"No," General Carl Gerald immediately interrupted."No lectures please, Debra Zachs, about protocol or rules of engagement or proper channels.”“Those animals, whoever they are, really stabbed my sister and left her to bleed out in a basement.”“They kidnapped one of my officers. They're planning to massacre mourners at a funeral.”“This is war now. Real war. And in war, you do whatever it takes to win." General Carl Gerald immediately said, his voice was laced with a mixture of anger and determination. Captain Luke studied General Carl Gerald's face for a long moment, then nodded slowly."Then we're with you, sir. Whatever it takes. Whatever you need. We're with you.""As am I," Debra Zachs said firmly. "Maya Denver and her allies have crossed lines that can't be uncrossed.”“If you're going after them, we go together. No one fights alone.”"I appreciate the loyalty," General Carl Gerald said, "but I can't ask you to…""You're not asking," Captain Luke interrupted."We're volunteeri

General Carl Gerald, Debra Zachs and Captain Luke immediately climbed the stairs out of the basement, emerging into the early morning light that was just beginning to filter through the building's windows. Outside, they could hear the ambulance sirens fading as Sara was rushed to the hospital.As they exited the building, General Carl Gerald saw Phineas standing beside his car, laptop already open, fingers flying across the keyboard with desperate intensity."Phineas!" General Carl Gerald called out.The young analyst looked up, his face still pale but now set with determination."I've got something already," Phineas said. "Razor…real name possibly Natasha Volkov, though she's used at least a dozen aliases.”“Former Black Dragon Syndicate intelligence, went freelance five years ago. Specializes in high-value kidnapping, interrogation, and assassination. The last confirmed sighting was in the western territories three months ago."Phineas immediately said as he operated his computer."

Still at General Carl Gerald's apartment, the time was exactly 3.55 am when General Carl Gerald stared at his watch.The sun was almost about to start rising now, casting long golden rays across the city skyline. The pre-dawn darkness was giving way to morning light, but the beauty of the sunrise seemed almost obscene given everything that had happened in the last few hours.General Carl Gerald stood outside his apartment building, his hands still stained with his sister's blood, his tactical gear torn and disheveled. He immediately looked at his team…Debra Zachs with her phone pressed to her ear coordinating security arrangements, Captain Luke checking ammunition in his sidearm, Phineas hunched over his laptop desperately searching for any lead on Razor's location."We need to get back to the Marcus residence," General Carl Gerald said, his voice hoarse from shouting, from emotion, from exhaustion."We need to brief them on what's happened. They need to know about Sara, about Capta

Debra Zachs immediately took a deep breath and stared at Victor Marcus who was still fuming with anger and determination."Because it gives us more time too," Debra Zachs interjected, trying to calm the situation. "More time to gather intelligence, more time to identify and neutralize threats, more time to prepare for better security.""Or more time for Sara to die," Victor said bluntly, and everyone flinched at the harsh words. "I'm sorry, but it's true. General Gerald said the next few hours are critical. What if she doesn't make it?”“What if while we're debating and postponing and trying to make everything perfect, Sara dies? And then we have two funerals to worry about instead of one?""Victor!" Mrs. Anna Marcus said, shocked at her son's callousness.But Victor wasn't backing down. "I'm not trying to be cruel, Mom. I'm trying to be realistic.”“We're in a war. People are getting hurt. People might die. And we can either respond to that by hiding and hoping for the best, or by

Mrs. Anna Marcus turned to General Carl Gerald. "So we postponed it. Make whatever announcements you need to make. Reschedule for whenever you think it's safest. We'll trust your judgment.""Thank you," General Carl Gerald said. "I know this wasn't an easy decision.""What about all the people who were planning to attend?" Victor asked. "The family members, the colleagues, the friends? Don't we owe them an explanation?""We'll issue a public statement," Debra Zachs said."General Carl Gerald will hold a press conference explaining that due to credible security threats, we've made the difficult decision to postpone.”“We'll be transparent about the risks without giving away specific intelligence that could help our enemies.""When will you reschedule?" Mrs. Anna Marcus asked."When we've eliminated the immediate threats," General Carl Gerald said."Could be a week. Could be two weeks. I can't give you an exact date until I know more about the tactical situation.""That's fine," Mrs. An