Chapter 12: What Must Be Done Now?


'The daughter you left behind grew up well, Odd,' Erwin thought. "All right. We'll begin your training as soon as you've recovered. Until then, carry on however you normally would, and be careful when answering questions. If anyone asks what you were doing outside the wall, say that you got separated from your squad and chased out when you ran into a deviant and were unable to return soon after finding yourself surrounded by the titans inside Wall Maria," he instructed her, ready to leave and deal with some other pressing matters that needed his attention.

"But won't they discover I'm lying?" Heidi asked, concerned. "The squad leader I was with..."

"Every member of the advance team, with the exception of yourself, was wiped out within the first few minutes of the wall being breached," Levi stated matter-of-factly, watching as her eyes widened in shock. Their victory had come with a heavy price. "Besides, they have bigger fish to fry," he added as he and Erwin turned to leave.

"..." Heidi closed her eyes sadly as she thought about the squad whose names she hadn't even had time to learn before they died. "Grandpa, I know you said Sasha was all right, but are you sure you haven't heard anything about Eren and the rest?" she asked worriedly. Erwin and Levi froze in the doorway upon hearing that.

"Eren? Eren Yeager...?" Erwin asked as they glanced back at her. Heidi looked at them and was a little taken aback by how grave their expressions had suddenly become. "You know him?"

"Yes, he's a friend... Is something wrong?" she asked tentatively, furrowing her brow with concern. "Did... something happen to Eren?"

"According to numerous reports, Eren Yeager... became a titan and sealed the breach in the wall," Erwin replied carefully as they gauged her reaction. Heidi was genuinely shocked.

"W-What...?" she asked, stunned. "But... Eren can't be a titan... He hates them," she said as the crease in her brow deepened. "He wants to wipe them off the face of the earth."

"How ironic," Tollak muttered under his breath.

"Be that as it may... It doesn't change the fact that it has happened," Erwin told her as he and Levi stepped back inside the room. "If you want to help your friend, I suggest you tell us everything you know about him, before it's too late."

"... Too late?" Heidi asked warily. She didn't like the sound of that.

"Your friend is going to be put on trial," Levi stated bluntly. "The Military Police want to dissect him."

"!" Heidi gasped. "Th-They can't!" she exclaimed, horrified. "Didn't you just say he saved everyone!? Titan or not, he's still our ally! I don't know what's going on, but if we have a human who has the ability to control a titan on our side, then isn't that a good thing? He might even be able to seal the holes in Wall Maria!"

"We think the same," Erwin said seriously, glad to hear they were already on the same page. "But it's thanks to the uproar over Eren's situation that they aren't looking too closely at yours." Heidi clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"What can I do?" she asked, looking up at them with determination burning in her eyes. "Tell me. If there's something I can do to save Eren, then I'll do it!"

"You be quiet!" Tollak barked, delivering another swift blow to her head. "You're in no position to help anyone right now! Just keep your head down and your mouth shut!"

"No! I refuse to sit back and watch one of my friends get killed just to save my own skin!" Heidi snapped back stubbornly at her grandfather before glancing up at Erwin and Levi with fire in her eyes. "If you're going to save someone, then please make it Eren!"

"And what will you do?" Levi asked calmly as he held her smoldering gaze. "Are you planning to die in his place?"

"I don't want that either!" she answered frankly with a straight face, perfectly serious. "But I'll manage somehow... I'll think of some—!?" Heidi winced in pain when her grandfather delivered an extra sharp chop to her head, resulting in a pain that made her feel as if her skull was about to split.

"Why can't you just shut up and think about saving your own neck for once!?" Tollak shouted angrily at her, turning red in the face. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn!!?"

"Because I'm related to you!!!" Heidi retorted hotly. There was no way he could argue with that—It was a 100% accurate, and they both knew it!

"Please, calm down," Erwin said. "None of that will be necessary. You see, we..."

"... I can't believe you actually told her the whole plan," Levi remarked later as they headed for the courthouse, staring at Erwin out the corner of his eye. Not only that, but the burden of training Heidi had been very casually pushed onto him despite the fact that Erwin had said he would take responsibility for her. Well, he had suspected that was coming when Erwin asked him to tag along, but the commander was usually a lot more careful about who he would let in on such an important operation.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Erwin said, though he didn't look very apologetic. "She was so much like her father that I suppose I just couldn't help myself... It felt like I was talking with my old squad leader again."

"Hmph. So you knew her father... Is that why you're willing to stick your neck out so far for this kid?" Levi asked.

"You could say that..." Erwin answered rather cryptically with a small smile. "After all, I owe her father a great debt."

—∞—

After eating her fill, Heidi slept through the rest of the day and woke up the next morning to find that her grandfather had left a short note to let her know he was returning home and to write if there were any problems.

'He's so difficult...' Heidi thought with a wry but affectionate smile. He could've just woken her up, but then she knew her curmudgeon of a grandfather always seemed to become strangely considerate at the oddest times. She suspected part of his reason for letting her sleep was because he hated goodbyes, and he was probably worried about leaving Jacob on his own for too long, even though he would definitely insist it was because he couldn't stand having so many people crammed into one place. Being a seasoned misanthrope, he had always relished his isolation and hated unexpected visitors. He was such a shut-in. She attempted to stretch, but still found it difficult to move. She hoped there was a method for reducing the recovery time in that old book, because this was just pathetic...

BAM!

"!" Heidi was so startled that she nearly jumped out of the bed when the door abruptly slammed open, and a very excited and androgynous brunette wearing goggles swanned into her room.

"Heidi, right~? Did you have a good sleep?" he or she asked pleasantly, smiling brightly at the surprised redhead. "I'm sorry, I meant to come by sooner, but it's been so busy around here these past couple days that I completely lost track of time! Anyway, I've had a look at the book your grandfather gave us, and I think this might help you recover a bit faster!" he or she said, holding out a tall cup that appeared to be filled to the brim with muck. "My advice is to drink it fast!"

"Uh... What exactly is this supposed to be, um... is it 'sir' or 'ma'am'?" Heidi asked a little awkwardly, gazing at the dark liquid with open suspicion.

"Oh!" the stranger gasped as his or her eyes widened slightly in realization. "That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Hange Zoë, a squad leader with the Survey Corps. It's nice to finally meet you while you're actually awake, Heidi," Hange said with a smile, offering his or her free hand as a sign of friendship. "I made this following a recipe in your grandpa's book for a special medicine that's supposed to help with muscle strain and fatigue! Oh! And, as for 'sir' or 'ma'am', either one is fine!"

'So which is it?!' Heidi wondered, sweat-dropping, as she silently wished Hange would give her a better clue to his or her gender. 'Oh, well, if the person themself doesn't mind... 'Squad Leader Hange' it is then, just to be safe,' she decided. "Ah, It's, um, nice to meet you too... Thank you," she said a bit hesitantly, shaking the excited squad leader's hand before accepting the cup of mystery muck. This person seemed a bit weird, but she didn't sense any ill intent... Squad Leader Hange must have been sent by Commander Erwin or Captain Levi to check up on her. Probably Commander Erwin. Captain Levi didn't seem too thrilled to be taking her under his wing... He probably still hadn't completely forgiven her for throwing up on him yet. And speaking of feeling nauseous, the smell of the contents of the cup she had just been handed was really... unappetizing. Heidi decided to follow Hange's advice to drink it quickly. She pinched her nose and downed it all in three gulps. "Nng!" she cringed when the vile taste of the medicine hit her and slapped a hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to be sick. She immediately grabbed the glass of water next to her bed and started chugging, desperately trying to wash the taste away. "Ugh...what's in that stuff...?" she groaned.

"... It's better if you don't know," Hange answered cryptically after a moment's consideration, deciding ignorance might be bliss in this case.

"Somehow, that answer really worries me..." Heidi commented.

"Hahaha, but it's really amazing, isn't it, beserkergang?" Hange asked, laughing off her concern. "According to what I've read so far, you and your ancestors are and were definitely human, but when suddenly exposed to extreme emotional stress or psychological trauma, a special chemical reaction would sometimes occur within the brain, bringing about certain physiological changes. For example, during berserkergang, there's an increase in blood flow to the muscles activated by diverting blood flow from other parts of the body... increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugars, and fats in order to supply the body with extra energy... the blood clotting function of the body speeds up in order to prevent excessive blood loss in the event of an injury sustained during the response... and increased muscle tension in order to provide the body with extra speed and strength. However, many times these symptoms were also accompanied by the temporary loss of hearing, tunnel vision, and the inability to feel pain. Well, these are symptoms exhibited in all animals when they enter 'fight-or-flight' mode, but I guess it's a difference in quality? I mean, what makes it really incredible is how the Amundsen clan's bodies adapted to accommodate their susceptibility to entering this condition. Even without going berserk, their (and presumably yours) muscles were naturally stronger and leaner, and their bones were harder and denser than average, which is probably why yours didn't break from punching and kicking those titans when they came at you!" Hange explained excitedly. Any normal human would have broken at least a bone or two trying that. Hange couldn't wait to see what Heidi would be capable of once she learned how to control it better. She may even be stronger than Levi!

"I-I see..." Heidi said, doing her best to take in all the information she had just been bombarded with. "... Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, that's about all I've had time to read so far..." Hange admitted.

"Oh," Heidi said, not sure what else to say. "Well, if you have the time, would you mind telling me what's going on outside? I haven't seen anyone else yet today, and I think it'll still be awhile before I can walk around, so..."

"Ah, of course," Hange said, nodding in understanding and suddenly becoming a bit more subdued. Anyone who could move had been out helping with the clean up of the aftermath of the battle, and tonight they would be holding a memorial while they finished cremating the remains they had located. "Actually..."

—∞—

Meanwhile, Erwin and Levi were finally meeting the infamous Eren Yeager face-to-face.

"Eren. Do you have any questions?" Erwin asked. The boy seemed more than just a little bewildered to find himself suddenly awake and in such strange situation after being unconscious for so long.

"..." Levi glanced sideways at one guards on duty, whom he had noticed was giving Erwin a rather disrespectful look, and the guard immediately straightened up and dropped the attitude.

"Uh... um... Where am I?" Eren asked nervously after a quick glance around. Why was he behind bars? Why was he in chains?

"You can probably see that for yourself, but this is an underground cell," Erwin answered calmly. "Your person is currently in the Military Police's custody. They finally gave us permission to speak with you just a minute ago."

"What's next? What about the trainees who were hanging around with me!?" Eren asked anxiously, hoping Mikasa and Armin were all right.

"We're hearing them out. Those two, as well as anyone else who might know something of your past," Erwin replied. "What we're going to do now... won't be much of a change from how it's been so far," he added, holding up the key to Eren's basement.

"Ah! I know that key..." Eren said, surprised.

"Yes, it's yours. I'll return it to you later," Erwin said. "The basement of Dr. Yeager's home in Shiganshina District... where you were born. That's where the secret to the mystery of the titans is. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir... I believe so... That's what my father said," Eren answered a bit nervously.

"You lost your memory, and your old man is missing, eh...? Now that's a convenient..." Levi remarked cynically. His story had even more holes than that vomit girl's.

"Levi... I thought we had already established that he had no reason to lie," Erwin said, glancing at him out the corner of his eye. After all, Heidi's account of what she knew about Eren from before and after the fall of Shiganshina agreed with the testimony given by the other two cadets who were supposed to be even closer to him. Her exact words when vouching for him were: 'He's an impulsive hothead, and he can be a little scary sometimes, but he's not a bad guy. I was there the day he vowed to wipe out the titans as we were fleeing Shiganshina together. Out of all of us, Eren has always been the most motivated when it comes to killing titans.' She had also suggested that Eren's inability to remember what had happened to his father was the fault of a repressed memory, which was not completely unreasonable. In fact, it seemed the 'new' information about his parent's basement appeared to have been just that, remnants of a buried memory. "There's still a lot we don't know, however..." he said, looking back at Eren. "What I think we need to do now is to ask what it is you want."

"... What I want?" Eren asked, surprised.

"To inspect your house, we would have to recover Shiganshina in Wall Maria. It would take drastic measures to seal the hole in that gate quickly. We would need your titan strength," Erwin explained. "Like it or not, the titans have a definite influence over our fates. Perhaps the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan function the same way you do. Your intentions hold the key... the 'key' that can allow humanity to escape this hopeless situation."

"...!" Eren gasped. "... I... I, uh..." he said hesitantly, starting to tremble, as he lowered his head.

"Oi. Give us your answer, scumbag," Levi ordered. "What is it you want to do?" His eyes widened slightly when he saw the look in Eren's eyes as he raised his head again. There was a savage and dangerous look in the kid's eyes as he stared at them. Eren Yeager was trembling with rage; oozing murderous intent.

"I wanna join the Survey Corps... and kill those titans," he declared boldly as his wide, manic green eyes pierced through the darkness of his cell.

"Oh-hoh... Not bad," Levi remarked out loud. His sharp, grey eyes gleamed in the torchlight. He could see what Heidi had meant before by 'scary'. There was something fundamentally different about this guy. "... Erwin," he said, pushing off the wall he was leaning against to approach Eren's cell. "Tell the higher-ups... that I'll be vouching for him." He clenched his fist around one of the iron bars separating them from the human-shaped beast inside. He was surprised that idealistic little goody-two-shoes was able to get along with a monster like this. "Not that trust him in the least. I just wanna be around to kill him if he ever goes rogue and starts a rampage. I doubt the top brass will disagree... After all, no one's better suited for this job." With training, Heidi might be able to take him down without killing him, but that was a big if. "All right, son. You're in," Levi told Eren. "Consider yourself a member of the Survey Corps."

—∞—

"Hey, wait!" Hange said urgently as Heidi stumbled out of bed. "I'm impressed you can already move again, but it's probably better if you don't... You're still recovering."

"But... you just said they're having the memorial service tonight!" Heidi reminded the squad leader, furrowing her brow. "I wasn't able to help with the clean up, so the least I can do is attend this and pay my respects to the ones who didn't make it."

"And what are you going to do if you go and something triggers another 'episode'?" Hange asked, stopping her in her tracks. "I understand how you feel," Hange said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I've lost people before, too... but it's better for everyone if you avoid anything that might set you off until you're able to control your berserkergang better. It might be hard to keep avoiding your friends like this, but it's for the best. For now, you need to stay away from anything that might have the potential to upset you."

"... All right," Heidi said dispiritedly after a moment, sitting back down. Squad Leader Hange was right. She couldn't risk putting her friends in danger like that, especially after everything else they had already been through... As much as it hurt, she was going to have to ignore Sasha and the others until she knew she could control herself. Heidi clenched her fists but stayed where she was, hoping that she would be able to explain everything to them once she was stronger. Heidi and Hange both glanced up as the door creaked opened.

"Oh, Miche! Are the commander and Levi finished?" Hange asked as a blonde man with a thin mustache and beard entered the room. He nodded and leaned in close to sniff Heidi, who leaned back in an attempt to maintain her personal space, a little weirded out by the sudden invasion of it. There were some really unique people in the Survey Corps...

"Ah, Heidi, this is Miche Zacharias. He's a squad leader too," Hange explained with a smile, as if it were all perfectly normal. "He has a habit of smelling people he meets for the first time..." Miche smirked to himself as he finished sniffing the younger girl. "... And then smirking."

"Hmph... Just like her father," Miche commented as he straightened up, feeling a little nostalgic. "Come on, let's go. Erwin's waiting," he told Hange as he turned away from Odd's daughter.

"See you later!" Hange told Heidi cheerfully with a little wave.

'I-Is he saying... I smell like a thirty-something-year-old man...!?' Heidi wondered worriedly she watched them both leave without another word.