Season 2 chapter 81 Episode 24 The Final Protocol
15 Miles: The Heist
Season 2: Shadows Rising
By Rapwizzy Debaron
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Chapter 81: Season 2 – Episode 24
The Final Protocol
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Thunder rolled like war drums as dawn cracked over Blackridge, casting blood-red hues across the skyline. Fires still burned where Architect constructs had touched down, and the scent of scorched earth mingled with the iron tang of battle.
Julian stood in front of the war table—its surface now littered with the last blueprint they had. One way in. No way out.
"This is it," he said, his voice gravelly. "We breach the core. We shut them down. Or we lose the world."
Eve swallowed hard, adjusting her custom-built neuro-link device. "And if they stop us before we reach the center?"
Julian looked her in the eyes. "Then we die trying."
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The Saros Decision
Deep beneath the ruins of the old city, the surviving Saros gathered for the first time in millennia. They were warriors without a home, guardians turned prisoners, now allies in a war not of their making.
The Saros leader stepped forward, laying his hand over Julian's chest.
"You carry the Gatekeeper's imprint. The Protocol is buried in your blood. If you reach the Architect core... it will recognize you."
Julian frowned. "What happens if it does?"
"You will either rewrite destiny… or be erased from it."
Reese smirked from the corner. "Comforting."
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Phase One: The Skyfall Drop
The Resistance's only remaining stealth cruiser rose above the city. Inside, the team prepped for what might be their final drop. Julian, Eve, Reese, Maya, and two Saros—one young, one old—stood ready as the countdown began.
"This isn't just a fight," Maya whispered. "It's history catching up."
Julian loaded his weapon and checked his chest harness. "Then let's write the ending ourselves."
The hatch opened.
Wind screamed.
They jumped.
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Inside the Architect Core
As their boots hit metal, the world shimmered. The Architect structure wasn't built in any known geometry. Corridors twisted in non-Euclidean patterns, making time itself flicker.
Reese vomited. "Okay… physics just quit."
The young Saros warrior guided them. "Follow the pulse. The core breathes like a heart."
Suddenly—shadows surged.
Architect Sentinels dropped from the walls like armored wraiths, their limbs forming weapons mid-motion. Julian took point, firing EMP bursts. Eve hacked through firewall fields as they sprinted deeper, deeper…
"Core's ahead!" Eve shouted. "But it's shielded!"
The older Saros stepped forward, his body glowing. "I can disable it… but I won't survive."
Julian stepped in front of him. "There's always another way."
The Saros looked at him, solemn. "Not this time."
He knelt… and released his form.
Light. Pure and ancient. It surged through the walls, melting the shield away—one final sacrifice.
The path to the core was open.
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Final Protocol
The chamber was silent.
A crystalline orb floated in the center, its surface displaying thousands of timelines—Earth destroyed in every one.
Julian approached.
The orb glowed.
> "You are the Gatekeeper's blood."
> "You have permission to alter the path."
Julian placed his palm on the orb.
His memories—of his father, of the Wraiths, of Eve, Reese, the Resistance—flashed before him.
He whispered, "Not this time."
> "Final Protocol unlocked."
The orb pulsed.
Reality trembled.
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Above Ground – Blackridge
The Architect ship began to fracture. Pillars of white fire erupted from its core, and the sky screamed as the rift above Earth started to close.
The Architects, sensing what was happening, emitted one final signal:
> "You have chosen chaos. You will regret freedom."
Then silence.
And collapse.
The ship fell in on itself… like it had never existed.
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Aftermath
Rain fell.
Blackridge was quiet for the first time in weeks.
Julian opened his eyes, lying in rubble. Eve hovered over him, her face stained with soot and tears.
"You did it," she said, voice breaking.
Reese walked over, helping him up. "The Architects are gone. The Saros… they've started rebuilding below."
Julian looked to the sky.
No rift.
No warships.
Just stars.
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But far away… on a dead moon…
A single Architect eye blinked awake.
> "Iteration reset. Observing new anomaly…"
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To be cont
inued…
🔥 The final protocol has changed everything. But peace never lasts. Stay locked in for Episode 25 of 15 Miles: The Heist – Season 2: Shadows Rising by Rapwizzy Debaron.