The Hero Complex. (Levihan)

Chapter 4

She was gone.

'Well, fuck.' Levi said, still as shockingly emotionless as usual.

'Get the commander!' Hange barked, down on their knees and desperately trying to pump air back into Isla's silent lungs.

Despite how tirelessly they pounded on the girl's chest, Isla's glassy grey eyes stared emptily up into Hange's face.

Levi hated seeing feeble attempts at resuscitation, he believed it was worse than the death itself. It was the cruel misplacement of hope he couldn't stand, a foolish light that humans naturally cling to in the face of the hard, razor-sharp dagger of reality. It was all he could do to not slap those cadets he had seen try on too many occasions.

'Stop.' He pulled Hange by their shoulders to a defeated crouch, feeling their whole body sink with grief underneath him.

'Get the commander.' They hissed once more, through teeth gritted in rage rather than sadness now.

The following half an hour was a whirlwind of urgent hushed-tones, whispered conspiracies, and emergency collectives of all squad leaders. Soon Moblit, Erwin, Mike, Levi and Hange were stood in intense discussion in the pit: each of them feeling the ominous presence of treason hanging over them like a cloud threatening to strike lightning.

'Do we inform the rest of the cadets?' Moblit asked seriously, rubbing his chin with his thumb.

'No!- The commander started with more conviction than he had intended, then corrected himself- 'No, that would only cause panic and mistrust, that is the opposite of what we need right now. They must not know that anything is amiss, that is vital.'

'The cadets aren't stupid, Commander. Your face doesn't exactly scream everything is fine.' Levi dared, raising his eyebrows slightly towards Erwin's strained face with his jaw set permanently on edge.

'Then we're going to need to act for all we're damn worth.' Erwin muttered in reply, still waiting for his mind to move into action and provide a solution.

'The first priority needs to be who the hell would do this, who are our suspects?' Moblit still rested his chin in his hand as he gazed to his feet in deep thought.

Each leader offered their own possibility, each becoming less probable as they went on.

'Bandits?'

'Another cadet?'

'Those religious wack-jobs?'

'........Titans?'

'Military police.' Mike spoke for the first time since the leaders had gathered, having broken away from the group and kneeling by Karl's corpse.

'What makes you so sure of that?' Levi queried, moving over to stand beside him.

'Look at the kill technique used, it's a typical throat slit from behind, probably with a left-handed Holder dagger.' Mike explained gruffly, guiding the captain's eyeline to the ugly incision along the man's neck.

'What's the relevance of that?' Moblit asked, also moving over with the commander beside him, Hange stayed put where they were.

'It's a military weapon, produced only through the government. Not just any old bandit could get their hands on one of these, it had to be an insider job.' Mike continued.