A/N:TW Suicide Attempt
TW Suicide Ideation
I'm just trying to make this clear. This chapter can get triggering for some so you are more than welcome to skip it if you want to. It becomes more apparent near the end of the chapter.
Annie slowly opened her eyes before blinking at her surroundings. She seemed to be in something wooden. She tried to speak, but found that her mouth was bound by a rope. She tried to move her hands and feet but found that they were bound too. She looked up and saw the starry night sky and realized she was outside.
What was going on? How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was arguing and muffled noises, followed by an explosion. And…there was a man. She mistook him for her father, but who was he? Was he going to hurt her? Did she say anything that might jeopardize her mission?
"I…I need advice," she heard someone say in a rushed manner, followed by, "I'm not going to hurt you,"
"Just...Why would you ask me? Why not Mikasa? You get along better with her," another voice reasoned.
That sounded like Armin. Shit! That meant she was captive of the Survey Corps! Where were they taking her?! How would she get out?!
"As much as I am impressed by her motivation, Ackerman is only here for one reason, and that is to keep watch over Prime's Pet," she heard the other person explain, "She's not exactly one I can get solid advice from."
Ackerman? Did he mean Mikasa? And who was Prime's pet?!
"So…you ask me?" Armin questioned.
"This was a mistake."
"I'm sorry," Armin apologized, "You're not used to this."
Annie heard the other person take a deep breath. "Optimus said that I could leave this world once the coup is over."
'Leave this world?' Annie thought. What did he mean by…? Oh no. Whoever this person was isn't human. It's one of Optimus' kind, and someone who could travel between worlds. She had to leave and fast. She couldn't handle her own against Optimus; he nearly killed her. She knew nothing of the titan that was talking with Armin right now.
Wait…what about Bertholdt and Reiner? Did they engage Optimus? Did they engage this titan? Where in the hell were they?! And how strong was this titan?!
"So…why did you tell me about this?" Armin asked.
"Because talking to the dwarf would be such a nice conversation," the titan answered with sarcasm in his voice.
"I'm going to help set up the bomb." Armin said.
Annie quickly closed her eyes and pretended she was unconscious, realizing the conversation was over. She grew scared as she felt someone touch her neck and check her pulse before letting her go. She waited a couple of seconds before opening her eyes and looking at the man. She couldn't see his face, but he was wearing all gray and had a sword and shield, clearly ready for combat.
There was nothing she could do now. The only thing that she could do was wait for an opening in order to escape.
Eren could still here himself scream at the memory of him eating his father. Rod and Historia both removed their hands from his back. Meanwhile, Historia stumbled back and clutched her head as she began to remember the lost memories of her sister.
"How…how could I have forgotten?" Historia questioned as she began to cry, "She taught me how to read and write. She made sure I was never alone. How did I forget?"
"You must've met Frieda," Rod realized, "A woman with black hair. She is your half sister. She must have been concerned for you, but she also seemed to have wiped your memories in order to protect you."
"Wipe my…memories?" Historia asked.
Rod nodded his head. "Seems coming into contact with Eren might have helped you remember."
"Hey, Father," Historia began, "Where is Frieda? She was always there for me, and I would like to thank her for what she did for me."
Rod looked at Historia with sadness before pulling her into a hug. "I used to have five children, but they're all gone now. Frieda is dead, and it is because of Eren's father: Grisha Jaeger. He came in here, and Frieda fought him using her power, but she was too inexperienced. Grisha ate her, thus stealing the power of the titans from her. He then proceeded to kill all of my children and my wife. I was the only one who was able to make it out alive that day."
Historia stared at Eren's back as she felt her hatred fester and grow. "Who could do something so terrible?"
Eren felt their eyes on him as he tried to remain calm, but all this new information was getting to him. What was going to happen?
Megatron watched from afar prepared everything for their assault to the church. Megatron couldn't give them solid directions on where the church was, so they had to send the two children from the police to ask for directions.
The former warlord then kept a trained eye on Armin as he discussed the shards the three of them took from the cave. Megatron knew nothing of Armin and what his motivations were, and he was the one that knew the full truth. Mikasa had an idea, but she had no interest in him. Her main objective is to protect Prime's Pet and him. But what about Armin? What was his motivation? He thought he was a spineless coward who was trying to be bigger than what he actually was, but he underestimated his intellect by a lot. He barely talked to him, but with so little information he managed to piece everything together.
Every fiber of his being was screaming to kill Armin or else he would tell everyone. But Megatron couldn't do that, at least not now. He had to figure out if Armin was true to his word.
"Megatron, come in," Optimus called through his comm. link.
Megatron sighed. "What is it?"
"The Garrison Regiment is planning to make their way towards your position in order to assist you in retrieving Eren and Historia," Optimus informed.
"That's not going to happen," Megatron explained, "The Survey Corps intend to go immediately. They're already sent two Military Policemen to ask for directions to the church."
"No! Megatron, tell them to wait!" Optimus exclaimed.
"I blackmailed the dwarf and went on a mission behind their back to get Lionheart," Megatron retorted, "Do you really think they're going to listen to me?"
"They're going to get killed!" Optimus retorted.
"There's not really much I can do," Megatron proclaimed, "You just have to get here as soon as possible."
"Megatron, wait-" But Megatron already turned off the comm. He was more concerned Armin's trustworthiness than Optimus. Wow, that is very weird to say.
"Megatron, answer!" Optimus through the comm. as the Garrison and Erwin were getting prepared to head for the church.
"Is there a problem, Optimus?" Pixis asked as he walked up to the titan.
"Megatron stated the Survey Corps will be heading towards the church alone to retrieve Eren and Historia," Optimus explained.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Pixis proclaimed, "With someone as skilled as Megatron on your side, he should be able to retrieve them."
"But the Survey Corps' numbers are few," Optimus retorted, "How many of them are going to die before they retrieve them?"
"How about this: you go on ahead and try to meet up with the Survey Corps," Pixis suggested, "That way, the Survey Corps may have less causalities."
Optimus merely nodded his head before transforming into his alt mode and driving into Wall Sina. Pixis merely put his hands behind his back as Erwin walked up to him.
"How long until you're able to release the plan to retake Wall Maria?" Pixis asked.
"I don't know," Erwin admitted, "Our numbers are so few."
"Do you think Optimus might go rogue in that situation considering your position?" Pixis asked, "Because this does affect all of humanity,"
Erwin sighed. "He says that he has people here he needs to protect. So I don't think he'll try to go rogue. However, I do think a main concern is bringing Megatron into the public eye."
"Oh right," Pixis remembered, "He doesn't exactly scream friendly from the picture Mobilit drew of him."
"We have no way of figuring how to bring him there without people asking questions," Erwin retorted.
"People will ask questions regardless of what you do with him," Pixis explained, "They did the same thing with Optimus. They questioned if he was an ally. Now he is considered a beacon of hope for humanity along with Eren. When the time comes, we'll be able to figure out a solution."
Bertholdt looked down at the shard in his hand as finished formulating his plan to get out of his cell and out of the walls. The titan shifter hid the shard of the brick he had broken in the sleeve of his arm when he heard a door to the basement open. He got on the bed and had his back faced away from view as someone approached his cell.
"Bertholdt, I have some food and water for you," a voice said.
Bertholdt rolled over to see Hanji's assistant: Mobilit with a tray of food and a cup of water. Bertholdt slowly got up while making sure the shard stayed in place before walking over to him.
"Let me take a look at your arm," Mobilit ordered.
Bertholdt merely showed him the arm that was infected by the flying titan. Mobilit noticed that the arm was still in good condition before placing the tray down on the ground.
"Good, it hasn't gotten worse," Mobilit said as he kneeled down to push the tray closer.
"Are you going to kill me when this is all over?" Bertholdt spoke.
"Not my place to decide," Mobilit answered, "But considering your track records, most likely."
"Killing me won't end it all," Bertholdt retorted as Mobilit stood up.
"I know," he agreed, "There are still other titans that need to be dealt with, along with your comrades."
"There's a lot more you don't know," Bertholdt retorted.
Mobilit raised an eyebrow at Bertholdt's comments. "What are you talking about?"
"There are others who see you as devils," Bertholdt explained, "Others that want you dead, others that wish you pitiful creatures were wiped off the face of the Earth."
"Aren't the titans a greater concern?" Mobilit questioned.
"Not even close," Bertholdt declared.
Mobilit gripped his hands on the bars. "Bertholdt, if you want the torture to be less severe, tell me what you-"
Bertholdt quickly grabbed Mobilit arm and pulled it inside his cell. Mobilit tried to pull is out, but gasped as Bertholdt stabbed his neck with the shard. Mobilit began gasping for air as he held onto his wound and backed away. Mobilit choked on his blood as Bertholdt pulled back his hand and raised the shard above his infected hand.
"D-don't!" Mobilit coughed as he tried to grab Bertholdt, but Bertholdt ignored him and stabbed his hand.
Hanji, Sasha, and Armin were tying the wheels onto the barrels containing the flammable oil and gas. Marlow and Hitch managed to get directions to the church and everyone else has been setting up their weapons in order to attack the church. Hanji then called Sasha over to help with grabbing the other barrel, leaving Armin to his own devices.
The cadet felt a shadow loomed over him as he looked up to see Megatron staring down at him.
"Hey," Armin greeted.
Megatron didn't greet him back as Armin went back to his task. The ex-con noticed Armin having some trouble tying the rope due to the weight of the barrel itself. He kneeled down and held the barrel in place, much to Armin's surprise.
"Uh…thanks," Armin said.
Armin tightened the rope to the wheel. Once he finished, Megatron let barrel go as it stayed still.
"I want to know something," Megatron began.
Armin looked up at Megatron while resisting the urge to curl in on himself and back away. "Um…okay?"
"Why did you join the military?" Megatron asked with a hint of…curiosity?
"That's a...odd question," Armin admitted.
"The military requirement on this planet is different from both Earth and Cybertron; that I am fully aware," Megatron explained, "As far as I'm concerned, Ackerman joined in order to protect Prime's pet. Meanwhile, Prime's pet has a childish vendetta. I don't know much about the others here, other than the fact the mad scientist is someone I should avoid. You; however, didn't have to do this. With your intellect, you could've become a scholar. Instead, you've chosen this."
"Why are you curious about my motivation?" Armin asked with confusion.
Megatron remained silent for a moment. He couldn't say that trying to find out about his character in order to figure out if he could be trusted. The child knows too much and said he wouldn't tell anyone, but did he mean that?
"…You just don't seem like you fit on a battlefield," Megatron remarked.
"You're not wrong," Armin agreed, "I used to get beat up a lot as a kid. People picked on me because I was considered weak and different."
"That doesn't explain why you joined," Megatron stated.
"I do have a lot of reasons," Armin answered.
"The most important one then," Megatron said.
Armin thought it over. What was his main motivation for joining the Scouts? What gave him the drive? What inspiring dream gave him the motivation to move forward? He then remembered the book he once read and showed to Eren when they were younger.
"The ocean," Armin declared, "I want to be able to see the ocean."
Megatron deadpanned. "The ocean?"
"I know that doesn't mean a lot to you since you've traveled the universe," Armin said.
"I also ended up at the bottom of Earth's ocean after I was killed," Megatron hissed at the memory.
"But seeing the ocean would mean so much to me," Armin declared with a smile, "A vast place of water that takes up most of the planet. Full of salt the merchants can't even touch it. You can't get something like that inside the wall, and talking about the outside is considered taboo for us. But if I get to see it at least once with Eren and Mikasa, that would mean everything to me."
"What do those two have to deal with you seeing the ocean?" Megatron questioned.
"I kind of got them interested in the outside too," Armin said with a small laugh, "I used to show them books about it. And after Shinganshina, we made a pact to join the Scouts to gain access to go to the outside and see the ocean."
"I assume Shinganshina is the walled town south of here," Megatron proclaimed.
"How-"
"I came across it before that battle with the Armored and the Colossal," Megatron explained.
"Oh…," Armin trailed off, "I think Eren, Mikasa, and I are the only ones that survived the attack. My parents were killed before then and my grandfather was eaten by the titans. As an orphan, there would've been no way for me to become a scholar or something with a stable social standing. And Eren and Mikasa are all I have left. Maybe Eren seems like a pain in the ass to you, and I can't change his attitude, but he was my very first friend. I don't know what I would've done without them."
Armin realized he was getting emotional and cleared his throat. "So yeah, I want to see the ocean with Eren and Mikasa. It doesn't seem like much to you, but it means everything to me."
Armin waited for the 'con to say something, but he merely stared at him. "Um…,"
"You should head back to your station, Pax," Megatron advised.
"About that," Armin began, "You shouldn't call me 'Pax'."
"And why is that?" Megatron demanded.
"I'm not the only one who's aware of Optimus' original name," Armin explained, "If they hear you call me that, they might get suspicious. And if Optimus hears, then he'll definitely want to know what's going on."
Megatron sighed. "Alright then, what should I call you?"
"You could call me by my name," Armin suggested.
"No. If you want that, you have to earn my respect," Megatron declared.
"What about Arlert?"
"Alert?"
"Arlert," Armin clarified, "It's my last name."
Megatron raised an eyebrow. "I'm calling you Alert."
Armin sighed in frustration as Megatron got up and walked off. At least it was close to his name. Armin then grabbed the barrel and struggled to pick it up before placing it on another cart Marlow and Hitch managed to borrow from one of the residence.
Meanwhile, Megatron sat on the edge of the cart where Annie's body was, since no one was really guarding her. So the boy's dream was to see the outside. It made sense. The humans here believe they are the last of their kind, and going outside would mean certain death. It shouldn't mean much to someone like him, but he does understand Armin's situation, considering he used to be a miner before he was a gladiator. Deprived of even the simplest of needs. But Armin had a desire for knowledge. A desire for a world he had been denied. Maybe…maybe he didn't have any ill intentions.
"This is adorable," Megatron heard a voice say.
The former warlord actually stiffened as he saw a human sized version of Unicron standing in front of him.
"Not now," Megatron hissed quietly.
"You think that you'll be appreciated for what you do today? That you can trust the boy? That this pathetic world is worth fighting for?" Unicron assumed, "You haven't voiced it, but deep down you believe it."
Megatron didn't say a word. He couldn't have his hallucinations now. Not before a mission, not in front of the slagging humans!
"Are you ignoring me?" Unicron questioned before chuckling, "It makes sense, but it also is frustrating. You don't wish to seem like a mad man in front of the humans, but you know just as well as I that the humans don't appreciate what you do for them. They fear you and what you've done. How long will it be before they do cause harm?"
Megatron glared at Unicron before the hallucination changed into that of his younger self.
"And I don't mean physically," his younger self declared.
Sasha slightly hissed at the sight of Megatron sitting on the edge of the cart Annie was in. Before she walked off, she noticed something was…off with the 'Con. What was he looking at? His eyes kept on drifting as if he was searching for something…or looking at someone. Why was he distracted?
"Sasha, what are you doing?" Levi demanded as he walked up to her.
"He's distracted," Sasha whispered.
Levi raised an eyebrow at her.
"He keeps on looking at something, and I know for a fact it's not recon," Sasha explained in a low voice, "What if he's unstable?"
Levi thought it over for a moment. "Go help Jean and Armin with supplies,"
Sasha merely nodded her head and looked at the holoform one more time before walking off. Levi carefully walked towards the 'Con while picking up a rifle from the cart.
"It's only a matter of time before Pax betrays you," his younger self declared, "You need to kill him now before he says anything."
Megatron closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to try and distract himself from conversing with his delusions.
"Stop ignoring the truth!" Unicron shouted, "You can't trust him! You can't trust anyone! How do you know the disciple of Primus is telling you the truth about leaving this rock?! He could be lying to you; he's done it before!"
"Shut up," Megatron hissed.
"You know I'm right!" Unicron proclaimed.
"Shut up," Megatron repeated.
His younger self slammed the axe next to him on the cart. "The world hates you! They hate you! It's only a matter of time before you're driven off this world and away from Optimus for good!"
Megatron heard something clicked at the side of the holoform's head and immediately pulled out his sword. He glanced over to see the dwarf holding a rifle at his head while his sword was close to taking out his eye.
"What do you want?" Megatron demanded.
"A soldier of mine said you seemed off," the dwarf began, "Is someone watching us?"
Megatron put his sword away. "No,"
Levi lowered his rifle before turning his back and leaning against the cart. "Anything on your mind?"
Megatron stared ahead and saw the corpses of dead Cybertronians. "No,"
Levi sighed. With the information Mikasa told him, there was definitely something Megatron was hiding. Not some deadly plan to wipe out humanity, but something personal. In order to do that, he would have to do something out of his comfort zone, like not harm any of them. He was really about to do this, about to see if Mikasa and Armin's assumptions were true. "Hanji had a theory that past damage done on your kind or any expression is reflected on that human form; no matter if the body's been repaired."
"You're point?" Megatron hissed.
"It looks like you haven't slept in a couple of days," Levi declared.
Levi noticed Megatron not responding to him, but he could feel his eyes on the back of his skull.
"The max amount of sleep I usually get is four hours," Levi continued, "Hanji says I'm an insomniac."
"Why are you telling me this? You suddenly care for my wellbeing?" Megatron spat out.
"No," Levi admitted, "I'm concerned about those brats. I'm afraid one of your actions might kill one of them."
"So you don't trust me," Megatron rolled his eyes, "Then why come and talk to me?"
"Because I want to know if you're ready for this mission," Levi answered.
Megatron chuckled. "An amusing joke."
"I don't joke," Levi declared, "Maybe everyone is too scared to notice, but you are not exactly the definition of prefect and stable. You're erratic, unstable, and angry."
"Another lecture," Megatron hissed, "Exactly what I need from a human,"
Levi turned and looked at him. "Get off your fucking high horse, you necrophilia whore."
Megatron glared at him with an expression that screamed death as he stood up and aimed the pistol at his stomach, away from view of the others. "I dare you to say that again."
"Necrophilia. Whore," Levi enunciated as he stared him down, "All you do is talk down to us humans while you run away from your own problems. These walls are our world; it is all we have. And I have to lead a bunch of fifteen and sixteen year olds to go and kill members of their own kind in order to save what's left. I know you're not fine, but if all you're going to do is bitch and moan about us then you can just leave. We can do this without you, and we've done our shit without Optimus for a century."
Levi honestly waited. He waited for Megatron to pull the trigger and kill him, but he removed the pistol and started…laughing. Levi watched as the former warlord tried to contain his laughter but he continued on.
"What's so funny?" Levi demanded
"By the Allspark, you are sadistic!" Megatron grinned, "You were testing me to see if I would shoot you!"
"And why would that matter?" Levi questioned.
"Because you know the reason I'm staying, don't you?" Megatron proclaimed as he leaned down to make eye contact with him, "I must admit, I can see why you're called humanity's strongest, especially since you were willing to risk death for a chance to insult me."
'He thinks I figured out his motivation on my own,' Levi assumed. He had to let him assume that for Armin's safety.
"Alright then, Levi," Megatron began as he straightened himself out and twirled the pistol, "It would seem that you are in it to fight for humanity's future. So I tell you what: for your bold move just now, I'll leave Kenny alive for you."
Levi raised an eyebrow at that. "Why?"
"You want answers, or you want revenge," Megatron answered, "I don't mind either. As a matter of fact, I would enjoy the show. So, Kenny's yours."
Levi watched as Megatron put the pistol at his side and walked away. "I did mean what I said. I meant all of it."
Megatron stopped in his tracks and quietly sighed to himself. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind."
Meanwhile, Annie opened one eye as she saw Levi walk away. Holy hell. She never thought she would be so terrified. Levi was humanity's strongest, and whoever this titan was almost shot him. This was insane. What was this titan going to do to her when they found out she was conscious? Annie took a deep breath. Calm down. There had to be an instance where she could be able to run away. Whatever Levi said about leading everyone to go kill humans, that may be her only opportunity to run.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Historia," Rod apologized as he walked back to Historia with a small bag.
"What is that?" Historia asked as she walked towards him.
Eren looked in horror as he saw Rod open a small box, revealing a needle and small glass with the titan serum inside. What made matters worse, was that he noticed the titan serum had energon inside.
"Historia, there is a way for you to see Frieda again," Rod proclaimed.
"There is?" Historia asked in confusion.
"Yes, but you must follow my instructions," Rod declared, "You want to see Frieda again, don't you?"
Eren tried to scream, but the muzzle prevented him from doing so. He was only able to rattle his chains and release muffled noises.
"Why are you glaring at me like that, Eren?" Historia demanded, "What gives you the right?"
"Eren has realized his own fate, and he will suffer for his sins," Rod declared, "And the power inside of him will be returned to the rightful ruler once more. Eren was never meant to have this power, and it's pointless for him to have because he can do nothing with it."
"This is the place," Megatron stated as he pointed to the church.
The Survey Corps stopped at the church and began to tie down the horses before getting their supplies.
"Nifa, you'll be helping Armin and Sasha create a smokescreen for us when we initiate the attack," Hanji explained, "If one of us goes down, you can either pull us to safety or get into the fight yourself. It's your call."
Nifa nodded her head as Levi opened the door to the church.
"Everyone, make sure to get ready," Levi ordered before turning to Marlow and Hitch, "You two will watch our supplies and Annie. If she wakes up, make sure she doesn't escape."
Marlow and Hitch nodded their heads in understanding and grabbed rifles to guard Annie.
Meanwhile, Megatron grabbed the other pistol and took an extra smoke round with him in case if he needed an extra weapon. The ex-con looked over to see Armin picking up a rifle as he tried to load the bullets.
Armin continued shaking as he was trying to load the rifle, but stumbled as one of the bullets fell to the floor. Armin knelt down and picked it up; unaware that Megatron was walking towards him.
"Alert," Megatron spoke, causing Armin to jolt and quickly stand up.
"Megatron, I-uh…," Armin trailed off before sighing, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm nervous."
"You're afraid of killing," Megatron proclaimed.
Armin placed the bullet in the rifle before closing it shut. "I didn't kill anyone when I helped you find Annie. I wasn't put in that situation. Now I will probably have to, and I don't know if I'm ready for that."
Megatron opened his mouth, but decided to close it for the moment. He would've told Armin to suck it up simply because he was a soldier. He was required to kill the enemy. Then Megatron thought it over. The dwarf and the mad scientist have fought in the military longer than the others had. He knows that they've killed both titans and humans; he could see it in their faces. The rest of them were just…children. Children who were trained to kill monsters, not their own species. Calling the titans monsters made it easier for them to kill, but these were humans like them. People with their own lives and reasons of fighting. He was pretty sure Prime's three human children were kept away as much as possible from the crossfire and didn't kill members of their own kind.
He hated to admit it…but he felt bad for their situation.
"The first kill is usually the hardest," Megatron began.
Armin turned his gaze to the 'Con. "Does it get easier from there?"
"Depends," Megatron answered, "It depends if you'll be consumed by your guilt or morality, or if you're willing to throw it aside so that you can survive another day."
"It makes sense," Armin agreed, "I guess it was easier for you, since all of your kills started in the arena."
Megatron glanced down at Armin before looking ahead. "It was in the mines."
Armin raised his eyebrows in confusion and surprise.
"I hesitated before I made my kill," Megatron continued, "That cost the life of someone I once knew."
"I…I'm sorry," Armin apologized.
"The dead is dead. There's nothing you can do to change it," Megatron declared, "I understand that it is hard. That taking a life of someone like you may bring up some conflicting emotions. That doesn't necessarily make you evil. Optimus has killed just as many as I have, but he still chose to protect others."
"But…I've robbed someone of their life," Armin retorted.
"Killing them doesn't mean you're robbing someone of their value. When you go into battle, you're expected to fight to the death," Megatron explained, "The other side wants just as much as you to succeed and live. But if you don't kill, then you will die. Your comrades and humanity will die, and you will never get to see the ocean."
"Yeah…," Armin trailed off, "How…how can I calm my nerves before I make the kill?"
Megatron looked down at Armin as the boy's gaze was to his weapon. The former warlord felt a sense of…sympathy for the boy's dilemma, since it's been so long for him to feel conscious about a kill. He then kneeled down and steadied his trembling hands on the rifle, causing Armin to stare at him in surprise.
"When you do make your move," Megatron began, "Clear your mind. Take a moment to breathe and anticipate. Do not hesitate for a moment, and keep yourself steady."
Armin looked Megatron in the eye and nodded his head, feeling his nerves finally calming down. Megatron stood up and put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance before making his way towards the church.
Levi raised an eyebrow at Megatron as he walked towards him and the center of the church.
"Didn't think you were one to give pep-talks," Levi remarked.
"I would advise you not to test my patience," Megatron warned.
"And I do not care," Levi declared as he pulled away the rug to reveal the entrance to the cave.
"Can you two please not get into a fight?" Hanji asked as she walked up to them with her 3D gear on, "I just want to get this over with."
Levi and Megatron glared at each other before deciding to look away from each other.
"Oh, I almost forgot to bring this up," Hanji began, "Megatron, I need to find Eren and Historia once we engage the enemy."
"There are only ten of you that are left alive, two of which you've left to guard Lionheart," Megatron retorted.
"At the same time, we need to get to Eren and Historia as soon as possible," Hanji countered, "We're expendable; Eren and Historia are not. So we need you to get to them and stall. Long enough for the rest of us to get there, or what remains of us."
Megatron sighed. "Alright, fine."
Bertholdt gasped for air as he moved aside the remains of the castle using the half formed titan body. Bertholdt looked down and noticed the dark energon in his hand was starting to rapidly spread across his body. He pulled out of the body of the titan and fell to the floor. He picked himself up and noticed the dark energon spreading across his arm once more.
He had to get help. He had to get help and fast.
Bertholdt stumbled on his feet before running as fast as he could away from the damage he caused.
"There's about eight of them, maybe nine," Kenny's lieutenant recalled as the secret Military Police stayed in their hiding spots among the pillars, "Levi is amongst, but there's also that swordsman. He took out half of our men, and he didn't have any 3D gear."
"Even with our 3D gear, there's going to be chaos between us and them," A soldier sitting next to her declared.
"Well we are high enough off the ground," the lieutenant retorted, "He won't be able to reach us."
"How long do we have to continue this?" the solider asked.
"Not long," she declared as she loaded her weapons, "Kenny's making his plans to stop Reiss, and once he gets the power of the titans he'll turn this world upside down. Just have some faith. It'll pay off."
The soldiers suddenly heard a loud bam and turned to see the door being kicked open. The lieutenant gasped as the swordsman ran down the stairs and towards the pillars.
"Fire!" she shouted.
The swordsman dodged their firepower as he pulled out a small gun and fired a bullet at a soldier square in the chest. He then pulled out his sword and threw it at another person's chest, causing him to drop to the floor.
Before the lieutenant could spout another order, she heard a loud explosion and looked down to see smoke flooding the area.
"What the hell?" she questioned as trails of smoke was fired from their only exit. She and the others saw the Survey Corps flying in with their own 3D gear.
"35 enemies!" she heard Levi shout, "They're grouped near the ceiling on the pillars! Continue the operation!"
"Everyone, scatter!" she shouted, but gasped as she felt something sharp go through her chest. She heard someone call out her name as she fell to the floor. She felt herself slipping out of consciousness as she saw the silhouette of the swordsman walk up to her and pull the sword out of her chest. She only met darkness as the swordsman rammed his sword through her head.
"Do you…think she's going to wake up?" Hitch asked as she glanced at her form.
"I don't know," Marlow admitted, "We've been given our orders and we shouldn't complain about it. I don't want to deal with Levi or any other members of the Survey Corps."
"Or the flying titan," Hitch added, "But I'm not complaining about the orders. I just want to know why Annie did what she did. She was always so reserved and quiet. I didn't think much of it, but she's actually the enemy."
"I wish there was something we could do about it," Marlow admitted.
"There's nothing we can do to change it," Hitch declared before groaning, "How long to we have to stay here?"
"Until they're done," Marlow answered, "Hitch, this is serious."
"I know it is, but I don't want her jumping out at us," Hitch explained.
"We'll just knock her unconscious again," Marlow retorted.
"Yeah, knock someone like her unconscious," Hitch hissed.
"It's been done," Marlow retorted.
Hitch sighed. "I'm just going to get a telescope to see if anyone else is nearby."
Marlow nodded his head while Hitch walked over to one of the horses and rummaged through the bag on the side. When she pulled out the telescope, she turned around and gasped when she saw Annie pushing herself up in a sitting position.
"Marlow, behind you!" Hitch shouted.
Marlow quickly turned around and saw Annie trying to grab him. He reacted as fast as he could and shot Annie's hand, knocking her back.
"We have to tell the others!" Hitch declared.
As Marlow was about to move, Annie jumped and began to choke Marlow with her bound hands as her wound was already gone. Hitch aimed her rifle at Annie, trying her best not to hit her friend in the head. Marlow reacted fast and bit down on her hand. Annie retracted her hand, allowing Marlow to be released from her grip. Hitch fired the rifle at Annie's hand, accidentally destroying the rope binding her hands. Annie ripped the rope off while her wound regenerated in an instant. As Annie tried to unite the rope binding her legs, Marlow rushed in with a rifle to try and knock her out. Annie quickly grabbed the end of the rifle and began to force Marlow back. Marlow gasped as he noticed her eyes turning a light shade of blue before she grabbed the middle of the rifle and snapped it in two.
"What the-" Marlow coughed in pain as Annie punched him in the gut, causing him to collapse on the ground.
"Marlow!" Hitch shrieked while Annie ripped the rope on her feet apart and jumping out of the cart. She stumbled a little before managing to straighten herself out. Hitch quickly grabbed a spare pistol and aimed it at Annie while trying to back away.
"A-Annie, stay away!" Hitch ordered as Annie walked towards her while untying the bounds on her mouth.
"Get away from me!" Hitch yelled as she fired at the center of her chest. Annie stumbled back from the force, but didn't fall over. The wound was gone in a matter of seconds as the bullet was forced out of her chest and fell to the ground.
Hitch gasped in fear as she dropped the pistol and tried to run, but Annie merely rushed her and began to choke her from behind. Hitch struggle for air and tried to break free, but it was useless as Annie snapped her neck.
Marlow recovered from his wound and watched in horror as Hitch's corpse fell to the ground. As Annie made her way to one of the horses, Marlow screamed as he ran towards her, grabbing the other end of the broken rifle. He was going to smack her with it, but gasped as Annie grabbed smoke round from the bag on the horse and shot him in the stomach. Marlow coughed off blood as he collapsed on the ground. Marlow gasped in pain as he held onto his burning wound. Marlow looked up at Annie with anger, and tried to claw his way towards her. However, the loss of blood and his wound were too much, causing him to collapse on the ground and breathe his last.
Annie dropped the smoke ground onto the ground as she stared at the two dead bodies. Annie slapped herself in the face to calm her nerves before going back to the cart she was in and rummaging through it. Annie found a cloak and grabbed before wearing it, wanting to keep her identity hidden from anyone she might come across. She ran over to a horse and pet it on the nose before climbing on the saddle and putting the hood over her head. She whipped the reigns and guided the horse away from the church and towards a gate or the wall.
Eren continued to remain motionless as Rod
continued to explain his family heritage to his daughter and how the power that resided within him would be unable to work. He was trying to get over his shock at the situation. His father was a titan shifter, he killed the entire Reiss family line in order to steal and keep their power, and then he made his own son eat him. And the worst part, he can't even use the powers correctly.
He thought he was helping humanity, instead he was a burden. His existence led to the suffering of other people.
"You've done nothing to help humanity move forward or even pose as a threat to your enemies!" Megatron declared, "You can't use your powers correctly, you don't know where you received it, and you have to be saved by Optimus or some other human! You were never humanity's hope! You are just as worthless as any other human on this rock and your existence will amount to nothing!"
He…he was right. He didn't know where his father was and now realized he ate the man that could've lead to the truth of this world. He wasn't able to save Levi's squad. He could've taken action but he let them die. Meanwhile, Optimus was the one that was able to capture Annie and save him. He couldn't hold his own against Reiner. Optimus and Megatron were the ones that were able to take him down. Megatron was the one who was able to capture Bertholdt while he wasn't even able to stop him in his titan form. Optimus and Megatron helped humanity move forward…while he dragged everyone back.
Bertholdt and Reiner attacked humanity because they were after him. Thomas, Mina, Franz, and many other trainees died before he even figured out about his power. People died because he had a power that wasn't supposed to belong to him. He couldn't avenge the death of his mother; he couldn't save Hannes from dying. If the power just stayed with the Reiss family, humanity would've been saved.
He didn't need to exist; he wasn't able to do anything, he was unnecessary.
He didn't deserve to live.
"As long as Eren holds the power within him, this nightmare will never end," Rod declared, "No one outside of the Reiss bloodline can use this power,"
"So that means I can't use this power?" Kenny question as he lowered himself to the ground using his gear, "There's no point in me turning into a titan and eating Eren. All that work serving you was for nothing!"
"Kenny, let me-" Rod gasped as Kenny grabbed him and lifted him in the air and aimed his gun at his head.
"You knew exactly what I was doing, and you strung me along like I was your fucking puppet," Kenny hissed.
"And I'm grateful that you continued," Rod declared, "My brother was right to pick a dog like you off the streets-"
"Insult Uri at all and I'll blow your brains out!" Kenny shouted.
"Stop it!" Historia begged as she grabbed Kenny's arm and pulled it away from Rod.
Kenny looked down at her and sighed. "Historia, you poor thing."
Megatron jumped out of the way as another body fell to the floor. The ex-con managed to see through the smoke and noticed all of the Survey Corps members making the effort to kill the Military Police.
Megatron looked behind him to see two Military Policemen make their way towards him. Megatron grabbed his sword and decapitated the one on his left.
"Bastard!" the other one shouted as he aimed his weapon at him. Megatron was ready to attack, but someone shot his head off. Megatron turned to the source and stared in slight surprise as he saw Armin holding a smoke round in his hand. Armin took one look at Megatron before grabbing a rifle and firing at another person.
"Megatron, what the fuck are you doing?!" Hanji shouted as she landed on the ground behind.
"Helping you!" Megatron answered.
"You're supposed to go after Eren and Historia!" Hanji stated.
"That can wait!" Megatron shouted.
"No it can fucking not!" Hanji retorted as she glanced back at him, "We're expendable! Eren and Historia are not! They're top priority!"
Megatron noticed a Military Policeman coming towards them and quickly got in front of Hanji, blocking his attacks with his shield. Hanji then got in front of the former warlord and decapitated the soldier.
"Just go! We'll take it from here!" Hanji declared before flying back up to the pillars.
Megatron hesitated. Should he grab the two or stay with the other humans? Why was he hesitating? Megatron shook his head before running deeper into the cave to find the two children.
Historia and Rod looked in horror as Kenny cut Eren's head with a knife.
"Kenny what are you doing?!" Rod demanded.
"Giving Eren a head start," Kenny answered as he placed the knife at his side, "I'm not going to waste the rest of my life, and if Historia really wants to become god, she's going to have to fight for it."
Kenny jumped and glided his way out of Eren's range while Rod ran towards his bag. Historia began to shake in fear as Rod came back to her with a syringe filled with the titan serum in hand.
"You need to take this!" Rod ordered, "I made sure this was the strongest titan I could get, and it has the substance used in the metal titans! You'll be able to defend yourself! And you don't have to kill Eren! You can bite into his spine and drink his spinal fluids! You have to hurry Historia!"
Historia nodded her head as Rod backed away to a safe distance. She was about to inject herself, but stopped when she noticed Eren wasn't doing anything. He wasn't transforming at all and just had his head down.
"Eren, what are you doing?" Historia asked, "If you don't transform into a titan, I will kill you."
Eren responded by lifting his head to look at Historia. Historia could only gap as blood dripped down from his forehead and tears were coming down his face.
"I…never needed to happen," Eren declared, "Me…and my dad…if my dad never took that power five years ago, you would've been able to solve this mess. My mother, Armin's grandpa, Hannes, Mina, Thomas, Levi's squad, they wouldn't have died because of me. Everything happened because of me, and I can never atone for those sins. The dreams of going outside the walls are pointless; people have died because of me. I never needed to happen."
Historia stared in sadness as Eren hung his head.
"So at the very least, end it all for me," Eren begged, "Eat me, and save humanity."
Rod stared at his daughter while Kenny adjusted his hat from the ceiling of the pillar.
"Eren," Historia began, "The day you called me a normal girl, it made me happy."
Before Historia could inject the serum into her arm, a loud gunshot rang through the cave. Rod turned around and looked in horror to see his bag of the titan serum was nothing more than a pile of ash. Everyone turned to the source of the attack and saw that it was Megatron in his human form holding the now useless smoke round.
"No," Eren breathed while Historia gasped in fear.
"Shit," Kenny cursed.
"Who are you?!" Rod demanded.
Megatron didn't respond as he threw the smoke gun aside and pulled out the pistol. Rod yelled in pain as Megatron shot the man in the arm. Rod winced as Megatron put the pistol away and pulled out his sword. The former warlord walked toward the king, dragging the blade across the floor.
"K-kenny! Don't just stand there! Help!" Rod begged.
"I'm not helping you any more you little shit!" Kenny shouted, "And I'm not touching that bastard with a ten foot pole! That fucker's the flying titan!"
Megatron stopped and chuckled before he began laughing his head off. "You Ackermans are just full of surprises, aren't you? And while I do appreciate you choosing not to interfere, the only reason I'm not going to kill you is because the dwarf has some unfinished business with you. But since you're not going to attack, I suggest that you enjoy the show as I spill this man's insides."
Kenny internally cursed as Megatron turned his attention towards Rod Reiss. Rod backed away in fear as Megatron rushed him and grabbed him by the collar and throwing him to the ground. Megatron stepped on the man's throat and raised his sword, ready to ram the sword through his head.
"Don't kill my father!" Historia begged.
Megatron merely glanced at her as he was about to make his move, but stopped when he noticed something was wrong. He lowered his sword and looked at the child and noticed a syringe in her hand, laced with energon inside it.
"What do you think you're doing?" Megatron demanded in an ominous tone as he removed his foot from Rod's throat.
"Historia, run!" Eren yelled.
But Historia couldn't, she was petrified. She took small steps back as Megatron made strides towards her. She trembled as Megatron stopped and aimed the pistol at the center of Historia's forehead.
"Do…do you intend to kill me?" Historia asked.
"Persuade me and I might not," Megatron answered, "I know for a fact if I do, no one goes on the throne and this coup completely fails."
"I have to take back the power that Eren stole from my family," Historia answered, "If I do, then I can use the power to eliminate the titans and save humanity. I could also…see Frieda again. He killed Frieda."
Megatron raised an eyebrow as he turned his attention to a now standing Rod. "What did you tell her?"
"The truth," Rod answered with a hoarse voice while rubbing his neck, "Eren's abilities were originally from my family. His father came and stole it."
"And transferred the power unto him," Megatron concluded as he glanced up to see Eren's pained and bloody face, "Meaning the one that know the truth about the titans is dead. That doesn't explain why she's about to become a mindless beast."
"I'll make sure that the power is returned to the rightful owner," Historia declared, "I'll exterminate the titans and I'll see Frieda again."
"As convenient as it would be to have the power transferred on to someone that might have idea on how to use or access the power, you're going to become a titan all because of what one man told you?" Megatron questioned, "This is the same man that abandoned you, let your mother die, sent you off to the military to die, and not bother to contact you. No creator should leave his creation to die, yet you're willing to blindly follow his orders."
"I'm not," Historia hissed.
"You are," Megatron declared, "He's deceiving you, and trying to keep his control over humanity. He doesn't want humanity to thrive beyond the walls."
"Historia, that's not true! Don't listen to that monster!" Rod begged.
"By the Allspark, you are you dripping with lies!" Megatron exclaimed in irritation.
"Tell me, if I shouldn't believe my own father, than why should I believe you? A stranger, a war criminal, and a tyrant that destroyed his own home," Historia listed.
"You don't have to," Megatron shrugged, "I'm merely doing this for my own personal benefit. I don't care enough for humanity; it could be devoured for all I care. I have a debt and I will stay alive as long as I have to in order to repay it. I don't care what happens to me after."
Historia's grip merely tightened around the syringe. "I don't care about your debt. I care about humanity and Frieda."
"Yes, Historia! You'll lose the chance!" Rod yelled.
"Either you keep your mouth shut or she dies first!" Megatron threatened.
"She's all that I have!" Rod retorted.
"Bullshit!" Megatron declared before looking down at Historia, "Before you decide to blindly become a titan, ask yourself this: why didn't your father stop the reign of the titans? Why didn't this 'Frieda' do it? Why didn't the one before her? Or your other ancestors?"
Historia thought it over for a moment. She remembered Frieda removing a splinter from her hand before yelling at her for going over the fence. How she wasn't allowed to… Then Frieda would fall into a state of despair and agony. She would remain immobile, she would want to die.
"Dad, why didn't Frieda use her titan powers to set humanity free? Why was she always so distressed?" Historia asked, "When she inherited the powers of the titan, did she also inherit the first king's ideology?"
"Why does that matter?" Rod questioned.
"I think she deserves to know," Megatron hissed.
Rod took a deep breath and let go of his injured arm. "The first king, the one who created the walled world, wished for a world to be ruled by the titans. The first king believed that was the way to true peace. I begged my father to try and change it, but he never did. Uri inherited the power, and when he did I understood what he meant. My brother became the sole creator of the world. A governing force, an all powerful being. We call that god. God is the one that controls everything and decides everything. Whether humanity lives or dies, all depends on the decisions of god. I'm sorry I didn't plan on telling you this earlier, but I need to bring god back into this world. It is the only option that we have. We don't have any other choice."
Silence was the only thing that existed as Historia looked at the needle in her hand, pondering over her father's words while Megatron's face contorted into one of rage.
"To the pits with god," Megatron spoke.
"What?" Rod demanded.
"You heard me," Megatron hissed, "To the blasted pits with god! 'Decide what's best?!', 'whether humanity lives or dies?!' If god is supposed to save his people and create a world of peace, then why would he abandon them?! Why would he subject them to unethical conditions?! Force them into slave labor?! Allow them to be devoured by monsters while others watch with sick grins as if they never had value?! Why would god brainwash their subjects into believing that this is how life is supposed to be?! Why would god sacrifice their own flesh and blood for their selfish needs?! Why would god say that freedom is less important than security?!
"You control only a small portion of the world! It's minuscule, insignificant! This world itself is vast, and there are worlds beyond this one! Stars, galaxies, infinite beauty! And you decided to refrain humanity because you're selfish and refuse to help humanity expand the possibilities! The gods on this world and Cybertron should mean nothing! I say to the pits with god because god only cares for himself, and not for his people! I climbed from the mines! I gave myself a name and made sure it was remembered! I defied god because I knew no one else will!"
Megatron turned his attention to Historia before removing the gun from her head. "I don't care if you trust me, hate me, or even believe me! But know that he was the one who tore away the people you love! He's the one who took your mother! Made you a disgrace and left you to die! Most likely even took away this 'Frieda' you hold so dear and her free will! Now, he wants to turn you into a butchered version of god! Take it from someone who knows the consequences of taking power: you will suffer if you do this! But if you still wish to become god, make sure that you're willing to pay the price!"
Historia waited for Megatron to make a move to stop her, but he didn't. He merely waited for her to make her choice. She looked down at the needle in her hand and realized she had the chance to do it right now. To inject herself and regain those lost memories. She could save humanity, and she could find Ymir…
Ymir…what would she think of her doing this? What would she say? All her time in training, everyone thought of her as a goddess. She knew that, but Ymir didn't. She accepted her flaws and all. She loved her, she…
"Krista, listen to me," Ymir's voice ran through her head, "It looks like this is the end, but if we do make it out, I want you to remember that promise we made on the mountain."
Historia remembered her taking the knife from Connie on Castle Utgard, saying that Optimus wasn't going to help them soon enough. That she had to take matters into her own hands. She remembered the sun rising as Ymir put a hand on her shoulder.
"Krista, even if you don't remember, I want you to promise me something," Ymir pleaded, "Well, this is more of a hope for me. Just promise me. Promise me that you will live your life with your head held high."
A tear fell down Historia's face as she realized her situation. What was she doing? If she did this, she wouldn't be living her life. She would just be following someone else's orders and be a good girl like she's always done. No more. She was done.
Historia laughed at her situation before looking at Megatron. "You were right. I was being so stupid. Why would I follow someone's lies when it's total bullshit?"
"Historia-"
Historia merely threw the syringe to the ground, causing it to shatter and spill out the contents.
Rod looked in horror before turning his angered gaze at Historia. "How dare you!"
Rod made his way towards Historia while Megatron pulled out his sword and got in front of her. As he was prepared to kill Rod, Historia grabbed the pistol from his hand and shot Rod in the stomach.
"I will never become god!" Historia declared as she fired another shot at his leg, "You destroyed the world, you destroyed Frieda, but you will not destroy me too!"
Historia fired two more shots at Rod's shoulder and other arm, causing him to collapse on the ground. Rod breathed heavily as Historia walked over to his deformed state.
"You're…destroying the peace," Rod forced out.
"No," Historia declared, "You're peace is a lie, and I will no longer be your good little girl."
Historia pulled the trigger and shot the last bullet into Rod's skull. Historia took a deep breath as she let the gun slip from her hand and onto the ground. She suddenly felt exhausted as her legs gave out. Before she hit the floor; however, Megatron rushed over and quickly caught the new queen.
"You…you didn't stop me," Historia said as Megatron helped her stand.
"I wanted to see if you made the right decision," Megatron declared, "To see if you were worthy of your title."
Historia looked down at the corpse that was her father, but she didn't feel disgusted, or afraid, or remorse. "I killed my father. What does that make of me?"
"A murderer, a savior, maybe something else," Megatron listed, "Regardless of what you may think, I believe you have earned your freedom."
Historia turned her attention to the former warlord and gave a small smile. "Thank you…for stopping me from making a decision I might have regretted."
Megatron merely nodded his head before turning his attention to Kenny. "So are you going to come down or do I have to come up there?"
"I'm cornered either way, swordsman," Kenny answered as he release his grappling hook and landed on the ground, "So what do you want to do now?"
"I do intend to take these two and leave," Megatron declared, "Unless if you intend to stop me."
"No thanks," Kenny answered as he raised his hands, "I prefer to keep my organs intact."
"I doubt the dwarf would allow that," Megatron retorted, "Which reminds me: what is your relationship to the dwarf?"
"What are you talking about?" Kenny demanded.
"I blackmailed him two days ago and he told me this interesting story about how you took him in when he was on the brink of death before abandoning him after some time," Megatron explained, "You're a well-known serial killer, someone free of materialistic bounds, yet you save a random child from the underground. So tell me, are you the dwarf's father?"
Kenny snickered before he let out a laugh. "Like the midget would ever be my kid! He's my pride and joy, but definitely not my kid!"
Megatron merely shrugged. "Well whatever he is to you, you have five seconds to get away from him."
Kenny widened his eyes as he realized Megatron was stalling for time. "Oh you mother-"
Kenny grunted as Levi kicked him in the back to the ground before kicking him in the back of the head.
"Get off of me you fucking shorty!" Kenny shouted.
"Fat chance you old bastard!" Levi retorted.
Megatron watched as the other members of the Survey Corps came flying in towards the area. Historia then walked away from Megatron and rummaged through the ashes of the bag and found the keys to Eren's cuffs.
Megatron merely waited while Eren's chains were unlocked. He noticed that Eren kept his gaze away from him, but paid no mind to it.
"The rest of the MP's are either dead or injured," Hanji informed as she walked to the ex-con while holding her arm, "And I think I broke my arm."
"Seems you humans are more competent than I thought," Megatron remarked.
"I think that's the closest thing to a compliment you're ever going to give," Hanji sighed.
"So what do you intend to do with him?" Megatron asked as he gestured to Kenny.
"We don't know how much he knows," Hanji declared, "So will keep him alive for questioning."
"Speaking of prisoners, we need to go and check on Lionheart," Megatron declared.
"Yeah…sure…I just need a break," Hanji sighed.
"We need to go back," Megatron said.
"Alright, fine," Hanji gave in.