Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 12 (May 27, 2019)
On top of Wall Rose, Lorraine sat on a large, wooden crate next to Armin, looking over the city of Trost, and said softly, "Hey. Great job back there." Armin smiled and said, "I...I didn't really think through what I was going to say. I-I just kind of...improvised." Her lips curled up into a gentle smile and she reached up, brushing a lock of hair out of his eye. He chuckled and said, "It's funny, isn't it? When you're fighting for the people you care about most, you seem...unstoppable. Like you can do anything." She sighed and said, clasping her hands and resting her elbows on her knees, "Yeah. I know."
"It's like when the Colossal Titan first reappeared. I had to get everyone out of there safely. I just acted without thinking. Look where that got me. Running my first operation as a squad leader."
Armin let out a small sigh. He asked, "Are you okay?" Lorraine nodded and said, "Yeah. I guess so." He said, standing up and adjusting his jacket, "Looks like Pyxis is about to make his announcement." Lorraine stood up and said, "Right. Let's go."
Pyxis stepped to the edge of the wall and cleared his throat. Lorraine stood next to Mikasa and Armin, listening intently and watching the elderly Commander in awe. He took a breath and in a voice that seemed to travel for miles, said, "ATTENTION!" There were Cadets and Garrison soldiers gathered down in the streets below, including many of the group's friends. Pyxis continued, "I will now explain the details of the Trost Recovery Operation! The objective of this operation is to seal the hole in the destroyed gate. As for the means by which we will do so, let me beging by introducing this young man: Eren Jaeger of the 104th Cadet Corps." Muttering and whispering began down below, but was cut short by Pyxis.
"He is the successful result of our top-secret Titan-based experimentation, able to fabricate and control a Titan's body at will."
Lorraine turned to Mikasa and said, "Hey, Mikasa. I know it's a bit late to ask, but...do you think he can really do it?" Mikasa said surely, "Yes. I believe he can." Lorraine looked at Mikasa's face, then back at Eren, who stood tall in a proud salute, the wind tossing his chestnut hair about.
"How can we be so certain of his success? I mean, what if he can't do it? What then?"
"In his Titan form," Pyxis elaborated, "He will lift that giant rock near the front gate and carry it to the destroyed gate, sealing the hole once and for all. As for you recruits, your job is simple: defend Eren Jaeger from the other Titans while he carries the rock." Armin suddenly had a thought and turned around, swiftly walking back to where the officers stood, discussing the plan. Lorraine watched as he pointed and spoke inaudibly to her.
"He's matured a lot in such a short time. I'm glad to see him believing in himself."
After some time, the crowd below erupted into frightened chatter and many started running away out of fear. Lorraine and Mikasa looked at each other nervously. Commander Woermann's distinctly shrill voice was heard, "Don't you go anywhere, traitors! I'll execute you all here and now!" Pyxis shouted, cutting off Woermann, "By my order, anyone who wishes to leave will not be charged with treason!" Silence fell over the expanse of soldiers.
"Those who have seen a Titan first-hand will not be expected to face them again. Whomever this applies to, you may leave with my blessing! Additionally, anyone with family or loved ones they would spare from the trauma may also leave! We will continue to recognize your service! Thank you and good luck!"
Several minutes passed. Down below, the soldiers gradually made their decisions. Though a few left, the majority of them stayed in the end. Pyxis smirked and said, "Now, let us discuss four years ago. Namely, the operation to retake Wall Maria. I'm sure this goes without saying, but while we called it a 'recovery operation', it was, in reality, just a way to dispose of the unemployed masses that the government couldn't support." Lorraine glanced at Armin, who had returned to her side. He looked down at his feet, but she put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
"The reason no one has spoken out about it is that sending the unemployed masses out is what has allowed us to survive inside these cramped walls. All of humanity, including myself, is guilty. The only reason conflict never arose is simply that Wall Maria's citizens were the minority. But, think about our current situation: if Wall Rose falls, humanity will lose much more than 20 percent of its population! Wall Sina and the Interior would be completely unable to support even half of the people still alive."
In that moment, the white-haired soldier said from behind them, "Cadets Mikasa and Lorraine Ackerman, you will both be a part of the Elite Squad." Both girls saluted and said, "Roger!" Finishing his speech, Pyxis said, "If we humans go extinct, it won't be because we were eaten by Titans. It will be because we killed each other. We simply cannot afford to die anymore! I request that you lay down your lives here for a noble cause!" A roaring salute echoed out below and Pyxis turned back towards his three Elite soldiers. Eren turned towards them and said, letting out a sigh of relief, "Wow. That was something." Armin apologized, "Oh, Eren. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to force this whole thing onto your shoulders like this." Eren smiled and said, giving the blonde a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "I already told you, you have the ability to make the right choices. I have faith in that." Armin smiled. Mikasa began, "Eren, I really think I should-" Eren said harshly, cutting her off, "Mikasa, don't even think about it. Now's not the time-"
"Cadets Ackerman," one of the elite soldiers said, interrupting their quarrel, "It's time to join the Elite Squad." Lorraine turned and said, "Roger." Mikasa turned to go with her, but before following along, she said softly, "See you, Armin. Eren, don't die. You hear me?" Eren nodded.
"Yeah. You, too. All of you guys, stay safe."
Armin smiled and Lorraine gave Eren a wink before she ran off. Mikasa followed closely and the girls eventually split up towards their designated positions. Lorraine nestled into one of the crevices of a rooftop next to the white-haired soldier, Rico Brzenska. Mikasa was positioned next to Captain Ian Dietrich, but she stood close to the edge of the roof nearest the giant stone in the middle of town. Everyone's eyes were locked onto the boulder. A huge flash of lightning struck, lighting up the center of the city, signalling the start of the new operation. Lorraine grunted and shot a green smoke flare up into the darkening orange sky. Eren's Titan let out a loud roar. Lorraine furrowed her brows as she and Mikasa exchanged glances from across the alley, but Lorraine's face quickly changed to one of pure terror and shock. She shrieked, "Mika! Look out-"
Eren's eyes were glowing green as he swung his giant fist at Mikasa, full force, just missing her as she swiftly dodged. She tumbled onto the rooftop. Lorraine gasped and shouted, "Mikasa! Are you alright?! Mikasa!" Mikasa brought her fingertips to her cheek where there was a small stream of blood from a deep cut, then nodded. She pulled her ODM Gear triggers, launching herself towards Eren, latching onto a lock of his long, black hair, hanging in front of his face. She started pleading with Eren.
"Hey! Eren! Don't you recognize me!? It's me! Mikasa! Your family!"
Ian yelled, "Ackerman! Get away from him!" Eren's muscles tensed as he swung his enormous fist at her once again, narrowly missing her, but hitting himself squarely in the face. He roared in agony as his jaw flew from its socket, spraying thick, red blood onto the street below. Mikasa landed roughly onto a nearby rooftop. Lorraine heard big, thudding footsteps approaching, so she turned and sprinted in their direction, ignoring Rico.
"Ackerman! Get back here! Ackerman!"
Lorraine drew her blades and leaped off the roof. She managed to spot a smaller Abnormal jumping along the rooftops with unusually great agility in Eren's direction. Moving quickly, she flipped her right-hand blade backwards, spiralling down and cutting a huge chunk of flesh from its nape, defeating it in a single strike. She felt hot drops on her face, which evaporated as she flew off, spotting Jean on the ground next to a Titan corpse. She landed on the ground next to him.
"Kierschtein! What's the situation?"
Jean explained, "There are too many! They're ignoring us and going straight for Eren! By the time we got to them, it was too late! Our Squad was compromised!" Lorraine cursed, "Shit. Fine. All we can do now is thin the herd as best as we can. We have to make sure as few of them as possible get to Eren or the Elite Squad." Jean nodded. Lorraine shot off once again, heading after another small Abnormal, bigger than the last one, but still not really that large. Her eyes locked onto it as it climbed up one of the walls, and she sliced through its hands, sending it tumbling down into the streets below where, to her surprise, Annie made a fatal cut to its nape.
"Annie!"
Annie and Lorraine landed on the rooftop together. Lorraine hugged her and said, "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay, Annie!" Annie said, brushing her blonde hair to the side as Lorraine let go of her, "Yes. Me, too. What's the status of the operation?" Lorraine said, "To the best of my knowledge, it's still-"
A red flare trailed up into the sky, causing Lorraine's heart to sink. Annie sighed, "Well, there's our answer." Lorraine muttered under her breath, "N-no...no, that can't be." She ignored the tears forming in her eyes and turned back to Annie.
"Until we receive the flare order to retreat, we should keep fighting."
Annie protested, "Lo. It's pointless. He failed-" Lorraine interrupted, "No. We haven't received the order to retreat. Stay here if you want, but I'm going to keep fighting. Even if it seems pointless, we can still fight. That way, if the Armoured Titan shows up, there won't be as many Titans in the city and we'll have more time to evacuate." Her logic wasn't exactly sound; in fact, she had her doubts.
"The truth is, I just don't want to give up so easily. Just like Eren. He wouldn't give up until the very end."
Annie sighed and said reluctantly, "Fine. We fight." Lorraine smiled back at her, kind of surprised, but glad that Annie agreed to join her. She gripped her blade handles and darted off the roof, making her way alongside Annie towards the hole in the wall, taking down Titans one by one. She spotted a small group of Cadets, all following Jean's lead. As she looked down at Jean, she was caught off guard by a giant hand. She shrieked as it grabbed her, stopping her in her tracks.
"Lo!"
Annie was too far away. She turned and started towards her in an effort to rescue her. Lorraine squirmed and struggled. Her arms were trapped. The Titan's grip was too tight. She felt lightheaded as the Titan raised her up to its mouth. She grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut.
"God, its breath smells horrible. Damn it. This is it."
She felt her heart racing, but right before the Titan could bite down, she heard the familiar slashing sound of metal through flesh and bone. She felt the Titan's grip loosen and she fell down towards the streets below. With a sudden jerk, she was grabbed by a strong arm around her waist and pulled to a nearby rooftop. Both tumbling a short distance, she landed on top of her saviour's chest.
"Reiner! Y-you...you saved me. Thank you."
He grinned at her and said with a grunt, "Hey, it's what soldiers do...right? We protect each other." She looked up into his golden eyes.
"I think I...I..."
She shook her head and stood up. Holding out her hand to him, she said, red-faced, "Yeah. L-let's go, Reiner." He nodded and took her hand. She yanked him up to his feet and he said, "Right. No time to lose!" She chuckled and the two ran off the rooftop. As they flew through town, Lorraine couldn't help but think of that night a while back, flying through the woods to that beautiful, sparkling lake.
"Wait. That was only yesterday. Damn. So much has happened that I guess I lost track of time."
She landed on her feet, resheathing her blades and letting out an exasperated sigh. She looked around and saw several fellow soldiers. She stood up and ran to where Connie and Annie had just landed. She called out to them, "Hey! Are you all okay?" Connie nodded and said, "Never better, Lo!" With the retracting of his cables, Marco grunted. He wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "We made it!" Lorraine smiled. She looked back out at the city. Not many Titans were left, aside from the huge clump at the corner of town where Pyxis had the majority of the soldiers gathered, though a few stragglers were still lumbering about. Connie said, pointing down below, "Hang on! What's Jean doing? Why isn't he coming up the wall, too?" Marco gasped.
"Oh no. What if his gear is malfunctioning?!"
Below, Jean knelt next to a dead soldier, fiddling with their gear, looking around nervously. Without thinking, Marco took off. Before Lorraine could follow, she felt Annie grab her wrist and yank her back.
"Hang on! Look there. There is a group of Titans headed their way."
Lorraine looked back to Jean and Marco, but then back at Annie. She nodded and said, "I get it. Let's go! We have to cover them!"
Annie and Lorraine shared a quick glance and shot off, separating to loop around behind the group of Titans. They flipped around, quickly taking down the small group of five and six-meter Titans. Annie landed gracefully atop one of the rooftops, followed closely and not-so-gracefully by Lorraine, who nearly lost her balance, her heart skipping a beat as she tipped backwards. Annie grabbed her hand and pulled her back up without breaking a sweat. She sighed and flipped her long, blonde hair off her face.
"You alright?"
Lorraine nodded and said, "Thanks. Let's get back up the wall." The girls zipped back up Wall Rose, landing near Mikasa and Armin. Lorraine said, running to their side, "Guys! You're okay!" Mikasa grabbed Lorraine's arms and said, pulling her close and squeezing her, "Lorraine! Thank God. I was so worried-" Annie interrupted, staring out into the streets, "Look. I-it's...it's Eren." They all turned to look out where Annie was. Eren was on his feet. He managed to hoist the giant stone onto his shoulders. His eyes were glowing a bright blue-green as he stomped towards the hole. Mikasa continued to hold Lorraine to her chest and Lorraine felt her sister's heart beating faster. She felt her own heart catching up, but they both snapped back to attention when Connie shouted cheerfully, "Look! Eren succeeded!" Armin smiled and said, "Alright! He's trying to fulfill his responsibility! We have to cover him until he reaches the gate! If we can do that, our victory is guaranteed!"
"It's working. I'll be damned, it's working!"
Lorraine pulled away and she and Mikasa shot off to help defeat Titans following behind Eren.
"Oh my God. Humanity finally has a chance at a victory. A small one, but still a victory."
She smiled and flipped her blade backwards once again, slicing into a large Abnormal's achilles tendon while Mikasa took the killing blow. Steam billowed from the dead Titans and from Eren's body. Armin shouted, his voice echoing through the city.
"Go!"
Eren let out a roar, overtaking Armin's voice, and shoved the boulder into the busted gate, sealing it off forever. A tear rolled down Lorraine's face and she cheered loudly, but stopped when she heard a loud noise.
The girls turned around. Rico stepped out of the steam behind the sisters and collapsed. She said tearfully, "E-everyone...your deaths...your deaths weren't in vain. Today, for the first time in history...humanity has won." The Ackerman girls looked up. A yellow smoke signal had trailed up into the air, showing that the operation was a success in the end. Ian shouted, landing beside Rico, "The remaining Titans are heading this way! Everyone, get up the wall to safety!" Mikasa and Lorraine saluted, acknowledging his order, but Armin had already climbed up to Eren's nape and was trying to pull him free of the Titan body.
"You guys go! I'll follow as soon as I've recovered Eren!"
Mikasa yelled, "How is he!?" Lorraine added, "Is he going to be alright!?" Armin called, struggling with him, "H-he's unbelievably hot to the touch! We have to hurry, but he's still fused to it! I-I can't pull him out!" Rico growled, "Then, we'll just have to cut him out!" Before anyone could protest, she had already sliced off the loose flesh and freed Eren, sending him and Armin tumbling down to the ground next to Mikasa. Lorraine gasped, but before anyone could move, two large Titans had them cornered. Rico was too far away and Ian had already flown up the wall. Lorraine ran to them jumping in front of them and wrapping her arms around them all defensively. As she shut her eyes, waiting for death, she heard two swift slashes. The unmistakable sound of metal through flesh. In an instant, she turned to look and saw the Titans' bodies collapsing. As she and the others looked up, they saw who had saved them. Standing atop the corpses was a man. He was rather small with short, silky black hair, and he wore a billowing cloak.
"There's no way. He single-handedly destroyed both Titans in an instant. Is that...?"
Eren muttered under his breath, referring to the man's cloak, "Th-those are...the...Wings of Freedom..." Lorraine said quietly, staring up at him in awe, "Captain Levi..." He turned, almost as though on cue, and said coldly, his icy gaze piercing through Lorraine's soul, "Oi. You kids. This is the part where you tell me what the hell is going on."