Systems active

 “ That went smoothly.” Allen said to me.

The soldier was keeping watch as I handled the data transfer.

 “ Yep. Should be done transferring in about twenty seconds. Gives you plenty of time to deal with that security team.” I told him, as I checked the surveillance system.

 “ Why didn't you tell me?” He shouted, aiming his pistol at the door.

 “ Breaching charges goes off in three seconds.” I warned.

Just as the charge detonated, time seemed to slow. It wasn't any doing of fate or adrenaline though. I had simply boosted the clock rate on the processor in Allen's armour that made up my brain. The corresponding effect was that time appeared to move much slower, roughly a thousandth of normal time.

 “ Allen, you and I have very different ideas about what's a short period of time.” I said. While I could only exist in a simulated environment, I always ensured it matched that of what was in Allen's surroundings.

 “ Alright, time to focus.” I told myself. I had to save Allen, and I had to figure it out soon.

Immediately, I visually checked to see what we were up against. There were a total of four hostiles, all of them armed with SMGs, and wearing body armour. A quick glance told me the armour wouldn't put up much resistance to the AP ammo Allen carried.

The SMGs on the other hand, would be a problem. Searching my available data stores, I realized that the only weapon options that matched the basic appearance of the hostiles weapons, could all chew through Allen's armour.

 “ First things first then.” I thought, as I scanned the area for available cover. My options were limited. The door had remained intact after getting knocked off its hinges, so that could do.

I went ahead and did an trajectory calculation, and groaned at the results. All of the likely trajectories the door could take would make it ineffective as cover.

There also existed a small table in the room, but I had serious doubts as to its effectiveness as cover. There was simply no way the table was thick enough to stop a bullet.

 “ Need something… well hello.” I said, looking at the ceiling. Two large access panels, with wireless control. They would also be more then thick enough to serve as cover.

I immediately ran a system link straight to the wireless panel controllers. With barely a thought, I triggered the panels, and they began the process of swinging downwards. The panel on the right was the closest, so Allen would likely prioritize that one. I decided to drop them both just in case.

 “ Not liking these odds still.” I thought to myself. Even with the advantage of cover, it was still four on one right now. After a second scan of the hostiles, I found my answer.

 “ Bad time for a remote explosive buddy.”

It took less than a twentieth of a second to connect to the detonator, and prep it to detonate. I decided against immediate activation. For one, the charge was small, and in no way guaranteed to kill. Secondly, I still needed to deal with the other three.

I took a quick glance at the holstered secondary of another attacker. It was clearly a stun pistol, likely equipped with remotely triggered shock charges. A quick scan confirmed the theory.

 “ This is gonna sting a lot.” I thought, as I set up a connection link to the pistols ammunition. It was a wireless system, and the only difficulty was in finding the right frequency. Immediately, I set the cartridge to deliver the highest voltage it could in the shortest time span. Individually, the single rounds charge wouldn't be enough to do anything through the gun and holster. All eight cartridges on the other hand, might do a lot.

 “ Cover, check. Reduced hostile count, check. And all with point eight seconds to spare.” I thought, congratulating myself.

I stopped myself, feeling like an idiot. I immediately ran a trajectory analysis on each of the hostiles. They were lined up in a rough row, and the two on the right would not be happy when their equipment went off, but I could do nothing about the other two.

I checked what their current weapon holding position was, as well as how quickly they were lining up their shots on Allen. None of them had managed to line up a shot yet, but all of them were getting close. The inner left one was moving the slowest, so I put that as a reduced priority. The one farthest to the left however, was nearly in position to shoot. With nothing I could do on my end, I simply marked him as the top priority.

As if on cue, the system delivered a warning. The processor was getting dangerously warm, and soon I would need to revert to a conventional time state to continue.

 “ Transferring data to HUD.” I said, marking the priority target, and a movement direction for Allen.

Before reverting to standard time, I triggered the pistol cartridges and the explosive. With the target being closest to having a shot eliminated first, two others wounded, and the last off balance, it was no wonder Allen got out unscathed.