Verity
"State the reason for leaving HQ premise," a bored monotonous voice of the on-guard soldier sounded.
I froze, feeling as though caught by a knife to my throat. Swallowing hard, I turned to look at him. The sun shone bright, and the heated stones of the pavement radiated with blazing hot air, making the guard look miserable. He had a wet cloth draped over his head, slightly steaming under the sun. I squared my shoulders and tried to copy his tired tone: "Day off from duty. I planned on drowning myself in a pint of ice-cold beer."
"Damn," he sighed, closing his eyes dreamily for a second. "No point in rubbing it my face, you know." I smiled as he waved me off. Moving past him, I picked up my pace as the scout's castle started to draw farther.
That went easier than I thought.
The road to the closest town didn't take long, but I was drenched in sweat when I finally reached the correct pub. Stopping abruptly, I turned, swiping my braid from my face and fixing my shirt as I carefully looked behind, watching the street and lazy pedestrians. I could not shake the stinging feeling of someone watching my back. It made my skin crawl and my breath hitch at every moving shadow. But when I didn't see anything suspicious, I finally entered the stuffed, gloomy room of the pub and looked around, hoping to see a familiar face. My gaze stopped at the lonely figure on the farthest side of the room, sitting around the small table and facing away from the door and toward the side window. I stepped closer, and the person turned at the sound of my footsteps. Recognition sent a relaxing, warm wave of relief down my spine, and I took a seat, trying to keep my emotions from my face.
"Took you long enough," grumbled Kenny taking a sip of his beer. I shifted and put my satchel on the table between us.
"I am sorry, but I've brought all you asked." Kenny looked at me from behind his mug, and then the crow's feet around his eyes deepened as he smiled, lowering his drink.
"Happy to hear that, kid. You did well."
My heart warmed at the praise, and I opened my bag, getting the stack of notes and documents out. I pushed them toward Kenny and removed the beg, releasing the nervous breath I didn't know I held. He took the papers and twisted them in a roll, hiding them in the inner packet of his long trench coat. How he was still wearing it in this weather – was beyond me. But Kenny was simply Kenny. He was strong and unrelenting, his decisions – sharp and well thought out. He wouldn't do anything if it didn't mean winning.
"What's with that titan boy?" He asked, taking another drink. I frowned, not liking that I didn't have an answer.
"Don't know yet. He is shackled to the wall in one of our dungeons. I didn't hear anything regarding what they plan on doing with him."
"Our dungeons?" Kenny lifted his brows, and I froze, shocked by the slip of my tongue. When I didn't answer for a few moments, he spoke again but in a much harsher tone: "I hope you didn't forget your promise to me. Because the only thing I hate more than failure is treachery."
I lowered my gaze, feeling angry at myself for upsetting him. My eyes stung, and I bit my lower lip, refusing to show emotion, which would only make him angrier. "I didn't. I never will."
"Good," he said, searching my face for a moment before nodding and leaning back. "New task. I need you to keep an eye on that titan boy. There will be a court held tomorrow, and I'm having serious doubts that MPs, being the stupid bunch they are, will convince Darius Zackly to give us the boy. So, this falls on your slender shoulders. Watch him and send me reports on all his movements. You can keep using our old mail code. I don't think it's been breached yet."
I nodded, clenching my hands into fists.
The Walls would fall before I betrayed Kenny's trust in me.
Levi
The clunking of chains did nothing to ease my gut. I stared at the unconscious boy strapped to the bed, feeling almost as shitty as the last time I'd been in the dungeons.
When I scared the shit out of an innocent girl…
"Do we have to keep him like this?" I asked Erwin, leaning on the stone wall across the boy's cell. Erwin gave me a once over and looked away, watching closely as the soldiers locked up the cell door and, saluting, went away. I huffed, watching them leave, and crossed my hands across my chest.
"We don't know what he is capable of. Not just yet," Erwin finally replied, stepping closer to the bars.
"What is your goal here exactly?" I asked, watching him from the corner of my eye. He sighed and dipped his head, never moving his gaze from Eren.
"He is priceless. If we can control him, this could be the beginning of a new era for humanity. We can take back what has been taken from us." His voice shifted to that dreamy state I hated so much. I would call him delusional, except he hasn't been wrong before. And if he believed that this boy could help humanity, I might as well trust his guts.
"You want to give him to me?" I asked, shifting my gaze to the unconscious form lying on the rough linen sheets strapped over a naked wooden bed frame - no mattress.
"Yes. You are the only one who can deal with him if… If something goes wrong."
"You mean I'm the only one capable of slaughtering a teenage boy going berserk?" I practically spit, a sour taste filling my mouth.
"It's not what I said, but yes. He can be a danger to everyone around him, and I need someone capable of keeping him on a leash."
"On a leash? You are aware he is a human being, right?"
"Is he now?" Erwin turned to me, and his questioning gaze shone with an early triumph. I looked away, unwilling to step into his trap. "We don't know what he is, but if we can control him, he can play an invaluable part in our liberation." I opened my mouth to ask whether "liberation" was what Erwin really strived for when he held up his finger, silencing me. "I know what you are about to say, and I ask you not to. We have the same goal, Levi. I know you've had concerns about my decisions before but trust me when I say this – I know what I'm doing. I have a hunch that tells me this is the right move."
"Was it also the hunch that forced a previous addition on my team?" I said in a low voice, lingering on the verge of a growl. Erwin's expression changed, and interest glistened in his eyes.
"And I was not wrong, judging from your expression." I ground my teeth, feeling the all-too-familiar anger spike and heat up my blood. I stared at Erwin, incapable of speech, and soon he relented, sighing deeply. "It was a hunch, just as much as this one is. But you can't argue that we need this boy on our side. Are you not willing to take responsibility for him?"
"You know I am," I spit out, pushing off the wall and facing the corridor.
"Then do your best at keeping him and the girl I forced on you in check."
Verity
The whispering of the crowd made me sick. Mainly because I could see the disgust in the faces of the Military Police officers standing in the aisle across from mine. I gulped, watching the familiar face of one of the commanders from Kenny's meeting go furious when his eyes met mine. I looked away, unable to deal with the anger peppered with just a touch of fear that left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Instead, I started studying people in the Scout's row. My team was spread to the left of me, standing shoulder to shoulder, and after them, Hange's team closed the row. Right in front of me was the Captain, and I flinched every time he moved – I couldn't help but expect him to turn and burn me with that cold gaze of his at any given moment. To his left stood the Commander, looking calm and imperious even, as though he owned this room and everyone in it. To his left, I noticed Commander Pyxis of the Garrison. I'd never met him in person before, but it was impossible not to know the faces of the Commanders. He was leaning to the small ginger girl on his left, whispering in her ear and nodding, when she responded. The other side of the first raw was occupied by other Scout's squad leads, but Hange was nowhere to be found. To my surprise, it made me upset that she wasn't there. I felt strangely protected when she was around, even though she did nothing else but mock me, talk about titans, and ask personal questions, that I couldn't answer, no matter how much I wanted to.
On the furthest side, to my right, stood the recruits. They seemed nervous and uncomfortable, and I couldn't blame them. My friend wasn't on trial, yet I felt just the same. The sole idea of being chained to the post that stuck out of the polished marble floor of the courtroom made me sick. The empty judge's bench stood to the left and at the opposite side of the entrance. I followed the intricately carved linen patterns on the front with my gaze, marvelling at the woodwork. A gavel was disgracefully thrown on the pedestal as though it didn't mean life and death for some of us.
The main doors opened with a creak, and a following bang as the wood hit the stone-clad walls of the courtroom sounded. The buzzing of voices stopped as everyone's gazes fixed on the slender figure being escorted through by the two soldiers. The boy looked young and somewhat dazed, as if he didn't understand what was happening. The soldiers guided him to the post and commanded him to kneel. When he obeyed, they thrust the metal pole through the chains, restraining his hands at his back and fixing him in place. He wiggled in his manacles uselessly, studying the limits on his movement and then glanced around the room. His gaze jumped from face to face until it stopped on the recruits, and something akin to shock marred his features.
My observations were cut short when the judge's door squealed, and the tall, grey-haired man walked in. He removed his jacket and took a seat, rolling up his shirt sleeves.
"All right, shall we begin?" he said in a disinterested voice as he picked up a piece of paper, studying it for a moment before speaking again. "Your name is Eren Yeager, and as a soldier, you've sworn to give up your life when called to for the good of the people. Is that correct?" He didn't even wait for the answer as he continued: "As an enlisted soldier during the time of war, military doctrine demands your tribunal be held as a court-martial. As Commander of our forces, this matter is left to my discretion. Thus, I will decide if you live or die. Any objections?"
"No sir", Eren said, dazed.
"Your astuteness is appreciated. Let us proceed."
The movement on the upper floor piqued my attention, and I watched as Hange walked it with her second in command. She looked serious, and my insides turned at her expression. I studied her face, my mind racing a million thoughts an hour. Did this court matter, really? Other than this boy's life, of course. I didn't know him; hence I didn't care about his fate outside Kenny's request. But if this meant something else, something I was missing, then…
"… The Military Police or the Scout Regiment. To begin, The Military Police will now present your case," the judge's voice broke through my thoughts, and I stared at the opposite row.
"Thank you. My name is Nile Dawk; I am the Commander of the Military Police. Our recommendation following a thorough examination of his physiology: subject Eren Yeager should be disposed of immediately," his strained professional voice made me flinch. It didn't sound as though he was speaking about a person. No. You could have fooled me, telling me he discussed the ODM gas supply.
"As the Commander of Survey Corp, I, Erwin Smith, propose the following: let Eren join our ranks. Reinstate him as a full member of the Scouts, and we will utilize his titan ability to retake Wall Maria. That is all," Commander's voice, no matter the same emotionless tone, sounded passionate and trustworthy. I watched Captain Levi shift in front of me, and I stared at his back. Did he feel uncomfortable with the Commander's words? Or was it something else?
Did it even matter?
The argument broke, and I watched as a Priest started to yell at a merchant, practically spitting in his face with emotion. As I battled the disgust roiling my stomach, the judge turned to one of the recruits, and the girl answered: "Yes, that's all true," the gasps erupted around the room, and I felt lost for a moment, missing what exactly was discussed. "However, he also saved my life twice before, and in each circumstance, he was using his titan ability. I implore you to take this into consideration."
"Objection. I have a reason to believe that personal feelings play a large part in her testimony. Mikasa Ackerman was orphaned at a young age and was subsequently taken in by the Yeager family. Moreover, our investigation showed that Mikasa and Eren, at the tender age of nine, dealt with three adult kidnapers by stabbing all of them to death." People started to whisper, and I just stared at Eren, who watched the Commander of the MPs speaking, grinding his teeth. A quick stabbing pain pierced my chest. Their story was too familiar and yet too foreign. Images flooded my mind, memories I desperately tried to erase, to no avail.
"Mommy, Daddy is not moving. Mommy!"
I could practically feel how warm the dampened fabric of his tunic felt, and the metal smell of blood in the air twisted my stomach. Disgusting, even though it was my father's blood. My mom didn't cry. She didn't even fight once they killed him. She fell to her knees and stared at his bleeding body, immobile and unresponsive.
"Mommy," I sobbed, shaking daddy, hoping to get him to wake up – needing him to – when a pair of rough hands tore me away, and a dirty sack was shoved onto my head. It was moist and smelled like rot. I gagged and pushed against my kidnapper, trying to escape his hold. I twisted and wiggled, throwing my hands and legs at anything and nothing. But they only laughed.
"Don't fight, baby. Please, just… I need you to survive. Live, Verie," my mom's voice made me freeze, and I went limp, obeying her command primarily out of shock at her words than her begging.
Live, Verie.
Those wretched words decided my fate back then in that small country cottage I'd called home. And I, smeared in my dad's blood, and biting my lip so as not to let out a wail, pushing at my chest from inside, made a silent promise to my mother. I would live. No matter what.
My story didn't go as theirs, no. No one came to help. Not then, not for the ten years I'd spent in the Underground, praying for the suffering to end, cutting myself and hoping that the cuts were deep enough to stop it all for good. Not until Kenny.
"You leave her out of this," Eren yelled, bringing me back and out of my memories. "Stop it. You are all wrong. About it all. But you are so intent on pushing selfish agendas you are blind to what's in front of you. What does it even matter what I'm saying? None of you has ever seen a titan, so why are you so afraid, huh?"
His words stroked something deep within me that I didn't want to be touched. Has Kenny even seen a titan before sending me on this mission? Have his accomplices? Did he know what he was sending me into?
"There is no sense in having power if you are not going to use it to fight. If you are too scared to fight for your lives, fine. Let me do it! You are all cowards! Just shut up and put all your faith in me!" Eren screamed, and the walls vibrated with his voice. I cringed, getting annoyed at his stupidity. Who would act like that in a trial that was deciding if they were dangerous or not? Making everyone angry at his words was the dumbest thing to do. It looked as though he wanted it to end badly.
The Captain moved then, and I stared in surprise as he jumped over the dark wooden railing and into the courtroom's centre. He neared Eren, who didn't even seem to notice his approach. And then, with a painfully-familiar twist of his body, Captain kicked. His booted foot hit Eren across the face, and his head flew in the other direction. Drops of blood sprayed, marring the reflecting surface of the white marble. My own side hurt at the impact – the kick he gave me in the last training was still too vivid in my memory. I watched Captain pull Eren forward by the hair and then kick him in the face with his knee. It continued, hit after hit. Eren kept spitting blood on the floor, unable to protect himself. I was frozen, battling between applauding Captain and feeling disgusted at his actions.
"You know, personally, I think nothing instils discipline like pain. You don't need a good talking-to. What you are in need of, boy, is to be taught a lesson. And you happen to be in a good kicking position," Captain said, hitting Eren again, making him slump on the post and lower to the ground.
"Now hold on, Levi," the Commander of the MPs interjected, and Captain stopped, grabbing Eren by the hair and jerking his head up.
"What is it?"
"It's dangerous. What if he gets angry and turns into a titan?" The voice of the MP's Commander quivered, and I couldn't help but smirk.
"Don't be silly. After all, you guys just want to dissect him, don't you?" I stared at the changing faces of the MP soldiers, who couldn't look away from all the blood spilt across the floor. When they looked upon the Captain with eyes full of new-found obedience, their terrified faces made me sickly happy.
"Sir, I have a proposition," the Commander of Survey Corp shouted, and the whole room froze, looking at him." Eren Yeager will be placed under Captain Levi's supervision, and we will conduct a recon mission outside the Walls. And if Eren successfully controls his ability, he will have proven his value to mankind."
"And he will be closely supervised?" asked the judge, leaning on a table.
"I can definitely kill him if it comes to that. The only downside is there is no middle ground," answered the Captain, releasing Eren's head and turning to the judge.
"Then I've made my choice."
Levi
The heated air of the streets didn't do much to calm my mind, but it was better than being stuck inside and listening to Hange fuss around Eren like a mama bee.
My body didn't hurt, yet it felt wrong after what I'd done at Erwin's command. I knew it was necessary, but the aftertaste it left made me want to find a bottle of liquor that I knew wouldn't help. I took a deep breath, focusing on the cold touch of the stones at my back, as I heard footsteps nearing. Opening my eyes, I looked to my right, watching Verity stop at the entryway, breathing in as though she was starved for the fresh air, just like I was. I watched her for a moment, a sickening feeling twisting my stomach. When she turned, noticing me looking, I didn't break my gaze, staring at her until she shifted uneasily and looked away.
"Captain," her voice was barely above a whisper. And I felt anger build inside me once more. Was she afraid of me? She had the right to be. But for some reason, it only made me furious to realize that she, indeed, was.
I pushed off the wall and stepped closer, watching her panicked gaze jump around as she sensed my nearness. "Where were you this morning?" I asked, watching her face closely. She had to know I was aware of her every move. No matter that I felt ashamed for what transpired in the dungeons, I could still feel this pull toward her that told me something was up and that I shouldn't leave her out of my sight.
"I went into the town. I thought I had a day off duty," she answered, still avoiding my gaze, which only made me angrier somehow.
My hands clenched into fists, and I fought my voice to sound reasonable as I asked: "Doing what?"
She looked at me then, her dark eyes like swirling pools of the abyss. She perked her lower lip, as she did when she was annoyed – and I was surprised I'd even recognized that. "Walking around, shopping, getting a drink. I was unaware I had to give a full report on my days off."
I ground my teeth at her insubordination, and when I was about to say something I would probably later regret, a cheerful voice sounded, interrupting me: "Now that's an interesting scenery."
Hange walked through the doors and stopped a few steps behind Verity on the stone porch, looking smug.
"Are you done babysitting Eren? Did you make sure he can use the toilet properly?"
Hange smirked and nodded enthusiastically as if my question was anything but sarcastic: "He will be fine. The tooth you broke has already regrown, and the bruises are disappearing at an unfathomable speed." She glanced between us then, and the quirk of her lips turned somewhat vicious. "What are you chatting about here, all secretive?"
I rolled my eyes and crossed my hands on my chest. "I was just asking Verity why she left the premise of the HQ this morning when there was a clear order on my part for her to stay within the grounds."
"It's not true," she exclaimed suddenly, surprising me. My brows knitted at her reaction, but she quickly recoiled, looking away and hunching over. "I was not made aware that there was a restriction upon my movements."
"Dear Walls, you two sound like a bad drama book," Verity and I both swirled around to look at Hange. She just shrugged, stepping around us and starting down the stairs. "I just can't recall any other team lead – soldier pairing that caused so many issues, is all."
"What the fuck does that supposed to mean?" I growled, watching Hange's retreating form. She turned and, continuing to walk backwards, gave me a wink. The muscles in my jaw twitched, and Hange laughed at my expression, dismissively waving her hand in the air.
"Never mind me, just try not to kill each other, 'kay?"
I clenched my hands into fists. I could feel the blood pulsing in my temple and my hold on my temper slipping. I turned to face Verity. She was still watching Hange walk away; it was the first time I saw anger smeared across her features. The corners of her mouth turned down, making her lower lip stand out more, and her nose pinched as a deep line lay between her brows. She took small, fast breaths and for some reason looking at her in this state made my anger quiet down ever so slightly.
"I wasn't aware I couldn't leave the grounds, Captain." She said in a strained voice, and I frowned at her, getting bored by this conversation.
"Now you are. And I suggest you don't test my patience."
"Or I will end up in the dungeons again, sir?" She faced me, and her eyes burned with emotion I couldn't name. Her words reminded me of what I'd done, and my skin prickled with the want to lash out.
"If I deem so necessary, you will," I said in a low voice and stepped off the porch and into the streets of the Capital, fighting for control.
Picking up my speed as I went, I tried to focus on anything but the heated anger I felt every time I was close to that stupid girl.