Chapter 16

Inside his private room -that recommendation from Shadis had earnt him some perks- Bane wrote with clear and precise handwriting on his journal: it was a small book not much bigger than a notepad but had plenty of pages, since his user had a very particular use for it; Alastor had divided it in different categories, each one with the name of a person. He opened it and searched for a name he suspected would get quite a few entries in the future.

Eren Jaeger.

He thought about how things had changed since he first wrote of him, a few weeks after meeting in the training camp; on a whim he decided to check his thoughts so far.

Bold, idealistic and honest. Determined to the point of being stubborn, but undisciplined and easy to provoke. Likely to get injured. Comes from Shiganshina.

Got injured. Healed surprisingly quickly.

Two close friends, also from Shiganshina. Armin moderates his reckless behaviour; Mikasa just stops him. Clear preference for Arlert to discuss training issues.

Got injured, again. Healed surprisingly quickly, again. Either he's lucky when falling or people misjudge injuries here; taking into account the losses, might be the latter.

FIrst real approach. Expressed curiosity about my training background. Witheld information.

Second approach. Arlert and Kirstein worked in the scheme. Has killed people; no clear remorse, although given the situation and the subjects of his violence as well as his principles that is understandable.

Discussed theories with him. Felt more open to Eren, enough to voice my thoughts. Suspicions confirmed with his enthusiasm.

Spent time excercising, discussing about the outer world along with Arlert; Jaeger seems more focused in titan fighting, but still has plenty of curiosity about the outside.

His skill in 3DMG is increasing, but his temper hasn't improved; if that persists, he'll be more of a burden than help in the Corps. Arlert seems to defuse his anger somehow, but he won't be always there for him.

Training became priority. Interactions with people outside of excercise limited as much as possible.

After that he paused his reading, smiling a bit at the next entry; he saw his writing was slightly leant forward, given his hurry to write when he had some spare time in between interrogations.

Jaeger is a titan. Impossible to discern how it came to be.

MP forces must not be involved. Too incompetent and dangerous.

After that followed some notes on his transformation and possible uses for his power aside from combat, as well as some of his own theories, including titans being humans and Grisha's fate. He wrote Almost certain next to the first and confirmed on the second one, and finally readied to write down the most important entry yet.

Felt fear today. Eren was the trigger. Mind momentarily unable to work efficiently, resorted to most basic instincts; pulse quick and breathing highly irregular for the first moments while Jaeger was being carried off. Hange, and surely Erwin and Levi took notice of it (will they try to discover more? Is it really tied to Eren's power? If so, will other shifters affect me?)

Satisfied with his notes he put the journal back in the drawer and readied to sleep, since he knew he'd need his mind completely focused and alert; even if Eren was unavailable, he still had his training and "studies" to focus on which was more than enough to keep him busy. Bane took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then turned his mind blank; in less than a minute he was asleep.

It was dark when he woke up and fixed his gaze on the door to find Hange's head poking from the entrance; the woman frowned and pouted slightly.

_You wake too easily! -she said shaking her head- I'll never be able to prank you like this!

_Do you need me, Chief Investigator? -he replied flatly; Zoe blinked at the title and then beamed as she stepped into the room.

_No one ever called me like that, thank you! Anyways Erwin called for you, apparently he wants to discuss something in particular.

_Understood. Ah, Chief? -he asked and she tilted her head- How's Eren? Still unavailable?

_Oh no, on the contrary! -she said grinning widely- He's recovered by now, and wants to train as soon as he's able to; i have my experimentation schedule arranged so we can begin as soon as your meeting with Erwin is over!

He nodded and dressed up; before leaving he took a file from the small desk, then followed the excitable researcher to Smith's office. Once they arrived she happily ushered him inside and looked at the blonde man from the doorframe.

_Don't keep him too long! -she said cheerfully- I need him as soon as possible!

Without waiting for an answer she closed the door and strode away; Bane turned at the man and saluted.

_Commander.

_Private Bane. -Ewrin answered softly, pointing at the chair- Please sit down; there is something we need to discuss.

_You plan to decline my request of interrogating Annie Leonhardt personally. -he said, and saw with slight pleasure how his eyebrows went up.

_I... see that Shadis wasn't exaggerating when he said you had a keen mind. Yes, i summoned you to tell you that; why did you assume it?

_First is the issue of my inexperience, being a recently graduated soldier; second comes the fact people could argue my... closeness to her might have influence in my judgment; in short, that i may have feelings for her.

_And third? -Erwin asked with the slightest hint of a smile.

_Third comes the fact the MP won't let us have any kind of contact with the prisoner, arguing that our forces specialize in fighting titans and capturing Leonhardt while they would be more qualified for interrogating her. -he rolled his eyes and shrugged- Theorically, at least. Am i wrong?

_No, you're right about it; given the circumstances you'd be unable to get near her wether i approve of it or not.

Bane nodded slowly at the Commander, not giving any hints of disappointment or frustration; instead he put the file on the table. Smith glanced at it without a word, rising an eyebrow at the young man.

_And what if you didn't have to answer to the MP? -Bane said softly.

If the blonde felt surpised by the question, he didn't show it; instead he laced his fingers and fixed his gaze on his subordinate.

_Care to explain? -he asked gravely.

_Here -Alastor answered tapping on the file with a finger- i've put every idea i could come up with on a course of action should we succeed in our operation: how and where to keep the prisoner, the disposition of her watchers, the organization of out forces in the event of an escape; what we need is time, and that is what you can get us.

_How?

_By going to the capital and declaring the expedition a failure -Bane replied- so the MP will waste time building a case against you until it's too late for them to take the prisoner from us without consecuences; in any case you can argue they facilities and soldiers are unfitting to deal with her.

_You want me to stand in rebellion against the government? -Erwin asked slowly, giving him a harsh look.

_Yes. -he answered with calm.

_That would endanger the Corps as a whole.

_Not doing so will endanger us all.

_Explain yourself.

_It's obvious that the government knows about the truth behind the first attack, as well as what they're looking for. -the younger said without hesitation- And yet something is making them withold this information from us; information that could prove vital in our fight against the shifter's homeland, and still they want us to fight blindly despite Eren having acquired a power that could give us an advantage or at least ease the burden of this conflict.

_And you hope to acquire such knowledge from miss Leonhardt just like that? -Erwin questioned narrowing his eyes; Bane shook his head.

_It won't be so simple, but Annie once told me that she had no expectations beyond being a survivor; at that time i couldn't really understand what she meant, but now i think she had no choice in this.

_Do you believe she was forced to participate in the attacks?

_The first time for sure; don't forget she's barely a teenager, she must have been a child when it all began.

_I realize that, but she's still going to resist any kind of probing. How will you break her defenses in such a short time between her capture and the MP's actions once they find out we lied to them?

Bane didn't answer immediately, instead fixing his gaze in Erwin's ice blue orbs; the younger's voice when he spoke was firm, without a trace of doubts.

_I won't break her Commander; Annie Leonhardt will open herself to me by the time the Inner Police arrive, and once that happens they'll have no choice but to allow us to continue... or risk direct confrontation. And they won't move a finger to threaten us, not until they figure out what we know which is something i've covered here. -He said tapping the brown file on the table; Smith took it and glanced at the soldier before opening it and beginning to read.

None made a sound, Alastor simply staring at his officer's face while the older checked the contents written inside; from time to time he looked up to meet Bane's dead eyes wondering how much the soldier could read from his expression, as it wasn't an easy task to digest the information and keep a completely straight face. Erwin hoped his surprise or doubts weren't too easy to read.

As well as his slowly heightening enthusiasm.

Once finished the blonde closed the file and said nothing, instead carefully measuring his subordinate; he showed nothing on that blank mask, and in Smith's experience with people that meant he was hiding something. Unfortunately, Alastor wasn't like any other and he had no real motives to think he had something aside true commitment to their cause.

_I... find this very interesting, private. -he finally said, before taking a deep and reassuring breath- When did you begin planning this?

_Once i found out you were likely to hear my proposal.

_Which was...?

_On our first meeting, after Eren's trial, i decided you had the strength and cunning to face both the shifters from beyond the walls and the government itself if it came to that; you do not submit to fear or bribes but look for the answers that those three shifters have. I'm giving you a way to get them: it's full of danger but you know we risk total extinction, something the inner circles do not want to face; only we can take real actions against their incompetence but to achieve victory we must put all we've got on the board. The time for subtetly will be over soon and unless we act now we have the chance, we'll have to face both the shifters and the government's forces.

Erwin said nothing, focusing his attention in the young man sitting in front of him speaking with such calm of confrontation... no, of outright rebelion towards the crown; yet something within the Commander made him feel attracted to the idea of facing the powers within the walls once and for all, of betting everything to the carefully crafted plan he'd brought. Smith couldn't really place the finger on it, his words had stirred something inside him and he felt the need of standing for his ideals with all his might bubbling in his heart; Alastor had a point, if they captured Leonhardt she'd be put in jail within the inner ring of walls, and then what?

_There is... another issue i didn't mention in our last meeting. -Bane said suddenly, breaking eye contact for the first time; it was so unexpected Erwin actually didn't know how to react.

_Um, er... what is it about?

_If Grisha managed to get Eren to transform somehow and consume him, -he said tapping on the desk with his fingers- it means he had a way to make him shift...

_And you think he got it from a source in the government. -Erwin continued, narrowing his eyes- Which would make them theorically capable of taking the power of any shifter they caught, like Annie Leonhardt.

_Or Eren himself; remember how desperately they sought to put him in jail in the capital. I bet a few days or weeks later you'd have heard how he died trying to escape, or from an unknown disease perhaps linked to his power, or whatever the higher ups decided to tell; i'm sure they have access to that power, and enough knowledge to take it from us if they have a chance.

_And this -Erwin said pointing at the file- is what you think should be done to prevent such fate?

_If we succeed in our expedition; of course it's open to suggestions and changes, but i think it remains a solid plan.

Smith said nothing, taking the file in his hands once more, and measured the young man -he couldn't bring himself of thinking of Alastor as a boy- sitting on the other side of the desk; after a few moments he nodded slowly.

_Very well, Private Bane. I'll take this into consideration, but you must understand facing the royal forces it could mean your death. Are you prepared to die?

_I do not fear death, nor any other thing. I could die out there as well, just like you.

_I've been told by Shadis you had another reason to join the Corps. Have you given up on that... personal quest?

_No, i haven't. But right now there are much more urgent goals to achieve, capturing Leonhardt and ensuring our own survival; what i want is irrelevant compared to that.

_I understand. Your dismissed, Bane; and tell Hange and Levi to meet me after you're done training. -he shook the file with a smile- There are some things i'm very looking forward to discuss with them.

For the first time, Alastor smiled: a cold and merciless gesture Smith found strangely familiar... and appealing.

_Specially with Levi, i guess. -he answered giving his report a last glance before saluting- Commander.

Once the door closed, Erwin sighed and plopped on his chair. Bane was a tough person to deal with: smart, driven and with great analytic ability; not to mention bold enough to suggest this plan of his... the man couldn't help reading the file once more, nor the smile growing on his lips again.

_Well Alastor, if this works it doesn't matter if we win or lose in the end... things will definitely get really interesting.

End of Chapter.