Chapter 34

On the Move

They all sat in the warehouse. Kara had just finished cleaning Levi's wound on the face. It wasn't deep. They all sat around a fire, sitting on boxes. No one wanted to eat the food that was served. Jean was staring at the food as Kara sat next to him. Levi looked at everyone.

"What's wrong? Did all the filth kill your appetite?" Levi asked.

"No. Jean, there's something I don't understand." Armin said. Jean looked at Armin.

"What's that?" Jean asked.

"When I turned around to try to save you.. that woman already had her gun to your head. It's funny. How could I have shot before she did?" Armin said. Jean looked down as he gritted his teeth and looked away as he rememebered what happened.

"I don't know." Jean whispered. Kara took his hand gently and squeezed it. He smiled weakly.

"You shot first because she hesitated." Levi said. Jean gasps. "It's simple."

"I'm sorry, Armin. You wouldn't have had to save me if I'd just done my job." Jean said.

"I know what it is. The woman I shot back there. I bet she was a really kind person. She must have had a lot more human empathy than I ever did. I pulled that trigger so easily. Withough a thought." Armin said. He was staring off into no where. Kara felt bad for Armin. It was his first kill and it seemed he couldn't forget. "I'm.."

"A killer. And now that your hands have been soaked in blood, the person you once were is gone for good." Levi said. Mikasa gasped.

"Why would you say that?" Mikasa asked. Levi kept his eyes on Armin.

"And you shouldn't regret it for one second. Because if you'd chosen to keep your hands clean, Jean would be a corpse on a cart right now." Levi said. Jean and Kara looked at each other. Jean squeezed her hand gently. "I'll tell you why you pulled the trigger. Because your comrade was about to die." Armin gasped.

"Armin. Everyone on our squad survied today because you got blood on your hands." Kara said. Levi nodded.

"Thank you." Levi said. Armin looked down. Jean sat up straight.

"Captain Levi, I, uh, I thought it was wrong for us to fight other humans, sir. I thought it was wrong that you'd ordered us to do it. I mean, we became soldiers to protect people. But now, I see that i was in the wrong, sir. Next time, I swear I'll shoot." Jean said. He was looking at the ground.

"I never said anything about what was right or wrong." Levi said. Kara and Jean looked at Levi. "My moral high ground's shot to hell. I have no idea who's in the right at this point." Kara gave her father a smile. Levi stood up and headed towards the man that was tied up in the corner. Kara let go of Jean's hand and followed him. "Now then, I think it's time we heard what our guest has to say. The others join them as Levi removes the cloth from the man's mouth. The man gasped.

"Mercy, please! I'm just an old man they use to move cargo. I didn't want to but they.." The man started.

"I've met this one before." Kara said. The Man gasped as he looked up at Kara. Kara had her hands on her hips. "He seemed to be a prominent merchant." The man gasped as he reconized Kara.

"Yeah. I know him. Dimo Reeves, right?" Levi asked. Reeves grunts and looks away.

"This damn job was forced on us by the Military Police. And now that we completely botched it, they'll plunder the Reeves Company for everything its worth. First, they'll kill me, and then they'll set up "accidents" for all my employees. My dumb son, too." Reeves said. A gasp comes from his son on the other side of the box.

"You just gonna lay down and take it?" Levi asked. Reeves looks at Levi. "There's a reason Trost recovered from that Titan attack. It's largely because of jobs and money brought in by the Reeves Company. Tell me, if your company were to disappear, how many would survive the coming winter?"

"So, what? You want me to join you?" Reeves said.

"We just need to know where Eren and Historia are." Kara said.

"If you're in contact with the MPs, I think I have a plan." Levi said.

"And can you give me your word that the people of Trost won't end up starving to death?" Reeves said. Levi knelt on the ground in front of Reeves.

"I can't guarantee it. That said, I believe they'll have a better chance with us than without." Levi said. Reeves sat staring at Levi, but a plan was put in place to bring some MPs to the house where they be staying.

It was getting late as they stood waiting for Reeves to bring a couple MPs. Jean stood holding a gun. Kara came up to him.

"You alright?" Kara asked.

"I'm fine. Your more brave then I am." Jean said. Kara pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his free arm around her.

"The wagon is coming." Sasha called. Jean and Kara pulled apart. The wagon comes to a stop and Levi's squad gets behind the wagon. A man pokes his head out.

"Are we there?" The man said. Jean cocks the gun and points it at the mans head. The man gasps as Kara hits her butt end of the gun to the mans head, knocking him to floor of the wagon. The second man turns towards Reeves.

"Reeves, you piece of.." The other man is hit by Mikasa in the he head and falls to the floor.

"Sorry, gents. That's how it is." Reeves said. Jean, Levi, and Conny drag the men into the house and down to the basement. Conny and Jean tied one man to a chair as Mikasa and Sasha put the other in another cell. Levi came in with an apron and tools. Kara stood at the cell door.

"Would you guys like to help?" Levi asked, looking at Kara, Jean, and Conny. All three shook their heads and hurried up the steps. Kara had heard her father was not nice when it came to torturing and Hange was worse. Conny ran up the steps as Jean and Kara followed. They all sat at the table. Screams started. Kara stared at the door. Jean was staring at the table as the others looked everywhere else.

The door slammed open and Hange and Moblit came running in.

"Where are they?" Hange demanded. Kara pointed at the door.

"They are down there." Kara said. Hange didn't say anything more and went down the stairs. There was a stop on screams for a bit and then they got worse. Everyone flinched.

"Here we go again." Jean said with a sigh as he rested a hand on Kara's leg.

"The screams seem a lot louder than they were when the Captain did it." Sasha said.

"I know it's to save our friends, but.. it still makes me sick." Conny said.

"Let's face the facts. We're criminals now." Armin said. Jean, Sasha, and Conny gasped. Kara kept a straight face. "Our last enemy wanted to eat us. We don't have an excuse like that for killing these people. It's just that their views are different. No. It's just that they're in another group. And for that, we'll take their lives." Armin looks down at the table.

"Armin." Mikasa said.

'We're not good people. Not anymore, at least." Armin said.

"Armin. We do what we have to to survive." Kara said.

"She's right." Mikasa said. It seemed no affect on Armin. Kara laid her head on Jean's shoulder as the screaming stopped. Kara dozed off for awhile. Jean wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling.

An hour later. The door opened and Kara's eyes open as Levi, Hange, and Moblit came in. Everyone stood up.

"What did you find out?" Kara asked. Hange explained everything and everyone stood in shock.

"You mean the rightful heir to the throne is.. Historia?" Armin said.

"That's correct. And based on that knowledge, we're assuming that she and Eren have been taken to Lord Reiss." Hange said. She looked at Moblit who put up a poster with a drawing of Lord Reiss.

"That's him." Levi said. Hange and Moblit went to talk to the MPs. Everyone sat down. Levi had more bags under his eyes then normal. A door opens down below and Levi left to go see. A crash comes.

"Things aren't going well, are they." Conny said.

"We can only hope. We aren't in the clear yet." Kara said. Everyone nodded as Levi and Hange came back up the stairs. Hange filled them in that Lord Reiss was going to have Eren eaten. Kara put her face in her hands as Mikasa looked ready to murder. Moblit soon joined them.

"So they plan to eat Eren?" Armin asked.

"Yeah. Eren remembered a coversation between Ymir and Bertholdt." Hange said. She explained what Eren told her about Ymir coming back from Titan to human. "Based on this, we can speculate. Ymir used to be a mindless Titan just like the others, until she consumed someone." Kara lowered her hands and looked at Hange. "Someone from Bertholdt and Reiner's group. We've never seen a Titan turn back into human by eating one before. That said, Reiner's comrades aren't normal humans. And there's a different set of rules for humans that can turn into Titans. My thought is this: If a Titan eats someone with taht power, then it'll transform back into a human. What's more, they'll obtain whatever powers that human had. In the battle that day, Reiner was throwing Titans at Eren as he tried to run away. He knew that Eren had the power to take command of feral Titans with his scream. If Eren's death woud've meant that power was lost, he wouldn't have risked it. I think he hoped one of those Titans would eat Eren and take his power. My point is, if the government has a Titan of their own, they'll use it to eat Eren." Mikasa turned and went to leave, but Levi stopped her.

"Calm down. I know you wanna get Eren back, but going on a rampage won't help with that." Levi said. Mikasa looked away. Levi turned to the others. "Anyway, we're heading for Rod Reiss' estate. Prepare to leave at once."

"Sir." Everyone said. Everyone headed down the steps. Kara walked with Hange, Levi, and Moblit.

"I'll go tell Erwin everything we've learned about the Reiss family. I'm sure he's waiting to hear from us." Hange said.

"Right." Levi said.

"You head for Lord Reiss' estate. I'll find you when I can." Hange said. Hange and Moblit left to go to Erwin. The Levi Squad went to move towards Reiss' Estate.

AN: Sorry for the long update. Was out of country for 2 weeks. Till next time.