The alarm blared through the steel corridors of Syndicate Tower, red emergency lights flashing like bloodstains in the dark.
Enforcer-09 crouched behind a crate, his synthetic muscles tensed. His HUD displayed the countdown: 03:27 minutes until lockdown. That was all the time he had to escape before the entire sector sealed offâtrapping him inside with the Syndicate's kill squads.
He exhaled. No room for mistakes.
The mission was simple: steal the data, escape the tower, and disappear. Yet, everything had gone to hell the moment he breached the server room.
Now, they knew he was here.
The security drones were the first to arrive, buzzing through the air like mechanical wasps. Enforcer-09 whipped out his pulse blade, its neon edge humming with deadly energy. One clean slash, and the first drone split in two. Sparks rained as the second drone firedâa plasma shot barely missing his head.
He rolled forward, closing the gap, and drove the blade through the drone's core. A pulse of energy surged through the air as the machine dropped lifeless to the floor.
02:52 minutes.
Enforcer-09 bolted down the hallway. The real threat was coming.
The walls shook as heavy footsteps echoed through the tower. Mech-Troopers. Seven feet of reinforced armor, equipped with plasma rifles and shock gauntlets. The Syndicate's elite.
A cold voice crackled through the speakers. "Enforcer-09, surrender the data. There is no escape."
He smirked. They always say that.
From his belt, he yanked a neuro-bombâa small device with enough EMP power to fry an entire floor's electronics. He hurled it forward and braced himself.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the hallway, sending shockwaves across the sector. The lights flickered, then darkness.
01:37 minutes.
His enhanced vision adjusted instantly. Through the smoke, he saw themâthree Mech-Troopers, temporarily disoriented. It was all the opening he needed.
He moved.
A blur of neon and steel, Enforcer-09 dashed forward, twisting between them. His blade slashed through armor joints, severing a trooper's limb in one swift motion. The second swung at him with a gauntletâhe ducked, plunging his knife into its neck. Sparks erupted as the body collapsed.
The last trooper turned, but he was too slow.
One shot.
Enforcer-09 fired his wrist blaster. The plasma bolt punched through the mech's visor. It staggered, then dropped.
00:49 seconds.
His exit was in sightâa broken window leading to the city below. Without hesitation, he sprinted and leapt.
Gravity took hold. The wind roared past him as the towering skyline of Neo-Tokyo stretched below. Cars and hover-drones zipped through the neon-lit streets.
Mid-fall, he activated his grappling module, launching a cable toward a passing drone. The hook latched, yanking him forward. He swung through the air, landing on a rooftop with a roll.
The mission was complete.
But this was just the beginning.
The Syndicate wouldn't stop until they hunted him down.
And Enforcer-09?
He wasn't planning to run.
He was planning to fight back.