Chapter 24
Traitors
The sun was starting to rise when they reached the castle, but it was in ruins and Kara saw her friends running towards a Titan that looked like it was getting torn apart. Christa was running towards it.
"Mikasa! Kara! Go!" Hange called. Kara jumped up and shot into the air with Mikasa right behind her. A titan was reaching for Christa. Kara sent her hooks flying and connected to the neck of the Titan and flew towards it. She slashed through the neck. She landed on part of the castle as the Titan fell to the ground. Kara stood up with her back to her friends as the others ran up to Christa.
"Christa, all of you, get back. It's okay." Kara said. She turned and looked at her friends with a smile on her face. "Let us take care of this."
"Kara!" Christa shouted. Scouts flew over Kara and attack Titans. Kara jumped in the air and Sasha and Kara went after two Titans and slashed their necks. Kara saw Eren got his first ODM kill and fall when his wires got tangled up.
Afterwards.
"Kara. Ymir. She's that Titan." Christa yelled, pointing towards a Titan that was laying on it's stomach.
"What?!" Kara asked.
"Ymir is a Titan shifter like Eren." Reiner said. Kara ran towards the Titan.
"Kara. Wait!" Hange called.
"Ymir is that Titan. We need to get her out!" Kara called as she jumped onto the Titan.
"What!" Eren said. Hange joined Kara as Kara cut into the nape. Sure enough. Ymir was there. Hange and Kara pulled her out and laid her on the rocks. She was missing an arm and a leg. Her stomach had blood coming out. Hange stood behind Kara as Kara and Christa knelt next to Ymir. Their friends stood looking down at them.
"Ymir." Christa said. Ymir opened her eyes and looked at Christa. Christa smiled at her. "Just as promised. My real name is Historia." Ymir smiled and closed her eyes. Kara stood up and looked at Hange.
"We should get everyone onto the wall." Kara said. Hange nodded.
A couple hours later. Kara and Historia stood on the wall as they started lifting Ymir up to the top. The others are were helping the others get up. Kara had brought Christa up with her. Hange had ordered Kara to guard Christa till they got back to Headquarters.
"That's it. Bring it up slowly!" A soldier called. Christa and Kara watched as the cot was brought up. A Scouting cape was wrapped around Ymir, keeping her warm. It was raining.
"Steady the ropes, please." Moblit called.
"Will she be alright?" Christa asked.
"She's missing an arm and a leg. And her insides are scrambled. If it wasn't for her Titan abilities, she be a goner. She's lucky." Kara said. Christa nodded. Kara put a hand on Christa's shoulder. Kara saw Eren help Reiner onto the wall. Kara turned and helped Moblit grab the cot Ymir was on and set it on top of the wall.
"Please you've got to believe me!" Christa's voice made Kara look. Christa was talking to Hange. "You've got to believe me. Ymir could've run away any time she wanted! She chose to fight the Titans to save our lives! She had nothing to gain putting herself on the line like that. Doesn't that speak volumes about where her loyalties are? She should have told us before, yes. She had no right to keep her power a secret. It's hard to look past how much humankind might've gained from knowing what she's been keeping to herself, but.. I think she was just worried about what people might do to her. Clearly her priorities have changed now. This isn't nearly as complicated as it looks. No one is closer to Ymir than me and there's no question in my mind whose side she's on!" Kara looked at Hange, who looks at Christa keeping a straight face.
"Is that so?" Hange said. Christa gasped.
"Well, under the circumstances it certainly behooves us to be friendly." Hange said. She looked to see Moblit and another woman carrying the stretcher further onto the wall. Kara knelt next to Ymir to make sure she was alright. Hange and Christa started walking towards Ymir. "Her priorities aside, I'll wager what she can teach us about the enemy is beyond measure. Probably. Even so. You say this isn't as complicated as it looks, but from where I'm standing the world gets more complicated by the hour." Kara heard her say something else, but blocked it out.
"Looks like her regenerating is taking longer with how severe her injuries are. But steam is coming out of the wounds" The Medic said. Kara nodded.
"Christa. I want you to stay with Kara till we figrue stuff out. You can stay with Ymir as well." Hange said.
"Yes, mam." Christa said. She knelt next to Kara
"How she doing?" Hange asked.
"Comatose but stable. The bleeding's stopped, though steam appears to be coming out of her wounds." Moblit said. Christa pushes hair out of Ymir's face. Kara looked up at Hange.
"Best course of action would be take her back to Trost where she can get proper medical care." Kara said. Hange nodded in agreement.
"She's in your hands." Hange said. Nifa looked at Hange.
"Consider it done." Nifa said. Hange turned.
"Right then. On with our mission." Hange said. She walked away. "Finding the hole and patching it up." Hange and Moblit walk away. Kara stood and walked over to the edge and looked out. She was surprised not to see titans.
"I'm surprised the area isn't swarming with Titans." Christa said. Kara had a bad feeling.
"Something doesn't feel right. You think it would be if the wall was breached." Kara said. She saw two Garrison men riding down the wall. "Come on. Let's go see what information they have. Might be important." Christa nodded. They joined the others.
Hannes left the other two on the ground and came up onto the wall.
"Wall's perfectly fine." Hannes said as he pulled himself up onto the wall. Kara's eyes widen.
"What?" Kara and Eren said.
"Spent all night trying to find the wpot where they're getting in. But between Trost and Krolva District, there's nothing. No hole anywhere." Hannes said.
"That's impossible." Hange said.
"We ran into a search party from Krolva and retraced our steps. Not a single Titan on the way here either." Hannes said. Kara bit her bottom lip.
"But we know for a fact that there are Titans on this side of Wall Rose." Armin said.
"Oh come on. How much have you had to drink, seriously?" Eren asked. Hannes eyes widen.
"Why you little! Hold on. Wait a second. What the hell are you kids even doing here?" Hannes asked. Eren and Armin gasped. The Wind started to pick up. Hange turned to her squad.
"If there's no breach then I guess we have to change tactics. We head back to Trost immediately." Hange said. Hannes talked to the Trio as Kara and Christa walked with Hange.
"What the hell. If there isn't a breach then something isn't adding up." Kara said. Kara saw Reiner, Bertholdt, and Eren talking.
"Oh no. What if there's a species of Titan we haven't seen yet that knows how to dig?" Hange said.
"Ugh. That would definitely make their entry point hard to find." Moblit said.
"We can hypothesize later. Our first concern is Ymir." Hange said. Sasha was walking with Kara as Christa ran ahead to check on Ymir.
"Titans being a close second, even with the horses." Moblit said. Mikasa stopped and looked back at Reiner and Bertholdt. Kara stopped also to watch.
"What are you talking about?" Eren asked.
"Why are you telling him? Reiner, no!" Bertholdt said, grabbing Reiner's arm. "Stop."
"We were on a mission. Our goal was to ensure mankind's extinction." Reiner said. He pulled his arm free from Bertholt. "But now, there's no need for that." Eren gasped. "Eren, if you want the walls to remain standing, it's simple. Just come with Bertholdt and me." Eren stared at the two in horror. "Do you understand me?"
"Understand? What the hell is there to understand?" Eren asked.
"Listen to me. I need you to do exactly as I say." Reiner said. Bertholdt had a scared look on his face while Reiner looked mad as he tried to explain. "Look, I know this is sudden, but we have to go."
"Right now? Where would you take me?" Eren asked. Kara gritted her teeth.
"I can't tell you. Not yet. Just think of it as our hometown. Okay? so what's it gonna be?" Reiner asked. Eren gasps. "Not a bad deal, right? The chance to avert a major crisis?" Eren looks at Kara and Mikasa. Both holding straight faces.
"I'm not so sure." Eren said.
"You guys! Get a move on, we're heading out!" Armin called. Armin gasped. Eren crosses his arms and looks up at the sky. Kara remembered the talk back at Headquarters before they came.
Yesterday
Hange was looking at the paper Sasha had given her. Everyone stood waiting for Hange. Kara and Sasha stood together.
"Hmm." Hange said.
"Section Commander? Something wrong?" Eren asked.
"Oh, uh, well I was finally able to get my hands on the background report I requested for Annie Leonhart." Hange said.
"Annie?" Kara asked.
"Yeah. Took longer than I was hoping for. The paper trail's a bit of a catastrophe at the moment. Bureaucracy, huh? Anyway, according to this, there were two other cadets in the 104th who haled from the same region. I have their names. One Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover." Kara's eyes widen as Eren, Armin, and Sasha gasp. Levi didn't look thrilled. "Not much survives in the way of records and thanks to the chao five years ago, what we have on them is unreliable. However, we do know that during the long-range scouting formation, their unit was given false intel. They were among those intentionally misled into thinking Eren was in the right wing." Armin gasped.
"Wait just a minute. That's the section Annie attacked." Armin said.
"What? What does that mean?" Sasha asked, looking at Armin.
"Well, it's entirely possible they told Annie where they thought Eren was." Armin said.
"Huh? Why would they do that?" Sasha asked. Eren glared at Armin.
"Where are you going with this, Armin? You can't just accuse.." Eren started.
"I totally agree." Hange interupted. Eren gasped. "Coincidence doesn't establish relationship. Bearing that in mind, I'm curious to know how the three interacted while training. What can you tell us."
"I knew Bertholdt and Reiner were from the same region as Annie, but I never saw them act friendly." Armin said.
"Same with me. You'd never catch them shooting the breeze. And when they did talk it was pretty curt." Eren said.
"Plus, it's not like Annie was very social to begin with." Kara said, looking at Hange.
"Yeah, at meals she always seemed to prefer eating by herself. I dunno." Sasha said. She punched her hands. "Ah! I think I've got something that struck me as weird at the time. I, uh... heard she liked sweets!" Kara rolled her eyes.
"I've got nothing. Except maybe that.." Mikasa started.
"Guys." Eren interupted making his friends look at him. "What are we doing? These are our comrades we're talking about. Yeah, sure. Bertholdt never has a lot to say. But Reiner's like everyone's big brother, you know? You really think he's capable of lying to us?"
"Eren does have a point. Think about it. Reienr fought the Female Titan with everything he had. Almost got himself squeezed to a bloody pulp in the process." Armin said. He gasps.
"What's the matter?" Kara asked. Armin looked at everyone.
"He burst free from her grip at the last minute. Afterwards, though, Annie changed her course. In fact, she ran straight toward where you were. I.. I mentioned that you might be in the rear of the center rank, but there's no way she coul've heard me. She wasn't in earshot at the time." Kara looked at her father. His frown was deeper.
"You've gotta be kidding." Eren said.
"Do you recall if he seemed unually interested in Eren's location?" Hange said. Armin thought a minute and his eyes widen.
"Oh, no. I only brought his position up in the first place because Reiner asked me where I thought Eren might be." Armin said. Everyone stood in silence. Kara was trying to wrap her head around this. Her two friends were traitors along with Annie. "Something else." Kara looked at Armin. "Once he broke free, the Female Titan stood there staring at her palm, possible transfixed by something he'd carved onto it with his blades. Maybe Reiner.." Armin couldn't finish what he was saying. Kara stood with her arms crossed as she stared at the floor.
"What is wrong with you people? The man's been with us from the beginning! You don't just.." Eren goes to grab Armin.
"ENOUGH!" Hange yelled, stopping Eren. Kara looked at Hange. "All of you. Listen up. If we cross paths with the pair in question, don't give them any indication of what we discussed. And under no circumstances are you to broach the topic of Annie Leonhart in their company. Before we can ascertain whether they were co-conspirators, we must find, lure, and contain them underground. That's the plan. Are we clear?"
"Yes, clear." Everyone said.
Present day.
Eren put a hand on Reiner's shoulder.
"You're just tired. That's it, right? Help me out here, Bertholdt. Your nerves are shot. You don't know what you're saying." Eren said.
"Uh. Yeah." Bertholdt said. Sweat was pouring down his face. "It's the battle fatigue talking!" Eren stepped away from Reiner.
"It's okay. You're okay. If you really were the Armored Titan what's the endgame here? We wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. What did you expect me to do? Say yes? Let myself be kidnapped just 'cause you asked politely?" Eren asked. Reiner had a shocked look on his face. Kara and Mikasa were watching with frowns on their faces. Reiner looked away from Eren.
"Right. Not thinking straight, am I? Barely know what I'm saying here. Must've gone off the deep end." Reiner said. Eren goes to join his friends.
"C'mon, let's go." Eren said. The wind picks up suddenly and a flag is pulled from the wall. It falls towards the ground, making noise as it goes down. Kara jumps at the noise as Eren gasps. Hange, Moblit, and the others come to a stop. The sun starts to come out of the clouds as the rain comes to a stop. Reiner had his back to everyone. Kara held one of her handles to her ODM gear.
"That's the problem." Reiner said. Eren turned to look at Reiner. "Heh. I've been here to long for my own good. Three years of this madness, surrounded by idiots. We were kids. What did we know about anything? Why did there have to be people like this? Why? Why did I let myself devolve into such a half assed piece of shit." Reiner takes the sling off his arm as he turns and unwraps his arm. "It's to late now. Damned if I know what's right anymore! Who cares? It is what it is." Reiner holds up his arm where a bite mark was. Kara's eyes widen as the wound starts to steam and heal. "No choice but to face what I've done. As a warrior. No road left but the one that leads to the end!" Eren gasps as Kara clenches her jaw.
"Reiner! Right now? Here? We're doing this?" Bertholt asked.
"Yes! Right here, right now!" Reiner said as he goes to grab Eren. We settle this once and for all!" Mikasa grabbed Eren and shoved him into Kara. Kara and Eren stumbled but Kara held him as Mikasa goes after Reiner, slashing his arms, leaving her blade in Reiner's arm. Reiner gritted his teeth. Mikasa slashes Bertholdt's neck and he falls to the ground. Kara started pulling Eren back. Mikasa steps on Berthodt's chest as she points her sword at him as Bertholdt gasps.
"Kara! Get Eren out of here!" Mikasa yells. Reiner punches Mikasa off the wall.
"Mikasa!" Kara screams. Mikasa uses hooks to latch onto the wall.
"Bertholdt!" Reiner yelled. Kara grits her teeth as Eren pushes her off and both watch in horror as gold lightning surrounds Reiner and Bertholt. Bertholdt stood up. Kara moves backwards. Hange, Armin, and Sasha were running towards them.
"Eren! Run away!" Armin yells. Gold lightning strikes the two. Kara puts her hands in front of her as steam comes at them. She gasps as she is thrown backwards with the others. Kara sent a hook flying into the wall and hits the ground hard as the wind wips around her and the others. Kara looked up to see ribs going into the wall. Eren was hanging onto the side of the wall. Kara gasped as the Colossal Titan comes out of the steam with a roar. The Armored Titan was behind him. Kara felt tears in her eyes. Eren flies off the wall. Kara is pulled to her feet by Sasha as they all stood. Kara's saw the Armored grab Eren. The Colossal reached his arm up above them, but wasn't grabbing any of them.
"YMIR!" Christa yelled. Kara looked back to see Ymir in the Colossal's hand.
"Damnit." Kara said. The Armored Titan jumped down the wall and started sliding down.
"No!" Armin said. Kara ran to the side, keeping an arm up from the steam as a gold light splits the air and Eren's Titan roar split the air.
AN: I'll end the chapter there. Defently one of the best jaw dropping moments of the show watching it for the first time. Till next time.