EXPLOSION

Marcus ducked behind a crumbling wall as bullets whizzed past his head. The base was in chaos, the walls rattling with each explosion. He glanced at the timer on his wrist — twenty minutes until the entire place went up in flames.

Kane's voice crackled through the earpiece.

Kane: "You’re running out of time, Marcus. You can't win this. The explosives are set. You lose, I win."

Marcus gritted his teeth, his mind racing. The base was rigged, and if he didn’t stop it soon, hundreds of lives would be lost — including his own.

Marcus: "Kane, you’re insane. Do you even hear yourself? You’re going to kill everyone, including your own people."

Kane laughed, a harsh, cold sound that sent a shiver down Marcus’s spine.

Kane: "There’s no place for weaklings in the new world. If they die, so be it. It’s necessary for the greater good."

Marcus crouched lower, peeking over the edge of the wall to assess the battlefield. His team was scattered, pinned down by Kane’s soldiers. They were outnumbered and outgunned, and now, the bomb was a ticking time bomb waiting to end everything.

Marcus: "You don’t have to do this, Kane. There’s still time to stop this madness."

Kane’s voice was low, full of contempt.

Kane: "Stop? Why would I stop when I’m so close to victory? You should have stayed out of this, Marcus. But you always had to play the hero, didn’t you?"

Marcus clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the handle of his gun. There was no reasoning with Kane anymore.

Suddenly, Marcus heard footsteps behind him. He whirled around, gun raised, but stopped when he saw Thomas sprinting toward him.

Thomas: "Marcus! We’ve got a bigger problem."

Marcus: "Bigger than the bomb that’s about to go off?"

Thomas skidded to a halt next to him, breathing hard.

Thomas: "Yeah. Kane’s men are blocking all the exits. He’s making sure no one gets out."

Marcus cursed under his breath. Of course, Kane wouldn’t just leave the bomb. He wanted them trapped.

Marcus: "So what now? We’ve got less than twenty minutes before we’re all blown to pieces."

Thomas’s eyes narrowed.

Thomas: "We get to the control room. It’s the only place we can disable the explosives."

Marcus: "And what about Kane? He’s not going to let us waltz in there and stop him."

Thomas: "We don’t have a choice. Either we shut it down, or we die here."

Marcus nodded, his mind racing. He scanned the battlefield, calculating their next move.

Marcus: "Alright. We’ll have to split up. You take the left flank. I’ll cover the right."

Thomas nodded, gripping his rifle tightly.

Thomas: "Just... don’t die on me, Marcus."

Marcus gave him a grim smile.

Marcus: "No promises."

They exchanged a brief glance before darting in opposite directions. Marcus weaved through the rubble, his heart pounding as he heard the sounds of gunfire all around him. He had no time to waste.

As he neared the control room, his earpiece crackled again. Kane’s voice, mocking and cold, echoed in his ear.

Kane: "I see you, Marcus. You think you’re going to stop me? I’ve planned for every move you could possibly make."

Marcus ducked into an alleyway, his grip tightening on his weapon.

Marcus: "You can’t win this, Kane. Even if you blow the base, what do you gain? You’ll be hunted for the rest of your life."

Kane: "Hunted? I’ll be a god. The world will burn, and from the ashes, a new order will rise."

Marcus: "You’re delusional. This isn’t a revolution. It’s a massacre."

Kane’s voice was filled with venom.

Kane: "You’re weak, Marcus. You always were. That’s why you’ll never understand what it takes to truly change the world."

Marcus stayed silent, his mind focused on the mission. There was no reasoning with Kane. He was too far gone.

Suddenly, a group of Kane’s soldiers appeared at the end of the alley, guns raised. Marcus reacted on instinct, diving behind a crate as bullets peppered the ground around him. He returned fire, taking out two of them before they could react.

Marcus: "Thomas, you still with me?"

Thomas’s voice came through the earpiece, tense but alive.

Thomas: "Barely. I’ve got a group of Kane’s goons on my tail. I’m close to the control room, though."

Marcus: "I’m almost there too. Just hang on."

He moved quickly, making his way through the base, taking down any resistance he encountered. Every second counted.

Finally, Marcus reached the control room door. It was reinforced, a massive steel barrier between him and the explosives.

Marcus: "I’m at the door. How close are you?"

Thomas: "Ten seconds out. Hold tight."

Marcus stood, back pressed against the wall, gun at the ready as he waited for Thomas. The sounds of battle were growing louder, closer. Kane’s men were closing in.

Suddenly, Thomas slid around the corner, breathless but alive.

Thomas: "You ready for this?"

Marcus: "As I’ll ever be."

They exchanged a nod before Thomas began working on the control panel beside the door. Marcus kept watch, his gun aimed at the corridor.

Thomas: "This is more advanced than I expected. Kane’s not messing around."

Marcus: "Can you get it open?"

Thomas: "I need a few more minutes. Just keep them off my back."

As if on cue, a group of Kane’s soldiers rounded the corner. Marcus opened fire, dropping two of them instantly, but more kept coming.

Marcus: "Thomas, we don’t have much time!"

Thomas: "I know, I know! Just a little longer!"

Marcus gritted his teeth, firing round after round, but the soldiers kept advancing. He was running out of ammo.

Marcus: "Thomas—"

Before Marcus could finish, the door hissed open.

Thomas: "Got it!"

Marcus didn’t waste a second. He grabbed Thomas and pulled him inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

Inside, the control room was a mess of wires and blinking lights. In the center, a massive terminal displayed the countdown.

Marcus: "Fifteen minutes."

Thomas rushed to the terminal, his fingers flying over the controls.

Thomas: "Alright, I’ll start the override. Just give me some time."

Marcus paced the room, his mind racing. The tension was unbearable. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, the terminal beeped, and Thomas cursed under his breath.

Marcus: "What? What is it?"

Thomas: "Kane locked the system. I can’t shut it down from here."

Marcus’s heart sank.

Marcus: "What do you mean you can’t shut it down?"

Thomas: "The explosives... they’re hardwired. The only way to stop them is to manually disable them at the source."

Marcus: "Where’s the source?"

Thomas looked up, his face pale.

Thomas: "It’s beneath the base. In the sublevels."

Marcus’s stomach twisted. The sublevels were a death trap. If Kane hadn’t rigged them with guards, the collapsing structure would be their end.

Marcus: "We’re going down there, aren’t we?"

Thomas nodded, grim.

Thomas: "It’s the only way."

Marcus took a deep breath, steeling himself. This was it. They had no other choice.

Marcus: "Let’s move."

They left the control room, navigating the maze of corridors as quickly as they could. Every second felt like a countdown to their own deaths.

As they reached the access point to the sublevels, Marcus hesitated. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him.

Thomas: "You good?"

Marcus nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Marcus: "Yeah. Let’s end this."

They descended into the sublevels, the air growing colder and thicker with each step. The dim lighting flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Marcus: "How far down is it?"

Thomas: "Just a few more floors."

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the sublevels, cold and menacing.

Kane: "I knew you’d come down here, Marcus. You never could leave well enough alone."

Marcus’s grip tightened on his weapon.

Marcus: "Show yourself, Kane. It’s over."

Kane laughed, the sound chilling in the dark.

Kane: "Over? Oh no, Marcus. This is only the beginning."

As they rounded a corner, Kane stepped out of the shadows, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. Behind him, a massive control panel blinked ominously — the detonator.

Kane: "You’re too late."

Marcus’s heart raced as he locked eyes with Kane. They had less than five minutes before the entire base went up in flames.

Marcus: "Don’t do this, Kane. You don’t have to destroy everything."

Kane smiled, a twisted, cruel grin.

Kane: "Oh, but I do. And when the dust settles, I’ll be the one standing."

Thomas raised his weapon, but Kane was faster. With a flick of his wrist, a surge of energy slammed into Thomas, sending him crashing into the wall.

Marcus: "No!"

Kane stepped toward the detonator, his finger hovering over the button.

Kane: