Javed Khan clutched his broken shoulder, his breathing ragged, his face covered in cuts from his shattered mask.
He looked up at Vikram, a mixture of fear and respect in his bloodshot eyes.
"You... you are just like Amar," Javed gasped, coughing up dark blood. "But you're too late, boy. Devendra... he has already entered the Core vault. He doesn't need your cooperation. He has the stabilizers."
"Where is the entrance?" Vikram demanded, his knuckles resting near Javed's throat.
Javed let out a weak, raspy laugh. "Under the arch. The primary capacitor... it's already charging. You can't stop it, Vikram. If you go down there, the Core will draw your blood. You'll become the battery."
With a sudden, desperate movement, Javed threw himself backward, falling off the stone steps and plunging into the crashing, stormy waves of the Arabian Sea below.
Vikram watched the dark water swallow the enforcer, then turned back to the Gateway.
The solar eclipse was reaching its peak. The sky was almost pitch black, the sun a thin, glowing ring of fire.
"Rohan!" Vikram called into his radio. "Javed is down. I'm going into the vault."
"Go!" Rohan's voice came through, filled with static and exhaustion. "We'll hold the plaza!"