.X.X.X.
C.4: Medics
Regan found all of them assembled inside the infirmary. It was a two-story plain rectangular building that looks like an abandoned storage house, which it probably was. There was a white cross painted over the red brick on top of the huge double doors. She knew there was a basement underneath which had served as her lab before.
Her palm instantly landed on her face.
Eddard Marks, Tyrell, Iago Dune and Cormac Didion had started a game batting a small ball back and forth on a table with paddles. Deus kept score as Asta Amis started a betting pool as she went around collecting from the boys who were cheering. Oona and the other girls decided to put the beds together for a card game. She can't even begin to digest what Razor and Reddick were doing tangled on the floor yelling at each other. Ajax Hardin and Ursula Kroeber—her longtime teammates— for the love of humanity, where lazily going over research materials in the corner. While Verruca—well, she was being Verruca—too focused on putting make-up on her face.
She had expected to quietly make an inspection first of the whole building and talk to the nurses who were working there. Not this.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?" She shouted as she entered.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
The dismal ball bounced on the stone floor as the players all stared at her, mouth agape before correcting themselves and standing erect, hiding the paddles behind their backs. The rest followed suit, the girls hurriedly sat up and the wrestling idiots stood with their arms till locked around each other. Only the two veterans and Verruca barely looked up from what they were doing.
"Captain!" Deus greeted her, pocketing the chalk immediately. "You're here!"
"You're here? That's all you have to say?" Regan slammed her thick folder on a nearby table, a hand on her hips.
"Heeeeeey… Captain!" Tyrell greeted with his hand raised to a reluctant wave. "What's popping?"
Regan closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger stopping the migraine from building up. "Everyone upfront! NOW!"
They all shuffled to attention and Regan did not open her eyes until she was certain that they were all lined up in front of her standing at ease. While Ajax, Verruca, and Ursula stood behind her.
"Deus, step up front." She said crossing her arms.
Her personal attendant reluctantly did so, sheepishly avoiding the Captain's eyes.
Out of all of them, Deus was the most reliable and respected among the newbies of her team, that's why she made him second-in-command to keep the rest in line. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be privy to their antics.
"So, I told all of you to get acquainted with the rest of the troops and the new surroundings. What have you been doing?" Regan asked him sharply.
"Uh-" He stuttered. "We did walk around for a bit Captain. But we all just decided to check on the infirmary. Ursula sent the nurses on duty out and we cleaned the whole place down as you see." Deus said making sure to stress the last part, knowing too well that this is what will save them from the Captain.
Regan glanced around her, true enough the place looked spotless except for the disarranged beds where the girls were playing and the medical supplies they have brought from Mitras were all neatly stocked up and filed in cabinets. Her annoyance died down a bit nad she sighed.
Everyone also drew in a breath of relief.
"Fine. Go back to your post." Regan motioned with a hand to Deus who happily complied.
"Commander Erwin will be introducing the whole team tomorrow during the General Assembly." She started, her voice turning serious.
"After that, there's no turning back. You will all become officially part of the Corps. Except for Verruca, all of you will be joining the campaigns in rotation, at the same time will work here in the infirmary. We will venture out of these walls and meet Titans head-on. There's a high chance of dying. Being eaten by Titans is the worst part of course. But there's also fatigue, infection from wounds and contractible diseases from being a medic. There's no use for glory if you're dead. It will just be an end all. So again, for those of you who wish to not join the expeditions, step forward. There's no shame to it. As I have always told all of you, you will be of much more use to humanity alive."
Dead silence. The tension, doubt, and strong emotions were palpable in the air. A full minute ticked by.
"Well, we knew what we signed up for the minute you asked us to join your team, Captain." Asta, the short-haired platinum blonde said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. We've all heard it before. 80% of new soldiers dead on their first mission. Who knows? We might change the statistic." Tyrell cockily stated.
"We're not that intent on dying, Captain!" Razor Mullo piped from the back.
"If you're trying to scare us, Captain. You could've begun with asking us to scrub the whole of HQ for the rest of our lives." Cormac chimed in, feigning horror.
The rest of them laughed and gave their own assent, diffusing the heavy atmosphere. Regan looked at each of them in the eye—there was a crack in this bravado in their eyes, fear to recognizable to miss, but they didn't flinch back. A profound sadness settled deep in her heart—looking at the spirited and energetic youth before her. She glanced to Ajax and Ursula both had sad smiles on their faces. How many comrades have they lost? Too many to count.
"Well, you can't say that I didn't warn you. I am proud that you've decided to carry this burden." Regan responded. "Alright. It's not that you can't change your mind later on. I will be dividing you into three groups. Personnel will be in rotation in every expedition. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Captain." They said unison.
They all knew what those words meant. Some of them might be titan fodder in the first expedition.
"There will be my squad, Team Ajax and Team Ursula. Team Ajax—Doster, Iago, Tamra, razor, Alba, Cliff, and Jessica. Team urusla—Eddard, Siazon, Pavlos, Marvel, Vince, Tris, and Paul. My team will be Deus, Oona, Asta, Reddick, Cormac, Sebastian and Hugo. Now let's proceed to-"
Everyone turned to Tyrell when his name wasn't mentioned on the list.
"Uh… Captain." He interrupted with his hand raised. "Which team will I be in?"
Regan raised an eyebrow at him. Impatient as always and stared him down until he lowered his hand sheepishly for interrupting. "Tyrell, you will be with the Special Operations Squad with Levi Ackerman."
His mouth comically dropped open and Regan had to control herself from rolling her eyes at him.
"HUWAT?" he bellowed.
"Calm down. The Commander required one of you to join the Special Operations Squad." Regan reasoned keeping the smile from her face.
She knew the boy longest from all of them and she was acutely aware of how much he prided himself in his skills having nothing to begin with. To Regan, deciding to let him join the Special Squad had almost broken her own resolve.
"No, shit. Captain Levi. I've heard stories about him from the town's people in the Capital." Iago said in awe, extending his hand to Tyrell for a high-five, the latter slapping ti resoundingly before they both cringed in pain. The rest patted him on the back with good luck and congratulations.
She wasn't really sure why she'd never heard of Levi before—occupational hazards perhaps. Her team, most especially her have been pretty isolated from the Corps itself. And information worth knowing are something that can't be easily shared through writing.
Regan handed him a slip of paper. "Here's your schedule. Compared to others, I'll only require you in the infirmary thrice a week. Go and report to your new Captain. He's expecting you."
"Now? Now?" Tyrell repeated in excitement for the first time being able to speak.
"Yeah. Now." Regan grinned at him and nodded.
"Okay. Okay. Thanks, Captain." Tyrell bid before rushing out of the Infirmary in a dash.
"Dork." Ajax chuckled.
"So that's settled. Since all of you seem bored out of your wits—let's make everyone useful. Go to your groups." Regan motioned her hand to divide themselves.
They shuffled forming three lines.
"Ajax, Ursula, Verruca." She turned to the three behind them.
"Ajax, your group will take care of setting up an emergency are here on the first floor as well as an operating room. Ursula, yours will take the second floor and see to setting up wards if we can. Verruca, have my own clean the basement and set up the lab there."
"Yes, Captain." Ajax and Ursula responded in unison.
"Yup." Verruca nodded shoving her hands on her lab gown. Unlike the rest of them, she was a civilian officer working directly for the research.
Regan turned back to her troops. "I'm going to the Commander. I'll be back in an hour."
They saluted and she nodded to dismiss them.
She laid a hand on Ursula's shoulder, the dark haired woman with equally dark eyes raised her eyebrow at her. "I'll leave the rest to the both of you."
Regan walked back to the Commander's office. It was already well into 3 in the afternoon and training activities have picked up their pace around her. Groups of soldiers riding out to obstacle courses, while some are within fenced areas taking on tactical games against each other to build teamwork.
A small sigh escaped her. For all of its faults, the military had been the one place that had allowed her to expand on the one thing that she loves.
She knocked on the Commander's door lightly.
"Come in," Was the quiet response from inside.
Regan entered to find Erwin standing by the window, arms clasped behind his back. He did not even turn to look at her as she walked in, closing the door behind her.
"Here's my team division including their respective roles." She said placing the folder on his table before going to stand beside him.
All the while Erwin had kept his eyes trained outside, watching his soldiers.
"Stop it, whatever you're thinking." She said, following his gaze.
Erwin turned to her, unclasping his hands from his back and resting them to his side. "How can you even know what I'm thinking?"
Regan smiled at him thoughtfully and weaved her hand through his—giving it a gentle squeeze. "I don't. But I bet it's that twisted obsession that you have with the truth again."
Regan touched his cheek gently and Erwin leaned to it his blue eyes piercing hers, trying to find some validation on what he was doing.
"You're one ambitious bastard I'll give you that." She said seriously. "Putting your own personal goals above, masking it for everyone to believe they are fighting for humanity and you know it."
Erwin flinched at her words, knowing they were true and she continued. "Of course in every way you're wrong. But you're also dead-set in your tracks to ever turn back now Erwin. Eventually, you'll be taking this battalion to hell for the sake of your truth while everyone just wants to live. So, learn all of your soldiers' names and be accountable for each of them. Because maybe, just maybe, the truth that you alone single-mindedly seek will also be salvation for the rest of us."
He reached to touch the hand on his cheek. "Do you hate me for it?"
"No." She said her eyes gentle as Erwin kissed the palm of her hand. "What else should we live for anyway?"
The door without warning opened startling them both. Regan dropped her hand from his cheek immediately as Erwin let go the other he was clutching.
Levi was standing by the doorway, a strange expression on his face and Regan felt the rush of heat on her cheeks as she forced herself to smile at him as if he didn't see anything.
"Should I come back later?" He asked in a tight voice.
Erwin stared at him coolly as though he just didn't walk into a private moment between her and the commander.
"No. Don't. I'll be taking my leave." Regan said, hurriedly exiting the room wanting to leave the awkwardness that was now building up in the room.
She passed Levi who didn't move from where he was standing by the door, avoiding his gaze.