These characters are under copyright by Hajime Isayama and/or Kodansha Comics or others. This is a work of fanfiction, for no monetary gain.


Chapter 54 – Grim Discovery

Why hasn't Levi called out? Or told us to come out, if everything's OK. Why hasn't Levi said anything, or reappeared? Where is he? The anger and resentment Armin had been feeling towards Levi for siding with the Commander and trapping Eren and Mikasa Outside shriveled up and died.

"Commander, something's wrong. Levi should have called out to us by now, or come back," Armin whispered anxiously, so his voice wouldn't carry out the gaping exit.

From the tension in Erwin's body, in spite of his impassive expression, he knew the Commander feared the same.

"Kirstein, Arlert, Blouse, Springer, see what's delaying him. Kirstein, you're in charge. If you're not back by the time I count to 100, we're setting off the charges and sealing this entrance and exiting elsewhere," Erwin commanded.

"Yes sir!" Jean replied for all of them.

"Permission to accompany them," Hange immediately requested.

"Denied. I won't risk you. I need your expertise for the radio, and those Japanese books. You four go, now," Erwin ordered.

Armin was relieved the Commander wasn't risking Hange and in the next moment hated himself for actually feeling grateful to him for keeping her safe, the bastard who had left his two best friends behind to die.

"Levi used stealth and that apparently didn't work, so we're going to run and use our gear," Jean instructed. "Sasha you and Connie go left, Armin and I will go right. Scan the surrounding buildings for signs of Levi or enemies, and rendezvous at the mouth of the alley on 50, count silently as you run. Go!" Jean ran out first, Armin at his heels, and Sasha and Connie behind them.

Armin half expected to see dead guards, Levi's body with them, but there was nothing, no trace of either guards or their missing Captain, as they searched. He couldn't lose anyone else, not after Eren and Mikasa, not Levi, not after treating him so coldly.

His last words had been spoken in anger, directed at both his superiors, but more at Erwin than Levi, because Erwin had reiterated that Levi wasn't expendable, that he'd never be an acceptable loss. "It's too bad Eren and Mikasa were."

Levi had stiffened when he said it, the vindictive words cutting a cruel, like a slap to his face. And he'd fought against Levi's restraining hand as Krista tried to reassure him they'd go back and rescue Eren and Mikasa and Ymir, as she tried to convince Erwin to, and he coldly replied, "Yeager and Ackerman disobeyed a direct order, so I felt no remorse in sacrificing them for the greater good. I would have done it anyway, but it would have weighed on my conscience."

How could he say that, after they disobeyed orders to protect us?

His anxiety increasing exponentially as he neared the mouth of the alley without seeing a trace of Levi, focusing on Jean's broad back to keep from panicking, realizing he'd forgotten to count, but that at least half their 100 seconds must already be gone, as he saw Sasha and Connie run up too.

"I hate you." The words echoed in his ears, the last words Levi heard him say.

I don't hate you. I meant Erwin. I blame you, but I'm just as guilty, for being too weak to stop you. Please be OK.

And then suddenly Levi was there, miraculously appearing in front of them as if falling from the sky, and Armin belatedly realized he had, that he'd swung down on his maneuver gear.

"Son of a bitch!" Jean yelped.

Armin realized when he heard the thunder of footsteps behind them that the others had interpreted Jean's cry as Levi's signal phrase to come out fighting. He was only glad that hadn't been the signal for them to blow the tunnel, because that would have been a disaster.

Levi glared accusingly at Jean. "You're lucky there's nothing dangerous out here, brat. You could have just gotten everyone killed," he scolded.

"What do you mean nothing dangerous? Where the hell were you, if there's nothing dangerous?"Jean demanded. "Sir," he added, obviously belatedly remembering Levi was his superior officer.

"I mean just that. No enemy, but also, no Garrison soldiers and no one from the Library on guard, as they should have been, just Lurkers, but a lot fewer of them than I'd expect to see, especially as I didn't let them see me. I have no idea why. I say we take a side trip to the Library and find out what the fuck's going on. I would have gone on my own, but I didn't want to risk worrying Erwin," Levi admitted. Then he grimaced. "Although I guess I was a few minutes too late for that," he added ruefully as Erwin ran up and looked accusingly at him.

"Report, Captain," Erwin demanded.

"No signs of enemy, but no sign of Library or Garrison guards at the Gate, either, so I investigated a few blocks deep in every direction, to make sure we weren't being set up for an ambush, because I'm fucking sick of being ambushed. But there's nothing. I suggest we detour to the Library on the way back to the Garrison base for our horses, and a wagon for that crate, and find out what the fuck's going on," Levi proposed.

"You and Arlert go to the Library. The rest of us will go to ground in the building on your right. Report back as soon as you can, but I know politics and curiosity on the part of the Librarian might delay you. Just try not to take too long. I won't feel secure until we're back on the Garrison base, or our own," Erwin said.

"You heard the man. Arlert, you're with me," Levi ordered.

Unlike earlier, they weren't cloaked and concealed this time, to hide their uniforms, not because they wanted to be prominent, but because they'd left those cloaks behind with the Gate guards, to lighten their load for the trip to Shiganshina. Armin felt as if there was a target painted on his back because of it. They might as well be screaming "Soldiers, come kill us," to the Lurkers. Only as he and Levi got further from the others, he realized Levi was right. So far they'd only seen two people, and the moment they'd seen them, they'd run.

Armin swallowed. He suddenly felt like one of the bugs in the tunnel full of bats. "Levi? Do you think something big happened, something bad? I don't see any signs of battle damage, but could the Garrison have rounded up the Lurkers for some reason?"

"Fuck. I was just thinking the same thing, and hoping I was being paranoid. If there was something like that, Hypatia and the others will know," Levi assured him.

They continued on silently, scanning everywhere for danger as they crept closer to the Library. They rounded the final corner and Armin stared in shock and disbelief. "It's gone," he whispered, stunned, staring at the pile of rubble that marked the spot that had once been the Library. He lurched forward, but Levi grabbed him, yanking him back to the cover of the nearest building.

Belatedly Armin realized that whoever or whatever had destroyed the Library could still be there. Was it a Titan shifter? Annie, before going to Shiganshina? Or one of the others? Would Reiner or Bertolt have done something like this? Or was it the MPs, using cannon or gunpowder or… oh God. Dynamite. Did they use dynamite?

While Armin was frozen, Levi was scanning for signs of the enemy. "Stay here," he ordered and then he slipped away. Armin knew he was searching the immediate area for danger, but he didn't see him once as he waited, trying to come to terms with what had happened.

"Is Hypatia dead? Are her men? Were the books buried along with them? Maybe it wasn't a shifter, or the MPs. It could have been Lurkers, criminals, or enemies, someone not as afraid and respectful of the Librarian and her men as Levi was, when he lived down here, when it was Theon, before Hypatia, before Levi knew they were his cousins.

Armin heard the sing of maneuver gear cables, and suddenly Levi was in front of the mound of shattered stone, waving him in. As Armin approached, Levi began surveying the devastation, no longer searching for enemies who appeared to have long since vanished.

Levi began cursing as he examined the ruins. "Shit. Fuck. There's blast marks, the wrong pattern for gunpowder. Dynamite. Whoever it was, those bastards used dynamite. Which means it was either the Garrison or the fucking MPs, and considering who she is, I can bet which. Bastards! If she's dead, I swear I'll kill every last one of those sons of bitches. I'll finish the job that murdering bastard started."

Armin was horrified to hear Levi say he'd take off where Kenny had stopped, that he'd hunt down the entire rest of the Military Police in vengeance for Hypatia, but then an even darker through struck. "Oh no. If they did this, does this mean they realize who she's related to?" Armin didn't want to risk saying Pixis's name, because there might be spies even Levi hadn't spotted.

It wouldn't have been easy to take the Librarian and her men by surprise. Something like this couldn't have been arrows with a few sticks of dynamite, an attack from a distance. It would have to have been bundles or packs of dynamite. Armin wished he knew how much Hange had given them.

"Fuck! You're right. If they figured it out, the Old Man might already be arrested or dead," Levi said, pain clear in his voice. "Come on. We're going back. We have to report this immediately."

Armin's heart ached for Hypatia, who had been his childhood friend and first love, and for Pixis, who was almost like a second grandfather to him, but he knew it was exponentially worse for Levi. Those two were Levi's cousins, his only family, his only surviving relatives. Levi had only just found them, and now he might have lost them both, after losing Eren and Mikasa.

"I won't die," Armin assured Levi stupidly, but meaning every word. "Neither will Erwin, or Hange. Or Sasha or Jean. Even if you've lost your cousins, and… and Eren and Mikasa, you won't lose anyone else."

"Tch. Stupid brat. Don't give up on Eren and Mikasa so easily. But the only other one of us who's immortal now is Hange, and she can still be killed," Levi muttered, almost contradicting himself, as they headed back on foot, side by side, not wanting to risk maneuver gear closer to the others, after what they'd seen, for fear of leading the enemy to their comrades.

Erwin emerged from the building the moment they were visible. "Report," he snapped, as he assessed Levi's face, obviously surprised to see them back so soon and trying and apparently failing to read what he saw there.

"The Library's been destroyed. Dynamite. Long enough ago that all the dust and smoke has settled. Which explains something else we noticed. There are far fewer Lurkers around than there should be, and the two that saw us immediately fled, I'm assuming because of our uniforms, which means it was a military action, even if that wasn't already obvious from the fact it was dynamite, and we're the only ones who have it. Which also means Pixis might no longer be leading the Garrison, if someone made the connection between him and the Library. That would explain the absence of Garrison guards here. We may have to write off our horses, since they're on their base, and find some other way back to our own base. Though if anyone figures out we knew about the Library too, there might be warrants out for us as well."

Armin's heart rate skyrocketed. He hadn't even though about potential dangers to them; he had been solely focused on Hypatia and her men, and Pixis.

"We're gone for a week, Annie Leonhart escapes, comes after us apparently using the Gate that should have been guarded, but the Garrison isn't here and the Library is destroyed. I don't believe in coincidences. Someone high-placed is acting against us," Erwin hypothesized.

"Not necessarily," Hange stated. "Think about it: they weren't waiting outside the Gate to ambush us. Which might mean they thought we wouldn't survive Leonhart's attack, but might also mean that Pixis pulled away his men before Leonhart was released, that whoever destroyed the Library didn't know where we'd gone. They might even have gone there looking for us. After all, the Gate entrance could have been sealed instead, as well as soldiers waiting to see what we came back with, if they realized where we'd gone, if they knew about the tunnel. So maybe Leonhart tracked us some other way, by scent or something, since she wasn't working with Braun and Hoover at the time and didn't have access to the stolen diagram of the aqueduct system."

"Regardless, this is going to make things exponentially more difficult," Levi stated. "If the Garrison has been compromised, if we're suspected of some sort of treason, either because of not reporting the Library, or the secrecy of our mission… It wasn't exactly authorized by Zackley. Which means all of us could potentially be facing AWOL charges at a minimum, if they decide to put that kind of spin on it. But we won't learn anything hiding down here. The connections I once had dried up long ago."

"Sir? I have some active connections down here and also in the Garrison and MPs. I might be able to find out the extent of what's happened," Anders offered unexpectedly. "After my family was killed, I entered military training in lieu of hard labor, and there's a longstanding tradition of Freetraders in the military, sir. It's a lucrative market. Some of the men I trained with as well as the older cadets above us have risen to rather high positions in the Garrison and MPs, as well as the Corps. If you'll allow it, I'll try to make contact with the men and women down here first."

"It's too risky to go alone. I'll go with you. Not visibly, but in the shadows, to watch your back," Levi insisted.

"We'll need to ditch our maneuver gear and jackets. The shirts and pants can pass for scavenged, they're dirty and torn enough, but Corps jackets are too unusual and distinctive inside the Walls," Anders suggested, not arguing Levi accompanying him.

Levi nodded. "I'll bring my cane, and I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve and other places," he said, glancing at O'Seanessey. "Sasha, Connie, let me borrow your combat knives. They're not as subtle as what I usually carry, but they'll gut someone just as nicely, if it comes to that."

"Of course," Sasha said, unbuckling her sheathed knife and handing it to him without question.

"I expect to get it back, so you'd better not die," Connie grumbled, as he handed it to him, gruffly betraying his concern.

"Likewise, brats," Levi replied.

"Don't take any unnecessary chances," Erwin ordered.

Levi snorted.

"Ones that I would view as unnecessary," Erwin qualified.

"I'll be as careful as you are," Levi challenged.

Erwin nodded.

Levi turned to Anders, who was just finishing strapping on Bauer's knife.

Armin suspected that Anders likely had at least a couple of hidden knives, in addition to his own combat knife and Bauer's. The man had shown them he was a skilled knife fighter when they'd sparred back on base, what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Alright, Anders. You lead," Levi instructed.

"Thank you, sir. But for down here, it should be Josef. Do you have a name I can call you, if there's a need? Levi is too well known, both above and below," Anders pointed out.

"Call me Liam. I'm carrying the family crest, after all, and it's familiar enough I'll answer to it without hesitating. And I'm sure you know, hesitating down here can get you killed," Levi pointed out.

"Then let's get going, Liam," Anders agreed, leaving off the sir this time, immediately falling into character.

Armin and the others watched as the two men headed out, until they turned a corner and were no longer visible. The real Liam looked particularly bereft as he watched Levi go and Armin realized he was taking the loss of the Library and Hypatia especially hard.

"Now we wait. I want the guards I have stationed informed of the new plan, and spelled at as close to two hour intervals as we can judge, without the sun to guide us. I don't want anyone getting complacent down here," Erwin ordered.

"Yes sir," the rest of them agreed.