15 Miles: The Heist
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 34: The Aftershock
---
The Nexus Core shattered with a thunderous scream of data, like a dying beast crying out in binary. The force of the explosion hurled the team backward—glass flooring splintering, fire licking at the edges of their vision. The walls pulsed as if the building itself was in pain.
Julian hit the floor hard, ears ringing. Smoke clouded his vision. He blinked rapidly, groaning as he pushed himself up.
"Eve... Reese... Carter—sound off!"
"I'm okay!" Eve shouted, coughing.
"Still alive," Carter grunted, dragging Reese's injured form behind a half-melted console. "But he's fading fast."
Julian crawled over, checking Reese's pulse—weak but there. Blood soaked his side.
"He needs extraction. Now."
Above them, the building groaned again. Sparks rained from the ceiling. Warning sirens howled as red lights flashed.
> "WARNING: SYSTEM FAILURE. STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED."
"EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."
Eve, still at the console, screamed, "We did it. The Core is gone. Nexus systems are crashing worldwide. We just bought the world time."
Julian looked around at the shattered data chamber. "Then let's not waste it."
---
Outside – Street Level
Chaos.
Ghost Net agents scrambled as their encrypted comms went dark. Drones plummeted from the sky, one after another, spiraling like dying birds. Civilians filmed with shaky hands as the once-unreachable tower of Nexus flickered like a dying star.
Then, boom—
A plume of smoke erupted from the side of the building.
Fire bloomed across the skyline.
And out of that smoke, a black drone descended silently. Attached beneath it: a harness carrying Reese, unconscious, strapped in.
The crowd gasped as Eve followed next, rappelling down the glass walls like a phantom. Then Carter. Then Julian.
The heroes had returned from the dead.
---
Miles Away – A Hidden War Room
Lucian slammed his fist into the control panel, veins bulging in his neck.
"Shut it down! Shut it all down!"
Technicians scrambled, but the feeds were gone. The entire network—ghosted.
"They've killed Nexus," a voice behind him said.
Lucian turned slowly.
From the shadows stepped a woman in a gray suit, her eyes like ice.
"They did more than that," she continued. "They exposed us."
Lucian clenched his jaw. "Then we go dark. Initiate Protocol Zeta."
The woman frowned. "Zeta wipes every last Ghost Net operation... even our deep assets."
"I don't care," he hissed. "Burn it all. We rebuild from the ashes."
She nodded, and walked away.
Lucian turned back to the screen, which now showed only static.
"You win this round, Julian," he muttered. "But the game isn't over."
---
Back at Safehouse Omega – 15 Miles Out
Reese lay on the table, patched up but unconscious.
Julian stared out the cracked window at the rising sun. His reflection barely looked like him anymore—exhausted, hardened, battle-worn.
"We did it," Eve said behind him, voice quiet.
"Yeah," he whispered. "But for how long?"
She stepped beside him, holding a tablet. "People are rising up. Protests. Investigations. Everything Max wanted... It's happening."
Julian looked down at the old chip Max gave them.
"He started the fire."
Carter stepped in, leaning against the doorway. "Now we keep it burning."
Julian nodded slowly.
"No more shadows," he said. "From now on... we lead the charge."
And somewhere, deep underground in a black site yet to be discovered...
A screen flickered on.
A new symbol.
One word.
"Override."
---
To be continued…
🔥
Like, comment, and follow to support Rapwizzy Debaron and stay locked for the next explosive episode of
15 Miles: The Heist