THE STAND

Kane’s finger hovered over the detonator, a cold, cruel smile playing on his lips. Marcus’s heart pounded in his chest as the realization sank in: there were only minutes left before the entire base would explode, and Kane was about to ensure no one walked out alive.

Marcus: "Kane, don’t! You’re not just killing us — you’re killing everyone! Think about it. You don’t need to do this!"

Kane’s eyes gleamed with malice as he chuckled.

Kane: "You still don’t get it, do you, Marcus? Sacrifices have to be made. For real change to happen, the old world has to burn. I’m not afraid to light the match."

Marcus: "This isn’t change! This is genocide!"

Kane: "You call it genocide. I call it progress. And in just a few minutes, you’ll be nothing but a memory."

Marcus’s mind raced. He was running out of time and options. He glanced at Thomas, who was groaning as he tried to pull himself to his feet.

Thomas: "Marcus…"

Marcus moved slowly, trying to position himself between Kane and the detonator.

Marcus: "You think blowing this base will achieve anything? People won’t follow you after this. They’ll hunt you down like a rabid dog."

Kane’s smile faltered for a moment, but then he shrugged.

Kane: "That’s where you’re wrong. Once this place goes up, the world will be forced to pay attention. This is just the beginning, Marcus. You can’t stop it."

Marcus took a deep breath, his mind whirling with possibilities. He needed to distract Kane, buy Thomas enough time to recover and help him. If they didn’t act fast, it would all be over.

Marcus: "You’ve always been a coward, Kane. Hiding behind bombs and bloodshed. You think you’re changing the world, but you’re just running from your failures."

Kane’s eyes flared with anger.

Kane: "Failures? You think I failed? I was betrayed! Left behind by people like you who couldn’t see the bigger picture."

Marcus: "Betrayed? We all fought together. We bled together. But you turned your back on everything we stood for."

Kane’s hand trembled slightly, his mask of control slipping as Marcus’s words hit their mark.

Kane: "Don’t pretend you ever understood me, Marcus. You’re just another soldier, following orders. But me? I’m a visionary."

Marcus: "A visionary who’s willing to slaughter his own men?"

Kane scowled, stepping closer to Marcus.

Kane: "They’re weak. Only the strong survive in this new world. And when the dust settles, I’ll be the one leading the charge."

Marcus: "No, Kane. You’ll just be another name on a list of war criminals."

Thomas, who had been quietly regaining his strength, suddenly lunged at Kane from the side, tackling him to the ground. The detonator slipped from Kane’s hand, skidding across the floor.

Thomas: "Marcus, now!"

Without thinking, Marcus dove for the detonator, sliding across the floor as he reached out for it. His fingers brushed the device just as Kane threw Thomas off him and scrambled to his feet.

Kane: "NO!"

Marcus grabbed the detonator and stood up, holding it out of Kane’s reach.

Marcus: "It’s over, Kane. You’re not blowing this base. Not today."

Kane’s face twisted with rage, his eyes wild.

Kane: "You think this changes anything? You think you’ve won?"

Marcus: "I don’t care about winning. I care about stopping you."

Kane lunged at Marcus, but this time Marcus was ready. He sidestepped Kane’s attack, throwing a punch that connected with Kane’s jaw, sending him stumbling back.

Thomas: "We’ve got to shut this down, Marcus! There’s still time!"

Marcus glanced at the countdown on the wall. Less than three minutes. His stomach churned as the weight of the situation sank in.

Marcus: "Thomas, go! I’ll deal with Kane!"

Thomas hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, racing toward the bomb controls.

Kane wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes narrowing at Marcus.

Kane: "You really think you can stop me?"

Marcus: "I don’t think, Kane. I know."

Kane smirked, his fists clenching.

Kane: "Then let’s see what you’ve got."

The two men rushed at each other, fists flying as they engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand fight. Each punch felt heavier than the last as they exchanged blows, neither willing to give an inch.

Kane: "You were always the golden boy, Marcus. Always playing by the rules. But the world doesn’t work that way anymore!"

Marcus blocked a punch, twisting Kane’s arm and slamming him against the wall.

Marcus: "The world doesn’t need more people like you. It needs people who can build, not destroy."

Kane snarled, throwing an elbow into Marcus’s ribs, causing him to stumble back.

Kane: "And who decides that? You? You think you’re better than me?"

Marcus steadied himself, breathing heavily.

Marcus: "No. I just think there’s still hope. Something you lost a long time ago."

Kane charged at Marcus again, but this time Marcus was ready. He ducked, sweeping Kane’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor.

Thomas’s voice echoed across the room.

Thomas: "Marcus, I need more time!"

Marcus: "Hurry, Thomas! We’re running out of it!"

Kane groaned, struggling to get back to his feet.

Kane: "You’re wasting your time, Marcus. Even if you stop this bomb, there will be more. There will always be more."

Marcus glared at Kane, his chest heaving.

Marcus: "Then we’ll stop you again. And again. As many times as it takes."

Kane laughed, the sound hollow and bitter.

Kane: "You don’t get it. This is bigger than you. Bigger than all of us."

Marcus: "No. It’s just you, Kane. You’re the one who wants to watch the world burn. But you won’t get the chance."

As the seconds ticked down, Marcus knew he had to end this. He had to finish the fight.

Kane lunged at Marcus one last time, but Marcus was faster. He dodged Kane’s attack, delivering a swift kick to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Kane fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Marcus: "Stay down, Kane. It’s over."

But Kane wasn’t finished yet. He gritted his teeth, dragging himself back to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury.

Kane: "I’ll never stop, Marcus. You can kill me, but my cause will live on."

Marcus shook his head, stepping forward.

Marcus: "No. It ends with you."

With one final, devastating punch, Marcus sent Kane crashing to the ground. This time, Kane didn’t get back up.

Marcus stood over him, breathing hard, his fists clenched. He glanced at the timer. One minute left.

Marcus: "Thomas, now would be a good time!"

Thomas: "I’m almost there!"

Marcus watched as Thomas frantically worked at the bomb’s control panel, sweat dripping down his forehead. The seconds were ticking away too fast.

Marcus: "Thomas—"

Thomas: "Got it!"

The countdown stopped at the last second, the lights on the bomb flickering off. Marcus let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Thomas slumped against the wall, exhausted but alive.

Thomas: "We did it."

Marcus nodded, looking down at Kane, who was still unconscious.

Marcus: "Yeah. We did."

But as Marcus turned to check on the rest of his team, something caught his eye. Kane was stirring, his hand moving slowly toward a hidden blade in his boot.

Marcus: "Kane—don’t!"

Before Marcus could react, Kane grabbed the blade and lunged at him, the knife aimed for Marcus’s throat.

Thomas: "Marcus, look out!"

Marcus twisted at the last second, but the blade sliced across his arm, a searing pain shooting through him.

Marcus: "Dammit!"

He stumbled back, gripping his arm as blood flowed from the wound. Kane’s eyes were wild, his face twisted with rage and desperation.

Kane: "You think you’ve won? I’ll never stop! Never!"

Marcus, fueled by adrenaline, grabbed Kane’s arm, twisting the knife out of his grasp and slamming him into the wall.

Marcus: "It’s over, Kane. You’ve lost."

Kane struggled, but Marcus held him in place, his grip iron-tight.

Kane: "You’ll regret this, Marcus. One day, you’ll see things my way."

Marcus stared into Kane’s eyes, seeing nothing but madness and hatred.

Marcus: "No. I won’t."

With one swift move, Marcus knocked Kane out cold, letting his unconscious body fall to the floor.

The room was silent for a moment, save for the heavy breathing of Marcus and Thomas.

Thomas: "You okay?"

Marcus glanced at his arm, wincing at the pain.

Marcus: "I’ll live."

Thomas stood up, looking down at Kane.

Thomas: "What do we do with him?"

Marcus: "We take him in. He’ll answer for everything he’s done."

Thomas nodded, his expression grim.

Thomas: "It’s finally over."

Marcus looked around the destroyed base, the bodies of fallen soldiers,