-Kaisa-
Right on time, the trio of soldiers and the suspected female titan arrive at their destination. I move closer to Levi's back in an attempt to hide myself better in case Leonhart decides to scrutinize the area before following her comrades; that's if she actually does follow the route to "help" Eren out. They look pretty small, probably the size of a chess piece from our location, but it's clear enough to see Leonhart is the only one standing at the top of the stairs after a few seconds. She peers down at the trio that's out of our vision but makes no movement to follow through with their actions.
"We should alert the others that she's aware of the set up." I say, moving to leave my post.
"We don't know that for sure." Levi grasps my wrist and gives a slight tug to keep me next to him.
"Levi, can't you see that this entire plan is a bust? We should-" My protest is interrupted by a shrilling laugh from down below. Levi's head whips around to look at the action.
I quickly peek over his shoulder again to see Leonhart's body slightly shaking before she calls out to I'm guessing to everyone.
"Isn't it suspicious that this street is conveniently free of any citizens in the vicinity?" She mocks the trio below us. I can hear Eren pleading with her to follow through but it's clear that no such thing will happen.
All at once, soldiers hiding amongst the rooftops of the neighbouring houses leap into the air as a collective, capes flowing behind them as they dip towards their target. We watch silently, taking in the different aspects of the scenario unfolding in front of us. Levi stands up and walks by me towards the edge of the rooftop jumping off, swinging in the direction of Erwin. I curse him silently but understand the message he's sending me.
It's clear that he's assessing the situation as one that requires agility, which is why he's leaving me here.
So much for staying together, huh, Levi.
Standing up from my crouched position, I brush off any gravel that made its way in between my straps to avoid any future nuisances. Being atop of the rooftops brought back bittersweet memories of jumping between them throughout my childhood. I thank myself for not working too much earlier in the day because I know I'm going to have to be even more agile than I was yesterday.
Running across the rooftops comes like second nature to me, and I quickly approach the scene below me. My torso aches as I feel the grit of the stitches rub against my wound, but my back doesn't give me too much trouble which is surprising so I pay no attention to what's suppressing the pain. Instead, I see Annie being restrained by a few soldiers but now that I'm closer, I can see the ring on her hand. Her thumb flicks it and suddenly a piece of jewellery becomes a murder weapon. I crouch down and lean against the chimney from the roof I'm on knowing what's coming.
"Let her go! Get out of there!" I scream. The soldiers look up at me and some move back according to my orders, however, those withstanding keep their tight grip on the young lady.
The sky flashes while a gust of wind is thrust down upon the surrounding architecture and soldiers in the premises. Cries of help are tossed into the air in desperation as those who held their grip on Leonhart fly across the sky to meet the sides of brick houses, painting them a deeper red. My stomach twists uncomfortably knowing that this is only the beginning once the steam begins to clear from Leonhart's location.
"Disengage! Prepare for Alt. 2!" I order over the commotion.
Alt. 2 is the alternative plan we set out in case something like this happened. There should already be soldiers waiting inside the cave supposing Leonhart followed the trio inside the abandoned underground trail. Their new job would be to ensure the trio are able to escape without being in harm's way considering the female titan would not be very happy with them. The soldiers that are outside move to their future posts and some begin escorting citizens to a specific part of town which is not too far from here.
Once the steam clears, Leonhart seems to have little concern for the destruction she creates as she crushes the corridor Eren is in. While I count the seconds that go by, my worry increases, knowing that she's probably killed those who were supposed to help the trio out. Now I need to figure out the best line of action that isn't going to get me killed. I watch the female titan strike the underground again and my body tenses completely before I jump into action. 17 seconds—that's the time difference between her attacks using her legs. With this in mind, I know that I can't kill the female titan on my own, but I know that I can distract her for a while to give those inside some time.
"Hey, you!" I call out to the female titan while swinging by, drawing her attention to the next housetop I land on. Her eyes squint in anger when she turns to face me completely, so I mock her by spinning around in circles.
"Looks like you couldn't kill me after all!" I tease, leaning over once I stop my rotations, sticking out my tongue.
"Might as well kill me first before it comes to bite you in the ass." I suggest, shrugging my shoulders.
The female titan doesn't respond, instead, she lifts her foot from the second indent found in the tunnel and makes her way towards me. I sigh internally from relief before jumping off without using my ODM gear this time. Sure, it'll be more difficult to drag her away with just my legs, but she won't make the same mistakes she made yesterday; she'd most likely just catch my wires and grand-slam me straight to hell.
I like pancakes, but I don't appreciate being one, thank you.
I roll on the ground over my right shoulder, landing upright straight into a sprint, running far away from everyone else. I don't bother looking over my shoulder because I'm confident that she's after my life. I try to recall all the empty buildings in the area and devise my plan to bounce between them to get her to use some energy. I can see the streets from a bird's eye view clearly now, so I envision my future route in my head. The floor shakes underneath me with each step she takes towards my small frame, and my entire body shakes with the ground.
She takes another lunge behind me but this time it's strong enough to launch my body into the air. I panic for a quick second before attaching a wire to the building on my left, swinging around using my hand once it lands as the point of my pivot. Using the force of my spin, I crash into the wooden door of the building with the bottom of my feet.
17 seconds.
The moment I enter, I quickly observe the room I'm in and look for a way out from this place before I realise that it's a one-story building. Around me are a round wooden table, two chairs to match, and a sofa which is against the wall across from me. I turn and face the wall my back is towards, only noticing my one option.
Shit. 13 seconds.
This is quite the unfortunate scene, but there's a window that's relatively high up, but it's horizontal. It's not big enough for me to crawl through, but if I can lie on my side through the gap, I'll be able to make it. I move fast, running behind the table quickly before shoving it towards the window. Of course, it tumbles over, but I don't have time to worry about it since a foot is going to crush right through my body before I can even form the thought.
10 seconds.
I take the risk since it's do or die now. I jump onto the thin round edge of the table which rattles underneath my leap off of it. My hands reach up and barely miss the edge, but my fingertips keep me hanging.
7 seconds.
I pull myself up and notice the window doesn't have a latch to open it which sends my nerves into a frenzy. I reach into my bra, pulling out a pocket knife I usually keep inside my jacket and stab it into glass which barely cracks. I grunt in frustration, repeatedly violating the thick glass in desperation.
4 seconds.
The glass finally shatters and a shard grazes near my left eye while the rest of the pieces scratch my face and pierce other open areas of my flesh.
2 seconds.
But the roof collapses behind me early.
The pressure from the inside of the building being crushed sends me forward into the building right next to it, and with the blade still in my hand, I brace for impact. An agonizing scream escapes me and breaks through the air when I feel the blade dig into my shoulder. I can't help but gasp for air when my back throbs in pain.
I miscalculated the time that was available to me, and now I'm paying the price. I should have known the 17 second period was only applicable to the periods in between attacks. At least now I know that I have a 17 second cool down before she starts chasing me again. I struggle to pull myself onto my hands and knees, but the moment I do, I yank the knife out of my shoulder before launching a hook into the house I planned to go to afterwards. I was meant to take this alleyway earlier, but I guess I'll have to pass by using my gear instead of my feet.
13 seconds.
The wire drags my body and I bite my tongue to prevent any more loud cries from escaping in attempt to avoid bringing attention to myself until I'm able to somewhat recover. Four meters before I hit the wall, I retract my wire to stop the pull's velocity and let my body tumble across the floor. Rolling to a stop, I breathe in the dusty gravel road, feeling my body wanting to cave in on itself. I carefully bring myself up, knowing that if I move too quickly, I'll most likely pull a muscle. I stumble and lean against the wall I used to pull myself here, using it as a crutch as I walk along the street.
6 seconds.
I pass by a window and notice my once clear cheeks are dripping red in my own cynical liquid blush. My cream dress is soaking with the same red fluid, trickling down my left shoulder where the knife wound came from. For a split second, I see this morning's appearance flash across my vision before focusing on the weak reflection staring back at me.
Fucking bitch—she ruined my dress.
I wipe the blood left on the blade onto my forehead, trying to preserve the dress as much as I can.
It's petty, but I don't need a reflection to tell me that I do not look like I care.
Closing the pocket knife, I put it back into my bra while I roll my neck back and forth between my shoulders preparing myself for the worst to come.
2 seconds.
My hands latch onto my ODM gear and I give a little knock against my gas tank to hear its reassuring low sound, reminding me it's essentially full. I countdown the last second aloud before shooting myself between the multitude of buildings around me. I use the velocity I gather from moving along the different brick complexions around me before launching two final hooks: one into a house below me and another into a higher building. I lean in the direction of the building that is higher, and the second my feet make contact with the bricks, I launch myself into the air using the tension between the two wires as a propeller.
I see the female titan remove herself from the mess below, lifting her head when she does so. Her expression tells me she isn't expecting me to be at eye level once she looks up, but unfortunately for her, I'm full of surprises.
This is what Humanity's Tempest looks like.