I asked her where she want to be when she's 25. She turned around, looked at me and she said, 'alive'.
Zoe cursed, her landing miffed slightly. Commandeer Pixis always seemed to be smiling in some way, and she tossed her hair back over her ears, shoving her swords back into their sheaths. A couple of her soldiers, the ones she'd managed to drag along, landed with the same mistake, Nathan and Jay standing still, hands behind their back, straight backed as well.
Garrison troops scurried along in front of them, and she tipped her chin up, saluting the commander of the Garrison Troops in her own way. Pixis gave her the same courtesy, a young man she barely recognized behind him.
"Nice of you to come in, Commander. Did the military police find something more important than the king?"
Her lip curled slightly, Nathan and Jay behind her twitching as well. "I'm here. And I count for at least half a brigade."
"Assuming you remember how to do anything but play cards."
She hummed, "yes, but let's remember the fact that we are elite. To...whatever your troops count for." She let her eyes flick over the multitude of scared Garrison troops. "And what do you count for?" She asked the boy.
He shuffled, mouth opening briefly, and saluted, 3D maneuvering device clanking. "Eren Yeager, I- I beleive I can seal the hole in Trost District."
"So the reports are true?"
"They reached you?" A squad leader asked, and she flicked her eyes over to the man, snapped them back on Yeager.
"Yes." Zoe shifted slightly. "The Scout Regiment?"
"A detail went outside Wall Rose just before this occurred," a silver haired female said, and Zoe nodded, lips pressing into a small line.
"Levi?"
"With them."
"And your plan?"
"Attract the majority of titans here, while we get Yeager to the boulder."
"Your elite squad will move with them?"
Pixis nodded, "yes."
"I'll join them."
Nathan made a sharp noise of dissent, clearing his throat as he stepped brazenly forward, "Commander, is that wise?"
"Back, Captain Tomlinson," she hissed, cutting her gaze over Nathan, fucking amazed that he'd do something like this in front of one of the highest ranking officials in the Military.
"I didn't know subordinates could be so rude in the light of their intelligent Commander's orders," Pixis said, finger brushing over his mustache, the color of his eyes a bit like scotch hit by light; a calm effect, sometimes.
Pixis' eyebrows raised, amusement evident. Nathan glowered at the ground instead of Pixis, moving back into position along side Jay. Zoe crossed her arms over her chest, knowing she was far from imposing, but she wasn't afraid anymore, certainly not of Nathan. Pixis ran over a more detailed report, walking along the top of the wall with her, soldiers and Cadets they passed stopping for a moment. One turned, his face screwed up in a large smile, hand raising as he stepped forward.
Zoe stopped, turning with a clipped little step, the taller male saluted, saying , "Commander Roth; Marco Bott. I'm apart of the top 10 in the 104th Cadet class."
She let her lips tilt up, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Will you be joining the Military Police?"
"Yes, Commander, I look forward to serving along side you, protecting the king, and the law-abiding citizens. It's truly an honor to do so."
Her smile dropped, knowing that was sincere, and a far cry from other's reasons to get into the top. "If you manage to see this out alive, I'll make the men buy you a drink, yes?" She raised her hand, waving him off and continuing along with Pixis, knew how some of the Cadets, who'd been sent here to cover the mid-point in Trist, wouldn't be able to chose their positions.
"I hope that applies to me as well, Commander," Pixis said, patting the place where his inner pocket was. "You have a good nose for your alcohol."
"...I think I should say thank you, correct?" Zoe said, then shook her head, waving her hand again as if to wipe it from her mind. "But yes. As I'm sure one of us is going to be getting some type of hell for this." It took about 30 years to get anything passed up there. and the way Nile had been whining was astounding.
She pointed to her Jay and Nathan, jumping with them as soon as the Titans had been shifted, reaching for the swathes of humans lined along the wall. It took her a second to get back into form, as there were now convenient structures instead of trees(outside the wall kept her sharp, at least) , zipping between buildings, dodging a waywards titan and with a bit of steam she whirled around, slicing expertly.
Hot blood hit her skin, but it steamed away, and she came to a quick halt by her fellow humans, Military troops right behind her. Jay's landing was as light as hers, the tall boy (she knew he was a year older than her, but he didn't seem...) seeming to get his limbs together, awkward like a scarecrow. Nathan uprooted the roof thatching, clay tiles hitting the street below, those green eyes flashing over the cadets before he scoffed. Zoe notched the chin tilt he gave towards Mikasa, though the girl only had eyes for Eren.
She felt her wrist twinge, but she ignored it, the pain receding to the back of her mind as she watched Eren's transformation. Hope surged through her body, and she shifted back a step, heart beating a bit harder. Then the manifest form went for Mikasa. The girl dodged, and she stepped further away, cursing as she watched the boy go after his friend. Mikasa attempted to get to him, but his fist smashed down on his own head. Zoe looked away, disgusted, slicing her blade through the air, more Titans trundling through the opening.
"Fucking useless," she hissed, stepping back.
She'd been proactive, coming down here to secure some kind of points with the men who'd put her in charge, and kept her there when Nile tried for the position. Paternity leave. At least, on Mary's side, and the man was mostly there to help her out, and she'd been second in Command. Her ability to keep her mouth shut, and not ask questions may be looked down on, but she did want to live. Though, the Central Government sending her and some of their Military Police, people neither her or Nile had control over, out side Wall Rose for increasingly shady objectives was probably another factor.
"Commander," Jay attempted, nodding back to the wall, suggesting they'd get out of danger. Nathan seconded that in a heart beat.
Zoe watched the steam, listened to the Garrison Troops debating next to her. Mikasa was determined to stay, and the blonde boy was at the manifest's neck. She shifted, stabbing her blades back into slot, pulling out fresh ones, the action from nerves, rather than necessity. If Yeager could snap out of it, they'd have something done, a victory, anything, and she wanted that badly.
"No," she snapped. "we're staying." She really had an issues with smart decisions. But this time, it wasn't a blind hero complex, so. A bit better.
They gaped at her, the insignia on their arms glinting in the sunlight. Having them close was an excellent way to make sure wherever they were, they'd have a great chance of getting out alive. Nathan squinted, as if he was trying to recall her words, sift through them, see common sense, but she didn't acknowledge that.
She sliced her blades through the air, preluding her launch up, another wayward titan far too close. Zoe breathed in, and assessed the situation, blinking to a cold and calm place she had learned to reserve for herself. Her fault was in her nerves, and as her blades sliced through the air, meeting flesh, she smiled too wide, pushing off the dead titan's head, resting lightly on the top of a bell tower, glancing to Eren, his manifest form still smoking, a failed mission, it seemed.
All the useless loss of life he was causing. Her two military troops felled another moving too close, as Mikasa dispatched one herself, an entirely different animal from both Jay and Nathan. When Jay fought, it seemed as if he was a wolf backed into a corner. There was sheer ferocity from the start, teeth bared as Titan flesh flipped through the air. She turned her eyes next to Nathan, that red hair giving him away, along with the breeziness of his moves; he never broke a sweat, and only really put in work when there was someone around to watch him. A Titan swiped for her, and she dropped quickly, swinging up fast, and cutting again, technique sloppier this time, and she rotated her wrist as she came to land.
In all the chaos, she might miss a Titan coming up behind her, or a snake moving, and she was on high alert for all of her phobias. Something was moving. The shudders reached her feet, and she turned, halting to watch the manifest step. Step. Another, and another, steam rising from his body, altogether an awesome sight, and her breath hitched. A Titan thudded towards Eren and she twitched in a instant, jumping from her spot, slicing with far more precision this time. She came to rest on flat ground, turning to watch the men waving down the titans, running on flat ground, nothing close enough for their gear to latch on.
Nathan and Jay gaped at the action; suicide. It was fucking suicide and she saw them get swept up, launching herself towards one, managing to grab a shorter one, but she still watched the man throw his fellow out of danger...The Titan's teeth snapped down, and his head practically burst. Zoe launched herself up, knowing it was too late, that there wasn't even a chance he was alive in the pit of it's stomach. Still, she put power behind her stroke, the hunk of flesh coming off quickly.
A titan snagged her line as she attempted to run, dispatched quickly by Nathan and Jay, and Zoe sprawled flat, watching the stone, feeling it mostly as it slammed home. She felt the victory in the tremors, curling up slightly, noticing the gash in her leg, putting it to the back of her mind. Two titans headed towards the steaming body of Eren's manifest, and she made a run for them, knowing she wasn't going to be fast enough with her leg, that Mikasa wouldn't make it either.
Something sped down, flesh flipping through the air once, twice, the person who caused the two kills falling with the titan, back to the humans, the yellow flare still in the air. Levi turned slightly, shouted at them. The remaining members of the elite squad got Eren and his friends away, and Zoe sent her men with them, her orders from much earlier fresh in their mind.
They were making sure Eren was secured below the courthouse, where a trail would no doubt be held. Levi looked to her then, eyes cold as ever. He held up two fingers, and she rolled her eyes, turning, and jumping, knowing he'd be right beside her. The straggling titans, 20 or so who still moved between houses, needed to be dispatched.
And if there was anything she was good at, it was working in tandem with Levi. He killed most of them, her assist there by distracting them for the moment needed, but she was able to credit 9 to her name. If they hadn't been under the scrutiny of others, she was fairly sure they'd have taken some time to argue over the last Titan, who got the kill.
She threaded herself through the lower street, slicing along the tendon in it's back leg, sending it forward as she whirled back, almost making herself dizzy. When she rooted herself, Levi had already finished it. They stood by while the cannons fired, the rest of the day used to kill the rest. His signia adorned cape flapped in the wind created by canons, and she sat, hands hanging over her knees.
He cleaned his blades, very meticulous about it. The wound on her leg pulsed blood, and she began to feel a tad woozy. Levi's gaze flicked to her, and he moved, jerking off his dirtied cape, the ends frayed, but he jerked her leg to him, ignoring her weak protest. Zoe was tugged around slightly, and she made noises in pain, knowing it wouldn't stop him.
"Don't be stupid," he said, eyes raising to hers, tying her wound properly. "I refuse to further useless death."
He shoved her leg over, standing again, hand resting on his hip, catching a healing titan crawling on the ground. She moved before him, coming to a rest on it's head, feeling it buck under her, snapping wildly. She sliced presently, stepping off, jumping into the air once more, watching the troops' effort in catching two. Levi and she sprung into quick action, allowing Hanji to point wildly, prancing to and fro as they did their job properly.
Hanji clapped wildly, and Levi glanced to her, stopping her celebration mid-spring. The Titans suitably disabled, the task of capturing them far easier now, the Garrison troops worked tirelessly to tie them up. A man under Pixis' orders dropped to her side, muttering his Commander's wishes, and she swayed, slow into action, adrenaline fading to give way to extreme fatigue.
Erwin stood there, and she saluted them both, arrogance completely gone, admiring both their effort's, especially Erwin's troops, their addition far more than her force could ever imagine. Pixis nodded, and Erwin saluted back, Zoe nodding to the younger man, arms folding slowly over her chest.
"Count?"
"207 missing or dead, and almost 900 injured."
She cursed, "Was it worth it? Really?"
"Well, we got to see you in action," Pixis said, mustache trembling.
"I'm sure it'll rouse the dead, Pixis."
She shifted, looking towards the boulder, nodding slightly, the traces of the flare still in the air, even through all the smoke. The weight was too much for celebration, but not enough to prevent her
"Now, your orders alluding to Yeager?" Pixis asked.
Zoe stiffened, keeping her back to the two taller, older men. "I'm not to give that away."
"Please. The news reached you first."
She clenched her fists. "I have a duty, Commanders, and you should heed that, as I'm sure you have secrets you won't impart."
"It's simple orders, Zoe," Pixis said, voice laced with an edge now, but she'd found that first.
"And you take yours the same way." She glared over her shoulder, turning, aware of Levi's cape around her still bleeding wound as Erwin's eyes darted to it. "Now. If you'll excuse me, I'll make my way to the doctors within Wall Sina."
"We'll see you soon?"
She stepped close to the edge, "of course." and dropped, assuming it looked impressive, boosting from it, pleting down, drawing eyes of the still present troops. Zoe put her gear to work, stopping her progress, reclaiming her horse, and putting some speed behind her to Wall Sina, leaving her horse to a MP when she reached her destination. Numerous merchants and residents began shouting at her as she walked through the street, looking 1000 times more dirty.
Reports had begun to reach these people, and she was fairly sure her returning troops had stirred the pot. As well as her disheveled appearance. She couldn't answer, plodding forward, swords out just so the men would not grab onto her shoulders. Sjeh spotted her, running towards her, grasping her shoulder, the older woman shooing the pigs back from her.
Sjeh inspected the job Levi had done on her leg, and complimented it. A laugh shuddered through her body, and she crossed her arm over her eyes, flat on her back. She was handed a leather piece, and Zoe bit down on it, not really heralding anything besides a flash of extreme pain, then darkness. Zoe woke up sometime later, washed, with her wounds stitched and bandaged, as well as strict orders not to put too much pressure on it.
fifty-five and three–eighths years later, at the bottom of this gigantic crater... and armchair calls to you, yeah this armchair calls to you. and it says that some day we'll get back at them all.
The next day she disregarded that rule, and pulled on her uniform, her slight body hardly filling it out. Numerous times when she was called to meetings, the men expected more out of her, snickered behind hands, but she'd gotten to her position for a reason. That reason being Nile's absence, and a lack of morals. She tugged her gloves on, listening to the nurse on the issue of her wrist and an almost loped off finger.
Zoe allowed herself to be filled in on the issue, besides the mutters within Wall Sina. Nile hissed about a possible uprising, and she glared at the man, walking down underneath the courthouse, knowing he was going to whip the men into a frenzy. Erwin was already in front of the cell containing Yeager,standing as she strode down the hallway Levi leaning on the wall beside him. His eyes flickered over her, lips twitching slightly.
Erwin spoke, "you're better, I assume."
"Don't talk to Sjeh, or you'll hear another story, but yes."
Zoe leaned back against the wall, exhaustion coursing through her again, and she took the seat her men provided. tossing her hair back from her face.
"We'll take him," Erwin murmured, halted, turned just enough to face her.
"Did Levi already threaten him?"
Levi side eyed her with extreme annoyance.
"I'm sure he did," she finished, looking at the boy. "You; you were the one who wouldn't give up?"
He nodded, a quick yes slipping from his lips, chains jiggling when he shifted.
Zoe remained silent, finger tapping slow on her knee. Erwin stooped, murmuring something to Levi. Levi gave a quick nod, and said something containing her name and 'MP'. She smiled, resting her chin in her hand, staring at the boy.
"You know you're the biggest wildcard I've ever seen in my life; counting the card playing interludes. And the majority of my men want you so they can kill you," Zoe murmured, waiting for another nod; maybe a laugh. When she got at least a nod, she continued. "Of course, I'll give my point, but I think Levi can handle you the best." He gave a short nod, eyes resting unerringly on the kid. "And to be honest, your value is depreciating. Due to the fact that, technically, I'm supposed to be Second in Command. So, large lack of power."
Levi looked to her, and she saw anger flash there, making her laugh. She stood up, brushed off her uniform, stepping close to his cell, peering in at him. She'd seen him attack his friend, so at the moment he really wasn't at the top of her list. Levi stepped close, hand gracing the small of her back, dipping close, his proximity intimate, even to the Military Troops around her.
(AN(cut it off just to make a chapter, the hunk of this break was 10k, so))