15 Miles: The Heist
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 22: Echoes in the Wire
---
The night was deceptively quiet. Rain drizzled lightly over the broken streets as Julian, Eve, and Reese made their way through the hushed ruins of an old tech firm—a hidden node point once used for covert government transmissions.
Inside, the power flickered. The walls were scorched, the air metallic with static. Reese adjusted the frequency jammer strapped to his back.
"This place gives me ghost vibes," he muttered.
Julian ignored him, eyes locked on the mainframe vault ahead. "We're not here to feel. We're here to find the relay code Max embedded before the explosion."
Eve tapped on a decrypted tablet, her fingers a blur. "If Max encoded it right, the next passkey will unlock the Nexus sub-root. That's the digital kill-switch."
Julian's jaw clenched. "And Lucian's worst nightmare."
Just as Eve found the encrypted file, static buzzed through the comms.
Then—Lucian's voice. Cold. Calculated.
"Bravo, Julian. You made it this far. But this is where the trail ends."
Reese yanked out the comms chip and crushed it underfoot. "How the hell is he tracking us?"
Julian turned toward Eve. "Scan for trace bugs. Every signal. Every port."
Suddenly, the mainframe surged to life. A holographic projection filled the room—a looping video. Max.
"If you're seeing this… I'm gone. But I buried the next phase deep. Nexus Phase Three. The Firewall of Truth. Coordinates embedded in this file. But be warned… the deeper you go, the more monsters you wake. Finish what we started. Burn the system down."
Then the screen went black.
Silence.
Eve's eyes shimmered with grief, but her voice was steady. "I've got the coordinates."
Reese pulled his rifle closer. "Then let's move before Ghost Net rains hell."
But just then, distant footsteps echoed through the empty corridor. Not heavy boots. Not soldiers. Lighter. Faster.
"Hold," Julian whispered, raising his weapon.
Out of the darkness stepped a girl—no older than fifteen. Pale, with a ragged hoodie and tech lenses over one eye.
"I'm not your enemy," she said quickly. "My name is Lyra. Max saved me once. Told me to find you if he didn't come back."
Julian narrowed his eyes. "Why should we trust you?"
She held out a data chip glowing in eerie blue. "Because this holds the biometric key to unlock Nexus Phase Three. And Ghost Net is right behind me."
Eve pulled Julian aside. "She could be bait."
"Or our only way in," Julian replied.
Outside, engines roared. The trap was closing.
Reese looked between them. "What's the plan?"
Julian turned back to Lyra. "Then welcome to the war."
The team slipped through the back exit as Ghost Net forces breached the front.
And beneath the city, in a long-forgotten cyber-vault, the final firewall waited to be broken.
---
To be continued…
💥 Stay locked in—vote, comment, and follow Rapw
izzy Debaron for the next heart-pounding episode of 15 Miles: The Heist.