[Sorry For the long wait guys, I had some stuff that needed doing. but rest assured, I am still working on this project and I intend to finish it.]
"So, they killed everyone?" Jean asked, his eyes straining in the dark of the tunnel. The headlamp Khan had given him was starting to dim.
"No, we killed everyone." Khan answered. The two were no longer in the metro, they were passing through the sewers headed towards an access point near Teatr.
"I don't understand…" Jean said, clicking the handle on his charger, like Khan had taught him. His headlamp lit up brighter.
"Are you a human?" Khan asked. "I am a human."
"I—yeah." Jean stuttered, his mind began to predict what khan would say. The result was rather unsettling.
"Those men who fired the nukes were human too. Humanity has brought this fate upon itself." Jean already felt uneasy around the old man, his response did nothing to alleviate those feelings. "Now then, I'm curious about where you come from. Tell me, is the earth still green and fertile as it once was?"
"Well yeah, there's trees, grass, people aren't trapped underground." Jean explained. He did notice a similarity in both worlds. Mankind was isolated from the rest of the world. Hiding behind great masses of stone, fearful of the abominations on the outside. "But, it's not like we can go wherever. We have these big 50 meter walls to keep the titans out."
"By titan I assume you mean the giant man?" Khan asked.
"Yeah," Jean answered. "In my world they showed up about a hundred years ago, we've been at war with them ever since."
"Quite a name you have given them… titans… Descendants of Gaia and Uranus, Earth and Heaven. The only beings that could challenge the gods themselves."
"What are talking about?" Jean asked. "Is that like, mythology or something?"
"Whether or not it is true depends on what you yourself believe." Khan explained, keeping his brisk pace through the tunnel. "A titan could also be a Hindu man who performed many good deeds in his life, and was reborn a minor deity to live amongst his gods. Of course if he did wrong he would return as a human in his next life."
"I guess different worlds, different beliefs." Jean said. Khan had tried to explain the idea of parallel universes earlier, but his explanation had too many big words and Jean had a hard time grasping it anyway. The strange man said nothing after Jean's comment. He needed something to say, something to break the deafening silence of the tunnel. That thing, that dark one… He opened his mouth and was about to inquire about the creature when Khan ordered him to stop.
"Listen," Khan said, pointing to a mass of rusted pipe than ran along the wall and into the blackness ahead. "Hold your ear to the pipes and listen."
Jean did as Khan said. He held his ear to the pipe and could hear the faint echo of a child's laugh. The sound progressively got louder, sounding less like an echo. "So what is this?" Jean asked in a shakiy voice, "We're close to the station aren't we? It's a voice echoing down the pipe, right?" The voice turned to an earsplitting shriek, Jean yelped as an explosion of pain shot through his head. He threw himself away from the cursed pipe and onto the concrete floor. "What the hell?" he shouted, eyes closed and hands over his ears as the pain slowly faded away.
"The singing pipes… They carry the voices of the dead." Khan explained, scanning the area with his headlamp. "This is not a good place, stay close to me and do exactly as I say."
"Uh… sure… okay." Jean said, picking himself up of the ground. Khan motioned forward and the continued down the tunnel. It wasn't long before a splash began to accompany each step. Jean looked down to see they were now ankle deep in water.
"Stop!" Khan ordered, holding out his hand to block Jean's path.
"What? What is it?" Jean asked. Khan turned to Jean, The old man's eyes seemed to stare straight through him.
"Do you hear splashing?" Jean could hear a splashing sound behind him, the two turned around to see a ghostly silhouette moving towards them, splashing with each step. "Run! Now!" Jean didn't need much persuasion, he and Khan sprinted down the tunnel, kicking up waves of water as they went. "There! Crawl through there!" Khan ordered pointing to a small manhole ahead, the cover leaning against the nearby wall.
The old man jumped through, Jean followed. He had expected to fall a short distance, but instead he fell a good 20 feet and landed in a puddle, drenching his clothes. Two bright lights clicked on on the other side of the tunnel, blinding him.
"Halt!" A voice commanded, accompanied by the clicking of automatic weapons being cocked. "Who goes there? Mutant or Human!"
"Human!" Khan shouted, Jean looked up to see the old man silhouetted against the powerful floodlights.
"Then by all means, come in." The voice said, as the lights clicked of. Jean could now see several armed figures illuminated by the soft glow of a campfire. He stood up, Khan motioned for him to follow.
"Welcome to Teatr!" A guard said as the two walked past. The door opened to a vibrant and bustling station. Performers were seen on the sides of the narrow streets, playing instruments, making shadow puppets, one was simply reading a book aloud to a group of children. Buildings were painted bright colors, and Christmas lights decorated the ceiling support beams. The station was certainly less depressing than Venice, almost nice, given the state of everything.
"We must go this way," Khan said, pointing to the South end of the station. "I think you may know some people there, as do I."
"Friends?" Jean said, "What makes you think that?"
"Well, I know that my friend is there." The old man explained. "I also have a theory, if it holds true, you will have a friend or two there as well."
"Uh-huh." Jean responded. What does he mean? Like Armin? Why would he be here?
They pushed through the crowds and made it to a small shack labeled "Clinic" Khan walked up to the door and held it open. "After you,"
Jean entered the clinic. Two men stood on the opposite side, facing away from him. One wore heavy camouflage patterned gear, the other stood on crutches, wearing khaki cargo pants and a white and blue striped tanktop. Jean scanned the room until something caught his eye, a dual wing motif… the insignia of the Survey Corp. It's Armin!
"So where do you think they came from?" The camouflaged man said in a gravelly voice.
"I haven't the slightest idea." The other replied, in a softer, friendlier voice.
"I believe I may have an answer." Khan said, placing a hand on the camouflaged man's shoulder. He immediately turned around.
"Khan! Where the hell did you come from!" He shouted, taking a step back.
"Jean, this is Artyom. Artyom, this is Jean. I'm guessing you have already met his kind before." Khan said.
Artyom studied Jean for a second. "I guess that makes four. We found three others just like him."
"I see." Khan said. "Who found this one?" He pointed to Armin. Jean approached the unconscious Armin, there was no blood, no sign of injury.
"I did," The man on crutches said. "His name is Armin Arlet."
"And you are…"
"Pavel Morozov." The man said, extending his hand for a handshake. Khan did not return the handshake, he looked at Pavel, and then to Armin, and back to Pavel.
"Your names…" Khan said, deep in thought. "Pavel Morozov… A man who betrayed his father to the communists, praised as a hero among communists. Armin, more commonly known by his Latin name, Arminius. A German who betrayed Rome to the Germans, and annihilated 4 roman legions thanks to his great sense for strategy. He is revered as a hero among Germans. The names of two famous traitors, and you both have blonde hair and blue eyes…"
"What are you saying Khan?" Artyom asked.
"Just making an observation." Khan answered. "And where are the other two you found?"
Artyom walked over to the curtain that divided the rooms. And held it up, "Right here."
Jean's eyes instantly fixated on Mikasa sitting the table while the doctor was digging through a nearby drawer. One of her pant legs was rolled up above the knee, revealing a grisly wound. Eren was leaning on the wall across from her. Jean certainly felt more comfortable now that he was among people he knew. He walked up and leaned against the wall alongside Eren.
"Is anyone else here?" Eren asked.
"As far as I know, it's just us." Jean answered. "That creepy old man found me on the surface, he pointed to Khan who was busy talking to Artyom. "I have seen some shit you wouldn't believe."
"Like what? I saw a titan, but that's not that strange."
"I saw one to, this thing, it killed it! Instantly."
"What thing?" Eren asked, standing upright.
"Excuse me," Khan said, interrupting them. "Your name is Eren Jaeger, correct?"
"Yeah, it is." Eren answered.
"Hmm… Jaegar, Artyom…" The man said, thinking hard again. "Jaeger, German word for hunter. Artyom, Slavic form of Artemis, the Greek god of the hunt. And you both have dark hair and bluish-green eyes…"
"What are you on about—"Artyom began until Khan cut him off.
"Mikasa Ackerman… Anna Melnik…" He began to think again. "Tell me girl, was your mother of eastern descent?" He asked, approaching Mikasa. Mikasa nodded, wincing as the doctor began stitching her wound closed. "Artyom, Colonel Melnik's dead wife, was she eastern as well?"
"Uhh, I've only seen a picture, but yeah, she looked japanesey." Artyom answered, scratching his head.
"Ackerman, from the German word Acker, referring to a ploughman who typically worked to plant wheat. Melnik, meaning one who is a miller. A miller would then take that wheat and make flour. It would seem my hypothesis is correct."
"What hypothesis?" Artyom asked. Man this is starting to get spooky again.
"There is correlation between universes… each of these people we have found… Is one of us!"