AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO sorry for the delay. I got writer's block for this story and then just lost all motivation to continue writing it! But I'm back to it! For now, at least.

This was originally supposed to be much longer... over double this length. But, I realized that that would be a bit too ridiculously long, and I also wanted to get SOMETHING out for you guys who have been patiently waiting, and if I'd stuck with the original length, there may not have been an update for a month or so yet. X_X

Anyways, please enjoy!

PS: Guest appearance in this chapter! Also, though this should be common knowledge, I really should be putting it in more of my stories: Attack on Titan and all the characters from it belong to Lord Isayama, the Great and Merciless.

Lucius and the other OC's belong to yours truly.

The time of the Rebellion had come upon them. It was here, and Levi felt like none of them were prepared for the coming battle. He was just glad Max and Rafa, deemed too young to participate in the mission, were staying behind at the hideout. 'Just in Case' Abdal had said, which had caused the raven-haired boy to grimace. Even their glorious leader didn't have the confidence that their plan would succeed.

In fact, everyone had voiced their opinion on the matter just the night before. And, if they'd been determining whether or not to continue through with it based on everyone's confidence in success, it would have been abandoned long ago. Gevaria and Jerick had an even more grim outlook on the whole situation than Levi had. Even Linn doubted Abdal's ideals, which diverged from her usual mindset of going along aimlessly with everything that came out of the boy's mouth.

The plan was, apparently, very simple. Abdal had dared deem it 'fool proof', and would likely meet up with Levi in hell later on and blame him for everyone's death. Well, if Levi was branded a fool, so be it. He'd long ago given up on trying to fight the plan. He'd surrendered to the fact that not all- if any- of them would survive today.

Levi and Lucius would be in charge of the 'Attack Squad', which was them, Cecil, Gev and Jerick. Their role was to distract, and engage in battle with, the Military Police surrounding the castle at the center of the Sina interior. When the swarms of soldiers were drawn towards them, Abdal and Linn would use the stolen 3D gear to scale the castle walls and sneak into the castle via a window several stories up. From there, they'd make their way to the king's chambers, taking out any remaining Police within the building. And, once they'd found their target, they'd help him by removing that nasty growth from atop his neck.

It was a suicide mission, plain and simple. Even after thoroughly going over the plans with Abdal and the others, Levi still knew that they weren't ready for this. They were too few in number, and they were too young, the oldest being Abdal, who was only 19. They were also far too inexperienced. Though the Military Police were lazy and relatively inexperienced in combat themselves, their group had only been in possession of the 3DGear for a short while. And while most of them had gotten pretty good at it (Lucius and Cecil still had a few issues to work out), he didn't know if Abdal and Linn could successfully use it to infiltrate the castle. While Levi and Lucius had done their utmost in teaching the others how to properly wield the weapons they'd obtained, once again experience came in to play. The only ones who had actually had to use a weapon in a fight to the death were Levi and Lucius. No one else had even killed a man before...

The Attack Squad were to use the materials they'd gathered from the Underground City's residents over the past month. A kind old man, who'd been given his criminal infamy by making illegal explosives, had provided them with several small land mines. As the very first step, they were to plant the mines near the entrance of the castle's main gate. Abdal and Linn had surveyed the area weeks in advance and noted that this particular time (They'd leave the hideout at midnight and would be ready to attack at what Levi liked to call 'the ass-crack of dawn') of the day was when security was lowest. Then, after planting the mines, the five boys were to hide in the trees and brush several meters away. It was inevitable that a patrolling Military Police would eventually step on one of the mines. If they were lucky, more than one man would be taken down by the explosion. When this happened, and drew the attention of the rest of the Police in the vicinity, they were to strike them down from afar using bows and arrows, hand crafted by another criminal weapons-dealer in the Underground city.

It wouldn't work. It still wouldn't work. No matter how many times he went over the plan, picking out every little detail and planning every single step he would take in his mind, Levi always came back to the same conclusion: It wouldn't work.

They were all going to die.

"You seem tense, Levi."

Said boy jumped from the voice behind him, nearly falling forward on the steps from where he'd stopped to tuck his pant legs into his boots. Standing and turning to face the intruder, he came face-to-face with Rafaella. Standing two steps higher than he was, they were the same height, and Levi smiled internally that he was still taller than someone.

"Of course I'm tense… Today's the day. It's likely none of us will come back to you and Max alive…"

The young girl nodded, her expression growing more somber than it normally was. "I know…" She spoke, and Levi almost had to lean in to hear her more clearly. She'd always been such a quiet girl, but with the atmosphere in the hideout the way it had been lately, everyone felt as if every single word spoken was a precious treasure, and they didn't want to lose it by having it propelled too far away from them with volume. "I overheard Max talking to his brother. Jerick… he… he was saying goodbye like it was the last time he'd ever see Max."

Levi frowned, looking down at his feet. He could only imagine how hard that must have been for the older boy. It was part of the reason he hadn't said anything to Lucius yet aside from his doubts about this mission. But he'd have to do so eventually…He had to get it off of his chest. If they were to die today, even if they died together on the battlefield, he'd want to say goodbye to his brother first. To let Lucius know he was sorry for what their life had become the last couple years. He couldn't protect his brother from the hard life they'd gained, and he likely wouldn't be able to protect his brother from even more pain and suffering later on.

His thoughts were interrupted as Abdal and Linn exited their room together, both fully suited up in the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear. They'd fashioned outfits that looked similar to those of the Police, with hopes that it would prevent them from being detected when they broke into the castle. It likely wouldn't work 100%, but Levi had to admit that the outfits were deceiving and may serve to protect them for at least a little while. The only thing missing was the Military Police Emblem on the back of the jackets, but how often did an MP really look at the back of their comrade's jackets anyway? They'd probably gotten so sick of seeing that damned green unicorn that they intentionally tried to avoid the act of looking at it. They may just miss the detail entirely.

Levi didn't really buy it, but everyone else seemed hopeful.

"Are we all set to go?" Abdal called out, loud enough to be heard from any room in the abandoned Town Hall. Soon, the other boys emerged, Jerick and Gevaria carrying a bundle of bows and arrows, and Cecil with a cloth-covered package; Their landmines. Lucius was giving Max a piggy back into the room, and Levi smiled fondly at the sight.

"Are we sure we should trust Cecilius to carry explosives?" Abdal asked with a condescending tone. The bookworm glared at him and clutched the package tighter, determined to prove to him that he was trustworthy.

"Never mind that." Linn butt in, taking the initiative and stepping forward. Abdal's and Cecil's angry staring match was broken as everyone's attention turned to her. "Alright guys, this is it. I'm not gonna hold us up and give a long, corny speech like Abdal had planned," The group leader glared daggers into the back of his girlfriend's head, "But I just want to say a few things. First, I'm proud of every single one of you."

"Even us?" Max chirped, pointing between himself and Rafa. The older girl laughed.

"Yes, Max. Even you two. You both have been a great help keeping the morale up and supervising us while we train."

The young boy seemed satisfied with this answer, and beamed, looking up at his brother, who patted him on the head.

"As for the rest of you, you've all done great. Things haven't been easy, but we've managed to persevere and make it to this point… Levi and Lucius." She paused, turning to look at the twins. After setting the younger boy down after his piggy back ride, Lucius had joined his brother at the foot of the stairs. "I especially want to thank you two. Since we've added you to the group, things have gotten ever easier. You're both magnificent thieves and superior fighters. It's thanks to you that we've had food in our bellies, and have obtained knowledge of battle."

Levi's expression remained impassive, but out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw Lucius' face heat up in a blush.

"The other thing I want to say is this… I want all of you to come back to the hideout tonight… whether you're in one piece or not, you'll come back. And you'll come back alive. You can be missing a limb, hell, you can even be missing a chunk out of your abdomen, but I swear if your lifeless corpse is carried back to this hideout by one of your comrades, I will track you into the afterlife and drag you back so I can kill you again myself. Do you all understand?"

A small chorus of 'yes ma'am' sounded through the room, Lucius' voice thrown into the mix. Levi frowned, meeting the girl's eyes for a split second before nodding. Just because he didn't think anyone would make it back alive didn't mean he wasn't going to at least try. Besides, he'd gained an all-new respect for her. During the past years, Linn had been mostly reserved and quiet, never really speaking up unless Abdal had run out of stuff to say. But it seemed the tense situation had sparked a new wave of courage in her, and he had to admit he liked this side of her much more. It was almost like listening to an older, female version of himself.

"Alright then… let's get going." Linn gave a nervous smile, and she and Abdal descended the stairs, leading their small rebellion out of the building and towards their fate.

The trip to the other side of the lake dragged on in silence, no one daring to speak after the heart-wrenching goodbye to Max and Rafa they'd just endured. Every time Levi spared a glance at Jerick, he felt like he was going to be sick. The usually stoic boy's face was twisted in pain, and tears ran in streams from his eyes. Despite how much he knew Jerik wanted to hide his emotions and be the ever-stable pillar in their small group, Levi knew the prospect of never seeing his brother again really tore the older boy up inside. And he knew exactly how it felt. He hadn't let Lucius stray from his sight from the moment they stepped foot on the narrow path that lead around the water to the other shore. He refused to think on it much more because he knew he would get distracted and get himself killed, but Lucius was the only family he had left. Sure, their small group had become somewhat of a family to them, but to him, Lucius was more important than all of them combined. If it really came down to it, he'd sacrifice them all in order to get Lucius out of today alive.

He tried to take deep breaths to calm his nerves as they reached the other shore and started through the eerily silent underground city. It was rather late, being the middle of the night, but that was when the city was normally at its busiest hour. The pubs should be overflowing with rowdy patrons. And, while the lights in the windows were on and there were definitely people within the buildings, they all seemed somber and anxious, as if they knew something big was happening. The very few people on the streets stepped aside to give them ample room to pass, a pleasant change from the usual being pushed aside. And instead of contempt on their faces, and the hint that they'd give the group over to the Military Police without a moment's hesitation, the looks they gave the kids was almost akin to respect. Even though it was nice, it was... strange.

After several more minutes of trudging along in the almost dream-like version of the city, they came to what would help them escape to the upper world.

The same stone steps that they'd traveled down nearly four years ago stood before them. The Ackerman brothers shared a sense of dread at the prospect of returning above ground. Up above was where everything had started. The road leading between their old home and the market square with the angel fountain was where their father had been murdered in cold blood. The small abandoned house on the outskirts of the city was where their mother had died stalling for time so they could run away from the Police. Up above, their faces were probably plastered in every store window, and there was a much greater chance of someone turning them in. A chill ran along their spines as they pulled the hoods of their dark green cloaks low over their faces.

In the world above, there were easily a hundred times the amount of Police that they had to worry about down below. Up above, nestled comfortably next to the castle as if it were the grand building's child, was the Military Police headquarters, which was likely swarming with the rats at all times.

Levi's anger bubbled up. If he had his way, he'd kill every single one of them with his bare hands. He'd rip their throats out and watch in glee as the light faded from their eyes. Death was something he abhorred greatly, but in his eyes, the Military Police deserved the most gruesome deaths imaginable. He wished he could tell Lucius and the others to turn back, and leave the entire mission up to him. If he died in the process, so be it. He'd take hundreds of the MP down with him.

He jumped a bit as a hand landed upon his shoulder, and turned to find icy blue eyes staring straight at him. Lucius gave a weak smile, his way of trying to reassure his younger brother that everything would be okay. Levi had to wonder for a moment if he looked scared. He could feel his hands trembling, but he'd figured it had been from rage while thinking about the Police.

Sighing and turning back to the path ahead, They all started ascending the stairs.

"I want you to stay by me the entire time… Got it, Lucius?"

The older boy rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless as he followed Levi's retreating back up the stone steps. "Yes, sir…"

"Don't joke about this."

"I'm not, though." Lucius smiled, speeding up a little to walk side by side with the other. The steps were narrow, but by pressing close to each other with Lucius' arms wrapped around Levi's shoulders, they didn't take up much room and could climb together. "You'd make a good military leader someday, Levi. You've just got that natural leader vibe to you. You always have. When you speak, people listen and frankly, they want to do what you tell them to because they feel that they can trust and confide in you. You're more brawn than brain, but that's where I'd come in. I could be your adviser or whatever."

"I can see it now." Cecil spoke from behind them, and Levi glanced over his shoulder at the older boy, not having realized their conversation was being listened in on. "Levi and Lucius Ackerman. Future Commander and Captain of the Scouting Legion!"

"Sounds good to me." Abdal chimed in from the head of the group, and the brothers were a tad surprised to hear that he agreed with the thought. "Just as long as you guys give me and Linn Senior Squad Leader positions."

"That's favoritism." Gevaria said, his arms crossed over his chest as he climbed the steps. "Work your way up the ranks like anyone else, Abdal."

"Fuck off, Gev."

Lucius laughed heartily as the others continued talking about how they'd all rule the Military someday, and even Levi couldn't help but crack a small smile at the idea. He imagined himself becoming the commander of the Scouting Legion some day, with all his companions... no, his friends, alongside him. They'd lead humanity to victory against the Military Police and the Titans.

But first, they had to survive today.

Everything seemed to hit Levi all at once, and whatever good mood had creeped its way into his subconscious disappeared as they stepped above ground. The heavy metal door that separated the underground staircase from the alleyways of the interior city gave a loud groan as Abdal forced it open. A blast of air, tinged with the cold hint of oncoming winter, hit Levi in the face, the first breath of fresh air he'd had in years. They were back in Sina, their old home. This was where they'd grown up, gotten to know the world and everything and everyone around them. This was where they'd learned the harsh realities of the world as their comfortable lives had been ripped apart at the seems.

It seemed inevitable that every step they took further away from the entrance to the underground world- their home; their safe haven- that they took, more and more memories of "the good days" resurfaced in the Ackerman brothers' heads. They passed by alleyways that they recognized, having taken refuge in them at one point or another when they were first on the run. They remembered running through these alleys in a more innocent sense, with their father, and not the police, chasing after them. Laughs had escaped their throats, and not terrified whimpers.

From over the tops of the roofs, the highest branches of a single, solitary tree could be seen. It was a tree that Levi and Lucius knew all too well, the one that stood at the center of the southeastern quarter of the city. They'd climb it almost on a daily basis, despite the fact that you weren't supposed to. But hey, they were kids. The climbing trained their young muscles and helped them with the sword practice their father would instruct them in under that same tree later that night. Climbing made them agile, and the fact that they would often race to see who could climb higher faster had given them speed that had saved their lives more than once since moving under ground.

The didn't feel comfortable being above ground at all. With every step, they wanted to retreat back to their underground home.

The fact that Levi and Lucius had once lived in this city helped them a great deal when they'd been planning their route through it towards the castle. The rest of the group had all resided in the outer walls in their time above ground, so having two members who knew the inner city like the backs of their hands was an asset. They knew they wanted to move through the city as stealthily and as quickly as possible. The back alleys would be the best bet for being stealthy, but the things were a huge maze that ran throughout the entire city. They had a deadline to meet, and if they stuck solely to the alleys it could take them several hours to reach the castle undetected. Their best option would be to take the alleys until they reached the area of the city known as the 'Black Alley'. It wasn't really an alley at all, but a road off of the main path that lead almost straight to the castle. It was given its name due to its black-market notoriety. Levi and Lucius had gone with their parents to the Black Alley on more than one occasion, usually to spy on the people performing illegal activities to report them to the Police. That was, of course, back when the Military Police were still a respectful group doing what they were formed to do.

When they stepped out into the Black Alley, it was apparent that things above ground had taken a drastic change for the worse since they left, and that it was no longer a shopping district but more of a hangout for the homeless. Everything had a desolate, brooding, gray overtone to it. Everything was dirty (Much to Levi's disdain), and litter sprinkled the streets. Former merchant stalls lay shattered and broken everywhere. Though, probably the most notable thing, was that there was hardly anyone around. Any living being they saw wore tattered rags, what they assumed to have once been the fine garments that everyone in the interior once wore. Women and children huddled in the corners of what used to be store front doors, hardly noticeable because none of them moved, but the group saw the sad eyes that peeked out from underneath hoods, shawls, or matted drapes of hair. And if people were scarce to begin with, even more scarce a sight was men. They'd likely all been brought into custody or killed by the Military Police for crimes they didn't commit. Levi had to wonder how over crowded the dungeons below the capitol building, MP headquarters and the castle were.

As he stared solemnly around what was once a loud, bustling place in the interior city, Lucius came to walk beside him.

"It's a pretty sad sight… isn't it?"

The shorter boy nodded, trying to avoid the gaze of a couple of women who looked up from the candle they were huddled around as they passed by.

"The Underground almost seems a nicer place to live now… This used to be such an amazing city. Now it's filthy."

Lucius almost laughed. Even now, Levi only seemed to care about cleanliness. "Everyone who lived in the outer walls were envious of those who lived in the interior. They probably have it better now. There's less MP interference out there, after all."

"Kind of makes me wish we'd been born into a poor family…"

Lucius stared at his brother in shock for a moment. It was true, Levi had always hated the rich, pompous nobles of the interior city, but he always figured he'd at least have been grateful that they'd been born into a well-off family.

"Think about it, Lucius... if we'd been born in the outer walls, we wouldn't be living underground. We could have freedom and wouldn't have to hide our faces every time we went out for fear of being turned into the Police..." He paused for a long moment, and Lucius was about to speak again before Levi finished his thought. "If we'd been born in the outer walls... Mom and Dad might still be alive..."

They were both silent for a while, both lost in thoughts about their parents again. Both thinking long and hard about how their lives might have turned out had they been born into a poorer family in the outer walls. Maybe they'd have a younger sibling or two by now. Maybe they'd have left home to join the military by now, following in their father's footsteps and giving their hearts and lives to the Scouting Legion. They were pretty sure they wouldn't have to steal just to fill their stomachs every night, or sleep on hard mattresses on the floor with paper-thin blankets. Though, maybe they would have to do those things. They didn't know how life was like for families in Maria and Rose, after all.

If things had never gone the way they had, though... and they had never moved to the Underground City, they would have never met Abdal and the others.. their friends. Lucius didn't like thinking about life without the others anymore, especially Cecil, the best friend he'd ever have other than Levi.

Tentatively, Levi reached out and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, giving a squeeze. This mimicked the reassuring squeeze Lucius had given him earlier. Lucius smiled softly at him, and that seemed to be all the communication they needed. Their lives may not have turned out the way they wanted them to, but at least they still had each other. And, no matter what happened today, they'd always have each other.

Up ahead, Abdal called for them to hurry up, as the brothers had fallen a bit behind as they spoke. Picking up the pace, they soon joined the rest of the group further down the Black Alley.

They all walked in silence for what seemed like hours, but was in actuality only a few minutes. Lucius had fallen back to walk alongside Cecil as Levi walked at the head of the group with Abdal, Linn directly behind them. Everyone's guard was up in the unfamiliar territory (Though it had once been familiar to the brothers, things had changed so much that it seemed like an entirely different place). Everyone gripped a blade tightly underneath their cloaks, and tensed up whenever another human being came into view. They'd learned long ago that there weren't many people in the world that you could trust, and the homeless wrecks that occasionally stumbled past them on the street were no exception. One woman even had a crazed look in her eye, her hair matted and unkempt, and was mumbling something about a severed head as she waltzed down the Black Alley, as if in a drunken stupor. The Depression along with the Military Police oppression had definitely taken its toll on a lot of people's sanity...

But soon, any form of life seemed to disappear. The road became desolate, and all the more dirty, the closer they got to the castle. The large building now loomed in near proximity, and hearts beat faster as anticipation grew.

So it was no surprise that Lucius nearly snapped and jumped on the small form that moved out of a side alley. Thankfully, he managed to hold himself back at the last minute (And subsequently yell for the others to do the same), when he noticed what it was.

A young girl stepped out into the street in front of them, stumbling a bit over her own two feet, which were covered in boots that looked all too big for her. She couldn't have been much older than nine or ten years old, and she wore a simple gray smock, though Levi had a feeling it used to be white (And cringed at how dirty it was). Her messy brown hair was tied up in a messy pony tail atop her head. The wire-frame spectacles perched on her nose were smudged with grime, and she had dirt caked to her scraped-up knees. She looked up, meeting the gaze of each of them individually, before her eyes lit up upon seeing the outfits Linn and Abdal wore.

"Wow! Are you guys soldiers?! You're not Military Police… are you from the Garrison? The Scouts? Or…" She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, and Levi hoped that would shut her up. She was being too damn loud and she risked drawing unwanted attention their way. But she continued, and, dreadfully, her next words where louder than before. "Are you guys a secret resistance group who's trying to assassinate the Ki-"

Levi had lunged forward, clamping a hand down over the girl's mouth.

"Shut it, you four-eyed freak!" He whispered fiercely, putting a finger to his own lips to emphasize 'quiet'. "If there are any Police lurking around here, and they overhear you, all of us will be killed. And that includes you."

She seemed to wilt at the idea, and Levi felt something warm and wet flick out over the palm of his hand. He jerked it back and wiped the slime left behind off on his pants leg. The little brat had licked him!

"Nooo! I can't be killed!" She whined, stomping her boot-clad foot, "I promised my mom and dad I'd go to University when I'm older, and then I'd join the Scouting Legion to study the Titans first hand!"

Levi rolled his eyes, and he heard Lucius giggling behind him. "Are you a fucking idiot? A pipsqueak like you wouldn't last two seconds near a Titan. You'll get your head bitten off."

Lucius pushed his brother aside, kneeling in front of the girl, who was quite a bit shorter than them. Though, she was also several years younger than them, and he'd heard girls got their growth spurts at a later age than boys did*. So, in a few years, Levi would probably be the 'Pipsqueak' compared to her. "What's your name?"

The girl stood straighter, placing her right fist over her left breast, and her left fist behind her back, in a perfect image of the Military solute. "Hanji Zoe, sir! Future head of Titan research and biology squad of the Scouting Legion!"

"A squad like that doesn't even exist…" Levi grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest,

"It will when I get there!" The girl, Hanji, retorted.

"Yeah, I bet…" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You know, you're a short jerk!" She quipped.

Levi nearly lost his cool. Why was he even wasting time arguing with this kid in the first place! They had more important stuff to do. "Well, you're a shitty four-eyes!"

"Levi! Lucius!" The brothers started, looking in the direction the voice came from. It was Cecil, and behind him stood Gevaria, Jerick, Abdal and Linn. He was waving for them to follow. "What are you doing?! Come on, we need to go! Leave the kid alone!"

Levi nodded, heading off down the alley without a second glance to the annoying girl they'd stumbled across. Lucius, on the other hand, smiled warmly at her and bid her adieu. As they walked off, she called after them, dramatically waving her hand high over her head.

"Bye guys! Good luck with your mission!" She paused and added one more thing. "Maybe we'll meet again someday, shorty!"

"You better hope not, shitty glasses…" Levi fumed, knowing if he ever saw the girl again in his life he'd probably strangle her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whoo! FINALLY another chapter down! I apologize sincerely for the wait. The next chapter is in production as you read this, and hopefully it'll be up in less time than it took me to get this one uploaded (Two months...). This I promise.

*This might actually be the opposite (I know I was always the tallest in my class when I was younger... then everyone else caught up), but I'm gonna leave it for reasons.

Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!