First to strike, the massive Crejak guard swung both of his left fists in a forceful blow to Yan's chest. Yan was able to block just in time, but it took all of his body weight and both arms to absorb the blow without getting hit. Immediately launching a counterattack, he knocked the guard off balance and quickly followed with a powerful roundhouse kick. Regaining his balance, the guard—who was surprisingly nimble for his size—caught Yan's leg, violently twisted it, and swept him off his feet onto the rooftop of blackened steel.
In order to improve his mobility, Yan immediately leaped back up and tore off his faded, light green medical shirt. In addition, he had always believed that he looked better without a shirt. Yan took the initiative during the brief pause. He launched a quick barrage of well-placed blows, each with enough power to break bone if it struck. Although his many limbs stopped the majority of Yan's blows, the four-armed guard blocked awkwardly and lacked the speed to successfully block every blow. Nevertheless, Yan pushed forward, gaining ground as each blocked blow caused the guard to flinch back a little. He had a chance to win if he could push the Crejak toward the edge.
Not much had changed in Lek's office. In just a few more minutes, Nayla and Luna would be able to extract the encrypted files and withdraw to a safe place to decrypt them. They were almost done downloading the targeted data from the computer network. With a half-finished soda from the wet bar sitting next to her chair, Nora continued to be quietly engrossed in her data pad. Kieran kept a disinterested eye on the doors, occasionally wandering past the broken window.
A figure backed slowly into view, and suddenly a heavy boot came through the window frame, followed by another. Kieran recognized the massive Crejak guard's solid black uniform. Then Yan showed up on the narrow ledge, shirtless and in tattered medical pants, trading angry blows with the guard. Yan's arms and chest were already covered in fresh bruises, and his shoulder was bleeding profusely from a cut.
"Yan's out there!" Kieran shouted, reaching for Yan's sword and his bladed staff that were leaning against the wall.
The others whirled around, glancing at Kieran before turning to face the life-or-death conflict taking place outside the window. They armed themselves immediately. Nearest to the window, Nayla slammed her sword's heavy pommel against the thick, tinted glass. The impact only created a dull thunk that reverberated oddly in the silent office, the force bounced harmlessly back, and the pane did not even shudder.
Both fighters were startled by the sound outside, and their battle was briefly stopped. Yan was the first to recover. He grabbed the chance and threw his arms around the guard's broad shoulders. The stunned Crejak was slammed backward into the window by him, and he instantly yanked him over the edge and toward the precipice. Even through the bulletproof glass, the guard's last, guttural yell could be heard before he fell to the alley twenty stories below. Yan grimly waited for the noise to stop.
For a few seconds, there was a heavy silence in the office before the staff inside jumped into action, attempting to figure out how to open the window and let Yan in. The enormous pane, which was fixed into a sturdy steel frame without any discernible hinges, was obviously made to withstand high-caliber sniper rounds. It seemed impossible to open without special tools.
Luna assumed command. She calmly ordered, "Stand back," and held up her M16 rifle.
Yan prudently moved aside on the ledge, out of the line of fire, as her companions swiftly cleared the area by the window. With practiced ease, Luna squeezed the trigger, dumping a full magazine into the corners where the frame and glass met. The window was not built to withstand concentrated, prolonged fire; rather, it was designed to stop single impacts. The pane was clearly loosened within the frame, and cracks were visible along the edges. Kieran further jeopardized the integrity of the window by adding four shotgun blasts, one for each corner.
The five fighters now gathered around the damaged pane, pounding at it with sword pommels and rifle butts. The glass eventually buckled under the combined attack, spilling outward in a single, massive sheet of cracks. Yan came back and hopped down from the outside ledge onto the office floor with ease.
"Hi," he said, the utterly unimpressive greeting considering the situation.
Okani took Yan's sword, dagger, and OICW rifle from against the wall and said, "I think these are yours." Yan gripped the rifle, tucked his remaining pistol into the waistband of his pants, and skillfully slung the sword and dagger across his back.
He inquired, "Where's the other pistol?"
Nora joked, "Your girlfriend's got it,"
"All right. "Where is she?"
"Safe in her office," says Kieran.
With a nod of approval, Yan headed straight for the wet bar, Kieran following.
"Are the files copied?" Luna was asked by Nayla.
Luna looked at the computer screen that was glowing. "Upload complete" was displayed in a plain text box. Enjoy your day! After giving Nayla a nod, she ejected the data storage device and returned the KRY virus drive to her. Luna carefully tucked the gadget holding Lek's data into a combat vest pocket that was zippered. At that moment, Kieran was right behind Yan as he came back from the bar, his breath now distinctly smelling of pricey whiskey.
"Much better," Yan exclaimed, obviously having consumed just enough to maintain coordination but slightly impair judgment.
"Shall we?" Okani pointed to the wide-open window and asked.
"After you, Mr. Okani," Yan said, bowing excessively low. With a slight smile, Okani cautiously stepped onto the outside ledge of the building. With their weapons at the ready, the others did the same.
"Where's Amelina's office?" Yan enquired.
"Five windows down," said Nayla.
They proceeded carefully along the ledge before coming to a halt and tapping on the designated window. Amelina was inside, working on paperwork at her desk. Her hand automatically went to Yan's pistol on the desk next to her as she looked up abruptly at the sound, her eyes first darting to her office door. She turned to face the window when she heard a second knock. When she noticed the group outside, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Yan grinned broadly. She smiled back and walked over to the window.
Kieran suggested, "Tell her to stand back," as he was already loading a low-yield grenade round into the under-barrel launcher of his shotgun.
"Hell no!" Luna snarled and tightened her grip on his wrist. "She can meet us downstairs, you idiot." Sheepishly, Kieran dropped his weapon. Yan approached the glass and signaled to Amelina to meet them at the ground-level entrance with clear hand gestures. Amelina gave a perceptive nod through the glass. Subsequently, she walked resolutely to a tall cabinet in the corner of her office, used an antiquated metal key to unlock it, and took out a sleek, fully automatic assault rifle and a black bulletproof vest before leaving through the interior door and out of sight.
"She's got guts, that woman," Nora commented with approval.
Along the spiral ledge of the building, the six companions continued their cautious descent. They arrived at the ground floor ten minutes later, where Amelina was already waiting in the dim alley. She exuded beauty and lethality despite wearing a heavy black Kevlar vest over her exquisite silk evening gown. She was holding an advanced electromagnetic weapon, which was basically Okani's sniper rifle with a faster rate of fire. It didn't require chemical propellant, so it didn't eject shell casings. The weapon was renowned for its remarkable dependability and compact durability despite its sophisticated technology.
Yan hurried to Amelina as soon as his feet touched the sidewalk, giving her a quick but intense kiss before turning back to the others.
Silently, "Let's go," he said. Although there was plenty of cover from the thumping bass of the local nightclubs, stealth was still crucial. Yan trailed Amelina to her car, a low-slung, four-wheeled vehicle painted a deep matte black that seemed to engulf the light around it. It was obviously a high-performance machine manufactured by a company that specialized in aerospace and racing vehicles.
The others dispersed, making their way to the municipal parking deck nearby where they had parked their cars. While Kieran, Nora, Luna, and Nayla mounted their motorcycles and left the fifth bike behind, Okani grabbed his red Mercedes sedan.
They met up by the entrance to the parking deck. The tight formation of four motorcycles followed Okani in the spontaneous motorcade. Yan scanned the roads behind them as Amelina's car pulled up behind them.
"Flash your fog lights if someone follows," Okani told Amelina over communications prior to their departure. They were not at all secure.
Pushing the speed limit without going overboard and drawing unwanted attention, the six cars smoothly accelerated onto the main thoroughfare. After a few minutes of maintaining a constant speed, Okani noticed the recognizable flashing yellow lights of pursuit vehicles in his rearview mirror. They had a tail.
Their backup plan immediately came into action: disperse at different highway exits, locate makeshift shelter, and reassemble as quickly as possible at the Kyara. Okani glanced at the signs along the road. Prison in Exile Compound: 250 meters. As he got ready to leave, he was taken aback by what he saw at the ramp's entrance: a number of police hovercraft forming a hurried roadblock that would prevent him from getting off the highway. Using the built-in comm system in his car, he rapidly dialed Amelina's encrypted cell phone to get as far ahead of the roadblock as possible. Yan replied.
Despite the circumstances, Okani spoke first, his voice level. "We have a problem."
"No shit?" Yan fired back. "That might explain the ten police cruisers on our ass, plus a couple of unmarked vans."
"What's the plan?" Okani enquired.
"Now, everyone is for themselves. As quickly as possible, arrive at the Kyara and turn on every system. We'll follow closely behind you. Good luck. The connection died.