Shingeki no Jiyu

IV

      "Oi Jørgens," Leo hip-bumped her beneath the shade of the tarp. "Where'd you go the other night? Lover-Boy was beside himself."

      Adria was unsure of how to answer so she gave a shrug. All she could recall was feeling violently ill and then she went to the captains to help. She'd woken up this morning in one of the cabins with Isis and Susanne, both of which said nothing about her departure.

      Their ritual task was the first stage of initiation; scrubbing the shit out of the 3D manoeuvre mechanisms. Abram's was adamant that equipment couldn't be used until every single gear and scrape was memorised, the cadets would work on everything from the hand grips, grapple hooks, gas mechanism and iron wires before they were permitted to fasten the harnesses to themselves.

       While they cleaned and prepped the gear, Abram's explained its usage as if the cadets were stupid. He rambled on how the vertical equipment's purpose was to propel the individual towards and around objects via hooks and the gas propulsion. He went into detail about the total body strength needed to navigate with momentum to swing around targets such as titans. The disadvantage was obvious, being caught in an open space—it reminded Adria of how Gregory ended up, just out of reach.

      Adria kept work to focus on the mechanics written in Neal's book. The body of the device was harnessed to the lumbar of the back to evenly distribute the weight, the operating triggers were concealed for stealth and easy use in combat, the gas cylinder and blades were the lifeline both encased in ultra-hard steel.

      Iris raised one of the blades and grinned, "These were made in Dad's factory alright. I can't wait to take this out for a spin."

      "You won't be going anywhere Ms Kar," Abram's commented, inspecting a group's gear two benches down. "If you can't remain upright in the aptitude evaluation, I wouldn't even consider using you as fodder."

      Once the exercise was over and the cadets were properly geared up, Abram's lead them out of the shaded sanctuary to three apparatuses. Steel beams held leather chords which attached to their belts, Adria assumed that it was to test their balance, they'd be no good outside the Walls if they were constantly flipping on the spot.

      They lined up in front of the equipment, the third three people from each line would select a volunteer to be strapped in while the other two supported the ropes to keep the suspension even. Abram's gave no demonstration, he signalled with a grunt for the activity to commence.

      "Let me make this clear to all of you," he bellowed. "Each person who falls is immediately dismissed. I'm not wasting any more time on coddling; I've bide my time for seven years. There will be no arguments, anyone who fails this exercise will be sent back to their estates by night fall."

      That statement alone caused the first girl, a coffee-skinned soldier from Wall Rose, to tremble in the harness and fall on her back with a squeal. Abram's need not repeat himself, by crossing the applicant off the list, there would be no protest. The lines grew shorter as each cadet fell, Adria got to thinking that it was rigged until Leo was hoisted up. From the breast pocket of his jacket, he began to shuffle his deck of cards, perfectly poised above the ground.

      "Darwin, pass."

      Burchard was so relaxed in his restraint that he fell asleep, not moving a muscle until Graham released the rope. Graham too passed, only shaking a little once suspended. Susanne and Iris both fist bumped as they retained their composure.

      Adria set her jaw tight when she tugged on the front rope, raising Viktor's left leg off the ground. Her companion from Trost had been oddly quiet the entirety of the day, he didn't even crack a joke whilst in the line. His expression was slack and she could see the crescent indents his nails on his palms.