3rd Plan; video

[blondtactician]

[The video opens with a young man in an average sort of collared shirt and a big straw hat. The sun is shining, the particularly observant may notice he's at a beach somewhere.]

I've noticed some new faces around here, so, hello to all of you - my name is Armin. If you've found yourself displaced from a time period and location different from this one, and need help with the basics of settling in, I have some items that could help you. Clothes, toiletries and the like, and even some instructions how to use them. I also work at the library if you'd like assistance there, I've compiled a list of books I thought were useful to begin getting myself acclimated to this place.

[Armin pauses here, glancing away nervously. He takes a breath and refocuses his efforts.]

I thought I'd put that out there, but that's not the real reason for this recording. As you may know by now, I was among those affected by the Hornet's... are we calling it a virus? Mind control? Emotional manipulation? In any case, I'm showing my face because I'm aware I attacked a few people who were unknown to me, and I'd like to personally apologize and give them a chance to identify me. I won't ask for instant forgiveness for what I've done, but I want you to know I understand and am horrified at the thought of hurting anyone that way. [A frown.] I've learned some things about one of the Hornets in custody, Allen Hill. Mostly, they're emotional memories - recovering from some sort of serious injury due to imPorts, his subsequent recruitment by a young woman while he was still under the influence of painkillers and various treatment, and stealing an identification badge from his FBI father. Aside from the mayhem this last attack caused, I wonder if some of the motivation was to make us understand their point of view. Sometimes, when you've been wronged, it's difficult to move past that, especially when you have reminders of what's been taken from you every day. An enemy can seem just like a force of nature, a creature you've grown to despise. Hatred of that manner can be easily manipulated, and I believe that may have been what happened to Allen.

[Armin seems more sympathetic than angry about it. A small wind tugs at his hat and musses his hair.]

I have extensive notes on the memories as well as my own experience if anyone would like to read them. I would also be happy to answer any questions you might have.

[The wind gusts and knocks his hat off and away.] Oh no...!

Comments

text

[rathercommon]

[ Not 100% ready to talk about this out loud. Text is safer and nicer. Especially since... ]

Allen Hill had burn scars. That was his injury. I don't know for certain what incident they were from.

text;

[blondtactician]

A burn victim. That makes sense. [And what cruel irony Armin had been assembling chemical weapons to asphyxiate and burn people.] I didn't see any reference to what happened precisely, just that he was unconscious a long time and was hooked up to machinery when he woke. His mother seemed to think the Heroes saved him. Later, while he was still in the hospital, he was approached by a young woman who told him why the imPorts needed to pay what happened to him. If he connected the pain and trauma of his injuries to the presence of imPorts, that would explain why I had such a visceral reaction to the very thought of them. His trauma and imPorts became emotionally and neurologically linked. In some ways, it may have been an easy truth for him to accept that gave the appearance of helping heal what happened. [This, after all is something Armin has observed in ample amounts. His best friend was utterly changed by the loss of his mother, and driven to the point of obsession to destroy the titans. While it was a little scary to see him that angry, that emotion was something that motivated him to heal and blazed trough his grief. On the other hand, because of that, Eren focused more on his rage over the loss of his mother than acknowledging the pain of her loss, or his memories of her love.]

Not that he didn't have good enough motivation to hate imPorts on his own, but to approach him at such a vulnerable time, when his mind and body were both under such duress and he was taking strong, probably narcotic painkillers, and tell him the imPorts were to blame was a very convenient way to recruit someone. Especially someone with a resource hey needed.

text;

[rathercommon]

Yeah.

Do you know if he's still alive?

video.

[selfequipped]

Do you happen to know if he used that badge for a trip to Greece?

[Kate is still at a loss of how they had the resources to find Eleni, but this might be a major clue.]

video.

[blondtactician]

[Armin is sitting on a bit of driftwood, holding his hat in his lap.]

They didn't say what it was for. He was being backed into a corner physically and was resisting the idea, worried about being caught. Someone named Braunstein promised him it would only be gone for a few hours, short enough for him to steal and replace it while his father slept.

video.

[selfequipped]

That might be enough, still. "A few hours" doesn't match up with what I'm thinking about, unless they have some ability to leap across the Atlantic ocean. Still, it might've been how they persuaded him.

[It could have also helped with them making mock badges, if necessary. Kate thinks that might be more likely.]

text

[rathercommon]

The Hornets were using fake badges when they kidnapped Eleni. She was certain of that.

[selfequipped]

Then the "used the badge to create model ones" stands. It might have helped them in getting her back over the ocean.

[It also explains the whole "few hours." A trip to Greece and back is much longer. Any agent would catch on to that.]

[ text ]

[enucleation]

[ ID reads: Centipede. ]

"Hatred of that manner can be easily manipulated"

Does it forgive his actions?

text;

[blondtactician]

Do you want to know if I forgive him? Because whether or not he should be forgiven, in a general sense, is going to be a personal decision for each imPort who was harmed by his actions. All of them. His participation in the Hornets, and people who were hurt on account of my being infected. And since he is in the hands of the authorities, whether or not the law should forgive his actions is a separate question still.

text;

[enucleation]

Yes, if you forgive him.
If you think that just because he was manipulated into using his hatred makes him less guilty of his actions.

video

[quinque]

Please buy me a meal and I will forgive you.

video

[blondtactician]

[gently teasing] Just one meal? Maybe we should go to a buffet. Do you like Indian food?

video

[quinque]

Indian food? I don't know... You'll really take me to a buffet?!

video;

[capriciousrevolt]

You are aware of how crazy you sound, right? Not that you're alone there.

It's telling that no one's talking about padded rooms and nice, burly men in scrubs coming to make sure you don't harm yourself.

video;

[blondtactician]

[Well that's a bit rude. Armin takes a moment to consider his answer.

He turns the device to record a beautiful, peaceful scene of ocean waves and soft sand while he speaks.]

You see that? It's the ocean. Someone who lived all locked away somewhere with no books or pictures of the world outside might never believe it existed. It's too huge and unbelievable. Most of the world is water? It's filled with fish, including ones with sharp teeth and mammals the size of palaces? Without a full understanding and real evidence of it, the ocean seems like a crazy dream that no one in their right mind would believe. [Armin ought to know. He points out with joy:] And yet here it is! To anyone who's ever lived by the sea, it's a simply fact of life, as natural as breathing. It would seem insane not to accept something which is part of your every day life.

[Armin turns the video back to himself and offers a gentle, polite look.]

It's all about perspective. I suppose my post must seem rather hard to believe without context, to someone who hasn't lived in this world for very long. Many things which seem impossible happen on a frequent basis. I apologize for that. I hope it didn't upset you. If you have particular questions about anything, I'd be happy to help. I also had a great deal of trouble adjusting when I first arrived here.

[capriciousrevolt]

Ah, when you put it like that, I should probably apologize, too. [ Probably, but he doesn't actually go so far as to do so. Still, he smiles and continues on in a tone of voice that's as blandly inoffensive as he gets. ]

I can hardly refuse your aid. So you're a proper veteran, are you?

voice;

[totalpacifist]

Hello, um, Armin. You might not remember me, but we ended up...scuffling. I wanted to check in- are you all right?

voice;

[blondtactician]

Oh...! I'm very sorry for that. I don't expect anyone to forgive me, but I apologize just the same.

I'm as well as I can be, considering the circumstances. [Armin's voice drops to an embarrassed whisper.] Thank you for your concern.

voice;

[totalpacifist]

Oh no, there's- You weren't in your right mind, there's no reason why anyone wouldn't forgive you. It's absolutely not your fault, or anyone else's.

text;

[zodbob]

[Zod quietly listens to Armin's feed, interested but unsettled by the message about the Hornets. It sounds like virus-driven mind control and it reminds him of what happened in his home just before he was brought here. The message on manipulation based on hatred feels very chilling.

But it's not something he thinks he is at liberty to discuss when he has just come here.]

Hello Armin.
I am a new person who arrived here today.
Can I borrow some of those books you mentioned?

[He'll have to acclimate quickly if he plans not to stick out.]

text;

[blondtactician]

Absolutely! Do you know how to get to the library? We are open every day Monday through Friday. :)

text;

[zodbob]

No, I don't.
Which of the cities is it located in?
Or rather, which one do you work in if there are multiple?

text, private. forgive me while i tag in way later than intended. ;;

[herrin]

You threw a gas bomb at me.

( there is a pause, then: )

Do you remember that?

text, private. np!

[blondtactician]

I don't expect you to forgive me, but know that I am so, so very sorry for what I've done. I've been worried about what happened to you since then, I hope you weren't badly hoped.