"What's the status down there?!"

"I'm working on it!" Celine shouted. Her voice traveled up through the grate in the ceiling. She caught a glimpse of a face before it disappeared. The sound of distant shouting was cut off when a metal door slammed shut.

"You come down here and work on this, asshole," Celine said. She lifted a hand to her side. "Hand me the smaller wrench."

"Right."

At the very least Celine was grateful the private who'd volunteered to be her glorified lamp kept his mouth shut for the most part. She knew his name was Boris, he was decent at holding up a lantern, and could identify most of the common tools in the ship's toolbox; that was plenty.

"Once I tighten this," Celine said. "Either the direct-current motor's going to operate again, or we're fucked."

Boris looked at the contraption over Celine's shoulder with a frown. "Should I wish us luck?"

"Sure, kid," Celine said. "My luck's probably run out by now, so I could use some of yours."

Celine tightened the bolt, a large tube connecting to the motor letting out a clunk as it slid into place. A few seconds passed in silence, Celine and Boris staring at the contraption in anticipation.

A cranking sound caused them to whip their heads around. The thrust bearing at their backs began to turn, picking up speed until the long, tube-like object attached to the propeller started spinning fast enough for the ship to lurch forward.

"It's a good thing you're lucky, kid," Celine said, reaching up to ruffle silver-blonde hair. "Because I only half knew what the hell I was doing."

Boris left no room for Celine to celebrate her achievement as he turned and ran toward the ladder. "Considering what I'm living through, I wouldn't call myself lucky. Let's get above deck; it won't take long until the air tanks are up to pressure and we can man the water cannons."

Boris and Celine climbed the ladder to the next level. They jogged around a giant boiler, the room heavy with steam before a blast of cold air hit them from the blower room. Celine glanced at the spinning blades of the compressor before Boris flung open the door for the main deck.

Every occupant aboard the fireboat had sprung into action. Military Police soldiers dashed to their assigned posts; orders were shouted, water cannons manned, and the anchor cranked up from the bottom of the river. The ramp connecting the fireboat to shore was quickly pulled on deck as the vessel lurched into motion.

Celine looked over the water. It was a horrifying feeling, knowing the fires raging through Stohess as far as the eye could see didn't top the pressing matters she had to worry about. The Titans were still fighting in the distance – glimpses of red flesh and the occasional roar accenting the backdrop of destruction. She prayed the feeling in her gut telling her those kids didn't stand a chance was wrong.

"Well, well, well; lookie here."

Celine turned to glance over her shoulder. She frowned. "Why are you here?"

"Orders, little lady," Kenny said. He grinned as he stopped at her side. "Was wonderin' who it was that got this fella pumping again. Can't say I'm surprised."

"I got lucky," Celine said. She turned to regard Boris, but found the kid was gone. It was a reminder there wasn't time to lose.

"I'm heading for the southern stables," Celine said. She stepped up to the railing, placing her boot on the bottom rung. The jump to shore wouldn't be far – she was sure she could make it. "Before I went below deck, I heard a messenger say they were low on horses to pull the fire wagons. I'll lead whatever horses I can find to the station on Elm Street."

"Nah, you'll need to go to the one on Bridgewater," Kenny said, his eyes fixed ahead. "The one on Elm got blown to bits. The southern stables probably did, too, from what I saw in the air."

Celine grit her teeth. "The explosion reached that far?"

"Somethin', ain't it?"

From the corner of her eye, Celine swore she saw a look akin to amusement on Kenny's face. It was gone when she turned to face him.

"My assignment is for me and my crew to stick close to the action over there," Kenny said, tilting his head in the direction of the battle raging over the rooftops. "But I hear they're lookin' for more folks to head south and aid evacuation efforts. I can't take you all the way to the Wall, but I can get you to a spot outside the fires."

Celine scoffed. "Through all that smoke up there? We'd suffocate before going a dozen blocks."

"Now what kind of friend would I be if I let you run into danger like that?" Kenny asked. He hummed an upbeat tune as he adjusted the standard ODM gear around his hips, soon taking a knee and indicating for Celine to come closer with a wave. "Hop on, little lady. I promise on my grandfather's grave I'll get you south, safe and sound."

Celine scowled. "Why do I have a feeling you're not doing this out of the goodness of your own heart?" She stepped behind Kenny, her hand hesitating as she reached out. A sigh escaped Celine as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Course I ain't," Kenny said.

There was a command to fire as Kenny adjusted Celine on his back and rose to his feet. The water cannons let loose, the wide streams arching overhead before coming down against the flames engulfing the buildings closest to shore. The amount of pressure behind the cannons would allow them to work their way at least two or three city blocks inland.

The resulting spray drifting from the cannon streams fell heavy like a dense fog. Celine dipped her head under the brim of Kenny's hat to combat the water collecting on her eyelashes and obstructing her vision.

"You gettin' hurt wouldn't bode well for our little side project," Kenny said. He turned his head to grin at Celine. "Here we go – pretend I'm your lover and hold onto me nice and tight."

"I'll take my chances burning to death."

Kenny let out a barking laugh. The hooks from his ODM gear shot loose, lodging into the side of a decapitated clock tower. Celine caught a glimpse of their reflection in the clock face among the rubble below as they flew overhead. They whipped around a corner and down a street where any building still standing was completely engulfed in flame. Kenny was keeping them at a level just below the rooftops to avoid the majority of the resulting smoke. The tradeoff meant the pair brushing dangerously close to the fires closing in on either side.

A loud snap rang overhead. Celine looked up, eyes growing wide as the support beams of what used to be an apartment building gave out. The entire top level slid forward and made her squint against the writhing shades of red and orange filling her vision. Her grip around Kenny's shoulders intensified as she screamed over the creaking wood and roaring flames.

"Kenny, move your ass!"

A quick rotation led to Kenny soaring backwards as he put himself between Celine and the flames. Their trajectory left them in a low dip toward the street, the bottoms of Kenny's boots nearly touching down as they swung past. She had a glimpse of the collapsing building smashing to pieces in their wake before Kenny yanked them up and turned a corner.

"You still in one piece back there, little lady?" Kenny asked.

Celine lifted her head from the back of Kenny's jacket. "Barely."

"Good," Kenny said. "Be a shame to lose you after such powerful words of encouragement."

They came across a patch of neighborhoods mostly free of flames, Kenny zig-zagging around the streets in as clear a path as possible. They were only a few blocks down from the courtyard leading to the gate when Kenny felt confident enough to touch down.

"Safe and sound, like I said," Kenny said. He crouched down to allow Celine to slide off his back.

A puff of air escaped Celine's nose. She held out her arms to keep her balance against her vision slowly spinning. "I wouldn't call that–"

Kenny had turned to face her. There was a scorch mark running the width of his thigh, the blackened cloth of his pants framing a blistering wound. The only time they would've been close enough for a burn like that to happen was when they were passing the collapsing building … when Kenny flipped Celine out of harm's way.

Celine averted her gaze. "Make sure to get yourself patched up before that gets infected." A tightness grew in her throat that had nothing to do with the smoke. "And watch yourself going back. You're as integral to our project as I am."

A grin graced Kenny's features. "As far as the King is concerned …" He placed a hand on Celine's shoulder in passing. "… I'm plenty replaceable."

"To me, you're not."

The hand on Celine's shoulder remained for a beat before withdrawing. Kenny kept his back to Celine as he walked, lifting his hat in parting.

"See you around, little lady."

Celine's own parting was drowned out by a screech overhead. A Titan touched down on the rooftop at her back. It was small, maybe only half the height of Eren's Titan form, but it possessed powerful enough legs for it to launch itself overhead without trouble. The creature was headed north and out of sight within seconds. Celine could only stare, mouth agape.

Kenny let out a soft whistle. "Things just got even more interesting."

Kenny's ODM gear let out a hiss as he launched skyward in a cloud of steam. His departure left Celine standing alone along the wide street littered with articles of clothing and other household items which had fallen from the arms of their owners in their hurry to flee.

"Another Titan," Celine said. She cursed, turning on her heel as she began to run. "To hell with this day."

Celine's arrival to the main courtyard a few minutes later was akin to entering another world. The winding streets on her journey had been completely empty, Celine's only company being the sound of her own haggard breathing. A hum filled her ears, turning to a roar when she rounded a corner and bumped into a woman clutching a housecat for dear life. The woman didn't appear to notice, continuing with an argument she was having with the man at her side concerning whether they should risk going back to their home. Something was mentioned about medication of some sort before Celine was out of earshot.

"Oi!"

It took a moment for the Military Police officer on horseback to notice her. There were a number of civilians crowding the man, screaming questions about how long they had to wait to get to the gate and when the fires were going to be under control. His uncertain responses weren't enough to placate the throng as their agitated voices grew in volume. It took Celine letting out a high-pitched whistle for the officer's eyes to stop roving over her head and finally take her in.

"You have an update?" the man asked, relieved when some of the attention shifted to Celine.

"I just came from the north; so no idea," Celine said. "Where can I find a captain for an assignment?"

"The guard post at the gate," the officer said, tilting his head. "Looks like you lost your ODM gear. I'll lend you this horse if you'll do me the favor of coming back with an update on the situation at the gate. Things have been at a standstill; I'm afraid a riot's going to break out if they don't get everyone into Laurel soon."

The clamoring mass was aggravating, but Celine couldn't blame them for being on edge. A crisis was the last thing the people of Sina were prepared to handle. Within Wall Rose there was always an underlying fear knowing only one line of defense guarded their everyday life from the Titans. They were prepared for the worst. In their minds, they'd already played out a scenario of what to grab, where to go, and who to meet up with in case their homes had to be abandoned. It certainly showed no one in Sina considered any such thing even a possibility.

Celine urged her borrowed horse around the edge of the crowd. It was slow going as she had to tread carefully around wayward children, spooked horses, and the people whose panic had struck them hard enough to drown out everything aside from weeping or staring into space. Many were displaying burns in various degrees of severity. There was doubt if more than a few of the especially afflicted figures Celine spotted in makeshift cots were even alive. It was a pity if they were.

At the base of the wall up ahead there was a clearing. Three Garrison soldiers created a barrier between the crowd and a ladder at their backs. The ladder only reached up about sixty feet, leading to a cavity where the massive winch system to raise and lower the barrier for the gate resided. There was a pang of envy for the soldiers with ODM gear who were able to swing in and out of the opening with ease. Celine found herself ascending the distance the old-fashioned way as she handed the reins to the horse off to one of the guards and began to climb.

What the hell are they doing down there?

By all accounts Sina's gateway was more than wide enough to accommodate ample levels of traffic. From Celine's new viewpoint she could see several places where groups had decided to linger, creating bottlenecks which left the remainder of the crowd filtering through at a much slower rate. A cluster of over two dozen people knelt in prayer as a man adorning black robes and a thick golden necklace read aloud from a book in hand. Across the way a number of people stood in line for their wounds to be bandaged or coated in a thick salve.

The damn Military Police, Celine thought as she crested the landing. They're so used to bending to every whim of the citizens here, they won't tell them when they need to move their ass. It's enough to make me embarrassed I'm no longer in the Garrison; they wouldn't put up with this shit.

The embodiment of Celine's frustration turned out to be a tall, broad-shouldered Garrison soldier having a heated conversation with a Military Police captain over the very subject. Celine recognized the Garrison soldier as the man with the long hair who'd accompanied Commander Pyxis on the day of her tribunal. He was an imposing figure, but the captain in his sights didn't so much as flinch as he glared the other man down.

"The last thing we need is to induce more panic," the captain said. "If we start removing anyone by force, it'll only make things worse."

"The people are going to start doing that themselves if no one steps in!" the Garrison soldier countered. "There's already reports of restless citizens growing violent at the back of the crowd. You need to order your people to get them out of there, now."

"This is outside your chain of jurisdiction, Section Commander Amstead," the captain said. "We will continue the evacuation efforts as instructed by our own Commander. You can take your grievances up with him if you wish."

Well, this is a pity, Celine thought. I'm about to dig myself into a hole again right after getting my record expunged, too.

"Are you Captain Vin?"

Amstead looked over his shoulder. His expression morphed as he took in Celine, seemingly having trouble placing where he'd seen her before. There was no such recognition from the captain at his side as the shorter man's mustache thinned with a scowl.

"It's Vaughn."

"My apologies," Celine said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "I actually just came from seeing the Commander. He said to focus on speeding up evacuation efforts by all means possible."

Vaughn's keen, green eyes narrowed. "And who am I speaking to?"

"Unit Captain Celine Bodt, Technical Department branch," Celine said. She slid to attention, placing her fist over her heart. "Commander Nile Dawk will attest to my statement."

For no other reason than avoiding having to attend another of my tribunals.

"Unit Captain Bodt," Vaughn said, turning to face her. "The Technical Department doesn't have an ounce of authority here. Our Commander knows this, and certainly wouldn't send someone of your caliber to relay an order. I won't trust your—"

There was a scream. Then another. The attention of Vaughn and Amstead drifted over Celine's shoulder. Amstead's eyes went wide; the color drained entirely from Vaughn's face.

Celine turned about. Her limbs locked in place, leaving her paralyzed as she could only stare and take in the horror seeping through every pore.

The Armored Titan was coming.

. . .

White hair bobbed as the Armored Titan took long, heavy strides. It nearly cleared a block with each step, the Titan quickly growing larger every passing second. The distant booms of its footsteps were soon accompanied by the ground underfoot beginning to quake. The screams below grew louder as the masses began to push one another to make it under the gateway.

"We … we need to close it," Amstead said. His shaking hands formed into fists. "The Titan will make it straight through to Laurel if the gate is open!"

Vaughn's eyes darted between Amstead and the Armored Titan. He found his voice with a rough shake to his head. "Absolutely not! Anyone still on this side will be trapped!"

"Including the Titan!" Amstead said, rounding on the man. "We can't allow it to escape! It'll only wreck more havoc on the people of Rose! It may even create another hole!"

"All the more reason to allow it to pass through this gate!" Vaughn said. "If we close the gate and the Titan breaks through the barrier, then we'll be left defenseless if Wall Rose is breached!"

Amstead grabbed Vaughn by the cuff of his jacket. "Think about more than yourself! Close the barrier, now!"

"Don't stick me with that burden!" Vaughn shouted, a vein in his neck protruding from the effort. "Take a look at the civilians down below! If we close the gate now, then the people there will–"

A metallic clicking noise echoed through the room. The safety lock for the winch had been yanked free, the mechanism spinning wildly as the thick metal chain wrapped through the apparatus was pulled into the dark opening overhead.

The barrier above the gate shifted down slowly, a groan emitting from the chain connected to the winch system across the way. A cracking sound indicated the weight of the barrier against the single chain was too much to handle. The barrier came rushing down in a grinding rumble like rolling thunder. A gust of air blew over Vaughn and Amstead as they stared, pale-faced and tight-lipped, at the gleaming white stone hurtling past.

Vaughn closed his eyes and turned away as the barrier came crashing down. Amstead didn't avert his gaze, keeping his attention locked on the faces below as their features twisted in terror before being engulfed in shadow. He stood, frozen, as he witnessed the writhing crowd let out a final, ear-splitting cry before being crushed alive. The sound of their screams cutting off in perfect unison was like a strike to the chest.

Amstead was knocked off his feet from the impact of the Armored Titan slamming against the barrier. He landed hard on his stomach, heart racing in panic as he struggled to breathe. It took a moment of scrambling before he could crawl onto his knees and lift his head.

Chaos had erupted outside the landing; Amstead couldn't make out anything distinct between the screams and unfamiliar bellow drifting from below. He looked about as his spinning vision started to focus.

Vaughn was leaning against the wall of the landing, his breath coming out in a soft whistle from a broken nose. The low groan he emitted when he placed a hand on his side indicated he was injured but not in a manner which should elicit much worry.

A sudden jolt came hand-in-hand with Amstead recalling the two of them hadn't been alone. He twisted his head about, finding the woman Celine on her knees beside the winch. The safety lock for the winch was in her hands, the tube-like object rolling to the floor as her fingers went slack.

It was … her …

He watched as Celine slowly got to her feet. She hugged herself as if catching a sudden chill, one unsteady step being followed by another as she approached the edge of the landing.

Amstead snatched Celine's wrist. He looked her dead in the eyes, unblinking.

"It will be better if you don't look."

Celine's lip trembled. She struggled to hold Amstead's gaze as her expression crumbled.

"Don't look," Amstead said, his voice filled with pity. He released his grip on Celine as she fell to her knees. The woman before him dipped her head, covering her ears as she let out a long, heart-wrenching wail.

Amstead pulled Celine into an embrace, keeping his hand firmly against the back of her head. Below he could see the growing pool of blood oozing from beneath the barrier and slowly spreading into the courtyard like hot wax over an envelope. People were running in every direction, leaving tracks of footprints or long, red streaks from skirts dragging over cobblestone. The smell of iron drifted up to the landing, causing bile to build up in Amstead's throat.

"Don't look," Amstead repeated. He grit his teeth in reaction to Celine's repeated screams. The material of his jacket did little to muffle the sound.

"Please … don't look."

I have to … set an example.

Marco's hands went slack. The rifle Celine had put in his grip fell to the dirt.

I have to be strong. I have to be smart. I have to be the one people can look to. I have to protect those who can't protect themselves.

Marco rushed to the other side of the clearing. This caused Celine to take a fearful step back. She was brave enough to ask him to kill her … but Marco was sure staring perceived death in the face didn't come easy.

I can't falter. I can't doubt. I can't … I can't put myself before others.

Marco wrapped Celine in a tight embrace. He dipped his head over her shoulder as tears began to fall.

"I … I love Mom," Marco said. He took a choppy inhale of breath as he dug his fingers into Celine's shoulders. "And I miss her. These past few mornings when I went down to the kitchen and didn't see her there … or when I looked at the cross-stitch sitting on the side table knowing it's never going to get finished … It hurts. But … I love Dad, too. And Suzy. And I love you, Celine. I love you all so much. I don't want to lose any of you."

"Stop it."

Celine tried to push Marco away. He held firm as her struggle grew erratic.

"They don't even know," Celine said, fighting to catch her breath. "They don't even know yet how many people I killed. They think it's … over fifty …"

"Mom wouldn't blame you, Celine," Marco said. "I don't think the rest of those people would, either."

Celine suddenly grew still. Her knees buckled, Marco holding her tight to keep her on her feet.

"You …" Celine whimpered. She squeezed the lapels of Marco's jacket, her knuckles turning white from the effort. "Why …? You should hate me."

"This is the second request you've asked of me that I'm going to refuse," Marco said. "I can't hate you just as much as I can't kill you. There is nothing you can ever do that will make me not love my big sister."

Celine let out a low whine. She shook her head. "I don't deserve that. I don't deserve any form of forgiveness. I don't deserve … I don't deserve to be here."

"Do you love me, Celine?"

Marco allowed his grip to relax as Celine slowly raised her head. She stared up at Marco's stern expression. The pain behind her eyes grew the longer she held his gaze.

"If you love me," Marco said, his voice steady. "Then you will never again try to take your own life. You will make me that promise right now." Marco swallowed hard. He looked down to his feet. "I feel … I feel broken, Celine. I think if you were gone, too … I'd shatter. So please; please promise me you won't go."

"Marco …"

"Promise me, Celine!"

The statement had been shouted in anger. It was the first time Marco had ever raised his voice to Celine, the surprise sparking something behind the pain. It made Marco's chest ache.

Desperation swam behind Celine's eyes like a neglected child looking for affection. The look was enough to make Marco almost break the resolve etched over his face, but he held firm.

"I promise," Celine said. The weight of the statement caused her to deflate. Hands that had been wrapped around the lapels of Marco's jacket fell limply to her sides.

"I promise," she repeated, her voice almost too soft to hear.

Marco nodded. He held out his hand. "Let's get back; we have an early day going home tomorrow."

Celine slid her hand into Marco's palm, Marco encompassing it with a firm grip. There was no resistance as Marco guided Celine out of the clearing. She kept her eyes lowered and allowed Marco to lead her where she needed to go.