Death: This is the most frustrating chapter to write yet in this story. I had this halfway done and had to scrap it, and write it anew.
Enjoy the results of my brain having a brain fart.
Chapter Ten A Family That Strives
=3=
The Survey Corp as a whole was in an uproar when the news hit that Commander Erwin was taken into custody. It was so bad Military Police were sent in to confine the faction inside their own headquarters, never allowed to leave unless it was to take care of their horses under the careful eye of the Military Police.
On top of this, their gear and experiments of Commander Hange's creations were confiscated. Thus far Hange kept the blood test of Captain Levi secret, and they have done everything in their power to keep Eren under the custody of the Survey Corp. However, as time passed the pressure increased dramatically. And it was becoming harder and harder to fight them off taking Eren away.
It was only a matter of time before a certain former assassin took matters into his own hands.
Deciding he couldn't make any moves without at least warning Hange, he crept into their office late one night. Despite being commander, even if temporary, they refused to use Erwin's office but kept their own office.
He walked in to see Hange studying paperwork.
"Levi? What brings you to creep into my office so late at night?" Hange looked up from their desk.
"I'm here to warn you I'm about to do something very, very, stupidly dangerous that could possibly put the Survey Corp in jeopardy." Levi whispered as he neared the chaotic desk, trying his best not to comment about the mess of papers scattered in random piles over the entire surface.
Hange stared at the short captain, and could see his eyes were serious. And Erwin's last words to the captain replayed in their head.
You're free to do whatever you want from now on.
In essence he basically freed Levi from any responsibilities and ties from the Survey Corp without the Military Police from suspecting the meaning behind those powerful words. In all honesty, Hange figured Levi would make a run for it right then and there.
However, much to their curiosity he remained even as the Military Police caged the scouts. Up until now he had been a silent shadow, observing and preventing fights from either side to act out.
"Are you sure you want to put your life down for us? Erwin freed you." Hange remarked with caution.
"Erwin made me captain of the Special Forces Squad. Excuse me if he emphasized a whole lot that our job is to protect Eren at all costs. And do you honestly believe his words alone would break my chains?" Levi responded with a cold tone.
I don't know if it's love that I have for Erwin, but even if he unlocked my chains I will not leave them. Not like this when they're on the verge of being disbanded.
"Then at least tell me that this is something for the greater good for the Survey Corp, or for the good for you?" Hange could not allow whatever he was planning put the lives at risk.
You trust me so little you question my motives? That's a first.
"Those filthy unicorns want him. And besides Erwin, he is the key to what makes up the Survey Corp. I'm not letting their filthy hands take him away from us, when we're already shaken and shackled from them arresting our commander. I don't know what they plan for Erwin, but they will make an example of Eren and execute him without a second thought. You know this above everyone else, Hange."
It took a lot out of the new commander not to shiver under that hard gaze. For Levi hit the mark, and it was something that stressed Hange to no end these past several days. It was also the first time Levi even spoke their name, instead of the nickname he had been using since they first met.
"Okay, okay. I just needed to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons. But what exactly do you plan to do?" Hange knew it was a long shot, but they were at least going to try to understand what he was planning.
"I can't tell you. You will hate me for what I'm going to do, and the less anyone knows the better off everyone will be. I will say however that it involves my squad and one extra person. I cannot give you names, you are needed to have plausible deniability when they're interrogating you."
That made Hange's heart sink to their stomach.
"...Okay. Thank you for the warning, Captain Levi. I hope the Wings of Freedom carry you to success. And before you go, I have something for you." Hange reached into the inside of their shirt and pulled out a key.
Levi watched as they unlocked a drawer and pulled out a small envelope. He took it, curious as to what it was, but was stopped from looking inside.
"Read it when you're out of here. I have written everything you need to know about your test results. All other documents were destroyed and the blood samples disposed of. And please, whatever you do, please forgive me for not being able to explain to you in person about this sensitive information." Hange made the request because they were terrified of the notion Levi would overreact, which would gain the unwanted attention from their guards.
Figure now is a good time to hand this over before they request to go through all files we have.
Levi stuffed the envelope into his pocket and turned to leave. He paused before he opened the door to glance over his shoulder one last time.
"I will understand if the Survey Corp rejects me after tonight. If we all survive this, tell Erwin I love him, and wish him the best of luck."
I don't know if this is love, but he should at least get to hear something close to it.
And just like a silent shadow, he left before Hange could respond.
The next morning they awoke to confusion and horror. The Special Forces Squad was missing, including Armin Arlett, who wasn't a member of that squad. But that wasn't the horrors that shocked everyone, Military Police and Survey Corp alike.
There was the bloodshed. Five members of the Military Police and four Survey Corp scouts were found dead. All of them were professionally slit on the throat by a curved blade.
The Military Police forgot to check through Erwin's office where he kept the prized knife of the Survey Corp's personal assassin. Upon further investigation sensitive maps only Erwin kept hidden had also gone missing. They were the only copies of where the Survey Corp stored secret gear, gas, and food storage.
With the investigation gone over every member of the Scouts, all of them were cleared of suspicion for aiding the squad's escape. And much to the government's frustration, no one knew where these secret hideouts were as Erwin never told a soul and never made extra copies of the maps.
Hange was left with angry people all around, from the Military dogs and the entire Survey Corp. They understood why Levi had done such dramatic lengths, but they couldn't inform anyone else on the matter. It wouldn't calm the situation any better. At any rate, Hange made a request to visit Erwin in the dungeon.
He might already heard what happened. But if not, it would be best if he heard from me.
Besides, they needed to pass along the captain's message.
=3=
Traveling on foot was different for the squad. They had grown accustomed to horseback or the gear. However, taking their horses would have drawn too much attention, and Levi was adamant to cover as much ground between them and the Military Police before it was known they had escaped.
No one questioned where the blood stains over the captain's clothes came from. His hands were still dark from what he had done, and even his ascot and face had small traces of crimson. None of them saw him in action, for he had taken care of the guards before he quietly rallied them up and escaped into the forest.
It was currently Armin's job to read the map he was given and direct them accordingly to someplace safe. Levi had already circled their first destination for a hide out until they needed to move to stay ahead of the Military Police that were bound to search for them.
Or worse, the assassins that were specialized to hunting threats down long before the Military Police find any leads.
It wasn't until early morning they came upon the abandoned cottages. They were a cluster of three, each one storing hidden gear, gas, and food. Despite how exhausted he was, Levi took first watch while everyone slept, splitting up into each cottage.
He thought over the events of the night before. He silently hoped Erwin wouldn't hold what he had done against him. Levi wasn't fully sure if the commander would even allow him to remain among the Survey Corp if they pull through this.
I know he will fight to keep me. But they need someone to blame for those deaths.
Levi wasn't going to stand by while his squad took the blame for something he didn't do. If they got captured, or if they cleared the Survey Corp name, then he will turn himself in. It might be for the best, for betrayals aren't taken lightly in the Survey Corp.
When midday rolled around, they all met under one roof and went over their options.
"Okay, so we got Eren away from the Military Police. What do we do now? We can't hide around until they've returned Erwin." Sasha tilted her head.
"We could look into this whole mess. We can easily find evidence that it wasn't us that turned those people into titans. But the problem still lies that they won't listen." Jean had been stuck on this milestone for a good part of the journey.
"Then we get the people involved. Have them see the truth and turn them against the government." Levi said casually.
To be perfectly honest, it was scaring everyone how calm he was being while still covered in blood. Normally he would insist cleaning the blood off before anything else. Even so, no one dared to comment on the strange behavior.
"But if we turn them against the government then that basically means we're staging a rebellion. What are our goals with this? Replace all of them, and remove the king?" Armin frowned at the bold move.
"It's what Erwin has been planning since before he captured me and took Eren into Survey Corp custody. He didn't tell me any specifics other than he's searching for a bastard child related to the royal family in some way, and have that person take over the throne. He found out that child joined your class of training, but he didn't know which faction he or she joined."
"Hold on, is this why he captured you in the first place? So that we have a better chance to find this information?" Mikasa was feeling a little peeved about this.
"Yes, I suppose. How he found out about the target on his head, I don't know. And I had narrowed it down to four people, but I haven't gotten any further on those leads when Annie decided to throw shit up into a loop."
"Who did you narrow it down to?" Eren was curious now.
"Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Krysta Lenz, and at the time Annie Leonhart. However, as she showed herself to be an enemy, Annie was crossed out of the list." Levi appeared as if he wanted to say more, but his eyes were studying the short girl in his squad he had named.
Out of all of them, she is the one I suspect to be the one we're searching for.
Her papers had no proof of family history. She was born and raised in a well off farm, and yet no relatives with the same surname as her. And above all, she was the only one out of the three recruits on the list he trusted. His instincts were never wrong when it came to someone's character.
And even though he really liked both boys, he couldn't shake off the feeling there's something shady about them. Out of all the recruits he kept those two at arms length while he bonded just fine with everyone else.
And the expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. He knew then that it was just fine that he hadn't brought those two along, for they weren't what they needed in this grand scheme Erwin had set in motion.
"Krysta isn't your real name, is it?" Levi was the first to speak, as everyone stared at her.
"N...no... it's not. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for bringing everyone into this mess. You see, they killed my mother. And they wanted to kill me, but my father stopped it. He gave me a new name and sent me away. I was so afraid they would start to involve the whole Survey Corp into their politics, and now they want to tear apart the only family I ever had." The girl started crying, her tiny shoulders shook as she finally spoke the truth that had been haunting her for years.
"What's your real name?" Armin reached over and gently rubbed her back in means of comfort.
"My name is Historia Reiss. I am the bastard child of the Reiss family, and I honestly don't know their status, but they owned the farm my mother's family worked at. And when my father didn't marry my mother, we were seen as a threat some time after the wall had been breached."
She went on to explain how her father sent her away, for she had been a child. She was sent to join the recruits, where she could decide from there what to do for life. Figuring it would serve her father good that she died in action for putting her family to shame, she joined the Survey Corp.
She wanted to die by doing something good in the world, for she was bad for even existing in the first place. However, she found that the Survey Corp became more of a family to her than her own flesh and blood. And now the very people that wanted her dead were threatening to disband and execute important members of the people who became her family by bonds.
"If you don't even know the status of your father's family, then I don't know if Erwin's plan can follow through. I can't find any mentions of relatives to the king, or if the man sitting on the throne is the real deal at all. But you're the best option we have here. I can look deeper into this matter, but in the meantime we need to start turning the people against the officials."
Everyone stared at Levi, who they quickly realized he had been planning all of this over carefully the past several days. Probably since Erwin's arrest, even.
"How do you propose to do that? They're not likely going to listen to us, they don't like us at the moment." Connie pointed out.
"Well, I have a few things in mind. One of them is gaining the trust of the biggest fish among them. Merchants. They are the bridge between government and people, and can easily gain the trust of the people if they're well known and good reputation. Of course, that would require the best well off merchant families in order to do this right."
"That would be a little hard to accomplish. I believe I know which merchant you need, but he's rather...greedy. I had a brief incident with him in Trost, and he prevented a number of people from escaping when his cargo got stuck." Mikasa instantly knew which merchant family they needed to target.
I remembered hearing something like that happened. And she managed to convince him to leave his cargo behind to allow people through. Impressive.
"And? This whole situation isn't easy to begin with. What makes you think I was looking for easy? Since you're already acquainted with him, I'll leave him to you. I'm going to find out more about their plans, if anyone wants to come with then say so now. Mind you, I can only take three other people with me. I can't promise any success of everyone surviving should Kenny and the others strike."
Much to his surprise Jean, Armin, and Sasha raised their hands.
This just might be able to work out in the end.
Levi had been dreading they would reject him for the sacrifices he had made. But it would seem they either didn't care or didn't know. It was better off they didn't know. There would be judgment and endless arguments should they ever find out what he had done.
They would never forgive me. And I cannot bear to see the look of disappointment in their eyes, or Erwin's when he's out of the dungeon.
Feeling overwhelmed he left them to continue with the plans. He needed time to himself, and maybe reading the contents of the envelope Hange gave him would be distraction enough.
He went to his bedroom and began reading.
Dear Levi,
Forgive me that I cannot tell you this through word of mouth. As much as I wish I could to ease the news, I cannot risk being overheard. So, I will be brief and clear about the results.
Your biochemistry is similar to Eren. I don't mean as in you're related, no. I have isolated the gene that enables someone to transform into a Titan and keep their humanity. Eren has it coursing through his veins as if he was a natural born specimen. However, yours doesn't meet the same strengths as his does when I compared them.
But you do have enough of the gene that corrected your eyesight. It is perhaps this gift that allows you to see better than most people. However, I find it worrisome that it was not as a result from your parents, but from an injection.
If that is the case, then this could possibly be the answer we've been searching centuries for the origins of titans. This in itself is a concern, for it could explain what happened to the missing villagers and the sudden appearance of titans between solid walls.
It is safe to say that you cannot transform. I have done extensive tests to compare your genes to Eren's. Yours does not meet the safety requirements to transform without your body being damaged in the process. Therefore, I have concluded that you most likely can't, seeing as how your healing abilities are nothing compared to Eren. However, there is the very small chance that I am wrong.
Be careful, and whatever you do, resist the urge to transform should something happen.
-Hange
P.S. Here are the only copies of the test results and comparisons of you and Eren. I figured you would want to see them for yourself before believing a word I say on the matter.
He studied the papers carefully. He double checked just to make sure, never finding a flaw. After the third time he concluded that Hange had been right. There was no doubt about it with the answers clear as day in front of him.
Once again being overwhelmed he quickly left, forgetting the papers on the bed and stepped outside of the cottage, ignoring the worried looks. It was already dark, and the stars were bright.
He stood before the cottages staring at the sky.
Not only am I a human weapon, I am a monster.
He was a monster for so many reasons. He killed members of the Military Police, but on top of that he killed his own comrades so the Survey Corp weren't to be suspected to help them escape. He may have done it to make it seem like an act of violent defiance, but they were his comrades.
The icing on the cake were the results of the blood test Erwin setup.
When Eren followed after him with the others some minutes later, all of them had seen the papers Hange gave him. They didn't know what to make of the results, or how to comfort the short captain. Eren was braver than the rest.
He stood behind the short captain when everyone else stood back, giving the former assassin distance. They weren't sure how he would act right now, since they sensed he had been on the edge for a while. He had probably been on edge since the night before, when he gathered them up and silently made their escape.
"Captain?" Eren reached for the tiny hand.
Just when their hands brushed together the shorter man started giggling. It was soft at first, so soft Eren wasn't sure he heard right. Then the giggles escalated to full on high pitched laughter.
Eren pulled his hand back, not sure what to do now. He cautiously stepped to where he stood next to the captain, watching with his heart breaking as the laughter was full of pain and suffering.
"Captain…?" Eren wanted to hold the tiny frame close and never let go.
I can't hold him like that. He's with Erwin, and I can't get between them.
His heart broke even more as the laughter slowly turned into crying. It started with tears flooding down those blood stained cheeks. Then it became full blown crying as the captain knelt on his knees, hugging his ribs at the internal pain of his meltdown.
Fuck Erwin. He needs help now. If we can't bring him back from the brink of insanity, we won't be able to pull off this mission without him.
Eren knelt next to the captain and embraced him. He held Levi close to his chest, and began to whisper softly in hopes to calm him down. At first Levi didn't register he was being held, he was too lost in his pain, as he let it all out.
"Levi, you're going to be fine. We're all here for you. Just cry it out, let it all go. Soon we can fix everything and you and Erwin will be back together as each other's support. Until then, rely on us, we're your family too."
I don't think it was intentional, but Erwin became his only anchor here.
"How can I be part of your family when I have killed? I have killed our own brethren, just to make it seem we're rogue killers kidnapping you so they don't get their hands on you. I had to ensure they wouldn't put the blame on everyone else. So I killed...I killed our own along with Military Police. How can I be part of this family when I'm nothing but a monster!?"
At the confession his voice was cracking. He wanted so bad to push those arms away, but he had become so dependent on being held for comfort he couldn't push Eren away. Levi wanted nothing short but to bury his face in the warm chest and fall asleep to the sound of the strong heartbeat.
He's not Erwin. I can't do that to Erwin. Not after everything he's done for me.
No one knew how to respond to his confession. They had so much processing still on their minds that they could feel headaches forming from all of the stress.
A few went to their bedrooms to escape from the scene. Others stared at the kneeling pair, the words the captain spoke still ringing in their ears. Jean balled his fists up, wanting so bad to hit the captain. However, he knew that wouldn't solve anything at all.
Why can't we ever catch a break or something?
"You killed our comrades, you little bastard! You killed them like that...as if everything before now meant nothing? Is that what you see us as, pigs lined up for the slaughter!?" Jean yelled, unable to prevent the words boiling up inside him.
"Hold it, Jean…" Mikasa stood between him and the still crying captain.
"Don't you dare defend him again, Mikasa! He threw you down and then proceeded to threaten you that he won't hold back next time you two argue!" He snapped at her.
"And can't you see he's hurt enough? He's crying for repentance." Armin pointed out.
"Don't you get involved too, Arlett! I have had it with this...this assassin as our captain! Just who did he kill off anyway? He has gone too far with this!" Jean tried to shove his way through, only to be stopped by Mikasa once again.
"Sacrifices must be made in the most dire of situations! This is how we fight, on and off the field. Even if it wasn't a Titan that killed them, they still died so that the rest of us didn't end up dead by the hands of the Military Police!"
I don't agree with his methods. But I understand where he is coming from. And we also have to realize that he is an assassin, that alone changes everything in how he thinks.
"Sacrifices!? You call their deaths as noble sacrifices!? The fucking hell, Mikasa! Those were our comrades that died by the hands of a human monster!"
"Technically he's part Titan, even if he can't transform he has enough of the gene to have his eyesight." Sasha calmly added.
"That just makes it all the worse, Potato Girl!"
"And what does that make me, Jean!?" Eren yelled from where he was, his eyes glaring at his rival.
"You're different, this doesn't concern you Yeager!"
"It does when I'm more of a Titan than him! You saw what Hange wrote, he won't be able to transform like I can! So tell me one more time that I don't count. To be fair, I'm a bigger monster than he is. If you guys hadn't taken me in, I might have been just like Annie and you know this!" Eren ignored the shocked expressions all around.
Levi was having a hard time understanding what was happening. He understood Eren taking his side, but Mikasa? Armin? And Sasha? He had always been hard on them, pushing them to be their best, and was possibly too harsh on them most days. And yet here they were, defending him.
Why are they defending me, even with the knowledge of what I did?
"He's still a fucking assassin! And it was only a matter of time before he did shit like this!"
"Oh yeah, you know what, I'm putting my two cents in. What if I told you that all the titans we've been fighting and killing just might be human? But they're not like Eren, they can't turn back! This is a theory Hange and I figured out after we took care of the titans that showed up out nowhere between the damn walls." Connie had enough of Jean going in circles, and being stubborn.
"What are you saying?" That information got his attention.
"We just might be killing our own kind that may have been experiments gone wrong or some shit. What does that make us? The same as him. And he's the only one who can't stand killing. Us? We turn killing titans into a game as if it's a sport as we fight for humanity."
The mere thought of the possibility hung in the air. Some couldn't look Connie in the eye, ashamed from the realization that he just might be true. Mikasa and Armin stared at the still curled up captain, who by this time had stopped crying.
"So if you think about it, he's more human than the rest of us." Connie added, arms spread out to indicate everyone there.
How can I be more human than them when the blood of everyone I have killed are on my hands?
Levi remained where he was, unsure what to do or say. Too many thoughts ran through his head. He still felt horrible for the deaths he had caused, and yet what Connie said had a point. At this point in time he didn't know what to believe anymore.
For the rest of the night there were no more arguments. The next morning they all awoke feeling closer together than ever before. Once more they were a tight knit family again, no longer than just a squad trying to survive.
=3=
Death: I really wanted to add more in this chapter, but then I felt that this is a good place to end. Plus, a lot of shit went down already.
Next chapter is the run in with the assassins.
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