"Are you sure we should be so far away from the others?" Hitch said, her voice reaching Marlo's ear from behind him.

"There's no point in everyone searching the same area." Marlo replied, continuing forward through the forest.

Hitch sighed loudly, "Why did I get stuck with you?"

The grip on his gun tightened at his thoughts. Why are our superiors' orders so... odd? Nothing has made any sense since the attack on Stohess. I'm worried that…

"I know." Hitch's voice took him out of his thoughts.

He could hear the smirk on her when she caught up to him, "You just wanted to be alone with me, right Marlo?"

Marlo turned to the girl deadpanned, "Sorry to say this Hitch, but you're not exactly my type."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, is that how it is? Well, the feelings mutual."

As they reached a large boulder sitting to their right, Marlo couldn't help asking, "Don't you find this strange? Why would the Survey Corps kill a civilian and then run for the hills?" He could feel her gaze on him, "They're normally out there risking their lives for the sake of humanity."

"Seriously?" Her voice turned sour, "Did you already forget? How they all but destroyed the Stohess District? How they turned the city into a battlefield? How we had to clean up the corpses they left behind? And how even now, Annie is still missing?"

Marlo recalled the battle. Hitch wasn't entirely incorrect. Yet she was forgetting the Scout that started the evacuation. The strange blonde haired boy who had helped get all those civilians to safety. Well, at least those who were still alive. He thought glumly.

Marlo was about to remind her of the peculiar Scout when he saw her expression.

"All her things are still sitting in my room, taking up space."

A quiet breeze flew by.

Returning his gaze forward, Marlo decided not to mention the evacuation. He was, after all, worried about Annie as well.

Marlo heard a bird chirp before he retorted, "But they also discovered that undercover titan and even managed to capture it. Aren't they the only ones who could have done that?" Finally, letting his guard down, he told Hitch his real fear, "If the Survey Corps get disbanded like this, humanity won't -"

Suddenly Hitch raised her rifle. "Quiet." She commanded. Raising his own rifle, he obeyed. Her gun pointed towards the river flowing a few dozen steps in front of them. "Someone's at the river." Marlo narrowed his eyes until he saw a figure crouching in the distance. How Hitch noticed them from here, Marlo could not guess.

They both gave each other quick glances. Slowly, the two approached the river, rifles raised.

It wasn't so much a river as a large stream. Banked by boulders and rocks on both sides, the water quietly flowed deeper into the forest.

As the two military police officers encroached on the figure, Marlo noticed it filling a bucket with water. Another bucket already filled sat at their side. The figure was wearing a large brown cloak, with their hoodie drawn.

Marlo glanced down the cloak, noticing the two familiar metal boxes protruding the cloak. He glanced at Hitch and mouthed, Survey Corps. She nodded.

"Don't move!" He ordered from a distance. When the two were close enough to shoot, they stood still. Marlo gave his next order, "Turn around slowly." Hitch raised her rifle up to her line of site. She wasn't taking any chances.

The man raised his hands, however stayed in his crouched position.

"I said–" Marlo was about to repeat the command, when suddenly one of the buckets filled with water was thrown at Hitch. Marlo, not given time to react, was already pinned to the ground. The rifle sat between him and what he realized was a male member of the scouts, Marlo knew that he wouldn't be able to get out of this position.

Despite the struggle, Malo's eyes widened in recognition. It was the blonde haired scout. The one that started the evacuation. His lightning blue eyes were filled with anger, as the first punch hit Marlo's face. Then another, then another. The boy grunted with every hit, as if a wolf snarling at its prey.

Marlo couldn't think, all he could feel was pain. He was pretty sure the raised fist was going to hit his nose when it stopped midair. The boy's eyes, losing their anger, widened in shock. Then a leg kicked away the blonde hair boy on top of him.

Marlo tried not to touch his bruising face, but his fingers couldn't help caressing his blotched eye. It was mid afternoon, and Jean was trying to convince Captain Levi that he and Hitch were trustworthy enough to help them out.

Hitch was standing next to Marlo, her arms crossed, glaring at the black haired girl watching them. Marlo was sitting on one of the protruding boulders next to the river as one of the Captain's underlings was stitching up his face. He was happy that these were the only injuries they received on this pleasant day. He winced when she entered the needle on his temple.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

Marlo's eyes searched for the blonde haired boy. But he, along with another member of Levi's squad, were nowhere to be found. If Marlo recalled correctly, it was the bald headed boy he saw when they were first ambushed.

"Where is the guy who punched me?" He turned towards the girl stitching him up.

She gave him a nervous glance, but continued her work. "Is he alright? I'm a little worried about him." Marlo added.

"Worried about him?!" Hitch yelled at him. The girl stitching him up jumped at the sound of her voice. Marlo held in his yelp of pain from the sudden tug of the needle.

"He almost beat you to death! Why are you worried about him?" Hitch's eyes narrowed in anger. Her arms crossed once more, her right foot tapping, waiting for an answer.

Marlo took a breath, "He was the one who started the evacuation in Stohess. He didn't seem like the type to angrily beat someone to death." Hitch opened her mouth again to reprimand him, but Marlo held up his hand. "The reason there weren't over a hundred deaths in Stohess was because of him, Hitch. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Hitch bit her lower lip, as if forcing herself to stay silent.

"So that was you." A low voice entered the conversation.

Captain Levi had approached the three teenagers. Marlo, not knowing if the girl had finished her stitch or not, rose to attention. "That's right sir. I believe this is the second time we have met."

The Captain's expression did not change, "You're not upset with my subordinate?"

Marlo, giving Hitch a confused glance, answered, "No Sir. I'm more upset with myself. I stood by while the Interior Police spread lies about the Scout Regiment, and questioned none of it. That boy has saved more civilians than I ever did while following my superior officers orders. Sir." He added that last part hastily.

The Captain raised an eyebrow at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Marlo saw Hitch pinch the bridge of her nose.

"You see Captain, his honesty borders on stupidity." Jean's voice interjected. "I think we can trust them." The salmon haired boy had approached the group.

The river flowed quietly behind them. Silence filled the air. Marlo saw the Captain's neutral expression, however his glare pierced him. It was as if he was trying to read his mind. Or maybe he could. Marlo gulped.

Finally, the Captain asked, "We are trying to get to the Reiss estate. Know the safest way there?"