Nac Tias had been in several pickles in the past… and in truth, none of them could even compare to the one he's been in now.

"Once more, Nac Tias…"

Titans, he could handle. Superiors being dicks… he could deal with. Mina, Annie and, on occasion, Mikazuki asking him for some spare change on occasion to get a snack? Okay he probably couldn't handle that all the time, but still…

"We must ask…"

Basically, Nac, despite his average physique and even average-er ranking amidst his fellow soldiers, could handle just about anything; he was a Survey Corp for a reason, after all.

"Why…"

But what he couldn't handle, however…

"... were you found trying to break into the office of Nile Dawke? For the third time this week, no less?"

… was the fact that he did not know the fate of his friends!

Grimacing as he processed his interrogator's words, the usually calm, collected, cheerful and endlessly patient Nac Tias leaned forwards in his chair, leaning into the table no less, and set both his hands atop the aforementioned table, where he scowled so deeply that even the MPB interrogator flinched at him. Good; Tias wasn't in the mood to be his usual polite self. He was here for answers, dammit!

"You already know why, sir! I just want to know what happened to Mina, Annie and Mikazuki!" proclaimed Nac, with him grimacing as he acknowledged how many times he had made this demand. He was reaching his boiling point by now, as he had asked countless individuals, ranging from common foot soldiers to some higher ups. He had even managed to get a brief audience with Erwin at one point to ask him about this, though all he got was a sad smile and an apology, with Smith stating that it's confidential before moving on.

All of those responses only served to embolden Nac into finding the truth… and he had attempted to do so by breaking into Commander Nile's office.

Thrice.

All three attempts had failed, and now that the soldiers were sure that he wasn't going to stop trying until he got some sort of answer, they had a choice; to answer him… or to lock him up indefinitely.

What they went for was rather obvious, as evident by how the boy was now being held in a room that was barely illuminated by a handful of torches. The interrogation process was practically just a formality at this point, as they knew what the tall dude was trying to find by now, and even he knew this, and as such, he wasn't even going to bother to pretend to be nice with them like he did the first two times.

"As we stated in the past, Nac Tias, we cannot reveal anything in regards to Annie Leonhardt, Mina Carolina or Mikazuki Augus. Information behind them is highly confidential, so please-"

"No, shut your goddamn mouth, damn you! I'm their friend, so the least you could do is tell me whether or not they're alright and let me see them!" protested Nac. His interrogator seemed perturbed, especially when Tias had lumped Annie, of all people, in with his friends, though he dismissed this quickly with a sigh.

"I have made it clear that I cannot divulge any information behind these three individuals, so if you'll please-"

"OH FUCK YOU!"

Yelling out in anger as he said this, Nac pulled at his hair and began convulsing around in a rage. He seemed to be at the absolute end of his rope… not that anyone could really blame him on that, and after a few moments of spazzing out, the young soldier slammed his head into the table, making an audible bang sound that caused the soldier to flinch. He remained this way for a handful of moments before his shoulders began to shudder, and seconds later, his interrogator saw that he was sobbing.

"Just… fucking tell me, please… they're the only ones I've got, the only ones mum has in this world aside from myself… I just want to know if they're alright… please…"

His voice was that of a broken man, someone that just wanted answers at this point, and the man sharing the room with him would've been lying if he claimed to not feel some form of sympathy towards him. With that being said, however, his duty still came first, and by all means, he was going to keep his vow of silence, even if he felt rather bad for Nac by now, so with no small amount of sadness in his heart, he shook his head and opened his mouth to deny him of this…

… though before he could do so, the door to the room squeaked open, prompting him to turn towards it and spot…

"Captain…?"

Mike Zacharius stood behind him, seeming mostly neutral as he motioned for him to get up and get lost. Flinching a little at his wordless demands, the soldier opened his mouth to retort to his superior, with him wishing to state that he had been assigned here in the first place, but Mike cut him off with a cold glare, one that reminded the soldier of his place in the chain of command, before he reluctantly nodded and left. With him out of the way, Zacharius moved in and sat on the seat that his subordinate once occupied, and moments later, he grunted, a gesture for Nac Tias to lift his head, which he did.

"You wish to know about Mikazuki Augus, Annie Leonhardt and Mina Carolina, yes?"

"C-Captain…?!"

"Well, I can tell you about them, kid."

And to that, Nac, despite his current emotional turmoil, couldn't help but smile as he processed his words. And for all it was worth, seeing the younger soldier beam so widely almost made Mike smile himself. Still though, as his superior, Mike had to maintain an air of authority over him, and as things were now, he kept his usual demeanor as he watched Tias straighten his back, wipe at his eyes before hastily saluting him.

In truth, Mike was impressed by how Nac had not forgotten his manners, especially after he had yelled so loudly at the other superior, though he didn't dwell too much on it as the guy greeted him, only for Zacharius to cut him off before he could finish.

"At ease, soldier. No need for formalities, not right now, at least," mused Mike, cutting his junior off lightly as he spoke. Nac loosened up a fair bit at this, a good sign, Mike reckoned, as he shook his head and continued. "Alright kid, I'll cut to the chase; you want information regarding three individuals, yes?"

"Y-Yeah, I do! Whatever you need in return, I'll offer it, sir! I can't give much, but I'll still do my best to deliver! Money, manpower, Hell, even fucking… I dunno, a portion of my fingers! Just say the word and they'll be yours!" proclaimed Nac without hesitation. His dedication to his friends wasn't too much of a surprise to Mike, who had read reports that spoke of Tias' loyalty in the past, but he was still a little taken aback by the lengths the young man was willing to go to protect them.

Hell, not even protect them! He just wanted to know if they were alright!

"Cool it. None of that will be necessary; I'm willing to tell you about their conditions, though you must swear to me this: you will tell no one about this, am I understood?" stated Mike seriously. Nac could sense the seriousness in his tone; he sounded more serious now than he did whilst on the field, though he didn't let it deter him as he nodded firmly, eliciting a chuckle from Zacharius all the while. "Good."

"Currently, Mina Carolina is still very much alive. I can't tell you where she is or what her fate will be, but rest assured, she is alright."

Frowning deeply as she pulled her knees up to her chest, Mina draped the covers of the blanket over her shoulders as she suppressed a soft sob. The turmoil that came with what had happened in Sina all those days prior had come back to her tenfold after she had awoken from her nap, and it… didn't bode well with her whatsoever.

"I assume I can't visit her, Captain?"

Outside her cell, a pair of MPB soldiers grumbled as they listened in on her whining, with one mumbling about potentially shutting her up as he moved towards the door to her cell, though he was quickly stopped when a third individual cleared his throat.

"That is correct. But rest assured, we have some of our own watching out for her."

Over by the far side of the room stood Eld Gin, seeming annoyed at the sudden movement of his fellow soldier as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed and with an irritated look on his face. Glaring at the guard, the man sent a silent message to him, one that was duly noted as the MPB shuddered and stepped back, something that made him scoff before he glanced back towards Mina, who curled up deeper into a ball as she tried to properly process the fact that, on a technical level, she was now a traitor to humanity.

Eld… had no proper opinion on this, as they had not been able to interrogate either Mikazuki or Annie on this, but even so… he wasn't willing to give Mina any sympathy until he was sure that she was on their side. The least he could do was keep watch over her, however, at the command of his Captain, and if he had to make sure a few punks stayed away from the emotionally crippled girl until further notice, then so be it!

"Well… that's a relief."

"Regarding Annie Leonhardt… she is currently being held in an underground bunker. That is all I can reveal at the moment."

"I… I see… i-is she a-alive?"

"... yes."

"A-Alright… that's good to hear."

For all it was worth… Hanji's eyes, in spite of the anger, hatred and pure, unadulterated malice reflecting within them, still shone with no small amount of pity as she observed Annie Leonhardt's limp body through a small window on her cell door.

"I must say, Nac Tias; I am surprised to hear that you are still worried for Annie Leonhardt, even after all that she's done to hurt us."

"... what can I say? My friends and I… we share a special connection, I suppose."

To say that the soldiers were keeping her locked up like an animal would've been a massive understatement. The room they had shoved her in was a repurposed penitentiary that had been shut down decades prior; Zoe would rather not think about who had been locked up here in the past, and the living conditions were even worse than worst! Them being a few dozen meters underground made the temperature a lot colder than she was comfortable with, and the cell Leonhardt was confined to was absurdly small and unsanitary.

Annie herself had her hands restrained in manacles to prevent her from attempting to transform, not that doing so would do her any good as the cramped space made it a dumb move regardless. There was just barely enough space in that damn cell to fit two more people, and Hanji silently wondered if the higher ups had intentionally shoved her into such a cell.

'They're giving me just enough space to carve this girl apart when she wakes up. How thrilling… I get to dissect a proper Titan Shifter for a change… this oughta be a dream come true for me!' thought Hanji as her mind attempted to wander once more. It attempted to find that enthusiasm it once felt when the prospect of performing research on Eren was still a fresh idea, or when she had managed to get Mikazuki to show her Barbatos… but alas… she was incapable of doing so. Instead… '

'But why… why do I feel so empty about this…?'

And right as she thought of this, the bespectacled woman blinked when she thought she heard some groans coming from inside the cell.

"Hm… either way, as for Mikazuki Augus, he is currently being held under maximum lockdown. It should do your psyche some good to know that his conditions are not as severe as Annie Leonhardt's."

Frowning lightly as she observed Mikazuki's prone body, the nurse that had been called in to keep an eye on him couldn't help but feel a little nervous as she watched over the young man.

It felt… strange, to see him up close and personal. As a member of the medical staff within the MPB (not to mention that she was the only medical personnel that was willing to volunteer to keep an eye on the kid), the nurse had been fed rumors in regards to how the boy acted; everyone claimed that he was either a lapdog to Erwin, akin to how Levi and Mike were, or that he was just a monster waiting to stab them in the back. Suffice to say… the pilot wasn't talked about in the most caring of manners, and in truth, when she had volunteered to watch over him when no one else would, the nurse felt no small amount of terror at what she was about to get herself into.

When she had walked in on Mikazuki's unconscious form, the nurse had expected him to just spring to life and choke her out without warning, and as if she had sensed her worries, Nanaba, who was with her at the time, assured her that Augus would do no such thing, though it did little to ease her worries. The medical specialist really did think that the young man was a monster in human skin.

But as the days dragged on, and as the junior soldier laid there, motionless save for the occasional tilt of his head and the up and down movement of his chest, something occurred to the young woman…

"Mikazuki… he's… still out cold?"

"Yeah, he is. Under constant surveillance and given medical attention, though, so you don't need to worry about him on that front."

"Thank goodness… I was worried that the MPB would try to fuck him over in some way. They seem to forget that, well… he…"

… Mikazuki, despite his speciality and how he piloted a Gundam, was human, just like the rest of them, and like all humans, he was vulnerable.

It would've been so easy to just… smother him in his sleep, but as things were now, the nurse was content with fixing him back up to full health. She wasn't the best at her job; she had only risen to her current position less than two years prior and she didn't have too much on hand experience, but she was by no means an amateur either, and with minimal issue, she was able to locate a few injuries and get them patched up. The worst that she had to fix was a cracked collarbone, specifically the right collarbone, which needed a splint to allow it to heal properly.

That aside, she had to place the boy's entire right arm in a cast as well. She had felt around for injuries, and she winced when she could feel several minor fractures within. None of them would heal without external aid, so she provided as much as she could before stepping back to allow time to mend his injuries. It was, admittedly, a little comical, seeing the somewhat diminutive young man with his arm held in a cast that was made for someone that was probably 50% taller than he was… but that wasn't really important at the moment.

The last thing the medical specialist did was seal up a small handful of injuries that were located all around his body via stitching. Thankfully enough, there weren't all too many that needed stitches; a few on his left arm and just a tiny bit on his back and chest. Whilst closing his wounds, however, the medic did notice how there were dozens of other old wounds all around his small frame, making her wonder…

'What exactly gave you these injuries…?'

… best to not pry, she supposed. Curiosity was one thing, but digging too deep into another person's history without their consent was a whole other issue all on its own, and even if he was branded a traitor by a majority of the active Military Brigades, she wasn't willing to see him as less human than she was and violate his privacy, even if he was out cold.

"Is he doing alright, doc?"

"!"

The sudden voice of Gelgar, accompanied by the sound of the cell door closing behind her, snapped the medical specialist out of her trance-like state, and rather instantaneously, she turned to spot the aforementioned soldier, plus Lynne, entering into the room. The female Survey Corp wasted no time in moving to Mikazuki's side to check on his condition, though as for the guy, he stood by the doc and stared at her expectantly.

"Oh! Well… Mikazuki Augus seems fine, for now. The worst of his injuries have been covered up by now, and all the minor ones that run the risk of infection have been sealed shut," assured the medic sheepishly as she scratched the back of her neck. Gelgar seemed to take her words at face value as he sighed and nodded, though not long after, he grumbled to himself.

"And what about him not waking up, though?" asked Gelgar, to which the nurse winced.

"Mikazuki Augus' injuries will heal, but mentally… he is no doubt exhausted. The mind needs as much rest as the body, you know? And considering how long he's been out for, it seems as though Mikazuki has been exhausted, both physically and mentally, for quite some time."

"Geh! That's a load of baloney right there! Think if I slapped him, he'll-"

"Gelgar, play nice."

The mild scolding from Lynne stung Gelgar quite a bit, but still, he took the hit and shut himself up. At the same time, the older Elite sighed as she placed the back of her hand against Mikazuki's forehead, only to sigh in relief when she confirmed that he wasn't running a fever.

"Don't mind him. Gelgar's just worried for Mikazuki, but he's too much of a man to show it," joked Lynne with a grin. Her teasing smile was almost enough to break her fellow soldier as he flinched at her words, though before he could retort, the medic chuckled lightly and held a hand up to her lips.

"I see… this boy must mean a lot to your team if you're all willing to make occasional stops to see him. I reckon security is tired of asking for your reasons for visiting and just letting you pass at this point," smiled the medic, with her recalling how, over the course of the past three days, the members of Team Mike had come to check up on Mikazuki. The doc wasn't here for all the visits, of course, but over the course of the past three days, she had seen all members of the squad rolling up to check on the pilot… barring Gelgar, anyways, as this was the first time she's seen him here.

At one point, she did see Levi, alongside Hanji and Petra, sitting by the pilot's bed, with all three of them just observing him silently. Nothing much was really said as they stared down at the young man with varying looks of sadness, though before they had left, Petra Ral had left a red flower by the bedside table as a sign of goodwill before departing. It was a sweet gesture, the nurse reckoned.

"Well, it's the least we can do at this point. You're an MPB, so you know what fate awaits him… and even if it breaks my heart to admit it, we probably won't be able to rescue him from being fired upon by soldiers that see him as just a failed weapon," bemoaned Lynne, with her shaking her head lightly as she spoke. Gelgar rolled his eyes at that, with him finding his superior's little speech to be… alright, for the lack of a better word, but still… "When Mikazuki Augus was put under our care, I, personally, made a vow to protect this kid."

"Because of his power?" asked the doc for clarification, only for Lynne to chuckle.

"Well, yes, but also because, well… he's my junior. The kid's Gundam was only part of the reason as to why I wanted to keep him safe. A lot of other soldiers see him as just some weapon, and honestly, I kinda did at first too, but still, I eventually figured that, well, he's…"

"Like us," mused the medic, with her staring down at Mikazuki's unconscious form with a sad look in her eyes. Lynne and Gelgar were surprised by her interruption, though they said nothing as the doc continued. "He has a unique power that only he can access, but at the end of the day, he's only human. He has hopes and dreams, he feels pain and sorrow… he bleeds the same blood as we do, and like most of us… he'll die eventually. Under all the rumors… and under all that metal on his Gundam, he's still a person, just like us. That's what you were trying to say, right?"

"Yeah, just about," mused Lynne, with her grinning lightly as she spoke. Meanwhile, Gelgar scoffed a little as he moved over to the bedside table rather lazily. The medic tracked his movements closely as she grew curious about what his intent was, and much to her surprise, the Elite soldier ended up pulling a small flower out of his jacket before setting it down onto the table. The flower that Petra had left behind some time ago laid motionless beside it, and Gelgar didn't think to comment on its presence as he set his own down by its side.

"A little surprising, though. I thought you'd see him as some sorta monster or something, just like how almost everyone that's not a Survey Corp does," hummed Gelgar, sounding a little respectful of the doctor as he spoke. In response to this, the MPB medic simply smiled lightly.

"Not everyone in the MPB is as narrow minded as you'd think, sir," grinned the medic, eliciting a flinch from Gelgar as he scrunched his face up in defeat. At the same time, Lynne let out a light cackle.

"She's got you there, Gelgar," smiled Lynne, to which Gelgar lightly swatted the top of his superior's head in annoyance.

"Can it!" growled Gelgar, annoyed, though moments later, he recomposed himself and pinched the bridge of his nose, and at that, he continued. "But… whatever! Listen, doc, when the brat eventually wakes up, you tell Mike first, alright? Tell no one else but him. He's got a soft spot for the midget at this point, not that he'd ever admit it."

"Well, in all fairness, we have all become rather fond of this boy by now. Some of us just refuse to accept that," grinned Lynne, eliciting a blush from Gelgar as he silently acknowledged how Mikazuki had grown on him after he had been assigned to watch over his sorry ass for the past few months. As of now, it seemed as though only him and Henning were unwilling to accept that they were growing to like Augus' presence, and even if they denied it vehemently, they were still torn over the fact that the higher ups wanted him dead.

"Shush, you…" mumbled Gelgar as he brushed a hand through his hair, and at that, he grumbled and moved to leave the cell. "But my first point still stands, you got that? Get in touch with us the moment he wakes up. Not your superiors, not the other MPB members, but Squad Mike, you got that? We'll compensate you for your cooperation if you do."

"That is very generous of you, Gelgar, but considering how frequently your teammates visit Mikazuki Augus… I doubt that it would be necessary," hummed the medic, and as a bit of a jab, she added: "as a matter of fact, I believe the one that goes by Henning had only just left the cell about… three hours before the two of you entered."

"Henning? Never thought he'd willingly visit Mikazuki under any circumstances," mused Lynne with a smile. Gelgar grinned at this, with him silently acknowledging how he had gotten some new blackmail material for the youngest member of the team, though he kept that to himself for the time being as he shrugged and motioned for his superior to follow him in leaving.

"Well, he's a big softy under that grouchy exterior of his, and this more or less confirms it," laughed Gelgar, eliciting a roll of Lynne's eyes as she got up from her spot beside Mikazuki and stretched a little before following her fellow Elite out of the room. Before doing so, however, she did spare the pilot one last squeeze on the shoulder and a few words of comfort, not that they would do him any good, she reckoned, but it was still something.

"Like you're one to talk, Mister I bought the flowers that signify health and security Gelgar," snickered Lynne, to which Gelgar grumbled and began defending himself vehemently, so much so that the medic could still hear their bickering, even after they had long since left the room. Their energy was something that she grew somewhat envious of, but even so… she didn't let her mind dwell too much on that as she turned back towards Mikazuki and sighed softly to herself. "But either way, doc, keep an eye on the kid. As we said, he's… important to us."

"You got it. It's the least I can do right now too, you know?"

"Do I ever…"

And with that, the two Elites departed, leaving behind an emotionally frustrated medic to continue overseeing Mikazuki for now.

"He… will wake up, right? R-Right?"

"Yes. He will. You, more so than even me, should know that Mikazuki Augus is strong. He'll wake up…"

"And when he does, I can see him, right?"

"..."

"R-Right…?"

"I will see what I can do. My position as Captain should allow me to pull some strings to get you through security, but considering how my higher ups in the Military Tribunal are considering stripping me of this rank and demoting me… I wouldn't get your hopes up."

The shock that was present on Nac's face shone through rather intensely, and upon noticing it, Mike raised a brow in amusement. "Something wrong, kid?" mused the older soldier as he stared at Tias' shocked face, and in an instant, he shook his head violently and swung his arms around nervously. Ah… so this was what Keith's reports were going on about.

Keith Shadis' reports stated that Nac was an easygoing young man. Unfortunately, due to his previous orders to oversee Mikazuki and Mikazuki alone, he was unable to interact with the young man personally until now. He had initially thought that Shadis had been pulling his leg, especially after the guy had been acting so aggressively as he attempted to learn about the whereabouts of his friends, though as he told and assured him of their safety, however briefly, the guy had loosened up, and by now, he looked to be in a calm state of mind, much to his amusement.

"No… n-no, sir, it's just, well… I didn't think they'd strip you of your rank is all," commented Nac, with him scowling lightly as he spoke. Mike's simple response was to chuckle lightly as he shook his head in amusement.

"Look at it this way, kid; I was meant to oversee Mikazuki Augus. Erwin assigned me to do this because he trusted me. Our superiors trust Erwin, and by that virtue, they would trust his faith in me," stated Mike, with him crossing his arms as he spoke. "Erwin told me that I was supposed to keep the kid in line, but any smartass can read between the lines and figure out that our higher ups just wanted to weaponize the kid, and they wanted my team and I to whip him into shape."

"But… you didn't, right…?" asked Nac worriedly, with him almost dreading a response as he spoke, and to that, Mike chuckled lightly as he shook his head.

"In truth, we almost did. We didn't know anything about the brat outside of whatever Keith wrote up for us, so we were expecting some hotshot with a mean streak. But honestly…?" hummed Mike as he leaned back on his chair. The records that Keith had offered them were… questionable, to say the least, and contradictory in more ways than one.

Shadis considered Mikazuki to be an S-Class soldier in most categories; Strength, Dexterity, Concentration, Health and Agility were always his strongest spots. Leadership and Intelligence needed some work though, and by all means, his cooperative skills were… selective, to say the least. The pilot had issues with working with others outside of his small friend group, and by all accounts, his higher ups wanted that to change.

They wanted a soldier that would follow their every whim when it came to Anti-Titan combat. Who could blame them, really? Mike, despite his annoyance at them seeing Mikazuki as a weapon rather than a person, could understand where they were coming from, as the pilot was an absurdly dangerous person. Them wanting him to be completely under their control was understandable, but in truth, Zacharius was happy that Augus had not changed.

Many saw him as an emotionless husk, Mike would've been lying if he said that he had not either, but after spending a few months with the gremlin, he had to say… the kid was a good one. He actually cared about others in his own unique way, and rather than fighting for himself, his actions showed that he fought almost solely for others. His actions during the Preliminary Expedition, the Expedition itself and, debatably, during his bout against Annie proved this much.

His higher ups wanted the perfect soldier… but in Mike's eyes, Mikazuki was already one. Strong, dependable, somewhat aloof but with a hidden heart of gold, he was everything the Survey Corps needed, with or without Barbatos… and he was going to be taken away from them in such a short span of time.

"I'm glad we didn't. Mikazuki was fine how he was back then, and he's fine how he is right now."

"Well, you and I can agree on that, Captain," grinned Nac, with him showing some legitimate happiness at Mike's affirmation of something he knew from the start, though his delight was quickly interrupted when Zacharius added on.

"Not much of a surprise there, kid. After all, you and your friends were probably the ones that molded him into the person he is today," mused Mike with a smile. Nac noticeably flinched in confusion at this, with him getting ready to ask about that comment, though before he could do so, a knock could be heard on the door to the interrogation room, and in an instant, Tias shut his mouth as his superior turned and grunted. The individual peeking in through the peephole of the cell nodded at this as they opened the door, and once it was open, it was revealed that the individual was Nanaba, with Henning standing behind her, seeming rather nervous when compared to his fellow Elite. "Nanaba? What seems to be the problem?"

"Sir."

Only a single word was uttered by Nanaba, though it was spoken in such a dire manner that it instantly told both Tias and Zachary that something was up, and whilst the former was confused by this, the latter was quick to widen his eyes in shock as he got up, perhaps a little more forcefully than intended as his chair was shoved to the ground as he stood, and stomped out the room.

"Nanaba, take care of Nac Tias. Get him out of here; if anyone asks for clearance, tell them he has my approval to leave. He's been… scolded enough by now, and they have my word that he won't attempt anything like this again in the future," ordered Mike stiffly as he motioned towards Nac, who flinched at his sudden shift in tone. In truth, he had initially sounded like a cool uncle just moments prior… what could've warranted such a sharp shift in demeanor?

"Yes sir," was Nanaba's response to Mike as she entered the interrogation room whereas her superior exited it. He exchanged pleasantries with Henning rather quickly before the duo sped-walked off to parts unknown, and as they vanished, the blonde turned towards Tias and motioned for him to stand. "You, with me."

"Y-Yes ma'am," was all Nac could mutter out at that point as he stood up and followed Nanaba out of the room. Silently, he walked behind her out of the building he was being held in, and whereas his superior ignored them, Tias couldn't help but notice how several individuals were observing them from a distance and snickering at their expense.

"Look, it's a member of the highly regarded Elite Squad Mike!"

"She doesn't look so tough, honestly. I could take her on."

"They asked the Survey Corps to take care of those monsters? No surprise they lost control of em!"

"Think she's gonna screw that brat?"

"Doubtful. He's newblood, so he's probably not too stupid to do such an idiotic thing."

"..."

"..."

"Ma'am?"

"Be silent and follow, Nac Tias. You're in enough shit at the moment, don't try to make things harder by letting their words hurt you," instructed Nanaba, quiet but stern, as she marched on with Nac in tow. Tias reluctantly did as she said, with him hooking his thumbs into his belt as he followed her closely. Once they were out, however, and after they were a good distance away from the building the junior soldier had been held in initially, Nanaba, sighed in relief and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Good grief, we're out of there…"

"Their comments don't bother you, ma'am?" asked Nac curiously, eliciting a huff from Nanaba as she shook her head.

"Oh they do, but I've learnt to deal with them. Don't let it get to you, those soldiers worked hard to get to where they're at now, but they've been living a comfy life for a majority of their careers. They've grown complacent, and they've forgotten what it was like to fight their way up to the top as Trainees," mused Nanaba as she motioned for Nac to follow her to the horse stables. Nac nodded at this, though she wasn't finished. "They don't see us as equals since all they know about us Survey Corps comes through word of mouth. These soldiers have probably never seen an actual Titan until just a few days ago with Annie Leonhardt, and they assume that taking one down is as easy as one two," Nanaba snapped her fingers, "three."

"Well, if anything, the stuff our drill sergeants taught us kinda told me the opposite," laughed Nac, eliciting a snort from Nanaba as she rolled her eyes.

"Indeed, but as I said, complacency. These are soldiers that will probably never have any reason to swing a Sword at a Titan, so they see themselves as above us for that," responded Nanaba with a hint of amusement in her voice. Nac nodded at this, with him scowling a tad at that second bit; he knew firsthand just how terrifying Titans could get. Downplaying the threat they posed was a stupid decision, but alas… "Either way, end of conversation. You're headed out of Sina, ASAP, kid. Bringing you in here with us was a stupid thing to do in the first place."

"You don't regret it though, don't you, ma'am?" rebutted Nac with a grin as he jumped onto the back of a horse, and in response to this, Nanaba rolled her eyes as she sighed. Once more, Squad Mike allowing Nac Tias to follow them into Sina all those days prior had been a dumb move on their part. Even from a tactical standpoint, Tias would've been a liability to them… but still, they had brought him here anyways, and in truth, they didn't regret their decision.

The young man deserved to know the truth, after all, and if Mikazuki wasn't going to give it to him, then they would be the ones to do so.

"No. No I don't, kid. Now get lost."

A slight chuckle escaped Nac's lips at that, and he saluted his superior before he departed Sina on horseback. Nanaba watched him leave until he was out of view, and once he was gone, the soldier exhaled sharply as she shook her head and, without turning, spoke out to no one in particular.

"She's awake, isn't she, Gunther?"

And in response to this, from behind a pillar that almost perfectly hid him from view, Gunther Schultz smiled as he nodded.

"Yeah, the bitch's awake."

"Good. Let's get to work then."

Plot's moving along rather well! Nac is getting caught up alongside the rest of us!

Will Annie survive the interrogation the MPB have in store for her? Will Mikazuki wake up? Well I don't know! Read the next chapter to find out!

Outros will be shorter now alright bye-