071 'Leverage' Vs 'Leverage'
Marcus and Colin left the office.
Colin looked at Marcus with a puzzled expression.
Marcus didn't speak, but simply pointed towards the restroom.
The two went into the restroom together, and Marcus spoke first, "Colin, are you sure Don hasn't come back for almost twenty months?"
"Yes," Colin replied affirmatively.
"How often did he usually come back?" Marcus pressed.
"About once every three to six months," Colin continued. "Actually, Don told me he's been very busy lately, monitoring the One Star Project every day, so he hasn't had time to come back recently."
Colin added, "Is there something wrong with him?"
Marcus nodded. "It's basically confirmed that Don is compromised."
"What?" Colin hesitated. "Don betrayed us?"
Marcus responded negatively, "I'm afraid Don is already dead. The current Don is very likely a Terminator in disguise." Marcus sighed after saying this.
"Impossible, right?" Colin was shocked.
Marcus sighed. "Remember what I just told Don? I wanted to drink with him and Kyle, right?"
Colin nodded.
"You should also remember when I came back the second time, Don locked me in the interrogation room to verify my identity, right?" Marcus showed a nostalgic expression.
Although he wouldn't stay in the Terminator world forever, no one is without feelings. He and Don truly had a friendship, and now that Don was most likely dead, Marcus did feel somewhat sad.
"How exactly did you verify it back then?" Colin asked with interest.
Marcus looked at Colin with a half-smile.
Colin said slightly awkwardly, "Could it be that the Boss also suspects that I'm a Terminator T-1000 in disguise?"
Marcus shook his head. "When I came in, I still went through the X Corridor, so of course I believe you. Also, because of the existence of the X Corridor, Don hasn't returned for almost twenty months..."
Colin suddenly understood. It seemed that Don had really been killed.
"Just now, I was actually testing Don. He didn't drink with Kyle back then. In interrogation room number seven, because the surveillance and recording were broken, it was just me, Director Kane, Don, and Kyle," Marcus explained.
Now that Don is most likely compromised, Marcus wasn't going to keep hiding that secret any longer.
"Back then, after Director Kane and I completed our investigation of Kyle and confirmed his identity, I asked Don to take Kyle to get some toiletries, instead of having the two of them go drinking," Marcus explained.
"However, just now on the phone, I hinted that I was verifying Don's identity, but Don didn't catch on at all. If he really is Don, he would definitely understand what I was saying," Marcus said.
"Finally, considering that Don hasn't been back for almost twenty months, do you think there's something wrong with Don?" Marcus asked rhetorically.
Colin paused for a moment before speaking, "If SAC Don is really replaced by the Terminator T-1000, how do we counter Project One Star?"
"How many Terminator T-800 miniature nuclear reactors do we have in storage right now?" Marcus changed the subject. "Hasn't DoD sent anyone to inquire?"
Colin replied, "We currently have 96 Terminator T-800 miniature nuclear reactors stored. It's a bit strange; DoD clearly knows we have Terminator T-800 miniature nuclear reactors in storage, but they haven't taken any action."
"No action is the most troublesome thing." Marcus frowned. If DoD hasn't taken any action, it means DoD has made a breakthrough in Project One Star.
No!
It should be said that Skynet gave DoD breakthrough technology through the T-800!
"Colin, contact D.C. headquarters immediately and report our investigation into DoD," Marcus explained.
"To what extent?" Colin asked.
"Tell everything, including the fact that DoD most likely created Skynet, and that the person in charge of Project One Star is very likely a Terminator in disguise. Pay special attention to the Don situation; have D.C. headquarters investigate Don thoroughly," Marcus explained.
Skynet learned from Marcus and gained leverage in this era.
Now, the situation has become a confrontation between competing forces.
If the FBI, representing Marcus, wins, then Marcus's leverage has triumphed, and vice versa.
To counter the leverage borrowed from DoD by Skynet, Marcus has no choice but to flip the table and reveal everything directly. If the FBI's D.C. headquarters proves powerless, or if the DOJ says it can't do anything to DoD, then Marcus will leave the Terminator world.
Logically speaking, Marcus isn't a native of the Terminator world. If Skynet gains control within DoD, then the Terminator world will inevitably end in Skynet's victory.
How will Skynet win?
By launching nuclear strikes, of course!
What's the point of conventional warfare?
Nuclear war is much more decisive!
Launching nukes one by one, 99% of the world's population vanished instantly, perfectly executing Project One Star and allowing Skynet to dominate the planet.
Under such circumstances, how could Marcus possibly stay in the Terminator world to witness nuclear holocaust?
He'd be insane!
Of course, if possible, Marcus would still be willing to obstruct Skynet, thereby reversing Judgment Day and causing fluctuations in the River of Fate to obtain the corresponding Destiny points.
The fluctuations in the River of Fate in the Terminator world are because Marcus had already altered the world's trajectory, and then Skynet pulled the River of Fate back. Now, Marcus has the opportunity to obtain more Destiny points, so naturally he's willing to take the gamble.
As for whether he succeeds?
It doesn't really matter.
If he succeeds, then everyone wins; Marcus obtains Destiny points, the destiny of the Terminator world is reversed, and the apocalypse ceases to exist.
If he fails?
As mentioned earlier, Marcus won't stay to witness the nuclear apocalypse.
That stuff...
let whoever has a death wish experience it!
Marcus says his survival instincts are too strong—nuclear war is too dangerous to stick around for.
"By the way, Colin, I need your credentials. I need to take control of the entire FBI Los Angeles field office. I need to do a thorough review of the Los Angeles office and see if there are any internal problems," Marcus added.
Colin didn't refuse Marcus. He had been Marcus's subordinate before, and being accommodating by nature, he naturally agreed.
"Okay, Boss, I'll give you all my credentials," Colin said, providing his internal network login and password.
"Go contact D.C. headquarters first and see their response. Then we'll consider our next course of action," Marcus instructed.
"Okay," Colin agreed.
While Colin contacted D.C. headquarters, Marcus went to the FBI's Los Angeles office server room. He took out the console-sized Ayanami unit, powered it on, and connected it to the server room's internal servers...
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