Episode 24: The End of the Protocol or the beginning of something darker.
The night was supposed to be quiet.
Instead, it became a battlefield.
The gates of the Vega Mansion exploded inward as Laspa and his men stormed the estate.
Gunfire echoed through the halls.
Servants screamed and scattered.
Within minutes, several members of the household had been captured and forced to their knees.
"Hand over the Malkietor," Laspa ordered coldly, "or they die."
Sam's fists clenched.
The butler stepped forward.
"Not while I still breathe."
The battle erupted.
Sarah, Sam, and the butler fought desperately to protect the innocent servants. One by one, the hostages were rescued and moved to safety.
But Laspa was on another level.
Every strike from him felt calculated.
Every move felt inevitable.
Sam attacked.
Laspa threw her aside.
The butler charged.
Laspa overpowered him as well.
For the first time, victory seemed impossible.
Hidden nearby, Sarah and Sander watched helplessly.
Then Sarah remembered someone.
Someone she wasn't even sure would answer.
With shaking hands, she made the call.
"Jace... please."
---
Miles away, Jace was preparing to travel abroad.
His bags were packed.
His documents were ready.
He had already decided to leave everything behind.
Then his phone rang.
He almost ignored it.
Almost.
The moment he heard Sarah's voice, his expression changed.
Then came the words that froze him.
"Sam is in danger."
Without another word, Jace ended the call.
His travel plans no longer mattered.
Within minutes, the roar of a motorcycle tore through the night.
He was heading for the Vega Mansion.
---
Back at the mansion, Laspa stood over Sam.
Defeated.
Exhausted.
Outmatched.
Then a voice echoed from behind him.
"Laspa."
Laspa slowly turned.
Jace stood there.
The two men stared at each other.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Then both attacked.
The impact of their first clash echoed throughout the mansion.
Punch.
Block.
Kick.
Counter.
For the first time in years, Laspa had found an equal.
Neither fighter gained the upper hand.
Their battle became a storm of fists and determination.
While they fought, Sam and the butler seized their chance.
They escaped with the Malkietor.
---
Outside the mansion, the world itself was beginning to unravel.
The complications within the Malkietor had finally reached critical levels.
Across the globe, confidential files were suddenly exposed.
Corrupt officials.
Hidden criminals.
Secret conspirators.
Anti-agents working for Laspa.
Their identities flooded the public domain.
Police forces launched emergency operations.
Crowds filled the streets.
Protests erupted.
Governments scrambled to respond.
For better or worse, the truth was finally coming out.
---
When Laspa realized the Malkietor was gone, something inside him snapped.
His eyes burned with rage.
All of this.
All of these years.
All of these sacrifices.
Slipping away.
"No!"
Laspa unleashed his fury.
Moments later, flames consumed the Vega Mansion.
The home of the Brooks family became an inferno.
---
Meanwhile, the Malkietor began displaying a new message.
SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.
10:00
9:59
9:58
Sander's face turned pale.
"No..."
She worked frantically.
Nothing worked.
Every system ignored her commands.
She looked at Sam.
Tears filled her eyes.
"It's beyond my control."
The words hit harder than any explosion.
"The Malkietor is going to destroy itself."
Silence followed.
Then Sam made her decision.
"If it's going down..."
She looked at the machine.
"...then it's going down away from everyone else."
---
With only minutes remaining, Sam activated an emergency jetpack she had recovered from the mansion.
She grabbed the Malkietor.
Then launched into the night sky.
Laspa saw her.
And followed.
He would not let the machine escape him again.
No matter the cost.
The chase continued through the darkness.
One carrying the future.
The other consumed by obsession.
---
00:10
00:09
00:08
Laspa finally caught up.
His hand touched the Malkietor.
A smile appeared on his face.
Victory.
At last.
Then the countdown reached zero.
00:00
For a brief moment, the night became brighter than day.
The explosion lit up the sky.
A wave of energy spread across the horizon.
Then silence.
Nothing remained.
Sam drifted downward.
Shaken.
Exhausted.
Heartbroken.
She stared at the empty sky.
Laspa was gone.
The Malkietor was gone.
The Protocol was over.
Or so she believed.
---
Days later, order slowly returned.
The crisis within the ISS had been resolved.
Systems were restored.
Command networks returned to normal.
Though debates surrounding President Dan Schinder's future continued, the immediate threat had ended.
Throughout the station, celebrations erupted.
Laspa was dead.
The world was finally safe.
Or so everyone believed.
---
Post-Credit Scene
In a quiet office far from public view, a man sat alone.
The news played silently on a screen.
"Laspa confirmed dead."
The man smiled.
Across from him stood Nathalie, now dressed as an ordinary civilian.
"Why?" she asked.
"Why abandon the Laspa identity?"
The man leaned back in his chair.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Patiently.
Then he answered.
"Because the mask was only a means to an end."
His eyes reflected the city lights.
"I no longer need it."
Nathalie lowered her head.
"Then what now?"
The man smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"Now we expand."
At that moment, another figure stepped from the shadows.
Aliena du cheng
The new leader of the organization.
The future of the empire Laspa had built.
The man turned toward the window.
The world believed Laspa was dead.
That was exactly what he wanted.
"My name is no longer Laspa."
His smile widened.
"It is Lander Spencer."
Outside, the city continued peacefully, unaware that a far greater threat had just begun.
END OF SEASON ONE