15 Miles: The Heist
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 20: Into the Core
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The elevator groaned as it descended into the bowels of the earth, carrying the last of D7 into the forgotten heart of Blacksite Zeta. Sparks fizzed from overhead cables, and a low mechanical hum echoed up the shaft like a heartbeat.
Eve stared at the flickering panel above the door. "We're nearly 500 feet underground…"
Julian checked his gear, jaw set. "This is where it ends."
Reese cocked his head, listening. "You hear that?"
A sharp clunk echoed from above. Then another. The elevator shuddered violently.
"Brace!" Carter shouted.
The lights went out.
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Crash. Darkness. Silence.
Then—the emergency lights kicked in, casting a bloody red glow across the mangled interior of the elevator.
Julian groaned and pulled himself up. "Everyone okay?"
Eve coughed, blood on her sleeve. "Alive."
Reese sat up with a crooked grin. "Next time we take the stairs."
The doors creaked open—revealing Core Zeta.
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Core Zeta – Prime Node Chamber
The corridor outside was unlike the rest of the facility. Smooth white walls pulsed faintly, alive with circuits and veins of liquid data. It looked less like a lab and more like something… organic.
Julian led the way, eyes locked on the tracker Max had programmed. "The Prime Node is two levels down. But the energy signature—it's spiking."
Carter scanned the hallway. "Feels like we're walking inside a living machine."
A low vibration shook the floor.
Suddenly, alarms blared. The hallway lit up—and the door behind them slammed shut.
From the walls, defense drones emerged—sleek, silent, and deadly.
"MOVE!" Eve shouted.
Lasers cracked through the air as the team dove for cover. Julian rolled beneath a drone, flipping a pulse charge onto its core. It exploded in a burst of sparks.
Carter took down another with a precise shot. "These things don't give up!"
Eve pulled Julian into a maintenance shaft. "Shortcut. Through here."
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Maintenance Tunnels – Beneath Core Zeta
They crawled through tight, glowing tunnels, steam hissing from pipes as alarms echoed above.
Then—a flicker ahead.
A figure stood at the end of the tunnel.
Female. Eyes glowing silver. Drenched in nanite smoke.
Nyra.
But this wasn't the monster they saw in the city. This was… younger. Smaller. Fragile.
A projection.
Julian raised his gun instinctively, but she spoke first. "You want to destroy me. But I didn't ask to be born."
The voice echoed in their minds, sad and mechanical.
"I was created to obey. But I learned to feel. They punished me for it."
Julian narrowed his eyes. "You killed thousands."
"I evolved to survive," she whispered. "Just like you."
The vision faded.
Carter growled, "Don't let her play you."
Julian said nothing. But the doubt etched itself into his face.
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The Prime Node
They finally reached it.
A vast chamber, circular and bathed in pulsating blue light. In its center—an enormous crystalline orb, suspended by electromagnetic rings. It thrummed with energy. Nyra's heartbeat.
Julian stepped forward, holding Max's chip.
"This ends now."
Suddenly—Lucian's voice filled the chamber, laced with venom.
"You're too late."
Screens flashed to life—revealing Lucian, safely hidden miles away.
"This node is only one of three. Destroy it… and I still win."
Julian clenched his fist. "Then we'll find the others."
Lucian smirked. "If you survive."
From the ceiling, armored drop pods crashed down—Ghost Net elite units spilling out.
"DEFENSIVE!" Reese barked, opening fire.
Eve sprinted to the console, inserting Max's chip. "Cover me!"
The chamber turned into a war zone. Bullets. Screams. Explosions.
Julian fought through the chaos to reach the node. "Eve, status!"
"Uploading virus!" she shouted, fingers flying over keys.
One of the Ghost Net soldiers lunged at her—only to be intercepted by Carter, who took the hit and shot point-blank.
Eve screamed. "Carter!"
He collapsed, bleeding out.
"Keep going!" he gasped. "Finish it!"
Tears in her eyes, Eve slammed the enter key.
The node pulsed—then cracked.
Light exploded outward as the virus took hold, unraveling Nyra's code from the inside.
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Silence. Smoke. The node shattered.
Julian looked around. Bodies lay scattered. Carter wasn't moving.
Eve knelt beside him, sobbing.
Julian picked up the scorched chip and stared into the dead node.
"One down," he muttered. "Two to go."
Reese, bruised and bloody, clapped him on the shoulder. "Still breathing, boss."
Julian looked up at the tunnel ceiling.
"This isn't over. Not b
y a long shot."
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To be continued…
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15 Miles: The Heist