For Want of a Cannon

by Entersarcasmhere

Eldia is in ruins, from the Meridian Ocean to the Hordelands, the Marelyan revolt has cost the Empire much. The Great Titan War seems to be coming to a close. Eren Yeager will rise in 100 years to become the Devil of All Earths, as history shall see fit. But history has a funny way of working out.

2. All Roads Lead To

1850 AY

If only we could have had these weapons before…maybe we could have stopped them before they escaped. The new Thunder Spear demonstration had gone better than anyone could have guessed. A weapon that packed that much punch could be the difference maker when retaking Wall Maria. A weapon that could penetrate steel should be able to break through the Armored Titans shell. It would be their only way to bring it down. I can't imagine what we would have done if the MPs had burned these instead of locking them up.

In the months after their new Queen had been raised to her Station, Hanji Zoe had been diving deep into Rod Reiss's vault of contraband. It was interesting to see what had been kept. Some of the items came as no surprise, lists of politically unreliable subjects, posters protesting the King, a pamphlet calling the citizens of Krolva district to arms about a purge Hanji had never heard of, and some interesting writings about reorganizing the government into a voting system weighted by district and wall regions. There were weapons schematics that would have been immensely useful, some of them were easier to grasp, such as the Thunder Spears, others required far more time to research than she had at the moment, such as the self moving carriage with a cannon mounted on top of it. Maybe if I had 10 years we could have built one, although putting a cannon big enough to kill a titan in 1 shot on top of a carriage may be a bigger problem.

Other items were stranger to Hanji, as many of them seemed to just be useful in general. There was a boat design that used burning wood or some black rock to power a engine, a rifle that could be loaded by pulling a lever, and a big flying balloon that could have been used to scout outside the walls. Although she tried to ignore the names she saw on that one, it can't be the same Arlert can it? The steel plow design she had seen earlier had no real reason for being here, if it improved farm yields, why wouldn't they have implemented it? What reason could the King have for trying to keep crop yields low? Did they need to hold us back that badly? What are we facing if the King wanted us to starve? Still, some of them had been great finds. The thunder spears and the new titan hardening lamps would be instant boons to the military and the walls in general.

But its just too much. 100 years was a long time to amass documents, and they only had so long to look through them before the next expedition was to take place, they had to strike before the Armored, Colossal, and Beast titans could strike back. Every second they had now, was another second stolen. The fact that Trost could be attacked again remained until the Executioner could be finished. In effect they were running on borrowed time.

The words on the documents below her began to slur to Hanji as she tried to read the paper in front of her while she kept remembering what had to be done. The new additions to the scouts had to be retrained in Titan warfare so they could least have a chance at regaining some of the Survey Corps former skill, -further observation in Trost revealed target had above average hand to hand combat ability- she had to meet with Eren to test out his hardening, -kills found consistent with that of individual known to have taken down 4th section of First Interior Squad- she had to review the reports from Ragako, -papers found from subjects known acquaintances in Urvod- she had to meet with Erwin to sort out succession after the decimation of Scout leadership, -potentially dangerous expansion of intelligence network- she had to meet with the Armoury to check on fuel production, -further questioning of Gregor Lippen(see #44H) reveals numerous identities- she had to see if the hardening crystal could be molded, -additional subjects revealed the subject answered to Thomas Ackerman- she had to get the update from Moblit regarding the supply status for…wait, wait hold on, what? Hanji cleared her glasses and shook her head, what the hell? She focused on the document in front her, it was in a small pile that had come from a folder from the First Interior Squad, Kenny Ackerman's unit. Looking back at the top of the paper, she read from the top down.

15 March 845

Inquiry 63

Report 12

Follow up on Case File for: Arthur Meinsch

By: Officer Casey Janz, 3rd Section 1st Interior Squad

This report is being filed by request of the King's Council as a result of the events of 12 March 845. Initial impetus for Report 1, started 7 July 843, was for observation of a potentially dangerous political asset. 'Arthur Meinsch' was reported to have a number of contacts in Mitras underground and gangs in Orvud, Karanes, Trost, Shiganshina, Ehrmich, and Mitras proper. Worry raised by the inner council of the King about a man starting dangerous rumors by asking about the hidden location of a 'true king'.

4th section was sent to observe and capture, after 2 days of no contact with Orvud District contacts, it was discovered that the 5 members of 4th section were dead. After finding the subject again, further observation in Trost revealed the target had above average hand to hand combat ability, again discovered after the death of a number of MPs. Afterwards, Report 3 stated that the kills found were consistent with that of individuals known to have taken down 4th section of First Interior Squad. At this point, intelligence led the investigation back to contacts Urvod acquaintances. When reporting to Mitras command, papers found from subjects known acquaintances in Urvod revealed the suspect had been in operation for 12 years. This detail added to the list of contacts the suspect held in a wide variety of districts, suggesting the potentially dangerous expansion of the intelligence network, one hostile to the king. After a raid on a Trost warehouse the subject was known to frequent, a number of items were discovered and locked in vault C6. Items included were numerous papers fabricating different identities, a number of maps detailing geography of southern Wall Maria quadrants, and a list of nobles with names crossed out. Report 8 details the process of elimination of targets potentially, and list of possible ways the subject whittled down said list in effort to find 'true king'. Further questioning of Gregor Lippen(see Interrogation log #44H) reveals numerous identities that matched with those known of the suspect.

Report 10 detailed raids on Karanes, Ehrmich, and Orvud locations. 110 arrested, 108 interrogated(see Interrogation log #44 in its entirety), 87 confirmed a new name that appears consistently in early contacts with the subject. On 9 December 844, raid authorized on the Shiganshina warehouse and residence. While the subject was not captured among additional subjects at the scene, additional subjects revealed the subject answered to Thomas Ackerman. No records indicate any presence of such an individual, and Commander Ackerman can recall no relation. Report 11 detailed a complete picture of the target's network and goals, in summary of that report(now missing) the target appeared to be trying to find a way to sneak some cargo or someone, out of the wall. Strangely though, the materials now in Vault C6, detailed what could be described as battle plans, to take a district. Details on map 5a appear to detail surrounding areas of Shiganshina, Command staff denied a probe into the use for such a plan.

On 2 December 844, Reports 1-11 noticed missing. Noted suspect seen leaving the building that day matched the description of 'Thomas Ackerman'. On 12 March 845, the suspect was declared dead by Commander Kenny Ackerman. Body recovered. On 13 March 845, Commander Kenny Ackerman declared the investigation shut after further consultation with King's council. Commander Ackerman denied reopening investigation of other(2) Ackermans. Potential visitation to Mikasa Ackerman under care of Dr. Grisha Yeager dismissed.

The Kings Council as of 20 May 845 has decided to open an investigation of Grisha Yeager. Known contact with Thomas Ackerman and frequent travel to Wall Sina and Rose suggest links to intelligence networks. At this time it is assumed Thomas Ackerman was head of the network discovered, but Council is not satisfied. Yeager investigation to be opened separately.

Inquiry 63 closed

Report 12 closed

Wait….Hanji blinked for a minute, and gave her forehead a rub. She then looked back at the page and reread it. Holy fucking shit, what does, what could, ACKERMAN!? IS that? Does Levi know?

"MOBLIT! Wait, no LEVI! Wait, no, yes MOBLIT GET IN HERE!" she yelled. Does Levi still have family left in the walls? Could he and Mikasa…wait wait wait, Sneaking out? Was he trying to sneak out intel, or is the report just excluding that he could have been trying to escape? To where? Was he helping the Titans, is that why there are the battle plans! Hanji shot out of her chair, kicking it to the side and stumbling as she scrambled to grab the report and get out the room. She ran to the door and slammed it open, and began running down the hall.

"Section Commander!" she faintly heard. Turning around, she rushed to her aide, his brown hair still covered partly by a nightcap. He looked half groggy still. "What is it this time?"

"Moblit! Where is Vault C6?"

"Section Commander, what is this about?"

"There's no time! I need to know!"

"Section Commander its hours past midnight-"

"THE VAULT! Moblit, where did we offload the vault contents?", with a sigh Moblit remembered countless other sleepless nights used in a burst of passion from the Section Commander.

"I believe that the vaults contents are resting in the Cellar out in the cellar in the west wing, but-" without another word Hanji began running frantically towards the other end of the building, she vaguely heard Moblit calling behind her as she ran towards the room, but he mind was very much elsewhere. After having passed at least 3 guards and leaving 2 of them sprawled on the floor, she slipped and fell from the whiplash after trying to turn too quickly to get into the door. Popping back up she tried opening the door, only to find it locked. If only I could- "Section Commander you still-" Moblit having a gasp after having to run across the building to keep up with Hanji. "-need to key"

"And where in the walls are they?"

"...Back in the west wing…But WAIT!" Moblit screeched just as Hanji started to get into another sprinting stance. As she turned around, Moblit reached a hand into a pocket and pulled out a silver ring with a gold key swinging off the bottom of it."Could you please just slow down for a second? I went and got them from your office after you ran out." Oh Hanji thought to herself.

"Well thank you Moblit." Hanji finally stood up from her sprinter stance to grab the keys. "Now, let's see what we can find."

"And what are we finding?" Hanji inserted the key and opened the door, Slamming it open, as she was handed a crystal lamp from a doubly prepared Scout.

"Our salvation."

"...okay but really Section Commander" Perhaps that was a tad dramatic. "-what am I supposed to be searching for?" As they walked down the steps into the cellar, Hanji gazed at a room entirely covered in boxes and stacks of paper.

"Anything from Vault C6." If these weren't organized, the paper stacks could take more time than she would like to shift through. If there are battle plans in here, that could give us a key insight into our enemy. If they are our enemies. Holding up the report she stated "This report details that the First Interior was involved in arresting and executing someone named Thomas, Thomas Ackerman." Mobiles eyebrows shot up, Levi and Mikasa's blood relations being well known was only a recent phenomenon to the Scouts, if that Family tree extended further than Kenny, or if it leads outside the walls… so much was coming to light now, but it seemed like all they learned about the Titans led to more uncertainty about what could be awaiting humanity. Oh what the hell, Hanji thought, what was a little more uncertainty going to do anyways. "The report mentions officer Casey Janz, an inquiry 63, and battle plans. Those may be good places to start looking.

About 30 minutes later, they finally narrowed the stacks of paper down, everything had been brought in from the A vaults to the E vaults so far, so they only had to shift through half the stacks of paper to find one labeled with a sheet of brown paper C. Thank the Walls. While there was no label for which part of the stack was 6, it appeared most of the papers within were other reports or dangerous political literature. Hopefully a statement of the past. Some had been marked with some kind of red ink, crossing out words in some reports. Hanji hoped that none of those contained important information. But then again, would we have time for it to matter? There is so much here we might need every Scout and even then some of the Garrison to parse through it.

Eventually words again slurred together, and the document all began to resemble one giant mush, the room began a series of white and black spots as the crystal lamp kept its light blaring, while the light inside the Section Commander's head dimmed. Despite so much excitement, it seemed that the mass of paper may be claiming a victory from Commander Zoe tonight. As she reached for another page, she pulled the top page a bit too hard, and the stack fell right over the rest of the desk and onto the floor. With reluctance, Hanji and Moblit began to reorganize the papers. As she was just about to place the new stack on the old, she looked at a folder that had been hidden in the stack. She could only read the top half because a paper sliding off was covering the bottom, but it was enough. Thomas Ackerman Documents.

"MOBLIT!" Hanji immediately perked up. This was it, scooting over, the aide to the crazed Titan scientist looked over with weary eyes, upon reading the title on the folder, they widened back open again. "I think we just added another hour to tonight." Hanji wiped off the desk she had been using as Moblit pulled up his chair. Opening the tan folder, she dug herself in, and began scouring every corner of its documents, including a sketch of what looked like Shiganshina districts old maps. "Mwahahaha, hahah, MWAHAHAHA!" As Hanji started to laugh, Moblit found himself wishing for the sweet feeling of his bed.

A mad scientist had been cackling at an odd hour in some hidden area of the Scouts headquarters. The blonde leader of the Scouts had sent humanities strongest to restrain the psychotic woman, and to bring her to him so she may explain herself.

Levi Ackerman wished he could say this was an odd occurrence, but shitty four eyes never disappointed. When he had decided to stay with the Scouts, he had hoped to be near the odd girl with the most disgusting fixation on titans as little as possible. As missions passed, he thought her odd fascination would eventually get her killed as she veered to close. Scouts died, it was a fact of life. But for some reason the Walls kept letting this one back in, despite her every wish to the contrary. He hadn't wished for her to die, but he figured chance would eventually take a shot.

But year after year, Erwin would send him to drag the mad scientist out of an experiment or a library so she could actually go on an expedition, rather than just fantasizing about what she would find on one. If Levi had to say, he spent about at least a week a month, tracking down and reigning in the mad scientist. If he wasn't outside the walls, he was usually with her, Erwin, or both, listening to or talking about Hanji's ramblings. While he was glad that amongst all the scouts that had been killed over the last few months, she wasn't among them, he would much rather be eating breakfast than tracking down whatever she had run off to start last night. Why can't you just sleep like everybody else?

Finally finding his way to the contraband cellar Levi swore he could hear a familiar cackling behind the wall. He was going to kick the door in and grab four eyes when he found it already open. Stepping in and walking down the stairs, he regretted not sending one of the brats.

"YES, we have done it! MWAHAHAHA, MWAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAH!" Hanji was cackling as he opened the door. "WE have done it Moblit! At last the secrets of the-"

"What the hell are you doing?" LEvi interrupted, at once, the mad scientist, stopped her cackle and turned to face Levi. Oh god she has that look on her face. "What the hell are you doing, Erwins been waiting on you. You're already 15 minutes late."

"Oh yes well as you see, your cousin-"

"My what? Glasses, what the hell are you on about? Start speaking straight or I'll trap your lab equipment in the bathhouse again."

"Well as you can see that is a great question, matter of fact, let me start from the-"

"Can it, Erwin needs to speak to you." A look popped across her face, like when she forgot her human assistants needed to eat, or when she realized the lab she had been working in for a week needed cleaning.

"Actually thats perfect. Erwin needs to hear this."

"Great, now clean up and go see him, I'm missing breakfast to find you so hurry up."

"Levi-" she sounded odd now, why was she looking at him with concern? "You may want to hear this too. You may have other relatives." At that, Levi didn't know which he felt more, his stomach, or burgeoning sensation that he may not eat until after lunch today. Hanji's smile as she left the cellar did not make him feel more confident it was the former.

Erwin was used to Hanji's long, detailed, and often stream of consciousness style rants. She had been getting better recently. With the war against the Titans ramping up, he had expected her to start drooling during reports again, as she had done during her 1st when he brought her to the briefing with Commander Shadis. But instead he had found her far more composed. He supposed that the severity of the situation had gotten to her. Perhaps the stress of facing battles nearly everyday for several months had stoked something in her. He felt better about his plans for the future seeing that. But as Hanji came into his office with bags under her eyes and an almost delirious smile while carrying several documents and one very large rolled up map, Erwin looked down to his desk, drank his cup of tea, and starting having second thoughts.

"I found her, she was breaking down in the west cellar." Levi gave his remarks as he gave Hanji a final shove through the door. He nodded to Moblit outside and closed the door. "She said something about a cousin of mine."

"Oh? I thought we had settled on you and Mikasa being the last ones. If there are more, and they share your ability they would be valuable additions to the Survey Corp."

"Well actually Commander he-"

"I don't." Levi said cutting off Hanji promptly. "And if I did, I don't like the look in her eyes." He gave Hanji a side eye and an annoyed look. As Erwin cast his glance back to Hanji he saw she had mellowed out a bit at that statement.

"Well according to this, your family tree may be bigger than it appears." said Hanji as she adjusted her glasses. She shifted her stance and became more composed, the tire and craze faded from her figure as she stood at attention. "Commander, I believe I have uncovered 2 documents that may be of vital use to the Survey Corp."

"What do you mean Hanji?"

"Sir, when looking through some of the old records of the First Interior for references to other contraband that may be useful in our upcoming battle, I found a report detailing the First Interiors surveillance of a target that went by the name 'Thomas Ackerman.'" Levi finally roused from his position leaning on Erwins bookshelf. His head tilted up and he raised an eyebrow.

"So?" he chimed in a mocking tone. "Kenny was probably just kicking off the competition."

"I don't think so, the report mentioned someone was looking for the 'true king'. It also mentions that this person had been attempting to sneak out. The paper itself speculates that Thomas may have been attempting to smuggle out intel or a person." Hanji then adjusted her glasses. "Commander, as you can see this carries a number of questions. Why was an Ackerman attempting to move something or someone outside the walls? Why was he trying to find the new King?"

"...before he died, Kenny told me he had found the Reiss family by tracking down who was hunting the Ackermans. Maybe this guy was trying to do the same."

"A possibility, but the report also states that Kenny killed him sometime before the fall of Wall Maria, and that there were no records of anybody with the name Thomas Ackerman prior. And why would Kenny kill him if he had the same goal?"

"So we have an infiltrator." Erwin said, folding his hand together to cover his lower face. "Or rather another one." Could they have been working together? Ackermans and Titans working together to destroy the walls. Both were terrifying weapons. And just now have the scales been evened, or so we think. "Could he have been working with the Titan shifters?"

"Its possible." Hanji took on a pensive look as she began her next thought. "There are 2 strains of thought I have considered. Firstly it's important to consider something else brought up in the report. At the end, it refers to opening an investigation into Grisha Yeager. It calls him a potential source in an intelligence network Ackerman was building. Now the dating of everything tells us that before the investigation could begin, Wall Maria fell, and then from Commander Shadis's confessions we know that Grisha died the night after Eren obtained his Titan. We also know that Grisha arrived at the walls alone." at this she paused.

"So we could take this to mean that perhaps the 2 were in the league with each other. Would it be then that Thomas Ackerman's goals were the same as Grisha Yeagers? But what of this intelligence network?"

"As for the intelligence network, a separate document contained a long list of names crossed out and a list of gangs and districts. It looks like it has been firmly rooted out. Whatever secrets Thomas Ackerman had died with these men and Grisha Yeager."she said. "As for Yeager and Thomas being in league, what concerns me next is this." she pulled out the rolled map and unfurled it as his desk. The map looked like a district, a southern district, with hills, rivers, valleys, forests, and other areas marked on the map. There were also several red and green lines and triangles both inside the wall and outside the district on both sides. "The 2nd document I found was a large map with an intense amount of detail. It appears to show Shiganshina and the areas surrounding it in exquisite detail. While this is obviously a boon for our mission, I think it raises a major concern. I believe with this evidence, Grisha Yeager and Thomas Ackerman may have been sent in as forward agents before the other titan shifters." And the conspiracy broadens.

"But the good doctor gave the Coordinate and gave Eren his Titan." Levi once again chimed in, his face indicated a clear interest as walked across the room to view the map himself. "If he was an enemy of humanity, why not return himself with the Titan shifters after he acquired the coordinate? He could have taken Mikasa too and returned with a great warrior. If this Thomas guy is related to us and had the same blitz of feeling that Mikasa and I did when our skills awoke, then surely he would have told Yeager that the kid would be valuable."

"Its a good point Hanji." Erwin replied. This web only got bigger it seemed, more and more pieces were added to this web of conspiracy, making the truth only ever further away and the world more abstract. But I suppose that's what happens when humans are involved anyhow. "He may not have left us much, but Dr. Yeager seems to have left us a path to victory, why would he do that if he was our enemy?"

"Well Commander, I admit, I'm not sure about the full picture, but I do have a theory." she said, Hanji's stance softened as doubt entered her features. "By Eren's accounts, his parents did love each other. Which leads me to my second point. I think it may have been possible that perhaps the Doctor had a change of heart. At some point he became attached to his world inside the walls, to his wife and son, and chose to betray his comrades outside the walls. Perhaps it happened too late, and Maria had already been breached and he had already gone off to take the coordinate. Perhaps he realized afterwards that his wife and son were probably dead, and rushed to check, and in his flurry of emotion he chose the walls, and gave his Titan to his son. He could have seen this as absolving him of his sin for trying to end humanity."

"Hmmm…" Erwin began to muse. It sounds like a human story, people getting trapped in circumstance and making rash decisions. "But why would the battle plans be outside and inside the wall, why have them at all? What use do Titans have for such advanced plans, it's not like they have a need for a conventional army." All of those triangles left an odd feeling in Erwins stomach. What use was this map? Titans could smash anything they wanted to bits. What could he have been planning for when he made this? "And what use do humans have in it?"

"Sir-" Hanji;s voice cracked "-um sir, I don't know. But what we have found in the last couple months...well sir, it seems to suggest that Titans may be more similar to weapons of war than anything else. We apparently use them to defend ourselves, and the shifters use them to attack the walls. Perhaps they have more human armies as well, but simply see no point in using them as long as they have more effective weapons?" Not bad. It seems to add even more evidence to the theory that there was another set of humans beyond the wall. But still, we can't confirm it until…

"We should bring the brats in." Levi added, as he began pouring a set of tea cups. "If Grisha and Thomas were all buddy-buddy, they may know something of it."

"Well said Levi, Hanji send Moblit to fetch Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman and then take a seat, you look ragged, take a rest." Hanji opened the door to speak with her aide as Levi found himself sitting down in a chair across Erwin's desk to his left, holding his teacup from above. As Hanji began to nod off in the chair to his right, he heard a knock. "Enter."

The 2 former recruits entered swiftly and Moblit soon closed the door. They both came to attention a few steps before the group of superiors. Wearing their jackets, they gave a crisp salute and looked off ahead, not quite away from Erwin, but right above him. He looked into their eyes, and saw the look he had seen from so many Scouts, a weariness about them that on normal people might draw some sort of pity from others. How could children so young have such a look on their faces? But to Erwin, it was the norm. Those who survived carried scars, inside and out. They bore them well, because they had too. If not them, then who could claim everything done before had meant anything at all.

"At ease." both returned their hands behind their backs. "We have some questions for both of you. I would like some answers if you could." Both nodded before Eren gained a look in his eye.

"Sir if it's about the Executioner or Wall Maria, I believe I can…no, I know I can seal it, I will sir." Eren had looked different recently. When he joined there was some apprehension of his new form, but a fiery determination in his eyes. Now that there sat something in his pupils that came off as more tempered. A fire was there, but instead of a blazing inferno that consumed all that was around it, there was something else, something colder. Erwin supposed he would see Eren's anger in a new form soon.

"While that's reassuring to hear, it's not why we called you in here. We wanted to ask about a relative of yours, Ackerman." he could see her head tilt slightly, while Eren's head swung around to look at Erwin directly. "Recently we came across files talking about Thomas Ackerman. They mention that he knew Grisha Yeager, we thought you both could fill in some of our blank spots." Mikasa froze in surprise for just a bit, before glancing at Eren's expectant expression. He nodded, and Mikasa seemed to unwind as she looked back at him.

"Well sir, I knew him a little, he would come to our house when I was little. I can remember when I 1st met him."

"Please tell all. Any bit of information might help"

"Yes sir, my dad seemed surprised to see him, but I don't know why. He talked with me and my mom amiably enough. Called himself my 'fun uncle'. He was some kind of Trader, he talked about traveling and selling his goods around the southern half of the walls of the time, but he never got into what. I always guessed he was selling 's medicine because he always talked about how we knew him. He brought us candy sometimes, and a few times he brought me dolls. He was actually the reason Dr. Yeager started coming to our house before…" she paused and touched her scarf for a second. Her look deepened as Eren put a hand back on her shoulder. Mikasa shot him an appreciative look before she looked back up and began again. "After I moved in with the Doctor and Eren, he stopped by to see me, he said he was sorry and started asking about my dad and what happened. When I told him he was dead, he got some kind of look in eye. He asked me if I felt some kind of jolt or snap. When I told him I did, he became cold, but he smiled just a bit. He said he would tell me about it, because he had that experience as well. He told me to trust it." She looked thoughtful for a second, her mouth shifting. "He came by a couple of times after that, and spent time with me. But he died a few months before Wall Maria fell, some kind of run in with a gang.. That's it, I didn't really know him as well as I should have. Maybe he knew something about these…abilities the Captain and I have. But thats gone now. I'm sorry sir, that's really it." With a small bow she took a step back as Eren looked to the commander.

"Yes we knew he was dead, we recently found a report telling us he was killed by the First Interior. Thats why we are asking you. It seems he was trying to find the true king." Both of them adopted a minor look of shock, perhaps after so many, the effect was wearing off. "Did either of you ever overhear anything said between him and Dr. Yeager?"

"They went to the cellar for drinks sometimes, or at least that's what my mom said." Eren then stepped forward as he began to speak. "Now that I think about it, my dad always asked him if he had found their meal ticket. That might have been code for the Coordinate. When he died, my mom and dad stayed up for a long time talking downstairs. But I don't know what they discussed then. My dad did look worried, he seemed…more careful in the months afterwards. But then Maria fell, and everything kinda faded. I'm sorry, but that's it, Mikasa knows more than I would."

"Hmm…" Erwin began to tap his fingers on his desk, almost expecting something else to pop out. Perhaps that is it. No mysteries solved today. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. "Thank you then, you are both dismissed." They turned on their heels and began to march out, but he could tell they were taking in revelation as well. They had their own questions to ask.

"Well that was less helpful than I would have liked." Levi nearly whispered as he took another sip of tea.

"On the contrary," Hanji said. " it would seem to support the idea that perhaps the 2 were allied, and that perhaps Thomas had a similar feeling to Dr. Yeager, where he could have chosen the walls over the outside."

"Or it could be that they weren't working with the shifters." Levi quipped. "Despite the theory, the map isn't really solid evidence that they were working with Braun, Leonhardt, and Hoover."

"Perhaps they were sent when the 2 didn't report back?"

"We don't even know if he was from beyond the wall, his parents could have just hidden his name since the Ackermans weren't popular for a while. All we are doing right now is adding more layers to a cake we can't bake."

"An apt description Captain." Erwin chimed in before his subordinates could get snippy. "It's the same as the rest, every nook and cranny we look into only raises more questions. In the end, we still are just searching for the truth, and we only have one place where we can find answers." The basement still lies ahead. Perhaps it's foolish to look anywhere else for answers at this point. Hanji and Levi both gave him a nod. "Levi you may return to your duties, Hanji I order you to get bedrest, I'll oversee the rest of today's tasks without you. I need you in top shape in the battles to come." Hanji looked like she wanted to protest, but Levi was already dragging her out the door. Her complaining in the hallway droned out after several seconds.

This damn basement will be the death of me. Every angle, every question, every battle. All of it to reach what could just be a fancy wine cellar. You better not be holding out on us Doctor, mankind's future depends on it.

The next mission for Wall Maria would be the most important event in the last 100 years. Everything would be decided in a single shot. As Erwin lifted a hand to wipe the creases from his brow, he realized, to his dismay, he had raised the arm he no longer had. Not ready to let go yet am I. He gave a chuckle to himself. He needed to prepare, and as Erwin Smith looked at the map laying across his desk, he gained an idea as to where to start.