Episode 42 Shadows Of Blood
15 Miles: The Heist
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 42: Shadows of Blood
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Julian's boots pounded against the damp tunnel floor as the figure ahead—Zane—darted into the maze of side corridors. Every step echoed with betrayal. Carter trailed behind, silent, unreadable. Not just hunting a traitor now—he was hunting his brother.
"Block the upper exits!" Julian barked into his comms. "He's not leaving this place alive."
Zane slipped through the shadows with practiced precision. He knew these tunnels like the back of his hand. How long had he been working for Lucian? How deep did the betrayal go?
Reese and Eve flanked opposite ends of the corridor. Smoke grenades hissed. Visibility dropped. A shadow moved left.
"I've got him!" Reese shouted.
BANG! BANG!
Shots rang out. Silence followed.
When the smoke cleared, only a blood trail remained. Zane was hit—but still alive.
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Above ground, Lucian stood in Nexus Tower's central core, staring at a blinking light on the console. A warning. System breach.
He turned to his lieutenant. "Julian found the Core."
"But it's obsolete. Why would he waste resources—?"
Lucian smiled coldly. "Because he thinks I abandoned it. He's going to try to overload the system. Trigger a chain detonation."
He turned to a red panel. "Activate Specter Unit."
"But sir, they're not—"
"Now."
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Back below, the team gathered near the Core. Dust filled the air, and the air was thick with tension.
Julian stared down at Dr. Ren's lifeless body, still bleeding out onto the stone floor. "She was about to tell us."
"She said it was Zane," Eve replied quietly.
"But we never heard it from her," Carter added. "And we never confirmed how deep the rot goes."
Reese paced. "Doesn't matter. We've got a plan. We hit Nexus where it hurts."
Lara stepped forward. "And if we trigger the overload sequence, we shut down Nexus. No backups. No escape routes."
"But the Core can't survive the burst," Eve warned. "If we do this… we go full rogue."
Julian's eyes blazed. "Then we burn with it, if we must. For Max. For the lives Ghost Net took."
He plugged the data core Max had died for into the ancient system. The walls shuddered. Lights turned red. Protocols initialized.
ACCESS OVERRIDE: RECKONING PROTOCOL ENGAGED.
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Elsewhere, Zane limped into an abandoned side hall, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He activated a transmitter.
"I'm compromised," he hissed. "D7 knows."
Lucian's voice crackled through. "Then you know what to do."
Zane looked at the vial strapped to his chest—chemical grade detonation, small but deadly.
His jaw clenched. "Understood."
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Back at the Core, alarms wailed louder. The temperature dropped rapidly.
Eve pulled Julian aside. "There's a new signal. Moving toward us fast."
Lara scanned the display. "Encrypted. It's one of ours."
Carter's face went pale. "No… It's Zane. And he's got something nasty."
Julian turned to Reese. "Can we intercept him?"
Reese loaded a heavy rifle. "I've been waiting to finish this."
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Three levels above, in the maintenance shaft, Zane prepped the detonation. His vision blurred. Blood loss was catching up, but his resolve remained. He had believed in Lucian. In rebuilding the world with power, control, and absolute obedience.
But deep down, as he stared at the blinking red light on the vial, he hesitated.
"You're not a killer, Zane," a memory echoed—Carter's voice, from years ago.
The past clawed at him, but the mission screamed louder.
He pulled the pin—
CLANG!
A boot hit the side of his face. He dropped hard.
Reese stood above him, gun aimed. "You first."
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Back below, Julian watched the countdown.
"Final phase engaged," the console announced.
Eve looked at him. "Once this runs, there's no turning back."
Julian glanced at the data core. Max's sacrifice. Dr. Ren's intel. Carter's shattered trust.
"No turning back," he echoed. "Only forward."
He pressed the final key.
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To be continued…
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15 Miles: The Heist