Chapter 30 - The Final Upload
The helicopter hovered outside, its spotlight cutting through the smoke and darkness. A machine gun mounted on the side began to chew through the cabin's walls. The roof began to collapse.
"Thirty seconds!" Elias cried, his hands flying across the keyboard.
"Get down!" I screamed at Arthur.
We dived behind the server rack just as a hail of bullets shredded the room. Plaster, wood, and glass rained down on us. I covered my head, my ears ringing with the deafening roar of the rotors.
"The download is failing!" Elias shrieked. "The connection is dropping!"
"Fix it!" I roared.
"I need a hardline connection from the antenna on the roof!"
"I'll go!" Arthur shouted, scrambling toward the hatch.
"No, you'll be shredded!" I grabbed his arm. "I'm faster. Stay here and protect the server!"
I didn't wait for his protest. I sprinted toward the hatch, pulling it open. The freezing air rushed in, smelling of gunpowder and ozone. I climbed out onto the slippery roof.
The helicopter was right there, its searchlight blinding. The gunner saw me and pivoted the weapon.
I didn't cower. I lunged for the antenna, grabbing the loose wire. I jammed it into my wrist-link, connecting the local signal.
"Upload it now!" I screamed into my mic.
"Yes!" Elias shouted.
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The screen in the cabin below flashed: UPLOAD COMPLETE.
The helicopter gunner fired, but I rolled off the roof just in time, plummeting into the deep snow below, the world fading into black.
