Turn – Chapter 6

"Uh, sir? Is this the right place?"

Garrison soldiers have the certainty that one of their duties would be to protect and watch over the walls. Personal guard, however, was something they did not usually expect. That was more of a job for the military police. Garrison are trained to fight titans from atop the walls, while the MPs are more suited to keeping security and order amongst humans.

Yet, here was Garrus, confused and intrigued as he re-read his assignment once again while standing in front of a large, run-down mansion. It would have passed as a noble's estate if it wasn't for the pieces of metal around everywhere, the aged, dull walls filled with vines, and a lack of green gardens. Still, the place looked like a functional home for anyone.

"I have to agree with uptight here, Gary. I'm having doubts, myself."

It has been a month since Garrus has been in charge of his own cannon team, the 84th Trost cannon crew, and he is still getting used to it. However, most cannons are still in this process of being manufactured, so they don't really have a permanent emplacement to be assigned and shared shorter shifts with other cannon squads. One of the recently formed squads, he has two soldiers under his team. One was an anxious, thin, short-haired redhead with glasses in-front of his blue eyes. The other was a nonchalant, shorter girl with sharp, green eyes, her dark blond hair tied into a military bun with a few strands loose behind her ears.

Ottis Hayward was a stiff-necked, awkward new arrival from the 100th training squad, rushed into early graduation to replace loses suffered during the fall of Wall Maria. He tries his best to maintain seriousness and a professional attitude, much to the dismay and slight annoyance of Garrus. Combined with a stutter and questionable lack of self-confidence, attempts to look serious didn't really work out. After being with the team for a month, he relaxed slightly but remains awkward from time to time. Ottis is responsible for cannon logistics and reloading.

Kela Trumbonsky was a 99th training squad graduate from the northern training division. While she has confidence, she is mostly apathetic to action in many areas of military life, such as respect for higher command. Garrus was able to win her respect after a few weeks of squabble, assisted with the fact that he is a fellow 99th batch mate and is serving actively with a prosthetic. Though she finds problems caring about other things, her aiming with a cannon is parallel to no one Garrus knows. As such, Kela is positioned as the squad's spotter and targeting officer.

"This is the exact location Lieutenant Brzenska passed down to us during the briefing. If it is of any consolation, I'm just as confused as you guys."

The trio stood in-front of the large, closed doorway. Apparently, a local inventor named James Carters requested for an audience and maybe security detail from the garrison, more preferably a cannon operator. Normally, such a request would be denied, due to the shortage of military personnel in the first place. Yet military command has approved of such, and sent an entire squad to the assignment, adding to Garrus' confusion.

They remained standing outside the house, the two subordinates continued to stare into the back of their team leader. He turned his head to the side, giving a sheepish smile to him squadmates. Leadership was still something he was trying to develop.

"So… I truthfully don't know what to do right now. We either wait out here or try to call the attention of the household. Or maybe…"

Kela rolled her eyes before shoving Garrus towards the door with one of her hands.

"Go and knock, Gary. It's not that hard." Garrus gave an annoyed glare at the spotter. Meanwhile, Ottis shuffled uncomfortably, trying to say something.

"B-but maybe the inventor is doing something, sir. We were tasked to do security d-detail, so we should just let him be after all. Just my opinion, sir…" Garrus thought about it for a moment while Kela gave an annoyed groan at their junior. The squad leader then turned to Ottis, giving a small smile.

"True. But I think it would be appropriate if Mr. Carters knows we're here. After that, we'll do our best not to bother him." He was still had a long way to get the redhead out of his shell, but little progress was better than none. Ottis gave a slight nod. Garrus walked up to the wooden double doors and knocked on it firmly.

There was a rattle inside the house, followed by sounds of collapsing objects that can be heard by the entire garrison squad. Kela raised an eyebrow while Ottis cringed slightly. Garrus wondered if he should have listened to their logistics officer, after hearing the mess inside. He cautiously called out to the resident of the house.

"Mr. Carters! Are you alright?" There was a slight shuffling upon wood as footsteps approached the door.

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'm fine! I will be right there!" A voice was muffled though the door before the doorknob turned after a while. A bearded, fairly toned man with flattened white hair opened the left door with a welcoming smile on his wrinkled face. He was wearing a slightly ruffled formal suit that is usually seen on the people of Wall Sina.

"Please come in, Soldiers! I'm sorry for the delay. I was in a bit of a… entanglement before you arrived." Garrus gave his thanks before walking inside, followed by his cannon squad. The welcoming lobby was large, albeit dusty with a few furniture and sculptures from here to there. One thing that captured the attention of anyone who walked in was a large painting across the door.

There were three soldiers, all holding their weapons at the side they were facing. The first one to the right had full metal armor that Garrus had heard about on pre-wall human knights, equipped with a large shield and a sword. The second was a man in a black, buttoned attire with a rifle. The oddest thing about the rifle was that it had a knife on the end, making it appear like a spear. The third was a sight familiar to them. It was a scouting legion soldier, equipped with 3 dimensional maneuver gear and the double blades the three garrison soldiers had. The Wings of Freedom was emphasized on the back side of the standard brown uniform.

The old man gave a light cough as he continued to hold the door as Kela was the last to head inside. He closed the door and began welcoming his guest home.

"I guess introductions are in order. I am Professor James Yi Carters, sole owner of the Carters estate, or whatever you call this place. I am a local scientist and one of the head researchers and developers of our cannon technology. And you are?" It became a bit clearer why it would be the garrison who would assign security detail to this place. Cannons will always remain a core part of the Garrison and if anything were to hamper them, lives could be at stake.

Garrus, Kela, and Ottis stood in attention, Garrus taking a step forward.

"Corporal Garrus Gatling of the Southern Garrison Division, 10th Cannon unit. I am the team leader and mechanic of the 84th Trost wall cannon crew." He took a step back as Kela took a light step forward.

"Private Kela Trumbonsky. Spotter and targeting officer of the 84th Trost wall cannon crew." Ottis followed in step as Kela moved back.

"Private Ottis Hayward! Cannon r-reloading and logistics of the 84th Trost wall cannon crew!" He also took a step back as the aged inventor gave a small chuckle at the young man's antics.

"You can rest easy, Private Hayward. You all are both my guest and my guard. Please feel at ease." While Garrus and Kela took a more natural stature, Paul gave a slight nod and only relaxed his shoulders lightly, letting out a breath he's been holding in possibly since they entered.

"With all due respect, Professor, we have been trying to get him looser when in a natural setting. We haven't had much luck." Garrus gave a light joke while Kela smirked at their junior. He gave sigh, disappointed in himself again.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll try again." Garrus was about to reassure of him that he had no fault when the old man patted him lightly in the back.

"Don't worry, young man. All in good humor. You will have plenty of time to get used to this new setting, after all. Corporal, you are aware that you all will be here for a few months, yes?" Garrus gave a nod in reply, though curiosity still remained.

"Yes, sir. If I may ask, why request for a cannon crew? Though we know the importance of cannons in the garrison, I may believe that the vanguard would be a better choice." James gave a smile before heading off to one of the corridors.

"We will talk as we head the workshop. Walk with me, corporal. Your crew can come along if they wish." The inventor stood by the one of the entrances to a corridor on their left. Garrus gave an inquiring look to Ottis and Kela, waiting for their answer. The spotter gave a shrug and walked towards the two men while the younger man shuffle uncomfortably, glancing between his squad leader and the door. Garrus sighed as he knew Ottis was still not comfortable with a civilian setting when on duty.

"Ottis," The soldier straightened himself at hearing his name. "Why don't you remain on guard by the door? Kela and I will meet you after our discussion." Garrus knew that Ottis would prefer knowing what to do and if he was alone. He saw him give a slight sigh in relief before standing in attention again.

"Yes, sir!" As the two seniors walked with James, Kela gave a joking smirk to her team leader.

"Smooth move, Gatling. I really hope Hayward doesn't forget to breathe while on guard duty." Garrus shushed her as they continued to walk behind James, who was looking out through one of the windows.

"I asked for an extended detail because I require the assistance and insight of the soldiers who will be using these weapons. Sure, scientists can analyze and estimate all that extra information, but it won't be them fighting on the front lines." The old man immediately gained the respect of the two soldiers. They would get along well with James, that they were certain.

"That's flattering and refreshing to hear, Professor Carters. You wouldn't believe the number of self-righteous nobles we had the privilege of meeting with who tended to see their fellow humans as nothing higher than fodder." Though she rolled her eyes, Kela let a relaxed smile show on her face. Garrus gave her a look of caution, but couldn't help it to agree. They stood guard for a few officers attending merchant meetings and it was rarely a pleasant experience for the Shiganshina native.

"So what can we help you with, Professor?" James took a right into a large room filled with tools and scrap metal. At the center of the marbled floor laid a large object covered by a grey sheet.

"My main development at this moment is this creation over here." James pulled the sheet off the object to reveal a "Behold! The Mark IV Wall Howitzer, our latest model for the cannon placed on top of the walls."

It appeared similar to the regular sized wall cannons found at the top of the walls, but with some differences in structure and support. It was attached to circular wooden platform that was bound to a rail model. The cannon's side supports were arched and a mixture of wood and iron. The cannon itself had unique features, one was an open hatch at the crew's end of the cannon barrel. It was also evenly distributed in diameter, compared to the teardrop affinity of the ground cannons.

"The abilities desired for this cannon was mobility and speed. As you can see here," He brought the two soldiers towards the cannon, holding one side of the arched wooden supports. "two people can easily move and turn the cannon around, at least by a 180 degree rotation. Combine that feature with moving the barrel up and down and this cannon can be aimed essentially anywhere in the direction of the wall it is facing within a minute or a few seconds."

Garus and Kela both tried these features and were amazed. Being the targeting officer, this made the blonde girl's job much easier and effective. A grin plastered on her face while she moved the cannon around.

"These are some sweet new additions. Can't wait for these things to be put on the walls." Garrus looked back at the scientist, curious about the new hatch.

"What about this, Professor? I'm not sure how another opening would help, since the entire reason only one exist is so all the force by the gunpowder would be directed to the side we want to target."

James grinned as he approached the crew hatch, opening it and pointing to some specific parts as he explained.

"Other than the convenience of easy cannon maintenance and cleaning, this would allow faster reloading by just attaching this new gunpowder magazine directly into the end followed by the standard cannon round. This is important as one of the new and most important features of this cannon are a few locks that hold the cannon round in place so it won't fall back down the way it came prematurely."

Slight confusion was plastered on the soldiers' faces while the old man's grin. He seems excited.

"It allows the cannon to fire while doing this." He stepped on a pedal and the wooden arches positioned themselves to move slightly forward while loosening a few bracers as the cannon went completely down, facing the floor directly. "Aiming completely downwards, we can fire directly on titans looking up the walls."

Garrus, and even Kela, had their mouths open in shock. This was definitely new. No wall cannon they have ever seen was capable of doing this. Kela was the first to recover, a mocking smirk on her face.

"Sucks to be uptight, back there. He's missing out on a LOT of things he would find amazing." Garrus soon regained his composure, turning towards James once again.

"So when will this be put into development, Professor Carters?"

"The Mark III has most of these features and is already being mass produced as we speak. By the time your assignment is completed, Districts across Sina and Rose would be fully equipped with Mark IIIs. The only thing that the Mark III lacks compared to the Mark IV would be a much more limited arc of horizontal rotation, only going at around 90 to 100 degrees." The young squad leader gave an excited grin. He can't wait to try one of the new cannons for a test. This would definitely allow the garrison completely new ways to fight, and possibly allowing the wall perimeters to be free temporarily from titans.

"I wouldn't lie, Professor. I'm impressed, excited, and eager to man one these new machines. My squad could definitely run one of these things." Kela then turned back to James, a new inquisive look in her face.

"Professor Carters, with all due respect, I do not think that this is all you wish for us to do if you requested for a cannon operator. A vanguard or even a logistics team would be much better guards than we are for the security of a prototype." Garrus, shocked at her blunt accusation, was about to reprimand her when the old man gave a low chuckle and a calm smile.

"Observant, Ms. Trumbonsky. In truth, security is not my issue at the moment. Mark IV prototypes are spread through a few more laboratories across human territory. There is more to your duty here and I will explain as we walk down further." James walked through another corridor that had a set of stairs going underground. The two soldiers followed behind him.

"I have a question for you both: How can we relate firearms to titan warfare?" This question left the young garrison soldiers dumbstruck. The answer was obvious to anyone in the military. It should be a clear answer to the man helping develop cannons.

"Sir, you must know by now that our muskets remain ineffective against titans. The size and shape of bullets make it difficult to penetrate titan skin. Any that do so have their damages negated by the Titan's regeneration." Garrus answered with a bit of a surprised tone.

"Muskets are designed for human-to-human combat, made to either disable a certain body part or death by either bleeding or destruction of vital organs. Those outcomes don't matter to titans." Kela answered in a sharpened voice, quite hostile as she spit out the facts.

"That is where you are wrong, Ms. Trumbonsky." Both soldiers raised an eyebrow at James' reply.

"Excuse me, sir?" Kela replied, obviously confused.

"Titans can be taken down in a similar way a human can, as you said on your last words." Garrus was the next to be confused.

"Professor, Titans don't have organs." James gave a chortle and walked slower as they reached the stairway.

"True, from one sense. But you both must be aware by now that titans have a vital area, rather than an organ. And if it can be taken down by a slice from swords or the explosion of cannons, why not bullets?" James took a dead torch near the wall of the stairway and lit it using a nearby torch by one the many rooms. The trio went down into the basement of the house, the proffesor leading the two soldiers.

Garrus and Kela were about to reply but only silence left their lips. True, they knew that bullets can harm titan parts, like skin or eyes, but there was no evidence that a titan has been killed by a firearm. It never occurred to them of the vast differences between killing a titan with the double blades, or the high-explosive round. They just did their job went the nape was destroyed. Garrus then thought of an assumption and tried to voice it out.

"Maybe because a bullet is too small do any damage. Sword cuts and high explosive rounds damage a large area around the titan vital area."

"If a blade cut is too shallow, damage to the nape won't do anything to the titan, yes? Same result would happen if an HE round exploded a bit farther from the area. That means the area may be much smaller and sensitive than we think it is. We just have to reach that part of the titan to get there." Garrus and Kela looked at each other, still quite consfused.

"Sir, I don't understand where you are going with this." They arrived at the dimly lit basement of the house, one that looked like a workshop and library combined into one room. It was rather spacious, similar to the storage compartments of district forts without large reservoirs of 3DMG gas.

The room contains scattered pieces of metal and scrap, and workbenches by the sides contain posts of designs of some unknown weapon. Near the farthest corner to their right lies a reading table with a bright lamp lighting the surroundings, an open book displayed on top. In the middle of the room was another object covered by a white sheet. But from the outline of the sheet, it looked slightly smaller than a wall cannon.

James turned to them, giving a pleasant grin at the two garrison as he picked up a small crate.

"What if I told you that we can fight titans through the use of bullets?" Both soldiers stared at the smiling inventor in surprise. He put down the crate in-front of them and awaited the answer of the two soldiers.

"Professor, as amazing as it sounds, that's hard to believe. Cannons already have a difficult time destroying titans. Like I said, bullets will barely be able to penetrate titan skin. " James opened the crate slightly, pulling out a small, handheld object.

"True, Corporal Gatling. Bullets that we have at the moment have slim chances of damaging titans permanently. But what if they were shaped like this?" He handed the object to the corporal, which looked like a cylindrical metal casing with a dull pointed end. As Garrus and Kela studied it, they discovered a small chamber of gunpowder at the bottom end of the casing. The top end looked like a separate piece of metal, almost looking like…

A very large sharpened bullet. Normal musket rounds dwarf in comparison to the piece of metal that was almost the size of the middle finger in a human's hand. Kela gave a low whistle as they realized what it was.

"If the sharp end is what I think it is, firing that into a human would most likely send chunks flying. As if we needed something other than the titans to rip us apart, professor." She looked at the metal case with a disgusted glare. Garrus could obviously see that she was not fond of firearms. He made a reminder to ask her about it later. The professor shared this observation as well.

"Rest assured, Ms. Trumbonsk, that this is not designed for human combat. Rather, that sharp bullet is meant to penetrate through titan skin and into its inner body." He gestured them to follow him to one of the blueprints attached to the walls. There was also diagrams of titans and calculations next to them.

"People who say the scouting legion hasn't discovered anything about the titans are people who don't really put effort into reading through their reports. I have been reading studies of a rather eccentric scouting legion soldier who has been writing reports on titan anatomy. She has discovered that titans' body parts weigh much less than we think they do, being able to carry an arm of a dead 5 meter titan with ease. She also was able to lift the foot of the 12 meter titan right after it was killed."

He still had his back turned as he read through a long parchment, writing calculations on a paper to his right.

"If you remember from your training days, what we use as targets for offensive 3DMG courses are often made of soft wood, sometimes cork. According to these reports, titan tissue has an even lower density than those materials. The sheer size and power of a titan's muscles and a much thicker skin is what gives them the power to usually crush humans with their feet or hands. Past the skin, however, and you have tissue even less dense than ours." He turned to them again, pointing at their swords.

"That's why our blades are designed to be sharper, rather than larger. A thin blade would have a much easier time cutting through the thick skin than a thick one." James started to walk toward the center of the room where the sheeted object remained.

"Excuse me for a putting a blanket on all the prototypes. I was expecting guests today, after all." He gave a small chuckle as they neared the center. Garrus continued to look at the casing, confusion showing once again as he knew how muskets worked.

"Professor, why put a bullet inside a metal case with gunpowder at the end? I get the objective but muskets don't really fire that way. Not to mention that this bullet will never fit through the barrel of a gun."

"Who said we'll be using a musket?" The professor gave a laugh, as if he heard a joke. If it didn't show before, Kela and Garrus were even more confused, the targeting officer getting a bit frustrated with all the mystery.

"Now, as you know, usually our muskets are fired in volleys to ensure that some bullet hit their targets. That would be an ineffective fighting style against titans due to many reasons. You need only two people to with 3DMG gear or a cannon crew of four to have a good chance in fighting a single titan, compared with a firing line of around thirty. You are also putting many people into one area, which is dangerous when fighting them. Lastly, titans are much faster than humans, and would more than likely reach a firing line before they finished reloading." The inventor held the white sheet in hands, pulling it off the object.

"That is why I have created this."

If it was a weapon, Garrus and Kela have never seen anything like it before. It was ring of seven 2-meter long steel pipes that were attached to one another, forming a long cylinder. Each pipe had a diameter that can easily fit the metal casing they both held a while ago, making the weapon slightly thinner than a wall cannon in comparison. At the one end of the cylinder was a metal box that was attached to one side of the ring that connected to a compartment on one of the barrels. There was a small metal handle attached to one of the supports, with a few gears connecting to the metal bonds that held the ring together. Its wooden foundation was something similar to the Mark IVs, allowing it to rotate.

"This is the Mark I Multi-Round Firing Mechanism, or MRMF. A mouthful, isn't it?" Both soldiers could only nod, still awaiting an explanation.

"The metal casings allow gunpowder and the bullet to immediately enter the barrel at a fixed position, removing the need to secure it with a rod. Bullet enters from the box in the first barrel, and then fired on the top by lighting the gunpowder with the small hammer at the casing's rear, lastly resulting to barrel releasing the metal cartridge at the side. The hammer will then be pushed back into position by a spring, ready to ignite the gunpowder of the next bullet. As the ring spins, this process will happen to the following barrels. These mechanisms will…" Garrus was in awe as he finally understood what it meant.

"…Allow a continuous steam of bullets as long as there are some in the loading box. That… That's revolutionary professor." Kela face also turned to awe as she followed at what her squad leader said. The professor smiled at his guest.

"You catch on quickly, Corporal Gatling. Now, my goal is to make sure that this weapons fires bullets at such a fast rate that the bullets will cut through the titan's body and into the vital region at the back of their necks before its regeneration fills the wounds. Also at a rate that will kill the titan before it kills the crew." He laughed at his joke in the end, not aware that Kela and Garrus just gave uncomfortable chuckles. His laughed stopped after a while, looking at the corporal with serious eyes.

"This explains your duty. I will teach you and your team the basics of the machine and we will test it to see if the weapon can live up to our expectations. If it does, we will have another weapon that we can use to fight against the titans, one with the accuracy of the 3DMG while holding the power of a cannon." He turned back to his creation, touching it gently with one hand. He turned his head to look at the corporal with a serious gaze.

"Unlike the Mark IV, this is the only one of its kind. It still has many flaws, and I have yet to bring it out of this house! If you don't think your crew can handle it, Corporal Gatling, then there will be no punishment or demerit or what not. I shall see to it that you just be put on guard duty in the estate while I request for another operator. Your stay here shall be shortened and you can return to your normal duties. However, if you choose to accept, you will have to bear with me as we learn to master this weapon, and be willing to accept that there may be danger in experimentation of this prototype. I do not guarantee anything, even safety from the titans, as success in this weapons development may force us to use it on them. What to do you say?" The Professor held his hand, offering the deal.

Garrus was at crossroads. Though he knew he and his team could take up this test easily, there was much danger in this opportunity. Not to mention the fear of the titans that had buried itself into his consciousness brought slight hesitation into his opinion.

Time was crucial in this. If he denied, the professor would have to spend more time waiting for a replacement, leading to later development of the weapon that could have saved lives earlier if they started. The colossal titan might appear once again, leading to the breaking of the gates, causing the fall of wall Rose. With what weapons they had, the hell of the retreat from Maria would only repeat.

He felt a rough hand on his shoulder, as Kela gave a rare sharp, yet concerned look on her officer.

"Whatever you decide Gary, Ottis and I will follow you to the end. You, of all people, know that this is no problem for the 84th team." Ending with a confident smirk, she placed her hand down and took a step back, signaling him to decide.

Gary's mind went back to Shiganshina, the fall of the gate, the death of Paul, and the demise of his brother. Fear started crawling up him again, letting him be on the verge to deny themselves from the challenge.

Then he remembered his father's words about him being a protector, the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought for the Marians, and the hammer his sister owned, the lesson of how they have control over their destiny coming back into his head. The fear was demolished with a passion to sacrifice, a passion to head on, a passion to lead into the unknown. If the scouts can go over the walls with the threat of death every time, this is something they can take.

He looked at James in the eyes, taking his hand firmly.

"You got yourself a cannon crew, Professor Carters."

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. (duh)