The sound of the flag falling from the wall stopped us all in our tracks. The deathly quiet made it echo, chilling me to my core. I turned back toward the sound. Mikasa stood near me, eyes locked on Reiner, Eren, and Bertholdt.

"Faye, somethings wrong."

I watched the three boys carefully. Eren, Reiner, and Bertholdt stood frozen in place where they had stopped to talk. I looked to Mikasa who took another step closer to the trio, her hand on her ODM gear. Her hands shook slightly like she was ready to pull her blade. I was about to ask her what she was doing when she let out a small gasp.

I looked up to see Reiner taking off the makeshift sling he'd been wearing, steam pouring out of the wound. I felt my eyes widen. It couldn't be, it wasn't possible. I didn't even have time to react before Mikasa blade was pulled and she was on top of them.

"Mikasa, what are you doing?" I started to ran forward to stop her. They were our friends. This was a misunderstanding.

I froze when the electricity began in the air the way it did before Eren became a titan. Eren seemed as stunned as I was.

"Eren, run away!" Armin's voice brought me back to reality.

This was happening. Reiner and Bertholdt, my brothers in arms, had betrayed us. Years I had spent by their side, fought titans by their side. It had all been a lie.

I started to run forward too, hand on my blade, when the stream became unbearable and blew myself and my comrades back. As it settled, the Colossal and Armored Titan took form in front of us on the wall.

Before any of us could react, the armored titan was sliding down the wall, Eren in hand. No. No no no no no no no. I looked around find looks of shock and betrayal, some of disbelief.

"Move! Everyone!"

Squad leader Hanji's warning pulled my attention away from where Eren had transformed and back to the situation at hand. I looked up to see the Colossal Titans hand pulled back, swiping across the wall. I jumped down, using my gear to tether myself to the wall. When he pulled back Ymir and another soldier were in his hands and then his mouth.

"How can Bertholdt..." Armin's question died before it could be fully asked. He didn't want an answer. No one did.

"Soldiers! Prepare to attack!" Hanji was moving before her orders were complete," the Colossal titan doesn't walk away from this! It's a threat to all man kind! Swarm and terminate!"

Without thinking, our training kicked in and we were off. He swung at us, but his movements were slow. Bertholdt would pay for what he'd done.

Before we could get close to his naps, he shot out more stream than any titan I had ever seen. My ODM gear cam undone and I was blown back.

"Fall back!" I didn't need to be told twice.

I landed at a safe distance beside Armin. "You okay?"

He nodded and glanced at me, "Faye, your hands."

I looked down at my burnt hands, it hurt like hell, but I didn't want to show it. "I'm fine."

"He's vanishing." Hanji brandished her sword again, looking ready to jump back in.

"I don't know. Something's different here." Armin kept talking but I stopped listening.

I watched the steam continue to pour out. The lull in the action allowed me to feel how hard my heart was pounding, I could hear it beating. My chest stung worse than my hands. I didn't want to do this. Fear was not the problem. But this wasn't just the Colossal titan. This was Bertholdt.

He was my friend, my ally. All the late nights we had all stayed up taking. The stories we'd told to each other. The secrets we'd shared. All the laughter and happiness he and Reiner had brought to me and all of the 104th cadet Corp., to the Scouts. My chest clenched again and I felt tears begin to form at the corners of my eyes. I wiped my eyes quickly, hoping no one else had seen my moment of weakness. They didn't deserve my sadness. They only deserve to feel the pain they've caused.

"For now we wait." Hanji commanded. "Squads three and four take position behind the target. Rashad has command. Squad two stay put. Lada has command."

I looked to Armin. We needed to be prepared to take them out. They weren't our friends. Not anymore.

"Listen up. I want you to forget about taking them alive. Destroy them. No second thoughts."

I drew my sword and nodded to the squad commander. "Understood."

I kept my expression neutral, but the pain in my chest worsened. There were no other options. It had to be done.

"Squad one, look alive. We have a date with the armored titan." Hanji jumped down the wall toward where the armored titan was, but I hesitated.

Reiner.

I had been so busy grieving the betrayal of Bertholdt I had forgotten Reiner. I felt another jolt of pain and my heart ached. I just didn't understand. After all we had been through together...

I watched Eren's titan form be thrown through a series of trees, leaving a trench in his wake. The sight of Eren being attacked brought me back to the present. Reiner and Bertholdt might have turned their back on us, but I couldn't let my grief blind me. I still had comrades that needed me. I couldn't let them down. I couldn't sort through these feelings now. I could worry about that when we got home. Now I had to prove my loyalty to my squad and humanity. No matter the cost.

I dropped down, locking myself in place on the wall beside Armin just in time to see Eren attack Reiner at lightning speed.

"That's Annie's technique!"

I watched in awe, mesmerized until I noticed something moving around. Mikasa. She was down on the ground. If she wasn't careful, she'd be crushed.

"Armin! Look!" I pointed out Mikasa's figure running in the tree line.

Armin leaped into action instantly, swinging down to her. I called out to him, but he was gone. I turned to Hanji, but she didn't seem to care what he did. Her eyes were focused on the armored titan. Another soldier swung down after them, desperate to get them back on the wall away from the fight.

When everyone was back on the wall, we watched as Reiner, the armored titan, stood. I wanted to swing out. I didn't want to be defenseless on the wall.

"We need a plan." I heard Armin's words and held myself back. I couldn't let my feelings get the best of me. I couldn't let myself act and get myself killed.

Hanji swung down to Eren's shoulder, obviously knowing what to do. We would get Eren out of this. No matter the cost.

We followed Hanji's orders as Eren got ready for another attack, swinging to find an opening, any opening that would give Eren an advantage.

When it came down to it, Mikasa was the one to find it, striking the back of his knees, making his legs useless. The rest of us made our way back to the wall, watching as Eren took care of the rest. The scouts cheered, but I felt the pit of my stomach knot up. Eren would win, but once he did...

In a desperate attempt, Reiner moved his body forward, dragging Eren along the ground. Was he trying to loosen Eren's grip? Then came the scream.

Hanji warned the squad to be on alert, backup would come for him. When I heard the bones snap it was too late. A warning came from above and everyone turned to look up. Bertholdt came tumbling down toward us, hot steam radiating from the dissipating tian body.

"Move!" I shouted, jumping out of the way, back up toward the wall, but it was too late.

I woke up on the top of the wall, Armin sitting a little ways away with Mikasa's unconscious body. I looked around quick, the pounding feeling in my head causing little black spots to form in my vision. Everyone was gone. No Eren, no Reiner, no Bertholdt.

My body screamed at me, the pain in my hands from the burns seemed to have spread to my face and neck.

"Faye, lay back down." Krista's soft voice came from my other side.

"What happened?" I questioned, ignoring the pain and her request.

She pressed a small hand to my shoulder and gave me a gentle shove back to lay on the wall.

"When the Colossal titan fell, everyone on the wall got blasted with the steam and pieces of the wall fell from where the ribs broke off."

"Where's Eren? And Reiner and Bertholdt?"

Krista looked away, "they're gone."

We failed. We failed in so many ways. The feelings I had been holding back bubbles to the surface. Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks, soothing the burns I had occurred on them. I pulled my legs up to my chest and started to sob. Krista put a hand on my solider in an attempt to comfort me, but there was no comfort.

I cried until I didn't know what I was crying for anymore. I was angry, sad, hurt. I felt sick. I wanted to wake up. I wanted it to be a dream and when I woke up I'd go to breakfast and see everyone's smiling faces and I could tell them how crazy this dream was. Reiner and Bertholdt would laugh. Everyone would think it was ridiculous.

But it wasn't a dream. I wiped my eyes when I heard the sound of horses coming. I forced myself to stand, despite my body screaming at me to sit. I fixed my ponytail, getting the red strands out of my face and watched as the commander approached. I was done crying. The pain in my chest hadn't lessened but replaced with determination. I was a soldier and I had pledged to protect humanity. No matter the cost. Even if the cost was Reiner and Bertholdt.