Page 100 of The Phantom's Vice

I discovered it years ago when I was just a young Phantom. This shaft is basically a master key to every floor in the building, used by the maids, cooks, and Masks that tend to the Sanctum’s every need. When I first found it, I couldn’t believe they just left it unguarded. Of course, when you think the only threat comes from the outside, I guess you spend less time trying to protect the inner workings of your home.

With one last look down the way we came from, Maverick and Kain follow me into the damp service shaft. It reeks of mildew and rot, but the iron staircase is still sturdy, and I waste no time hurtling up flight after flight. After about a dozen floors, we step out onto a landing with a sleek wrought iron, and I hold a hand up to signal them to stop. Stepping up to the door, I pull a silver beetle-shaped device from my pocket and place it where the handle would be. The device glows molten red, emitting a high-pitched whirring noise. A few moments later, the beetle cools to a dark silver, and I push against the door, smiling when it swings open easily.

“The fuck was that?” Kain asks, his eye wide in amazement as he palms the silver beetle.

“Boring Beetle,” Maverick explains, pushing through the door after me. “The tech is pretty out ofdate, though. We’re lucky they haven’t bothered to update their security on the maintenance entrances.”

“Yeah, lucky,” I murmur, peeking around the door into yet another long hallway—this one pitch black, the gold on the walls barely visible due to the lack of lighting. “You think they know we’re here yet?”

“Hope so. I haven’t gotten to shoot a single one of these fuckers,” Kain grumbles a second before letting out a small curse as he stubs his toe on the wall. “Why the fuck is it so dark?”

“So we don’t get distracted by your pretty face, Reinholdy,” I coo. Kain swings at me and hits Maverick in the shoulder accidentally, and a low chuckle bounces around my chest as Maverick spews a curse.

“Would you twochildrenpull yourselves together?” Maverick says, his tone one of exhaustion. “This is hardly the time to?—”

WAH… WAH… WAH…

The three of us exchange glances as the floodlights flip on, accompanied by the ear-piercing shriek of the alarm.

“Well, at least it isn’t dark anymore.” I shrug,earning me a murderous scowl from Kain as he draws his weapon. “What? You know I’m right.”

“Petulantimbeciles,” Maverick groans, pulling a sighted sidearm from his waist. “Focus! Or we’ll?—”

Bang!

Maverick dives to the side, and a bullet lodges into the wall where his forehead just was. He snaps his head up, his body already moving in a full-on sprint toward the stairs leading to the upper levels.

Bang! Bangbang!

“Kain!” I yell, chasing Maverick as he begins returning fire. “Come on!”

He rolls his eye, firing off two more shots before lumbering after Maverick and me. At the end of the hallway is another staircase laden with gold leaf and practically glowing.

“Where are we going?” Kain huffs, taking the stairs three at a time to catch up to us.

“Hopefully, the Madam’s floor,” Maverick answers, shooting a look behind us to make sure the Reapers aren’t too close. “By the disgusting amount of gold on this stairwell, we’re on the right track.”

Gunshots fill the air as we climb, mingling with the pounding of boots in a terrifying, cacophonous symphony. My mind is numb, reminding me of the days before Brett. The days when the only thing thatmattered was my duty, where there wasn’t a single thing in the world I desired. The numbness fills my head with static, blocking out the sound of the bullets whizzing past me.

Would she forgive me? If she knew the only reason I’m doing this anymore is for her?

I don’t think about that. Ican’tthink about that. Especially when we near the landing and a stray bullet pierces Maverick’s calf. In slow motion, he pitches to the side, and I hold my arms up, steadying his body so he doesn’t fall to his death.

“Come on, Maverick,” I snap, shoving him forward onto the landing with a grunt. He crawls the last few steps, a trail of red staining the floor as he drags his leg behind him.

“Fuck,” he groans, holding himself up at a strange angle. With a shaking hand, he reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out a syringe, the cylindrical cavity swirling with and opaque silver liquid. With a grunt, he rips the cap off with his teeth and plunges the needle into the wound, a hiss of pain falling from his lips as the medicine enters his body. The flesh around the wound bubbles and ripples, rejecting the strange substance. But then—miraculously—the edges of his skin meld together like someone raised a zipper on the wound, quelling theflow of blood instantly. Maverick sighs as he inspects his handiwork, then rests his head on the floor while Kain thunders to the top of the landing.

“You good?” he asks Maverick, holding out a hand for him to stand. Maverick nods, but still takes the offering, wobbling slightly when he’s back on his feet. “Shit, I could have used some of that stuff a couple of months ago.”

Maverick coughs, pushing off Kain as soon as he’s able. “It’s only temporary and just for small—small wounds,” he says, his voice breaking in the middle as he fights for breath. “I forgot how much this hurts. I envy you, Ghost.”

“You shouldn’t,” I answer simply.

Boots thunder against the stairwell, shaking the foundation as the Reapers race to get to us. Taking my attention away from Maverick’s injury, I place another Boring Beetle on the golden door, the seconds passing painfully slow as it glows and whirs through the sounds of gunfire filling the room.

“How long is that thing gonna take?” Kain demands, firing off the last of his rounds. He curses, falling into a crouch just as the beetle clicks. I yank the door open, allowing Kain and Maverick to mass through first.

I close the door behind us—if only to offer protection from stray bullets—and race down the hall after Kain and Maverick. To his credit, the former Phantom is keeping up well despite his injury. And when a red masked Disposer steps around the corner, he’s even able to deliver a killing blow quick enough to avoid alerting any other masks in the area.

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