Enjoy!

ROBYN POV

The sun wells were a few streets away, but Kenny was still in pursuit. Me and Levi told the team to make it look like they had continued onwards, but to loop round in order to provide back-up in the meantime. Kenny being on the backfoot was good, but I didn't like the idea of him being so scared. It made him like a wounded animal – likely to lash out, and right now we were the most available targets, but others, civilians of the Underground, might end up in his sights next.

"That's right!" He bellowed, arms wide, hat skewed back on his scarred head, strutting up to us. "You need to listen to what I have to say."

"You didn't say much before." I nodded to him. "What's changed now?"

"I can tell you where they're based. Not down here, the mere edges of their operations."

Levi stepped forward. "And what do you want in return?"

"Outta this shithole. Your little piece of ass might be a pain, but she had a point. Those bastards kept me living just enough and have kept me janglin' on the end of their chains since. I ain't too keen on that continuing."

Levi wrinkled his nose. "If so keen to be rid of the chains, why not pass over that phrasing? Why keep them in the dark?"

"You know as well as I do, runt, that once you get the info you're just left with a loose end. The second I gave that up, if it was even the slightest wrong moment, I'd be in the gutter."

"Like the men you blasted up top." Levi blinked, mask firmly in place. "Can't say you're gaining much sympathy, Kenny."

"Ain't asking for it. But you know what it is to want out."

I kept checking, but there was no sign of company on the nearby rooftops. We were alone for the time being. Or was he always alone down there, now? Had he sent his lackeys away, doing that before they turned on him? Maybe. He wasn't stupid. No one would be pleased to be stuck in this place on the behest of their boss who had been caught with his trousers down.

I cleared my throat. "So where is it?"

He glared at me. "You given' me your word you'll get me out?"

Levi stepped close. "We'll do what we can, yeah. Not been that long since I smuggled."

"Nah." He snapped. "I want out legit. You get that blondey queen of yours to get me out of this hell hole. Got her wrapped round your finger, don't you?"

"I wouldn't put it that way."

"I would." Kenny gripped Levi's cloak, baring his teeth. "Get me that pardon and protection, and then we can talk. Nothin' before that."

"I've not got time for your games, Kenny." Levi tried to dislodge the grip.

I stepped in close. "Release him. We can't get the pardon now, but we–"

"I ain't asking you, Sanshi rat."

"Regardless, you're going to have to wait, you shithead." I gripped one of my blades. "Let. Go."

"You heard her." Levi peeled the old man's fingers away.

Kenny's eyes landed on me. "I ain't waiting another second. You hear me? I'm done with this shitpile, done with the walls and the fuckin' endless dark. You can understand that, can't you? Or you already forgotten how small that fuckin' cell was?"

I stepped back. "Fuck you. He knows nothing, Captain. He's just–"

"Don't go makin' assumptions because your feelings got hurt." Kenny chucked Levi back and rounded on me. "You've been more trouble than you were worth from the start. Should've just done away with you the first time you stank up this place."

"Poor Kenny." I shook my head.

"Let's go, Sanshi." Levi stepped away. "You know how to make contact, Kenny. When you feel like talking, reach out. And in the meantime I'll talk to the queen about what can be done. Enjoy your solitude."

I made to follow, but Kenny's words stalled me.

He growled low. "I should've dragged you outta that house myself. Handed you over like a bag of spoiled flour"

I stared ahead, my Captain looked at me with question, but I looked over my shoulder to Kenny. "The hell does that mean?"

Levi tried to reach for me. "Sanshi, don't–"

"No, I need to know what he meant."

Kenny stopped and looked to the side, gritting his teeth so hard I thought he'd bite right through the cigar wobbling between his teeth. "Your fuckin' Dad had to go and blow his lid like some toddler, I should've–"

"Wait." I snapped, turning back round.

Heart thumping, eyes itching with tears as my mind reached back to that night. The way Vincent just lost it for no apparent reason. More so than he ever had before, and ever could again. Blew his lid like some toddler. That was what Kenny had said, like Vincent was reacting to something. Reacting to him. Red. It seeped into my mind like tea into water.

I clenched my hands tightly. "You were there the day he killed them? My birthday? When he finally… And I almost… You were fucking there?"

He just stared at me, unimpressed.

I sucked in a breath. "Did you come to the house that day? Was it you that sent him over the edge?"

"We needed results, girlie. He was draggin' his feet, taking too long, getting too damned drunk to function. Our employers ain't exactly the patient type."

Burning. My body began to quiver, the fact that I was standing before the catalyst to that day, to the smoking husk of my home, to the promise that haunted me all those years, it made me sick.

"And so… Thanks to your pestering, they're dead."

"Huh?"

"My mother might've got us out if you hadn't pushed him so hard, she might have had time to find the courage to escape him and his shit. But no, gotta stick to a damn schedule right?" I stormed over and slapped him hard. "Gotta please the ones holding that leash. Wag that fucking tail!"

"I ain't someone's mutt, you damn rat."

"Looks like it from here." I panted, backing up, shaking my head. Blood. I wanted to rip his out of his veins, choke him with it, soak him head to toe and make him understand what he had caused. "Kenny the Ripper, alright. Busts in, makes a lot of noise with his barking, then storms off again to report back to his masters. All the while they burned up, I nearly burned up… You fucking–"

"Sanshi." My Captain barked, marching up behind us, coming back to get me. Cold seeped into me. Right. Remember where you are. We had to get to the sunwells before the White Cloaks caught wind of anything. "Leave him be, he's only making noise like you said."

Levi was right. Knowing this didn't change things, it didn't make my mother any more dead, or my little brother any more gone. It just meant I had someone in the world still to blame. Beyond the sick bastard I'd already put in the ground. But Kenny could wait. And he could certainly wait until we weren't in his territory. I shook my head free of the mania, the temper, the bloodlust.

"Piece of shit." I muttered, turning away and falling into step with my Captain, my eyes focused on my boots. One step at a time. Keep it together. Breathe in, and then out. Whoosh.

"You doing okay?" Levi murmured lowly as we continued, coming alongside the others as they followed our lead and stopped looping round. They stood a street ahead, waiting for us. "He's just trying to rile you, Robyn. He's–"

"I know." I sighed, weary to my bones for that moment. But I kept moving. We had a job to do, we had to find those kids and get them safe, to stop the damn recruitments. To stop the White Cloaks. That was something happening now. Something that could still be changed. "Sorry, sir."

"S'okay. Just breathe."

I nodded and did just that. Kenny might be following, he was probably panicking. If he was down there to aid the White Cloaks then us being about to charge in and stop them was hardly going to help his situation. And now he had burned the bridge to us, to our help as well. I hope he had buried himself as deeply as it looked in his withered face. Yes. Be afraid old man. You sick old shit.

But even so, I hoped the White Cloaks didn't get him.

No one deserved that fate.

But for now I had to file all that away, we were potentially going up against the White Cloaks head on, or at least a branch of them. And that meant I had to steel my nerve. Not only were they part of that bastard organisation, they were recruiting for them. Dragging unknowing children into their mess. Or this might even be where they kept finding those people to play my double, or Levi's. There was no telling what the recruits were used for. Or for how long. Not to mention the other possibility, curdling at the bottom of my gut. Would I recognise any of them? Would we turn another corner and I would suddenly be face to face with one of the men that tormented me? I could barely breathe at the mere idea of it. There was no telling how I'd react with that reality.

We continued along the uneven cobbles until we entered a rockier area, where civilisation hadn't reached yet. Small flowers grew with the weeds and moss covered the walls. I breathed deep. The air had become less thick, no smoke reached this far, no lantern oil either. My head was still aching, my realisation of those three words, combined with Kenny's meddling had sent me totally off-kilter. I had a duty to do. But I couldn't deny how unsteady I felt. Like someone kept shifting a rug under my feet.

Our pace slowed, moving to single file as the tunnel crept closer, crowding in on us. I kept quiet of course, but I could see the line of tension in my Captain's shoulders. Was he uneasy? Did small spaces bother him? I suppose I had no reason to have known that prior to now, but I wish I had. Why hadn't I asked? It made sense that he would have some inherent trauma attached to this place.

We came into a slightly wider section, shuffling in next to each other as we tried to decide between the next three tunnels. Turns out, this place was a bit of a maze.

"Hey... guys?" Eren called softly, and we all turned to him.

He peered along the furthest to the left tunnel. We looked and found at the other end, a small child sitting very straight on top of a barrel, as though on lookout. We tried to edge back, to get out of sight, but those big blue eyes snapped over and landed on us. They went wide. Was it fear? Or amazement? Whatever that look was meant to be, it bored into us, eyes shining in the gloom like two lanterns. They scanned our uniform and then blinked. The child jolted and scrambled off the barrel, bolting. Rumbled. But clearly the recruiters had done a thorough job, if the kids took one look at the military and ran for their lives.

We continued, moving faster but still carefully. Either we would find more frightened children or a big host of recruiters to deal with. I hoped the latter. I knew how to deal with the latter. Reaching the end of that tunnel, we found a small wooden door left ajar. Security wasn't best left to children. Levi took the lead, heading down and pushing the door slightly, peering in.

When he glanced back at us, he was unreadable, Captain mask on full. "I want you all ready, but not trigger-happy. No sudden movements, keep in mind that this place is gonna be brimming with brats. We don't want innocent blood on our hands if we can help it... That gets spilled enough without us adding to it. Am I clear?"

Well nodded.

He headed into the darkness. Eren was quick to follow, and Mikasa after that. I followed Connie, and Jean closed the door behind us. It was almost entirely black. I took hold of Connie's arm, which made him tense, but then I just got a hand on top of mine and a gentle squeeze. Maybe he had felt unnerved too, or maybe he simply felt like being kind. Me and the dark had never gotten along. Shadows writhed so easily within it, building in my skull with every shuffle of our leather boots. Come on, someone light a lantern, find the light please. I swallowed hard, throat tight all of a sudden, until finally there was the crackle of flames. A golden glow outlined Levi's silhouette. I breathed easier, and Connie patted my hand, reminding me to let go before anyone saw my panic.

The corridor allowed for two astride, and then three. Connie went ahead slightly and Jean stepped in beside me. We walked in careful silence, the slight clank of our gear the loudest thing above our rustling uniform. If it was where the children were being kept, how was it so quiet? Were they drugging them? Shadows writhed. I shook my head, there was no point in guessing. After all the weird distractions of the past couple days, I needed to focus.

"Hey..." Jean nudged me, making me jolt. He smiled softly and nodded down to my hands, that were clenched white-knuckle tight. My palms are pinked where my nails had dug in. What a tit. I smiled back and he winked, comradery surrounding me. We were all down there together, as a team.

"Who goes there?" A voice bellowed from up ahead, a slight clink of metal sounding as Mikasa took grip of a blade but she didn't draw it.

Cautious, just like Levi said.

"Who the fuck speaks like that?" Levi drawled back, more lights appeared as we rounded a corner.

The voice ahead chuckled. "Well you ain't MP's then, those guys love to spout position and shit before actually talkin'. What you lot doin' down here? And what branch are ya?" the voice continued, obviously not able to see the seals on our capes yet. They didn't like MP's, that was obvious, and they'd have been warned about the Scouts by now surely, so the obvious way to go was...

"Garrison." Levi lied perfectly. "Been sent down on some bullshit job by the MP's. They wanted us to check in, so here we are. You guys aren't keen on lighting, eh?" Levi put on his most lax tone possible, no doubt impersonating the late but great Hannes.

"Damn, do they ever do their own work? You guys were only down here last month, weren'tcha?"

"We were?" Levi groaned. "Damn, must have been another division, MP's are spreading their favours around. Fuck... Well, make it worthwhile for me buddy. You got anything of interest? Or some bullshit I can at least put in a report?"

We kept approaching.

It wouldn't be long before they spotted our wings.

I hoped Levi had a plan, because even as the cavern opened, I was finding it hard to breathe. A small sunwell was just ahead, but not much of a gap at all. My head swam. Red. Small spaces, tables to be tied to, stairs to fall down, corners to hide in but always be found. I bit my lip, but there's a hand on my arm and I focused on that. Jean was right there, Connie, Eren and Mikasa were in front of me, and we were being lead by Levi. This was fine. Burning. The smoke was on the air. It would be the lanterns in the cavern that's all, not a damn memory, nothing was haunting me. Pain bubbled my eyes. Blood. How many kids had been dragged down here and threatened, brainwashed, stolen? So much innocence lost to our cruel world. Shit. Just breathe. BREATHE.

"Come on in and have a drink, you can report back about conditions or some shit. We cleaned up yesterday so things are pretty in order, just... Keep it vague, yeah?"

"Sure thing, usual game plan, got it." Levi muttered, now close enough to the man that I ended up holding my breath, but he casually used his wrong hand to shake hands so that the pocket symbol remained hidden. My Captain knew what he was doing. Of course he did.

"Good to know. But maybe next time you get saddled with headin' down here, could you not spook the kids? That little lookout brat looked ready te shit himself." The man snorted, heading through the door behind him, or he meant to.

He reached for the door handle and then gave out an 'oomf' as the back of his head was met with a sharp 'thwack'. Perfect aim, as ever. He slumped down and Levi hauled his ass to the side, quickly gagging the man and binding him before shoving him behind some of the crates to the side. It would prevent him being easily spotted. To begin with at least.

"He's probably their main form of security, and he was hardly tight-lipped." Levi brushed his hands down and then looked to the door, sighing as he reached for it. "With any luck there'll just be a bunch of drunk assholes already snoring. But knowing our luck? Get ready for a fight."

We headed inside and as the cooler air hit, I frowned. A proper breeze. There had to be a bigger sun well opening around here, that meant another way out, a way to actually escape without being seen? I tried to scan the area, my eyes still adjusting as the light levels kept shifting. Like going down into the basement. Was that someone ahead? An adult stood waiting, gun strapped to their back, ready for a fight. Maybe. My eyes were blurry. As if I'd been drugged again. Like Vincent had–

Pain.

It surged inside my head, lancing through my skull, forcing me to close my eyes. Dammit, what now? There's noises of children ahead, but it was clearly through another door. I put a hand to my head. Some scuffling sounds. Connie ran ahead, his cape tickling the edges of my fingers as I tried to hold onto something. Dammit, I needed to see. I tried opening my eyes, but the pain made it impossible. My body ached all over. Who had I seen? Who had the figure up ahead been? What little I did see was just a blur of colour and light. I panted, trying to steady myself. But I might as well have had my body filled with lead. It seemed like Jean was still holding my arm, but more like he's restraining me. What? What was happ–

"Dammit, Robyn, talk to me!"

Why was Levi yelling?

My hand was wet, something spongy was under my nails.

My head cleared.

I swallowed hard, the taste of iron on my tongue and a slick warmth on my lips. Blood? I blinked hard and finally got my eyes open, the pain having dimmed to a buzz at the base of my skull. De ja vu swamped me. I looked up at the livid face of my Captain, his arm on my throat. I coughed and tried to speak.

He flinched back. "Robyn? Can you hear me now?"

"Y-Yeah... what... ghn... Levi, l-let me go." I wheezed. His hold fell away.

He sat back, but was still pinning me to the ground with his legs. I blinked again, but the lantern light warped the place, mixing with what I could only guess was sky blue? We had moved? It danced in and out of focus. Initially I could barely see beyond Levi, but then Mikasa became clear, just behind his shoulder. Blood was on her cheek and panic glimmered in her dark eyes.

Levi nodded to her. "Get the brats to the sun-well, I'll bring her along in a moment."

"But Captain sh—"

"Not up for discussion, Ackerman, get to the fucking sun-well. That's an order." Levi barked, and Mikasa hesitated yet again.

But her concern wasn't for me, it was concern for Levi.

Her eyes flitted between us, looking more worried than ever. What? Footsteps faded as she left, and I tried to sit up, but Levi kept me down. But far gentler now. I couldn't look around much either, pain prickling along my neck. Like I'd been injured. I'd been bashed around a bit clearly, but when?

What the hell had happened?

I cleared my throat, panic rising in my mind. "Levi what–"

"Robyn, just breathe. Please."

"Okay, I'm breathing. Now explain."

He had no idea how to say it, did he? Whatever the hell had happened it was bad. And the more I took in those worried looks, the more I understood. I had done whatever it was that had happened. It had been me.

I licked my dry lips. "I can take it."

"I know you can." He nodded. "You lost control… But this time I didn't stop you in time. We…" He sighed and put his head to mine. "We need to talk."

Dun dun duuuun, cya!