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Back inside the bank, two guards, a man and a woman were returning from their coffee break, the faintest smiles of satisfaction on their faces.
They didn't even make it past the hallway.
A blur swept past behind them, and before either could blink, they both hit the floor unconscious.
The blur slowed, solidifying into Kai, who brushed invisible dust off his jacket and muttered, "Well… that's one way to end a good day."
Quentin, Kady, and Eliot moved up beside him, stopping before the massive steel vault door looming ahead. The keypad glowed faintly with numbers.
"Okay," Kai said, glancing at his watch. "We don't have much time, four minutes before Penny suffocates. Let's move."
"Fine," Kady said, cracking her knuckles. "We brute force it."
Eliot raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I don't think that's going to be possible, dear. This door's thicker than a troll's ego and believe me, I've met a few."
Kai squinted at the keypad, muttering under his breath. He tried recalling the access code he'd seen Quentin use in the show, something he swore he remembered from the series itself.
"...Shit," he grumbled after a few seconds. "We might be in trouble here… we need to improvise."
"Lovely," Eliot said dryly. "Because what's a good heist without improvisation?"
Kai groaned. "Ah, screw it."
He stepped back. "You guys might want to move."
Eliot blinked. "How far?"
"Further."
When they hesitated, Kai pointed dramatically. "Further, Elliot. Unless you want to end up as an artistic stain on this wall."
Eliot muttered something under his breath but moved, dragging Quentin and Kady with him.
Kai inhaled, cracked his neck, then blurred.
The sound that followed was a bone-rattling BOOM. The entire door shuddered on its hinges.
Eliot winced. "Was that the sound of you trying to imitate a rhino, or—?"
"Yeah, no joke," Kady added, shielding her face from the dust.
Kai shook his arms out and gritted his teeth. "Okay, maybe it's a bit thicker than I thought."
Eliot smirked. "Don't you have, I don't know, one of your 'unique spells' for this exact situation?"
Kai looked back at him for a moment and then with a straight face he said. "Yes, and thank you for the reminder."
He walked up to the keypad, cracked his fingers, and began tracing intricate sigils midair. The lines glowed white-blue, forming an overlapping series of circles before pressing themselves into the door.
"Aperire Arcanum. Recede Clavis. Permitte Praetereundum."
A deep hum filled the hall, the air vibrating as the door's seals began to shift.
Quentin blinked. "Uh… why didn't you do that to begin with?"
Kai's face twisted into mild embarrassment. "It might've… slipped my mind."
Kady facepalmed. "You're unbelievable."
"Thank you," Kai said, smilingo. "I try."
The door clicked open, a heavy thunk echoing through the corridor.
Kady rushed in first and immediately dropped to her knees beside Penny, who was gasping for air, the color slowly returning to his face.
"Finally," he wheezed.
But before anyone could even breathe a sigh of relief, the alarm blared.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—BEEP!
Quentin froze mid-step. "Oh… shit."
Kai turned slowly toward him. "Please don't tell me you—"
"I might've… stepped on something," Quentin said weakly.
Kai facepalmed hard enough to echo. "Of course you did."
Before anyone could respond, a sharp crack echoed down the hallway. They turned to see a woman in a female suit standing near the door, mid-forties, composed, and looking at them with a blank expression.
"Oh," Kai said, straightening. "This… isn't what it looks like?"
The woman said nothing. Instead, she pressed a button on her baton, and it extended, unfurling into a long, crackling electric whip.
Kai blinked. "Ohhhh-kay then."
He pointed at his friends. "Stay put. I got this."
The whip lashed forward, searing through the air. Kai blurred to the side, the tip carving a smoking line across the marble floor.
She swung again; he ducked, and the whip tore through a nearby desk, splintering it in two.
"Okay, lady," Kai said between dodges, "not that I don't appreciate the enthusiasm, but you're giving off serious 'into bondage' vibes right now."
No response. Just another strike.
"...No? Nothing? Alright, tough crowd."
The next swing grazed his shoulder, burning through his jacket. He hissed and caught the whip mid-swing.
The electric current scorched his palm instantly, searing the flesh. "OH FUCKING HELL! THIS HURTS LIKE—DAMN IT—"
Teeth clenched, Kai yanked hard, pulling the woman forward. Before she could react, he snapped the baton in half and, in one swift motion, drove the jagged end into her chest.
She froze, wide-eyed, as the light left her face.
Kai looked down, blinking at the blood beginning to pool. "…Oops."
Her body hit the ground with a dull thud.
———————
"...Well," Eliot said, stepping out after a beat. "I'd say this went from Ocean's Eleven to Law & Order: Homicide Editionreal quick."
Kai threw his hands up. "She attacked me! Self-defense!"
Kady frowned. "With an electric whip no less Jesus"
"She started it!" Kai insisted.
Penny coughed, still recovering. "We gotta leave. Now."
No one argued as they all bolted out of the vault, racing down the corridor.
When they reached the far side of the building, Kai looked around, 'Alright, we're clear."
He turned to Penny. "If you will?"
Penny nodded, closing his eyes. The air shimmered around him and they all took each others hand, reality bending around them. They then flickered and vanished, leaving behind nothing but the wail of alarms and the faint scent of ozone.