The message from The Maelstrom left Marcus with no doubt: they knew. They were coming for him, and by extension, for his family. The quiet life he had so meticulously built was crumbling around him. He had two choices: run, forcing his family into hiding once more, a life of perpetual fear; or stay, and face the Maelstrom, knowing it would be a battle unlike any he had ever fought.
He chose to stay. He would not abandon his family, not again. But he would make sure they were out of harm's way. He devised his most audacious, and heartbreaking, plan yet: the ultimate sacrifice. He would draw The Maelstrom away from Seabreeze, leading them into a final trap, a confrontation where only he would be present.
He had to tell Clara. He sat her down, his voice steady, even as his heart fractured. "They know, Clara. All of it. They're coming here. And I can't let them touch you or the children."
Clara's face paled, but her eyes held a fierce light. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to lead them away," Marcus explained, outlining a plan to expose himself dramatically in a distant, unpopulated region, triggering a global pursuit that would draw The Maelstrom's entire focus away from Seabreeze. "It will be a diversion, a final act of the general. Once they're engaged, Ghost's network will move in for the final takedown."
"And you?" Clara whispered, her voice trembling.
"I ensure they're diverted. I ensure you're safe," Marcus said, his gaze unwavering. "This is the only way, Clara. The only way to guarantee your peace." He didn't say he might not return. He didn't need to. She understood.
The hardest part was saying goodbye to Anya and Leo. He didn't tell them the full truth, only that he had a crucial, dangerous mission, a final act to secure their future. He hugged Anya fiercely, looking into her artistic eyes, seeing the woman she had become. He clapped Leo on the shoulder, a proud, final gesture, knowing his son would continue to build a safer world.
"Take care of your mother," he told Leo, his voice thick.
"Always, Dad," Leo replied, a rare tear in his eye.
Under the pretense of a late-night supply run, Marcus slipped away from Seabreeze, leaving the warmth of his home, the scent of fresh bread, and the quiet laughter of his family. He drove to a remote airfield, an old, disused military transport plane waiting for him, prepared by Ghost's last, desperate act of loyalty.
He took off into the night sky, a lone pilot flying into the storm. He would trigger the diversion, a spectacular exposure of his true identity, a final, unignorable challenge to The Maelstrom. He knew the odds were stacked against him. But as he looked down at the retreating lights of Seabreeze, at the faint glow from Clara's bakery, he felt a profound sense of purpose. The quiet general was making his ultimate sacrifice, not for a nation, but for the precious, simple life he had finally found, and was now ready to lose, to ensure its enduring peace.