"There is still another condition to our deal," said Levi as they walked back to the gang's lair, carrying some of Sophie's material on their backs. Sophie shriveled as a response. She was still unsure about having accepted their offer on the spot. In the end, there was no reason for her to trust them, or vice versa. "You better help in keeping the house clean. That filthy basement of yours is intolerable."

Sophie nodded and continued following the boys, looking down at the dusty Underground street. She was completely at their mercy, as they were taking her and her most precious belongings to their territory. Nothing could guarantee that they would not kill her once she gave them what they wanted. On top of that, she was going to live under the same roof as Kenny's protégé. But what other option did she have? To keep hiding and risking her life for some metal scraps?

Once they arrived at the building, Farlan showed her around the area, and helped her set up a mattress to sleep in the common dormitory, while Levi and Yan made a stew for dinner. Sophie and Farlan agreed to leave the gear and all the tools in their basement before setting up a proper workstation.

Dinner was served, and despite the tense situation, she could not contain her excitement for having her first real meal in a week. She had been essentially living out of food scraps, as working on the mobility gear did not allow her to spend half of the day looking for something to eat like the other Underground residents. Besides the occasional slurping and clinking sound of the spoons against the plate, there was complete silence around the table, illuminated by a lantern that acted as a centerfold.

Yan decided to break the ice, "So, how did you learn to fix all that machinery?"

"My dad was a carpenter down south, and mum was a seamstress close to where we lived," Sophie answered, with stew still in her mouth. Her behavior made Levi growl in disgust. "So, I guess I know a thing or two about handiwork".

Farlan frowned at her response. The fact that she had joined a couple of strangers, in addition to the abandoned seamstress shop next to the basement, set in stone the suspicion that she truly had no one else to turn to. Not that many people had that privilege in the Underground.

"How charming," mumbled Levi.

"It was better than growing up with a murderer, that's for sure," snapped Sophie. Farlan dropped his spoon. After a moment of silence, Yan loudly slurped some stew. "Sorry, that was not… "

"At least he taught me some manners," responded Levi. He did not seem bothered by her slander, and simply sipped his drink. "Save that anger for him. If you don't want to associate yourself with us…or with me for that matter, you are free to go back to your sad and dirty pit".

Sophie looked down, ashamed for making such a comment. He said that she could leave, but she also knew that this thieves' den was the closest thing to safety she could ever aspire to have, given the circumstances. If any other group of thugs had found her as they did, they wouldn't have been as generous, and that was something she had very present.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to being around nice people…or people at all." She paused and looked at the trio. "Thank you for everything".

Yan and Farlan awkwardly smiled at her apology, while Levi finished up the drink. He stood up and started picking up his cutlery.

"You will be on cleaning duty tomorrow."

Eren and Historia had been kidnapped. Kenny had murdered his subordinates. And the fate of the Survey Corps was hanging by a very thin thread.

Levi wandered around the warehouse, wondering how things had gotten this far. It was not about killing Titans anymore; they were fighting humans. After the carriage persecution and running away from Kenny's squad, the rest of the team seemed restless. Especially Armin and Jean, who had experienced the murder of a human by another one for the first time.

While he had been able to put Dimo and Flegel Reeves on their side, it didn't make up for the fact that they were still very much underpowered against Kenny. How did he, one of the Military Police biggest threats, manage to put together such a powerful squad within it?

The warehouse was the same one where they had held Armin and Jean prisoners, disguised as Historia and Eren. Of course, Kenny saw through the hoax rather quickly. In the end, he was the one who had taught that strategy to him. Levi was reluctant to admit how much of his own success as a soldier had been thanks to his training.

He started inspecting some of the crates, looking for clues, leads, or an explanation on why the old man had gone from an Underground thug to a squad leader of the Military. The crates were mostly filled with different types of supplies, probably from the Reeves's company. But then, he noticed a different type of crates, separated from the rest.

He opened them. They were filled with metal bullets, just like the ones that Kenny's squad had used against him with that novel gear. He clenched his jaw as he remembered how easily he had blown up Nifa's head. There was no way he was going to let Kenny win. In any case, his vengeance had been long due. He started inspecting the bullets; they were bigger than the ones of a regular gun, which probably contributed to their effectiveness. He took a closer look at one of them, carefully investigating its design. While passing his fingers through the cartridge, he noticed a small engraving at the bottom.

He grabbed one of the lit-up lamps and brought it closer to the item to revise the inscription. It said "S.L". The initials instantly clicked in his head. Of course Kenny had gotten so far up in the Police if Sophie Lhant was also on his side.

"You had always liked trouble," he mumbled to himself.