Chapter 77
To Infiltrate
(2 years later, approaching events of Season 4)
/ We're almost truly into S4 for this fanfiction! I hope you all had a decent New Year, despite everything going on in the world, and as always, thank you so much for your continued support!
Please feel free to leave a review, or send a direct message if you would love to talk, it's honestly lovely hearing from you all, both here and on Twitter! \\
"The Queen has given us the sanction to start making preps for getting over and into Marley." Hange would reveal to a sitting Levi and Fury, who both sat opposite from where she paced herself back and forth, pushing up her glasses in thought.
"So Historia sees reason to infiltrate too?" Fury would ask as Levi suddenly, and so rudely, flicked at her hair. Another silent remark from him over its overgrowing length. She would give him a mimicked hiss and a roll of her eyes, and yet out of paranoia, then decided to tie it back with a bangle from around her wrist, where her silver bracelet with her name on it remained.
"Looks that way!" Hange then asserted, clasping her hands together. "Its taken us just over 2 years to get where we are right now, to get those damn associates of hers to pull their asses together and also give way.
Heh. And in the meantime, we've been getting good with our new gear!"
"Is the black uniform all that necessary, four-eyes?" Levi would question, folding his arms, sat in his casual clothing for the day as he watched Fury finish tying her hair back loosely from the corner of his eye.
Hange boasted. "It sure is!"
Sighing, Fury then rested her arms upon the table. "The new gear itself has been difficult to manage. Even for you, Levi. I wonder how long it took for the likes of Kenny to get used to flying around with guns instead of blades."
"Well we have both!" Hange then took a seat opposite her comrades. These three were the last true veterans among the new scouts. "But grumpy over here still loves his blades."
"I just find them more effective. And I'm just more used to them…" Levi would huff, more so at Hange's comment of his presence. "Its those Thunder Spears you need to work on."
Hange scoffed. "Oh, their weight? They're not that heavy, Levi! We see the likes of Mikasa strolling around with several of them attached to both of her arms."
"She's an Ackerman." Levi was quick to point out.
"Yeah, like you too!" Hange then hummed with a smirk. "Hate to be the one to speak with logic and obvious observations, but here I am! We're going to need both you and Mikasa on the front lines out there, should there ever be a time Marley get past Eren and Armin where those boats are so used to docking to our little island." Hange then turned her way to Fury. "And you too! Miss Bloodborn. Everyone matters now. Not to say the lives of our comrades haven't always mattered."
Fury, almost without conscious, gave a gentle stroke to the Bolo Tie she still wore, which was Erwin's. "They're so persistent to get their footing back into our home. Is it honestly still for Eren?"
Hange sighed. "Most likely. And for you, too. Your merry band of Tybur's across the way most definitely know you're alive, especially since Zeke and Reiner have managed to get back there.
They really want their Founding Titan back too. They want it from Eren that much that they're so willing to keep sending their soldiers over to us, despite knowing Eren and Armin, in their Titan's, linger at the shore for them to arrive. But, this has been giving us the best opportunity to also make our way over to them; to learn more."
"Want us to stroll up with our weapons and gear on show?" Levi would then ask, though to which Hange would shake her head.
"No way! We'll just simply wear day to day clothing. However, if they have Eldian's so subjugated over there, we need to stand out more as Marleyan's, so we'll be in more fancy attire."
"What, like dresses and suits?" Fury coughed at the thought. "Have you seen what some of the Nobles and Ladies around in Sina look like in that sort of attire? I'm not so sure a dress is my calling."
"Then wear a suit!" Hange happily suggested. "Each to our own, as long as we don't cause suspicion!"
"Do something with your hair too; you look like you've been living on a farm all your life." Levi would then direct himself to Fury, making it more than obvious he did not like her longer style which has persisted in growing over the 2 passing years. To which, in return, a heavy sigh came from her.
"Not that far off, actually. Historia has lately been trying to make a convincing argument for an orphanage."
"I wonder why her advisers are so against that…" Hange wondered.
"Men in fancy suits with fancy titles don't seem to see that the kids these days are what's going to allow a future to happen or not. I personally stand by the opportunity for those kids in the Underground to come up here and gain an experience of life. I hope, in some manner, my own opinion about Historia having that orphanage built will sway their minds." Levi spoke in a solemn nature, causing both Hange and Fury to peer his way, both with surprised features. Though he wasn't wrong. What is that they say? Children are the future? "What the brats learn today will better suit them when they age up. Better to start learning how to appreciate now rather than later."
"You're not wrong." Fury quite agreed. "I mean, look at us ourselves, Levi. We grew up down there, in the Underground. Quite literally on the streets, picking fights just for a stale crumb. Look how we turned out… Despite a certain someone doing what he could to pass on his ways to us.
We only gained our own chance to be on the surface by other's attempts at opportunities. I think, if anything, no kid should be made to be left out on the streets as we were. Or left in the hands of thugs, only to become one themselves, because that's all they know how to be."
As Levi looked more directly over at Fury next to him, somewhat surprised himself that she was agreeing with his opinion, Hange then slammed her hands down onto the table, yet hissing from a sting that spiralled up her arms from her action, causing Levi to shake his head. "Right! So, who's coming with us then? To Marley? It really wouldn't work with just three of us. We all need to split up, eavesdrop, everything we can whilst maintaining disguise." Hange then looked to Fury. "I suppose you'll want Isaah with us? From the sounds of it, that little village he was from were people, or original families, that may have once lived in Marley. Having him there could actually be beneficial. We'll need to bring Eren, too, in which case both Mikasa and Armin will both come along."
"Keep the group small. Maybe bring Sasha, Conny and Jean too? That way, we'll have eyes but also the experience should things go sideways. Because if Eren decides to have a teenage tantrum, he'll need a way out." Fury suggested.
Hange frowned. "His demeanour has concerned me lately. Like he's got a lot on his mind, and yet, keeping it all to himself."
"Isn't that a phase all kids go through?" Levi asked, like he was once any different.
"Not all kids are holders of a Founding Titan though. And not all kids are Ackerman's or Bloodborn's." Hange corrected. "What of Floch?"
Fury frowned at his name. "He can stay here. We can't bring everyone with us. I'll be the one to direct him that, since he seemed to want to appoint himself into my squad. Despite it just being Isaah who is with me anyway.
Not that I judge the kid, but, Floch has opinions that need staying out of Marley. Since his suicide charge, following Erwin, I can see the guilt upon him all the time. To be the only one to survive that… I'd have survivor's guilt too. More so than I think all of us already have anyway." Her fingers then embraced the Bolo Tie once again, as Fury would begin to think out loud. "I wonder… If he was still here, with us now… If Erwin would be the one to know how to keeping moving forward.
Would he have seen the idea of trying to infiltrate? Could he have seen beyond that basement he wanted so badly..?"
Hange lost her smile. "If it wasn't for that basement, we'd have never have known about Grisha Jaeger's life in Marley. We would have never have known how significant of an enemy they are to us. And we would have never have known that our suspicions were right; that Titans were once humans, forced into becoming monsters just because of their blood. I think… I think that Erwin would have wanted to find out more. His strive for humanities freedom may have just been enough to continue getting this far.
But… Armin. We have to start putting some faith into him. There may come a time when even I can no longer be the Commander you all now look to. Can you be willing to do that, Fury?"
Her hand fell from the Bolo Tie. And Levi himself remained silent upon the conversation around Erwin. A man he followed with no regrets. A man he trusted. A man he made a promise to, in which he intended on keeping.
Kill Zeke. And keep Fury safe.
Fury would inadvertently look away. "I never held anything against Armin. For he never directly asked to become the new Colossal Titan. It's been over 2 years… And though we all still grieve, I can't begin to falter now… Or the voices might-"
"Voices?" Hange sharply asked through an interruption, causing Fury to realise the deepness to her state of mind. Though Hange would simply presume it was in relation to Fury's Bloodborn matters.
"It's nothing. Just mindless mumbo jumbo." Yet Fury was convincing neither of them. Seeing the silence that was now directed at her, she frowned. "Why is it that, though nothing is being said, your thoughts are that loud they are aggravating me?"
Hange then waved her hands in quick successions, her glasses falling slightly as she did so. "Hey, if you say you're good to go, then you are, right?!"
"That's right…" Fury muttered, her usual frown and a lack of concern returning to her features. Levi made no remark.
"Right then!" Hange then got to her feet. "So, we have the plan in works. Now to play it out! For now, we continue training with our new 3DMG. Eren and Armin will continue pushing the ships back, and I gotta find myself a new fancy suit to wear!"
As Hange then took her leave from the Intel conference among the three, Fury was left with a deep in thought Levi. She cleared her throat before cutting the silence in half. "Is my hair really that terrible?"
Levi looked her way, glancing over her features, and couldn't help but smirk, though more so to himself that it was almost an unnoticed one. "At least brush it."
She scoffed. "Like my appearance has at all been on my mind… But you don't have to be so direct about it…"
"You're not cutting my own hair again until yours is sorted."
Fury would then so daringly flick Levi's own hair. "What's the matter, Levi? Still a struggle with cutting the back of it? What a shame…"
He patted down at his hair, an action of that being a sulking child, as cleanliness was something he didn't wish to separate from. Tutting her way, he chose to ignore her remark, and stand himself to take his own leave. Though not before Fury noticed a small limp to his footing.
His old injury… That she caused so long ago. It was still effecting him. An ache overcame her, and the slight joking of her behaviour collapsed back into hiding once again. She wanted to speak the words of an apology, but she could not. He had no regrets. And Fury could only wish she could feel the same way; to escape the sleepless nights and the invisible tears that fall when she sits on her own, with her own thoughts, with those overbearing voices circling her more and more.
"We'll be okay out there." Fury spoke out to Levi, as optimistic as those words from her were, and he opened the door. He would look back, seeing his oldest friend sat there on her own. If he thought harder, he swore he could see Farlan and Isabel right there with her. But he couldn't think so backwards. Levi knew that moving forward was for the best, for them both.
He would give her a nod. A silent admission of the promise he made to Erwin for her safety. Though he knew, despite the promise, Levi wanted to keep his oldest friend alive too.
Was that selfish? Levi did not know. If he could, he would want for everyone to live and be free of this fight. But, promises were things he, if at all, would rarely make. The reason as to why he himself has not yet found a partner to settle down with. He knew he would never be able to promise them that he would come back alive every time. And yet, he has so easily been able to make a promise to Erwin, in relation to killing Zeke, and keeping Fury alive as much as he could. He would not know it now, but deep down, Levi could not bear to lose anyone else close to him. For he too was tired of death being around him so naturally. Not only from his comrades themselves dying, but the lives he has taken himself.
This was why he was advocating for Historia's orphanage for the children in the Underground. He knew, from himself and Fury, how one could become having to tough it out down there. Children do not ask to be brought into this world, and yet they are the one's to suffer from the state of things. A chance was all they needed, a chance he, nor Fury, was never really offered. A chance to live life with as little to worry about as possible.
No child, in Levi's own opinion, though he would not say it so directly, should have to fight for the right to live when it was their parents choice to bring them into this world.
