"To face a Disaster Walker with only our crew and risk being wiped out or to ally with the lowest scumbags this planet has to offer, just to increase our odds?"
Gerald's voice was through the air like a serrated blade, rough and unrelenting.
"Tell me, Eric Aldaman," he growled, eyes burning into Eric's. "What would you have done if you were in my place?!"
A difficult question, no, a near-impossible one. One that clawed deep into the soul and refused a clean answer.
Eric faltered. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. What could he say? This wasn't his burden to bear. This wasn't his choice to make. And yet…
"What did you do… Gerald?" he finally asked, quietly.
"You want to know what I did?!" Gerald snapped, almost as if he'd read Eric's indecision like an open book. "I freed them. I unlocked their restraints and let them loose."
He didn't stop there.
