Sup, Stryker here. I usually don't do intro notes but this is an exception. The outro to this story is somewhat important so uh... don't skip it please. Okay thanks and have a nice read.
She had woken up with a start, and upon doing so, she jolted up from the bed she had been on and gasped out in terror.
In an instant, a large handful of memories came flooding back to her. The whole debacle with the Female Titan… nay, with Annie Leonhardt, had returned to her in a moment's notice. She had… gotten in the way, to say the least, with her insistence on following Mikazuki to Sina via Barbatos having resulted in him getting heavily injured during the battle. She wasn't able to recount the events too well thanks to how her head was currently thumping, almost as though someone had hit her with a Mace.
Bringing a hand up to her head, Mina rubbed at her forehead and frowned heavily as she attempted to regain her bearings. Her vision spun as she attempted to refocus herself, and that in itself took some time, with her struggling to even sit upright as she propped herself up on one arm and pinched the bridge of her nose. Breathing in and out deeply several times over, Carolina slowly but surely steadied her racing heart and reopened her eyes after a few moments of this repetition, and when she did… she realized something rather… worrying as she widened her eyes at her surroundings.
Now that she was looking around herself with a clearer gaze, Mina realized that she was in a cell. One meant for prisoners… not soldiers. Widening her eyes at this, the girl took a cautious look around herself before pinching her arm to confirm whether or not she was hallucinating, and upon doing so, she heard a humorless and somewhat hollow chuckle ring out from outside her cell at the gesture.
"Don't bother doing that, kid. You're not dreaming… this whole mess you've got yourself into is legit," mused the voice of the other individual, prompting Mina to wince as she turned towards the speaker. When she had done so, she found herself locking eyes with Hanji Zoe, who stood by the opposite end of the cell bars, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She sounded so… tired, both in her voice and in her outwardly appearance, with her eyes bloodshot from stress and her hair messier than usual.
Seeing her superior made a small surge of energy pass through Mina as she tensed up and instinctively got ready to salute her, but at the same time, she wasn't sure what to do, exactly, so she just… idled a little, eliciting a small but mirthless smile from Hanji as she got off the wall and approached Carolina's cell. Getting in close, she brought a hand up and grabbed onto one of the bars of her cell.
"You remember what happened, don't you? Everything that occurred back in Sina. Don't answer, it's a rhetoric," began Hanji, with her eyeing Mina critically as she spoke. The aforementioned girl didn't like that look she was giving her… it was so un-Hanji-like to be this cold and direct with… anyone, really, though she wasn't willing to talk back to her, not yet, at least, as she bit her lip and nodded, prompting her superior to continue. "Then tell me, Mina Carolina, how much did you know about Annie's true nature beforehand?"
"True… nature? About her being able to turn into a Titan?" asked Mina for clarification, to which Hanji nodded solemnly.
"Yes. And please be truthful. The MPBs intend on interrogating you, should I fail to obtain any form of noteworthy information beforehand, so lying to me would be… counterproductive," confirmed Hanji, and at that, Mina had to wonder how long she had been standing there, waiting for her to wake up. She was almost touched by that, though she said nothing of it as she nodded lightly.
"W-Well… I didn't know anything about it. Honest! I just… well…" began Mina, only for her to trail off when she remembered something. Hanji tilted her head at this sudden shift in her demeanor, with her expecting her to follow up on it all the while, and much to her relief, Carolina did as such, with her shifting uncomfortably as she grimaced and spoke. "I… had a few suspicions, but… t-they never seemed p-plausible…"
"Suspicions. And you never brought them up with any of us?" stated Hanji, incredulous at this response. Mina winced at this, knowing that she had breached her superior's trust in her by keeping this information under wraps, but even so…
"I didn't want Annie to get into trouble! I… I'm sorry. Whatever punishment you have for me not sharing my suspicions, I… I-I will take f-f-full responsibility for it!" proclaimed Mina on impulse. Hanji was quick to shift her glasses up to the top of her head and pinch the bridge of her nose at this. She didn't know Mina all too well, but by all accounts, the girl was an honest and dependable soldier, according to Keith and Sys, and sue her, but she still had some bias towards Mikazuki, and Mina's words had been spoken with such conviction that it made it difficult to think she was lying.
"Calm down. No one's blaming you just yet, kid. We're not having you executed because of a suspicion you didn't share, but by that same virtue, I… I just need to tell you that you won't be walking out of here unscathed. I doubt the others will be satisfied to learn that I didn't get much of substance out of you, so they'll probably try to… coax you into speaking the truth. If not through threats, then through more… physical means," muttered Hanji, with her frowning lightly as she relayed this to Mina. the girl shrunk down a little as she acknowledged this, though she still nodded regardless, prompting Zoe to sigh as she turned to get ready to leave. "I… shouldn't linger. My job here is done, and I'll… try to get a good word in for you, kid."
And with that, the bespectacled woman began to make her leave, though before she could take more than two steps away from the bars, however…
"W-Wait! May I ask a question before you leave… ma'am…?" halted Mina, with her holding a hand out towards her superior as she spoke. Pausing at this, Hanji hummed and stopped her walking in favour of turning towards her fellow soldier, imprisoned or not, and noticing the sign to continue, Carolina continued; "Mikazuki… where-"
"That information is confidential… but… he is alive. Unconscious, but still very much alive. That is all I can share now, I'm afraid," responded Hanji, to which Mina felt her shoulders slump in relief. Mika was fine… he was alright…
"... and… Annie?"
The surprise was very much apparent on Hanji's face, however, when she a saw heard her next question.
"Annie? You're still concerned over the traitor? Hah… well, she's alive. That's all I can share about her, so don't bother pressing the issue," mused Hanji, with her almost smiling as she waved Mina off. "Alright, I can't linger for too long. My reputation amongst the higher ups isn't all that good, after all, and if they get too annoyed, they could kick me out of Sina without a second thought!"
And with that, the bespectacled woman waved Mina off once more and marched out of the room, with the sound of a door slamming shut being audible moments later. Once she was gone, Mina was left to her own devices, with her bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them closely as she tried to process her current situation.
Stuck in a cell, with the potential accusation of treason put against her, and having gotten in the way of her friend's battle… all of it was rather overwhelming to her as she dropped her head down onto her knees and sighed deeply.
'I'm such a fool. I shouldn't have followed Mika into the cockpit. I should've just stayed put, I… I should've just… I should've just stayed out of the way…' thought Mina sadly as she just… sat there. Silent.
She didn't know when tears began falling down her cheeks as she did so, but they did. The lack of sunlight peeking into her cell made it difficult to tell how much time had passed, but even so, she knew hours had gone by before she had lost consciousness.
And even if it was of no real comfort to her, the dreamless sleep she found herself in was still a good escape from her current situation…
"How's the kid?"
"Terrible. But she'll live."
Those were the words that Levi and Hanji had chosen to greet each other with as the latter entered the Sina office that had been readied for the higher ranking Survey Corp officials. Whilst a good majority of the individuals handling the aftermath of the battle between Barbatos and the Female Titan were MPBs or Garrison troops, many Survey Corps still remained behind of their own volition in order to assist in the clean-up operations. Others, however, had to stay out of obligation.
Amongst the latter group were Hanji, Levi, Mike and Erwin, the four key pillars of the Survey Corps, all of whom were asked to remain behind for varying reasons. Hanji in particular had been asked to check up on Annie after she had woken up and been interrogated, something that she was privy to as payback for what she had done to so many of her allies. Her meeting up with Mina earlier was just something she had been doing by the sidelines whilst waiting for Leonhardt to regain consciousness.
Considering how it has been two whole days since the end of the battle, Hanji was beginning to wonder if she would even wake up in the first place.
That aside, Levi and Mike had remained behind to guide the less experienced MPB members around Barbatos. Unlike the Survey Corps or the Garrison, the inner wall soldiers were unfamiliar with how the Gundam operated, and they were all incredibly hesitant to approach it, leaving Ackerman and Zacharius to do their job for them, much to their dismay.
Erwin had the toughest job out of the four, which was to be expected, honestly. As the Commander, he was the one held responsible for the actions of his subordinates, and considering how all of this had been planned out by him, the guy had a lot to answer for, especially when one took into account how much convincing he had done in the shadows to even get approval to set this plan into motion.
"Erwin?"
Blinking as his name was called, Erwin looked up from his desk in the room, with him frowning heavily as he focused on the speaker, Hanji, with a withered look. Zoe was definitely worried for him, as evident by the stare she was giving him, and it was for good reason. The feeling of hopelessness was already sinking into Smith, even as he tried to distract himself from the inevitable in regards to Mikazuki's fate, though at the same time, he tried to appear optimistic as he exhaled gently and smiled at Zoe, who could see through that false grin in an instant.
"Yes, Hanji?" mused Erwin as he watched the bespectacled woman move in and sit atop his desk. He would complain, but then again, this wasn't exactly his desk, so who cares? Levi himself huffed as he marched up to stand by the opposite end of the desk, frowning all the while. Of the three, Ackerman looked the least ragged, though that wasn't saying much.
Hanji had been pulling all-nighters as she was asked to be present in the event of Annie waking up for immediate testing after her interrogation was complete, and Erwin himself had been tasked with running through the many documents that required his signature in regards to payments for collateral damage. Hanji thought that she saw a slip that said something about potentially rescinding his rank of Commander, though Erwin was quick to catch her gaze and hide the document under all the others, much to her chagrin.
Levi in particular had been tasked with keeping watch of Barbatos through the night alongside his teammates and Squad Mike. The two Elite Squadrons tended to rotate around when it came to overlooking the Gundam, with Squad Levi taking morning shifts whilst Squad Mike took the night shifts, and seeing as how the sun was setting, it was now Zacharius' turn at the chopping block. Overseeing Barbatos was very much a job more suited to the MPB, who were the de facto guardians of the inner sanctums, though they were all too scared to do so, leaving it to the Survey Corps and Garrison to do their jobs for them.
'Bloody cowards,' thought Erwin with a grimace as he shook his head to dispel that thought. No, best to not think such things. Considering his current state of stress and exhaustion, he was likely to say it out loud as well, so best to not risk it…
"You doing alright? If you need another cup of coffee, I could get Petra to go get us another batch," offered Hanji, with her smiling lightly as she spoke. Erwin responded to this with a light smile, one that showed his appreciation more so than any words he could give, before he shook his head. Coffee did sound good right about now, but he didn't know if he deserved to feel that way, especially after all the failures that had offered in the past few weeks…
"Thank you, Hanji, but I'll pass. I just need to get a few more documents out before I can call it a day," assured Erwin with a smile. Hanji… had no idea how to respond to that as she nodded sadly and sighed deeply, though as for Levi, he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Sleep for two hours, presumably. The other brigades are working you half to death, Eyebrows," grunted Levi, with him glaring at Erwin as he spoke. The somewhat unsavoury nickname from his youth was more than enough to make Smith snort in amusement, though outside of that, he simply sighed as he sorted out another stack of documents that required his signature.
"They have reason to do so, Levi. I've made empty promises that never came to fruition, and ultimately, I cost them the lives of countless soldiers and hundreds in the form of damage reparations. This is probably the nicest they'll be to me for a long while," huffed Erwin, sounding somewhat resigned as he leaned forwards and began reading through this new batch of documents. Levi hated how defeated the guy sounded, though he spoke nothing of it as Hanji groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Either way… I'm assuming the other Commanders didn't take too kindly to your… failure?" muttered Hanji uncertainly, to which Erwin grimaced. Hanji wasn't far off in saying that, but there were a few that were, surprisingly, on his side.
Nile, for instance, did voice some small support for Erwin, especially after he had essentially helped minimise the damage that could've been done to Sina, but even that in itself was paper thin, with Dawke still clearly holding some resentment towards Smith for making promises he could not keep. Pixis offered no comment, even if he did stare at the blonde with some disappointment, and Zachary…
The guy had made it clear in a Military Tribunal that had taken place the day prior that he was… disappointed in Erwin's actions. Simply put, he had placed his faith in Smith's words, in the fact that Barbatos could be a key turning point in humanity's war against the Titans with its strength and speed, but after its lackluster performance amidst the Expedition, alongside its abysmal failure to subdue the traitor in Sina, he realized that, in his own words, his faith had been misplaced.
"Take a guess," grunted Erwin, annoyed as he signed off a document, and after tossing it into the pile of other signed documents, he continued on to read another, with him pointedly ignoring the looks of varying sympathy that his subordinates were giving him all the while.
"And how's the brat? The shorter one?" inquired Levi, with him shifting the conversation topic to a certain other person with relative ease. In response to this, Erwin glanced his way in annoyance.
"You already know that he's still unconscious, so I assume you want to know his fate?" clarified Erwin, and when he nodded in affirmation, Erwin grunted, signed another slip of paper, and continued. "He will be executed by the end of the month."
The gasp that rang out from Hanji and Levi's brows raising up slightly were good enough indications of their shock, though they were quick to realize that, in a way, this was to be expected. In the eyes of the military tribunal, and possibly the civilians they were meant to protect, both Mikazuki and Barbatos were dangerous, too dangerous to be allowed to live, and they had to be dealt with as soon as they lost their worth. To the Survey Corps, they had immense worth, but to everyone else, it was just a ticking time bomb that was waiting to explode and take all of them out with it.
Back during the brief for the plan to capture their target within Sina, Erwin had assured the higher ups that he would be able to pull this off without a hitch, and that, in the event of it being necessary to call him in, Barbatos would be able to take down the Female Titan within just a handful of seconds with minimal collateral damage and fatalities. He had assumed incorrectly… and now, he was being grilled by both his superiors and his fellow Commanders for making this mistake.
Zachary, however, had the final say in the fate of both Gundam and pilot, and all he cared to add on was this:
"That boy will be executed. And his machine… melted down for scrap. It has become clear to me that neither is of worth to us, and we will gain more from removing both of them."
Erwin had argued. Of course he had. He stated that the Gundam and its pilot had saved many lives during the Expedition, and, in spite of the heavy collateral damage, it had not put even a single person, be they soldier or civilian, in harm's way. It was still very much a tactical advantage, to keep it on the team… but the others had argued back, stating that, even with all the lives it had saved, the mechanical monster's performance was not up to par, and the decision to have both its pilot and the machine itself killed and melted down remained.
The decision was final, and all Erwin could do about it was wait. He could only wait as the day of Mikazuki's execution drew closer and closer, with him grimacing at the very thought of it all the while.
"So… that's it then, huh? Our best shot at victory… just… gone?" mused Hanji, with her sounding very much upset as she crossed her arms tightly. To this, Erwin… said nothing, though his silence was telling all on its own, and at that, Zoe slammed her fist into the top of his table, yelling out in anger all the while. "FUCK! Why can't these fucking IDIOTS see that the Gundam's our best shot at winning this?!"
"Because they're afraid," grumbled Levi, with him shaking his head as he spoke. Hanji and Erwin both glanced at him when he spoke, and seeing as how he had their attention, the diminutive man continued to speak. "We already know this, don't we? Only the Survey Corps and a small portion of the Garrison know what the brat and his tin can are both capable of. But the difference lies in the fact that we saw it firsthand.
"We've seen that damn thing topple Titans like it was nothing. It can fold an entire platoon of soldiers without even glancing their way, and even against one of those transforming Titans, it can tear them apart. That damn thing is a monster, and we all know it… but the fact that the brat's controlling it changes it up. There's a human element to that pile of junk, and that side of it makes it, at the very least, dependable on the battlefield."
"If that's the case… then why are they trying to destroy it? It's tough, sure, but it's tempered by a human heart, isn't it…?" asked Hanji, with her grimacing deeply as she spoke. For his part, Levi couldn't help but scoff at the question; Zoe might've been a seasoned Survey Corp, but she was still naive, and whether it be intentional or not, the woman had turned a blind eye to the darker parts of the human heart.
Admirable in a weird way, but at the same time, not the most desirable quality to have.
"Because controlling a heart isn't easy," butted in Erwin, with him grimacing as he leaned forwards and rested his elbows on the table. "The higher ups want a machine that can do nothing but destroy Titans and get them results. Barbatos can do both, but in their eyes, Mikazuki Augus is stopping it from reaching its full potential, and because only he can control it, him being a liability therefore makes Barbatos a liability as well, and as with most things, they're going to cut that liability loose before it can affect them directly."
"What they're asking for is a Titan, not a soldier, dammit!" proclaimed Hanji, enraged at this revelation as she got off the table and slammed her palm onto its surface. Levi flinched a tiny bit but still found himself agreeing with that statement whilst Erwin remained mostly unphased. "So what, they're gonna kill the guy off… because he's not the obedient little controller that they want him to be?! That's fucked up!"
"I… agree, but even so, in a way, I can understand their train of thought," admitted Erwin, with him frowning heavily as he spoke. At this, both his compatriots gave him expressions that perfectly encapsulated their shock, though before either could protest, or before Hanji could protest rather, Smith held a hand up to stay them. "I do not agree with them. I can simply understand where some of them are coming from."
"You have a minute," grumbled Hanji, annoyed, and for all it was worth, she got a gulp out of Erwin as he nodded and continued.
"To them, Barbatos is a powerful force, and that's where it ends. We members of the Survey Corps, however, know better. Barbatos, if anything, is just a weapon, and Mikazuki is its wielder. The weapon is oftimes just as powerful as the hand that wields it, and try as it might, it will never shoot something its wielder does not want it to," explained Erwin, with him frowning lightly as he spoke. Both Hanji and Levi seemed a little perplexed by his wording at first, though as the seconds ticked by, the former seemed to get it a little as she hummed and rubbed at her chin.
"Mikazuki's only so strong… kid's tough, but even he has limits. Physically and, evidently enough, emotionally," muttered Hanji. Her tone of voice wasn't sad, but it wasn't particularly upbeat either. Somewhere in between, perhaps. "When he realized that he was fighting his friend, he must've been devastated, even without his other friend sitting on his lap through it all."
"Hmph, either way, we still need to ask the question of when he figured out the traitor's identity," stated Levi, with him grunting as he changed the topic lightly, to which Erwin scowled.
"I discussed the matter with Mike beforehand and he told me that he noticed a slight change in his behaviour after the expedition," supplied Erwin, to which Hanji flinched.
"And he didn't tell us…? Neither Mikazuki nor Mike?" muttered Hanji sadly, to which Erwin waved her off.
"Mike had originally suspected that he was recovering from the Expedition. First timers tend to get like that, after all," said Erwin in defense of Mike. "And Mikazuki… if it is true that he knew about Annie's betrayal of humanity, or at least suspected it… I doubt that he'd turn her in until he had no other choice."
"... would that be considered treason?" inquired Hanji worriedly, to which Erwin frowned.
"... yes. It would, which is why I do not wish to let anyone else know of this. Mikazuki is already set to be executed, but it is possible to perhaps belay that command. I just need more time to work on a defense for him," mumbled Erwin. "Should word of his treason come to light… whatever chance he has for walking out of this alive would be null and void."
"... sometimes I wish that those two never showed up," grumbled Levi after a few moments of silence, with him crossing his arms as Hanji gave him a bewildered look. Erwin seemed ambivalent to his words, though more so for Zoe's sake, he explained himself. "The damn brat solved a lotta problems, sure, but he's also a problem in himself. We know jack shit about him, and the other brigades won't stop staring at us with a critical eye because of him."
"Yeah, so what? You'd rather us revert back to the status quo of just throwing our men at the Titans and hoping that we'll win that way?" argued Hanji. Her tone of voice was heated, that much was clear, and it made Levi pause as he heard her out. "It's obvious to me how we weren't getting anywhere before the Gundam appeared and joined us. We were just marching to our deaths, but no one was willing to point that out. We were meant to be beacons of hope for the general populace, soldiers that would win us this fucking war, but we weren't winning jack shit!
"And then… in comes Barbatos, a war machine that can win us this war. A beacon of hope for soldiers fighting a hopeless battle. I can only imagine how many lives have been saved thanks to it just being here, how many families can rest easier knowing that their sons or daughters are still alive. And you want to imagine a world without it just because it makes paperwork easier? You must be some sort of body double, cos the Levi I know would not say such a thing!"
"Fuck off, Four Eyes, I'm just speaking my mind," snapped Levi, with there being a little more heat in his voice than usual as he scowled at his fellow soldier. "That brat's good, but he still fucked up on a lot of aspects, and I'm not gonna hold back on smack talking him."
Opening her mouth, Hanji was ready to form a retort in regards to how Levi should at least try to sugarcoat his words, especially to a young man that had so little to lose at this point, though before he could do so, Erwin slammed his palms onto the table he was sitting behind and stood up so forcefully that his chair toppled behind him. Both Levi and Hanji paused at this, with them glancing over at Smith… only to pause when they saw just how annoyed he seemed to be.
Well, not annoyed. More stressed than anything.
"That is enough! There are more than enough issues for us to be dealing with at the moment, and the last thing we need is for the two of you to be bickering like children!" proclaimed Erwin, with him grimacing deeply as he spoke. In response to this, both Zoe and Ackerman nodded and reluctantly broke off from their argument, with neither having seen Smith this stressed or upset before, though the commander seemed to notice how he had been a little too harsh, as he sat back down and sighed to himself. "I apologise…"
"No, it's fine. Stress' getting to all of us, y'know? Honestly, I'm surprised you hadn't snapped at us earlier!" laughed Hanji awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck all the while. Ah… she wasn't wrong, honestly. There were a few times when Erwin had almost lost it in the past two days, be it during meetings with the other Commanders or whenever he saw a document berating him for his failings. The guy had been on the razor's edge for quite some time, and it was amazing that he only just snapped.
That aside, not much else was said between the three as Erwins sorted through the documents before him, though as the sun set, Levi himself had moved over to the sole window in the room and peered out of it, with him frowning deeply all the while.
"... the repairs for the damages on Sina are going rather smoothly, huh?" mused Levi absentmindedly, to which the other two present glanced his way, and moments later, Hanji's face fell a little more than usual as she nodded. Erwin… chose not to comment on it, as he was aware of how 30% of the Regiment Funds pumped out to repair Sina was being averted to repairing the damages dealt to it amidst the brawl between Gundam and Titan.
The final strike dealt to Annie was a devastating one, with Barbatos having dragged her up the side of Sina before slamming her back down to the ground. The impact on its own had probably overturned several buildings, but the damage to Sina itself had been the most severe.
However, the most damaged portion of the Wall had been near the apex of the structure, where a massive hole could be seen curving outwards. It was large, ugly and very much in need of repairs… but before said repairs could be underwent, many a soldier had been able to stare into the interior of the Wall…
… and from within it, something had stared back.
"... we're… not gonna like, talk about that, huh?" mused Hanji as Levi and Erwin turned to glance at her. The former didn't seem too interested in doing so, outwardly at least, but inwardly he really did wish to know what the fuck was inside these blasted Walls that were protecting them, especially after what he saw back then, though as for Erwin.
"That is an issue for another time, Hanji. For now, we must focus on rebuilding Sina and then on Mikazuki's potential execution," hummed Erwin, to which Hanji nodded solemnly. She seemed to understand his sentiment, but it didn't stop her from feeling restless about the matter. Levi, noticing this, grumbled and moved towards her, motioning for her to follow him all the while.
"Whatever. Either way, shit's currently fucked, and all we can do is watch and wait while Eyebrows unfucks it up. Best to not disturb him in the process," mused Levi as he motioned for his four eyed friend to follow him. At that, Hanji, somewhat reluctantly, left the place with him, with her giving Erwin a two fingered salute all the while. Smith seemed a little upset that they were leaving, but considering their duties and how late it currently was, he supposed it was to be expected.
A few seconds after they had left, Erwin clasped his fingers together and leaned his forehead against his knuckles, grumbling lightly all the while. His stress was reaching a boiling point by now, and unfortunately enough, he didn't have an outlet to release it. Thankfully enough, however, the Commander had enough experience in keeping his emotions suppressed, and as such, he was able to bottle up all his stress, for now, as he simply groaned, got up and leaned back away from his table.
Lolling his head off the backrest of his chair, Erwin simply sighed as he regathered his bearings and got back to work…
"Good grief…"
Mike didn't like this. Not one bit.
Two days had passed, and in those two days… not much had really happened, honestly. Nothing that was good, anyways. The decision to have Mikazuki executed had been told to him incredibly early, more so because he was the primary overseer for Augus, and when he had heard this… the Elite couldn't help but scowl at the prospect.
He… tried his best to defend Mika, but it was mostly for naught as Zachary had made his mind up by then, and there was no use trying to dissuade him. At best, Mike had only really delayed his execution, as Dalis did still wish to interrogate Mikazuki when he had woken up, whenever that would be, though after his interrogation, he would certainly have his head on the chopping board, which was… less than ideal, to say the least.
Not only that, though, but…
"Hey! Wouldn't some explosives work better in tearing this apart?"
"Do you WANT to test your luck with this monster?!"
… the MPB, the braver ones, anyways, were already here, trying to melt the Gundam down for spare parts, though considering its size, they couldn't exactly just throw it into a furnace and have it melted down. Frowning deeply as he turned towards Barbatos' slumped over form, the Elite ignored the tentage that had been formed around it and watched as a few of the soldiers made attempts at ripping into the unit's armour. The Nanolaminated paint made it resilient to their strikes, but after continuous chipping and attacks, and dozens of broken blades, the soldiers were able to break off a tiny portion of the unit's armour, just not big enough to warrant so many blades being wasted in the process.
For now, however, they would scale things back and work on breaking the Gundam down bit by bit. The method with explosives was the most viable option as of now, but considering how durable the unit was, the soldiers reckoned that they'd blow all of Sina up before they did Barbatos. By all means, Mike was glad for this, as it meant that, even if Mikazuki were to be gone, at least some part of him would remain. It was a dark way to see things but… it was the best he could offer at the moment.
Of course, there were talks of breaking it into bits with the Wall mounted cannons, though it was best not to think about that…
"They're still at it, huh?" hummed Gelgar from his spot in the compound holding Barbatos, catching Mike's attention as he turned to glance at the guy. The pompadour haired man seemed a little unease's by the efforts the MPB were putting into destroying the Gundam, but still, he supposed that they were probably taking bets on who could destroy it fastest, winner take all, and regardless of who won, the soldier wasn't looking forward to when they could tear it apart.
Right as he said that, however, the soldiers present all heard the sound of reinforced glass being shattered, and moments later, they all turned to see that a single MPB had managed to break the glass lights on the Gundam's left knee. Upon doing so, he whooped victoriously before stabbing his sword into the now exposed portion of the unit's knee and grabbed for something inside it. Mike watched as he seemed to be attempting to break it apart from the inside out, somehow…
… though right as he had reached in and grabbed a hold of a few of the unit's internal systems, the Gundam's optics abruptly blared to life, if only for a split second, unnoticed to everyone but Mike himself, and moments later, a powerful shock was sent through the MPB's body, causing him to convulse and fall from his spot on the unit's knee. Screaming out in pain, he began falling and hit the ground with a loud thump, with his body convulsing lightly as he took in several gasps of air.
The other soldiers present were all quick to rush to his aid before they ushered him out of the compound and off to get some medical attention, and before long, only Squad Mike and a few Garrison soldiers remained to guard the Gundam in its unmoving state. Raising a brow as he observed this, Mike silently wondered if that was supposed to happen… though he didn't think too much of it as he watched a Garrison soldier march up to him.
He recognised her as Rico Brzenska, a reliable young woman and a soldier that owed a lot to Barbatos and Mikazuki.
As a Garrison, regardless of her status as an Elite, Rico had been unable to get any solid information in regards to Mikazuki outside of the fact that he was, presumably, still alive. The same applied to her fellow Elites, Ian and Mitabi, and it seemed to be riling them up. They did have an out in this situation, however, and it came in the form of Mike. Brzenska seemed to have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to approach him, and seeing as how the MPB soldiers were all in a panic as they tried to get their comrade some medical treatment (with some of them thinking that Barbatos was attacking them and fleeing, funnily enough), Rico reckoned that now was a good enough time to approach her fellow soldier.
"Mike," greeted Rico as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the aforementioned man, who nodded.
"Rico," echoed Mike, and at that, she continued.
"Regarding the boy…"
"Last I checked, he is well. Just unconscious. That fight must've taken a lot out of him."
"... that's a relief. In truth, I had expected them to kill him whilst he was still unconscious."
The worry behind Rico's words was apparent. They hadn't much of a chance when it came to interacting directly with one another, but Brzenska still owed the pilot her life after he had not only assisted in retaking Trost, but also in saving the lives of her fellow Garrison Elite. The least she could've done was worry for him…
"They will not. Even if the MPB are irrationally wary of him, they are still keen on learning more about his Gundam before they have him executed."
"Executed…?! That's… news to me."
"Yes. It is, and I hope it stays with you and no one else. Outside of perhaps Ian and Mitabi, at least."
"... it is an irrational move."
"People tend to do stupid things when scared, and the MPB are terrified of the potential Barbatos holds."
"Even after it proved itself during the Trost incident?"
"Especially after it proved itself back then. It proved itself stronger than any soldier on the battlefield, and such raw and uncontrollable strength poses a threat to the way of life within Sina."
"So the higher ups want to snuff out both man and machine to maintain the status quo? How pathetic… can we do nothing to stop this?"
"We have tried. But the Tribunal does not care. Even Zachary has started to see Mikazuki and Barbatos as a liability to all of us."
"He… approved of his execution and the Gundam's termination?!"
"... yes…"
"I… I see…"
"..."
"..."
Not much else was said between the two as they went back to their usual silence, with Rico silently fuming at the decision made by Dhalis while Mike stood in silent acceptance. Staring up at Barbatos, Zacharius clenched one of his fists tightly to the point of having his knuckles whitening as he held back a scowl. Mikazuki and Barbatos had underperformed… that in itself was clear to him… but with that being said, Mike still found it hard to blame them completely for this.
No man was an island, after all, and even with something as fantastical as Barbatos under his belt, Mikazuki could only do so much on his own. The Survey Corps, whilst having trusted him, might have relied just a little too much on him during the expedition, with a good chunk of Erwin's plan to capture Annie back then having hinged almost solely on the Gundam rather than the strength of the entire formation as a whole. Zacharius had turned a blind eye to this back in the meeting room all those months back, with him having complete faith in Smith back then, but now that the results were out, he couldn't help but frown at his superior's decisions.
Hindsight was always perfect, he supposed. Perhaps he should've been a little more vocal during those meetings. If he altered the plan, if only by a little… he could've probably changed this outcome. Gah… no point in thinking about that now, he reckoned. What-ifs were not a part of Mike's forte, and looking back wasn't either. He'd just march onwards without regret, for that was what a Survey Corp was to do.
"Uh, Captain… sir?"
Blinking a little as he snapped out of his trance-like state, Mike turned to see a Garrison soldier standing behind him with an awkward look on his face. Rico turned towards him and raised a brow, and at that, they looked at each other. Both herself and Mike were at the rank of Captain, so they had no idea who he was referring to, and upon noticing this, the younger soldier gulped and pointed at Mike, who grunted, a sign for him to continue speaking.
"Uh… we managed to subdue a junior soldier-"
"Was it Nac Tias again…?"
"... yes sir."
"... take me to him."
"... yes sir…"
And without another word, Mike Zacharius, growing somewhat annoyed at how this was the third time in two days, followed the younger Garrison soldier onwards as he led him to where they were holding Nac Tias once more.
Sup. It's me again.
Nothing fancy to say. Just that I'm back from the hiatus. Not including the deleted Update chapter, it's been just about... three months since I updated this story? Probably around there. Either way, I do apologise for the delay, I had been suffering from burnout from writing so much that I needed to take a step away for a bit and relax.
And by relax, I mean that I played games a lot and did some massive updates for some old chapters. The updates haven't been published yet, and they won't really affect the story outside of some very minor elements, so there's that. I actually wasn't planning on posting this chapter until I had an entire lineup of Tekketsu No Kyojin chapters to post back-to-back, but Renn told me to post what I have, so I did just that! The chapter that comes after this one is about 70% done by now though so no worries.
Either way, this chapter marks the start of the Clash of the Titans arc in AOT. It won't start right away, and I can confirm that the next couple of chapters will be a little slow, especially after what the previous (non-Halloween) chapter was like. Hopefully ya'll don't mind.
Considering how this is the first actual chapter of 2023, I reckon I oughta say happy new year, but it's February now so... it doesn't really work. Happy New Years regardless. A new year comes with new prospects... and one of those many prospects includes a shift in how I'll be doing my stories. Nothing major is going to change, but there are still some things of note.
Firstly, I should mention that I have an AO3 account. I've mentioned it before in past chapters, but I didn't mention how there are a few AO3 exclusive stories on there. The titles can be found on my profile, but they're, for the most part, crack-fics. There are also a lot of cross-posts from here, so if you wanna read any of my shiz on AO3, well, now you can!
Secondly, I should address the deletion of one of my other stories, Hell's Iron Blooded Assistant. I sort of underestimated how popular that one got, and me deleting it out of the blue was probably a bad move on my part. In truth, I just had no idea how to continue that story. Me writing it had been a spur of the moment thing all the way back in like 2017, and my writing style was much worse back then. I tried updating it, but it was just so tedious and... dare I say... unfun. I write these stories because I think it's fun to do so, and editing and writing new chapters for HIBA was just not fun. Then there's also the case of the actual show not coming out for so long. My interest in Hazbin Hotel was strong at first, but after three years of silence from the series, I've long since moved on. Will HIBA make a comeback one day? Possibly, if the series proper, which will apparently be revealed this year maybe(?), catches my interest the same way the Pilot did so long ago... but for now, that story is dead to me. It might get a reupload on AO3, but don't hold your breath on it.
Thirdly, I've more or less decided to stop with review replies. It's a personal thing but I get anxious when responding to people, so for my own sake I'm axing that portion from my stories from here on out. So... yeah.
That's more or less everything I wanted to cover, honestly.
Hey, have you heard of Persona 5? Or Persona 5 Royal? Or maybe even Persona 5 Strikers?
They're cool games.
Would be crazy if like.
I wrote a fanfiction on them.