Hello, readers! I am pleased to present to you Chapter 9! This chapter was surprisingly hard to write but I finally got it done.
After this chapter there's gonna be a time jump to the Battle of Trost, where our subjects are gonna join the main time line again and interact with the other characters, but maybe not in the way you expect ;)
Also, I need your opinion on whether or not to turn Eren's hair white or keep it brown. Since he's going to be going through the same inhuman torture as Mathias I'm toying with the idea of giving him Marie Antoinette Syndrome, which turns a person's hair white whenever someone goes through enough shock. It's what I gave to Mathias (who originally had reddish-brown hair like his titan) but I'm not sure about giving it to Eren too. Let me know what you guys think!
Chapter 9: The Prices We Pay
Everything was going relatively well for the shifters. Mathias had been successfully released into the training grounds with minimal scratches, thanks to Riah's quick lock picking and Gabriel's fast acting at disabling the guards outside their common room, and after retreating to the subject's area, they could hear the clomping of several heavy boots on the staircase as guards hurried to restrain the rampaging teenager. When they deemed the cost clear enough, Riah unlocked the rest of the doors and hustled out the group of sleepy but excited shifters, each one clutching their sparse belongings.
With only a few words of caution, Eren lead the way up the stairs, repeatedly looking over his shoulder at the training room door, where shouts and snarls could be heard from. It wasn't until an earth-shattering crunch and an ear-splitting roar ripped up the stairway and sent every shifter in a panic. No matter who Mathias' fury was aimed it, it still created an overwhelming instinct to run, hide, or submit in every subject. It was the suffocating power of an alpha that caused fear to course through their veins and force them to freeze in their tracts and stare fearfully at the door, too afraid to remember what they were supposed to be doing. The only one who held his ground was Eren, who quickly started pulling the others up the stairs past him and snapping in a low voice.
"Don't think about him right now! He's focused on the guards, just keep moving! Gabriel and Riah, take the lead and get those doors open. I'll hold up the rear if that makes everyone else more comfortable." He gave Gabriel the key as he passed with a nod of confidence to the shaky, dark-haired boy. The rest of them quickly filed after him, more than happy to have Eren between them and the door leading to one of their greatest fears. He was the only one could take down a rampaging Razor, after all.
At the top of the stairs, Riah was efficient at picking open the lock, despite her trembling hands, and everyone quickly emerged into the empty and silent entrance hall. Any guards that might have been there were downstairs dealing with Razor, just as planned. The only obstacle left between them and freedom was a heavy steel door and more than likely two guards stationed outside. Gabriel immediately started unlocking the door while Eren, Riah, and Hannah stood on either side, getting ready to tackle the guards.
"This isn't going to end well," a negative voice hissed, belonging to the pessimistic Piers, who was lounging against the other wall. "Doesn't this seem too easy to anyone? Like everything is going far too smoothly?"
"Are you seriously complaining about how smoothly our escape is going?" Lily snarled under her breath. "And for your information, this has been far from easy! You weren't the one getting their teeth knocked out by dumb and dumber over there!"
"Is she talking about us?" Riah whispered, glaring at the pale-haired girl venomously.
"I think that bitch is," hissed Hannah, slouching away from the wall as if to attack Lily. "Maybe she'd like another demonstration on how good we are at knocking teeth out?"
"Shut it, all of you!" Eren snapped, immediately silencing the fighting. "Focus on getting out of here and then you can bicker all you want!"
"Ha! Got it!" Gabriel said, triumphantly. "Damn key got stuck in the lock."
"Right, now when the door opens Riah and Hannah take the guard on the right, and Gabriel and I will take—"
"Um, guys? Where are the guards?" Jimmy asked, peeking his head through the small opening in the door with obvious confusion on his young face.
"What do you mean?" Eren questioned as he hesitantly looked through the crack. On the outside, the small clearing between the building and the forest was dark and lit only by the silvery light from the moon. It was also, surprisingly, devoid of any guards, even after carefully checking the sides, Eren was certain there wasn't a soul out there. This was a relief but it was incredibly suspicious. Surely, they would have kept the two guards stationed outside? Even with Mat raging inside, Eren was confused as to why they would have left the entire facility unguarded.
"See? This is too easy," grumbled Piers.
"They probably went to help with Mathias," Gwen said, nervously, though it was clear she was just as uncertain as the rest of them.
"Look it doesn't matter now, just get moving," ordered Eren, stepping back from the door. "Come on, I'll keep watch until everyone's in the forest."
When they hesitated Eren snapped a firm, "Go!" and ushered them out the door, keeping his eyes on the two inner doors to watch for guards. The second they stepped foot out the door, the subjects bolted for the forest, backpacks and duffle bags swinging frantically as they all ran at full speed for cover. Eren followed them, making sure to close the door behind him and continue to keep his guard up. Eren thought Piers had a point before, this did seem strangely simple, but he also wasn't the type to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Eren ran after the others, keeping a steady but quick pace at the back of the group. They ran for almost five minutes, before Jaeger had to stop them and they all huddled in the cover a large boulder. The forest around them was eerily quiet with only the occasionally scurrying of a small rodent or the lonely hoot of a solitary owl. The compound sat behind them in the distance, a dark block of stone sitting deceptively innocent in the open clearing.
"Alright, Jaeger-boy, what do we do now?" Riah panted, staring around in distaste at the foliage.
Eren frowned and looked up into the sky, trying to remember what little Armin had taught him about stars. He spun around, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.
"Oh great, we broke him," Hannah snorted.
Eren paused his searching to glare at them before looking up again and pointing to one of the largest and brightest stars in the sky that made up the Little Dipper constellation.
"Okay, see that star there? The big one?"
Ten heads craned toward the sky and swiveled around to find the star Eren was referring to.
"That star indicates north. I remember from the ride here that there's a town just east of here. If we use that star as reference we should be able to make it to the town by dawn and hide out there so we can rest up and talk about where to go from there," Eren informed them confidently. Using the star to figure out the direction of east, he picked up his duffle and started walking at a fast pace.
"How do you know that star means north?" asked Lily, glaring suspiciously at it.
"A friend of mine use to teach me about stars and constellations, says if I ever get lost I should follow that star until I find my way back," the brunette replied easily. Eren was at the front of the group, but continued to look towards the building anxiously.
"Your friend sounds really smart," Gwen remarked, trying to fill with void of silence with small talk.
Eren smiled, thinking back to every time Armin had ran to his house, brand new book in hand, to show him everything he'd learned from it. He missed those days terribly.
"Yeah, he's crazy smart," he replied, looking towards the night sky. "Hopefully I'll get to see him after this is all over."
"I'm sure you will, Eren," said Gwen, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly, a sweet smile lighting up her lovely face.
Behind them, Riah and Hannah started making gagging noises, earning several irritated looks.
The group walked in silence after that, listening to the sounds of nature around them and for any suspicious noises that may indicate their recapture. Many of them were also too tired to continue conversation, like Jimmy, who was almost passed out while leaning against Andy. They were all going to need to catch up on their sleep when they were safe, even Eren was having difficulties, but he pushed through.
They all jumped at the snap of a branch overhead and every pair of eyes frantically stared at the trees, fearful and on edge. Eren tried to soothe them while also keeping a vigilant eye on the darkness around them. When they began to calm down and continue their journey, Eren thought they might actually be in the clear, so of course that's when everything had to go to hell.
There was a sharp sound of compressed air and a sting of pain hit Eren's neck. He flinched and stumbled, hand swiftly rising to his neck to find what had hit him. His fingers brushed over smooth, cold metal and when he pulled his hand away, there was a small cylindrical dart in his palm.
The world started to blur and spin around him, but Eren could only blink stupidly at the tranquilizer, before slowly forcing his gaze on the others. It was as if the world moved in slow motion and the dark colors of the night smeared into each other. Through this haze, Eren could barely make out the crumpling forms of his fellow subjects, as each one was hit with their own sleep darts and fell to the ground. He could see a few of them reaching out to him and to each other in a desperate plea for help, but it was definitely over for them.
Jaeger fell to his knees, holding off the sedative longer than the others, but not enough to make any difference. If his limbs didn't feel like lead bricks he might have been able to transform and protect them as a last resort. His body slumped to the ground, and in the last moments before unconsciousness took him, a pair of sleek heels stepped in front of his vision and from above him, Eren could hear a low, smug voice.
"Oh, my dear child, I don't think you've even realized what you've done," she said in mock sadness. Eren lifted his eyes and was met with that strange violet color. "Such a shame really. I was hoping you'd be more cooperative, but I suppose I'll have to actually break you now…"
Eren tried to glare at the demon woman towering over him, but suddenly his eyes closed and the world went black.
A rough bump jostled Eren out of his dazed dreaming and he slowly opened his eyes to the inside of a lavish carriage. He blinked and sat up, only to be greeted with a set of chains shackled around his wrists and ankles, preventing movement. On either side sat two heavily armed guards and across from him, long legs cross and a nauseating smirk on her face, sat Violet.
"Ah, you're awake. Good, we've almost reached our destination," she said, pleasantly, staring out the window. Eren followed her gaze and felt a shock run through him at the sight of the massive wall slowly getting larger as they approached. Surrounding them were tall, stone houses and people bustling past their carriage, running errands and making conversation on the street.
"What city is this?"
"This is Trost," replied Violet. "But this won't be our stop."
"Then, where are we going?" Eren asked nervously. The boy knew he was in serious trouble, but he was confused as to why Violet wasn't scolding him or punishing him. Her calm demeanor only serve to put him off and make him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
Violet smiled brilliantly at him and answered, "We're going on top of the wall. There's something I think you'll be interested in watching."
Now the shifter was definitely bewildered. What was there to see on top of the wall? Besides large plains teeming with titans. Was she going to feed him to one of them? The random thought sent a shiver down his spine. Surely, she wouldn't do that, would she?
"Tell me, Rogue, did you really think escaping was going to be that simple? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?" Violet said in a derisive tone.
"Managed to get pretty far, so you can't be that bright," mocked Eren, knowing he was probably going to pay for his words later.
Violet raised one perfectly sleek eyebrow.
"You truly believe you managed to get out of the compound all on your own? Oh, my dear boy, we knew what you were planning from the very beginning."
"Then why let us go that far?!" Eren snapped, angered by Violet's smug face.
"To show how futile it is to try escaping. No matter how much you plan or how far you think you're going, we'll always bring you back," she replied.
While trying to come up with a retort, Eren didn't notice they had stopped along the eastern wall, about a mile from the gate leading into titan territory. He was forced out and into a deserted section of the city. Climbing up the side of the wall was a lift system, waiting to bring them to the top. Eren eyed it suspiciously before being shoved unceremoniously into it, followed by Violet and the guards.
"Where are the other subjects?" Eren asked, staring at the slowly receding ground as they ascended the stone wall.
"They're back in the facility, awaiting their punishment," Violet said, her face souring for once. "I should probably also mention that thanks to your little failed escape plan, you and the rest of the subjects have lost your common room privileges. Now, you will all stay in your rooms twenty-four, seven and are only allowed to leave for testing, training and bathroom breaks. Understood?"
"But I'm the one who came up with the plan! It's all my fault, don't punish them for my stupid idea!"
"Yes, we are well aware of your involvement," Violet said coldly. "But as it is, you did not force them to go, that was their own choice, so they must be punished for it. You all must be punished for it."
Eren glared at her, but then sighed and stared at the ground. This was his fault, he had enough humility to admit that and now everyone else would suffer for his terrible mistake.
Still brooding over his actions, Eren stumbled slightly when the lift abruptly stopped and he found himself at the top of the wall. Wind whipped at his hair and burned his eyes, but he was forced forward and out of the cart. Violet silently led them across the surprisingly wide section of wall and stopped to lean slightly over the edge of the titan territory. Eren had the sudden urge to push her, but he assumed the two guards armed with maneuvering gear would catch her and then he certainly be in for serious punishment.
"Ah, excellent," the warden said in a satisfied voice before she straightened up and beckoned Eren to her side. "I'm sure you're wondering why we're standing on top of Wall Rose?"
Eren glared suspiciously at her before slowly nodding. He turned back to the open view ahead of him, but really there wasn't much to look at besides scraggly trees and a few wandering titans. The boy tried to understand why they were up. Maybe Violet was going to give some kind of inspiring and bullshit lecture to try and persuade him to behave back at the facility. If that was the case, then it sure as hell wasn't going to work.
Suddenly shouts echoed up to their position on the wall, and Eren spun around to stare at the town. Clustered outside the outer gate was a large crowd of people. Eren would have thought they were townsfolk having some kind of meeting if it weren't for the massive amount of dark green and the several wagons sprinkled throughout the group. When it finally clicked who they were, the boy gasped.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the Survey Corp, yes?" Violet said, grinning as she watched the scene below.
"They're going on an expedition?" Eren said, stupidly.
"Mhm, but they aren't important right now," replied Violet, forcing Eren to look towards the horizon again.
A second later, there was the loud grinding of sound and more encouraging shouting and Eren turned to watch in awe as the Survey Corp sprint forward out of the gate and then slowly spread out into small groups that expanded across the plains. Eren felt a swell of hope in his chest at seeing humanities greatest soldiers going out into the unknown to combat the titans. He was going to be one of them someday, Project Titan be damned…
Unfamiliar movement suddenly focused Eren's attention back to what was in front of him. Standing a few miles from the gate and directly in the path of the left side of the Survey Corp formation, was a very strange-looking titan.
The creature had to be at least seven meters tall, with short, sandy hair and a fit physic. It wouldn't have been any different than any of the other titans if it weren't for the translucent skin covering the beast and revealing most of its internal organs. The entire thing was completely see-through, except for the patch of skin on the back of its neck, which was so thick it was impossible to see clearly into it, adding extra protection for that sensitive area. Eren stared at the grotesque thing in bewilderment until Violet's next words froze him in horror.
"Recognize him?" she asked, devilish smirk still on her face. "I doubt you've seen his titan before, but surely you've heard about Anatomy's strange appearance?"
"Jimmy…" Eren whispered in terror, his body beginning to shake. "You can't…you can't do this."
"Oh? And why not? He belongs to me, just as you do," Violet said before giving an exaggerated sigh of remorse. "I hate that it had to come to this, Rogue, but you just don't seem to grasp the situation you and the other subjects are in. So, drastic measures have to be taken."
"B-but, what about all your research?! Don't you need all your subjects? Isn't he important in some way?" Eren gasped, struggling to think of reasons for Violet to call off whatever was about to happen.
"Truthfully, we have gathered all the information we can from him," admitted the devil woman. "Outside of his transparent skin, Anatomy does not possess any desirable traits that we deem important. He isn't exceptionally strong or fast, nor does he have any abilities that could be useful later. Once we extracted everything we could about the inner workings of the titan body, it became clear he was expendable."
Eren trembled in unbridled rage and fear as he watched two of the small groups circle Jimmy's titan in a wide range, as if debating whether to kill him or not, while Jimmy simply watched them and attempted to sweep them away with his long arms. The titan didn't seem aggressive and was barely trying to attack them, every now and again, letting out a huge warning roar. What Eren couldn't understand was why Jimmy wasn't running. Surely, he understood the danger he was in?
"We may have given Anatomy a little something to make him hostile," Violet said, reading the confusion on Eren's face. "We had to get him to attack the Survey Corp somehow right?"
Before Eren could remark, Jimmy suddenly charged at the humans, letting out an enraged roar as he did. Eren shouted at him to stop, knowing full well it wouldn't reach any of them. He was becoming so hysterical watching the soldiers jump from their horses to attack Jimmy that the guards had to grab him and hold him still. All he could do was watch as blades slashed into the translucent titan, cutting his legs and arms and forcing him to the ground.
"N-no, please, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please! Please, make this stop, don't let them kill him! PLEASE VIOLET, STOP THEM!" Eren begged, struggling against the guard's arms as tears of anger and sorrow streamed down his face. He had to get down there! He had to save Jimmy before the soldiers ended him!
"Then how will you learn your lesson, Rogue? This is your punishment for going against Atlas, and for going against me," Violet replied, coldly. She watched the scene before her with little regret. When Eren tried to turn away, to not watch the inevitably death of one of his fellow subject, Violet grabbed a handful of brown hair and forced his head up, lips curled in vicious smile.
"You're going to watch him die, boy. He's going to die because of the actions of a few unappreciative and selfish children. I have had enough of these 'attempted escapes' and after today, I expect no more of this foolishness from you or from the others!" Violet was incredibly close to his face, eyes blazing with fierce insanity. "You belong to me, Eren Jaeger. Never forget that."
Eren could only watch, with Violet hissing in his ear and the guards holding him down, as one of the soldiers zipped into the air behind Jimmy, spinning incredibly fast, before slamming down onto the titan's weak spot, killing the titan's body as well as Jimmy's human body inside. The titan crumpled to the ground and let off clouds of steam. The soldiers advanced on it in curiosity, before being called back onto their horses and into the formation. The guards released Eren and he fell to his hands and knees, staring wide-eyed at the ground and trying to process the horrible event he had just witnessed.
As the soldiers disappeared into the distance, Violet turned to one of the guards.
"Retrieve the body and meet us back at the facility. We can't take the chances of them finding it on the way back," she instructed, pulling back from her psychotic grin and back into a professional face. She stared down at Eren in barely contained triumph.
The guard lifted the boy up and supported him as the three of them made their way back down the wall to the carriage, which had been hidden in a small alleyway. Eren allowed himself to be stuffed inside, his body still numb with shock, as Violet and the other guard climbed inside and the carriage started off. Eren stared out the window, refusing to look at the murderer sitting across from him. He flinched when he felt her clawed hand on his shoulder.
"I hope you've learned your lesson, Rogue. I won't tolerate insubordination and after today you're tests and training will be harsher," Violet informed him, in a hard voice. She pulled back and looked out the window as well. "You are my titan soldier now, and I hope we can gain some kind of mutual trust in the future. For now, I'm content with keeping you and the others in line and making you as strong as possible."
Eren hands shook with barely suppressed rage and anguish but his face remained impassive, refusing to give the murderer across from him any satisfaction.
"You'll appreciate everything we do here, one day," Violet said, confidently. "We're doing this for the greater good of humanity."
Eren stayed silent the rest of the way back, numb and tired. If Violet wanted him to behave, then fine, he would do just that…for now.