The four men were adjusting themselves nicely as newly developed soldiers within the walls. They trained, they followed orders, and they worked harder than ever before. Never before had they ever believed that they would be in the position that they are in today.

Keith was called in for a routine examination to see how his physical progress was making out since he had joined the brigade. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He walked into the room as per usual and was graciously greeted by the smiling older Dr. Isaac Tulp.

"Morning Doc, what's on the agenda today?"

"Oh the usual, now sit up straight and let's just check your heart."

Keith responded to the request and began to breathe as accordance to the doctor's command.

"So how are things going with Miss. Watson being your squad leader?"

"Oh her, she is fine. Fantastic even. I'm rather enjoying her as my squad leader."

"I bet you are," Isaac stated pulling away.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The doctor jotted down his notes with a smile, refusing to say any word towards Keith. He peered from his notes and cocked his eyebrow.

"I just noticed how close the two of you have gotten, and so quickly over the last few months."

"And you're point is?" Keith asked as he stood up to be weighed.

"Oh nothing, just forget I said anything."

Keith shrugged off what Isaac had to say as annoying banter. During his visits, Isaac would usually pull at Keith's strings. However, he wasn't the only one he would do that to. The other three always fell victim to Isaac's teasing. The doctor had eyes and ears everywhere and yet no one could pin point where he was getting his information. It was the greatest mystery of the brigade. All in all, the teasing was all the same. Lucas would get teased for being too forgiving of crimes. Jack was teased for scaring the little kids on the streets. Nicholas was always teased about over stepping people's toes. Overall the doctor had developed a lasting relationship with the four men.

It wasn't long before Keith realized what Isaac was referring to. He took notice on the little hints here and there that he was once was oblivious to. The stunning squad leader seemed to have treated him differently than the others. She was kind and gracious and yet to the others she was strict and harsh. It had never occurred to him before until it was pointed out.

Robin was giving out orders to the squad as Keith was standing behind her. He had specific orders of his own that he needed to follow, but he still listened in to the orders she was giving the others. However, as she was standing before him he began to notice something he had overlooked before. The woman before him was beautiful, her long brown hair dangled passed her shoulders. Her body was fit and strong something that Keith admired most about her. Overall she was a gorgeous woman and he never thought about it until now.

Once she had finished giving out her orders she turned around to face him as the squad dispersed. The minute that their eyes locked, Keith could feel the sweat starting to form. He started feeling nervous being in her presence. It was a feeling he had not experienced in a long time. At this point he was unsure of what to do, he didn't think that he would be able to comprehend any words towards her. She stood before him with a small smile on her face.

"What's wrong Keith, you look like you're about to pass out or something," she said with a laugh in her voice.

She walked passed him placing her hand on his shoulder. Keith stammered and couldn't think about what he wanted to do.

"What is wrong with me?" he asked himself quietly.

"What was that?" Robin called out.

"Nothing, I'm coming!" He snapped out of it.

Later that evening Keith was lying in his bed. He couldn't stop thinking about her, it was driving him crazy. Her laugh, her smile, everything about her was running through his mind it was making his heart pound hard in his chest.

Lucas came into the room and was curious over the wide eyed Keith. He approached him with caution and gently waved his hands over Keith's face. It seemed to have snapped him out his trance. Keith was alerted and sprung upright in his bed with eyes still wide.

"Man, are you going to be ok?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to be fine…I think?"

"You think, good that's a start. Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"I…think….I think…." Keith stared at Lucas concerned.

Lucas stared back gesturing for him to carry on.

"I think I have feelings for Robin."

"Your squad leader?"

Keith nodded in response with his jaw dropped at the realization that he admitted his feelings.

"Well I'll be damned. I thought you'd never admit it!"

Keith was confused by what Lucas was saying. He didn't quite get what he was referring to and asked for him to explain. Lucas went on to say how he would watch the two of them interact with each other. They were acting close to one another even after a short period of time of knowing each other. The two of them were flirtatious with one another it was almost sickening to others in the brigade. Although not a problem within their line of work, it was a factor that others were jealous of. After many years of trying to be at that level with Squad Leader Robin, they were beaten by a rookie. Nicholas had even commented on how close the two of them had become to Jack. Jack was sickened by the thought, but nobody took romantic advice from him.

Keith fell back into his bed and realized how blind he was to everything. He felt like he was a kid again experiencing something new. However, he wondered about the whole thing. He realized that with these feelings stirring up inside him, he had moved on from his past.

Time had gone by as the four men became well recognized within the brigade. Nicholas had worked hard enough within the ranks that he had earned himself the rank of Vice-Captain. Jack became a squad leader after the retirement of his previous leader. Keith and Lucas were switched into the same squad under Nicholas. They were considered to be the elites of the group and therefore deemed highly valuable.

The beloved doctor and friend retired. When he said his goodbye's to Keith and the others, he promised them that if they needed anything from him to come find them. He vowed that if they were in any trouble in any shape or form, then he would help them to the best of his capabilities. With the parting words, Dr. Isaac Tulp separated from the brigade.

Keith gained the nerve to confront Robin of his feelings. At first there was shock, but then there was relief. She too felt the same way towards him. The two of them pursued a relationship with one another. Not long after came a marriage. The wedding was a beautiful one. All who were able to make it from the Military Police Brigade showed up in their formal uniforms, the Sidonia circus family members were there. All of Robin's friends and family were there and happy to see them marrying.

As Keith stood before his soon to be wife, he gazed out at the smiling faces of his friends and family. There was one person that caught his interest. They were standing at the very back of the room up against the wall. Their face was completely concealed, but he was able to make out a smile. He could see a glisten of a tear on their chin. There was something about this person that he recognized, but he couldn't quite figure out who it was. He turned back to his bride with a smile as she was radiating with happiness before him. He quickly turned back to see if the figure was there, but they were gone. He wanted to know who this person was, or maybe the person was even there to begin with.

The newlyweds were happily ready to start their life together. Robin was discharged from the brigade upon her request. She felt that she may return one day, but for now she wanted to enjoy her life and family to be. Keith sat at their new dining table in their new house as his new wife was happily sharpening his knives. Keith had told Robin everything about his history. He even informed her that he was an outsider. When she heard this news, she was in shock and couldn't quite understand what he was saying at first. It started out as an argument between the two of them with her believing that he was playing a joke on her. Soon, she believed what he was saying when he would tell her stories of his childhood.

Robin was excited to know that there was a whole world beyond the walls that no one knew about. Keith was glad to hear of her acceptance of everything and was relieved that she would keep this between the two of them. However, there was one matter that was important to tell her. It was something he had never told anyone before, not even those within the circus. There is but one other person who knows of his secret and that was it. It was hard for Keith to tell Robin for he was unsure of how she would handle what he was about to tell her.

The two of them sat promptly at the table. Keith sat at one end as she sat on the other gently humming away a tune.

"Robin."

She stopped humming and looked up from the knives.

"I have something very important to tell you. Hate me if you will, but this is very serious and being married to you means that you have to be aware of this."

Robin was silent and very concerned. She hung on to every word that he was saying. When the secret finally came out, she didn't want to believe him at first. She called him insane and an idiot for making things up. Keith's only response was that he was not joking and that he was completely serious on the matter. The tone of his voice was solemn and his facial expression was serious. That alone was enough to send Robin into a state of shock. She really didn't understand what he was telling her until he proved it to her.

Things between the two of them were rough at first, but they remained together. It didn't take long before the two of them started talking normally to each other. The news was a bit of a shock for her but she was able to look past it and see the man that she married. She loved him no matter what the circumstances would be. Not long afterwards Robin had something of her own to share with Keith.

Keith and the others were gathered in the mess hall with a couple of others from the brigade. They were all enjoying each other's companies while having a few drinks. The night was young and the men were having fun. In the excitement and laughter Keith stood up from his chair and raised his glass high.

"Fellas, I'd like to make an announcement to you all!" he shouted.

Everyone at the table was watching Keith with smile as other nearby were listening in.

"Well spit it out," Nicholas shouted raising his glass.

"I'm going to be a father!" He shouted with glee.

The men at the table cheered in delight at the exciting news.

"Wow, this little weasel is actually going to be a dad?" Nicholas teased putting his arm around Keith.

"Can it, you're just jealous that I started a family before you did," Keith nudged him off.

"Congrats man, have you thought of any names yet?" Lucas asked.

"Well sure, Robin and I talked about it briefly but nothing is set in stone just yet?"

"Well go on, let's hear them?" said one of the fellow soldiers at the table.

"If it's a boy, I want to name him Sebastian after my father. If it's a girl, then…" he hesitated for a minute, "I want to name her Emilia after my mother….or Lana."

He looked at the group of men with a smile on his face. There was a little hurt behind his smile and the others could see it. Lucas patted him on the back to comfort him and poured him another drink.

The night continued on as the men happily drunk themselves silly. Their commander was not impressed with the fact that they were found passed out in the hallways. Each of the men received a form of punishment for their excessive drinking as each of them agreed to never take it that far again. Their pounding headaches solidified their agreement.

The year was 845 a year after Robin and Keith had married and since he had been in the Military Police Brigade. Keith had woken up to a note sent to him from his wife Robin.

Keith,

The baby and I are doing great. He is sleeping well through the nights. Dr. Tulp has been much help, I owe him. I hope you are doing well. I can't wait for you to return home on your next day off. Tell the others I say hi and to get back to their duties. My sister has currently settled in and will be helping me when you aren't home. I love you and miss you.

Robin

The note made him feel warm inside. He missed the nights he would share with Robin and his newborn. However, he had something to look forward to. He had sent a time off request to Nicholas that was approved. This would enable him to spend a whole month at home with his family. Although he didn't much care for his sister-in-law Alexandria, he at least managed to get along with her at a reasonable level.

Today was the day that Keith was going to be stuck indoors doing paperwork. Since he had been in Nicholas' squad, it was now part of his duty to assess soldier's abilities and assign them specific duties based on his findings. He quite enjoyed giving orders to other people, it gave him a sense of power.

He stepped into the small office he was given and sat down before the small desk. On his desk however was not the usual paperwork he was used to. There were schematics of some kind. He picked them up and gazed at them. He couldn't quite make much of the information but he was able to make sense of the basics.

The device was meant to be worn and greatly resembled the vertical maneuvering device that they were normally equipped with. The harness was strapped around the chest, waist, and legs. The difference was where the actual device would sit. A normal vertical maneuvering device would have the gas containers placed on top of boxes where they kept replacement blades for their dual swords. One was hooked onto straps at the legs on either side. The gas containers were then connected to a spout on their lower back that had two reels on either side for the cords to launch and retract out of. The gas would then be controlled by triggers found at the hilts of their dual swords. The prints before him were different. There was one singular gas container that was drawn to sit upright on the upper back with the spout attached to it. Straps went along the arms which had a mechanism near the base of the wrist connecting to two reels on the back with the gas container.

"Neat huh?" came the voice of Lucas at the door. Since being a part of the squad, Lucas was in charge of reviewing and managing the engineering division.

Keith was startled which broke his concentration.

"The engineering department is still working out the kinks. They say that this is a device that will help us on patrols."

"What's wrong with the ones we're using now?" Keith asked.

"I think it has to do with the fact that the ones we are using now are meant for using against titans, whereas that one is more for people."

Keith looked back at the image, "Now that you mention it, there are no swords or anything of the sort that would accommodate that."

"Here's the thing though, this has to stay quite."

"Why?"

"They don't want something like this getting into the hands of the public. They say it might scare 'em. That's not all, you'll never guess who I ran into in the halls."

Keith was interested to hear what he had to say and put the paper down.

"Have you ever heard of Kenny the Ripper?"

"The same notorious outlaw that we have been after from the Underground? What is he doing here?"

"Sounds to me like he got a pardon of some sort, don't ask me why. But it also sounds like the men upstairs have something up their sleeve and it involves the first division squad."

"I'm not liking the sounds of this," Keith stated leaning back in his chair.

"I'll leave it with you then," Lucas stated walking out of the room.

Keith wanted to leave it alone, but his gut was telling him otherwise. He got up from his chair and began heading to his room. He headed straight for his closet and opened it wide. Inside was his normal clothes all on one side with Lucas' on the other. However, deep inside was a box with a dark cloak. He pulled the cloak out and began heading back to his office.

With the cloak hidden he continued his work until the right time came. In the meantime, he requested for data on any new people who may have arrived to the barracks. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, there wasn't a single person named Kenny in any of the documents. He wondered what was going on and the lack of information was driving him insane.

Night had finally fallen. Keith got up from his desk and extinguished the candle. He made sure that the door to his office was closed before he opened up the window. It had been a while since Keith had done anything like this. He wondered if he was still capable of going through with his plan. He put on the cloak and climbed out of the window and up onto the roof. He looked down to see how high up from the ground he was and took in a deep breath. From two stories high, he quietly ran on top of the roof and made his way to the opposite end of the building. He quietly started walking around listening to anything that may give him a clue of Kenny.

Down below he watched as a small group of people began to make their way to the building. A couple of them were people he did not recognized. He was sure that these were people that would give him the information that he was looking for. However, with them was Jack. The minute that he saw him, he was taken by surprise. He was almost scared of what the situation was and why Jack was involved to begin with. He wanted to know more.

Once the group had walked into the building Keith quickly climbed down and began to follow them. He remained out of their sight the best that he could. He figured that at this point it was best for him to remove the cloak and continue on wearing his normal uniform. He didn't want to cause any further suspicion.

The group headed into a conference room with Keith close behind. Once the door was closed, Keith immediately had his ear up against the door.

"Well gentlemen I guess it is safe to say that we are in the clear," came a voice he did not recognized. "As some of you are already aware, the time is approaching and it is approaching fast. We have decided who the next holder will be."

"My apologies, but I don't understand quite what is going on?" Keith recognised to be Jack's voice.

"Sorry, that's right I forgot you're new to this. Well the lovely Frieda is at her thirteenth year as the founding titan. We have chosen the next to bare the power."

"I understand that much, but I don't understand how."

"For someone who has experienced with titans as you are I'm quite surprised at the lack of knowledge you have. This will be done through a serum. We will inject the next holder with the serum. They will become a titan and in return eat Frieda. This will cause them to revert back after consuming her and her abilities. They then will become a shifter with the power of the one they consume."

"I've heard of this method before long ago. I never imagined that this actually existed."

Keith listened in horror with his eyes wide. In his years being within the walls, this was his first time hearing anything about a titan serum. He was in a complete state of shock and unsure of what to do. It was almost as if his body wasn't responding. His jaw was dropped as he could feel beads of sweat starting to form.

"Something like that really exists?" came another voice.

"It has existed for many years. It's the way our kingdom can survive through this."

"Great then what do I have to do with any of this?"

"You Kenny Ackerman, have received a pardon for your actions. I want to make a contract with you."

"I'm listening."

It dawned on Keith that the person in the room was Kenny Ackerman or better known as Kenny the Ripper. Keith began to panic further as he could feel his stomach turn. He wasn't sure if he should listen in further or if he should just make his escape now before he would be caught.

"While you two make your contract, I'm going to step out for a minute," came Jack's voice.

Keith immediately got off of the door and made a dash for his escape. He bolted down the hallway and concealed himself around the corner just as the creak of the door could be heard. He tried to calm himself down as he tried to control his breathing. He was completely overwhelmed, an experience he hadn't felt in a long time.

He made it back to his room with Lucas sleeping soundly.

"Lucas, Lucas you have to wake up," Keith said shaking Lucas' shoulders.

"Keith, what on earth do you want," Lucas said groggily as he sat up.

Keith sat down in the bed and removed his glasses to rub his face. He was trying to collect the words to say to him but was finding it hard where to start. Keith started to believe that Jack was keeping secrets with them since their days within the circus. He had a feeling that Jack may have been involved with Madame Nina and Caroline. He feared for what was going to happen next. He wasn't sure what could happen, or if he could even trust Jack anymore.

Lucas was very concerned for his friend, "Woah, I haven't seen you like this since, well since Lana disappeared. What happened to you?"

"Lucas, there is something that I have to tell you, something that I should have even told you long before we came to this place."

Keith told Lucas everything about what he knew about the serum. He told him about Madame Nina's plans and Caroline's background. He told him everything right up to the conversation he heard with Jack in the conference room. Lucas sat their amazed at what he was hearing. He couldn't make sense as to what was going on. It was like Keith was speaking in a different language.

"Slow down, I can't understand a word you're saying anymore."

Keith breathed in and cleared his thoughts, "Jack may have been involved in the plans that Madame Nina and Caroline had."

"And you think he might go after this serum?"

Keith nodded.

"Ok great, now why do you suppose they want this serum?" Lucas asked.

"That's the part that I don't know and the part that scares me."

"Why does it scare you, this is Jack we are talking about. His is a brother to us."

"But this is also the same Jack who doesn't hesitate, who keeps quite about everything, he doesn't like to get involved unless it benefits him. Something about this does not feel right. I hate to admit this, but I don't think I can trust him especially after this."

"Let's get some rest. This is a lot to take in for me anyways. We'll try to figure out what to do and maybe even talk to Jack if necessary."

The following day, Keith was not eager to get out of bed. He stayed awake the entire night unable to sleep. He kept telling himself that he was overreacting, but his gut was trying to convince him otherwise. He felt very uncomfortable with the situation that had fallen in front of him.

The two agreed to just keep a watch out from now on and see if there would be anything suspicious in Jack's behaviour. As they monitored him, they saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Keith was in his office later in the day reviewing papers in regards to the overall supplies of each of the districts within the walls. He noticed out the window that there were a couple of Garrison soldiers walking around. He had seen them a couple of times before when their commander would be visiting the area. He wondered if they might have been there for the confrontation last night. He shook the thought of his head and began focusing back on his work.

A couple of hours had gone by before the door was violently swung open. Lucas stood before him with feared look in his eyes.

"Keith you need to get moving," he shouted.

"Why what's going on?"

"Wall Maria has been breached!"

The severity of the situation instantly negated anything else he had in his head. He quickly got up from his chair and ran out with Lucas behind. They met up with Nicholas and received orders to participate in preparing for the evacuees. Keith didn't think about what had happened last night. In the past, the events that had taken place the night before would cloud his judgement, but with the help of his training and development as a soldier he had a goal in place. His thoughts were clear and he was able to focus at the task. The emergency he was in outweighed any other thought he had. It was his job as a soldier to protect the people.

He and Lucas rode out to Wall Rose as quickly as they could. As they had reached their destination it was too late. Both the inner and outer walls had been broken through. The reports that were given to them stated that a sixty meter titan appeared, kicked a hole though the outer gate of the Shiganshina district, and disappeared without a trace. As titans invaded the district the townspeople fled to the inner part of Wall Maria and were being prepared to be brought into Wall Rose. As the evacuation was in progress a mysterious armored titan broke through the inner wall allowing Wall Maria to be overrun by mindless titans.

Wall Maria was completely gone. Many people had died and many people were lucky to be alive. Keith watched as all of the evacuees were being brought into Wall Rose. His heart sank at the sight. The horror that was laid out in front of him was something he could not relate to.

Lucas approached him from behind, "Do you think this has something to do with last night."

"I can't say for sure, but I don't want to worry about that right now."

Lucas looked at him and questioned his thoughts.

"Right now we have more important things to worry about. We have to deal with thousands of people fleeing Wall Maria. We have to prepare ourselves for the sake of the people. We just lost the largest land for farming. With what we have left, I'm not sure we are going to be able to sustain our population as it is right now."

"So what are you going to do then?" Lucas asked.

"Jack hasn't made any moves for years. He had plenty of opportunities since we have known him to do something. Whatever is going on right now appears to be under the direction of the Military Police Brigade." Keith paused and gazed at the sky above, "If it's under the watch of our Commander and other superiors, then I trust that they know what they are doing. Just look right now at the amount of M.P's that are working their asses off especially the higher ups," he said pointing out at the many soldiers bearing the unicorn mark, "we are all here for the sake of the people. If we as soldiers fall, then the people will fall. I don't believe that Jack wants that. Whatever he has up his sleeve, can't be that bad. He must have some other use for the serum, and if the other guy had already been in contact with it without anyone else knowing of its existence, then I think we'll be ok."

"I trust that you know what you're doing," Lucas said putting his hand on Keith's shoulders.

"I hope so too," he replied wanting to believe his own words.

The collapse of Wall Maria became a devastating loss for the entire kingdom. Many within the walls felt the outcome of the breach, not just those who were residents of Wall Maria. The fall of the one wall was just the start of the fall of the entire kingdom.