All rights belong to Hajime Isayama

Plot: The Warriors make their move against Trost, but something unexpected happens.

Also, I went back into the last chapter and changed how Reiner talks to Krista about going to Wall Sina. Hope you like it better:

Reiner is with Krista at a motel...

The new graduates of class 104 are only able to stare in shock at the Colossal Titan. It was the same monster that broke down the walls five years ago and flooded Maria with Titans. The Titanic abomination sent by Marley to exterminate them all along with the Armored Titan. The thing that everyone had been searching for all these years. And it just appeared before them, before yet another wall, in the blink of an eye.

Eren heard lightning behind him. He can see everyone's shocked and horror stricken faces, and he feels heat radiating onto his back. Curious, Eren turns around, and there is the same skinless red face he remembered from that day.

"Wha-"

Is all Eren can say before the Colossal Titan releases steam from its body, blowing Eren and everyone else there off the wall.

Eren's heart races as he falls, but he is quick enough to activate his ODM gear. The grappling hooks shoot out of his gear and larch into the wall, saving him from death.

"What the hell!?" Eren shouts.

'The Colossal Titan is back!'

Eren watches as everyone else saves themselves with their gear the same way. Samuel, who is unconscious from the force, falls and his hook breaks away from the wall. Eren shouts Samuels name as he falls, but Sasha runs down the wall after him and manages to save him by sending one of her hooks into his calf. Eren winces at the sight, but Sasha has saved him from falling and is keeping them both secured to the wall with another cable. But Eren's mind is elsewhere. The Colossal Titan has kicked down the gates to the Trost District, just like it did to his years ago.

'No…it's happening again. The Titans are going to get in! Mom…Krista…'

Eren draws his swords.

"This is it people!" Eren shouts to the other graduates. "Do or die!"

Eren swings himself up the wall, ready to take down Marley's Monster.

"Mount all Anti-Titan canons! Take down the Colossal Titan! This is our chance! Don't let him slip away!"

It has been five years since Bertolt was in his Titan again. He had almost forgotten what it feels like. It's a strange feeling, having all these fleshy tendons growing out of his face, arms and legs as more flesh engulfs him. He moves his arms and the giant Titan body he is controlling copies it like a puppets whose strings are being pulled. It's a harder feeling when using his legs thanks to all his weight, but he already burst down the gate with his steam so now he just has to focus on weakening the islanders defenses.

He just needs to take out all the Anti-Titan canons mounted at the top so that the Titans can invade Trost unhindered. Then, hopefully, the Founder will intervene before Reiner has to officially break down Wall Rose. Bertolt isn't proud to be doing this, but he tells himself it's for the best. Eren, Connie, Sasha, better they the fall or the jaws of Titans than live to-

"Don't let him slip away!"

'What? Eren?'

Eren flies up from the other side of the wall and lands back at the top. Bertolt internally sighs as Eren narrows his eyes at him.

'Oh, he's back?'

"Hey, it's been five years." Eren says before he starts charging at him.

'Is he really going to try to fight me?' Bertolt sighs . 'Nevermind him. I need to focus on the objective.'

Bertolt swings his Titan arm toward the mounted canons (and Eren by extension). Eren jumps, using his ODM gear to move through the air, as Bertolt knocks all the canons down. The canons break off the top and fall onto Titan territory, completing Bertolt objective.

'Now to deal with the suicidal bastard.'

Bertolt turns his colossal head and spots Eren through his Titan-eyes. Bertolt reaches for Eren, intending to toss him away and then evaporate his body before Eren can recover. But the island devil propels onto his arm before Bertolt can grab him.

'Damn it! I'm too slow! God, Eren is running up my arm. If he reaches my nape I'm dead!'

Bertolt can feel Eren's looks piercing into his Titan flesh. It isn't so much as pain as it is the feeling of something sliding between someone's fingers. Then, Bertolt feels it on the back of his nape, right where his human body is.

"Take this!" Eren yells.

Realizing that Eren is about to strike his weak spot, Bertolt releases his defense mechanism. A massive emission of steam erupts from The Colossal Titans back, pushing back Eren just before he can slice Bertolt in half. But Bertolt knows from training how strong the motors are. And knowing Eren, he won't let steam get in his way.

'I better get out of here before Eren breaks through.'

Bertolt immediately evaporates his entire Titan body, just in time before Eren activates the second gear on his ODM motor. Bertolt evades the sword and flies away on his own ODM gear while Eren cuts through the steam. He sneaks away using the steam as a cover around the wall as Eren questions what happened. Bertolt zips away, intending to meet with Reiner and Annie on the other side after getting a good distance away from the scouts.

'Thank God for ODM gear. I can evaporate my entire Titan without having to worry about falling to my death. The Walls busted down and hopefully, the Founder will react before Reiner has to-'

A piece of the wall slides away, revealing a blonde woman who kind of looks like an older version of Annie with ODM reveals herself. Bertolt barely notices her before she aims the end of her barrel at Bertolt and fires.

Bertolt lets out a yelp as a dart lodges into his neck. As he swings closer to the wall, Bertolt tries to grab onto his gear to make him keep flying, but as every second passes by Bertolt finds himself unable to move. His hand and entire body feel numb as it becomes more difficult to move it. His head feels dizzy and everything looks like it's spinning. Bertolt tries to activate his Titan healing factor to filter the toxin out of his system but it isn't working. His hook snaps off and Bertolt falls, but he is caught by the blonde woman thanks to HER ODM gear. She quickly pulls Bertolt into her hole and seals it shut before anyone else can see them. As Bertolt moves his eyes around, gazing at the massive pieces of red flesh of the Colossal Titans inside the Walls, visible only by the light his kidnapper has with her. And he feels a strange sense of irony at is situation.

He can barely register what the woman is saying. At this point, he cannot even see her face clearly, but a fussy blob.

The woman tried to tell him something. But Bertolt can barely register what she says as he becomes weaker. The only thing he can tell, is that they are moving.

'Annie! Reiner!' Bertolt screams inside his mind. Unfortunately, they cannot hear him.

"Damn it!" Eren shouts as he looks at the footprints of where the Colossal Titan was moments ago.

He looks down at the ground and around the walls, but there isn't a sign of a single human.

"He's gone! He was able to make his Titan disappear just like that?"

"Eren!" Thomas runs to the edge of the wall and calls out to him. "What happened!? Did you get him or not!?"

"No! I didnt! Bastard dumped his Titan body ran away before I could slice his nape. The coward!" Eren flings himself back up to the top of the wall and meets with Thomas and Connie. "I'm sorry, I failed."

"What are you sorry for?" Connie asks. "At least you did something."

"The Colossal Titan's human form must be somewhere close. We have to search the area. Track him down!"

"We need to prepare for a Titan invasion," says Thomas. "The Titan Speakers aren't operational yet and if the Titans take Trost we could lose Wall Rose."

"But…the Colossal-"

"Can wait. Protecting the people comes first."

Eren thinks about his mom and Krista who are in Wall Rose right now. If they lose Trost, they are in danger. Eren grips the edge of his sword and nods.

Sasha pulls Samuel back to the top of the wall. She moves to his side and places his head on her lap. She shakes him and tries to awaken him.

"Samuel? Samuel, wake up!"

Samuel's eyes flutter open, the first thing he sees is Sasha's concerned face looking over him. As he comes too, he can't help but notice how beautiful she looks in the light. But those thoughts are interrupted by the excruciating pain in his lower calf as well as a surging pain in his head.

Samuel sits up and screams as he clasps his bleeding leg. Sasha squeezes his arm and raises her hands to calm him.

"Samuel, it's ok! Breathe!"

"GAH!" Samuel yells, agonizingly. "What happened!?"

"The Colossal Titan appeared!" Sasha says. "He knocked us all off. You got knocked unconscious."

Samuel screams again as he clasps his calf.

"Did a piece of metal go into my leg!?"

"Your gear came off. You were falling." Sasha's voice becomes lower. "So, I saved you. The only way I could."

Samuel looks at the bloody hook that Sasha is holding, which is attached to her ODM gear. A part of him wants to scream at her for piercing his leg and possibly crippling him for life, but he also acknowledges that if she hadn't done that then he would be dead now.

"Ahh….Well…thank you. For saving me. Sasha." Samuel says through his painful moans. "So where is it? The Colossal?"

"Disappeared as fast as it came," Sasha says, disappointed. "He broke a hole in the Wall."

Samuels' eyes widen with horror.

"What?"

Sasha places her arm under his shoulders and lifts him up.

"Come on, let's get you to the doctor."

Samuel blushes at Sahsa's concern for him. Also from the feeling of her breast touching against the side of his ribs. She hooks his belt to hers and then places her hand on his chest, which causes him to blush more.

"I'm going to have to use my ODM gear to get us down. You might feel some pain."

"It will be fine. Thank you, Sasha."

Sasha smiles. "What are friends for?"

Sasha activates her ODM gear and takes off, with Samuel holding onto her. As they fling forward, Samuel tries to keep his mind off the pain. He notices how beautiful Sahsa looks with her hair blowing in the wind, and the tiny crush he has always had on her grows even more with the knowledge that she saved his life. But more than that, Samuel feels a greater hatred of Marley burn since their Colossal monster nearly killed him. He looks back at the wall where he sees the breach.

"The Walls have been breached again," Samuel says with scorn.

"Don't worry, we will handle it. Just focus on getting rest."

Samuel winces from the pain in his calf.

"I am grateful Sasha, but I hope that you didnt cause me any permanent injuries."

"It was a clean cut not near an artery. You will be fine," says Sasha. "After a few months in recovery, you will be swinging again in no time."

"Good." Samuel nods. "I hope I get the chance to face down the Colossal Titan again."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Samuel growls. "I want to slice his nape for what he's done."

"Eren already tried that. It didnt work."

"Mark my words, Sasha. I will take down the Colossal Titan and then we can begin our retaliation against Marley. We'll raze that cursed country to the ground."

Sasha looks at him concerned. "That is a little much. Dont you think?"

"No, its not! They are trying to do that to us."

"That doesn't mean we should try to kill them back."

"That is exactly what it means! Eren would agree."

Sasha turns her head forward, not wanting to get into an argument with her injured comrade.

Annie and Reiner are back at Trost's Military Headquarters along with the other recent graduates who have not been assigned something yet. They are outside in the training grounds, right where Bertolt agreed to meet them after he was finished with his "assignment". Bertolt was supposed to meet back with them half an hour ago. But he still hasn't shown up.

"Where the hell is he!?" Annie asks Reiner.
"I don't know," Reiner says. "But we know the gate is broken down by now since the other soldiers are moving out."

"You don't think he was captured, do you?" Annie asks, worried. "Or killed, maybe?"

"I don't know….maybe-"

Marco enters the area.

"Reiner! Annie!"

Annie reaches into her pocket and puts on her ring, ready to slice her finger if an escape is needed. Reiner turns around slowly, with the intention of cutting himself with the knife in his hands if Marco is here to arrest them too.

"Marco, what is it?" Reiner asks, cautiously.

"Bad news! The Colossal Titan appeared again! He broke down the Wall to Trost!"

"The Colossal Titan?" Annie asks. "D-did he get away or did we capture him?"

Marco looks down. "No. The human inside got away before Eren could kill him. And where is Bertolt?"

Reiner and Annie internally sigh. Bertolt wasn't captured, so they assume he is fine.

"Bertolt said he was going for a walk," Reiner says. "We haven't seen him for hours." He smacks his fist against the wall. "But the Colossal Titan is back!? Damn!"

"Everyones being called in for a meeting! Come on!"

Marco runs away and Reiner and Annie reluctantly follow him.

"Maybe Bertolt will be with the other cadets?" Annie suggests.

"I'm sure he is."

Unfortunately, neither Annie nor Reiner see Bertolt anywhere among the crowd. They assume that maybe he is late, or got lost, or is in hiding.

All the cadets have returned to base where they are waiting to be briefed by the military on what their next course of action is. They all knew that, as recent graduates, they are to be involved with it. The ones who planned to join the military police (Jean) are silently cursing their luck while others are cursing their luck in general. Some others are wondering where Bertolt is. Some accuse the taller boy of leaving while higher officials are talking about court martialing him.

Thankfully for Annie and Reiner, no one seems to be paying any attention to them, so that indicates that their covers have not been blown. Commander Woermann of the Garrison takes the stand. He is a middle-aged man that some would describe as looking like a bearded walrus.

"As practiced, you will all split into groups of four! Under Garrison commands, you are responsible for resupplying, relaying orders, and engaging with the Titans on the field! The Garrison intercept squad will form the vanguard! Though normally the killing of a Titan is forbidden unless absolutely necessary, it is now necessary! Atleast until all inhabitants of Trost have been evacuated! To aid you, you will be equipped with prototype sound grenades capable of stunning or driving away Titans! We only have a few, so use them sparingly!

Reiner briefly wonders if the Titans will still be able to get in or not. Bertolt may have been instructed to take out all their big Anti-Titan guns, but they still have ODM gear, swords, guns, and Thunder Spears. Plus the speakers that are supposed to drive away Titans who hear them. He leans over to Annie.

"You may need to scream to overflow the entrance with enough Titans," he whispers to her.

"Must I?" Annie asks.

"Do you think the Garrisons will be able to fend the Titans off?"

Annie averts her eyes. She sees Armin, focused on the commander, and she feels a tinge of guilt swell inside her.

"Under one condition," Annie says.

"What?"

"When we confront the Founder, I get to be the one who eats them."

Reiners eyes widen. "Why do YOU want to be the Founder?"

"Do we have a deal or not?"

Reiner grunts. "Fine. As long as Marley gets it that is what matters."

Annie looks back at Woermann, satisfied.

"The cadets, led by the supply squad, will compromise the middle guard. The rearguard will be assigned to the elites. Messengers have also reported the Advanced Tram has been neutralized. The outer fate has been compromised, and the Titans have entered the city! Which means the Armored Titan is likely to appear and demolish the fates at any time!"

Woermann's words strike fear into the cadets.

"This can't be real."

"You've gotta be kidding me…."

"If those monsters take Wall Rose too…"

"Silence!" Woermann yells. "To counter this, the Gates leading into Wall Rose will be secured with a number of Anti-Titan tanks to attack any Titan, Armored or otherwise, that gets too close! According to the government, their ammunition should be capable of easily tearing through the armored shell!"

Reiner looks down and releases a relieved sigh upon hearing that. Now, he couldn't break down the gate even if he wanted to. Although he recognized that was a problem for his mission, all he can do is think about Krista behind the wall.

"As we speak, the vanguard is engaging them. We have one objective in this fight: To defend Wall Rose until the evacuation is complete! And, as I am sure you are aware, desertion is punishable by death! Be prepared to lay down your lives! Dismissed!"

Following Woermann's speech, the entire cadet corp erupts into panic. Jean is throwing a fit over being delayed his entrance into the Military Police and another soldier is vomiting. Reiner casually walks over to the Garrison to receive orders on where to go as Annie looks around for Armin again. She sees Eren shoving Jean against the wall and snapping him out of his fear as Mikasa watches, and she sees Armin clasping the sides of his head, trying to calm himself down.

Annie thinks about what she has to do. And then she thinks about that letter that her father gave her and the truths that she learned that day she read it. But then, she thinks about Armin. All the times he made her smile. All the times he complimented her and the times she enjoyed his company. And she remembers how she lied and broke his heart a year ago. She fears what might happen to Armin on the battlefield, so she walks up to him.

"You ok?" Annie asks.

"Huh?" Armin notices her. "Oh, hey Annie. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself for what's happening. How are you doing?"

"I think this is all sudden. We just graduated and now they expect all of us to fight Titans?"

"Its an act of desperation," Armin says. "They just said that the advanced team is down. Everyone needs to pitch in."

"Armin, I need you to do me a favor," Annie says.

"Huh? What?"

"Don't die. If things turn to shit, don't be a hero. Just run! Find someplace to hide and tell your superior you fought your hardest!"

Armin raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just survive, all right?" Annie asks before stomping away.

Armin smiles watching her go, confident that he means something to Annie now.

Eren watches as Jean leaves with Daz. The former was having a breakdown, so he gave him a forceful pep talk about how he could join the Military Police tomorrow once they survived this. A Garrison soldier walks around with a bag, handing small items to each of the scouts. He gives one small egg-shaped things to Mikasa and then to Eren.

"What are these?"
"The sound grenades," the Garrison says. "You throw them and an ice-burst stone inside explodes causing it to ring. It's extremely loud, most Titans react negatively to it. Now, do what you have to to survive and protect the people, but remember. The Titans are our protectors from Marley, so try to kill as few of them as possible."

The Garrison walks away as Eren stares at the grenade and thinks about how stupid that is.

Mikasa strodes up to him. "Eren, when things go awry, come find me."

"What? You and I are on different squads!"

"In the chaos of battle, any plan no matter how good, can fall apart. But I want you to fine me. I will protect you."

Eren lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes his head. He understood Mikasa's protectiveness now, but he still thought it was too much.

"Mikasa…"

"Cadet Ackernan!," one of the soldiers says. "You're being moved to the rearguard on special orders. Come with me."

Mikasa stammers. If she does that, then Eren has less of a chance of finding her.

"B-but I'm only a cadet! I'm not skilled enough! I'll just slow them down!"

"Mikasa." Eren grabs her hand, making Mikasa blush.

She looks deep into the eyes of her boyfriend, who shows just as much appreciation as he does annoyance.

"I promise you, I will survive. But I need you to promise that you will too."

Mikasa's mouth tenses.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Mikasa pulls him in for a kiss on the lips. Eren wraps his arms around her and returns it with just as much heat and passion. After a few moments, the soldier gets irritated.

"Get a room you too! There will be plenty of time for that after the battle. Now let's get moving!"

Mikasa reluctantly breaks away from Eren and follows the soldier.

"Bye, Eren. Live for me!"

"Live for me too, Mikasa."

Eren watches in dread, seeing Mikasa go. But he reminds himself that she is was the best in their class and tells himself that she will be safe. He has no intention of dying, so if he will live then she can as well. Eren feels Reiner's hand grab his shoulder.

"She will be fine."

"I know," Eren says. "But I'm still worried. What about you?"

"I am confident that the Armored Titan will not break down the gate, even if he wanted too," Reiner says, thinking of Krista. "But know that when I go out there, I am going to be fighting my hardest. Your not the only one who has people who are at stake."

Eren places a hand on the larger boys chest. "Krista will be so proud of you when you come back alive."

Reiner looks down. "Proud?"

Wall Rose,

Krista picks up a peach from the market and squeezes it gently. She turns to Carla, who is wheeling herself beside her while theri grocery bag sits on her lap.

"Do you think this is too ripe? We dont want to get anything that will mold soon."

Carla looks at the peach. "No, I think its fine. We can eat it today."

A loud siren is heard throughout the market place. Everyones expressions turn to dread. That alarm is means to signify one thing. Carla's face pales as Krista drops the peach in shock.

"Thats the Colossal Alarm…"

"Krista!"

Krista sees Ymir running up to her. The freckled teen looks worried as she races toward the tiny blonde.

"Ymir?"

Ymir grabs Krista and wraps her into a tight hug. The smaller blonde feels crushed.

"Have you heard? The Titans have gotten into Trost. Refugees are spilling in like crazy."

Carla shakes her head and nearly hyperventilates as her hand unconsciously strokes her paralyzed leg.

"No…It's happening again…"

Krista notices Carla's breakdown and her eyebrows furrow in concern. "Mom?"

"I-I cant go through this again. I-" Carla's eyes widen. "Eren! Mikasa! Armin! They are in Trost!"

"Yeah, they are likely being rounded up to make sure the Titans dont get through the Wall!" Ymir shouts.

Krista gasps. "Reiner! Oh god!"

Ymir growls.

"I'm sure that Reiner will be fine."

'If the Titans or the scouts don't kill him, I will,' Ymir thinks.

"Don't worry, the scouts are guarding the entrance to Wall Rose. They are bringing in more canons as we speak. Come on, we need to find someplace to hide if the Titans get through."

Ymir grabs the handles of Carla's wheelchair and rolls her away. Carla is having a breakdown and Krista runs after them.

"Wait! Ymir! We need to make sure that Eren and Reiner are ok!"

"They will be fine! They are trained for this sort of thing! Right now I need to make sure that you and your mother are safe! Come on, I know this church that's abandoned. We can hide in the basement."

Carla continues to panic. "I…I need…I need to call Keith. Pull Eren and Mikasa out!"

"It might be too late for that," Ymir says. "Also, hi. I'm Ymir. Krista's best friend."

Carla doesn't respond to that, and Krista is too busy thinking about her loved ones that are in danger at this very moment. Her brother Eren, her sister Mikasa, her brother-esque figure Armin, and her loving boyfriend Reiner. She cant stand the thought of loosing any of them. She just cant handle it.

'Please live,' she thinks.

Annie broke away from her squad so she can see where the Garrisons are forming the first line of defense against the Titans. She hides behind the brick structure as she sees Garrisons wearing earmuffs activating large speakers which cause the Titans in front of them to cover their ears and turn back. If not their napes are easily destroyed by Anti-Titan rifles. She had to give the Paradisians credit, the ear-piercing sound was an effective method against most of the Titans.

'It is like an artificial Titan scream, similar to mine. Except that instead of attracting Titans it repels them.'

Annie notices some of the Titans continuing to move forward despite the sound. They hesitate, but after a while they resume walking forward nonetheless. She also notices that some of the ones who are not being repelled by the sound are covering their ears.

'Hmm. So it's not perfect. Kind of like how Zeke's Titan control is imperfect. But still, I must give the Paradisians due credit. Even for the ones who are not affected the proper way, the ear-piercing sound is still enough to disrupt the ear drums.'

Annie watches as one of the Garrisons aims his Anti-Titan rifle at one of the Titans that is covering its ears and unmoving instead of leaving. The bullet goes right through the nape and the Titan falls dead. Then, she notices one Titan moving forward and not even covering its ears.

'Looks like we have the kind that doesn't feel pain, or is affected by the rudimentary scream.'

The Anti-Titan amo shoot at the Titan and blast its head (and nape) to pieces. It falls to the ground and evaporates alongside its brethren.

'If they can just keep doing this until the residents of Trost are through then the Scouts can focus on perfecting their sound weapons. Soon they will be able to keep the Titans away while they repair the Walls, and finish those Titan-attracting speakers within Maria to lure the rest of them out. And then Reiner may have to break down Rose before that can happen. IF we even will be able to. If they manage to get all the Titans to evacuate the walls then we can consider our mission a bust.'

Annie thinks of the people within Wall Rose who are just going about their daily lives. She thinks about Armin, who is out there right now waiting to attack any Titan that managed to break through. She really doesn't want to put him in danger. But then she thinks of her father, back in Liberio, who will be punished if she doesn't bring home the Founder of disobeys. But she finds resolve with the deal she made with Reiner before.

'Once I get the Founder, I'll coerce Reiner into helping me coerce Marley into sparing the Walls, and Armin too if he makes it. Also, his and Bertolts families, the rest of us in Liberio and maybe one or two people here that I don't hate. As long as I can protect the people I care about, Marley and Eldia can burn for all I care.'

Annie takes a deep breath. And then she screams.

The Garrisons hear the sound and question where it is coming from. But a few of them notice the Titans, even the ones who were leaving or covering their ears perking up. They all immediately rush forward, ignoring the noise emitted from the speakers. Annie stops screaming and flies out of there with her gear before the Titans can catch up to her. Thankfully, she only needs to avoid them for a few minutes forget about her and return to their base instincts.

The monstrous scream is heard in the distance. All the cadets shiver in fear and confusion on what that terrifying scream is.

Sasha shakes the most as she likens the scream to that of a feral wolf calling its pack for an ambush.

Eren on the other hand growls. Some part of him knows what that sound is, but he isn't quite sure.

Mikasa has no idea what is going on over by the Vanguard, but she can tell that something bad is going to happen. She draws her blades and keeps her eyes sharp, intending to slice as many Titans as she needs too before she goes to find Eren.

The plan worked. All the Titans rush through the entrance to Trost. The Garrisons turn up their speakers but they no longer have any effect. They fire all their Anti-Titan ammunition or use their ODM gear to attack, but the ones that survive ignore their injuries and continue charging through. Soon, a large brigade of Titans breaks through into Trost, and with the Garrisons' defenses weakened, more follow. A surviving Garrison soldier shoots a purple signal into the air.

'I just got to run in circles for a while and the Titans will forget about me.' Annie looks at her gas gauge. It is half empty. 'Shit. I might end up running out of gas by then.'

"Is that a purple flare?" Connie asks as he stands beside the other cadets.

"That means that there is an emergency, right?" asks Marco.

"It means the Titans have broken through," says Reiner, sadly.

"Do you think it has something to do with that scream we just heard?" asks Marco.

"What the hell was that anyway?" Jean asks.

"It sounded terrifying," says Daz. "Could it have been a Titan? Some kind of Titan scream!?"

"We learned in class that Titans don't usually have developed vocal cords," says Connie. "But, maybe."

Wim narrows his eyes. "In any case, if the Titans have gotten through then we need to be prepared."

Daz panics and tries to run but Wim grabs him by the collar.

"You know the rule about fleeing the battlefield. Come on."

"Eren, what was that?" Armin asks. "I sonic weapon malfunctioning maybe?"

"No, it was another shifter." Eren clutches his hand.

Armin looks at him strangely. "How could you tell?"

"I just can." Eren's eyes are fixated on the smoke. "And now the Titans have gotten through. I bet that scream was some kind of signal call. When the Colossal and the Armored Titans broke down the gates, this other shifter must have been the one to make sure that there was a big amount of Titans outside the Walls when they did. The three of them have been working together to destroy us." Eren clutches his fist as rage surges through him. "So its because of her I lost my home and my mom was crippled. When I find her, I'm going to tear her apart. Rip her head off and pound her into the concrete."

"H-how do you know its a she?" Armin asks, concerned with his friend's rage.

Eren is silent for a minute. He thinks. He honestly didnt know why he automatically assumed it was a girl. It just came to his mind just like the signal thing.

"I don't know. Fine, it. The point is, we need to be ready for a fight."

Armin nods.

After the alarm went off, and everyone from Trost began migrating into Wall Rose, the people of Rose near the gates immediately fled the area. Everyone in the surrounding cities was desperate to get as far away from a possible Titan attack as possible. The streets were jammed with cars. Others locked themselves inside their houses. Groups of those who opposed Titanization beforehand were forming rallies in the streets, protesting Titanization as a punishment and a defense method, as Titans are just as harmful as they are helpful.

Ymir has locked herself, Carla, and Krista inside the church. Her eyes are focused on the ceiling while she holds a knife in her hand.

"Ymir, are you sure that you can take on a Titan with a knife?" Krista asks.

"I can do a lot with this knife." Ymir holds the blade to her palm. "Trust me."

Meanwhile, Carla is at the phone booth trying to contact Keith.

"Hello? Keith!? Please answer! Keith!?"

Carla had been trying to call her boyfriend fur several minutes, but he is yet to pick up. She wants to ask if her children are ok. If he is ok. But she realizes that he is probably in the field right now. She won't know anything until after the battle. Carla covers her mouth and cries.

"Or is very odd that all this happened now."

Ymir looks at Krista. "How so?"

"Reiner was trying to convince me to head into Wall Sina the other day."

Ymir blinks. "Did he?"

"Yes. He thought that I should reconnect with my family. But I guess if I had listened to him then I would be safe in Wall Sina. But, I just didn't want to face the people who never wanted anything to do with me. But I guess Reiner just thought that I should try to have a relationship with my family since his own dad left him."

Ymir rolls her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure that was the reason."

Krista frowns. "But if I had done that, I wouldn't be here for mom right now. Now, I just hope my brother and sister make it out."

Ymir feels a sting in her heart. She never has a family. She was an orphaned nameless child before she was showered with the superficial love of the cult. But being with Krista, hearing her talk about the Jaegers, gave her an idea of what a real family looks like. Ymir placed a soothing hand on the girls shoulder.

"How about we pray?" Ymir suggests. "Carla, come here. Let's pray for your other kids."

Carla sighs and rolls herself over.

"Might as well. I'm having no luck getting in touch with Keith."

Ymir extends her hands. Carla and Krista grab them.

"Ok. Repeat after me. This is a prayer that I learned from a… religious group I used to be in."

Ymir bows her head and closes her eyes. Krista and Carla follow her lead. Ymir then begins reciting a prayer (specifically for keeping Titans from eating their fellow Subjects of Ymir) in ancient Eldian. Carla and Krista glance at each other, having no idea what Ymir is saying. Regardless, they follow suit soon after.

"Große Göttin Ymir. Mutter der heiligen drei und vorfahrin der neun und Eldia. Bitte schützen sie ihre untertanen und unsere lieben. Möge das blut der Eldianer nicht von der zunge deiner schöpfungen geschmeckt werden und denen, die in deinem namen kämpfen, gute gesundheit schenken. Bitte bleiben sie in sicherheit, Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert … und auch Reiner, denke ich. Für das wohl aller Eldianer bete ich zu dir. Amen."

The prayer translates as follows:

"Great Goddess Ymir. Mother of the sacred three and fore-bearer of the Nine and Eldia. Please keep safe your subjects and our loved ones. May the blood of Eldians not be tasted by the tongue of your creations and give good health to those that fight in your name. Please keep safe Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert….and Reiner too, I guess. For the good of all Eldians, to you I pray. Amen."

Eren stands beside Armin as they look out at the city of Trost. Behind them is Thomas Wagner, Milieus Zeremski, Nack Tierce, and Mina Carolina. He holds the sound grenade in his hand, and clenches it.

"Hey, Armin, this is the perfect chance, don't you think? If we prove ourselves in this first battle before we've even joined the Scouts, we rookies will shoot up the ranks for sure!"

Armin looks ahead with a blank face.

"Eren, what if some of the Titans that broke through used to be my mom and dad."

Eren's confidence falters.

"Armin, we both know that there is no way to reverse Titanization. Your parents didn't deserve their fate, but if we run into them we owe it to them to put them out of their misery."

Armin looks down. "I suppose."

Eren grabs his shoulder. "Don't worry. What are the chances of seeing them anyways?

Mina steps forward.

"Armin and Eren bring up a good point, everyone. We need to remember that the Titans out there are people. That is why we have the sound grenades. But, if we have to, we need to end the Titans suffering so they can't hurt more people. We owe it to the people they used to be."

Eren grunts. "Aside from Armin's parents, the people that they used to be include criminals who would be sentenced to death anywhere else anyways."

"And innocent people that were already dying," Thomas reminds him.

"True, true."

Thomas sighs. "Gods have mercy on our souls. Squad 34, move out! Bolster the vanguard!"

"All right! Let's go!"

Eren and the other scouts fly into action. Using their ODM gear, they zip over the evacuated houses and run along the roofs. Soon, they see a massive number of Titans walking around. Smoke arising from the neighborhoods. The Titans step on cars and knock down electrical lines.

"This many Titans got in already?" Mina asks.

"I told you it was whatever made that scream!" Eren shouts. "The vanguard must be completely decimated."

Armin looks ahead, trying to suppress his fears over facing the Titans. He looks around, hoping he doesn't see giant naked versions of his parents. However, one Titan catches his eye. It is a fifteen-meter Titan, with a "muffin top" belly, blonde hair combed over with a mustache, and it has a faded tattoo on its left shoulder.

Armin remembers his neighbor Mr. Verne. He liked to drink beer and make jokes. He also looked EXACTLY like that. He is one of the people who managed to flee into Rose, to survive the food shortage, and was one of the men who he saw leaving the walls with his grandfather. Who never came back.

"Mr. Verne?" Armin furrows his eyebrows. "No, it can't be. They didn't-"

"Look out!" Eren yells. "Abnormal!"

Armin and the others see a fifteen meter Titan jump out from behind a building toward them. Most of them quickly turn around and escape the Titan as it rams itself into the tall building.

They latch onto the buildings, blocks away from where the Titan is. Armin sits on the roof while Eren hands from the gutter. They watch the Titan, waiting for it to make its next move. But when the Titan moves its head, they see it has already caught one of them. Thomas is hand inside the Titans mouth, too scared to think.

Eren's eyes widen. He hears everybody else gasp.

"Thomas…use your grenade," Eren says. "It might let you go."

But Thomas can do nothing as the Titan lifts its head back and swallows him whole.

Everyone stares at the scene with shock and horror. The Titan walks away, apparently satisfied with its meal. But Eren lets the anger of losing one of his comrades get the better of him.

"Where the hell are you going, motherfucker?!"

Eren, blinded by rage, chases after the Titan that are Thomas, ignoring Armin's cries for him not to go off on his own. His friend and the others fly after him.

"Get back here, damn it! You're gonna pay for killing my friend! I won't let you get away!"

Just then, a small Titan jumps up and bites Eren's leg off. Eren screams as he feels half his leg get torn from his body. He loses control of his gear and he hits the roof of a house. He lays there, crippled by the pain.

He sees Armin collapse onto a roof top as the other trainees are surrounded by the horde of Titans. They throw their sound grenades. Some of the Titans run off, most cover their ears but resume attacking afterward, others ignore the sound all together.

Mina is among those who escape. A Titan grabs her wires and tries to throw her down but Mina it is affected by the sound grenades and releases her. Mina recovers and uses her own sound grenade to stun that Titan, again, and a smaller Titan that was waiting to grab her. She spins around and swiftly kills both Titans as they try to recover before declaring a retreat.

However, other trainees are not as lucky. Nack had been swatted by a Titan almost immediately. Milieus tries to use his sound grenade but he accidentally drops it and can do nothing but scream and beg as the wide-mouth Titan devours him.

Armin watches in horror seeing two of his comrades being devoured. Mina lands next to him and tugs his arm.

"Armin! We have to go! Come on!"

Armin continues to sit there, motionless. He tries to remember what Annie told him before, but he is just frozen.

Mina looks up and sees a bald Titan with a grey beard approaching them. She shutters in fear and tries to lift Armin up.

"ARMIN!"

Mina tries reaching for Armin's pocket to find his sound grenade, but the Titan wraps them both in his hand before she can.

Eren hears Mina's screams. He sees her and one of his best friends about to be devoured by a Titan. And then, a memory long repressed comes back to his mind.

His father is filling a syringe In front of him in a forest. Similar to that nightmare he had right after Maria's fall.

"I'm going to give you a little something to make you forget for the time being," his father says before he faces Eren. Tears going down his face. "I'm sorry, I wish there was more time to explain. But when the time comes though, you must retake Wall Maria and head for the cellar."

Eren steps back as his father approaches him with the syringe.

"It won't be pleasant, but in my heart I know what I'm doing is for the best. When the memory confuses you let the memory act as your guide."

Grisha prepares to inject Eren with the serum.

Eren then recalls (from a memory that he also conveniently forgot) his talk with Mikasa, on the boat as they were being taken to Wall Rose (after his revenge rant).

Armin is asleep, resting his head on Eren's shoulder as Carla gazes out into the ocean.

"So, Mikasa. How did you do that with the roof anyways?"

"I…don't know," Mikasa says, looking at her hands. "I just suddenly felt this surge of strength."

"Do you feel it now?"

Mikasa tenses her body.

"No. I'm not sure if I can do that again. But I think your dad is to thank for this."

"You know how he always gave us shots as soon as they were available?" Eren nods. "Well, he always gave me more. He said they were just boosters but I wonder…"

Back in the present, Eren's eyes widen. He stands up, full of determination.

'Did Dad give me a power too? Why haven't I been stronger up until now? Ugh, doesn't matter. Whatever it is, whatever my dad did to me, I need to save Mina and Armin!'

Eren's wounded leg crackles with lightning as he moves, as best he can toward the Titan about to devour his friends. As Mina and Armin scream from inside the Titans mouth.

"It will be a painful journey, but it is yours to make. If you want to save Armin, Mikasa, your mother, and everyone else on this island, you must master this power!"

Eren's body suddenly explodes with lighting.

Mikasa sees the flash in the distance and worries for Armin and Eren.

Armin and Mina scream as they desperately try clinging onto the Titans slippery tongue. But they keep sliding closer to the throat. Armin throws his grenade but it just bounces off the Titans teeth and doesn't go off until it falls into the Titans stomach.

"Mina! I'm sorry!"

"Goodbye, Armin!"

"Eren! See the world for me!"

Suddenly a pair of giant fingers reach into the Titans mouth as the throat collapses shut. Mina and Armin watch in shock as the upper half of the Titans jaw is torn off and the half-head falls onto the street.

Mina and Armin look up and gasp in shock to see a muscular fifteen-meter Titan looming over them. It has a skull-like face. A nose but no lips and a strange jaw. It has shaggy dark hair. And its eyes flicker between green and purple. Armin and Mina stare and gap in shock and horror, not knowing if this is a savior or just a Titan wanting another's meal. Mina and Armin flinch as the Rogue Titan brings its fingers down to the two teens, as it maintains the struggling old-Titan, and picks them up.

"No, wait!" Mina screams before the Titan sets them on a nearby roof. "Oh…" Mina looks up at the Titan gazing down at them. "Uh..thank you, sir."

The Rogue Titan's fingers harden into a crystal and dig themselves into the other Titans nape. Rather than attack the weak spot, it tears off the chunk which the weak spot surrounds. The Titan body falls and starts evaporating while the chunk in the Titans hands starts to grow a new one. The Rogue Titan forms a cover of crystal over the chunk, keeping it from regenerating further.

Upon noticing a smaller Titan, the one that bit Eren's leg approaching. The Rogue Titan sets the crystallized Titan nape on the opposite roof and approaches the small Titan.

"What are they doing?" Mina asks.

The small Titan leaps at the Rogue Titan, and it jams its fist into the Titans mouth. Hitting the nape from within and killing it. Mina gasps.

"It looks like other Titans consider it good too," Armin points out.

"You don't think it's a shifter, do you?" Mina asks. "But why is it helping us?"

Armin looks around.

"And where is Eren?"

Armin looks back at the Rogue-Titan, which is currently pulling the Titan remains off its hand. Its eyes are firmly purple and it hardens both fists into crystal. The more Armin looks, the more he starts to see similarities between the hair styles.

"E-Eren?" He chokes out.

The Rogue Titan runs away, ignoring Armin's calls.

"Wait!"

"Armin, we need to report this!"

All comments are appreciated. Thank you.

Bonus:

Traute Caven dangles the intoxicated boy by the arm, proud of her "catch". She had no doubt the boss was going to give her praise for such a big score.

"I just injected you with a special toxin, courtesy of the king," Caven says with a sly smile.

He doesn't respond. The boy just dangles there unresponsive as the toxin takes its effect. Caven knows this but she resumes gloating anyway.

"Did you really think that we wouldn't be waiting for the next time you freak's broke down the Walls? I've been stuck in that tiny little hole for hours every other day for two years now. Thank Ymir you finally showed up. Yeah, that's right, we know everything. And we will be coming for your friends later. But for now, the king wishes to see you."

Caven climbs down the side of the Wall Titan, carrying the original Colossal in her arm. And she can't wait for the look on the other shifters' faces when a new Colossal Titan shows up to destroy them all.