Chapter Text
A staggering release of pressurized air sent a line of hooks across a clearing of trees, effectively launching two lithe figures through the air at break-neck speeds. Despite the ferocity of the advanced grappling mechanism, both individuals effortlessly glided forward, unaffected by the harsh force of the gear that propelled them.
A tall woman with dark, disheveled hair came to a stop on a large branch high above the ground, her eyes glinting excitedly despite her calm disposition. She hid the sparkle with a dispassionate expression, readjusting the glasses that were secured to her face by a thin leather band that ran around the circumference of her head. She refused to call them ‘goggles.’
Siding her on the branch was a much smaller, leaner individual with a shorter stature. He hesitantly rose to his feet from a brief crouched position, sapphire eyes looking uncertain.
“Y-You wanted to talk to me?” the boy asked timidly, running the tips of his fingers down the edge of his cloak. He subconsciously brushed his blonde hair aside, only for it to fall back into place.
Hange didn’t spare him a look. “Yes, actually. I do.” She reset her ODM gear, prompting him to do the same. “After everything involving the Female Titan..”
Armin hunched his shoulders. Annie.
“I just wanted to ask you a few questions.” Hange continued, her voice light but edged with persistence. She leaned against the base of the tree, but remained standing. Armin figured she didn’t want to let her guard completely down. Titans still roamed the world after all.
“Okay,” he agreed quietly, letting out a shaky exhale.
With his permission, Hange wasted no time gathering intel. “Is it true that it pulled off your hood?”
Armin hesitated, instead gazing downward. It hasn’t even registered to her either… He sighed. “Yes. It… it looked at my face.”
Hange pushed on without any hesitation. “Did it… say anything to you?” She quickly rephrased her question. “Did it speak?”
Armin met her inquisitive gaze with sincerity. “No. It just stared into my eyes for what felt like an eternity…” he trailed before finally breaking eye contact. He somberly watched the treaden grass below weakly swish as a forceful breeze swept across the clearing.
Annie’s face kept flashing behind his eyes; her features so vivid that it almost haunted him. He had suspected it for a long time, and yet…
Hange’s enquiring voice broke him out of his thoughts, causing him to flinch. “Hm..” A collective pause. “Nevermind.” She relented, catching Armin’s attention. He decided not to question her though, unprepared for what she could possibly be thinking.
He didn’t want to think about Titans anymore. For the past 4 years he had spent fearing them, hating them even. But now, things were different. He had doubted his premonitions for so long and yet it only took gazing up into the Female Titan’s eyes for him to abandon those beliefs entirely. Titans weren’t just monsters bent on wiping out the entire human race.
They can be your friends.. Armin thought grimly, clutching his elbows. He shrunk into his cloak, suddenly feeling cold. He had hoped that Hange would maybe begin some sort of training session, simply to change the subject without exerting the effort to put it into words. But when he looked her way, she simply stared ahead, unmoving save for her tapping foot.
A sudden array of panicked caws and fluttering feathers jolted both Scouts out of the silence. Simultaneously, they drew their blades, skillfully prepared for the sure-to-be threat on the other side of the trees.
Armin spared a glance at his superior, naturally looking to her for guidance. A massive stomping sound in the distance made him cringe in both fear and exhaustion. He should’ve known it was Titans. It always is…
Much to the blonde boy’s shock, he suddenly heard the familiar sound of ultrahard metal sliding against a sheath. Hange had put her weapon away. Armin froze, eyes trembling. He cracked open his mouth to question her, but no sound came out. Her amber eyes shot towards him, a strange expression painted across her face.
Mystified, the younger Scout cocked his head to one side, but kept his blades at the ready. Maybe this is a… test? he thought, immensely discomfited. Hange always had a vague, mysterious aura to her, but so did a lot of the higher-ups. It comes with experience I guess… Being Section Commander is no easy feat…
“A Titan.” Hange simply stated, peering into the woods. Her tone was irrefutable; confidence poured from her voice like blood would from an open wound. Armin secretly admired the sound, and often practiced it when he was alone.
Maybe I’ll become a Commander one day…
“Armin,” Hange tore him from his thoughts once more. “Outside our conversation, I informed Commander Erwin of my intentions. This is a Titan Capture mission.”
Armin’s breath hitched. “‘ C-Capture mission?’” he echoed, brows drawing together worriedly. He flinched as the footsteps drew closer, rumbling the ground like an approaching storm. He forced the disbelief out of his voice in fear that he’d overstepped. “I mean, d-did we bring supplies?”
Hange straightened her shoulders, smirking. “Why certainly,” her tone was edged with humor, almost making Armin uncomfortable in the moment. She swung her arm out, tossing one side of her cloak over her shoulder to reveal a strange looking gadget latched alongside her ODM gear.
A small, pistol-like weapon rested snuggly against her waist, and at first, Armin thought he was looking at a flare gun. The end of it, however, was much bulkier than the signal launching device, and it’s overall appearance looked far less refined. It was obviously a quick invention of Hange’s. Judging by her prideful expression as she showed it off, Armin knew that the woman was intent on using it.
“This thing’s been a blueprint for a while but I finally managed to find the time to make it a reality,” she rambled, before composing herself briefly. “Paralyzing a Titan will never be easier. See this here?” She pulled the device out, gesturing towards the larger-than-average barrel.
Armin nodded obediently, not wanting to upset her by displaying his uncertainty. Hange seized his response as permission to continue, her face alight with joy.
“I call it, The Paralyzer~ Its small size may fool you, but inside, there’s an intricate mechanism that works similarly to our ODM gear.” She wagged an index finger. “What’s that, you ask? It's simple really. A single squeeze of this trigger and a dense metal rod is launched via compressed air. The shorter, stouter barrel promises a swift discharge of said projectile, which ultimately packs a punch. Cool, right?”
Armin relayed a stiff smile, nodding again. He found it a little hard to believe that a rod no longer than a pencil had the potential to paralyze a Titan, but he knew better than to voice that opinion. He gulped as soon as Hange’s attention left him in favor of the approaching Titans. Sure enough, just as they had anticipated, one of the lumbering beasts broke through the trees below with an incoherent roar. It wasn’t long at all before a second one joined it, prompting Armin’s shoulders to stiffen in dismay.
Thankfully, both Hange and himself were far above their reach, as the trees in this particular forest grew far taller than the average spruce. Armin couldn’t say he found too much solace in that though… Titans are always so unpredictable…
“Unbelievable!” Hange yelped, her eyes widening at the sight below. She looked almost emotional for a heartbeat, and it took Armin a moment to remember that her experimental Titans had been killed just a mere week ago. He deflated when icy blue eyes flashed across his mind…
“Two Abnormals…? Just walking around down there?! What luck!” She practically cheered, twirling The Paralyzer like a cowboy would his pistol. “I think it’s time we launch the mission, no?”
Armin tensed, face displaying utmost reluctance. “Uhm, I-I— Have you tested The Paralyzer at all or is this the f-first time you’ve use—”
“Come on, Armin! You’ve got a smart head on your shoulders. Just remember your training!” Hange interjected cheerfully, launching a grappling anchor outward and into a neighboring tree. In a swish of air, she sped forward, leaving Armin to gape after her.
“H-Hange! Wait!” He shrieked, instinctively readying his ODM gear to follow. As soon as his anchoring hooks stabbed into an adjacent tree, Armin dove off the branch, hair flying back from his face as wind instantly rushed through his cloak. He sped after his superior with knitted brows, his worry outweighing his curiosity.
What if The Paralyzer didn’t work? Hange had a tendency to make rash decisions when it came to Titan study… What if she overlooked an important detail in her excitement? Armin gripped his blades by the handles, unsheathing them.
Better to be prepared… Just in case, he assured himself firmly, readjusting his grip on the two weapons as he swung across the trees. He zipped up to the predestined branch, landing skillfully whilst maintaining a steady fighting stance. Hange, however, continued her descent, not coming to rest until her feet were planted firmly on the ground. Armin watched on from above with an expression of growing perturbation.
“Hey, big fella!” Hange called out to one of the Titans, displaying an open hand before waving. “You’re not as big as I thought, now that I’m down here. What’re you? A 5-meter, maybe?”
The Titan let out a wobbly groan in response. It would’ve almost been comedic had it not leapt towards Hange like a puma, dull teeth chomping closed a mere couple of inches away from her. She expertly leapt backwards before it could make a meal of her though, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
“W-Well that was totally uncalled for,” she scolded the monster as though it were a child, crossing her arms. “Too bad I’ve dealt with your type before. Hold still, m’kay?” She extended an arm, and Armin caught sight of The Paralyzer in her grasp.
Is she really going to fire that thing at the Titan like that?! The young Scout thought in disbelief. He felt his legs tremble, and he fought the urge to leap from the branch and slash the Titan’s neck himself. Not that he had much faith in his own abilities..
The Titan looked unfazed by Hange’s puny weapon, as it reared back on its haunches with a fist raised high above its head.
“That’s it! Just stay still, like that…” Hange shouted encouragingly, shutting one eye as she took aim. “Just…like that..” Her finger began to press against the trigger just as the Titan swung its massive fist down towards her.
Armin’s heart leapt into his throat as he saw the scene unfold before him. “HANGE!” He didn’t even realize he was yelling until his throat started to burn, but by then it was too late. There was no way he’d be able to reach her in time…
Just as the Titan’s fist came down, an unexpected blast of steam spiraled across the clearing at an incredible speed, far too fast for Armin to see who was responsible with a simple glance. It wasn’t until a familiar tornado of crimson spewed from the Titan’s limb did he realize who had swept in just in time…
- ・○・●・○・●
Hot blood splashed across his face as he dug his blade into yet another Titan’s thick skin. Such a messy job with such little reward. Not wasting any time disposing of yet another giant scumbag, the agile man swiftly launched himself skyward after mercilessly shredding the dumbfounded creature’s arm. With a new anchor embedded into a fairly thick branch above, the dark haired rescuer made a wide swing towards the nape of the bleeding beast’s neck, instantly killing it. Giant pieces of severed flesh crashed into the earth around Hange, but she was ultimately unscathed.
After dealing the killing blow, he fully prepared to face the remaining Titan, only to find it fleeing on all fours with its bare ass in the air. He nimbly landed on the ground next to Hange, staring after it with an expression of pure disgust. He nearly pursued it, but the spectacled woman’s hand ensnared his wrist, halting him.
“D-Don’t go after it!!” Hange yelled fiercely, her face drenched in sweat. “That was my replacement Sawney and Bean—” she glanced at a nearby chunk of flesh. “Replacement Sawney. ”
The cloaked man let out an annoyed huff, tossing his hood back with a curt tip of his head. “Where’s Armin?” He demanded. “Commander Erwin said he was with you.”
There was a sudden swishing sound from above and the blonde boy swiveled down to the ground, his blades still drawn despite the current threat being eliminated. He landed clumsily, but stood up straight in the presence of new company. “Captain Levi!” He greeted abruptly, childlike eyes widening.
Levi simply gave him a curt nod. “I take it Hange here forced you into joining this…” he paused, narrowing his eyes. “… ‘capture mission’?”
It wasn’t that Levi didn’t respect that particular method of Titan research. In fact, despite popular belief, Levi found it very interesting. It was a certain individual who made the potential operation…unpropitious.
“Yes, that’s right,” Armin responded a little too quickly for Levi’s liking, but he didn’t press the young Scout any further. He waved a dismissive hand. “Then we’re through here. Head back to base.”
Armin seemed to look hesitant at first, but he blinked rapidly with a nod as soon as he made eye contact. “Yes, sir.” Looking over his shoulder one last time, he fired his ODM gear skyward before disappearing into the trees. Levi watched him go, listening to ensure that no Titans ambushed the boy before sighing. Calmly, he untucked a thin, white cloth from within his pocket and began to clean his blade, unbothered by Hange’s insistent fuming.
“I was so close…” she mumbled angrily, bending down to pick up something off of the ground. Levi briefly glanced up from his work with a raised brow.
“To nearly dying.” He interjected, before eyeing the item she had retrieved. It looked like some weirdly altered flare gun. He decided not to question it. There were more important things to address anyway. “You’ve yet again put a member of my squad in danger with your inadvertent ideas.”
Hange glared at him through the thick lens of her glasses, a cheeky grin pulling against her lips. “So you do care about me after all?”
Levi let out a snort. “I was talking about Armin.”
“He was perfectly fine,” Hange shot back defensively, before taking a deep breath. After a quiet moment, she tucked the odd weapon away, flashing Levi a bitter look. “I simply wanted to discuss some important matters with him. My…my intent on capturing a Titan today was merely a cover for that,” she suddenly confessed.
Levi found himself still wiping the length of his blade despite the fact that the blood had already evaporated out of existence. “Hmph,” he merely exhaled another breath of disapproval. “I’m returning back to base to report this to Erwin.”
Levi could practically feel Hange’s heart rate spike, but she remained silent. Reveling in her lack of protest, the captain turned away, sheathing his weaponry. He gazed upward, fully preparing to take his leave, but a sudden clearing of the throat caught his attention.
Hange had approached him with her head tilted down; she didn’t exactly appear guilty or ashamed however. In her hand, was a small but dense square of leather. As soon as Levi spied the yellowed pages in between, he sucked in a silent breath.
“You were the one who found this,” the section commander hummed, voice impassive. “You know what this is, don’t you?”
“Ilse Langnar’s notebook,” he replied almost laconically, not sparing her another glance. “Inside are notes detailing information regarding Titans… including the one that took her life.”
“I’ve read it over ten times.”
Levi ignored the terse fact with a question of his own. “Curious how you’re showing it to me now. What exactly did you say to her family that swayed them to let you keep it in your possession?”
Hange’s eyes were hidden by a sudden unrelenting gleam on her glasses. “I didn’t say anything. They simply chose to let me keep it. They hoped that it would continue to help the Survey Corps in some way.” A swishing of fabric informed Levi that she had put it away. “Everything I do, I do for the future of humanity.”
Levi stood in silence, pocketing his handkerchief. “If you keep this up, there won’t be a future for humanity.” His voice radiated irritation but was closer to a mumble than an actual statement. “All capture missions should at least be apprised with Commander Erwin.”
He knew that despite his own authoritative retaliation, he was technically not in the position to make demands of her. How can someone so irresponsible around Titans outrank me? Seniority probably… Knowing that his command only extended so far, Levi retracted, clamping his mouth shut. It wasn’t worth it anyways. Not waiting for a response, the petite man swiftly darted forward, hurling himself airborne in a corkscrewing spew of steam.
Humanity’s future…hm.
°。°。°。°。°。°。
By the time Levi had returned to base, night had fallen. The moon was completely obscured by thick storm clouds that had gathered overhead, threatening a downpour. He ducked into his barracks without a sound.
He decided not to report Hange to the commander, seeing that Armin had probably already told someone about the incident.
The commander’s got enough things to deal with right now anyway, he reminded himself grimly, taking a seat at a nearby desk. Paper lay strewn across it with chaotic scribbling that Levi couldn’t decipher with his current angle, but he stared at it anyways.
A rumbling sound briefly made him flinch, looking up from the pages with a slightly wider-than-normal gaze. He immediately settled his chin back into his palm when rain began to pummel the rooftop.
It was just thunder.
He relaxed his shoulders, leaning back against his chair in an effort to unwind. With everything going on lately, Levi was desperate to catch a break. His tired gaze lifted from the desk towards a nearby bookshelf. His eyes skimmed across the withered books’ spines, many of which he’d never read. One tome in particular captivated his attention. He hooked the book’s edge with an index finger, pulling it off the shelf.
He was hardly curious, but that didn’t stop his hands from picking at the cover’s edge. He lifted the leather flap, peeking at the first page.
Hange Zoë.
Levi immediately shut the book.