Free Rocks by M. J. Lawless Page B

breathing coming ever so slightly more quickly, Hayden loped to the end of the corridor. The lights were bright enough here to show everything on the camera that slowly circled overhead—had it not been so thoroughly compromised. He almost grinned and wanted to wave a hand at the blind lens, then his face became grim. Around the corner was the most dangerous part of the job.
    Counting to ten, ensuring that he was completely calm, Hayden trusted in part to blind luck that the guard would be sitting in the same place he always occupied, night after night. He reached into an inner pocket, pulling out a cloth pad with a heavy, chemical scent.
    Luck was with him. As he came rushing around the corner at full speed towards the grilled gate that protected the inner sanctum of Boeckman’s, the guard looked up at him with utter surprise, dropping the apple he had just been eating. Struggling to his feet and fumbling with the gun holster at his side, a magazine slid from the guard’s lap. He did not even have time to undo the flap on his holster before Hayden was on top of him, one hand slammed over his face as he crashed against him into the wall.
    The guard fought back, punching Hayden in his ribs, but he was too unprepared and Hayden too strong. Within a few seconds the chloroform began to take effect and Hayden held onto the man for a while longer, ensuring that he was fully unconscious before letting him slide back onto the chair. Carefully he replaced the pad in his pocket, trying not to breathe in any of the fumes himself as he turned his attention to the panel before him.
    He had to take a few deep breaths again. He knew what should happen now, he knew what he’d programmed the security system to do, but if anything went wrong then this venture was over. He tried not to think about how frustrating it would be to get so close to the Wallenstein, clearing his mind and once again seeking that Zen-like calmness that would allow him to function so precisely.
    Boeckman’s security system required a code, a biometric reading and a voice print, but Hayden had found a bug, a useful piece of information from a Russian hacker that had cost him another tidy sum. With the right number, this system would also recognise a particular set of pre-recorded voices, and Hayden had made sure to enter his own voice on the system.
    Entering the number, he spoke briefly into a tiny grille above the panel. “Catch me if you can.” It had seemed funny when he entered it into the system, but now with an unconscious man lolling beside him Hayden wasn’t so sure this was the time for games.
    As such, his mind flooded with relief when he heard a click and the door opened a few millimetres. Unconsciously he glanced at his watch. Less than five minutes had passed since he had last looked at it. He had an hour left and, with any luck, all he needed now was fifteen minutes.
    Not that luck really counted now. Hayden’s preparations meant that the invisible infra-red detection beams were now neutralised and he sped to the final door that lay between him and the Wallenstein, entering the same code.
    When he entered the vault, which he had only seen once before, the harsh, artificial light blinded him, causing him to curse. Blinking, he lifted his hand over his head and stared for a moment at the eyeless camera sweeping back and forth. Inside his chest his heart was pounding. If any alarms had been set off, or if someone had noticed something odd about the video relay from the cameras around the building, then there was plenty of time for the security guards to come and investigate even if no-one outside would suspect a thing.
    He didn’t have time for such doubts. The chloroform he’d used on the man in the corridor was enough to knock him out for an hour at least, but there was still the chance that the other guard on patrol would change his route and check up on his companion. Gritting his teeth, Hayden moved quickly to the metal doors in front of him.