{Levi's POV}
I had made it to the Underground's entrance.
It wasn't an easy task to get through after Annie's big ass Titan feet crushed the Underground tunnel to bits, but there was still a hole or two I could fit through.
I made my way to the edge of the tunnel to where I could stare down at the city. My skin was immediately riddled with goosebumps at the sight.
It was the same as it had always been: mildew ridden and dirty. It was nothing but a big, grimy shadow.
The streets were fairly empty, there were only a handful of people making a commute.
It seemed quiet.
I engaged my gear and swooped down to ground level without making myself seen, but I could hear the air pressure of my tanks echo off the subterranean walls and knew I had to find cover quickly.
I pulled my hood above my head and settled in between two decrepit buildings before making my way to the edge so I could peek around.
I looked out into the street.
There was nobody in sight.
Cling!
A sound came from behind me, and I quickly wrapped my fingers around my blade handles before turning around.
A stray cat had made its way into an overflowing garbage can behind me. I was suddenly reminded of Mercy as I stared into its curious eyes. She had always referred to herself as a "stray cat."
Focus, damnit, I said to myself as I shook my head and turned back around. Find Ed.
I looked back out to the street and quickly weaved through the alleyways undetected.
I wasn't sure where Ed would be held, but I knew it would either be on the other side of the city where the wealthier crooks lived, or towards the middle sections where Mercy's house was located.
Then again, I hadn't been in the Underground in years, and from the sounds of it Mercy's father claimed himself to be the leader of it all.
For all I knew everything could've been changed around.
I couldn't waste time on the "what ifs" and quickly pushed forward as I weaved through the alleyways and hid from passerby.
I decided to make my way to Mercy's old house, no matter how much it pained me to do so, and it was on the way to the "wealthier" district anyway.
It was unlikely that Ed or Mercy's father would be located there, but I had to try.
I peaked out into the main road.
Several people were walking along the main stretch toward the market side, and knew it would be too risky to use it. My Scout cloak would be a dead giveaway, and I didn't want any chance of my being there to reach Mercy's father.
Alleyways it is.
It added nearly an hour to my travel time due to my sneaking, but it was the less riskier option.
Luckily, there were no fenced in back yards or security gates. Everything down there was free to roam.
I made several turns as I clung to the building walls, but quickly stopped in my tracks as I heard a door open several meters in front of me.
I backtracked and threw myself to the side of one of the buildings, and pulled my sword from its sheath.
I held it to the ground and used its reflection to see what was happening on the other side of the building.
It was a woman and a young boy that emerged from the doorway behind the house.
"I'm sure he's not far, honey," the woman assured the young boy as they stood outside the door. "Your little kitty always comes back."
"But he's never gone this long," he whined. From the sound of his voice he couldn't have been older than five or six.
"You can search for him around the block while I make dinner," the woman offered. "But you'd better be back before the table is set."
"Yes ma'am!" the boy chimed as several footsteps came closer, and I quickly drew my blade toward me.
"Oh, honey!" the woman called. "Don't forget your knife. There are bad people out there."
"Okay!"
He took several steps toward the house before the door shut and his footsteps came closer to me.
Shit, he's going to see me.
His footsteps came closer and closer, and I knew I couldn't run out into the main street, but I knew it was inevitable that the boy would see me.
I took a deep breath and stepped out into the alleyway where the child stood several feet in front of me, stopped dead in his tracks.
His bright blue eyes went wide as he started to fumble for the knife held in his waistband.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said quietly, but he continued to reach for his knife. He pulled it from its sheath and held it out toward me with shaky hands.
He looked me up and down as he took me in.
"My mom pays her weekly tax," he said shakily as he stared at my ODM gear. "I-If you're here to punish us-"
"Easy," I whispered as I released my blade back into its sheath. "I'm not here to punish either of you."
His knuckles glowed white against his blade's handle as he stared at me with pure fear.
"T-Then why a-are you here?"
"I'm on a mission," I said calmly as I knelt down to his level.
"Why do you h-have a cape?" he said with furrowed eyebrows, his blade still trembling. "I've never seen you guys have capes."
"This is a cloak," I chuckled. "What 'guys' are you talking about?"
He tilted his head.
"You're not... one of the Kingsman?" he said weakly as his voice cracked.
I took a deep breath.
"No," I said, "I'm not."
"Well, who are you?" the kid asked without lowering his weapon.
"If you put that thing away I might tell you," I said as I gestured my head toward the knife. "You're in no danger, and I have no affiliation with the King."
He stared at me for several moments before slowly lowering his weapon. He nodded his head as his lip began to quiver, and I could see the adrenaline rush leave his body as his misty eyes stared back at me.
"I'm with the Scout Regiment," I began. "Do you know what that is?"
He nodded his head.
"The King h-has said something about the Scouts before," he began through a shaky breath. "About how they're going to fall like everyone else."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The King has a plan to get us above the surface," the child said through a sheepish grin. "He said that once all of the Regiments are gone he'll be able to rule up there, a-and he'll let us all live up there with him."
"I see," I nodded my head as I soaked up his information. "Well, the Scout Regiment isn't bad, and neither are the other Regiments. We take down bad people. That's why we wear these... capes."
"But, the King-"
"The King is a bad man," I said slowly. "He abuses everyone around him, including you and your mother."
The little boy dropped his eyes to the ground as he put his knife back in its sheath.
"I'm here to stop the King," I said through a deep breath, and the child looked up at me with worried eyes.
"But if you get rid of the King," he said quietly, "How will we make it to the surface?"
I stared at the boy for several moments as I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was drawing a blank.
I knew exactly how much I hated living in the Underground, and how I wished everyday that I would be able to leave the godforsaken place. The King had twisted everyone's perspective and made them think that he was their savior.
I drew in a deep breath and looked around, but my attention was quickly taken as I stared at the house the boy had came out of.
The roof was flat and the brick was was faded. In the bottom corner of the house I could make out the faint markings that I had painted when I was a child.
K+L
Kuschel and Levi.
A memory suddenly flashed before my eyes as I stared at the remnants of my childhood.
It was late in the evening, and I had found a can of old black paint in the garbage cans that I use to dig through for scraps. My mother was working late, and hadn't made it in time for supper, so I got bored and hungry. To take my mind off the hunger and missing my mom, I decided to paint.
I dropped the can next to the house and sat there for nearly an hour as I tried to use my imagination. I tried to think of something, anything to paint, but I couldn't. I had never known anything worth painting.
Then, I remembered my mom. I remembered how hard she worked to take care of me, and how much she loved me, so I decided to paint our initials together. That way, we would always be together.
And there it was... Faded, but intact.
I was still with her, and she was still with me. No matter how far away I got from the Underground, our names were still painted in stone.
I was the same age as the boy who stood before me when I painted those letters.
I looked the house over one more time as the boy stared at me expectantly.
It was my old house, the one I grew up in. It was the same house my mother died in. Behind those walls were some of my most cherished, buried childhood memories, but also held the most painful day of my life.
I dropped my eyes until I met his gaze, and offered a small smile.
"I use to live down here," I said quietly as his eyes widened. "I use to live in the same house that you live in now."
"Really?" he said hopefully, but quickly rolled his eyes and let his smile disappear. "You're lying to me to make me feel better."
"I assure you, I'm not," I chuckled as I pointed toward the house. "See those faded letters?"
The boy hesitantly turned until his attention was fixated on the bottom corner of the house.
"Those are the first letters of my name and my mom's name," I said. "I painted it when I was your age, so me and my mom would always be together."
"So..." he said slowly as he turned back around. "You made it to above ground?"
"I did."
"What's it like?" he asked hopefully as he lifted himself up on his tippy toes. "Are the people nice? Are there lots of animals? Is there-"
"Easy," I said quietly as I held my palms out. "I'm not going to ruin it for you by telling you all of that... When you get a little older and you get out of here, you'll get to see it all for yourself. Then, it'll be even better."
He stared at me for a long time as he thought it over and nodded his head. He looked to my shoulders at my cloak.
"I-If I join the Scout Regiment," he began shakily, "Will I be able to go up there? Like you?"
I nodded my head and rested my arm on my propped knee.
"How about this," I began. "When you're old enough, I'll put in a good word for you."
He nodded his head excitedly.
"What's your name, then?" I asked as I stared at him.
"My name is Alexander."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alexander," I said as I stretched my hand out. "I'm Section Commander Levi Ackerman of the Scouts."
He stretched his arm out and shook it slowly with his weak grip around my fingers.
"Now," I said as I pulled my hand away. "You can't tell anyone I'm here, okay? Not even your mother."
He nodded his head and shot me a hesitant satisfied look before walking past me toward the alleyway.
"Oi," I called and he quickly turned around. "There was an orange cat just a few blocks that way."
His eyes lit up and he quickly nodded his head before taking off in the opposite direction once again.
I turned back to the trek ahead, and drew in a deep breath.
He reminded me of myself when I was a child. He was worried about the future, and about his mother. He was hopeful and doubtful at the same time.
I hope you make it out, kid, I thought as I moved forward. I wished I could've taken him with me.
I glanced back at mine and my mother's initials one last time before taking off toward Mercy's old house.
Stopping to talk to Alexander added some time to my trip, but I still made it to Mercy's old house in under an hour without being detected.
I turned the corner and stood in the back alleyway where Mercy's house sat.
I stared at the pale pink stain that sat right outside the door, and felt chills go over my body.
I took a deep breath and made my way to the door without getting caught up on the past.
I didn't have the time to succumb to my mistakes.
I gripped my handles and had them placed in my sheath in case there were any enemies inside before quickly opening the door that slammed against the wooden wall.
I hopped inside and quickly looked around.
The house was small, almost shack-like, and very dark, but there didn't seem to be anyone.
I kept my hand around my handle as I looked around. There was a small kitchen right beside the door, and a small dining room table across the room in the corner where a lonesome lantern hung from the ceiling.
I looked to my right, and immediately felt my stomach flip upside-down.
On the floor was two metal chains hooked to handcuffs, and behind it was a fist sized hole in the wall.
It was Mercy's "bracelets" and it was the hole that was our form of communication.
I could almost see her sitting there, scarfing down the food I made her as I told her stories.
I could almost feel the pain I felt when I had to tell her goodbye.
I still kicked myself for not breaking in, freeing her and taking her with me to the surface.
My heart ached as I kept my eyes fixated on my mistakes, and I-
"Ah, the King of Thieves," a raspy voice growled from across the room and I quickly pulled my blade from its sheath as I turned.
There was a silhouette sitting in the doorway beside the dining room table.
Focus.
I took a step forward and shut the door behind me so no one could attack me from the street.
I stared at the silhouette as my heart pounded in my chest.
The silhouette emerged from the doorway, and lit the lantern they held in their hands.
Their face quickly lit up to reveal hollow cheekbones, sunken eyes, a grey beard and the same old menacing smile.
"Don," I muttered.
"I was hoping you'd be dead," he said cooly, but I quickly leapt forward with my blade in hand and aimed for his neck.
In a flash, I was looming over him as my blade swung around me. He stared at me blankly as it whooshed toward him.
Clang!
My blade stopped inches from his neck, and had made contact with something metal.
Another blade.
"I wouldn't do that," a muffled familiar voice chuckled, and I quickly darted my eyes to my left.
Ed Houser stood before me wearing an all black suit, and a peculiar mask that covered his mouth.
My mouth fell open slightly and my stare grew wide as I stared into his dark eyes. I quickly leapt backwards and positioned myself across the room. I pulled out my other blade with my trigger handle and held them at my sides as I stared at them both.
Ed had been the mole. It all made sense in that moment. He had mentioned the death of Mercy's aunt Mary before I had ever debriefed him of the fact. Her death was on public record, but there was no reason for him to know such information. Then there was the way he acted around me before he went in his mission to the Underground. He spoke to me as if he knew something that I didn't, and even thought I could felt something was wrong I was still kicking myself for not catching on sooner.
Mercy was supposed to be moved to Ed's squad, but I put a stop to it before she ever got to meet him. He must have been planning to do something to her. To kill her, maybe? To do something to her device? I wasn't sure what his plan was, but it was obvious that his excitement before his mission was for a different reason. He was happy to come back to the Underground to conspire with Mercy's father. He was happy to be put in the position, because if he would have went on his own it would have been suspicious and we would have caught on.
I should've seen this coming...
I stared at Ed with fire behind my eyes as Mercy's father chuckled beside him. Ed's hair wasn't slicked back anymore, and fell over his forehead and around his ears as his shadowed eyes glared at me. The mask he wore was odd. It seemed to offer protection due to its metal exterior, but seemed to serve a different purpose. It had intricate filters on the sides and front, and I could hear every breath he drew in.
"You traitor..." I growled as I stared at him through my eyebrows.
"You have some nerve coming back down here, Levi," Don chuckled menacingly as he tilted his head at me.
Suddenly, I could hear Historia's voice in the back of my head. I can hear her whisper words that made my blood run cold.
I looked at her with widened eyes.
"Y-You don't know the truth..." I whispered back, but her eyes stared at me softly.
"I do," she whispered as she pinned my achievement to my vest. "It's my job to know about my people."
I stared at her expressionless as she motioned with her head for me to return to my seat. It took me a moment, but soon I was heading back down the stairs to sit next to the woman whose life I ruined.
The memory flashed before my vision quickly as the grip around my blade handles tightened, and I continued to give Don an icy stare.
His lips were offering the slightest evil smile, but his eyes... They were manic, they were deranged and they stared back at me wildly.
I didn't fear the man, but his eyes sent a chill down my spine as my eyes moved back and forth between the both of them.
I could see Mercy in the back of my mind. I could feel her pain and suffering at the atrocities her father and his men inflicted upon her.
My cold, tingling skin quickly flushed with heat as boiling anger crept through veins.
He needed to be ended.
I quickly leapt forward, and reared my blades back to slice through his neck. I didn't care that Ed was there, and knew that he couldn't stop me. I had always been faster than him.
My blade was inches from his neck when my movements and my blade came to an abrupt stop as clinging medal echoed around me.
Ed had blocked my attempt once again.
My eyes didn't even get the chance to look at him before I was shoved backward with such might that my back smashed against the wooden wall across from them, the one where Mercy was held, and an aching sensation spread up my spine at the impact.
I looked up at Ed with widened eyes.
He was strong. He was fast. It was as if he was a completely different person. I stared at them both as I tried to assess the situation, but Don's voice quickly caught my attention.
"Based on the fact you made it down here I'm assuming my daughter still is unaware of what you did," Don said casually as his eyes continued to grow even more manic.
The aching sensation in my back spread to my shoulders from the impact as I straightened myself and tried to catch my breath.
"No... No, she doesn't," I sneered and Don chuckled.
"Odd.. I figured with as much stress as she's under her memories would come back to her. I'm very surprised," he sighed as he shot Ed a glance.
I continued to breathe deeply as I stood before them. I wanted to demolish them both. I wanted to watch their blood drip from my blades as I stood before both of their lifeless bodies, but Ed showed incredible strength and speed, and neither of them seemed as if they had the intent to kill me at the moment, so I stood there as my blood continued to brew and boil with fury. I had to wait for the right opportunity.
I told Mercy that I would be back in time for dinner in the note I left her, and I had no intention of breaking that vow.
"Why?" I muttered. "Why did you do what you did? How could you put your own goddamn daughter through all of that, you fucking bastard?"
Don tilted his head slightly and shook his head.
"You're the one who started this.." He sneered, "...And thanks to you, I now have my own empire. I have my own army."
I remembered what Alexandersaid when I spoke to him briefly in the alleyway behind my old house. He had mentioned a revolution of some sort. He mentioned Kingsman.
"I know about the revolt you're planning, and if you think for one goddamn second you'll be successful you are sorely mistaken," I hissed as I tried to provoke him and make him spill his plan.
Don laughs audibly and throws his head back slightly at my comment.
"I think it's you who is sorely mistaken," he chuckled confidently. "I have more power to destroy anything and anyone I want, and then some."
"You really think you can do all that when you're sitting helpless in a wheelchair?"
Don's eyes darken as he stares at me. His lips turn into a straight line at my comment.
"This is my throne," he said flatly. "I have an army that bends to my will."
"What army? Ed?" I chuckled as I shot him a condescending glance.
"Amongst others... yes," Don smiled and his eyes grew wild with mania once again as he took a deep breath. "You see, it's all just a game of chess..."
I listened as Don began to bring his plan out into the open.
I was horrified.
He was playing a twisted chess game.
He created super soldiers, and named them after every chess piece.
I looked over to Ed, his "Rook."
He explained his abilities, and the use of his face mask.
I had faced hundreds of Titans, and slaughtered many. I had watched so many of my friends die, and I had been faced with death even from childhood, but I had never been scared for my life.
Not until that moment.
Merciana was his Queen. She had the most powerful qualities of all of his men. She held the power of a goddess, and she didn't even know her full strength.
I knew that it was coming: the truth.
I knew who her target was from the beginning, but I was in denial. I prayed to a nonexistent god that I was wrong, but as I watched Don's eyes fill with evil mania my worries were confirmed.
He spoke of Mercy as if she was a machine, and he eyed me like a dog eyes a slab of meat.
"Once Mercy remembers her target, she'll be unstoppable," he growled as bloodlust filled his eyes as he bore into mine.
"And who might her target be?" I sneered as my eyes darkened. I knew his answer, but I had to hear him say it.
My nostrils flared with rage and fear.
The breaths I pulled in felt as if they frosted my chest over as my skin tingled with heat.
Don chuffed, and tilted his head.
"The man who killed her mother..." he said.
My breaths quickened as he straightened his posture, and the manic glint of his eyes dissipated into pure hatred.
"...And he stands before me."
A/N
womp womp
-J Lee