Attack on Fortress

Chapter 6: The Spy who Robbed Me

850, March 12th, 12:25 pm

Location: Wall Rose, Trost District, Trost Military Head Quarters

Charging through the swarming chaos raging throughout the Trost Head Quarters was Mikasa Ackerman. Walking with purpose and projecting an aura of pure malice, anyone with functioning eyes or a will to live knew to step out of her way, less they cease to exist. Such a woman marching through the stone block maze with a glare that could kill did not walk so without a purpose. For her self-anointed task was to find those responsible for Eren's disappearance.

To think that she was a wholly different person only an hour ago. Back when she heard of Eren's fate. Told to her by her COs and Eren's remaining squad members. Word-for-word and rehearsed by their higher-ups, they told her what happened to him. She knew the accident was a lie but it didn't stop the fact that he was gone. Hearing what happened knocked her off her feet, and that was to put it lightly. A storm of emotions had brewed within her. Sadness and anger were more prevalent than the others swirling inside her. She hated the mere thought of it but losing Eren hit her hard. The last of her family was gone and the realisation of it had, for lack of a better word, crippled her. Hearing the news of the loss was first met with numbness. As if her mind was purely focused only on digesting the information and figuring out what to do with it. Everything went on without her knowing. She didn't realise that she excused herself and walked away to a secluded area. Well, there was a small group of people there but the mere sight of her vacant and conflicted state was enough for them to find somewhere else to await their inevitable deployment against the Titan threat.

Titans. Mikasa should've been more worried about them rather than sorrowing over Eren but she couldn't. Eren was all she had. Yes, there was Armin and her comrades from the 104th but, as regretful as she was to admit it, Eren was more important than any of them. The last of her family. Gone because she wasn't there. The thing she always feared that kept her awake on nights when Eren was injured or sick. So great was that fear that she would've followed him anywhere to protect him. She'd follow him in their fights against bullies, in the fields where they toiled day and night to make food so they wouldn't starve, into the 104th and their training, and she would've stood with him in the Scouts. Even if it hurt her or his pride, she would stand by him and protect him. To fight for her last source of true happiness.

Now? What was the point of fighting if there was nothing left to fight for?

Mikasa was stumped on that question for what felt like hours. She only snapped out of it when she heard some passing soldiers that there was news about the first causalities being brought in. Some spoke of how the state of their bodies, burnt and smelling an awful lot like pork and some other strong-smelling chemical. Remembering the lie Daz and Mina told her, Mikasa was starting to doubt her scepticism of their narrative. Was what they said true? Was Eren...

She had to see the bodies. She had to know. Eren might be among them. Seeing him there will hurt her. It will cause her an unbelievable amount of pain but she needed to see him. Whatever state he was in, she did not care. She just had to see him one last time and just know what happened to him.

Of course, they wouldn't let her in. They told her she had other duties that required her attention and that they had other people on hand to identify the bodies. They tried to placate her with the promise she would see the bodies after the siege was over. It took all of her willpower not to charge in there and find Eren's remains or the knowledge of what happened. Just as she was ushered out of the medical wing did she stumble on Jean in his dower state. It turned out he was the one to identify the bodies, and he only succeeded with one. Thomas Wagner was dead. She should've felt sad about his death but she felt only sorrow for the lack of information on Eren. Then she encountered Eren's remaining squadmates, Connie and Sasha. How she interrogated them felt a bitter taste in her mouth but it was necessary for her to know what happened to Eren. It was thanks to them that she now learnt the truth. The truth is that Eren was either kidnapped or murdered by humans. The same ones that caused the mess they were all in right now.