Page 45 of Klaz
Inside, I found a rack of staff uniforms, wincing at the tacky dresses available for hostesses. I quickly shed my blue gown, sliding it and most of my jewelry into a compression pouch at my waist.
I adjusted the sleeve of my uniform to ensure the braided braclet made from the high-tensile wire we’d picked up at the market was hidden but easily accessible, and took the pendants off my earrings, leaving nothing but small golden studs. And the comm button, of course.
Checking myself in the mirror, while I pulled my hair back into a severe bun, I winked at myself. The fit of the uniform might not have been great, but the change of costume was perfect, transforming me from a high-rolling socialite to just another casino employee.
Rule one of the game: people see what they expect to see.
I made my way towards the lower levels, my posture and gait adjusted to blend in with the other staff members. As I passed dealers on break, I overheard snippets of their conversation.
Bits and pieces. Information filtered in.
The lights flickered, and I heard raised voices from a nearby room. I pressed myself against the wall, straining to listen.
“The backup generators should have kicked in by now,” a gruff voice said. “Check the auxiliary systems.”
“On it,” another voice replied. “But if the quantum relays are down, we’re blind in half the building.”
I smiled to myself. This power fluctuation could be just the opportunity we needed.
We. Me and Klaz. I’d never worked with someone like this before. And while the whole situation wasn’t ideal, having a partner felt kind of good.
Huh.
Around the next corner I passed a young Nazok technician. He seemed distracted, muttering to himself about system upgrades and security protocols. Perfect.
I deliberately bumped into him, letting out a small yelp of surprise. “Oh! I’m so sorry,” I said, steadying myself against him.
“No worries,” he replied, his attention still mostly on the datapad in his hands. “Are you alright?”
I nodded, giving him a shy smile. “Yes, thank you. It’s my first day, and I’m a bit lost. This place is so confusing!”
As we chatted, my fingers deftly slipped into his pocket, extracting his access card. He never noticed, too engrossed in explaining the layout of the lower levels.
“Thank you so much,” I said, with a grateful smile. “You’ve been incredibly helpful.”
As I walked away, I examined the stolen card. Level 3 clearance - not bad at all.
I made my way to an auxiliary control panel, tucked away in a quiet corridor. Using the stolen card, I gained access to some of the basic security systems. I wasn’t an expert, but I knew enough to cause some chaos.
With a few taps, I triggered false alarms in various parts of the casino, far from the vault. That should keep security busy for a while.
I leaned in close to my hidden comm device. “Klaz, I’ve created some distractions. The path to the vault should be clearer now.”
His reply was lost in a burst of static. The storm must be interfering with our communications. Damn it.
I was about to leave when a voice crackled over the security channel.
“Unidentified individual spotted near vault access point. All available units respond.”
My blood ran cold. They’d found Klaz.
Think, Cinta. Think.
I grabbed a nearby first aid kit and burst out of the control room, racing down the corridor. As I rounded a corner, I collided with a pair of security guards heading towards the vault.
“Help!” I cried, letting tears spring to my eyes. “There’s been an accident in the high-roller suite. A Xarian diplomat is having some kind of seizure!”
The guards exchanged worried glances. “We can’t leave our post?—”