Cinta

CINTA

I leaned in, my dress shimmering under the casino’s opulent lighting. The roulette table buzzed with excitement, chips clinking and voices murmuring in a dozen different languages. I flashed a dazzling smile at the Mondian couple to my left.

“First time at the Suraisu?” I asked, my smile dripping with charm.

The female Mondian’s scales rippled with delight. “Oh yes! It’s simply marvelous, isn’t it?”

I nodded, placing another bet. “Absolutely. I hear they’ve recently upgraded their security systems. Makes a girl feel safe, you know?”

The male Mondian chuckled. “Indeed. I overheard one of the guards mentioning new biometric scanners at all restricted access points. Quite impressive.”

I covered my mouth in feigned surprise. “Is that so? How fascinating. I wonder what other technological marvels they have hidden away.”

As the conversation flowed, I carefully steered it towards the casino’s layout and security measures. The Mondians, eager to show off their knowledge, provided a wealth of information.

An Orlian merchant joined our group, his sand-colored skin glistening under the chandeliers. I turned my attention to him, noting the intricate jewelry adorning his delicate appendages.

“Care to place a bet?” I asked, gesturing to the roulette wheel.

The Orlian nodded, his large eyes fixed on the spinning wheel. As he leaned forward to place his chips, I deliberately stumbled, my drink splashing across his chest.

“Oh, I’m so terribly sorry!” I exclaimed, grabbing a handful of napkins from a nearby table. The Orlian sputtered, his membranous appendages fluttering in distress.

In the ensuing commotion, I brushed past a burly security guard. My fingers, nimble from years of practice, slipped into his pocket and extracted his keycard. The weight of it in my palm sent a thrill through me.

“I think I’d better freshen up as well,” I said to the Orlian, pulling my focus back and gesturing to my now-stained dress. “Again, I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.”

I slipped into a quiet alcove near the restrooms, pretending to adjust my earring. My fingers brushed the tiny communicator hidden there.

“Got the keycard and some intel,” I murmured, barely moving my lips. Quickly I ran down the gossip I’d heard. How much of it was true we wouldn’t know until we came up against it, but it was best to be prepared for all possibilities. “How’s it going on your end?”

Klaz’s deep voice rumbled in my ear. “Nearly to the vault. Stay alert.”

My heart raced at his words. We were so close now.

I slipped into the restroom, my pulse quickening as I approached the staff door. With a quick glance to ensure I was alone, I swiped the stolen keycard. The lock beeped softly, and the door swung open.

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, . 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?—”

“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.