Chapter 26: Project Psion

One of the definitions of awkward was causing or feeling embarrassment or inconvenience. For Annie, sitting in a carriage with a boy, who also happened to be shackled, that she betrayed in the most horrendous way possible, the father of said boy who had an axe to grind with her, and the captain of a squad that was permanently short one member because of her seemed to go beyond awkward. Levi had ordered her to be shackled and gagged as to prevent her from trying anything. Not that she would, but he wasn't taking any chances after everything that happened. It didn't help matters that Matthew kept glaring at her as if he was contemplating killing her with his mind. After all, he did promise to make her life a living hell if she hurt his son. Dillon was the only one that didn't look at her, too wrapped up in his own thoughts. She didn't blame him. If her mother was still alive and she was taken, she'd feel the same way before turning the entire country upside down trying to find her.

Despite all this, Annie was partially surprised that she was given over to the Scout Regiment. They were so desperate to seek the aide of a mass murdering monster like her if it meant winning this war. That being said, she knew very well that this didn't mean she was free. Far from it. Just as she was used to complete a mission, the people here was doing the same thing. She was a tool, a weapon to be used against their enemies. "Right side" or "wrong side" made little difference.

Soon enough, the carriage came to a halt, prompting Matthew to open the door and step out without a word. Levi grabbed Dillon and practically tossed him into his father, which left Annie alone with the captain. A shiver went down her spine as he advanced on her, knowing full well this man could slice her into ribbons if he wanted to. He stared at her without saying a word, but she saw the barely-concealed fury in his eyes. Then, he grabbed her by the throat and threw her out of the carriage where she fell face-first into the ground.

"Annie!" Dillon almost ran to her aide, but Levi stopped him.

"Stand down, Amsdale," he said, hoisting the Shifter to her feet while keeping a tight grip on her. "Shut up and follow."

As Levi took them towards the castle, Annie noticed more than a few Scouts cease whatever they were doing to glare at her. The cold reception was to be expected, but she kept an eye on them. Everyone from the veterans to the rookies were all potential assassins. No way in hell she was gonna let her guard down.

Inside, they were led to the meeting room, a place with only a single entrance and no windows. Perfect for keeping dangerous individuals in check.

"There will be guards stationed outside this door," Levi warned as he freed Dillon. "Don't do anything stupid. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," the boy replied.

"Got it," Matthew said.

Once the gag came off, Annie coughed harshly once she was finally able to breathe normally.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do," Levi said as he walked to the door. "Don't take too long.

Once the door was shut, Dillon immediately rounded on his father. "We don't have time for this. We need to go after Kyler!"

"You think we're here for the sake of sitting on our hands, Dillon?" Matthew asked pointedly. "We need to make a solid plan to rescue your mother and in order to do that, you need to know the truth."

"Truth? What truth?"

He hesitated, for it pained him to start down this path. "You have no idea just how ignorant you are to reality, how blind this country has made you."

"What are you talking about?" Dillon was on the verge of begging. "Dad, what have you been keeping from me?"

Matthew gripped Dillon's shoulders. "Dillon, look at me." Once his son did that, he continued. "I need you to take a deep breath and calm down. I know this whole thing is overwhelming, but I'm going to explain everything. You just need to focus on what I'm going to tell you, alright?"

Slowly, the boy nodded, taking a few deep breaths.

Satisfied, Matthew sat down in a chair, gesturing for Annie and Dillon to do the same. "Bear with me. This is a long story."

"We've got time," Dillon replied, both he and Annie taking seats next to each other.

With a sigh, Matthew began with something simple. "The woman that kidnapped your mother wasn't Kyler. Her name is Elise."

A spark of hope flickered in Dillon's eyes. "Does that mean-?"

"Kyler is probably dead, Dillon," he interrupted sadly. "A person like Elise wouldn't risk keeping her alive unless it was absolutely necessary."

And just like that, the spark died. "How do you know her? You told me that we were the only psychic-users here."

"Obviously, that was a lie," Annie spoke up, eyes narrowing at the man. "You're from Marley, aren't you?"

Matthew didn't respond immediately as he was caught in a staring contest with her. Eventually, he relented and said, "I am."

"Marley? I've never heard of that place," Dillon said, understandably confused.

"Almost no one in these Walls have," she replied.

There was no going back as Matthew finally revealed the truth in a simple sentence. "Dillon, humanity isn't going extinct."

Dillon's eyes widened so much Matthew thought they were gonna pop. "What?"

"Out there, millions upon millions of humans are thriving," he explained. "This island is just a small population in comparison."

The young blacksmith couldn't find any words to say. Everything he ever believed regarding humanity's dwindling population was false. There were more humans out there. Their situation wasn't as hopeless as he was led to believe.

"Don't get too excited," Annie said. "What's out there are humans that want to kill everyone here."

That snapped him out of it. "What? Why?"

Annie sighed. "There's a lot of ground to cover, so, if he doesn't mind, I'll deliver the history lesson. You're going to need a lot of context."

Matthew gave a single nod.

"About 1800 years ago, a woman named Ymir Fritz discovered what many called 'the source of all organic matter,' and before you ask, I have no idea what that is. No one does, or ever did, except for her. All we know is that she used it to turn into the very first Titan and became the ruler of Eldia. History says she brought the Eldians into an era of prosperity and led many victorious battles against their enemies. However, the power did not make her immortal, so when her time came to die, she split her soul into nine pieces and divided them among nine people, many of them her descendants. They became the Nine Titan Shifters."

"When you say, 'the Nine Titan Shifters,'" Dillon interrupted, "does that mean there are only Nine Titan Shifters in existence?"

She nodded. "Yes. Eren, the Armored Titan, the Colossal, and I are just four of the nine that can exist, the nine fragments of the original. However, after Ymir's death, the Nine Shifters used their powers to conquer, enslave, or destroy other races or countries they deemed inferior. Marley was one of those countries. It went on for 1700 years."

Dillon stared at her with a slack jaw, mortified. "How could…?" He wasn't even able to finish his sentence.

Annie's response to that, however, was unexpected. "Don't act so surprised. You have the power to carve into the minds of your enemies, strike in places where they can't defend themselves. It must've felt good to prove yourself better than them."

Dillon's jaw tightened as he fixed her with a glower. "At least I was saving lives."

Her own eyes narrowed as she resisted the urge to curl her hand into a fist. "We're getting off the subject. The point is the Eldians had the upper hand on the world until the 145th king of Eldia, Karl Fritz, relocated the capital to the island of Paradis. That's when the Marleyans struck back. They managed to get seven Titan Shifters on their side and fought against the Eldians. King Fritz, however, rounded up the majority of the Eldians and created this city, protecting them from Marley and isolating themselves from the rest of the world. For the past century, he was successful in that."

"But why wouldn't we remember those things?" Dillon asked. "Why wouldn't this be talked about?"

"The King at the time possessed the power of the Founding Titan, and, from what I've gathered, used its abilities to wipe the memories of the people here. No war, and no memories of the past would give him a chance to let his people start over apparently."

He snorted, unsure how to feel about that. "I'm guessing the Eldians that weren't brought here were subjugated by the Marleyans in retaliation."

"That's right," Annie confirmed with a nod. "Eldians were placed in camps under Marley's rule and treated as second-class citizens. When the Eldians who were part of the war died out, the descendants of those Eldians were in a prime position to be controlled. In Marley, the Eldians within these Walls are an evil race that deserve to be exterminated. To make up for their sins, the Eldians in Marley have to serve the Marleyans."

"I'm guessing that when you and the other two Shifters come in," Dillon realized.

"Paradis still had two Titan powers in this country, the Attack Titan and the Coordinate." At Dillon's confused look, she quickly added, "Coordinate's another name for the Founding Titan. Our mission was to retrieve the Coordinate by any means necessary and return the power to Marley."

"Is that why you tried to take Eren?" Dillon asked, a slight edge to his tone. "Or was it because he was the only person keeping us alive?"

It was truly a skill for Annie's face to remain neutral after that. "Eren is the Attack Titan. That much is clear, but after spending five years in this place, we couldn't find the Coordinate, so Eren would at least be someone worthwhile to the Marleyans."

"And what's so special about this Coordinate?"

"The Coordinate can control Titans, Dillon. Imagine if Marley got their hands on that power. They'd be able to wipe this place out in less than a month."

Dillon was stunned to silence once more, imagining the destruction someone could accomplish with that power. Controlling Titans… it was almost impossible to believe.

"That's where I came into the picture." Matthew cut in, holding up a hand to prevent his son from interrupting. "I know you have a lot of questions, Dillon, but they need to wait."

Reluctantly, he conceded to his point with a sigh. "Okay."

Having their attention, Matthew began. "22 years ago, Elise and I were part of an off-the-books project called Project Psion. It was a dream many Marleyans wanted to make a reality: to give humans the abilities of the Coordinate without needing the Coordinate itself."

Annie stared at him in surprise. "That's a bold objective."

Matthew shook his head as he reminisced his old life. "Don't really remember my parents growing up. Most of the time, I was alone and didn't make any friends. On and on, the teachers would preach Marley's greatness and Eldia's sins, but it just made me resent the Marleyans more."

"You weren't the only one," she muttered in agreement.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop them. I was just a kid who was just trying not to get noticed. As I got older, I realized that I needed to do something useful or the Marleyans would have me killed, so I took a job working in a forge for about six years. Got pretty good at it if their complements were legit."

"Even back then, you were a blacksmith," Dillon noted. "What about fighting?"

"Every Eldian is permitted to learn to fight," Matthew said. "However, later in life, I stared teaching myself how to become more brutal, more lethal if someone were to attack me."

"Like Marleyans?" Annie asked.

He nodded. "Especially Marleyans. Sadly, that wasn't enough to stop them when they came for me. They arrested me on some falsified treason charge, ensuring that no one would help me. That's when they took me into that building… into that cage…"


"Get in there!" the guard ordered, shoving an 18-year-old Matthew inside his cell.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he protested, rushing to the bars. "I swear I-!" He recoiled when the guard hit him in the face with a baton.

"Quit your whining," he snarled as he departed from the cell.

"I don't understand," he muttered to himself, trying to stay warm. There was a fresh bruise forming on his eye. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"None of us did," came a voice from another corner in the cell block.

Matthew looked to the left of him and saw three other cells containing two men and a woman. They looked tired and a bit malnourished, indicating that they had been here longer. "Who are you and where am I?"

"My name's Elise," the woman introduced. "This is Jacob..." He pointed to the one with a scar going from his cheek to his jaw, the least friendly-looking of the bunch. "... and this is Atticus." She indicated the other man growing an unkempt beard. "As for where you are, this is a holding facility for lab rats."

"You mean for becoming Titan Shifters?" Matthew wondered.

"Sorry, kid," Jacob replied. "You're not that lucky. We're Marleyans."

Matthew tilted his head in confusion. "Marleyans? But…"

"What, you thought every Marleyan was an Eldian-hating piece of shit?" he asked.

"Most of us were chosen for trying to promote further freedoms for Eldians," Atticus explained.

"The government didn't take kindly to that, so they put us in here for the glory of the empire, or some bullshit like that," Elise added.

"Why are we here?" Matthew asked, trying to keep it together. "What do they want?"

"Experiments. Catch the hell up," Jacob sneered.

"What experiments, damn it?" Matthew demanded.

"Calm down, Eldian," Elise ordered. "Keep shouting like that and you're gonna get worse than a baton tap. Trust me. We've all been when you are, and we all know what you're feeling, but you have to keep it together."

Matthew sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration, though he was a little calmer. "What kind of experiments?"

"How much do you know about the Coordinate?" Atticus asked back.

"The greatest Titan Shifter of all that was taken from the Marleyan Kingdom," he answered. "I thought Jacob said that this didn't involve Titan Shifters."

"It doesn't," Atticus said with a nod. "But that doesn't mean they don't want the same power."

His eyes widened, a horrible thought occurred to him. "Are you implying...?"

"They're trying to turn us into something like the Founding Titan," he confirmed.

Matthew staggered back in shock. "But... how? That's impossible!"

Jacob snorted at that. "Not entirely. Otherwise they'd kill us and get it over with."

They were interrupted by the sound of someone screaming in agony coming from the ceiling.

"What the hell?" Matthew looked for the source of the noise. "Why are they screaming?"

"They're being tickled and having pillow fights," Jacob said mockingly. "Why the hell do you think?"

"No, I want to go home," Matthew begged, trying to kick his cell door open. "Let me out! I don't want to be here!"

"Matthew, no," Elise urged, but it was too late.

The door slammed open and two guards armed in with batons came in, stalking towards Matthew's cell. They open the cell and stepped inside, blocking his escape. With savage brutality, they began assaulting him, slamming his head with their sticks. Quickly, his face became covered in bruises and blood before they moved down his body. After a precise strike on his groin, Matthew's body seized up, gasping for breath. Seeing that he was unable to get up and gasping for air, the guards left, slamming the door shut behind them.

Elise let out another sigh. "I tried to warn you."

Jacob, meanwhile, had no sympathy for him. "That'll teach you to shut up."

She turned to Atticus, shaking her head. "He's not going to last, is he?"

"I doubt it."

"Honestly, I can't blame him."

"You know damn well shouting and bitching does nothing against armed, angry, Marleyan guards," Jacob growled.

"And you have the scars to prove it," she shot back.

Jacob didn't give anything in response other than a grunt and just sat on his bed.

Elise decided to give Matthew something he needed. "Hey, Eldian, do you want to be free?"

Slowly, he got off the ground and looked up at her. "What?"

"I asked you if you want to be free one day," she repeated.

"Yes," he answered.

"If you want freedom, you must live," Elise told him. "We're going to escape one day, and I think you'll want to be there for that day."

"H-How?" Matthew rasped out, coughing up blood.

"Wait for the opportune moment, and strike," she stated.

Slowly, he crawled onto his cot and stared at the ceiling. The idea of being free sounded so appealing right now, but he didn't know how they would obtain it. Still, he decided that maybe waiting would be a promising idea. "I'm Matthew."

The bearded man nodded in response. "Good to meet you, Matthew."

"Is she right?" he asked.

"It's a pipe dream, Eldian. Don't get your hopes up." Jacob grunted as he got into his own cot.

"Work on survival first," Elise advised. "The rest will come later." She gave him a smile of assurance. "One day, we're gonna be free, Matthew. Just listen to us and you'll make it to that day."

Matthew grunted in pain, realizing that this would be his life now. Even though it hurt just as much as the beating, having that hope was nice.


"It took me a long time to adjust, but my cell and the corridor we were in would be my home for two years," Matthew said.

"So, Elise was there for you during those days?" Annie asked. "That must've been nice."

He shook his head. "She was always there to help me when I needed help, more than the others. Jacob was a man hardened by his experiences, but he taught me how to tough things out, especially if the guards beat me. Atticus was quieter than the rest of us, but he always sought to gain as much information from our captors as he could. It was like having a family."

"The conditions you guys lived in," Dillon muttered, imagining just how awful life was for the Eldians across the sea. All he had was two days of experience being in prison. His father had two years.

"Marley's full of sick people," Matthew said.

"Wasn't much better for us," Annie added.

"Yeah," he replied with a sigh.

"So, where does Mom fit into all this?" Dillon asked.

This was the part that he dreaded to explain, but now he had no choice. "Dillon, before I tell you, just know that... your mother and I love you, and we wanted you to have the best life we could give you."

Now, the teen's suspicions increased. "Dad, why are you saying this?"

"She was part of it," Annie realized. "Part of the project."

His nod sealed it. "Yes. She was a scientist."

Dillon shook his head. "No, that's not funny, Dad."

"I'm telling you the truth," he replied sadly.

"Mom would never... she could never be a part of a project like that."

"You think he'd lie about that?" Annie asked pointedly. "Now, of all times?"

"I'm sorry, Dillon, but your mother wasn't always the greatest lawyer the Eldians have ever seen," Matthew said, clearly pained to say it.

"She had to have been forced into this," Dillon protested, trying to cling onto any sort of hope that there was an explanation for her wrongdoings. "Maybe they threatened her family. That's what happened, right?"

"Dillon, stop living in denial," Annie stated sternly.

"Right, because he should be okay with it like he was with your little secret, right, Leonhart?" Matthew spat angrily.

Annie scoffed. "Elise took her for a reason. You give it to us and he's sitting here trying to convince himself it's not true. Unlike you, I'm not willing to let him live in denial and ignorance."

"Is that what was going through your mind when you destroyed him?" he snarled. "When his life meant nothing to you?"

She glared at the older man, her temper flaring. "At least I told him straight up what would happen. I told him I had a secret, and I told him it was horrible. I told him I'd hurt him. You? You've lied to him all his life, and only tell him about it when your wife goes missing. If she hadn't been taken would you have ever told him?"

"No, because, unlike you, my secret, at the time, wouldn't have resulted in his death."

She clenched her fist, trying to contain her anger. "Matthew, how about you get on with your story before I kick your damn teeth in and we leave to handle Elise ourselves?"

"Why don't you come a little closer so I can give you your own dental work, you little bitch?"

"Shut up, both of you!" Dillon interrupted, glaring at them. "You wanna hash this out? Fine, but I'm getting answers first!"

Matthew gave Annie a look of warning before turning to his son. "Two years into our imprisonment is when I met your mother. She was three months into the project at the time, but she was extremely intelligent. She brought life to the project, always optimistic about their chances." He would never forget that day…


Carolyn, taking a breath to contain her excitement, entered the last cell block. She had a good feeling about these people. Either that, or it was the coffee. "Good morning!"

Groaning, Matthew sat up, a bit surprised at her presence. Most of the time, only the guards would enter the cells to deliver their food, water, and urinal buckets. "Who the hell are you?"

"Carolyn Walters," she introduced, looking at her list. "Oh, you're the only Eldian here. Matthew Amsdale."

"And I'm the king of Marley." Jacob snarked. "What do you want, lady?"

"Jacob," Atticus warned before addressing her. "What is it you need, Miss Walters?"

"I've come to inform you four that it's your turn," she announced.

"What, run out of people?" Elise asked, crossing her arms.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Carolyn admitted. "However, I can say that we have been making great progress."

"So that's what all the screaming is. Progress! That's great news." Jacob said sarcastically.

"Well, we have to start somewhere," she explained.

"All due respect, but why us?" Atticus asked quietly

"It's your turn," she repeated, locking eyes with Matthew. "We'll start with Mr. Amsdale."

Atticus shook his head. "No, I meant, why are we here? All I did was disagree with a member of the senate regarding Eldians and their treatment." Perhaps there was a way for him to appeal to her humanity, he hoped.

"Let's see." Carolyn started scrolling through her notes before she found it. "Ah, yes. Here it is. You protested the treatment of Eldians, Miss Elise was found in a relationship with an Eldian, and Mr. Jacob was a member of the Eldian Restorationists, I think that covers it."

Matthew started to chuckle darkly. "Of course. Why else would they put you with the 'inferior' race?"

'"Inferior' is a harsh word, Mr. Amsdale," Carolyn rebuked.

"Yet, you put us away for protecting or loving said race," Atticus mused

"Sorry, Mr. Atticus. I don't make the rules." She snapped her fingers and three guards approached Matthew's cell. "You'll be happy to know that no matter what happens, you'll be doing your country proud, and, if things go well, make history."

Two guards restrained Matthew while the third injected him with a fast-acting sedative. Within seconds, he was out cold, though not before Jacob had the last word.

"Don't give in, kid. Kick their asses soon as you can!"


Dillon stayed silent, staring at the table for the longest time.

"Dillon, I know this is hard for you, and considering what you've been through already..." Matthew trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"If you don't want to hear this right now, we can wait," Annie assured.

"Keep going," he said in a low tone.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

"Keep. Going."

Matthew nodded and continued. "When I regained consciousness, I was strapped to a chair. They gave me three injections: one for my spine, one for my neck, and one for my head. In five minutes, I started losing it." He closed his eyes, remembering how out of control he was. "I was like a wild animal, thrashing around like that with blood pouring from my face.

"I'm guessing it was like that with the others," Annie said, imagining how horrible that must've been for them.

"The lucky ones before us died within minutes due to aneurysms," Matthew responded. "The others completely lost their sanity, screaming like feral creatures that needed to be put down. Sometimes, I can still hear them." He shuddered and sighed, knowing he needed to go on despite the pain of the memories. "The Marleyans knocked me out and threw me back in my cell. When I regained consciousness, they had done it to my friends as well. For one week, we were bleeding, we were going through hell."


It was like his mind was set on fire and being stabbed at the same time. He writhed on the ground, clawing his own head in an effort to make it stop. On top of that, he could hear voices of other people talking over each other. He tried covering his ears, but he could still hear them. Nothing was working.

"Gah!" Matthew screamed, clutching his head. "Make it stop!"

"I'll kill her!" Elise swore, blood pouring from eyes. "I'll rip that bitch to shreds!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Jacob begged angrily. "I can't even focus without you all shouting."

Elise gritted her teeth in pain, trying to find some way to stop this madness, but she collapsed to the ground, her body spasming like she was having a seizure.

"Has to be something to stop this!" Atticus shouted as he covered his head with his mattress, closing his bleeding eyes.

"Please, someone help me," Matthew pleaded. The thought of hitting his head against the cell bars until he was knocked out or dead sounded very good.

"Just shut up for a moment!" Jacob ordered, his voice rising over theirs.

The three, feeling like they had nothing to lose at this point, grit their teeth and tried to bear it for as long as they could, allowing him to focus.

Jacob closed his eyes and grit his teeth, trying his damndest to fulfill what he had said. He was working through the pain as best he could as he delved into his own mind. Finding where the voices were coming from he focused his mind and tried to erect walls, almost like dams, to keep the sounds out. It took a dozen of them, and dozens of tries, but finally... silence.

"Jacob..." Elise felt like she was dying.

"I've got it!" he announced. "The voices! They're gone!"

Atticus practically lunged at the bars. "Tell us how!" he begged pitifully, his tears mixing with the blood.

"Go into your mind and find where the voices are coming from. Wall those areas off!"

Quickly, the three got to work. For ten minutes the three concentrated, trying to erect their own walls. It was tedious, long, and, of course, agonizing, but they managed to get it done. Exhausted, they collapsed on the floor or on their cots.

"Holy shit," Elise gasped, panting.

Jacob had collapsed to his knees, head leaning on the door. "Damn, that hurts..."

"I can't feel the power at all now," Atticus noticed.

"You son of a bitch. You saved our lives," Matthew said, shaking his head.

"You're welcome," Jacob muttered as he crawled into his own cot.

Elise did the same thing, chuckling. "Once I get out of this bed, I'm gonna kiss you, Jake."

"Do it and you're dead," he growled.

Matthew didn't know why, but he started to laugh.

Elise turned over on her stomach, looking at the Eldian with concern. "Oh, God, he's starting to break."

He shook his head, grinning. "I'm just happy, for once. We've survived the damn procedure, and we're Psions."

Her eyes widened as she thought of the possibilities. "This could be our chance."

Atticus shook his head, wiping the blood off his face. "Let's not get carried away. If we undo the blocks, the voices come back. And we can't use our powers with them in place right now."

"I'm not about to stage a jailbreak right now," Elise assured. "But this is our first step towards freedom."

Jacob looked at her incredulously. "You kidding? Once they realize we're not failures, they'll test us even further."

"Guys, there are possibilities now," Matthew reminded them calmly. "Let's just keep that in mind here on out."


"For once, there was tangible hope in our lives. When we went to bed that night, we finally had a reason to look to the future. Unfortunately, in just a few days it all changed."


"But, sir, I don't understand," Carolyn protested to her superior privately. "I was under the impression we had been making great strides."

"Are four successes and over three dozen failures really a 'great stride' doctor?" he asked with a stern look.

"That's still four successes," she pointed out. "After all the people we've gone through, four people managed to pull it off! It worked!"

"Four out of almost fifty."

"Damn it, stop thinking about those failures," she demanded. "All our hard work has paid off!"

"And for what?" he asked, picking up a clipboard. "You have a lowly Eldian. Then you have a disgraced member of the senate who committed treason. A teacher who decided to sleep with her Eldian janitor. And a noted Marleyan member of the Eldian Restoration movement."

"Okay, maybe they're not the best successes, but if we figure out how they managed to do that, we can instruct Marleyans how to control themselves."

"No. We have come to a consensus that the project is to be terminated and all subjects eliminated effective immediately."

Carolyn couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You can't do this. History has been made! We don't need the damn Coordinate anymore. We don't need the Titans!"

"You have no proof this will even work on standard Marleyans, much less defects like Eldians and the Titans. I'm sorry, doctor. But we will be pursuing the Warrior project."

She clenched her fists, closing her eyes tightly trying to contain her emotions. "What about the data? It could still be valuable in the future."

"The horse is dead, doctor."

She shook her head, staring at the ground. "We were so close. Two years..."

"Two years, and next to nothing to show for it. Meanwhile, the Warrior Project is almost guaranteed to get results"

Carolyn looked so defeated as she felt her dreams just vanish. "I'll go pack my things."

"We would appreciate your help with the Titan shifters, Doctor," he offered.

She paused at that. "Give me a few days to consider the offer... if that's all right."

"Of course."

With a nod, Carolyn marched down the stairs, her mind racing. They were terminating the project when it clearly succeeded. And now, the Marleyans were gonna go back to depending on those monsters to save them. It was madness and completely idiotic. To throw these successes away like they were nothing was the greatest mistake the powers-that-be could make, and she would not stand for it. She couldn't let all of them die.

Then, a plan started forming. She was going to save one of her successes before it was too late. She couldn't save all of them if she wanted to get out of Marley alive. They were going to brand her traitor, but it was too apparent that this was far more important than labels. She couldn't take Elise or Jacob, two people that swore to kill her when she had a chance. Atticus was too recognizable, but Matthew...was perfect. He was an Eldian, meaning that he already hated the Marleyan people, and she would give him what most Eldians craved: freedom. Her decision had been made.

Walking quickly, Carolyn entered the cell block, keys in hand, and opened Matthew's cell, rousing all four of them.

"Dr. Walters?" Matthew asked, groaning.

"The project has been terminated and all experiments are to be destroyed," she stated in a clipped tone.

"Oh, what a surprise," Jacob replied in a drawl tone.

"By experiments...?" Atticus asked to clarify.

"You," Carolyn answered, dragging Matthew out. "I can only guarantee one of you will survive."

Elise shot out of her bed. "What did you say?"

"You can't be serious!" Jacob shouted.

"Unfortunately, I am."

"Doc, don't," Matthew pleaded softly, still weak. "Still a chance…"

"Sorry, Mr. Amsdale," she said sincerely, walking him towards the exit. "This is all I can do." She tossed the keys and managed to make it in Atticus's cell. "You three are on your own!"

"You bitch!" Jacob shouted.

"You're leaving us to die, Doctor. You're better than that!" Atticus insisted, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"You're dead, Carolyn!" Elise swore, panting with rage. "You hear me!? You're fucking dead!"

Without looking back, Carolyn dragged Matthew out, slamming the door behind her.


Matthew flinched, and Annie grimaced when a nearby chair shattered into many pieces. They saw Dillon's eyes flashing for a moment before they receded back to their normal state.

"So, she ran with you, and you did nothing to stop her?" Annie asked once she was sure Dillon wasn't going to use his powers to tear the room apart.

"I tried, but I was too weak," he explained. "She knocked me out every time I resisted to keep me from doing anything about it. She took whatever valuables she had at home and then smuggled herself and I onto a ship heading for Paradis."

A look in Dillon's eyes showed that he was completely pissed off, but he didn't speak.

"Why was a ship going from Marley to Paradis in the first place?" Annie wondered.

"It was a scout ship that was heading to Paradis to check the lay of the land. We stowed away and when we were far enough away, we killed the people onboard. We used the supplies on the ship to survive the journey to the Walls, and I could use my powers against the Titans by slowly removing the blocks. Being so far from society helped with that. It took us months before we reached Wall Maria.

"Once we made it in, we slowly integrated ourselves into the cities. Carolyn researched as much as she could on what life was like in the Walls, and I started working so we could get food, water, and shelter. Another year later, Carolyn used her resources and intelligence to study up on law in a prestigious Academy within Wall Sina and I was given an opportunity to forge weapons for the military."

"I'm betting these resources were the valuables she had," Annie sneered. "Why not just bribe your way to the top like a couple of upstanding citizens?" She was making it no secret as to how she felt about this whole thing. "She actively chose, supported, and participated a project that killed at least 46 people. Or should I say subjects? Why humanize them, am I right?"

He glared at her. "You are in no position to judge, Leonhart."

"Of course, you loop it back to me," she snarled. "I did what I did because it was my mission. Carolyn just did it because 'she wanted to make history.' Cause she wanted to further science. Difference is, she doesn't give a damn about the lives she ruins whereas I do."

"People change," he shot back. "She knows what she did was wrong, and she has to live with it for the rest of her life!"

"Well, it's not going to be much longer because you didn't think of the possibility that someone else might've survived. Now, she's going to kill Carolyn and come after you and Dillon!"

"Don't pretend that you care about my son!" Matthew demanded with a raised voice, standing to his feet. Annie followed suit, glaring into his eyes as he stared into hers. "After everything you did to him, you have the audacity to claim that you love him!?"

Annie was getting real close to punching the man, as evidenced by her shaking fist. "I chose him in the end, and I know damn well what I did to him, so why don't you get off your high horse, you hypocrite, because you're responsible for this, whether you have the balls to admit it or—!"

"Did you know?"

The shouting came to an abrupt halt as Matthew faced the glare of his son. "What?"

"The Colossal and Armored Titans," Dillon said, slowly standing up with a dangerous look in his eye. "You knew what they were, didn't you? You lived in Marley, so you knew from the beginning that they were Titan Shifters."

"Dillon, calm down," Matthew urged.

He was stalking towards his father, far past the point of calming down. "Those 250,000 people that were sent to their deaths, the Trost Invasion, that fucking Expedition…"

Annie tried to placate him. "Dillon, I know you're pissed off, but—"

"Stay out of this!" Dillon shouted, his eyes that darted to her flashing for a brief second.

Annie actually flinched, taking a step back. For a moment, she thought if she got closer, she would be sent flying across the room.

Matthew tried to salvage the deteriorating situation. "If your mother and I tried to tell what really happened, no one would've believed us and the government would've had us all killed."

"Seriously? That's your excuse?" Enraged, Dillon grabbed his father and slammed him against the wall, eyes blazing with his powers on brink of being unleashed. "You could've said something! How many people did you let die, you coward?"

Whatever was going to happen next was halted when a piece of the broken chair hit the side of his head. It was hard enough to topple him to the ground, groaning in pain. He looked up to see Annie staring down at him, holding the piece that hit him. Her eyes weren't cold this time; instead, they were full of sympathy. She didn't even say anything to him when the door opened, the guards having their swords drawn.

"What the hell is going on?" one of the guards demanded.

"Tell Levi we're done keeping him waiting," Annie said, looking at them.

Matthew knelt to his son's level, grieved by what he had done to him with the truth. "Dillon…"

"Leave me alone," Dillon begged quietly. "Just leave me alone."

He bowed his head. "I'm so sorry."

"He said to leave him alone," Annie said coldly.

Matthew looked ready to dive back into another argument, but after seeing his son in the condition he was in made him stop. Standing up, the man exited the room.

Carefully, Annie began to help Dillon up only to find his arms wrapping around her. It took her off guard, her eyes widening evident of that. She just hit him with the leg of a chair, and yet, here he was, clinging onto her. He wasn't thinking straight. That was the only possible explanation. However, she found herself hugging him back, closing her eyes. The world truly was a cruel place.


(Underground; Unknown location)

"Time to wake up, Carolyn."

A harsh slap caused her eyes to pop open as she stared at her kidnapper in shock. The woman standing in front of her no longer had black hair, but shoulder-length, ginger hair. Her hazel eyes had a gleam in them as if she had been given the keys to the world and that malicious smile that promised so much added to the image.

"E—Elise!" Carolyn stuttered, her eyes widening

"So, you do remember me," the Psion replied. "I'm touched."

Carolyn took notice that they were in a prison cell unlike any she had ever seen before. Stone walls surrounded her with only a single door that led out. Save for a single candle, there wasn't a source of light in this place, not even a window. She was completely chained to the wall, giving her no opportunities to escape. "I'm guessing you're here to kill me."

"Very good, Carolyn," Elise praised before awarding her a punch to the gut. She shivered in what could only be described as ecstasy. "Damn, that feels good."

The lawyer let out a harsh cough, gritting her teeth in pain. "What did you do with the real Kyler?"

"She's been disposed of in the industrial area of Stohess," she answered. "The toxic waste should have dissolved her body a long time ago."

Carolyn's face contorted with grief. Her most trusted ally and friend in the Interior was truly gone. "Kyler…"

"What's the matter, Carolyn? Mourning the loss of your tool?" Elise delivered a hard backhand that left a bruise on Carolyn's cheek. "20 years, and you're still the same opportunistic bitch."

"She was my friend."

"No, she was a useful weapon for your war against the Military Police. An officer who actually wanted to make some changes in that regiment and weed out the bad apples? You couldn't let that opportunity pass you by."

Carolyn glared at her, panting heavily. "Do whatever you want with me, but leave Matthew and Dillon alone."

Elise shook her head, letting out a mirthless chuckle. "After all this time, I can still hear it in your voice."

"Hear what?"

The Psion leaned in close, staring right into her eyes. "Matthew and Dillon are so precious to you, aren't they? Just like the project that you put your heart into."

By now, she was shaking with rage. "If you hurt them—" Carolyn was cut off as she felt her vocal chords tighten. She wasn't choking, but she was unable to talk.

"You've always been a resourceful woman, Carolyn," Elise said, a fire brewing in her glowing eyes. "Escaping from Marley with barely enough time to plan, making it through Titan-infested lands, though that was more Matthew than you, adapting to this backwards society, rising to a life a privilege, and, of course, seizing the opportunity to make your mark in this world just like before. But now, I'm going to take everything from you. Everyone will finally see what you really are: a snake who only cares about a mission, who walks over the corpses of good men and women just for the sake of your greater good. As for Matthew and Dillon, I'm going to free them from your influence once and for all. They will never see you as a wife or mother ever again, but a monster who deserves everything she's got coming to her."

Elise's hand shot out and fastened around Carolyn's throat, a sickening grin appearing on her face. "I've spent the last twenty years hunting down every single person involved with Project Psion. Scientists, guards, benefactors, every one of them dead." With her free hand, she pulled out a four-inch knife, placing it against the lawyer's bruised cheek. "With every death, I've harnessed my craft, Carolyn, both mentally and physically!"

Carolyn thrashed violently as the knife was sharply pulled down. A nasty gash appeared on her cheek, blood pouring out. She wanted to scream, but that was denied thanks to her lack of vocal chords.

Elise, on the other hand, breathed heavily as she stared at the blood dripping from the knife. "I've been dreaming about this moment for so long, and now, you're here with me. To think I was able to pass as the one person I bore a similar resemblance to here. I was meant to find you, Carolyn. If there is a God, I should thank him for this."

The grip on Carolyn's vocal chords were released, allowing her to say, "Elise, I'm sorry. I know what I did to you, to all those people, was horrible, but-"

"No, you don't," she interrupted, "but you will. You've been running for so long, Carolyn, but in the end, you're mine."

Elise's eyes flashed, and Carolyn felt this horrible feeling of something biting her mind. She grunted in pain, struggling against the restraints, but there was nothing she could do to stop. Then, she felt her mind get set on fire, making her scream. Blood started to pour as she was lost in a world of hell, her mind viciously assaulted without ceasing.

The smile never left her tormentor's face.


Remastered Edits: While the general feel of this chapter remains the same from the original (i.e.: exposition chapter), I made a few adjustments to make this whole thing smoother and cleaner in terms of dialogue, reactions, and the fallout.

From here to the end of this arc, though, major changes are gonna be afoot, so stay tuned for that.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it, and I'll see you in the next one.