Breaking the Ambush

Jade barely had a second to think before another wave of hostiles stormed in.

"Skye, how long before backup arrives?" she barked, ducking behind a metal crate as bullets pinged off the surface.

"Define backup," Skye shot back through comms. "Because if you mean the military, that's a no-go. We're on our own."

Rico groaned. "Oh, fantastic. I love it when we're outnumbered."

Jade peeked over her cover and fired a tracking bullet, watching it curve mid-air to hit a soldier diving behind a crate. "Then we make our own way out. Ari, do you have eyes on their leader?"

Ari steadied Requiem, scanning the area. "Not yet."

Gage, already mid-charge, raised Hailstorm and fired an Armor Piercer Round straight into the chest of an enemy wielding a riot shield. The guy flew back, crashing through a wall.

"Jade, we've got an issue," Skye's voice came through, tension laced in her tone. "I just hacked into their comms. They have reinforcements coming from the roof."

Jade clenched her jaw. They were being boxed in.

No time to waste.

"Rico, Gage, with me. We'll punch through the front. Ari, Skye—clear our exit from above."

Rico smirked. "I like the sound of punching through."

Jade stepped out of cover, firing Multi-Mode Rounds into the enemies ahead. Some rounds pierced through their armor, while others exploded on impact, sending debris flying.

Rico teleported into the middle of the chaos, unleashing a rapid burst from his Vortex Twins, his bullets ricocheting off the walls and hitting enemies behind cover.

Gage slammed his weapon box and overclocked Hailstorm, firing a storm of bullets that tore through the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Ari lined up her shots from the catwalk. Phase Shot activated.

Her bullets passed through crates and armor like they were nothing, dropping targets before they even knew what hit them.

"Three down," she muttered.

Skye wasn't just watching either—her holographic screens flickered as she hacked into the enemy's drones, redirecting them to fire at their own squad.

BZZT! The drones whirled around, blasting their former allies.

Jade didn't stop moving. She dashed forward, vaulting over a crate, kicking an enemy's rifle away before slamming her elbow into his face. She flipped Eclipse onto her back and summoned her knife, spinning it in her fingers.

One slash. Two down.

Rico teleported beside her. "Showoff."

"Move."

More enemies swarmed in, but the squad was already ahead of them.

Ari's next shot cleared the last enemy blocking the exit.

Jade didn't hesitate. "Everyone—fall back!"

They bolted toward the exit, dodging gunfire. Skye threw up a holographic flashbang as cover, and Gage laid down suppressing fire.

The moment they reached the outside, a massive aircraft hovered above the facility.

Jade's stomach sank.

This wasn't over. Not even close.