Sophie stopped in the middle of the crowded street and let the warmth of the sunlight shine on her face. It wasn't her first time visiting the surface, but she still paused to look up and admire the beauty of the sky, the gentle breeze, the voices of all the people surrounding her, and the incoming light from the sun.
She had been able to not only fix the gear, but also to improve it. It became faster in reeling and propelling the hooks, and she had added a more detailed mechanism to allow turning one's direction of movement while still reeling. The gang had also been training with it, showing more improvement each day.
But that had been the easy part. Her mom's equipment only included one mobility unit, which Sophie's father had mostly fixed before she took over. However, if they wanted to pull major heists and become the best band in the Underground as Farlan expected, she would also need to build gears for the other members as well. She knew some of the places in the Underground where her dad had traded for parts, but now that they could effectively manipulate the gear, they were able to visit the surface at their own will, without paying any taxes at the checkpoints. Some of the Underground cave's natural openings that led to the outskirts of the Capital were still intact. The Police had deemed them too high for anyone to leave or enter the Underground through them, and thus no checkpoints were present. Thanks to their overlook, Sophie was now walking freely through Mitras.
They had taken turns to explore the surface and follow the cargo delivered to and from the Military HQ. They knew exactly how and when they sent the rations, who were the blacksmiths appointed to fix military equipment, and much, much more. It was time for the final trick.
People step aside as she passed next to them on the street, sometimes murmuring, or aweing in admiration. This had never happened to her in the Underground, where people would usually either ignore or deliberately bump into her. But she didn't look like a lousy Underground girl anymore; now she was walking through the capital as a Survey Corps member. Of course, anyone could've stitched some blue and white wings on a green cape and call themselves a Survey Corps lieutenant, but what made her different from other impostors was the ODM gear she carried on each side. It was the perfect deceit.
She had to admit, she liked the effect that her apparel had on people, and the respect they elicited towards her. Despite some giving her disapproving looks, she could feel the envy and even the fear in their gaze. She felt powerful, and she liked that.
She entered one of the blacksmith shops that Levi had previously patrolled. Their observations implied that there was one Survey Corps expedition roughly every month and that the fixed gears were delivered back to the HQ a week before departure. The blacksmith in charge was a bald, middle-aged man cleaning the counter, while a little boy of about 8 or 9 years old broomed the back of the room, from where clatter and hammer sounds could be heard.
"I'm here to retrieve the fixed gears," she greeted.
"Huh? I thought we had another week. They are not finished," said the man with a crude tone.
"I know, but due to weather conditions, they are pushing the mission forward. The Commander asked me to pick them up even if they are not ready. Our Engineering team will take care of the finishing touches."
The man scanned Sophie and frowned. "Do you have an official notice?"
"Shouldn't you just be happy to have less work this time?" she said with bitterness, before realizing that such a hostile attitude wouldn't help her case. "You'll still get paid the full amount. This is just a setback from our side." The man still didn't seem convinced, to which Sophie sighed. "I can sign you a waiver with my name and rank. If Logistics asks you any questions you can always refer them to me."
The man looked more relaxed after a scapegoat for him was assured. He nodded slightly and went to the back of the room to prepare the cargo. While she waited, she noticed that the little boy was now looking at her, shyly hiding behind the counter.
"Have you been outside the Walls?" he asked. The question initially shocked Sophie, as she remembered what her mom had told her about the horrors of the Titans.
"Hm, yes, once. But I'm a recruit, that is why they mostly send me on these boring errands," she said smiling. The boy smiled in return and left his cover, approaching Sophie.
"You are so brave and strong…I want to be just like you!" Sophie blinked in response. Brave and strong? Those weren't the words she would've used to describe herself. Or her mother, for that matter.
"Well, you see, going outside is very dangerous. You should stay here at the shop."
"But that's boring! I want to fly around like you do! And kill Titans!" the boy articulated as if he were grabbing two swords. "I'm going to join the Survey Corps!"
Before Sophie could discourage him, the blacksmith came back with a brown bag. As he placed it on top of the counter, the metal parts rattled against each other. Sophie inspected its content; they were the correct pieces, but a large amount of them had not been assembled yet.
"This is not even close to functional…Were you really planning on putting all of these together in just a week?" she asked.
The man shrugged, "Miss, you were the one that wanted them earlier. Most of the gears we have to fix are from dead, chunked off soldier corpses. Ordering the parts from the factories takes time, you know."
"It's not like it matters to me, but I guess the Engineering guys will have some fun nights ahead. Thanks anyway." She grabbed the bag, but the blacksmith looked at her with disapproval.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" he said, handing her a quill and a piece of paper. She stopped on her feet and took a deep breath. She knew how to write, but she was scared that her poor calligraphy would reveal the hoax. Still, she noted down her mother's identity. Lieutenant Cheria Oswell, 95th division.
Back in the Underground, Levi, Farlan, and her were sitting in a circle down at the basement's floor, counting and identifying all the pieces from the large bag.
"This just seems like a bunch of junk," said Levi.
"How cheerful of you," replied Farlan with bitterness. "What do you reckon, Sophie, how many gears can we put together with this?"
Sophie was surrounded by small mountains of pieces of similar shape, trying to puzzle two of them together. "I'm not sure, maybe around four, but we'll still need to get additional pieces and wire…Hopefully we can find them here. It would be quite dangerous to pull the same trick again so soon, even if it were at a different blacksmith."
Farlan sighed, but he didn't seem like he had expected good news either, "Well, at least we have something. How long do you think it will take?"
"Uh…well," Sophie grinned. Her dad had done most of the foundation repairs with the first gear, but she wanted to work as hard as possible to catch up with his abilities. "I think I can fix one of them in a week." She wasn't too confident in her statement, but also didn't want them to think of her as a fraud.
Farlan seemed happy with the deadline, but Levi frowned before continuing to evaluate the pieces.
A few hours later, everyone had already gone to sleep. The entire house was pitch dark. Down at the basement, Sophie was still working on the gear, illuminating the workspace with a single, almost burned-out candle. She was tired, feeling the weight of her eyelids forcing her to close her eyes, while her head swayed. But she had to keep going; she had to prove herself that she was as capable as her dad. That she deserved to be part of Levi's gang. A couple of minutes later, her body gave up and she fell asleep, with her head resting on the table.
It wasn't too long after that she felt something soft gently falling over her. She quickly woke up in fright and moved away from the table, knocking over the wooden chair on her way. The candle on the workspace had already been consumed. The only source of light in the room was a lamp held by a mysterious figure.
It was Levi.
"Levi! You almost gave me a heart attack!" said Sophie, gently rubbing her face to awaken herself.
"I just didn't want you to catch a cold," he replied. She then noticed the blanket on the floor, next to the fallen chair, and gowned in response.
"Oh, sorry. I thought someone was going to rob me or something…Wait, why are you awake?"
He shrugged and put the candle on the table, before inspecting the mechanism in which Sophie had been working.
"You should get some rest."
"No, it's fine. I want to finish the housing before tomorrow," she said, turning the chair around and sitting on it.
"You won't be able to think straight if you don't sleep."
"It's not like I usually think straight anyway," she said smirking. Levi scoffed at the comment. He grabbed another chair from the other side of the room to sit next to Sophie.
They were both looking at each other in silence. As she observed his face, Sophie wasn't sure whether he was blushing, or if it was just the warmth of the candlelight caressing his cheeks. Levi opened his mouth slightly as if he were about to say something. In a strike of nervousness, Sophie decided to interrupt.
"Oh, I have something for you." She quickly stood up, going towards one of the shelves to take a small cloth envelope. Levi seemed confused as she handed it to him. He picked up the package with care and slowly undid the string holding the cloth together, which revealed a small and shiny switchblade. He unfolded the weapon to observe the sharp blade, gleaming in the candlelight. As he caressed the handle, he noticed a small engraving on one of the sides. He brought it closer to his eyes to inspect it, revealing that a small "L" had been carefully carved on the metal. "I felt really bad for what happened to your knife, so I decided to build this from all the leftover materials. It has your initial, you see?" she said, pointing towards the carved side.
He looked at her with piercing eyes in an almost menacing way. Sophie pushed herself back in response, thinking that it had been a stupid thing to gift, that maybe he didn't like it, and thought it was just a piece of junk.
"Thank you, Sophie." He smiled. It was the first time she had ever seen him smile, and she could feel her cheeks burning in response. This time, it was not because of the candle nearby. She could feel her heartbeat increase the longer they looked at each other, while she appreciated the features of the young man's face. She didn't know what to do, or what to say, but also didn't want the moment to end.
One of her hands was resting on top of the table, and he slowly moved his palm towards it, placing it nearby. At first, they kept their hands close, without touching, as they continued to stare into one another. Levi then gently turned his wrist to reach Sophie's hand, and she did the same until their fingers lightly touched, intertwining with one another. She could feel his hand shaking a little. Levi left a small breath escape his lips as the contact between them increased.
Sophie slightly bent her body forward, getting closer to his face. He continued moving his hand until his fingers gently caressed the back of hers. She was unsure of what she was doing, or why. Sophie knew she could trust him, and he had shown to take care of her despite the rudeness and anger she had shown for his past. Then why was she holding back?
"I…need to keep working on this," she said as she moved away, without breaking the contact between them.
He looked down, and slowly removed his hand from hers, kindly caressing it as he stood up, "Of course." She wanted to grab him and stop him from leaving, yet she found herself paralyzed to do so. Did he truly like her? Or did he just find her gullible enough to fall for him?
He left the room. For the first time in her life, Sophie regretted not following her eagerness.