Chapter 11

Revelation 13: 13


"…and though I walk in the valley of death, I shall fear no evil…" the American chaplain managed to say as a doctor finished cleaning the wound on the dark haired girl.

She was holding in her breath, no anesthetic or pain killers were available, and the alcohol was being used on other, more serious patients, so all forms of fighting against pain were out and the only option was to patch her up with what they had exactly as she was.

At least the worst is over…

What was frightening was that the second she woke up, she demanded she be given the "good to go" diagnosis or else she would walk away on her own.

She needed to be bandaged up, she needed to rest, wait for the helicopter transport, but she was restless. She was squirming, seemingly more out of impatience than pain, as if she was going to just walk out of her bed any second.

And maybe she could…

Now all the man could do was try his best to give words of encouragement and faith during the bleak situation, for whatever it was worth to the wounded.

"Good girl, we gave you some new bandages, the bleeding has mostly stopped, and you should be right as rain soon. Surely, the strangers have better equipment at their place, but if I can help you… well, you'll be just fine. Stay in bed until then." The doctor said, giving the girl a smile that made it clear there would be no arguing the order.

The girl nodded slowly, glancing at her wounded side before lowering her shirt down and attempting to stand up.

The local doctor and US Army chaplain only managed to say "Hey-hey-hey, easy now!" before intervening and holding her in place.

The girl angrily said "I need to find Eren and Armin! Please-"

To the surprise of the American, even after everything, the girl began trying to get back up.

"Mikasa, stop!" someone shouted.

A golden haired boy ran to them, rifle slung on his back.

"Armin, where is-?" the girl began, but the boy cut her off.

"Alive, but please, you need to do what they tell you! Having broken ribs was bad enough, but you got shot and slammed your head and hit the ground and… and… and you got shot! At this rate they might discharge you from the military!"

"No, I…" the girl began, for the first time showing visible vulnerability.

The American took the chance to say "Then lie down and take it easy. We have another med evac helicopter on the way with more supplies, and you may be able to get a ride to where your family is. But please, kid, you have to help us help you!"

The girl gave a defeated look at the men before lying back down, staring at the twilight of the early morning.

She glanced at the American who was standing up to leave, but she managed to ask "Did you come up with those words yourself?"

The chaplain turned awkwardly and said "Uh… no, it's an… um… old book from back home… helps us get through the day."

The girl nodded, and turned to Armin.

"Where is he?"

The boy was about to answer when a helicopter was heard in the distance.

Unlike the previous squadron, this one came from the opposite end of the wall.

And it kept going, moving faster than Armin had expected.

"He's with an American team… we'll see him soon." he half lied.

"If those men hurt him…" she said in a quiet voice before closing her eyes tightly, visualizing the unspeakable things she could do to them but wouldn't actually do because they were too inefficient.

Yeah, I can imagine…

Armin looked around.

Most of the injured were gone, those that remained weren't exactly in great shape, but certainly not priority cases.

The covered up corpses of civilians and fellow soldiers, however, were a sobering sight.

Half of the 104th had been killed off suddenly, ruthlessly… he still wasn't sure if the members of the royal advisory that they captured had been okay with the attack or just pawns in the violent game of chess that seemed to only escalate as the bodies mounted.

He noticed several journalists from the interior were walking around, some writing what they saw, others asking questions both of what few MPs remained alive and what Doctors were available.

He wondered where the Advisory had been taken to before turning to look at the frustrated Mikasa.

"Armin… what happened?" she asked then.

"Oh… um… we were attacked, the king ordered several MPs to kidnap Eren, Ymir, and Historia… we lost a lot of people…" Armin winced as the words exited his mouth.

He had already known they had lost many boys and girls, but suddenly recounting it, after the situation had calmed down…

He forced himself to continue.

"We… we captured the Advisory and… and the Americans are going to occupy the capital until things get back under control, um… Eren… Eren was taken, but… I heard they rescued him…" he just barely managed to say.

"I… I'm glad… Armin?"

"Yeah?" the boy snapped.

"Thank you. Take it easy, okay?"

The boy nodded, wiping his now teary eyes.

Mikasa Ackerman had managed to keep an almost maternal degree of responsibility between him and Eren, now he had to be strong for her as well.

Colonel Parker hopped off the Humvee and ran into the command center, the sun still just beginning to rise above the horizon.

"How's Connor?" he asked once inside.

A Marine officer answered.

"Stable, he was the furthest away from the blast, but still… whatever they hit us with had a yield similar to an anti-tank missile."

Parker grimaced.

Being in the US Army, he knew the importance of information, and unlike the explicitly trained to improvise United States Marines Corps, he preferred having as much info as possible before moving forward.

That was a relatively minor difference between the two military branches, the Marines being trained to be more capable of making things up as they went along in the best possible manner, the Army not too different but often operating with more information and priding itself in "never makes mistakes". Regardless, both groups had to work with information, and what had just happened in the previous hours had changed a lot of what they knew of the walled civilization.

Or at least, what we thought we knew…

"Right, what about the damage? How are the wounded?"

The Marine glanced at another officer, the woman simply saying "Most of the wounded we have on base are civilians. Most are stable, and what few US casualties we have are being treated with what we have available here as well as some medical assistance from New York. No fatalities to report, colonel."

"Except for the ones we lost already, right?"

She nodded.

"Any idea how many we lost yet?"

"One of the trucks carrying the 104th was hit hard… some of the cadets were lost during the fighting… we lost… half of the members of 104th that we trained, at least that we confirmed. We lost two drivers, one Stryker was badly damaged, and one Ranger was killed in the fighting… plus, Representative Kelly…"

Parker could only nod as he felt a strong itching on the back of his neck.

The room was fairly calm, with officers and technicians talking, but something was off.

Someone was talking and the tone suggested silent urgency.

He turned in time to see a soldier say "Colonel, we have a situation developing in the outskirts of Wall Rose."

"Our CIA friends?"

"Yes, Colonel. But… Hold on." the American looked frustrated as he messed with the radio controls.

The fact radios had evolved to be better encrypted and not sound quality was not lost on the Army Colonel.

"Well?"

The technician began to say "Something about Rodd Reiss, a titan and-" before getting cut off.

The young man paled.

"Please say again, Birds of Prey…" he said, turning the volume on his radio higher up and allowing others to hear the words.

"Get the God damned flyboys up in the air! Rod Reiss must have injected himself with some… god knows what and now he's half the size of a mountain! Ymir is dead, he must've eaten her since he showed control of his titan form, and so are Ackerman's subordinates! Our Blackhawk is already low on fuel, we are taking Historia and Yeager to Hill Zero One, and I can see the cloud of smoke behind me. I recommend bombing him to hell before he gets smart and tries to sneak away in titan form!"

If it isn't one thing…

Rod could only stare in horror at the hateful glare coming from the dark haired girl in front of him.

Oh, it was hate alright.

What he didn't know was what he had done to her.

Had he not ordered his men to treat her well whilst he dealt with Historia?

She had been unconscious; there was no need to tie her up anyway, and he knew Kenny's men wouldn't disobey him.

Speaking of Historia, where was she?

The girl continued glaring at him, pure unblinking hate reflecting back at him.

And Rod Reiss realized then that the hatred was his own.

And then he woke up.

The hateful glare from the dark haired girl was replaced by the bright, cloudless blue sky.

What little respite that gave him was immediately replaced by the fear of him not remembering anything that had happened.

Had he not just been talking to his beloved daughter?

He was so close to bringing back the Founder, the living god of this world, back into it, and yet…

He remembered that he was a noble, a man with royal blood… nobody took his memories away from him, not if he could help it.

He called to them.

Horror filled him once more as the memories shot back into his mind.

His daughter had betrayed him.

Everyone he had trusted had betrayed him!

The squad he had confidently selected to guard him had pulled the trigger, his own daughter had given the order to fire, and the military officers were doubtlessly now cooperating with the enemy- those who wished to subvert the will of the Founder- of the living god!

He managed a pitiful, despairing, moan.

"Oh, gracious! He's awake!"

Rod shifted, only now realizing that he was lying on a cart that was moving somewhere.

A woman, more than likely middle aged give or take a few years, hopped back into the wooden cart's rear, working through several empty baskets before reaching him.

"Mister, do you have any idea what happened?"

Rod managed to groggily ask "Who are you and… where am I?"

The woman blinked, but before she could respond a second voice interjected.

"Not too far from Orvud District. You were wondering around an empty field all confused a little ways back. Don't you remember us picking you up?"

It was a man, definitely middle aged, and Rod saw he was wearing a straw hat.

Farmers…

"I… apologize, I… I believe the smoke I inhaled didn't help my… journey. That whole field was on fire, huh?" he said, trying to change the subject.

"Sure looked like it. Let me tell you, I never seen nothing like that. Smoke was white as snow- and the grass looked entirely scorched… then we get there and there's not a hint of ash anywhere aside from the burnt grass. You see what happened?"

"Uh… yes… yes, the whole field just… caught fire- the grass… it… I don't know how to explain it." Rod lied, still staring at the sky.

The woman handed him some water he graciously accepted, before gulping it all down.

"Whole field lit up, huh? Well, crazier things have happened. Were you heading somewhere, mister?"

Rod thought about it for a moment, still struggling with the thought of his daughter betraying him like she did.

"Yes, I was headed to Trost to meet with some business partners… I had packed light, which let me run from the flames… seems I lost my supplies, unfortunately." he finally said.

"Trost, huh? Well, we're not heading for Trost right now, just delivered something to a friend a little ways away from Orvud and were headed back home. Hey, Sunny, you know if any of the guys have a trip to Trost?"

The woman seemed to frown at the implication she would know what the other men in their village would be doing, but simply replied "I Haven't heard, but I could ask."

Rod blinked.

"Sunny?" he asked the woman.

"She's my sunshine!" the man hollered.

The woman nodded slightly.

"Sunny Springer, at your service."

Rod nodded and asked "Where are you from?"

"Ragako Village." the pair replied almost in unison.

The UH-60 Blackhawk continued flying as the sun climbed higher into the sky.

Eren Yeager and the girl formerly known as Christa sat motionless, one staring at the land spreading infinitely below him, the other staring at her feet.

The news had not been good other than the fact that the advisory, essentially traitors, had been taken into custody, seemingly ready and willing to cooperate, but even that wasn't without a cost.

Eren took comfort in knowing that at least Armin and Mikasa were alive, the former actually helping in the engagement that ended hostilities within the capital, and even if she was injured, at least Mikasa would be under the care of the best doctors within the walled enclaves of humanity and whatever miracles the medicine the people from the other world could bring in.

But it was clear that was it for good news.

Eren eyed the blonde girl next to him as the helicopter continued to fly towards the American base.

Historia looked like she had been punched in the face.

He wanted to talk to her, say anything that could comfort her, but what was he supposed to say? The last few hours had been too much.

Ymir was gone, as were half the guys they had all trained with.

The capital was in chaos, the advisory in American custody, their fate uncertain even if they cooperated.

The king, a monster, his fate was certain.

Nobody was about to let that man live, and Eren knew it as well as Historia.

Worse, nobody knew what could happen to the power Rod had stolen. Would it disappear forever? If not, then how long before it manifested yet again? If it manifested again, would it be a threat?

Unknown…

"How are you holding up?" Eren finally asked Historia.

"I… finally got to meet my father and I ordered his death on our very first disagreement…" she said, her soft voice barely audible over the radio, the roar of the spinning helicopter blades nearly drowning her out.

The girl looked emotionally exhausted.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. Odds are he would have killed you too had Kenny's men not been on your side from the get go." the CIA woman said.

Historia spoke to the woman then, asking "Do you have a name?"

"Yup."

There was an expectant pause.

"I ain't gonna tell you, your majesty, sorry."

Historia studied the woman for a second before quietly speaking in a defeated tone.

"Yeah… I guess that makes sense… even now I have no control over myself."

"That's a lie! Everyone has some degree of control over their actions!" Eren found himself countering before turning to the CIA woman and saying "And she is the queen! Can't she order you to tell her your name or something?"

The older woman said nothing.

Historia perked up briefly, eyeing Eren.

"I guess being queen means I technically outrank you now… but I won't order you to reveal your name." Historia said, smiling slightly, but clearly not at her authority.

The CIA woman was silent for a moment.

She looked at the mostly empty fields below before turning back to the two teenagers.

"We're going to have a lot to discuss once we land, your father really…" she paused for a moment, looking for the right words before saying "…got in the way."

Two jets Eren recognized as the new Marine F-35s flew past the UH-60 Blackhawk.

Eren wondered if they had the firepower to take down the beast they had left behind.

Surely a targeted strike on that massive nape would kill him…

As the UH 60 landed, he saw the signs of the relatively small battle that had taken place at the base.

Some smoke was still rising from the little prefab building that had been blown to bits.

Ilse Langnar ran up to the chopper and gave a halfhearted salute before quickly saying "Your majesty, right now the situation is under control, but all heads of the military are dead and we are waiting on other high ranking officers to arrive!"

Historia blinked.

The CIA woman shut her eyes, taking a small pen drive from her vest, before saying "Miss Langnar, take this drive to Colonel Parker, it has pictures of Rod Reiss in case the bastard manages to get away from the flyboys. If Miss Hanji Zoe is here, she should also look at the pictures of his titan form... assuming she's able to."

Now Ilse blinked, but quickly nodded and did as was told.

Historia shakily said "Things really got out of control…"

Eren noted the girl was awash of color.

Instead of faltering, though, Historia walked ahead and asked "How organized are we?"

The CIA woman said "First of all, you kids get medically checked out, then you can take the role of queen or whatever. I have other things to do."

The woman took a left turn and disappeared into a building, leaving the pair with the Delta operatives who lead them to the medical bay.

Eren glanced at Historia briefly.

The girl had developed a determined look in her eyes in spite of the visible weariness.

Meanwhile, the CIA woman walked towards the entrance to the gate, getting there on foot soon enough.

She got on a satellite phone she carried around, the device just barely connecting through as she made a call.

A woman answered on the other end.

"I heard about Kelly already, but I want to hear it from you."

A pause.

"It's true. Director, if this gets out-"

"It's already out… we're sending in another representative to help coordinate things."

The CIA woman said nothing.

"It was our screw up. We knew about the hostilities and possibility of an attack but underestimated them. It's that simple." the director sounded exhausted, hell everyone she had seen since they landed looked exhausted.

"We didn't underestimate them, ma'm, we reacted accordingly given the information we had at the time."

"Regardless, we lost people. Things are a mess on this end, so do me a favor and don't let the replacement die, okay? President wants this solved quickly."

"Okay, I understand… who are you sending?"

"He is probably waiting for you as we-"

The CIA woman whirled around upon hearing footsteps approach her.

"If you're talking about replacing Representative Kelly, then the answer is me." a cold, dead voice surprised her.

She eyed the pale young man who looked too young to have any position outside an internship and spoke to her director "Bit young, don't you think?"

"Things are a mess over here. Keep him alive."

The CIA woman nodded to no one and studied the young man standing in front of her.

He was staring at her with a cold look in his eyes that screamed exhaustion, and unwillingness to put up with any games.

A man with a mission.

"Well… howdy! You got a name?" she asked, invoking as much southern hospitality into her smile as she genetically could.

"Daniel Caine, now what's the exact situation? Report I read was short on details."

Kieth Shadis kept his inner turmoil well masked as he got out of the helicopter.

Shiganshina looked well organized and clean after the previous attack. The foreigners- Germans and Japanese doing a very good job of cleaning the place they had painted their flags on.

The district was mostly empty, of course, and he could see the gigantic boulder the American helicopters had brought in to seal the SECOND breach the district had experienced in less than a decade.

A part of him was glad he always maintained a perpetually disappointed look on his face.

The man that hopped out of the helicopter with him kept eying the photographs his partner had given him, and he did not even try hiding the look of anger and fear on his face as they walked towards their destination.

The woman that went by Nurse Joy and her assistant Kyle ran out to greet them.

"Commandant! I-"

The commandant only said "Are they awake?"

"Yes, commandant, we woke them up and gave them an early breakfast. Didn't tell them anything, but Reiner-"

The nurse was failing at hiding her worry.

"Good job, I am sure they will provide our guest with some answers. Don't worry about the 104th. Half are dead, half are alive; better than the alternative if they had faced that incursion of titans by themselves."

Joy stared on in defeat as the men began walking down to the underground dungeon below the barracks.

Down and down the stairs went, eventually reaching the bottom floor where the three captured shifters resided.

He could see the two more cooperative ones already standing by the edge of their cells, staring at them expectantly.

As for the more problematic of the three and unfortunately the one we want information on…

The CIA man walked to the end of the hall and turned to Reiner who was sitting in his bed.

Shadis approached him, and said "Silent defiance. He hasn't spoken a word since he was captured. He just lies there, draining resources."

"Right, Reiner Brown-"

"Braun." Shadis corrected.

"Not an issue. We have questions for you and your little merry band of little war criminals, but mostly you."

The blonde warrior turned a deathly glare at the two men, not saying anything.

"What is this hardening ability and how long can it be maintained?"

Reiner simply raised an eyebrow.

Shadis said "Braun, talk."

"You aren't my commandant anymore, devil."

Upon hearing that word, the CIA man chortled, saying "Oh, you think these people are the devils? Son, if anyone in this world is a devil, get it through your head that it is the United States of America and its forces. The hell we will conjure is unimaginable even to you, we will make it so that your women cannot breed healthy children, we will make your sons and daughters become addicted to dangerous substances while passing them off as medicine, we will poison your waters to make your lifespans shorter and shorter by the generation, we will destroy your crops and starve your people to death, push them to the breaking point and then some. Figures you guys don't play by the rules, and neither did the guys before you, so why should we? Now, are you going to help us and avoid this hell, or are you going to sit there and force us to come up with more ways to torture whole populations? Please pick the second option."

Reiner only said "The people will fight. Do your worst."

"Reiner, what is WRONG with you?!" Annie yelled from the other end of the room.

Reiner closed his eyes as the girl shouted "We are trying to avoid killing more people, why are you making this so hard?! Are you that desperate to get everyone killed?! Didn't you want to save the world?! What about everyone back home?! What-?"

The young man cut her off, yelling over her shrills "You think I haven't thought of that?! What's the bloody point, Annie?! We already killed hundreds of thousands! We are no longer prisoners or people, we are bargaining chips! All we can do now is make it harder for them to get what they want! It isn't much different from what you did earlier! Why are you suddenly getting cold feet?! How many fathers did we kill? How many mothers did we rip away from innocent children?! We can't go back on those actions so we might as well go all the way and see our goal through! You failed everyone, Leonheart! Not me!"

Silence followed the tirade

The girl actually began to quietly sob.

"Maybe we should ask Annie?" Shadis sighed.

The CIA man was staring at Reiner still.

"Yeah, Annie really did screw up. Cowardly little bitch, right? Ruined things for you?"

All eyes turned to the man.

"You aren't getting on my side by trying to-" Reiner began, now being cut off himself.

"Would you like it if we executed her father right in front of her?"

Reiner turned to look at the man in shock.

Even Shadis was surprised by the question.

"You know, make her pay?"

The girl broke saying "W-wait, the hardening ability, it-"

"No, don't talk, but thanks for proving my point, I was just guessing who I had to torture in front of who in order to get answers. How about the quiet kid? He also betrayed you. He has anyone dear back home?"

Shadis noted Bertholdt go pale.

The CIA man continued, a low, almost seductive voice, saying "We could make them hurt, Reiner. Make them pay for what they did. Hell, they only proved that they could betray us at any moment, but you on the other hand are loyal. You follow orders, no matter how gruesome…" with a dark smile, he said "…why should you be punished for something you were ordered to do?"

Reiner was staring at the man in disbelief.

"We want cooperation, Reiner. Not betrayal, not double crossings, not any big gambits where you pit one group against another… we can… oh, bury these two, say you fought tooth and nail before making you our official negotiator for-"

"Enough! Are you that desperate to play the role of the devil?!"

With a smile that could only be properly pulled in the darkly lit dungeon, the man said "Who do you think you're talking to? So… how about it? You cooperate? We give you something in return? They get punished, you go home a hero."

"No!"

"Why not?"

Silence.

Shadis sighed.

"Braun, what you did is eating away at you, he knows it, I know it. No one is forgiving your actions, but I know that you three are not monsters who would have done this if you had another choice. You can help us at least start cleaning up the mess you helped create."

Reiner simply slumped as he continued to stare at the wall.

"Was that all an act?" he asked the CIA man.

"I ask the questions here. Now look at the photo and answer the questions."

The warrior sigh and took it, saying "…an abnormal titan."

"Try Rod Riess- the true king of the walled enclaves of humanity or something kidnapped Eren and Ymir, tried to turn Historia into a titan-"

"Is she alright?!" Reiner demanded.

"I'll ask the questions, damn it!"

Not so much of a heartless monster, huh?

"The point is, Rod used the serum on himself, devoured Ymir and this is the result. Eren mentioned something about a jar that was labeled hardening and he created a diamond like shell after transforming, you're the armored titan… we want answers from you."

But Reiner looked confused, saying "This is impossible… Ymir had the Jaw Titan. She being devoured would never result in… this monstrosity."

"Why is that?"

"While every titan is unique, and every shifter has some unique aspects to their form… it… it's almost always the same design. My armored titan is not much different from the previous armored titan, same for Annie and Bertholdt."

The CIA man glanced at the two prisoners.

The pair nodded.

"So you have no idea about his abilities?"

Reiner said "Hardening is an ability some of us shifters have. Annie can do it, I can do it… the Jaw titan has… a variation, you could say. Its jaw can break just about anything and resist just about anything. Wouldn't surprise me if your tanks had a hard time killing it even in normal form, let alone this… how big is this... Rod Titan?"

"At least a hundred meters tall from top to bottom, could be more though."

Annie shuddered.

Bertholdt swallowed.

Reiner said "Well, then your only hope is the fact that he can't maintain that form for very long."

The CIA man raised an eyebrow.

Bertholdt spoke up quickly, more than eager to help if it meant getting the creepy man out of there faster.

"The bigger the titan, the harder it is for the shifter to keep it under control for long periods of time. We know a shifter that can keep her form for months, and she is an excellent spy, but she is an exception. I can only maintain my colossal form for a short while compared to Annie and Reiner. But we all need to leave our titan form after a certain amount of time."

"What happens if you remain in titan form for too long?" Shadis asked for the American.

Annie said "You can lose control of the titan, fuse with it… maybe even revert back to a pure titan. We don't stick around to find out."

The CIA man grabbed the picture from Reiner and stared at it.

So, the bastard is likely on the run and at risk of losing control of his mountain sized body that enjoys devouring people… great.

Reiner noted the worried look on the American and said "For a representative of the devil, you sure seem worried."

"For a remorseless killer willing to go above and beyond for his country, you sure seemed worried about what I would do to your traitorous friends."

Ragako village was a quaint little place, Rod decided as the cart pulled into a stable where the villagers kept their horses.

The homes were not too large, not too small, the village was not too small, not too large, and a prime example of life within the walled enclaves of humanity, including Wall Rose.

"Papa!" two children yelled as they ran from one house towards the cart he and the Springer pair were on.

"Martin! Sunny!" the man called, hopping from the cart.

Rod glanced at the woman who was also named Sunny.

"My husband really likes that name. Anyway, come along mister- oh, I'm sorry, we never got your name."

Rod didn't have to think to answer.

"You can call me Marcel."

The hairs on the back of Rod's neck stood as he felt something or someone glaring at him from beyond the veil of darkness that was death.

They're just memories, Rod… just memories… fragments of the deceased… nothing that can touch you.

The woman smiled, and said "well, come along then, Mister Marcel. Breakfast should be ready in a few minutes and you may want to wash up."

The little girl who was apparently also named Sunny looked at him with some degree of suspicion, and the little boy named Martin waved carefully.

Rod waved back.

Thunder roared across the skies and everyone glanced up.

They were almost impossible to see, but high in the sky were two crafts flying higher and faster than any bird anyone had seen before.

Mister Springer began to wave as he yelled "Americans! Think they can see us from up there?"

The kids waved at the passing aircraft, wide smiles at the curious marbles from the other world.

"How do you know it's the Americans?" Rod asked, doing his best to hide his fears.

Clearly those jets were looking for him.

"Oh, our boy, Connie, he's with the 104th training with the Americans, sent us a letter a little ways back where he told us about these air-craft. Harry-errs, he called them. Never seen them, though." the man said, taking his kids by their hands and leading them to their home.

Rod said nothing.

Springer stopped and turned to him.

"Hey, Mister…"

"Marcel." Rod replied, ignoring the dread the name brought to him.

"Well, Mister Marcel… you a merchant?"

"Something like that."

"Well, when do you think the king and his advisory will allow the Americans to start selling their goods on here? A friend of mine saw their medical supplies and said that it is bordering on the supernatural! We could use some of that here, you know."

Rod looked around before saying "I don't know, but I can promise you that if I get any supplies from that other world, this village will be my first stop."

The man smiled slightly, saying "Well, then you come on in. Our neighbor, Charles, he fixed us up some breakfast beforehand. Wife's just reheating it."

Rod glanced up at the sky once more.

The aircraft were just barely audible in the distance.

Rod walked into the house and looked around.

Like many homes in the walled enclaves of humanity, it was small. Mostly one room that was both a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room, and likely two more rooms, one for the children and one for the parents.

Bathrooms were likely outside somewhere.

He looked around the small home, noticed the children were sitting politely, waiting for the late breakfast.

Rod took notice of the limited amount of utensils.

Mister Springer spoke suddenly.

"We weren't expecting guest, but we can spare you some food mister Marcel. I think one of the guys next to the stalls is planning on heading to Trost in a little bit, we can ask him to take you along."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." he replied courtly, and suddenly notice that there were actually five chairs instead of four.

He remembered the boy was with the 104th.

"So… your child works with the Americans?" he asked, taking a seat.

Mister Springer said "Sure does! Sent us a letter earlier this month! Talked about how they have moving pictures, all these strange inventions he had a hard time explaining. It's like they're from the future or something. He said people in that world used to live just like us long ago- without the titans, of course."

Rod frowned, and asked "I heard some in the interior worry about the Americans brainwashing our kids."

A pause.

"First time I hear about it… Connie didn't seem to be any different on his letters. In fact, I think he said his training wasn't that different to what he did before the Americans appeared, right, Sunny?"

The woman brought the re-heated porridge and said "Yes, he said they were mixing their training and the American training. Doubt they would be brainwashing them."

"My daughter was brainwashed…" Rod sighed as he gratefully took the plate of porridge.

He felt his breathe catch as all eyes on the table turned to him.

Why did I say that?

He felt eyes staring at him from beyond.

Or… maybe they can influence you after all, Rod…

"Is she with the 104th?" Ms. Springer asked, a slightly confused glint in her eyes.

Rod nodded slowly, a lie forming in his mind.

"Different branch, she joined… the Military Police. She was told to serve the king and… she did. She's… different now."

Miss Caven, fire!

"Huh… Sorry to hear that."

The table was silent after that, with the exception of the metallic spoons clinking against the metal plates.

A minute later, Mister Springer said "Lovely, meal… I'll be right back. See if we can find you a ride, Mister Marcel."

Rod nodded and glanced at his empty plate.

Still hungry…

He froze, noticing something off on his plate.

It was a metal plate, so it wasn't exactly a mirror, but the colors felt off as he stared at the off-putting amalgamation of light reflecting back at him.

"Forgive me, Miss Springer, but… by any chance, do you have a mirror?"

"Um… yes."

"May I use it for a moment?"

The woman nodded, stood up and walked down to one of the doors in the small home.

She didn't even go inside all the way, simply reaching in and grabbing a small mirror that would easily fit into anyone's pocket.

Rod took it and flipped it open, doing his best not to gape at his appearance.

It looked like he had aged a decade.

His hair was a dark shade of grey to the point that he looked more like his father than himself.

Rod cracked a smile and looked into his teeth, pretending to find something before handing it back to Miss Springer.

"Thank you."

The woman nodded, but the action had clearly made her aware of something.

Rod eyed her for a moment, beginning to wonder why she was staring at him as if it was so strange asking for her mirror.

He didn't dwell on it for long.

Mister Springer walked in quickly, saying "Good news, Mister Marcel! Found you a ride!"

Rod nodded and once again said "Really?"

"Yeah, old man Jones. He's headed to Trost to sell some materials to a partner of his. Said he could give you a ride!"

Rod nodded again and asked "You have been extremely kind to me. How can I repay you?"

Mister Springer considered the question, but quickly said "Oh, just do as you promised and make sure to bring us some American products once the king decides they're not illegal!"

Miss Springer added "And do say hi to your daughter if you get the chance. I may not know much, but I'm sure things will work out between you two."

Rod smiled slightly and nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you to Mister Jones."

"Goodbye, Miss Springer, children…"

The boy and girl nodded silently before waving politely.

Rod smiled at them before exiting the house.

They did not have to walk far to find the man who would take him to Trost.

"So, this is guy you were telling me about?" a skinny older man asked.

Mister Springer said "Yeah, says he may bring us some otherworldly products once the king approves them."

The man allowed his eyes to widen.

"This is true?"

Rod nodded with deceptive ease, his mind genuinely worried about the perceived glares he still wasn't sure where they were coming from.

"Then by all means, hop on! Should reach Trost later tonight if there are no interruptions!"

Rod smiled.

A minute later they were on the road, the horses pulling the cart towards the district closest to the Gate that connected both worlds.

Parker ignored the small but still overwhelming group of reporters who were at least respectfully silent as he walked past them to the infirmary.

The doctor had already given him the all clear, so he said nothing to the nurse as he walked into the room where Eren Yeager was.

The boy was pacing around, clearly worried; too stressed to sleep in spite of his exhausted state.

Upon seeing Parker, Eren immediately spoke up.

"Have they found him?"

Parker shook his head, moving to a chair in the room to sit down.

Eren cursed under his breath and went back to pacing around, one side of the room to the other.

"You know something I don't, right?"

"Yeah, odds are I do." the boy snapped back without thinking.

The American frowned before saying "Care to share?"

Eren stopped pacing, then said "I saw my old man's memories, what he did to the Reiss family, how the original Founder built the walls… I saw memories of lives I haven't lived. Even if for just a second… don't ask me how, cause I don't have all the answers either."

The Army Colonel said "Well, that's a question for the egg heads… I remember reading something about genetic memories or something, it's not exactly my field. I do want to ask you… are you okay working with the United States Military?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"…things are getting complicated, surely you've noticed."

Eren nodded.

First the discovery of the titan shifters, then the discovery of his father's journals giving details of the world beyond the walls, then the history of Eldia, the titans, the fact that now there was another superpower controlling said titans, and the fact that said superpower wanted people like him dead and buried.

"Well, still… it's not like we have a better option. Only way we stand a chance against the enemies beyond the wall would be to quickly adapt our technology to what they have, and that would take years to do on our own. Like it or not, we need your people if we want to save as many lives as possible. I'm sure Historia also understands that."

The colonel nodded, but frowned.

"What about the titans within the walls?"

Eren winced before loudly saying "We can't possibly use them as weapns! We need to… I don't know, find a way to get rid of titans once and for all, not continue using them as weapons to settle conflicts."

I'll exterminate them all if I have to!

Parker frowned.

"But you would consider it an option?"

Eren turned to look out the window, saying "Is there a limit to how far people can go in order to protect those they care about?"

The moral answer would be "yes".

Surely, doing "anything" for those you cared about included murdering and torturing innocents.

If it was to protect those you loved, would you do it?

The moral answer would be "no, find another option".

Reality, however, rarely granted that "other option".

One could argue that the human answer to the question was "no, there is no limit to how far we can go to protect those we care about".

On earth, that attitude made for history's greatest monsters as well as its greatest heroes.

It was easy to forget that most atrocities committed out of hatred were also committed out of a deep desire to protect something else.

It was clear Yeager was, at the very least, aware of that fact.

Parker simply said "There are several reporters outside that want to ask you questions. You up for it?"

Yeager asked "How long until Armin and Mikasa get here?"

"Another hour."

"Alright, let's talk to your reporters."

Parker followed the boy out of the room, partly glad to leave the subject he would have to also discuss with the new queen.

Partly worried because he knew it would come up again before the day was over.

They stepped outside, and Parker immediately shouted "One question per reporter! We are still in negotiations with the new government and are trying to organize things, so you will have to wait until later this afternoon for a full report on the situation."

The reporters, investigative journalists from another world who present nodded.

"Alright, now… this is Eren Yeager. He is the first shifter we discovered, as well as one of the four that were originally under our jurisdiction. Who would like to go first?"

A woman with a pale complexion and almost white hair raised her hand.

Parker nodded.

"Anita Sandrine, TV5… what exactly happened?"

Eren blinked.

"Uh… that's a long story… um…" he glanced at Parker, but quickly stared ahead, and spoke as if possessed.

"For the last thousand years there was an empire that dominated this world called the Eldian Empire. They used titans that were controlled by a Founder in order to subjugate, control, and oppress whatever and whoever they labeled inferior while building a grand civilization. A little more than a century ago, the king that held the Founder felt the weight of these past sins and chose to isolate himself here, an island called Paradis. He used millions of Colossal type titans, the same type that destroyed the gate in my district so long ago, in order to build the three walls."

Eren paused, noticing the looks of shock in the faces of the reporters.

Parker didn't say anything.

"Doing so created a power vacuum in the old Eldian Empire. This resulted in the oppressed people taking advantage of ensuing chaos to rip control of the titans' power from the Eldians. Now another empire exists in its place… it is called the Empire of Marley. They have sent the waves of titans against us for the last century and are the true culprits behind the destruction of Wall Maria five years ago! They are the enemy we have been fighting unknowingly for so long. The king made the people-"

Parker placed a hand on Eren's shoulder.

Eren paused and turned to him.

Parker shook his head before saying "Sorry, some of this information is still sensitive and cannot be divulged right this second. What he is saying is, however, true and we have documents to verify that are almost done being transcribed."

Eren then turned to the reporters and said "Yeah… these… documents had information the king didn't want us to see so he… tried to kill us. That's what happened."

The French reporter who had asked the question stared at the boy wide eyed.

She mumbled a quick thanks and stepped back slightly to allow another reporter.

A young man stepped up then and asked "Derek Horowitz, New York Times… Has contact been made with this… Marley Empire?"

"Officially, no, but we captured three of their agents and are currently expanding our field of vigilance. we know they have a dock to the west of Shiganshina, but current situation has made locating it a low priority."

Another reporter stepped up.

"Alexandra Rivera, Washington Post, How exactly does one go about controlling titans?"

"Titans are Eldians… titans can only be Eldians. When Eldian blood comes into contact with titan spinal fluid, or the will of the Founder I guess, they… they mutate into the monsters we have been fighting. Marley just uses the spinal fluid to transform Eldians into titans and then lets them go off on this island. They sense other humans and swarm to them. IF what my dad's journal says is true, then Marley has little control over what these pure titans do." Eren said.

The reporter suddenly tried to quickly ask "So Miss Hanji was-?"

Parker interjected immediately.

"One question per reporter, please." he said.

The woman backed away, replaced by another reporter.

"Lisa Carter, BBC… So Miss Hanji Zoe was correct in her theories… is she… alright?"

Eren turned to look at the Army colonel.

Parker made a face that was difficult to read.

This is going to be a long day.

Levi Ackerman and Mike Zacharias stared at a bandaged up Hanji Zoe.

The Survey Corps officer was sitting up on her hospital bed as she studied the pictures given to her by the CIA woman.

The giant monstrosity in the photos was frightening enough, staring and reaching upwards, as if summoning power from a malevolent force unknown to both man and beast.

"I admit, it makes little sense." she said finally.

Levi sighed.

Mike groaned.

Ilse Langnar said "But it isn't the Founder, right? Miss Historia-"

Levi cut the young girl off.

"For all we know he always had the Founder and Eren only has a part of it… how the hell is that bastard so large? Ymir's titan was not that big even by titan standards."

Hanji said "There must be a reason, but all I can come up with is that it has to do with his royal blood."

Mike Zacharias said "So we are all in the dark, same as our allies; same as our enemies."

Ilse shuddered.

The Americans had brought in so much knowledge, so many advantages with drones, tanks, guns, medicine… but to be back in the dark about this enemy was a feeling she never wanted to have again.

Hanji said "Doctor Hermann did tell me something that might prove positive news, however."

All eyes turned back to her.

"As our experiments with Eren demonstrated, maintaining the form of a titan eventually takes a toll on the user. Stay a titan too long, and the person begins to meld together with it. Slowly losing their humanity, slowly becoming the beast it had been before it devoured an intelligent shifter… We never tested Ymir, but Eren, a fifteen meter type managed to last an hour or so before beginning to lose control, and this… Rod Reiss Titan is far, far larger… almost ten times the size."

Levi winced at the implications.

Ilse blurted out "So this Rod Titan could lose control of itself with ease?!"

"I think it is far more likely that maintaining that form for too long will kill him, so he can't use it for too long."

Mike said "Therefore the reason the American jets didn't find him is because he abandoned it?"

Levi said "Huh… so odds are he is planning his next move somewhere. Wonderful."

The stoic captain glanced out the window as helicopters began to land with the injured that weren't in critical condition.

Ilse stiffened, nodded and said "I'll tell the Colonel."

She gave a quick salute and ran out the room.

Hanji sighed.

"Odds are the Americans already figured out that much; we're just backing up their theories with our own." Hanji sighed.

While other American biologists were indeed still around, Hermann had been the one working closest with her and Moblit, and now both of them were gone.

Levi said "Like it or not, your motor mouth has more value now than it did before, so all of this matters. You're no replacement for Erwin, but do us all a favor and at least try not to make the man's spirit contemplate suicide."

Like most scouts, Levi had crushed any feelings of grief and loss at the death of his commander to the deepest depths of his being, where they would remain for the duration of the crisis.

He would grieve later.

The woman chuckled, saying "That's why I appreciate your straightforwardness, captain."

With a sigh, she added "I'll definitely need it."

Mike Zacharias spoke then.

"Any idea who the new line of commanders will be? With the MPs decimated, I doubt-"

Levi said "Kenny Ackerman and his men are going to train and be in charge of the next line of MPs at least until order can be reestablished. Not that it matters with the Americans occupying the capital. As for the Garrison…"

Before Levi could finish the door was pushed open and a young man with sleek black hair and dressed in a suit walked in.

"Hanji Zoe?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Great. If you can walk then follow me, if not, get a wheelchair and follow me. We are going to begin the process making Historia Reiss the official ruler of this land."

It didn't take a genius to note that the man was not in the mood to argue anything, so Hanji kept her question brief.

"Alright… um… who exactly are you?"

The man gave her a tired look and said "Daniel Caine, here to represent the United States of America and its interests. I'm Kelly's replacement."

The room was just teeming with the feeling of discomfort as Colonel Parker, Historia Reiss, and Eren Yeager glared at the group of men sitting across from them.

The Advisory to the previous King, the puppets of the Founder, were now sitting across from them.

Puppets with cut strings, waiting for the new master to give them orders.

But who would the new master be?

They kept glancing nervously at Eren Yeager, who was glaring at them with a fury that they couldn't hope to match.

Historia noticed, softened her own angry glare and turned to Eren.

"Thank you, Eren, but could you step out for a bit? I think I need to speak to them on my own."

Eren looked hesitant.

Parker changed that.

"The medical transports arrived from the capital."

Eren winced and said "I'll… um… good luck, Historia!" before rushing out of the room.

The conversation between them and Historia was brief.

"You served my father?"

"Yes." the oldest amongst them, Deltoffe, spoke.

"He told you that I am the next in line?"

"Yes."

Historia noticed the men glance at each other, nodding in agreement. Rod had mentioned his daughter.

"So you serve me now." she stated.

It wasn't a question, but Deltoffe answered it anyway.

"Yes. Our duty is to the Founder… you are a descendant of the Founder, even if you do not contain it. We are here to serve you, your majesty."

Historia nodded.

Parker nodded.

Well, that was easier than I thought… puppets do as they're told.

"Great, now the first thing I want to do is work on a mutual defense treaty between us and the US, and I think we can extend it to as many earth nations as possible. Think we can work on that while we wait for the new heads of the military to arrive?"

Parker gave her an uncertain look.

One of the advisory said "We are here to serve you."

Historia smiled slightly.

Maybe being queen wouldn't be too difficult.

Matt finished helping unloading the medical supplies; the Humvee trio had arrived almost alongside the second wave of med-evacs, as they had been replaced by another unit early in the morning and now found itself assisting wherever they could.

There was little time for rest, however, even as he finished assisting with the supplies.

He was unfortunate enough to bump into the young titan shifter Eren Yeager.

Why the hell are we always on escort duty?

He pushed the tired thought aside and said "I take it you're searching for your sister-wife?"

"Yeah- what?" the boy replied, too much on his mind to fully grasp the sentiment.

"Come with me…" Matt said, not really in the mood to continue making jokes.

He led the young man past several beds.

Things were under control now, the civilians were mostly resting, the noise of the medical staff going about their life saving duty replacing any pained moans heard earlier.

Odds were that everyone in that room would live.

Matt saw the little speck of yellow hair not too far from the eastern corner.

"Right over there." he said simply, pointing.

"Ah, thank you." the boy said, not asking any questions about the battle.

Matt nodded and watched the young man run to his family.

He glanced at his boots.

There was still some dust from the previous battle on them.

I need a shower…

He was oddly aware of how little the deep cut on his shoulder hurt. He would assume it would hurt more, even with painkillers, but he hadn't taken any since that morning.

He walked around aimlessly, looking for an excuse to sit down.

On the corner of his eye, he saw the chestnut haired girl that worked with the stoic captain staring out a window.

She was out of her bed, standing on her own.

He approached her, seriously considering taking her bed for himself, even if for a minute.

No, he knew his mother would've slapped him for even considering it.

Instead he walked to the window and asked "Leg feeling better?"

The girl nodded.

"I'll only be out of action for a few days, which is better than Eld. Better than the rest of my squad…"

Matt glanced out the window.

She was staring at the pair of A-10s, standing by, pilots sitting on the cockpits… waiting for orders to take off.

Matt noticed several men feeding ammunition into the 30 millimeter auto cannon but said nothing.

"Sprained ankle will do that to anyone, same way a bullet will stop just about anyone." he sighed.

The girl glanced behind her, noticing the Shiganshina trio chatting amongst themselves.

"Commander Erwin is gone… still can't process it."

Matt turned and crashed his back into the wall before sitting to the floor.

"God damn it… hadn't really thought about it until you mentioned it. They hit us hard."

The girl looked unsure of something.

"You told me something the last time we spoke…"

"People tend to say things when they talk."

"You said you were worried about a bloodbath."

Matt said nothing.

"You Americans aren't used to being on the receiving end of bloobaths, huh?"

Matt frowned.

There was a pause.

"Are you guys going to pack up and leave after this?" she finally asked.

"Not up to me."

"Have you done so before? As a country, I mean."

"Yeah, a couple of times. If the reason for fighting isn't worth the bodies, sometimes we pack up and leave, sometimes we stay for longer than anyone expects."

Petra got a worried look in her eye.

"Do you think…?"

"Not up to me."

The girl paused, unsure of what to say, or ask so Matt spoke instead.

"If it were up to me I would put more troops, secure what we have and protect our allies. I would destroy all opposition, titan or human, and make it clear that there is a new dominating force in this world, and it isn't hungry for people." he said; a hint of anger lining the words.

"It isn't up to you, though." Petra sighed.

She thought about her fallen teammates.

They all had families, loving families, honored that their sons were among the elites, among those who would be almost guaranteed to return from expeditions beyond the walls.

How would they react to the knowledge that they had been killed within the walls by the very people they were trying to protect?

She thought about her fallen commander.

The man had led them through so much, had actually invented a way to take the expeditions further while losing fewer scouts!

The man had a vision for the future of humanity.

She always thought that if her commander was to die, it would be from exhaustion after destroying a horde of titans. Accomplishing something for mankind!

Yet it was his fellow man that had ripped his life away from him.

She forced the emotions threatening to bubble to the surface back down.

She continued eyeing the American aircraft, the flying machines that had made clearing Wall Maria of titans such an easy task compared to previous expeditions.

She wanted to hope those machines would be there forever, not just American, but eventually her fellow scouts.

Survey Corps Harriers or F 35s, maybe not right away, but…

She wondered if she could hope for such things in any capacity after that day.

She turned and looked at the towering structure of the Gate that connected both worlds.

"Hey, guy with weak vocal cords?"

Matt glanced up.

"What kind of trucks are those?"

Matt stood up and looked out the window.

His eyes widened.

"M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System." he mumbled.

Petra winced at the low, almost malevolent chuckle that escaped the young man. When she turned, she found herself feeling a sense of worry at the grin on the soldier.

"Steel Rain…"

He noticed the girl wasn't sure what he was talking about so he clarified.

"Those trucks carry some of the best artillery guns we have. Pretty sure a salvo of those can annihilate a titan horde thirty miles away."

"But most of the titans are… so…"

Petra allowed for some hope that their little piece of civilization within the walls wouldn't be left alone.

Several meters away, Eren Yeager was explaining the situation to Armin and Mikasa.

The girl was holding his hand tightly as he spoke.

"He grew bigger than the colossal… it was… insane." he said.

Armin nervously took in the information.

Ymir was gone.

Now Rod remained alone, but deadlier than ever.

A walking disaster, waiting to be unleashed.

"The advisory is probably going to work under Historia for a while." Eren added.

Mikasa finally spoke "They must be punished for their treason."

Armin stated "Unfortunately, they may be more useful alive than in prison or dead, Mikasa. Is Historia planning on a new ruling body or something?"

Eren shrugged.

"All I know is that they will officially make her queen once the new heads of the military arrive."

Armin nodded.

"Which means Miss Hanji will take over for the Survey Corps Kenny Ackerman is going to be, even if temporarily, in charge of the Military Police… what about the Garrison forces?"

"I think the next in line was a captain of an elite unit stationed in Trost."

Rico Brzenska followed closely behind Kitz Woermann as the two exited the cart that had brought them to the American base of operation known as Hill Zero One.

The short platinum blonde adjusted her glasses while reading the official report of the situation for the second time since receiving it, the midday sun obscuring some of the letters, but the facts of the situation were clear.

The heads of the military were dead.

The man formerly holding the rank of Captain was doing his best to look unaffected, but his sunken eyes betrayed him; even when calm Kitz Woermann always looked perpetually worried and paranoid.

Now the man looked worried to the point of sickness.

Still, he managed to speak in a firm enough voice.

"Brzenska, I will rely on you to read the room… I am not used to dealing with these men from somewhere else."

Or combat in general…

"But I trust your ability to reason more than my own. Let me know if I am taking any missteps."

Rico replied with a simple "Yes, sir." before entering the cement structure.

Inside were several people and both Garrison officers paused, unsure of what to say or do.

One group of people was glaring at a single person in the room, the others appearing silently neutral of whatever conflict was occurring.

The object of those glares, an exasperated looking and well-dressed young man, glanced at them before turning to the American officer, whom Rico and Kitz knew was an American officer because of the uniform and the fact that he was the only one there wearing the odd patterned green clothing.

"Oh, great… more of them, fill them in, I need a drink." the man said in a hoarse voice, walking to a nearby table and serving himself some water.

The American officer walked over.

"Hello, I am Colonel Parker. I take it you're the captain of the elite defense squads of the Garrison forces, yes?"

Kitz nodded as he said "correct."

"Well, commander, I wish we could meet under better circumstances… unfortunately, this is the hand we've been dealt. We are about to crown the new queen, but-"

"Not unless you concede!"

Rico recognized the shouting man as non-other than Aurile, one of the nobles in the advisory to the King.

The well-dressed young man slammed the cup of water on the table, and walked over to the shorter man.

"We are not here to negotiate any longer, jackass! Only reason you're even breathing of your own volition is because there is a minute amount of use that we can harvest from the disgusting body you convinced the people you brainwashed was an advisory to the king! Shut your God damned mouth and pray I don't hand you over to those who worked closest to Premiere Zachary!"

Rico noticed that Pixy's subordinate, Anka Rheinberger, was standing nearby, a deadly glare in her eyes that was equal in energy as the words spoken by the well-dressed young man.

Aurile was not in the least bit perturbed by either.

"I am merely defending what the queen desires-"

The man cut him off.

"If you think there is an iota of me that cares about-"

A young blonde haired girl in the room spoke then.

Is that the new queen?

"Mister Caine, I did ask-"

Again, the man cut off the speaker, albeit in a slightly more polite tone.

"Miss Reiss, we are not here to negotiate! Once the current crisis is dealt with we can-"

"If we are going to be allies then I don't understand why we can't settle this now!"

Rico noted the man had balled his hands into fist.

"Because Americans are dead, Miss Reiss. Because there is a person somewhere within these walls that can destroy an entire city just by getting a paper cut. Because the last time we tried to negotiate resulted in these four individuals now serving you allowing the deaths of over a hundred of your citizens. Because the fact is that the United States went about this the wrong way and should have deposed the monarchy the second we found out it had hostile intentions. Because the sooner we get you on that throne in the capital the sooner the population can relax and put their trust in the illusion that things are under control and we won't have an all-out rebellion on our hands. Because stretching this out any further makes the deaths of those we've lost so far be more in vain. Take the crown, have the cameras record it, become the queen, deal with this crisis, and then we can work out an actual treaty."

Historia replied with "Then… how can I guarantee you won't turn us into a puppet state once I am crowned queen? If we do things your way there is no reason for me to just back off my own promises, same as you have no incentive to keep whatever promises you make today."

The young man got a look in his eyes that chilled Rico to the core.

"Kid, right now… this second even… there is absolutely no reason why we should keep you as even a puppet other than convenience."

"That's a lie and you know it."

"Wrong, it's a fact. It would be harder, more people would die, but not on our end. The result would be the same."

"If what I read about America is remotely true then all that would do is ruin your reputation even more!"

"Which is why we are asking you to-"

Historia cut him off.

"Then let's discuss an official alliance!"

The man sucked in a breath, visibly out of arguments other than the truth.

He looked at the other officers, both American and otherwise.

He turned to Historia and said "We can't do that."

"Why?!" the girl demanded.

"Because we aren't here to fight more wars!" the man finally shouted.

Rico glanced at Kitz, who seemed to shudder at the finality in the statement.

Historia herself seemed to wince at the words.

The man explained.

"Congress… the people in charge back home… they're considering a motion to force the president to pull out the majority of our forces- now, his party does have control of the senate, so maybe we can beat it, but with the current attacks and the media only now getting access to the information regarding them… the point is we need to make it clear you need us here or else we may not be able to help you with much ever again."

It was Aurile who spoke, quickly. The man who had so adamantly defended Rod Reiss was now doing the same for his daughter.

"But we do need you! Your weapons defeated the titans! The training you gave our cadets! Without a fighting force-"

The man Rico recognized as Captain Levi interrupted.

"It's not so simple. Help, they can give us, but not if it means a military alliance that results in more of their people dying, at least not without more support from their leaders. That's why Historia can't just sign a paper to make a formal alliance right now. Doing so would be more damaging thanks to your king's actions, do I understand that correctly?"

The young man got a pained look in his eyes, but said nothing.

Historia looked defeated as she said "So we have to prove our worth before we can discuss a formal defense pact."

The man sighed, and finally said "Yeah, that about sums it up."

To Rico's surprise Kitz spoke loudly in spite of his fears.

"Your Majesty, the Garrisson forces under my command are yours to order! We will find this… traitorous king no matter the cost! Rico is one of the most skilled fighters in my team, she can lead our forces in the search of this… Rod Reiss. You Americans won't have to lift a finger!"

Well, at least his heart is in the right place.

Colonel Parker said "It's not that we can't help you, Commander, it's just that we can't form an official mutual defense pact, which is what her majesty wishes for."

Rico nodded.

"Yes, that would make the walls a recognized country and bind the Americans to come to our aid should outside forces attack. Am I correct?"

She had to remind herself that while they weren't the only humans on the planet, if the papers she had read were accurate, they were still alone in a hostile world.

Daniel Caine nodded, shoving his hands in his pocket.

He spoke then, saying "so… are you going to take the throne, or what?"

Historia closed her eyes for a moment.

She opened them and said "Alright… let's do that. But I want that mutual defense pact to be discussed immediately after this."

Caine nodded, but Rico recognized the nod.

No promises…

"Alright, let's get the cameras and the clergy in here! All we're missing is the new Military Premiere, but Historia can take his place for the moment. Colonel Parker and the commanders can assist if you have doubts. So, Colonel… where are we on locating Reiss?"

Rod stared at the clouds above.

They had turned pink as the afternoon began to shift into the evening.

The feeling of hateful eyes glaring at him never left.

It was as if those who had once used this titan were sending him a message:

"This doesn't belong to you"

He ignored it, and continued analyzing his situation.

Why hadn't he transformed into the Jaw Titan?

He had only seen it twice in person, but he had now seen it many more times by viewing the memories of those who had also once controlled the shifter he now knew was the Jaw Titan.

It mattered not the size of the pure titan form, 8 meters, or fifteen meters, fat or skinny, the shifter would always have the form of the titan it controlled.

So why had he been able to transform into the gigantic mess of a titan that he had intended Historia use?

He felt a knot in his throat as he thought back to his illegitimate daughter.

Given Historia's own small size he had made the titan as large as possible, mixing different kinds of spinal fluids collected long ago for the express purpose of "editing" titans.

He frowned.

Did I absorb the Jaw Titan into this other form? Or did the Jaw Titan absorb this form into its own?

He was considering this when the driver spoke.

"You alright back there, mister?"

Old man Jones had been very quiet, which Rod appreciated.

"Yes, thank you… I… I have been considering things."

The old man nodded, saying "I'll leave you to that, then."

"Mister Jones-"

"Look, if this is about payment, forget about it. I know you'll pay us back when the king allows the Americans to bring in their products. I do wonder what's taking them so long, though."

"Mister Jones, it's actually… I apologize for my selfishness, but I need another favor."

The old man frowned, saying "What is it?"

"…I am fleeing from a rival colleague. I doubt he has reached Trost, but due to my accident in the field… I can't be sure. It suits both of us that you hide me from prying eyes once we get there."

The old man said "Oh, why didn't you say so sooner? It'll be dark by then, so you can hide between those boxes. Put a blanket over it… you'll be hidden."

Rod nodded and said "You are a life saver mister Jones."

"Ha-ha, I'll ask for a favor of you eventually, mister. Don't think much of it."

Rod nodded, his plan almost done formulating in his mind.

Everything that went wrong could easily, without a shadow of a doubt, be traced back to that mysterious Gate…

He wondered how far away it would be from Trost to it.

He wondered how much firepower his titan could take.

He wondered how quickly he could heal what damage was done.

He wondered how effective American weapons would be against the powerful hardening ability he knew he possessed.

Especially when manipulated by someone who was a descendant of the Founder.

Finally, he wondered how easily he could break or seal that gate.

He smiled.

This was his purpose, with the gate gone, Historia would surely see reason, and the two of them could continue to rule the walls as the Founder intended.

All he had to do was get rid of the gate.

And he knew just who could get him there.

The sun was setting and Sunny Springer was putting some clothes to dry when she saw the horsemen approach the village.

Garrison soldiers, all armed with muskets that while certainly no match for the weapons her son spoke about, were certainly dangerous.

The men didn't look threatening, however. They looked worried.

What is happening?

A tall man approached her.

"Sorry to bother you, miss, but… have you seen this man?"

The man handed her a picture she knew was a photograph. Her son had explained what they were, and she smiled slightly at the thought.

She stopped.

The man looked familiar, but… not.

"I don't think so… why?"

The soldier said "There was an attack against the American trained regiment of the 104th. This man not only led it, he is capable of transforming into a titan."

Her thoughts went to her son immediately.

"The 104th? How many are hurt? My son is with them- his name- his name is Connie Springer, is he-?"

The soldier was patient but he quickly said "I'm sorry, miss, but the information I have doesn't say. Odds are you'll know soon enough. Now, about this man-"

She forced herself to stare at the picture.

She stared for a moment, and then she remembered.

"We… my husband and I picked up a strange man that… somewhat resembled this picture, but… his hair was white and he looked much older. He said he was heading to Trost and left with a neighbor earlier today. Please, if you get any news-"

"Where is your husband?"

The Garrison troops had to move quickly, she understood, but it didn't make the burden easier to carry.

Somehow, a part of her knew that the news had been good for too long.

Bad things happened to everyone eventually.

Hugo watched as Hannes explained some things to the new recruits as he stood in the torch light.

The moon was just beginning to shine in the night sky, making it the new recruits' first night shift.

They were members of the 104th that hadn't been taken along to train with the Americans back when the main body of the 104th was being considered for training with the Americans. It had ultimately been the regiment of the kids from Shiganshina that were sent to train while a major part of the 104th continued on to the Military Police, Garrison, and Survey Corps. That would mean they would have little access to the American wonders.

The small trio didn't seem to mind.

They had a fire in their eyes, as if they were happy to be part of something, even if it wasn't integral. It was as if they knew the tides were shifting and humanity was making a comeback.

The victory in Shiganshina had been wonderful news, and Hugo was happy to help where he could.

An old farmer approached the entrance to Trost.

Hugo waved the man in, saying "Got a good harvest, Old Man Jones?"

"Yes, sir!" the old man laughed as he entered.

Hannes approached and said "Any news from the capital? I heard there was a scuffle over there."

Old man Jones actually stopped the cart.

"No, something happen?"

Hannes sighed.

Hugo said "The king or… somebody high up tried to destroy the 104th regiment the Americans had been training. Killed a bunch of them, too. We got orders to be on the lookout for a guy, left us a picture, too. Hannes is just worried about his kids."

Old Man Jones shook his head.

"Damn nobility… probably somebody let his power go to his head. I hope your kids are alright, Hannes."

Hannes nodded, his face not showing much emotion, hiding his fear well.

"Oh, right… we were told Mister Springer introduced you to a man that wanted a ride to Trost?"

Old man Jones nodded, saying "Yeah, but he changed his mind for some reason."

Hannes put up a photograph.

"He look like this?"

"Looks kind of familiar, but no, he had white hair, was a bit older, about my age I reckon. Dropped him off near the main road a few miles back. Said he knew someone." the man said.

The two men nodded and let him through.

Not like a man like this could hide easily in a cart that small…

Hannes turned to the new cadets.

"Alright, Floch, Sandra, you two will take the next hour, Gordon and I will take the next, we'll roll around like that."

The red haired young man said "Wasn't that guy from Ragako village?"

"Yeah, but he said the guy was dropped off somewhere further up the road. Hugo, go inform the American team."

Unbeknownst to the Garrison troops, Rod was hidden behind several boxes.

He was lucky.

Old man Jones was apparently trusted enough that they didn't check the small cart.

The cart stopped near a shop and Rod began to step out of the truck.

The old man stopped him, a pistol in hand, and a torch on the other.

The old man spoke "Mister… you are telling me the truth, right?"

Rod felt his body freeze up.

"That picture they showed me, while it didn't look exactly like you… certainly looked like a younger version of you. Did you orchestrate an attack on a bunch of kids in the capital?"

Rod said "No, I had no idea what happened in the capital."

The old man studied him.

Rod considered his options.

If he transformed into titan right here, he could find himself needlessly slowed down by the walls.

He didn't want to transform until he was closer to the American base, to their gate.

"What do you think of the 104th cadets the Americans are training?"

Rod paused and thought about it before deciding to be honest.

"Terrible. I think it is terrible. You can disagree, but those are my honest thoughts."

The old man lowered the gun.

"Yeah, a kid having to fight monsters is an awful fact of life in this world. Lost a daughter that way… if I ever find out you took the life of anyone's kids… watch your back. Now scram."

Rod stared at the man.

"Thank you."

He walked away.

He accelerated his pace and began to run.

He ran.

And ran.

Until eventually coming to the shop he knew.

It was closed.

He cursed under his breath, but decided to wait it out. The sun had set. The Americans were looking for him sure, but he knew they were lost as to his actual location.

He walked towards an alleyway and sat down, considering his plan.

I wonder how powerful my titan's jaw would be…

The only reply he got was the ever present and ever hateful glare from beyond.

Dimo Reeves stretched as he walked down the street.

The news wasn't exactly good and he knew it.

The king had either lied to him, or the boy with the signature had lied to him- someone had lied to him about the purchases made for the king.

Titan killing weapons… advancements for the betterment of everyone my ass!

At the end of the day, it didn't matter.

Soldiers and civilians were dead, and he was partly to blame.

He figured he should come forward, hell, he knew it would be the best decision, but then what? The Americans could confiscate everything he owned, ruin his son's life, and throw him in hole so deep he could never crawl out if he was healthy, and a decade of managing a successful company had seen to it that he was not exactly in shape.

Damn it all.

He began to unlock the door to his office when a man he had never seen before approached him slowly. Cowering almost.

A beggar for sure…

He reached for the flintlock pistol he carried for his own protection and froze when the man spoke.

"Dimo… it's been a long time since we spoke face to face."

He recognized the voice instantly.

"Mister Reiss?"

Rod smiled. The Merchant had likely known of Rod's true identity only for a short amount of time, but the pair had known of the other's existence since the fall of Wall Maria. He wondered how the man had reacted to the news assuming the Americans had spread it so far so quickly.

"Rod Reiss to be specific… becoming a titan shifter has certainly altered my appearance and I fear that I look more like my father now." he said, a dry laugh following the words.

Rod noted that the merchant was not put at ease by the attempt at lightheartedness.

Odd… though if he knows by now…

"I need your help."

Reeves looked around.

No one was outside yet, any Garrison soldiers or Americans in sight were likely still patrolling the entrance to Trost.

"Inside, quickly." he said in a hushed voice.

"Thank you." Rod said, though he didn't sound thankful.

The two men entered the office building and Reeves was about to demand an explanation when Rod said "I'll get to the point. I need to get rid of the Americans. They are a threat to both our causes and I think I can do it. All I need is a horse, and safe passage out of Trost and into Wall Maria. Any other questions?"

Reeves stared for a moment, slowly asking "What… do you intend to do, your majesty?"

"Do so much damage to the Americans that they will never come back. I can do it now, I know I can."

Dimo Reeves nodded slowly as he realized that the apparent true king had confused him for someone who cared.

A plan began to form in the mind of the businessman.

It would be dangerous, but business was not without its risk.

He nodded.

"I will need to talk to some friends in the Garrison. There are Americans here, your majesty. You must remain out of sight… tell you what, help yourself to anything in the pantry, I'll go meet with my contacts and be back in a while. You look famished."

Rod nodded, and quickly went to the kitchen, obviously starving and in a hurry.

Dimo locked the door behind him and began walking down the street.

If he is a titan… tread carefully Dimo, you depend on these people as much as they depend on you.

The days after Wall Maria fell had been chaotic, and it fell to men like him to try and provide goods and services where possible, keeping people fed, clothed, working. As humanity rebuilt he had found himself still doing as much, being the most successful business in the district of Trost. Many depended on him for work.

He found himself running despite his physical limitations.

Birds sang their morning hymns as he rushed through the buildings, getting odd looks from passersby, people just waking up, and the few other businessmen putting up shop.

He could have sworn he heard an older woman say "Looks like Mister Reeves has decided to begin losing weight!" much to the laughter of her peers.

He ignored it and focused on the task at hand.

Trost had always been suspected of attack by the Colossal Titan back when that was still a threat, so its military presence was higher than other districts, even now after Wall Maria was reclaimed and he hoped to find soldiers soon.

He cared much for the district.

His father built his business there and he had maintained it after the man died.

He would be damned if the king he had unknowingly pledged allegiance to destroyed it over a matter of belief.

He had been running for a while, hopelessly out of breath, when rounding a corner, he spotted them.

A pair of Garrison soldiers talking with someone.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! I found him! I found Rod Reiss!" he yelled as best he could.

The soldiers turned, and Dimo Reeves could only smile.

The Garrison soldiers were talking with a pair of United States Marines.

Kane would have laughed at the fat mass of flesh running towards them yelling something he couldn't understand if it wasn't for the look of worry the two Garrison soldiers got.

The older man, Ian Dietrich, said "That's… he says he found Rod Reiss!"

Kane turned to Murphy and said "Contact the others; we have to be careful with this. Where?" he finished, turning to Reeves.

The man got to them, took a deep breath and said "He is in my shop, he believes I will help him get to… get to… get to your base out in Wall Maria. He looks different than he did some time ago, like he aged ten years, but-"

"Can you take us to him?" Dietrich asked.

Murph was already on the radio.

Dimo Reeves nodded.

The Garrison officer turned to the Marines.

"We could get him out of the city by pretending to go along with his plan?"

Kane lit up.

"Yeah, you and Mitabi lead him far from the wall, we follow you via drone, and then bomb him to hell before the prick can transform!" he exclaimed, grinning.

The others appeared a bit disturbed by the cruel grin on the American.

Dimo Reeves said "At… at least get him out of the city. I don't want him running around as a giant in here!"

The two Garisson officers nodded and the taller one said "Take us to him."

Kane handed Dietrich a radio, as he and Murphy would stay behind, informing the higher ups of their current situation.

Can't have the walking nuke see them talking with a perceived ally.

Dimo breathed, a bit more relaxed now.

This could work, assuming Rod trusted him.

This could easily work out perfectly!

Hand Rod over to them, explain how he knows him, the Americans would likely understand that he was tricked, and there would be no consequences for him!

Maybe he could even get his hands on some American goods!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Daniel Caine narrowed his eyes as Parker spoke with another officer.

The colonel then turned to the US Representative and said "We found Rod Reiss, he snuck into Trost somehow, but the man he asked for help turned on him. Plan is to get him out of the district on horseback, have two members of the Garrison lead him away, and once he's a fair distance away, hit him."

The US Representative nodded, saying "Don't screw it up… we're already in trouble as it is back home."

Parker nodded before asking "Can you tell me how bad?"

Caine gave him a tired look before leaning against the wall behind him and shoving his hands in his pockets, he said "House already has an inquiry into how things are being handled here, impeachment is being yelled about left and right of course, and don't get me started on the international scene cause China and Russia are also demanding answers."

Parker cringed. The two big rivals of the United States had thankfully remained relatively quiet throughout everything, but if they began to make demands and concessions from the US… well, things were already tense enough with allegations of Russian interference in the previous election and Chinese expansions in the Pacific, this could only add to an already large powder keg that only needed a spark to explode.

Caine continued.

"Regardless, until we solve this we can't focus on any of it. People are already comparing this to Benghazi, so don't give them any more reasons to."

Parker focused on the sound of Marine F-35s taking off once more.

Caine asked "They're carrying bombs this time, right?"

Parker nodded.

"Lightning One is carrying Paveways, Lightning Two is carrying Cluster munitions, three and four are carrying JDAMs in case the son of a bitch manages to transform."

Caine nodded, glancing at the blonde girl sitting silently in the room, watching as the officers ran amok, not doing much of anything.

"She's got a stronger will than I thought..."

Parker raised an eyebrow.

The pale man simply said "It could work in our favor. Show people we aren't actually manipulating her… she'll need to if things get any worse on our end."

With that the man moved to look at the monitored drone feed from Trost.

Too bad we can't just shoot him within Trost. Buildings are too tightly packed…

Parker regretted the fact that they hadn't armed any drones with a Hellfire missile model that actually delivered blades instead of an explosive cargo, but if what the Titan shifters had said carried any weight… even that might not be enough.

His thoughts drifted to the secret weapon hidden away within Hill Zero One.

It may come to that…

He then wondered how they would deliver the payload when the AC-130s they had approved to bring along were meant to arrive the following day.

"What the hell?!" Caine exclaimed as something happened on the monitor.

Parker moved to take a look.

Damn it all…

They got to the Reeves shop soon enough, and Dimo knocked on his door.

"I'm back. I'm coming in." he called.

Mitabi and Dietrich took a breath before following Dimo inside.

Rod was in the kitchen; stuffing himself on expensive food.

A physical incarnation of gluttony.

Reeves cringed at the thought of that mouth devouring humans, but composed himself quickly enough.

"Your… majesty? Are you alright?"

The man stopped stuffing a loaf of bread and steak into his mouth and turned to the trio.

Rod drank some water and said "My… apologies, Mister Reeves… I… didn't realize how hungry I was. Are these the men?"

Reeves nodded.

"They will take you to Hill Zero One, it's what the Americans call it. I paid them off, so we can trust them."

Rod studied the men.

He grabbed a kitchen knife and approached them.

The men tensed up as he did.

"Relax, I just want to be sure you don't have any American weapons or inventions on you."

"Look, sir, we can take you to their base, but you aren't coming anywhere near us with a knife." the taller man, Mitabi, said.

"The knife is not for you… you are hiding something." Rod sighed.

He turned to Reeves.

"They are important officers here, your Majesty, no one will question them if-" the merchant began before Rod cut him off.

"How much did they cost? Would a cadet not work? All I needed was for you to bribe the guards, Dimo. I saw them last night, the oldest is clearly an idiot and the younger ones… they look no older than my daughter!"

The pained look that briefly manifested in the eyes of the man was quickly dashed aside as Dietrich spoke angrily.

"They are also idealists that do not take bribes when the Americans are nearby. We are not your military police."

Rod smiled slightly.

"No, you are the ones in charge of Trost, unless I am mistaken."

The men nodded.

"So getting rid of you would delay any response from the garrison. Dimo should have picked someone less important."

Rod turned to Dimo.

"I thought I could trust you, Reeves."

"What makes you think you cannot trust me?!"

"As I said, you-"

"I paid for your safe transportation beyond the walls! Think for a second what would happen if you went alone out there!"

Rod was silent, but also seemingly not looking at them, as if he was staring at something beyond them.

Dimo didn't let up.

"If you wish to go alone, then fine! Leave! I gave you my help!"

Silence.

Rod finally said "You have horses?"

Mitabi said "Yes, sir. Picked one just for-"

"Give me one. Take me to Hill Zero One."

Floch stretched as he patrolled solitary exit and entrance of Trost, the one that led into Wall Maria. Their small unit of 5 was now switched, and had to keep watch over it much as they had the exit of Trost and entrance of wall Rose the previous night.

His partner, the dark haired girl named Sandra, sighed, saying "I thought we would be getting a breakfast break, sir."

Hannes didn't reply; his eyes closed as he thought about the children he helped raise.

Were they safe? Were they dead?

He prayed it was one or the other, and not some in between that was too horrible to contemplate.

An American truck he now knew was an MRAP drove up to them.

"Officer Hannes? Is he here?!" the young man demanded.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Kane immediately said "We found our guy and we're luring him out of the city. Officer Dietrich and Jarnach will escort him out through here in a little bit."

Floch yelled "W-we're just supposed to let him go?!"

Hannes shook his head, saying "No, you said you're luring him… I see, so if he tries to transform into a titan you can bomb him without any danger to civilians."

The red head glanced at the marine who simply said "Exactly. We're going to park over here, pretend to be asleep, all you guys have to do is let him through."

Hannes nodded, saying "Sure thing, kiddo."

The Marine opened his mouth to say something, but remained silent as the MRAP drove to a corner near the entrance to Trost.

"Alright, Floch, Sandra, I want you to flank me. Obviously this guy is dangerous, so don't give him any reason to think we are a threat to him. Once he's out, we'll each head over to the mess hall and have a well-earned breakfast. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" the cadets replied.

It was ten minutes before the three men on horseback appeared, the two elite Garrison soldiers ahead of the hooded figured of the enemy.

Alright, Hannes, easy now… this isn't the first time you face a titan.

"Captain, everything okay?" he asked, pretending to not know what was going on.

Dietrich played along just fine, saying "Just got orders to take this guy to the American base. Those guys over there are too busy guarding the place so it's up to us."

"Well, if it's an order. The Americans back there are asleep, so it would be better not to bother them. Floch, go ahead and open the gate for the officers."

The red head nodded and ran to do just that.

Hannes made brief eye contact with the man he knew was Rod Reiss and felt a chill go up his spine.

So… this is the guy behind so much of out troubles…

The man who ordered the deaths of most of the population of Wall Maria, the man who could have done much more to stop the titans, the man who ruined the lives of the children he had helped raise... a traitor to everything he stood for.

Hannes instead focused on the stone gate opening up little by little, the morning sun shining ever so slightly more as the early morning turned fully turned into the new day.

With a somewhat loud *Ka-chunk*, the gate opened fully.

Hannes said "Alright, then good luck, captain!"

Before Dietrich could reply or do anything, the hooded man jabbed a knife into the officer's back.

Mitabi reacted, screaming "What-?!" before Rod stabbed the horse he was riding, causing the poor animal to buck, dropping the Garrison officer to the ground.

The actions had only taken a single second.

Hannes and the younger Sandra had reached for their muskets, but the titan shifter was galloping away.

Floch was there, musket in hand.

He allowed the king to pass through the doorway before aiming the rifle and firing a shot.

He wasn't sure if he hit or not, but it didn't really matter.

Rod was out of the Trost District, running away on horseback.

"Are you alright?!" Kane demanded, checking on the Garrison officers.

Dietrich held his bleeding side, saying "What the hell?! Bastard- ah!"

Hannes said "It's not very deep- looks like he just jabbed you with it. Blade didn't even-"

"Well it hurts!"

Mitabi sat up, shaking his head. His horse licked its wounds a few meters away.

Kane gripped his radio and said "Target ran off without the escorts… must've been onto us…"

Sandra asked "But, we're safe, right?"

Hannes groaned, saying "Yeah, but if he's out there without the escorts…"

Kane said "Yeah, but don't worry… Dietrich will be fine; the district will be fine…"

With a slight glare he concluded "…but he won't be."

Rod Reiss forced the horse to go faster, trying to ignore the hateful glared in the back of his head.

But he couldn't.

The small town that used to exist outside of Trost was decrepit and broken, a place smashed to bits by the titans, the descendants of Ymir-

He paused.

The memories that weren't his own suddenly appeared to be almost forcefully clawing their way into his conscious. As if the previous holders of the Jaw Titan were trying to slow him down as much as possible despite being dead.

Specifically, was as if even in death, the girl who had befriended Historia was trying, desperately, to keep him away from her.

Memories of curses, and screams of people, angrily throwing stones at one of these descendants of Ymir, the girl who made a deal with the devil.

Don't do this!

Rod screamed at the top of his lungs "My daughter will not make another deal with the devil!"

It was the Americans!

It was that damned Gate!

There was little to no difference between them and the legends they taught those foolish children!

A power beyond comprehension, especially now, would only serve to curse them further!

That power only brought forth pain and suffering and death!

He remembered his daughter, his beloved Frieda, as she had bravely stood against the man who claimed to know better!

So long as we remain ignorant and accept the world's rage, we will be the only ones who have to die.

He could feel the conflicting personality of the previous shifters within him.

They weren't saying a word, not the girl, not the boy whose name he had stolen for his own use, but he could still feel them there!

He cleared the ruined town, pushing into the grassy fields the survey corps had explored in defiance of the Founder's Will.

He should have defunded them the second the Wall Maria fell! He should have killed Erwin far sooner! Even now it was as if the man taunted him!

He then realized how stupid he had been.

He had been so distracted by the thoughts plaguing his mind, the fact that he was starving, and the fact that he felt safe that he had failed realize that if he had just stayed in Trost, the Americans could not have touched him.

He could have taken the district hostage!

Force the Americans to retreat, force Historia to devour Yeager- bring back the true god of this world into it!

Now, as he felt the wind on his face, he realized that he had set in motion a path that either resulted in his victory and the destruction of that gate, or his death, and the death of his values.

He gripped the reins on the horse tighter and shouted "Faster you damned animal! We need to hurry or they may catch up to us!"

The horse obediently accelerated.

But not enough.

Come on! My father, my brother… my daughter did not die so that their will could be foiled by a horse!

He wasn't sure what he did wrong then.

Maybe he pulled something he shouldn't have, or maybe the horse reacted to something else; he just didn't know.

The result was clear to him, however.

Rod Reiss fell to the grassy ground beneath him as his horse kicked and ran off in another direction.

He got up slowly, looking around, realizing the horse was gone before screaming in agony.

His right leg was broken, and even putting a little bit of weight on it sent painful shocks up his body.

Damn it! Damn it all…

He froze as he faintly heard something in the sky above him.

He glanced up, the sky had few to no clouds, but he couldn't see anything.

But there was a loud noise in the distance, like the malicious breath of a devil flying through the coulds.

Devils… they really are… devils.

He forced himself to stand upright, glancing at his injuries, he lifted a hand to the sky.

He remembered how he wanted to destroy the titans once. Use the power of the Founder to get rid of them; the fights he and Urie had with their father over it, the wise old man always knew that was not a viable solution.

Urie… Frieda… Historia…

He had an idea of which direction the Gate was.

His opened hand closed into a fist.

He heard the faint noise again, and decided to act immediately.

He closed his eyes, and pushed the powers he had as close together as he could in order to annihilate the enemies before him.

His eyes opened and brilliant light covered him before an explosion blanketed the field.

He would purge the devils from his world or die trying.

He didn't even feel the cluster bombs detonate several meters away; the sheer shockwave of his transformation sent them flying off course, slamming and damaging his leg, but not the vital neck.

High in the air above, the squadron of F 35s observed the giant below them.

Sure enough, it had incorporated the powers of the Jaw titan into its own.

What's worse, it was lying on its back, too big to walk.

A challenging target, certainly, but that didn't matter to the Marine pilots.

The question was if the bombs being carried could penetrate deep enough to kill the man within the beast.

Like vengeful angels, Lightning 1 turned slightly and began to prepare for its second bomb run.

It wasn't a special bomb or anything like that. A simple bomb designed for utter destruction of whatever its target could be, a building, a road, a bridge, some guy in an office, or a house that gave the neighborhood a less than pleasing aesthetic.

It was released once the advanced calculations were made and the trajectory was clear.

It fell, gravity doing most of the work, advanced electronics a fair bit of the rest.

Deep within the unnatural flesh that made up the behemoth, Rod felt completely different as he could feel much further than he ever could before.

It was like flying he realized, even as he saw the bombs fall to his face and blind him he was more preoccupied with feeling for what he knew was farther than any human hand, and yet it felt normal to him.

He couldn't feel his legs, he realized, but he didn't care.

He could sense that he was, at least partly, pointing in the right direction, so he pushed his colossal arm behind him, like a strange parody of a backwards stroke in a swimming competition, and began dragging himself backwards towards his target.

He did not care for the flurry of fire above him or that it felt like his body was being eaten away little by little every second.

He was too busy glaring back at the dead children who were glaring at him in the darkness.

As if begging him not to do what he was trying to do, to not even try; he could see their defiant fury, the dark haired girl leading them.

Don't do this. Historia made her choice!

He forced his traitorous thoughts aside and kept dragging himself ahead, despite the explosions and fire above him.

She made the wrong choice, now she will face the consequences of her choice… but I will keep her safe, and she will keep us safe, just as the Founder intended.

Suddenly, the fire stopped, allowing for him to focus somewhat better on healing.

He found it easier to just not grow back his lower body, it weighed him down anyway.

His eyes slowly regenerated, and he wondered why no new attacks followed.

The sky above him was clear, and he could somewhat distantly hear the strange roar of the American aircraft.

With grim determination that rivaled the memories of the previous shifters, he pushed onward, following the noise and defying the wishes of the dead, for the will of the Founder was stronger in his mind than the decades of experience of the previous holders of this titan, including the feelings of the previous holder.

Daniel Caine had seemingly established himself as someone who could remain stone faced even if the world around him collapsed, and Levi could somewhat understand. Why bother showing you were angry, scared, or frustrated if it added nothing to the situation?

But even the scout was somewhat visibly frustrated as the American bombs had done their damage, destroyed much of the titan's head that was on the screen, yet the damned thing kept crawling in a ridiculous fashion towards them.

On the screen, the drone feed showed that the jaw had been torn away from its hinges, revealing the fleshy river of muscle that wrapped around the skull, the two giant caverns that were the slits of the nose, the broken hole that had once been teeth and a mouth… but the bombs had failed to reach their target.

Damn it all… how powerful is this ability?

After a moment, the American representative said "Okay, leave him be for now… let's use this opportunity to better cement our relations as two cooperating nations, your majesty."

All eyes turned to the man who didn't seem to notice or care.

"We should gather our military officers, meet up back here in… ten, fifteen minutes… discuss a joint plan of attack." Parker spoke when the Representative said nothing.

Historia glanced at some of her officers… not used to outranking the older soldiers.

But still, the girl nodded, saying "I believe you need to gather the NATO observers."

"Correct, they… they should be here given what we're going to discuss." Parker glanced cautiously at the Representative,

The stoic man said "Colonel, inform General Connor that we're moving up our little demonstration of firepower to… oh, a few hours from now."

He never broke his almost unblinking stare of the giant on the screen.

Historia raised an eyebrow, asking "I thought the firepower demonstration was going to use the Strykers and machine guns. What else did you have in mind?"

The US representative did not reply.

Historia frowned, as did Levi who actually spoke up "Hey, I get that you practically pushed her to be queen for your benefit, but can you at least communicate so that we don't have make half-assed guesses at our situation?"

Caine simply said "Sorry, but it will be discussed in the meeting… let's just say that we are about to command fire to come down from heaven."

There was a strange pause as the military and the new queen took in the implication.

Parker knew that in the Christian Bible there are instances of prophets asking God to send fire from Heaven, and God complying… but there was another case of fire being called down from Heaven, and anyone who had read the Bible likely knew it as well.

The Second Beast of Revelation 13.

He spoke quietly, asking "So… are we supposed to be Elijah or the lamb like beast?"

"Beg pardon?" Daniel asked.

"You quoted scripture, right?"

The American representative smiled slightly, saying "I guess we would be more like the beast of Revelation 13 in this case."

Looks like a lamb, speaks like a dragon.

Levi noted the small exchange of words, but said nothing. He cared little about their philosophy or the implications of some beast from some book he had never heard of before.

Right now, all he wanted, all his superiors and subordinates wanted, was to destroy the enemy that was slowly moving towards them.

Colonel Parker stared at the group of acting officers for the military forces within the walls.

He glanced at the opposite side of the table, the military officers that were there as NATO observers, all prepared to guide everyone through officially introducing them to a new world, the previous advisory making certain that was never accomplished in full.

"Alright, our standard bombs did damage, but not enough on their own. Right now he is more dangerous than any other titan we have encountered."

Mike Zacharias asked "How is that possible?"

Hanji replied quickly, albeit visibly in pain still.

"This… Rod titan is not only regenerating faster, it seems to have what Annie and Bertholdt describe as a hardening ability. On their own, they would never be enough to stop the onslaught of explosives that hit its nape, but combined with the speed at which he does it, as well as his hardening ability, and the fact he is crawling on his back…"

"He is a crawling mountain, with its only weak spot buried under it." Anka sighed.

It was the British officer who said "We actually have some bombs that can penetrate deep within the earth, and should be able to get the job done… unfortunately the aircraft needed for such a task are not available at the moment."

"Nor will they be available in time I presume." Hanji sighed.

"Unfortunately, no… even if we could somehow squeeze a B2 bomber through the gate without dismantling it entirely, the time it would take to fly one to New York, transport it through the city- hell, even an improvised air lift would take too much time… Right now Rod is headed in our direction, slowly, but if he loses control of his titan form then best case, he sticks his course, worst case… he turns and attacks the nearest district… Trost."

Silence.

"So… what are you planning on using?" Historia finally asked.

Parker pursed his lips.

"We… have not been using our most destructive weapons, nor have we shown them to any of you or the cadets… if you would look at the papers on your desk, please."

The acting commanders of the Survey Corps and Garrison forces flipped open the small folders that had been written in their vocabulary.

An egg like object was pictured in the first page, and it was described as a bomb.

"Those are the Massive Ordinance we mentioned earlier, again not an option right now, but they are not the most destructive. Skip to page three."

Hanji frowned, skiping the content.

What is a Daisy Cutter?

It was Anka who got ahead of herself and asked "Nuclear… what does that mean?"

Eyes turned to her.

The girl had skipped ahead in the booklet.

Hanji noted the tension among the men from the other world.

"It is the most destructive weapon humanity has come up with in its millennia long quest to dominate." the French officer breathed.

Colonel Parker said "It is the last thing we want to use, but it is something that always had to be an option given how unknown this world was to us… and to you. Our fear was that there was some other, far more advanced intelligence here, and if it found out we were in the nuclear age it would strike… so we ordered everyone coming here to refrain from speaking of them."

Looks like the Americans aren't much less paranoid than the old Advisory...

"These… can destroy entire cities in one strike?" Historia asked, reading the information, worried.

The Garrison and Scout officers widened their eyes.

Hanji gaped and despite her pain exclaimed "This is what won you the Second World War!"

Parker shook his head vigorously.

"Not exactly, it brought it to a quicker end, sure, but Japan had already lost that war."

All eyes turned to Hanji as she said "Still…. the power to fully destroy an entire city with just one bomb…"

One bomb, one city…

Parker added "That was one of the first versions, though. The ones we have now are far more powerful; we had feared that war with these weapons would result in the total destruction of our world."

"Then why build more?" Historia asked.

"Because our rivals feared us, we feared them, so we raced to get as many as we could in order to prevent them from striking. Mutually Assured Destruction, they may destroy us, but we could destroy them… say what you will, but these weapons helped us prevent our destruction as much as they could have caused it."

It was Anka who said "Then let's use one. It should completely obliterate Rod."

"No!" every earth side officer said in unison.

The other officers and Historia stared on in confusion.

"Look, these bombs… one of them can make an entire area dangerous to live in for years. Each bomb produces a… toxic cloud that causes horrifying sickness to those that breathe it, and the wind carries it… dropping a single bomb on Rod would make half the area within the walls unlivable, and kill God knows how many."

"If we cannot even use it why bring it up?!" Anka demanded.

"Because you need to know what you are getting into by choosing to fight against Rod and siding with us." he replied.

All eyes turned to him.

"We may need to use nuclear weapons eventually, make those decisions… hell, even if we never have to, we would be bringing that knowledge into this world… you would be welcoming it, sure, but it would take this world into a direction it may not be ready to follow."

A pause.

They understood.

"You're asking us if we still want your help."

"You can tell us to piss off, pull back-"

Historia softly said "We won't, you won't, and we will go forward even fi this new path is unknown to us. Is that agreeable?"

Her military officers glanced at her before Rico said "We have lived with the existential threat of the titans for a long time… is bringing in another existential threat what we want?"

A pause.

"Nuclear weapons will not be brought in unless necessary. Currently they are all locked away back home, but we are bringing in the knowledge of them, as well as the threat it poses."

Hanji sighed.

"Figures, even if we don't have them, continuing down this path changes who the monster is. Titans would be yesterday's problem… man would be free to be his own destroyer."

Anka nodded sadly, remembering the rants her commander often went on during his drunken stupors.

Historia said "Then the question is this: are we willing to make that trade?"

Silence.

It was Kitz Woermann who said "Odds are it would happen eventually. Titans cannot advance technologically, humans can. We would have come up with these… nuclear weapons eventually."

There seemed to be some sense of agreement.

"Then we proceed with this knowledge. Mankind will usurp the titans and their power from this world. Now, Colonel… what was the option you wanted to talk about before this little detour?" Historia said, rubbing her temple.

Parker nodded.

"The only option we have right now is the… GBU -43, Massive Ordinance Air Blast, or MOAB. Largest non-nuclear bomb on earth." the colonel breathed.

"We had brought one in just this week in preparation for a show of force and to introduce the advisory to the heavier weapons we have at our disposal… but that didn't really pan out."

"Then let's use it!" Anka said once more.

"That's where we need you."

Eyebrows were raised.

"See, the bomb needs a specific aircraft to drop it, and we had one being delivered here. Unfortunately, it is currently being inspected alongside an entire air wing, so we can't get one here safely before the end of the day. That said, unlike some of our other bombs, this one is a bit more flexible. See, it actually uses a parachute to drop before exploding above ground."

He pointed at the illustrations.

"The plan is to use Four Chinook helicopters in order to carry a large platform where the bomb can be carried on; however we run into problems with actually dropping it."

Hanji said "Yes, coordinating the four release mechanisms, aiming properly…" a weak smiled formed on her face.

"Worse, back on earth this bomb uses a system we do not have here. We improvised by adding some things that will help keep it partly on course, but it still needs to be dropped manually… this is where Eren Yeager comes in."

"How would he help here?" Historia asked.

Hanji lit up slightly, understanding the plan before it was even uttered.

Since the arrival of the Americans, the titan presence in Wall Maria had decreased to the point that there were almost no titans present within the outer wall.

Keyword: almost.

As they were focusing on capturing several titans, a few had been spared as they were either trapped somewhere, be it under a house, stuck between trees, or in a hole, the point was that they were not a threat. Thanks to drone technology, a few titans had also been discovered simply standing in forests, not moving in any way.

This meant that there were about a dozen titans left within Wall Maria.

The Survey Corps was planning on using them as experiments once the situation with the Nobility was resolved, which had abruptly happened, leaving destruction in its wake.

It didn't care, though.

No, this titan was simply waiting in the shade of the forest, staring into nothing, not really thinking anything, its dry patches of skin and deformed face destroying all semblance of the human life that it had once possessed so long ago.

Far off in the distance it heard the roar it had gotten accustomed to over the last month, American Aircraft, though it did not know what those aircraft were or what they were doing or who they belonged to.

It didn't even crane its neck up to see.

It did, however, react when it detected something massive in the distance, miles away, crawling on the ground.

It didn't know how it detected it, it didn't really know what it was, but it knew the feeling very well.

Release…

For the first time in a few years, its trunk like legs pushed forward, beginning to advance, tearing down some trees that were rotted or too decayed to remain standing as it pushed them aside.

It was alone, of course, but it didn't care. It only had one technical thought manifesting within, never bothering to ask why it was thinking this, or what the word meant.

It just wanted to be free.

As it continued walking, a brief, minuscule thought emerged, perhaps because it was the last thing it thought when it was a human, or because there was something familiar about what was calling to it, but once more, it didn't care.

What do the words "I'll find you" mean to a pure titan anyway?

"He has to what?!" Mikasa demanded, sitting up suddenly, very much against doctor's orders.

"Deliver a weapon of mass destruction to the Rod Titan from high in the air by being tied to four American helicopters as an all assault is carried by artillery and aircraft…. what?" Hanji asked.

The Shiganshina trio was silent as they pondered the information.

"It would be a head on attack, that will force him to stop, if not outright kill him, but assuming he isn't killed, once he is immobilized Captain Levi will receive an order to give you a signal and you will drop the incredibly heavy bomb on him!"

"Historia is okay with this operation?" Eren asked, sounding very somber all of a sudden.

"She certainly seems to agree with it."

Eren faced them directly and said "Well of course she agrees with it! This is a man who is perfectly okay with forbidding his own people from being free, from allowing us to liv with the rights we are given by being born into this world! He wants to keep us like caged animals, not people, but… this is her father… as well as a shifter… is killing him the only way?"

"There isn't a hole deep enough to keep him in should he transform, we can't just dig him out of the nape given how deep it is or even if he's still in there given the information the shifters gave us, and with the looming threat of Marley… better to lose a titan than risk losing everything." Armin said.

Eren glanced at him, the boy looked strangely determined.

Mikasa was quiet, but her look of worry said it all.

It had been less than an hour since the trio had been reunited after the previous day's battle.

But it was clear that the battle wasn't over.

"So we have to do this. Then let's do it." Eren said, standing up and stretching.

"So, Levi will be with you once you transform, you will carry the bomb with special chains that you will let go of once you get the proper clearance. I guess Levi will stand on your shoulder and he will give you a signal."

"Wait, outside of the helicopters? Is that safe?" Armin asked.

Hanji said "They have some masks to allow him to breathe and see clearly, so I think he'll be okay, and you should all know how effective our ODM gear is."

Armin stood up and said "Can I accompany them? Please?"

"Armin?" Eren turned to his friend.

"I'll back you up and help the captain if things get out of control! I… I want to help."

Hanji said "Actually, that may be for the better. Levi is currently without a team right now, and I can't really join him given my… current condition. Alright, you two come with me."

Eren and Armin turned to the girl that was now staring at them.

"Relax, Armin will make sure I don't get in trouble." Eren said, trying to give the girl a reassuring smile.

The girl was quiet, turning her face downwards. She had been the one to protect them on more than one occasion, but now…

"Please… be careful." she said quietly.

Eren suppressed the urge to tell her that he would be fine, to stop worrying, giving her a look of understanding.

"Come on, Armin." he said after a second.

The blonde boy nodded.

Time to grieve would come later, now was the time for action.

Parker stared at the screen once more, glancing briefly at the radar before looking at the bright blue sky on the drone's feed. There was a squad of Marine Harriers visible in the feed, but he knew they were just one wave that would strike at the beast approaching them.

"First wave is in position?" he asked.

"Yes, Colonel." an American manning a monitor said.

"Enemy hasn't changed course?"

"No, but he seems to be moving slower…"

Wish we had satellites here…

Parker turned to Historia, who seemed worried.

"Everything appears to be in order." Parker said.

The girl closed her eyes, once again, pushing worry aside.

"Care to give the honors?" Parker asked.

Historia glanced at him, before glancing at her own officers.

Hanji nodded.

Kitz nodded.

Their subordinates did not appear to object.

A part of her wondered if she really had any authority at the moment, but she was determined to prove that she was, at the very least, capable of handling said responsibility on her own now, especially to protect her people.

It turns out this was who she was.

"Alright… initiate operation David's Throw!" she said confidently.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, the American aircraft shifted direction on the feed and with a scream of their jet engines, began to dive below the clouds.

The behemoth was made visible. Rod's entire lower body was gone, leaving behind a trail of blood and smoke as the giant continued to crawl backwards at an awkward pace.

The Harriers dove in, firing their anti-tank missiles first, but not targeting the supposed strongest point on the sin against nature below them, one at a time, the weapon designed to tear holes in enemy armor slammed into the extremities of the titan's arms.

Then a pair of Harriers strafed the eyes on the giant, blinding him before the second pair of Harriers fired their second round of AT missiles at the face.

Rod was immobilized.

The attack was underway.

It was a rude awakening to say the least.

Rod had been happy to drift off into the darkness, become one with his titan, yet as he did so the Americans began their strike, separating his right arm from his body, and severely damaging his left arm.

He was immobilized.

He forced himself to regain control of the titan, despite the strain on his body.

Whats left of it…

He began attempting to heal his left arm, to at least be able to keep crawling. He was certain he was still moving in the right direction, and if the attack was any indication, this was a correct assertion.

Still, if he couldn't move… and now he couldn't see.

Again, the feeling of the previous holders of the Jaw titan appeared to be begging him to just surrender, as if this battle was over before it started.

He continued feeling the missiles hit his body, but they were no longer targeting his Jaw.

He realized what they were trying to do then.

You want me to lose all control of my titan! If you want a battle of attrition, then I will prove to you that my belief alone is far more powerful than whatever gods you bring forward!

In response, he forced a defiant roar that was far louder than anything heard before, bringing to life the fury of an angry god.

In response, an Anti-Tank missile shot into his mouth.

Rod felt the heat above him even though the weapon exploded a fair distance from his location, dislocating part of his jaw, but not destroying it.

He forced himself to begin healing, knowing that this was just the beginning.

I just need to get my left arm healed… just… that… and then…

Another missile slammed into his arm. If he wasn't focused on healing it, it would have been completely separated from his body, leaving him unable to regenerate fully.

Rod forced himself to keep the form together, not about to surrender to these outsiders, not about to go against the will of his god, never!

Once again, memories flooded into him, memories of wanting to save mankind…

He pushed them once more in a rage, knowing that it was too late now.

He would not change course until the Americans were gone or he was dead.

"Angel Squadron, we've fired the last of our AGMs, returning to base. Give him hell, boys!"

The A-10 pilot would have been surprised at the lack of spiteful remarks from the Marine pilots flying back in the distance had the situation not been so serious.

The US Air Force was arguably the most hated by the other branches… but they had the A-10 Thunderbolts, the Army and Marines did not.

Along with a bunch of other things…

"Copy, Angel Squadron. We'll take it from here."

The Four A-10s flew in a relatively close formation as they approached their target.

It was a disgusting sight.

The giant looked like a corpse, muscle and bones exposed all over its face, a skeletal arm severed next to as it produced an ungodly amount of smoke, and its jaw… the only way to describe it would be "unnatural".

It was a mutation that defied nature and humanity, an unholy entity that could have made claims to being a god in another world.

The A-10 pilot smiled slightly.

Let's introduce him to the Devil's Cross…

He pulled up; readying a gun run, planning on doing as much damage as possible, maybe even break right through to the bastard's nape.

30 millimeter auto cannon should be more than up to the task, especially as it shot 65 of them every second it was fired.

He centered his sights on the unnatural jaw and opened fire, the aircraft shaking as the gun the plane was built around began to fire.

Rod had never felt anything quite like it.

It was a drill, destroying his defense, tolling on him like nothing he had ever felt before.

It was enough, it would have been even with the brief respite, but then there were more explosions, more impacts on his head and body.

He realized that he could only hope to outlast it, and he began attempting to lift his left arm in order to put it on top of his face, use it as a little bit of extra protection.

The second he began to move it, it came under attack.

Angrily, he pushed himself further, hardening parts of it.

Again he felt the strain on his human body, but it was enough.

His arm fell on top of him, and it would take more than a powerful drill to get to him now.

He was completely unaware that the action had actually fused him even further to his titan.

Were one to remove Rod from it there and then, only the lower half of his torso would still be fully recognizable as human, as muscles and nerves all over his body were fusing to the beast he controlled.

Any normal shifter would have already lost themselves, but the level of determination Rod was presenting could only attributed to the Reiss dynasty and their royal blood.

And it would take much more to end him.

For the pilots above, it was a battle of wills at this point.

The A-10 Thunderbolts were flying out of reach of the titan, hitting it with enough power to destroy an armored battalion of any Earth army, and yet the damned thing refused to die!

Air-to-ground missiles were tearing apart what little defenses it had, the legendary Jaw titan's addition was shattered despite its hardness.

It was almost comparable to diamond in fact, impossibly hard, but would break apart under enough pressure. Unlike diamond, it seemed that Rod was able to just barely heal it despite the damage being inflicted.

The Air Force pilots were not giving him any quarter. For every crack he healed, two holes were punched into it.

For every hole he healed, a thousand cracks formed.

And yet he refused to die!

As if the rounds and missiles that were being poured into him weren't reaching their target.

One A-10 let out a particularly long burst from the auto canon, to little effect, despite the large hole it left behind.

Suddenly, the bastard had attempted to block their fire with his remaining arm that shouldn't even function?!

Like hell…

They unloaded on it, 30 millimeter rounds, AGMs, laser guided missiles, all converged on the joint that had been discretely healing.

Direct hits all around.

The arm bucked, slowly collapsing… right on Rod's face.

It would dissipate, sure, but for the moment…

"Angel Squadron, pull back… stand by for a second engagement, we're going to soften him up a bit more."

"Copy, Colonel…"

"Think you can carry that?" Levi asked.

Eren stared at the almost comedic large bomb, an American flag on its side with the initials M-O-A-B next to it. A car was pulling it towards them on the airfield

"I'll have to." the boy said, glancing behind him as the American aircraft began to take off.

Levi said nothing, walking away as Eren stared at the knife in his hands.

A lot was on his mind. What he had seen in his memories…

Once more, he forced those thoughts aside and gripped the knife before making a slight cut on the palm of his hand.

Light engulfed the airfield as large amounts of muscle and bone materialized seemingly from thin air.

The Attack Titan stood up at its 15 meter and carefully moved towards the payload.

Armin watched Eren pick up the massive bomb with both arms, holding it tightly as several scouts began to sue their ODM gear to attach the giant to the chains that 4 CH-47 Chinooks would soon use to lift him.

"Wonder how he's so strong. Most titans would struggle to lift up a regular car, yet Eren picks up something that heavy like…"

"Don't care; what we need now is to use that strength to stop a bigger monster." Levi said, placing on the mask on his face.

The CH-47 Chinook was designed to carry troops and equipment, and was able to fly up to altitudes exceeding 18,000 feet, which had paid off during military operations in mountainous regions.

Now it would serve a different purpose: a makeshift bomber.

Armin checked his gear once more before placing on his air mask and following the captain.

Faintly, almost imperceptible, he could hear explosions in the distance.

"Fire!"

Jake observed as the MLRS batteries opened up.

Production of these beauties had stopped in 2003, although they were still in use by many militaries across the globe. Now there was a whole unit of them in this world, putting their long ranged ability to deliver destruction to good use.

The small escort group of Humvees and Survey Corps scouts was just making sure no unwanted attention from titans was suddenly received.

He could see the smoke in the distance; turning to Dave he said "How much can this thing take?"

"There is a common myth in fiction that something gigantic is also invincible. I know he has a healing factor, but… come on, he can't tank that much, kind of why he's stopped in his tracks. He's trying to defend himself."

Jake nodded, watching the smoke in the distance grow in intensity.

"All Vicks, be advised, we have detected titans in the nearby area, do not engage unless necessary." the tired voice of Lieutenant Troy came over the radio.

"Huh… they must be headed for the Rod titan."

Titans seem to be attracted the most to titan shifters…

Dave said "If they plan on dropping a MOAB, then… two birds, one stone."

Jake nodded, turning to look at the rockets as they began to descend.

Steel Rain…

"Dude, check it out!"

Jake glanced at the sky and saw an almost comical sight.

Four Chinook helicopters carrying one titan and the most destructive weapon the Americans had brought with them so far.

Reminds me of Pacific Rim… go get him, kid.

This really was just a show of force on the part of the Americans, demonstrating how much more destructive than the titans man could be.

The rockets that were now flying towards Rod ripped apart in the air, revealing what made it so dangerous: 970 M74 bomblets.

They fell from the sky, the hand grenade sized bombs that could destroy armored vehicles and do unspeakable things to human beings hit the remains of giant's arm that protected his vital spot.

They tore Rods defenses apart, leaving the man screaming inside his little protected shell.

Hell fell on him, the bombs shredded skin, and produced so much heat that he thought he would suffocate. The smoke alone would have blinded him if he had eyes left, and if he still had functioning lungs he would have suffocated in minutes. Worse, some of the small bombs did not explode, simply crashing into holes made by the previous strikes of missiles and auto cannon rounds, likely to explode if he tried to regenerate around it.

It was a fury Rod had never expected to meet at any point in his life, certainly not from the Founder that inhabited his father, his brother, and his daughter.

Devils… damned… devils!

He was losing himself more and more as the attacks continued all over his gigantic body before suddenly ceasing.

A quiet stillness followed the overwhelming barrage as Rod slowly tried to recover.

He braced himself, expecting a second round, but nothing came.

He still couldn't see.

He couldn't even really think straight, the strain of maintaining that massive titan reducing him to a husk that couldn't even fully classify as human anymore.

But still, deep down, he understood his mission and forced himself to begin healing.

First, his eye.

Just one, just enough to see what was coming.

It was difficult, damn near impossible, but he managed as no more attacks came.

Had they run out of ammunition? Did I outlast their waves?

The thoughts were only brief sparks of consciousness given how lost he was at this point.

As he was suddenly able to see the sky above, he felt something akin to peace.

He felt like he was closer than ever to reaching his goal of bring the god of this world back into it. He now truly believed he could do it.

As his left eye healed, all he was able to see was smoke, not that it registered very much.

To his surprise, a small mob of titans was approaching him from a forest in the distance.

They were running.

It was sad as they eventually got to him, tearing at his titan's flesh, trying to reach their salvation.

Rod understood full well what they wanted. His roars had sent them all into a frenzy, as if declaring where their possible release could be.

He continued to prioritize healing his face and arms, eyeing the titans actually push and bite at each other as they try to tear into his side.

He saw a particularly skinny one simply be crushed by two larger and fatter titans.

It was sad.

He didn't think as he glanced back at the sky, nor did he think much of the clouds above moving gently in the breeze, as if the massive display of firepower meant nothing to the sky above.

All in all, these devils are ultimately human…

He actually didn't see the bomb fall from sky.

Under normal circumstances, the GBU-43 would be dropped from an AC-130, stuck on an airdrop platform that would have several parachutes attached in order to pull it out of the flying aircraft. Said platform would then release the GBU-43, which would then rely on satellite guidance to reach its target.

These, however, were not normal circumstances.

The airdrop platform was not attached to parachutes, it was instead being held onto by a 15 meter tall titan shifter who simply had to angle it properly before letting the whole thing go.

It had no GPS guidance, instead relying on hastily assembled fins that would keep the 9 meter long bomb from spinning off course.

Its target was not a massed group of enemy forces, but a single enemy, hidden under meters of hardened flesh and the toughest material seen on that planet.

The GBU-43 wasn't meant to be a ground penetrating weapon; she designed after her older sister, the BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter", an anti-personnel bomb that was used in Vietnam and later Afghanistan.

She had been used a grand total of three times since her conception in 2002.

Two of those times were just tests.

That said, when you drop the most powerful non-nuclear weapon on the face of the earth on a target… well, ground penetration doesn't have to be its design in order to achieve it.

There was one key aspect of her design that was rather appropriate for its mission and had been true every time she had been dropped.

The very first test drop against actual enemies was done less than two years prior to this one, and while eliminating the enemy was part of it, it was also part of a grander scheme, one that the American military had been carrying out since the early days of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the reason she was called The Mother of All Bombs.

"Shock and Awe."

Nobody celebrated in the command centered when the drone feed showed the massive ball of smoke that had engulfed what remained of the Rod Titan on the monitor.

Historia forced herself to remain composed as the image showed just how destructive this weapon was, the titans that had run to the giant had been seemingly obliterated, and pieces of gigantic bone and flesh was thrown sky high.

And this is just their most powerful non-nuclear weapon…

After a moment of nobody talking, Daniel Caine said "And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from Heaven…"

He turned to the onlookers and said "Welcome to the atomic age, your majesty: it's a world full of terrors and wonders."

Historia felt an eerie stillness settle before saying "That isn't an atomic bomb."

The man chuckled "Nope, but it might as well be. Even before the atomic age we had Earthquake Bombs… well, the British did."

Hanji sighed, saying "Terrifying as that may be, I do think it's the better choice between two evils. At least now we can choose our fate for ourselves."

Historia visibly winced suddenly.

Rico said "Your majesty?"

The girl had paled before saying "I… felt something… off…"

She stared at the screen then, the smoke still flying to the sky as the four Chinooks began to descend towards it.

...

Instead of simply detaching the chains holding his titan form in place, Eren Yeager simply detached himself from the titan.

The benefit of having quickly degrading bodies was that titan shifters didn't really need to have a cleanup crew ready to deploy or maintain he titan body that Eren could pilot.

Armin was already on the ground with Levi, six Delta force operatives armed with MGL-105s, just in case the titan threat was still active. Next to them were six Survey Corps scouts.

Not exactly the best of the best, but they should do in case the titans that remained were in fact still around and got close enough to strike.

"Yeager, you stay back! We don't need you getting chewed up by an annoyingly resilient titan. Arlert, you keep watch."

Eren nodded and rubbed the slightly burned marks under his eyes as Armin watched the soldiers march into the smoke.

They were quiet for a spell, the odd bits of radio chatter and whistling wind filling in the silence.

Eren sighed, saying "Kind of weird… he could have helped us but… didn't."

Armin shrugged, saying "We know how serious some people can take their belief… maybe he really thought this was the only way to save us."

Eren scoffed, saying "Taking our freedom away, making us live like cattle… that's no solution no matter how you slice it."

Armin didn't reply as they continued to stare at the slowly dissipating behemoth.

Several meters away, the team inched its way deeper into the corpse.

It was all evaporating, making it hard to see very far, something Levi found annoying as it maed it almost impossible for him to judge where it would be best to aim his ODM gear in order to pull back if a titan surprised him, but he figured most if not all of them were dead.

The explosion had been far too large for anything to survive it, and even if a titan had, somehow, through some impossible means, survived, it would still be busy healing its injuries to actually get them.

"Anyone see anything? " one of the Delta operatives asked.

Levi turned to look at his surrounding as best he could.

What little he could see what just dissipating flesh and bone. Nothing alive.

"Nothing here. Maybe he got pulverized by the sheer amount of firepower." a scout said.

Levi said nothing, focusing on his surroundings.

He could only focus on accomplishing the mission, ensuring Erwin Smith got justice, show that the man won his war even if it killed him.

He would grieve later.

Something sounded off.

As if dirt and rock were shifting in the distance.

"Anyone else hear that?" Levi asked.

The scouts and Delta operatives paused and listened.

It sounded like shifting debris.

They pushed through the steam slowly; listening to the shifting rocks before stopping at the edge of the both impressive and underwhelming crater the GBU-43 had left in its wake.

Sliding down it was a broken titan, its legs were burned off, and its face was smoking as it slowly crawled towards something in the lower edge of the crater.

Levi glanced at it and froze.

It was a mound of flesh that very faintly resembled a human being.

Whats worse, is that whatever it was… it was still alive.

A skeletal hand, covered by mushy muscle and visible nerves was weakly attempting to grab at a rock, perhaps to climb out of the crater, its skull, if it could still be called that, had no eyes, no mouth or nose to speak of as the flesh had seemingly melted around it.

Levi could see that Rod Reiss had very much paid the price for using such a titan.

One of Delta operatives grabbed his radio but Levi stopped him.

"We should let that thing over there eat him."

All eyes turned to the stone faced captain.

"One 40 millimeter grenade will do the job." the operative said.

"And let him take the Jaw Titan with him? No way."

One of the scouts said "But… captain, don't we have a titan back at the FOB? Could we bring it back?"

The Delta operative said "No way our superiors would allow a prisoner to be eaten alive… if he even is alive."

They eyed the feeble attempts at movement from the mound of flesh, as if it was trying to reach out for help.

"The officers don't know yet… the smoke is blocking their drones… and we can save a life."

They turned to look at the damaged titan that was now almost upon the mound of flesh.

The radio crackled suddenly.

"Delta team, report."

All eyes turned to the team leader.

The man said "Command, we believe we found Rod Reiss, he is being devoured by a titan that survived the blast. Should we interfere?"

There was a pause as command seemed to consider its options.

"Copy, Delta team. Bring the shifter to the nearby Chinooks, we will send a team to prepare a tent for them."

The men nodded before turning to look at the titan.

Its healed arm grabbed the mound of flesh and lifted it, the still human details of what remained of Rod Reiss revealed themselves as more skeletal than anything, as the still alive human managed a pitiful groan.

The giant slowly opened its wide mouth.

It didn't have to be this way… you chose this path.

Rod Reiss never knew he died.

Levi watched the titan not even bother to chew the broken body as it swallowed.

The creature slowly turned to look at the humans, its smile slowly widening before it stopped moving.

It seemed to shake slightly, its mouth opened up and it fell backwards.

Smoke began to emit from it.

"Command, retrieving shifter. That thing works fast…"

Levi said nothing, his mind moving back to Erwin… would he have wanted that?

He balled his hands into fist, forcing the thought aside.

Finish the mission.

He approached the titan carcass, looking for the individual that was supposed to come out of the nape.

It took a moment, but through the steam he saw the figure of a woman.

She stood up for, stumbled backwards for a second before Levi and a Delta operative rushed over to catch her from hitting the ground.

"Oh, um…" the operative began, noticing very quickly the woman was naked.

Levi didn't say anything, simply removing his Survey Corps hood and placing it over the woman.

She was still young, blonde… she looked familiar.

As the steam cleared Levi froze.

"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?"

The woman didn't respond, but she was breathing.

Levi recognized her, but stayed silent as they got ready to move her.

He thought about Eren, about Historia… this didn't really throw a wrench in their plans or anything, but it was either an incredible coincidence, or…

He remembered thinking he saw a dark haired woman on a rooftop some time ago.

He disregarded the possibility, glancing at the woman.

Welcome back to the world of the living, Dina Yeager.


A/N: So… THAT took way too long to finish. First of all apologies for the delay… and for honestly making this chapter the hardest to buy into... I think this is where I have to stretch the suspension of disbelief the MOST.

In all honesty, one or two JDAMs should have been enough to kill the canon version of the Rod Reiss titan, so I came up with a bunch of excuses for the Americans to resort to using the GBU-43 (partly as a show of force, sure, but still).

Honestly, even in this buffed up state, the A-10s alone would have eventually killed Rod Reiss in titan form, assuming he would last as long as he did in this fic should he have control over his 120 meter tall beast.

So issues to address before the Reviewer Response:

One: How is Rod using that massive form without fully fusing to his titan?

He isn't. By the end he was so fused with his titan that when the GBU-43 detonated over him and literally annihilated his defenses, he was so fused to his titan that all the fleshy mush we see at the end aren't his, they're melted fragments of biological hardening material that welded onto what was left of his nervous system.

Two: How come Rod is using the 120 meter colossus instead of the smaller, nimbler, and more efficient Jaw Titan?

The idea that I went with is that Rod had created such a combination that instead of the Jaw Titan adapting the new abilities onto its own (better hardening, greater physical strength, etc.) it added itself to the monstrosity Rod created. We have seen the reverse happen in the main series (when Eren eats another shifter, he gains the abilities of the shifter, but does not change appearance) so this was to add more of a sense of how wrong the Rod titan is.

Three: canon differences?

Tried to handwave it here, but you guys let me know if it worked or not.

I do hope this is the only time I have to stray so far from the main canon, though, as I did break some rules from the main series as many reviewers pointed out. Really appreciate that, as I do want to improve my writing.

Alrighty, now with that out of the way, on to the Reviewer Response!

Guests- Amount of Death.

Yeah… I think I mentioned this, but a surprise attack would leave a large amount of damage, even with ancient weapons. It was the only way Rod could actually manage anything before his own forces got overwhelmed. Keep in mind, a couple of Strykers, Humvees, and snipers took out pretty much the entire Interior Police force, they had to strike when the Americans weren't expecting it. Even that initital surprise attack resulted in almost a complete loss of personnel for the MPs.

Guest- What is this? Game of Thrones?

Oof, sorry, that's another franchise… which I recently found out has a fic similar to this called "The New World" by HolyPaladin2 if anyone is curious.

Lincoln L- What's the difference between a mortar and a rocket propelled grenade?

Another guest answered this, so I'll just paste it here: Mortars are indirect fire weapons (the projectiles fly up into the sky and plummet down onto the target below). RPGs are direct fire ( where the projectile fly straight at the target its pointed at).

Anyway, that about wraps up the "Revelation 13" arc!

I hope it was enjoyable to read, even if it's probably the arc that strays the most from canon, which I would prefer to avoid, so any screw ups on my part, please point them out. Hopefully it wasn't too distracting.

With that said, thank you all so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it, I plan to continue writing this, and I appreciate suggestions. If anything felt off, feel free to let me know!

Thank you and I will see you in the next chapter!