Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 24 (May 30, 2022)
The group stood outside of a small cabin, hidden in the woods just outside of Trost District, wearing their jackets and making sure to keep their hoods up. Lorraine stood behind Mikasa, holding a handgun given to her by Deemo Reeves for the time. Levi, Mikasa, Jean, and Sasha all had shotguns slung over their shoulders and they watched as the Reeves' wagon came into view. Deemo and Flegel sat at the front and the five armed Scouts readied themselves. As the Reeves' wagon came to a stop, Jean stepped forward. Two men, members of the Military Police opened the curtains, but froze upon seeing the soldiers who awaited their arrival. Levi aimed his gun at the two men and Jean and Mikasa, who climbed in from the driver's end behind them, flipped their weapons around, hitting them both square in the jaw with the butt end and knocking both of them out cold.
"Reeves, you piece of-"
Deemo turned around and said, "Sorry, gents. That's just how it is." Lorraine pulled a few lengths of rope out of her bag and helped to tie them up. As the men were carried inside, she looked back up at Deemo and Flegel.
"Thank you for your help," she said politely. Flegel smiled at her and she followed her comrades inside.
"What happens now," Flegel asked his father, adjusting his hood, "Do you think we'll be safe, or what?" Deemo sighed.
"There's no guarantee."
Flegel gasped and said, "Huh? Then, why did we do it?" Deemo raised his hand and brought it down, slapping the timid boy across the face and causing his hood to fall.
Deemo said, "A good merchant has to learn to trust his nose. Not just to smell easy money, either, but to sniff out the potential for future profit, too." Flegel rubbed his stinging cheek and Deemo continued, "Once you've found it, you bite and you don't let go. You remember that, son." Flegel looked down at his lap and nodded.
Lorraine walked back to the table where her friends were seated, carrying a tray with a steaming pot of tea and six cups. A few hours had passed by now. The six of the former cadets winced, hearing the sounds of Hange shouting followed by a man's scream of agony.
"They're still going," she asked, setting down the tray and passing the cups out to everyone, "How long do you think this is going to take?" Jean and Armin shrugged.
Sasha said, "Don't know. Seems like the screams are a lot louder than when your dad did it."
Connie said softly, "I know it's to save our friends, but still...i-it makes me sick."
Lorraine nodded and walked over to where Mikasa stood, handing her a cup of tea. Mikasa took it and Lorraine asked softly, "Mika? You okay?" She nodded, staring blankly into her tea. Lorraine sighed.
Armin said, "Let's face it. We're criminals, now." Lorraine sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He said, "Our last enemy wanted to eat us. We don't have an excuse for that for killing these people. It's just that their views are different."
"No," Lorraine said, "It's just that they're in a different group."
Armin folded his arms on the table in front of him and said, his body starting to shake again as he rested his head on his arms, "And we take their lives for that. It's not...w-we're not good people anymore." Tears fell down his cheeks and Lorraine just rubbed his back in silence, letting him cry as much as he needed. Mikasa looked down at him, a worried expression on her face. Jean, Sasha, and Connie sipped their tea in silence, staring out into space.
Later that night, the door to the basement opened. Hange, Moblit, and Levi entered the room. Hange smiled and said, "We got our intel."
Armin and the others all sat at attention. Levi said, "The true Royal Family is the Reiss Family." Armin stood up.
"Wait," he said, "Then, that means the rightful heir to the throne is...Historia?"
Hange nodded and said, "That's correct. And based on that knowledge, we are assuming that she and Eren have been taken to Lord Reiss." She turned to Moblit who held up a piece of paper with a sketch of a man on it. The man looked to be older, with wrinkles around his round eyes, and he wore a tall, silk hat.
"That's him," Levi said, "Rod Reiss."
Hange explained, "They're planning to return the Founding Titan to its rightful owners."
Armin said, stepping forward, "What do you mean?" Moblit and Hange nodded.
She explained, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket and adjusting her glasses on her face, "Yes. Eren remembered a conversation between Ymir and Bertholdt. Based on what he wrote, we can speculate that Ymir used to be a mindless Titan just like the others until she consumed someone from Reiner and Bertholdt's group." Lorraine placed her fingertips on the armour shard hanging from her neck.
"We've never seen a Titan transform back into a human by eating one before," Hange continued, "That being said, Reiner and his comrades aren't exactly normal humans and there's a different set of rules for humans who can turn into Titans. My thought is this: if a Titan eats someone with that power, then it will turn back into a human. In addition, they will likely obtain whatever powers that human had."
She folded her arms and said, "In battle the other day, Reiner was throwing Titans at Eren as he tried to get away." Lorraine gritted her teeth. Hange said, "I think he knew that Eren had the power to take command of feral Titans with his voice. If Eren's death had meant that that power was lost, he wouldn't have risked it. I think he'd 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 will use it to eat Eren and take his power." Mikasa turned to the door, her eyes filled with rage.
"Mika!"
Levi rushed over and grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.
"Calm down," he said, "I know you want to get Eren back, but going on a rampage won't help you do that." He turned back to the group, still holding Mikasa's shoulder, and said, "Anyway, we're going to head to Rod Reiss' estate. Prepare to leave at once."
"Sir!"
The Scouts packed up their gear and weapons quickly, mounting their horses and waiting for Levi to join them. Mikasa gripped her red scarf, staring out towards the horizon, her lower lip trembling softly. Lorraine guided her horse to her side and she reached over, placing her hand on Mikasa's. Mikasa looked down, then up at Lorraine.
"We'll get them back," Lorraine said. Mikasa nodded. Lorraine smiled. Mikasa flipped her hand and laced her fingers between her little sister's, the corners of her mouth being pulled downward as she held back her tears, though she tried to give her a reassuring smile. As Levi rode to the front of the group, they straightened up, gripping the reins of their horses.
"Alright, we're going to be hiding out in the forest near Stohess for now! Follow me and stay close!"
"Yes, sir!"
The next day, Jean, Mikasa, Armin, and Lorraine walked into Stohess District, dressed casually in inconspicuous attire, trying to remain hidden in the bright daylight, since they were wanted fugitives on the run, especially now. Lorraine held her once again sling-wrapped arm under a dark red shawl that she had draped over her head and shoulders, covering her light blue dress and white button-down shirt. Armin adjusted his brown coat and hood while Jean, wearing concealed ODM gear, placed a fedora on his head. Mikasa wore a brown coat, also covering her own ODM gear. As they reached the busy streets, the four split up, walking in different directions to buy supplies.
Armin and Mikasa reunited on the edge of town about thirty minutes after they arrived, their small lists of supplies completed and slung over their shoulders.
"You alright, Mikasa?"
Mikasa nodded and said, holding up a piece of paper in her hand, "Yes, but look at this." Armin looked at it and nodded. The paper showed a description of each of them along with an artist's sketch of the wanted Scouts' faces. He sighed.
"I know. I got one, too," he said, showing her the flyer, "We need to bring this back to show Captain Levi."
Mikasa nodded. Jean walked down the stairs quickly, showing the pair his own flyer.
"I guess you both got one, too?"
Mikasa and Armin nodded. Jean crumpled his up carelessly, shoving it into his coat pocket and growling lightly.
Armin said, "What I'd like to know is why they're pinning the death of Mr. Reeves on Erwin and the Scouts."
Jean added, "I wanna know who actually killed him."
Mikasa said, looking around, "Lorraine's taking an awfully long time. I hope she's okay." Armin and Jean nodded.
Jean said, "I'm sure she's alright. Why don't we take one last stroll through town and catch up with her, though, if that'll make you feel better?"
Mikasa and Armin both agreed. Armin said, "We should meet back here in ten minutes. Sound good?"
Lorraine had just finished buying a length of rope, new rolls of bandages, thread, and needles, turning a corner to make her way to get the next couple of things on her list. She walked into a less-crowded street and pulled her list out, standing close to a few of the buildings so as not to run into anyone by accident. Her eyes had just scrolled down the list, when she felt an arm around her waist pulling her around the nearby corner into a dark alley. She tried to struggle, but the person was too strong for her to overpower. She tried to scream, but the person's other hand was over her mouth, so the sounds came out muffled. After being pulled into the darkness, kicking and straining her voice, she felt the prick of a sharp object in her neck.
"A needle? What is happening? Oh, no," she thought, suddenly feeling tired. Her mind went blank and her muscles relaxed all at once. She felt herself falling into a deep sleep and the world went black around her with the sounds of the city fading away as if she were underwater.
"No sign of her," Jean said, jogging back to where Mikasa was pacing back and forth, running her hands over her scarf continually. She looked up at him, her grey eyes glistening with tears. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, we still have Armin out there. Maybe she just got lost somehow-"
"Mikasa! Jean!"
Armin ran to them, beads of sweat pooling on his face and his eyes tearful. He gasped for air, leaning down and resting his hands on his knees while he tried to calm down.
"Armin," Mikasa said, grabbing him by both of his shoulders, "What is it? Where is she!?" Armin shook his head and stood up, holding up the shard of hardened Titan skin that she had worn around her neck.
"I-I...I found this laying in the street," he said, his voice quivering.
Mikasa clapped her hands up to her mouth. Jean's eyes just widened in shock. Armin said, "We all know she would never lose this. It's just not like her. Something's wrong."
Mikasa balled up her fists and growled, "We have to go find her!" Jean grabbed her upper arm, pulling her back.
"Mikasa, wait! We can't just-"
"First Eren was taken, now my sister's gone! Let go!"
Jean said, straining against her, "Damn it, Mikasa! Stop! You can't just rush in there yet! Let Captain Levi help us figure something out!"
Mikasa argued, "The longer we wait, the less chance we have of getting her back!" Jean yanked against her as she pulled away even harder. Armin just stared down at the armour shard in his hands. He felt his eyes stinging with fresh tears.
"Jean's right," he said, causing Mikasa to stop struggling, "We have to go back and get Captain Levi. He needs to know. Then, we can worry about getting her back, along with Eren and Historia." Mikasa fell to her knees and let out a long sigh. She felt tears dripping down her cheeks as she stayed on her knees, pulling her scarf up to hide the lower half of her face.