Ashes of Our Flame
Episode 24: "The Choice of Flames"
By RapwizzyDebaron
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The air in the safehouse grew heavier with every second.
Adrian's fingers curled around the note until it crumpled in his palm. He turned away from the window, the city lights casting sharp angles across his face.
Kara stepped closer. "If you go to him alone, you won't come back."
"I'm not afraid of dying," Adrian said flatly.
"That's the problem," she snapped. "This isn't just about you anymore."
Their eyes locked. For a moment, neither of them blinked.
Then Tessa spoke from behind her laptop, voice trembling slightly. "He's already pulling strings. The media's spinning a new narrative—Adrian Vale, the prodigal son, turned terrorist."
Adrian scoffed. "Let them talk."
"No," Tessa said firmly, standing. "That's what they want—to make you a villain, to make Kara a ghost. We need to get ahead of this."
Ronan stepped out from the hallway, his arm still in a sling. "What's the plan? Because sitting around won't win us this war."
Kara bit her lip. "The gala shook the city, but it didn't end the war. We need a bigger move. One they can't twist."
Adrian looked down at his bloodstained hands. "Then let's burn his throne."
---
The next morning, the team gathered around the dining table, maps and files spread across the wood like battle plans. Tessa had outlined all of Marcus Vale's remaining strongholds—financial accounts, shell companies, hidden properties.
"There's a server farm in the industrial district," she explained. "It's where they keep encrypted data, blackmail material—things he never wanted public. If we expose what's inside, we don't just hit Marcus—we cripple his entire network."
Adrian nodded. "What kind of security are we talking?"
"Corporate militia. Not your everyday rent-a-cops. These are ex-military, heavily armed, and authorized to kill."
Ronan rolled his shoulder. "Sounds like a challenge."
Kara narrowed her eyes at the building's blueprint. "We'll need an inside distraction. Get their eyes off the vault while someone extracts the data."
"I'll be the distraction," Adrian said.
"No," Kara interjected. "You're the only one who knows the vault codes. You go in. I'll draw them out."
"You'll get yourself killed."
"So will you, if we keep arguing."
A beat of silence passed.
Tessa folded her arms. "We do it together. One team, one shot. No heroes. No martyrs."
---
That night, the storm rolled in.
Rain lashed against the windshield of the van as they pulled up near the facility. Tessa sat at the console, eyes glued to multiple screens.
"Security's in rotation. You've got five minutes between shifts to breach the south entrance."
Ronan cocked his shotgun. "Let's dance."
Inside the facility, fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Kara crept through the corridors, ducking behind crates and machinery. In the control room, Adrian input a sequence on the panel.
Vault door: unlocked.
Alarms: silent.
They moved fast. Tessa's voice guided them step by step.
But something felt off.
Too smooth. Too quiet.
Kara reached the atrium—and then the power cut out.
Red emergency lights bathed the walls in warning.
A trap.
"Adrian, get out!" Kara shouted into her comm.
Gunfire erupted.
From the shadows emerged a figure in a long coat, face masked.
Ronan moved to intercept but was knocked off balance by a shock baton.
Adrian ducked behind a pillar, gripping a flash drive tight in his hand. He turned to see Marcus Vale himself step into the light.
"You really think you can take me down with data?" Marcus sneered.
Adrian stood slowly. "No. But I can take away your lies."
He clicked the transmitter on the drive.
A green light blinked.
Tessa's voice broke through: "We're live. It's uploading."
Marcus's eyes widened. "You wouldn't—"
"I already did."
Kara burst into the room just as Marcus lunged.
Gunshots rang.
Smoke filled the air.
And when it cleared—
Marcus was gone.
---
Back at the safehouse, they watched as the data broadcast across every major network.
Voice recordings.
Surveillance footage.
Financial ties to assassinations.
The truth.
The world was no longer blind.
The people rose.
And Marcus Vale ran out of places to hide.
Adrian sat beside Kara, his arm around her.
They didn't speak.
They didn't need to.
The fire had begun—a
nd it wouldn't stop until the last ember of corruption was turned to ash.
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To be continued… Don't forget to vote, comment & follow for more.