AN: This chapter is a little shorter than the others I've written. I hope the content makes up for that.
Chapter 25: New Reality
Two days. That's all it took for Matthew's life to get thrown into a frenzy. The forge he spent nearly half his life putting blood, sweat, and tears in was now the property of the Military Police until "their investigation was concluded." The weapons were also seized, probably to be sold to the highest bidders or kept for personal usage. To make matters worse, since the shop was also part of their house, the Amsdale family was officially homeless until further notice. Deep down, he knew a day like this would come, but he never imagined it being the fault of his own son. Matthew wasn't an idiot. He knew why Dillon did what he did just like why Carolyn did what she did. Good intentions with unfortunate consequences.
In Dillon's case, his good intentions happened to be attached to Annie Leonhart. Just thinking about the girl made his blood boil. He took her into his home, he let her sit at his table and eat his food, he gave her his blessing to continue dating in son, and she stabbed them all in the back. If he got his hands on her, he would break her neck and burn her body to make sure it would stick. Sadly, it was because of his son he wouldn't get the chance.
Instead, he was stuck in a room with a couple of guards for the duration of the trial. They had the decency to keep him uncuffed, but they were armed and ready in case he tried something. Their comments weren't helping either.
"Think the freak is gonna survive today?" one of the guards asked.
The other guard chuckled. "Please. A kid like him was practically begging for the noose."
"Shame it's not the bitch who's on trial," the first guard lamented. "I'd pay good money to see that."
"If you two morons are hoping for an excuse to shoot me in 'self-defense,' you're gonna be disappointed," Matthew interrupted coolly.
"What are you talking about?" the first MP asked, glaring at him.
Matthew rolled his eyes. "Come on. Insulting my wife and son and cheering for their deaths in front of me? You're as subtle as the stench you and your ilk carry around."
The second MP snorted. "Go ahead and make your jokes while you still can. From where we're standing, you're about to lose that traitorous freak you call a son."
"From where I'm sitting, your 'scathing' insults are as juvenile as you are," he shot back, annoyed. "So, why don't you clods shut up and spare the world from your immaturity?"
Growling, the first MP punched Matthew in the face. A little blood fell from his nose, but the man looked more annoyed than angered by the wound.
"My son hits harder than that," is what he wanted to say, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Letting his emotions get the better of him, even if it was verbal sparring, was precisely what they wanted. It didn't end well with Dimo Reeves, and it wouldn't end well with the Military Police.
Suddenly, his mind was bombarded by terror seeping through a mental link. He recognized it immediately as his wife's, and sure enough, her voice cut through. "Matthew, help me! It's–" Carolyn's shriek instantly cut off.
"Carolyn? Carolyn!" Matthew fought down the panic that sought to overwhelm him. He was still linked with his wife, so she was still alive. How long that would be the case was up in the air. He needed to act fast, but first, it was time to cover his bases. "Officers, my son sent me an urgent message: my wife's been kidnapped!"
The first MP scoffed. "Right. Nice try, Amsdale."
Matthew looked down to keep them from seeing his glowing eyes as he slowly locked the door. There was no way to muffle the sound, so their attention went to the door in confusion. Matthew lunged out of his seat and slammed the first MP's head against the wall, downing him. The second MP attempted to draw his weapon, but he was too slow. A drop kick to the gut brought the MP to his knees and a knee to the face broke his nose. He was out in seconds, sprawled on his back.
Immediately afterwards, the door started shaking as the guards outside tried to get in. Matthew ignored them as he grabbed the wooden chair and tossed it out the window. With the glass shattered, he jumped out just as the MPs shot the lock off. He was very thankful he was kept in a room on the ground floor, but his thankfulness was short-lived. His eyes glowed once more as he used the link he had with Carolyn to locate her. He felt her moving west, probably being carried. Without wasting any time, he began sprinting in that direction, ignoring the shouts from the MPs. He only hoped he could reach his wife before they caught up with him.
While he didn't hear her voice, Dillon could feel the immense waves of terror coming from his mother. He only took a couple seconds to recover from the intense feelings before psychically breaking his shackles. The MPs were caught off guard as Dillon shoved the officer that had been pushing him forward into the others. As they stumbled, he dashed down the hall, shouting, "Mom!"
"Hey, get back here," one of the MPs demanded, charging after him.
Ahead, two MPs were making a move to intercept him, rifles drawn, but Dillon managed to smash into the room where his mom was being held. The first thing he noticed was the broken window and a missing chair. Then, he saw a little bit of blood on the ground. He had no idea if it was the kidnapper's or his mom's, but he couldn't help but wonder where Kyler was. He shook that thought off as he approached the window, looking for any sign of where they went. The panic was seeking to overwhelm him, his breathing rate increasing dangerously.
"Hold it right there, you freak!" a voice behind him shouted.
Dillon glanced behind him, seeing two MPs pointing rifles at him.
He had no time for this.
A single flash of his eyes and the door slammed right in their faces. If the painful grunts were any indication, it managed to hit them. He jumped out the window, bending his knees upon landing. It was only a ten-foot drop and he didn't break anything, though he had a feeling his legs would be sore after that sudden stunt.
"Dillon, this way!" he heard his father yell ahead of him.
The young blacksmith took off after Matthew while the MPs were scrambling to control the situation. "Where's the kidnapper going?" Better to use the mental link than waste their breath shouting at each other.
"There's a passageway that leads to the Underground," Matthew explained rapidly. "We'll cut them off before they reach it."
Adrenaline coursed through their bodies as they ran faster than ever before. They weren't gonna let some lowlife get away with taken Carolyn. In fact, the two men were starting to plan how they would kill the son of a bitch. Maybe make use of a few pipes they could find, use anything sharp to start slicing critical veins, or hell, maybe even through the kidnapper off the roof. Probably not the last one. It wouldn't be quite as satisfying as the others. Hopefully, they would have time for something before the MPs caught up with them.
There was an obvious trail of civilians that were already out of the way, so Dillon and Matthew charged down that road. Carolyn's weight had to be slowing the kidnapper down. Combining that with Matthew being able to detect where his wife was, catching up was not going to be an issue.
Finally, the father-son pair saw the kidnapper almost arriving at the stairs that would take them Underground. The large emblem on the back of the jacket was the ultimate indication that the kidnapper was an officer, or someone that pretended to be one. The shoulder-length hair and the build indicated that this kidnapper was a woman, but that detail was currently irrelevant. Their eyes began to glow as they were seconds away from pulling her away from the stairs and into the beating of a lifetime.
Then, the woman whirled around to face them and the Amsdales were launched backwards. Matthew crashed into a food stand, obliterating it upon impact, while Dillon hit the ground hard, causing the wind to be knocked out of him. She didn't even lift a finger.
The teen gasped for breath as he tried and failed to get up, attempting to comprehend what just happened. His eyes locked onto the woman's, realizing that it was Kyler who had taken his mother. Kyler, the woman Dillon looked up to as a good person who tried to fix the Military Police in her own, special way, the woman his family trusted more than nearly anyone else, attacked his mother and took her. He couldn't understand why she would do this to them after all they've been through. Dillon locked eyes with her, staring at the face of a stranger. Where a stern, yet determined friend once stood was now replaced by a cold and ruthless individual. On top of all that, she had psychic abilities. None of this made sense. He wanted to say something, do something, but his voice and muscles failed him.
Kyler fixed her eyes on Matthew for a moment, a new emotion added to her features. It seemed to resemble… relief? Dillon risked a glance at his father and saw he was frozen to the spot with a wide-eyed expression. Not a single word passed between them as Kyler ran down the stairs with Carolyn, disappearing into the Underground.
Just as the Amsdales were recovering from the incident, a squad of MPs descended upon them, armed with swords and rifles. Instinctively, Dillon and Matthew raised their hands over their heads amidst the angry shouting. They were shoved to the ground face first, being shackled once more, but Dillon was practically numb. Someone he trusted, someone he believed in, betrayed him. As he was led away, his mind drifted to a blonde, skinless Titan that carried that same ruthlessness.
Not a lot could take Erwin off-guard. As the commander of the Scout Regiment, he had long since learned to expect things to go wrong. However, within the past few days, he felt the need to rethink what he thought was impossible, and it was all linked to the Amsdale family. By the standards set by the Interior, they were abnormal. Carolyn spent her career trying to bring down the corruption within the MPs, something that should have gotten her and her family killed a long time ago, yet they still lived. Erwin didn't put a lot of thought into it. After all, Carolyn was getting results, however small, with her actions.
Then, there was Matthew. While he ran Amsdale's Forge, he mostly kept to himself. All he did was create and sell weapons. Aside from that, he kept his head down. In fact, Carolyn seemed to be the face of the family and not her husband. That, in itself, was unusual.
Now came Dillon, the boy at the center of all this. In the span of one day, he managed to cause everything unravel. From interfering in the Stohess Operation to revealing his deepest secret, a power that tied the family together. Dillon had claimed not to know the source of his abilities, but after the stunt he and his father pulled, the evidence was starting to lead directly to his father. With Kyler kidnapping Carolyn, it was very unlikely for it all to be a coincidence.
Which is why Erwin made himself useful by approaching Matthew, who was shackled to a chair and guarded by three MPs who were prepared to shoot to kill. "Mr. Amsdale, I would like to have a word with you."
"Only if I speak to you alone," the man replied, glowering at him.
"Commander Dok gave us strict orders not to let the prisoner leave our sights," one of the MPs said.
Matthew shook his head, disappointed. "Then I guess we have nothing to discuss."
Erwin anticipated such a response and already, a counterpoint was beginning to form. However, before he could speak, he felt a strange sensation in his head, like something was opening up. Then, he heard Matthew's voice, yet his mouth wasn't moving.
"If you want to talk, leave this room."
His expression not betraying a single thing, Erwin sighed, standing up. "Very well. I will leave you be, then."
Once he was outside and casually walking down the halls, Matthew's voice was heard once again. "Just think what you want to say as if we're talking normally."
"Quite the useful ability you have, Mr. Amsdale," Erwin said.
"They have their perks," Matthew responded. "If the MPs discover I also have psychic powers, there's a good chance they will kill me."
"So, you expect me to stay quiet about it?"
There was a pause on the other end. "Things are going to get a lot worse from here on out. You need all the help you can get. My abilities make me valuable, and I can give you something else you want: the truth about what I am, what my son is."
Erwin raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the offer. "In exchange for my silence, you'll offer yourself to the Scout Regiment."
"Unofficially. My business is dead as things stand, so I don't have much choice. However, there's one other thing I want." He could hear the desperation in his voice now. "Help me get my wife back."
Ah, yes. The missing member of the family. "I am sorry for your loss, Mr. Amsdale, but I do not see how or why I should get involved."
"Don't play games with me, Erwin!" the man snarled. "Carolyn stuck her neck out for you people when she defended Eren and has constantly supported your cause. You owe her this, damn it."
Erwin reflected on Levi's words after that particular trial, how Carolyn was a rare breed found in the Interior. Someone who showed no fear in facing the battles she thrusted herself into. It was the closest she came to fighting Titans, though one could argue fighting Titans was easier than fighting the corruption within the Walls. "The woman that took Carolyn… do you know who she is?"
Once again, there wasn't an immediate response. At first, Erwin believed Matthew would remain silent on the matter, but, to an extent, he was proven wrong. "When my son and I are exonerated for our crimes, I'll tell you everything."
"You seem confident that the charges against you two will be dropped."
This time, that sensation he felt in his mind disappeared. It seemed Matthew was done talking.
If that wasn't evidence he was hiding something, Erwin didn't know what was. Subtlety was not a trait that ran in the Amsdale family.
Most people believed Levi was always in a bad mood. Most people didn't know what it meant for Levi to be in a bad mood. Sure, he was irritated and annoyed with the world and its inhabitants ninety percent of the time and the other ten percent was reserved for sleeping, but that was just his typical charm. For him to get in a bad mood, someone really needed to piss him off, which was exactly what that stupid son of a bitch did. And this time, he couldn't hide behind the excuse of "doing it for humanity."
"You are damn lucky these bars are separating us," Levi growled, eyes blazing with fury as he gazed at the idiot.
Dillon didn't even have the spine to face him as his eyes were fixated on the ground. "Kyler… she took my mom."
"Cry about it to someone who gives a damn," he said. "Did it even cross your mind that you put the fate of humanity at risk for the second time?"
He looked confused by that. "What are you talking about?"
Levi was running out of patience. '"What am I talking about?' I'm talking about Leonhart, you fucking moron!" He hadn't raised his voice in quite some time, but the boy was more than deserving of this special occasion. "Let me spell it out for you since you're too stupid to put two and two together. Your stunts gave her the perfect opportunity to escape and no one would've been able to stop her. Hell if I know why she didn't, but consider that your last lucky break, Amsdale. Do you have even the slightest clue how much Commander Erwin, myself, and the entire Scout Regiment is risking taking a chance on you and the bitch? Don't answer that. I might just cut out your tongue. Everyone is expecting this entire arrangement to go straight into the shit pile. If that happens, it's not just your head. It's not just Leonhart's. It's every fucking one of us, and if she fled, that's exactly what would've happened. We want a soldier that can be depended on, but instead, we have you. So, get your act together and grow up, or you'll be a liability I will not hesitate to kill. Is that clear?"
His words had quite the effect on Dillon. He was stunned to silence, staring with that wide-eyed expression of his. When he spoke, it was a soft, submissive, "Yes, sir."
Levi scoffed. "Pathetic."
The door to the cell block opened with two different MPs approaching, one of them holding out a key. "Captain Levi, the Supreme Commander has summoned you and the prisoner."
He gave a curt nod. "Let's get this over with."
Once the cell door was unlocked, Dillon was immediately shackled again, though Levi decided to add something this time around. The second Dillon took a step forward, the captain slammed his fist right into the boy's gut, bringing him to his knees in pain.
"C-Captain Levi?" one of the MPs asked, astonished that he would assault one of his own men like that.
"It's called discipline," Levi explained, hoisting Dillon to his feet abruptly. "Something you pigs lack."
Within minutes, Dillon was hauled back into the courtroom and chained to the pole once more along with a certain Titan Shifter. Annie wasn't completely worse for wear, but her blank expression had shifted to concern for him. The commanding officers were in their usual spots, though Nile look more disgruntled now. It didn't take long before Zackley returned to the stand, taking a seat.
"It seems that one hour was all that was needed for things to go wrong," he began, his eyes locked on Nile. "Commander Dok, can you explain the situation that has been brought to my attention."
Swallowing his nerves, Nile nodded. "Approximately five minutes into the hour, Corporal Kyler Hauer kidnaped Carolyn Amsdale and disappeared into the Underground. Despite the chase my men and the Amsdales gave, they were unable to catch her."
"You would find it in your best interests to review your security protocols in the future, Commander Dok," Zackley warned coldly. "Three people were able to escape custody under your watch. Consider yourself fortunate there weren't any casualties."
Except my own mother. Dillon thought with narrowed eyes.
"I want a full investigation on the matter," he went on. "It is your responsibility to find Carolyn and apprehend Corporal Hauer by any means necessary. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." Nile might not have reached the infamy levels of Erwin, but he wasn't in good standing either.
Satisfied, Zackley moved on. "Now, then, after careful consideration and weighing the consequences, I have reached a decision, albeit not an easy one. Because of the potential that's too great to lose, Annie Leonhart will be given over to the Scout Regiment where she can make good use of her abilities."
Dillon resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief.
"What!?" Nile could not resist blurting that out. "S-Supreme Commander—"
"Commander, compose yourself," Zackley ordered with a piercing stare. "I do not make this decision lightly, and I am well aware of the fallout regarding this decision. However, we live in desperate times, and in order to survive, we do what we must. That being said…" His gaze went directly to Erwin. "…should this all go south, I will have Annie Leonhart executed immediately, and you will be held responsible."
Erwin nodded in agreement. "Understood, Supreme Commander."
"I have also decided to drop the charges against Dillon and Matthew Amsdale, including their more recent crimes," Zackley added. "The boy completed the operation as dictated by the Scout Regiment, and, in recent events, was attempting to rescue his mother. I will not fault him nor his father for that."
Nile wanted to protest against these decisions, but there was nothing he could do. The decision was final.
"Commander Erwin, whatever information you gather, I expect it to be shared with me as well as any future excursions and operations you wish to commence. Keep anymore of them secret from me and you will find yourself chained in this courtroom as I decide your fate."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Erwin replied, keeping up his unreadable gaze.
If Dillon was a complete moron, he would've been ready to celebrate this victory, but there was just too much now. He knew the Scouts themselves would be pissed off that the Titan who slaughtered so many of them would be working alongside them now. Annie was a target now. To make matters worse, his mother was taken by someone with the same abilities as his, and his father knew something about this whole thing. For once, Dillon wished he could've remained that ignorant, idealistic boy that sought to fight Titans. Secrets were gonna come out, and nothing would've made him happier than sealing the lid shut on them.
Remastered Edits: So, I made two big mistakes in the old version. I'll reveal the second one in due time, but the first one is Matthew. Despite the fact his WIFE was kidnapped, I fell into the trap by making it more about Dillon. Granted, the focus quickly gets shifted to Dillon, but it's high time I give his father the respect his deserves. He'll have plenty more opportunities to shine this time around. In the original, having Dillon and Levi chasing Kyler with consequences was bad enough, but then throwing in the Female Titan was too much. I figured just having Matthew and Dillon in this moment would make this more personal.
Oddly enough, it was kind of fun writing the tongue-lashing Levi gives to Dillon. What Dillon did was something I think most of us would do in the heat of the moment, but Levi is also right in what he said. There are much bigger consequences now that Dillon has thrown in his lot with Annie.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.
