle it. Besides, the voice was too recognizable to ignore, and so she went there and met Rex.
"Rex? You're out? How?" She asked.
"I escaped…for now. I'll be heading –"
Before Rex could finish, Mikasa rushed to him and grabbed his jacket. "Where's Eren?! Is he okay?! Is he still hurt?!"
"Um…" Rex could only utter awkwardly. Raising his hands in defense, he reached to her wrists and pulled her from her grip. "First off, personal space, and secondly, Eren is fine. He heals surprisingly well."
"I'm glad." Mikasa said and looked away.
Though it was somewhat dark, Rex could still see some parts of Mikasa's face, and couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. All the time he had seen her, she always seemed kind of stoic and the kind of girl who was a loner. But here she was, looking very worried for Eren, which really he couldn't blame her.
Rex made the choice to comfort, and with that he patted her head. "Don't worry too much. Eren's a strong kid. He'll be fine."
Mikasa moved her eyes to him, and her expression changed. Before Rex knew it, he was hit against the wall, where Mikasa then twisted his arm on his back while pushing her shoulder against him.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! I give up! I won't pat you on the head again!"
Mikasa listened, and finally released him. Most people wouldn't try that with Rex after seeing what he was capable, but then again Mikasa wasn't one of them. She stepped back without saying a word and watched him regain his stance.
"So…uh…I'll be going back now." With that, he turned away to leave. "Let's see again whenever that time comes."
The EVO hero was about to leave, when Mikasa called him. Looking back, he saw that concerned look on her face, and turned back to listen to her.
"About Eren, please watch over him." She went on with her reason. "I know this may be an odd request since we barely know each other, but…before Eren's mother died, she made me promise to watch over Eren. I cannot do that now that the military is involved. I know that it was a lie that your goggles is the key to your power, that is why…I know you are more than capable to save Eren before he is killed by –"
"I understand. You don't have to say it." Rex then smiled. "You don't need to ask, I was going to do it anyway. Eren's a great kid, and he has a good person like you watching over him. I promise you that if they touch one hair on him, I'll save him right away and bring him back to you. Then maybe you two can elope and have titan babies."
"WHAT?!" Mikasa's expression lite up like fire, and she looked deadly serious.
"Shit! Gotta run! Bye!"
With that, Rex ran as fast as he could, making a dustcloud right behind his feet. Those look of anger that were in Mikasa's eyes were going to hunt him for the rest of the night.
"Wait, you actually said that!?" Eren immediately nudged him at the stomach.
Rex winced. "Okay, first of all, ow…that kind of hurt, and second, I have a feeling she would've done a lot worse than that. Anyway, try not to let them get to you. You have to show them that you're enough for them to trust. Got it?"
"Uh…Understood."
While those two were having their conversation, they were being watched by Petra and Oluo, the both of whom couldn't hear their discussion because of the lowness in their voices. The latter was suspicious of them, and stood up to even say it.
"I don't like it. They could be planning to escape." He said.
"I don't know about that." Petra pointed at them. "Looks like those smiles on their faces is like that of good friends. There's nothing to worry about that…I think."
With the former HQ under his command, Levi ordered everyone to start cleaning. It was known amongst his squad that he was a clean-freak, and the fact that he inspected everyone's progress on their cleanliness was also obvious. Rex wasn't liking it though, and so he began to complain as he swept the floor with a broom.
"That guy! Making me clean the whole hallway by myself, and to then mop it too?! What kind of human expects to be so –"
"Clean?" An unfamiliar voice said.
Rex could feel his skin jump before he turned back to see who had been the cause. Luckily, it wasn't Oluo, whom would've just ended up being the butt of Rex's jokes, but another man whom the EVO teen had seen accompany Levi along with another guy earlier.
"I…um, sorry but who are you again?" Rex awkwardly asked.
"My name's Eid, and it's an honor to finally speak with you." With that, he drew closer to meet him. "I see you don't fancy cleaning up just as much as the captain."
"Uh…I know it's important to be clean, but…well…" Rex tried to find the right words to say. He wasn't nervous around the man though.
"You can be honest here. No one's going to kill you for having an opinion any normal person would have." And so he then changed the subject. "The captain can seem high-strung, ill-mannered and unapproachable, but he cares for his squad and others."
"I don't doubt it. He kind of reminds me of someone I knew from back home."
"Then I guess it makes your stay slightly easier." Eid couldn't help but smile a bit. "You're kind of lucky, unlike with the young man named Eren. He has to sleep in the basement because of his titan power, while you on the other hand can stay in the rooms at the top floor."
"Yeah, lucky…me." The EVO teen decided to change the subject. "By the way, why is the captain the way he is? I mean…something must've happened in his past for him to be the way he is."
"You don't have to try and get around it." Eid then paused and placed his hand on his chin. "If I want to shorten it down, I guess I could tell you that before he joined the Survey Corps he used to be a notorious thug in the city's underground market. He changed when Commander Erwin found him and convinced him to fight for humanity."
"Wow!" Rex's face lite up with excitement. "For a short guy with no expression whatsoever, he sure sounds cool now!"
Eid causally smirked. "Don't let him hear you say that." With that, he turned away. "I should get going. I'm supposed to help out Gunther throw out the bushes we cut down outside."
"Oh yeah. If you don't mind I have another question."
"Oh?" Eid turned sideways with a raised eyebrow.
"Why are you nice to me? I…kind of figured you guys would be treating me as some kind of animal that's about to get rabbis and attack."
"Hmph…" Eid smiled. "I guess…it's because you remind me of a kid I knew."
Rex smiled back. There was something about the man that the EVO appreciated even without saying it. Maybe his stay with them won't be as bad as he might've thought it would.
Everything went well for everyone in the old castle. With each hour that passed, it drew nearer to nighttime until the sun was replaced by the dark blue skies of the night, accompanied by some stars as the moon could barely be seen.
Everyone was presently seated at a long table in a room with a lamp on the furniture being the only source of light. Rex was reminded of the backwardness of the world he was in because of that lamp, but didn't say anything about it. No one really knew he was from another world, so why should he bring it up?
The present discussion surrounded the next expedition. Rex knew little about, thus he decided to listen to the report since he was seated along with everyone with Eren by his side.
"We'll probably be ordered to stay on standby for the next several days…" Eid went on to explain. "But I hear they're thinking of launching a large-scale expedition past the wall in thirty days. They're rushing to put some recent graduates in the mix."
"Eid, is that true?" Gunther wasn't fond of the idea of new recruits so suddenly, especially with what happened not too long ago. "Isn't it a bit too soon? The raw recruits went through a titan invasion."
"I bet the brats were paralyzed with fright." Oluo joked smugly.
Rex tightened his fist and bit his lip. Oluo may've meant it as a joke, but Rex didn't like it. It was because of him that someof those recruits got out of the invasion alive, and now he's hearing they'll be put right back in that danger again. It took much of his willpower to not object to the whole idea.
Of course, his reaction didn't go unnoticed by the only female in the room. Seeing his concern, she understood his reaction, and turned to Levi for a question.
"Is it true, Captain?" She asked.
"I'm not in charge of planning strategy." Levi casually responded with a cup of tea in his hand. As he thought of the man truly in charge of that department, his mind flashed to an image of Six. "That's His department…He's got a lot more to think about than we do, and now he's supposed to be here watching him."
Everyone besides Rex and Eren knew the person he was referring to. But since he was brought up, Gunther couldn't help but feel a bit curious about him.
"Where is He, anyway?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't mean to be rude to a high-ranking officer like him, but I figured he'd be here with us."
"He is, sort of." With that, Levi sat back and looked up at the ceiling. "There's a reason why he climbed the ranks faster than most people. When you think he isn't there, he shows up from nowhere and gets the job done no matter what it is. I won't be surprised if he isn't listening to our conversation right now."
"But still…" Petra had some doubts. "I think it'd help us all if he shows himself so that we could have a proper introduction or something."
"You hear that?" Levi asked, but it wasn't to them. "How about you come out for once and introduce yourself?"
A brief silence took over, as if everyone was waiting for a response. When nothing happened, Levi sat forward and sipped his tea. "I guess that's a no." He said.
"Sorry…" Petra bowed her head.
Eid decided then to change the subject. "Anyway, the circumstances have changed so much. On one hand, the Maria recovery route that we sacrificed so much to build was sealed off in an instant…but a completely new hope has sprung up in its place."
With that, another silence came, but this time it was when everyone turned to Eren and Rex. The both of them knew the reason for it, but Rex still found it 'appropriate' to joke about the stares.
"What? Something on my face?" He asked casually.
Eid chose to ignore that, and instead focus on Eren. "It's still hard to believe it, but what happens when you 'become', a titan, Eren?"
'Is he ignoring me? Okay, I guess I deserved that.' Rex thought and wrapped his arms over his chest.
"My memories of it aren't really clear…" Eren answered, though his tone sounded somewhat uncertain as he raised his left hand a few meters from his face. "...but it's like I lose track of myself. I do know that the trigger is self-inflicted pain. I bite my hand like…"
Eren paused, and wondered. He said those words, and yet he didn't understand how he came to such a conclusion. It kind of surprised him a bit, but the silence allowed Levi to state some words of his own.
"I'm sure you're all aware, but you may not ask him or Rex anything past what's in the report. Although I doubt she'll keep her mouth shut. If she screws up while poking and prodding the both of you, it may be your deaths."
"Wait, what?!" Rex's eyes widened.
"Eh? She?" Eren was confused.
Before any answer could've been given, the door was flung open, and a feminine figure entered. With a proud voice, she shouted. "Hi there, Squad Levi! Is the castle comfortable?!"
"Her." Levi said upon her entrance.
"Oh great." Rex wasn't happy to see her.
"Do you know her?" Eren asked the EVO teen.
"Uh…not really." He somewhat lied.
Hanji went to a vacate seat across Eren and sat there. "I'm currently handling the examination of two titans that were captured in town, and I'd like you two to assist me with my experiment tomorrow. I stopped by to get permission."
"No thanks." Rex said casually and sat back. "Besides, we don't have the authority to do whatever we want anymore."
"Levi?" Hanji looked over to the squad leader. "What's on agenda for Rex and Eren tomorrow?"
"Cleaning the yard." He responded stoically.
"Great! Then it's settled!" Before a word could be said, the woman reached over to Eren's hand and grabbed it. "Eren! Rex! I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Ah…okay…" There was a bit of uncertainty in Eren's tone.
Rex thought otherwise. While he did appreciate the woman for helping him to settle the tension between him and the Survey Corps, the fact that she was so eccentric earlier and even at that moment made him feel he should object.
"What?! No way!" The teen EVO turned over to Levi. "Come on, Captain! You're not going to let her get away with this! I mean, you technically didn't even give permission for –"
"Levi has his ways of communicating!" Hanji stated to put it aside. "Besides, don't you want to know more about the titan experiments? Trust me, it'd peek your interest!"
Rex crossed his arms over his chest, his face seemingly non-agreeable with her statement. "Yeah, I don't know about you, but when someone says stuff like that to me, it doesn't end so well."
"I don't know what you mean by that, but now you've really peeked my interested even more!" Hanji's face suddenly lit up with excitement.
'What have I done?' Rex couldn't help but feel some regret.
"So…uh…" Eren decided to speak then. "What do you mean by Titan Experiments?"
Oluo immediately nudged Eren with a sense of annoyance. Everyone in the squad knew how eccentric Hanji could be about titans, and in a way tried to make sure no one brought it up. But Eren had brought the topic, which brought a new fire in Hanji's eyes.
"Ah…I knew it! At least you seemed interested!" Hanji smiled.
Everyone, including Levi, stood up and left the room one after the other. Rex was about to follow; he was already on his feet when he gave the thought a second one and went back on his seat. Hanji was intrigued by his stay.
"You're not going?" The fact he was there made her chuckle a bit. "I guess you're also interested to know about my experiments."
"Well…there's that, and also I don't want you to give you the chance to explore Eren's body."
"Oh…" Hanji blushed and cupped her cheeks with her hands. "Oh dear, I never thought of that. Maybe we can do that tomorrow during one of my experiments."
Both Eren and Rex were cautious of her, and even gave each other a look of disgust. Clearly, both of them knew that Eren messed up by peaking the woman's interest, and now he felt awkward around her, not that it changed anything.
"Anyway…" Hanji returned back to normalcy (her definition of it) and said. "If you want to know about the titans experiments so badly, who am I to keep it from you? It's about the titans we captured."
With that, the next thirty minutes was spent on explaining the squad leader's experiments. The titans they captured were two, though they weren't their first, and like in the past she tried to form communication with them. But not surprising, whenever she tried to make such an attempt, the titans would try to take a bite of her.
Rex mentally noted the excitement in her voice and the thrill on her face. Apparently, she went ahead to name the titans Sunny, a four-meter titan, and the seven-meter titan, Bean. If Rex didn't know any better, she kind of reminded him of his brother, a person who likely would've gotten along with the woman's craziness if he was in his shoes.
The next experiment she made was to build a tent individually for both titans. Rex learnt for the first time that titans became less energetic during night time, and in a way found this as a good thing. Lives could be saved if the expeditions went on during those times, but he figured it'd be too dark to operate if anyone went with that idea.
Another thing she mentioned in her experiment were how the titans reacted individually. 'Sonny' apparently became lethargic after one hour without sunlight, meanwhile 'Bean' was frisky as ever for three hours. Rex also learnt that, strangely enough, the titans didn't need food or water to survive, and that all they needed was sunlight. But one thing that did surprise him was the fact that they had vocal cords.
'Odd…why would those monsters have those things?' He thought.
Hanji continued, this time explaining what her next experiment was. She began to rattle when she brought up the topic, almost like she was in emotional pain. She explained that they had to explore their sense of pain, with her reasoning being that she wanted to see if they had a weak point beside the neck. The expression of her face showed, added with her tone, how sad she had to conduct such an experiment.
'She must be fun at parties…NOT!' Rex tried not to shake his head. 'No offense, lady, but you and my brother have the same weird interest in trying really strange things. Good thing he isn't here, because who knows what horrors he would've caused with you by his side.'
Hanji went on to explain the pain 'Bean' went through when she used a wooden pole to pierce his body. It cried out in pain, but couldn't move because of the nails and ropes that were used to hold it down. However, the same didn't go for 'Sunny', who went ahead to try and bite her head off when she got closer.
Rex could only imagine the fear going off in her squad members' minds. Following the orders of such an odd woman must be commendable, at least in the EVO's own opinion.
"How can you be so cheerful around titans?" Finally, Eren asked the question on his mind. He looked away from the table, saw the surprised look on Hanji's face, and continued. "I mean…titans are our natural enemy! They drove the human race to the brink of extinction…Ms. Hanji, you must've been in danger from them yourself a number of times…"
"You're right…" For once, the woman actually seemed concerned. "I've seen my comrades get slaughtered by the titans right before my eyes more times than I care to recall. When I first joined the Survey Corps, I relied on my hatred to get me through battles with the titans. And then, one day, I realized something…it was as I kicked the decapitated head of a three-meter class titan." Her expression became deeper, and she brought her hands, held together, to her lips. "The titan's body was very light."
"What?" Eren was shocked.
"No way!" Rex was surprised. Since he fought the monsters countlessly, he knew more than anyone that those monsters were strong.
"I know…it sounds unbelievable." She went onward to explain. "If it weren't the fact that I experienced it, I wouldn't have believed it so easily. In the first place, that titan shouldn't have been able to stand, much less walk on two legs. And all the titans are like that…the weight of a severed arm wasn't nearly what it should've been, considering its size. Then I heard that, when you turned into a titan, Eren, your titan body just formed out of nothing."
Now Rex and Eren were really interested in her experience. While she could be eccentric at times, the both were beginning to admit that there was more to the woman. She was smart, always thinking outside the box, and in a way wise to see things more than others. Since she lay out this information, Rex grew to know that perhaps there might be other ways to beat the titans if the experiments were more successful.
However, the discussion didn't end there, especially when she rested her elbows on the table. With the deep and focused look on her face, she said. "What I think is happening is that what we can see and the true nature of what actually exists are totally different things. For decades now, we've made an effort to thrive on hatred and move aggressively. I want to try looking at the titans from a different angle than the predominant view. I just may be spinning my wheels here…but…" She paused and looked at both of then, her eyes brimming with determination. "I'm going to do it."
'This was kind of unexpected. Here I thought that she was kind of like brother, always putting others in danger because of his scientific ambitions, when really she's kind of like him…and more.' Rex went on to explain in his head. 'It's not like he's a bad guy. Before the cure, he came through in the end, but with the secrets he's been hiding about his new experiments, it made Providence and I worried and try to recruit him back so we can peek more into his work. But this woman is different. She's willing to tell us all of this without waiting for a breakthrough or for some huge disaster to happen.'
Rex cracked a grin. 'These people are a bunch of oddballs…and yet they've gotten my interest.'
"Eren, Rex…" She called their names. In her voice, and on her face, it was clear that she was reluctant and worried about something. Even she knew that her behavior would drive others away, with the same possibly for Eren and Rex. "Adding the both of you as components in the experiments may teach us something new, and if it does, that could move us one step ahead. It's possible I'm just being a pain in the ass and expecting too much of you, but I'm having fun. There's never been a chance like this before."
"Ms. Hanji." Eren called. His regret earlier was gone, and now he felt fascinated. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about your experiments."
Hanji was surprised. She almost couldn't believe that Eren was willing to hear her out. But the surprise didn't end there, as even Rex smiled.
"I agree. If you want us to help you out tomorrow with these experiments, it's best that we're well informed, right?"
Hanji smiled, not just because she wanted to, but because of the gratitude and appreciation she felt towards them.
"R-Right. True, I did leave out a lot in my explanation." With that, she felt freer than before to continue. "Okay, let's get into the nitty-gritty. Although we may be here for a while…"
"Sure. This ex –" Rex was cut off when he noticed something.
It wasn't just him though; Eren noticed the same thing, and was baffled by it. Rex recognized the thing as a rift/portal, particularly the red swirly design of it, and knew immediately that a certain EVO was behind it. What made it alarming, however, was the fact that it was behind an unaware Hanji, before huge pale arms reached out to grab her.
"Ms. Hanji!" Eren shouted.
"Look out!" Rex warned.
Hanji became alerted, but it was too late. The huge hands restrained her arms to her sides and began pulling her to the portal. Hanji struggled to get out, and failed. The person behind the portal was clearly stronger than her in the physical side, but it didn't mean she was going to give up easily.
"H-Hey! I haven't gotten to explaining yet!" She shouted.
By using her wits, she stepped her foot on the edge of the table, and used that to push her back inside the portal. At the other side, she hit the person the face with her head, stunning whoever it was and freeing her in the process.
Hanji landed back on her feet in the room and grabbed the right arm that once restrained her. She then used her own strength to pull the person out of the portal and flung the person down on the table. The furniture shook, but it went unnoticed, especially when Hanji, Rex and Eren were stunned to see who it was.
"Breach, it's you!" Rex exclaimed. Even though he had been informed that she was in that world, it was the first time he was seeing her in a long time.
The sight didn't last for long though, because the female EVO allowed a portal to wash over her body and teleport her a few meters from Hanji and them. With her hand extended, she was ready to send more of her portals on the woman, when Rex jumped over the table and stood in the way.
"Breach, stand down!" Rex told her with a strict face. "What's with you all of a sudden?! I don't know what's going on, but I think we can settle this if –"
"Move, Rex! Now!" Breach stated as a warning.
"I will not! Hanji is a good person!" Rex shouted back. "Look, I heard about some of the things you did. The fact that you've been here longer than I have means that you don't want to harm this people! So how about you put your hand down and let's talk about this."
"You're so cute, Rex, and so…naïve." Breach's face showed a crazy smile. "Have you wondered how this world is like this? Do you know why I never showed myself to these people until now? I've been in this world for over a year, and I've learnt more things than most of the inhabitants behind the walls know."
"You do?!" Eren was shocked to hear.
"Then tell us about it!" Rex told her, pushing forward with it. "After everything that has happened to you, this is your chance to do some real good! Work with the people, and help them get out of this!"
"What, and serve another master?! You want me to serve another team with false hope and a dying cause?!" Breach suddenly laughed, and grinned. "I hate to break it to you, Rex, but this isn't like our home where you, the hero, always find a way through any obstacles. You're just naïve like the rest of them, and I won't drag myself to their hallucination."
Eren gritted his teeth, and snarled. Breach's tone was beginning to anger him, but he kept holding it back.
"I wonder how much you'll adapt if I told you the secrets of the titans and the history of the wall." Breach went on to tease them. "Will you finally snap, Rex? Will you fall into despair or…will you be able to find your ground? So many questions, and yet only a few knows the truth."
"Then you can tell us!" Hanji spoke out. Breach responded with a sharp glare, which then caused her to fix her attitude. "I mean…you're right about our condition. We don't know so much of the titans except things that already been taught by the trainees. Even my experiments hasn't come with enough results to make an impacting change. But you can help us, and make us understand for the better." With that, she looked onward at the female EVO with determination, and tightened her fist. "Fight with us, Breach! We can make a difference!"
"Hmph…" Breach smirked. "I chose not to. If Rex refuses to stand aside, then I'll get right past him and have you eaten by your precious titans."
Rex snarled and firmed his stance. There was no way he was going to let Breach have her. But then it didn't seem like he wasn't the only one that thought that. Levi showed up with just his swords and his courage, and slashed his weapons on her back.
Breach's cloth tore, and with it blood shot out. Before the female EVO could respond, he stood in front of her and slashed across her chest, using both blades to form an X. Rex was shocked by it, and even called out her name, but it was too late. Breach fell to the ground, and her blood began to form a pool.
Rex fell to his knees, his eyes staring in a mix of shock and bafflement at the scene. Though Breach has been the enemy in the past, he knew that she was a good person that just needed some guidance. But now, she lay on the floor, her clothes soaked by her blood as she remained lifeless.
"You…You killed her." He said.
"It was the only way." Levi said without facing him. "With her power, she could have the whole place overrun by titans in seconds. It's one thing if she refused to join us, and another if she decides to attack us."
With that, Levi walked over to Hanji, whom he wanted to talk to. Meanwhile, Eren just stared at the scene, shocked and so uncertain on the next thing he should do. Rex's reaction was that of someone who just brutally saw someone close to him killed. He knew that from experience, and swallowed some of his saliva down to find his resolve.
However, the danger wasn't over yet, not by a long shot. Breach's wounds suddenly healed, though the same couldn't be said for her clothes. A red aura then came over her, and like a zombie, she used just her legs to return back on her feet, and stood straight.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Everyone were shocked and baffled by the whole scene. With mad-looking delight in her eyes, Breach spread her arms apart and exclaimed. "Great idea, Captain Levi! Let's bring in the titans!"
Outside, numerous portals appeared, and with them came titans of various sizes. Their footsteps could be heard, and even caught the attention of Levi's squad, two of whom looked through the windows and saw the horrific sight.
"Titans!? How are they here?!" Gunther shouted in shock.
"Impossible! But we're far from the wall!" Petra exclaimed.
Back at the room with Breach, Rex returned back on his feet, where he then recovered his resolved and glared at Breach.
"This has gone too far, Breach! Stop it now!"
"This is for the best, Rex! You'll understand when I exterminate all of them!" With that, Levi made another move to cut her down. If he had known, he would've taken her head off than leave some large gashes on her.
However, Breach was ready for him, and before he knew it, he was teleported outside, up in the air without his 3D Maneuver Gear, and falling straight for a titan with its mouth open. At that same moment, Eid was looking for him, while the rest equipped their 3D Maneuver Gear to fight the incoming threat.
Breach continued. "I was just going to take a few heads, to end the endless bloodshed these people have caused by recruiting innocent lives! But I see now that it won't end here! These people will keep sending more lives to die for their stupid cause, and for that, I'll end it here! For Ilse Langnar's sake, I'll destroy the Survey Corps once and for all!"
Rex, Hanji and Eren felt the tension and dangerous aura coming for her. Though she seemed mad, the expression changed and it became serious.
"Let it be known that this…is just the beginning."
I think I'll end this right here! I bet a lot of you didn't expect Breach to suddenly show-up like her crazy self in the show. But can you really call her crazy for wanting to end the bloodshed that has been going on? Read through the chapter if you're not certain about it, and think over what has happened in the anime/manga up to this point. Let me know what you think in the reviews.
This chapter went through a few changes, mainly with Breach. Originally, there wasn't supposed to be a fight with the titans or with her. It was supposed to be a talk between her, Hanji, Rex and Eren. But after seeing that the whole chapter would just be more talking, I decided to add a lot more action and tension to it.
Another thing that also changed was how the chapter ended. Originally, Breach sent all four of them outside after Levi commented about the mess she made (She caused a few damages). I even typed it all down and had her display a new ability (This will be shown in the next chapter). But when I read through it, I felt very uncomfortable, and decided to have the whole scene rewritten to how you see it.
With that out of the way, on with the questions from the previous chapter.
Are you reading the manga? Many interesting things have happened (By FanGirl01)
Answer: I only read the manga to the extent of where I am taking this fanfiction too. This means that you shouldn't drop spoilers on me like you did. I already knew she died though. I'm just saying that you shouldn't do that on something I'm not aware of.
Are you making crossovers with the secret trio since you almost have all of the celebrity trio character? (By kid218)
Answer: I don't know what you mean by the secret trio. Please explain.
_REVIEWS REPLIES END_
So just to make it clear, just because I have people like Rex and Six save females once in a while, it doesn't mean that all females will be saved. In fact, I actually planned on Petra being killed off like her canon counterpart until I talked with a reader and he/she managed to convinced me to think it over (This person didn't know about it though).
Also, please refrain from making crossover requests. Some people seem to think that just because one guy makes a fanfiction, he's suddenly fine with making a fanfiction with their ideas. Please keep away from doing that. It actually pisses me off.
Now before I end this, I want to say that this chapter was supposed to reveal another person from Generator Rex's world. This person is actually a villain, and he/she will be the main antagonist at some point in the story. Can you guess who this person is? Tell me about it in the reviews.
One last thing. Please if you have any artistic skills with you, please PM me. We need someone with such skills with our Youtube channel when it comes up.
That's all for now. Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Also, be sure to favorite and follow this fanfic if you haven't. Bye!
