Karma saluted the departing Scouts, shrouded in a mixture of lively and grave townspeople. The fish and sausage in her pocket weighed against her leg like a chunk of iron, the heaviness a constant reminder of her conversation with Captain Levi. Of being alone with Captain Levi.
She sought him out among the throng of billowing green cloaks. His steed neared. Her leg shook.
This time, he saw her.
Captain Levi held her gaze, pinning her to the spot as though her feet had cemented to the cobblestone. His expression was placid, but almost pained. He did not look away until the regiment rounded a corner, heading for the gates of Trost.
"Look who's not invisible to Captain Levi anymore. What exactly happened at lunch today with Sasha?" Mikasa said.
"Nothing happened." Karma's hand rested against the lump in her pocket.
"Interesting. I heard from Jean that Commander Zachary got a little handsy with a cadet until Captain Levi knocked his lights out with a glass of mead." Mikasa shrugged. "I'd say it sounds like a rumor, but I saw Zachary out cold, a bunch of broken glass, and no sign of you or Sasha." Karma sighed and pulled the meat from her pocket. Mikasa's eyes were as large as the sausage patty.
"Levi told me I wasn't cut out to be a Scout then saved me from that drunk creep. I stole from his pantry to try and redeem my pride."
"Oh, is that all? When were you planning on telling me? Dammit, Karma." She raked a hand through her hair. "I knew I should've gone after you. I knew you were up to no good."
"It's fine, really. I'm not in any trouble."
Clomping hooves filled the silence.
After a minute, Karma pulled out the sausage patty again and slipped it in Mikasa's pocket. "Don't tell me you haven't been craving meat," she said.
Mikasa scoffed. She tore the patty and handed half back to Karma. "Save some for the strays."
"No, Jean! You turd." Karma yanked the can of fish back from the naughty cat who had attempted to run off with it. "It's called sharing."
The cats ignored the sausage—Levi had been right about their preference for fish.
Knees tucked to her chin, Karma watched the strays flit about, her imagination expanding like foam. She pictured Captain Levi in the alley with her. Scolding Jean. Feeding the strays. Laughing about the unfortunate stench.
Then the cats scattered. The can rattled, abandoned.
Something was wrong.
The stone beneath her trembled. Pebbles quivered and bounced like kernels on a hot pan. Her shoulders curled inward and she clutched her chest. Her stomach stitched with ice.
She was imagining it.
As long as she stayed hunched in the alley and ignored the trembling rocks it wasn't real.
The walls would keep her safe. She looked to them, seeking reassurance in their fifty meter majesty. But instead, a flash of red. The image flipped sideways. Her cheek hit the cold ground. She squeezed her eyes shut.
Too many teeth. No creature has that many teeth. Her 32 teeth chattered.
She jolted at a touch on her cheek. It was Jean, pawing her. She couldn't even form the words "Go!" or "Run!" on her tongue. It was a stick of butter in her mouth. Jean slashed his claw.
It hurt. This was real.
They were exposed in the alley. The red face looming over the wall could see them. She was a doll in a playhouse. They needed to move, but her plastic legs had disconnected from her brain. Jean clawed her again and the connection returned. She scooped him up just as the earth split open.
Rock and shingles rained from above, crashing like comets. Karma flung open the mess hall door and slammed it behind her. Heavy stone exploded in the alley they'd abandoned. She squeezed Jean to her chest and reminded herself to breathe.
Seven breaths later, Mikasa found her.
"Mikasa!" Karma grabbed at her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Jean saved me."
"Jean?" Mikasa eyed the cat in her arms then shook her head. "The Trost District is compromised. We need to report to the courtyard for orders."
Karma clutched Jean tighter. "No—we can't go back outside. It'll see us!"
"It won't. The Colossal Titan's gone."
"Gone? How?"
"I don't know—it just disappeared and now we have a Titan problem and no Scouts."
"And they need us to fight?" Karma already knew the answer. Mikasa nodded.
Karma stiffened back into a doll. The red monster with too many teeth salivated in her mind.
Breathe.
Tears burned the scratches on her cheeks. Jean squirmed.
Breathe!
A shallow gasp. Her plastic lungs cracked enough for her to speak. Her voice was like dust. "Are they all like that red one?"
"No, they're not nearly that big. As long as we have our gear they don't stand a chance. We can do this."
Karma jerked a creaky nod, trying to process a situation that less than ten minutes ago had seemed impossible. Today could very well be the last of her life. Captain Levi wouldn't be there to save her this time.
But Mikasa was right. They had their gear. They had their training. They had each other.
This was the life of a Scout. This was what she signed up for. What she was determined to be worthy of. This wasn't her death sentence, it was her chance.
A deep breath. The plastic shattered and her limbs regained feeling. She placed Jean on the ground. "Stay inside," she told him. She turned to Mikasa and swiped her cheeks. "Okay."
The Military Police and Garrison Regiment along with the inexperienced cadets were Trost's only defense. Word was sent for the Scouts to return and help reclaim the city, but it would be hours before they could count on additional reinforcements. And that was assuming the Scouts were still alive.
Some were assigned a defense post within the city. Karma watched them sling away with their gas-powered cables—Eren, who preferred his potatoes skinned. Armin, who always had an extra pencil. Jean, who drove her up a wall. She hoped this wouldn't be her last glimpse of her friends.
She and Mikasa were assigned to help with evacuation, boating citizens to Wall Rose. Mikasa squeezed her hand. They took off.
Migrants flocked the pier like flies on a carcass.
Karma and Mikasa shoved into the mass and fought their way towards the front. Shoulders and elbows pounded against Karma until her ribs glared ruby and purple. Her foot crunched an unmoving arm bent at an impossible angle. Her stomach lurched.
The closer they got to the boats, the more gruesome the scene became—dented heads and bloody footprints. Guttural screams. Bodies curled around railings.
It was madness. The desperation to flee the unseen threat of Titans shape-shifted these humans into unrecognizable beasts.
"Order! Dammit!" The soldier's voice was swallowed in the chaos. No one who could hear would listen.
A man in a farmer's hat shoved Karma when she ordered him to stand back so the boat could dock. "Let me on the damn thing!" he shrieked.
Karma started to explain that the boat needed to dock before anyone could get on, but she was slammed into the railing. The breath burst out of her lungs. The raveging migrants pressed her deeper into the cold iron, kneading her body like dough. She couldn't squeeze in more than a spoonful of air. Black coated her vision.
Then, the boat docked and the crowd thinned enough for her to break free. She collapsed onto the splintering wood, gasping at air thick with iron.
The reprieve was far too brief.
A Titan sloshed toward them. It was a toddling child, naked and wobbly. It scooped people up like plastic toys and shoved them into its drooling mouth.
Nauseating crunches. Splatters of dark blood.
Panic exploded. People flung themselves over the platform's railing. A few managed to cling to the passing boats with a literal death grip while others slipped and crashed into the river. Many dove straight into the water, fairing their chances with drowning.
"Mikasa, take care of the Titan. I'll save as many people as I can." Karma said.
"There's nothing you can do. They'll have to wait for the next boat."
"I'll figure it out—just go!"
Mikasa nodded and bolted toward the Titan.
The next boat wouldn't dock for another ten minutes. Too many people would die in that time. But she had an idea:
"Pass up your infants and small children! I will take them to the boat!"
No one listened. No one could hear. She fired an acoustic round that hissed in the ensuing silence. She repeated her command. The crowd stirred, seeking out young children and passing them toward Karma.
She grabbed a small girl in a pink dress, hoisted her on her hip, and took a shaky breath. This was the first time she'd used her ODM gear in a real life-and-death situation. Her instincts couldn't fail her now—not when this child depended on her. She aimed her cables at the advancing boat and steadied her finger on the trigger.
Slick, calloused palms gripped her shoulders, rattling her aim. "That's not fair! Save me too!" A bearded man clung to her, dragging her down like wet clothes. She thrashed against him.
"I can only take one at a time! Back off!"
She pulled the trigger. The cables launched then reeled them like a snapped rubber band. The man managed to keep his grip on her long enough to clear the pier, but somewhere over the river she heard a heavy splash. She gripped the child tighter.
They reached the deck of the boat. She dropped the girl to safety.
"Where's Miss Pinky?" the girl asked, eyes glossy. She had a mane of golden hair and a smattering of brown freckles. Karma shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I don't know."
She propelled back to the pier and snatched up a small boy in too-big overalls. No one tried to cling to her this time—the river below was still rippling from the last attempt.
For a moment, as she sailed over the water, she fantasized about joining the bearded man. Jumping into the river, swimming to safety. Or even drowning, a peaceful end compared to sliding down a Titan's throat. But as long as she had gas to spend, her duty wasn't finished—she needed to stay focused.
Back and forth, she carried dozens of children. The other evacuators, a handful of MPs and a Garrison officer, followed her lead and used their gear to carry the children as well. The boat was still trudging by the time the slain Titan struck the ground in a rippling shockwave that churned the river. It had feasted on an entire village before it fell, but not a single child.
Mikasa reeled back to the dock beside Karma. "I finished off the Titan. There's an abnormal by the northern gate and a blockade. I have to go. This is the last boat. You can do this," she said. She gave Karma a brief but much-needed hug before launching herself toward Wall Rose.
There were still around three hundred people remaining, which was more than they had managed to squish onto any of the previous boats—not to mention the children already onboard. But if she was strategic, they could make it work. They had to.
I can do this.
Karma stood before the crowd. Now that the boat was nearly docked and the Titan defeated, they were much calmer, though a few were screaming for the loved ones they'd lost. But there would be time to mourn later.
"Attention!" Karma hollered, snatching the attention of the mourners, who calmed at her authority. "This is the final boat. It's gonna be a tight squeeze, so once the doors open, file into the rear of the boat first. Do not attempt to locate your loved ones or children until the boat docks beyond Wall Rose. If you push and shove or trample anyone, I will personally shove you into the river. Are we clear?" She scanned the crowd, satisfied by the nods she received.
Once the doors opened, the people scrambled to safety, but followed her instructions. The crowd thinned until the last of the refugees had made it onboard.
"Come on, soldier—we need to go!" An MP waved her toward the ship. Karma shook her head.
"There might be stragglers. I have to look for them."
"We saved a lot of people today, but we can't save everyone, miss. Get on board, or we'll be forced to depart without you."
"Just five minutes. You can leave at the first sign of a Titan. Please."
A slew of colorful swears, then the officer agreed.
She propelled to a rooftop and surveyed the immediate area. The streets were crowded with building wreckage and body residue but empty of survivors. Any remaining people would be smart enough to hide. She scoured until she was convinced that there was no one left to save.
Then her eye caught on a clump of fabric with matted hair and a dirty pink dress. She dropped to the alley and picked up the doll. Its stuffed arms and torso were floppy from years of hugs and one of its button eyes had been replaced with a sloppy circle of black marker. Miss Pinky.
Karma ran back to the dock and ran alongside the boat, waving the doll in the air until she heard a sweet chime, "Miss Pinky!" The girl's chubby arm stretched between the rails. Karma handed over the doll, rewarded with squeals of delight.
"Your five minutes is up. There's room for you, soldier—climb on board!"
Her feet hesitated at the threshold to safety.
Perhaps Levi was wrong. Maybe being a Scout didn't just require a cold-heart and a thirst for blood, but a little compassion as well. A desire to protect. To return matted dolls.
You can't help everyone. It's important that you understand that.
Captain Levi was wrong. Until Trost was reclaimed, there was more she could do. More she could save. She'd just have to search harder—she refused to leave anyone behind.
"No, I can't leave yet. Go on ahead," she said.
The MP saluted, muttering about her being suicidal before giving the order for the boat to depart.
Karma inspected her ODM gear and cursed. The majority of her gas had been spent. She'd have to go by foot and save the gas for an emergency.
"Is anybody out there?!" Karma delved deeper into the heart of Trost, passing dozens of roads mountained with debris and dust clouds. Fallen giants rotted in puddles of steaming blood. "Anyone?!"
Finally, she received an answer. It wasn't a plea for help or a scream, but the rumble of thunder down the street. She turned and locked eyes with a giant, misshapen beast. It towered the surrounding buildings and lumbered toward her, its belly sloshing with each step.
If she was stealthy enough, she might be able to turn the corner and hide. Worst case scenario, her remaining gas could get her up the rooftops and she could put rows of buildings between her and the beast.
She turned to flee but paused at a familiar yawl.
A fat, ash-brown cat meandered in the road midway between Karma and the beast. He didn't seemed fazed by the Titan at all. When he spotted Karma, he pattered toward her as though he were on a morning stroll.
"Run, don't walk! Dammit, Jean! What are you doing here?!"
The Titan shifted its lopsided gaze to the cat and began reaching a slow-motion arm towards it. Karma could use that to her advantage. Sacrifice Jean as her means of escape.
But her legs carried her toward the stray. She scooped up the cat and used the last of her gas to propel them out of reach of the Titan's hand. It closed around empty air.
Her cables shot them to the end of the street, but when she turned the corner, her stomach iced. A dead end. She searched for a place to hide Jean, but all around her was stone.
A series of small earthquakes grew larger as the beast neared.
Her gas was depleted, but maybe she could climb to the rooftops. She tried, but her trembling feet and fingers couldn't gain purchase. She slipped repeatedly, and cradling Jean made ascension impossible.
The Titan reached the mouth of the alley, grinning like it had won a game of hide-and-seek. Jean whimpered, as though he finally understood the situation.
"It's gonna be ok, Jean. I'll protect you," Karma said through tears and thick saliva, squeezing him close to her chest.
She unsheathed one blade, holding Jean in the other arm. The Titan stretched out a hand the size of a boat. She slashed at it with the entirety of her body weight and managed to rake a shallow gash into its palm. The beast roared, reeling its arm into a building.
A shower of heavy stone descended, and Karma realized that it wasn't the Titan that was going to kill her, but the chunks of rock. She fell to her knees and curled herself around Jean. Rock exploded around them, but, miraculously, they weren't crushed.
Dust clouds settled. Peeking an eye open, Karma saw a green cloak with the wings of the Scouts rippling in front of her. The figure was winded and swapped broken blades for new ones. On either side of her, a hunk of building as big as she was had been sliced cleanly in half.
"Levi?" she said, daring to hope that he had come to save her. Did the boulder hit her head?
He propelled forward, coursing around the Titan in a swirl of slashes. Then he returned to her side, shielding her from the impact of the Titan's fall. Another earthquake. More debris clouded around them, but she was tucked in the safety of a green cloak, Captain Levi pressed against her.
"Captain!" She threw her arms around him and clutched his cloak, squeezing Jean between them. The cat shrieked, clawing to get free. Her dusty, tear-streaked cheeks dirtied his cravat.
"Karma." Levi's voice was a merciful breath of air after sinking in the churning river. He dropped his blades and held her. His chin rested on the crown of her head. He was so warm. "I can't believe you risked your life for that damn cat." He pulled her back at arm's length. "You're out of gas. You should be behind Wall Rose. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that my duty wasn't finished yet."
He shut his eyes, suppressing the urge to roll them. "You and your suicidal mission to save everyone. I'm lucky I found you."
"But I didn't save everyone."
"Then explain where all of your gas went."
Karma didn't have an answer, so she flipped the interrogation. "How did you find me?"
"You were screaming bloody murder. I'm surprised I was the only one to show up." Had she screamed? She laid a hand on her throat. Levi turned his attention to Jean. "No pets. Military policy." She hugged Jean closer.
"That doesn't apply to strays."
"You'll have to take that one up with Commander Erwin."
"Fair enough."
Levi scooped her in his arms with Jean cradled against her, then slung them all to safety.