Federal. Criminals.
The words hit me like a slap. I'd been tallying points, calculating upgrade costs, and planning for the future. I hadn't once considered the jail time.
We didn't just steal from the academy. We stole from a government-monitored facility that tracks every artifact, core, and crystal for IHC records. This wasn't sneaking extra dessert from the dining hall. This was real crime with real consequences.
"If you get caught," Misato continued, her voice dropping lower, "they expel you. Minimum. Maybe press charges depending on value. And guess who else gets investigated? Your squad captain. The person responsible for your training and supervision. Me."
My stomach dropped through the floor.
"I get pulled into interrogations. They review my records. Check my finances. Ask why I didn't notice my entire squad went missing at the exact time a Platinum crystal vanished from a secure vault."
Belle's face had gone pale. "We didn't think—"
