Chapter 2:

Women are from Venus

Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps, ran his eyes at the foreign objects before him, careful not to touch anything. Somebody made the mistake of fiddling with a small metal canister from the team who had retrieved it and was rewarded with a flash of blinding light, smoke, and sound that left three other soldiers incapacitated for a day. There were nine canisters of the same designs carefully placed on a table along with other weapons found—small, throwing knives with black handles, a long dagger, and three black handguns with 200 rounds of ammunition in boxes—suggesting that the person whom these things belonged to was skilled and dangerous.

Other than that, laid out in the room on tables were personal belongings that were easy enough to classify—unusual clothes, two pairs of shoes, food unlike they have ever seen before in packs and cans, water in clear bottles that were not made of glass, a bottle of wine in a cushioned, velvet box, and other personal items, along with the bags made of light, water-resistant material that carried them. On a separate table were the items that interested him most—books written in a foreign language, notes, and pens carefully placed in clear bags containing pictures made with so much precision and detail, it was impossible to think they were simply drawn. They were something else. A map showing lands and bodies of water, a small, rectangular glass, and metal object, a pouch filled with coins and paper currency, and lastly, a leather wallet containing a black metal card, elaborately embossed in gold of insignia of the letter S that could have easily belonged to the nobles and a card which bore the woman's likeness, printed on the side.

The person who these questionable items belonged to was in another room, locked and guarded 24/7 by the Special Forces Squad. It was easy to infer that the woman had been traveling before her mode of transportation had crashed in their area. To where? From where? It had been three days ever since they brought her in. She had not woken up from her coma as the storm persisted.

There were three facts about the current situation. One, the woman came from another place, a more technologically advanced place judging by the items in her possession. Two, no one outside of the Survey Corps knew about her existence. There was no mention of the incident in the official report and he had placed the whole Corps under a gag order about the 34th Scouting Expedition to the public. Lastly, if her existence was revealed, it will place her life and the whole Corps in danger.

Erwin picked up the map, and carefully studied it; a small, triumphant smile appeared on his lips.

After all, revelations come in flashes, much like lightning.

X.x.X

Pain, more often than she liked, woke her up. A dull persistent throb on her temples forced her out of the mercy of unconsciousness—that and the low voice of a man speaking. Was he talking to her? The rain fell in a rhythmic patter against a window; the gentle, lingering scent of tea filled her first conscious breath and it made her groan but effectively jostling her out of the haziness.

She sat up in reflex, eyes wide open, only to be overcome with dizziness and her head throbbed harder. Immediately, she bowed her head and closed her eyes, massaging her temple while her other hand fisted on the blanket.

Where am I? What happened? I'm not dead! I'm not dead! Oh, gods! It hurts!

Relief, incredulity and pain slammed into her whole being making her shudder. She was absolutely sure that anyone caught in a freak thunderstorm would've died, the hovercraft had died and she had been flying over the open sea. She should've fallen to the sea. Alive! What are the odds! The thought made her shake her head in disbelief.

A hand rested on her shoulder breaking her from her reverie. Taking a deep breath she looked up to intelligent grey eyes assessing her. A dark haired man was kneeling by her bedside; if it weren't for the craziness of it all, she could've better appreciated the sharp handsome face that had leaned in, bewildered.

Another wave of vertigo washed over her, forcing her to turn her head down and shut off the swirl of the world around her. The sharp high pitched sound rang again in her head worsening the ache and dizziness she felt. She swayed one more time when an arm went around her shoulders and she reflexively leaned towards the chest that accompanied it.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. She repeated like a mantra, realizing that she had been gritting her teeth and as suddenly as it had come, her dizziness dissipated, along with that annoying ringing. Head bowed low, she forced her eyes open, her hair concealing what was happening around her. Vaguely, she can hear him speaking in an urgent tone to someone who had entered the room. A handkerchief was held to her nose, confused, she touched the hand that was helping her, pulling away slowly to look at it. Oh, a nosebleed.

She was being gently pushed backward; obliging, she reclined on the hard pillows, still clutching the handkerchief to her nose, staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling. Soon enough, from the corner of her eye, two other strangers entered the room—all wearing a uniform of khaki jackets, white pants, and brown knee-high boots—looking at her in varying levels of curiosity, excitement, and concern. The brunette woman in glasses was talking to her, eyes popping in excitement as she sat down on the side of her bed. She took her pulse while she was speaking. It made her frown, she was talking to her but nothing seems to come through in her mind, the sounds muffled. She stared at the people one by one, from the dark-haired guy who she first saw to the tall blonde with thick eyebrows looking at her in interest and the woman who was now clasping her hand as if to reassure her. Blinking at them in sudden realization, she sat up, dropping the handkerchief, her mind cleared, her heart pounded in her chest, she said hoarsely,

"I don't understand you."

She quickly took stock of her surroundings, her mind digesting information at incredible speed. First, she was not in a hospital, no white walls or gadgets monitored her condition, not even an IV drip. Just a plain room of grey stone and wood barely furnished with the bed she was sitting on, a couch and table on the side. It was as if she had been transported back in time, eerily like living in one of those historical pictures she used as references in her work. Second, she cannot understand them. It had completely caught her off-guard. She was fluent in many languages by the nature of her work and it was easy for her to pinpoint where she was based on the variations of a language. And yet she wasn't able to. Where am I?

Her destination was WanTai, coming from the edge of Imperial ZonLu to the Sta. Bane Islands, her last stop. If she were carried by the winds, those were the two closest places she may end up in, and be rescued by either country's coast guard. No, no, no. She's missing something. But, what?

Then it clicked. There was another area on the map, an infamous area her GPS had indicated just before it went out. Ships and planes had notoriously been lost and never found, the B Triangle. A deep sinking feeling washed over her. Instincts screamed at her the fact her mind refused to properly process.

Fuck. She was not in Kansas anymore.

X.x.X

Levi was convinced the heavy rain and thunder they were experiencing was tied to the woman's arrival. It had rained for three days straight, suspending activities that the Corps was regularly engaged in but gave the soldiers a much-needed respite. It also meant they had all the time to cluck like chickens cooped in the headquarters. The weather did not hamper the buzz of excitement in the air which only amplified when Erwin issued a gag order ever since they brought her in. Some of them even had the nerve to give him furtive glances when he walked into the mess hall.

He found Oluo lazily standing guard by her room, shoulders slumped and arms crossed as he stared at the wall in front of him. They had placed her in the farthest part of the unoccupied barracks, away from the prying eyes of the curious soldiers or any visiting official from other regiments. His squad was tasked with guarding the woman, the fewer people who knew how she looked, the better.

"Captain," Oluo smarted as soon as he saw him approaching down the hall.

Giving him a curt nod, Levi went inside, closing the door behind him. Petra was sitting by her bedside, a book in hand. She immediately stood.

"Captain, sorry, I wasn't expecting you," the girl said shyly, clutching the book to her chest.

"Any changes?" he asked, running his eyes over the slumbering woman.

"None, Captain. The head medic came by earlier to check on her but there's still no sign of her waking up," Petra said, glancing at the woman worriedly. "Do you think she'll wake up soon?"

"Hmph, the head medic better come up with something to wake her up," he commented off handedly before adding, "you're relieved, go get your lunch."

"A-ah, yes, Captain. Thank you," Petra stammered, giving the woman one last concerned look before she left the room.

There were always two guards stationed with the woman but it was only Levi or Petra allowed inside the room just in case the woman woke up, with Gunther, Eld or Oluo guarding outside. At times, Hange or Erwin would drop by to check on her condition but those two were more interested in the various gadgets arranged in the other room. Levi stood at the foot of her bed, arms folded in quiet observation for any changes in her person. Her unusual hair was spread in waves around her, arms resting on either side, her breath steady and showing no signs of changing. The head medic would come in at intervals, carefully forcing medication to her.

"You should wake up soon. Can't believe someone could hold their shit as you've done for three days. Hange's nuts and ready to risk blowing things up if she can just get a hand at your things," Levi talked without any purpose as he prepared tea from the little table on the corner.

Just as he was carefully pouring the hot water from the canister into his cup, an unexpected response made him pause. Slightly wide-eyed, he turned to the woman, astonished to see her sitting, clutching her temples and giving off faint groans of pain. Levi rushed to her side and cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy," he said; his voice calm but filled with concern.

The woman shook her head slightly and with seeming effort, she raised her head to look at him. Levi was startled by the intensity of the emotions animating the face that a minute ago had been unmoving and tranquil. Relief, incredulity, pain converged and fought over her. Stranger still where the eyes that looked back at him, it might have been the light but he saw the way the color of her eyes shifted from green to gold to blue, or perhaps it was a mixture of all three.

Her cry of pain broke him from his trance as she swayed out of balance and Levi reflexively held out his arm around her, allowing her to lean on him for support.

"Oluo!" He called loudly.

"Yes, Ca-" Oluo's response died down his lips as he jerked the door open. His jaw dropped comically at the sight, rapidly glancing at Levi and the woman groaning of pain.

"Oy, go call Erwin and Hange," Levi snapped at him in irritation to get his attention.

With a shake of his head, Oluo turned his focus to him and without a word ran with all the energy his excitement could muster.

Focusing on the woman, Levi can feel her slowly steadying even from the whimpers she was making; her hair covering her face. He frowned when he noticed the drops of blood that were staining the sheets reminding him of how he had found her with the blood coming from her ears. Pulling his own handkerchief from his breast pocket, he carefully parted her hair and held it to her nose. He felt her hand weakly pulling his away. He had to keep her from bleeding again; slowly he pushed her back down.

Just in time, Hange burst into the room in excitement, and promptly took his place by her side. Taking a step back to allow Four-eyes more space, he watched as Erwin entered the room calmly, but the slight twitch in his brows showed signs of his underlying interest.

"What happened?" Erwin asked as soon as he closed the door behind them, observing quietly as Hange checked on the woman.

"Hell, if I knew what woke her up, I was making tea and she was already sitting up," Levi shrugged, crossing his arms. Careful to mask the niggling concern he felt for the woman. The woman had her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Outside, the rain had slowed down to a drizzle.

"Hi, my name is Hange Zoe. You're in the headquarters of the Survey Corps. We found you in the Forest of Giant Trees. Do you remember how you got here?" Four-eyes babbled excitedly as she took the woman's hand to check her pulse.

The woman seemed not to hear her question until she frowned and sat up, dropping the handkerchief. Confusion clouded her face and she looked at them one by one, a slight panic slipping into her multicolored eyes as she spoke, leaving them dumbfounded.

"Hindi ko kayo maintindihan."

X.x.X

For the first time in her career, Hange was at an absolute loss. Sure titans carried invariable secrets that tickled her scientific mind. But those were titans, beings she had dealt with her entire life. Right in front of her, looking at her with growing confusion and fear, was an entirely different being—a very beautiful one at that, with those almond-shaped eyes.

Hange had struggled to keep her curiosity contained from the last three days, and now that the woman was awake, another mystery presented itself to her. She turned to the two men behind her, Levi's usually impassive face had furrowed into one of concern. Consistent with how he had been unusually overprotective of the woman he found; while Erwin had a triumphant look in his eye as if he had just received confirmation of all his theories.

She scratched the back of her head, "ah, I see this is going to be harder than I thought."

She caught the woman's eye, despite the confusion; Hange can see her mind at work, processing the situation before her. Trying on a different approach, she held out one hand while the other she placed on her chest, "Hange."

Then the woman gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, her hand reaching out to shake hers, as she spoke each syllable of her name slowly, "Hi-ra-ya."

"Nice to meet you, Hiraya," Hange shook her hand enthusiastically and a hint of a smile appeared on Hiraya's lips.

Now, she pointed to the two men behind her, "Levi, Erwin."

Hiraya looked at them in turn, her eyes lingering longer on Levi before giving them a curt nod. Instead of speaking, realizing how pointless it would be, she motioned for the pitcher on the corner table, making repeated movements as if she was drinking.

"Oh, you want water," Hange exclaimed and then turned to Levi, "Levi, be a lamb and get a glass."

Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance, giving her a death glare before filling a glass that he handed first to her.

"Here you go," Hange said with a grin before adding, "water."

Hiraya accepted the glass, her hands trembling slightly before repeating the word, "water."

Ohohoho. Though she can see the apprehension in her eyes, she was without a doubt, intelligent. Hange can't help but chuckle, this was going to be very interesting, very interesting indeed. No doubt. No doubt. No doubt.

A/N: Do leave a review. Thank you! Also, help?