The Key
"Fucking Eyebrows. Putting me on babysitting duty. Is there anything in this world as boring as watching a college kid live his dull, boring, non-existent life?" Levi grumbled as he sat atop the roof of the university's Earth Sciences building. Though alert, he was none-the-less bored out of his skull. The loud clatter of a trash can getting knocked over as a barking dog chased a cat over by the dorms barely garnered more than a bored glanced from the Super.
Erwin's theory was that Levi's presence alone would deter anyone from attempting to grab Eren while Mikasa was out of action. Bullshit. I know Titan has Supers more than capable of overpowering me. I'm not infallible. Harbinger proved that. He finally spotted Eren coming out of the building's main entrance, locking the door behind him. Can't believe the dumbass actually volunteered to stay so late working on an experiment, knowing he'd have to walk home after dark, alone, and with Titan after him. Could he be any more fucking clueless?
Levi followed the student, gliding silently from rooftop to rooftop. It didn't take long to notice someone else following the young man. Eren must have heard someone following him, because he picked up his pace. So too did the shadow following him. Levi noted another coming in across the park Eren was walking by, and another still from the alley across the street.
This time, Levi flew across the road, swooping low and making sure he was noticed. The three shadows immediately retreated. Moments later, he landed behind Eren, but was greeted by the younger taking one step back, turning and throwing a punch at him. Levi easily caught the fist in his hand.
Eren looked at him in surprise. "Raven!" He let out a huff of relief. "Thank Sina! I thought you were one of those Titan people!"
"Keep your voice down, brat," Levi hushed. "Don't talk of them aloud outside of headquarters. And they were following you. Three of them. They took off in a hurry once they saw me."
"Oh. Thanks, I guess. So, what are you doing here?"
"Following you so you don't get your sorry ass kidnapped again. Commander thought it was a good idea to give you a babysitter. Looks like he was right."
"Oh. I guess maybe he was. Usually Mikasa always meets me when I'm done with school for the day. She'd fly me home if it was after dark, like tonight. Guess I kind of forgot about how dangerous it is for me out there now. I was just elated to have a little freedom. Kinda nice to not have her breathing down my neck all the time, you know?" Eren explained.
"No. I don't. Never been smothered before."
Eren chuckled as he resumed walking towards home. "Heh. I don't recommend it. I mean, she's my sister an all, and I love her dearly, but I wish I could have some time to myself without her hovering over me all the time. I'm just so sick of being treated like some fragile baby that can't do anything for himself. I can take care of myself, you know."
"You mean that punch back there?" Levi questioned dubiously. "It had potential. You need more training, though."
"Would you train me, then?"
Levi inwardly face-palmed. I just totally walked myself into that one, didn't I? "Wouldn't it be better if The Commander or Codex trained you?"
"But you're a better fighter than they are. I mean, The Commander is so much stronger than most of his opponents, and Codex uses a lot of tech. You use real hand to hand combat skills. I suppose Codex would do in a pinch, but you're still a lot better," Eren explained.
"Perhaps. But I'm a shitty teacher and I don't mind saying so," Levi countered. "Why hasn't your sister taught you? You should ask her."
"Um . . . I don't have brute strength like she does. That's all she relies on. Besides, she says I don't need to learn because she'll protect me." Eren rolled his eyes. "She drives me nuts sometimes. You'd think I was royal or something. Can't go anywhere without my bodyguard. Ugh!"
Levi sighed audibly. "Fine. We'll give it a try. Don't get your hopes up, though. Like I said, I'm a shitty teacher with zero patience. What time do you get out of classes tomorrow?"
"3:30"
"I'll pick you up in front of the Earth Sciences building then. Try not to be late."
"Yes!" Eren did a fist pump, then looked at Levi with embarrassment. "Um . . . I mean . . . thank you. See you tomorrow, then." Having arrived outside his apartment building, he waved as he ran up the stairs.
Levi shook his head as he took a perch at the peak of the roof to keep watch. "What the fuck have I gotten myself into?"
The following afternoon, Eren all but ran out of the Earth Sciences building. He recognized the grey Kia Soul parked in front, but not the driver. The driver, wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up over a baseball cap and dark glasses opened up the passenger's window. "Don't just stand there gawking, brat. Get in."
Recognizing the voice – and the annoying nickname – Eren was satisfied that it really was Raven Knight driving the car and got in. "Sorry. Didn't recognize you. Wondered if maybe you were one of Titan's people."
"At least you seem to have some smarts. Your caution is well warranted. However, I'd rather not be seen in the daytime and definitely not cavorting with a civilian. I'd rather not draw any more attention to you than you already have," Levi explained. "By the way, put this on."
Eren took the blindfold Levi held out to him and put it on. "Where are we going?"
"Headquarters, obviously. The locker room has a gym that will do for our purposes."
A half hour later, Eren, having changed into a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt, entered the gym and found Levi already warming up. Eren had all he could do not to drool over the sight. Levi was dressed in a pair of jogging pants that, while somewhat loose, still managed to show off the curve of his ass quite nicely, and a black tank top that fully revealed the powerful musculature of the man's arms and shoulders. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to suck on that neck and those collarbones, Eren thought.
"If you're quite done drooling, perhaps we could get started?" Levi asked dully.
Eren swallowed and flushed red. "Sorry. Wait . . . where's your mask?"
Levi deadpanned at the younger man. "Obviously I'm not wearing it. Do you want to learn how to fight or not?"
"Yes, sir. Sorry."
"Fine then. And the name is Levi. I sure as hell haven't earned the right to be called sir by anyone; least of all you."
"Sorry, si- . . . uh, Levi."
Levi rolled his eyes. "I need to assess how much . . . or rather, how little you know. I want you to come at me with everything you have. I won't be hitting back, so don't hold back. If you do, I will knock you on your ass."
Eren was quick on the uptake. Before Levi even finished talking, the student took a swing at him. Feet spread shoulder width apart, Eren threw all of his weight into the punch with his right hand. Levi easily sidestepped the attack but was watching closely. Eren followed up instantly with a punch with the left. He swung too hard and stumbled slightly.
For now, Levi was only watching, so he didn't penalize the boy for his mistake. After a few minutes of Eren throwing a series of kicks and punches at the Super and missing every time, Levi caught Eren's right leg as the man attempted to land a kick on him. He caught Eren's left fist with his other hand. "You need a lot of work," was all he said.
"Well, duh! That's why I asked you to train me!" Eren retorted, trying to hold his balance with his leg and arm both trapped.
Levi sighed and shook his head. "You have potential but will likely be killed long before you ever reach it."
"Gee. Thanks. But I can't reach my potential if no one teaches me."
Levi began to lecture the man as he circled him slowly. "Your first punch was actually not too bad, but your follow through sucked. Your position was good for that one hit, but not for a second with the opposite hand, and you didn't adjust your stance to account for that. Your feet and hands have to always work together. Your alignment for balance while kicking is beyond atrocious. You seem to be able to make one hit decently after each reset, but every hit after is clumsy until you reset again. You pause too much between strikes; you opponent won't give you the chance to reposition yourself. They'll cut you down while your off balance and at a disadvantage. You also seem to have no concept of defense. You need to be able to flow seamlessly from one hit to the next; use your momentum to carry you into your next move. You need to watch your opponent for weaknesses and exploit them, because I guarantee you they will be doing the same to you. You need to know your own weaknesses and compensate for them. Determination alone isn't going to win you a fight. This isn't the movies or one of those anime things you kids seem to like watching. If you really want to learn how to win a fight for your life, then you're gonna have to put in a lot of hours of training. The only way to get good at fighting is to practice; to repeat the movements over and over so often that your body memorizes what it needs to do without you having to think about it. You think you can handle that kind of training?"
Eren had a very serious look of determination on his face. "Determination alone won't win a fight, but it will carry me through the training, so I can win a fight."
"You're not gonna like it, kid. The best way to learn is through experience, which means you're gonna have to watch me closely as I beat the shit out of you, so you can replicate those attacks. Still want to learn?"
Eren swallowed visibly. "Better beaten than dead."
"Your sister's gonna be pissed."
"Too bad."
"It may even interfere with your studies."
Eren glared at him. "You can stop trying to talk me out of this. I'm not going to just sit back and let those monsters in Titan turn me into a scared mouse hiding in a hole somewhere while other people are fighting and dying to protect me! I won't do that. I can't do that. I don't even know what those assholes want, but damned if I'm going to let them walk all over me. I'm going to fight. If I don't fight, I can't win. If I can't win, then I'll die. I REFUSE TO DIE!"
Levi stopped circling as soon as Eren began is tirade. He raised a slender eyebrow slightly. "Not bad."
"So, are you going to teach me or not?"
"I'll teach you. But you damn well better not disappoint me by giving up when the going gets rough."
"I won't, Levi."
Three hours later, showered and back in their regular clothes, Levi dragged an exhausted Eren up to the common room for dinner. "Hey. I brought a stray brat in for supper," Levi announced.
"Not a brat," Eren said flatly.
"Eren! Where'd you get that black eye?!" Codex yelped.
"I ducked when I should have weaved," he answered. "Raven's teaching me to fight."
"They all know my name, Eren."
"Oh."
Ymir strode confidently up to the brunette and held out her hand for a shake. "Hey, Eren. I'm Ymir, buy you probably know me as T-BAB."
Eren accepted the offered hand. "Wow! It's great to meet you in person! So, if you don't mind my asking, what does T-BAB mean?"
Ymir stuck out her chest and held her head high with pride. "Totally Bad Ass Bitch."
"And there isn't a crook out there that wouldn't agree with that. Hi, Eren. I'm Faerie, but while we're at headquarters, you can call me Krista."
"WOW! You're even prettier in person!"
Krista blushed. "Aw! You made her blush!" Ymir cooed. "Isn't she adorable when she blushes?"
"Ymir! Stop!" Krista squeaked.
A medium woman with blond hair stepped up to Eren. "I'm Static but call me Nanaba here. That was my bathrobe you wore the other night."
Now it was Eren's turn to blush. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"
"Not a chance!" Nanaba chirped as she returned to the kitchen. "Hope you're hungry, Eren. I made enough lasagna for an army!"
Codex came up and shook Eren's hand enthusiastically. "I know we already met. My real name is Hange, but you can call me Hange."
"They also answer to Four-Eyes," Levi interjected.
The Commander and Bloodhound approached. "You can call me Erwin. But only when my mask is off."
"And I'm Mike."
"Or, respectively, Eyebrows and Sniffy. Oh, and if you ever feel brave enough to piss off Nanaba, call her either Cling, or Bananaba."
"I heard that you short little asshole!" Nanaba shouted from the kitchen.
Erwin shook his head in amusement at the nicknames.
"So, what are your nicknames?" Eren asked Levi.
"Asshole, Short-Stack, Shorty," Levi replied. "My personal favorites are Little-Box-of-Grumps that Hange calls me, and more recently from your sister, Evil Little Pipsqueak. So, take your pick, brat."
Everyone in the room looked at Levi with raised eyebrows at the last one, then burst out laughing. "Don't let his rude, irritable exterior fool you, Eren," Ymir told him as she threw her arm around his shoulders. "That man does have a sense of humor."
"So, what's your nickname?"
"Bitch, of course. Sometimes he calls me Freckles. Krista is Sparky or Butterfly Girl."
"So, how'd I get stuck with 'Brat'?" Eren sulked.
"I just call 'em like I see 'em," Levi answered.
"Not a brat," Eren mumbled with a frown to no one in particular.
"Din, din!" Nanaba called with a very put-on southern accent as she carried in a huge pan of lasagna and placed it in the middle of the table. "Come n' get it while it's hot, y'all!" Eren's stomach growled audibly at the sight of lasagna, garlic bread and salad on the table.
Eren couldn't believe he was actually having dinner with the Scouts. He'd looked up to these Super Heroes for years, and now he was eating with them in their headquarters. Too bad I can never tell my friends about this. They'd freak with jealousy! Oh, my god . . . I'm thinking like a bloody teenager. No wonder Levi calls me a brat. BUT THIS IS JUST SOOOOO COOL!
"Eren."
The young man was startled out of his thoughts by the shock of Levi calling him by his name. "Huh?"
"Tone down the excitement. You keep all your thoughts and emotions right at the surface and it's giving me a headache."
Eren stared at the Super blankly for a moment. "Wait. You can read minds?"
"Not without putting some effort into it, and even then, it's usually just emotions as opposed to actual thoughts. However, if someone nearby is experiencing very strong emotions or wears their heart on their sleeve like you do, I end up picking up on their emotions whether I'm trying to or not," Levi explained. "About the only real benefit to this ability is that I can tell when people are lying. Sometimes I can use it to detect people in trouble too."
"Oh. I'm sorry. That can't be an easy thing to live with," Eren sympathized.
If there was one thing Levi truly hated, it was pity and sympathy, and Eren was currently radiating sympathy. "Can the sympathies, kid. Save it for someone who actually wants it." He stood up from the table, having not even touched his food. "You take the kid home tonight, Codex. I'll be by to take over babysitting duties at midnight."
"Levi," Erwin called after him, but the man ignored him completely, retreating to his apartment.
Damn it! Levi thought in disgust. What the fuck is wrong with me? The kid was just expressing genuine compassion and I damn near take his head off. Well, at least now this will cement his hate for me. The more he hates me, the better. It's bad enough I've let myself get so close to Hange and Erwin. Hange's the only one I really consider a friend, though. I trust the others, but I wouldn't call them friends. And Erwin's a good fuck, but I still wouldn't call him a friend. Hange can handle themselves, so I don't worry too much. But Eren . . . he's too much of a risk to be friends with. My friends tend to get killed around me . . . like Izzy and Farlan did. It's for his own good. So why do I feel like shit for giving him a hard time? Never had a problem with it before. So, what makes Eren Fucking Jaeger so goddamn special? Great. Now I'm pissed again. Do men get monthly p.m.s. like women do? Have to ask Hange about that. Might explain the mood swings . . . maybe the loss of my train of thought too. Maybe I'm just too frustrated. In a moment of pure irritated frustration, Levi threw a solid punch into the bag hanging from the rafters. It felt so good that he threw another, then a kick.
It was almost 45 minutes later when he finally stopped, drenched in sweat and breathing hard. He glared at the bag for moment as if it had offended him, then turned to go shower.
It was just before midnight when he landed on the roof of Eren's apartment building to take over watch from Codex. "What've you got against Eren?" they asked him, point blank.
"What? Why should I treat him any differently than anyone else?"
"That's why I'm asking. You're treating him worse than everyone else!"
"Tch!"
"Seriously, Raven. You're not usually like this."
Levi sighed. "I know. The little shit's attracted to me and has this idiotic case of hero worship. It's best for him if he doesn't get too close to me."
"Best for him, or best for you?" they contested.
Another sigh. "Both. I don't need any friends. Friends die around me."
"So, your saying I'm not a friend?" Codex sounded hurt.
"You're the one exception, Codex. Besides, you can take care of yourself, so I don't worry too much. Your brains can get you out of most scrapes."
"What about The Commander and Bloodhound? Or Static, Faerie and T-BAB?"
"…I trust them."
Codex regarded him sadly. "You know, just because you don't actually call them friends, doesn't mean they aren't your friends. What you call them has no bearing on how much you care about them and it won't make it hurt any less if they leave us. You're only fooling yourself."
Levi didn't answer. They were usually right, but he wasn't ready to admit it in this instance.
A few minutes after Codex left, Eren came up the stairs that ran up the side of the apartment house to the roof. "And just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Levi growled at him in greeting.
"Um . . . well . . . I wanted to know if, you know, if we were going to continue my training tomorrow?" Eren stammered out.
"You really want to keep training with me? What are you, some kind of masochist?"
"No. I just want to learn and you're the best I know," Eren replied. "Besides, it gives me extra time away from Mikasa. She's a horrible patient. Worse still, she's still always trying to protect me from everything and do everything for me or at least tell me how to do everything. She's like this helicopter parent on steroids."
"Helicopter parent?"
"Yeah. She's always hovering around."
Levi let out a sound that may or may not have been a squelched laugh. "I see."
"Sooo . . . are we on for tomorrow? I'll bring some stuff and make dinner for everyone," Eren bribed. "I make a killer Jamaican Chile."
Levi groaned. "Fine. Either Codex or myself will pick you up outside of the university tomorrow."
Eren fairly near bubbled with barely contained excitement. "Great! But make it out by the main gate at 2:15. I have one less class tomorrow."
Eren's training went quite smoothly. He was a fast learner. Levi began adding in lessons on being aware of one's surroundings and noticing little details by randomly adding or removing objects from the gym or in the common room or just by rearranging things. Eren was expected to mention any changes he noticed as soon as he walked into a room. He was rapidly getting faster at noticing any changes. As for Eren himself, he was just loving being able to spend time with the Scouts, and especially with Levi.
Then one day about a month after his kidnapping, all hell broke loose at the college. Eren was walking across the campus green, just like the day he'd been kidnapped, but this time he noticed something out of the ordinary at the edge of his vision. He turned to see a half dozen people striding towards him, all wearing masks like the three from before.
I may be just a geeky bookworm, but I'm not defenseless anymore. Yeah, one month is not a lot of training, but at least I'm not completely defenseless, he thought as he turned to face his attackers. They hesitated when he faced them directly. Typical predators. Relying on the element of surprise, but not sure what to do when the prey confronts them.
Students scattered, many trying to call for help on their phones. "Eren! There's no signal!" Armin yelped in alarm. "Both wi-fi and cell service is down!"
"Get away from here, Armin!" Eren shouted as the six masked assailants charged him. He put everything Levi had taught him into practice. Keep the right shoulder aligned over the left hip when kicking. When throwing a hook, use the momentum to follow up with a roundhouse kick. This is a fight for my life; ALWAYS hit below the belt. Use the momentum to keep moving and keep hitting constantly. Don't give them a chance to recover, because they sure as hell aren't going to give me one!
One of the attackers cried out in pain as a head-on punch broke his nose. He tore off his mask, which looked like a doped-up junkie, and tried to quell the bleeding while he gasped for air. Eren looked at his face in shock. I KNOW him! He's in my advanced chemistry class with me! The next thing he knew, three of the five remaining assailants grabbed his arms, neck and chest, restraining him. FUCK! Rule number one; NEVER let yourself get distracted – by anything! Eren mentally berated himself.
"Alright, kid. You're gonna give us the key and tell us where your daddy hid the formula," one of the attackers stated as he approached with a syringe in hand. "But first, you're gonna take a nap while we find someplace a little more private to talk. And don't worry. Your sister won't be coming to bail you out."
"What did you do to her?" Eren snarled furiously.
"Not your problem, right now," the man sneered as he reached out to take hold of Eren's arm to inject whatever was in the syringe. He never got the chance, however. A large black streak whipped by, taking the man with it and slamming him into a nearby tree.
The others stared at their fallen comrade in shock. Then they noticed the figure that was crouched, facing them just a few yards away, wings raised and ready to attack again. He wasn't in his usual costume, however. He wore his mask, of course, but instead of the costume, he wore a simple pair of dark blue jeans, a dark grey t-shirt and a black denim jacket. "Aw hell!" a female kidnapper cursed. "Didn't think he'd be around in the day!"
Levi straightened and walked slowly towards them. "I'm like a bad case of the shits. I always come out at the worst times possible."
"I'm not afraid of Raven Knight. He's not infallible," one of the men sneered as he raised his gun.
Levi could easily see that it was a dart gun. Have to take it back to Hange to find out what poison is in it. As the man fired, Levi began his attack, shifting to the left then forward so fast that it created the illusion of an after-image behind him. In just ten seconds, the remaining five assailants were unconscious.
While Eren stood in open-mouthed awe, Levi casually pulled a plastic zip bag from the inside pocket of his jacket and placed six blue capsules in it, having removed them from the assailants' mouths as he took them down. "These six won't be committing suicide like the last ones," he commented as he began to restrain all of them with zip ties. He tossed his phone to Eren, who miraculously snapped out of his daze enough to catch it. "Call Codex. They're in my contacts. Tell them to bring the van to pick up the trash."
Students, having fled the scene and hidden, were now coming out and gathering around at a safe distance to see what had happened. Levi rolled his eyes as he heard whispers of, "Oh, my god! That's Raven Knight!", "Isn't he dreamy?", "I can't believe I just got to see Raven Knight take out a bunch of bad guys!", "I know! He's totally bad-ass!", "Raven Knight is soooo cool!" and his personal favorite, "I wish it'd been The Commander instead; he's so handsome!"
He ignored them as he turned to Eren. "Hey. You okay?"
"Yeah. I think so," Eren replied. "I'm really sorry. I let myself get distracted. I know the guy without the mask. He's a student here."
"I see," Levi acknowledged. "Don't be too hard on yourself. For only a month of training, you didn't do too bad."
"But not good enough," Eren groused. "I need a lot more training and practice. It's a good thing you showed up. Speaking of which, why are you here? Do you ever sleep?"
"Not very well, usually. But in answer to your question, I was dropping something off for Codex. I'll explain later when there are no ears around."
Armin came running up. "Eren! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Armin."
"I finally got far enough away to get a couple of bars. The police are on their way."
Finally, the Scouts' van pulled up on the green beside them. "Someone call for a trash pick-up?" Codex asked cheerfully.
Levi rolled his eyes. "Yeah. These five tried to get Eren again. We need to get them back to headquarters. Probably better take Eren with us to be on the safe side."
"No! Wait! My sister! They said my sister wouldn't be coming to save me this time as if they'd done something to her. I have to go check on her!" Eren was already running towards home.
"They did something to Mikasa?!" Armin cried out in alarm as he ran after Eren.
Levi took to the air. "Damn impulsive kids," he grumbled.
He arrived at the apartment long before Eren and Armin. Levi crouched outside the door, gun drawn and ready for ambush. He cautiously opened the door which led into the kitchen. Seeing and hearing no one but a television he began to move through the home. He found Mikasa on the sofa in the living room, the television running loudly on some old black and white western (well, at least loud by Levi's standards). He checked her pulse. Still alive. But her skin's cold and clammy. Looks like a needle puncture on her neck. How the fuck did anyone sneak up on her like that? Either she's a heavy sleeper, or the television drowned out any noises. It seems to loud to me, but I think it's at a normal volume for most people. Still . . .
Levi gathered her up in his arms and flew straight to the hospital. He was grateful that Beringer seemed to always be at the hospital no matter what time of day it was. He brought Mikasa into a treatment room indicated by the doctor and laid her on the exam table. "She's been poisoned. There's a puncture on the left side of her neck. Skin is cold and clammy, pupils unresponsive, breathing shallow, pulse weak and thready. May have been injected as long as an hour ago."
Beringer examined the puncture wound. "Hmm. That's not a needle puncture. Looks more like a thorn or claw puncture. We may be looking at a biological toxin or venom of some kind. Nurse, give her .5ccs epinephrine. Run a cbc, arterial blood gasses and check for all known venoms and plant toxins. Better check for drugs and known poisons as well."
Knowing that the girl was in good hands, Levi left the hospital. He returned to the apartment just as a winded Eren and gasping Armin showed up. "You're just getting here?!" Eren yelped between huffs.
"I just got back from the hospital," Levi answered, looking at Armin who was terribly red in the face and looked ready to collapse. "Am I gonna have to take the blond coconut there too? He looks and sounds ready to die."
Unable to talk, Armin just shook his head no. "Mikasa. What happened?" Eren demanded.
"Poisoned while she was watching television. I got her to Doc. Beringer, so she should be alright." Levi went inside and drew a couple of glasses of water, handing them to the two students. Armin took his with two hands after he flopped onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table and gasped out a breathy thanks.
Eren drank down his water in one go, then just sat with a shocked expression on his face. The emotions radiating off him were a confused mix of fear, anger, grief, guilt and outrage. "Why?" he finally asked. "Why is this happening? We're not hurting anyone. We're just trying to live our lives like normal people do. We don't have any earth shattering knowledge. Dad abandoned us when we were still kids, so why should anything he did affect us? Why?"
"I don't know, Eren," Levi said gently. "But I don't think here is the place to talk about it. You, Coconut. You're name's Armin, right?"
"Um. Yeah." Armin replied, now breathing more normally and looking a little less red in the face.
"Do you have someplace else you can stay for a while? I rather doubt that it's safe for you here."
"I can stay with Jean and Marco. Jean's mom is always telling us to stay with them anytime we want."
"Good. Pack a bag quickly and get over there. Eren, I'm afraid you'll have to hang out at headquarters until we can figure out something better."
An hour later, Eren looked very unhappy when he set his duffel bag down by the sofa in the common room of Scout headquarters. The Commander, however, looked very pleased. "One of those Titans you took down is Satre. I believe he has contact with the upper levels of Titan. Well done, Levi."
"Doubt he'll talk," Levi responded.
"We'll see," The Commander said as he turned to Eren. "Eren, I'm glad you're okay. I'm sorry your sister got dragged into this. Luckily Levi got to her in time and Beringer says she's responding to treatment even though he hasn't been able to isolate the poison used."
"A key."
"Pardon?"
Eren stood there with a distant, pondering look on his face. "The guy with the needle – he asked me for a key."
"Do you know what he was talking about?" Erwin asked, now very interested.
Eren shook his head. "I wish I did, but . . . I mean, I was only 8 when Dad abandoned us. Even when he was around I hardly ever saw him because he was always working. When he was home, he worked down in the basement and kept it locked at all times so Mika and I wouldn't go down there. But most of the time he was making house calls, working at a clinic or God only knows what."
"And He ain't tellin'," Levi added dryly.
"I wonder what was in that basement. Could they mean a key to get into that basement?" Erwin mused.
"I doubt it. The basement would have been destroyed when the building burned after Mom moved us to Mitras. Even if it hadn't, it was just a plain wooden door that anyone could easily break down," Eren replied.
Hange, who'd been working with their computer over in their work area piped up. "1502 South Tupelo Street?"
Eren blinked at them in surprise. "Uh, yeah. That's where we used to live in Shiganshina."
"There's currently a strip mall there. Looks like your place wasn't the only one burned. Be willing to bet that the developer who put in that ugly mall had the homes burned so they could buy up the properties cheap. Hmm . . . thing is, Eren's place went up fully two years before the rest of the block went."
"Honestly, I think maybe either Hannes or even Mom had the place torched to cover our tracks," Eren said. "I mean, Mika and I don't even have birth certificates, and our tax id cards are new ones that Hannes had made up to replace our original ones. The treasury had no record of our originals anywhere. I guess maybe Mom knew that Dad was into something really dangerous, because it seems she and Hannes went to an awful lot of trouble to make us all disappear. I never really thought about it before. But now that I look back, and with all of this happening . . ."
"Maybe it's time we had a little talk with this Hannes friend of yours," Levi suggested.
"Good idea," Erwin agreed. Why don't you take Eren to go talk with Hannes while Mike and I question the six Titans?"
Levi groaned. "You know I'm not worth shit for questioning civilians," he protested. "I'm fine with criminals, but I'm not supposed to scare innocent folks."
"Give yourself some credit, Levi. You'll be fine. I trust you," Erwin countered. "Hange, keep digging around to find out what you can about Dr. Grisha Jaeger's old home, places he worked, property he owned, etcetera."
It was after dark by the time Levi and Eren got into the van to go talk to Hannes. "He is NOT going to be happy about this," Eren commented uneasily as they pulled into the man's driveway.
"Considering he and your mother apparently went to so much trouble to hide you from Titan, I don't blame him," Levi responded.
Eren nervously knocked on his father-figure's front door. A blond man with a sparse moustache and tired looking eyes opened the door. The man looked like he'd seen more than his share of horrors and hardship in his lifetime. None the less, his face lit up when he saw Eren. "EREN! What a great surprise! Wish you'd come by more often." The man then noticed the Super standing behind Eren down on the steps. "Uh-oh. Do I even want to know?"
"Hey there, Hannes," Eren greeted. "This is Raven Knight from the Scouting Regiment. We should probably talk inside."
Hannes, who'd been slightly red in the nose and cheeks from drinking beer (as evidenced by five empty bottles on the coffee table and a sixth in his hand), was now looking quite pale and sober. "Something tells me this isn't a social call. Had a feelin' you were hiding something from me the last time we talked. So, what's been going on?"
By the time Eren got done telling Hannes everything that had happened to him, the man was ashen in the face. "Dammit. They figured out who you really are. I told Carla we should've changed your last name."
"So, what can you tell us about Grisha Jaeger and Titan?" Levi asked.
Hannes scowled. "Not much. I wish I knew more. Then maybe I could've protected Eren and Mikasa better. I really owe the Doc for everything. He saved my wife from stage 4 cancer; there is no stage 5, you see. He used gene therapy to cure her. He took real good care of my kids too. They were all killed in the riots that broke out in Shiganshina back about 14 years ago; right before the Doc disappeared."
"I seem to recall hearing about those riots in the news," Levi commented. "My uncle told me that it was started because of some city head tax. It only amounted to a dollar per person per month, and the people voted in favor of it. That's why my uncle said that the tax was just an excuse used by someone, whether it was the government or some crime syndicate or even terrorists, to start violence that would eventually lead to a declaration of martial law and closing the city off. Knowing what we know now, Titan is just brazened enough and heartless enough to do such a thing to trap just one person in the city, so they could grab them. Seems like overkill, but I still wouldn't put it past Titan. It would make perfect cover for a disappearance."
"That's what Carla was afraid of," Hannes agreed. "All she knew as what Doc had told her in a note the night he left them. 'Run away. Don't let Titan get their hands on Eren.' He never explained any more than that. I worked for the Shiganshina police department, so I was able to find out that Titan was a global crime syndicate. Most of the information was restricted access, and since I'm no computer whiz, I had to let it go. I did find one notation in a report, however, that scared the shit out of me. 'Per Chief Lars, DO NOT ENGAGE TITAN!' That was when Carla begged me to help her and the kids get out of Shiganshina. None of us had much money, so we couldn't go far. She had a friend she'd once helped, and they owed her a favor. She never mentioned the name, but they were able to erase all records of Carla's and Eren's and Mikasa's existence; birth certificates, medical records, school records, even the tax id numbers. We torched the house and moved up here to Mitras, where I took on a teaching job at the local middle school and claimed Eren and Mikasa as my children by different mothers."
Hannes sighed, his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Eren. I really owed the Doc and your mother for a lot. Carla made me swear never to tell you the truth. I guess we underestimated how resourceful Titan is. I wish I could tell you more, son, but I just don't have enough information."
"Do you have any idea what Grisha was working on or what might have been in the basement in that house?" Levi asked.
"No. I'm sorry. It was just an ordinary basement when we got down there after he vanished, but there was what looked like a possible door in the cement foundation at the back wall. We couldn't open it, though. There was no handle or knob or keypad or anything, so we dismissed it as a patch job and torched the place. As for what Doc did – he was a doctor, obviously. Not just any doctor, though. He was the kind that made house calls and would accept a loaf of bread or a dozen eggs as payment for his services if they couldn't afford to pay money. He would also do pop-up clinics around town about once a month. He also worked at Croydon University. I think that's where he did his research on the gene therapy for cancer that he saved my wife with. Human life meant everything to that man, Raven. He would NEVER have gone in with an organization like Titan."
"Titan isn't known for giving people a choice. Those who don't work with them willingly are taken by force. That would explain why Grisha disappeared and told his wife to hide. Chances are they approached him to try to get him to join them of his own free will. He must have realized the danger of refusing them, so he separated himself from his family and disappeared."
"What I don't get is why they'd think Eren would know anything. I mean, geez, the poor kid was only 8 when all of this happened."
Eren, who'd been mulling all this new information over in his mind finally spoke. "Say, Hannes, do you remember Mom or Dad leaving a key of some kind for me or Mikasa?"
"A key? You mean like a literal key for a door? Not that I can recall." Hannes thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Wait a sec! Your mother had one she used to wear all the time. Right pretty thing too; fancy gold on a black silk cord. Let me go get the box out of the attic."
A few minutes later, Hannes came back with a simple wooden box with mother-of-pearl butterflies inlayed on the lid. He set the box in front of him on the coffee table and carefully opened it. "I guess it's time I gave this stuff to you anyway, Eren." He pulled out the key on its silk cord. "Always thought this was just a piece of jewelry, and maybe it is, but maybe it's a real key. Who knows what it would go to if it is, though. I never saw her use it, and I never thought to ask." He handed the necklace over to Eren.
"I remember her wearing it. Mikasa asked her about it once. Mom told her it was a gift from Dad," Eren said as he examined the old-fashioned looking key in his hand.
"Here's the funny thing, now that I think of it," Hannes contemplated. "That was still in the jewelry box after she died. She always wore it, but she wasn't wearing it the day she died."
Eren frowned slightly. "Did she really die in a hit and run accident?"
Hannes closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't say for sure. It's what the officer that came to let me know about the death said, but they'd had the body cremated without an autopsy. I have no doubt they were covering something up, perhaps even the cause of death. They said the body was unrecognizable, but dental records matched. I failed you, Eren. I failed Carla, too. I owed it to her to protect you and Mikasa from Titan at all costs, but with Mikasa turning out to be a Super and you going to university . . . But, dammit! I couldn't keep you two locked up in a bottle all your lives! That would've been wrong!"
"Don't beat yourself up," Levi told the man. "Like you said, Titan is very resourceful and has people everywhere. It's impossible to know who to trust."
"I'm sorry I wasn't much help," Hannes apologized.
"We have more information now than when we arrived," Levi consoled. He pulled a business card from his belt. "Give us a call at this number if you think of anything else. Any small detail could prove to be of great importance. Thank you for your help." He turned and went out to the van, giving Eren a chance to say his goodbyes to Hannes in private.
The ride back to headquarters started in quiet contemplation, but Eren was never one to keep quiet for very long. "Do you always carry your mask around with you? Cuz you had it on at the university, but not your costume. And you told me you'd explain what you were doing there."
"Tch! Do you ever run out of annoying questions?" Levi asked back, shocked by the seeming randomness of the question. "Yes, I always have my mask with me just in case. As for being at the school, Hange forgot the tests they'd graded, and they were so obnoxious with their begging, I gave up and brought the tests over just to shut them up. Satisfied?"
"Yeah. For now," Eren replied. "Good thing you were there. If you hadn't just happened to be there when Titan came after me, I would be in their hands again and Mika would be dead. Guess I should thank you. That's twice you've saved my ass from those freaks." There wasn't even two minutes of silence before Eren asked another question. "Um . . . I know this is gonna make me sound more stupid than you already think I am, but . . . uh . . . what is Hange? I feel stupid not being able to figure out if they're a man or a woman."
"They are a Hange," was Levi's simple answer.
"Oh. So, people aren't supposed to know. Phew! I just thought I was especially oblivious or something."
"You are especially oblivious," Levi jabbed.
Eren turned to glare at Levi, who just kept his eyes on the road. "Why do you have to be such an asshole all the time?"
"It keeps people away." WHY DID I JUST TELL HIM THAT?! What the fuck is wrong with me?
"That sounds kinda lonely. Why would you want to keep people away?" Eren's glare had changed to an expression of confused concern.
"That's none of your goddamn business," Levi snapped.
Eren sat back in his seat in a huff, arms folded over his chest. "You're not fooling anyone but yourself. I've seen your compassionate side. You care about people, myself included."
Levi took a quick glance in the rearview mirror to make sure on one was close behind him, then slammed on the brakes, bringing the van to a sudden stop. Eren rubbed his chest and shoulder where the seatbelt caught him. "What the – "
"Let's get one thing straight right now, you annoying little piece of shit. Don't go kidding yourself and thinking you know what's really going on in people's minds, so don't presume to know what I'm thinking and feeling. Fact: Right now, you provide a link to a group the Scouts are trying to stop before they turn this world into a complete cluster fuck. I'm the one who's been ordered to babysit your sorry ass and find out just what the link is that you have to Titan. That is the only reason I'm putting up with you for now. Once this is over and you are safe, I will, mercifully, never have to deal with you again. Capiche?"
Eren looked out the side window so Levi wouldn't see the escaping tears of hurt and frustration. "Capiche."
