"AHH!" General Loren screamed, kicking his foot hard into the side of one of the dead soldiers that laid crumpled on the floor. He aimed another one for the now empty cart which flipped over onto its side and slid down the hallway.
Commander Angelo stared blank-faced at the now empty room; they were gone. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could the General had gripped him tight at his collar. "You said you had flushed them ALL out!" Spittle flew from his mouth as he screamed into the ashen face of his subordinate.
"I'm-I'm sorry sir, there must have been more than we thought!" Angelo stuttered, turning a deep shade of crimson.
"OBVIOUSLY, COMMANDER!" Loren shoved him hard into the wall, vein bulging on his forehead. He let Angelo drop to the ground in a heap at his feet, stalking away. "Why the HELL wasn't Captain Halbrand here? She could have easily contained this!"
Angelo looked up at him in confusion. "Captain Halbrand never came, General." Loren wheel back to him. "What?" He hissed.
"I think I know why, General." Lieutenant Tobias was striding down the hall as quickly as his girth would allow him. In his hands he carried a belt of ODM gear that he held out for Loren to inspect. "Three elites just returned from the pursuit, sir. They say that the Allies have taken one of ours: carried them off on horseback." He gestured to the piece of equipment which was both cracked and smeared with blood. "I double checked sir; this is Captain Halbrand's. They found it near the window that seems to be where the prisoners exited from." General Caleb Loren stared down long a hard at the piece of equipment, comprehension dawning on him.
"They… they took her? Why?" Commander Angelo gaped at the ODM gear and back to his superiors.
"My guess is that the captain caught them trying to escape so they apprehended her. Why they didn't just kill her is beyond me. Maybe to use as leverage against us somehow? I'm not sure why they would think that one elite soldier would be enough to sway us into their peace agreement." Angelo shot the Lieutenant a panicked look of warning. Loren was still gazing at the blood that even now dripped down the edges and onto the stones below. He reached out and took the gear from Tobias and tucked it under his arm. He then fixed him with a murderous glare.
"Tread carefully, Lieutenant. You know not of what you say. As it stands, I can clearly see you would much rather shovel food into your face than to pay attention. If you had, you may have been aware that it was I who took Captain Halbrand in after her parent's death." Tobias' eyes bugged and his face turned a petrified white. Before his stammering could give way to an actual sentence the General held up his hand to stop him.
"Ready any available soldiers and go after them, Lieutenant. I want them brought back to face justice. You may be correct that one elite would not be enough for us to join hands with those treasonous heretics but let me assure you that the abduction of this particular soldier will cost them dearly."
The company urged their horses forward without pause until the sun was beginning to rise in front of them. The morning came crisp and cold as they fell to the ground panting just passed the topped remains of wall Rose. Jean had stayed above as a lookout while the team watered their horses from a nearby stream and tried to catch their breath.
Annie dropped down from her horse and stomped towards Arya who laid collapsed on the soft grass near the riverbank. She hurled the Jaegerist suit in her hands directly at her face and whirled to glare at Armin who was stowing the mesh masks in a hollow underneath a nearby tree.
"You want to tell me why the hell I had to pretend to be her, Armin? Why couldn't we have just tied her up on the back of your horse?" She fumed.
He sighed warily as he stood back up. "You know why, Ann. We needed her topside to direct us to the stables." He turned to her, resigned. "Unless you think I made that choice for some other reason?" Annie gave him a hard look.
"So, what are we supposed to do with her now? Just cart her along with us? Did it ever occur to you that this may have been just some big plan of hers OR her superiors to get us out and take her back to the mainland so she can spy on us?"
Armin closed his eyes. "Of course it did, but that would be an awful lot of work to just eavesdrop on us." He opened them again. "Besides, it's not like there are ships or planes coming back and forth between Marly and Paradis to share information."
"They had us cornered in a tiny, locked room surrounded by the military. They were going to arrest us, Annie. I don't think they would have let us escape if that was their goal." Connie said, coming over to plop down beside Arya, who was obviously trying to remain quiet during this exchange. But at Annie's harsh words her face lit up with annoyance, and she glared at her accuser hotly.
"I just risked my life to save you from a point-blank bullet to the head; what could I possibly have gained from that?"
Annie huffed, refusing to look at her. "She is one of the Jaegerist Regime's top elites. Why would she want to help us? Why would she want to leave that kind of security?" Pieck, who had been tending to the horses, floated over and sat down neatly beside Arya as well.
"I mean, we could just ask her."
Annie turned slowly to face the trio on the ground.
"You could start," Pieck said gently, "by asking her why she saved my life."
The look of hostility froze on Annie's face. "What?"
The group had turned to stare at Arya as she shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. Reiner looked at Annie.
"I saw her do it. Soldiers were piling up on Pieck, but this one took them down." He gestured to Arya as he said this. "I can't say I don't have the same reservations as you, Annie. But this woman saved not only Pieck's life but all of ours back there. You want some proof that she can be at least halfway trusted? Well, that's some damn good evidence."
Annie's hostility wavered as she considered this. Was she so defensive of their security that she was willing to overlook the risks this person took to save them? Sighing, Annie tried to let go of her mistrust. She had spent almost her entire life on the wrong side of a war: who was she to say this woman couldn't change as well? She dropped her tense shoulders and looked at Arya.
"I'm sorry. You did us a great service. Thank you for getting us out of there, I'm sure that wasn't easy for you. Though don't go expecting any hugs or anything. I still don't like this."
The group visibly relaxed as the tension dissipated and Connie let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Armin smiled gratefully at Annie and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you." He whispered. She turned and sat down a couple yards away and stared at the ground.
Armin walked over to the three of them still sitting and joined them. He sat facing Arya and regarded her warmly. "Yes, Thank you Arya. You really did save our bacon back there, and that's something we won't easily forget. Though I am still curious as to why."
Arya's defensive expression eased, and she smiled tentatively back. "You mean why did I risk my neck to save a bunch of traitorous strangers?" She asked sarcastically.
They laughed. "Strangers, huh?" Armin mumbled, amused. "Well, my name is Armin Arlert. I was born and raised in Shinganshina. This is Connie Springer, from Ragako Village. Pieck Finger, Reiner Braun and Annie Leonhart from Liberio across the sea. And up there is Jean Kirstein of Trost." He held out his hand to Arya. "It's nice to meet you."
Grinning, Arya shook his outstretched hand.
"Nice to meet you to, Armin Arlert. I'm Arya Halbrand, from Tsuki Village, though I lived in Trost for quite some time." She looked at the three people around her and sighed.
"The truth is that three years ago we were all scared senseless. The Walls were down, and the world was suddenly even more against us than we first realized. I had lost so much already: My village when the titans appeared within wall Rose, and then… and then my parents in Trost as the walls fell." Arya flinched away from the burning memory of that day, of finding her parents crushed to death in their home against the eastern edge of the Wall, colossal titans beginning their terrible march.
"My parents had both been healers in our village, and doctors once we moved to the city. I was following that same path. I had been seeing a patient in the city center when…"
She paused to gather her thoughts.
"After that, the Jaegerists took control of everything. Taught us to hate and loathe the enemy across the sea, convincing us that they would all come and take everything away from us if we didn't fight back first. I was… lost… alone. General Loren had known my parents and when they died, he took me in and sent me straight into the Cadet Corps, which I left early to join the Elite Squad; not that I was competent enough for it. I assume the general only made the call to make sure I didn't get myself killed somehow. But I busted my ass to learn how to fight, all because that's what I thought I had to do to protect our people. I didn't want to kill anyone… I just wanted to keep our home safe."
Arya's eyes shone as she looked back at them.
"But there was this feeling… this feeling that the Jaegerists were hiding something, some piece of information that kept me from seeing the bigger picture. Then you came; together as a team despite all that had happened between Eldia and Marly." She shook her head in awe, a small smile playing around her lips. "It was during your speech that I realized what was being hidden from us: The world didn't want to fight, they wanted peace. A peace that the Jaegerists are keeping from the Eldians of Paradis because of their fear and hatred, and that's not the side of history I want to be on. We aren't the only people of the world who deserves to live happily and safe. So, whether you were telling the truth yesterday doesn't really matter anymore. I want to see it for myself."
The three of them were lost in thought for a moment as they absorbed her words.
Well, that's good enough for me!" Connie proclaimed, tossing his arm around a surprised Arya's neck. "Welcome to the good guys, kid!"
The whole group burst into laughter; even Reiner cracked a smile as he watched on from beside Annie.
"You know size does not equal age, right?" Arya shot back at him, removing herself from under Connie's arm. "Guaranteed I'm older than you."
Connie scoffed. "No way pint-size, you're about as tall as a 10-year-old! I've got at least five years on you." Arya grinned ruefully and pulled out the small identification card soldiers were given when the entered the Cadet Corps. She passed it to Connie, and he examined it closely.
"No freaking way! You're the oldest one here?!" He looked aghast as he held the card up to the sun like he was checking to see if it was real. Arya laughed dryly and stole the card back from his hand. "Looks can be deceiving, you know."
"Right," Armin agreed, "just like Captain Levi. He's way older than he looks, and not much taller than you either." The others chuckled but Arya was suddenly serious.
"You were lying to the council about the Ackerman's being dead, weren't you?"
They all shared a look that confirmed her assumption. "Yes," Armin said hesitantly, "They are both still alive. But right now, they are just trying to have some well-deserved peace and quiet. We want to keep it that way." Arya nodded thoughtfully.
"And…Eren Jaeger…"
Armin froze, looking back at her defensively.
"You were very close, weren't you?"
He relaxed a fraction, but his face was full of pain.
"Until the very end."
"THEY'RE COMING!" Jean yelled as he jumped from the last chunks of Wall Rose and came sprinting towards them. "There's gotta be 50 soldiers riding straight towards us!"
The group leapt to their feet in alarm and rushed to untack their horses.
"Connie, you're the lightest. Tie these around Arya's wrists and mouth then put her on your horse with you." Armin instructed him, tossing over a couple lengths of rope and cloth. "Make sure it seems believable and keep her face as visible as possible: I want them to know it's her." In less than two minutes they were all galloping away from Wall Rose at top speed with Arya bound and gagged, wedged between Connie and the neck of their horse.
The Jaegerists were gaining ground little by little as if a fire was lit behind them, but they managed to keep a good kilometer in between them even after several hours of riding through the uneven tracks caused by the colossals. As they barreled horizontally across the island with no change in direction, Arya began to wonder if they really were going to swim back to Marly. The sun was high in the sky now, beating painfully down on the back of their necks as they made their way to the western edge of Paradis.
But just ask she was starting to worry that they were going to ride right off the edge of the world they crested a small hill and Arya's heart stopped. There the land sloped gently down into a large plateau that somehow remained flattened midst the gorges, and beyond it the ground gave way to water that spread out in all directions infinitely. It shimmered in the sun and crashed into the coast, spraying white foam high into the air which smelled of tangy salt.
It was the ocean. She was looking at the ocean. Arya's heart swelled and her eyes filled with tears.
Look how big the world is! It is really out there!
Another new sight greeted her as they rumbled down the side of the hill and onto the plateau: a small aircraft was waiting for them just far enough back from the edge to be considered safe. It was angled in a way that would allow them to utilize the flat expanse in front of them like a runaway. She was going to fly!
They pulled up next to the airplane just as a large, hinged door opened on the belly of the plane. A man ran out to greet them as the engines of the flying beast roared to life.
"You guys are late! I was worried that you hadn't made it out of there! I hope I didn't miss much action."
Jean grasped the man's hand tightly and gave him a wry smile. "Don't worry Oz, we brought the party with us. We've got an army on our tail; they will be up and over the hill in a matter of minutes."
As it turned out they didn't even have that long. A handful of soldiers had just broken over the crest of the slope they had just come from. "It's a scout party, everyone get on!" The man who greeted them shouted, turning around and running back up through the door of the plane.
Whether it was the sight of the ocean or the plane that gave them pause Arya wasn't sure, but whatever it was kept them at the top of the hill 10 seconds longer than they intended to be. Half of them were already inside the belly of the aircraft before they took off down the slope and rushed towards them.
The plane was beginning to move slowly forward as the last of them stepped onto the descended door. The moment Arya's feet touched the metal Armin grabbed her bindings and flipped her around to face back towards the accelerating ground. With a gasp she staggered dangerously close to the edge, but Armin pulled her back flush against him before she could fall.
Half a dozen Jaegerists were still in pursuit, yet they were quickly falling behind as the plane gathered more momentum. Just as the door began to lift to shut them in, a single shot rang out, tinging sharply against the back end of the aircraft. The whole plane gave a horrible lurch, then they were airborne. The entrance closed just in time for Arya and Armin to tumble against the metal door and fall into a heap on the floor.
The noisy cabin burst into cheers as the party collapsed gratefully onto metal hanging seats or the floor wheezing. Jean patted the man named Oz on the back while Pieck kissed the metal walls with fervor. Armin untangled himself awkwardly, helping Arya into a sitting position.
He smiled widely. "Sorry about that, I just wanted to make sure they saw you bound up, so they didn't think you had defected." He said as he removed her bindings.
"Well warn me next you do that, will you? I nearly had a heart attack." There was a pause, then they both started laughing out of relief.
"What, are we taking prisoners now?" Oz asked incredulously.
"It's not what it looks like, we swear!" Connie had thrown himself into one of the seats, exhausted, but managed to sit up enough to look at them happily.
"Hmm." Oz said, his bushy eyebrow raised in amusement. "I'm sure I will hear all about it."
The flight was long, bumpy and cramped but it felt like freedom to them. Arya spent most of her time staring out of one small circular windows on the side of the plane, watching as the enormous sea spread out beneath them endlessly. For a moment she caught sight of a mighty ship beneath them, plunging forward through the vast waters.
They all spoke together for a time, until the sun had passed over the horizon and plunged the earth into darkness.
"So, think you'd be keen to join us on more missions of freedom?" Connie joked as he and Arya sat drinking from canteens and eating some military rations. She smiled slightly but then lapsed into several minutes of thoughtful silence. She had never considered what she might do if she was free to choose, but her answer was sure when she finally spoke.
"The things you are all working towards are admirable. Not many people can claim a mission as just as yours. But as for me… I think I'm going to serve this new world in the same way my parents did, if that is permitted of me to do. There are so many broken people out there now… if I can bring them any kind of comfort, heal them in any way, I will."
As the group one by one fell into sleep Arya lay dozing, staring up at the roof in a sleepy haze. A new feeling had started growing somewhere deep in her mind as they sailed high over the water towards worlds unknown to her. It tugged at her consciousness like a distant dream she no longer remembered.
I have no idea what's coming next, but I can feel it rushing forwards to meet me. Like a memory I can't remember having forgotten. Something unfinished...
Her eyes slid closed then as the plane rocked them, a dreamless sleep enveloping her in its mighty folds.
Commander Angelo once again found himself entering General Loren's office at an early hour, though he was much more afraid this time around than he had been the morning before.
"General, Sir," he began fearfully, "our troops were right on top of them, but they had an aircraft waiting…they…" He was unable to continue as Loren had rounded from the window to glare at him ferociously. He didn't speak, turning back to watch the sun slide smoothly upwards into a new dawn.
"So, they have chosen war."