Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 80: "The Awakening of Zero"
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The air inside the chamber was heavy — thick with chemicals, wires, and the cold silence of something forbidden.
Subject Zero took his first breath in over a decade.
It wasn't a gasp. It wasn't a struggle.
It was calm. Controlled.
Calculated.
The glass around him hissed, then shattered, spilling crimson-tinted liquid onto the steel floor. As his bare feet touched ground, alarms lit up across the Lazarus facility. Scientists scrambled, guards ran… but Vane simply smiled.
Selene whispered, "You're really doing this…"
"He's not like the others," Vane replied. "He's the first. The perfect creation."
Subject Zero opened his eyes fully, scanning the room with mechanical precision.
No rage. No confusion.
Just... readiness.
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At the Omega Beacon
Kara's body convulsed once before stilling in Nemesis's arms. Her breathing was shallow, her consciousness floating between light and void.
Nemesis held her tight. "Kara, don't you dare die on me."
Adrian rushed in, eyes wide. "Is she—?"
"She's alive," Nemesis snapped. "But barely."
Tessa checked the readings. "Her neural map is destabilizing. Whatever she did in the hive scrambled her brain like a broken mirror."
Ronan glanced at the city beyond. "People are waking up everywhere. She saved them all. But at what cost?"
Adrian's voice cracked. "We get her out. We get her help."
Nemesis's eyes burned. "And we end Vane. For good."
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Hours Later – Safehouse
Kara lay unconscious, her face pale and peaceful.
Tessa administered sedatives. "Her brain's healing itself… slowly. But there's a new code pattern forming in her neural cortex."
"What kind of pattern?" Adrian asked.
Nemesis showed the scan.
"It's not human," she whispered. "It's Lazarus. She didn't just hack the hive—she integrated with it."
Adrian stared at Kara, dread sinking in. "So… what is she now?"
Nemesis didn't answer.
Because none of them knew.
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Lazarus Headquarters – Briefing Room
Subject Zero stood perfectly still as Vane approached him.
"Do you remember who you are?"
"I remember the mission," Zero said in a voice that was both human and robotic. "Terminate the rogue asset. Reclaim the core. Restore control."
Vane nodded. "Target: Kara."
Selene shifted uncomfortably. "She isn't the same. She's evolving."
"That's why he's the only one who can stop her," Vane replied. "She's fire. He's the ice that follows."
Subject Zero blinked. "Permission to proceed?"
"Granted."
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Meanwhile – Kara's Mindscape
In the depths of unconsciousness, Kara stood in a field of ash. The sky above was torn — half lightning, half void.
She heard voices.
Children crying. Gunshots. Laughter.
Then footsteps behind her.
She turned — and saw herself.
But not as she was now.
This version wore a black uniform. Eyes glowing red. A Lazarus crest on her chest.
The dark Kara spoke.
"You think you've escaped. But you've only become what they feared."
Kara shook her head. "I saved them. I broke the hive."
"You didn't break it," her darker self sneered. "You became it."
The sky above cracked.
And fire rained down.
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In the Real World – Midnight
Ronan stood watch outside the safehouse, scanning the shadows with night-vision goggles.
Something moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A blur struck the ground before him. He raised his weapon — but it was already too late.
Subject Zero emerged from the darkness, moving with surgical precision. His strike was silent. Efficient.
Ronan barely managed to trigger the alarm before everything went black.
Inside, sirens wailed.
Adrian grabbed his rifle. "We're under attack!"
Nemesis ran to Kara, shielding her. "We have to move!"
Tessa screamed from the hallway. "He's here—he's inside!"
Subject Zero entered like a ghost through fire.
And paused.
His eyes landed on Kara.
His voice was cold.
"Target acquired."
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To be continued…
🔥 She saved the world… but now the world's deadliest weapon is hunting her. Can the team survive the wrath of Subject Zero?
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The storm has just begun.