Attack on prime

Megatron read the train routes and schedules on the billboard before looking ahead to see others boarding the train. He sighed in defeat as he walked over to the attendant accepting tickets.

In all his years of being alive, Megatron never thought he would ever be involved in human culture. Not even to the degree his followers were when they were trying to take over Earth. But here he was, pretending to be a human, boarding a primitive method of transportation.

Megatron walked up to the attendant and handed him his ticket. The attendant grimaced as he saw the destination written on the paper.

"Exactly why are you going to a den of devils?" He asked.

"That's not where I want to go," Megatron retorted, "it's a pit stop. Like I'd spend a day next to those bastards."

The attendant seemed to hum in agreement as he punched a hole in his ticket. "You're on the last cart."

Megatron took back his ticket and got on the train, but didn't fail to notice a group of tall guards boarding, protecting what looked like a rich family.

Megatron made his way to the last cart of the train, and noticed that it was entirely empty. Hopefully once the train started, no one would be in here and he could report back to Optimus.

Megatron sat down and put his bag on the table before pulling out the map of Marley he had earlier. He stared at it in irritation before finally figuring out exactly where he was on the map.

If Megatron wanted to infiltrate Marley military, he had to act exactly like a human. Which is why he didn't make direct contact with the military the moment he arrived. It was too reckless of a move. He decided to observe the culture of Marley. Find out about their customs and traditions. If someone noticed something off about his heritage, he could say that he was a traveler with no home, which wasn't that far off.

He observed the humans, he did labor work for certain people in exchange for either money or possession humans no longer needed. That's why he had the backpack and the map on him. He also had to buy a dictionary and read it in order to make sure he didn't say Cybertronian dialogue and phrases by accident.

Megatron rubbed his jaw at the way he's had to communicate. He switched to the simple Kaonian dialect he'd grown accustom to before he became Megatronus. It didn't make him stand out as much and he couldn't make a huge show.

Still, he hated that he has to abandon his vernacular for the sake of the mission. Presentation mattered to him. From the way he walked to the way he spoke. He had to refine it in order to inspire the masses. Now he just felt…incomplete.

Megatron snapped out of his thoughts as he felt the train begin to start moving. Megatron looked around and saw that the cart was empty. He reported his position to Optimus fairly quickly before disconnecting the comm and deciding to take a nap.

—

Megatron opened his eyes and lifted his head to see the night sky outside his window. He put the map back in his bag before taking out the dictionary and beginning to read and memorize words.

"I always think that you would not stoop to a lower position than where you already are," a voice spoke, "Yet here you are, proving me wrong,"

Megatron lifted his eyes to see Unicron sitting across from him with his arms crossed.

"It's been a while, Unicron," Megatron remarked, "About four months,"

"Yes It has," Unicron agreed, "And yet you are still here on this miserable planet helping out the humans."

"Helping out the humans is nothing more than an incentive," Megatron told Unicron.

"Is that the new lie you are telling yourself now?" Unicron retorted, "you may have started this to help the blasted disciple of Primus, but now it seems you don't mind helping out the parasites."

"That's none of your concern," Megatron declared.

"I'm apart of you, so this has to deal with me," Unicron declared, "Why are you getting attached to these humans? They're parasites, leeches. They speak of foolish things like love while at the same time try to kill each other. They think of each other as less than human. They see a god like you as a devil."

"I am not a god," Megatron proclaimed.

"You're right," Unicron agreed, "Someone like you achieving the greatness of god, you lost everything in the process. And now you think that helping these humans will rectify your sins!"

"I know they will not-"

"But you want it to," Unicron corrected, "You helped the Prime's pet and saved his life when you didn't have to. You're helping out humans when you do not have to. And they don't even consider you an ally. They fear and hate you. They don't consider you a friend. And the rest of this pathetic planet thinks of them as devils. If devils cannot accept you, what makes you think that others can?"

"…I don't need you to tell me what I already know," Megatron began, "The people of the island fear me and hate me as they should. I will never ask for something that I know I do not deserve, but that should not stop me from doing something right with my miserable existence."

Unicron let out a loud laugh. "'Doing right?! How idiotic are you?! The whole world wants that island wiped off the map for crimes committed over a thousand years ago! Helping them would only doom this planet, according to the eyes of everyone else! And even if you help the island, even if you succeed, how long will it be before the humans on the island dispose of you. They adore the disciple of Primus; they loathe and despise you. Your just a means to an end to them. Just like helping them is a means to an end for you,"

Megatron glared at the illusion as it smirked.

"Do not forget Megatron: you will always be a monster."

A gunshot was heard from the other cart, causing Megatron to shoot up from his seat. He looked behind him to see the illusion was gone, and decided to focus on what was happening now.

Megatron walked over to the door of the cart and peaked through the window to see some of the guards he saw earlier, armed with guns and pointing it at the passengers. There seemed to be three at the moment, but there could be more throughout the train.

Megatron ran back to his seat and picked up his supplies before running back to the door. He peeked through the window once more and saw two of the guards heading towards his cart. He stood next to the door away from view before they walked into the room. As the second one stepped inside the cart, Megatron quickly closed the door and jumped the man. He quickly snapped his next as the first guard turned around and looked in surprise. Before he could fire his gun at him, Megatron knocked the gun out of his hands to the floor before covering his mouth and snapping his neck as well.

Megatron stared at the bodies before walking back over to the door to see the third one was still holding the cart hostage. The former warlord grabbed a rifle from one of the corpses and checked to see that it was loaded. He stood up and aimed the rifle at the guard's face. He pulled the trigger and fired, causing the bullet to go through both windows and hit the guard through his temple, just below the helmet he was wearing.

Megatron grabbed the other rifle before opening the door to the cart and walking over to the other one. He closed the door and noticed that the ten passengers that were there were looking at him with fear.

"I'm not here to kill you," Megatron explained, "I'm the one who fired that shot and killed the guard. Does anyone know where exactly he's from?"

"The guard was a member of the Tybur family," a woman spoke up, "But the Tybur family are saviors of humanity. Why would they do such a thing?"

"I doubt that they would do something like this," Megatron said as he looked down at the soldier he shot, "He doesn't even look like a Marleyan, but in any case, the ones who started this are going to discover that something is wrong. Does anyone here know how to use a rifle?"

A middle aged man raised his hand, causing Megatron to hand the second rifle in his possession over to him.

"They'll come back to check if the cart is under their control," Megatron explained, "If they do defend it."

"W-what will you do?" The man asked as Megatron walked over to the door of the cart.

"I'm going to find the trash who's doing this," Megatron answered as he opened the door. The ex con looked down at the moving tracks before looking ahead and to his left to see a ladder leading to the top of the train. Megatron jumped and grabbed onto the ladder before climbing it and reaching the top.

Megatron felt the wind hitting his face, but chose to ignore as he walked onto of the cart. He grabbed the edge of the roof and leaned forward to see through the window that there was blood on the ground and a body next to it. That must've been where the gunshot came from.

Megatron continues onward and jumped onto the next cart. He looked through the window of that one and saw no one else inside. That made his job a little bit easier.

"See Megatron?" Unicron spoke as he reappeared on the roof, "Your risking your identity for humans. The enemy no less."

"A means to an end," Megatron retorted as he jumped onto the next roof.

"Stop trying to keep on telling yourself that lie," Unicron ordered.

"Will you keep quiet for five seconds and let me focus?" Megatron hissed as he leaned over the roof once more. This time, he saw a cart full of passengers and the noble family he saw earlier. Four of the guards that came in with them were holding hostage a small boy while two other guards that seemed to truly be apart of the noble family entourage were aiming their guns at the four trying their best to get the boy.

If Megatron didn't think this through more people could die. He didn't care for the humans, but doing some heroic deeds would cover up his history and have people think he's a human. Of course he couldn't get himself injured in anyway. It's not hard, but he didn't want to be reckless.

Megatron stilled when he noticed a man in a suit with long blonde hair staring at him from his seat, right next to a woman with black hair that was too distracted by the scenario.

Megatron placed a finger over his mouth to tell the man to keep quiet. He then stood up and moved over to the next window next to where the four guards were standing. He gripped the edge of the roof of the cart and swung himself into the air before aim his rifle at the window.

—-

Willy gulped in fear as he saw his son crying out while one of the terrorist was holding him by his collar.

He did background checks on all of his guards. He didn't even know that there were seven from the Middle Eastern Nations that infiltrated his entourage. He got too careless, too trusting. Now his family was going to die because of his mistakes.

"Give is the War Hammer Titan you devils!" One of the guards shouted, "Or everyone on this train dies! Starting with the brat!"

Willy couldn't reveal that identity. It would put the entire family at risk, and it would make the entire war worse for the Middle Eastern Nations and anyone aligned with them. Nations would be destroyed if he said a word, but couldn't risk losing his children.

The tension grew higher as they placed the gun to his son's head. The other two guards that had no knowledge of this coup were protecting the rest of them and trying to get the boy back.

Willy was about to speak, until he saw something out the window. He glanced over and stared in confusion as he saw a man with gray hair that appeared to be upside down outside of the train with only his head visible. He tensed when he saw the man had noticed him, but he merely placed a finger over his lips before disappearing.

What did that..? What was he doing?

Before he could question who the man was, he saw the figure flip over the train and aim his rifle at the window. The man fired, killing one of the terrorists and destroying the glass in the process.

The man barreled into the train and kicked the one holding his son in the head. His son fell to the floor while the man smashed the butt of the rifle into a third soldier, knocking him unconscious. The fourth was about to fire at his son, but the man knocked the gun higher causing him to fire to the ceiling.

The man than used the rifle in his possession to get the fourth terrorist in a chokehold. When the one holding his son tried to fire at him, the man shield himself with the one he was holding down. The fourth soldier was killed and tossed to the floor before the man aimed his rifle at the one still alive.

"You bastard!" The remaining terrorist shouted as he aimed his rifle as well.

The last fired his last bullet, but the man dodged it at the last second with his quick reflexes.

"You really didn't plan this out," the man remarked, "Your friends are dead and you failed."

"We didn't fail," he declared, "We thought of everything."

"Seven of you were taken down by me," the man declared, "Unless you have an eighth."

'He took them all down?!' Willy thought.

"No," the first declared before he smirked, "But we do have a bomb at the front of the train."

"And you told me the rest of your stupid plan," the man said before stepping on his leg and breaking it.

The first screamed as the man picked him up and heaved him over his shoulder. The man then took notice of the passengers, family, and the guards staring at him in shock before sighing.

"I'm tired and I'm not in the mood of introducing myself or being interrogated by this flimsy entourage. If there's anyway to contact authorities, then do it. I have a bomb to stop."

Willy watched the man open the door of the cart with the screaming terrorist in tow. The man closed the door and hopped onto the other cart.

Willy quickly got up from his seat and grabbed a rifle before dashing towards the other cart, despite the protests of his family and the passengers. He opened the door and saw the man finished unscrewing the bolt connecting the train together. As the one half of the train continued to move forward, Willy jumped onto the cart, catching the man by surprise. The man got over his shock and caught him, pulling him onto the moving train.

"What in the A-What the hell are you doing?!" The man demanded as he shut the door of the cart, "Why did you follow me?"

"This group was after me and my family!" Willy declared, "They…they were after me because of the blood coursing through my veins."

"Serves you right you devil," The wounded terrorist spoke.

The man sighed in irritation before slamming the butt of the rifle in his face causing him to scream in pain.

"I don't give a damn about that," the man hissed, "you decided to put yourself in danger out of guilt! Now I have to worry about protecting some petty rich kid with a privilege complex."

"Sir I-"

"Just shut up and stay behind me," the man ordered as he picked up the wounded terrorist and walked forward.

Willy followed the man down two empty carts before they found themselves at the front of the train where the engine room was. Willy gasped as he saw a bomb strapped right onto the engine itself while the conductor was dead on the floor with blood pooling out of his stomach. There was another terrorist inside that tried to charge at them, but the man quickly shot him in his side, causing him to collapse to the floor.

The man dropped the terrorist on the floor and aimed the rifle at his head.

"Disarm the bomb," the man ordered.

"No," the terrorist proclaimed.

"I'm not in the mood for your shit," the man hissed, "Tell me how to disarm the bomb or I end your life right here."

"All for the sake of my country," the terrorist proclaimed.

"Your country is going to pay the price for your stupidity," the man declared, "You thought attacking the Tybur family would somehow get you off Scott free? I'm pretty sure you'd be killed along with the rest of your country."

"As long as I kill one, the mission is a success," the terrorist smirked as he quickly pulled out the pistol and aimed it for the bomb.

Willy gasped in surprise as the man dropped the gun and tackled him out of the engine room before pulling him off the train. As they rolled down the dirt together, the engine room blew up. Will saw that it continued to travel down the tracks but was beginning to slow to a stop.

Willy saw the man growl in anger as he stood up. "And there goes my ride! I paid nearly thirty dollars for that ticket and it goes up in smoke! I have to walk all the way to Liberio now! Damn it! Safest country my ass!"

"Sir-" Willy began as he stood up.

Willy let out a tiny squeak as the man looked at him with such rage that could kill a man.

"And don't get me started on you!" the man began, "You could've stayed on the train with everyone else! Instead you put yourself in danger and made it more complicated than it needed to be. I could've stopped the explosion if you weren't in the way!"

"Sir I-"

"And they were after you and you go off to try and risk your life?!" the man shouted, "Maybe I should've let them kill you just to save myself the trouble!"

Willy quickly got down on his knees and bowed his head. "My name is Willy Tybur of the Tybur household, and I am truly sorry for putting you and everyone else on the train in danger! I had no idea that the enemy had infiltrated my guard and were out to kill me and take the War Hammer Titan, but they were trying to kill me and my family because of the blood that flows through my veins. Even though we are saviors to humanity, the devil's blood still curses us and makes us a target for everyone. I can't ask for forgiveness, but I am truly sorry."

Willy waited for the man to rant at him once more, or display some kind of anger towards him, but Willy lifted his head to see the man holding out his hand to him. Willy took it and the man pulled him to his feet.

"I'm really-" Willy stopped when the man raised his hand.

"It's been a rough day for me," the man admitted, "I've been dealing with a lot, and now that I don't have a ride or money, I'm back to square one."

"W-well I can get you a ride, a-a horse," Willy stuttered, "I can get you whatever amount of money that you need-"

"Stop," the man ordered, "I'm not going to take advantage like that, and besides, how long will it be before transportation does come here? I should be fine just following the tracks."

"But…you saved my life," Willy reasoned, "There must be something that I can do for you."

The man thought it over and sighed before picking up his bag off the ground. "How insistent are you going to be about it?"

"Pretty insistent," Willy admitted, "You've done a great service to the Tybur Family,"

"Alright then," the man relented, "If I ever find myself in a bind, can I count on you to pull me out of it?"

"Sure, anything," Willy agreed, "But you need my temporary address."

"Just say it and I'll remember," the man said.

Willy told the man his address. "You can send me a letter and I'll be able to respond right away."

"Okay," the man said, "I should head out."

"Wait, I didn't get your name!" Willy exclaimed.

The man stopped in his tracks and glanced back at Willy. "It's Matthew. Matthew Hayes."

Before Willy could stop and ask his something else, he heard someone call out his name. He looked behind him to see his family and a few guards running towards him.

"You're alive!" his sister exclaimed with relief as she knelt down and hugged him, "How did you survive?!"

"The man, he-" Willy tried to point to him, but gasped when he realized he was gone. Where did he go?

Paradis Island (Wall Maria)

Hanji watched as the engineer began to weld chains for the new gate. Optimus instructed the engineer of how hot the metal had to be heated in order to properly mold it.

She then saw the other engineer create a metal crank to open and close the gate. She theorized that wood wouldn't be able to support the metal, so they had to use metals from the Cybertronian ship. Of course, that took longer than expected as well to mold, considering the proper tools required and how much the scraplets ate through. They were planning on testing the prototype right now, and they had to make sure to clear the surrounding area of the workers there.

"Commander Hanji, we are-"

"Optimus, don't call me that," Hanji groaned as she looked at the titan in his bipedal mode, "It makes me feel old."

"You are my commanding officer," Optimus retorted.

"And you are four million years old," Hanji countered.

"It would still be rude of me," Optimus proclaimed.

Hanji groaned in response. "Did Megatron call back?"

"He said he is making his way to Liberio," Optimus informed.

Hanji stared at the Prime in surprise. "Already?"

"It has been nearly four months," Optimus retorted, "Hopefully, he will not make direct contact with the titan warriors."

"Only Bertholdt, Annie, and Reiner would have a chance at recognizing him," Hanji said, "And if he's as good at deceptions as he claims, he should be fine."

"I just pray he will choose not to be impulsive," Optimus hoped.

"Commander Hanji," an engineer walked up and saluted her, "We're ready to test out the mechanism."

"Good," Hanji said, "Let's begin!"

Megatron rubbed the holoform's eyes as he continued walking by the track, making it to the town of Liberio. He actually did deactivate the holoform for a day before he reactivated it and walked along the track. He would usually have to hide his supplies or he wouldn't be able to navigate this place.

Megatron entered the town and was met with apartment complexes and multiple humans walking around the street. He heard that some were discussing the newspaper published this morning. He peered over at a man reading one, and nearly cursed aloud when he realized it was about him and the stunt he pulled saving the people on the train.

He wasn't sure of the importance of the Tybur family just yet. He hasn't gone through this entire planet's history yet to know all the details. But if it made headlines like this, then he would have to keep his head down to avoid authorities.

Megatron noticed other people staring at him and merely looked ahead before he continued walking. Maybe he should wait an extra week and let the story die down before doing anything else. Then he might be able to operate a little more freely.

Megatron stopped in his tracks when he heard a few humans mockingly laugh at a food stand. Megatron turned to see three humans, mocking and harassing two Eldians. The older one looked like he was protecting his younger sibling. Both had a yellow armband and appeared to be in military uniform.

"Deviled brat, you're not fit to wear our uniform!" A Marleyan shouted.

Megatron could see the fear in the younger one's eyes while his older brother was trying to protect him. The ex-con noticed the Marleyans nearby continued about their day as if nothing was going on. And for some reason, it aggravated him.

A part of him told him to not get involved, but grimaced at the sight of the older boy getting kicked in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground. But he still continued to shield his brother.

Slag it. This angered him to no end. Before he could process it he found himself walking towards them. One of them was about to punch the older brother in the face, but Megatron quickly grabbed his arm and forced him back away from the two.

"What the hell?!" The lackeys shouted as Megatron turned his attention to the siblings. He saw their bag on the ground and picked it up before shoving it in the older boy's hand.

"Go, now," Megatron ordered.

"But-" the younger one yelped as his older brother grabbed him and made a run for it.

"What the hell's your problem?" The one he pushed demanded.

"You mean besides the fact they were two kids," Megatron retorted as he faced them.

"C'mon man," the guy said, "Just because their kids, doesn't excuse the fact they're devils."

"Do they have spinal fluid on them?" Megatron demanded.

"Uh-"

"Did they have a gun? A knife?" Megatron continued, "Did they offend you at all?"

"T-they offend us by walking in these streets," the second one said, "They're devils that don't deserve to live."

"The same devils fighting your battles for you while you go home and drink yourself to death," Megatron shot back.

Megatron noticed some passersby looking at him in disgust but didn't acknowledge them.

"Are you sympathizing with these devils?!" The first man shouted, "Are you a devil?! Is that why you care so much about them?! Have you forgotten their sins?!"

"Hardly," Megatron hissed, "It's just common sense to not waste time on two kids who will die fighting in your war. Unless you're trying to compensate for what you lack."

The man got angry and tried to punch Megatron, but he merely caught the fist before dislocating his wrist in the process. The man screamed and fell to his knees while his friends backed away in fear.

"Hey! Step away and put your hands in the air!" A marleyan soldier ordered as he and three others aimed their rifles at him.

Megatron let go of the man's arm before raising his own in surrender. Megatron allowed them to restrain him by tying his hands with rope.

"You're under arrest for assault and helping an Eldian," the soldier declared, "You will come with us quietly, or we will take you with force."

Megatron didn't say a word as he allowed the humans to take him. He should've waited a week until he made his next move.

—-

Later

Zeke Jaeger was not in a good mood. At least, things could be better.

So far he heard nothing regarding Annie and Bertholdt's condition. They've been at the Titan Research Center non-stop as scientists were trying to find out how to save Bertholdt and harness Annie's abilities using the energon inside of them.

Meanwhile Reiner and Pieck were busy trying to come up with some strategy for the upcoming battle against the Eastern nations. Reiner wanted to prove himself, since he took full responsibility for the failure of the mission and the loss of Marcel. Meanwhile, the Commanders were discussing ways to find similar metal compounds to the thorn from the flying titan on their land with the hopes of advancing weaponry to take on the enemy and the two metal titans.

Despite all of this, there was still no way for him to try and send a Marley ship with his followers to Paradis island to help aid them. All military endeavours have ceased, and he couldn't get them to change their minds no matter how hard his tried. Now he was being called down for some stupid minut thing that didn't have to be handled by government officials. Even though he was an Eldian, he didn't have to deal with this.

Zeke made his way to the interrogation room and opened the door before coming face to face with one of his commanding officers.

"You're late," He hissed.

"I'm sorry," Zeke apologized as he saluted him, "What's going on?"

"That," his commander whispered as he pointed through the window.

Zeke looked inside and saw Magath shouting at a man tied to a chair. A man that wore all gray, with multiple scars on his face and odd, but familiar, red eyes.

"Who is that?" Zeke asked.

"He goes by the name of Matthew Hayes," the commander explained, "He was arrested today for assault and helping your possible successor Colt Grice."

"That should be a minor thing right?" Zeke questioned, "So why bring in a high ranking official to interrogate him?"

"He's not a Marley citizen," the commander answered, "And after that incident with the Tybur family yesterday, we can't take any chances."

"They should be coming to headquarters today correct?" Zeke recalled, earning a nod from the Commander.

"We should just throw him in jail," the commander hissed.

Zeke looked back at the man named 'Matthew' and saw that he was unaffected by Magath's shouting at him. The doors and windows were closed, so he could only make out partial words to what Magath was saying.

"You are in a shit ton of trouble if you don't tell us who you are!" Magath shouted.

"I already told you my name, and I don't have a reason to fight in a stupid war," Matthew retorted.

"Then what's to stop us from assuming you're an Eldian and sending you to Paradis." Magath threatened.

"If you think saying I'm an Eldian is going to scare me then you got another thing coming!" Matthew shot back, "Let's do a blood test right now, or how about a fucking spinal fluid injected in the back of my neck! I'm a hundred percent sure I won't turn into a titan!"

"You seem perfectly confident about it," Magath remarked.

"Because I'm not a fucking Eldian, you son of a bitch!" Matthew shouted.

"Watch your tone!" Magath warned, "I am a commanding officer!"

"Oh yeah," Matthew began in a sarcastic tone, "Being strapped to a chair makes me want to respect the hell out of you. I'd bow for you your majesty, but I can't exactly do it while sitting!"

Zeke watched Magath growl before warning Matthew of something before walking out of the interrogation room and slamming the door shut.

"Commander Magath," Zeke saluted, "I've never seen you this frustrated before."

"Basic means of interrogation are not going to work," Magath hissed.

"Are you sure?" Zeke asked.

"Do you not see the scars on his face?" Magath retorted, "He's been through torture before. It's going to be ineffective."

"What do you suggest we do?" Zeke asked.

"You are going to go in and interrogate him," Magath declared and he pushed some papers to his chest.

"Me?!" Zeke questioned.

"If he is an Eldian, maybe talking to a like mind might get him to talk," Magath proclaimed.

"Okay, but shouldn't we plan for this?" Zeke asked.

"We have other important matters," the commander said, "Now go."

Zeke almost let out a small sigh of irritation, bu held his tongue before opening the door and entering the room. He could see Matthew tapping his foot in irritation before turning his attention to Zeke.

"So what are you?" Matthew began, "Good cop?"

"Probably," Zeke admitted, "Look, we're on a time crunch right now, what with our war going on and the moment, and the possible threat of the metal titans on Paradis. Could you just please tell us what we need to know about you?"

"This is an interrogation, and you're barely putting in any effort," Matthew deadpanned, "And you're Commander seems to be really lazy, sending an Eldian to interrogate me?"

"You seemed to be fond of protecting Eldians," Zeke retorted.

"They were kids," Matthew retorted, "And Marley's been beating it in their skulls that they will be free if they fight for them, because the actual Marleyans are too scared to fight their own battles."

"That's a very unpopular opinion," Zeke remarked. This man, for some reason he sounded familiar. And those eyes, where had he seen them before?

"Does it look like I care?" Matthew demanded, "I'm a traveler. I come and go whenever I want, and I don't want to be kept here any longer."

Zeke gasped when Matthew pulled the rope that tied him loose and threw it to the ground. Magath and the other Commander rush in while Matthew crossed his arms.

"And I also want my bag too," Matthew added.

—

Willy walked down the halls of headquarters, trying to find a man called Magath. He didn't necessarily do that yesterday because of the incident that happened on the train. He wanted to make sure his family was safe before they made any moves to headquarters.

Willy stopped in his tracks gene he heard multiple voices shouting at each other. He found himself in front of an interrogation room and opened the door out of curiosity. He gasped when he saw Magath and another Commander yelling at a familiar face while Zeke was trying to stop them from killing each other.

Willy ran into the room causing the others to stop fighting. Matthew looked genuinely surprised to see him while Magath and the other grew worried.

"Sir Tybur!" The other Commander exclaimed in surprise.

"Sir, please stand back," Zeke pleaded, but Willy didn't listen as he looked at Matthew with joy. He ran up to him and hugged him, causing Matthew to stiffen and everyone else to stare in shock.

"Matthew, it's good to see you!" Willy exclaimed with joy.

"W-Willy, i didn't expect to see you again," Matthew admitted in a strained voice, "Could you let go? I don't really like hugs."

"Oh, sorry," Willy apologized as he let Matthew go. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm in some trouble with the law," Matthew said before giving a small chuckle, "I think I need that favor you said you'd give me."

"Of course!" Willy agreed as he patted the man on the shoulder before turning to Magath. "I wish you would pardon this man of his crimes."

"Excuse you?!" Magath exclaimed. "He helped out an Eldian, and assaulted a Marleyan citizen! That's against the law! We can only suspect he's an Eldian because of his actions!"

"This man saved my life and my family," Willy retorted.

"Huh?" Magath questioned in surprise.

"My train was infiltrated by terrorists from the enemy nation who wanted the War Hammer Titan and the end of the Tybur Family," he explained, "This man saved the lives of my family and the lives of the people on the train."

"That was you?"the other Commander questioned in surprise.

"I was on the same train," Matthew explained, "It was more of a right place, right time scenario."

'Some coincidence' Zeke thought.

"How were you able to stop them?" Magath asked.

"I've been traveling ever since I was a teenager," Matthew explained, "I've had different people teach me how to fight. I've been through a lot so I needs ways to defend myself."

"…Sir Tybur, this man still broke the law. It would be wrong of me to not punish him," Magath retorted.

"But should he be sent to jail?" Willy asked, "Matthew just has a good heart, and it is rare to find someone like that."

"How good are you in your fighting styles?" Magath asked.

"I'd say I'm decent," Matthew answered.

"Then here's what's going to happen," Magath began, "We will let you go on pardon on the condition that you help train Eldian soldiers, since you seem to have such a soft spot for them."

"I'm sorry, what?" Matthew hissed.

"If you're as good as you say you are, and if you managed to save the Tybur family, then you could be useful to us," Magath proclaimed, "We are going to be at war, and you will serve the Marley Empire until that war is over. Then you can leave and never come back."

"What if I say no?" Matthew asked.

"Then you can rot in a jail cell until to war is over," Magath answered, "On the plus side, you'll get free housing and meals. This is your only offer."

Zeke noticed that Matthew looked ready to kill Magath, but the newcomer inhaled to calm his nerves and let out a sigh. "Fine."

"Then we are in agreement, Matthew Hayes," Magath declared before turning to Zeke, "You will be responsible for catching up to speed on Marley Military protocol."

"Yes sir," Zeke saluted before Magath walked out of the interrogation room.

"I'm sorry," Willy apologized, "I'm only a neutral nobleman. I don't have complete control over the military."

"It's fine," Matthew said, "It was either that or jail. If you didn't show up I would have been in hotter water."

"I'll still try to find a way to get you out of this bind," Willy declared, "It's the least I could do."

"Sir, please come this way," the other Commander requested, "Commander Calvi wishes to discuss with you some important matters."

Willy waved Matthew goodbye before exiting the room, leaving Zeke alone with the man. Zeke turned to him to see that the man was still agitated but calmer than earlier.

"May I get my bag back?" Matthew asked, in a rather unnatural polite tone.

"Sure, this way," Zeke gestures as they walked out of the room.

—

Eren and Optimus balanced the gate on the outside of Wall Maria as the chains were hooked together with the new crank on the inside. They slowly let go of it together before watching it slowly open. It almost reached the height to fully open, but the mechanism stopped and the gate came down. Optimus and Eren managed to catch the gate before it caused anymore damage before setting down gently.

"Damn it!" Hanji shouted from inside the walled town.

"Should we try reworking the metal again, Commander?" An engineer asked.

"Our best option," Hanji answered, "Even with Optimus and Eren, it look like it's going to take the entire day."

"Eren, are you alright?" Optimus asked.

Eren nodded his head and gave a 'thumbs up' to him. Optimus the placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you are tired, then take a break," Optimus advised.

Eren nodded before turning his attention back to the wall. He could do this.

—-

Zeke opened the door to his office and stepped inside, followed by Matthew before he closed the door.

"I didn't think Eldians had this kind of position," Matthew remarked, "You have your own office."

"I've displayed intense loyalty to the Marley Empire by selling out my parents for trying to overthrow Marley," Zeke explained as he sat down at his desk before opening his drawer to pull out some papers, "Besides that, you will have to fill out documents providing your information so you can be an official Marley Soldier."

Matthew huffed in response as he put his bag on the chair. "I'm not a soldier; I'm a prisoner. Once Willy finds a loophole, I'm leaving this place."

"I'm sure you will," Zeke merely responded as he glanced up at Matthew. Where had he seen him before?

"But you must be really desperate to get help from a homeless man," Matthew admitted as he pulled out a dictionary from his bag.

"Suppose Marley is rather desperate after the failure of the Paradis mission," Zeke admitted, "Now were in a war that may prove difficult to win."

"That war doesn't seem to be that big of a concern," Matthew said, "I heard that there were two titans on the island strong enough to defeat the Warriors."

"That's all anyone's been talking about," Zeke huffed in response. And he still had no connection to the island.

"Guess a titan that can rip out the heart of the Armored Titan would be more dangerous than the titans threatening to destroy the planet," Matthew admitted.

Zeke nearly dropped the papers in his hand before taking a quick glance at the man. Planet? No one here says planet! What does that even mean?! The only one he ever heard say planet was…

"Not even a week on this backwards planet and something is trying to kill me."

'Motherfucker!' Zeke nearly cursed. How did he not see this before? The red eyes?! The fucking outfit color scheme?! Reiner even said Optimus Prime had a human form! The flying titan infiltrated Marley Military, and they played right in his hands! Paradis was really desperate to send a titan to gain intel!

"I suppose," Zeke remarked as he opened his drawer, revealing a gun in his drawers.

"So how long will this process take?" Matthew asked.

"Maybe for a week," Zeke answered as he grabbed the gun, "If you can provide the right information."

"That's enough time to get what I need," Matthew proclaimed, "Hopefully I'll leave this place a lot sooner."

"A good heart, huh?" Zeke began.

Before Matthew had time to react, Zeke aimed the gun straight at the back of his head. Matthew saw this and slowly set the book down before standing up with his back facing him.

"What are you doing?" Matthew demanded as he raised his hands, "You kill me and Marley might kill you. You're an Eldian and I'm not."

"You're right," Zeke agreed, "But your not even human."

"Have you gone insane?!" Matthew exclaimed.

"No one here says planet," Zeke proclaimed, "That word is not in our vocabulary. That's an advance term. Something you and your world would have coined over time."

"What the hell are you trying to say?!" Matthew demanded, "I've travelled around the world. What other world are you talking about?!"

"I also can't forget those eyes." Zeke added, "Those are the same eyes that I saw long ago on the island when I tried to attack you. You're the flying Titan."

Silence filled the room as Matthew remained quiet. Zeke griped the gun tighter as Matthew began to darkly chuckle. The man's back straightened and he put his hands down before glancing at Zeke with a sinister smile.

"Advanced vocabulary gave me away," Matthew remarked as he showed his fangs to Zeke, switching to a more natural voice, "I worked hard to change my dialect and vernacular so I wouldn't get caught. Seems that idea hasn't worked out at all."

Zeke almost took as step back as Matthew turned around, unfazed by the gun. "Although there is one error in your grand design."

"And what's that?" Zeke demanded.

"I told you that the next time we meet and you attacked me like you did, I would not be so merciful," Matthew declared with a smile.

Zeke took a second to process the words before glancing at the gun in his hands. Before he could curse himself for his foolishness, Matthew covered his mouth and took the gun from his hands. Zeke grunted as Matthew pinned him to the ground and aimed the gun at his head.

"I've always wondered if you creatures would be able to regenerate if I shot a vital organ" Matthew taunted "Let's find out, shall we?"

Zeke began shaking as the gun was directed to his eye. This is the first time in a long time that he felt genuine fear. He hadn't felt like this ever since he fought Optimus Prime. Now he was going to die because of his own idiocy.

Zeke shut his eyes and prepared for the inevitable, but he stopped shaking as he felt the Titan let go of his mouth and stand up. He place the gun on the table before looking down at Zeke.

"Although that wouldn't be as much fun," Matthew declared.

Zeke scrambled to his feet and thought about getting the gun again, but decided to reconsider it. Bertholdt, Annie, and Reiner were very vocal about this titan's threat level. He would be able to stand a chance on his own. But… if he played his cards right, He might finally have a connection to the island.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Zeke demanded.

"Reconnaissance," Matthew answered, "I've been asked to relay information back to the island."

"So you've aligned yourself with the island devils?" Zeke concluded "Why?"

Matthew laughed. "Trust me. All you humans are the same. And if it were any other scenario, I would have slaughtered you all. There's a little bit of…incentive for aligning myself with the island."

"You defeated our most powerful weapons and kidnapped the Jaws Titan," Zeke added, "Why haven't you killed us sooner?"

"It would be easy," Matthew admitted, "I just have to figure out your military command and protocol. Once I do that I could just kill the commanders and the creatures, pin it on the country you're at war with and watch you destroy each other for crimes neither committed."

Zeke backed away as the Titan leaned in and smirked. "But that would bring more complications than its worth. Of course killing the current Titan shifters would cause your country to be in a frenzy, trying to scramble which human in the internment zones around the world possess the power. Marley losing its weapons would ensure their defeat, but the other countries would have the power and might cooperate to destroy the island. I know Marley has relied too heavily on the Titan power, but the other countries have become technologically advanced. They have that along with the Titan power, they would have a definite advantage. We would have more enemies to deal with."

"But the whole world hates Eldians," Zeke reminded.

"But Marley was the one who attacked first," Matthew declared, "One attacks the other retaliates. It's better to deal with the one who attack first than aggravating other countries."

"Marley is the nation that is essentially protecting eldians." Zeke said.

"Because the Eldians are nothing more than a commodity," Matthew declared, As he walked over to the globe on the shelf, and spun it. "'Less than humans', 'abominations', 'demons' who have no right to exist because they condemned the world. Once Marley gets their hands on the Founding Titan, they have no use of Eldians anymore. It doesn't matter if they serve in the military or not. They'll all be wiped out or turned into titans once the power is used properly. I would've done something like that."

Zeke tensed as Matthew turned to him. "But you, Zeke Jaeger, a child of royal blood, chose not to say a word about your lineage."

"So I chose not to say anything," Zeke stated, "Why would that mean anything?"

"Because if you were truly loyal to the Marley cause, you would have willingly told them you are a Fritz," Matthew answered, "You would have willingly given them more royal children to use at their disposal. Either you wish to keep your secret private, or you are planning something else."

Zeke stares at the Titan before letting out a small laugh. "You're good. Reiner and Annie were right to say you're good at mind games. I didn't even tell you my name and somehow you managed to figure out who I am."

"Let's just say I'm a very observant. So then, what is it you are truly after?" Matthew asked as he sat back down on the couch.

"I wish for the freedom of the Eldian people," Zeke answered, "I am the last of the Eldia Restorationists."

Zeke noticed that the Titan was startled by his proclamation.

"You sold out your creator," Matthew began, "Yet you are choosing to continue his work? Know that I do hate your creator and I don't think highly of him at all."

"I don't blame you," Zeke admitted, "My father was foolish in his endeavor. He wanted Eldia to rule over everyone else once more. That would only continue this never ending cycle of suffering. I wish to free Eldia from the binds of war and suffering. So that no nation will treat them as less than, but instead as equals."

"If that is true, why did you sell out your creators?" Matthew asked, "Why do you continue to make your people suffering by turning them into monsters and pinning them against one another?"

"I had to gain Marley's complete trust, and when I was a boy they were on to my parents about their group." Zeke explained as he stared out the window, "If I didn't say anything, the members of the group and the relatives of said members would've been sent to Paradis. Me, my grandparents, innocent Eldians who knew nothing of the groups existence. I had to say something or else more people would have suffered. I had to stain my hands with the blood of the people I was trying to protect."

"What makes you so sure that I can trust you?" Matthew asked.

Zeke turned back to Matthew. "You don't, but you have connections to Paradis, and I have connections to Marley military. I believe we could be of use to one another."

"Is that so?" Matthew asked as Zeke sat down on the other couch facing him, "And what would that use be?"

"In order for the plan to truly succeed, we need the powers of the coordinate," Zeke explained.

"A power that is practically useless at this point," Matthew remarked.

"Because the current holder isn't of royal blood, so they can't activate it at will, but I believe that power will only work if a person of royal blood makes contact with the person that has the powers of the coordinate." Zeke continued.

"So you wish to make contact with the current holder of the coordinate," Matthew concluded, "And what exactly would you be providing?"

"Military aid," Zeke answered, "Currently all missions to Paradis have seized because of you and Optimus Prime. If I can convince the commanders, I can send ships to the island with followers of mine that would be willing to aid the island."

Zeke didn't see any emotion from Matthew.

"What makes me so certain that I can trust you?" Matthew asked, "According to the island, you turned humans into titans. What's to stop you from doing the exact same thing?"

"Nothing," Zeke answered, "You don't have to trust me, but we're currently in a position where one can benefit from the other."

Zeke waited in anticipation as Matthew began to make up his mind. He tensed when the Titan looked him in the eye.

"I have a task for you then," Matthew began.

"A-a task?" Zeke stuttered.

"I currently have no reason to even consider trusting you," Matthew declared, "Or at the very least be on mutual terms. So let's see if your willing to create the alliance."

Zeke stared in awe as Matthew's arm turned into that of his Titan form.

"This form is not a real human form," Matthew explained as he flexed his claws, "It is composed of light and matter to create a solid being. It cannot consume food or water, and has no internal organs. It can only last for twenty four hours before it experiences complications."

Matthew changed the arm back to the human hand that Zeke saw. "If you can find ways to falsify information for me and protect my identity within the next week, I'll take into consideration whatever proposal you have to the island."

"What if I decide to say no?" Zeke asked.

Matthew thought it over. "Threatening you with death would be pointless, but if you choose to say no and don't expose me, I'll leave you to your own devices and find my own way around the military. However,"

Zeke tensed and leaned back as Matthew stood up and walked over to him before leaning forward and staring him dead in the eye.

"If you do anything to expose my existence to Marley, I'll expose you and your crimes," Matthew declared, "Just because you're considered one of Marley's most prized possessions doesn't mean for a moment that they wouldn't execute you. I'll kill your commanders, I'll kill your warriors, I'll kill your grandparents. I'll destroy the entirety of Liberio and make you watch before I torture you in the most brutal ways possible, making you wish you would die sooner. Then I will finally grant you death by feeding you to a titan."

"You would really risk the safety of the island just to destroy us," Zeke said.

"Like I said, there's an incentive," Matthew stated, "But as long as I kill the right humans, Marley's military would be too disorganized to come up with a solution to counteract other countries that are out to kill you. Marley would be in ruin, and other countries would be too distracted to become the dominant power that a surprise attack from Paradis would be easier to achieve. If you don't believe I'm capable, just ask Lionheart."

"Who…who are you?" Zeke asked.

"Someone who's willing to play the role of the monster and has paid the price for it," Matthew answered.

Zeke could only watch as Matthew stood up fully and straightened himself out.

"I will have to return to Paradis to inform them of the situation," Matthew informed, "You have a week, so you better get started."

Zeke watched in shock as Matthew disappeared from his sights in a cloud of sparks. Zeke then rushed to his phone and quickly dialed Yelena before placing it against his ear. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the table until she picked up.

"Sir, this is a bad time," Yelena informed, "I'm in the middle of an interrogation with someone who's been onto our group for weeks."

"Kill him, it doesn't matter," Zeke declared before whispering, "The flying titan is here in Marley and has infiltrated the military. I need you to get a blood sample of someone and an Eldian doctor disguised as a Marley to create a fake ID for him."

Zeke heard a gunshot on the other end of the line. "The blood sample has been taken care of. This man was homeless anyway. How much time do you have to fabricate his identity?"

"A week," Zeke answered.

"I can do it in two days. Maybe less," Yelena reassured.

"I'm counting on you," Zeke declared.

—

Optimus and Eren watched as the new gate for Shinganshina rose up fully before slowly coming back down without any complications. Optimus sighed with relief while everyone else cheered. Eren then pulled himself out of his Titan form and took deep breaths before Optimus was able to pull him out of the Titan form entirely and placed him on his shoulder.

"You did well today," Optimus said to Eren.

Eren laughed. "Guess I was able to keep up,"

"Your training will continue tomorrow as planned," Optimus informed, "The Commander will conduct experiments another time."

"Optimus! Eren!" Hanji called out as she ran up to the two, "You two did great!"

Before Eren could respond, everyone heard a familiar jet noise and looked up to see Megatron flying in before transforming and landing on the ground in front of Optimus.

"What happened?" Optimus demanded.

"...There's been a complication," Megatron answered.

—-

"You got caught?!" Hanji screamed at Megatron's holoform in the council room back in Sina.

"I specifically told you this was a bad idea," Megatron reminded.

"Cut the shit!" Hanji ordered.

Hanji grunted as Megatron grabbed her face and forced her to look him in the eye.

"Watch your tone," Megatron warned.

"What exactly gave you away?" Erwin asked, "I thought you said you were good at deception."

"Apparently the word 'planet' doesn't exist in Marley," Megatron informed, "And when I first arrived on this backwards planet, I said that word to the Beast Titan before I fought the Colossal and Armored Titan."

"So how long do we have until Marley comes back on our shores?" Historia asked.

Megatron sighed as he let go of Hanji's face. "That's where the complication lies."

"How complicated?" Optimus asked.

"The Beast Titan says he wishes to help the island," Megatron explained, "And that he betrayed his creator on purpose to gain Marley's complete trust."

"Huh?!" Eren exclaimed.

"Why would he want to align himself with us?" Hanji demanded.

"Apparently he says he wishes to free Eldia from war instead of putting them back as the dominant power like his creator was planning on doing," Megatron explained.

"But what he did to the Ragako village!" Eren exclaimed, "Connie's parents-!"

"Megatron, are you sure Zeke Jaeger is telling you the truth?" Optimus asked.

"I believe no," Megatron answered, "But I did give him a task: if he could fabricate my identity, I would take his proposal into consideration. If he tried to sabotage me, I'd destroy Liberio."

"Real fucking subtle," Levi remarked.

"Marley is at war right now," Megatron explained, "I could just set it up to look like the enemy nation attacked them. It's not the first time I've done it before."

"What did Zeke offer in return?" Erwin asked.

"Military aid, and a way to send Marley ships to the island," Megatron explained, "He did say he wished to meet with the current holder of the Founding Titan."

"Me?" Eren questioned.

"Why?" Levi demanded.

"He says that there may be a way to activate the powers of the Founding Titan," Megatron answered.

Everyone was silent for a moment until Historia spoke up. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm taking this information lightly," Megatron informed, "If he can prove he wishes to protect my identity, then we will talk."

Hanji took a deep breath before coming up with a decision. "Here's what we're going to do: Megatron, you need to stay in Liberio until you can get the full trust of Marley Military. You can't keep coming back here without reason. They might suspect you. As for Zeke's proposal, we'll think about it until you can be sure we can trust him. Once we do, we can bring up the plan to the rest of the military and come to a decision."

—

The Next Day

Zeke jolted awake when he heard a knock on the door. He rubbed his eyes as he got up from his desk and walked over to said door. He opened it and nearly gulped when he saw Commander Magath at his door.

"We're going to have a meeting today with Willy and his family regarding the latest discovery in advancing titan power," Magath informed, "You will supervise the trainee instructors today."

"Of course, Sir," Zeke saluted.

Magath looked inside to see the flying titan's bag on the couch. "Where is Matthew Hayes?"

"He-"

"Was just taking a look around in my new prison cell," Matthew remarked as he walked up to the two of them.

"You're not allowed to do that," Magath warned.

"But I'm allowed to train the warriors?" Matthew shot back.

"You better watch your step. Just because you have Willy Tybur's support doesn't mean you should be trusted for even a moment," Magath proclaimed, "One misstep, and you'll be rotting in jail for the rest of your life."

Zeke and Matthew watched Matthew walk away from the both of them. When he was out of their line of sight, Matthew chuckled darkly.

"I am going to make everyday feel like a nightmare for him," Matthew proclaimed in his normal voice.

"Where were you?" Zeke demanded, "We could've gotten in trouble."

"I told you I had to return to Paradis," Matthew reminded as he walked into his office and shut the door, "But for now, I'll remain here until I can trust you to an extent."

"What did the islanders say?" Zeke asked.

"They're currently…indecisive," Matthew answered, "You turned their people into titans. That's not something one forgets so easily."

"When will they come to a decision?" Zeke demanded.

"When I can fully trust you," Matthew answered.

The door to the office opened and a tall woman with short, blonde hair, wearing Marley uniform stepped inside with papers in her hand.

"Sorry I'm so late with the document you asked for Matthew Hayes," she apologized, "I had to get everyone else to pitch in and apply an incentive on a few people."

"Thank you, Yelena," Zeke said.

Yelena walked up to Zeke and handed him the papers. She then glanced up at Matthew, and the man noticed a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Are you the one everyone's been making a fuss about?" She asked, "Are you one of the metal titans?"

Matthew glared at Zeke. "That trust is starting to waiver extremely thin."

"This is Yelena: one of my followers. I had to tell her so she could forge the documents in time," Zeke informed, "She manages to do it sooner than I expected."

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Yelena reassured, "But it is an honor to meet a god such as yourself."

"I am not a god," Matthew declared.

Yelena merely smiled. "An Titan that can fly sounds pretty god-like to me,"

Yelena walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"How much of a fanatic is she?" Matthew demanded.

"We'll discuss it later," Zeke said, "Just read these documents and before we had them over to Magath. You need to have a backstory to prove you're human."

Matthew snatches the papers from his hands before he began to read through it. Zeke merely sighed to himself. Things might have gotten more complicated that it needed to be.

—-

Later

Magath scanned through the papers provided before looking up at Matthew. The man seemed completely unamused and irritated at this entire prospect. Meanwhile, Zeke was trying his best to not to look nervous.

Magath closed the files and stood up. "Seems you do check out after all. And you're not an Eldian. Welcome to our military."

"I want to be out of here soon," Matthew hissed.

"You'll be able to leave once this war is over," Magath reminded, "For now, you start training our soldiers and going over proper military protocol."

Magath walked over to the cabinet shelf and opened it to grab a spare uniform. He handed it to Matthew, who eyed it in suspicion.

"You have to wear this at all times," Magath ordered.

Matthew begrudgingly took the uniform and held it. He then left the room leaving Zeke alone with Magath.

"Make sure to keep tabs on him," Magath ordered.

Zeke saluted him before walking out of his office. He saw Matthew waiting for him before the two walked back to his own office.

"This is completely idiotic," Matthew hissed in his regular voice.

"I had to go through a lot of hoops to make sure your identity was fabricated," Zeke explained, "You did manage to look at it right?"

"I have it memorized," Matthew declared, "The rest I have to make up on my own."

"But you're fabricating your entire identity," Zeke retorted, "You're not even human."

"A good lie holds some truth to it," Matthew proclaimed, "Which is why I don't trust you, and the claim that you wish to help the island out of the goodness of your spark,"

Zeke sighed in defeat. "Guess I wasted my time then."

"I will still take your suggestions," Matthew proclaimed, "We're still in a good position to do so. And the fact that you protected my identity means at the very least you won't reveal my true nature."

"Even if I revealed your identity, we'd have no way to stop you," Zeke retorted.

"We both know that's a lie," Matthew proclaimed, "How is Lionheart?"

"Currently undergoing experiments regarding the energon in her systems, along with Bertholdt Hoover," Zeke answered, "How do you intend to hide your identity from them? They might be able to recognize you. Yelena believed it was you because I told her you were here. But you've actually interacted with the other titans shifters. What do you intend to do?"

Before Matthew spoke, someone bumped into him by accident. Zeke grew tense when he realized that Matthew bumped into Reiner.

"Reiner, I thought you were with Pieck going over strategies," Zeke began.

"We finished," Reiner explained as he adjusted the papers in his hands, "She asked if I give it to Magath since she's still been having trouble walking."

Reiner turned his attention to Matthew and grew hesitant when he saw he didn't have the Eldian armband. "Sorry about bumping into you."

"It's fine," Matthew said in his other dialect, "You're in war. You have more things to worry about."

"O-oh," Reiner stammered in surprise, "I-I thought-"

"That I would call you a devil?" Matthew cut off, "Like I have to be angry over an accident."

"Sorry, sir," Reiner apologized.

"Just call me Matthew," he said as he held out his hand.

"N-nice to meet you," Reiner said as he shook his hand, "I have to go and give these to Magath."

Zeke saw Reiner walk off, clearly still surprised by the interaction before turning to Matthew, who smiled devilishly at him.

"He didn't even recognize you," Zeke remarked in surprise, "How?

"Clearly you have a tendency of underestimating me," Matthew declared as he waved him off, "All that was a mix of deception and presentation."

Zeke opened the door to his office and the two stepped in before he closed the door. "But you treated Eldians with kindness. People will spit on you and call you an Eldian sympathizer."

"That's hardly the worst insult I've been told," Matthew retorted as he unfolded the uniform and laid it out on the couch.

Zeke noticed Matthew analyzing the material before the entire clothing on his body shifted into that of the Marley uniform.

"How did you-"

"A setting an old friend of mine gave to me," Matthew explained, "Since you humans 'change clothes' he decided I put in a default setting that allowed me to do so. I never thought that I would be grateful for Soundwave's instistency of having this pathetic form."

"Which brings me to something else: what is your real name?" Zeke asked.

"What makes you so sure that I have a different name?" Matthew retorted.

"Just now, you said 'Soundwave' as a reference to someone you knew," Zeke explained, "And the metal titan's name is Optimus Prime. I doubt that such a common name like 'Matthew' would be your real name."

"And you think I would ever tell you my real name?" Matthew retorted.

"It would make things easier," Zeke admitted.

"I have no reason to tell you," Matthew declared as he folded the clothes and put them on an open space on Zeke's bookshelf, "Like I said, I don't trust you."

"I fabricated your identity," Zeke reminded.

"Because I gave you an ultimatum," Matthew shot back.

Zeke didn't say anything. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Then I guess for now, we can go and see the soldiers you will be training," Zeke proclaimed.

"Then lead the way," Matthew said as he gestured to the door.

—-

Commander Calvi saw Willy Tybur walking into the war room with Commander Magath behind him before shaking his hand. Every other Commander stood up and greeted him with respect.

"Sorry for being so late," Willy said, "I had to make sure that my family was in a safe location before I did anything else. I also have to do background checks on all of my guards."

"Of course," Commander Calvi nodded, "After this meeting, you can take the time you need."

"What is this meeting for?" Willy asked.

"We understand you are a neutral party, and do not get involved in any affairs," Commander Calvi began, "However, there is a threat growing on Paradis island, costing us the success of retrieving the Founding Titan and the loss of the Jaws Titans."

"Yes," Willy said, "I've heard many stories about the two metal titans and that they come from the stars,"

"Such a power threatens us at this very moment," Calvi continued, "And we need as much help as possible to defeat this threat. I am calling upon you and your family to help save the world once more."

"There are many clause and peace treaties we would have to go through," Willy reminded, "But how do you intend to fight these titans?"

"That idea is currently underway," Calvi explained, "We need to make sure the solution is safe for the War Hammer Titan."

—

Annie screamed in pain as her arm quickly regenerated. She saw the scientist make a note of her newfound healing abilities against stronger metals found on their world.

She didn't know how much more she could take of this. It was too fucking painful.

But she had to do it; she had to do it in order to save Bertholdt's life...or what's left of it.