Chapter 71: Threads of Blood and Iron
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Location: Nero's Secret Laboratory - Inside the Metal Island
Franco froze, his eyes fixed on the man he had just revealed.
Franco (in a trembling voice):
"My uncle...? That's impossible."
Zane (quietly, walking over to Franco):
"Your name is Franco Pato... and your mother's maiden name was Iliana Ferri. My sister."
Luca (advancing cautiously):
"But Iliana died during the first revolution... how?"
Zane:
"She died... because they rejected my idea. They refused to use science to create the new generation. They killed my dream, and they killed her."
Marco (whispering to Columbo):
"I'm still confused... Your uncle? Is this a Turkish TV series or a genetic experiment?"
Colombo (in a serious whisper):
"Both, unfortunately."
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Zane extends his hand toward Franco, his voice programmed to a calm, ominous tone:
Zane:
"Join me, Franco. No one understands your power better than I do. We rebuild Venosa, with a new law... the law of reason, not emotion."
Franco (firmly):
"Power without heart... becomes a weapon of annihilation. And that's what you've become."
Zane:
"I haven't changed... you're just late to understanding."
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Back doors open, and a line of robotic children emerges—each one holding a weapon, their eyes flashing blue.
Irina (looking in amazement):
"Children with digital brains... this isn't protecting the next generation, this is future slavery."
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A sharp alarm sounds... Suddenly, a huge shadow pierces the ceiling, and a giant war machine piloted by a familiar figure drops from above...
Rocco (screaming through a megaphone):
"Did you miss me? I brought the bombing party early!"
Savio (bursts out in laughter):
"Rocco! I never imagined I'd be so happy seeing a machine the size of a skyscraper!"
Marco (looking at the machine):
"I'm sure he stole it from a museum... or from a movie."
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The attack begins. Columbo blows up the support walls, Irina unlocks the encryption systems, and Savio fights a clone of himself created by "Zane."
Zane (fighting Franco face-to-face):
"You're an unfinished project... but you were born to destroy me. So be it."
Franco (holding a secret energy sword he received from Marco):
"My mother raised me never to run... not from blood, not from the truth."
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The fight between Franco and Zane turns epic—a combination of deadly techniques and unresolved emotions. The ground beneath them begins to shake.
Irina (shouting):
"The base's going to collapse! Luca, where's the back tunnel?"
Luca:
"Through the neuro lab... but first we have to go through the pool of rotting corpses."
Marco:
"Yeah, sure. A fun ride into the horror world, only we need some scary music."
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Franco stabs Zane in the shoulder, and he retreats. Zane falls to his knees, bleeding real blood—proving he's not entirely a machine.
Zane (shaky):
"I... I just wanted to build a world where a child wouldn't fear tomorrow."
Franco (broken):
"But you made tomorrow a prison for them... not a hope."
Zane (whispering):
"I ran from my past... so I built hell for others..."
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The ceiling collapses... Franco jumps in and pulls Zane with him through a tunnel, while the other team narrowly escapes.
Location: Off the island - at the sea's surface
The submarine shakes, and everyone enters one by one, miraculously escaping.
Rocco (sighing as he climbs down from the giant machine):
"Okay... I need sleep... and food that doesn't explode."
Marco (patting his shoulder):
"And I need therapy... ever since I decided to accompany you."
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Franco looks up at the gray sky, Zane beside him, unconscious but still breathing.
Franco (inner whisper):
"The end is near... but the truth is just beginning."