Thank you guys for the love and support I have gotten on the last two chapters! It really means a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this piece. I know it's a lot to take in but hang in there, it'll be a fun ride. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Mission 348: Security Detail
Levi Ackerman stared up at the tall, six story building.
Sina Laboratories.
He had to admit, the lab was bigger than he expected.
He had spent the better part of the last week reading the file that Miche had given him. He studied the information, did some digging of his own, wrote notes about the things he found, memorized them. He wanted to know as much as he could about the lab and its dealings before his arrival.
Medical, governmental organizations, charities. Sina Laboratories dabbled in a little bit of everything. As far as the public was concerned, the lab's work was the pinnacle of philanthropic. On paper, their operations were completely legal. However, if Erwin's words rang true– for he was hardly ever wrong– then Levi would uncover the truth behind the lab and its secret investors.
Pulling his coat tighter around himself, Levi climbed the stone steps that led to the building's entrance. He opened the glass door and stepped across the threshold.
A burly old man clad in a black uniform and bulletproof vest blocked his path as soon as he stepped through the door. "Stop right there, kid. Spread out, gotta pat you down."
Tsk.
Levi gave the man a thorough once over. He took note of the gun strapped to the man's belt and the shield insignia sewn onto the arm. Drifting his gaze slightly off to the side, he noticed two other men standing behind the burly one, each sporting the same gear.
Laboratory security.
He wasn't even surprised.
Silently, Levi obliged the guard's request. He spread his legs and extended his arms, allowing the guard to freely conduct his search. As he did, Levi took the time to investigate his surroundings.
Several metal detectors lined the entrance a few feet ahead. Three x-ray machines sat off to the side, checking baggage and their contents as they slid through on a conveyor belt. Cameras lined almost every wall and every corner, pointing every which way so as not to leave any area unchecked. Levi wondered what business the lab conducted that required them to have such a heavy security presence.
The guard searching him finished his assessment. He stepped away, putting some space between them.
"What's your business here, kid?" the guard asked, looping his arms comfortably through the straps to his vest. "It's not everyday that I see fellas like you stepping into a place like this,"
Levi could feel the guard's gaze burning holes into his head. "I work here,"
"Do you now?" the guard mocked. He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. The man titled his head, looking down on him. "I haven't seen you around before. Got an ID on you to prove it?"
"No. It's my first day,"
Clucking his tongue, the guard shook his head. "Sorry kid. No ID, no entry."
"Look, there was a mix-up with my paperwork and I never received my ID badge. If you'd just let me-"
Levi hardly moved an inch, yet the guards still reached for their weapons.
"Boys, boys. There's no need for such a raucous," a new voice rang, disrupting their conversation. A stranger drifted toward them from the shadows.
Levi's entire body stiffened.
He knew that voice.
The guards blocking his path suddenly withdrew, standing at attention. Trepidation flashed in their eyes and nervous sweat broke on their faces. Levi could feel the anxiety dripping off them in waves.
The burly guard swallowed. "Our apologies sir. We didn't mean-"
The stranger waved them off, steadily approaching. Levi still hadn't seen his face. "Don't worry about it. Back to work you go. I'll take care of the kid,"
"Yes. R-right away sir," the three of them stuttered.
As they scurried off back to their posts, the stranger came into view. Gray eyes met his from underneath a black worn down fedora. God did Levi hate that fucking hat.
A smirk painted the man's face and he propped a hand on his hip. "Twenty years and you're still that scrawny little fuck I left behind after teaching you how to shoot a gun."
"Kenny." Levi greeted bitterly.
A chuckle fell from Kenny's lips. "Nice to see you too, kid. Tell me, how's your mother doing? I haven't been to see her in awhile,"
"She's fine. No thanks to you," he hissed venomously.
His uncle clucked his tongue. "Don't you give me that lip boy. You know that your mother's accident had nothing to do with me."
"No, you just left after it happened. You abandoned us and left me to take care of her. I was twelve,"
Kenny wasn't amused. He frowned. "You know nothing about what happened Levi. So I'd keep your trap shut if you know what's good for you,"
Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say old man."
He shouldered past Kenny and made a beeline for the elevator. His uncle followed after him, towering over him as they waited for the elevator to reach them. If that wasn't irritating enough, Kenny had the audacity to whistle right in his ear. Levi wanted to turn around and rip the smug look off his face.
"So it's your first day huh?" Kenny drawled as the elevator doors slid open. Levi said nothing.
"What department did they put you in? Accounting? The lab? Janitorial?" Kenny teased. Levi glared at him coldly.
They stepped inside. Levi leaned his back against the railing, keeping his gaze glued to the metal panel in front of him as the doors slid closed. "Security."
Kenny grinned. "Ah, so they put you in my department. Well then, looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other,"
Levi wasn't the least bit amused. "Great."
Kenny clapped him hard on the back, forcing a small grunt from his lips. He sent his uncle another glare. "Stop being so crabby, it's not a good look on you. Besides, you're in my department now which makes me your boss. So you better learn to shove all that hatred for me aside before I put your ass through the wringer. You got that?"
"Loud and clear."
Kenny reached over, pressing the button that would take them down to the basement. "Good. Now come on, let me show you where you're gonna be working,"
The elevator came to a grinding halt as they reached the basement. Kenny slid through the doors as they opened, beckoning him to follow. Reluctant, Levi obliged.
Concrete walls and concrete floors encompassed the basement in its entirety. There were no windows and there was no color. Upon first glance, the basement was far from warm and welcoming. It reminded Levi of a prison.
Weights and gym equipment were stationed in the back corner, serving as the primary workout spot for security personnel. Locker rooms were stationed opposite the workout area, dimly lit and reeking of stale sweat and musty clothing. Even as far away as Levi was, the putrid stench still managed to burn his nostrils and make his eyes water.
To the left of the locker rooms sat a row of cabinets in a variety of sizes that served strictly as weapon storage. Pistols, assault rifles, knives, tasers, flashbangs and more lined the cabinets from top to bottom, or at least from what little Levi could see from around Kenny. Boxes, loose ammunition, bags, and gunpowder were strewn about the area haphazardly.
Levi grimaced. "This place is a fucking pigsty,"
"Hm?" Kenny asked from over his shoulder. He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. "You wanna try telling these stubborn shitheads to clean up after themselves? Be my guest,"
"No. I can do the cleaning myself,"
"All these years later and you're still such a clean freak. Some things never change," Kenny laughed as he once again slapped Levi on the back, much to his disdain.
"Tch."
Kenny finally stopped walking when they reached the center of the room. A short distance ahead of them, a pair was sparring on some rubber mats. He called out to them. "Hey Isabel, Furlan! Get your asses over here. I'd like to introduce you to someone,"
The pair in question looked their way, pausing their sparring momentarily. One of them was tall with dirty blonde hair and bangs that covered the spot between his dull, gray eyes. The girl across from him was shorter, with fiery red hair tied into short little pigtails and pale green eyes. She looked like a kid.
The pair flicked their gazes from Kenny to him, drinking in his appearance and no doubt drawing out their first impressions about him in their heads. Their interaction was brief, only lasting for a few seconds before the girl– Isabel– darted around her partner and swept his legs out from underneath him before he had a chance to react. Furlan fell to the mat with an audible thud, grunting as his back slapped against the rubber.
He coughed, allowing his head to drop back. "Damnit Isabel, why do you always have to do that when there are people watching?"
"Because you always get distracted, dummy." She stuck her tongue out at him, lightly kicking his leg with her boot. "If you paid more attention and focused, you wouldn't be lying on the floor now, would you?"
Furlan didn't get the chance to respond before Isabel left his side. She skipped over to Kenny and Levi and stopped right in front of them with a dramatic jump. A grin appeared on her face that stretched from ear to ear. She was practically beaming.
She shot her hand out without wasting another moment. "Isabel Magnolia, nice to meet you. And you are?"
Reluctant to shake the hand that was probably caked in sweat and other filth, Levi kept his hands at his sides. "Levi… Ackerman."
Isabel's eyes narrowed as they flicked back and forth between him and Kenny. Furlan had finally joined her side. "Wait a minute… Are you two related?"
"No."
"Yes."
Their words stumbled over each other as they answered at the same time. Silence filled the space. Levi glared at Kenny. Kenny glared right back. The tension in the air was awkward and uncomfortable, so thick that it could be cut with a knife.
Levi grit his teeth.
Kenny's eyes flashed in warning.
Then within a second that felt agonizingly long, the tension dropped and Kenny looked away. He flashed a smile at Isabel, wrapping his arm around Levi's shoulder. He squeezed it painfully. Another warning. "This little runt here is my nephew. His mother is my sister. Ain't that right, Levi?"
Levi didn't answer.
Kenny let him go. "Don't mind him. He's not much of a talker,"
Furlan stared at Levi as he looked away, trying to focus on something else. "A new hire then?"
"Pyxis's replacement."
Isabel's eyes widened in surprise. "They hired his replacement already? Pyxis isn't retiring for at least another month,"
Kenny shrugged. "Don't know what to tell ya. I didn't even know the boss hired someone until this morning,"
"He doesn't look like much." Furlan commented dryly, folding his arms over his chest.
Isabel elbowed him in the ribs, chastising him. "He can hear you, you idiot. Be nice,"
"Heh, don't worry," Kenny laughed, dismissing Furlan's comment. He started to walk away. "The runt's heard much worse, he can handle it. Furlan, why don't you show Levi where he can put his stuff? Give him a uniform too while you're at it. He's gonna need it,"
Furlan nodded. Dropping his gaze to Levi, he gestured to the locker room with his head. He didn't look particularly enthused. "Come on,"
As they began their walk across the basement, Isabel flashed another bright smile. She waved them goodbye. "Have fun you two,"
Levi followed Furlan to the locker room.
"So," he started, dipping his toe in the proverbial water. "How long have you worked here?"
Furlan's pale eyes shifted to him over his shoulder. He was gauging his face, looking for a reaction. Levi didn't give him one.
Judging by the inscrutable expression on Furlan's face, Levi knew getting useful information was going to be a challenge. He didn't expect anything less.
He'd have to be subtle with his prodding, choose his words and his questions very carefully. He couldn't be specific. He couldn't press. He would have to earn their trust and prove his worth.
It was a simple game of twenty questions.
"Almost two years,"
Levi hummed. "You seem a little young to be working security in a place like this. How old are you?"
"Old enough."
They circled around a short hallway that opened up to a plethora of rusty lockers and splintering wooden benches. Bathroom stalls opened the wall on one side while showers opened the other. The air was stuffy and the space cramped. The musty smell that had burned his nostrils when he first entered the basement had increased tenfold. It reminded Levi too much of the gym lockers he had when he was in school. It made his stomach churn.
"You can put your stuff in any of these open lockers," Furlan said, waving half-heartedly at the empty lockers. He didn't even spare Levi a glance. "I'll grab you a uniform, just wait here."
Furlan stepped away as Levi set his stuff down on an open bench. Listening to make sure he was gone, he took his short window of opportunity to peruse the lockers with stuff inside, looking for anything of value. He searched with his eyes only, not taking the chance of leaving his fingerprints behind.
Levi couldn't see much through the closely-knit grates.
Loose clothing, car keys, wallets, papers that had nothing to do with the lab, toiletries, etc. were littered through the lockers. The names that claimed the spaces were ones he didn't recognize. Nothing of interest caught his eye. The items filling the lockers were just that. Items.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Too distracted to have heard the person sneaking up behind him from the showers, Levi jumped. He turned around, meeting the hard glare of someone he didn't know.
"I could ask you the same thing."
His words were instinctive, defensive. It was deflection at its finest. However, he was trapped in a pit full of snakes. His guard would do him no good, not here, not now. If he wasn't careful, he would drown.
The stranger across from him scoffed. "I wasn't the one rifling through people's belongings,"
"I wasn't rifling through anything."
The stranger raised an eyebrow. The blonde hair of his undercut caught the light, making it glimmer. "No? Then what were you doing?"
"Looking."
Another scoff.
The stranger licked his teeth, annoyed. "Alright, smartass. Who are you?"
Levi tilted his head, matching his glare. "You first."
The muscles in the man's jaw tightened. He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them. An intimidation tactic. Levi didn't budge and instead held his ground.
"Oh, Porco. I didn't know you were in here," Furlan calmly interrupted, reappearing from where he had originally disappeared.
The situation deescalated.
The stranger, Porco, shifted his gaze from Levi to Furlan, though only briefly. "I just got here,"
"I see you met Levi,"
"Who? This asshole?" Porco sneered, drying his disheveled hair with a towel.
Furlan stepped over to Levi, handing him a neatly folded uniform. "New hire. He's going to be Pyxis's replacement,"
"Since when?"
Furlan shrugged. "This morning I guess. I don't know, ask Kenny."
Porco folded his arms over his chest, keeping his watchful gaze on Levi. Levi, on the other hand, averted his gaze, examining the uniform he now held between his fingers.
"And what does that old geezer think about this?"
"Levi's his nephew. I don't think he cares,"
"Seriously?" Porco asked. Furlan didn't respond.
"Does he look like he's joking?"
Porco met Levi's eyes for a second. Then, he closed his eyes and dropped his head back. "There's gonna be two of them now. Fucking fantastic,"
Levi's eyes followed him as he departed. "What's his problem?"
Furlan stepped around him and retrieved his water bottle from his locker. "He's going through some things. Just ignore him,"
A locker latched shut.
"Hurry up and go change. We've got work to do,"