Attack on Titan: Reclamation

Negative Positive

Listening to Frozen in Time from Captain America: The Winter Soldier Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Annie slowly opened her eyes. She was cold and wet. Her clothes were soaked. She tried sitting up, but only succeeded in having ice slide down her back.

"Morning," Klaus said, sitting in a chair by the bathtub, "Or should I say afternoon?"

"What happened to me?" Annie groggily asked.

"Your condition worsened, and I'm sorry that you have to hear this but--" he paused, "--you're dying. The infection is slowly killing you."

Annie suddenly couldn't feel anything. She couldn't feel the chill of the ice. She couldn't feel a thing. Fear swept over her like a tsunami.

"I'm sorry," Klaus said as he leaned forward, "I just told the other three. Out of all of them, Armin freaked out the most."

--Flashback--

"I'll tell Annie the seriousness of her infection," Klaus told them, "Now here's the scenario, I just told you three about it and you're all struck by this."

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Mikasa questioned, "Hiding the fact that we knew prior to this?"

"How do you think she'll react if she were told the truth of your knowledge?" Klaus answered, "Things like that will accelerate the infection's progress; so yes, this is the right choice."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Eren said.

All three began to walk away, until Klaus grabbed Armin's shirt.

"You, my friend, are bedridden," he said.

"What?" Armin was caught by surprise, "Why?"

"Let's just say," the eldest started, "I know love when I see it."

--End flashback--

"How long do I have?" Annie asked.

"That is beyond my knowledge," Klaus replied, "once the infection reaches the head, it's impossible to tell how long you have."

"What do you mean when it reaches my head?" the Russian questioned, a hint of fear in her voice.

'You'll see soon,' a voice inside her head answered.

"Be prepared for a shock," he said as he handed her a mirror.

Annie slowly took the mirror and gradually looked into it. She stared in horror of her reflection.

A red ring of muscle surrounded her left eye and three thin slits were lined up on the side between her cheek and jaw; just like her Titan.

Annie dropped the mirror. The reflective glass shattered upon impact.

"Why is this happening to me?" she whimpered, her hands covering her face.

'Because this your punishment, monster,' the voice replied.

"You're stuck in the past and trying to move on into the future at the same time," Klaus explained, "You're internally and emotionally conflicted. Which side you choose is up to you, but know that once you choose, you can never go back."

"But I've already chosen to move on," Annie cried, "but this thing is still here."

"Then it has to be something else," Klaus responded, "This can happen when one has serious regrets or anxiety over other people's perspectives of them. So what is it you did or didn't do?"