The drones buzzed to life, their laser beams slicing through the air with surgical precision. Renjiro quickly fired at the nearest one, but its nimble movements made it a difficult target.
"Yukari, how much longer?" Renjiro shouted as he dodged a beam that seared through a server rack, sending sparks flying.
"Almost done!" Yukari yelled back, her fingers blurring over the keyboard. "The download is at 90%! Just hold them off a little longer!"
Aiko crouched behind a server, her hands shaking as she gripped her stun gun. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. She wasn't going to let fear hold her back. Spotting a drone targeting Yukari, she jumped into action.
"Over here, you oversized mosquito!" she screamed, firing her stun gun at the drone. The charge hit its mark, causing the machine to falter mid-air before crashing to the ground.
"Aiko, get back!" Renjiro barked as another drone veered toward her.
Renjiro moved quickly, taking out the approaching drone with a precise shot to its sensor array. He turned to Aiko, his eyes blazing. "You're going to get yourself killed! Stay in cover!"
"I can't just hide while everyone else is fighting!" Aiko shot back, her resolve unwavering.
Renjiro was about to respond when Hana's voice crackled through their comms. "We're outside the server room. Hold on!"
The door burst open, and Hana and Saito charged in, weapons blazing. Saito's rifle released a spray of bullets, taking out two drones in quick succession. Hana moved with lethal efficiency, using a compact EMP grenade to disable a cluster of drones.
"About time," Renjiro muttered, reloading his gun.
"The lockdown slowed us down," Hana said, smirking as she tossed another grenade, which sent a wave of EMP energy through the room. The remaining drones dropped from the air, lifeless.
"Download complete!" Yukari exclaimed, pulling the device from the terminal.
"Good, because we're out of time!" Saito shouted, pointing to a wall-mounted monitor that displayed a countdown timer.
"What's that?" Aiko asked, her voice trembling.
"A self-destruct sequence," Yukari said, her face pale. "Kaede's rigged the building to blow."
Renjiro cursed under his breath. "Everyone move! Now!"
The team sprinted out of the server room, the countdown echoing in their ears. The hallways were filled with flashing red lights and the blaring of alarms.
"This way!" Yukari yelled, leading them toward the maintenance stairs.
They descended as fast as they could, the vibrations from the impending explosion growing stronger with each passing second. Saito took point, clearing the path ahead with his rifle, while Hana covered their rear.
Aiko stumbled on the last flight of stairs, but Renjiro caught her arm, pulling her to her feet. "Stay with me!"
The team burst out of the building just as the timer hit zero. A deafening explosion erupted behind them, and the force of the blast sent them sprawling to the ground.
Renjiro shielded Aiko with his body as debris rained down around them. When the dust finally settled, the team looked back to see the building reduced to a smoldering ruin.
"That was too close," Hana muttered, brushing ash off her jacket.
"Did we get the data?" Saito asked, coughing.
Yukari held up the device, a triumphant smile on her face. "We got it. But Kaede's not going to let us keep it without a fight."
Renjiro helped Aiko to her feet, his expression grim. "Then we'll be ready. This isn't over."