"I said open the goddamn hatch!" Lucas raced towards the hatched. He held onto the metal handles as if he could not wait for Sebastian and Rogelio to process his command.

The image of their boss rushing towards them snapped the three that even Bernardo rushed towards the hatch and gave a hand to open it, not minding the rattling of the tables around them.

"Are you out of your mind? The seawater will get inside the building! You are releasing the pressure!" Kristina's sense of duty kicked in, now of all times.

 She dashed towards the two, not minding the added weights of tanks at her back. "Fuck!" Kristina screamed when one of the lights directly above her shattered due to the continued vibrations.

'I needed something to move them! To hell if I die! There are hundreds of people inside this building!' Kristina thought. Her gaze sharpened under the flickering lights.

Her eyes found the cluster of untouched tanks at her side. They were the spare tanks that Bernardo left as the latter rushed to aid his comrades. Not minding that she might get shot for her choice of action, Kristina took one oxygen tank and lifted it above her shoulders.

Her knuckles turned white as she bridged the distance between them. Their back was on her, grunting from the friction of the hatch while the glass walls clattered from the continued vibrations. "I said stop it or you will kill tons of people inside the hotel!"

Veins protruded around her neck as she screamed her profanities, making Lucas look at her. "What –"

A resounding thump resonated when his hand that was holding her silencer pistol met the tank Kristina swung with all of her might. "Fuck, woman!"

The rattle of the gun kissing the tiled floor was muted by the sound of the shelves falling and crashing onto the ground as the vibration tripled in a fraction of a minute.

"Boss!" Rogelio was about to aim at her when Lucas snapped.

"Fucking continue what you are doing, you useless dimwits!" Lucas clenched and unclenched his hand which took the hit from the tank that she was holding as her life depended on it. He cocked his head and curled the corners of his lips as his eyes remained menacing. "Leave this woman to me. I always love the chase."

"Bastard!" Kristina held the tank with both of her hands. She aimed the tank's bottom part toward him. She did not move from her position neither did she. It was as if, they were eyeing each other who would make the first move.

Her gaze kept on darting to the gun between the two of them which was at least two meters from the both of them. Her chest heaved upon the pounding of her heart. Kristina hated the way he was looking at her as if he was amused with her antics.

'Well, excuse me if I do not want to die just yet.' Kristina though. A deep knot lodged between her brows. Her wavering gaze was now locked in his black-colored eyes that reminded her of the predators she watched in N*tGeo Wild. A cold drip of sweat trickled down her spine while her shoulders remained tense. She was waiting for that moment when he would look down at his gun. Because when he do, she would bash his head up with the tank in her arms."I have no time to deal with your rebellious streak, woman."

"Neither do I."

This was her first time being confronted in front of such a man. Kristina's train of thought went to the gutter when she saw his eyes move toward the location of the gun. She did not need to think twice. Kristina raced towards the gun.

The adrenaline kicked in. The tank, though full, was carried by Kristina in one arm as she extended her right hand toward the gun. Pounding heart and widened eyes, she slid against the tiled floor while kneeling on the ground. Her back bent to lengthen her range of grasp only to end up being kicked by the man whose strides beat her.

The stinging of her right palm was the least of her concern as watched Lucas. All the colors of her pale skin had left.

"You are quite troublesome, woman. If only I don't need you!" He leaned down to pick up the gun while his back was against her.

"Screw you!" Kristina crawled. With the tank, she pushed the gun away from his grasp just when he was about to take it.

Lucas snapped his attention to her with his pupils dilating. "You insolent –"

"Aa –ah!" Kristina shielded her head with her arms when the vibrations tripled once again, shattering all the remaining light in the room.

"Fuck!"

"Boss! What is happening?"

"Continue what you are doing, damn it!" Lucas screamed. His veins protruded from his neck.

The debris of shattered lights rained upon them.

It was at this exact moment that a pointy shrapnel of the shattered lights was about to fall onto the curled-up Kristina. "Watch out!"

Still covering her head, Kristina failed to see the falling debris. The vibrations reminded her of the time that she had lost her little sister.

Since they were at the bottom of the hotel situated fifty meters down the surface with sea water encasing them from all directions, Kristina, Lucas, and his men felt the vibrations first before the surface could.

On cue, the red emergency light blinked twice every five seconds before it went steady, followed by the speaker that was eliciting the voice of the security personnel located at the first-floor monitoring facility of the hotel. 

"Attention. Attention. All tourists and staff outside Poseidon Hotel and below the first floor of the hotel, please evacuate to the first floor. A Tsunami warning has been issued by the local government unit after the magnitude 9 earthquake that happened approximately 120 miles from the coastal city of Yucatan. I repeat. All tourists and staff outside Poseidon Hotel and below the first floor of the hotel, please evacuate to the first floor. Please be guided by our security team. Thank you."

The personnel behind the announcement repeated. "Attention. Attention. All tourists and staff outside Poseidon Hotel and below the first floor of the hotel, please evacuate to the first floor. A Tsunami warning has been issued by the local government unit after the magnitude 9 earthquake that happened approximately 120 miles from the coastal city of Yucatan. I repeat. All tourists and staff outside Poseidon Hotel and below the first floor of the hotel, please evacuate to the first floor. Please be guided by our security team. Thank you."

Kristina, who was kneeling on the floor with her head around her hands, was knocked down by a strong force. She snapped her attention to the thing that bumped her. Her head buzzed upon the contact of the tiled floor as she rolled away from the place she was kneeling a moment ago.

She thought that she would see the tank or the table, but all she could see was a man towering over her lying body on the ground... his arm flexed and caged her head as his face was only a mere inches away from hers.

The corners of his lips curled up. "You don't get to die, woman. I am yet to use you so put the goddamn tank and mask on. And we will go for a deep dive."

'The man who is hell-bent on killing me just saved me from...' 

Kristina's thoughts paused. She eyed the place she was kneeling at a while ago and saw tons of debris from the shattered lights from the ceiling. 

'... danger.'

"Yo-You saved me... Why?" Incoherent words spewed from her parched throat. The trembling at her back lessened drastically. Kristina could not help but wander her gaze elsewhere upon the sudden changes when the sea bed was shaking badly only a fraction of a minute ago.

The widening of his eyes was the telltale sign that even he was not aware of his action, deepening the knot lodged between her brows. Kristina was about to open her lips to prod him more when Rogelio's voice stopped her.

"Boss, we unlocked it!" Rogelio yelled.

The resounding clicking sound of the hatch being open was followed by a series of grunts from the three underlings of Lucas. Gone was Lucas above her ever since Rogelio's news. Lucas was now securing his tanks and masks.

Rogelio's voice laden with pride and arrogance made Kristina snap. She had to stop them or the Poseidon Hotel would be in danger. The four of them were wearing diving suits so who would lock the hatch again? It was not allowed to open the hatch... it was simply too dangerous.Kristina stood up. 

"Please. We can use the docks. There is not much difference, is there? You can take the treasure I don't care, just, leave the hatch alone. That hatch keeps the buoyancy force in this fifty-meter part of the Poseidon Hotel. Many people could die! Please... I beg of you."

"I have enough of your stubborn streaks." Lucas clenched his jaws. His silencer pistol was now aimed at Kristina, making the latter gasp while she took a step back. He continued. "Put. The. Goddamn. Tank. And. Mask. On." 

He emphasized each word as his thumb pulled the safety pin. Just one pull and it will kill her straight to her skull.

Kristina's tears fell from her eyes. She cried not for the stench of death looming over her. Instead, she cried for the sole reason that she had failed once again. The stinging pain from her palm as blood drew from her fingernails was the last of her concern. As she raised both of her hands as an act of surrender, like some piece of a shitty coward when she let the police take her from the car where her little sister was. Kristina wanted to cackle and roll to the ground.

'Fuck. I am such a useless human being.' Kristina thought as she took the tank that fell from her shoulders a few moments ago. 

Like a robot programmed to do what she was intended to do, Kristina obeyed Lucas while her tears dried from her eyes. The only remnants of her crying frenzy were the tear-soaked cheeks she had.

With her head cast down, Kristina did not see Lucas bite his lower lip as he watched her trembling before him. He slowly lowered his pistol and turned away from her. Though he kept on glancing at her as he led them both to the newly opened hatch, Lucas did not dare to open his lips again.

"Boss?" Sebastian nudged his boss who was standing in front of the hatch before him.

Lucas's reflection was not clear on the water before them where they would dive. Without the circular hatch, the seawater inside the rectangular pool before them would be the only thing between them and the seawater. He nodded his head as a signal to his men before he looked behind him.

 "You go first since you know these waters like the back of your hand as you have said. I am giving you the chance to live so prove yourself worthy."

Kristina gulped audibly. She inched herself closer to the rubbery landing point. The red light from the emergency light and the ripples of the water made it impossible for her to look at her reflection as she stood and hovered over the edge of the pool that would lead her to the passage which would lead to the lost City of Mayan.

"Bitch, move!" Rogelio pushed her eliciting a harsh gasp from Kristina.

Lucas clicked his tongue before he released his command. "Follow her."

"Aye, Boss."

"Yes, Boss."

Lucas was the last one to jump. He looked behind the hatch, the sole reason why she was fighting him with all her might. He was about to reach it when his hand stopped midway. "Why would I listen to that woman?"

Shaking his head, Lucas followed suit into the pool.

He failed to see the fallen debris trembling against the tiled floor.