Chapter 16: Descent into Hell
The service elevator required a high-level keycard. Two Vanguard guards stood flanking the polished steel doors, their hands resting casually near their holstered weapons.
Jane approached them with a drunken, staggering gait, leaning heavily against the wall. "Excuse me," she slurred, her voice dripping with artificial panic. "I think I dropped my diamond earring near the..."
As the guards stepped forward to assist the 'distressed' guest, Marcus moved like a shadow. Two suppressed coughs from his sidearm dropped the guards instantly. Jane caught one before he hit the floor, gently lowering him to prevent a thud, while Marcus dragged the other into a utility closet.
Marcus stripped the keycard from the guard’s belt and swiped it. The elevator doors chimed and slid open. They stepped inside, and Jane hit the button for Sub-Level 4.
The descent felt like an eternity. The classical music from the ballroom faded, replaced by the mechanical hum of the elevator shaft. Jane reached down and drew a suppressed pistol from a specialized holster hidden in the folds of her dress.
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"When the doors open, it’s going to get loud," Marcus warned, chambering a round in his assault rifle.
"I know," Jane said. Her thumb clicked the safety off.
