Varun spoke softly, for Kade’s ears only. “The elevator shaft is ten centimeters thick of titanium alloy. It’s designed to withstand high explosives and armor piercing rounds. The circuitry is triple shielded, in nested faraday cages, reinforced with more titanium.”

The water will crush the barriers into the data center soon, Su-Yong sent. We’ll only get one shot at this.

The water was up to their knees now.

Feng, she sent. I need access to what’s behind that panel. Undamaged.

Feng dashed forward through the water. The crowd parted for him. He shoved one sidearm into his pocket, then ejected the clip from the other pistol, and popped the round from the chamber. Then he pounded the gun like a hammer, again and again, at the edge of the metal panel with the elevator button.

Nothing.

He hit it again, again, again.

Nothing.

Someone ran up to him with a heavy fire extinguisher. Feng nodded his thanks, pocketed the pistol, slammed the fire extinguisher into the metal panel. Once. Twice. Three times.

The panel distorted. An edge popped loose.

He hammered it with the fire extinguisher yet again, and again, and again, swinging it back like a battering ram, driving it forward with incredible force, now yelling “Ay!” on every blow.

The panel bent, bent, bent. The edge came up a centimeter, two centimeters, enough to get a grip on.

Feng dropped the fire extinguisher, grabbed the edge with both hands, and pulled.

Muscles strained. Kade saw the edge bite into Feng’s palms. Felt pain dig into his friend. The metal groaned, gave way, centimeter by centimeter.

Kade turned, found General Singh.

“You wanna die down here? Get your men to help!”

Singh stared at him, the water up to his thighs now, then snapped at his two soldiers.

“You heard the man! Get up there and help the clone!”

They took up positions with him, all heaved at once, the panel moved, it flexed, it came loose, bit by bit.

Then Feng pulled the fire extinguisher back up from out of the water, got on the other side of the panel, waved the two soldiers away, swung it back like a battering ram, and slammed it into the loose edge standing up from the wall.

“Ay!”

The panel tore free of the wall with a ripping sound.

Get me closer, Su-Yong sent.

Kade and Varun helped maneuver her closer. The water was up to their waists now. They were almost swimming in it. It was so cold. It must be a deep deep lake.

Closer, Su-Yong sent. I need to put Jyotika’s head inside.

Varun shot Kade a look over Jyotika’s shoulders that said exactly what he thought of this plan.

The water was already draining into the bottom half of the hole where the panel Feng had removed had been.

Su-Yong bent Jyotika’s body forward, until her head disappeared within the hole.