A Second Chance

Levi pushes her to her knees, wrapping her hands together behind her back in the process. He gets to tying the last knot and pulls hard on the rope, making sure she feels some sort of pain. She does, and a low groan escapes her throat. She hangs her head in defeat, ebony locks falling over her eyes; even though her hair was cut awfully short. He touches the blood from a cut she put on his skin during the pursuit. She definitely excelled at using the 3DMG than any other Survey Corps veteran, he'll give her that, but how is the question.

Sure. He was Humanity's Strongest Soldier, a name that has been dubbed his title when he's only been in the Corps close to a year now, but even he knows when someone is almost as good as him. Almost, Levi thinks. But will she make the right choice and use her skill for humanity? Mike and a few other soldiers push her subordinates to their knees beside her rather small stature. One of them, a blonde girl with the same green eyes as her, looks at her abdomen with worry and shock. Two precise slashes appear across her blue, button-up shirt, and exposes two precise, bleeding cuts across her stomach.

"V-Verna! You're—", the blonde says, before Verna cuts her off.

"Forget about it," Verna says sternly. No emotion plays across her face.

Suddenly, she looks up and her eyes widen. Levi throws a sideways glance in the direction she does and sees a man standing on a building not to far away. His shiny, red hair illuminated in the sunlight, and his expression was in a hard grimace. He wore Maneuvering Gear like his subordinates below, before they were stripped from it that is. Everyone looks at him, waiting to see if he will fight or take flight. Verna appears to have already decided for him.

"Go!" she shouts. Her voice carried throughout the silent street.

The man hesitates and looks at Verna with worry. Levi noticed his eyes had been coated with a watery film, before he finally nods towards Verna and quickly maneuvers away. She nods back in reassurance, then hangs her head like before. Mike begins to head towards the man escaping, but Erwin holds out an arm.

"We'll be gone before any of their help gets here." He states.

Mike nods and they turn back toward the five criminals just captured. Levi walks in front of Verna and stands there, crossing his arms.

"I'd get that checked if I were you," he says sarcastically, nodding towards her abdomen. "We wouldn't want you getting an infection..."

"You wouldn't? I'm touched by your concern." she spits back, her voice full of venom. "I'd love it if your cut festers..."

"Mine would heal in a couple of days," he deadpans. "Let me add more injuries to you, and we can test and see if yours can heal quickly like mine..."

Levi gets on one knee in front of her and grabs her hair, making her look up at him. Her green eyes stare up menacingly at him, her lips in a thin line. He looks at her with his expression vacant.

"You take your hands off of her!!" the blonde hisses. Her eyes were full of hate.

"Or what? Will you knock me out?" He gives a sideways glance at her constraints.

She growls in frustration and spits on Levi's shoes.

"No, but I can do that," she says. A grin spreads across her face.

Levi's expression turns dark. He slowly looks down at the spit on his finely polished boot, and angrily furrows his eyebrows. Levi was just about to sock the bimbo in the face, until Erwin halts his actions.

"Levi. Enough," he says.

A tch escapes his mouth as he stands up to fill a space beside Erwin. Verna looks up at Erwin from head to toe. Not taking his eyes off her, Erwin mutters something to Levi.

"Having any déjà vu yet?"

Levi cringes at the thought. He, too, had been in the same position this woman. Except, she lives on the surface. He was in the underground.

This made made him wonder, did she still live and breathe the same trash he did, even though they were from two different worlds? Did she have blood on her hands like him? It's very likely, since he's seen her in action plenty of times before now. Erwin wanted to watch her, and her subordinates, to make the right move at the right time. Classic Erwin. Always thinking ahead. The clan got away a few times previous to this one, but now Erwin had them in his grasp.

"As you've probably guessed, we'll be asking a few questions," he says, stepping in front of Verna and the blonde beside her. "Where did you get your gear? It's illegal for non-soldiers to have it."

The blonde looks up at him, her lips sealed. Verna doesn't look at him at all. The gashes on her abdomen soak her shirt with blood.

"You're the one in charge, correct?" he walks in front of Verna. She notices the other Survey Corps members standing behind her and her subordinates, but Levi instead stands with his arms crossed beside Erwin. Verna then smirks.

"What makes you think that, sir?" She says.

"Are you or are you not?" He challenges.

"No," she says immediately after his sentence.

"You're lying." He states. She laughs a little and looks at him. "Whatever floats your boat." Erwin then nods and the other Survey Corps members draw their blades, putting them to the necks of the other three lackeys. The blonde woman's eyes grow big in fear.

"On my signal," Erwin says, holding up and arm.

"No wait!!" the blonde woman shrieks, panic evident in her green eyes. "I'm the leader! Not her!"

"I don't buy it. Her skills are far better than all of yours." Erwin replies.

"That doesn't mean she is the leader!! I guess you guys are bigger idiots than we thought!" the blonde grits her teeth.

Erwin ponders this for a moment.

"How did you get the gear?" He says again.

"Black market," the blonde mumbles. "I see. What are your names?" He asks. "None of your business, eyebrows," she says, smirking.

Erwin shrugs this remark off like he didn't hear it, and moves on to Verna.

"Tell me, what are your names? Your condition isn't helping you any. I'd speak up before you bleed to death," he says, eyeing her injuries.

Verna slightly looks up and slowly breathes through her nose. Pain surges all around her abdomen.

"Verna. The other one is Marjorie," she says plainly.

"Your Maneuvering skills are excellent. Have you received any military training?"

"Not at all." she lies, halfheartedly. She has received training like how they do in the military, but not by military officials.

"Just what I thought," he says, eyes boring into hers. "I hope you don't mind, but I have another question. What would you choose? Have us hand all of you over to the Military Police, or join the Survey Corps? Your skills will be of great use to humanity. I will let your crimes go unpunished." "Hah! I choose the Military Police, you swine! You'll just send us to the front lines to be killed! It'll be death to us either way, and I'd rather die by the hands of them than Titans!" Marjorie shouts.

The other three nod in agreement. Verna, on the other hand, stares at Erwin darkly for a long time.

"V-Verna?" Marjorie whispers. "I know his eyebrows are funny, but now's not the time to stare at them!!"

A wide smirk plays across Verna's lips.

"Where do I sign up?"