"A man with a plan…there's usually one…and it's always all about the 'greater good'…I hate that saying, 'the greater good'…that's what arrogantly rich and pompous nobles say to excuse their reasons for sending others off to die for them"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850
Spring 850
Titan Forest, 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition
"…After setting forth to establish a route to Shiganshina, the Scout regiment encountered a Female Titan…seemingly possessed of sharp cold-hearted intelligence. As soldier upon soldier fell to this new foe, the regiment retreated into a forest of massive trees…though to what purpose no one appeared to know…The apparent capture of the Female Titan came as a surprise to most…"-Trials of a Rookie, Armin Arlert
Eren could've sworn that the Female Titan was staring straight at him as the Levi squad (minus Levi) headed further into the trees. That piercing stare chilled him to his core, reminding him very much of the Colossal or the Armoured Titan. It was terrifying, they had escaped death by the skin of their teeth.
An Abnormal? He pondered staring back at the beast, No she's more like…more like the Colossal Titan. Huh, wait! So does that mean Commander Erwin was-
"Hey! Snap out of it runt!" Oluo snapped wrenching Eren from his thoughts.
"You can puzzle it all out later, right now we need you focused on moving ahead!" Petra scolded.
"Right!" Eren responded as they rode on.
Edith had moved from her crouched position, to standing upright but she kept her eyes trained on the Titans beneath her feet. The rookies had been resting on their morels for some time now, but it was still worrying how fast the Titans adapted to their situation, as dumb as they were. They were practically climbing over each other to get up the trees.
Not to mention the canon fire that had pierced through the forest nonstop, scaring off the natural wildlife. The only things that remained were the Scouts (plus their horses) and the Titans, everything else had fled.
Little shits figured out how to climb, huh? she thought gripping tight to her blades as she watched a four metre sink its digits into the bark and shakily pulled himself up the tree across from her. I suppose if they come up any further we can always move…I hope the order to retreat comes soon though, we might run outta tree before it comes.
"Hey Ed, you reckon that's canon fire or what?" Ryan asked from the branch above her, "I mean, what else makes that kind of noise?"
"I dunno, I mean if that is the case why didn't we see them bring any canons in?" Edith replied glancing up at where her friend was crouched. It doesn't make a lick of sense, what are we even doing here?
"What do ya say we move outta the way?" Jean suggested receiving a nod from both Edith and Armin. The trio moved further into the trees with Edith going up and inwards while Jean & Armin went straight in where they found perches that still overlooked the incoming Titans. "Ugly bastard's really getting the hang of it. At this rate, he's gonna try his hand at building a damn treehouse"
"The alarming thing is that it shows that they can learn; an unpleasant thought" Armin replied.
"I'll say" Ryan muttered.
"Of course they probably all develop at different rates"
"Hey Armin, they want us keeping these Titans outta the forest, right? I think I just figured out why. We're here to lure that Female Titan into a trap. Come on, what else could it be? It's like you said, there's a person inside it, steering the thing and Commander Erwin wants to find out who" Jean interjected up.
"I suppose that makes sense" Edith piped up with a thoughtful look on her face. The boys listened as she mused aloud, peeking over their shoulders at her but never once letting the Titans out of their sights, "I mean the thing clearly showed intent and intelligence of some kind when it first arrived"
"What? Why didn't you say anything, then?" Jean demanded turning to fully face the girl.
"Well I was a bit preoccupied with being swallowed, so y'know…" she reported sassily, "Damn! That's the second time! I'm either really lucky or really stupid"
"I'm going with the latter" Ryan teased with a grin.
"Oi!"
"Oh you're so cute when you're mad!" he cooed.
"Why you-!" Edith growled raising her hands and mimed strangling him. Ryan just laughed.
"…So that was the plan from the start? We weren't flying by the seat of our pants?" Eren asked turning in place so that he could get a look at the members who surrounded him in the trees, "Look, I'm not complaining. I get keeping it from me, but come on? Keeping you guys in the dark? You'd think you'd earn a little more trust than that, right?"
"Damn! You're annoying" Oluo barked.
"I hope you're not suggesting the Captain kept the plan from us because he thinks we're a liability!" Petra snapped.
"Sorry, but I am! It's the only thing that makes sense!"
"ENOUGH OF THIS! PETRA! KNOCK THE TEETH OUTTA HIS SKULL!" Oluo burst out. Edith's right, Eren thought looking over at the taller man's outburst, He really does remind me of Jean. Especially like that.
"Look, I hate to say it, but the kid's got a point" Eld butted in.
"Huh?"
"For being supposedly instrumental to the plan as we were, the Captain didn't give us much to go on"
"So what?" Gunther asked.
"It means he doesn't trust us, kinda big deal. C'me on you guys, think about it. Maybe Eren isn't the only one who can change, maybe someone in the Regiment's a Titan spy. It's the only way all the pieces fit"
"A spy? Are you sure about that?"
"Well, no. I'm sure the Commander believes it. He'd have to and I'd wager you anything, the only people who know about it are the survivors from five years ago"
"Of course, that's gotta be it"
"I concur whole heartedly. Hear that snivel-drop there was a good reason" Oluo added.
"Right, yes. A perfectly good reason" Petra muttered, "And heads up, after the fall, in their position what's the best way of narrowing down the list of suspects to a manageable number? Shiganshina is probably when the spy got in"
"So you think this person's responsible for killing Sonny and Bean?" Eld asked.
"Possibly. In fact, after it happened, the Commander asked me this odd question"
Eren jolted slightly at that confession, his mind racing to that moment as he stood in the courtyard of the former Scout HQ gazing upon the evaporating Titan corpses. "What is it you think you see? who do you think the real enemy is here? Erwin asked suddenly popping up between the newest recruits. Edith jumped at his sudden appearance, muttering a curse under her breath as she spared a glance at the Commander. "Ignore me, loaded question"
"So that's what he meant, of course!" Eren muttered.
"If we'd known the answer to that question, he probably would've let us in on what was happening today. Though then again, I don't think any of us really could've" Eld continued.
"Speak for yourself my friend, I knew. I just decided to keep my own council, doubtless you appreciate the reason for my silence" Oluo gloated.
"Which would be…?" Petra played along.
"Oh come now, surely you all know? Dear oh dear, perhaps I've said too much already, well one day when you've reached my level of expertise…"
"Look, we all get that you like to pretend you're Captain Levi, but that's not how he sounds" she deadpanned.
If we pull this off, we might learn what the Titans are all about. But even for that…was it worth letting so many people die? Eren worried.
"You think the Commander was wrong to leave us outta the loop?" Ryan asked the others as they watched the Titan before them fall to the floor where it lay in a heap.
"Well, he certainly wasn't in the right, why put so many of our lives at risk just because one of us can't be trusted?" Jean replied from his spot next to Armin and below Edith & Ryan.
"We probably could've smoked out the spy, maybe saved some good people. Then again, who wants to accuse their friends of being a traitor?" Edith added.
"He did what was necessary" Armin grit out.
"Are you seriously trying to defend him?! Do you now how many of us died so that the Commander could play intrigue?" Jean spat.
"Of course I do, all I'm saying is that it's easy to judge in hindsight. At the time though, there was no way to know how things would turn out. He's the Commander, not a soothsayer. He had to act on what he had, period. He had to choose: a handful of us or all of us. What would you have done? He made a decision; he sacrificed a hundred lives for the good of mankind"
"I suppose if we live long enough, we might just figure out why Erwin was chosen as the Commander and why even people as cagey as Captain Levi follow him" Edith murmured.
"Well that's a cheery thought" Ryan muttered.
"I may be naive" Armin continued, "But there's one thing I do know beyond all doubt. Genuine harbingers of change must be able to do what others won't dare, sacrifice their heart, accept the burden of doing the unspeakable. Whether we like to admit it or not the fact is this: to rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity. That's the irony really, if you can't let it go, it's not worth holding onto!"
"…Sina, Armin! With logistics like that, I'm glad you're on our side" Ryan whistled once the blonde had finished ranting.
"Poor thing, can't so much as bat an eyelash, can we? Must be terrible frustrating, get used to it my dear. Biology can often times be a curse, case and point: the more your wounds heal, the stiffer your joints become!" Hanji gushed gazing upon the Female Titan, "Now what in the world is the hold up on the extraction of our esteemed guest? It won't get any easier, strike while the iron's still hot, I say"
At that moment, Levi and Mike leapt down from their perch with blades drawn as they set their sights on the nape of the captured Titan. However, before their blades could pierce skin, the Female Titan harden her skeletal hands forming some sort of crystal barrier. Shards of crystal and broken blades flew, leaving the Titan relatively unharmed much to the surprise of those present.
An impressive ability! Erwin thought as Mike showed him his blunted blades. So she can harden her skin to protect portions of her body, similar to the one who rushed Wall Maria, the Armoured Titan, I believe they called him.
Down below, the crystals encasing the Titan's hands fell away leaving the unharmed skeletal hands behind. The question is, how many blade strikes would it take to finally chip our way through? Too many in any event, time is short.
Erwin signalled for another round to fire. "Yes sir?" a Scout from the Wagon defence squad asked landing next to Erwin.
"Prepare an artillery round, I want her hands blown off" Erwin commanded.
"With all due respect Commander, there's a risk if we use the canons. The hands will get blown off, but whatever's beneath them will too, sir"
"A valid point soldier, which is why you'll aim carefully and sever them at the wrists. On my signal I want an all out salvo"
"Yes sir"
"Knock knock" Levi taunted from atop the Female Titan's crown. Whilst Mike had returned to the canopy after their first attempt at slice the beast open. "We know you're in there, so why don't you make this easy and come on out & stop wasting our time? Seriously, what can you possibly gain by stalling? If you're thinking we'll let you go, we won't. If you're thinking about trying to escape, don't. All you should be thinking about is the good men you killed today"
Levi sighed, narrowing his gaze on the back of her head, "Not that you would, it's not your style is it? Remorse, you enjoy killing which means we have something in common. Of course, I enjoy killing Titans but it's a start, I'm sure we can still find some middle ground"
The Female Titan kept her head bowed and her hands clasped tightly over her nape as she listened to Levi rant and rave. "Oh that's right, while we're on that subject let me ask. You're okay with me cutting your limbs off at the joints, right? I mean they'll grow back. I'm actually talking about you real body, don't want you dead just yet the timing wouldn't work"
Abruptly, the Female Titan snapped her head up as much as she could and let out a ferocious roar that ripped through the forest. Trees shook & rattled with the scream. Many Scouts scrambled to find a hold on the trees, fighting to stay upright while others hooked themselves into the trees and slammed their hands over their ears at the sudden noise.
What the fuck was that? Edith thought eyes wide once the terrifying roar ceased.
"Edith please tell me that was your stomach" Ryan breathed, his scared expression meeting her own. It took a minute for what he said to register.
"Oi! What are you trying to say, Ryan?"
"Nothing!"
"Hey, what's that?" Armin asked looking towards the horizon where a large dust cloud gave way to a horde of Titans that were fast approaching.
"Holy shit!"
"What the hell is this? They're all going in! Why are they ignoring us all of a sudden? " Jean exclaimed watching the horde sprint into the forest as if in answer to the call.
"Maria's tits! Are you telling me they're all Abnormals?!" Edith cried as she followed the others into the forest in an attempt to shorten their numbers.
"Who cares?! Just get slicing!" Ryan called coming up on her left.
The flurry of blades and blood that followed the Scouts were only marked by the evaporating Titan corpses they left behind them like a macabre trail. It wasn't until the last of the stragglers had managed to slip through their defences that the rookies came to a stop, resting for a moment as they awaited their next lot of orders.
"Oh thank Sina! Finally!" Ryan breathed upon sighting the blue signal flare, ordering them to retreat.
"Hold on, you telling me it's over?" Jean questioned.
"I guess we're done here. C'me on Ryan, we're on body duty" Edith added, dropping from her perch to join her fellow medic in the recollection of the fallen.
"Alright! Let's saddle up! We're going home!" Gunther relayed having spotted the blue signal flare from where they hid.
"Chop chop, rookie. One would thing you'd be beside yourself to get an eyeful of who drove that gargantuan thing" Oluo commented standing up from his crouch.
"You really think they found out who it is?" Eren asked as he knelt to refill his empty gas canisters.
"Of course! All thanks to you" Petra chirped.
"Wha-? I didn't do anything" Eren protested.
"You learned to trust your fellow members of the squad, that's big. The sort of thing that turns out well for everyone involved actually. A lesser man in your position probably would've buckled and then where would we be?" Eren felt himself swell at the praise, not many people handed that out so freely nowadays.
"Oh please! Why not just ruffle his hair, while you're at it?" Oluo complained, breaking up the moment. It was clear that the man was envious of the moment between the two, his crush on Petra showing itself in full force.
"We'd be exactly where we are now, without of course having had to endure his insistent whining. Don't wait for me to decorate your path with pink and white rose petals. Survive the journey home and I might be persuaded to respect you, but the mission isn't over! Not till we're through the gates, do you understand?"
"Yes sir. I completely understand" Eren drawled. Geez the similarities between him and Jean are uncanny!
"Oluo! Petra! I gotta hand it to ya both, for someone who wet themselves the first time out, you've come a long way!" Eld praised once everyone had refilled and headed back to rejoin the ranks.
"AH! I THOUGHT WE AGREED NEVER TO SPEAK OF IT AGAIN!" Petra exploded in embarrassment. Holy shit! Seriously? Eren thought in shock.
"Relax! Incidentally, I've never once pissed myself" Eld grinned.
"How dare you! I have the highest kill count of anyone on the damn squad! Imbecile!" Oluo argued.
"If you wanna hide behind your kill counts, be my guest!"
"Shut your hole!"
"So did it like, rain down on everyone midair or what?" Eren asked still stuck on the whole hero's pissing their pants thing.
"ENOUGH! NO ONE CARES WHO PISSED WHOSE PANTS! FOCUS ON THE JOB AT HAND!" Gunther called over his shoulder at the head of the pack,"FOR THE RECORD, MY SHORTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRY"
"Erwin, why did you order Levi to replenish? There's no time" Hanji finally questioned as she and the surviving weapon defence squad rode out of the forest, following the failed capture of the Female Titan.
"You saw the Female Titan get eaten" Erwin replied referring to the horde of Titans who had appeared at her call and began to devour the body, "But did we actually see the person inside suffer the same fate? I didn't"
"Ah! You mean…"
"Yes, your hypothesis is correct. This isn't over. We're dealing with someone like Eren, someone who generates in and out of Titan form. Suppose they equipped themselves with ODM gear in advanced? Suppose further that they also disguised themselves in one of our uniforms, what would their next move be? How do fare against the enemy, when they're one of your own?"