Ashes of Our Flame
Episode 21: "Embers and Echoes"
The footage had gone viral.
Marcus Vale's confession—or rather, his veiled declaration of supremacy—was played on every major network, dissected by analysts, denounced by leaders, and replayed in protest chants echoing across the city.
But the fire wasn't just in the streets anymore.
It was in the hearts of the people.
And it was spreading.
---
At the safehouse, the tension was thicker than smoke.
Tessa slammed her laptop shut. "There are military vehicles outside city hall. He's calling in favors from the deep state."
Ronan, leaning against the wall with blood-stained gauze on his shoulder, snorted. "So much for justice being blind."
Adrian stood near the window, watching the flickering red lights from the protests reflect in the glass. "This isn't just a takedown anymore. It's a war."
Kara sat silently at the corner of the room, her fingers tracing the rim of a coffee mug she hadn't touched. Her crimson dress from the gala lay crumpled beside her—stained with soot and shattered illusions.
She didn't say a word.
Not yet.
Adrian glanced back at her, his voice low. "You okay?"
Her eyes met his, calm but deadly. "When do we move?"
Tessa looked between them. "You're serious? After everything—"
"Yes," Kara interrupted. "He's still standing. And so long as he stands, others fall."
---
Elsewhere in the city, Marcus Vale wasn't hiding.
He was fortifying.
Within the shadowed corridors of Vale Tower, he convened a gathering—not of family, but of devils in suits. Corrupt officials. Ruthless CEOs. Silenced journalists. Military contacts.
He stood at the head of the room, the king of a crumbling empire.
"We underestimated them," he said, voice like ice. "But weakness will not destroy us. Sentiment will not stop us."
A general cleared his throat. "And your son?"
Marcus narrowed his eyes. "He has made his choice."
"So what now?"
Marcus reached into a drawer and pulled out a black folder—stamped with the insignia of a long-dormant project.
"Now," he said, "we remind this city who it belongs to."
---
Back at the safehouse, Kara opened a file folder she hadn't touched since her parents died.
Inside were names.
Faces.
Places.
Memories.
And one photo of her father with a man in uniform—smiling, unaware he'd be betrayed.
"I think I found something," she said to the others.
They gathered around.
"This man," she pointed, "worked with my father before everything went to hell. He vanished after the first scandal. But I tracked a signal matching his old badge—outside the city. If he's alive, he might have what we need to prove Marcus's government ties."
Adrian nodded. "Let's go."
But Tessa held up a hand. "No. Kara goes. With Ronan. Adrian stays. If Marcus is escalating, we need you here. He knows your face now."
Adrian protested, but Kara agreed. "We split up. We move faster."
---
That night, Kara and Ronan took a stolen SUV through the outskirts of the city, toward the ruins of a decommissioned base.
Snow was starting to fall.
Not enough to blanket.
Just enough to remind them winter had teeth.
They found the place half-buried in vines and silence.
No guards.
No signs of life.
But inside—dust-covered terminals still blinked.
Ronan pulled out a flashlight. "This place gives me the creeps."
"You say that everywhere," Kara replied.
They moved deeper—hallways echoing with every step.
Until they heard a click.
Then a voice.
"Drop your weapons."
From the shadows stepped a man—grizzled, gaunt, but alive.
He stared at Kara.
"You look like your father."
She didn't lower her gun. "Are you Colonel Evans?"
"I was."
"I need answers."
He exhaled slowly. "Then you'd better sit down. This goes deeper than you think."
---
Back in the city, Adrian received a message through an untraceable line.
One word.
"Run."
And then Vale Tower exploded.
---
To be continued…
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