When Annie Awoke - SNK Fanfic - Chapter 1

She simply awoke, as from a deep slumber that had gone on for too long. She opened her eyes languidly, and waited while her crystalline encasement split down the middle and fell open. Steamy mist rushed out of the crystal, and she shivered when the dank, cooler air from outside rushed against her. With little effort, she pulled herself free of the last fleshy remains of her titan body, and stumbled out of the quickly disintegrating carcass. When she had cleared the large mass, she slumped into a sitting position, leaning against the crystal.

Although she’d just awoken, Annie Leonhardt already felt exhausted – so much so that her hands were beginning to tremble. She couldn’t put her finger on what exactly had caused her to awaken suddenly, but her guess was that her body was simply unable to sustain the titan-crystal any longer. She desperately wanted to sleep, but knew that after what had transpired the previous day, she would have to keep her guard up and her eyes open. She seemed to be in a cell, underground probably, and guessed that she was probably under heavy guard. As she sat there, she tried to formulate a plan of escape, but her tired mind soon wandered back to the events of the previous day.

She had always known that Armin was brilliant, but had learned quickly that she had grossly underestimated him. She had spent a long time planning her attack, ensuring that she wouldn’t leave any glaring evidence behind that would incriminate her later, but despite her best efforts, she hadn’t escaped Armin’s observant eye. Although she’d been annoyed that her cover had been blown so soon, she had been impressed by his sharp observations. In different circumstances, she might have even admired him for it.

Unfortunately, she had underestimated Eren as well, although her loss to him wasn’t totally her fault. She had fought him valiantly, and in close confinement at that. She would have escaped, too, if not for Mikasa’s final attack on her fingers. Annie remembered the vengeful glare in Mikasa’s eyes as she’d watched her fall from the wall, back to the ground. As she continued to reminisce, she re-experienced every blow that Eren had dealt to her, particularly those to her face. She remembered the terrific pain in her neck when her titan’s head was torn off. She remembered the weird double-consciousness as he’d ripped away the flesh of her titan’s nape, exposing her true form inside. It had been a surreal experience – she’d felt the gaping wounds in her neck, yet she was aware that her true body was whole. Her eyes had been closed, but somehow she’d seen his crazed, livid stare while he hovered over her. He’d wanted to kill her, she knew. They all did – Mikasa, Jean, all of them. She didn’t blame them either. She wondered why Eren hadn’t killed her then and there, but after some thought, decided that Levi and Zoe had reserved the pleasure for themselves.

As she contemplated the hopelessness of her present situation, she wished that Eren had killed her the day before. He would have beaten her to a pulp, but she would have died quickly and painlessly with the first blow, unlike the slow, torturous death that Levi had promised her.

She considered stumbling into one of the corridors at either end of the cell, but decided that if she was finally going to be captured, she wouldn’t give herself up willingly – instead she would sit there until they found her. While she waited, she smirked to herself, silently marveling at the strict surveillance under which she was being kept. She had already been free for about five minutes, and as yet her captors were none the wiser to it.

*           *           *

The Commanding Officer of the Survey Corps sat at the head of the table in the conference hall of the Survey Corps Headquarters. One by one, the other officers and commanders filed into the room and seated themselves around the table. He shuffled and reshuffled his papers as he waited for them to settle down, pausing now and again to run his fingers through his blond hair – a self-soothing mechanism from his childhood.

It had been a long two weeks, starting with another painfully unsuccessful expedition. The losses, as usual, had been staggering, but especially so this time around – their former Commander, Erwin Smith, was now counted among the fallen. It wasn’t a titan that had ultimately done him in, but injuries sustained after a fall from a poorly chosen vantage point during battle. Despite his soldiers’ best efforts to administer first aid, Erwin had sensed that this injury was different – their numbers already gravely depleted, he called for a retreat, and asked to ride back to the city in the wagon with his fallen men. He managed to survive the journey back to Trost, but only long enough to ensure that his last wishes were fully expressed. He left his entire estate – a collection of clandestine writings kept in a strong box at the city’s bank – to his successor, Armin Arlert. Later that evening, Erwin finally gasped his last, strangled breath, as his lungs pooled with blood. Armin was the only one present to see him off.

Erwin hadn’t wanted a funeral, not after so many of his soldiers had found their final resting place in the stomach of some titan or other. His only request for himself was that his body be burned to ash, then taken atop the wall, to be dispensed to the wind. Forgetting to take heed to the direction of the breeze, Armin had released his former Commander to the sky, only to have him turn around and fly into his eyes and nose, swarming him in one last, suffocating embrace. Armin took it as a symbol of comfort, that Erwin would be with him while he began his tenure as the Corps’ new commander. He was grateful, because Erwin had left him impossibly large shoes to fill.

After Erwin’s remains had been disposed of, there were reports to be compiled, bodies to be identified, meetings to be attended, and various other formalities to be carried out. When all of that had been completed, Armin was forced to finally face what the officers called Evaluation Week – a period of five working days in which they would present reports, assess battle strategies, calculate losses, and come to the somber realization of the magnitude of their failures. He had sat in on umpteen Evaluation meetings before, as Erwin’s understudy – mostly observing, commenting, and making notes. This time, he would be presiding as the Commanding Officer. Despite all that may or may not have gone wrong, ultimately, all of the blame for the mission’s failure would fall on him, and he would be called to make a report later that week to the military’s Commander-in-Chief. Hopefully, he would be able to accept all of the responsibility thrust upon him with the same grace that his predecessor had done.

The last officer strode in, and all eyes in the room turned to Armin, watching him both intently and expectantly. Many of the officers present had been members of his training division, but they now regarded him as a superior, rather than a peer.

He cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence, and prepared to call the meeting to order, when one of the younger soldiers suddenly burst through the door.

Armin averted his gaze to the intruder, along with all of the others.

“I beg your pardon, Commander Armin,” the young man blurted, “but Annie Leonhardt has escaped!”

*           *           *

Despite the rush of excitement at the soldier’s news, only Armin and his Second-in-Command, Jean Kirstein, made the journey to the courthouse, where the new prisoner was being held under the jurisdiction of the Military Police Brigade.

The ride to the courthouse was long and silent, each man absorbed in his own thoughts. When their brougham finally pulled up at the entrance, they exchanged brief grim glances, then exited on either side. Inside, they were brusquely greeted by the Police Brigade’s Commanding Officer, Marlo Freudenberg. Jean listened attentively as Marlo told them the details of Annie’s arrest, while Armin allowed his eyes and his mind to wander. He couldn’t help but reflect on his first visit to the courthouse, the occasion of Eren’s trial. He’d been to several military trials afterwards, but none other that had concerned anyone in whom he was so emotionally invested. Presently, he felt a deep pang of regret, the same pang that he had felt twenty years earlier, when he’d been forced to report Annie’s crimes to Erwin.

“There certainly are a lot of mixed feelings about this arrest,” Marlo was saying.

“Really?” Jean retorted, his tone bitter. “How so?”

“My last conversation with Annie was quite inspirational. While she certainly was an enigmatic loner, she never struck me as the type of person to heartlessly murder hundreds. Even after all of these years, it’s difficult to come to terms with the fact that she is indeed the Female Titan. Nevertheless, we’ve waited decades for this moment, and we must act swiftly, before she has any time to formulate a plan for escape.”

“I don’t have any emotional conflict at all,” Jean replied. “She’s the worst murderer humanity has ever known. I don’t even see the need for a trial – she ought to be executed right away.”

“Well, there’s no need to worry,” Marlo said. “We intend to move this trial along swiftly. I doubt she’ll live past the end of the week.”

Armin, who had been listening absently, perked up suddenly at Marlo’s words, while Jean murmured his approval.

“How is she doing?” Armin asked. The question surprised Marlo, but he answered nonetheless.

“She seems fatigued,” he said. “We’re trying to make the best of her inability to fight back.”

Armin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “She hasn’t been sentenced yet,” he warned. “It would be best not to lay hands on her.”

“Of course,” Marlo replied. “I was talking about getting information out of her, and making sure she’s securely locked away.”

Armin nodded, understanding. “I’d like to see her . . . maybe speak with her for a moment.”

“Alright,” Marlo agreed hesitantly. “But be careful of what you say. You are going to be called to give a testimony at her trial.”

“Me?” Armin sputtered.

“Weren’t you the one who identified her to the late Commander?”

“Oh. Yes, I was. Thank you for that notice.”

Marlo gestured towards the corridor, at the end of which was a flight of stairs that would lead Armin down to Annie’s cell. Jean followed him silently. When they arrived on the lower level of the courthouse, Armin turned to Jean.

“I think I’d like to speak to her alone,” he requested.

Jean shrugged. “I don’t really want to see her anyway.”

After a brief nod, Armin continued down the hall himself, past the guards, and down to the cell where Annie Leonhardt was detained.

*           *           *

Annie was in pain.

She’d crouched behind the crystal long enough to doze off for a short while, before a man, who identified himself as the Survey Corps’ scientist, wandered into the cell. The alarm he raised was loud enough to rouse her suddenly from sleep, but she found that she was still too weak to act quickly. She didn’t recognize him at all, but pegged him for some assistant of Zoe’s.

Despite the fact that she couldn’t even stand without tottering on her feet, the guards grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Kneeling on top of her, they cuffed her wrists and ankles so roughly that she bruised. Then they pulled her to her feet and pushed her through the corridor, shouting loudly to warn everyone that the Titan was coming through.

They took her into another room and stripped her naked, searching for any suspicious item that she might have been carrying on her person. Of course, they didn’t find anything, except for her silver barbed ring. The search was unnecessarily invasive.

“Search every orifice,” the scientist barked as he looked on. “There’s no telling what she could be hiding, or where.”

“Stop, please!” Although she’d refrained from speaking until then, there came a point where she couldn’t bear to be prodded and fingered any longer.

“Shut your mouth,” one of the soldiers growled, slapping her across the face with his free hand.

By the time the Commanding Officer had arrived, Annie had been bruised by the gruff treatment, and felt utterly violated. She was slumped on the ground, while shame-laden tears ran down her cheeks. She cried out when she felt a sharp pain, a boot in her side.

“Hush up,” the soldier ordered. “You haven’t got anything to cry about. You’re only getting what’s been coming to you. Did you think you could hide in there forever?” He continued muttering abusive things to her, while his partner stood a few feet off, discussing her fate with the scientist.

Suddenly, they heard the rhythmic sound of footsteps tapping towards them. The men all stood at attention, while Annie braced herself for what was next, wiping her tears hastily. When the Commander finally stepped into the room, he regarded her directly, as though he knew who she was, although Annie didn’t recognize him at all. His eyes were wide with shock for a moment, before he turned to the soldiers with a barrage of questions.

Annie looked on, confused.

I met the Commander of the Military Police, she thought, and that’s not him. Did he die yesterday?

As she wondered what had happened to Commander Dok, she overheard one of the soldiers call the man “Commander Freudenberg”.

Freudenberg? Annie remembered. That was that passionate kid from the MPs. The tall one, who talked like Eren. We were walking together yesterday when I met Armin. She gawked at him in surprise. No, that must be his father or something. This man is way older.

Still, she realized, he had the same haircut, the same large, hooked nose, and the same small, shrewd eyes. Apart from the effects of aging, his resemblance to her former squad mate was perfect.

“Marlo?” she ventured, her voice weak and wavering.

The man turned to her, with an expression of mixed surprise, horror, and disgust.

“Don’t speak to me,” he said curtly, before turning back to the soldiers. “She needs to be moved to the courthouse, immediately. Keep her hidden – we don’t want to alarm the civilians unnecessarily.”

“I’ll notify my Commander right away,” the scientist promised, before he and the Police Commander hurried out of the room. One of the soldiers followed behind them, then returned with a large, dark cloak.

“Put this on,” he said, tossing it towards her.

“Excuse me,” Annie asked, while she pulled on the cloak, “who was that man?”

“The Commander of the Military Police, soon to be your prosecutor,” the soldier answered.

“But what’s his name?”

“Do as you’re told and stop asking questions!” the man shouted, raising his hand again, as if threatening another blow. Annie quickly pulled on her cloak, and then she was led up some stairs and out of the prison.

At present, she lay on a bed in an underground cell. Shackles connected her arms to the wall, although they were long enough to allow her to get off the bed and walk around the cell. Her military uniform had already been confiscated; she was now dressed in her own clothes, and had the hood of her sweater pulled over her head to keep out some of the cold.

She was still in pain from being slapped, kicked, and thrown around, but what hurt her even more were the callous and disgusted stares she received as she travelled from one prison to the next. People looked at her like something hideous, a monstrosity that threatened their existence. She didn’t like crying, but as she lay there feeling utterly upset and alone, she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

She heard steady footsteps coming towards her, but was too tired to worry about who they might belong to. She hoped that it was the Police Commander, so that she could find out who he really was; however, as they came nearer, she realized that the footfall was softer and less assertive than the Commander’s.

When the man finally stood in front of her, Annie lay still in the bed, and stared at him. He was tall and fair, with a handsome face and cornflower eyes. He had long blond hair that stretched past his shoulders, although some of it was gathered up in a half ponytail. Some of his hair hung at either side of his face like a golden curtain, softening the angles of his cheekbones. With some frustration, Annie found that she didn’t recognize him either. He wore an emerald bolo tie, indicating that he was the Survey Corps’ Commanding Officer, but he definitely wasn’t Erwin. He didn’t say anything for a long while, but as Annie stared back at him, she found herself strangely comforted. His eyes were inquisitive, but not hostile – in fact, his gaze seemed rather compassionate.

“Hello, Annie.” His voice was gentle and soothing, the most comforting sound she’d heard since awakening. “It’s been a while.”

Annie stared back silently, unsure of what to say.

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” he continued. “I wouldn’t blame you – you’ve been asleep for a very long time.” A friendly smile formed on his lips. “Do you know what year it is?”

“Year?” Annie croaked. “How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s been twenty years.”

Annie sat up in bed, shocked. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m not. This must be very shocking for you.”

“Not in the least,” Annie gasped. The man chuckled at her sarcastic comment. “Who are you?”

“I’m Armin.”

“Armin.” Annie suddenly recoiled, pulling her limbs close to herself in an act of defense. “I guess, like all of the others, this is a day you’ve been waiting for. You came down here to gloat at me, didn’t you? Or did you want a turn to beat up on me too?”

“I don’t want to gloat, Annie,” Armin said, a small frown replacing his smile. “I never took any pleasure out of reporting you to Erwin, but it was something that I had to do. After I became aware of what you were doing, I simply couldn’t ignore it.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I was concerned about you. I’ve been thinking of you, you know.”

Annie regarded him dubiously.

“I visited you often,” Armin continued. “I wondered all the time, why did you do it?”

“Don’t try to butter me up,” Annie snapped. “If this is a trick to get me to talk to you, just give up. I’m not going to say anything.”

“I didn’t expect you to. Anyway, I’ve pretty much figured it out, I’m sure. When I realized that you must have been forced into it, I felt overwhelmingly sympathetic towards you.”

“I don’t want your sympathy,” Annie lied, casting her gaze down at her bed.

“I’m not angry at you anymore.”

There was a long pause, before Annie replied. “Why not?” she whispered.

“Because I forgive you.”

The sentiment hit Annie harder than she expected it to, and she struggled to keep her tears back, despite the fact that she’d begun to sob audibly. Armin allowed her to cry, and slumped onto the ground next to the bars of the cell.

When she’d cried herself dry, she wiped her face with the hem of her sweater.

“Are you the last one left?” she asked.

“No,” Armin replied. “Eren is still alive. So are Mikasa, Jean, and Sasha. Krista’s gone to the inner city.”

“Ymir too?”

“No. She defected shortly after your fight with Eren. Bertholdt and Reiner went with her.”

“Bastards,” Annie mumbled. “No one came back for me, did they?”

“They thought you were dead,” Armin suggested. The words did nothing to comfort Annie.

“What about Connie?”

“Everyone else is dead, I’m afraid,” Armin said, with a sigh.

The cell fell silent for another long while.

“Annie,” Armin said finally, “when they take you in for interrogation, please tell them what you know.”

“Why should I?”

“We’re not enemies, Annie. We’re all humans, and we’re all fighting the titans together.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Armin. You still don’t have the slightest idea of what’s going on.”

“But you do! Please, help us. If you cooperate, they might even forgive your crimes.”

Annie laughed bitterly; the sound of her laughter reminded Armin of the day of her capture. “Armin, even someone who’s been asleep for twenty years can be sure that I’m doomed to die. I’ve seen the way they look at me – they can’t wait to watch me be tortured, and to hear me scream and beg for mercy. It doesn’t matter that nobody came to rescue me. I still won’t betray them. I came here with a job to do and I’m going to finish it. Thank you for your pity, but I won’t tell anyone anything.”

“Okay,” Armin relented. “Whatever you decide in the end won’t change my feelings towards you. I know that you’ve been through more than anyone should expect of you. I think you’re very brave to survive all of that.”

“You don’t know anything,” Annie shot back, growing annoyed.

Armin sensed that it was time for him to leave her alone, and rose to his feet. “The Military Police don’t have exclusive control over you. If you need something, please send me a message personally.”

Annie refused to look at him while he walked away, but then had second thoughts just before he rounded the corner.

“Armin,” she called. She heard his footsteps stop abruptly. “Could you get me a chamber pot? I need to . . .”

“Absolutely,” he called back, before continuing upstairs.

Back in the upper storey of the courthouse, Armin spoke to Marlo brusquely while Jean looked on with a mildly confused expression.

“Regardless of what you think of her, she’s still a human being, and there’s no reason to keep her down there in less than humane condition,” the blond said, with a sharp edge to his voice. “She needs a chamber pot – and get her something to eat.”