Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 88: "Into the Lazarus Core"
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The cold breath of dawn crept over the skyline as Kara stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring into the distant horizon. The Lazarus Tower loomed in the distance—tall, foreboding, and cloaked in the ash-colored mist of war. It was more than just a building. It was the origin. The place where everything was taken from her—and where everything might end.
She turned as the rest of the team assembled behind her. Adrian, bruised but resolute. Tessa, eyes locked on her wrist console. Ronan, weapon slung across his shoulder. And Seraphina, pale but standing—her body still weak, but her resolve sharper than ever.
"This is it," Kara said. "We go in, we end this."
Adrian nodded. "No rescue. No retreat. We're past that."
Seraphina pulled out a small metallic shard and handed it to Kara. "This is a key fragment from the Omega protocols. It opens the inner sanctum. But once we use it, there's no turning back."
Kara took it and slid it into her vest. "Then let's kick down the door."
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Inside the Lazarus Tower – Lower Levels
The elevator creaked as it descended through layers of reinforced steel. Each floor flicked past like pages in a nightmare—levels filled with memories Kara couldn't remember, echoes she couldn't shake.
They passed through abandoned labs filled with shattered glass and forgotten machines. Lights flickered. Alarms pulsed in low rhythmic tones, as if the building itself had a heartbeat.
Tessa tapped her console. "I'm detecting movement three floors down. Not drones—organic."
"Guards?" Ronan asked, cocking his weapon.
"No," she said slowly. "They're... enhanced."
The elevator stopped with a jolt.
Suddenly, a screech echoed through the shaft—and the power died.
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Darkness. Then chaos.
The doors were torn open by clawed hands—figures with glowing red eyes and half-metallic flesh lunged into the cramped space. Ronan fired first, dropping two. Adrian grabbed Kara and shoved her back as another lunged for her throat.
"Kara, go! Find the core!" he shouted.
She hesitated—then ran, heart pounding as the sounds of battle echoed behind her.
Through corridors soaked in shadows and dust, Kara sprinted, the shard clutched in her fist. The building seemed alive, pulsing with anticipation.
And then she found it—a sealed vault door humming with power.
She inserted the shard.
The door hissed open.
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Lazarus Core Chamber
The room was circular, vast, and alive with humming energy. In the center hovered a platform, and atop it—Dr. Vane.
He stood calmly, dressed in obsidian robes, as if waiting for her. His eyes gleamed with unholy light.
"Welcome home, Kara."
She raised her weapon. "You're done."
He smiled, unfazed. "Am I? Or have we just begun?"
The platform shifted—and behind him, a figure emerged.
Subject Zero.
No longer masked. His face was almost identical to hers. A mirror image—twisted by rage and pain.
Kara froze.
"You see it now, don't you?" Vane whispered. "He is you. What you were meant to become. But you were the flame that rebelled. And now, fire must face fire."
Zero stepped forward, his voice calm, cold. "You don't deserve to exist."
Kara tightened her grip. "Then come and take my place."
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To be continued…
🔥 Two flames. One origin. One destiny. The confrontation begins.
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Everything they've fought for has led to this moment.