Chapter 91 - The Abyssal Breach
The blast of freezing North Sea brine hit my chest like a battering ram, knocking the air from my lungs. The acrylic wall did not merely shatter; it exploded in jagged, diamond-edged shards as tons of deep-sea pressure pulverized the observation deck.
"Katherine!" Leo’s voice tore through the roaring deluge over the tactical comms. "The main seal on Level Minus Four is collapsing! If you don't breach the primary airlock in ninety seconds, the entire rig will drag you into the abyss!"
Across the flooding floor, Arthur Vance was swept off his feet, thrashing against an overturned steel console. The crimson stain on his designer suit bloomed into the rising black water like poisonous ink. He sputtered, gasping for air, clutching a waterproof hard drive against his ribs with broken, bloody knuckles. Even with death staring into his eyes, his sneer remained venomous.
"You're too late, Katherine!" Arthur coughed, spitting seawater and blood into the torrent. "The Iron Wolves don't take prisoners for ransom! They take trophies! Mia is already halfway across the Norwegian Trench!"
I didn't answer with words. I surged forward against the raging current, the saltwater stinging the fresh cuts across my cheeks. Dropping my spent firearm, I drew the titanium tactical knife from my vest. With one savage motion, I grabbed Arthur by his drenched lapels and drove the blade through his sleeve, pinning his arm to the wooden framing of the bolted desk.
With my free hand, I ripped the encrypted drive from his frozen grip.
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"I told you once, Arthur," I whispered, my voice cutting through the deafening roar of the dying citadel. "A mother does not negotiate with parasites. You built this tomb. Now lie in it."
Ignoring his hysterical screams, I turned and sprinted toward the hydraulic emergency ascent shaft. The water was already up to my waist, dragging at my limbs with crushing weight. Just as the ceiling groaned and buckled beneath a massive slab of structural steel, Liam’s automated override triggered the blast door. I hurled myself through the hatchway as the steel bulkhead slammed down behind me, sealing Arthur Vance into the icy darkness of his own ruined empire.
