Recap:
We all saluted automatically. "Yes sir!"
"As for now, go clean yourselves and grab some rest, you've been through a lot. Hanji and Rina, we'll need your coordination with the Garrison. Get them to get whatever you need, Hanji."
"Roger."
With that, we all headed upstairs to go in our own separate directions. Hanji went to talk to Erwin at the front of the pack, the 104th squad murmured among themselves and Levi and I brought up the rear.
"How is it that most of our plans end up being part of some huge gamble?" my best friend muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. I chuckled.
"Our plans are hardly ever set in stone. Anyway, Erwin's right, you all need to get some rest. I'll wake you when we're ready to begin."
"Hazura." Levi reached out and discreetly grasped my wrist. "You need to rest as much as the rest of us."
I smiled at his worry. "I'll get some shut eye once Hanji and I finish organizing this. We're just going in shifts. You, your squad and Erwin go first. Once we wake you, Hanji and I will grab some sleep." The Captain made a face. "Knowing you, you'll work all night and let me get all the sleep."
"You're not wrong." I laughed, shaking my head. He knew me too well. Besides, he was always overworking himself, he deserved some more sleep.
"Hazura."
"Fine fine, I promise to not work all night. Besides, I don't want to fall on my feet when this big fight is coming up."
"I don't know whether to feel relieved or upset."
I rolled my eyes and gave his hand a quick squeeze, winking. "I'll see you in a few. Night Levi." I teased and left him outside the borrowed dorms.
After that send off, I joined Hanji back in the conference room. Rojas and 3 other Garrison officers were still there. They grew silent as we re-entered. Rojas gave me a sideways look and I sighed, scratching the back of my head.
"Sorry I acted the way I did on the Wall, captain." I apologized.
He waved a hand. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. I understand. I apologize for how I reacted myself."
"No hard feelings?"
"All good, Squad leader."
"So, I'm assuming you already have people preparing every cannon in the vicinity." Hanji took a seat, resting her slinged arm on the table. Rojas also took a chair and rested his head on a hand.
"Word is already being passed along. I've also got teams ready to spread the word of an early evacuation drill."
"Excellent. Wall mounted is easy enough but your ground cannons will have to sit right outside the Wall, in the direction that the Titan is coming from. Rina will help you coordinate that." Hanji glanced at me and I nodded in confirmation.
"As for myself, there are a couple of things that I need gathered, in the case cannons aren't enough to finish the job."
"All right. Mitch and Lucan, help out Squad leader Hanji. Squad Leader Hazura, please come with us." Nodding once more at Hanji, I followed Rojas and the other officer out of the building and to the Wall where we first met. As we reeled ourselves to the top, the faint glow of the Titan in the distance was still visible, crawling ever closer. The two Garrison guards stared at it in apprehension. I watched it with disdain.
"So, as many wall mounted as you can on this side. Ground cannons will be lined up in rows, roughly 15 across each line." I began gesturing to each area, pointing out the positions. "Each will need to as mobile as possible, should the Titan make it up to the Wall. We don't want to lose so many cannons in one go."
"God forbid." Rojas murmured.
"Also, as a second thought, probably a few tubs of water and buckets, as a safety precaution. The last time we came face to face with a similar Titan, the steam let off is extremely hot. The water would help cool us down and keep a focused mind."
For the rest of my shift, I helped the Garrison guards position the cannons and prepared the ones to be rolled out in front of the Wall. Since there was still a distance before Rod Reiss arrived, a few stray Titans were milling around the Wall base, preventing us from rolling out earlier and leaving the weapons there until dawn. However, judging by what I experienced closer to the gigantic Titan, I made the call to wait until it was closer and the smaller Titans had run off and hid. By then, we could bring out the cannons and still have enough time to ready ourselves before the action began. Sooner than I thought, Erwin had made his way up to my position on the Wall and motioned for me to catch some shut eye. After telling him where I was up to, I left to go get Hanji. My body was beyond the point of exhaustion but it wasn't until I stopped working that I felt it. I managed to find her in the weapons' supply room, appraising what was available to her use.
"Hanji, time to swap out."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, sure."
After one more longing look at the equipment, she followed me out. We headed back to the dorms together, exhaustion quickly catching up to us. I yawned, my mouth stretching to the maximum.
"So, how did your night turn out? Did you manage to get whatever you needed?"
She nodded, scratching her head absentmindedly.
"I had come up with a contraption that essentially acts like a mobile bomb. To put it simply, it's just a barrel of gunpowder wired to a 3DMG set. With the help of a few Garrison guards, we managed to create 2 of them. I've left instructions for Armin to pass on the message of gathering as much rope, netting and gunpowder as possible. If we want to blow up that Titan from the inside, we'll need a shitload."
"Hanji. Rina."
We reacted to Levi's voice and looked up. Sure enough, the Captain was all dressed and ready for another day at war. The rest of his squad trickled out behind him. I waved weakly in response as we turned and entered our room. With a reassuring pat on the back from the Captain, Levi's squad went out to cover us. Now barely able to keep our eyes open, I helped Hanji out of her uniform before the scientist passed out on top of her bed. Shaking my head in sleepy amusement, I draped a quilt over her before undressing myself. Dropping the 3DMG and outer uniform on the spot, I stumbled onto my own bed and blacked out.