Hey guys! So here's chapter 2 of my Project Titan series! I'm hoping to uploads these once a week, but depending on my schedule and my work ethic, it might be a bit longer. I hope you guys enjoy and I do appreciate reviews!
Chapter 2- Second First Meeting
The next couple days after that first strange night only progressed further and further downhill for Eren. That feeling never left him; in fact, it only intensified with each passing day. It grew like an infestation in his stomach, gnawing at his insides and thriving on his fear. His sleep pattern was becoming erratic and was definitely affecting his performance during training. Mikasa was, of course, quick to notice.
"Eren, seriously, what's wrong?" she asked him one night during dinner.
"Nothing's wrong, Mikasa. I've just been having trouble sleeping," Eren mumbled his reply, suppressing a yawn.
"I thought something might be up, Jaeger, even you aren't this bad during training," Jean retorted from across the aisle.
Eren glared and was about to jump to his feet when Mikasa's hand came down on his shoulder, holding him in place. She gave him a warning look that had him mumbling unintelligently under his breath and turning back to his food.
Armin watched the interaction neutrally. He had an idea as to what could be wrong with Eren, but with his promise still in place he couldn't say anything. It didn't stop him from worrying though, nor did it keep him from trying to figure out why his friend seemed so freaked out. If it was about that night, Eren shouldn't be this nervous over it. It didn't really have anything to do with him, right? Armin didn't fully understand, and it brought on a lot of frustration, which led to him cornering Eren after dinner one night for answers.
"Eren, I know you're a bit upset about what happened the other night, but I'm starting to really worry about you," Armin started, not wanting to scare away his friend. "This level of anxiety seems a bit unnecessary, don't you think? And don't try to hide it; I know there's something more you're not telling me."
Eren's wild eyes quickly stared around, looking for any eavesdroppers. Finding none, he looked back to his best friend and sighed. He should have known he couldn't hide anything from Armin.
"Look, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you freaking out and telling Mikasa. Knowing her, she would probably lock me in a room somewhere until this blew over or after she goes on a rampage."
"I'll keep my mouth shut, but if you get any worse, Eren, I'm going to have to tell her. We care about you, and we just want to help, even if Mikasa takes it a bit too far sometimes," Armin said.
"Thanks, Armin," Eren sighed in relief. "I'm sorry I've been a bit off lately. I'm trying to get myself together."
"But why are you freaking out in the first place? Does it have to do with the other night?" Armin asked, brows furrowed.
Eren took a deep breath and muttered, "Remember how I said those people were after someone here?"
"Yes, but wha—." Armin froze in realization, his words hanging unfinished in the air as his blue eyes widened in shock. "They're after you."
He said it in a low whisper of horror, but it was loud enough for Eren to hear and nod his head sadly.
"Yeah, that was the real reason Shadis called me into his office. He wanted me to watch my back and report if I see anyone suspicious," Eren said, leaning against the side of the building they were hiding behind.
"But why not get the entire base on guard?" Armin pondered curiously.
"I don't know, maybe doesn't want everyone to panic? I'm sure he's probably told the assistants working here, but I can understand why he didn't tell the cadets. Honestly, I wish he hadn't told me. I've been an absolute mess these past few days because of it," Eren groaned, letting his head dip down tiredly. "It feels like there's a ball of steel in my stomach and it gets worse every day."
"Maybe it's your instincts warning you? You started feeling ill a few hours before you saw those people right? It could be your bodies way of telling you something big is coming," the blonde reasoned.
Eren snorted at that. "So I'm subconsciously psychic?"
"I don't think you're psychic, Eren, I think it's like how an animal can sense a storm coming. You just have naturally heightened instincts."
"I don't know whether to be offended at being compared to an animal or flattered that you think I have heightened senses," Eren teased, elbowing his friend.
Armin rolled his eyes. "Don't let it go to your head." He quickly looked around the corner of the building, watching anxiously as he found less people wondering about and the night fires being lit.
"We should get going, curfew's about to be called."
With that in mind, the two cadets quickly made their way back to their dorm. They didn't know if they would get in trouble for being out so they did their best to avoid any patrollers. After ducking into the boy's barracks and dressing for bed, they slipped into their cots. Around them, the other boys were either getting ready for bed as well or were talking quietly to each other in the dark. No one paid them any mind when they came in a bit late.
"Eren, I think you should stop focusing so much on it. It's clearly not healthy," Armin whispered, continuing the conversation low enough that the other's couldn't pick up what he said if they happen to hear. "If something is going to happen, then it's going to happen, whether you want it to or not. Just think about other things and worry about it when or if it happens."
"Yeah, Armin, you're right. I'll just focus more on my fighting and let whatever happens happen. Who knows? Maybe I'm blowing all this out of proportion and nothing's going to go wrong."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Armin muttered, earning a light-hearted glare from Eren and a soft punch in the shoulder that wouldn't even leave a bruise. Armin giggled and yawned, rolling over and wishing his friend a good night.
Eren sighed and pulled his blanket up, feeling a bit more confident. The knot in his stomach even lightened slightly. Maybe Armin was right and it was all a mental thing. If that was the case then Eren would damn well make sure he didn't lose to his own insecurities. He'd fight the feeling just as hard as he'd fight the titans, until every last bit of it was gone.
Feeling lighter than he had all day, Eren slipped into peaceful dreams of disintegrating titan bodies and the feeling of flying through the sky.
Eren's confident words seemed to have jinxed the poor boy because the very next day everything simply tumbled out of his control and essentially destroyed all he had worked so hard to accomplish.
The morning started off normal as ever. Get up, dress, eat breakfast, toss a couple punches Jean's way, and eventually drag his reluctant butt to training. There was really nothing out of place from any other day. That is, until after lunch, when Eren was unceremoniously hauled off the field by an anxious looking assistant and led to Shadis's office.
The first thing the brunette noticed when he entered was that the blinds were drawn on the windows, throwing the room into darkness that was only dispelled by a few lit candles. The room was cool compared to the blistering heat outside and while it would have been a nice reprieve from his intense training, Eren was having a very hard time relaxing. His instructor was sat behind his desk as usual but sitting in one of the two chairs placed in front of the desk was someone Eren had seen twice before, but had never truly met.
"Ah, and here he is!" exclaimed the black-haired woman. Her beautiful face held absolute delight but Eren could see the friendliness didn't quite reach her cold and very strange violet eyes.
The boy shuddered at her voice but hid his discomfort from the rest of the room. He'd heard that low, icy tone only once in his lifetime, but he couldn't mistake the voice of the woman his father had argued with so many years ago, Violet. He certainly didn't forget her odd interest in him or the threat she had made on her departure from their home.
"Er, you wanted to see me, sir?" Eren asked his instructor, purposely ignoring the woman. He wanted to hold off whatever horrible conversation Violet wanted to bring up.
"Jaeger, come in and sit down. We have a lot to discuss it seems," grumbled Shadis, clearly very displeased to have this woman in his office again.
Eren nervously sat in the chair next to Violet, who was watching him intently. He squirmed under her gaze but tried very hard to keep still.
"This is Ms. Violet Drake. She's the—."
"I'm the director of a very special organization under the government, Mr. Jaeger," Violet cut in, earning a distasteful glare from Shadis. "We are in charge of a few projects that will hopefully help us understand the titans a bit better, with the help of the Survey Corp, of course."
She seemed to add that last bit as a way of cooling Shadis off a bit, as if acknowledging the military's help in this would somehow make him like her and her cause a little more. From the look on the Instructors face, it wasn't working.
"You see, Eren, not too long ago we started a very interesting experiment that we've named Project Titan. Along with plenty of knowledge on the titans we might even be able to take back Wall Maria!" Violet continued, excitedly.
"Wow, really? This project is that important?" Eren asked, astonished.
"Oh yes, it's incredibly important! The results of this project could lead to exponential possibilities! But we have run into a slight problem…" Violet's words became thoughtful and regretfully as she spoke. "Sadly, we just don't have enough test subjects to follow through on the experiment, and because of this, it's put our research to a halt."
Violet suddenly perked up and leaned forward towards Eren, her unnerving eyes gleaming with hope. "This is where you come in Eren."
"Me?! B-but what can I do? I'm just a soldier," Eren exclaimed.
"You may think you're not exceptional, but trust me when I say, you're absolutely perfect for this! Truthfully, you're probably the only one in this entire base suitable enough to become a test subject."
Eren frowned at that. What made him so different from everyone else on the base? He wasn't that special was he? Surely, they could find anyone else to fill that position.
"So, what would happen if I didn't agree to it?" Eren finally said, carefully. He wouldn't say he was afraid of this unknown project, he had too much pride for that, but he couldn't deny he wanted to be cautious. His father hadn't trusted this woman, and Eren wasn't going to either, not without some proof to her trustworthiness.
Violet's face hardened just slightly, before she schooled her expression into one of disappointment. "Well, if you didn't agree, we'd have to keep searching for someone else then, a feat that could take far too long to be helpful."
Again, the boy remained cautious. Now, Eren wasn't the brightest of the bunch but he could sense a lie when he was paying attention, and her little slip of anger hadn't gone unnoticed by him.
"And if I agree? What would happen to me then?"
"If you agree, you'd be transferred to our facility with the other subjects and we'd begin the experiment!" Violet said, perkily.
"And what about my sister? And my friends? Will I get to see them?" Eren asked.
Violet's face fell slightly, but the sympathy was only surface deep. "I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to see them for quite some time. We want this project to remain a secret, so if you do decide to accept, we'll have to leave immediately."
"I won't even get to say goodbye?"
"I'm afraid not. It's better this way though, trust me," Violet replied, placing one of her hands on Eren's in an attempt at comfort. He shook it off and kept his eyes hard. Violet's face flatted.
"Well, Eren, I think we've chatted enough. Now, you need to decide whether or not you want to join this project. Keep in mind, this experiment could be the tipping point between the war against the titan's and having subjects for it, is extremely crucial."
No pressure then.
Eren frowned and looked to Shadis for any help, who was almost forgotten in the tense atmosphere. Without giving too much away, the instructor slowly shook his head, trying not to be noticed by Violet. That was good enough for Eren.
"Look, I really appreciate the offer but I don't think it would be a good idea for me to go. I mean, I'm really not that special, so I'm sure you could find someone else just as capable," Eren declined, trying to stay neutral in his answer. He certainly didn't want Violet knowing he didn't trust a word she said.
Instead of growing angry Violet sighed in resigned disappointment. From the subtle slips of rage, Eren had assumed she would lose it when he said he didn't want to go and from Shadis expression he had expected the same thing.
"I'm sad to hear that, Eren, I was really hoping we'd be civil about this," the dark-haired woman replied, opening the briefcase next to her chair and pulling out a set of papers. "I didn't really want to bring these out but you seemed to have forced my hand."
She handed the papers to Shadis, who's eyes were narrowed skeptically at the papers. Reading through them, his sunken eyes slowly widened into shock.
"How is this—how did you—," the instructor muttered, flipping through the papers rapidly as if reading over them again would change the words.
Violet smiled smugly while Eren stared in confusion.
"What's wrong, Instructor Shadis?"
"Eren…I'm afraid you don't have a choice…you have to go with her," Shadis managed to say, sighing in defeat and putting the papers on the desk. Eren snatched up the papers before Violet could take them and quickly read over them.
There were a lot of complicated words Eren didn't know the meaning of but skimming it over he understood the gist of it. According to the records, Eren was already under contract for the experiment and said contract stated that custody of Eren went completely to the Atlas Corporation, whatever that was. Eren was considered "property" of this corporation, and if any were to interfere with that arrangement, including Eren himself, they would be arrested. Lastly, at the bottom of the contract was Grisha Jaeger's signature, signing over all custody of Eren.
"But-but, why would he…?" Eren stared in horror at the sheets of paper before looking up into Violet's triumphant face.
"I told you I wanted to be civil but you had to be stubborn, like your father," sighed the smug woman, getting to her feet. "Now, if we're done here—."
"Wait! Don't I get any say in this?!" Eren exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He couldn't hold the angry swelling inside any longer.
"Jaeger! Sit down!" snapped Shadis. Eren immediately obeyed. "Jaeger, I know this isn't what you want, but according to these papers, you don't have a choice. I'm sorry."
Eren blinked. Did his instructor just apologize to him? Well, there was a first for everything.
Violet strolled casually to the door and opened it. "Come now, boy. We'll have to grab your belongings and then it's a long trip to Wall Sina."
"W-wall Sina?!" Eren said. He'd never that far in his life!
"Yes, that is where our facility is located, now if you have any other questions." Violet waved to the door. Eren reluctantly stood and march stiffly to the door. He'd go along with them, but there was no way in hell he would cooperate with whatever 'project they were working on.
"Jaeger," Shadis called, catching the boy's attention. "Leave your uniform in the barracks."
Eren swallowed hard and nodded, not meeting his instructor's stern gaze. He left the office and missed Violet's wicked grin as she followed him out.
In his barracks, Eren was allowed to be left alone while he changed and packed what little items he owned. All the cadets were out training so the immediate area was empty and no one would notice Eren's absence until dinner, even Mikasa would be too busy. When he finally slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, dressed in civilian clothing, he neatly folded his uniform and sat it on his side of the cot. That abandoned uniform was the last reminder of his hard work in the military, all his hopes of joining the Survey Corp and defeating the titans, and all the trials he'd gone through since the wall fell. He had to leave it behind, leave it all behind, because of an icy woman and his father's betrayal. His life was so cruel.
She did say this project would help get rid of the titans, at least. Maybe this won't sidetrack his goal that much, Eren thought to himself.
Sighing, Eren turned and left, nervously stopping when two of Violet's men, who were standing on either side of door, came to meet him.
"Come on, brat, we're leaving," one of the bulky bodyguards said, nodding towards the road where a decent looking carriage sat waiting to bring him to his fate.
Just as he was about to climb inside, shouts rang out through the air and Eren turned to see his sister and friends rushing towards him, fear and worry clear on their faces, even Jean was curious about where the hell Eren was going. The two guards instantly blocked their paths and scowled at them while Violet placed a dainty hand on his shoulder and tried to steer him into the carriage.
"It's better this way," she assured in a false sugary tone.
That was the last straw for Eren. He could deal with having his life steering off another path but he sure as hell wasn't going to cause unnecessary pain to his loved ones by not saying goodbye. Before any of them could react, Eren shot out from under her hand and snaked between the guards, dropping his bag in the process. The brunette wrapped his arms around his sister and best friend, pulling them into a tight hug.
"Eren! Where are they taking you? Where are you going?" Mikasa frantically said, clutching her brother and glaring at the carriage.
"I have to go away, Mikasa. I don't know when I'll be back, but—."
"What the hell's going on, Jaeger?" Reiner asked from the back of the small group.
"You're not quitting are you?" sneered Jean, liking the idea a bit too much. Marco frowned disapprovingly, knowing exactly what Jean was thinking.
"No, I'm not quitting, horse-face," Eren snapped. "I'm just going away for a bit, but I'm not allowed to say why or where."
"Wow, that's not creepy," snorted Connie.
"Why can't you tell us, Eren?" Krista interjected, baby blues wide and worried.
"Because it is classified information," came a cold, displeased voice behind Eren. He shuttered and pulled away, sending a glare towards the dark-haired woman. "And we need to be going. So, if you're done talk with your little friends…"
Violet held the carriage door open, keeping her face neutral but it was obvious she wasn't pleased.
Mikasa grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him behind her. "Like hell you're taking him anywhere," she snarled.
"Mikasa, I can take care of myself!" said Eren in exasperation. Secretly, he was glad his sister's protective instincts kicked in. He didn't want to make it too easy for these people after all.
"Enough of this foolishness," Violet growled. She snapped her fingers and one of the guards grabbed Eren and hauled him into the carriage while the other snagged Mikasa around the waist when she tried to grab at him.
The second Violet climbed in and closed the door behind them, all hell broke loose outside. The cadets that had come to rescue Eren started fighting with the two guards. Sasha, Connie, and Jean were helping Mikasa take down the guard restraining her, Jean wanting to help Mikasa more than save Eren. Reiner was handling the other guard by himself while Bertolt was trying to pull him off the bodyguard. The other friends stood to the side, either not caring enough to help or knowing that fighting two people just doing their jobs wouldn't get them anywhere. Eren watched all this from the carriage window, silently appreciative of his friends attempt at helping him.
Finally, the base assistants and Instructor Shadis himself came to investigate and pull the cadets off the men. Shadis shouted himself hoarse at their embarrassing and childish display. The two men pulled themselves together after being assaulted by several teenager and quickly climbed on the front of the carriage to drive them away.
Eren watched them sadly as they pulled away. He could see Mikasa and Armin staring after him, anger, pain, and confused sadness written all over their faces. If she wasn't being told off at the moment, Eren had no doubt in his mind that she'd be chasing after the carriage.
Violet scoffed at their juvenile acts and turned to Eren, still wearing that infuriating smug face of hers. Eren glared at her.
"See? That wasn't so bad now was it?" she said, arrogantly. The brunette turned away from her and watched the world pass them by outside his window, letting the depression sink in and consume him as he was taken away from his family and his future.