Arthur Sterling did not build his estate on the coast of Maine to be near the sea; he built it to dominate it. The Sterling Manor was a sprawling fortress of glass, steel, and dark, polished mahogany, perched precariously on a jagged cliffside. Its centerpiece, however, was not the art gallery or the high-tech observatory; it was the Grand Aquarium—a multi-story, cylindrical marvel of reinforced glass that spanned three floors of the mansion. It was a private ocean, filled with sharks, rays, and bioluminescent creatures that cost more than most people earned in a decade.

The interior of the Vanguard was a labyrinth of shadows. Finn clicked on a high-powered tactical flashlight, sweeping the beam down the corridor. The emergency reserve lights hadn't even kicked on, which meant the saboteur had manually severed the physical power conduits.

"Where is the crew?" Chloe asked, staying close behind Finn. "There should be two hundred people on this platform."

"If the alarms failed and communications went down, standard protocol is to muster in the reinforced mess hall on the lower decks," Finn explained, moving cautiously forward. "But we can't worry about them right now. We have to get to the server room."

They navigated the narrow, industrial stairwells, descending deeper into the rig. The air grew hotter, thick with the smell of ozone and burning grease. The thumping of the drill grew louder, vibrating through the soles of their boots.

Suddenly, Finn held up his fist, a universal signal to stop.

Ahead of them, the flashlight beam caught a smear of fresh blood on the diamond-plate steel floor. It trailed around the corner toward the server room.

Finn drew a heavy steel wrench from his bag, gripping it tightly. He moved to the edge of the corridor and peered around the corner.

Two men dressed in unmarked, black tactical gear were standing outside the server room door. They carried suppressed submachine guns. These weren't Blackwood employees; they were Sterling Marine Tech mercenaries, ensuring the sabotage went uninterrupted.

"We have company," Finn whispered to Chloe. "Stay here."

"What are you going to do?" she hissed back.

"Improvise."

Finn looked around and spotted a high-pressure steam valve on the wall next to him. He crept closer, keeping in the shadows. He waited until the two mercenaries turned their backs to check the corridor opposite them.

With one swift motion, Finn brought the heavy wrench down on the valve handle, shattering the safety lock and cranking it open.

A deafening hiss erupted as a massive cloud of scalding, white steam blasted into the corridor, instantly blinding the mercenaries. They shouted in pain and confusion, raising their weapons blindly.

Finn didn't hesitate. He charged through the steam, using the wrench like a club. He swung hard, catching the first mercenary in the jaw, sending him crashing to the floor. The second mercenary fired a wild burst of bullets into the ceiling, but Finn tackled him around the waist, driving him hard against the steel bulkhead. The man dropped the gun, gasping for air, and Finn delivered a brutal punch to his temple, knocking him unconscious.

Finn stood up, panting, the steam swirling around him. "Chloe! Let's go!"