"Guns. You really think those will protect you?" Jhon said.
Tim raised an uzi up to Jhon who stood still staring out the glass window.
"I don't know. You tell me." Tim said.
Even before Baloo took a step towards them, Rob pointed his uzi at the mountain of flesh.
Jhon turned around. He seemed unphased. Perhaps he was acting.
"I never said your
guns
couldn't destroy others. That wasn't the question."
Tim put his uzi down and smiled. He wasn't planning on shooting anyways. Just liked to point guns at people when he was trying to get a read on them. This guy... Jhon was cool as a cucumber. Tim wasn't sure whether this was because he knew Tim was putting on a show or not.
"Guns are very good at destroying people. I know this." Jhon said. "But they seem to be pretty useless in the long run when it comes to actual protection."
The room seemed to calm down. Jack wiped sweat off his brow. The place was air conditioned like an
American
sports arena.
"Now. Can we finally get to doing the thing that we all came here to do?" Jhon asked and then came over to shake hands with Tim and Rob. Or so the latter two thought. Instead of a handshake Jhon took Tim's wrist in his hands and seemed to examine them from all angles. After a few seconds he nodded at Jack and Baloo.
"Yes. This man will do."
And then the two were ushered out of the room. Tim felt off. If Jhon had had a knife he could've slit Tim's wrist. He hadn't responded at all. Not in any actionable sense. Why was that? He hadn't been that paralyzed since his rookie days.
This worried him. Not only that, he worried what Rob thought.
In the elevator down when they were alone Rob asked, "what the hell was that all about? Was he checking out your hand? Reading your palms or something?"