Equanimity » Levi Ackerman

11 | 𝔓𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔢𝔠𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔪

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They rode on their horses for a while till they found a spot that was far away enough from the captured titan, and then switched to 3DM gear to get up into the trees.

"So that was the plan from the start?" Eren asked. "We weren't flying by the seat of our pants? Look, I'm not complaining. I get keeping it from me. But, come on! Keeping you guys in the dark? You'd think you'd earned a little more trust than that, right?"

"Shut up!" "I hope you're not suggesting the Captain kept the plan from us because he thinks we're a liability!" Petra threw back at him angrily.

"I'm sorry, but I am! There's just no other way it makes sense!" Maria kept listening to them bickering for a while.

"Look, I hate to say it, but he's got a point." Eld suddenly butted in. Oruo and Petra seemed to be confused by his confirmation. "For being as supposedly instrumental to the plan as we were, the Captain didn't give us much to go on."

"So, what?" "That means he doesn't trust us. Kind of a big deal. C'mon, you guys. Think about it. Maybe Eren isn't the only one who can change. Maybe someone in the regiment's a Titan spy." Eld was a smart guy, and Maria was aware of it. There was a reason why he was a Second-in-Command to Levi. This is why she decided to speak up and give them some clarity.

"Well, I suppose I can tell you a bit more about that." Maria hummed staring out into the distance, while all eyes were now on her. "What? Maria? He told you?" "No." She crossed her arms as they gave her a curious look. "I was there with him when Erwin addressed it."

"What Mimi! So what Eld is saying is true?" "Yeah, Erwin believes so. The only people he told were the survivors from five years ago. They build a restraining weapon to capture it, as you could see for yourself. If they would infiltrate - which they did - they would detain the spy."

"I suppose, in their position, it was the best way of narrowing down the list of suspects to a manageable number."

Maria nodded, but she couldn't help but feel conflicted. Many had died, maybe there were still scouts dying out there. All for the sake of finding a spy within the Survey Corps. She gritted her teeth before she spoke again. "Erwin did what was necessary."

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"Did you hear that scream?!" Maria's eyes widened. "Yeah..." Petra softly hummed. 'That didn't sound good at all...' She thought. Not soon after flares were being shot up. It meant they had to retreat.

"That's our cue. Alright, let's saddle up! We're going home!" Gunther spoke. Oruo sighed. "Chop-chop, you heard the man... Let's go see what the bastard inside looks like."

"You really think they found out who it is?" Eren asked. Everyone seemed to look at the positive outcome of the situation, but it just didn't feel right. Call it a gut feeling after almost dying twice. Maria blocked out the talk of her squad while looking over the trees. It was like she felt more alert than ever.

"Alright let's go." They shot off through the trees.

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There was a green smoke signal fired from the side. "Must be a signal from the Captain himself," Gunther replied. "Stow the chatter 'til we're home. We'll rendezvous with Captain Levi shortly."

Gunther made a turn and shot off a green signal himself. Maria squinted her eyes, it wasn't the initial direction Levi went to. They must have moved after capturing the Female Titan. 'No, that's impossible...'

That's when a sixth figure appeared.

"Captain Levi? Wait, that- That's not- Oh shit!" Gunther was suddenly cut down, hanging down from one of his hooked cables. He did not move anymore. Everyone was on high alert.