Chapter 10: The Struggle for Trost part 2

Luckily for Michael death has decided it wasn’t his time, as he awakens to find Sasha, Connie, Christa and Ymir standing over him. He feels his face to make sure that’s he was still wearing his mask which to his relief he was.

“Michael! Are you alright?” Christa asks worriedly.

Michael couldn’t tell if he was still concussed or if he’s hallucinating right now, but as he looked up at the cute blonde girl, he could swear he was looking at a goddess.

But he was snapped out of the allusion by Ymir who grabbed him by the shirt and started to shake him.

“Get your mopey ass up already, Michael. Armin’s still in a trance, so its down to you to tell us what the hell happened.”

“How did I… get here?” He asked still a little dazed.

“Lazarus found you unconscious in the clock tower. He and Reiner carried you and Armin here.” Connie explained to him.

“Really? Where is Lazarus?” Michael asked.

The others point over to the other end of the roof where Lazarus was tending to Armin, trying to help calm him down. Reiner, Bertolt, Annie and Marco were standing behind him. By the looks of things, Armin was still losing it, which Michael can’t fault him for given how Eren pretty much died in his place. He cannot imagine the amount of guilt that was consuming him right now.

“It wasn’t your fault, Armin. Eren chose to save you. That doesn’t make you weak and pathetic.” Lazarus attempted to comfort him.

“I’m- I’m sorry for being a burden.” Armin muttered, tears endlessly pouring out his eyes.

“You’re no burden.” He notices out of the corner of his eye that Michael had finally woken up. “You’ve been through so much. Take it easy for a while. I’ll ask Michael what went down.”

As he slowly walked over to Michael, Lazarus couldn’t help but notice all the other cadets sitting around him, wallowing in despair. Like Armin, most of them have been mentally scarred by the events that he and Bertolt were responsible for. They were all suffering because of him. And no matter how much he told himself that it was for the sake of the whole world, and these people were devils. He still felt like a piece of shit for putting them through this hell.

Among the cadets, he couldn’t help but notice a young girl trying so desperately to revive her boyfriend who was severely injured and probably on the brink of death. In an act of desperation, she uses CPR to restart his heart, but to no avail.

She cried out to the others to help her, but nobody answered. They were all too broken to even care. The girl broke down crying, fearing that she is now going to lose the man she loved.

Seeing this reminded Lazarus about his own feelings for Annie. He feared the day that she would be the one lying there with death slowly claiming her, and he’d be the one powerless to save her. As powerful as he was, not even he could bring the dead back to life. He himself cannot die, but that didn’t mean he had nothing to lose.

Clenching his fists, Lazarus rushed over to the couple and offered his help. He places his ear against the boys chest, listening for a heartbeat. His heightened hearing was able to pick up one, but it was erratic. If he doesn’t do something fast then he will die.

“Listen to me Hannah, I need you to step away from Franz now!”

Hannah attempted to object but Lazarus insisted, showing her how serious he was. She eventually did as she was told and stepped aside. Making sure nobody was watching, Lazarus pulls out a tiny bottle with a strange liquid in it. He opens it up and quickly pours a single drop onto Franz’s wound, and stashes it back into his jacket pocket before anyone would notice.

He then pretended to do CPR on him to make it look like he was reviving him. After a few hard pushes and breathes down his mouth, Franz wakes up and struggles to catch his breath.

Hannah quickly rushes to her lovers side and embraces him. Finally, amongst all this despair and loss, something good came to light. Lazarus smiled a little. This would never be enough to make up for the things he’s done, but he hopes at least that this would help tell everyone that he wasn’t a bad person. He was just a warrior who was forced to do bad things for what his cause perceived as the greater good.

“Lazarus…You…saved my life?!” Franz addressed him, still coughing from the lack of oxygen.

“Hey, I’d do the same for all of my comrades.”

Hannah then hugs Lazarus, catching the albino warrior off guard. He hesitantly returns the hug despite his thoughts.

“Thank you so much. You’re a hero!” She praised.

A hero. That was all Lazarus had ever dreamt of being. It was his whole reason for becoming a Warrior in the first place. To show the world that he can be a symbol of hope rather than something to be feared. This was the first time he’d heard anyone call him a hero. And the first person to do so, was someone he considered an enemy of the world.

“How can I ever repay you for saving me?” Franz asked.

“Just try to stay alive and we’ll call it even. Stay alive so that you and Hannah can live a long happy life together when this is over.”

Lazarus continued to walk over to Michael after saving Franz. The two friends share a brief reunion as Michael tells him what happened to his squad and how he and Armin were the only survivors.

It was at this moment that Mikasa arrived and overhears the conversation. The moment she heard Michael mention Eren’s death, it was as if her whole world came tumbling down. But she refused to believe it. She rushes over to Michael and grabs him by the shirt, pulling him up on his feet.

“What did you say?!” She asks in blind denial.

Michael pushes her off and readjusts his jacket.

“Get off!… Look, I know this isn’t what you wanna hear, but its true. Eren is-

Mikasa attempts to grab him again but was held back by Lazarus. Before things could get out of hand, Armin breaks up the fight by confirming it.

Mustering all his strength, Armin states that Eren, Mina, Thomas and the others had fought valiantly against the Titans, but in the end were unable to come out of it alive. He starts to break down crying again as he mentioned how Eren sacrificed himself for him.

Mikasa holds his hand and calms him down just as Lazarus had done before.

With the vanguard wiped out, the cadets were left to defend themselves. And even if some of them still had the will to keep going, all of them were low on gas. And the supply depot in the rear was swarming with Titans. They’d all be risking too much if they made an attempt to get the gas themselves.

Fed up with the amount of weaklings around her, Mikasa gives them a speech about how strong she is compared to them and how none of them come close. Even when one random soldier reminded her of how she was only second to Lazarus, she didn’t care. She doesn’t care at all if they’re willing to fight or not. She will take on the Titans herself.

She then leaves them to twiddle their thumbs. All of them dumbfounded as to what just happened.

Following her example, Michael decided to rejoin the fight as well. He owes it to his squad to end this mission.

Lazarus watches as Michael followed Mikasa. He looks back at everyone else who appeared to be even more unwilling to fight as ever. Though he agreed with her, she could’ve at least given them a more motivational speech instead of calling them weak cowardly worms… Looks like it was up to him to give the others the motivation they needed.

“Hey! Don’t just stand there! We were taught to never let our comrades fight alone. All of you graduated for a reason, and that reason is to make a difference! Prove your worth! I won’t deny that some of us will die, but even if we do, we’ll go down in history as the bravest rookies the world has ever known! I have faith in all of you, and if we fight as one, we’ll have a greater chance at surviving. Now follow me!” he shouted.

Drawing his katana blades, Lazarus blasted off with his Cloud Zero and followed after Michael and Mikasa.

Reiner, Bertolt, Annie and Marco soon follow after him, which inspired many others to join in, until eventually, everyone joined in the fight. All of them let out a battle cry as they follow Lazarus’s lead.

Lazarus, Michael and Mikasa prove themselves to be the most skilled with their ODM gear. All of them butchering as many Titans as they can, so the others behind them had less trouble to deal with.

Mikasa however eventually ran out of gas and ended up falling to the ground below. Michael attempts to go after her, but Lazarus stops him. He points over to a group of Titans that were praying on some of the rookies.

Michael nods and the two of them go back to save the rookies. But no matter how many Titans they kill, more and more keep appearing. With their gas and blades running low, it was only a matter of time until they ran out.

“Damnit! There’s too many of them. And we’re only halfway to the supply depot. I’m not even sure we’ll have enough gas left to make it.” Michael muttered.

“Lazarus, do we move out?” Annie asked.

“Not yet. We have to let the others gather up first. Once everyone’s accounted for, we have to check and see who how much gas they-

A sudden jolt of electricity charges through Lazarus’s mind, causing him to freeze up all of a sudden. Deep within his psyche he feels a presence. A presence he’d never felt before.

Ever since he mastered the majority of the Winged Titans powers, he was able to establish a connection to other Titan shifters. This connection was what allowed him to telepathically communicate with them. But this power also allows him to sense any other Titans shifters nearby once their power has been awakened.

And right now, he felt the presence of a new Titan power awakening for the first time. And he can pinpoint exactly where it was. It was right here in Trost. Near their location.

“Lazarus, you ok?” Michael asked. “You having another one of those blackouts like during training?”

“No. This is something else.” Annie pointed out. She’s been around Lazarus long enough to know what he’s like when he’s experiencing a blackout. “What is it, Laz?” She telepathically asks him so that Michael couldn’t hear.

“I felt the awakening of a new Titan power, right here in Trost.”

“Is it the Founder?” Reiner joined in.

“No. The power levels too small for it to be the Founding Titan… It has to be-

His thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud demonic roar that came from behind them. Everyone turns around in response and all of them could not believe what they were seeing. A Titan attacking other Titans.

Lazarus was even more shocked than the others. He’d seen this Titan before. It was the same one as the monster he’d seen in his latest vision. The Titan that appeared to have wanted to kill him. With that knowledge combined with what he felt earlier, he was able to piece it all together.

“There’s no doubt in my mind… This is the Attack Titan. One of the nine that has the strongest will of them all. It’s been here this whole time.”

But there was still one question that lingered in his and the Warriors minds. If this was the Attack Titan, then who is it’s host? They’ll only be able to find out of they find a way to capture it. It may just be a coincidence, But Lazarus felt deep down that the Attack Titan and its user may be the key they need to finding the Coordinate.

Michael was in a complete state of confusion. Never had he or anyone else thought of the possibility of a Titan attacking its own kind. And on top of that, it appeared to show no interest in eating them. It seemed that this Titans only goal was to kill the others.

“This Titan… It’s like it’s the manifestation of humanity’s rage.” He thought to himself.

Suddenly, Armin spoke out to the others. He explains to them a plan that he had just come up with. The plan involved the Attack Titan and using it to clear out the swarm of Titans at the supply depot, allowing them to get inside and resupply.

The majority thought of his plan as stupid, but Michael, Lazarus, and a few others actually saw the potential in it and believed that it could work.

This plan was a gamble with a vey high chance of failure. But they didn’t have any other options. The others agree to Armin’s plan and make a break for HQ, making a lot of loud noise to draw the Attack Titans attention towards the base.

The plan was working so far. The rookies were able to reach HQ unharmed while the Titans were focused on the Attack Titan.

Each of them came crashing through the glass windows, nailing their landings with not one of them getting so much as a scratch from broken shards of glass.

Jean’s group were the last to arrive. None of them were aware of the Attack Titan that was fighting off all the Titans outside HQ. Once Lazarus, Michael and the others arrive, they explain the situation to them and how they plan to use the Attack Titan to secure victory.

Many of them still had questions as to how such a Titan could exist. But the best they could do was just hang back and let it continue its rampage.

But with all the Titans being dealt with outside, there was still the many smaller Titans inside that they have to deal with. And to make matters worse, their supplies were in the basement where they dwelled.

Michael, Jean and Marco were able to find boxes filled with loaded rifles left behind by the Military Police. Bullets won’t be enough to kill the Titans, but they hope that it’ll at least slow them down.

Lazarus and Armin decide to put their tactical minds together to come up with a plan on eliminating the Titans and getting to the supplies. Everyone gathered around the map of the building they’re in, paying attention to the plan.

“From what we’ve gathered, we’re looking at around seven Titans of the three meters tall variety in the supply room. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo could be enough to do the trick.” Armin started off.

“Right.” Lazarus continued for him. “Step 1, we lower a group into the supply area via lift to get the Titans attention. Step 2, when the Titans come within range, the group will fire in all directions simultaneously, blinding them. And for the third and final step. Before the Titans have time to recover, seven of us will swoop down from the ceiling and strike their vital regions.”

“Mmhmm, that’s our plan. Lazarus will handpick the most skilled of us to take out the Titans, while the rest of us bait them.” Armin finished the explanation.

“Sounds like a big risk. But it’s our only chance.” Michael spoke out. He picks up one of the rifles and loads it up. “Let’s do this!”

Lazarus nods and turns to the others, ready to pick who’ll join him.

“Mikasa, Jean, Reiner, Annie, Bertolt, Sasha, Connie. You’re with me. The rest of you will join Michael and Armin in the lift… Good luck everyone.”

Everyone was determined to carry out this plan, believing it to be their best chance at getting to their supplies and finally escaping Trost.

Lazarus and the other seven skilled fighters all ready their ODM gear and take the stairs down to the basement, while Michael’s group load up the rifles and board the elevator.

“Hey Armin.” Lazarus addressed him. “Your strategic mind is really impressive. I’m glad we have someone like you still with us. And if Eren were still here, he’d be proud.”

“He’s right.” Mikasa butted in. “That mind has saved Eren and me more than once.”

Armin was touched by their kind words. He never thought of himself as the most intelligent mind of the group. And this plan he and Lazarus worked on, he was just making it up as he went along. He’s not even 100% sure if it would work or not. But if his comrades had faith in him, then he should too.

The two teams went their separate ways. Lazarus couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Reiner talking about shoving their blades up the Titans ass, joking about it being their second weak spot. And what made it funnier was Connie and Sasha believing it.

For a moment it did take their minds off of things, calming the group down as they got into position atop the roof beams. All of them blades drawn, waited for the others to arrive in the elevator. None of the Titans noticed them yet. So far the plan was working.

Once the elevator reached the bottom, all the cadets ready their rifles. The Titans slowly notice them and make their way over to their location.

“Steady.” Michael whispered. “Don’t lose your cool. Only fire once all of them are in range.”

As the Titans close in around them, Michael gives the order to open fire. Everyone fires rounds into the Titans eyes, blinding them in the process.

“NOW!” Lazarus shouted.

He and the others run across the beams until they were directly above the small Titans. Then with one massive leap, they manage to slice at their napes, ending them for good.

Unfortunately, Sasha and Connie miss their targets and end up crashing hard to the ground, leaving them at the mercy of the Titans.

Sasha pleaded with the Titan thinking it’ll make a difference, but she was sorely mistaken.

Luckily she was saved by Lazarus who leaps up behind it and slashes its nape. His longer blades gave him more reach compared to the standard blades, so it was no issue.

Annie takes out the other Titan gunning for Connie, saving his life. She wasn’t even sure why she put herself in danger for the enemy like that. Maybe Lazarus’s sympathy towards them has rubbed off on her.

With the Titans destroyed and gratitudes given, the rest of the group join them and begin resupplying their ODM gear. Everyone was now more hopeful than ever. Hopeful that they can win this fight.

Everyone storms out of HQ and prepares to battle the Titans. But what came next was something that they’d never thought they’d see. The Attack Titan was being cannibalised by the other Titans. What made it stranger was the fact that he wasn’t regenerating.

“What’s going on?” Armin uttered. “They’re eating it?

“Damnit! I was hoping that abnormal might be the key to our victory. As crazy as it sounds, he could’ve been the tide that gave humanity the hope to finally win against the Titans.” Michael added.

Lazarus couldn’t agree more. The Attack Titan was too valuable both to them and their mission to let get eaten. Five years they’ve waited for a lead like this to appear, and now they’ve finally got something. They can’t afford to let whoever was controlling it to be eaten.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we have to save that Titan. He’s too valuable to just let die. There’s so much we could learn from him. I think it’s perfectly clear that we should make protecting him our top priority.”

“Are you out of your mind?!” Jean raised his voice. “We finally have a path out of here and you wanna stay?”

“Think about it.” Annie interrupted him. “Having an Abnormal as an ally would be an incredible advantage, right? Cannons have got nothing on a Titan that likes to rip apart it’s own kind.”

Jean continued to argue with the Warriors, further dismissing the idea of treating this new Titan as a friend.

But all arguments ceased when Michael directed them towards the Attack Titan which has fallen over and died. It’s last course of action was killing the Titan that ate Thomas before succumbing to it’s injuries.

It’s body soon began to evaporate. At last the Warriors will be able to identify it’s user. But they were all shocked to learn that the one controlling the Attack Titan… was Eren Yeager, back from the dead.

Mikasa quickly rushed down to him and held him in her arms. Her eyes were filled with tears of joy. She like everyone else believed Eren had died. Yet here he was, emerging from the nape of a Titan. What’s even stranger, was the fact that his left arm and leg had grown back.

Michael and the others were at a complete loss for words. How was this possible? How can Eren be a Titan?

The only ones who knew were the Warriors. Lazarus looked back at all the Titan corpses evaporating into steam. Then he looked back at Eren. Then he thought back on his latest vision of Eren’s Titan charging towards him.

At some point in a possible future, he and Eren are destined to fight each other. Meaning at some point, he – and possibly the others – will learn his true identity.

He had no idea how Eren came to possess the Attack Titan or if he was even aware of his Titan powers. But one thing was clear.

Eren is the key to finding the Coordinate. It might also be possible that he may be the friend he’d been searching for. But right now, all he and the others could do was wait and see what happens next.

To Be Continued