Chapter 37

Eren

Once he took care of the situation in the laboratory and the production was resumed, he and the Gaillards completed their inspection of the building. Eren nodded to the two brothers.

"Wait for me here. I have to do one more thing".

He left Marcel and Porco in the main production room and went down to a place located even lower. People who had somehow fell into Grisha's disfavor were held here, but his father, instead of killing them right away, wanted to use their potential. The boy passed the nameless cells, people who were kept in cages, whose only job was to do physical work for his father. Eren knew most of them would die anyway.

The boy stopped in front of one of the isolation rooms. He took a bunch of keys from his pocket, clicked a light switch, and opened the door, quickly stepping inside. He saw a small room, but it had a door leading to a small toilet. The only sign of normalcy in this terrible place. Eren glimpsed a female figure, curled up on an uncomfortable-looking bed. The silhouette jumped up a little. Ymir fixed Eren with a surprised look.

"You're not Kruger. Kruger always tells me to stand against the wall".

"Hello, Ymir" Eren muttered, taking a step forward. He could feel the weight of the weapon, which was stucked into his jeans. He doubted the woman would attack him, but he couldn't risk it.

"I wasn't expecting you" Ymir said quietly, disentangling herself from under the brown blanket. Only then did Eren notice that Ymir was handcuffed. He also noticed that the woman's hair looked unhealthy and matted, and her face appeared gray from being in an enclosed room for too long. "What brings you to my humble abode?".

"I wanted to check on you... And see how you're holding up".

"Isn't it obvious?" Ymir asked, sitting comfortably on the bed and leaning the back of her head against the wall. "Maybe you want to move in? I'd have someone to talk to...".

"I saw Historia today" Eren interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. It looked like as if an electric current had gone through Ymir's face, her eyes widened and she tensed nervously. She was apparently as surprised as he was today, when Historia approached him. "She worries about you. I promised her that I would help you, but you know perfectly well that I can't do it".

Ymir glanced quickly to the side, trying to hide the emotions on her face. She bit her lip and apparently stopped pretending everything was fine.

"Then why are you here?" The girl asked in a muttering tone. "You wanted to ease your conscience? To see if I'm alive?".

"If I can do anything for you, I'll try. However, I cannot promise it. You fucked up by killing those guys lately" Eren confessed, sighing softly.

"Well, I tried to run away. If you were locked in this cage, even an innocent puppy like you would snap and finally kill someone" The woman drawled, looking at him. She saw something on his face that interested her. Her eyes rounded. "Oh. This is interesting. Did Zeke finally make a killing machine out of you?".

Eren didn't reply to that, instead the boy changed the subject:

"What you told Historia... that I'm a good man... You were wrong. I'm not. I'm sorry you ended up here, but there's nothing I can do for you right now".

Eren turned around and left the room quickly, switching off the lights and closing the door behind him. As he started up the stairs, jumping several steps at once, he felt the bitter exasperation, not quite knowing where it had come from. He needed to get back to his father's mansion as soon as possible to make sure Zeke got there safely. And that he didn't get into any fight on his way... Yes, that's what he should focus on now. Unfortunately, as he left the building, he could still see Ymir's tired and disappointed face before his eyes.

Levi

Ringing in his ears. Pain in all his muscles. The cold air around him. He was feeling all those stimuli one after the other. The next thing he noticed was that he was sitting in an uncomfortable position. Levi gently tensed his muscles and felt something was constraining his movements. He had to be tied up.

Very, very slowly, he opened his eyelids.

He was in a small, dark room with no windows. A gap between the door and the floor was the only source of light. Levi sniffed. He felt damp and dust. Disgusting... Apparently he had to be in some room underground.

He tried to put the latest events in order inside his head. The last thing he remembered was the chase after Zeke and that their cars collided. Yaeger deliberately drove into him, causing a collision. So once again Zeke surprised him… The man was really crazy, as he risked his own health and life.

Levi's eyesight slowly adjusted to the darkness laying around him. He wondered where he was at all. Another thought suddenly occurred to him. Was Mike held here as well? Was the sight of this gloomy interior one of the last things he saw before he died?

Levi sighed mentally. If he would die in such a hideous place, his spirit would never find peace. This room looked as it hadn't seen a mop in years.

Ackerman felt his shoulder burning like living fire. It was just a scratch, but not disinfected it could become a problem. His chest hurt as well, maybe some of his ribs could be broken. He was also a little bruised on his face.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps in the corridor. After a while the door opened. Zeke entered the room accompanied by another man, Levi recognized Kruger.

The room lit up with a pale light. The men stopped two paces ahead of Levi. Kruger looked ordinary, his dark hair was combed to the sides, he was wearing a brown jacket and black pants. Zeke, on the other hand, had to be in a similar state as Levi. A bruised face, a cut lip. Despite his injuries, Zeke was smiling broadly. He also had new glasses on his nose.

"Here's our special guest! I thought that if you're so obsessed with me, I'll take you home. This is what you wanted, Ackerman, right? You just couldn't let it go, could you?".

Levi blinked softly, but didn't speak. He would give a lot for a glass of water. His throat was completely dry.

Zeke suddenly leaned forward. He reached out and grabbed Levi by the hair, brutally tilting his head back. Yaeger looked him straight in the eye.

"I wanted to kill you right away, but that would be too boring. And also, it would be a pity to say goodbye to you so quickly... Since you're here now, we can finally get to know each other a bit, to talk like a true friends. We have so many things to chat about! For example you can tell us about your new informant. What do you think, Ackerman?".

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Since Mike hasn't told you anything, do you really think you'll get something out of me?".

Zeke gripped him tighter. Levi suppressed a hiss.

"If you want to play this way, so be it" Zeke smiled as he said that. "Let's see if you can last longer than Mikey."

Yaeger nodded to Kruger. The man walked over to Levi and untied him for some reason. Ackerman was a little surprised, not understanding what was going on. He raised from the chair and stood unsteadily on his soft legs, worrying that he might pass out. Suddenly he felt Zeke pull him to the side, and only then he understood. He saw a barrel, it was full of water. Before he could take a deeper breath, Zeke gripped his hair forcefully and plunged detective's head under the surface.

Levi screamed. Water filled his whole world.

Eren

It was the evening already when he, Porco, and Marcel returned to Grisha's mansion. There was silence all around, the place seemed peaceful and safe, completely undisturbed. As the men entered the building, they found Pieck waiting for them in the corridor. The girl got straight to the point without any unnecessary courtesy. She fixed Eren with an unpleasant gaze, which surprised the boy, as she usually showed a calm nature.

"Are you responsible for this?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Eren had never seen her so nervous before. "Did you really order him to do this?".

"What? What do you mean?" The boy asked, already knowing he wouldn't like what he was about to hear.

"It's about your brother. I think he did something without consulting you or the boss. Again".

"What did he do?" Eren wanted to know. Marcel and Porco also seemed surprised.

"Let him tell you himself" Pieck said, then glanced to the side. "He's down there".

"Down there…?" The boy was a bit confused, but he quickly understood. Pieck clearly meant the rooms which was located down below, in the basement. Some of them were used as a storage but in the remaining part sometimes they kept their prisoners, for example for the time of questioning. Eren felt a twinge of unease, so he walked quickly towards the stairs. The Gaillard brothers followed, and so did Pieck.

Eren tried to walk calmly, but it turned out impossible. He couldn't help it, with every step his movements was more and more nervous. What had his brother came up with this time...? The boy suddenly regretted leaving Zeke alone. Only by being with him he could have a real chance to influence his behavior.

The men and Pieck went downstairs, where they saw a lonely figure standing in front of one of the rooms. Kruger nodded to Eren.

"He hasn't said anything yet".

"What?" Eren frowned, then quickly stepped inside. Then he saw something that made the boy freeze in place.

Zeke turned towards him and grinned. He looked as if he had barely survived some mighty skirmish. His face was beaten up and a little swollen, blood dried in the corner of his mouth, the man also had and a few scrapes on his bare arms. There was a chair in front of Zeke. A man was tied to this chair, he was dressed in a white shirt and gray vest. Eren knew this man very well.

This particular man also was injured, just like Zeke. His hands were tied behind his back. Water was dripping from his hair. Out of the corner of his eye, Eren noticed the huge barrel with water and just then he knew what had happened here.

The boy was staring at Levi's semiconscious face, at his pained gaze, and then he thought that it had to be a dream. Well, not a dream: a nightmare.

But now all he had to do was to wait it out. He's sure to wake up soon, and all this macabre sight would dissipate like a puff of thick fog.

Seconds was passing, but the terrifying image in front of his eyes didn't want to fade away. Zeke hid his hands in his pockets, and before he did it, Eren could see bloody marks on his wrists.

"Eren, before you get angry, let me explain".

The boy clenched his fists and approached his brother quickly. He pushed the anxiety and fear for Levi's life aside, trying to focus on the rage which was filling his body. He didn't want Zeke to notice his concern about the detective.

"What the fuck, Zeke?! We were supposed to leave them alone, remember? Did you really bring him right here?!" Eren grabbed Zeke by the material of the black tank top that the man was wearing. "Have you lost your mind?!".

"Hey, get of my ass! That fucker tried to arrest me!" Zeke called, pushing Eren away from him, then pointing to Ackerman on the chair. "He had everything planned. I gave him a choice, he could leave me alone, but he didn't. He chased me across the town. He wanted it himself".

"Does our father know about it yet?" Eren asked flatly. Zeke shook his head.

"I wanted to tell the old man about this when I'd get something out of this asshole. But he didn't say anything. Apparently he likes to be waterboarded".

Eren pursed his lips and then moved away from Zeke. He looked at the Gaillard brothers standing nearby. They both stared at the captive, but there was no sign of sympathy in their eyes. They considered the detective their enemy. A slightly different expression was evident on Pieck's face, and the girl was looking at Ackerman with a furrowed brow. Suddenly she crossed her gaze with Eren, the boy saw in her eyes the same doubt he had seen the before, during the welcome party. Pieck didn't like it.

"Grisha should be here soon, we'll talk to him" Zeke announced, patting Eren on the shoulder. „You know what, maybe you try to talk with our guest. After all, you've proved a few times recently that you're a master of diplomacy".

The older Yaeger nodded at the Gaillards and Pieck, they all obediently left the room.

Eren and Levi were left alone.

The silence in the room seemed unnatural. One could only hear the fading footsteps in the corridor and water drops, dripping from the detective's hair.

Finally, Eren moved. He realized that this wasn't a dream after all, but a reality.

He knelt in front of Levi and took the man's face in his hands, patting him gently on the cheeks, trying to wake him up. After a few seconds, the detective frowned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Eren with a half-awake gaze, but after a while he must've recognized him.

"Eren" The short word escaped Levi's mouth, making Eren feel a painful tightness in his heart.

The boy hadn't heard that voice in such a long time… It didn't change a bit, except that it was now very hoarse. Levi's gaze was gentle, calm, as if the man hadn't spent the last hours being tortured. Eren recognized man's outfit, he knew now that his intuition hadn't failed him. Levi was that man sitting in the Red Bow, disguised as someone else.

The boy stroked Levi's smooth cheeks, brushed aside wet strands, and looked closely at his exhausted face. He shook his head, unable to believe what was happening.

"Levi... How's that possible? Why were you following him? Why couldn't you let go?" Eren was saying, looking at the man. Levi's appearance broke the wall he had built around himself. The wall that separated him from all the emotions that previously filled his world. "I told you to drop this case".

"And I told you I wouldn't do it..." Levi whispered, staring calmly into Eren's eyes. "I couldn't do that. I won't leave you".

The boy widened his eyelids, then squeezed them tightly. He felt tears beneath them and tried to keep them in place. He couldn't start crying, not now, there wasn't time for that. Eren opened his eyes and looked at Levi again. He was still touching Ackerman's face with his hands, gently stroking his cold cheeks.

"I'll get you out of this somehow, I promise" Eren said, leaning in. Their foreheads touched. Though the man's face seemed cool, his forehead was warm. Apparently he had a fever.

"Don't worry about me. It's my job. Anything can happen to me anytime" Ackerman confessed, gently lifting the corner of his mouth. If it hadn't been for the scratches on his face, he'd looked almost cheerful. "I'm glad you're okay, Eren. Please, promise me something. If I die, contact Erwin and Hanji, keep working together. They'll help you, I'm sure of it. You can't do it on your own...".

"Shut up, you'll be fine!" Eren shook his head quickly. "I won't allow it, nothing gonna happen to you. Grisha respects my opinion now".

"But if something goes wrong, remember this" Levi whispered, still looking at Eren with a unusual fondness. "Promise me another thing. When Zeke comes back to continue questioning me, you'll walk out of here. Just say that you have something else to do".

"Wha-at?" Eren frowned as the panic filled his body.

"I know this will be too much for you. You can't watch it. Zeke surely will notice something".

The boy stared at Levi in disbelief. Panic turned to fear. Could Ackerman be right? As the detective's voice fell silent, there were footsteps in the corridor. Eren reluctantly stepped away from the man, just in time, for the door suddenly opened and Zeke came back into the room.

"You ready? We're waiting for you" Zeke announced, looking at his brother. He walked over to the tied man, examining him intently. "He still doesn't want to talk?".

"He's barely conscious. Let him rest for now…" Eren began to say, but suddenly he went silent. He widened his eyes as he saw Zeke just punched Levi right in the face. The detective didn't even have a way to defend himself. Levi gasped softly, but didn't react to the blow in any other way.

"You'll stay here all alone, you dickhead. I'll give you one advice: think carefully about what you want the rest of your miserable life to look like" Zeke growled, then nodded at his brother. "Are you going?".

Eren felt himself trembling with anger. He clenched his fists, trying with all his willpower to not lunge at Zeke. He knew it wouldn't help them in any way, it'd only create even more trouble. Eren would've given a lot to finally unload all his anger on Zeke, all this tragic hatred he had been keeping inside, since Mike's death.

He only nod his head. He gave Levi one last look, then left the room first. Zeke followed him, whistling softly.

Grisha sighed. He rested his chin on his closed hand.

"You'll never change, right, Zeke?" He asked tiredly. Either it was Eren's imagination or his father had aged a bit recently. His temples turned slightly gray and his forehead gained a few new wrinkles. Apparently, the recent problems with the business were also reflected in his appearance. "I'm lucky to have another son. Eren, have you spoken to this agent yet?".

The boy nodded. They were sitting in the cabinet, discussing the current situation. Eren was right next to Grisha, Zeke sat down opposite. There was no one else here but them, their father wanted to speak with them alone.

"Yes, but he's not eager to talk" Eren replied, folding his hands on the wooden table top. He looked closely at his father. "It's hardly surprising, he's exhausted and wounded. If we want to talk to him, someone should patch him up first".

"This motherfucker is stubborn, he won't tell us anything himself. We have to make him" Zeke sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I'm sure I can break him, I just need some more time..."

"Ackerman seems to be the same type as Zacharius, I doubt he'll start talking" Eren replied, squinting at his brother. "We should let him go now, before the police will start an official searching".

Grisha reached for a glass, then took a sip of his drink. After that, he shrugged.

"Well, it's too late now, we won't turn back time. Since we have Ackerman here, we might as well make use of it. Zeke, you will continue with the interrogation, but do it tomorrow, when you get back from the lab. Eren's right, let this agent rest for a while".

"Father..." Eren twitched slightly. It felt as if he had started to fall into the abyss. "Don't you think that sounds a little too extreme? If they start look for him...".

"They won't connect it with us, don't worry" Grisha confessed, smiling slightly. "Besides, like I said, it's too late. The damage is done. We can't let him go".

"But, father...".

Grisha frowned, which made Eren silent.

"Anything else you want to say?" His father asked, and the man's voice had a new timbre to it. Eren knew exactly what it was. An unsaid threat, a dangerous promise of what he could bring upon himself by defying Grisha's will. The conversation was over.

"No" The boy replied quickly, looking down.

Grisha stood up and wished his sons goodnight, then left the room. Zeke got up from his chair as well, walked over to Eren and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll see, everything will be okay. Leave it to me" Zeke announced, apparently misreading the worry, which was visible on his brother's face. "This asshole has been testing my patience for a long time. You're right, they'll definitely start looking for him, but it doesn't matter. I didn't leave any traces. Relax, little brother, go rest for today".

Zeke patted Eren on the shoulder, then started toward the exit. He left the cabinet, the door slammed shut behind him.

It took Eren a moment to get up from his chair. He put his open hands on the table and stared ahead at an undefined spot. He pursed his lips, trying to fight with the despair overwhelming him.

This didn't make any sense.

He had done everything to avoid this situation. Months of sacrifice, being outside the country, away from his friends; building trust and fulfilling Grisha's every wish; weeks spent in a way that was slowly and meticulously devastating him from within, tearing down his conscience; and above all that, this strange and frightening feeling, when he started to like this.

It all didn't matter now.

A question suddenly flashed through his mind: what should he do now?

If he would stand up to Grisha and free Levi, he could angered his father and lose Zeke's trust. It'd also look suspicious: the fact that he is risking everything for a stranger, he could expose himself. His act could also have an impact on Mikasa and Armin's safety.

Was he really faced with such a choice? The safety of Mikasa and Armin on the one hand, Levi's life on the other? It was impossible to choose one…

Eren, still leaning against the table, clenched his fists helplessly. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, trying to calm down. He trembled slightly, the emotions swirling inside of him were too strong, too intense. The panic he felt made it hard for him to breathe. He didn't want to watch another person he cared about die. This time it would be someone he loved. Eren was sure that after this loss he would never recover.

He felt tears under his eyelids. A wet trail cut his cheek. Eren cried softly, surrendering to this feeling. He was no longer able to resist it. Nobody was that strong.

Suddenly he heard the door to the room swing open. The boy widened his eyes, terror enveloped his body like a shroud. He wiped his cheeks quickly, not wanting anyone to notice this moment of weakness.

"Eren?" He heard Mikasa's soft voice.

The boy turned to face her. She was there, standing in the doorway, watching him with concern. She went inside, closing the door behind her, and took a few steps towards him.

"Here you are... I only came for a moment, I just wanted to..." The girl stopped suddenly, seeing something on Eren's face that she didn't expect to find there. "Eren, are you crying?".

The boy hesitated. The sudden appearance of his friend, especially at such a moment, made him want to approach the girl and hug her with all his strength. He wanted to feel someone's closeness, apparent security, and the warmth of another person, just for a moment. However, he couldn't do it. It was not what he had promised himself over six months ago.

Eren shook his head and chuckled softly, squinting.

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm not. Are you here only to ask me this?".

Mikasa came closer, Eren didn't like it. He looked away.

"I can see you have red eyes. Did something happen?" The girl asked, holding her hand out to him.

"I didn't get enough sleep and now my eyelids sting. Do you really have to make a problem out of everything?" Eren pushed her hand away and turned his back.

"Is... Is this about that agent?" Mikasa didn't seem discouraged, quite the opposite. Eren, who was facing away from her, widened his eyes. Did he mishear? "I just found out that Zeke is keeping him downstairs. Do you... Do you know him?".

Eren clenched his fists, then looked at Mikasa angrily.

"What the hell are you talking about? How could I know him? Armin told you some bullshit again, didn't he? Leave me alone, I have a lot of work to do".

The boy marched towards the exit and slammed the door behind him. He was disgusted with himself. Everything was wrong.

Erwin

The man stared silently at what was left of Levi's new car. The vehicle was turned upside down, had a large dent on the side and broken windows. It must have rolled over a couple of times at least. When they arrived, no one was around and the driver's door was wide open. There was no sign of Levi.

The technicians secured the accident area. Erwin, Hanji, Nanaba, Gelgar, and Reiner stood on the side, watching their work without saying a word. It wasn't hard to guess that Ackerman's disappearance had an overwhelming effect on the entire team. Levi, though the least sociable, was for some reason an integral part of their group, as if he was the one who held them together.

"We'll find him" Hanji said suddenly, looking at Erwin and hugging him gently.

Erwin nodded, but he couldn't stop worrying about his friend. Until now, Levi has always done great, but he was only human. Smith preferred not to imagine where Levi might be right now. He just hoped that wherever he was, Eren would be there to prevent the worst from happening.

He really hoped so.

Mikasa

Kruger was standing in front of the room where the detective was being held. He looked up at the girl who had just descended the stairs to the lowest level of the property. She was holding a tray containing several sandwiches, a bottle of water and some bandages. Mikasa was wearing a long gray sweater that looked like a dress. She tied her hair high in a fashionable bun, using a few thin, long pins.

"What do you want?" The man asked, giving her an exasperated look.

Mikasa knew that gaze. Kruger didn't look at her like most of the older men who usually undressed her with their eyes. She saw sincere reluctance in his sight, and she appreciated it in certain way, though she hated the man at the same time. For as long as she could remember, he had treated her like a redundant item.

"Grisha sent me to look after our prisoner. I brought him breakfast, I have to feed him and dress his wounds".

"Is that so?" Kruger raised one eyebrow.

"Why don't we ask Grisha?" Mikasa asked, smiling. Her smile was as charming as it was provocative. "He's having a massage right now, would you really like to disturb him?".

Kruger frowned, then looked at her more closely.

"I need to search you".

Mikasa tensed nervously as the man's hands started groping her. She knew Kruger didn't get any pleasure from it, but he must've realized it wasn't comfortable for her. There was nothing suspicious about her, nor about the items she brought.

"Come on in and do it fast".

Kruger was generous enough to open the door and turned on the light. Mikasa quickly entered, with the tray in her hands. The door closed behind her, and she stared at the motionless figure that was tied to the chair.

The man must've fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily, his eyes closed, and his head lowered onto his right shoulder. He had black hair, his pale face was a little swollen. The agent was wearing an unusual outfit, a white shirt and a gray, elegant vest.

The girl set the tray on a small table, then walked over to the man and bent down. She was holding a wet cloth in her hand.

Grisha was busy with the morning SPA, Eren, Zeke, Yelena, and Magath went on their morning tour in one of the labs. She didn't have much time.

The man twitched as she touched his face with a damp towel. He slowly opened his eyelids. They looked at each other without saying anything, silently assessing each other. Mikasa saw something akin to understanding in the man's eyes. He obviously must have recognized her.

"Mikasa, right?" The man asked in a hoarse whisper. The girl quickly reached for a bottle of water and helped the detective to drink from it. The man took a few thirsty sips, only after a while tore himself from the bottle, though he certainly hadn't quenched his thirst completely yet. "Thank you".

"Are you a detective?" Mikasa asked, still kneeling in front of the man. She gently wiped his face where he had been hurt. "Are you working on Yaeger's case? Is your name Ackerman?".

The man nodded.

"You can call me Levi".

"You know Eren, am I right?".

Although Levi's gaze had seemed dimmed just a moment ago, the mere sound of her friend's name made the man's eyes go wide. It was as if his body had found within itself the vital energy. Ackerman parted his mouth to speak, but not a word escaped his lips. This reaction was enough for Mikasa to already figure out the answer.

The girl smiled gently.

"I thought so. Did he contact you to provide us safety?".

Levi said nothing again, but the expression in his eyes didn't leave any doubts as to what the answer was.

Mikasa looked as if she was thinking intensely about something. Then suddenly she rose to her feet. She stood behind the man and with a few quick movements the girl untied him. Levi stared at her in surprise. Although he was free, he didn't move from the chair.

"What are you doing…?".

Mikasa stood in front of the detective again, then looked at him with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm saving you. Can't you see?".