The gunshots sliced through the air, a harsh and violent reminder that we were running out of time. I turned, instincts kicking in. A trio of Zenith operatives, their weapons raised and their faces masked, emerged from the shadows at the end of the room.
"Get down!" I shouted at Mara.
Before I even had time to react, Alan was already moving, his body a blur as he dove behind a stack of computer servers for cover. I followed his lead, but not before firing off a few rounds in the operatives' direction, forcing them to take cover behind a metal column. The shots rang out, but it was clear they were not as distracted as I had hoped.
Mara, still focused on the terminal, barely flinched at the sound of gunfire, her hands moving with precision across the device. The firewall had been breached, but there was still too much work to do.
"They'll have reinforcements any second," Alan shouted, peeking around the corner to fire a few rounds, taking down one of the operatives with a clean shot. But the other two didn't hesitate. They returned fire, and the air was suddenly filled with the staccato of gunshots.
"Are you done yet?" I called over to Mara, who was now typing furiously, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"I need a few more seconds!" she snapped back, her eyes fixed on the screen. The tension in the air was suffocating as I watched her work, all the while keeping an eye on the two remaining enemies, who had positioned themselves on opposite sides of the room.
The smell of burning electronics and gunpowder filled my nostrils, a reminder of the danger that was closing in. I could hear the distant sound of more footsteps, reinforcements for the operatives who were already here.
I had to act fast.
I looked at Alan, who nodded, reading my thoughts without a word. He started to move again, taking a wide circle around the operatives' position, while I kept their attention locked on me. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I kept my body low, eyes darting from side to side, calculating my next move.
Alan's movements were swift, silent. He caught one of the operatives off-guard, his fist connecting with the man's face in a brutal blow that sent him reeling to the floor. Before the second operative could react, I fired a shot, hitting him square in the chest. He collapsed in a heap.
For a split second, silence descended on the room. I glanced at Mara. She was still typing, and her fingers moved faster now, her lips pressed into a tight line as if willing the system to respond.
"Almost there!" she said through gritted teeth.
Behind us, a loud crash interrupted her. The back door to the warehouse had just been blown open, and a group of at least ten more operatives spilled into the room. I turned, panic flaring for a split second before I swallowed it down. There was no time for fear now.
"Mara!" I shouted. "You need to finish it, now!"
I sprinted toward the new threat, my mind racing with options, but the only thing that mattered was keeping them away from Mara long enough for her to finish what we had started.
Alan moved to meet me, already in position to cover me as I made my move. We couldn't afford to be slow now. The operatives were coming fast, but I had already made up my mind.
I spun around, taking cover behind a nearby pillar, and fired off a few shots, forcing the new group of operatives to duck and take cover. Alan did the same from his position on the far side, his shots keeping them pinned down long enough for us to hold them off.
Mara's voice came through again, shaky but determined. "I'm in… downloading everything now. You just need to hold on."
My hands were clammy, but I couldn't afford to let the fear take control. I kept shooting, taking out one operative after another, barely pausing to take a breath. There was no room for hesitation. Each shot was a reminder that we were getting closer to our goal.
But the reinforcements kept coming.
I was down to my last few rounds when Alan shouted, "We're not gonna make it at this rate! We need to get out of here, now!"
"Just hold them off for a little longer!" I barked, reloading my weapon quickly.
I glanced over at Mara, who was now standing, the laptop clutched tightly in her hands. "Done!" she yelled, her voice triumphant despite the chaos.
I barely processed the words before I turned and grabbed her arm. "Get moving, now!"
But as I pulled her toward the exit, a sharp pain exploded in my side. I stumbled, gasping as my vision blurred for a moment. I glanced down and saw the blood seeping through my shirt, the gunshot wound already beginning to sting with intensity.
I gritted my teeth and pushed through the pain. There was no time to fall. Not now.
"Come on!" Alan shouted, his voice panicked as he saw me falter.
I forced myself to stand tall, my mind focused only on one thing: survival. We couldn't die here. Not when we were so close. I had to keep moving.
With a final burst of adrenaline, we made it to the back door, Alan covering us with a few last shots. As we bolted out into the night, the sound of pursuit echoed behind us, but we were already in motion.
We were alive. But the hardest part was still ahead.
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