As Mrs Anna Marcus and her son, Victor Marcus, both watched, a shadow moved across the curtain…the clear silhouette of a person climbing up toward the window.Mrs. Anna Marcus screamed.The window suddenly burst inward with a crash of breaking glass. A figure in dark clothing and a black mask tumbled into the room, landing in a crouch among the shattered glass."Who are you?" Victor shouted, positioning himself between the intruder and his mother. "What do you want?"The masked figure straightened, raising his hands in what might have been a placating gesture. He appeared to be unarmed, but his presence was no less threatening for that."Please," the man said, his voice muffled by the mask. "I just want to talk. I need to…"But Victor didn't wait to hear what he needed. Adrenaline surging through his veins, grief and fear transforming into action, he launched himself at the intruder.The two men collided with a crash, tumbling to the floor among the broken glass. Victor Marcus imm

General Carl Gerald sat alone in his living room, the blue glow of his laptop screen illuminating his face in the darkness. The rest of the apartment was silent, save for the soft breathing of his sister Sara sleeping in the guest room down the hall.On the screen, a video played, footage from a mission three months ago. The camera angle showed a tactical operation in progress, and there, in the frame, was Juliet Marcus.She was issuing commands, her voice clear and authoritative, her movements precise and confident.General Carl Gerald's finger hovered over the pause button, but he couldn't bring himself to press it. Instead, he watched as past-Juliet coordinated the team, executed the plan flawlessly, and brought everyone home safe.When the video ended, he didn't close it. He just sat there, staring at the frozen final frame…Juliet's face, alive, smiling, victorious."Why did you do it?" he whispered to the image. "Why did you have to save me?"The apartment door to the guest ro

"Then you'll deal with it," Sara said firmly. "The same way you always deal with crises. You'll adapt, respond, and do whatever needs to be done to protect as many people as possible.""But…" "No buts," Sara Gerald immediately interrupted, echoing her earlier words."Carl, you can't control everything. You can only do your best. And your best is pretty damn good."General Carl Gerald managed a weak smile at that. "You always know what to say, Sara.”"That's what little sisters are for," Sara said. "Well, that and keeping you humble.""You do a good job of that too," General Carl Gerald admitted.They fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that only exists between people who've known each other their entire lives. Sara yawned, covering her mouth with her hand."I should probably try to get some sleep," she said. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day.""Yeah," General Carl Gerald agreed. "It is."Sara stood, stretched, then paused and looked down at her brother. "Carl? Promise me some

The hallway outside his apartment was empty, quiet. The entire building seemed to be asleep, unaware that somewhere across the city, the threads of tomorrow's funeral were being pulled in unexpected and potentially dangerous directions.General Carl Gerald took the stairs two at a time, his mind already racing ahead to what he'd find at the Marcus residence.‘Phil Marcus. The estranged father. Twenty-five years of absence, and he shows up now, in the middle of the night, breaking into his ex-wife's house, claiming to have critical intelligence.’‘Was it genuine? Was he really trying to warn them about some threat? Or was this part of Maya Denver's plan…a distraction, a misdirection, a way to create chaos and confusion before the main attack?’ General Carl Gerald's thought raced vehemently as he stared at the whole thing.General Carl Gerald reached his SUV in the underground parking garage and climbed in, starting the engine and pulling out with practiced efficiency.The city streets

General Carl Gerald quickly briefed them, his voice clinical and efficient. "At approximately oh-two-forty-three hours, Security Team Alpha-Seven detected an intruder attempting to breach the residence through a second-story window.”“The intruder was apprehended and identified as Phillip James Marcus, Juliet Marcus's biological father who abandoned the family twenty-five years ago.""Jesus Christ!," Debra Zachs breathed."Upon apprehension, Mr. Marcus admitted to being the source of the threatening emails sent to Victor Marcus," General Carl Gerald continued. "Mr Phil Marcus also claims he was attempting to warn the family about a planned attack on tomorrow's…today's funeral...He further claims to have intelligence about Maya Denver's operations but has refused to share details with anyone except me directly.”Captain Luke moved closer to Mr Phil Marcus, studying him with professional scrutiny. "And you believe him?" Captain Luke immediately asked, his voice was laced with a mixtur