Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 21 (July 23, 2019)
The day finally came when the Scouts were to deliver Eren into the Interior, but also the day to execute their plan to capture the Female Titan, stopping Annie's path of destruction.
Lorraine breathed, finishing buckling the final strap on her Maneuver Gear and sliding the gas canisters into place. Mikasa, standing behind her, said softly, "Lo. I'm sorry. I know this must be difficult." Lorraine grunted a little. Mikasa continued, pulling on her big, dark green Scout Regiment raincoat, "Look. I know I haven't exactly been vocal the past few days...but..." Lorraine shook her head and said, running her fingers through her hair and pulling it up into its usual high ponytail, "No. I-it's alright, Mikasa. I-I'm worried about Eren, too. I mean...wh-what if this doesn't work?" Mikasa bit her lip. She didn't turn to face Lorraine, not wanting to look at her, but she said, "Yeah." Lorraine said shakily, "Sorry. I-I guess I'm just...I still can't believe it's Annie." Mikasa sighed.
"Lorraine?"
Lorraine hummed in response. Mikasa took a breath, but, seeming to change what she wanted to say, muttered, "Be careful out there."
Lorraine nodded and said, not turning to Mikasa, "You too." Mikasa walked out, leaving Lorraine alone. Lorraine looked back over her shoulder.
"Mikasa has been so distant lately. I...I wonder what she's upset about...? I hope it's not..."
She sighed and walked out, greeting Eren and Mikasa. Eren looked up and asked, his voice low, "Ready, Lo?" Lorraine nodded and said, "As ready as I'll ever be." He glanced over at her. He said, "I hope this works..." Armin ran around the corner and said, "Alright. It's a go." Mikasa walked past them coldly, ignoring Eren and Lorraine, and said, "Alright. Let's go." Lorraine pouted, but followed Mikasa. Eren and Armin exchanged confused looks, then followed the girls.
The walk into the Interior was a silent one, a heavy tension looming between the girls. The group walked in silence for around five minutes, only stopping when they reached the rendezvous point where, standing boredly in the shade of a darkened alleyway, Annie was waiting for the four of them. Lorraine, not wanting to give away their suspicions, ran up to her. She smiled brightly and said, "Annie! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Annie said bluntly, brushing her long bangs back, "Yes. It's been too long, Lorraine." She looked past Lorraine and said, "Now, Armin explained the situation. You guys need help escaping?" Lorraine nodded and explained, "Yes. That's right. We've got Jean dressed as Eren's body-double in the carriage. Now, we just need to get out of here." Annie nodded and turned away.
"Alright. Let's go."
The small group made their way through town, keeping an eye out to make sure they weren't caught. Lorraine, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa knew, though, that just out of sight hid many soldiers, watching and waiting for the perfect moment. Eren kept looking around nervously. Mikasa muttered flatly, "Eren. Stop looking around so much." Eren, in a hushed voice, said, "I just hope they don't figure out our body double strategy. I really have my doubts. Jean and I look nothing alike." Armin whispered, "It's close enough, Eren. You've both got that angry scowl and intense look in your eyes." Eren quietly protested, "Yeah, but I don't have a horse-face like him!" Lorraine snickered. Mikasa snapped quietly, "That's enough. We'll be caught if you keep it up." Lorraine huffed annoyedly. Annie interrupted them, "So, if I didn't agree to help you guys out, then what exactly was your backup plan to get over the wall?" Armin spoke up.
"We would have used our ODM Gear and walked through the checkpoint."
Annie furrowed her brows and said, "That's stupid. If you had escaped before getting into Stohess, you wouldn't have to go through all this trouble." Lorraine said, "Yeah, but Armin felt that Stohess' complex layout might help bide us a little more time with the body double strategy." Annie murmured, "I see. That makes sense." Armin suddenly sprinted ahead.
"There it is!"
Armin waved them over and Annie hesitantly asked, "Here? Are you sure?" Armin said, walking down the steps towards the mostly lightless tunnels, "Yeah. I'm sure. We'll go through the abandoned underground city. If we follow these tunnels, we should end up outside the wall soon enough." Eren and Lorraine, sharing a worried look, followed Armin and Mikasa into the tunnel. Eren said, smiling, "Good job, Armin. That's great." As the four walked, Lorraine looked back and saw that Annie wasn't following. She looked back up the stairs. Annie was standing still, her blue eyes wide with what looked like fear. She asked, "Annie? Annie, what's the holdup? Come on." Eren mocked, "Don't tell me you're scared of the dark." Annie, standing firmly in her place, spoke, her voice quivering.
"Actually, I am."
Eren and the others turned. Eren snapped, "Seriously? You're kidding!" Annie whimpered, "Though, I'm not sure a brave, suicidal maniac like you could possibly understand the feelings of a weak, frail maiden like me." Lorraine chuckled halfheartedly. Eren sighed, "Any girl who can knock a fully-grown man on his ass without breaking a sweat can hardly call herself a 'frail maiden'. Now, cut the crap and hurry up." Annie once again declined.
"No. I refuse to go that way. It scares me. If we cannot travel above ground, I can't help you."
"No. No, come on, Annie. You have to come down here. If you don't, you'll be captured. Come on!"
Lorraine stood silently, her amber eyes wide. Eren raised his voice, "What the hell!? Just hurry up and get down here already!" Mikasa scolded, "Eren. Don't shout." Annie said calmly, "It's okay, Mikasa. For some reason, there's nobody around for miles." Lorraine bit her lip, feeling her heartbeat quicken.
"Shit! She's onto us! When did she figure it out?"
Silence filled the space between them. Armin stood at the head of the group, staring into Annie's crystal-blue eyes as she stared back.
"Jeez. I'm hurt. Armin, when did you start looking at me with those eyes?"
She turned to look down at Lorraine. Lorraine sharply inhaled through her nose. Annie asked accusingly, "And you, Lo? What happened? After all those years of being best friends?" Lorraine stammered, "Y-yeah, but...but it's just-" Armin interrupted.
"Annie. Why did you have Marco's 3D Maneuvering Gear?"
Annie returned her focus to Armin, who elaborated, "He and I repaired our gear together, so I recognized even the faintest scratches left on it." Annie looked off into the distance, then breathed, "I see. I just happened to pick it up." Armin continued, "You killed those two Titans the Scouts had captured. Sawney and Bean." She sighed, "Who knows?" She turned back to Armin.
"If you thought all this a month ago, why didn't you act on your suspicions?"
Armin responded, "Because I just couldn't believe it. I'm still hoping, deep down, that this is all just some horrible misunderstanding, but..." Lorraine gripped her flare gun beneath her coat, her fingers trembling. She chewed the inside of her lip until it bled. Armin frowned.
"Annie. You didn't kill me back then. Outside the wall. That's why all this is happening now."
She sighed, "Yeah. I'm sure you're right, Armin. I honestly never actually expected you to corner me like this. Why didn't I kill you back then? I wonder...?" Eren stepped forward and begged, "Annie! There's still a chance that you're just pulling some kind of joke on us, playing along with whatever Armin says! Please, Annie! Get down here! I-I'll hold your hand if I have to, but if you just come with us, that alone will prove something! Come on! Prove it to us!"
"Enough!"
Mikasa ripped off her jacket, drawing her ODM blades and lunging to stand in front of Armin and Lorraine. She shouted, "I can't listen to another word of this. I'm going to rip you apart once again, Female Titan!"
Silence.
Annie looked down at her feet for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. Lorraine, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa stood completely stunned, watching as Annie's laughter grew more hysterical. She laughed until she ran out of breath. Still giggling, she said, "Armin. I'm glad I could be a good person in your eyes. You've won your bet." She suddenly brought her knuckle up to her bared teeth and proclaimed, "But this is where mine begins!"
Lorraine shot an acoustic round off, giving the signal for the hidden soldiers to apprehend Annie. Lorraine felt a tear fly into the air from her eye as she raised her arm up to fire the round. Soldiers swarmed in, grabbing her limbs and gagging her with a cloth. Lorraine shrieked, "I'm sorry, Annie!" Annie looked down at her, her eyebrows trembling, then turned her ice-cold gaze to Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Mikasa gasped as Annie gave a flick of the silver ring that they hadn't even noticed before, revealing a sharp claw.
"Damn it! Too late!"
Mikasa grabbed the other three and sprinted down into the tunnel as a huge bolt of lightning illuminated the tunnel.
Lorraine watched over her shoulder, feeling Mikasa tugging on her hand while they ran deeper inside the tunnel. She whimpered lightly as she watched Annie's Female Titan materialize in an instant, though she only saw the Titan's foot outside the entrance.
"Annie... Why would she do this...? Why would she betray humanity by invading the Military Police? What was she even trying to accomplish?"
Armin growled as the four came to a stop, "Damn it! The way she was acting...! Sh-she must have seen through me early on! She...she knew we were planning to ambush her!"
"She was my friend...we talked so often... She even started confiding in me after some time. Did none of that really matter?"
Mikasa said, cutting Armin off, "You can think about it later. For now, what should we do?"
"It's...it's all just as Armin said."
Armin said, calming down, "Well, first, we need to rendezvous with Team 3 on the surface. Then, as we said in the backup plan, fight Annie. The Female Titan." Lorraine snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Armin, I-" Armin said sharply, "Lorraine, are you going to be okay?" Lorraine looked back, then furrowed her brow and nodded, pushing away her attachment to the best of her ability. Armin turned to Eren and said, "Eren. You're going to have to transform and assist us with her capture." Lorraine looked pleadingly at Eren, who, with a blank stare on his face, nodded.
"Hey! Did the initial capture fail?"
Armin and the others looked up at the group of Scouts running down the tunnel towards them. A woman was calling out to them. Armin stood up and confirmed, "It did! We have to move to stage-"
Lorraine gasped. the ceiling seemed to have caved in, crushing the group of Scouts. They watched as Annie's gigantic foot lifted out of the hole in the ceiling. Eren said in a panicked voice, "She...she collapsed the tunnel...! W-we have to help them...!" He started to run towards the rubble, but Mikasa grabbed his collar, roughly yanking him back. She said sternly, "No, Eren! It's too risky! It seems like she wouldn't mind killing you after all." Armin shook his head and said, "She took a gamble. She smashed open the tunnel, hoping she wouldn't kill you." Lorraine muttered, "That's crazy." Armin nodded.
"Yeah. That just makes her even more dangerous. Annie will be trying her hardest to get Eren back."
Lorraine looked around and said, "Now what do we do? Sh-she's cut off our original escape route." Mikasa added, "Even if we were to leave using our gear, she'd ambush us the instant she saw us." Armin folded his arms and sighed. He said after a moment, "That may be so, but if we stay here, she's bound to crush us eventually." Eren snarled, his voice filled with rage, "I'll handle this! Just like that time with the cannonball! Stay close to me! Let's go!" With a very audible crunch, Eren sunk his teeth deep into the flesh of his thumb, drawing blood. He let out a sudden pained shriek.
"Damn it, not now!"
He tried again and again, each time, shredding his hand more and more. His cries of agony and frustration caused Armin and the girls to wince. Lorraine turned away, bringing her hand up to her mouth. As blood trailed down his hand, dripping onto the ground, Lorraine grabbed his other arm.
"Eren, don't force it-"
He jerked away from her and snapped, "I've got it, Lorraine! Damn! Come on! Come on!" Lorraine sighed, averting her eyes from the bloody scene. Armin said, "Eren! Remember what Hanji said! You have to have a clear goal in mind in order to transform!" Eren shouted, "You think I don't know that!?" Eren bit the back of his hand one last time, ripping off a piece of flesh, and collapsed into a heap on the ground, whimpering. Mikasa knelt beside him and asked, "Eren. Why are you hesitating?" He looked up at her, his blue-green eyes glistening with pained tears. She said, her voice firm, "Don't tell me you're still having doubts about Annie." He opened his mouth, but Mikasa cut him off, "Look around you, Eren. She transformed right before your eyes. That bitch killed your comrades in cold blood. How can you still refuse to accept that?"
Another hole opened up in the ceiling near them, causing light to pour in from outside and stirring up dust. Eren shouted, his voice cracking under the stress, "I'm trying, damn it!" He dug his teeth into the side of his hand once again, sending fresh blood streaming down his face and hand, screaming in pain through gnashing teeth. Armin looked around, then explained the new plan to the group.
"Alright, then. Mikasa and Lorraine. You two take one of those holes each. I'll make a break for the entrance. When we leave there's a very good chance that she'll go for at least one of us. When she does, Eren, run as fast as you can in the other direction."
Eren protested, "But, that means one of you is probably going to die!" Lorraine, looking up at the ceiling, said, "That may be so, but right now, it's looking like all four of us might die." Armin nodded and said, "She's right." He turned and said, drawing his blades, "Mikasa! Lorraine! Let's go!" Mikasa and Armin took off running in different directions. Lorraine finally drew her blades and started running towards the final exit, but before she got too far, she was thrown to the ground by an impact behind her.
She yelped, tumbling onto the stone ground. She sat up and shook her head, coughing and trying to see through the dust. Her ears were ringing, but she soon regained her bearings, her vision clearing up as the dust settled. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the pile of rubble, where Eren lay underneath a large chunk of stone.
"Oh, God! Eren!"
She let out a scream and ran over to the pile, climbing up to where he was laying, crushed under the stone slab. She slid her hands under the edge and tried, to no avail, to lift the stone. She shrieked, her muscles straining, "Eren! Eren, don't you give up yet! E-Eren, please! Get up!" She growled, pushing as Armin landed next to them.
"Eren! Lorraine!"
Lorraine yelled in a panic, "Armin! I-I can't move this rubble! You've got to help!" Armin joined Lorraine, trying to shove the stone slab off of Eren, only managing to move it a little bit. After what seemed like an eternity, Lorraine fell to her knees and cried helplessly. Armin grabbed Eren's arm and begged, "Eren! You've got to get up and defeat Annie! Come on!"
"Lo! Armin! What the hell is going on?!"
Jean landed near them and Armin explained, "Eren's trapped under this rubble! H-he couldn't transform! I think it's because Annie's the Female Titan!" Jean shouted angrily, "No...! Eren! What the fuck were you thinking! We were all counting on you!" Lorraine stood up and wiped her eyes, looking out into the city, seeing Annie fighting against many soldiers. Jean scolded him, "We counted on you, Eren! And this is how you repay us?! Marco...M-Marco was...!" He hung his head, but quickly recomposed himself and shouted, "Eren, if you don't wake up, that bitch will get away! We can't let her escape again! Come on, you two! We have to help the others!" Jean pulled the triggers on his gear, shooting off into the streets of Stohess District.
"Come on. Get up. You have so many of us counting on you. Mikasa. Armin. Jean."
She gripped her blade handles and pressed the triggers, feeling her cables yank her out into the streets. As she whipped around buildings at lightning-like speeds, she felt her ponytail whipping about behind her. She felt the wind on her face, just as she had felt it when she would practice alongside Annie back in Cadet Corps. She remembered how she used to fall to the ground because she failed to pull the triggers in time or she would forget to turn one of the cables. She would always tumble to the ground and be met with Annie, who would pick her back up and then fly away, giving her that familiar, icy stare. She was about to turn a corner, when she heard something like cannon fire from nearby.
"Hanji."
She turned and landed on the rooftop overhead. Sure enough, Hanji had managed to ambush the Female Titan with her traps. She had just landed on the ground herself, but Lorraine swung down, landing behind the crazed Section Commander. She called out, taking Hanji and her assistant, Moblit, off guard.
"Annie!"
Hanji turned around and asked, "Ackerman? What are you doing here?" Lorraine ignored Hanji and shouted, "Annie, please! Just come with us! I-I don't want to hurt you, but if this keeps going...then, you're not leaving us much of a choice!" Hanji, remembering Lorraine from the meeting, backed away. Lorraine walked closer, her amber eyes locked onto Annie's. Lorraine stood confidently, but tearfully in front of Annie.
"Annie. I'm asking you, not as a soldier, but as your friend. Please, just stop all of this unnecessary violence and come with us."
Annie's eye seemed for a moment to focus on Lorraine, but as Lorraine got closer, Annie shifted. Lorraine backed up as Annie struggled against Hanji's traps, but she tripped over a stone and fell backwards. As Annie stood up to her feet, she ripped the cannons out of their mounts, showering the Scouts below with debris and dust. Hanji coughed, then sneered, "Shit! Don't let her get away!" Lorraine's gaze followed Annie.
"No...wait! Annie!"
Moblit grabbed Lorraine's arm, pulling her to her feet firmly, and shouted, "We won't let her escape!"
Another lightning bolt struck, followed by a familiar roar.
ROOOOOOAAAAAAAGH!
"Eren...!"
Not saying a word, she pulled her ODM triggers and flew up to the rooftops where she and several other Scouts saw Eren, in his intimidating Titan form, sprinting through the streets, charging head-first for Annie, fueled by his unbridled rage. He tackled her and violently threw her into the Church of the Walls. Lorraine cheered, "Hell yeah, Eren!" As the two massive beasts clashed, Lorraine looked down into the streets and saw that Mikasa had taken a rough fall. She quickly flew down and helped Mikasa to her feet.
"Mikasa! Mika, are you alright?!"
Mikasa grunted and said, "Eren...h-he did it...!" Lorraine nodded and said, "I know! Let's get to the rooftops!" Mikasa nodded and the girls both returned to Armin, Jean, and Hanji Squad. Upon reaching the rooftops, Armin exclaimed, "Yes!" His face turned grim and he added, "Now, he just has to actually beat her. There's no guarantee that this fight will turn out differently from their last." Jean, feigning confidence, or possibly trying to convince himself of what he was saying, said, "Come on, he wouldn't have transformed if he didn't think he could take her! He's got this!" Armin retorted surely, "Don't forget, Jean, just having determination isn't enough to win in a fight. You of all people should know that." Jean exhaled. Lorraine pointed out towards the two clashing giants and shouted, "Look! She's moving again!"
"She's going for the clearing!"
Hanji flew off, beckoning the group to follow. Annie was sprinting through the streets, gracefully dodging buildings and structures, followed closely by Eren, who simply tore through them like a young child through a tower of blocks. Hanji and the crew came to a full stop atop the closest roof to where Eren and Annie were rolling around, locked in a vicious battle.
"Damn," Hanji cursed, "So much for using our ODM Gear." She thought for a moment, then barked, "Everyone, split up and cut her off! Don't let her get away!" Moblit, in a concerned manner, said, "I hate to say it, but if these two keep at it, the city's going to be nothing but rubble and corpses before long. Even if we manage to capture her." Hanji sighed, "So be it. We're sticking to Commander Erwin's plan, so cut the chit-chat and ready the nets! Moblit, pass it on!" Moblit saluted and departed as fast as he could.
The Titans seemed never to tire. Each time one landed a hit, the other would simply bounce back, making it seem impossible for either to claim victory. It almost seemed like the battle would never come to an end when Annie managed to pin Eren against a building, digging his shoulders and head into the bricks. She brought up her fist and, the skin of her hand forming a crystalline coating, she slammed her balled up hand into Eren's head repeatedly, spraying blood and chunks of flesh onto the building around him and the ground below him until his head was little more than a mushy pulp. Eren's body fell limp and the Female Titan straightened herself up, turning and running away. Mikasa was about to follow, her teeth gnashing in anger, but Armin grabbed her arm, holding her back.
"No, Mikasa! She'll swat you like a fly!"
As Mikasa struggled, Lorraine watched Eren, tearing up.
"Eren? Come on. You can't just let her win like this. You vowed to defeat them. Every last one. Isn't that right? Get up, Eren."
A sudden movement from Eren startled her. She looked down into the streets below and saw Eren's body regenerating at a faster rate than usual. As his body reformed itself, steam poured from his wounds and a blue glow began to shine from Eren's eyes, but as he stood up, catching the attention of Mikasa and Armin, his veins started to glow, too, giving his body a terrifying appearance. He opened his mouth and inhaled deeply, showing off a set of razor-sharp teeth. She gasped as he suddenly took off running on all fours as though he were some kind of wild animal, charging at Annie, who had just made it to the edge of the city.
"I've never seen him like this. What the hell is going on?"
Hanji gritted her teeth and said, "Damn! We need to follow him, but with the state he's in, we should keep our distance." Mikasa grabbed Lorraine's arm and said, "Come on!" Lorraine shook her head and followed the group. The Scouts got as close as they possibly could without being in the line of danger and watched as Eren, blinded by his fury, ripped Annie's Titan to pieces. He let out cries of rage, mutilating her body and tearing pieces of hair from her head. She let out pained shrieks and kicked him off before jumping as high as she could, digging her hardened fingers into the once-thought-impenetrable stone.
"She's headed up the wall!"
Lorraine, gripping her blades, cried, "No! She's going to escape!" Mikasa pulled her triggers and shot off, zipping past Lorraine and up the wall. As she sliced through Annie's fingers with her Titan-rendering blades, she stood atop the Female Titan's forehead and stared down at her coldly.
"It's over. Now, Annie. Fall."
Mikasa pulled away, swooping back and landing on the nearest rooftop with ease and grace. She looked back just as Eren pounced on the wounded Titan. Eren used his teeth to rip open her nape, revealing Annie, whose face glistened with tears. Eren's mouth unhinged. Hanji gasped.
"Oh, no! He's going to devour her whole! Eren! Back off!"
Eren came to a sudden halt for one reason or another, just looking down at the girl, trapped within the Titan's body. His eyes returned to their usual blue-green colour for a moment until a blinding light illuminated the entire area. Horrible screams from Eren's Titan echoed far. When Lorraine's eyes somewhat adjusted, she saw a blur fly by and land on Eren's back, swinging their blades into Eren's nape.
"Captain Levi!?"
Pulling Eren's lifeless body out of the Titan looked easy to Levi, who then landed on the ground next to the two towering Titan corpses. Lorraine, Armin, and Mikasa ran down to Levi, who handed the boy to Lorraine. She took him carefully and gave a quick glance up and down his body. He had the burn marks on his face that he usually did, but aside from that, he appeared fine. She handed him to Mikasa and held her fingers to his wrist.
"H-he's okay!"
Mikasa held him close and a pair of soldiers ran down, ready to take Eren to the infirmary. Lorraine breathed, relieved. She turned back to her father and asked, "Captain? Are you alright?" Levi made a slightly perturbed noise, then said, "I'll be fine. Are you okay, though?" Lorraine sighed and said, "I-I'm still a bit shaken up, but...but, I guess I'll be alright." He nodded and said, "Good." As he walked off, a slight limp making its presence known, Lorraine turned her attention to the two corpses. Hanji already had a team removing Annie from her Titan, but when they lowered her to the ground, Lorraine furrowed her brows.
"What...what happened to her? Why is she...?"
Hanji, staring at the rather large crystal that had formed around Annie's body, shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. We'll have to do some research on this." She shouted, "Someone get me a wire net and take this thing underground!" Lorraine walked closer, staring down at her once best friend's face, sleeping peacefully within. Jean, angry and frustrated, walked over and said, getting louder and banging his blade on the crystal, "Damn. Come on, Annie. After all the shit we've been through, this is all we get?! Annie! Wake up! Come on, Annie-" Levi walked over and placed a hand gently on Jean's shoulder, giving him a sorrowful shake of the head. Lorraine let out a sigh.
"Annie. After all that we went through together? I never would have taken you for a traitor. What the hell are you doing? Why are you hiding away in there? Come out and talk to us. Please."
She placed a hand on the crystal. Moblit came over and said somberly, "Lorraine. I'm sorry. We have to take her underground." She nodded and looked back at the crystal.
"Goodbye, Annie."
As the crew dragged Annie's crystal away, gasps and murmurs started around her. She looked around and saw that everyone was staring, chattering, and pointing up at the wall. She turned and gasped when she saw it. She clapped her hand to her mouth and her eyes grew large.
"Wh-what the hell...?"
It was a Titan. A huge one. Almost as big as the Colossal Titan. This one, though, was embedded inside the stone wall that towered over them.
"A Titan inside the wall? There's no way that can be possible!"
Its eyes slowly moved down, seeming to stare directly at her for a moment, then its eyes turned, scanning the area. Hanji's mouth hung open, but her attention was ripped from it by the old Priest of the Wall, Pastor Nick. He managed to choke out the words, "Don't let the sunlight touch that Titan." As he panted, out of breath from running, Hanji remained silent, staring at him. She let out an abrupt growl and grabbed the front of his robes.
"You know about this!?"
Nick simply repeated, "Do not let the sunlight touch that Titan!" Levi said, taking Lorraine's shoulder, "Lorraine. Go alert Commander Miche at the outpost just south of Wall Sina. Tell him about the Titan inside the Wall. From there, follow his orders. Understood?" She saluted and nodded.
"Yes, Sir!"
She lowered her voice and said nervously, "But, Captain? May I go see Eren and the others before I go?" He thought for a moment. Giving her a sigh, he said, "Tch. Just don't take long." She nodded and said, smiling, "Thank you, Sir!" She turned and sprinted towards the Infirmary.
She arrived outside Eren's door, panting and sweating, and knocked gently.
"Come in."
Mikasa's voice came soft and low. Lorraine turned the handle and said, "Hey. I came to check on Eren." He was laying in bed, still asleep. She walked closer and asked quietly, "How's he doing?" Armin said, "He's okay. His wounds seem to be healing just fine." Mikasa stayed silent. Jean sighed. Lorraine smiled and said, "That's good." She turned and said, walking to the door, "A-alright. I...I have to go. I've been ordered to go to the outpost where Reiner and the others are." Jean asked, shocked, "What? Why?" Lorraine hesitantly explained, "There's a...s-situation. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say." Armin sighed, "Fair enough." Lorraine turned back as she opened the door and said, smiling, "Don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone, alright, guys?" Mikasa looked up, her grey eyes shimmering. Armin and Jean chuckled. Lorraine walked out, shutting the door behind her, and started down the hallway. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath before sprinting to the stables where her horse, Fiona, stood, alongside Lorraine's small bag. Haphazardly hanging out of the bag was a large, dark green t-shirt.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I was supposed to sew up that hem on Reiner's shirt."
She thought for a moment while tacking Fiona, then smiled. She unbuckled the top portion of her ODM straps and pulled off her once white button-down, pulling on Reiner's oversized green tee. She tucked the torn hem into her pants, hiding the rip, and pulled her gear back on. Fiona whinnied in approval and Lorraine laughed.
"Do you like it, Fiona?"
The mare shook her head and Lorraine mounted her beautiful palomino. She asked softly, "Ready, girl?" Fiona snorted, which Lorraine took as a yes. Lorraine finally rode out of the stables and out of the city, riding as fast as she could, seeing as how she'd already wasted a lot more time than she had intended.
"This world hides many surprises. Eren is a Titan Shifter, as is Annie. So, who's to say that more of us can't be Titans hiding among the military...and who's to say they're even on our side?"
She rode through the open gate, spotting Hanji and the others on top of the wall, covering up the Wall Titan with cloth and ropes. She and Fiona rode through the open expanse, turning towards the direction of the outpost.
"I'm certain that both the Armored and Colossal Titans are a part of the military. I mean, how else would they escape so easily both times they struck? The real questions here are 'who are they' and 'why exactly did they destroy the walls'? What is their ultimate goal? I suppose we'll find out in due time."
Darkness soon engulfed the world. Lorraine figured she'd probably make it to the outpost by sunrise the next day.
"Reiner...Krista...Bertholdt...everyone...please be okay."