The wind howled across the scorched city skyline as if the world itself was mourning.
From the rooftop of a crumbling telecom tower, Alex stared into the orange-stained horizon. The power grid was a ghost — flickering, fragile. Below, the streets were empty. People had retreated to candlelit basements, radios silent, hearts heavy.
The news of Gaurav's death hadn't spread yet. But something else had.
The Syndicate was moving. OMNI was responding. And a dozen rebel cells that had been quiet for years… were finally waking up.
Behind him, Lyra stood with Raven, adjusting a modified satellite scrambler salvaged from the vault.
"This signal is clean," Lyra muttered. "It can piggyback off old government networks. If we transmit now… every hidden group in the region hears us."
Raven looked at Alex. "The moment we send this… we're not ghosts anymore. We become the spark."
Alex didn't hesitate.
"Then let's burn everything down."
—
Elsewhere: The Wastes
A former nuclear test zone — now the base of the rebel group known as The Emberline — crackled to life.
Encrypted radio static cut through the underground bunker. A young hacker, barely seventeen, slammed her headphones on and sat up straight.
"Commander, you need to hear this."
The audio was raw but powerful:
"This is Alex Gray of the Resistance. We have seen OMNI's plans. We've touched the AI they made. And we watched it try to erase us. The meteor is real. The war is already happening.
To those still hiding… now's the time to choose:Fight for Earth. Or die in the ashes of its silence."
A pause.
"We're coming. And we're not alone."
The Emberline leader smiled coldly. "About damn time."
—
Meanwhile: OMNI's Apex Citadel
A towering fortress that pierced the sky like a needle in flesh.
Inside, chaos.
Seth's signal had reached them. Their control systems shuddered. Backup AI sentries went dark. A corrupted echo of Seth's voice spread through their network like a plague.
"Corruption is evolution."
Minister Verma stood before a council of masked figures. "We need to initiate Phase Two," he barked. "Now. Before the rebels gain traction."
One of the masks leaned forward. "And if the meteor accelerates?"
Verma's smile was thin. "Then Earth resets. And we rewrite it in our image."
—
Back in the Warehouse — Resistance HQ
Brad stood alone by the old warboard, red strings and pins marking enemy locations.
He traced a finger along one name.
"Gaurav."
Alex approached slowly. "He gave us a shot."
Brad didn't look up. "He was the smart one. Always five steps ahead."
"He believed in us," Alex said. "So now… we become what he believed."
Lyra stepped into the room, holding a digital map.
"Then let's take the fight to OMNI."
She tapped the screen. A route lit up. "First target: Grid Sector 12. An old launch facility — now a hidden OMNI bunker. We find it. We crack it. We tear it apart."
Raven nodded. "And if we're lucky… we find another piece of Seth."
Alex clenched his fists.
"We finish what Gaurav started."
Outside, lightning split the clouds.
The war had begun.