Already Gone

Chapter 12: What they had planned

•shorter chapter
•I haven't gotten the chance to proof read so excuse grammar mistakes they will be fixed ASAP when i get out of my lecture
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There hadn't been this much chaos among the military since the first attack on Shinganshina.

Niema, Hange, and Onyankopon moved briskly through crowds of people who were shouting words that Erwin had lived and died by.

Dedicate your hearts.

Hange and Niema felt a sort of rage as they ran inside HQ. This wasn't what they wanted when they petitioned to go outside the walls, their comrades didn't die for Eren Jaeger and his followers to destroy what little peace they had.

However it was not the time to let their feelings change their judgement. Zachiarus was dead, Eren Jaeger had escaped, and crowds of civilians swarmed HQ from all sides.

After the explosion had occurred Jean was the first to find his comrades, pulling them all inside a basement meeting room where other members of the military were seated anxiously.

"Did you get her?"

"Yeah, but you should know that—"

Jean handed her limp body over to Niema.

Liesl was breathing luckily, however her right arm was severely bruised and bloody. Niema could tell by the slight indent in the middle of her wound that she had been shot by a rubber bullet which was used for training new MP's.

However just because the bullet wasn't real didn't make the actions of the shooter anymore okay.

"I'm going to have to bring her with us. I can't risk being late to a meeting of such urgency."

Liesl was surprisingly heavy, and carrying around her limp body felt like carrying a backpack filled with bricks. By the time Niema had reached the office where the members of the military were meeting she was begging Hange to carry her up the rest of the steps.

"...Niema!"

There was a gasp that escaped Liesl's lips as they reached the door that almost caused Hange to fall over.

"Shit, you had to wake up now? Shit, shit, shit!"

Niema paused outside the door looking at Liesl staggeringly.

"Look we don't have time to explain anything right now. Just come inside and stay silent," Hange muttered and then pulled the door open.

Standing in the room was Nile, who was standing in front of a group of MP's. Across from him were members of the Survey Corps, and to their right were the members of the garrison. Everyone had glossed over expression, seemingly numb from the amount of damage that had been done over such a short amount of time.

"Good, you're both alive."

"What the hell happened?" Nile barked.

Before Niema or Hange could speak Armin had pushed himself to the front of the group, facing the other soldiers before him.

"Mikasa and I just left his office when the bomb went off. He said he had let three cadets drop off that—"

"That stupid chair of his."

"Yes sir...I know that three Cadets were Survey Corps members too sir."

There was a pause as everyone looked around the room. Nile, who was usually a calm and collected person looked up toward Niema who stood in front of the other members of the scouts.

"They're mostly from your regiment, Niema. Floch, Louise, and plenty of the subordinate's who helped Eren," he sounded disappointed as he continued.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Hey, it's not her—"

"It's fine, Hange. I plan to take what ever punishment is necessary, my negligence caused this."

"No!"

Everyone turned to face Liesl—Who up to this moment had been practically invisible. She was slunk in a stool next to the Azumbito's with her hand wrapped tightly around her wound.

"Floch would have acted this way no matter what... And as for Eren Jaeger I don't think this is exactly what he wanted either."

Mikasa looked toward Liesl, she was relieved to hear someone stick up for Eren.

"However, they will be willing to achieve their goal at any means, so I would suggest that you stop fighting amongst yourselves and focus on the task at hand!"

There was a deep, hearty chuckle that was released within the crowd of astonished faces. Pyxis stepped forward, seeming far too light hearted considering what had just happened.

"For a prisoner of war she does have a good point. Although I suppose you aren't exactly a prisoner anymore, correct?"

"Correct, I offered her some limited freedoms if she complied," Niema said.

"And? What did you get out of that?"

His voice was almost mocking.

Niema turned toward Liesl, hoping she had the slightest bit of information. Standing in front of her comrades, she refused to look less than them.

"They're planning on activating the rumbling, Floch had gathered people from the Survey Corp and other regiments to aid Eren...and Zeke."

Liesl hesitated when she spoke the last part, but it didn't matter how the words came out, they needed to hear it.

"We need to move fast."

"No."

Everyone turned toward Pyxis as he reached over to his flask and took a long sip. Then he turned toward the crowd of military personal in front of him.

"We comply with the Jaegerists, it's the only choice we have. To fight among ourselves is entirely pointless, and at this rate it would wipe us out completely. We need to salvage Paradis, not destroy the small amount of progress we have made."

There was a humming in the room as people whispered to those besides them. The idea of complying with Eren Jaeger seemed ridiculous to some, but in the crisis they were in, no body refused his proposition.

"Well that settles it! Now go on, I'm sure we all have
work to do now?"

Niema quickly pulled the Scouts of the room and down the hall. They walked briskly out of HQ and around the back to where a group of horses were tied.

"Hey, thanks for saying that stuff about Eren," the girl with dark hair said to Liesl.

"Mikasa—"

Armin's comment was cut off by Connie's remarks.

"They already don't trust any of us, let's not make it worse by sounding like Jaegerists?"

Niema mounted her horse and then snapped her head to look at Liesl and the children behind her.

"We can't fight amongst ourselves, remember that?"

As they climbed atop their horses they all agreed in unison.

"You ride with Jean okay?" Hange said to Liesl as she clumsily tried to hop on her horse.

Jean let out a frustrated sigh and pulled her over the steed and on to the saddle with a swift movement. In her defense she had never seen a real horse, much less ridden on one.

"Come on, if some of the Marleyan volunteers are also in on this we need to start off by visiting places where they are stationed..."

"...Like restaurants."