What Could Have Been (HangexFemReader)

Chapter 10: Cooperation

"Here," (Y/N) held out the drug in front of Hange's face, making sure that they weren't able to grab it out of her hands.

Hange frowned, their eyes taking in the outwardly features of the small vial. Their expression was unreadable as they took a few seconds to observe the drug. Levi shot (Y/N) a questioning look.

"Well?" (Y/N) asked. "Is there anything you recognize? The color? The shine of it? The—"

"I know what it is," Hange said grimly. "And if it's what I think it is, then this is not good. You were underselling its properties. This is no mere physical enhancer. As you said, this is a mutator."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a drug like this that had come about my lab a couple of months ago. We observed its properties and tested it on some lab rats. After some observations, we discovered that this drug alters a living organism's DNA, and the mutations that come from it are permanent. However, our sample just got bulkier muscles and bone growth. They didn't have the side effects that you mentioned...known of them died," Hange explained.

"The people who've taken this drug do get stronger, but they also become less human. They lose their conscious state of mind, and with that, their morality. It's like they become animals," Levi's jaw had tensed. "You're telling me that there's no way to change these people back since their DNA is altered?"

Hange shook their head. "It's impossible to revert their DNA back to normal. We've tried that on the rats."

"Who brought you the drug?" (Y/N) demanded. "Do you know who's behind this? Or why they would send most of it to the underground? What is the purpose?"

Hange looked towards her, sympathy in their eyes. "That, I do not know. It was given to my lab by one of the King's trusted men."

"The Sina Guard...the King's trusted men...whoever is dealing the drug must be present at the castle," (Y/N) muttered. "Everything leads to that place, doesn't it?"

"What are you suggesting? That the king is trying to poison the undercity?" Hange let out a laugh. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but everything leads there. The guards, the men who gave you the sample," (Y/N) said, determined. She stared straight into Hange's eyes, refusing to waver for a second. Her theory was right. It had to be. Whoever was in charge of all of this worked at the palace. The palace was the reason this was all happening. The reason why Sasha and Connie were dead.

Hange let out a slow sigh. They were the first to break eye contact, staring down at their bound hands. "I can see your reasoning, but I don't agree. The king wouldn't want to hurt the people of the undercity."

"Yeah, right," (Y/N) scoffed. "That's the funniest joke I've heard since forever. Look, will you be willing to help from here? I know you have an attachment to the king or whatever. But I need to figure out a way to infiltrate the palace."

Hange was silent for a long time, their eyes cloudy as they thought of going against the palace. "I'll only help you for one reason, and one reason alone. I believe that the royal family is innocent, and to prove their innocence, I'll help you."

(Y/N) nodded, relieved. She wasn't sure how far she'd be able to get without Hange's help. "Great, thanks. I mean, you also don't really have a choice since you're our prisoner and all."

Hange rolled their eyes. "Yeah, pro tip for future endeavors? Don't kidnap the people whose assistance you require. You're lucky I'm a nice person."

(Y/N) waved a hand, brushing aside Hange's sarcastic comment. "Where do we go from here? We can't exactly waltz into the palace, and I doubt Hange would tell us any hidden passageways. I know they said they'll help, but I'm sure there are limits to their willingness to betray the king."

"I'm not betraying anyone. I'm clearing his name," Hange clarified. "And I know of a good plan that will allow you to infiltrate the castle. But you're going to have to take off my restraints for it."

"Just spill it, cupcake."

"You said that you remember the faces of the guards that killed your...family, right? Those two guards are probably involved in the whole drug deal, and they probably know who's in charge, or who to report to. Well, instead of just breaking in the palace, why don't you infiltrate the Sina guard?" Hange offered.

"Infiltrate the Sina Guard?" Levi said slowly. "And how will we do that?"

"All you have to do is grab one of the guards that linger down here, knock them out—but don't kill them—and steal their uniform. You can take me back to Shiganshina City as your prize. I'll say that you saved me or something, and the King will be pleased. You'll pretend to be the guard whose identity you stole and will blend in. In the meanwhile, you can observe all the faces of the nearby guards until you identify the people you saw that night. Report those names to me, and I'll tell you who they are since I know all of the guards' names," Hange stated proudly. They were beaming, excited about (Y/N) and Levi's reaction to the plan.

Levi was skeptical. "That has a very low chance of working out. Anyone can spot that (Y/N) isn't the guard she says she is."

"And what will we do next? Once we figure out the name of the guards?" (Y/N) questioned. She was less skeptical compared to Levi, but she still had questions.

"No one looks at the guards that closely except for me and the head of the Sina guard. No one else cares about the guards that much, not even the king can differentiate between the lower-level ones. And after you figure out the names, you can kidnap them like you kidnapped me and interrogate them," Hange said.

"There's one huge flaw in this plan," Levi walked close to Hange, placing the tip of his blade underneath their chin. "You'll be unrestrained. And you'll have the opportunity to betray us at any time. How do we know you won't do that?"

"Well, you can always kill me on sight," Hange shrugged. "And at this point, I just want to clear up the king's name. I don't want rumors about his maleficence spreading around down here. He's not a monster."

"Don't you dare say that while sitting in the undercity," (Y/N) spoke up, her tone low. "He left us all here to die. We're suffering in poverty and bad health, all because he cares about money more. He's not a good guy, Hange. He never was."

Hange's expression changed into one of realization. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. By all means, he has horrible flaws. I just wanted to clarify that he wouldn't purposely do anything to bring harm to the undercity. Yes, he is ignorant. But he's no drug dealer. And besides, if people think that the king is the one behind all of this, do you know what they'll think of me? They'll think that I created the drug since I'm his royal scientist."

"So, this is all an act of self-preservation?" (Y/N) raised a brow. So, in the end, Hange cared more about their image than the King's. "You really care that much about what people think about you?"

"Nope," Hange answered. "I don't want people associating my name with some shoddy drug. My work has no flaws. The weight of other people's opinions means nothing to me. I don't want to King to be associated with this because I don't want to be associated with this. I don't vouch for his excellency. He's just the man that hands me my paycheck."

(Y/N) stared at Hange, incredulous at their self-confidence. "Fine. But we'll only unrestraint you once we've got the guard's uniform. And after that, if you betray us, we'll have reinforcements that will storm the castle and kill you with no hesitation. We'll destroy your lab and everything that you've worked towards. Don't underestimate the people of the undercity, you understand?"

Hange nodded. "Sure. I have no motive to betray you."

Levi scowled in their direction before standing up. "I know a place where guards linger around. We can go knock one out tonight to secure a uniform and weapon."

(Y/N) nodded and followed Levi out of the room, feeling Hange's intense stare on her the entire time. She was still unsure about whether she should trust them completely...after all, they could have been spouting all of this to be released. But (Y/N) was desperate. She'd grasp any of the straws she could. She didn't want someone else to lose their Sasha, she didn't want someone else to deal with the burden of survivor's guilt.

For now, she'd trust Hange. Even if her life was at stake.