The team rested, keeping an eye on all the doors.

Chance took a look at the giant safe room. As far as he could tell, it remained unused. He and Twig discussed opening it again, trying to decide if their skills could detect any traps behind such a large door.

Bixby reminded them of their objective.

“Save it for the vaults, lads.”

Reluctantly, they left it alone.

Twig decided the silver in the room-sized net must be worth something. Chance helped him bunch it all together and stuff it inside his wallet. They took care to avoid bringing it too close to the vampires.

The sisters sat along one wall, saying nothing and their arms crossed. They glared, but at no specific person. Blackened streaks crisscrossed their faces and hands where the silver threads had touched them.

For the most part everyone gave them a wide berth, except Blair who stood nearby along the wall. She said nothing to the girls, but silently supported them with her presence.

She and the vampires had reached some sort of silent détente, Rip decided.

Sharp consulted his map several times, and looked to be planning the best route to for when they reached the vault. Finley appeared impatient, walking in circles around the small room.

At last, Rip stood and shook the last of the cobwebs from his head.

“I’m ready to go if everybody else is,” he said, looking at the Verez sisters.

In response they stood up, ready to go.

“Right then,” Sharp said. “Let us depart.”

The team made it to the underground train depot without incident. But when they walked into the area, everyone noticed a major difference from last time.

“By jolly, they cleared the place out,” Sharp said with a note of wonder in his voice.

Indeed. the entire area, previously piled high with metal parts, now looked completely clean without so much as a stray bolt or washer lying on the floor.

“I suspect whatever they were doing here has been completed,” Bixby said. “Unfortunately, as we feared, they failed to return the train for our use.”

He pointed to the empty tracks at the far end of the large room.

They had expected it, but Chance in particular seemed disappointed, letting out a reluctant groan about the walk ahead.

Twig slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Come along mate. We’ll take point. How many places can someone surprise us in a tunnel?”

“Don’t say that, man! You’ll jinx the whole thing.”

Twig laughed lightly and said, “Go on, no room for superstition here. You take the far side of the tracks, I’ll take this side.”

They split apart and headed down the tunnel.

Sharp said, “Girls, go with them. You can see in the dark better than anybody. Stay close and keep an eye out.”

Liza and Hilda nodded. Hilda lightly jumped the tracks and followed Chance while Liza went after Twig.

The remainder of the party likewise chose their sides of the tracks. Sharp and Rip followed Twig and Liza while Bixby and Blair chose to follow Chance and Hilda.

That left Lady Finley, who followed behind Blair.

“Somebody’s got to keep an eye on our rear,” she said, glancing back as she entered the tunnel carrying a Tommy gun.

They walked down the long passage, everyone alert. Several feet in, as light from the depot room dimmed behind them, Rip felt glad he did not suffer from claustrophobia.

Dual gas lamps in sconces on either side of the wall provided the only light, and they were spaced few and far between. Rip noted his [Night Vision] skill steadily going up, and smiled at the increases.

At long last, a pinprick of light ahead grew steadily brighter.

“I wonder where that prince fellow went?” Chance said. “Do you suppose he hid out behind the vault door back there?”

Twig said, “No, he definitely came this way. Most likely, he has sounded the alarm here.”

They steadily approached the opening of the tunnel. Ahead, they could see the train parked at the end of the rail lines.

They came within 30 feet of the opening when Sharp stopped and said, “We should pause here. Lads, creep forward and scout the depot. If they’re going to ambush us or set a trap, it’s likely here.”

The two men nodded and continued silently making their way forward. At the entrance to the depot, they both poked their heads out, looking in all directions. The place seemed deserted.

Chance moved to check out the train while Twig cautiously made his way into the larger room.

Chance kept his head down, then popped up and looked through the windows of each car before finally coming to the engine and taking a peek inside it. But the entire train stood vacant. He found no one inside.

Twig likewise found nobody waiting for them in the depot. Most of the crates and boxes were gone, with only a few empty ones scattered about. He returned to the mouth of the tunnel to report his findings along with Chance.

“It’s nothing like it was last time, Colonel,” Twig said. “Most all the stuff is gone, and so are the people.”

Sharp nodded and traded a look with Bixby, who shrugged.

Finley spoke up from the back.

“I suppose our reception committee will be waiting behind the vault door, then.”

Bixby said. “Right. Lady Brooke, how confident are you that you can open that thing for us?”

“It should not be a problem. It wasn’t last time, and even if the lock is more secure than before, I should be able to crack it.”

“Let us approach, then, and put your skills to the test once more.”

Those on the other side of the tracks jumped over. Together in loose formation, the group approached the giant vault door on the other side of the depot.

They all held Tommy guns, aimed up, but the mood remained relaxed. The place was obviously deserted.

About halfway to the door, a horned blared in three short but loud bursts.

The door opened, making a thunderous crack of metal scraping against metal. The giant round vault door slowly swung wide.

Everyone tensed, looking for cover. But out here in the open depot, only a few empty wooden crates offered any hope of hiding.

The door fully extended and they caught a brief glimpse inside of another tunnel leading deeper.

Blocking their view, a huge robot filled the vault’s doorway.

It stomped through, metal footsteps clanging loudly on concrete. Behind it, the vault door slowly swung shut.

The robot stood ten feet tall and six feet wide, gunmetal gray with a cylindrical head. In its arms it cradled two giant guns, with huge round drum magazines attached underneath.

“It’s got two 9-50s with drum mags,” Chance said. “Twenty-one rounds each instead of the usual seven. Times two. That makes 42 total bullets aimed at us. Really big bullets.”

A mechanical voice called out from the speaker inside the machine’s head.

“Halt! Do not attempt to come closer! This is a restricted area!”

“That’s not the worst of our problems,” Rip said, looking at the robot.

His [Mechanical Discernment] notched a gain as he examined it.

“How could anything be worse?” Blair said.

“Well, for starters . . . that thing is enhanced.”