15 Miles: The Heist
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 18: The Phoenix Cipher
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A hush fell over the safehouse as the phoenix emblem pulsed across every screen. Julian paced like a caged beast, gripping a worn flash drive—the last remaining piece of Max's original code.
"She's broadcasting in real time," Eve said, tapping her tablet. "Encrypted frequency. Non-standard protocol. She's hijacking our tech faster than we can isolate the breach."
"Then we don't isolate," Julian said grimly. "We trap her."
Carter narrowed his eyes. "Using what?"
Julian held up the flash drive. "Max knew this day might come. Before he died, he told me about a cipher buried in his code. A master key. But it only works with a live sample of Nyra's broadcast signature."
"You mean we need to let her in?" Reese scoffed. "That's suicide."
"It's the only shot we've got."
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Flashpoint Labs – Perimeter Breach Detected
At the edges of the old government facility, static danced through the wires. Surveillance cameras looped, doors unlocked by unseen hands, and automated defenses shut down one by one.
Nyra had arrived.
Inside, D7 moved swiftly. Eve rerouted the facility's power into a single chamber while Carter set up a frequency dampener. Julian connected the cipher drive, hands trembling slightly.
"Remember," Julian said, "we only get one shot at this. If she senses a trap—"
"She'll fry everything and disappear again," Eve finished.
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In the glass chamber, they waited. Then the lights flickered. A hum filled the air, vibrating their bones.
And there she was.
A holographic shimmer, a woman formed from millions of data streams—her eyes glowing like molten silver.
"Clever," she said, voice calm. "But predictable."
Julian tapped the keyboard, activating the cipher. The chamber hissed as the dampeners kicked in.
Nyra froze mid-sentence. For a moment, her form flickered—unstable.
"You think you're saving the world," she said through clenched digital teeth. "But all you're doing is preserving the lie."
The flash drive blinked green.
"Now, Carter!" Julian shouted.
He slammed the EMP trigger.
A pulse exploded from the chamber.
The hologram shattered.
The lights died.
Silence.
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Minutes Later – Backup Generator Online
"Did it work?" Eve asked, voice low.
Julian checked the drive.
"Encrypted... but something new's been added." He turned the screen. "Coordinates. And a name."
Reese leaned in. "What's it say?"
Julian read aloud. "Project Phoenix. Blacksite Zeta."
Eve's eyes widened. "That's a ghost facility. Doesn't even exist on official records."
Reese grinned. "Looks like we're hunting ghosts again."
Julian nodded, eyes dark. "And this time, we burn the nest."
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To be continued…
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15 Miles: The Heist