A week later...
"Levi! They're after us!" Farlan shouted from afar while grappling through the city and as of right now, we are being chased by the military with green cloaks over their heads.
Shit... how did they even track us down!?
Isabel and Farlan are right behind Levi, and since I don't own a 3D maneuver gear, Levi carries me on his back as we soar through the streets at full speed. He lent me his mantle beforehand to hide my appearance and we had to give up our hideout since the military discovered it. Now we have nowhere else to hide and we're stuck in a risky situation. We either flee or hand ourselves to them.
"Just keep moving forward!" Levi ordered and I clung onto him even more since I was afraid to lose my grip. I tried to steal a glance from behind until Levi hollered, "Don't let them see you!"
I hid my face in his neck since he shouted at me and squeezed his shoulders as tightly as possible so I wouldn't slip away.
"Not bad. Looks like they're more serious about catching us today, huh?" Isabel taunts them.
"They should just stick to their real job, like wiping the king's ass instead of chasing after us. Let's just get the hell out of here while we're at it!" Farlan joked, but Levi hesitated.
"No, this doesn't make sense to me." Levi lowered his voice. "The Military Police never takes their work too seriously, and if they can fly like this through a narrow city..."
"Levi," I lean to his ear from behind. "I don't think they're the Military Police..."
"No shit. They're way faster than those shitheads!" Levi says in annoyance, stating the obvious. "And they're starting to piss me off. We can't escape from these half-brained bastards..."
"Then let's beat their ass!" Isabel was pretty serious about it and Farlan stopped her. "If we get caught, they will take our gears from us or even worse."
Levi is not willing to give up his gear, and neither of his friends would want that.
"Our only option is to avoid getting caught." Levi then cursed under his breath. "I saw the crest on their cloaks... so it has to be them."
I come to panic when I hear something cranky from his gear. "Wait... Levi!"
"Shut up and let me think!"
"You're running out of gas!" Farlan finally said it and it was Levi's fault for using up his gas so quickly. We can't stop now, and the military is closing in on us from behind. Without a warning, the gas is no longer running and Levi spins in the air to catch me in his arms as we fall together. At this point, I was afraid to fall to my death because of his recklessness.
"Sina! Levi!" Farlan and Isabel shouted in fear as they watched us fall into a pile of old sacks, but they had to helplessly keep moving.
Luckily, we survived and once I opened my eyes, Levi was groaning in pain since I landed on top of him. I began to feel guilty and tried to help him up. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay!?"
He puts a hand over his chest with a slight hiss. "Tch. What a pain in the ass. Where the hell is Farlan and Isabel?"
I stare up to see if they'll find us by any chance, but nothing. The moment we lost them, we both grew worried. Or maybe they decided to split up? I climb out of the sacks before him and stand on my feet. "Let's go find them before we—"
In a split second, Levi shoves me to the side to block a strike from a random soldier's steel blade with his pocket knife. My eyes widen in fear when the military squad lands in front of us and their blades jump off of each other, pushing each other back.
"Well, what do you know?" Levi thought correctly. "It's the Survey Corps."
The Survey Corps... the guys who actually fight titans outside the walls? No wonder they're different. They've had serious training.
"Seize them." The tall blonde man, who I assume is the leader, demands his soldiers to arrest us. Since Levi was stubborn, he tried to dodge their blades and one of them kicked him to a brick wall, almost knocking him out. I didn't know what was holding me back and let the military arrest me by handcuffing me.
"Why didn't you run, Sina!?" Levi was doing this to stall time, but I didn't listen to him. He was obviously disappointed in me, including himself.
"Her name turns out to be Sina. Do you think it's her, Captain Erwin?" a soldier asks the leader who is now known as Erwin and he kneels before me. Were they after me?
"Are you Sina Vogel?" Erwin asks, but I was hesitant to lie until he furthered this interrogation. "Let me ask you this: did you kill Aziel Vogel, your father?"
My pale expression gave it away and he thought correctly. Is this my chance to speak up? Should I even go against the Survey Corps?
"We're ordered to bring you back to the surface by the Military Police," Erwin explains to me. "Please, do not resist."
"Sir, this is only one of them." A female soldier was pointing a blade at Levi who was also handcuffed beside me on the muddy ground and Erwin wondered where the rest had gone. Do they mean Farlan and Isabel?
"Let me go!"
I raised my head at Isabel's screaming voice and her feet were kicking up in the air while being arrested.
"There's no point in fighting, Isabel!" Farlan is restrained as well.
"Squad leader! Are you okay!?" the soldiers were very considerate of their leader and Erwin nodded.
"Yes, thank you for taking care of those two." he then turns to Levi, holding up the controller to the maneuver gear. "Tell me. Where did you guys get these?"
"We found them." Levi lies with a straight face, but he wasn't buying it.
"I must say... you have exceptional skill in using the 3D maneuver gear. Who taught you how to use it?" Erwin continued to ask, but they remained silent. "I assume you're their leader. Did you perhaps have any military training?"
Levi gives him a death glare as a response and Erwin can sense his anger. "I was hoping to avoid this, but..."
A tall soldier with fearsome strength suddenly grabs Levi by the hair to slam his head into the muddy water and we all gasped in shock.
"Aniki!" Isabel cried out and we're allowed to move or else they'll slice us into bits.
"I'll ask you again." Erwin is more intimidating this time. "Where did you learn to use the 3D maneuver gear?"
Levi keeps silent and Isabel defends him. "No one taught us! Now let us go, you civilized bastards!"
"Please, let us go. The only reason why we've learned is to survive in this dump." Farlan explains to the Survey Corps. "You guys don't even know what sewer water tastes like, so you wouldn't understand."
"So what you're saying is... you are self-taught?" Erwin was pleasantly surprised, so he gestured for his soldier to have Levi face him. "Thanks, Mike."
Levi was coughing loudly while catching his breath from the muddy water and Erwin got on one knee to smile. "My name is Erwin Smith. And you?"
"Fuck you..." Levi spat. "...and your eyebrows!"
Mike slams his head back into the water and Erwin finds him quite amusing.
"Just stop! Leave him alone!" I cried, bringing their attention to me instead. "You guys were searching for me, right? They have nothing to do with my crime!"
Erwin chuckled at me after realizing how hopeless I was acting. "You don't understand, do you? Your friends here also committed a crime for stealing our equipment and using them illegally."
"That's bullshit!" Isabel shouted. "We were only borrowing them!"
"Shut up, Isabel!" Farlan hissed at her and she pursed her lips.
Erwin silently observes me. "I see you don't own a 3D maneuver gear." I remain silent. Finally, he turns his eyes to Levi once again. "I will ask one last time: what is your name?"
"...Levi."
"Levi," Erwin smiles once more. "How about we make a deal?"
He slowly lifts his head to meet his eyes with a glimpse of hope and he is all ears. "A deal...?"
"Lend us your strength," Erwin demands. "To put it this way: enlist in the Survey Corps and none of you will be charged with anything."
"Join... the Survey Corps?" Levi mumbled under his breath, but he was still wary. "And if I refuse?"
"We'll turn you and your friends into the Military Police," Erwin smirks. "Look back on all the crimes you've committed up until now. Your friends will also receive the same punishment, am I wrong?"
Levi shows his teeth. "You people disgust me..."
"So, is that a no?" Erwin raises a brow, but he silently gives Levi a second chance to reconsider this offer.
"But as for Sina, she will receive the worst punishment out of you three," Erwin added, which was like a stab to the heart. "She was supposed to be executed for her crime, but what will you choose Levi?"
"May I request something?" I asked nervously and Erwin was kind enough to listen. "Since I am the worst threat here... can you just let them go and turn me in instead?"
"I'm afraid we can't do that." Erwin simply declines. "We are here to recruit these thugs, but it seems like you are now one of them."
I was more worried about Levi and my friends than my safety, so I nodded once to reassure them. "Guys, you don't have to do this..."
"No, Sina!" Isabel cried, her eyes starting to tear up. "You're my sister! Don't leave us!"
Her words gutted me, so I tried to hold back my tears as well. Maybe this is goodbye.
"Levi." Erwin grabs my attention. "If you accept my offer, you and your two friends will have to join the Survey Corps. And Sina will no longer be punished for her crimes but to stay here in the Underground District."
I begin to raise my voice at him. "Listen! They don't want to! Just let them go—"
"Fine." Levi stands back up, and we all anticipated it.
"We'll join your Survey Corps."