Cherreads

Chapter 16 - Episode 16 Ghosts Of The Network

15 Miles: The Heist

By Rapwizzy Debaron

Episode 16: Ghosts of the Network

---

Rain fell over the city like a curtain, washing away the ashes of war—but not its memories. In a hidden underground facility beneath the ruins of the Forge, Julian stared at a wall of screens now blank.

It was over. Or so they thought.

The world had changed. The system had reset. But silence wasn't always peace—it was the breath before the next storm.

Eve walked in, her hair still damp, a tablet in her hand. "Julian, something's wrong. We've got static from Node 7. Unauthorized activity."

He turned sharply. "I thought we shut that down."

"We did." She paused. "But something's still alive in there. Something... old."

Julian stood. "Get Carter. Wake Reese. We're not done."

---

Across the Ocean – Ghost Net Archives, Siberia

Deep in permafrost, beneath a decommissioned nuclear bunker, machines hummed back to life.

A lone figure in black watched as lines of code blinked onto a preserved screen. Not Max. Not Lucian.

But someone else.

She spoke calmly, typing with precision. "Initiating Echo Protocol."

A familiar logo appeared—an inverted phoenix. Burned... but reborn wrong.

"Let's see how free the world really is."

---

Back at D7's Safehouse

Reese kicked in the door to the main room. "Why am I always woken up by bad news?"

"Because we never get good news," Carter replied, already scanning maps. "This transmission—it's masked behind Obsidian's own firewall. Like someone is using Max's code."

"But twisted," Eve added. "They're not trying to control. They're trying to corrupt."

Julian nodded grimly. "They waited for us to clean the slate. Now they're writing their own rules."

Reese checked his gear. "So what now? Another heist?"

Julian looked at them—his crew, his family.

"No. This time, we don't steal."

He turned to the screen, which flickered with foreign code.

"We hunt."

---

Inside Node 7

The room pulsed with crimson light. Dozens of drone-like figures stood in hibernation, awaiting orders.

The new operator whispered, "Phase One complete. Operation Ghost Chain begins."

She walked past frozen agents. Each wore the Ghost Net insignia—burned away and overwritten with something more terrifying.

The system wasn't just reawakening.

It was evolving.

---

To be continued...

🔥 Follow, vote, and comment to support

Rapwizzy Debaron and stay tuned for more high-octane chaos in

15 Miles: The Heist

More Chapters