Everyone gathered at my condo to plan. I didn't trust Survey Recon, or anyone who hadn't been a victim in the attack. As far as I was concerned, anyone who hadn't been there was suspect.

Armin, Mikasa, Hanji, Erwin, and I all set up around my dining room table. We set up laptop computers, and spread maps out on the kitchen counter. Armin and Hanji were processing reams of data, while Mikasa and I were coming up with battle plans.

"I'll give you guys a crash course in weaponry this afternoon. Erwin will give us access to the range at the barracks, right, Erwin?" I asked him with a glare in my eye.

He nodded, grim. "Not a problem."

"We're already great with swords," Mikasa pointed out. "Problem is we know next to nothing about our enemy, or what to expect."

I hummed my agreement. "Let's go through everything you can remember from the attack. Every detail, no matter how minor, I want to know it."

Mikasa nodded, perching on the edge of the table. "Well, they were really strong. Like almost inhuman strong, and fast. But I did manage to wound one of them, and they bleed just like we do."

I sat back, sprawling in my chair and steepling my hands as I listened.

"Also, one of the guys I'm sure punched Erd in the gut, but it was like he punched through him. Crazy strong."

I had seen Erd's wounds, he was practically disemboweled. That had been done with someone's bare hand?

"Oh my God," Hanji said excitedly, interrupting our conversation. "How did I not see this before!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, as though she was almost afraid to tell us what she'd found.

I got up and went to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder. There was a picture of a man there, with long brown hair and glasses. He looked rather bookish, nothing special.

"Who's this guy?" I asked, then started reading the caption.

She didn't need to answer. I just read his name and stood up, going white.

Grisha Jaeger.

I walked away, swearing to myself and pacing with my hands on my hips.

"Is that who I think it is?" I asked Armin, pointing to Hanji's screen.

Armin leaned over, checking it out. He went white, and bit his lip, reading the whole article in seconds. Then he looked up at me with his soul in his eyes. "I didn't know," he whispered.

"What the fuck is going on?" Mikasa demanded.

I just waved my hand at Hanji, urging her to explain.

Hanji sighed and sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't know how this didn't click before. I'd read about his research years ago, but I didn't connect the last names. Grisha Jaeger was a scientist, right?"

Mikasa nodded. "You mean Eren's dad, right?"

Erwin watched the proceedings, his eyes calculating. I could see the wheels turning in his head.

"What happened to him? Do you remember him from when you were a kid?"

Mikasa nodded. "Sure. He and Eren saved my life. The Jaeger family took me in after my parents were killed. I owe everything to him. But then… after Eren's mum died, his dad disappeared." She shook her head sadly. "I always wondered… I thought something bad happened to him, like maybe he was killed too or something."

"Did he ever talk about his research with you?" Hanji asked, excited.

Mikasa spread her hands. "We were just kids. No."

Armin re-read the article. Then he turned to Mikasa, giving her a solemn look. "I don't quite understand the implications of this yet, but he published some articles in his early career about genetic modification."

I watched Mikasa carefully as her brow furrowed. She really didn't know. "What does that even mean?" she asked.

"If I had to hazard a guess," Erwin spoke up, standing, "I'd say his research is somehow responsible for how strong and fast those guys were." He started pacing now, his hand on his chin. "Those guys didn't just randomly target Survey Recon. They were there for one reason, and one reason only." He turned to look at me, his eyes piercing. "To take Eren."

I tried to shut off my emotions, I really did, but I wanted nothing more than to punch someone. Too bad there was no one around to vent my emotions into.

"Even if we know that," Armin said dejectedly, "How does that help us? We need to find Eren."

"Who knows what they're doing to him as we speak," Mikasa agreed, looking a little green in the face.

I didn't want to think about that, so I closed off that line of thought.

"Money," Hanji said slowly, looking around at us. "He had to have funding, to carry out large-scale experimentation. Even if human trials were done under the table, there would still be a money trail. Backdooring it through some false company or another."

Erwin nodded. "True."

I felt like a machine whose screws were slowly coming loose, like I was about to fly apart at the seams. I felt helpless. Give me an objective, and I will find a way to obtain it. But this… I didn't know where to start.

I took a deep breath, trying to breathe through it.

"Find me someone who worked on his team," I said through my teeth. "I'll get the information, one way or another."

Erwin and I exchanged looks. We'd been in that kind of situation before. Erwin, though he was ruthless with moving his chess pieces around, couldn't bear to torture anyone. I could. I'd done it before. It always killed a little piece of my humanity when I did it, but if that was what was necessary to get the job done, I'd do anything. I'd move mountains to protect him.

Erwin nodded slowly, as though he could read in my eyes that I wouldn't stop anywhere short of what was necessary.

Hanji met my eyes next, and her lips thinned out into a grim line.

Clearly the kids had no idea what I meant, because they just looked at each other in confusion.

"Do you still have your stuff?" Erwin asked me quietly.

I shrugged. "No, but I can go get the essentials. Or I can use my bare hands."

"What are you guys talking about?" Armin asked.

When I looked at him, my gaze raking over him, I thought how he looked so young. He was so young. He'd never seen what it was to bloody your hands for something you believe in, something you love. The idea would be so repugnant to him. His innocence would be tarnished forever.

Seeing my dilemma, Erwin offered, "I'll take them to do weapons training this afternoon. You get yourself set up. Hanji will find who we need. I'll call in a few people I trust."

I locked eyes with him, trying to keep myself from snarling. "I don't trust anyone," I said vehemently.

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Not even Gunther? Moblit? I think I could even get Luke and Keiji. Maybe Moses too."

I clenched my fists by my side. "I don't trust anyone. But you may be right that we need the manpower. We'll know for sure only once I get the information."

Erwin nodded. "Point. So, I'll reach out after we get the intel."

I figured that was a decent compromise.

"Good. Come on guys," he said, gesturing to Mikasa and Armin. "I'll get you guys a crash course in weapons and we'll get you suited up."

Armin and Mikasa both gave me deep looks, but I just looked away from them, standing there with my arms crossed over my chest. Ultimately they left without too much argument.

—

Hanji was ruthless when it came to research. It took her no more than a few hours to find who we needed. His name was Dimo Reeves, and he was the head of a corporation that dealt with 'international trading' - which in truth could mean anything.

"Seems he has his main office located downtown. I've got his home address, too."

"I'll go stake out his home. You go to his office. Whoever finds him first, calls the other."

By the evening, I had him. I intercepted him on his way to his front door. He had a briefcase in one hand, and was talking on his phone in the other. He was a big guy - not tall, but rotund, like he really enjoyed eating good food. How much of that food was bought on blood money, I wondered?

I texted Hanji when I saw him. Then I went to confront him.

I took his cell phone out of his hand, and turned it off, then dashed it onto the ground, shattering it.

"What in the hell?" he growled, turning to me.

I looked up at him - because yes, I was still shorter than him - but that didn't stop me from muscling him into an alley off between the houses. I wished I had someone with me to help detain him, but I wasn't exactly worried about finesse.

"Are you Dimo?" I asked him.

He nodded, grinding his teeth. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

I smiled. "I'm justice."

I punched him hard enough to knock him out.

It was difficult, bringing my car around and dragging him into it, but somehow I managed. I brought him back to a safe house Hanji had set up for us the year before. It was the only place we had with a soundproof room in the basement. I wasn't going to risk bringing him anywhere the authorities could get their hands on him.

Hanji helped me to get him inside, and downstairs. Her face was grim - of all people, she had this scary ability to shut off and do what needed to be done. She'd always been there for me, and I for her, and I knew I could trust her more than anyone.

Together we got him into a sturdy chair, and she ducktaped his legs to the legs of the chair, and his arms to the arms of the chair. In the meantime, I went to fetch a pair of pliers and a sharp knife. I hoped that I wouldn't need them - but I'd do what I had to, if it meant saving Eren, and finding out what in the seven hells was going on. I put on an apron, and a pair of long black plastic gloves, to try to keep myself clean.

When everything was ready, Hanji ducked out of the room.

I was grateful for that.

I woke him up with a swift punch to the jaw, hard enough that it split his lip, and his head snapped back. He woke up spluttering, then when he saw himself tied down to the chair, he struggled, trying to get out. Red spittle flew from his lips. Disgusting.

"Tell me everything you know about Grisha Jaeger's experiments," I said, standing to the side, playing with the knife.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he insisted.

I gave him the look. "Oh?" I stepped closer, now brandishing the knife. "I'm sure I can remind you."

He just shook his head, his eyes widening, but didn't say anything. He didn't even croak when I ran my knife along the back of his hand, breaking the skin.

"I'll just tell you this once," I said boredly, standing back. "I'm in special forces. I've tortured people before in my life. I will find out what I want to know from you. Even if I need to pull out every one of your fingernails in the process," I said, picking up the pliers.

Dimo just spluttered again, shaking his head back and forth. "Please don't hurt me!" he begged. "I have a family, a son!"

"Yeah, well, I have a family too," I said, standing tall above him. "My family is a man named Eren Jaeger, who was just kidnapped by your associates. So I'll give you one chance to tell me everything you know, before I start yanking out your fingernails. One. Chance."

Unfortunately, Dimo didn't take that chance.

By the time I'd roughed him up, and then finally resorted to the pliers, he was sobbing and tears were running down his cheeks. I hated to do this, but when I was in this mode, I turned into a robot, the perfect soldier. Nothing would get between me and my goal.

"It started years ago," Dimo said on a sob.

"Good," I praised him, stepping back. "Go on."

Dimo dragged in a heavy breath. "Jaeger was just using my organization to funnel money through. I swear, I don't know anything other than that! His project is called the Titan project, that's all I know!"

I played with the pliers, that were now tipped in red blood. His blood. "Where is their research facility?"

Dimo shook his head, sobbing as tears freely flowed down his cheeks. "I don't know. Out in the country. Far away! Somewhere close to Val D'Or, that's all I know!"

I slipped off my gloves, and got my phone out of my back pocket. I dialled Hanji. "Can you get a more specific location if I tell you they're in Val D'Or?" I asked her as soon as she picked up.

I could hear her typing in the background. "Hang on, let me look."

Dimo was sweating and watching me as I waited. I smiled back at him, a cruel little smile.

"There isn't much there, Levi. A bunch of farmsteads, not much else."

I turned back to Dimo. "Not good enough. I need a more specific location."

"I'm just a businessman!" he cried out. "I can't help you more than this."

"Do you have records?" I asked him patiently.

Dimo hung his head. "They'll kill me," he sobbed. "They'll kill my son, too."

I put my gloves back on, and Dimo trembled as he watched me. I picked up the dagger, and I stepped close to him, pressing the sharp tip to his throat. "I'll kill you," I swore to him.

He must have seen the truth in my eyes, because he caved. "It's an old farmstead," he said in a small voice. "Their facility is located underneath it."

I pressed the tip of the knife closer against his throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "Address."

"In my phone," Dimo said shakily. "In my pocket."

I retrieved his phone, then tapped in his password as per his instructions. I followed the email threads that led me to the address, then I copied it into my own phone. I sent it to Hanji, and had her verify it.

"It's an old farmstead, all right," Hanji confirmed on the phone. "Doesn't look like much on Google Earth, but he said the facility is underground?"

"That's correct," I confirmed.

"Well, there's nothing we can do but go and check it out," she pointed out.

"True. Call Erwin, tell him I give him the okay to get the other guys involved. We leave tonight. If we drive in shifts, we can be there tomorrow."

"Sounds good," she said, hanging up.

I turned back to Dimo, who looked about ready to piss his pants. "If this turns out to be a wild goose chase, then I will come back and find you, and I will find your son. If you think the Titan Group is dangerous, then they don't hold a candle to me," I threatened.

Dimo shivered in his chair, looking up at me. "I believe you. I promise you, I didn't lie. I want to help you."

I nodded, then tossed my gloves and apron in the corner. I made to go out.

"Wait! You're not going to leave me here?" he pleaded.

I laughed. "Someone will be along soon to collect you," I said, then breezed my way out.

Hang on, Eren. I'm coming for you.