Chapter Sixteen

"Zeke, where were you? We were worried," said Dina, hurrying over to her son.

She stopped short at the sight of six Marleyan officers standing behind him, their hands resting on their guns.

"Oh my. Is everything all right?" Dina straightened up, fighting for calm.

Zeke's eyes were enormous. They shone with fear and determination. Grisha might have seen a future king, but Dina just saw a child needing comfort from a nightmare.

"What's this about?" Grisha set down the plate he had been helping Dina wash and walked towards the doorway.

Colonel Lange noted the father's palpable anxiety. Guilt indeed.

"Well, Zeke?" he prodded. Fischer hadn't had the balls to make the arrest himself, so here he was stuck with the job.

"It's them." Zeke pointed a shaking finger at his parents. "They work for the Eldian Restoration Force."

Grisha's face froze. For a moment, he didn't recognize Zeke.

The soldiers lifted their pistols and aimed at the Jaegers.

"Don't use those with my son here," protested Dina, stumbling backward to clutch Grisha's arm. "He – Zeke, what are you talking about?"

"He's confused," said Grisha, a tearless sob rising in his throat. Zeke? His own child? Zeke, the one who'd laughed while pinning him to the floor during extra training?

"Then you won't mind if we check your desk," Lange said pointedly.

"Not at all," said Grisha, knowing they really were living their worst nightmare now. He might as well resist to the last.

"I wouldn't try anything, seeing as your son's here. Try a moment of good parenting," teased a soldier.

Dina's face colored with rage, but Grisha pinched her to keep her silent. The soldiers were right. They had to obey. Just like – just like his parents with Faye –

"Well, what's this?" Lange waved the ancient papers of Ymir around.

"Proof that we're not the monsters you say we are," Grisha said, his voice shaking. Zeke – you're not a monster.

"On the contrary, this proves everything we've been saying about you Eldians." Lange slammed the papers down.

His gaze rested briefly on the kid's terrified, hopeful face. With a sigh, he said, "Do you have someone else who can care for your brat?"

Brat? Zeke's lower lip trembled.

Dina swallowed. Grisha wouldn't say it, but she would. "His grandparents."

"Where do they live?"

"Two buildings down," said Dina, watching Zeke's misery. He needn't be called brat. He was a good boy. Her boy.

Grisha swallowed behind her as Lange dispatched two soldiers to his parents'. His father – he'd feel a failure – and Mom – she'd relive Faye – all because of him –

Not Zeke? whispered a voice inside.

He's a child, Grisha thought. A child. Yes, and what had he done to his childhood?

It was necessary in this cruel world.

Was it?

His kid was scared and tearful and unable to look him in the eye. No, it wasn't worth it.

"Zeke –"

"You'll both remain silent. No more corruption on your child, whose soul is braver than either of you combined," said Lange. His vitriol felt hollow; they were about to see a family destroyed. He'd joined the military to save Marleyan families, not obliterate Eldian ones.

Brave…but a brat. Zeke clung to 'brave,' but 'brat' echoed louder.

The door opened again, and Grisha turned his head away.

"Grisha, what's all this?" whispered his mother's voice.

"Don't speak to them," said Lange.

His mother covered her mouth to suppress a sob. Dina's own eyes met hers, pleading. I'm sorry, Mrs. Jeager.

There was no hate in her mother-in-law's eyes. Dina wished she'd made more efforts to spend time with this compassionate woman.

Grisha's father couldn't take his eyes off his son, but Grisha's head was bowed.

"Can't even face your parents?" mocked a soldier. "What a coward." The butt of his pistol swung at Grisha, but Lange snatched his hand before his blow landed.

"There's a child here," he said coldly. To his surprise, Dina mouthed a thank you towards him. He found himself unsure how to respond to this Eldian woman, so he did nothing.

Finally Grisha lifted his eyes, brimming with tears and fear, towards his father.

I taught you wrong. His father hoped, in what little time they had left, that Grisha would see his regrets and feel his love.

"Colonel, what will happen to them?" he asked, still staring at Grisha's face. He remembered how red his son's face had been when Faye died, red with fury and sorrow and guilt. But they'd never blamed him. Had he blamed himself?

Was that it? Was that when Grisha had fallen? I'm so sorry.

They were going to lose another child. The giggling baby he'd bounced on his knee would be turned into a flesh-eating monster. Please have mercy. God, Marley, Ymir, anyone.

"They'll be interrogated until we have all the members of the Restoration. Your grandson's provided us with enough information to start, but we'll have to see how far this goes." Lange softened his voice, unwilling to mention their certain sentence before their son. "There's no need to interrogate your grandson."

"Thank you," whispered Mr. Jaeger even as he fought the urge to retch.

"What's going on?" Their neighbor Wagner burst through the door. "I see all this ruckus and – oh!"

"You've been living next door to traitors," said Lange.

Wagner nodded, barely breathing. When would they grab his arms, too?
When no one made a sound, Wagner straightened out his round glasses. If they had names, they must not recognize his face yet.

He could leave. He could run.

Or – and he saw the tearful boy before him – he could risk it all to give a child one last pastry, one last hug. He knelt to wrap his arms around Zeke.

"Take them away. We'll comb through everything later." Lange waved his arm.

Now handcuffs were placed on their wrists, and Dina felt true panic blaze into her chest. If they'd raped Ilona, what more would they do to an Eldian?

"It was mostly me, not her," Grisha pled. "I – I made her –"

"Not according to your son, bastard," snapped Lange.

"Zeke!" As they shoved the two of them out like cattle, Grisha craned his neck to see his son one last time. He hadn't known the penalty, had he? Had he? "Wait – please – I love you!"

"Not as much as you loved using him," scoffed the soldier dragging him along, and Grisha finally dissolved in tears.

Ilona jumped. Someone pounded on their door, now, in the middle of night. She and Kruger exchanged glances as he stumbled towards the door.

"Eren, we're needed immediately in Liberio." Lenin's voice quivered with excitement.

"It's night. Just what is going on?"

"Apparently there's an entire Eldian Restoration movement. One of their kids turned in their parents; can you believe the scum? General Truitt says we need all the higher ups to arrest the vermin before they flee and search their homes. If before morning, we might have a chance at getting them all!" Lenin panted for breath.

Shit.

Behind Eren was his wife, a shawl around her shoulders and eyes that hadn't forgotten him. She looked at him as if he was an Eldian, and Lenin had the queasy feeling he deserved it. And she wouldn't stop looking at him.

"Give me a moment," said Kruger, shutting the door in Lenin's face.

Kruger slowly turned to Ilona. His face was ash and he couldn't move.

"Here." Ilona shoved his uniform at him. If she froze, she'd never move again. "Do what you can."

She couldn't say any more. Neither of them could.

Zeke – the Jaegers – Ilona remembered Dina's embrace and Grisha washing her wounds, and Zeke laughing only yesterday. If she could warn them – if Zeke wasn't the traitor –

Kruger's hand found hers. He squeezed her hand, afraid to speak aloud and full of faith she'd understand. I'll do what I can.

Ilona continued to pace along the walls of their home well into morning, willing her need for tears into anger. Zeke, Tiberius, Sally … they were just kids. Kids.

Tap-t-tap-tap. Ilona recognized the knock before she even opened the door.

"Mom."

"Ilona." Raina's eyes flitted about nervously. "May I come in?"

Ilona stepped back to allow her mother inside. She ought to ask if her mother wanted something to drink, or a place to sit, but in truth Ilona was too angry. The Eldians' oppression, the titan program, and her own imprisonment weren't Raina's fault, but Ilona needed someone to blame.

Still, Ilona wasn't silly enough to yell at Mom yet. "Is something the matter?"

"Are you happy here?" Reina surveyed the clean but cramped room.

"Yes," said Ilona.

Even dressed as plainly as she was, her daughter looked beautiful. Reina had wanted so much more for her.

Ilona looked towards the fireplace. "I wouldn't change a thing I've done, you know."

"No," Raina said with a small smile. "I don't imagine you would. You were always stubborn, like me when I was your age."

"If we're all stubborn when we're young, the world should change more."

"Well, sometimes there are good reasons to keep it the same," said Reina.

"To let children die and women be raped?"

"That's not what I meant, Ilona."

"Oh, but it's the consequence, don't you see? You can't amputate intent from consequence just to keep your conscience intact!" Ilona's eyes flashed.

"Well, what could I do?" cried Raina. "I can't even climb out of bed for days on end, unless you've forgotten my misery for your Eldians."

"Do something," Ilona seethed. "Something."

"Well, something is easier to say than concrete ideas," said Raina, pressing her hands over her mouth. "I didn't come here to fight."

"Then why did you come?" Ilona's voice rose. "You hate me, don't you?"

"No! I love you." Now sobbing, Raina grabbed her daughter's shoulders and shook her. "I wouldn't even care if you had married your Eldian lover, Ilona. If you were still carrying on an affair behind Eren's back."

Ilona's mouth fell open. "What?! You – don't you know I would never betray someone like that?"

"Yes, yes, yes; I just meant that even if you did – I would still be on your side." Raina released Ilona and stepped back. "Your father would, too. He's very sorry, but it will never be enough, I know."

Ilona would like it to be enough. But it hurt too much. She said nothing.

"Someone dropped off a letter for you," said Raina, holding out a folded piece of paper. "That's why I came here."

Ilona snatched the letter. Adrenaline raced through her body.

"But that's not all she dropped off," Raina added. Maybe, just maybe, this would help her daughter think better of her parents.

Drawers had been thrown to the floor, walls opened, and pillows slashed.

"What did we find?" Kruger asked Gross, as coldly as possible.

"Lots of alternate history. Can you imagine being so pathetic that you need to alter the facts?" Gross snickered. Kruger clearly hated him now, and he enjoyed provoking him.

"More desperate than pathetic," said Kruger, craving a cigarette or Ilona's touch. "But perhaps both."

Gross shrugged. "Is there a difference?"

Maybe not to him. Maybe Gross had never felt desperation. Maybe he'd never suffered, never so much as cried for milk as a baby. Kruger wished he could label his partner inhuman and forget about him, but this cockroach was human, too, and it ate at him.

"They're being interrogated now, along with all their cronies. We'll probably be reviewing evidence all day. We've caught at least twenty."

"Have you a list of names?"

"Looking for your wife's lover?" jeered Gross, tossing a clipboard at Kruger.

His fingers didn't move fast enough, not like they used to.

"Hey," Gross frowned as his partner sank to pick up the clipboard. He'd never known Kruger to miss a catch. "Are you ill?"

"Can't be ill when there's traitors amidst," said Kruger, straightening. Grise Kryzenski. Eben Werner. Alma Berg.

"We've caught all of them?"

"All but one. Alma Berg, one of the few bitches in this crew, slipped away this morning. We don't even know where her kids are. Found the apartment abandoned." Gross smiled. "My dogs will be out later. With the kids, this could be very interesting."

Holy fuck. Forget the dissolution of his plans in one day. Fuck plans. Kruger was living his worst nightmare, in which all the people he and his wife loved were dismembered.

"I see," Kruger said, needing to move away, somewhere, anywhere but besides this man. And fuck him for daring to be a man.

He left the ransacked apartment and found Colonel Lange below, in the doctor's shop.

"We're testing the chemicals one by one, sir," said a pink-cheeked newbie.

"Good. Keep at it." Lange turned to Kruger. "It's only a matter of time until we find whatever caused the smoke in the arena. I shouldn't be surprised if there's much worse."

"Anything yet?" Kruger folded his arms. At least that was one answer they'd never find.

"We found a hidden cabinet, but the only container was at a concentration fit to end a pregnancy, but nothing else. Baby-killers, though I wonder if he was stockpiling for Marleyan women whenever their restoration force took over." Lange shrugged. "You can never tell with these monsters."

Kruger nodded, his expression neutral. He knew what Grisha had offered Ilona. Now even Dr. Jaeger's kindness would count against him. "Did his kid really turn him in?"

"Yup," Lange said smugly.

"Where is the kid now?" Kruger prayed they'd have mercy on a turncoat kid.

"He's with his grandparents. Nothing was found in their apartment, and no one's implicated them. Yet. We'll see. The interrogations haven't been going for long."

"Let's hope the Jaegers were an aberration, then. Sir, I came to see you about Sergeant Major Gross."

"Yes?"

"You're aware of his sadistic tendencies."

"What's this about?" Lange's voice hardened.

"I fear that if you allow him to join the search for Mrs. Berg and her children, we could lose valuable witnesses and another Eldian with potential information."

Lange scowled. "He's been warned."

"He expressed his own desires to me just now. I insist he be replaced with someone else. Lenin, perhaps."

Lange sighed. "Well, I see. Okay. I trust your judgment, Sergeant Major." He smiled. "It's a pity you don't have higher credentials. You should have been promoted, even before me." He shrugged. "Your marriage shows more integrity in one afternoon than I have ever shown."

Kruger was taken aback. "Sir?"

Lenin snorted. "I don't know what I'm saying. I've not slept and I'm probably just trying to ease my conscience over Gross. Who knows?"

"I see. Thank you, sir." Cringing, Kruger slipped away. He hated praise, especially when he didn't deserve it.

His boot crunched down on glass.

On the floor was a photograph with a smiling family – a beautiful mother, a proud father, and an sullen child adorable enough that even Kruger, who didn't much like children, could appreciate him.

A family decimated yesterday.

Kruger crouched down and slipped the photograph from its frame. Solemnly, he placed it in his coat pocket.

Loved ones. Family. Like Ilona to him.

Kruger brushed aside his accusations of sentimentality. Besides, a plot was forming in his mind, and this picture would play a crucial role.

His throat tingled.

Ilona opened the door for him, her face even more agitated than when he'd left. "What's the news?"

Kruger locked the door behind them and slumped against the wall. His expression was grave. "They're in custody. Nearly the entire company was named by Zeke, your Zeke, and the remaining names were provided by torture. I don't blame those who talked, either."

"Dina?" Ilona's voice rose.

Kruger rested his head on his hands. "She's there, too."

The room fell silent.

"Don't let them do it to her." When Ilona finally spoke, her voice trembled. They probably already had. She was too late. "Tiberius told me she's related to King Fritz. If they find that out, they'll put her in the breeding program. Kruger, please. That can't…"

She still couldn't meet his eyes when those memories washed over her. Kruger swallowed hard and reached for her hand. She had sealed his decision, and he hated himself for it. "It won't. I promise."

He wrapped her in an embrace. "Alma's not there."

"But they have her name," Ilona said.

"Yes." Kruger hesitated. "The kids are missing, too."

"Not for long," Ilona said evasively.

Kruger tilted her chin up to look into her eyes.

"I have a plan," she said with a tight smile.

"Then you shouldn't tell me," he said, tightening his hold on her.

"Why?"

"I trust you," he said with a smile.

"That's very kind of you, but you already did before this." Ilona poked him in his chest. "What are you plotting, Eren? Oughtn't we co-conspire?"

"We need the Coordinate, Ilona, and with no revolution we don't have a chance of getting it."

"So you'll head off to Eldia to retrieve it before you die?" Ilona eyed him. "You know I'd come, titans be damned."

"Oh, I'd expect no less." Kruger kissed her with a desperation he'd never shown.

Ilona turned her head away, trying not to cry. "What are you actually planning?"

"I don't know if I'd make it to the walls, much less convince a brainwashed king. Someone else needs to. Much they won't make it through the land of titans unless they're a shifter."

""So you'll sacrifice yourself for one of them." Ilona had no protest, no better plan to suggest. "I –"

"The military knows about Night Owl. They'll find me if I stay. It won't take long for them to start requesting blood tests, and there are no doctors to fake my results this time. And you too would pay the consequences."

"You can't leave any witnesses, then."

Kruger smiled thinly. "A few more murders won't add much to my stay in hell."

Ilona cried out. "You don't deserve hell!"

"Do I deserve heaven? If there even is one?" These questions had always swirled in his mind, but now he faced them, and he needed there to be an afterlife, another life with Ilona. "But if there is, would my father even recognize me? Would he hate me?"

"Eren. You're afraid."

No sense in denying it. "More so than when you found out who I was."

Ilona couldn't resist a laugh. "Was that truly the most afraid you'd been until now?"

"I didn't want to lose you."

"You won't." Ilona squeezed his hand. "I'll always be there for you. And your father is waiting for you, wherever heaven is."

Kruger's sorrow cracked open, and tears sprang to his eyes. "Thank you."

"I have another idea," Ilona promised, her heart stabilizing. "I will cover for you. We'll throw the military into enough chaos missing officers and prisoners won't concern them much."

"We?" Kruger thought for a moment. "Oh. I see."

"It's about time an exposé came out, isn't it?" Ilona wondered how to weave this along with the rest of her plan, but there had to be a way. There had to be.

"He'll be one of the officers along with me. That's already set," said Kruger. She deserved to know.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"I thought so. Our plans will work well together, then." Ilona shook her head. "There's a burning part of me that wants him eaten alive by dogs until he dies, and worse."

She might as well lay bare the darkness, tonight on their last chance. "Do you know, a part of me even wants…what he did to me done to him. I want him to understand exactly how it feels. But I know – somewhere – I don't actually want that. I don't believe in violence as an answer, merely as a desperate means. I just don't want him to hurt anyone else."

"Killing him won't be justice," Kruger agreed. "And lest you think you're the only one with such broken imaginings, I, too, sometimes want misery for him. And my colleagues. And myself."

"You aren't nearly as depraved as he."

"No, but not killing untried children and never raping a woman is a very low bar," Kruger said, closing his eyes. "I knew this. I accepted this. All for this moment, the moment I let my revolutionists save the world. I let them think Marleyans were the enemy to bind them together, and I thought so too, but they aren't, all for something that's in shambles and left to a broken man. Grisha…Grisha needs to learn they aren't, too. In the hours I have left, I have to shown him that."

"You will." Ilona was glad one of Zeke's parents would remain alive. She hoped, too, as insane and unlikely as it was, that they would reunite someday. "Zeke…he never named me, did he?"

"No, and only Alma and the Jaegers could identify you. They've talked about Night Owl, but not you." Kruger smiled tenderly at her. "You have so many allies, maybe you've shown them already."

"Maybe it ought to be more on us Marleyans to prove ourselves the allies," Ilona declared. "For your conscience: It's dangerous, but I'll find a way to reach out to Zeke. I can't give up on him. Make sure Grisha knows that."

"I'd expect no less." Kruger kissed her cheek.

"My dear Eren," said Ilona. "If we're going to separate – for a little while – that won't suffice."

"Oh, really?" whispered Kruger, a smirk on her face. Tonight, he needed a distraction from mortality, and he needed Ilona, and she needed him.