An Abnormal Like Me - A LevihanFanfiction

Part 5

With little regard I throw open Erwin's door. Predictably he is sitting at his desk which is a strewn with maps and blueprints. He places his pen down, clasps his hands together and stares at me. "Ah, Levi. Troubling news. The higher ups in the military aren't pleased with the amount of funds going into the new Science division."

"Tch, they want us to beat the titans but they aren't willing to pay for it." Damn bureaucrats.

Unblinkingly Erwin continues "They want results that they can see. They have called for a demonstration in the capital... within two weeks. You and Hange will need to accelerate the work."

Two weeks? They were supposed to have two months to work on it. I can tell by Erwin's unenthused demeanour that this decision was against his gut feeling but he was compelled to obey it.

"Anything else." I say to him, walking out of the office.

He calls back "Inform Hange of the situation."

Back to her filthy office, I guess.

"IN TWO WEEKS?!?" Hange screamed falling off her chair.

I look down at her scrambling on the floor and add "What's the matter four-eyes? Haven't you already designed most of the it?"

She violently twists her head in my direction, her eyes bulging from their sockets, and with a panicked whisper she says "You haven't seen the paperwork..."

I roll my eyes. Absolute child, it can't be that bad.

I almost fall backwards at the sight of the mound of paper. A giant tree's worth of paper forming an unscalable cube of bureaucracy. The citadel of paper awash with personnel forms and various others checks and balances approving the use of such weapons as the 'Multi-Stage Harpoon Titan Detainment Cannon'. I rub my eyes, just removing the possibility that this is some kind of illusion or hallucination. I look back at Hange, who bore the solemn look of a soldier at peace with their own demise. Staring down the barrel of their foe content with the bleak void that awaited them.

Her face drooped into a frown as she turned to me. "C'mon Shorty we better get started then..."

As she started lumbering over to the mountain of work, I place my hand on her shoulder. "We are not doing it in your office idiot. I know somewhere much cleaner."

I watch with bemusement as Hange lugs around half the documents, positively collapsed by the time we arrived in the basement. I plant my stack on the huge table with ease. The dingy room is surrounded by an impenetrable wall of granite brick work. The grey almost metallic hue of the stonework contrasted the golden glow of the candle light.

"Wow, it's so big. I didn't even know we had a basement." Hange remarked lapping the vast table.

"Yeah, well we do. No-one knows about it, so I use it to relax. I thought it would be better than your mangy office."

Hange punched the air, "This will be the perfect place to scythe through these papers."

8:00 pm

I scratch my signature on another form and slap onto my pile. I whimper internally at the woeful scale of my efforts. I look over at Hange's pile which was slightly loftier than mine but childishly sloppy. "Tch Shitty Glasses, how can anyone understand your hand writing. It's appalling."