Five minutes to eight. The four of us, clad in black puffer jackets, pants, and hoods, stood across the street from the spot where the armored van was supposed to stop. We deliberately positioned ourselves in the shadow, under a broken lamppost, so we'd be less visible. Syringa had smashed the bulb with a rock the day before, specifically for this job. Each of us had a sports bag slung over our shoulders, concealing an automatic. We couldn't exactly flaunt them in the street, right?

Just four guys behind cars, seemingly engaged in casual conversation. We even wore bulletproof vests underneath our clothes, just in case. Malu insisted, saying an extra few kilos wouldn't kill us, unlike a stray bullet to the chest. No one was going to frisk us here, but anything could happen in a fight.

By this time, people were already starting to walk to work, forming a continuous gray stream. No one paid us any attention; no one cared about four guys in matching jackets standing around.

The roads were already congested. Solid streams of cars moved in both directions, slowly, unhurriedly; even pedestrians moved faster. It was a good thing our getaway car was waiting for us in a courtyard on the other side, not here. I couldn't even imagine how we'd escape from this place.

"Cold..." Alex mumbled.

"Don't worry, you'll warm up soon," Syringa smirked, "We'll all warm up soon."

"That's for sure. I'm praying to you, girl, so don't let us down. You're the goddess of the day," Alex smiled.

"If only you were always like this. If you weren't always such a jerk, you'd be priceless," she smirked back.

Amazingly, right before a job, everyone seemed to become friendlier with each other. If only they were always like that, they'd be priceless.

The hardest part of this job was the wait. Like right now, for example. That unpleasant, dragging sensation in your body and stomach, as if ripping all your ligaments and muscles. My teeth tingled, too, as if I'd dipped them in icy water.

I was watching the bank, waiting for the van, when something caught my attention. More specifically, the bank itself, the one we were about to rob. I don't know why I didn't notice it earlier. And why I didn't check which bank we were targeting. It probably wouldn't have changed my decision, but...

"Malu," I nudged him softly.

"What's up?"

"Isn't this a house's bank?"

"What do you mean?" he didn't understand.

"One of the noble houses in this city. The house that rules here. Isn't this their bank?" I gestured towards the branch on the other side.

"What makes you think that?" Malu started scrutinizing the building.

"See that symbol? The one that looks like a leaf. That's the crest of the Kun-Suran house... Yes, that's the name, the Kun-Suran house. This is their bank. Did Arrow give you the correct info? I'm starting to doubt the accuracy of his data."

"Don't worry, Arrow wouldn't screw us over on something like this."

"Just two guards for the van. If it were an ordinary bank, I wouldn't doubt the info. But this bank belongs to a house, not to the largest one, but still. They don't throw their money around."

"Are you backing out?" He looked at me intently.

"No," I responded firmly.

"Well then, don't shit your pants. Everything will be fine. We stick to the plan and adapt as we go. It's too late to change anything now. Besides, everything is insured for them, so they don't care."

"Then…" I hesitated, wondering whether to speak up or not, but decided that silence was the stupidest option in such situations. Probably, the advice is far from the smartest, but still... "Stay alert."

"What's up?" Malu squinted at me.

"Intuition. It tells me that a house won't transport their money carelessly."

He studied me as though trying to read my thoughts, then simply nodded.

"I'm keeping my eyes peeled, Box, don't chicken out. I've got your back if anything happens."

It was too late to change anything, but I couldn't shake off my unease.

I was new to this business, so I still didn't know everything and missed things I shouldn't. For instance, who we're robbing. From my point of view, that's very important. But I didn't even think about it when I looked at the plans they gave us, simply because I didn't know how to get ready for such a job properly. And now it's too late to change anything.

I wouldn't have backed out anyway, but I would have prepared differently. For example, we currently have automatics with cartridges holding sixty rounds. I'd have brought several magazines for this operation. Maybe even something extra, just in case. It may sound foolish, but I'm very precautious and attentive to such things. If I had had more experience, it would have been wonderful.

"Okay, stop daydreaming," Malu muttered. "There they are, stuck in traffic."

We barely turned our heads in that direction and immediately looked away, acting as if nothing was happening. There, among the cars, was a yellowish armored minivan with green stripes. As soon as I saw it, everything inside me changed. That painful pulling sensation caused by anxiety has vanished. It was just that my heart was beating so hard that I wanted to go to the bathroom. It was pounding as if someone was hitting it like a punching bag.

"From this moment, no names or nicknames. At most, use the first letter, clear?"

"Yes," three voices merged into one.

"Great, now we wait for my command. Ready your bags. Only take out your guns when we've reached the sidewalk on the other side. Everyone knows what they're doing, I hope. Only neutralize those who decide to play the hero."

"Yes," the chorus of voices echoed again.

"Great. Then we wait."

The stream of cars moved slowly, as if deliberately stretching our waiting time to make our lives more exciting. The cash transport van took about three minutes to approach the small parking lot in front of the bank. It barely managed to get in there without scratching the parked cars.

We all straightened up, standing like statues as the stream of people flowed around us. Some were complaining that we stood there motionless, but we didn't even hear them.

The van stopped.

I felt like my heart was about to burst from tension.

A few seconds passed. The van still stood. Thoughts that we might have been noticed were already creeping into my mind. Yes, we were in the human stream, behind the cars, in the dark where a streetlight didn't shine, but still…

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The door finally opened. One of the guards stepped out, glanced around, but not once in our direction. He walked around the front of the car and disappeared from sight.

"Let's go," Malu exhaled and moved forward. We followed him immediately.

We stepped onto the road. Traffic was slow there, so we calmly made our way between the cars and reached the other side, stepping onto the sidewalk as packed as on the other side. No one paid any attention to us, busy with their own affairs.

It was time.

Without even looking back at the others, I pulled out my automatic and immediately ran towards the car, dashing out onto the small parking lot in front of the bank. I knew the others had also rushed towards it. I didn't care about anyone who saw us. Nothing mattered now. All my attention was on the car and what was behind it. Crossing the small parking lot, I reached the car. Now, everyone acted exactly as they thought necessary, sticking to the plan.

Malu and I went around the armored car from the rear.

I jumped out simultaneously with two figures from the other side. Right in front of me, his back to us, holding a bag in one hand, stood a man in a cash collector uniform. Opposite him was another one. Just a moment, and the man raised his gaze to us. I saw his facial expression changing: how his eyes widened, how his face stretched, but it meant nothing.

The one who had his back to us, even if he saw the figures jumping out from behind the hood opposite him, simply didn't have time to do anything. Malu, running up at full speed, hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun, and the man fell face-first to the ground.

But there was a hitch with the second one. A big hitch.

The next moments merged into a continuous stream of events.

The guard tilts his head to the side, evading a rifle butt strike. He catches Syringa's hands, quickly turns around, and pushes her into Alex. Not even pushes, more like throws, like a projectile, knocking him down with Syringa. Barely does Malu manage to raise the barrel of his automatic when the guard is already jumping on him and, with a top-down punch to the face, literally puts him on the ground.

A burst from the automatic.

I, retreating back a few steps, start shooting, but he dodges too quickly to the side and hides behind the cash-in-transit van. He’s moving in a wrong, unreal way, like in fast-forward - I simply can't keep up with him. The bullets only leave dents on the side of the armored van.

The guard has an impulse. Maybe not a super strong one, but he definitely knows how to use his ability. So much for reconnaissance, damn it. His speed turned out to be an unpleasant surprise. If we had known about it earlier, we might have shot him immediately or been quicker. But now...

"From behind!" Ali screams, pushing Syringa off him and getting up from the ground. I quickly turn around, making a big mistake.

Like Alex, all I need is to see the person, see the movement in our direction. Not yet fully understanding who is in front of me and what they intend to do, I shoot. Though, does it really matter in such moments who is in front of you? Here, you act more on instinct and habit. I have no habits, but my reflexes are pretty good. The automatic spits out two quick, short bursts.

Regardless, I made the right call. The bank guard, who had rushed out onto the street, barely pulling his gun from the holster, convulses and falls to the ground as if hit by several quick punches to the chest.

I turn back towards the armored car...

And then I hear a gunshot. A blow to the chest so powerful, it knocks the breath out of me. Then another shot, and another, and another. Each one literally drains me of all my strength and will to continue the fight. It feels like all the air has been sucked out of me. That cash transporter is standing behind the car, at the rear end, covered from Alex's sight by the hood.

Someone should have been watching the car instead of everyone turning towards the bank exit. This cash transporter is going to kill us all.

I fall to the ground with a pain in my chest, as if all my ribs have just been smashed with a hammer. Even breathing or moving hurts. The cash transporter unnaturally quickly leaps onto the roof. It seems like he's one and a half times faster than us. It looks unnatural, like some otherworldly demon moving in jerks. Did he use his impulse to speed up?

Alex tries to run around the van, not even noticing the enemy above, when...

A burst from an automatic, and the transporter is knocked off the roof. Syringa just saved Alex's life. She quickly runs around the car, then another automatic burst is heard. I hope this time it's for good.

"Ah! Check him!" I try to shout to Alex with all my strength, but instead of a voice, only a wheeze slips from my lips. Either I lost my voice from the shock, or from the anxiety... "Bring him round!"

Somehow, he heard me, nodded, and rushed to Malu. While Alex was trying to slap him back to consciousness, I was struggling to get back on my feet. My chest hurt as if my ribs were broken. But that was okay... Breathing also hurt, but I didn't care about that, I was glad I could get up at all. The bag was the main issue now. I needed to grab it and run...

Overcoming the pain and swaying from side to side like a drunk, I quickly shuffled my unresponsive legs towards the bag.

At that moment, Syringa popped out from behind the car, looking around.

"The bag... Grab the bag!" I waved at her. "We're leaving!"

"But what about him?!" Instead of helping with the bag, Syringa ran to Malu, who was still unconscious.

"The bag, damn it!" I wheezed, wasting precious strength on my own voice.

She's an idiot. Hopeless. The most important thing in such jobs is to delegate tasks properly. If one person can't, another takes over. It's easy to spot that she is new to this kind of thing, although I thought she had some experience.

I barely made it to the bag, grabbed the strap, and dragged it across the ground toward the getaway car. The pain in my chest twisted and momentarily took my breath away, but I didn't stop. I'll rest at home, ask my sister for a compress and tea, and hand my body over to her to look after me. I'll lie low for another week. But for now, there's work to do.

I had dragged it several yards when I felt someone try to wrest it from my hands.

"Give it to me! It's light! Are you hurt?" Syringa seemed to have come to her senses.

"Armor. But it hurts to breathe."

"Alive, that's what matters…" she panted. "Cover us for now."

With that, she slung the bag over her shoulder and ran. I... I couldn't run; I could only walk very fast, nearly doubling over in pain. It felt as if my heart was being squeezed. But screw it, the main thing now is to get away. As for Malu, in the worst-case scenario, Alex can carry him on his back and catch up with us.

There were no sirens yet, which was a relief. So even with the delay, we had time. And we seemed to have done it all in three minutes.

We had to cover about three hundred meters. I limped as fast as I could, trying to keep up with Syringa. And I must admit, it has gotten a little easier after a while. When I reached the car, I could breathe more or less, albeit not deeply. But...

"The car won't start!" she shouted, cracking open the window in front of me.

"How come?!" I responded, my voice piercing through the silence, though that was hardly going to help us now.

Instead of answering, Syringa tried to start the car again, but it only let out a long whine, rumbling uselessly, and... nothing.

"It won't start! It won't start!"

Well, there you go... But instead of offering foolish advice to try again or to check the gasoline and battery, I looked around.

"Burn the car! We don't need it anymore!" I yelled and rushed into the yard, where there were many other cars just waiting for someone to start them. Besides, it's morning, and people should be going to work now, if they haven't already...

I had run about a hundred meters before I finally saw someone. It was eerily empty in the yard that morning, as if Murphy's law had finally started working without a hitch. Only some woman, holding a child with a backpack by the hand, was already opening the door of an inconspicuous car, and I was grateful for the opportunity.

"Stop! Stop, damn it!" I yelled, pointing my gun at her.

The woman flinched, raised her head, saw me, and went pale. She immediately stepped back, pulling her child behind her.

"S-stop, d-don't sh..."

"Car keys! Car keys on the ground! Quick-quick-quick!" I yelled, not letting her recover. "Hurry up!"

She didn't react immediately, paralyzed with fear and not understanding what was being demanded of her. Or maybe she had forgotten that the car keys were still in her hand. Those two seconds of delay felt like an eternity to me - if anything went wrong, I would have just fired into the air or hit her with the butt of the gun in the worst case. But it all worked out - the woman practically threw them, as if they had become red-hot and unbearably burned her palm.

"Now get out of here!" I yelled at her. "Go on! Scram before I blast your brains out!"

I didn't have to repeat myself - she scooped up the child and bolted down the street without looking back.

Not wasting another second, I hopped into the already open car. I knew how to drive, how to start it up, how to shift gears on an automatic transmission, but I had never driven before. That's why I had trouble getting out of such a tight space.

Which I solved quickly.

The engine roared, I shifted into reverse and floored the gas, slamming the trunk into the car behind with full force. But at least it created some room for maneuvering in front. I switched to drive and pulled out onto the narrow driveway, scraping the right side against the car ahead and knocking off a few mirrors from others.

By the time I returned with the car, our old vehicle was already merrily surrendering to the flames, and my crew stood by it.

"Over here! Let's go!" I jumped out from behind the wheel, giving up the driver's seat to Syringa, and took the back seat. Alex landed next to me with the bag. Malu took the front passenger seat.

"Floor it!" he barked, as if Syringa couldn't figure that out on her own.

The car squealed its tires, and we jerked into motion. Sirens were already audible in the distance.