He seemed to hear something strange in the wind, in the air—sounds that didn't belong to this world.
The young man's mind went blank for two seconds. He said nothing, as if genuinely shaken.
Ford mistook the silence for fear—or perhaps for the shame of being labeled a "defective." He continued, voice coaxing, almost gentle:
"No matter what, you can't beat me. So why not just behave? You'll suffer less that way. My only job is to bring you back. If you're missing an arm or a leg, it'll be hard for me to explain. As long as you cooperate—"
"As long as you cooperate, you won't end up like that snow leopard, killed right here. So don't even think about resisting."
There was something Ford didn't say: whether the rat-man would let Albert live after he was brought back was anyone's guess.
Most likely, he'd simply be eaten.
