Chapter Text
Year 845 - Chika (The Underground) : Sep. 9th
Becca sat on the stairs of one of the many brothels of Chika, polishing her knife, her weary eyes alert - expectant for anyone to come by and lunge for the loaf of bread she’d so ‘kindly’ liberated for herself. She didn’t blame them, she didn’t blame anyone down here, but in Chika, affectionately nicknamed ‘The Underground’ by both its inhabitants and those in the world above, being nice was a surefire way to end up dead. It was a world where the only person who mattered was you.
She herself was no stranger to death. She’d run with a small-time gang here for a bit. She was small, good for squeezing into tight places. But the boss had gotten greedy, bitten off more than he could chew, and they’d been set upon by the Military Police. Corrupt, arrogant and efficient only when it came to picking on those with less power, she’d escaped only by leaving everyone else behind. Call it a gut instinct or whatever, she didn’t know. All she did know was that the hideout was a burning ruin the next time she saw it.
Going to the surface was a fool’s hope, though it was a hope she still clung to. She’d been born down here, never seen true sun unless through the few cracks that shone down into the subterranean city. Leaving was impossible. Border checkpoints covered the known exits, and if others existed, nobody came back from trying to find them. The cost to leave was insanely ridiculous, and she’d seen border guards pocket the funds and refuse exit regardless. Still, Becca was lucky, she had a home, even if it was a cellar. She had food, even if she still looked malnourished, and she had good looks, which helped whenever she needed to play nice with people to get what she wanted.
Did she want more from life? Of course she did. Nobody liked the underground, but you played the hands you were dealt in life. She was saving up, little by little, to try and pay her way out. Her self-wallowing was snapped by the sound of a jeer. Military Police.
“Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca, loitering is a public offence, you know. Who knows what someone of your background could plot.”
She twitched. Her full name sounded far too formal for a place like this, a near constant reminder of her mother’s blind hope in a better life. That’d gotten her a quick, nasty death, and left her to fend for herself. She’d never known anyone else. Her father was probably a random man her mother had spent the night with to feed herself. “Come off it, Pankraz. I don’t want trouble with the police today.”
“Hmph. Trouble follows you wherever you go. Makes one wonder if you’re the cause, Rebecca.” Pankraz, Section Commander of the Chika’s miniscule division, replied. “Kid or not, you’re able to be prosecuted. Keep that in mind, or else.”
“Eat one, Pankraz.” Rebecca muttered, taking a bite of her bread. It was slightly stale, but to her, the best meal she’d had in quite a while. The look of utter contempt that crossed Pankraz’s face made her smile.
“No wonder you’ve got nobody, Rebecca. Attitude like that? It’s a wonder I’ve not had to file a missing person report yet.” He laughed, before a hand outstretched, grabbing her by the scruff of her tattered shirt collar, holding her up. “Talk to me that way again, brat.” The spittle in her face made her tense up in disgust. “And I’ll be the reason for that missing person report. Got it?”
“...Yes sir.” Came the response through gritted teeth. Pankraz tossed her down dismissively onto the steps. Before either could say another word, yelling caught both their attention, another MP - one of the newbies, judging by how they were ferrying around tasks for the lazy elite - was running at them.
“SECTION COMMANDER, NEWS FROM SHIGANSHINA DISTRICT!”
“Keep your voice down, you want to look like more of a buffoon then you already do? Give me the information. Now.” Sneered Pankraz, Becca quietly sitting and listening as the two discussed in murmured whispers.
She could only pick out a few words. Titans, a breach unlike any before, what sounded like evacuation plans. Pankraz’s face paled as more and more information came to him. When the report was over, he glanced at Rebecca, who gave a cheeky little wave in return. With a tut, he gestured forward. “I’ve got my eye on you, always.” Came the response from over his shoulder as he dashed off to deal with whatever had gone down in Shiganshina.
“Bye Pankraz, that was fun!” She called out, the ten year old returning to enjoy her loaf of bread.
By the next day, the news of the ‘Fall of Wall Maria’ was everywhere. Humanity had received a grim reminder of the fact their lives were caged. Even those outside of the literal prison that was Chika were all sealed away from the Titan threat. After 100 or so years of relative peace, two abnormal Titans unlike any seen before had supposedly broken through both walls of Shiganshina district. These ‘Armoured’ and ‘Colossal’ Titans were the talk of town, and the implications of their attack were even more dire.
Displaced refugees from the cities around Maria, and between it and Rose, had flooded in by the thousands. Even the underground was beginning to see it. People willingly turning up to live in a place like this? All the more mad for it. But if any place would see less food, it’d be here. She needed to get out.
Her eyes settled onto Pankraz as he stood by the checkpoint, bellowing orders to form a calm and steady line to those trying to come into the underground city, whilst refusing to let anyone else leave. “WOMEN AND CHILDREN TAKE PRIORITY!” Came the bellow from the man, blowing his whistle as his men raised their guns on the crowd. It got a lot more organised for it.
“Yo, Pankraz. Are you bringing in new friends?” She asked, earning a disdainful glare down at her.
“Rebecca, now isn’t the time. We’ve got a crisis on the brink of our hands, and-” He was shushed by the girl, shutting up at the sheer audacity of it.
“Yeah, I can see. No, I need to have a chat with you. About those files you lost, down near the church?” A little smirk crossed her face. She knew those would come in handy as soon as she’d swiped them a few weeks prior. “Lots of stuff that’d be problematic if heard, even for you.”
“...Hand them over.”
“And what, you then just sic your buddies on me? No thanks, this is a bargaining deal, not a pity party.” Her response came. “I want citizenship. Gimme a pass up to the surface. Any district.”
“You can’t be serious.” Pankraz replied, crossing his arms. “We don’t hand those out freely, especially not to children.”
“Plenty serious. Looks like a big line there for so few of you to control. I’m sure some of the public would want to get in quicker, a stampede would be bad for you. Maybe I’ll file a missing person report to your bosses whilst I give them this if you got ‘swept away’ by the crowd.”
A glance back - the line was indeed shoving and pushing again, eager to get to ‘safety’ down here. Pankraz sighed, fumbling through his pockets. “You’re lucky I’m not in the position to argue here, Rebecca.” Pulling out the shiny pass, the dull lighting of the checkpoint made it shimmer all the more.
“Pass first.” Becca said, hand outstretched. He scowled and passed it over. “Now, let me cross.” Again, a reluctant weave through the police to the exit gate, letting her through - to the disdain and yell of others wanting out. A smile, and she tossed the small diary across to Pankraz, who caught it and pocketed it immediately. “Pleasure doing business with you, Pankraz old friend!”
“Cheer all you want, Rebecca, you’re on a one-way pass to Shiganshina - enjoy one of the refugee camps, brat!” Came the response as she dashed up past bewildered crowds towards the light above. A glance down at her citizenship pass, hastily filled in, but the mark at the bottom making it legal enough. She was now a bona fide resident of Shiganshina - her mark of origin still being Chika. Sure, the place was in ruins and infested with Titans, but she’d be able to find a refugee camp, or something, and try and work it out from there.
She’d survived years alone, and was leaving nothing behind but her cellar. She’d miss the blue walls, they reminded her of the sky. She had the real thing now. She ran out into the blinding light, wincing at the glare of light, her pale skin unused to the sun. “YAHOO!!” She jumped into the air, reaching down to feel the grass at her feet, the bark of nearby trees, hearing the tweets of the birds in the warm summer air.
If only she knew what she’d get herself caught up into by leaving the safety of her underground prison. Like those going in, she’d merely traded one for another.