After the fiasco outside the barn, Evelyn found herself franticly and vaguely explaining how cameras work. With her limited knowledge, it was impossible to explain it perfectly. She walked Hange through the process of taking a photo of her to prove it caused no harm. She then took the phone back and played around with different settings in the manual mode to reinforce her explanations. Shock and suspicion shifted into curiosity. More and more questions spilled out of Hange's mouth. Erwin pointedly made comments here and there and Evelyn slowly felt as if any steam coming from Levi had dissipated.

"Remarkable," Erwin said motioning to hold the device and looking for Evelyn to hand it to him. When she did, he asked, "How do you retrieve these 'photos'?"

"Do you mean share them or what?" Evelyn asked confused.

"Once a picture is taken, how do you find again it after taking another one?" Erwin asked pointing the camera to the old farmhouse.

"You just open the gallery app," Evelyn shrugged.

Taking a picture of the house, Erwin noticed the picture shrink to the corner of the screen and then instinctively tapped on it. His eyebrows twitched as the picture covered the screen. Dragging two fingers over the screen thoughtfully, the picture Hange took of Evelyn swiped into view from the side. He repeated this action and saw the picture of Levi petting his horse. Repeating the motion faster, more pictures raced across the screen before Evelyn quickly yanked the phone from his grasp.

"Woah there buddy! I've got some private stuff on there, you, don't need to see." Evelyn hit the power button and shoved the phone in her back pocket.

Recovering his composure, Erwin looked at Evelyn examining her closely before moving his gaze back toward the car. "I regret I couldn't ride next to this and examine it up close in action. If it weren't for the battalion nearby, I'd ask for a personal demonstration." He placed his hand on the hood of the car and quickly retracted it in shock. "It's quite warm."

Evelyn had shadowed his steps, making sure he wouldn't do anything that would harm the car further. "Well, yeah. That's how cars work, they burn oil and the engine gets hot."

"What's this 'engine'?" Erwin asked running a finger over the VW symbol on the front of the hood.

"You guys keep asking these questions and I'm going to need something strong to drink." Suddenly a light bulb turned on and Evelyn mentally kicked herself. Even the most secluded areas should have some radio stations broadcasting. Wanting to check if there was anything, she suppressed a grin and looked towards Erwin. "I don't have to just drive over long distances you know. I can back out and drive right back inside the barn and you can see how the controls work, so to speak."

Erwin considered this, suspicion coating his features.

Evelyn put her hands up. "Have someone wait outside past where I should stop with a sword ready. You puncture the tires, the black wheels, and I won't be able to get anywhere."

Erwin considered the small wooden fence lining the property. There was a large opening where the soldiers rode in where a gate might have been in the past. "Very well," Erwin said, "Levi have your team wait at the opening in the fence with your blades at the ready." Levi nodded in reply and turned to relay the order to his squad.

Evelyn moved to open the driver's door and Erwin firmly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please wait until we've prepared."

Once Erwin motioned for her to continue, Evelyn stopped impatiently bobbing her left leg up and down and climbed in. She could have sworn Erwin jumped a little at the sound of the engine turning on. She slowly put the car into reverse, drove out of the barn, and stopped in the middle of the courtyard between the fence and the barn; to where the radio antenna could more easily pick up signals. Shifting the car into neutral and pulling the parking brake, Evelyn began surfing through different radio frequencies.

Static, nothing but static. Come on, even the most back-water place has to have some broadcaster for emergencies or something. Right?

Evelyn, engrossed in her task, hadn't noticed the commander and Hange pacing outside of the car and taking note of her actions.

"What are you doing?" Erwin asked leaning down to where his head poked into the car.

Evelyn jumped in her seat and nearly collided her head with his. "Jesus! Don't do that." She shot an annoyed look at him. "I'm checking for signs of civilization. There has to be someone broadcasting something."

"I don't know what that means." Erwin stood from his position and looked toward Levi's squad. "I appreciate the demonstration, could you please return the car to the barn so we may have a more comfortable conversation." Evelyn furrowed her brows. She wanted to keep skipping through different frequencies and had almost finished going through the FM channels. Determined to get as far as she could she didn't respond. Erwin cleared his throat loudly. "Miss Turner?"

Just a little bit more.

Erwin knocked on the top of the car on the driver's side. Evelyn turned with a look of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar; his face stern and holding an unspoken warning.

"Sorry, I got a little distracted." A nervous chuckle escaped her throat and Erwin took a cautious step back.

Parking the car in the barn again, soldiers quickly moved to close the barn door until there was only enough room for one person to enter and exit at a time. Erwin and Hange promptly entered the barn and walked towards Evelyn, who had opened her door and placed one foot on the ground with the other resting on the inner door frame. Her body leaning sideways against her seat and her head hung low.

"I just don't get it." Evelyn mumbled shaking her head.

First I just wake up in a totally different place than the one I went to sleep in. I mean what can even do that without waking me up? Then, these freaks show up and break my window with their weird gear. And to top it off, then came that titan as they keep calling it. Hange never once showed a sign she knew what I was talking about, I mean who sees plastic and immediately demands to know more about it?

"Everything alright?" Hange asked standing behind the open door, leaning forward between it and the car's frame. Erwin stood at the end of the door staring at her in thought.

"Nothing is working, not even the most basic things. While I'm not surprised that there's no signal out here, I don't understand why GPS isn't working. Even without any internet connection, phones can still get information from satellites." Knowing little of what could block GPS signals beyond underground bunkers or even put that information into terms where the people around her would answer, Evelyn looked toward Hange and Erwin and asked the only thing that came to mind. "There's not some kind of big metal saucers pointed towards the sky around here is there?"

Erwin's left eyebrow rose, "big metal saucers?" Evelyn smacked her forehead lightly and let her hand cover her face.

"I don't know how to put it, I don't really even know what to ask." Opening her eyes she caught a glimpse of Levi walking toward them and his ODM gear. "How about this, what level of technology are you guys at? If I have to role-play, at least tell me the rules of this 'world.'"

"The rules of this world are either you kill or get eaten." Levi gritted his teeth and stomped forward. "Every time you act as if this is all some sort of story, you insult the sacrifices of soldiers who gave up their lives, searching for a way to defeat the titans." From Evelyn's seated position, the Captain towered over her, fury in his eyes and fists clenched. "This isn't a joke. Their lives weren't jokes. Stop acting like you know what's going on when you don't have the slightest clue." His cape dramatically twirled behind him as he turned and began to walk away.

"Levi," Erwin said. "Get the men to prepare the farmhouse to act as an overnight base. We might need to stay here. Get a messenger to send word to Mike to set up shifts in order to protect the soldiers in the other encampment from titan attacks."

"Sure, whatever." Levi said without looking back and quickly disappeared from view.

"Hange," Erwin looked to his left. "Please do the same here, we're more vulnerable here than the other encampment. My squad will follow your orders. Meet us in the house afterwards." Hange nodded and walked away with her right thumb and index finger pinching her chin. "Miss Turner," Erwin paused seeing the woman focusing on the ground with a thousand yard stare.

Lost in thought, Evelyn had begun to entertain the notion these people were telling the truth.

If I had only just kept driving to Ally's house, I wouldn't be in this mess.


"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Evelyn. I'm not in the military, so stop calling me by my last name!" Evelyn spat at Erwin, crossing her arms and looking out a nearby window. A dining room table and some wooden chairs had been dusted off so the pair could sit facing each other.

"You don't seem to care for the military. Quickly riding away from the soldiers that discovered you, reacting suspiciously to Levi Squad's rescue, and your tone just now…" Erwin let the sentence hang, unfinished, in the air.

Evelyn shifted her eyes towards him. "How would you know how I acted around the grumpy twerp?"

Erwin suppressed a grin. "I asked for a quick debriefing before our little meeting here. But, I believe you didn't answer my question."

"Pfft, what question? You made an observation and went silent. " Evelyn looked Erwin in the eyes. The man raised his left eyebrow quickly in an inquisitive manner. "Fine! I don't like the military." Evelyn took a deep breath, "It's brought me nothing but pain. But, that's not important here. Let's say that I'm buying what you're selling. That you have never encountered modern technology, you have to know something about where we are. So please, enlighten me."

Erwin rested his arms on the table. "As I mentioned when we first met, we are outside the walls that protect humanity. We're deep in titan territory."

"Titan territory? What's that mean?"

"The titan you encountered in the forest, that was one of many. Be glad it was just the one you encountered. There are many outside the walls that attack humans on sight."

"Yeah, see," Evelyn uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. "How am I supposed to believe that titan wasn't some elaborate trick? As you said, I only saw one so far."

"Consider yourself lucky, without military training and equipment, you would easily be devoured." Erwin's eyes narrowed. "We can't risk that at the moment, not before learning more about you; where you came from."

Evelyn shrugged "Fine, I'll take you at face value for now. What do you want to know?"

"Where are you from? You mentioned being German-American, what does that mean?"

"They're countries. My dad was American and my mom was German. I kinda grew up with both cultures."

"What are countries?"

Evelyn's eyebrows furrowed as she examined Erwin's curious expression. "You're not serious are you?" After a moment of silence she continued, "Holy hell, you are. Are we on some kind of secluded island or something?"


Minutes turned into hours. Hange had joined them in time, asking her own questions every now and then as well. Evelyn found herself explaining the basics of what countries were and briefly discussing different forms of governments. What shocked her most was their discussion on planets and the solar system. They had never heard the word "Earth." Once the conversation moved to technology, day rapidly turned to night. A solider had brought some food for the group some time before the sun had set.

"For someone so distrusting, it's hard to believe everything you're telling us." Erwin said.

"Believe it or don't, it's not like I can prove any of this without an internet connection." Evelyn shrugged.

"This internet you keep talking about," Hange began, "is it really accessible by your phone?"

"Well yeah, but like I said, I don't have any signal out here. If you guys are telling the truth, there may not be anything at all around here."

"We've scouted the surrounding area rather thoroughly, there are no metal towers connected by wires here or anywhere we've been." Erwin explained.

Evelyn fought to suppress a yawn, but couldn't stop herself.

"It's been a long day, I think we could all benefit from some rest. I'd like to reflect on our conversation." Erwin stood and pushed his chair in under the table. "Miss Turner, I'll have someone escort you to the room we prepared for you."

Evelyn had long given up on correcting the man. "Yeah, I'd rather hang up my hammock and sleep outside, thanks."

"We can protect you better inside the house."

"You mean you can keep a closer eye on me when I'm confined in a dusty, old room." Evelyn huffed.

"I assure you, our actions are purely in the interest of keeping you safe." Erwin said before leaving the room.

"You don't have to worry about the room being dusty," Hange said. "With Squad Levi here, I'm sure there's not a speck of dust in any room."

"What? Is shorty's squad full of clean freaks?" Evelyn asked standing from her chair.

Hange grinned slyly as Evelyn heard someone enter the room, "just one."

"Move it, brat" a deep voice said behind Evelyn. Her shoulders slumped and she braced herself to face the blunt man.

"Don't you have something more important to do than act as a bell boy?" Evelyn asked.

"Looks like the commander's taking special precautions." Hange giggled, earning a scoff from Levi. "I'll see you in the morning. I want to read more about the car."

"Follow me before I drag you." Levi said turning around. Too tired to argue further, Evelyn followed him up the stairs to a small room. It was a simply furnished room with a plain bed, nightstand, wardrobe, and some chairs by a small table near the only window.

Levi positioned a chair by the door and sat down as Evelyn examined the bed. Turning her head to look at him, she asked, "You're not seriously going to watch me sleep are you?"

"Tch. Like it or not, the Commander ordered you to be guarded."

"Can't you do that on the other side of the door?" Evelyn asked. Levi replied with a silent glare.

"Fine, whatever. I'm getting some fresh air though." Evelyn said, moving open the nearby window. The moon was nearly full, casting a silver highlights on the landscape. Admiring the stars, Evelyn examined the sky more carefully. Her eyes widened in silent fear and she felt a knot form in her throat.

The stars, they're wrong. I don't recognize any constellations, and the moon… Those craters look bigger.

This isn't my night sky, that isn't my moon. But, if that's true, then, then….

Just where am I?


I'm not one for writer's notes, but I'd like to thank you guys for sticking with me on this. I didn't expect many people actually want to read this, but now you're kind of pushing me to continue writing. So, thank you! An extra thank you towards the followers/favs and anyone leaving reviews.