Previously:
"Well, didn't you say something about Mr. Auruo being in the same class as you?" Heidi asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"Yes, that's right." Petra answered with a nod.
"We graduated when we were your age, but we're both 19 now." Auruo added proudly.
"… Ehhh!?" Heidi exclaimed, gaping at him shock.
"Hahaha… He looks a lot older, doesn't he?" Petra said with a wry smile while Auruo sweat-dropped, chagrined. "By the way, Heichou doesn't look it, but he's over thirty."
"Oh, Heichou looks really good for his age." Heidi said with a calm smile. That wasn't nearly as much of a surprise to her, because she was already used to certain people looking much younger than they should… like her grandfather, for one.
"Be more surprised, dammit!!" Auruo snapped indignantly with a vein throbbing on his forehead. What was with that nice smile right after she had just looked at him like he had grown a second head!? This brat really knew how to piss him off!
Chapter 21: The 57th Expedition
Starting the very next day, instead of actual combat, their training consisted mainly of memorizing the expeditionary search formation conceived by Commander Erwin. The new recruits were to be positioned between the transport and search and support squads. They would lead the backup horses and be in charge of relaying messages. However, things were a little different for Eren and Heidi…
"We in the Special Operations Squad will be right here: Line 5, in the center, on standby." Gunther explained, pointing out their position on the diagram.
"That's pretty far back…" Eren remarked.
"Well, this is the safest place in the entire formation. We're going to get more protection than even the supply wagons." Gunther said. "Remember, this short jaunt outside is just a trial run for the real deal, getting you to Shiganshina District. This time our objective is nothing more than to 'go outside the wall and come back alive'."
"…" Eren and Heidi both stared down at the diagram thoughtfully.
'… Is that really all?' She wondered, furrowing her brow slightly. She couldn't quite put her finger on it yet, but something was really bothering her. The way Commander Erwin had revealed so many of what she had thought were supposed to be 'classified' details during his speech was almost like he had been trying to bait someone… And he and Levi Heichou and Squad Leader Hange had been meeting more and more frequently without them… In fact that's where Heichou was right now.
"Um…" Eren said, looking a little uneasy as he glanced at his hand. "I… wasn't told yet what to do with this power of mine, if it becomes necessary… Aren't we getting a little bit ahead of ourselves…?" He asked, concerned.
"… Did either of you understand what the Commander meant by what he asked you back then?" Gunther asked them, referring to the day Sonny and Bean were killed.
"Huh?" Eren said, looking surprised. Heidi furrowed her brow slightly as she thought back.
Who do you think the enemy is?
'Could it be…?' Heidi wondered with a frown.
"Did you understand it?" Eren asked the veterans.
"Nope." Erd answered honestly.
"Don't look at me." Auruo told them.
"No." Petra answered.
"I didn't get it at all either." Gunther admitted. "Maybe there's a purpose to this mission apart from just going out and coming back alive. But if so, the Commander has decided that it isn't necessary for it to be explained to the rank and file." He added as he rolled up the map of the formation. "Either way, our duty is merely to head out and come back. Trust the Commander."
"… Yes, sir." Eren and Heidi answered dutifully.
"All right, that's it for today's training." Gunther said. "Let's head back to the castle."
'Trust, huh…' Heidi thought, feeling troubled as she followed the others from behind.
As they came out from putting their horses back in their stalls, Eren and Heidi noticed a crowd of familiar backs standing on the other side of the stables.
"Ah!" Heidi gasped.
"It's them…" Eren said, sharing a look of mild surprise with her. They were herded back to the castle as soon as Commander Erwin finished his speech, so they hadn't gotten a chance to see who was still left on the drill field yesterday. So they did join the Corps…
"Auruo, do you mind if we go talk to our classmates for a bit?" Eren asked as they both stared up at the older man with pleading eyes.
"Tch… Fine, make it quick." Auruo told them, a little unnerved by how much Heidi's cuteness factor had suddenly shot up. Seeing those two monstrously powerful brats trying to act cute was just plain disturbing…
"Hey!!" Heidi called out as she and Eren ran over to meet up with their friends for the first time since the Battle of Trost.
"Mikasa! Armin!" Eren shouted.
"!!" Mikasa flinched upon hearing his voice and immediately whipped her head around.
"Ah, Eren! Heidi!" Armin said, happy to see them both again.
"It feels like I haven't seen you in ages!" Eren told his old friends.
"For real!" Heidi agreed. "How is every—"
"Eren!" Mikasa said anxiously, cutting her off before she could ask about the others, as she grabbed Eren. "Have they done anything terrible to you? Did they poke around every part of your body? Did they torture you psychologically?" She asked urgently.
"N-No, nothing like that…" Eren said, taken aback. Where did she get these weird ideas…?
"Tch! That twerp's too full of himself… One of these days I'll be sure to give him what he deserves…" Mikasa muttered darkly with a scary look in her eyes.
"You… You're not talking about Levi Heichou, are you…?" Eren asked nervously, eyeing her warily. The last thing they needed was for her to try to pick a fight with him…
'I knew it… She's still furious about the trial…' Heidi thought as a bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of her face. There were few things more frightening and dangerous in this world than an angry Mikasa.
"Yo, Eren! Heidi!" Connie called out as he and the rest of their classmates came over to join them. Including their circle of friends, twenty-one members of the 104th trainee class had decided to join the Survey Corps.
"Heidiiii!!" Sasha cried, glomping the redhead with all her might. "I was so worried I almost couldn't eat!"
"Ahaha… It's been tough on you, huh?" Heidi said with wry smile, sweat-dropping. Sasha was so relieved, that her nose had started to run. "Sorry about disappearing like that…" She apologized. She was really glad to see that they had all survived.
"You guys joined the Survey Corps, too!?" Eren asked, surprised to see that almost their entire circle of friends was present. "Then only Annie, Marco, and Jean joined the Military Police? And Peter and the rest joined the Garrison…"
'Good riddance.' Heidi thought, glad to be rid of him. It's not like she wished him dead or anything, but maybe now she could finally have some peace without him there chasing her around all the time. "… Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned when she saw the looks on their friends' faces.
"Marco is dead." Jean announced grimly as he came up behind them.
"Huh!?" Heidi gasped as her eyes widened in horror.
"Jean!? What are you doing here!?" Eren shouted in surprise, freezing when his words sunk in. "Wait a second… What… What did you just say?" He asked numbly as he and Heidi both stared at Jean in shock.
"Did you say… Marco's… dead…?" Heidi asked, stunned, praying they had somehow misheard or misunderstood.
"Apparently, not everyone gets to have a dramatic death." Jean said solemnly. "I don't know what his last moments were like… But he wasn't wearing his 3DMG… He died in some place where no one saw him, and no one knew."
"Ah…" Eren said softly, horrified. No way… He couldn't believe it…
"Marco…" Heidi said sadly, clutching her chest, and closing her eyes tightly as tears began to form in them.
"Eren…" Jean said, stepping closer. "Eren, I heard you tried to kill Mikasa when you transformed into a titan. What the hell was that about?" He asked gravely.
"You're wrong." Mikasa said as everyone who hadn't already known this started to get nervous. "Eren was trying to swat a fly…"
"I'm not asking you." Jean said seriously. "Mikasa, that scar on your cheek looks pretty deep." He told her, pointing to the same spot on his own unmarked face. "When did you get it?"
"!" Mikasa said as she quickly tried to hide it with her hair.
"…!" Eren gasped, disturbed when he realized it must have been his doing. "It seems like it's true… After turning into a titan, I tried to kill Mikasa…" He said regretfully.
"'Seems like?' So you have no memory of it?" Jean asked. "In other words, until now, you had no idea you even possessed this titan power, and have no means of keeping it under control?"
"Yeah… That's about it." Eren answered seriously, sweating nervously. He didn't want to lie to them.
'Eren…' Heidi thought while Jean and everyone else stared at him with grim expressions on their faces. Jean looked down for a moment before turning to face the others.
"Did you hear that, guys?" He asked. "I guess this is where we stand. This is what our lives and the fate of humanity ride on. This is what we'll die for, and like with Marco, Eren probably won't even know about it." He stated somberly.
"…" Eren said, looking down, unable to meet their eyes. He couldn't deny any of it.
"Jean…" Mikasa said sternly. "What good does it do to put Eren on the spot like that?"
"Look, Mikasa… Not everyone here can just go die for Eren without getting anything in return like you, you know." Jean retorted calmly.
"!!" Mikasa said, surprised.
"All of us, including Eren, should know… what we'll be giving our lives for." Jean said solemnly. "Otherwise, we might start hesitating at the most crucial moment."
"He's right." Heidi said seriously. "I joined the Special Operations Squad because Eren's my friend, and I wanted to help him… But I joined the Survey Corps for myself. I have other things that I want to protect, too."
"Right." Jean agreed, glad they were on the same page. Everyone had their own circumstances. They all had plenty to live for. "We're seeking something from Eren in return. Please, make sure to be very precise when weighting the worth of your own life against that of all those sacrificed for it." Jean said gravely as he grabbed Eren by the shoulders. "That's what I'm… really asking of you… Please… We're really counting on you!" He said anxiously.
"I… I will…" Eren promised solemnly.
–∞–
Later, as the sun was setting, Heidi and Eren were cleaning out the stables together. They worked quietly without talking. Both of them had a lot to think about.
"I'll go get some more water…" Heidi said when she noticed how dry some of the troughs were.
"Yeah…" Eren responded absently as he continued to rake the manure from one of the stalls.
Heidi had just finished drawing more water from the well when she heard the sound of a galloping horse draw near. She looked up and saw that Levi had returned.
"Ah, Heichou. Welcome back." She greeted him.
"Yeah…" He said as he slowed his horse to a stop and dismounted. "... You smell like horse-shit." He commented with a frown when he got wind of the odor that had permeated her clothing and was now wafting off of her.
"Thank you, sir. That's just what every girl wants to hear." She deadpanned in response as they headed for the stables together. "Heichou, I've been thinking…" Heidi said tentatively, pausing for a moment.
"Sounds dangerous." He responded drolly.
"Only if I'm right." She quipped, letting the sarcasm roll off like water on duck's back. "Heichou, is… is there a fox in the henhouse?" She asked seriously. Levi stopped and glanced back at her.
"Oh, so figured it out after all…" He remarked calmly. Erwin thought she might. "And I suppose you want to know what we plan to do about it?"
"No, it's better if I don't." Heidi answered, surprising him. "I'm not good at lying to people I like, so it's probably better if I don't know too many details... For now, it's enough that I know you have a plan. I trust you, Heichou." She stated solemnly.
"…" Levi stared at her for a moment before turning away and continuing towards the stable with his horse. "All right." He could see from the look in her eyes that she really meant it. She was a good kid. He hoped she wouldn't end up disappointed.
–∞–
One month later, the entire Survey Corps assembled before the outer gates of Karanes District, ready to embark on the 57th expedition. Squad Leaders Hange and Mike were at the very front with Commander Erwin. The Special Operations Squad was placed much further back, near the supply wagons. Heidi's horse fidgeted in place, raring to go.
"Easy, Snee…" She said soothingly, stroking its mane.
"Commander, it's time!!" One of the soldiers on the wall shouted. "We've led the nearest titans some distance away! Thirty seconds till the gate opens!"
"This is it!! Now the human race takes another step forward!!" Squad Leader Darius' deep voice boomed as he rallied the new recruits. "Show us the results of your training!!"
"OOOOHHHH!!" They roared in response over the rumbling of the opening gate.
"The gate is open!! The 57th expedition outside the wall begins now!" Commander Erwin bellowed as he led the charge forward. "Advance!!" The trampling of their horses' hooves was like thunder as they all raced out of the gate into the abandoned town on the other side.
"10-meter class titan approaching from the left!!" Someone shouted.
"Shit! One got past!" A member of the support squad cursed as he and his partner chased after it. "Defend the line at all costs!!" He ordered as they attacked.
"Hnh!!" Sasha whimpered as she raced past them, uncomfortably close to the titan.
"Don't flinch!!" Her squad leader ordered her. "Trust in the support squad and keep moving forward!"
"Advance!! Advance!!" Darius ordered the rest of the recruits. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of Heidi's face as she kept her eyes on the road ahead of her while she raced alongside Eren and the rest of Squad Levi. The support squad would back them up until they got past the abandoned town. After that, they would reorganize themselves into the Long-Distance Enemy Detection Formation that they had spent the past month learning.
"Auruo! Do you think they… Can our cadet classmates defeat titans?" Eren asked they neared the edge of the town, following the road to the stretch of vast, open land that lay just beyond it.
"!" Heidi said as she gripped the reins a little tighter in her hands.
"Huuh!?" Auruo asked incredulously. "What the hell have you been doing this past month!? Listen, you little shit… Expeditions outside the wall are all about not engaging the titan—Ngh!!" He winced in pain as he bit his tongue again.
"Formation for Long-Distance Enemy Detection! Deploy!!!" Erwin ordered as soon as everyone was out.
"Eren… I'm worried too, but we need to focus on what we're supposed to be doing right now." Heidi said determinedly once they were safely in place. "Remember, those guys wouldn't be here right now if they hadn't survived the battle at Trost. They know how dangerous titans are now. They know better than to try anything too reckless out here."
"Ah… Yeah, you're right." Eren said tightening his grip on the reins. "Those guys won't die so easily…" Levi was silent as he kept he kept his gaze forward, watching the sky for flares. It would be great if that were true.
About an hour or two later, several green flares were fired to indicate a change in direction.
"Auruo, fire the signal." Levi ordered.
"Roger that, sir!" Auruo answered dutifully, drawing his flare gun.
'It's like there are no titans around at all, even though we're outside the wall… Is it because this is the safest spot in the formation?' Eren wondered as Auruo fired a green flare.
'From here, it appears as if everything is going smoothly…' Heidi thought as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. 'But I wonder if that's really the case? It almost feels like things are too quiet…' Of course, she didn't want anyone to die, but statistically speaking, there were bound to have been victims on the front lines by now… And she knew this mission wasn't as simple as it might it seem on the surface. Heidi was starting to get a bad feeling in her gut…
"I've got a message!!" One of the soldiers working the relay shouted as he came galloping towards them. "The right flank lookouts have suffered a devastating blow! The right flank is now blind to enemy movement!" He reported urgently. "Please pass this message on to the squads on your left!"
"!" Heidi gasped, furrowing her brow. The entire flank!?
"…" The crease in Levi's brow deepened. So, it had begun. "You heard the man, Petra. Go." He ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Petra answered dutifully, leaving to relay the message immediately.
'The right flank!? That's where Armin is…' Eren realized, sweating nervously. 'But I'm sure Armin and the other guys are stationed closer to the center. The titans couldn't have gotten that far in.'
"!?" He and Heidi gasped as more flares were fired a distance away on their right.
"A black signal!?" Eren cried in alarm, while Heidi furrowed her brow. "A deviant appeared!?"
"Eren, you fire it." Levi ordered, forcing him back to attention before he could panic.
"Yes, sir!"
"What a mess…" Levi muttered with a fierce look in his eye. "The formation has been penetrated that deeply?"
'A titan… right over there… Below that flare… are people fighting it right now?' Eren wondered as he drew his flare gun.
'To have already made it so far in… Something tells me this isn't just your average deviant…' Heidi thought worriedly as her eyes trailed from the warning signals in the sky to Eren as he fired another black flare. 'Could it be… Eren isn't the only titan-shifter out there…!?' Her eyes widened in shock as all the implications connected to that idea hit her. 'If so, then it would all make sense… The intelligence shown by the Armored and Colossal titans, and the way they were both able to vanish as suddenly as they had appeared… It was because they had gone back to their human forms and blended in with the crowd of evacuees!' If that's the case, then… Those two had been living among them for the past five years! They probably still were, and it was either them, or someone connected to them who had killed Sonny and Bean in order to hinder their efforts to learn more about titans! 'Then the reason they stopped their attack short before breaking Trost's inner gate was…' Her eyes widened in realization as they flicked back to Eren. '… No way… does that mean… Are they coming for Eren!?' She looked ahead again, keeping her eyes in front. 'Think, Heidi, think! Like Heichou said before, the commander has obviously already thought several steps ahead, so… Assume he knew they were targeting Eren. If that's the case, then fighting on flat, open land would be a huge disadvantage for us, so why did he order a change in direction away from the next town…? West of here is…' "Oh!" She gasped suddenly, startling Eren and Auruo.
"W-What is it!? Don't scare me like that, you shitty brat!" Auruo snapped indignantly.
"Ah…" Heidi said, sweat-dropping as she realized she had just said that out loud. "Sorry, I uh… got lost in thought about how to catch a certain fox…" She apologized a bit lamely, glancing at Levi's back out the corner of her eye, hoping he had understood that.
"Huuh!?" Auruo said incredulously. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"Aren't you the one who told me to focus earlier!?" Eren said pointedly, looking extremely disappointed in her. Their friends could be dying, and she was daydreaming about woodland creatures!?
"That's not good, Heidi." Petra scolded her, concerned. "You need to pay attention so you can be ready for anything."
"That's right! This isn't a school field trip!" Gunther barked indignantly, also looking extremely disappointed and unimpressed.
"Rookies…" Erd said with a sigh.
"Ugh…" Heidi groaned as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. She knew what it must look like from their perspective, but did they all have to gang up on her like that?
'Sounds like she figured something out…' Levi thought, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead as they continued west.
