-Sera-
The CNV Sovereign was an impressive ship that many of the COG remnants considered to be their last bastion of hope next to that of Anvil Gate. The Raven's Nest class carrier had arrived at the populated island chains not too long ago, anchored at the refurbished dockyard where a series of ramps from the top of the ship touched down to solid ground. With Vectes still trying to piece itself together after constant lambent attacks, the Sovereign was both the first and last line of defense that the COG had against the lambent and the Locust. All of their tech that had survived the fifteen years of war after E-Day was nestled on that ship.
Needless to say, the Sovereign was a fortress to some, a bastion to others, but a home to all.
Brendan wiped his brow from the harsh rain that the Sovereign arrived with. Rain was always a good thing. For the Stranded, it meant a crop boom. And by the looks of things, it was also a good thing for the COG as well. Brendan stood with many other Stranded, looking to welcome the COG to their island. Though many were indifferent and few were no fans of the COG, it was better than having the Locust horde show up or worse, the Lambent.
When they had noticed all of the armed Gears moving in and out from the ship to enter the island, most of the Stranded found themselves welcoming the COG. Extra guns were always a good thing, especially in these times. Some of them were already talking to the soldiers, asking whether or not they had been followed, had they been attacked or if they had seen any missing loved ones. Traveling outside the island chain was a risky business, so having the COG come to them was far more beneficial to both sides. Here, the Gears could stock up on supplies and rest while the Stranded enjoy some more professional support and additional firepower.
For Brendan and Frederick, there were more important matters than that. The de-facto leader of the Stranded here and his most trusted friend eagerly awaited the arrival of Fenix. It was all they could do if they were going to save Ashley and finally get to the bottom of this ever-growing mystery. Ashley had told Brendan herself to get the geobot to Marcus, and the code to unlock it as well.
Whatever was stored on that stupid little thing better be worth it, Brendan grumbled in his mind.
...
"Am I the only one who can't help but wonder how these people got here?" Carmine said out loud, using his lancer to point the collection of buildings across the island. Marcus knew he had a point. He had expected a smaller population, but it seems that this might be one of the biggest Stranded settlements he had encountered. He could identify a hospital and a helipad, holding a rusted Raven.
"You'd try to run to any corner of the world if it meant escaping the Lambent," Anya said to Carmine, "By the looks of things, they got lucky. This used to be an old UIR settlement, left alone after the Pendulum wars. Looks like E-Day skipped this place as well."
"Well, lucky them." Marcus said softly, taking in the sights of Stranded families running around.
"Are you Marcus Fenix?" The group turned their heads to see an elderly man with a full gray beard waving his hand, with another person standing next to him holding a hammerburst. The man walked over, and Marcus and his group noticed that he was holding a pristine geobot in his left arm.
"Who wants to know?" Marcus said back.
"The name's Brendan Yukon. I lead this little settlement here. This is Frederick Cornell, best friend and chief engineer. Come, we have a lot to talk about."
"Can't help but notice that you're missing an Onyx Guard. Like the one who was supposed to be here." Dom noticed, taking note on what the Sovereign was here for. So far they hadn't seen a single clue on whether or not an Onyx Guard was truly here at the settlement. This wouldn't be the first time that the Stranded had set up a trap for the COG. They were all willing to go whatever lengths to survive in this new, lawless land.
"It's... complicated. We should talk in my office."
Marcus turned to his group.
"Alright, here's the plan. Anya, Carmine, see what you can get out of these people. Ask them about anything related to the Onyx Guard. Dom, get Cole and Baird out here. I have a funny feeling that we're gonna need them."
...
-one hour later...-
Cole and Baird had come once they were requested from Marcus. They had all arrived in Brendan's personal office in what might have used to be for an Innie general of some sorts, if the dust-covered medals on the wall could be of any evidence. Surprisingly the place had power, as Brendan pointed out that Frederick and a team of Stranded had fixed the hydro-thermal generator underneath the settlement. The Stranded located here had been living here ever since Jacinto sank, growing in population once word of a strong settlement in the middle of the sea started to make its way inland.
And Marcus couldn't believe the words that started to come out of Brendan's mouth when he started to talk about the Onyx Guard.
"Have you people been sniffing imulsion or something?" Baird said, totally incredulous. "Because that is the downright fucking craziest thing I've ever heard. You guys found some giant portal in the middle of the second mountain north of here, right under your noses, and suddenly out of nowhere a giant hand grabs O'Malley and drags her into some wormhole."
"That's the whole story." Brendan said, unphased by Baird's ranting.
"It's bullshit is what it is." Cole shot back. He didn't buy the story one bit.
"Alright, enough." Marcus said, causing Baird to throw his hands up and stand next to Cole. "So how do we get Ashley back here?"
Brendan nodded to Frederick, who was fiddling with the geobot the entire conversation. "Before she got taken, Ashley said that she there were more of these portals located all over Sera. There was one here, where we found her, and this." Frederick tossed the geobot over to Fenix as Brendan continued to talk. "Before she got taken, she wanted you to have it. Gave me the code as well, said it was Echo Four Sunder Nine. She said that the geobot had all the other locations on it as well. Couldn't get it to open, so we called for help."
"There's an affiliation thumbprint on the enter key." Baird noticed on the device, located on the activation button. "Crafty little thing. Whoever had this certainly had some paranoia."
"So we set sail for two days to open a geobot." Dom deadpanned.
"I didn't realize you were busy." Brendan said.
"JACK, plug in and see what you can find." Marcus gave the geobot to the uncloaked android, who had been fortunate enough to have been given a spare battery thanks to one of Brendan's cohorts. The robot companion inserted his connector module, which caused the geobot to pop open and reveal what has been hidden inside the device. Everyone in the room took note of what appeared.
"That's... our planet," Baird said, getting a closer look at the huge blue sphere in front of them. He was correct as planet Sera was projected in front of all seven of them in flawless holographic light. Even the two moons were shown orbiting the world. Mountain ranges, forests, deserts and even the ruins of cities could be seen, leaving many wondering just how recently the image was formed. "Hey! Here's us!" He pointed at the small green rectangle located on an island not far from Tyrus.
"WARNING!" A sudden electronic voice boomed from the geobot. "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS INITIATED. PLEASE USE VERBAL ACCESS CODE TO VIEW FILES."
"That's on you, Marcus," Dom said.
"Echo Four Sunder Nine," Marcus said loudly so the machine could hear him.
"ACCESS CODE GRANTED. WELCOME, ADAM FENIX." The geobot announced, much to the shock of every member of the COG.
"Adam Fenix?" Baird wondered out loud, leaving Marcus completely confused and quite angry. His old man was a very sore spot to begin with, and having a random machine announce him by the name of his father only succeeded in making him mad. He let out a low growl at the sound of his father's name. Though why would the geobot call him by his father's name? His dad was deceased.
"Man, this only getting weirder and weirder..." Cole mumbled.
"Guys, look." Dom pointed at the holographic image to reveal that next to the small green square there was a red hexagon, located on top of where they were.
"You said the portal was at the north end of the island?" Marcus asked Brendan, pointing at the hexagon.
"Yes, and it was in the shape of a hexagon as well." Brendan said, taking note of the images.
"Well, you can say that-" That was as far as Cole got out mid-laugh before a small beep sound came from the geobot, revealing that another hexagon popped up, right on the coast of Tyrus. And then another came up, this time at the heartland of Gorosnaya. Marcus and the others fell dead quiet as the map of Sera started to reveal more portal locations. Two became three, three became seven, and then seven became twenty. As it was starting to become clear, Sera was utterly littered with the portal devices, the number of them growing by the second until most regions of the planet was covered in flaring hexagons.
And they were all red.
Except for one.
"There," Baird pointed at the single green hexagon in a swarm of red, "You said that your's was wrecked when it came on, so that means that every one that's red means its either destroyed or offline. This one must be the last one on the planet that's still functional."
"And where is that one, Baird?" Brendan asked.
"Well, based on the topography of the region and the latitude, I'd say it's... uh oh."
Everyone turned to the engineer.
"Well?" Cole asked.
"It's," Baird shook his head in frustration, "back where we got into Nexus. After the Sires and New Hope."
"You mean-?!" Dom exclaimed, but was beaten by Marcus.
"Mount Kadar. Ah, shit." Marcus groaned, and the rest of his friends shared his sentiment of Mount Kadar. That mountain was a nightmare, and the journey that Delta Squad took with the Centaur straight into the heart of the former Locust stronghold was not a pleasant one. Going into the dark was one thing, but going back was a whole another story. Seeing that the only functioning portal device was back there in the hellish region, where they had infiltrated Nexus and discovered the Locust city, did not light up hope in their hearts.
"I take it you've been to Mount Kadar." Frederick snickered at their expressions.
"Yeah, if you want to count in enormous Locust stronghold as well as snowy shithole, yeah you can say that we've been there. Fun times." Baird said.
"So that's it then. Brendan, does that Raven of your's fly?" Marcus asked.
"Yeah, it does. Rusted as hell, but it still functions. However, one of the fuel pumps is cracked and the engine needs some tuning if we're gonna - w-wait a second!" Brendan suddenly yelled out, realizing what Marcus and Delta were planning. "You're not seriously gonna fly all the way to Mount Kadar, are you? That's nearly six hours! And why take ours? Don't you have any spare Ravens?"
"Yeah, we do. And you're coming with us." Marcus said, leaving a stunned Stranded leader. "It'll take too long for the Sovereign to sail, and Kadar is a landlocked mountain range. It'll be easier to fly there."
"I... I can't Marcus. I'm sorry. As much as I would love to join and rescue O'Malley, I can't leave the outpost and leave the people who trust me with their lives. Too many people." Brendan responded, rubbing his forehead from the sweat forming on his brow. As much as he would want to go and help find Ashley with the COG, he had far too many responsibilities right now. His part in their adventure had ended with the geobot safely in COG hands. "I can't guarantee the safety of the Sovereign from Locust or Lambent, but she'll be safe docked here. I'll give you the Raven. We don't really need it anyway, but you're going to have to fix it if you want to get to Mount Kadar in one piece."
"I'll do it," Everyone turned to Frederick, who had spoken up for the first time since arriving here, "I can get the Raven up and running again. I want in on Brendan's seat as well. I wouldn't miss saving an Onyx Guard for the world."
"How long will it take?" Dom asked.
"Depends. We have the parts for the Raven around here somewhere."
"Fine. Frederick, soon as the Raven's fixed, let us know."
-Unknown world-
Ashley wiped her eyes as the sun shined bright into the female dorms. By the looks of things, it was a slow day today. Many of the other cadets were either sleeping or just getting up, recently awakening just like her. The Onyx Guard was usually the last one to wake up and get prepared, so seeing other cadets in the building was slightly enjoyable. It reminded her of all the times when she was a little cadet at Onyx Academy.
"Hey, you're awake!" Ashley turned her head to see Sasha sitting on her bed, all dressed up in casual clothes.
"What's going on?" Ashley asked.
"Shadis had an emergency meeting in Wall Sina, so he left us the whole day to ourselves." Sasha explained, which was probably the reason that the cadets were waking up later than expected. Ashley simply got up from her bed in her undergarments and walked to her armor.
"Did anyone touch my stuff again?" She asked, and Sasha blushed at her question.
"N-No, I don't think so, really." Sasha said back. Ashley gave a small huff as she reached for her armor and equipped it as she had done many times in the past. Sasha watched in mild fascination as she watched the outsider preform a total armor-up in flawless precision. When she put on her helmet, the affiliation lights went on with the bright blue common with COG armaments and armor. The only word that came to Sasha's mind was professional. It was envious of her to watch O'Malley. She had such skills in all things that were about waging war, and here she was, little more than some kid.
"Good. Both are still here." Ashley reached down to pick up her lancer and the sawed-off, placing them on her spine as she walked out of the female dorm, Sasha close behind. "So, what do you all plan on doing today?"
"What? Oh, nothing really." Sasha responded, "I guess I'd probably hit the cafeteria first and then start training on some of the things I'm not good at."
"Such as?" Ashley asked.
"Teamwork," the girl said back, "I'm not really good at telling others what's going on. I mean, I've been practicing with Connie. That's how we found you in the woods. But I'm still trying to break the habit. I'm used to going solo when it came to stuff such as hunting, but here it's totally different. I feel a little lost."
"Give it time. You can't break something you've learned for so long in just a day." Ashley talked, remembering all the bad habits she had when she was a young cadet like Sasha. When she was just starting, her usual response to being anxious or nervous was to tug at her hair, something that the drill instructors noticed and dealt with. No longer did she have the long flowing mane that someone like Krista had, now it was a simple short cut, reduced to its new length thanks to too many nervous breakdowns and dozens of battles, leaving it tattered and dark. Her habit was gone, but not forgotten. Someone like Sasha simply needed the time to develop a way out. It couldn't be rushed, because then the cycle would be repeated.
"Thanks Ashley." Sasha said to the outsider. It was refreshing to see someone so supportive out here. Usually Shadis beat the morality out of everyone all morning. Ashley was different. Sasha guessed that it was because where she's from there was something horrible going on and someone had to give team spirit.
...
"Hey, check it out," Jean nudged Marco with a slight shove, "Guess who Sasha dragged in." Said freckled boy turned his head to see Ashley O'Malley walk in right behind Sasha, making a beeline for breakfast, which was the usual weekend biscuits and gravy. The gravy was nice and the bread was soft to Jean's taste buds. He saw Sasha grab two trays, one for her and the other for Ashley and began to serve herself.
"Yo, O'Malley!" The Onyx Guard turned her head to see Jean waving his hand at her. Next to him was Marco, and sitting in front of them was Connie. "Come over here and sit with us, and bring Potato Girl too!"
Ashley noticed out of the corner of her eye, Sasha grit her teeth like stone. Potato Girl must be an unwanted nickname for Sasha. Ashley reasoned. As she finished collecting her food and found an empty spot on the bench next to Connie, who was absentmindedly playing with the cold gravy in his bowl, Ashley noticed that once again all eyes in the room were on her. She simply ignored it and went down to eat, taking off her helmet and putting it next to her tray.
"Mind telling me why you call Sasha Potato Girl?" Ashley asked, and Jean started laughing while Sasha who had just arrived started to glare at him with a stink eye.
"During our first day here, Miss Eats-a-lot over there decided that it was a smart idea to eat a fresh baked potato in front of Shadis," Jean said, explaining the story and clearly enjoying it and the glare that Sasha was throwing at him, "and it only gets better. She tried to play it off by giving him half of the potato she stole. So he punishes her by making her run until the sun sets, that or lose her eating privileges for the whole week. Funny stuff, Braus."
"I couldn't just leave it there!" Sasha argued. "It was nice and fresh! It would have gotten cold by the time anyone decided to eat it anyway!"
"Listen Sasha, I get it that sometimes you're hungry, but you're always hungry." Jean said back to her, putting his hand on his chin and leaning forward.
"I take it you're an opportunist," Ashley said to Sasha, who wasn't expecting Ashley to talk, "taking risks when they reward you. Nothing wrong with being an opportunist, but that might be the root of your teamwork problems. Perhaps you simply need to think about the bigger picture, like how you gave Shadis a piece of that potato. You're capable of being able to learn from your mistakes, maybe that was one of those times."
"Thanks Ashley. Are you going to finish your biscuits?" Sasha asked, making Jean laugh out loud while Marco smirked behind his hand. He didn't want to look rude, but Sasha being Sasha to the outsider and always wondering about food was just too funny.
"You can have 'em. Taste like cardboard anyway." Ashley pushed her biscuits towards Sasha, who proceeded to gobble them down. "So Jean, why the Military Police?"
Jean wiped his chin of excess food and gave a smirk, "The MP's only recruit the best of the best, plus the cozy life in the interior isn't so bad at all."
"And what about you, Marco? You in it for the good life?"
"N-No, actually," Marco sputtered, "I want to help serve the king, no greater honor than that I imagine. I've always wanted to be part of the king's guard."
"Don't listen to what he says Ashley," Jean said in a half-heart attempt to hide what he was saying by covering his mouth with a hand, "he only says that he wants to play glorified guard dog but he wants the good stuff like me. A nice, simple life in the interior. No titans and no monsters."
"That's not true!" Marco argued, and while the two divulged into arguments Ashley was silently digesting their words. The Military Police as she knew was in charge of all security and protection of the people of the walls, but by Jean's words it seems that the Police was more of a position to covet and exploit rather than uphold the law. It reminded her of some of the other recruits in the growing days of her own years as a cadet. Many of them talked about how they would be able to get away with anything once the black helmet was on their heads. Ashley never really gave them any thought. She was there simply to make a stand against the COG's enemies.
She also learned that only the top ten recruits would be able to go into the Military Police. Shadis had informed her days ago of the requirements. It seemed ridiculous that the best soldiers offered would have a chance to not go out and fight like they were trained to. A waste of potential. Ashley looked at Jean, who was busy talking to Marco and laughing at his reason to join the Military Police. The boy was smart, skilled and talented with the ODM gear and rifles. His temper might be strung, but Ashley guessed that it would only take a single battle for Jean to even out his attitude, make him better. Marco was a decent soldier as well, nearly on Jean's own level with the ODM, but his passive nature was a turn-off.
"...well, at least you're playing it smart Marco, not like Yeager over there." Jean said, narrowing his eyes at the green-eyed boy sitting at the table opposite. Next to Eren was Mikasa and Armin, talking about something. This interested Ashley, the differences between Kirstein and Yeager were definitely evident. Opposites of the same spectrum.
"And what is Eren's issue?" Ashley asked, hoping to get more info.
Jean took a swig from his water before answering, "The Suicidal Bastard over there thinks he's hot shit, that's his issue. Always talking about how he's going to wipe out all the titans from the face of the earth, how damn stupid. Like he's not piss-scared like the rest of us with a shred of intelligence in our skulls."
"You take issue with this how?"
Jean grit his teeth, "I don't give a damn about what Yeager does with his life. He just annoys me, alright? Thinking I'm a little coward trying to hide behind the walls, god forbid I want to live and enjoy a quiet life with the MP's. He can go and live his stupid fantasy and jump inside a titan's mouth for all I care."
"You might have to work with him in the future one of these days, Jean. And if the stories are true, you're running out of room to have a simple life." Ashley said, and Jean ran a hand through his hair. Why was talking to Ashley about his issues so hard? She was so damn smart, able to make correct assumptions just by hearing Jean talk about what branch of the military he wanted to join. He felt the cold feeling of envy creeping up on his spine. If he had Ashley's skills and smarts then the Military Police would be begging to let him in. Jean suddenly remembered what he wanted to say to Ashley.
"Oh, forgot to say. Thanks for helping me out that night, O'Malley. I mean it."
"No problem, Jean."
"Hey Ashley, what exactly are you?" Marco asked, and Ashley turned to him.
"I'm an Onyx Guard." A rather simple answer to a simple question.
"I know that, but I mean what. What's an Onyx Guard? Is that some form of army where you're from?" Marco continued.
Ashley rubbed her chin, trying to decided on how to answer his question without being too informative.
"The Onyx Guard... well, they're kind of like the Military Police. Spec Ops. Took orders directly from the top guy, nobody else. If the MP had an elite squad that operated solely under the command of your monarch, then that would be the equivalent of the Onyx Guard." Ashley explained, leaving the rest of the trainees at the table stunned. Ashley's comparison had shined down some interesting aspects about her life as a soldier. Jean took a long look at her, realizing that she was pretty much above any sort of military position that he knew. She was the one percenter. The elite of the elite.
"Damn. Were you always an Onyx Guard?" Connie asked.
"I was a cadet like you at one point. If that counts." Ashley replied. "I was recruited at least a decade ago, in my time. After I became a regular Gear, some people took notice of me and sent me to Halvo Bay so that I could become who I am now. Onyx Guard, full through."
"How old are you?" Sasha asked, seeing as though she could get away with it since she was a girl.
"Twenty nine. I've been fighting the enemies of my world since I was fourteen."
It further shocked Jean to hear just how similar Ashley was to him at one point in her life. Hell, she was almost like a parallel version of himself. One question still stuck out in his mind though. Soldiers were only needed if there was an adversary to fight, and if someone like Ashley was needed, then who did she fight where she was from? Humans? Titans? Or something else?
"And who are your enemies? They're not titans, right?" Connie asked, dropping the bombshell question. However instead of answering clearly like she had been doing, Ashley remained silent this time, and the four cadets at the table realized that everyone else in the room was listening in, some leaning in to get a better angle while others had simply stopped eating to hear better. Seems like Ashley noticed this too, because she put on her helmet and stood up, walking out of the cafeteria.
"I'll be at the shooting range if anyone needs help with their muskets." She said, and then left.
Jean and Marco stared at the doorway, wondering why she left when Connie asked who she fought. Had they triggered some horrible memories deep in her mind? She had said that she was the last of her kind. Did that mean that she was the last Onyx Guard left?
"I told you she was hiding something." Reiner said.
...
Ashley marched across the dirt fields of the training camp, making a hurried mark towards the shooting range. Inside, she felt totally conflicted on how she responded to Jean's question by walking out on him and his friends. Would it be smart to tell them about the Locust, like how she had told Erwin and his officers about them? Or was it simply smarter to keep them in the dark until the time came? There were two sides of this argument. If she told them, then she risked the gamble of completely panicking the entire 104th class into a frenzy, but if she kept silent then people could die.
"Ashley, wait!" The Onyx Guard turned her head to see Armin running up to her. He must have noticed her abrupt leave.
"What is it, Armin?" She asked, hiding her conflicted mind.
"You alright? Jean didn't say anything too intrusive, did he?"
"No," A half-lie, "I just remembered to get in some training before I start the day officially." Ashley moved forward and started walking to the shooting range, and turned her head to see that not only was Armin following her, but he had his own rifle strapped to his back. He must have brought it to brunch before Ashley and Sasha arrived.
"You could just say that you need help." She said, making Arming turn his head in frustration. "There's nothing wrong asking for a favor."
"I refuse to be anyone's burden. I need to try and do things on my own now." Armin said, thinking back to his childhood where Eren and Mikasa would rescue him from the neighborhood thugs, and then most recently in training how often the stronger members of the class such as Reiner would lug around his stuff, knowing that he was too worn out to continue. It burned inside how useless he felt. Even in marksmanship class he struggled to hold his musket straight enough to hit a target.
"You're not a burden. If you want my advice though, don't join the Scouts. Become an officer in the Garrison. Stay safe."
"I made a promise Ashley," Armin said, "That me, Eren and Mikasa would go an see the outside world together. That's why I'm joining the Scouts, so that I can accomplish my dream and fulfill my promise to my friends. They're all I got left." Armin poured out his true reasoning for training so hard. He wanted to stay with Eren as long as he could, and make sure that he would see the world beyond the walls as a Scout. Ashley admired the little lad's courage and determination to stay the course, never once giving up. She could respect that. She'd seen people just like him back at the Academy, pushing themselves to the brink to prove themselves.
"Admirable. Foolish, but admirable." Ashley said back, and Armin smiled at her.
"Hey, not all of us are super soldiers from beyond the walls." He responded, and Ashley chuckled at his little quip.
The two arrived at the shooting range, and surprisingly there were other people here practicing their skills. Ashley caught sight of Annie Leonhardt testing the recoil of her musket, firing into the forest with no real target. There was a box next to her with rounds cut up and put together. Ashley guessed that she was testing the amount of gunpowder needed to make a powerful hit. Annie fired once into the trees, nailing a branch and cutting it off.
"Afternoon, Annie." Annie turned to see Ashley and Armin walking towards her.
"Ashley." Annie responded simply, and went back to trying out a new round.
"Mind if we assist?" Ashley asked.
"Knock yourself out."
Ashley mused the fact that Annie wasn't one for talking much. The Onyx Guard didn't mind. Armin took off his rifle and stood next to Annie, looking down to see what she had created. There were two rounds that Annie made, one with less gunpowder and one that was nearly overflowing. Armin nervously looked at the latter piece, wondering what might happen if Annie was brave enough to fire it.
"Hey Annie, you're like Jean, right?" Ashley asked as she watched the two test their guns.
"Is that an insult or a comparison?"
Ashley chuckled, and so did Armin. "No, no. What I meant is that the both of you are trying out for the Military Police, are you not?"
"Yes. Does it matter?" Annie said, getting a little defensive.
"Perhaps not. Never seen you actually try out in close quarters though, and since you're trying for the MP's, I would like to demonstrate something that my own instructor taught me long ago." Ashley said, getting both of their attention. Armin was curious to see how Ashley had been trained, considering she was his figurative portal to the outside world, so seeing how she was taught how to fight would be interesting. Annie stood straight, looking on as Ashley took off her lancer and put it on the ground, but did not put away her shotgun.
"Annie, you mind holding on to your musket for me? Armin, stand here." Ashley said, pointing in front of her for Armin to stand. The young boy complied, wondering what the outsider was planning.
"Alright, you ready?" She asked, and Annie seeing as she was doing nothing better nodded in reply.
"Good."
Armin suddenly felt the strong, armor-plated hand of Ashley grab his neck from behind and slam him into her own body, pinning him to her with an arm pressed against his body. The action was so sudden that the boy barely had time to react, and it took a couple seconds for him to realize just what Ashley was doing; hostage situation. The arm that wasn't holding Armin to her body had the sawed-off pointing straight at Annie, who was stunned to see Ashley use Armin like a meatshield. Ashley knew that this would certainly land her in trouble, but it was better this way. If they were told that this was happening, their reactions would enact slower and more coordinated. They needed to be thrown into a situation like this to prepare themselves for what Ashley feared most.
"A-Ashley, what are you-?!" Armin screamed, but was interrupted when the Onyx Guard shook him around.
"Hush," she hissed in his ear, "alright Annie, here's the deal. You're a member of the police and some psycho's got your buddy as a hostage. What do you do?"
Annie stood there, her musket still in her hands but not primed to shoot. With trembling hands and wide eyes, she aimed her musket at Ashley and Armin.
"Annie!" Armin strained from his position. He'd suspected that Ashley was strong, but not this strong! He'd been there when Eren and Reiner had been dumb enough to pick a fight with her, and he thought that it was just a show of force when she had sent Eren flying, but now he was suspecting that she was actually as strong as he imagined.
"What will you do, Annie!" Ashley yelled, pointing her sawed-off underneath Armin's chin, scaring the boy in her hands.
"WHAT WILL YOU DO?!" Ashley thundered, pressing the mouth of her gun on Armin's neck, making him close his eyes in fear. Annie was too busy in her own little world, her anxious mind far too overwhelming for any form of a real response. But she was raised better under the tutelage of her father and so she left the land of fear and narrowed her eyes, and made her response known by aiming for her "opponent"s foot. Ashley and Armin stood there expecting her to shoot, but all three of them were suddenly blindsided.
Ashley felt someone's foot collide with her side, sending her skidding across the ground. Armin was launched from her grip and sent straight towards Annie. The sawed-off fell out of her hand and right at the feet of whoever attacked her. The two trainees saw that it was Mikasa who kicked Ashley like a horse, her face full of rage. Following her was the equally angered Eren and a few of the other trainees from the cafeteria.
"What the hell are you doing!" Eren yelled at the disorientated Onyx Guard, his fists balled.
"Eren, wait!" Armin cried out, "She was training us! We were practicing a hostage situation!"
"She had her shotgun on your head!" Eren practically screamed, the sight of seeing his friend as a human shield causing him to see red.
"Back off, Yeager," Annie said stone-cold, annoyed that he and Mikasa had ruined her chance to overcome one of the most intense moments in her life, "we had it under control until you two idiots got here."
As the group continued to argue, Ashley slowly regained her composure, standing up while clutching the area that Mikasa had kicked. Ashley sucked in her breath and bit in the pain as she straightened out. She wasn't mad, but rather a little annoyed that Mikasa had interrupted their training. Ashley could understand the reaction of the two. Not every day you see someone pointing a gun at your friend's head.
"She could have shot you!" Eren said, taking a moment to glare at Ashley with a venomous look, "What the hell were you thinking?!"
"It was a test Eren," Ashley responded, kneeling down to pick up her sawed-off, "I had it under control, like Annie said."
"Not to come to Eren's defense, but it seemed a little extreme from all the yelling you were doing," Marco said.
"It was on purpose. You don't exactly learn anything if you're told what to do and how to react in a warzone," Ashley explained, "Everyone reacts differently, some faster or slower than others. If I had told Armin and Annie that we would be practicing hostages then it would defeat the purpose of the exercise."
"The purpose?" Jean questioned.
"Expect the unexpected, and how to risk a decision." Ashley answered. She walked over and grabbed her lancer from the ground, placing both of her weapons on her back as she walked off towards the classrooms.
As she left, they had begun to realize the Onyx Guard would not be holding back. On anything.
...
In an unlit cavern located underneath the walls, hidden from civilization above, a hydra and its master rested on the ground. The scouting parties above that have been taking in the selected targets have been successful in keeping cover. The Underground had been wasted and left alone, and the population above had been totally duped to believe that it was titans who had left the city a bloodbath. What fools. Had they not seen the emergence hole where the embassy once stood tall? Perhaps their fear had been too powerful for them to rationalize anything other than the mutant humans that plagued their civilization.
Mortemus had taken his time with the invasion of Paradise, starting off slow to help heighten the fear and paranoia until it burst. The arrival of Ashley O'Malley was a certain wildcard and Mortemus would definitely have to deal with her later, but for now he could wait. Whatever he did, he could not let anyone above discover Antemurale and the secrets that the city held.
Thankfully Antemurale was safely hidden within the lands of Marley, the secret Locust city buried underneath the continent in what Saturn described as the New Hollow and far away from the Paradise Campaign. The Marleyians had stood their ground in the initial fighting after the Locust forces had swelled enough to launch a second E-Day from Antemurale, but their primitive weapons and insufficient titan forces were no match for the Locust and their terrible beasts of war. Saturn had been intelligent to also bring some Seran technology to this world, such as some COG weapons and vehicles. His tests on the development of a lambent serum was steady and the latest batch of subjects from the Underground had made it to Antemurale without a problem.
The screen to the right side of Mortemus's seat flickered on, and he realized that he had gotten a message from one of his hunters.
O'Malley has been accepted by the lesser humanity. Should we send an attack squad?
Mortemus rubbed his scarred chin before typing a reply.
Not yet. Wait for them to get comfortable.
The Theron Elite kicked his hydra into high gear and flew off into the darkness of the New Hollow. He left wondering if Saturn and Fenix's machine would work on both lambent and titan together.
