The True Free Man

by The Alamore

When Gordon Freeman accepted the G-Man's deal, he had never expected his next assignment to be placed in another world where humans were hunted down and eaten by giants while backstabbers and undermines plague what remains of humanity. All of it tendering on a world on the verge of collapse and ruin, but the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.

2. Chapter 2 - Direct Intervention

As he sprinted through the cobbled streets, jumping over toppled buildings and dodging the swiping hands of a gigantic monster looking to eat him, Gordon wondered why he never became a triathlete. Sure he felt the burning sensations in his lungs and legs that were somewhat hindering his performance but he has been running at a full sprint for the last ten minutes or so. That had to count for some Olympic material right?

Out of the corner of his eye, Gordon saw an alleyway. It wasn't blocked by any wreckage and it's small and narrow enough so the Titan currently chasing him couldn't pursue him any further. Just as he spied his escape, the Titan took another swipe at him. Too high for Gordon to jump over but enough to crouch under. Gordon ducked and skid to a stop. The Titan flew past Gordon, its feet almost stomping on the scientist. It too was slow to react and too heavy to stop his momentum to turn around and chase Gordon. By the time it did manage to turn around, Gordon was long gone. Rushing down the alleyway, Gordon was free for the time being. Now he had to work his way through the maze of Shingonshina's back streets in order to escape.

Direct Intervention

Gordon was overly cautious with each new street he came across. Watching both ways and searching for any possible new routes before crossing. No matter how hard he tried, it seemed as though he was a magnet for danger. Each bend and turn either had a burning or collapsed building blocking his path or introduced another twisted variation of Titan. Each is more asinine and bizarre than the other. They all ranged from different heights like three to fifteen meters and with just as many deformities. Gordon was astounded that any creature could survive with such a structure. Their mere existence was against the laws of nature as well. The only biological rule they seem to follow was their increased body temperature relative to their size. Everything else was an enigma. Normally he would find some lumbering down the street. Other times they were snacking on a poor human. No matter what, the further he tried to escape the city the more Titans he encountered. Always making Gordon backtrack and run away from his goal. It was beyond annoying. It turns out it was going to be even more annoying because one of the numerous Titans he ran past, a four-meter tall one, had decided to abandon a leg it was munching on to give chase.

Gordon cursed as the Titan was more than able to squeeze through the gaps in between the buildings and keep up with Gordon. It even tore through obstacles like nothing. A bunch of crates and barrels blocked their path, which Gordon had to leap and pound over? The Titan ran through it. A wooden beam hanging so low that Gordon had to crawl under? The Titan simply lifted it up and walked under it. As if his luck couldn't get any worse, another Titan had appeared at the end of the current alleyway he was in. While it was a small three-meter, it was stocky and wide enough that it prevented Gordon from squeezing past it to avoid a fight. Now stuck between two Titans in a tight alleyway with no escape, Gordon's only choice now was to fight them. With only a crowbar and his wits.

Gordon scanned his environment and found that the backstreet they were in had a building that was under construction. The brick, motor and timber skeleton of a building looked as though a Titan or a boulder had hit it and caused it to lean heavily on the primitive bamboo scaffolding set-up in the alleyway. Gordon eyed one of the scaffolding legs bent at such a ludicrous angle that it told him it was the only thing keeping several tonnes of building material from collapsing on top of them. Gordon ran to the beam just as the four-meter Titan walked over to the scaffolding. With all his might, he swung at the shooty beam holding the scaffolding, snapping it in two. A chain reaction soon followed and the bamboo poles and debris fell onto the oblivious four-meter Titan. Gordon managed to run out of the way just as poles rained down. They impaled the Titan while the building materials crushed its limbs. If that wasn't enough, the brick wall of the building came down it with and buried the Titan. Gordon didn't have time to see if it was killed or not because the other one had closed the distance and was on Gordon.

The dust kicked up from the construction site's tumble blew around Gordon and into the Titan's face. With the dust obscuring its vision, the Titan bent forward in an effort to better see Gordon. It was now at the perfect height for Gordon to leap up and strike the Titan's face. He ran alongside the wall on the other side of the backstreet, his feet leapt off the ground and kicked off the wall and into the air. He brought his crowbar over his head and brought the bottom of it down. He jammed the crowbar right into its eye. Blood and optic fluid were sprayed everywhere. The Titan didn't react at all. No cry of pain or even a grunt. Nothing. Gordon was unnerved by it but that didn't stop him from ripping out the crowbar and impaling the other eye. Again, no response other than an attempt to grab him. Gordon saw it coming and dropped down from the Titan's face, narrowly dodging its hand. Once on the ground, he then ducked under another grapple attempt and run under the arm. He sidestepped around the Titan so he was behind it. The Titan was blind but not deaf. It heard Gordon duck past it so it tried to turn around and attack him, only for Gordon to strike at its thigh. The blow caused it to stumble to the side and brace itself against the back-alley wall. That left it more open to Gordon's attacks.

Over and over again, Gordon struck the leg with all his might. Solid thumps turned into wet thwacks by the fifth strike. The sixth came with a crunch and the seventh with bone breaching out of the skin. Blood gushed out of the savage wound like a broken pipe. Gordon hit the wound again, this time he got sprayed on the hands and shirt. Gordon cried out in pain as the blood was akin to boiling water. He stumbled back and landed on the ground, desperately rubbing himself against it to wipe off the blood burning his body. To his amazement, the blood on him started to evaporate within seconds. All that was left was the lingering numbness of the burning sensation and a dirty shirt. Gordon leapt back to his feet and faced the Titan. He watched as it struggled to stand back up. The femur bone of its right leg was shattered. There was no way it was getting back up on its feet. Even if it could, it was blind as a bat and couldn't find Freeman once he bolted off. That assumption was quickly swiped away when the bone suddenly snap back in place.

Gordon jumped back at the sight; shock apparent on his face. He saw the damage he had done instantly knit back together with veins and strings of muscle acting like threads. The shattered bone was pulled back into the leg with the wound closed soon after. A sickening pop and crack came from the beast as its bone was set back into place. It then lent on that foot and pivoted around to stare at Gordon. He found out it could stare again because its eyes were back. Completely healed and functioning. If Gordon wasn't panicking before, he was now. Gordon leapt back from the Titan as it slowly stood on its feet.

Numerous thoughts ran through Gordon's mind as he watched the Titan lumber towards him. Some of which were memories of his combat experiences. Precisely the handful of times he had similar experiences with healing opponents. There was the Nihilanth, the overlord of Xen, who had healing crystals that enhanced its metabolism and cellular growth to the point it could slowly heal from Gordon's attacks. Then there were the Vortiguants. Whenever Gordon had injured a Vortiguant and both had to retreat back, he saw the alien hum to itself. That hum, either it was a frequency or a way for it to concentrate, caused a glow of green energy to cover it. Said energy would crackle around its injuries and heal the wound over. Much like what these Titans did. The Vorts could even bring their dead back to life. Even after Gordon had riddled them with bullet holes or bludgeoned them to death. However, those enemies could never heal at the rate of these Titans. Not to mention it has an impressive defence mechanism with its boiling blood. Gordon wasn't too keen on continuously fighting a self-healing enemy or getting two-degree burns, so he decided to run away from the Titan. The only problem was that the Titan could easily keep up with him and fit into tight backstreets. An issue Gordon only found out after a minute into his retreat. The damn beast just wouldn't let him out of its sight.

He escaped an alleyway to verge onto a main street that went uphill. There was a loud crash behind him. He turned to find his luck had kicked in somewhat as the Titan pursing him had accidentally knocked a crumbling wall onto itself. Unlike the other Titan crushed by rubble, however, this one was managing to push the wall off itself and slowly walk towards Gordon. Using this advantage, Gordon sought a way to lose or trap the Titan. He couldn't attack it now, as if it let go of the wall, Gordon wouldn't be able to outrun the debris and he'll be crushed by it. Gordon did spy a large wagon atop the hill on the main road. Looking in the opposite direction saw the main road leading to a T-junction where a whole line of shops were on fire. Perhaps he could use the wagon to run over the Titan and push it into the fire? Maybe fire was its weakness!

With a plan in mind, Gordon took off to the top of the hill. Running up to the wagon, he leapt upon the steering seat and parted the canvas sheet that lead to the insides of the wagon. He found the cargo was still in there and, funny enough, it was full to the brim with construction material like bricks, wood and clay blocks. A rumble came from down the hill. It sounded like the Titan had escaped and it was on its way to Gordon. Quickly, Gordon leapt off the wagon and ran to its wheels. There some wood chocks had been haphazardly placed in front of them. Gordon removed them but the wagon didn't move. Gordon realised that the wooden piece in front of the wagon, a falling tongue if Gordon remembered correctly, was stopping the wagon from moving forward. Gordon ran to it and wrapped his arms around it. With all his strength, he lifted it off the ground and the cart moved forward. Gordon guided the cart back to the lip of the hill. By the time the first wheels crossed the threshold of the curve, gravity took over. Just in time too as the Titan was just meters away from him. Still holding the tongue, Gordon ran with the wagon towards the Titan. He lifted the tongue onto his shoulder and aimed it at the Titan's stomach. When the tongue pierced through the stomach and out the other side, Gordon let go and fell flat to the floor. Letting the wagon roll over him harmlessly. Once he looked back up, he saw the wagon charging down the hill with its unwanted occupant skewed on the front. The Titan clawed at the wagon and was powerless to stop as its feet dangled on both sides of the wagon. Tearing up its heels and leaving bloody skid marks on the cobbled ground. The wagon's speed carried even after it reached the bottom, charging through the T-junction and crashing violently with the burning buildings.

Gordon watched silently as the fiery debris rained on the Titan. It pinned its arms and body down while its hair and skin caught aflame. Its skin started to crisp and flake to show cooking flesh and muscle. The stench of burning hair filled the air as the Titan started to burn. However, much like having its eyes gouged out, the Titan seemed passive over burning alive. It moved left and right to try and wiggle out of its trapped state to no avail. Gordon grimly noted that its body was now stuck in a state of constant burning and rejuvenating. Even then the Titan still wouldn't die. It still clawed helplessly at the wood impaling it into the burning house. Fire wasn't its weakness, it was a mere annoyance to them. "GGRRAHH" a deep voice rumbled out from the Titan.

Gordon flinched when the Titan looked back up at him. Despite its eyes bubbling and developing blisters that popped, the Titan stared at him with an expression akin to anger. This marked the first time a Titan had ever shown emotion to Gordon. He was slightly disturbed by the expression but paid no heed to it. With his pursuer stuck for the foreseeable future, Gordon took the opportunity to escape unopposed.

A few minutes later saw Gordon a few miles closer to the exit. He breathed a sigh of relief when noticed the lack of Titans about and some scant humans still milling around. Most of them were either too busy rushing to pack their valuables with them or crying over their destroyed homes to travel with Gordon. Coming onto yet another main street, Gordon spotted someone, or something, that made him freeze on the spot.

Standing only a few meters away from him was the man who had brought him here. Here to this hellhole of a city. The Man in the Suit. The Government Man. The G-Man. Standing out like a sore thumb amidst ruins and death with his pristine blue suit and his stiff posture. Their eyes met for a brief moment. Emerald greens ripe with confusion, and swirling blues and greens looking back with calculated interest. The G-Man broke their contact with a blink. He then turned to the right and walked down another street. Gordon was quick to pursue him, hoping to catch him and try to get answers from him. Why was he here? Why in god's name was he forced into yet another fight for his life? Why does he have to be tortured like this!?

Rounding the corner, Gordon took a step back in confusion when he lost sight of him. The corner led him to a wide-open street where The G-Man had disappeared and left him with the sight of utter carnage. The whole street had been turned into a sight straight out of bible renditions of Hell. Wrecked wagons and carts were scattered about and set ablaze. Much like the buildings surrounding the road. Some had crumbled and others still standing but only by a thread. All this destruction paled to the remains of humans and animals scattered about everywhere. Gordon felt queasy when a literal river of blood was flowing in between the stone bricks of the cobbled street. Each step he took going forward took an effort to uproot because of the sticky fluids caking the floor. Gordon made sure to step over pieces of human out of respect and to avoid tripping over. He had plenty of experience avoiding human limbs back at Black Mesa. He cringed when he remembered a horrific ordeal when he tripped on a stray hand and fell into the guts of some poor scientist's dismembered torso.

Pushing the disturbing memories back down, Gordon continued to trek through the street. The Man in the Suit was gone but he lead him down here. Was there a reason he wanted Gordon here? A distant bang broke the soundscape of roaring fires and echoing screams. Gordon froze and scanned his surroundings. There was a distant chorus of loud hissing and whirling noises that came from over the buildings. Gordon noted that they sound oddly familiar. It was like the whirling noses of metal wires being wound-up. Gordon continued to stare over the buildings, hoping to see the sight of whatever was making those noises. To his speechless surprise, the ones making those noises were people flying past over the buildings! People dressed in uniforms just like Hannes on some bulky equipment on their hips and lower backs. Gordon was absolutely amazed and dumbfounded at the sight. Naked giants with no genitals and a thirst for human flesh were one thing but this place's military using grapple hooks to traverse was something else entirely.

He watched as one of the soldiers angled their hips outwards and to the side. He saw that in both of their hands was a handle with metal triggers. They pulled on one of them with their fingers in time with their hip movements. A loud bang came from their hips and a metal harpoon shot from the device attached to them. Gordon's eyes widen and his mouth opened in wordless bewilderment. He was stunned at the sight of actual grappling hooks being used in practical conditions. As far as he was aware, grapple hooks being used in combat were a thing of fantasy. There were too many realistic variables and risks when using them. A cable could get snagged, someone could get in the way or the equipment will malfunction mid-flight. There were too many issues for it to be in general use, much less in a combat zone.

Yet here were Shinganshina's military forces using them with great efficiency. Gordon put two and two together and concluded that they were used against the Titans. Seeing how well these soldiers maneuvered around the cityscape showed him their prolific abilities with grapple hooks. It gave them a greater area of movement when facing off against the giants. Smart move Gordon thought. He knew first-hand the unfathomable ability of mobility during combat. You can't be killed if the enemy can't hit you.

Gordon saw more soldiers flying overhead, heading towards what Gordon assumed to be the exit from Shinganshina. Gordon waved his arms in an attempt to grab their attention. He hoped they would stop and at least try and guide him to the exit and fight off any Titans along the way. Gordon managed to catch the attention of some of the passing soldiers but they did not stop. "Leave him! He's dead already!" One of them screamed out.

Gordon glared at them as they sailed on by. More came along in groups numbering in the tens. All of them flew by without a single glance at Gordon. All of them leaving him to his death. Gordon huffed in frustration. Seems like the Garrison here were just as helpful as the military back home. Points for the Garrison though for not murdering any survivors they came across. It looked like Gordon was back to escaping on his lonesome. "Look out!" Gordon froze when one of the soldiers screamed as they passed.

There was a quick series of rumbles when a massive fifteen meter Titan ploughed through one of the buildings near Gordon and onto the street. Smashing through the structure wasn't without its hiccups as the bottom walls proved too sturdy and the Titan's foot was snagged on it. It fell forward but not before stretching its arms out to the passing soldiers. As the Titan fell, its arms had snagged on the grapple wires of one of the soldiers, pulling them down with the Titan. The man didn't have enough time to scream nor acknowledge what was happening before he was thrown off course and into the wall of a building. Gordon winced at the sickening sound of a wet crunch as the poor soldier's body collided with the wall. It was followed up shortly by a damp thud as his body fell onto the floor.

The Titan that cause the gruesome death got back up from its fall, not caring at all for the soldier it had just killed or Gordon. Instead, it continued to chase after the rest of the soldiers that had flown by. Crashing through buildings and homes like a little child who had just learnt to run. Gordon waited with bated breath for it to turn around or for another Titan to come out. Luckily for Gordon, none of that happened. He did note how there were no more soldiers flying overhead. All of them now were being chased by that fifteen meter. Speaking of the soldiers, the one that had just crashed was only a few meters from Gordon.

Gordon somberly walked to the twisted corpse of the soldier. The sight left Gordon grimacing. The poor soldier's body was crumpled and bloody. Judging from the shocked expression on his face, it looks as though he died on impact. Gordon somberly considered it a merciful death compared to the others around him. He could've been eaten or ripped apart or even still be alive for a brief few minutes as he felt all his organs and bones turn to mush. The scientist let out a brief sign at the death. Then his eyes drifted down towards the device strapped to the soldier. Despite the nasty collision, the equipment looked intact and could properly still function. Now here was the moment where Gordon always face when encountering any weapon or equipment. The moment where he had to decide whether or not the equipment was to be a new tool in his arsenal.

He did so every time at Black Mesa. From disregarding heavy military equipment, due to ammunition count and how it affected his maneuverability to using hardware tools like a crowbar to even alien technology like… the Hivehand. Gordon cringed every time he recalled the memory of 'wielding' the weapon and buried it with several tons of guilt and embarrassment. He had no idea why he thought it was a good idea to do that but it at least gave him a new weapon to use. Even if it did cost the poor creature its dignity…

Back to the topic at hand, much like Gordon did to his previous set of weapons, he mauled over the grappling equipment's usage. The grappling equipment would be incredibly useful to escape the city but it was incredibly dangerous too. Gordon saw how fast they went and what happens when something snags the wire. One mistake and Gordon was done for. Gordon wondered too what choice did he have? Risk going on foot and being trapped again? The grappling equipment will allow him to traverse more easily than on foot. If the equipment functioned like the Long Jump Module then Gordon would be fine but if not? Was he willing to fling himself at deathly speeds for a chance of survival?

Gordon's mind churned with his thoughts, possibilities and hypothesis. A brief few moments later, Gordon was brought out of his brainstorming and looked mournfully at the corpse beside him. He gave the man a sincere sorry and started to unbuckle the straps off his crumpled body. Gordon didn't find looting the dead joyful but he took solace in the fact that they properly won't mind if Gordon took what was on their bodies as a means of survival. After all, Gordon needed this more than the soldier currently needed it. A few more buckles undone later and Gordon had gotten the harness and gear off.

As Gordon lifted the gear away from the corpse, he noted how lightweight the equipment felt. From what he felt it was no more than a few kilograms at most. Maybe 1 to 5. It looked as though the engineers who made this were smart enough to know that anything heavy would severely impact the grappling performance. Gordon continued to dissect the newly acquired gear, placing it on the floor and having a better look at it.

The pieces were mainly comprised of steel and metal tubing, several of which were connected to two-cylinder devices located on the back. Gordon guested that each cylinder must've held the coils of steel wires used for the grappling. In-between the two cylinders was a much smaller cylinder container with a funnel in the back. 'This must've been where the fuel mixture was expelled from to create thrust' Gordon thought.

Following the tubes back, they lead into the biggest parts of the device, two large rectangle boxes with a series of three slits found at the end of both of them. Sticking out of each of the slits were thick and stubby prongs with two holes on each arm of the prongs. Curiously, Gordon gripped the prongs and tried to pull them out. He struggled when pulling them out but as soon as he pulled them down, he heard a click inside the box and felt the prongs come loose. Gordon pulled the prongs out with ease and, to his surprise, he pulled out a blade. A razor-thin sword, single-edged and three-quarters as tall as Gordon with segments built into the body. They remind Gordon of boxcutters. Gordon held onto its bottom prongs and gave them a few experimental swings. Like the other pieces of equipment, the sword was incredibly lightweight but difficult to handle due to, ironically enough, a lack of a handle. Gordon placed the sword down on the ground and turned back to the boxes. Atop the boxes had three metal panels that had a circle cut on each of them, clearly designed to hold the gas tanks that were currently resting inside. 'So this thing was powered by gas' Gordon correctly guested.

Lastly, connected to the boxes were hand-held devices with a leather grip and a series of triggers. These two handles were also attached to two devices, similar to the shape of the giant metal boxes but smaller. To top all of it off, it was all connected to harnesses; several of which were meant to strap under the feet and around the legs and torso. Gordon noted the handles had a slot on the top, almost as if something were to go in there? Gordon grabbed the handle and the blade he placed down earlier. He connected the prongs into the blades but was met with resistance. He saw a button near the top of the handle and pressed down on it. He heard a click in the handle and the bottom of the blade fell into the handle. Releasing the button repeated the click but now secured the blade into the handle. Gordon grinned as he examined a new weapon for his arsenal. He continued with his quick testing by testing the rest of the buttons out.

There was a sliding button near the top and three other triggers. Two small triggers were built inside the handle and a large one sticking out the front of it that looked like it was more suited to be a bike break than a trigger on a military weapon. Not letting looks deceive him, Gordon pressed down on the large one lightly. A good thing he handled it with care because the equipment leapt up off the ground when an expulsion of gas launched it up a few centimetres off the ground. Gordon yelped and silently cursed as the gear flew up and landed with cluttering bangs. So, Gordon thought, the bigger trigger causes the gas to be expelled and that's how they powered the gear and keep themselves in the air.

Gordon made sure to avoid that trigger for the time being and moved on to the others. He tested out the smaller triggers by pressing down on the top one. There was a bang from the back of the device and gas was expelled from a small box on the right side of the corpse. The same side as the handle. He saw that there was a wire coming out of the small box that lead somewhere off down the road. That must've been the wire the Titan got caught on. Gordon pressed down on the bottom trigger. A click was heard then the wire started to whirl back in at a speedy pace. In a blink of an eye, the wire had retracted back into the small box along with its head, a small metal harpoon with sharp teeth. It folded back onto itself before entering snuggly into the small box.

Gordon's mind churned at this new information. The small boxes on the sides were there to house the harpoons attached to the metal cables found in the other cylinder compartments. Curiously, he pressed down on the top trigger again. This time the harpoon and wire shot out by the gas, launching high up into the air. Gordon when pressed down on the bottom one whirled them back into their respected compartments. 'So that's how the grapples are deployed and retrieved, what about the slider above them?' Gordon thought.

His curiosity at an all-time high, Gordon slid the slider left and right. Nothing seemed to happen on the gear till Gordon heard a faint clicking noise each time he slid the slider. Tracing the noise to its source, Gordon was led to multiple parts of the device. There was the harpoon box where the barrel of the box was moving left when Gordon moved the slider forward and right when he slid it back. There was the funnel at the back as well turned in the same direction the harpoon barrel did which time Gordon moved the slider. Gordon safely concluded that it was a steering mechanism. Now seeing all of its components, Gordon was confident enough to begin to equip himself with the grappling gear.

Mirroring what he saw on the soldier, Gordon strapped the belts on the required limbs and areas on his body. He tightened them up and fastened them to his frame. He walked around and adjusted to the feeling of them. He noted how when he took a step forward or back, the belts around his hips tightened and pulled in whatever direction his feet stretched out to. A steering mechanism and technique of sorts? Gordon pondered in his mind as he fastened the rest of the gear to him. He felt the slight pressure of the large boxes on his hips and the propulsion device on his lower back. He shook his body and felt them move with him. None of it hindering his movement or lagging behind them. Gordon felt himself wishing that his gear from Black Mesa did the same. Lugging around a rocket launcher, The Gluon Gun, a SPAS-12, The Tau Cannon, several clutches of grenades, trap mines and Snarks tend to make one lose their balance and speed from time to time.

Gordon ran down his checklist. Making sure everything was in place and strapped securely on him before he tested this thing out. Despite being proved worthless against Titans, Gordon still brought his crowbar with him. Strapping it on the gear with a spare belt attached the large blade sheaths, which Gordon assumed to be extra storage for more gas canisters. Gordon decided to bring it with him for sentimental reasons. Remembering how it was his trusty companion back at Black Mesa. How that even after acquiring enough military-grade weaponry to stock an armoury, it was still a useful tool to have in a pinch. When a grunt got lucky and snagged his weapon out from him, his crowbar was quick to grab and even quicker to kill. Gordon may not know when but at some point today, his crowbar will come back to save his life.

With everything he needed secure on his person, Gordon began to test out the grappling equipment. Starting off with the basics, seeing how close this thing was to the Long Jump Module. Being an expert of the H.E.V equipment, the closer this grappling gear was to the module, the better. He leapt forward and with the pull of the big trigger, the nozzle behind him expelled a burst of gas that shot him down the street. 'A bit too much gas!' Gordon gasped and he braced himself when he landed.

He tripped and fell into a roll. He managed to stop himself and recover after a few tumbles. He stood back up with new scratches and a bruise on his shoulder but he was nonetheless ok. Dusting himself off, he leapt again. This time applying a small amount of pressure. The gas was released at a moderate level and he was pushed forward. He managed to get a few seconds of air time before he landed on the ground. This time on his two feet. He repeated the process a few more times. Each time applying more and more pressure till he was more comfortable with the controls. By his sixth jump, he couldn't help it as a smile broke out. It was just like the Long Jump Module! Gordon let out a small laugh, not enough to hurt himself, as he found his newfound mobility. The next time he landed, he pulled the trigger all the way down and launched himself high into the air and at incredible speeds. He managed to get a good few meters off the ground. He then flicked the sliders on his handles and pulled the trigger. He burst to the right, then he flicked the slider forward and burst himself to the left. All of it in the one jump. He came back down soon after his zig-zagging. Landing and slowing himself down, he looked back to see he cleared most of the nightmarish street, a good forty meters in under a minute. Gordon smiled and looked down at the gear attached to him. No three charges, multiple uses in the middle of a jump and it came with swords! Scratch that, it was a better version of the Long Jump Module! Gordon smiled and patted the gear.

Bursting further along the street, he once again found himself in a familiar predicament: blocked off paths by rubble. Too big for him to burst over or climb up. All of the side streets and alleyways were blocked off. Gordon signed and looked down at his grappling gear. Now it was time for the challenging part of his gear. He looked up to one of the more studier buildings, eyeing off a stone block chimney. Scrunching up his face in concentration, Gordon maneuvered his body to aim the harpoons and anchor himself to the roof. Shifting his hips a bit, he imaged a target placed on the face of the chimney. A bit difficult to align as the grappling gear had no iron sights or any way to properly aim it other than guessing. After a few more fidging, Gordon was sure of his target and fired off his harpoons. Both sides fired the metallic hooks straight up into the air… and missed the chimney by a few meters. Gordon cursed silently, retracting his harpoons and trying again.

He missed, and missed, and missed again. A growl of frustration threatened to break out of him but he steeled himself. He was getting closer each time but each miss whined against his patience. This wasn't like any other weapon he picked up in the past. There was no aiming with any sights or indications of where his shots will go. He was literally hip firing his shots and trying to score a hit on his target. After yet another miss, Gordon threw his head back in frustration. He turned around and walked away with his hands interlocked behind his head. He paced around to calm himself down and reevaluate his next move. He thought about finding another object to hook onto or try hooking onto the chimney again but at a different angle. Gordon settled on anchoring back onto the chimney when a loud crash behind him derailed that notion.

Gordon closed his eyes, inhaled a deep breath and brought his hands from the back of his head to his face. He then dragged his hands down his face, stretching his skin and his features as he let out a near-silent groan. A cry of exasperation. He flicked his head over to the noise to find a four-meter Titan dragging itself out of the window of a rundown house. It wasn't just any four-meter but a familiar face that Gordon had the pleasure of seeing without eyes and in the process of melting when he last saw it pinned into a line of burning shops. Of course it was back and looking more than willing to devour Gordon. That was just his luck.

After pulling itself out of the window, it charged at Gordon at a speed that cracked the pavement below when it took off. Having dodged bolts of green energy that the Vortigaunts dispelled and bullets from H.E.C.U troops in a blink of an eye, a charging beast with the grace of a drunk was easy for the physicist to dodge. Pulling the trigger of his gear, Gordon leapt away from the charging Titan. Moving too fast to change direction, the Titan charged past him and struggled to stop. It rotated around to try and grab Gordon as it passed him but its sticky legs could not handle the momentum and its ankles twisted. The Titan fell to the ground with a loud crash. Seeing the Titan briefly immovable, Gordon saw this as an opportunity to test out his new weapons. Using this distraction to his advantage, he equipped the blades to his handles. With a tone of sliding metal, he withdrew the holstered blades. When he heard the ringing ting as he fully withdrew the blades and brought them before him, he felt empowered. He saw the shine of the metal and razor edge of the blade that fueled his confidence. He wasn't facing against the Titan with a blunt tool this time but an actual weapon. He felt powerful and more than ready to face the Titan.

Just in time too. The Titan had recovered from its fall and moved to attack him again. Not giving the Titan the chance to charge, Gordon moved on to the offence and boosted himself towards it. Taking it by surprise, he brought his blades over his right shoulder and struck at the Titan's legs. To his own surprise, the blades effectively sliced through the legs. They didn't catch on the bone, sinew or muscles within the leg nor did they slow down upon impact. It was like slicing through paper with a fine scalpel. It was so efficient that Gordon fully amputated both the Titan's legs. Gordon skid to a stop just as the Titan fell back onto the ground. Not wasting any time, Gordon ran towards the Titan. The monster saw Gordon rushing to it out the corner of its eye and took a swipe at Gordon. The scientist saw the telegraphed attack and took immediate action by slicing its arm off. When the Titan tried to grab him with the other, he sliced that one off too. When it tried to bite him, Gordon hacked off its jaw, jumped onto it and started to stab it. When enough of its face was turned to mashed meat, Gordon went about hacking and slashing the rest of the Titan to pieces. Boiling blood sprayed out everywhere and onto him but Gordon's frustration and fury abided his pain. By god was this creature going to die in the next few minutes, Gordon promised himself. He was going to find its weakness and end it for good!

Despite his decree, the creature still went on living. Its limbs grew back and its face reconstructed back to its twisted self. Even the vital organs in its chest, which Gordon made sure were grounded to a fine red paste, regenerated or the surrounding muscles regrew a new one. Hell, it could even survive without them. He swore to god he saw its heart was severed from its body yet it continued to live. Even when Gordon had decapitated it out of rage it managed to regrow a new head! Gordon roared, ignoring the blood-curdling pain in his throat, at the Titan in fury. A mishap that Gordon paid for when the Titan hit him in the chest with the bloodied stump that was once its right arm.

Gordon stumbled onto the floor, winded and dazed. He coughed violently, spitting up blood and speckle. He took a brief second to collect himself, disregard the pain, and get back on his feet. Unfortunately for the Black Mesa employee, he was quickly forced onto the defensive when the wounded Titan pounced on him. Balancing on one foot and a stump, the Titan leapt at Gordon with an open mouth. It was too fast to dodge either side or hack off the jaw and back-peddling is a grantee death, so Gordon instead ran forward into the Titan. He came just under the Titan's mouth but was now trapped under the Titan's gut. His swords impaled the stomach right through to the hilt. There the Titan's weight was leaning against the handles and by extension Gordon. He groaned as he held the massive Titan pressing up against him. Worst of all he felt the Titan breath down the back of his neck and heard its massive jaws snap open and close at him.

With all his strength, Gordon tossed the Titan towards the left, the side where it had no foot, and threw it off of him. As he did so, he ran to the right. His blades were still inside the Titan so he dragged the swords along its gut. The skin and muscle split wide open and allowed the Titan's inners to come flooding out.

Gordon leapt back when its guts and organs fell out of its body and spilt all over the ground. Everything from lungs, pancreas and even its heart. Gordon did notice that it lacked any intestines or a digestive tract. All it had to make up for that bulk was a large stomach. A large stomach that burst wide open and spilt its contents. Gordon covered his mouth and nose as the pure stench of digested human permeated the air like a thick smog. He witnessed bits of chewed and whole human flesh. Globs of human meat intermixed with bits of clothes, boots and stomach fluids.

The disembowelled Titan recovered from its fall and stared down at its sprawled out organs. It then let out a pained cry that made Gordon almost feel sorry for it. Almost, because the Titan quickly disregarded its organs and moved to assault Gordon. It even crushed its lung in its advancement toward the scientist. It took another step forward, this time crushing a part of its stomach. It would've taken another step if it hadn't caught the scent of the putrid steam emitted from its gut. The Titan turned away from Gordon to stare at its disembodied stomach with an inquisitive look. It took a curious sniff at the steaming sack. It then poked and prodded the organ till a whole leg of a poor man slid out of it. Gordon could only watch in silent horror as the Titan smiled like a child on Christmas morning and devoured the leg. It chewed the semi-digested leg messily and loudly with unbridled glee.

When Gordon thought he saw the worst of it, the Titan, in a moment of idiotic brilliance, picked up what was left of its stomach and started to eat the contents within. Then, it started to take bites of its own stomach. By that sight alone, Gordon had enough of the sad excuse of a creature. Readying his blades, Gordon ran forward to end this madness. The Titan saw him coming and Gordon readied for an attack. It shot its arm outwards but all it did was shove him away from it.

Gordon skid across the ground and almost tripped. He controlled his balance and prepared for another assault. It never came. Gordon stared dumbfounded as the Titan had completely turned its back to him and was focusing on cannibalising itself. Gordon, still wielding his swords and bracing for any movement, cautiously walked toward the Titan. Sensing his approach, the Titan turned around to face him with a mouth full of its guts. Gordon froze and stared at it, almost daring it to move against him. Moments passed where neither one of them did anything. Only stared at each other. The Titan figured its task of eating its own flesh was a better endeavour than staring at or fighting Gordon so it pushed Gordon away again and turned back to its meal. Gordon staggered back and regained his footing. He was confused and a little bit stupefied, but after looking into the dumb beady eyes of the Titan and seeing its current predicament, did he realise that it was useless to fight it anymore.

It was mauled, impaled, burnt and chopped to pieces by Gordon's hands yet it continued to live. It refused to die and was only led by its hunger for humans. It was useless. At least the creatures of Xen had a purpose. Horrible as they were, it was all in the name of survival or servitude. This thing though… had none of that. It just existed to cause pain and suffering. It refused to die and it will continue to live its sad life.

He lowered his swords and signed in defeat. Gordon found himself tired. Tired of trying to kill it and tired of fighting. He just wanted to leave and find safety. He was tired of fighting for his life. The events of the last several days had caught up to him. He just wanted to rest. Still, Gordon knew such a wish was well away from him. He'll have to continue the fight to survive, though the fight with this Titan was finished.

Gordon simply turned his back away from it and walked away. It was safe to turn away for now but after it eats its own stomach completely? It was foolish to stay here. The light of the setting sun shone on Gordon's face. He was about to bring his hand up to block it when something else blocked the harsh rays of light: the stone block chimney.

Gordon stopped walking to stare at it. Silently, he brought his handles to bare, aimed his hips and fired a harpoon at it. A solid thunk was heard and Gordon felt the vibration through the wire that all told him he successfully landed his anchor. Next, with a pull of some triggers, Gordon was pulled off the ground and onto the rooftops of Shinganshina. He landed on the rickety tiles with sure footing and balance. He retracted his harpoon and walked up to the peak of the roof. Up top, he saw the true Hell Shinganshina was in.

Smoke and fire as far as the eye could see and screams as far as the ear could hear. Seas of raging infernos dotted the landscape of brick and motor, and black smoke hung over the air like thick smog from an overworked factory. The air was littered with distant blood curdling screams and echoing crashes of ruination. Scattered throughout it all were the culprits of this disaster. He saw massive figures towering over buildings. Titans roaming around the city, working their way further and further into the maze of the concrete jungle. All of them searching for a poor human to eat.

Gordon watched silently at the scene. Internally, he was mortified by the sight. He saw his fair share of death and annihilation at Black Mesa but he never saw it at this scale. Black Mesa resided primarily underground. Everything back then was shown in snippets and pockets. Separated by rooms, warehouses, hangers, office complexes or auditoriums. Never on a citywide scale such as this. Gordon took a moment to collect himself and search for the exit.

It didn't take long to find it. He saw the Entry-Gate to Shinganshina, the gate that lead to Wall Maria and relative safety. It was opposite where the colossal sized Titan appeared and it was the less destroyed part of the city. The only problem was that in between him and his escape was literal Hell. All the destruction and death that he saw were in front of his escape. All he had to do was push through the fires, smoke and Titans to get to it. The only solace Gordon took from all this new information was the fact he wouldn't be walking there. That was unless he figured out how to traverse with the grappling gear. Hooking and slowly being reeled it took too long and was dangerous. Moreso than travelling at the speeds the military was doing earlier. Not to mention it would leave him a slow-moving target for any Titan.

Letting out a steady beath, Gordon toughened himself for this journey forward. Starting off by eyeing a good anchor point for his hooks. Spying a stone block corner on one of the houses below him, he launched his harpoons at it and made sure it was secured tightly. Then, silently reassuring himself, he stepped off the roof and fell to the ground. As the winds rushed through his hair and almost blinded him, he pulled the trigger to reel in his line. The cable gave a loud snap as the slack was taken up. It pulled on Gordon and guided him into a swinging motion. He just barely missed the ground as his momentum swung him upwards. As he reached the threshold of his swing, Gordon looked for another anchor point for his other harpoon. After finding a suitable place, Gordon withdrew his already anchored hook and quickly lunched the other one. Again, gravity took hold of him and he was brought back down, and again, his line took up the slack and carried him back up. Gordon repeated the process again and again.

He launched a hook to the left, then to the right and back to the left. Gaining more and more confidence and reassurance with his newfound abilities, Gordon slowly stopped swinging and was soon propelling forward with the power of gas and grappling lines to maintain altitude. Up ahead he saw the road turn into a sharp bend. He quickly formed an equation in his mind. Using his sight, Gordon collected the environmental information in front of him and processed it in his mind. Mathematical equations, patterns and other variables utilized in trigonometry were used to calculate his next harpoon positions. Accounting for the weight and angle of trajectory as well as speed, Gordon successfully calculated his next move. He hooked onto the wall just near the bend. Cutting the line short, his line snagged and his momentum pulled him safely around the bend. Unfortunately, the bend lead to a large roadblock that was a toppled belltower. With quick thinking and a fast trigger finger, Gordon faced upwards and boosted himself over the wreckage. He cleared it with only a few centimetres to spare. He righted himself and scanned the environment again. Calculations ran rampant in his mind as he judged each place to harpoon to. The more he did this, the easier it was to traverse using the grappling equipment. Soon, Gordon was shooting through the streets and over buildings at insane speeds. Almost as if he had done this before.

There were more hurdles in his path but he easily evade them. The only issue was the smokey wind lapping at his face. Despite his glasses, the thick smog still stung his eyes and distracted him. Avoiding them was key to his traversal. Yet there was one more obstacle to deal with. After a few blocks of traversal did he hear the distant cries of people. Looking towards the direction of their echoes, he saw the towering figures of the Titans. One of them he saw cornering a group of people. Gordon was too far away to see clearly what the group was comprised of but he saw enough small details to make his stomach drop and fill with dread.

There were tiny figures in that group. Children. He saw children among the group. Tiny figures scrambling behind larger ones, their parents. They were a group of families, trapped in a corner by a man-eating beast about to grab them. Panic took over Gordon in an instant followed by something deep within him. He couldn't clearly identify it at the moment. Parental instincts or something of the like but whatever it was, it was forcing him to turn his course towards the Titan. Gordon pulled the trigger for more gas, shooting him closer and closer to his new opponent. Just as the Titan was about to grab onto some poor child, Gordon zipped right past its face. Gordon swung his swords just as he passed it. Just like what he found out when attacking his last opponent, the blades carved effortlessly through the tissue, bone and eyes of the Titan without once catching on the thick hide. Sizzling blood spewed onto Gordon but thanks to his speed, the cool air blew it all away.

Unfortunately for Gordon, he was too preoccupied with his after battle diagnostics that he failed to see a building rapidly approaching him. Seeing it at the last possible moment, Gordon's reflexes kicked into overdrive, he turned his body around and he pulled the trigger to expel as much as gas possible. Lucky for Gordon, the gas slowed down his speed but did not make the landing comfortable. Gordon growled in pain as he crashed into the tiles of the roof. His back flared in pain and he grumbled in agony that he now had a new set of cuts and bruises to add to his ever-growing collection. Tilting his head up slightly, he looked towards his quarry. A smile broke out on his face when he saw the giant had tumbled back and gripped its wounded eyes. Moreso, its temporary blindness gave the small pocket of families a chance to escape. All of them took the opportunity without hesitation, picking up their children and running away. By the time the Titan could see again, its prey had left. However, its attacker had not. Turning to face Gordon, the Titan snarled at him and dove right at him with an open mouth. Gordon was quick to react, rolling out of his man-made crater on the roof and bursting himself out of the way and onto another rooftop. Fortunately, he landed on his feet this time and avoided the Titan who landed face-first into the building. A thick cloud of smog and dust plumed the area. Gordon saw it as a perfect opportunity to escape the Titan unseen. Granted Gordon doubt it could see with a face full of brick and motor but either way it was blind. Shooting his hooks out again, Gordon flew right out of the cloud and back towards his trek to the Entry-Gate of Shinganshina.

However, like before, another series of screams caught his attention, and like before, Gordon went to investigate and rescue those being attacked. Again and again, it happened. The closer he got to the Entry-Gate, the more times this happened. He lost count of how many people he saved by disabling or distracting the Titans. He remembered a few like an insane priest walking against the crowd towards the Titans while screaming prays and sermons. Gordon had to knock out that bastard and hand him off to someone else because he kept walking to every Titan he could see. There was a woman he cut out the hand of a Titan and caught her mid-fall. A man he had to slice the arm off of because a Titan had it between its teeth. Another man he saved from being a pacifier as a Titan stuck him in its mouth and started to suck his upper half. Then there was a score of elderly on crutches and wheelchairs waddling and wheeling for their lives as the Titans blocked off the ramps and non-stairs paths in their pursuit. There were just so many people who needed to be saved. Gordon only wished that he could kill these Titans rather than maim them or be a decoy. Each time he faced them brought a wave of frustration and anger to Gordon which he took out on any Titan he encountered. Each Titan he saw was met with an even worst torture and maiming than their predecessor but like each time, Gordon failed to kill it. They had no weaknesses for him to exploit. No matter how many arteries, limbs or vital organs he sliced off, they just kept on living. Some relished his attacks while others screamed in pain. Then there were those who did not react at all and stared at him with a soulless expression. It unnerved Gordon more than it angered him. When now, zipping over countless streets and buildings on his way to salvation, he was sweltering with anger. All because he still had to deal with Titans. Keeping an eye and ear out for any looking to jump him. Those smaller Titans seem to love hiding in alleys and in garden areas to pounce out and try to snag Gordon mid-flight. It almost got him the first time but by the twentieth time, he was getting more than annoyed.

There was a rumble to his right and the sound of rushing wind. Make that twenty-one times Gordon grumbled. He shifted to the left and dipped down low. A shadow sailed overhead. He turned to look over his shoulder for a brief moment to watch a five-meter miss him by a few meters and land on its face like an idiot. Gordon huffed in frustration and was about to continue his trek when a woman screaming caught his attention. He huffed in irritation and a small part of him whispered to him. It told him to leave them. That he's rescued more than enough souls and that he should focus on himself.

Visions emerged at the forefront of his mind. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl and the world darkened as scenes, horrific scenes, played out before him. Scientists and security guards from Black Mesa, the ones he met on his journey throughout the facility. The ones he rescued and the ones he did not. Those who screamed like the one he's hearing now for help. The ones dangling off the edge of a black abyss and others being dragged away by the creatures of Xen to be eaten. All of them just out of arms reach. All of them Gordon tried to help. Nearly all of them risked Gordon's life. Some of which he almost died from. All in an effort to save them, just for them to die and for Gordon to almost follow soon after.

Those screams he was hearing now, the one in Shinganshina, was she like the scientists too far away to save as she hold on for dear life? Was it suicidal to save her? Was it truly worth it? Was it the anger and frustration influencing him to run away? Fuelling him to abandon more people just so he could avoid the torture of facing off against invincible monsters. It was then another part of him spoke. One rooted in compassion asked a gut-wrenching question. What if the Titan also had a child in its hands? As soon as he had thought of the question, all pretences of running away had faded. He thankfully never did encounter a child during his journey throughout Black Mesa but if he did, he would've risked life and limb to save them. A face flashed before his eyes. The scrunched wrinkled face of his new niece, Helen Freeman, just born a month ago. He then saw another young face, a mix of features from his Black Mesa partners Azian and Eli Vance. He only meet little Alyx Vance once during Barney's birthday party but he knew that the adorable toddler lived life at the Black Mesa dormitories, along with other children of the staff. Soon after seeing them, his mind tortured him with their faces. Having their faces twisted in crying fear as if they were in the hands of a Titan. About to be eaten or crushed by them. Such a vivid scene rocked Gordon to the core, so much so that he flew in silence for a few moments. Silence both mental and physical words. Nothing happened to or from the scientist for several seconds til he pivoted around and followed the new screams, determination written plainly on his face.

---

Hannes ducked and weaved through the endless maze of streets. Similar to a graceful bird, Hannes flew towards his destination at a blitzing pace that everything around him was a blur. Months away from the Maneuver Gear had not dulled his abilities in the slightest. Maybe it was because of the fear-driven adrenaline in his systems? The sudden destruction of the Outer-Gate and invasion of Titans was the root cause of it but Hannes' was truly afraid for the Yeagers. Ever since Armin told him of Eren's rush to his home, the fear of Titans became a minor nuisance. Right now, Hannes had to make sure his friend's family was safe and sound.

It wasn't long before he came across the street where the Yeager household resided, or what was left of it. This part of the district was hit the hardest out of all of it to the point where his commanders ordered a complete evacuation of all personnel in the area. They reasoned that the likelihood of survivours was null and troops were better used somewhere else. Some buildings were on fire, others miraculously unscathed while the vast majority were toppled from rocks the size of wagons and small buildings. The Yeager's little quaint house was of the latter. The fear he felt quadrupled when he saw the wreckage of the house. The closer he got, however, it was alleviated when he caught the two little forms of Eren and Mikasa digging through the rubble. There he saw someone sticking out from the wreckage where the children were digging. It was Carla! It had to be!

He was halfway there when he saw Titan further down the road, blinding straight towards the Yeagers with long strides. It was walking, so that gave him time to assess the situation and get them out here. 'Or… I could kill the bastard... yeah, that'll do just nicely' Hannes smiled.

Become a hero and earn his keep by killing a Titan, and saving his loved ones. Hannes' courage sawed at the mere thought. More importantly than slaying a Titan was saving Carla. Her rescue will repay the debt he owed to Grisha. To save his family like Grisha did for his when the Plague almost took his Daisy away. Then the guilt whenever he saw Grisha and his family would finally be elevated.

Hannes hooked onto one of the houses still standing for a landing. From there he jogged towards the wrecked house and knelt right next to the children, all the while Carla called out to him. "Hannes! Take the children and get out of here!" She cried to him.

Hannes looked at her with a puzzled expression that was quickly replaced with a sly smirk as he scoffed in a humorous tone. "Come on Carla. Don't go and start underestimatin' me. I'm gonna slaughter these Titans and save all three of ya!" Hannes declared proudly.

Without waiting for a response, Hannes leapt off to face the Titan and ensure their safety. As he turned the bend and ran down the street, Hannes heard Carla cry out to him. "Wait! Don't fight them! Save my children! Save them!"

Hannes ignored her pleads and readied his gear for action. 'Don't worry Carla. I will save them. I'll save the both of 'em, but now is the time I repay my debt to your husband!' Hannes proudly thought.

With his blades at the ready and his spirits high, Hannes was ready to slaughter his foe! That was until he saw said foe and everything came to a crashing halt. Hannes skid to a stop at the mere sight of the beast. The world around him darkened with only the silhouette of the Titan remaining. As if nothing in the world mattered other than the monster before him. It had stopped walking and stared down at Hannes with its deeply sunken dark eyes. Hannes had to crane his neck upwards to see the towering monster at 14 meters. Along with its height, Hannes notices its thin, emaciated frame with stocky proportions. Its ribs were visibly apparent and it possessed an unusually-long neck. It had medium-length light hair that barely reached down to its neck. The most disturbing, disgusting and distinguishing feature of it was its mouth. Its lips are fixed wide open, exposing its yellowed teeth and red gums. It gave it a truly nightmarish smile that could only come from a demon. Their silent staring put too much tension within Hannes to the point something within him snapped. He grimly realised that it was his courage.

Shamefully and in a fit of panic, Hannes ran. Any doubts about turning back around and fighting were quilled when he sheathed his blades and holsters. He ran faster than he ever ran before, still feeling the predatory gaze and perverted smile of that Titan bearing down on him. He felt the rumbling again. It was moving straight after him! Quickly he dove for the Yeager household. With shame, Hannes granted Carla's earlier request and took her children. With no time to lose, Hannes grabbed Eren and threw him over his shoulder then grabbed Mikasa under his other arm. He held them as tight as he could and ran away.

He did not say goodbye to Carla nor even spare her a glance. As thoughtless as it was, he wouldn't dare look into her eyes and show her that he was a coward that is leaving her to die a horrible death. He could hear her scream something out to them but he did his best to ignore it. She was either parting her last words onto them or she was begging to be saved, and Hannes couldn't live with himself if it was the latter. His emotional state and psyche were already screwed and Hannes didn't need her screams to be the last thing that broke it. Hannes just hoped that Carla had a swift end and he prayed that she would forgive him. So long as her children survive.

Eren was screaming his lungs out, thrashing and elbowing his back. All in an attempt to dislodge himself and save his mother. Mikasa was silent as the grave. Not moving a muscle and hanging there limply. Hannes wished Eren would do the same. He doesn't have to make it harder than it is. He felt the rumbling of the Titan stop and heard something crashing behind him. He knew the Titan had Carla and was about to eat her. There was a scream from both Eren and Carla that wretched his heart. 'Eren… Carla… Grisha… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry' Hannes cried mentally.

He had to ignore it all. The screams and crying. He had to keep running. He was halfway out of the street then he could use the alleyways to escape any more Titans and get the remaining Yeagers out of here. Where they'll all survive. "Hannes! Stop! Hannes!" Eren cried again.

Hannes' choked on his own spit. He couldn't take the screaming anymore. "Eren no! I can't! We can't! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! We can't save her! We need to-"

"Hannes! Someone's there! Someone saving her!" Mikasa screamed from under his arms.

"What?!" Hannes gasped.

He stopped in his tracks and froze. The bounding of his feet, the air rushing in his ears and the beating of his heart lowered in volume to the point he heard the tell-tale signs of maneuver gear being used. That wasn't possible! No other soldiers were to be here. Were they the drunken buffoons that he called comrades here to help? It couldn't have been them. They're cowards. Just like him. They won't dare face a Titan. So who the hell was it?

As much as the sudden news required him to see who Carla's rescuer is with his own eyes, Hannes didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to see that horrid face of that Titan again. The joyful eyes with a hideous smile that screamed of malice and death. The uncanny expression it held as it looked down upon him, like a porcelain doll. Most of all, he didn't want to turn and see the possible death of Carla. He didn't want to subject the children or himself to that sight. As much as he didn't want to, he had to. If there was a renewed chance to rescue Carla, he had to take it. Hannes sucked in a deep breath and turned around. He became lightheaded at the sight of the Titan and a struggling Carla in its grasp. He would've torn his sights away from the scene and run off again if he didn't catch the man currently fighting the Titan. "Is that…Gordon? Gordon!" Hannes screamed.

Hannes was stunned. Fear and guilt twisted into mortified disbelief when he saw a civilian- an injured civilian at that, who just escaped the capture of some demented torturer, had gotten his hands on Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and was facing off against a monstrous Titan. The civvy was dipping, dodging, weaving and diving from the Smiling Titan's swinging arms. Even the hand holding Carla was being used. Its closed fist trying to punch Gordon out of the air with a screaming Carla gripped within. With each strike the Titan performed, Gordon struck back. He sliced the skin and flesh off the Titan. Its free hand had its fingers sliced off. Joints and skin that held vital veins were slashed, and tendons that helped to move limbs were cut.

Gordon even managed to skid just above the ground and attack the Achilles Tendon. The several foot gashes ripped further into the foot when the Titan put pressure on its feet. The Smiling Titan collapsed forward and used its unoccupied hand to brace itself on a nearby building. With it no down, there was a brief moment of respite between the two combatants. Gordon's blades had been whittled down piece by piece till they looked like he was wielding chipped kitchen knives so he quickly replaced them with fresh ones in his holster. In that time Gordon used to reload his blades, the Smiling Titan had brought Carla up to its face. It stared down at her with a glare or as close to one as its scritched face could muster. Hannes and the children both screamed in horror as they thought the Titan would finally eat her, only for it to lazily threw Carla away.

Hannes and the children gapped in shock as the poor woman was tossed into the air and onto the wreak of her house from a staggering 10-meter height. She landed on the ruined roof feet first with a sickening crack that shot through Hannes like a bullet. She then tumbled down the roof, rolling off it and landing with a loud thud onto the ground. Hannes couldn't believe what had just happened. The pit of horror and despair within him grew bigger when he saw Carla's prone and unmoving form. He wanted to move and grab her but the Titan was already back on its feet.

Hannes was in disbelief. Remembering what he was taught about Titans, it should have taken a solid thirty seconds for a major tendon like the Achilles to be healed, not ten seconds! The Titan was healing way too fast. It was showing an unusual sense of intelligence as well when it decided to discard Carla and go after Freeman. It then occurred to Hannes that this Titan was an Abnormal. The rarest and most dangerous Titan one could face. Of all the places in Shingonshina, one just had to be here. 'Just my luck huh?' Hannes sarcastically snorted.

There was a snap and whine of Maneuvering Equipment wires that brought Hannes' sights onto Gordon, who jumped right back into the fray with fresh blades at the ready. Hannes thought he was suicidal to attack an Abnormal. Maybe Gordon found some sick enjoyment in facing certain death? Hannes saw his face as he flew by and there was no enjoyment. There was no fear. No incentives to run away or to hide from such an abomination. Only wrath. A seething rage boiling on his face, born out of frustration of either not being able to operate the gear properly or the fact his attacks were useless against the healing flesh of the Titan.

Hannes could only stare with flashes of fear, awe and annoyance pulsing through his mind. Fear, for Carla's health and Gordon's safety, and awe at Gordon's operation of Vertical Maneuver Gear. Then were was annoyance. Annoyance he was found to be louder than the others. He was annoyed that Gordon was doing everything wrong! He had several chances to take a clear shot at the nape but he instead attacked the eyes. His hooks are meant to go there! His axis was all wrong! He couldn't do a pinpoint tun to save his own hide! He was a pure amateur with the gear! No, an amateur would do better than him! He was getting through this with pure luck! Hannes told himself over and over again that he could do better than whatever Gordon was doing! He could easily take out this Titan! And…then….

Hannes' blood froze. The sick feeling in his gut twisted painfully with simmering anger and that damned annoyance. Why didn't he? Why didn't he fight it? He could've won! He could've saved his friend and her children! Repaid the debt he owed to Grisha by saving his wife as Grisha did for him. He could've saved Gordon from his idiotic actions to fight this monster! He could've saved them all…

In reality, Hannes had run away. Now Carla was on the ground, broken and her children trapped in his arms, screaming out her name and fighting him. Now a man, an absolute idiot of a civilian, was facing a Titan. Something Hannes had trained to face. Something Gordon did not. Yet here the two stood, their places switched. Gordon the injured civilian was facing off against a Titan like a good soldier while Hannes the soldier was running away like a good civilian. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Not to Gordon. Not to Clara. Not to little Eren or quiet Mikasa. Not to him…

This was supposed to be his moment. His moment to prove himself as a decent human being. That he wasn't a useless drunkard like everyone in the distinct thought him as. That he was a soldier willing to risk life and limb to save the lives of innocents. To rescue those he loved and cared for. To show that he wasn't scum and that he repaid his debts to those he owed his whole life to. There was no way people were going to suffer for his actions. He won't be the candidate for such a thing. He will never be that person that will run from a fight and leave others to suffer! If some injured civvy with no military training could stand and fight to save others, then he will too!

A mixture of fear, wrath and a sense of duty boiled within him like a roaring and violent fire. The 'heat' of which coursed through his bones, muscles and veins. He felt himself tense up and his legs shake as if they were begging to move. Hannes looked up towards the Smiling Titan. There was fear at seeing that face but there was also pure anger. So much so that he didn't freeze at the sight of the monster. The only thing he felt like doing was to run towards it and fight it to get rid of his fear! He put Eren and Mikasa down to the ground and readied his blades. He then followed Gordon's lead and leapt into action. "Fuck you, you smiling bastard!" Hannes screamed!

His blood boiled and his stomach lit alight to fuel his body. With a howling roar that could've shaken the whole street if he were louder, Hannes ran at the monster. He was still scared shitless but he would be damned if he wasn't going to waste this second opportunity to save lives. His scream caught the attention of the Abnormal. It's one beady soulless eye staring right at him and showing him its yellow toothy smile. Smiling as if it thought this was all a game. A shit-eating grin. 'I'm gonna break that look off your face!' Hannes cursed.

Hannes jumped off the ground, aimed his hips at some nearby buildings, fired his hooks at them and launched himself with a jet of gas. The Titan was aiming to grab him but Gordon took advantage of its distracted state and slashed at the ligaments in its leg. It toppled down and allowed Hannes much-needed room to gain momentum and height. "Good work Gordon!" Hannes yelled out.

Hannes didn't see any reaction from the man because he was moving too fast to see anything but a blur. Hannes watched Gordon zip around the Smiling Titan and strike it with amazing precision and positioning. So good in fact that Hannes was being to doubt Gordon's backstory for a spelunking backpacker from Wall Rose. He had a making of a soldier. Epically one from Scouts if Keith's stories about his recruits are to be believed. Regardless of his possible lying, Hannes had to commemorate Gordon for his attacks. Not leaving him with all the glory, Hannes dove in for an attack. Gordon was literally making it run in circles so trying to catch up to its Nape was a no go but the arms, still mobile and capable of attacking, were the next best thing. Hannes saw it outstretch its hand to catch Gordon. 'Perfect' Hannes thought as he readied his blades.

He struck right at its sticky forearm. With as much energy as he could, he dismembered the arm. Hannes heard a rumble from the Titan. Shooting himself a safe distance away, Hannes saw the Smiling Titan stare blankly at its fallen arm and then set its sights on Hannes. Again Hannes felt the chilling grip of fear as the monster stared at him but his newfound courage braced him and pushed him onwards. Fortunate as the Titan then chose to attack him instead of Gordon. Hannes cursed and propelled himself out of the way, narrowly missing a swing. He thought about retreating briefly to gain a running start for his next attack but the Titan didn't give him a chance to do so. The Smiling bastard was always atop him and ready to strike. It wasn't long before Hannes realised that his and Gordon's roles were reversed. Now Hannes was the bait while Gordon focused on disabling or killing the Titan.

Hannes did see that Gordon understood their roles were switched and moved to attack the Titan with impunity. Hannes felt pale when he saw Gordon taking dangerous dives and flinging himself at high speeds no proficient user of Vertical Gear would take at such low altitudes. One wrong move and they'll have to scrap him off the wall with a shovel. By far that wasn't an issue but Gordon was edging closer and closer to them. Overall, Gordon was too fast and unpredictable with his movement to the point the Smiling Titan just decided to ignore him, took the damage he dealt in silence and focused its attention on Hannes. Not that Hannes' minded it. All he had to do was keep his distance, predict the Titan's movement and react accordingly. The issue Hannes had however was Gordon's attacks. Gordon was attacking the main arteries. Was he aiming to bleed it out? Hannes questioned Gordon's actions when he remembered that he wasn't dealing with a trained soldier. 'Shit! Civies don't know shit about Titans!' Hannes berated himself for forgetting such an important detail.

"Nape! Gordon! The nape of the neck! Cut it!" Hannes cried out to Gordon.

Gordon gave no response to him nor any form of acknowledgement to his words. Gordon instead swung underneath the Titan, coming in front of it. The Smiling Titan saw him and moved to attack. Its healed arms shoot toward him, hands wide open to catch him. Gordon reacted fast. Launching his hooks past the hands and hooking onto the Titan's face. Hannes let out a bewildered gasp when Gordon boosted himself narrowly in between the fingers of the Titan and toward's it face. The Titan reacted just as fast as Gordon and opened its mouth to bite him out of the sky. Hannes, for a brief moment, thought that Gordon was truly insane when he sped up towards the Titan's open mouth! Almost like he was aiming to shoot himself right down its gullet. When Hannes thought this was the case, Gordon spun to the left with a burst of gas. Narrowly escaping its hideous mouth.

The Smiling Titan misjudged Gordon's speed and snapped its jaws too late. Gordon cleared the open maw and sailed past the Titan. Before he flew away completely, Gordon spun back towards the Titan and deployed a hook onto its cheek. Gordon triggered a burst of gas to the right just as his cable lost slack. Hannes was stunned and beyond impressed. Not only had the suicidal bastard run straight into an attack fast enough to negate it but he managed to maneuver himself to get a clear shot at the Nape with the Titan too distracted by its failed attack to react in time. Gordon launched a burst of gas and shot himself right at the Nape. Textbook perfect! Hannes was about to let out a loud cheer when Gordon's blades connected with the Nape. That was when Hannes' opinion of Gordon's combat prowess floundered and fel on its face. While he did cut the Nape alright, he attack it in one straight line. He didn't cut it all off.

When his blade past its flesh, the Smiling Titan let out a scream and leapt back away from the duo. Gordon was knocked off course by the sudden movement. He was fortunate that he dispatched his hooks from the retreating Titan so he can anchor onto a nearby building and swing himself to safety. He landed roughly onto a rooftop a fair distance away from the Smiling Titan. Falling off his feet and landing prone on the rooftop. Quickly, Hannes joined him and landed beside him. He briefly looked him over and checked if he was injured. Thankful he wasn't when he leapt to his feet and snapped his head towards the Smiling Titan.

Said Titan stumbled back onto the buildings near the Yeager Household and sat down on them like a seat. Its hands remained on the back of its neck to protect its Nape. Its eyes were wide with fear and shock. Almost like it just knew how close it was to death's door. It didn't move a muscle but neither did Gordon or himself. Unintentionally, there was an uneasy shared moment of reprieve between the combatants. A moment Hannes used to berate Gordon. "No, you idiot! I said to slice it off! Cut a human-size chunk out of the nape! Slice it off Goddamn it!" Hannes screamed at Gordon.

The civvy flicked his head to Hannes and seethed at him. A look of raging irritation was on his face and his green eyes burned with a level of wrath he only saw in Eren and Grisha. The same shade of green eyes too. Hannes was slightly unnerved at the brief resemblance but quickly removed that thought. Right now he had to snap a civvy into action. Hannes barked at Gordon "Fine! I'll do the killing blow! You just distract it long enough for me to kill it! You got that you fucking lunatic?!"

Hannes honestly didn't mean to use that language or tone to the only man who has his back but Gordon's fuck-up and attitude, and Hannes' distress had his emotion and thoughts on the frizz. Not to mention his authority and tone had to dissuade Gordon from performing another suicidal move again. Alas, Gordon was steadfast and did not agree with Hannes' plan. Gordon was about to make a move on the Titan when Hannes grabbed his shoulder with an iron grip. "Hey! You listen to me Gordon! I'm the soldier here! I'm the one with the authority here, meaning I'm in charge! You distract it and you just might survive all this! Look! All I need is a window to kill it then it will all be over! We can all go home! Just fly around it and try not to get killed!" Hannes demanded.

Gordon, for whatever benign reason, chose to ignore him and try to shove him off to kill the Titan. Hannes did a doubletake by the sheer gal of the civvy to not only ignore an officer but actively leap at a chance to attack a Titan. Hannes soon recovered and braced another shove from Gordon. His grip held and he bored into Gordon with a heated glare, hoping to intimidate him into agreeing. It was a solid few seconds before the glare was interrupted by the Smiling Titan. Both men turned to the Titan and see that it had recovered and was back on its feet and walking towards him. Both Hannes and Gordon then turned back to each other. Hannes took Gordon's silence as an opportunity to interject more reasoning. "Are you going to listen to me now? It's up and walking. It's an abnormal Gordon. It's one of the more dangerous Titans out there. It's unpredictable and it can heal faster than most can. I can kill it but I need you to distract it. Will you do it?" Hannes explained.

There was sudden apprehension on Gordon's face, pondering something within his mind. Gordon then gave Hannes a nod, much to his delight. "Good man, now let's move!" Hannes declared.

Without another word, both men leapt from the roof and flew towards the Titan. "Gordon! I'm gonna swing around it and wait for an opening. Attack it's arms or legs and fly close enough that it thinks you're an easy target" Hannes yelled to Gordon.

There was no verbal response but a sharp nod and a loud burst of gas from Gordon. He blitzed straight towards the Titan with blades at the ready. The Titan tried to punch him out of the sky but the man proved to be too fast. He flew past the flying fist, flying up the arm with his blades dragging into the flesh as he flew. He then broke away from the arm and struck down its chest and stomach. Hannes then lost Gordon as he went under its legs. Once Hannes reached around the Titan, he saw Gordon again but he was little more than a blur. He looked like a smudge on a fresh oil painting as he danced around the Titan's body, leaving deep cuts and gashes all over its body. Just like its attacker, the Smiling Titan did not make a single noise. Rather it spent most of its energy trying to catch Gordon. That unfortunately meant it was moving constantly. Hannes was struggling to see an opening or get into a more favourable position. 'Come on Gordon! Stop making it difficult for me to hit it!' Hannes begged mentally.

As if the civvy was reading his mind, Gordon's speed suddenly come to a slow crawl as he pivoted himself to the front of the Titan. Positioning himself exactly opposite to Hannes but keeping the Titan between the two of them. The Smiling Bastard stopped its erratic movements when it spied Gordon's slow form. It then made a direct b-line straight to him at running speeds with its arms out to the side. It looked like a little kid running for a hug, something that Gordon wasn't too keen on as he started to maneuver backwards. Hannes needed to take this opportunity to attack now. Gordon didn't have much room for the speed or angle necessary to dodge the wide frame of the Smiling Titan. He needed to end this now while the Titan was distracted.

Hannes blasted forward, hooking left and right to gain as much speed as possible. He had only one chance to do this less they risk another maneuver like the one Gordon was performing now. Hannes was close, just a few metres and then he'll be on the Titan. 'Almost… there!' Hannes flung himself from one of the surrounding buildings and towards the Smiling Titan. "Die you bastard!" Hannes roared.

He swung his blades over his shoulders, ready to strike. He then launched his final hook onto the back of the Titan's head, securing his position for a clean and effective kill. He gave all that he had in his gear, practically unleashing all of his gas supply in one go. He was only fifteen meters away from his first-ever kill, something that Hannes took a brief moment to register and found pride in. To think, he'll be part of the 0.1% of humanity that killed a Titan after this nightmare is all over. There was a brief moment where that all seemed plausible, the kill and the survival, til the Smiling Titan stopped in its tracks. Hannes didn't know whether it was his scream from before or it felt him hooking into the back of its head. All he knew was the Titan was now aware of him and what he was about to do.

Gut instincts took over and Hannes took evasive maneuvers. He detached his hook from the back of its head as it turned around in the blink of an eye. It withdrew one of its outstretched arms, reeling it back with its momentum and thrusting its clenched fists towards the path of his trajectory. Panicking, Hannes quickly harpooned to the ground and reeled in. It was suicidal to be pulling himself to the ground at one-hundred-plus kilometres-per-hour but it was also suicidal to stay on his current trajectory and meet the Titan's fist. At least pulling this maneuver had a higher chance of survival. If he could just clear the fist, he could quickly hook onto the arm and fling himself clear from the Titan. Then the ugly bastard had to pull another surprise on him.

Hannes paled when the Titan stopped halfway from its punch and pulled back. Hannes couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. The bastard was fainting an attack! The arm Hannes thought was going upwards went down to meet his path. Hannes couldn't maneuver out the way nor slow himself down. He couldn't get out of the way!

The hand snatched Hannes out of the sky. Hannes gave out a silent cry as the air escaped his lungs and the grip tightened around him, pressing his gear into his body. Through his gasping and gulping, he heard a sudden crack and pop. Hannes feared it was his bones that made that noise till he smelt the nauseous smell of gas. He turned to his left to see his blade holsters and gas tank were crumbled in between the ring and middle finger of the Titan. 'No…no!' Hannes panicked.

He's gear was broken. Unusable. His left arm was pinned but his right was outside of the death grip and still usable. He looked to hack off the Titan's fingers but froze when he looked down to he was high up from the ground. With his harpoons broken, there was nothing to stop his fall. He'll cripple himself if he tried to escape. Suddenly, Hannes' world started to turn as the Titan had rotated him ninety degrees. He looked around to see the Titan's hideous smile from below him. Its mouth opens with a bloom of stench and thick wet bridges of saliva connecting between its teeth and the roof of its mouth to its plaque infested tongue. 'Wait…no!' Hannes cried.

This bastard was going to eat him feet first. He heard the horror stories regarding the moments where Titans felt extra sadistic and ate a person feet first, all while they were alive. How their comrades screamed as they were eaten bit by bloody bit. Was he going to scream as they did? He was most certain of it. Such horrifying thoughts caused Hannes' mind to go into overdrive. He desperately started to attack it. Uselessly kicked his legs about, thrashing his body and hacking the Titan's fingers with his free hand's blade. Knowing he'd die a slow and painful death, Hannes was more than willing to fall fourteen meters if it meant either a quick death or a slim chance of survival. A few more swings told him neither was on the table for him. The angle afforded to him didn't allow him to cut through the fingers. He just couldn't get the reach or speed to do so. Realising he was out of options and doomed to his death, Hannes called out to his only ally in this fight. "Kill it! Gordon! Kill it! Save them! Save them all! Save them!" Hannes howled out.

Hannes didn't want to die, but he'll be damned if he's death was in vain. The Titan was distracted. All its attention was focusing on him. Focusing on devouring him. It was all Gordon needed to kill it and rescue Carla and her kids. He fought back the tears. He will not give the Smiling Bastard the satisfaction of seeing him broken and at its mercy. He's not strong enough to not show his fear on his face but he'll be damned if he cried openly.

The oncoming pain was close now. He felt the wetness of its humid breath coat his boots and pants. He saw time slow down as the teeth came down, like a guillotine. The thought of never walking again came to mind, freezing the blood in his body with a wave of depression and horror, but he soon realised that he'll be lucky if he just lost his legs. He will lose his life here and now. Either devoured or by blood loss, it was over for him. What felt like a second later, it was over. Though not in the way he thought it would go.

The crushing pressure around his body left him and gravity took hold of him. He felt something hot and wet hit him from all sides as he fell through the Titan's hands. His upper thighs hit the bottom set of teeth and he bounced off just as the other set meet it was a crushing snap. His impact forced him into a flip. When he felt himself turn upright, he saw what exactly had happened.

Gordon, the idiot supreme, cut him loose. Hannes was the opening for Gordon to take the life of the Titan. An opening Gordon squandered to save him. Hannes watched as the world was still in a slow crawl as he fell. He was loose. Free from the Titan's grip. Its boiling blood and severed fingers fell with Hannes. Now the beast would set its eyes on Gordon for hurting it. A distraction wasted. However, it seems Gordon's luck hadn't run its course. Instead of going for Gordon, the Titan still went for Hannes. He guessed that a fearful man with broken gear who can't fight back was an easier target than a quick and nimble civilian who can. Its left arm moved to catch Hannes as he fell, leaving it wide open for Gordon.

Gordon launched his hooks onto the strained cheek of the Titan, and with a burst of steam, he shot himself up over the Titan and into the air. In a move that was textbook perfect, Gordon had aligned himself to attack the nape, and the target was none the wiser. Its beady eyes just stared at Hannes as he fell, oblivious to his current demise. With his weapons held high, Gordon relaunched his hooks at the back of the Titan and flew down to attack. He spun mid-flight and his momentum carried into his strike. It was a messy cut but a cut nonetheless. The killing blow was stuck and the life in the Titan's eyes vanished with a whimper. Its eyes dilated and its breath hitched as its brain registered the pain, right before it shut off.

His left hand, ready to grab Hannes, fell limb and slacked to its side. Not before Hannes hit the hand, rolling off it and continued his plummet downwards. Hannes tumbled as he fell yet made no noise. He tried to but no sounds came out as the ground neared. At this height, he would die on impact or land so awkwardly that he would cripple himself. Either way, he wouldn't make it out of the city to see Dasiy again. Hannes hoped his wife was having fun at her parent's place. She was safe outside of Shingonshina. That was all that mattered right now. That she wasn't in this hellhole and that she would survive.

There was a sudden bang that stopped his musings. He looked up just in time to see Gordon activating his gear. He had turned around and dived under the armpit of the falling Titan. By the time he reached the hips, his cable snagged on the shoulder and his momentum carried with a swing. Swinging him just under Hannes. Hannes' was winded when he collided with Gordon's arms. It was further compounded when both crashed onto the ground and tumbled about. Eventually, both men came to a stop. Hannes on his back and Gordon on his stomach beside him. Both were shaken by the quake the Smiling Titan made as it fell to the ground.

An eerie silence surrounded them, like a tree falling in the forest and the animals going quiet as they pondered what happened. Aside from their laboured breathing, the men barely utter a thing. The mental gears in Hannes' head turned about at a snail's pace as he processed what just happened. Hannes looked blankly at the sky before coming to with a groan. "Holy crap…I think I shit my pants…".

Beside him, Gordon croaked out a laugh. Gordon Freeman, who Hannes just realised was the man who saved him. Twice in under a minute. He was also the dumbass who faced a Titan all by himself! "Walls. Fucking Walls Gordon! Are you out of your mind!? You could've died!" Hannes berated him.

Gordon rolled his eyes in response and gave him a grin. Hannes fumed slightly at that, a bit miffed that Gordon was acting as if his daredevil stunts and near brush with death was an everyday occurrence for him. Hannes guessed that it was the medicine Karl pumped into him that gave him the confidence he needed to strap himself to some Maneuver gear and catapult himself straight at a Titan. Hannes' eyes widen and he sat up abruptly when he thought of Grisha's young assistant. "Where the hell is Karl? Is he with you?" Hannes asked.

Gordon's smirk fell with a gloomy expression replacing it. Gordon then mournfully pointed over to the boulder that had crushed the Yeagers' house. Hannes easily put two-and-two together. "Shit…fucking shit!" Hannes cursed.

Hannes felt a ping of sorrow at the news of his demise. The kid may have been a bit of a pretentious Wall Sheena wannabe but he was still a good kid nonetheless. There was a brief pause between the two as Hannes digested Karl's death. By the time he was done, Hannes felt incredibly deflated. "Walls. Goddess. Fucking Hell. Gordon…" Hannes took in a deep breath as he rubbed his face, "Thanks for saving me. Goddamn it" Hannes said.

Gordon gave Hannes a kind smile and a nod. Gordon steadily rose to his feet and outstretched his hand to Hannes. Hannes gladly took it and used Gordon's aid to stand on his feet. As he rose, Hannes let out a hiss of pain as his back stung. On his feet, Hannes touched his right hip and lower back, and growled when he put pressure on it. He tugged up his shirt and pushed away his straps to see his injury. Hannes winced at the sight of bruises starting to form and deep red lines where his broken gear had imprinted onto his skin. "Ah fuck! That's gonna be a pain for the next few days" Hannes bemoaned.

Speaking of his gear, he saw that it was wrecked beyond salvaging. The left side was all but crushed metal and the right was gone completely. He also felt the propulsion device and line coils were missing on his back. Great, he's a sitting duck. "What about you Gordon? Your injuries and gear? Nothing too serious?" Hannes asked.

The civvy gave him a shake and rolled back a bit of his shirt to have him examed. There was only a few centimetres of skin shown but it was enough for Hannes to see his back and body were riddled with ugly purple bruises. "Shit. Forget I said anything about my back" Hannes depressingly joked.

A chuckle came from Gordon and he rolled his shirt back down. He turned around to have Hannes inspect his gear. Hannes found that it was in top shape. The gas was running a bit low, as were his blades but everything was still functional. Hannes debated whether or not he should take Gordon's gear when he heard something behind him. "Hannes! Hannes!" an adolescent voice called out from the smog.

Hannes back snapped straight at the sound of Eren calling to him. "Damn it! The others! Come on!" Hannes bolted back up the street with Gordon closely behind.

They both made it before the Yeager household, where they found the children and their mother. They had managed to recover Carla from where she had fallen and prop her up against the wreckage of their home. "Carla!" Hannes cried as he knelt before the woman.

Both Mikasa and Eren backed away to have Hannes check her over. Hannes couldn't help himself from cringing at the sight of her. Gashes marded her body and nasty bruises started to form. Hannes couldn't tell how injured her torso and arms were but he knew her legs were broken beyond his abilities to treat. Both her ankles and heels had turned into a horrible shade of dark purple with some places looking like they had deep divots in the skin and flesh. There was bruising as well running up her legs. There was no way she was going to be walking out of here on her own. "Hannes… thank you …saving… Er-e…" Carla said through clenched teeth.

Hannes reacted to the appraisal with a saddened expression. Hannes' eyes fell onto Gordon, who was keeping an eye out on the city. 'No… I don't deserve that. I ran away… I didn't…' Hannes berated himself. Hannes interrupted his thoughts and drew in a deep breath to calm himself. "Come on Carla, I ain't the who risked my life here. Now come on, let's get you up" Hannes said.

While Hannes carefully picked Carla up, the children had chosen to hug Gordon's legs. "T-thank you for…for s-saving her…" Eren openly cried.

"Thank you…" Misaka quietly thanked Gordon.

Gordon was ridged the whole time, awkwardly patting their heads and trying his best to carefully pry them away. It was a sweet moment in a time like this but it wasn't one to last. "Alright, break it up you two. Gordon's shit enough at Maneuver Gear already without you two clinging on to him" Hannes joked.

Gordon scoffed at Hannes and flipped him off. Hannes laughed. "Hey now, there are children here" Hannes informed with a smile.

Thankfully, the children were looking away at the time. They finally broke off of Gordon's legs, much to his gratitude, and turned back to Hannes. "Alright you three, listen up. There's no way Carla's going on foot so I need to carry her. Freeman, you stay with the kids. Keep an eye on them and make sure they stay with you. If we encounter another Titan, we run away from it. I don't want any more heroics from anyone" Hannes ordered.

The children and Gordon gave him a nod, though Hannes noticed how slightly miffed Gordon was at the last statement that practically applied to him. Carla weakly groaned in response, clearly too bothered by her injuries to remain focused. "Gordon, if you and the kids get separated from us, you take the kids and get them out of here" Hannes demanded.

"No! I won't leave her!" Eren defied, running up to his mother's side and grasping her less injured hand.

"This isn't… debate… Eren" Carla weakly spoke.

"She's right Eren. For once, please listen to your mother!" Hannes begged.

There was a brief glimpse of defiance in Eren's eyes but thankful it disappeared. Abrihensivly, Eren pulled his hand away from Carla's and backed away from them. "Good boy Eren" Hannes praised the boy and then turned to Gordon.

"If you would've mind Gordon, please carry them. We'll get out of here faster if you do" Hannes requested.

Gordon gave Hannes a nod and knelt down to the children's level. Steadily, though a bit apprehensive on Gordon's part, He scoped up Eren and Mikasa. Each arm was resting under them as he maneuvered them to either side of him. It was quite obvious Gordon had never held a child before. He was so stiff, uncomfortable and awkward in his posture and stance but he held onto them without a struggle. No small feat either, as Hannes recalled that Mikasa weighted more than a child her age should've weighed and Eren was a big boy himself. Gordon looked as though he was fine with their weight. Good, that made their escape all the more easier. "Alright, let's get you all to the Inner-Gate. Come on. We'll go the way I came. I didn't see any Titans that way" Hannes nodded towards the street the wrecked Yager household was on.

With the children carried by Gordon and Carla securely in his arms, Hannes lead the group forward. He started off as a light jog to pace Gordon. With the gear attached to him and carrying heavier and more important cargo, Hannes didn't want Gordon to pass out from exhaustion but Gordon easily matched Hannes' speed. Even surpassing it at certain points. By the time they left the Yeager's streets and onto a new one, they ended up sprinting together. There was no dead air between them either, as Eren filled it up with questions. "Are you with the Scouts?" Eren asked Gordon.

Gordon looked at the little boy with a questioning glance. There was a few seconds of confused silence before Gordon shook his head. "What?! B-but you faced a Titan! You fought one like a Scout would do!" Eren gushed in amazement, "Are you from the Garrison? Military Police?" Eren then asked.

His tone on the 'Military Police' made him sound sceptical. Hannes couldn't help but let out a laugh. Even in the ass-end of the Walls, the kids here still saw the Police as the corrupt incompetent idiots they were. "Believe it or not kids but Gordon has no military training to speak of. At least that's what he told us" Hannes informed.

"You're… not a soldier?" Mikasa questioned.

Hannes laughed again. "Nope. You, my dear children, had the privilege of being saved by the first civvy in history whose first thought during a Titan crisis was to strap on military equipment and attack a Titan head-on" Hannes joked.

In his arms, he felt Carla shake a little. Hannes feared it might've been something bad till a small whimpering laugh came out of her. "I'm… grateful" Carla managed to wheeze out with gratitude.

Hannes couldn't help but nod in agreement with Carla. He didn't know what would've happened if that maniac with the glasses did not show up, other than Carla's death on his hands and his and the children's survival an uncertainty. Now, however, he knew that their survival was more than likely now that he had a man like Gordon Freeman watching his back and protecting the children. If anything were to happen from here to now, he knew that he and Gordon will guarantee their survival. More importantly, though, he knew that Gordon will help him with a lifelong debt.

"Me too Carla. Me too"

---

Wow. I have to say that I am truly amazed by all you readers. Thank you all for the positive feedback from the first chapter! I was honestly floored by how many people were interested in the story and were waiting to see how this story goes. Honestly, I started this story as a little passion project after playing through the original Half-Life and its remake Black Mesa. I did not expect it to gain this much traction as it did but I'm beyond happy for it. Thank you all.

Apologies as well for the long wait too. Most of the time was dedicated to rewriting the whole Hannes POV scene. Originally it was Gordon's POV, as I wanted to mimic the games and have the story be told purely from Gordon's perspective but I failed that when it came to him rescuing Carla and his team up with Hannes. There were just too many stops and pauses throughout it to read Gordon's mind and have him witness and question Hannes' combat abilities and his planning. I thought it would've been better to have Hannes narrate the scenes and have him contrasting his experience with Gordon's and show just how out of his element Gordon was at the time.

Plus, I reckon having Hannes' POV just shows how ordinary people would react to how ridiculous it was that Gordon Freeman, who Hannes believes is an ordinary citizen with little to no combat training, manages to successfully operate military equipment that takes three years of constant training to use effectively, and take on an Abnormal Titan by himself and survive. A Titan that even veterans of the military, especially the Scouts, actively avoid.

If you so wish, support me Pat Re On to receive chapters early and to see sneak peeks of developing chapters. I'm also making SFM projects as well, so if you want to see some, head over to my YouTube channel to check them out. Same name as this account.

Once again, thank you all and look forward to the next chapter: "We Are Pulling Out"