Chapter 54

Area Around Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States

In the inky darkness of the underground tunnels, Gen crept forward, her footsteps barely a whisper against the damp concrete. The air was thick with the scent of mold and stale water, and the only sound was the distant drip of moisture from the walls. The blackness pressed in on her from all sides, but Gen's senses were heightened, her ears straining to pick up even the faintest hint of the bank robbers overhead.

The corrupt Chief of Police had his officers create construction tunnels around the Federal Reserve Bank over the last few weeks. That was the strange activity that Gen and Emperor had originally spotted from the rooftops when observing the bank. It had seemed out of place then with the corrupt officers stationed around the area, giving her cause to do some investigations. That's when Captain Neal and his team had discerned that a city health inspector had reported the back of the building was covered in dry rot and was a health issue that must be contained.

Under this guise, the corrupt police force had built tarp-covered tunnels that looked like they were containing toxic materials. In truth, they were using this to burrow into the back of the bank, behind the vault and lay explosives. It was actually a pretty smart plan, according to everyone who had reviewed it with Gen, but it also left areas for a second group to come and ruin everything. She and her team were those people and they couldn't wait to stop the party.

Using the detailed city maps, Gen had located underground tunnels that ran under the area where the construction zone was set up. After slipping off Emperor, she climbed down into the underground, not caring that it smelled like waste and was inhabited by rats. Gen was from the medieval era—it would take more than a foul odor and plague carrying rodents to scare her.

As she moved deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels, Gen's mind raced with the knowledge of what lay ahead. The corrupt police officers and their captain were somewhere in this maze above her—she just had to locate them. The bank robbers were working to breach the vault from behind with explosives. She knew she had to stop them before it was too late, but the darkness and the twisting passages made it feel like an impossible task.

Suddenly, Gen's ears picked up the sound of muffled voices and the scrape of boots on concrete. She froze. Her body pressed against the damp wall, hardly daring to breathe. The voices grew louder, and Gen realized with a start that they were coming from just ahead, around a bend in the tunnel.

Gen sprinted through the passageway, kicking through small puddles of water but not making a noise thanks to a silencing spell she'd placed on herself. When she peered around the corner she found more darkness, her path only illuminated by grates in the ground over her head. That's where she caught the sounds of the men and their boots making shuffling noises above her.

Thanks to the city plans, Gen knew that there was a manhole cover every so often in these tunnels. The construction area snaked around the back of the building where the alleys of the city ran over the underground. Of course, the fake construction zone only started on the edge of the building, creating easy access points for the bank robbers. Gen hadn't been into the area yet, but it would burrow deep into the back of the bank, right up behind the vault. This had been an elaborate and work-intensive plan, which was going to make it all the more satisfying when Gen and her team tore it to pieces and locked up the big criminals.

Speeding to catch up with the men she could hear overhead, Gen kept her eyes trained upwards. Thankfully it didn't take long for her to locate one of the heavy metal manhole covers. She gracefully climbed up the ladder on the side of the tunnel and lifted the lid, careful to go slowly in case anyone was on top of it.

A quick peek told her that the men were just ahead, their boots scattered around the area. With a fluid motion, Gen reached into her pocket and withdrew a small, spherical object. It had been given to her by Captain Neal, who told her how to use it. Pulling the pin from the top, she waited the three seconds, like she'd been instructed.

Then she took a deep breath, held it and tossed the anesthetic gas grenade under the lid, making it roll on the ground above. It made a clattering noise that hopefully would go unnoticed. Then when it came to a halt on the ground, there was a moment of silence. That was right before it burst with a hiss, releasing a cloud of noxious gas.

Ducking back down into the tunnel, Gen covered her face and took only small sips of air. Shouts of confusion and panic echoed through the tunnels as the corrupt officers stumbled and choked on the thick, acrid smoke. Gen heard the thud of bodies hitting the ground, one after another, as the gas took effect. She counted them silently in her head, her heart pounding with anticipation.

There were a few sets of footsteps she didn't hear fall. That was for the best. She never expected to take out all of the men with the gas grenade. Gen wanted the opportunity to knock out a few men on her own—although her knuckles on her dominant hand were already badly bruised from having pummeled the sniper. But there was one man she wouldn't be knocking out, since she needed him awake and coherent.

Are you ready to do your part?Gen asked Emperor in her head.

Yes,he answered at once, stationed nearby on the streets above. Just get into position and I'll take over when the time is right.

Hoping that the worst of the sleeping gas had cleared, Gen lifted the manhole cover up and slid it out of the way. Then she climbed up into the construction tunnel, finding it to look exactly as she'd expected. It was dark and covered in makeshift walls made of plastic. The ground was slippery from loose rock and construction and it smelled of sweat and dirt.

Making her way forward, she stepped over the unconscious bodies of the officers, the smoke swirling around her feet like a cloak of shadows. She kept her arm over her nose and mouth, but didn't worry that the amount in the air was enough to affect her. It had mostly dissipated and also the chi of the dragon made it so she was more tolerant than these mortal men.

Up ahead, Gen could see the faint outline of a couple of officers, still standing. They staggered around, obviously battling the effects of the gas, which hadn't hit them hard enough to make them pass out. That simply meant that Gen had to provide a little encouragement.

She stepped up even with a guy who looked almost drunk. When he caught sight of her, she brought her elbow across his face, knocking him back. That was enough to do the trick, sending him to the ground. Then she grabbed another man by the head and pulled it down hard on her knee, knocking him out at once too, to join his fellow friends in dreamless sleep.