The only sound that echoed throughout the trashed and degraded warehouse was the sound of her boots and whatever life left in any stragglers had. Her team is efficient and effective no matter the mission. Even if they were deemed to have the task of being the clean up crew to Team M's mess. Although, she can't be too upset. The mess was sanctioned by the Sacred Order so Team M isn't entirely at fault. Or were they? Were they truly free from the aftermath that resulted from their choices? According to the reports, everything pointed towards the defection of their leader. And like any good team, all members follow their leader till the bitter end. So, was it entirely Team M's fault or a certain someone? Ah, such a question is above her pay grade. 

"How many more poor sods left?" Yubin's clear and steady voice echoed from her ear piece with a hint of static. A brief thought ran through her mind before she heard the rest of her team's voices in response. A thought of the return to normalcy. Or whatever they used to call normal. It's been 10 long years and yet it feels so short that the new normal is still so foreign. 

"The outer perimeter has been cleared. Any potential issues have been taken care of," Bora's voice was subdued and slightly muffled compared to her normal tone. There was a hint of strain in her voice that Minji knew meant that the rehabilitated demon was struggling to keep a grip. Being in the lower slums of the capital meant being closer to Paradigm. As such, the pull to resorting back to their old ways was dangerously high. Minji made a mental note to check in with Bora & Handong after this mess of a mission is over. 

"Confirmed. We circled back together and are awaiting further orders," Yoohyeon's voice was next. Her youthful tone hidden under the intensity of the situation. Keeping an eye on the perimeter whilst taking care of your teammates and ensuring their sanity was no easy task. Another mental note to check in. 

"Copy. Dami, eyes on Domino's heir?" Minji asked as she made her way up the stairs. Her boots still echoing as wisps of smuggled Ether swirled around her feet. Her hand firmly around the gun that held the one bullet to end this mission.

"Affirmative. The rest have them cornered. Two guards standing on opposite sides of the room and the heir and their right hand are currently burning the paper trails," Yubin's voice answered immediately. 

"Ah, I should hurry then. With such weak defense then we should make out like bandits," Minji muttered to herself before radioing the rest of her team, saying each name like a gavel emphasizing judgment, "This is the final stand. Sua and Yoohyeon, continue to monitor the outside. Let us know if anything changes, otherwise stay out unless ordered."

Yoohyeon was the only one to copy but she knew that Bora let Yoohyeon speak on her behalf. Time was running out.

"Handong and Gahyeon, once we breach the inner sanctum, get those hostages out of here. Siyeon and I will take care of the rest."

A harmony of copies ensured her that the plan was understood.

"Hm......We need a vacation after this," Minji thought aloud as she turned the corner down the last hallway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steam emanated from the river of trash that flowed before them. The dark murky waters sloshed against the slowly eroding cement banks as Yoohyeon wondered just how this much trash could come from the sterile upper echelon of the Capital. Another slosh, another wave, another arm poking through the steady current and bobbing to the rhythm of ruin and rubble. Her eyes followed the arm just long enough to see a couple of discarded and disfigured heads breaking the surface before the river of muck swallowed them back in. Unfortunately, not the worst disfigurement she's seen. 

"They better finish soon," Bora's voice was thin as she forced the words through her teeth. Paradigm was calling to her and every second pulled her closer and closer to breaking her rehabilitation. After everything she had been through, the rehabilitation, selection processes and even the trials to join the Sacred Order, she thought the call would be nothing but a mild pest but alas. The pest was an infestation. 

Yoohyeon glanced at Bora. Noting how the leather clad rehab demon glistened against the dim artificial and dying lights of the slums. Glistening from either the fresh blood that still remained or from whatever liquid spilled upon them as they walked throughout the shambles. Such a strong image and yet the being that currently has the image is shaking immensely. Breath ragged and muscles tensing and relaxing as if Bora's mind was fighting itself on whether or not to give in. 

Without a thought, Yoohyeon grabbed Bora's fist. 

"Hey, look at me," Yoohyeon's voice was low but commanding. 

She couldn't help but look at the human. The only other mortal of their Unit next to their leader. Glowing red eyes of a demon meeting the warm brown eyes of a human, Bora let herself focus on the sensation that Yoohyeon's hand was leaving on her own. A blessing of a distraction as it quieted the voices of Paradigm that raged inside her very being. 

"Remember what you used to tell me?" 

A dazzling smile flashed before her eyes along with a comforting squeeze of her hand as her mind followed Yoohyeon's words. Words of comfort. Words of strength. Words that kept a side of herself in control. 

Taking a deep breath, Bora finally relaxed. Giving a quick squeeze and smile of her own before finally mustering up the strength to speak without worry. 

"Aww, since when did you become so grown up?" Despite the stress she's been under, Bora couldn't help but tease. It was her natural state after all.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Yoohyeon whined and dramatically pulled her hand away. 

Before either of them could continue the jest, the bell sounded as the echo of Yubin's signature Cheytac Intervention rang around them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all collided together. Using the sudden and deafening sound of the shot, the three of them barged in while Minji stayed towards the back. Gahyeon and Handong broke off and slipped into the shadows of the opposite sides of the room. The only thing that gave them away was their eyes. The amber eyes of a fox and crimson eyes of a demon. Siyeon took the lead as she headed straight towards the stunned target, quickly bypassing the pathetic excuses of guards. A target with papers in their arms and looking at their dead lover's splattered brains and decimated head.

"The fu--'' One of the guards started to regain their senses but it was too late. Handong stood beside them with a slick blade already ed into their throat. As she continued to walk forward, careful to not turn the body so as to not spray the innocents with blood, she slashed the blade out to cut the arteries. Her quickest kill yet.

Out of fear, the other guard let out a guttural yell and began to fire without a target. But the roar of the automatic was cut short. The reflexes of an Animalistic was far superior. Before any of the bullets could reach any soft targets, Gahyeon cleaved off a leg in order to make the poor sod fall. Still low to the ground, she waited until the grunt tumbled towards her before arching back up with her machete to slice the head right off. Like Handong, she was careful to not spray the other hostages with the blood of these lowlifes. Not her quickest kill but it was her cleanest. 

By the time the two pathetic guards fell, Siyeon held her own gun towards the target's head. Standing tall as there were no more threats in the room and confident that if there were any other surprises then her team would have her back like always. There was no need to have eyes on the back of your head when you had 6 other pairs watching out. 

"Ah, that must be a new record you guys," Minji gave a small clap as she noted just how quickly the threats were taken out. She continued her praise as she slowly walked towards the quivering target. 

"Excellent form Gahyeon! I thought selecting a machete as your primary this time was odd but look at that! Wonderful," Minji smiled toward the youngest.

"Thanks!" The young fox beamed as she continued to cut the ties off the hostages, "Dongie gifted it to me and I've been meaning to use it. I might make it my tertiary now." 

"Oh! I thought it looked familiar!" Handong's voice carried easily in the small chamber. Like Gahyeon, she was also freeing the hostages from their bindings and brushing any debris off of them. 

"And Handong!" Minji paused her walk to look directly at the rehabilitated demon. As she marveled, she looked for any signs of stress brought on by being this close to Paradigm. But, to her surprise and relief, there was none. Handong's eyes didn't even glow from being in the presence of all of the exposed and unrefined Ether, "It was as if you were one with the shadows! I barely saw you until the guy fell and boom. You were there. Awesome!"

If Handong blushed at the praise no one could tell. Cool as ever, Handong took the compliment with ease, "Of course, I had to get better at my sneaking ability to steal snacks." 

"I wondered who was stealing my snacks!" Gahyeon exclaimed at the realisation, "Aww, I thought it was Sua.......I should probably apologize."

"You can apologize once you get the rest of them out," Minji continued her slow and drawn out walk before standing in front of the target.

Animalistic and demon nodded in unison and began to shuffle the stoic and numb souls out of the room. None of the hostages looked at them. From when they entered the chamber to being escorted out no eye contact was made. As if the very soul was taken from their bodies and the only thing they could do left was breath as there was no purpose any more. Minji couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse as she looked at the hostages. She remembered being in their shoes.

"Dami, can you ensure that these cats get out of here and that they're not tracked," Minji radioed as she gestured for Siyeon to make the target sit. With a swift kick from the wolf, the target stumbled back onto their and papers flew everywhere.

Silence was her answer.

"Dami?? Dami, do you copy?" Mild worry began to creep into her mind.

"Sorry, I just had to think long and hard about all of my life choices that lead up to the very moment you said and used cats as slang like it's still used everyday," Yubin's voice sounded drained.

"Wow, you see? This is why we tell you you hang out with some odd people," Siyeon's voice was light and teasing while her body was still poised and pointed towards the target. Gun unwavering and her silver eyes burning themselves onto the target's soul, "You're picking up their bad habits."

"Hah? But you used sod earlier! And what do you mean odd people?? I only hang out with yo---" Minji shook her head, "Never mind that. Dami, did you copy?"

"Copy."

"Good," Minji squatted down to eye level of the sweating mass before her, "Now, Kessler, tell us why we came here."

"Listen, I don't know what The Order wants outta me but I'm just a lowly dealer!" Kessler continued to ramble, "Just because I was Domino's heir d-doesn't mean jack! I m-made my own connections--"

Kessler's ramble was cut short as Siyeon's gun made contact with their temple. 

"Oi, we just wanna get out of here so tell us what we came here for," Siyeon echoed. Her tone was low and there was just a hint of a growl in the back of . 

"I.......I....." Kessler looked between them both as the internal struggle within them was tense. But it was short lived. With a resigning breath, they gestured at a few of the scattered pages.

Minji looked at the pages then back at the defeated Kessler.

"Tsk. You know, I thought you would put up more of a fight," Minji stood and gestured for Siyeon to gather the papers, "I mean, good on you for keeping such excellent records but bad on you for not having a contingency plan."

Kessler didn't even look up. It was over.

"Hey, before you die, will you humour me?" Minji stood over them again but her voice was soft.

"What else do you want?" Kessler spat.

"I just wanna know one thing," Minji's voice went cold as she leaned in, "Where are the rest of the Gods?"

Kessler's eyes quickly glanced at a different pile of papers before realizing their mistake and looked at another pile.

"Amazing recording keeping at its finest," Minji couldn't help but chuckle at her amazing luck. Not only did they complete the mission but they also managed to get a piece of info that evaded Paradigm and the returned Heavens. It was small but it was just the edge she had been looking for.

"I'm just gonna take the rest of these damn papers," Siyeon huffed in annoyance, "If I get a papercut then I'm hunting you down in Paradigm or personally destroying your spectral ."

Despite the empty threat, Kessler paled even more. 

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Minji shrugged as she raised her gun towards Kessler's head. The one bullet that's been in the chamber patiently waited to burn the target, "Do me one last thing."

Silence was their only audience.

"Look me in the eye before I shoot you."

Silence stayed even longer before it was broken by the sharp applause of a shot.