Flares fired and smoke rose. Grappling hooks hit and wires extended. The bright crystal cave was now a battlefield. As gunshots missed and blades cut, Jason flew through the chaos. Looking.
Brown hair…no. Ponytail… But it's a guy. Blue eyes… Blue eyes!
He found her. The harpy that killed Nifa. Her cold blue eyes were unmistakable. And her blonde hair was flowing in her ponytail. I got you now! But before he could pursue her, Levi flew past him, he had cut three people behind him heading straight for the woman. Luckily, Jason had been flying past a pillar when his Captain flew by.
Jason felt a presence to his left. Suddenly two gunshots were fired. Levi dodged behind a pillar while Jason's gas pushed him upward. A buckshot grazed his calf. He winced in pain.
"Oya! Are you the lightning twerp from before!" Jason flipped upside down to see who shot at him. An older man with a wispy beard and… A cowboy hat?
"Caven said she killed you… guess I'll have to finish the job!" He aimed his gun at Jason. But before he pulled the trigger, a metal collided with his muzzle. Levi's backwards blade was struggling against the interior police officer. Focusing on his enemy he yelled, "GO!"
Jason followed orders. I guess there's no hiding from Levi. If this man was someone Levi struggled with, Jason was no match for him. As he fired a hook away from the duo, he heard the old man say, "You're a spunky one, damn it."
Jason flew through the air, looking again. The further into the cave he flew the less smoke there was and less gunners he saw. Where did she go?
Mikasa grunted in the distance. If he was this close to her, that meant he was at the top of the formation. So much for protecting the rear. But Jason didn't care. He had to find the blonde haired woman. She was too dangerous to leave alone.
He changed directions, heading towards Mikasa's voice. Jason could see pressurized gas accompanying wires. But all the members of the interior were headed deeper into the crystallized cave. Are they running away? Jason pushed harder on his gas.
Jason heard a grappling hook hit a pillar behind him. He flipped sideways and saw a gunner pursuing him. Luckily it wasn't the old man from earlier. The gunner shot at him. Jason pushed his trigger allowing the gas to flip him upside down. After several somersaults, the back of his heel hit the gunner on the base of his skull. Knocked out, the man fell to the floor.
"Jason? What are you doing here?!" The section commander's voice echoed behind him. He shot the hooks behind him so as not to lose his momentum. Flipping sideways again, he saw Hange flying through the air above him. The blood splatter on the right side of her face made Jason slightly afraid of her.
"You're supposed to be…!" But before she could continue two shots rang out. They hit the pillar to Hange's right. Both scouts saw where the shots originated from. Cold blue eyes met theirs. Hange made a noise. "Huh? Both your shots are way off!" Forgetting about Jason she gave a toothy grin and turned towards the woman, "You like to live recklessly, too?!"
The woman had stopped flying and hung on the edge of a pillar. Her muzzle faced Hange. Jason, too low in the cave, pushed the trigger to release his gas. I won't reach in time!
Instead of buckshot, a wire released from the woman's grip. It hit Hange's shoulder. The section commander cried out in pain. Before Jason could shoot a wire near the ceiling, the blonde haired woman heaved and threw Hange against a pillar. Jason's eyes widened.
Hange's entire body hit the pillar. Then she fell from an unimaginable height, hitting her head on the crystal floor. A trial of blood was left behind. The woman then aimed her muzzle at the unmoving body.
"NO!" Jason yelled. He let go of his hooks and rolled onto the floor. He sprinted towards Hange's body, throwing a blade at the blonde haired woman. It spun at her, distracting her for just a second. Jason flew in the direction of the woman, pushing hard on his gas. Don't shoot, DON'T SHOOT!
"Jason!" Levi called behind him somewhere. But Jason couldn't look. He couldn't think. All he could focus on was the blonde haired women. The blade he threw earlier left a scar on her cheek, but she hadn't flinched. Her muzzle was pointed at Jason.
Peach colored bangs came into his mind. I don't want to die!
An energy swelled within his body. He could feel it growing larger and larger. The crystallized light was losing its luminosity. "DON'T SHOOT!" He cried out, as the electricity shot out of his body from all directions.
The cave went pitch black.
Levi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lightning crackled against the suddenly dark cave. It traveled in all directions, but its center was unmistakable. What in the world is happening?!
A voice grunted in the distance, "Everyone! Fall back to the final defensive post!" Pressurized gas released, "Time to regroup!" While Levi couldn't see anything, he heard more wires and gas around him headed in the direction of the voice.
Despite the darkness, Levi felt his presence. He dodged behind a pillar as the buckshot hit the crystal. "Stay out of our way, you little runt." Kenny's face shone in the lightning as he flew towards the other gunners.
Levi returned his gaze to said lightning. How am I supposed to deal with this?! He landed as close to the sparks as possible.
A body landed next to him. Mikasa, two blades still in hand, looked wide eyed at the phenomenon.
"Captain!" Armin's voice echoed behind him. "What's going on! The entire cave is pitch black!"
Now that wasn't entirely true. Deeper into the cave Levi saw the crystallized light. It was dim, but it was still there. Only the crystal surrounding them had lost its luminosity.
"Armin!" Mikasa replied, "Follow the sound of my voice!"
Levi exhaled in frustration. They didn't have time for this. Eren could be eaten at any moment. Nifa was right. This kid is going to get us all killed. I shouldn't have…
As soon as the thought came to him, the lightning retracted towards one of the pillars. The caves' luminosity slowly returned. By the time Armin and the others caught up to them, the lightning was little more than sparks.
When the smoke subsided, the group collectively widened their eyes. The top of one of the pillars was completely destroyed. Jason sat at the base of the destroyed pillar on his knees, mouth foaming, eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"What in the…?" Jean said what was on everyone's mind. The boy fell to the floor unconscious.
Levi moved quickly, "Armin, Moblit, make sure Hange's alright. Sasha, give me your cloak. Quickly." The archer fumbled with her attire, but eventually gave him the cloak. "Jean, take the others and scout ahead. We'll catch up."
"But Captain…" Jean protested.
"We'll catch up! Go!"
Mikasa was the first to fly, with Connie, Sasha, and Jean following after her.
Cloak in hand, Levi took in the situation before him.
The boy was still producing sparks. It cracked the crystal whenever it hit its surface.
"Captain!" Moblit called behind him, "Hange is a little banged up, but she'll be alright."
Levi let out a little sigh of relief. Now he just had to focus on… whatever this is. He wore Sasha's cloak. How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?!