Several weeks had passed, Aila and Annie had made a full recovery, Historia had now overcome her past and embraced her true name. A new Levi squad was born, Sasha, Jean, Mikasa, Connie, Armin, Aila, and Annie were now joined with Levi and Eren in forming the new special operations squad. During these weeks, new Levi squad was moved to a cabin in a small wooded area, being secluded from the other soldiers while Hange and her research team did experiments on Eren and Ymir, since they were still fairly new to their new abilities. Ymir's titan had evolved over these experiments, a mask made of what seemed to be bone was now protecting her face, her toes and fingers were covered with this as well. This may help with her newfound role as the jaw titan, as it can crush nearly everything with it's jaws, including titan crystals. Eren, however, only made small progress, he's now able to transform up to three times, he's also improved on his control over his titan when he transforms. Unfortunately this seems to be as far as his progress goes, the last experiment performed didn't eve get the chance to begin. When he transformed, his titan didn't even grow to fifteen meters, and was skinny, not able to walk, and Eren's lower half was sticking out of the nape. No one could really figure out what the problem was, but it was especially frightening when they pulled Eren out of his titan, and his entire face was torn off. He and Ymir were given the next few days to rest, worried that overworking them may cause serious injury. The situation with Marley and how the world really was was explained to the rest of Levi squad that didn't know, they were shocked at first, but all in all onboard with retaking Eldia's freedom. Mikasa and Historia had just come back from chopping fire wood, Eren was cleaning the cabin, Ymir slept, resting from the long experiments she had undergone. Jean and Connie had also returned with food and supplies for them, Marco and Annie had immediately begun to prepare supper once they had the ingredients. Aila lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering where they were to go next and what was to come in the future. Everything, was turned to a mystery at this point.
A ruckus began in the kitchen, Aila sat up and walked towards the noise, she realized it was over how Jean hadn't wiped his feet before entering, and Jean argued that it wasn't a big deal. Armin smiled a bit, remembering their time as cadets a few months prior, he missed how carefree they could all be at that time. Just as he began to get sentimental, a certain someone has sneakily shoved some piece of ration into her bag, trying her best to hide it. Armin was too quick to let it slide however, it made Aila smile, she missed the old days, the days without watching her friends die. She looked up and over to the kitchen, admiring her beautiful girlfriend cooking, she walked over and came up behind her, hugging her around her waist and leaning down, resting her head in the crook of her neck. Aila smiled and took in a breath, "Smells good, you're a great cook my love. You'll be a fine wife of mine soon", Annie stopped what she was doing, surprised at the sudden statement. Her face lit up red, "Wh-What are you talking about?! W-Wife?" "Yes, I want to marry you before we..", Aila's face became saddened, remembering the short amount of time Annie has left. Annie noticed and set the knife she was using down, she turned around and wrapped her arms around Aila's neck, placing her forehead onto Aila's, staring into her eyes. She placed a soft kiss on her lover's lips, "Ok, then let's get married. When we're free of this place, we can sign the papers and marry", Aila smiled, she reached her hand up to Annie's face, gently caressing her cheek as she lovingly stared into her eyes. Aila stopped when she realized EVERYONE was staring at them, "Ouuu~, so can I be your maid of honor Annie?", Sasha asked as she rested on the table, smirking in a mischievous manner. Annie stepped away and returned to her cooking, blushing at the comment, "Yeah, sure whatever", Sasha practically jumped up, her face filled with joy. Mikasa was even smiling at the love displayed, "Then it's only fair that I be Aila's maid of honor", Aila smiled, "Of course, Eren will be my best man too", Eren looked up from his cleaning. "Really? Alright, if you want me to then I will", Eren stated, trying his hardest not to smile. They all continued discussing the wedding that were to come soon, in their heads, they all wished these times would last forever.
Levi soon returned after Aila and Annie's declaration of marriage, of course, no amount of cleaning preformed by anyone would be enough to satisfy Levi. Hange arrived soon after Levi had, along with two members of her squad, Moblit, Nifa, and an unfamiliar face. Hange's expression however, was serious, which was out of character for her, she sat down and had everyone else sit down as well. She folded her hands together and rested her chin on them, "We have some not so good news", she says, "What is it four eyes?" "Pastor Nick was 'mysteriously' murdered last night", everyone gasped at the statement. Eren was puzzled, "W-Wait what? Why would anyone want to off Nick?", Hange looked up, "Good question, when I arrived at the scene with Moblit last night, there were two MP's standing by the door, but weren't investigating", Levi furrowed his brows a bit. "He was tied to a chair from what I could tell, beaten and tortured to death even. Someone had torn his nails off" "How many?", the captain said immediately after Hange had finished. Hange looked up confused, "Uh, all of them as far as I could see", Levi relaxed a bit, "People who talk talk after one nail, I didn't think very highly of Pastor Nick, but at least he kept his mouth shut". The others aside from Levi and Annie gained a sick look on their faces, wondering what had happened. Hange reached into her cloak, "Oh, before I came here I stopped at Erwin's, but he just handed me this and told me to give it to you", Levi took the scroll from her hands and unrolled it. His eyes grew wide and his tone turned to a more serious one, "Everyone pack your things, we need to go now. Make it seem like we were never here", although confused, they all got up and began to get ready to leave, clearing the place out. Once they had finished, they were told to wear cloaks and to conceal their identities, they had then followed Levi uphill and into the trees, but still low and close enough to see the cabin. Annie approached Mikasa who lay on her stomach by Levi, watching the cabin, she knelt down, "What's going on?", she asked, confused and concerned, "Dunno, but whatever it is, it was enough to make the captain rush". Sasha shot her head towards the cabin, her keen ears heard horses, using her scope to zoom in, and to hers and everyone else's surprise, military police had arrived, and began raiding the cabin.
Aila jumped down from the tree she was watching from to Annie's side, kneeling down so she wouldn't be detected, "What the hell, why are military police raiding where we were stationed?", Annie shrugged, but Levi spoke up, "The royal government has sent out an order to take both Eren and Historia into custody", he stood up and turned towards the rest of the soldiers behind him, "As of now, every scout is to be taken into custody and put behind bars. Congrats kiddos, you're all officially fugitives". Everyone opened their mouths to speak, but quickly closed them knowing good and well that there was no turning back now. Hange told Levi that she and Moblit would head back to where Erwin was staying to report what has happened, she was leaving Nifa and one other member of her squad with Levi. Levi led everyone deeper into the woods to talk strategy, "Alright, well now we're all wanted criminals of the walls, so we're gonna have to stay under the radar for a bit. However we don't know who the king has sent out to capture Eren and Historia, so we're going to draw them out", Annie stepped forwards and crossed her arms, "And how are we going to do that without putting Historia and Eren in immediate danger?". Levi squatted, ready to explain the plan, "We'll have one of Hange's members drive a carriage through Trost with Historia and Eren, Jean and Armin will be substitutes for Historia and Eren since they both look most like them as the rest of us walk through Trost, hoping to draw out the hitmen", Jean scoffed a bit at the thought of pretending to be Eren. Armin knelt down to the ground and began to think, "Alright, that makes the most sense, I'm assuming you all will end up following us and once there's an opening to attack, you all swoop in and attack the hitmen, freeing us" "Exactly, do you have an issue with that?", Armin sighed. "No not really, I just always end up playing the female in these kinds of things ahaha..", Armin stated as he scratched the back of his head, Ymir scoffed in irritation as she leaned against a tree, "Well if that's the case I'm riding in the carriage Jaeger and Historia are in then", Levi looked into her eyes, knowing full and well that there was no convincing her to do otherwise. He sighed as he stood, "Alright, fine. Armin, Jean, get in costume, we'll get the carriage ready to go", Armin and Jean walked away with a arm full of clothes, not thrilled about their new mission.
Once everyone was ready, Hange's squad member and Ymir sat at the head of the carriage they were to drive with their cloaks covering their faces. Historia and Eren sat in the back, covered by a canopy that concealed what was inside, Armin and Jean concealed their true identities as best as they could as well, though they weren't too enthusiastic about it. Everyone but Eren and Historia had their ODM gear on them, although Sasha was also manned with a bow and arrows. Annie and Aila walked hand in hand as Sasha comforted Mikasa as much as possible, as she was worried for Eren and Historia's safety. Once they all arrived at the gate to enter Trost, the carriage split off from them to seem less suspicious, entering the gate first, the others soon followed once it was clear. Annie and Ymir looked up amazed, there were streamers, banners, and stands were all present, as if it were a big party. Aila smiled at the cute amazement on her lovers face, "This is the day that the king gives out a bunch of food that he horded for himself back to the citizens to make himself look better, they make it out to be a big celebration for some reason", Aila explained, Annie's amazement faded after hearing such. Annie looked forwards to see Mikasa and Sasha walking hand in hand, she began to feel an urge to do the same. She slowly reached her hand out and grabbed Aila's, blushing slightly at the sudden emotions she felt, Aila looked down and smiled, feeling happy to see Annie so comfortable around her. She embraced the hand in her own and held it tight, making sure to not lose it, just as they all began to feel happiness, WHOOSH! Two men appeared out of nowhere and snatched Jean and Armin from their group, Sasha nearly slipped up when she shouted, "Ar- or.. Historia and Eren!", the captain was right, the hitmen had taken the bait. Levi led everyone else into an empty alley and signaled for them to switch to ODM gear. They followed after them, eventually stopping at a warehouse. They all took their positions, Annie and Mikasa were to attack first as they were the heaviest hitters. Aila and Connie were to swoop in and tie them up once Annie and Mikasa had gotten them down, and Sasha would stay higher up to make sure no one tried anything.
Mikasa leapt from her post on the roof with Levi and Annie to see what was happening, she soon came back with a disgusted look on her face. Levi asked, "Well?" "We need to come in soon, they'll see through Armin's disguise. He's.. getting pawed at", Levi and Annie's faces became fueled with a combination of disgust and anger. Levi nodded, "Alright, you can head in, but Mikasa, once you tie these guys up, have all of you meet me by the carriage's route", Mikasa stood confused for a moment but nodded in understanding. Levi leapt off the roof, zipping to his position, Mikasa and Annie looked at each other and nodded, Annie used her ring to reflect light onto the wall in front of Aila and Connie, signaling the beginning of their rescue. Annie and Mikasa flew into the window, taking out the two guards present and tying them up, hiding their bodies behind crates. Sasha stood hidden atop these crates as Mikasa and Annie hid by the bodies, waiting for the other men to come inside. Connie and Aila hid patiently waiting to spring onto the remaining men on the beams of the roof. Jean and Armin were pretending to still be tied down, but they were just waiting to pounce in reality. Sasha signaled Aila and Connie above when she heard footsteps, the two bent their knees, ready to pounce. One of the men spoke, "Alright, we're to move these two to lord Reiss so he can take them to the king. Hey, where the hell are the other two?", just as he asked, Mikasa and Annie leapt from their hiding spots, kicking and punching some of the men, knocking them out clean. They turned and took out the others behind them with ease, the two in front became alert, one of them pulled a gun from his jacket. Aila and Connie jumped and tackled them before they could attack, Mikasa and Annie yelled for Jean and Armin to hurry and tie the men up, Aila and Connie were about to do the same. The man Aila held down looked over and saw that a gun was in reach, but before he could reach it, an arrow was shot down in between the trigger and trigger guard, "Don't move! Or you won't like where this next one hits!". Mikasa smirked at her girlfriend's smart remark, they had successfully tied them up. Armin and Jean got out of costume, and once they were sure the men were secure, Mikasa explained what the captain told her before leaving. Once they all understood, they all left, shooting off on their gear to the rendezvous with Levi and Nifa.
Just as they began to approach Levi and Nifa's position, BAAM! BAAM! Gun shots were head along with screams of civilians and Levi himself, shouting an unfamiliar name, "KENNYYYYYYY!". Everyone rushed towards the point faster, worried about what happened, however when they arrived, there was only Nifa's limp body laying on the roof, half of her face had been shot off. They spent no time gawking at the body, they immediately headed down where the trail of bullet holes led. Gun shot after gun shot was fired, and it only made them all worry more and more, not about the captain, but about how many people were behind these gunshots. Just as they began to approach Levi, they heard more gunshots from where the carriage was supposed to be headed, making everyone's hearts drop when they halted. As they changed course, they were met by the captain who's forehead was bloodied, he only said one thing as we headed towards the carriage, "These people are dangerous, like how we were trained to kill titans, they were trained to kill people. Don't give them any mercy, they won't give you any either", and just like that, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Marco , and Armin's hearts sank as they realized that they were going to have to commit murder. As they flew closer, more men appeared, they had gear similar to ODM gear, however they were equipped with guns and not swords, perfect for killing people. They began shooting at them, Mikasa, Annie and Aila held no hesitation to protect their loved ones, they unsheathed their swords and cut them all down with ease. Aila gasped as she looked down at the wagon, Ymir had two bullet holes in her, one in her chest, the other in her head. However there was steam emitting, meaning she'll live, bringing relief to everyone. Levi ordered Armin and Jean to secure the wagon while the rest of us take care of the others, they each jumped down onto the wagon, Armin took the reigns, and Jean knocked the woman that was guarding the wagon down, pointing his blade at her. Yet he was shaking, sweating, he couldn't bring himself to kill her, however she didn't have the same hesitation. Just as she leapt up and was about to shoot him, Armin whipped around, and shot the woman, saving Jean's life.
Suddenly, three of the remaining men aimed their guns at Armin and Jean from above, Aila, Sasha, and Marco swept down and swooped Ymir, Armin and Jean up before they fired, barely missing the bullets. The men landed on the cart, leaving Trost and getting away from them with Eren and Historia, Mikasa, tried to follow, but the captain held her back, knowing it was too dangerous. Her eyes filled with horror, "EREN!", she cried as Sasha and Levi held her back with all of their strength. She collapsed to her knees in sadness, angry she couldn't save Eren and Historia in time. Aila knelt down by her, "I know Mikasa.. but we'll get them back, right now we need to go back to the warehouse and hide while tending to Ymir, she's badly injured", Mikasa grit her teeth and growled, knowing Aila was right and that they were still in immediate danger. Marco and Aila helped carry Ymir back to the warehouse, feeling worried for Ymir's condition, and whether or not she would recover in time. Once they arrived to the warehouse, Armin ran to the boat stream, he puked, taking in the fact that he had just taken a human life that wasn't trapped in a titan. Mikasa and Marco comforted him as best they could, Aila and Annie tended to Ymir, inspecting how bad her injuries were, "Ymir, can you hear me?", Aila asked. The hole in her head was nearly closed, Ymir looked up weakly, "Yes... where's.. His... toria?", she managed to mutter out. Aila frowned in frustration with herself, "They.. they caught us by surprise and... and took her and Eren", Ymir's eyes grew wide, she tried to stand, "W-What?! Why- Why didn't you stop them! Isn't that your job?!". Ymir winced from the pain, Jean and Sasha took her into the warehouse, laying her down to rest, Aila hid her face in her hair, trying not to show her tears. She stood and walked to a wall, she punched it as hard as she could, breaking her hands. Annie and Mikasa jumped at her once they noticed, "AIL STOP IT!", Annie cried, they managed to pull her off, her hands were dripping with blood, steaming. She collapsed in their arms, breaking down sobbing, "I.. I couldn't save them! The-They're gone because I was too damn weak and slow!", Annie and Mikasa loosened their grip and turned it into an embrace that was soon joined by Sasha as she returned. Aila wasn't the only one to feel guilt, everyone who remained, felt guilt.