The 57th Expedition (Attack on Titan AU)

57th Expedition Outside the Walls

She was about to catch Eren. But of course, that's when it all went wrong - as if it wasn't bad enough already.

Annie cursed as her Titan body got entangled into thin, sticky threads, and firearms were fired at her. Her body now stuck in a fixed position, she tried to move. No luck. Well, at least she'd managed to cover her nape with her hands.

Annie let out an internal scream as more weapons covered her body. She heard Hange Zoë say (more like shout) to her as they explained what just happened, "How about that? Now you won't even be able to scratch yourself if you've got an itch! Not a single muscle of yours will ever move again, probably. Here's how it works... The more your wounds close up, the more rigid your joints become!"

She paused for a while, observing Annie. And then they spoke again, "But it seems... That's still not enough to get the one inside to come out..." Once again she paused, as Levi and Mike attempted to cut Annie's hand and get to her nape. No success.

Erwin eventually asked someone to blow off her hands. Meanwhile, Levi was standing on her head and giving threats which probably weren't bluffs.

Now Annie was getting desperate. She couldn't afford the Scouts to find out it was her inside the Titan. As a last resort, she let out a wail - the same one which had led to Pure Titans crossing the hole through Wall Maria. She didn't know whether they would eat her, as they had done to Eren, or try to rescue her, though she didn't see how a bunch of mindless Titans could remove the pins on her body without hurting her. She decided it would probably be the former, but once again, that was better than her identity being exposed.

---

At the start of the forest, the Scouts stood with their swords drawn, ready to kill Titans at a moment's notice. Then they heard it. A loud wail, a cross between rage and despair.

Mikasa was about to go inside to see what happened when Sasha warned her, "That's the scream a cornered animal makes when it's given up... Please, be a hundred times more careful than the usual! If you underestimate the forest, then you'll die!!" Mikasa looked at her and nodded grimly. "Be safe."

"You too."

And in she went.

--

Jean and Armin took a look at one another and then a glance at the Titans trying to climb up the high trees. So far, none of them had managed. But the Scouts knew the terror of being eaten by them and watching your loved ones get devoured, being able to do nothing.

Then the Titans ran inside, but changed direction halfway through and proceeded to run away from the forest. The Scouts stopped going after them and looked at one another in alarm. Were they going to get more Titans?

--

A while later, the forest was still empty. At least, there was no sign of approaching Titans. Annie was shocked. Why didn't they come inside to eat her? What drove them away? She highly doubted the Survey Corps would be able to kill a large number of them, especially considering most of them outside were still rookies.

The wail had been her last choice... What was she supposed to do now? Have her identity known to everyone? Well it's not like she had a choice. She braced herself for whatever was to come.