These characters are under copyright by Hajime Isayama and/or Kodansha Comics or others. This is a work of fanfiction, for no monetary gain.
Hunter and Hunted by Maria Albert
Summary:
Sequel to Outmaneuvered. The Survey Corps is used to being hunted by their prey, the Titans, but they never expected humanity to turn on them. Will they survive long enough to discover the secret in Eren Yeager's basement, or will they fall at the hands of those they are sworn to protect? Levi x Erwin, Eren x Mikasa, Armin x Jean, Sasha x Connie. POV alternates and some chapters M.
Drama/Adventure/Suspense/Humor/Hurt/Comfort/Romance.
A/N: This story takes place after
To my Outmaneuvered readers, welcome back! To those of you who haven't read my previous story, I'd recommend you start with that one, as this is the sequel. Though it can stand alone – I recap key events in Chapter 1 – you'll have a better understanding of the characters and relationships if you start with the other story.
A number of chapters have been prewritten. A new chapter will be posted every week, on Thursday, until the story is complete. Different chapters are in the points of view (POV) of different characters. A POV change or time change within a chapter will be marked with "0 0 0". Reviews, favorites and follows are appreciated.
If you like this story, you might also like my original published work, the four book high fantasy series, Descent of Kings, by Maria Albert, available on Amazon and through the publisher, Dreamspinner.
Chapter 1 – Friends and Enemies
Levi breathed easier as the eleven of them left Karanese through the inner Gate on horseback, with a full dozen packhorses at their side, the latter primarily for appearances. Their cover story was that he and his new eight man Special Operations Squad were on a training mission, to become comfortable working with one another, and that Erwin and Hange were accompanying them as observers. Their true mission objective was to reach Eren Yeager's basement, by way of the Capital and the Sigma Gate, through the secret underground Aqueduct 3 maintenance tunnel leading to the Nu Gate, the Smuggler's Gate outside Shiganshina. From there they'd be traveling aboveground into and through Shiganshina, to Eren's house. But first, they had business in Stohess with Hans Schiffer, a long trusted food supplier, the man who had poisoned almost the entire Corps, ultimately killing seven Scouts. Had he been working with the Titan spies or independently? Who had paid him to perpetrate such a heinous crime and why? Who hated them that much?
"Tch," Levi snorted to himself. Who doesn't? The Wallists, for our heretical transgression of daring to venture beyond their sacred Walls? The nobles or merchants, for wasting their precious tax money with our very existence? Or maybe even that bastard Rickard, wanting revenge for having his homophobic ass kicked out of the Corps?
"Levi?" Erwin said softly, the concern in his voice evident as he broke Levi's reverie with an unspoken question in his warm blue eyes. What's wrong?
Levi gazed up at the man he loved, who currently towered above him on his massive new warhorse, Heracles, a Percheron, a gift from Garrison Commander Pixis, along with the 200 new Scouts they'd left behind in Karanese and hundreds of horses. Levi scowled bitterly. Only there were no longer 200 new Scouts. There were only 193, thanks to that bastard who'd poisoned them. He'd killed seven men and 192 horses, including Erwin's former primary mount Dash, and his own, Pewter. Sasha. That fucker had nearly gotten Sasha, too.
Levi automatically looked behind, to his right, reassuring himself with a glimpse that Sasha was fine, healthy again, fully recovered. She beamed at him, her eyes lit with adoration, and his heart felt lighter, seeing her smile, especially after what she'd been though that morning at the hands of the Military Police, having been bashed in the head and bound and gagged as an accused Titan spy, a traitor to humanity, along with her friend, Jean Kirstein, and boyfriend, Connie Springer. Commander Dok and his men were lucky they'd left the base alive, after what they'd done.
Springer glared at Levi, one cheek puffy and swollen, black and blue. Levi smirked back. The little shit was obviously still pissed at him for kicking him in the jaw and knocking out his tooth, in spite of the fact that doing so had saved the twerp's life: it had convinced the Military Police that he wasn't a Titan spy posing as a human. One of the many reasons they were taking the more circuitous, branching road instead of the main road to Stohess and the Capital was so they would avoid running into Commander Dok and his minions on their way back to the Capital. That ass was just stupid and arrogant enough to arrest Sasha, Jean and Springer all over again. They weren't about to tempt him to do so.
Levi's eyes strayed to Jean, who was riding next to Sasha and Springer, and then to Armin, Mikasa and Eren, who were riding together, from there to Heinrich Bauer and Josef Anders, and then finally to Hange, who was taking up the rear, the only person other than Erwin on this secret mission of theirs who wasn't part of his new Special Operations Squad.
Levi scowled again. They still didn't know who the fucking spies were, although they were relatively certain now that their spy or spies were one or more of the only four in the Corps from the 104th who weren't riding with him, the ones who were unfortunately on three days of leave: Braun, Hoover, Ymir and Lenz.
"Levi? Talk to me," Erwin urged.
Levi swung his gaze back to Erwin, feeling immediately guilty, seeing that the concern in Erwin's eyes had intensified to worry.
"It's nothing. I'm just thinking too much again," Levi assured him.
"Are you having second thoughts about the mission? Entering the underground passageway again?" Erwin hazarded, posing the question quietly enough so the others wouldn't hear.
Levi involuntarily shuddered, just thinking about that dark, enclosed hell, feeling his skin crawl and stomach heave at the thought of those insects, the fish that had been eating them, and the water polluted by them. "I hadn't been until now, you ass," Levi growled, hating how he'd been all but debilitated again by his trauma induced phobias, for the first time in years, this time in front of the brats, and Erwin.
"Sorry. Then what's bothering you?" Erwin asked. "Your leg?"
As if on command, Levi's wounded thigh throbbed, unused to the strain of riding, and he checked to make sure his crutches and sword cane were still securely strapped to his saddle. Achilles stomped his foot in protest, in the process throwing off his own gait.
Levi cursed as he nearly pitched off his truculent mount. He fought the urge to haul on the reins in retaliation, not wanting to hurt the obnoxious animal's sensitive mouth. "Try that again, you fucker, and I'll give Heracles your carrots tonight," he instead threatened.
The horse snorted and tossed his head, as if he'd understood the threat, and then purposefully shifted sideways, nearly crushing Levi's good leg banging into the right foreleg of the huge steed beside him, as if berating the larger mount for even thinking about eating his treats.
Heracles turned his head, one patient eye staring at the smaller horse, and then he snorted, as if amused by the annoying insect challenging him.
Achilles pranced proudly, as if he had somehow emerged victorious in the show of strength.
Levi loved the arrogant animal already. He reminded him poignantly of Pewter, though it would have been a tossup as to who would have emerged victorious in a test of wills between those two. "One of these days, you're going to push the wrong horse, you little shit, and he's going to step on you," Levi cautioned his diminutive mount, not about to let the devious monster know he cared.
Achilles snorted, as if saying, "Who are you calling small, shrimp?"
"Um… Captain? Are you talking to your horse?" Eren asked from behind him, as if he were concerned for his sanity.
Levi turned in his saddle and smirked wryly. "What's the matter, Eren? Jealous?"
Eren's face flushed and he scowled. "You wish."
"Levi, stop ignoring me and tell me what's wrong," Erwin urged.
Levi snapped back to face Erwin. "What, do you want a fucking list? Armin, Mikasa and I are all injured, we're going to confront the man who tried to kill the entire fucking Corps, and then the eleven of us are going to take on the fucking Titan army at Shiganshina, to get into Eren's damned basement. That's of course assuming we somehow manage to open the damned Sigma Gate again and if the Titan spies let us get anywhere near it in the first place. Because I don't think anyone bought our lame-ass story about this little expedition of ours being a training mission, to test my new Squad."
"About that," Eren interrupted. "I wanted to ask you before, but didn't want to risk discussing it on base, where the spies might hear. Exactly how are we supposed to get into the tunnel? Hypatia said the trigger mechanism doesn't work on their side of Sigma Gate."
"Who's Hypatia?" Erwin asked frowning.
"You mean Jean was right?" Springer asked, astonished. "We actually are going to Eren's basement? And he was right about the Smuggler's Gate? We're using a secret tunnel to get to Shiganshina?"
"Gee, Connie, thanks for having so much faith in me," Jean grumbled.
"How the fuck do you know about the tunnel and the Smuggler's Gate? What did you hear? Who told you? When?" Levi demanded, halting Achilles and glaring at Jean.
"I didn't hear anything. I figured it out for myself, and I talked to Connie about it last night," Jean asserted, proudly, as he and the others stopped as well.
"Fucking wonderful! We go through all these fucking hoops talking and writing in code, even in fucking Greek, and you're just blabbing about our plan where anyone can hear, including our Titan spies? Who else heard?" Levi demanded.
"No one. Well, except for Reiner and Bertolt," Jean qualified.
"Of course. Only two of the four fucking people most likely to be our Titan spies," Levi fumed.
"No way! You can't seriously think… That's nuts!" Jean argued vehemently. "They helped us train. Saved our asses more than once. Hell, Reiner helped us fight the Female Titan. He saved me and Armin from her. Squad Leader Miller and Commander Dok's paranoia must be catching, if you think Reiner and Bertolt are the spies!"
"There's no way it's them," Eren agreed, supporting Jean for one of the first times ever. "Who are the other two you suspect?"
Levi sighed. "The only other two left in the Scouts from the 104th: Ymir and Lenz."
"Krista? Seriously? No way! She's got to be the weakest, gentlest member of the whole Corps," Eren argued. "Ymir, sure, maybe, she's violent and scary and kind of creepy, but not Krista."
"Forget the spies, for now," Erwin commanded. "We have no way to prove our suspicions, until we find and confront them. And the Gate won't be a problem. Even if Levi or Hange can't repair the mechanism, Hange brought other means of taking care of it. What I want to hear about is Hypatia. Who is she, and why wasn't she mentioned in any of your reports?" Erwin asked the four of them, but his eyes were focused on Levi.
Shit. Levi sighed. "Sorry, brats." He turned to Erwin. "Have you ever heard of the Library in the Underground?"
"What, you mean the mythical collection of banned and forbidden books? Ah. Of course. Hypatia was the name of one of the librarians of the ancient Library of Alexandria. So there really is a secret, concealed Library in the Underground?" Erwin asked intrigued.
"Yes. The brats have actually been there. The damned Librarian is Armin's girlfriend, though I still have a hard time believing that part of it," Levi said wryly.
"Ex-girlfriend. Or at least, she will be soon," Armin amended, his eyes shifting tellingly to Jean and then quickly back to Levi. "I'm going to tell her as soon as I see her again."
Levi frowned. Armin and Jean? Seriously? I didn't expect that. It might work or it might turn into a complete clusterfuck. I'll have to make sure they don't hurt one another.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Armin. Even if you've had a change of heart for some reason, you shouldn't say anything to her about it," Levi said discreetly, not letting on that he knew the reason. He suspected their relationship, if there was already one, might be secret, considering how Eren felt about Jean. "The last thing we want to do is antagonize her." The Librarian and her minions were deadly. There wasn't a Lurker in the Underground with half a brain who didn't fear them.
"Tch. I never thought you'd be scared of Commander Pixis," Jean scoffed in surprise.
Levi turned to Jean, both confused and alarmed. Intuitive or not, Jean couldn't possibly know about his relationship to Pixis, and fear had nothing to do with it. "What the hell does Pixis have to do with anything?" he bluffed, heart hammering wildly.
"Hypatia's his cousin," Jean said, as if he was an idiot and the answer was obvious.
Levi spun around to look at the brats, in time to see Armin shaking his head, a panicked look on his face. He stared at Armin stunned and then his eyes narrowed. The little shit lied to me. Or at least still withheld information. I thought he and the other two had finally told me everything. Tch. I knew this would happen. Fear breeds power and respect. I've been too damned nice to these brats. "So your grandfather's friend with ties to the military is Commander Pixis? And you just conveniently forgot to mention his name when I debriefed you?"
Armin looked like a thief caught stealing a bottle of wine at a Military Police party. "Um… actually, I sort of made up that part, about him being a friend of my grandfather's. Because I couldn't just not mention him altogether, with everything that happened, but we weren't supposed to tell anyone. Even Hypatia's men didn't know who he was, until I accidentally called him by name and rank in front of them. They… um… almost killed him, because they felt tricked and betrayed. He'd been their friend, visiting Hypatia for years in secret because… well, banned books are treasonous, and he's the head of the Garrison, and a whole Library of them…"
That crafty old fucker. Looks like someone's getting another surprise visit, when we're in Stohess. It's long past time I find out whether he's ever realized why I broke into his office the first time.
Armin looked guiltily from Levi to Erwin. "But there really isn't anything wrong with those books. I mean, there's no reason people shouldn't be allowed to read them. I think it's awful that they ban and burn books. We've already lost so much, we lost the entire world, and they want to take even the memory of that away from us. It isn't right."
"Careful, Armin. That's exactly why those books get burned, because they stir up people like you, idealists and dreamers, who see what the world should be, instead of what it is, and start wanting to fix it. That's called revolution, brat. Talk like that will get you burnt at the stake, or hanged," Levi cautioned.
Armin paled and swallowed.
"Don't worry, brat. No one here would ever turn you in for that. Hell, most of us have…" Levi started to say, when Erwin abruptly cut him off.
"Levi!" Erwin said sharply.
"Fine. Be like that. You're all a bunch of illiterate idiots. But I'm not afraid to admit it: I've got my own damned library of banned books. 28 now, since I guess I won't be returning The Art of War, seeing as how someone's in denial about owning banned books," Levi said wryly, looking pointedly at Erwin.
"Hah. I've got twice as many as you, Runt," Hange gloated. "56 banned books. And 22 legal ones. Honestly, Erwin, I doubt there's a single Scout in the Corps who reads who doesn't own or hasn't at least read one banned book: Mike's got six, and Moblit's got one. Of course, Moblit would have a lot more, but I keep convincing him to give me all of his. So how many are in this secret Underground Library, Armin?" Hange asked eagerly.
"A couple of hundred," Armin admitted reluctantly.
Hange's eyes gleamed and Levi could see Erwin looked excited in spite of himself.
"I want to hear everything the four of you omitted from your debriefing," Erwin ordered. "We all should. We need to know what we're getting into in the Underground. And then we'll tell the rest of you about the tunnel and the Smuggler's Gate, as well as the alternate method Hange plans to use to get through the Gate, if we can't get the mechanism to work."