Day 8: Circus
The cart bumped and swerved through the enclosed path surrounded by trees you'd only find here. She held on to the handle above her head, trying to avoid smacking it against the roof...
again. The drive was only about 10 minutes long, but it seemed longer with her heart beating and lurching aggressivly around every corner they took, almost tipping the whole vehicle a couple
of times.
"Can we decrease the speed a little?" she shouted, ducking her head as a small rock struck a wheel and flew towards her face. You'd think with the amount of tourists they accomedated
that they would ultimately smooth the paths with concrete, or at least clear them.
"No can do! It's feeding time in exactly 43 minutes!" her driver shouted back. "You don't want to miss this on your first day!"
'Of course not', she thought to herself, not helping the feeling of nervous excitement bubbling in her chest. This was, after all, a job only a select few can pull off, and even fewer who make it
through this far.
A voice behind her made her jump and her ears ring, as he had to shout louder from behind.
"How big are they, exactly?"
The driver hesitated, kept his eyes on the road, but answered regardless. "The 4 bigger ones are all 15 meters tall, while the other is only 7." The driver glanced into the rearview mirror at
a face of excitement turned pale and petrified.
"But they're still human, right?" With no answer, the man sat back in his seat, letting out a string of curses.
For about a minute more they drove, before coming to a screeching halt, sliding slightly on the gravel path. The driver leaped out of his seat and started to unload the back crate of the cart.
Taking a second to settle her stomach and calm her nerves, she slowly followed suit to grab her gear, the second passenger joining her.
As they hefted their gear on each shoulder and walked away from the cart, a deep voice greeted them.
"Mikasa Ackerman, Floch Forster?" Both individuals look up upon their names, standing straight as a tall, dark-haired man approached.
"Sir!" Floch greeted, passionatly. The man halted a meter in front of the two.
"I am Commander Magath, operator of this exhibit. Welcome to Paradis." He gestured to a giant wall of stone, about 60 meters high and stretched long and wide for miles. Mikasa and Floch
gaze quickly at each other, a look of determination, before addressing the man.
"Commander, it is an honor to be chosen for such a feat, but might I ask, why such secrecy?" Mikasa asked. Magath grunted, swiftly turned, and walked towards the enclosure. Both hastily
got their gear comfortable before following closely behind.
"As you already know, this exhibit is the most dangerous and unpredictable in the world. It took decades before they were tame enough to be seen by humans from afar, hence the walls.
The government hopes that with enough human contact and interactions, these monsters will eventually work with us, instead of against," he explained.
"And calling them "monsters" is the way to do that?" Mikasa couldn't help the bitterness in her tone, but Commander Magath merely chuckled.
"Your attitude is somewhat admirable, Miss Ackerman, but I'm afraid it's futile within these walls. These creatures may understand the human language, but are useless at reciprocating
human emotion. They are deadly as they are fascinating, and don't think for a second they will pause to admire your pretty face." Mikasa glared, and sensing this, Magath turned slightly, but didn't
stop walking. "I assure you, Miss Ackerman, the name "monsters" is well deserved, and proven accurate over again." With that, they continued in silence, and through the main gates.
Upon entrance, Mikasa and Floch couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of fear and over-stimulation. There were enough people around to fill an entire football stadium, all rushing and
talking at once. They were overlooking everything from the highest level, breathing in the air-conditioned oxygen was the only feeling of relief and comfort.
The Commander allowed some time for them both to take it all in, before leading them to a lift to bring them lower.
"As you can observe, we keep strict visual within the enclosure 24/7, 365 days a year. Each position takes years to accomplish and months to master. Every person in this room is willing
to dedicate their lives to keeping these devils secure, fed, and tame. Although..." The commander paused as the lift reached it's destination on the main floor. A man face deep in a clipboard
narrowly missed running into Floch who snarled at him as he charged away. Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder and continued on behind Magath.
"Although, what?" Floch asked, keeping a single file line behind him.
At first, the commander didn't say anything, until they were standing in front of a giant screen made up of smaller ones covering every inch of what Mikasa assumed was the "devil"
enclosure.
"Although, not one of them have, or dare to, come face to face to what they're protecting."
Floch and Mikasa scanned the security screens, waiting to catch a glimpse of the attraction, but saw nothing but wild jungle.
"You're sure they're in there?" Floch amusingly wondered. Magath gave a quick laugh.
"You'd know, no doubt, if they weren't. They would be on top of us within seconds of escape. Believe me, they're in there."
"So, if none of these people have ever had contact with them, how were you able to tame them in the first place? I mean, you say you worked with them for decades, how did you gain trust?
Or at least recognition?" Mikasa asked. Magath held his breath for a time, turned to them.
"They've had human contact, a select few brave souls who dared to interact with them, such as you."
"Well, shouldn't we meet them? Why aren't they orientating us? Preparing us for this deadly task?" Floch wondered. The look Magath gave sent dread pooling in their stomachs.
"Why do you think there was a job opening in the first place?" he inquired.
"You're saying, that decades worth of contactors-"
"All killed, within a week of being on the job. They got too smart. Thought they had gotten through to them, and were proven wrong in the most brutal of ways." Magath started to walk
with both recruits rushing to follow.
"What do you mean "too smart"?" Floch managed. "How dumb were they to get killed so quickly? It'd be obvious to me."
Magath led them into a briefing room where a long table stretched in front of a large screen. He gestured for them both to take a seat. They did and another man entered. With dark skin
and matching eyes, he gave them both a gentle smile.
"Hey there, I'm Onyankopon. I'll be taking your gear to your quarters, if you would let me. After the briefing, I'll take you there," he explained.
"Thank you," they both said. He simply nodded politely and took their gear, before making his silent exit.
Magath took his place at the head of the table, facing the screen, switched it on. The screen came to life with a picture of the enclosure from a solar camera.
"Holy shit..." Floch breathed out. The word "Paradis Island" was displayed below the image.
"This enclosure is 465 hectors, exactly. The jungle, the lake, a valley and even a small mountain adorns it, all for our monsters," Magath began. He clicked the remote and drone footage
of the enclosure started to play." As you can see, we spared no expense to dedicating this entire island to them, giving them enough room to live without ever realizing their trapped completely."
Mikasa's eyes widen.
"They don't know they're in a cage?"
"So, we thought. We're unaware of their thought process or how they know when to kill or how. They can be quite smart and manipulative, hence why so many deaths," he continued.
"So, what exactly are they?" Floch asked.
"Weapons," Magath answered sternly. "Human experiments, turned deadly."
"So, they are human."
"Far from, actually. It's true that they were humans once, humans who willingly gave in to the governments temptations of power and strength. These poor souls are a result of human
greed and a lack of purpose in their depressing lives." He clicked the remote again, and nine faces appeared on the screen. "Each believed they were contributing to their country, protecting it,
but almost immediately they lost everything, including their humanity."
As they both observed the human forms of these beings, they couldn't help but feel sadness and empathy toward them.
"God, their so young..." Floch whispered. "But, wait, there's nine people, but only five monsters. Where are the other four?"
Magath gave a look of regret. "Unfortunately, they died." Clicking the remote, he singled out four faces. "This was Bertoldt Hoover," he began. The screen showed a video of a giant, skinless
monster being bombarded and contained beside his human picture. "He never made it to this enclosure because of his sheer size and power. He was neutrilized within ten minutes of his
transformation. His threat level was that of God himself. There was no hope for him." Mikasa watched in horror as an army of military personel brought down the monster with cannonfire
and steel cables. His defeat was catastrophic and destructive. What looked like steam erupted and exploded from the deceased body.
"Is that steam?" she asked. Magath nodded.
"That attack killed 34 soldiers and wounded 76, who never fully recovered from their burns." He brought up pictures of badly burned soldiers in the midst of screaming in agony.
Floch flinched, Mikasa adverted her gaze. "And these women were Freida Reiss, Pieck Finger, and Lara Tybur." He brought up the human faces of three pretty, dark-haired women with footage
of their monster forms. "Unlike Bertoldt, they made it here to Paradis Island. Sadly..." He singled out a woman with long black hair and stormy eyes. "Pieck didn't last long. She had attempted to
scale the walls one too many times, resulting in her devouring any human trying to keep her inside..." An aerial video of a giant steaming corpse was shown. "She had to be neutrilized."
"Killed for intelligence," Mikasa muttered darkly. Magath pretended not to hear.
"What about the other two?" Floch asked. "Did one try to dig underneath? Did one magically grow wings?"
"Some good guesses, but no, these two were killed in a much more gruesome way. They were both eaten alive by one of the others." Both heads snapped to look at him.
"Shit. Which one?" Floch demanded.
"Just be patient. Now, it's about time you meet the ones still with us." He pressed a couple of buttons, drawing their attention back to the screen. "This is Porco Galliard." An
image of a red-headed man with eyes the color of honey was displayed. Behind that, a monster with a giant skeletal face and a massive, deadly jaw appeared with footage of him in action.
Jumping through trees more skilled than a monkey. "He is the smallest of the group, but don't think for a second he's weakest. He's fast, agile, and those jaws can bite through anything, even
diamond. He's scientifically known as the Jaw Titan."
"Titan?" Mikasa inquired.
"That is the name the government insisted they get, but moving on, this is Reiner Braun." A buff blonde with hard golden eyes replaced Porco's picture, as well as his titan form. A
giant being covered with hardened skin and glowing eyes played in the background. "Much like Pieck, Reiner became self-aware of his abilities almost immediately and has the power to break
through these walls as if they were made of styrofoam. Hence the name given to him, the Armoured Titan."
"What stops him? Why hasn't he gotten through?" Floch asked.
"Oh, he has, many times. Too many lives taken each time. We managed to create a weapon powerful enough to break through his armour and wound him significantly, blowing his
legs and body to smithereens. Weapons known as Thunder Spears."
"But he has legs still," Mikasa pointed out.
"Oh, did I forget to mention they can regenerate their bodies, heads included, in a matter of minutes? My mistake."
Mikasa felt a rush of nausea. 'Seriously?'
"Before long, Reiner, or what used to be Reiner, learned that if he comes near the walls, he faces an onslaught of explosives. Needless to say, he learned his lesson." Floch leaned back
in his chair, running his hands through his red hair.
"Jesus Christ..." he muttered. "As if they weren't terrifying enough."
"I suggest that any fear you feel from them, you get over. They'll sense it before those gates even open. They run on dominance and pride, much like a human. They won't let anyone
who's afraid of them, control them. Despite it being plainly obvious that their strength is unmatchable, they love to prove it again and again," Magath explained sternly. "That, unfortunately,
was one of the main causes of death over the years. You can't take care of something if you're afraid of it." Magath gave them a second to let that sink in, before continuing. Clicking the remote
again to bring up the next subject. When he did, Floch whistled lowly.
"Well, hello." Mikasa rolled her eyes as an image of a pretty, young blonde appeared on screen with a very agile and...female looking titan playing and fighting in the background. "If I were
to be eaten or killed by any titan..." he whistled again. "It would be her."
"Oh, give me a break..." Mikasa mumbled, crossing her arms. "Men."
"Don't let her appearance distract you, she is a ruthless, manipulative killer who goes by the name Annie Leonhart, or did," Magath began. "She's single-handedly wiped out an entire
platoon in a matter of minutes. Her instincts exceed any predator living on this earth, her skill only matched by a hand-to-hand combat professional, as she was one before she turned."
"She looks deadly. I like it," Floch put in.
"Please refrain from such indecent language and emotion. Only look at her the wrong way..." Magath sighed annoyingly as he saw Floch barely listening. "Well, let's just say, you'll never
see her coming."
"Shame-" Before he could finish, Mikasa slapped him, hard.
"Can you be even the slightest bit professional for 5 minutes, you pig?!" Mikasa snapped. Floch was too startled and shocked to answer, or look at Mikasa.
"My apologies, Commander. I don't know what came over me," Floch murmured, embarressingly.
Magath only grunted, before continuing. "Despite her impeccably high kill count, she is the one least seen by the human eye. She barely even interacts with her fellow titans. She has the
highest count of lost lives because they all go searching for her. To either grow a bond or, much like you, young man, dreams to see her glory up close and personal. None ever lived to tell the
story. She's one you most definitely should watch out for. She is simply known as, the Female Titan."
Noting that, both Floch and Mikasa wait for the next subject.
"Now, I'm sure you both know the saying 'always leave the best for last', and let me tell you, these last two are far from the best, and more so the most dangerous." He clicked the remote
and two remaining faces from the group appeared. "These are the Jaeger brothers."
"Brothers?!" An older man with blonde hair and beard, and remarkable blue eyes took the left of the screen, while his brother, much younger, with dark brown hair and intense emerald
green eyes took the right. Mikasa and Floch watched in terror as both titans moved in almost complete sync with one another, clearly sensing their relationship with each other. The teamwork
they were displaying to fend off an army onslaught was absolutely terrifying.
"The older one is named Zeke Jaeger, also known as the Beast Titan."
"You can say that again, he's a fucking monkey!" Floch screeched. "How does anyone take that guy seriously?"
"He has the strength to crumble up boulders the size of mountains into dust, imagine what he could do to your bones," Magath replied dryly. Floch paled.
"Point, very much, taken."
"Zeke has the hand-eye coordination of a deadly and skilled pitcher. His throws of fragmented stones can rip through an oncoming assault with one throw. Don't ask how we learned
that information. He is the eldest of all of them and was unanimously voted the leader of their little brigade, only succumbing to the wrath of none other that your titan killer, and his younger
brother, Eren Jaeger."
Taking up the entire screen now was Eren's human image and a video of what looked like two titans fighting. The vicious, green-eyed titan was biting and tearing through
a titan which Mikasa assumed was either Freida or Lara. They didn't seem to put up much of a fight.
"The footage you see here is Eren devouring and killing the titan that was once known as Lara Tybur, A.K.A the Warhammer Titan. The Founding Titan, Freida Reiss, was killed and eaten
the night before, but based on this surveillance, Eren was undoubtfully the culprit," Magath explained darkly. "Neither woman stood a chance against him. He earned his title, being seen as
the Attack Titan." Floch visibly swallowed nervously, eyes wide as Eren ravaged one of his own.
"How..." He cleared his throat, as his voice came out squeaky and shaken. "How many people has he killed?" he questioned.
"He hasn't, because we haven't given him the opportunity." He switched out the video for a picture of the Attack Titan totally restrained in thousands of steel cables. He was in the midst
of roaring. "This is where he is kept while contactors are within the enclosure. His unpredictable nature has never been taken lightly. This is the only way to prevent him from going beserk as
they work with him."
"Obviously it never did shit or else we wouldn't be here," Mikasa pointed out.
"You can thank his overly protective brother for that," Magath said. "You're probably wondering why we haven't dealt with him in the same manner as Pieck, or even Reiner. Don't think
we haven't used the Thunder Spears on him, we have, but if you only saw what Zeke does when we do. Let's just say we learned the hard way."
Magath seemed to reminise, before snapping back. "The fact that both Eren and Zeke are still consciously aware of their relationship is mind-boggling and our scientists still have no
idea how it's possible. It's a giant element of discovery for our team."
"It's a bit cruel, isn't it? Keeping him alive to be restrained and studied, but never trusted?" Mikasa asked. The shrug of Magaths shoulders was careless enough, that Mikasa felt a pang
of resentment.
"Anyway, that is the basic rundown of our operation here. We have about 16 minutes until we have to feed the titans, so I would kindly suggest you take a look into your dormitory,
familiarize yourself with the layout of the land, and meet back in the main hall for the stars of the show." Magath glanced at his watch and started to stand, causing both recruits to mimic.
"Onyankopon should be just outside waiting, and will show you the way." Without waiting for anything more, he left the room. Mikasa and Floch glanced at each other with a kind of weariness.
"Do you have any idea what we're in for?" Floch asked. Mikasa simply shook her head, and they both exited the conference room, and as promised, Onyankopon was there waiting.
He smiled at them.
"Well, let me just say welcome to hell." On that lovely note, they were led deeper into the operation and directed to their cells...sorry, dorms.
The room that they were staying in was a small studio apartment. Mikasa got the left side and Floch the right. There was two walls seperating the two rooms, each with it's own
bathroom and bedroom. As well as a sitting area and kitchen within the middle of both apartments. They were to share the kitchen and living space, but they would lock the doors leading to
their own respected bedrooms.
"Got to say, this is a lot nicer than where I am currently staying, which is my parents basement," Floch muttered, mostly to himself, because he was unsure where he stood after the
little spat he had with Mikasa while orientation was in motion. He wasn't going to risk any sort of confrontation with her, he knows he would most likely lose.
"Anything is better than living with my brother," Mikasa replied back, running her hand over the counters in the kitchen. She noted that there was indeed a lock on the door to the hall
and on the one leading to her room, and was undoubtfully grateful for at least some privacy.
Both occupants took 5 minutes to unpack what they could, and changed into the uniform set on each of their beds. There was a soft cotton undershirt, a decently insulated over-coat
and a vest almost as hard as rock covering every vital part of the body, from the chest to just below the gut. The pants were made of the same material, with iron-clad boots to top it all off.
A helmet, close to what a fireman would wear hung by the door to the halls.
"These aren't very comfy..." Floch complained whacking his knuckles against the pants, they made a strong plastic sound when he did.
"Neither is getting your guts ripped out by a giant set of teeth, it's always going to be safety over comfort, so stop complaining," Mikasa said, putting her helmet on.
"Geez, alright. You know being mean won't save you in that arena," Floch shot back.
"Maybe not, but being smart will, and I'm confident in my abilities to call a situation how it is. That need comes with the job." As Mikasa tugged her boots on, she missed Floch's mocking
face, and exaggerated stab in the heart.
A knock on the door, caused them both to starighten up and go over all their supplies. Without waiting for their invitation, Magath appeared in the open door with the usual colf face.
"I take it you're both ready, it's time."
Shoving down the sudden spike in anxiety, they both grabbed their duffel bags of tools, weapons, and anything to assist in going into the playground with 5 15 meter high monsters. One
can never be too prepared. They followed Magath back down through the halls and once again entered the main surveillance room, they went through a giant iron door that looks like it came out
of some naval Submarine. It was closed and locked loudly behind them, Magath didn't bat an eye, he simply started to decend down giant metal stairs.
There was no speaking on any of their parts, all were simply praying for a good first day, or hoping there was no repeat in dreaded history.
Mikasa could slightly hear Floch's rapid, heavy breathing and decided it wouldn't be good for any of them if something happened on the first day. She turned slightly and whispered,
"Count to ten in your head and take deep breaths, I know you probably don't want to hear it, but Magath was right about them smelling fear. They're unpredictable and we need to be the same."
Floch only nodded, taking into account, now would not be the best time to argue with her. Floch was Mikasa's partner all through the training course that led them here, he knew that
the titans have another thing coming. Floch believed wholeheardtly that Mikasa could certainly take care of herself. He also would never admit this to the girl, but he felt much safer with Mikasa
in his corner. He didn't want to make an enemy out of her when she could simply make one of the titans eat him, or maybe even she would.
After a couple more minutes they reached another room, small in size and filled with long metal spears which Mikasa assumed was the famed weapon invented for this exact purpose,
Thunderspears. Magath grabbed three off the wall, handed them to Floch who almost fumbled with them.
"Keep them steady, boy. If the trigger is taken out before it hits a target then you'll be blown sky high and in rain." Floch looked widely at the three rods in his hand, and started to clip
them properly on his person. Mikasa was handed three as well and she quickly secured them. "Now, this time you're going alone, I'm afraid. You could say this is your final entrance exam for your
training. We need to see if you both can handle the pressure of being inside with these things and not panic. Or accidently blow yourselves up. I will be just through this door." He gestured to
another metal door in the room. "Inside is more surveillance so I can watch you and act on the moment if anything awry was to happen. Which it won't...hopefully," he muttered the last part.
Mikasa ignored it, while Floch took in a big breath. He closed his eyes and thought of Mikasa's advice.
"What is it we're supposed to do?" Mikasa wondered.
"Your mission is to one, get their attention and bring them close to where you will enter here. To your right will be a crane which will start to move, the second those titans come into
view. Once they see it moving, they will understand what's happening. They might try and climb the crane, which is not uncommon, that is where you come in again. You need to keep them away
from the crane or else they could take it down and will not have a means of getting food, except you."
"So this crane will have food on it?" Mikasa clarified.
"Correct, they are loading it now. It will lower down a giant metal tub containing 5 full cows, dozens of defeathered chicken, a few sheep and a..."
"A what?" Floch asked.
"It's possible there might be a human carcass in there somewhere," Magath put simply. Floch let out a squeak, but quickly sealed his mouth shut, blushing in embarressment.
"H-human?"
"It's not identifiable in any way and through all the chaos the titans don't even give a second thought into what their putting in their mouths. They usually don't know the difference."
"And that is supposed to make us feel better?!"
"Back off, Floch. It's not like it's a living person." Floch snapped toward Mikasa with a look of horror.
"How can you say that? It's still a person, who should've been buried, not fed to a monster!" Floch screeched.
"If you continue with these outbursts, Mr. Forster, I will have no choice but to terminate you from the operation," Magath said gruffly. Floch looked ready to protest, but his conscience
overtook his judgement and he kept quiet.
"After you are finished feeding them, one of you will lead them away from the entry point, while the other opens it and prepares for the other to make a quick and quiet getaway. The
door closes and your first mission is complete." He finished explaining and handed them both walkie-talkies. "Your means of communication are here. You can talk to each other and the main
desk in here," he pointed to the door he would be behind. "This mission should only take about 20 minutes tops if done correctly and successfully. Are you ready?"
They took some extra time getting prepared and suited up, said their temporary good-bye's to the commander, before facing the door into the enclosure. The door started to whir with
mechanics and they heard Magath's voice crackle on the communication device. "Now, the security of this enclosure is top notch as you can see." The door slid completely open and they saw a
small hallway leading to yet another mechanical door. "Once this first door shuts, the other will begin to open and there is a lever on both sides to open the second door. The one outside is hidden
and under any circumstances are you to reveal the location of that lever. Those titans are intelligent and will find it if attention is drawn to it."
"Copy that," Floch said into the device, and both started to walk down the hall, the heavy door falling shut behind them. They said nothing to each other, even when they saw the second
door slowly draw open, revealing sunlight and humidity of a tropical rainforest. They didn't hesitate to step into the open and out of the safety of the metal walls, the door quickly snapped shut.
They took a second to adjust to the new environment and to come to terms that now they were alone in an enclosure for beings as strong as any natural disaster in human history.
Mikasa glanced to her side and saw the crane, which she gestured to to Floch. He nodded and she noticed that he looked absolutely terrified. She mimed taking a deep breath, and he again
nodded, taking one himself.
"How are we supposed to get their attention?" Floch whispered. "Just yell "Dinner time"?" Mikasa shrugged.
"Let's just take in our surroundings before we draw attention to ourselves." When she was about to turn and look around, she saw Floch's face turn pale and she froze. "You see one,
don't you?" she whispered. Floch barely nodded and was staring in the direction just above her left shoulder.
"I think...I think they heard the doors open," he said, grabbing a Thunderspear.
"Okay, which one is it?" she asked. "Don't act rash, just tell me which one."
Floch visibly swallowed. "It's the Jaw. He's...he's in the tree just to your left. He's not moving, oh god, why isn't he moving?"
"He's curious, just don't make any sudden moves. We can't come across as weak, but we also can't come across hostile and aggressive," Mikasa explained. She slowly turned and saw
immediately where the Jaw was hiding. You could just see about half of his body through the treeline, a few branches up. He didn't make a single sound.
"How is he the smallest?" Floch wondered. "What do we do?"
Mikasa didn't answer, just simply had a staredown with the Jaw Titan. She tilted her head to the side, to try and see the rest of him. She was amused, delighted even when the titan
mimicked her movements. A crackle in the walkie-talkie caused her to slightly jump.
"You've located the Jaw, he won't do anything without his comrades nearby. If you get him to come over, he can call the rest of them without you letting your prescence be known.
Remember how to deal with each one," Magath murmured through the device. Mikasa nodded, and started to slowly walk toward the titan, hands up so he knew she wasn't there to hurt him.
"Hey, Galliard." The Jaw moved suddenly and jumped down, causing the earth to shake slightly. Floch's breathing hitched and he sunconsciously took a step back. Mikasa wasn't deterred
and kept moving forward, the Jaw did the same. "Your food is ready. Do you want something to eat?" Mikasa called to him. The Jaw didn't say anything, not that she thought he would, just kept
creeping toward her. Mikasa didn't know how to take that, so she stopped where she was, and waited for the Jaw to come to her. He was five meters away when he finally stood still, never taking
his eyes off her. With such a close proxmitity, she really could appricaite how amazing he looked up close. Such a radiant power that she was shaking.
"I don't know if I want to meet the other ones," Floch said.
"Just shut up for a second," Mikasa growled at him, but didn't turn to him. Instead she lowered herself down, and sat on the grass. Floch was shocked that she had let her guard down so
easily. But before he could ask what she was doing, the Jaw let a scream rip through the air and he bounded toward Mikasa, closing the distance between them rapidly.
"Mikasa!" Floch yelled. She put her arm up in the air causing not only Floch to stop sprinting toward her, but the Jaw skidded to a halt right in her face. The titan moved his face right in front
of hers. She could see the colour of his eyes, the smell of his breath, which wasn't as pleasant, and the look he gave. She didn't look away, she didn't give him any notion that she was afraid.
The Jaw started to sniff her, like some sort of dog, and she almost retracted her hand when he paid special interest in it. Part of her was waiting for him to bite it off completely, while the other
part of her wanted to touch his face. She did neither of those things because not long after his had screamed, Mikasa could hear the bounding of 4 much bigger problems making their way toward
them.
"Floch..."
"I hear them."
Before any other word was uttered an explosion of sound consumed the area and 4 more giants appeared a few yards away. They didn't move any closer, but they started to circle the
clearing they were in, gauging strength. Mikasa didn't want to break eye contact with the Jaw, so she stood still waiting for him to move.
"Mikasa!" Magath's voice was heard again. "You need to move, now!" The crane started to operate and all attention was now drawn to the machine. When the Jaw looked away, Mikasa
used the opportunity to put some distance between them. The crane started to lower the container of food to the ground, and Mikasa suddenly snapped back into action.
"Galliard! Hey!" The Jaw was inching toward the crane, looking like he was about to leap, but turned to Mikasa's voice. "Come this way. You'll get squished if you're near that thing!"
The Jaw didn't move from his position right below where the crane would drop the food, just stared at her. "Galliard please, I don't want you to get hurt," Mikasa tried again. This seemed to
resonate with him, and he hesitated, but eventually obeyed her and crawled to stand near her. The other titans got the message and moved toward the crane, awaiting their meal. Not even glancing
at the two occupants within their home.
The container hit the ground, and the titans swarmed and ravaged the contents inside, barely taking time to breath in between bites. As this was happening, Floch had crept up beside
Mikasa and tapped her shoulder, not wanting to make any sudden sounds, lest the titans find him more appetizing after all.
"How did you do that?" he asked quietly. Mikasa didn't look at him, but answered.
"Do what exactly?"
"Get the Jaw to listen to you. He barely bat an eye when you told him to move out of the way."
Mikasa shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't gesture toward my weapons, didn't flinch when he looked at me or came close, nor did I break eye contact. I think part of it is to do with
how they're treated here. Like Magath said, you can't take care of something if you're afraid of it. They obviously hate what's happened to them, they know they're monsters and were going to
be treated as such, regardless of what they do. I think they are only living up to the names given to them. They look like monsters, so they act like them. I used his actual name, which I don't think
he's heard in a long time." She turned to him now, and saw him looking at her weirdly. "Obviously I can't speak for the other ones, but so far I think the Jaw is alright. But I won't let my guard down. Not yet."
The titans had finished devouring their meal, and had suddenly developed quite the interest in the two humans within their domain.
"Alright, well, there is no way to tell if their still hungry," Floch said, trying not to back-up, for maybe some of what Mikasa stated was true. "What was the next step?"
"One of us needs to lead them away from the entrance into the operation, while the other opens the doors and keeps watch for the titans as one of us makes our way back." Floch
nodded, but looked petrified.
"I volunteer you to lead them away." Mikasa glared at him.
"Geez, some man you are." Floch suddenly turned red in either embarressment or rage.
"No! Fine. I'll lead them away, you stay safe here, m'lady, while I make a name for myself. Can't believe you actually thought I would let you do all the work." Mikasa shook her head, and
internally laughed out loud.
"Okay, big man, get their attention and lead them toward the mountain on the left. You can disappear into the trees and make your way back hidden in the branches. They're tall enough to
not be able to see down into the forest. You should be alright, undetetected. Just try not to make any sounds, and watch for the Jaw. He's the one that can and will move through trees to find you,"
Mikasa explained. Floch took a breath and eyed up the monsters who started to inch toward them with a glint in their eyes. "And whatever you do, don't-"
Before Mikasa could finish her sentence, Floch took off in a sprint, calling out to the titans, who looked quite surprised that he was running away. Without a thought they all growled and
chased him, causing Floch to, naturally, run faster.
"Holy shit!" he cried out when the Jaw on all fours seemed to gain on him. Mikasa felt her heart leap in fear for Floch's life, so she quickly ran to the door which was the only way in or out
of the enclosure. She had about 4 minutes before Floch would be back in eyeshot. She found the lever behind one of the walls pillars and pulled it down with all her strength. The door started to
slowly rise open and she grabbed all of the gear off the ground and quickly noticed that, once he took off, Floch at discarded his pack and weapons. Meaning he had no means of defense or
communication, so if something were to happen, Mikasa wouldn't know about it, and Floch couldn't do anything about it.
Mikasa counted the seconds as they dragged by, not knowing if not hearing Floch was a good or bad thing.
'Maybe he's just walking through the forest,' Mikasa thought as she stood in the doorway, hands on the lever to bring down the door again. 'He would draw more attention to himself if
he were tearing up the forest in a panic to get back here.' While she was in her thoughts, coming up with excuses on how Floch hasn't been seen yet, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the
air and caused Mikasa's heart to drop. Floch had just screamed in what sounded like pain.
"Son of a-" She lept into action, leaving the door open to make it easier to run back in if she were carrying Floch, which she found was the least of her problems. Would there even be
anything to carry back if the worse had come true? She certainly hoped not. Not the best first day she's ever had.
She ran toward the mountain and looked around frantically for the titans. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, scanning the thick treeline on the giant's trail to the mountain.
As she got closer to the mountain, she briefly heard a frantic voice, pleading and begging. She moved toward the sound hoping that the voice was Floch's. She broke into a clearing and
almost cried out when she saw Floch on the ground, bleeding, with only one arm, and surrounded by giants.
"Floch!" she cried out and hurried toward him. She reached him in a matter of seconds, but instead of getting down to his level to check if he was alright, she turned upward toward the
titans who didn't seem too pleased of her arrival.
She put her hands in the air, and glanced hastily in a circle, as she was now surrounded also. "Okay, guys, you got to back off!" They gnashed their teeth at her, and she found it obvious
who the amputating titan was, as the Attack Titan had blood running down it's mouth. Guess he wanted to title himself a human-killer after all. "C'mon Eren, back off!" she shouted when she saw
him start to inch closer. The Attack titan seemed shocked at the sound of his name and glared ruthlessly at her. The Armoured Titan gave a low moan and started to walk toward her. Mikasa
sensed this and whipped around to face him, hands up. "I said back off! Reiner!" She was absolutely terrified, almost as much she longed to reach for her Thunderspear, but she still needed
them to trust her. If she were to resort to violence on the slightest little thing, despite it being Floch's lost arm, she would blow this whole operation and she'd end up dead next time around.
"Look I know you're all angry. I know you all want your freedom, but I'm afriad this is the closest you'll ever get." She glanced quickly at Floch, who had passed out from bloodloss. If she didn't
move quickly, he'd be dead. "The humans out there are the real monsters. They wouldn't keep you in a giant sanctuary, they wouldn't take the time to feed you enough to hold you over through
the night. They would subject you to horrifying, cruel experiments. Putting you through a torture worse then isolation. I know it might not seem like it, but these people are protecting you, not
banishing you." She took a breath and lowered her arms. "I chose to come here, not even knowing what I was doing. I hated it. But once I realized why I was really here, I felt...excited." The titans
didn't move, or act like they understood a word she was saying. Just simply looked at her. "I get to work with human miracles. I know it might not look like it, but you all have an amazing gift. Of
strength and even intelligence, I can see it." She was about to say more, when a huge thump had echoed and rattled through the whole area. The Beast Titan broke through the crowd and gave her
a look of what seemed like...recognition. She was so caught up in everything she hadn't even noticed he was in the trees and not one of the surrounding giants. He knelt down, causing a hurricane
of wind to consume the area. She watched him, almost mortified, when he actually began to speak.
"Human girl, you're words have a wisdom to them, we didn't think possible in this world."
"You can speak?" Mikasa asked, more delighted then scared by this point. "They didn't say you could talk."
"They don't know. They never took a chance to know us. Just assumed we were beyond saving, and that we'd lost every bit of humanity," the Beast explained. "Nor had any of them used
our human names, not until now at least."
"That makes you happy," Mikasa stated.
The Beast Titan gave a laugh, which had a little fear creep back up into Mikasa's throat. She didn't really know how to handle all of this.
"You could say it consoles us that someone with as much compassion and compromise has attended this operation. Someone we know won't reach for a weapon when we make the
slightest movement. It's refreshing to say the least, to be treated like people again." The Beast gestured toward Floch's leaking body, and frowned.
"Forgive my brother's knack for violence, he doesn't like when men come in here, or when they act like they know better than him. Floch had done something questionable and hurt Annie's
feelings. He was simply defending her honour." Mikasa glanced at the Female who huffed and turned away.
"Well, he is such a gentleman," Mikasa said, turning to Eren who pretended he wasn't Eren, and turned to see who she was looking at. "I'm sorry, Annie, for my comrades inappropriate
behaviour. I will make sure there is something special for you in your next meal," Mikasa offered. Annie seemed like she liked the idea, but it was hard for Mikasa to actually tell. She wasn't glaring
coldly at her anymore so she considered it progress. She looked back at Floch, who had lost all his colour by this point, and Mikasa came back to reality. "I need to get him to a doctor, now, or else
he'll die. Do I have your permission to take him back with me, you can, uh, keep the arm." The Beast let out a howl of laughter, and Mikasa found herself smiling back at him.
"But of course, but we needn't let you carry him. Eren was the idiot who did it, so allow him to carry you both back." Eren gave a look of mock shock, which was quite terrifying when he
had no lips to pout. He had relented at least and lowered his hand to the ground, allowing Mikasa to get herself and the slowly dying Floch onto his palm. He cradled them both and made their way
back toward the entry point.
Mikasa watched the scenes go by, absolutely thrilled. She couldn't believe the progress she had made in 20 minutes, compared to the others who couldn't even figure out they could talk
through over 20 years. Mikasa turned to look at Eren's giant face and couldn't help the small delighted smile that spread on her face.
"Can you talk as well?" she asked. The Attack Titan shook his head, letting out a low growl. "I guess you don't have lips, so no one would understand you if you could," Mikasa guessed, which
Eren seemed to agree. "So I guess I should keep quiet about Zeke's ability to speak?" Eren slowed down as he came to the entrance and lowered her and Floch's unconscious form to the ground.
He nodded, confirming her suspicion. "I won't say a word, and thank you for the lift, Eren." She thought she saw something resembling a smile on Eren's face and he turned and darted away, running
back in through the forest toward where they left the 4 others. Mikasa hefted Floch over her shoulder and came through the door, which automatically started to close.
When the second door into the interior started to rise open, medics and Magath rushed in to take a look at Floch. She put him on a stretcher the medics had provided and he was whisked
away up the stairs. Magath stayed in the room while Mikasa started to put her unused weapons away, and sort through the packs to check if everything was in it's place.
As she was doing so, Magath confronted the elephant in the room.
"You're a natural, Ackerman," he stated. Mikasa simply saluted.
"Thank you, Commander, but I was simply doing what you asked."
"You did just that and more, not once has anyone gotten so close to not only a titan, but the Attack Titan, without losing a limb, as your comrade so generously proved. You developed trust
almost immediately, it's a feat worth praising," Magath said.
"Why wasn't the Attack Titan restrained? You said he was always kept out of the way whenever anyone went inside the enclosure, but he was free and running about! Floch could've died!"
Mikasa snapped out. She finally had all adrenaline leave her and she was quite scared and angry with what happened to her partner.
"I'm sorry that I didn't warn you about that, but the truth is, we knew that you yourself would be alright with them. You could've been in there alone and been fine." Mikasa fumed.
"What exactly do you mean about that?" she asked, hotly. Magath started to lead her back up the stairs after she had finished reorganizing.
"You asked my why such secrecy when you first arrived, and the truth is, there is still something you need to know about these monsters. There has only been one successor in the last 27
years of this exhibit. A man worth a hundred soliders easily, like you."
Mikasa silently thanked him when he held the door open for her back into the main hall.
"And who was that?" she demanded. Before Magath could answer another voice interrupted.
"Well if it isn't my little sister." Mikasa turned to the voice and all her fury turned to confusion.
"Levi?" She quickly whipped to look at Magath. "What is this?"
"Your brother has been working with us since this operation began. He is the only one that's gotten in and out in one piece on multiple occasions."
"I can tell you're just thrilled to see me," Levi said sarcastically. Mikasa snorted.
"Why do you always got to butt into my life?" she snapped at him.
"Technically, you're butting into mine. I've been here longer than you've been born, kiddo."
"You see, Mikasa, these titans are not the only ones who were given the gift of strength and power. The titans were the first ones to recieve this treatment, and obviously the results were less
than adequate, so they motified a few things about the serum and came up with what Levi is, and what you are," Magath explained hesitantly. Mikasa almost threw up at the implication. "What
I'm saying is, you are a titan also, just more like a Titan 2.0. A human with the strength of one." Mikasa stumbled back.
"H-how do I not remember recieving this...serum?" she asked.
"You weren't born yet," Levi cut in. "Mom was still pregnant with you when I recieved the serum. Our Ackerman blood is one in a million, a bloodline that was practically invented for this exact
purpose. They experimented on other bloodlines, but the serum simply caused these people to burn to death inside out. It was a horrifying ordeal. A lot of innocents dead in the name of science."
"So, I should be in that cage too!" Mikasa lashed out. "I can't believe you put me in there with them, when I didn't have such imperative information. If I'd known about this, I wouldn't have
made Floch lead them away, and he might have two arms right now! How dare you keep this from me, especially you, big brother!" The last too words came out of her teeth, dripping with venom
full of hatred and guilt. "Floch could've-" she broke off and turned away. "I really am a monster." She started to walk away, telling herself she'd wander until she recognized where her dorm was,
but instead turned back. "Where's the medical wing? I want to see Floch. I'm not telling him a word of this conversation, and I don't want you two to say anything either. If he knew what I was, he'd
hate me for the rest of his life. He's my partner through this and I can't have him treating me like one of those titans. Understood, sir!?" Mikasa glared daggers at Magath, who gave no notion
he cared that she had spoken to him in such a tone. He simply sighed.
"Levi knows the way, he can take you there," he said.
"Fine, but I'm so pissed at you, Levi! Don't expect me to hug you and ask questions. In fact, the less I know about this, the better. So just don't talk to me!"
Levi just started to walk away, Mikasa following. They walked for a good couple minutes, until they passed through a door leading to the hospital wing. A nurse walked by and Mikasa
stopped her.
"Floch Forster?" she asked. The nurse took a second, but looked her up and down.
"You're an Ackerman right? You were with him in the arena?" Mikasa almost flinched, but nodded. "This way." She started to lead them passed about a dozen rooms filled with medical
supplies and hospital beds. She stopped in front of a closed door with the number 53 on it. "He's in here, I think he's slightly conscious but he's all wrapped up and has a lot more blood
running through him, so his colours back. You got him back in the nick of time. If the Attack Titan hadn't carried you back, he would've died from bloodloss," she explained, opening the door. "I'll
leave you two alone with him."
Mikasa and Levi stepped into the room, the door shut behind them, and made their way over to Floch who was sleeping on the bed. Levi stayed back against the wall, while Mikasa took a
chair to sit at his bedside. She took in his appearance and agreed with the nurse that his colour was better. He didn't look like a corpse anymore, which was a relief. She barely touched his hand
when he stirred and his eyes opened slightly.
"Hey there, m'lady, was I man enough for you?" he asked with a slight smile. Mikasa couldn't help the laugh that came out, or the tears that pooled in her eyes.
"You're a more a man today than you ever were," she said. Floch started to chuckle, but winced in pain grabbing onto his stump of an arm, but seemed defeated when he didn't feel it
there. "Guess I won't be your partner much anymore."
"False," Levi butted in, making Floch look shockingly at him. "You will still be eligible for the job you had. I will just be with you in there for a while, while you heal up more mentally. I'm
sorry this happened to you," Levi said.
"Who are you?" Floch asked. Then looked from Mikasa to Levi a couple times and reailization dawned on him. "He's your brother?" Mikasa sighed, nodded. "That's so cool, you look a lot
alike."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Floch. He's only here because I couldn't find my way to the medic wing. You'll only see him on missions," Mikasa said. Levi snorted and turned to look out the
room's window.
"I'm just glad they didn't call my parents, then I would've happily had died in that arena," Floch joked.
"I'm glad your sense of humour didn't leak out while you were bleeding in my arms." Floch smiled, and a couple seconds went by.
"How did you get me over here so fast? We were way out there, I was suprised I had made it back in one piece," Floch wondered.
Mikasa explained how when she had heard him scream, she hadn't thought twice to run into the fray to save him. She explained how she had been surrounded by the titans and had told
them to back off. She didn't mention the Beast and her's conversation, as she enjoyed keeping that little discovery a secret. Not even Levi knew, she wadgered. She explained how she had made
the Attack Titan carry them over to the gates and almost immediately the medics came in and took him directly here, to bandage up his arm, and here they were.
"Wow, saved my ass, didn't you? Guess I can cook you dinner for about a week with one arm and call us even," Floch said. Mikasa smiled.
"No need for thanks, just you pulling through and getting back on the job is all I care about. That's even enough for me," she explained. Floch seemed to flush, but there wasn't enough
blood in his system to turn completely red, and he seemed to realize her brother was still in the room.
"Thank you, Mikasa. It really means a lot to hear you say that," Floch said.
"No worries, partner. Now, heal up. I'll come and bring you some dinner tonight at about 6. You gotta eat a decent meal if you're to get strong again." Mikasa moved to get up, but planted a
quick peck on his forehead, and started to the door. Levi opened it and they both filed out, missing Floch's fangirl moment reaching for his forehead and giving a shit eating grin.
He whispered, "You got it, partner," and faded to black to get some more sleep before his meal. He would much rather have a death defying job with Mikasa, then to never have met her.
She was special, he knew, but he didn't need some fancy bloodline to prove that to him.