Author's Note

Hi there! I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read/fav/follow/review the story. It really makes my day to know that you guys are enjoying it!

A couple of weeks had passed, and Sophie was feeling better than ever. She had worked tirelessly on the gears and had successfully managed to fix four of them, which could become five if Farlan was able to get her the pieces she had requested. Sophie had proved not only to them but also to herself, that she was just as capable as her dad.

The only thing that bothered her was how distant Levi had been. After that night, he had been more elusive with her, not even complaining about the lack of tidiness around the house. Despite some awkward sustained looks between them, they had barely interacted for the past weeks. The truth was that she wanted to talk and go back to normal with him, maybe even confess how she truly felt. But she had been so confined working on the gears that she hadn't found the time or energy to do so.

Things were about to change. If she were able to build one or two more units, they could sell them to buy the permit to live above. That way, even when the Military found out about the smuggled ODMs, they would've already left the Underground for good. The adrenaline arising from the thought of it made Sophie sprint, as she walked towards her previous house. Because of the value of the materials and the gears, Farlan had suggested keeping separated workshops scattered around the city, so in case one of them was discovered or raided, the others would not.

She finally arrived at her old house. Levi and Yan had secured the place, ensuring that the wooden plaque was more sturdy and less suspicious. Once she got in the building, she slowly removed the piece to reveal the entrance to the basement, and she hummed in satisfaction. She then walked down the stairs, but once she reached the floor and turned her head towards the table, she found herself surrounded by three militaries, each pointing a gun at her.

"Put your hands up and kneel on the ground," loudly said a woman with glasses and the Garrison emblem on her jacket. Sophie obeyed, and as she looked around, she distinguished the militaries to be two female Garrison Corps and a male Military Police. Behind them was another man, who seemed slightly familiar to Sophie.

"Is this the girl?" asked the other Garrison to the man behind. As he nodded, she realized it was the blacksmith from Mitras.

The Policeman approached Sophie, still pointing the weapon at her, "Messing around with military equipment, girl? You don't know what you've gotten yourself into." He then used his gun to strike Sophie in the stomach, which made her bend from the pain.

"Sannes! That's enough," said the first Garrison. "Take that man outside, he has no more business here." The man sighed and escorted the blacksmith away from them. The woman approached Sophie, which allowed her to distinguish the blonde hair of the soldier. Due to the lack of light, she was unable to see the features of the other Garrison, except for the fact that she was still pointing a gun at her. "You know, the mechanism of the ODM gear is one of the best-kept secrets of the Military. Now, care to explain how a scoundrel like you is building one?"

Sophie was slightly relieved that she had only referred to the gear in that workspace, which probably meant that the other places had not been discovered yet.

"I just…figured it out. I have a lot of free time."

The blonde one sighed at the comment, while the other one moved the gun closer to Sophie's face, and threatened her, "You have learned top-secret government information. Things are not looking good for you, young girl. You could be imprisoned for life, or even hanged."

The first woman stared at Sophie for a while through her glasses, "The more you help us now, the better it will be for you. So, how do you know Cheria Oswell?"

Sophie staggered for a bit. She knew she was cornered, and this time no one would come to rescue her. She figured that telling them everything they wanted would discourage them from looking for other suspects, and hence Levi and Farlan's involvement would remain unknown.

"She was my mother. She was a Survey Corps deserter," muttered Sophie.

"Where is she?" asked the second Garrison, aggressively. "Was she the one to show you how to use the gear?"

"She is dead. I learned to build the gear on my own. That is the truth."

The women looked at each other before the blonde one with glasses decided to intervene, "Have you worked with anyone else?"

Despite the threatening voice of the woman, Sophie still protected her friends, "It was just me. I only had my mother's spare parts to work with."

The woman seemed satisfied with her answer, for now at least. "What's your name?".

"Sophie Lhant."

"Well, Sophie Lhant, you are arrested for disclosing secret Military information, impersonating a Military member, and complotting against the government. Your sentence will be decided by trial." The woman tied her hands and put a cloth cover over her head before escorting her outside. She didn't resist, as for once, she knew she had been defeated.

Sophie was scared, not so much for herself, but for the fate of the others. She prayed and wished that they were content with her as the sole criminal, and as she felt the sunshine through the cloth, she thought of Levi. She thought of his freaky way of drinking tea, his rants about her cleaning habits, the soft touch of his hand, and how much she wanted to go back to that night at the den. But it was too late for that.

Two weeks had passed and there had been no news from Sophie. Levi was sitting on his usual chair, with the tea in front of him untouched, rubbing his forehead. Could she have betrayed them? Could he had been wrong about her all along? He wanted to believe that was not the case, but the evidence was there; the workshop back at her place was empty, and Sophie was gone. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't be second-guessing it as he was doing now.

The door opened loudly and Farlan entered, with a worried expression.

"They got her, they captured Sophie."

Levi quickly stood up in response.

"How?"

"I don't know. I bribed some people and they saw Military Police and Garrison Corps taking someone out of her house…the workshop was empty…so…so..." Farlan covered his face with his hands and let out a small scream of frustration. "Now what? What if she betrays us and tells them everything?"

Levi looked away from his comrade, "No. It's been too long, if anything, those bastards do know how to get the information they want. I think…she is protecting us. For now."

They hadn't been to the workshops themselves. Instead, they had sent some decoys to inspect it after Sophie had disappeared, to ensure that it was not a trap. The decoys hadn't been caught yet either, meaning that the Military wasn't looking for them.

Farlan sighed, "Well, at least we have the other three gears. If she keeps quiet, we can still move forward with our plans."

Levi grunted and approached Farlan, threateningly, "You self-centered prick, was she just a means to an end to you?"

"No, she was my friend too," he replied, calmly. "But we both know that doesn't mean much around here. You out of everyone should know that." Levi relaxed slightly. He was right, he wouldn't have acted like this for anyone else, then why with her? Deep down, he knew why. But he was still reluctant to admit it, even to himself. "I hope that she is okay and not spending the rest of her time behind bars, but life goes on for us, Levi. We have other people under our care."

Levi went back to the table and dropped himself on the chair. He was right. "Can you at least try to find out if she is still alive?"

"It won't be cheap, but I'll try," he said as he headed back to the door. "I'm sorry, Levi."

After Farlan left, Levi stood up and went towards one of the cupboards next to the kitchen. He took out a cloth envelope, like the one she had given him that night, and unveiled its content. It was a white, slightly chipped teacup. He cleaned the surface with the cloth before turning it upside down, and gently passed his fingers over the carved "S" at the bottom, wishing it was her skin instead.