Evening of day 23, minutes after the destruction of the old Survey Corps HQ
The HQ lay in ruins as a fire began to rage around the surroundings, multiple bodies lay unmoving around the courtyard as the cover of a well right in the middle of the carnage began to stir. It tipped upwards slightly, and a pair of eyes scanned the aftermath apprehensively as they assessed the damage. "Did they leave?" A voice whispered from deeper within.
"I think so, it's safe to come out now." They spoke back.
Within moments, Hange Zoe as well as her subordinates from the fourth squad began to exit the well and observe their surroundings in muted shock. They had come real close to being caught in quite the shitstorm from the looks of things, Moblit frowned as he looked back at Hange. Their squad was busy in the capital and they weren't exactly in a position to receive spontaneous orders, so things could have gotten really bad for them hadn't it been for her, they barely had time to hide before they had arrived. "Thanks for the heads up, section commander."
"Someone had to take responsibility for this oversight. That said, we've got to leave right now." She replied, before pointing in the direction of some of the carriages that hadn't been destroyed by the assault.
"Aren't we looking for survivors?" Abel asked as they made their way over.
Hange simply shook her head. "There likely aren't any, and as much as I hate to say it, we gain nothing from helping these people. We need to relay what happeened to Erwin as soon as possible." She scanned one of the many scattered bodies, before she raised a curious brow. She briefly inspected it and froze, her eyes narrowing.
"What about the captive?" Nifa spoke up.
"He'll have to put up with lost limbs just a little while longer, now, let's get out of here."
Somewhere else within wall Maria, in a cliffside Survey Corps safe house, Bertholdt Hoover sat blindfolded and chained against the wall, two guards standing next to him in the dimly lit room. A small vial filled with clear fluid sat on the table nearby, torchlight reflecting off of it's surface, not that he could see it. But even then, Bertholdt had regained something he thought he had lost deep in those dungeons. He regained a little hope, he was moved away! He had briefly tasted the sunlight on his skin! He was relocated elsewhere and that only meant one thing since he hadn't died yet! His friends were getting close to him, and that breathed some life back into him!
"That time again?" He heard one of the guards say.
"Yeah, hold him still."
They walked over to him, and he could feel the bone saw being placed against his thigh as they secured him but this time, instead of his usual reactions, he smiled. Their hands shook more often now, the cuts were more hesitant, less precise. messier, they were scared, good, they should be.
Hours later, Ehrmich.
The wait was killing him.
Floch Forster impatiently tapped his foot against the hardwood floor as he gazed out at the night sky through the window. Erwin hadn't divulged the reason for their wait, leaving them all in the dark since they departed from Stohess. But at least one question had been answered; they didn't have a traitor in their ranks, Zackly had simply been broken, then taken out of the picture. The only silver lining being that the premier hadn't been involved much in their affairs to know anything vital.
The realization brought no comfort. The redhead understood that without Zackly, the likelihood of a bloodless coup had been diminished. Both he and Erwin surely recognized this. Thus, they found themselves holed up in their Ehrmich headquarters, waiting for god knows what, watching the streets outside for any nondescript wagons or for men in experimental ODM gear to crash through their windows and light up the place. Rod Reiss was getting impatient it seems, and he wasn't subtle about it.
Mikasa sat on the sofa behind him, her fingers toying with her scarf and staring into the fireplace, lost in her own thoughts. They had exhausted all conversation hours ago, so now they simply sat in silence. Floch sighed and glanced back at the street outside. The death of the premier had left him unsettled, he didn't know what to make of it. Erwin, on the other hand, seemed unfazed—as if he had anticipated such an event.
The question lingered, would Pixis be next? If the events of that day where he had met Jean and Marco was any indication, then Reiss was rushing to clean house and that meant any and all people suspected of aiding them. Regardless, the commander wasted no time, swiftly issuing orders to relocate Eren, Bertholdt, and the rest of the regiment. The false titan activity tip had conveniently paved the way for the move, especially with villages like Ragako deserted due to fires. Floch could only hope he hadn't miscalculated the timing, they just needed to survive the week until Jean and Marco start following through with his orders.
As he observed several hooded figures entering through the front gate, concealed beneath their cloaks, Floch raised a brow before leaving the room. Mikasa followed his movements with her eyes before standing up to join him. "What's going on?" she inquired, standing behind him as he leaned over the railing to oversee the entrance.
"We've got visitors," Floch replied simply, watching as the hooded figures greeted his squad below. As the cloaks were removed, it became clear that it was Hange and the rest of the fourth squad. "It's Hange and her team," he informed the girl beside him as she walked over to take a look for herself.
"They're already back. Does that mean they found what they're looking for?" she asked.
He turned towards her, locking eyes together. "Only one way to find out."
Floch, Mikasa, squad Mike minus it's leader and squad Hange were all gathered together in Erwin's office, as the latter stood right in the center before them, reading a report put together by the fourth squad. Floch kept sneaking glances at those gathered around him, noticing that Hange kept shooting him strange looks from time to time, he wondered what that was about.
"Without any of the information we knew beforehand, it would have appeared strange for a regional lord to be this involved in the secrets of the walls. Still, we now have more than enough to expose him." Erwin began. "His ties to his illegitimate daughter, his background and history. Zackly's death was a major setback, but we can still pull it together and finish this with what we've got."
Erwin locked eyes with Hange's. "And if what you say is true, then Reiss is likely using the first interior squad to do his bidding."
Floch furrowed his brow, trying his hardest to remember, he felt the man he saw at that tavern was familiar yet he couldn't put his finger on it. If only he wasn't dicking around in the Garrison during his original life, or this would have been much easier. "That said, going by recent example, we need to prepare for war. Zackly wasn't the first, and he won't be the last." Erwin spoke, eyeing Mikasa and Floch before turning to Hange.
"I believe there is something else you wished to inform me about."
Hange stood up. "There is." She paused dramatically for a moment before answering. "Earlier this evening, when our HQ was raided, that raid itself was ambushed by our two wanted titan shifters." Hange spoke, shocking the rest as Erwin's eyes hardened. "And... from the looks of things, it seems that they've recruited Ymir. She is helping them search for Bertholdt."
Floch froze, face paling and throat drying as all eyes landed on him. He took heavy breaths and averted his gaze down to the floor, lost in thought, his worst fears had come true. History was about to repeat itself, under different circumstances no less. "Good, knowing that makes things easier. It's clear what we must do, we've no choice but to declare Ymir as an enemy and take her down as well, relay this to the rest." Floch's eyes widened at the commander.
"Sir, you can't be-"
"I am." Erwin asserted. "She chose her side, what follows next will be the consequences, either for us, or them." Erwin set the paper down, then turned to Hange. "Now then, with any luck, what I've been waiting on will work out, we just need to stall a bit longer. That attack on our HQ might have just been a blessing in disguise, it'll buy us some time while they attempt to cover up the incident."
Floch frowned, all eyes turning to him as he spoke out. "Hold on a second, from the fourth squad's report there's no survivors left... meaning-"
"They'll likely think it was our doing, officially kicking off the start of a civil war." Erwin finished.
"But why?"
Hange interjected, answering the redhead. "This is what he meant by stalling for time, they'll think twice next time they decide to raid one of our locations, for all they know... Eren could be waiting for them."
"Precisely, we'll use that fear against them, and it isn't like they can do anything against it, we have the superior weapon after all." Erwin supplied. Floch stared at his back dumbfounded, as did some of the rest. "Of course, once they figure that out, the first thing they'll do is rush to solidify their grip on the public. By the end of this month, I predict that they'll twist the version of the events to turn the general opinion against us, meaning all the support we built up from the outer districts will be taken away."
Shit, if that's the case, they'll have enemies everywhere. Pixis would be less inclined to work with them, it'll be an uphill battle through and through. Not to mention, they had to worry about five rogue titan shifters waltzing around their territory and taking their settlements out one by one. Floch furrowed his brows, an idea already came to mind about how to lure out the warriors using Bertholdt, but that meant they'd be risking a lot especially since they've yet to have a way to counter Reiner's armored titan.
"But, I do not want it to escalate to that, we won't allow them to twist the narrative as they see fit. That is why," Floch was brought out of his musings by Erwin's voice. "I'll be sending all of you south to rejoin the rest for now. Hange, get this message delivered to the Garrison attached to our troops over there. Members of the third squad, you'll be answering to Hange for now on, Mike won't be back for some time until his mission is done."
Hange took the piece of paper and began to read it, her eyes widening, she looked up at Erwin in awe. "You can't be serious, this will destabilize the entire kingdom!"
His expression left no room for negotiation. "See to it that it's done, you're all dismissed."
Floch and the rest were left curious as to what had been written on that slip of paper, but they weren't about to ask questions with an atmosphere this thick. They all filed out of the room one by one and as Floch was the last to head out, Erwin called for him. "Floch, a moment please."
"Yes, sir?" Mikasa paused and glanced at the redhead, Floch turned to meet her gaze and gave her curt nod before closing the door. She stood there for a few moments before she took her leave, Hange's reaction was troublesome, she wasn't a fan of how things were headed.
"There are only those who knew and those of us completely in the dark." - Erwin Smith 850 AD.
Morning of day 24, SC outpost at Utgard ruins, south west of wall Sina.
Sasha blouse sighed and wiped beads of her forehead with her sleeve, her and the rest of the privates from the 104th finished helping relocate some of the civilians that had been forced to flee their homes by escorting them to a safe route towards Ehrmich. The girl leaned against a tree and watched the scouts around her move about, in the distance right behind their barracks, two titans sat bound to the ground, unable to move in their state.
She checked her pockets for a paper handed to her by Louise before she had left with her father, she hadn't seen that man in ages but suffice to say both were glad the other was safe. Part of her wanted to read what was on that paper, but she decided against it and simply left it there to hand over to Floch later. It was probably something personal between her and the redhead so she didn't want to invade that privacy.
"Oi, Sasha, there's no time to be lazy, we're not done here yet!" Connie called out as he, Gordon and Ruth stood in wait, all carrying boxes of supplies.
"Coming!" She called back, pushing herself off the tree to rejoin them.
Her eyes suddenly caught sight of Eren off in the distance, sitting by himself on a tree stump and gazing towards the two titans. Connie noticed this too, as the four paused to look at the boy. "He's been there this entire morning, from what I hear, he lost some of his squadmates yesterday." The boy supplied somberly.
"Poor Eren..." Sasha muttered.
"We know that feeling all too well don't we? Those titans were responsible then?" Gordon said, as Ruth hummed in acknowledgement.
"Maybe, I still can't figure out why we're keeping them here with us, seems risky. This entire place feels too open compared to our previous HQ." Connie shrugged.
"W-we should get moving, the officers over there are starting to notice us standing around." Ruth stuttered before they all picked up the pace and carried on with their tasks.
Eren Yeager gazed ahead blankly at the transformed Eld and Gunther, a feeling of numbness washing over him. He glanced down and inspected the palm of his hands, frowning a little before he held one hand with the other. His first battle ever since learning the truth, and he's already losing people he's grown close to. He couldn't even claim that it wasn't his fault. Maybe, if he had just let things play out instead of jumping for Petra, he wouldn't have been taken out of the fight.
Maybe, he could have made a difference, saved more lives.
To make matters worse, from what the captain had said, that was his half-brother who they had encountered back near Dauper. Floch had told him about the man, Zeke, his name was. The man didn't know who he was, but he did, he's even seen him in some of those visions. Their first encounter was spent with him lying down on the ground uselessly while two of his squadmates were effectively killed for good. The future wasn't necessarily written in stone, it couldn't be. After all, this was an entirely different future from the one Floch had come from, it had to be now. Those visions, they weren't the full picture, shit, what even was a picture? He felt his head being filled with concepts that were simply foreign to him. There had to be more he didn't know, more that Floch didn't know, and he had just the right idea of how to find those missing pieces.
His eyes traced their path towards Historia, and for a few seconds, she was the only real thing in front of him.
He needed her, she was the answer.
He had to shape up or be swept away, he knew that more than anything. Not for his sake, but for the sake of his friends, his family, everyone and everything around him. He couldn't let himself be a bystander in his own story, while those depending on him dropped dead like flies. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, he needed to make a difference.
"Eren, long time no see!"
His eyes widened, that voice! He turned around, only to find Hannes standing right behind him. "Hannes! What are you doing all the way out here!?"
"Heh, that's not a way to greet your superiors you know?" The man smiled as he walked closer, he nudged the boy off the tree stump a little so that they could share the space. "We were sent out to verify the integrity of the walls, it looked fine to me so I have no clue where these titans came from." He looked momentarily dejected. "We received reports that a squad had gone missing while attempting to assess the neighboring villages, guess that over there answers what happened to them." He added pointing towards the titans.
Eren froze at that before he smiled weakly, attempting to lighten the mood. "Yeah right, like a guy like you could see anything beyond the bottom of a bottle."
"Oi, I gave that up ages ago, I thought I told you by now brat." Hannes grunted.
"I know... I know." Eren muttered, before he glanced back towards Eld and Gunther.
Hannes saw this and his eyes softened. "I heard from your squad leader what happened, I'm sorry you had to go through that, your squadmates were good men. Just keep your head up and don't beat yourself up about it too much, these things, they happen all the time."
Eren shook his head. "It's easy to say, but you weren't there, I was useless..."
Hannes' lips thinned, as he traced his gaze towards the titans with a faraway look, moments later, he squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance, brushing off the moment.
"Tsk, useless my ass. You've already done a lot more than most of us could ever hope to achieve, it's thanks to you that thousands all over wall Rose aren't dead or starving right now, never forget that." Hannes rebuffed, Eren looked back at him with a frown. "Listen kid, in my all my years of watching you grow, I've seen you take one beating after the other, I don't even think you've ever won a fight on your own from what I remember." Eren's face softened and looked away towards the grass beneath him. "Still, without fail, you wiped off the blood and dirt from your face and stood back up stronger, you think getting knocked down one more time is any different?"
Eren's eyes widened in awe, his bottom lip quivering a little. "Hannes..."
The man grinned and ruffled the boy's hair a little. "Titan or not, you're still that same kid to me, and that kid doesn't give up no matter what so don't you go forgetting that."
A few tears threatened to escape but Eren composed himself, wiping them off with his sleeve. "Thank you, Hannes."
"Anytime, now snap out of it and get your head back in the game you hear me?" Hannes replied as he stood up.
"Right!" Eren nodded back enthusiastically.
"Squad Mike and Hange are here, sir!" The two heard a scout shout in the distance, Eren's head snapped in that direction to find Floch and Mikasa among the group nearing their outpost.
Hannes watched as the boy sped away without a word, then laughed to himself. "That boy's still the same." He shook his head before he followed after him.
In a secluded chamber within the barracks, the remnants of Squad Levi, alongside Squad Hange and Mikasa, gathered closely. The center of their circle was marked by a table draped in cloth. Levi, one of the few seated, had just finished poring over a report passed to him by Hange, and he shared the details of their recent encounters with the attentive group. "What the hell is he planning?" Levi muttered after finishing the report.
Hange's expression darkened with concern. "So Floch was correct. Those individuals were transformed into Titans through aerosolized spinal fluid, then? If they can run around turning people into titans at will like this then they pose a significant threat," she remarked, her voice heavy with the weight of this revelation. "What became of the regular titans you came across?"
Levi's response was swift and to the point. "I killed them all." he said, his gaze briefly meeting Eren's, who showed a peculiar response to his declaration. "Except for Eld and Gunther, who remain outside as you saw. There's still hope to save one of them."
The inevitable question hung in the air, unspoken but palpable.
"Have you reached a decision?" asked Hange, breaking the silence.
Levi's reply was laden with resignation. "It's beyond me to make such a choice, to decide who between them gets another chance at life. It can't be done so lightly."
Floch suggested a solution. "Perhaps a coin toss would suffice. It removes the burden of decision, less personal that way." The sooner Bertholdt was out of the picture, the better. Eren gave him a curious sidelong glance at that, before looking away.
Levi agreed. "That could work."
Petra and Oluo, though uneasy about relegating such a critical decision to chance, recognized it as a preferable alternative to making a direct choice that could sentence one of their own to death, or something even worse. With a heavy sigh, Levi rose and approached the previously unnoticed table. "Enough of that for now, Hange, take a look," he said, unveiling the array of items meticulously arranged on the table, catching Floch and Eren off guard, while piquing the curiosity of the others.
Hange, now overtaken by intrigue, examined the display which Floch had immediately recognized. five gas masks, largely destroyed; blood-stained Marleyan army uniforms and helmets; One Marleyan Hauser pistols, four carbine 38 rifles and a bunch of ammunition pouches with stripper clips neatly organized beside them. It was enough for a party.
"What exactly are we looking at here?" she pondered aloud, picking up a weapon for closer inspection as she blinked owlishly. "These are unlike any armament we possess. Where were they found?"
"They belonged to the enemy unit we encountered near Dauper. Our patrols retrieved them after the enemy fled and neglected their dead," Levi explained, swiftly intervening as Hange began to peer into the barrel of a gun, cautioning, "Careful. One of our own accidentally discharged one on the way here."
With a chagrined grin, Hange shifted her focus to a bullet, intrigued by its design. "I assume this is the bullet, then? Why is it pointy? And I don't see any rod or gunpowder anywhere, also the barrel is so narrow!"
"It's contained within," Levi clarified, before pointing at the pistol. "When that pistol fired, that yellow part of the bullet ejected from the top over here."
"Interesting... So there's a mechanism inside the weapon that directly starts a chemical reaction within the bullet itself, eliminating the need to refill the weapon with gunpowder..." Hange muttered, before her eyes widened in shock as she glanced up at Levi. "Hold on, this is decades beyond any technology we posses... No way-"
Levi's eyes hardened. "It's exactly what you think four-eyes, It's not so lonely out there beyond the walls."
Most of those who hadn't caught on by now were rooted in awe, Floch and Eren watched, unfazed as the group's suspicions were finally confirmed in real time. The two boys briefly locked eyes, before turning away with unspoken words, Mikasa watched them from behind, eyes blank and calculating. "Then this basically seals the deal. What are we planning to do with these?" Hange asked.
"Use them, what else?" Levi replied, setting the gun down on the table. "I've been shot at in the past, but experiencing the other end of this thing was nothing like I had seen before. If we put these in the right hands, we'll have a heavy advantage over the outdated shit we've been running around with. And from the looks of things, we'll be needing them real soon."
"Erwin will want to hear about this. That said, I think it's time we called captain Hannes in here." Hange replied, before concealing the contents spread across the table. Petra left the room and moments later returned with the blonde man.
"Captain Levi, Hange, greetings." The man greeted before his eyes landed on Mikasa. "Ah, so you're finally here. Mikasa"
"Hannes, it's good to see you again." The girl acknowledged with a nod.
"Same here kid." He nodded back at her with a smile, before turning to Levi. "You should make this quick, we need to hurry back to Trost to report about the suspected breach."
"About that." Levi began, causing the man to raise a brow in question before being handed a slip of paper. Hannes began to read it, his eyes wideneing bit by bit before he suddenly blew his top.
"What the hell is this?! Are you serious?!"
"Do I look like I'm pulling your leg here?"
"You want me to lie and tell them the wall's been breached?! They'll have me hanged if they were to find out the truth, besides that, have you considered the implications of this?! There will be damn chaos all over! There better be a good reason for this!"
"Yeah, there is actually, have a seat." Levi replied.
Hannes frowned, before he scanned the faces of all of those present in the room, he locked eyes with Eren and the green-eyed boy nodded back at him. Hannes' features softened before he relented. "This better be worth all the trouble."
Levi turned to Floch, the redhead cocked a brow in surprise
"What? You want me to do it? All the way from the top again?"
As Hannes and his troops departed the outpost on horseback, Floch shared a moment with Eren, both propped against the barracks' walls watching them ride off. "Retelling the story is getting old, but the reactions are priceless, the poor guy barely got back up on his legs." Floch remarked jokingly.
Eren's attention was momentarily centered on Mikasa in the distance. "Poor guy is probably going to start drinking again, you must have repeated it quite a lot by now."
"Five times, and counting." Floch replied, casting a glance at Eren. "So, you finally met him, Zeke that is."
"It wasn't exactly a meeting. More like, he welcomed me with a boulder, knocking me out before I could really see him."
Floch suppressed a grimace, choosing instead to smile. "Sounds like one heck of a family reunion, huh?"
Eren's demeanor hardened. "I want him gone, yet I understand that's not what we need right now. He needs to be alive, although I'm not sure we can ensure that." He observed their companions mingling. "Setting my feelings aside, I just want what's best for them, for us. You get it, don't you?" Eren asked, looking at Floch.
Floch detected a genuine softness in Eren's eyes before he shut his own, smiling. "Yeah, I understand." But something in Eren's words puzzled him—why emphasize the need to keep him alive?
"Good," Eren continued, a stern seriousness returning to his eyes.
Floch was taken aback by the intensity he found in that gaze when he looked again. "...Whatever it is you think you're doing with all of this right now, it has to stop."
Floch, caught off guard, stuttered, "W-what do you mean?"
Eren paused, his eyes probing before mentioning, "Ymir."
The mention of her name unsettled Floch. "...What about her?"
"Don't play ignorant; your reaction earlier didn't go unnoticed. What will you do, now that she's turned traitor again?" Eren pressed.
Defiance flared in Floch's eyes. "What do you fucking think?"
Eren calmly challenged, "I'm thinking you're not ready to face the truth."
Brushing off the comment, Floch retorted, "You're one to talk, don't go around assuming shit, I know what must be done. She must be eliminated at all costs... And I'll be the one to inherit the Jaws Titan."
Eren's expression softened, indicating the response he anticipated. "Good. We should cut this short for now; they've been watching us."
"Right."
Floch followed after him as they walked over to their friends, his heart beating like a drum, feeling like a child that had been reprimanded by his parents. He traced his gaze to the back of Eren's head, studying him carefully as he thought about his actions. Something about him felt different now, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, for all he knew, that encounter with Zeke might have altered something in him, especially with the loss of his two squadmates. He knew that feeling all too well, but... why did it feel like Eren wasn't really speaking about Ymir just now?
"Well, well, look who finally decided to join the rest of us!" Connie called out, as the group turned to greet the duo.
"Yeah, yeah, get over it Connie." Eren grinned as the two fist bumped. "How have things been the last couple of days?"
"Oh you know, the usual, being ordered around and shovelling horseshit." The shorter boy grinned back. "Seriously though, what's up with those two back behind the barracks?"
Eren glanced back at the titans, before his eyes briefly met Floch's. "It's a long story, sorry, but I don't think I'm allowed to tell you guys yet."
"Aww man, nothing at all? Not even why we've been out here all this time?" Gordon groaned.
"Actually." Floch spoke up, gaining their attention as Eren turned around. "I've had a word with commander Erwin yesterday, I've received permission to let you all in on what's been happening lately. You all have a right to know what you're up against." Floch sought permission from Historia, who reluctantly nodded as the air suddenly felt tense. The redhead briefly locked gazes with Sandra, recalling their previous conversation before he nodded at her. "Alright... I'll just skip what you already know."
About fifteen minutes later, Floch got them all up to date. To his surprise, most had taken it better than expected, and others were especially distraught by the news. While Historia now found herself at the center of attention. "S-so! Hold on! Historia is goin' to be Queen?!" Sasha shouted incredulously as all eyes landed on the blonde.
"Yes... It seems like the Survey corps wants to place me on the throne since my father's the... true ruler of these walls." She nodded back.
"True ruler? The family holding the crown are frauds?" Sandra muttered.
"And you're gonna do it? Isn't that a big responsibility?" Mina asked curiously.
Historia averted her gaze to the ground with an air of resignation. Eren and Floch knew that expression all too well, she was still unsure of what to do, she didn't want this life. "If it's for the best..."
Armin turned around back towards the titans bound in the distance. "Eren... you kept looking back there ever since you woke up, those two titans, if I got it right they're your..." He trailed uncomfortably, unsure of whether to leave the topic alone or not.
Eren nodded with hints of sadness in his features. "They're my squadmates, they've been turned into titans by the enemy we encountered near Dauper." He confirmed, causing the rest to tense with apprehension at the thought of someone with those capabilities roaming around freely.
"I see, sorry to hear that." The boy muttered back aplogetically.
"I-Is there nothing that can be done for them?" Ruth asked.
"There is." The green-eyed boy turned to her. "We can feed Bertholdt to one of them, and that'll make them just like me."
Armin furrowed his brows. "That's what's been happening around us then, we're caught in a two front war, on one side we've got the government hurrying to keep things under wraps and on the other side there's Reiner, Annie and that titan you ran into near Dauper, all fighting one another. Who do they answer to?"
"Whoever it is, we won't let it discourage us. We all look up to you both to get us through this." Sandra spoke to Eren and Floch. "If the two of you are confident in what you're doing then it is more than enough, humanity within the walls depends on you after all."
"Thank you." Eren simply replied.
"So, what's next?" Gordon broke the following silence.
"Since we'll be safe from any other raid for now, we simply hold until new orders arrive, commander Erwin is waiting on something specific." Floch began, sharing a brief look with Hannah. "I guess I should tell you guys that I've met up with Jean and Marco as well, I told them everything a few days ago, they're on our side and will be working with us from now on." He informed leaving them surprised by the information.
"The MP already started to take notice of our activities, they tried to intercept us that day we met." Mikasa supplied, alarming them.
"Does that have anything to do with the premier's death?" Armin inquired, and the two nodded. "I see, this is more dangerous than we thought. The premier's influence would have been a big deal in all of this."
"Yeah..." Floch's voice trailed off, a sigh threading through his words.
"Sorry, just before I forget," Sasha chimed in, her tone a mix of apology and awkward laughter. She approached Floch, extending a piece of paper. "Louise asked me to hand this to ya, she says yer parents were supposed to send it but couldn't."
"My parents? Louise was meant to be in Dauper, she's safe right?" Floch queried. Sasha's confirming nod led him to meticulously examine the letter. As Floch's expression shifted through the reading—initial confusion morphed into shocking realization—the group watched closely. His eyes eventually widened, his jaw slackened in surprise. Locking gazes with Eren, his features stiffened grimly.
"It's Ymir. She wants to meet in Stohess by the end of the month."
The revelation sparked varied murmurs among the group; some were relieved, others, upon catching Floch's tense demeanor, felt confused. Historia, catching the weight of his look, displayed conspicuous concern. Floch, brow knitted, pivoted sharply, leaving Eren with parting words, "I'll take this to the captains. Whether you tell them or not, it's your call, Eren."
With a brisk exit, Floch's departure left a trail of dreadful speculation. Eren's voice cut through the thick silence, "Ymir has betrayed us. She helped destroy those MP at our HQ together with Reiner and Annie. They're looking for Bertholdt."
The news anchored the group in a stunned stillness, with Historia visibly disturbed. "That can't be true..."
Eren's eyes hardened. "It is, she's our enemy now."
In the shadowed corners of Stohess, within a nondescript apartment, the trio of Ymir, Reiner, and Annie lay in wait. Reiner slept on a sofa with his back turned, while Annie sought refuge in the pages of a book nearby. Ymir, seated at the edge of the balcony outside, allowed her eyes to roam over the cityscape, her thoughts adrift between a small blonde girl and a redheaded boy with much to answer for.
And scene!
Edit: as to not cause confusion, The "Hauser" pistol is just a Mauser C96, while the "Carbine 38" rifles are supposed to be Gewehr karabiner 98, the production year in the label was adjusted for the world of AOT (and yes I am aware the K98K version was not produced in 1898).
Wew, what's Erwin planning? What's Mike up to? What's the next move for Rod and Kenny? What's gonna happen to Ymir now that Fleren and co know what she's been up to? Will Eld and Gunther be saved? Find out next time on STD! I've been trying my hardest to keep this story unpredictable, ever since people pointed out the obvious death flags for Franz I took it personally. Now, most of you can't even tell some of the characters have been given some foreshadowing about their fates haha! (Even the really important ones.)
But yes, next chapter, Floch and Ymir will finally have their reunion and we'll see where things go from there, here's a small hint since I'm a little excited, the previous chapter has a bit of foreshadowing! Besides that I've also been meaning to give charaters like EMA, Sasha, Connie and Sandra some time to shine so that's next on my to do list.
Anyway, that's all from me, see you soon!