Help, or not help? If he cared about the big boss who would eventually be dragged into this—four-star General Thaddeus Ross—then keeping a respectful distance was the attitude a Kryptonian ought to have.
But Henry felt there was something off about this beauty's approach. She had sought out a stranger she had only just met to dig into her own family's dirty laundry. If they really uncovered something serious, was she planning to sacrifice him as a disposable pawn?
Thinking of how this older woman was no coy, scheming sweetheart, but rather the bold, passionate type raised in a military family, Henry decided to be direct. "Professor Ross, we both know I'm merely an outsider. If you had doubts about what happened today, shouldn't you have sought out more professional departments to investigate? The police, for example. Or the FBI.
"But instead, you came to me, someone you had only met for the first time. Even if I do possess the necessary skills, I still want to know why. If there is some reason you find difficult to say, I hope you can be frank with me."
His very first sentence had already implied a refusal. At this point, anyone who felt guilty or merely wanted to take advantage should have backed down on their own.
However, Betty Ross clearly had her own considerations. "Mr. Brown, I admit that this matter is somewhat complicated. Recently, a military contractor, Glenn Talbot of Asi Silicon Technology, approached us.
"He used to serve under my father and was originally an Army major. My father is General Thaddeus Ross, though we have been estranged for a long time.
"Glenn proposed acquiring Bruce's nanomicrobial technology and hoped to use it in the military's Super-Soldier Program. But Bruce refused, and I do not support the proposal