The proposal arrived at dawn.
It didn't come through official channels.
It didn't come with threats.
That was what made it terrifying.
---
Mara stood frozen in the doorway, data slate in her hands.
"They're calling it a stabilization option," she said. "Unofficial. Off-record."
Anabeth was already awake.
She'd stopped sleeping in full cycles two nights ago.
"Read it," she said.
---
Mara swallowed.
"They're prepared to withdraw all external forces. Restore campus autonomy. Reinstate funding. Publicly condemn Hale's faction. Even acknowledge wrongful escalation."
Rafael's head snapped up.
"That's surrender."
"No," Cassian said quietly. "That's bargaining."
---
Mara continued.
"In exchange, Anabeth Rowan resigns immediately and leaves campus jurisdiction."
Silence hit hard.
"And?" Anabeth asked.
Mara's voice dropped.
"And… a public narrative is established that her removal prevented a catastrophic incident."
---
Rafael surged forward.
"They want her scapegoated."
"They want her erased," Cassian corrected. "Cleanly."
---
Anabeth took the slate.
Read it herself.
Once.
Twice.
She didn't react.
---
"They're offering peace," Cassian said. "Real peace. No more escalation. No more countdown."
"At the cost of your life as it exists now," Mara added.
Rafael's voice shook.
"At the cost of her."
---
Anabeth set the slate down.
"They're offering to stop," she said.
"Yes," Cassian replied. "If you disappear."
---
The words settled differently this time.
Not as threat.
As temptation.
---
By midmorning, the campus felt it.
Guards stood down.
Drones retreated.
Roadblocks loosened.
Hope crept in before permission was given.
---
"They're showing us the future," Mara said. "The calm that comes after."
Rafael shook his head.
"This is manipulation."
"Yes," Anabeth agreed.
"But it's effective."
---
Cassian watched her closely.
"You're considering it."
She didn't deny it.
"I'm considering what happens if I don't."
---
By noon, protests shifted tone.
No longer anger.
Expectation.
---
"She should step aside."
"One person isn't worth this."
"Let it end."
---
Anabeth walked among them.
No guards.
No announcements.
Just presence.
---
A student recognized her.
Eyes wide.
"You could stop this," he said.
She nodded.
"I know."
---
Rafael watched from a distance, helpless.
"They're pushing her toward martyrdom," he said.
"No," Cassian replied. "They're pushing her toward responsibility."
---
That afternoon, Elias broke his silence.
Direct.
Unencrypted.
Personal.
---
THIS IS THE MOMENT THEY ALWAYS OFFER.
THE CLEAN EXIT.
IT WORKS BECAUSE IT SAVES EVERYONE ELSE.
ASK YOURSELF WHO LEARNS FROM THAT ENDING.
---
Anabeth closed her eyes.
She knew the answer.
No one.
---
That evening, Hale's name resurfaced.
Not loudly.
Strategically.
---
Mara pulled the report.
"He's been offered leniency," she said. "Conditional cooperation."
Rafael stiffened.
"They're trading monsters."
"Yes," Cassian said. "They always do."
---
Anabeth felt something inside her harden.
So this was the real bargain.
Her disappearance in exchange for continuity.
Evil recycled.
Lessons unlearned.
---
She stood.
"Call the envoy," she said.
Mara froze.
"Are you—"
"I want them here," Anabeth said. "Tonight."
---
The meeting took place in the same neutral room.
Same gray coat.
Same polite smile.
Different posture.
---
"You've read the offer," the envoy said.
"I have," Anabeth replied.
"And?"
"I want to clarify the narrative," she said.
He nodded.
"Of course."
---
"You will say I resigned to prevent violence," she said.
"Yes."
"You will say the system corrected itself."
"Yes."
"And Hale?" she asked.
The envoy hesitated.
"A separate matter."
---
Anabeth leaned forward.
"No," she said calmly. "It's the same matter."
---
She stood.
"I will leave," she said.
Rafael's breath caught.
Mara's eyes filled.
Cassian closed his eyes.
---
"But," Anabeth continued, "not like this."
The envoy frowned.
---
"I will address the campus," she said. "Live. Unedited."
"That wasn't—"
"And," she added, "I will name every mechanism you used. Every pressure point. Every compromise."
The envoy's smile vanished.
"That would destabilize—"
"Yes," she said. "Temporarily."
---
Silence stretched.
"You're turning resignation into indictment," he said.
"I'm turning it into truth," she replied.
---
"And if we refuse?"
Anabeth met his gaze.
"Then I stay," she said. "And we see how far this goes."
---
The envoy studied her.
For the first time, he looked uncertain.
---
By nightfall, the decision was made.
Not because they agreed.
Because they feared what refusal would cost.
---
Anabeth stood alone on the stage of the central square.
Lights harsh.
Cameras live.
Campus silent.
---
Rafael stood offstage, hands shaking.
Cassian beside him, pale.
Mara unable to watch.
---
Anabeth took a breath.
"This may end me," she thought.
"But it might teach them."
---
She stepped forward.
And began to speak.