The Bloom Titan (1/2)

CH.24: Plan B

A giant hand flew down the stairs, just meters behind us. I continued running with Armin cradled in my arms with Mikasa and Eren by my side. The hand turned round the corner and came flying at us. It grabbed my cape and I dropped Armin as it dragged me away.

"Ezlyn!" Armin yells, reaching a hand out for me. I was choking. I fumbled for the button and slipped it out the hole. I was relieved and landed to the ground with a thump. The hand came back for me again and I scrambled to my feet and ran to the others.

I got up next to the others and keeled over, out of breath. "You alright?" Mikasa asks me, sitting her hand on my back. I nod my head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We need to move onto plan B, fast." I say to her, standing back up straight.

______At_The_Meeting_A_Few_Days_Ago___

"We've done our research and we have seemed to conclude a final suspect who's believed to be the Female Titan." The Commander speaks. Erens gasps. "We'll definatly apprehend them this time."

Erwin lays out a map onto the table. "Our plan is for tomorrow, during our passage to the capital where we are to answer the summons- at Stohess District. It will be our first and last chance. If we miss it, the capital will likely get a hold of Eren and Ezlyn and it'll likely become difficult to investigate those who plot to destroy the walls. Consequently, the fall of mankind will draw even nearer. We'll wager everything on this plan. The plan is as follows: As we pass through Stohess District,  Eren and Ezlyn will act as bait and lure the target to this underground passage." The Commander says, pointing out the places on the map.

"Upon bringing the to the lowest level, judging by their size and power, their movements should be fairly restricted, even if they transform. However, on the off chance they transform before that, you're the only ones we can count on, Ezlyn, Eren." He finishes, looking up at Eren and I.

"Sir. So the main target is, without a doubt, in Stohess, correct?" I question, leaning forward in my seat.

"Yes, The target is part of the Military Police Brigade." He responds. I sigh in relief as there's a chance it isn't Calistro.

"The Military Police?" Eren inquires.

"Armin was the one who inferred that. According to him, the Female Titan may be responsible for killing the two Titans we'd captured and is possibly a member of the 104th Training Corps, like you." My eyes widen. Who could it be?

"W-Wait just a second. The 104th..." Eren stammers, his eyes wide like an owls pair.

"The name of the female suspected to be the Female Titan is..."

"Wait..." Eren mutters.

"Annie Leonhart."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Fight Annie-- Fight the Female Titan." I mutter Plan B.

"Eren or Ezlyn will transform like we discussed and assist with the capture. Sounds good?" Armin finishes for me, we continue to run along the passageway to inform the other scouts that Plan A had failed and we were to move onto Plan B.

"Yeah." Eren and I say in unison.

"Hey!" Someone shouts from ahead.

"It's the 3rd Squad!" I yells as we continue towards them.

"Status of the primary capture?" A brown haired boy, round about my age asks us.

"Unsuccessful! Please switch over to Plan B!" Armin shouts to them. A shadow falls over the drain that was above and we stop suddenly. A large foot comes through the ceiling and crushes the men that were just infront of us.

"Damn it..." I mutter under my breath. A large gust of air comes flying into our faces, making debris fly into our eyes. I sheild my face from the large dust cloud. It departs and I uncover my face.

"She stomped through?!" Armin gasps.

"We need to save them!" Eren says, stepping forward. I grab his arm.

"Eren, get away from there!" I hiss. I start dragging him away from the hole.

"Hey, Ezlyn! Let go!" He struggles. I glance back and see the looming figure -of the Female Titan... No... Annie Leonhart- staring into the hole she made with her foot.

We get back far enough away from the hole and I let go of Eren. "Is the Female Titan trying to show she doesn't need Eren and Ezlyn alive?" Mikasa says with uncertainty.

"It was her wager. She stomped through, wagering that they would both survive. As reckless as it was, it makes things harder for us now. " Armin says, starting to run further away from the hole and we follow. "Annie is desperately trying to abduct Eren and Ezlyn!"

We find a spot in the middle of the tunnel and kneel down. "What should we do?" Armin mutters. "Our escape route was cut off. If we try using our ODM gear, we'll become targets instantly. That said-"

A foot went through the ceiling a few yards away, interrupting Armin. Another gust of wind came flying in our direction again.

"Staying here's not an option when we could be crushed anytime." Armin finishes. Eren stands up.

"I'll figure something out, like how I was able to block cannon fire that time. Just follow me!" He says. Eren pulls us towards him, in an almost hug. "Here we go. Stick close to me." He starts raising his hand to his mouth and bites down on it. Nothing happens apart from him drawing blood. He bit down even harder, the sound of ripping flesh making Armin and Mikasa wince.

"Eren, that's not going to work." I mutter. But he continues to bite down on his hand, ripping pieces of skin off his hand and onto the floor.

"Not again. At a time like this... Damn, it hurts!" Eren crys out, falling to his knees, clenching his arm in his hand.

"If you don't have a clear objective, you can't transform, right? Visualize and focus on it again." Armin tells him.

"I know! But..." He starts biting down on his hand again, drawing more crimson red liquid from it. Mikasa bends down next to him.

"Deep down... you're still hesitant to fight Annie, aren't you?" She says with a frightening look. Eren gulps.

"Eren..." Armin mutters.

"Don't tell me you're still thinking that we're mistaking Annie as the Female Titan and it's Calistro. Did you not see what happened earlier? That woman's the one who killed our comrades, right? Do you still not see that?" Mikasa says blankly.

"Shut up! Can't you see I'm trying?!" Eren yells at her and bites back down on his hand.

"The Female Titan is Annie." Mikasa says in a hushed tone. "In that case, shouldn't you be fighting? Or... is some particlar emotion hindering you?"

"Huh?" Eren mumbles. Mikasa was staring at him with her dark blue eyes, that shone perfectly in the light. Armin draws a sword.

"I have a plan. Mikasa, Eren and I will exit from that hole and the entrance simultaneously. Doing so will force Annie to focus on one or two of us. At that time, Ezlyn, follow the one she ignored." Armin informs us. Eren sighs and stands up with Mikasa.

"Wait... What?!" I yell.

Armin turns around to face me. "Try bloom a flower right this instant." He orders me. I gulp.

I imagine a daisy and see yellow light emit from my hand. Moments later a small daisy spouts out of my hand.

"Good, you can still use your powers. This plan will hopefully work, we'll regroup with Hanji's squad." Armin shouts running away with Eren and Mikasa goes to the entrance hole, leaving me behind.

"You guys?! What are you doing that means at least one of you will die?! Can't you understand all the pain I've went through already? How can you three still fight?!" I scream at them, hoping they'd turn back. But none of them faltered, them kept their heads facing the front. Moments ago it was Eren that was ordered to try transform, why do I now have to do it?!

They all took off out the holes in the ceiling and I stared at the flower in my hand intensly. There was something shaking the ground. The rumbling became intense and before I knew it... the ceiling caved in on me.

It all went black...