Chapter 44: Tragic Dreams

"This looks like the place." Levi said as they arrived at one of the ambush points, it was an abandoned farm; a rotting barn was the first thing that caught his attention, the red paint had long gone and the wooden walls had rotten beyond repair with vines seeping through the gaps. A fence surrounded a patch of land which was overgrown with grass and weeds; inseparable to the general land that the farm was occupying, the turbines of the old windmill was lazily spinning around and an old house sat isolated to the side, its door flapping and banging into the frame.

The members of Levi squad began to investigate the farm, looking into the abandoned buildings and surrounding areas.

"This place gives off a real creepy vibe." Connie remarked.

"You think this place is haunted?" Sasha added.

"It's not." Armin replied. "The owners abandoned the place and moved into the districts." Armin looked around "Some land owners packed up their lives into the districts around Sina fearing that wall Rose would be next."

"This place is very much out in the open." Petra remarked as she looked through a telescope "You'd have an unobstructed view of everything for a few miles. And that windmill would be a good vantage point."

"This place can help serve as our eyes on the ground for Leonhart then." Levi said "Petra, I'm placing you in command here with your team."

"Yes, Captain." Petra replied.

"If Leonhart ends up showing up here then you know what to do." Levi said.

Petra reached out for her flare gun "I'll be sure to alert you and the others." Petra replied.

"Good… the last thing I want is to lose more of our team and not be there to stop it." Levi said in an almost hushed tone. Petra could tell the sorrow in his voice, though his face didn't change its stony expression, his eyes looking down onto the ground gave it away.

"That won't happen again." Petra said, her fierce resolve emanating from her voice as she clenched her fist. "I'll protect them."

I promised them that none of them will die under my watch…

"I don't think you need to worry about them." Levi said looking at the members of new squad talking amongst each other while they searched around the farm "The brats are alright, they've shown everyone they can more than handle themselves… I want you to be careful; the regiment can't afford to lose a solider like you and I can't lose you like I lost the others."

"You don't need to worry about me, Captain." Petra replied. "I think a lot about them too."

"I'm counting on you, Lieutenant." Levi replied before placing a clenched fist over his chest.

"Yes, Captain." Petra replied as she placed her own fist over her heart.

Levi turned back to the others "Oi my team, ready up we're heading for the forest, Eren you head off with the other scouts towards."

Petra watched as the others said their goodbyes; Mikasa hugged both Eren and Armin tightly and Ed looked to be giving Alphonse a pep talk before embracing him, she noticed Mina standing out of it, only waving her hand weakly at them.

Despite what Mina did… Petra couldn't find it in herself to hate her; she was a part of the new team during the uprising and had bled with them through their battles. In the future she may not be their squad member but she couldn't be any less of their comrade in arms. The others rode off, their horses galloping away.

"Everyone huddle round" Petra called out waving her hand. Her team quickly rallied around her. "You all know what we have to do but I don't want any you to be under any illusion, if we encounter Leonhart here then we have to prepared for the fight of our lives." She told them "Annie killed off almost every member of the special operations unit along with dozens of our comrades during the regiment's first encounter, it took both Ed and Eren holding her off long enough for Captain Levi to ambush her." Petra paused for a second "If we're going to fight Annie then we need to be ready for it."

"Lieutenant, during the expedition I encountered Annie with Reiner and Jean, I suggested that we hide our faces so that she couldn't risk killing us in case she killed Eren." Armin told her "I think we should do the same thing here; Eren, Ed and Alphonse are likely still their targets so she can't risk killing them."

"That's a good idea." Petra replied. "Okay so what I'm thinking is this; Armin and Alphonse will provide support using alchemy, Armin you hit her with your flame alchemy and incapacitate her and Alphonse I need you to change the environment a bit to our advantage there's not much here we can hook our ODM gear onto." Both Armin and Alphonse nodded in agreement. "Mikasa and Mina, you two are with me, we'll be on the ones on the offensive; once Annie is distracted we have to go for it, whether it is capturing her or killing her."

"Lieutenant, should we aim to capture or kill Annie?" Mikasa asked.

Petra was silent for a couple of seconds, she wanted vengeance for her fallen comrades and no doubt she'd relish the opportunity herself… but the higher ups needed her alive and she understood why. "I'm not going to keep your hands tied in this, if you need to kill her then do so. But we should aim to capture her."

"I agree." Armin said "we can't lose the opportunity to transfer Annie's titan to another person."

"Exactly." Petra replied "Mina, you'll sit onto of the house, Mikasa you're on the windmill, Alphonse you'll be on the lower end of the barn and I'll keep watch from the top of the barn." They all nodded their heads "If we have to engage Leonhart then be carefully; we'll do this cautious, which means taking out her joints, if we go for the kill the second we see her then we all die, this is a team effort. We weaken then go for her. Anything else?"

"Lieutenant, I think I might have one more idea that could help us." Armin said.

Annie walked up to the abandoned farm, the crunching sound of leaves and grass seemed to echo across the open space as the wind whispered past her. As she moved closer the sound of a door repeatedly slamming into its frame caught her attention, the old house looked have been long abandoned by the previous owners.

"Hello?" she said it was a half hearted call, testing to see if someone was there but trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Place looks abandoned… likely a place for squatters Annie thought hopefully someone left some food around or some clothes she looked down at the garrison jacket she wore, a large blotch of blood decorated the side.

She spotted a well, we quietly jogged towards it and peered down, the light from the sun shun the still surface of the water below. She tossed down the bucket, a loud splash sound bouncing off the small walls of brick. But it didn't do much to mask the sound of crunching leaves behind her.

Annie quickly spun her head around to see. A hooded figure stood just where she was standing not so long ago. The boots and ODM gear instantly gave away that this was a soldier.

"Annie." The hooded figure then pulled down their hood.

"Armin…" Annie replied.

"I just want to talk." Armin said he raised his hands up, he was wearing white gloves.

"Talk long enough for the others to attack me?" Annie replied "I should have known I was walking into an ambush." She then began to notice shadows creeping around the abandoned house.

"I guess you got those clothes… and that ODM gear from the garrison soldiers you killed?" Armin asked.

"Yes, what gave it away? The blood on the jacket?" Annie replied. "Or the fact that no one in their right mind would surrender their weapons to a titan shifter willingly?"

"You could say that." Armin replied, it was almost light hearted how he spoke to her "Annie, you can still surrender." Armin stated.

"Just you can kill me later on?" Annie questioned. "I'm not an idiot Armin, I know that as soon as I'm back in their clutches they'll have my titan transferred to someone else the moment I surrender myself to you. I don't want to die here, and I have somewhere I need to be."

"Your father?" Armin asked, catching her off guard. "Wherever he is, that's where you want to be, am I correct?"

"Yes…" Annie replied.

"Is he the reason for everything you've done up to now?" Armin asked "Why you tried to kidnap Eren, why you're looking to escape now and… why you help Reiner and Bertholdt break down the walls that day."

"Armin, I asked you if you thought I was a good person." Annie said calmly "I won't lie and say that you and Jean saying that I'm practically the scum of the earth didn't hurt me but truth be told it's something I'm very familiar with." She opened the palm of her hand, a deep cut displayed alongside the palmer flexion creases, Armin flinched slightly as he caught sight of it. "I'm not a good person, Armin. I know that I can't possibly atone for the things I've done but if I had to do it all again then I would. And if that makes me a bad person then so be it."

"I think I can understand." Armin replied "I've had to do terrible things to protect the people I care about and I may have to continue to do so."

Annie then spotted another hooded figure peering their head from the other side of the roof of the abandoned house. "Thank you for understanding me, Armin." Annie replied "In a way I am sorry for what I've done but I won't ask for forgiveness or redemption…. I know what I want and I'll do anything to get it."

Annie clenched the bloody hand as bright sparks of light began to appear around her. She expected Armin to panic or alert the others to attack. But he remained calm, his hands still up. And his middle finger pressed up against his thumb.

Click

Annie didn't know how or when it happen but one moment she was staring down Armin calmly as she prepared to transform into her titan and then… she was on her knees screaming from the unbearable pain, her vision was black and everything ached as the pain faded away.

Transform… why can't I transform…

The last thing she remembered was seeing an explosion of fire just suddenly swallow her, the burning heat charring her skin. She heard the sounding of shuffling behind her, a person jumping towards her.

"No! Don't do It-" yelled someone.

Annie then felt someone plunging their blade into her back, the blade bursting out of the side of her chest. For just a split second she thought it was over for her, that she'd go out so helplessly.

But in that moment she felt her heart race, whoever it was should have went for her head.

"Damn it…" muttered the person behind her. That voice sounded so familiar.

Mina…

An open wound and blood.

Thank you…

She could only hear it but the sound of thunder was a welcome noise. As she rose from the ground she was now able to watch as she towered over the farm and her ambushers.

"Everyone, spread out!" yelled one of the attackers. Annie recognised that voice, she hadn't heard it a lot but she remembered. It was that one member of Levi's team that escaped her.

Annie turned around to see a hooded figure on top of the windmill, a flare gun in their hands.

No!

Annie struck the windmill with her foot, cutting the structure in half; the scout quickly jumped off, fire their hooks onto the ground and landed safely. There was a rumbling on the ground as massive pillars burst from the ground to surround her in a small forest. She quickly caught two hooded figures flying between the pillars as they circled around her. Annie began to smash the pillars with hand, crystallising the fingers trying to reduce their advantage over her.

She swung her hand towards one, trying to squash them onto the pillar like an annoying fly but the hood attackers quickly jumped off and fired their cables onto her wrist and carved out a large cut almost separating her hand from her arm. The hood from the figure fell back as the wind pushed against them to reveal short raven black hair and pale skin.

Mikasa!

Annie turned her head from side to side, the other hooded spectres darting around her if Armin and Mikasa are here then so is Eren… she thought I can't risk killing anyone here… I have to escape.

Annie two a few steps away when she felt something grab at her ankles; she looked down to see a hand made out of rock and dirt latching onto her. She knelt down and tried to break the chain with the hand when a burst of fire struck her on one side of her face. She continued on, slamming her fists into the rock, as she turned her head to see Armin pointing at her.

Armin! They must have taught you one of their tricks.

Suddenly a loud bang went off followed by the sound of smoke hissing from a canister. Annie looked up to see a red line of smoke reach up into the sky.

Ed sat on the long branch of one of the many trees that made up the forest, his legs dangling from the branch. The place was quiet save only for the wind which rattled the leaves and the birds which would fly around.

"You spot anything, Jean?" Ed said.

"Like what?" said Jean, Ed tilted his head upwards towards him. Jean was standing on a branch above him looking through a telescope watching the path below them.

"Anything, animals or people?" Ed asked.

"Nothing so far." Jean replied. "Did spot Connie picking his nose."

"Gross." Ed replied smirking slightly.

"Sasha's got her head to the tree trying to hear something out." Jean continued.

"Hey Jean, why did you join the scouts?" Ed asked "You know why Al and I are here, Eren told me that most people in the cadets wanted to join the MPs."

"He's right, about people wanting to join the MPs." Jean said "An easy life in the nicer districts in wall Sina and away from the conflict, most join the garrison hoping to get promoted into the MPs."

"I'm guessing you had the same plans?" Ed asked.

"Yeah… that was the idea." Jean replied. "But things change… I don't think I can live with myself if I let more of my friends turn into ash."

Ed nodded his head slightly "I know what you mean."

"Just can't let them down." Jean added. "That deal of yours you have with God or the Truth to bring back some of your friends and family, how many people is that, if it's alright to ask."

"Its fine, the number of people, well… it's a long list." Ed replied. "We had a lot of people help us back home when Al and I were on our own journey and we just, well… I'd say all of them didn't deserve to go." Ed paused for a second. "It's funny in a way."

"Why's that?" Jean asked.

"I thought I accepted it, having to let go of people and move on, not learning that was the reason I've got a metal leg." Ed said as his eyes wondered off "Then the Truth makes a deal with us and… we just couldn't say no. I guess no matter how much I've changed, a part of me will still be that kid who wanted to see his mother again just… I now know my limitations."

"Hey… there's red smoke!" Jean said.

Ed quickly stood up "What?" he said, a jolt of adrenaline was shot through him.

"Red smoke coming from the farm!" Jean repeated. "Straight line from the farm, Annie at the farm!"

Alphonse!

Suddenly Levi hooked onto their tree. "Both of you, get on your horse now." He ordered. Levi grabbed onto his flare gun and fired off a shot. "Everyone, move now!"

The quickly they descended onto the ground and towards their horses, untying the horses from makeshift posts hidden behind bushes.

"Of course she'd be there." Levi muttered angrily "She'd never walk into a forest… fucking shit…" he climbed onto his horse "C'mon there others are fighting off against Leonhart right now, we don't have time!" the others quickly climbed onto their horses as they whipped the reins to quickly ride off.

Please… let me make it this time… Ed thought as his mind drifted back to that day.

Annie cracked through the rock and mud hands that grappled onto her. She tried to run away again, crashing into a pillar and grabbing chunks of rock. She threw a shower of rocks at the old house tearing it to pieces. The hooded attackers scattered from the roof and onto the ground.

Annie tried to run again instead this time a large spike shot from the untended crop fields and pierced into her stomach. That fucking bastard! She looked around, like a hunter looking for its prey, for them. Where are you?

The memories of the last battle against Ed flooded her head like water in a cup along with the feeling; frustration over the bug that refused to die and seem to make things increasingly difficult, anger over their arrival and how they've only complicated their goal further and fear… they've beaten her before and if they do it again then she's done for.

She then began to slam her fists into the spike trying to break it in half. She tried to lift her feet up only to find it stuck to the ground, she quickly looked down to see spikes sticking out of her feet. They had her completely trapped.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

She tried to think up a plan when burst of fire struck her directly on her face, blinding her. Hooks were fired onto her chest and blades were slashed deeply and across her left arm and body, her left arm going limp onto her side. She tried to move her other arm only to feel that familiar cut across her other side.

I have to go She had no other choice, she had to break from her titan's neck and then transform into a new one. Annie burst out from her titan, the veins still connected to her face. She looked down to see Armin pointing his hand at her, both of them exchanging angered looks at each other.

How much of what you said you were being honest about?

Annie shifted the titan body to the side as a trail of fire was shot towards her, the flames crashing onto the side of her titan's head as its hair was set alight.

Suddenly two hooks were fired just next to her "Trying to lure me out?" she muttered, a hooded figure swung around, their blades ready to slash at Annie. Annie pulled her hand from the muscle of the titan and quickly pulled out a blade from the scarab. As the figure flew towards her Annie thrust out her arm. The attacker's blade cut into her shoulder, just missing her neck by a centimetre and the other blade cutting in the arm at her side as Annie's blade stabbed her attacker into the stomach.

"Agghh!" Annie grunted, she quickly pushes the person to the side. They descend to the ground.

"Mina!" yelled one of the attackers. Annie quickly figure falling to the ground.

Lucky.

For a small second Armin thought how lucky it was that he happened to be so close to Annie in order to catch Mina when she fell to the ground. Her body crashed onto him, it hurt to have her fall on him but Armin couldn't care less. All he cared about was the growing splotch of red on her uniform.

"Mina!" Armin was the one who yelled out as he caught her, now as she lay bleeding out in his arms he was speechless.

He looked up to see Annie jump off her titan before a familiar explosion of light engulfed her once more and quickly a mass of muscle formed around her to become the Female titan.

He was as she once more tried to get away only to have a harpoon like missile impale her threw the stomach and lift her off the ground. Both Mikasa and Petra closed in on her, slashing at the joints of her limps.

Armin placed his finger on Mina's pulse; it was still there but it was racing. He pulled apart the ripped fabric to reveal and gaping wound. No… no… no… no! He had hoped to seal the wound with his flame alchemy but this was something far beyond him. He heard footsteps behind him, he turned to see Alphonse behind him looking at Mina with blank expression but his breathing was shaky and his eyes were focused.

"Alphonse, can you help her?" Armin asked him, he had to, Armin was sure he can. Alphonse stared at the wound at Mina's side, blood continuing to pour from it. He pulled off his hood and tore it in half as knelt down; he clapped his hands together and stretched out the ripped cloth before wrapping it around her like a bandage. Armin just stared at him confused "Alphonse, can't you use your alchemy-"

"I only know the basics of medical alchemy." Alphonse quickly replied, cutting Armin off "I can't…" he began to stumble on his words, Armin noticed tears beginning to well up in his eyes but it was as if his resolve was keeping him focused. "My alchemy is useless here."

"Isn't there anything we can-"

"We just have to complete the mission." Alphonse cut him off again "Go after Annie." Alphonse, he gently picked up Mina's head "Stay awake, okay?" he asked. "I'll be back, just keep calm." He gently placed her head down to the ground before standing up and grabbing Armin by the arm to pick him up too.

Annie was still impaled by the large spike from the ground as Mikasa and Petra continually attacked her, each time having to take out new blades from their scarabs as they went for the neck. Annie tried to swing at them with her hands when Armin quickly reacted and shot out a vicious burst of fire, setting fire to her hand. She tried to grab at them with her other hand when Petra flew past her and sliced off the fingers of the titan with expert precision

Mikasa flew by her face, her blades slashing at Annie's eyes, a long open wound replacing her eyes. "Tear the bitch apart!" Mikasa yelled.

Both Alphonse and Armin fired their cables onto the Female titan and swung themselves upwards to see the neck of the titan covered in a crystal coating. "Alphonse, Armin, drag her out!" Petra ordered.

Alphonse fired his hooks onto Annie's head before pulling himself forward, Armin followed only a few seconds behind. Alphonse released his hooks, letting go of his handles and clapping his hands together before, landing onto the titan's neck and slamming his hands onto the crystal surface. Armin came in next slashing open a gap the exposed neck of the Female titan before plunging his hands inside, pushing past the mush and nerves, to pull her out of the neck.

As he pulled her out, she turned her head back as far as she could, the two exchanging glances and both shocked that this happened. There was a large slash on her back which emitted smoke.

Titan shifter can't transform while their healing Armin thought in that second.

Suddenly both Mikasa and Petra flew past them and swung around, their blades readied, as they slashed at Annie's human arms, cutting them off.

"AAAAHHH!" Annie cried. Armin then carried her down to the ground from her titan. As he placed on the ground Annie tried to kick Armin and Alphonse away as they tried to restraint her when both Mikasa and Petra swooped down and with one last swing, cut off her legs. Annie continued to scream out as she tried to her body.

Petra approached them, looking down at Annie "This is for them." She said, venom oozing from voice as she placed her boot into Annie face, knocking her unconscious.

"We've done it…" Mikasa said as she looked down at Annie.

"Lieutenant, Mina she's been…" Armin said, his words drifting off.

They turned their heads to see Alphonse, who had disappeared from the ground to carry Mina to them. She was as pale as a ghost and her whole body looked limp as her arm dangled motionless.

"Oh my God!" Petra yelled as she and Mikasa rushed over to her. She quickly noticed the now blood soaked cloth at her side. Alphonse placed her down on the ground gently, both Mikasa and Petra knelt down "I thought it… I thought she was okay, just injured… I just…"

"Mina!" Mikasa cried as she placed her fingers on her neck, trying to find a pulse. "She's still alive!" she yelled "We have to do something."

"There's nothing you can do." Alphonse said calmly.

"What about your alche-" Petra was going to ask.

"I don't know enough to treat a wound like this." Alphonse responded.

"There has to be something." Petra replied. She looked down at Mina "Stay awake, help is coming." She said to her "Not again… please." He could see the tears welling up in their eyes as a few drops ran down their cheeks.

Armin looked back to Alphonse who was now standing just ahead of him. He quickly noticed it; in his hand was a small slim black box behind his back. Armin eyes widen as he gasped slightly. Alphonse turned his head back to Armin and the two exchanged looks. Alphonse face was calm but in his eyes was something Armin had seen before. A burning and all consuming fire.

"Lieutenant Petra… Mikasa… Armin…." Alphonse said "Please stand back." He knelt down.

"Alphonse, can you-" Petra quickly took noticed of the object that was now lying on the ground next to him.

Petra went out to reach for it when Alphonse quickly clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground. The ground behind them began to rumble violently as the others were suddenly grabbed by hands sprouting from the ground, trapping them in their gasp before rising off the ground and away from Annie, Mina and Alphonse.

Armin didn't struggle as the dirt hand lifted him off the ground, he watched from above as Alphonse dragged both Annie and Mina away to an open area. Even from ten meters into the air he could see Alphonse opening the box, filling the syringe with the fluid in the small bottle… then injecting it into Mina.

Annie weakly opened her eyes, a bright sun shine hitting her eyes which brought her back to reality. Slowly that light was engulfed in the shadow of something big. At first she thought it was another structure by the Elric when her vision began to become more focused.

The large shadow in front of her began to move looking around at something at the sky before turning its focus her.

A feeling of panic then began to quickly flood her, like rushing flood, as she quickly realized what was in front of her.

Its skin was pale, its frame was long and skinny with a rib cage which pushed against the skin, bony fingers but its head was abnormally large with long black messy hair covering its face. It looked down at Annie, casting the shadow of its head over her, looking at her with silvery grey eyes and sharp gnashing teeth on a gaunt face.

Annie began to scream as fear and panic took over and she tried desperately to move her body only to find small numbs where arms and legs should be.

"Get back!" yelled a voice from the side. She turned her head, looking away from the monster in front of her. Someone was standing a few meters away with their sword drawn out towards a group of others.

"What the hell have you done!" yelled another person, they sounded livid.

"Help me!" Annie cried. She then felt the long fingers of the titan above her wrap around her body and it lifted her off the ground, she continued to look off to the side towards the group of people "Help me!" She saw them.

Connie! Sasha! Jean! They were standing beside Levi and Edward who were caught in a standoff with Alphonse. It was quick, that wave of relief that washed over her as she spotted them. "Guys, help me!" she cried to them. Then it hit her. They just stood there watching her as she was about to be eaten.

How quickly dread and fear came back to her.

She caught Alphonse glancing over his shoulder at her. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he yelled as he turned his head away from her.

She looked back to the titan, her body now being lowered into its mouth. "Someone please! No!" she found herself back home, her father kneeling in front of her with his hands gripping her shoulders as they stood in their training field.

Annie… what I did was wrong… he said to her I'm not going to ask you for forgiveness, after all that's happened…

The smell of a titan's mouth would be vomit inducing if she focused on it.

There's one thing… just one thing…

The light from the sun that lit up the inside of the mouth was being cut off rapidly.

I want to ask of you…

She felt the teeth of the titan press down on her back and into her stomach.

Even if every other creature comes to hate you… your father will always be on your side…

It hurt, the pain of teeth cutting her in half. Almost enough to make her pass out again. She wishes it was enough.

So please… promise me…

It was hot. The inside of a titan as she slid down its throat, everything was going dark as she fell into what felt like a large pool of boiling water.

That you'll come back…

Hello again.

Hope you're doing well during this pandemic and you're all safe.

This chapter wasn't long so I thought why not quickly get it out of the way. You guys probably have no idea how long I've been thinking about this moment in the story; so many worries and anxieties about if this was the right move/if people will be put off by it/ if I planned and structured this moment right.

But I've already planned this story in (almost) it's entirety with this being a key moment so I guess there's no turning back now.

I'll be busy with essays and a dissertation for my Masters for a few months so expect some delay for a few months.