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Ch.37- "Search"

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If the majority of Stohess hadn't already been evacuated further into Wall Sina, the district would have been thrown into chaos following the news. The Assembly members were on the first ferry back to Mitras. If Erwin could have his way, he'd hogtie them and have Hange drag them onto the front lines. To show them what Titans look like, what they do, how they eat people… 'Look… look at what you would have us fall victim to…'

Alas, while he couldn't hold their eyes open and force them to accept their own uselessness, the knowledge that Titans were so close to their own precious homes was enough to make them see that the Survey Corps had more important things to deal with than groveling. Even Nile realized that his loathing, righteous though it may have been, needed to take a backseat to more pressing matters. He allowed Erwin to use his office to plan out their operations, pacing back and forth with his head in his hands as the blonde commander looked through the drawers of his stunning walnut desk for clean paper.

"They're in Wall Rose… this is it… Humanity is doomed."

"Shut up, Nile- no, it's not." Thin hands, adapted over the years to hold smooth rifle stocks rather than textured ODM grips, slammed on the desk in front of him.

"How the hell can you be so calm about this!? Have you spent so much of your life around Titans that you've forgotten what people are!? Wall Rose has been breached, Titans are in the military, the streets are littered with corpses, and you couldn't give less of a fuck!" Finally pulling out a sheet of paper, Erwin met his old friend's gaze. Anger was just a manifestation of fear, and the fear shone in his eyes like a poison.

"Nile, I'm calm because this is what my life has been since the day we graduated from the Training Corps. One of my oldest friends and best soldiers was killed today. By a Titan. Should I wail and scream and curse the heavens, or should I honor her memory by remaining calm and ensuring that other people don't suffer the same fate she did?" In all honesty, wailing and screaming and cursing sounded rather appealing in that moment. So many things were happening all at once, so many new and amazing and terrifying things that it was overwhelming. It rose around him like a lake, icy and dark, the current too strong fight against. He could not move forward- it was all he could do to keep treading water- but if he stopped, even for a moment, even just to catch his breath, he would sink. All would be lost. And it would all have been for nothing. Reaching across the table, Erwin clapped his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Go home, Nile. They're going to begin evacuating Wall Rose in a few hours, and you should be with your family." Nile's jaw tightened.

"You think I'm going to abandon my post at a critical moment like this?"

"You should. You have no idea how hard it is to find someone in a refugee camp. I do. Save yourself the heartache and go to your wife and daughters." If there were anyone else in the room in that moment, he wouldn't have sighed. "Wish I could do the same…" Hazel eyes softened ever so slightly with a sympathy that was deeply personal.

"…like you said, it's gonna be a few hours. If you want, I can head down to Calaneth and pick up Lindemann for you? She can stay with Marie and the girls so at least you don't have to hunt her down." Erwin gave him a small, but appreciative smile.

"Thank you for the offer, Nile, but I honestly don't even know if Thomasin will be allowed to evacuate. The Garrison is setting up barricades between Ehrmich and Yarkle, and given what Scouts look like after an encounter with Titans, they're going to need medical aid. I wouldn't be surprised if Calaneth eventually sent some of its medical staff west."

"Yeah, but she's not a soldier. She works for the Garrison, but she's a non-combatant, so she can't be charged with desertion."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Nile, but you can stop worrying. I don't think they're going to be sending the crippled nurse onto the front lines. If anything, she'll have to come up here. That's fine. The breach is somewhere between Trost and Krolva. Even if the Garrison weren't setting up blockades, even if my Scouts weren't already in the area, it would take days for any Titans to reach this far east. Remember what happened to Quinta?" He turned his attention back to the paper, sitting down. "Thomasin will be fine." She had to be. "My little bird is strong." He paused, the pen hovering over the page. "And it's not 'Lindemann' anymore- it's 'Smith'." Nile's eyes widened like saucers.

"What? When?!"

"Saturday."

"Sat- The same Saturday you were in Stohess?"

"About an hour after I left your office."

"And you didn't say shit to me?"

"If I recall correctly, you didn't inform me of your nuptials- to my former fiancee- until several years after the fact."

"I thought you were dead!"

"And I thought you had more important matters to deal with at the time. You were already peeved with me- I have a feeling you wouldn't have responded kindly if I'd popped back in to tell you the good news." Nile opened his mouth, perhaps to argue, but quickly closed it, exhaling sharply through his nose.

"So… you're married… and your wife is directly east of us… and yet you still thought it was a good idea to unleash Titans here, knowing that if that one- the Female or whatever- escaped, it would have made a beeline to where she lives?"

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have done it." Folding his hands on the desk, Erwin met the other man's eyes. "Thrice, Nile. That's how many times I almost lost Thomasin to the Titans. The first time when we were still newly recruited Scouts- I found her bleeding out inside a Titan's skull. I still get nightmares about that to this day. And when Wall Maria fell, despite being named the Commander of the Survey Corps, I couldn't do anything because I had no Survey Corps. I spent months looking for her, believing she was dead.And then during the Culling four years ago… The Assembly that you argued for in court, who are more worried about the poors coming into their parlors than those poors being eaten by the monsters clawing at our Walls, sent the love of my life out to be eaten by those monsters while they glutted and wanted for nothing.

What will happen next time, Nile? Because there will be a next time- these… creatures won't stop until each and every one of us is dead and devoured. If I don't draw them out and stop them, the next time might be when I lose her for good, so don't you dare pretend that I don't care." Nile's face was grim, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was not anger in his eyes, but… frustration.

"You really believe all this, don't you?"

"Of course. Why would I say it otherwise?"

"People lie."

"Not me." Another lie. The other man pouted slightly.

"Yeah… I guess you don't. You've always been stupidly honest. I never thought about the crap you used to talk about when we were cadets, but the older I got, the more I realized that you must be the luckiest person alive, Erwin."

"How so?"

"All that delusional bullshit, that heretic speak? The fact that you weren't getting your ass beaten every day was a miracle. The fact that no MPs dragged you off to a secondary location for talking shit about the king? That's divine intervention." He wished he could say Nile was speaking nonsense, but his words rang far too true.

It wasn't until he'd reached adulthood that he realized how easily his loose lips could have gotten him killed just as surely as a Titan's maw. The MPs who approached him that day were both armed; all they would have had to do was tell him to come with them. He'd have done it- you were supposed to listen to the Military Police, and the man who questioned him had been nice- and they could have taken him into an alley and blown his brains out before going after his father. More competent soldiers probably would have. He inhaled deeply, pushing those thoughts and memories as far down as he could tamp them.

"Thankfully, I've learned my lesson about running my mouth. Though I am curious about something that I wonder if you could shed a bit of light upon."

"Like what?"

"Why would-" A knock on the door interrupted him.

"Commander. Captain Oliver reporting." One of Hange's.

"Come in." The door opened and a young man entered, shifting the papers in his hand so he could salute.

"I have the casualty list, Commander. And Tomas' report." He set them on the desk, standing back at attention. "It seems that the majority of losses were sustained amongst Section Commander Cecile's section."

"And what of Hange's?" he asked as he flipped through the pages for the report from Wall Rose.

"So far, we've accounted for three dead and eight injured, sir. Thankfully, Eren apprehended the Female before she reached the capture squad." Not as terrible as it could have been, but that didn't stop Nile looking deeply disturbed by what he was hearing, or rather, perhaps the nonchalance with which such devastating news was delivered.

"I'm gonna go and… leave you to… this," he said in a low voice. "Just lock the door on your way out."

"Of course. Take care, Nile."

"Yeah… try not to die, Erwin."

"I always do."

He turned his attention back to the report. Mike had sent Tomas and the other couriers off as soon as he caught the scent of the Titans, so there wasn't much information from him directly, other than the fact that they were coming from the southwest. As he was saddling his horse, the other officers informed him that they would be taking the cadets to evacuate the nearby villages. Unless there was another Titan capable of breaking walls, the Armored or Colossal couldn't have been in the 104th… So where were they hiding? And if it hadn't been a gate that was breached, but the Wall itself… did that mean one of the Titans within the Walls was loose as well? Groaning slightly, he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"Everything is wrong, Oliver, and I don't have enough information to even begin making it right. I need to speak with Mike…" The young captain smiled reassuringly.

"Once they finished evacuating the settlements, he probably took the recruits to either Trost or Ehrmich to await further orders, sir. I have to admit, I was a bit concerned that he didn't accompany us on this mission, but it was wise to leave Mike in charge of the unknown situation." The door creaked as it opened again.

"I swear to God, these things are going out of their way to piss me off personally. Why can't the sons of bitches give us a break?" This was the wrong line of work to expect breaks, and Levi knew that as well as Erwin.

"Can you go?"

"Tch. Do I have a choice?"

"How's our esteemed guest?"

"Petulant." His limp was less pronounced than it had been even a few days ago, but it was clear that the shorter man was still favoring his left side. "This is a waste of time, Erwin. You want answers from this pious fuckstick, give me five minutes with him."

"Hange already tried to coerce him with violence. It didn't work."

"Hange didn't have a speck of blood on them; clearly, they didn't try hard enough."

"Levi, no. Pastor Nick is a high ranking member of the Order of the Walls, and the last thing we need right now is for rumors to get out that Scouts are attacking members of the church." Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. But when you get sick of playing nice and actually want some answers, just say the word."

~o0o~

They'd brought in their horses and wagons, but most of their restocking came from the MPs' stores. More than a few of them protested, some more loudly than others, claiming that they needed their supplies now that Titans were coming towards Wall Sina, to "keep the people safe". Even their commander wasn't buying that bullshit, quickly ordering them to stand down and shut up, and let the soldiers who were actually going onto the front lines take what they needed. Most of what they needed was torches. It was past midnight, and despite the full moon, the sky was so overcast that their torches barely illuminated the ground directly in front of them. Even the normally bright district was dark, many of the gas lines that provided fuel to the street lights having been destroyed when the Titans clashed. The chains raising the outer gate of Stohess were even louder than those of Trost, probably far more rusted as well- after all, today was the first time it had been closed in decades.

"The status of Wall Rose is unclear, but everything up to Ehrmich is safe. We'll be taking the most direct route, heading directly west along the Wall. Let's move out!"

"Sir!" Despite the late hour, many of the windows of the houses outside the district were illuminated, doors open as curious civilians watched the procession of soldiers pass their homes.

They couldn't ride too fast, given that their torches did not throw enough light to ensure that the ground was clear, and the last thing they needed was to lame their horses when Titans were in the territory. It took a little over three hours for the Survey Corps' main force to reach Ehrmich, and by the time they got there, evacuations were already well underway. Armed MPs oversaw the influx of civilians into the district, occasionally confiscating weapons people tried to smuggle in, hopefully with the misguided intention of keeping themselves and their families safe. The Scouts had to dismount and hitch their horses and wagons outside the Wall. It would take time to get inside with the crush of people, but time was something Erwin didn't have. Unholstering his ODM handles, he approached the wagon where Levi was currently pushing Pastor Nick to his feet.

"Levi, we're going ahead to the base. Don't let our guest out of your sight."

"Don't worry- we've got some sight-seeing to do. Move your ass, Churchy…"

The fact that there were no lights on at the Ehrmich headquarters was a disheartening sign in its own right, but the empty stables solidified the fact that no Scouts had come before them. Hange jogged up to him as he returned to the front of the base, their brows furrowed as they scanned the desolate courtyard.

"I take it Mike's not here?"

"The stables haven't been used since we were here two months ago." Erwin sighed deeply, pulling his tie looser. The air was thick and hard to breathe, heavy with the promise of rain. Hopefully, it would wait until they found the breach in the Wall- the last thing they needed was to have to flee Titans on muddy ground. "He probably took the cadets back to Trost after they evacuated since they were already heading south."

"So what do we do now?"

"After the horses and soldiers are fed and watered, Hange, I want you to take your section down south. I'll stay here with what's left of Cecile's section for now in case there's news, but we'll probably head to Trost at first light." Hange's lip trembled for a second, but they inhaled sharply and nodded.

"Right. You can count on me, sir. Oh! Before I forget- on the way here, I was speaking with Armin Arlert, and I think we might have stumbled on a better way to deal with the breaches in Wall Maria-"

"Tell me later; right now, we have to worry about the breach in Wall Rose. You're dismissed." There was no reason to head to his office, given that they'd only be there for a few hours at most, so Erwin instead took refuge in the deserted mess hall.

The moment he sat down, the exhaustion of the day hit him all at once. He hadn't even been amongst the combatants, but there was so much new information and so many questions that his head was swimming. Maybe if he could just close his eyes for a few minutes, he could clear his mind and think straight. Just as he made to lay his head on the wooden table, a faint, young voice echoed through the hall.

"Commander Erwin? Where are you? I have a message for you!"

"In the mess hall," he called out, quickly straightening his jacket and hoping he didn't look as tired as he felt. The girl that ran in was one of the 104th that had been stationed in Wall Rose- someone had given her a cloak, but she was wearing an absolutely filthy skirt beneath it. Her face was smudged with dirt, and there were sticks and leaves in her hair, but she looked no worse for the wear as she saluted.

"Sasha Braus, 104th southern Training Corps, sir! Captain Derovitz sent me to inform Section Commander Horace of what was happening, but when I got to Trost, he gave me this and told me to bring it to you. Oh! Here!" She handed him a sizable envelope. Opening it, he pulled out the top page and frowned thoughtfully. The very first thing written on the report was that the background check could not be verified. That didn't prove much; after all, Thomasin couldn't have even verified who she was after the Fall without her service record and the word of a well-respected commander.

"Sasha," he asked suddenly, "did the rest of Mike's section go with you to Trost, or are they helping the Garrison look for the breach?" The girl flinched, turning her gaze away from him.

"I-I don't know, sir. I went to Trost on my own- well, not my own, my people- m-my villagers, I mean- were helping with the evacuation and they escorted me part way. I assumed everyone else was going to double back and head to Ehrmich."

"When was the last time you saw Section Commander Mike?" Her youthful face turned grim suddenly.

"Right after we left the base in Wall Rose. A group of Abnormals were closing in on us, sir, and the Section Commander went off on his own to lure them away and buy us time…"

The blood froze in Erwin's veins. A group of regular Titans would be difficult enough to take on by oneself, but Abnormals? No, no- there was no reason to think like that. Mike's skill put literally anyone who wasn't named "Levi" to shame, but beyond that, the man was smart. He wasn't going to risk his neck racking up kills that no one could even verify. There were plenty of copses of trees around the holdfast they'd sent the cadets to- Mike lured the Titans away from his section, and had probably been camping out in a tree since then. In fact, he was probably on his way to Ehrmich in that very moment. Quietly reassured, Erwin replaced the papers in the envelope and handed them back to the girl.

"Thank you, Cadet Braus. Give these to Section Commander Hange."

"Sir!"

~o0o~

Given that he was coming up on twenty six hours without sleep, the wise thing to do would have been to take the lift up to the top of Wall Rose, but Erwin was growing far too impatient to wait any longer for anything. He'd waited a good two hours after Hange's group left, but Mike never came to the Ehrmich base. It was possible that he'd been injured and went back to the holdfast, but unfortunately, Erwin couldn't afford to spare any Scouts to go out and look for him. He had no choice but to leave Levi behind just in case he came back so there would be someone to fill him in…

The lines around Levi's eyes and lips made him look a good ten years older than he probably was.

"So the last place anyone saw him was heading south of the base?"

"Levi, no." He could already hear the man's intentions in his voice. "You still haven't recovered fully and we still don't know how severe the breach is or how many Titans have gotten in. You are to remain here until I send for you."

"And if the Tree shows up?"

"If he's well enough to ride, send him down to Trost. And if not, you have my leave to use force to keep him here…"

Pixis once again seemed to be dozing atop the Wall, several empty bottles laying around him, but it appeared his lieutenant had already woken him, fiercely slapping his hand away from the crate beside him that was probably filled with more liquor.

"Commander Pixis, I pray you aren't getting drunk at a time like this."

"Of course not, Erwin- 'getting drunk' would imply I ever stopped drinking." He clearly meant it as a joke, but a single look at the other commander's expression was enough to insist upon him that Erwin was in no mood for japes. Pixis fixed his expression into one of pure professionalism as he climbed to his feet. "Nile told me you caught one of the mice gnawing at our Walls, but you look unusually grim for a man whose last mission was a success."

"One step forward and two back is not something worth complacency. I expected one of my sections to have returned to Trost by now, but there's no sign of them." Erwin's voice was even, but from the way Pixis' golden eyes darkened, it was clear he understood the underlying unease in his words.

"It is possible they ran afoul of Titans. Those that cropped up between the defensive lines seemed spaced out, but given that we don't know where the breach is yet, I wouldn't use an example as the standard. I've sent Captain Hannes with a scouting party to look for damage to the Walls, and they would have met with the party Commander Hayward sent from Krolva. If any of them happened upon your Scouts, we should know any moment now." He reached out, clapping a fatherly hand on Erwin's shoulder.

"Buck up, man. Your soldiers don't need to see you so grim-faced. Take heart in your victories- they're not so small as you might imagine." He smirked. "I have it on good authority that all this news of Titans is hitting a bit close to home for our friends in the Interior. The conservative faction seems quite a bit more keen on the Survey Corps now that it's getting harder to pretend they don't know what's going on outside Wall Sina."

Erwin glanced back down at the dark green dots speckling the ruined streets just below the Wall. Riding through Trost, he'd had to do a double-take when he realized that their cloaks were embroidered with green unicorns rather than red roses.

"I'm honestly shocked they let you drag this many MPs away from the Interior. And they're wearing ODM gear? If they can actually use it, Hell might just freeze over." Pixis' chuffing laugh was cut short by the whir of wires and hiss of exhaust as another Garrison soldier propelled themselves to the top of the Wall.

"Commander Pixis! A courier from the scouting party has returned!" The humor left his face at once.

"A courier? Not Hannes?"

"No sir!"

The man was kneeling on the ground, choking on his own breath as he gasped for air, sweat pouring so heavily from his face that it formed little puddles on the stone beneath him.

"We… we found no h-holes… or any other irr-irregularities in the Wall, sir…"

"And the team from Krolva?"

"Them either, sir. The Wall- the Wall is perfectly intact! B-but there's another emergency!" The man turned his attention to Erwin. "On our way back to Trost, we encountered a Survey Corps team led by Section Commander Hange. There were a number of recruits without ODM gear from the 104th, but among them, three of those soldiers were Titans!" His panicked words washed over the crowd of soldiers like a cold wind. So… there were more Titans amongst the 104th, just as he'd feared, but… if they'd met up with Hange's group, where the hell was Mike's? The crowd rustled as someone pushed their way through, the recruit who'd stood in as Eren's body double.

"What do you mean there were Titans in that group? Three more? Who, goddammit!?" His eyes were wild with disbelief and fear, and he looked like he would have lunged at the courier for daring to not answer him fast enough, but Erwin threw his arm out, keeping the boy back.

"Hold, Jean. How were they discovered? What happened?"

"I-I don't know, sir. All I know is that the Scouts were engaged in combat with the Colossal and Armored Titan, but by the time our unit arrived, it was over… they were gone, and they took Eren Yaeger with them." Both of them… Erwin had a pretty good idea who they were, but his fury and disgust had no place here now.

"What of the soldiers who fought them? Were there any casualties?"

"I-I don't think so. But there were injuries- a lot of injuries. The Colossal, it was- it was on top of the Wall, and it fell over and exploded! Captain Hannes sent me back to Trost before I could see them too well, but it seemed like the armed Scouts were in bad shape." So now, Mike was MIA and Hange was possibly- no. They were fine, goddammit. They didn't need him fretting like a mother hen. The best thing he could do for them was to keep a level head and get this wretched situation sorted out as quickly as possible. Straightening, Erwin raised his voice to be heard over the crowd.

"Alright soldiers, look alive! The Wall may not have been breached, but we have a minimum of three Titans unaccounted for, and they've kidnapped one of our own! How many of you MPs remember how to ride a horse?"

"Wh-what? What are you talking about? You don't expect us-"

"I absolutely expect you, officer. This is a search and recovery mission, meaning we'll be using the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation. Unfortunately, the Survey Corps is currently three sections short of a viable unit, meaning we'll have to supplement our numbers with MPs and Garrison soldiers." Pixis nodded gravely.

"The southern Garrison is at your command, Erwin. Just tell me what you need-"

"Now, hold on a god damn minute!" One of the MPs shouted. "You're actually talking about going… into Titan territory…"

"Obviously. If they'd fled deeper into Wall Rose, the Garrison scouting team would have spotted them." Another MP shook his head.

"No way… no fucking way- I didn't join the Military Police to fight Titans-"

"You took a vow to dedicate your heart to humanity when you joined the military, soldier," Erwin cut him off sharply, "just the same as the rest of us. Right now, humanity needs you to put the skills that earned you a place in the top ten to better use than gambling and getting drunk. Unless you want the Colossal and Armored Titans to break down more gates? Is that what you want, soldier? Do you want all of humanity to be devoured because you were too afraid to do your duty?"

The silence that fell over the area was chilling. Bitter, hateful eyes glared daggers at him, but no one spoke out against him, no one was willing to admit their cowardice. That was good enough for him.

"All of you, make sure your gas and blades are topped off, then head to the storage warehouse. You'll need flare guns and smoke shells. You'll be put in groups with my Scouts, and they'll fill you in on the basics of the formation. You're dismissed!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" The cry wasn't as loud as it would have been if he were speaking to his own soldiers, and it seemed that the only ones who actually saluted were those wearing the Garrison's insignias. He could hear the buzz of frustrated whispers as soon as the soldiers began heading off. Pixis exhaled sharply through his nose.

"Including the Military Police in an actual mission may not be wise, Erwin. These are men and women that don't appreciate taking orders from those they consider their lessers."

"Then what would you have me do? The majority of your soldiers are manning the defensive fronts- there aren't enough remaining to effectively deploy the formation."

"I can send word to Commander Rathborne in Calaneth to send more troops-"

"We don't have time for that. Our Titan fugitives have already been allowed too much of a head start, and given how long it's going to take to bring the lifts with us, we may well lose them if we don't act immediately."

"Dragging the lifts along the Walls will take hours regardless. If they ride fast enough, a unit from Calaneth would catch up to you before you reached your people." Pixis seemed to be under the impression that things could either be done quickly, or be done right. Erwin was under no such false delusions.

"We'll be taking the lifts up here and using the horses to pull them." The older man shook his head in defeat, finally realizing Erwin would not be swayed to consider a safer option.

"In that case, let's hope the Interior sent us their best. It pains me that I can't do more to help you…" This time, he was the one to lay his hand on Pixis' shoulder.

"Just hold the line here, Commander. That's help enough."

~o0o~

It had been raining intermittently in the west for hours, leaving the Wall slick, puddles collected in the uneven divots reflecting the setting sun. They'd had to slow to a canter, for even though the Wall was wide, the winds were powerful so high up and combined with the wet ground, it wouldn't take much to lame their horses. Fortunately, they didn't have to ride long along the wet section of Wall before they spotted a group, their cloaks standing out against the dreary sky.

"Commander Erwin!"

"They're here!"

"Thank god!" He dismounted, meeting Moblit as the man limped up to him. His face was red, but not from any kind of exertion- there were painful looking blisters swelling up on his cheeks and forehead.

"Commander, it's good to see you."

"Has the situation changed?"

"No, sir."

"What of Hange?"

"…they're alive. Not in great shape, but… alive."

"Good enough. Deploy the lifts!"

"Sir!" As the soldiers began setting the anchors for the lifts, he turned his attention back to the executive officer.

"What happened here, Moblit?" His lips thinned into a hard line.

"The Colossal, sir. Look there." He pointed behind the group, or at least, tried to, wincing visibly as he raised his arm. The cuffs of his sleeves were singed. Walking past him, Erwin squinted, his brows furrowing as he noticed the scooped out section of wall, and the massive cracks lining it.

"I was told the Colossal was on top of the Wall?"

"In a manner of speaking. It seemed to… attach itself to the Wall. Most of our squad was right at ground level when it fell. If we weren't hugging the Wall, it would have crushed us."

"It did quite a number on you even so. We've brought medics and supplies from the Garrison; they'll patch you up and take you back to Trost on the carts."

"Yes, sir. I'm in good enough condition to- GAH!" Moblit nearly jumped a foot in the air. "Hange?!" Looking past him, Erwin had to swallow the bile that rose in his mouth. His section commander had somehow dragged themselves over on their belly, paying no heed to the water soaking into their clothes or the extent of their injuries. They must have been closer to the blast than Moblit (he prayed they didn't move closer on purpose) given that everything but the area around their eyes that their goggles usually covered was shiny and red. Several of the larger blisters had ruptured, revealing deep, raw craters that wept watery pus. "Hange, what is wrong with you!? You need to be resting!"

"No… time…" they rasped, their grip on Moblit's boot quickly growing slack. "Get me… a map… of the… area…"

Hange was too weak to stand- could barely speak- but didn't let that stop them. The fingers on their left hand were swollen like angry red sausages, and the right ones hardly looked better, but they still pointed weakly at a point on the map, wincing slightly.

"Here… this Titan forest is… probably about… eleven kilometers south… and slightly to the east of where we are. This is probably… where they went."

"Why would you assume that?"

"The Colossal… is no use in escaping- it could barely move its arms. It would probably take days… for it to reach Wall Maria. Meaning they're fleeing… with the Armored, but Eren damaged him in their fight- he even tore an arm off. They might not be in as bad shape as Eren… but the Titans out there can still pose a threat… in their weakened state." They paused, fighting the clear agony they were in, every ragged breath pained.

"If their goal is to reach… the other side of Wall Maria, they've got… quite a jog. They're going to want to be at full strength… and minimize their risks as much as possible… meaning they need to recuperate somewhere Titans can't reach them, and wait for nightfall- no, better err on the side of caution. You need to find them… before sundown!"

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A/N- "Whenever Mike is not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, 'Where's Mike?'"- my brain

First, I just wanna say thank you guys so much for the comments you've been leaving. I appreciate anyone who has come this far for sticking it out (y'know, unless you're only reading this as a bile fascination, in which case… understandable, have a nice day). And second, for anyone wondering if I'm an anime-only; no. I have read the manga dozens of times over, I watched the anime even more (well, the first three seasons, and up to the end of part one of season 4 once because I hate the Marley arc, I don't care about anything that happened after they got to that basement), I've read literally every side story- including the translation of the No Regrets visual novel. Not just the OVA, not just the manga, the original VN- and have 100% completion in AoT 2: Final Battle. I know this series inside and out, so when things don't line up with things we're told in canon, it's because this fic is going to be increasingly diverging from canon in certain areas. There are certain ideas (and powers) in the canon story that I don't much care for. So if you read something and think "Hey wait, _ isn't supposed to _, that was a _", it's not because I don't know- it's because canon is going to be treated as more of a suggestion than any hard and fast rules. Like I said, it's going to more apparent as the story progresses. And to assuage all your fears right now- yes, Erwin survives. That was my biggest gripe with canon, after all.

Now, getting into the seemingly little things that drive me insane- when the Colossal fell off the Wall, wasn't it basically like a thermobaric bomb going off? I can forgive the characters who were right there when it happened not being disintegrated because plot, but I can't forgive them not suffering any burns (and no, those mild sunburns do not count). Do you know how little heat it takes to badly burn someone? I've suffered more severe injuries from brushing against a halogen light bulb than Hange suffers from being at ground zero of a bomb blast (I've suffered a lot of injuries and illnesses, and they always say "write what you know"). But then again, Hange hurts themselves punching a guy out more than they get hurt from the rifle going off right against their ear. I'm starting to think Hange has Ackerman blood, because they heal way too fast to be a normal person (no, I'm not nitpicking- the entire premise of AoT hinges on the fact that these are normal humans who get hurt and die just as easily as you or I would living in a world filled with eldritch horrors. Actions have consequences- dire ones. If you take away the threat of maiming or death, it's just another generic battle shonen).