A/N:

Wow, this chapter is almost 4300 words. O.O I know some of you may not think of this as a 'long' chapter, but considering my chapters average around 600-700 words tops, this is a big deal for me.

I hope you all enjoyed the sneak peak too c: I only added a sentence, so you don't have to reread the scene if you don't want to. I have a few things to say about the chapter and story, but I'll save them for the end notes.

P.S. I started a new fic. Along with An Unexpected Meeting (post highschool/college! AU) and Infected (disease/Zombie! AU), I now have All That Jazz. It's a Chicago (the musical/movie)/prison! AU). I'm shameless when it comes to promoting haha. I'm posting it right before this chapter and you can read it here:

/works/1538540

s/10308251/1/All-That-Jazz

Edit: For some reason, ff doesn't like links...the top is the link for AO3, and the bottom is ff.

*Levi's POV

It hadn't even been three seconds since I shut the door when Hanji attached herself to my hip. Like a fucking parasite. She was practically bouncing beside me, earning the occasional stare from a new recruit. Everyone else was so used to it by now that they had learned to ignore her as much as possible. She was talking a mile a minute about the new patients and all of the tests she would get to run on them, but I was too lost in my own thoughts to really listen. My somewhat good mood had been pulled out from under me the moment she'd said "new patients".

When Hanji had first told me the news, it had taken everything in my power to not let the bitterness show on my face. The brunette was known for blurting out information to test people's reactions, and I wouldn't give her the pleasure of a response. It was obvious that the new subjects were the friends the brat had been worrying about, and my jaw tightened in annoyance- partially because she'd told me right in front of him, partly because he was too stupid to realize it on his own. Eren was blissfully unaware of the truth, and some selfish part of me wanted to keep him that way. It was childish, but he reminded me of myself before my mom had passed away.

After accepting his request, my chest had tightened guiltily. The world was a cruel place and even though I was painfully aware of that fact, I had let him get his hopes up like some monster. While I could be stern when I had to, I wasn't heartless. Before I left, I said his name-as an apology of sorts- but there was a slim to none chance that it would matter. I doubt he had even caught it.

I frowned as we made our way down the hallway, scrunching up my nose. The air was thick with the scent of bleach and other disinfectants, a combination that while welcomed, made me a tad nauseas. No matter how long I lived under the conditions, my body still couldn't get used to burn every time I breathed in.

It wasn't a secret that I hated filth, but most had just chalked it up to either extreme OCD or my general personality and left it at that. The only ones to really take note were Erwin and Hanji: Hanji because it interested her for some strange reason and Erwin because he had something to gain. The blonde man had caught on first, seeing as how he was the one who'd taken me in. Against my will, but whatever.

Memories of my childhood and the things I'd seen and done to survive still left me unable to sleep for nights at a time. I'd never forget the stench of the bodies, rotting flesh and feces and piss. The chemicals burned my eyes and lungs but it was so much better than choking down the polluted air of the Underground.

All of the resources the cities had went into preserving humanity; doctors spent their time developing vaccines and looking for a cure, and the engineers maintained the walls. Infrastructure, plumbing, and transportation remained underdeveloped, only just passing by as a convenience. If you were lucky, if you had the money, a horse and carriage would carry you down the cobblestone roads. Most likely, you walked.

Until I'd learned to fend for myself, I hadn't even had that much.

The first door we stopped at was guarded by two soldiers, one at each side. They were both wearing the standard military uniform: crisp white pants, collared shirt and tan demi-jacket under dark leather straps and holsters. Knee high boots had been polished until they shined. Among the neutral colours, an insignia of wings stood out, clarifying their allegiance to the Recon Corps.

Being an officer meant that I had spent time both out in the field gathering information on the Titans and in the lab researching T1, and I was well known at both locations. After noticing Hanji and I walking toward them, both stood at attention, saluting. One of the men stepped forward to open the door for us; I nodded at him as I passed.

Hanji fell into step behind me, giggling.

Their gear reminded me of my time out in the field and I sighed, remembering the care I would put into methodically loading the containers. They were bulky, holding numerous disposable blades. Early on it was discovered that Titans tended to favor areas with the most amount of humans and/or the most noise, so gun use among soldiers was limited in favor of a quieter method. Silence worked best. It generally took more skill, and while in the beginning there were a number of casualties, the lives saved overall outnumbered them significantly.

After stepping through the first set of doors, there was a waiting room. Its walls were a light purple, a couple of wooden chairs and tables the only furniture. I recognized it as one of the five solitary confinement areas. It confused me at first; as far as I knew, none of them had ever been used. They had been made for patients who had reached stage 3 and were uncontrollable. Then it dawned on me. One of the brat's friends must have fought back and had been strong enough to pose a threat. No wonder Hanji had been this excited.

There were two metal doors at the back of the small room. One had the standard keypad lock and scanner, with a chart hanging next to it and the other was left slightly ajar. I could hear Erwin's muffled voice coming through the crack, and made my way to it, stopping by the other only to grab the chart. I flipped through the document, skimming pages for any decent information.

Erwin's voice was low and firm, but he would sometimes pause as if he was collecting his thoughts. Hanji had made it in before me and was glued to the two way mirror. When I walked in, Erwin smiled at me, motioning for me to wait. I rolled my eyes and sat down as he walked over to the voice recorder he'd been using and turned it off.

"Well hello, Levi. I'm glad you could join us."

I glared at the man. "Cut the crap, eyebrows. You now for a fact I didn't have a choice."

Sighing, I turned to look through the glass for the first time. My eyes were met with a stare that could rival my own. A girl was seated, albeit not willingly, on a metal chair. Her arms and legs were strapped down, an IV running up her forearm. She had black hair and dark eyes to match, and I could see the beginnings of a couple nasty bruises forming on her pale skin. Handprints on her arms and legs, a busted lip, a swollen cheek.

Erwin followed my gaze, and seeing the frown on my lips, chuckled. "She put up quite a fight; it took six men to hold her down until we could put the IV in. It's a shame she was injured, but it was for her own good."

"Mhm. Whatever." I looked down at the chart, noticing something for the first time. In my earlier rush, I hadn't noticed her name. I could feel my eyes widening. "Mik-."

"-asa Ackerman." The blonde paused. "You seem surprised. Did the other boy-Eren- mention anything by chance?" Erwin raised one eyebrow.

I let out a frustrated growl, fighting the urge to punch him. He was fucking playing with me, the bastard. "The brat mentioned her. It wasn't anything of importance." I wasn't lying, at least not entirely. In regards to any medical indicator, I was right. It didn't matter. For my own personal reasons, however, it did. The taller man had known me far too long however, but refused to take the hint.

"Levi-." He was interrupted by a movement out of the corner of his eye.

Eren's sister was scooting forward as best she could in her state. She was slow, but I could clearly see the resolve in her eyes; her entire body screamed determination. Black pools never left the mirror, even when the IV rack fell over and pulled the needle from her arm, tearing at her skin. She didn't even flinch. Blood dripped down her arm as she worked her way closer.

Everything was in slow motion.

Hanji had disappeared somewhere, leaving Erwin and I alone in the room. I knew Mikasa couldn't see me, but I walked closer anyway, as if in a trance. I could faintly hear Erwin say he was going to find Hanji and make sure that the guards were properly recording the scene, but it never fully registered. By the time she made it to the glass, he was gone too.

It was just us then.

I was close enough now to see how much her eyes had dilated; it surprised me. She shouldn't be able to do anything. Her lips moved, barely a whisper of a voice coming out. If I hadn't been as focused on her as I was, I wouldn't have heard.

"Where is Eren?"

Where is Eren?

As soon as the words left her lips, she shuddered, her head dropping. There was a beep as Hanji walked through the door, a team of nurses trailing behind her. She hurried over to Mikasa, and as one of the nurses applied pressure to the girl's bleeding arm, checked her vitals. With a sigh of relief, she looked up and nodded towards me, letting me know Mikasa was alright.

A wheelchair was brought in, and the nurses carefully place the girl inside, being careful not to bump her arms or legs as they positioned them. Hanji waved them off, motioning for me to meet her outside so that we could talk properly.

"Her vitals seem to be fine, and the wound from the needle didn't do any serious damage. It's going to hurt for a little while, but I don't think it will scar. She's asleep; I'm guessing she passed out from exhaustion. She had a fight when she got here and was refusing to eat or drink or sleep, so it's completely normal for her to rest. I'm going to have her put in the grey room until she calms down enough to join the others."

While the woman was definitely insane, she took her job and the lives of her patients very seriously. "Thanks, Hanji."Still unsettled by the girl's words, I bit my lip.

She noticed something was wrong, but unlike eyebrows, had the decency to leave it alone. "It's my job. Oh, and Erwin had something else to attend to. He said to just let you know that you need to check up on two others. One is in the blue room, and the other is in the green. Then you're free for the day." The brunette smiled and left.

I found Eren's other friend in the blue room. It had the same layout as the purple-they all did- except the colour. Hence the name. He was sitting on his chair quietly, unrestrained and without an IV. I grabbed his chart, nodding when I saw his name printed in Hanji's wild script: Armin Arlert.

Instead of just the one chair, there were two, and a metal table had also been set up. When the door had shut all the way, I made my way over, slipping into the chair opposite from the boy. His face was grim, and he said nothing. I cleared my throat.

"Armin Arlert, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

I leaned back in my chair, much like I had in Eren's room; the blonde's blue eyes widened in shock. My display wasn't enough for him to start a conversation, however, and I chuckled under my breath. Eren would have gotten impatient by now. Armin's eyebrows knitted in confusion as I laughed. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again and shook his head.

There was a loud clank as the two front legs of my chair hit the ground. The boy flinched. It was obvious he was trying to hide his discomfort from me. He was doing a somewhat poor job. When he spoke, his shoulders would tense up, and his jaw would tighten. "Do you know why you're here?"

I could see his eyes darken, and he nodded. He took a deep breath before actually speaking. "Yes, Corporal Levi, sir, I believe I do. I'm here because of Eren, right?" I narrowed my eyes. I hadn't told him my name. And no one who valued their life would have done it either.

"How do you know my name?" He seemed startled at my question, but answered anyway. His voice had become less shaky. It seemed like he was relaxing a little.

"My friends and I would always watch the Survey Corps when they came through town." A small, sad smile graced his lips as he looked back. "Eren would always drag us along, well me at least. Mikasa would follow him anywhere. You are his hero, actually. He would always get really excited when he saw you. Humanity's Strongest. I can't count the number of times he's told us about you." When my face remained blank, he sighed. "Of course you wouldn't remember. It was a very long time ago, and you've probably seen a lot of faces. But, yeah, that's why I know your name."

Him telling me had jarred a memory. I could faintly recall, years ago, seeing the same beautiful blue-green eyes. The timing made sense, but I couldn't get over the fact that while the two's faces were the same, they couldn't be any more different. The kid I'd seen before was happy, smiling up at me in wonder. Eren had been so innocent back then.

Something kept nagging at the back of mind. If the brat knew who I was, why the hell would he play stupid? It didn't add up. Armin watched my face. I looked back. "The br-Eren didn't seem to recognize me earlier when we spoke. And I've never visited Trost as a member of the Survey Corps."

Armin looked startled. "Wait, so you've met?" The blonde shook his head as he spoke. "We weren't in Trost. The three of us lived in Shinganshina. As for him not recognizing you, he doesn't remember too much about the time before the accident, so I'm not that surprised. He kind of went into shock. It's a little strange though; he talked about you when we were in training." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe it's just your face he doesn't remember."

"Accident?"

"Uh, yes. But I guess it wasn't really an "accident". Eren lost his mom when we were ten. He and Mikasa wouldn't tell me the details, but from what I could pick up, I think they saw it happen. It must've been really bad, because he's almost completely blocked out everything to do with our childhoods."

The brat was fifteen now, so when he was ten was five years ago. Five years ago. Shinganshina. The two rang a bell, but I couldn't quite put my head around it. I clenched my hand on the clipboard as the realization hit me. The breach; it had been around that time.

So Eren had been exposed before. This could be interesting. I need to make a note for Hanji. I wrote notes quickly as we talked, careful to make sure everything was easily readable. I asked the kid all of the standard questions: his personal information, medical record, who he's been in contact with. He became more comfortable as the time passed, only tensing up when I asked about what he'd been doing after the break in wall Rose.

His face became unreadable, his eyes dead. "When the wall was compromised, everyone panicked. A lot of us that were stationed there had just graduated. People were split into groups; I was with Eren and a few others. Everyone was scared, but Eren convinced them to fight anyway.

"I was in the back of the group when the first Titan attacked us. Most of us noticed it in time and moved out of the way, but someone didn't. He wasn't quick enough. His name was Thomas I think. Anyway, Eren went crazy. He broke from the group. I think he was aiming for the one who killed Thomas. As he got closer, he was bitten of the leg. I've heard that it's extremely painful to contract the disease, and when I saw the look on his face, I kind of just froze. Either because he couldn't use his leg or from the pain of the bite, Eren couldn't run. He just laid there.

"I was still frozen in place as I watched my team being taken out. I don't think I'll ever forget their screams and the blood. They were all eaten alive except Eren, and while it makes me sick, a part of me was glad that they were dead and not able to turn on me. I don't think I would have been able to kill them if that had happened.

"I didn't notice at first that there was a Titan coming toward me. When I did, I still couldn't run. I was just stuck there, and I'd already given up on living. Eren came to around that time and pushed me out of the way. The Titan ended up biting his shoulder instead of me. I think that he used up the last of his strength to save me though; he was clearly delirious. When he reached up, smiling at me, I didn't know what to do so I ran." The boy was crying now, silent tears running down his cheeks.

"I knew I was a coward, but I couldn't make myself go back for him. It wasn't until I was with the rest of our friends that I even realized what I'd done. That I'd left him there. Jean wouldn't let me go back for him, and I was secretly grateful. After seeing him overtaken by Titans, I was sure that he was dead. Mikasa showed up a little while after, asking about him, and I broke down. She kept assuring me that it wasn't my fault.

"As much as she wanted to go back, I convinced Mikasa to stay with the group, and because of her, most of us made it out. They stopped us at checkpoint to looks for signs of infection, but none of my friends there had been bitten. We got cleaned up, and reported to our officers." Armin paused to look at me. He'd been talking fast, everything rushed, trying to get over the conversation as quickly as possible. "Then we were dragged here. Mikasa was the only one who fought."

I grunted in response. I'd seen her injuries first hand. "Okay, then. One last question. You don't seem surprised that your friend is alive, but you claim to have given up on him after the breach. What changed your mind?" Curious, I cocked my head to the side.

"It was silly of me, but there was this rumor going around about a survivor attaching Titans. I had a feeling it was Eren, and I couldn't help but get my hopes up."

I nodded writing down the last of my notes, and stood. "Thank you for your cooperation. I will tell a nurse that you are free to join your friends." As I was heading through the door, the blonde stood up for the first time and called out my name.

"Are they alright: Eren and Mikasa?" I smirked, nodding my head as I left him. I could just barely hear his sigh over the beep of the door locking.

The green room was occupied by a lump. Instead of in his chair, the boy was in a corner of the room, his knees curled up against his chest. He didn't move from his position, even when I walked through the door. When the chair screeched across the linoleum floor, he looked up briefly, only to hide his head immediately after. I could tell that it wasn't going to be easy to coax him from his spot.

I made myself as comfortable as possible in the metal chair- it was the same setup as the blue room- and resigned myself to being there for as long as it took. While he wasn't violent like Eren's sister, it was clear that he was just as stubborn, and ignoring the staff seemed to be all he thought he could do to stay in control. I scanned his chart.

Jean Kirschtein, aligned to the… Survey Corps. I grimaced as I looked over at the bundle. So the new recruits were like this, were they? I still had so much more to do after this, and here some brat was, making my life difficult. Every ounce of patience I had left in my body, evaporated. I didn't bother trying to mask the coldness in my voice. "Tch. Brat, I'm going to give you to the count of five to get your ass over here. One."

When the boy made no move to get up, I decided to give him a little motivation. I really wasn't in the mood. "Two. Three." As the words fell from my mouth, I removed the papers from the clipboard and raised it lazily over my shoulder. "Last chance, brat. Four." Nothing. "Five." Still, he didn't move an inch.

I heard a crunch as the wood collided with the boy's face. His eyes widened in shock as his hand flew to his nose. Blood ran down, covering his fingers. He jumped up, screaming at the top of his lungs. "What the fuck was that for, bastard?" I looked over at him, my face blank.

"I was teaching you a lesson, brat." I narrowed my eyes. Under his eyes and around his nose were already starting to bruise; his mouth dropped open and I scrunched my nose when I saw his blood fall onto the floor. "Disgusting-. Do you know how gross it is to touch someone else's blood? I swear-. What the hell are they teaching you kids?"

Realization lit his face. The switch from anger to awe was almost immediate. "Y-you're Corporal Levi." Forgetting the mess that was his face, he attempted to salute.

"What of it?"

"I- um-it's just that you're Humanity's Strongest, sir. You are um- a hero?"

Rolling my eyes, I straightened the now loose papers. The clipboard was sitting in a pile of blood, and there was no way in hell I was touching it. "That means absolutely nothing coming from a brat like you." He looked defeated all of a sudden, the bravado from earlier falling apart at the seams. I'd seen that look too many times on the field. It was the look of a soldier who'd lost a loved one. He didn't go back to the corner, but he didn't sit down either. He just stood in silence.

Knowing I would get nowhere, and not wanting to wait around for Petra to scold me, I stood up, making my way to the door. "I'll have to interview you later. This room is too filthy to work in now. I got you to talk, so I'll have you moved to be with your friends. If I hear you giving any trouble to the nurses, I'll break more than your face." He nodded, the dizziness from being hit in the head catching up with him. I left quickly, leaving him staring at my back. I'd just have to finish later after everything had been thoroughly cleaned.

After informing the nurse on duty of what had happened, I sighed. It was already eleven o'clock at night. I'd left Eren in his room at four. The fatigue was making it hard to concentrate; I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. As tired as I was, there was one more stop I needed to make before showering and heading to bed.

*/Information Currently Available for Public Disclosure/*

There are 3 main branches of military: the Military Police, the Garrison, and the Recon Corps. The Military Police is in charge of maintaining order within the walls, and work directly under the king. The Garrison maintains the walls, and Recon Corps is in charge of researching and developing vaccines/cures for T1 as well as venturing outside of the walls to survey land.

While generally called the Recon Corps, within its field, it is split into two main branches: the Recon Corps and the Survey Corps.

The job of the 'Recon Corps' is dealing with T1 and everything associated with the disease (research, vaccines, people who have been infected). For the most part, soldiers stay in the facilities underground. However, in certain cases (such as a breach), they will look for survivors that can still be treated and quarantine them.

The 'Survey Corps' deals with surveying land and gathering information on the Titans. In case of a breach, their job is 'removing' the infected who have reached the point of no return.

***The Wings of Freedom is a group of elites, (from both Recon and Survey). Members partake in the duties of both divisions.

A/N:

: So there's some new information, yay! I hope you guys get the difference between Survey and Recon (I'm not sure if I explained it that well).

A little bit about this chapter: First of all, after finishing Mikasa's part, I started really having a hard time. The flow just wasn't working and I feel like it's rushed? Mikasa, Armin and Jean were the only one's put in solitary confinement. Mikasa was because of violence and Jean was because he was basically catatonic, and they didn't want him with the others until they knew he was stable. Armin asked to speak to someone so that's why he was there.

Riley asked a very good question about the setting of the story. To clarify, you can think of it like this. Imagine the canon SNK verse where except developing 3D maneuver gear, they advanced their medical facilities. The gear that they do use is just blades (the straps help keep everything in place and hold extra pockets and such for vaccines).-does that make sense?

As always, thanks for reading and commenting/favouriting/following/etc. I really appreciate it ^-^