Man it got annoying calling the guy who's experimenting on Eren, "the experimenter" over and over again so I just fuckin gave him a name…

It was finally nearing the end of the month. Time to find out what nearly a month's worth of experimentation had brought to light. Time to finally see Eren again. Levi wouldn't usually admit to feeling anxious about reuniting with anyone; however, he had only received news regarding the experimenter and not Eren himself (and this news he received through whoever was sent to bring food over to them daily).

He and Irvin had agreed to meet up at the compound together to let the boys know that the operation would be ending and they would have to present their findings soon to the military court. Hopefully it would be enough to sate the judge's curiosity; Levi wasn't going to hold his breath. Arriving at the building, he could see through the front window that Irvin was already inside, chatting up Private Böse(whose name he only recently learned). He showed himself in without bothering to knock.

"Irvin. Private Böse." They greeted him with a nod. "Well, what's the verdict?"

"I was just letting our experimenter know that he could head back to the barracks while we wrapped up our business here. He mentioned being rather tired, and I can't say I blame him. I trust any paperwork we might need is in the notebook?" Irvin pointed towards the desk which was in fact littered with several notebooks. They all looked thoroughly used.

"Yes, sir."

Something about Böse seemed… off. He didn't physically look any different than how he had when they'd parted not a month ago, however, something substantial in his demeanor seemed to have changed. At least, this is what Levi's gut told him.

"…I'll be heading back then." He said his words quickly, already half out the door and left Levi and Irvin to glance suspiciously at one another. Levi felt himself grow slightly anxious. "Have you checked on Eren yet?"

"No. Could you go get him? I want to look through Böse's notes a bit." Levi started making his way to Eren's room without answering. It was obvious from the start that Levi would be the one to retrieve Eren, he was Levi's charge, after all.

Levi followed the stairs which wound down tightly toward a single room. Barred to assure its inhabitant's sustained captivity, only darkness could be seen beyond the door that locked Eren inside his own personal prison. It was eerily quiet and Levi's anxiety was growing as he lit a lamp left by the door and made his way inside. He called out Eren's name in a way that no soldier would dare ignore. No answer.

Stepping inside, Levi let his lamplight illuminate the surprisingly small, surprisingly empty room. He felt his stomach drop. It wasn't like he hadn't been expecting evidence of blood, but it was everywhere. Only the ceiling and high walls were spared of the deep red splotching that painted the area. Miscellaneous tools and stakes were scattered about and in his shock, Levi almost missed the small figure crouched low in the far left corner.

"…brat?" He was making his way over to Eren slowly, he found that his legs refused to move as fast as his mind was willing them. Eren seemed to notice his presence this time and without turning around or moving at all questioned quietly, "Is that… Heichou..?"

This response substantially calmed Levi's nerves and he answered coolly, "Of course, you stupid brat, I'm here to pick you up."

The words seemed to hang in the air for a moment before Eren stirred. It looked to Levi like he was adjusting himself, and after watching Eren do so a few times, Levi became impatient. "What are you doing?"

"…Sorry. Just a moment, sir." Eren seemed then to intensify what he had been doing before; it looked as though he was struggling.

"Jesus. If you're need help getting up, swallow your pride next time and ask me right away so I don't have to waste the day away watching your pitiful ass." Levi just wanted out of this godforsaken place and was more than willing to get a closer look at Eren's current state. When he reached out a hand, however, Eren reacted as if 10,000 volts of electricity had just coursed through his entire body. His jerk backwards was so severe that his back collided heavily with the stone wall behind him, causing his lungs to expel and leaving Eren gasping for breath.

Levi was shocked. "…What the hell is wrong with you?" Eren was unable to answer. Levi hesitantly reached out again, only to watch Eren react in terror, exactly as he had a moment ago. Levi felt anxiety bubble up within him yet again, and not a moment later he could hear Irvin's voice calling down to him from the office room.

"LEVI! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU URGENTLY!"

"Shit. I'll be right back. Uh…try and get ahold of yourself…" And with that Levi quickly made his way out of the room and up the winding stairs. He felt much more claustrophobic climbing them this time.

"I need to speak with you, too. There seems to be a problem with Eren," Levi was speaking in his leader voice, he did so whenever he felt insecure about the current state of things. Irvin didn't turn around from the desk he was seated at. He looked frantic shuffling through the papers he had splayed about; it looked like he was sweating.

"You're damn right there's a problem with Eren. Shit. I thought by this point in my career nothing would be able to faze me but…I…I'm at a loss." Levi just stared. After another moment of frenzied reading, Irvin continued. "What happened in this building could by no means be called an experiment of scientific means. You could only call this-what he's describing in these notes-the most inhumane torture imaginable. Shit, is Eren even alive right now?" Levi's eyes widened, but he only continued to stare. "…Being grabbed by a titan, ripped in two, chewed up and eaten…that would be a welcomed fate compared to this… I never-" Irvin stood up abruptly, "I never ordered this! This is blatantly obvious disobedience, disregard for the life of a fellow human, and signifying of severe mental corruption…I'll have him detained!" With a start, he briskly crossed the room to the front door, "Do what you can to get Eren back to the base. If anything, just make sure he knows that he is safe now." He flung the door open and paused once more, "Tell him I'm sorry."

And with that he left.

Thanks for the reviews by the way! I sort of went back and forth to myself about whether I'd continue writing this but if there's even one person that likes it, why the heck not? I hope it's not too dumb. ;*