Rex’s mother lives in a place called Gullit I do not know why it is called that. She is not that old because she had Rex and Billy real young and in fact likely someone oughta be in jail over that. She has a nice car and a big house in Gullit and her boys are the light of her life or they were right up until Fred killed Billy for no good reason at all and now Rex is gone too and the common factor in these events is me.

People make choices you cannot stop them and you cannot take responsibility for those choices but likewise you got to recognize where your own momentum pushes someone along a new track and that is a thing that I do.

Rex was here because of me and now Rex is not here anymore.

Please do not get the idea that Rex will climb back out of the pit at a salient moment and save the day that happens in films sure but right now Rex has gone somewhere there is no coming back from. When you fuck up in the mountains there are not second chances and that goes double for water under the mountains just—

But we still have the pig so we can open the door and get to the vault section.

SCANNING—

Click.

The X8 swings back.

We’re through.

We’re alive.

And we’re going to win this fucker.

There is a noise like really slow popcorn.

Hans Eiger is standing in the room beyond.

He is clapping.

—

It’s a big room on two levels like an aircraft hangar and Eiger is on a kind of gantry in front of what can only be the final door. He has his guys around the place: lots of men in suits with him and they have many guns. You do not need many guns in this situation but they have them anyway. Eiger and his guys and some extras who are obviously G-Wagen men and yes, a little Sound of Music–looking motherfucker standing on a chair behind Eiger so he can get a decent view.

Clap clap clap.

Eiger is really loving this it matters to him. It is his win that he has always wanted. He has been tested and he has been found worthy by the bank robbery gods. He has beaten the Seven Demons.

Clap clap clap.

I wait for him to make a speech but he just keeps clapping until it is way past ironic or mocking he’s just clapping like he does not know how to stop.

Clap clap clap.

Now everyone is looking at Eiger to see if he’s okay and he is. He’s fine. He’s just—he’s having too much fun now to stop. This is just the best moment of his adult life.

He beat us.

Legit.

Fair and square.