AN: Okay, I know I said I was gonna be gone for a while, but I had a huge wave of inspiration hit me hard. Hope this is worth the delay. I will still be taking the next few weeks of rest, but consider this chapter a sneak peek of what's to come.
Chapter 63: Branded
If there's one thing Dauper had that the Scouts needed, it was better infirmaries with better doctors. Arrow and gunshot wounds were a bit more common meaning they would have the right courses of action. Eld was very fortunate his shoulder wound wasn't infected. Otherwise, they would've had to amputate the entire arm. That being said, he wouldn't be using it for quite some time. It pissed him off to no end how useless he felt, but there was nothing he could do.
Levi told him as much when he dropped in for a brief visit… in his own special way. "Still feeling sorry for yourself, Eld?"
He gave a snort at that question. "Getting shot isn't the problem, Captain. You put me in charge of protecting Eren and Historia. Look how that ended up." He winced and rubbed his bruised forehead. The concussion subsided, but he was still getting headaches.
"You did everything you could. No one could ask for more than that." He sat in a nearby chair and stared directly into his eyes. "That was quick thinking on your part, taking the fight into a building. You deprived them of their advantage and forced them to your level. You'll make a hell of a Section Commander one day."
Eld shook his head as his eyes drifted down to his lap. "Times like these make me wonder how the hell we ended up here. It was all so simple back then, you know? Killing Titans, trying to get back our territories, learn more about the enemy. Now we've got humans that can turn into Titans, people with psychic powers, conspiracies within this country, other countries that want to kill us all… it's like the weight of the world came crashing down on our heads, sir."
Levi nodded in agreement. "I'm not the chessmaster and gambler Erwin is. He takes that weight and lives his life around it. Me? I can only focus on one thing at a time. The government is trying to kill us, so we take them down by any means necessary."
'"Any means necessary,'" he repeated grimly. "That might as well be the motto of this regiment."
"We do what we have to in order to survive. You know this." The captain hesitated for a moment, his eyes briefly closing in remembrance. "Petra and Gunther knew the cost the moment they enlisted in the Scouts. It doesn't make their loss easier, but it is what it is."
"Gunther and I used to hit the bars every time we came back from an Expedition," Eld said with a sigh. "We were evenly matched in the drinking games, always trying to outdo the other. It's not like we were celebrating a victory. It was out of relief that we made it home to our families. We… missed the last one."
"Because Oluo was gone," Levi finished for him.
"Yes," he answered gravely. "Once a squad gets put together, losing a member takes a toll on you. Didn't feel right to have a drink at the time. Now, Petra and Gunther are dead, too." He used his uninjured hand bury his face in it. "Fucking war…"
Levi was silent as he watched his actions. Normally, he would pull the man up and help move onto the next mission, take time to grieve later. Because of his injury, he had to luxury to mourn. "I can't tell you how you what you're supposed to do, Eld. If you wanna cry, cry. Shoot something, grab a gun. I don't care. You're getting an opportunity no one else has right now to do whatever the hell you want. Savor it while you can." He stood up, brushing himself off. "We're going to figure out our next move. If you want to join us, try not to bleed out."
It was faint, but there was a small smirk that formed on Eld's face. "I'll keep that in mind, Captain."
Once Levi was gone, however, he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't dare voice what he was also feeling among everything else. Sure, there was the guilt of failing his mission, the sadness of losing his friends, but there was also a touch of happiness within all that. It made him sick to his stomach that he had to kill those people. Like Jean said, none of them had asked for this madness. For once, he could sit this one out, and not a single person in the world could make him feel guilty over it.
If there was one word that described Annie's emotional state, it would be livid. It was partially out of not noticing the signs sooner when they were staring so clearly at her, but the rest of her rage was thanks to her stupid-as-hell boyfriend. Somehow, he managed to get himself stabbed by a knife and he wasn't being forthcoming with the details. That would be one thing, but, as usual, Dillon was an expert at taking things to the next level. He blocked the link to prevent her from getting a feel for what was going on with him. He was actively trying to hide the truth from her! If his injuries weren't so severe and the doctors weren't busy stitching him up, she would throttle him until he came clean.
Maybe you shouldn't have left him alone, then. Her mind taunted.
Annie shook it off as quickly as it came. Dillon was completely responsible for his actions. That fact was never going to change.
The second the doctor left the room confirming the completion of the surgery, the Shifter stormed inside, going on the offensive. "Consider yourself lucky the knife missed anything vital. How the hell did you get stabbed?"
As per usual with their conflict-filled conversations, Dillon avoided her eyes as if that would shield him. "I got sloppy. All there is to it.
Annie scowled at his answer. "Bullshit. You're hiding something from me, Dillon. You may have blocked your emotions from me, but I'm not oblivious to the obvious."
He had the audacity to look flabbergasted. Apparently, he didn't expect to be caught so soon. Idiot.
"You have a habit of not thinking things through," she told him while crossing her arms. "You think I wouldn't notice that your constant projection of emotions just stopped? You fucked up, and I want to know how."
This time, Dillon kept his mouth shut. Anything he said would be used against him instantly.
One of her hands slowly curled into a fist, begging for contact with him. "And now you're giving me the silent treatment. Something happened out there, and you don't want to tell me. The way you're acting, I can figure it out on my own, so just fess up already."
"And what happens then?" Dillon asked once he finally worked up the nerve to face her. "What are you going to do when I tell you?"
"You're making no sense. What is that supposed to mean?"
Their conversation was interrupted when Connie entered the room. "Hey, uh, guys? Levi wants a quick meeting outside."
"We'll be right there. Get out," Annie demanded coolly.
Connie was wise not to argue and he quickly closed the door.
With him gone, she grabbed him by the collar. It was tempting to pull him up, but she didn't want to aggravate his injuries. "This isn't over. We are going to have this discussion whether you want to or not. The fact you don't trust me enough to actually talk to me after everything we've been through is pissing me off. Let's go." Releasing him, Annie turned to leave.
"At least you've been an open book with me."
She froze as if she was struck. The logic part of her understood that something was seriously wrong with him. Ever since they fled Mitras to rescue his mother, he had become angrier and closed off. Considering what had happened, it was understandable. However, how he was treating her was unacceptable. When she glanced back at him, it took all of her strength not incinerate him on the spot with powers. "Don't play that card with me, Dillon. Do that again and I'll tear you a fucking new one."
Once again, Dillon failed to respond to her while he crawled out of bed. Annie was too disgusted to stick around and left before she went through with the dark thoughts swarming her mind. The tension between the two hadn't been this bad in a while, but the good news was that he wasn't lashing out with his powers… yet. Only time would tell, especially when the two decided to hash things out. When personal issues were in the forefront of his mind, Annie couldn't risk trusting him.
It didn't take long for the cadets to form up at a two-story building. Unlike the other wooden buildings within Dauper, they had spent the resources necessary to create one that held no risk of being burned or splintered into pieces. This reinforced, stone structure acted as a place of refuge should the need come to hunker down against whatever came their way. Even the outsiders who entered town would know this served as a prison. And now, this was the place where the surviving MPs and Carolyn were being held. All that was left for the night was a final discussion and then the cadets could all get some rest, Sasha especially.
The brunette was barely standing, leaning heavily on Connie for support. Bandages wrapped around her head, and she sported an impressive black eye. She grunted, and shifted his hand from around her middle to closer to her hips. At his questioning look, she mumbled two words. "Cracked ribs."
When Annie and Dillon joined them, the group could immediately tell that there was something going on. His sullen look and her scowl were the obvious indicators. When Jean opened his mouth to comment, Dillon muttered, "Not now."
Levi and Hanji exited the building, the former addressing the battered and weary cadets. "It's been a long night for all of us, but we managed to succeed without losing more Scouts. You did well."
"That's right, Dillon. Be proud of your 'accomplishments,"' Annie thought, making sure that Dillon heard every word.
He gave her the stink-eye, but nothing more.
"If you don't mind me asking, how's Commander Erwin?" Armin wondered.
"Under house arrest for the moment," Hanji answered. "That's all I can say about him right now. In the meantime, we'll be having a chat with our prisoners. There's a lot of questions we need answered after all. Moblit's tending to our favorite merchants, so that leave us two." She allowed a creepy smirk to appear when she turned to Levi. "Dibs on Sannes?"
The captain nodded. "It's only fitting. He did murder Nick."
"I'll get the truth out of him," Dillon suddenly offered. "I should only need about five minutes, ten at the most." He ignored the surprised expressions of his comrades, solely focusing on the task at hand.
Levi raised his eyebrow slightly. "And what makes you think your tactics will do better than ours?"
"He'll say anything to make the pain stop," he answered simply. "My powers will uncover the truth whether he wants to say it or not."
"He has a point," Hanji admitted.
The captain eyed him carefully to gauge his resolve. After a moment, he nodded his head. "Ten minutes."
"Thank you." Steeling himself for the interrogation, Dillon advanced towards the building. There were so many uses for his powers in this situation. Carving out memories was a tried and true method.
Sasha scoffed as she watched him go. "Ah got a bad feelin' about this."
"Dillon, wait!" Jean rapidly circled around him before he could make it to the door. "This is a bad idea."
"It's the best way to get to the truth," the Psion responded coolly. "Memories don't lie."
"And how much pain are you going to cause him before you reach the truth?" he shot back.
He snorted at the outrageous question as he tried moving around him. "That's not my problem."
Jean continued to block him. "The hell it isn't! You're talking about torturing the guy."
"He's not some innocent bystander, you idiot. He's the man who tortured Pastor Nick to death."
"Something's wrong. He wouldn't be okay torturing a guy after the stuff with his dad," Connie commented quietly, concern on his face as he shifted his weight to better support Sasha.
Annie was motionless, rooted to the ground where she stood. Whatever was going on within her boyfriend's head was turning him into a monster, one that looked dangerously familiar. Torture was something he shied away from, not something he willingly volunteered to do. And yet, here they were.
"So you torture him in return?" Jean demanded furiously. "Look at yourself, Dillon. This isn't you!"
"What, you want the glass cannon to come back and crumble every time he stubs his toe?" Dillon snarled, shoving his friend aside.
Mikasa and Armin exchanged concerned glances. "He's changed... and not for the better," Armin muttered. "If he continues, he'll self-destruct, more than he already has."
Jean was far from finished, for he grabbed Dillon's shoulder and turned him around. "So now you're gonna submit to Armin's damn philosophy about abandoning your humanity to win no matter what?"
Said blond ducked his head slightly, not wanting to get singled out.
The blacksmith's eyes blazed with fury. "I'm doing what needs to be done! If the bastard suffers, so what!? Just shut up already!" He knocked his hand off and stalked towards the door.
Jean finally had enough of this. He grabbed Dillon by the back of the collar and pulled him back. "I'm not letting you do this, pal."
In response, Dillon pulled his fist back before launching it right into Jean's face. His friend recoiled from the blow, but he was able to return to favor with a punch that left a sizeable bruise on Dillon's cheek. The Psion's eyes widened with rage and he tackled Jean to the ground. He ignored every person shouting his name and focused only on punching Jean repeatedly. Every hit connected, each one increasing with intensity. No one was going to get in his way, least of all Jean.
A strong hand fastened around Dillon's collar and tossed him onto his back.
"That's enough," Levi ordered, glaring down at him. "You have a job to do, so go do it."
Armin dashed over and carefully helped Jean to his feet. "Jean, are you okay?" he asked, worried.
The teen's face was swollen from all the punches, blood running from his nose and lips. "The hell do you think, Armin?" he managed out.
As Dillon was starting to get up, he began to notice the expressions of his friends. They were staring at him with horror etched on their faces. Even Annie wasn't immune from expressing the same mortification, and she was the one who saw this coming. If Annie, freaking Annie, is looking at me like that, then what…?
That one thought began to dissipate the red haze that was blinding him and the reality smashed into his skull with the force of a sledgehammer. He attacked his best friend, one of the only people that stood by him even after all the stunts he pulled. Now, his nose was probably broken, and all he wanted to do was stop him from torturing a man. He was just… trying to help him.
Dillon's knees nearly buckled underneath him as the weight of his actions pushed him down. What have I… what the hell am I doing?
"This is exactly why you weren't called to fight earlier, Jean," Levi told him in his typical, cold way. "You're too busy trying to take the moral high ground while your home is burning around you. What's it going to take for you to get it? We do what we have to to live another day. If it makes me a monster, then I'll gladly bear that title."
"I can't… I can't let Dillon become one," Jean protested through gritted, pained teeth.
"It's not your call to make," Hanji replied simply, glancing at the Psion. "You know what you have to do."
Dillon chose not to respond and became fixated on the blood covering his knuckles. All those people he killed for his own satisfaction, attacking Jean, hurting his mother physically and mentally and being willing to cross the line once again. He knew he was right about his powers proving the truth, but… "No " It was quiet and subdued, a stark contrast to his yelling earlier.
Immediately, Levi narrowed his eyes. "You just volunteered to get the information."
"I changed my mind. I'm not going to do it," Dillon stated, his tone firm and uncompromising.
"Change it back. That's an order, not a request."
The blacksmith looked Levi dead in the eyes and said, "No."
The captain was silent for all of three seconds. Then, he slammed his fist into his gut.
"Dillon!" Even after all the shit he was giving to her, Annie still went to help him. A gun in her face halted her movements.
"Don't even think about it," Hanji warned, all traces of her eccentric personality gone.
None of the cadets dared move a muscle. Things had escalated dangerously. One false move, and one of them could be gunned down.
Dillon had fallen to the ground, clutching his abdomen in pain. He coughed out blood that had risen into his throat thanks to that blow. His stitches were definitely going to need replacing.
Levi looked down at him with an unsympathetic gaze. "For one moment, I actually thought you had finally become a soldier. Still the same pathetic brat who can't handle making decisions that violate your precious honor. That shit is done, Amsdale. You will go up there, get the information we need, or I will make you by any means necessary." A part of him hoped he would resist.
"I won't let you."
Surprisingly, it wasn't Annie who said that, but Mikasa. A storm had engulfed her eyes, seeking to unleash its fury upon them. Jean shook off Armin's attempt to keep him standing. If he was going to defend Dillon, he would do it on his own two feet. While Annie couldn't reach her ring in time, she could still bite her tongue or lip to get the same result. Only Armin, Sasha, and Connie remained uncertain. They had no idea what to do. Even if Sasha wanted to do something, she wouldn't get more than a foot before collapsing.
It was a standoff. One side demanded unconditional loyalty, and the other had been pushed too far. All that was missing was a spark to propel them into action.
"Hey!"
Eld's bruised face was full of disappointment as he neared the group. His right shoulder was bound tightly in a sling, bandages wrapping around his arm and torso to keep him from moving it. "Put the gun away, Hanji. We don't need any more violence tonight," he said wearily. "Let the kid go, Captain. After the blow you just gave him, he's not going to be in any shape to deal with Sannes tonight."
If Levi was surprised Eld joined them, he didn't show it. "This doesn't concern you, Eld."
"Is that right? I'm a part of this same group. That makes it my problem." He turned his head to Hanji. "Please, put it away, Hanji."
"The chain of command needs to be respected above all else," Hanji stated, keeping her eyes and weapon locked on Annie. "You've been with us longer. You know all this."
"Back then, only Titans were the enemy. Now? Everything has changed. We have new enemies to worry about, new powers to deal with. We have to kill humans, Hanji. Humans!"
"We were already killing humans when we took the fight to the Titans," Levi responded. He was already pissed off with the deteriorating situation, and Eld was stoking the flames. "I don't see what-"
"Oh, for once in your life, drop the bullshit!" Eld roared, using his good hand to point accusingly at him. "I saw you when you found out Titans were humans. You were horrified, Levi."
"...it's Captain… and I'm giving you one chance to walk away," he warned.
Dillon interrupted the argument with his coughing. Blood was coming out of his mouth at an unsettling rate.
"I'm taking him back to the hospital," Annie said, stalking past the Section Commander.
Hanji whirled around so that the gun was pointed at the back of her head. "Take one more step, and I blow your brains out."
"C-Commander-" Connie attempted to intervene.
"Keep quiet, Springer. That goes for all of you." Her eyes darted briefly to the other cadets to make sure they got the message before she turned back to Annie. "You and Dillon keep operating under the delusion that you get to play by your own rules. Not anymore. This insubordination ends here!"
"Ah wouldn't do that if Ah were you, Section Commander."
Six hunters stepped out from the shadows with arrows pointing directly at the commanding officers. One of them happened to be Lukas, who looked quite peeved at his daughter being caught in the middle of this conflict. Chief Markus was among them as well, though he kept his distance.
"What the hell are you bastards doing?" Levi questioned through clenched teeth.
"You were arguin' so loud, Ah thought the dead would come say hi," Markus explained with a wry smile. "From where Ah'm standin', you two are about ta kill the people responsible fer keepin' Dauper safe. That ain't gonna happen, so drop yer weapons and put yer hands up."
Hanji gave a mirthless chuckle. "You do realize if you go through with this, you'll be making an enemy of the Scout Regiment. We don't even need to write a letter to get their attention."
Another laugh was sounded, though this time, it was genuine. Dillon looked up at Hanji and Levi with a bloodstained grin. "One problem with that little advantage, Hanji: it's not there anymore."
There was a pause while Hanji squinted her eyes in concentration. A few seconds later, her head whipped to the Psion in anger. "What did you do?" she hissed.
"I severed all the links you and Levi had with the rest of the Scouts," he answered, his voice raspy from the blood. "You're not communicating a damn thing."
"You what!?" Connie shouted, mortified.
"Dillon, have you lost your mind?" Mikasa demanded.
After all this time, Levi's tolerance of Dillon's existence finally snapped. "You fucking prick!" He only got one step before a high-pitched whistle halted him.
"Another step and we put ya down," Markus warned with narrowed eyes. "Ya might be Humanity's Strongest Soldier, but yer still just a man. Now… hands up."
Every instinct in Levi's body begged to attack. He was damn sure that he could kill at least one of them. However, Hanji would not be so lucky, especially since she was armed. Judging by the cadets not making a single move or word to help them made the situation abundantly clear. He was isolated. Only thing he could do was bide his time.
Hanji realized the same thing, but she asked one, simple question. "Did you have anything to do with this, Eld?"
"Not even in the slightest, Hanji," Eld swore.
"...I believe you." She let the gun clatter to the ground and raised her hands in the air. That being said, she made sure to have the last word. "I hope you realize what you've done, Dillon, or maybe you're still too incompetent to figure it out."
Slowly, Annie finally turned to face the section commander. Her expression hardened before punching her in the gut. "You lost the loyalty of the 104th," she sneered to the doubled-over woman. "Tell me… who's the incompetent one?"
"Take 'em to the prison," Markus ordered. "We'll get this sorted out."
While he raised his hands in surrender, Levi stared directly at the blacksmith menacingly. "Congratulations, Amsdale. You've finally become a liability. Get used to sleeping with one eye open."
The leaders of the Scout Regiment were ushered away to join the MPs they captured. They left a group of silent, dumbstruck cadets in their wake. One minute, they were preparing to make their next move. The next, they watched as the leadership crumbled before their eyes.
Eld didn't stay quiet for long as he furiously rounded on the one responsible for escalating the situation. "What the fuck were you thinking!?"
"He wasn't," Annie responded before he could. She refused to even give Dillon a sideways glance. "He acts without thinking, barely considering the consequences of his actions."
"That's not true." He managed to stand on his own two feet despite some wobbling. "If I didn't sever the links, we would've had a massacre on our hands."
"And whose fault was it that the situation was getting worse?"
That riled him up. "Hey, I chose not to torture that-!"
"You volunteered, you bastard!" Annie snapped, getting right in his face. "All of this could have been avoided if you kept your damn mouth shut! What do you think is going to happen now? How are we supposed to rescue Eren and Historia? How are we going to keep the government from killing us all!?" She took a step away to keep herself from striking him, though she did point a finger at him. "This is exactly why no one can ever depend on you. You let your emotions rule your head every, fucking time. You can't bring yourself to figure out if you screw anyone over."
"That's not-!"
"NO! You don't get to speak!" It had been a while since she shouted at him. "The only reason you got this far is because your powers are useful! If the Scouts weren't so desperate, they'd hang you out to dry. You're an unstable soldier who throws pity parties because life isn't the chocolate and rainbows your precious Mommy promised. Every action you take manages to make things worse. Stohess, getting yourself kidnapped, running off to wherever you want, and now this bullshit. You can't do a damn thing right! Get your ass back into the hospital and stay there until I come get you. We have to clean up your mess again. And if you really, honest to God, want to 'fight for humanity's best interests…' break your own legs so you can't get in the way."
The term "a loss for words" wasn't enough to convey what Dillon was going through. Every insult hit him like a battering ram with no signs of stopping. There was nothing to argue against, nothing to retort. His sins-no, who he is, came back to bite him in the ass. The words printed on Shadis's evaluation pierced his mind.
"His ideals and recklessness, however, could prove to be detrimental in his military career, but that remains to be seen."
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed Mikasa speaking up for his defense.
"It's because of him you aren't rotting in the ground, Annie," she growled.
Annie stared back at her and asked coldly, "And that's relevant how?"
No one else said a word. That glimmer of hope that someone would defend him vanished when he gazed at each cadet. They were so conflicted and torn, they couldn't muster up another statement in his favor. All he could see on their faces was resignation.
So… that's how it was.
With pained grunts, Dillon hobbled past the cadets towards the hospital. The bloodstain was getting bigger, but enough pressure on the wound would hopefully keep him conscious long enough to make it. He couldn't bear to look at his friends anymore. He couldn't stand to see the disappointment in their eyes. They paled in comparison to the shame he felt. His family, his friends, the Scouts, Annie...
Dillon lost everything. Now, he was truly alone.
IMPORTANT AN: Okay…. I have a confession to make. This was not the original plan. The plan was Eld to be able to talk Hanji and Levi down, but then all this happened.
Before any of you cry that I gave Hanji and Levi the "Ron the Death Eater" treatment, hear me out. Things have not been going well for the Scout Regiment. They have been branded criminals, Levi just lost two of his friends to a psychopath, and they have to constantly deal with Dillon's bullcrap even if it's understandable. Things were too tense all around, and consequences needed to happen. I know you guys have disagreed with how I've handled these two. Just keep in mind of the actions these two have taken in both the anime and the manga, ESPECIALLY the manga. What do you think would happen if someone like Dillon constantly got in their way?
I would talk about Dillon again, but I'm gonna hold back until the next chapter. I want to see if you guys can understand why this happened.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.
