Chapter 14: Members of the Team
"This is your uniform" said Levi as he handed the lethargic looking Elric brothers both a perfectly folded pile of clothes which consisted of a light brown jacket with the white and blue wings insignia on the back, both shoulders and on the front left pocket, white pants, a teal coloured shirt, a dark brown sash and knee high boots and a dark green cloak with a hood. The one thing both Ed and Alphonse noticed about the uniform was the amount of belts that had to be strapped onto it; around their legs, around their waists and around their chests. "While you're on duty you'll wear this and off duty you can wear your civilian clothing again, now hurry up and get changed; we're leaving soon and we got a long journey ahead of us."
"Yes, sir" they replied as they were left to change in a room by themselves, they began to change into their new uniform, the belts were a maze to figure out, a series of harness and metal plates that needed to be attached to certain parts of their body.
"Hey!" called out Levi on the other side of the door "what's taking you two so long?"
"Uh, Sir, we don't know how these belts work" explained Alphonse
Levi sighed "You decent?" he asked
"Yeah" replied Ed, with that Levi open the door and entered the room
"Alright, pay attention because I'm only going to show you once" he explained "first off, you're meant to put the harnesses on before the jacket" he said looking unimpressed at Edward "this large leather plate is meant to go on your back, the two smaller metal plates go just above your asses and you're meant to slip into these harnesses feet first and work your way up, these belts are there to tighten the harnesses to your body, this is important to know; it's part of the weight shifting equipment for the ODM gear, balance is key when it comes to this and could mean the difference between life and death."
Following his instructions they managed to work their way through the tangle web of leather "Thank you, sir" said Alphonse
"Don't mention it" replied Levi in that same monotone voice "Consider this the first lesson on your crash course of ODM gear, now hurry up and get your things on the wagon, I'd like to reach our destination today."
Ed looked at himself in the mirror adjusting the green cloak under the collar of his jacket while Alphonse gathered the rest of their things into a suitcase. Back when he was a State Alchemist they never expected him to wear the uniform but this military wasn't as relaxed about it as theirs; if they were going to be a part of the Scout Regiment they had to look like a part of them. He picked up his pocket watch on a dresser table and checked the time; it was four thirty in the morning, he placed it in his front right pocket and finally draped his green cloak over his shoulders, buttoning the ends together to hold it in place.
"Ready to go, Al?" asked Ed as he watched Alphonse put on his green cloak
Alphonse picked up the suitcase by the handle "Ready." He replied
It was early in morning and the dawn had yet to come, the only light sources were the torches on the buildings across the city, it was another wall in city like Trost; Hermina which was connected to Wall Sina, the third and final wall. Ed looked around, Hermina looked like a better developed Trost; the buildings looked to be made of smooth white stone bricks, the roads weren't rough cobblestone and the architecture was stunning almost angelic in its design.
"This place looks a lot different from Trost" remarked Alphonse
"That's because we're in the interior" said Eren from behind them "It's part of the inner most wall where a lot of rich folk and merchants live and where most of the Military Police work, they usually only go into Wall Rose to do business."
"Hey brats" called Levi "You three coming?"
"Y-Yes sir!" replied Eren as he rushed over to his horse
"So Elrics, you two know how to ride a horse?" asked Levi, he and a bunch of others were already on their horses or at the front of the wagon
"We've done it a few times; I even had to cross the desert on horseback." Replied Ed as he and Alphonse mounted their horses and grabbed onto the reins.
"Good because the only way getting around here is by horses or wagons pulled by horses." responded Levi "Also put your hoods up; we don't want anyone to notice you three; you've got a high profile and getting spotted by the wrong kinds of people could put you in more trouble than you're already are."
As they left through the main gate into an area within Wall Rose, Eren caught up with Ed and Al who were riding together "Hey, you mentioned riding across the desert?" he asked curiously
"Yeah" replied Ed "Why'd you ask?"
"Armin, he'd love to hear about it" replied Eren "When we were little kids he'd show Mikasa and I this book about the world outside the walls; the rivers of fire, the land of ice, the plains of sand he'd call and the ocean which was this lake this never ending lake."
Ed and Alphonse both smiled at Eren "We'll be happy to tell you guys all about it, we use to do a lot of travelling back on our world."
"We've been to places like that, though I'm sorry to say we've never been to the ocean; our country is surrounded by other countries looking to takeover us from the north, west and south and a massive desert to our east."
"So, in a sense, you're walled in by threats?" asked Eren
"Huh…" said Ed coming to the realization "I guess we are."
It was mid-day when they reached their destination; the old Scout Regiment Headquarters, a large beautifully designed and run down castle which was in the process of being claimed by nature.
"As far as castles go it's something to behold, yes?" asked one of the squad members to Eren and the Elrics in a condescending tone, he was riding just slightly ahead of them he had a hairstyle similar to Captain Levi, even wore a cravat, expect his hair was a light brown and he looked as though he was in his forties with the wrinkles on his face "Use to be home to royalty in its time and after that our headquarters, while it is lavish it's was also very impractical; what with being too far away from any river or walls but those were the early days back when the Scout Regiment had just formed and ambition fueled the spirits of the first scouts and now this enormous ornament is has become a holding cell for the scout's new weapons."
Eren wasn't paying attention to him instead he turned his head to get a look at Captain Levi, who was riding behind them, only to find that Levi had been staring at Eren and the Elrics the whole time with that same expressionless face. Eren snapped his head forward as if you avoid making eye contact, noticing Eren's reaction Ed turned his head back to see Levi staring at him, he made eye contact with him and the two were now locked into a staring contest with each other waiting to see who'd break away first... or at least that how Ed saw it; the Captain just stared at Edward looking unimpressed and apathetic.
"Listen rookies" said the old looking guy, Eren, Ed and Alphonse all turned to face him "Don't expect us to be a your beck and call"
"Excuse me?" said Eren
"Titans, Alchemists, I don't care, the idea of Captain Levi having to baby sit you three piss ants makes me sick-" he bit down hard on tongue as his horse took a misstep onto a small rock on the path, blood spurted from his mouth, Eren panicked slightly and reached out as if to help, Alphonse looked mortified as the guy tried to fumble for a piece of cloth to use while blood dripped from his mouth and onto his uniform and Ed did his best to hold in his laughter at a guy who just tried to act tough not just a second ago and failed miserably.
"You should have known better than to mouthy on a horse" said one of the other squad members as everyone was placing their horses into the castle stable, she was maybe the Captain's height, had auburn hair, round brown eyes and a pale complexion, she stood over him while he continual placed a wet cloth onto his bite wound
"The rookies needed to know their place; first impressions are important" he responded "It's a shame you weren't there to see it; I practically had them shaking in their boots" he said boastfully
"Hah!" laughed Ed involuntarily, both Oluo and Petra turned to look at him; they saw Eren grimace and Alphonse elbow his brother in the ribs for his rudeness.
"If that anything to go by I think the only impression you left on them is how much of a fool you are, Oluo" she said
"Well then I'd say my assumption of those brats was quite accurate then." Oluo responded
"What happened to you?" she asked "you never use to talk this way before, this is just an observation but if you're trying to act like Captain Levi could you please stop; you two have as much in common as wood and rocks."
"Heh, if you want to have a go at me like a wife Petra than you'll just have to get to know me, properly, before having that honor." Oluo said in an overtly confident tone with a sly grin on his face
Petra sighed "I'd tell you to bite your tongue but you've already done that and by the looks of it you've been too carried away because the Captain chose you for his squad, next time I hope you bleed out."
"Now Petra, I don't think that's a good way to talk to your comrade in arms." Replied Oluo
As Ed began to unload boxes from the wagon he noticed two more people accompany Captain Levi into the stable area, they were both fairly tall, one had brown eyes and long blond hair done up in a ponytail like Ed and the other guy had short brown hair and a darker complexion "Hey, who are those guys?" asked Ed to Eren as they lifted up another box
"That's Eld Jinn and Gunther Schultz" responded Eren "Every one of them was handpicked by Captain Levi for the Special Operations Squad or "Levi squad" they were all picked because of accomplishments in the field, they're our new team mates and… they're also our wardens and executors."
"Place looks like a complete mess" commented Gunther
"It's been abandoned for years; the whole place has fallen into disrepair"
"Then it looks like we have a problem" remarked Levi from behind them "best get a broom and get to work."
Ed swept the stone floor while Alphonse polished the window sill of dust from one of the large rooms in this monstrously large castle; their first job as members of the Scout Regiment was to help clean this large castle for the rest of the day, Ed wanted to protest but was quickly dragged away by Alphonse before he could get to Captain Levi.
"Even in this world I'm still doing chores for people" groaned Ed as he swept the dust and dirt into a metal pan.
"It could be worse, brother." Replied Alphonse, cleaning the next window "at least we're not held captive by the Military Police."
"Guess you're right, Al" said Ed
"Hey boys" said Petra holding a broom, standing at the doorway "just finished checking up on Eren, wanted to see how you two were getting along" she said with a soft simile on her face
"We're doing great, thank you for asking." Replied Alphonse, smiling back
"Sorry for Oluo's little display back there, really don't know what's gotten into him." She said apologetically
"I don't mean to be rude, but for a guy in his forties he sure does act like a young guy with something to prove" said Alphonse innocently
"Oluo? He's not in his forties" said Petra confused "He's actually the youngest in the squad"
"What?" exclaimed both Ed and Alphonse in complete disbelief
"The wrinkles make him look older than he actually is." said Petra with an awkward smile
"Seems like he's trying to copy Captain Levi, by the way he dresses and talks" remarked Ed
"Yeah, almost everyone in the Scouts admires Captain Levi, though that being said I heard you two had a little confrontation after the court case, not a lot of people can say they tried to punch humanity's strongest soldier and live to tell about it and I'm sure even fewer can say they joined his squad right afterwards" Laughed Petra "Usually when people meet him for the first time they're disappointed by what they see; he's not the perfect hero of the Scout Regiment that everyone make him out to be, for one thing he's a lot shorter and not someone who's easily approachable; he can even be a bit temperamental at times. "
"Huh… you know I'd never expect someone like that to be so rigid in following the rules, he seems to work really well with Commander Erwin" remarked Alphonse
"Well its like I told Eren; Captain Levi use to be a big shot criminal back in the underground before Commander Erwin got him on our side." said Petra
"Erwin looks like someone who means serious business" added Ed as he looked back on his encounter with him back in the dungeon "reminds of another guy we know back on our world"
"Commander Erwin is a great leader; he took charge of the Scout Regiment after the fall of Wall Maria and came up with the scouting formation which reduced our causalities by about thirty percent and has a way of inspiring the soldiers around him; he's maybe one of the best Commanders the Scout Regiment ever had" said Petra, almost beaming when speaking about the commander
"Hey!" yelled a voice from behind them; they all looked to see it was Captain Levi "What's with all the chatter?"
They all tensed up and began to resume their chores; Levi then stepped into the room, knelt down onto the floor and swiped his index finger across one of the titles, he examined his finger and saw a thin layer of dust covering his fingerprint. "Edward, what's this?" asked Levi showing him his finger
"Uh… dust?" responded Ed confused staring at his finger
"Hmm… yes, it is…" replied Levi as he looked at his finger he then took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped off the thin layer of dust coating his finger, there were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence "Do the whole room over again."
At the military headquarters in Trost, Commander Erwin was drawing up the plans for the 57th expedition beyond the walls, a recon mission to track Titan movement in the east and also test the abilities of Eren Yeager and the Elric brothers, with squad Leader Mike Zacharias.
"We're sixty days out from a mission to monitor Titan movements and now you're saying that on top of the Elrics who'll have to be trained in ODM gear in amount of time it takes to learn the basics, we're also gonna have a batch of green recruits?"
"If any of them decide to join us, then yes." responded Erwin as he examined his long range scouting formation.
"Not to be cynic but don't you think this mission is a waste? Surely our efforts should be focused on improving the infrastructure of the road to Wall Maria and doesn't throwing them into the fray seem rash, honestly what are their odds?"
"Our custody of those three is conditional on the results of this mission, we currently have two tests to pass; one being that the Elrics can be trusted to serve in the military so showing them the supply path we laid down from Trost is out of the question for the brass and we also have to prove Eren is an asset to humanity, not a threat; the best way to accomplish this is for them to demonstrate their abilities in the field to our benefit, the last thing we want is for the military police to throw in their men or anyone else-"
"And you don't want to give me a straight answer…" responded Mike
Erwin turned to Mike and gave him a sly smile "Your nose is as sharp as ever? Not bad..." he commented
"Yeah, well not as sharp as yours on a good day." Replied Mike
"Trust me, you'll get the facts soon enough…"
It was eight o'clock in the evening if Ed's watch was anything to go by; the squad had just finished cleaning the rooms of the castle and were now sitting down in the castle's servants' mess hall drinking tea, he, Al and Eren had changed into their regular clothes, they sat in dim candle lights surrounded by darkness and empty chairs and tables.
"It's likely we'll be on standby for the next couple of days" said Eld "Though from what I've heard we're gearing up for a large scale expedition to track Titan movement in the east and to put you three abilities to the test on the field in about two months from now and on top of that they're also adding a bunch of graduates from the Cadet Crops into the mix."
"That can't be right" replied Gunther "the cadets have already been put through enough with the Titan Invasion at Trost, why'd subject them to more of this so quickly?"
"I'd assume the majority of them must have been terrified for their life." Commented Oluo in a dismissive manner
"Is that true Captain?" asked Petra with a look of concern on her face
"It's not my job to plan out mission strategy, that job falls to Erwin and if there's one thing we know for definite about him is that he keeps an eye on even the smallest bit of detail." Commented Levi
"That's the truth" replied Eld "Just when we thought the path to Wall Maria that so many people died for was lost forever when the entrance sealed, it turns out humanity has the solution to having the recovery route put into use and three new factors which tip the scales in our favor; our circumstances remain both altered and unaltered at the same time."
"Heh… well Alchemy all about balance." joked Ed as he took a sip of his tea
"So, you boys know how exactly your powers work?" asked Eld
Ed and Alphonse looked to Eren, letting him go first, being put on the spot Eren explained his ability the best he could "If I'm honest, I'm not too sure myself." He confessed staring at the table "I do know that the trigger seems to be hurting myself." He raised his hand up to his face, drawing attention to it.
"Alright then" replied Eld, he then looked to both Edward and Alphonse "What about you two?"
"Alchemy is something we've learnt back on our world, it's a science; the understanding, deconstruction and reconstruction of matter" explained Alphonse "It's like cooking, you'd need the right ingredients to use and how to use them."
"So anyone can do Alchemy then?" asked Gunther
"Well yes, but it's not easy; you'd need a vast knowledge of the different elements of the periodic table, their atomic structures, the flow and balance of kinetic energy which is within certain material" replied Alphonse "basically you'd need years worth of studying in subjects like chemistry and ancient alchemic theory."
"So what you're saying is that you'd need to be a genius in order to do alchemy" said Gunther
"Huh" laughed Oluo "so even if the Military Police got the information out of you they wouldn't have known how to use it anyway, thee incompetent fools"
"If what you boys do can be considered a kind of science then you best be prepared for when she comes." Said Levi as he took a sip of his tea
"She?" asked Ed, just then sound of someone slamming into the wooden door echoed across the mess hall, Petra left her seat and removed the lock; letting in the person from the other side of the door, it was Squad Leader Hange Zoe.
"Good evening team Levi!" she said in a upbeat tone, waving at them "Getting comfy in this castle?"
"You're too early…" remarked Levi in an almost exhausted tone
"Oh well…." Sang Hange in response
"Squad Leader Hange?" said Eren
"Hello boys, if you don't know by now my job is to spearhead the Scout Regiment's scientific research efforts, currently I'm conducting experiments on our two captured Titan specimens from Trost, but with the arrival of you boys and your amazing abilities there's even now more to research and study, I'd very much like your help" said Hange in a overtly friendly tone.
"Help with what?" asked Ed, a little bit confused about her statement "What can Al and I do to help with your Titan research, Eren seems like the perfect person."
"Nonsense!" yelled Hange with a crazed hungry look in her eyes "Oh I have plans for you boys, we're gonna make strides in scientific research like you've never seen!" she proclaimed, her hands making some weird twitching motion
"Sounds like a… plan" responded Alphonse with an uneasy smile while both Ed and Eren looked visibly uncomfortable.
"We uh… still need permission from a higher authority" Eren reminded her
She turned her head towards Levi "Levi!" she called "what's the schedule for tomorrow?"
"Elrics have the altitude test and Eren cleaning the weeds." Responded Levi
"Well then" she said as she grabbed Eren's hand "I'll just have to give you my complete and undivided attention tomorrow, we'll just have to put our focus into Titan experiments."
"Uh... ok…" responded Eren hesitantly "just to be sure, what do you mean by Titan experiments?"
"Yeah, I'd like to know too." Said Edward as he leaned forward, he was interested by Hange's research and curious about the Titans.
"Don't encourage her you idiots" said Oluo
"I see" said Hange as she looked at them like objections of her obsession "you boys possess a curious mind"
Not wanting to listen to Hange spiel on about the two Titans they captured at Trost, the rest of Levi squad left the mess hall for their sleeping quarters, Hange sat down on the empty seat left by Eld and turned to face the three of them, and she then became noticeably calmer and less intense.
"So boys… let's talk science."