"He's … dead?"
"Are your ears screwed on tight enough? If I say he's dead, he's dead."
The man wearing a long, brown cloak dipped his head. He – Lucas – stared at the boots moving in tandem with his companion as they stepped down a dimly lit passageway. Lucas was a decent enough comrade; smart, but not too smart. Trustworthy, but not entirely trusted. He was exactly the sort of pawn needed for the game being played.
"I can't believe the king is dead," Lucas said.
"Real pity," Kenny said. He brought a cigarette to his lips, pulling a box of matches from his pocket. "The man was beside himself in grief over the news of his daughter passing. Spoke nothin' but nonsense before his brains were blown out."
"Historia … she was … the only other one …" Rod Reiss has said. The man had been curled up on the floor as he bawled. It was clear not a single tear was shed for the sake of his daughter. It was for the sake of himself; the sake of taking on a burden he didn't wish to bear.
"No one else can do it … Only members from the Reiss household have the ability to truly utilize the Founding Titan …"
Bullshit.
The wretched display had turned Kenny's stomach. He'd felt a little better after putting Rod Reiss out of his misery and setting the remote cabin ablaze in his wake.
"Keep this safe," Kenny said. He removed a rectangular object from under his cloak. Lucas accepted it, inspecting the wooden box which looked similar to what a noble lady would use to store jewelry.
"If anyone opens that box other than me," Kenny said. "They're dead, got it?"
Lucas nodded, tucking the box away. The pair turned a corner and the tunnel was washed in a yellow glow. Stretched out before them was the Underground, a series of squat beige structures broken up by the occasional tower and massive stalagmite formations. Lights of gold and green lit up the streets, a haze filling the air from the lantern smoke slowly drifting up to seep through the miniscule cracks somewhere in the darkness above. The sight of Kenny's home would be more welcome if the whole place didn't reek of stale piss.
"I'm going to send a messenger to alert the nobles about the king," Lucas said. He kept his pace with Kenny as they began to descend a twisting set of stairs leading into the city. "In the meantime, we've come across something we know you'll want to see."
"Is it information on where the Jaeger brat is?" Kenny asked. He expelled a puff of smoke in irritation. The Scouts had done a fine job covering their tracks when they took him outside the city. A few weeks had gone by without even so much as a glean to where they were located.
"No, we're still working on finding his location," Lucas said. His eyes narrowed. "But we've found something else."
Kenny tipped the brim of his hat to several residents as he stepped through the streets. Various hand gestures were thrown his way; more than a few implying he smelled of roses. Considering how common it was to compare the scent of roses to a nobleman's shit, the gesture was shared as more of a playful jab than a compliment. Kenny returned these signals with vulgar messages of his own paired with a grin.
A door to a nondescript square building opened wide. Kenny stepped in, immediately noting the home's entryway and connecting hallway were completely vacant.
"Where is everyone?" Kenny asked. "This some dimwitted attempt at a set up?"
"No, Captain," Lucas said. He slowly reached for something within his robes. He held up a brass key a moment later. "No one feels … comfortable staying in the house at the moment. Open the last door on the left and you'll see why."
"So, you're just leadin' me head-first into danger?" Kenny asked.
"I know you're fond of surprises, Captain."
A wicked grin grew on Kenny's face. "You ain't wrong about that. This better be a good one, cuz I'll slice you up for the meat market if there's anything unsatisfactory on the other side of that door."
Lucas dipped his head with a grin. "Understood."
A whistle twisted from Kenny's lips as he walked the length of the hallway. He paused as he reached his destination, listening at the door. The silence prompted him to slide the key into the lock and turn the handle. He allowed the door to swing open, taking in the sparsely decorated room. His eyes narrowed at the figure huddled against the corner. Despite being bound and gagged, the figure stared at Kenny with an intensity that would send a shiver down the spine of anyone else.
"Well, shit," Kenny said. He beamed, tilting up his hat. "You ain't the Jaeger boy, but you're a fine enough consolation prize."
The door closed at his back, Kenny sticking his hands in his pockets. He sauntered across the room in a casual manner before squatting in front of the figure. "I can see why my men weren't too keen on hangin' around."
Kenny looked the figure up and down in the dim lamplight. His gaze landed on the grim nature of his prisoner's face. "Looks like you've been down here for a while before my men picked you up. Your clothes are torn to shit and you seem half-starved. But … you faced all those soldiers up there comin' down on you and gave 'em the slip. You're mighty resourceful for a monster."
A flash of panic behind the eyes of the young man confirmed he knew that Kenny was well aware of who he was. There may've been some doubt before; it'd been a few weeks since the attack on Stohess, and during the gap this brat had probably survived down here by slipping coins out of pockets or food from behind vendor's backs. It was possible he'd thought that he'd crossed the wrong person and was to be punished with a loss of a hand for the transgression. That would've been preferable over being discovered and returned to the surface.
"Maybe I'll do the right thing and hand you over to the higher ups," Kenny said. His smile stretched into something unnatural.
"Or maybe I won't. Let's see if we're willing to help each other out, huh?"
"Do you think you can trust him?"
"Of course not," Reiner said. "I'm not a fool."
"No … just a traitor."
"I didn't ask for your opinion," Reiner said. He sat at a small table with a book that'd been almost immediately abandoned. The room was empty, but something hovered in the corner of Reiner's eye. It was always there, day and night. Awake or asleep. Whether he was running or sitting idle. Always.
Kenny had offered Reiner a deal. The two of them would work together in order to get what they want.
'You need the power of the Titan within that Jaeger brat, yeah?' Kenny had said. 'As it just so happens, I'm after that myself and have the means to take it. I've got no real love for this place; I'd be willin' to go along with you to wherever it was you came from if offered the right price. The power of Eren Jaeger's Titan will be in the palm of your hand if you set up a meeting with me and the fella you say is waitin' out there for you at the outer wall.'
There was a plan in place to capture Eren and bring him to the Underground. After Kenny obtained his power, he and his men would assist Reiner in freeing Bertholdt then getting outside Wall Rose. The next step would be …
Meeting with Zeke at Wall Maria. It's been so long now … will he have been waiting all this time? Would more backup from Marley have arrived? No – they wouldn't risk sending regular soldiers by ground nor air into unknown territory.
"It sounds like you've been abandoned."
"You don't know anything!" Reiner said, pounding his fist on the table. Pain shot behind his eyes. It had been there since the day he narrowly escaped capture, running blindly through the burning streets of Stohess until tumbling down a set of stairs. He'd found himself back within the tunnel system. All he could do was keep running – going deeper and deeper until the darkness nearly suffocated him. After a few hours he'd been certain the abyss he'd found himself in would be his grave. It wasn't until he felt a light breeze did Reiner have an inkling of hope. That hope turned into a light, then that light turned into the hazy glow of the Underground.
"Kenny plays the act of a jester, but he's far from one," the voice said. Every word caused Reiner's head to pound.
"He's eluded military capture for decades. A man with his desire to be free won't submit to the will of your homeland; if he even goes with you at all. He'll turn on you once he feels he can take your power for himself."
"Then why hasn't he done it?" Reiner asked. His eyes slid up to stare at the closed door. It wasn't locked; Reiner had full freedom to roam about the house Kenny had offered him as a gift. The caveat had been staying inside and out of sight. This seemed reasonable enough to avoid attention from the Military Police, but it was clear Kenny was also using it as a means to keep Reiner under his thumb.
"Kenny appears to have an obsession with the power Eren Jaeger possesses," the voice said. It felt like there was a presence standing over Reiner's shoulder. He could nearly make out a figure if he didn't look at it directly.
"If all Kenny wants is to sow chaos …" the voice continued. "... then sacrificing you would do. What is it about Eren that makes him so desirable?"
Reiner picked up a noise toward the front of the house. He rose from his seat, crossing the small room to open the door. A man with a short beard and shaggy blond hair came running down the hall. The impression Reiner had picked up of the man, Lucas, was that he was Kenny's main point of contact in the Underground. He'd also picked up the man was generally calm and collected; the current state of his companion made alarm bells go off in his head.
"Kenny is dead," Lucas said as he caught his breath. "The Military Police will be here soon. Follow me if you want to avoid being captured."
Lucas picked up a few items around the house. Knives from a drawer were tucked up his sleeves. A panel in the floorboards came loose to reveal a purse of coins. The pocket Lucas wanted to place the purse in within his cloak was already occupied; a rectangular wooden box being set on a table as the money was tucked away. Lucas mumbled something under his breath, briefly opening the box to study its contents before snapping it closed.
"Let's go," Lucas said, shoving the box in a pants pocket. His hand curled around the door handle to the back door. That was the farthest Lucas made it toward leaving the house.
"A-ah!"
A knife piercing his temple caused Lucas to crumple in a heap. His cloak was quickly removed to avoid it being soaked with more blood.
"I was hoping you'd have this on you," Reiner said. He pulled out the rectangular box before flipping it open. Inside were two empty syringes and a collection of vials. The two largest vials held a silver-blue liquid which appeared to shimmer with their own light. His fingers slid over the glass before he pulled back his hand and snapped the box closed.
"What is your plan now?"
"Nothing has changed," Reiner said. He wrapped Lucas's cloak around his shoulders. Lucas had a close enough build that with the hood up, anyone watching from a distance would believe it was the same person exiting the nondescript house as who'd entered the moment before. Kenny may've been dead; that didn't mean all the prying eyes attached to him were as well.
"I'm going to capture Eren and bring him to Marley." The hood of the brown cloak masked Reiner's face in shadow. He stepped over Lucas's body and strode out the back door. "Now it just looks like I'll have to do it alone."
"To learn the true history of humanity and where we came from … To look upon the faces of the peoples outside our walls … I've never imagined it so close within reach."
"Offer me your help," Reiner said, turning a corner to head down a dark alleyway. "And we'll be there even sooner."
A squadron of Military Police soldiers flew overhead. Reiner entered the main road, continuing to walk in a casual manner.
"Alright," the voice said. "This dream of mine … I'll do what I must to make it a reality."
The lock to the house had been easy enough to pick. There had also been little trouble sneaking down the quiet hallway and opening the door to Conny's room unnoticed. His former comrade had kicked and clawed at Reiner's arms when the chloroform-soaked cloth was placed over his face. He went still soon after.
Erwin's bedroom had been empty. The former Commander was found standing by the window of his study. He tilted his head as the door swung open.
"Reiner Braun," Erwin said. "I figured there was a chance you were still here within our walls."
Reiner's eyes narrowed. "How were you able to tell it was me?"
"I'm not as blind as I appear."
"I'm not as blind as I appear," Erwin said. "At least in a sense others don't consider."
Reiner stepped into the room. He took Erwin's words to heart by remaining on high alert. His hands hovered over the guns at his side.
"I feel I've gained some insight concerning who you are at your core," Erwin said. The bandages over Erwin's eyes didn't stop Reiner from feeling like he was being dissected little by little. "For a short time, I experienced what it was like to have a power no man should wield. I can see how it could be intoxicating … I find it interesting how you detest it."
Erwin lifted his chin. "Or, rather …"
"You detest yourself."
"You detest yourself."
The two voices in tandem made Reiner feel like his head was about to burst. He bared his teeth as his hands formed into fists. "You know … nothing about me. Nothing about any of this."
"You couldn't have gone without detection within Sina for this long on your own," Erwin said. "I assume you're working for a certain group who's been hard to trace. We have pieces of the puzzle, but haven't yet put it all together. Whoever they are have connections to both the nobility and the Underground. It's a combination I haven't encountered before; I wonder why they decided to ally with you instead of taking you prisoner."
Reiner stepped forward in a cautious manner. It was almost comical how on edge he felt over the idea of turning his back to a blind man. He reached the desk at the center of the room, pulling open a middle drawer and tossing aside the stacks of paper within. He ran a hand over the smooth wood.
Slight pressure caused a false bottom of the drawer to pop off. The piece of wood and the series of papers that came with it became acquainted with the carpet. His hand roved over the bottom of the drawer again, this time finding a small latch. The latch caused a much narrower chunk of wood to come free. A scroll fell into Reiner's hand.
"How did you know …" Erwin said, his collected demeanor slipping. "… there was another false bottom to that drawer?"
Reiner straightened. He opened the scroll, finding the plans for the Scout's next excursion outside Wall Rose. He scanned the information for a moment before tucking the scroll into his cloak.
"Over and over," Reiner said. "Over and over and over I heard your voice telling me every mistake I've made. How everything … Everything I do is wrong. However, I came to an agreement with the piece of you left within me. He's offering his help for a chance to learn everything there is about humanity beyond the walls."
The former commander appeared genuinely unsettled. A weak smile slowly grew on his face. "Is that so? To think … I was capable of such a thing. Although I must question how much of the person you speak of really is myself."
"Enough to tell me where I could find you, and where you have valuable information hidden away," Reiner said. He raised the gun at his hip from the holster. "Even without advice, I know leaving you alive would be a detriment to Marley."
"Move."
Reiner ducked to the side as Erwin pulled a pistol from behind his back. The shot would've pierced Reiner's skull had he been any slower. He pulled the trigger in his hand, a much louder bang causing the windows to rattle.
Erwin's back hit the wall. The hole in his stomach left a bright red trail down the wood paneling as he slid to the floor. His breath grew labored as blood flowed between his fingers. Reiner took in the sight for a moment, wondering if the former commander had ever considered how this would be the way he'd meet his end. A cane, night clothes, and a wound from a gunshot replaced ODM gear, a uniform, and a Titan bite. On top of it all … Erwin couldn't even see any of it.
"I wonder … how much I should mourn," Erwin said, his voice a soft wheeze. He tilted his head back as if taking in a landscape only he could see. "My dream is only dying in part. However, the piece of me that gets to realize it is the one I'm most ashamed of. It's the selfish hunger I was barely able to chain back with my sense of duty for humanity. Without that restraint, what will … I become?"
The rise and fall of Erwin's chest stilled. A palm coated in red slipped from his lap. A solemn nature filled the room. Reiner moved forward in a mechanically slow fashion, kneeling to position Erwin flat on his back. He placed Erwin's arm over his chest, fingers curled into a fist to form a salute.
You're gone, aren't you? Reiner thought. The lack of an answer from his subconscious confirmed his hunch.
Were the two of you still connected? Or was the shock of watching yourself die too much?
Reiner would never know the answer. All he knew for sure was that he was truly alone, and Erwin's dream was truly dead.
