The Warriors of the Walls

The Wheel begins to Roll

LEVI

"Now what's this about?" I drawled as we all settled into the main room and taking my seat, my eyes followed Aurora as she brushed passed me to lean against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, unintentionally drawing focus to her shapely hips and I had to force myself to stop staring lest a look like a lecherous fool.

Two and a half years and I'm still completely enthralled by this woman...

"I'm sorry but pastor Nick..." Hange trailed off, unsure of what to say next and turning away from my love, I gave Hange my full attention as she found the words to speak, "He was murdered today in the Trost barracks. Nick was tortured by the interior military police and then was murdered."

Well damn...

Shocked gasps filled the room, except from Aurora whose eyes flickered to mine with an apprehension I shared, it seemed that whoever was against us was upping the ante and setting this wheel rolling.  

"I figured the church would want to get their hands-on Nick when they found out he was cooperating with the scouts, that's why I hid his identity and had him stay in the barracks." Hange continued as she stared down at her hands, her face a mask of shame, "I never imagine they would use soldiers to kill him. This is my fault; I should have been more careful." 

How Naïve.

She wasn't wrong, after all, she should have been more careful. These weren't rank amatuers we were dealing with, these people had hunted an entire family to the brink of extinction, hid one of the biggest secrets from all of mankind and have enough sway to interfere with the military, it was only a matter of time they found the good Pastor to find out just how much he had let slip and she should have known that.

"They tortured him, presumably for information" Hange summarised, her voice breaking ever so slightly, "Did they just want to know what he passed on to us?"

"Most likely, but these are the interior MPs that we are dealing with, so you can bet that there is something deeper at work here, something related to why they wanted these three." I gestured to Eren, Historia and Aurora who were all close by before turning back to Hange to find out how much Nick had gave up, "Now how many nails was the good Pastor missing? " I asked and shook my head at the shock on Hange's face before pressing further, "How many? You saw, right?"

"I only caught a glimpse of him" Hange grimaced, her distaste for the topic of torture plain to see, "But all the nail beds I saw were empty."

Well well, good old Nick had a pair of balls on him then, that is a pleasant surprise and one that works very well for us.

"People who talk, talk after one." Aurora stated, and as everyone including myself looked to her in surprise at knowing such information, she shrugged before adding, "My Grandfather told me that during one of my training sessions, and knowing what we do now, I guess he learnt it through first-hand experience."

As long as it was his own experience and not hers, then I can sleep soundly...

"He was right. If they don't talk, ripping off more won't make a difference." I smiled grimly, my respect for the dead priest growing, "I'm impressed. I didn't think highly of Pastor Nick but whatever his faults he stuck by his beliefs until the end. Which means they have no idea we know about the Reiss family, but the government is up to something and we have a target on our backs."

"Agreed. We need to-" Aurora began after pushing herself off the wall but she was interrupted by the front door swinging open with a bang to reveal a dishevelled Nifa as she stormed into the room and handed me a missive with a look of sheer panic.