Slow and steady, careful as can be. 

With surgical precision, I bring the strand of hair out of the tank, lower it back inside, and repeat. Having dealt with Lillis for so long, I can see the dangers all around them. The air slits are thin, meaning they could knock into them if I am even slightly off. Move too quickly, and I risk causing these already weakened people to slip and fall. At the same time, I have to be quick otherwise these poor people are going to die of the rising heat inside. 

My eyes glance the transport pods--the containers I have been given to help protect and deliver the Remnants to safety. I have set them atop the tank, directly in front of where I am laying down the strands of my hair. I leave it to them to make it inside, as I continue without pause. The crowd of people are a mass of black, slowly thinning as they enter into safety. With each one that disappears inside, I feel a little better about them. God, this must be so terrifying for them! To be so close to me as I stand here, looming over them. I don't mean to, it is just that appearances are the least of my concerns at the moment, let alone when I have to be fast. Their physical wellbeing should not be the only thing on my mind. I am prioritizing their survival over their mental wellbeing, but not by choice.

"Forgive me."

I find myself whispering aloud. It escapes from the depth of my soul and out my lips, a feeling so intense it could not be contained. It takes me a moment to realize it after the fact. Thinking it might worry those around me, I add to the thought with a few more sincere words.

"One terrifying night, and then years of peace. Everything is going to be okay."

By now, I can hardly see any more of them down in the tank. Rather, any that are moving. I have to assume that those who were left behind have already left this world. Lillis stick together, so I know they would not leave anyone behind, no matter how sick, injured, or weak. Poor things. The old me might have blamed it on herself, thinking that if she'd gotten here a day sooner, she could have saved them. I know that's neither here nor there. I will do what I can, and worry about the rest later.

Watching the last of them climb on, I carefully bring the strand out one final time, setting it down gently to allow Nick, Ori, and the remaining prisoners off. Placing a hand against the tank's glass wall, I feel how warm it has gotten inside. It is terrible, so hot that it bothers me, A Brob. Definitely lethal for a Lilli. If I had been any slower, we might have lost some! Thankfully, it seems like everyone made it out okay. By now, the mass of black from a moment ago has vanished, apart from the late arrivals. Within a few seconds, everyone should be inside, safe and sound. In the meantime, I decide to check in with Sara. I turn my head to look in her direction.

"How are things over there, Sara?"

"We're alright. Just trying to hold this still. My arms are killing me!" She laughs, able to joke even at a time like this. It's refreshing, honestly. "How about you guys?"

"We had some trouble at first, but now we're okay. The last of them are boarding the pods." I sigh, relieved that we managed this, somehow. Once the hatch on the first and third containers have been sealed, I collect and store them in my bag. Shortly after, I do the same with the second and fifth. All that is left is the fourth, where I suspect Ori and Nick will be very soon. "We'll be done and out of here before long."

"Awesome. I'm gonna stop talking and focus on this. I'm trembling which is bad enough already." She goes silent.

I turn my attention to the top of the tank, scanning it for any remaining dots. I don't see any, and a second later, the hatch on the container shuts. I find it odd that the two of them have not spoken much, but I figure it could be due to exhaustion. Then again, I am not going to proceed without confirming first. 

"How are you guys doing?" I ask, waiting for a response that does not come. I know there are a lot of people in a small space, but surely their chatter is not louder than my natural voice. Figuring they might just be slow to respond, I repeat myself. "Ori? Nick?"

The seconds tick by slowly while I wait. Worry begins to set in, amplified by the fact that I have no way of knowing what is going on in there. It is certainly cause for concern. Were both of their earpieces lost? I highly doubt that. Was someone hurt? I seriously hope not. I lean in very close, enough that I would be able to see a Lilli if they were near the container. There are no signs of anyone. 

"What's going on?" Sara asks, having noticed the lack of a response. "Talk to me, Jeannine. Where are our Lillis?"

"I don't know, and I'm worried." I take a shaky breath, trying not to panic. My hand moves to my chest, just over my heart. It is racing a mile a minute. What a terrible feeling this is. One moment, I am the big, strong giantess who is saving thousands against all odds, and the next I am positively helpless, unable to confirm a thing because I am just too big. My size was always a blessing, but now it is a curse. "Icarus, is there a chance their comms failed?"

"No way. You could put them in the oven and they'd still be fine." He says, dead-serious. "This isn't a technical issue, Jeannine. Dad, could it be something in the room? A disturbance?"

"Unlikely." Daedalus answers, his tone similarly concerned. "We built in redundancies."

All of us go quiet, waiting for one of our silent friends to speak up. Finally, I hear Ori's voice. She sounds groggy, as if she has just woken up. "Jeannine... Wh-"

"Oh, thank goodness!" I gasp. My heart begins to calm a little, my worry lessening. "What happened? We were wond-

"Jeannine!" She cries out suddenly, causing me to flinch violently. I do not remember the last time I heard Ori yell. Has she ever yelled? Not like that, at least. "Wh- Where is he? Where is Nick?!" She breathes heavy, and we hear the sound of shuffling in the background. "I passed out and then... My memory is fuzzy... I-I do not remember if he made it up. He was supposed to come after me!"

"What?!" Sara cries out. "Nick isn't with you?!"

"Sara, stay still!" Icarus yells at her, before suddenly the alarm begins to blare. 

"Dammit, girl! The connection was lost!" Daedalus berates her. "We need to get goin', and fast."

When it rains, it pours. Things were going so well! Fine. Whatever! Now is the time to act, not complain. The pressure on us has increased tenfold, but things could be worse. Most all of the Remnants are now in the pods in my bag, Sara's team is ready to go, and Ori is accounted for. Things could be far, far worse.

"Daedaus, how much time do we have exactly?" I ask him, just as Sara runs over to join me.

"The system's called the cops on us, so maybe five minutes at best. Less, probably." He growls. "So what's it gonna be? We've got everyone, minus one. If we stay any longer, we're risking everything, yerselves included."

"The temperature in there must be sweltering by now." Ori reminds me, her tone soft and desperate. "...and he fell from so high."

"Jeannine, you need to decide." Icarus declares, before we can get caught up in speculation. "Do we leave him behind?"

"Absolutely not!" Sara yells. Her expression is angry, bordering on offended. "I don't care what we said in the meeting. You take the bag and run, if you want. I'm going to try to get him out."

"And how do ya expect to do that without sendin' one of us in?" Daedalus yells at her. "Think about what yer saying! We'll die too!"

"Jeanine, say something!" Ori calls out to me, her voice trying to be heard amidst their argument. 

Too much is happening at once, the perfect recipe for a panic attack. Yet, I remain surprisingly calm. I do not know how I manage to do it, but for once, my body does not betray me. I lean over, getting as close as possible to the tank as to locate Nick inside it. There, directly beneath the air slits, is an unmoving speck. I cannot make out any details, other than the color of his shirt which is how I identify him. I stand up straight and consider my options. 

"I can't send them, so it has to be one of us. But, it can't be opened..." I mutter rapidly, ignoring Ori and the others. I look turn my head left and right to look around the room for anything that can help. Sadly, I find nothing. With each passing second, I become more anxious. At last, a crazy idea springs to mind. "Can't leave a trace. No blood or hairs. The glove should help..." I waste no more time thinking of a better one and begin to act, clenching my fist tight and pulling my arm back. "Hold on, Nick, I'll have you out of there right...away!"

Using all the strength I have, I punch the glass as hard as I possibly can. 

The glass shatters just like we predicted. Instead of simply breaking one face, the crack spreads instantly across the entire thing. The structure turns to sharp fragments of varying size the moment my knuckles break through the front face. I have less than a second to shield Nick from above, letting it harmlessly rain down on my glove. I am extremely careful, as just a tiny, sand-like piece could crush him like a boulder. I use my other hand to brush off the one covering him, then turn it over to reveal a safe, but still unmoving, Nick.

"What the hell are you doing, Jeannine?!" Sara yells at me, shocked by my actions.

"What does it look like? I'm saving my best friend!"

My focus remains on Nick, leaving Sara and the others to watch and hope that I do not mess up. I would never dare handle a Lilli like this, but the circumstances do not exactly give me much choice. I take off my glove and extend my finger toward him, keeping the nail upturned so I can scoop up his body. It is too thick to try to push him onto, and any attempt may just crush his entire body. Instead, I position my nail behind him, bringing my lips close and blowing out gently. His tiny form is blown back, along with some dirt, onto my nail. I bring it closer and blow again, doing what I can to cool him down.

"Icarus, is he breathing?" I ask, ushering Sara closer so I can bring him closer to her earring. We both hold our positions for a moment as he takes a closer look.

"Yes. We can see his chest moving."

"Is he unharmed?" Ori asks, unable to see any of this due to being in the pod in my bag. I can hear the concern in her voice.

"Ya can't tell just from lookin', but he seems okay. He'll hafta be checked out when we get back." Daedalus informs us. His confidence puts the rest of us at ease in a way only someone as wise as him can.

I pull my finger back and transfer my unconcious, little friend to my other palm. I close my fingers over him and put on my bag, ready to leave.

"Let's get out of here. We're out of time." I tell them, hurrying with Sara over to the door. She opens it, but stops in her tracks. One look at her face, and I know that she had realized something I have not. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's just..." She chews her lip, looking back nervously. "There's something I want to do. Ten seconds, at most!"

Before we can protest, she takes out a note from her pocket and sets it in the shattered remains of the tank, within the safe. I have no chance to read what it says, nor do I have the time to dwell on it. Once she runs back over, we both head out the back as fast as we can. As we shut the door and run out through the alley, the sound of sirens ring out from the front of the store. 

I do not remember much of what happened next. We ran and ran until we arrived back at my apartment complex. No one had followed us, and before we entered the building, Sara changed into a different hoodie. I was still holding Nick, so she helped me cover up my darker clothes without properly changing. We were being extra careful, in case a camera caught us. We had just committed a crime, so, we were a little on edge.

That lasted until we entered my apartment and shut the door behind us.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Sara beams at me, happier than I have ever seen her before. She begins to do a little 'happy dance' in her place. "We fucking did it! We robbed them blind!"

"Hey! We're still here, you know!" Icarus complains, probably having been thrown to the wall because of her.

"Heh. Sorry. But still! I'm literally shaking!" She shows me her hands.

I can't help but smile. I smile so much my cheeks hurt. But before I can celebrate, I need to make sure Nick is okay. I uncurl my fingers and raise my hand up to my eye. To my surprise, I find him standing up on his own, disoriented, but alive and well.

"What the- When did we get home?" Nick yawns. "Damn, I guess we actually pulled it off."

"Really? That's all you have to say?" I move my hand back a little, so he can see my face. My emotions are all over the place. Between my quivering lip and teary eyes, I doubt there is a word to accurately describe what I am feeling. "We thought you died!"

"Well, I didn't." Nick says, and I can picture him rolling his eyes at me. It is because of his totally-aloof tone, like this was 'just another day in his life'. "Sorry I worried you guys. Did we at least save everybody?"

"Every last one of them, thanks to you and Ori." Sara says, stepping over to look at him. She leans in close and blows a quick puff of air his way to knock him over. She gives him a stern look, eyebrow raised in accusation. "Didn't we say not to overdo it? You're a total idiot."

"Maybe, but I'm also a hero." Nick fires back, proudly. He seems unfazed by her attempt to mess with him. It is nice to see them banter, given their history. Underneath it all is a genuine concern for him, though. Sara's panic from earlier was not at all subtle. Nick knows that, I am certain, but may not yet fully understand it. "It was worth it. Anyways, can you take me home? I'm caked in dried sweat and grime, so I'd very much like to take a shower."

"Fair enough. You've more than earned it." I smile at him, keeping my hand steady as I take off my bag. I then hand it to Sara. "Would you mind helping our new arrivals to their new home? And our engineers, and Ori too, obviously."

"It'd be my pleasure." She nods, taking everyone to my bedroom and leaving me alone with Nick. 

Once she is out of sight, my eyes fix on him, and I let out the most intense sigh of my life. All of my pent up worry, stress, frustration, and anxiety leave my body with that long exhale.

"I'm proud of you." I hear him say, which seems to come out of nowhere. "Seriously proud."

"Thanks. I'm really proud of you too." I smile, bashfully.

"I'm also really thankful." He tells me, his tone becoming less joking. "I mean it. You saved my life. I pushed myself too hard and almost paid the worst price for it. Thank you, Jeannine."

"What are friends for? I'm sure you would have done the same for me." I chuckle. "Despite how stupid of a risk that was, it paid off. We have at least a hundred more than we would have if you hadn't. You are a real hero, and I mean that."

My emotions reach a fever pitch, and I bring my hand to my lips in one, swift motion, planting a kiss on Nick, his vicinity, and much of my hand. Drawing back, I immediately feel a warmth in my cheeks and a wave of embarrassment. It was spur of the moment, totally without thinking! 

"I... Um..." He struggles to form words.

"My little hero." I smile at him, effectively shutting him up before he inevitably says something to ruin the moment. "Let's get you that shower. If I can smell you from way up here, that's saying something!"

"Come on, it's not that bad!" He laughs, and so do I.

I take him to my room, where I find Sara has just set down the last of the pods on my desk. As people disembark, Ori and our 'Welcome Party' get right to work with the orientation. I place Nick on the roof of his apartment complex and watch until he disappears out of sight. I notice that Sara's earring has already been set down in its usual spot in the city, meaning the engineers are home, too.

"I'm gonna crash on your couch." Sara yawns. "I'm beat."

"Goodnight. I will probably head to bed soon as well." I nod. "Great job, as always."

"You can always count on me!" She winks as she exits the room.

Before I can forget, I whip out my phone and send a text to Mayor Rin, informing her of our successs. A little late, yes, but better late than never. She asks for some details, which I happily provide. Once that is done with, I decide to get ready for bed as well. I grab a change of clothes and head to my bathroom to do my thing.

Upon returning to the room, my gaze is immediately drawn to the flashing lights above the city. I step closer, recognizing them as fireworks. It seems everyone is giving our newcomers a warm welcome. That really warms my heart. I walk over to my lights and put a finger to them.

"Fireworks look the best in the dark, you know." I say, before switching them off. 

I make my way over to bed and within a few seconds, drift off to sleep.

The next morning, life goes back to normal. I check on the city, confirming that everyone is okay. I find several texts from my friends, sent sometime after I had fallen asleep. There is one from Ori telling me that she took Nick to the hospital and he was fine. I find nothing from Mayor Rin, which is basically the best thing possible. 'No news is good news', as she says. I realize why once I read Icarus' message, explaining how Saverine chewed all of them out for going against the plan when it mattered most. I am sure Daedalus reassured her, or else her rage would have reached Sara and I as well. Speaking of Sara, I move to my living room to see if she is awake. I find her still tucked in and groggily staring at her phone. Once she is up, we make breakfast and prepare for a long day of absolutely nothing.

"Hey, take a look at this." Sara says, turning her phone screen to me. My eyes go wide at the sight on her screen. I give her a look as if to ask, 'are you kidding me?'. "Yes. It's real!"

Leaping from my seat, I run over to grab the TV remote and switch on the news. An interviewer is speaking to a policeman in front of what appears to be the petshop. The building is surrounded by cops and other authorities, not to mention totally covered in yellow tape. From what we can gather, a break-in was reported. The police rushed to the scene, only to discover the shop was a front for a Lilli-trafficking business. Two hours earlier, the owner was arrested, along with another man we had no idea about. The story is making national news and even the mayor, who normally could not care less about Lillis, is being forced to address it.

"This is big. Really big." I say, breathlessly.

"Mhm! I'm so glad I left that note." Sara smiles.

I can't believe I had forgotten to ask about that. Things were so chaotic that it slipped my mind, somehow. "Oh yeah, what was that about?"

A devilish grin spreads across her lips. "Oh, it was nothing... Just a note with some numbers. Feeding plan, Lilli headcount, losses, etc. Enough to warrant suspicion from the otherwise squeaky-clean establishment."

"You don't think the shattered tank or the safe was enough?"

"I needed to be sure. I didn't want this to be treated like an ordinary break-in." She explains, her smugness turning to seriousness. "We did good, but if that shop remains in operation, we're only dealing with symptoms, not the underlying problem. I wanted to kill it at the source."

"I think the client who paid upfront would have done that-"

"Oh, just let me have this!" Sara yells at me, her exasperation making me laugh. She walks over and gives me a tight hug.

We sit back down and continue our breakfast while watching the story unfold before our eyes. The mayor is promising to crack down on Lilli abuse in the city, but who knows if that will actually happen. It has to, if he wants to get reelected in the coming months. Either way, we managed to do what those in power could not. So many people are better off for it. Magna Gratia truly is my dream come true, and now it is going to be more lively than ever!

It is strange how the butter on toast I am eating, the same kind I eat every morning, tastes better than usual. I gaze out the window, at the clear, sunny sky, and feel a sense of peace I have never felt before. It is a feeling that I never knew existed.

The future is looking bright!