"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Levy spoke up, after a long and lingering silence.

They'd listened as the guards of the building shuffled around, searching for them down the hallways and wherever else they might be.

And yet, the closet had remained unchecked.

"It's you. By that, I mean it's because you're pressing right into me and making me burn up, too."

"It's not my fault. There's no space to move in here."

"We need to get out and complete the mission." Gajeel said.

"Well, we can't do that until we know the coast is clear."

"You're smart, Shrimp. Use your tech skills and hack into the security cameras or something."

"That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me. It's too bad that, as I said, there's no room to move in here."

"Well, I haven't heard anything for a while now. Unless they're smart enough to lie in wait outside the broom closet, I'd think we're good to go."

"We don't know if they're smart enough for that or not, Gajeel."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say they aren't, considering they'd probably have busted down the door by now."

"Well, not everyone is as impatient as you."

"Oh, come on, Shrimp. Don't act like you aren't dying to get out of here."

"Alright, fine. If you're so sure, then we'll get out of here on the count of three."

"You really feel the need for a countdown?"

"Just keep your hand at your holster in case there's trouble!"

Her fingers traced over the back of her pistol, preparing to draw it in the chance of emergency.

Her right hand found the handle of the door, readying to open it.

"One..."

If there really was anyone out there, they'd be cornered with no hope of escape.

"Two..."

They couldn't afford to fail their first mission together, but they couldn't afford to stay in this broom closet forever, either.

"Three!" She exclaimed, turning the handle of the door with a click.

It bursted open, revealing the sight of an empty corridor.

Gajeel moved past her, stepping out of his place inside the small, cramped room.

"What did I tell you? There's no one here."

Levy scoffed.

"Well, excuse me. If you were so sure, why didn't you go on and open the door half an hour ago?"

His lips formed into a smirk, taunting and somewhat condescending.

"I just wanted to see how long it'd take before you took initiative and sprung into action."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You're such a liar. As if you'd ever consider giving me the chance to take the initiative. You weren't even sure of it yourself, you jerk."

"Whatever, Shrimp. Let's just get back to business now that we're free to roam."

"We should still be cautious of any guards lurking around. Who knows when we'll run into a similar situation again?"

"Thanks for stating the obvious. You've got that blueprint pulled up, right? We need to get to that database."

Levy checked her phone, looking over the layout of the blueprint.

"There are multiple paths that would lead us there, since it's located in the center of the building. Still, looks like there's only one door in. The shortest route would be to take a left up ahead. It should be a few more turns, and then a straight shoot from there."

"You think it'll be crowded with security?"

"It's likely. Let's definitely not rule out the possibility after our first encounter."

"Hopefully we can keep things from being too messy. The cleaner the job, the less paperwork later."

"Right. It's normal that we fill out a report once a mission is completed, isn't it?"

"That's protocol for you. It's the least exciting part of the job. I've got a few stacks of things long overdue."

"And you wonder why Laki gets so upset with you..."

"Laki? Don't you mean Miss Olietta?" He mocked, mimicking the girl's voice from their last conversation.

"If you weren't such an ass, she'd treat you better."

"Oh yeah. I'm sure you two are just the bestest of buds, aren't you? After all, you both seem to enjoy getting on my case 24/7."

They made a left as directed.

"The door should be coming up soon." She said, changing the subject.

"The boss gave you that flash drive to upload the files on, didn't he?"

"Yes. I have it on me in safe keeping."

"Safe keeping? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means a place where things are kept safe, Gajeel."

"No shit, Shrimpy. Where?"

Levy reached into the top of her dress, removing the drive from its secure state.

"Up there! Are you sure it's really all that safe?! There's not much there to keep it up!" Gajeel exclaimed, unable to help but laugh.

"Would you shush?! It stays there just fine, thank you! Sorry not all of us have pockets in our attire."

"Apology accepted."

"You should be the one apologizing. It's rude to comment on a woman's chest, you know."

"What happened to focusing on the mission?" He smirked, earning a scoff from his partner.

"You're unbelievable, but I guess you're right. No more talking about my chest from now on."

They took another left down the hallway.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Gajeel questioned.

"Which one of us is the one with the map, Gajeel? I'd appreciate it if you could stay quiet for 5 minutes and stop doubting my abilities."

"I'm just saying that this place has a weird layout. This doesn't seem right."

"That's exactly why I'm here. You'd be lost without me. Turn right at the next divide."

"Sure, but with a headquarters built like a maze, it's a wonder how the staff here get around every day. What's so important about this Eclipse stuff, anyways?"

"Who knows? It's clearly top secret information. The boss wouldn't tell me when I asked more about it. He said it's not our job to know. We just have to retrieve the files and get out."

"Tough. Maybe he doesn't know, either."

They made a right at the next fork in the corridor.

Levy halted in her tracks, staring at the blueprint in her hands before glancing around again.

"I don't understand... The door should be right here." She insisted, but all around them, the walls were as blank as could be.

The sound of footsteps echoed from down the hallway.

"You better figure it out soon, Shrimpy. It sounds like security's returning to make their rounds."

"This doesn't make any sense. These prints clearly show a door at this location, and I'm sure they're up to date."

Gajeel prepared to draw his gun as the thundering steps grew louder, gradually approaching.

"What? Are you saying there's some sort of secret passageway or something?" He joked.

If she was wrong, he'd rather she'd admit her mistake than suggest such stupid ideas.

However, the gears turned in Levy's head, clicking at his words.

"Maybe that idea isn't so crazy, after all. Maybe it's hidden. Just because we can't see it, it doesn't mean that it's not there."

Her eyes scanned the wall, fingers running over every line and groove with careful examination as they searched for something out of place— a possible opening of some sort.

"Hey Shrimp, are you serious?! I was only kidding! This isn't the time for make believe!" Gajeel argued.

Just then, her fingers stopped on what appeared to be an opening switch mechanism.

Levy pressed down on the surface area, so discreetly hidden within the texture of the rest of wall.

Beside her, a large rectangle of the structure slid away, revealing the entrance to another room inside, and she couldn't help but smile victoriously.

The footsteps of the guards were just around the corner now, and without a second thought, she grabbed Gajeel's hand and pulled him inside the newly found doorway.

As soon as they'd stepped inside, the door closed behind them, disappearing as if it'd never been there at all.

"Woah." Her partner commented, unable to contain his awe.

"There really was a secret passageway. That's never happened to me before." He continued.

It wasn't long before the two returned to their senses, now out of immediate danger.

Gajeel realized the girl was still holding onto his hand, awkwardly tugging it out of her grasp and clearing his throat.

"We should get back to finding those files."

Levy did her best to ignore how warm his hands had been.

"Right. The main database should be in here." She agreed, eyes darting to what laid ahead of them.

The path was lit floor to ceiling with bright white lights, almost like something out of a sci-fi film.

"There's only one way left to go. Let's just follow the path until we reach the central control room."

"This place is real interesting for our first mission together. I sure as hell can't wait to get out of here..."