Kade barely had time to react before the hovercraft's cannons unleashed a storm of plasma fire. The street erupted in flames, sending shockwaves through the ruins. He pulled Lyra behind a collapsed wall just as a second barrage rained down, scorching the ground where they had been standing moments ago.
"They're not playing around!" Lyra shouted over the deafening explosions.
"No kidding," Kade muttered, pressing his back against the concrete.
The hovercraft hovered ominously above them, its searchlights sweeping the ruins. More Syndicate soldiers were inbound—he could already hear the heavy footfalls of mechs approaching from the far end of the street. They were closing in fast.
"We need to move. Now."
Lyra glanced at him, her cybernetic eye glowing faintly. "I might have an idea, but it's a little insane."
"Perfect. I like insane."
She pointed to a rusted, half-buried vehicle nearby—an old hover-bike, barely intact but still operational.
"I can hotwire it," she said. "But we'll have to go through them."
Kade's smirk returned. "Through them works just fine."
Lyra dashed to the bike, her fingers working quickly to override its system. The moment it whirred to life, the hovercraft's alarms blared, and the cannons adjusted to lock onto their position.
"Go!" Kade yelled, leaping onto the bike just as Lyra revved it to full power.
The engine roared, sending a shockwave through the rubble as the bike shot forward. Plasma rounds scorched the air behind them, barely missing as they sped toward the advancing Syndicate mechs.
Kade raised his plasma blade, gripping the side of the bike with one hand. "Hold steady!"
Lyra swerved at the last second, dodging the first mech's swipe. Kade leaned into the motion, slashing clean through its leg joint. The mech stumbled, crashing into the ground with a deafening boom.
"Nice move, but we still have two more!" Lyra warned.
The remaining mechs adjusted their targeting systems, red dots flickering across Kade's chest. The hovercraft above fired another blast, forcing Lyra to bank hard to the right.
Kade took the opening. He leaped off the bike mid-turn, somersaulting through the air before landing atop the nearest mech. He drove his plasma blade into its core, twisting the hilt as energy surged through the circuits. Sparks erupted, and the mech convulsed violently before collapsing.
"Kade, behind you!"
He spun just as the last mech grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Its grip tightened, metal fingers crushing his windpipe.
Lyra fired her pulse pistol, aiming for the mech's exposed servos. Sparks flew, and the grip loosened just enough for Kade to break free. He twisted mid-air, slicing through its arm before jamming his blade into its neural hub.
The mech collapsed with a final, broken whir.
Kade landed on one knee, catching his breath. Above them, the hovercraft adjusted its course, preparing another devastating shot.
"Time to go!" Lyra shouted, swinging the hover-bike around to pick him up.
Kade jumped back on, and Lyra gunned it forward, weaving through the burning ruins as the hovercraft rained destruction behind them.
Ahead, the Core District's towering gates loomed—their only chance at survival. But as they neared the checkpoint, alarms flared to life, and a new voice crackled over the comms.
"Going somewhere, Kade?"
The voice was chillingly familiar.
Kade's grip tightened.
"Commander Saren," he muttered under his breath.
The gates began to open—not to let them in, but to reveal an entire squadron of Syndicate enforcers blocking their path. At the front of them stood Saren, his cold, cybernetic gaze locked onto Kade.
Lyra cursed under her breath. "Tell me you have a plan."
Kade exhaled sharply. "Yeah. Don't stop."
And with that, they charged straight toward their deadliest enemy yet.