Hey Cheese are you there? Here's an update. Anyways, hey readers I'm back with another chapter. Last chapter I left ya'll with a cliffhanger and I hope that got ya'll hyped for this one. I'll save most of my talking for after the chapter so please enjoy.
"What the!" Irene gasped as her eyes shot open only to be met with nothing but darkness. Immediately, her mind started to panic, trying to register where exactly she was, and how exactly she got there in the first place. At the moment, the only thing she could tell was that she was lying down on what she assumed was a bed.
Where am I.
Slowly, her eyes started to adjust to the poor lighting of the room and she was able to take note of her surroundings.
She was in a small room, sparsely decorated with the only item in the room, other than the bed, being a lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. Opposite from where she lay was a single door in the centre of the wall.
Now that she was more aware of her surroundings, she felt a bit at ease. However, that still didn't change the fact that she was in an unfamiliar place with little to no memory of how she got there so she wasn't going to get comfortable anytime soon.
Irene let out a low hiss from the pain she felt the moment she tried to bring her hand to her face. She then brought both of her hands to hover above her face and that's when she saw the cause of her pain.
Around the wrists of her hands were a pair of metal handcuffs, fastened rather tightly as she felt her skin throbbing under the metal. Her mind was starting to panic again. What on earth was she doing with a pair of handcuffs on. How had she ended up here? Was she going to die?
The hell is going on?
Carefully, without causing herself more pain, Irene shuffled around on the bed until she was seated upright, her back against the wall. She closed her eyes as she continued to try and discern what was going on. Last time she checked, she was having dinner with her friends, and then She was talking to Junior about… about the titan incident and then when they were heading to bed when the Military police showed up and then Nile…
"What do you want, Nile?" Irene asked, keeping her eyes locked on the man that stood before her. The last time she had seen the man, she was walking out of his house with some of her belongings and heading off to live with her father. At the time, she was happy. She wasn't going to have to spend a second longer around that man for a long time.
Right now, she was the opposite of happy. She had hoped she wouldn't have to see him again and yet, here he was, standing in front of her once again. Why was the universe suddenly against her?
From what she could tell, being the Military Police's Commander had done him good. He didn't look as scruffy as he used to now that he was in that flashy uniform.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing right now," Nile started, his eyes widened in in a mixture of surprise and amusement, "Surely this isn't the same little girl I saw almost two years ago," he continued before quirking an eyebrow, "how have you been?"
Irene's eyebrow twitched in slight irritation at the question. She and Junior were just about to get shot at because she was apparently wanted by the government of Fort Sina, then he just shows up and asks how she was doing like they had just casually met somewhere. Not only that, but now seeing his face had just put her in a bad mood.
"Is that him?" she heard Junior ask from beside her. He must've noticed from her initial reaction to him.
"Mhm," the blonde nodded, keeping her eyes on Nile, "What do you want Nile?"
"Hey, kid. You can't talk to a commander like that. Where's your sense of respect?" the soldier from before started, but before he could continue, he was silenced by Nile's raised hand.
"I can see you still haven't let it go," Nile said, shaking his head before wearing a more serious expression, "Alright. We don't intend to stay here for long as this was simply an extraction mission. That said, Irene Smith, you have been placed under arrest by the Military Police."
"Why am I under arrest?" Irene asked, not allowing herself to show any signs of fear as she glared at the man, "you can't arrest me for no reason."
Keeping a straight face, Nile continued, "As I'm trying to avoid taking any unnecessary measures, I request that you surrender yourself right now."
"And what if I don't?"
Nile nodded to a soldier that stood behind him, prompting them to aim their weapon at Junior, "Then we will have to take you by force. Now, we are already aware that a weapon like this will not deal you any permanent damage," he said before shifting his gaze to Junior "but what about your friend over there?"
Not this again.
At this point, all the confidence that Irene had accumulated had just faded into nothingness. They knew. The Military Police knew, and here she was about to be arrested.
She knew it. She knew that things were going to go wrong the minute she used her powers in front of everyone else. Why did she so foolishly believe things were just going to go smoothly after such a thing. Why did she entertain such an idea for even a bit?
"My soldier will fire at my command," she heard Nile say.
Junior.
Irene shifted her gaze to Junior, who was clearly trying his best to remain brave despite having a gun aimed at him. He was innocent. He wasn't the one carrying this titan ability. He was just her friend, who tried to make her feel better when she was stressed out some time ago. He was her friend, who was willing to die just moments ago, trying to protect her from these soldiers, and he was her friend, who was going to get shot if she didn't do what these people wanted.
Irene gulped as she felt her throat tighten. Behind the poker face she tried hard to keep going for her, she was on the verge of breaking down. What happened was as a result of her actions, and that had nothing to do with him.
It's not worth it.
Irene rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger before looking back at Nile, wearing a renewed expression of confidence. She knew what to do. It was the only way for both her and Junior to get out of here without anybody getting hurt.
"So what will it be Irene?" Nile asked, "yourself or…" he nodded towards Junior, "your friend over there."
Irene cleared her throat before speaking, "fine," she nodded, "I'll go with you."
"Good," Nile nodded before one of the MPs stepped forward holding a pair of hand cuffs.
"Irene, what are you doing?" Junior asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you can't just go with them."
"Levi, I have to," Irene responded, "If I keep this up, they're going to kill you, now just let me go."
Junior didn't budge, "Irene you don't have to worry about me."
"Of course I have to worry about you, Levi. You're my friend for crying out loud!" she snapped before sighing, "look. What's happened today is all because of me and it has nothing to do with you. If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for it." Before Junior could counter, she continued, "I get that you're doing this because you care about me and trust me, I'm doing this because I care about you too. You helped lighten my mood earlier on and I appreciate that. You made my night much better than it was. This time, I'm afraid, you won't be able to make things different."
Irene saw his face slightly fall and continued, "Like Nile said, I won't be permanently affected by those guns, but you will. Even if we decided to make a break for it, we might get shot at and I'll live through it. You wouldn't. Now imagine how I'd feel seeing you dead when it's all clearly my fault? Think of your parents. What would happen if they were to find out their son was dead? What would that do to them, huh? Considering what you've told me about recent events."
"Irene…" Junior started, his hand dropping from her shoulder. He must've gotten her point, judging by the look of contemplation he wore on his face.
"I'm sorry, but this is just how it has to be," she said before turning back to look at Nile. With a heavy heart, Irene took a step in the direction of the soldier with handcuffs.
"What about your dad, Irene?" She heard Junior call from behind her, "what about him, huh? How do you think he'd feel if he found that out his daughter just willingly left without even so much as letting him know? You were feeling lonely before he stepped up and took you to live with him so that you didn't feel that way. Now, you're just going to up and abandon him like this. What do you think that would do to him?"
Dad
Irene's movement came to a halt at the mention of her father. The same person that did his best to make sure she was happy even if it meant him going off duty in order to just spend time with her. Even though he had left others to keep on Advancing in the fight against Marley, especially when they needed him. Junior had a point. He had done so much to make sure she was happy, even if it meant sacrificing what he had dedicated himself to just for her. If he were to find out that she just willingly waltzed off with the Military Police, she could only imagine how betrayed he'd feel.
"Hey, hurry up. We don't have all day!" The MP barked, snapping Irene out of her thoughts.
"Irene come on…" she heard Junior's voice from behind her, urging her to reconsider her decision.
Irene mentally groaned as she tried to convince herself that she was making the right decision. She about to willingly turn herself in, but it was for a good reason. She was doing it to preserve the life of her friend, and that's a good thing.
Right?
Deciding that she was done questioning herself, Irene turned back to meet Junior's eyes again for what could possibly be the last time. Taking note of the determined look in his eye, Irene suddenly became aware of the fact that he had grown from the time she had first met him. He had grown from that awkward nerd into someone who was brave enough to risk his life for her. He had also become one of her greatest friends and she couldn't bear to let him die because of her. He should be able to understand that. Erwin would understand that.
"Sorry Levi, but it just has to be done," she said, flashing him an apologetic look to which he sighed in defeat. She then looked back at the expectant MPs again, and with a heavy heart, she began to make her way towards them.
"And where do you think you're going?" a familiar voice asked, stopping Irene in her tracks. When she turned around, she was met with a face bearing features almost identical to her own, belonging to none other than Commander Erwin Smith himself, the same person she was just about to abandon. Soon, she started to get this heavy sensation in her chest and she knew, without a doubt, that that was guilt.
"Dad… I."
"Hold on," he cut her off before turning his head to the direction of the Military Police where Nile wore a visibly unnerved expression.
With the same poise he always had, Erwin made his way to stand in front of the teenagers and locked eyes with the opposing force's leader. If there was something that always puzzled her, it was her father's ability to switch from the most charming person in the world, into the most intimidating person in existence, much like the way he was able to clearly unnerve Nile with his sudden appearance.
"Commander Dawk, what a pleasant surprise."
Nile's previous expression changed into a more threatening and somewhat frustrated one before he responded, "I could say the same about you, Commander Smith."
"I was unaware that we were receiving visitors today," Erwin said, motioning towards Nile and his soldiers before bringing his hands to hang at his sides, "tell me Nile, what brings you and your soldiers here?"
"We were sent here under the order of the government of Fort Sina to arrest Irene Smith," Nile responded.
"And for what crime is she being arrested?" Erwin asked.
"That isn't information I am at liberty to share."
"Then I cannot allow you to carry out your arrest."
"huh?" Nile said, quirking an eyebrow, "you do realize that this is under the orders of Fort Sina, don't you?"
"I'm well aware, Nile."
"Then why don't you seem to be ready to give Irene up?"
"So you're telling me that you and your men were sent by your government to carry out an arrest on one of my men without so much as informing me or any of the Survey Corps' commanding officers for a reason that your government chooses to keep classified," he points out before continuing, "and you expect me to just allow you to do so freely?"
"Erwin, Fort Sina's government is of the highest authority. You just have to."
"Fort Sina may be of the highest authority, but all decisions made involving the inhabitants of another Fort are to first be greenlit by the officials of said Fort. And seeing as the military has been involved, you should've informed the Garrison Commander of your orders," Erwin explained, clearly and with the intent to make a point, "this is something you, of all people, should know."
Irene stayed silent during the whole ordeal, feeling rather relieved that her father had suddenly materialized at the right time. If anyone could handle this situation, it was him and she was just going to depend on him for that.
"What's going on?" Irene bristled, as the voice had come from right next to her. She turned only to end up meeting eyes with a pair of bespectacled ones.
"Section Commander," Irene said before remembering that she had been asked a question that wasn't exactly easy for her to answer, "…it's too much to explain," she responded, looking away from the scientist and beyond her where the Captain, Moblit and Mrs. Ackerman stood observing the scene.
"Why do you always have to be such a smartass, Erwin?" Nile sighed before speaking, "listen Erwin, there's no need to make things complicated."
"If you had followed the appropriate protocol then things wouldn't have to be so complicated now, would they?" Erwin asked before motioning towards Irene, "You can make things less complicated by telling me why you're arresting this soldier."
Being referred to as simply a 'soldier' by her own father definitely wasn't something Irene could exactly be thrilled about, but she understood the reason he decided to take a less familiar approach towards the situation.
"Like I said before, I'm not at liberty to disclose this information," Nile responded.
"Then I am under no obligation to hand over my soldier."
Nile sighed, now looking defeated. It seemed Erwin may have driven him to a point where he had given up arguing. He then spoke, "Since you're so eager to find out, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that your daughter is suspected to be an affiliate of man's current enemy, the titans."
Erwin's eyes narrowed at this, "That's a bold claim. Elaborate."
"Your daughter…" Nile hesitated, "…your daughter can speak to titans."
Irene tensed up the moment Nile spoke. The secret she had been hoping to keep between herself and Junior had become known to the Military Police and now some of the other Scouts, the people she had hoped would never find out about it.
Anxiety started to build within her and the fact that she could sense all eyes on her wasn't making things any better. With what little courage she had mustered, she turned to face the other Scouts. Apart from the look of pure concern thrown at her by Junior, and the curious expression worn by Hange, everyone else was confused, regardless of how well they masked their expressions.
"Nile, what are you talking about?" Erwin asked, returning to the main conversation.
"I'm talking about the fact that daughter dearest over there can talk to the damn beasts," Nile responded, his former confidence returning as it appeared he was starting to gain the upper hand in the situation.
"Hange, do you have input on the matter?" Erwin asked without turning back to her.
"On all the occasions that I'd left Fort Maria for observation, I would see the titans exhibiting numerous traits. However, I had never seen any of them exhibit the ability to communicate. Not even with each other. All they did was just walk around searching for their next meal, not even acknowledging their environment," Hange responded, crossing her arms and cupping her chin with her right hand, "hearing that someone, in this case Irene, is able to communicate with them is baffling. It honestly makes no sense at all, but then again…"
"Then again, what, Hange?" Levi cut her off, looking extremely skeptical and somewhat uncomfortable, "You and I—on many occasions—both saw that those things clearly lacked the ability to think. What on earth could you mean by 'then again?"
"Hold on, hear me out. We've only really observed the titans on the outskirts of the city. For all we know, those in the centre could be different, they could be more intelligent," Hange started, her glasses getting that glint they did whenever she started getting ideas, "I mean, think about these strange titans. The Colossal one that created a hole in Fort Maria, or the strange titan you fought the other day. There's a high possibility that they could possess the ability to communicate—or perhaps control the other titans."
"Aha!" she said, slamming her right fist on her left palm, "there was that rumbling noise before the titans appeared in the fort…and even that roar that got all the titans charging for the centre. Both of those noises seemed to have triggered something in the titans. It all makes sense now"
One thing Irene had come to learn from the past year of training was that once the Section Commander started talking about titans, she would take ages to conclude, and now that she had started brainstorming, she wasn't going to end anytime soon unless the Captain or the Commander stopped her. Regardless, that still didn't make things any better for Irene. In fact, it actually made things worse.
"That's enough Hange," Erwin cut her off before continuing to engage Nile, "Regardless of whether or not she really can talk to titans, you still haven't provided me with a reason for her to be arrested."
"Erwin, the fact that she can speak to the titans makes her a threat to man-kind," Nile said, "for all we know, she could've been the one responsible for the titan attack that happened here a few days ago."
…But it's all your fault.
Irene couldn't help but feel her animosity against the man rise once more as she had just remembered that it was his fault that she was in that situation. If it weren't for the fact that acting out would potentially get her arrested, she wouldn't have let him look that smug.
"Does that accusation come with any proof?"
"All your proof is right there," Nile responded, motioning towards Irene, "tell them Irene, am I lying?"
Irene tensed up once again as everyone else's stares somehow became more intense. Once again, Nile had made her life difficult. Right when she thought the tables had turned for the better, he just flipped them over again. From him being the one constantly questioned, Irene was the one currently receiving stares.
"Irene, is what Nile saying true?" Erwin asked, looking down at her with an interrogative expression. Irene tried by all means to find some comfort in his expression, but no signs of it were evident. As a matter of fact, she even started to feel uncomfortable near him, or even around everyone else. This wasn't an event she had anticipated occurring and never even allowed herself to think about it. She believed that if she had just forgotten about it and moved on with life, things would be alright. Things would just be normal.
With the arrival of the titans, came her having to finally reveal her little secret. She thought things would just stay between her, Junior and Doug, but nope. Now everyone else was about to find out about it. The big question was what was she going to say?
"Irene, is what he is saying true?" she heard her father's voice again, snapping her back into reality.
She felt her lips twitch as she struggled to open her mouth. The moment she opened her mouth, she knew that no one would see her the same way again. Not her friends, not even her own family, and that was an idea that was extremely hard for her to stomach. It was a harsh reality to face, but she just had to deal with it. Her life was going to change and there was nothing she could do but accept it.
"Irene," Erwin started to grow impatient.
"…I-I…" she started but stopped. She started to rehearse the words in her mind but every time she wanted to speak, her lips remained glued to each other, and even when her mouth did open, all that escaped was the exhaled air, turning into a small clouds of vapor.
"Come on Irene," Nile spoke, wearing a much more confident expression as his anticipated moment of triumph approached. All it took for him to have his way was for her to admit it, "tell them the truth."
Among all the stares she received from the other Scouts, she managed to lock eyes with Junior, who now wore a defeated expression. Even he must've realized that there was nothing that could be done to prevent this.
Nile groaned in what seemed to be frustration before asking, "why aren't you answering the question?"
"Because she doesn't have to," a familiar voice spoke, prompting everyone to turn to the direction it came from.
The moment she turned, her eyes landed on a good number of men dressed in brown and in the front was the Garrison Commander Dot Pixis, his two attendants standing at his side, along with several armed Garrisons at the back.
Pixis shifted his heavy eyes towards Erwin before speaking, "I received your message Commander, and I must say…" he started before looking at Nile, "This is, indeed, a rather peculiar situation. Commander Dawk, I'd like to know why you decided to make such an impromptu visit?"
Irene felt two things at that moment. Relieved that hope for the situation to become better had come again, and amazed because her father apparently contacted the Garrisons in advance. Even wasn't exactly sure of what was going on, he was still a step ahead of everyone.
Nile sighed, probably because he was being asked to explain the situation once again, "Commander Pixis. I, along with my men, am here to carry out the arrest of Irene Smith."
"And why is that?"
"Irene Smith has the ability to commune with man's current greatest enemy, the titans," Nile explained, "having an ability like that makes Irene a potential threat to man-kind, and because of that, she must be contained."
"Contained?" Pixis echoed, wearing a somewhat offended expression, "you do realize that this is a human being we are talking about, right?"
After a brief moment of silence, Pixis clicked his tongue before speaking, "Nile, you're carrying out an arrest on Fort Rose's soils without so much as informing myself or any of the Garrison officers. That is a violation of military protocol and if this were to come to the attention of Premier Zackly, you and your Military Police would face serious issues," he said, eliciting an expression of nervousness from Nile, "Aside from that, you clearly have no proof to support the claim you've made against Irene Smith. Therefore, I cannot allow you to make this arrest."
"These were orders from Fort Sina, you can't just disregard them like that," Nile said.
"As you, and everyone else can see, Nile, we are not in Fort Sina. We are in Fort Rose, and thus your orders, which have not been made official by Fort Rose's government, are invalidated" he started, "because of this, all courses of action you decide to make on these soils have to be under supervision of the Garrison Regiment," he continued before concluding, "so in short, my fort, my rules."
The words spoken by Pixis clearly had done a great job of putting Nile in his place judging by the exasperated look on his face. Pixis couldn't have stepped in at a better time.
"However…" Pixis started before turning to look at Irene, scrutiny evident in his lazy eyes, "I highly doubt Fort Sina would send the Military Police here for no reason…"
Right. Of Course.
Of course it was too good to be true. There was no way Commander Pixis stepping in would just magically fix everything. She could still speak to titans and was still, apparently, a threat to man-kind itself, and now that people were starting to find out, things definitely weren't going to get easier for her. As a matter of fact, she could only imagine that they would get worse.
"Therefore, I have decided that Irene Smith will be taken under the custody of the Garrisons until the situation can be handled appropriately," Pixis declared.
Yep, definitely worse.
"Anka," Pixis said, prompting his attendant to step forwards holding a pair of handcuffs.
"Bring your hands forward," the woman said.
Irene couldn't help but stare at the metal cuffs in front of her. The same metal cuffs that were used to restrain criminals. Did that make her a criminal? The fact that she had an unusual ability? Was she a criminal because she had an unusual ability she didn't even ask for? Did all of this make her a threat to humanity?
No.
Irene shook her head. There was no way she was a criminal. She had chosen to dedicate herself to joining the fight against the titans even though she had the ability way before they invaded Paradis. From that time, till date, she had never turned against man. As a matter of fact, she did her best to fight for it. There was no reason for her to be arrested when he hadn't done anything wrong. It just didn't make any sense. Surely everyone would be able to realize that, especially her father. If he could just work his magic, the whole situation could be changed for the better.
With a renewed sense of hope, Irene turned to her father, praying that he would understand the situation and just turn things in his favor, but alas, all her hope went down the drain when she met her father's face. It wasn't as concerned and determined as she hoped it would be. As a matter of fact, it was apathetic. All she got in return for her look was an indifferent one.
"Irene, do as she says."
A wave of emotions coursed through Irene's body the moment those words left Erwin's mouth, the most prominent being hurt and betrayal. Did her father really see her the same way Nile, and possibly everyone else, did? Did he no longer see her as his daughter?
Irene felt her eyes start to sting as a heavy feeling fell onto her chest.
No. Don't do it!
She clenched her jaw before letting out an exhale. If that was how things were going to be, then she was just going to accept it. One of her biggest fears had come to pass. Everyone, including her own father, was going to see her differently from now on and there was nothing she could do about it. The damage had already been done. Her happy little world had met its bitter end.
After a brief moment of gathering her thoughts, Irene sighed and walked towards where Anka stood and turned to allow the woman to handcuff her.
"Well, ladies and Gentlemen, I believe everything that needed to be addressed here has already been addressed. Like I said, this issue needs to be handled appropriately and that is what is going to happen," Pixis started before turning to Erwin, "Commander Erwin, I hope you won't mind if the Military Police occupied the vacant spaces on your base."
"Not at all," Erwin responded.
Pixis nodded, "Well then. We will be taking our leave. Have a goodnight everyone," he said before turning around and walking off, the Garrisons following behind.
Irene took one final moment to look at the Scouts before turning around and following Anka.
From there, Irene was brought to one of the Garrison Stations and put into a dark room. It was only then, in the darkness, that she had allowed herself to break down, to let the tears pour from her eyes as she silently sobbed to herself. She sobbed for a long time. A long enough time that she passed out from the exhaustion.
Irene brought her hand to her face and stopped the tears from escaping. The memories of what had happened had all come back to her. She must've dismissed it as a dream the moment she woke up, but now that she was in a cell, her wrists bound by handcuffs, and she realized that everything that had happened was in fact very real.
She groaned as she felt the stinging sensation around her wrists once again. They could've at least had the decency to remove the cuffs while she was in her cell. Still, she didn't really deserve that courtesy did she?
I wonder how mom's doing?
Irene's eyes widened in slight shock at the random thought. All the drama must've made her mom come to mind. Well, considering the fact that her father had just let her get arrested, who else could she think about when she was in need of comfort? Regardless of how much Irene wasn't in support of some of her mother's choices like Nile, Marie was still her mother and they loved each other to bits.
Irene could only wonder what her mother was doing. She had no watch so she couldn't tell what time it was, but she could only assume that it was early morning because she didn't feel like she had slept much. Her mother was probably still asleep or maybe she had gotten up early to try and use one of those ridiculous work out routines she always tried to adopt.
Irene smiled at the memory of her mother going out of her way to find some hard workout routine only to give up a few days later because she thought it was too hard. Heck, she even missed those moments they'd spend together chatting, secretly making fun of Nile and doing other various activities like making dinner.
Did her mother know about this too? Regardless of it all, the thought of her mom lifted her mood. She would really love to see her again some time.
The sound of the door knob clicking snapped Irene back into reality as her eyes went to land on the shifting knob. A few seconds later, a red-haired Garrison stepped into the room, "Irene Smith, right?"
"Ye… yeah," she said, feeling a bit embarrassed by how her groggy voice sounded.
"You have some visitors."
And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Chapter 24.
I must say that this was an interesting chapter for me to write because it helped me explore Irene's character a little more. I'll admit that in the beginning, I had only some ideas of how I wanted my OCs to act, and slowly I've been making progress in molding their characters. We're getting to see Junior getting more courageous, Doug becoming less and less of a gag and in this chapter we got to be inside Irene's head while all this drama was happening.
It took me a bit of a while to write and I'm finally done. Thanks for reaching this far and I'd love to hear what you guys thought of everything. From the confrontation with Nile to the moment Irene got arrested. I'd love to hear all your joys, woes, critique, everything. Please feel free to tell me what you think. I'd appreciate that, especially critique as I know it will help me better my writing.
Another thing. I've noticed that I have t really gotten much feedback from the last time I updated. I'm curious to know if you guys are still interested.
Oh well, I believe I've said enough. Bye!