An Unexpected Turn in Fate

Chapter 16 -- Annie's Downfall

A few days later, we finally put the plan into motion. Armin, Eren, and Mikasa trick Annie into going with them, leading her straight to an underground entrance. She refuses to walk down the stairs, and after a few minutes, she places her finger up to her mouth as Armin fires a signal flare into the air.

A bunch of scouts in disguise charge at her, grabbing her arms and trying to restrict her movement. Two of them put a cloth in Annie's mouth, gagging her. Annie reaches her hand in the air, flipping out the blade on her ring and cutting her finger. A bolt of lightning comes from her direction as she transforms into a titan.

Before she can attack the city, I fire my wires and lunge towards her. Pure rage forms in the pit of my stomach as I appear behind her and cut the back of her legs, knocking her to the ground. Annie tries to defend against my onslaught as I circle her, creating deep gashes on her entire body. I'll make sure she pays for killing Petra, Oluo, Gunther, and Eld! I think to myself.

Other scouts charge at her with their blades raised, attempting to attack her. Annie swats them away like flies as I glide towards her, deeply cutting into her stomach. She roars ferociously, trying to grab me. I maneuver around her arms as Mikasa reveals herself. I nod in her direction as we race towards Annie, simultaneously stabbing her eyes and temporarily blinding her.

The female titan, who now cannot see a thing, frantically waves her arms around and sprints forward. Unbeknownst to her, she's heading right into a trap. A moment later, grappling hooks latch onto her, making Annie unable to move. They throw a net over her as Mikasa and I quickly approach them.

"Nice! And, here I was convinced having a plan C was nothing short of paranoid. Oh, Commander Erwin, you genius," Hange says, stepping off the building. "Do us a favor. Behave yourself." She points her blade towards Annie's newly healed eye, tilting her head to the side before continuing, "Oh, calling your fellow titans to dinner isn't an option, so let's not waste that lovely singing voice. In fact, let's not waste anything. No, no, I'm going to devour you instead. Every part of you has its own precious story to tell."

Annie kicks the wooden machines, destroying them. Hange, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, and the others jump away, avoiding her attack. I launch myself towards Annie, creating a large gash in her left shoulder. Annie quickly gets to her feet and makes a run for it. I scowl in annoyance, racing after her. She tears apart a building, trying to throw rocks at me. I carefully dodge each attack as Mikasa and I hurry towards her. Annie turns to look at us, kicking Mikasa to the ground.

Before I continue to pursue her, another bolt of lightning comes from across the city. Eren stomps across the city in his titan form, charging at Annie. He lands a punch on her, launching her into a nearby building. I send my wires into a roof, picking up Mikasa and carrying her away from the two titans. "Mikasa, are you alright?" I ask softly.

"Y-Yeah... Thanks for that."

I nod. "Sure."

I jump off the building, gliding away from the fight and locating a private spot. I sit down and lower my head before breaking down. Dammit! Why didn't I just kill her!? It was so easy! I press my hand against my heart as tears stream down my cheeks. All I wanted was to avenge Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunther. W-Why am I so weak...? I clench my fists in desperation, bringing my knees to my chest.

After a few moments, I lift my head to see Annie elbowing Eren in the face and then kicking him into a building. The skin around her fingers hardens as she dashes towards the wall. Annie jumps up high, latching her right hand into the wall.

I get to my feet, hurrying towards the two titans as Annie attempts to climb the wall. Unfortunately for Annie, Eren is able to get on his feet after her last attack. He attempts to catch her as he grabs her right leg. But, Annie fends him off by hardening the skin on her left toes and cutting off her own leg. As Eren falls to the ground, she continues to climb. Mikasa makes her move, gliding in the air and lunging at Annie with her vertical maneuvering equipment. With two swift movements, she cuts off her fingers as she falls to the ground.

As soon as Annie lands on the ground, Eren pounces on her before she can get up. With his single fist, he decapitates her arm and head, losing his own arm in the process. I land next to Hange and the others, intently staring at the scene in front of us.

"Oh no!" Hange shrieks as Eren lowers his head to the nape of Annie's neck. "He's gonna devour her whole!" I furrow my eyebrows in concentration, wondering what would've happened if he consumed the female titan. Perhaps, he could've gained the mimicry abilities of the female titan.

"Hey, back off!"

"Don't do it!"

Eren leans in and bites a chunk of meat from the female titan's neck, revealing Annie's real body. He stops for a moment and stares at her. This gives her the chance to use her hardening ability, incasing herself in a crystal. This causes her titan body to start merging with Eren's, and just as Mikasa was about to approach, Levi appears and cuts Eren out of his titan. "It's not a good idea to eat our key evidence, you idiot!" He scolds.

While Armin and Mikasa go to the unconscious Eren, the others surround the crystal. I stand next to Levi and Hange, crossing my arms in dismay. Jean takes out his sword and attempts to break the crystal, only to have the weapon break with each hit.

"Dammit!" He curses. "All the crap we've been through and this is what we get! Annie! Wake up! Come on! Face the music! You owe us! Don't be a coward! I know you can hear me!" He raises his weapon as tears form in my eyes. He's right. This is completely unfair!

Levi appears right behind him, placing his hand on Jean's shoulder. "That's enough," he says. "It's over." Jean finally calms down and lowers his hand, having a defeated expression on his face.

"Someone, get me a wired net!" Hange orders. "This thing belongs deep underground!" The soldiers went off to do as they're told as she carefully examines the crystal. I purse my lips, trying not to cry.

In the end, the summoning of Eren and the Survey Corps was put on hold. The custody of Annie was given to the scout regiment. The sun soon sets as I sit alone at the top of a building, feeling defeated. Even though I know how the story will play out, it hurts to see the people around me die. Petra, Oluo, Gunther, and Eld. Their lives were cut short, but even still, I'm genuinely thankful for them. They were all there for me. Out of the corners of my eyes, I notice the debris from Wall Sina crack and fall from the hole, revealing a titan in the wall.