Evelyn fiddles down the side of her leg as she pulls out the flare gun. She prepares it and holds her arm up to the air as everyone covers their ears. She pulls the trigger as the shot is fired and the noise rings around them.
"A noise grenade?" Eren asks as he looks at her confused.
"What is your job?" Levi asks as he turns around and he looks at Eren, "to just let yourself be swayed by whatever you're feeling in the moment? No, it's not. Our squad's job is to keep you from getting a single scratch on yourself, whilst obeying Evelyn's every order to the last word. Although it may seem as though I take charge more often, Evelyn is the one in this squad that makes the decisions. So I will listen to her, until my last dying breath. So you should too. Even if it costs our lives".
Is wasn't to keep watch on me?
Eren asks himself as he looks at Levi.
"We keep going on our horses, got it?" Evelyn asks as she looks forward.
"Roger" Petra and Levi shout.
"Keep going? For how long?" Eren asks as he looks at Evelyn, "and it's right on top of us.
Three more soldier's appear from behind the titan as they try to defeat it but it's to avail as the three of them are killed within mere seconds.
"Evelyn! The reinforcements are being taken down!" Eren says as he looks behind him, "if we don't help, more and more people will be wiped out".
"Eren, eyes on the road!" Gunther orders as he looks at Eren.
"Sir!" Eren pleads as he looks at Gunther.
"Keep up your pace!" Eldo yells from the other side of Eren, "stay at top speed".
"But, sir!" Eren says as he looks at Eldo, "why? If Squad Evelyn and Levi doesn't defeat it, who will?".
More soldiers come in and try to take down the titan but they all continue to die.
"Another one!" Eren yells, "he died but maybe we could've saved him! One's still fighting. We could still make it!".
"Eren! Eyes on the road! Keep going!" Petra yells as she looks at Eren.
"Are you telling me to look away?" Eren asks as he looks at her worriedly, "to abandon my comrades and run?".
"Yes, that's right!" Petra says shamelessly, "obey your sister's orders! Obey our Captain's orders!".
"You don't think it hurts your sister to do this, you brat?" Levi asks as he looks back at Eren, "your sister has been doing this job for over ten years, you think this gets any easier? It doesn't! She's letting people die for the sake of the mission, people she might have trained with, people she might have been friends with! You don't think your sister wants to turn and help them? Just look at her, you idiot!".
Eren looks over at Evelyn who faces forwards, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Evelyn" Eren says softly as he realises how badly he's acting as he makes a decision as he holds his hand to his face, "I'm sorry Evelyn, but I have to disobey your orders!".
"Eren, what are you doing?" Petra asks as Eren goes to bite himself, "you're only allowed to do that if your life is in danger. You promised us! Eren!".
"You aren't wrong" Evelyn says from the front of the group, "if you want to do it, do it. I can tell. He's a real monster. And it has nothing to do with his titan power. No matter what power you use to supress him, no matter what cage you put him in, he will never submit to anyone. Eren, the difference between your decision and mine is experience. But you don't have to rely on that. Choose. Believe in yourself. Or believe in Survey Corps and myself. I don't know, I never have. I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself whichever decision you'll regret least".
"Eren, have faith!" Petra says as she and Eren both looks at each other.
--- back at training with the Levi and Evelyn Squad ---
"I came up with a way that will only half kill you" Levi says as he and the rest of the squad stand in front of a chalkboard.
"Sir?" Eren asks, confused.
"I said I'd only be able to stop you as a titan if I killed you" Levi says as Eren looks at him, "but this method would only badly wound you. Of course, it relies on the squad's skill. The idea is to cut you right out of the titan's neck. We'd end up cutting off the ends of your arms and legs, but they'd just grow back like a lizard's. Creepy, really".
"Wait" Eren says as Levi looks at him, "I don't know how they grow back. Is there some other way?".
"So you're saying you don't want there to be any danger or sacrifice?" Levi asks with a squint, "just resolve yourself. We will, too. The danger for us is that you might kill us. So don't worry".
"Yes, understood" Eren says with a small nod.
"Then, can I do experiments?" Hange says from next to them as they sit on a wooden crate.
"It's very risky" Evelyn says from next to them, "but that doesn't mean that we can't use him to investigate".
"I can be in charge of planning this, right?" Hange asks as they looks straight ahead of them, "Eren, if there's something you don't understand, learn to understand it. It's well worth any risk to our lives".
The next day, early in the morning, Hange launches their first experiments as Levi and Evelyn join them in making Eren go down into a well.
"Ready, Eren?" Hange asks from the top of the well, "when it's prepared, I'll use the smoke round to notify you. After that, any decisions are up to you".
"Roger!" Eren shouts as he looks up at them, his arm in the air.
"This dried up well could even hold a mindless titan" Evelyn says as she looks down at Eren.
Hange sets off the flare from above as the three of them step away. Eren spots the green flare in the sky as he bites his hand. The three of them wait for a result but nothing seems to be happening.
"Did he not see the signal?" Hange asks as the three of them sit on their horses.
"No" Levi says as Evelyn gets down from her horse, "his ability just isn't that reliable".
The two of them get down as the three of them run over to the well, looking down. They all spot Eren whose hands are covered in bite marks.
"Evelyn. Captain Levi. Hange. I can't become a titan" Eren says as he looks up at them.
During lunchtime of the same day, the entirety of the Levi and Evelyn squad gather, Hange leaving to be with their own squad.
"So your self inflicted bite wounds on your hands aren't healing, either?" Levi asks as he looks over at Eren whose hands are being bandaged up by Evelyn.
"No" Eren says as he looks down at the table.
"If you can't become a titan, our main goal of sealing Wall Maria is off the table" Levi says as he comes over, "this is an order. Make it happen".
"Levi" Evelyn scolds the older male as he walks off.
"Yes, sir" Eren says as Evelyn finishes up Eren's hands.
"Don't let it get you down, Eren" Evelyn says as she puts a hand on Eren's shoulder.
"But" Eren says sadly.
"Well, it just means you're more human than we thought" Oluo says as Evelyn leaves to go talk to Levi.
"Better than rushing into something and getting killed" Eldo says across from Eren, "this isn't meaningless".
"Yeah. We can't be too careful" Gunther says as he looks down at his plate.
Why is everyone so calm? Are they okay with my being unable to turn into a titan?
Eren asks himself as he picks up his spoon but his hand hurts, making him drop it. Eren goes down and reaches the spoon, grabbing it, as there's a flash of lightning as Eldo, Gunther and Oluo are thrown away from him, Levi and Evelyn's eyes widening in a mixture of shock and confusion. The smoke clears as Eren sees himself on the top of a piece of titan, an arm and part of a torso.
"Why now?" Eren asks panicked as he tries to pull his arm out.
"Calm down" he hears Levi say.
"Captain Levi! This is..." Eren says as he looks at Levi, only to see Evelyn and Levi blocking the other members of their squad from getting to Eren.
"Calm down, all of you" Evelyn says as she looks at her comrades.
"What? What was that sound?" Hange asks as they come running out from the trees.
Hange screams in excitement as they spot Eren sat upon a piece of a titan.
"Eren" Eldo says as Eren looks at him, "what's the meaning of this? Why now? Without permission? Answer me!".
"Eldo, wait" Levi says as he looks at Eldo.
"Answer him, Eren!" Oluo shouts angrily, "what are you thinking?".
"No, that can wait" Gunther says as he walks towards Eren, "prove you're not our enemy, humanity's enemy. Prove it! Now! That is your responsibility!".
"I dare you to make a single move with that arm!" Oluo threatens, "I'll cut off your head! I can do it... I'm serious! Want to try me?".
"Oluo, I told you to calm down" Evelyn says as she looks at Oluo.
"Captain Levi, Evelyn, get away from Eren!" Petra yells as she looks at the two of them, "you're too close".
"No, you're the ones who should get back" Levi says as he looks at her, "get back".
"Why?" Petra asks confused.
"My intuition" Levi says simply.
"What's wrong, Eren?" Eldo continues, "say something!".
"Like I said, no sudden movements" Oluo yells.
"Prove it to me, Eren!" Gunther shouts.
"I said I don't understand" Eren gets out.
"Answer us! You think we can't kill you?" Oluo questions.
"I'm serious!" Gunther retorts, "do it now!".
"Are you even listening?" Eldo asks.
"Okay, let's do this!" Oluo yells.
"Are you humanity's-" Gunther goes to say.
"Please shut up for a second!" Eren yells over everyone, much to everyone's surprise.
"Eren!" Hange yells as they come over, "can I touch that arm? It's okay, right? Right? Just let me touch it!".
"Hange!" Eren says, confused as to why Hange isn't annoyed at him like everyone else seems to be.
Hange puts their hands on the titan's arm as it burns their hands. Hange screams happily as they jump backwards.
"It's so freaking hot!" Hange shouts as they land on their knees, "without the skin, it's really damned hot. Unbelievably hot".
"Squad Leader!" her partner shouts as he runs over worried for them, "you're too reckless".
"Hey, don't you feel it's hot, Eren?" Hange asks as they look at Eren, everyone looking at them, "how does it feel where the right hand connects? I really want to see!".
That's right. If I just pulled out this hand.
Eren tells himself as he starts to pull his arm away from the titan. Eren shouts as he pulls his arm off, the steam starting to release from the titan.
"What?" Hange yells as Eren falls to the ground in front of Levi and Evelyn, "wait, Eren! That was too fast! I still wanted to investigate somethings".
Hange spots something out of the corner of their left eye as they see the hand of the titan, holding a teaspoon from one of Levi's tea sets.
"Captain" Eren says as he tries to catch his breath as Levi and Evelyn come over, "Evelyn".
"How do you feel?" Levi asks as he looks down at Eren.
"Not so good" Eren says as Evelyn kneels down to him.
"Come on. Let's get you inside" Evelyn says as she puts Eren's arm over his shoulder and she helps him up, walking back into the castle with him.
That night, Levi, Evelyn and Eren gather around a table, separate from the rest of the squad.
"Until I saw that they were actually ready to kill me, I didn't understand" Eren explains to the other two, "that they actually doubted me so much".
"Of course they do" Levi says from next to Evelyn, "that's why Evelyn and I chose them. People say you only become a full member of the Survey Corps after making it back alive from a mission. But whenever you fight the titans, you don't have enough information. There are just too many situations you can't anticipate. They've had to cultivate the ability to take quick action and to make ruthless decisions by assuming the worst case scenario. But that doesn't mean they've become heartless. It's not like they felt nothing when they turned their swords on you".
"Captain Levi, Captain Evelyn. Squad Leader Hange wants to see you" one of Hange's squad members says as they pop their head into the room.
"Take a long crap?" Levi asks as the three of them walk into the next room.
"Actually, it was pleasantly quick" Hange says as they stand at the end of the table, "I wasn't sure what to tell the brass. Well, for now. Look at this" they say as they unwrap the teaspoon they found the titan holding.
"A teaspoon?" Evelyn asks as she walks over next to Hange.
"Yes. The right hand that Eren created was holding this" Hange says as they pick up the teaspoon, "like this, between its index finger and thumb. It's hard to imagine that was an accident. And for some reason, the heat and pressure didn't warp the spoon at all. Anything come to mind?".
"I was trying to pick it up" Eren says as he looks at Hange, "I transformed right after".
"I see. That could explain why you couldn't transform earlier" Hange says as they bring the teaspoon closer to their face.
"Because of a teaspoon?" Levi asks in disbelief.
"Kill the titans. Block the canon shell. Lift the boulder" Evelyn says as she recounts the times Eren turned into a titan, "in each case, you had a clear goal before you transformed. My theory is that your self inflicted injury isn't the sole trigger. You may need some goal as well".
"I was just about to say that" Hange says as they look at Evelyn in shock.
"It's true that when I turned into a titan this time, it was like when I blocked that canon shell" Eren says as he recalls the memory, "but... I turned into a titan to pick up a spoon? What the hell is this?".
"In other words, you didn't deliberately turn without permission?" Gunther asks as he looks at Eren.
"No, sir" Eren says as he looks at Gunther who sighs deeply.
The four members of the squad who didn't trust Eren all bite hard down on their hands as each of them grunt in pain.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Eren asks confused as he looks at them all.
"That hurt. This isn't easy" Eldo says as he looks down at the mark on his hand, "I'm amazed you can bite through, Eren".
"We made the wrong decision" Gunther says as he looks at Eren, "this is a small price to pay. Not that it makes a difference".
"Keeping you under control is our job" Oluo says as he stands up, "and there's nothing wrong with that. So don't get cocky!".
"I'm sorry, Eren" Petra says as she looks at Eren, "we've been so jumpy. You must be disappointed in our stupidity. However, even so, we're going to rely on you. And we want you to rely on us. So... have faith in us".
--- present time ---
"Eren! You're taking too long! Decide!" Levi shouts.
"I'll go forward!" Eren yells as he grips the reigns tighter.
"Good!" Evelyn yells from the front of the group, "we keep moving forward!".
"You heard your Captain!" Levi yells as he looks back at everyone, "keep moving forward until further next orders!".
"Yes!" everyone shouts as they continue on, despite the screams of their comrades being killed and injured behind them.
I'm sorry.
Eren says to himself.
"Target is accelerating!" Eldo announces as he looks behind him.
"Go!" Evelyn yells as everyone looks at her, "we will outrun it!".
It's impossible to outrun it. If we keep running away, it'll stomp us flat! We might all die, but everyone chose to go on, even if it meant abandoning our comrades. Evelyn has been looking forwards this whole time, Captain Levi trusting her every word. And the rest of the squad believe in the two of them, putting all their faith in them. I'll believe in them, too. Like they believed in me.
Eren says as he looks back at the titan that's hot on his heels. Evelyn smirks as the rest of her squad are shocked by the amount of apparatus surrounding them as the titan notices it as well.
"Squad, advance!" Evelyn yells as the squad continues on.
"Fire!" Erwin yells as he draws his sword.
Everyone pulls the cords on the apparatus as arrows connected to metal poles are fired at the titan, holding it in place, the titan still guarding its neck.
"Advance a bit further, tether the horses" Evelyn says as she looks forward as they make it out of the way, "switch to Manouver Gear! You guys will be off on your own for a while. Eldo, lead the squad. Once you're a good distance away from the titan, hide Eren. Take Levi's horse. Make sure Kanmori can get to me if I need him. If you don't tether him, he won't run away".
And with that, Evelyn and Levi take off, back in the direction of the titan.
"They can't think they're gonna be able to take that titan alive?" Eren questions as he watches the two of them go off.
"Well, Eren? See that?" Gunther asks as the two of them look at each other, "we caught that titan!".
"This is the power of the Survey Corps" Oluo says proudly, "don't underestimate us, fool! Well? Do you get it now?".
"Yes!" Eren says with a smile.
"Looks like it's stopped moving" Levi says as he and Evelyn stand on the same branch as Erwin.
"We can't lower our guard" Erwin says calmly, "but you did well, leading it here".
"Don't look at me" Levi says as he stands out the way as the two of them look at Evelyn.
"Men in the rear-guard died buying us the time we needed" Evelyn says as she looks down, "we couldn't have done it without them".
"Is that so?" Erwin asks as he looks back at the titan.
"Is it" Levi says as he looks at the titan, "thank to them, we'll be able to see who's inside of this thing. I hope they haven't pissed themselves".