Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 51: "Awakening Zeta"
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Rain lashed down over the dense forest canopy as the shelter lights dimmed and the emergency sirens wailed like a prophecy. Kara gripped Kyra's hand tightly, dragging her down the concrete corridor as the others scrambled into position.
"She's not alone," Kyra whispered, barely audible over the blaring alarm. "There are more… I saw them. In the chambers. They weren't sleeping. They were waiting."
"Who's coming?" Kara asked urgently.
Kyra's eyes flashed. "Zeta."
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Outside the Safehouse – Moments Later
The treeline split apart as Subject Zeta emerged — tall, lithe, and mechanical in precision. Her skin shimmered like obsidian, eyes an unnatural amber glow. She walked barefoot across the wet earth, unaffected by the mud, the wind, or the bullets that had once brought down men like giants.
Behind her, two more shadows stepped out. Alpha and Sigma.
Failed Projects. Purged Protocols. Forgotten Soldiers.
But Vane had rewritten the rules.
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Inside, Tessa's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Three signals inbound. Artificially enhanced. High-density neural patterns. They're not just enhanced humans — they're something else."
Adrian barked, "Defense plan Theta. Now."
Ronan threw open a compartment, revealing a pulse rifle and electrified barrier grenades. "We hold them here or die trying."
The first explosion shook the foundation. The shockwave split a wall and dust rained from above.
"They're here," whispered Kyra.
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Front Entrance – Impact Zone
Adrian took aim through the cracked entry slot. "Zeta," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "You're real."
With inhuman speed, Zeta blurred forward and slammed her hand into the steel-reinforced door, denting it inward like paper. Sparks rained down.
Inside, Kara pulled Kyra aside. "Can you stop them? Control them?"
Kyra shivered. "Not anymore… I'm broken. But you…"
Kara frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You were the first. The Core."
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In the control room, Tessa shouted, "She's hacking our firewall — manually! I've never seen AI do this. She's learning with every second!"
"She'll breach in minutes," Ronan growled. "I say we blow the entry and collapse the tunnel."
"No," Kara said firmly. "We finish this. But not by hiding."
She turned to Kyra. "I need to go out there."
Adrian stepped in front of her. "Like hell you are."
Kara's eyes burned with conviction. "They're not after you. They're after me. And if I can stop this — even if it kills me — then I will."
She turned to her sister. "Give me access to the Core sequence."
Kyra hesitated. "If I do… there's no going back. You'll awaken everything Vane buried inside you."
Kara stared at the sealed door, her breath slow. "Then let it burn."
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Outside – Storm and Shadow
Zeta stepped through the wrecked outer wall, eyes scanning the interior calmly. Alpha and Sigma flanked her, quiet as death.
Suddenly, the lights above flickered blue.
Kara emerged through the fog, hair soaked, shoulders squared, her eyes glowing faintly with a light no one had seen before.
"Zeta," she called.
The assassin stopped.
"Your mission is over. Vane is dead. The protocol ends with me."
Zeta tilted her head. "Correction: Vane uploaded a failsafe. Mission is autonomous. Target: Subject One."
Kara's voice dropped. "Then come."
She raised her hand — and the air shimmered.
A pulse exploded from her chest, knocking debris aside.
Zeta faltered. For a moment.
Then she charged.
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The clash was swift and brutal. Kara met Zeta with a force she didn't know she possessed, fists colliding like thunderclaps, sparks showering the battlefield. Kara dodged, weaved, and struck with unnatural precision — the Core programming waking piece by piece.
Tessa, watching through the feed, whispered, "She's not just fighting. She's syncing."
"She's becoming what Vane built," Adrian said darkly.
"No," Kyra whispered. "She's becoming something more."
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The fight raged on. Zeta slammed Kara into the wall, but Kara countered with a kinetic shockwave that sent Zeta flying back.
Kara's voice echoed through the rubble.
"You are not my future!"
Zeta rose slowly. "Statement: Resistance unnecessary."
Kara stepped forward, glowing brighter now. "That's where you're wrong."
She placed both hands on the floor.
The entire facility trembled.
A new signal pulsed.
Across the world… hidden chambers began to stir.
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Back in the command room, alarms blared again.
"Global activation," Tessa gasped. "The Obsidian Protocol — Kara's triggered it."
Adrian slammed his fist on the table. "What the hell does that mean?"
Kyra stared at the screen, eyes wide with fear and awe. "It means the others… the forgotten... they're waking up."
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To be continued…
🔥 Kara has awakened, but at what cost? The past is no longer buried — and the future has never been more uncertain. The war has only just begun.
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