Page's grip on the shone-stick tightened as she watched Erne disable the final lock on the container. She mentally urged him to hurry, to open the blast doors wide open so they could load all the magus ores into the bottomless bag Dara carried. It was that type of day, where they got into the facility without any problems. Let her hope it would be the same when they got out. Their locksmith, Erne, twisted his tools around, the Laic-made lock giving way to the normal tools unenhanced by mystic arts. After centuries of struggle, it was only now did they think of going back to simple tools before the discovery of mana, and it worked to their favor.

The first round of grails popped free without the lock holding it in place. Their other comrades, Lila and Fianhe, gripped the metal frames and set them aside gently. Dara dug the bag from her belt and held it open. Erne picked the second set of locks, tongue poking out of his pursed lips in concentration. Page's job was to man the door, to listen for any active movements beyond the airlock, and to be ready to shoot any hostiles at first sight.

A torrent of rocks raining down in an avalanche tore Page's attention from the door to the heist happening. Erne moved to the next container while Dara and the others shoveled the ores into the bag as fast as they could. Sweat gathered at the base of Page's neck, soaking the rigid guard the collar of her mission suit made. How much longer? The more time they spend here, the higher probability of them being found out. She glanced at the door. No movement on any of the screens Page commissioned from the existing spy network around the facility. Laics carried on their jobs fluidly, unaware of the theft happening next door.

Erne grunted and let the grails fall away. Without Lila and Fianhe, the metal slammed to the pristine vinyl floors with a loud bang. Page's muscles seized. Everyone froze, looking to her for any status report. Her eyes flicked to the screens. No movement. "Continue." She nodded the same notion to her team.

After the two-week exile, she made it to the application deadline for this mission and was even promoted to being the mission lead. A huge responsibility, but Page has to prove herself to the Premier if she wanted to take on more serious roles in the future. The planning and strategy department really spoke to her, so she would aim for that and more. With the mission being already half-done, the dream didn't seem so far-away anymore.

A few more minutes later, the bottomless bag had a bottom after all. The last magus ore barely disappeared into its dark depths, but Erne patted the side until it did. Page released the breath she had been holding and removed all traces of their entry into the Laic security system through a series of buttons the tech department briefed her about. Then, she turned to her team.

"Whatever happens, hold on to that bag," she ordered. "I'll protect you from the rear. Erne, take the front. Dara, if anything happens, give the bag to me or to Fianhe. If any of you get hold of it, run for the Domain. Do not stop until you're past the borders."

Page shrugged. "That is only when we get spotted or caught," she said. " Do not worry about me if it comes to a grind. I'll always make it back home until I can't."

Soldiers knew this line well enough. None of them knew anything about each other to develop attachment. Grief would never visit when the deceased had been no one but a stranger or a casual acquaintance.

"I'll disable the airlock, and from there, we retrace our steps back to the point of entry," Page instructed. "Do good out there, everyone. We're almost there."

After a series of silent salutes, Page called off the lock mechanism, and the hydraulic doors slid open, giving way to a spacious corridor flanked with illuminated gray walls. "Here goes nothing," she muttered under her breath and to no one. She nodded at her companions and off they went.

Everything was serene until it wasn't. A bullet grazed Page's cheek when they cleared a crossroad of corridors. She whipped towards the source, clicking the trigger. With a bit of rum in her system, it didn't feel heavy as the bullet sank into the Laic's exposed neck, pinning them to the floor. She fired and fired, eyes focused only on the barrage of enemy armor flooding towards them.

"Go!" she yelled to her companions. "Take the east exit! Entry's compromised."

None of them argued, seeing how hard it was to give commands while hammering down on Laics. Page ducked behind a wall when the rifle's cartridge jammed. She undid the mechanisms and slotted a new magazine. Whirling towards open space, she jabbed the rifle's stock into a soldier's helmet before whipping the muzzle forward, shooting more on the way. Dara's footsteps vanished around the next corner towards the last stretch towards the east exit. Good. They'd make it.

She kept firing, covering her teammates' asses as much as she could. The Laics fired back, each bullet merely grazing any exposed skin. Most of the bullets bounced against the recent enhancement applied on her suit. Nice that the tech department's idea worked. She had been the first batch of tests by putting it straight into the field right after the conception of the idea. What a life.

She retreated when the Laics reloaded and in between the change in formation. Bullets rained on the wall on her wake, but she dashed towards the natural light pouring from the end of the corridor. The east exit. A little more.

Her leg flared with pain, the enhancement shattering upon impact. She fell forward, her wrists catching most of her fall. More pain. She bared her teeth as the soldiers scrambled to surround her. Then, the most amazing thing happened. Bullets not of Laic origin rained all over the enemy. Page's heart leaped to her throat as she cowered under her arms and began crawling forward.

"Come on!" Dara's voice echoed in Page's ears. No. That girl shouldn't be here. It was a direct order! She couldn't disobey those instructions whenever she pleased!

Page looked up to see Dara edging closer, rifle in hand. The one in Page's hand earlier had long vanished underfoot, trampled by Laics as they chased both Page and Dara across the corridor. Through the wound on her legs and her useless wrists, she stalked after Dara for as long as she could.

They burst into the facility's parking space when a Laic burst from the opening and swung his rifle. The muzzle hit Dara on the nose, sending her crashing back to the corridor. Page whacked Laic with a closed fist, pummeling him to the ground. She whirled to find Dara standing by the doors' control panel with a sad smile on her face.

"What are you doing?" Page demanded. "I told you to go on."

Dara punched the code for closing the door. That little bitch. She must have seen Page pull off the administrator access the tech department afforded their mission. Behind Dara, the Laics recovered from their initial shock and began tramping towards them. Page beckoned more urgently towards her soldier. "Dara, come back here this instant—"

"You have to go on, Page," Dara answered. Then, the door closed in between them, locking Dara from the rest of the world and leaving Page staring at a lifeless gray expanse of the hydraulic doors.