Time Slip

by

Blue Sonnet (Nana_41175)

Who is he?

Erwin could almost hear the query on everyone's mind. He stood tall and alert, hands linked behind his back and feet braced apart just as he'd been trained. All around him, rows upon tidy rows of fellow soldiers echoed his stance. The rigid military posture on display contrasted sharply with the newcomer's carriage as he stood on the podium, arms crossed irreverently over his chest and his bored gaze sweeping across the sea of uplifted faces.

Irreverent—that was the word he was looking for. Insolent, even. Erwin almost smiled as the adjective came to mind. He had not seen anything like this in recent memory, and to look at the Commander's face as he went through his short introductory speech, the stranger was anything but a welcome addition to the Corps. The look on Squad Leader Shadis' face was enough to make Erwin fear for the stranger's safety.

With orders from High Command would explain everything then. Yet the man on the podium— almost a kid, by the looks of him— did not quite fit Erwin's idea of a proper representative from the higher-ups, either. It was altogether very interesting, and it had been a while since Erwin had come across someone so entertaining at first sight.

So who was this very important person…who was suddenly looking Erwin's way?

Erwin froze as he registered the gaze had stopped at his direction. Yes, the man was definitely looking his way— looking at him, in fact, with a heavy frown that was almost a glare, and Erwin realized that he had dropped his guard enough to leave his face wide open for scrutiny.

Knowing better than to look away— that would be a sure sign of guilt— Erwin met the gaze head on as he emptied his mind of thought. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mike shift uncomfortably beside him as he shot Erwin an inquiring glance. He was not alone; the person to Erwin's right and the one in front of him were also turning their heads slightly toward him.

He's not looking at me. Why should he? Erwin thought, growing annoyed as he kept his gaze resolutely forward.

"Introduce yourself, soldier," he heard the Commander say to their guest, and Erwin allowed himself to sever eye contact with the stranger as he flicked his gaze over to his commanding officer. A few seconds passed, and when nothing was forthcoming, the Commander cleared his throat audibly. Then and only then did the stranger turn his gaze away from Erwin to say, "the name is Levi."

It was strange, hearing such a voice— so deep and full— coming from such a slight man.

Levi, thought Erwin, trying the name out in his mind. It did not ring any bells.

The man's answer broke the spell of silence over the crowd, and a hum of uncertainty arose. The man onstage did not bother with a salute. He merely turned away to speak to the Commander and Squad Leader Shadis, and that was the end of it.

"What was that all about?" Janey asked ruefully as she turned her freckled visage to Erwin, her eyes wide and mischievous.

"I have absolutely no idea," Erwin replied in a bland tone. "It's hardly customary to forego a salute, wouldn't you agree?"

"No, I mean the staring bit. I could swear he was-"

"I've got to say, Johnny," said Erwin, turning to address the boy standing immediately behind him. "What were you doing back there to warrant such an eyeful from the captain?"

"I was so not doing anything back here," came the indignant reply from Johnny.

Just like that, the awkwardness was gone. There was a burst of laughter, and chatter flowed brief and smooth among the soldiers before the little group broke up.

"You know, he really was looking at you," Mike quietly pointed out as they made their way back to the barracks. It was not typical of Mike to linger on a subject, and somehow, the captain on the podium had also left an impression on him.

Erwin sighed and said wryly, "Everybody likes to think people are looking at them… even if they aren't actually looking."

Mike snorted, the slight arch of his eyebrow more expressive than words: typical. It was typical of Erwin to deflect an argument that he did not wish to get into, or had no hope of winning. He'd been told often enough that he was good at this, in the same way he was good at convincing just about anyone to take his side. He knew when to press his advantage, and he knew when to gracefully withdraw. The conversation he was having with Mike obviously warranted the latter option, because Erwin could sense its potential to rapidly veer off course and head into uncomfortable territory. And try as he might to sound flippant about catching people's attention, deep down inside he knew differently. The man on the podium was definitely looking at him. He was used to the attention of others. Ever since he was a child, he knew what it was like to be regarded and admired, even adored. What he was not used to was the disconcerting way the captain on the podium had stared at him. That, Erwin had to admit, was quite new.

As if he needed to press the point home, Mike continued, "he wasn't just looking at you, he was staring daggers at you. If looks could kill—"

"Well, I suppose I'd better watch my back from now on," Erwin said with a humorless chuckle and deftly changed the wearisome subject.

The lofty bravado was certainly nowhere in sight by the time Erwin was ushered into Commander Hutchinson's office.

He stopped a few paces before the Commander's desk and pulled into a salute.

"At ease, soldier."

"Sir."

"I hope you weren't disturbed during lunch."

Erwin thought about his half-eaten lunch tray, quickly abandoned in favor of obeying the Commander's summons and said, "not at all, sir."

"We will wait for Squad Leader Shadis, if you don't mind," Commander Hutchinson said, never once taking his eyes off the document that he held in his hands.

This was not good. Nevertheless, Erwin settled into a more relaxed stance, hands clasped lightly behind his back. "I trust all is well, sir," he said, his voice carefully neutral.

"Oh, as well as can be. Only…"

Here the Commander trailed off ominously, and before anything more could be said, a knock sounded on the door. Keith Shadis entered and, politely refusing the offered chair in front of him, moved to stand beside Erwin.

"So, Erwin," the Commander said, turning his full attention on Erwin at last. "How do you find the Survey Corps so far?"

"Everything has exceeded my expectations, sir," Erwin smoothly replied.

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear that. Your performance has been excellent so far, and your squad leader thinks very highly of you." This was said with a nod to Shadis. "So imagine our surprise, Erwin, when High Command suddenly issued us the task of taking in a new captain whom one has never heard of until about a week ago."

Erwin returned the Commander's speculative gaze with a blank one of his own and simply waited.

"You've seen him. The man came in with the highest references from Commanders Zackly and Pixis," continued the Commander. "What is more, he's managed to convince Keith here, and…well."

Erwin glanced at his squad leader and, getting nothing from Shadis' shuttered face, said, "yet he's not managed to convince you, sir."

"Well, as a matter of fact, no; but he's full of surprises." Here the Commander's gaze hardened. "He asked for you, by the way."

Erwin was not in the habit of being taken by surprise, yet it took him a full half-minute to recover and say, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand, sir."

"He asked for you by name: Erwin Smith. He declined to explain further. It's now up to you to fill in the blanks for us, son."

It only took the time for the incredulous half-smile to fade from Erwin's lips before he got the full implication of the Commander's words. "Sir, if I may," Erwin said slowly, carefully, "it would appear that he knows me, but I don't know anything about him."

"Don't you?"

Before Erwin could reply, Shadis stepped in. "There is no need to question Erwin's veracity, Hutch. I can vouch for him. At any rate, we still need to think about how to proceed with…Levi's request."

"I would think that the solution is obvious," said the Commander, raising his brows as he regarded Erwin. "What say you, Smith?"

"Sir?"

"He's specifically asked for you." The Commander made a slight fluttering motion with one hand. "I can only imagine he needs an attendant of some sort, an aide. Help him to settle down, make him comfortable enough to drop his guard, that sort of thing. It won't hurt for you to glean some information from the fellow in return— find out what the hell he's really doing here and what he's after. Keith has spoken highly of your organizational skills and your initiative. I'd say let's put it all to the test, shall we?"

Erwin knew better than to rise to the implications that lay beneath the Commander's words, like a dark undercurrent. Still, he felt he needed to say it aloud in front of a witness: "If I understood everything correctly, sir, you're ordering me to spy on the captain?"

The Commander said nothing, merely pinned Erwin with a glare. "I expect to hear from you by the end of the week."

There was nothing more to be said. Erwin saluted stiffly and, turning on his heel, made his exit.

"Erwin, wait."

Shadis caught up with him at the end of the corridor. "You understand that Hutch has been under a lot of pressure lately. You don't have to take his words like that."

Erwin wondered how else he was supposed to take the Commander's words but said instead, "thank you, sir, for your support back there."

"Think nothing of it. Listen, Erwin…"

When Shadis trailed off, looking at a loss for words, Erwin asked gently, "If I may ask, sir. How did Captain Levi manage to convince you?"

Shadis shook his head. "He…he showed me something," he said, not quite looking at Erwin. As Erwin watched, mystified, Shadis moved a hand to touch the breast pocket of his tan jacket. Just as quickly, the hand dropped, and Shadis turned to regard Erwin with his usual piercing stare. "Be careful with your dealings with him, Erwin."

Erwin merely nodded, saying nothing of the fact that Shadis' warning was not the first he'd received in the course of the day.

Captain Levi had been given a room on the top floor of the officers' building. As he made his way up the wooden stairs, Erwin supposed the man must be resting. It was just after lunch and the officers' hall was quiet. He ought to come by at a more reasonable hour, but Erwin decided not to postpone this first meeting. There was no fear, no trepidation as he arrived outside the designated door, merely a surging interest and an overwhelming curiosity about this stranger who, in a matter of hours since first locking eyes with him, had cost him so much trouble already.