Still Standing | Levi Ackerman

20

I stood inside the Commanders office with the door behind me, my fingers gently tapping on the sides of my legs with apprehension.

With barely a smile to offer, his presence still felt warm. I couldn't tell wether or not I was in trouble though, and that's what made me nervous.

"Take a seat, Marina" He simply said, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. I nodded quietly, stepping further into his large office to reach the desk. The commander certainly had a much more spacious office than Captain Levi.

I obliged and sat down as told, neatly placing my hands over my lap as I stared forward at the Commander. Suddenly, a small chuckle came out of his mouth and my eyes slightly widened.

"There's no need to be tense Marina, you're not in any trouble." He assured me. My shoulders relaxed without me realizing, and I only nodded again. He then poured himself a cup of tea, then looked back at me.

"Would you like a cup?" He politely asked.

"No thank you" I replied, looking down at his full cup which contained the hot dark liquid. I could smell the drink almost as if it was diffused throughout the whole room.

"Very well then, Marina, there's a matter Id like to discuss with you." He said, moving on quickly. The teacup in his hand lifted into the air as he inched it closer to his mouth. I waited, beginning to grow more eager to know why I was here.

He slowly sipped his tea. And unlike any time I've ever been around someone drinking tea, my mouth began to water. For the first time here, my mouth was actually watering! Was it the tea? It doesn't matter anyways, I had no intentions of drinking tea.

I bit down on my tongue as he placed the cup down, finally about to speak again. But just before he did, he placed a paper on the desk. Not any paper- my file.

"Say Marina, have you ever heard of the Illicit Institution?" He asked me.

I shook my head, "No sir" I answered, honestly. I had never heard of that name before. Still, I couldn't see how this involved me.

"An illegal group of scientists moved from Paradis to Shiganshina district to conduct experiments on young orphans. This information was only recently found by the wreck left behind in Shiganshina." He said, causing my relaxed shoulders to tense again.

"There wasn't much left behind from the wreck. However, we've collected a file- the only file they contained." A paper was placed on the desk. It was dusty, crumpled, and overall looked like it had been aging through time. His fingers pressed against the page, and slid forward to bring it closer to me.

I lowered my gaze down to examine the paper.

Subject 18

The print was faint, and underneath revealed a description on my physical appearance.

"Sir?" I questioned, returning my eyes back to the commander. I was unsure on how to react. Could it be a test? Perhaps he's trying to find out who this is and is testing me.

"I believe these characteristics fit you, Marina. It's also come to my attention you've suffered memory loss, so I wouldn't blame you for only finding out now." He said.