Bridging the Gap
Winnigan’s mediocrity in hand-to-hand combat did not go unnoticed. As various Scouts led training according to their specialties, her wit was recognized, as well.
Amidst one of Winnigan and Sasha’s better spars, a whistle blew from the edge of the courtyard. Winnigan loosened her headlock around Sasha’s neck, who crumpled to the ground with a comically high-pitched yelp. Scrambling to her feet, Sasha joined the other scout recruits in saluting to Section Commander Hange, who waved in greeting.
“Morgan,” they called out, motioning Winnigan to come forward. “Commander Erwin is wanting to speak with you.”
Collective gasps echoed through the courtyard. Of course, in the week they had spent on base, Erwin had been present in most group gatherings. However, he kept a watchful eye from above, like a god watching over his creation. He had yet to comment, yet to criticize, yet to instruct. So why is his first order of business talking to me?
Erwin’s office was at the easternmost point of base. His dark oak desk matched that of his double doors, furniture, and bookshelves: a collection so grand it rivaled that of her own estate inside Wall Sina. Commander Erwin awaited at his desk already, deep in thought as he scoured over various maps and notes spread across the desk before him. He glanced up from his map, nodding to Captain Hange, who saluted and made her exit.
“Winnigan Morgan, is it?” Erwin asked calmly.
“Yes, Commander, sir!” Winnigan saluted, standing at attention for what felt like too long.
Erwin shuffled his papers together, leafing through them and selecting a handful. “Please, sit. Your brother Pietro and I would spend a lot of time in here together, strategizing.”
Winnigan’s heart leapt into her throat. The fact that the commander not only recognized her relation to a late scout, but also had known him personally nearly had Winnigan jumping for joy. Instead, she suppressed her grin and pulled her seat in closer to the desk.
“He was quite the impressive scout,” Erwin smiled, pouring himself a cup of tea, offering her a cup with a motion of his hand. Winnigan curtly nodded and he obliged. “Scouts come and go like fruit flies. Unfortunately, I do not get to know the names or faces of most of them. Pietro, however, he was quite the strategist. We had many successful missions because of him.”
Winnigan smiled softly, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so glad to know this. We hardly heard from him when we left. That’s actually why I’m here.”
Erwin placed his teacup down with a clink. “I figured as much.” Pulling a file from a folder on his desk, he slid it across the table, pointing to Winnigan’s name with an index finger. “Your marks in strategy and theory nearly excel Pietro’s even after his years of military experience. It’d be a damn shame to put your talent to waste.”
Winnigan gasped, peering onto the file, which had both her and Pietro’s statistics compared against one another. “I… I’m not sure what to say, Commander.”
Her eyes met his, a piercing sky blue, which bore an expression she couldn’t quite read. It seemed to be an even split between masked grief, and something on the absolute tip of his tongue that he bit back. How big of an impact did my brother leave here?
“They’re big shoes to fill, it sounds like,” Winnigan mumbled sheepishly. She cleared her throat, straightening her shoulders. “And honestly, I thought I was called in here to be dismissed for my issues with training.” Erwin shrugged his shoulders with a click of his tongue in response. “But I’m here to… ‘dedicate my heart to the cause’ like you said, Commander.”
Erwin smiled warmly. “Pietro was the same. If he were here today, he’d possibly even be my second-in-command. He wasn’t that well-versed in ODM, either. So, we sent him to our best to get him caught up to speed. So, as long as you’re wanting to fill Pietro’s shoes, you’ll be meeting with our Captain Levi starting tomorrow evening.”
Winnigan had heard a lot of things about Captain Levi. He was cunning, curt, cruel, quiet. Some said he was god. The god of killing titans. Reiner had told her that he heard from older scouts that he could down an army of titans in one fell swoop. Rumor had it, he had a glowing, fiery glint in his eyes as he did so.
The thought gave her chills.
“I will be frank with you,” Erwin warned. “He is as cold as you have likely heard. He won’t share the same kindness and lenience that Section Commander Hange and myself have extended.”
Winnigan nodded solemnly. “I understand, Commander.” She cocked her head to the side, eyes trained on Pietro’s file. “Did Captain Levi admire my brother, too?”
“He did,” Erwin confirmed with the faintest hint of restraint. “Though, I would argue that I appreciated him more than Captain Levi did.”
The vague answer raised more questions than Winnigan cared to ask. Those were answers she was determined to learn in time, as she improved and worked her way up.
Before she departed, Erwin had one final statement in closing. “I’ve read some of your personal essays you’ve written as you’ve learned strategy, even when you were training before Trost. Be sure to return from this upcoming mission, Winnigan, because I believe the two of us could make a big difference in the name of humanity.”
Winnigan’s heart soared.
The new recruits had yet to meet Captain Levi, since he had been at an older scout base with Eren ever since Eren’s transformation. However, with the recon mission coming up, it was without doubt that the new recruits could benefit from Levi’s instruction. So, as Winnigan thanked the Commander for his graciousness, for the opportunity to connect with her late brother, and for a chance to prove herself, she nearly skipped giddily to the barracks where her comrades were already packing their things.
“Are you anxious to see Eren tomorrow?” Sasha asked Mikasa, who wrapped her scarf around her neck expressionless.
“Of course not, he’s tough,” she stated, though Winnigan could’ve sworn there was a crack of insincerity.
Dot had made it through whatever training that horses endured to become steeds of the scouts. She was a sight for sore eyes when Winnigan made it to the stables, where Dot was already tacked and ready to go. Something about a taste from home sprung new tears in her eyes and she pressed her forehead into Dot’s, who whinnied contentedly in reply. “Looks like we were both good enough, girl,” Winnigan whispered. She remembered the contempt in her father’s eyes, the doubt and restrained fear in her mother’s. “We’ll show them.”
Sasha visibly trembled on the ride to the castle where Levi Squad and Eren awaited. The reins shook in her hands, uncharacteristic for a girl raised by horse breeders.
“We’re not going into the fray just yet,” Winnigan reassured her. “Nothing bad can happen to us right now.”
“For once it’s not the titans I’m scared of,” Sasha muttered, loud enough to where hopefully only Winnigan could hear. “I’m scared to meet Captain Levi.”
“Oh *whatever,* cadet!” Hange bellowed, jerking the reins to turn and face the two from ahead of the group. “Levi’s a five-foot-nothin’ ball of anger. He’s like a cranky old cat.”
Ears of a bat, that one.
The castle was in good shape, considering its age. Supposedly, it had been abandoned for years, but even the stone bricks on the exterior appeared to shine. Outside, Levi Squad swept cobblestone pathways and mucked horse stalls. To Winnigan’s right, Mikasa spotted Eren and broke into a sprint across the courtyard.
“Eren! Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”
“So much for not being anxious,” Sasha teased. Winnigan chuckled, dismounting Dot and leading her to a recently prepared stall. Dot nearly submerged her whole head in the water, lapping up water with a thirst comparable to a dog. Winnigan patted her on the head, running her fingers through a couple tangles in Dot’s mane.
While some scouts were reunited with their friends, many of the new recruits were being introduced to the Levi Squad for the first time. A polite girl with a caramel bob named Petra, who just barely tolerated a pestering drunkard named Oluo. Levi’s second, Eld, introduced the final grumpy member, Gunther.
“If you think he’s grumpy,” Eren said to the new arrivals with a grin. “Wait until you actually meet the Captain.” He glanced among his comrades with an absentminded grin. “Reiner, Bertholdt! What a surprise!” Eren clapped Reiner’s shoulder in friendly jest. “Jean, you too, huh? Does that mean Marco is here, too?”
Silence.
Whether the scout recruits admitted it or not, Marco’s death was miniscule in comparison to the loss to come. Scouts had been lambs to the slaughter for as long as anyone had known, even more so since Shiganshina. Marco’s loss only added to the dark storm cloud looming over them, their upcoming recon mission the foreboding thunderhead. As nervous as Winnigan was to meet Captain Levi, she was desperate to get to work with him. Anything to improve. Anything to stay alive.
Section Commander Hange returned to the fold, clasping their hands together with a loud sigh. “Okay, recruits. Get settled into the barracks and prepare for dinner at sunset. Morgan,” they added. “The Captain wants you practicing before supper. He wants good light, and he doesn’t want you to lose your dinner while swirling up in the air. He’ll meet you in the back courtyard in about ten minutes or so.”
The anxious nagging of exposure pulled at Winnigan’s stomach as she stalked to the back courtyard. She crossed her arms over her abdomen, sudden chills spreading goosebumps across her skin. This was humanity’s strongest soldier and she was about to humiliate herself before him with her lack of discipline and coordination. For a moment, she almost wished that Erwin had indeed dismissed her when he summoned her the day before.
The tension didn’t cease when she heard the back door slam shut, or when light footsteps stalked across the porch. It didn’t even let up when she finally turned to face him and give him a stiff salute.
Right then, as the porch elevated himself over her, with the sun hinting at a golden halo around his raven head, the tension reached a fever pitch as Winnigan realized that Captain Levi was no stranger.
In fact, years ago, in the midst of blood and tears, they once shared a bottle of whiskey.
“Are you going to say something, or just shake in your boots?” Captain Levi shook his head, tsking as he jumped off of the porch and landed with a quiet, agile thump. “There’s ODM gear in the shed over there, get geared up. We don’t have much time.”
“Y-yes, Captain!” Winnigan stammered, giving a second salute, this one weaker than the last. She scurried to the shed that Levi had referred to. Just like the rest of the property, even this shed was spotless, something Winnigan was grateful for as she leaned against the door and slid to the ground, chest heaving.
That face. I could never forget that face. That same undercut, though cleaner and more well kept since the last time she saw him, there was no mistaking it. Captain Levi had saved her life once, years ago, and saved her from trauma she otherwise would never have been able to stomach.
She’d been beaten for losing the liquor, but just as quickly embraced and fussed over as her father assessed her injuries. That day, the business affairs were cut short as the two rushed back home, where her mother bathed her and hugged her tightly to her breast. The two promised that she would never set foot in the Underground again, at least until she was older. The promise lasted maybe a month at the most.
Visits to the brothels never got easier. Contrarily, seeing what women were subjected to in the Underground made business affairs even harder to stomach. She’d lock herself in the office, the restroom, or in the carriage if she could. Then, she’d hyperventilate and pull at the clothes constricting her lungs until she had cried herself into a numb lull.
Though Levi had once been her savior, even as a nameless street rat, the same innate fear pummeled her now as she unsteadily suited up.
“We don’t have all day, kid,” Levi called from the outside. As Winnigan exited the shed, she realized with a startled jolt that Captain Levi had been leaning against the shed lazily. Without the extra inches the porch gave him, Winnigan towered over by several inches, somewhat soothing her nerves. I don’t think he got any taller since that day.
Had Captain Levi recognized Winnigan as she did him, his demeanor never wavered. He scrutinized her gear, before pulling a handkerchief from his jacket and wiping the shiny metal of the ODM gear. “Damn brats were supposed to have these spotless.”
“I- I’m sorry, sir.”
“Tch. Not your fault. I’d bet we can blame Jaeger for that one.”
Winnigan laughed breathlessly, trying her damndest to hold it together.
“Morgan, is it? Pietro’s kid?”
“His sister,” Winnigan corrected politely.
Levi chuckled humorlessly, motioning her to follow him further into the courtyard. “Well, yeah, he wasn’t the type to be having kids and whatnot. He said he raised his brother and sister, though.”
“Oh,” Winnigan replied. “I see.”
Winnigan hadn’t the slightest as to what Levi meant by that.
Levi reached into his jacket once more and procured Winnigan’s file, folded neatly with crisp corners despite having just been in a pocket. “Hange just gave this to me, it’s your stats and some instructions from Erwin. Looks like you suck major ass with gear, huh?”
Real professional.
“Not the talking type? Good. Saves me the trouble.” He paced about the courtyard, cocking his head in various directions with a wave of his hand. “The stone walls and trees around here will be good for practice. I understand you’ve used gear in Trost, where you had the city buildings on your side. I want to see how you handle trees.”
Winnigan gulped, grasping the ODM triggers upon realizing Levi did not plan on offering any further instruction. The tree line before her loomed overhead, the sun just barely hidden behind their branches. The sky burned a blazing sunset orange, the trees quickly succumbing to shadow in enormous silhouettes. She glanced once more at Captain Levi from the corner of her eye, where he tapped his foot impatiently, arms crossed over his chest. Stop wasting his time.
With an unstable pull of the trigger, grappling hooks sailed through the air and caught hold of the nearest trees, pulling Winnigan along like a fish on a line. Her body contorted in attempt to stabilize herself, and she just barely caught her footing as she landed atop a nearby branch, mere steps away from stumbling over the edge.
Knowing that in the field she wouldn’t be awarded time to think as she did in these sessions with Levi, Winnigan quickly shot her hooks into the next tree, and then the next, with no clear destination in mind. The goal was to show her skill— or lack thereof— and strategy in unfamiliar terrain with no direct orders was not the most ideal situation.
Deciding she had gone far enough, Winnigan turned on her heel to begin swinging back to base. Much to her surprise, however, Levi waited on a branch behind her.
“I didn’t even hear you, Captain,” Winnigan gasped.
“But walls, could I hear you,” Levi groaned, hopping effortlessly to the branch Winnigan stood on. The trees inside these walls were ancient, enormous, with more than enough strength for humans to rest upon. With agile, confident strides, Levi faced Winnigan with hardly enough space for Winnigan to breathe. Despite his small stature, his intimidation was unmatched. “Any titan within a kilometer of you would have eaten you already. You’d already be titan shit before any scouts caught up to you.”
Winnigan’s head hung sheepishly, before she glanced up with an uncharacteristic smirk. “Caught up? So you’re saying I’m fast?”
Levi scoffed and crossed his arms. “Fast for a dead woman.” Winnigan flinched. “Fly back to base. Try to actually watch your damn footing this time.”
“Yes, Captain,” Winnigan saluted hesitantly. Her breath hitched and her hands trembled slightly as she overlooked the trail she had just blazed through the trees. Various snapped branches hung by miniscule fibers on trees, leaves scattered about the branches she had used for footholds. Droplets of sweat pooled at the nape of her neck before trickling down her spine, sending a chill through her. She glanced back at Levi once more, who watched indifferently.
Then, she took the leap.