I love Levi i can't resist
Aight, this universe got me fucked up with details so like if anything is cannonically incorrect or it just doesn't add up, just disregard
I don't own Attack on Titan, the characters, the storyline, the world, etc.
also i know this story starts with a long trial but plz bare with me
This story has me really excited though, hopefully this is the first one i actually finish LMAO *fingers crossed*
Warning: death, pregnancy
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It's a nice day on the island, barely any clouds linger. The dead body of a young woman lies on the ground outside of Wall Rose. One eye staring directly into the beaming sun, the other no where to be found as a cavernous wound takes it's place. The abandoned town has been overrun by nature since the titan invasion. Weeds burst through the cracks of neglected cement and tickle the corpse. The area is eerily quiet, only accompanied by bird squawks and low hum of business on the other side of the wall.
A few yards away, the gate separating Trost district and titan territory lifts. A parade of horses run through, quickly fanning out to cover a larger area of land. Men and women wearing the green cape of the Scout Regiment are riding them. Orders are heard being yelled from different sections of the formation.
As the last of them exit the gate, a nervous man in the back of his group quickly scans around, waiting for a titan to jump out. He observes until his gaze finds the body, squinting to get a better look. He isn't close enough to confirm it's human until he forces his horse to trot a foot further. Only then do his eyes widen in realization and he urges his steed to race over.
Closing the distance he's able to see that the arm of the body is stretched out in his direction, mouth slightly agape, as if to say something.
Were they calling out for me? He wonders.
He slows his approach when he catches the state of the body. He breathes in quickly, shutting his lids to purge the gore. "Ah, fuck."
"What the hell are you doing? We're gonna lose the rest of the squad!" The second in command of his squad approaches from behind on their own horse, annoyed.
"Look." Is all he says as his arm slowly lifts to point at the body.
The woman's jaw goes slack at a loss for words. What's normal for the Scout Regiment is finding decomposing bodies and limbs that were left overs from titan feasts. This was far from that, this was a body with a gunshot wound to the head.
"She's in the MP." The woman notes, growing confused.
The man nods in agreement when he confirms that the girl is wearing the Military Police uniform. His head trails from the body all the way to the top of the wall above them, then back to. The other arm was pinned under her torso, while her legs were sprawled out below. One was laying straight while the other was slightly bent at the knee, positioning the ankle underneath the knee of the other.
"Do you think she fell from all the way up there?" He directs to the second in command.
She lets out a long breathe she'd been holding in. "No other way with all that blood. But, look at her head. It's a gunshot wound; she was probably dead before she even hit the ground."
"Yeah. What do we do in this situation? We've began the expedition, do we leave her here?" He asks.
She shakes her head. "No. I'll grab the cart from Hughes and we'll load her on. I'll give you the task of bringing her to the hospital morgue to be identified. She must have family who are worried about her. Something bad happened."
---
"Please state your name and duty as a member of the Military Police." Judge Wilson's deep voice is the first to speak in the court room.
"Eileen Wilhelm. A majority of my time working is spent guarding various places within Wall Shina, including that housing the Royal Family. I patrol within the walls and am sent out to make arrests when needed, Sir." The woman's voice is firm, unwavering. Her hands are loosely curled into fists by her sides. She's standing on display in the center of the room dressed in her military police uniform. She doesn't know if she'll be allowed to wear it the next day. Hell, she doesn't know if she'll even be alive tomorrow.
"Do you understand your charges?" He looks away from the paper in his hand to the woman standing below his platform.
"Yes, Sir." She gives a curt nod, letting a piece of hair fall in front of her right eye. She doesn't bother to move it. She wants to remain unbothered, calm, and confident throughout the trial. This is her life on the line, and bringing her sister's murderer to justice.
"The murder of Michele Flinn and attempted murder of Eric Burner." He states and pauses before speaking again. The room of officials and family members are sitting silently in their chairs, eyes trained on her. The looks are either impassive, sympathetic, or scrutinizing. "Do you believe you are guilty?" He asks and pushes down his reading glasses to add weight to his question, studying her behavior.
She meets the older man's eyes. "No, Sir."
"Why, Wilhelm?" He wastes no time.
"I acted in self defense. I was the one who was attacked, ambushed by Flinn and Burner." She finds Eric Burner for the first time sitting to her right. His face is stoic, guided in her direction, but misses her gaze purposely to avoid eye contact. His wife sits next him and holds his hand, glaring at the woman accused.
"Why would the two want to attack you? You certainly don't look too dangerous - quite small, actually." He tilts his head.
Eric can feel the bead of sweat threatening to drop from his hairline.
Eileen scoffs and hangs her head. "I'm not. At least, I've never considered myself to be." Without picking her head up, she turns it back to Eric's direction to read him and his wife's reactions. "The reason they'd want to attack me was because I know what Burner's done and I confronted him about it. I told him I'd bring it to the attention of higher authorities and I believe he recruited Flinn to play a part in my attack. I also believe they planned to get rid of me, as well. I truly feared for my life."
Eric's body is burning at an alarming rate and he can feel his vision starting to darken. It's only getting harder to hear despite the strain it's putting on him to concentrate on what she will say next.
"And what did Eric Burner do that demanded our attention and an attack on his part?"
"I have good reason to believe that he is responsible for Callie Avery's disappearance." She pauses to let a collective murmur wade in the room. Picking her head up to face the Judge again, she continues. "Callie Avery graduated from the Cadet Corps ranked fifth in her class. She joined the Military Police Regiment 5 years after me. After she gained the ropes of working in the unit, she was paired with me to parole and guard often, so we were well acquainted."
It was almost an understatement to describe their relationship like that. Most of her time working the last couple of years were spent by Callie's side. The two, at first impression, seemed to be an unlikely pair. Only two weeks after meeting did the younger grow fond of the older soldier who would listen to her personal secrets and gossip. Eileen would appear disinterested most of the time like many others, but never failed to surprise when she'd respond in detailed manner. If Callie was complaining about a personal issue, she would provide insightful advice or a comment to paint the situation less worrisome, so the girl would stop overthinking.
Callie always had Eileen to fall on. In return, she afforded Eileen the comfort of a small family dynamic. Eileen was at her house more often than her own.
"Callie told me five days prior to her disappearance that she was pregnant with," she raises her arm to the victim in the courtroom, "Eric Burner's child." Whispers begin but she doesn't wait for them to finish. "She said that she was going to tell him. I asked her what her plan would be if he refuses the child, and she told me that she prepared to keep it, regardless if he wanted to claim it as his own, or even if he didn't want to see her anymore."
She doesn't have to look at his wife to know that she's searching Eric for answers. Her hand tightens around his by the second and she can't tell who's palm is sweatier.
"See her anymore? So you're saying they were involved for a while? How long for?" He inquires.
"She was involved with him for five months before she found out she was pregnant."
Eric shakes his head and closes his eyes. He doesn't want to look at his wife to confirm the speculation even though her presence demands it.
"That's not true." Is all he has to say in defense.
"You will have a chance to dispute this in a moment, Burner. What happened when you confronted him about her disappearance, Wilhelm?"
"I found him in one of the bars while on duty," she scoffs. "It'd been a day where she didn't show up for duties and I knew something was wrong."
"You didn't assume that she might've been getting checked out by a doctor in regard to her pregnancy?"
She shakes her head. "No. If she doesn't show up, she makes sure to let me know, or to send someone else in her place. No one showed up that day, and I waited a few hours. I approached Burner with questions. I asked him where she was, when was the last time he'd seen her, and what he did to her. He looked at me like I was crazy. He denied anything to do with her disappearance, and that he never heard about the pregnancy. He never denied his romantic affairs with her though when I asked him about it."
"Before I left, I told him his name was the first I'd list in connection to her disappearance when I report her missing. He told me not too, or I'd regret it. It was a threat." She finishes.
"At a bar, correct? There were witnesses to this conversation? Do you have anyone who can confirm the accuracy of your altercation?"
She looks at him like he told an outdated joke. "They were all Military Police, as if they'd ever testify against one of their men."
"The way you speak about the regiment...do you not enjoy your position?"
"No, it's not that." She shakes her head. "It's not the job, because I'm grateful for the life I live. It's...I don't know. I enjoy my duties." She simply states while racking for an appropriate answer. "I don't get along with some of the people I work with."
"You don't get along with men." Eric bites at her.
"Burner." The Judge attempts to silence him like a disobedient child.
"Not men, your men." She curls her lip.
"You mean the men that got you your position in the MP's. Lord knows you wouldn't be able to make it in either way." He's teasing her.
"Shut the fuck up." Her eyes are still facing the judge on the podium because she knows if she looks at the man in the stands, she'd dive right for him.
"Enough!" The old man barks.
She swears she hears Eric whisper 'fucking whore' under his breath. His wife responds with a warning in the form of a small shove to the shoulder.
"I'm aware the attack occurred in a local jail cell located in Stohess? What were you doing at the time?"
"I was working. I witnessed a belligerent man making a mess at the markets, so me and a few others grabbed him to take him into holding. I threw him into a small holding cell only a few streets away to let him calm down and wait out his drunken stupor." She's at the beginning of her story, ready to recall the events of the attack.
"And then?"
"Johnathan Brackett came in with Flinn and Burner to fetch the man and release him. Brackett took the man out and the other two stayed behind. Before I could even ask why, they jumped at me. Flinn immediately went behind me, I assume to grab my arms or knock me to ground- I don't know. I swung around to defend myself but then Burner pulled me to the ground by my hair. I didn't know what else to do but kick and scream." She remembers the way her boot hit Burner's temple as he reached for her.
"I knocked him out with a kick to the head before Flinn could pin my legs. With Burner knocked out next to me, it was only Flinn. He jumped on top and immediately went for my throat. I clawed at his face while he strangled me. I-"
"Which foot?" The Judge interrupts.
"Which foot?" She repeats.
"Which foot did you hit Burner with? Where did he land?"
"Does it matter?" Her tone is doubtful as her brows furrow.
"Details, Wilhelm." He rolls his palm in front of him to get her to the point.
"My right foot. He was reaching down at me from my right, so when he fell, he landed to my right side. I bucked my hips up to get Flinn off of me, which worked so I could shift my body away. I got up. I was going to run. I was going to run out of there to get help or to- anything to get away.
"I took two steps and then Flinn grabbed one of my feet." She can see him ready to interrupt. "My right foot." He approves.
"It sent me to the ground again and he tried climbing up my legs, I think to strangle me again. I kicked him in the face with my left foot, but he stayed there. At that point, I had to do something before Burner woke up because I knew I wouldn't be able to take the two of them together." In her story, the fight get's messy. She can't differentiate whose hands were whose, she can only see flashes of Michele's crazed expressions and a blur of limbs before it ends with an ear ringing BANG!
"I sat up while he tugged at me and I reached for my firearm. I jabbed at his head hoping to knock him out but I guess he was more determined than his partner. I think he realized that I was in the perfect position to shoot him right there, because he reached for his too.
"That's when I pulled the trigger. I shot him while his face was turned away from me. I didn't check his pulse, but I'd be certain in saying that he died instantly. I was getting him off my legs when other soldiers rushed in hearing the shot. I was taken instantly." She wishes the tenor of her voice was quieter, more sympathetic when she spoke about Flinn's death. It's only for the sake that he might have family listening. Though all she can think is that he foolishly wagered his life that day, and lost.
It's still in the courtroom, the Judge takes a moment before asking another question. "Military Police are equipped with firearms. Both Burner and Flinn had theirs at the time. If that's the case and you believe they attacked you with the intent to kill, why wouldn't they have shot you the moment Brackett left with your inmate?"
"Because normal civilians are prohibited from owning firearms. If I died from a gunshot, it'd be too obvious that someone from the regiment killed me."
"Miss Wilhelm, I understand that most of your records indicate a normal working soldier of the Military police. I see you've been written up twice for intoxication while on duty. Where you drinking that day?"
She curses in her head, knowing the trouble she'd get herself in if she lies. She remembers the moments before the trial while she mentally prepped. Tell the truth, tell the truth, nothing but the truth, she chanted.
"Yes I was, and I believe 70% of the other MP's were as well. Nothing out of the ordinary, I think."
The Judge grunts in response, can't argue. "I only ask because a side effect of alcohol consumption is memory loss, that's all."
She understands why he has to bring it up, but still fights the urge to roll her eyes.
"That's all I'll be asking for your testimony. Thank you, Miss Wilhelm. Your cooperation is appreciated." He nods in her direction before turning to Eric in the stands.
Eileen's body slowly softens when she feels the heads in the room follow the judges.
"I would like to ask the victim, Eric Burner, to rise." He stands in response giving a firm nod to the Judge. His hand is still holding his wife's.
"Before we begin your testimony, do you swear that your retelling of events are accurate and true?"
"Yes, Judge Wilson." He states.
"Please be seated." He dismisses and grabs a small stack of papers to shuffle through. "First, as I'd just brought up with Miss Wilhelm, were you drinking that day? Your records look clean."
"No, sir." He shakes his head once.
I've seen that fucker work a whole day and not even remember it the next.
"Alright. Do you know who Callie Avery is?"
"I've been assigned duties with her under my wing a few times, but nothing more exchanged between us than work orders and a few greetings." He talks about her nonchalantly.
"So Miss Wilhelm is lying when she says that you and Avery were sexually involved?"
"That's correct, not sure why it'd be me mixed up in that, I'm happily married." His wife gives him a reassuring squeeze.
Eileen bites her tongue as the string of curses flow through her head. Weirdly enough she wishes the fight lasted longer between them, so she would've been satisfied getting a couple more hits in. Preferably knocking out those teeth he lies through.
"Military Police records show that Wilhelm was stationed in Stohess. You and Flinn were assigned to guard moving cargo in Orvud. Can you tell us what you were doing there?" She hopes this is enough to produce an inkling of doubt in his credibility.
"Our job ended early so a senior officer sent us to Stohess to help monitor the Garrison. We got distracted when we saw John, an old friend of ours, and he asked us if we'd like to join him for a small trip to the local cells to fetch a drunk guy."
Eileen sighs, because she knows that it's a fabrication that makes sense, and that the senior officer would agree that he'd sent the two to the other district if asked.
"You ignored your assigned duties to catch up with an old friend?" He probes.
"...Yeah."
There's nothing much else to inquire about that, so the Judge moves on. "What happened when you reached the cells?"
"We saw Wilhelm keeping guard, like she said. When Brackett began to lead the way out for the man, she called for me to stay behind, Flinn didn't leave with John. She began screaming and cursing at me, grabbed her rifle and started jabbing it at me." He tells the tale like it's ludicrous.
"What was she screaming at you?"
"Uh, you know, like- What the hell did you do?!" He waves a free hand to exaggerate. "Where is she? She's - pardon my language - fucking pregnant! I'll kill you! And at that point Flinn and I are standing there asking her what, or who, she's talking about.
"That's when she initiated the attack. She lunged at me and I held my hands up to defend myself. I think Flinn was trying to grab her but right before he did that's when she knocked me in the head with her firearm, and I passed out. I woke up in the infirmary with a head injury and the news that Flinn was," he clears his throat, "murdered."
"Thank you, soldier." The judge nods once more, turning back to center stage.
"You did good, sweetheart." His wife whispers to him. He swallows and nods, offering a tight lipped smile that looks more like a grimace.
"Well, this is a difficult case for you Eileen Wilhelm indeed. Considering that a man died at your hands and you have zero substantial proof that the two had motivation to go after you. I want to-" A young officer interrupts the Judge by hastily walking up to the front of his podium.
"I'm sorry Judge. I've just received information that I've been ordered to pass onto you, pertaining to this case." The Judge ushers her up to the podium where he asks to hear the news quietly before speaking to the court again.
Eileen's tries to calm down using the small break. Her dry mouth leaves her tongue feeling like sandpaper against the roof of her mouth. She wills her muscles to unwind, but her neck and shoulders are as tight as ever. What new information was so important the trial had to be interrupted by a new recruit? Would it help her case or damn her to death?
The exchange between the two is quick when a few moments later the girl is dismissed and leaves as quickly as she came. The people wait for the judge to say something only to hear a long sigh come from his mouth.
"Well, this certainly put's a new perspective on this case."
Both Eileen and Eric lean an inch closer.
"I've just recieved news that this morning, as the Scout's left the gate of Trost on an expedition, they discovered a body outside on the west side of the wall. The body was confirmed as Callie Avery's." Conversation begins quickly which the Judge fights to battle with the overgrowing noise. "Order! Order! Her body was transported to a hospital for an examination. The only news I have is that she suffered from great external injuries, and appeared to have fallen from the top of the wall." He purposely bars the fact that she suffered a gunshot wound, for the sake of the case.
Eric feels his wives hand disappear from his as she shakily brings it to her mouth. "Oh my, Eric." It's his turn to search her face for answers.
Eileen's eyes widen before she snaps her head around to search for someone. Julia Avery, Callie Avery's aunt, is one of the few who sit in the civilians stands. She was one of Eileen's constants in her life, someone who kept her fed, and made sure the couch was always open for her.
The woman's mouth is open in horror with a trembling lip. Simultaneously, their suspicions are confirmed.
Their view of each other cloud as their eyes pool. Her chest caves in, and she feels like following her heart to the ground as it falls. The burning in her stomach that bothered her from the moment she woke up, only gets worse when it begins to twist and threaten to squeeze out her breakfast.
The blinding shock quickly wears off, where a blazing rage takes its place instead. She snaps her head back so fast, it could've resulted in whiplash if she wasn't already so disoriented. Eric's back hits the chair, preventing him from moving further away from the woman in the middle of the room. The noise hasn't stopped, but he feels like they're the only two there, and that no one would be able to stop him from being ripped apart by her hands. He doesn't know if it's just the exhaustion weighing down her body, but her knees are bent and her shoulders are slouched. She looks ready to pounce.
"You motherfucker! You! You!" She chants. Her finger jabs in his direction and she's only allowed one step before an officer grabs her arm. Pieces of her long brown hair are loosing it's place from the hair tie that holds it together. She looks unrulier than ever.
She doesn't fight the hold but continues to scream. "What did you? What the fuck did you do?! Ah- Fuck!" She catches her lower lip between her teeth as she bites down the rest of her words she knows will just sound incoherent. She looks down at the ground to release it and takes a deep, shuddering breath.
"Enough, Wilhelm!" The judge bellows. "Everyone, quiet! Order!" He slams a gavel on the podium. His demanded attention is granted as he begins to address the room again. He clears his throat. "Seeing as though this is shocking news, and that Callie Avery sustained sizeable injuries, I propose we investigate the case further before we continue this trial."
Eric curses under his breathe which doesn't go unnoticed.
"We'll have Callie's body examined for signs of pregnancy. I'd also like for their to be a new search of eye witnesses able to testify for the conversation between Burner and Wilhelm at the bar. I will put out a word in hopes for any witnesses that may have been there at the time of Avery's death.
"Seeing as though there is now a larger possibility that Wilhelm's account holds more truth than thought to, I believe she'd be in danger under police custody. With that, I am placing her under custody of the Scout Regiment where she will be monitored and serving there as the investigation continues." He slams the gavel one more time. "Dismissed."
She raises her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry, what? Did you say the Scout Regiment? Fucking sentence me to death now than! It's the same fucking thing!"
He's rising from his chair when her tantrum brings his body body back around. "Watch your words, Wilhelm." He warns. "I could put you under Military Police or Garrison custody, which yes, you'd be as good as dead. Or I can schedule you for the executioners block tomorrow morning if that'd be more fitting. Your choice."
"Fuck," she whispers in defeat. Her gaze falls back to the ground before she's led out of the room.
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Levi is coming next chapter :)