A Job to finish them all.

Lily awakened with a start, her body covered in fresh sweat as her hand immediately clutched the fabric at her chest. Heaving with breath, Lily's golden eyes darted around the dim room wildly.

A Nightmare.

Lily forced her breath to steady, taking oxygen in with controlled huffs. Her mind was abuzz, dashing from one question to the next, Lily felt mildly disoriented. Deciding that she needed to do something methodical to ease her frantic mind, she set about getting ready.

With her boots, coat and hat all in its rightful place, she made her way over to her dresser. The items seemed to be growing in amount as her eyes wandered over the blue scarf, leather diary and now gun that rested there. Taking each in turn and placing them on her person, she spun around to the door.

Her hand rested on the handle for a few heartbeats, her eyes focusing on her shaking palms. Her nightmare was viciously vivid. She helplessly watched as each of her friends was picked off one by one. A Ravager had slit poor Timothy's throat. A Peddler had shot Lyra through the chest, the woman bleeding out on the floor kept calling for Joshua, as she crawled towards Lily's immobile form. And Joshua, blinded by rage, began fighting Military police trying to get to Lyra, he tackled one. But they quickly overpower him, and he was shot with a rifle.

Forcing a breath, Lily opened the door, swiftly making her way through the lobby and towards Krass'. Naturally she should wait for Lady Caroline, but she had the feeling Krass was waiting for her to turn up. Guess she wasn't one to disappoint.

Lily's brisk pace put passersby on edge. The smaller woman was radiating an energy that turned a lot of people away. The woman was on a mission.

Hell Hath no fury like a woman scorned.

The saying passed her thoughts, and Lily felt a bitter laugh bubble up inwardly.

She passed the thug out front of Krass' residence, her cold glare under her hat caused the man to pause. With a tense nod and look of recognition, he led her to Krass' door. Rapping on the rotting wooden door twice, the pair were greeted with the owner's croaky voice.

"It's Carter. Courier." Lily replied first, eyes locked onto the door as one hand reached up to anxiously adjust her blue scarf. The door opened swifty, Krass' scared face greeted the two. He looked awfully satisfied.

"I knew ya'd be back!" He just about exclaimed, his face crooked with an uneasy smile. His expression turned venomous at the thug next to her. His tone dipped into impatience. "What? Go fetch those good-fer-nottin' MP's. and send word to Tarkan; we got a deal on!"

"Same place?" Lily gritted out, her eyes dancing between the now disappearing thug and Krass.

"Ah- yea." He looked thoughtful for a moment, before leveling with her gaze something sinister in his stare. "So, no more runnin' off ya hear? Ya work for me now. Clear?"

Lily's gaze darkened significantly. She'll play the part, the less he is aware of the better.

"Crystal."

She didn't waste any time, her body tense as she breezed through the streets of the underground, making it to the meeting spot early. She chose to lean inconspicuously against a set of crates, her hat pulled down to obscure her face, eyes following that of the underground citizens passing her.

Their Complaints reached her ears first. Cassidy's arms waved around as he shoo'd the messenger off. Will letting out and exasperated sigh at the younger's antics.

"Stop pretending you're some Captain or some-shit. It's tiring." Will's voice was the first one Lily could hear, followed sharply by Cassidy.

"Well I just got promoted to Lance-Corporal-"

"I know. I was there, you idiot." Will gritted.

"You're just jealous that I got promoted before you." Cassidy reasoned, crossing his arms and the two lingered at the meeting place.

"Glad to see you two haven't changed." Lily announced, a smirk adorning her features as she strode towards the pair. "Ready for work?"

"Yes" Will followed quickly, his relieved sigh leaving his lips as he started in the direction of the stairs. Lily chuckled inwardly. She felt her body relax somewhat in the presence of the two soldiers. I forget that not all MP's are inherently bad.

"Same as last time." Lily flashed her gaze towards Cassidy. "Keep your mouth shut and we'll get past just fine."

"I don't take orders from you." Cassidy bit back. Lily watched with a thin raised eyebrow as the younger man craned his head up in defiance at the short woman.

"What crawled in your bed and died?" Will shot at Cassidy, his frown deepening by the minute. "Just cause you're a Lance-Corporal now doesn't mean you get a free pass to Illegally smuggling drugs you know. Idiot."

That shut the newly appointed Lance-Corporal up. The trio made it to the checkpoint, surprised to be greeted by the familiar woman from last time. She gave Lily a once-over before casting Will an expectant gaze. The man complied, shifting forth a coin purse onto the desk in front of her before she silently nodded.

"On your way then."

No interruptions, just like last time. The trio arrived at the meeting place, only having to wait a couple minutes before Tarkan arrived. The merchant is especially excited to receive more of the goods, rambling on about how quickly he finds himself depleted. Praising the trio for their hard work he's on his way, the pair of Military police are left carrying the bags of coins as Lily is cloaked and cuffed once more.

"You still think we're going to get caught, Will? Shit's so easy, I could do it drunk." Cassidy claimed. The silent trip had caused the man to fiddle anxiously with the straps of his satchels.

"Shut up Cassidy." Will hissed. His face had been locked into an irate expression since Lily first saw him. Tense shoulders and short spoken words, the older man seemed angsty to get this job finished.

"You're worried you'll be caught?" Lily ventured, her gaze questioning as she glanced up at the black haired man.

"He thinks one of the higher-ups has caught wind of our little excursions underground without posting. Says he might be getting suspicious. I'm sure it's just his nerves."

Lily looked about ready to throttle Cassidy, flashing the younger man a heated glare. Her tone lowered, walking so close that Will's arm began to brush her own as she questioned further.

"How bad?"

"Not bad, nothing for you to worry about-"

"By the bloody walls, shut up Cassidy." She hissed, tossing him a fiery glare, the younger man flinched slightly, mouth locking shut finally. She turned back to Will. "If things are getting too intense, claim you were coerced, they should ease up on you if you get caught."

The silence was thick, tension floating between the trio as they stopped at the base of the stairs. Will's gaze was locked hard onto the dusty floor as he silently contemplated her words.

Movement between a pair of rundown buildings caused her attention to flicker. With a narrowed stare, she watched with bated breath, hand reaching towards her blade anxiously.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" Cassidy barked, his hand reaching for his gun. Lily's mouth parted to announce the peculiar movement when a beast of a man charged out between the buildings, heading straight for Cassidy with reckless abandon.

Lily acted, forgetting her knife in favor of shoving Cassidy back, moments before the Tyrentic addled lunatic collided with the side of the building the trio stood next too. Debris flung everywhere, the sounds of smash glass reached her ears as she felt a fist collide with her gut, shoving her back into the arms of Will, who only just managed to grasp Lily in time, his gun dropping limply beside him.

Will dragged Lily a few feet back before stepping away from her hunched form, his voice calling out to Cassidy who never replied. Winded, Lily focused her breathing, attempting to recover as fast as she could. Her hands fumbled with her coat, reaching into it as her palm slid comfortably over the grip of her gun. The strange, wide barrel contraption was cold to the touch.

Will's shocked grunt pulled her attention. The older man was sprawled on the floor, his nose bleeding from a nasty hit as the Tyrentic fueled beast grasped the Soldier by his shirt, fist pulled back for another hit. Lily acted on instinct.

With the gun in hand, she pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew true, making its mark in the left side of Tyrentic addicted man's face. Blood trailed around the wound as the man's body followed the force of the bullet, landing next to Will limply. A pool of crimson soon followed as Will scrambled away from the lifeless corpse.

Lily's eyes focused on her outstretched arm, the limb quivering before she hurriedly worked the mechanism, loading another round before standing up on shaky legs. Her eyes were locked onto the form of the dead man, mind reeling at the sudden events that unfolded.

She killed him.

She had killed him.

"Shit, Cassidy." Will's rough voice pulled Lily back into reality, her eyes following the black haired man as he rushed to his comrades side, hand resting on his pulse. "He's alive. Unconscious, but alive."

Lily felt her limbs relax, her body moving to kneel besides Cassidy and inspect the younger man. A crooked, bloody nose and bruising around the eyes. Apart from a few scratches from debris he'd be fine.

"Hey, You dropped this…" Lily's gaze dragged itself towards Will, her golden stare landing on the open black leather-bound book within his grip. "Carter… what the hell is this?"

Lily's limbs stiffened as she raised her arm, pointing the cold barrel of her gun at Will's chest. Her breathing was short, eyes wild as she stared intensely at the soldier.

"Give that to me. Now." She hissed, lurching forward to snatch the diary out of his grip fiercely. "Whatever you saw in there, you forget about it. Promise me you'll never mention this book or what I know ever again."

Will looked stunned, his form going tense as his eyes darted between the barrel of her gun and her wild stare. Slowly, he raised his limbs in surrender.

"Hey look, you just saved mine and Cassidy's life. Can't say I'm about to hand you to the wolves. I owe you that much." Will responded, his tone rid of the usual boredom, completely and utterly genuine as he stared back at her. Lily's limb started to lower slowly, her shoulders hunching as she sat fully down onto the dusty floor.

"Shit." She ran her free hand through her blonde hair. Loose strains fell from their place, as she realized the red stains on her pant legs. Blood.

"What the hell is that thing anyway?" Will nodded his head in the direction of the deceased man. "Can't say it's much of a human left. Looked half crazed. Strong too… Think it broke my arm."

"It's the shell of a man." Lily sighed, feeling particularly sick in the moment. "Taking Tyrentic for too long rots the brain, in the end you're left with nothing other than a crippling need for Tyrentic and incredible strength."

"What the hell? Why would someone take it to that point…"

"Welcome to the underground Will," Lily huffed, a bitter smile crossing her features. Her hand wiped a trail of blood from the corner of her mouth. "Where desperate times call for desperate measures."

Silence passed the two as their breathing evened out. Will's gaze shifted over to Cassidy's unconscious form, a frown forming on the older man's face. Lily let out a long sigh, pushing herself onto her feet, pleased to know they're no longer shaking. She offered the black haired man an open palm. He took it.

"Now more than ever you should take this chance to get out of this shit-hole and stop smuggling anything anymore." Lily's voice was quiet as she adjusted her hat over her features. "Claim Cassidy was assaulted by some peddlers, that they said if you didn't comply they'd kill him. They'll likely eat that shit up."

"And you?" Will asked, his tone serious as he threw one of Cassidy's arms over his shoulder. "What's your plan?"

"Me and my family are leaving once I turn this in. Hopefully we make it topside before Krass becomes wise to it."

"That's a shit plan." Will stated bluntly. His gaze concerned as he looked at the shorter woman.

"That's all we've got." Lily frowned, her shoulders tensing as she plucked up the last of the satchels. "Take care Will."

"Yea… You too Carter." Will mumbled at Lily's retreating from. She threw a glance over her shoulder, pleased to see Will had already begun to take Cassidy back upstairs.

A long breath, a hardening of gaze, a tense of her jaw. She made her way swiftly through the uncomfortably silent streets. Her gaze darted from alley to alley until her form stopped at the entrance to Krass'. Her eyes narrowed at the lack of personal outside, not even the thug from earlier was there. She made her approach slow, ears catching the sound of voices the closer she arrived.

"Vex, I can explain!" The croaky voice of Krass was the first thing she could make out. His tone was stressed and the sounds of several objects dropping to the floor also could be heard.

"Shut it old man." Another voice. It was deep, filled with venom and authority. The voice of the infamous "Vex". "I gave you one job, and ya couldn't even do that."

"Ya got it all wrong boss! It was that good-fer-nothin' Courier who kept on stealin' da money!"

That Spineless bastard. Lily stepped into the threshold of the doorway, greeted by the sight of Krass' hunch form on the floor, one side of his spectacles were completely shattered. The other figure was tall, black long hair pulled into a ponytail as a pair of piercing black eyes shifted towards Lily's form.

"Stealing the money, huh Krass?" She growled out, tossing a heavy satchel of coins onto the floor between the pair. "Trying to shift the blame onto me now?"

"Well-well. Looks like you've been caught in the lie, are your years finally catching up on you?" Vex hissed, his tone mocking as he toe'd the satchel, eyes gleaming with intent.

"Vex," He pleaded, his form scrambling away further.

"You're pathetic." Vex strode forward, gripping the older man by his greasy hair as he roughly lifted him up. A knife flashed into view as Vex expertly shoved the gleaming metal into the scrawny man's throat, the resounding gargles of shock and pain left Krass' mouth, his eyes stared pleadingly at Lily. She could do nothing but stare, eyes wide and face blank.

With a heavy thump, Vex let go of the quieting man, his body crumpled on the floor beneath him. Vex swiped his blade on his black trench coat, cleaning his blade as his head turned to look at Lily over his shoulder.

"You best go find your friends. Krass wanted no loose ends. You know how it is." Vex admonished, his foot rolling the older man's head to the side, sneering at him from above. "The Military Police certainly like their bounties."

Lily stared in horror, the information rooting her in the spot for a second, before Vex's raised eyebrow spurred her into action.

The short woman dropped all the satchels, forgoing them in order to swiftly maneuver the alleyways of the undercity, her face firm as she pushed her burning legs into overdrive. Banging reached her ears the closer she came to The Courier's Rest, adrenaline entering her system as her heart thundered in her ears.

Gun shots. She summarized, her body leaping up, arms grasping the roof of a nearby building, hauling her body up to achieve a height advantage. Her eyes scanned the area as her ears listened for the direction of the gunshots.

East, behind the Rest.

She moved quickly, her footsteps silent as she leapt down, her body compensating for the dramatic drop with a roll. The shouting grew louder and with that her frantic heart.

"They're still behind us!"

"Shit, where the hell is Lily?!"

"C'mon Ly, don't stop running!"

"Oi, Over here." Lily ushered the group to follow along with her, waiting till they caught up to run alongside the trio.

"Where the hell have you been?" Joshua's breathy demand reached her ears over the rushing of her heartbeat. His tone was strained, tinged with anxiety as he glanced at the following Military police.

"I just got back from Krass'." The words rushed with urgency, she paused for a moment before continuing. "This is my fault, Krass set me up."

"Yeah not shit." Lily threw Timothy a heated glare as Lyra let out a string of complaints.

"Save it." She huffed, her pace slowing as she winced in pain. Lily offered the taller woman a hand and she shook her head, a weak smile crossing her features. "It's okay. I'm fine."

"Their gaining, any ideas?" Joshua grunted after a moment, his head swiveling as he looked around the passing alleys.

"How about Lady Caroline's?"

"She'd more than likely kick us out before we even made it through the door with MP's on our tail."

"Well where else do we go smart-ass."

"That's what we're trying to work out shit-head."

"Tim, Josh, cut it out for five minutes won't you?" Lily hissed at the bickering pair.

"Lily's right, now's not the time-" Lily's face turned pale as the sounds of a gunshot rang out and Lyra's words cut off. She skidded to a halt alongside the boys, her hands scrambling to catch the crumbling woman as she fell.

"Lyra!" Lily's voice cracked as she pulled the woman between an alley, leaning her against a nearby wall. Her eyes searched wildly for the wound, pressing her hands into the left side of her chest. "Lyra, shit. Stay with me."

Joshua was on her other side in seconds, eyes wide and face pale as she grasped her outstretched hand. Lyra's eyes locked onto the man's, her face pulling into a small smile as she reached her free hand to rest on his cheek.

"Don't cry, it's okay." She hushed the pair. Lily realized the tears slipping down her cheeks, her face locked in terror as her brows furrowed with concentration.

"I can't stop the bleeding." The blonde woman admonished, her gaze turning to Joshua's as he switched places with Lily's hands.

"Surrender scum!" A voice called from behind the group. Lily whipped around, her hand slipping into her coat as she locked gazes with the Military police officer, his gun raised at the ready. He trembled, the gun barrel swaying from his anxiousness as sweat beads gathered on his forehead.

Lily scowled, hand ripping out her own gun. The anger, anguish and guilt fueled her reaction, hand squeezing the trigger. He hesitated. She had not. The man crumpled to the ground, gun clattering to the dusty floor loudly as he let out a shocked sound before finally falling prone on the ground.

Somewhere behind her Timothy had yelped as Joshua let out a string of curses. Lily wasted no time. Reloading the gun with quivering hands she stilled for a moment when she felt her wet tears land on her hand. Whipping roughly at her face with her arm, she trotted over to the military policeman, swiping up the rifle in her own hands, checking the chamber and reloading it from his own stash.

"Lily…" Lyra's quiet voice reached the blonde woman's ears. She whirled around, trotting back over to kneel by her dear friend. Passing the rifle to Joshua in the meanwhile.

"Oh god… Ly." Lily choked, her blonde brows furrowing with effort to contain her tears and quickly faltering composure. "This is all my fault, Ly I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," Lyra's now bloodied hand reached for the other woman's cheek, holding it gently. Lily's own hand acted on its own, her palm resting over Lyra's as she gripped it gently, golden eyes desperate. "It's okay, you couldn't have known… After all, I was slowing you down. Its my fault if any"

"Ly, no. It's never your fault. We choose to keep pushing with you." Lily's horse voice replied sharply, her gaze firm in belief as her grip tightened on the other woman's hand. "We Love you Ly, we'd never leave you."

"But you have too." Ly whispered, her sad smile growing slightly, her eyes tender. "It's okay, live. Live and love Lil."

The woman's breath began to turn ragged, as she regarded the three. Timothy's sobs grew louder as he too kneel close by, hand gripping Lyra's skirt. Joshua's face was strewn in sorrow as he silently let his tears fall. Lily felt her chest burn with vengeance, her soul wailed in grief as she let out a sob.

The distant sounds of approaching footsteps signaled more soldiers. Lily threw a glance down the alleyway, tension rising in her body as her breath caught in her throat. Lyra's hand began to slip from Lily's cheek, causing the blonde woman's attention to be drawn back to the dark haired woman.

"I love you… all of you.." Lyra's voice quietened even further as her tender smile never faltered. "Go… Live… For me…at least…"

Lyra's hand fell limp in Lily's grip. The woman's head dropped to her shoulder as her body hunched in on itself. Joshua's face morphed into something dark and painful as he regarded the woman he loved once more. Timothy's palms shook.

"Ly…? Lyra…? Lyra please, no." The younger man sobbed, his shoulders quivering with every burst of sadness that wreaked through his body. Joshua was first to move, he grasped Timothy's upper arm as he held the rifle in the other. His brown eyes locked onto Lily's own golden pair. Mutual understanding crossed the two, as Lily lent over to place a small kiss to the other woman's forehead before she too, stood.

"W-wait! What about Ly?" Timothy stammered, his gaze torn towards the limp woman.

"We have to go." Joshua said stiffly as he dragged the skinnier man alongside him. His pace slowly increases with every step. Lily lingered for a moment more before she looked up at the two once more.

"She'd want us to live, not try and get ourselves killed."

The trio rushed through the winding alleys, their sights set upon the deeper territory of the Dwellers, far enough to be out of reach from the Military police in order to lay low for a while. Lily's lungs stung as her legs screamed at her to stop. It felt like she had been running a marathon all day. From the Tyrentic addict incident, to Lyra's death, the woman felt exhaustion creep into her bones.

"Here, this building isn't occupied." Timothy's voice reached her as she turned her gaze over to the blonde man. His face was pale still, likely still reeling from the recent events just like Lily. The group gathered at the broken window, Lily slipping through to unbolt the door from the inside and letting the two in.

Sliding her body down a nearby wall Lily sat, knees to her chest as she rested her arms overtop, head leaning back against the wall as her hat sat uncomfortably caught between the two. The sound of the other two mimicking her movements reached her ears, her eyes closed. Today's events danced behind her eyelids, perpetually replaying every visceral detail.

"Rest Lily." Joshua's horse voice called to her. Opening her eyes and gazing at the brunette, she frowned.

"No, I can watch for a while, you should-"

"Lily," Joshua's firm tone silenced the blonde woman. "Rest. You've been running all day. Don't think I didn't notice the smeared blood on you before you arrived." He paused for a moment. "What happened?"

Lily took a moment to respond, her eyes casted down. "Will, Cassidy and I reached the bottom of the steps without incident. Until we stumbled upon a Tyrentic addict. If I hadn't acted as fast as I had, Cassidy would be crushed meat by now." She sighed, hand running through her messy blonde hair, taking a moment to place her hat beside her. "I shot it. S'now long dead in a pool of its own polluted blood. After that I arrived at Krass' only from him to try and sell me out to Vex. Told him I was stealing his money."

"Course he did," Timothy interjected bitterly. "Peddler scum."

"So Vex did this?" Joshua inquired, his tone dark.

"No, Vex in fact warned me that Krass had put a bounty on us. As for Krass himself…" Lily paused, the memory of the grimy man's body crumpling to the floor, his gargled pleas dying with him flashed before her eyes. Wincing, she pushed forward. "Vex slashed his throat after he realized Krass was cheating him out of his money. Or well I believe he already knew… it's hard to say, it blurs together at this point."

"Krass is dead then." Timothy breathed. His brows furrowed. "How many people died today?"

"Too many." Lily sighed out. Her lips pulled into a frown as she idly tugged at her coat jacket.

"Some deserved it." Joshua's tone was dark. He was looking at the ceiling, a scowl darkening his features as his left fist clenched and unclenched. His free hand resting on the rifle Lily had given him earlier. The blonde woman frowned, her head feeling heavy as she lent it back against the wall once more.

"Rest Lil."

She wasn't sure which one of them told her, the voices barely heard behind the fog of her mind slipping into unconsciousness.

"Lil!" A hushed whisper, a sudden nudge, the sound of movement. Her body lurched forward, a palm suddenly pressed to her mouth. Wild eyes locked onto pale blue ones as she finally registered what was going on. Nodding her head, her face settling down into a blank stare as she snatched her hat up. Timothy dropped his hand as she shuffled back, his head nodding towards Joshua, who now stood at the window, peeking through as he held the rifle in a tight grip.

Lily stalked forward, her hand on her knife, slipping the tool from its home, blade facing backwards as she pressed herself against the opposite side of the window. Golden eyes locking onto brown as she sent the broad man a questioning stare.

"Soldiers. Fair amount of them. Looks like they're looking for us." Joshua whispered hastily. His eyes watched the dusty path with apprehension. "Though, they don't look like military police. Most of 'em are wearing green cloaks."

Green cloaks? Lily felt herself frown. The suggestion was familiar and her mind jumped to the Survey corps. Why would they of all regiments be down here?

"Whatever it is, they're not here for a talk." Joshua growled out, his face tight as he glanced at Timothy. "You still got that knife I gave you?"

"Y-yea… do you really think I'll need it?" Timothy shrunk under Joshua's intense stare, glancing at Lily's impassive face for support.

Lily reached an arm out towards the younger man, hand resting firmly on his shoulder.

"We don't know. But in self-defense, don't be afraid to use it."

The room quietened once more, the trio waiting with bated breath as they watched the streets. A bang startled the three, whipping their heads to the back of the building with wild gazes.

"They're checking buildings." Lily hissed urgently. "We need to move, now while they're distracted with the back."

Joshua and Timothy shared a nod, the group pushing through the front door and darting outside. Joshua held up the rifle at the ready, running alongside on Timothy's flank, Lily on the other.

"There! They're making a break for it!" A voice shouted. Lily chanced a glance at her shoulder, spotting a soldier perched on a building, ODM gear strapped and ready. The sound of whirling pulled her attention to Joshua's flank, a tall blonde man had promptly knocked the rifle from Joshua's fierce grip before making a pass between Timothy and Joshua, forcing the pair apart.

"Joshua" Lily called roughly, the creeping anxiousness resting at the edge of her words. Her eyes locked onto his brown ones for a moment before his tense expression turned away from her. Running left of her and Timothy.

"Keep going!" He had called over his shoulder as he disappeared down another alley. Lily's face hardened as she turned to Timothy.

"Keep going Tim, just keep running."

The lanky man nodded faintly, his eyes blown wide with terror as he kept up with the swift woman. A second soldier sailed between Timothy and Lily, the man's body shoving Lily roughly from behind, causing the woman to scramble for a moment. Darting right, down another alley away from Timothy she avoided a third soldier coming at her.

Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes locked onto a strangely familiar pair of steel-gray eyes. Calm and full of intent, his dark hair shadowing his face as he trailed hot on her heels. Lily's head whipped forward of her, instincts going into overdrive as she vaulted through a window with ease, hoping the added obstacles would prohibit their use of ODM gear. She darted over a bar, the crowd of the tavern parting in startled gasps and outraged cries at her rude and rushed entry. Scowling once her eyes met the dark haired man's. He hadn't skipped a beat. She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to escape him.

Diving through another window, she rolled to even her fall, cutting a sharp right turn in hopes to cause confusion. A hand grasped her upper right arm, causing the woman to lash out behind her, knife held deftly in her right hand as she swung her arm.

The man stepped back, her blade slicing through thin air as she attempted to create distance. She feigned a second swing before lurching forward her blade singing through the air. The ting of metal hitting metal reached her ears as her blade bounced off another's. A retaliating swing of the much larger sword had her scampering backwards, but her timing was off, her foot slipped and the biting blade's edge sunk into the bridge of her nose, gliding effortlessly across her skin and skimming into her right cheek.

Her eyes widened at the close call, a hiss left her mouth in pain as her body landed roughly on the ground. The man advanced, his sword in its sheath as he attempted to grab her. She acted quicker. Her eyes narrowed as she grasped a handful of the dusty earth, tossing the remains into her attackers eyes. Not waiting to see his reaction as she pushed herself up, rushing through the alley's once more.

They've split us up on purpose. She realized, her feet making an abrupt change as she zig-zagged between alleys. Joshua, Timothy. Her face pulled into a scowl. I won't lose more family.

The sound of whirling signaled that her attacker had yet to give up. She leapt through another building, not paying mind to the jarring impact on her body as she threw her weight into a window, nor to the splitters of glass that bit at her skin. Her limbs screamed at her as she forced them to continue moving. Her consciousness split between her goal of finding the others and constantly keeping track of the lethal man behind her.

She gritted her teeth as she exited another window, a grunt leaving her as she skidded upon her landing. Her body was knocked by the weight of her attacker as he sailed through the window after her. She tumbled, not before she adjusted her body to spring herself back up, her hands pushing her body as it twisted in the air, landing roughly in a kneeled position, her knife at the ready as she faced her attacker.

"Tch, give it up already brat." The man's voice was monotonous, bored, almost completely uninterested in the current situation, but his eyes read a determination that she was sure she mirrored in her golden eyes.

The two stood in a face off, gold clashing with steel as they glared at each other. Lily's body began to circle, the man following her actions as her gaze darted around, looking for an exit.

"Lily!" Joshua's ragged voice called out from behind her, the woman whipping her head in his direction, alerted by him as she watched him struggle against another soldier. His attention split between herself and his assailant.

"Josh-" Lily couldn't finish as a foot connected harshly to her stomach, causing the woman to hit the wall with incredible force, her breath lost to her as she scrambled to find some sort of balance, her eyes losing focus as her head hit the wall upon impact.

She forced her body up as it screamed at her in agony, her fists rose to defend herself, blade lost in the chaos. The man's second hit was poorly blocked, a grunt leaving her mouth along with a splatter of blood. The third hit had her slamming into the ground, her head spinning more as she sputtered, blood trailing from her cut and now mouth.

"Lily!" Her name was vaguely called again as her dancing vision locked onto Joshua's form, her defeat distracting him enough for the other man to pounce. pinning the broader man down with a heavy boot. "You bastards!" Joshua yelled.

"Gah-" the sound left her mouth roughly as she was pulled up by the back of her coat and shirt. The action caused the woman's head to spin as it lolled roughly to the side, her face pinched in pain and anger. He held her weight up with apparent ease as he forced her to move forward, meeting up with the other who had Joshua pinned in a limb lock.

"You've looked better Captain." The man responded, his face amused but concentrated as he held Joshua down. A scoff left the dark haired man as he kicked the back of her knees, causing Lily's legs to crumple under her. A sword was pulled soon after, resting at her neck and on her shoulder.

She stiffened, and so did Joshua.

Timothy's voice rang out as both Lily's and Joshua's head snapped towards the sound. Timothy was shoved into the dirt path before the two, a pair of soldiers escorting him. His face was bloody from a broken nose as his tan clothes looked worse for wear.

"Now that I've got you all together." A new voice greeted them. It was pleasantly smooth and controlled. A blonde man with striking blue eyes greeted them atop a roof. He quickly jumped down, striding up towards them. "I'd like to speak with you."

"To hell with you!" Joshua barked out, struggling once more. Timothy gritted his teeth, frustration crossing his features.

"I wouldn't" The blade shifted by her neck, the sharp edge digging a little too deep into her skin for comfort. "Unless you'd like to see your friend here in worse shape."

"Bastard!" Joshua hissed, his burning anger now pointed at the man behind Lily.

"Josh." Lily growled. Her golden eyes flashing towards her friend. "Please, calm down."

A tense moment passed as the two stared intensely at each other. Joshua looked away, his shoulders dropping in defeat. The blonde man glanced between the two before speaking up once again.

"Do you know who we are?"

"Soldiers." Lily stated, her eyes scrutinizing as she thought about it. "Survey corps."

"So you're aware of us."

"Hardly call it awareness. I just know what that symbol is supposed to mean."

"Supposed to mean?" The blonde man quirked a thick eyebrow, his face holding open curiosity. Lily scowled, her jaw surprisingly sore as she tensed it.

"Wings of Freedom." She stated bluntly, her tone flat. The implication was left unsaid as she held his blue eyed stare. Not exactly freeing right now.

"Why do you think we are here?"

"Stop beating around the bush already." Joshua snapped from his position. "You're just going to kill us anyway, why make us wait?"

"We're not here to do that actually." The man replied smoothly, glancing calmly at the brunette before his attention switched back to Lily. "We've gone through the trouble of apprehending you due to some information given to us by an anonymous source. I'm assuming your Lillian Carter?"

Lily's gaze turned apprehensive as she held his stare. Her chin lifted defiantly as she withheld her reply.

"He asked you a question, Idiot." The man behind her stated. He roughly grasped a hand into her hair, yanking her head back so she could see him looming above her as he gave her a narrow eyed glare. "Answer it."

The temptation to spit in his face right there and then was impossibly high.

A stupid notion that would clearly result in a harder time for her. She held his glare for a moment with one of her own; she would not cower away from him so easily.

"I am." She hissed up at him. His grip in her hair dropped, her neck twinged with pain as he roughly knocked her head forward. She winced momentarily "...What of it?"

"Lillian. The knowledge you possess in that diary of yours could bring humanity much closer to knowing the secrets to the Titans." The blonde man leveled a gaze with her. "It is paramount that we possess this knowledge you keep. Your cooperation would be highly appreciated."

"Am I being interrogated?" She gave the man an incredulous stare, a pit forming in her gut as she fought with her body to keep composed and calm. A prickling sensation creeped up her neck as she stared intensely at the other man

"Not quite. An offer is more likely." He paused a moment, letting it sink into the air as Lily's face morphed into something more akin to suspicion. "You answer any questions pertaining to the diary. You assist us on our expeditions, and then you and your comrades will not be turned over to the Military police."

"More likely? That blackmail!" Timothy interjected, his face locked into a look of grief as his weary eyes flickered between the group apprehensive.

Lily was silent. She knew they'd be executed, even if she took the blame for the Military Policemen's death, they still have bounties on their heads. The situation was grim, death by Titans or death by execution. Neither are pleasant.

Something in the back of her mind echoed. A memory? She frowned inwardly, something in her being was trying to tell her something. She took a moment to seriously study the faces of the soldiers, all familiar but she couldn't recall why.

"What are your names?" Lily asked bluntly, her expression carefully guarded as she stared at the blonde man. He seemed somewhat startled by the question, whether or not it was because he forgot to introduce themselves, or if they hadn't expected the question was unknown to her.

"I am Commander Erwin Smith, 13th Commander of the survey corps. The man behind you is Captain Levi, though you might know him better as humanity's strongest," Lily's eye flashed with recognition. Levi Ackerman, Erwin Smith. Yes, that seemed correct. A small, very tiny part of her felt proud of lasting so long against the Ackerman. Had she known it was him of all people, maybe she would have surrendered right then though, she can't be sure. "The others are Eld Jin, Gunther Schultz and lastly Section-Commander Mike Zacharias." Also the man currently pinning Joshua down, Lily noted.

Her soul burned with a passion she hadn't felt since arriving in Paradis. This was where she had intended to go all those years ago, when she had vowed to make it out of the underground. To make a difference. Had her memory truly faded so terribly? She shook the thought from her head. That was a problem for later.

"Counter-offer." She stated, her golden eyes leveling with the Commanders. His brows rose at her firm tone, intrigued by her words. An amused sound came from the Section-commander as she caught the surprised looks that passed over Gunther and Eld. She didn't give them time to interject however.

"The three of us will join you, I'll part with all knowledge I know and will pledge my life to your cause. However, only if you allow Tim and Josh a minimum of five years of service. Once that time is up they have the ability to leave with full Citizenship for aboveground. If they choose."

She could see both Joshua's and Timothy's expressions morph into fearful shock, Tim had flinched back so violently that Gunther and Eld had tensed as a result. Joshua was first to break the silence.

"You can't be serious- we'll die out there!"

"And we'll die here if we fight it." Lily snapped, her eyes intense as she held his brown ones for a second time. "Lyra asked us to live, I'm going to get you that chance."

"And what about you Lil?" Timothy's voice was quiet as he held her golden gaze. "You're suggesting you won't leave. You'll die working for them."

Her face morphed into something bittersweet, a memory of a conversation with Lyra passed by her as she looked at the pair.

"I have a feeling had we made it Topside, I would've ended up in the scouts regardless."

"Then we are agreed?" The commander interjected, a curious look on his well trained features. "Five years of service, in exchange for Citizenship above ground for the two men. And a life commitment, as well as your knowledge in return?"

Lily nodded her head firmly. A fiery look of determination alighted in her golden gaze as her face schooled itself into a neutral state.

"We are agreed."

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My strength isn't my writing but its definitely something I want to improve upon. With that being said my strength is my art, and when there are times I can't think what to write, or how to express anything in written form I turn to my art to dish out some inspiration. I have a gallery all set up for your viewing pleasure over on Devianart. Feel free to visit /sshaye and find the collection "Lillian Carter" the link will also be in my bio.

Sincerely, enjoy.