End-of-the-arc chapter apparently means an almost 4.4k chapter.
I don't want to say I'm going on hiatus but there's another project I'm working on that I'm going to be focusing on a bit more so probably no updates for the next two weeks. Who knows though, the next two chapters are bridge chapters to the next arc so they'll be relatively short probably.
.
As soon as he was able to breathe normally again Levi began to search for everyone else, limping along slowly and yet trying to move as quickly as possible, ears pricked for familiar voices. He was thankful that he didn't have far to go; he could hear Mikasa's raised voice coming from the other side of the building and he could only assume that she was yelling at Hanji and Erwin. His assumption was proved to be correct as he rounded the corner.
"–tricked us! He nearly died!"
"We did the best we could with the information we had." Hanji's tone was stern but they managed to look apologetic.
"You lied. You promised you'd keep us informed."
"I said we would if possible." Erwin turned away from looking at the burning building to face Mikasa. "There was nothing transparent about this operation to any of us. Our intel was wrong. Your friends are alive and Eren is alive. Our situation could be a lot worse."
"Still! You should have–"
"Oi, do you really think you could've kept it together? You're shaking almost as badly as your brother." Levi jerked his head towards where Eren was sitting, curled in on himself against the wall of the neighboring building. He continued to limp over, his words a snarl around the pain in his ankle. "You would've froze up and gotten the both of you fucking killed."
"I wouldn't have!"
"Enough." Erwin didn't raise his voice, but the authority in it silenced the both of them. They all watched as the building burned and the top floors began to crumble, the weight settling on the floors below and causing one side of the building to cave in completely. Mikasa shuddered violently and tried to ignore the pointed look that Levi aimed at her. After another minute of watching the building's fiery collapse she turned sharply and walked towards Eren to kneel beside him, frowning in concern as he flinched away from the comforting hand she tried to lay on his shoulder. Levi let his gaze linger on them for a moment before turning back to Erwin and Hanji. The three of them stood rooted in place as they watched the building. Levi shifted unconsciously, wincing as he put weight on his bad ankle and quickly shifting back to the other foot.
"You should sit, you're going to make it worse." Hanji was looking at Levi, worry evident on their face. "How did it happen?"
"First explosion. Eren fell and pulled me down with him." He shrugged half-heartedly and frowned. "I didn't exactly do myself any favors trying to get us out though. Probably should've just had us try to scoot our fucking asses along rather than trying to walk."
"Stop putting weight on it and go sit."
"I'll be fine."
"Levi…" Hanji sighed and their shoulders slumped.
"Mike and Nanaba are still in there and so is the other kid."
"When we last made contact they had just gotten into the sub-basement." Hanji's brow furrowed as they continued to speak. "The first floor isn't fully collapsed and you know the basements on these are built like fallout shelters. Some stuff probably fell but there's no way the basements fully collapsed."
"They killed a lot of their own people." Levi's voice was quiet. "I laid out four on the third floor and I didn't hear anyone leave the fourth before the second explosion. At a guess that's about ten people."
"We knocked out a few… saw at least a dozen on the first floor. It doesn't look like anyone left though." Hanji crossed their arms tightly and looked at the ground. "This was all a set up and they used their own people as bait. Made it look like something was happening here. They took Marco and Eren but it looks like that was all they had."
Levi grimaced but didn't respond and Hanji continued to look down, a troubled expression on their face as they scuffed the toe of their boot in the dirt. While he wasn't too physically removed from the group, Erwin felt miles away as he sat on a discarded crate, his body hunched forward and resting his elbows on his knees and capturing his head in his hands. Levi hesitated only a moment before limping off to sit down against the wall of the neighboring building. He left a good twenty feet of space between himself and Eren and Mikasa, needing the distance to process everything that had happened.
It was all a set-up and we fucking bought it. We don't know where Mike and Nanaba and that Marco kid are. The basements won't have collapsed but we can't go after them right now. We have a couple of scared kids with us and probably another batch on their way here. My ankle is busted who knows how badly and I feel like someone sandpapered the insides of my lungs. Let this be a fucking nightmare.
Levi was pulled out of his own thoughts by the arrival of both Nifa and Moblit, both of their vehicles coming to a screeching halt before they were both running across the street. Moblit wordlessly pulled bottles of water out of his satchel and handed one to Levi before offering another to Mikasa and Eren. Water distributed, he made his way over to join Nifa as Erwin and Hanji brought them both up to speed. Levi watched Mikasa try to coax Eren into drinking some water as he gulped down his own. An odd hush fell over all of them, the roaring and crashing of the fire providing an odd white noise as Mikasa silently tended to Eren.
Heavy footsteps and shrieks of panic broke through the stillness, heralding the arrival of the 104th as Jean parked his car and they all spilled out into the night. They all ran forward towards them, their eyes wide with panic as they took in the flaming building.
Just what we need, a pack of kids screaming and drawing attention.
Levi put his hand on the wall and was just starting to push himself up as everyone converged. He stayed in place as Erwin shifted so that everyone was gathered by where Levi was barely standing, his injury less apparent as a result. He leaned back against the wall and let his eyelids close, willing away the dull throb in his skull. Erwin raised a hand before any of the 104th could speak, effectively cutting them off before they could start questioning them.
"Yes, we lied and sent you somewhere else." A growl came from behind Ymir's fangs and Krista laid a hand on her wrist lightly. Erwin paused a moment before continuing. "Eren is alive but we aren't certain where Marco is, nor do we know where Nose or Lady Lightning are. We can only assume they are all in the basement or sub-basement and we plan on starting a search shortly."
"You don't have Marco!?" Jean started to lunge forward but Sasha caught him quickly.
"The basements in these factories might as well be bunkers: there isn't much that can burn and the walls and ceilings aren't fragile enough to collapse. We'll find them." His words were greeted with skeptical looks and raised eyebrows. "Now, Nifa is going to take you –"
"Excuse me? You're telling us to just pack it in when Marco is still missing?" Jean was giving Erwin a furious look. Sasha tightened her grip to hold him back.
"You need to leave. Nifa will take you back to our headquarters and we'll meet you there."
"That's not good enough!" Jean looked furious enough to take a swing at Erwin; Sasha continued to hold him back, now with Connie's aid.
"Please, our friend is still in there. We want to stay." Levi nearly laughed at the theatrically plaintive face Krista was making at Erwin.
"I'm not asking you to leave. I'm telling you." The 104th quailed under Erwin's stern look. "Eren and Red Scarf will go with Nifa. Jean will follow in his car; if you would feel better having more people than just Red Scarf accompanying Eren I don't think Nifa will mind."
Jean still looked murderous as they all turned and walked back towards their cars, pausing before getting in to watch Mikasa help Eren walk, his gait still wobbly as he moved forward. As soon as both vehicles had pulled away Erwin turned to Hanji, Levi and Moblit.
"I suppose we have a lot of work cut out for us in a short period of time. The police ignore an awful lot of what happens in the palisades, but they aren't going ignore this."
"And we're down two people." Hanji arched an eyebrow at Levi as he opened his mouth, daring him to disagree. "Things will go faster once we make contact with Mike and Nanaba."
"I'll work from the top down since I'll be able to clear away debris. Hanji, Moblit: there's a closer access point to the tunnels on the other side of the neighboring building. You can work upwards. And Levi…" Erwin trailed off and grimaced. "Be our eyes and ears. Let us know what the status is up here. Hopefully we'll be gone by the time the police show up."
Connie ended up travelling in the van with Eren and Mikasa, all of them sitting in awkward silence as Eren refused to say a word, simply drawing his legs up and resting his forehead on his knees. Even Mikasa seemed to be at a loss for what to do, choosing to simply look on, concern evident on her face but not moving to offer the physical comfort that he had brushed off earlier. Nobody spoke for the entire forty minute drive; the only sounds were the hum of the car and the thump of the occasional pothole.
Eventually they arrived at the Survey Corps' headquarters, both vehicles pulling into the alleyway on the side of the building. Eren trailed along just behind Mikasa, his gait steady but his head tucked down, looking at where his feet were rather than where they were taking him. Nifa opened the door, allowing everyone else to enter ahead of her. Nifa leaned forward, reaching past Krista to flip the light switch; nothing happened.
"Seriously? They still haven't replaced that damn lightbulb?" She sighed heavily and ushered everyone further into the darkened hallway so that she could reach sideways and open another door. This time a light came to life, illuminating the stairs down into the basement. "Sorry, but I don't know how comfortable they are with you seeing the rest of headquarters. This is kind of our –"
"Quarantine zone." Eren's voice was soft and raspy; it was the first time Eren had spoken since Mikasa had rescued him. "Are there any extra clothes around? I'd really like to clean up."
"Yeah, I can pull some spare clothes out of the closet. I hate to ask, but would it be okay if I took a few samples off of you? I promise it's nothing invasive, just taking some swab samples." Eren nodded mutely and went to stand awkwardly next to the bathroom door while Nifa rummaged through the closet down the hall.
When Nifa returned she was carrying both first aid and forensic sample kits with a change of clothes set on top. She shooed out everyone else as she sat Eren down on the toilet and took a few swab samples of the grime on his skin and another of his saliva. She made a soft noise of surprise when she saw the state of his hands and quietly began to clean them off, stopping every so often as Eren twitched away from the sting of the alcohol.
"Well that's the worst of it. I'll clean them a bit better and bandage them up after you've showered. If you could put your clothes in that plastic sample bag over there I'd really appreciate it."
"Okay."
"And take as long as you want. I swear they have an infinite supply of hot water here." Nifa gave him a gentle smile before exiting the bathroom. "And Eren, whatever happened… none of it was your fault."
It wasn't until scalding hot water was cascading down his body and causing his various cuts and abrasions to sting with pain that he let himself cry.
They were all eating soup that Nifa had heated up and quietly talking among themselves when they heard the upstairs door open and slam shut heavily. Nifa stood up and walked up the stairs; quiet murmurs could be heard from above. Eventually the sound of many feet could be heard descending the stairs and the Survey Corps came into view, Levi leaning heavily on Hanji as they slowly made their way down and grimacing at every step. All three of them were now covered in ash and crumbled debris, Erwin looking the worst with his uniform badly singed and a bloodied bandage over a gash on his arm.
The 104th could only look at them in shock.
"Marco is alive." Some of the tension drained out of the room. "He's currently hospitalized. His injuries aren't insignificant, but he will live and will likely make a full recovery. His family is with him right now and we've told them as much as we can – which really isn't much. Moblit is dealing with the police right now."
"Ah, that's probably my cue to get back to the precinct then." Nifa grabbed her bag from the floor and the 104th an apologetic look. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this. Han- Dr. Scientist, I took some samples off of Eren. The kit and his clothes are on your work station.
"Thanks, Nifa." Hanji nodded at her as she passed and began to ascend the stairs. Nobody spoke until Nifa's footsteps had died away.
"What about Mike and Nanaba?" Eren's voice was stronger now as he huddled under a blanket, Mikasa close by and watching him protectively.
"Nose and Lady Lightning are…" Hanji trailed off, a look of pain flitted across their face.
"They're dead." Erwin's voice was hushed and somber. He didn't look away as younger eyes filled with shock and disbelief searched his face for a lie. "We barely had time to recover them and Marco before the police showed up so we aren't certain what happened yet. We may never find out given how unlikely it is that we'll be able to get down there again. Or if we are, everything will be destroyed by then. All we can say with certainty is that they were shot."
"They're – Nose and Lady Lightning are…?" Krista trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Ymir wrapped a protective arm around her, pulling her in close. It was unspoken but on all of their minds.
Nose and Lady Lightning were the best of the best.
Skilled. Experienced.
Their names had been known to the 104th long before they became heroes themselves. That the both of them could be defeated was unthinkable. And if they, with all of their years of experience between them could be killed…
None of the 104th could meet each other's eyes. Even though she was in human form, Ymir's face looked animalistic as she held Krista even tighter. Sasha's mouth was parted in shock as she stared unseeing at the fraying seams of the couch. Mikasa did her best to school her face into neutrality while Connie and Jean's eyes darted to each of their friends, brows creased with concern.
Eren was looking up at Levi now and Levi kept his face blank, refusing to acknowledge the pain and helplessness in Eren's eyes.
"I hate to ask this of you, Eren…" Hanji was looking at him, pained and apologetic. "I have some questions for you while this is all still fresh in your mind. I'm so sorry for this, but you're the only lead we have."
Mikasa was immediately on her feet, her fury obvious as she began to open her mouth to voice her anger. The rest of the 104th had similarly indignant looks on their faces, all of them at the ready to jump to Eren's defense.
"I understand. It's fine." Mikasa's head whipped around in shock; the protest on the tip of her tongue dying as Eren stood and let the blanket fall away before walking over towards the Survey Corps. "It's best to just get it over with, isn't it?"
"Thank you for understanding, Eren." Erwin's voice was gentle and continued to be so as he turned to address the rest of them. "I'd imagine you want to stay close. Unfortunately I have to ask that you remain here for the time being."
Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats and after a moment, even Mikasa returned to her seat on the couch, her expression concerned as Eren closed the distance between himself and the Survey Corps. Even Erwin looked somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. That Eren would have to relive the events of the past few days without any time to process it was cruel and they all knew it. But it was also the only choice that they really had if they wanted to move forward. Eren followed behind Levi and Hanji as they slowly made their way up, his throat tightened just a little more every time he noticed the limp in Levi's step, every time he found another singed patch on Erwin's uniform, every time he noticed another rip in Hanji's overcoat.
Upstairs, Hanji guided him to the table where he'd eaten spaghetti and meatballs that Mike had made, where he had met Nanaba so briefly. He drew his mutilated fingers together, balling them up into fists. His hands throbbed and the pain kept his welling tears at bay. He looked up as he felt Hanji and Erwin sit down heavily at the table with him and watched as Levi walked slowly to the other side of the room, gripping furniture as he moved, silently refusing further aid. Eren's eyes tracked Levi's movement until he saw him enter a freight elevator he hadn't noticed the previous times he had been there. It was only when the heavy doors had been pulled closed and the groan of the elevator started that Eren gave his full attention back to Hanji and Erwin.
"I really don't know what to tell you… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." His voice was quiet, he could barely look at either Hanji or Erwin.
"Eren, these things happen. We all know the risks when we don our masks." Erwin paused and an indecipherable expression crossed his face briefly. "It's morbid, but I think Mike would have rather died at Nanaba's side than had to go on living without her and I don't think Nanaba would have been much better than dead without Mike. I'd rather they were both still here but… perhaps it's better like this."
Erwin's voice was even but the sorrow ran deep, Hanji's was solemn as they looked at Eren. There was no expectance in Hanji's look, only patience.
"I don't know where you want me to start."
"What's the first thing you can think of?" Hanji tried to meet his eyes but Eren looked away. "Wherever you want to start. I know it's a lot."
"I'm glad –I'm glad Marco's okay. I feel awful about –" He took a deep breath. "He shouldn't have been there and everyone keeps telling me it's not my fault, but if he hadn't been with me…"
"What's done is done. Did they separate you immediately?"
"No, they kept us together for a while. They kept threatening to hurt him and I really thought that he might have… That they would have hurt him."
"He didn't come out of this without a scratch, but he's alive."
"How badly was he injured?" Eren's voice was small and he looked plaintively at the two seated across from him; Erwin's tone was gentle when he spoke.
"I doubt he'll be able to graduate in the spring. He's going to be in the hospital for a while."
"But he's alive." Eren grasped determinedly at that detail, his voice desperate.
"Yes. It's going to be another day or two before you'll be able to see him but yes, he's alive and his prognosis is good."
"That's good…" Eren trailed off and they sat in silence, all of them reluctant to break it. Eren hung his head, forehead dipping low so that he was staring at the wooden table, his gaze tracing the swirl of the grain.
"Did they say anything about your fa –about Grisha?" Hanji caught themselves quickly, watching Eren's face for his reaction to their near-slip. They looked concerned as Eren's fists tightened and his body shook.
"They thought I'd seen him… They took me because they thought I knew something that I didn't! They kept saying that I had to know something. Something about… Fuck!" Eren slammed his hand on the table and flinched in pain.
"Kid, your hands are fucked up enough. It would really suck for you if you had to get the hand you jerk off with amputated."
Eren turned in shock at the proximity of Levi's voice; he hadn't noticed the man return and now he was walking gingerly towards them, already mere feet from the table. Eren watched him take the last few steps and realized that Levi had left only to change and wrap his ankle. He looked just as filthy as he had earlier save for the fact that he was now wearing loose sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt. There was no ignoring the painful rasp in his voice from inhaling embers or the smudges of ash on all three of them. Suddenly he felt very self-conscious about being clean while the people who had worked so hard to save him were covered in filth. He stared down at his bandaged hands and played with a fraying bit of gauze.
"You were saying something before you yelled 'fuck' I think?" Hanji gave him a wry smile and Eren couldn't find it in himself to be even remotely amused.
"Something about a key. I don't know what they meant but they kept asking about it." Eren shuddered violently as memories of being questioned began to surface. His breathing became shallow and ragged and he could feel his pulse flying.
"Eren?" Hanji's voice was concerned but he couldn't pull himself out to respond. He heard Erwin echo Hanji, the both of them saying his name, trying to get his attention. Someone snapped their fingers right in front of his face, startling him out of his own mind. Eren found himself tracing his gaze along the arm and up to Levi's face; there was frustration there, but also concern. Shifting awkwardly in his seat, Eren turned and slumped down a bit, refusing to look at any of them.
"They grabbed me and Marco when we were walking back from getting lunch. Drugged us with something – chloroform I think. I don't really remember the ride to wherever we were…"
Eren didn't look up as he continued to talk, plowing forward chronologically and occasionally cutting out onto tangents and moving ahead or behind as he forgot and then remembered details. Looking down, he didn't see the attentive look on Erwin's face as he talked about the insistence that he had seen his father, or the horrified but intrigued look on Hanji's face as he talked about being drugged and having his blood drawn, or Levi's grimace as he talked about pulling nails out of the windowsill. He barely noticed when a glass of water was placed down next to him, pausing only to gulp it down before starting again. He refused to stop talking, doubting that he could start again if he stopped. Eren could only hope that Hanji was taking meticulous notes since he doubted he would be able to talk about any of this again; he could feel the mental strain and fatigue beginning to settle into his bones. He could feel his energy flagging and yet he continued; somehow he kept his emotions in check and didn't break down when talking about being questioned or Marco being taken away or his reaction to the second explosion.
He knew he'd forgotten details by the time he got to the end but when he raised his head to look at everyone not even Hanji said anything. There was movement around him as Hanji and Erwin both stood, leaving him at the table with Levi. Eren shifted uncomfortably even though Levi wasn't even looking at him.
"I'm sorry. I –"
"What the fuck are you sorry about?" Eren stared at him, startled by his vehement response and the scowl that settled over his face.
"Your leg… the fact that if I hadn't gotten kidnapped then Mike and Nanaba wouldn't be dead." Angry tears clung to the corners of his eyes.
"How the hell is any of that your fault?"
"I fucking got kidnapped." Eren's voice rose as he continued to speak. "If I hadn't, none of this would have happened."
"So you're apologizing for existing?" Levi was giving Eren a calculated look and Eren couldn't help but blow up at him.
"Yes, I'm fucking apologizing for existing. And now I want to go home and go to sleep and hope I don't have any nightmares." Tears that had been clinging to his eyelashes began to well over and fall, he hung his head again, hoping that his tears went unnoticed. "I just want to see my sister and my friends and go home."
"Little difficult there, kid. Erwin told your friends to go home about two hours ago." Eren's head jerked up in surprise. "Your sister's still here though. I think she's sleeping right now."
"How long… how long have I been talking?"
"Probably about four hours."
"Oh. Wow."
"Hanji will give you a ride home in a moment." Levi stood, leaning heavily on the table as he leveraged himself to his feet and wincing slightly as he put weight on his bad ankle.
"I'm sor–"
"Oi, shut it." Levi's harsh expression softened infinitesimally as he turned and faced Eren directly. "You did good, kid. Now go home and sleep."