The second chapter is finally here! I apologize for taking so long, life has been incredibly busy as of late and so I haven't had much time to write and edit my chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to Hajime Isayama. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

Chapter 2: Sina Laboratories

Fields of flowers decorated her vision as grass whipped at her legs in the soft spring breeze. Trees were finally beginning to blossom and the sun promised the warmth of the new year. Walking through the fields, the woman outstretched her hand, delicately touching each blade of grass and the petals of each flower as she moved. The countryside was a peaceful place- a place where she hoped one day she would be. Being in the countryside meant that she wouldn't have to be in the city and in the trouble that came with it. Peace was her only goal. When everything was over she would finally be free-

Incessant rapping on the door interrupted her dream, a male voice startling her awake. "Hange! Wake up! We're going to be late!"

Shooting her head up from her desk, she blinked her eyes open as she attempted to adjust them to the bright light streaming in through the window. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her palms, Hange yawned. "What time is it?" She asked sleepily, eyes begging to close once more.

"It's after 7:30. You have a meeting with Mr. Tybur and the rest of the board at 8-"

Her eyes snapped open in an instant. Throwing the front door to her flat open, she grabbed her assistant's shoulders in a vice grip and began throttling him. "Damnit Moblit! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME SOONER?"

"I've been trying to for the last half hour!" He snapped back, his superior's throttling ceasing as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Oh." Hange replied calmly, her hands dropping back to her sides. Rubbing at her tired eyes once more she sighed. "Right. We better get going if we're going to make it to the lab on time."

The brunette stepped out into the hallway and began walking determinedly to the stairwell when Moblit stopped her. "Hey Hange?"

"Yeah?" The woman asked, not bothering to glance back in her assistant's direction.

"Don't you maybe want to get your papers and dress in a fresh change of clothes, grab your glasses?" He asked hesitantly.

Hange frowned. "What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing, I-" Moblit stuttered before he released a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's just- I don't think you really want to meet with the board without dressing in something that doesn't reek entirely of smoke and whiskey,"

Hange looked down at her clothes. They were completely disheveled, old stains resting in the most awkward of places. Moblit was right- her clothes did reek of smoke and whiskey. She couldn't give her presentation to the board in the state she was in. Taking a deep breath, she started walking back to her apartment. "I guess you're right,"

Stepping inside the messy apartment, Hange made her way to her desk first putting on her glasses before grabbing the papers she would need for the meeting with the board. Stuffing them back in her folder, she shoved it into her assistant's hands before walking to the couch and grabbing one of the shirts hanging off the back of it. Smelling the piece of clothing to ensure it wasn't dirty, she pulled off the shirt she was wearing and threw it behind her nearly hitting Moblit in the face with the musty fabric.

Her assistant nearly panicked upon seeing Hange in nothing but her bra and underwear. His face became beet red out of embarrassment and he immediately tried shielding his eyes. "Hange!"

The scientist snickered. "Relax Moblit. This isn't anything you haven't already seen before," she said as she threw the clean shirt over her head. She pulled it down before pulling on a clean pair of pants and throwing on her shoes.

Once she was dressed in new attire, she ran her fingers messily through her hair and threw it up into a high ponytail. Returning to her desk to ensure that she had everything she needed, Hange spotted a half drunk glass of whiskey on its surface, seemingly untouched. Tapping her fingers on the desktop, she pondered if she should finish it before the meeting. She was already hungover from drinking excessively the night before in an attempt to stay awake to complete her large pile of reports and paperwork from her workplace. There was a slight amount of hesitation in her mind before she eventually gripped the glass and poured it down her throat before slamming the glass back on the desk. Wiping her mouth, she turned and headed out the door, patting a still flustered Moblit on the shoulder as she went.

"Let's get a move on. I don't want to be more late than we already are,"

"Yes Ma'am!" Moblit exclaimed, trailing quickly behind her as they left the apartment complex.

~TSO~

By the time Hange and Moblit arrived at Sina Laboratories, it was just past 8 o'clock. Walking in quick steps down the long corridors, the bespectacled scientist was determined to make it to the board meeting before the clock hit 8:05. As they walked, Hange turned to her assistant. "I need you to run to the restricted section on floor five. Get everything ready and I mean everything. Understand?"

Moblit gave a nod in affirmation before peeling off in the opposite direction. It only took another minute before the scientist reached the door to the large conference room. Taking a deep breath, she straightened out her clothes once more and fixed her glasses. She reached for the door handle but hesitated. The nerves were finally beginning to set in. If she screwed this up, her career would be over. Biting back her nerves and swallowing the bile rising in her throat, she opened the door.

All eyes snapped to her as she stepped in the conference room. Not making eye contact with anyone, Hange sat in the only empty seat at the table, the seat right next to her boss. She placed her folder of reports and paperwork on the table top and remained silent, doing her best to not interrupt the steady conversation that was flowing through the room. Her boss leaned over, whispering in her ear. "You're late."

"I'm sorry," Hange whispered in return. "I overslept. Have I missed anything?"

"Just going over the budget reports," the blonde said as he readjusted the round-rimmed glasses on his face.

The scientist nodded silently, flipping her folder open to the budget sheet. She hadn't given much attention to the finances of the laboratory; she was too focused on her research to worry about it. However, now that she was actually looking at it, her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. Most of the funds that the laboratory had collected over the past five years from charity and sponsoring events were used to fund her research and hers alone. Her stomach twisted into knots the more her eyes dug into the report. Hange thought she was under pressure before. This was worse. Not only did she have her boss riding her ass constantly about her work, now she had the funding from the two richest people on the board on her ass too. She felt like she wanted to vomit from the huge weight that was now pressing heavily on her being.

"Doctor Zoe." A voice spoke, pulling the young woman from her thoughts. It was Willy Tybur, one of the men who had funded the majority of her research.

Willy was one of the richest people in Shiganshina aside from Fritz and Governor Reiss. He was a tall man, not much older than Hange and he had long blonde hair that reached the middle of his back. His eyes were golden like the sun and the suit he was wearing was cream-colored that was finished off with a deep, navy blue tie. His cheekbones were high and a bit of stubble covered his chin. All in all, Willy Tybur was a well-kempt man who had an extensive reach of wealth and power. It was intimidating to say the least.

She glanced up in the direction that the voice came from. "Yes?"

"Now that you've seen the budget report, I would like you to do your presentation. Fritz and I need to ensure that our money is being put to good use, just as your boss and I have discussed," Tybur requested in a calm voice.

Hange swallowed, repositioning her glasses over her nose. "Right,"

The scientist stood from her chair, opening her file with all the reports and papers that she needed. However, they were completely unorganized and scattered. She couldn't tell the difference between the first page and the last page, nevermind everything that was supposed to be in the middle. Her brows furrowed as she dragged her eyes over her papers, as if trying to figure out her own notes. It wasn't that she didn't understand what she wrote, her papers were just scattered and out of order. Hange was mentally berating herself. Why hadn't she organized her folder the night before? Nevertheless, it was too late now to worry about it. The scientist didn't realize how long she had been staring at the reports in the folder in front of her until another one of the men at the table cleared their throat.

"Is there a problem?" An older man with semi-long, graying hair asked.

Looking up, brown eyes stared straight into hazel. The older man that had spoken was none other than Karl Fritz. Much like Willy Tybur, Fritz was a wealthy man that took pride in his power of influence over people. However, Fritz was not as kind as his counterpart. He was a vile man that used his power to manipulate others, forcing them into submission. Crossing Fritz was considered a death sentence by those who knew him. His political ties reached far and wide. Nothing in Shiganshina didn't happen without Fritz knowing about it. He used his power to hurt people and that in of itself was terrifying.

Willing her nerves to calm, Hange spoke. "No, there's no problem."

"Then what's the hold up?" Tybur asked. He, like the others in the room, was growing impatient.

The scientist pushed her glasses back to where they rested on her nose, an idea suddenly occurring to her. "I was asked to be in this meeting because you wanted me to do a presentation- one that ensures that your funding is being put to good use. Is that correct?"

"Yes. But what does that have to do with-" Fritz argued, but was silenced when his business partner held up a hand to silence him.

"Fritz. Allow her to speak," Tybur encouraged. Once the older man was silent, Willy urged the woman standing across from them to continue. "Please, carry on."

"If I may be honest, I don't think that having me stand here to give you a presentation based on the reports and notes sitting in the folders in front of you is worth your time. Frankly, it's not worth mine." Hange paused, gauging the board members' reactions before she continued. "If you believe that sitting here going over long and boring reports and listening to me speak about them for hours is worth your time, be my guest. But if you want to see that your funding is actually making a difference in my research, then I propose something that I know will be worth every minute you spend here today,"

"And what is it that you propose?" Tybur asked.

Hange turned her gaze onto the younger man across from her. "Let me show you my research. I can take you up to the lab and show you the progress I've made. I assure you, it will be worth your while."

The room became silent then as the board members pondered their decision. They spoke in hushed whispers, discussing over what the scientist had just suggested. Hange exchanged a glance with her boss. She couldn't read his expression; she wasn't able to tell if he was pleased with her over what she had said or if he was angry. Either way, she would find out the truth later. The board members finished their discussion. Turning around in their seats to face the scientist properly, they allowed the head of the board- Willy Tybur- to speak.

Folding his hands in front of him on the table, his golden eyes focusing on the scientist in front of him. "Very well. If you believe that us seeing your research will make better use of our time and our money then lead the way."

Hange couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Thank you. I promise, what I'm about to show you won't disappoint."

By the time everyone made it to the 5th floor of the laboratory, Moblit had gotten everything ready for their arrival. Hange approached the security sealed door and fetched her security badge from her lab coat. Pressing it to the scanner device attached to the wall, it scanned over her credentials and made a beeping noise to indicate that she could take her badge away. Once her badge was placed securely back in her pocket, the scanner prompted her with a question to input a security code. Typing with fast fingers, the scientist put in the necessary security code. Access to the lab was granted to her, the familiar click of the door unlocking ringing in her ears. Resting a hand on the door handle, Hange opened the door.

Turning around to face the board before they all entered, she smiled at them. "I was hired on here at the laboratory five years ago to do the impossible. You asked me to create a serum, one that would change the world and alter science for the better. It took a lot of time and a lot of effort. There were many failed attempts but now it is safe for me to say that I've finally done it. I have accomplished the impossible- my results have proven that. What you're about to see on the other side of this door will amaze you. I just hope it makes you as happy as it makes me,"

Pushing the door open, she led the members of the board into the 5th floor lab. Moblit greeted her in the hallway as they arrived. Her boss was busy entertaining the board with small discussion as they walked down the long stretch of hallway, something that the scientist was grateful for. It gave her the time she needed to speak with her assistant to make sure that everything was in order. Hange smiled at her assistant as she tucked her research folder underneath her arm. "Is everything ready?"

He nodded. "Everyone's ready. Just like we discussed,"

"Who's in the training arena?" The scientist asked.

Moblit smiled. "Subject 2 and Subject 6."

Hange couldn't help the wild smile that spread across her face then. "My beautiful assistant, you're a genius. Let's just hope they put on a show good enough to impress the board."

Her assistant chuckled. "I'm sure they will. They're pretty riled up today and you know how much they hate each other,"

"Excellent."

As they approached the first gallery window, Hange turned around and walked backwards so she could face the board members. "We're approaching the first pair of test subjects- Subject 2 and Subject 6. They're two of our most feisty and most promising subjects. I suggest not blinking if you can help it. You might miss everything if you do,"

Everyone lined up against the glass window and peered through. On the other side of the glass was a large cement room. In the center of the room stood two young women face-to-face with each other. One had short black hair and blue-gray eyes while the other was tall and thin with medium-length blonde hair and icy blue eyes. They were dressed in gray training uniforms, looking like they were ready to fight. The scientist opened the folder tucked under her arm and pulled out each subject's profile.

"Mikasa Ackerman, Subject 2. 18 years old, orphan, 170cm tall and in pristine health. After undergoing over 10 treatments with the serum I designed, she has begun to exhibit strength and speed beyond anything we could have ever imagined. She has also developed the ability to regenerate. Any injuries that she receives-whether they be a small cut or something severe like a broken bone or a severed artery- she can heal within a short amount of time as if nothing ever happened." The scientist explained, flipping through her notes.

"Absolutely incredible," Willy Tybur spoke aloud. He turned his gaze towards the young scientist. "And Subject 6?"

Hange flipped through her file until she reached the papers she had been looking for. "Annie Leonhart, run away, 19 years old. 174cm tall, pristine health. Subject 6 has been more receptive towards my serum; it only took seven treatments before she started showing signs of success. She has grown to develop the ability to manipulate temperature so that it will be lower. By manipulating the temperature, she can create ice out of thin air and use it to her advantage,"

Fritz looked at the scientist and her assistant. "May we have a demonstration?"

Hange nodded. "Of course. Moblit," she urged her assistant.

Moblit grabbed the phone off the wall and switched on the intercom into the arena. "Alright ladies, everyone's here. Let's show them what you can do,"

Both women gave a curt nod towards the window before they spared a glance at each other. Nodding, they each stepped a couple paces back and lowered into an attack stance. A small smirk spread on Annie's lips as she held her fists tightly in front of her. "Ready for another ass-kicking Ackerman?"

Mikasa chuckled, a smirk forming on her own lips. "Bring it."

It only took a moment for Mikasa to charge her opponent at a speed that looked impossible for a normal person to reach as she clenched her fists, ready for them to collide with the other girl's face. However, before Mikasa's fist could make contact, Annie ducked out of the way and side-stepped around the younger girl, opening her palm and jabbing it into the girl's side, emitting a stream of ice that hardened once it made contact with Mikasa's side. Her opponent hissed in annoyance before listening behind her. Sensing Annie closing in on her left, Mikasa whipped around and extended her leg, using her foot planted on the ground to move her body in a semicircular motion, striking at the blonde with the lower part of her shin.

Not expecting the sudden attack, Annie threw her arms up to block her head, but her movements were slow compared to her opponent. Mikasa's foot collided with her blocking arms, the strength of the kick so powerful that it sent the blonde flying back across the room. To protect herself before she hit the wall, Annie allowed her fingers to skid along the concrete, creating a sheet of ice with a sill that she was able to latch onto and prevent herself from colliding with the wall. Annie flicked her eyes up to meet Mikasa's as she blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Cute. You almost had me there for a second," Annie complimented as she straightened her posture, popping her neck and fingers as she stretched out her limbs.

Mikasa smirked as she began sauntering over to Annie. "I should've kicked you harder."

"Guess so," Annie commented.

The girls then charged each other in hand to hand combat. It was fascinating, watching the two women fight. They had developed two completely different abilities and yet, they were very evenly matched. Neither one of them could get the upper hand. It felt like hours, watching them spar with each other. The sparring match was brutal and eye-opening for the board, that much was certain.

"Have they learned to control their abilities?" One of the lower board members asked. She was smaller and looked significantly younger than her companions. In fact, she seemed to be the only female on the board.

"They're working on it. Currently, they have enough control over them to be able to use them how they please. However, we still don't know their limitations or what else they can do," Hange explained.

"Fascinating, truly fascinating." Another man on the board said, genuinely impressed with what he was seeing.

Hange spared a glance in the board's direction and observed their expressions. All of them wore a mix between impressed and shocked looks on their faces. Even Zeke, her boss, seemed surprised by the work she had accomplished in the lab for this was the first time he was witnessing such events. However, the only people Hange was concerned with impressing were Willy Tybur and Karl Fritz. After all, they were the ones providing her with majority of the funding she needed to conduct her research. She did her best to gauge their reactions but she couldn't read them at all. Hange couldn't tell if they were impressed with her work or if they were disappointed by it. It made her feel uneasy.

Moblit tapped her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Should we shut it down? We can show them the other subjects?"

Blinking and flicking her eyes to meet Moblit's, she nodded. "Yes. Good idea,"

Moblit hit the lights to the training arena and turned them off, halting the two test subjects in their sparring match. Hange directed her attention to the board. "I apologize for cutting the demonstration short, but I have other test subjects that I'd like to introduce you to, if you don't mind?"

Tybur gave the scientist a soft smile. "Of course. Lead the way, Doctor."

Moblit and Hange led the board out of the gallery room and back into the long hallway. The right side contained a multitude of steel doors, each one containing a test subject on the other side. It was where they were kept. Approaching the first door, Hange pulled out the test subject's profile and quickly scanned over it as she led the board to a glass window for them to peer through. There was a boy sitting on the bed with his legs crossed in front of him, tapping his knee incessantly on the soft mattress. He had dark hair that was covering his face and one blue eye peeked out through the dark curtain of hair. Using her hand to gesture to the boy on the other side of the window, she spoke.

"Eren Yeager, Test Subject 1. 17 years old, 183cm tall. His mother was killed in a tragic accident a little over three years ago, and with his father MIA, he essentially became an orphan. He started showing signs of an ability after just 4 serum treatments. Eren has the ability to manipulate fire or anything that can be used as a heat source. His abilities rival that of Annie Leonhart's and he has been found to have quite the temper if provoked. That's why we keep him in a room that is very tolerant to high levels of heat,"

The scientist allowed the board to examine Subject 1 for a few minutes, letting her information sink into their systems. Once the board was finished with their assessment of Eren, Hange moved onto the third room down the hall. Sitting in the far back corner of the room was what looked to be a small boy with semi-long blonde hair. His back was turned to the window and he was crouched in the corner, his entire body shaking as he held his head, whispering incoherently to himself. Fritz cocked his head to the side. "Who is this? He doesn't look any older than 10,"

Hange gestured to the boy in the corner. "Armin Arlert, Test Subject 3. 17 years old, 168cm tall, raised by his grandfather outside the city. It took quite awhile for my serum to work on him, over 20 treatments if I remember right," the scientist paused, turning to face the board whose prying eyes were on her. She flipped to the next page in her notes. "You're probably wondering why he's sitting in the corner shaking. It's because of his ability. You see, Armin has developed the ability to read another person's mind, telepathy if you will. He can read every thought in a person's mind and feel every emotion that they do. With all of us here, his brain is probably overwhelmed. We're still working on a way to help him control it better so he doesn't feel so attacked by everyone's thoughts,"

After introducing them to Armin, Hange moved from test subject to test subject, giving the board everything that she had discovered in her time working with her experiments. She told them about Connie Springer and how he had super speed. She told them about Sasha Braus and how she had such heightened senses that she could sense her opponent from miles away. She told them about Reiner Braun and how he had the ability to turn his skin into armor to protect himself. Hange took them to see Bertholdt Hoover and told the board about how he had the ability to manipulate anything around him that was made of metal. She took them to see Test Subject 9, Jean Kirstein, and told them about how he had telekinetic abilities. Finally after what felt like hours, they reached the end of the 5th floor. There was one room left, but it was one that the scientist was not planning on taking another step towards.

"Who's in this one?" The female board member asked. "And why are they all chained up?"

Hange swallowed the bile in her throat as she approached behind the board members that were staring curiously at the woman who was heavily restrained on the other side of the window. "Test Subject 10, Ymir. 19 years old, 172cm tall and an orphan. Unlike the other test subjects that you have seen today, Ymir is the most dangerous. She's our wildcard experiment and she's the strongest out of everyone here. She possesses the ability of mental manipulation. She can make you believe anything she wants you to and she can make you do anything she wants you to. It's why we keep her so heavily restrained. The last time she wasn't restrained, she killed a few of my people and nearly killed a few others, myself included."

"If she tried to kill you, then why is she still here?" One of the other board members asked.

Hange's boss stepped forward then, readjusting the round glasses on his face. "Because this far, Ymir has turned out to be our most valuable asset. She can do things that none of our other test subjects can. She's unpredictable and I think that if we work with her and gain her trust, that we could use her to our advantage," he explained.

"Very good." Fritz stated, forcing everyone's attention to turn onto him. "It seems like you've got everything under control here. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the work that you have done here Doctor Zoe. Keep up the good work. Mr. Tybur and I will still be here to check up on your research from time to time. I expect you won't disappoint?"

The scientist shook her head. "No sir."

He gave her a soft smile. "Good." Fritz turned his attention to her boss. "Zeke, I believe that we have a few things to discuss in your office?"

Zeke nodded. "Of course," Turning to Hange, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Nice work Hange," he complimented before he led the board back to his office.

Once they were gone, Hange breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god that's over,"

Moblit pulled her into a side-hug. "You did great. I'm so proud of you,"

Hange couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. "I couldn't have done it without you Moblit. So thank you,"

Moblit smirked, pulling away from their embrace. "Getting all mushy on me, are we?"

The scientist punched her assistant in the shoulder. "Oh shut up! Come on, we have a lot of work to do! Let's get moving while it's still early!" She exclaimed as she began walking at a quick pace down the corridor.

Moblit rolled his eyes and followed after Hange, chuckling to himself. "Some things never change,"