Page 46 of Klaz
“But he’s turning blue!” I wailed, my voice echoing down the hallway. “If he dies, it’ll be an interstellar incident!”
That did it. The guards hesitated for only a moment before following me in the opposite direction of the vault. As we ran, I silently prayed that I’d bought Klaz enough time.
A blinding flash of light filled the corridor, followed by an ear-splitting boom. The floor beneath us shuddered violently, and emergency lights flickered to life.
“What the hell was that?” a guard shouted.
I didn’t wait to find out. In the chaos, I slipped away, making a beeline for the maintenance shafts where Klaz and I had agreed to meet.
The lift doors opened with a groan, revealing a dimly lit shaft. I stepped inside, my heart pounding as I descended into the bowels of the casino.
Suddenly, the lift jerked to a stop. The lights went out, plunging me into total darkness. I fumbled for the control panel, but nothing responded. The power surge must have fried the electronics.
I pried open the emergency hatch in the ceiling, hauling myself up and out of the lift car. The maintenance shaft loomed above me, a vertical tunnel of pipes and cables. I began to climb, my muscles straining with each movement.
As I ascended, I became aware of an ominous rumbling sound growing louder by the second. A faint mist filled the air, carrying with it the scent of ice and ozone.
I reached a horizontal passageway and pulled myself onto it, gasping for breath. The rumbling intensified, and suddenly a wall of frigid water burst through a nearby pipe, flooding the passage.
The shock of the icy liquid hit me like a punch to the gut. I scrambled to my feet, fighting against the current as it swirled around my ankles.
“Klaz!” I shouted into my comm device. “Klaz, can you hear me?”
Nothing but static answered.
The water rose rapidly, already reaching my knees. I sloshed through it, searching desperately for an exit. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, and my limbs began to feel sluggish and unresponsive.
I reached a sealed door at the end of the passage, but the electronic lock was dark and unresponsive. I pounded on it futilely, the water now up to my waist.
“Help!” I screamed, knowing it was useless. No one could hear me down here.
The frigid water crept higher, stealing my breath away as it reached my chest. My fingers, numb with cold, scrabbled at the door frame, searching for any weakness, any hope of escape.
As the water reached my neck, a terrifying thought struck me. Had Klaz managed to get the diamond? Did he even know I was down here, fighting for my life?
The icy flood rose inexorably, and I gasped for air, pressing myself against the ceiling. In those final moments, as the water closed over my head, I wondered if this was how it would end—alone in the dark, with only the sound of rushing water and my own fading heartbeat.
KLAZ
Iworked the complex locking mechanism with practiced precision, my fingers dancing over the intricate patterns. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I raced against time. The darkness of the vault, broken only by intermittent flashes from the malfunctioning power grid, added an extra layer of challenge.
My hearing strained to catch every subtle click and shift of the lock’s internal workings. I’d cracked countless high-security systems in my years as a soldier and bounty hunter, but this one pushed me to my limits.
Finally, the lock yielded with a satisfying click. I allowed myself a brief moment of satisfaction before pushing the heavy door open.
My heart pounded as I entered the vault. The air inside was cool and still, almost a shock after the chaos outside. In the center of the room, bathed in a soft blue light that seemed to defy the power outages, sat the Larain Diamond.
I approached it cautiously, my eyes fixed on its mesmerizing brilliance. Even in the dim light, it sparkled with an otherworldly radiance. I lifted it carefully from its pedestal, marveling at its weight and the way it caught what little light there was.
With reverence, I slipped the diamond into a hidden pocket in my suit.
My hand went to my cufflink, tapping it to activate the communication link to Cinta. “I’ve got it,” I whispered. “What’s your status?”
Only static answered me. The storm must have disrupted our communication. A cold dread washed over me, settling in the pit of my stomach.
Something was wrong. I felt it in my bones, an inexplicable certainty that Cinta was in danger. Without a second thought, I abandoned all pretense of stealth and sprinted towards our rendezvous point.
My mind raced with worst-case scenarios as I tore through the dimly lit corridors. Had she been caught? Was she hurt? The thought of Cinta in pain or danger made my blood boil.