Anastasya
Anya wrinkled her nose as the musty air of the Underground hit her like a slap in the face. It was still the same dark, dirty hellhole it had always been, but each time Anya returned she was plagued with a perverse feeling of nostalgia. Behind her, Jean and Floch ceased their bickering and fell silent as they took their first steps into the city of despair.
"This...is the Underground?" Jean asked, eyes wide.
"Mm. Home sweet home, for a few years," Anya replied.
"You lived here?!" Floch blurted.
"Unfortunately."
They carried on down the seemingly endless steps until they reached the bottom. In the street ahead, they watched as a man threw up against the side of a dilapidated building before tumbling to the ground, muttering to himself.
"Captain... Shouldn't we help him?" Jean asked.
Anya shook her head and strode straight past, Jean and Floch following close behind.
"Captain, I doubt we'll find many suitable recruits here," said Floch, glancing around nervously.
"Captain Levi was born and raised here. Did you know that?" she said.
"N-no, I didn't."
They wandered through the streets for half an hour, seeing so many miserable examples of human suffering that Anya lost count. She maintained her icy exterior throughout, though Jean and Floch wore their horror upon their faces. As they witnessed two men fighting over a chunk of bread, Jean moved to stand in front of Anya.
"Captain, where are we going? What's the point of all this?"
She flicked her gaze to Floch, who looked equally uncomfortable.
"We need recruits, but you're not willing to dress up the truth to get them to join. Right?"
Floch faltered before straightening up and voicing his conviction.
"That's right. I think they should know exactly what they're signing up for. That they'll almost certainly face death. That they're expected to throw their lives away if that's what's deemed best for humanity."
Anya looked at Jean again.
"Floch said that we won't find many suitable recruits in this place but if we do it how he wants, we'll find even fewer up top. I don't want to waste my time even trying, so that's why we're here. The people in the Underground are so desperate to get out that they'll join us if it means they get to see the sun and breathe fresh air, even if it is only until we sacrifice them. Your task is to find recruits. You have an hour."
"What? Captain, that's impossible," Floch stammered.
"Work together and see what you can do. I'll find you when your time's up."
She left without another word, though she didn't go far. The Underground was a dangerous place, even for two armed Scouts, and she had no intention of leaving them to fend for themselves. She zipped up to a rooftop and watched as they figured out what to do next. She studied her nails whilst she waited, hoping that her plan worked. Levi had called her mad when she'd told him and Hange, but the number of birds she'd kill with just the one stone was too good an opportunity to ignore. As long as everything worked out.
***
Jean
Jean couldn't believe the level of poverty and desperation he was witnessing. He felt guilty just for being there in clean, decent-quality clothes, and even more so for ever having complained about being born and raised in Trost. The thought of having to try and recruit people was causing his stomach to do somersaults, but he had faith that Captain Anya knew what she was doing. She'd never been wrong before and he refused to disappoint her, even if he was stuck with idiot Floch.
"Where should we start?" he wondered.
"I haven't seen anyone good enough yet. Have you?" Floch asked.
Jean shot him a sidelong glance, vaguely amused at the irony.
"No, I haven't. Let's keep walking."
They ventured further into the city until they reached what looked like a main street. Ramshackle market stalls lined either side of it, and it was full of people laughing, drinking, and bartering.
"This might be our best bet," Jean murmured.
"What about her?" Floch asked, nodding towards a tall woman with short, brown hair selling a wide variety of knives.
Jean wasn't sure she'd be suitable but before he could stop him, Floch had sauntered over with overexaggerated confidence.
"Those are some impressive-looking weapons," he said.
The woman arched an eyebrow as she looked them up and down.
"If you two are Military Police, I have a licence for this stuff."
Floch laughed and waved his hands.
"No, we're not MPs. We're Scouts."
"Right. Come to look down on us to try and convince yourselves you've still got it better in your god-forsaken regiment, have you?"
"What? N-no, we're here to recruit!"
The woman tipped her head back and laughed.
"Good luck with that! We all heard what happened up there. For the first time ever, staying in this dump is the most attractive option. As shit as it is, it's the safest place inside the walls. Now get lost and go and pester someone else."
Floch's face had turned beet red, and Jean grabbed him and pulled him away before he could reply.
"Get off me," he snapped, knocking his hand away.
"You get why the captain has asked us to do this, right?" Jean asked, folding his arms.
"Of course I do!"
When Floch failed to elaborate, Jean sighed and wiped a hand over his face.
"She's trying to make you realise that for the Scouts to continue, for anyone to have a chance at survival, you have to make it sound appealing. You said that when she recruited you and the others, she dressed up the truth so that it sounded like some amazing, honour-filled, exciting job. People already know the risks. They know how few Scouts come back from missions. Her job is to convince people it's worth it anyway."
"Shouldn't she be here helping us then?"
Jean scowled, desperately trying to keep his cool.
"You're the reason she's not! Don't you realise how guilty you've probably made her feel? She's been in charge of recruitment for years and feels personally responsible for everyone who dies as a result of her getting them to join. She wants you to realise how difficult and necessary it is!"
Floch chuckled and shook his head.
"You act like you know her so well. You have no idea what you're talking about. Just be-"
Floch stopped and turned sharply.
"HEY!"
A young girl with a smattering of freckles was hurriedly shoving a wallet into her pocket. Upon hearing Floch's shout her eyes widened, and she began scampering away.
"That's my wallet, damnit!"
Floch began tearing after the girl, leaving Jean no choice but to follow. They were drawn further and further to the outskirts of the city, the buildings somehow even worse than the ones in the centre. Jean pelted round the corner and down an alleyway before skidding to a halt in an abandoned plaza. A skinny, dark-haired guy in his mid-twenties held a knife to Floch's throat while several other men and women watched on.
"Let him go!" Jean demanded.
"Sure, after you both turn out your pockets and give us that ODM gear," the dark-haired man replied.
"I quite like the look of those boots, so we'll have those, too," a tall, blonde man with a scar up his forearm remarked.
"Go to hell," Jean replied.
"We're already here," a woman with sharp, green eyes replied.
"Jean," Floch warned, his teeth clenched tight.
"What brings you surface dwellers here, hmm?" the dark-haired man asked.
"We're from the Scout Regiment! We-"
"Damn, if you're all that's left of the Scouts then we're really fucked."
The gang laughed, and Jean wished that Anya were there. She'd know how to get them out of this situation.
"Fight us fair and square and then say that again," Floch spat. "You have no idea what we've been through."
"Floch, shut up!" Jean hissed.
"D'you hear that, Jan? He wants a fight."
Jean did not like the way the blonde-haired man's eyes glinted at the prospect.
"Well then Dachs, lets give the tourist what he wants. No weapons, just arms and legs. If we win, you hand everything over. If you win, you get to leave."
"Shit," Jean cursed.
The dark-haired man, Dachs, shoved Floch out of his grasp and tossed his knife aside. Floch removed his gear and the two began squaring up. Jean tried in vain to intervene.
"Look, if you just let us-"
He stopped when Dachs struck, catching Floch square on the nose. Floch cried out and spat blood before swinging his leg in a powerful kick. Dachs dodged it easily and used Floch's momentum to spin him round and floor him. Jean winced. Unlike the 104th, who'd received extensive training from Anya in hand-to-hand combat, Floch had not. He was completely unprepared for a fistfight. Jean ran over to help him up.
"Floch! I've got your back."
Floch's eyes widened, and he nodded his thanks. The two of them began fighting as best they could as Jan joined Dachs. Jean didn't know how long they'd been fighting for, but it all came to an abrupt halt when a single, clear whistle echoed off the surrounding buildings. Confused, Jan and Dachs stepped away and Jean went over to help Floch, who was on his hands and knees in the dirt.
"Floch! Are you all right?!"
"I'll be fine," he coughed.
To Jean's bewilderment, Anya landed in a crouch in the middle of the plaza before straightening and sweeping her amethyst-blue gaze over them all.
"Captain, be careful! They-" he cried.
Anya strode over and placed a hand on Floch's back, and the other under Jean's chin, turning his face first left, then right.
"Are you both okay?" she asked.
"We're fine," he replied, sure he was blushing despite the situation.
She lowered her hands and turned her attention to Dachs, Jan and the others.
"Who the hell are you?" Dachs demanded.
"I'm someone who's going to get you out of this shithole. If you don't mind dying sometime in the future."
"Huh?" the green-eyed woman asked.
"I'm Captain Anastasya Morozova, of the Scout Regiment. You lot are the most suitable candidates I've found this afternoon."
"Captain, you can't be serious," Floch blurted.
Jean could tell there was more to the situation than they knew. He shut his mouth and watched as recognition dawned on the gang members' faces.
"Morozova... Aren't you the Orphan Queen?" Jan asked, brow furrowed.
"That's what they used to call me, a long time ago," she admitted. "The offer is this: come with us and join the Scouts, or stay here rotting away and robbing whoever you can find. Of course, if you come with us you might die tomorrow. You might be ripped to shreds or swallowed whole by a Titan. You might be shot to bits in the upcoming war with our human enemies, forced to throw your lives away if it means others can succeed where you cannot. Isn't that right, Floch?"
Floch visibly startled.
"Y-yes," he stammered. "But...surely it's better than this."
Jean caught the twinkle in Anya's eye and relaxed.
"Give us a moment," Jan said.
The gang grouped together to talk, and Anya placed her hands on her hips as Floch walked off his injuries.
"Did you plan this?" Jean asked quietly.
"Not exactly," she murmured back. "I was following the pair of you when I spotted these guys. I decided to eavesdrop on them. They're one of the better-off groups down here, but they want to join us. Hopefully this'll teach Floch that even in a place like this, unless they come to you, unless they're desperate for escape like these guys, you have to make the truth look more attractive in order to get people to sign up. I saw you trying to recruit people on the market strip."
"Yeah, they told us to get lost," Jean agreed.
"Exactly."
"We've decided," said Dachs.
They looked up as the gang approached.
"We want in," the green-eyed woman announced.
A beautiful smile spread across the captain's face, and Jean held out his hand to the gang.
"Welcome to the Scouts."
***
Anastasya
Anya yawned as she watched the thirty or so recruits practising under the warm afternoon sun in the field she was standing in. Levi appeared beside her and handed her a cup of tea, shaking his head.
"I still don't know how you managed to fill the ranks this quickly."
"I can hardly take sole credit this time," she replied, taking a sip of her drink. "Jean and Floch helped immensely."
"Yeah, after you made them shit their pants in the Underground."
"You mean taught them what it takes to be good at recruitment whilst preserving your morals? If so, absolutely."
"Tch."
"Anyway," she said, unable to hold back her frown. "We're rebuilding slowly but surely and more and more soldiers from other regiments are joining each day but...it's not enough. For what's coming our way, we're going to need a small army."
*** NEXT CHAPTER OUT FRIDAY 8TH APRIL ***
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The Path Back to You | Levi x OC
Fanfiction"Reveal yourself," Erwin ordered, though Mikasa detected uncertainty in the commander's voice. It was almost as though he were afraid of who lay beneath the cloak. The entire regiment held its breath as the rider reached up with pale hands and lowe...
