Sounds like four – no, three coming down the stairs.

Annie turned her head. She was slouched on her bed, her back propped against the wall in the most comfortable position she could manage considering the chains around her limbs. The stone was frigid even this time of year, but it was better than having no support at all. It was one of the few small reprieves Annie allowed herself during her imprisonment.

Two of them have stopped.

There was only one set of footsteps now; someone heavier than what she'd picked up before considering the dull thuds which echoed through the hall.

Hange must have given up.

"Ah," the visitor said, stopping when he came into view. "They were right – you're still awake."

This is sooner than I expected, Annie thought. But there was no doubt this was coming.

"Good evening, Commander Erwin," Annie said. "Please, excuse the state of my residence. I would've picked up had I known you were coming."

"I've been told you still have a sense of humor," Erwin said. He took a seat in the wooden chair facing the cell. He countered Annie's slouch with a straight back. To Annie it looked uncomfortable as hell.

"Is that why you came here?" Annie asked, keeping the emotion from her voice. "Would you like me to tell you a joke?"

"I'm more partial to stories, myself," Erwin said. "Ever since I was a child, I questioned the state of humanity before there were the walls. From there I've sought out many stories – theories over what the Titans could be, where they come from, and who might be behind humanity's suffering. I was under the impression my only hope for a continuation of these tales was kept within a basement in Shiganshina District … until now."

Annie tilted her head. "It sounds to me like you're looking for a bedtime story. I think you're a little old for such things, Commander."

"I wonder."

Erwin's gaze drifted to the corner. Something thoughtful became intermingled with his stoic demeanor.

"I expected more things to change as I got older," he said. "My hope was for a better understanding of this world – answers to the questions keeping me up at night; comfort from the constant fear of having everything I know torn to pieces. I've found the feelings I've had since I was a child clung to me like wet cloth. Even though I've grown, they stay the same – their pressure turning more confining with every passing day."

Piercing blue eyes shifted back to Annie. "So, yes," Erwin said. "I can say I would enjoy a bedtime story; it's been too long since I've been able to sleep without these thoughts keeping me awake."

He's eloquent for a man who shows the range of emotion of a signpost, Annie thought. If what I'm seeing is a mask … I envy his skill.

"Unlike you, I have no trouble sleeping," Annie lied. She turned her head away. "I'm tired – leave me be."

Erwin didn't move an inch. "If that's the case, I'll tell you a story, instead."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Then plug your ears," Erwin said. "I put in the effort to create this story, so I'm going to recite it all the same. It's a story from a collection of reports penned by your former peers in the Cadets and Military Police. The main character is a soldier who was a comrade each of them thought they knew. I'm curious what your take is on their interpretations."

Annie allowed a smile to grow on her face as she chuckled. "Do you think Hange hasn't tried this already? It would be a failure on her part if she didn't try to manipulate me through perceived bonds of loyalty. I've heard every sob story about how I've stabbed them all in the back."

"I see," Erwin said. "So, you've already heard of their admiration for you."

Annie couldn't mask the shock rolling over her. "What?"

"'Annie was one of the best among us, and not just because of her rankings in the cadets,'" Erwin quoted. "'She cared more than she liked to let on. We all improved in combat because of her. An extra blanket would find its way to camp with no explanation if someone said they were cold. She never stopped looking out for us; even going against her directive to spare my life."

Armin.

"'She would cry in her sleep,'" Erwin continued. "'I never imagined what a girl like Annie had to cry about. I hated to admit it made me feel good, knowing there was something going on in 'Ms. Perfect's' life which knocked her down with the rest of us. After hearing what she's done, I understand. This doesn't mean I don't hate her. I'd kill scum like her with my bare hands if it came down to it. But if I had to do what she did, I would cry myself to sleep, too.'"

Hitch.

"'I tried to be like her. She was always so cool and a lot stronger than she looked. And she stood behind Marco's plan to save the Engineering Corps members in Trost without question. Even after everything, there's still that part of her I want to be like; the soldier who we all felt we could depend on.'"

Connie.

"'Annie has always been–'"

"Stop."

Annie dipped her head, resting her forehead on her knees. Chains rattled as she wrapped her arms around her legs. Her face was hidden, but it did little good hiding her emotional state.

I can't …

"Don't …" Annie rasped, her throat tight. "Don't talk … anymore."

I can't push it down.

There was hatred. So much hatred. It was burning her up as if she were already among the fires of Hell. There was only one person this hatred targeted.

I killed her, Annie thought. I killed this soldier they all so admired. The Annie they cared about … She's gone. She's gone because of me.

"Annie Leonheart."

The sound of slow footfalls indicated Erwin getting to his feet and stepping up to the bars.

"You're an outstanding soldier," Erwin said. "You thoroughly infiltrated the most elite of our military branch without suspicion. The squad we had cultivated for years to be the best at killing Titans was no match for your combat ability. It was only by the skin of our teeth did we succeed in keeping you from single-handedly thwarting the Scouts and taking Eren Jeager. You being here now came down to the sheer luck of a certain person being in the vicinity during the time of your capture. You have value – I could not imagine the people from where you're from being displeased with your performance."

Where I'm from …

"You're all the same," Annie mumbled.

"I didn't catch that," Erwin said.

"You're all the same."

Annie lifted her head. She stared at the wall across from her, wiping at her eyes despite knowing the act would leave ugly, red splotches behind.

"You're like them," Annie said. "The higher ups of Marley … the higher up of Paradis … it doesn't matter. To people like you, I've always been a shiny tool like a rifle or a gunship. I don't see the difference."

"Then perhaps the difference," Erwin said. "Isn't who's above you, but who you choose to have around you."

A memory surfaced of Marco turning to regard 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.'

"You won't believe me, and I can say this freely because I know no one would believe you, either," Erwin said. A line formed between his brows. "I don't trust the monarchy. We're being lied to about our history and what's beyond these walls. Those who I trust are the soldiers who've fought by my side for humanity's sake. I won't lie and say I don't have my own reasons for wanting to see the lands beyond this place, or the desire to look into the eyes of those who sent you to determine if we're not so different, as you've claimed. All that aside, I'm fighting for my comrades and the answers I'm seeking. Would you wish to say there's also something you're fighting for?"

To be the person they see me as …

Annie turned her head. No effort was made to put on a mask – fear and hope tumbled behind her gaze.

To be … me.

Erwin extended his hand between the bars. It was clear she held value in his eyes. That didn't mean there was warmth; Annie may've been valuable, but in the way an animal found value to a human. She was unlucky enough not to be the type of benign creature kept around for food or something as lowly as companionship. Annie was to be put to work. Her gaze was meant to follow where Erwin would point his finger and rip apart the rats in the barn, leaving their blood and entrails strewn across the hay.

"You people make me want to vomit," Annie said. Bare feet touched down on stone as she stood. She shuffled as close to the bars as her restraints would allow.

"However sick you make me," Annie said, taking Erwin's hand. "It's less nauseating than thinking about where I came from."

"Tell me about them," Erwin said. His grip on Annie's hand intensified. The sharp hyper-focus behind his eyes indicated the gesture wasn't on purpose. This was no order for her to talk – Erwin was asking; begging. The inquisitive child within was finally going to hear the story which would quiet his subconscious and lull him to a peaceful sleep.

He's lucky I'm not more of an asshole, Annie thought. I would string him along just for fun.

"This city resides on an island we call 'Paradis,'" Annie said. "I'm from Marley – a large land mass across the ocean."

"Ocean?" Erwin asked. He still hadn't released Annie's hand. There was a good chance he'd forgotten he was grasping it in the first place.

"It's a body of water so large, it stretches to the horizon," Annie said. "The ocean between here and Marley we–"

The room shook, Annie feeling the vibrations through the soles of her feet. Dust fell from the ceiling in erratic clumps amid the muffled sound of what she could only surmise was an explosion. Her attention snapped toward the sound of the door down the hall opening with a bang.

"Commander!"

"I'm here," Erwin said. His voice was steady, but he was out of sight within seconds as he ran down the hall.

An attack? Annie thought. She strained her ears, but couldn't make out what Erwin and his subordinates were discussing at the top of the stairs.

Using explosives underground … it would only cause a cave-in. Is someone trying to trap us down here?

A few minutes passed before Annie heard the door at the top of the stairs close. Footsteps approached, and to her surprise Erwin came back into view.

"There's no need to worry over your safety," Erwin said. "The situation is being handled. Our discussion can continue."

Erwin …

Explosive materials weren't stored nearby – there was no chance of an accident. Something was happening within the tunnels where his people could be in trouble. Erwin had made the conscious decision to overlook the situation in favor of quelling his own curiosity.

He really is disgusting.

"I guess you're the Commander," Annie said, resigned. "What you say goes."

There was a muffled bang. Annie tilted her head.

What now?

More muffled bangs. Annie looked back to Erwin. She froze.

The door at the top of the stairs opened with a crash. Annie stared at Erwin, working to decipher what was happening based on his expression. The conclusion was Erwin had been caught by surprise. His eyes tracked down as a clamor indicated a group running down the stairs.

"Annie!"

Bertholdt came into view. His hair and half his jacket was an ashy gray from a heavy level of dust. He grasped the bars and regarded Annie in relief.

Soon behind Bertholdt came Reiner, streaks of gray over his cheek mixing with blood on his upper lip. He let out a grunt when a third person was drug into view.

"Marco?" Annie said. Her expression twisted as she took in Marco's ragged breathing and the growing welt beneath his eye. One of his jacket sleeves was gone, scratches running the length of his bare arm.

"Don't," Marco said, having trouble forming the word around his wheezing.

"Don't go with them, Annie."