Chapter 177: Pale White (1/2)

Chapter 177: Pale White

When Aarav left, before the exit to Aldrich's Null Box closed coain He held open the sturdily reinforced door ee pe eg ge a eee enn eee IN OI NII IR IO IN LIDIA DS III EBL IID IID NN OD EEE enough for his strength to be decidedly superhu the fact that the Null Box door was pure metal and almost half a meter thick, Aldrich determenter class Alter whose muscles and bones tended to benefit the most from Alter cells

Colonel Davos stared at Aldrich with red eyes that glowed in the dark They were unexceptional, though, co of odd chill that Aarav's unique eye gave off "I don't knohat that corporate slink offered you-," began Colonel Davos "Far ine," said Colonel Davos "My department can't offer much in the same way that he can We don't have direct influence We can't put you on the news or pump your accounts full of credits" “Are you here to try and offer h ht have offered?" said Aldrich "T'll adht have been heavy handed," said

Colonel Davos "Times are tense now Multiple major cities are under variant attack And they've been coordinated attacks the likes of which we've never seen before So ht at the center of it all, you seem to

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I ary of you, everyone is My orders were to either try and control you or destroy you, and that ize for that" "So? You never answered y lead into another deal?" said Aldrich "I'ive you a deal outside of the parameters which I was instructed to operate with," said Colonel Davos "And here I thought you were the head of your department," said Aldrich "You seem considerably restricted in spite of your position" "Tam the head," said Colonel Davos "One of several I'ht before: I don't do negotiations I contain threats" "Aovernment has classified me as a threat?" said Aldrich "It's a default classification for safety's sake," said Colonel Davos "The fact that you could cooperate with that corporate suit means you aren't a coulars tend to be"

Colonel Davos sighed "Look, : should you be exterminated?" "What makes you think you have the power to do that in the first place?" said

Aldrich "I don't exactly know if I can have you destroyed But people fear what they do not understand They will seek to destroy it even if they don't knohether they have the firepower to take it out, and often ti," said Colonel Davos "To answer your other question, I'm not here to offer you another deal, because any deal I'm authorized to make isn't one you'd accept

But what I do want to do is ask you a question" "T'll humor you then Go on," said Aldrich "Tell me," said Colonel Davos "All I care about is that this world finds continued peace That humanity survives another day I'll ask you a personal question, one that's free from bureaucratic bullshi+t: are you on our side?" "Lam," said Aldrich "Don't misunderstand me, Colonel I'm not here to wipe out hu that the only way 1 can help is through my oay, then I won't be afraid to play solo"

Colonel Davos nodded "Alright That's all I needed to hear"

That was all the Colonel Davos said as he let go of the Null Box door, letting it close over Aldrich The outside of the Null Box was not much louder than the sound absorbent insides

There was only a skeleton crew on board consisting of a pilot, Colonel Davos,

Aarav Singh, and a single guard to try andchit chat you had there," said Aarav as he took another cigarette out of his case "Is that what you needed to tell your owners not to kill him? A little bit of a heart to heart,on board," was all Colonel Davos said as he walked away to the pilot's cockpit He never liked corporate suits like Aarav They always rubbed hiarette away and eyed Colonel Davos until he had sequestered himself away in the pilot's cockpit Then, he took out his cigarette anyway "We sense that you may require assistance," came a soft-spoken woman's voice