Chapter 29:The Final Countdown

Now the escape was not if, but when. As the last sounds of the explosion reverberated down the tunnel, James felt his heartbeat spike. They needed to move now or risk losing everything. The Syndicate's muscle was on their tail.

James's body hurt with every movement. His head pounded, his eyes blurry from the blast. He couldn't afford to stay down. His team needed him and they needed to leave there before they didn't.

"Everyone on their feet!" James barked, his voice hoarse but authoritative.

Sarah launched herself off the wall, her face smeared with grime and blood. She wasn't as steady as she usually was, but there was no wavering in her resolve. "Let's finish this."

Hassan grunted as he commenced stirring from the fog left in the wake of the explosion. It bled in the arm whereas he did not, but slowed down a 10th too. "We can't run and run forever."

Lina, the laptop still gripping the palms of her hands, was pale but resolute. "The encryption is done. We've got everything we need. Now we just need to stay alive long enough to use it.'

James nodded, holding onto his rifle. "We need to move out now. The Syndicate's reinforcements are on their way. "We can't have another fight."

All despite the pain and the injuries, the team moved in parallel, their minds on survival. James took point, forging into the dark, smoke-filled corridor. In that dense silence that descended after the chaos, each sound was magnified. All the walls, which used to be strong and quiet, no longer seemed like protection, but a trap tightening around them.

When they got to the service exit, it was locked. James muttered under his breath. Time was running out. The explosion had summoned every guard within a mile, and the building was on high alert.

Backing up, over by the server room, Wren was in charge. "I've got this. Move."

His eyes jumped to the keypad on the door as he stepped forward. His fingers danced across the code, entering a flurry of commands. As James kept his silent vigil, his weapon drawn against any sudden moves, minutes seemed like hours. A silence so thick, every moment was a stride into death.

At last, the door unlocked with a gentle click.

"Go!" "Go," Wren ordered, already pulling away into the dark blurring of the alley ahead.

The group poured into the alley, the footfalls swallowed by the surrounding structures. The city around them seemed immune to the storm at work beneath its surface, but James knew better. The Syndicate was not an opponent to let them go so easily.

They had to keep moving.

They were silent as they ran, moving from alley to alley, hiding behind dumpsters and cars. They breathed in rough gulps, but instincts kept them vigilant. Every corner might hide a potential ambush, every shadow a threat.

Lina, holding tightly to the hard drive, glanced behind her. "We need extraction. They're not far behind."

James nodded. "We've got one shot at this. Wren, anything fromour contact?"

Wren is slowing his pace and gazing out at the street. "There's a safe house two blocks from here. Our extraction team is standing by. But we need to move fast."

Just as they approached the safehouse, a shout rang out in the darkness.

"Stop right there!"

A ragtag group of Syndicate soldiers stepped out of the darkness with their guns drawn. They had expected every single one of their moves. James swore quietly to himself.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "We can't take them all out."

Lina, still clinging to the laptop, swallowed nervously. "We need to buy time. I can pull them out of the system just give me a minute."

James had already been calculating their options. "We hold them off. Buy Lina the time she needs."

The team fanned out quickly, taking defensive postures. James hid behind a nearby wall, weapon drawn at the soldiers. Sarah walked the other way, and Hassan disappeared into the shadows. Wren took up position atop the roof, a perfect location for a sniper.

The Syndicate soldiers surrounded them with arms raised, eyes on the team.

"Five seconds," Lina said under her breath, her fingers flying over the laptop.

James's heart raced. The soldiers were too close. Too many. They had to make a move.

"Open fire!" James shouted.

Gunshots echoed through the night as the team exchanged fire with Syndicate's enforcers. James's rifle roared, knocking two soldiers to the ground. Right beside him were Sarah and Hassan, their weapons weaving a dance of death and accuracy.

But the Syndicate possessed numbers, and the team was outgunned. The soldiers advanced, eating away at the distance.

"Lina, now!" James shouted.

The last finger flew across the keyboard and with a click, Lina hacked into the Syndicate's system and sent them a pulse through their communications. The soldiers froze for a second as the signal was sent, and in that moment of excitement, the team took action.

Wren, high above, dropped another soldier with clean shot.

"Move!" James yelled, tugging Lina by the arm, dragging her into the alley.

They ran toward the safehouse as gunfire echoed behind them. They made it to the door, yet as James grabbed the handle, a violent sound of an explosion sounded out, something as loud as thunder, only to be escaped by a heavy clang of steel hitting cement.

The Syndicate had one final trap for them.

They had compromised the safehouse.