She wonders if he's still even alive.

After over twenty four hours of removing heavy rubble and slaying titans near them, she's beginning to doubt that Yao is even alive. The soldiers below are exhausted and want to cry out for water and rest, she knows this. But she was given orders to find him dead or alive.

Everyone is covered in dirt. Some are even slightly wounded and dry blood sticks to their skin and uniform. A few even blacked out hours ago and were sent to a nearby district due to exhaustion. She takes note of this, knowing she will have to report them to a higher leader.

It is near sunset and the numbers of titan encounters are low. Her doubts are higher than ever that Commander Yao is alive. She glances down to the soldiers, now holding flashlights in hand, handling rubble and debris. They're drenched in sweat and most are close to blacking out. She even hears whimpers and moans of pain.

"Lien*."

She looks over next to her, and nods in affirmation to let him speak.

"Don't you think you should give them a break? They barely had anything to eat and they've been working for over a day. It's almost dusk anyway-"

"I know, Kasem*, but we're under orders."

"Lien, look at them. They're practically dying. You're working them way too hard." Lien bit her lip. She looks down below once more, seeing some soldiers resting and others still working. Many are limping and some are making painful noises. She winces, knowing that Kasem is right. She didn't know if she was allowed to give them a break.

She glances to Kasem again, his expression telling her to do what is right. She breathes in and looks back to the soldiers. "Everyone, may I have your attention?"

Everyone looks up at her, most are delirious and others are hopeful that she will give them some slack. She breathes in once more; knowing she will have to report their break. "Each one of you will have two hours to rest. In the mean time we'll get food for you. After those two hours I expect you to keep working, no exceptions."

Everyone sits down, sighing of relief. Some even start crying from the immense work load they had. Lien places her hand on her walkie-talkie to contact her commander. Her wrist is held by Kasem to stop her and she looks at him with irritation. "I have to let at least Corporal Edelstein know."

Kasem furrows his brows, "I'm sure he knows that working your soldiers for over a day need at least some rest. Put that walkie-talkie back on your belt." Lien scoffs and sits down on the edge of the roof. Her legs are sore from standing for too long and she too feels her eyelids struggling to stay open. She hears Kasem chuckle.

"I'll contact one of the squads near the farmlands if they can bring some food." Kasem announces. Lien makes a sound in confirmation. Her eyesight is going blurry but she knows she has to stay up, if one of the soldiers found her sleeping they can just give up on the mission and go back to safety. She shakes her head rapidly.

She sees the other higher soldiers on the roofs near her sit down and struggle to stay awake. She doesn't feel right when they're resting. Yao could be dying under that rubble, especially after a day. She slides off the roof and lands on flatten rubble. Her ankles send a wave of pain from her landing, her expression quickly turning into pain filled. She ignores pairs of eyes gazing at her with confusion; they just go back to their fellow comrades anyway.

Lien lightly kicks a small pebble amongst the pile of rubble that has not been lifted. She begins to realize that a small building can leave a big impact. She even wonders if she's standing where Yao is, being crushed by her weight. She steps away a bit, pressing her back against the wall that's not broken down.

Up above she hears Kasem requesting food and the status of the soldiers that blacked out. She knows the man can be so curious, always questioning everything and talking about anything he knows. He gets on her nerves a lot since he talks so much and he even says random facts at the weirdest times. The man is spontaneous but very predictable at times.

"Lien?" She gazes up to Kasem, a questionable look on his face.

"Food is coming, right?"

Kasem sputters a bit, baffled why Lien is on the ground. "Yes uh- Bonnefoy's squad is coming over with food. They're on the other side of this district so they'll be here soon..."

Lien nods in response. Her stomach growls at her and she realizes she hasn't eaten anything to fill her stomach in over a day. All this time she had been slaying titans to protect the soldiers below removing wreckage and she didn't even once notice her exhaustion and hunger.

She thinks to herself that she is not hungry, knowing that helped her during her years of being a trainee. She peers her head inside the opening of the wall, revealing what's inside the building. She scoffs; she was expecting to see complete darkness anyway.

"Squad leader?"

She turns to see one of the men look at her bewilderedly. "Is something wrong?" The man asks.

"Honestly, I think we should keep searching. It doesn't feel right to stop," She admits, her eyes gazing at the rubble. She moves a piece of rubble with her foot, only to reveal more destruction beneath it.

"We'll find him. You should really rest."

She wants to believe him but she can't get her mind off if Yao really is alive.

"I suppose you had no luck finding Commander Wang."

Lien can only shake her head. She hates disappointing people above her with bad news; it makes her feel weak and useless. She just wants to give good news one day in her life as a soldier. She doubts that will ever happen knowing casualties are higher than ever now.

"I apologize; we're resuming our search as we speak." She reassures him, her salute glued to her body. Francis smiles meekly and Lien knows she disappointed him. A pained feeling forms inside her and she feels so much weight get placed on her shoulders.

"I wish you luck, Chung. Don't strain yourself, okay?" She can only nod and swallow guilt. He turns without another word to her, motioning his squad to head back to where they're stationed for the night. She releases her hands from her salute, staring at his squad until out they're out of sight. Her stomach feels empty despite the small meal she just ate.

She turns around to find her squad removing rubble once more, making more progress than during the day. She's hoping they'll at least find his body.

It's eating her inside.

She hasn't been keeping track of time but she supposes it's nearing midnight. A lot of rubble has been moved and there has been no titans so far. Most of the soldiers standing on the roofs have moved themselves near the wreckage to add more help.

In just moments she hears inaudible whispers from below, each pair of eyes glancing at each other. They shine their flashlights all in one spot. "Squad leader!" One shouts. At this moment she doesn't even mind if they shout, she immediately stands up from her spot on the roof.

"What? Did you find anything?"

"We believe we found his 3DMG, it looks attached to his body." Lien's heart races and she feels elated to hear such news. She trembles, hoping he's still alive. She can then finally bring good news.

"Don't just stand there! Keep digging!" She barks. More soldiers jump down to help them for a faster removal of debris. She can only watch them reveal each part of Yao's body at a time. His legs, his arms, his torso, and finally his face are soon revealed. A flashlight is shining over the man's face and they discover a dried up scar across his face, his 3DMG scratched up and most likely damaged, his uniform blanketed in dirt and dried up blood.

She jumps down and runs up to the group. They make an opening for her and she immediately lays her head upon his chest. A soft, slow heartbeat is heard. She feels herself freeze and tingles rush down her body.

"Squad leader?"

She lifts her head back up, unable to speak. A hand is placed on her shoulder and she knows it's Kasem. "It's all right, Lien. We-"

"No, no. He's…he's not dead…"

In just seconds, smiles are formed and small gasps are heard. She wants to cry, she finally fulfilled her duty. She never seen so many people elated and filled with new hope. She barely even knew the commander and yet she finds herself filled with joy.

She knows she finally done something right. Kasem's grip is stronger and he shakes her lightly, he laughs and he places his head on her shoulder. "We did it, Lien! We did it!"

She nods, finding swallowing is tough now. Her hand trembles as she reaches for her walkie-talkie. She holds the walkie-talkie near her mouth, not caring if she wakes Corporal Edelstein from his slumber.

"Corporal Edelstein, are you there? Roger." Everyone is silent around her. All of them are waiting for the corporal to respond and everyone is tense.

"Yes, I'm here, Chung. Did you find anything? Roger."

She breathes in, unable to contain herself. "We found Commander Wang. He's alive but is currently unconscious. From what we're seeing there's not any serious injuries besides possible broken limbs and scars. Roger."

She's impatient right now. She wants to hear the corporal speak and congratulate her and her squad for working over a day. She knows she and her squad deserve a lot of respect now.

"Great job, Chung. I've sent reinforcements to where you are to help you return back to the safe haven. Thank you, all of you. Roger."

Her walkie-talkie slips out of her hands. Finally. Just finally she feels she did something right.

She saved a life.

A/N:

Lien Chung- Vietnam

Kasem Chao- Thailand

Francis Bonnefoy- France