Even in victory, the shadows of war linger.
Marcus stood frozen. The message about his family still in my hand. The impossible choice hanging between action and paralysis.
"We have to go," he said finally. Voice tight with barely controlled panic. "Right now. Before it's too late."
"It might already be too late," Devon said quietly. "Two hours. Maybe less. Three hour drive. The math doesn't work."
"Then we go faster. Break every speed limit. Risk everything."
Through the bond, Darius sent grim calculation. "If we take enough force to actually defend Marcus's family, we leave campus vulnerable. If we take small group, we're walking into probable ambush with insufficient numbers."
"So we just let them die? My parents? My little sister?"
"No," I said. "We think this through. Strategically."
"There's no time for strategy!"
"There's always time for strategy. That's what separates survival from suicide."
