Chapter 4
Hearts and Minds II
The window in his office had never been something he cared much for, often preferring to focus more on a decent bottle of alcohol than looking at the city behind him.
For once he appreciated looking beyond it, seeing the blue sky above the wall, and the early morning rays of sunlight shining beyond it.
The Capital City of Mitras was certainly a beautiful sight to behold in the early morning hours.
It gave Dot Pyxis the much needed atmosphere both to relax and to think of what he had seen a few days prior.
The few weapons demonstrated by the Americans were unimaginably destructive.
He remembered when that girl, Langnar, had mentioned that the horseless carriages, Humvees she called them, carried weapons called Machine Guns. He had seen one Humvee with a young man emerging from a hole on its roof grab on to the turret on top, racking back a mechanism before the order to fire was given.
It wasn't too impressive; at least, that was what he thought at first. Sure, it could shoot much faster and accurately than a wall of men with muskets, he didn't see it as an effective anti-titan weapon. At least, until a large pine tree simply fell to the ground as the hail of bullets cut it in two from several hundred meters away.
Before he could think, a second Humvee had driven up next to the other one, and another soldier emerging from within it began firing a different kind of Machine Gun that was situated on the roof of the vehicle, one whose rounds caused small explosions on impact.
That had impressed him.
He thought back to the reaction from the MPs, the reactions could not have been more different.
They had appeared scared, not excited or fascinated.
Did they think they would lose their status and have to actually start to work now? Or perhaps they were nervous of those weapons being suddenly turned on them…
Regardless of the usual attitude from the MPs, he had been very fascinated by the weapons on display. At least untilIlse had explained how human warfare worked on the other side of the doorway.
"Well, in their world, wars are won by fighting at incredible distances. The further you can shoot with accuracy the better." She had started until he asked her "So the soldiers don't even see each other?"
Ilse had shaken her head at that question, saying "No, unless the fight is in an urban area or a building, and most militaries prefer to avoid those as they are incredibly deadly with their weapons. They are still sometimes a necessity, however."
He looked on as a much larger vehicle started firing another Machine Gun without anyone holding on to it, with far greater accuracy than the smaller vehicles.
The idea disturbed him, so he had asked "Miss Langnar, I'm curious. What need do they have for such weapons if titans are not a threat?"
He had his suspicions, but he wanted confirmation.
The very thing every commander within the walled enclaves of humanity feared was now a proven reality within the other world.
Without titans, humans would be killing each other left and right.
Knowing that didn't change much for him, but he understood with a bit more clearance as to why the King was so strict about what people did.
Though I have to admit, if fighting each other produces such advancements-
"Commander, the others are here." Anka told him suddenly, bringing him back to the present.
"Ah, yes… Send them in."
General Connor walked in, smiling, but he was followed by four other men that wore similar but different uniforms compared to his.
The small American flag the Marine general wore on his uniform had similar colors to the ones worn by the other men, red, white, blue; but these other flags were entirely different.
One appeared to be a red cross in a blue rectangle, with red and white lines moving to the corners and intersecting in the center, as if it had marked something on a map.
The other two wore a flag that was just three straight lines, the lines positioned in a vertical manner and were blue, white, and red, white in the middle, blue and red on the sides.
The other two new flags on slightly different uniforms was a red and white one that appeared to have some kind of leaf as its center.
The other one was an odd combination of three lines, black, red, and yellow, one atop the other.
"There are other countries bringing people through, but these are the observers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization." General Connor said introducing the other members.
"Ah yes, Nay-Toe for short, correct? I'm a busy man, gentlemen, so my apologies if I ask you to hurry things along." Pixis sighed, wondering what these other men wanted now.
"Well… let's skip the formalities then. We have been talking to premiere Zachary, and we have a fairly decent idea of what your industry can mass produce and what it can't."
"My, oh my, seeking to start selling us weapons so soon?"
The man with the crosses for a flag spoke, saying "Not exactly, but we do wish to begin modernizing some areas, both the infrastructure and the industry."
"That said, what weapons we actually give your people will be relegated to the special unit undergoing training, I believe we will simply be giving you the blueprints to make some of your own, jah?"
Then the man with the red, black, and yellow striped flag and a bizarre accent, not unlike some words he had heard, but certainly… off.
"People from our own countries, experts in their field, will be arriving soon to begin evaluations on what can be done to modernize… well, at least some aspects of your society." Connor added.
"Fine and good, but I don't really see what this has to do with me."
"Do you think you can lead them around? Maybe provide escorts or security?" the man with the red leaf on his flag asked.
Pixis raised an eyebrow.
"Your king does not want any… of our men in the capital, at least, armed men. We agreed, but… between us, we don't exactly trust the Military Police to do their job." Connor replied.
"There are many competent officers within their ranks, general."
"Oui, we are aware, Commander Erwin gave us a man we can allegedly trust, but that said, we would like a high ranking officer to be present as our people do their work, and Erwin will be busy leading efforts in the clearing of Wall Maria." The other man, again, a different accent compared to how the American and the other man spoke. It was the man with the cross for a flag that spoke closest to his understanding, which was certainly curious to him.
But that was neither here nor there.
"Well… my schedule is actually quite flexible." Pixis said, more than willing to take back his earlier statement.
He could use the mission to skip out on certain tedious tasks for the week!
The NATO members could have sworn that they heard someone in the room groan at the statement, but they weren't sure if it was the girl guarding the door, the young man standing next to her, or the piles of clearly unfinished paperwork on the left side of the commander's desk.
But that wasn't important right now.
No, right now the important thing was establishing friendly relations between allies.
But even the other officers could tell that the central government within the innermost wall was wary of the foreigners.
But the unclear reason for that wariness is what made them all suspicious.
While the others pondered if it was just good old fashioned paranoia, General Connor calmly plotted in case the worst case came true.
Unfortunately, information was one resource his side still lacked.
…
The UN hadn't been doing its job in the eyes of the American people, and many others for that matter. Ever since their failures during several human tragedies in Africa, Eastern Europe, and plenty of other places across the globe, people didn't take them very seriously anymore.
Especially when certain members try to use their position to virtue signal... bunch of-
To say the American ambassador despised the meetings with the "Human Rights Council" would be like saying that the bombing of Hiroshima was somewhat deadly to the local population.
Oh, it wasn't that she hated everyone on that table; it was more that she was sick and tired of the demands from certain… world leaders to be let through the Gate. Oh, allies, of course, but why on earth would the US allow smaller countries, for example, The Republic of Congo, to send soldiers and equipment when said nations didn't exactly have the logistics or technology to send them through, and especially when none of other NATO members had sent more than some observers and security forces?
Even more so when no official embassy had been established yet for anyone…
The answer, at least to her, was obvious: everyone and their mother wanted a piece of what lay in the lands beyond the gate, which was understandable, but it wasn't like this was a gigantic doorway out in the Atlantic Ocean where anyone could go through; it was a large structure sitting comfortably in the center of Times Square, New York City, New York, United States of America, Area Code 212.
And while England, France, Germany- Hell, Japan actually had engineers, scientists, doctors and could actually transport the technology and equipment that would be useful in the process of modernizing a nation that was effectively in the middle ages, the DRC, as well as many of the other nations protesting for access, had too many problems within their own borders to even consider sending anyone other than a doctor or two.
Comes off as greedy to be honest… and yet…
She impatiently tapped her index finger on the table as one of a certain member of the human rights council used his time to complain about "The Evil American Empire" or whatever they called it over there.
That's ironic considering all the human rights violations your country has committed over the years, but sure, you keep throwing the blame at us. Nothing new...
"…which is why this is a problem. You have allowed only countries that serve you to go through! This is an obvious move to push the United States further up in its influence and power. What guarantee do we have that they won't just conquer the people on the other side and claim the other world and its resources for themselves, or are we forgetting their treatment of the Native Americans? These are serious questions, and Miss Ambassador, I would appreciate it if you took them seriously!"
God damn it…
"Miss Ambassador, clearly you have a response ready. Go ahead; I yield my remaining time for you to give a response." The man said, waiting, genuine irritation lining every word.
She breathed in and let out a calm sigh before saying "Mister Ambassador, we sent our people through that gate because it is situated on our land, our allies have offered to send teams that will help us improve the conditions of civilians on the other side, and we have already made it clear that we do not intend to incorporate the lands beyond the gate as a territory of the United States. Might I add that other leaders on this very council have observers on the other side to let them know if things don't go by the book? Yes, we are allowing our allies to bring scientists and engineers to help our own, yes this will hopefully benefit us and no, we are not going to give access to nations that have openly declared their hatred of us and our allies since they were conceived. This is what America will do not only to benefit its people…"
She was tempted to smile at the now irritated ambassador across the table, but didn't in order to emphasize how serious she was about it.
"…not only will we do it because we are the only ones who can do this properly, but because it is the right thing to do. I yield the rest of my time to the Italian Ambassador." She finished, getting a very irritated glare from the now antagonized ambassadors.
Ah, silent contempt, my favorite!
She exited the meeting feeling rather satisfied at the fact she had certainly pissed off several world leaders.
Public relations be damned, who were they to tell them what to do?! At least the Security Council's more reasonable…
"Quite the speech there." one of her security guards said as she walked to her car. She didn't comment; too tired and self-absorbed to do so.
I get that they don't like us getting stronger, but what do they want us to do, roll over and give them stuff they don't have to work for? Provide military transport to nations that won't add much of anything? We would be better off letting the Russians and Chinese through; God knows they're just waiting for us to get distracted…
"I know you're tired, ma'm, but phone for you." her security guard said, breaking her internal rant, finally getting her attention.
He handed her a phone which she took and put to her ear.
"Yes?"
"Miss Ambassador!"
"Oh, hi, Kelly, how are things over there?"
The US representative had been coming and going from the Gate, occasionally giving her a heads up on the situation at hand, which was somewhat easy since both worked from New York.
Technically…
"Alright, I guess. The main FOB is about done, so the Marines have started pushing outward, taking out what hostiles they encounter. I heard Germany and Japan are sending us some engineers and special equipment… they'll have plenty of work to do in the Shiganshina district… but yeah, things are going alright overall."
"Good, good… So… how are we going with the maybe-king?"
There was a deep, disappointed sigh on the other end.
"Uh, Kelly?"
"Awful! I-it's awful! The king is apparently too tired to do anything and his advisory is dodging questions like the plague! Commander Erwin keeps telling me that they're like that, but… honestly it is seriously starting to feel like they're stalling for something."
"Well, it's only been a couple of weeks, we can wait a little… hell, if the king came and gave a speech over here anytime soon a certain someone would probably say he was just our puppet and demand some sanctions be placed on us." She muttered that last part.
"Yeah, about that... The president seems to think he is a puppet, and I think General Connor agrees."
Full stop.
"Wait, what are you saying?"
"That nobody from the expeditionary force or the Survey Corps trusts this so called King Fritz or his advisory. We're working with them because they haven't attacked us or tried to stop us… and so far they're requests aren't too unreasonable."
But the second they try something…
"You don't think the president is going to authorize a black op, is he?"
"Maybe, but he hasn't yet, I asked around, and all our special forces are accounted for. MARSOC are mostly operating at the FOB and guarding supply convoys into the walls, and we have a unit of Green Berets keeping watch over that trainee regiment we're planning on modernizing somewhat. To my knowledge no other spec ops have come through, so I doubt we're planning a coup right now."
"Well, that's good. We don't need a scandal breaking out about how we're abusing a defenseless population. Still…"
She wondered if the president was planning something to gain more information from what was truly beginning to appear to be a sort of hermit kingdom.
…
"…thus acted against divine principles and your sin cannot be greater than it is…"
"What?"
The British prime minister turned to look at the French president, saying "Commodore Perry of the United States Navy speaking to the then hermit kingdom of Japan, 1853, forever cementing not the first use, but certainly the most remembered, of gunboat diplomacy in modern history. I feel like our dear friend wants us to back him in the case such a thing becomes a necessity… or an option."
The French president shoved a hand into his pocket and frowned ever so slightly.
The meeting was supposed to be secret… at least, the contents of it were. In fact, the American president had wanted to do it face to face, which suggested two things in his mind:
Either the man wanted to gloat, or this truly was an important meeting.
"You think he'll ask for military support?"
The British prime minister shook her head, repeating "No, maybe just our backing in case he wants to-"
"Good morning!"
The friendly smile felt uncomfortably genuine as the president strode through the garden, greeting his allies. They expected as much, but they were surprised to see a seemingly meek woman who they recognized as the newly appointed director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
"…oh…" the French president mumbled under his breath, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach as CIA involvement usually meant something was going wrong, or was about to go wrong, or would be made to go wrong.
"Ah, come on, she isn't so bad-"
"You called us here because you're about to do something controversial, aren't you?"
The American President smiled and waved them to the entrance.
"Well, I guess we can skip the formalities, I know you're both very busy, but I would like to let you in on a little something."
"Oh? Are you searching for co-conspirators, mister president?" the prime minister asked.
"In a way, yes."
"…already planning on toppling a small government, huh?"
"What? No, more like beginning to get information should that become a necessity. And I would like you two to help."
The two world leaders turned to the CIA director, forcing themselves not to roll their eyes.
"Oh, don't worry; it'll be a joint operation! My top generals are all in favor of it!"
"Okay, I'll bite; what do you want us to do?" the French president asked.
"Short answer, I want you to collect some of your best soldiers, before the end of the month they will be going through that Gate in New York and infiltrating the capital of that walled society. We need information on this king and his advisors, I want to know- no, I need to know what they want, who they are, and why they are so obsessed with keeping things as they are."
Ah, gunboat diplomacy… sort of.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe they just want to preserve their way of life?"
"If I may, Mister President, the people we have encountered are very interested in our technology. The main armed forces in particular, and we have at least one scientist who is raving mad about the idea of sharing information with some of our own. She keeps harassing our officers for information on when these biologists will be going through. Yet the king and his advisory have remained eerily distant, disinterested, and willfully ignorant of many of the things we offer."
The French president scowled as he tried to come up with an understandable reason for such behavior, but in spite of the literal world of difference, he couldn't fathom why a government in such a desperate situation would ever be reluctant to get help.
At least, no good reason…
"Hmm, so, they are more closed off than even the Japanese way back in the day?"
"That's one way to look at it, but even the Japanese wanted to at least begin modernizing in order to protect themselves."
"Have you considered actual gunboat diplomacy? Just fly some Apaches into the capital and tell them to do what you want?"
Everyone looked at the British Prime minister like she had lost her mind.
"Twas but a jest!" she said in an exaggerated accent.
"We could do that, actually… or we could go with the plan my generals approved. Come on, Japan, Germany, they're all giving us some help and we have yet to begin scouting for resources! Imagine the payoff, the possibilities. Be a shame some of our closest allies miss out on some good old fashioned economic benefits…"
The French president narrowed his eyes, saying "Yeah, but why don't you just send some of your own special forces? Why do you want our own?"
"Given their odd… accents, French and British soldiers would probably fit in much easier than some of our own within the local population. But if you refuse, we can always just send some specially trained SEALs to escort my guys." The CIA director said simply.
"Look, I don't see what the big deal is. It's a simple recon op between cooperating allies, no one is getting assassinated or deposed; it's just a simple search for information."
Yeah, one that didn't go through the proper channels, but oh who cares about that anyway?
"We'll think about it." the two European leaders said almost simultaneously.
The president grinned.
…
"Ah, I love it when a plan comes together!" The American president sighed, satisfied with the day's work.
"Their reply was rather non-committal, Mister President." The director replied.
"Sure! But you know as well as I do that everyone wants a piece of that other world. I think they just want to discuss things with their own generals before making any decisions. The support we receive from our allies is also vital to…"
The CIA director tuned the president out ever so slightly as went on to talk about the importance of allies and working together and whatnot.
Politics…
The truth was that the US had no immediate need for allied forces to assist them as things stood. Even with this covert mission, there was no reason a squad of SEALS or Green Berets couldn't do the same.
The issue would certainly be the accents, but still, that's no real problem. Staying out of sight was modus operandi of these missions anyway and the king has no special forces to-
The CIA director actually paused briefly as the fact that she had no clue as to what these people were hiding or what secret weapons they had struck her like a slap to the face.
Yes, there was the ODM gear, or 3D maneuver gear or whatever they called it, which could theoretically be used against them but it wasn't like they had anything else right?
"…is how we overcome our challenges! Showing how we support each other even while working to spy on- uh… hey, you okay?"
The director nodded and followed the president, dismissing any worries.
The king was hiding something, and even if the official attitude was supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, paranoia was incredibly healthy in her line of work.
If those two don't want to send troops, I'll simply request for more men to go along…
"…anyway, I won't keep you, let your people know the plan, and I'll have John update you on any developments, alright?" the president said, concluding the speech she had mostly tuned out.
She nodded simply and went on her way.
Now in the Oval office, another issue awaited the American president.
The two other men were sitting down, facing away from him.
This was certainly a more complicated issue given the lack of information, but hopefully a line had been established.
"William! Shinsuke! How are we on this fine morning?"
The American ambassador to Japan turned first, wordlessly greeting the president, while the Japanese ambassador remained stoic in his polite and reserved greeting.
"Well, we know why you're here… let's get on with It." the president sighed.
He had tried acting warm and friendly, but the fact was that the information they were about to review was certainly going to create waves across the international community.
…
"One hundred and ninety-nine… Two Hundred…" Shadis bellowed slowly for all the cadets to hear as they slowly pushed their bodies closer to the ground, lifting themselves back up as the commandant finished each number. Just as the older man finished counting to two hundred, there was a slight pause, as if the commandant appeared to be considering continuing on for another hundred push-ups, or switching to some other exercise.
The cadets waited, expectantly, hoping against hope for a respite.
"…two hundred and one…"
No one dare let out anything resembling a protest at this point, but internally, they sighed in acceptance of the life they had grown used to.
Really, three hundred push-ups was nothing…
Colonel Parker stood by an open window, observing the scene, smiling slightly at the memories of his own time in physical training.
Behind him, a few of his rangers were ensuring the radio they had installed functioned properly as an they were preparing to send out some information that had been requested earlier.
It would be impossibly awkward and complicated, as the unit in the trainee camp would have to be communicating with the Forward Operating Base in Wall Maria, and said base would relay its message to another unit on the other side of the Gate who would then securely transmit the information over to the American capital, where a team would show it to the US president and several others. The president and whoever the information was showed to would probably rest on it for a bit, letting whatever they found out now settle before making an informed decision, then and only then would the process repeat in reverse as the president and whoever was with him asked questions back.
If they have questions left to ask… these are pretty thorough.
"You think this isn't just some other world? Like, maybe it's some alternate timeline? Or a future-"
"If that's the case, then things are a hell of lot more complicated than we could ever imagine. Honestly, I'd rather not think about it."
Colonel parker subtly turned to listen to his Rangers chatting away, theorizing about what an Asian with the name Mikasa was doing in a world that seemingly had its own race of people… unless… this wasn't just another world.
I wonder what other countries will do if this world has people identical to the ones back home.
"Alright… test, test, one-two, Hill-Zero-One, how are you receiving?"
"Hill Zer-one… you ten-one, please adjust…" the reply was drowned out by static.
The ranger adjusted the radio before trying again.
"…Hill Zero one, how copy?"
"Alright, solid copy, Rangers, you guys all set over there?"
"Affirmative, Hill Zero one. We're just waiting on the interviewees to arrive for the recording. If you have any questions, give us the heads up."
Hill Zero One was now the official code call for the FOB established within Wall Maria, and Doorway was, albeit obviously, code for the Gate that connected this world to theirs. Signal would be, understandably spotty, but the plan was to record the interview before sending it to Washington D.C, hopefully giving some very interesting information both to the US and to its allies.
"Alright, now all we need is Ackerman to come in and answer the questions." The soldier stated simply, flipping on the digital camera.
He glanced outside, noticing the dark haired girl didn't appear to be struggling to keep up with the exercise.
For that matter, from where he stood, none of the trainees seemed to be having all that much trouble in spite of their age.
Even for kids, these would be good soldiers…
Shadis entered the room a moment later, Private Ackerman in tow, interrupting the inner thoughts of Colonel Parker.
"Colonel, if I may, perhaps I could bring her family members here as well?" he asked as the girl stood quietly in the room.
Family?
"Uh, yeah, actually, they're the other survivors from Shiganshina, correct? We could shoot two birds with one stone interviewing them all at once. If you don't mind, that is." Parker said, turning to the girl.
Mikasa shook her head with little emotion.
Shadis nodded before turning out the door, shouting "Yeager! Arlert! Get in here!"
The two teenagers were there in an instant, standing rigidly at attention.
"…okay, uh you three can sit right over here, I need you to answer the following questions clearly- as in, speak clearly. We're going to record your answers for a record. That okay?"
"Yes, sir!" the three cadets said before doing as was told, taking the seats a pair of Rangers placed for them at the table where another device they hadn't seen before was almost staring back them ominously, the pitch black lens appeared like an animalistic eye to the teenagers.
Colonel Parker noticed that the two boys seemed excited, or at the very least curious, as they sat there, eyeing the radio.
The Colonel smiled before speaking up.
"Alright, you three, state your names."
"Private Armin Arlert."
"Private Eren Yeager."
"Private Mikasa Ackerman." Sounding invested, but also bored.
Might as well be private disinterest, honestly…
Parker glanced at the man monitoring the radio signal; he nodded, giving the all clear.
"Alright, you have probably noticed by now if you've read your textbook that we do have a continent known as Asia, and people from over there are, in fact, very similar to you in physical appearance. Now, this isn't a problem for us or anybody, but it is certainly a curiosity for folks back home. Private Ackerman what can you tell us about your parents?"
Colonel Parker didn't notice the look of concern on private Yeager's face.
Mikasa stayed quiet for a second before speaking up.
"They were both very kind and happy… we lived near a forest not too far from Shiganshina… father was a hunter, and my mother was a gifted seamstress…"
"They're… no longer alive?"
"Yes. Bandits killed them several years before Wall Maria fell." she stated simply.
Parker stayed quiet, but was somewhat disturbed by how detached the girl appeared to be while telling him that information.
His left hand balled into a fist below the table, away from view, and he kept his eyes on the questions he had written.
Kids had to grow up quickly in this world…
"I'm… sorry for your loss… is there anything more you can tell us about them, any relatives?"
"No, my parents told me they were persecuted within the walls, mother lost her home due to her Asian heritage, father once told me that his family was hated in the inner cities due to the Ackerman bloodline, but I don't really know what he meant by that. I apologize."
The Americans visibly winced when she finished her statement.
Parker lowered the notebook he had been reading from and looked right at the girl.
"Persecuted?"
Eyes slowly turned to Shadis as the girl nodded.
The commandant shrugged, saying "Sorry, but I wouldn't know. I once heard rumors that many in the Asian clan rejected the old king and broke many laws. It isn't impossible the previous king hunted many of them down. But you'll have to ask the current king about it for any solid information."
Parker nodded.
"Is… is there anything else you know about your family heritage?"
The girl's eyebrows furrowed slightly before turning to look at Yeager.
He nodded.
What the hell…?
"My… mother asked me to keep this a secret… I would prefer the others don't find out."
"…Mike, close the windows."
One of the rangers stood up and did just that.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't leave this room… understood?"
His men nodded.
Mikasa brought up her right arm and pulled back her sleeve, revealing some bandages wrapped around her wrist.
Parker narrowed his eyes as she swiftly removed the bandages.
"My mother gave me this mark, she said it was something that was passed through our family. She only told me to pass it on to my children when I had them… I don't know what it means for certain…"
Parker wasn't certain on what it meant, as at first glance it resembled the capital "A" many teens liked to spray paint or put on their clothes to symbolize "anarchy".
But then he looked closer at the tattoo.
"…they… sort of look like… Samurai swords… that…"
The girl tilted her head slightly, unsure of what the word signified to the other men.
"Sorry, our translated textbooks don't cover much of Asian history, but… we had people living centuries ago that used… look, I'm really not the one who can tell you about this but… thank you, this is very helpful information. It tells us that a culture exists- or existed in this world that was very similar to our own… would you mind if we shared this information with some of our leaders back home?"
"I don't mind." She stated simply.
He somewhat expected the girl to give her two cents, or at least ask a question or two, but other than adjust the ever present scarf around her neck, she remained silent as she wrapped her mark in a bandage once again.
What's up with that scarf, anyway?
"Anyway, that… somewhat answers most of our questions, actually, so thanks for that. Now, moving on, the three of you are from Shiganshina?"
"Yes sir." The three teens replied, varying degrees of enthusiasm characterized each of them, Mikasa being the least interested, while Yeager and Arlert seemed fairly excited to be talked to.
"And… the three of you were there that day?"
They nodded, their faces shifting slightly as the memories of the catastrophe were being brought up suddenly.
"I won't spend too much time on it, but you're the only witnesses we know of as of right now… I need details. Did any of you witness the Colossal titan, or at least-"
"All three of us saw it, sir. Everyone back then did…" Yeager said in a tired tone.
The colonel nodded for them to continue.
"It… it was just a little taller than the walls, his head peeked over the walls." The boy with golden hair said.
"Yeah, and just before it appeared there was a huge explosion that shook the ground." Yeager added.
The colonel blinked and raised an eyebrow.
"An explosion? Like… a lightning strike, or-"
"No sir, the…. The ground actually shook."
The girl with the scarf nodded, supporting what Yeager said.
"Did… could it have fallen from the sky or something like that?"
The three cadets shook their heads.
"We were looking at the sky when it happened-" Yeager began.
"A couple of birds were flying over the wall, remember?"
"Geese." Mikasa added simply.
"Y-yeah… then the explosion just… happened. There wasn't any warning, at least, none that we could see."
The colonel glanced at the commandant with a look of worry written across his face.
Parker rubbed his chin, wondering just what the hell they could be dealing with.
Ilse had only given them second hand information, the sheer basics of what she had heard or read, but what the eyewitnesses were saying suggested that there was some sort of actual intelligence behind the attack… unless…
"The Garrison soldiers stationed there… how ready were they for an attack?"
Shadis answered, saying "I don't think they could have been ready. The walls had never been breached, and from what I remember most of the garrison soldiers there spent their time drinking."
Parker blinked, as did the three cadets who suddenly whirled around and looked at Shadis.
"Commandant, you lived in-?"
The man shook his head, saying "Not exactly, but I was commander of the Survey Corps back then. I had to travel to it many times."
"So the Survey Corps used the Shiganshina district as a sort of stepping off point for every expedition?"
The man shook his head, saying "Every outer district was used once or twice, although I would be lying if I said that Shiganshina wasn't one of the more used districts."
Again, Parker rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Was this a coincidence, or did the enemy know that the Corps used the district often? If it was the latter, then then enemy can think… and if the enemy can think…
There just wasn't much information to go on.
Eren actually wanted to ask his commandant more about his time as a Survey Corps commander, but remained silent, seeing that the man didn't look like he was in a talkative mood.
He glanced at the American who appeared to be deep in thought as well.
If he didn't know any better, he would think the soldier looked scared.
"Is… something wrong, colonel?" he asked then, almost without thinking.
Colonel Parker glanced at the teenager with a worried expression before saying "I don't know. We don't know enough about titans to make any conclusions. Is there anything else you remember about the Colossal Titan?"
The three cadets were silent until Mikasa stated "I didn't see any skin on it."
"Y-yeah, that's right."
Yeager simply nodded.
Parker blinked before saying "Right… that's good, that's really helpful… thank you." he said, not having the slightest idea what he could make of the information dropped on him then.
But not wanting to end the meeting on an ominous note, he asked "Now, can you three keep a secret?"
"Sir?"
"You want to know why we ultimately settled on a unit of cadets that had survivors from Shiganshina?"
They said nothing.
"Shiganshina will become a step off point for operations into the lands beyond the walls. I would like to know which house, or houses belonged to you three… it will never be enough to make up for what you all lost, but, it will be a small victory."
…
"Remember! Brothers and sisters! The goddesses of the walls guard us and protect us! Our prayers are being answered as we speak! For I look and I see miracles of unparalleled glory! Who else, but the goddesses of the walls, could bless us with the means to reclaim our land? None, I say, none!"
Matt eyed the skinny old man standing on a wooden crate, as a whole crowd of civilians solemnly gave chanted quiet praises to the goddesses of the walls.
The man might as well be a minister back home, given his garments.
That said; the constant talk of goddesses and eternal protection might get him tossed out of most Christian churches in Kansas.
"So join me, my brothers and sisters! We shall be hosting a feast of thanks this every week in every district! However, I would love for you to join me in Mistra, along with the rest of the clergy, in order to collect money for the yearly sanctification of the goddess Maria, who has finally allowed for us to inhabit her once more."
God help you if you start spouting that crap in any Alabama congregation…
The balding man cheerfully hopped from the wooden crate and started talking with several excited civilians while other men revealed small bowls where one could donate seemingly anything as Matt noticed a woman drop a silver bracelet into one.
"Morons…" he overheard one of the Marines mumble. They were standing out on the street, near Isle's home, mostly just waiting for orders to move out and return to the FOB, but escorting Ilse was still their primary mission.
Especially after that little debacle with the Military Police.
Thankfully none had appeared in their short time staying there.
"Let them believe what they want, ain't no harm." Matt sighed.
"Nah, I don't care about that, I care about the fact that they're giving so much money to these pricks."
"…my church does that every Sunday, nothing wrong with-"
"You prove my point. Don't give your money away like that, dumbass."
Matt winced at the older man's statement, but remained quiet.
"You're… Murphy, right?" Matt asked after a second, trying to read the tag that was obscured by the butt of the M4.
"That's my gunner, I'm Kane."
"Kay, any info on when we move out?" the younger Army private asked.
The Marine didn't reply.
Matt wanted to ask again when he felt a presence ahead of him.
He turned back to see the priest, or minister or whatever the hell these people called their religious leaders approaching them on the street.
"You are the Americans, correct?" the man asked, a calmness lining his words, which made him difficult to read.
Matt simply nodded.
"Pastor Nick, at your service, I have a growing congregation within the inner wall, and I… I wanted to thank you men personally, but you left Wall Sina so quickly…"
"We aim to please, sir." Matt replied courtly.
"Yes, I see… you really are gifts from the goddess. Tell me, do you have a goddess in your world? Do you see them often?"
Oh, boy…
"That… really depends on who you ask." Kane replied calmly.
Pastor Nick turned to the Marine with a confused expression.
"Yes sir, many people believe in a variety of goddesses and gods, some believe in a single god, some don't believe in anything at all. Happens when you have more than seven billion different human beings living on the same planet." Matt replied.
Pastor Nick turned to Kane, as if asking the Marine to confirm the statement, something Kane did by simply nodding.
"I see… perhaps… perhaps we worship the same goddess without knowing-"
"Ah, no sir, see, I worship one God, and one God only, but we have historical evidence that he exists, and I assure you, he is no wall." Matt replied courtly.
Pastor Nick laughed, saying "I'm certain you he wasn't, young one. I believe the walls are the gifts of our goddesses, a sort of incarnation so that we may see how glorious they are, being the tallest, most magnificent structures on the face of this world."
Nobody tell him about our engineering feats…
"Well, I can't argue with that." Matt said, growing tired of talking religion.
"It's quite alright, you are still young. I am certain you will reach enlightenment."
Matt did his best to not roll his eyes.
"Now… forgive me, but… would it be possible from you to allow me to take something, perhaps some food or something from your world so that I may show our congregation? If it isn't an inconvenience of course…" Pastor Nick asked suddenly.
Kane sighed and reached into one of the many pockets on his person.
He pulled out a small silvery packet.
"Peanuts laced with hot peppers. Don't eat them unless you have water or milk nearby, seriously."
The older man was surprised, taking the small packet and thanking them before joining his other colleagues as they walked down the street.
"You're hoping he eats those, huh?" Matt asked then.
"Don't really care. Hate stuff like that on my MREs… if I can get rid of him and the damned peanuts all while helping our little hearts and minds campaign, then I don't really care what he does with them."
"Ah, I see." Matt mumbled, not really having anything else to say. He checked the M4 over, mostly out of boredom.
They were quiet for a minute, eyeing the slightly vibrant streets as the commoners walked past them, barely stopping to look at them anymore.
They had been there for a solid week at that point, not only acting as security for Ilse, but mostly observing the locals and assisting the other US forces coming through as much as they could.
Several of the civvies suddenly moved aside as a single Humvee drove slowly through the fairly narrow street, passing the Marine MRAP and Army Humvee before making a slight turn and awkwardly parking exactly at the street corner.
A pair of Marines hopped off along with a couple of men carrying medical supplies.
Kane narrowed his eyes, about to check on the radio if something was wrong, but his gunner beat him to it.
"House delivery, Kane, nothing to worry about." The radio crackled.
American aid was trickling into the walled society, and while the miracle of modern medicine could not be fully exploited while the population remained in a medieval state, there was still much that a simple box of antibiotics could do to help out.
"God damn it… copy…"
Kane glanced at Matt who had raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Ah, nothing... Just thinking that if you're really bored, you could always replace Jake in there." the soldier replied courtly.
"…I'm good. Not even seeing that girl in a dress is worth sitting next to that woman."
"Ilse does look kind of cute in that, doesn't she?"
"…you're from Kansas, right?"
"Rah…" Matt sighed.
"Moved to Jersey or sent there?"
"Parents moved me there right before my senior year, finished high school, enlisted. You?"
"Meh, don't worry about me, I just wanna know how old fashion you are." The Marine stated with a wicked grin.
Matt narrowed his eyes.
What game are you playing?
"You trying to bait me into something?"
"It's a simple question."
"Yeah, well… Grandpa taught me to be cautious…"
"Cautious about what?" Ilse asked as she opened the door. Once back home and technically on leave, the young girl had switched back to the standard civilian attire, which in this world meant that she looked like she had walked out of an episode of Little House on the Prairie.
If anything, it made the girl look younger than she was.
Kane turned to look at an especially interesting pebble on the street while Matt turned to the girl they were supposed to be guarding and said "About what one says."
Ilse nodded, an unreadable look on her face. She briefly reached inside the house and grabbed a wooden tray with five cups.
"Ma mixed some of that mix you guys gave us, you guys thirsty?"
Matt could've sworn he heard Kane mumble "depends on who you ask…" under his breath, but ignored it and took the drink.
"Orange… thanks." He mumbled and turned to the street again.
Ilse tilted her head slightly as she turned to the Marine, wordlessly asking if he wanted a cup.
"Thanks… so… how's professor titan treating our guys?" Kane asked.
Ilse simply sighed.
…
"And that's all well and good, but what I don't understand is why. How come the destruction of two cities ended the war when so many others hadn't resulted in the same?"
Jake legitimately began to wonder if slamming his head into the table hard enough would knock him out, but decided that doing so wasn't appropriate when Ilse's mother was literally in the kitchen next to them so he simply sighed and tried to answer the questions the Survey corps' resident scientist kept asking.
Unfortunately, letting you find out about nukes isn't something anyone needs right now…
The Americans had to keep some secrets from the unknowns in this world.
"Well, Germany was pretty much destroyed, and I think Russia wanted a piece of Japan, and with our own forces focusing everything on the Japanese, well, they just sort of broke and gave up. Those two cities were just the final straw, I guess." he half lied, something the scientist noticed.
"But their supposed Warrior Spirit- surely there's something you're not telling me!"
"Miss Zoe, for the love of God, I told you that I'm not a history buff, ask our commanding officers when you meet them, or hell, any of the scientists you're gonna be working with, I don't see why you have to ask me or any of our guys."
The woman let out a loud cackle that reminded Jake of nightmares he had as a child before she said "Two simple reasons my dark friend! One, they're not here yet, and two, I want to gain as much knowledge as I can. See, I know they have a head start, and I want to absorb as much information as I can before they arrive. All information is vital, including yours and your teams. So, even if it feels like a bother, I am learning from you all."
Ilse's mother looked at the woman just as her daughter came back inside with the empty tray.
"I'm still impressed by their instantaneous foods." She said as she started washing the dishes as Hanji proceeded to ask about something dubbed The Cold War, whatever that meant.
Ilse glanced at their relatively small house.
The few inside Americans were mostly just sitting around wherever they could, some asleep, others watching Jake try his best to answer Hanji's pressing questions about the world, and humanity… and how it would help them stop the titans.
If the FOB is done, and the Marines are starting to push into the more infested areas… when are the biologists going to start coming in?
She overheard voices from outside and turned once she heard the door swing open.
A tired looking captain Levi walked in with his four subordinates, saying "Not sure if any of you heard yet, but we're being called out. Erwin says we should be ready to move out, Hanji… Langnar."
Kane walked in after him and said "Yeah, the captain's not kidding, radio calls are coming in now. Hey, Jackson; got a Staff sergeant Kilroy on the radio for you."
Ilse noticed that Jake got a conflicted look in his eyes before he let out a tired sigh.
"We can continue our conversation at the base, yes?" Hanji called, perfectly content.
The American simply waved at her, non-committedly.
Ilse noted the worried look on her mother's face.
"It's okay, I signed up for this… we'll retake the wall and… and I promise things will be better than ever, mom." Ilse said, forcing as much confidence as she could into the words, hoping some of it would rub off on her worried mother.
…
"Yes, staff sergeant?" Jake asked into the radio, bracing himself for the gruff voice to come through the radio.
"Jackson, enjoyed your little R&R?"
How, there's not much to do here?
"Yes, sergeant." He said instead.
"Good, inform Matt and Dave that the three of you will continue to escort Ilse, I hear the Kane and his Marines have the same orders… regardless, head back to the FOB ASAP, the first titan clearing operations are starting and we need the firepower as well as the guides from the Survey Corps. The route from here to Trost is clear, so more aid will be trickling in, but we want the whole wall to be secure."
Jake nodded calmly before asking "Uh, hey Sarge, any word on plans to capture any titans?"
"Is that scientist harassing you again?" the older man asked in a mocking tone.
"…I-"
"Yeah, yeah, tell her to get her ass over here, she can ask the international team herself."
"Ah, understood."
After confirming a few extra orders, the sergeant cut the connection, leaving Jake alone with his thoughts.
Tell Hanji about the international team… Yeah, I don't think I'll tell her sh-
*tap, tap*
"Jesus Christ!"
Matt!
"What?!" he asked, pushing the door open.
"Err… Captain Levi suggested we clean up the house before we leave."
"Suggested or ordered?"
"Does it matter? He threw the idea out there, excellence is part of our-"
"Dude, we had to clean up after ourselves regardless… why are you so pale?"
"…Kane introduced the captain to our sanitary supplies…"
"Yeah, and?"
…
"You really didn't have to clean up our entire home."
"No, it was our pleasure to help, sir." Kane said as he shook the hand of Isle's father.
The older man nodded, saying "You boys did an impeccable job, though. Is everyone from your world so… I don't know… thorough in the job they do?"
Hell no…
"We aim to please, sir."
The older man smiled slightly before turning to the shorter officer.
"Captain, I don't want to sound selfish, but…" the man lowered his voice to a near whisper, saying "Please… bring her back…"
Losing a daughter once was hard enough on any parent, but to get them back so suddenly only to send them back into the fray after such a short time was a monumental sacrifice, one Levi found himself being glad his own family was not alive to make.
Levi simply gave a knowing nod as he moved to his horse.
Kane stood there, unsure of what to say, he simply nodded as the door opened and Ilse stepped outside in full uniform, her now red eyed mother following closely.
"Our little girl's all grown up… we'll be waiting for you here always, Ilse."
The girl didn't say anything, simply nodding as she hugged her father goodbye.
She moved to the Humvee, not saying a word.
Kane turned one last time to look at her parents, saying "Sir… thank you." he said simply before turning to the MRAP again.
Murphy raised an eyebrow as he stepped inside and strapped in.
"You alright, bro?"
"Yeah… let's just get the hell out of here…"
The sun would set in a few hours, and it was safe r to travel at night now that the Humvees and MRAPs not only had night vision equipment, but powerful headlights as well.
Team Levi got into the MRAP, Hanji returning with Jake and the others in the Humvee.
Eld suddenly asked as the engine roared to life "I take it things are different back in your world… the goodbyes, I mean."
Murphy shook his head and Kane said "No, actually… when I left home my parents reacted the same way…"
They were all silent as they slowly drove down the street in the orange glow of the late afternoon sun.
Levi spoke up then, saying "I would hope so… shows that we're still people no matter where you are."
…
"That's it? You guys just answered some questions?" Thomas asked as Eren tried to eat the small loaf of bread in peace; however that was looking rather impossible as every single cadet wanted to learn something, anything about the strangers living amongst them.
"Yeah, they want to know about the colossal titan, the things we saw that day." He said in as calm a tone as he could muster. He didn't mind answering questions, but Americans had explicitly told him to keep some things secret. He wasn't sure why, but orders were orders, and he was more interested in the fact that their commandant had once been the commander of the Survey Corps.
"But… didn't they show you anything else? Maybe some new weapon, or invention?"
"Sorry, other than some equipment to record our conversation, nothing." he sighed.
"Did they at least hint at anything about where we'll be going next month?" the teenager that was built like a wall asked.
Eren turned to Reiner, who seemed eager to get an answer.
"Hint? Uh… can't say." Eren said, looking at the ceiling, as if he found it of particular interest.
"Ah, I see… so they told you nothing at all?"
Armin swallowed his own bread and asked "Will the location matter much?"
Reiner laughed slightly, patting the tall teen next to him on the back, saying "Me? No, but Bert is kind of scared of us being taken to… the other side…"
The taller teen turned to his friend with a look of mild disbelief..
"Scared?" Thomas asked.
"With all I've read, I'm more curious than worried. Why would you be afraid?" Mina asked.
"Guys come on, no need to jerk him around, if Bertholt's scared, then I'm certain he has his reasons."
The tall teen glared at Reiner before muttering under his breath "The guns scare me, okay?"
Bert ignored the laughter as Eren asked "Uh, the guns? We trained with muskets just last year, didn't seem to scare you then."
Good point…
"It's the design… off-putting… what do you want me to say… stop laughing… please." He replied meekly.
Eren hadn't laughed, though the same could not be said about their comrades, who were now stifling their wholehearted outburst.
Thomas stopped and said "Sorry, but you have to admit, is that really what you're most afraid of?"
Something shot across the eyes of the tall teenager, and he said "That rifle alone is far more powerful than anything the titans can throw at us, especially when used from far away. Against titans, I guess it will be an excellent weapon, but what happens if they turn them on us?"
The dark tone of the question silenced the cafeteria.
Reiner blinked, saying "Bertholdt…"
"Sorry, I-"
"They won't turn them on us."
It was Eren who spoke up then, confidence in his voice as he swallowed the last piece of his bread.
"They want to help us, there's a common enemy, and we're cooperating with them. Just like in that huge war they fought alongside those… So…be…its." He mumbled the name he barely remembered.
"Soviets…" Armin corrected.
"The Soviets turned into their enemies after the war, however. Aren't you worried the same could happen here?"
The blonde grinned and cheerfully said "That's the thing about learning about their past, we can avoid the same mistakes!"
Bertholdt sighed, and nodded, saying "Well, maybe I'm worrying for nothing."
…
The American representative sighed as she entered the government building.
She wished the Military Policed allowed US troops to come in with her, but the fact that they had agreed to not bring in any modern weapons into the capital put a damper on that.
For now…
Thankfully, plainclothes security didn't carry any visible weapons, and the Garrison escort appeared more competent than the Military Police officers lazing around.
Though I would prefer an MP5 to an old musket any day...
She found the meeting hall empty except for the man she now knew to be Deltoffe, who was reading some papers.
"Ah, Miss… is something wrong?" he asked upon seeing her.
She smiled as politely as she could before saying "I would like to ask the king some questions about his… Asian subjects."
Deltoffe blinked, confused for a second, and then said "Oh! The old Asian Clan?"
"You… know about them?"
"Awful story, but I don't know all the details. Supposedly when the titans were overrunning humanity a hundred years ago, a small clan from the orient entered along every other faction of humanity that remains. From what I understand, they defied the king which led to many losing their lives."
"…are there any left?" she asked quietly as her bodyguards seemed to be having a staring contest with the MPs.
The man seemed thoughtful for a moment, but then laughed.
"I'm sure you can still find some if you look around. But honestly that isn't my line of knowledge."
The representative narrowed her eyes.
Deltoffe noticed and asked "Is something wrong?"
"I… we need to speak with the king about this."
"Why?"
"Orders." she said simply as something told her this man didn't a concept for the term "genocide".
"Well, if you must, then I shall talk to him tomorrow, and send a messenger to let you know when you can meet him." Deltoffe replied courtly.
"We can wait h-"
"Miss… I recommend you head back to Wall Maria. The outside MPs don't bother checking for weapons because we haven't told them to yet, but they start tomorrow. Worry not; I shall take care of preparing a chat with King Fritz."
She noted the subtle threat as the two men with unicorn emblems on their uniform kept eyeing them, ancient rifles on hand not pointed at them, but that could be changed with a simple order.
"Sir, those are some hurtful words."
"Unintentionally so, I assure you. But we have strict rules in the capital. I'm certain Commander Pyxis made that clear earlier. You should run along now." he said, glancing at the Garrison officer in charge of escorting the Americans.
Kelly gave a fake smile and decided to end the conversation there, saying "Well, if you insist, sir. I do appreciate your kindness."
Deltoffe returned an equally fake smile and the conversation appeared over.
At least… in his eyes it was over.
Anka balled her hand into a fist but remained silent until they were out of the government building.
"Did… did your men bring any of those weapons?" she asked quietly.
The US representative shook her head, saying "Them? No, they're not carrying any handguns. I specifically brought them in case they tried searching them for guns."
Plastic knives aren't in the deal after all…
Anka sighed, before saying "Wait, then why comply with what the old guy wants?"
"Because I want to send a message back home and I don't want him thinking we're planning anything against them."
Anka winced at that statement and asked "Are you?"
The American representative blinked before asking "Would you believe whatever I answered?"
Anka frowned saying "No, I think I understand. The Commander has a saying about appearances… mixing truth with falsehoods… what I don't know is if your deceit is for the better or not."
Kelly smiled at that, saying "Smart kid. We'll know soon enough if either of our acts is for the better or worse."
…
"Refusing to talk?" the Japanese ambassador asked.
"Maybe, our representative did get there somewhat late, so it's possible they need some time to get organize." The American ambassador replied.
The president just saw this as more suspicious behavior. Ignoring the fact that they didn't really wish to talk, they had made a non-committal agreement to "bring up the subject" to the king.
But let's put that aside for now…
"Mikasa is originally a Japanese name, yes?" the president asked.
The Japanese Ambassador nodded.
"Research indicates that it is, although some other cultures have used it as well."
"And then add the fact that her tattoo seemed to show three Samurai Swords… I don't know, does the symbol remind you of anything?"
"The A for anarchy your youths like to draw, but in truth, this is a question for historians… many of the old samurai clans had their own symbols, but I never saw one like this."
The president nodded and the three were silent for a moment.
"I'll let my people know about this… it could mean many things moving forward."
The president nodded, worried about the implications.
At best, it could mean that the Gate had opened up in Japan at some point and a small group of people went through, at worst…
The final scene from the old Planet of the Apes movie where the other world turned out to be earth all along came to mind.
We just don't know enough to say one way or the other. All we know is that the UN is going to be very interested in this information… as well as certain other nations…
"Yeah, that's okay… anyway, about the batch of engineers you're sending… they give you an estimate on the manpower they may need?"
…
Hanji hopped out of the prefab building she had slept in as the morning sun began to emerge and stretched.
They had arrived fairly late the previous night… or early depending on how Jake liked to define things, but the American forces had led her to a small bunk where the scouts assisting them could rest, and since many of the other officers from the Survey Corps were out on the field hunting titans, she essentially had the place to herself.
She was making her way to the mess hall when she noticed that there were several more of the vehicles the Americans used to dig and flatten the ground.
But these were digging large holes for some reason.
Curious…
The mess hall was empty except for a group of people that weren't wearing any uniforms, were using several odd devices, and some were talking in a language she didn't understand.
One of them was a pale and sickly looking woman who saw her, then tapped the older man next to her, as if alerting him of her.
Now why would…
Before the thought could even finish forming in her mind, she realized that these could only be the team of scientists the Americans had been talking about bringing to study the titans!
The older man turned to look at her and before she decided to wait for him to introduce himself.
"Ah, you must be Miss Zoe, correct?" he said in an accent she didn't recognize.
She grinned.
If gaining knowledge was a drug, Hanji had been riding a high the previous weeks when the doorway was discovered, but the excitement she was feeling right that second, as the doorway to learning the secrets of the titans was opening right in front of her, was not something any sane person could compare to what she was feeling.
"That would be a correct assertion, mister…"
"Doctor, actually, Doctor Austin Hermann, lead biologist of this multi-national team of… detectives you could call us." The man said, grinning.
She sucked in a breath, ready to ask a question when the sickly looking woman said "Hold it, we all want to get to the questions and comparing of notes, but none of us have eaten breakfast yet, and all my stuff is back at the dorm."
"Ah… of course! Nourishment is important, after all."
Control yourself, Hanji, you'll have plenty of time to chat with the scientists…
Doctor Hermann spoke up then "Get yourself some breakfast, I'm quite eager to learn of these… giants."
"Well, doctor, I thankfully keep my notes with me! I could read them to you all if you'd like."
"Luckily? Wait, no one told you we were here?" the woman asked then, pausing whilst holding a spoonful of porridge.
"Ah?"
"We called ahead, thought the Army guys would've told you-"
Hanji turned as she heard the door open, Jake walking inside along with Matt and Dave.
He made eye contact with Hanji, smiled awkwardly and moved on to grab breakfast.
"…no, I was not informed… they were rather busy, probably slipped their mind."
…
Levi moved into the room that was becoming more and more complicated by the second as Americans carried in equipment he didn't really understand, cables jotting out of places, large screens showed what he now somewhat recognized what the Americans called a "camera feed".
It showed an aerial view of the Forest of Giant Trees, only far higher than any of their members could hope to reach with their gear.
Air craft…
"Mike." Levi said, seeing the Survey Corps officer talking with an American officer.
"Captain..." Mike acknowledged.
Levi eyed the map, which had two arrows jotting out from the location of what the Americans were calling Hill Zero One.
One arrow going east, one west… following the walls.
"We have elements of the Marines First Armored Division and several elements of your Survey Corps expeditionary forces eliminating just about everything between here and what some described as a farming community not too far from the entrance to Shiganshina, the same holds true for our western push, though there aren't many towns they can use as landmarks as is, so we're mostly providing aerial support for them, although it hasn't been too necessary." The American officer said.
"Why is that?" Levi asked.
Mike answered, saying "Aerial surveylance shows that most titans on the southern area of Wall Maria are amassed near or around Trost. Guess all our expeditions attracted them to us. Regardless, there are fewer titans to encounter when heading west than when heading east."
"I see, so the western push won't have much priority?"
"Not unless they encounter a horde of them, but so far we have those mapped out. Planning on checking the northern side of the walls later today, but I'm not too worried." the American said, smiling slightly.
Levi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, the new jets… he hasn't seen them, right?"
Mike shook his head.
"Right, hold on."
The officer returned with a small computer, saying "Recorded this strike on a group of fifteen meter titans"
Levi watched the screen show a black and white moving picture, large figures he could recognize as Titans were moving into what appeared to be a tree line.
There was no sound to be heard.
"A couple of scout units saw them and called it in, and since the new aircraft were patrolling nearby, they figured some target practice would be beneficial." Mike said as Levi saw flashes and what appeared to be rockets annihilate the large beasts in an instant, the large entities going down in a cloud of smoke as they tore through some of the smaller trees.
"You people are just full of surprises, huh?" the Survey Corps captain replied, painfully aware that he sounded cold.
"You could certainly say that, captain… anyway, how's your squad?"
"They're all set to leave once we get the order."
"Excellent, your team will be heading west along the Army and Marine Escorts you've gotten acquainted with, once you link up with elements of the First Armored. The scientific team that came through will be accompanying you and will be carrying out observations of titan behavior, hopefully be this time next month we can begin carrying out capture operations… Anyway, be ready to leave with a resupply unit in one hour." The American officer mumbled the last statement.
Levi still thought he heard a familiar scientist scream with delight in the distance.
"Understood." he said, glancing at the map.
Several markings drawn in some kind of red ink read "destroyed" and then numbered how many of the giant monstrosities plaguing the land had been killed.
Near Trost there were over a hundred kills already, and most of the zones in the main push listed high numbers as well.
We really could have the wall reclaimed by next month if this is true… unless there are way more of them.
"Ah, right. Captain, don't forget to call in aerial support if needed. We don't want any close quarters engagements unless it's unavoidable."
The captain nodded before heading outside.
The first thing he noticed was an excited Hanji arguing with a tired Moblit. The young man had clearly just arrived from the wall after travelling all night in order to catch up with his superior.
"A-and those ditches theyre digging! They plan on keeping them in there! Actually effective titan holding facilities, Moblit! Do you know what this means for us?"
Levi walked past the odd couple and moved to his team, the group coming out of the mess hall with a content expression.
"I don't think one could get used to the different types of food they bring." Gunther of all people mumbled as Levi walked up to them.
"Captain, we got orders?"
"We're escorting Hanji and her scientists alongside Ilse and her escorts. We're heading west and are going to link up with elements of what they call the First Armored; they're the tanks we saw when we first met them. New rules, we only engage the titans up close only if there's no other choice."
His team nodded, almost as one.
"Wait, are we going to help Hanji stat capturing them?"
Levi shook his head, saying "Operations to capture titans won't start until most of them are eliminated from within Wall Maria."
Oluo winced before asking "Wait, these other scientists… are they just like… Miss Zoe?"
Levi shrugged simply.
"Probably not, I think I saw some of them leaving the mess hall when we went in. They looked kind of shy." Petra replied.
"You'll get to meet them all personally soon, now if you don't have any more questions ready your gear, we move out in an hour."
"Yes, sir!"
Levi took a second to look around him as his team moved to fetch their ODM gear.
Construction workers on one end of the camp, diggers excavating holes not too far from that, the huge structure of the Gate looming not too far from the command center and Mess Hall.
He looked around, wary of whatever he had seen just a week ago.
The mysterious woman was nowhere to be seen.
Knowing he saw something was bad enough, but he didn't like not knowing what he saw. With nothing to go on, he decided to move on and do what he had to do, which was locate the other Americans and see if they were ready themselves.
At least these soldiers from another world were diligent.
…
Father Nick happily waved the last of his congregation goodbye as they exited the early morning service. He moved to the altar to retrieve the gift that one American had given him, the very odd wrapping of the incredibly hot peanuts was something he had been showing off to the congregation as proof of the blessings of the goddess.
He had followed the instructions and not opened it, knowing full well that while it was simply a snack, he wanted to preserve it as proof of sorts.
He had just grabbed the small packet when the doors behind him burst open.
"Hey, hey, hey, good morning Father Nick!" a loathsome voice called in a cheerful tone.
The religious man turned to look at Kenny Ackerman and Djel Sannes, leading members of the First Brigade.
"Um… good morning… is something wrong?"
He noticed that Sannes was eyeing the gift the American had given him.
"Well, we heard you had a chat with some of the soldiers escorting that Langnar kid and we wanted to ask if they told you anything bizarre." Kenny asked, grinning from ear to ear.
Father Nick raised an eyebrow, saying "Nothing too bizarre. One mentioned that people in their world have many beliefs such as the idea that there is only one true god, which I won't judge them for-"
"Shut up… Ackerman, that's not why we're here." Sannes interrupted, an impatience in his voice.
Kenny raised both arms up in surrender, saying "What, can you blame a guy for being curious? Get off my back, sheesh…"
Sannes turned to Father Nick and asked "Have you been in contact with the heir to the throne?"
Father Nick winced, saying "No, why would I be?"
Sannes eyes anrrowed as he got dangerously close to the old man.
"Did you tell the Americans anything about the heiress?"
"My loyalty is to the true king of humanity, I would never betray his orders. The girl is, at least to my knowledge, ignorant of her true identity. She should still be training with the military, if my information is accurate."
"Her squad was selected by the Garrison commander to be part of a special unit that is trained by the Americans…"
Nick winced at that statement, but didn't show any fear despite what Sannes was trying to imply.
"Now, that serves as a good thing in a way… they intend to use the Shiganshina District as a base later, so she will be as far away from the throne and society as she possible can. However, do not get cozy with the Americans… they are not our friends, they are not here to help us, and the second the king deems it necessary we must be ready to push them back through that gate."
Nick gawked at the statement, asking in a hushed voice "The king plans on fighting them?"
Sannes smiled slightly, grabbing the packet Nick had been holding and swiftly opening it.
"Yes, Father, if they become a threat to the Will of the Founder. Now, you know that this information is to be kept secret, yes?" he said, grabbing one of the peanuts in the bag and looking it over, smelling it.
Father Nick nodded.
"Good. Make the smart decision, Nick. We'll be watching you." Sannes promptly returned the open bag to Nick before dropping the peanut to the ground and crushing it under his foot.
Kenny rolled his eyes before following the man out the door, leaving the old man with a choice.
"You know, sometimes you need to think for yourself, Sannes." Kenny mumbled as they locked the door behind them.
"Ackerman, I don't care about myself, the Will of the Founder is all that matters right now." Sannes mumbled as he grabbed a piece of paper.
"I got that, I got that, geez… what I worry about is how ready we may be to fight off these other-worlders."
Sannes scoffed, saying "Your anti personel squad is an effective tool, better than anything I have. I won't say this again, Kenny, but I appreciate your subordinate Caven training my men. I don't know what all those machines of theirs can do, but they are still men that go down when shot."
Kenny nodded slowly.
"Now keep a close watch on that old man, if he tries to even approach any Americans-"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, I got it. What are you gonna do now?"
"I have some candidates for the first brigade I have to visit."
…
The Military Police barracks were comparable to hotels in construction, and while not as luxurious as any of the places in the innermost wall, they were certainly far cleaner and well maintained than any other barracks within the walled enclaves of humanity.
Sannes approached one of the officers by the door and identified himself.
The older man nodded and said "Yeah, Ian… kid's usually in his room, training himself; second floor, fifth room on the left."
Sannes nodded and found the door with relative ease.
He knocked and a young man quickly opened it.
"Ian Kline, yes?"
"Yes sir." The young man replied.
"Djel Sannes, I'm with the First Brigade of the Military Police."
The young man straightened, looking unsure of what to say.
Sannes walked past him into the room.
It was as bare bones as it could be; the bed appeared to have been transformed into some kind of rig where the young man could do a variety of exercises.
"You train a lot, yes?"
"Yes sir."
"…do you know why I'm here?"
The young man shook his head.
"When the Americans first got to the capital, you were the only one who walked up and confronted them when the order to arrest Ilse Langnar was given."
Ian frowned.
"…then you pushed one of the more… aggressive soldiers with relative ease. Honestly, out of everyone in your unit, you were the only one ready to fight them."
Ian said "It was a mistake… the king never gave the order. I should have been more-"
"Silence, private, you will speak when spoken to.." the older man ordered.
Ian went quiet.
"Now, Ian, if I told you that the Americans wished to depose our king, what would you do?"
"I would fight them off, sir."
"Even if they have better weapons? Even if you would most likely not last a few seconds against them?"
"They can't just come in here and boss us around! Our king has been taking care of us since the beginning, and now they come here and because they have better weapons we're supposed to bow to them?! With all due respect sir, I would rather die!"
"…when asked why you wanted to joining the Military Police, what was your reason?"
"To ensure the laws established by the king were followed no matter what the circumstances are."
Sannes grinned.
"Ian, the king needs you."
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"What you want to do is not the job of the First Brigade, and you are to be part of a new unit that is to train to defend the king should the time come when these Americans show their true colors. What do you say?"
The young man smiled with excitement, saying "I'm at the service of the king, sir."
...
Lietenant Troy glanced at the men the Army Chinook was air lifting to the district of Shiganshina.
They were chatting amongst themselves, seemingly excited, some were sleeping, and some looked confused.
Probably because the men chattering were doing so in a language most of his men didn't understand.
"Karera wa watashitachi ni jikan o kakete shiharatte iru to kiite imasu"
"Hontōni? Omotta-"
"Īe, hontōni! Amerikahito to watashitachi no jōshi wa watashitachi o tasukete kuremasu..."
Jesus Christ, say it in English!
Troy and his men remained silent despite their interest in asking what the Japanese were saying.
"Oi! Watashi wa sore o miru koto ga dekimasu! Kabe ga mieru!"
"Sugoi…"
Okay, that I understand…
"We touch down in ten, Lieutenant." The pilot's voice came into his speaker.
"Lieutenant, have the Germans made any progress on the reconstruction of the main fort in the district?" one of the Japanese engineers asked in perfectly fluent English.
"I think we were settling on tearing it down. Why?"
"Because, I was looking at some of the schematics, and I believe it would prove far more useful to convert the surrounding area into the barracks and use the old castle as a holding facility for munitions as well as other things…"
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to argue about that with them. We only just finished clearing out the bodies from the entrance to the town square, there's still a lot of work to do. Plus, we have to kep in mind that we'll be using this district both to train the new military as well as a jumping off point for the Survey Corps to begin its operations again."
"I thought the Survey Corps was the new army."
"That assertion would not be accurate, sir."
The Chinook flew just above the wall and moved closer to a clearing where houses had once stood, but now only existed as rubble.
There were several men working around that entrance, rebuilding the gate.
Troy noticed that it was mostly Scouts, taking advantage of their ODM gear to work in places most people would require a crane to reach.
Troy heard one of the Japanese engineers mumble "Supaidāman no yōna…" as the y stepped out of the helicopters.
"Okay, seriously, guys… English… literally the universal language here…"
"Ah, gib ihnen eine Pause. Es ist nicht so, als würden wir nicht in unserer Muttersprache mit ihnen kommunizieren. " a German worker laughed as he carried some electrical equipment to a nearby tent.
God...
"Whatever, you and your guys will sleep by those tents, so far the city is clear of titans but we would feel better if no one strayed too far off in the district, if you need anything give me a call I will most likely be over by that prefab building over there… any questions?" Troy asked.
"What happens if the giants try to attack us here?"
Troy pointed to the sky.
The man turned and saw four Marine Super Cobra attack helicopters flying slowly around the outer perimeter of the wall.
"Be it the Colossal, the armored or whatever, we have those guys looking out for us as well as the scouts over here. Even if there's an emergency, the Chinooks are on standby to evacuate, and we're expecting some Marine tankers to join us soon. Remember, safety is a priority for all of us here."
"Yes, sir."
Troy nodded and watched the men move to the tents in order to get settled in.
The second gate was being worked on and progress was going along smoothly, the nations that were giving support to the US in helping this other world were arriving, which would certainly speed up the progress as well as strengthen American relations with its allies.
Things were looking good.
Too good.
...
Dave and Jake carried a box of munitions to the back of the Humvee while Matt cleaned the MK-19. A somewhat curious Ilse wrote in her journal as she eyed the soldiers do the same thing the Marines to their immediate right were doing.
The back of the Humvee shut close and Dave popped a piece of gum into his open mouth, staying silent for a second before speaking up with a rather obnoxious southern accent.
"Gentlemne, I am private Dave Emin of the United States Army and I;m putting together a special team… and I need me-"
"Dave, stop quoting Brad Pitt before I make you drink Army grade CLP"
Dave stopped, thought it over and continued with "And I need me two soldiers. Two retarded-American soldiers, now ya'll probably-"
Dave was immediately silenced by a metal object slamming into him.
"OW! Dude!"
"That's for disrespecting Lieutenant Aldo Raine!" Jake replied as he picked up the wrench that had bounced off Dave's Kevlar.
"Disrespect? I hated that movie…" Matt mumbled.
"What movie?" Ilse asked.
"One with Brad Pitt being crazy army lieutenant and heading to Europe to kill a bunch of Nazis just cause."
"Wait, I thought you liked it." Jake replied placing the wrench back inside the Humvee.
"Naw, I liked his other movie where he goes crazy and kills a bunch of Nazis."
Ilse blinked before asking "There's two?"
"Yeah, but there's like… a poetic justice in Inglorious Basterds that Fury doesn't have, man. Like, he;s using Jewish Americans to kill the people slaughtering Jews in France." Jake replied.
"Not to mention that Fury is full of Hollywood tactics. Who charges at three tanks when you're already in concealment?" Kane said walking over.
"Yeah, but less so than the other one… look, I'm al for indiscriminate violence, but my great grandpa didn't like a movie made post war that was so… look, he hated it, so I hate it. ain't nothing complicated about it."
The men noted that Ilse had simply gone back to scribbling on her notebook and raised an eyebrow.
The girl noticed and said "No, no, keep talking, I;m sure the publishers will love reading how Americans talk in their off time."
Dave scoffed, saying "Nobody can write that fast, Ilse."
She simply stared at him, as if asking are you willing to bet on that?
"Right… So, Kane, you guys ready?"
"Yeah, the convoys should be almost done loading up the supplies. All we have to wait for now is Captain Shorty and his merry band."
"You're still mad he ordered you guys around?" Ilse asked.
"That would be unprofessional of me, but I will say that this little amalgamation of units is showing a lack of thought being given by our commanding officers as the chain of command between us is kind of messed up."
Matt thought about it and shrugged before saying "Not really, radio calls from our own captains are a thing, so coms are up and running. Even if we were cut off Levi only technically outranks us, and if we know something he doesn't, we're allowed to pretty much tell him off. "
"Yeah, the flexibility of the US military… anyway, shouldn't they be here by bow?" Kane said, noticing the supply trucks starting up.
Before they could radio for the captain, Dave saw them coming up on a hill, riding on horseback.
"Oh, there they… what the hell?" he sighed.
With the exception of Petra, every scout carried a single civilian that was dressed with some identifiable vest.
The egg heads…
Hanji hopped off her own horse as doctor Hermann did the same, saying "Been years since I rode one of these…"
"Uh, Captain… this the scientific team?" Matt asked.
The captain simply nodded.
"Fewer than I thought…" Matt mumbled.
"Oh, we're the biologists. Geologists, anthropologists… yeah, they came here last week." One of them said.
A collective "oh" came from the soldiers.
"Right, well hop in the MRAP, we're on time and we don't want to keep our guys waitning." Kane said as he moved to the armored vehicle.
Most of the biologists followed, though Hermann turned to Hanji to ask "Miss Zoe, I do have to ask if your horses can keep up with the vehicles?"
"They're bred to run at a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour!" she exclaimed.
The German noted the use of Kilometers and grinned "Interesting!"
"Oh, right, you other worlders use some other system… I think I read that-"
"No, no, my home country uses that same metric to measure speed. I just find it interesting… anyway, I'll see you at the destination then?"
"Yes, doctor! Hey, Jackson, how-"
The soldier was already in the Humvee, pretending to look busy.
The scientist narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything.
Levi moved the radio the Americans had provided and made sure it was set to the right frequency.
"Radio check, how do you hear me?" he asked.
"Ten by ten, how do you copy?" Kane replied.
"Well enough…"
Need to learn their code…
"Whoa, Captain, look!" Petra chimed as she pointed to their right.
Two metal birds flew low and steady as they headed westward.
"Marine Harrier Jump Jets! They're what the Marines use for air support along the helicopters."
"So… they're fighter jets?"
"Essentially, though they mostly work for Ground Attack runs now. Anyway, convoy's heading out. Should we catch up to them or do you guys want to wait a while more?" Kane asked as he pointed to the small convoy of supply trucks moving away from Hill Zero One.
Levi didn't reply as he moved his horse forward, though his squad promptly shot the Marine afew irritate looks.
"Gotta say, even if their horses can kind of keep up with us, we should really start bringing cars they can use…" Matt mumbled.
"We don't really have the industrial base to maintain cars, let alone military vehicles, though I see your point." Ilse replied.
Matt nodded and glanced at his M4, ensuring it was firmly in place by the armor plates around him.
The loud sound of a somewhat calming guitar on the speakers of one of the supply trucks broke his concentration as a loud, but familiar tune began to blare across the field.
"Oh great, what is that?!" Oluo demanded as he worried the noise would attract titans.
"American Music… just relax and enjoy it, it'll keep titans from their main base and flush them out if they're hidden." Levi replied over the noise.
"Huh? Wouldn't the enemy just be attracted to our presence?" Eld called from behind.
"The music is like an early alert for them to start moving to us and out of whatever hiding spot they may have. It's something that I would call counter intuitive if we didn't have their firepower, but since we do…"
"Ah, like moths to a flame…" Oluo mumbled in understanding, surprised at how oddly calming the song was.
Matt breathed "God, that's old…"
"I kind of like it." Ilse replied.
"It's a bit of a drive, guys. Get used to whatever playlist the guy with the speakers over there has…" Jake called.
To the chagrin of some, and the enjoyment of others, the tune of Everybody Wants to Rule the World accompanied the odd convoy as it pushed into the titan infested land.
A/N: Shorter chapter, but since classes started up my time management has been kind of all over the place. Anyway, I kind of wanted to show a bit more of the political point of view, show what NATO is doing, and maybe clarify a few things… I don't know, this chapter feels more like an extra than an actual chapter that advances the story. I do plan on moving things along next chapter as we get to one of the points of this story that I am most excited for.
That aside, I felt like I needed to show how other groups on our side of the gate would be acting at this point, especially with the US only kind of letting allies through and no one else. I don't want to demonize any one nation or group (and if it felt like I did, please let me know) but I just don't see certain countries not protesting at all at the UN that the US is basically sitting on a pile of resources that it only intends on sharing with its allies. Just felt like it would be a bit realistic to add that scene while we add tension with the King and his advisory and US forces helping clear the titans.
Also Ian is an OC, since I didn't find any MP characters alive at this point in the story that resembled the personality needed for a character that would just walk up to a US Marine and actively try to antagonize them. I legitimately considered Floch Forster for a bit, until I realized that he wasn't even with the MPs, so I figured an OC to embody the attitude of the more extreme segments of the Military Police would work better. Let me know if it isn't working for you, though, cause characters like Sannes and the First Brigade are pretty much the same.
That said, reviews are always much appreciated. I love all the feedback you guys have been giving me since chapter 1 went up, so if anything feels off please let me know. I hope to have the next chapter up soon.
Finally, while I don't do these that much, (I prefer to respond to reviews personally through PMs) some guest reviews have asked some legitimate questions, so I will try to answer them as best I can.
Guest- Which aot arc this story currently in again?
Story is taking place around the same time the 104th are still in training, but if you saw the OVA, chapter 2 concludes just after the thieves tried to kidnap Christa during a training exercise. By the next chapter we will be entering (timeline wise at least) the same time that the Battle for Trust started.
Halo- Could Mikasa meet an Asian American Soldier?
Not soldiers, but since the plan is to send the 104th to Shiganshina once it's mostly rebuilt in order to formally begin training them with modern weapons, she will most likely encounter the Japanese engineers working there. I do want to show some more interactions between the worlds before things really heat up.
Thank you all so much for reading!
