Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or this story.
Previously: Hange claims to have an idea on how to identify the Titan Shifters between them. Levi notices Ymir's wariness at Hange's words.
|~|
The episode opened with an overhead shot of Trost, a few, fluffy white clouds in the sky.
It looks so peaceful and beautiful. Christa smiled.
The image changed to a map, moving up to a location marked by the Wings of Freedom insignia.
[Former Survey Corps HQ]
An old, white and blue castle appeared.
"The former Survey Corps headquarters. It's nothing more than a renovated old castle." The sounds of horses trotting were heard. "While it definitely looks impressive," Oluo said, "it's so far from the Walls and all rivers that it's completely useless to the Survey Corps."
"Who's that?" Connie asked.
"Oluo," Eren answered. "The tall blond-haired man will be Erd and the one with brown hair, Gunther."
The group moved through the forest.
"The story goes back to the ambitious early days when the Corps was formed. Who would've thought we'd end up using it again to serve as your hideout?"
Eren observed his surroundings, noticing Levi and turning forward again, still intimidated by the man.
"Don't get cocky, new blood," Oluo leaned toward the boy.
"What?"
"I don't know the deal with this crap about you being a Titan, but we can't have Captain Levi babysit—"
The horse missed a step and Oluo bit his tongue, blood squirting in the air.
Christa gasped while Jean, Ymir, Connie, and Sasha snickered.
"Idiot," Mikasa snorted.
"Mikasa," Armin chided.
"Oh no, she's right," Petra waved her hand. "He is being an idiot."
"That's what you get for talking while riding your horse," Petra stood before Oluo, who was sitting, tending to his injury, in the shadow of the old castle.
"The first moments leave the most important impression. That newbie was scared shitless."
Nearby, Eren was taking care of his horse.
"I think he was just stunned silent by how lame you are," Petra said.
A few snickers rose from that remark.
"Still, it's all going according to plan," Oluo held a cloth to his face, still trying to look cool.
"He's like the Connie of the group," Ymir said.
"Yeah—hey!"
"Man, you never used to talk like that. If by chance you're trying to imitate Captain Levi, you should really stop it. You two are nothing alike, but still…" Petra was not impressed at all.
He smiled cockily at her. "Do you want to chain me down, Petra? You're still ways to go to be fitting for my wife."
"If only you'd bled to death from biting your tongue," she said calmly.
"Make that Connie with a healthy dose of Jean because of that arrogance and unrequited love," Ymir smirked.
Jean cringed, shrinking in his seat.
"You keep on boasting about how many Titans you've killed too," Petra said.
"So what?" Oluo asked. "I've boasted about you guys too."
Those people are the Survey Corps' Special Ops Squad, commonly known as the Levi Squad. Eren thought.
"You're pathetic!" Petra told Oluo.
"I think he likes you," Armin said to Petra.
She rolled her eyes, "That childish crush is his problem and he should get over it."
Petra Ral. Eren looked at the redhead. Took down 10 Titans. Assisted with taking down another 46.
"A total of 56?" Christa's eyes widened.
That's what it takes to join the most elite squad. Jean thought in awe.
Oluo Bozado. Eren looked at him next. Took down 39. Assisted with another 9.
"39 solo kills?" Connie repeated incredulously. "Suddenly I don't feel too bad being compared to him."
"I was comparing your statuses as clowns, not as Titan-slayers," Ymir rolled her eyes.
"39 solo Titan kills is impressive," Sasha said, unable to even imagine such a thing.
They are the elite of the elite. Eren watched the other two members walk by. Erd Gin. Took down 14. Assisted with another 32. Gunther Schultz. Took down 7. Assisted with another 40.
"I can't believe you know all that," Petra turned to Eren.
He shrugged, grinning, "You were going to be my new teammates. And you're the very best. Of course I knew."
"So you could brag about, I bet," Jean grumbled.
They are the top tier of the Survey Corps, hand-picked by Captain Levi. Eren stared at them intently. If I went berserk, these people would be the ones to kill me.
Petra sighed, "I'm sorry, Eren. About, you know, freaking out."
"It's fine," the Shifter said. "You already apologized. And you were only doing your duty."
"What?" Mikasa asked.
"Well—it's—we," Petra shook her head, "you'll see."
Erd looked down at the ground. "It's covered in weeds. It looks terrible."
"It's been disused for a very long time," Gunther said. "Inside, a sea of dust is probably awaiting us."
"That is indeed a severe problem," Levi approached them. "We must sort it out immediately," he said, completely serious.
Levi threw the window open, hair and mouth covered by a cloth.
"Bet he's smiling under there, probably the only time he smiles," Candy said.
"Probably," Erwin chuckled.
"Not quite the image I had of Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Ymir raised an eyebrow at the getup. Her words received her nods and murmurs of agreement from her couch-mates.
"We're done cleaning the upper floors," Eren approached the short man. "Where will I get to sleep in the building, sir?"
"Your room is in the basement."
"The basement again, sir?"
"Of course. You're not in complete control of yourself yet. If you drifted off and turned into a Titan, at least if you're underground we can restrain you right away. That was one of the conditions agreed upon for us to get custody of you. It's a rule that we must follow. I'll take a look around the rooms." Levi walked away. "You do this room, Eren."
"Yes, sir." The boy looked around, unhappy.
"Looks clean enough to me," Christa said.
"It's not Levi-level of clean," Hange grinned. "Meaning it has to be clean enough so you can eat off the floor."
"But it's still clean," Sasha muttered.
"Isn't that an abuse of power?" Jean asked. Levi glared at him and he wilted. "Never mind."
Petra came in seconds after Levi left, "You've got quite a despairing look on your face, Eren."
He quickly turned around, "I do?"
"But wait, you couldn't even see his face," Armin said. "His back was turned to you."
"His body language gave him away. Plus he had a bummed-out look on his face all morning and Captain Levi had just asked him to clean an already clean room. It wasn't hard to guess," Petra explained.
"I'll be calling you Eren. Captain Levi does the same. Here, his word is the law."
"Right, I don't mind that, but did I really have a despairing look on my face?"
"It's not surprising at all. He doesn't come across as the perfect, invulnerable hero people think he is, does he?"
"No, he does not," Sasha said.
Petra looked to where the corporal had disappeared. "The true Levi is surprisingly short, irritable, violent, and hard to approach."
"So, you were gossiping behind my back, Petra?" Levi looked at her.
The redhead smiled, "It's not gossip if it's true. And don't pretend you didn't know we were talking about you."
"That's not it," Eren said. "I was surprised how obediently he accepts the decisions of the higher-ups."
"Did you think that as strong as he is, he wouldn't care about rank or the chain of command?" Petra asked.
I thought so too. Connie thought. It wasn't uncommon to him, to meet people who were in a position of power that wasn't pricks, thinking they were above the rules.
"Yes," Eren admitted. "I expected him not to acquiesce to anyone's words."
"I don't know the details myself, but I heard he was pretty much like that originally. Before joining the Survey Corps, he was a famous thug in the capital's underworld."
Now, why am I not surprised to hear that? Jean thought.
So he was a criminal. Ymir thought. "No wonder he seems so shady," she muttered under her breath.
"But then, why?"
"I don't know exactly what happened," Petra answered. "He was taken into the Survey Corps under Commander Erwin's hands."
"The Commander?"
"Hey, Eren!" Levi appeared behind the redhead.
"Yes, sir?" Eren stood to attention while Petra moved to the side, sweeping furiously.
The recruits started laughing.
"When you're taking a test and the teacher walks by and you pretend to write to look smart," Jean smirked.
"Right?" Christa giggled.
Levi snorted, "That wasn't subtle at all."
Petra shrugged, grinning, "You didn't bust me so."
"It's no good at all. Redo it all from scratch," Levi ordered, glaring.
|~|
"So, in thirty days, we're to go outside the Walls to build a stronghold for the supply chain?" Mike stared out the window, arms crossed. "Not to mention we'll be taking fresh graduates with us too."
"If we even get any new recruits that is." Erwin was drawing plans for the formation for the upcoming expedition.
We got nine of the top ten graduates. Erwin thought, pleased.
Armin, meanwhile, eyed the plans, mind racing, trying to make sense of the drawing.
Mike turned to him, "In my opinion, this is far too hasty."
"Eren's current position is a temporary thing. We must quickly and smoothly prove his usefulness to Central." Erwin tapped the paper with his pencil. "Otherwise, sooner or later, the Police will make another move to—"
"Can't you take that mask off at least for me, Erwin?"
The commander turned to him, smiling. "You're really good at sniffing out things like this, Mike."
He sniffed loudly. "Too bad you have no scent whatsoever."
"Just make him skip showering for a few days, then he'll have a really strong scent. Huh? Huh?" Connie grinned.
"Congratulations, your jokes have reached a Candy-level of lameness," Ymir said dryly.
"I'll tell you when the time is right." Erwin turned back to his work.
The time is right now. Levi thought. They would be taking a break at the end of the episode and it seemed a good time to him. He'd have to talk to Erwin first. Episode 17 was almost here.
|~|
Crickets chirped in the dark outside the Special Ops Squad's temporary base.
Inside, they were sitting at the table, drinking tea.
"We'll probably be ordered to stand by for a few more days," Erd spoke, "but I heard we're supposed to be going on a large-scale extramural expedition. And we'll be taking the new graduates with us as well."
"Is this true, Erd?" Gunther asked. "Isn't it awfully soon? Even considering that they handled this last Titan attack quite well."
"I heard those kids' pants required multiple washings to remove the shit-stains," Oluo smirked, holding up his teacup.
"Pompous jackass," Jean rolled his eyes.
"And now you know how we feel about you," Eren grinned.
"Screw you, Bastard."
"Right back at ya, Horse-Face."
These two just can't stop taking shots at each other, can they? Levi frowned in annoyance. He opened his mouth but Petra interrupted. "Shh!"
"Did you just shush me?"
"That's how they bond!"
"Yeah, don't interfere, Levi," Hange nodded, getting an eye-roll.
"Is this all true, Captain?" Petra asked.
"I'm not involved in making our plans. It's Erwin. He's likely considering far more variables that might occur to us."
"It's true that we're in an unprecedented situation," Erd said. "On the one hand, we lost the Maria reconquest route that we established through huge sacrifices, but on the other hand, we got an unexpected ray of hope." He looked to Eren.
The boy seemed intimidated by all pairs of eyes suddenly focused on him.
"I still have trouble believing it. You can 'turn into a Titan,' but what's that mean, Eren?" Erd asked.
"My memories from that time are quite hazy. It felt like a selfless, dreaming state. It can be triggered by hurting myself. Like, if I bite—" Eren held up his hand then froze. Wait, how do I know this?
"Did that seriously occur to you just now?" Jean asked. "After all that time in the cell with nothing else to do?"
"Shut up, Jean!" Eren felt his face warm in embarrassment.
"He has a good point, though," Armin thought out loud. "I wonder if it had to do with those weird images we saw in the first episode when Eren was dreaming."
"Could be," Erwin nodded. "His father could have left instructions, maybe?"
"He could have unconsciously tapped into his father's memories," Hange flipped back through the pages of her notebook.
"Yeah," Eren nodded. "I'm sure those memories Armin mentioned aren't mine."
"We've been everywhere together," Mikasa added. "Whatever he saw, we have too. Of course, they could have been from before we met. But the Titans didn't invade until a year after."
"Ah-hah!" Hange read from her notes, "Grisha said something about how 'their memories will tell you how to use it.' By 'they,' could he have been referring to your ancestors?"
"Is it passed down through blood? Was he a Titan Shifter too? There are so many questions," Armin said.
"What'll really help is an insight into Dr. Yeager," Petra said.
"We gotta have a chat with Keith after this," Levi nodded.
Erwin started the episode while Eren's thoughts raced, wondering if his abilities were genetic and if his children might possess them one day. But his father had injected him with a serum. Did he get the power from it or did it activate something he had inside him the entire time?
"You guys know all of this too. We couldn't get any more out of him than what's written in the reports." Levi held up his cup by the rim. "She won't stay put though. Her meddling could even kill you, Eren."
"She? Who?"
They heard a loud slam.
"Did you run into the door?" Sasha snickered.
"It's all Levi's fault," Hange pouted.
Petra removed the wooden bar and Hange entered, one hand on her forehead. "Good evening," she held up a hand, "gentlemen of Squad Levi! Have you made yourselves at home in the castle?"
"You're early," Levi sipped his tea.
"How could I stay put now?"
"Squad Leader Hange?"
"Sorry for the wait, Eren. I'm charged with experimenting on the two Titans we caught alive in the city. I want you to help me out with tomorrow's experiments. I came to ask permission for that."
"An experiment? What am I supposed to—"
"What else but that totally awesome thing you do!" Hange was flushed with excitement, eyes wide and sweating, a mad expression covering her made and fingers wiggling eerily.
"Wouldn't want to be alone in a room with her," Connie shivered and Sasha nodded in agreement.
"What a freak," Ymir said.
Christa gasped. "That's was uncalled for, Ymir!"
"What? It's true."
"Uh…" Eren leaned away. "I can't give you permission myself. I don't have authority over myself, you see."
"Man, look at Gunther's face," Eren grinned. The man in question was sitting inches from Hange's face.
Petra giggled, "He looks so uncomfortable."
"Levi, what are Eren's plans for tomorrow?"
"Cleaning the garden."
"Even that Oluo guy's making the same face," Armin muttered, amused.
"Okay then, it's decided!" Hange clutched the boy's hand. "I'll be counting on you tomorrow, Eren!"
"Probably for the best he's not cleaning the garden. He'd just yank out the good ones and leave the weeds behind," Candy said.
"That's true," Mikasa admitted, getting an indignant noise out of Eren. "Remember that time we were making a bouquet for one of your mom's friends, the one who had just given birth, and half the flowers you pulled were Dandelions?"
"They are bright yellow and look flowery," Eren crossed his arms in defense.
"You're still convinced they're not weeds, aren't you?"
"Yup. And nothing anyone says will ever change that."
"Yes, ma'am. But what exactly are these experiments on the Titans?" Eren asked.
"Hm?" Hange tilted her head up, light reflecting off her glasses.
Eren cringed.
"You had to ask, didn't you, Eren?" Levi said.
"Uh… What exactly are these experiments…" Eren repeated.
"Stop that. Don't ask her," Oluo whispered fiercely.
"For once I think you should have listened to him," Petra said.
"No Petra dear, not you!" Hange cried out.
"Ah, I knew it," Hange stared at him with a dopey expression. "You just had this expression like you wanted to know."
Levi stood up without a word and walked away, his squad following silently after him.
"Now that's teamwork," Candy chuckled.
"What about no one gets left behind, huh?" Eren looked accusingly at Petra.
"Sorry sweetie, you asked, you were on your own for that one."
Levi nodded, "You were warned, brat."
"Oh stop now," Hange waved her hand. "Don't pretend like you couldn't walk away."
"Not for a lack of trying," he grumbled. Every time he had tried to excuse himself, her voice would get higher and she'd lean forward, sometimes grabbing his hand in excitement.
Eren looked confused and a little like he wanted to go after his team.
Hange let go of Eren's hand and took Gunther's vacated seat. "Were you that interested? Then I've got no choice. I guess I've gotta tell you what I know about those pretties we caught earlier."
"I hope Candy reveals the killer's identity!" Hange spoke passionately. "Oh, the things I will do to them..."
"She is one scary lady," Sasha shivered.
"First," she began, "we repeated the experiments we'd done each of the five prior times we had Titans to play with."
|~|
"Hello." Hange greeted a tied up Titan while soldiers stood a few feet behind, ready to intervene if necessary.
"First, we attempted communication." Hange's voice narrated.
"How are you feeling? What's your name?" She asked.
The blond-haired Titan was sitting on the ground, a dozen thick, black cords wrapped around its neck and big nails were embedded through its shoulders and its arms to keep them pinned to its sides and the ground. The Titan didn't seem to notice, wiggling around to get to the humans that stood before it.
"Does it hurt anywhere?" Hange leaned in, less than a yard from its face.
"Squad leader, you're too close!" Moblit said.
"Hello." She greeted the second Titan with the brown hair. It was tied up and pinned down as well, lying on the side of its face. "Isn't the weather wonderful today? Are you hungry?"
Its head surged forward and it attempted to bite her.
"I think that's a yes," Ymir said.
"Whoa!" Hange jumped back "Whoa-whoa, that was close!"
"Squad leader, it's too dangerous!" Moblit yelled, worried.
Poor Moblit. Petra thought sympathetically. The guy probably had high blood pressure from working under her.
The scientist inched toward it and was forced back when it tried to eat her again.
"Sadly, communication proved impossible this time as well."
Hange sniffed. "Oh my poor Bean, always trying to take a bite out of me..."
Pale, yellow-orange rays shone down on the almost tired looking brown-haired Titan.
"But for me, interacting with the Titans was so enlightening that it made me completely forget my everyday fatigue."
"A long, long time ago, there was a tribe who ate people." Hange walked back and forth before the two giants. "They weren't Titans like you. They were humans."
"Wait, is she telling them a...a bedtime story?" Armin asked.
"Uh, I-I think so," Jean gaped.
"They hid out in caves in the mountains, attacked travelers who happened to tread the roads nearby, robbed them of their valuables, killed them, and ate their flesh."
"Gross," Sasha wrinkled her nose. Then leaned in, "But interesting."
"She's started another one of her naming ceremonies," one of the soldiers said to his comrade. "What did we end up with last time?"
"Chicacchironi and Albert." The other one replied.
Hange gasped, remembering them. She pulled out a handkerchief and blew loudly.
"Gross," Levi leaned away. "That's a bathroom right there!"
"Sorry," she wiped her nose.
"They kept up their resistance for 25 years. During that time, over 500 people became their prey. That might be more than the humans you guys ate. They also experimented with various ways of preparing their meals."
"They also partook in incest, that's how many of the grandchildren were conceived," Candy added.
"And I thought they couldn't get any more disgusting," Petra shuddered.
"I didn't know that! That's going in the notes!" Hange said excitedly.
"Turning the buttocks into steaks," Hange continued. "Cutting the thighs up into cubes and cooking a stew with them. They minced, kneaded, and fried the hard meat."
The soldiers around her looked ill, one almost ready to throw up.
"Out of fat and innards, they even made sausages. That's right. They knew the concept of 'cooking.'" She stood and pointed at the Titans, "That's how they were different from you."
One soldier was puking in the background.
"I feel you, man," Connie looked green.
"But then those cannibals made a mistake, and they were all caught and executed."
"The men were castrated and had their hands and feet severed, left to bleed out. The women and children were burned alive after they'd watched the men die."
"Fascinating!" Hange looked awed.
"But why burn the children?" Christa wondered. "Sure they were raised to be cannibals, but at least give them a quick death."
"That's the same as you. You made the mistake of attacking humankind, and you were caught. So I'll name you after the man who led that clan.
"You're Sonny," she pointed to the blond-haired Titan.
"You're Bean," she pointed to the brown-haired Titan.
"But don't worry," Hange smiled. "I won't have you executed."
"But I let you die," Hange said, almost in tears. "And I will avenge you!"
"Nice to meet you, Sonny. You too, Bean. Let's try to get along."
"Thus I named the 7-meter class Bean, and the 4-meter class Sonny."
|~|
Soldiers used tents to cover the two Titans.
"Next we tried denying them sunlight. The Titans are clearly less active during the night. These experiments tried to prove that they gain some kind of power from the sunlight."
Armin leaned forward, very much interested in the experiment and the results.
"There was a huge variation between individual Titans."
"You've worked hard, Sonny," Hange spoke to the 4-meter. "Good night. See you tomorrow."
"Sonny's activity dropped an hour after we denied them sunlight. In contrast…"
"You really like to stay up late, huh, Bean?" Hange sat on the ground. "It's okay. I'll stay here with you."
"Bean stayed lively for three hours."
"I wonder why that was," Armin said. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the variation. Titans are very different and no one is the same."
Hange perked up, "Do you have any ideas?"
Armin looked a little shy. "They're just theories. Just like humans metabolize food differently, Titans are probably the same with sunlight."
"I was thinking along the same lines as well," she nodded.
|~|
"They always manage to surprise me," Hange told Eren. "They don't need water or food. They have vocal organs, yet they don't need to breathe. All they need to stay alive is sunlight. To be honest, I'm curious what would happen if we denied them sunlight completely, but they're such valuable experimental subjects, I can't risk them dying."
"Why not capture one more Titan to test just that theory?" Ymir suggested. "Not like there's a shortage."
"We had to fight a lot with the government just to let two in," Erwin explained. "We need two, at the very least, for proper comparison so that's how many they okayed to be allowed within the walls."
"We killed the previous captures by accident. I accidentally hit the nape of the neck when we tried cutting their heads off," she said sadly.
Eren looked like he wasn't quite sure what to make of that.
"Their names were Chicacchironi and Albert. They had such beautiful smiles. I feel bad about what I did to them." She was silent for a few seconds. "I don't want that to happen again… I'm sorry."
"Squad leader Hange…"
Aw, I kind of feel bad for her. Christa thought. She really, truly cared for them.
Suddenly, Hange was in the boy's face, "And then, I moved on to the next stage, testing their sense of pain by actually touching them!" She looked up, fingers twitching, a crazed expression on her face.
|~|
"Hwaaaaahhhhh!" Hange screamed, blood and steam coming off the twitching Titan from the spear she had dug into its eyes.
"Squad leader, you shouldn't be the one screaming," Moblit stood by her.
"How could I not scream, doing this?!" She snapped at him. "Bean is in so much pain!" She had tears running down her face. "Don't give up, Bean! Hang in there!" She ran at it, spear in hands.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but I kinda feel bad for the Titan," Sasha said quietly.
|~|
Eren stared at Hange in shock, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.
"We had to confirm whether they had any weaknesses besides the nape of the neck." Hange looked solemn. "It was really tough work."
|~|
"Sonny? I just pierced your heart." Hange wiggled the spear stuck in the Titan's chest. "Doesn't it hurt? How does it feel?" The blond-haired Titan just stared stupidly at her.
"Compared to Bean, Sonny was a lot quieter. He hardly reacted at all."
The Titan groaned.
"Hm?" Hange moved forward. "What was that?"
"That is disturbing," Mikasa muttered.
The Titan's mouth almost filled the screen. It chomped down, Hange barely dodging in time.
"Squad leader, fall back!" Moblit yelled.
"Haha," Hange laughed in delight, clutching her stomach, "that was really close!"
"You're gonna end up actually dying!" Moblit said in a panic.
|~|
Eren was looking at his lap, quiet.
"Bean isn't very good at expressing himself. He just keeps trying to bite my head off."
"Um, Squad leader…"
Hange looked at him curiously.
"How can you stay so carefree in front of the Titans?" Eren asked.
"I just assume she's a nut-job and move on," Ymir shrugged.
"Why are you being so loud?" Christa asked.
"Don't worry," Hange waved. "I've heard worse."
"I'm not apologizing," Ymir said stubbornly, arms crossed when the smaller girl opened her mouth.
"They're our natural enemies," Eren continued, "who drove us to the brink of extinction. I'm sure you've had to face their threat a number of times before yourself too."
"That's right. I've had countless comrades murdered by them right in front of my eyes. Back when I joined the Survey Corps, I fought them, fueled by hate. But then one day I realized It was when I cut off and kicked the head of a 3-meter class."
Hange seemed surprised, watching the head bounce away from the decapitated body.
"It was light. Unnaturally so. Their bodies are light."
Eren looked at her in surprise.
"Normally such huge bodies shouldn't even be able to stand and walk on two legs. It's the same with every Titan. Their cut-off body parts were much lighter than they should have been for their size." She recalled holding up the Titan's severed arm. "I heard that when you turned into a Titan, that body appeared out of thin air. I considered that maybe the things we see are not the things that are actually there."
Eren's mind flashed to his two transformations.
Hange poured a cup of tea and placed it before him, then poured one for herself. "I tried fighting the Titans out of hatred for decades."
That's very hard to picture. Mikasa thought. Hange not loving Titans was as strange to imagine as Eren not hating them and wanting them all dead.
"Now I want to try looking at them from a different point of view than everyone else. It might prove to be futile. But still, I'll do it," Hange said seriously, getting a stunned expression from the boy.
Since I entered the Survey Corps, all I get are surprises. Eren picked up the teacup and took a sip. It's not just Squad Leader Hange. They're all weirdos.
The recruits started laughing.
"Is that what you think of us?" Petra chuckled.
Levi raised an eyebrow, daring him to answer.
"I threw my lot in with you so I'm in the same boat here."
"Good answer," Hange laughed.
It's like a haven for freaks. Eren thought.
Jean laughed especially loudly.
"What's so funny, Horse-Face?"
"The irony. You used to lose your shit every time someone called the Scouts freaks and eccentrics and here you are doing the same."
"But I don't necessarily mean it in a bad way..."
But it's also a group of people who demand change. Eren thought. That is the Survey Corps.
"See!" Eren pointed triumphantly at the TV.
"Squad leader Hange, would you be so kind as to tell me more about your experiments?"
"Really?"
What a waste of time. Eren crossed his arms, slinking back into the couch.
"Yes. I think it might prove useful in tomorrow's experiments if I learn as much as I can."
"Right," Hange nodded, cheeks pink in delight. "I did skip over some of the details in my summary earlier. Let me tell you everything then. It may end up taking quite a while though."
"That's fine."
"What else is there?" Armin asked curiously. "Everything the Survey Corps knows, we do too."
"Maybe we should have him on the team," Levi said to Petra. "Least he won't go around asking stupid questions he already knows the answers to and acting like a brat in general."
"Only if we get Mikasa too."
Levi's face pinched. The girl really wasn't a fan of his, which made him slightly uncomfortable thinking she might be his blood. "That's not—"
"I'm already drowning in enough testosterone as it is." Petra crossed her arms. "I think I deserve to have another girl in the group if we're getting another boy."
"I'm in," Mikasa said immediately.
"Frankly I don't see anything wrong with it," Erwin added. He'd be thrilled to have their strongest soldier training someone with the capacity to even surpass him.
"Stay out of it, Erwin," Levi said. "It's my team, the best, handpicked by me. That's what we agreed upon, remember?"
"And that's why she's perfect," Petra insisted.
"Petra, you just said you wanted her because she's a girl. And anyway, don't we had a limited time or whatever?" He looked pointedly at the commander.
"True," Erwin admitted. "We can save the discussion for later."
"When we first captured a Titan, I made a hypothesis," Hange said as the shot turned to the night sky outside the castle.
|~|
The night turned into morning.
"So you've learned nothing new from what I told you, right? You should have learned all this as a trainee. You knew it all, right?"
"Yes. There was nothing new." Eren said tiredly, looking exhausted with dark bags under his eyes.
His face prompted laughter from the viewers.
"So let's go over it again, and this time I'll add my personal opinions and assumptions!"
Eren's startled and slightly afraid expression had them laughing again.
"Run, dude," Connie snickered.
"Um," Eren's face and posture clearly said he was grasping for an excuse to flee, "I think we—"
"First of all, the Titans—"
Moblit threw open the doors and barged in, "Is Squad leader Hange here?!"
"The experiment subjects... Both of the Titans were killed!"
|~|
Hange cried out as two skeletal Titan remains steamed.
"Sonny! Bean! This can't be for real!" She clutched her hair, falling to her knees. "Someone tell me I'm dreaming!"
Hange sniffed, dabbing her eyes.
Eren watched a grimace, wearing the hood of his cloak.
"Yeah, that doesn't make you look conspicuous or anything," Candy chuckled.
Mikasa snorted. "Whose bright idea was it? He's the only one with a hood on, makes him stand out like a sore thumb."
Eren coughed, looking sheepishly at her. "I thought it was pretty smart at the time. But now that you mention it..."
"Those experimental subjects were very valuable," Gunther said. "Was it a soldier?"
"Yes," Erd looked over at the woman freaking out. "The culprits are still unknown. Both Titans were killed before sunrise. When a guard spotted them, they escaped using their 3D Maneuver Gear."
"So it was a premeditated move by at least two people?" Gunther frowned.
"Sonny!"
"Check it out! Squad Leader Hange is losing her shit," Oluo said.
Petra narrowed her eyes and immediately jabbed her elbow painfully into his ribs, making him cry out.
"Thank you, Petra," Hange beamed at her.
"You're very welcome," she smiled back.
"What on Earth…" Eren muttered.
"Let's go," Levi said. "This is the jurisdiction of the Police." He walked away.
"Yes, sir."
Erwin approached the boy and leaned in, speaking quietly, "What do you see there? Who do you think is the enemy?"
"Excuse me?"
He was silent for a few seconds. "Sorry, don't mind me." He turned and joined Levi.
Eren watched the back of the commander's head as he walked away, stunned.
|~|
"Who do you think killed them? It couldn't be one of us since Candy trusts us," Sasha said.
"It could be anyone," Jean's brow furrowed. "One of the trainees or one of the Scouts."
"The question is, who isn't here," Connie said.
"There are only 12 of us here out of hundreds," Mikasa pointed out. "That makes discovering the traitors through the process of elimination rather difficult."
"It might be someone we know."
"You think so, Ymir?" Christa looked worried. "I don't really like the idea of one of our comrades being responsible."
"Whoever killed Sonny and Bean are traitors," Eren said, resolute. "They sabotaged humanity's chances of learning more about the Titans."
"I'm with Ymir," Armin nodded. "We already reasoned it's someone who was present on our side when the Colossal Titan showed up. The only ones present then were the trainees and some Garrisons."
"We were staying pretty close to the Survey Corps' HQ where the Titans were killed," Jean said. "The common factor in the two situations is the trainees."
"Holy shit," Connie's eyes widened. "That narrows the suspect pool a lot."
"But it's not impossible that a Garrison might have pretended to be a Scout and snuck it," Sasha said.
"That's true," Eren said. "It's not like they have anything valuable someone might want to steal. The only guards that were present 24/7 were the ones during the daytime when the Titans were awake."
"Or it could've even been a Scout pretending to be a Garrison soldier at the wall that day," Mikasa added.
They exchanged lost looks.
Connie scratched his head. "This is hard."
In another corner of the room, Levi talked quietly with Petra. "There's something you need to know."
"Okay?" She said curiously.
"It's about the 57th expedition. No one, with the exception of a handful of soldiers, knows the real purpose behind it."
"It's not a test for Eren?"
"It is, partially," Levi nodded. "But the main objective is to discover the identity of Sonny and Bean's killer." He quickly summarized the plan, lying about Eren's position in the formation and the trap setup when the culprit transformed. "Our killer will likely come after the boy once we're outside the walls and out in the open."
"Why didn't you share with the rest of our team? No wait," she closed her eyes for a second, mind racing. "The Colossal Titan first showed up 5 years ago and then the Shifter infiltrated the military. We, myself and the guys, joined up after."
"Erwin figured the ones who were already soldiers at the time were clean. Since you're here, he gave me the okay to fill you in."
"Does that mean we aren't telling the others?"
"It's unlikely any one of them is a mole, but, since we can't be sure, it has to be a closely kept secret." He paused, before asking, "Does it bother you I withheld crucial information from you and the guys?"
"Of course it bothers me." Petra sighed. "We're expecting the regular Titans and maybe stopping Eren if he goes berserk. Not a human spy who could be anyone and transformation at a second's notice with who knows what kinds of abilities. But," she crossed her arms, "we're also the elite team, capable and expected to handle whatever's thrown at us. So I can understand and accept the reasoning. Just doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I didn't expect you to," Levi replied.
"Are we telling Eren?" Petra looked at the teen in a deep discussion with the rest of his friends.
"He'll find out soon enough. I thought you at least deserved the courtesy of learning it from me, instead of finding out like that," he nodded at the TV. Levi thought she looked like she was going to make a barbed comment, but refrained.
"Okay." Was all she said before returning to her spot.
After everyone had stretched, used the restroom, and had a snack, or grabbed more in some cases, they settled once more to continue on to episode 16.
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