He wrote poetry in blood. Now he'll write extinction in fallout.
---
2:00 P.M.
UN Recon Plane — Russian Airspace, Near Taiga Facility
Naomi sits in the rear of the transport, staring at satellite footage.
A red dot pulses:
TAIGA NUCLEAR RESERVE – CONTROL BREACH: 96%
Taye speaks through the comms.
> "He has the core's override codes. He's bypassed every fail-safe. If we don't stop him in three hours, the meltdown begins. Fallout radius: 600 miles."
Reza's voice crackles in from the strike team:
> "How many people inside?"
> "Twelve thousand. Civilians. Scientists. Kids."
Naomi loads her weapon.
> "Then we kill a god in three hours or let the sun fall on ice."
---
2:43 P.M.
Ground Infiltration Begins — Taiga Facility Outer Wall
Snow crunches under boots.
Resistance elites, UN tactical forces, and Naomi's squad move like phantoms across the tundra.
But Silas knew they'd come.
Machine gun nests.
Land mines.
Zealots in white armor — chanting "HOLLOW" as they open fire.
> "Push through!" Naomi shouts.
"Get me to the core!"
---
3:06 P.M.
Inside the Facility — The Outer Labs
Alarms flash red.
Scientists scream.
Families hide in storage rooms.
One engineer begs:
> "Please—he said he wouldn't hurt us—he said Naomi would stop him."
She stops cold.
> "He told you that?"
> "He said… this was your test. That you'd let it happen. That the world had to see."
Naomi whispers:
> "He turned this into a ritual."
---
3:28 P.M.
Silas — In the Core Chamber
The nuclear core pulses behind reinforced glass.
He kneels in front of the control panel.
Around him, hundreds of bodies — zealots who willingly drank poison.
A sacrificial circle of death.
Silas carves the number into his forearm:
6,743,902
> "Still too many left," he mutters.
"But this… this gets me close."
He turns the key halfway.
Radiation pulses.
He waits.
> "She'll arrive right… about… now."
---
3:30 P.M.
Naomi Breaches the Inner Gate
Her squad is half-dead.
Taye's arm is mangled.
Reza is barely breathing.
Naomi storms into the chamber—
And sees him.
Silas.
White hair. Golden eyes. Standing in front of the apocalypse.
---
3:31 P.M.
Final Confrontation Begins
> Silas: "Welcome to the ending, Naomi."
> Naomi: "There's no ending. Only what I'm willing to kill to stop."
> Silas: "And yet… you still haven't killed me."
> Naomi: "That changes now."
She opens fire.
He dodges. Throws a blade.
It slices her shoulder—
But she keeps coming.
They clash in the chamber's shadow.
Hand-to-hand. Brutal. Fast. No hesitation.
Naomi fights to protect.
Silas fights to ascend.
---
3:37 P.M.
The Core Begins Overload Countdown
00:03:00
Taye yells through the radio.
> "The core's waking up! If he turns the key again—it's over!"
---
3:38 P.M.
Naomi Pins Silas
Gun at his throat.
Breathing hard.
> "This is where it ends," she hisses.
Silas just smiles.
> "Then do it.
Be the god they need."
Her finger twitches.
Then—
She lowers the gun.
And slams the butt into his temple, knocking him unconscious.
> "You don't get a martyr's death.
You get a cage."
---
3:40 P.M.
Taye Disarms the Core
Sweat pouring.
> "One more wire…"
CLICK.
The countdown halts at 00:00:04
Sirens die.
The room goes still.
Taye collapses.
---
4:00 P.M.
Global Transmission Begins — Naomi's Voice Only
> "He failed."
> "He built his godhood on death.
But now we write the ending ourselves."
The world listens.
And for the first time in months—
There is no explosion.
---
Final Scene
Silas is dragged away, drugged and cuffed.
Naomi walks beside the gurney.
She whispers:
> "We counted the same numbers, Silas.
But I counted who I saved."
He chuckles, even barely conscious.
> "It's not over."
She leans close.
> "No.
But it's your turn to watch."
---
Final Line:
> "The core didn't melt," Naomi says,
"but maybe now, the world will stop worshiping the fire."
---