Friends with Benefits (Levi x OC)

Ch. 12: Breach at the Orvud Gate

Chapter 12: Breach at the Orvud Gate

We were briefed for the mission at 5 am straight after breakfast. 

This was to be an unofficial mission. The Survey Corps aren't well liked by senior government officials. That's why official expeditions have been reduced to about one per year. Our infamous causality rate gave them no choice but to reduce them. It takes us a while to gather new recruits and train them anyway, so it wasn't the worst thing in the world. For missions like these, the government wanted us to make a big show of it, to give the people hope. They knew that less people would get discouraged upon our return because we would come back with more alive than dead. Unofficial expeditions are short and have smaller goals, they also have less resources behind them.
A titan has messed up a part of the Orvud District gate so we've been tasked with killing the titans in the surrounding area and fixing the gate quickly.

Commander Erwin put together a select team, giving the squad leader position to Levi.
Sarah, Devin, and I were the only ones from our apartment hall picked for his team. This was going to be Hange's first mission beyond the walls. She was tasked with selecting a team that would be fit to fix the gate. Her team would manage the repair, while Levi's team would kill the titans in the surrounding area.

We were sat in lines facing Commander Erwin as he talked about the plans. Feeling like this was one of the easier missions we've been tasked with, I gave Sarah a confident nod. Devin was sat between us, ignoring us.

Everyone that originally joined up the same year as me have all died now except Devin. We were the 94th cadet corps. Sarah joined a year after I did (the 95th) so we didn't really work together until years later, finally finding ourselves in the same room in the barracks.

It's been three years now, everyone has passed through but Sarah, Devin and I. No one else has stayed as long as we have. Some of them left because they'd get promoted to higher positions. I'd been offered a few and I rejected them all. I guess I didn't want all the extra work. I wanted to stay a soldier. Three years (not including the three years it took to train) in the corps is beyond the life expectancy. Which is grim, because it statistically means I'm likely to die sooner rather than later. Before the three year mark, there's an air of security; you still have time before you are expected to die. The life expectancy age for the Survey Corps is 28. And I'm 25. So I suppose I have a few years of false security left in that regard. People join up at different ages, so nobody really uses age to calculate life expectancy.

The Commander finished explaining the plan and taking questions. Everyone began to filter out of the room,  Erwin waited patiently for everyone to leave first, like a school teacher. He made eye contact with me as I approached the door and motioned with his head for me to stay behind. I told Sarah I'd catch up with her and walked towards him. He waited for the last soldier to leave before closing the door behind them.

'I read the reports about all of these visions. Hange seems to really believe them useful. If she's right, I want you to know that I intend on using you to our strategic advantage.' He begun. 

'There are things in this world that don't make sense. Take your time to master these powers, I'll need you to have full control of them when I call on you to use them. Understand?' He said. I nodded, feeling a little scared.  The way he said this made it sound inevitable. He was assuming I would be able control the visions...

...But what if I can't.

'I know you have no interest in the rank system and have spent your years here happy as a soldier, but I think it's time you start trying to rise above the common rank. You're talented in more ways than one.' He was buttering me up for something, I could tell.