Annie was running. There were trees on all sides, going so far up they blocked out the sky. Everything around her grew darker with each passing step. The air buzzed with tiny objects whizzing past. Sometimes they would cut her if they got close enough. She bowed her head and barreled on against the pain.

'I'd expect no less from my daughter.'

A large tree root caught her foot. Annie stumbled.

'What are you doing?! You can't slow down! Do you think you deserve to rest?'

It was pitch black. The tiny objects were still there, sawing off slivers of her skin from every inch of her body. The trees were still there, too – Annie's shoulders crashing against them as she struggled to keep her balance. Everything hurt, inside and out.

'Annie. Annie. ANNIE.'

'Come home, Annie.'

Annie's foot came down, an explosion of color erupting beneath her as the world filled itself in. She was on a path circling a lake so clear it reflected the blue sky and the surrounding wildflowers bobbing in the breeze.

'Annie.'

This voice was different. It made her want to see the world instead of shutting it out. She turned toward the source and was met with brown eyes flecked with gold and a gentle smile.

"Annie?"

Her eyes fluttered open. Annie sat up in bed, regarding the bedroom cluttered with open books, empty bottles, and misplaced shoes. Her roommate, Hitch, was a slob. She was also gone.

"Annie?" said the voice again. A series of gentle taps came at the door.

Annie's chest rose and fell in a sigh as she pushed back the covers. A few steps brought her across the room. She cracked open the door and blinked up at the caller with a glazed expression.

"Ah, good morning!" Marco said, the look on his face conveying he agreed wholeheartedly. "I hope you're feeling better today. I wanted to see if you were planning on coming down for inspection, or if you needed another day of rest after being sick."

Something clicked behind Marco's eyes. He took in Annie's disheveled appearance, including the fact she was in a loose white shirt and blue shorts.

"Sorry!" Marco said, turning on his heel. A flush rose on his cheeks beneath his freckles as he stared at the ceiling. "I didn't mean to catch you undressed! Which … you're not, really. You are dressed, just … sorry. I thought you might want something to eat, so I brought you a hand pie. If your stomach is feeling better. Which I guess I … didn't give you a chance to tell me that."

"Wait here," Annie said, closing the door.

She opened it again less than five minutes later. Annie had put on her uniform and smoothed her hair, pulling it back with both hands as Marco stepped to the side. She removed the hair clip between her teeth and secured it to the back of her head. Satisfied when she dropped her hands and the hair stayed in place, Annie closed the door to her quarters and began walking down the narrow hall.

"You hungry?" Marco asked, offering a small object wrapped in burgundy cloth. The object was accepted, Annie taking a moment to appreciate its warmth.

"I wasn't sure if I should bring you something," Marco said, pleased when Annie folded the cloth back and took a bite. "But they made the peach ones today, and I remembered that's the only type where you go back for seconds. I didn't want you to feel upset if you missed them."

Annie stared at the remainder of the pie. She adjusted the cloth to cover it before placing it in her inner jacket pocket. "Thank you."

"That's all you're eating?" Marco said with a frown.

"I ate something bad the other day," Annie said, looking ahead. "I'm still recovering."

Marco nodded. "Ah, alright. Try not to push yourself too hard today."

The pair made their way down the stairs at the end of the hall. The sound of their echoing footfalls was interrupted as Marco spoke.

"Did you get the message I left you yesterday?"

Annie nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I did."

"It was a relief," Marco said. He smiled in a manner Annie was beginning to get used to - for a heartbeat, she would be alone. Marco would be off somewhere else only he could see. She wondered how much better the place Marco imagined was compared to reality.

"All of our friends made it back from the expedition," Marco said. The focus returned behind his eyes as he straightened. "I asked about their schedules, but I haven't received a response yet from Section Commander Hange. I'll let you know when I hear back and we can plan a visit. Think you'll be up for it when you're feeling better?"

When will I feel better?

"We'll see," Annie said.

Heads turned when they reached the first floor. A row of Military Police soldiers were standing at attention along the wall. The majority of the group were made up of other recent graduates of the 104th cadet class, albeit different divisions than Marco and Annie's group. A girl at the end of the line hit them with a sly grin.

"Oh? Look who's finally up," she said, a playful tone to her voice. "What a lucky girl you are, Annie – you have a doting boyfriend who'll act as your personal alarm clock. It's probably a good thing I didn't wake you myself so you two could be allowed some privacy for your morning … activities."

"Hitch," Marco said, falling in line next to Annie. His tone indicated this wasn't the first time Annie's roommate had made such an assumption. "Annie and I are just comrades. And saying things like that … it's inappropriate."

"She's just jealous she's not the one getting attention," a boy with short, silver blonde hair said. This earned him a glare from Hitch.

"Shut up, Boris."

"Both of you," said the tall boy between Boris and Hitch. He kept his dark eyes ahead, his expression stern. "Give it a rest. There's no harm in Marco choosing to make sure Annie is here in time for inspection, although she should be able to do so herself."

Marco opened his mouth; a slight shake of Annie's head prompted him to close it. He didn't appear entirely pleased, but remained silent as the sound of footsteps came from down the hall.

The soldiers in line lifted their fists above their hearts in a solute. Their superior officer dismissed the gesture with a wave.

"Take it easy," he said. He came to a stop, scratching the side of his head as his eyes glanced over the papers he had in hand. "I have actual work for you all to do today."

Marco would counter that they had actual work every day, although for most of his peers, escorting merchants on their treks outside Sina or being called to a tavern to split up drunken fights wasn't 'real' work.

"This particular job has to do with the Scout Regiment," the officer continued. He failed to notice Marco and Annie standing up a little straighter.

"A handful of the Scouts have been summoned to the capital, and they're going to pass through Stohess along the main street later today. Those of you here will be serving as security escorts while they're in the area. You've been given special permission to use ODM gear within the city limits during the time of the escort. After you gear up, you'll be heading to the starting point near the gate by barge. That's all."

"Excuse me, Sir."

The officer's eyelids drooped as he looked up. "Hmm? Marlo, was it?"

"Ah, no, sorry," Marco said with a nervous chuckle. He pointed to the tall boy with dark hair standing beside Hitch. "He's Marlo, Sir. I'm Marco. But, well … I wanted to ask why anyone from the Scouts would need security detail. Whoever they are … are they in danger?"

"Who knows?" the officer said, brushing off Marco's inquiry as he looked back to the papers.

"I'm also curious about this, Sir," Marlo said. He didn't appear perturbed when his superior frowned. "Who would try to attack anyone within the inner walls? What motivation would they have? I haven't heard of an instance within Sina before where any sort of security detail was needed."

"A few of you are real talkative today, huh?" the officer said. He stepped forward to shove the stack of papers in Marlo's hands. "How's this – all the details I've been given are in there. You and your friend with the same name can be in charge of getting everything set; we officers have enough to do as it is. Show us you can take care of things on your own – just don't screw up."

"Huh?" Marlo said, stunned.

The officer turned to open a door at his back. There was a moment where a glimpse of a group sitting around a table playing cards was visible before the door closed behind him.

"W-well," Marco said, breaking the following silence. He forced a weak smile as he made eye contact with Marlo. "I guess we should get to work."

The security detail would be made up of four squads of four soldiers. Everyone had been directed to meet in the prominent stone courtyard of the Headquarters building after obtaining their rifles. The weapon was an object Marco detested carrying for two main reasons:

First, the sound of gunfire never failed to remind him of the day he first saw a Titan; running blindly through the forest and later wondering how many of the shouts he'd heard through the trees were someone's last breath.

Second, Marco's rifle had been given to him with one sole purpose – to kill people. Each one of the new soldiers were assured the occasions that there was a need to actually fire a rifle was next to none. It still didn't make Marco feel any better.

"You're all set?" Marco said, addressing a pair of soldiers as they joined the group near the fountain at the center of the courtyard. He returned their nods and looked back to the others milling about in various states of boredom.

"We're only waiting on three more," Marco said, walking up to Marlo. There was no answer, Marlo looking off in the distance as if it'd wronged him somehow.

"The Military Police are more rotten than I imagined," a voice said.

Hitch let out a dramatic sigh, rolling a pebble beneath her boot as she continued. "I knew it was like that going in … that's why I chose to join, after all. Although I would've had second thoughts if I knew I'd be getting stuck doing all the work around here while the officers get to sit on their ass playing cards all day."

"That bastard," Marlo said, gritting his teeth. "He's our superior officer … yet he's just leaving all of us to fend for ourselves. What kind of soldier is that?"

"You can't judge," Boris said. He sat on the edge of the fountain, offering little more than a bored stare as Marlo whipped about. "You chose to be in the Military Police – you're no different than him."

"Come on, guys," Marco said, lifting his palms as he tried to ease the tension. "The last of us have just arrived, so we should–"

"I'm nothing like you degenerates!" Marlo snapped. He placed his hand on his hips, lifting his chin. "I came to fix the Military Police. I have no intention of just aimlessly getting by like the rest of you."

"That's a bold assumption for you to make."

The attention immediately snapped to Annie for nothing else other than the sole novelty of hearing her speak. "Who are you to assume why everyone is here?" she asked. Her eyes slid to Marco, who's expression brightened under her gaze.

"I agree," Boris said. "Just because they're not fanatics like you, Marlo, doesn't give you the right to judge. How would you expect to actually fix anything, anyway?"

"I plan on getting to the top," Marlo said, growing defensive as the level of animosity around him appeared to grow. "Once I'm there, I'll make transgressors pay for their actions. I'll turn them back into normal people … back how they should be."

"Sorry."

Marco took a step forward, smiling apologetically. "I'm afraid I disagree," he said.

"I don't care if I have your support!" Marlo said, rounding on him. "You can all laugh if you wish! I'm going to clean up this place from the inside out without fail!"

Hitch took up Marlo's invitation to laugh as she broke into a round of giggles.

"I think you misunderstood me," Marco said. He tried to put on a friendly expression as Marlo glared.

"You said you'd fix what was wrong with this place once you get to the top," Marco said. "But I don't think that's the way to bring about change. Hitch said before we're the ones doing most of the work … we're the ones the people see; the face of the Military Police. If anyone has the ability to change things for the better, it's us. We have the power to hold ourselves to a higher standard. There's no need for us to wait until we're in a position where we can force people to fit our ideals. I would much rather show them a better way and have them follow by example."

Marco looked over his shoulder to Annie with a smile. "The people I've found who I respect the most are the ones at my level. I'll always have admiration for my superiors, but the biggest differences that've been made in my life were from my friends who stayed true to themselves."

The group had fallen silent. A few were watching Marco as if he'd popped out of thin air. Boris was the one to eventually break the spell as he got to his feet. "We should get going," he said. "We've got a job to do, right?"

His demeanor was nowhere near enthusiastic, but he stood up a little straighter as the soldiers made their way out of the courtyard.

"We have forty-five minutes until we need to be at the starting point," Marlo said, reading off the paper in hand. "Everyone will find their positions when we get there. Understood?"

A few voices piped up in affirmation from behind him. The group was making their way along the river cutting through the heart of Stohess on their way to the barge. The ride would be less than twenty minutes, and Marlo was pleased to see they were making good time.

The group had grown a bit livelier as they chatted among themselves. Much of the talk was over speculation over what their assignment was actually for. Annie and Marco were being pressed about details of their friends in the Scout Regiment. It was easy enough for Annie to deflect as she stayed silent. Marco had a bit of a harder time until a stern look from Annie prompted them to let the issue go.

"I hope everyone's alright," Marco said, voice soft.

Marlo glanced over his shoulder. He watched Marco's glum expression for a moment before looking away. He didn't like feeling Marco knew something he didn't. It didn't help that most of the group was already warming up to Marco as if they'd even cared he existed before this morning.

Marlo came to a stop. The rest of the soldiers followed suit, a few shooting questioning looks at the boat docked up ahead. It was a cargo ship, and clearly not the barge they were supposed to be taking for their assignment. A pair of Military Police officers were in conversation with a man in a brown suit as a few crates bearing the Military Police crest were loaded onto the ship.

"Oh?" Hitch said, shading her eyes. "Is that our equipment?"

"I'm not sure," Marlo said. "It's strange for the merchant association to be involved."

The last of the crates were loaded onto the ship. The man in the suit untied a bag from his belt and offered it to one of the officers. The officer pulled a coin out of the bag, inspecting it for a moment before dropping it back in and taking the entire purse.

"Are they …?" Marlo said, unsure of what he was seeing. "Are they selling government equipment? They're doing something illegal, right here, where everyone can see … do they not even care?!"

A hand rested on Marlo's shoulder. He flinched, finding Marco staring ahead with a steadfast expression.

"We could be wrong, so don't start a fight," Marco said. "You question the officers; I'll talk to the merchant."

"Huh?" Marlo said. "The boat is already leaving. How are you …?"

Marco took off at a run. He barreled past the two Military Police officers before they registered what was happening. They watched, mouths agape, as Marco leapt atop the stone barrier flanking the river. He used his forward momentum to power his jump as he flung himself over the water. Marco caught the ship's guardrail, his feet making an impressive thump as they slammed against the side of the boat. He pulled himself up and hopped onto the deck without much effort.

"That guy …" Hitch said, stunned. "What the hell even was that?"

"Ex-excuse me!"

The two officers turned around. They didn't seem sure of what they'd just witnessed, much less the young private with a bowl cut standing before them looking like he was on the verge of wetting himself.

"Hey, kid," the taller of the two officers said. "What was that all about? Is the crazy one who jumped on the boat a friend of yours?"

"He's …" Marlo bared his teeth, forming the shaking hands at his side into fists. "It's against the law to sell government property. Gov-Government property is paid for by the citizens' tax money. You … you can't–"

The shorter officer laughed. "Oh, is that what this is about? Do we have a couple of rookies trying to blackmail their superiors? Here–"

A coin was produced from the purse. The short officer stepped forward and placed it in Marlo's breast pocket. "Here's what you get for putting on a good show. Maybe I'll give you another one if that friend of yours jumps back without getting wet."

The officers shared a laugh. They turned to walk away, the shorter one stopping in his tracks as Marlo's hand gripped his shoulder.

"Wait!" Marlo said, pulling the man back. "It's against the law to–"

The short officer's knee slammed into Marlo's gut. Marlo gasped, falling to the cobblestone as he gripped himself around the middle. A second later the butt of a rifle came down and cracked him across the skull. His vision grew blurry as Marlo struggled to raise his head amidst the searing pain; his eyes widened when the tall officer drew his foot back for a kick.

"Hold it."

The officers looked up. They froze.

"Now that I have your attention," Boris said, regarding them coolly from the other end of his raised rifle. "Let that idiot be."

The officers took a step back, raising their arms. The short officer's lips pulled back in a snarl. "This …!" he said. "This is … You're pointing your weapon at a superior officer! That's treason!"

"Not if it isn't loaded," Hitch said. She smiled, holding up two shells between her fingers. The rifle in Boris's grip was flipped up, the chamber pulled open to reveal it was, in fact, empty.

"You little shits," the short officer said, the tension leaving his shoulders. "We're bringing you all in right now!"

"I don't think you'll have the time."

Everyone had been preoccupied enough to miss Marco's return. He circled the officers, planting himself in front of Marlo. "The merchant is on his way back; he'll need your help unloading the cargo."

"What?"

The taller officer looked back to note the ship was returning from down the river.

"Chance would have it that the merchant has done some business with my family," Marco said, the corner of his mouth turning up. "There are some connections within the merchant guild of Wall Rose he'd rather not lose if word got out he was peddling illegal goods. He apologized for the lapse in judgment and agreed to bring the equipment back right away."

Marco held out his hand, palm up. "It sounds like this whole thing was a misunderstanding. I'll hold on to the money and get it back to him so you two can get started with the cargo."

The shorter officer stepped forward. "Just try and take it, you little shit."

Marco had been blocking the officers' view of the other soldiers, so it was unexpected when a short girl with blonde hair deflected the punch being thrown at Marco and used the momentum to flip the short officer onto his back. He let out a groan as the girl bent down to untie the coin purse from his belt.

"Annie …" Marco said, concerned. "You didn't have to hurt him."

"He didn't have to hurt Marlo," Annie said, straightening. "But here we are."

The short officer scrambled to his feet. "You–!"

The remainder of the young soldiers had stepped forward. They stared down the officers with hardened expressions, a few with their hands poised to grab the rifles on their backs.

The shorter officer grit his teeth. He looked back at Marco, fire behind his eyes.

"If I ever see you again, you're dead."

The short officer gave his companion a nudge and the pair made a hasty retreat. A small crowd of civilians had gathered at this point, leaning in to whisper to one another as they watched the officers go.

"Man, you guys are trouble," Boris said. He offered his hand, helping Marlo to his feet. "And I'm assuming we have to be the ones to unload the cargo since those guys took off."

"Ah," Marco said, looking sheepish as the boat began to dock. "Sorry, but it looks like it. Annie, do you have the merchant's payment?"

Heads turned at the sound of a series of loud plops.

Annie had opened the purse, upturning the item and allowing the coins to fall into the river.

"Annie!" Marco said, aghast.

"That merchant thought he could make a profit doing things the easy way," Annie said. She let go of the empty bag, watching as it landed gently atop the river. It sat there for a heartbeat before taking on water and being swept away. "If he wants his money, he can earn it by putting in some effort to get it back."

Annie turned, approaching the group as if nothing were amiss.

"You guys really are crazy," Hitch said. A wicked smile grew on her face. "I never thought joining the Military Police would be this much fun."

It looks like a funeral procession. I suppose it sort of is.

Annie stood at attention as stagecoaches rolled by, curtains drawn only enough to catch a glimpse of the people inside. The middle coach had one occupant. There was no questioning who it was. Even Marco had been able to deduce what was happening knowing only a fraction of the turmoil the Scouts had found themselves in.

"I hope everyone's alright," was what he had said.

'I hope Eren is alright,' was what he had meant.

The coaches and their accompanying envoy of guards on horseback rattled past. Annie and her unit broke formation and began to jog after them. Her squad mates up ahead flew into the sky as they triggered their ODM gear. Annie had her thumbs on the controls when a voice from a nearby alley caused her to freeze.

"Annie."

She turned, seeing no one. Her heart began to race, her grip changing from the ODM gear to the strap of the rifle on her back. She gave a final glance to the caravan and her retreating squad mates. Their curiosity would leave them focused enough on the coaches to result in her absence going unnoticed … at least until they were meant to meet up with Marco and his squad further into the city.

The dark alley was empty when Annie ran around the corner. A flutter of green material prompted her to go further in, cautiously looking around another wall. Her normally inexpressive features morphed into surprise as she came face-to-face with Armin.

"Hi, Annie," Armin said.

Annie couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him looking so somber. Even so, there was … something.

Armin's expressive nature was a valuable tool in selling certain ideas or swaying emotions. The other side of this coin meant ingenuine remarks gave themselves away with little gestures; a fidget, a conscious effort to keep a steady tone … eye contact that was a second too long. This was recognized by someone who was also quite expressive who had spent years learning how to morph her face into an impartial mask. Sometimes this slipped. It worried her how often that had been happening over the past few weeks.

"Armin," Annie said, the surprise draining from her face until there was nothing left. "Why are you dressed in your rain gear?"

"I'm carrying cargo," Armin said. He lifted his arms to reveal the ODM gear beneath the hooded green cloak.

"Why?" Annie asked. A sinking feeling grew in her gut. She shoved it down.

"Annie," Armin said. He reached up to remove his hood before meeting her gaze again.

'Do a small gesture to make yourself seem vulnerable. Make them feel like you're opening up to them; trusting them.'

"Can you help us let Eren escape?" Armin asked.

I need more information. I need to know more to determine if this is a trap.

"Escape?" Annie said, keeping any signs of emotion from her voice. "From who, the government? Where would there be to go?"

"We need to hide him for a little while," Armin said. "Our group in the Scouts just needs to gain enough time to gather some things that will make the council change their minds concerning what to do with Eren."

Interesting.

"Change their minds?" Annie said. "Such a thing really exists? What is it?"

Armin dropped his gaze. He corrected the tremble to his lip. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't say."

'I'm sorry.'

I see … that thing you need to absolve Eren … it's me. At least you seem to feel bad about it.

"I'm sorry, Armin," Annie said. "I can't help you. I won't tell anyone about this, though. Good luck – I hope you can find a way to get Eren out."

Annie turned to walk away.

He's not going to let me go. He'll say what he needs to in order for me to stay; for me to agree. I need to use this opportunity to find out where Eren really is, since now it's obvious it isn't the convoy.

"Annie, please!" Armin said, desperation in his voice. "They're going to kill Eren! A bunch of people who know nothing … who are just scared and trying to secure their own existence … they're going to kill him because they think he's a threat. I know you and Eren aren't close, but we have no choice but to bet everything now! We absolutely need the Military Police's help to sneak him through Sina's security checkpoint … it's our only option left."

Shall I call your bluff?

"I see," Annie said. She slowly turned back to Armin. "Then why didn't you ask Marco?"

Armin's mouth stretched into a thin line. It was a given the lie he was about to come up with would be a good one. A convincing one. Annie admired him for his ability.

"Marco," Armin said, dropping his gaze. "Marco cares for Eren, but I don't think he would defy the government to protect him. Marco would insist on finding a compromise; as much as I wish we could simply reason with the council, I feel the outcome would ultimately still end with Eren's execution."

Wrong, Annie thought. You're gambling on Marco and I having a similar relationship to our time in the Cadets. You think I don't know him well enough to believe he would do whatever it took to save a friend if he thought their life was on the line. You're observant, Armin, but you don't see everything.

"So instead, you asked me," Annie said. "Because I'm the type of person who has loose enough morals to help you commit treason."

Armin was looking increasingly uncomfortable. It made Annie think he was on some sort of timeline.

"I'm sorry, Annie," Armin said. "I know … I know you're a kind person, and I'm trying to take advantage of that. I had hoped the fact you didn't want Eren to die would be enough to convince you."

A genuine statement.

Armin knew Annie had no intention of killing Eren. She easily could've done so before when she'd transformed into the Female Titan and fought him outside the walls. They both knew her intention was to capture him; it still was. She could play along with this ruse, make him think she believed his story and that she was going to help. Eren would be captured when they least expected it, and Annie would make her escape over the walls. She'd return home. She'd–

"You have a great memory and you don't hesitate to share your opinion," Marco had said. It was the first time they'd spoken more than a few words to each other, yet he looked at her as if they'd been close friends for years. "The people here will like you a lot."

Only a few hours ago Annie had told Marco she wasn't feeling well. There hadn't been a trace of disappointment in his voice.

'Try not to push yourself too hard today.'

Annie closed her eyes. She exhaled, driving out every bit of emotion until nothing remained. A silver ring was pulled out of her pocket and placed on her finger.

When something must be done, it must be done no matter what.

"Okay, Armin," she said, opening her eyes. "I'll help you."