Chapter 42: Plight of the Shifter
Levi found something to hate with nearly every fiber of his being: broken legs. If it was just his arm, he could still walk and potentially use ODM gear. Since it was his leg, he could do nothing but sit, limp, or lie down. It didn't help that Hanji was acting like a fucking nurse every time he stood up to go do something, making sure he didn't "overexert himself." He probably had Erwin to thank for that. At least he wasn't watching the pastor anymore. One less migraine to deal with.
"I think I'll kill you tonight, Four-Eyes," he said as he watched her pour his own tea. "Make it look like an accident. In your excitement, you tripped down the stairs and cracked your head open."
"Nice try, Levi," she replied, undeterred by his threat. Not even the bandages on her wounds could stop her. "You'd find yourself getting acquainted with the noose if you did that."
"At least I'd have my dignity back," Levi muttered as he drank his tea before spitting it out. "You put sugar in this?"
"I always put sugar in my tea," Hanji explained.
"This isn't your tea, Shitty-Glasses," he growled, his temper flaring up once more. "You know what? Just get me some fucking water. You can't screw that up."
"Someone's in a bad mood," she muttered while she filled up a glass from the sink.
"Commander Erwin took me off the field thanks to that psychic bitch, and now you're playing nurse. Of course I'm pissed off." Levi shook his head. "No, not just that. Leonhart. She's been keeping secrets from us."
"I can understand why she did," Hanji admitted, handing him the glass. "Would you put all your faith in the people you were against?"
"This isn't about me; it's about what we're going to do about her." Levi grimaced as he drank the water. It wasn't the cleanest liquid, but he dealt with it. "We need to know the full extent of what she's hiding."
"Torture can only get us so much," Hanji explained. "Technically, it's impossible to know everything about a person."
Levi stared at the water, mulling it over. "No… no it's not. People lie, but memories don't."
Hanji gave him a look of surprise. "You really think they're gonna go for it?"
"You think I'm gonna give them a choice in the matter? I know what those damn Psions are capable of, and we've got one at our disposal. Let's make him useful."
"Big brother..."
Hanji gave a yelp when the glass fell from Levi's hand and shattered onto the ground, spilling water and shards all over the wooden floor. When she looked at the captain, she saw that his hand was shaking a bit, but it was gone in a second. "Levi-"
"Don't," he warned, his eyes locked on the mess he made. "Don't go there."
She knelt to his level. There was no joy to be found in her face. Only deep concern for her friend. "Levi, I was there for you when you lost Isabel and Farlan. I wasn't a shoulder you could cry on. That's not your style, but I was there for you."
"You can't do anything for me, Hanji," Levi said quietly. "It's my own demons I have to deal with. They'll fade. They always do."
Hanji let out a sigh, but she dropped the matter while she cleaned up the mess he made.
Levi pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to calm the voices. Elise awakened them, and that was unforgivable. Leonhart killing her was the best thing she could've done, but it still didn't silence them. The opened wound would take a while to heal. Until then, he would suffer whatever his thoughts had in store for him.
The castle began to shake in rhythm, signaling the arrival of a Titan. Naturally, Hanji quickly outfitted herself with ODM gear before taking off towards the castle entrance while Levi limped after her. Not much he could do, but he wasn't content to sit down and wait until the danger had passed.
Despite the fact it was nighttime, they could see that it was the Female Titan that arrived at their doorstep, carrying three people in her hands. She lowered them to the ground carefully, allowing Eren to disembark first.
"Welcome back," Hanji greeted, "though I hope this doesn't mean you're the only survivors."
"The rest are on their way," Eren assured, he and Mikasa lifting the unconscious Dillon from Annie's hands. "He needs medical attention fast."
"Get him to the infirmary," Hanji ordered.
"Yes, ma'am. I got him, Mikasa."
"Eren, I can help," Mikasa protested.
"You have broken ribs," he shot back with annoyance. "You can't just walk that off."
"I'll be fine. He needs treatment more than I do."
"For crying out loud, let's all go to the infirmary together," Annie suggested, her patience coming to a swift end.
Hanji nodded in agreement. "Excellent idea. We can have the debriefing there."
The Female Titan took a few steps back before cutting open her own nape. Annie managed to get back on the ground fine enough, but an intense wave of dizziness nearly overtook her.
The Section Commander helped her up, using her weight to support Annie's. "Alright, come on. Let's go."
"No questions tonight," the Shifter requested quietly as she was led inside. "I need… I need to sleep."
"It can wait until tomorrow," Hanji assured.
As if that granted her permission, Annie slumped over, passing out at last.
Levi watched the scene with a calculating silence. Once again, Annie had the chance to deal a severe blow to the regiment by killing those three, but she didn't. While that added points in her favor, it wasn't enough to clear her of all suspicion. One way or another, he would find out the truths she was hiding. Only then could they sleep soundly at night.
Naturally, Eren was the least injured out of the group, but once his debriefing was complete, he was ordered to take a rest. While Mikasa had broken ribs and was confined to the bed for the remainder of the night, she was still strong enough to explain what had happened. Naturally, Levi and Hanji were shocked that Erwin lost an arm, but were more surprised that he still managed to lead the Scouts in his condition. Only time would tell whether he'd be fit to continue, though. Dillon suffered the worst of the bunch. Severe exhaustion and overexertion, dehydration, burn wounds from being devoured, and an assortment of injuries that haven't had the time to heal. It was a miracle that he was still alive after all the things he went through.
Around midnight, the rest of the Scout Regiment showed up with Section Commander Mike filling them in on everything that transpired, confirming the stories while adding pieces of information. While the mission to recover Eren was a success, less than half the forces sent to retrieve Eren were slaughtered one way or the other. Erwin had been taken to a hospital in Karanes immediately, especially after he passed out once inside Wall Rose. The original mission to capture Reiner and Bertholdt was a complete failure, especially now Ymir had ensured their survival. As per usual with most of the Scout missions, more bitter than sweet of a victory.
The following day, Eren visited Mikasa in her room with Armin coming along this time.
"Feeling better?" Armin hoped.
"A bit, yeah," she answered, wincing as she sat up.
"Hey, don't overdo it," Eren said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Eren, I told you, I'm-." Mikasa froze, locking eyes with his. "So, this is how it feels."
"Welcome to my world." Eren couldn't help but tease her a bit.
She shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips. "I thought we would have won for a change, but we're still scrambling to survive like we always have."
"But at least we know that Eren has the power," Armin pointed out. "That has to count for something."
"Trouble is, I don't know how I did it," Eren admitted, staring at his hand. "All I did was punch that Titan, and then, all hell broke loose."
"Maybe Annie knows how it works," he suggested.
"Maybe." While it still left a bitter taste in Eren's mouth thinking about Annie, it wasn't as bad as before.
Mikasa stayed quiet, pondering over the blonde that forced her way into their lives. The Shifter saved them. No way to ignore that, but it left Mikasa confused. She couldn't get a read on the girl like she thought she could, and that made her nervous, not that she would ever show that.
Armin sat down in a nearby chair, trying to relax despite his mind racing. "Do you think we'll ever go back to those simple times, guys?" He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "What am I saying? That's a stupid question."
Eren shrugged. "I don't see how we can. We know too much about the world to lead those lives again. In a way, I miss the days when all I had to worry about was making my parents mad that I was in another fight."
"Or hiding a forbidden book so I wouldn't be branded a heretic," Armin added.
"Or having to drag you two out of another scuffle," Mikasa finished. "Granted, Armin never fought in those days, but still."
Eren looked down. "I never realized how good I really had it, you know. Sure, I wanted to see the world, take back what was taken from us, but… I had a family who loved me, and a friend who was a drunken waste of space, but damn it. He was still a friend."
Mikasa bowed her head in respect. "At least that Titan will never take another life again."
"His heart was in the right place, and he finally had the will to back it up," Armin said. "Hannes was a good man. If there's an afterlife, he's probably found the best bar imaginable."
Eren chuckled, imagining what that image would look like. "And Mom would be there trying to drag him out while teaching him the virtues of self-restraint." The brief smile went away. "It's all wishful thinking, you know. Some people may believe in it, but I don't know if it's true or not. It would be nice to know that I'd be seeing Mom again when I die. The first thing I'd do is apologize for being such an ungrateful brat."
Mikasa took his hand into hers. "Eren, she'd be proud of the man you've become. You've fought so hard to get where you are now. You've helped us in more ways than any of us have imagined."
Eren decided to take the initiative and embraced Mikasa. He was careful not to put pressure on her injuries, though she still flinched from the sudden contact. However, she wrapped her arms around him tightly as to not let him go.
"Get over here, Armin," Eren said, knowing the blonde would be standing around awkwardly.
Armin walked over to them and turned the hug into a group hug. It was the most affection the three of them had shown each other in a long time.
"I would never have gotten this far without you two," Eren whispered.
Inside Dillon's room, Annie sat in her chair across from the bed. She had been there for the past hour, waiting for him to wake up. She wanted to be there when he did. So much was going through her mind, things that she needed to tell him. It wouldn't be long before things changed further for them, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. She hadn't felt something like this since the day her mother died.
Annie's heart skipped a beat when Dillon suddenly gasped, struggling in his bed. She rushed over to his side and leaned over him, placing a hand on his face. "Dillon, Dillon, take it easy. You're safe," she said as soothingly as she could. She was getting the hang of it.
Panting heavily, Dillon slowly began to calm down, wincing in pain. "Annie?" His voice was incredibly hoarse. "Where am I?"
"Scout Headquarters," she answered, carefully helping him up to a sitting position before holding a glass of water in front of his lips. "You need to drink this slowly."
He nodded. "Okay."
She was cautious not to let him have anymore than he could handle, watching him take small sips.
"Thank you," Dillon said, disappointed that he couldn't have more.
Annie laid him back down and placed the glass on the bedside table. Her eyes glistened with relief to see him awake.
"You look like you need this bed more than I do," he teased. Of course, his attempt at humor was back in action.
She shook her head. "I'm fine. Trust me, you should look at yourself."
"I'm having a tough time moving right now." He let out a groan. "My body feels... weird."
"You were eaten and nearly boiled to death," Annie reminded him. "Part of that is the salve. The rest are the herbs that should kill the pain."
Then, a dark look creased Dillon's features. "Ymir. Where is she?"
"She left with Reiner and Bertholdt."
"What? She saved them?" Dillon's shouts launched him directly into a coughing fit.
"Hey, watch it," Annie warned, letting him take a few more sips of water. "You're still recovering."
"That bitch," he growled once he was composed enough to talk again. "We were so close."
"One thing's for sure: I'll kill Ymir if I ever see her again," Annie swore.
"Get in line." He clenched his fist. "We were forewarned. We were prepared. We finally had the upper hand and they still got away."
Annie smiled sadly. "A plan doesn't always mean success, Dillon."
He looked away, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "I know. I almost got them, too, but Ymir, she..." His voice trailed off as he remembered in gruesome detail what she did to him. "She really ate me."
Annie ran her fingers through his dirty hair. "I'm so sorry I didn't get to you fast enough. If they don't kill her, I will do it myself." Swallowing Ymir whole seemed like a pleasant idea. The bitch would have it coming.
"Why would they kill her? She saved Reiner and Bertholdt. She's a fucking hero to them."
"She inherited a Titan Marley will want back," she explained. "If my former comrades don't succeed in taking Eren, and they will try again, the only way they could return home is to bring someone else. Ymir would do."
Slowly, Dillon began putting the pieces together in his head. Ymir was the one who killed Marcel back when she was a mindless Titan, and she succeeded in taking his power. The only way for her to do that was… "Oh, dear God." His eyes were wide with horror. "That's how the power is transferred?"
Annie was unable to look him in the eyes as she responded with a quiet, "Yes." It was time. "Dillon, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" he asked, still taking in the revelation.
"Before you woke up today, I had a 'meeting' with Levi and Hanji."
"What you've done so far has earned points in your favor, Leonhart," Levi admitted, "but you're still keeping things from us. I don't give a damn about your reasons why. What matters is that we are going to get to the bottom of this once and for all."
"There's also the fact that you were alone with the Beast Titan for fifteen minutes," Hanji added. "If we asked a certain Psion cohort of yours about the meeting, he'd vouch for you until he was blue in the face. Unfortunately for you, that's not going to cut it."
"What do you plan on doing to me?" Annie asked coldly. "Cutting off my limbs over and over until I give you everything you want?"
"Realistically speaking, there's no way an interrogation can confirm that you aren't hiding anything else," Hanji explained. "However, thanks to Dillon Amsdale, there's a better way to do it."
Annie's eyes widened in horror, knowing exactly where they were going.
"Once Amsdale is strong enough, we're going to learn everything about you," Levi said without a hint of sympathy or remorse. "Don't try to hide anything from us, and don't convince him to do the same. You have a high tolerance for pain, but he doesn't. If either of you try to withhold the truth, I cut something off of him. A finger, a toe, an ear, maybe his dick if I want to. If you're smart, you won't do anything to jeopardize our relationship."
Nothing would have made Annie happier than to gut Levi where he sat. A partial transformation would be just as could. A giant arm crushing him and Hanji would end her problems. Once she got outside, she could fully shift, retrieve Dillon, and run, but she didn't do it. The Scout Regiment would come after her with everything they had along with the rage monster that was Eren's Titan. On top of that, the likelihood of Dillon getting killed in the chaos was too great to risk. With that in mind, she just glared at the captain without saying a word.
"They want to know everything, Dillon. Everything." Annie's voice shook slightly, but it was still discernible. "Once they find out how to transfer Titan abilities, they'll kill me."
"No, they won't," Dillon assured. "They need you alive, Annie. Giving the power to Mikasa or Sasha or Krista or Hanji will just create an inexperienced Shifter. One is more than enough. They need you to help Eren. During that time, you can still prove that you are far more useful alive than dead."
"You don't know that the best will happen," she said. She looked like she was caught between panicking and falling into despair "You always focus on that instead of reality. And I'm not the only at risk. Dillon, there's a chance they'll discover you lied to them when you swore to kill me. If they find out, you could be executed for treason." Tears streamed down her face. "I want to run, but I have nowhere to go. I want to keep you safe, but I don't know what to do."
The last time she said that, Dillon had given her his version of a way out. Now, however, he didn't have a safety net for her. They were up against the wall. He pulled her close to him before hugging her tightly. He didn't care how much that action tired him. He was going to be there for her. "I'm not going to let them kill you, Annie."
She shook in his arms. "Please don't throw your life away for me. Not again. I'm not worth it."
"You're worth it to me, Annie. You've always been, and you always will."
"Would you betray them all to save me?" she asked. "Every single value you hold dear, could you turn your back on it all?"
That shut him up as the realization of the situation took hold.
Annie pulled away, looking down at him with red, puffy eyes. "You're going to have to choose, Dillon. No matter what happens to me, don't choose me. Focus on saving yourself."
He was almost at a loss for words, barely able to digest what she was telling him. "Annie, you can't ask me to-."
"Promise me, Dillon," she interrupted, her tone giving way to her begging. "Please."
Before Dillon could even orchestrate a response in his mind, the door swung open, interrupting the two.
"Good morning, Cadet Amsdale," Hanji greeted with her trademark grin. "I hope your recovery has been going smoothly."
Annie stiffened, refusing to stare at the intruder. How much had Hanji overheard?
Dillon resisted the urge to scowl at the Section Commander and simply said, "I just woke up, so I'm still a bit groggy on everything."
"Well, around this time tomorrow, you, me, Levi, and Annie will be having a very long, very overdue discussion," she explained with a bit of a giggle. "So many stones to unturn, possibilities widening."
"There's a good chance I won't be recovered by then, Section Commander," he told her.
"Aw, don't sell yourself short," Hanji replied with a dismissive wave. "It'll be fine, but just to make sure everything goes smoothly, I've assigned Keiji and Nifa to your room. If you need anything, just let them know."
"That won't be-."
"Understood, Hanji," Annie interrupted, throwing Dillon a look of warning. "I'm sure we can all work together to keep Dillon out of trouble."
That pleased the woman. "Excellent. By the way, Dillon, can you do that mind link thing between me and Keiji and Nifa to be on the safe side?"
Dillon's eyes glowed and faded just as fast. "Done."
A bright smile appeared on Hanji's face. "You have an incredible power, Dillon. Tomorrow can't come fast enough."
"There could be complications," he warned her, a last-ditch effort to stall. "Like I said, my head's still groggy."
"Well, the way I see it, if you can set up a mind link no problem, then the memory-diving adventure will be a piece of cake," she replied casually.
Dillon narrowed his eyes at her, but there was nothing he could do.
"I'll leave you two alone, then," Hanji said, briskly exiting the room and closing the door behind her.
"Did you really think they would leave this whole situation up to chance?" Annie asked quietly.
He didn't answer the question and just laid his body back down on the bed. He knew Annie would be under surveillance, but he should've guessed Hanji would take precautions to make sure he wouldn't try anything stupid.
She sighed, giving his shoulder a comforting rub. "I'm going to get you some food from the mess hall."
"You helped me through so much, Annie," he replied, not daring to look at her. "So, why can't I help you through this?"
"Because you'd have to sell your soul to whatever devils exist to ensure my survival," Annie answered. "And I love you too much to let you even consider it." She stood up, her eyes drifting down to him. "You never answered my question: do you promise not to choose me when it comes down to it?"
There was no response from the blacksmith, but she could feel his sadness pulsating through their link. She knew it would be a lot worse when that moment would come, and there was nothing she could do to save him from that pain. Instead, she would wait until he responded. Silence was not going to be the answer.
Finally, he spoke the two words she needed to hear. Two words that allowed a small piece of relief to enter her. "I promise."
AN: Originally, I was going to have a simple interrogation between Hanji and Annie where the latter divulges so many truths, but using Dillon made the most sense. Memories don't lie (at least when concerning Psions), so why not use that on someone they don't trust?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.
