DILAN'S P.O.V.

New day. New dawn. New piece of shit. Hooray for life.

Dilan sighed loudly as she jumped down from her scrawl space and stretched out her limbs before idlily parkouring down various buildings until she landed on the floor, bending her knees to minimise the impact and standing up straight again, brushing off her clothes as if nothing had happened. It was all routine at this point. Admittedly the first time she had performed such a dangerous task she was shitting herself but as the years go by... fear becomes a fear of the past. What's the point in fear if you don't care whether you live or die anyway?

Dilan shrugged to herself at the thought and stepped out from the alley way into the busy streets of the underground. The stench of sweat from the dirty people, blood from the various murders in various alleyways and goods from the black market hung in the air. The potent smell would have made anyone who wasn't used to it gag uncontrollably. She had lived here over 18 years now. If she couldn't get used to the smell, then there was no hope for her survival. Although, again... it's not like she cared about survival.

Life had become a realistic game to her. Every day was routine and yet, a luck of the draw. You never knew which day would be your last in the underground. Especially behaving as carelessly as she did.

Dilan scanned the street with analytical fiery orange eyes. The colour of ambers. The colour of destruction. The colour of the fox, sly and stealthy but most of all, untrustworthy. Because if Dilan could be described in one word, even she could admit it was that. Untrustworthy like the fox. Dilan Church, 18 years old, thief, mass murderer, con artist, lethal, deadly. That was her and she had come to accept that a long time ago. This world held no favours for good people. You didn't get treated any differently. You just got disappointed. She had learnt that from a young age. You should always prepare for the shittest outcome. You'll either be right or pleasantly surprised. It was a win, win situation. The underground wasn't a place for people to develop feelings of optimism. Sometimes things just sucked. They had sucked from the moment she was born, and they were going to suck until the moment she died. Simple. No need to get upset about it.

Dilan nodded subtly to herself as she picked out 5 eligible suitors and took her sweet time, pursuing the market stools, leaning in just close enough to pick the contents of their pockets before moving on. She smirked as she saw a big fat merchant wondering through the streets with a shiny gold watch on his wrist. This would be like taking candy from a baby.

She looked down at herself, glad she remembered to change into her suitable 'lady' outfit for pickpocketing and adjusted her long black hair behind her ears before walking towards the man and accidently bumping into him.

"OI! WATCH WHERE-" The man yelled automatically before he got a good look at her and a smirk spread across his face. Dilan forced an apologetic look and put one hand over her heard, the other on his wrist.

"You must excuse my incompetence, sir. I was simply looking for my brother, a merchant like yourself. We were due to head back up to the surface 10 minutes ago. I believe my heads a little scrambled. It's scary down here with all these criminals." Dilan whispered the last bit, feigning an innocent look, internally thanking the Sina city girl she had stolen this dress off of years before. It was posh enough to get by without being looked upon suspiciously but not too glamorous to stick out to sore eyes and make herself a bigger target. Not that she couldn't handle herself. The man quickly changed his tone after obviously deciding he liked the look at her. Men. So predictable, Dilan thought with an internal eyeroll.

"Why, don't you apologise my dear. It's perfectly reasonable to feel scared down here. You were brave to come down with your brother in the first place. I'll help you. Where was the last place you saw him?" The fat man grinned, buying into her story completely and subtly placing a podgy pink hand on her waist. Dilan fought the grimace and gave him a coy smile while slowly unclasping the watch.

"Well I don't know the place he left me but..." Dilan bit her lip in thought, increasing her innocent façade tenfold before flashing him a bright smile. "Oh, yes! He told me to meet him in Figgers market." She proclaimed. The man bellowed a laugh and Dilan cocked her head in fake confusion while she used the man's excessive amusement to slip the watch off of his wrist and into her bag. "I'm sorry sir, I don't know what's funny?" She pouted slightly, taking a step back. The man smiled a yellow toothy smile.

"This is black market, my dear. Not Figgers. That's around the corner. Ah, you women. Always so bad at directions." He chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. Dilan fought the urge to punch his teeth out and smiled thankfully, only just noticing the massive ring on his finger.

"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed, taking a step forward to grasp the ringed hand in both of her own and hold it to her chest while she worked on slipping the ring off of his sweaty fingers. He grinned darkly, the hand on her waist inching down until it took place on her ass and squeezed it lightly. Dilan bit the inside of her lip to stop from showing the discomfort on her face and continued to smile.

"Your very welcome. I have a place nearby if you're interested in showing me just how thankful you are?" He smirked. Dilan gulped silently but quickly regained her composure, turning her head to the side before gasping like if she'd seen something and quickly pulled away from his grip.

"Oh my gosh! That's my brother, who just went around the corner! Thank you so much for your help sir, maybe I'll see you again one day!" She said with a sweet smile before lifting up a side of her dress and hurrying towards the corner, slipping into an always and breathing a deep sigh of relief. It wasn't uncommon for her to get herself into situations like that but that didn't mean it was welcomed. Brought back unpleasant memories. And yet, the shiny emerald ring in her hand that glistened as she tilted it round for inspection seemed to be worth the short moment of discomfort and he was gone now anyway.

Part one of her day complete, Dilan made it to a specific alleyway and took a rock out of the wall after making sure no one was watching. She pulled out the bag and chucked her new goods in there, consisting of five pouches of coin, an emerald ring and a gold watch. Not a bad haul and she'd count up the money later. Dilan took out her more casual clothes that she also hid within the wall and changed into them behind a bin. She was now wearing thick black, skin-tight trousers, a black tank top, black jacket and a black cloak. She bundled up her dress and shoved it back in the wall along with the money, replacing the rock and tying up her hair. She pulled the hood over her head and descended back out into the street.

The hairs pricked on the back of her neck and she felt the strong urge to whip her head around and see what was causing such an annoying reaction to overcome her but decided against it. The feeling of being followed was a constant in the underground, especially in her line of work. 9 times out of 10 it was just her own paranoia. But if something really was going down, it wouldn't be best to let her pursuer know she was on to them. The best thing to do would be to continue going about her day and keep her eyes peeled.

Dilan walked through the streets causally until she entered the darker parts of the underground where less and less souls milled about. This was the place of danger, the place of destruction. The evil behind the evil. A place some would say was no place for a small 18- year-old girl, but she would tell those people to fuck off.

Coming to a stop in front of her destination, she briefly cast her orange gaze upon the dilapidated old building in front of her before heading inside. A warmth filled her bones, as did loud noises all around her. The sounds of drinking, gambling. The smells of alcohol, sweat and sex hung in the air. Unfortunately, it was home. Dilan weaved her way through the crowd of large men and straight towards the table at the back. Sitting there were 5 men, the owners of this establishment you might say. Although in truth, there was really only one owner. Kenny. Kenny the ripper.

"AY! SHE'S BACK AGAIN! THIS ONE IS UNSTOPPABLE, DIDN'T I TELL YOU BOYS. I DON'T THINK THE LOW SUCCESS RATE AND HIGH DEATH RATE APPLY TO HER!" Kenny cackled loudly, tilting leaning closer to her and tilting his cowboy hat to get a glimpse of her bright orange eyes, glaring daggers into his skull. Kenny shivered dramatically and leant back. "So, what are you here for today girly?" He asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Job." She replied flatly. No need to socialise. What a waste of time. Kenny smirked and the others sniggered.

"You had one yesterday. Surely the cash is sure to keep you going for a while. Take a rest, buy a whore- oh, wait you're not a dude like the rest of them. Perhaps you could get a male whore?" He questioned, scratching the back of his greying head. Kenny may look stupid, but Dilan had to constantly remind herself not to be fooled. That man was one of the most dangerous men in the walls. If he wanted her dead, she would be dead.

"I want a job." Dilan persisted, using her usual monotoned voice. Kenny sighed in defeat and nodded, looking to one of his lackies before jutting his head back towards me. Dilan was handed a brown envelope and with that, she left with no goodbyes. She was here for the job, nothing else.

Zigzagging back through the drunken crowd, Dilan stepped into the open air and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked down at the envelope with a pure hatred and was about to open it before she felt that feeling again and decided she better get moving. Someone was definitely following her, but who? And why would they be so stupid? Not caring at the answer, Dilan sidestepped a drunkard who tried to grab at her and was about to move on before he spoke up.

"Only a w-woman walked with such grace!" he hiccupped. "Let me fuck ya and I'll give ya 20 shillings. Fair price if you ask me." The man asked with a toothy grin. Feeling a rage bubble up in her chest, Dilan was quick to send a round house kick to the man's face, easily knocking him unconscious before he had time to cry out. She felt like finishing him but decided it wasn't the time and continued to her way.

Coming to another alleyway shortly after, Dilan repeated the process of taking out her stone, after making certain no one was watching and shoved her bag in there, changing into another pair of clothes. These were simple underground clothes she had owned for a while. Simple brown trousers and a long-sleeved beige top with a bit of string at the top. She walked back into the street, moving to her other alleyway to retrieve her pawnable items and took them to the pawn shop where she was immediately greeted by one of the only friendly faces in the underground.

"Dil! My baby girl, oh how I've missed you!" Mama P came rushing over to Dilan, enveloping her into a huge hug. Dilan giggled and let a genuine smile spread across her lips as she hugged the large woman back. Mama P was short and wide. She had a bright chubby face that was always smiling, covered by a mop of short blonde hair. The woman was always wearing flowery dresses and had a cheerful persona around her. Dilan had often wondered why the world let such a spirit get stuck in a place like this. Just another piece of evidence that bad things do indeed happen to good people and bad people alike. Dilan had met Mama P when she was 5. She had found some items and wasn't entirely sure what to do with them until she came across this woman's store and asked if they were worth anything. Looking back now Dilan knew they were worth next to nothing and Mama had been especially generous, giving her enough for some food, which was much appreciated since she hadn't eaten for a week. Dilan had enjoyed the woman's company and the fact that she actually tried to make a conversation with her. Most people weren't so kind. Since then she had started coming back as often as she could since, making sure to bring more valuable items this time that would actual benefit the woman to trade with.

"You know you saw me yesterday, right? And the day before. And the day before." Dilan teased lightly. Mama P clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, letting Dilan go and plodding back to her front desk.

"Once a day is not enough in my opinion. You know how bored I get without you!" Mama whined like a child. Dilan chuckled at the woman and stepped in front of the counter, looking around at the small store.

"Business a little dry then?" Dilan asked, a hint of concern in her voice. Mama P sighed and smiled sadly.

"Don't you worry your pretty head about that dear. What have you got for me?" Mama changed the subject with a bright smile. Dilan averted her eyes, forcing down a blush of embarrassment at her words. When men said stuff like that to her, she couldn't help but think it disgusting but to hear it from the old woman who held no ill content, it made her feel warm and happy. A feeling she only ever felt when she was inside Mama's cosy store.

"Two steals." Dilan grinned, refocusing and emptying her pouch onto the table. Mama P laughed loudly as she inspected them.

"My god, girl. Where do you find this stuff?!" She grinned. Dilan smirked devilishly.

"I'm just that good." She gloated. Mama snorted with laughter and went back to inspecting the objects with her magnifying glass.

"These are very impressive. You did well. I can over you a crown and a half for these items!" She said gleefully. Dilan smiled.

"How about you just offer me one crown and throw in a lolly pop?" She offered, swiping a apple lollypop from the jar. Mama blinked at her. "Got to invest in my favourite place somehow, don't I? No one else sells these things?" Dilan smiled warmly, ripping off the rapper of the sweet and plopping it in her mouth, sighing at the delicious taste of the fruit she had never tasted before in real life and yet was still her favourite.

"But Dil-" she tried, completely overwhelmed. Dilan cut her off by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't mention it. Bring it up again and I might take the whole jar." She warned with a smirk. Mama laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Your something else, kid." She smiled warmly and pat Dilan's cheek affectionately before opening her till and gathering the money. Dilan took it gratefully and exited the shop after another, much more, bone crushing hug, feeling a lot lighter than she had before she went in there. She knew she wasn't a good person, but Mama made her feel like she was. Made her feel like she was something more than just a filthy criminal. Even if the daydream always stopped shortly after she stepped out.

"HEY!" Dilan yelled as a large man bumped into her intentionally and grabbed her satchel full of money. The man spared her a smirk before sprinting off, Dilan hot on the pursuit. The man was quick to get lost in the crowd and Dilan grit her teeth in annoyance. Making her decision fast she ran into an alley way and bounced between the walls with little effort, landing on the top as if gravity was a mere inconvenience for her. She ran along the roof tops, raising an eyebrow as she saw a flash of green on the rooftop next to hers before it was gone again. But she didn't have time to follow that mystery and instead focused on her target. She found him quickly, grinning like a mad woman as the idiot thought he was safe and descended into an ally way, probably eager to count his new treasure. Dilan rolled her eyes as she fearlessly jumped off of the roof after calculating the distance and landing exactly on the mans back. He shrieked like a scared animal at the unknown weight and scrambled to get Dilan off of him as she restrained his arms to his chest with her legs and suffocated him with her arms. The man gasped and pushed them both back onto the ally wall in a poor attempt to get her off of him. Dilan winced at the bruising pain on her back but didn't relent. She had face worse pain.

It wasn't long before the man lost consciousness and Dilan backflipped off of him before his limp body fell to the ground. She kicked him in the side and spat on him for good measure before grabbing her bag and straightening herself before walking back into the street with a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure if he was dead or not. Then again, she didn't care. That money wasn't his. It wasn't hers either.

Dilan jogged the rest of her way to the children's orphanage, knocking briefly, dropping the bag on the door mat before crouching down in the bushes to make sure they got it. Dilan made this charity trip weekly. She had enough money to spare some to the kids and this orphanage was one of the rare, non-corrupt ones. She knew the woman who ran it from a while ago. Her name was Callie and she was another one of the only innocent people in the underground. But Dilan didn't want credit, so she never showed her face, only staying long enough to make sure it was her who picked up the donation and not some lucky bastard off the street. It's not like, she was aiming for a surface citizenship anyway. That was impossible without being a colossal idiot and doing something rash. Plus, she would need to join a gang to earn enough and she worked alone. No. She knew where she belonged. Down here in the mud. What would she even do up there? she had no skills. Well... no legal skills. Still, the surface was a nice dream and she thought about it more than she cared to admit.

Sighing in relief once the door was opened to be met with the lovely smiling woman briefly before her smile widened at the bag and shook her head in disbelief, picking it up, locking inside, scanning the area briefly before heading back inside. Another job done. Thank you, Mr merchant. Your donation was much appreciated.

Dilan looked up at the hole in the ceiling, way in the distance, assessing from the light that it was just passed lunch. She was quick to stroll through the market again, grabbing a bread roll for herself to munch on while she complemented the woman's necklace before skipping off again. With her rumbling stomach quenched she suddenly remembered the day and jogged off towards her workplace. Yes, that's right. She made a legitimate earning too. Although it was only for an afternoon shift once every two weeks. Not nearly enough to survive and it almost wasn't worth it, the little it paid but she was friends with the owner and liked the atmosphere of the place. Made her forget about the hell she lived in for a while.

Dilan gulped as she saw a figure retreat into the darkness as she ran past. Guess the tail is still on me. Perhaps they are gathering my schedule before striking. Smart but it won't help them. I wonder who I've pissed off?

She ran through the door of the Bandon Bar and breathed heavily, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Your late Dil." A stern but kind voice reprimanded. Dilan sucked in some more air before standing up and rushing behind the counter, throwing on her apron and already wiping down the bar.

"Sorry Joel. It won't happen again." She promised for the 15th time in the last year. Joel laughed lightly, finishing the floors before going over to the door and flicking the sign on the door to open. Dilan was quick to wipe down the rest of the tables in the bar and take her place behind the bar waiting for the customers to flock in. Brandon bar was very popular amongst the locals. One of the most respectable places in the underground and Dilan was proud of Joel for making it what it was. Joel was an older man of 40. He had wavy brown hair that had greyed at the edges and a kind round face with blue eyes. Dilan had met him when she was 10 and he had offered her a gig here every fortnight on a Friday. Dilan knew he had enough help, so she appreciated the job.

"So young lady, what made you late this time?" He questioned, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Oh, you know. Jumping over buildings, knocking people unconscious." She grinned. Joel laughed, rolling his eyes and patting her head much like an older brother would. He had no idea she was actually telling the truth, but he didn't have to. Her truthful responses always made him laugh regardless.

"Odd little fox." He chuckled and Dilan smirked proudly as the first customer open the door.

An hour later and the bar was stocked to the brim like it always was. The constant requests made it hard to cater to everyone's needs but she was quick, and it was appreciated by the regulars.

"Hey Dil. How are you?" Pete, a local smiled warmly as he sat down at the bar. Dilan smiled back before handing a man his beer and refilling another glass.

"Good, Pete. Thanks. Can I get you anything?" She asked kindly. Pete sighed and looked at the options.

"Beer or beer?" He joked, like the weirdo he was, and Dilan laughed until a sharp slap on the table brought her out of the pleasant conversation. Dilan supressed a flinched and turned to glare at the angry customer with fiery eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, YOU BITCH! I'm been here for fucking 20 minutes and this guy was about to get served before me? No FUCKING way!" He yelled angrily, clearly already intoxicated before he arrived. A flying piece of his spit landed on Dilan's cheek and she openly grimaced as she wiped it off.

"Oh, my. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start any trouble. I'll wait my turn." Pete tried to resolve the conflict like the nice old man he is, but the angry customer wasn't exactly being a good sport.

"Yeah. You will you, old fart." He snapped, and shoved Pete off the chair. Pete stumbled back but managed to steady himself before he fell over. Dilan felt her anger bristle. "Now! I will have two large-" he started to order like nothing even happened, but Dilan cut him off by grabbing the man by the collar and pulling him closer to her with a strength no small girl should possess. "Hey! What-" he started to complain but one daggered look from her glowing eyes and he backed right down.

"I think you should apologise, sir." She said in a low calm voice, murder never leaving her eyes. The man swallowed slowly.

"A-apologise?!" He scoffed, trying to remain unfazed and subtly trying to pry himself from her grip as more heads turned to watch the scuffle.

"Yes, that's what I said. You were unnecessarily rude to my friend over there and I believe he deserves an apology from your shitty mouth." She snarled quietly, getting in his face and leaning close to him so only he could hear her next words. "Apologise now or I will end you." She whispered icily, like it would be nothing to end his pathetic life. In truth, it wouldn't. The man paled as she finally let him go and staggered a bit before turning to Pete who looked rather surprised. The bar had gone quiet watching the interaction. The man scrunched up his nose in annoyance and looked ready to retort again before glancing in Dilan's murderous direction and thinking differently.

"I'm sorry." He gritted out. Dilan smirked in satisfaction as a few of the crowd sniggered around them.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Get out of this bar. Come back when you learn some fucking manners." She switched her tone from cheerful to monotoned in a second and it left the man speechless as she stopped wasting her time with him and got to wiping the bar where a couple of liquid drops had stained the surface. "Today would be preferable." Dilan reminded, not looking up at him. She heard an annoyed huff before angry footsteps and the door was opened and slammed shut. The bar was speechless as Dilan blinked at them. Did they want her to say something? "Good riddance, right guys?" She smirked as the crowd burst out laughing and cheered to 'good riddance'. Dilan chuckled as she got back to her work, fixing Pete a beer as he sat back down.

"It was real nice of you to stand up for me Dil but please don't get yourself into trouble. That man looked dangerous, I heard from Joel that you don't even have a house to live in." He whispered, worried. Dilan smiled at his concern.

"I appreciate it Pete. But I can take care of myself. Drink up, enjoy the peace." She said cheerfully, patting Pete on the shoulder before turning to face a very angry looking Joel and immediately shrunk back. Obviously, she could take him, but it was more the look of disappointment that had her recoiling. Joel was the closest thing to a father figure she had ever had. It made a weird feeling form in her stomach when he looked at her like that. She supposed it was guilt.

"Dilan! What did I tell you about intimidating customers!" Joel scolded quietly. Dilan frowned and scuffed her shoe.

"But-" She tried to reason but Joel cut her off.

"No buts. This is not a place for conflict. This is certainly not a place for angry drunk guy revenge, you hear me?!' He hissed. Dilan frowned and nodded her head, not meeting his eyes.

"Don't be too hard on the girl, Joel. She was just standing up for me." Pete chimed in like the angel he was. Joel sighed loudly and Dilan looked up at him to send him a cheeky grin.

"Sorry." She said sweetly. Joel rolled his eyes, letting out a small chuckle of amusement and ruffling her hair.

"Why can't I ever say mad at you?" He mumbled as he walked away. Dilan grinned at Pete and they shared a high five of success. Laughing, as Pete started telling a funny story about his cat, Yana, Dilan accidently scanned the crowd and caught the eyes of someone who made all the hairs on her arms stand on end. A shiver of dread slid down her spine as she held eye contact with his slivery gaze. Although it ended as soon as it began and before Dilan could size the man up, someone had walked past and upon their exit, the man was gone.

Dilan swallowed hard and tried to get the eyes out of her head. No one in the underground had ever left such an impression on her before. Those eyes made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time... anticipation... and fear.

A few hours later and Dilan and just finished cleaning after the shift was over. She sighed tiredly and said goodnight to Joel before exiting the bar and breathing in the cool air. Still smelled like shit but at least it was cold on her warm face. The bar was always very high in temperature due to the bodies. Dilan preferred to be cold.

She checked the dark empty streets before walking down them, careful to make sure whoever was following her, still was. She waited until she caught sight of him in the shadows before taking off in a full-on sprint. She parkoured up the side of the building and jumped over the rooftops at an inhumane speed. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind her she trusted her knowledge of the underground and fell straight down into a garbage bin, grimacing at the dead body next to her before sliding out and running until she knew she had lost him. She sighed in relief, not wanting to confront him, quite yet. She had stuff to do tonight.

Dilan jogged to the wreck centre that had been taken over by druggies long ago. They weren't dangerous though. They were too high out of their minds to even notice she slipped in and out when she wanted a quick shower. Right at the back of the building, the space had showers. The water was below freezing, and the pressure was crappy, but it did the job. She stripped quickly and turned the water on, careful to keep her knife close to her in the case of any unwanted intruders. She made quick work of scrubbing the dirt and sweat off her body, inspecting the already purple bruise on her back, formed after the wall incident today, before dressing herself again and ringing out her long-wet hair.

Walking back towards her space, she was pleased to find that her stalker hadn't caught up to her yet. She would know if he did. She was always very perceptive.

Dilan changed back into her black outfit to blend into the night and ran back up the wall to slid into her crawl space. She deposited all the money she had made today into the cuppy under the floorboards and smiled in satisfaction. She had got a lot of tips from the bar today. Seems despite Joel's disapproval, the customers found the exchange entertaining.

Dilan sighed, knowing this was the hard part of her day. She opened the envelope and scanned its contents. Greg Tan, age 37, mobster who had recently stolen from Kenny's operation before joining another rival gang. His last known location was in the centre of the gang and it's where Dilan was expected to waltz in. Dilan groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Fucking Kenny. He gave me the hardest job since none of the other idiots have got it done yet didn't, he?

She closed the file, shaking her head, deciding it didn't matter at all. If she succeeded in her assassination the high risk was sure to lead to high reward. If not, well... one less day in this miserable existence. That was good enough for her. She'd miss Mama P and Joel though. Even Pete, the cat loving, bastard.

Dilan rolled her eyes and strapped on the 3DMG with expert flicks of the wrist. She had been using the gear for a year or so now. Found some in an old dumpster, recognising it as the same type of gear he used and brought the parts to fix it up. It was simple enough, and the only trouble was getting the gas, but threatening a few people sure did the trick. It didn't hold real swords like the military gear does, but she didn't need them anyway. She preferred to use her knife. More efficient kill that way. She had gotten Kenny's attention after she started using the gear and he invited her to his place. Assassination ring, it was called. She was hesitant to go but lucky for Kenny the invitation had arrived during one of her depressed spells. She didn't really care if she lived or died more than the usual, so she went, she got a job, she completed it then she came back. And thus, the circle began. The routine of chaos that she was still living out to this day.

Did the deaths haunt her at night? Certainly not. Everyone she killed was a terrible person. She had made sure of that before killing them. Most of them were rapists. Some were paedophiles. Others murders and child traffickers. She needed to be sure, so she did her research. She may be a bad person, but she didn't kill the innocent.

So that was what was on tonight's agenda. Research. She would spend the night observing the guy, trying to get a read on him. If she couldn't find anything credible, she would use tomorrow to gather some background information. If she saw him fuck up tonight then she would end him right then and there, simple.

It took 10 minutes to get to her destination, swinging quietly in the shadows. Every now and then she stopped to look around, sensing something. It was harder to see in the darkness, but she had a feeling her stalker had caught up again. Although she felt a difference. Her tail wasn't as sloppy as he was being earlier. Was it possible more than once person was following her? Never mind. As long as they keep their distance that was alright with her.

Dilan crouched behind a bin as she looked at the house, the address matching the one on the file. The lights were on in both floors and she would see a silhouette move around every now and then, meaning people were definitely in. Scanning the building for any weaknesses a small smirk formed on her lips as she saw the roof window, slightly ajar. Idiot move really. It was practically an invitation inside. Although she supposed most people didn't run across rooftops daily or had 3DMG at their disposal.

Checking the coast was clear she ran to the alley way that ran along the side of the house and used the dents in the wall to hold onto, pushing off onto the other side and repeating the process until she made it to the top. She preferred to use as little gas as possible so if it could be avoided, she would just use her natural instincts. Dilan wiped the sweat of effort off of her forehead and silently slid down the roof, catching the ledge of the window and slinging herself inside without a sound. She crouched down to the ground and observed her surroundings. It was some kind of planning room. Dilan could see giant stacks of drugs in one corner, a table with plenty of sprained out documents coating a table in the middle. A cork board with various information pinned. Even a sketch of Kenny and the building of the assassination squad. A shiver of dread ran down her spine as she wondered if these people knew about her. Were they the ones following her?

A light thud behind her made her flinch. She automatically grabbed the dagger from her boot and held it up to the persons throat before they could advance on her. The man was tall, built and muscular. He had a strong jaw and thick blonde hair pushed back to show his massive eyebrows and icy calculating blue eyes. Dilan had to force down a shiver looking into them and remained calm. She had the upper hand here.

Before anyone could say anything, another figure flew through the window and just as quickly knocked the knife out of her hand with their foot before twisting on the other one to send a kick to her stomach. She dodged it by a hair but managed to lose her footing. She felt onto her back only to do a handspring and slide through the attackers' legs, grabbing her knife and pressing it to the smaller gentlemen's back.

"Very impressive." The blonde commended, crossing his arms and interrupting the tense silence and heavy breathing. Dilan still hadn't seen the other man's face, but she observed his figure. He was shorter than the blonde man, whose stare and smirking face was still sending chills down her spine, but a few inches taller than her. He was lean but clearly still muscular and built. A glance at the boxes of 3DMG and realisation came to Dilan's face as she glanced at the green capes that had been hidden from her due to the darkness and lack of time so far.

"Survey corps." She growled quietly, not wanting the party downstairs to come up and check out the noises. She fucking hated these guys with a passion. These guys were worse than fucking MPs! The blonde's smirk seemed to widen.

"Your quick." He observed. Dilan ignored him.

"Let me leave and I won't kill him." Dilan said seriously, pressing the knife slightly harder into the other man's back for emphasis.

"Can I kill her yet?" The other man spoke for the first time and the deep monotoned voice sent chills of dread down her spine. She was not happy with this situation.

"Not yet, Levi. Besides I think she would give you a proper fight and we are in someone's attic right now." The blonde scolded.

"Tch." Was the only reply and Dilan was losing her patience. Quickly assessing the situation, she decided these men weren't here to kill her. Not immediately anyway. If they were, the blonde wouldn't be standing there smiling like an idiot and the other grumpy one would be putting up more of a fight. Dilan took a breath and slowly removed the blade. She heard a huff from the shorter man before he too turned around. "That's the smartest thing you've done so far, brat." He said in a low dangerous voice. Dilan glared at him with fire and he met her gaze head on. It only took a second to remember the steel grey eyes from the bar.

"You." She hissed. She had a better view of the man now. He looked to be her age, perhaps a bit older. He was pale and had a sharp face framed by raven black hair styled in an undercut, a few strands from each side seeping into his face and covering part of his deep grey eyes. Erwin chuckled.

"I told you she made you, Levi. She's quick." Blondie hummed in approval and Levi tsked again. Dilan was already fed up with this one, so she decided not to waste another second on him and turned to the blonde who was clearly in charge.

"Why are you following me? And why are you doing it poorly? Pathetic tailing if I've ever seen it. Fucking lost me for a whole hour." Dilan gave them both a bored glance and twirled her dagger round. Levi growled but the taller man held him back.

"Yes, well, I agree completely. Johnson messed up and I will be reprimanding him for his incompetence when we get back to base." Blondie mused and Dilan gathered that this Levi guy wasn't the idiot that was following he most of the day. Although he was pretty obvious in the bar so maybe he was an idiot too.

"That still leaves who you are and why you are bothering yourselves with a pathetic lowlife like myself? Hm?" She questioned. Levi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I've been wondering the same thing." He mumbled under his breath and Dilan pointed her knife at him while looking at Blondie expectedly, giving him a 'see' look. She wasn't offended that he agreed with her low life comment. She knew she was a low life. Just part of who she was. Large brows seemed amused by the pair's interaction.

"Well. We have some questions for you. My name is Erwin Smith, Commander of the survey corps." He greeted and Dilan had to will the surprise not to show on her face. Jesus fucking shit, I just held my knife to the throat of a military branch's leader. Shit! Actually... meh, who the fuck cares, I hate this guy with a passion.

"Oh. Sorry but I kind of have plans so..." She said casually, glancing at the still open window. A step forward from Levi told her she wasn't going to reach her goal easily. The tension in the air was thick as each person waited for the other to make the first move. Dilan's eyes were on Levi as she had already deemed him the fighter out of the two. His technique was perfect and rather like her own. Erwin smith looked strong but not much in terms of skill there. She could overpower him easily but not with his dog protecting him.

Hours seemed to pass, even though it was more like minutes, and no one moved. Dilan kept her eyes on Levi's, watching and waiting. Acting prematurely might lead to her downfall.

Levi's fingers twitched at his side and Dilan prepared herself for combat before a creak on the stairs brought them all out of their battle of will power and they heard multiple gruff voices ascending to their floor. Quickly digesting her situation, she turned to Erwin, ignoring Levi completely.

"You're not going to let me leave through that window unless I'm coming with you. Am I correct in that assessment?" She asked quietly. Erwin smirked and nodded, a curious expression on his face as the voices got louder and he waited for her to fold. "The window is yours, pigs, I'll take my chances." She grinned before running at the stairs and using her arms to slide down the banisters without touching the steps, kicking the two men straight in the face. They yelped at the unexpected impact and Dilan smirked as she heard an annoyed growl from the short raven in the attic, but she paid no attention. Darting her eyes left and right she observed the second floor, noticing a decent stack of coins on the table and grabbed a handful to shove in her pocket before running towards the stairs. Annoyingly her earlier commotion had brought up visitors she didn't want to see.

"OI! WHATS GOING ON-" A loud voice yelled as he reached the top of the stairs. Dilan was there waiting for him to the side and punched him straight in the ear, disorienting him before plunging her dagger into his shoulder and kicking him to the floor. Technically she was being good. She hadn't killed anyone yet. A battle cry ripped her out of her thoughts, and she blinked, and another five men came charging at her, loaded guns in hand.

One shot fired, narrowing missing her head as she turned to the left and used the momentum and adrenaline to spin her body, kicking the gun out of his hand and sending the heavy piece of metal into his friend's temple, knocking him unconscious. Two birds with one stone. Not bad.

A second shot fired but Dilan had already grabbed the now defenceless first shooter and he took the impact for her. Technically that wasn't her kill. Pushing his limp form into the other two men she wasted no more time in running down the stairs, giving a quick glance to the other 7 men in the room with guns and deciding she couldn't take on them as well before bracing herself as she hit the window with such force she broke through and into the night air.

Grappling her hooks into the opposite building and dodging the bullets shot at her by a few hairs she plunged into the darkness of the city. Scrunched up her nose she looked at her shoulder where pain was emitting and frowned seeing a rather large patch of blood. Deciding it didn't hurt nearly enough for it to have gone all the way through, it must just be a graze. Still, she needed to make sure it didn't get infected. She would definitely die, and she couldn't die before she figured out what the survey corps wanted with her. Was it something to do with Kenny and the assassination squad? She wasn't completely sure.

Dilan sighed wearily about to head home before something fast started hurtlingly towards her out of the corner of her eye. Letting her instincts take over she let go of the controls completely, dropping to the ground, just seconds before she would have collided with the thing, she now realised was Levi. Scraping against the floor painfully as she shot her grapples at the last second, managing to avoid caving her head in, Dilan sped around the corner at lighting speed. One glance behind her showed that two more pursuers were hot on her trail and she imagined Levi wouldn't be giving up so easily.

Not wanting him to show up again soon, she decided to lose her other pursuers. Using the extend of her gas for the first time ever, she was astounded at how fast she could fly. She was heading straight for the dead end and the others were hot on her trail before she used the buildings either side of the street to flip over the corps members as they both scrambled not to hit the wall at a great impact. Soring down an alley way she decided to use the city to her advantage. These guys surely had no knowledge of the place. Dilan was quick to enter the dark alleys, flying low to the ground and keeping to the shadows. She almost hit a drunk but managed to twist round him. The idiot didn't even notice he almost died.

Coming to the end of the twisty trial and feeling pretty good about her odds she yelped as a harsh kick in the face had her reeling backwards and barely had enough time to drop to the ground before Levi attempted to send another kick to her face. He gave her a bored glance as Dilan glared at him. How the hell did he get here so fast?! How did he know I was going to be here? Deciding these questions didn't matter right now, Dilan was quick to make her choice. Capture or busting into the window of a whore house. Option number too, oddly, seemed better. Even if the places made her gag. Pushing off from the ground, Dilan broke through the glass without much difficulty, minus the light cut on her cheek. She broke into a sprint through the bedroom of the screaming people in bed but paid them no attention. She ran down the corridor, hearing Levi close behind her and frowned as two large bodyguards tried to grab her.

Using her speed to her advantage, Dilan slid onto her knees and arched her back, slipping under the larger man's legs and managing to catch Levi's eyes in time for her to send him a smug smile and flip him off before getting on her feet again and pushing her muscles to the limit. She broke through the glass again and shot her wires, eyes widening as the sound of a faulty gear entered her ears. She had heard the sound enough while she was trying to fix the damn thing. Thinking fast to avoid becoming a pile of broken bones Dilan grabbed onto a washing line that was held between two houses. It wasn't going to hold long especially with the unexpected addition of her weight, but she didn't need it to. Dilan grabbed her knife just before Levi reached her and cut the line, falling to the other side of the building. She winced at the impact but moved on, scrambling up the line and running along the rooftops, jumping over the spaces between. She could hear Levi approaching and she knew she needed to think of an idea soon because she wasn't that fast. She had about five seconds.

Using the first to try her faulty gear again, she cursed under her breath and kept running. Using the second to consider whether she could manage the drop to the floor without damaging herself too baldly she decided she was on a two-story building and even she wasn't that stupid to try jumping without anything breaking her fall. Using the third she just panicked. Using the fourth she heard the clink of the wire and her ears pricked. A plan formulated in time for second number five and she turned around jumping up into the air, so her body collided with Levi's and she wrapped her legs around his waist to stop from falling. Levi practically froze in shock and she found him rather amusing but decided she could laugh once she wasn't captured and jammed her knife into his gear, so the wires stopped retracking and extending. Like she said she knew the gear well enough now.

Levi's eyes widened in fury once he realised what Dilan did and they both rolled onto the roof floor. Levi was up on his feet before her and didn't hesitate to punch her in the face. Dilan grinned and spat out some blood which he grimaced at.

"Well that was rude." She scolded with a smirk, ducking under his next approaching arm to grab one of the wires before flipping back off the roof and hoping Levi had the good sense not to fall with her. Luckily, he did and managed to hold onto the side of the roof with all his strength while she slid down the 3DMG wire. Her hands burned painfully, and she fell the last meter, but it didn't matter to her. She was free and Levi was stuck on a roof. She snickered at the thought and sprinted towards the clearing only to get kicked in the stomach by a boot. Grimacing at the pain as Dilan's head met the concrete, she blinked up at the large figure she now realised was Erwin. "Bastard. I was this close." She winced, spitting out some more blood and dirt. About 10 members of the survey corps surrounded her and she sighed. Even she knew when she was beat. Her body was exhausted, and her head was spinning with it being clobbered a few times by different things. Levi's fist hurt the most.

"You put up a good fight. I'm impressed you lasted against Levi as long as you did." He smiled. Dilan glared daggers as he got right up in her personal space and edged away from him.

"I beat Levi. Whoever the fuck he is. The only reason I am here right now is because it wasn't a fair fight. Why don't your hounds back off and me and you go. One on one, right now." Dilan growled, standing, reaching for the second knife she kept in her waistband. The soldiers stood to alert and drew their swords at Dilan's aggression. Understandable really.

Still she couldn't help but sneer. She really did hate the survey corps. Erwin held up a hand and they lowered their weapons.

"As amusing as that would be. I don't think I have the skills to defeat you, completing a fight when you already know who the victor would be is pointless." He said logically. Dilan scoffed and crossed her arms, but a smile cracked on her face immediately as Levi flew into the picture and dropped down by Erwin, his face absolutely murderous. Seems he fixed his gear.

"Aw, how nice of you to join us." Dilan cooed and a few of the corps gasped. Even she felt like she should run at the look on Levi's face. She was so dead.

"You fucking piece of-" Levi growled, inching towards Dilan like a predator ready for the kill. Dilan glared and readied herself, but Erwin intervened yet again.

"Levi. We have her right where we want her. You did well at getting her to the rendezvous point." Erwin praised. Levi scrunched up his nose in irritation but didn't retort or proceed to murder her. Dilan raised an eyebrow. Rendezvous point? If they knew I would end up around here, then one of these guys must be from the underground. A quick glance and Dilan's eyes fell on Levi's ones. She had already gotten used to their intensity, so she didn't flinch or break the eye contact when he sent her daggers. Was he from here too? It would make sense. He's much better than any of these idiots.

Just as Dilan thought that someone grabbed her hands behind her back and clipped handcuffs on her, restraining her. Dilan snarled and bit like a rabid animal but the strong man, whoever he was didn't avail. He pressed her to her knees and head into the dirty water. She grimaced and managed to turn her head sideways at the last second to avoid taking any of the stuff into her lungs.

"Fucking bastard." She gritted out. A small laugh came from behind her.

"I'm having flash backs, how about you Erwin?" The man's deep voice asked.

"They are rather similar, aren't they?" Erwin replied, amusement clear in his voice. Dilan frowned. Similar? To who? What were they talking about?

"Fucking get on with this before I run out of patience and kill the brat myself." Levi hissed and Dilan heard a sigh from Erwin.

"He's right. Mike." Erwin commanded and the man Dilan know realised was called mike harshly tugged on her hair to get her head pointed at an unnatural angle, staring into Erwin's stone blue eyes. She felt vulnerable and weak. She didn't like this. She did not like this at all. And yet, she didn't let the vulnerability show on her face. She wouldn't give these people, especially that short bastard, the satisfaction. "Name?" Erwin questioned. Dilan remained silent.

"Why do you want to know?" She spat back, a little louder than necessary. Her head was still ringing. A flick of the eyes from Erwin to Mike and Dilan's head was thrust back into the water without warning. She swallowed a whole mouthful this time and coughed and gagged it out when her head was pulled back up nearly 10 seconds later. She glared at Erwin when she got her breath back, surprised to look behind Erwin and had Levi with what almost looked like... pity on his face. No that can't be right? She must be imagining it. A quick blink and the pity was gone. He was glaring again, and all was right in the world.

"I'll ask you again. What is your name?" Erwin bellowed, his tone demanding respect. Dilan supressed a shiver. She really didn't like this. But he didn't need to know that.

"I'll ask you again. Why do you want to know? You think a little dirty water will phase me? I've experienced a far worse torture. Nothing will compare. I don't care whether I live or die so if you want to give me incentive, then answer my fucking question first. Perhaps I'll be nice and reciprocate." Dilan hissed, breathing heavily with frustration. Erwin looked slightly taken aback by my speech, as did the other corps members. Perhaps no one talks to Erwin like that. Dilan waited nervously for her face to be pushed back into the water again when to her surprise Mike realised the painful grip on her hair, so her head hung freely. Even if he kept her down on the ground, the new head freedom to look wherever she pleased did wonders for her anxiety.

"I suppose your right. It's only fair I answer your question first since I believe you're telling the truth. You have absolutely nothing to live for." Erwin rubbed it in, and Dilan scowled. What a dick. "We heard of a criminal illegally using the 3DMG and came to check it out. There is your answer. Where's mine?" Erwin asked with a hum. Dilan's eyebrow twitched in irritation. There was a long pause before she finally relented.

"Dilan." she said, her tone defeated. She wondered if he felt the same when he was captured. Erwin smiled that happy smile that made her want to punch him in the face.

"And how did you learn how to use this equipment?" He persisted. Dilan sighed, feeling the fight drain out of her. Everything hurt and she just wanted to pass out.

"I taught myself." She replied quietly. Erwin looked giddy with excitement and shot Levi an excited look which he didn't return.

"Wonderful. You are coming with us Dilan, charged with the illegal position of military equipment." Erwin grinned. Dilan gulped.

"But I didn't buy it or steal it! I found it in some dumpster!" She snapped. No way was she going down for fixing someone else's trash. Erwin raised an impressed eyebrow.

"So, you fixed it?" Erwin enquired. Dilan nodded. "With no prior knowledge of how the equipment works?" Dilan nodded again, hoping her statement was enough to let her go. She wasn't that lucky though. Erwin took a moment to mull things over with an impressed look on his face before smiling again. "Regardless. Possession is illegal. For example, it doesn't matter if you find the ingredients to make cocaine in a dumpster. Cooking it and reaping the benefits is still against the law." Erwin smirked and Dilan's eyes widened. He had her there. Shit. I am so dead... oh well. I had a good run. "So." He leaned in closer. Dilan tried to shift back but the hands prevented her from doing so. "I'm going to give you two options." He smiled devilishly. Dilan grit her teeth. This bastard sure loves theatrics, doesn't he?

"And they are?" She spat, regaining some Moxy. Erwin's smug look never faltered.

"Join us and become an official member of the corps or rot in in prison for the rest of your days." He grinned, an evil glint in his eyes at made Dilan feel like she was missing some sort of sick joke. A glance at Levi and the pity was back again. Almost pain. It didn't look like he was seeing her. All the information ran through her head as she formulated a plan. Once she got some trust, no one could stop her from escaping back to the underground, right? Hopefully all her money wouldn't be gone.

"Well then... I guess you leave me no choice." She glared. She'd rather be shot for desertion than spend the rest of her days in some grimy cell. Erwin smiled in approval and stood up ordering the rest of the troops out. Mike hauled Dilan up on her feet and she barely had time to register Levi moving towards her before he dealt a painful blow to her stomach that had her doubling over, gasping for air. "The fuck... was that for?" She wheezed as Mike chuckled. Levi leaned in real close Dilan's face as he replied.

"For being pathetic and getting caught." He hissed quietly before taking the knife out of Dilan's waistband and walking away. Dilan was left in a silent confusion as she was pushed towards the stairs. What was that supposed to mean?

Once they made it up the long, long, long stairs that did well to send a bolting pain through every one of her injuries. She had started for feel sorry for Mike halfway up. The poor man must have got tired from shoving her every 2 seconds. Slightly delirious, she actually apologised to him for having to deal with her. Mike seemed stumped by her genuine tone and didn't shove her the rest of the way. Small victories, she guessed.

It was her first time on the surface, and she couldn't wait to see the sky. Just a bit of it would do but no. As soon as she stepped out, a carriage turned up and before she could even crane her head, she was shoved into the carriage headfirst and the door slammed behind her. Resisting a growl and the urge to undo the curtains with her teeth, the other door opened seconds later and in came, Mike, sitting in front of her. Levi sitting next to Mike and this new kid sitting next to Levi. New kid was tall and lanky, kind of sweaty looking. He had tanned skin and a curly blond mop on the top of his head with brown eyes. He cautiously took his seat down next to her, observing her like she was a wild animal ready to pounce at any moment. There was a thick silence in the carriage and Dilan just couldn't resist herself like the bitch she was.

Making a fierce eye contact with the new kid she snapped her teeth together once and licked her lips. New kid flinched and backed away as far as he could from her.

"Johnson, she's restrained don't be a coward. And you, bitch, stop moving or I will make you clean the dirt off of my show with your tongue." Levi hissed in a threatening tone. Dilan grimaced.

"How about I clean them with some polish instead. Tongues are nasty and you don't know where mine's been." She pointed out, nodding to herself. Levi glared but said nothing. Feeling a heavy silence was about to descend she turned to the new kid who flinched again. "Your Johnson then." She smiled. Glancing over to Levi he bucked up some courage.

"Yes." He said firmly. Dilan nodded in approval, observing him before she burst out laughing. Her heavy cackling rang through the otherwise silent carriage and she realised they must think she's crazy by now. Feeling Levi or Mike was about to crack, she cleared her throat and composed herself.

"Sorry. Oh, man, I'm sorry. But seriously dude, we have got to sort out your tailing. I could see you from miles away." She chuckled, the friendly gesture seeming to ease some of Johnson's tension. Before he frowned and slumped his shoulders again.

"I really suck that bad?" He whispered. Dilan snickered and nodded.

"So bad. But don't worry kid, I'm pretty good at that stuff. I'll teach you." She said kindly. Johnson opened his mouth and he looked like he was about to accept the deal before Mike interrupted him.

"Johnson do not engage with the prisoner. She's manipulating you." Mike scolded and Johnson frowned slightly looking out the window. Dilan scoffed.

"Manipulating. How funny. You won't even know it when I'm manipulating you. I'll do something so far-fetched you won't know whether to believe me or not." Dilan said through lidded eyes. She edged forward, trailing her knee with Mike's inner thigh. It only took a second of hesitation before Mike had slammed Dilan's head against the carriage wall, hand wrapped around her throat. Dilan grinned and looked down at the knife in her hands that she had taken from Mike's melt. "Just an example." She shrugged, holding the knife back out to Mike. He slowly realised the grip on her throat to take it back, not failing to give her a furious glare. She realised she probably embarrassed him in front of his subordinates. Whoopsie. "Don't feel bad. Most men let temptation hold them for longer than that. I'm impressed." She commented, rubbing her sore throat.

"Shut up." Mike ordered. Levi looked close to punching her and Johnson just looked very uncomfortable.

"Fine." she sighed, bored with these people. She wanted to go back home. She wanted a hug from Mama P. Would she ever see her again? Holding back a whimper at the thought, she leaned her sore, bleeding head on the side of the carriage and closed her eyes. "Touch me while I'm sleeping, and I'll kill you." She mumbled to whoever was listened before passing out.

She didn't know how long it was later, but the carriage jolted to a stop, waking her from her slumber instantly. She had always been a light sleeper. Observing her surroundings, she saw all eyes on her and it instinctively made her go on to the defensive.

"What?" She growled. Johnson flinched and looked away. Levi and Mike simply gave Dilan a bored glance before exiting the carriage, Mike grabbing her and pulling her out. She huffed with annoyance. "I can walk myself you-" Started, in annoyance but cut herself off at the view above her and came to a halt completely. Not even Mike's harsh tugs could stop her from taking it all in. Guess it took a while for them to head to headquarters since the sun was almost done rising, clouds of pink and orange painting the ceiling of the world .

"Inside. Now." Mike snapped, yanking again. Dilan ignored him.

"5 more seconds." She mumbled, mesmerised, she was practically blinking back the tears. Mike's grip on her loosened for a second moment of hesitation before he regained his composure and started dragging her inside. Dilan didn't resist but couldn't help the frown that formed on her face. Not more ceilings. Although it did feel like home.

They entered the doors and it seemed as though, even if it was early, most soldiers were out and about. Mike escorted Dilan through the corridor, Levi and Johnson keeping a watchful eye, behind her. Okay well... more Levi than Johnson who looked a bit distracted. She wondered how ranking worked. This kid looked greener than grass.

Dilan was pulled out of her musings as she was shoved into some sort of changing room and thrown some clothes. Due to her cuffed hands they landed on the floor and she lifted her head to give the three a deadpan look, shaking her shackles.

"Seriously? You aren't that dumb, right?" She questioned. Levi scowled but Mike ignored the comment and proceeded to unchain her.

"Try to escape, try to do anything and we will not hesitate to put you down." Mike warned before he unlocked the cuffs. Dilan nodded seriously. There was no way she would be able to escape yet anyway. Seemingly satisfied with her response, Mike unchained her and took back the handcuffs. "Change. We have 5 minutes before orientation." Mike ordered and Dilan's breath hitched in her throat. She looked for a door only to find a flimsy piece of cloth anyone could pull left to right and gulped hard.

"Hurry up, brat. We haven't got all day." Levi rolled his eyes and pulled the curtain shut. Taking a shaky breath, she stripped herself with fumbling fingers, her trained eyes never leaving the three shadows underneath the curtain, flinching any time they made even a tiny movement. Dilan was quick to claw on whatever clothing they gave her. It didn't matter as long as she was covered. God, she felt pathetic. She was close to a fucking panic attack. Dilan had just finished tucking in the crisp white shirt of what she now realised was the survey corps uniform a deep voice rung out and she flinched.

"Done?" He asked impatiently. Dilan took a breath, trying to calm her nerves and put on her perfectly crafted mask of indifference. The same mask she used with Kenny, with anyone that tried to challenge her. She drew back the curtain and stepped out, waiting silently for them to move or tell her to do something. They stared at her for a second which made her uncomfortable before they started walking away and Dilan guessed she just had to follow them.

They walked outside and Dilan saw a lot of other survey corps members hanging around. Some were her age; some were younger like Johnson and others were old-ish like Mike. Dilan would say he's around 25/26. Perhaps he would look younger without all that stress. Mike was a tall man, easily reaching six foot. He had shaggy blonde hair and a stony face, a bit of scruff covering his chin. He was built like an ox and held himself proudly. A true military man. Dilan blinked as that same man shoved her up onto the stage all of the corps was looking at. She was grabbed by the shoulder by the big blonde she had very recently come to understand was Erwin and supressed a flinch. She did not like others touching her without her permission. Mama P was fine, Joel was fine, Pete was okay-ish but not strangers. Although unfortunately she couldn't voice any of these concerns.

"Recruits. This is your new comrade that will stand at your side as we take down the titans for humanity." He declared and Dilan resisted an eyeroll. As if. "Go on, introduce yourself." Erwin pushed her forward a bit and she bit her lip, deciding how she wanted to play this. No point trying to make friends. I'll be out of here soon.

"Dilan." She said flatly, avoiding everyone's eyes in favour of the sky, slightly above the horizon. Murmurs broke out in the crowd, but Dilan paid no attention. The sky was so beautiful. So full. So... endless. It was everything she dreamed it would be. She wondered if it was everything, he thought it would be too. Suddenly Erwin's speech, that she hadn't listened to was over, and she was pushed back down the steps towards Mike's squad who looked specifically agitated.

"Erwin. I believe this is a bad idea." Mike started slowly and Dilan guess she must have been put into their squad. There were a few new faces staring back at her as well. One looked scared, one looked pissed and the other just looked confused. Scared one was a small boy, smaller than herself. He was skinny and had a buzzcut black hair, practically bold. Pale skin and blue eyes. He looked way too precious to be in the military and was probably Johnsons age, around 17. The pissed one was a girl. She was tall lanky and had short brown hair tied into a low ponytail. Tanned skin, brown eyes, freckles and a visible scowl on her face. She looked to be 20, maybe 21. Confused one was almost as tall as Mike. He had olive skin, forest green eyes and fair fluffy brown hair that was messily parted in the middle. He was kind of cute and was probably 18 or 19.

"Well then. Let's go discuss these concerns in my office. Levi I will need you to debrief me as well." Erwin commanded, sparing Dilan a goodbye smile before walking away. Dilan blinked at everyone.

"Tabitha, take command. Introduce yourself and show Dilan where she will be bunking." Mike ordered before walking off. Levi was about to follow him but stopped to glare at her.

"Try anything-" he started in a low voice.

"And I'm dead." Dilan cut him off which he did not look happy about, but her tone was serious, so he didn't retort and walked away.

Once the others were gone, she turned to the rest of the group, openly staring at her. With her injuries she still felt like she was about to pass out and was feeling rather weak. Dilan unconsciously stepped closer to Johnson, the only other known person, almost cracking a smile when he took a step back. That's right... he's not my friend. I don't have any friends. I'm completely fucking alone in this. I should be used to that by now, but it still stings.

Wanting to speed up this process she took the first step. "I'm Dilan." She offered.

"Yeah, we know." The girl retorted. Dilan grit her teeth and remained calm. Don't kill anyone on your first day, stupid. Another few minutes and Dilan sighed. If she didn't fix her shoulder, she was going to bleed out soon.

"Okay. Let's be real. You don't like me; I'm cool with that even though I'm not entirely sure what I did to deserve it. This is easier if you don't like me. I've introduced myself like the tree asked, you can either all reciprocate or don't and show me my room instead. Either way we can stop wasting each other's time." Dilan said logically. Everyone looked slightly shocked except Tabitha who looked royally pissed. Another minute and Dilan were swaying slightly. She wasn't going to last much longer. Thankfully that's when Johnson stepped in.

"This is Brand." He pointed to the confused kid. "This is Tabs." He pointed to the pissed one. "And this is Toby." He pointed to the scared one. Why was he scared? What did they know about her? "You guys can go; I'll take her to her room." He offered and Tabitha scowled but nodded and the three walked away. Dilan let out a breath of relief.

"Thanks, kid." She smiled. Johnson did not return the smile.

"Let's just get moving." He sighed and started walking. Dilan kept pace with him, a little frustrated now.

"Maybe I get why you are pissed; I was kind of a bitch in the carriage ride. But why are they pissed?" Dilan asked with a raised eyebrow. Johnson clenched his jaw.

"You're a criminal. You're dangerous. They aren't pissed, they are alert. Tabs is always pissed at the unknown. She's probably having a hard time reading you." Johnson shrugged. Dilan guessed she could get that.

"Well I am sorry for the carriage ride. You can take my next words how you want since perhaps I am manipulating you, even though you have nothing that I want. When I'm caged in, I act out. Back there tied up in an enclosed space with strangers... I needed to be a bitch. I needed to be intimidating so that you were all less likely to try something. It's how you survive in the underground. Doesn't mean I like it." Dilan answered truthfully. She didn't want this kid to hate her. He was perhaps the only one who had the capability of being decent around here despite where she's from. Johnson turned to look at her, confliction clear on his face. Dilan sighed. "It's fine. I don't want to stir up your squad, so it'll probably be easier for you if you hate me like the others." She nodded to herself in agreement.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Johnson was probably thinking things over. They stopped at the door and pushed it open for her.

"Three bunks. Pick whichever one you want; you'll be the only one staying in here." Johnson explained. Dilan looked at the bed and pillow with curiosity. She'd never had one of those before.

"Why am I alone?" She asked, sitting down she had to prevent a gasp. Soft as a fucking cloud!

"Well thanks to the last expedition we're short on numbers but you being alone was probably planned." Johnson pointed out. Hm, the boy may have brains yet.

"Ah yes. So, I don't slaughter anyone during their sleep." Dilan chuckled, amused at the thought. There was a light tweak in the lips from Johnson before he wiped it off his face and turned to leave.

"Todays a free so do with it as you wish. Dinner's at 8. Training starts at 6 tomorrow. Don't be late or Levi will hang you." Johnson warned. Dilan nodded. He turned to leave again but stopped himself, not looking at her. "I don't hate you, but I don't trust you. Earn that trust and we'll see where we go." He added before leaving. Dilan smiled. Well it was a start. Maybe they could be friends. Although it seemed like a bad idea now. There was a difference between having someone on her side that would back her up with the squad and having a friend. She hadn't had a friend in a long time. It hurt like hell losing them and she didn't want to go through that again.

Dilan sighed and stood up, taking off her brown jacket to look at her shoulder. The blood had already seeped through her white shirt. Bummer.

Taking it off she grabbed a cloth and pressed it to the deep gash holding back a wince. She redressed herself and entered the hallways. Man. They really trust me, don't they? Well, no. no they don't but there's not much to steal in a military base. Dilan snickered to herself at the thought and took a moment. The place was a maze. If I was an infirmary... where would I be... Dilan got back out into the courtyard and scanned the place. An infirmary would need light most of the day as since this is a military base it was likely to be coupled with an experimental lab. Dilan bit her lip as she walked around the outside of the building, smirking to herself when she found the building with the large glass roof and being in the best position for sunlight. She frowned when she was met with a fence, deducing that the door was on the fucking other side of the headquarters. She couldn't walk all the way back around. She would likely pass out on the way.

Dilan checked if anyone was watching before taking a few steps back. She analysed the dents in the walls before sprinting at the wall. It was a little higher than what she was used to, but it was okay. She used the divots to keep herself up, twisting to push off on the wired fence when she lost momentum before leaping upwards and grabbing the roof of the building with a wince and a deep breath of relief. Checking no one had seen her stunts she pulled herself up and rolled onto the building, catching her breath. Underground alleys were way easier to manipulate that these military brick walls. The tips of her fingers were all scratched up from the intensity of needed to hold on. How annoying.

After taking a moment she slid down the wall and preformed the same task of climbing backwards, which was much harder. She had to drop the last 2 meters because she couldn't see her footing. Landing with a wince and a slight wobble and looked around for anyone before sighing and jogging to the door. She opened it and emerged back into the cool marble hallways, heading back down to the infirmary. Narrowing her eyes, she saw that there was a lock on the door and bit her lip to supress a smirk as she stole the keys from the passing doctor effortlessly.

Waiting until they were out of sight, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was a marvellous place. So bright and fresh, the opposite of the underground. Like she expected, the space was halved in two, one section led to the infirmary and the other led to the experimental lab. She was curious but also bleeding out, so she opted for option number one.

Dilan tip toed into the room, looking around for any doctors or patients and sighing in relief when she found none. Quick to dash to the supply closet she used the stolen keys to open it and started collecting the materials she needed to sow herself up. She thought about pain medication but decided against it. If anyone found out about this it would be better if she wasn't caught stealing drugs too. She could handle the pain. She always does.

After getting all the supplies needed, she creeped back out of the closest and closed it shut behind her, sighing in relief and turning to be faced with another grinning face.

"Shit!" She hissed, jumping back in surprise and dropping a few supplies. She was so busted. Which was why her face morphed into confusion when the woman started cackling, laughing so hard she had to lean on the wall to stop from falling over. Was she crazy? Dilan looked her up and down and realised she was the woman she stole the keys from. Damn. Guess she noticed. The woman was tall and lanky. She wore the survey corps uniform but a doctor's coat underneath which told Dilan this woman might be a scientist and a soldier combined which meant she was smart. She had tanned skin and a long sharp face, goggle-like glasses that framed crazy brown eyes, matching her crazy brown hair that stuck up all over the place and loosely tamed into a ponytail.

Dilan thought about using the woman's hysterics to make a break for it but with her condition, her chances of escape were low. However, that option was thrown out the window completely as the woman stopped laughing instantly and gripped onto her hands. Dilan's eyes widened and she tried to pull back, but the iron grip would not let up.

"Dilan, I assume?" She grinned, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Dilan gulped at her intensity and nodded. "Perfect. Oh! Here let me help you with those, I apologise for startling you. I just couldn't resist." She snorted and picked up some of the dropped supplies. Dilan blinked. What is with this woman? "My names Hanji by the way. Hanji Zoe, squad leader by day, scientist by every other spare minute of my day." She smiled. Dilan cocked her head slightly.

"So... are the others coming to arrest me now or..." Dilan asked, wanting to know what she should be feeling right now. She couldn't get a clear read on this woman and she didn't like it. Hanji looked shocked.

"Why would anyone be coming to arrest you?" She asked, curious. Dilan gave her a look.

"I was literally caught stealing." She spelled out slowly. Hanji blinked and looked down at the supplies before laughing again.

"YES! YES, YOU WERE!" she squealed. "But it was rather impressive, so I'll let you off. I didn't even notice you steal my keys until I tried to use them. Very impressive indeed. Erwin was right as always." She hummed. Dilan blinked as her words started to become a little distant and swayed slightly. Hanji noticed immediately and steadied her. "Dilan, Dilan what's wrong?" She asked, genuine concern in her tone which Dilan couldn't fathom. Maybe she'd misheard it. She was slightly delirious right now.

"I got shot." She said quietly, leaning on the wall for support and closing her eyes. She heard a gasp and some scrambling from Hanji. "It didn't go all the way through... but still hurts like a bitch..." Dilan said in a lazy tone before everything went black