Someone had murdered Hanji's babies. 

"WAAAAAAH ISAAAAAA!"

"There, there," Isanna consoled as she patted the wailing brunette by the head who was clinging on to her smaller frame, "Sawney and Bean are in a better place, now."

"B—BUT—!" Hanji blubbered, words incoherent as she tightened her hug around Isanna, "WH—WHO COULD HAVE DONE SUCH A CRUEL THING?!" 

Isanna frowned as she continued to weep, mournful cries drowned in a gurgle piercing the air as thick tears poured from Hanji's eyes and down her cheeks; she was in genuine pain. 

They were currently at a street in Trost, where the two captured titans for Hanji's experimenting projects were being held. Earlier sometime around the crack of dawn, someone had secretly equipped their maneuvering gear and killed the two titans without being seen by the guards; messengers immediately rode towards the officers and they rushed to the scene, but by the time they had arrived, only piles of disintegrating bones with titan steam permeating upwards greeted them. 

"ISAAAAAAA!"

The surrounding soldiers flinched at the brunette's loud shriek, some bringing a hand to press over their ears. 

Isanna swore her eardrums were going to burst, but she endured it. "We'll hold a funeral for them, don't worry."

Hanji paused, sniffing back the snot as she looked up at the girl. She had been kneeling while hugging her friend around the waist. "R—really?"

Isanna sympathetically smiled down at her and affectionately patted her (greasy) hair. "Yes, let's wish for both of them to rest in peace."

Hanji sniffed back the tears as her eyes began to glisten, before she buried her face into Isanna's uniform, her cries muffling out. 

As Isanna continued to rub circles around Hanji's back while her free hand patted her head, she inwardly sighed at how she successfully managed to calm her down. 

She returned her attention to the steaming titan carcass and knitted her brows together, an unpleasant suspicion bubbling inside her chest. Erwin's speculation about there being more than one titan shifter was slowly beginning to become more believable. Right when the image of the blond flashed in her mind, she subconsciously clenched her jaw and willed herself to forget their recent.. conversation. Damn it—their 57th expedition was scheduled in a little over the next month, so this was not the time to get sidetracked by other distractions. 

Meanwhile, behind her and amidst the crowd of onlookers, Eren mildly flinched when he felt a firm grip on his shoulders accompanied by a solid presence hanging over behind him. 

"Who do you think is the enemy?"

"S—sir?"

From his peripheral, he could see the Commander keeping a steady gaze at the steaming titan corpses, a calculated look washing over his blue eyes and lips pulled into a straight, thin line that made him look more serious than usual. 

There was a pause, before Erwin briefly closed his eyes and let go of his hold on Eren. "Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask."

Erwin had inferred his suspicions ever since he had caught wind of the existence of Eren Jaeger's titan powers, but he didn't have any solid evidence that could back him up until now. He knew this was no simple kill, that it wasn't just a random soldier taking out their emotional revenge on the captured titans. No; he knew it was more than that. 

With this, his suspicions were correct. Most likely, whoever was behind the murder of their precious titan subjects would show themselves in the upcoming 57th expedition beyond the walls. 

His steel expression never changed as he straightened himself, before he looked over towards Isanna and saw her in the middle of comforting a crying Hanji. Almost immediately, thoughts which he deemed were unnecessary were pushed towards the back of his mind as he told himself to focus on his current responsibility. 

•

Early evening that same day, Erwin had called for a meeting with some of their veteran soldiers. They were currently inside a conference room with a long splintered table at the center, and the Commander began discussing the possibilities of a spy among their ranks; as well as shared his plan to capture said spy during their incoming expedition that was set in about a month.

"A titan shifter like Eren, huh," Levi mused with a blank face. Behind his seemingly-impassive demeanor however, his mind was directing itself to the idea of having to fight a titan with intelligence; it was going to be a pain dealing with it. It was going to be a pain, but a pain he would have no problem with regards to handling it. 

Beside him, Hanji was blankly staring at the table with her shoulders slouched, still dejected over the loss of her two precious titans; Mike was on her other side, rubbing her back in silent consolation.

It had been decided that the Military Police would be the ones to investigate the killing of the two titan subjects, but even after thorough inspections and questionings, they weren't able to pinpoint the perpetrator.

Going back to their oncoming expedition, the plan went like this: the expedition will be held under the pretense of securing a route towards Shiganshina from Karanes district, and every flank was going to be receiving different information about Eren's position in the formation; that way, the enemy will be thrown into confusion and perhaps narrow down their suspects. The trusted soldiers, specifically the ones who survived the fall of Wall Maria five years ago, will accompany the command team led by Erwin into the titan forest where they will lure the enemy and capture it with their special target restraining equipment.

It was a brilliant idea. The only issue was that they weren't certain of its success, because nobody in the Survey Corps was a positive thinker.

Erwin dismissed the meeting but called for a few to prepare to the southern Training Corps' drilling field because they were going to address the fresh graduates and recruit as many as they could for this expedition.

In a few minutes, the Commander led the small group of Scouts out of their barracks to meet the new graduates.

"Do you think we'll even get any recruits after Trost?" asked Isanna, skeptical of even at least one recruit after the graduates tasted literal hell just the other day; she bet some had even died before they could choose which branch to take. She was carrying a large roll of paper where a map had been drawn, to be used to show the graduates the route the Survey Corps would take in their next expedition.

"We'll see," Mike replied as they walked behind Erwin, heading towards the drilling field where a cluster of training cadets were all gathered around, jittery and nervousness painting their faces.

Isanna swept a glance around the place; it was already evening, the cool air washing over the windy drill field with stand torches of a campfires standing intermittently around the wide field, providing them with light as wisps of flames curled and crackles of ashes blew out, and up ahead was the platform where the Commander was going to give an addressing speech to the fresh graduates.

She noted some training cadets wore haunted, grim faces, and instantly doubted whether they could recruit anyone.

As a soldier bellowed at the graduates to form their ranks in front of the stage, Isanna and the rest of the Scouts stood at the side while Erwin padded to the center, each step as loud as it could be under the thicket tension.

Turning to the general direction of the platoon formation, Isanna saw the familiar faces of Mikasa and Armin standing together, their figures in standard military salute as they kept a focused gaze on the blond Commander of the Survey Corps. She noticed how Armin was sweating nervously, but Mikasa on the other hand seemed indifferent yet determined.

Since she was already acquainted with the teenagers back at Trost and at the military tribunal, Isanna remembered that they had informed them they were going to join the Survey Corps along with Eren.

Well, at least we have two other kids confirmed to join.

Erwin introduced himself, keeping his usual straight face while he held his hands behind him, and began his speech of recruitment, mentioning the primary goal of the Survey Corps, the recent battle of Trost and how he acknowledged the fear of the cadets before him after experiencing hell themselves.

He went on about the existence of Eren Jaeger and their next goal which was to reclaim Wall Maria and uncover the secrets of his basement, and for a moment, the cadets looked hopeful at the information. Erwin then glanced to his right and nodded for Mike and Isanna to stalk towards the center, stopping just a few steps from the Commander as Isanna unrolled the paper and held one edge while Mike held the other.

Isanna could see Mike pressing his lips together in a clear attempt to refrain from laughing; because the height difference between them was as clear as night and day, causing the large map to tilt a bit lower on one side.

She glared at him. He returned her hard look with a smirk. 

Erwin proceeded with his speech, mentioning that in the last four years, the Survey Corps had found themselves constantly suffering a shortage of personnel.

"Ninety percent died in those four years alone," he said, being the ray of sunshine he was. Following that positive note, he added that in the next month, the fresh graduates were going to participate in an expedition. "Fifty percent of you will probably die."

Isanna rolled her eyes. We get it, mister positive.

Gods forbid, the man was going to scare all the kids away.

"If you are still willing to endanger your lives with us, remain here," supplied Erwin, "ask yourselves: are you capable of offering your lives for mankind?"

Isanna rolled the paper and walked back to her previous spot with Mike, feeling the heavy air thickening after Erwin's last statement. She glanced at the graduates and saw the hesitancy in their faces as the Commander's speech resonated throughout the field.

"That is all. Those of you who wish to enlist elsewhere may leave."

A senior soldier stepped forward and pointed out how the Commander went too far with his recruitment speech, with Erwin not replying.

Isanna fixed her focused eyes on Erwin's figure, her brows furrowing.

Indeed, he had been too intimidating.

However, she was also aware that sugarcoating anything wouldn't do them any good; these cadets had a right to know what they were going to get themselves into should they choose to enlist as a Scout. Sweet, fake words just for the sake of alluring them to join their cause would sooner or later return to bite them from behind. 

Joining the Scouts was no easy task, and just as what Erwin had told her years back, it was a job that required true dedication. A dedication committed enough for one to sacrifice their own life. 

She shifted her gaze towards the formation of graduates and saw that the cadets had begun leaving their ranks, the remaining numbers dwindling down by the second, only hinting that they were already more than eager to leave. She also noticed that a few were glued on their spots, sweat trickling down their faces and eyes trailing on the ground like they were weighing their decisions and internally asking themselves if risking their lives was going to be worth it.

Isanna deeply frowned before shutting her eyes.

These cadets were just teenagers at most, and they were already carrying such a heavy burden, forced to make a decision that could very well mean life or death. They weren't different than her back when she had been a teenager. But it didn't mean she wanted for them to take the same, cruel path as her.

A bout of tense seconds passed by, and only twenty-one cadets remained.

Erwin's hard stare was fixated at the remaining cadets. "Will you die if given the order to?"

"We do not want to die, sir!"

Isanna shut her eyes tighter, clenching her jaw at the answer. She too, didn't want these children to die.

Erwin's impassive expression finally shifted into a satisfied and somewhat proud smile at the remaining cadets. "I see. I like your expressions," he paused, "now then, I accept all of you that remain as new Survey Corps soldiers."

He thumped his right fist against his left chest. "This is a true salute! Dedicate your hearts!"

Isanna finally opened her eyes and looked at the remaining cadets, a somber look filling up her features as she watched the new recruits salute back at Erwin; some were evidently fearful, some were pale as a sheet of paper and on the verge of passing out, some looked like they just resigned to their fate, some were even crying, and some had determination shooting through their eyes.

But they all had one thing in common: bravery.

And Isanna respected them for that.

"You endured the fear well," Erwin praised, "you all are brave soldiers. I respect you for that from the bottom of my heart."

As the cadets dispersed to return to their dorms for the night, Isanna later ordered a Scout to take down the names of the new recruits and acquire their files of personal information from the Training Corps HQ. 

"Guess we did manage to recruit some, after all," Mike commented with folded arms as he watched the fresh recruits walk away from the drilling field. He glanced to his side to see Isanna also looking at the retreating cadets.

"Yeah," she said with a mulling expression, "twenty-one new soldiers. To be honest, I was expecting less than ten." After all, who would want to join them? The Survey Corps wasn't exactly an organization that had a good reputation to the public—only oddballs joined them. "An addition of twenty-one candidates to feed to the titans, right?"

 "You're always so positive," Mike remarked with obvious sarcasm. 

"Well excuse me," she defended halfheartedly with a roll of her eyes, "we're living in a world where we have to fight for our lives everyday, half of our friends are dead, and the very people we protect spit on our faces. Not to mention giant humanoid fuckers are out to digest us. Not a very ideal environment to cultivate positive thoughts, don't you think?

Mike side glanced her. "Titans don't have digestive systems."

Isanna gave him a 'seriously?' look, accompanied by a weak punch to the arm. "Out of all the shit I said, you choose to focus on that?"

The blond wordlessly shrugged, earning another punch to the arm, which he quickly avoided. He quietly chuckled at her attempt as she rolled her eyes and looked away with a huff. Cute, he thought. 

He was about to tease her more when he saw how Isanna's face became more stiff as she stared at something. Mike followed her gaze and saw Erwin conversing with Hanji about something in the near distance, the latter still clearly affected by the murder of her two precious titan subjects. As Mike returned his eyes to Isanna and noted the somber look in her expression, there was an unexplainable sinking feeling in his chest; one thing he never failed to notice for the past four years was the way her eyes would always lose its gleam whenever they landed on a certain someone—and it always ticked him off. 

What the hell is that Erwin doing? Mike was good at reading people, but it seemed his perceptive skills were not enough to read him. The usually-stoic-and-serious intimidating Erwin Smith, a permanently-closed book that was impossible to decipher behind his blue-eyed rock expression. 

He raised a hand and pinched Isanna's cheek, catching her in a mild startle as she flinched and looked at him weirdly, but didn't slap his hand away. 

"What?" 

Mike used his other hand to stretch her other cheek. "You had a weird look on and it doesn't suit your pretty face."

His sudden comment caught her off-guard as Isanna blinked at him twice, before she playfully glared at him and slapped his hands away. "You're weird as hell."

"Isn't that the brand of the Survey Corps?" he pointed out with a small laugh, eliciting a smile from her in response. Mike liked that look on her. He preferred that look on her. Erwin, if you aren't going to make her smile, I will.

On the other hand, Erwin and Hanji were currently engaged in a discussion concerning the titan test runs the latter would give to Eren soon in an effort to prepare for their nearing expedition. 

"I'm still looking for a good place for his transformations," Hanji stated with a tone that was far from her usual excitement; Erwin could tell she was still a bit off with her recent loss, but he knew she was bound to regain her enthusiasm during Eren's titan tests, so he wasn't too concerned. 

"Very well. Make sure to send me a detailed report after each test." 

"Will do."

As their conversation went to an end and Hanji walked away, Erwin was about to call the rest of the veteran Scouts who were in the drilling field so that they could return to HQ, but he stopped himself when his eyes landed on Isanna and Mike who were caught up in a conversation of their own; Mike probably said something funny since Isanna released a light laugh while the sides of her eyes creased. 

To think he used to be the receiving end of that smiling face before. Now, she even refused to look at him in the eye at times. 

Times really did change. 

Erwin pulled himself away from his train of thoughts before he could find himself lost in sentimentality. This was his ultimate decision—he had to remind himself of that every time he hesitated. 

As he ordered the soldiers in the vicinity to prepare to head back to HQ, he briefly made eye contact with Isanna when she glanced at him, but she looked away before even a whole second passed. 

No, it was just an excuse his mind conjured. The times did not change.

He did. 

•

The hushed sound of rustling was loud in the still and dim room as a man perused through the books in the shelves, mindful of any noise coming from the outside and the long minutes he had spent searching the place. To avoid anyone noticing light peering through the cracks of the door, he didn't bring any candle with him. There weren't any windows, so outside light couldn't even penetrate and help with his vision; layers of dust covered majority of the surfaces in the room, which was a clear sign that it had been a while since someone last cleaned it. It was a good thing he didn't have a sensitive nose, else he would have erupted into a sneezing fit and blown off his cover.

Where is it? 

He clenched his jaw as he could practically feel and hear the drumming of his heartbeat, palms now clammy with nervous sweat, eyes squinting at each book cover he came across and flipping through the first few pages, only to return them back to their place with more frustration and impatience settling inside him. 

Something has to be in here. 

He couldn't trust anybody within the council now. When news of Eren Jaeger's titan powers spread within the walls and reached their ears, he noticed the members had become more tense and extra wary of the dissemination of information. 

The man pulled out another book that was noticeably thinner and lighter in weight at the end of the shelf and scanned the first few pages, a part of him already thinking about scouring through the next shelf when a few passages in the book caught his attention.

His eyes enlargened for a nanosecond before he squinted them and brought the book closer to his eyes to get a better view of the page, mentally reading the contents.

"Classified Sects"

Some pages had little information written about the Church Walls, the First Interior squad of the Military Police, and even the Anti-Personnel Control squad that had been formed two years after the fall of Wall Maria. None of the information written here was new to the man; working in the council had him exposed to certain works going on behind the scenes not commonly known to the public, although he was aware that he couldn't get access to all the truths. If he wanted to know more about the juicy stuff, he would have to gather his wits to infiltrate the royal palace's library. But there were bound to be guards all over the place and he didn't have the balls to do that, so he settled for this place.

This isn't what I'm looking for!

He flipped to the next page and froze as his eyes stopped at the bolded heading at the top.

"9IV47"

And below the heading was an incomplete beginning sentence.

"The 9IV47 was formed in the year 844, when"

When fucking what?!

The man was about to flip to the next page when he noticed there were no more pages left. He wanted to chuck the book away. All that tense minutes spent had practically gone down the drain with this. Whoever wrote this data book had been interrupted, and they never got back to finishing it; that probably explained why it was much thinner compared to the rest of the books. He then wondered why on earth they would have an unfinished book lying around here, but figured he wouldn't get any answers to that question. At least, at any time soon.

However.. with this, he had a lead. A very small one, but a lead nonetheless. He should give himself some credit for this achievement, and he was about to, until a voice called out from beyond the door.

"Who goes there?"