Chapter 21: Assault on Stohess Part 1

Hitch had just returned to the barracks for all the rookie MPs after a long day of patrolling and then later drinking. Since tomorrow she was given a very important task of providing escort to the Scouts through Stohess to the capital, she decided tonight was her only chance to enjoy her free time.

She and the other recruits spent most of their time at the bar, drinking and enjoying each other's company. All except Marlo who was still affected by the events with the corruption of the senior officers.

In the end, Hitch ended up getting drunk from their evening out, forcing Marlo to guide her back to her room, carrying her over his shoulder.

"Hey, Marlo!" She addresses him in her drunken state. "Why do I have to go to bed so soon? The fun was only just getting started!"

"Because you threw up all over the bar table, and I was forced to pay for it to be cleaned up!" Marlo annoyingly answered. "You also owe me a new jacket once you've sobered up."

Hitch started to laugh hysterically as her body sways side to side. Her shirt starts to fall open, revealing a little too much cleavage for Marlo's liking.

"Stand up straight. And button up your shirt. It's starting to fall open."

She suddenly uses her left arm to cover her breasts, still laughing at Marlo's seriousness.

"Marlo! Quit staring you pervert. Hahahahaha!"

Marlo ignores her outbursts and focuses on getting her back to her room. The sooner he does that, the better his chances of making it back to his room in time for an early night.

"You're even more annoying when you're drunk." He sighs in relief upon seeing the door to her and Annie's room. "Finally. Maybe now I can get some-

He pauses upon hearing some strange, muffled sounds coming from inside Hitch and Annie's room. Because the door was closed and the room itself was mildly soundproof, he had difficulty making out what those sounds were.

"That's odd. Did Lazarus leave and Annie decided to have an early night as well?" He thought to himself. "Well, at least someone in our unit isn't a slacker. Like you."

He gently sits Hitch down against the wall so that he could knock politely and ask Annie to help him carry Hitch to her bed. But he stopped as his hand was inches away from hitting the door when he heard the sound of what briefly sounded like… moaning.

Specifically, the moaning of a woman, combined with the sounds of the bed hitting the side of the wall. Marlo's face immediately turned red upon realising what exactly was going on in that room. He took a couple of steps away from the door and turns away in embarrassment, using his hands to hide his face.

"Don't tell me she's-" He gulps uncomfortably, struggling to find the strength to even finish that sentence. "I never pegged her as THAT type of girl when nobody's around! Has she no shame? What if someone else were to walk in and see her like… that?!"

He then hears the faint voices of Lazarus and Annie from behind the door.

"Wait, Annie! You want to continue in this position?!"

"Yes. You've got a problem with that?"

"It's just that… It seems a little… strange?"

"It's fine. You don't have to hold anything back. I can take it!"

Those barely audible words caused Marlo to collapse to the floor and clutch the side of his head, trying to drown out the sounds of ecstasy behind that door.

"She's not alone! Lazarus is in there with her, and they're… I know they're together, and their bond is strong. But here? Why do it here of all places?! What am I supposed to do with Hitch now?!"

His mind was trying its hardest to block out the noise with his thoughts. He instead started focusing his attention on why all the dorm rooms don't have locks on their doors. He'd expect the quarters of every MP to have them. So why don't they?

He had many theories on the subject. Such as, the barracks were guarded from the outside so there was no need. The MPs couldn't afford locks for all the quarters. Or some of the corrupt higher-ups intentionally did this in the hopes of spying on the cadets, preferably the women. That last one was successful in taking his mind off of the couples love making and - weirdly enough – give him even more motivation to accomplish his goal of rising through the ranks and making a difference to the regiment.

"Oh wow! They're going at it like dogs in there."

Marlo's head quickly turns around and he was mortified to see Hitch peeking in through the slightly opened door and spying on them.

"Hitch! Get away from there!" He whispered at her, trying his hardest not to alert the couple to their presence.

"Wow. Lazarus has got a nice bod. And Annie's so small compared to him. How did a sour puss like her land a hunk like that?" She thought to herself as she watched on. She starts to blush more the longer she stared at them. "… He's really good. It's strange hearing Annie making those sounds, or even making an expression like that."

She pauses once she notices something else about Lazarus. She knew she was very drunk right now, but she could swear her eyes weren't deceiving her.

"Are those horns on his head? How very odd." She quietly muttered to herself.

Marlos quickly pulls her away from the door and gently closes it without making a sound, whilst also keeping his eyes shut.

Without thinking, he grabs Hitch by her arm and starts dragging her far away from her room.

"Hey, Marlo! I wasn't finished watching the show! It was getting good as well."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. You're drunk, and the room is clearly occupied. Therefore, I'm taking you to your parent's house. You can spend the night there."

"But Marlooooo! I wanted to ask if I could get in on the fun." Hitch complained like a child having a tantrum. She even started making herself limp, forcing Marlo to start dragging her across the room.

Eventually, all of this was too much for poor Marlo to handle. Frustrated with her behaviour, he takes a deep breath and prepares to unleash a loud slur of words to express his annoyance and intolerance of her actions.

But as he was about to, he suddenly realised that the reason she collapsed wasn't to make life harder for him. But because she ended up passing out on the floor. She started snoring uncontrollably with some drool dripping out of her mouth.

Marlo only growled in response. Now he was forced to carry her to Hitch's parent's house. And to make matters worse. Her parent's house was located near the inner gate of Stohess, which was a twenty-minute walk from the barracks.

"What did I do to deserve this?" He thought to himself as he picked Hitch up and carried her on his back down the hall. "So much for having an early night tonight."

The next morning, Lazarus and Annie were sound asleep in the bottom bunk of the bed. Since it was a single-sized bed, there wasn't much room for the both of them. But the two Warriors managed to make room by cuddling with each other. Annie was resting her head and right arm on Lazarus's chest with his left arm draped over her. The two of them were still naked, covered only by the bed covers.

The sun's beams shone through the bedroom window, hitting Lazarus's face. The brightness of it causes Lazarus to stir until he slowly awakens from his peaceful rest. He notices Annie cuddling him on his right side, causing him to blush slightly. Though their actions yesterday would say that they had nothing left to get embarrassed over, it was still all too new for him.

A warm smile soon appears on his face in response to Annie beginning to stir in her sleep. He decided to give her a nice warm awakening by kissing her forehead. Annie groaned in response as her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the sun's light filling the room. She then looks up at her beloved and smiles in response.

"Good morning, beautiful." Lazarus greeted her affectionately.

Annie blushed slightly but returned the gesture by kissing him on his lips. "Good morning yourself, handsome."

"I can't believe we did that." He spoke out without thinking. "Last night was… it was amazing." He turns back to her after a brief look around the room. "Was I… any good?"

"It was my first time as well. But I enjoyed it just as much as you did… Though I may have trouble walking today." She bluntly stated.

This causes Lazarus to start feeling worried, which was exactly what Annie was hoping his reaction to be.

"I'm messing with you… But I'm glad we did this. It's nice to have a moment of bliss after all we've been through since we first arrived here."

"Yeah. Though I probably won't tell Reiner and Bertolt about this. Especially Bertolt. He's had a crush on you since the academy. I don't want him to resent me for it. He doesn't show it, but I can tell a part of him hates me for winning your heart before he had a chance to."

Annie didn't know how to respond to that. She had no idea Bertolt also had feelings towards her. Part of her started to feel a little bad for him. But in the end, she knows she made the right choice of being with Lazarus. Not just because he was easy on the eyes. That he had a Demi-Godlike Titan. Or even the fact that he was very "gifted" down there. But because he was caring of others, and was always willing to do the unthinkable to protect her and their friends. His actions with her father, getting him to see the error of his ways and apologise to her and act more like a parent than a war veteran. That moment was when she had fallen in love with him. She wanted to let him know how much she loved and appreciated him for a while. But all of that had to be postponed for their mission.

As she looked out the window, she realised that today was the day her fate would be decided. There's a strong possibility that she may die today. But if that were to happen, she'd die happy knowing that she got to spend her final moments in bliss with the man she loves.

Lazarus soon notices the time on the clock hanging on the opposite wall. He was then shocked to realise that it was 8:30, almost nine o'clock. Annie is supposed to be at her post in half an hour. And he should've been at the Scouts headquarters ages ago.

Slightly panicked, He rushes out of bed and scours the floor for his clothes. Annie leans up from bed. She didn't bother covering her breasts as it would've been pointless now that they'd made it to third base.

As Lazarus was putting on the last piece of his clothing, (his Scout jacket) he felt something in his right breast pocket press up against him. He then remembers that he'd brought Annie a gift that could help her out should she be in a constricted situation, as well as something for her to remember him by.

Annie eventually gets out of bed and decides to tease Lazarus by wearing his hat on her head. Lazarus's response was a mixture of being weirded out and playful laughter. He'd never seen his hat being worn by anyone else before. And the fact that the hat was the only thing she was wearing at the moment only made it weirder.

"Strangely enough, it makes you look even more attractive." He teased her back. "Maybe I should paint a picture of you laying seductively on the bed wearing only my hat."

That got a little chuckle out of Annie, which only made Lazarus smile even more. He rarely got to hear Annie laugh, so it was a nice thing to hear now and then.

Annie starts to pick up her clothes and get changed herself, only to be stopped by Lazarus who appeared to be kneeling on one knee. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. Annie's eyes shot wide in shock upon realising what kind of box it was.

"Is he gonna… pr- propose?!" She panicky asked herself, still struggling to accept this. "Damnit, Laz! You couldn't have at least waited until I was dressed before asking me to marry you?"

"Annie. I know how this looks. But this isn't a proposal." He hesitantly admitted. "At least, not yet."

"Wh- what?!" She stuttered in her words. "What do you mean not yet?"

"I mean. One day I will ask you the question for real, under better circumstances. But for now, I want to make you a promise. A promise that you won't die today! That we'll all return home to Marley, and save the world! And after I rid the world of Titans, including ours. I will ask you to marry me for real. Until then." He opens the box and reveals a small metal ring sitting inside. "Here's a ring that not only symbolises that promise but may also save your life."

Lazarus takes the ring out of its box and gently places it on her right ring finger. At this moment her mind was full of so many heartfelt emotions, that she was trying so hard to resist the urge to pin Lazarus down on her bed, strip off his clothes again, and go a second round. But instead, she just admires her promise ring. She soon notices that the ring had a little spike resting in its compartment.

"I made it myself. I did this during my stay in the cabin in the last months of the 104th Cadet Corps. I made it in case of emergencies. The Scouts will attempt to lure you underground, preventing you from transforming. Should you attempt to transform before then, they'll probably have soldiers quickly restrain you before you can trigger it. Should that happen, use the ring to transform. Once you're in Titan form, I want you to get as far away from here as possible."

"What about Eren?" Annie asked.

"Reiner, Bertolt, and I will think up another plan. What's more important is that you save yourself. Get outside the walls and head for the old ruined castle we camped in the night after we lost Marcel. We'll meet up with you as soon as possible. The moment an opportunity comes, we'll grab Eren and Michael and meet you there. Understand?"

Annie looks down at the ring on her finger as she thought over what Lazarus had said. She didn't like the idea of turning tail and running away, but she didn't wish to die at the hands of the Scout Regiment either. If it means she'll finally return home and have a future with Lazarus, then it's a price worth paying.

"Ok. I trust you. But you better not keep me waiting too long."

Lazarus caresses her cheek. "I'll try not to… As long as I have your love, and the support of my friends, I can do anything."

He shares one last, long and passionate kiss with the girl he loves before leaving her for what may be a very long time.

Annie breaks off the kiss and places the black Stetson back atop its owner's head, covering up his horns once again.

"Goodbye, Lazarus."

"Not goodbye, Annie. Just, until we meet again. Because I know we will, my love." He says with such sincerity.

He then heads over to the door. He gives Annie one last look, only just realising that she still had no clothes on. He chuckles to himself a little as he waves back at her before walking out of the door for good.

Annie sighs the moment the door closed behind him. Annie didn't want that nice moment to end, but the world was just too cruel to allow everlasting happiness for her, after everything she'd done in such a short amount of time.

She wasn't sure what was in store for her today, but she did know the Scouts were coming for her and planned to lure her into a trap. She wanted to capture Eren and finally complete their mission, but she didn't want to risk dying and leaving Lazarus all alone. No matter what happens, she was determined to stay alive to fulfil both promises she made to her father and Lazarus. With that said, she finally start to put her clothes back on and ready herself for the big day ahead of her.

By the time Lazarus made it back to the Scout's base, he'd already been filled in by Michael on their plan to capture Annie and interrogate her.

Though his horse was running at full speed, it would've been a miracle for him to have made it back to base on time. Levi questioned him on why he was so late, but Michael had defended him by fabricating a tale that he was sleeping in due to the exhaustion he had over barely escaping death. Levi was not one to be easily fooled, but he trusted Michael's judgement and accepted it.

Erwin then had Michael fill him in on their plans to capture Annie, which of course he already knew, but pretended to be just as shocked as Eren was when he first found out.

He acted like he was in denial to help convince them how broken up by this reveal he was, and everyone bought it. That all happened four hours ago.

Now the Scouts were in Wall Sina's Stohess District carrying out Erwin's instructions. The plan involved having Jean and a random Scout posing as Michael and Eren, though it was a poor disguise as they looked nothing like them. Whilst the real Eren and Michael will be with Mikasa and Armin seeking Annie out and asking for her help to sneak them out of the city when the actual goal was to lure her underground and trap her.

As for Lazarus, he was one of the Scouts tasked with guarding the underground tunnel, fully equipped with his Cloud Zero ODM gear, tasked with attacking Annie should she transform into the Female Titan before reaching the abandoned tunnels.

Hange had a couple of Titan-trapping cannons that she used in the forest set up atop several houses in case she makes a run for it. Only this time, there won't be any Pure Titans around to save her.

He was amongst veteran Scouts, as the rest of his comrades in the 104th were sent away to another Scout base in the county as they were all under suspicion of being the Winged, Armoured and Colossal Titans. The fact that Lazarus was taking part in this mission showed how trusted he was among the Scout's leaders, which only made the inevitable reveal much more painful.

He soon spots Annie walking with Michael, Eren and the others through the deserted streets, with many soldiers on the ground disguised as citizens, hiding in allies and behind boxes.

"So far so good. Once we reach the tunnel, the truth will be certain… I keep hoping it's not you, Annie. Only because I don't want Lazarus to end up heartbroken. If I kill you, he'll never forgive me." Michael notices Lazarus's hat sticking out over the rooftop he was hiding behind. He lowered his head, worried over how that'll all play out. 

"I'm sorry, Lazarus. But she's too dangerous to be left alive. I hope you can forgive me one day."

"I hope so too, Michael." He muttered to himself under his breath.

Though now wasn't the time for this, Lazarus was relieved to see that he was successful in forming a psychic link to Michael as well now that he's unlocked his Titan powers. Through him, he can learn all of his next moves before he could make them. Hoping it'll give Annie an edge should she be forced to fight him again.

The group soon reach the underground tunnels and make their way downstairs. As expected of Michael and Armin, Annie decided not to follow them any further, knowing this was a trap. All the Scouts were on standby, waiting for the signal to restrain her should she try and transform.

Eren questioned why she wouldn't come down, asking if she was afraid of the dark. Annie knew they suspected her, so it was pointless trying to deceive them any further. Armin was clutching his signal gun in his right hand, ready to fire an acoustic round should she try anything.

"Annie," Michael spoke up, addressing her seriously. "Were you the one who killed Marco? Armin says you had his ODM gear. You must've killed him and taken it for your use. Is that right?"

"No." Annie simply replied. "I did not kill him. However, I did find his gear and took it, that part is true."

Michael could always tell – most of the time – when a person was lying to him by the tone of their voice and the twitch of their eyebrows. It was a skill he learned from Erwin as a child. Though Annie had been lying to him about a lot of things, he knew she was telling the truth about not being the one responsible for Marco's death.

"I see… So you didn't kill him. But you DID kill the two Titans we've had in custody, didn't you?"

"Who knows," Annie said calmly. "But if you suspected all of this a month ago, why did you wait this long to say anything?"

"Because even now I refuse to believe it!" Michael raised his voice. "When we fought in the forest I instantly recognised your fighting stance. I remembered our sparring match during training and learned from my defeat. That was how I beat you. But I was too hesitant and in complete denial at that time, so my Titan acted on its own and attacked you based on my emotions."

"So then, you didn't mean to kill me?" Annie asked hesitantly, still a little frazzled from the terrors of their fight. "I should've guessed it wasn't you who tore my body apart… We're here because I let you live. Even though I didn't want to risk it, I did it anyway. Because I know Lazarus would never forgive me."

"Now you know how I feel!" Michael blurted out. "I had to look him straight in the eye and tell him what you are! He loved you, Annie! And now because of your actions, he's going to be consumed by despair until he no longer has the will to fight. And if I were to kill you, he would grow to hate me until the day I die."

"Annie please!" Eren decided to get involved, still refusing to believe that she was a traitor. "You've taken this joke far enough, just tell us this is all some kind of horrible prank, it's not too late! Come on, we'll understand. Just come down and we'll talk. You can prove to us we're mistaken by walking down these stairs. Please!"

Michael grabs a hold of Eren's shoulder and holds him back from heading back up the stairs. Both he and Armin were still in complete denial to think logically at this moment, blinded by their emotions.

Mikasa however has heard enough of her squabble and draws her blades, ready to strike her down where she stood.

"Enough! I'm not listening to another word of this! There's no point in denying it any longer. I will carve you up if you even think about laying a finger on Eren. Do you understand me, Female Titan?!"

There was a long pause as all parties were awaiting Annie's response to Mikasa's threat. They were all shocked to see the sudden change in Annie's emotionless expression. This time she wore a look of an insane woman with an evil smirk. This smirk then broke out into a fit of menial laughter that caused Eren and Armin to feel eerie, whilst Michael and Mikasa were left fully convinced she was the enemy.

As soon as Annie's calmed herself down, she addresses Armin again. Her thumb was grazing over her promise ring as she spoke.

"You know, Armin. It's nice that I could be a good person for you. For now, at least, it looks like you won your bet. But… I'm going to gamble too. And here's my wager!" She quickly brings up her finger, ready to bite it and transform.

Armin fires off the acoustic round, alerting all the nearby soldiers to restrain Annie, locking her arms in place and gagging her mouth with a cloth. But Annie remembered Lazarus's last words to her about the ring and uses her thumb to free the spike within it.

Mikasa was the first to notice what she was doing and drags Eren and Armin further down into the tunnel. Michael responds by slamming his palms down on the ground, causing his power to awaken and summon a wall of Titan crystal to block off the entrance just as Annie cuts her thumb.

The lighting strike instantly kills all the soldiers holding her, allowing Annie to be free to transform once again into the Female Titan.

Lazarus and the other Scouts on the rooftops all look away from the blast as it lights up the area. Once his eyesight was restored, he can see the Female Titan staring down at him.

"Run!" Lazarus telepathically ordered her.

The Female Titan did as instructed and made a run through the streets, hoping to reach the outer gate.

"She's getting away! After her!" One of the Scouts ordered the others nearby. He then turns to Lazarus. "Averbach, let's move it!"

"But- But Annie."

"I'm sorry but you know she has to be stopped! Put your feelings aside and focus on the mission already!" He ordered.

Lazarus nodded and follows the other Scouts who chased after her.

Deep underground, Michael and the others had barely managed to survive the transformation blast. With the entrance blocked off thanks to Michael's hardening, the group were forced to head deeper underground and find another means of escape. Then once they're above ground, Michael and Eren must assume Titan form and work together to stop Annie.

Michael knew that she knew they were leading her into a trap and she was going to transform before reaching the tunnel. And he managed to make preparations for it should the plan fail.

As they were nearing the crossroads in the tunnel, they were startled by the roof above them being broken through by the Female Titan's foot. Underneath it was a horrifically smushed Scout, most likely killed by her stomping the ground so hard the roof of the tunnel caved in.

The other dodged the attack by a hair. Had Michael not reacted in time, they all would've been flattened.

Through the hole, they can see the Female Titan glaring down at them. But to their surprise, she decided to run away rather than attempt to grab them. That was something Michael and the others hadn't anticipated.

"Why is she running away?" Michael asked first before the other had a chance to. "Her objective is to capture me and Eren. So why is she giving up?"

"She's taken too many chances. She's on her own now, the Winged Titan isn't around to give her orders. She's probably more focused on escaping than being captured."

"If that's the case, then I won't let her get away!" Michael responded before running towards the hole in the ceiling. But Eren grabs him by the arm and stops him.

"Wait, Michael. You can't take her on alone."

"Why not? I was easily able to take her down on my own before, and I can do it again!"

"But that wasn't you. You said so yourself." He interrupted him. "The second time I transformed, I lost control and tried to kill Mikasa. If you were to lose control, we'd have to fight you as well as Annie… I'm not asking you not to get involved. Just hold off. Let me go after her first. I have more control over my Titan than you do. I can beat her.

Michael thought over Eren's words very carefully. He did bring up some valid points. During the first transformation, Michael was a passenger while someone else was in the driver's seat. Though he'd been gaining knowledge on how to control his Titan, he'd be taking a big risk transforming again.

He then decides to trust Eren and backs off, allowing Eren to transform himself.

But something went wrong. Eren bit down on his hand hard until he drew blood, but nothing happened. For some strange reason, he couldn't trigger his Titan transformation.

Eren couldn't understand why this was happening again. The first time this happened was during training when he was ordered to transform inside a well, but it didn't work no matter how hard he bit himself. The transformation only partially worked when he went to pick up a spoon he dropped, leading Hange to realise that the only surefire way to trigger it is by having a distinct goal in mind before biting one's hand.

"No! Not again! Why is this happening now of all times?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Michael butted in. "The reason it's not working is because you have doubts about Annie."

Mikasa and Armin both look in Michael's direction as he says this. Then they look back at Eren, wondering if it was true.

"Believe me, Eren. I didn't want to believe it either, nor do I want to kill Annie. But now that I know who she is. I am forced to kill her in the name of justice. She is the Female Titan. She killed so many of our comrades, including the members of Levi Squad. You told me in the dungeon that the only way to stop her is by working together. But to be blunt, Eren… I don't need you to stop her."

Those words cause Eren to look up at Michael with anger. His mouth was covered in his blood due to his failed attempts to transform.

"If you wanna stay out of this fight, then make yourself useful by protecting yourself, Mikasa and Armin." He turns his back on them and stares up at the hole. "I'll take her on myself. And this time, I will be in control."

Michael then runs up to the rubble beneath the hole and fires his anchors into the ceiling beside the hole, and blasts himself out of it. Once he was out he began scanning the area for the Female Titan. He spots her breaking free from a trap that Hange had set for her, killing even more Scouts in the process.

Michael blasted at full speed towards the Female Titan, waiting until he was close enough to her before transforming.

"Why her? Of all the people in the walls, why did the Female Titan have to be the girl Lazarus loves? And why do I have to be the one to take her down? I would've been happy for Eren to do the job for me, but he's too full of doubt and refuses to see the truth before him."

As Michael closes in on the Female Titan, he catches a glimpse of Lazarus standing in the palm of her hand. It looked like he was trying to convince her to stop what she was doing or something like that. This only upset Michael a lot more, knowing he's gonna transform and fight her right in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Lazarus. But she made her choice. There's no turning back now. I have to stop her right here, right now!"

Michael was now a few houses down from the Female Titan's location. Hange and the other Scouts in the area notice him and scatter in different directions so that they don't get caught in the fight that is about to happen.

Michael bites down on his hand hard, triggering his Titan transformation. The Crystal Titan roars as its body was forming around Michael. The Crystal Titan lands on the ground hard, creating a miniature tremor that causes the houses closest to it to be destroyed.

The Female Titan and Lazarus both stare down at the Crystal Titan as it got back up on its feet and puts up its fists, ready to begin round two.

To Be Continued