As Dr. Hamilton observed Arias's serious expression, he quickly replied, "If what you're saying is true, then we both want the same thing for humanity, isn't that right? More importantly, if you kill me, you lose the only person who fully understands and can control Galatea."
While it seemed like Dr. Hamilton was surrendering, he was also subtly threatening. If anything happened to him, Arias would lose any control he wished to have over the asset. Dr. Hamilton was selling himself as the only one who could control Galatea. However, Arias wasn't going to let that pass.
"I think you misunderstand something, Dr. Hamilton. The reason I'm even bothering to talk to you right now is because it would be inconvenient to lose you, nothing more. Did you know that a certain someone happened to hack into Cadmus? Stealing all vital details regarding your project data. From what I understand, even you have only seen it once and had to memorize it. I possess all of it, and I have the resources to put it all to use in ways your government never could. Do you understand? The only real problem I would have if you died would be finding someone new to lead the project."
At this time, Arias turned his gaze to the woman shaking in the distance. Someone like Dr. Hamilton could be replaced, but could he replace his own life? Seeing this turn of events, Dr. Hamilton was inwardly shattered as a feeling of concern dawned on him.
Looking at it from a logical perspective, he had reason to worry. No matter which way he looked at it, he couldn't take Arias's words as bluffs because Arias clearly seemed willing to kill him. While he was, in fact, only alive due to convenience, his words matched the current situation, and Dr. Hamilton had no proof or evidence to argue otherwise.
His logical mind reached the conclusion that he had been defeated and now had two choices: take Arias's warning for granted and perhaps die, or take him up on his offer and live. The logical mind, of course, reached the speedy conclusion, which obviously went against Dr. Hamilton's desires, as he showed a disappointed look and frowned before lowering his head in defeat. "Alright. I'll help you."
Dr. Hamilton couldn't even throw in any conditions to his cooperation. He had to be patient. That was the logical conclusion he reached. If, in fact, Arias was lying, he would find out eventually. Little did he know that he had now simply lost any hope of ever making it out of the situation successfully.
At this time, a loud noise caught everyone's attention as they looked in the distance where numerous military vehicles could be seen rushing toward the scene. Cheshire, who was in the midst of damaging evidence to make it harder for people to trace her work, rushed over to Arias's side and asked, "Boss, what do we do?"
Thinking Arias would simply stop them the same way he did before, Raven decided to be more proactive, looking ready to use her powers to get Arias, herself, and Cheshire out of the situation.
But she stopped herself from doing this, realizing her help wouldn't really be required in such a situation and that it was better for her to wait for a chance to act, building upon what Arias would do first. To Raven's surprise, however, Arias did nothing as the military vehicles approached the scene, quickly surrounding it.
Rather than military personnel, figures clad in black mercenary attire came out of the vehicles, armed to the teeth. Among the people who came out was Slade, who wore a similar outfit as the other figures, only he didn't have a mask on.
As he looked at Arias, he showed a wide grin. "Looks like you guys have everything wrapped up, ready for transport?"
Slade's question caused both Cheshire and Raven to feel confused. Since when did Arias break into the military? Was this Slade's doing?
They didn't even have time to properly address these questions as Arias met Slade's gaze and gave him a nod. "Yes, we're more or less done here. I trust you will be able to get it to the Ark academies without a problem?"
Slade crossed his arms and nodded without hesitation. "Won't be a problem. I'll leave some men to tidy up the scene a bit. With this much going on, I doubt they will even notice it's gone until tomorrow. Despite what people may think, military protocol is often a mess in these times."
Arias agreed with Slade's assessment. "That's exactly what makes this the perfect time to steal a valuable asset. Just make sure you're quick to return to Markovia. I'll need your eyes there for the next stage."
Slade gave the signal to his men and yelled, "Alright, boys, load the assets and the two extras into the truck so we can get moving."
Slade's men moved at his orders, rushing to the damaged armored truck to begin securing both the asset and guiding the doctor and his assistant toward the truck within the convoy. But before Slade turned to leave, he glanced back at Arias and asked, "What comes after this?"
Arias smiled and turned away to leave. "Just wait and see."