Dedicated Chapter Song: Sand Storm - Apashe
Look down, you're talking to your highness. Can't see me, I'm the reason for your blindness.
(Anna)
“It doesn't seem like he's anywhere around,” Ruby muttered as the trio hopped from rooftop to rooftop in the Underground City. “There's no signs of anyone trailing us—”
“That does not mean that he's not. Even with your thermal vision and my exceptional hearing there's a chance he could slip past us undetected.” Anna calmly spoke, running and jumping to a broken rooftop. “That is if he's even alive.” Levi added. “True. I pray we don't run into him. Now that the VM has disbanded he's the biggest problem of all.”
“Unh...” Ruby gasped and she jumped down from the roof they were on. “Ruby?” Anna crooned and jumped down beside her. “What is it now?” Levi groaned, following after the two girls. “Oh...” Anna gasped at the shack before the two of them. “I didn't think it would still be standing. Then again, it hasn't been too long since our last visit.”
“Do you think they'd be in there?” Ruby quietly asked while slowly approaching the broken door. “Be careful...there might be rats in there.” Anna warned, playing on Ruby's childhood fear of critters. “I'm not afraid of rats anymore.” she quietly replied and slipped into the old shack, her eyes shifting to thermal vision. “Someone's been here.” she spoke warily.
“They weren't here too long ago.” Anna said, her eyes running over each and every page from a book or document that was splayed across the floor. Broken furniture and other obscure items were thrown everywhere. “Tck, they made such a mess.” Anna shook her head. “It looks like they were desperate to find something.”
Anna's eyes suddenly lit up and she noticed the tilted portrait of a woman above the decrepit fireplace. “Let’s hope they didn't find it.” she reached up and pulled the portrait off the wall. “A safe?” Levi seemed unfazed by the find. “Not just any safe. This is my secret weapons stash.” she grinned, carefully turning the two dials to the safe to 10 and 2.
When she heard that satisfying ‘click’ noise, a grin appeared on her face. “Come to me, babies.” she reached in, moving her hands about in the dark. Her eyes darkened in anger. “Someone...took...my... babies.” Levi cocked his head to the side. “Who would do that?”
Anna turned to him, her eyes squinted in anger. “Can you think of no other? Those were custom made guns and knives made of mythril— the lightest and rarest metal known to man.” her eyes trailed over to see Ruby picking something small out of the rubble. “This was Rosie's...” she quietly mumbled, picking up a gold with with a gold rose in the center and two golden leaves surrounding it. “It was her engagement ring to Killian...”
Anna lowered her head at the mention of Rose's name. “They're together now.” Levi spoke calmly. Ruby smiled faintly and shook her head. “No. She'll be waiting for Jean. I can see her up there with Marco, with their beautiful white wings behind them and smiles on their faces as they talk about the adventures they'd been through and every so often they'll nudge Jean and guide him in the right direction.”
“Do you believe that's the same for all of us?” Anna asked. Ruby clutched the ring in her palm and turned to her friend. “Not everyone goes to Heaven, Anna. However, if someone loved you enough then I'm sure they'd be up there guiding you.” Anna bit her lip as she tried to think of someone who would be by her side after death.
The look in Levi's eyes showed he knew exactly who'd be watching him. Anna guessed it was his mother but she didn't know for certain. Ruby and Anna suddenly jumped at the sound of sobbing. “Who’s there?!” Anna demanded towards the back of the house.
Levi quickly pulled the handgun out that Anna had gave him. Faint whispering was heard from the back bedrooms. “Two signatures. Most likely females.” Anna scoffed. “We know you're back there! It won't do you any good to hide from us.” Anna pulled a lighter from her belt and flicked up the flame as she headed towards the back.
“A-A-An..na...?” a quiet and shy voice crooned. Ruby gasped and Anna froze at the sight before them. They weren't older than teenagers. Two of them. One male, one female. The female's eyes were gouged out and bloody while the male held her close. “Mika? Yuki?!” Ruby gasped. Even Levi was surprised.
“What happened here?” Anna knelt down to the two children. “They...they wouldn't stop... they killed Bernice..." Anna faintly recalled those children that were under her command. “What did they want from you?” Levi urged. Yuki slowly raised his small and bloody head, his dark eyes glowering into Anna's soul. “You.” his voice into a whisper.
“We have to take Mika to a hospital. She won't survive much longer.” Ruby sighed. “We don't have enough time for a detour.” Levi stated, his silver eyes slowly turning to look at Anna. “Unless...”
“Stay still.” Anna said to Mika. “This will hurt a bit but I doubt it'll be worse than what you've been through already.” she placed a hand over Mika's eyes and concentrated all of her energy into her hands and let it flow into the other girl's body. Mika screamed, as expected, but Yuki shoved a piece of fabric into her mouth to help silence her from alerting enemies they were still there.
“Why were you two here?" Ruby inquired. “He...wanted to know where you'd gone." Yuki spoke directly to Anna. “We led him back here to the shack but when he saw you were all gone he got angry. He almost killed us. That's when we told him we heard you'd joined the Survey Corps. He let us live but with great costs. He took the weapons from the safe too."
Anna's eyes darkened at the words coming from Yuki's mouth. “I'm so sorry, Anna.” he sniveled. “Don’t be. He would've found us whether you told him or not. I can't imagine what he wants with me specifically but I know it's not for a friendly chat." She recoiled her hand and let out a soft sigh to see Mika had regained her sight. Yuki pulled the cloth from her mouth. “Take this.” Anna handed over a stack of cash. “Use it to get yourselves out of here.”
“Th-Thank you, Anna.” Mika quietly praised. “Do not thank me yet. It's my fault you two ended up like this. I'm simply paying my dues. Now go on." She spoke calmly as the two children jumped to their feet, thanked her once more, and left the Underground with whatever they had left.
“So he is alive.” Levi sneered. “And he's looking for us— Anna, specifically." Ruby added on. “Then we'll just have to find the documents and him before he finds us.” Anna crossed her arms. “Before we go, how do you even know him?” Levi demanded.
Anna snickered. “You didn't think I learned all my skills all on my own, did you? Someone experienced had to train me. Except, unlike you, I've received extensive training through various sources. The Ripper just happened to be the most successful source, unfortunately.” Anna kicked the front door out of her way and stepped back out onto the streets. “Well," she headed around the back of the house to the sewers. “Shall we?” she smirked and hopped into the graywater.
Ruby sucked in her breath. “This is for a good purpose.” she whined and went in after Anna. “Tch. Fucking disgusting.” Levi groaned but followed the two girls again. When they reached the VM headquarters, Anna kicked open the door to the underground base. To her delight, there wasn't anyone waiting inside to ambush them. “Ruby, you check Boss’s office. Levi and I will check Cullen's.”
“On it.” Ruby cheered and headed down the hallway to the left. Anna led Levi to the right. “What happens if the documents aren't there?” Levi spoke up. “Then we chase down the Ripper for them.” Anna nonchalantly spoke. “It’s a simple plan with a hard execution. Not unlike our other missions.” Anna shoved open the door to Cullen's office, gasping softly at the atmosphere.
“I...haven't been here in forever.” she breathed out. “It's so clean." She squinted her eyes. “Time to rectify that. Tear this place apart if you have to. We'll find the information we need one way or another. I'm done trying to guess who I am.”