Arc Three: The Chains of Prometheus
"Eren, are you sure you can do this?"
Eren looked over at Armin, his eyes gleaming.
"I sure hope I can," He said, pausing for a moment, "Killing other people… Not just those poor lost souls that are stuck in Titan form, but real people. I have to though, to save Commander Pixis."
They stood inside a large barn, one of the staging points for their rescue operation. Just outside of the Stohess District, the thirty five members of the Legion stationed here were to lead the strike into Sina. And if need be, Eren was to use his Titan form to clear a path for the rest of the teams.
"Well, all of us will be by your side," Mikasa said, laying a hand on his arm, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks, "We won't let you get hurt."
Eren smiled.
"It isn't me I'm worried about…"
A door burst open and Levi strode in, his maneuver gear spotless.
"The Commander's orders haven't changed," He said as he took off his coat, "Pixis execution is scheduled for noon two days from now. We attack at ten minutes till."
"Captain," Eren said, shaking off Mikasa's hand and walking toward the older man, "What's the plan though? Where do we go after we rescue Pixis?"
"Don't worry about it, shithead," Levi scoffed, turning an evil eye on Eren, "Just follow my orders, and everything will be fine."
Fine like the last time I decided to follow your orders? He thought, remembering the original Squad Levi.
"Fine, Captain." He turned and strode away, feeling the Captains glare on his back.
Well, Damn him anyways.
He climbed a ladder, into the farms loft, where they had stored much of their gear. He pushed aside a stack of blades, and plopped down in front of the barns single window. Looking out over the seemingly never ending grassland and hills inside Wall Rose, how tranquil it looked… He almost forgot about the battle raging both within himself and in the world outside.
And what is this prophecy I kept hearing about from that man, Ragnar…
A few days ago, he'd felt a pulse of some kind, from much nearer than the last time, but it had cut off suddenly… Though for a moment, he'd felt like someone had crawled inside of his mind.
He wondered about that, he knew that the man was assisting Annie, was in love with Annie… But in all the memories he'd received from him, he hadn't detected any hostility towards himself. Eren knew that could change quickly, and from what Team Leader Jurgenson had told him…
This Ragnar was some kind of monster… Or at least someone who consorted with monsters. Like Annie…
But he knew in his heart that he didn't believe that.
"Mama, where is Papa?"
Annie sighed as she looked down at Anya, who had her little brow furrowed.
I don't think I'll ever be able to get her to stop calling us that… How embarrassing.
"Ragnar went with Luigi and Hackett to scout ahead."
Anya's brow furrowed even more.
"What does 'scout ahead' mean?"
"Well, they went to perform reconnaissance, so we don't run into any enemies. I mean bad men."
"Mama, what does re- recown- o-sense mean?"
Annie rubbed her temples, feeling herself becoming frustrated.
I may not be cut out for the motherly type…
"Well-"
Arnora walked over, with Fredric in her arms. Suttungr and everyone else was sitting around the fire they'd started to fight the cold.
"Anya, why don't you come play with us," Arnora winked as the younger woman gave her a vicious look, "Annie should probably go check on your Papa."
Annie took the hint, and made a run for it. They'd set up a temporary camp several miles away from the nearest village, as they worked their way further and further into the Walls. They'd chosen to only allow Annie to enter the towns, until they could get into a large one where they could blend in a little.
Although, with Ragnar, Suttungr and Sigmund… That could be a little hard. Besides the fact that they were so distinct, they also weren't exactly quiet. They lacked the ability to inconspicuous, a skill Annie had been forced to culture in her childhood.
She jogged through the forest, finding Ragnar using his eyeglass to watch the town. He wore his 'civilian' clothes, something that everyone in their group had adopted. A long shirt tied with a black leather belt, with a heavy jacket over top. Though he couldn't have his swords on him, she knew he did have his knives.
"What're you doing?"
He jumped in surprise, whirling around to look at her. When he saw it was just her, he relaxed.
"You know I've never really been very good at this… the whole going into a town thing," He paused and rubbed his forearms together, "Luigi and Hackett decided to go on ahead, while I watched over them…"
Annie chuckled.
"My, you are brave, aren't you," She quipped, causing Ragnar to stick out his tongue at her, "Don't let Anya see you doing that, she'll start copying you!"
She already tries to copy everything we do, anyways…
"And we can't just stand here, Ragnar," Taking his arm and beginning to pull him, "Let's go. And don't forget the plan I outlined for you."
The town they entered seemed to be a major supplier for the Yalkell district, as it was bustling with people. She noted there were very few uniformed soldiers about, only a few Military Police in their heavy winter cloaks. Annie simply pulled her hood tighter around her face, not knowing if her identity as the female titan was common knowledge.
On a sojourn into a town near where they came over Wall Rose, she'd discovered several valuable bits of information. That there had been a major shakeup of the Military Police, that the entirety of the Scouting Legion was now considered persona non gratis, and that Commander Pixis had been captured, tried and was awaiting execution.
When she'd discovered that last fact, she'd known exactly where they'd needed to go.
"So, this is life within the Walls," Ragnar whispered to her, "Other than the Walls on the horizon… It's just like being outside them."
"I know, but we've both also seen the outside world," She nodded towards the people around them, "These people won't ever see the outside."
"Annie," Ragnar said, stopping for a moment, "Have you ever thought about the Walls? I mean really thought about them?"
She turned and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
He grabbed her and pulled her into an alley, out of the street.
"Okay, look at it this way. Why were the Walls brought into being? Why did my father's first wife and her sisters sacrifice themselves?"
"To protect the people inside the Walls?" She said, not seeing where he was going.
Ragnar drew a series of concentric circles in the dirt. He drew several arrows pointing inwards.
"That seems to be correct," He said, "But why do the feral Jotunn still attempt to attack this place? Why were you and your allies sent to break down the Walls? What value is there in the destruction of those inside the Walls?"
"Well, the Titan's, simply want to eat humans... I've never understood why though."
"I think we may need to speak with those who have more information on the Walls, and the Jotunn."
Annie mulled over Ragnar's words, not noting the trio of men who had stepped into the alley with them. Ragnar swept his foot through his little drawing of the Walls, and stepped up close behind Annie.
"Hey you, what're you-" Annie turned, seeing a face that she hadn't seen since that fateful day so many months ago, "Annie?"
Marlowe Freudenberg, Squad leader of the Military Police's team inside Homloe Township, could only look with a stunned expression. He'd heard rumors that she was somehow responsible for the destruction inside the Stohess District, and he certainly gave them merit, but the last he had heard she had been dead or captured.
"What're you doing here?"
He flipped his hand, signaling his two comrades to spread out, as his eyes drifted over Annie's companion. Big, though not as tall as he himself was. His eyes though, were a strange shade of brown… lighter, more of a… a bronze color.
"Annie, I asked you a question! Why are you here?" He said when she remained silent.
"I don't believe it's any of your business."
Marlowe drew both of his swords from their sheathes, putting them into a low guard position.
"That's where you're wrong," He said, "It is my business to know why a wanted woman is walking through the town I was assigned to protect. Now will you tell me, or do I need to get rough," He looked at the bristling man behind her, "And don't think you can help her. You're outnumbered."
Annie broke eye contact for a moment, looking back at the man.
"Ragnar, I think we should surrender."
Ragnar? What a strange name.
"Fine."
Marlowe smiled, knowing that justice would be done. Maybe they'd even reassign him to a more important position, someplace he could make a difference!
"Shackle them," He ordered his two subordinates, "The woman is dangerous. And I don't like the look of the man. No, no, behind their backs, they could choke one of us if they were in front."
Walking with his prisoners, he didn't notice Ragnar turn an eye towards a passerby, and nod imperceptibly.
"So, Ragnar has gotten himself in another fix has he?"
Luigi stood in front of the fire, looking out at the faces of his liege lord's family.
"He has," Looking at Sigmund, who sat with Eric as usual, "Though I'm sure that this is a plan that he and Annie had hatched together, to get themselves inside the innermost Walls. Why they didn't tell us, I don't quite know. But we have to help them."
He went over to Annie's pack, and pulled a piece of paper, one that he had seen her looking at earlier in their journey. He handed it to Suttungr, who began to study it.
"Why," Sigmund said belligerently, "Do we always have to help baby brother Ragnar? All he ever does-"
He stopped suddenly as Eric smacked him on the back of the head.
"My Prince, I apologize for that, I thought I saw a fly on the back of your head," The huge man said, "And you almost sounded ungrateful to the man who saved your life."
Sigmund looked sharply at his only remaining guard, but held his tongue.
"Now then," Luigi said, looking to Suttungr, "I believe we need to find a way into the Walls, without arousing too much attention."
"Well, from what I can decipher of this chicken scratch," Suttungr said, rubbing his bearded chin, "And if the calendars from the Walls and Jotunheim follow the same standard, than there will be an execution of some major leader in two days. Inside the inner walls. I'm thinking we make our move before then and hope for the best. Hackett's trailing them, right?"
Luigi nodded. He'd left Hackett with orders to tail the group and do his best to follow them, and to turn back if he couldn't.
I hope you know what you're doing Ragnar…
"Hey Connie, want some bread?"
Looking up, Connie was surprised to find Sasha offering him any type of food.
"Sasha, is that really you?" He said, laughing as she gave him a strange look.
"Well, if you don't want it, then I'll just have to eat it."
She's quite beautiful, even when she's stuffing her face with bread. He thought.
He'd walked out quite a ways from their temporary shelter, to sit and look up at the stars. Something he'd always enjoyed as a child. Finding the Great Hunter, the Big and Little Ladles and the Hawk, he used to sit and trace their outlines with his finger, letting his mind wander.
Now though… Sasha had decided to join him. And he simply wasn't able to refuse.
Sasha sat down next to him, putting down the bread roll and finished swallowing the chunk she'd bitten off of it.
"Connie… How do you do it?"
"Do what, Sasha?"
He saw her looked down at her hands, before wiping them on her dress.
Like she's wiping away blood.
"You're always so upbeat, so brave," She said quietly, "I've never seen you back down from anything. I want to know how you do it, so that maybe a coward like myself may not be as afraid."
Connie looked at her, stunned.
"Sasha… It's not that I'm not afraid," He whispered, painful memories flooding through him, "I just… I push it behind me. I just know that people are counting on me, and that if I fail… People I care about will die."
She blushed when he turned to look at her, nonchalantly he laid a hand on her back. Her lower back.
When she didn't protest, he scooted over closer to her.
"Sasha, you know I've always cared about you, right?"
She turned those big, brown eyes of hers on him, and he felt a blush rising in his cheeks to match her own.
"Of course, since we were trainees," She began to lean in, "And Connie, I also care about you too."
Their lips met, and Connie's eyes widened in surprise. Then he felt her arms around him, pushing him back.
This is so much better than stargazing!
"You know, Annie, sometimes I really dislike your plans…"
Ragnar sighed, clanking his manacles against the post they were tied to. They'd been thrown into a wagon, and carried through the outer gates of the Yalkell District. People had stared at them, though no rocks or rotten fruit had been thrown. Ragnar was glad of that.
They'd been stopped at the Inner Gate, and Marlowe had done his best to explain to the guards their predicament. But they'd simply turned them away. They wouldn't allow them through, not until they received permission from a commander within Utopia, the central district.
So Marlowe had been forced to dump them in the local jail, though he'd convinced the jailer to give them a separate cell, one with a pair of heavy beams running through them.
"Well, it's gotten us in," Annie said, "Now we just need to slip out of here, and make it into the-"
The door leading into the cell room burst open, and a large man wearing the uniform of the Military Police stalked in. His uniform was haphazard, and it looked as if he'd just woken up.
"I thought I told you to shut up! Now I'm gonna make you pay for waking me up with you prattling!"
He threw the cell door open, and stalked over.
"Maybe I should ruin your little girlfriend over here," The officer said, reaching for Annie's breasts, "I bet that would make you shut up. Or scream, either way-"
Ragnar quirked a smile as Annie slammed a foot into the man's face, smashing his nose and sending him faltering backwards. Then she was up, having slipped from her manacles nearly as quickly as they were put on, and drove the man backwards further.
"Think you can do that, bastard?" He heard her mumble, "You're nothing but scum."
Then she slammed a fist into his stomach, doubling him over. Cocking her knee back, she drove it as hard as she could into his face. The man slid lifelessly to the ground, his eyes blank.
"Nicely done, my love," Ragnar said, noting how quiet the entire encounter had been, "Now could you please take my cuffs off? Some of us don't have dainty little hands like you."
He rattled his manacles against its support again, trying to look as pitiful as possible, though his wry smile belied that.
She searched the man's body, finding the key in one of his coat pockets.
"You know, for being so big and tough," She said as she unlocked his cuffs, "You sure like being rescued."
Ragnar stood, rubbing his wrists. Then he turned to Annie and put his hand on his chest.
"Hey, sometimes I'd like a beautiful, strong woman to come rescue me," He said, winking at Annie as she rolled her eyes, "And I'm lucky to have one."
Annie blushed as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
They pushed open the cell door, hearing a commotion from the room the soldier had walked out of. Another man opened the door, stepping out. Ragnar noted that the sky outside was dark.
Well, I guess we woke this one and that one up.
"What the hell… Hey, what are you doing out of your cell!"
Ragnar lunged forward, catching the man's arm and swinging him into the stone wall. The soldier turned as Ragnar stepped back, catching the full brunt of his next blow on his throat.
"I'm sorry about this," Ragnar said as he wrapped the man's head in a chokehold, one hand on the side for leverage, "But, I have people to protect. Please forgive me."
He twisted, feeling the man's neck snap made bile rise in Ragnar's throat.
That man hadn't even stood a chance… He was a victim.
"Annie, comeon, there are probably supplies we can use around here… Hopefully those two are the only ones here for the night shift."
"They probably are," She said, opening the door and walking in ahead of Ragnar, it was a small antechamber with a pair of cots shoved into the corners, and another door leading into the jails main room, "The Military Police, for however much it's improved since I was a part of it, is still run by scum."
Ragnar looked at her.
"So, you knew that man, the one with the bowl cut?"
Annie nodded. Ragnar found his knives unsheathed on one of the beds. He retrieved them, cinching their sheathes onto his belt.
"Yeah, he was a part of my team," She said as she walked out into the main room, "He was a lot of talk, about making things better. I'm actually sort of glad to see that he didn't cave in to the pressure. There was this one girl I had to deal with- Oh, I found what I was looking for!"
Ragnar looked into the closet she'd opened, and found a trio of glistening machines.
"That's… the, what was it called," He racked his brain for a minute, trying to place it, "The Three D Maneuvering gear?
"Yep, now, what size do you think you are," She said, studying a rack of uniforms, "If you want to use this…"
Use it?
"Wait, wait, wait," He said, waving both of his hands in front of him, "You think I can use that gear? No way!"
Annie gave him a sharp look.
"It's the only way to get over the Wall without being spotted!"
"Annie, how long did it take you to learn to control that contraption?"
She looked away, knowing that he was right.
"But you know the plan I outlined for us, we have to get over the Wall and into Sina!"
"I know, but, Annie, I'd probably draw quite a bit of attention if I came plummeting out of the sky into someone's' house, wouldn't I? I have another idea…"
He looked towards a box in the corner of the room, Annie followed his gaze.
"Oh, you are a wily one, Ragnar!"
"Squad Leader, Squad Leader, wake up!"
Marlowe came awake suddenly, as Boris shook him awake.
"Wa… What the hell, man!"
"The city," His subordinate yelled, it was then the Marlowe heard the sound of running boots, "We're under attack!"
Throwing himself to the window, he threw it open, hearing the screams of men and women, the bellowed orders of the Garrison… He looked into the sky, seeing the flare gun trails streaking into the sky.
Titan's? Here? Oh, god no… It's just like a few months ago!
"Tell the team to get ready, now!"
He grabbed his uniform, and was able to get it on in what seemed like record time. His maneuver gear took longer, and by the time he ran out of the temporary dormitory, his men were gathered.
"Alright, let's get to the point where those flares lead from," He followed the rapidly dissipating trail down to where it terminated with the ground. With a flourish, he drew his blades, pointing towards their destination, "Oh, hell. It's the jail! Let's go."
He fired his grapnels into a nearby building, and felt the gears in his gear draw him towards the point. Disengaging the hooks, he landed almost daintily on the roof, before firing them once again.
"Spread out," He ordered, "Prepare to engage Titan's!"
"Luigi, are you sure this is advisable?"
Suttungr looked at the grate covering the waterway, how sturdy it looked.
"We have to get into the Wall's and support Ragnar," The Guardian said, "Now, let's go. Everyone, swim under."
Meeting up with Hackett, they'd found that he'd been turned back at the gate for lack of a pass into the city. Knowing that they'd be sighted if they climbed the wall, directly, Luigi had had only one other idea. Leaving Eleanor and Hackett to guard Suttungr's wives and children, he, Suttungr, Sigmund, Eric, Tobias, Dio and Carr had walked around the edge of the Wall, to where a stream passed under the Wall. They all carried a pack that contained enough food for a few days, and also their plate armor.
In Luigi's case, he carried both his own, and Ragnar's.
"And you're sure you were able to swim all the way under it, correct?" Sigmund asked, seeming much more anxious than he needed to be.
"Yes, I was able to pop my head up on the other side," Luigi said to the group, "Be careful, there is a gate down below there, but there's a two foot gap between it and the riverbed. Now let's get in there, it sounds like something's happening."
Screams and yells began to filter from inside, sounding distant.
Luigi dove into the ice cold water, and heard the sound of the others following him. He swam towards the gate, shoving his pack under the gate in front of him, before pulling himself under.
He surfaced on the other side, followed quickly by the others. All except Sigmund.
"Oh hell," He heard Eric mumble, "I honestly don't know if he can swim… Probably should've said something earlier."
Luigi sighed, before handing his pack to Suttungr, who with the others began to swim towards the edge. He dove down, finding the grate with his hand, and feeling his way along.
A strap of Sigmund's pack was caught on the edge of the grate, and he was struggling to pull it free.
I'm very glad that Inanna didn't give birth to Sigmund… He thought, the memory of his former lady causing his heart to grow sad for a moment.
With a deft flick of his wrist, Luigi freed the stuck strap, and pulled Sigmund the rest of the way through. They surfaced on the other side, the cold air stinging Luigi's cheeks.
Once they were all on shore, and they wrung as much water as they could out of their clothes, and dumped it out of their boots, they turned to the chaos ensuing within the Walls. People ran all about, Suttungr grabbed one of them and shook the poor man.
"What's going on?"
The terror in the man's eyes was total, and he said something that came out as total gibberish. Suttungr shook him again, this time enough to snap the man out of it.
"Titan's! Titan's are coming, run for your lives!"
Suttungr let him go, and turned to raise an eyebrow at Luigi.
"Do you think this is Ragnar and Annie's doing?"
Luigi chuckled lightly.
"Of course it's those two's doing. But I doubt they were stupid enough to use their Jotunn. Look into the sky."
Their party all looked up, noting the red and black smoke trails arcing into the sky.
"Now let's go," Luigi said, "We need to acquire some horses, and link up with them!"
"I think the fire may have been a little much, Annie."
Ragnar looked back at the fire that was steadily growing out of control.
"Well, it worked," She said, readjusting a strap on the gear for the third or fourth time, "And you were the one who didn't want to use the 3D gear!"
He rolled his eyes, as they made their way stealthily between the buildings towards the gate. The flames and flares had drawn nearly all of the Garrison guards away from the gate, and now Ragnar and Annie were close to finally making it through.
"Ragnar!"
His head whipped around at his name, and he laughed with morbid humor as he saw Luigi leading the rest of his party towards him on horseback.
"You decided to join us," He said as he mounted the horse that Luigi was leading, Annie mounting one that her grandfather had led, "Now comeon, let's make it through before they decide to close it."
Whipping the reins, his horse launched itself forward.
"Don't slow down!" He yelled back.
They burst through a thick bank of smoke, and suddenly Ragnar was looking at the gate, merely a hundred yards away. No guards were stationed at it.
I gotta hand it to Annie, she was right. The fire did draw all of them away.
Noone saw them burst through the gate, and they turned sharply once on the other side, paralleling the Wall for several miles before slowing down. The whole way they'd held their breathe, waiting for any pursuers to appear. But none did, though the smoke on the horizon worsened from thin wisps to a thundering cloud visible for many miles around.
When they finally stopped in a small thicket of trees, Ragnar slid boneless from his horse, collapsing on the ground.
"Ragnar, are you okay?" Suttungr asked as he pushed his hips out, trying to stretch his back.
"Yeah, yeah, just a little tired." As he looked up into the steadily bluing sky, Annie suddenly stood above him. "Hey, beautiful one. Nice job today."
"Don't call me that in front of everyone," She said, abashed, "And you weren't too shabby yourself."
Ragnar stared into her eyes, those cold, blue eyes that could have melted into the sky above her if not for the pretty face wrapped around them. Tearing his gaze away from her, he sat up, happily accepting a canteen from Luigi.
"Ah…" He said as he gulp half of it down, "Now, Annie. Where do we go from here?"
"Further into the Wall Sina, to the Palace of the King," She paused, looking towards the smoking Yalkell District, seeming to study her surroundings for some indication of direction, "I have a feeling that the Scouting Legion is already in motion to rescue their comrades… I just hope they aren't caught in the trap."
Ragnar looked at her and smiled.
"Well, if they are," His face stretched into a grin, "Then we can spring them from the trap. Maybe they'll be willing to talk to us if we do!"
Annie cast her eyes down, and he lips stretched into a frown as she looked at Ragnar.
"I can only hope you're right, though," She said seriously, looking towards the rising sun, "Don't be surprised if they try to kill us, first."
Suprise! Another update! I've been waiting to write the next few chapters since I started the story, so don't be surprised if I knock them out pretty fast! Enjoy! And thanks again for reading!