The air in the server room vibrated with an eerie hum as the countdown continued. The glowing numbers on the wall-mounted screen ticked ominously closer to zero. Renjiro's sharp eyes darted between the remaining drones and his team.
"We're out of time!" Yukari shouted, clutching the hard drive tightly against her chest. "The whole building is rigged to blow!"
"We can't stay here and debate," Renjiro barked. "Move out! Saito, take point!"
Saito nodded, leading the charge toward the exit with his rifle raised. Hana stayed at the rear, her sharp eyes scanning for any remaining threats. The flashing red emergency lights cast the hallway in a surreal glow, heightening the tension as the team sprinted down the corridor.
Behind them, the server room crackled with energy as the self-destruct sequence began to breach its final phases. Explosions rippled through the building, shaking the floor beneath their feet.
"This place is coming down fast!" Hana called out, her voice barely audible over the deafening roar of destruction.
"Keep moving!" Renjiro commanded, guiding Aiko as she stumbled on the uneven floor.
They reached the maintenance stairwell, but it was already unstable. Concrete dust rained down, and the metal railings groaned under the building's shifting weight.
"Do we have another way out?" Saito shouted as they stopped at a collapsed section of the stairs.
"Not unless you've got wings," Yukari quipped, though the fear in her voice betrayed her attempt at humor.
Renjiro assessed the situation quickly, his mind racing. "Hana, use an EMP grenade to stabilize the drones trailing us. Saito, clear a path forward. We'll jump the gap."
"You're insane!" Yukari protested, but Renjiro's hard glare silenced her.
With a determined nod, Hana pulled an EMP grenade from her belt and lobbed it into the stairwell behind them. The resulting pulse disabled the last few pursuing drones, sending them clattering lifelessly to the ground.
Saito fired his rifle into the weakened debris ahead, creating a narrow opening. "Go! One at a time!"
Renjiro went first, landing with a roll on the other side of the gap. He motioned for Aiko to follow.
"I-I'm not sure I can make it!" Aiko stammered, staring at the chasm below.
"You can!" Renjiro said firmly. "Trust me."
Aiko hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath. She sprinted forward and leaped, her heart pounding. Renjiro caught her mid-air, pulling her to safety.
"Good job," he said, giving her a brief nod.
One by one, the team crossed the gap until they finally reached the bottom of the stairwell. The final explosion hit just as they burst through the exit, sending them sprawling onto the pavement outside.
The force of the blast knocked Renjiro to the ground, his arms instinctively shielding Aiko as debris rained down. When the dust settled, the team slowly got to their feet, coughing and bruised but alive.
"Everyone okay?" Renjiro asked, scanning his team.
"Still breathing," Hana replied, brushing ash off her jacket.
"That was way too close," Yukari muttered, clutching the hard drive like a lifeline.
Saito smirked, his usual calm demeanor intact despite the chaos. "Guess Kaede underestimated us."
Renjiro's expression darkened. "She didn't. This was just the beginning. She wanted to test us, and now she knows what we're capable of."
Aiko looked back at the smoldering ruins of the building, a lump forming in her throat. "If that was just a test... what happens when she's serious?"
Renjiro didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked toward the horizon, his jaw tight. "Then we'll be ready. We have to be."
The team regrouped, the weight of their narrow escape heavy on their shoulders. The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear—Kaede wasn't done with them yet.