Fire – Chapter 7

"This coffee taste like crap."

Garrus merely shrugged, blowing his own brew. All three soldiers sat on a small table near the kitchen of the mansion, which was as dusty as the rest of the house. Ottis has been stirring his coffee for some time, adding bits of sugar and honey while Kela scowled at hers.

"I made do with what Professor Carters gave us. Not much I can make with that plus the stuff we get from the rations."

It has been a week since the 84th team's arrival in the Carters' estate. Ottis did not receive their new duties well, being quite frightened of a lot of things new. After a while of reassurance, and a moment with a particularly irritated targeting officer, the junior of the squad followed the rest of his squad. Though still scared, his admiration for his squad leader, and a slight fear of his other squadmate, were some factors that also convinced him to take that step they will all take.

For the past few days, they have taken similar positions they had with the cannons on the prototype. They have yet to fire the gun though, continuously doing simulation of the firing. That was until today. The team already had breakfast, finishing their meal with a cup of coffee.

"So what do we do now, corporal?" Ottis inquired as he spun the coffee around the cup with his teaspoon, almost taking a sit before adding a pinch of sugar before stirring again.

"We may have an hour before the professor returns for the firing test. He reassured me that this is not the first time they fired the prototype, so there will be little chance of the gun suddenly exploding if we do something wrong." Garrus reply sent shiver down the junior's spine, not comforting him one bit. Kela smirked as she shifted forward from her seat, coffee still in her hand.

"We could pass the time asking the wrong questions, like wondering what is the worst thing that can happen," Sending another shiver down Ottis' spine. "Or what the hell is in this coffee." Garrus shot an annoyed glare at his targeting officer.

"Okay, next time you make the coffee with what you scrape up from those empty boxes we call 'supplies'." The female of the trio gave a grin, but not in an accepting, friendly way.

"Okay, sure. But then one of you two must cook up our breakfast next time while I brew. I'm sure it won't be as bad as this coffee."

Silence filled the atmosphere of the table. The two men looked at Kela before looking to each other. Silence remained until Garrus gave a defeated sigh.

"Alright, you made your point! I'll look for another coffee recipe when we get back to Trost. And coffee's not exactly cheap, you know. We lost a third of the land needed for farming, remember?" Unconsciously, he said the last part with such hatred and venom it frightened Ottis quite badly, as well as shook the normally cool-headed spotter. Garrus realized he used that tone of his voice again. It came every time someone talked about Wall Maria. He just looked back down the table, glancing at his cup of coffee.

Ottis stopped stirring his brew, quite tense with the atmosphere. Kela, however, leaned back at her chair, a solemn expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Garrus. I may have went out of line there." The corporal just gave a soft grunt, sipping some coffee from his cup. He looked at his quiet squadmates, staring at them with an unreadable face before turning to his targeting officer.

"No. I have to admit," His left eye twitched as the taste finally left his mouth. "This brew is disgusting." And with that, the comedic air was restored. Kela regaining her smirk while Ottis returned to spinning the contents of his cup.

"Ottis." The logistics officer snapped all of a sudden, looking at his superior. "You are in charge of coffee tomorrow. Understand?" Ottis was a bit surprised, mumbling a bit before stirring his coffee once more.

"Y-yes, corporal. Anything I should add to the brew?" Kela stepped from her chair and into the window, throwing the contents of her cup outside while Garrus struggled to gulp down the remaining coffee in his.

"Anything that our brave leader didn't put in there would be fine." Surprisingly, the corporal just nodded in agreement, eyes still closed from the undesirable concoction he drank down.

The doorway to the kitchen opened as James Carters stepped into the company of the cannon team, a huge grin on his face.

"Corporal! Great news! We have just gotten the clear to test fire the MRMF on the forest nearby. A carriage will help us bring the weapons and its ammunition to the testing grounds in a few minutes. Let's celebrate to the start of this great day with a simple cup of coffee." As he said the last sentence, he picked up an extra cup of coffee that was by the counter of the kitchen, bringing it to his mouth to drink.

"Professor, wait!" Kela's warning came late as James drunk down the contents in a single gulp. Much to their surprise, and Kela and Garrus' slight disgust, it seemed like the professor didn't mind and actually might have enjoyed it.

"Ah. Yes, nothing beats a nice, hot cup of coffee." The two 99th graduates just stared in amazement. That cup was neither hot, nor nice, nor what they consider as coffee. The professor then grabbed the door and headed out.

"I will meet all of you in the courtyard in a few minutes after the boys load up the prototype!" They all just continued to stare at where the professor, still unsure how to react. Garrus was the first to recover.

"Ottis." The young man turned to his officer, once again. "You are not to accept anything the professor gives you that is related to coffee. You will find ingredients either in the rations or the town nearby. I will pay. But nothing from the professor. Understood?"

"R-right, corporal." Garrus continued his blank face as picked up his gloves from the table before he walked out of the room. Kela gave a heavy sigh, pulling Ottis out of his chair by the back of his shirt

"My faith in humanity was slightly demolished by how a man can enjoy that. Come on, Ottis. Let's get to that weapon." He was pulled so fast from the table that he never even go to taste the mixture he has been stirring for all this time, leaving the coffee at the table.

"W-wait, Kela! My coffee!"

"Leave it. It more than likely tastes like titan puke, anyway."

The trip to the forest was short. It was actually a good walking distance from the mansion, but no one was willing to carry that large object a few hundred meters, along with the ammunition boxes that comes with it. The men who handled the carriage and cargo placed the entire platform on the ground, modified to be able to stand independent of the rails. That made turning difficult, however.

Ottis attached one of the magazines into the weapon, while Kela stood at the back of the gun, adjusting the gun ever so slightly to fire at a tree fifty meters away that was marked as their target. Garrus and James stood behind Kela, talking about what the professor wishes to accomplish for the day. The inventor also had his own team with papers and pencils, preparing to write down the results.

"So for the first run, we have to finish firing the contents of the entire box?"

"Yes. It is required to test how much stress the weapon can stand, especially in an outdoor environment. Also, to see if the weapon will be able to maintain accuracy with continuous firing. That is the purpose of the MRMF if it will be ever deployed on the field, Corporal." Garrus gave an affirmative nod before checking on his crew and the weapon.

"Sir, the magazine is attached and ready for feeding." The three also coined the term 'feeding' as that is exactly what the magazine does. It feeds the thing bullets. Ottis then finished his status report before approaching his team leader, a thought in his mind.

"Corporal, I am still not sure how this thing will actually fire anything. The metal casing completely blocks the gunpowder from sparking." Garrus only gave the same questioning look.

"Ottis, I don't even know myself. But the professor said they fired it before, so it must work. I hope." The uncertainty in the last part of his reply escaped his statement, reaching both the young men's ears. Though fear flashed through his eyes for a second, Ottis nodded and headed at the back of the gun to await the firing. Garrus then reached Kela, who was still struggling to move the barrel.

"Ugh. Garrus, we need to push this slightly to the left. The lame platform won't let me budge it from side to side without a fight!" Kela complained as she continued looking through the aiming sights that spotters usually have. The Corporal approached one side of the gun and pushed it ever so slightly towards the left.

"Steady… steady… there! Alright, we're good to go." Both soldiers went near the firing mechanism, a trigger with a thick handle behind the gun next to the small wheel they saw before.

"We need to find a way to make it easier to turn this thing around. The crew would be titan chow if they had to do what we did to aim the thing." Kela whispered as she started turning the small wheel, causing the ring to move rotate at a clockwise direction. Garrus gave a silent nod as he took the handle with both gloved hands, his right trigger finger on the switch.

"Remember, Corporal: The gun can only fire when the barrel ring reaches a specific speed! The prototype will be making a distinct clicking sound when the ring spins fast enough!" Kela kept spinning the wheel, the ring becoming faster and faster. Soon, a tiny clanking of metal started becoming louder, becoming a steady hum. This was the signal they were waiting for. Garrus pulled the trigger, time slowing down as he heard the first round land inside a barrel and into the small hammer. Then it all happened.

Loud gunshots rang through the entire field, slightly disorienting the corporal at first. Flashes of fire blinked in rapid succession at the front of the gun, smoke starting to fill the area. The metal casings kept jumping out of the left side of the gun, falling into the grass in the multitudes. As he regained control, he felt the gun slightly drifting from his first position, teetering slightly to the right. The instinct to cover his ears was overcome with the discipline to stabilize the weapon, holding the handle with both his hands. His entire body was shaking, stirring his head that he cannot see the target clearly with the rattling in his eyes.

He had no idea how much time had passed before the gunfire halted, the gun quiet with smoke trails leaving the barrels. The soft hum of metal turned back into clanking before the rings halted in silence. The target was barely visible as smoke from gunpowder remained, covering their vision. Garrus blinked twice, letting go of the handle to reveal shaking hands. As he struggled to find control over his fingers, he looked around to see how his squad held up.

Ottis was belly faced on the ground, his lowered head supported by his elbows that connected to the hands covering his ears. The junior soldier still had his eyes closed at first, looking up slowly after realizing the gunfire has halted.

Kela was sweating heavily as she kneeled next to the gun. Plastered in her face was a mix of shock and, an expression very unlike her, fear. Her hands were on her head, covering her sides rather than her ears. It was as if she was trying to stop a headache.

Professor Carters, his assistants, and some of the people who worked with the cart had hands by their eyes, trying to see the target shrouded by smoke. As it cleared, the revelation brought upon all of them showed astonishment and wonder mixed with fear, the former being mostly displayed on the weapon's inventor. Garrus turned to the target, his jaw dropping with the same feelings.

The tree was cut in half, torn asunder by the onslaught of bullets. The surrounding area fared no better. Nearby bushes were scattered in pieces, some of the plant debris smoking with a few embers. The grass around the tree was also ripped to shreds, a few areas forming patches of dirt amongst the green.

The professor clapped and gave a jolly laugh as he approached the amazed corporal. He gave a pat on his shoulder, an excited grin on his face.

"Well done, Garrus my boy! That was an excellent test. My science team may record more data than we thought we could ever achieve from this one experiment. We have much to recover today. The bullet casings, how much damage was inflicted on tree, the gun's condition, and more! We also have to record your crew's condition and how you handled the firing!"

One of the carriage boys helped Ottis up, the logistics officer giving a sheepish look as the professor rambled on and on. His voice became distant to Garrus as he noticed a bitter expression enter Kela's shocked face, frustratingly standing up as she walked away from the test area.

Garrus knew something was definitely wrong with her ever since she saw the bullets in the basement. He was concerned that this problem will affect her performance, and possibly herself, in these experiments.

"Corporal? Did you hear me?" The team leader was pulled back into his conversation with James, a perplexed expression on the old man's face.

"Ah. Sorry about that, Professor Carters. I was just seeing how my squad was doing." He looked around and saw the assistants running around the field, picking up samples and measuring all types of items.

"Professor, maybe we should stop with the active testing for the day. My crew is a bit shaken by the experience since it's our first time to fire that thing and it seems your team is quite busy themselves." The professor eyes raised a bit before glancing at his science team, a look of realization entering him.

"It seems you are right, Corporal Gatling. I too am excited to see what has resulted from today's events. Very well! We will continue the experimentation tomorrow morning, possibly seeing what it can do against a moving target! I will set up a piece of w…" The professor then wandered off from the Corporal, pointing to different areas of the field while writing down plans on a piece of paper. Ottis approached his team leader, stretching his arms in relief.

"Well, sir, that w-was… scary to say the least. It will take s-some time getting used to, that's for sure." He looked around in curiosity as he stretched his back, not being able to find their female squadmate. "Where's Kela?"

Garrus looked to the direction she took off to, somewhere along the forest. He turned to his junior soldier as he grabbed the handles of his 3DMG.

"It seems I need to talk to our spotter for a while. Ottis, I need you to prepare a cup for coffee for the squad when you get back to the mansion. Looks like we're all going to be awake until sometime tonight. I'll pay you later for anything you spend for it. "

"Uh, sure sir. Hope you both get back soon."

Garrus fired the cords of his 3DMG into the tree line before zipping right into the air. After a while of searching, he found Kela kneeling down by a river bank, washing her face.

Her dark blonde hair was let loose from the bun, reaching her shoulder blades. She was scrubbing the water on her face rather than drinking it, letting it wash down her disturbed expression. She hasn't noticed Garrus lower himself from a nearby tree, walking towards the targeting officer.

"You seem stressed, Private Trumbonsky." She turned around suddenly, only spotting her team leader approaching her with a neutral expression.

"I'm fine, Corporal. Just needed some fresh water to wash away the gunpowder from my face." She glared at him before looking back at the water. He took a seat on a rock beside her, watching the water flow down the river.

"The only times you refer to me by rank is when we are in a military setting or you are not in the right mind. And I'm pretty sure there aren't any officers around." As much she tried, her glare only became a sad frown of distress, tucking herself into her legs.

"You and I both know that it's a lie that you're fine. I don't want to force you to tell me what's wrong, but I want to help you. We'll be going through these firings for some time and you can't possibly tell me you'll get used to it when you seem to already have an angered position on what we are going to do even before this experiment started." Garrus turned to his female squadmate, her head covered by knees. It really bothered him to see the apathetic, cool-headed soldier assigned as his spotter in this state.

Silence continued to exist between them for a while, Garrus picking up a few stones and throwing into the water to pass the time. She shifted a bit, mumbling something Garrus did not understand.

"Kela? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Silence remained until she smoke much louder, yet with a much weaker tone in her voice.

"If I tell you, you may think of me unfit to be a soldier…" Garrus only stared for a while before scoffing loudly, causing the girl to lift her head a bit to see an annoyed expression on his face.

"You think I would see you as unfit? Look at me. I have wooden peg for a foot. As far as I am concerned neither you nor Ottis see me as a weaker soldier despite that. You both accept me despite this, and you'd be damned if you thought I wouldn't accept you despite anything." The spotter slowly raised her head, a few tears filling her eyes as she stared with a blank face.

The Corporal continued looking at her before returning to his activity of throwing stones into the water. He was hoping he would get one to skip. He never did that before.

"I have a fear of guns. They shake me to the core where I just want to drop everything and vomit." The corporal stopped in mid-throw, looking back at Kela. She was looking into the river again, watching the soothing movement of the water.

"Anything related to guns. Gunfire, bullets, muskets, whatever. Cannons are fine with me, as far as I know. But… I can't stand guns. It's a stupid fear for a soldier, don't you think?" Her squad leader just stared before laughing lightly and sitting next to her, hand holding his head.

"If you think that's stupid, then wait till you hear mine. I'm afraid of titans. Some soldier I am." Kela left her tucked ball, staring at Garrus as if he was the dumbest person she ever so.

"News cry, Genius. Every normal human being is afraid of titans. I'd be more surprised if you weren't. Pretty sure that even in the scouts, those uglies haunt their nightmares."

"With that fact, why do we still think they are the bravest soldiers of the military?" Both soldiers just continued to watch the river flow in front of them, a few fish swimming against the current.

"Don't you think that someone who faces their fear head on is a person braver than one who just challenges himself to everything people find scary? One is a person who is trying to prove that he isn't scared of anything. Another is someone who wants to accomplish something even if he is afraid."

Up above, a small kingfisher watched the swimming fish in the river, keeping a safe distance from the water.

"I already told you and Ottis my story from Shiganshina. The loss. The horror. Everything. It's a struggle for me to wake up every morning, realizing I'm a soldier and having to wear this uniform for the day."

Kela just continued to stare ahead, her eyes lowering into her knees.

"My dad was a military police officer. Not like the clowns we make fun of during our spare time. He was someone worth respect. Someone who deserved to serve the King. Despite the obvious status of the Military Police, he was a deviant who fought against the laziness and corruption. He actually proven many of his fellow soldiers to be involved in corruption and crime, causing them to be arrested either by the garrison or, at rare cases, the scouting legion. Under his command, the Yalkell District Military Police lived up to the name of being the best-of-the-best soldiers in the army, rivalling the scouts. He picked among the top 10 recruits of training squads for their competency and attitude rather than skill or position closest to the top 1. At his station, his subordinates were some of the most disciplined and well-trained units in the entire MP Brigade. Up to this day, they live up to that name."

It was true that the West MPs were rumored to be good, but Garrus never seen or interacted with them. He continued listening to his squadmate's story, tears starting to fall out of her eyes.

"My father began investigating cases of corruption outside Yalkell, right into Mitras itself. Unknown to us at the time, the black market merchants and certain central Military Police personnel were threatened by him and started plotting to take him out. One night, at our house, they broke in while my entire family was inside and began hunting us down. My father took down the thugs who went inside our house, protecting me and my mother who he guided towards the local MP Headquarters. We almost got there when three unknown individuals with 3DMG moved down the rooftops and into the street, holding muskets than swords. He pushed me and my mom into an alley before firing a distress flare into the sky, but it was too late by then."

It was at this moment that her dam burst. She began sobbing hard, years of holding up pain flushed down in that single moment.

"The opened fire at him, right in front of my eyes. I saw the blood come out of the wounds, his body hitting the cold stone. He tried to crawl away before two more thugs showed up with muskets and fired right behind his head. My mother was unconscious from hitting the ground too hard, leaving me alone with them. One of them with 3DMG finished reloading and saw me, walking towards before aiming the gun right in-between my eyes. I just closed my eyes and waited until I heard the sounds of 3DMG wires across the street. The MPs disabled the criminals with 3DMG while taking down the remaining hitmen. Later, at the court, they found out that those three men were Military Police. The Central command denounced them and they were sentenced to service either in jail or the scouting legion. You can guess what those cowards picked. He didn't deserve what happened to him. He should have died a hero's death." Her sad eyes grew sharp once again, glaring hard at the moving water near her feet.

"That's why I always had a problem with authority. My districts MPs may be the best there is, but the entire brigade makes me sick. But I wanted to honor my dad. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve the King and humanity. Screw the Military Police. I could be a garrison or a scout to serve the King. I didn't need to be at the top 10 to serve him." She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see her officer looking her, not with pity, but with admiration.

"He died as he lived. He lived serving and protecting the King. He died serving and protecting you and your mother. He did die a hero. And you honor him greatly by serving with Ottis and I. You must have had an idea of what we will go through if we would accept this experiment, yet you pushed me to go with it so we may fulfill a greater duty for mankind. Your dad knew the danger of what he was doing, and so did you. He would have been proud of you."

And that is when all her walls crumbled down. Tears of sadness, joy, relief and pain all gathered around her eyes as she cried out to the heavens. Garrus supported his friend through her inner revelation, letting her cry on his shoulder. In the inside, Garrus felt both guilty and happy with what she told him. He always thought that all Military Police were the same cowards who rejected their responsibility to humanity just to live in safety. Knowing the sacrifices of Kela's father gave him hope that there are people out in that brigade who have nothing else in their mind but to serve the king to their full ability.

She stopped her crying, the rare gentle smile showing on her face as she regained her composure.

"You tell Hayward I let out a stream of tears and I will make you wish that you would drink the poison the professor calls coffee for the rest of your life than what I will do to you." They both shared a laugh as Garrus stood up, helping his spotter of the ground.

"Fine, fine. It would have been great payback for all the threatening you did to him though." Kela only replied with a shrug, going back to her nonchalant self.

"I do suggest you tell him your story, or at least your fear of gunfire. He has to know in the case something goes wrong." She looked quite hesitant for a while before sighing.

"Alright, I will. He better make good coffee tomorrow morning if it's to be worth it. At least better than ours."

"You made your point already. My coffee sucks. Big time. Are you happy!?"

The trip back to the mansion was uneventful, but lighthearted. They found the professor quite concerned about their safety when they got back. Apparently, it was already nearing sunset by the time they left the forest. Kela and Garrus explained that she just had some personal issues she had to work out regarding bullets, which the professor happily accepted without pushing for details. As long as they would be ready with for the firing tests tomorrow, it would be fine.

They made their way to the small galley by the kitchen where they ate breakfast, finding the junior of the squad pacing back and forth in worry. It was a comedic sight to see him both relieved and trying to follow protocol on entrance of the corporal into the room. After settling in, Garrus let Kela explain why she left the testing grounds, her fear of gunpowder, and an abridged story of how she got that fear to Ottis, who was amazed at the young woman's story.

"Wow. I never knew, Kela. I agree with the Corporal. It is very brave of you to do this type of thing, with all the gunfire, and firing, and bullets…" Garrus was looking in disbelief, not sure if his logistics officer was just being awkward again or teasing their squadmate on purpose. Kela obviously thought it was the latter.

"We get your point, uptight. And you better make sure that stays with you. You hear?" Her voice was coated with both humor and venom, added with the scary sight of her sharp eyes. The young private only nodded in fear.

"Y-y-yes, Ma-a-am."

After Kela cooked a small meal for the squad, Ottis stood in surprise as he remembered he had prepared coffee for dinner. He poured the black contents from the coffee pot into the cups of his squadmates before placing it in the middle of the table.

"I envy you and Kela, Corporal. I don't really have a life changing story like both of you. They inspire me so much, giving me the dream of becoming that brave one day." He once again went back to stirring his coffee, adding slight pinches of sugar into it.

"Keep dreaming, Hayward. At the rate your life is going, you would be lucky to even find a girl who would be interested in you. And boy, will she be disappointed that you will never make a move." Kela blew on her own cup, inwardly enjoying the smell of the coffee, though she would never admit it. Garrus gave an encouraging smile at the younger soldier.

"Thanks, Ottis. And I'm pretty sure you have a great story as well. Everyone does. You just need to find your angle on how to say it." He looked at his cup of coffee, adding a bit of honey into it. Both Garrus and Kela took a sip of their coffee at the same time, their eyes widening all of a sudden.

"Really, corporal? Thanks, I guess. I may be a person with a lot of short stories than one whole big one, like when I first learned how to whistle, or when my friend fell down the well and I had no idea what to do, or- Corporal? Kela? Are you both alright?

His seniors continued their blank stare, looking at the ceiling with eyes that were, rather than dead, sparkling with life. Kela regained control of her body, looking at the cup of coffee as if it was a rare jewel.

"The only story I want to know is where in the world did you discover this sweet nectar!" She took another tender sip at her cup's contents, sighing as the wonderful taste swirled in her mouth.

"All the pain, all the horrible taste that I witnessed this morning, all gone. Washed down by this." Kela continued to praise the coffee as Garrus also held his with such care.

"Now I'm glad I lived through Shiganshina. I don't care if the titans wreck through Wall Rose, or even Wall Sina, anymore. I can die happy now." He also took a good long sip at the coffee. It was bitter enough to awaken his sense, and sweet enough to be enjoyed. The texture was just perfect, not too watery or too grainy. The milky feeling was complimented with the strong, seducing smell.

There was so much more that can't be described, the faces of the team leader and of the spotter being the only indicator of how good it was. Ottis laughed shyly, continuing to stir is own cup.

"Oh, it's nothing different. Just some dashes of honey and a few culinary herbs."

"If this 'dash of honey' was found outside the walls, I would have joined the scouting legion just to get over there every day. No titan can keep me away from this. Hell, I'll establish mankind's first outpost in the place, all by myself." Garrus can only nod in agreement.

"I'm starting to question why I never asked you to make coffee in the first place. A great disappointment on myself." Ottis just gave a satisfied smile, swirling the coffee in his cup before finally taking a small sip. He was happy to know someone liked his coffee.

For his two squadmates however, "liked" was an understatement. A titanic understatement.

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