Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 38: Clash of the Titans

I can't move.

It was the first coherent thought that came to Reiner as he slowly began to regain his consciousness. His head felt like he smashed it against the wall, making him wonder what could have caused that feeling. The last thing he remembered was seeing Dillon asking him if he missed him. It was good to see that he made a recovery from the Expedition. And then, there was nothing. Did he pass out from blood loss and suffer a concussion? Seemed like the most logical explanation. After all, there were a lot of stone bricks he could have fallen on. He hoped that he didn't suffer any internal injuries.

Why can't I move?

His focus shifted to his arm, noticing that it felt a bit sore, and yet, nothing felt broken. Considering that he had a Titan's jaw fastened around it earlier, that was more than a bit odd. Maybe he was injected with morphine, which would dull the pain to such a great extent. All the factors seemed to be pointing that he was in a hospital bed making a slow recovery.

However, he felt drops of something wet repeatedly fall on his face. Definitely water, but why would it fall in such a way?

Wait, rain. I'm still outside.

The ground shook violently every now and then. Those weren't the sounds of Titan movements. Was it an earthquake? To his knowledge, there weren't any on this island. All of this was so confusing.

Then, he took notice of another odd factor: there was something in his mouth. It felt like a piece of fabric. Instinctively, he tried to get it out, but it was tightly wrapped around mouth and given that he couldn't move his arms, it wasn't going anywhere for a while. Now, he was completely confused. Why was there a gag in his mouth?

"Thought... last longer..."

Okay, so he wasn't alone. That was a good sign. Despite his wooziness, he did his best to listen to what was going on.

Come on, Reiner. Focus!

His vision started to return as he eyes began taking in the colors of black and dark blue. It seemed like the rain had subsided for the moment, so at least he wouldn't have any problems seeing outside of his own injuries impeding him.

"Load them... carriages and inject... getting out of here."

What the hell is going on?

"Section Commander, isn't this dosage too much?"

"They're Titan Shifters. We're not taking any chances. Inject them now."

Reiner's blood ran cold as he began facing the realization of the situation. The gag, the fact he couldn't move, and the head injury. The Scouts... they figured it out. They knew who he was, who Bertholdt was. At first, he tried to brush it off as his paranoia taking control, but he couldn't let it go. He couldn't afford to.

He was able to turn his head and noticed a Scout walking towards him with a sedative and then immediately freezing when he noticed the motion.

"He's awake!" he exclaimed.

"Hurry!" a female voice, Hanji, commanded urgently.

They've got me. He thought as he frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation. If they injected him, it was over. His mission would fail and he and Bertholdt would never be able to return home as a result. He needed something, anything, to cut himself with. Then, he could be free and he could fight.

Then, he saw it. A chance that needed to be taken. The needle of sedative that was coming for him was his only shot. A long one, to be sure, but there was no other option left. He needed to scratch himself with it.