The service elevator shaft was dark, the metal cage creaking as Vikram and Rohan descended. Rhea had hijacked the control program, but the Vow's security was active.
"Vikram," Rhea warned over the static-filled radio. "The elevator shaft has weight-sensitive pressure pads at the bottom. If the system detects more than one person, the brakes will lock and you'll be trapped."
Rohan looked at the steel roof of the elevator. "Then we don't ride inside."
Using his boxing agility, Vikram scrambled through the emergency hatch in the ceiling, pulling Rohan up after him. They crouched on top of the dirty metal cage as it plunged into the depths.
The air grew progressively colder. Water dripped from the concrete walls of the shaft, turning to ice as it touched the metal cables.
The elevator stopped at the lowest level. Below them, through the gaps in the platform, they could see the blue light of the sub-vaults.
"We drop on my mark," Vikram whispered, his Prana sensing the electrical layout of the floor sensors. "Three... two... one... jump."
They dropped down, landing on the metal support beams instead of the floor. Vikram grabbed Rohan's arm as his friend slipped on a patch of frost. They climbed down the iron framework, bypassing the pressure pads entirely.
They were inside the colonial basement, a damp maze of brick archways and thick cables.