Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 69: "Bloodlines and Betrayals"
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Smoke curled through the broken chamber, drifting like ghostly fingers across Kara's bruised face. The adrenaline was fading, but the tension in her chest only grew heavier.
Selene had vanished into the shadows.
But her words still echoed like poison in Kara's mind:
"Every flame dies."
Adrian placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
She gave a stiff nod, but her eyes didn't leave the spot where Selene had stood. "She knew my name before I said it. Knew everything about me."
"She runs Lazarus," Ronan said darkly, stepping over debris with a rifle still drawn. "She knows all of us."
Tessa tapped her wrist tablet. "She's not just part of the project. I think she was the original architect. Before Elias. Before anyone."
Kara turned sharply. "How is that even possible?"
Tessa's fingers flew across the screen, eyes wide as she unearthed a file hidden beneath layers of encrypted code. "Because she is Lazarus. There's no 'project' without her. She founded it—forty years ago."
Everyone froze.
Ronan frowned. "She doesn't look a day over thirty."
"That's the thing," Tessa whispered. "According to this file… Selene was the first successful test subject of the regeneration serum. She's been modifying her cells for decades. She's immortal."
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Elsewhere—In a Shadowed Chamber
Selene moved through the underground corridor with a trail of blood staining her sleeve. She pressed a code into a rusted panel and slipped into a chamber filled with cryogenic pods—each holding a subject frozen in time.
At the center was a sealed vault. A child floated inside, suspended in glowing liquid.
Selene pressed her palm to the glass. "Soon, my darling. Soon, you'll awaken… and finish what I began."
She turned to Elias Vane, who watched from the shadows, bandaged and silent.
"Make preparations," Selene ordered. "Phase Omega is not about Kara. It's about the one after her."
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Back at the Hideout
Kara sat in the medbay as Tessa cleaned her wounds. The silence between them was thick with unease.
"She wasn't trying to kill me," Kara said quietly.
Tessa paused. "What do you mean?"
"She had a dozen chances. But she didn't. She was testing me… watching me. Like I was some kind of prototype."
Adrian entered, overhearing. "You think she's grooming you for something?"
Kara looked down at her trembling hands. "I think she's preparing me to replace her."
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Ronan's Discovery
While scanning the encrypted drive from Selene's lab, Ronan uncovered something buried beneath medical logs and genetic blueprints—a classified video file labeled "Subject Zero".
He played it.
A lab, decades ago. A young woman on a table—thrashing, screaming as needles pierced her skin.
The voice of Selene spoke from off-camera.
"Rebuilding the perfect vessel… She will inherit my will."
The girl looked up, and Ronan's heart dropped.
It was Kara.
Only… not this Kara. A younger version. Or perhaps… an earlier iteration.
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The Truth Breaks
Adrian burst into the room, holding a printed dossier. "Kara. You're not who you think you are."
Kara turned, eyes wide with dread.
He handed her the file. On the first page: Subject K-47: Designation — "Phoenix."
"You were created to be Selene's successor. The project's true purpose wasn't regeneration—it was replication."
Kara's breath caught.
"I'm not… real?" she whispered.
Adrian knelt beside her, voice urgent and raw. "You're more than real. You broke free. You made choices. That's what makes you you."
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The Line Is Drawn
Kara stood beneath the cold light of the chamber, eyes blazing.
"Then she made me to burn. And I'm going to make damn sure she drowns in the fire."
The team gathered behind her, united, steeled for war.
Tessa nodded. "We've found the central control system. If we destroy it, Lazarus collapses—for good."
Ronan cocked his rifle. "Then we bring the house down."
Adrian met Kara's gaze. "Together."
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Far Away—Selene Watches
From the shadows, Selene stood before a grand wall lined with faces of failed subjects. Her voice rang through the quiet.
"They think this is the end. But it's only the beginning."
She turned to Elias, eyes wild and cold.
"Awaken Subject Omega."
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To be continued…
🔥 What is Kara's true origin? What is Subject Omega? And will the fire she ignites save the world—or destroy it?
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The war for truth just crossed the point of no return.