Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 36 (June 8, 2022)
"Captain!"
Levi looked up from his conversation with Sasha and Connie, concerned by the tone of Armin's voice.
"What is it, Armin?" he asked, sitting up. Sasha, who was putting away the pot and utensils from earlier that morning, and Connie, fiddling around with the brim of his straw hat, both drew their attention to the small group. Levi looked around and asked, "Where is Lorr-"
"She's gone," Armin said, his voice shaking as he tried to maintain his composure, "She's been taken by someone, but we don't know who could have done it! I-I'm sorry, sir!" Levi growled.
"Where was the last place you saw her," Levi asked, his voice lowering in tone.
Armin shook his head, holding up the armour shard, and said, "The entrance we took into Stohess. But I found this laying on the ground in a street, near an alley." Levi stood up. Mikasa frowned. Jean sighed.
"I-I'm sorry, Captain," Jean said cautiously, his mind and heart regretful, "We...we should have gone in pairs."
Levi said, his eyes now cold and filled with anger, though he remained strong and serious, "We can think all day about what we should have done, but that doesn't change what's already happened. What we need is a plan of action."
"Yeah, but how are we gonna do much of anything while we're on the run," Jean asked, "We don't even know who took her."
Levi said through gritted teeth, "I have an idea who the culprit may be, but I hope for her sake that I'm wrong."
"Captain," Armin said, handing him the paper from their trip into town while trying to regain his composure, "The MPs were handing these out." Levi took the paper and looked it over. He grimaced.
"If this is true, then the Scouts will be disbanded."
Armin nodded and said, "They also said they'll be hunting for us in the mountains tonight and that they're posting guards on all the vital roads. No one can get through without a pass. So, Captain...what now?" Levi crumpled the paper in his hands and shoved it into his pocket, standing up.
Mikasa said, "We need to hurry and find Lorraine and Eren-"
"Eren will be fine," Levi cut her off, "They're taking him to the Reiss Estate on a wagon, so that gives us one day to catch up to them. As for Lorraine, we're going to have to just hope for the best and do what we can to save her." He balled up his fist and added, "Unfortunately...Eren is our number one priority due to the nature of his kidnapping. I'm sorry. I really am." Mikasa sighed.
"I know Lorraine isn't the priority," she thought,"and that we need to get Eren back, but why do we have to put her safety aside in the process? Can't we split up and find her at the same time? There's got to be something we're not thinking of."
"Captain," Sasha whispered, turning her head to look into the forest, "I hear footsteps. They're coming this way."
Levi said in a hushed voice, "How many?"
"I think two."
"Right," he said, "Listen up. We're going to take them into custody. I'm going to need you all to do exactly as I say. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
In the now-desolate streets of Trost's outskirts, Flegel Reeves stumbled around a corner. Three Military Police soldiers weren't too far behind him. He panted and wheezed, attempting to climb up a stack of boxes. His heart was racing and sweat soaked his white shirt under his jacket.
"Shit," he said, his hands fumbling to grasp at anything he could, "This is it! This is how I die!" As he felt his foot slip out from under him, he heard the sounds of ODM gear from above him. He slammed his eyes shut, preparing for his death, but felt arms around him, pulling him up into the air. He tried to scream, but his voice was muffled by a hand over his mouth. As he hit solid ground, he shrieked and tucked his knees to his chest.
"I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry! I don't wanna-"
"Shh!"
Hange shoved her hand back over his mouth, listening to the men in the streets below.
"Damn," one of the men said, "He disappeared!"
"Check the next alley!"
"He can't get away!"
She finally pulled her hand away from his face. Flegel gasped for air, his body shaking uncontrollably. Hange turned to him and said, "You're the son of Deemo Reeves, right?" She knelt down beside him. He wiped sweat from his brow.
"Yeah."
She asked, "What's your name?"
He looked out into the streets.
"I'm Flegel."
"Flegel," she said, smiling, "Nice to meet you. My name is Hange Zoe. I know this is sudden, but if the MPs are after you, then I'm assuming you must know the truth about your father's death, right?" He nodded. She asked, "Could you tell me how it happened?"
"W-well," he said, "I made us stop so I could piss. That's when the Interior Police found my dad." He pressed his closed fist up to his forehead and said, "There was a tall guy with a black coat and a hat. H-he slit my dad's throat." Tears started to form in his eyes and he felt a knot in his throat forming. "And now," he continued, "I-I think...I don't know, but I think he's gonna go after Lorraine. Said somethin' about getting to Levi, so maybe it's not her...but, that's all I can think he was talking about."
Hange gasped. She took a breath and said calmly, "I see. Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're alive. Now, we can make the truth known publicly-"
"What?! You're crazy! Haven't you seen today's newspaper?!"
He said shakily, "If the MPs say you guys did it, then that's the truth. My testimony means jack shit! They figured out I was there. They know I saw everything. I-I'll be hunted for the rest of my life and all I can do about it is run and hide until I'm caught! My life is over!" He sobbed, wiping his face roughly with his still-intact sleeve. Hanji lowered her voice.
"Yeah. That may be. The thing is, that doesn't exactly sound like living to me. Try looking at it this way," she stood up, "Instead of spending the rest of your life skulking around like a scared rat 'till you get murdered, you could stand up like a human and face your enemy, even if they might kill you."
"Why the hell would I?!"
Flegel backed away from her nervously and said, "Not everyone has the same disregard for their lives as you!" She raised her eyebrows.
"You know what," he whined, slouching forward and looking at the ground below him, "I am scared and I have every right to be!"
Hange said, "Your family. The company! Don't you think they deserve to know the truth?"
Flegel snapped, "Come on! That's just what would be best for you!"
Hange lunged forward and grabbed his jacket collar, picking him up to his feet, shaking him, and shouting, "Of course it is! You need to start thinking about what's best for you, too!" Below them, an old man's voice could be heard.
"Who's makin' all that damn racket on my roof!?"
She growled, "Alright. You're comin' with me, Flegel!" She yanked him by the arm and started running, dragging him behind her.
"What?! Your gang's already lost! Give up already! Why don't you know when you're beat!?"
Hange stopped and smiled back at him.
"Easy. Defeat is all the Scout Regiment has ever known!"
Lorraine was jostled awake by the rough motion of a wagon. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She gasped and tried to sit up, but her hands were tied tightly behind her, making it difficult to move. She tried to speak, but she had a piece of cloth tied around her mouth, gagging her. The cloth wasn't exactly clean, but she tried to avoid thinking about the slightly salty and dirty taste of it, instead looking around, realizing that she was inside a covered wagon, travelling to someplace unknown to her.
"Well, well," a gruff voice said, "You're up, huh?" She had heard that voice once before. She turned her head and saw, sitting up in the driver's seat, a blonde woman, dressed in ODM gear. Sitting on the bench next to her feet was the old man she had met back in the alley in Trost, casually fiddling with the brim of his hat and smiling.
"Who'd have thought the runt would have a kid of his own? Tch. 'Not I', said the cat."
She struggled against her restraints, but stopped, feeling a sharp jolt in her left shoulder, wincing and letting out a sharp gasp through her nose. The man walked over and knelt down.
"Easy now. I didn't know you were hurt before or I'd have been more careful with ya. Sorry 'bout that."
She looked up at him, her eyes stinging with tears of pain and fear. The man reached down and grabbed her arms, sitting her upright. She jerked away from him, but was surprised by the gentleness with which he handled her, his rough and calloused hands sitting her up as if she were a fragile doll that could break if handled without care. She looked him up and down as he stared into her face. The man's eyes were a cold blue, she could see the years etched into each wrinkle on his face. He had particularly prominent crow's feet and his cheeks were thin. His face had some sun damage and his coarse beard was unkempt, yet sparse. His hairline was receding, though she had previously not noticed thanks to the hat he was wearing. His thin lips curled up into a smile.
"You look so much like my little sister."
She furrowed her brows. He chuckled.
"Damn. Look at me, getting all sentimental. I think this old man's losing his god damn mind, here."
She tried to speak once again, but felt the cloth in her way. She tugged at the ropes on her wrists, but it was still no good. The man clicked his tongue.
"Hell. I'll take off the gag for a few minutes. I'd like to get to know ya anyway."
He reached around her head and untied the cloth. She breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Who the hell are you and what do you want with me?" He folded his arms and sat back down on the bench next to her, setting the cloth gag on the wood next to him.
"Me? You prolly know me as Kenny the Ripper…but you can just call me Kenny."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Wait. Th-the guy who murdered all those MPs?"
He smirked and said, "Yep. The very same. As for what I want with you, you're here for a very different reason than Eren. See, I'm only really after this power that I can only get my hands on by playing along. Unfortunately, Rod and I, we've got one little thing standing between us and that power."
"What does your little quest have to do with me?"
Kenny said, "That 'little thing' standing in our way just so happens to be an old student of mine. Levi Ackerman. You know him?" Her eyes widened. He continued, "Your job here is simple. I'm confident that by holding onto his little girl, he'll come straight to me." She felt her heartbeat speeding up in her chest.
"So...so, I'm an extra line of defense, then?"
"No," Kenny said, sounding almost offended, "I'm not so damn cruel as to use you as some sort of human shield. You're just bait."
Lorraine said apprehensively, "Really? Why should I believe you?" He raised a brow. She continued, "I'd have thought Kenny the Ripper was a cold, heartless murderer who wouldn't give a shit about the safety of a single person in this world." He froze, then chuckled.
"Well, you definitely got Levi's mouth, kid."
Lorraine sat frozen, staring up at the laughing old man. He said, "I'm not exactly guaranteeing your safety, but if ya do get hurt, it's not 'cause I used you to defend myself." She gritted her teeth, confused and wishing for the nightmare to come to an end. He added, "Besides, I wouldn't hurt my own flesh and blood. Not now, not ever. That, I can promise ya."
"Flesh…and blood?"
He sighed, "Yeah. It's a long story. You'll understand soon enough."
"What do you–"
"Sir," Caven said, slowing the carriage, "We're almost at the checkpoint."
"Understood," he said, putting his hat back on and standing up, "Sorry, kid. Story for another time." He knelt down and grabbed the gag cloth out of his pocket. As he reached around her head to replace the cloth, she started to pull away and shake her head. She pressed her lips together tightly, but he cursed under his breath and grabbed her jaw, the pressure on her cheeks forcing her mouth open just enough to get the cloth in between her teeth. He tied the gag behind her head and left the carriage as it came to a stop. She looked up at Caven, then out at the open curtain of the cart.
"I can get out there. Am I fast enough to escape, though?"
Armin knelt by the gently rolling water of a stream near the campsite, filling a few wooden buckets with water. He had just set down the second bucket beside him when he heard a rustling behind him, followed by a male voice.
"Don't move," the young man said sternly. Armin held his hands out where the man behind him could see. The man behind him said, "Turn around slowly." Armin obeyed, standing up and slowly turning around to face the intruder. Two Military Police soldiers stood in front of him, a man and a woman, holding their shotguns up, keeping him in their sights.
"Not a sound," the man said, "Don't say a word."
Armin nodded, still keeping his hands up in the air.
"You must be a Scout," the man said, "Now, listen and do exactly as I-" Before he could finish, Mikasa and Levi swooped down, grappling the two from behind and immobilizing them.
Levi said, "That's it. Now hand your guns to the one in front." Armin stepped forward and disarmed the two while Mikasa and Levi adjusted and sat them on the ground in front of them.
Armin said, "Don't say a word...right?"