Chapter 7

Atop the wall, all the soldiers are working in unison to prepare for the coming battle. Cannons are being placed at the corner of the wall thanks to Armins genius idea to use the Titans hunger for humans to draw them into a tight pack where it'll make killing them easier and with the added bonus of lowering the chances of casualties since confrontation will not be needed at least for that aspect of the plan. The main goal is to allow easy movement for Eren and the elite squad, handpicked by Pixis himself to protect yaeger and allow him to gain easy access to the giant boulder. The plan hinges on whether or not, 1) Eren can even lift the boulder let alone carry it, and 2) if he can even control his Titan form.

Pixis takes a small swig from his flask. He doesn't swallow the liquid right away, allowing it to burn and numb his mouth before letting it trickle down his throat. Numb is a feeling he has long accepted, he knew that this was a gamble. He knew many of the soldiers he sends into battle may even die today. But it's a weight he has grown accustomed to carrying. If the plan succeeds, then maybe, just maybe, that weight might lighten slightly. But if it doesn't… well at least he won't have to carry it for too long.

He hears the sounds of soldiers saluting behind him and he faces them. "Looks like you're all here. You have but one mission: To protect Eren Yaeger and eliminate any risks that arise during the operation. It will probably be the most dangerous and difficult mission of the entire operation. It's no exaggeration to say that how you fare out there will decide the fate of all humankind."

"Commander, may I ask a question?"

"What is it?" Pixis asks the bespeckled Captain.

Her comrade Ian, nudges her, "Quit it Rico!" he hisses but she doesn't falter.

"You have doubts too, don't you?"

"Commander, this plan is based entirely on the vague factor that is Eren Yaeger. If he doesn't do as planned, many soldiers will die for nothing!" Mitabi explains, trying to convey the gravity of the situation.

Pixis simply rubs his mustache, "You make a good point, perhaps we oughta give ourselves up to the titans willingly?"

The three suck in a breath, stunned by his reply.

He smirks, "Personally the idea makes me sick, I'm a sore loser." He turns and watches the titans stumble about and chuckles lightly, "You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I've been stuck on the losing side since day one."

The three share a look, unable to understand where their superior was going with this. "I'm a stubborn old fool, though. Just once I'd like to know what victory feels like. Even if I have to resort to extreme measures."

Rico speaks up, "Naturally sir, I'm sure we all feel the same way!"

He smirks at her once again, "Then I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. The boys abilities may be an unknown quantity, I'll give you that…" fierce determination glows in his eyes as they sharpen, unaffected by the alcohol in his system. "But I'll take it over the known quantity of our options."

A Garrison Soldier runs up to the commander and salutes, "Sir! It's time for the decoy operation to begin."

"hmm. Ian Dietrich. Rico Brzenska. Mitabi Jarnach. You are the very best of the best of the Garrison Regiment. The fate of Humanity is in your hands."

"Sir!" The three salute.

"Ian, you'll lead the squad. I leave all on site decision-making to you."

He begins to protest, "Huh?! Me Sir?!"

"I have no objections." Rico says.

Mitabi agrees, "neither do I."

Though his confidence rises slightly due to his comrades faith in his leadership abilities, he's not fully convinced. "But sir, with my ability—"

"Never fear. You have an understanding of alcohol. You can distinguish high-quality liquor from the cheap. So I leave it to you."

"Yes sir!"

Right then, 4 teenagers arrive. The first is the most recognizable due to him being at the epicenter of this entire operation, Eren Yaeger. Next one to be recognized was Mikasa Ackermann who's battle prowess was well known and being #1 of the top ten cadets is always bound to draw attention. Next was Armin Artlet who's intellect is what has provided humanity today with the first chance of victory it has truly ever known. And the last was Calian Howlett. Although he was not a member of the top ten, he has truly proven himself with his battle prowess displayed during the invasion. Many cadets had sang praises in their reports since he had saved so many from dying at the hands of the monsters. Pixis raises his eyebrow as he observes the cadets profile. Despite still being a teenager, he had developed fast. Pixis remembers reading that the man stood at 6'7 and thanks to his training, his muscles had grown and became proportionate to his size, they were definitely noticeable but also lean, showing that they aren't for show. His skin was bronzed from the sun with long straight black hair framing his handsome face, which sported a strong square jaw and steel grey eyes that are full of fierce determination and no fear in sight. Pixis smirked, can tell just from looking at him, this kid is a real asset. I'm actually excited to see him and Ackermann in action.

Ian keeps his eyes on Howlett as he whispers to Rico, "Are we sure he isn't a titan?"

She just gives him a look that said, Really?

Pixis clears his throat, "As you were already notified, you three will be apart of the elite squad defending Yaeger. It is your responsibility to make sure that he is defended whilst completing this mission. You are to follow Captain Ian Dietrich orders as your field leader. Humanity's fate, is in your hands."

Thanks to the Decoy squad, almost all of the titans in Trost had made their way to the far right corner of the city, leaving the boulder completely unguarded. Seeing their opening. The elite squad run a top the wall to an area closer to the boulder. Doing so will allow them to not only conserve they fuel but also allow them to gain access to the boulder without drawing any titans near them. As they're running, Calian looks over to where the decoy squad is. Many of his friends are there. Please stay safe everyone. Focusing, he sees they have finally reached their destination. Everyone except Rico leaps off the wall, switching to their ODM gear and they gracefully swing and fly through the air, over the rooftops. Rico loads a green flare into her gun and raises it into the air, using her bicep to cover one ear and her finger protecting the other. She fires the flare gun.

All the way back at the commander, his subordinate Anka sees it in her scope. "green smoke confirmed. Elite Squad has commenced operation!"

Rubbing his mustache, Pixis grunts, "Indeed, it may seem extraordinarily small when compared to what humanity has given up this far!"

Back with the elite squad, they all swing low to the ground before shooting back into the air, Calian and Mikasa doing a backflip that allows them to land on a roof nearby the boulder, ready to protect Eren. Said cadet shoots higher in the air then them, not aiming at the roof but towards the air above the boulder. His face creasing with determination and fury, Eren yells before he bites down into his hand. Mikasa and Calian both raise their hands to protect their eyes as yellow lightning illuminates the sky. The spectacle drew the attention of every soldier, Garrison and Cadet as they stare in awe at the explosion. Some gasp as they hear the deep inhuman roar of the Rogue titan as he lands on the ground and throws his head back, allowing his roar to be carried for miles. But something doesn't feel right. Why… why is he just starin at it? He and Mikasa share a worried look as the titan pants heavily, steam still billowing from his body, but standing stationary and staring aimlessly at the boulder.

Mikasa gasps and quickly pushes Cal away and she backflips at the last second as the Rogue titan abruptly turns and buries his fist in the roof where they once stood. Calian nearly falls but he quickly shoots a hook into a wall and swings back up, his hair actually touching the ground for a second. He lands near Rico and the others and watches as the Rgoue titan roars as it throws another wild punch at Mikasa. She just barely flips out the way. Still in air she shoots a hook into a building behind Erens head, allowing her to land directly on his nose. She stares into one of his massive green glowing eyes—Wait? Green? Glowing? Calian searches his memories, trying to remember if he ever got a clear look at the rogue. He does, when it squared up to a titan of similar height, Eren's titan eyes, were the same as his human eyes. A greyish blue. "oh shit."

Rico sharply glances at him, "What?"

"Eren's not in control, Mikasa's gonna get herself killed!"

He quickly rushes towards his friend. He can hear her trying to talk sense into Eren but nothing's going through. In fact, despite their being no lips, Calian can see a snarl forming and his steaming hand slowly rising. "Come on Dammit! Mikasa look out!"

She looks down and sees the shaking fist suddenly shoot towards her. She releases herself and jumps back, her hand reaching in the air and Calian catching it and reeling the pair to safety. "Ya alright?"

Mikasa doesn't answer as she stares at the now immobile Titan-Eren. "EREN!"

Mitabi quickly notifies Ian, "Captain! We've got two titans bearing down on us at the front! Ten meters and six meters!"

Another soldier cries out, "Heads up! There's a 12 meter coming this way too!"

Calian unsheathes his blades, "Dammit, Eren's transformation must've drawn them here and we got too distracted by his freak out to prepare!"

Mitabi yells to Ian, "We need to get out of here! The plan's a bust!"

"Yea full withdrawal! We need to leave him as he is!"

Mikasa turns to them, her eyes burning with anger and she tries to charge but Calian holds her back, a small part of him still surprised that he even has the ability to do so. "Mikasa! Stay focused! If ya even try to threaten them then they'll kill ya! Then who's gonna protect Eren!?"

She glares at her friend but he can tell that she's at war with herself. She knows what he says is true, but she still can't just leave Eren behind. The two of them are startled by the sound of a flare and they watch as red smoke rises from Rico's gun.

Holstering the gun Rico addresses Ian, "We have to pull back now."

Mikasa begins straining against Calian with renewed vigor as he hisses for her to stop, to which she does. Not because of him, but because of the declaration of their squad leader.

"No." Ian answers firmly.

Mitabi can't believe what he's heard, "What?! Ian snap out of it! What do you mean no? Give the order for retreat! None of this is your fault, this plan was doomed from the start!"

But Ian doesn't acknowledge it. "Team Rico, eliminate the 12 meter, approach him from behind. Team Mitabi and I will handle the two front-runners."

Silence persists after his orders, until an enraged Rico screams, "Are you nuts?!"

"In case you've forgotten, I'm the one in charge! Now do as you're ordered soldier!" his voice is firm and stern as he barks back at them, leaving it clear that they must obey his orders.

"We are not leaving Yeager defenseless, period! Our job now is to keep the others off him until he can be recovered."

"Why—"

"Because he's still our last best chance whether we like it or not! We're expendable, he isn't. so we're not about to abandon him."

Rico cannot believe what's happening, "He's a failure that countless soldiers have died for! Jus look at him Ian! Are you saying you want more of us to die saving that!?"

Even Calian is starting to get angry at this point, he even has half a mind to release Mikasa and allow her to wail on them. Though Rico is clearly not a coward like Daz, her continued doubting is annoying him just as much at this point. It seems that even Isan shares his sentiment as he snaps, "That's right! Down to the last man! If that's what it takes, then so be it! What other hope against the titans do we have? You know something I don't?!"

He gives them a small moment to answer but nothing can be said, "This is it. This is all we've got and you damn-well know it! I am making a judgment call here. If you have a better plan then speak up! How else are we ever going to get out from under their feet? I'm all ears here!"

Calian smirks, I like this guy. But it seems that Rico doesn't share the sentiment as she replies in a low voice, "If you're asking me how we can defeat the titans, obviously I have no idea."

The squad leader nods, "See? That's why we can't afford to beat a retreat. Not just yet." He gestures to the knocked out titan, "We may not know what else is in there, but there's hope. And as long as that's the case, we're gonna fight to the bitter end."

There was something about that declaration that hits for Calian. He observes the Garrison soldier as he continues his speech. Hope? That's what he's fightin for? That's what he's willin to lay down his life for? Calian takes a moment to reflect, what has he been fighting for? To kill the Armored titan of course. But… is that all there is to him? Will he continue fighting? Or better yet, would he lay down his life in the name of hope… even if it means he never even sees the Armored Titan? He doesn't know why of all places, he's thinking bout that now and he tries to push it away, but those questions are still nagging to him in the small corner of his mind. He focuses again just in time to see Rico and Mitabi fly into battle, Ian stalking towards them.

"Howlett, Ackermann; you're with me."

"Thank you Captain Ian." Mikasa salutes him.

"There's no need to thank me Ackermann. I admit if Howlett wasn't holding you back, I'd be terrified of what you'd do next."

He pulls out his blades, "Now you can act freely as originally planned. That should make better use of your ability."

"Yes sir."

"This is to protect your lover after all."

Mikasa blushes madly and looks down. "He's family."

Her friend scoffs behind her, "coulda fooled me."

She glares at him but he just smirks and follows Ian into the air. They both come towards a 12 meter titan that slowly lifts his hands to catch them. At the last second they both bank on opposite directions before attaching their hooks to the titans body. Reeling themselves in the find each other on opposite directions, coming at the nape. They both hack off the section of flesh at the same time, completely covering themselves in its putrid blood, but they pay no mind as the titan falls permanently.

"Good work Howlett!"

"Back at ya cap, 5 meter 6 o'oclock!"

"10 meter at your 3!"

They each go to their targets, Calian taking down his titan with ease while Ian goes low then shoots up, relieving the monster of it's right arm, then reeling in for a downward swing, once again killing the flesh eating creature. They see a distress flare shoot into the air. "Damn! Howlett, you go provide assistance!"

"Sir I can't leave ya by yourself!"

Ian flips in the air and kills another titan that made a grab for him. "That's an order soldier! I can deal with this myself!"

Calian growls in frustration but relents, choosing to have faith in the skills of his current leader. He quickly makes his way towards the flares, bouncing from one rooftop to another like a grasshopper, eliminating any titan that ends up in his line of sight. As he closes into the flare, he sees Connie, Annie and Marco fighting off a rather large group of titans that seem to still make some ground. And at the center of it all, is Jean at floor level?

Calian quickly flies low and takes out a 15 meters legs from under it then skyrockets up, slashing off its nape and even splitting it's skull open from his swing. Connie flies next to him in the air.

"Why the hell is Jean grounded?!"

"His ODM malfunctioned! We're trying to keep the titans off him while he makes repairs!"

"Got it!"

Calian then flies over a titan that tried jumping to catch him and he shoots his hook near a building. Using his momentum, he keeps swinging around and around its ankles, wrapping them and making it lose its balance. He lands on the ground and pulls as hard as he can on the cable. Thankfully from both the loss of balance and his incredible display of strength, The titan tumbles. Knocking down 2 more smaller titans and allowing easy access to their napes, to which the other cadets took advantage of and killed the titans. Calian quickly cuts off the tangled legs, allowing him to reclaim his wires and get back in the battle. He dodges a massive fist that smashed the ground where he stood, he flips in the air and takes out a flare gun. He yells, "Everyone shield your eyes!"

And he fires the flare in the air. It explodes in a blinding light, the titans all shrieking as they're blinded by the light. The team continues their assault and finally the area is cleared. Just in time as his ODM finally is fully functional. "I'm ready!"

"Good, all ya'll get to the wall now!" Calian barks out, seeing another swarm of titans heading their way.

"What about you?" Annie asks, her voice still monotone, but if one listens closely, you can pick up the slight hint of concern.

The roar of the Rogue titan reaches their ears in that moment. "I still got a mission to accomplish. I'll be fine!"

He doesn't wait to listen to them and flies off in the direction of Eren, and when he finally arrives, he witnesses something that actually awakens the feeling of hope inside him. It's the Rogue Titan, lifting the boulder over its shoulders. "He… he did it! He's doin it!"

Ian lands beside him, "Yea and it's attracting attention!" he uses his sword to point a the swarm of titans heading otwards their massive ally.

"All soldiers! Defend Eren at all costs! We he's the only chance we have of plugging the hole!" he looks up at the teen next to him, "You ready?"

"Born ready cap!"

The two let out an intense battle cry as they reach a rather quick titan that's running on all fours, quickly closing the distance between it an Eren. The two reach it and just as it gets to the air, they shoot up and slice off both arms. Losing its support, the titan falls face first to the ground and tumbles head over heels, with Ian not far behind as he delivers the killing blow. Calian roars loudly as he shoots out then back in and kills one titan, continued by spinning along the arm of another and before sturning sharp in the air like a helicopter, cutting off its nape. He hears a yell of pain as a titan grasps Rico in its hand. Before he moves Ian is already upon it cutting off the hand holding Rico and allowing her to escape. "Thank yo—Captain!"

Ian grunts as the titan clutches him in its hand now, and it doesn't hesitate to place his head between its teeth and chomp down.

"…No!" Calian whispers.

I-I failed again.

"NOOOO! Ian… I won't let you die for nothing!" Rico swears with tears forming on the edges of her eyes.

Rage fills Calian as he rushes into battle with Rico and Mikasa. The trio all fight with all they have, Titan after titan dying by their blades. Calian doesn't even care as blood splatters all over his body, he ignores the rancid taste that burns his tongue. "DIE!"

He kills another, "DIE!"

He stabs both blades into the eyes of a 15 meter then flips up, simultaneously rearming himself mid flip with new blades and he cuts off the nape. "ALL OF YOU DIEEEEE!"

Eren is close to the hole, their hearts pounding, their mission so close to being accomplished they're practically foaming at the mouths from anticipation. Rico slashes the eyes of the titan standing in Eren's way, with Mikasa not far behind to deliver the last killing blow, leaving it to fall in the pit right before the hole. Calian, at first whispering then turning into a shout. "Do it. Do it! Eren Do it!"

With a last mighty roar, Eren slams the boulder down, sealing the gate. In battle, there are many sounds that makes one feel like the world has stopped. For most, it was the sound of lightning striking, revealing the Colossla titan. For others it was the inhuman growl of a Titan bearing down on innocent people. What these sounds have in common, si that it deprives one of all hope, it feels them with nothing but dread. But this sound, the sound of a boulder hitting stone, and the implication behind it. Was different. It was a sound that gave hope. It was a sound the gave relief. It was a sound that even had Rico drop to her knees and smile despite her tears falling as she knows that her comrades had not died in vain. Their deaths meant something. Today their deaths meant the first real victory humanity has ever gotten against the titans.

Calian and Mikasa lock eyes, disbelief in them. But then Calian begins to grin, so large it makes his cheeks hurt but he does not care. He looks at every single Soldier that is still staring and he raises his sword, "YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

They all yell victoriously with him, despite the danger still around them, they are finally blessed with a strength they did not think they could ever possess because whether or not they die, does not matter to them anymore. Because now, they know. They have finally won.

Howlett assists Rico in keeping the area clear as Armin and Mikasa extract Eren from the titan body he's having trouble emerging from.

Calian takes down another titan. Rico raises an appraising eyebrow, "you may be new but you sure don't fight like a cadet."

"That a compliment?"

"Closest one you'll get from me." She curses as she sees the trio still on the titan body. "What're you waiting for? Get Yaeger out of there now, we can't hold them back much longer we're due for a refuel soon!"

"We're trying as fast as we can!" Armin answers but he gasps as a titan emerges from the pit.

"Shit!" Rico curses, "We mustn't have cut deep enough!"

They both fly in as fast as they can to save the cadets from the titan but Calian sees a flash of green in a tornado of blades that kills the titan so quickly, he almost didn't think it was even alive half a second ago.

"What the hell?"

The figure lands on the titan's head, his back to them.

Howlett's eyes widen as he sees the emblem proudly displayed on the cape. Two wings, one blue, the other white. "That's the wings of freedom… The Survey corp is here!"

The man turns and faces the group, "This is the part where you explain to me exactly what it is that I'm looking at." The man demands as he stares at the smoking carcass that was the Rogue titan.

Rico lands next to him, "It was a special operation masterminded by Commander Pixis, it's a rather difficult report to explain at the moment Corporal Levi."

"Tch, fine. We can discuss things later. Right now we have to kill all the titans inside the wall… You seem like you've still got some fight in you, get anyone else that can have have them help me out!"

Rico nods and signals Calian to fly over. The Cadet shoots into the air and takes on the group of titans heading their way. Calian flips one blade into a reverse grip and he shoots down, spinning like a saw and killing one titan. He keeps low and goes up the leg of another, distracting it from Levi who kills it from above, not wasting a second as he continues to easily kill 4 more titans on his own before he even stops. "Holy shit!"

"He's not humanity's strongest soldier for nothing!" Rico states as she blinds a titan allowing Calian to go behind and kill it. He stays atop the falling monster and aults at a 5 meter titan when he was eye level to its nape and he cleaves that and its head clean off. He shoots a hook into the decapitated head and swings it in the air before throwing it in the face of a 10 meter. It stumbles from the hit which was its fatal mistake as Rico comes in for the kill. Despite fighting, levi is watching. This is a cadet? Strange… he seems to be fighting as if he's had experience. His moves… why do they seem familiar?

It had taken some time, but thanks to the Garrisons and the Survey Corps engineers, wall Rose once again held the Titans at bay. Calian watched as he holds the notebook Thomas had given him, writing down the days events. 'Taking out the rest of the titans trapped inside Trost took a full day, during which the wall-mounted cannons fired non-stop.' Calian can still hear the deafening booms like a beat in his head. In a way it was soothing, knowing that each blast was another step closer to safety. Or as safe as you can get in this cruel world.

'Most of the Titans that gathered by the wall were wiped out by the explosive shells, the few that remained were mostly mopped up by the Scouts. They even managed to to capture two live titans. One 7 meters, another 4 meter. Heh, I can only imagine how Thomas and Mina would've reacted.'

Calian's bottom lip trembles as he finally allows himself to feel the grief of his closest friends deaths. 'I'm so sorry guys,' he writes, ' all that time we spent talking about how we'll prove baldy wrong and how we'll take back our lives and I couldn't do anything to stop yours from being snuffed out. Some friend I am. Ya'll gave me everything, and I couldn't return the favor.'

He finishes writing and pockets the book, right next to thomas'. He promises he'll read it, until he has it memorized. So that he'll never forget his friends. Calian clears his throat, swallowing down the lump of emotion threatening to escape and makes his way to the scouts, who had called him over for some reason. He watches as a member of the Levi squad, Gunther approaches the surprisingly small leader. "Looks like all remaining Titans within the walls have been eliminated."

Eld takes a look over the wall, "What about the hole in the wall?"

Rico appears with Commander Erwin of the scouts. "Don't worry. Engineers from the Garrison Regiment are already getting started with plans to patch it up." She explains.

Erwin stands tall, "This puts a great burden on the Garrison Regiment. I'm sorry we can't be of more use." He apologizes sincerely.

But she's having none of it, "No… we appreciate the reinforcements. If we were on our own…"

She stops the shiver that threatens to creep out at the thought of being against such an overwhelming force with their meek numbers. Erwin begins commending his subordinates, "Good work, Levi."

Levi nods his head ot Calian, "If you mean to thank me, you should thank this kid instead."

All eyes fall on Calian, or rather look up. He can Hear Gunther whisper loudly to Eld, "Geez what the hell are they feeding these cadets?!"

"Shut up you idiot everyone can hear you."

Erwin ignores them and steps closer, His eyes analyzing the young man. It's not everyday that Levi compliments someones abilities, in his unique way of course. "A cadet?"

"A member of the 104th Cadet Corps, just like Eren Yaeger, who blocked up the hole in the wall."

A redheaded woman with goggles/glasses throws her hands up dramatically in her surprise. "You may have not noticed Erwin, but I had no idea this soldier was a freshly graduated Cadet."

"I see." He steps closer, Calian doesn't even bat an eyelash. "You did well to stand up to your fears and fight Cadet."

Calian holds his head high, "I had no right to do any less sir."

The redhead leans in very closely, howlett almost decided to lean away but figured this must be some sorta test. "You really did an outstanding job today, I think you'll make a fine soldier!" her glasses flash with a look that somewhat uneased him but he didn't let it show.

She turns to Levi, "Wouldn't you say so too Levi? You did fight with him the most."

He rolls his eyes and gets near Calian as well, "Tch. Like the brat needs anymore praise. It'll probably go up to his head—"

He stops as his eyes meet Calians. The tall cadet notices an almost imperceptible widening of his expressionless eyes. Like as if he recognizes something. "You're dismissed."

Calian tilts his head in confusion but Erwin nods and so he begins leaving. Hanje narrows her eyes as she looks back and forth between Levi and the cadet. "What was that about?"

"I've got no idea what you're talking about four-eyes."

She chuckles and smacks his back, "Come on, I know you well enough to spot when you're caught off guard. And you were definitely caught off guard there. So what is it? Long lost brother? Illegitimate son? Nah he's too tall for that."

He glares at her, "Take your shitty ideas somewhere else shitty glasses."

She laughs loudly as she relents, "You gotta come up with better material someday!"

He ignores her as Erwin decides to question him, "She does have a point though. You're rattled, I can tell."

"It's nothing." And he walks away, leaving no room for anyone to ask any further questions. As he walks his mind races. Those eyes, they look just like his… no. There's no way. It can't be. He remembers the way he fights, even his speech patterns. They're all just like—Don't think that. Not unless you're absolutely sure.

AN: Sorry it was a day later than i said, for some reason Fanfiction wasn't responding so i had to wait until no before i could even access my account, but alas i hope it was worth the wait! And once again thank you all to everyone who has favorited and reviewed! I appreciate it all so much and i hope i don't disappoint, until next time guys!