Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

"You can land at the landing port dock. Over." Grayson made a slight course adjustment as requested by the traffic control tower, and his spaceship stopped at the landing port outside Grism Academy.Compared with the company spaceship he usually uses for official trips, the medium-range passenger spaceship he drove during his visit to the academy this time is a bit smaller, and the equipment is far from luxurious.But it's not normal right now. This time he came alone, because he had to rush to the seriously ill child disguised as an anxious father.It wasn't a difficult role for him to play because he really cared about Gillian.His concern for her is real.But in terms of what Jiro had already told him, it didn't matter.

He waited impatiently at the door of the spaceship, waiting for the docking aisle to be docked with the hatch of the spaceship before he could enter the large glass-walled reception room. No other passengers are waiting now.The two Union guards standing at the exit greeted him directly.He could see Dr. Sanders and Project Ascension's security director waiting for him on the other side of the transparent bulletproof wall. "Come in, Mr. Grayson," said one of the guards sympathetically, beckoning him to pass without even a body check for errands. Grayson took that as a good sign.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Carly asked Handel in a low voice, as Grayson walked over from the security room. "You still look unsteady." "I'm all right," Handel replied in a low voice, "and I'd like to see how he reacted when we told him the news." Carly wanted to say something more to Handel, like, you can't really think that Grayson wouldn't care that his baby girl almost died!But Grayson was already past the security door, and if Carly had said that, he'd heard it all.So Carly swallowed all the words again, hoping that Handel would be sensible and handle it well when Grayson came.

"Mr. Grayson," Handel nodded briefly. "Where's Gillian?" Grayson asked directly. "I want to meet my girl." It shouldn't come as a surprise that Grayson looked worse than the last time he was here.He wasn't wearing a suit, just denim pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt that showed his slender but powerful arms.He looked like he hadn't shaved in at least a few days, with stubble all over his chin.There was a glint of desperation in his eyes, and a sense of nervous apprehension haunted him... not surprising given what had happened. "Of course," Carly replied immediately, before Handel had time to object.She wasn't going to leave Grayson waiting in the hall.There was time to discuss these after he visited Gillian.Handel gave her an annoyed look, but said only once: "Follow me."

No one spoke as they walked toward the hospital ward, but Carly could see Handel gritting his teeth. When they reached the hospital room, Grayson stopped.He saw the little girl lying on the bed covered in tubes, and Grayson slowly covered her mouth with one hand. "Oh, Gigi," Grayson called softly, and the pain in the words made Carly's heart twitch. "What are these machines for?" he asked after a moment, his voice trembling. "Just the monitor," Carly explained, trying to sound professional and upbeat. "That way we can continue to watch over her."

Grayson entered the room, walking slowly as if underwater.He knelt down by her bed, stretched out a hand, and didn't touch her head, but just put it on the sheet beside her shoulder. "Oh Gigi, what did they do to you?" he murmured. At his voice, Gillian's eyes opened, and she turned to look at him. "Daddy," she said, her voice weak, but clearly happy to see him. "I heard there was an accident," he said. "I was scared." "It's okay," she comforted him, stretching out a hand to caress his palm, "I'm fine now."

It's really hard to say that this simple action surprised all the adults present.Gillian has been at Grism Academy for so many years, but Carly has never seen Gillian initiate physical contact with anyone.Gillian didn't seem to be paying attention to their reactions, just dropped her hands to her side and closed her eyes again. "I'm tired," she murmured, "I need some sleep now." After a while, she snored softly.Grayson stared at her for a long time before turning to face Carly and Handel.There was an awkward atmosphere in the air. Carly broke the silence and said, "The doctors say she will make a full recovery. But they will need a few days to observe her. Because of her current condition..."

"You said this was a good thing Dr. Li Yu did to her?" When Gillian held Grayson's hand just now, his face suddenly became angry.But now his expression turned cold again, full of anger. Carly nodded in the direction of the door.Suggest that they should go out and talk so their conversation doesn't disturb the little girl's sleep.The other two understood, and the three of them walked out into the hall together, where Gillian would definitely not be able to hear what was said.Callie noticed that Handel and Grayson stopped just before they reached the corner, which was not visible from the room.

"Jiro performed some unauthorized experiments on her," Handel explained, picking up the conversation. "We've got him under arrest." Grayson nodded. "very good." "He works for an organization called Cerberus," Handel said suddenly, yelling the words like a gunshot.Carly could see the reaction Handel was trying to provoke. "Cerberus?" Grayson asked, confused for a moment, turning his head slightly to one side. "A radical transhuman terrorist group," Handel replied, "with strong resources. Jiro is one of their agents. We think he infiltrated the Ascension Project to get close to Gillian."

"Never heard of this group. Did Jiro do it alone?" Handel hesitated before answering, and Carly worried that Handel might play some trick with Grayson.The security chief finally spoke back, and Carly was relieved that Handel's answer was honest. "We don't know yet. The interrogation will take time. He's vomiting bit by bit. Maybe he feels he can hide something in the prison so he can negotiate better terms for himself." "You should put him to death, not interrogation." Grayson's voice was flat and indifferent, but the anger in it couldn't be hidden—it was the original anger of a father guarding his only child.

"The league doesn't do that," Carly told him. "We'll know the answer soon," Handel said, but Carly didn't know whether Handel's words were comforting or threatening to a father who cared about his daughter. Grayson began walking up and down the narrow hospital corridors, running one hand through his stubble. "As you know, there may still be other Cerberus agents lurking in this research facility." "It's impossible," Handel assured him. "I've been in the League for so many years, and I've dealt with Cerberus a little bit. I know how they operate. Their secret agents are usually used to working in a single line." "But you can't guarantee it." Grayson exerted pressure and stopped him straight away. "Dr. Liwa has worked here for many years, but you have no idea who he is with." The security director didn't answer, just paced up and down restlessly. "Anyone can work for Cerberus, other researchers, teachers, nurses, even you!" Grayson poked Handel's chest hard with accusations, emphasizing his dissatisfaction.The big man's hairs stood on end, but he still suppressed himself and didn't speak.Carly stepped forward and put her hand on Grayson's wrist, gently pressing down on Grayson's hand. "Handel saved Gillian's life," she reminded Grayson. Grayson bowed his head, his face full of pain. "I forgot, sorry." He raised his head and held out his hand. "Sorry, Mitra." Handel shook hands, but did not speak. "I am very grateful for what you two have done for Gillian." Grayson said to them in a formal voice, "not just now, but she has been in the academy for so many years. She has the opportunity to be a part of the ascension project." I can't thank you enough." "But despite that, I can't let her stay here. She needs to be with me, and that's the only way I can keep her safe." Carly nodded. "We're sorry to lose her too, Mr. Grayson. But we understand. We'll find you a place to live on this space station until Gillian is well enough to travel." "I don't think you understand me," Grayson said, shaking his head again. "I'm leaving right now. Right now. And I'm taking the girl away." "I... sorry, sir," Carly replied, suddenly caught off guard. "But that's not possible, she needs medical attention until we..." "You said she was fine physically!" he protested, cutting her off. "She has just been ordealed and is still weak," Handel countered, raising his voice. "Biological abilities require a lot of calories to..." "I have food on board." "The way she is now requires a particularly balanced diet," Handel emphasizes. "I'd rather have her miss out on a couple of optimal meals than spend time with your group!" Grayson yelled, completely outburst. "The last time she stayed in this hospital, someone tried to kill her!" Before Handel had time to react, Carly raised her hand first, "We now guarantee that there will always be a guard outside her room." She assured Grayson. "What if that guard was working for Cerberus?" he growled. "What about the nurse looking at the monitor? Or the guy making the lunch? Don't tell me she's safe here!" "She's not safe anywhere!" Handel yelled back. "Do you know who you're dealing with? Cerberus probably has agents on every Union space station and colony. They're at every level of government and military." Agents are assigned! If you get her out of here, they'll find you in no time!" "Fuck you, Handel!" Callie yelled, slamming Handel on the shoulder to shut him up.Handel glared at Carly, but when he saw Carly's expression, he became quiet. "Why don't you tell Gillian you're leaving," she suggested to Grayson. "We'll get someone to take the cameras down." "Thank you," Grayson nodded slightly in approval.Then he turned and walked back toward Gillian's room. Carly watched him disappear through the door, then walked towards Handel. "What's wrong with you?" Carrie demanded. "You really think you can scare him into letting Gillian stay?" "He should be able to be scared," the security chief replied. "Cerberus dogs are dangerous. You can't let them go." "We have no other choice," Carly said. "Gillian is not a prisoner here. If a father wants to take his daughter away, we can't stop him." "Then hang on to him," Handel insisted, "at least until we dig more out of Jiro." "How long will that take?" Carly wondered. "An hour? A day?" "The little bastard still didn't say a word," Handel told her. "We're going to keep Grayson here until we find out who gave Jiro the order." "Aren't you trying to get him involved?" Carly didn't believe him. "I think there's something wrong with him," the head of security told her. "There's something weird about this guy. And even if he's not working for Cerberus, he's still a junkie! I can't just do nothing and call Gilly Leave it to him!" She knew Handel too well to know he would not give up.She also knew that Grayson was worried about his precious girl's life, and that he wouldn't let Handel frighten him.If she can't come up with a way, it will definitely not be a good thing.Her thinking was running rapidly, and various thoughts shuttled back and forth, trying to find a way to solve the current situation. Just then, she saw Grayson and Gillian, still in hospital gown, come out of the room.Handel saw them too, and walked straight towards them. At this time, Carly had a crazy plan in her frantic brain. Grayson was waiting in the ward for the nurses to come and withdraw the instrument catheters that monitored Gillian's physical condition, but his heart was pounding. Until now, he's been successful in acting, but he knows it's only a matter of time before the league's interrogation officers pry open Jiro's mouth and get him to name his contacts.He needs to be far away from the space station before then. He paced anxiously around the room along Gillian's bed. The nurse will not come.The security chief has his eyes on you.He is delaying you.You are running out of time. He turned sharply, breaking his rhythm, and walked quickly to the bed, leaning over to Jillian's ear. "Okay, Gigi, wake up, baby. We're leaving." Jillian woke up with a start, and sat up, bleary-eyed, not fully awake. "where are we going?" He didn't answer, but turned his attention to the machine. All instrumentation connections appear to be straightforward. "We need to hurry up, Gigi," he said, turning his back on his daughter. "I need to remove all these devices, okay?" She looked worried, and the anxiety in her face was reflected in his own, but Gillian nodded anyway.It only takes a minute to unhook her from the various devices: Grayson simply removes a few electrodes attached to her forehead and a belt around her belly.Gillian flinched every time his fingers touched her skin, her face contorted in agony.The moment she reached out to shake Grayson's hand seemed so long. "It's over," he said when he was done. He glanced around the room and saw a pair of slippers in the corner.He picked up the slippers, walked to the bed with the slippers, and put them on the ground. "Put on your shoes, quick. Now." Gillian does, and they appear in the hallway.They hadn't gone a few meters when Grayson felt a strong hand on his shoulder, so strong that he frowned. Grayson turned, not surprised to see that it was Handel who stopped him.Carly stood behind the tall security chief, looking confused and disturbed. "You should have waited for the nurse to come," Handel said angrily. Grayson shook his hand away. "Every second we're here is dangerous for Gillian. I've waited enough." "Where are you going?" Handel provocatively asked, "Where can you take her, do you think the hellhound can't find you?" "I know people in the Terminus star system," he replied quickly, knowing he had to tell them something. "Someone I can trust." "Who is that? The guy who sold red sand to you?" Grayson didn't answer, just turned away.Handel grabbed him again, twisted him around, grabbed his shirt, and pinned him against the wall.He saw Gillian watching the two confront each other with horror. "Wait a minute!" Carly said, stepping up between them and separating them. "What if we go with you?" Both looked at her like she was crazy. "You want Gillian out of here," she said quickly to Grayson. "What if we go with you? I can monitor Gillian's implanted electrodes, and Handel has basic medical training." Neither of them answered, but Handel let go of Grayson's T-shirt and took a step back. "If you really want to hide from a group of terrorists, you need all the help you can get," Carly added. "How do you know I'll trust you two?" Grayson said warily. "Handel saved Gillian's life," Carly reminded Grayson. "As for me, you just have to trust your instincts." Grayson nodded, this unexpected situation had already turned in his mind.It's not ideal, but every second he's on the station increases the risk of exposure.What he needs most now is to leave quickly, and then use his own method to deal with these two people. But he couldn't seem eager at first. "You know what that means? You could lose your job." Carly and Handel exchanged glances.She turned to Grayson and nodded gravely. "Okay, you two can come," he said, "but we have to leave now. And we can't tell anyone where we're going. If there are other Cerberus agents here, I don't want them to have a chance Follow us." "That's fair," Carly agreed, turning to Handel. "Are you coming too?" Handel hesitated before answering. "If I can continue to watch over Gillian—and you—then it seems I have no choice now." His eyes met Grayson. "Count me in." Grayson turned to Gillian and crouched slightly, their eyes level.She still looked terrified. "It's okay, Gigi," he said softly, "No one will be mad again. Now we're going home together, okay?" It took Gillian a moment to understand what was going on, the fear slipping from her heart, and a calm expression on her face.She nodded. The four of them walked through the hospital, down the corridor, and walked towards the dry port.Five minutes later they were at the security checkpoint.Although the guard on duty looked at them in great surprise, they let them go after a few words from Handel.Ten minutes later they had boarded the spacecraft and left the space station.Grayson was in the cockpit, and Handel, Carly, and Gillian were seated in the back seat, buckled up. He has Gillian now and is flying away from Grism.He immediately accelerated to FTL so that there was no way for anyone to track them down.Of course, he is still thinking about how to deal with these two extra chasers, but now he has started to make a plan. It is definitely impossible to solve it head-on with violence.The head of security alone is bigger than him, and he has biotic powers and a pistol in his ass.And he had studied the files of Mitra and Saunders, both of whom had advanced karate training. If you hadn't been deadheaded by the red sand when you set off, you would have been smarter and stashed one of your own pistols in this cockpit. He also has no medicine to take.And even if he had the medicine, he doubted whether Handel would let his guard down and eat or drink the food and drink he provided without checking whether there were any tricks. Fortunately, Grayson is not alone.He tapped a quick encrypted message and sent it, before setting the route to the Omega space station. I'd like to see how Handel handles Pell and his team.He felt a slight acceleration push him into his seat, and the ship accelerated to FTL. Until this time, he slowly let himself breathe out.