Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

Even though he had done so much for the Cerberus, even though he had performed hundreds of missions, even though he had served the Cerberus for almost sixteen years, the chances of Grayson meeting the Phantom Man face-to-face were few and far between. Although the phantom man is full of charm and majestic appearance in the video screen, others can only feel the power of anger when they see him in person.He is always unsmiling, and his aura fills his surroundings.He is always filled with calm confidence, as if everything around him is under control.There is unquestionable wisdom in his calm eyes, coupled with his silver hair and oppressive presence, Phantom Man always makes people feel that he possesses wisdom beyond ordinary people.

This impression was greatly enhanced in the office used by the Phantom Man for private meetings.The office is furnished with classic dark wood furniture, which makes people feel serious, calm and even eerie.The light is soft and dim, and the corners of the room can only be shrouded in shadows.On the other side of the room was a frosted-glass table with six black chairs, where he could entertain more people. However, this meeting is a purely personal conversation.There were two oversized leather chairs in the middle of the office, and Grayson was sitting in one of them, facing the Phantom Man directly.When Grayson walked in, he noticed a few guards standing guard at the door, but they seemed to be the only ones in the office.

"We haven't found hard evidence that everything you say is true," said the Phantom Man, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together in front of him. His appearance makes people feel very friendly, and his tone of speech is full of understanding, but he is soft on the outside and strong on the inside, with hard edges and corners buried under the calm surface.Once again, Grayson finds The Phantom Man both oppressive and awkward.He put on such a posture, is to make you believe him.If you want to lie, his eyes seem to tell you, he will know... the consequences will be serious.

Fortunately for Grayson, the truth is on his side. "I've got my report ready. I was ordered to take Gillian out of Project Ascension. I had to change the plan while on mission because Carly Sanders and Handel Mitra also Blended in and they insisted on staying with Gillian. I had Pell deal with them, but when we got to the Omega space station he locked us all up so he could sell us all to the gatherers .” The Phantom Man nodded, as if agreeing with everything Grayson said. "Yes, of course. But I don't know what happened next." The question seemed innocuous, but Grayson realized it might be a trap.Within two days of his message, Cerberus sent a rescue team from Omega Station to Earth to meet with the organization's leaders.Considering Pell and his men were dead -- and several more at the hands of Grayson -- it was an invitation he couldn't refuse.

As soon as the spaceship landed, they packed him into a waiting car and took him straight to an unassuming office building, Cerberus' legitimate business front desk in Calder, where Heathrop Aerospace is headquartered. .On the face of it, the entire building is filled with ordinary men and women clerks, busy making and selling dirigibles and dirigibles.None of them knew that they were actually working for an unknown person who lived in a secure loft on the top floor above the secret luxury suites of the famous corporate executives. Grayson was dying to think about another dose of red sand, and the elevator ride to the top of Cald Heathrop seemed endless.It would be delusional, though, to give yourself a dose of that before meeting such an important and dangerous figure—say, the Phantom Man.He now had the chance to convince the Phantom Man that Pell was a traitor, and if he failed, he would never leave the building alive, which meant he would never see Gillian again.

"I've told you everything I know about Pell's death. Someone or a group, I don't know who, probably quarians, broke into the warehouse. I think they helped other Everyone fled. Most of Pell's men were killed during their escape. I escaped from the cell when they exchanged fire. I killed Pell and one of his other men who were still alive. Then Got in touch with you." The phantom man nodded again and stood up slowly.He was more than 1.8 meters tall, looking down at Grayson who was sitting in the chair. "Paul," he said softly, looking down at Grayson from above. "Did you suck red sand?"

don't lie.If he didn't already know, he wouldn't even ask. "I didn't serve red sand in this mission. I didn't shoot Pell while I was hallucinating. I didn't shoot Pell and him to cover up the mistakes I made when I was delirious. The team members started. I just did what had to be done." With his back turned to him, the phantom weighed his words.He didn't turn around, but asked directly: "Do you care about Gillian?" "Yes," he admitted, "I care about her like a father cares about his daughter. You told me to treat her like my own, and I did. It was the only way to make her trust me." Just know the answer.

The phantom man then turned around, but still stood. "Have you ever wondered what we're doing here, Cerberus HQ, Paul? Have you ever had an inner struggle with how we've treated Gillian?" Grayson didn't know how to answer for a while, and wanted to carefully organize the language of the answer.In the end, he couldn't find the words to get around the question, so he just answered the question. "It breaks my heart just thinking about her," he added firmly. "But I understand why it has to be done. I can see that it's for a greater cause. I believe in our cause."

The phantom man raised one eyebrow in surprise, and tilted his head forward, staring at Grayson sitting in front of him—and below him. "Your old partner would never have given me an answer as honest as yours." Grayson didn't know whether the words meant a compliment or an insult. "I'm not like Pell. He's in cahoots with the foragers. He's betrayed humans. He's betrayed Cerberus. He's betrayed you." Grayson felt slightly relieved when the Phantom Man sat down again. "We have had no reports of your ship's whereabouts since leaving the Omega space station. We have no record of any sightings, either on the Council Worlds or at any of the space stations and colonies in the Terminus star system."

"I guess I might know why," Grayson declared.He let out a breath that he didn't even realize was half-holding his breath until he played the ace. "I think they're hiding in the middle of the rogue fleet." The Phantom Man raised an eyebrow again in surprise. "I'm curious what led you to this unlikely conclusion." Grayson doesn't have a good answer.His theory was based on several very circumstantial pieces of evidence: the shotgun he found in the warehouse, the captives in the basement, and his unshakable belief in the fact that he knew where Gillian was.

"Instinct," he said finally. "My gut tells me that's it. The quarians took my daughter." "If they did it," said the boss, "then we're beyond our reach." Grayson shook his head, countering the man's assertion with silence. "I found Pell's mission report in the warehouse. I knew he was gathering intel to infiltrate the Rogue Fleet, and I think that's what led the Qualley Rescue Team to the warehouse. But they left behind One of his own, Pell had tortured this quarian to the brink of insanity. I'm sure he gave me transmission frequencies and something that was a code before he died." "Pell's report also mentioned the Quali frigate that he captured, the Sinai Ard. I think we can send a team to board this frigate, use this frequency and code to mix into the fleet, and then rescue Gillian return." The Phantom Man isn't trying to deny the purpose of Pell's mission.Instead, he was considering Grayson's plan, a risk worth the risk for the potential huge payoff. "It might work...if your guess about the quarians taking Gillian is correct." The phantom man stood up again, but this time it seemed to be the signal to end the meeting, as if he had got all he wanted to know from Grayson. "I'll let the operatives in the Terminus system see if they can find intel to support your theory. If they can, we'll send a rescue team to bring Gillian back." "We have a quarian contact on station Omega who can help us," he added. "I'll give him the code and see if he can authenticate." Grayson got half of what he wanted from the meeting: Cerberus was sending a team to bring Gillian back.But this time, it wasn't enough for him, he just let other people control his daughter's life, while he could only stand by. "I want to be part of a rescue team." The Phantom Man shook his head. "This operation requires exacting accuracy and flawless execution. The smallest mistake can put the entire team in danger. And I doubt your judgment will be compromised by your feelings for Gillian." "I have to be part of the squad," Grayson insisted. "I need to bring my daughter back." "I've already said, she won't be hurt." The phantom man assured him softly, his words full of comfort. "We will do everything we can to keep him safe. You know how much she means to us." That's all I can rely on. Gillian represents the culmination of over a decade of intense research by Cerberus.Cerberus has poured thousands of hours and billions of credits into this little girl, hoping that she will one day be the key to a new frontier in the realm of human biological powers.The Phantom Man is just as desperate to get Gillian back as Grayson, though not for the same reasons.This gave Grayson something that few others had when dealing with the Phantom Man: play tricks. "You have no other choice," Grayson warned him, delivering the ultimatum in a calm and firm tone. "I won't give you the code until I get on board and fly to the heart of the Rogue Fleet. If you want to get Gillian back, I'm your only hope." It's a dangerous gamble.They've always used torture to gain intelligence, and their techniques make the torture Pell used on Qualian captives look benevolent.But Grayson is still useful, especially when Gillian is involved.Cerberus knew about his daughter, and they knew she was ignorant of strangers.Worth taking her father up there... Grayson hoped so. "You were very dedicated to her," the Phantom Man said with a smile, but that couldn't hide the anger beneath the words. "I hope this doesn't cause problems in the future." "Then I can go?" The Phantom Man nodded. "I'm meeting with Glo, our contact at Omega." The Phantom Man held up a hand, and Grayson stood up, trying to suppress the ecstasy he was hiding.I don't know what effect his provocation against the phantom man will have on the road-the phantom man has a very good memory.But he doesn't care at all now.He would give anything if he could bring his precious girl back to him.