The basement laundry corridor of the hotel was dark and silent, the concrete walls damp.
Rahul led the way, his scanner guiding them past the massive washing machines and boiler tanks. They reached the back storage room, where a heavy, rusted steel vault door blocked the archway. The steel was three inches thick, secured with a heavy mechanical dial.
"The lock cylinder is made of old steel," Rahul said, inspecting the faceplate. "If you can heat the core to two thousand degrees, the locking pins will warp, and we can push the door open."
"Stand back," Vikram said.
He stepped to the door, placing his palms flat against the cold steel faceplate. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing, and willed his **Prana** to ignite at maximum voltage.
A deafening, high-pitched electrical hum filled the small storage room.
A bright blue arc of electricity erupted from Vikram's palms, wrapping around the vault door. The metal began to glow—first a dull red, then a bright orange, and finally a white-hot yellow. The smell of burning grease and molten iron rose from the keyway.
"It's working!" Rohan whispered, keeping watch at the door.
Vikram's muscles tensed, his veins glowing blue under his skin as he drove the current deeper. The lock cylinder inside the door let out a loud *clack* as the pins melted under the heat, the metal warping.
"Push!" Vikram gasped, his energy fading.
Rohan and Rahul slammed their shoulders against the hot door.
With a grinding screech, the heavy vault door swung open, revealing the dark, stone corridor that sloped down to the subterranean reservoir.
*Bip-bip-bip!*
Suddenly, the small metal collar on Rhea's neck flashed a bright, warning red. The tracking loop had failed.
"The ten minutes are up," Rhea said, her voice shaking. "Javed's database has locked onto our signal. He knows we are inside the vault."
"Then we run," Vikram said, pulling the data terminal from her hand and putting it in his pocket. He grabbed his iron pipe, his blue eyes glowing in the dark corridor. "The Gateway is directly ahead. Let's go."