"Farley, how badly do you want to get in the Military Police?" Ducky asked with a serious voice.
"Why does that matter?" He asked, his eyes glinting slightly.
"I want to know if I should break your hand like I broke Liam's," she replied as she raised her fist. "If you're worth the Military Police's time, I'll only bruise you. Now, why are you here?"
"I want to live in a great place. I'm tired of being poor and looked down on. That's why I'm here. Why are you here?"
"For freedom," she replied.
He laughed, "You think you can get freedom by joining the Scouts? That's a death wish!"
She crossed her arms over her chest, "I've decided to let you stay."
He was furious, "You have no say on if I stay or not!"
In his rage, he attacked, throwing a hard punch right at her face. With ease, she knocked his arm away, slamming her fist into his shoulder, immediately dislocating it. He immediately fell to his knees, holding onto it, tears starting to form in his eyes. She frowned a bit as she gently pushed his hand away, placing her hand back on his arm and shoving into place with a nasty crack.
"I don't ride off of Erwin's successes," she told him with a smile. "He's helping me learn how to read and write. Stanley tutors me in strategy. That's all the help I have here. That's all I need."
With that, she turned and walked away from him as the lunch bell began to echo over the courtyard.
"You shouldn't smile so much," Erwin said as they entered the mess hall. "It looks like you're flirting with them, and it's kind of weird."
She sighed, "I was kind of hoping that this wouldn't happen." She tucked a long piece of red hair behind her ear. Her hair was hanging in her face, which was starting to get on her nerves, so she would be getting a haircut that night. "The femininity is starting to show on my face."
"Yeah," he replied. "But, we'll be graduating in a few months." He ruffled her hair, "Then it might not matter anymore."
"Because we'll die?"
"Something like that," he smiled. It slowly faded as he looked at his mug of water, "Do you think we will die?"
"What? Where did that come from?" She asked.
After all the years, all the friends he had made even with his insane conspiracy theories, he was now starting to doubt it?
"I mean when we first get there," he explained. "Will we be able to leave more than once? Should we even be friends?"
"I don't see why not," Ducky answered. "Without friends, not only will you die by a titan's hands, but you'll die feeling lost and alone because you never made that connection with your brothers."
Erwin looked down at her as she looked up at him, her eyes shining, though she wasn't smiling. Even her gaze was getting to him. She was strictly her sister, but every once in a while, he would realize how much she had grown and how pretty she was.
Soon, they were back in their titan class where Ducky was reading over the titan anatomy book. If they could regenerate, why hadn't they tried to use the same chemical process on a human to see if they would grow back a limb or something? It was a question she couldn't ask her handicapped teacher since he was missing an arm due to a titan eating it, but it bothered her.
She had titan DNA in her and that gave her various titan abilities, but her healing ability could be put to use, couldn't it? There had to be a way to do something like that, right?
Someone nudged her out of her thoughts. She looked up at Erwin who looked slightly concerned, "Class has been over for five minutes and you haven't moved."
"Just thinking," she replied as she closed her book and notebook and stood. "Hey, Erwin, do you think the commander of the Scouts will let us capture a titan?"
"Why would you want to capture a titan?" Erwin asked.
"We don't know anything about them. I mean, if I can heal up since I have titan DNA, couldn't we help other people with it? I know titan blood evaporates, but what if we could pull it directly from the titan?"
"I don't think anyone would want to be the experiment," Erwin replied. "We can definitely look into it. More importantly, are you ready for tomorrow?"
The final test. They were separated into groups of three and one officer. They had to follow the officers orders in a titan forest. Really, they had free reign over what they did. At some point during the test, the officer would abandon them and they would have to fight the Titans and figure out teamwork to get to the main goal. It was okay to "die" in the scenario, but it was just an automatic fail in getting into the Military Police.
"I'll have to be," she replied. "I just hope my group is agreeable enough."
"That would take the challenge out of it," Erwin said. "They've been watching us for the past three years. They know how to make the absolute worst group and force them to work together."
"So, I'll be with Farley," she groaned.
He chuckled as the two walked to the gate that looked over the forest. They could see the wall from where they were, and it made Ducky feel slightly suffocated.
"You two quit flirting and get some food!" Someone called.
Ducky slid off the fence and headed to the mess hall. This was it. Her last meal as a cadet. She would be a soldier in the morning. The thought almost made her lose her appetite, but Erwin shoved bread into her mouth.
"You'll need your strength for tomorrow," Erwin reminded her. "And, you never showed me your little mind trick."
She smiled behind her cup, "It helped me with my speed. Also keeps me very aware of how much gas I have. I know where the titans are and how many there are. It's not much, but that's what I've been using it for. I don't even have to touch my gear, only slice the titans."
"Are you going to use it tomorrow?" Erwin asked.
"No," she replied. "I know it's not cheating, but it sorta is."
"It's definitely cheating," Erwin laughed.
As they headed to the barracks, Ducky sat on her bed, waiting for the showers to clear out. There were only fifty cadets left, most leaving during the sweltering heat of the first summer or nearly dying in the first freezing winter. It had been sad.
She knew everyone's name, but really only had casual conversations with them, never getting into why they were there. Farley was the only one she really butted heads with. Whoever he argued with the most would be their third person. She tried to think of who he fought with most, but it had really been mostly her.
Oh, that's right. She knew exactly who would be the third person in their group. Marcus Hilliard. He had tried to fight over authority with Erwin a couple of times when they were told to clean the mess hall, but he got in one nasty fight with Farley a few weeks prior. Marcus believed he was superior since he was the oldest. He had been assigned in a group with Farley and went against a direct order, resulting in their team failing. She had never seen Farley so mad and had tried to stop the fight, but Marcus punched her in the face, causing her to fall, just like when Liam hit her. She was certain his knuckles had broken since they turned purple just like Liam.
She sighed as she looked up at Erwin who had scissors in his hand, "C'mon. It will only get in the way."
She huffed as she followed him outside, letting him cut her hair once more. "You know, as long as you're in the military, you can't grow it out. It will get stuck in the wires."
"Yeah, but between the two of us, my hair will never look right."
"It gets it out of the way," Erwin replied as he continued to clip her hair. "Besides, it suits you."
"Right," she mumbled as she got out of the chair and headed to the showers.
Her last shower on the training grounds. She would be leaving after the final. Erwin had invited her to stay with him until the graduation ceremony. She was looking forward to it.
In the morning, she stood at attention with her fellow soldiers, ready to proceed with the final. She had been correct about her teammates being Farley and Marcus. Erwin had been placed in a team with Walter and a man named Nile that enjoyed arguing with Erwin about his conspiracies.
Her commanding officer was Derrick Rossi, another Military Police officer that they would have to listen to. She kept on edge around him, her hands near the hilts of her blades when he got close.
"This is so pointless," Derrick sighed. "And I guess all of you want in the Military Police? I looked at your files. You don't have a snowball's chance in hell of making it in the Military Police. Especially you," he slammed his finger into the center of Ducky's chest. He scoffed, "And just who did you piggy back off?"
"Erwin Smith," Marcus smirked as he looked at her tall friend who was speaking with his head officer, a retired officer from the Garrison.
"I see," he smirked. "We'll put you at the back of the line, then."
"But, sir, Ducky is much faster than we are. Shouldn't he be in the middle or front?" Farley asked.
"No, you do as I say, and you'll pass. It's when I leave that you need to know who's in charge," he told us.
"I will be in charge when the leader is gone," Marcus immediately claimed.
"I think Farley should be in charge," Ducky said. "He hasn't lost any soldiers yet."
Marcus snatched her from her feet, holding her up by the straps of her uniform. She didn't struggle as she hung there, glaring back at him. "Want to run that by me one more time?"
"Ducky, this can wait until after the final. I don't want to fail because you broke a part of him," Farley said. "Marcus, put her down. She can break your wrist."
"Or would you like to punch me in the face and break your knuckles again?" She challenged coldly.
He scoffed as he tossed her to the ground, staring when she landed on her feet rather falling to the ground like she had every time someone had tossed her aside. She had been messing around for the past three years, letting them think she was weak, but talented.
Her strength was far superior to any of the men in her presence. She had proved it to Erwin when she punched a tree, knocking it over with its roots coming up. No, the games were over. She was going to be a Scout. She could almost feel the Wings of Freedom on her back. Erwin had agreed to help her remove the branding of the Military Police and find a way to put the Wings of Freedom on her back.
"Officer Derrick Rossi! Please, get in place to start your simulation."
"Don't forget what I said," Derrick said as they walked to the forest.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't supposed to cheat. He was going to fail her, though. He was going to fail all of them. She climbed her horse, ready for the terrible experience waiting for her.
The moment the gun went off, they began their gallop into the woods. Soon, titans began to appear, but Derrick made no orders. The three announced the titans and their sizes as they moved through, but Derrick told them to shut up. Derrick suddenly turned off, telling us we were on our own.
"Get in the trees!" Farley yelled.
Ducky launched herself up, landing next to Farley while they watched Marcus stay on his horse.
"I'm better at leading, but I'll tell you where to go since you can find the titans faster than I can," Farley told her.
She nodded, flying through the woods, attacking each titan, and telling Farley where one that wasn't in her immediate reach was. Together, the two made it through without fail, both landing on their horses and making it to the end where Commander Johnson stood, a clipboard in his hand as he wrote something down.
"Even when you have a terrible squad and useless leader, that shouldn't make you work slower." He told them, clearly holding back his anger. "I will discuss with the other teachers how we should grade your performance."
When they walked away, they found Marcus seething. "It's your fault if we don't graduate!" He yelled at them.
It was the first time someone had to hold Ducky from fighting someone. It took all of Farley's strength to keep her back. He finally managed to pick her up and slam her into the ground to keep her from struggling. When she got to her feet, she took a few steps back, glaring at Marcus, trying her hardest to not let her anger get the best of her.
There was nothing more for her there so she headed to the barracks and packed her bags to head to Stohess where Erwin lived. Waiting by the cart was Erwin who had a sad smile on his lips.
"So, you heard?" She asked with a sigh. "Commander Johnson said he would talk to the others about what to do. I don't know if Marcus is going to graduate."
"Hopefully he doesn't," Erwin said as he placed her bag in the cart. "If he does, I'd rather the Military Police take him than the Garrison or the Scouts. He'd only get eaten or sabotage something."
"Yeah," she agreed. "So, you live in Stohess?"
"Not exactly," he replied. "That's where graduation is taking place this year. Everyone will be there, but I do have some friends there. It will be interesting."
"I didn't cheat," she smiled as the cart began to move.
Farley and Stanley had joined them for the long trip back. They lived in the area between Wall Rose and Wall Sina. Farley was beyond angry still, and Ducky agreed with him. Marcus had royally screwed them over.
Ducky suddenly shivered, "Do you think Newson will be there?"
"What happened to him?" Farley asked.
"Not that he would have been a good teacher," Stanley commented begrudgingly.
"He did something he shouldn't have," Erwin said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "He only proved what sort of trash the Military Police are."
When Ducky noticed that had not satisfied their curiosity, she spoke up, "He was caught molesting one of the recruits. They purposely failed their maneuvering balance so they wouldn't have to deal with it."
Stanley sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark hair, "I can't believe it. Maybe I should join the Garrison. I don't want that to be associated with my name."
"That explains why you were so nervous around Derrick. Doubt he still has a job after getting shot in the leg," Farley sighed. "But, a title comes with each branch. To be honest, I think the Garrison is considered the laziest. They watch the walls. They're not even important on Rose or Sina, but they're stationed there. The Scouts are nothing but madmen with a death wish fighting a losing battle. The Military Police are considered corrupt. Either way, you'll receive a title."
"I would rather seem lazy than corrupt. I can at least work my way into the Military Police if I get bored with it," Stanley smiled.
"That much is true," Erwin replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Ducky and I are decided solely on the Scouts. The Scouts can be stationed anywhere, even in Stohess or anywhere behind Wall Sina. We will get called to the King to report our findings, even if it's nothing. Maybe we are crazy, but we have a purpose. You won't find more skilled titan slayers than those in the Scouts."
"So, why are you going to Stohess?" Farley asked Ducky. "Don't you want your family to know you've graduated?"
"I'm a failure and insult in their eyes. That's why I wanted to make it in the top ten. I needed to know." She interlaced her fingers, squeezing them tight as she glared at the cart's splintering floor. "If Marcus ruined that for us..."
Farley put his hand on her shoulder, "He didn't. He's not graduating. That's all Commander Johnson told me." He smiled at her, "Thank you for believing in me."
"I'm not ready to be a leader," she admitted. "I knew what we could do, and it was basically the same plan you had, but if I wasn't confident in your skills, I would have taken over."
Farley smiled, "I would have followed your commands. Sure you can't spell or write, but you've got a good head on your shoulders." He laughed, "I remember when you saved Commander Johnson from falling off the practice cliff."
"You what?" Erwin asked with wide eyes, his eyebrows almost touching his hairline.
"When we were forced to climb that cliff during the rainstorm, Commander Johnson had taken a step too far, and before anyone knew what had happened, Duck had grabbed the gear, launched herself down and grabbed him. It wasn't that much of a fall, but it would have hurt him pretty bad."
"I didn't want the Commander's reputation to be ruined, so Farley and I told him we would keep it under wraps. He's a good man, very admirable. I was a cadet, barely able to use the maneuvering gear. The chances of me killing both of us was greater than me saving him."
Erwin sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You're a mess. You can't make those kinds of risks in the Scouts. You know that, right?"
"I know," she confirmed as she looked at her locked hands. "But, it's about judgment calls. When there's a chance to save them, I'm going to try, but I know a lost cause."
Ducky knew that much about Erwin. He was hellbent on answers, ready to sacrifice whoever he could convince to follow him. She was not a massacre leader. Erwin didn't mass suicide, but Ducky was less interested in getting answers than she was saving lives. She did understand the importance of sacrifice, but thee was a line to be drawn, and Erwin didn't really have that line. Nonetheless, if he was in command, she would follow him to death, he would follow her as well.
When they finally arrived to Stohess, the four parted ways, promising to meet later to celebrate. "You're going to get wasted, aren't you?" Ducky asked him.
"And you'll be joining us," Erwin smiled as they approached a small house in the middle of many houses.
All the houses looked the same, red terra-cotta shingled roofs and all whitewashed. The streets were pure cobblestone making the carriages make annoying, but rhythmic taps as they moved by. The people were dressed poshly. After living in those barracks for all those years, Ducky had almost forgotten what a woman looked like. Long hair and puffy dresses with gleaming jewelry.
"Not like your village?" Erwin asked as she looked around.
"No, my village is like the training grounds," she replied slowly as he eyes found a large building with stained glass windows with representations of the walls. "So, people really do worship the walls."
"People need something to believe in," Erwin commented. "It's human nature to want something to believe in."
"A wall is a stupid thing to worship," she muttered.
A hand suddenly slammed across her face, staggering her a bit in shock. Her eyes moved to a furious woman, gritting her teeth as she let tears fall from her brown eyes. "How dare you leave me like that!"
"I think you've got the wrong person," Ducky said as she rubbed her cheek. "I don't know you."
Ducky grabbed the girl's wrist, forcing her to stay still before her wrist broke, "Ma'am, I've been in the training Corp for the past three years. I'm only fifteen."
The woman slapped her again when Ducky released her, "How dare you treat a woman in such a way!"
Ducky was less than amused with the situation. In order to keep herself from smarting off, she turned from the woman and started walking away. She heard sobbing and turned to see the woman throwing herself on Erwin, who was frozen in place at the sudden attention.
"Erwin, where's the place we're staying?" Ducky asked.
"Just a little farther. The room is under my name."
She sighed as she looked away from the situation, heading to the hotel. If her hair was longer, she would be able to enjoy a night in comfortable clothing. Then again, she would be fine with what clothing she had.
When she finally found the hotel, she was very surprised. Flowers in beautiful vases lined the rooms and large canvases lined the walls. So many shiny things and bright colors gave her a headache. A well dressed woman gave her an uncomfortable smile, clearly not used to someone that looked that dirty walking into the hotel.
Ducky cautiously approached the desk, hoping not to alarm the woman, "I'm Ducky Kelley. I'm staying in a room registered under Erwin Smith."
She swallowed hard as she began flipping through her book. She finally gave a sigh of relief, all nervousness gone as she handed her the key, "Welcome, Ms. Kelley. Your room is 309."
When Ducky glanced back, she saw the shield and swords, the mark of the training Corp. she couldn't help but wonder why she had been so afraid of her. When she got to the room, she could hear some strange noice going on outside her window. As she looked out the window, she understood why the woman was so apprehensive. Just outside her window appeared to be an orgy, but with the Military Police watching. The woman seemed to be enjoying it, so Ducky decided to not interfere until she saw a child watching on the side, shaking and traumatized.
"Tch," she scoffed. As her eyes went to the adjacent bucket of water. She watched as the bucket slammed onto the sexing group. The sympathy she felt for the child made her look at the adjacent flower pot. The red flower pulled itself from the soil and floated down to the waiting child's hands. The smile on the child's face made it worth it.
"Did you like the show?" She asked without looking at the intruder.
When she turned, the man was pinned to the wall by knives, a knife floating at his throat. Frightened did not even start to explain the man's face.
"I-I-I'm just a m-m-m-messan-n-ger." He stuttered, barely able to stand due to his shaking legs.
"So, they've found me," she sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Her eyes moved to the paper on the desk by the bed. "Come here," she ordered as the knives left the wall and his throat. He immediately rushed to her side, his body shaking. "I'm not going to hurt you," she reassured with a smile. "Do you know how to write?" He nodded so vigorously she thought it might snap off. "Write 'Erwin, I've been caught. See you soon.'"
The man quickly scribbled the message down and ran out, Ducky on his heels. She knew where the Underground was. Erwin had told her all about it and the people down there. It sounded like her village without sunlight. That was where she would go if she had been caught.
She sighed as she rushed down some hidden stairs close to the wall. Slowly, she made her way down, careful to not make noise, despite the already loud racket radiating from the area. To her, it didn't seem like it was much different than the top world. As she got used to the moldy and sewage smells, she began to notice people on the edges of the swamp-like roads.
Of course, these people weren't alive. Either having been starved to death or murdered, it was impossible to tell. There were weak children, barely clinging onto life. She had to pick and choose her battles. Everyone she passed, she gave no attention to. They would have to die.
As she moved, she could tell she was getting close to somewhere. With the screaming women, Ducky believed it was simply a brothel that Erwin had explained to her. "I would like to think you would join one before you died down there, but it would be a nasty blow to your pride, especially since you escaped a village to avoid something like that."
The man didn't even touch her bag before she snatched him by his shirt and slammed him against a rotting house. The force behind the assault shook the house, knocking shingles from the roof. He glared at her, his hand releasing the knife to the ground.
She released him, bending over and grabbing his knife, "You seem like a decent human being. I need help. In return, I can give you a power you never thought you would have."
"What could someone like you possibly offer me?" He spat.
She stepped into the nearby alley, bringing her with him as the Military Police flew by, their gear flying them through the place. "I can get you that gear and teach you how to use it."
"Women are banned from the military." He stated bluntly, clearly not believing her.
"I made it three years through the Training Corp and got caught once, but I step in here and you immediately know." She sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "You know what? Fine. I'll find someone else."
He grabbed her wrist before she could leave, "I didn't say I wouldn't help. I will let you live with me for one week. Get me that gear, and I'll let you stay."
"Okay," she replied. "Where's the main entrance?"
She followed him, once again ignoring the sickly and dead on the side of the road.
"So, why did you give up your Freedom for this place?" He asked as they neared a busier part of town.
"I was going to hide the truth for the rest of my life," she sneered lowly. "I was running away from my village, so I looked to the Military for Freedom. I was even going to join the Scouts so I could be kept away from the rest of the world, and maybe be a girl again. Since women are banned from the military, I've had to fake it for the past three years. I didn't even make it to graduation."
They came to a stop at the base of some long stair that were blinded out by the bright sky. She could barely see some soldiers stationed at what looked like a toll booth.
"They charge a ridiculous amount of money to get out." He growled as he glared up the stairs.
Someone laughed behind them, but only her partner turned. "Well, if it isn't Levi! Ready to pay up?"
She could feel the man next to her tense up. "How much do you owe?" She asked him under her breath.
"Over 500," he replied lowly.
"Check your pocket," she whispered as she watched the toll booth. The guards were switching places. She had no idea what time it was. After asking multiple people that were passing by, she finally found out they switched at five o' clock. Twelve hour intervals.
She was pulled from her thoughts when she blinked, noticing a pistol was blocking her view. The large man was dressed in a dirty striped suit, his large face covered with a half grown beard. He was smirking, "Why don't you give us the other treasures you're hiding?"
"What?" She asked as she looked around, finding Levi on his knees next to her. "Why are you down there?"
"Don't be an idiot," Levi spat. "Just give them what they want."
She scoffed as she tossed the man her bag. He opened it as she got on her knees, keeping her hands up like Levi. The man scoffed as he trumped the bag out, dropping a whole lot of scrap metal and wire on the muddy ground.
"Useless," the man growled. "I bet a freak like you would sell on the market."
"Boys don't sell that high," another man argued.
Levi and Ducky shared a glance before looking up at the man who threw the bag to the ground and walked off, tossing the purple velvet bag in his hands. "Oh, teach them a lesson," he ordered.
Her eyes moved to the men around them, each holding a pistol and ready to fire. In their pause, Levi managed to kick one guy down and grabbed her arm, dragging her through the mud until she found her footing and chased after him. As she ran, her bag flew by her, stopping right in front of Levi for him to carry.
When Levi threw her into a house, she knew she was home. The incredibly clean and orderly house was small, one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen area and a small living room. He gave a tired sigh before heading to his kitchen and grabbing a teapot and filling it with water.
So, he was a tea person.
She walked to him, taking the bag from him and opening it. "Huh, that's weird."
"What's weird?" He asked, looking into the bag.
"My blades are missing," she replied as she dumped all the pieces on the ground as well as my comfortable clothes of shorts and a t-shirt.
A broom was shoved into her hands, "Clean that up."
He took the broom back when the pieces started to move, putting themselves together until the maneuvering gear had reassembled itself. "What just happened?"
"It can wait," she replied as she ran her fingers through her hair.
He pushed her to the bathroom and closed the door, "You're not coming out until you're clean."
"Levi, I need my clothes!"
The door opened, her clothes getting tossed in and the door closed once more. She sighed as she looked at the rigged shower. There was one knob for one temperature of water. She was willing to bet it was cold, but she turned the water and tested it just in case.
It made her laugh. Freshly melting snow. Despite the freezing temperature, she took a long shower, being sure to scrub off as much as she could. When she got out of the shower, she dried off and stared at the bandages in her hands. She didn't need them anymore. Reluctantly she put them to the side grabbing her bra that had been placed in her shorts.
Changing into the shirt and shorts, she stepped out of the bathroom, only to be pushed into a chair and forced to look down. "Your hair is a mess," he commented, briefly explaining his actions.
She smiled slightly, "I told him he didn't know what he was doing."
"So, are you ready to tell me about what just happened?"
She relaxed as he ran his fingers through her hair. "My name before I joined the military was Ermengarde Jude. I'm from Golden Rod where scientists experiment on people injecting pregnant women with titan DNA. My brothers and I are results from an abnormal titan gene. It gave us different abilities. I can control things down to the smallest detail, sometimes, which is how my maneuvering gear got put back together so quickly."
He was quiet as he continued cutting my hair. On occasion, he would grumble something about how sloppy it was and how I wouldn't have any hair by the time he was done.
"What was your name after the Military?" He asked.
"Ducky Kelley," she answered with a yawn.
"Did you really hate yourself that much?" He asked, earning a laugh from Ducky.
"I'm all ears if you've got something better," she replied, her drowsiness starting to show.
He suddenly ruffled her hair, waking her up a bit. "All done. It's the best I can do. You'll just have to let it grow out for you to look more feminine. That will be your best disguise until we leave."
