Standing tall before the man, Armin offers Wald the best smile he can offer. "So, as you can see, this whole little facade we're putting on is strictly temporary for appearances. I'm sure you understand, someone in a position such as yourself."

Wald laughs. "No, I understand. I'm just surprised to hear it coming from you." He takes a drag. "Usually, it's another officer who tells me I have to go through with this."

"Well," Armin shrugs, "aren't we all full of surprises?" He laughs. "So, what do you say?"

Wald takes one more drag before blowing in Armin's face. "I understand where you're coming from, kiddo. And... for both of our sakes, if we want to keep up with this civilized society, then I suggest we get right to it. Can I finish this smoke first?"

"Don't worry," Armin reminds him, "you'll be given all the smokes you want. But, we're going to have to confiscate your phone so I suggest making any phone calls to your men, telling them you'll be disposed of for about two days or so."

"Two days?" Wald sighs heavily. "Only two days?"

"I'm sure you can stay unplugged for two days; humanity survived for thousands of years without cellphones."

"That was then, this is now." Another drag. "I understand. One minute." He turns his back to Armin before dialing one of his lieutenants. "Diaz, are you there? You answered the phone so I'm pretty sure you are. Good, enough jokes. Due to... publicity and 'public relations', I'm going to be unavailable for the next two days; be sure to get the word out to all my men. In the meantime, I'm putting you in charge of all my operations. Keep things running on a tight ship and maybe, just maybe, I'll give you a promotion. Yes, I'm serious, Diaz. Flattery won't get you promoted, remember that. Is there anything else you need? Good, now get to work, which is ordering people to get to work." A few seconds later, Wald hangs up before handing the phone to Armin.

Armin internally smiles. Diaz, I knew he was going to appoint Diaz as his second-in-command. Diaz is going to be at one of the locations where Eren and Mikasa might attack. If they manage to kill Diaz, then the rest of the gang will be in disarray. There will be total chaos and confusion within the organization that'll make it easier for us to take them down.

"I'll be sure to keep this charged for you in the meantime." Armin pockets the phone. "Follow me." He leads Wald down the cells of the jailhouse and brings him to a large white door. "Here you go; your personal suite."

Armin opens the door, revealing the inside of the room looking like a hotel room with a comfy bed, a toilet with a stall in the corner, and even a mini fridge. "For our VIPs and we hope you enjoy your stay."

Wald steps in and looks at the door, seeing the small barbed window in the center. "For once, prison is nicer than hotels."

"Well, if you want to stay in our luxurious prison, you're more than welcome to; and it's free. All you gotta do is run over someone with the car. But make sure they get a good look at you so they can pick you out from the crowd."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Armin closes the door. "Oh, and I know it's not much but that window has a great view of Berlin. Well... a street in Berlin."

"Good to know."

"Now, is there anything you need?"

"Another pack of these smokes and I'll be fine."

"Coming right up." Armin turns on his heels, smiling once more.

And just like that, we have the leader of the Richter Crime Family in our possession. Once Eren and Mikasa do their thing and kill off the targets I listed on the thumb drive, his organization will crumble within two days. Perfect, absolutely perfect. And once we get irrefutable evidence, we'll throw Richter in a prison cell and throw away the key. Sasha, you may not be with us anymore, but we'll make sure the people who took your life away won't be with us anymore.

After Armin tosses Walkd another ack of his cigarettes, he heads back to the common area to meet up with his fellow officers. "Well guys, Wald Richter is settled in our hospitality suite, nice and comfy."

"Nice," base says, "let's hurry this along and get this over with."

"The sooner Richter gets going, the better we can get back to our satisfying lives," Heine adds.

"I couldn't agree more." Armin claps his hands. "Shouldn't we celebrate? I'm finally coming around to see why you guys picked this job in the first place, shouldn't we celebrate? How about a game of poker?"

"What's it to ya?" Heine asks.

"I just want to indulge. It just feels so good not to be a Boy Scout."

In the corner, Annie looks at him.

Armin, I remember back in the days when we were training how you were something of an idealist. You, Eren, and the monster chick were a couple of idiots who talk aimlessly about freedom and about doing the right thing. Now, you're manipulating everyone around you. If it weren't for your baby face, I would've thought you were a completely different person.

Armin looks at Annie. "Want to join us, Annie?"

Annie continues to look at him. "I'll pass."

"She probably doesn't have much money on her," Heine snarks.

"Poor girl," Basse shakes his head.

Annie walks up to Armin. "Steal every coin they have off of them." The smell of smoke from Wald's cigarette coming from Armin's chest makes her nose scrunch. That does not smell like tobacco; it smells like bleach.

"No promises," Armin smiles. "One second."

Armin turns and pulls out his cell phone. He sends a text.

'Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to binge-watch Mission: Impossible in two days'

Message sent. Armin pockets his phone. This is a gamble I'm taking. If Eren and Mikasa decide not to attack Richter's bases, it'll be harder to bring his empire crumbling down. Then again, knowing Eren, he wouldn't let this opportunity slide, even if Mikasa tied him to a chair. I don't want Eren or Mikasa in danger but they always charge head-first into trouble so the least I can do is do what I can to minimize potential damage. If they attack the targets, they'll make it out alive if they're smart and we get to bring their empire down. If not, if they decide to walk away, that's better but Richter's empire will remain standing.

"Okay, you have my divided attention," Armin tells the officers.

"Sure," Heine nods. "Come and play Poker with us, let's see what you got."

"What's the buy-in?"

"Ten gold coins."

"Gold coins?"

"Yeah."

Armin smirks. "Nice." He digs into his inner jacket pocket and pulls out ten gold coins. "Will this cover it?"

"Just."

Without wasting any more time, the three of them head into a small office with a poker table set up where Hugh looks at them.

"Hey Hugh, we got a new guy joining us," Basse says. "Good old Armin Arlert finally decided to come around."

Hugh smiles. "Good for you. One minute, I just need to take a quick piss."

"Whatever you do, don't fall in the toilet," Heine warns him.

"I'm not you, buddy."

Armin lays down ten gold coins on the table and shuffles the deck while waiting for Hugh to get back.

With no one in sight, Hugh heads over to Richter's cell and catches him lying on the bed. Knocking on his cell door, he grabs the mob boss's attention. "Hey, why haven't you fulfilled your end of the deal, yet?"

Wald stands up. "What?"

"Officers Arlert and Leondhard, I want those idealists dead. They're playing Poker with us; anyone with half a brain can see it is an act. I want those two officers dead and you still haven't come through on your promise."

"I've let my business in the care of Diaz so if you have a problem, contact him."

"You gave me your word."

Wald smiles. "I also gave you some coderoin, coderoin-fused cigarettes, and some gold coins; be happy."

"Damn you."

"See ya later, Hugh, and don't worry, knowing Diaz, he probably already got some assassins hunting them down right now."

With Eren

"I got the text from Armin." Eren pockets his phone. "We're good to go." He sends a reply. 'And I accept.' He pockets his phone before heading into the bedroom.

He removes his suitcase from the closet and pulls out a bulletproof vest. He looks at Mikasa in the hallway. "Put this on."

Mikasa catches the vest and removes her shirt to don it. Eren focuses on loading bullets into several magazines before pulling out a belt with multiple holsters. He dons a pair of cargo pants with multiple pockets as we as a jacket with multiple inner jacket pockets.

Mikasa retrieves her holster from the chest in the closet, allowing her to carry multiple combat knives on her at once.

"This isn't the point of no return, Eren," Mikasa tells him, "we still have a chance to walk away."

Eren sighs. "Point of no return?" He looks at her. "The minute the punk who killed Sasha killed Sasha, he and his entire gang crossed the point of no return." He narrows his eyes, an unwanted memory making its way into his mind.

"No, MOM! DAD!"

He closes his eyes, turning away. "The minute those Titan soldiers killed my parents, they lost their right to live. Just like the men who killed your parents, right?"

Mikasa flinches before nodding. "They deserved to die."

"This is no different. If we don't fight, we can't win. These gangsters may not be Titan soldiers but somewhere out there, there is another Eren and Mikasa suffering because of them and there's bound to be more Erens and Mikasas suffering because of them. If we fight, if we kill them, we win, and we'll be free. Not just the two of us; all of us."

Mikasa pauses, soaking in the meaning of his words for a few seconds before nodding. She looks at him sternly. "What's our first stop on the hitlist?"

Eren smiles. "I knew you'd come around eventually, Mikasa. I was going to say, if you're uncomfortable, I can do this on my own."

"You'd be dead without me so that's not happening. What's the first target?"

Eren pulls out his phone. "This is our first target, the best target we can go after right now; the other targets can wait."

Mikasa looks at the phone. Her stoic face cracks as her eyes widen. "A pizzeria?"

Eren smiles. "Looks like even gangsters have a sense of humor. This pizza joint is one of their fronts for laundering money."

"Ratt's Pizza Joint?" Mikasa reads.

"It's closed after nine and the only people who hang around there are security guards, guards with rap sheets and criminal records connecting them to the Richter Crime Family. None of them are innocent. According to the thumb drive, there are forty guards."

"That's a lot."

"I guess they really love their thin-crust pizza."

"We'll be outnumbered."

"Yeah. The two of us against forty guys in a two-story pizza joint. Whoever wins... gets all-you-can-eat free pizza."

Ratt's Pizza Joint

Stepping outside for a smoke, Gabriel heads for a green car and leans on the trunk. He pulls out a joint and inhales deeply. Blowing into the air, he pauses when he is sure he hears footsteps beside him. Looking to his right, he sees nothing but another car. Ratt's Pizza Joint was located next to several stores and a gas station with traffic coming but the traffic around the pizzeria was less than zero at night, probably because of the 'closed' sign on the front.

Gabriel looks around, trying to find why the uneasy feeling in his stomach wouldn't go away. That's when he feels the tip of a blade press against his throat. Dropping the joint, he raises his hands. "Uncle Armin, Uncle Armin?"

"What was that?" a feminine voice responds. "Uncle Armin?"

"That's the codeword Armin told me to use." Gabriel keeps his gaze forward. "I'm a rat keeping tabs on the organization from the inside."

"Is that so?" a masculine voice whispers.

Suddenly appearing behind the green car, Eren walks to Gabriel and eyes him up and down. He checks his phone.

'Also, if you meet my 'nephew' Gabriel, know that he is a friend. Also, he might mistake you for an 'Uncle Armin'.

Eren pockets his phone. "Yeah, that's the codeword."

Mikasa releases the knife from his throat.

"Oh god." Gabriel looks at the duo. "Armin told me you guys might be coming to shoot up the place."

"Maybe," Eren shrugs.

"There's forty guys inside. Well... thirty-nine, not counting me."

"What kind of weapons do they have?"

"Pistols, nothing but pistols."

"Good to know."

"How many exits?"

"Four, all on the bottom floor. There are two floors with twenty guards on each floor."

Eren unholsters his pistol. "Thank you." He tilts his head. "You should probably head back inside to avoid any suspicion. Hide in the kitchen."

Gabriel sighs heavily. "Don't shoot me."

"No promises," Eren shrugs with a smile.

Gabriel turns when pausing. "By the way, I think there are some civilians here. I heard some girl voices in one of the offices on the second floor but I couldn't be sure. They're probably call girls so watch your fire."

"I'll take the second floor," Mikasa says.

"I was going to say the same thing." Eren pats Gabriel's shoulder. "I'll see you inside."

Gabriel nods nervously before heading back inside.

As they wait patiently, Mikasa tugs on her red scarf while Eren pulls up his mask, becoming the Attack Titan.