As an almost overwhelming combination of excitement, anxiety, and fear washed over him, Joe couldn't help but feel slightly satisfied at the look of grudging acceptance on Zeke's face as he gestured over the items that had been lain before them.
"They're all I can afford to spare, and they're all I think you'll need. Whether you can actually pull this off is up to you."
Looking over his small arsenal, Joe nodded, trying not to sound like he was grandstanding.
"I think I'll be able to do just fine with this."
Taking a step forward, Zeke nodded at each of the guns in turn.
"Heckler and Koch four-one-six carbine, three mags to go with it. Remington eight-seventy, compact and short barrel, ten shells. Five Seven, four mags."
He walked around the table where the guns had been lain, scratching the back of his head and looking somewhat antsy.
"All with silencers as per your request."
Joe had forced Alex to go over the layout of the building, as well as everything he was able to find out about how it was being protected, several times, but he still found himself rethinking of everything he had been taught as he did his best to absorb what the older man before him was saying. He knew that time was of the essence as well as precision and forethought, and he knew that the latter was something he had failed dismally at in the past.
"… after which point Galliard will drive you out to the start of the road and will let you make the rest of the trip on your own. He has been instructed to wait as long as necessary, or until nightfall, but should you not return within the time it takes to make it downtown in time, he will radio in and I will have to assume that you didn't make it, or didn't have enough time."
All things considered, Joe thought that Zeke was being very polite in phrasing what could easily have been put as "I will have to assume you fucked up."
"What's his alibi in the miniscule chance that a car happens to pull by and happens to stop and ask what he's doing waiting on the side of the road?"
"I've suggested taking a camouflage tent and pitching it on the other side of the road. He'll be able to sit and watch the truck, but will be in no trouble or danger if someone comes poking around."
"Alright."
He looked over the guns with a growing sense of apprehension; it would have made him feel tremendously more comfortable if he could have brought his Colt, but it didn't have a silencer, and stealth was going to be the true key for what he was about to undertake. Nodding, he crossed his arms and adopted what he hoped looked to be a politely confident look.
"I'll do everything in my power to make this work."
Zeke nodded as he appeared to stifle a concerned look.
"Should you pull it off by some miracle, Galliard will bring you around the back of the building. Make your way to the top and… I guess you know what to do from there."
Joe met his eyes and saw a look that seemed very much like a parent giving instructions to their child who was heading off to his first house party.
"Now, don't be worried to turn tail and run if you need to. This isn't something I want you to throw your life away doing if it gets to be too much."
Throwing him a mockingly kind look, Joe picked up the carbine and checked the chamber.
"Awfully kind of you to say."
Zeke didn't crack a smile at the sarcasm and rather frowned as he watched Joe go over his weapons.
"I mean it. If you turn up dead, that could raise a lot of questions, ones that could potentially, by some happenstance, lead back to me."
He scratched the back of his head, and even before he spoke, Joe sense the apprehension that had nothing to do with what he was about to undertake.
"And to boot, your girlfriend is under the impression that… if she goes along with me willingly, I'll promise to keep you here and keep you safe."
His eyes moved towards the ground as he seemed to be regretting everything that was happening to him.
"Wouldn't do well if the day I made that promise, you turned up dead."
Joe felt both a rush of affection for Mikasa and a growing fear towards what would become of her by the day's end. The fact that she was going to meet the man who was masquerading as her father had his guts in a completely separate knot from the one that had formed thinking about what he was about to do. He knew this was the only way he would be able to ensure that he would have every chance to save her from possibly being stolen away by that monster. But nonetheless, he felt a feeling of appreciation to Zeke for covering for him; Joe had no doubt that Mikasa would be in the room in a second with her hands on his throat if she knew what he was about to attempt, and in the condition he was in.
As if on cue, he twisted a little quickly and winced; Zeke saw his movement and furrowed his brow.
"Still hurts, even after that heavy a dosage."
Joe was quick to cover his tracks.
"Just a twinge here and there, nothing really to be that noticeable, especially not when I'm out in the thick of it."
Zeke didn't look remotely convinced, but rather looked towards the door as though Joe's room and the pills within were just on the other side.
"Bring some for the road just in case."
He looked back, a more businesslike look on his face.
"Now, you know how long the drive is, there will be only the one lookout to have to deal with… "
Joe raised a hand as inoffensively as he could.
"I know, I got it."
Again, Zeke held the air of looking unconvinced, but didn't press the issue.
"Alright then. We'll be leaving now."
He made for the door and Joe looked once more at his gear. He spoke without thinking.
"Hey."
The older man stopped but didn't turn completely, only angling his head very slightly. Joe continued, realizing he needed to say what he was thinking.
"If… if you have to give Mikasa to him… if we both can't stop it… you know I'll have to get her back."
Zeke's eyes moved down slightly as he seemed to consider this; Joe wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings.
"I won't rest and I won't stop at anything. I'm not losing her again."
He thought to everything that had been going through his mind previously, of everything he had confessed to Florian. He thought of how, despite what he knew, that he was still scared of her, he always had been and how he couldn't come to terms with what she had done to Sasha.
What I did to Sasha.
But it didn't matter. He had to protect her, and he was gambling everything on this. This was his best chance to ensure Mikasa wouldn't be taken from him; if not for this opportunity, he would be making this trip as well, to make sure that nothing happened to her.
From the doorway, Zeke seemed to come to terms with something and let out a relaxed sigh.
"Then I guess you better not fuck this up."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Ymir paced the halls of the floor they were currently occupying, trying not to overthink her current situation. On one hand, she was endlessly grateful for the fact that she and her family were not about to be dragged into another situation where they would have to encounter Kenny and people like him. Knowing that they would be able to stay back and stay hidden from that side of the world was very relieving.
On the other, and very heavy hand, however, doubts and worries seemed to spring eternal the moment she managed to steady herself with the weight of the rest. How could she allow herself, Historia and Ilse to remain under the protection of a man who she knew was capable of far more evil then anyone other than her and Sasha knew of? After hearing everything Historia had told her about her childhood and how she had ended up on the run at such a terribly early age, it was almost impossible to keep quiet about her own past, especially when she considered how much they mirrored each other. But telling Historia all this now, when they were in the most safe position they had been in in weeks seemed foolhardy and dangerous. Ymir had every intention of leaving as soon as they could, but for now, it was time to let the storm blow over.
If she knows that we're being housed by a man who was willing to rape a middle school student, and she's sitting here with a baby…
The gravity of what she was thinking came crashing down on her very quickly and she stopped just outside her door.
Can I really stay here knowing what I know? Can I… assume that he's maybe… that he won't do anything like what he did to me way back then?
She still couldn't even keep her eyes on Zeke for longer than a few seconds without feeling nauseous, but it ultimately came back to the fact that he was offering them asylum. For now, that was enough to keep Ymir from taking her family and running, or killing the man himself.
Or both.
Sighing, she found herself wishing they knew what had become of Levi. He would surely be able to control this situation, even if he had been among them captured. They had engaged in a brief discussion the previous night about what may have happened to him, and while there had been no conclusion reached, Ymir had noticed how Annie had looked considerably uncomfortable while Historia and Jean argued fervently about what to think.
"We can't assume he somehow as survived on his own for as long as he has without coming in contact with us!"
"And how exactly was he supposed to track us down? We've been essentially kidnapped in case you haven't noticed."
"You're just banking too hard on the possibility that he somehow is alive somewhere… "
"How can you prove to me he isn't? He was more capable of doing that than any of us put together!"
Ymir had occasionally offered support for Historia's argument if only because she was more or less required to by the laws of being a proper girlfriend, but her attention remained transfixed on the other short blonde in the room. By the time the discussion had ended, Ymir had a sneaking suspicion that Annie knew something about Levi that none of the rest of them did.
I can't bring it up now… but she knows something. I'll find out what it is in time.
"Guess… guess you're getting a pass."
Turning, Ymir saw Sasha making her way reluctantly down the hall to where Ymir knew Reiner was waiting to escort them all to the vehicles that would be taking them into town. She felt fear for her friends, but all she could really do was hope that Zeke would keep his word and not give them to Kenny.
"Don't look so down."
Her sarcastic words elicited no response from her friend; months ago, perhaps even weeks, this would have given Sasha reason to fix her with a smile, even if it was a small one. Now, the only thing the brunette did was shake her head slowly, looking tired, anxious and sick all at once.
"I don't know if he's telling the truth. I'm scared, Ymir."
Ymir felt the urge to walk over and pull her friend into a hug, but something kept her where she was. Something was wrong.
Sasha… even after losing Ilse…
There was a sickening pang in her heart, and she tried to keep from letting grief flood back in, as it so easily could do if she let it.
Even after that, being put in this predicament now, the Sash I knew would have tackled this situation with a challenging and shit-eating smile, not letting it get the better of her. She would be cracking stupid jokes to hide her nerves, and would hit me with an insult for being able to stay behind. Something else is going on.
"Hey, Sash?"
As though she had forgotten she was standing in the hall in the presence of another person, Sasha snapped her head up, looking surprised.
"Yeah, what's up?"
She spoke a little too quickly. Ymir crossed her arms and looked her up and down, and furrowed her brow slightly, trying not to look overly suspicious.
"What's going on?"
Sasha dropped the jacket she was carrying, but didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were wide and she was looking at Ymir as though she had just asked a very rude question rather than a concerned one.
"What do you mean?"
Again, spoken a little too fast to be passed as casual or even normal. Ymir shifted her weight, trying to find the best way to approach this; she knew that Sasha along with the rest would be leaving soon and she had limited time to figure this out. She hated the idea of cutting the chase too quickly, but she didn't think at that point that she had a choice. Speaking low and clearly, she let her arms drop to her sides, adopting as gentle a pose as she could; Sasha would not do well under this line of questioning if Ymir was digging even a little aggressively.
"Something's up with you. Sometime between when we all went to bed last night, and now, something happened to you. Or you decided something, or you've changed your mind about something, or I don't fucking know, Sash, but I can just tell."
Realizing a card she was able to play, she lay it down without waiting.
"The same way you knew something was wrong with me back at the cabin."
Sasha looked terrified as though she had just been caught in the act of doing something terribly perverse. Her hand seemed to drift unconsciously to her stomach and she massaged the bottom of it, just above her waist.
"Can't… don't know what you're talking about… just worried… about what's… what will happen to… everyone… "
She was stammering so badly that Ymir was amazed she was able to form words at all, but she refused to relent.
"Sash, I told you what was the matter with me, didn't I? It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to tell someone, but I trusted you enough to confide by far the most painful secret about my past. I trusted you, Sash, to tell you what had me so worked up. I'm asking you now to do the same thing."
Her foot moved as if to step forward, but she caught herself. She wasn't entirely convinced that Sasha wouldn't run if she made even the slightest movement towards her.
"Tell me what's wrong. Please."
It sounded like an order and Ymir cursed her naturally brash nature. Sasha looked horrified, worse than she had moments before. Her hand was still massaging her waist as her jaw moved and up and down like a broken robot.
"I… I… I just wanted… I just… needed… someone… I thought that… he wouldn't… he didn't… but… Mika, she… she… "
Ymir had been trying desperately to piece together Sasha's assorted words like she was arranging a puzzle, but everything came to a halt when she heard the name.
"Mika? What? What did she do?"
Sasha gasped as though she had just had freezing water dumped down her back.
"I can't… I shouldn't have… my fault, I… "
"Sasha."
Ymir had opened her mouth, but her voice wasn't the one that called the brunette's name. Sasha gave a short scream and Ymir turned to see Mikasa standing at the other end of the hallway.
"We're leaving."
Fumbling for her dropped jacket, Sasha picked it up and rushed past Ymir without so much as another word or even a moment of eye contact. She was around the corner in an instant, her pattering footsteps fading away behind the slam of the door that led to the staircase. Mikasa looked calmly after her and after a moment made to follow.
"Looks like she's seen some real shit."
The black haired girl stopped and looked back towards Ymir.
"What do you mean?"
The question was almost identical to the one Sasha had said to her moments before, but it wasn't said in a panic. Ymir wasn't sure if she found that or the calmness with which Mikasa spoke it more off-putting.
"Apparently something happened to her last night. She didn't look like she wanted to say much about it, but she mentioned your name."
Mikasa looked back at her with an angering amount of passivity.
"What's up with that? Did you force feed her LSD that hasn't worn off yet? Threaten her with the most disgusting torture possible?"
They were stupid and untrue possibilities, but Ymir knew that. Her mind was working very quickly.
"Not sure what happened, but it sounds like maybe you have some making up to do."
Mikasa continued to regard her with emotionless eyes, so much worse than Annie's freezing orbs.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Suddenly, Ymir couldn't stand the sight of her old friend. Sneering and shaking her head, she turned away to head into her room, knowing that she wasn't going to get anything close to the truth out of the person she once would have given her life for.
"Ymir."
It was her turn to stop though she didn't look back.
"You're staying behind."
There were several half-assed remarks Ymir could have spit, and she somehow settled on one of the less-biting ones.
"That's the rumor."
"Joe's also staying behind."
So I've heard, you stupid cunt.
"Yeah."
Mikasa's eyes flashed briefly.
"If I come back… and you've hurt him… if you've so much as TOUCHED him, I will kill you."
Ymir looked back then, feeling a shit-eating grin begin to slide over her face.
"Ha, if you come back. You know full well your pops is gonna drag you out of there and either whip you half to death again or fuck your worn out pussy until you're dead of exhaustion."
There was no bristling from MIkasa at her comment, and Ymir knew she hadn't yet poked in the right area.
Do I really want to do this? Now?
"Regardless, it makes no sense, you worrying about him. You won't be in any position to help him if I decide to string up him up and gut him upside down."
Then, she saw Mikasa slowly ripple with silenced rage, her lips tightening very slightly, but she still made no comment. Ymir wondered what she was thinking.
She probably would like nothing more than to choke the life out of me. But she can't.
Eyes slowly lowering to the corner of the hall, Mikasa seemed to be barely in control of her voice.
"When this is over… when I get away from him… and I WILL get away from him… I'll take Joe and we'll leave."
Ymir nodded slowly.
"And we'll never have to see each other again."
Mikasa's eyes glowed with an almost desperate hate.
"I'll do everything in my power to move us somewhere where by even the most insane coincidence, I won't… we won't see you ever again."
Ymir continued nodding.
"I think that would be for the best I think."
Despite her satisfaction at heckling Mikasa, her heart pounded furiously.
"I don't want him near Ilse. Ever again."
Her mouth turning at the corner in a rare smile, Mikasa disappeared down the hall, leaving Ymir to angrily consider her final words.
"I'm glad we understand each other."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Annie followed in Zeke's wake as they walked through the tremendous lobby of the business building, eyes moving to the stainless tiles, glistening chandelier and quietly running fountain. An enormous silver door that clearly opened to an elevator rested at the opposite end; the only woman at the reception desk looked up, eyes traveling around the same entourage that had entered her lobby, but she returned Zeke's nod as they passed her. Annie continued to remain within one step of Mikasa, somehow not able to trust herself to leave her friend alone for a single moment.
We're taking her right to him… so help me God, we're taking her right to him.
She, along with Mikasa, Jean, and Sasha had not been granted guns, but she knew that the three ahead of them had hidden arms; she knew for a fact that Reiner had a sidearm jammed in the back of his pants. She was fighting the mad desire to pull it free and try and shoot the three of them before forcing Mikasa back out the door and getting her as far away from this place as she could.
How can I just let this happen?
A memory unbidden leapt to her mind and she thought to when she had prevented Joe from murdering Mikasa's father as he walked through an airport parking lot. She had only done it at Mikasa's behest, and her decision to grant her friend's request was something that haunted her to that day.
If I had just… let him. Where would we be now?
Would Mikasa have gotten together with him when she had been so adamantly against the murder of her father? Would she have rejected Joe and possibly forced him from the group? Could… could she have found someone else?
"Thirty-second floor."
Annie hadn't even noticed that they had all crowded into the large elevator and she only got on last glimpse of the lobby before the door closed. With a gentle and muffled clunk, they began to ascend; the trip seemed to last minutes before the ding sounded and the doors opened again.
Men with openly large assault rifles stood not feet in front of them and Annie was surprised at their large show of force in such broad daylight. She assumed that the building had been closed off while this meeting had taken place. One of men stepped forward and spoke gruffly.
"Ya'll armed?"
His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Annie didn't have time to think about it. Zeke nodded to his left and right.
"Just myself and these two associates, none of the rest."
"Gonna need them."
"Of course."
Steadily and slowly, Zeke, Reiner and Bertholdt passed their handguns over. When they had finished, the second man jerked his head down the hall.
"Off you go."
Zeke gave a short, appreciative bow and set off briskly the way that had been gestured. Both men on guard looked off after him, with furrowed brow, likely at a loss for his formal and upbeat behavior. Mikasa followed behind him faster than even Reiner and Bertholdt, and Annie rushed to catch up. The hall was as decorative and business-like as the lobby had been; clean walls dimly lit with a deep maroon carpet. Annie had a wild thought to the hallways from The Shining. At the very end of the hall, a tremendous wooden double door towered before them, looming like a giant closed mouth. Zeke stopped in front of it, looking it up and down with a slightly bemused look on his face. He looked back down the hall, but the two men guarding the elevator were well out of sight. He shrugged.
"Guess we should knock."
The sound of his knuckle colliding with the finished wood echoed hollow and loud, and before it had even faded, a shout from within the room rang out.
"Yeah, come in!"
This voice was familiar as well, but this time, it was immediately recognizable as well. Annie tensed and ground her teeth quietly; Mikasa's fist clenched and unclenched next to her; Sasha was wearing a very confident and defiant set of eyes, but the fact that she was chewing her lower lip completely gave away her very high nerves and Annie realized she was standing a portion apart from the rest of them. Jean looked by far the best of them, but even he was wearing a tight expression; he was to enter behind the rest of them to maintain the image that he had come on his own accord. Zeke sighed and pushed the door open.
The meeting room was large and rectangular, with a long mahogany table down its center. It was better lit than the hall, but the increased light seemed only harsh, not illuminating. The ceiling was lower as well, and seemed almost out of place in comparison the rest of the building.
"Alright, one party down, only one more we're waiting on, better… "
Around the table sat an unusual cluster of people; at one side sat Armin and Eren, the former looking like he was trying hard to remain confident while not passing out, looking as though he was guising as Armin's aid. The short blonde man looked better than Annie would have imagined him as, though she noticed his hand shaking on the table as he looked ahead with fierce resolve in his eyes. Beside them was a portly and very nervous looking man who Annie recognized as the mayor as she had seen him in many local commercials over the past couple years. On the other end sat another portly man, though he seemed much more calm and exerted an air of being well in control and on his left sat Annie's reason for alarm.
She hadn't seen Mikasa's father in any real good light, so as he appeared before her now, it was almost as though she were seeing him for the first time. He was large and imposing, despite his hunch and tiny black eyes. Behind his bush of facial fair, he looked to be perpetually scowling. He looked over each of them in turn, and Annie saw his eyes come to rest on Mikasa and she resisted the urge to step in front of her as his eyes narrowed. In the center of them all, Kenny was the only one standing, save for the numerous men who stood behind him with guns at the ready. Next to his seat sat a grim and sharp looking woman with hair tied back; Annie had the immediate impression that she was a lawyer.
Carven… I remember Hange talking about her.
Kenny's possible love interest and someone who they had considered using to their advantage before everything had started falling around them.
What I wouldn't give to have those days back.
Kenny stood, having cut himself off, mouth opening and closing in confusion as his eyes moved between the several people who now stood before him. He was clearly shocked, but slowly that shock faded, and a vile menace Annie knew well crept over his eyes; she knew hell could very well be only seconds away.
"Well. I suppose we have much to talk about."
